# WWE Diva Search

WWE Diva Search (formerly WWE Raw Diva Search) is an American talent competition that was produced and held by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The first winner was Jaime Koeppe, but she did not receive a contract like subsequent winners of the contest. Other winners included Christy Hemme, Ashley Massaro, Layla El, Eve Torres and Eva Marie. In addition to the winners of the yearly contest, WWE has hired several contestants as Divas, the name that WWE gave at the time to the female performers. As of 2021, Maryse Ouellet is the sole remaining female talents signed with WWE to come from the contest. There were many failed attempts at bringing back the competition over the years following the cancellation of the 2008 season, and was at one point going to return in 2019 under the new name Superstar Search, but those plans were scrapped.

## 2003

On June 18, 2003, WWE made a public declaration about their intention to embark on a countrywide quest for a fresh addition to their roster of WWE Divas. The organization emphasized that the final decision regarding the selection of the new diva would rest solely in the hands of the fans.
The 2003 WWE Diva Search invited women aged 18 or above who believed they possessed the beauty, strength, and intelligence required to be the next WWE Diva. As part of the application process, participants were required to submit a photograph of themselves along with a brief written explanation of their aspirations to become a WWE Diva.
On July 1, 2003, fans were given the opportunity to cast their votes for their preferred contestants in the Diva competition. Through fan voting, the contestants were narrowed down to a group of 16 by July 20, and then further reduced to 8 finalists by July 29. The final four Diva hopefuls were determined through fan voting, which concluded on August 6. These remaining four contestants were then awarded a trip to WWE's SummerSlam pay-per-view event in Phoenix, Arizona, where they would compete in a final event that would be broadcast live on a special program called Byte This! The winner of the 2003 WWE Diva Search was ultimately Jamie Koeppe, who was also photographed and prominently featured in WWE RAW Magazine.

## 2004
### Official themes

The 2004 WWE Raw $250,000 Diva Search featured four official theme songs.
* "Open Your Eyes" by Alter Bridge
* "Real Good Girl" by Jim Johnston
* "Time and Time Again" by Chronic Future
* "Walk Idiot Walk" by The Hives
* ↑ "Real Good Girl" by Jim Johnston was written exclusively for the 2004 WWE Raw $250,000 Diva Search competition. The song was later featured in WWE ThemeAddict: The Music, Vol. 6.
* ↑ "Walk Idiot Walk" was also used as the official entrance theme for Christy Hemme after winning the competition.

### Top 28

Open casting calls were held in Los Angeles, NYC, and Chicago in June and July to narrow the field down from thousands to 28 women. The following 28 finalists were chosen from each of the locations:
| Name | Age | Hometown | Selected/Not selected |
| Amy Weber | 34 | Mapleton, Illinois | Selected (Finalist) |
| Alison Weder | 23 | Minooka, Illinois | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Bobbi Sue Luther | 25 | Silver Spring, Maryland | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Camille Anderson | 26 | Dallas, Texas | Selected (Finalist) |
| Candice Michelle | 25 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Carmella DeCesare | 22 | Avon Lake, Ohio | Selected (Finalist) |
| CeCe Wagner | 22 | Chicago, Illinois | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Chandra Costello | 28 | Liberty, Kentucky | Selected (Finalist) |
| Christina Hernandez | 24 | Odessa, Texas | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Christy Hemme | 23 | Poway, California | Selected (Finalist) |
| Erin "Kelly" Britz | 25 | Kansas City, Kansas | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Gabrielle Tuite | 26 | Brooklyn, New York | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Jaynie Mae Baker | 23 | New York City, New York | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Jennifer R. Lopez | 26 | Lodi, New Jersey | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Name | Age | Hometown | Selected/Not selected |
| Joy Giovanni | 26 | Boston, Massachusetts | Selected (Finalist) |
| Julia Costello | 28 | Liberty, Kentucky | Selected (Finalist) |
| Karen McDougal | 33 | Merrillville, Indiana | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Kimberly Cozzens | 21 | San Jose, California | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Kimmy Brown | 24 | Seattle, Washington | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Maria Kanellis | 22 | Ottawa, Illinois | Selected (Finalist) |
| Mary Castro | 25 | LaVerne, Connecticut | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Michelle McCool | 24 | Palatka, Florida | Selected (Finalist) |
| Nicole Bradhurst | 24 | Kansas City, Missouri | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Nina Hardin | 22 | Carson, California | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Tammy Vallejos | 24 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Taryn J. Reed | 25 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |
| Tracie Wright | 24 | Atlanta, Georgia | Selected (Finalist) |
| Yesenia Camacho | 30 | Austin, Texas | Not selected (Semi-finalist) |

### Finalists

| Name | Age | Hometown | Eliminated |
| Christy Hemme | 23 | Poway, California | Winner |
| Carmella DeCesare | 22 | Avon Lake, Ohio | Runner-Up |
| Joy Giovanni | 26 | Boston, Massachusetts | 3rd Place |
| Amy Weber | 34 | Mapleton, Illinois | 4th Place |
| Maria Kanellis | 22 | Ottawa, Illinois | 5th Place |
| Tracie Wright | 24 | Atlanta, Georgia | 6th Place |
| Michelle McCool | 24 | Palatka, Florida | 7th Place |
| Chandra Costello | 28 | Liberty, Kentucky | 8th Place |
| Camille Anderson | 26 | Dallas, Texas | 9th Place |
| Julia Costello | 28 | Liberty, Kentucky | 10th Place |
* ↑ Ages were at time of filming.