When you turn on your TV and tune into a talk show, they're normally shot in Los Angeles or New York City, but with Pickler & Ben, the show is shot in Nashville, and it shines a light on all that Middle Tennessee has to offer.
Starring Kellie Pickler, a beloved Nashville resident for her TV appearances and music, and Ben Aaron, a TV personality from New York, the show brings together southern charm and East Coast wit.
Ben had never been to Nashville prior to being cast for the show, but from the start he fell in love with the South.
"When you live in New York, you hear Nashville is a cool place, but you don't understand the capacity of cool that it has and how interesting and dynamic it is. Once you get here and you see, it's got everything," Ben said.
According to audience members, it's easy to tell that Ben is adjusting to Nashville and learning a lot about the South.
"He's learned a lot about Nashville, and I mean, so are we," Kaila Dodd, an audience member from Lawrenceburg, said. "Some things they talk about, we didn't even know."
With a live audience, Pickler & Ben is the first show of it's kind to be nationally televised on a major network from Nashville, or anywhere else in the South.
"I love that we get to shoot this show here," Kellie said. "We get to shine a light on small businesses, people with great ideas, we help their products come to life and have a great time."
For Nashville, the show means local jobs, highlighting local businesses, and perhaps more visitors who want to check out what Kellie and Ben are showing every day on TV.
Nashville Mayor Megan Barry says this show highlights what Nashville is all about, and gives viewers an option other than the Los Angeles and New York shows.
"I think Nashville's always been that third coast, and here we are again ,just representing, and it's so wonderful to have those folks who are going to pay attention to Nashville and see us in this great new light," Barry said.
While the show highlights Nashville, show hosts say in the end it's all about what they can deliver to the audience, which they hope is a fun, informative time.
"You lose yourself in this show," Ben said. " We do this show and every single thing that bothers you, that you're worried about, just goes away for that hour."
Pickler & Ben airs on News Channel5 Monday through Friday at 9 a.m.
To be in the live studio audience, you can visit the Pickler & Ben website and click "get tickets."
