æt ðɪ ˈeɪdʒ ʌv fˈɪftiːn ʃiː ɔːdˈɪʃənd fɚɹə kˈɪdz ʃˈoʊ ˌɔn lˈoʊkəl stˈeɪʃən kˌeɪpˌiːˌɛlˈɑːɹtˌiːvˈiː, kˈɔːld tˈiːm ɪlˈɛvən, ðæt wʌz sˈiːkɪŋ jˈʌŋ pˈiːpəl bᵻtwˌiːn ðɪ ˈeɪdʒᵻz ʌv θˈɜːtiːn ænd twˈɛnti θɹˈiː hˌuː kʊd ˈɔːlsoʊ sˈɪŋ, dˈæns ænd ˈækt, fɚɹən ˈæftɚskˈuːl tˈɛlᵻvˌɪʒən vɚɹˈaɪəɾi ʃˈoʊ.
At the age of 15 she auditioned for a kids' show on local station KPLR-TV, called Team 11, that was seeking young people between the ages of 13 and 23 who could also sing, dance and act, for an after-school television variety show.