MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Erin Munday, of Mountlake Terrace, said she knows countless people who say “I wish I had” when they talk about opportunities they didn’t chase after.
A lot of people say they would take a risk if money wasn’t an option or if they knew people wouldn’t laugh at them, she added.
Munday is side-stepping that trap and showcasing people who share her mentality.
With help from her friends, Joelle and Jeremy Craft, Munday submitted an audition tape for Oprah Winfrey’s contest, “Your OWN Show: Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star.”
“It’s tough to boil yourself down in three minutes,” Munday said. “(The show) is not about me; it’s about other people.”
Munday is quick to laugh at herself when explaining each time they had to reshoot because she tripped over rocks, was drowned out by planes or her friend’s cell phone rang.
“I’m thinking of having a blooper reel,” she said.
Munday is competing the in the contest’s wild card category. The premise of her show is to “live your best life.” Her goal is to travel across the country by bus and feature people who stopped asking, “What if?”
“I want to showcase what people are doing,” she said. “If there’s someone on their couch feeling empty, and they see someone doing their dream, it’ll give them fire (to try).”
Munday’s not a fan of traditional talk shows with celebrity guests nor dating reality shows. She’d prefer her show to revolve around real people such as the retired person who bought a farm or the family who took a chance by opening a restaurant.
Munday is a full-time student in the Washington State University extension program studying history along with English and women’s studies.
Recently she’s been looking at schools to complete a master’s degree and eventually a doctorate. Her options could mean staying local or moving across the country.
“I’ll end up where I’m supposed to end up,” she said.
Outside of school, Munday owns Siochain Lavender. She makes and sells lavender-scented bath oils, salts and lotions at the Mountlake Terrace Farmers Market.
Munday heard about the contest while watching “The Oprah Show.”
On a whim, Munday recorded an episode where Winfrey talked about her new TV network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). The network is set to launch Jan. 1, 2011. Winfrey is teaming with producer Mark Burnett (“Survivor,” “The Apprentice”) to kick off the network with the competition series, “Your OWN Show: Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star.” The winner of the series will host their talk show produced for OWN.
Contestants are required to send in a three-minute video by June 26 proving why they should have a show. Viewers can vote online until July 3. TV show categories include traditional talk show, health and well being, wild card, interior design and fashion and cooking. Hopefuls can also drop in at in-person casting calls.
The five contestants with the most votes online will join the top contestants from the casting calls in Los Angeles. From there, 10 people will be selected to appear on the competition series.
“The worst-case scenario is I did it, I put it out to the wind and we’ll see what happens.”
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