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Who Knows The Chrisleys Best: What It Was Like To Work With USA’s Famous Reality Family

If you’re a fan of reality TV, you no doubt know the name Chrisley. The Chrisley family burst onto the reality scene in March of 2014 with the debut of their show Chrisley Knows Best. The show, which centered around overbearing real-estate tycoon Todd Chrisley and his often outrageous antics to micromanage his 5 kids, became an immediate hit for USA Network.

It went on to win three National Association of Television Program Executives’ awards during its 10-year run and was even nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award. It spawned multiple spin-offs and was considered to be one of the most successful reality franchises of the last decade.

The Chrisleys Are Still Making Headlines

However nowadays their fame is more often associated with tax evasion and bank fraud.

Who Knows The Chrisleys Best: What It Was Like To Work With USA's Famous Reality Family

On November 21, 2022, Todd and Julie Chrisley were sentenced to 12 and 7 years in prison, respectively, after being convicted of multiple federal charges including taking out fraudulent loans and defrauding banks to fund their extravagant lifestyle.

Both are currently serving out their sentences; Todd at Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola and Julie at Federal Medical Center in Lexington.

The conviction of the heads of this famous family has sparked heated controversy among fans and critics alike.

Todd And Julie Chrisley’s Celebrity Tantrums

There has been much online backlash from disapprovers who believe the allegations and the sentencing to be just. However there is just as much, if not more, expressions of support from those who feel the couple got a raw deal.

While I cannot comment on the trial or its outcome, I can tell you a little bit about what it was like to work with the Chrisleys. I can tell you who they were when the camera weren’t rolling.

As a former crew member and someone who spent a great deal of time with them outside of filming, I can give you a glimpse into a side of Todd and Julie that most of the media won’t show you. A side most people don’t know.

Now let me be clear. I’m not looking back through rose-colored lenses. We’ve all heard stories of celebrity tantrums and I assure you, Todd and Julie were no exception. (None of the Chrisleys were!)

Without a doubt, I witnessed my share of meltdowns and explosions and enough pretentious antics to fill a Tolstoy novel….twice! But if you ever watched the show, you know this.

What you got on camera was pretty similar to what you got off camera. Maybe just a more toned down version to comply with FCC regulations.

Generous Chrisley’s

What you didn’t see was that, according to one crew member who worked with the show for its entire run, on the first day of filming Todd gathered the crew together before taping began and told them “I know the producers told you not to speak to us directly. But we’re not going to work like that. If you’re going to be in our house you’re going to be family.” And from that day forward (for better or worse!) the Chrisleys treated their crew like family.

You didn’t see that both Todd and Julie knew, not only every single crew member’s name, but also the names of everyone’s significant other. Julie knew the names of every crew member’s kids. And that was a lot!

When new crew came on, she immediately learned those details. And she never forgot. If your mom was having surgery next week, she remembered and she asked you how she was recovering.

The cameras didn’t show that several times throughout a season, Todd and Julie bought lunch for the entire crew. Or that every Christmas they gave everyone a cash gift in addition to the Christmas gifts purchased by the production itself.

According to a former crew member, at the end of season 2, they gave each crew member a bottle of Dom Perignon.

If you’re a longtime fan of the show, you may remember the episode where the family went to Hawaii to celebrate Todd and Julie’s 20th wedding anniversary. During the filming of that episode, the Chrisley’s stayed at the Four Seasons hotel.

Typically, the crew would have stayed in a much lower-budget hotel but, according to crew members who were with the show at the time, Todd and Julie insisted that the crew be given the same accommodations as they were. Thus, the crew was also housed at the Four Seasons for the duration of the episode’s filming.

You may also remember a scene in that episode in which the family went riding on ATVs. However you probably didn’t see where Grayson and Savannah’s ATV went off into a ditch, flipping over on top of them. One crew member immediately dropped his gear and ran to pull the ATV off of the kids and make sure they were alright.

Sources close to the show allege that this crew member was later reprimanded by the production company for damaging their equipment when dropping it to run to the ATV.

Sources say the production planned to terminate the crew member until Todd threatened to quit the show in his defense. “If you fire him, we’re done with this show”, sources allege was Todd’s response. The man was reinstated with no reprimand.

10 Seasons Of The Chrisley’s

The original Chrisley Knows Best ran for 10 seasons and many of its crew stayed with the show (and even worked on its sister shows as well) across multiple seasons. Quite a few moved with the show from Atlanta to Nashville in season 4 and stayed with it until the end.

With the additional cost of having to provide housing and per diem for so many of these people rather than hiring on all new local crew, I can only imagine this must have been at the behest of Todd and Julie, who must have insisted on keeping as many of their crew family with them as possible.

I was lucky enough to be brought on at the beginning of season 5 as a local Nashville hire. I was with the show until the end and even continued to have a working relationship with the family after the show was over.

In October of 2022, some abnormal cells were spotted during my annual mammogram. Fearing it might be breast cancer, my doctor ordered a biopsy right away. I was scared. But I didn’t want to worry my family until I knew for sure there was something to worry about. Still, I had no idea what to expect from a biopsy. So, knowing she was a breast cancer survivor, I called Julie.

And despite being right in the middle of her trial that she knew might result in her going to prison, she dropped everything to call me and walk me through what would happen. She let me cry but also told me not to panic. She asked me if I had insurance (I did) and told me not to worry if I didn’t. They’d take care of it.

She called me the day of to tell me she loved me and was praying for me. And she celebrated with me when I called to give her the news that it was benign. Even with all she was going through, she was there for me. She made me a priority when she had every reason not to. And that is something I’ll never forget.

I cannot say what did or did not happen before their show. I cannot comment as to what they may or may not have done before the world came to know them as the family that knows best. And I certainly cannot ascertain the validity of a decision handed down by the legal system. But what I can say is that none of that changes who Todd and Julie Chrisley are to me. Family.

Working for the Chrisleys had its moments for sure, but it was a job I loved going to every day. I would absolutely work on another show of theirs again and I hope I get the chance to someday. They are a rarity in this business.

What are some of your favorite moments from Chrisley Knows Best? Let us know in the comments below.

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