Soap Star Screen Test Winners

Imagine going to school one day and becoming a TV star the next.

That's just what happened to David Spearman and Dara McCarney, two lucky college students who won roles on the popular CBS soap "Guiding Light" through the "Soap Star Screen Test" contest.

When college students headed back to school this fall, so did "Guiding Light" casting director Rob Decina.

His goal: to find daytime television's future stars from among the hundreds of competitors who turned out at five campus casting calls across the country, from Miami to Denver.

Aspiring actors were given the opportunity of a lifetime, a role on one of daytime TV's hottest shows.

And The Early Show gave you, the viewer, the opportunity to decide who those top two performers are. So from Friday, Nov. 14, at 9:00 a.m. ET through Saturday, Nov. 15, at midnight ET, you voted for the best: Spearman and McCarney.

From Nov. 10-17, each of the following finalists screen tested with a current star from "Guiding Light."

The following was the auditioning schedule:

Monday - William Morse and Dara McCarney

Tuesday - Elizabeth Vitalbo and David Spearman

Wednesday - Kim Farber and Jean Paul San Pedro

Thursday - Joshua Friehling and Kristina Candelarie

Friday - Zac Timbrell and Holly Warren

So what was this casting director looking for?

Decina says, "I think what you have to have in a situation like this, that is an open call, is you've got to let your personality come out. And if you can come out about what you're passionate about, I think that's great, too. I think people in television and people like me are always looking to put personable people on television and personality, charm and passion. Those are good things to look for."

To put the actors at ease, "Guiding Light" sent stars from the show to each school to help with the auditions.

Marty West, who plays Shayne Lewis, identifies with many students hoping to break into the business.

West says, "I know that when I was going to Arizona State, they had a similar event for 'Baywatch' and I definitely skipped my math class."

West also shared some advice for the often-nervous first-time auditioning actor.

He says, "Auditioning isn't easy. Just showing up is a good thing because it shows that you have the will power and the guts to do something like this."