Can a Reality TV Star Make It on B'way?

Less than a year ago, 20-year-old Bailey Hanks was a typical college student studying theater and an active member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority at Carolina Coastal University.

But as of Wednesday night, Hanks became a very different kind of sorority girl, as she made her debut as leading lady Elle Woods in New York's Broadway show "Legally Blonde the Musical."

And while other struggling actors may go to hundreds of auditions before getting cast in a hit show, Hanks' journey to the main stage was very different: She landed her leading role thanks to an MTV reality show.

A group of 10 young women from across the country competed with Hanks on MTV's show "Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods" to replace Laura Bell Bundy as the leading lady in the musical. The show finished taping in March 2008, but producers only announced the winner this past week.

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Contestants were filmed perfecting their dance moves in hot pink stilettos, tuning their voices and memorizing lines from the show in front of a panel of judges -- including the show's casting director and writer -- who proceded to cut one Elle-hopeful each week before eventually casting Hanks.

Wednesday night, fresh off the stage from her first performance and still clad in Elle Wood's signature pink from head to toe, Hanks spoke with ABCNews.com about her transformation from college student to Broadway star.

"Everything happened so fast I didn't have time to be nervous," said Hanks. "I just have butterflies -- excited butterflies."

"I'm in a dream world," said Hanks, who had never seen a Broadway show before moving to New York City a few months ago.

A daughter of a pastor in Anderson, S.C., Hanks told ABCNews.com that her warm-up to Broadway was on a much smaller scale -- she had performed in a handful of school and local productions before last night.

And while her young age and limited experience, coupled with the unique way she was cast in the show, may make some wary of Hanks' ability to perform on Broadway, others say she's got what it takes.