Preachers' Daughters Exclusive: Cast Says There's a Godly Message Behind the Debauchery
"Preachers Daughters," is back for a second season on Lifetime with two new families and more drama that will surely shock many critics with excessive drinking, cursing, smoking, partying and coming to Jesus moments all packed into one hour episodes.
However, the preachers and their daughters featured on the docu-soap insist that the series is not coming back for another season in order to shame the church, but to help people. While the Coleman and Koloff families are back for another season, the Perrys will not return, which the show's executive producer Adam Reed explained was a decision made by the production staff and network.
While Reed told The Christian Post that the production team and the network, "collectively felt that a lot of (the Perry family's) story had been told" last season, the Elliott and Cassidy families have come onto the show promising viewers a new perspective from preachers' daughters.
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Tori Elliott, the 22-year-old daughter of Pastor Kenny Elliott of Bethel Seventh-day-Adventist Church in New Orleans, made her "Preachers' Daughters" debut as the former police officer-turned party girl who showed up to church drunk and got evicted from her apartment in the first episode. Tori told CP that she came onto the show to give viewers the perspective of preachers' daughters who are dealing with life not as teenagers, but young adults overcoming the temptations of the world.
Although she struggles with excessive drinking, being a negative role model to her 16-year-old sister and being responsible while on the show, Tori has a message for people who may doubt the show's merit based on the season two premiere.
"If there is anybody out there that is skeptical about the show, I just encourage them to watch it through. Watch me grow spiritually and get more in love with God," she told CP. "It might start off slow but in the end like the prodigal son, God's love overcomes all sins."
2 photos(Photograph: Richard Knapp)Megan Cassidy stars in season two of Lifetime's Preachers' Daughters, premieringTori's father prayed about his family joining the series and decided it was time to dispel some stereotypes associated with preachers' daughters being rebellious.
"Just because they go out and drink or party they're automatically labeled rebellious preachers kids," Pastor Elliott told CP. "But sometimes you have to look beyond that because it may have something to do with maybe they were hurting inside, maybe they were doing it to hide something or to cover themselves. And I think as a young person I pretty much did that myself."
Pastor Jeff Cassidy, is another new face on the show who knows firsthand what rebelling against God looks like. While Pastor Cassidy is devoting himself to full time ministry as a newly appointed associate pastor of Lake Bowen Baptist Church in Boiling Springs, S.C., on the show, he is also a former heavy metal musician with a history of substance abuse. While dealing with his 19-year-old son Zac in rehab, Pastor Cassidy's daughter Megan is describing herself as "the southern belle raisin' hell."
After her father transitions from worship leader to full time associate pastor in the church, 17-year-old daughter Megan is struggling to fulfill her duties as a preachers' daughter while drinking, smoking and dressing less than demurely.
"I wasn't really prepared for how it was all going to go, I was kind of thrown into a situation," Megan told CP of her father being involved in ministry full time.
Still, Megan's father insists that people can learn from his less than perfect family.
"The things I want people to see and understand is church is not full of perfect people...And it's staff members are just like anybody else," Pastor Cassidy told CP. "Church is full of hypocrites as people say and that's where hypocrites need to be. They need to be in church learning about Christ and God.. They're normal fathers, they're normal mothers, they're normal teenagers and they're dealing with a world out there today that will eat you up and spit you out."
Pastor Ken Coleman of City of Refuge Pentecostal Church in Joliet, Ill, who first appeared on the show last year with his daughter Taylor, 18, had to overcome her sneaking out of their house with boys, partying and lying to her parents in front of TV cameras last season. While this season will focus more on Taylor trying to find herself while experiencing her last days of high school and fighting temptations, it will also feature some of Pastor Coleman's life threatening medical issues.
Pastor Coleman insists there was a greater purpose behind he and his family joining the show for a second season.
"We've had some negative (reactions) from people but we don't focus on them. When it's all said and done if (people) communicate with their mothers, their fathers or their children we've done our job," he told CP. "It's been a help to so many different ministers and preachers out here. We get so many different messages on Facebook on how they can't wait to see next season and we have helped them talk to their children."
Victoria Koloff, the preacher and radio show host who appeared last season as a divorced mother of four co-parenting and focusing on raising her now 17-year-old daughter between Kannapolis, N.C., and Nashville, Tenn., said she received hundreds of messages from people thanking her for appearing on the show and helping them change their lives. This season, viewers may witness Kolby attempting to map out her future after high school while disagreeing with her parents and making her own choices much to their disapproval.
Despite the show's dramatic elements, Victoria insists "Preachers' Daughters" is bringing something special to Christians who might be watching less than Godly reality television programming otherwise.
"The Christians are watching trash t.v. and what I like about our show is it might have a sprinkle of drama and controversy in it, but it always has a happy ending. There's something good that's going to come from each of the families," she told CP. "If people hang in there with these families throughout the whole season, they're going to be cheering them on instead of pointing the finger and judging them. And as it unfolds it will make me proud of season two just like I was in season one."
"Preachers' Daughters" appears on Lifetime Networks Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. ET.
