Dreaming of a career as a reality TV star? Getting cast is the first step, but landing a spot on a hit show such as The Amazing Race, Survivor, RuPaul’s Drag Race, or Love Island isn’t easy. Casting directors are always on the hunt for people who will make for great TV – and on the lookout for prospective cast members who could derail a show due to their sketchy past.

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ casting director says it’s a ‘hard no’ if someone is a ‘bully’

Reality TV thrives on drama, and adding a controversial cast member can boost interest in a show. Post-Scandoval, Vanderpump Rules villain Tom Sandoval has appeared on The Traitors and Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. Convicted felon Anna Delvey strutted her stuff on Dancing With the Stars.  But people who come with too much baggage are a potential liability. Goloka Bolte, who casts RuPaul’s Drag Race, said she draws a line at certain troubling behavior. 

“I think it really depends on what someone is infamous for. If somebody is cruel or a bully or if there is any whiff of racism or bigotry, I’m a hard no on giving that person a bigger platform,” she recently told Deadline.  

Casting directors are also wary of people who might be concealing a problematic past. 

“Social media sweeping is crucial for us because, you know, if you put it on social once it’s there forever. I think we’re even talking about different AI programs to try to catch some of that stuff,” Danielle Gervais, who casts Netflix’s Queer Eye, said. 

Bolte said that her show works with companies that do background checks. They have  “a list of these really awful keywords and we Google people’s names with all the words.”

Sometimes, they find something they wish they hadn’t. 

“It’s terrible because sometimes you’ll meet someone, you’ll fall in love with them because they’re hilarious, they’re so funny,” she said. “And then you get into their social media history and you’re like, oh, wow. That person has some very frightening opinions and thoughts … do we wanna give this person a larger platform?”

Unfortunately, that screening isn’t foolproof. In 2020, a Drag Race contestant who made it to the final four had to be edited out of season 12 after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced. 

Being ‘rehearsed and fake’ is also a red flag 

Having a history of bad behavior isn’t the only thing that can kill a person’s chance at being on reality TV. So can being too polished.  

“People have definitely gotten a lot savvier over the years. People will come in and worry about getting a certain edit. We try to avoid people who are too rehearsed and fake,” Bolte said. 

For Drag Race, Bolte said she’s looking for people who are willing to “be their authentic self” and “who can really tell their story without overthinking it.”

“But you definitely get a lot of people who think they know everything about the industry and they’re trying to mold themselves into a character,” she added. “That tends to not really work.” 

For one, many people just aren’t good enough actors to pull off a fake reality TV persona. 

“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, people are just acting on reality TV.’ Like, I don’t know if anyone’s ever seen first time actors try to act,” Bolte said. “Acting is an art form and very hard and takes a lot of practice. You wouldn’t be able to get the gold that you get from these people if they were acting.”

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