Imagine you're an aspiring actress. You just left your small town of Anderson, South Carolina to compete in a nationally televised reality show for the chance to win the role of a lifetime: Elle Woods in Broadway's Legally Blonde: The Musical. Against unbelievable odds, you beat out a bunch of ridiculously talented amateurs from across the country, won the part (Omigod!!) and took the Broadway stage to rave reviews...only to find out the show's taking its final curtain call on Sunday, October 19th -- only four months after your big debut.

So what's a burgeoning Broadway star to do? How about bounce right back -- and win a fantastic role as Sharpay in the Paper Mill production of High School Musical?? Catch Bailey Hanks in her next role starting November 5th, and give the girl snaps for refusing to let a little thing like a closing show slam the door on her musical theater dreams.

Ohmigod, you guys! Sorry to be the ones to break the news, but we just learned the Legally Blonde musical is about to be as O-V-E-R as Elle Woods and Warner Huntington III!! But fear not, fellow LB aficionados -- you still have three more weeks to check out your main girl, Bailey, before the final curtain call on Sunday, October 19th.

So get out their and support our Broadway showgirl before it’s too late! And trust us — if you miss seeing Bailz nail that final note in “So Much Better,” you’ll be sadder than Bruiser Woods the time Elle’s carry-on broke at LAX — and he was forced to ride with the checked luggage.

Listen, I can't judge anyone for not wanting to spend more than a week futzing around a deserted island with no plumbing, air conditioning or cable TV. Still, Dave's fellow Islanders had much to say when he took the next tugboat home. Below, Dave defends his honor as a "savage competitor" who was merely bored out of his mind...

As the days passed on The Island, I found myself working less and trying not to use up too much energy. I was doing so with the hope that something exciting would soon happen. Nothing came. Yea, once in a while we’d get to swim out and get a crate… Awesome. The face-offs only came every four to five days. So like I said before, I spent most of the time off by myself, not really getting involved with the drinking, partying or hooking up. As you saw, I was pretty much non-existent on the first episode.

As far as alliances, I started to build one with the Rookies while still keeping my eyes on the Vets. I could never know what they were really thinking, but the Vets definitely knew that I was either a threat or someone they would want rowing on their boat. I'm fast, strong and lighter then say, a Dunbar or Tyree. Great competitors, I'm just sayin'...

Although I wanted to stay faithful to the Rookies, I felt that some of them couldn’t cut loose from old ties, whether that be castmates from Real World seasons or recent friendships. (The only two people I would never turn my back on are Nick Brown (RW: Hollywood) and Will Gill (RW: Hollywood). We're the Tres Amigos, after all). Other then them, I would eat anyone from RW: Hollywood cast.
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Bailey Hanks may be an MTV reality show winner and a Broadway superstar, but at heart, she's still a sweet Southern gal (whose mother may or may not drive a pink VW bug.

Which is why she got the hero's welcome when she finally found time to pack her fuchsia-colored bags and head home to Anderson, South Carolina where she signed autographs, put on a one-woman Legally Blonde show and was presented with the keys to the city. (OMG, you guys!)

+ Haven't had a chance to see Bailey's name in black-and-white...in the Legally Blonde: The Musical program? It's time to get serious, and check her out! Or at least hear what she had to say after her first-ever curtain call.

Unless you've been living under a giant -- and completely soundproof -- rock, you know that Bailey Hanks (the winner of the Legally Blonde: The Musical casting special) has spent the past month wooing Broadway audiences as pink-clad Harvard dynamo Elle Woods. So how's she doing? Just fine, apparently. Well, except for a little case of Summer withdrawal...

"I told my friend the other day how much I miss Myrtle Beach," Hanks recently told her hometown paper. "I'm used to being at the beach during the summer."

But don't worry, LB fans -- she won't be trading in her law books and killer pumps for a bikini anytime soon. "This is where I knew I was meant to be," she declares.

And no offense to Laura Bell Bundy (or, for that matter, Autumn!) but we couldn't agree more.

Anyone else having trouble accepting that Legally Blonde is gone forever? Well, even though the competition is over and done with (and Bailey has officially bent-and-snapped her way to the Broadway stage) it just so happens that there's still some interesting LB gossip floating around.

Turns out, not only did Emma have prior Broadway experience (take that, mentor Haylie Duff!) but she recently appeared in a revival of La Cage Aux Folles. Better yet? The play was actually directed by her pops, Broadway big-shot Jerry Zaks, and it co-starred a certain LB actor/judge by the name of Paul Canaan.

Anyone else thinking this might have influenced the judges' decision to let Emma go?

Snaps for Bailey! As I told you yesterday, the Legally Blonde winner took the Broadway stage Wednesday night and showed everyone in the theater that she was born to play the role of Elle Woods! Plus, Bailey found time to chat with us about what it was like stepping into Laura Bell's hot-pink shoes. Check out this video of her opening night curtain call (and post-performance interview!) then read on to find out how winning Legally Blonde has completely changed her life.

After the jump, read on to see what was going through Bailey's mind on the day before her big show.

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OMG, you guys! As most of you already know, Bailey took the Legally Blonde: The Musical stage yesterday for the very first time and delivered a pitch-perfect performance. Seriously, she nailed every note (including the super-long high one in "So Much Better") drilled the choreography and got through the entire show without a single wardrobe malfunction!

No wonder she garnered a standing ovation from a no-nonsense audience that included Heather Hach, Bernard Telsey, Jerry Mitchell and a bunch of familiar Legally Blonde faces (including Lauren, Emma, Lindsey and Celina!)

So check out more photos from Bailey's Broadway debut at The Palace Theater and check back tomorrow to catch Bailey's post-show interview. (And don't forget - it was Autumn's debut, too! And she absolutely ROCKED in the ensemble!)

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You already know what the rest of the Legally Blonde girls have been doing since the show -- so I figured I'd hit you with an update on what FMP's (that's "Formerly Missing Persons") Cassie S. and Rhiannon have been up to. (Oh, and for the record, Lauren swears she's alive and well, and told me she's gearing up to go on the LB tour as Elle's understudy!)

And speaking of Elle Woods, Bailey's performance last night was UNBELIEVABLE! Check back later today for a Q&A where Bailey answers your top questions PLUS live video coverage of her opening night.

CASSIE S.

What have you been up to since we last saw you?
I have been training! YAY!! Plus I have been spending lots of time with my nephew (because they do grow up FAST!) I've also been teaching, which is such a pleasure, and -- of course! -- working. I have a few things in the works right now and next up is a guest star on the Showtime hit, DEXTER. So mostly, I have been auditioning and growing up!!!

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As one-fifth of Diddy's all girl-group, Danity Kane, Making the Band singer Aubrey O'Day knows all about being a team player. And now, she's proving she's also got the acting skills to hack it on Broadway! Check out this behind-the-scenes look at Aubrey's triumphant opening night. Hmmm, maybe Legally Blonde's Bailey ought to hit her up for some advice before her own debut??