What You Don't Know About The Pioneer Woman

As any fan of the Food Network knows, each and every host on the network has their own special vibe and way of cooking that they bring to the channel. Giada de Laurentiis' specialty is fresh and easy Italian food, Rachael Ray is all about easy and quick dinner recipes, and Ree Drummond, who you may better know as the Pioneer Woman, specializes in home-cooking the whole family will love. Drummond, who lives on a ranch with her cowboy husband and family in Oklahoma, definitely knows a thing or two about delicious, Southern meals, and she brings that expertise to the screen on her show, "The Pioneer Woman."

But The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, is a lot more complex than you probably first thought. Yes, her persona on The Food Network is that of a simple, down-home girl who knows her way around the kitchen. But Drummond is more than that, and what you don't know about the Pioneer Woman is that she's actually pretty interesting, and someone who doesn't seem to take herself too seriously, either.

Watch even just one episode of "The Pioneer Woman" and you might just assume that Ree Drummond was always interested in living on a ranch, or horses, or even being a chef. But that actually couldn't be further from the truth. On the contrary, Drummond actually explained that her childhood obsession and hobby was more on the creative side of things.

In an interview with Cowboys & Indians, Drummond explained that she never saw herself being a lifestyle guru as a kid. "I wouldn't say the lifestyle space was an obsession of mine growing up," she said. "I was a ballet nut, so that was my interest and my discipline. Speaking of obsessed, Mikhail Baryshnikov had my heart for the majority of my youth." Being into ballet and dancing is kind of shocking to see from a woman who seems so at home on a ranch, but that's just one of many surprising things Drummond has up her sleeve.

Even though Ree Drummond is a celebrity chef with her own cooking show on the Food Network and several other successful business ventures under her Pioneer Woman banner, she doesn't seem to take herself too seriously. Yes, just about every aspect of her career, from her show to her cookbooks and everything else, is all pretty down to earth.

During an interview with CBS News, Drummond said that she doesn't see herself as a fancy chef, and she likes that. In fact, there's a reason why she doesn't make her recipes too complicated or lavish. "I'm not a trained chef, and so I have a level of accessibility," she explained. "I'm not going to show [viewers] anything that is beyond their skill. And also, I use a lot of ingredients that are pretty easy to get." As talented of a chef as Drummond is, she's still super down to earth and doesn't want to make recipes or meals that the average home chef couldn't make themselves. And honestly, that's one of the reasons why people love her so much.

If you didn't already know, the Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond has a lot going on in her life. In addition to her successful career with the Food Network, she is also a wife and mother to four children. So to say she has a lot going on in her life would be a massive understatement. Still, there's one hobby that the entire Drummond family can agree on and have fun with, and it might not be what you think.

Speaking to Parade, the Drummond family revealed they were all super into fantasy football. All four kids and Ree along with her husband Ladd love to talk about fantasy football and take part in it."If it weren't for fantasy football, I don't know what we'd talk about," Drummond told the publication. Yes, Drummond grew up being obsessed with ballet, became a famous TV chef, and now loves to get down and dirty with some fantasy football, believe it or not.

On basically every episode of "The Pioneer Woman," Ree Drummond talks about her husband, and she's even usually preparing dinner or some kind of meal for her hard-working cowboy. But you still might not know that the pair have a pretty epic love story, and one that sounds almost like a romance novel.

During an interview with CBS News, Drummond explained that it was almost love at first sight when she met her husband for the first time."It truly was for me close to a lightning bolt," she said. She went on to explain that there was just something about him that she couldn't ignore. "Truly he just was different than anyone that I had ever been around with before," she said. As if that wasn't sweet enough, her husband, Ladd, also insinuated that she was the one to initiate the physical side of their relationship with a kiss. Ugh, honestly, that truly sounds like a fairytale.

When you think of famous television chefs like Gordan Ramsay, Giada de Laurentiis, or the Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond herself, you probably think they have pretty expansive and unique palates. After all, you don't really think of chefs being picky eaters, especially when there are so many different recipes they have to develop and create. But there's actually one major food aversion that Drummond in particular has, and it might surprise you.

In an interview with Food Network, Drummond was asked what one food she couldn't stand, she didn't have to think too hard. "Anything remotely related to bananas," she responded. "Banana splits, banana cream pie, banana bread ... I want nothing to do with them. BLECH." It's hard to imagine Drummond isn't a fan of bananas, as they are a staple in a solid Southern dessert — banana pudding. Honestly, it's pretty shocking that a celebrity chef would be so disgusted by a regular fruit, but apparently, Drummond's taste profile isn't what you'd expect.

If you've ever cooked a large meal for your family or friends, then you know that cranking up the stereo while cooking can make the whole ordeal a lot more fun. More than that, it can really help the time pass quickly. So it might shock you to learn that the Pioneer Woman doesn't listen to music while she's whipping up something delicious in the kitchen.

