Dream Job
Encyclopedia
Dream Job is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 show
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...

 from ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

, which began on February 22, 2004. It was the network's second reality show, with two editions of Beg, Borrow & Deal
Beg, Borrow & Deal
Beg, Borrow & Deal was a reality television show that aired on ESPN with a first season in 2002 and a second season in 2003.-Premise:The show, which was originally called "Beg, Borrow and B.S.", featured two teams of four pitted against each other...

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
Stuart Scott
Stuart Scott is a sportscaster and anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter.-Early life and career:Scott attended Richard J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and went to college at the University of North Carolina. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity...

.

Summary

The premise of Dream Job was to find a new anchor for ESPN's popular sports news program, SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...

. 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.

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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The field was narrowed down to 10 contestants who would compete in the televised finals, which started in the Winter
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...

 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
Wendy's
Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...

. 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
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 native who was a full-time student at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...

 in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...

. 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 Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
Lansdowne is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States located southwest of downtown Philadelphia. It was named for the Marquess of Lansdowne. The borough grew quickly in the early part of the twentieth century when a railroad stop was established near the intersection of...

. 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
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

; Mike Hall
Mike Hall (sportscaster)
Michael James Hall is an American sports broadcaster who currently works for the Big Ten Network. He can also be found as a sideline reporter for NFL games on Fox...

, 22, a senior at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...

; Casey Stern
Casey Stern
Casey Stern was a former contestant on ESPN's reality series Dream Job. At the time he was an executive recruiter. Casey currently is a host on Sirius XM radio's MLB Home Plate on XM channel 175 and Sirius 210. He recently departed MLB.com's BaseballChannel.tv, formerly MLB Radio where he was...

, 25, an executive recruiter from Bellmore, New York; Zachariah Selwyn
Zachariah Selwyn
Zachariah "Zach" Selwyn , also known as simply Zachariah, is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and writer best known for his appearances on the series Dream Job, Attack of the Show! and Catch It Keep It....

, 28, an actor and a musician from Los Angeles
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...

; Nick Stevens, 29, a Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

-based comedian; Chris Williams, 31, an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

; Chet Anekwe
Chet Anekwe
Chet Anekwe is a transatlantic actor and Filmmaker who was born in Nigeria and raised in NYC. His work spans Hollywood, Nollywood and the New York Theater-Filmography:- Awards :*1997 Winner Best Support Actor African Globe Awards , for Medea...

, 38, a Nigerian-born computer programmer who has taken up residence in Jersey City; Alvin Williams, 38, a retail manager from Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...

 (Williams won the contest sponsored by Wendy's
Wendy's
Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...

 to become a contestant on the show); Kelly Milligan, 38, a Dallas attorney; and Lori Rubinson, 39, from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, now a host at WFAN
WFAN
WFAN , also known as "Sports Radio 66" or "The FAN", is a radio station in New York City. The station broadcasts on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio...

.

Judges

The judging panel consisted of 4 people.
  • Tony Kornheiser
    Tony Kornheiser
    Anthony Irwin "Tony" Kornheiser is an American sportswriter and former columnist for The Washington Post, as well as a radio and television talk show host...

    , a Washington Post columnist and author, and co-host of ESPN's talk show, Pardon the Interruption
    Pardon the Interruption
    Pardon the Interruption is a sports television show that airs weekdays on various ESPN TV channels, TSN, ESPN America, XM, and Sirius satellite radio services, and as a downloadable podcast. It is hosted by Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, who discuss, and frequently argue over, the top stories...

    .
  • Kit Hoover
    Kit Hoover
    Catherine "Kit" Hoover is an American television personality, sportscaster and broadcast journalist, best-known for her stints on Fox News Channel and ESPN...

    , 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
    Cold Pizza
    Cold Pizza was a television sports morning talk show that aired weekdays on ESPN2. The show's style was more akin to Good Morning America than SportsCenters straight news and highlights format. It included daily sports news, interviews with sports journalists, athletes, and personalities, and an...

    .
  • LaVar Arrington
    LaVar Arrington
    LaVar RaShad Arrington is a former American football linebacker of the National Football League. He was drafted second overall by the Washington Redskins in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State for coach Joe Paterno.A two-time All-American at Penn State, Arrington played...

    , a former NFL linebacker
    Linebacker
    A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

    , who at the time played for the Washington Redskins
    Washington Redskins
    The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...

    .
  • Al Jaffe
    Al Jaffe
    Al Jaffe is ESPN's vice-president of talent , a position he has held since 1996...

    , 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.

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
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...

 to the "Al Jaffe Sports Quiz", which is given to every on air personality who applies for a job at ESPN.

