With 14 children in the house, one would think empty nesting would be a dream. But not for the Derricos of Doubling Down with the Derricos. Deon and Karen Derrico’s 18-year-old daughter Darian is weighing her options for college in Season 5 and it’s causing some mixed emotions from her parents. While her mother encourages her to leave the nest, her father doesn’t want her too far.

In the latest episode (as reported by US Weekly), Darian applied to NYU after her mom encouraged her, but even she has reservations or fears about what’s next. The episode shows her anxiously waiting to hear back from the university. She applied for the music program and admitted she was “nervous” if she didn’t get in. Her parents were there to support her. 

“Whatever God has for you, it is for you,” Karen says. Deon quipped back, “Says the one who intervened.” The parents disagreed about the idea of freedom of choice, but noted Darian has other options. “So I don’t want you to get your hopes up, but I’m also looking at some other colleges just in case, you know, like [a] backup,” Darian shared with her parents. “So I’ve booked the time to go take a tour of UNLV.” Deon was happy to learn his daughter may stay close by.

“Honestly, I don’t even know if I want to go to college, but it’s been stressful knowing my parents have been at odds about my college applications,” Darian said in a confessional. “So I just want to explore my options and try to keep the peace between both of them.” Darian has yet to announce which college she’ll be attending.

After touring UNLV, she learned that she did not get into NYU, and was comforted by her parents and grandmother.

“I am so proud of you for going on this journey. You worked your butt off and I just love you for that,” Karen said. “So you go upstairs and you’re going to rest your little tired mind giving this your all.”

She said that she is now thinking about what she should do, including wondering if she should go to college right away or pursue a music career, something that Deon and Karen don’t seem to be too fond of.

“You know, [Deon] and I, we both agreed we’re going to step back and let her do this,” Karen said in a confessional. “However, I’m just super concerned, to be honest, as far as what this plan of action now looks like for Darian, like we need to have a conversation with her.”