UPN has announced the identities of the thirteen finalists that will be competing on The Road To Stardom With Missy Elliott, the network's new reality series that premieres Wednesday, January 5 at 8PM ET/PT.

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During The Road To Stardom, thirteen aspiring vocal performers will travel coast-to-coast with Grammy Award-winning artist Missy Elliott as she embarks on one of her concert tours. Along the way, the finalists will live together on an austere tour bus and compete against each other for a record contract, a released single and a $100,000 cash prize.

Selected from thousands of auditions across America, UPN's new "dramality" series features a diverse group of singers and rappers, ranging in age from 19-29. In addition to dealing with the ups-and-downs of life on the road, the group will face weekly tests that determine which of them make the cut to the next stop on the tour.

Joining Missy on her judging panel will be Grammy Award nominated R&B singer/songwriter/producer/performer Teena Marie, Grammy Award-winning producer Dallas Austin, and Violator Management president Mona Scott. The judges will eliminate one performer each episode, leaving three finalists to compete for The Road To Stardom With Missy Elliott's prize package in its tenth episode finale.

The thirteen contestants participating in The Road To Stardom With Missy Elliott are:

• Akil, a 23-year-old teacher from Jersey City, New Jersey

• Cori, a 21-year-old recent college graduate from Orlando, Florida

• Deltrice, a 23-year-old clothing designer from San Francisco, California

• Eddie, a 25-year-old construction worker from New Orleans, Louisiana

• Frank B., a 21-year-old construction worker from Brooklyn, New York

• Heather, a 22-year-old student from Boston, Massachusetts

• Jessica, a 23-year-old writer from Chicago, Illinois

• Marcus, a 24-year-old security guard from Houston, Texas

• Matthew, a 25-year-old theme park entertainer from Orlando, Florida

• Melissa, a 19-year-old student from Plymouth, Minnesota

• Nic, a 29-year-old disc jockey from Aliso Viejo, California

• Nilyne, a 23-year-old make-up artist and student from Plainfield, New Jersey

• Yelawolf, a 24-year-old mural painting contract artist from Rainbow City, Alabama

The Road To Stardom With Missy Elliott is executive produced by Arnold Shapiro (Big Brother), Allison Grodner (Big Brother), Mona Scott, Jay Blumenfield and Anthony Marsh. Missy Elliott is co-executive producer. Mona Scott and Jessica Horowitz are creators. The Road To Stardom With Missy Elliott is a production of Shapiro/Grodner Productions in association with Monami, Inc.

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