Thanksgiving at the Derricos: 18 Mouths to Feed, Collard Greens, and “Poppy’s OCD”

Thanksgiving is still weeks away, but at the Derrico house, the holiday season has already started simmering — collard greens, yams, and one very famous grocery list.

With Deon’s Thanksgiving-season posts making the rounds and the family confirming cameras are rolling on a new season, fans are revisiting the holiday tradition this family built on screen. Nobody on TLC ever did Thanksgiving quite like the Derricos.

“This Is Not a Normal Dinner”

The gold standard is the Season 4 finale, “We Are Family” (aired August 8, 2023): Deon loads his four eldest kids — Darian, Derrick, and twins Dallas and Denver — into the car for a grocery run with one mission.

“Just know, this is not a normal dinner. This is Thanksgiving dinner for a family of 18,” Deon told the cameras, according to PopCulture.com. A regular Derrico meal runs three or four dishes; Thanksgiving runs ten — plus 30 pounds of butter and two turkeys for the deep fryer.

“Every year, my children are getting bigger, and that means the meals are getting bigger also,” Deon said. Before the grand total was revealed, Darian guessed $300 while the boys threw out $250 and $231 — and the clip cut out before the answer.

“Poppy’s OCD” Runs the Grocery Run

“Poppy’s OCD affects his shopping,” Denver warned in a confessional. “Poppy’s really in particular about [the] type of brands he uses.”

Dallas agreed: “Poppy’s OCD will be flaring up. …Poppy will be all over the place.” Derrick added: “Poppy’s OCD is on another level when he shops.” Derrick even got sent back to swap a bacon slab that wasn’t the right brand — with six gallons of milk and eight pie crusts, the list was military-grade.

As Darian told the cameras: “He’s very specific about getting, like, a certain brand of something. We don’t go off-brand. …And with Poppy’s Derrico OCD, he’s never gonna change that.”

The Menu: Collards, Yams, and the Mac and Cheese Poppy Won’t Touch

Underneath the chaos, the finale had heart. GG — awaiting her final scan results — offered to cook the collard greens, the easiest dish her health would allow. She did it partly because the family was hoping Amani, newly revealed as a Derrico, would be at the table that year.

And the funniest Derrico food fact ever aired: Deon refuses to eat mac and cheese. Karen happily claimed the dish as hers, poking fun at him while he loaded up on everything else. The collard-green tradition also lives on Deon’s Instagram: “Thanksgiving Meal prep Collards! I’m teaching my boys the importance in being a part of cleaning and getting ready for the Holidays.”

Teaching the Boys to Cook

That post — the boys lined up in the kitchen, learning to prep and cook — became one of Deon’s most beloved uploads, with fans praising him for raising his boys right. It’s the through-line of every Derrico holiday: everyone works, from the eldest four on the grocery run to the youngest learning kitchen basics.

What Will Thanksgiving 2026 Look Like?

The table will look different this year. Deon and Karen remain divorced co-parents with joint custody of their 14 kids — and according to reports, Deon has said 12 live with him. Karen’s case remains open in Nevada courts, and she is presumed innocent unless proven otherwise.

But the constants remain: the collards, the yams, GG’s seat at the table, and a patriarch who runs the grocery trip like a military operation. Season 4 gave us the greatest Thanksgiving grocery run in reality TV history. Whenever the Derricos return, the holidays will be appointment television.

Collards or mac and cheese — which dish is the absolute must-have on YOUR Thanksgiving table? Sound off in the comments!