BOISE -- Three Idaho families are starring in a new reality TV series called "Way Out West." The show on TruTV promises to show viewers what life is like in the Wild West.
"Way Out West" chronicles the lives of three families who've run rival outfitting businesses for generations, originally out of Garden Valley and the Emmett area.
The Youren, Bullock, and Korell families now live in Gem, Boise, and Custer Counties. TruTV says its cameras follow the families as they compete to lead the best outfitting excursions and survive their own family shenanigans.
"It's reality with a little bit of excitement added in," said Chris Korell, cast member of "Way Out West." "You never know what's going to happen on this show."
So how did three families living in rural Idaho get discovered by Hollywood? Korell says it was by chance and luck.
"Over the years you take people (on outfitting excursions) and they say, 'Hey, you guys are really interesting people. You need to be on TV.' Well, one day we just happen to take the right guy who had all the connections in LA," said Korell.
Producers and TV crews first filmed the families in the Horseshoe Bend area last March. Cable network executives liked what they saw and ordered a pilot episode. The luck kept coming for the Youren, Bullock and Korell families.
"They (TV executives) look at the pilot and say, 'Well we don't want any more shows or we want six.' Well, they set a record and ordered 13 (episodes) off the start," said Korell.
Filming for the 13 episodes wrapped up last month, and already TruTV has said they want more. The families have signed a deal for 13 additional episodes to be filmed.
"We film, probably each family films two, three days a week. So we're not constantly surrounded by cameras," said Korell. "They just kind of pick certain events they want to be part of, certain parts of our lifestyles, certain family activities."
Apparently these Idaho families have what it takes to be stars in Hollywood, and they are proud to represent Idaho.
"We're all just hardworking people," said Korell. "The fame and fortune hasn't really hit in and maybe it won't never happen, but we still all have our day jobs,"
Filming for the additional 13 episodes is currently underway.
