Trade Ya

By Shannon in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 20, 2007 4:00PM

First there was "Trading Spaces." Then there was "Trading Spouses." Now, for that glorious indignity known as Sweeps Month, ABC has bestowed upon us Fan February. Here's the haps: Three lucky daytime TV fans get to trade jobs for a day with an actor from their favorite soap opera. S/He gets to jet out to New York City to hang with daytime's acting elite; the actor trundles off to BFE, Flyover Country. If Range Bloodstone ever wanted to find out what it's like to wash down hippos or flip burgers (like he doesn't know what that's like, he's an actor, for crying out loud), well, here's his chance as well. This year, one of the chosen fans happens to be from DeKalb, which was enough to get "All My Children"'s Jeff Branson into ABC's studios yesterday, and to get Chicagoist to cover it.

Nina Reinert submitted a photo and 75-word essay explaining why someone from "AMC" (as it is known, in Soap Opera Digest circles) should switch jobs with her for a day. Not only did Nina have the looks to compete on a soap set (dig the red hair in that video!), her job nabbed the attention of the contest judges: She works at a tattoo parlor. Sure beats a sanitation worker or administrative assistant for style points. So Nina got to go to NYC, where she got her own dressing room and face time with other actors on the show; Jeff, meanwhile, took over Nina's duties at the ink tank. The whole job swap will be shown on February 12 as part of ABC's endless self-promotion. Unfortunately for Jeff, Nina's job mainly involves secretarial stuff. Bummer. While just not the same as putting your mark on someone for life, he should count his lucky stars she's not a pre-op groin shaver or an endangered species sperm collector.

Image courtesy of swanksalot.