Brownsburg Resident Bille King Joins Cast of Swedish Reality Show and Explores Her Roots
Writer / Melissa Gibson
Photographer / Amy Payne
Billie King of Brownsburg describes her grandmother’s stories of Sweden as “magical” – a distant land she would perhaps never see but has heard so much about.
In fact, many Americans have heard stories but are curious about their ancestry in the small country.
One hundred and fifty years ago, a quarter of the Swedish population immigrated to the United States amid famine, loss of jobs and extreme hardship. When a young Swedish man or woman boarded a boat in search of a different life, it wasn’t uncommon to never hear from them again.
On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, generations of families in the U.S. were raised with rich Swedish culture – knowing their grandparents and great-grandparents, hearing the stories of their homeland and perhaps even learning some of the Swedish language.
Already fascinated by her heritage, King has been a longtime member of Scandinavians in Indianapolis group and decided to take things a step further.
“During the pandemic, my mom, Carrie, and I started taking Swedish language classes online,” King says. “My grandma had eight sisters and they all spoke some Swedish. We thought we’d take these classes and then plan a trip to Sweden.”
The class instructor suggested students watch an award-winning Swedish reality television show, “Allt för Sverige” (“Everything for Sweden”) to hear and practice the language. After watching several seasons, King saw a casting call on Facebook and decided to apply.
In an incredible surprise, she was selected to join nine other Americans on a journey to Sweden for a challenging and educational experience.
Contestants are voted off each week, so King boarded the airplane, albeit with some slight guilt for leaving mom and daughter, Zoe, behind, and not knowing if she’d be back in nine days or six weeks.
Each episode is packed with cultural trips and information.
The group traveled to different towns across Sweden learning about country celebrations such as National Day of Sweden and the annual Midsummer events. They milked cows and churned butter on a farm, baked traditional Swedish treats and learned traditional Swedish dances.
“One of the biggest experiences was toward the end when they flew us 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle,” King says. “We stayed with an indigenous Sami family. They have been persecuted over the years, but this mom was cooking reindeer over an open fire and lassoing reindeer on their property. She’s easily one of the most stunning people I’ve met in my life.”
At the end of each episode, the group competes in challenges similar to those in the TV show “Survivor,” from puzzle and memory games to races and games of chance.
“We had a challenge where you went into a castle with 74 pictures of kings on the walls in five different rooms,” King says. “Two of them were duplicates and you had to find those two pictures in a deck of cards after running back outside. I was almost the last one in that one.”
The loser from each challenge is sent home, but not before participating in perhaps the most unique factor of the reality show.
Early on, each person receives a letter from a family member in Sweden, creating a longing to meet them in person – a reason to keep fighting to stay. The winner receives a family reunion, meeting those members of the family who stayed or moved back to Sweden over the decades.
“It was my reminder of why I was there,” King says. “I think for the first three episodes I’m crying the whole time, and it just shows how overwhelming and emotional the process was.”
Participants experience a special day to read about their personal Swedish heritage, provided by genealogist Fredrik Mejster, and walk in the same footsteps as their ancestors.
For King, it was the highlight of her trip.
“They were able to go as far back as 1819 and it was crazy to see some of these family cycles repeat themselves,” King says. “My grandmother and I were really close and we followed her father’s line on the tree. I was able to visit my grandmother’s father’s childhood home.”
King says each member of the group had a different quest on the adventure. As they were learning about their ancestors, they were learning about themselves too.
“It’s amazing to be able to say I’ve seen a record of my great-great-great-grandmothers’ character and work ethic,” she says. “Out of all of this, I think I learned that I come from a line of really strong women with strong families that support them.”
She also came back to the U.S. with a feeling of empowerment. As a single mother, it’s something King hopes pass on to her daughter – both the knowledge of their ancestry and a feeling of pride.
“I think it’s important to remember your roots, and I don’t know that I would say the experience changed me, but it reminded me of who I am and where I came from,” King says. “It’s kind of rooting yourself in a place of gratitude and makes me feel like if they can put two feet on a boat at 17 and survive, we can tackle anything.”
Learning more about the Swedish people also helped educate and create understanding for many participants. Why was grandma so quiet, or why didn’t a great-grandfather ever speak about Sweden?
Throughout the season, competitors learn of the Swedish way of life. For example, in one episode, the popular host Anders Lundin explains that in their culture, they prefer to take a quiet, unassuming approach. They are raised to behave as if they are ordinary, and it’s not a good thing to draw attention to yourself.
“At first the Swedish people seemed standoffish, but there’s a history behind that,” King says. “Once you get to know them, they are some of the kindest, warmest people I’ve ever met. If you’re younger than 57 in Sweden you were taught English in school, so they all know how to speak English, which allowed us to get to know each other, particularly on the days off from filming.”
While meeting and learning more about Sweden, the cast was learning more about each other too.
“We really all got along,” King says. “I think we all had our moments because filming 12 hours a day can cause some drama, but in typical Swedish fashion, none of that is shown. They wouldn’t like it. It would make them uncomfortable.”
Despite the ups and downs, they still communicate and have formed some lifelong friendships through the experience.
Did King win the family reunion? Watch to find out on dailymotion.com and search for “Allt för Sverige 2023.”
Though all of the contestants would have liked to stay for the reunion with their family, only one had the opportunity. Regardless of winning or losing, everyone received a family tree and all of the information discovered in the search for their ancestors, giving them the tools to make those connections in the future.
Besides, Carrie still needs to travel to Sweden for her own experience.
“We’re all going back next summer,” King says. “My mom, me and my daughter, Zoe – three generations to visit with family and see the history.”
