Oh my, oh Si! I seriously cannot get enough of the Robertson family, and I am so excited to share more of this fabulous group with the wonderful RT readers. The fan favorite seems to be Uncle Si, although I have a soft spot in my heart for Jase. Poor Willie seems to be the brunt of the family's good-hearted ribbing, with Phil doling out the most deadpanned advice. Honestly, I wish other reality families would take note (cough, cough Kardashians!).
Today, we get to delve a little behind the scenes of the Robertsons, and the executive producer of the Duck Dynasty shares just why this show works so well. Enough chatter from me…let's get to it, shall we?
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Al.com recently reported on Si and Willie's appearance in Montgomery to benefit the Advancement Department and scholarship program of Faulkner University. Among the topics discussed were family, faith, and Duck Commander. Willie took the opportunity to to address a question he's often asked: Is it real?
Willie shares, "Here's the deal. If it's not real, then, literally, Hollywood found a whole family of wonderful actors. So, yes, it's real."
Si likely shocked the audience with one of his admissions (in true Si fashion, of course!), when he revealed, "I don't have a favorite episode because, look, I don't watch this junk."
The resident quote jumbling, tea toting (literally) prankster did stray from his jokes to explain the secret to the Robertson's success, telling the audience, "It's very simple. There's three key ingredients to the success of this family. The first is hard work, the second is more hard work and the third one is more hard work on top of the first two. That's what it takes."
The same site also caught up with the reality hit's co-executive producer Mike Odair who graduated from the University of South Alabama. Odair is quick to share that what you see is what you get with this family. He admits that he is often asked if the show's popularity is shocking to him. Odair responds, “At the expense of sounding like a megalomaniac … it doesn’t, really. I think we all knew we had something cooking.”
Odair attributes the cast with making the show such a break-out hit, citing the crazy attention this once unknown family gets from its fans. “It’s remarkable,” he tells the site. “If I walk through the airport with Willie, he basically has to throw a hood over, and some glasses." Odair adds that for Willie's trademark beard “he tries to tuck that thing in.”
While all the attention can be daunting, the Robertson family handles it with class and humor. Odair says, “Here’s the other thing. These guys, because they’re such nice guys, they are very approachable. I feel like because people can relate, or they at least share the same values and they know they’re not like, other people on TV, like Kardashians or something. They’re really nice about the whole thing.”
The producer relays a story told to him by the family's patriarch Phil Robertson, sharing, “He was in the airport, he told me this, and all of a sudden he gets this great big bear hug from behind him, and he turns around and it’s Terry Bradshaw. Now, he and Terry Bradshaw played football together at La Tech. [Lousiana Tech University; Robertson turned down the chance to go pro afterward.] So, he hadn’t seen him in probably 30, 40 years. And so they start talking, and as they’re talking … All of a sudden, up walks Joe Montana. Phil said, ‘Odair, I look around, there’s just everybody standin’ around takin’ pictures.' I’m sure that was a crazy sight for people in the airport.”
Odair tries to stay away from comparisons to the likes of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, explaining that the show invites viewers to explore the Robertson's world, not exploit it. He reveals, “We knew we didn’t want to be like that, and it’s unfortunate that we might still be categorized as, quote unquote, just another redneck show, but I think that more and more people, as they watch it, realize it’s more than that.”
It's true that Duck Dynasty shows its fair share of boys and their crazy expensive toys, but it also goes much deeper. Odair says, “Number one, these guys are smart. Each one of them has a different archetype, each one of them has a different character that somebody can identify with in their own family. There’s value there. They’re not trashy. They’re not boasting. They’re just who they are. It’s really a family sitcom.”
Citing the Robertson's faith, Odair continues, “Family, love, there’s no hard feelings. It’s good clean fun, and that’s kind of what’s missing from a lot of Hollywood in general these days, the values. It’s all these things that everybody cherishes, but yet, nobody in Los Angeles ever seems to really tap into, out of fear or whatever, I have no idea.”
Of the third season, Odair reveals, “We’ve had an incredible season. Our finale is going to just blow everybody out of the water. It’s the most fun thing that I’ve seen in a long time. The fun is not going to stop. It’s a big group. There’s no shortage of storylines or characters, that’s for sure.”
Knowing that I'll get to continue watching my favorite family on television is enough to make me one very happy blogger.
TELL US-WHEN DID YOU START TUNING IN TO DUCK DYNASTY? HAVE YOU CONVINCED FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON?
[Photo Credit: A&E]
