I Wanna be a Soap Star News

Congratulations are in order for Ashlee Holland. The young actress won the fourth edition of I Wanna Be a Soap Star.

Her tremendous reward? A 13-week gig on Days of Our Lives.

With that in mind, we figured fans might wanna learn a thing or two about the new daytime star. To wit:

Holland was born in Roanoke, VA and currently resides in Lawndale, CA. She includes pool, bowling, cooking, sewing, gardening, dancing, singing and reading among her many hobbies and interests.

Athletic genes also run in Ashlee's family, helping her master physical stunts on set. The actress' father was a pitcher for the Yankees and and Phillies.

With the season finale of I Wanna Be a Soap Star airing tonight, judge Mary Beth Evans couldn't help but be excited over the opportunity the winner will enjoy.

“Yes! The winner is getting thirteen weeks on Days of our Lives. Isn’t that wild?” the actress said. “I think actually that from previous years, there are winners that are still on (the respective shows).”

There sure are, as Soapdom.com reports.

Alec Musser, season 2 winner, who plays Del Henry on All My Children is still on AMC, however skimpy his appearances are of late.

“I know for me, when I started out, when I was auditioning, there were no other avenues,” said Evans. “There were no reality shows. There were no other ways to get in other than to simply audition. So this is really exciting. What’s very cool, too, is that they have this opportunity to show what they can do more and more. It’s not just one audition – it’s ten!

And that’s really great. Plus, they get to take notes from the people making decisions about it, which can only help (their growth as actors.) It’s been an interesting experience.”

Interesting, yes. But at first, Evan’s hesitated. For her, being a judge meant voting people off and she was not fond of that process.

Click here to read the full article.

Tomorrow night on Soapnet, Cameron Mathison hosts the fourth edition of the reality show, I Wanna be a Soap Star.

Ten contestants will compete in a series of challenges for a 13-week contract role on NBC’s Days of our Lives. Not a shabby prize. The judges for the show are:

• Mary Beth Evans, who stars as Kayla Brady Johnson on Days of our Lives
• Hogan Sheffer, the head writer on Days of our Lives
• Michael Bruno, a talent manager who works exclusively in daytime television.

Veteran daytime actors assist the hopefuls with their tasks and auditions. This group includes Linda Dano (Another World, One Life to Live, General Hospital and Port Charles), Alec Musser (pictured here, All My Children and season two winner of I Wanna Be A Soap Star) and James Reynolds (Days of our Lives).

Now, let's meet the contestants!

The ladies:
Ashlee (28, Roanoke, VA), a domestic goddess and daughter of a former Major League Baseball pitcher who is ready to show off her sporty genes.

Jimena (29, Bogota, Colombia), a seasoned actress from Colombia who is eager to break into the soap industry in the United States.

Joyce (34, San Francisco, CA), a strong Asian American women who hopes to diversify daytime television.

Monica (23, Topeka, KS), a girly girl who is ready to put her 14 years of gymnastics and eight years of cheerleading to good use.

Patricia (34, Fayetteville, NC), a well-rounded women who, aside from acting, loves to dance, horseback ride and read inspirational books.

The men:
Corey (23, Camden, NJ), a huge Martin Lawrence fan who has wanted to become a soap opera star for more than 10 years.

Bo (27, Gaithersburg, MD), a sporty guy who can juggle, dance and play 10 musical instruments.

Justin Paul (33, Kendall Park, NJ), a Jersey boy who has learned a great amount about human behavior from his experience working in a tavern, which he hopes to apply in his acting career.

Travis (29, Ottawa, KS), a seasoned actor with a few recurring roles in daytime under his belt, who hopes his persistence and openness to commit to difficult tasks will help him get through the challenges. If all else fails, he can always use his carpentry and woodworking skills to build sets.

Yves (35, Los Angeles, CA), a surfer dude born and raised in Los Angeles, who is ready to put his heart and soul in this competition.