Writer/Director Daniel Minahan's childhood friend, Dawn Lagarto, is given a "Special Thanks" credit. He originally wrote the story using her name for the main character. When it came time to start filming the producers had legal concerns regarding the use of a real person's name, but actress Brooke Smith felt an affinity for the name and wanted to retain it for her character. Minahan called the real Dawn Lagarto and got her blessing to use the name. The real Dawn Lagarto is not an unwed mother, has never participated in a reality TV series, and has never killed anyone.
While it premiered months after the TV series Survivor (2000) and Big Brother (2000), the project predates both shows. The concept for the movie was originally pitched as a TV series in 1998.
The film was originally conceived as a weekly television show.
Having seen her work in an off-Broadway production, director Daniel Minahan wrote the part of Dawn specifically for Brooke Smith.
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By what name was Series 7: The Contenders (2001) officially released in Canada in English?
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