The discovery+ streaming service has a breakout hit with their porcine reality series Pig Royalty. The show features rival Texas families who have a long history of clashing in the competitive world of show pigs.
Unfortunately for those viewers addicted to the pig show drama, the premiere season features just eight episodes. To help pass the time until the inevitable second season debuts, I’ve compiled a list of social media links for the entire cast.
Before I get to the links, I should warn you that the cast is a bit disappointing in regards to how active they are on social media. Some of that may be due to editing and how the families came across on the show. I will include a statement from the Balero family below addressing some of their issues with how they were portrayed.
UPDATE – It seems that a couple of VERY frequently asked questions have to do with geography: “Where was Pig Royalty filmed?” and “Where are the Rihn and Balero families from?” Pig Royalty was filmed in Texas — mostly central Texas. The Rihn family is from Sabinal, Texas, which is about an hour west of San Antonio. The Baleros are from Helotes, Texas, which is about 30 minutes northwest of San Antonio.
I will start with the Rihn team because they were first to be introduced on the show. If there are no links, that’s because I wasn’t able to find the accounts. As you might expect, quite a few of the younger cast members do not have accounts.
Rihn Show Team
Sabinal, Texas
Instagram: @rihnshowpigs
Facebook (Same as Jody Rihn below)
Jody Rihn (Owner)
Instagram: @jody_carson_rihn
Facebook
Josh Rihn (Owner)
Instagram:
Facebook
Kannen Rihn (12)
Instagram: @kannen_rihn
Facebook
Keylie Rihn
Instagram: @keyliealexis
Facebook
Kammi Rihn
Instagram: @kammirihn
Facebook
Karis (10)
Instagram:
Facebook
Mandy Tyk (Brandon’s mom)
Instagram: @mandytyk13
Facebook
Kristen Tyk (Mandy’s wife)
Instagram:
Facebook
Brandon (16)
Instagram:
Facebook
Mason Tyk
Instagram:
Facebook
Tyler Parrish (Coach)
Instagram: @typarrish52
Facebook
Manuel Perez
Instagram: @manuu.perezz
Facebook
Balero Show Team
Helotes, Texas
Instagram:
Facebook
Statement from the Balero family on how they were portrayed on Pig Royalty:
“Facebook Family and Friends,
“We wanted to share some thoughts with everyone who has been following our journey through Pig Royalty this season.
“First, it has been challenging (to say the least) to see some of the assumptions that people make about us as individuals and as a family. We ask you to please remember that we are, like everyone else, regular people who had an opportunity to share pieces of our lives with the world.
“Second, it is impossible to explain how much work goes into creating a program like Pig Royalty – but it’s a lot. On top of our family’s actual efforts raising livestock, coaching, traveling to and from shows and all of the other planning, shoveling, and whatever else, we worked hard week after week with a production crew to give them a glimpse of what our world is like.
“Unfortunately, at the end of the day ~45 minutes is not enough time to tell every side of any story, and when we signed onto the project we did so knowing that at the end of the day, someone else is deciding what parts of that story will be shared with viewers. It’s very hard not always knowing what that story will be.
“You all who know us know that we are people of integrity, and we are people of our word. The show has certainly taken liberties with how we are portrayed.
“If you’ve seen episode 4, know that scenes were edited out of context in a way that implied that we paid for surgery, pedicures and a shopping trip with proceeds from our pig show and that was surprising to us and just not the case. Anyone who knows us knows wasn’t our first shopping spree or time getting our nails done.
“If you’re enjoying the show, we love hearing about it. If you feel differently, we understand, but please find another home for that negativity. To those in the livestock and showing communities, we hope you see the attention the show is bringing to an industry that, in parts of this country, may not be as appreciated as it should be and that this broader awareness is good for all of us.
“We were raised helping others and have always done that – and will continue to do that – whether or not cameras are rolling. Lastly, to think any of us would steal from children is just crazy. Please remember before you jump to any conclusions.
“Blessings,
The Balero Family”
Michelle Balero (Owner)
Instagram: @balero5
Facebook
Roy Balero
Instagram:
Facebook
McKayla Balero
Instagram:
Facebook
McKenzie Balero
Instagram: @mckenzie_balero
Facebook
McCall Balero
Instagram: @mccallbalero
Facebook
Taytain “The Nugget” Diaz (10)
Instagram:
Facebook
Shelly Padalecki (17)
Instagram: @shelllyyy.p
Facebook
Jordan McCullough (17)
Instagram: @jordanmcculllough
Facebook
Theresa (Nugget’s mom, Roy’s cousin)
Instagram:
Facebook
Justin Cain (Emaleen’s dad)
Instagram:
Facebook
Emaleen Cain (17)
Instagram:
Facebook
Pig Royalty is available to stream on discovery+.
Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com
