Reality TV Casting

The cult-like following shows like The Bachelor and The Amazing Race have garnered have transformed the ‘reality’ TV show format into something of a pop-culture phenomenon.

Whether you an experienced or amateur actor, you may have decided you would like to audition for a certain reality TV show. Even if you have no acting experience and no interest in acting, you may be considering trying out for a reality show just for the thrill of it. There are many factors to consider when auditioning to be on reality TV. One very important factor to consider is the portfolio of pictures you will submit in the audition process.

Already Have a Portfolio?

If you are an actor with any level of experience, you may already have an existing portfolio of professional photos of yourself. Your portfolio may include head shots, body shots and lifestyle photos among others. Whether the photos of you that are in your portfolio were taken by an agency, a professional photographer or a friend, they are undoubtedly both professional and flattering. Unfortunately, producers of reality TV shows are not looking for professional actors or models (unless you are trying out for America’s Next Top Model, etc.)

Keep it Real

If you want to audition for and get cast in a reality TV show, chances are, you will need to portray yourself as a real person – A.K.A. your real self. So if you have a professional portfolio, scrap it altogether and start from ground zero. Choose a simple photo album for your portfolio. Go through recent personal photographs that include you. Make sure the photos you choose to include portray you as you currently look. If you had long hair but recently cut it, make sure to only use photos where your hair is the same as its current style.

Capacity for Drama

In addition to choosing pictures where you look like a regular (real) person and where you really look like yourself, look for different pictures that capture the range of emotion you are capable of. Reality TV producers look for participants that will create interesting circumstances due to their propensity for drama. In other words, do not choose only photos in which you are happy and shiningly smiling. Try to find some (or strategically take some) pictures where different emotions are captured on your face. This may sound gloomy, but if you have pictures where you look angry or sad, include them so that you come across as someone with some depth of emotion.

Personality Pointers

When putting together your photo album – A.K.A. portfolio, make sure to include several pictures that portray your personality and lifestyle. For example, if you are known as a world traveler, use pictures of yourself in Italy, or at that Buddhist temple you visited last summer. If you are an avid athlete, include photos of recent events you participated. Try to use pictures that show you actively participating in life – no matter how you do it.

Video Portfolio

Though sometimes you will be auditioning live, (and may be asked to submit your photographs prior to the audition) chances are you will be asked to videotape a 2 to 5 minute video of yourself first. Some reality TV producers request a video tape in lieu of photos or a portfolio. In this case, review past seasons of the program you are trying to get cast for and see what type of people the show is likely to pick. Practice in front of friends and family members, and re-record your audition as many times as it takes until you get it just right.

When you think about reality television, chances are that there are some shows that really appeal to you and other shows that you really just can not stand. This is true for most people when they think about reality television and it is true for them because of the fact that different reality television shows look at different parts of the human condition. Different parts of that condition tend to hold special or otherwise significant meaning for different people and that is exactly why reality television is such a varied landscape. If you are interested in discovering which reality television shows match your body and mind, here are some ways for you to figure that out.

Try to find a common theme

The first thing that you should do when going down the road of this quest is try to find a common theme linking all of these reality television shows together. Make a list of the reality television shows that you like and make a list of the ones that you don’t like. Once you’ve completed both lists, you should have a very good idea from the list of the types of reality TV shows that you like and the types that you hate. Overall, the common theme that you found within the reality TV shows will allow you to determine if future shows that come out are shows that you might enjoy.

Try to find a pleasing format

Just as a different theme of reality television might appeal to you, a particular show format might be what attracts you to the shows in the first place. Consider reality television in the format of a countdown elimination, a one episode per team instance or any other format that reality television producers might come up with and see if the lists of shows that you like and dislike fall into these formats. For most people, the answer is probably going to be somewhere in the middle since formats and themes don’t usually go together, but at the same time you might be able to discover something about yourself through making this type of investigation happen.

