Grady Powell was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri where he currently resides. In 2007, he dropped his full ride scholarship to the University of Missouri, Columbia (Mizzou) to join the Army, in 2009 he was awarded the prestigious award and title of "Green Beret", and began his career in the United States Army Special Forces. He served tours in the Middle East and Africa in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Grady is a second generation Green Beret and one of the youngest soldiers to earn the right to wear it.After leaving the Army in January 2012, Grady decided to buy a one way ticket to Lisbon, Portugal where he spent the next few months backpacking through various countries. Grady's entertainment career began while on this trip when he was asked to participate in a Portuguese Cell Service Provider's television commercial. Since then, his career has blossomed. His trip was cut short when he was approached by Metal Flowers Media to participate in Mark Burnett and Dick Wolff's NBC production Stars Earn Stripes (2012).Grady's loves include Irish whiskey, bacon, his mother Judy, and his dog Bruce.