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The Competition

The Competition

By: Wondery
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What do a girl whose mother crossed the border as a teen and an 18 year old who just won the Republican primary have in common? The Competition.

Did you know that every summer, 50 of the nation’s best and brightest high school seniors—one from every state—descend on Mobile, Alabama to take part in the country’s most lucrative scholarship competition exclusively for teen girls?The Competition takes you behind the scenes of the Distinguished Young Women program (formerly known as America’s Junior Miss) and follows seven radically different teenage girls as they experience the highs and lows of competing for two weeks. But, what happens when a Supreme Court decision catapults all 50 girls into the center of a nationwide debate about their rights as women in America? After fighting for months to make it to nationals to take home the $40,000 top prize, the girls are faced with a tough decision: do they speak up for their political beliefs or do they stay focused on winning the money? And what might this mean for their futures – and their friendships?

Host Shima Oliaee (Dolly Parton’s America, Pink Card) was Nevada’s contestant in 2001. More than 20 years later, she returns to Alabama as a judge.

Binge all episodes of The Competition exclusively and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-competition/ now.

© 2024 Wondery LLC. All rights reserved. Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Introducing: The Competition

    Introducing: The Competition
    Apr 4 2024

    Over six episodes, The Competition takes you behind the scenes of one of America’s most lucrative scholarship programs for high school senior girls. We follow seven girls as they experience the highs and lows of competing against the best and brightest, away from home and under the most high-stress circumstances. What can two weeks with 50 of the country’s most ambitious teens tell us about girlhood in America?

    Follow The Competition on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to The Competition early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.


    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    3 mins
  • 49 Girls is a Lot | 1

    49 Girls is a Lot | 1
    Apr 8 2024

    At the start of the competition, 50 teenage girls, one from each state, gather in Mobile, Alabama, to embark on two of the most intense weeks of their lives. Everybody wants the same thing: to walk away with a $40,000 cash prize and the title of Distinguished Young Woman of America. First impressions are everything and it feels like the first day of school. How will the reps from Tennessee, California, Montana and Colorado handle their new world?

    Listen to The Competition on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to The Competition early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-competition/ now.


    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    44 mins
  • Where to Find Episodes 2-6

    Where to Find Episodes 2-6
    Jan 6 2025

    Binge all episodes of The Competition exclusively and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-competition/ now.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 min
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Way too much talk of abortion. I understand why it came up, but this is an extremely devisive and sensitive issue. As a mom who has lost babies (including a stillbirth), and had another baby born prematurely, as well as a mother and sister who almost got aborted themselves, this issue is one that feels personal to me. There should have been a trigger warning, and if I had known this was going to be brought up so many times, and in such a biased way, I would not have listened. Again, I understand why the topic came up. But it didn't need to be talked about to the extent that it was, and should have been presented in a non biased way.

tone down the abortion talk

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