Ruby Gettinger may have lost 400 pounds, but she has gained a whole lot more. The reality TV star speaks the truth—get ready to listen.

“Truth” is not a word many would expect to be associated with reality television.

That oft-maligned genre essentially took root in 1992 with the premiere of MTV’s landmark series The Real World, and in the years since has become a mainstay of American broadcast and cable TV. Relatively inexpensive to produce (compared to scripted dramas or sitcoms) and—for some—infinitely more compelling and habit-forming than traditional serial programming, reality television has captured the hearts and minds of viewers in most every target demographic. Yet despite its moniker, most folks—including even a wide swath of the most loyal reality TV followers—would be hard pressed to vouch for the validity of what is currently found on so-called reality shows.

She may be Savannah’s queen of the kitchen, but Paula Deen can’t help but throw a life lesson or two into the pot.

Fresh out of the shower, Paula Deen walks into the kitchen of her Wilmington Island home. Her wet hair is tucked under a black, rhinestone-studded baseball cap emblazoned with the popular Sweet Potato Queens movement logo. She wears glasses, a baggy turquoise shirt and black leggings. Her face is devoid of makeup—and she’s late.

“I’m so sorry, but I just had to have a shower,” she apologizes.

No problem. Deen coughs a little. She’s just getting over a case of pneumonia, and her voice is still a little raspy.

We sit down at a table in her kitchen, the same one featured on her TV show, full of antiques and beautiful cabinetry. Now the symbol of Southern cooking, Deen is gearing up for her busy season: full of tapings, travel and her trademark twang. Deen invited South into her home for a chat about where she’s going and where she’s been.

At a school known for art, athletes show their true colors on the field.

As they all admit, being a successful artist–athlete at the Savannah College of Art and Design means developing a supreme sense of balance: a Buddha-like skill vital to juggling studio classes, notoriously time-consuming projects, rigorous daily training sessions and frequent road trips. But the artist–athletes also perform another—more rare—kind of balancing act. Challenged by their antithetical passions, they’ve had to adapt to excel in both the precise discipline of athletics and the wild field of art.

Take junior Matty Dwyer for example: When in uniform, he plays defender for the SCAD Bees soccer team. When out of uniform, he calls himself a conceptual artist who prefers working with his hands, a part of the body strictly off-limits when on the field. “I like the physicality of it,” he says about majoring in sculpture.

Or there’s Kendall Nichols, a rising senior outside hitter on the volleyball team, who displayed her keen sense of precision on the court by leading her team in scoring (with 322.5 points)

Georgia’s top dawg always believes his team can win. Even if it doesn’t.

The most peculiar thing about Mark Richt is his “aw, shucks” disposition: It’s unexpected from a two-time Southeastern Conference coach of the year. He doesn’t know how to use his iPod—in fact, he doesn’t even know what iTunes is—and his speech is punctuated with Southern expressions like “heck” and “gonna.” Watch him on the sidelines at any college football stadium in the country, and he’s the same guy: a controlled, take-charge man with a knack for winning football games—and the hearts of his fans.

In his eight seasons as the University of Georgia head football coach, Richt has developed a reputation for high athletic standards and strong family values. While his record isn’t perfect—police arrested eight UGA players last season for various misbehaviors—Richt is a perpetual optimist.

As Georgia gets ready to kick off its 2009 season on September 5 against Oklahoma State, Richt is reflecting on the pitfalls of last year and trying to figure out how a team that

This summer when that Southern sun is beating down and thermometers hit three digits, one word can be a welcome respite: beach. Pools get overcrowded and boats are hard to come by, but oh, the beach! It’s the perfect summer save.

But what if, instead of sharing the water with just friends and fish, you were also floating around with an old shopping bag, a dozen tin cans and a used diaper? The sad truth is that not everyone respects your summer sanctuary, and the damaging effects can reach far beyond just soiling your good time. A group of people in the Lowcountry, however, are working to clean up our waterways and shores while the rest of us are working on our tans. The South presents five of those dedicated individuals and reminds us all that it’s time we join them.

A good female bartender has a special skill set they don’t teach you in bartending school: Guts, gusto and a good sense of humor. Get to know the bold ladies behind some of Savannah’s busiest bars.

Jade Kersey
Club 309 West, 309 West River Street

Bartending Since: 2004

She’s honest, learned and humble. A straight-shooter with a quick wit, the Honorable Louisa Abbot never overlooks the magnitude and responsibility of her job as judge in the Superior Court of Chatham County, nor does she take for granted the opportunity to serve her community. Judge Abbot sat down with South to give us a quick glimpse of life in one of the most powerful positions in the city.

South magazine: How has your career evolved over the nine years on the bench? How have you changed?

Judge Abbot: I’m not scared to ask questions anymore. At first, whenever you go into a profession, you think you have to show other people that you know everything, that asking questions is a sign of weakness. But I don’t agree with that at all now. I think people respect honesty. You have to be willing to work hard, and if you start getting jaded or cynical, you are going to be in big trouble, especially in this job because you can see a lot of sad, sorrowful and mean parts of human nature. If you start believing that’s what the world is about, you can quickly lose your integrity as a judge.

In Savannah to visit the Savannah College of Art and Design, reality television star Ty Pennington talks with South about his Georgia roots.

By all accounts, Ty Pennington is a Southern boy at heart. Best known as the high-energy host of ABC’s Extreme Makevoer: Home Edition, and TLC’s Trading Spaces before that, it only takes a couple minutes of conversation with him before it becomes hard to imagine this easy-to-smile guy fitting in with the Hollywood scene. Then again, Pennington’s job—or rather jobs—aren’t all glitz and glam. He makes a habit of working hard … for other people.

In addition to his work on his outrageously successful show, now in its sixth season, Pennington oversees his style line at Sears, is the author of two books, and has launched a magazine, Ty Pennington At Home. “Everything I do is a challenge,” says Pennington, “and I love
challenges.”

As a guide with Old Savannah Tours, Bob Register leads the way to a thorough appreciation of the city for thousands of tourists a year.

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone that speaks more fluently—or frequently—on Savannah’s storied history than Bob Register. As a tour guide with Old Savannah Tours for the last 15 years, he leads over 750 tours annually and has shaped the experiences of literally thousands of visitors with his genteel manners, erudite delivery and homespun Hostess City charm.

It’s been said that there are two types of people in this world, dog people and cat people. Realistically, the labels may not be so cut and dry, but one thing is for sure: Here in Savannah there are many outstanding individuals worthy of the classification “animal people.” These are the individuals caring and advocating for our feathered, furry or flying friends. The South presents five individuals that are a truly breed of their own.