Courtney Finley, left, wife of Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley, gets a laugh from co-hosts Rachel Manek of WLUK, Channel 11, Lindsey Kuhn, wife of fullback John Kuhn, and Geeta Bishop, wife of linebacker Desmond Bishop, on the set of ‘The Better Half” last month. The morning talk show is taped Tuesdays at the WLUK studios in Ashwaubenon and broadcast across the state every Friday. Kuhn was filling in for regular co-host Betina Driver, wife of wide receiver Donald Driver, who was away in California. / Lukas Keapproth/Press-Gazette Media
It takes only a butter knife and five words for Kylie Saine to endear herself to viewers of “The Better Half.’’
“The more chocolate the better,’’ she says, as she liberally spreads chocolate frosting on devil’s food cupcakes during a food segment on the TV talk show that gives viewers a weekly glimpse into the lives of the wives of Green Bay Packers players.
Married to running back Brandon Saine, she confesses to seldom cooking and doing more baking than she should, including a batch of Chex Puppy Chow just the night before.
“It’s very bad,’’ she says of her weekly baking habit, while whipping up a batch of Knock Your Socks Off Bars, made with crushed Double Stuff Oreos, brownie mix and chocolate chip cookie dough.
There’s nothing like a love for sweets to bring girls together, which is a page straight out of “The Better Half’’ playbook — to show the women behind Green Bay’s most famous residents are not all that different than the moms, wives and girlfriends who tune into WLUK, Channel 11, each Friday to hear co-hosts Geeta Bishop (linebacker Desmond Bishop) Courtney Finley (tight end Jermichael Finley) and Betina Driver (wide receiver Donald Driver) chat it up with the station’s Rachel Manek and Amy Hanten and a rotating roster of guest wives on a wide range of topics that includes everything but football.
There is no lack of local shows that dissect the previous week’s Packers game with players, coaches and sports reporters, but “The Better Half’’ is unique in that it focuses on everyday life off the field for the women in those Packers households. It’s aimed squarely at female viewers.
“We really don’t plan on talking at all about the football stuff. This is really just supposed to be more about food, family, fashion and fun,’’said Brian Lammi, founder and CEO of Lammi Sports Management, the Milwaukee-based company that is creator and executive producer of the show.
“I think one of the great lines I heard about the show was from Juli Buehler, news director of Fox 11, and she said this really should be ‘The Chew’ meets ‘The View,’ and that’s what we’re going for. A lot about food and great recipes, and also these women talking about what impacts their daily life.’’
Since its debut on Sept. 28, “The Better Half,’’ which is taped Tuesdays at the WLUK studios in Ashwaubenon and broadcast statewide on Fridays, has tackled topics that range from living with Type 1 diabetes (Chelsea Crabtree) and a taking a child to their first dental visit (Betina Driver and 13-month-old daughter Charity) to how loved the family dog is (John and Lindsey Kuhn’s English bulldog Buckwheat) and how easy it is to make Taco Layer Dip for the game (Geeta Bishop). Each goes a long way in making women whose husbands have such high-profile jobs more relatable to viewers.
“I think this show gives an insight that we’re just normal people,’’ said Finley, the frank and funny wild card of the co-hosts, who pointed out she had dried spit-up in her hair from baby London. “With professional athletes, there’s so many stigmas … We just wanted people to get to know us and know how we really are. It’s more like a conversation than an actual show.’’
“For outsiders looking in, they think of this fabulous, glamorous life. We have struggles every day like every other person …’’ said Driver, a mother of three. “We’re normal people. We’re real. We’re humbled. We take nothing for granted.’’
“I feel like it’s better for our fans when they realize how connected we are to our husbands. It’s not just all about football in our lives,’’ Bishop said. “… I think it’s good to show there’s a network of women who empower each other and help each other.’’
At ease on camera, off
At a morning taping last month, Finley brought along 4-year-old son Kaydon and situated him off camera with an iPad, a gentle reminder and a promise.
“No talking, OK? As soon as this is over, I’ll get you McDonald’s.’’
Before she can step on the set and take her seat around the table for the opening chat segment, he was already throwing touchdown passes on an iPad football game.
Meanwhile, the day’s co-hosts — Finley, Bishop and Lindsey Kuhn, who was filling in for Driver on Packers bye week — touch base with Manek before the cameras roll. Manek, who is also the longtime co-host of WLUK’s daily “Good Day Wisconsin’’ show, wonders aloud what would be the best term to use when introducing a lower-body fitness segment.
“Do I have to say the word ‘butt’?’’ she asks. “I’m gonna say backside, fanny, gluteus maximus …’’
There’s much laughter among the women, as they chat casually about everything from Nutella to jewelry to TanTowels, until a camera man counts them down to the 10 seconds before the red on-air light comes on. The giggling subsides, and on-show banter turns to the new Cheesehead Bed and the women’s participation in a charity fashion show the weekend before in Milwaukee.
(On a side note, as fashionable as the women look each week on “The Better Half,’’ they’re not spending time in wardrobe or makeup before the cameras roll. “We completely dress ourselves. We do our own makeup. We do our own hair,’’ Bishop said. “You can tell on some shows that I do my own hair!’’)
