Cypress Lake students hope to make 'Made'

Anxious chatter filled the Cypress Lake High auditorium recently as students lined up for a spot on a popular MTV teen show.

The show, entitled “Made,” takes students and uses personal trainers or life coaches to boost their confidence and make them football players, dancers or dirt-bike riders.

“It’s taking kids that have dreamed of being something and haven’t been able to achieve it yet,” said Shannon Kanady, the school’s cheerleading coach and activities coordinator.

Kanady, who worked with MTV to coordinate the open casting, spent Tuesday afternoon keeping more than 50 students quiet while others talked to show producers.

“We are an arts school and we do a lot of art-related (programs) so it helps to have casting calls like this,” said Kanady, who made certain all students had their parents’ permission to be filmed.

Show hopefuls were interviewed on camera for 15 minutes about their goals, reasons for wanting to be on the show and how it would change their lives.

“I want to be a hip-hop dancer ... never really had the chance to do it or had someone to teach me,” said Kevin Gordon, 17, of Cape Coral.

The senior was in line for almost an hour before he was allowed to audition. “I can only do one type of dance ... and that’s it.”
Being made into a dancer, Gordon said, is his dream but he is still a little embarrassed to admit it to his fellow students.

“It’d be quite an experience and my brother would be shocked. He is obsessed with MTV,” said Gordon.

Jay Fager, 17, was also in line hoping to convince show producers that she just needed to become a saxophone player.

“I had a dream that whenever I watch jazz performance ... I’ve always had a desire to play,” said Fager, a senior, about finally having a shot at it.

Fager was “extremely nervous” and anxious while awaiting her turn to audition.

“It’s a little embarrassing. I didn’t think that they’d come to Cypress Lake High but it’d be cool to be on TV,” Fager said.

Producers from the MTV network were unavailable for comment but Kanady said four other schools in the state would have open castings as well.

“It will be three weeks to a month before we find out if one of our kids is chosen,” said Kanady about the show, which will take up to five months to produce, including shooting parts of a student’s day at the school and at home. “It’s a great opportunity for kids who wouldn’t normally try something and support them to achieve their goal.”