Wanna Be a VJ
Encyclopedia
Wanna Be a VJ was a show and contest on MTV
. Contestants were selected from the crowd around MTV's Times Square
office, and narrowed down via challenges testing the applicants' music knowledge and personality. Once narrowed down to six contestants, viewers were allowed to vote for contestants via telephone
and internet
. The winner was awarded $25,000 and a one-year contract to be a Veejay on Total Request Live
. It is one of the first examples of electronic democracy in the United States
. All three events were hosted by Carson Daly
.
beat out the more knowledgeable but less flamboyant Dave Holmes
. However, MTV ended up extending job offers to both men, and Holmes ended up being more popular than Camp in the long run, hosting various shows on MTV until 2001.
Camp's unexpected victory caused many viewers to suspect foul play. The Village Voice ran an article in which an unnamed source who only identified by his online handle
"UglyPig" claimed to have hacked the voting site, allowing him to vote more than 3000 times.
, who took home $25,000.
.
Ray Munns
went on to defend his job fives times on a live show entitled VJ4ADAY, where he and the contestants introduced the eleven through fifteen videos of TRL
. Ray was the first ever half Korean VJ (he is also a quarter Irish and a quarter English) and was the first contest winner to stay longer than a year at MTV
.
Runner up Shannon Wiseman, of Dallas, North Carolina
, became a co-host for UPN
's "Atlanta Tonight" in 2004 and the host of "NASCAR.com's Post Race Show presented by Jack Daniels" in 2005.
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. Contestants were selected from the crowd around MTV's Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
office, and narrowed down via challenges testing the applicants' music knowledge and personality. Once narrowed down to six contestants, viewers were allowed to vote for contestants via telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
and internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. The winner was awarded $25,000 and a one-year contract to be a Veejay on Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
. It is one of the first examples of electronic democracy in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. All three events were hosted by Carson Daly
Carson Daly
Carson Jones Daly is an American television host. He is the host of NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly, a late-night talk show that began airing on January 7, 2002. Before his role as host of that program, Daly was a VJ on MTV's TRL, and a DJ for the Southern California based radio station KROQ-FM...
.
Wanna Be a VJ (1998)
In the first Wanna Be a VJ contest, the tall, spacey Jesse CampJesse Camp
Jesse Camp was the winner of the first Wanna Be a VJ contest on MTV. He beat out Dave Holmes for a VJ job on the popular music video show Total Request Live , and also hosted the short-lived Lunch with Jesse, which was canceled in 2002.-Controversy:During the course of Wanna Be a VJ, it was...
beat out the more knowledgeable but less flamboyant Dave Holmes
Dave Holmes
David Robert "Dave" Holmes is a television personality who gained national attention as the runner-up on MTV's first Wanna Be a VJ contest in 1998. From the beginning, he distinguished himself from other candidates with an encyclopedic knowledge of music trivia.Despite his loss to Jesse Camp, MTV...
. However, MTV ended up extending job offers to both men, and Holmes ended up being more popular than Camp in the long run, hosting various shows on MTV until 2001.
Camp's unexpected victory caused many viewers to suspect foul play. The Village Voice ran an article in which an unnamed source who only identified by his online handle
User (computing)
A user is an agent, either a human agent or software agent, who uses a computer or network service. A user often has a user account and is identified by a username , screen name , nickname , or handle, which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term.Users are...
"UglyPig" claimed to have hacked the voting site, allowing him to vote more than 3000 times.
Wanna Be a VJ Too (1999)
The second Wanna Be a VJ contest was won by 21 year old Thalia DaCosta, from Sunrise, FloridaSunrise, Florida
-Overview:Sunrise is a city in southwestern Broward County, Florida, United States. It was incorporated in 1961 by Norman Johnson – a developer whose World Famous Upside-Down House attracted buyers to what was then a remote area...
, who took home $25,000.
Wanna Be a VJ 3 (2000)
The third Wanna Be a VJ contest was won by Ray MunnsRay Munns
Ray Munns is a former MTV VJ and Trance DJ. In 2000, Munns beat out 10,000 other hopefuls to win the third annual Wanna Be a VJ contest. During the live show, Munns participated in a series of challenges a VJ would expect to encounter…from introducing videos to interviewing celebrities such as...
.
Ray Munns
Ray Munns
Ray Munns is a former MTV VJ and Trance DJ. In 2000, Munns beat out 10,000 other hopefuls to win the third annual Wanna Be a VJ contest. During the live show, Munns participated in a series of challenges a VJ would expect to encounter…from introducing videos to interviewing celebrities such as...
went on to defend his job fives times on a live show entitled VJ4ADAY, where he and the contestants introduced the eleven through fifteen videos of TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
. Ray was the first ever half Korean VJ (he is also a quarter Irish and a quarter English) and was the first contest winner to stay longer than a year at MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.
Runner up Shannon Wiseman, of Dallas, North Carolina
Dallas, North Carolina
Dallas is a town in Gaston County, North Carolina and a suburb of both Charlotte and Gastonia. The population was 3,402 at the 2000 census. It was named for George M. Dallas, Vice President of the United States of America under James K. Polk.-Geography:...
, became a co-host for UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
's "Atlanta Tonight" in 2004 and the host of "NASCAR.com's Post Race Show presented by Jack Daniels" in 2005.
External links
- MTV Contest Hacked from The Village Voice (May 5. 1998)
- I Want My Camp TV from Salon.comSalon.comSalon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
(May 8, 1998)