This could be you on the cover. MTV partners with Seventeen Magazine for the Miss Seventeen contest.
Who Will Win Miss Seventeen?
MTV and Seventeen Magazine, teamed up to search the country for America’s ultimate role model in Miss Seventeen, the channel’s new weekly reality series premiering on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 10:30 p.m. (ET/PT).
From type-A valedictorians to all-American farm girls, 17 young women from across the country have been selected to live under one roof and compete for the title of Miss Seventeen. They will face sudden elimination by Seventeen Editor-in-Chief Atoosa Rubenstein, who is looking for all the best qualities of a Seventeen reader: intelligence, honesty, kindness, good judgment, loyalty, and leadership. What the contestants don't know is that their eliminations are not solely based on performance, but also on their behavior when they think the cameras are not rolling.
In each episode, the girls complete assignments that put them in real-life situations designed to reveal their true character. One week, the girls must write an article on how to experience New York City on $20 per day. Next, they are taking a crash course in the world of high-fashion modeling when they participate in an outdoor photo shoot for Seventeen. The ultimate winner will receive a college scholarship and a highly coveted internship at Seventeen, in addition to being photographed for the cover.
“This series will be a far cry from your typical cover girl competition,” said Lois Curren, Executive Vice President, MTV Series Entertainment. “These girls are the overachievers you love to hate and will stop at nothing to win the grand prize, going to extreme lengths to be the last one standing, but in between the heated moments, you’ll also find a lot of heart.”
"I'm not trying to find someone who just looks good on paper,” said Atoosa, who is also the creator and one of the executive producers of the show. “Miss Seventeen has to be the real deal. We want a girl who acts like America's sweetheart whether the cameras are rolling or not. She needs to have the confidence and talent we see in so many of our readers to make her dreams come true.”
About the contestants:
Nicole, 19, Staten Island, NY – Nicole has recently sacrificed her lifelong passion for competitive dance to focus on her college studies. She looks forward to attending law school. Nicole is very active in her sorority, which is known as one of the most charitably-focused at St. John’s University.
Savannah, 21, Grand Prairie, TX – Savannah comes from a big, warm, southern family and enjoys competing in pageants. After a recent weight loss, she has decided to devote herself to fighting the problem of youth obesity in America and has started a non-profit to that end.
Skyler, 19, Peachtree, GA – Skyler recently completed her freshman year at Harvard. She loves music, preferring rock to hip-hop, and would love to be the front woman for a girl group.
Kristen, 18, Methuen, MA – Kristen, described by her friends as “blunt and outspoken,” is a girl who loves being the center of attention.
Connie, 18, San Bernardino, CA – Connie and her parents came to the U.S. from China when she was very young, and learning English remains a challenge for her family. She once lived in poverty, but she is driven to succeed. Case in point: She was named valedictorian of her class.
Sasha, 18, Brooklyn, NY – Sasha is a drama major at the LaGuardia School of Performing Arts. In addition to her theatrical talents, Sasha has won a number of slam poetry contests.
Leah, 19, Little Rock, AR – Leah is the daughter of two doctors. Having spent most of her time in private school, she was popular and at the top of her class. She is currently a sorority sister on full scholarship at the preppy, prestigious Vanderbilt University.
Amber, 18, Windom, MN – Amber is an all-American farm girl whom everyone admires. She is used to being the queen bee and describes herself as the “most popular girl in school.”
Brianne, 19, Polson, MT – Brianne grew up in a small town in Montana and has become the definition of a big fish in a small pond. Brianne dreams of working for a fashion magazine in New York, and has gone so far as to create her own magazine that she hopes to publish one day.
Caroline, 21, West Allenhurst, NJ – Caroline is a student at Barnard College, Atoosa's alma mater. Her main passion is changing the way the media portrays young women. Her dream is to combine Buddhism and fashion, by creating a high-end, socially-conscious clothing line.
Maria, 20, Concord, CA – Maria is Pakistani and a devout, practicing Muslim. She is a member of the Muslim Student Association at UCLA. She spent a significant portion of her childhood in Tanzania, and it is her greatest regret that she did not make more of the experience.
Ashley, 18, Lamarque, TX –Ashley comes from a rough neighborhood in Texas, but she does not let that get in the way of her studies. She is one of the few students from her high school pursuing a college education and even qualified to graduate early.
Jessica, 18, Glassboro, NJ – Jessica’s family has lived the quintessential “American dream,” leaving Colombia for a better opportunity in the U.S. Since they never went to high school, Jessica’s parents have instilled in her an appreciation for education. She is an honor roll student, a Varsity cheerleader, and a band member. Talented in art and design, Jessica created the dress she wore when she was crowned Prom Queen.
Julie, 18, Coppell, TX – Julie's inspiration is her father, a nationally ranked tennis player. Julie would like to open a school for kids with cancer one day.
Jill, 18, Morton, IL – Jill is the classic overachiever: pom-pom girl, dance team captain, church youth group leader, and yearbook editor. She is also passionate about politics and loves President George W. Bush so much that her car is covered with campaign buttons. Jill also served as a congressional page in Washington, DC last summer.
Brittney, Peachtree City, GA – Brittney has competed in cheerleading competitions for years, but behind her smile are real-life worries. She is convinced that her father took a job in Kuwait to help finance her private high school tuition.
Jennifer, 20, Wisconsin Dells, WI – Living a hard home life, Jennifer has learned to take care of herself. She works to pay for everything from tuition to braces. Thanks to loving support from her grandmothers, Jennifer will graduate from college with honors and go on to achieve her dream of becoming a journalist.
About the judge: Atoosa knows all about making dreams come true. She immigrated with her family to the United States from Iran at the age of three. In 1999 all of her hard work paid off when she founded CosmoGIRL! magazine at the age of 26, making her the youngest Editor-in-Chief in the history of Hearst Magazines. Atoosa’s near overnight success at CosmoGIRL! landed her the editor-in-chief job at Seventeen in 2003, giving her the chance to speak to over 13 million young women every month. 
