Ashley Olson: Shameful Stage Mom of ‘American Juniors’

The talent that we saw in kids trying out for American Juniors was overwhelming. Who would have thought there were so many good young singers and dancers? And when most of the kids were up there, you could see the pride and joy in the faces of their parents. Some shed a tear, others simply beamed. In most cases, it didn’t even matter if their child made the cut and continued on to the next round or they were sent home.

Indeed, some of the parents showed great maturity – something not generally found in a Reality TV Hall of Shame article. One mother spoke of how she taught her son to be kind and have a good heart and all else would follow. Others discussed how it had been a good learning experience.

A few were obviously disappointed and thought the judges had made the wrong decision. Not the greatest attitude, but somewhat understandable, and not sinking to the level of “shameful.”

But then there was Ashley Olson.

Ms. Olson is the mother of Rylee, who was #411 in the competition. And, frankly, Ms. Olson needed some 411 – “information” on how to behave like an adult.

You may recognize Ashely Olson because she was featured on almost every commercial for American Juniors. Her tantrum was the stuff of legends – shameful legends, that is. She was absolutely certain that Rylee should have made it and was better than those who were picked. She had her poor daughter sing every time there was a camera nearby. Then, when she was cut, she blamed the producers for making them wait, having a poor set-up, filling all the slots before her, etc. Having seen some of the performances there, I can only say this: I’m sorry, but Rylee was not among the best. To me, she sounded a bit nasal. I don’t say this to criticize Rylee, per se, and would likely never have mentioned it in print except I think it’s necessary to help explain that her mother really did not have a good point.

Of course, even if she did – even if Rylee sang like an angel – Ashley’s behavior was still embarrassing to behold. Not only did she verbally attack the producers, but she went so far as to make fun of the other children who had auditioned. Her daughter was by her side as she was doing this, learning an important life lesson – if you lose, make fun of people who won.

During her tirade, Ashley swore at least twice that we saw. Again, her young daughter was standing by her side at the time. Is this the way she normally acts around her child? To make it even worse, did she forget that the guy who she was talking to, the guy asking her questions, was holding a camera?! Did she forget that this was all about a TV show? Or was she so blinded by rage that she just didn’t care?

Through it all, I feel bad for Rylee and any other family members. How would you like your mom to have behaved so badly that she was shown over and over and over again on commercials and promos as being pretty much the worst stage mom ever? It’s bad enough to shame yourself on reality TV, as other inductees here have done, but to do it on a show dedicated to kids…

Throughout her rant, Ashely repeated, “I don’t believe it! I’m blown away!” So am I – but for quite different reasons. I can’t believe a parent would act so irresponsibly, so shamefully, with her child right next to her. I am also blown away by her behavior. I can only hope that when she got home, she realized what kind of display she had put on and calmly explained to her daughter that Mom had been wrong to act that way. If not, perhaps she has realized it in seeing herself on the television screen – over and over again.

But no matter what may have happened later, her brief appearance on American Juniors has earned her a place in the Reality TV Hall of Shame.

David Bloomberg is the Editor of the Reality TV Hall of Shame, and can be reached at rno@pobox.com.

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