Mayce Hardin has been getting some attention lately. That is what national television will get you. Mayce was featured in the series “Little Miss Perfect” that originally aired on March 2 on the WEtv channel.

The reality show gives viewers a glimpse into the lives of beauty pageants, and pageants are something Mayce and her mom, Mandy, know a lot about. Mayce has been competing in them since she was 11 months old.

The family’s dining room has been transformed into a trophy showcase. The dining table has long since found a new home. The sparkling crowns line the inside of the built-in china cabinets and the trophies, many of them taller than their owner, stretch from one end of the room to the other.

Just how many does she have? “I’ve never counted,” said Hardin. “I would say, trophy and crown-wise she has probably around 60 crowns. Probably about the same amount of trophys. Maybe 70. It’s up there.”

Her favorite trophy? The little Miss Perfect trophy, of course. That’s the one she won at the Little Miss Perfect pageant in Atlanta, which the film crew taped for the show.

The Hardin girls have long been fans of the very show they ended up on.

“We watched faithfully,” said Mandy. “Every episode, and she loved it.”

Hardin said five-year-old Mayce loved it so much she started asking if she could take part in the pageant the show tapes. “It was ‘Can we go to that pageant?’” said Hardin. She looked online and found an upcoming pageant in Atlanta.

“But it also said if you’d like to be part of the show you can audition,” said Hardin. She asked Mayce if she was interested in being on the show as well. “She was all for that,” said Hardin.

The application process was tough. Mayce’s mom thought it might be a long shot. “Honestly, I thought, we’re from Piedmont, no way, but they were really interested,” she said.

They sent in photos and an application with her background, and were then asked to send in a video of Mayce answering questions and performing parts of her routine. Then it was on to interviews. “She interviewed three separate times in Atlanta with producers,” said Hardin. “And finally they picked her.”

Hardin said there were about 100 applicants just in Mayce’s age group, and that was just for the auditions. The actual number of total applicants could have been in the thousands.

The show was filmed last summer. The crew spent five days, 14 hours a day, filming in the Hardin home. The crew commuted each day from The Victoria Inn in Anniston. The last two days were spent in Atlanta, filming the pageant itself. Mandy is a teacher at the Spring Garden School and so she was able to have the summer off to be ready whenever the filming crew needed a shot.

“It was tough,” said Hardin of the taping. “But well worth it, and we knew it was because at the end of the day when we were exhausted we realized, hey, that was fun.” The crew came from New York and Hardin said Mayce really learned a lot. “They loved her and she loved them. They were fascinated with our lives and we were fascinated with theirs,” said Hardin. “We created a bond.”

As for those long days of taping? “Basically life stops,” said Mandy.

Mayce’s dad, Bobby, works in real estate. He had to somehow work in all the shoots with his already busy workday.

“I would call him at work and say, ‘They need you. There are some scenes they need you to be in,’” said Hardin.

Although the show is a “reality” show, a schedule was constructed before the crew arrived.

“Every day was planned,” said Hardin. “It was my guidance but it was planned prior to them coming, so it wasn’t just sit around and do what you want to do, it was ‘OK, Monday, Mandy you said you and Mayce would practice. Your family would barbecue.’” Hardin said she got to choose what the schedule would be, but every minute was planned out in advance to keep things moving.

When the big day in Atlanta came, Mayce won the pageant and was given the giant check for $,1000, which her dad deposited in the bank for safe keeping. Mayce is not thrilled with that, but she did get a great trophy and some special friends.

Mayce became close with the producers of the show.

“They still contact each other,” said Hardin. “In fact during the show, the night that it aired we had a huge party here. We invited family friends and the producers called her during every commercial and talked on speakerphone so that was really neat.”

They asked Macy how she liked what she just watched and did she remember filming it. When asked who here favorite producer was Mayce was quick to respond. “Ms. Allisa,” said Mayce.

And there is no sign of stopping anytime soon. Pageants have become a girl thing in the Hardin home. Mayce’s big brother Taylor and dad often head out fishing or hunting while the girls load the rolling cart full of beauty supplies and head out for another pageant. But dad attends the competitions when asked.

“He goes when the beauty queen summons him,” said Hardin. Mayce is the 2009-2010 Little Miss Alabama and that pageant was important to her, so dad was summoned to be present for the crowning in June of last year. “That was a big deal to her so dad went to that,” said Hardin.

Hardin admits the pageants can get a little costly, but she has found ways to curb the expenses by doing most everything herself.

“People hire coaches, but I coach her myself. People pay hundreds of dollars for hair and makeup to be done at the pageant, but I do it myself,” said Hardin. The dress she wore for “Little Miss Perfect” was made by Mandy, and she finds a few of those dresses at a good price on Ebay.

As for pageants, there is no sign of stopping for the Hardins. The next pageant is coming up this month, and they’ll be traveling back to Atlanta to compete in a different pageant. But Mayce has not let the attention get the better of her. Mom says Mayce is the typical kid. “But on the weekends she turns it on.”

You can watch Mayce’s episode of Little Miss Perfect on Tuesday, March 16 at 7 p.m. on the WEtv channel. For more information, or to look for additional air dates, visit wetv.com and follow the links for “Little Miss Perfect.”