Mardi Gras and Bayou Billionaires

I could tell you a lot of things about our Mardi Gras parade weekend with the Krewe of Centaur.

King cake, Cane's chicken fingers, Maxwell's brie and crab dip (which we found out doesn't actually have brie or crab in it). All of these things made the 30-degree weather tolerable.

Well, and this.

These are two of Shreveport's most recent celebrities and stars of CMT's "Bayou Billionaires," Chantel and Albert, aka. Carl or Jimmy, "depending on what state he's in."

I'm a little embarrassed by how star-struck my husband looks. But we've watched this show since its premier and quote it often. When Ty asked if he could take a picture with the couple, Albert said, "Hold on, let me go put my new teeth in."

If you haven't seen "Bayou Billionaires," it chronicles the spending habits of the Dowden family, who struck it rich with the boom of the Haynesville Shale (the fourth largest natural gas deposit in the U.S.). "Bayou Billionaires" and "My Big Redneck Vacation," which also features a Shreveport family, are the two highest rated series in CMT history.

If you watch either show, don't judge my beloved city based on what you see! We're having a hard time watching our reputation dissolve ... but have to admit ... at least it's entertaining.