Sprinkle girls to be featured on TLC's Toddlers and Tiaras

A cameraman hooks a microphone on Makayla during an interview in the girl's bedroom.

Dana Sprinkle always knew her girls had talent.

But even she was caught off guard when a Hollywood producer called wanting to film the girls during a beauty pageant for an upcoming episode of The Learning Channel's Toddlers and Tiaras.

"I couldn't believe it," Sprinkle said. "The girls were just super excited because they like a chance to shine. Whenever they get an opportunity they are going to jump at it."

Toddlers and Tiaras follows families behind the scenes as the would-be beauty queens get ready to compete for sparkly crowns and flashy titles at beauty pageants across the country.

The Sprinkle girls, Elizabeth, six, Makayla eight, and Savanna, 10, are no strangers to pageants having won numerous crowns at state and local pageants including several competitions in Trumann.

Sprinkle said she was driving home from Savanna's drama class in Jonesboro a few weeks ago when she got a call from a woman who had heard about the Sprinkle girls and wanted permission to give her phone number to the show's producers.

"I was reluctant, but I said 'Sure, why not?'" Sprinkle said.

Less than 30 minutes later a producer from the show called asking all kinds of questions about the girls. She asked them to send her to send a five minute dvd showcasing the girl's crowns and trophies so they could get to know the family and the girls a little better.

The very next day they called back informing her that the show's directors had chosen to include the girls on an upcoming episode of the show.

Five days later a film crew arrived at their home in the Central Community to follow the girls around.

"That was crazy," Sprinkle said. "They started filming everything -- every second of everything anyone said or did. They had to show them their rooms and their crows and trophies and talk about them. They just had them sit on the bed slumber party style.

"They took video of them jumping on the trampoline and playing on their playground and swinging in their hammock and shooting their BB guns."

Sprinkle said the Los Angeles-based film crew was a little shocked at first being in rural Arkansas, but by the time they left had practically become part of the family.

"They said it was so quiet," Sprinkle said. "At one point some geese flew over and they were honking and my husband said 'that's the only horns you're going to hear out here.' They laughed."

The crew even enjoyed some down home Southern-style cooking.

"They filmed our family dinners and after that was over of course we had to show them some hospitality," Sprinkle said. "So they all came in and ate leftovers. We had roasted taters one night and we had lasagna the other. Nanny Carol, who is like my step-mom and does all the pageants with us, made them chocolate pies and they just devoured those pies."

On the first day of shooting the crew filmed all three girls plus mom and Nanny Carol getting pedicures in Jonesboro. Then it was off to the girl's dance class at the Foundation of Arts.

Sprinkle said they felt like royalty with all of the cameras following their every move.

"Oh yeah, cameras everywhere," Sprinkle said. "It was crazy."

The final day of filming took place on May 9 at the Dazzling Dreams: Babes of Summer pageant in Marmaduke.

Sprinkle said the cameras followed the girls every step of the way at the pageant from start to finish.

"Usually we have their hair halfway worked on and make up complete. But we had to get there with nothing done so they could film us," Sprinkle said. "They wanted us to not be ready at all when we got there.

"It was crazy because with three different kids in three divisions, it's like an assembly line. Elizabeth would go out in her formal wear then Makayla in hers and then Savanna. By that time, the Outfit of Choice had started so I had to start rolling them back through that and get Elizabeth ready then Makayla and Savanna."

Then, right after Savannah, it was mom's turn. The girl's convinced Dana to compete in the mother's division.

"The girl's had always wanted me to do it. So I thought, 'Alright. What do I have to lose?' I'll go ahead and do it," Sprinkle said.

Although there were over 20 moms who had registered, Dana ended up being the only one to compete and took home the crown.

Sprinkle said the girls got really used to the camera being around. In fact, Elizabeth even had one of the cameramen laughing during a midpoint interview at the pageant when she struck a funny pose and said "Go glitz or go home."

"They had to do the take three times because she was cracking him up," Sprinkle said.

Sprinkle wouldn't say if the girls won that day because she doesn't want to spoil the ending for those who plan to watch. She did let it slip, though, that the judges were biased toward blondes.

The episode is scheduled to air sometime in late August.

"It's supposed to be episode seven," Sprinkle said. "Each Toddlers and Tiaras has a little subtitle. It's going to be called Dazzling Dreams."

Sprinkle said they were sad to see the cameras leave. Crewmembers posed with the girls on their last night in Arkansas and told them it was the most fun they had ever had with a family that had been featured on the show before.

"They had their cell phones out taking pictures of us and were like 'oh, we've got to keep in touch. You guys were great,'" Sprinkle said. "And they hugged us. It was sad leaving because it was fun."

But after having the cameras around she's not so sure she would want to do a reality show of their own.

At least one of the girls though, wouldn't mind being a reality star.

"Savanna said she would like that," Sprinkle said. "We were talking to her about acting and she said she would rather of reality instead of having to memorize a bunch of lines. She liked the reality part."

And who knows what the show could lead to.

Sprinkle said one of the producers told her that there was definitely some budding talent in the girls.

"They said once it airs it could open a ton of more doors for us because a lot of people look for pageant girls for upcoming talent and other networks and things," Sprinkle said.

Sprinkle said she hopes the show with her girls will showcase the fun side of pageants and not the mean side with crazy stage moms pressuring their children to win.

"I liked it because it showed how well rounded the girls are," Sprinkle said. "My kids do run and play and get dirty. But they also do pageants. They're not just a little Barbie doll who sits in a corner. They do everything."