Hacker siblings make cut on 'Nashville Star'

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Hardy Hacker knows at some point one of his children will be leaving the competition.

That didn't happen Thursday night, however, as Hardy's son, Zac, and daughter, Angela, received the third most and top most votes, respectively, from viewers of the USA Network show, "Nashville Star."

Hardy and his wife, Susan, will continue to travel to Nashville to see Zac and Angela perform on the program. Their children are among five contestants competing for the top spot at the conclusion of the show that's about finding the next big country music star.

The show began with 10 contestants, five male and female, who were selected out of about 20,000 hopefuls from all over the U.S.

Hardy Hacker, a member of the Hacker Brothers band, puts it in perspective.

"All of them are great," he said as he and his wife were preparing-to head to Nashville for Thursday's installment at the Acuff Theatre. "I think all of them are number one."

The show airs at 9 p.m. Thursdays on Comcast Cable Channel 41. Viewers vote at the conclusion of each show, with results of the vote totals revealed during next week's show.

While Zac and Angela are still both on the show, their mother, Susan Hacker, said she feels a lot of "double pride" and does even more "double cheering." She and her husband have been to every episode.

During Thursday's show, contestants performed original songs. Zac Hacker had chosen one song to perform, but after an interview with show host Jewel, he changed his mind and sang "If It Wasn't for the Whiskey."

"Up to this moment I thought you were hanging on because of the sibling rivalry," Anastasia Brown, one of the show's judges, said after his performance. "You just earned your spot."

Angela Hacker knew she was the frontrunner before she sang her song, "Losing You is Not a Total Loss."

"I would buy a ticket to see you sing that song again," said Randy Owen, one of the three judges on the show.

Brown said Angela Hacker's song gave her chill bumps. The third judge, Blake Shelton, offered to be her opening.

"I love you," he said.

Susan Hacker said she doesn't think Zac and Angela realize how many people are following the show.

"They know it's being watched every week, but they haven't been away from Nashville to understand how many people it has reached," she said.

Several restaurants in the Shoals are hosting viewing and voting nights in support of the Hackers.

Zac and Angela have been home very little since the show began, their mother said.

Other than coming home briefly to get a fresh supply of clothes, they've been in Nashville.

"They do photo shoots and interviews and then they're rehearsing," Susan Hacker said.

Hardy Hacker said he gets a nervous feeling watching his children on stage.

"I thank God they've got this far," he said. "I know one of them will have to go.

Russ Corey can be reached at 740-5738 or russ.corey@timesdaily.com.