As the moderator and unofficial “timekeeper’’’ of the hour-long show, it’s Manek’s job to keep the segments moving along on schedule. The chemistry and comfort level among the ladies has proven so effortless that sometimes that can be challenge. It’s perhaps also why the men of the camera crew occasionally just shake their heads and smile.
“The Better Half’’ producer Abby Destree isn’t visible to the co-hosts during tapings, but she is often in Manek’s earpiece saying, “We gotta go! We gotta go!’’ That’s Manek’s signal to get the wives to wrap it up.
“I’ve explained to them that if I cut them off it’s not anything personal but that Abby is keeping time,’’ Manek said. “I didn’t want them to think I was being rude and interrupting the conversation. We’ve talked about it, so they know and they’re cool with that.’’
The show alternates from around the table to get-to-know segments on the couch, where the women hash over such things as their favorite Denzel Washington movie and share photos of kids, weddings and pets. It’s where Driver says her favorite trick-or-treat candy is those much-maligned Peanut Butter Kisses in the black and orange wax wrappers, and Bishop confesses she was this close to dressing up as Honey Boo Boo for Halloween and Saine admits she chased after Brandon at track practice back in high school.
“We always let the secrets come out on this couch,’’ Finley said.
Each show also features segments n the kitchen, where WLUK’s Hanten, who is well-known to viewers for her “Living with Amy’’ show, often makes dishes with the women from their own family recipes. Kristen Hewitt, fiancee of Packers guard Josh Sitton, guested one week to make Southern grits and shrimp, a recipe from Sitton’s mom. Wide receiver Jordy Nelson’s wife Emily made pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and decorated with cookie and candy owls. In a special Thanksgiving week cameo, Donald Driver stopped buy to share his sweet potato casserole. (Note: Don’t bother making it if you’re going to use canned sweet potatoes, says the chef.)
The women have also been known to frequently wield glue guns during crafting segments on how to personalize wine glasses with glitter or make individual cupcake holders from mini terra cota pots. Like most everything else on the show, the ideas are a collaborative effort among everyone. But Manek does admit she’s “on Pinterest waaaay too much’’ and often finds ideas they can put their own spin on for the show.
Hosts’ personalities shine
The concept for “The Better Half’’ first came up during the Packers’ 2010 Super Bowl run as a one-time special but never materialized, Lammi said. But when Geeta Bishop paid a visit to Lammi Sports Management last year to pitch the idea for a wives show, the company, which produces two Packers shows and a Chicago Bears show, moved forward.
“I think as we’ve seen more of these live shows explode on the national level, we thought a show that would highlight more of the quality projects, cooking and family commitments that these wives had would be compelling TV,’’ Lammi said.
Next task: finding the co-hosts. Bishop was so passionate about getting the show off the ground, she was a natural choice, Lammi said. His company, which also represents athletes and other celebrities for endorsements and marketing, has long working relationships with Donald Driver and Jermichael Finley, which led him to their spouses.
Driver was initially apprehensive, unsure if she’d be any good at being on TV, but after a couple of pep talks from Lammi, she said, “What the heck, I’ll go for it.’’
“I think our feedback from the wives really when we first contacted them about the show is they really want to highlight they have many of the same challenges that other wives have,’’ Lammi said. “It’s really about balancing family with community involvement and business. It’s about making sure there’s something to put on table for dinner and how to do that in a healthy and quick way and keep it interesting from week to week.’’
The first show was “a little nerve-wracking for probably everyone,’’ Destree said, but it was clear already by the second show that it was a winning formula.
“It’s fun, because each wife kind of brings something to the table,’’ she said. “They’re very different. Each one is unique.’’
“Betina’s the star. She’s got celebrity power. She’s walked the red carpet before,’’ Manek said. “Geeta is our go-getter. She wants to dive right into the show and is ready to do anything. Courtney is a master at the one-liner. It’s just the way she is. … It’s a natural wit that she has.’’
“Every single person is an integral part of the show. There’s not one specific person,’’ Bishop said. “We need the camera guy, we need everyone.’’
While the show has been a way for Packers fans in Green Bay especially to learn more about the players’ families who live in their community, it has also been a chance for the wives to better get to know one another.
“It’s been a bonding experience for us, because we’re getting to know these other women even more on a personal level,’’ Finley said. “Not just on game day, like, ‘Hi. Hello.’’’
Every woman asked to be a guest on the show — Nicole Jennings and Tamika Jones among them — has not only accepted the invite, but told Destree they had so much fun they’d love to come back. Viewers are eating it up, too.
“Fans love it. It’s something different. Its a different view on the Packers,’’ Destree said. “It’s a way to have the wives share what their husbands are all about. They have a better look than any of us on what their husbands are like, so it gives us an inside look into their lives and what they do on a daily basis.’’
The show was designed for a 16-week run that will end Dec. 28. Because it’s not tied to football, Lammi said there are no plans to extend it into the playoffs. There is, however, already talk of bringing it back again next year, he said.
“We’ve been blown away by the amount of feedback we’ve received, both on the Facebook page and even emails and web page views to the Fox 11 website. We’ve really been excited by how excited the audience has been in supporting his show. It’s absolutely exceeded our expectations.’’
Written by Kendra Meinert
Press-Gazette Media
