The star of The Versus Network's Going Country, Kristy seems like the quintessential girl next door. With her sunny smile, long blonde hair, passion for horses and deep-rooted love of country music and hunting, she could be your local rodeo queen or an aspiring recording artist paying dues at the local watering hole.

The Oregon native took a major risk when she sold her favorite horse to raise the money to travel to Philadelphia and audition for American Idol. Once there, in a sea of pop star hopefuls, she chose to sing "Amazing Grace." Cook's gorgeous rendition of the classic hymn earned her a ticket to Hollywood, where she finished seventh on season 7 of the FOX TV Hit.

Today, Kristy Lee Cook is savoring every experience because she worked long and hard to get to this moment. Growing up in Selma, Oregon, music and horses were her tow passions, and she became both an accomplished equestrian and sought-after young singer. "When I was 13 years old, I heard LeAnn Rimes sing 'Blue' on the radio, and I started singing that all the time," she recalls. "Then I started performing all over my area. That's how I got started, getting little gigs here and there, which led to opening for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and others. It was really fun. It was something that not all 13-year-olds get to do, and I was very happy."

Spend any amount of time around the young singer and it's obvious there's so much more than meets the eye.