What do reality TV producers look for when casting a show?

What do reality TV producers look for when casting a show?

Mark Cronin (Founder & Producer) gives expert video advice on: What do producers look for when casting reality game shows?; Do reality show cast members get paid? and more...

When you're casting a reality show, like a contest show, or a reality in a house, or a social experiment-type show, casting is usually a balancing act of trying to find different kinds of personailities. You're usually looking for personalities that will in some ways conflict with each other. You always want to find that old odd couple, the neatnick vs. the slob, the vegetarian vs. the meat eater, the born again christian vs the devil worshipper. If you can find a wide range of points of view, and pack them together in a small place, you'll have interesting turmoil, conflict, and resolution. Everything we look for in storytelling, is what we look for in a cast.