Joseph Duggar Courtship: Did Tori Bates Hint That She’s Interested In Dating A Duggar?

Could Joseph Duggar become the next 19 Kids and Counting star to enter into a courtship? According to recent reports, Joseph might have a not-so-secret admirer named Tori Bates.

Many fans of the Duggar clan know that Tori Bates is a member of another fundie family that is close with the Duggars. The Bates crew has a lot in common with Jim Bob and Michelle’s brood — they share similar religious beliefs, Gil and Kelly Jo Bates have 19 kids, and the family stars on their own reality show titled Bringing Up Bates. According to OK! Magazine, the family recently appeared on a Bringing Up Bates Q&A special, and it’s here that they addressed the possibility of a Duggar/Bates wedding.

Tori Bates is the member of the family who seemed to be the most interested in a Duggar/Bates union. According to the Examiner, she got noticeably embarrassed whenever the topic came up. One of her brothers teased Tori by saying that she wants there to be a Duggar/Bates wedding, and most of the Bates siblings agreed that there will definitely be one at some point in the future. This could be a hint that something is going on between Tori and Joseph Duggar, or perhaps Tori simply has a crush on Joseph or one of his brothers.

There’s a good reason Joseph is the Duggar most likely to court a Bates. He recently made 19 Kids and Counting history by becoming the first member of his family to head off to college, and it just so happens that Tori attends the same school, the Crown Bible College in Knoxville, Tennessee. Joseph Duggar is good friends with Tori’s brother Lawson, and the Bates family lives just 30 minutes away from Crown College. This means it’s highly likely that Joseph spends a lot of time around Lawson and his siblings.

In fact, as the Inquisitr previously reported, Joseph Duggar actually went to dinner with Tori Bates and a few of her family members back in January. Lawson Bates shared a photo of the outing on Twitter, but it doesn’t look like Joseph and Tori were on a date — they weren’t even sitting close to one another.

When a Duggar is courting, a chaperone must be present during their dates. Because Joseph is currently living 500 miles away from his family, this means that a Duggar “accountability partner” can’t accompany him whenever he goes out. However, because the Duggars and Bateses are all such good friends, Jim Bob and Michelle would probably be okay with one of the Bates children keeping an eye on Joseph if he goes on any dates.

The Duggars haven’t said much about the possibility of a Duggar/Bates wedding, but the Bateses sure like to talk about it. During an interview with ET Online, Bringing Up Bates star Erin Bates Paine revealed that the fundie families will definitely become in-laws someday.

“I personally think, hey you have 19 kids on each side, I think it’s almost inevitable somewhere down the line. As much as we see each other, I think there’s going to be an attraction somewhere. I don’t know where yet, but I think it’s gonna happen.”

Do you think Tori Bates and Joseph Duggar are the cusp of entering into a courtship, or is it possible that they’re secretly courting already?

[Image credits: TLC, Bates Family]