Time was anyone could get a job in videogame testing so long as he was willing to do long hours of tedious work for minimal pay. But it's a sign of the times that you have to battle your way through a reality TV show to get a QA job. Sony has just announced the 11 candidates for a single testing position, to be determined by their performance on The Tester, a show you will -- Sony hopes -- download and watch from The Playstation Network. From the announcement:

To produce The Tester, we teamed up with one of the biggest names in reality television, 51 Minds, the dynamic production company that is the force behind hit series such as The Surreal Life, Rock of Love, and many more hit TV shows. The Tester, to be by hosted Meredith Molinari, model and host of multiple online music shows, will follow the cast over eight episodes as they battle it out in a series of physical and mental challenges in a fight to win a position at Sony Computer Entertainment America. We have also lined up a distinguished panel of judges, including Brent Gocke, Release Manager from Sony Computer Entertainment, and guest judges such as David Jaffe, Director & Lead Designer of God of War and Twisted Metal.