UPN UNVEILS THE 13 FINALISTS WHO WILL COMPETE ON "THE ROAD TO STARDOM WITH MISSY ELLIOTT"

Thirteen aspiring vocal performers will be traveling coast-to-coast on UPN's THE ROAD TO STARDOM WITH MISSY ELLIOTT with Grammy Award-winning artist Missy Elliott, where they will live together on the road in an austere tour bus and compete against each other for a record contract, a released single and $100,000. The finalists were announced today in anticipation of the premiere, Wednesday, Jan. 5 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on UPN.

THE ROAD TO STARDOM participants are:

Name: Akil
Occupation: Teacher
Age: 23
Hometown: Jersey City, N.J.

Name: Cori
Occupation: Recent College Graduate
Age: 21
Hometown: Orlando, Fla.

Name: Deltrice
Occupation: Clothing Designer
Age: 23
Hometown: San Francisco

Name: Eddie
Occupation: Construction Worker
Age: 25
Hometown: New Orleans

Name: Frank B
Occupation: Construction Worker
Age: 21
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Name: Heather
Occupation: Student
Age: 22
Hometown: Boston

Name: Jessica
Occupation: Writer
Age: 23
Hometown: Chicago

Name: Marcus
Occupation: Security Guard
Age: 24
Hometown: Houston

Name: Matthew
Occupation: Theme Park Entertainer
Age: 25
Hometown: Orlando, Fla.

Name: Melissa
Occupation: Student
Age: 19
Hometown: Plymouth, Minn.

Name: Nic
Occupation: Disc Jockey
Age: 29
Hometown: Aliso Viejo, Calif.

Name: Nilyne
Occupation: Make-up Artist/Student
Age: 23
Hometown: Plainfield, N.J.

Name: Yelawolf
Occupation: Contract Artist (mural painting)
Age: 24
Hometown: Rainbow City, Ala.

Selected from thousands who auditioned across America, UPN's new dramality series features a diverse group of singers and rappers, ranging in age from 19-29, as they transform into multi-talented entertainers while facing weekly tests that determine who can make the cut. While dealing with the ups-and-downs of life on the road, this select group will be challenged in a variety of ways and, with Missy's guidance, be exposed to top music industry insiders, all under the 24-hour-a-day surveillance of THE ROAD TO STARDOM WITH MISSY ELLIOTT cameras that chronicle every move.

Missy leads the panel of music industry judges, including Grammy Award nominated R&B singer/songwriter/producer/performer Teena Marie; Grammy Award-winning producer Dallas Austin, who has created hits with some of music's top artists, including Madonna, TLC, Pink and most recently, Gwen Stefani; and president of Violator Management Mona Scott, who represents Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent and Tweet, among others. This panel will eliminate one performer each episode until only one is left standing to claim the $100,000 prize. Then, Missy will help launch the winner's career by signing them to her record label and releasing their first single.

Arnold Shapiro ("Big Brother"), Allison Grodner ("Big Brother"), Mona Scott, Jay Blumenfield and Anthony Marsh are executive producers. Missy Elliott is co-executive producer. Mona Scott and Jessica Horowitz are creators. THE ROAD TO STARDOM WITH MISSY ELLIOTT is a production of Shapiro/Grodner Productions in association with Monami, Inc.