MTV's MADE Star Valerie Amaral Shares Her Reality TV Success Story

On one particularly hot July day, I stood in the center of an unoccupied racetrack in Connecticut, feeling the heat rise from the pavement, hearing the breeze whistle through the empty grandstands. But what made this day even more interesting was the fact that I was wearing a gown, four-inch heels, white gloves, and a crown. I was also about to meet a young lady who I would spend nearly every day with for the next few months, a person who would present me with one of my life's biggest challenges, and someone with whom I would appear on national TV.

I was chosen as a pageant coach for MTV's hit show MADE, and I was about to meet my student, Katherine Maher, at Thompson Speedway in Thompson, Connecticut, to teach her that even though she was going to be preparing for a pageant, she would still be able to maintain her individuality and have fun. Katherine started her journey by whipping around the racetrack in a modified racecar going over 100 miles per hour.

MTV's MADE is a reality television show which takes teenagers who have a goal and brings in a professional to "coach" them and help them try to achieve that goal. The show documents the process that each person goes through in order to reach the goal they have set for themselves. I was chosen as a coach for Katherine based on my pageant experience, my personality, and my qualifications as a voice, acting, and pageant coach for teenagers in Massachusetts.

Katherine wanted to enter her local pageant in hopes of becoming Miss Ledyard Fair in her hometown of Ledyard, Connecticut. However, Katherine was painfully shy, had difficulty making friends, and lacked the confidence necessary to compete in a pageant. I had the job of bringing her up to speed.

Reality television is a new stepping-stone from pageants into show business - many current and former pageant titleholders have been featured on a number of reality television shows from The Amazing Race to Fear Factor.

Since my episode of MADE premiered on October 10, 2006, and has since been repeated on MTV, I have been asked many questions about reality television and how it works. Here are the answers to those questions along with my advice about being featured on reality TV.

"How did you get the job?"

In June of 2006, I competed for the Miss Massachusetts (MAO) title and was the 1st Runner-up. My former state director from the America's National Teenager program, Barbara Thurston, was watching in the audience, and she called me the next morning to tell me that she had heard about an audition for a reality show. They needed someone to coach a teen pageant contestant and she thought I would be great for the job. I called MADE's casting director in New York that day, and after a brief phone interview, they gave me a slot to audition the following day.

Not really knowing what to expect in the audition, I decided to be as professional as possible, and I wore a suit and my crown. The audition was very similar to any interview process, except they filmed my answers to all of the questions. I was asked about how I would react in certain situations with my student, how I felt about pageants, and what I would do to get my student ready to compete. Shortly after the tape of my audition went back to New York for MTV to review, they called to tell me I had been chosen as the coach. Suddenly, I was plucked from my otherwise ordinary and anonymous summer of interning, working, and going to the beach - I was about to be catapulted onto national TV.

"Is reality TV really real?"

In my experience, reality TV is real. Nothing I said or Katherine said on the show was scripted. We reacted to the situations that we experienced, and we acted as we would if there were no cameras around. However, there will always be that reality "twist," which is a way to make the show more interesting and fun for the viewer - such as our initial meeting at the speedway, for example. One of Katherine's tasks was to learn how express herself, and I decided that having her travel to different places in her community to strike up conversations would be a great way for her to learn to relate to people. Would I normally take a student like Katherine to make her talk to people at a tattoo parlor? Probably not. Was it fun to watch on television while teaching Katherine a pageant-related lesson? Absolutely.

Once the production wrapped and I watched the final version of MADE, I was completely satisfied with it, and I felt that it accurately represented what Katherine and I experienced. However, I think it is important to mention that not all reality shows are positive and family-friendly. It is easy to be portrayed in a negative light on TV due to the magic of editing. I highly recommend that anyone considering a part on a reality show do his or her homework first. Before agreeing to participate, I watched back episodes of MADE and asked about what the goals of the show were. And when I was filming, I was always gracious and professional, even off-camera.

"Would you do it again?"

Being a coach on MADE was an amazing experience for me. Over that summer, Katherine was transformed from a bookworm into a gorgeous pageant contestant. By the time Miss Ledyard Fair came around, Katherine had developed into a confident young woman who could talk to people and make friends. And the best part is that millions of people got to watch her transformation on television.

Katherine taught me more than she will ever know. Watching her determination and dedication to her goal reminded me of how competing in pageants helps us learn about and improve ourselves and make lifelong friendships. I was proud that Katherine and I gave pageants positive exposure by showing all of the hard work that goes into competing. I would be on a reality television show again in a heartbeat if it gave me the opportunity to send a positive message to viewers everywhere. Reality TV is also a great way to launch a professional acting career, since it gives you a great deal of exposure.

VALERIE'S ADVICE: If you hear about an audition, go for it!

One way of finding out about auditions is by working through a casting agency, but many reality shows have open casting calls since they are looking for "real" people, not professional actors. If there is a certain show you are interested in, look on their website or call to find out how they cast for the show. Don't hesitate to make the calls, go for the audition, and give it your best shot. You might be exactly what they are looking for!

See this article at Pageantry Magazine: Breaking Into Showbiz

Valerie J. Amaral is the current Miss Cambridge, and has finished in the top four during her three years of competition at Miss Massachusetts (America), placing first runner up for the past two years. Valerie was Massachusetts Outstanding Teen 2001 and Massachusetts National Teenager 2003 and currently works as a coach for teen pageant contestants. Valerie attends the University of Massachusetts where she is double majoring in English and Political Science and hopes to attend law school after graduation, and she is also the founder and director of YouthSTAT, an initiative to encourage youth to volunteer.