The Wannabes

The show begins as five freshman teens (Alan, Andrew, Drew, Mariah and Shaylen) attend an arts academy boarding school where they assume they’d learn to become pop stars, but unfortunately not.  The stuffy academy only teaches the classics: ballet, instrumental music, and Shakespeare.  After a contemporary singing battle in the student lounge, the five teens are given one week of punishment to work at a local café, for free! Fortunately for them Sarah, the daughter of the café owner shares the same hopes of becoming a pop star. She coaxes her dad into letting her and the academy students rock out at the café, but the café owner gets his own ideas.  He has them dress in fruit costumes to promote his latest smoothie creations.  Fruit costumes and all, the band is a hit.  The owner will allow them to rock out every week but the kids bargain to dress in their own disguises. It’s a deal. Our wannabe pop stars are on their way, until they get caught, that is.

Tensions arise when the guys and girls (sans Sarah) jockey which song to sing first at Mr. Moody's Sweet Shop. They guys song is hot while the girls song is sweet and is about a Unicorn named Sebastian. Arguments escalate in drama class leading up to a whip cream fight with spatulas and icing guns in a western style duel. Mr. Moody, who is having none of this dismisses the kids and their performances as The Wannabes. When they arrive back at the school they are caught by a wary Mr. Pesckow. To their surprise Mr. Moody gives Mr. Pesckow a call and a good report on their work at his sweet shop. This prompts the gang to return and apologize. After a speech about working together as a team, which he refers to as "making a cake". Mr. Moody reinstates The Wannabes and to their surprise their next performance they are dressed as cake ingredients. Back at school, Mr. Pesckow has an odd dream about a unicorn which is ironically are The Wannabes.

After a very successful performance as golden raisins, Mr. Moody praises The Wannabes and plant the seed of their future success. When Shaylen has a hard time with school work she comes up with a crazy idea to quit school and pursue their pop career at Mr. Moody's. The rest of the gang climbs on board. Mr. Moody, aware that this is a bad idea, tricks them into a one day "bakery boot camp" to see if they have what it takes. Mr. Moody appoints Sarah to manage the rest of the gang, which she takes too seriously. Their first task is a birthday party for five year olds that wears them out. Sarah is brought back to reality when she is demoted to help with the second task which is to help Mr. Moody prepare a huge catering order. By the third task the gang is completely exhausted after cleaning up an enormous mess made by the birthday party celebration. Tired from just one day's work they fall asleep overnight at Mr. Moody's. When awakened by Sarah and Mr. Moody who are on their way to play golf, the gang is startled with the news that they have stayed off campus overnight. But before they leave Mr. Moody gives them their first "reality" paycheck and it's more reality than check. Mr. Moody suggests maybe staying in school and not pursuing their dreams so quickly. Shaylen ultimately apologizes to the rest of the gang. They all rush back to school only to be caught by Mr. Pesckow who surprises them by not reprimanding them. Instead he is off to his golf game leaving to wonder if he and Mr. Moody are golfing together.

Mr. Moody hosts a competition ala Guitar Hero called the Beasts of Rock in his sweet shop. Our guys form their own band with hopes to enter and win the competition and win the latest breakaway guitar and game (not yet available to the public). After the boys begin losing to their greatest competition: The Scratchy Kittens, a group of little girls; Andrew comes up with a stunt that ultimately leaves him injured. Sarah, who has been ignored by the boys, takes the opportunity to save the day and the competition. Though they win, they have to wait for the game for six months. Meanwhile, Mariah and Shaylen are charged with selling Mr. Moody's latest creation, vegetable Beastie Bars at the kiosk outside the sweet shop in the mall. This is complicated when the boys insist that their sales are based purely on their looks. Incensed Mariah sets out to prove ala Ugly Betty that she is making sale based on her salesmanship instead of her looks. She goes a bit too far wearing a hideous wig, uni-brow, braces and drab clothes. Shaylen, on the hand, is enjoying the fun of taking phone numbers from boys. When Mariah's attitude changes to "ugly", which directly affects her sales. Mr. Moody points out this fact and convinces to readjust Sarah is brought back to reality when she is demoted and help her attitude and let her real beauty come from within. When she finds that a boy is not as shallow as she'd expect, the lesson of inner beauty is hit home.

After viewing a film in class about global warming, Mariah takes it upon herself to save the world, one school at a time. Her maniacal rampage leads to a student protest which brings about attention from Mr. Pesckow who makes improvements at Highlands. Believing her crusade is successful, Mariah is shocked when she draws attention from the media while she works at Mr. Moody's. Unfortunately, the media turns into a slanted expose on the sweet shop, charging Mr. Moody with several eco-violations. Mariah recruits the gang to help Mr. Moody regain his reputation by making eco-friendly changes to his business. Meanwhile, when Mr. Moody shares fan mail with the gang, Sarah feels less gratified since her mail seems mostly from younger kids while Mariah and Shaylen receive fan mail from more mature boys. After several tokens of affection show up for Sarah, she begins to get suspicious about her anonymous admirers. After an over-the-top singing telegram arrives, Sarah gets the rest of The Wannabes to fess up to the gift giving. Moved by their confessions, Mr. Moody reveals that he's been hiding Sarah's fan mail from mature boys. Sarah asks her dad to trust her to make good decision when being pursued. Though he agrees, seconds later he dismisses a fan boy who's shown up for the "Prickly Pear" (aka Sarah).

Drew gets discovered by a director who makes him the star of a new commercial for Secure Deodorant. While initially unimpressed, Drew becomes immediately popular and gets a big head. His friends try to bring him back to reality, but he's swayed by his own sense of self importance; ultimately, leading to his being kicked out of the group. After overhearing a conversation from the gang, Drew realizes his friends and being part of The Wannabes is more important than stardom without them. He makes amends and spends his earnings on a gift for them. Meanwhile when Mariah is put in charge of answering Mr. Pesckow's phones, Andrew and Shaylen snoop around his office finding Robespierre, a Siberian dwarf hamster, which is present for his niece. Fooling around with it, Robespierre is lost. Andrew and Shaylen go on a hunt a la the Crocodile Hunter complete with camouflage gear and makeup. After numerous attempts to find him, tensions are heightened when Mr. Pesckow realizes Robespierre is missing. Beside herself, Mariah goes into his office to confess her hand in things. Before she confesses, Andrew and Shaylen show up with "no luck" until Shaylen discovers Robespierre under Andrew's hat. Mariah is saved at the last minute.