Steve Wildsmith

Blount County resident Ashley King Marsh wasn’t too keen on trying out for CMT’s game show “The Singing Bee,” but her mama made her do it.

Sure, it seemed like a good idea at first, she told The Daily Times — after all, she’d been a fan of the show in its previous incarnation on NBC and its new life on the Country Music Television network.

“It’s 60 percent country and 40 percent rock or pop now, so it’s mainly geared for the country listener,” said Marsh, who — as a fill-in deejay for WIVK-FM, 107.7, had more than a passing knowledge of country music.

“I’m a big fan of the show and was following CMT on Twitter when they announced they were going to hold auditions in Nashville last November,” she added. “I started gathering friends and family to all go up and try out, but when the time got closer, they started slowly backing out on me. Well, my mom and I were going to be in Nashville that weekend anyway, and at first I didn’t want to do it.

“I told her, ‘I’m not going because nobody else wanted to do it,’ and she said, ‘Yes you are!’ It was like I was 12 years old again.”

Hesitant at first, the casting director for CMT encouraged her to sign up and give it a try. She did, she had fun and two days later, she got the call. The network flew her to Los Angeles, where “The Singing Bee” is taped; she recorded her segment the next day and flew out the day after that.

“It was really a surprise, because I didn’t think I would be picked,” said Marsh, who’s prohibited from revealing how far she made it or whether she won the $10,000 prize.

Back home, in addition to her radio duties, she’s the owner/director of Ashley’s Dance Academy in Seymour. She and her husband, Micah (who coaches basketball at Alcoa High School), have three daughters.

Marsh’s “Singing Bee” segment airs at 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12.

Ashley King Marsh