Alabama is having a moment on reality TV, but it’s not the first time

Is Alabama is having a MOMENT on reality TV? Without a doubt, the answer is yes. Two new winners. Two different series. Two major networks. Two reasons to cheer.

We’re talking about Bryson McGlynn and Asher HaVon, of course, and their victories on Season 9 of FOX’s “MasterChef Junior” and Season 25 of NBC’s “The Voice.” Bryson, a budding grillmaster from Auburn/Opelika, and HaVon, a powerhouse singer from Selma, earned coveted titles amid tough competition on their respective shows, making their home state proud.

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READ: Alabama’s Asher HaVon wins ‘The Voice’: ‘I promise I will never let you down’

Bryson, 12, is the first “MasterChef Junior” winner from Alabama, earning major kudos from celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. HaVon, 31, is the first “Voice” champ from Alabama, forging a strong bond with country star Reba McEntire. Their wins came in rapid succession, on episodes that aired on Monday and Tuesday, May 20-21, amid blizzards of confetti and massive applause from studio audiences. Whoo!

READ: ‘It doesn’t feel real’: Young Alabama grill master on his TV triumph, cooking for Gordon Ramsay

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While it might not compete with an SEC football dynasty, Alabama is no stranger to winning on reality TV. People from the state have a long and illustrious history in this entertainment genre, making their marks on shows that range from “American Idol” to “Survivor” to “Dancing with the Stars.”

In fact, at least 33 Alabama people have emerged victorious on various series over the years, according to an informal tally by AL.com. Many more have been highlighted on shows that aren’t organized as specific contests — such as “Bamazon,” “Rocket City Rednecks,” “Town of the Living Dead” and “Supernanny.”

When we add in the Alabamians who’ve simply competed on reality shows over the years ... well, it’s safe to say that hundreds of folks have helped to build a reality TV dynasty in the state.

For many viewers, Ruben Studdard’s 2003 win on “American Idol” was a watershed moment, putting Alabama on the reality TV map. And it’s true that Alabama has become a key player on “Idol” over the show’s 22-year history, producing two winners (Studdard and Taylor Hicks, both from Birmingham), two runners-up (Bo Bice of Huntsville and Diana DeGarmo, a Birmingham native) and a myriad of singers who’ve earned golden tickets to Hollywood and beyond.

Also, let’s not forget that three finalists from Alabama — Jess Meuse of Slapout, Dexter Roberts of Fayette and C.J. Harris of Jasper — made it to the top seven on “Idol” during a single season in 2013. Triston Harper of McIntosh was among the top five this year, and Tuskegee native Lionel Richie has been an influential judge on the show since 2018.

Granted, “American Idol” might be the most Alabama-centric reality show out there, attracting the greatest number of contestants and garnering the most attention for the state. But Alabama’s reality TV roots go all the way back to 1992, when Birmingham’s Julie Oliver Gentry popped up on a fledgling series for MTV called “The Real World.”

“I really wanted some opportunities and didn’t know what those were,” Gentry told AL.com in 2021. “I thought: Isn’t this awesome? I just found a way to move to New York for free, and get three months rent for free.”

MTV was making a bold leap into alternative programming in the early ‘90s, tossing a bunch of young people into an apartment in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood and using cameras to follow their every move. (Well, almost every move.)

“The Real World” quickly became a TV sensation and a cultural touchstone, inspiring a wealth of series that have included “Big Brother,” “Party Down South,” “Floribama Shore” and more. With her “Real World” stint, Gentry became the very first reality star from Alabama.

READ: Julie Oliver Gentry of ‘Real World’ fame: ‘I don’t really love watching myself on TV’

When The Birmingham News started tracking Alabama’s reality history in 2005 for a project titled “Our Reality Galaxy,” Gentry was quickly labeled “The Big Bang.” (Sorry, Julie!) It became clear then, too, that Alabama people had excelled on “Fear Factor,” proving themselves quite capable of dangling from helicopters, escaping from straitjackets and eating spiders.

According to our calculations, five people from the state scored three wins on “Fear Factor” from 2004 to 2006, acing dicey challenges for solo contestants and couples. In 2023, Tuscaloosa’s Hannah Brown would show similar gumption and grit, winning “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” alongside an Olympic gold medalist for soccer, Carli Lloyd. And yes, that’s the same Hannah Brown who searched for love as “The Bachelorette” and won the Mirrorball Trophy on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2019.

Alabama has produced heroes aplenty on reality TV, such as Noah Galloway, the Army veteran and double amputee from Shelby County who took third place on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2015, and James “JT” Thomas Jr. of Samson, the amiable winner of “Survivor: Tocantins” in 2009. The state’s also had its share of villains, including Birmingham’s Ken Laurence, a temperamental designer on “Project Runway” in 2013, and Monroeville’s Colton Cumbie, a scheming castaway on two seasons of “Survivor.”

Good guys, bad guys, in-between guys ... we love ‘em all here at AL.com, especially when they create must-watch television. (Um, Yosef Aborady of Daphne on “The Bachelorette,” anyone?)

And while the fame of some reality TV winners from Alabama has faded over time — mostly because they were on forgettable series such as “The Job,” “Food Court Wars” or “I Survived a Japanese Game Show” — others stick in our memories as enduring champs.

Dothan’s Kelsey Barnard Clark, the 2019 winner of “Top Chef,” will always be one of the state’s favorite cooks. Anthony L. Williams of Birmingham, the 2018 champ on “Project Runway All Stars,” remains a model of style and wit. Birmingham’s Jordan Fisher set a gold standard in the ballroom when he won “Dancing with the Stars” in 2017. And there’s no way we’d ever throw shade on Trinity the Tuck, the Birmingham native who earned a crown in 2019 on “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.”

READ: 6 reality TV stars from Birmingham who made us cheer

Now, with new winners from “MasterChef Junior” and “The Voice,” Alabama’s reality TV dynasty continues. It’s unclear when the next champ from the state will emerge, but from what we hear, another Alabama contestant is ready to hit the kitchen on a popular cooking show.

Two words: Stay tuned.