Congratulations to Danya Alhamrani, a Saudi-American originally from Bismarck, ND, winner of the first-ever "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations FAN-atic Special" Casting Call.
Danya will be featured in the "FAN-atic Special," and will serve as Tony's guide (fixer) through Saudi Arabia as he and the Zero Point Zero crew film in May 2008.
Danya's video was selected as one of four finalists from a pool of over 1,300 video submissions! After a second interview process, conducted by Tony and the producers at Zero Point Zero, Danya was hand-selected by Tony.
"Ms. Alhamrani is a rather extraordinary woman, and it's a real opportunity here to work with her and to learn more about a country that for many remains a mystery. I know that few Americans really know anything about Saudi Arabia and everyday Saudi life -- I certainly do not. Danya proposed a very well-thought-out, well-balanced hour of television in a place entirely out of my previous range of experience -- and that is where we're going."
Although Danya was selected the winner, the other three finalists did not go home disappointed. Eric Rivera, Augusto Elefanio and Nelson Starr all submitted videos that, according to Tony, were too good to pass up.
"We'll be seeing all these guys again for sure -- and on television."
Learn more about Danya Alhamrani
Read Danya's Journal
Danya reports on expectations, hesitations and the day-to-day experience of working with Anthony Bourdain.
And be on the lookout for new blog entries from Anthony Bourdain, detailing how the remaining three finalists will contribute to future episodes.
Congratulations, Danya!
RSS Feeds