Austinite Zach Anner wants to be the next daytime talk show star and by all indications, he has a serious shot.
When media maven Oprah Winfrey announced she was leaving daytime talk, she concurrently launched a search for a new face to carry on her legacy with Your Own Show, Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star. The winner will host a show (co-produced with Survivor creator Mark Burnett) on the new O Network.
Auditions have been held across the country, while others have auditioned online. Anner submitted his audition reel and broke through the cacophony, earning over one million thumbs up votes from viewers, becoming an Internet sensation in the process. Anner promised voters he would crawl the 2011 Austin Marathon if he reached one million votes. He’s now in training for the marathon. The high marks also put him in the running among the top five picks who have a shot at hosting their own daytime talk show.
Anner’s pitch is funny and compelling. And, oh yeah … he has cerebral palsy (which he calls “the sexiest of the palsies”) and suggests doing a travel show where viewers learn how to deal with things when they go wrong, or, as in his case, how to not let physical limitations stop you from enjoying yourself. (As a person who’s been limping around on crutches, this totally hooked me).
Bright, funny, self-effacing, honest, and well … why take my word for it?
And here’s the video Zach made after he found out millions of people had voted for him …
Hat tip: NY Mag Vulture blog.
This article appears in June 11 • 2010.