Reality TV Casting Tips… from professionals 😉
I know a thing or two about being competitive. A few reality TV producers have caught me in the act, and if they ever need a flashback, I’m sure they know exactly where to find the footage. I’ve been called a lot of things in my life on TV but not being overly competitive has never been one of them.
You don’t need a camera crew to catch me. I almost got banned from trivia night. Trivia night. An evening people go to for fun.
And my sister and I have gone months without talking because “SHE hates to lose.” I’m sure she’d tell you a different version of that story. She’s welcome to write her own blog here. Elissa … “fake pageant girl”… the real ones know.
I won Big Brother, and I can tell you that being competitive can help you win a game show or a reality competition. It can also get you cast on a reality show.
It’s what makes you ask for another practice round when everybody else is ready to call it a night. It can also make you so determined to win one round that you forget what you actually need to do to win the game. Knowing when to dial it back is a skill. I am, clearly, still practicing.
Here’s where my casting brain kicks in. When someone tells me, “I’m really competitive,” my first question is, “Okay, when was the last time that got you in trouble?” In the above photo Brendon and I only won that leg and 2500$ each because we were competitive it was a foot race to the end and I even said to Brendon it doesn’t matter were not last… he said “BUT WHAT IF WE ARE FIRST” – and that folks has always stayed with me, it got me deep.
If I tell you I’m competitive, you know one thing about me. If I tell you I almost got banned from trivia night, suddenly you have questions. What was the question? Who was keeping score? Did somebody have to ask me to leave? And why do I get the feeling Rachel still thinks she was right?
That’s what I want from your audition. Paint me a picture. Give me the tea. Take me to the table. Tell me who was there, what was at stake, what you said, and what everybody did next. If there’s one line your friends still quote back to you, I want to hear that line.
The stakes can be as small as a family game night. Sometimes that’s even funnier. My daughter Adora has thrown her fair share of competitive fits with her brother and a good drawful game. There’s something about watching someone fight for a prize worth absolutely nothing that tells you exactly who they are.
A good story makes for a better conversation. It gives casting something to ask about and something to remember after the call. And it just might help you land your next show. REMEMBER BE MEMORABLE! Don’t be the girl in the purple shirt be the person who has the crazy stories that made me laugh.
FOR REFERENCE this is Zach Rances Big Brother audition story…. Now we know why he got cast….
So tell me about the last time you got a little too competitive. What were you playing, who were you playing against, and are you two speaking yet?