Your OWN Show: Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star
Encyclopedia
Your OWN Show: Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star is a reality competition show, created by Oprah. The executive producer is Mark Burnett
, who has produced many reality competitions, such as The Apprentice
, Survivor
, and Design Star. The show premiered on January 7, 2011, and is currently airing on the OWN Network. Hosted by Nancy O'Dell and Carson Kressley
, it features ten prospective television hosts competing to earn their own television show on the OWN network. Each week, the contestants will compete in a themed-television show challenge, where they are watched and judged by O'Dell, Kressley, and a guest judge and mentor, whose expertise is in the theme that week. After the production and filming, one contestant will be eliminated, until the best host remains. Besides winning their television show, the champion will receive $100,000 and a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
.
Mark Burnett
Mark Burnett is a British television producer and executive producer, based in the United States. He currently is the executive producer of five network television series with seven hours of network programming. Works with which Burnett is associated have won multiple awards and recognition...
, who has produced many reality competitions, such as The Apprentice
The Apprentice
The Apprentice is a television franchise which originated in 2004 in the United States. As originally conceived, the show depicted 16 contestants from around the country with various backgrounds competing in an elimination-style competition to become an apprentice to Donald Trump...
, Survivor
Survivor (U.S. TV series)
Survivor is an American version of the Survivor reality television game show, itself derived from the Swedish television series Expedition Robinson originally created in 1997 by Charlie Parsons. The series premiered on May 31, 2000 on CBS...
, and Design Star. The show premiered on January 7, 2011, and is currently airing on the OWN Network. Hosted by Nancy O'Dell and Carson Kressley
Carson Kressley
Carson Lee Kressley was the fashion expert on the American television program Queer Eye, where he was one of the show's "Fab Five" members. He is also the motivational host of the TV show How to Look Good Naked.-Biography:...
, it features ten prospective television hosts competing to earn their own television show on the OWN network. Each week, the contestants will compete in a themed-television show challenge, where they are watched and judged by O'Dell, Kressley, and a guest judge and mentor, whose expertise is in the theme that week. After the production and filming, one contestant will be eliminated, until the best host remains. Besides winning their television show, the champion will receive $100,000 and a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
Chevrolet Equinox
The second generation Equinox was announced by GM on December 21, 2008, and debuted at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The 2010 Equinox went on sale in June 2009. It is built on a stiffened version of the same "Theta" platform used in the previous model. The new Equinox...
.
Contestants
Out of the thousands who applied, ten contestants were chosen to compete:| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Style of show | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leigh Koechner | 44 | Valley Village, California | Celebrity-driven traditional talk show | Eliminated 1st Episode 1 |
| Eric Warren | 57 | Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, California Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California... |
Healthy cooking and weight loss show | Eliminated 2nd Episode 2 |
| Aunt Flora | 60 | Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's... |
Cooking show | Eliminated 3rd Episode 3 |
| Tony Roach | 61 | Abilene, Texas Abilene, Texas Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County... |
Self-love talk show | Withdrew Episode 4 |
| Elizabeth Espinosa Elizabeth Espinosa - Biography :Prior to KTLA, she was one of the correspondents for Good Day L.A. on KTTV. She also reported for KMEX and for XETV San Diego, and has presented weekly movie review segment on the "Fox Morning Show".... |
36 | Lawndale, California Lawndale, California Lawndale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 32,769 at the 2010 census, up from 31,711 according to the 2000 census... |
Traditional talk show | Eliminated 5th Episode 5 |
| Ryan O'Connor | 29 | West Hollywood, California West Hollywood, California West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood... |
Variety-style talk show | Eliminated 6th/7th Episode 6 |
| Alicia Taylor | 39 | Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous... |
Financial advice show | Eliminated 6th/7th Episode 6 |
