Stateline girl switches places with peer for TV show

STATELINE - There was more excitement than usual in the Latta household in Stateline last weekend - including a camera operator or two.

Instead of Dianne and Keith Latta's 14-year-old daughter Alexxa, at the kitchen table sits another girl, Julie.

Dianne Latta is proud because Alexxa will be on the ABC Family Channel show "Switched," in which she trades places for a weekend with another teenage girl.

"I'm really excited," said Dianne Latta. "Alexxa did it all herself through e-mails. I'm amazed it actually happened."

Although Alexxa knew she had made it onto the show, she didn't know until Thursday where she would be going that day. Neither did Julie, 15, who flew from Hawaii to become Alexxa for a weekend.

ABC Family representatives would not release Julie's last name since parental permission had not been received. On the show, the girls' last names are not revealed for safety purposes, according to Ernesto Carreon of ABC Family publicity.

The girls are supposed to live each other's lives as authentically as possible, so media representatives are not allowed to interview them during the weekend.

In fact, neither girl knows what they're doing next until they receive a text message on cell phones given to them by ABC.

"(Alexxa's) text message said, 'Hi Alexxa! You're going to Honolulu, Hawaii!'" said Latta.

The girls will return to their homes on Sunday, after uniting briefly in Honolulu.

Until then, the teens will spend their days doing pretty much exactly as the other would do - including living up to a challenge by their counterpart. Alexxa's challenge by Julie was to be a cheerleader at her high school, Punahou School in Honolulu. Julie would have to master the art of snowboarding at Heavenly. Alexxa's cousin, Ryan Sealock, 23, a visiting Colorado firefighter, will give Julie lessons.

Julie's experience began Friday with a walk by the lake, then a trip to Alexxa's yearbook class at George Whittell High School in Zephyr Cove. Then she attended Alexxa's dance class at Dance Visions Performing Arts Center in Round Hill. Later she went to the Fire & Ice restaurant in the Marriott complex. Saturday, after snowboarding, she and Alexxa's friends went sleigh riding and hot tubbing.

Julie looked slightly dazed at first at the dance studio, as she had a microphone attached underneath her clothes. But she blended in with the other kids once the dancing began.

"She said she's taken ballet and a little bit of jazz," said Latta.

Steve Daly, the show's director, said although the experience can be overwhelming, most kids handle it pretty well.

"Most of the kids who are chosen for the show are charismatic, gifted. They are pretty good at jumping into new situations," he said. "It's a fun show. Each and every kid has a unique experience. They learn a lot from it, I think."

Alexxa's brother, Jess Latta, said he thinks his older sister is really "lucky."

"Of all the places - Hawaii. We're stuck in the snow, and she's partying at the beach," he said.

Alexxa and Julie will appear on "Switched" in about six weeks, Daly said. "Switched" is aired at 5 p.m. on weekdays on the ABC Family Channel.