Episode 12 Recap: When the Letters Went Public — And the Smitty Bros Answered
In one of their heaviest episodes yet, the Smitty Brothers gather the threads of a decade-long family and business fracture, respond to a flurry of public letters, and restate their standing invitation: sit down with a neutral mediator and tell the truth face-to-face.
The Setup: Why Episode 12 Matters
Episode 12 opens with the brothers explaining why this conversation carries unusual weight. According to them, their former company’s leadership (their sister and her husband) has publicly responded to the Smitty Bros’ recent storytelling and marketing—triggering a wave of letters from family and friends. The brothers say they’ve long sought private mediation and biblical reconciliation; those requests, they claim, have been declined if a neutral third party is present. This episode is their public response to those public letters.
They also clarify stakes: the Smitty Bros now operate JeeSauce —a direct competitor—and they’re committed to telling the origin story they say has been erased from the record.
The Letters: Who Wrote In and What They Said
A series of letters—some first sent privately, many posted publicly—forms the spine of the episode. The brothers don’t read every letter verbatim; they summarize themes and answer directly.
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Luke Edwards (President of Bitchin' Sauce)
Luke’s note, the brothers say, tries to “clear up” specific incidents and speculation around properties and customer interactions, but stays vague when confronting them. What stands out most to them: language about “incriminating” events 10 years ago—without details. Their ask to Luke is simple: if there’s any claim of illegal behavior, name it, and do it in front of a mediator. -
Sara Hale (long time family friend; Communications Director at Bitchin' Sauce)
Her letter, per the brothers, labels their motives with words like “hatred” and “bitterness.” The Smittys say Sarah has never sat with them privately, and they invite her—specifically—to do exactly that with a mediator, pointing to the biblical model of private confrontation before public rebuke. -
Their Mother (Bernardette Smith, beneficiary of the Bitchin' Sauce Fortune)
The brothers address two realities: her recent public letter critical of their approach, and a different letter she wrote in 2015 (they read it in full on the episode) that, in their view, clearly named the wrongdoing, foresaw consequences, and called their sister back to truth. They honor their mom’s heart in the early days and say the earlier letter was prophetic, courageous, and crucial context that was later taken down from the public article. -
Cousins (Audrey, Megan, Gus, Anna) and Family Friends (Will & Tracy)
Across these letters, the brothers hear three refrains: you’re doing harm, this isn’t loving, move on. Their response:-
Love tells the truth—especially when lies are public.
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If their public truth-telling is criticized, so should public “puff pieces” and omissions be.
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If reconciliation is the goal, come to the table with a mediator.
They single out Megan for asking strong, thoughtful questions (e.g., “If pain becomes the product, what’s the incentive to heal?”). Their answer: the “product” isn’t pain; it’s a testimony of overcoming, with an expectation of full restoration. They praise the sincerity of her note while pointing out the biblical call she quoted—take it to a person privately first—and invite her to do exactly that.
With Gus (on payroll as operations director at Bitchin' Sauce), they reject the idea that they should “tell the truth differently” to control public backlash. The brothers say they don’t condone harassment—but they also won’t manage public opinion to protect a lie.
With Anna, they contrast her public letter with what they describe as silence after the brothers privately replied and asked for help bringing their sister to mediation.
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The Core Claim: This Is About Lies vs. Truth (Not People)
The brothers repeat a theme: their fight isn’t with people; it’s with lies and the agreements people make with them. They say they will “publicly parade every lie”. For anyone attached to the falsehoods, they claim, disentangling from the lie equals freedom.
They also pose a challenge to letter-writers: If you preach unconditional forgiveness and “moving on,” then—by your standard—forgive us and let us keep telling the truth. But if public criticism of ongoing wrongdoing is allowed (as their critics are doing to them), then they will exercise the same right toward what they view as ongoing unrepented wrongs. “Pick one,” they say—you can’t have it both ways.
The Mother’s 2015 Letter: A Turning Point Re-Shared
Mid-episode, the brothers read a letter their mom wrote in 2015 at the time of the split. In it, she pleads for their sister to stop, calls certain actions “stealing,” warns of rotten fruit and inevitable consequences, and urges a return to love and unity. The brothers say that letter—clear, loving, and direct—didn’t break through then, and that’s why their approach today sounds different. If tender appeals failed, they argue, public truth-telling may be the only remaining route toward repentance and reconciliation.
On “Using Trauma as a Hook”
One cousin accuses the brothers of exploiting “someone’s trauma” in ads—referencing the lawsuit against their former company that resulted in a multimillion-dollar judgment, including findings related to retaliation. The brothers’ position: the company is the product, and consumers deserve material facts about leadership conduct. Transparency helps people buy in good conscience. They add that they don’t script or condone harassment; they inform.
