ESPN has announced the twelve finalists for its new reality series, Dream Job, in which contestants will compete for a one-year, contract to be a SportsCenter anchor. Hosted by ESPN anchor Stuart Scott, Dream Job will debut from New York Sunday, February 22 at 10 PM ET on ESPN. Shot live in front of a studio audience, the hour-long program will be aired six consecutive Sundays at 10 PM with the two-hour finale on March 28 at 9 PM.
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Judging panels comprised of ESPN production personnel selected candidates based on sports knowledge, writing skills and overall presence.
Ranging in age from 21 to 40, the twelve finalists represent all four regions of the United States and include an executive recruiter, a marketing executive, a computer programmer, a retail manager, an automotive supplies salesman, two attorneys, two actors/performers, and three full-time college students.
One finalist, Alvin Williams, was selected from more than 33,000 entrants in the Wendy's "Wild Card" promotion. After entering the contest via the Wendy’s/Dream Job web site, Williams and four other finalists were flown to New York in January to compete for the open slot.
During the series, the final twelve contestants will be put through a variety of “on-air” tasks, such as sideline reporting, anchoring, play-by-play and one-on-one interviews. To decide who will stay and who will go, a panel of yet-to-be-named judges will vote on their performances. In addition, viewers will have a chance to vote at ESPN.com or with wireless text messaging courtesy of Verizon. The field will continue to narrow each week until the March 28 finale when the winner will be selected.
The twelve finalists are:
(listed by name, age, occupation, hometown, and current residence)
• Chet Anekwe, 38, computer programmer (Queens, NY, Jersey City, NJ)
• Mike Hall, 21, student (Glen Ellyn, IL, Columbia, MO)
• Maggie Haskins, 21, student (Chicago, IL, Providence, RI)
• Aaron Levine, 21, student (Calabasas, CA, Palo Alto, CA)
• Kelly Milligan, 37, attorney (Kearney, NE, Plano, TX)
• Michael Quigley, 40, auto supplies (Yeadon, PA, Landsdowne, PA)
• Lori Rubinson, 39, marketing executive (Suffern, NY, New York, NY)
• Zachariah Selwyn, 28, actor (Tuscon, AZ, Los Angeles, CA)
• Casey Stern, 25, executive recruiter (Massapequa, NY, Bellmore, NY)
• Nick Stevens, 29, writer/comedian (Braintree, MA, Brooklyn, NY)
• Alvin Williams, 38, retail manager (Tuscaloosa, AL, Montgomery, AL)
• Chris Williams, 31, attorney (Roxbury, MA, Boston, MA)
