Alabama women seek to redefine ‘redneck’ at pilot screening of ‘Redneck Housewives of Alabama’

HUNTSVILLE — Fans of the “Real Housewives” television series may soon be able to say “howdy” to a fresh, country take on the TV trend with a homegrown show that spotlights the “Redneck Housewives of Alabama.”

Family, friends and the public joined the eight ladies starring on the show for a free screening of the pilot episode Nov. 10 at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Produced by Huntsville-based Helen Evans, LLC, “Redneck Housewives of Alabama” seeks to offer a glimpse into the lives of these eight Alabama women as they experience various adventures and misadventures in the Deep South.

The screening was held inside the Marshall Institute Auditorium. (Record Photo/Kendyl Hollingsworth)

“They will show you what real southern living is like,” the show’s website declares. “From mud bogs to overcoming addiction and divorces, these ladies are just the beginning of what life in Sweet Home Alabama is like.”

The redneck housewives include Amanda Keller, Beth Hurt, Emily Smotherman, Kelly “Kel” Wilson, Leah Seawright, Rhonda Randolph, Phyllis Neighbors and Yolanda Banks.

Several of the women hail from northern Alabama: Keller is from Double Springs, Wilson is from Battleground and Seawright lives in Fort Payne. Two more are from Madison County: Smotherman is from Toney and attended Hazel Green High School, and Neighbors was born and raised in Huntsville before moving to New Market with her husband in 2016.

Helen Osborne is the woman behind “Redneck Housewives of Alabama.” At the screening, Osborne repeatedly expressed her gratitude to the women and their spouses for being a part of the show and being open in the filming process.

“I do believe that Alabama is ready for something like this, and I think it’s going to be fun,” she said.

Birmingham actor and filmmaker Kevin Wayne is serving as the show’s director and executive producer and made an appearance in the pilot episode. Before Wayne joined the crew, 50 candidates for the starring housewives were invited to a casting call that was held in August 2017. The cast was set just a few days later, and then it was time for the fun to begin.

Since filming began, the cast has been having a blast hanging out at Alabama’s Smith Lake and going out on the town in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as getting down and dirty in the Alabama country.

Though the cast had to let cameras into their space over the past several months for filming, none of the women said they were bothered by it. Instead, they focused on being themselves and going about their lives as usual.

“It has been so much fun,” Randolph said. “I’m not a bit shy, so that’s not been a problem. The hardest part is trying to make sure you look as good as you can all the time.”

The Redneck Housewives enjoy hunting, fishing and shooting guns. Both Banks and Neighbors have a deep love for animals, and Randolph and Smotherman both love their old trucks. Smotherman said she enjoys taking her 1979 square body Chevy mudbogging, and Randolph loves restoring her 1972 Ford F-100. In addition to that, Randolph runs an old-fashioned men’s barber shop and used to be a Dolly Parton impersonator.

“It costs a lot of money to look this cheap,” she joked at the screening, quoting Parton.

Rhonda Randolph answers questions at the pilot screening. (Record Photo/Kendyl Hollingsworth)

While being themselves, many of the women said they wanted to change people’s perception of “redneck.”

“They want to call it ‘redneck,’ which I’m totally fine with that,” said Randolph. “I have decided we’re going to make ‘redneck’ in Alabama cool. It’s going to be the funnest thing—everybody’s going to want to come to Alabama to be a redneck and hang out with me.”

Randolph, Hurt, Seawright and Keller all said part of being a redneck is being a hard worker.

“A lot of times, people snub us off because of the word ‘redneck,’” Keller said. “Redneck is not a bad word. Redneck stands for people who are hardworking, and they like to get a little crazy sometimes and that kind of stuff, but they’ll give you the shirt off their back most of the time. I live in a small town—I live in Double Springs where I’m from—and they’ll talk about you behind your back but as soon as a crisis happens, they’re the first people to be there with a casserole.”

Seawright, who has been singing and performing most of her life, echoed Keller’s sentiments.

“There’s more to us,” she said. “We’re about family, we’re about working hard, we’re about being there for each other. We’re women and we have our moments … we’re normal human beings that have flaws. … You’re either going to love us or hate us, and I hope most people love us.”

As for Banks, she sought to help viewers realize that “redneck” women still do many of the same things everyone else does. In addition to that, she said she wanted to add diversity to the show and break some of those stereotypes.

“I want [viewers] to see that living in the South, we do a whole lot of things other people do, and also, being on the show, I want to add a lot of diversity and get rid of all the stereotypes about this and that because ‘redneck’ has nothing to do with color, where you come from, what you eat, what you do—it doesn’t have nothing to do with none of that,” she said. “You just be you.”

A trailer for the show’s pilot episode premiered on YouTube in August. The women are shown participating in various activities such as farming, playing outside, getting a tattoo, shooting guns and getting real about what it’s like to walk in their shoes.

“The things that we just think’s normal life is, like, ‘redneck,’” Seawright said in the trailer. Her song, “Dixie Daughter,” serves as the theme song for “Redneck Housewives of Alabama.”

In the pilot episode, viewers get to know the eight women and see them doing what they love. The episode also contains several memorable moments like the housewives’ watermelon carving contest, Randolph visiting her mother’s grave and Keller riding a mechanical bull at her 40th birthday party.

Though the show has not yet been picked up by a network, Osborne said she is not worried.

“We do believe we have two or three networks that will pick us up, so we’re not worried about that at all,” Osborne said. “We just keep on trucking, doing what we’re doing, and everybody tells us that we’re doing a great job, so we have to take them at their word.”

Following the screening, the party moved over a short distance to the nearby Marriott hotel for drinks, hors d’oeuvres and a chance to interact with the cast.

To learn more about the Redneck Housewives, find out more information on the show or stay up to date on its progress, visit redneckhousewivesofalabama.com or follow their social media pages.