Sports Illustrated is taking its swimsuit competition to television with a six-episode reality series that will lead to the winner’s appearance in the annual swimsuit issue.
“The Sports Illustrated Fresh Faces Competition” will air on NBC early next year.
(MSNBC is a joint venture between NBC and Microsoft.)
It’s not the first time the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue has appeared on television. The issue’s photo shoots have been the subject of TV specials, and a similar “Fresh Faces” competition last year culminated in the winner — Michelle Lombardo — appearing on “Dateline NBC.”
Last year’s competition was promoted in the magazine and online, Sports Illustrated spokesman Rick McCabe said. This year, a nationwide search will be conducted for finalists, who will live in Los Angeles for a time. The series will focus on how winning the event would change the lives of the aspiring models. They will compete for the chance to be one of two women who will be flown to what NBC called “an exotic location” for a photo shoot. The series finale, in February, will give viewers the chance to vote for the winner.
The winner gets her picture in the 2005 swimsuit issue and a $1 million modeling contract.