Mormons on Reality TV Who Stood for their Standards

This article was originally published in the January/February issue of LDS Living Magazine. Below is an excerpt.

Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls

Left in a cold, remote wilderness with a handful of others, no food, and scant survival supplies, could you get out alive?

In NBC’s 2013 reality show Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls, LDS father-son duo Jim and Austin Vach got the chance to find out for themselves. The show, hosted by renowned survivalist Bear Grylls, followed 10 teams of two people through an arduous group expedition, including arranged challenges, in the wilds of New Zealand.

For the Vachs, preparation was more than physical—it was spiritual. Austin shares, “One thing that my dad and I said going in was that we don’t want to do anything we’ll be embarrassed about.” Their determination to embody the values of the Church even in such extreme circumstances was noted by fans of the show, and Austin says he was praised for staying out of the drama and camp gossip.

The father-son duo excelled during their time in New Zealand, winning three weekly challenges, the most of any team. They advanced all the way to the final episode, eventually taking second place overall.

The Voice

It wasn’t until season six of NBC’s The Voice, which aired in early 2014, that an LDS singer made a mark on the show. Madilyn Paige sang her heart out for the judges and was the first Latter-day Saint to make it all the way through to the playoff round before being eliminated.

Recalling her experience, she shares, “A lot of the contestants smoked and drank, and I decided not to participate in that. Also, I had to let the wardrobe people know my standards and what I would or would not wear. And luckily, they were really understanding, but I definitely had to set my boundaries.”

Her success was followed up later that same year in season seven of the show with the audition of Tanner Linford. This 17-year-old, coached by country music legend Blake Shelton, made it through to the knockout round before he was eliminated. Linford plans to serve a mission and is quoted as saying his time on The Voice has helped him prepare for that because he was able to answer other contestants’ questions about his faith.

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