Casting Calls for Canadian Reality TV Shows
LIfestyle and Makeover Television Programmes Need People
Mar 10, 2009
In Canada, many of the specialty channels are broadcasting reality television series (also called Factual Entertainment), which means they need real people as guests on the shows. Here's a primer of what the networks carry and a sampling of shows casting for the 2010 season. After reading this, interested candidates should visit the home website of each network and watch some programming to get an idea of show formats, styles and outcomes.
Lifestyle Television
Formerly the Women’s Network, the W Network has many reality shows that cater to daily life and aims to help people facing challenges with real estate (“Take This House and Sell It”, “Love it or List It”), personal finance (“Maxed Out”), fashion (“Style By Jury”) and food, featuring Christine Cushing’s new series “Fearless in the Kitchen”. Those with a paranormal experience may be invited to share that story on “Ghostly Encounters”.
Home and Real Estate
HGTV, the Home and Garden Television Network is more home than garden these days, so is it’s no surprise that new show range content is all house and property. “Realtor Vs. Realtor” pits real estate agents against each other to sell a home while “Income Property” promises to help viewers make renovations to accommodate an income property. “House Poor” will help people who have run out of money mid-renovation and “Holmes Inspection”, the newest vehicle for contractor Mike Holmes, sets out to help people stuck with bad houses based on negligent home inspection reports.
Returning series are “Property Virgins” (for first time buyers), “Marriage Under Construction” (which follows young newlyweds buying and decorating their first home) and “Pure Design”, for people who want to makeover a room and can contribute some money toward that redesign.
Food Network
The two reality shows casting for this broadcaster are both restaurant-based. The first, in its fourth season, “Restaurant Makeover”, matches the amount of money a restaurateur puts into a renovation (up to $15,000). The other series, “Restaurant 101”, is a new documentary-style series looking for people who are planning to open a restaurant in the next 6-12 months.
Cross Canada Casting Search
The Slice network broadcasts a range of lifestyle and personal improvement programs and has no less than 13 shows foraging for guests across Canada, from British Columbia to Alberta and Ontario. If you have a dog driving you crazy (“At the End of My Leash”), a spoiled friend or relative (“Princess”), an impending wedding (“Rich Bride, Poor Bride” and “Bulging Brides) or a big party to throw (“Party Mamas”), you may qualify to be in any one of these shows.
Read the Fine Print of Makeover Television
Depending on the show, guests could walk away with a great renovation, a big event or a special day made even better and sometimes with someone else footing the bill. Not all shows offer freebies, though, and many now expect guests to fork out some expenses toward an event or makeover.
Being on television is more than being queen for a day so be sure to do some homework about what is entailed by committing to a series and what to expect when on a reality TV series.
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