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| Former Miss Bahamas auditions for 106 & Park host job |
Renee Farquharson
Guardian Lifestyles Intern
Published: Sep 07, 2012
She was a featured model on the hit reality TV show “The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency” and starred in a music video. And she has walked the runway for a number of fashion shows around the world and stood before the lens modeling the latest fashions. She also has the title of beauty queen under her belt, and now former Miss Bahamas, Braneka Bassett, has turned her sights on trying to snag one of the most coveted spots on television. She recently auditioned live for the job of host of “106 & Park”, the popular BET video countdown television show. Bassett was her usual beautiful self as she hung out with host Rocsi Diaz, who is leaving the show. Bassett auditioned to replace Diaz. But, you could hear the nerves come through a little, as she chatted with Rocsi. Speaking to The Nassau Guardian, Bassett said preparing for the audition was not as nerve-wracking as one would think, and that she had been more excited than anything else. "I was just excited the whole entire time ... My mind and heart were racing,” she said. “The show is seen all over the world, so to be chosen to interview as a host for that was amazing. I was so anxious and ready and proud." During the live audition, Bassett was introduced as a candidate for the hosting job by Rocsi, and tried her hand at introducing a few videos on the countdown. She shared the spotlight with artists who stopped by to debut new singles on the countdown, and really brought her own brand of infectious excitement as she introduced the videos on the countdown, and told the audience what was coming up next. Bassett’s live interview show came on right before the popular gospel show "Sunday Best", which was gearing up for its season finale and Bassett gave the audience a cheeky sneak peak into the two finalists of the show that were to interview later with Rocsi. With two successful appearances, Bassett's last segment on the show featured a one-on-one talk with Rocsi, who asked her why she wanted to be the next host of “106 & Park” and what she would bring to the “106 & Park” table. Bassett tackled the tough question with an excited and sincere answer which made her instantly likable. And if the applause by the audience was any indication, she was definitely liked. And Bassett, who says on her Facebook page that you have to dream anyways, so to always dream big, love life and God, became emotional when she spoke about her belief in inspiring young people to pursue their dreams. The former Miss Bahamas heard about the auditions for the job from social networking sites and she immediately knew she wanted to try out. "I saw they were searching for the next host online and on Twitter and it piqued my interest of course. Me and my mom, we just started to send emails out trying to get my name out there, made a hosting video and we sent it out to one of the BET contacts and one of them picked it up," she said. Bassett said the wait to hear from the network was interminable, and that she didn’t hear anything for weeks — so much so, that the call she got to fly to New York to audition came as a complete surprise. She said it was a rush to get to New York and get ready for her audition in front of millions. "The possibility of being a host made me overjoyed, when I got the opportunity I was excited. My dad came out there with me crying the entire time,” she said. And Bassett said getting the job as host of “106 & Park” would be amazing as it would provide her with the opportunity to not only encourage the youth to pursue their dreams, but to be a positive role models for the young people who watch the show. "With all these kids eyes on me doing my thing and during my reign, it became inspiring to me and it inspires me even more because teenagers are listening to me, and knowing that if I get this job everyday my voice will be heard is amazing,” said Bassett. And she said she would love the opportunity to live and work in the Big Apple. If she gets the job, Bassett would be hosting a highly watched television show on the network, that is famous for having the livest audience on television. Since its inception in 2000, the show has escalated to BET’s number one rated show. The show is a showcase for young black artists and moguls in the Hip Hop world, and has featured hosts who have been catapulted into stardom through exposure from the popular television series. Basset, who dreams of becoming an actress, is no stranger to the hard work involved with following your dreams. Born and raised in Grand Bahama, she relocated to the United States with her family and has been pursuing her goals ever since. At the age of 16, Basset convinced her parents to move to Los Angeles to pursue a modeling career and achieved success by debuting on the first three seasons of the Oxygen network reality show, "The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency." In 2010, Bassett embarked on a new journey and entered the Miss Bahamas beauty pageant winning the prestigious title, and becoming the only contestant in the history of the pageant to go to both the Miss World and Miss Universe pageants in a year. Bassett landed a semifinal spot in Miss World which secured her a spot in the top 25 finalists. Since her reign as Miss Bahamas, Bassett has thrown herself wholeheartedly into acting and is currently studying at the prestigious Ivana Chubbuck Acting Studio. |
