‘Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond Reveals Her Show Came Close to Not Happening

Fans of The Food Network have fallen in love with Ree Drummond and her show, The Pioneer Woman, since its debut in 2011. It’s crazy to think that her show almost never hit the network because of some reservations she had regarding making the jump from behind the scenes to the forefront of thousands of television screens. Drummond previously did an interview with Delish.com in which she opened up about her hesitations when the idea was pitched.

“I was very much behind the camera. I’m definitely not someone who ever thought about being a TV personality or anything like that, so when we first started discussing the possibility of my having a cooking show, I did balk a little bit,” Drummond said. “You know, I just didn’t really see how, but decided to give it a try when they offered to come out to the ranch. When I realized it wouldn’t be me traveling and going to a studio somewhere, I thought, I’m never more comfortable than I am at home in my home kitchen, so I’ll give it a try.”

The Pioneer Woman has been a staple on the network since its premiere. Prior to television, Drummond succeeded as a food blogger, operating under ThePioneerWoman.com. She began writing in 2006, eventually getting her page views up to 13 million per month in 2009 and eventually 23.3 million views two years later.

Having began as a blogger, Drummond admits she “still gets stage fright.”

“I get panicky,” Drummond said. “This sounds like an Oklahoma thing to say, but I always pray before any sort of speaking engagement, because it sort of removes myself from the equation. I try to take the focus away from me, because if I focus on me, it’s all over. I focus on what I hope people will take away, so I focus on the message, and less on me.”

Drummond’s success spans well across blogs and television. She also has an exclusive cookware line at Walmart. Additionally, Drummond has released numerous cookbooks, with her first one topping the charts on Amazon’s pre-order list back in 2009. Her most recent piece of literature was a children’s book, Little Ree: Best Friends Forever!, that came out on March 27, 2018.

Drummond’s decision to push through her nerves in the beginning surely has paid off in a big way.