In what is canon for Brady Bunch fans, Janice Covington became an architect and, inspired by her own talent as an artist and her stepfather's work, becomes a partner in the firm that Mike would own. Greg would go to medical school and eventually become an obstetrician at one of Los Angeles' best hospitals.
But could things have turned out differently? Could Greg have become an architect and Jan decided to pursue the medical field?
That's what these two Brady kids — along with Peter — flirt with doing as they go into career exploration in "Career Fever."
Greg, as it turns out, isn't really that interested in being an architect. He had to write a brief essay on what he wanted to study in college for advanced composition and, pressed for an answer, hastily suggests he wants to be an architect. Mike reads the paper, is impressed and (uncharacteristically for him) decides to mentor his eldest son (when he should have been looking to the girls' room for his future business and career partner). The upshot eventually is that Greg breaks the bad news to his father, that he has no interest in being an architect — doing so by presenting him a comically poor rendition of a "house" he designed — but instead of realizing that his father will take it with a grain of salt (which of course Mike does), he puts off telling him for fear of disappointing his father.
Meanwhile, Peter and Jan consider going into the medical field, and decide to bone up on the discipline by borrowing some medical encyclopedias. In a case of hilariously jumping to conclusions, Peter thinks he's dying of a dread disease because he thinks he may have some of the symptoms he read about (he had a skin rash and a few other symptoms) ... not noticing that two pages of the book he was reading was stuck together. Mike and Carol point this out after Peter melodramatically announces his "illness."
Finally, Bobby and Cindy even get caught up in the madness as Bobby wants to be an astronaut and Cindy a supermodel. Both take up strict diets and try to adapt to those lifestyles until the ending tag, where they change their minds to football player and lady wrestler. Presumably so they can eat all they want and not have to worry about added bulk mucking up their plans.
Tropes present in this episode:
- Bizarrchitecture: Greg's drawings leave much to be desired about his architectural abilities ... although in reality, it exposes his lack of desire to pursue that field.
- Hypochondria: Peter's skin rash — due to poison ivy — and his believing it is a far more serious, definitely fatal disease.
- Idiot Ball: Peter catches this to a small extent when he doesn't realize two pages of the book he's studying are stuck together, and freaks out by the prospect of his apparent looming death.
- Your Days Are Numbered: Or so Peter believes after (mis)reading the medical encyclopedia about his supposed dread illness.
So what did become of the Brady kids:
Because The Brady Bunch had several revivals — a successful TV movie and a, well, less successful revival in 1990 — fans got to see what became of the Brady kids. As this episode had a career exploration theme, here is what became of the six Brady kids:- Greg: In The Brady Girls Get Married and The Brady Brides, finishing his medical school residency. He eventually specializes in obstetrics and advances through the ranks at a large Los Angeles-area hospital by the late 1980s.
- Peter: The Brady Girls Get Married saw Peter as a commissioned officer in the Air Force. By A Very Brady Christmas, he has retired (presumably with an honorable discharge) and is an administrative assistant. He later goes into business with Bobby.
- Bobby: In his sophomore year of college in The Brady Brides (presumably on an athletic scholarship), Bobby later is a race car driver. Following a major accident that seriously injures him, he decides to finish college and goes into business with Peter.
- Marcia: A fashion designer in The Brady Brides, she and husband Wally later started a family, forcing her to put her career on hold. By the time she tries to restart her career, she is unable to find work. Eventually, when Wally loses his umpteenth job (as a toy salesman, and then as Mike's campaign manager), the two use their meager life savings to start a catering business ... one that will finally provide the Logans with a steady, solid income.
- Jan: Architect. She's an intern at Mike's firm in The Brady Brides, as she's still in college when she and Phillip Covington IV, a college professor, marry. By the late 1980s, she and Mike have become partners in the firm.
- Cindy: Radio disc jockey and talk-show host in both A Very Brady Christmas and The Bradys. Mike and Carol had just seen her off to college in The Brady Girls Get Married/The Brady Brides.
Additionally:
- Mike: Senior partner at the architectural firm in 1981. He has become the lead partner by the late 1980s, with Jan as a senior partner.
- Carol: Earned her real estate certification to become a Realtor.
- Alice: Retired as full-time housekeeper. However, she does still do some housekeeping for the Logans and Covingtons in the 1981 series, and temporarily returns to the Bradys in A Very Brady Christmas after a fight with Sam. Some fans also believe that Alice is co-owner of Sam's Butcher Shop.
