Plot Synopsis

In REAL COUNTRY, a panel of music icons and celebrity guests search for country music's next breakout musical acts. In each one-hour episode, the permanent panel of artists -- Shania Twain, Jake Owen & Travis Tritt -- are joined by a guest panelist, who judge three artists competing for $10,000, as well as a performance at Stagecoach and a spot in the show's grand finale. The winners from each of the first seven episodes return for the finale, where they vie for a chance to win $100,000 and a highly coveted performance at Nashville's iconic Grand Ole Opry. Guest judges include: Big & Rich (series premiere); Wynonna Judd (Episode 2); Devin Dawson (Episode 3); Trace Adkins (Episode 4); Hunter Hayes (Episode 5); Kane Brown (Episode 6); Sara Evans (Episode 7).

The 21 artists competing this season, include:

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SHANIA TWAIN'S PICKS
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Billie Jo (Hometown: Emory, Texas): Billie Jo is a singer, songwriter and recording artist blending traditional country vocals with honest songs. She is on the cusp of success after winning numerous local singing competitions. While she is extremely passionate about her music career, Billie Jo's most important role is being a mother to her four children.

The Davisson Brothers Band (Harrison County, West Virginia): The Davisson Brothers Band has been hailed as Rolling Stone Country's "10 New Country Artists You Need To Know" and have had a massively successful #1 hit in Australia with their single "Po' Boyz." Two of the members of the band are brothers and within their family they have 133 musically inclined first cousins.

Kylie Frey (Opelousas, Louisiana): A former rodeo queen with multiple championships, Frey had a passion for music at a young age. When she was in kindergarten, she dressed up as Shania Twain for career day and never looked back. Frey has a nationally recognized single, "Too Bad," featuring Randy Rogers and produced by the Grammy, CMA, and ACM Award winning Paul Worley, and her debut album included two Top 10's and her first #1, "Rodeo Man," on Texas Regional Radio Report Charts.

Riley Thompson (Mabank, Texas): At just 15-years-old, Thompson is fresh on the music scene with a unique voice necessary to the country music genre today. Thompson's most notable experience to date has been competing in the Texas Music City Songwriter Competition where she finished in the top five with two of her songs written in the same week they were performed.

Tiera (Gardendale, Alabama): With a rich and soulful voice, Tiera taught herself how to play guitar at 13-years-old using online tutorials. From that moment on, she began to play at local festivals across the state and eventually in Nashville, including at the iconic Bluebird Cafe.

Micah Woods (Murrieta, California): The moment Woods discovered powerhouse vocalists such as Dolly Parton at a young age, he was immediately drawn to music and found his passion in life. As fate would have it, he was performing at a hotel in New York City when Shania Twain heard him and selected him to perform on the show.

The Young Fables (Maryville, Tennessee): The Young Fables are an award-winning modern traditional country duo comprised of Laurel Wright and Wes Lunsford. The duo has appeared with country stars Lauren Alaina, Josh Turner, Rascal Flatts, The Band Perry, The Charlie Daniels Band and more. In 2018, the duo released their sophomore record, produced by the Grammy Award winning Mitch Dane, to critical acclaim.

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JAKE OWEN'S PICKS
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ADAIRS RUN (Salem, Virginia and Princeton, West Virginia): This duo was formed in 2009 by Todd Hanchock and Pat Pollifrone and began their musical journey in acoustic dive bars and local festivals across West Virginia and neighboring states. Over the years they have grown to find success opening for and playing with Brett Michaels, Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line. With big personalities and a great sense of humor, Adairs Run highlights the authenticity of storytelling and the grit of rock-and-roll.

Jaida Dreyer (Nashville, Tennessee): Dreyer is currently one of Nashville's most sought after co-writers. Her eclectic writing style has had her penning songs across genres and for multiple hit television shows, including "Nashville." She recently celebrated a multi-week #1 writing Luke Bryan's "Home Alone Tonight" featuring Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild.

Larry Fleet (White Bluff, Tennessee): Influenced by traditional sounds, Fleet grew up listening to gospel, bluegrass and country. By the age of seven he was invited to perform at the world famous Ryman Auditorium, where he played guitar in a Bluegrass group. A full time electrician, Fleet was discovered by Jake while he was out on tour, and he immediately knew he needed him on this show.

