Dream Job
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dream Job | |
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| Genre | Reality |
| Starring | Stuart Scott Tony Kornheiser |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ESPN |
| Original run | February 1, 2004 – January 1, 2006 |
| Links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Dream Job was an American reality television show from ESPN, which began on February 22, 2004. It was the network's second reality show, with two editions of Beg, Borrow & Deal having previously aired. However, this was the first reality show from a network to offer its winner an on-air place on one of its shows. The show was hosted by Stuart Scott.
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[edit] Summary
The premise of Dream Job was to find a new anchor for ESPN's popular sports news program, SportsCenter. The winner of Dream Job would get a one-year contract with the network, and would play a trivia quiz on SportsCenter to determine her or his annual salary. The winner would also receive a new Mazda 3. Every week, either one or two contestants would be cut from the show as the American viewing public and the show's judging panel were allowed the power of whom they wanted to be cut from the show.
[edit] Contestants
In September 2003, the show's producers went on a nationwide talent search to find those who wanted a chance to be an ESPN anchor. Over 10,000 people attended the talent search across the United States. The field was narrowed down to 10 contestants who would compete in the televised finals, which started in the Winter of 2004. Originally, the show wanted 11 contestants, 10 from the nationwide search, and another from a contest that was being sponsored by the popular fast food chain Wendy's. A 12th contestant would be selected as an alternate.
The last 12 contestants still in the running on the premiere episode ranged in ages from 21 to 40. The youngest contestant was Maggie Haskins, a Chicago native who was a full-time student at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Haskins was originally the alternate, but producers later changed their minds and she competed from the show's first episode. The oldest was Michael Quigley, an auto parts salesman from Landsdowne, Pennsylvania. Quigley quickly became known for his over-the-top anchoring style, similar to a play-by-play announcer. Other contestants were Aaron Levine, 21, a senior at Stanford University; Mike Hall, 22, a senior at the University of Missouri-Columbia; Casey Stern, 25, an executive recruiter from Bellmore, New York; Zachariah Selwyn, 28, an actor and a musician from Los Angeles; Nick Stevens, 29, a Brooklyn-based comedian; Chris Williams, 31, an attorney from Boston; Chet Anekwe, 38, a Nigerian-born computer programmer who has taken up residence in Jersey City; Alvin Williams, 38, a retail manager from Montgomery, Alabama (Williams won the contest sponsored by Wendy's to become a contestant on the show); Kelly Milligan, 38, a Dallas attorney; and Lori Rubenson, 39, from New York City.
[edit] Judges
The judging panel consisted of 4 people.
- Tony Kornheiser, a popular Washington Post columnist and author, and co-host of ESPN's popular talk show, Pardon the Interruption.
- Kit Hoover, a former FOX News correspondent, cast member on the inaugural season of MTV's Road Rules, and co-host of the ESPN2 morning show, Cold Pizza.
- LaVar Arrington, a linebacker who is a free agent in the NFL.
- Al Jaffe, the Vice President of Talent at ESPN.
The judging panel's job consisted of giving criticism to the contestants after performing a task on the show and cutting contestants.
[edit] Episodes
There was one segment that recurred each week on the show called "My SportsCenter". Each contestant was to read a highlight, or, as they did in week 4, introduce packages done by the person they were co-anchoring their segment with. Each show also consisted of a different sporting event. These ranged from an analysis of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament to the "Al Jaffe Sports Quiz", which is given to everyone who applies for a job at ESPN.