| Terey Summers | 46 | Goodyear, Arizona Goodyear, Arizona Goodyear is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 65,275... |
Comedic traditional talk show | Eliminated 8th Episode 7 |
| Zach Anner Zach Anner Zach Anner is an Austin, Texas-based stand-up comedian with cerebral palsy who gained world-wide attention with the submission of a video to Oprah's "Search for the Next TV Star" competition... |
25 | Austin, Texas Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in... |
Wheelchair travel show | WINNER |
| Kristina Kuzmic-Crocco | 31 | Alhambra, California Alhambra, California Alhambra is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, which is approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. As of the 2010 census, the population was 83,089, down from 85,804 at the 2000 census. The city's... |
Cooking show | WINNER |
Contestant Progress
| Place | Hosts | Episodes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 1 | Kristina | LOW | WIN | IN | HIGH | LOW* | HIGH | HIGH | WINNER |
| 1 | Zach | HIGH | IN | HIGH | IN* | HIGH | IN | HIGH | WINNER |
| 3 | Terey | IN | HIGH | LOW* | HIGH | IN | WIN | OUT | |
| 4-5 | Alicia | WIN | IN | HIGH | IN | WIN | OUT | ||
| 4-5 | Ryan | HIGH | LOW* | HIGH | LOW | HIGH | OUT* | ||
| 6 | Elizabeth | LOW* | HIGH | IN | WIN | OUT | |||
| 7 | Tony | HIGH | IN | WIN | WD | ||||
| 8 | Aunt Flora | IN | HIGH | OUT | |||||
| 9 | Eric | HIGH | OUT | ||||||
| 10 | Leigh | OUT | |||||||
- (WINNER) The host won the series and received their own show.
- (WIN) The host was the executive producer of the winning team.
- (HIGH) The host was on the winning team. (Episode 7: individual interviews.)
- (IN) The host was on the losing team, but was safe.
- (LOW) The host was mentioned as one of the worst, and was a candidate for elimination, while ultimately not being chosen.
- (LOW) The host was in the bottom two, took part in the elimination interview, and was saved.
- (OUT) The host was eliminated.
- (WD) The host voluntarily withdrew from the competition.
* The host was the losing team's executive producer.
Episode 1: "It Takes A Village"
- First Aired: January 7, 2011
- Television show theme: Sex and relationships
- Guest mentor and judge: Dr. Phil
- Summary: The ten contestants arrive at OWN studios, where they are greeted by O'Dell, Kressley, and Oprah herself. The hosts are split into two teams: a women's (Team Vision) and men's (Team Focus). As there are only four men, they choose Alicia to join their team, and even out the numbers. They are informed of their first challenge, to interview people on the street on the topic of sex and relationships, and then discuss the questions brought up with this week's guest mentor, Dr. Phil. As an added twist, the teams are required to interview the opposite sex. Alicia and Elizabeth step up to the challenge of being the executive producers for their teams' segments. When rehearsing with Dr. Phil, both teams have to readjust parts of their segments, but overall Team Focus shows more potential. This proves true when they produce a much better segment than Team Vision. At elimination, Team Focus is announced as the winning team, and Team Vision is asked who is responsible for their loss. All of the women say executive producer Elizabeth is, but Elizabeth chooses Aunt Flora, who she says did nothing. The judges deliberate, mentioning Elizabeth, Kristina, and Leigh as the most responsible for producing the terrible segment. In the end, they choose Elizabeth (who let her team down as executive producer) and Leigh (who was a rude host, cutting Dr. Phil off) as the bottom two. They both must do a short one-on-one interview with Dr. Phil to prove they should stay. Elizabeth delivers with an insightful topic she can relate to (family member with a disability). Leigh does not show improvement in her interview, and once again interrupts Dr. Phil. Leigh becomes the first host sent home.
- Host Eliminated: Leigh Koechner
Episode 2: "Let the Transformations Begin"
- First Aired: January 14, 2011
- Television show theme: Beauty makeovers
- Guest mentor and judge: Vera WangVera WangVera Ellen Wang is a Chinese American fashion designer based in New York City and former figure skater. She is known for her wide clientele of couture bridesmaid gowns and wedding gown collections.-Personal life:...
- Host Eliminated: Eric Warren
Episode 3: "Who Gets the Last Laugh?"
- First Aired: January 21, 2011
- Television show theme: Late-night comedy segment
- Guest mentor and judge: Arsenio HallArsenio HallArsenio Hall is an American actor, comedian, and former talk show host. He is best known for his talk show The Arsenio Hall Show, which ran between 1989 and 1994, and his roles in the films Coming to America and Harlem Nights.Hall is also known for his appearance as Alan Thicke's sidekick on the...