The Standing Invitation: Come Sit on the Couch (with a Mediator)
The drumbeat never stops: the Smitty Bros say they’ve asked for mediation for years. They repeat the offer—over and over—to every letter-writer and to their sister and brother-in-law: pick a neutral room, bring a third-party mediator, lay out the evidence, and submit to biblical peacemaking. They also say they will gladly review any proof that shows them wrong and will repent accordingly.
What’s Next: Cameras, Questions, and Consequences
The brothers close with a sober heads-up: documentary producers have reached out. According to them, major platforms will share this story; their sister declined to participate. Because letter-writers chose to go public, the brothers say, those writers will now receive critical story questions from the documentarians—about ownership, origins, label history, and more. Their advice: switch allegiances from lies to truth now, publicly, the same way the letters were published.
Final Word: Love Looks Like Truth + Mediation
Episode 12 is not victory-lapping hurt. It’s the Smitty Bros, in third person, inviting everyone—again—into the same simple process: sit down, tell the truth, submit to a fair mediator, and let real reconciliation begin. They expect full restoration. They believe that’s the best chapter still ahead. And until that meeting happens, they’ll keep doing what they say love requires—telling the truth in public.
Moms Letter:
My Dearest Starry:
I love you so much. Everyone that knows you loves you SO much. The actions that you have been taking lately are not the real Starr. My daughter would never do what you are doing right now. My daughter is loving and kind. My daughter is generous and not selfish. My daughter does not intentionally hurt people. My daughter is a fighter, but she lovingly fights for what is right and there are good results. My daughter cares about God and doing God’s will. There will not be any good results from what you are doing. I guarantee it. I want my daughter back!
I do not know what you and Luke are going through, but the fruit is ugly and rotten.
The worst part about this is that you have been tricked into thinking that you are right. Fear motivated actions never produce right results. Never. And to think that somehow these actions are going to make your problems go away is sheer lies. The adversary has filled your thinking with lies and he’s not going to stop with this situation. He will continue to ruin your life everywhere. You have given him a foothold. Please kick him out right now in the name of Jesus Christ!
You have a good story and because you are well spoken, any stranger would believe you even though your story is filled with half truths. The adversary (devil) will trick you into thinking that you can get away with this, but the truth is, you can’t. The boys have paperwork that rips your theories to shreds, Honey. You don’t have intellectual property to the sauce. Ryan has proof of giving you the recipe. Anyone that lived at Avenida Del Alba knows that Ryan was the one that made the sauce. If we were ever going to have it for dinner, I’d always ask Ryan to make it because he made it the best. None of your theories are going to stand up if this were to go to court. Of course you convinced your lawyer, but he’s only hearing one side of the story. There are more witnesses that know and have experienced love and kindness from your brothers and our family and will back them up one hundred percent. I love all of you and have heard both sides of the story. I’m seeing the fruit. It’s not difficult to see which fruit is Godly.
You are stealing. The activities that you are doing are actually criminal. The thief cometh not but for the steal, kill and destroy. You have been tricked by the thief.
If you continue, the things that you have greatly feared will absolutely come upon you. There are consequences for bad actions. You do not want this! If this were to go to court, it would not be good for you. I know that you like a good fight and you like winning, but you won’t win this. There is no question. You have a beautiful baby coming that is going to add sweetness to your life. You don’t want a baby coming and be in the middle of a court battle. You don’t want to waste your hard earned money on court when you could use that money for a nice home that your family deserves, and a Peaceful heart! Don’t you want peace? You don’t want the life that you are heading towards. It’s not going to get prettier! It’s going to be ugly and MORE stress. PLEASE hear me.
If someone had told you when you and Ryan started this company that you were going to end up taking your brothers to court and hurting your family, you would have thought they were crazy. Can you see how your sound thoughts have been stolen? You always told dad and I that if we ever got a divorce we wouldn’t see you again. Can’t you see that you are breaking your own rules? You’re that one that is divorcing us. This is not my Starr. Starr works things out. Starr loves people. I want my Starr back!
The word is out at the markets to some extent about what is going on because you emailed the market managers. They’re not stupid. They actually asked me who you were and knew that something fishy was going on. They know us that do the markets, and love us and trust us because they have seen us every week for years. They know we’re honest. We bless them and bring them good money. Bitchin has a good name because of those of us that are out with the public. I tell people about you with a big grin, because I have always been proud of you…until now.
I know that you think that we that do markets are just “demo” people. We’re drones.