Season 1

The first two weeks of the show saw the contestants split into groups of 6, and each doing the "My SportsCenter" segment solo. To break a tie between Chris Williams and Michael Quigley at the end of the first show, Scott called a network executive who made the final decision to cut Chris Williams. Alvin Williams was cut the following week. In week 3, on March 7, 2004, the "My SportsCenter" segment became co-anchored, and Quigley and Rubenson were voted off. For the "My SportsCenter" segment in week 4, on March 14, 2004, all the eight remaining contestants were sent to Florida to do reports on Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 teams in Spring Training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...

. Stevens and Anekwe were cut. A special episode chronicling the nationwide search was shown the night after. In week 5, on March 21, 2004, "My SportsCenter" again became a solo segment, with each contestant reading two highlight packages, both on the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The Al Jaffe Sports Quiz took place that night as well. Each of the six remaining contestants were asked five questions. Selwyn scored highest, answering three questions correctly. After the segment, though, host Scott called out Haskins and Hall. Two days earlier, on March 19, 2004, the entertainment section of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...

ran a brief paragraph that stated that Hall and Haskins had been dating for some time. When asked, they confirmed the article's truth, but not directly. Amidst all the romance talk, Stern and Milligan were cut that night.

Finale

The two-hour finale, airing on March 28, 2004, would determine who the new SportsCenter anchor would be. In the first hour, only the judges would determine who got cut. Haskins and Selwyn, arguably the most popular contestants on the show, were cut, leaving Levine and Hall in the championship round. Haskins was tabbed by Jaffe as the show's most improved contestant. She was praised for having the best writing during her time on the show. When making the decision to cut Selwyn, Kornheiser said, "I probably just made a mistake." In hour two, the American viewing public would cut one more contestant. At the end of the night, Levine was cut by garnering 60% of the viewers' votes. Mike Hall
Mike Hall (sportscaster)
Michael James Hall is an American sports broadcaster who currently works for the Big Ten Network. He can also be found as a sideline reporter for NFL games on Fox...

 was the first ever Dream Job winner.

Later that night on SportsCenter, Hall took his sports quiz and correctly answered 5 questions. Each correct answer was worth $5,000, increasing his first-year salary from $70,000 to $95,000. He graduated from the University of Missouri on May 15, 2004. He started his tenure as a regular SportsCenter anchor on July 19, 2004. He had done some on-air work for ESPNEWS
ESPNEWS
ESPNEWS , launched on November 1, 1996, is a 24-hour-a-day sports news television channel...

 before officially joining SportsCenter.

As for Selwyn, he became a color commentator on the Game Show Network
Game Show Network
The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...

 series, Extreme Dodgeball
Extreme Dodgeball
Extreme Dodgeball is an American Sports Entertainment television show that debuted on Game Show Network in 2004. It has also been shown in the UK on Challenge.-Standard rules:...

, which began on June 15, 2004. He also hosted three episodes of Around the Horn
Around the Horn
Around the Horn is a daily, half-hour sports roundtable on ESPN filmed in Washington, D.C. It airs at 5:00 pm ET, as part of a sports talk hour with Pardon the Interruption. The show is currently hosted by Tony Reali.-History:Around the Horn premiered on November 4, 2002, hosted by Max Kellerman...

, which some believe may have been a trial of sorts to determine if he was worthy to replace Tony Reali
Tony Reali
Anthony Joseph Paul "Tony" Reali is an American sports personality and television host, and the current host of Around the Horn on ESPN...

. He currently can be seen on Attack of the Show on G4 (TV channel)
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...

.

Judges

All four judges from Season 2 returned: The Denver Post
The Denver Post
-Ownership:The Post is the flagship newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc., founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder. MediaNews is today one of the nation's largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers and more than 120 non-daily publications in 13 states. MediaNews...

columnist, Cold Pizza
Cold Pizza
Cold Pizza was a television sports morning talk show that aired weekdays on ESPN2. The show's style was more akin to Good Morning America than SportsCenters straight news and highlights format. It included daily sports news, interviews with sports journalists, athletes, and personalities, and an...

contributor, and Around the Horn
Around the Horn
Around the Horn is a daily, half-hour sports roundtable on ESPN filmed in Washington, D.C. It airs at 5:00 pm ET, as part of a sports talk hour with Pardon the Interruption. The show is currently hosted by Tony Reali.-History:Around the Horn premiered on November 4, 2002, hosted by Max Kellerman...

panelist Woody Paige
Woody Paige
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Paige, Jr. is a sports columnist for The Denver Post, author, and a regular panelist on the ESPN sports-talk program Around the Horn. He was also a co-host of Cold Pizza and its spin-off show 1st and 10 until Nov. 4, 2006, when it was announced that Paige would return to the...