- Host Eliminated: Aunt Flora
Episode 4: "Get the Salmon in the Pan"
- First Aired: January 28, 2011
- Television show theme: Cooking show
- Guest mentor and judge: Curtis StoneCurtis StoneCurtis Stone is an Australian celebrity chef, author and television personality, nicknamed "The Quiet Terminator" by fans following his performance on The Celebrity Apprentice 3.-Background:...
- Host Eliminated (withdrew): Tony Roach
Episode 5: "Do It With Style"
- First Aired: February 4, 2011
- Television show theme: Thirty second commercial for Kohl'sKohl'sKohl's Corporation is an American department store chain headquartered in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, operating , 1,089 stores in 49 states. In 1998, it entered the S&P 500 list, and is also listed in the Fortune 500...
& a television interview (with Fuentes) - Guest mentor and judge: Daisy FuentesDaisy FuentesDaisy Fuentes is a Cuban-American television host, model, and comedian. Daisy Fuentes broke barriers as MTV's first Latina VJ , and as Revlon's first Latina spokesperson to be signed to a worldwide contract.-Early life:Fuentes was born in Havana, Cuba to a Cuban father and Spanish mother...
- Host Eliminated: Elizabeth Espinosa
Episode 6: "Dollars and Sense"
- First Aired: February 11, 2011
- Television show theme: Financial advice
- Guest mentor and judge: Suze OrmanSuze OrmanSusan "Suze" Lynn Orman is an American financial advisor, author, motivational speaker, and television host.Orman was born in Chicago and received her B.A. in social work. She worked as a waitress in Berkeley, California before becoming a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch...
- Hosts Eliminated: Ryan O'Conner, Alicia Taylor
Episode 7: "I Have Some Questions for You"
- First Aired: February 18, 2011
- Television show theme: Press junket (as applied to promoting their own TV show)
- Guest mentor and judge: Gayle KingGayle KingGayle King is editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine and the best friend of Oprah Winfrey. She has previously worked as a television news anchor and talk show host...
- Summary: The episode opens with O'Dell and Kressley informing Zach, Kristina and Terey that Ryan and Alicia were both eliminated and that the remaining challenges would be individual. After the opening credits, O'Dell and Kressley brief the final three about the press junket at the Sheraton Universal hotel, and bring out guest mentor Gayle King to advise them before the interviews on how to handle the press and promote the network. The contestants interview with both Craig Tomashoff of TV GuideTV GuideTV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
and Kevin FrazierKevin FrazierKevin Timothy Frazier is currently host of The Insider. Formerly, Frazier worked as an anchor at Fox Sports Net, later ESPN, where he hosted SportsCenter as well as a multitude of NBA themed programming and from 2004–2011, was a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight as well as...
of Entertainment TonightEntertainment TonightEntertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
. They are then told about a third interview to complete, and the guest interviewer is none other than Oprah herself. Zach is the only one who takes the initiative to ask Oprah insightful questions during what could be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Following the interviews, they return to OWN Studios and chat about their "Oprah moment" before they pose for publicity photographs. When they return to Stage 2, O'Dell and Kressley reveal that Gayle had been watching all the interviews, and they discuss how the junket went and that all three bring something unique to the table before adding that a final interview with Gayle could decide the finalists. In elimnation, Zach is praised for being steady throughout the competition, and O'Dell announces he is the first finalist. While Kristina and Terey both did well, they felt Terey's direction for her show was not clear enough, and chose Kristina as the other finalist. - Host Eliminated: Terey Summers
Episode 8: "And the Winner Is..."
- First Aired: February 25, 2011
- Television show theme: Producing a pilot episode for their own TV show
- Guest mentor and judge: Mark BurnettMark BurnettMark Burnett is a British television producer and executive producer, based in the United States. He currently is the executive producer of five network television series with seven hours of network programming. Works with which Burnett is associated have won multiple awards and recognition...
- Host Eliminated: None
- Winner of their OWN show: Kristina & Zach