Redneck Island Reality Show Filmed in Mexico Valerie Garman - The News Herald Panama City
go to original June 6, 2012

John Paul "JP" Burwell can pry the top off an aluminum beer can with his teeth.

It's a skill that may have proven handy in the Panama City Beach bartender's recent stint on a "Survivor"-esque reality TV show that is being dubbed "the ultimate redneck competition series."

The Asheville, N.C., native was chosen from a pool of about 20,000 applicants as a contestant on Country Music Television's (CMT) new series "Redneck Island," which will premiere Saturday, June 9, at 9:00 pm CDT. WWE's Stone Cold Steve Austin hosts the show.

Although Burwell couldn't disclose many details about the show, he said he did chase plenty of iguanas with a machete during his time on Redneck Island.

Burwell, who manages the poolside Tiki Bar at The Summit Condos on Panama City Beach, said he was urged to audition for the show by Amy and Ron Pollard, condo owners and bar regulars who also have been on reality TV.

"I did not go looking for it, I assure you that," Burwell said. "I had zero intention of ever being on television."

His journey to Redneck Island — somewhere in Mexico, although the exact location is being kept under wraps — started with something as simple as a Skype interview.

"They just wanted a big, big personality on their first interview, and that's what I gave them," he said.  

Burwell said he's pretty sure he was the least redneck on the show — or at least he'd like to think he was. He describes himself not as a redneck, but as a good, Southern boy — North Carolina Southern, not Florida Southern.

"You can go to New York, Washington, California — there's rednecks everywhere," said Burwell, who pointed out the camouflage shorts he wore Monday as he spent the afternoon pouring shots of Patrón, blending piña coladas and showing off his beer can-biting party trick at the Tiki Bar, where he has worked for 10 years.

"Four years of college and two years of grad school, and I'm still slinging whiskey for a living," Burwell said. "There are far worse things I could be doing."

Burwell said he already has had customers, surprisingly enough, who have recognized him from the "Redneck Island" commercials now airing on CMT. He predicts it will be followed by many more people making the connection.

Burwell said the trip to Redneck Island began with a flight to Los Angeles for two days of psychiatric and medical evaluations. Those two days were spent sequestered in a hotel room, with each meal delivered by room service.

"We couldn't even leave the room to get ice," he said. "They didn't want us to meet the other contestants and form alliances."

The two-day stint in Los Angeles was followed by a flight to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where Burwell was once again sequestered in an all-inclusive hotel room for two more days before finally meeting the 11 other contestants.

The 12 contestants, who hailed from several Southern states, then were toted through the jungle in a van to a secluded beach where the show was shot. Burwell said he made some great friends on the show and plans on keeping in touch with the other contestants on Facebook.

"They were a great cast," Burwell said. "A lot of great Southern people."

From the remote location, the contestants were guided by Stone Cold Steve Austin through a series of "hilarious mental and physical challenges designed to celebrate the group's strengths and limitations in a quest for $100,000," as described on CMT's website.

At the end of each episode, a contestant is sent home.

"It was definitely an experience that will be talked about for a long time," Burwell said. "It's an experience I can talk about for the rest of my life.”

July 2, 2012, Update: The Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) of Riviera Nayarit confirmed that the production of Redneck Island took place throughout May in San Francisco, Nayarit - also known as San Pancho, a cosmopolitan seaside town in Mexico's Pacific Treasure, just north of Puerto Vallarta. The show employed local carpenters, painters and other regional service providers, as well as students from the Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit.

Photo Courtesy of CMT | Special Thanks to The News Herald