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Who Is Bobby Bones? Meet The Snake In The Grass Host
Once upon a time, you saw Snake in the Grass host Bobby Bones on a popular singing competition series.
On each episode of Snake in the Grass, four contestants are dropped into the Central American jungle where they must work together to solve mind-bending puzzles and compete in astonishing physical feats to earn clues that will help them determine the answer to their most pressing question: Who is the "snake?" — aka the person secretly sabotaging the team. If they're able to guess correctly, they win a lot of money. If not, the snake walks away with the cash prize.
But while viewers are rooting for the players to put the clues together and root out the saboteur, the teams will have guidance in the form of host Bobby Bones. While Bones will be deeply familiar to many viewers, others may just be getting to know him. Here's what you need to know about the host of Snake in the Grass.
Who Is Bobby Bones?
Bobby, who was born in Arkansas (and yes, Bones is a stage name: His birth name is Bobby Estell), got his start in radio working for the campus station at Henderson State University in Arkansas. He moved on to working at KLAZ in Hot Springs and Q100 in Little Rock before hosting "The Bobby Bones Show" in Austin, Texas, and eventually in Nashville, Tennessee, per "Arkansas Online."
“I was one of those lucky guys who at 5 or 6 knew exactly what I wanted to do,” he told "The Tennessean." “I knew that I wanted to be on the TV; I wanted to be on radio; I wanted to do stand-up comedy. And I’ve been able to do those things. I don’t know what it’s like to not know what I wanted to do.”
"The Bobby Bones Show," which became a massive success, is meant to sound like a group of friends just casually talking about topics of the day, according to "The Washington Post." Accompanied by co-hosts Lunchbox (Dan Chappell) and Amy (Moffett-Brown), as well as occasional friends Eddie (Garcia), Raymundo (Raymond Slater), Mike D. (Deestro), Morgan #2 (Huelsman), and “Utility” Hillary (Borden), Bones discusses everything from Xanax mistakes to romance on the program, and is also known for his penchant for practical jokes and refusal to go soft in interviews, reported the outlet.
“There are two kinds of people who work for me,” Bobby told "The Tennessean." “There are my friends … and there are my interns who I just moved up, so they have always been my people. I always felt as though if I stayed away from radio people it wouldn’t sound like a radio show. That was always the goal. Just be yourself. That’s the whole point of the show. Be yourself and be honest and people are going to see that. Radio is transparent. You can tell when people are fake.”
The show is now nationally syndicated, with millions of listeners across the country tuning in on the weekdays to catch up with the group. "Forbes" described it in 2017 as "iHeartRadio's marquee morning program."
You haven't just heard Bobby, though. He's also appeared on episodes of dramas like "Nashville" and reality shows like "Running Wild With Bear Grylls." Clearly, Bobby loves a challenge: He also had his own National Geographic series, "Breaking Bobby Bones," which saw him traveling across the country to meet and work alongside people with unusual and semi-dangerous jobs, such as animal trappers and wind turbine technicians.
Bobby also appeared as a guest mentor on "American Idol" during Season 16, later coming back as a full-time mentor during Season 17. He's also appeared as a guest host to cover for Ryan Seacrest in 2019. It's not his only time guest-hosting, either: He also guest-hosted alongside Kelly Ripa on "Live! With Regis And Kelly."
One of Bobby's biggest accomplishments was winning Season 27 of "Dancing With The Stars." Alongside partner Sharna Burgess, he beat out fellow celebrity competitors like Tinashe, Alexis Ren, Nikki Glaser, and "Harry Potter" actress Evanna Lynch. His winning performances were dances "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer and "The Greatest Show" by Panic! At The Disco.
Is Bobby Bones Married?
Bobby married Caitlin Parker in July 2021, at the couple's home in the Nashville area, according to PEOPLE. They began dating shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March 2020 and during that summer, Caitlin, who lived in Los Angeles, visited Bobby in Nashville, then decided to move in permanently.
"When she finally agreed to move here, I just knew I was going to propose," Bobby told PEOPLE.
Bobby Bones' Book
Those who'd like to read Bobby's words instead of hear them can easily do that by picking up one of his two New York Times bestsellers. He wrote the memoir "Bare Bones: I'm Not Lonely If You're Reading This Book" about his tough upbringing in poverty in Arkansas and how he became a radio star. He followed it up with a book full of short stories about his failures — and how they became wins — in his 2019 book, "Fail Until You Don't: Fight Grind Repeat."
He's also pivoted to writing children's books. "Stanley the Dog: The First Day of School" came out in June 2022 and pictures a bulldog puppy's attempt at early childhood education.
Now, fans can see Bobby Bones as he hosts USA Network's competition series Snake in the Grass, which is available to stream on Peacock.
"Getting to host ‘Snake in the Grass’ has been a really cool experience,” Bones said. “I lived in Costa Rica for more than a month while we were shooting it, so I can’t wait for everyone to finally get to see what we’ve been up to. The show is a mix of adventure and mystery — it’s going to keep you guessing!”
Snake in the Grass, hosted by Bobby Bones, is available to stream on Peacock.
Originally published Jun 23, 2022.
