After two weeks of negotiating, Lisa Ling and The Oprah Show crew were granted entrance into one of the most exclusive polygamist communities in the country. Centennial Park, Arizona, is home to approximately 1,500 people. Pictured here is the home of Richard and his three wives. Ruth, another Centennial Park resident, takes Lisa on a tour inside a 30,000-square-foot mansion with three levels, three wings and 33 bedrooms. "The homes in Centennial Park are just these enormous, palatial houses. They are just never-ending, some of them," Lisa says. She asks Ruth if it is fair to call Centennial Park a polygamist community. "I think it's fair because it's a fundamental belief for most of us, whether they live it at this time or not," Ruth says.

How do these families afford to live in mansions? "Certainly not all the homes are that palatial, but a lot of them are because they do have enormous families, and the people in Centennial Park seem to be very hardworking," Lisa says. "What's also interesting about these very large plural families is that everybody contributes. So it's not like the wives are all home taking care of the family. Some of them may be, but some of them may be contributing to the economy of the family—and the kids as well."



It is very rare for a polygamist man to speak publicly about his relationships, but Richard, a successful businessman who lives in Centennial Park with his three wives, agrees to let Lisa visit his home because he says he wants to show the world another side to polygamy. "I'll just come out and tell you, I feel very blessed—this lifestyle is wonderful," he says. "We bring these women into the home, and they are treated incredibly. They have every convenience and every single thing that can be provided for them. So it's a very mutual relationship."

What kind of role does love play in Richard's marriages? "Love plays a huge role, and it plays a role in each one of my marriages," Richard says. "I love these ladies." As far as sleeping arrangements go, Richard says he sleeps in his bedroom, and his wives each have their own bedroom. "My options aren't for gratification of my lusts," he says. "The activities that we do together as a couple are private, and we have those relationships."

a href="https://mybloggers.com/cgi-bin/blogapp/img.cgi?image=54347535.jpg" title="Click to use this image!">

Richard met his first wife, Julena, in high school. Next came Tina, Julena's sister. And finally Rebecca, Richard's co-worker, joined the family as the third wife. Now, the three women seem to be inseparable. Although they all love the same man, Julena says this doesn't cause any conflict between them. "We're fulfilled with other things," Julena says. "We're fulfilled with friendship." They have become so close that if anything were to ever happen to Richard, Julena says that her decision to find a new husband would include Tina and Rebecca as well. "We'd probably stay together," Julena says.

Rebecca says she thinks the three wives get spoiled more than Richard does. "There are times in our lives where we're caring about each other so much, sometimes he gets forgotten. Sometimes he has to fend for himself," she says.

Julena says there was no force involved in her plural marriage. "It's our choice. We wanted to," she says. And if it came to the point where they were unhappy and no longer wanted to be in a plural marriage, Julena says, "We would leave"—simple as that.



Curious about Richard and his wives' sleeping arrangements in the hotel room? Richard says he slept with one of his wives while the other two slept in a separate room. "It's not this big decision thing," Richard says. "It's kind of the way the family's going and the way it kind of works out. Certainly, we have choices, and we direct our life the way we want it."

Richard says there is no force in the decision, and his wives are intelligent women who expect Richard to be a good husband and father. "They know very much what they want, and so you've got to keep up with that," he says.

Julena says she does not feel jealous when Richard picks to sleep with another wife instead of her. "I get plenty of time. I get whatever I want. My relationship with him is very special, and I get as much time as I want with him," she says.

Richard says he has a unique relationship with each of his wives. "But is there a way I feel about each one? Absolutely. This isn't cattle. These are very intelligent people, and they have desires and they have needs and they have wants, and so you kind of feel those things for each other."
(cont'd)