Derek Haley knows in his heart how much he loves and admires singer Shania Twain. Now, he has to prove it to a national TV audience.
The food service worker from Standish has been a huge fan of the country singer since he was 4 years old. He watched her videos and listened to her songs over and over and considered her a childhood companion, someone who was “always in my ear.”
He finally got to meet her when he taped an episode with Twain for the new CBS reality show “Superfan.” It will air at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16.
“I had dreamed about meeting her for so long, I wanted to tell her how much she and her career meant to me,” said Haley, 28, who works at Bite Into Maine lobster roll locations in Greater Portland. “It exceeded my wildest expectations. She was so natural and generous with her time.”
On the one-hour episode of “Superfan,” Haley will be seen with four other people from around the country competing for the title of Twain’s biggest fan. They’ll square off in a musical game show format to prove themselves Twain’s biggest admirer. They’ll answer questions about Twain’s life and career, for instance. The show’s publicists won’t reveal what else the contestants will be seen doing, saying they want to keep it a surprise for viewers.
“They showed us blurry pictures and asked us where she was or they played a snippet of a song and we had to guess what it was,” said Haley. “It was very fast-paced.”
The viewing audience will get to vote on the episode’s winner, online. The winner will get a prize pack – the specifics have not yet been announced – as well as the honor of calling themselves Twain’s biggest fan. On the episode, Haley can be seen wearing a jacket with leopard-print sleeves, and any Twain fan knows she’s known for her leopard prints. He’s also wearing a red feather boa at one point in the show.
Haley plans to host a private viewing party of his episode for friends and family at the Frog & Turtle restaurant in Westbrook. Besides airing on CBS, the episode will be available for streaming on Paramount+.
“Superfan” is scheduled to run for six weeks, with each episode focusing on a different artist or music group, who will appear on the shows with their fans. The series kicked off Wednesday with an episode focused on rapper LL Cool J, followed by Twain next week, Gloria Estefan on Aug. 23, Little Big Town on Aug. 30, Pitbull on Sept. 6 and Kelsea Ballerini on Sept. 20. The show is hosted by Nate Burleson and Keltie Knight.
Derek Haley of Portland, far right, on stage with Shania Twain and other contestants on the CBS show “Superfan.” Photo courtesy of CBS
Twain, a Canadian singer and songwriter, gained worldwide fame in the 1990s and early 2000s with her country and pop hits, including “From This Moment On,” “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” and “Man, I Feel Like a Woman.” She continues to record and tour. She released an album called “Queen of Me” in February and began a tour of North America and Europe in April.
Haley has established his reputation as a big Twain fan on social media over the years, and he thinks that’s how the show’s casting staff found him and asked him to be on the show. He’s connected with other Twain fans over the years and has seen her in concert maybe a dozen times, including in Las Vegas.
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Haley, who grew up in the small town of Chesterville, near Farmington, and was a performer himself, having been in plays and musicals in school. His parents introduced him to Twain’s music when he was 4 years old. He said he grew out of country music but continued to listen to Twain and watch her concerts on YouTube. He said, as “gay kid in rural Maine,” he found Twain’s energy, personality and lyrics relatable and comforting.
“She seemed playful but down to earth. I love her voice, her energy and her stage presence,” said Haley. “Finally getting to meet her and give her a hug was a relief. It’s like I checked a box in a big way.”
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