After seeing a total of 10,000 potential cast members, the casting team called back 30 people from each city. In February 2003, three weeks prior to the start of production, they narrowed it down to 40 finalists who all came to Los Angeles for videotaped one-on-one interviews.

Originally set to have 12 cast members, the producers ultimately decided to have a cast of 16 (8 female and 8 male). “We found such great stories in all these people,” comments co-producer Jamie Schutz, “We decided to bring them all and just have a great time. At the end of the day, we can’t focus on 16 stories, but we’ll have our leads, our supporting cast, our day players and our bit stories, just like in any feature film.” Although the majority of the cast is composed of people who didn’t know each other, (unlike “The Real World,” which features a cast of complete strangers) in a few instances the filmmakers found a few cast members too good to pass up who were already acquainted.

The location chosen to be the main set and operational “home base” was the Baccara Hotel on Cancun’s notorious “Hotel Strip.” It was completely taken over by the production, with the art department arriving weeks in advance to decorate, repaint and refurnish the hotel, giving it a Mediterranean look. Closed to the public, one side of the hotel was used for production facilities and to house the crew, while the cast lived on the other side. Each room on the cast side of the hotel was rigged with microphones and cameras with all cameras having infrared capabilities to capture any late night activities.

On Saturday, March 15th, 2003, all 16 cast members flew to Cancun to begin their adventure and meet their fellow Spring Breakers. “Everyone here is a lot of fun,” enthuses cast member Sara. “Some people are quiet and shy and others are just crazy, but we all get along so well.”

The cast members moved into their pre-assigned rooms and, one-by-one, came to grips with their incredible accommodations for the next eight days. As they make initial impressions, a picture of who they are begins to emerge:

• On her first time bungee jumping, SARAH (21) is stung by a jellyfish. The only salve comes from the human body, and she forms a close bond with MATT (20) when he steps up to the plate (or the cup) to provide it. But will the very real connection between these two Arizona State University students withstand the temptations of Cancun?
• ALAN (18) is a shy “straight arrow” from Rowlett, TX, who has never had much luck with girls. With the “anything goes” spirit of Cancun, this Texas Tech student will change in ways he never anticipated.
• A Xavier University (New Orleans) student from Los Angeles, PAUL (21) is a gentleman with the ladies, and finds himself drawn to the beautiful, headstrong SKY (21), a community college student from Las Vegas. But when he doesn’t get the signs from her, there could be trouble with the human smorgasbord of Spring Break revelry surrounding them.
• Always ready with comic relief, JORELL, an El Camino College student from Inglewood, CA, comes as Paul’s good friend but bonds with many of the cast members, including Alan and Jeremy.
• JEREMY (22) is a recent business-marketing graduate from Arizona State. He has a girlfriend back home in Mesa, AZ, but nothing will stop him from making the most of these eight precious days in Cancun. There are too many women and far too little time.
• From the moment he arrives, Jeremy sets his sights on LAURA (20), a dreamy-eyed and fun-loving aspiring actress from the small town of Brandon, WI. But their ideas of what happens during Spring Break will take a dramatic turn.
• CASEY (25) is a blond, happy-go-lucky model from Huffman, TX now living in Miami, whose fearlessness defies bungee jumping and competing in the “hot bod” contest. For Casey, life is one long Spring Break.
• HEIDI (18) and DAVID (18) are lifelong friends from Massachusetts. David is a budding songwriter bound for Harvard, while Heidi is headed to UC Santa Cruz. Despite their close friendship, the two have never hooked up.
• Identical twins NICOLE and ROXANNE (20) are up for anything and have every intention of making the most of their Spring Break. Bold and confident, these Texas Tech students from Albuquerque, N.M. make many friendships and gain admirers with their sexy dual performance in the wet T-shirt contest.

Other cast members include:

• BRITTANY (19) is a free-spirited biochemistry major at Boston University from Redondo Beach.
• BEN (20) is a management major at the University of Georgia originally from Statesboro, GA.
• AMBER (21) is an American Studies and Community Health student (as well as the sex columnist for the school paper) at Tufts University.

During their 8-day odyssey, the cast members will ride horses on the beach, swim with dolphins, dance, drink, party, change partners and then dance and drink and party a lot more, all gearing up and laying the groundwork for the inevitable hook-up. The cast will also be treated to performances by Snoop Dogg and Simple Plan in exhilarating outdoor concerts.

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