He may know best, but many people still to this day wonder: How did Todd Chrisley get a TV show? The reality TV star and multimillionaire real estate agent has his own series on USA Network called Chrisley Knows Best and an after show to boot. But with the 40-year-old patriarch of the Chrisleys having a background in real estate, many still wonder how exactly he and his family managed to get a contract for a reality series.

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Like most of Chrisley’s well-known story, a lot of it has to do with his filing for bankruptcy in 2012. After filing for personal bankruptcy, a year later, his company Chrisley Asset Management filed, too. Because of his wife Julie Chrisley’s personal net worth of $3 million — thanks to her public and financial success as Miss Universe — the family was able to continue living their lavish, Southern lifestyle despite lawsuits, bankruptcy filings, and court settlements.

chrisley knows best usa network
USA Network

As Todd and Chrisley Asset Management was suffering financially, the Atlanta millionaire continued to pursue a television series, which he thought should star his family and specifically showcase their sumptuous way of life. It was eventually picked up by USA Network and premiered in 2014. By 2016, the father of five had reportedly inked a singer/songwriter deal with BMI.

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In an interview with OK! Magazine, Todd revealed just how he pulled off the procuring of his reality series. “I was approached by All3Media and Maverick TV. They said they felt like our family was a show, that there was something there. I always knew there was some crazy, but they felt like it was a show,” he explained.

“They asked to do a sizzle reel, and I didn’t know what that was. We agreed to it, and really it was okay if nothing came from it. It wasn’t going to change my life. From the time they did the sizzle reel, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer on March 5, then my father was diagnosed May 25, and passed away July 11. So we kept putting things off, because we had to deal with family,” he continued.

But the TV production obviously saw something in the Chrisleys. Eventually, after dealing with the heartaches going on in their family, the Chrisleys were approached with the concept of doing reality TV.

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“Then they came back and said, ‘We’ve been wanting to stay away from you guys. But I just want you to know we presented this to ten different networks, and we have nine offers,'” Todd said. “And so I thought, ‘Wow, the world really does have a desire for crazy.'”

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