Sevierville, Sevier County (WVLT) – Get ready to start cheering on another local woman in survivor.
32-year-old Melinda Hyder of Sevierville will be trying to survive the brutal conditions on Panama - Exile Island beginning February 2nd on CBS and Volunteer TV.
Melinda's a singer who's worked on cruise ships, at Six Flags, and most notably six years on the stage at Dollywood. You may have seen her with Dolly Parton!
She talked a bit about the show this morning.
"I'm gonna get on somebody's nerves because everybody's gonna get on somebody's nerves at one point it's just gonna happen. So I'm just gonna try to do it as little as possible," says Melinda.
The last local contestant was of course, Tina Wesson, the Fountain City mother of two won the contest and picked up a million dollars
Survivor: Panama - Exile Island begins right here on Volunteer TV and CBS on February 2nd at 8:00 p.m.
Melinda's Bio
Melinda Hyder was born and raised in Elizabethton, Tennessee. She has one sister, Regina, and is proud to point out that her parents, Richard and Carol, were high school sweethearts and have been married for 44 years. Hyder began singing in church at the age of four. She trained in ballet, tap, jazz and gymnastics for 12 years. She attended classes and taught at the Watt Dance Studio in Elizabethton.
Hyder graduated with honors in music and math from Elizabethton High School. She then attended East Tennessee State University in Johnson City on a full vocal scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music. While in college, she performed with the music groups 10BucsWorth, Chorale and Women's Ensemble.
After college, Hyder entertained at Six Flags over Georgia for two years. She then toured Europe while performing on a cruise ship. She also spent six years performing at Dollywood (often times with Dolly Parton). In addition, she has worked as a real estate agent, private vocal coach, dance instructor, pageant coach and model.
Hyder describes herself as vivacious, competitive and compassionate. Her hobbies include creative home decorating, collecting Marilyn Monroe memorabilia, watching CBS soap operas and jogging.
Currently single, Hyder resides in Sevierville, Tennessee, with her Pomeranian, Lexi. Her birth date is May 23, 1973.
Melinda's Favorites:
Colors
Blue, red, purple
Scents
Vanilla, sandalwood, cinnamon
Flowers
Daisy, stargazer lily
Board Games
Taboo, Twister
Video Games
Tetris, Frogger
Sports to Play
No favorite
Sports Teams
U Tennessee Volunteers
Outdoor Activities
Snow skiing, water skiing, hiking, swimming, fishing
TV Shows
THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS, THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL, American Idol, NUMB3RS, SURVIVOR
Movies
Legally Blonde, Sweet Home Alabama
Actors
Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, Denzel Washington
Actresses
Reese Witherspoon, Meg Ryan, Marilyn Monroe
Music
All kinds
Magazines
In Style, Us Weekly, In Touch
Books/Authors
Sandra Brown, J.D. Ross, Catherine Coulter, Nicholas Sparks
Cereals
Smart Start
Fruits
Apple, pineapple, kiwi, strawberries
Snack Foods
Pringles, cookie dough, pretzels
Cookies
Chips Ahoy!
Candy Bars
Snickers
Alcoholic Drinks
Red wine
Non-Alcoholic
Cheerwine
http://www.volunteertv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4337608