Dropping in on Honey Boo Boo

"We don't act like that," McGahee said. "We do have manners."

Phyllis Davis, another area resident, can't get enough. "They're doing their thing," she said. "Next time y'all need a reality show, come up to my house!"

During our visit, a Fed Ex guy showed up and asked for a photo, leaving behind a package containing an umbrella hat and letter from Australian fans Michelle Mohr and Paul Moran. Alana clamped the hat onto her head and read the letter aloud. The second-grader is an excellent reader, tackling the word "Australian" with ease.

In a subsequent email, Mohr explained the appeal.

"I suppose it's something that few Americans and most Australians understand," she said. "Life is to be enjoyed and not taken so seriously and this family gets it."

Other visitors included a truck driver who stopped by to say he and his wife are fans and a car full of people who slowed down and shouted, "We love you, Honey Boo Boo!"

"It does get crazy at times," said Shannon, who shoos away fans after Alana has had enough. "I am a parent, first and foremost. We're down-to-earth, everyday people. If you actually sit down and talk to me, you realize we're not crazy."