The Texas Bucket List is a weekly, nationally-syndicated television program created, hosted and written by Shane McAuliffe and produced, shot, and edited by Donnie Laffoday. The show is filmed either on location somewhere in Texas or at The Texas Bucket List Store & Studio in College Station, TX.

The Texas Bucket List
Created byShane McAuliffe
Presented byShane McAuliffe
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Production companyMcAuliffe Productions
Original release
NetworkSyndication
Release2013 (2013)

The show airs on broadcast affiliates in all 22 Texas media markets, as well as stations in Laughlin, NV, Greenville, NC, Knoxville, TN, and nationally on RFD-TV. The Texas Bucket List airs two seasons per year, each consisting of 13 episodes, the first 11 featuring one Bite of the Week food segment and two other segments covering "everything to see, do, and eat in Texas". The 12th episode of each season features the top 5 Bite of the Week segments from that season, with the best restaurant or food truck being crowned the Bite of the Season and given a plaque to display in their business. The final episode of the spring season is the Summer Special featuring renewed segments on past bucket list stops that are ideal for summer road trips. The final episode of the fall season is the Holiday Special featuring 3 holiday-themed stops.

The Texas Bucket List posts its show segments on its website as well as its YouTube channel and Facebook page. The show completes its 20th season in the spring of 2023. Current sponsors of The Texas Bucket List include Simmons Bank, Slovacek's, Dairy Queen, and Toyota.

The Texas Bucket List started in 2009 on KBTX as The Brazos Valley Bucket List, an annual month-long series started by McAuliffe that showcased events and things to do in the Brazos Valley.[1] In 2013, McAuliffe began his own syndicated TV show and expanded “The List” to cover the entire state, creating The Texas Bucket List.[2] McAuliffe’s former station, KBTX, was the first to pick up the show.

Show segments

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Texas places

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Texas history

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Texas food

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  • Old Orange Cafe in Orange, Texas. The restaurant is located in a historic former dairy. The Fiesta Burger is featured as the "Burger of the Week." Also highlighted was the restaurant's recovery from Hurricane Ike.
  • Willy Burger, located in Beaumont, Texas, won "Burger of the Season" in the spring 2014 season for their Hee-haw burger.[15]
  • MG’s Restaurant in Sherman, Texas, featured in the spring of 2014 for their Hot Rod Ford burger.[16]
  • Marco’s Burgers and Fries, located in Mission, Texas, and winner of the first "Burger of the Season" on the show in the fall of 2013.[17]
  • Padre Island Burger Company, featured on the second episode of the fall 2014 season for their Dr. Padre burger.[18]
  • Good Luck Grill, aired on the spring of 2014 season of the show for their Triple Crown burger and located in Manor, Texas.[19]
  • Pop’s Burger Stand, located in Waxahachie, Texas and featured for their Low & Slow BBQ burger in the spring of 2016.[20]
  • Perini Ranch Steakhouse, famous steakhouse that was scheduled to cater the 2001 Congressional Picnic for former United States president George W. Bush, but was cancelled due to the events of the 9/11 terror attacks and returned to cater the picnic the following year.[21] The steakhouse won "Burger of the Season" for season 3 of ‘’The Texas Bucket List’’ in 2014.[22]
  • East Texas Burger Company in Mineola, Texas, known for their burgers and baked and fried pies. Winner of the County Line Magazine’s ‘Best Burger’ award in 2012 and 2014.[23]
  • Middle East Restaurant, located in Abilene, Texas, and owned by Sabah Hammoodi, who worked for the American military in Iraq after the implementation of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.[24]
  • Rodeo Goat, featured on the Christmas edition of the fall of 2014 season of the show for their Ho-ho Buffalo burger.
  • Mel’s Country Grill, famous for their Mega Mel burger challenge. Customers that consume the entire burger win a Mel’s Café T-shirt and their name on the café’s online list of ‘Mega Mel Survivors.’[25]
  • Golden Light Café, established in 1946 on U.S. Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas. Claims to be the oldest continuously operated store on the route that has not changed its location.[26]
  • Big Top Candy Shop, founded in 2007 by Brandon Hodge. Decorated in a circus-theme and offers over 2000 varieties of candy as well as a soda fountain.[27]
  • Hondo’s on Main, named after John Russel “Hondo” Crouch, one of the owners who bought and made the town of Luckenbach, Texas famous.[28]
  • Fred’s Texas Café, located in Fort Worth, Texas and featured on the show for their Diablo burger.
  • Stanton Drug & Grill, originated as a bank in 1906, reopened as a pharmacy in 1951.
  • Border Burger, located on the border of Texas and Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas. Featured on the show for their Jalapeño burger.
  • Stanton City Bites, opened as a grocery in 1961 and gradually converted into a restaurant owned and managed by Theresa and Jonathan Fong.
  • Jenschke Orchards, located in Fredericksburg, Texas, known for their fresh peaches and peach products since 1961.[29]
  • Fossati's Delicatessen, the oldest deli in Texas, established in 1882.
     
