This season, the cast consists of well-known actors, musicians, athletes, and others who are fans of Gone Barefoot and/or the Barefoot family. In addition, they have used their platform as famous people to advocate for Christian living - just as the Barefoots have.
Just as in season 3, competition takes place amidst a renovation. This time, it's a new home for the Grant family of the Gentilly section of New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Everett Jr. and Anita and their three children have spent the last 10 years in Houston and never figured to return to "the Big Easy," but a combination of a tug of heart strings and a generous mortgage offer have lured them back.
Here are the 14 contestants and their credentials:
⦁ Ryan O'Quinn - He is an actor, comedian, author, and voice-over character. He is also an advocate for clean comedy and positive portrayals of Christians in media.
⦁ Candace Cameron Bure - In the 1980s, she played D. J. Tanner on the ABC series Full House. Today, she's still an actress, but is also a motivational speaker and author. Bure competed on Dancing with the Stars in season 17 and is married to a former National Hockey League player.
⦁ Sadie Robertson - She also was on DWTS, finishing second in season 19. Sadie made her name as part of the cast of Duck Dynasty (she is CEO Willie Robertson's daughter and legendary hunter Phil Robertson's granddaughter). The entire family is faith-based and has hosted Miss Hambone on two occasions.
⦁ Tim Tebow - In 2007, he won the Heisman Trophy as the top college football player that season. He has played professionally for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets and is now a broadcaster for ESPN. He was born to missionary parents in the Philippines.
⦁ Melinda Doolittle - The singer finished third on American Idol in season 6. Since then, she has been a professional singer, songwriter, and author.
⦁ Nick Vujicic - Born in Melbourne, Australia, Vujicic now lives in southern California with his wife and their two children. He has overcome being born without arms or legs to live as normal a life as possible. He speaks around the world and has written three books.
⦁ Bethany Hamilton - After losing her left hand during a shark attack, the professional surfer quickly returned to competition and inspired the entire sports world. Hamilton wrote an autobiography, Soul Surfer, which was turned into a movie in 2013. She and her boyfriend competed on The Amazing Race in 2014.
⦁ Alex Debogorski - He is one of the cast members on the longtime History series Ice Road Truckers. He speaks often of his faith and prays regularly on the show.
⦁ LeCrae - Christian rap may seem to be a contradiction in terms, but LeCrae has made it work as he has become a mainstream music star. Both albums have gone gold, and he has performed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
⦁ Laura & Heather Beanblossom - These twins are actresses, scriptwriters, and producers of Christian movies which are centered on cautionary tales, but end with positive messages. The Indiana natives were named "Entertainers of the Year" by CEN in 2015.
⦁ Shawn Michaels - In a career spanning more than 20 years, he held the WWE world heavyweight title four times and is considered one of the greatest stars in its history. Michaels has often spoken on how he found God at the lowest point in his life.
⦁ Sean Lowe - He was the suitor on season 13 of The Bachelor after making his debut on season 6 of The Bachelorette. Lowe is now married to the woman he proposed to at the end of his second run, and became a published author in 2015.
⦁ Brooke Liptrap - A popular contestant in season 1, she has settled back into her life as a single mother in Maryland.
Episode 1 (Jan. 10, 2016)
After a brief welcome, host Shandi Finnessey introduces the first challenge; it's all-important as it will determine the team captains for the first part of the competition. The object is to find one of two large egg-shaped balls that are painted with two of the colors of Mardi Gras - green and yellow. The two superfans who find the balls will be captains of the crews that will work on the house in which the Grants will eventually move.
As some participants like the limbless Nick lay back, others get into the competition. Eventually, a slow and steady approach wins the green egg for Sadie, while more aggression and strategy nets Shawn the yellow egg. They then pick the following crews:
⦁ Sadie - Bethany, Laura, Heather, Alex, Ryan, Melinda
⦁ Shawn - Tim, LeCrae, Candace, Sean, Nick, Brooke
In confessional, Sadie talks about drafting an all-female team, but the format of alternating picks would not allow for that to occur. Brooke complains about no one respecting her past experience on the show.
The first day's renovation work is to finish the parents' bedroom, using the design and specifications of the Grant family and overseen by a professional team. After a dinner break, the first evening challenge takes place; after each of these, one contestant will be eliminated.
The idea is to simulate the conditions that led to the failure of the levees in New Orleans and the death, destruction, and despair that followed. Using clay molds and adhesives, the teams are to built a levee that will survive a test involving large amounts of water. However, some of the pieces have holes in them that must be fixed at the same time the levee is being built. The contest is to continue until either 10 minutes are up or one of the scale models breaks.
Shawn is amazed at some of Nick's building techniques, while Team Sadie bickers constantly, leaving her to say, "I wish Willie [Sadie's CEO father] was here to straighten things out."
The model built by Team Sadie collapses about two minutes before time was to expire, giving Team Shawn the win and immunity for the week. Sadie, thinking that contestants would conduct the weekly vote, forms an alliance to target Laura and Heather for their lack of work throughout the week. Therefore, she's shocked to find out that the decision is out of her hands and instead to be decided by the judges: Brandon McLamb and former contestants Barbie Blank and Mikel de Vries. The judges will use what they've learned about the challenge results and the week's build to send someone home.
According to the judges' evaluation, Sadie's crew had a very inconsistent week: They actually did a better job in the renovation, but simply fell apart in the main build. When asked to explain what happened, Sadie owns up to the failure in the main challenge, but place the Beanblossom twins and Ryan under the bus in an attempt to save herself. Ryan responds by accusing Sadie of being a "favored daughter" on the show: "You just don't want her gone." With the comments ringing in their ears, the judges deliberate and come to a somewhat surprising decision.
First, it's time to award the week's win. It goes to Nick, who gets something else new for the show: Immunity for the following episode. Meanwhile, Ryan is the first contestant to be sent home. "I guess that's what they want," Ryan says in confessional. "Let's just hope the judges are fair to everyone moving forward. And that includes Sadie."
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