noelle o designs

creativity + sewing + upcycling inspiration

life, media

whatever happened to…


I think they jury will forever be out on the subject of instant access to any possible topic or question via the internet- we won’t know definitively, maybe ever, if it’s bad for our puzzlers to no longer have to puzzle through trivial facts but simply type a few keywords into a search engine and let the mystery unfold before you. This TV show has been stuck in my head for years, (12 years now I just discovered) I couldn’t remember the name, only the premise- an all boys prep school, girl enrolls as a boy, then falls in love with one of the hotties and the whole thing looks like a Ralph Lauren ad.


I ever so recently discovered (thank you internet), the show is called Young Americans (I could have never come up with that on my own) and it aired in July 12, 2000 on the WB as a summer replacement for Dawson’s Creek. There were only 9 episodes ever made and the last episode left you hanging- I mean seriously hanging and wondering years later if it ever worked out between Jake (really a girl, Katherine Moennig) and Hamilton (Ian Somerhalder) … as if they were real people.

Here the cast & the characters they play- which gives you all you need to know about the plot.

    • Rodney Scott as Will Krudski, a poor but brilliant young man who cheated on the entrance exam to ensure his admission and with a complicated relationship to his father.
    • Mark Famiglietti as Scout Calhoun, Will’s roommate at Rawley Academy. Scout meets, and dates, Will’s old friend Bella until her father explains his disapproval.
    • Katherine Moennig as Jake Pratt, a teenage girl who disguises herself as a boy to get the attention of her absent mother.
    • Ian Somerhalder as Hamilton Fleming, a student at the school and the son of the dean. Hamilton finds himself confused by his attraction to Jake.
    • Kate Bosworth as Bella Banks, Will’s childhood friend – a pretty townie torn between Scout and fellow New Rawleyian, Sean.
    • Ed Quinn as Finn, coach of the rowing team and also a teacher

    You can still (and yes I will) watch it online- just google it.

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