A total of 10 unknown actresses comprised the Scream Queens cast on VH1 and on Monday, November 8, 2008, the final episode aired and fans learned that the winner of Scream Queens is Tanedra.
The prize?VH1's Scream Queens winner Tanedra will appear in a "break-out role" in the latest of installment of Saw VI.
The Scream Queens Competition
The Scream Queens competition was not an easy one for newbie actress Tanedra Howard. Tanedra, a 28-year-old waitress from Inglewood, California, started out as one of ten aspiring actresses vying for the title of "Scream Queen."
The Scream Queens cast started out with ten girls:
- Angela Anderson, 21, a hostess from San Diego, California;
- Jessica Palette, 23, a waitress from Bolton, Massachusetts;
- Jo-Anne Krupa, 26, a ballet and pilates instructor from Hertfordshire, England;
- Kylah Kim, 27, a model from Dallas, Texas;
- Lina So, 25, an actress from Las Vegas, Nevada;
- Lindsay Felton, 23, a child actress who starred in Nickelodeon's Caitlins Way, from Seattle, Washington;
- Marissa Skell, 22, an actress from Islip, New York;
- Michelle Galdenzi, 21, a student from Spring, Texas;
- Sarah Agor, 23, from Marlboro, New Jersey, and;
- Tanedra Howard, 28, an waitress from Inglewood, California
Tanedra's Evolution from Aspiring Actress to VH1 Scream Queens WInner
Throughout the competition, Tanedra was the naturally-talented underdog, the only young actress on Scream Queens cast without any formal training. Tanedra explained in the premier episode of Scream Queens that she grew up in a family that could not afford expensive acting lessons. So with a passion for acting and a dream of one day becoming a star, she taught herself how to act.
From day one, Tanedra Howard was the clear front-runner of Scream Queens; the one actress who delivered consistent performances across the board, causing her to win immunity challenge after immunity challenge on the show. Tanedra's frequent immunity challenge wins secured a guaranteed a call-back for the following week of the Scream Queens acting competition.
The Three Scream Queens Finalists
Tanedra went into the final Scream Queens competition with two other finalists: Michelle and Lindsay.
Lindsay - the actress with the most professional experience - should have blown her Scream Queens cast mates out of the water with her talent and knowledge of the workings of show business. But Lindsay's deep insecurities created a stumbling block time and time again. In her own words, she "let herself get in the way" during the acting competitions, over-thinking her scenes and allowing her deep-rooted insecurity to take hold. Lindsay made it to the final three on Scream Queens, but she was unable to secure a spot in the top two.
The other finalist, Michelle, can best be described as Lindsay's antithesis in terms of her image. Throughout the competition, Michelle displayed tremendous self-confidence and, at times, conceit. Appearing rather cocky and even snobby at times, Michelle failed to find her emotional center until the latter portion of the competition.
"When you're good, you're great, and when you're bad, you're absolutely terrible," Scream Queens host and veteran Saw actress Shawnee Smith told Michelle during one elimination ceremony. After she found herself as candidate for elimination at one point in the competition, Michelle was able to overcome her acting demons - inconsistency, namely - to deliver quality acting performances in the final few acting challenges, securing her spot in the top two.
Ultimately, the Scream Queens judges felt that Tanedra's consistently believable performances made her the top pick. And with that, Tanedra was named "Scream Queen."
Lionsgate Entertainment and Twisted Pictures' Saw VI is set for release into U.S. theatres on October 23, 2009.
Visit the Scream Queens Cast Profile to learn more about the girls of VH1's Scream Queens!
Mia Carter - Mia Carter - Journalist, Producer/Editor & Web Writer. Carter's work has appeared on CBS and CNN.com.
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