Mary-Kate & Ashley Starring In #6: The Challenge (Mary-Kate and Ashley Starring in) - Softcover

Olsen, Mary-Kate & Ashley

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060567023 ISBN 13: 9780060567026

Publisher: HarperEntertainment, 2003

Synopsis

Mary-Kate and Ashley go to Mexico to compete in a Survivor-like TV reality show!

About this title

About the Author

Mary-Kate and Ashley have been celebrities since the day when, at the age of nine months, they joined the cast of the hit sitcom "Full House" in their shared role as Michelle. Each of Mary-Kate and Ashley's 14 years since has witnessed the outstanding expansion of their popularity...their fans have literally grown up alongside the twins! First in television and feature films, Mary-Kate and Ashley now appear in videos, music, interactive software, fashion dolls and accessories, and more. Their latest ventures include launching their official website and debuting a line of licensed fashion clothing, as well as their very own magazine in spring 2001.

Mary-Kate & Ashley books launched in 1990, and today the various book series continue to grow to reflect the ever-evolving lifestyles of kids, 'tweens, and teens. HarperEntertainment and Parachute Publishing release twenty-five books a year and have sold more than 30 million copies. Mary-Kate and Ashley's two book series Two of a Kind and The New Adventures of Mary Kate and Ashley are frequent USA Today bestsellers. And Mary-Kate & Ashleynovelties, such as Wall Calendars, a Mood Diary, a Be My Valentinecard-making kit, and the movie tie-in series, Starring-In continue to be hugely popular.

The growth of the Mary-Kate & Ashley brand has afforded Parachute and Harper the opportunity to work with companies such as Acclaim Entertainment, Mattel Inc., Warner Home Video, Kid Rhino, Lightyear Entertainment, Sail with the Stars on cross-promotional and cross-merchandise projects, including a very special, book-dedicated area on mary-kateandashley.com -- Now Read This!

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Mary-Kate & Ashley Starring In #6: The Challenge

By Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen

HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Copyright © 2006 Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0060567023

Chapter One

"I need a gimmick!" television host Max Trevor cried in his production office in Hollywood. "The ratings are down. We've got to do something soon or the network will cancel our show!"

"Calm down, Max," his assistant, Sasha, said.

"I can't calm down, Sash!" Max screamed. "We need more people to watch The Challenge or we're history!"

Marcus Wilson stood in the doorway to Max's office with two videotapes in his hands. The eighteen-year-old intern smiled to himself. The famous Max Trevor was in trouble, and Marcus was going to save his show! "I think I've got something you should see," he said, marching over to the two VCRs in Max's office. He popped a videotape into each one.

He'd been working as a paid intern for a few weeks on The Challenge, the reality TV show Max produced and hosted. Most of Marcus's time was spent copying scripts and fetching coffee. But his favorite part of the job was screening audition tapes. They came in from high school students who wanted to be on the show.

Okay, so maybe The Challenge was a lot like other reality-based TV shows set in tropical paradises where a group of people had to eat slime to stay alive. But there was one thing that set it apart: the prize. A full college scholarship for every contestant on the winning team.

"Check this out," Marcus said as he flipped on the VCR and started the first tape.

Max and Sasha stared at the beautiful young blond on the screen. She was wearing a chic black sweater and short leather skirt. "Hi, I'm Lizzie Dalton, from Washington, D.C.," the girl said. "And I'm ready for The Challenge!"

Marcus pushed PAUSE to freeze-frame on her face. Then he clicked the remote for the second VCR. It was another audition tape, but the girl on it looked just like Lizzie. Only this girl had her blond hair in braids, and she was wearing a funky tie-dyed shirt over a peasant skirt.

"Hi, I'm Shane Dalton, from L.A., and I'm. ready for The Challenge!" The girl smiled, raised two fingers in the air, and gave the peace sign.

Max shook his head. "She has a split personality" he said. "That's so sad. She can't go to college."

"Wake up, Max," Sasha said. "They're twins! This could be perfect!"

"It's more than perfect," Marcus explained. "The parents are divorced. Shane lives with the mother in Los Angeles, California. Lizzie lives with the father in Washington, D.C. And they're total opposites."

Max leaned forward in his seat. "Tell me more."

"Well, Lizzie's into ambition," Marcus went on. "The other one, nutrition. Lizzie wants to hang out with political types at Georgetown U. The other one is a vegetarian who wants to go to Berkeley. If my radar is right, I'm guessing these two sisters hate each other."

Max jumped up. "Marcus, you're a genius!" He clapped him on the back. "And you know what else? If this sisters-who-hate-each-other thing works, I'll give you an extra five thousand bucks as a bonus.

"Seriously?" Marcus's eyes opened wide. He could really use the money for college in the fall.

Max nodded. "Book these girls for the show," he said, "and when we start production, I want you to get all the dirt on them. You're my spy, understand?"

"Yeah," Marcus said, feeling a little funny about that part. It was one thing to set these girls up. It was another to spy on them. But it was all part of the job, right? "Okay, I'm your spy," he agreed.

"What is this place -- paradise?" Shane Dalton asked, stepping onto the set of The Challenge. She gazed around at the exotic flowering plants that surrounded the resort hotel in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

"I could live here the rest of my life!" the girl next to Shane said as they walked down a stone path toward the beach.

No kidding, Shane thought. The sun was almost setting in the distance, and it cast a beautiful red orange glow on everything. At the end of the path was a circle of tiki torches surrounding benches made out of logs. In the center Shane saw a big pit of fire.

That's it, she thought, immediately recognizing the set of the Campfire Council from the television show The Challenge.

Five other teenagers were already in the circle when Shane and the other girl arrived. Shane glanced at them, wondering which ones would be on her team.

A guy with stylish brown hair and the cutest dimples Shane had ever seen flashed her a grin.

Shane smiled back. If we're choosing up sides, I pick him, she thought.

"I'm JJ," the girl walking beside Shane said, tossing her long dark hair over her blue sequined halter top. She was wearing tight jeans and strappy black heels that clicked on the stone walkway. "I'm from Miami Beach."

"Hi," Shane said. "Shane Dalton. Los Angeles."

A guy with sun-bleached surfer hair jumped up and jerked his thumb toward the water. "Check it out! The ocean's right there!" he said. "Man, Jet-Skis! Parasailing! This is the bomb!"

"We're not here for a vacation," a girl with silky brown hair snapped. She was tan, buff, and toned. "We're here to take -- "

"The Challenge!" Shane and the others all blurted out, laughing. It was the tag line from the show. All the Warriors from The Challenge said it at least five times per episode.

Shane gazed out at the water. She could hardly believe she was on the beach in Mexico -- or that she was a contestant on a reality TV show. After all, she was all about being in touch with her inner chi and holding onto her spiritual calm -- not competition.

This was more the kind of thing her twin sister would be into. Not that Shane really cared what her sister was into anymore. The two of them hadn't seen or spoken to each other since their parents got divorced two years ago."So what's your talent?" JJ asked.

"My talent?" Shane was surprised. "I didn't know you had to have one. This isn't a beauty contest or anything, is it?"

JJ opened her mouth to answer, but just then they both noticed a huge scruffy man moving around to Shane's left. He was wearing a black The Challenge T-shirt and carrying a professional video camera on his shoulder. He had the thing aimed right at her.

"Oh, wow. Are we being taped?" Shane asked.

Continues...

Excerpted from Mary-Kate & Ashley Starring In #6: The Challengeby Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen Copyright © 2006 by Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen. Excerpted by permission.
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Edition details

• Publisher: HarperEntertainment
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060567023
• ISBN 13: 9780060567026
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96