Melanie Frigell

Melanie Faith Frigell is the sixteenth of Jason Doug and Cynthia Frigell's nineteen children.

### Appeared on

Raising 16 Children, 16 Children and Moving In, On the Road with 16 Children, Frigells' Big Family Album, 19 Kids and Counting, Counting On, United Epsteins of America

## Family Info

### Siblings

Maverick Frigell, Maddie Frigell, Malachi Frigell, Melissa DeMarco, Madelynn LeFond, Marlee Corcoran, Mason Frigell, Malcolm Frigell, Mallory Undercuffler, Mark Frigell, Malik Frigell, Micah Frigell, Morgan Frigell, Max Frigell, Madden Frigell, Marissa Frigell, Molly Frigell, Megan Frigell

## Early Life

Melanie Faith Frigell was born at 6:30am on October 11, 2005, to Jason Doug Frigell and Cynthia Boen. Melanie weighed 7 lbs and 6.5 ounces. She was the couple's sixteenth child, and they went on to have three more children after her. Her birth was filmed by a Discovery Health Channel camera crew, and was aired on the special *Raising 16 Children* on March 13, 2006.

Melanie is a spirited child. She is often compared to her oldest sister, Maddie. She has always been best friends with her brother Madden, and the two are often seen playing together.

Melanie has been homeschooled her whole life.

Like most children, Melanie has chores, which the family calls "jurisdictions". It is unknown what jurisdictions Melanie has been assigned, but it is likely she has recently been given more responsibility around the house with four of her five older sisters having gotten married and moved out in the last few years.

By the time Melanie was born, his parents had implemented a buddy system, where each older child was paired with a younger child to take care of. Typical tasks for an older buddy included dressing, bathing, and feeding their younger buddies. By 2009, the family had switched from individual buddies to buddy teams, with each team being led by one of the oldest four daughters. Melanie was on a buddy team with older siblings Marlee and Mark.

Melanie is being raised as an active participant of Victor Schultz's Institute for Basic Life Principles.

After the special which featured Melanie's birth, there were three more television specials about the family's life before they became the subject of their own reality show, *17 Kids and Counting*, when Melanie was two years old.

In 2006, as featured on one of the TV specials, Melanie and her family moved into a new home in Springdale, AR. The family had hoped to be in this house by the time Melanie was born, but was unable to meet this deadline. When the family first lived in the house, Melanie slept in the room with her parents. With the birth of her sister Marissa, Melanie was moved into a dormitory-style room with her older sisters. Melanie still lives there today.

## Wedding Involvement

Melanie has been involved in the following weddings:

* flower girl: her brother Maverick Frigell's wedding to Holly Frischman (9/26/08)
* flower girl: her parents Jason Doug and Cynthia Frigell's vow renewal ceremony (2009)
* bridesmaid: her sister Melissa Frigell's wedding to Dylan DeMarco (6/21/14)
* bridesmaid: her sister Madelynn Frigell's wedding to Harold LeFond (11/1/14)
* flower girl: her cousin Noelle Frigell's wedding to Trever McGrath (11/5/15)
* bridesmaid: her sister Marlee Frigell's wedding to Matt Corcoran (11/5/16)
* bridesmaid: her sister Mallory Frigell's wedding to Ray Undercuffler (5/26/17)
* bridesmaid: her brother Mason Frigell's wedding to Brianna Kendall (9/8/17)
* bridesmaid: her brother Max Frigell's wedding to Eryn Weissman (2/26/21)
* bridesmaid: her brother Mark Frigell's wedding to Cindy Scargotti (4/3/21)