Kriti Mehrotra
Netflix’s ‘DeMarcus Family Rules‘ brings Rascal Flatts bassist’s Jay DeMarcus’s family into the spotlight, more than his work as a musician ever has. Alongside his former beauty queen wife of 16 years, Allison Alderson DeMarcus, he brings his comedic chops and adorable family to the small screen just for our entertainment. In this unscripted reality TV series, we see the couple write their own rules for balancing family and fun, which, more often than not, results in goofy shenanigans and endearing chaos.
Set in Nashville, Tennessee, the couple’s place of residence, the series also predominantly features Allison’s side of the family. Unlike the Ohio-born musician, the beauty queen was born and brought up in Tennessee. Therefore, her family is from the area as well. They stop by every now and again to check-in with the couple and to hang out, plus the fact that they all work together with Allison on pageants makes their presence almost perpetual. Amy, Allison’s sister, probably got the most screen time out of all her family members, so let’s find out more about her.
Who Is Amy Otto?
Amy Otto, born Amy Alderson, is Allison’s elder sister, by around 2 years. As kids, both of them were heavily involved in beauty pageants, thanks to their mother’s, Miss Jane’s, passion and guidance. So, just like Allison, Amy is a titleholder as well. While the younger sibling has won Miss Tennessee Teen USA 1994, Miss Tennessee 1999, and Miss Tennessee USA 2002, Amy holds the title of Miss District Columbia USA 1999. Her pageant experiences were not as glorious or successful as Allison’s, but it didn’t ever stop her from doing what she wanted to in them.
In the early 2000s, Amy met her now-husband, country singer-songwriter, James Otto. And, in October of 2005, they tied the knot in a beautiful and elegant ceremony. Around five years after that, on August 24, 2010, Amy gave birth to their daughter, Ava Katherine Otto. Ever since then, her family has been her top priority. In the show, we saw that Amy is extremely maternal – whether it be scolding her own mother about exerting herself too much or helping Jay DeMarcus plan a family trip so that everyone would be satisfied, she did it all.
Her most memorable moment, though, apart from all her entertaining bickering with Allison, was during the Thanksgiving episode – when she urged her sister to talk about her suppressed feelings about the loss of their father. It was evident that Amy’s top priority, despite all her fun-loving and sarcastic nature, is and always will be her family’s happiness and well-being.
Where Is Amy Otto Today?
Amy is, of course, still in Nashville, Tennessee, with her family. Because of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Miss Volunteer Tennessee Pageant 2020, founded and directed by Allison, and helped run by Amy, couldn’t happen. So, Amy wasn’t able to spend time and work on it. But, as soon as the world opens up again, we’re sure that she’ll immerse herself into the beauty world all over again. Maybe not as much as Allison, but she will. From her social media, it seems as if her daughter, Ava, has also started competing in pageants and is getting ready to take part in more. Her talents are a mix of her parents’ – she sings, acts, dances, and does crafts. Amy’s Instagram bio is a perfect description of who she is: it states that she loves “writing, family, music, sarcasm & the Lord – but not in that order!”
