Many people have the dream of making it big one day. Some move to California or New York for a chance at that "big break." For most, their 15 minutes of fame never come, but for 29-year-old Hicksville native Michael "Mikey" Jerome, 15 minutes has turned into a chance of a lifetime.

As of press time, Jerome was one of the four finalists remaining on the third season of SOAPNet's I Wanna Be A Soap Star, a reality show in which the winner gets a role on a national televised soap opera. This season's winner will win a 13-week role on ABC's One Life to Live; season two's winner Alec Musser landed the role of Del Henry on All My Children while season one winner Mykel Shannon Jenkins was cast as Byron Murphy on General Hospital.

Open casting calls for the show began in late 2005 and some 5,000 people auditioned at three locations - New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. After about four callbacks, Jerome was notified that he had been selected one of 10 finalists - five men and five women.

A 1995 graduate of Hicksville High School, Jerome majored in education at Cortland College. After teaching for a while and holding a job in sales Jerome decided to pursue his dream and passion for acting. He moved to California where, while working as a bartender outside of Los Angeles, he looked for an agent and hired an acting coach. Jerome said he went on several unsuccessful auditions for commercials and television shows, but it wasn't until the SOAPNet series that perseverance paid off.

Jerome said he was watching ABC soaps One Life to Live and General Hospital with his girlfriend Misty when he saw a commercial advertising open casting calls for the SOAPNet reality series. "The next morning, I got up at 5:45 a.m. and went to Prospect Studios in Hollywood. I waited on line with 2,000 people and eventually got teamed up with two other people to do this improvisation thing," said Jerome, adding that in his first audition scene he had to react to his girlfriend dying, but with a twist.

"They said this is your girlfriend. She is going to die. You have one minute to tell how much you love her and after she dies her best friend is going to be standing next to you. She is going to tell you that [she and your girlfriend] have been lesbian lovers during your whole relationship," Jerome said of his initial audition.

After about a month and a half and about four more auditions, Jerome received the call that he had been selected a contestant. "I always believed that somehow I would get on TV but I was so thankful because the odds of getting on any show [are so slim]. I was pretty shocked and couldn't believe I made it," Jerome said, adding, "I truly believed that this is my destiny, [but] when it truly happens for you it's a scary feeling."

I Wanna Be A Soap Star's third season began shooting in February and the contestants were sequestered away in true reality show fashion - spending 24 hours a day over the course of the next 10 days together with no contact with the outside world.

With the cameras rolling continuously, the contestants had to make their on-camera performances as convincing as their off-camera drama. The pressure, however, didn't end when their scene did as they had to get along while living together on a sound stage with real soap sets - eating, sleeping and drinking the life of a soap star day and night.

Over the course of the filming, the contestants are aided by such veteran soap actors as Melissa Archer and Forbes March (Natalie Vega and Nash Brennen, respectively, on One Life to Live); Corbin Bernsen (John Durant on General Hospital); Catherine Hickland (Lindsay Rappaport on One Life to Live); and Julie Pinson (Billie Reed on Days of Our Lives) among others. Host Cameron Mathison (Ryan Lavery on All My Children) guided them through acting challenges, giving them a sampling of the skills necessary to act in the distinctively sultry and passionate soap opera world. Their challenges for this season's show included surviving a bus crash, acting like a diva and being part of a passionate on-screen love scene.

After each challenge, a three-person panel of judges, talent manager Michael Bruno, actress Debbi Morgan (Port Charles, General Hospital and All My Children) and One Life to Live casting director Julie Madison, evaluated the contestants and, after each episode, one is, as they say in the soap opera world, "killed off."

According to the SOAPNet I Wanna Be A Soap Star website, Jerome is described as a "sensitive young man who believes his future in soap stardom was meant to be" who believes his "positive attitude, looks, height and ability to show emotion will help him win." The judges must agree because, as of episode seven, which aired Thursday night, Jerome remained the only male contestant among the four remaining finalists. As a result of him surviving yet another cut, Jerome can be seen again in episode eight, which will air July 27.

To date, male contestants Ayinde Jones, 25, from Gary, IN; Dean Cochran, 35, from New Orleans, LA; Lukas Hassel, 35, of Copenhagen, Denmark; and Michael Albanese, 23, from Fairfield, CT have gotten the boot as have female contestants Lindsey Spruill, 28, of Manchester, England and Lauren Ryland, 30, of Western Springs, IL, who was eliminated on the July 20 show. In addition to Jerome, the remaining contestants include Elizabeth "BethAnn" Bonner, 24, of Washington, DC; Shamika Cotton, 29, of Cincinnati, OH; and fellow Long Islander Kelly McGarry, 30, of Smithtown.

Due to the nature of reality shows and their strict confidentiality policies, Jerome could not comment on whether he is or isn't the winner or who, for that matter, is. He did, however, say that he plans to continue pursuing his dream of becoming an actor.

"I love acting and believe that in life you have to do things that you love. If you do, you are going to have a pretty happy life," he said. "I will continue to work hard as an actor [and] will take with me all the great experiences from this show."

I Wanna Be A Soap Star airs on SOAPNet on Thursdays at 11 p.m. For more information, check you local listings or visit www. soapnet.go.com/shows/soapstar3.com. In addition, look for updates on Jerome in future issues of the Hicksville Illustrated News.