Jamie Floyd (West Palm Beach, Florida): Floyd was signed to a record deal at 11-years-old before moving to Nashville. Currently, she writes music for other recording artists, film and television during the day all while waiting tables at night. As her own independent publisher, Floyd wrote "The Blade," a duet between Ashley Monroe & Miranda Lambert, which served as the title track of Monroe's Grammy nominated album - making her a "Grammy Nominated Waitress."

Savannah Keyes (Sandy, Utah): When Keyes was 13-years-old she appeared on The Ellen Degeneres show and has grown into a successful country/pop artist. Keyes is a radio host and correspondent for Radio Disney Country, and last year she teamed up with Taylor Guitars and American Girl Doll as a spokesperson for the new Taylor Guitar built for their singer/songwriter doll, Tenney Grant.

Frank Ray (Las Cruces, New Mexico): A former police officer, Ray left the force after 10 years of service to pursue his music career full time. A triple-threat songwriter, singer and guitarist, Ray wrote all the songs on his debut EP, which has spawned two top-ten hits on Texas Country Radio.

Regan Stewart (Auburn, Alabama): Stewart has been immersed in the music world her entire life. She began writing songs at 8-years-old and quickly made a name for herself in Nashville when she joined the female-driven songwriter's showcase, Song Suffragettes, which has led to her being featured in Rolling Stone, Taste of Country, CMT and many others. Her unique voice has the potential to infuse a new style into the country music genre.

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TRAVIS TRITT'S PICKS
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Bri Bagwell (Las Cruces, New Mexico): Bagwell has grit, passion, perseverance and talent. After touring with her band - "The Banned" - over 180 days per year for seven years, this six-time Texas Regional Radio Female Vocalist of the Year has continued to grow her grass-roots and begun to earn the respect of her peers in the Nashville music scene.

Scooter Brown (Littleton, Colorado): Brown is an American singer-songwriter. After four years in the Marine Corps with two tours overseas, he moved to Texas to pursue music before leaving for Nashville. Brown now tours across the country, headlining and opening for acts like The Charlie Daniels Band and The Marshall Tucker Band, among many others. He is a father of four children, and adopted his two youngest. Brown uses his music platform to advocate for veterans and adoption.

Copper Chief (Mineral Wells, Muenster, and Richmond, Texas): Copper Chief is a central Texas band with deep roots and even deeper brotherhood consisting of three country artists - Mike Valliere, Rio Tripiano and Justin Lusk. Their passion for music runs deep as they all gave up their day jobs, including being a lawyer, to pursue this dream. Since the release of their debut self-titled album - "Copper Chief" - the guys have been burning a path all across Texas and the surrounding states to steadily growing crowds.

Tony Jackson (Richmond, Virginia): A former marine, Jackson fell in love with country music as a young man after seeing Randy Travis perform on an army base in Spain. He is a true singer/songwriter with a passion for the traditional country music sound. His original music reaches millions of fans across his social channels, with his George Jones tribute hitting over 38 million views.

Dave Kennedy (Chattanooga, Tennessee): With a voice like a runaway freight train, Kennedy has been a singer/songwriter for nearly a decade and has influences of both old and new country, mixed with a little rock-and-roll. Although his wife and daughter keep him longing for home, Kennedy recently toured with country artist Drake White and is starting to work on his first full-length solo album.

Cody Purvis (Charlottesville, Virginia): Following in the country music footsteps of his parents, Purvis is a more traditional singer who is influenced by a myriad of country music legends. He moved to Nashville when he was 15-years-old and has opened for the likes of Trace Adkins and Darius Rucker. He has performed at the historic Ryman Auditorium and is doing everything he can to grind in Music City in order to get his big break.

Porter Union (Springfield, Missouri): Porter Union, led by husband and wife Cole Michael Porter and Kendra Porter, met singing karaoke. They are two old souls who've spent the last decade traveling the country together playing their music everywhere from dive bars and honky tonks to festivals and theaters.
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On Tuesday, December 11, 2018 from 11pm-12:30am ET/PT, USA Network premiered the season finale of REAL COUNTRY. In the 90-minute finale, the seven winning artist go head to head for a shot at the grand prize. Finalists include: Copper Chief (winning audience score: 4.6 stars in Episode 1), Kylie Frey (4.5 stars in Episode 2), Jaida Dreyer (4.7 stars in Episode 3), Larry Fleet (4.3 stars in Episode 4), Frank Ray (4.5 stars in Episode 5), Tiera! (4.3 stars in Episode 6), and Jamie Floyd (4.5 stars in Episode 7). Plus, judges Travis Tritt and Jake Owen perform.