; former Cold Pizza
Cold Pizza
Cold Pizza was a television sports morning talk show that aired weekdays on ESPN2. The show's style was more akin to Good Morning America than SportsCenters straight news and highlights format. It included daily sports news, interviews with sports journalists, athletes, and personalities, and an...

co-host Kit Hoover
Kit Hoover
Catherine "Kit" Hoover is an American television personality, sportscaster and broadcast journalist, best-known for her stints on Fox News Channel and ESPN...

 (who actually made her final appearance on Cold Pizza during this Dream Job season); The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...

writer and ESPN NBA analyst who was judging possible colleagues, Stephen A. Smith
Stephen A. Smith
-Early years:Smith was raised in the Hollis neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. He lived with his parents and four older sisters.He attended Winston-Salem State University, a historically black university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina...

; and ESPN executive vice-president of talent, Al Jaffe
Al Jaffe
Al Jaffe is ESPN's vice-president of talent , a position he has held since 1996...

.
Voting stayed the same. Each judge and the American viewing public was given one vote each to cut a contestant with. In the event of a tie between contestants, America's vote would be the tie-breaker.
there were actually four seasons of dream job - the winner of the fourth season was Todd Shafer

Contestants

Since the show was looking for a new NBA analyst, 6 former NBA stars were vying to become ESPN's next NBA analyst. Dana Barros
Dana Barros
Dana Bruce Barros is a retired American professional basketball player from the NBA. Before the NBA he played at Boston College, finishing as one of the school's all-time leading scorers....

, originally one of the six, was missing from the show during its first episode, apparently dropping out at the last minute. He was replaced by the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...

's first-ever draft pick, Nick Anderson
Nick Anderson
Nelison "Nick" Anderson is a former American professional basketball player. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for two years, playing on the team that reached the NCAA Final Four in 1989. That Fighting Illini team gained the moniker "Flyin' Illini" by Dick Vitale while...

, but Anderson soon exited, and was replaced by Dennis Scott
Dennis Scott (basketball)
Dennis Eugene Scott is an American former professional basketball player. A 6' 8" small forward from Georgia Tech, and the 1989–1990 ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year, Scott was selected by the Orlando Magic with the fourth pick of the 1990 NBA Draft after being the leading scorer on a...

. The other five are Dee Brown, who is most famous for winning the 1991 slam dunk
Slam dunk
A slam dunk is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim. This is considered a normal field goal attempt; if successful it is worth two points. The term "slam dunk" was...

 contest with a no-look dunk while playing for the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

 (he also played for the Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...

 and the Magic before retiring); Matt Bullard
Matt Bullard
Matthew Gordon Bullard is a retired American basketball player in the NBA, who went undrafted after graduating from the University of Iowa in 1990...

, who won an NBA championship with the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...

 in 1994
1993-94 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets*Rookie of the Year: Chris Webber, Golden State Warriors*Defensive Player of the Year: Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets...

; Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins is a retired American professional basketball player, most noted for his days with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he also played briefly for the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz late in his career...

, who, in 1975
1975 NBA Draft
The 1975 NBA Draft was the 29th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on May 29, 1975 before the 1975–76 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...

, became the first high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 player ever to be drafted directly into the league; J.R. Reid, who averaged double figures in scoring during his first three years in the NBA; and Gerald Wilkins
Gerald Wilkins
Gerald Bernard Wilkins is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'6" shooting guard/small forward, who played collegiately at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and later in the NBA.Gerald is the younger brother of former Atlanta Hawks superstar Dominique Wilkins and...

, one of the most popular New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

ever.

Summary

Due to Barros' absence, there were only five contestants for the season premiere. This meant that at the end of the episode, no one would be cut, basically making season three's official premiere episode a meaningless, irrelevant practice round (ESPN touted it as a "special preview" episode). Promotional ads for the show leading up to episode two said Nick Anderson would be Barros' replacement, but those ads quickly disappeared, as Anderson was then replaced by Dennis Scott. Episode two aired, and the cuts began. Wilkins was the first contestant to go. The following week, Dawkins was gone, the victim of America's vote being used as a tiebreaker when he got his second cut vote of the night, though Scott also had two cut votes. Week four saw Reid saying goodbye, with Scott finally getting the boot in week five. That left Bullard and Brown in the last showdown for the Dream Job of ESPN NBA analyst. Bullard's mistakes got the best of him, and Dee Brown was the winner of the third season of the show, as Bullard got three votes to be cut.

External links

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