Are there enough hours in the day?! Aly Raisman is at work on her Olympic comeback — she received an impressive three medals at the 2012 Games — but somehow she still made time for some reality TV.
Raisman, along with Olympic hopefuls Steele Johnson (diving), Jajaira Gonzalez (boxing), Jordan Windle (diving), Nastasya Generalova (rhythmic gymnastics) and Sean Grieshop (swimming), will give viewers a look at her family life — and how her family helps her on her road to the Olympics — on Gold Medal Families starting on June 28 at 9 p.m. on Lifetime.
“They filmed a lot of family time and of course filmed my training,” the 22-year-old tells Us Weekly. “What I love about the show is that it’s not about me — it’s completely about the family.”
Raisman, who has three younger siblings — Brett, Madison and Chloe — is excited for people to see the sacrifices her family has made for her.
“I wanted to do the show to show everyone how amazing and supportive my family is and how it takes a village for me to get to where I am,” the Fierce Five member explains. “Before I got my license, for example, my sisters always had to drive in the car with me when my mom took me to practice. They were too young to stay home alone, so they had to sit in the car for 30 minutes each way.”
The former Dancing With the Stars contestant is no stranger to reality TV, having competed with pro Mark Ballas in season 16 of the ABC show.
“It’s hard to compare the two because now I have the stress of competing and trying to make a second Olympic team. In Gold Medal Families you see the reality and how much I train and how much I rely on my family. DWTS was about my friendship with my partner Mark. They didn’t show my family as much, and I was much more relaxed on DWTS because I didn’t have the pressure of training and competing, and I wasn’t as exhausted as I am now,” the UNICEF volunteer says.
Over the four-episode run, viewers will get a better feel for Raisman’s family and see how her parents, Lynn and Rick, help her survive the tough days.
“My parents always calm me down and remind me that I work as hard as I can and that’s all I can ask for of myself,” she says. “They always tell me people will forget what place you get but they will always remember you for the kind of person you are.”
The Rio Olympics start August 5th and will be streamed live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. The Rio Paralympics start on September 7th and will be streamed live on TeamUSA.org
