By Laura McAlister
Journal Editor
Tribble Reese may have missed his chance for love on the first season of CMT’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” but the network has given him another chance.
Actually, it’s more like 22 chances.
Mountain Brook’s Tribble is the star of the second season of the reality dating show that pits contestants from the country and the city against each other. Last season, Tribble was a contestant vying for the heart of Southern belle Devin Grissom.
He made it to the final two, but in the end she picked the country boy, Adam Moyer, over Tribble, the Clemson quarterback and Atlanta bartender.
“That was really tough, because I did have a connection with her,” Tribble said of Devin. “We had really good chemistry, and I thought there was no way I wasn’t going to walk away with her. In the end she said I was a great guy, but … it was a complete shock.”
Perhaps even more shocking to Tribble and his family was that CMT came back and offered him the leading role in season two of “Sweet Home.”
In fact, Tribble almost didn’t appear in season one of the reality show, which takes place in the charming coastal city of Fairhope. His mother, Diane, a former Spanish teacher at Mountain Brook Junior High, said Tribble was skeptical it might be like some of the other reality shows out there.
“He made sure before he went into this that it wasn’t going to be raunchy,” she said. “I guess it’s a little more upscale than some. It really has been just a great experience.
“We do watch with our hands over our faces sometimes, but we keep our fingers open so we can still see.”
After dodging phone calls from the show for several days, Tribble decided to join the 20 contestants for season one.
Devin’s dad was unsure of handsome and polished Tribble, but the Mountain Brook High graduate showed that he was really just a mama’s boy and Southern gentleman when he brought Diane to meet Devin and her mom on one of the final episodes of season one.
Tribble added that season two will show he’s not the stereotypical jock.
“I’m not a typical jock, and I think you’ll definitely see that next season,” he said. “They’ll get to see the real Tribble Reese.”
Diane, as well as Tribble’s dad Herb, may make appearances in this season, but Diane said she would be OK if her part wound up on the cutting room floor.
“This is Tribble’s thing, not mine,” she said. “He loves it. I will say I met Devin and these girls, and I enjoyed them all immensely. They are all lovely girls.”
The taping of each season took about one month. During those times, Diane and Herb had little contact with their son. His cell phone was taken away, and when he and his parents did talk, they couldn’t discuss the show.
The taping for season two is complete, and Nov. 3 marks the third airing of the show this season. It debuted Oct. 20 and airs at 8 p.m. Thursdays on CMT.
To start, there were 22 women – 11 from the country and 11 from the city.
The women stayed at the same Fairhope home Tribble and the other contestants stayed in during season one, and he was in a house by himself.
“This show is going to be so amazing,” he said. “I’m so excited. We’re back in Fairhope. If you thought there was drama last season – this is a whole new level. There’s a lot more romance, a lot more drama.”
His family and friends in Mountain Brook are having fun watching it all unfold, too, Diane said. On Thursday nights, their Crestline home is filled with Tribble’s old high school friends. They’ve even started a pool on Tribble’s final choice.
“It’s just crazy, but it’s lots of fun,” Diane said of the Thursday viewings. “This summer, no one knew if he’d be on the next show or not, and now they’re all watching the girls and throwing out their own opinions. It’s really funny.”
Tribble said the hardest part about being the star of the show was the elimination process.
“It was funny because I was thinking that this time I know what it is like to be on the chopping block, so I thought it would be easier for me to let them down and send them home,” he said. “I was completely wrong. There is nothing easy about sending someone home.
“You develop connections. Letting people go was a whole lot tougher than I thought.”
Now Tribble is back in Atlanta, honing his hosting skills. He said the show has opened lots of opportunities and connections for him.
As for whether he has any insight to share as to whether he prefers city or country girls – he’s keeping quiet. But he will say his Southern roots are a part of who he is today.
“I was raised with Southern values and morals,” he said. “That really made me the man I am today. I didn’t grow up on a farm or anything, but I take Southern values and manners seriously.
“Some of the city girls were really surprised to see that I opened car doors and would pull out their chairs. I think girls deserve that.”
