The Girls of Hedsor Hall

The Girls of Hedsor Hall is a reality show featured on MTV. Young women who need reform are brought to the show and put through finishing school activities.

Reality shows aimed at reforming bad girls are popular.

This show bears a striking resemblance to VH1's Charm School series, although The Girls of Hedsor Hall does not feature contestants from previous reality shows. The young ladies featured on this show admit to being violent, or promiscuous, or alcoholics or a combination of all three. Most of them swear like sailors and very few of them are aware of the social graces taught in finishing schools. Each week one (or more) contestants are asked to leave the show because of their lack of progress in learning manner, etiquette and social grace.

When contestants are asked to leave by the panel of judges, they are also asked to surrender the string of pearls they wear as a symbol of their enrollment in the program.

The show includes twelve women as contestants, two cast members who act as judges as well as instructors, and a host who also participates in the elimination process.

The participants are judged by three women who know a thing or two about social graces:

• Tara Conner: A former Miss USA, she encountered a very public humiliation when it became public knowledge that she was involved in behavior that included alcohol and drug use. Many people consider Tara the poster-child for second chances.
• Gill Harbord: She is the headmistress for Hedsor Hall. She has loads of experience with teaching manners and etiquette to a wide variety of people.
• Rosemary Shrager: A teacher at Hedsor Hall, she is also an accomplished chef. She has the most direct contact with the students competing on this show.

The show begins with twelve female contestants. Each week, at least one contestant goes home. Here is a list of the contestants from the first season:

• Amanda
• Brianna
• Hillary
• Jen
• Jenna
• Jennifer
• Kimberly
• Lillian
• Maddy
• Margie
• Paola
• Samantha

The fact that the contestants aren't seasoned reality show participants makes this show attractive to many viewers. It also helps that some of these women have very colorful personalities, which makes the show even more intriguing to watch.

Some of the contestants have more to lose than others. While some of the women simply like to spend a lot of time partying, others have children or have spent time in jail because of their outrageous behavior.

The winning contestant receives a $100,000 prize in the form of a trust, but all contestants leave the show with top level education in the intricacies of manners and social graces.

The teachers on the show are real-life finishing school teachers and the education the contestants receive is real. For this reason, the participants can learn quite a bit of valuable information that may help them in changing their lives.

The contestants are put through a wide variety of activities, from fencing to pulling together a traditional English afternoon tea. They are constantly tested on the things they've learned and are often harshly criticized for their behavior in the past.

In one episode, their entrance interviews are viewed by ladies and gentlemen who then talk about how appalled they are by the contestants' lifestyles. It is then up to the contestants to accept this harsh criticism in a way that is consistent with the teaching they have received. This certainly isn't an easy task for women who would usually instigate a fight with someone insulting them, and this is why this test is so difficult.

To find out more information about The Girls of Hedsor Hall, or to find out what time the show airs in your local viewing area, visit the official MTV website.

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