The Burn has occasionally reported about local residents in the Ashburn area who have appeared on reality television shows — Reem Daly who endured crazy tough conditions on a remote island on CBS’ “Survivor” is the most recent example.
But it turns out, there are actually a lot of Ashburn folks who have found fame (and maybe sometimes fortune) on reality TV. It was the cover story of the July/August issue of Ashburn Magazine and we thought other readers around eastern Loudoun might find it interesting.
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BRANDON DIAZ
Singer/songwriter and Berklee College of Music graduate
Appeared on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” NBC’s “The Voice,” Fox’s “The X-Factor,” and ABC’s “American Idol”
Some might call Brandon Diaz the “king” of Ashburn reality stars. The Briar Woods High School grad first did “America’s Got Talent” when he was 12, “The Voice” and “The X-Factor” when he was 16 and then “American Idol” when he was 21, where he made it to the Hollywood rounds.
“I was so nervous – it was my first performance on Hollywood week, and just before I walked on, they called a bathroom break and all the judges and producers walked away,” recalled Diaz, 22. “And I’m standing there, and my nerves are getting worse. [Judges] Katy [Perry] and Luke [Bryan] walked right by me and then I feel Lionel [Ritchie]’s hand on my back and he says, ‘You got this,’ and it calmed everything down and I went out there and killed it.”
Sure enough, Diaz sailed into the top 24, but was eliminated when the contestant pool was cut to 14.
Diaz recently graduated from the Berklee College of Music and is living in Los Angeles, working on his craft. He’s been writing music with friends and expects to release some new songs in the next few months.
Looking back on “Idol” and his other TV experiences, Diaz doesn’t regret a minute of it. “It allowed me to push myself — and I love pushing myself.”
KRISTA WOODS
Creator and founder of GloveStix
Appeared on NBC’s “Today,” ABC’s “Shark Tank”
Krista Woods was a typical Ashburn mom, complaining about her kids’ smelly athletic shoes and equipment. But then Woods did something atypical: She developed a product that eliminates unpleasant odors, created a company, and then used reality TV to help her market her invention.
By now, many Ashburn residents are familiar with GloveStix, the anti-microbial sticks with moisture absorbing inserts that are placed in shoes and other sweaty clothing to inhibit bacteria growth and neutralize smells. Woods created GloveStix in 2015 and the following year, on a whim, she applied to be on the “Today” show’s “Next Big Thing” competition. She was selected as a finalist and pitched GloveStix live on morning network television.
“I remember that moment like it was yesterday,” Woods said. “You’re standing behind these ‘Today’ show doors and they’re about to open up and you’re going to walk out there on live TV. My entire body was shaking, armpits sweating. I’ve never been that nervous in my entire life. They started counting down — 20 seconds until the doors were going to open — and full blown panic set in. I told them, ‘Stop counting!’”
Despite the nerves, Woods did wonderfully and went on to win the competition. Her prize: pitching her product live on the QVC shopping channel.
Woods went on to appear on the popular reality entrepreneur show “Shark Tank” in 2017. On air, she struck a deal for investment in her company by “sharks” Lori Greiner and Alex Rodriguez, but afterward, hiccups arose, and the deal was never executed.
Still, Woods says she would absolutely do her reality TV experiences again. “One hundred times over. I take every opportunity I can to make people aware of my product and my story.”
Read the rest of the story and the adventures of more Ashburn reality TV stars here.