Gretchen Wilson says she knew Blake Shelton a bit before she began to film The Road, a new reality television show on CBS. Keith Urban? Not so much.
That changed in a big way as this trio teamed up to film earlier this year. While the TV show debuts on Sunday, it was taped in Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee last March and April.
- The Road premieres at 9PM ET on Oct. 19.
- Wilson is the tour manager, or “mom-ager” as she calls her role.
- Previously she told Taste of Country that Shelton was the one who suggested her for the part.
RELATED: Who Is On the Road? Meet the 12 Singers Competing
The “Redneck Woman” singer is this week’s guest on the Taste of Country Nights, On Demand podcast, available wherever you podcast, including YouTube this week. The first 10 minutes are focused on The Road but — if you can’t watch or listen — we’ve also included key quotes below.
“Man I was really in awe of him,” Wilson tells Evan Paul.
“The professionalism. He’s just so laser focused when it comes to the work and the job and the schedule and the way that he treated these musicians on set. He’s a super busy man but he gave them a lot of his time. He gave them a lot of his expertise, even when he didn’t have to be there during soundcheck he was there, helping me out.”
The experience also allowed Wilson to meet Nicole Kidman for the first time. Previously she told ToC how the actress was “beyond sweet.”
Both are very hard-working.
“I remember actually saying to him on set one day, I was like, ‘Just getting to know you kind of wants me to be a better me. Your work ethic is incredible,'” Wilson recalls.
What Is The Road About?
The Road is being called a reality television show, but it plays more like a documentary. The lack of a true host eliminates many of the tired reality TV cliches found elsewhere.
During the premiere, 12 singers play a song for a live audience who votes on how each one did. Then, Urban and Shelton use that feedback and their own observations to decide who gets sent home, and the full tour moves on to a new city the next week.
Urban headlines a show in each town, and Wilson offers advice before performances. Sometimes that advice was ignored, and that didn’t always turn out the best.
“If somebody gets an attitude, then you’ve just lost my respect and you’ve just lost any expertise that I have for you. I’m actually not gonna speak to you anymore,” she says.
“You think you know everything, and you think you know how all this goes, and you’ve got this fine without talking to me or talking to Keith or talking to Blake? Well, then go out there and let’s see what you know.”
Connie Chornuk, CBS
The 52-year-old veteran was similarly no-nonsense when it came to talk of Urban and the extra attention he’s receiving amid his divorce from Kidman. It’s all very unfortunate, she says.
“I think the people that ask those sorts of questions might maybe wanna turn the question inward and figure out how much they’d like their own personal stuff being meddled with,” Wilson says. “I think it’s sort of a ridiculous thing for people to want to know.”
“I get it. We’re celebrities and people want to know what we’re doing behind closed doors and all the stuff that’s going on. But really it’s an uncomfortable place to be and it’s not what we do for a living.”
This is Wilson’s second high-profile television show in less than a year, after a winning turn as Pearl on Masked Singer last season.
She’s liking this kind of work, so if there were to be a Season 2 of The Road, she’d be all-in.
Who Is On ‘The Road’? Meet the 12 Singers On CBS’ New Reality Show
Meet the 12 singers on The Road, a new reality series coming to CBS on Oct. 19. After each week, this list will be updated to reflect who is remaining on the show, and who was sent home.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
The Best Gretchen Wilson Songs Beyond ‘Redneck Woman’
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
