‘The Voice’: Riley Green’s Shocking Reality TV History Before He Was Famous

Riley Green is a certified country music star and is taking his career to a whole new level as one of the coaches on Season 30 of The Voice. But back in 2016, years before he released his debut album, Green was a contestant on another reality competition show called Redneck Island.

He first appeared on the show during Season 4 in 2015 after a casting director noticed him playing a show at a small bar in Alabama. “I was really hesitant to do it, but I’m like, if they mention I play music, it could help my career,” he said on The Zach Sang Show.

While he didn’t see “any real jump” from his time on the show, he decided to return for Season 5, which featured a cast of half returning players and half new players. “I’m like, ‘Well, I’ve already done it now!'” he laughed.

Below, learn more about Redneck Island and find out what happened to Green during his time on the show.

What is Redneck Island?

Redneck Island was a reality competition show on CMT that ran for five seasons. It was hosted by Steve Austin, with Jessie James Decker also serving as cohost for Season 4 and Melissa Rycroft stepping in for Season 5.

The show is similar to MTV’s The Challenge, with contestants living together and competing against one another. Seasons 1 to 3 featured the contestants split into two teams, but by Season 4, the format changed. Instead, they competed in male/female pairs.

The contestants competed in daily challenges, with the losers automatically sent into the pit. A second team was sent into the pit by the winning team, with the loser eliminated at the end of the episode.

What happened to Riley Green on Redneck Island?

Green didn’t fare too well during his first run on Season 4 and he was eliminated in Episode 2. “We won the first competition and everyone was gunning for us,” he admitted.

CMT

However, when he came back as a returning contestant for Season 5, he won the season with partner Becky Andrews.

“The finale took several hours,” he recalled. “It was literally swimming, kayaking, put a puzzle together. This thing right here in the pit is literally a fight.”

Green admitted he was “super boring” on the show, adding, “I slept most of the time. If I had went on the show when I was 22, it would’ve been alright. But I was 27. So I was pretty boring. I kind of got that little craziness out of my system. Everybody just fought, drank, got hammered.”

How much did Riley Green win on Redneck Island?

Green and Andrews split the $100,000 prize, so he walked away with $50,000. However, as he noted on The Zach Sang Show, “I found out what taxes were real quick.”

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He gained more than just money from the show, though, as Green said it ended up being a “helpful experience” with his future music career. “It taught me about that side of things,” he explained. “I didn’t know what went into doing a show like that.”

Perhaps the most advantageous part was the confessional interviews he had to do. “I realized if I said what they wanted [for the storyline], I could get out of the interview faster,” he admitted. “I started getting good at doing interviews.”

The Voice, Season 30, Episode 3, Wednesday, 8/7c, NBC

The Voice, Season 30, Tuesdays, 8/7c, NBC