Mahalo, the Los Angeles based human powered search engine startup who’s CEO is the infamous internet personality, Jason Calacanis, is searching for the next host of their popular vlog, Mahalo Daily. The contest, which was announced about a month ago, is now a tight race between 12 different female contestants, all with varying levels of geekiness and experience in front of the camera.

Here’s the contest teaser video…

San Diego’s very own Lisa Brewster is one of the 12 finalists currently on pins and needles awaiting the next, but already delayed, announcement about the contest finalists. Check out Lisa’s initial audition or her most recent appearance in the second round of auditions below.

Contestants were initially informed that another round of cuts would take place on the day of the second audition, but that didn’t happen and now everyone, Lisa included, is in a holding pattern awaiting the next decision.

About Lisa Brewster

Lisa’s diverse background includes everything from system engineering experience, modeling for Zivity, to a minor in Theatre from the University of Texas at Arlington. On her blog, Sophistechate, Lisa describes herself as…

…an engineer, photographer, and web 2.0 entrepreneur starting trends in technology, culture, and geek sexuality. Broadcasting live from San Diego, California.

It’s a pretty incredible feat that Lisa has managed to beat out the majority of the competition, and become a top 12 finalist, all the while never having vlogged before. In her own words, Lisa states:

I have no vlogging experience whatsoever, so it’s been extremely stressful to throw myself into this kind of “sink or swim” environment. There’s no way I’d have the confidence to keep going if it wasn’t for all the people who believe in me. I highly advise taking these kinds of risks, though…it’s a sweet reward when you suddenly realize that you haven’t drowned yet. This experience has changed how I approach my life, and for that reason alone this contest is a personal success for me.

How can you help Lisa Brewster be the next host of Mahalo Daily?

Show her some love! The only way to keep her in the contest is to prove to Jason Calacanis and crew that Lisa Brewster is capable of inspiring and motivating people to spread the word about Mahalo Daily. Help Lisa get exposure by using to proclaim your love for her () and/or Mahalo (if follows you, why not send him a DM), comment on her videos or , and tag all related content with “mahalo” or “mahalo vlogidol.”

If all goes well, Lisa will be selected as a top 5 finalist and we’ll all have the opportunity to vote for her — American Idol style. Of course StartupSD will keep you posted as soon as we know more.

Quoting Lisa – Some Thoughts on Mahalo Daily and the VLOGIdol Contest

  • She found out about the contest through by Sean Percival.
  • Her toughest competition is probably Sara Atwood, who has “her own weekly show called Nerdtainment and is one of the few contestants with the coveted geek cred.”
  • The Mahalo Daily vlog was initially started as “a way to generate buzz about result pages that they’ve recently added to the search engine.”
  • Mahalo has “an irc bot in their main chatroom that tells them every time anyone mentions mahalo on twitter.”
  • She thinks Jason Calacanis is a visionary, although she says, “I still don’t have a good read on what he thinks about me. In spite of all the recent controversy regarding his work ethic for employees, I think he’s a smart guy who isn’t afraid to go up against public opinion for something he believes in.”