Carmen (Carm) Ferrara

Carmen, when we first meet her, is fifteen, a pretty but overweight brunette, and utterly determined to be a cheerleader for reasons she puts on tape for Sam. She is doing it for acceptance (a property of popularity and cheerleaders are by definition popular) and because when she was eight a cheerleader smiled at her and made her feel special.

But despite Brooke's curious desire to take her on, she fails to make the team after Nicole has had her say. A terribly hurt Carmen is unforgiving when Brooke tries to explain why: "It's because you're fat [and] I didn't make the rules."

She goes on to ask: "Do you know how lucky you are, Brooke? Do you know what I would give to be you - for like one day - one hour?" Brooke counters with a confession of unhappiness and an eating disorder but it doesn't put Carmen off. And why should it, her mother weighs out her food and her father complains to her brothers [see note] about her size. Thin is beautiful!

But she's been dieting since she was eight so it's clear that the thin thing isn't happening, which is partly why her friends wonder why she so keen to go for this unobtainable prize and try to join people (Nicole) that openly despise her.

But Carmen won't take no for an answer and continues to try to ingratiate herself with the cheerleaders. This leads to humiliation at her own sweet sixteen party when she is 'hypnotised' to behave like a chicken. Although Brooke does belatedly comes to the rescue the day is ruined. Carmen, however, returns the favour when she persuades Brooke not to drop out of the race for Homecoming Queen when equally humiliated, even though she is also running for the crown.

Carmen finally gets her wish at Christmas, when Nicole relents and allows her to join the Glamazons. Almost immediately she finds herself in a tug-of-war between the two camps. Lily in particular is put out as she begins to favour her fellow cheerleaders over her old friends. The acquisition of April Tuna as an obsessive fan is no substitute.

So when Carmen is forced onto the witness stand to defend the popular set against Emory Dick, she decides to return to her friends and publicly resigns from the Glamazons, much to Brooke's chagrin.

Carmen then surprises everyone by by admitting she's been dating Josh Ford in secret. She previously nearly dated Sugar after an internet 'romance' but as they both lied about themselves it didn't work out.

A secret she doesn't like admitting to is kissing Lily, as she's quite sure she doesn't swing that way (but doth she protest too much?). However, her happiness with Josh is short lived. A jealous Brooke tries to split them up. She confides her insecurites to Harrison who turns them into a song. The resulting public humiliation is compounded when Josh decides on a dating time-out before later returning to Brooke.

And then, like Brooke before her, Carmen thinks she's pregnant by Josh. But, like Brooke, it turns out to be a false alarm.

[This was to have been a major storyline in the second season, but the network ordered it to be cut.]

In her junior year, Carmen again tries out for the Glamazons, is flunked by Nicole again, but then steps into her shoes when Nicole's knee lets her down in front of Principal Krupps.

She co-parents the pretend baby, Hilaryswank, with Lily, but neglects her wife and child in favour of more glamorous activities. She does try to persuade the geeks that she's on their side but it doesn't impress April who wants action not words.

Shortly after this she leaves the family home, soon followed by her father. She moves in with Sam and Jane in order to escape the violent attentions of her alcoholic mother. She even considers getting a place of her own, and Lily tries to help her do that, but ends up sleeping at the school.

Ms Glass then takes her in, and seeing Carmen as she herself once was, backs her campaign for Homecoming Queen. Which she wins easily despite Nicole and Mary Cherry branding her as a teen alcoholic.

Carmen moves back home to support her mother's return to sobriety and joins Alateen, where she is surprised to meet Nicole. They begin to bond, but Nicole takes advantage, and $70, so the friendship never develops.

Randy and Andy, the siamese twins, take a shine to Carmen but nothing comes of it. [Another cut storyline?]

To save the yearbook Sam and Carmen arrange makeovers for the less photogenic students. They succeed, but hurt April's feelings in the process.

Then Carmen gets into difficulties at a college frat party and has to hide in a closet until rescued by the boys.

Later, she takes salsa lessons, falls for the instructor, who rejects her, then asks her out when he realises his mistake.

Other facts. She took her driving test with the other cheerleaders but didn't pass as she ran down April. She plays the guitar and composes songs like 'Decapitated Rat' just like Phoebe Buffay in Friends.

Note: She mentions having brothers (ep2) but only Leo is seen, and when Nicole looks at a family photo (ep5) only four people are in it. Also the pretty blonde mother in the photo is not Susan Ruttan who plays Joy Ferrara in the flesh.