Willis family back on the air with TLC reality show

SHARE Willis family back on the air with TLC reality show

The Willis family, the singing group forever tied to a Chicago family’s tragedy, is returning to reality TV.

Brenda and Toby Willis and their 12 talented kids will be the focus of a 13-episode series debuting May 5 on TLC, the cable channel announced Thursday.

The show will follow the clan, based just outside Nashville, as they record an album, perform live and try to keep some semblance of order at home.

Toby Willis lost six siblings in 1994 when a van driven by his father, the Rev. Duane “Scott” Willis, hit a stray truck part in Milwaukee and burst into flames. The Chicago minister and his wife were on their way to Watertown, Wis.

The tragedy became the symbol of the licenses-for-bribes scandal that eventually took down former Illinois Gov. George Ryan.

The young Willises are no strangers to TV cameras, having starred on another reality show on Great American Country in 2013 and advanced several rounds on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” last summer.

The Latest
The Hawks finished their season 23-53-6 — with the most losses in franchise history — after a 5-4 overtime defeat Thursday in Los Angeles. They ripped off three third-period goals to take the lead, but conceded late in regulation and then six seconds into overtime.
In moments, her 11th album feels like a bloodletting: A cathartic purge after a major heartbreak delivered through an ascendant vocal run, an elegiac verse, or mobile, synthesized productions that underscore the powers of Swift’s storytelling.
Sounds of explosions near an air base in Isfahan on Friday morning prompted fears of Israeli reprisals following a drone and missile strike by Iran on Israeli targets. State TV in Tehran reported defenses fired across several provinces.
Hall participated in Hawks morning skate Thursday — on the last day of the season — for the first time since his surgery in November. He expects to be fully healthy for training camp next season.