In the first week of December, Seattle Public Schools were visited by MTV’s highly syndicated reality television show, “MADE.” The award winning show was said to want to shoot in the greater Seattle area, looking for that new special person to give a six month chance. “MADE” is a well known TV show that takes young hopefuls and helps give them a shot at their dream with the guidance of a coach.

Over the course of its seven year run, people across the nation have witnessed true acts of adversity on “MADE,” which have been the focus of the show’s self improvement theme. Nerds have been made into cheerleaders; uncoordinated people have been made into basketball stars. While some people’s reasons might not have been as noble as others, many have found happiness in their new-found confidence and put in hard work to become who they’ve always wanted to be.

Some, however, identify the show more for being an hour-long cry fest rather than a tale of overcoming the odds. Although the end product is almost always positive and the person(s) are almost always successfully made one way or another, the actual journey makes for some great unadulterated entertainment. People have had breakdowns, injuries, and some just wanted the “made” part without putting in any work, resulting in tension between the dreamers and their coaches. Well, MTV decided Washington State was their next stop and had many of Garfield’s own students wanting a shot on national television.

After the 2:30 bell rang, indicating the end of the school day on December 2, many were already flooding outside of the AC room in the commons with their “MADE” applications in hand. Each student who wanted an interview with the show had to complete a brief questionnaire. About 50 students crowded around, hoping for the best.

Walking around the commons, I saw many students at the scene. Some were nervous, a few were shaking. I was curious to see what some of the students wanted to become if given a chance on the show. Senior Naomi Perry wanted to be a high fashion supermodel (as if she wasn’t one already). Senior Kevin Cho wanted to become an MMA Fighter. I also caught up with yearbook staff members Ruby Li and Parker Jones, who wanted to become a roller derby girl and a break dancer, respectively. When questioned about whether Parker’s tall stature (he’s over six-foot-six) would get in the way of his chances at becoming a B-boy, he simply replied “I think it will give me a better chance at getting on the show.” Freshman Julian Cooper was confident in his chances at becoming a standup comedian and even Garfield’s own ASG Vice-President Michael Cunetta was there. “I want to be made into a singer in time to sing ‘One Time’ by Justin Bieber at the talent show.”

When Nate, the man from “MADE” conducting the interviews, stepped out of the AC to begin, he looked astounded. I believe it was due to the fact that he had never seen such a diverse group of people at one school. Garfield is known for its diverse student population, but also has its fair share of cliques. Yet even I started to become amazed. There were white students, African-American students, Asian students, Hispanic students, students I knew, and students I didn’t know; each one with a dream. Soon, the first of many interviews began.

Many students seemed ready for their interview, but there was one student who caught my eye. Sitting in the corner of the commons all by himself was none other than senior Derek Yates. He appeared very nervous, borderline sick, and sweated more than the average student in attendance. I wanted to know what was wrong with him. I asked him whether he was alright and what he wanted to be made into. “Yeah, don’t worry, I’m okay. Just a little nervous. I want to be a competitive beater … er … I mean eater. Sorry, do you know if the bathrooms are still unlocked?” Something didn’t seem right about him, and I was worried. He seemed to choke on his own saliva and scratched his neck again and again. Derek, however, was lucky enough to be one of the first to get interviewed.

According to the students, the interviews consisted of fairly standard questions: more or less the same as on the application. The interviews were also filmed, and lasted for several hours in total. A few days later, when asked about when we would hear back from “MADE”, Athletic Director Jim Valiere said, “MADE is already interested in some students. But first we need to sign off permission for them to use the building if they return.” It’s looking good so far, Garfield.