METHUEN — Just four years ago, Amy Bissonnette was scooping out ice cream at Jay Gees on Lowell Boulevard.
On Tuesday, she will be vying for the attention of a wealthy man on "The Millionaire Matchmaker." The episode airs at 10 p.m. on the cable station Bravo.
The hit documentary-series follows matchmaker Patti Stanger, as she works with the bachelors in improving their appearance with the help of personal shoppers, date coaches and therapists.
In each episode, two men specially selected by Stanger are set up on dates based on their beauty and intelligence.
People who know Bissonnette are not surprise she will be the Valley's next reality star.
"That's was she is all about, taking chances and risks," said Rob Giuffrida, owner of Jay Gees, where Bissonnette worked from high school through college. "I'm looking forward to watching and I hope she gets a millionaire, because she deserves it."
Laurel Cortellino, Bissonnette's theater arts teacher at Methuen High School, agreed.
"She was very composed, very dedicated and an extraordinary student," the teacher said.
Cortellino said Bissonnette was also very creative.
"She always came up with great ideas for skits and her group was more than bare bones," Cortellino said.
In addition to her talent on stage and in the classroom, Cortellino recalls Bissonnette having a pretty voice.
Bissonnette was born and raised in Methuen, daughter of Sandy Bissonnette and John Tsaklis. She has four siblings, Kristen Tsaklis, Renee DuPuis, Shaun DuPuis and Steven Bouchard.
Bissonnette said she got hooked on "The Millionaire Matchmaker" after watching the show's first two seasons religiously.
Bissonnette, 25, tried out for the show on a whim. Bissonnette is 5-feet-5-inches tall with long brown hair and a warm smile. She brings a lot of experience to the show including musical theater, tap dancing and her love for trivia.
During her audition, casting members asked her to talk about herself, what type of guy she was looking for, why she wanted to be on the show and her interests.
While the audition went smoothly, the taping "was nerve wracking."
"I knew all the cameras were on me at all times recording what I was doing and what I was saying," she said.
"Once I relaxed and pretended the cameras weren't there, I could be myself. I just wanted to make sure whatever I did on the show, I'd be proud of when it came on the air," she said.
Bissonnette is a 2002 graduate of Methuen High and majored in psychology and social welfare at Bridgewater State College.
She moved to California shortly after graduating cum laude from college in 2006.
"I never came here with the intention of being an actress," Bissonnette said. "I was just looking for any opportunity that may arise."
While waiting for Lady Luck to strike, Bissonnette works as a server at Olive Garden, making her experience at Jay Gees come in handy.
Bissonnette fell in love with the California lifestyle after growing up watching "Beverly Hills, 90210."
"I liked it because it's a show I could identify with. It's a show about who I am and what it may be like if I grew up in L.A.," she said.
She likes reality shows for another reason.
"As a psychology major, I like to analyze the characters. The shows have an element of a social experiment like the interaction between the players," Bissonnette said.
"Millionaire Matchmaker" is not the first time she has been on television.
She was a contestant on "Bingo America" and got to the final round against one opponent. The final question was the location of Walt Disney World. But alas
"I wasn't fast enough because of my reflexes. I couldn't believe I lost," Bissonnette said.
Bissonnette is not the only one in her family to appear on a television reality show.
Her sister, Kristen Tsaklis was in the MTV reality show, "Miss Seventeen" a project between MTV and Seventeen magazine which sought America's ultimate role model.
