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.

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 Survivor appeared on CBS for the first time, it quickly became a topic of conversation around water coolers everywhere. Even people who didn’t watch the show couldn’t escape conversations about which castaway would be voted off the island next. Today, there are dozens of reality shows that offer to turn everyday people into chefs, actors, singing stars, brides or grooms, millionaires, and almost anything else you can imagine.

And while people make the obligatory negative remarks about reality TV, many harbor secret addictions to one show or another. What makes reality TV so popular? There are probably several factors.

First, reality TV participants come from all walks of life. Whether you’re gay or straight, male or female, Christian or Buddhist, Black or white, it is easy to turn on reality TV and spot someone like yourself whisked away into an adventurous or luxurious lifestyle. We experience a vicarious thrill seeing ordinary people like us compete for fabulous prizes. And, if you are being absolutely honest, you have to admit that you’ve sometimes thought, “I could do that!”

Another reason people enjoy reality TV is the suspense. On most shows, each episode finds another participant being eliminated until there is only one player left standing. We agonize with our favorite players as they endure challenges and hardships, hold our breaths when it looks like they may be on the chopping block, and breathe a sigh of relief when they squeak by for one more week.

Watching reality TV also gives us an avenue to communicate with acquaintances and co-workers. As the second season of American Idol drew to a close, for instance, you could start a conversation with a complete stranger simply by asking, “So, is it going to be Clay or Ruben?”

Still another reason reality TV is popular may have to do with certain socioeconomic factors. With so many people in debt, the cost of living consistently outstripping people’s paychecks, relatively high unemployment, and wars being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, reality TV gives people something less threatening to focus on. It may even help people feel better about their own lives. “I may have it bad,” some viewers think, “but at least I’m not wearing filthy clothes and eating insects.” Or, “I may have had a bad day of work, but at least the entire viewing public isn’t watching Simon Cowell blast my singing voice.”

Finally, reality TV initially had a strong viewing because it was something unique. Audiences in the United States were used to watching television actors deliver scripted lines—we were completely unprepared for a show without a script featuring real people engaged in real competition. The real live cat fights, backbiting, and scheming delighted wide eyed viewers.

Of course, from the beginning there were a few dissenting voices claiming that reality TV was somewhat less than real. Furthermore, familiarity has begun to breed contempt. The second installment of Survivor, for instance, was the most watched series of the 2000-2001 TV series. Survivor China, the fifteenth installment in the Survivor series, is ranked number eleven among the current fall lineup. Other reality TV shows have seen similar rating drops as their novelty faded.

But even if reality TV is no longer quite as robust as it once was, it is far from dead. New reality TV concepts are pitched every season, and millions of fans continue to tune in to watch their favorite reality programs. For all the reasons discussed above, reality TV is definitely here to stay.

Part of the appeal of reality TV is that it offers a look into the lives of ordinary folks like you and me. No writers, no actors, just everyday folks using their strength and common sense. Why, we could be the ones up there on screen winning glorious prizes for outlasting our tribe mates or marrying a pseudo millionaire! But just how real is reality TV?

Not very, say some critics and observers. In fact, reality TV producers manipulate reality in several ways. Otherwise, the shows wouldn’t attract the ratings they have. After all, who would tune in to watch people in their own homes living a perfectly average day?

The first way that reality is manipulated is that the participants are removed from their everyday environment. Whether they are marooned on an island or housed in a resort, they are fish out of water and their access to resources depends on the goodwill of the producers.

Second, the participants are placed in competition with each other. Only one person can win the grand prize, whether that prize is a cash reward, a television contract, or the love of another person. In order to stay on the show, contestants must face difficult challenges. Each show usually ends with at least one contestant being sent home. Thus the focus of reality TV is manufactured conflict.

The conflict is usually heightened by the selection of participants. Producers know that conflict means ratings, so they try to cast each show with people who are natural opponents such as an out gay man or lesbian and a homophobe or a strong, take-charge woman and a sexist man. Such pairings are almost guaranteed to keep conflict going and provide hours of arguing for the entertainment of viewers.

Finally, even with the controlled environment and the inherent conflict, reality TV shows must still be edited to create a “storyline.” Editors sort through countless hours of mundane activities to find the moments fraught with tension and conflict. If two participants get along great for 99% of the day, but exchange sharp words once, it is likely the argument that you will see. Similarly if a participant says many positive things about another participant but adds, “I wish he weren’t so controlling,” you’re likely to see only the complaint about the controlling behavior and none of the compliments that came before.

Careful editing can make smart people appear dumb, nice people seem like villains, and casual friends look like lovers.

Over and above these obvious manipulations, there is some question about whether reality TV producers go even a step further and try to manipulate the results of the competition. In 2001, for instance, Stacey Stillman sued the television program Survivor claiming that the executive producer had encouraged other contestants to vote her off the island instead of a player who was more popular with viewers. CBS, the network that airs Survivor, has vehemently denied these charges. Other series that have been accused of rigging outcomes include The Amazing Race, American Idol, and Big Brother. Even many of the staunchest reality TV fans admit to wondering if the outcomes are really as random as they are made to seem.

In the end, no one has ever been able to prove that the outcomes of these shows are fixed. One thing is certain, though. The situations in which the participants interact with each other are so carefully manipulated that they bear little, if any, resemblance to reality.