Clarksville, TN – The sixth season fall premiere of TLC’s primetime hit show Toddlers & Tiaras will have a hometown feel for the residents of Clarksville-Montgomery County, Tennessee.
The newest season of Toddlers & Tiaras, the series that launched the TV career of the infamous Honey Boo Boo, will include 13 one-hour long episodes that give a behind-the-scenes look at the competitive lives of these tiny beauty queens and their pageant-loving parents, who are all vying for the coveted sparkly crown.
During the three days of filming, the community hosted contestants from states such as Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, New York, Virginia, Illinois, Mississippi and Arkansas.
“Clarksville was a wonderful city to be in. The hospitality at the Hilton was wonderful; they went above and beyond to make the show a great success,” said Jill Worley with Mid-America Pageants and director of the “Me and My Pet” Pageant.
“It will definitly be a show you don’t want to miss. We are hoping the show will be the most memorable Toddlers & Tiaras yet on TLC. It’s supposed to be a great show and we are hoping that Clarksville will pull out all the stops to make sure everyone has their TV’s on to get the high ratings for our episode! My goal, as a director, is to have the highest ratings of the season.”
Along with the 73 crown-seeking contestants, Clarksville-Montgomery County welcomed a full television film crew, ready to document the pageant from beginning to end and everything in between.
The show didn’t just come to town quietly, though. Locally, the economic impact of that weekend is estimated to be over $45,000. Along with that, shows like this are also a great benefit to the local business community, as they help to promote their brand to a national viewing audience. At least three hotels were completely booked the weekend of the pageant.
“We always welcome opportunities to bring production crews to Clarksville, especially when they may have never had a chance to film here before,” said Theresa Harrington, Executive Director of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We have had very successful relationships with production companies in the past and have filmed shows such as the Coming Home series, two episodes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and the Bachelor right here in the local community.”
One of the more successful filming experiences that Harrington is referring to is the Lifetime series, Coming Home that was filmed in Clarksville in early 2011. The show not only displayed the heartwarming stories of soldiers coming home for surprise visits, but it also gave Clarksville, Montgomery County and Fort Campbell a large amount of airtime and positive publicity.
“Exposure and mention of Clarksville-Montgomery County in one episode of a high level cable channel TV show can give the community an advertising equivalency of over $50,000,” said Harrington.
Fans of the show know that Toddlers & Tiaras brings out not only the big hair and make up, but the mama drama that goes along with pint-sized pageants. Check your local listings, get comfy on the couch, or set your DVR and make sure you don’t miss the “Me and My Pet” Pageant this Wednesday, September 18th at 8:00pm/7:00pm CT on TLC.
