My Big Redneck Wedding is a reality television series airing on CMT. Hosted and narrated by actor and comedian, Tom Arnold, the show debuted Friday, 11 January 2008 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. the final new episode broadcast on 18 March 2011. My Big Redneck Wedding was produced by Pink Sneakers Productions, a production company located in Orlando, Florida. CMT states: "....After scouring the country to find the most down-home country couples, CMT documents their journey down the aisle, as outrageous and over the top as it might be. Each episode, hosted by Tom Arnold, will feature a different redneck wedding, each with its own rustic eccentricities, whether it is a four-legged best man, a romantic beer can canopy, a celebratory shotgun salute or a reception filled with mattress surfing and mud wrestling." The show profiled country couples who plan over-the-top, country-western style weddings. The couples proudly celebrated their down-home heritage by getting hitched on horseback, exchanging vows with the help of ordained ex-cons, or hosting mud-wrestling competitions during the reception. Baked beans, roast squirrel, and turkey testicles made for finger-licking meals. Family members and guests contributed to the festive fun by buying unique lingerie for the bride or organizing shotgun salutes.
Production
Casting calls
Casting calls were posted on the web 21 September 2007 for interested couples across the country. The posting indicated: "CMT is currently casting for the new series "My Big Redneck Wedding." This show will document the planning and preparation it takes to pull off a truly fun, down-to-earth, redneck nuptial. From denim wedding dresses, to camouflage tuxedos, shotgun salutes, and arriving at the reception on an ATV—anything goes, as long as it's rowdy and redneck!" In addition to requiring applicants to be "redneck and proud of it", CMT asked that applicants appear to be between the ages of 18 and 45 and that they are planning a "super redneck" wedding. CMT was scheduled to begin shooting immediately so applicants should have set a wedding date anywhere from September to December 2007. CMT also hoped couples "ould like to share their lives and wedding day with us." Applicants were asked to send an email with name, contact information, wedding location, and a photo of the bride and groom. Casting calls were closed on 25 December 2007. Casting calls were reopened on October 1, 2010 for Season 4 that began to air on 21 January 2011.
Episodes
Seasons 1 and 2 consist of eight episodes each, Season 3 is a fourteen-episode run, and Season 4 is a ten-episode run.
In addition to the forty regular episodes, on 30 August 2008, a special episode called CMT's Biggest Redneck Wedding Ever aired. In it, Tom Arnold served as the wedding planner, created a wedding that exceeded the dreams of a couple who wanted to be married in a mud bog, and performed the actual ceremony.
Reception
Common Sense reviewer Melissa Camacho wrote: "The series attempts to diffuse existing stereotypes about people from the South by using the term "redneck" to connote pride in one's Southern heritage. But the weddings here are presented as bizarre and eccentric and sometimes feature behavior that comes off as uneducated and crass. Instead of celebrating the fun, meaningful side of country-style weddings, the show actually perpetuates negative stereotypes about the South." Camacho also noted that the show's "extensive alcohol consumption and some salty language" made it "rough viewing" for youngsters. Deanna Goodson in her review, "CMT Should Ditch This Redneck Getting Hitched Schtick", states: "We’re not sure why we sat down to watch “My Big Redneck Wedding” on CMT. This parody of a TV series premiered on Friday, January 11 at 8:30 pm CST. Hosted by Tom Arnold – oh yes – the thrice-wed 'star' of small and big screen himself – Redneck Wedding is one big Jeff Foxworthy joke come to life." She continues: "The couple featured in the premiere, Carl and Anna, decided to have a western-inspired wedding. Anna went to a costume shop to pick up her Dolly Parton-esque ensemble. Carl wore a tux, but asked if'n he had to wear shoes with it. The duo lives right behind a train tracks because the price is right. The groom-to-be dumpster dives for his bride's gift because he doesn't believe in buying something when you can 'git it for free'." "The bachelor party featured poker and deep-fried turkey nuts. Yes, Carl found turkey testicles, fried 'em up and fed 'em to his buddies. Meanwhile the bride tells her cake maker to bake them up some horse manure so they can shove it into each other's mouths at the ceremony. How classy! We've always envisioned shoving a tasty treat that's made to look like horse poopie into our hubbies' mouths... but only when we were really, really mad at them. "The bride didn't walk down the aisle and neither did her groom. They rode on in on horseback. They ate a feast that included a pig that the groom picked out special at the slaughterhouse as well as tasty edibles like squirrel. For the final touch, Carl and Anna rode off into the redneck sunset on a pulling tractor with kegs attached to it."
