As the trailer for Netflix's reality TV series DeMarcus Family Rules highlights, Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus differs in a lot of ways from his wife since 2004, the former Allison Alderson.
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They're not an odd couple because Allison DeMarcus is a former Miss Tennessee and Miss Tennessee USA. The bassist in a successful country music act and the funniest guy in the room winning over a former beauty queen seems normal enough. Besides, Jay's a handsome guy, and he's barely aged during his 20-year run with band mates Gary Levox and Joe Don Rooney, so neither dated or married out of their league.
Instead, the "opposites attract" element at the heart of the series comes from differing approaches to raising daughter Madeline Leigh (born Dec. 2010) and son Dylan Jay (born July 2012).
Before binging a hilarious series executive produced by family friend and fellow Nashville celebrity Todd Chrisley (the DeMarcus family have regularly appeared on the USA Network's Chrisley Knows Best), read on to learn about Jay and Allison's love story.
An Answered Prayer
Shortly after turning 30 in 2001, Jay became concerned about spending his charmed life alone. As the song goes, the man of faith took his burden to the Lord and left it there.
"'God, I'm in Rascal Flatts. I've got all this ... this ... stuff that you've given me, this crazy life. But I've got nobody to share it with,'" he recalls praying, as quoted in his 2019 autobiography Shotgun Angels: My Story of Broken Roads and Unshakeable Hope.
A panic attack severe enough that Jay took himself to the hospital in case it was a heart attack came the night before Rascal Flatt's scheduled music video shoot for the song "These Days."
Jay dragged himself to the shoot following a stressful night, and he got the answer to his prayers on set. Future wife Allison starred in the video, and the bassist hit it off with his new crush.
"She was easy to talk to, had a warm and inviting smile, and made a very long day easier just by being there," the Ohio native wrote in his autobiography.
Despite her work as a show host for the CMT Music Awards and a correspondent for CMT Insider, Allison was admittedly unfamiliar with Rascal Flatts' music. As Jay soon found out, that was the least of his worries.
Read More: Rascal Flatts Bassist Jay DeMarcus Reveals He Placed His First Child Up for Adoption
Persistence Paid Off
When Jay first met Allison, she was engaged to someone else.
Jay remained persistent, and Allison eventually agreed to a one-off dinner just four months before her planned wedding. A five and a half hour meal found the new acquaintances clicking romantically, forcing Allison to reconsider her pre-existing wedding plans.
Fast-forward to May 15, 2004 and Allison got married-- to Jay, that is. Now the fast friends turned romantic partners are parents with a show that leaves us wondering how the whole family's coping with staying safe by staying at home during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
One last side note: As the Netflix series reminds us, Allison's sister Amy Alderson is married to country superstar and esteemed songwriter James Otto.
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