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Bunim-Murray casting process finds candidates who’re “just ‘crazy’ enough.”

by Andy Dehnart 11 Nov. 2004 | 6:00 am

Bunim-Murray casting process finds candidates who’re “just ‘crazy’ enough.”
What does it take to be cast on a reality TV show? Salon’s Benjamin Wallace sits in on the casting for The Rebel Billionairer, and finds that “Many of the questions in this vetting process, therefore, are aimed at determining not whether a candidate is too crazy, but whether he’s just ‘crazy’ enough.” Produced by Bunim-Murray, that show was cast by Sasha Alpert, the woman who “pioneered the casting methods now standard to the industry.” She says her “model is World War II movies–you know, the hayseed, the urban kid from Brooklyn. This is the opposite of everyone from the same family. It’s everyone from a very different family.” Salon also gets Mike Darnell to admit that when he casts, “I want the crazy bitch, the nice guy, and as much conflict as is humanly possible.” For those wanting to fake their way on to a reality show, Survivor casting director Lynn Spillman says that it’s all about “consistency: ‘They need to be a bitch on tape, a bitch on their application, a bitch on their answering machine.'”

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart’s writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Pacific Standard, and other publications. He has covered reality television for more than 18 years, and created reality blurred in 2000.

A member of the Television Critics Association, Andy, 40, directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. More about reality blurred and Andy.

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reality blurred is your guide to the world of reality TV and unscripted entertainment, with reality show reviews, news, and analysis. It was created in 2000 by Andy Dehnart. He's still writing and publishing it today.

reality blurred is regularly updated with highlights from the world of reality TV: news and analysis; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of these reality TV shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Great British Baking Show, Shark Tank, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and many more.

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