Former News 9 Reporter Shares His Road From The Heartland To Hollywood

Before Chris Harrison was helping singles find love, one rose at a time, he brought Oklahomans sports stories and highlights.

He spent nearly a decade in the 90s working in our sports department. Then he took a leap of faith, heading to Hollywood. I recently spent time with Chris in Hollywood. Despite his fame, Chris will never forget his humble beginnings.

"I always tell people, everything I learned, I learned in Oklahoma City at Channel 9," Harrison said. "There's nothing that will be more difficult, more challenging, whether it's the Bachelor, Miss America, whatever I do, that wasn't ten times harder when I was by myself doing a live shot in Oklahoma City."

Chris talked about what it's like to rub shoulders with the stars on the red carpet, working on a successful television show, what he learned working at News 9 and what he misses most about Oklahoma, including the late Bill Teegins.

"It's hard to explain what he meant to me," Harrison remembers. "I have a wonderful family, but he was a bit of a father figure in this business and he didn't mind slapping me around, but in the right way."