Eleven years ago, America met five kids sharing one roof in Forsyth, Georgia. Today, all five Johnston children are adults — living wildly different lives. One is married with two kids. One is still living at home after seven years with the same girlfriend. One walked away from the show entirely. With Season 18 premiering Tuesday, November 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on TLC, here is the ranking fans have argued about for years: which Johnston kid is actually winning at grown-up life?
5. Anna: Independent — at a Price Nobody Wanted
Anna Johnston is, by one measure, the most independent Johnston of all. She left the show after Season 16, skipped Season 17, and will not appear in Season 18, according to reports, saying she stepped away to protect her mental health. But independence that costs you your family is a complicated kind of winning: her estrangement from Trent and Amber is public and unresolved, and according to reports, her October 10 DUI arrest in Georgia only intensified the scrutiny. Nobody is rooting against Anna. Fans are just waiting for the day a reconciliation makes this ranking look silly.
4. Jonah: The Comeback Still in Progress
Jonah Johnston, the eldest, has the most honest redemption arc on the show — and the most unfinished one. Years after his Delta 8 health scare, he rebuilt himself into a working car salesman, earning his Finance Manager Training certification and holding down a real career. But the Season 18 trailer puts his sticking point front and center: Jonah is still living at home, and he and girlfriend Ashley have been together for seven years with no progress toward marriage or moving in together, according to The Ashley’s Reality Roundup. A steady job is adulting. Seven years in limbo is not — at least not yet.
3. Emma: The Breakout Begins
Emma Johnston spent years as the baby of the family. Season 18 is her breakout. She turned 21 a few months ago, graduated high school in 2024 alongside Alex, and has been stacking firsts: her first job at a local boutique, her own handmade jewelry business, and her first solo flight to adventure camp. Then there is the trailer line fans are already quoting. Asked if she wants a boyfriend, Emma answers with zero hesitation: yes. She has said publicly she does not currently have a boyfriend, and the matchmaking chatter — including buzz about family friend Joose — remains fan speculation, not a confirmed couple.
2. Alex: The Quiet Builder
Alex Johnston does not chase the spotlight, and that might be why he is climbing this list. His girlfriend Allie Smith just earned the American FFA Degree, a top honor in the youth agriculture organization, and the whole family publicly celebrated her — with Alex making sure his congratulations were public even though he could not be there in person. Alex has also been open about where he wants this to go: according to TV Season & Spoilers, he hopes to get engaged to Allie next year and eventually work on her family’s farm. Hurdles remain, but Alex has a plan, and a partner building her own resume beside him.
1. Liz: The One Who Already Did It All
No real debate about the top spot. Elizabeth “Liz” Johnston and husband Brice Bolden, married November 8, 2025, are now a family of four: daughter Leighton, born November 3, 2023, and son Coleman Brice Johnston Bolden, born September 8, 2026. “Our family is complete,” Liz wrote on Instagram, and the couple told TODAY they were “so happy to have Coleman here and to be home together as a family of four.” Season 18 follows Liz’s second pregnancy on screen, including the C-section under general anesthesia she must undergo as a little person — stakes no other sibling can match.
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Final ranking: Liz first, Alex second, Emma third, Jonah fourth, Anna fifth. But is Anna really last, or the only one brave enough to choose herself over the show? Season 18 premieres Tuesday, November 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on TLC. Drop your ranking in the comments: who is actually winning at grown-up life — and who did we rank too high?
