“This is the true story of seven strangers picked to live in a house to see what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real.” You’ve probably heard that tagline a hundred times, but have you ever wished they were saying it about you? Well, now’s your chance.
Wednesday, casting directors from Bunim/Murray Productions will conduct an open casting call for their hit MTV shows, “The Real World” and “Road Rules,” at The Blue Marlin and Sneaky Tiki Oyster Bar in Oxford from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Why Oxford?
“Every year, we try to go to cities we haven’t been to before,” Jason Horowitz, senior casting coordinator, said. “We have some cities we visit regularly, but just by looking at a map and some statistical information about students at Ole Miss, that’s what’s drawn us to it.”
While the casting may be on enemy territory, Horowitz encourages Bulldogs to try out as well but be ready to stand in line.
“At open casting calls, we have three casting directors who see about 1,000 people in one day,” Horowitz said. “Some people wait in line for an hour, others wait three hours, but the people who show up early would probably have to wait a little less.”
However, if skipping class to wait in line is not your thing, video interviewing is another option.
“If you think you come across better on a video with someone giving you individual attention as opposed to a group setting, that’s probably a better method for you,” Horowitz said. “If you thrive on being in a discussion where you kind of stand out from the crowd, then open call is probably the better way to go.”
Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to take both avenues.
“We’ve actually had cast members before who sent us a home tape and got cast from that but when they went to open call, they didn’t get picked,” Horowitz said.
Every year, some 30,000 people apply for seven cast slots. After all of the videos are screened and the open casting results are considered, the casting process goes into a semi-final round and then a final round where applicants are flown to Los Angeles for more in-depth interviews.
While the odds may be intimidating, the location could be a motivating factor. For the second time in its 10-year history, “The Real World” will be filmed in Europe, this time in Paris.
“Paris is obviously a fascinating city to begin with, and it would be even more fascinating to see what impact the city has on the roommates and the impact the roommates have on the city,” Horowitz said.
Horowitz also said that filming locations for “Road Rules” are never disclosed until after casting.
To get a glimpse of what “The Real World” experience is really like, The Reflector caught up with “Real World Back to New York” roommates Mike and Coral via cell phone while they were cruising around Los Angeles. Here’s what they had to say…
The Reflector: What was it like, juggling trying out with being a college student?
Mike: It was tough because it seemed like every time they wanted to interview for me, I had a test the next day, so I kinda entertained the interview rather than the test, and I found myself failing out of school, so it wasn’t too fun. But luckily, I made it on the show and I didn’t have to worry about my grades.
The Reflector: What was it like being on the show with all these crazy roommates?
Mike: It was definitely different from what I was used to because first off, I had six people that I would probably never hang out with if I was never on the show, but now they’re like my closest friends. Also, having cameras around you 24/7 was a completely different experience. You start to ignore the camera after a while, but you always know it’s there. It’s hard to explain what that’s like.
Coral: I liked being on the show. It was one of the better times in my life. I learned a lot and it was more fun than anything else.
The Reflector: I don’t suppose the cameras follow you into the bathroom?
Mike: That’s the only place they can’t go is the bathroom, unless we’re doing some nookie in there. (laughs) So, I have to warn everyone trying out that if you like your privacy, don’t try out for the show.
The Reflector: So, maybe they should just try out for “Road Rules” instead?
Mike: Exactly, but even on that one, they tape all the time too.
The Reflector: Was the show entirely unscripted or were there ever times when the producers would tell you to make out with this girl or start a fight with this guy?
Mike: No, it’s not scripted at all, but we’d have interviews every Monday which were like two hours long, and they’d ask you specific questions, and you have to answer them, and you’d have to say in your words what they’re asking you. They’d ask something like, “You and Coral got in a fight, tell me about it,” and we’d have to redo the whole fight in present tense and sound intelligent and do all that crap. So, it wasn’t scripted at all.
The Reflector: So, it wasn’t like wrestling, right?
Mike: Exactly. (laughs)
The Reflector: Has your time on “The Real World” led to other opportunities for you?
Mike: Yeah. Right now, I’m doing speaking engagements at colleges. I get called back from MTV. I just did the “Battle of the Seasons,” and I also did “The Lost Season” the movie. I’ll also be doing another challenge coming up where I race, but anyone that knows me knows I can’t drive a stick, so that will be a fun experience learning how to drive a stick.
The Reflector: What was New York like?
Mike: I had never been to New York-I barely got out of Ohio. New York was definitely an eye-opening experience. It showed me things that I haven’t seen before, so I thank God that I actually got on the show because I would never have become the person that I am if I hadn’t gone to New York. If I had gone to a different city on “The Real World,” I wouldn’t have learned as much. I live in L.A. now, and it’s nothing like New York.
The Reflector: Who were some of your favorite roommates you had there?
Mike: Coral and I are really good friends. Actually, she’s in the car with me right now.
Coral: Malik, Lori and Mike are the people I keep in touch with the most, and they’re like my family.
The Reflector: Were there ever any times when you really didn’t want to be on camera?
Mike: A lot of times. There’s a lot of times when you’re scratching your a– or picking your nose and you don’t really want the camera to pick it up, but you know it’s going to. There’s also times when I’m trying to pick up a girl, and the cameras have to show me picking up this girl, and the girl has no idea what the camera’s for because we’re not allowed to tell them we’re on “The Real World.” So, I’d have to say things like “We’re doing a mayonnaise commercial,” or “It’s a porn movie.”
Coral: (laughs) We had to make up stupid things. We’d say it’s a documentary but people didn’t buy it because it was the 10th season of “The Real World,” so they pretty much knew what we were doing. You can’t go outside and do whatever you want anymore.
The Reflector: When you were picking up girls, were you pretty smooth, were you like Barry White?
Mike: (laughs)I was smooth as can be with a camera in my face shooting a mayonnaise commercial.
The Reflector: Nowadays, do you have people walk up to you and say “Hey, you were on the Real World?”
Coral: Definitely. People recognize me wherever I go. It’s kind of awkward but they always show a lot of love; there’s never anything negative.
The Reflector: How was the audition process? Did you think you had a good chance of making it?
Coral: I went to a casting call before they even got my tape. They pulled me out of line and put me in this group with nine other people and this casting director and they pulled me out of that group and made me fill out the longest form I ever had to fill out in my life and then they kept calling me back for interviews and here I am.
The Reflector: When you did the show, did it meet your expectations for what was going to happen?
Coral: It definitely exceeded my expectations. I didn’t expect for it to be so big. So many more people than I thought watched the show and everyone knows everything about you. It’s difficult, but there’s a lot of perks. You get to go to the (Video Music Awards), you get paid to go speak at colleges, you get called back for the challenges and you get to spend a month in Cancun and Cabo San Lucas. The perks far outweigh the downfalls.
The Reflector: Was it difficult to act natural with a camera on you? Did you ever feel like you had to act differently because you knew people were watching?
Coral: No, you can only act for so long-that’s why it’s 17 weeks. Maybe for the first two or three weeks you can put up a front, but it never lasts. One of the big things about being on the show is that you have to be open and you have to be honest or else you’re going to look like a total a-hole.
The Reflector: Do you have any advice for anyone trying out?
Coral: Know what you’re getting into, and be ready to be honest and to be confronted about things that ordinarily, you wouldn’t have to be responsible for.
Mike: Be yourself, have fun with it and like Coral said, know what you’re getting into. Don’t go on the show if you’re not going to give them your life. If you’re like, “Well, I don’t want to put this and this on there,” then don’t try out because those are the pieces they want. Anything you don’t want them to know, that’s what they’re going to put on the show.