Dustin Tavella
POTTSTOWN PA – Pottsgrove High School graduate and increasingly popular national singer-songwriter Dustin Tavella is now a television star, too. He’s appearing weekly (so far, at least) in Season Three of “Sweet Home Alabama,” a reality contest series on CMT, formerly known as the County Music Television channel.
But about that “so far” part …
If you’re unfamiliar with the show, think of it as a southern-states version of “The Bachelor.” Twenty-two eligible young men attempt to outdo each other in weekly challenges to win the affection of a young woman. In this case, the woman is Paige Duke of Lancaster SC. She’s a Clemson University graduate who works as a national representative for Kruger Farms, an outdoors retailer in Minnesota.
Tavella, naturally, is one of the competitors. They are regularly eliminated from the show as Duke makes her preferences known, and family member Patti Tavella on Monday (Jan. 23, 2011) reported the news so far is good. Five men have been cut; Dustin’s still hanging in. For how long, who knows?
Tavella’s big chance to woo Duke arrives on the show Friday (Jan. 27), when an episode titled “Around The Campfire” airs at 9 and 11 p.m. Patti said during a “date” with Duke he will sing a song he wrote specifically for her and the show.
As an aside, the show’s promotional material describes Tavella as “a recording artist from Philadelphia, Penn. Dustin loves entertaining at children’s hospitals and has traveled the world doing missionary work. He is still a virgin, saving himself for marriage.”
Tavella has been an inspiration for students in Pottsgrove’s halls in recent years, and particularly at the middle school on North Hanover Street. He’s led music-fueled fitness exercises there, and served as a motivational speaker during assemblies.
It’s understatement to say Tavella – who rarely misses an opportunity to publicly poke fun at himself – is having fun on the show. His latest video on YouTube (he has 73, for anyone who’s counting) promotes “Sweet Home Alabama” in a take-off of the rap song, “Sexy And I Know It.” His twist is titled “I’m Country And I Know It,” and although it’s far from the smell of hay and the sound of twanging guitars, it has already been viewed more than 383,000 times … in just one week.
- Watch the video (above), or see it at Tavella’s YouTube channel.
Other coverage:
Photos from CMT, Dustin Tavella
Just absolutely LOVE Dustin Tavella!!! He is an awesome talented person and I wish him the best in everything he does! So proud of him and his accomplishments. God bless him in his endeavors. Go DUSTIN!!