From Survivor to Country Tonite: Meet Melinda Hyder

When you see Melinda Hyder perform at our Pigeon Forge show, she might look familiar. That’s because Melinda was one of 16 contestants on the 12th season of Survivor! In 2005, Melinda traveled to the Pearl Islands off the coast of Panama to compete for a million dollar prize. During her time on the show, Melinda completed challenging obstacle courses, piloted a sinking boat, and lived without modern conveniences for a week. Despite being well liked by the rest of the contestants, Melinda was voted off the island at the end of day six.

Fortunately, Melinda doesn’t need reality television to be a star. As one of the featured female performers at Country Tonite, Melinda brings down the house each night with her powerful voice. Classically trained in ballet, tap, jazz, gymnastics, and voice, Melinda received a full vocal scholarship to East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. After college, Melinda performed at a variety of venues including Six Flags, a cruise ship, and Dollywood. During her six year stint at Dollywood, Melinda frequently performed with the Queen of Country Music herself, Ms. Dolly Parton!

We are absolutely thrilled to have Melinda as part of our cast. Country Tonite has been repeatedly voted the Best  Show in the Smokies, and Melinda is a big reason why. With high energy music, dynamic dancing and hilarious comedy, our Pigeon Forge Show really has something for everyone. Check out this blog to see the top four reasons people love Country Tonite on TripAdvisor!