"I Wanna Be a Soap Star" (2004) TV series

Seasons:

2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

16 October 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Reality-TV

Plot:

12 Contestants try to win a recurring role on General Hospital. Emmy winning soap actress Debbi Morgan and General Hospital Casting Director Mark Teschner judge their performances.

Cast

Cameron Mathison	...	Himself / ... (22 episodes, 2005-2007)
Michael Bruno	...	Himself - Judge / ... (21 episodes, 2005-2007)
Debbi Morgan	...	Herself - Judge (12 episodes, 2005-2006)
Alec Musser	...	Himself / ... (10 episodes, 2005-2007)
Mikey Jerome	...	Himself (10 episodes, 2006)
Mary Beth Evans	...	Herself (10 episodes, 2007)
Ashlee Holland	...	Herself / ... (10 episodes, 2007)
Jimena Hoyos	...	Herself / ... (10 episodes, 2007)
Hogan Sheffer	...	Himself (10 episodes, 2007)
Shamika Cotton	...	Herself (9 episodes, 2006)
Kelly McGarry	...	Herself (9 episodes, 2006)
Yves Bright	...	Himself (9 episodes, 2007)

Runtime:

USA:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

LMNO Cable Group

Interesting premise, ultimately unsatisfying

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Hopefully the second time around, I Wanna Be a Soap Star will get it right. They really didn't the first time, in my opinion.

The winner of this show was to go on to a six-week contract on the soap opera "General Hospital." The process itself was pretty interesting. Actors were trained in love scenes, fight scenes, and crying scenes, got to show off their bodies with a photography session by the pool, and all in all received some very good and helpful comments from the judges: Debbi Morgan, Mark Teschner, and Michael Bruno.

You knew you were in trouble when the best actress, Kimberly, was cut immediately (too edgy, too hard looking) and the worst actress (real soap look) was kept almost to the end, until it became embarrassing to keep her any longer. On top of this, it seemed as if the judges had the winner in mind already. On the final day, a GH producer came in to judge. When Maya did her scene brilliantly and Mykel was too over the top, the producer asked to see the scene again with the roles switched, giving Mykel a second chance. Strange that the only notes were for Mykel, since Maya had done such a great job. Strange and more than a little unfair.

In the end, Mykel won a role on General Hospital that could best be described as that of an elevated extra. Lately he's had a tiny bit more to do, but why put the actors through all of this work if all they were going to get in the end was a chance to stand in a room and say the odd line now and then?

Mykel is a gorgeous man, and he is a good actor, besides being a hard working and dedicated one. In the end, he, Maya, Kimberly, and Robyn deserved better than they got. Hopefully Mykel's role will continue to grow and the others will find success in their careers. But for this show to really work, the stakes have to be higher. The contract role needs to be a ROLE and everyone needs a fair shake, especially on the last day.