You’re so wrong. If that were true, why do customers continue to ask, “Where’s the guy? Where are the brothers?” You know it because you experienced it. They bring love, light and fun to the markets. People would bring their friends just to see the guys! You know that is true! (It’s annoying to have to hear it! You think to yourself, what’s wrong with MY Bitchinness?)They are the ones that developed the Bitchin shtick and then taught it to us….because it’s fun and it helps to draw people in. They are talented, outgoing and have touched so many lives. If you don’t think that that is true, talk to any of the vendors that have been around them. Certainly the sauce is delicious, but anyone that has experienced the boys has a different appreciation for the sauce. Not every vendor is this way, and you know it. I’ve even had other vendors tell me that the new guys are ok, but they’re not Porter and Ryan. I also heard that the market manager wasn’t thrilled that the boys left because he knew it meant less money for him.
Our customers care about our family. Our customers LOVE that we are a family that works together and actually love each other. They want to be us. I know that sounds weird, but the world is so dysfunctional that they get blessed to think that someone actually is living love and seeing good results. I have literally had people tell me that they are jealous of me. They wish they had a family like ours. Every market, someone asks me how our family is doing. How are the kids? How is the business? They love us so much that they want good news. They love being a part of our lives because we’re positive. They want to believe that in a world that is so discouraging, that somebody is doing it right and getting good results. We’re living the American dream and it gives people hope. Do you really want to shatter all that we have built? That is what you have begun to do. Though you think you will have success, you won’t. Your foundation is rotten. It will crumble. People will not be stoked to find out that the Bitchin family is getting divorced. I absolutely believe that many of them will boycott the company. You’ve seen what has happened to companies that tried to imitate us; they don’t last long. People that know you, and are learning about this situation are shocked. They can’t believe it. They are saying, “what snapped?”
They can’t believe that you would do this to your brothers. They love you and know that this is not normal behavior.
I beg of you. Come back to us! We want our Starr and our Luke back. We want to have fun with you again. God is a God of grace and mercy. This could change in one moment. All it takes is a healing thought. When your children go down the wrong road, you correct them and hug them. You want them to do what’s right. You want them to be blessed. You don’t let them get themselves into trouble. I beg of you again. Please hear me. You’re going down the wrong road! Don’t you see that your actions are influenced by the adversary? Why would you wait til the day that dad leaves to lock the boys out? Were you afraid that dad would kick your ass? Don’t you see how dark these actions are?
I know that you want to control the company. I know that you think the boys held onto information that Bill said at the meeting that you think they wanted to hear.
I have minutes of those meetings. I heard what Bill said. He made sense to me.
Most companies are run by majority rules. Dad even set up For the Crown purposefully as majority rules. There is safety in a multitude of counselors. There is nothing ungodly about it! When you are all thinking clearly, you’re going to agree most of the time anyway! And if by chance you don’t always agree, it’s not the end of the world! People disagree sometimes. You try things out and move ahead. The boys are not going to ruin the company….and they never dreamed that you would try to.
We are all ready to put this behind us and move ahead with the love of God. We are all ready to hug and cry together and see God’s deliverance. All it takes is a change of yours and Luke’s hearts. Please come home. Please come back to the living room of God’s love. I want to hold you and weep with you about the goodness of God!
Our staff is being affected by this….and not in a good way. I wept with Liv the other day. I told her I loved her and was so thankful for her. She hugged me and wouldn’t let go. We wept together. I thanked Skyborg for all that he has done to bless our company, and cried as I said it. He also hugged me and held me. These are sweet people. Do we really want to bring all these people through a hornets’ nest? It doesn’t have to happen. Let’s go back to love. Please? Nothing will be lost. Everything will be gained. God will be rejoicing. Can’t we all continue to prosper together? Why would you try to rip prosperity away from anyone? How can that be right? Love your neighbor as yourself. Is this how you want to be treated? God wants us all to prosper. God is our sufficiency; not our Bitchin company. God will prosper us no matter what we do. But who in the hell wants to have all the money and no family to hug? You can’t take it with you. I remember when Princess Di and her boyfriend died, her boyfriend’s dad who was a very wealthy man, said “I would give away everything I have, to have my son back.” Things don’t matter. People matter. Family matters!
I love you; I love Luke. Please open your heart to the truth of God’s love. I beg of you. Please come back to us. Please. We miss you SO much! We want to laugh together again. We want to eat and dance and have fun together! Not being able to talk or look each other in the eye, is excruciating. It’s not God’s way. God is love. God is light. In Him is NO darkness At All.
Please come back! Please? Please?
I’m tired. I hardly sleep. I wake up to a nightmare. We all do. It’s not good for any of us. I want a peaceful sleep and a happy day!
Liv said to me, “It’s going to work out. We all love each other and we all love God.” Please let’s prove Liv right TODAY!
You ARE God’s best! Please come home.
All of my love,
Mommy