7 episodes
The Competition Wondery
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- Society & Culture
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4.2 • 130 Ratings
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What do a girl whose mother crossed the border as a teen and an 18 year old who just won the Republican primary have in common? The Competition.
Did you know that every summer, 50 of the nation’s best and brightest high school seniors—one from every state—descend on Mobile, Alabama to take part in the country’s most lucrative scholarship competition exclusively for teen girls?The Competition takes you behind the scenes of the Distinguished Young Women program (formerly known as America’s Junior Miss) and follows seven radically different teenage girls as they experience the highs and lows of competing for two weeks. But, what happens when a Supreme Court decision catapults all 50 girls into the center of a nationwide debate about their rights as women in America? After fighting for months to make it to nationals to take home the $40,000 top prize, the girls are faced with a tough decision: do they speak up for their political beliefs or do they stay focused on winning the money? And what might this mean for their futures – and their friendships?
Host Shima Oliaee (Dolly Parton’s America, Pink Card) was Nevada’s contestant in 2001.More than 20 years later, she returns to Alabama as a judge.
Follow The Competition on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to The Competition early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. New episodes release weekly on Mondays.
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49 Girls is a Lot
At the start of the competition, 50 teenage girls, one from each state, gather in Mobile, Alabama, to embark on two of the most intense weeks of their lives. Everybody wants the same thing: to walk away with a $40,000 cash prize and the title of Distinguished Young Woman of America. First impressions are everything and it feels like the first day of school. How will the reps from Tennessee, California, Montana and Colorado handle their new world?
Follow The Competition on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to The Competition early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.
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What am I Doing Here?
It’s fitness time, baby! Through hours of rehearsals with very few breaks, some girls struggle to keep up with the comically difficult fitness routine. It raises the question, why would accomplished teens—like those from New Mexico, Arizona and Maryland—sign up for this? And, despite their behind-the-scenes aches, do it all with a smile?
Follow The Competition on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Listen everywhere on April 29th or you can binge early and ad-free on Wondery+ starting April 15th. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. -
I Wanted to Do Something Provocative
The pressure mounts as the girls enter talent rehearsals. For the first time, all 50 competitors will practice their solo talents on the big stage for each other. There are no judges yet— it’s just a jury of their peers. But the pressure is crushing. Star singers from California and Colorado are expected to be standouts, while Arizona is worried about just making it through. Who will come out on top?
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Pick Me, Love Me, Choose Me
The girls get ready for the most intense job interview they’ve ever had: the 10-minute, rapid-fire judges’ interview. It’s the first and only chance for the judges to get to know the girls on a deeper level, but Shima finds it challenging to break through their professional facades. How will the judges pick a winner? Unexpectedly, the DYW beach party reveals a side of the girls they’ve kept hidden since arrival.
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I Think It's Going to Get Ugly
It's time for the semifinals! Spirits are high, and it seems like nothing can break the girls’ cheerful mood. That is, until a controversial ruling from the outside world pops the Mobile bubble. Dividing lines are drawn between the girls, and some find it difficult to proceed as if nothing has happened. The show must go on…but everything has changed.
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It Could Be You
The top eight compete on stage one last time for the title of Distinguished Young Woman. How will the runners-up react to the judges’ decision? After the competition, Shima travels across the country to visit the girls in their first year of college, and discovers how their lives are unfolding after their fateful summer in Mobile.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Customer Reviews
Fascinating Insights Into the World of High-Achieving Teenage Girls in America
I loved the blend of self-reflection, historical flashbacks, and contemporary comments by teenage girls involved in the National Finals of Distinguished Young Women. The podcast does a great job of highlighting the rigor of the program and the diversity of girls involved.
One of my favorite new podcasts
I listed to it all in a day! Great reporting and such a unique POV from Shima. Loved this.
Love this show!
Great job putting the show together Shima!