What started with a few uploaded photos during a quiet evening turned into the opportunity of a lifetime for one local up-and-coming actress.

Vanessa Fontana’s world has changed dramatically during the past five months after being chosen as one of 18 people to star on the newest MTV reality show “Paris Hilton’s My New BFF,” set to air for the first time Tuesday, Sept. 30.

Fontana just returned from hobnobbing with some of the country’s hottest music stars during the Video Music Awards in Los Angeles. And she spent six weeks hanging out with one of America’s top celebrities, Paris Hilton.

Everything has happened so fast, Fontana is literally out of breath when she talks about her six weeks in Los Angeles during the show’s taping.

“It was the most amazing experience of my life,” she said from her Mount Vernon home. “It’s an experience that just keeps on going. I’m grateful for every second of it.”

Fontana, a 22-year-old student majoring in education at Skagit Valley College and a receptionist at Tropical Tanning in Burlington, hadn’t even heard of the show until her mother mentioned it.

The show’s premise is simple: Millionairess Paris Hilton — probably best known for her erratic behavior, her stint hosting the television show “Simple Life” with longtime bud Nicole Richie, and her Internet sexcapades — is looking for a new best friend. Would-be friends were asked to upload photos of themselves on the Internet and send in profiles with a quick plea to become a “bestie” on the show.

People who visited the site voted for the candidates they thought had what it takes to navigate the tricky world of life as a celebrity.

Fontana didn’t exactly jump at the chance to become a bestie. Who really thinks they’re going to be chosen out of all those people?

But one night in early April while she was bored and surfing the Internet, Fontana decided to visit the MTV site and upload some photos of herself. It was fun to see who else was on the site, she said.

The next day, Fontana received a phone call from the show’s casting crew saying they were impressed with her photos and profile and wanted her to come to Los Angeles for an audition.

Fontana was stunned. She hadn’t thought for a minute that she would be noticed amid the thousands of other profiles. So she went to L.A.

The first audition went well. The casting crew assured her they would make a decision about finalists by May 2.

But May 2 came and the hours went slowly by without a call. Fontana had just about given up hope until she received the call at 6 p.m. that day — the show’s producers wanted her to come back for a final audition.

From that moment on, Fontana’s life became a whirlwind. She traveled to Los Angeles, where she met up with the casting crew and was sequestered for several days while she took a barrage of tests, including a psychological exam by a psychologist.

“They really put you through the ringer,” Fontana said with a sigh.

After signing what seemed like a never-ending string of contracts, Fontana was sent home, where she waited to hear whether she would be a contestant.

She was in one of her college classes a short time later when she got the call from MTV. She knew before she answered her cell phone that she had been chosen out of some 200,000 applicants.

“I was hysterically bawling these happy tears,” she said.

She told her family that she’d be moving to Los Angeles for six weeks. Then she quit her job and her classes and readied herself for a whole new experience.

Carol Sneider, owner of Tropical Tanning, said she wasn’t surprised that Fontana made the cut.

“She has definite drama skills,” Sneider said with a laugh. “She keeps me entertained.”

Fontana ended up in Los Angeles on May 19 and finally met the show’s other contestants, mostly women; just two men were chosen.

Fontana isn’t allowed to reveal details about her six-week stay in the mansion in Los Angeles, although she said she tumbled through a shocking makeover that changed her platinum blond and waist-length hair to dark brown and cut short to her shoulders.

The experience was emotionally draining in some ways, she said. The contestants were allowed to talk to family and friends for five minutes twice a week. The rest of the time she struggled with the trauma of sharing a house with 17 other strangers.

But she said it gave her an opportunity to experience the good life — red-carpet treatment, flying on private jets, meeting other celebrities and attending lavish parties.

And she said Hilton isn’t the spoiled brat portrayed by the media.

“The show is over and she has no obligation to be friends with us, but she really is,” Fontana said. “She texts me almost daily. She didn’t have to invite me to the (Video Music Awards), but she did. She’s an amazing person. She’s down-to-Earth, she’s sweet and giving.”

Fontana plans to move to Los Angeles early next month to kick-start her acting career. And she, like many of her friends and family, can’t wait to see the first episode.

“I know that I’m living my dream,” she said.

n Beverly Crichfield can be reached at 360-416-2135 or .