Talk to your friends

Talking to your friends is perhaps a thought that had crossed your mind, but if you are like most people then chances are pretty good that you dismissed that thought altogether. This is because while friendship is sometimes predicated on having similar interests, the interests that we do not share are the ones we tend to be most defensive about and for that reason discussing reality television with your friends might be a risky move in your mind. At the same time however, the reactions that you get from your friends and the way in which you deal with those reactions will tell you a lot about your own tastes in this area, which is why talking to your friends about reality television is a very good idea.

Read Online Reviews

The final thing that you’ll want to do in an attempt to figure out which reality shows match your body and mind is to read reviews of those shows online. Online reviews differ from newspaper and magazine reviews in the sense that they are more frequently written from a personal style rather than a professional one and that makes it a lot easier for you to identify with reviews that really speak to you. Oftentimes it is the case that the words you find hard to express find expression through others and that is exactly why reading online reviews is an excellent idea to pursue. Do this along with the other suggestions and you should definitely be able to find your answer.

Part of the appeal that has reality TV shows so intriguing is the fact that the characters are true-life people, folks who could be your neighbors or co-workers. This engages the audience in a way that not only allows them to relate to the characters, but also makes them feel as if they too could be a television star by being on one of these shows.
Many people in fact do want to be on a reality television show and would like to know how, when and where they can audition to be on shows like The Biggest Loser, The Bachelor and others. Below are some tips on how to prepare for your reality TV show audition.

Get Started

Several reality shows allow candidates to apply online or by mail. For other shows, you must make a videotape of yourself and send it in. There are many reality shows that require that you audition in person. In order to start preparing for the audition process, you’ll need to find all the details of that process. Start by looking at the TV network Web sites for reality TV show casting information

When and Where?

There are many online sources for finding out when and where live auditions are held for reality shows. Some blogs or audition sites list audition schedules for multiple reality shows. If you are interested in a specific show only, for example The Amazing Race, you could go to the Web site of the TV network that the show is on to find audition information. Once you know when and where auditions are, you’ll need to figure out the logistics of being available for and getting to the audition. There may not necessarily be an audition in your home town or city. In this case, you’ll need to arrange travel to the nearest audition site.

Know Your Story

Whether you are applying to be on a reality TV show online, through the mail, or showing up to a live audition, you must prepare by knowing what you will say about yourself. You will need to portray yourself as an interesting person. Start by brainstorming a list of as many different facts about yourself as you can possibly think of. Include places you’ve live, places you’ve been, accomplishments you’ve made, anything at all that makes you interesting. After that, narrow it down to 5-10 interesting tidbits that you can memorize and speak about on demand.

Make for Good Drama

Many of today’s reality shows claim they’re not casting to fill niches or to create conflict. Despite those claims anyone who has seen more than one episode of any reality show can tell this is not always true. The fact is, reality TV must have some drama in order to be interesting and engaging. Casting people that are likely to create interesting types of conflict ensures this element will be covered. You can use this to your advantage. First off, make sure to keep it real. Don’t lie or grossly exaggerate. Think about your opinions and outlooks on controversial matters. Play up certain things about your lifestyle that may clash with that of someone else. Play up certain things about you that make you likely to fill a certain niche.

Confidence is Key

In conclusion, once you have found out all the details about the audition, prepared and memorized your ‘story,’ and strategized your drama factor, focus on your confidence. You must come across as someone outgoing who is not afraid to be themselves and be outspoken. If nothing else, focusing on this will give you the greatest chance of being cast on a reality TV show.

Television shows have changed in the last few years. We still have our sitcoms and dramas, and the occasional movie, but something new has come on the scene lately, and it is giving these other types of shows a real run for their money. I’m talking of course, about reality shows. Reality shows started to appear on television a few years ago, and they have grown in popularity, until you cannot go through three or four channels without coming across some type of reality show.

