Santa Monica CA/Stamford Conn. (October 7 2002) – WWE™ Tough Enough™ 3 a co-production of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. and MTV kicks off its third season on MTV on October 17th at 10pm (ET/PT). The series documents the trials excitement and challenges experienced by 13 competitors as they vie to become the WWE’s™ next Superstars. Two competitors will win the ultimate prize – contracts with WWE™.

An open casting call was held for WWE™ Tough Enough™ 3 through taped submissions. After receiving thousands of tapes MTV and WWE™ executives conducted in-depth phone interviews with top candidates to narrow the field to 75 who were invited to appear at an interview/audition in-person in three cities: New Orleans Denver and Chicago. There applicants met with the WWE™ Superstar trainers to evaluate their physical condition and motivation resulting in a final group of semi-finalists to fly to Los Angeles for two full days of strength cardio and in-ring training.

The first episode is a one-hour special that features a unique combination of comedy drama and action in which the field of 21 semi-finalists is narrowed to a group of 13 finalists. The series continues with 13 half-hour shows every Thursday night at 10:00 pm ET/PT. WWE™ Tough Enough™ 3 will give viewers an all access pass to witness firsthand the decision making process behind choosing the next WWE™ Superstar. Cameras were strategically located throughout the estate high in the Topanga Hills of California that housed the competitors and their training facility to capture the pressures of living together and competing against one another for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at stardom. WWE™ Superstars Al Snow™ Bill DeMott™ and Ivory™ are the trainers on WWE Tough Enough™ 3.

WWE™ Tough Enough™ 3 will incorporate an interactive fan element to the contestant elimination process for the first time this season. The winners will be announced during a live season finale (date TBD) where the results of the fan voting will help determine who is next awarded contracts with the WWE™.

The 21 semi-finalists featured in the season premiere are:

Amy 25 yrs old Minneapolis MN
Chad 24 yrs old Wausau WI
Eric 23 yrs old Northampton PA
Greg 25 yrs old Arden NC
James 20 yrs old Naples FL
Jamie 21 yrs old Beaverton OR
Jill 20 yrs old Stoneham MA
John 23 yrs old Davis CA
Jonah 23 yrs old Natick MA
Julia 22 yrs old Framingham MA
Justin 24 yrs old Tampa FL

Kelly 22 yrs old Lynchburg VA
Lisa 25 yrs old Livermore CA
Matt 23 yrs old Kalamazoo MI
Melina 23 yrs old Hesperia CA
Nick 20 yrs old Peabody MA
Rebekah 23 yrs old Lynchburg VA
Rob 23 yrs old Wynnewood PA
Sarah 23 yrs old Markham Ontario Canada
Scott 21 yrs old Harrisonburg VA
Voula 26 yrs old Toronto Canada

Beth Holmes and Kevin Dunn are Executive Producers and Craig Spirko is Supervising Producer for MTV’s WWE™ Tough Enough™ 3. John Gaburick is WWE producer for Tough Enough™ 3. John Miller is Senior Vice President of Original Series Development for MTV. Carol Eng and Drew Tappon are Co-Executives in Charge of Production for MTV.

MTV Networks owns and operates the cable television programming services MTV: Music Television MTV2 Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite TV Land VH1 CMT: Country Music Television and TNN as well as The Digital Suite from MTV Networks a package of thirteen digital services all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks also operates and offers joint ventures licensing agreements and syndication deals whereby its programming can be seen worldwide.

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: WWE) is an integrated media and entertainment company headquartered in Stamford Conn. with offices in New York Los Angeles Toronto and London. Additional information on the company can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. Information on television ratings and community activities can be found at parents.wwe.com.

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CONTACT:
Jayson Bernstein
WWE
203-353-5015

John Kiehle
MTV Networks
310-752-8478

Jennifer DeGuzman
MTV Communications
212-258-7175