Microsoft’s #BeTheNext Starts Next Week!

In case you haven’t heard yet, Microsoft is having a contest to find their next employee. Starting July 24th you can watch the webshow and root for one of four finalists to win a chance to work at Microsoft. I was recently contacted by Microsoft and asked if I would write a review for each episode.

At first I was skeptical about the idea but after watching the trailer I’ve decided that this has the potential to be a cross between the first season of the Bachelor and the first season of Survivor. Why those seasons? Because those are the only ones I ever cared to watch, that’s why. Don’t judge me.

So I did a quick scan of the contestants, decided to give one of them my own nickname (“Boston Mike”, after Boston Rob from Survivor), and now I can’t wait for the first show next week. Here is a quick link to all four of the contestants:

• Alex Aguilar (blog | @sqlhulk); Overcoming his communication fears, gotta like it when a shy person wants to break out.
• Michael Kett (blog | @turbonyc); Boston Mike has “NYC” in his Twitter handle? Here’s hoping he’s a Yankee fan.
• Stacy Luciani (blog | @stacylaray); Has wanted to be a MSFT employee for 7 years, not afraid to admit she doesn’t know something and ask questions.
• Chris Williams (blog | @anote2chris); From Texas, plays basketball so I may likely overlook his being a Texas Longhorns fan.

Here’s how the contest will work. Starting on July 24th we will watch the four finalists battle it out for the chance to be the next Microsoft employee. A variety of tasks will be assigned to the contestants from a host of judges that include Buck Woody (blog | @buckwoody), who just so happens to be the most interesting DBA in the World.

Episodes will air weekly with the final show being aired on August 21st. I’ll be sitting at home in my office with Sir Francis Bacon by my side watching events unfold. Then, I will blog about each show and offer my thoughts as I watch events unfold.

I simply love this idea. Then again, I also slow down for car accidents. These items may be related. Warrants mentioning.