Instead, she entertains herself in a way that a lot of people would find much too distracting. In an interview with Food Network, Drummond revealed that she never really listened to music while cooking, instead, "I watch movies like 'The Godfather' and 'Napoleon Dynamite'," she said. Yeah, that just goes to show how talented Drummond is in the kitchen. The fact that she can cook up a delicious, homemade meal while also watching a movie at the same time is kind of impressive.

Obviously, Ree Drummond is known for her show on Food Network, "The Pioneer Woman." It's who she is, and she has really curated a persona around it. But Drummond doesn't just cook for her husband and children and friends and family. On the contrary, she actually opened and owns her own restaurant in the small town of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, which was a big deal for Drummond.

Dubbed The Mercantile, the store is actually more than a restaurant. It's also a cute store, bakery, and restaruant all in one. For Drummond and her husband, though, opening the Mercantile was a bit of a gamble, since they chose a small town in Oklahoma. "I told Ree two weeks before we opened, 'We might have lost our mind; I don't know if anybody's coming to Pawhuska,'" her husband, Ladd said, in an interview with CBS News. But, The Mercantile has been a huge success, and people travel from all over to experience Drummond's cooking.

Any fan of "The Pioneer Woman" knows that Ree Drummond and her family are all about the country lifestyle. But if you were wondering just how much Drummond enjoys country life, she's made it perfectly clear that there's nowhere else she would rather live. No matter how famous she gets, it seems as though Drummond is perfectly happy to live out on the range in Oklahoma.

Speaking to Parade, Drummond explained that she really appreciated her life in the country. "There are no skyscrapers; there's no traffic. That isn't all life is, hustle-bustle," she said. "For some people, it would drive them crazy, having the silence and the clear view. But for me, it's what my soul needed." While Drummond acknowledged that life in the country wasn't for everyone, she truly felt at home among the fields, cattle, and of course, her cowboy husband. And honestly, good for her.

Okay, to be honest, from her accent to her recipes, it honestly seems like Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond has always been a country girl. But that's not 100% entirely true. In fact, Drummond never considered herself a country girl until she married her cowboy husband.

Specifically, in an interview with Design and Living magazine, Drummond explained that she didn't really become a country girl until later in life, despite growing up in Oklahoma. "Yes, city girl, even when I lived in my town in Oklahoma I would have called myself a city girl," she said when asked if she grew up a city girl or country girl. "That's where the nickname, 'Pioneer Woman,' came from because when I told my friends that I was marrying a cowboy and moving to the country, they busted a gut laughing." The fact that Drummond's own friends couldn't imagine her living in the country just goes to show how much she's changed over the years. Still, she seems like a natural on the ranch, if you ask us.

In addition to being a wife, mother, professional chef, cookbook author, and restaurant owner, Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond also has an entire ranch to take care of with her family. Obviously, she doesn't do all of the ranch work, but she does pitch in when she can. So, to say her plate is full pretty much all day every day would be an understatement.

But, Drummond truly knows how to balance it all. "It's hard," she admitted during an interview with Design and Living magazine. "I do the things that I really enjoy. I get a lot done when I love doing it." Additionally, Drummond said that she had to just accept that she can't always finish it all. "I just became okay with going to bed at night and not having everything done," she added. Honestly, that's a pretty great attitude to have, especially for someone with as much going on as Drummond.

Despite all of the success that Ree Drummond has acquired during her career, she doesn't even really think of herself as a celebrity. Despite being a household name with a very popular show on the Food Network — and other TV appearances to boot — Drummond considers herself less of the "famous type," than "a mom who cooks for her family," as she told CBS News.

On top of that, Drummond also admitted she didn't like the fact that people say she has an empire. Though she has plenty to be proud of, Drummond is still so humble regarding her massive success. "I just think of the word 'empire' as being in a position where you can just sit and reflect on everything you've done," she told CBS News. "And I just don't have time to do that. I've got too much to do, today!" Even if Drummond has built what many in the food industry might describe as an empire, she's not about to call it that.

As if a hit television show, several cookbooks, a home goods line at Walmart, and more weren't enough, Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond also became a children's book author. Yes, if you wanted to get the child in your life a book written by your favorite Food Network personality, then you totally can. In fact, there are more than a few children's books Drummond has authored. First, she wrote five books based on her dog, Charlie. And then in 2017, she wrote another series of children's books based on her life, sort of.

As Drummond told Design and Living magazine, the series is called Little Ree and "It's sort of autobiographical," she explained. "It's about my transition into the country told through the perspective of a little girl. It's not my story. I didn't move to the country as a little girl, but it's a parallel to my story." Honestly, is there anything that Drummond can't do? At this point, that seems unlikely.