14 times southwest Ohioans have competed on reality TV in recent years

The Bundys, a trio from Wyoming who all graduated from Miami University, performed on NBC’s “The Voice” last year and advanced to the Knockout Rounds. The Bundys, the first trio ever to perform on the show, made it onto the show after coaches Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson wanted them on their team, but The Bundys chose to be on Clarkson’s team.

West Chester Twp. native Eric Ellis got his chance to showcase his ability as a contestant on this year’s edition of “American Idol.” Ellis went through the audition process for the show when he was 16, and now he came back this year after producers reached out to him to return for another try.

Mason’s Angela Perkins is competing as one of 20 contestants for the $1 million grand prize in the CBS show “Survivor: Ghost Island,” which was shot last summer in Fiji. Perkins, 43, a military veteran who runs her own construction management company, is one of several people from the region in the past 20 years who have made notable appearances on reality shows.

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Hamilton resident Susan Vaughn, who was a candidate in November 2018 for the 51st Ohio House District seat, was a contestant along with her son Patrick on the seventh season of "The Amazing Race" in 2005.

They joined Nick, Megan, Alex and Tommy Linz of Anderson Twp. on the 2005 show.

The following year, Michelle Yi, a student at the University of Cincinnati, was part of the cast of "Survivor: Fiji."

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In another local connection, Marisa Calihan participated in "Survivor: Samoa," which aired in 2009. Calihan grew up on a farm in Reily Twp. outside Oxford and ended up graduating from Purcell Marian High School.

Cindy Chiang Halvorsen, a 2004 graduate from the University of Cincinnati, took home the $1 million prize for winning "The Amazing Race" in the fall of 2011 with her then-fiancé Ernie Halvorsen.

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Eben Franckewitz from Milford High School competed at age 15 on “American Idol” in 2012 and ended up with a top 24 finish. Franckewitz has been singing professionally across the globe since his appearance on the show.