The Tester – Season 3 hits the PlayStation Network on February 7th

As cheesy as it may seem, SCEA’s free, PlayStation Network-exclusive “The Tester” competition reality series is the very definition of guilty pleasure. The first 2 seasons were surprisingly interesting, even if you had no interest in the gaming and PlayStation-centric nature of the whole thing.

Sony today has finally revealed the cast for Season 3 and according to returning panelist Adrianne Curry, the cast includes “yet another great lineup of eccentric and incredibly sexy contestants”. Meredith Molinari returns as the host, along with Curry and Brent Gocke as panelists.

The contestants will be competing for a pretty nice selection of prizes this season including a Production Associate job at SCE WWS Santa Monica Studio, a $5,000 signing bonus, a 55? 3DBravia TV, a PlayStation 3 system and a 2012 Ford Focus Titanium.

The first episode is set to premiere on February 7th, 2012.

Check out the final cast highlight video:[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wMD4tU_DjA” width=”550″]

Read on for more info.

Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) today announced its panel lineup and new cast members, competing to win a job as a Production Associate at the world-famous Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios Santa Monica Studio (SCE WWS Santa Monica Studio), that will appear on Season 3 of PlayStation Network?s exclusive original competitive reality series, ?The Tester.? Returning panelists Adrianne Curry, winner of the first season of ?America’s Next Top Model? and star of VH1 reality shows ?The Surreal Life? and ?My Fair Brady,? and Brent Gocke, senior release manager from SCEA, will once again join host Meredith Molinari, when the first episode of ?The Tester 3? premieres on February 7, 2012.

?This season of ?The Tester? is going to blow the first two seasons out of the water,? Curry said.  ?We have yet another great lineup of eccentric and incredibly sexy contestants all vying for a job that any gamer would dream of. Of course, my job is to give them my honest, unfiltered perspective, and that?s exactly what I?m going to do.?

The panelists will be joined by additional distinguished gaming industry guests who will scrutinize the 12 new Season 3 cast members as they compete in grueling physical and mental challenges to win a job as a Production Associate at the world-famous SCE WWS Santa Monica Studio, home of the best-selling first-party God Of War franchise for PlayStation, along with a $5,000 signing bonus, a 55? 3DBravia TV, a PlayStation 3 system and a 2012 Ford Focus Titanium.

In October, SCEA announced the first contestant and winner of ?The Tester 3? online casting contest, Arin Hanson (aka Egoraptor). Today, SCEA unveils the 11 additional contestants who will compete to win the grand prize. From San Bernardino to Brooklyn to the Dominican Republic (and many stops in between), below are this season?s contestants:

  • Joel Alexander (aka J-Tight), 23,San Bernardino, CA
  • Shaunette DeTie (aka BurnNibelheim), 22, Las Vegas, NV
  • Nicole Dorner (aka asuukaa), 26, Milwaukee, WI
  • Arin Hanson (aka egoraptor), 24, Palm Beach, FL
  • Skyler Harper (aka Skyd1ddy), 29, Fontana, CA
  • Ashphord Jacoway (aka Ashichan), 23, Pittsburg, CA
  • Richard Lugo (aka ninjanomyx), 28, Bronx, NY
  • Kaila Nemoto (aka kwajamonster), 25, Columbia, MO
  • Krysti Pruden (aka krystipryde), 26, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
  • Wilson Santiago (aka akilleezmight), 27, Brooklyn, NY
  • Lissarette Vazquez (aka Suzkaiden), 22, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
  • Charles Weichselbaum (aka RealityPalez), 22, Chicago, IL

Check out each cast member?s complete profile and view their short video bio in ?The Cast? section of ?The Tester? website.

Season 2 of ?The Tester? saw more than 3.5 million downloads on PlayStation Network ? a 46% increase from the debut season. To produce Season 3, SCEA again teamed up with one of the biggest names in reality television, 51 MindsEntertainment, the dynamic production company that is the force behind hit series such as ?Rock of Love,? CBS? ?Same Name? and the new hit show ?T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle.?

The complete Seasons 1 and 2 of ?The Tester? are still available for free download in both high-definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) formats from the video section of PlayStation Store.  For additional information on the panelists and the upcoming season of ?The Tester,? visit: http://www.thetester.com.