    Fossati'sDeli
  • Gold’n Crisp, located in La Grange, Texas and opened in 1972. Served meals for the infamous Chicken Ranch brothel.
  • King’s Inn, formerly a bait shop opened in 1935 in Riviera, Texas that now serves fried seafood.[30]
  • Blake’s Snow Shack, owned and operated by Blake Pyron, potentially the only business owner in Texas with Down Syndrome. Also the youngest business owner in Denton County, Texas.[31]

Texas music

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  • The Merles, classic country and western swing music band featured on season 4 of The Texas Bucket List.[32]
  • Maria D'Luz, pianist, singer and songwriter raised in Brownsville, Texas.
  • Shinyribs, American country soul and swamp-funk blend founded by lead singer and songwriter Kevin Russell.
  • The Derailers, country music band with current members Brian Hofeldt, Scott Matthews, Sweet Basil McJagger, and Bracken Hale from Austin, Texas.
  • Brice Woolard Band, Texas country music band from College Station, Texas with members Brice Woolard, Isaac Spelce, Dave Durkovic, and Will Skiles.[33]
  • Rankin Twins, country music duo featuring Amy and April Rankin.
  • Mel Davis and the Blues Specialists, blues band with members Mel Davis, Lawrence Bell, Rob Richardson, and Isaac Bratchett playing in the Austin, Texas area for over 28 years.[34]
  • Gary P. Nunn, Texas country music singer from Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Nunn’s song “Taking Texas to the Country” is featured as the theme song for The Texas Bucket List.
  • Haley Cole, country music singer and songwriter. Co-wrote the song ‘’One Place Too Long’’ with songwriter Bobby Hamrick for the TV series Nashville.[35]
  • Josh Grider, Texas country music singer and songwriter, musical origins in Waco, Texas.[36]
  • Jay White & The Blues Commanders, blues band from Texas with band members Jay White, John Mills, Allen Huff, and Kevin Hall.[37]
  • Shotgun Rider, Texas music duo with lead vocalist Logan Samford and songwriter Anthony Enriquez.
  • Josh Ward, country music artist from Houston, Texas.

Notes

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  1. ^ "“The Texas Bucket List” TV Series Debuts Saturday on KBTX" Published 2014-02-14. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  2. ^ Germania Today, Fall 2014 Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  3. ^ "Brazos Valley Bucket List – Newman’s Castle" Published 2012-08-23. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  4. ^ “Jacob’s Dream lands on ‘The Texas Bucket List’” ACU Today, published 2015-04-03. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  5. ^ ’’“The Texas Bucket List Comes to the Shelby County Courthouse”’’ Shelby County Today, published 2015-03-13. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  6. ^ ’’Texas Parks & Wildlife: Colorado Bend State Park’’ Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  7. ^ Texas State Bison Herd: An Epic Journey, from Near Extinction to Celebration Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  8. ^ ’’History of the XIT Ranch Retrieved 2016-07-14.
  9. ^ ’’Texas lottery winner invests in unusual historic motel’’ Lottery Post, published 2007-09-24. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
  10. ^ ’’“Frontier Texas featured on ‘The Texas Bucket List’ TV show”’’ KTXS, published 2014-10-05. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  11. ^ ’’“Point (Port) Isabel, TX”’’ Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  12. ^ ’’Harper, Margaret Pease’’ Texas State Historical Association, published 2010-06-15. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  13. ^ ’’“Any day above ground is a good one.” A Conversation with the National Museum of Funeral History’s Director, Genevieve Keeney’’ Houston History Magazine, published 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  14. ^ ’’Iwo Jima Monument’’ Marine Military Academy, retrieved 2016-07-18.
  15. ^ ’’“Local burger picked by TV show as one of Texas’ best”’’ Beaumont Enterprise, published 2014-05-09. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  16. ^ ’’“MG’s in Sherman to be featured on TV show”’’ KXII, published 2014-02-07. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  17. ^ ’’“Marco’s Burger and Fries home to the best burger in Texas”’’ RGVision Magazine, published 2014-09-05. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  18. ^ ’’“Check Us Out on the Texas Bucket List”’’ Padre Island Burger Company, published 2016-02-15. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  19. ^ ’’“Good Luck Grill Featured on The Texas Bucket List”’’ Good Luck Grill, published 2014-04-02. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  20. ^ ’’“’Bucket List’ burgers”’’ Daily Light, published 2016-05-12. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  21. ^ "Ten Years After: Tom Perini's 9/11 at the White House" Texas Monthly, published 2011-09-09. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  22. ^ "Perini Ranch Steakhouse wins 'Burger of the Season'" KTXS, published 2014-12-06. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  23. ^ ’’“Best of the Upper East Side of Texas”’’ County Line Magazine, published 2014-12-19. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  24. ^ ’’Through the fire: “Restaurateur from Iraq has new life in Abilene”’’ Abilene Reporter News, published 2010-01-30. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  25. ^ ’’“The Mega Mel Burger Challenge”’’ Food Challenges, retrieved 2016-07-18.
  26. ^ ’’“Classic Comfort: A Guide to the Best Comfort Food in Amarillo”’’ Amarillo Magazine, published 2014-11-28. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  27. ^ ’’“Big Top Candy Shop: Rare and Massive Selection on South Congress”’’ The Austinot, published 2013-10-13. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  28. ^ ’’“The Man Who Dreamed Up Luckenbach”’’ Texas Monthly, published 1984–07. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  29. ^ ’’“Jenschke Orchards”’’ Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  30. ^ ’’“King’s Inn”’’ Texas Monthly, retrieved 2016-07-19.
  31. ^ ’’“Blake’s Snow Shack”’’ The Texas Bucket List, published 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  32. ^ "The Texas Bucket List Features The Merles" Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  33. ^ ’’“Our Story”’’ Brice Woolard Band Official Site, retrieved 2016-07-19.
  34. ^ ’’“The Blues Specialists featuring Mel Davis”’’ Blues Specialists, retrieved 2016-07-19.
  35. ^ ’’“Texas Singer/Songwriter Haley Cole Featured on ABC’s ‘Nashville’”’’ KOKE-FM, retrieved 2016-07-21.
  36. ^ ’’“Baylor grad Josh Grider returns to familiar territory”’’ Waco Tribune, published 2013-10-08. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  37. ^ ’’“First Friday with Jay White & The Blues Commanders and The Haberdashers”’’ Grand Stafford Theater, published 2016-06-29. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
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