Reality shows used to give people their fifteen or twenty minutes of fame when they first started out, but in the last couple of years, there have been some people who have found a bit of lasting fame from their appearances on some reality shows, and the public has really latched onto some of these new celebrities. There are so many different types of reality shows nowadays, and some of them seem to be more apt to launch their contestants into fame and fortune than others. Today, you can choose to watch reality shows such as, Survivor, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, Big Brother, The Amazing Race, Fear Factor, No Opportunity Wasted, American Idol, The Apprentice, So You Think You Can Dance, Hell’s Kitchen, The Hills, and these are just a few reality TV shows!

Survivor has churned out more than one new celebrity, and probably the two most popular was a couple who fell in love during their time on the show. Rob and Amber were very popular after competing on Survivor, and a lot of people have followed their lives, even years after the show. Add this to the fact that they appeared as contestants on The Amazing Race together, and came in second place in 2005, and their celebrity status doubled!

Chef Gordon Ramsay is another person who has achieved major celebrity status by appearing as the star on a reality show. His show, Hell’s Kitchen, did so well, that he is now doing another reality show, called Kitchen Nightmares, where he takes restaurants that are not faring so well, and turns them around. Chef Ramsay is getting a lot more recognition on the street since he has been doing these shows.

Another reality show that has turned out a whole lot of stars is American Idol. Some of the winners of this singing reality show have not been so successful, (Justin Guarini has been the butt of many jokes) but a lot of the winners have sold multi-million records. Some examples are Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Chris Daughtry and Taylor Hicks. This is one type of reality show where contestants definitely have a good chance at becoming an instant celebrity. Singers have a place in one of the most popular group of celebrities in the world, right along with actors and actresses.

If you want to achieve “celebrity status”, appearing on a reality show could actually be a smart way of doing so. Just do your research and make sure that you pick the right one. Don’t audition for a show that you have no talents for.

Celebrities have a huge impact on peoples’ lives in the world today. A lot of people can’t go through one day without checking the web, or their favorite celebrity magazine to read about the latest celebrity gossip, and the most up to the minute juicy tidbit of news about their favorite famous person. Celebrities can range from an actor or actress, singer, writer, movie producer or director, or reality show contestant. There are also people who are famous for “being famous”, such as Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie.

Most people just gobble up any item of “news” that they can get about their favorite celebrities. It is too easy to focus on someone else’s problems, so you don’t have to give attention to your own difficulties! What these people don’t think about is the fact that the more they read about and purchase information about these celebrities, the less privacy these people have in their lives. It’s really no wonder that the majority of celebrities out there today mess up do often – they are under a serious amount of pressure!

When someone finally reaches “celebrity status” in today’s world, it is great at first. They start to get recognized on the street every now and again, and every once in a while, they will get a meal for free just because the restaurant owner or manager is a big fan of the television show that they appear on. After a while, however, after they have climbed higher on the celebrity ladder, it gets to be not so much fun for these people. The paparazzi follow them everywhere they go, usually taking very awful and embarrassing pictures that cause fans to think that they are anorexic or pregnant or near death. The paparazzi don’t just follow them on the street, but they also hide in trees near these celebrities’ homes, taking pictures of their private, personal lives and printing them for the entire world to see the next day.

Being in the public eye so much definitely has a huge impact on the personal lives of our celebrities. When you think about it, if you could not leave your house to take a walk, or go to the local café for a latte without being swamped by cameras and reporters, your life wouldn’t be much of a life either! Celebrities also receive phone calls every now and again from worried friends and relatives who see the tabloids in the grocery store and think that their friend or relative is dead or terminally ill, or about to split up with their spouse. The tabloids and magazines pretty much have a 100% record of being completely untrue, but people still worry!

Even when celebrities want to get married, they sometimes have to choose a spouse who is also in the public eye, because when someone is not used to the cameras and craziness, it can be too much for them to handle, along with a new marriage. Also, any famous person who dates a non famous person cannot help but wonder if their significant other would want to be with them if they were not a celebrity. When celebrities do get married and have children, life is harder for their families as well. because of their parents’ celebrity status.