The Radkes, a family of two Belmont alumni and their children, are gearing up for their next big adventure, a TV show on USA Network. The show will focus on the daily lives of this “big, loud, Southern family” in their small town of Lufkin, Texas.
Mom Melissa Radke became an internet sensation when she started posting entertaining videos on her public Facebook page, eventually getting her millions of views. After posting a viral video that served as the inspiration, Radke published her first book, titled “Eat Cake Be Brave.” The success of the book allowed her to go on a national book tour to promote the book’s message of encouraging people to be bold and brave in their lives.
With the launch of their show coming in June, the Radke family is excited to take on this new chapter. “How many families get a chance to take this adventure?,” said Radke. “And that’s what we see it as, an ‘adventure.’ Adventures don’t last forever, but they sure are a lot of fun while you’re on them.”
Known for her comedic side, Radke hopes that viewers will find the show entertaining and funny, but also hopes they will see a real family and be able to relate to them.
“At the onset, I was hoping people would think we were funny. But as time went on my feelings changed,” said Radke. “Suddenly I wanted moms, dads, teenagers, family units…to feel normal. I wanted them to watch my little family fight and make up and mess up and ask forgiveness and scream and push and try again, and I wanted it to make them feel much less alone. I’m hoping they relate to us. I’m hoping they mess up like us and love hard like us, because no one wants to feel alone; everyone wants to feel like even if we’re getting it all wrong – at least we’re getting it all wrong, together!”
Radke and her husband David are both Belmont alumni from the ’90s. At Belmont, Melissa was a commercial music vocal performance major who was involved in the group Jazzmin and Commercial Showcase her senior year. David received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Belmont and worked for more than a decade in entertainment law and artist management. The couple lived in Nashville for several years before moving to Lufkin.
“The Radkes” airs June 4 on USA Network, directly following the Nashville-based show “Chrisley Knows Best.” Following every episode Melissa will be doing an after the show episode on her podcast “Ordinary People Ordinary Things.”
