MTV Casting Crews Search For 'The Real World' in Berkeley

Veronica. Colin and Amaya. Yes, Kaia, James, Malik.

Die-hard fans of MTV's popular, angst-filled shows "The Real World" and "Road Rules" might recognize these colorful castmembers as hailing from UC Berkeley. Now, once again, the two programs are gearing up for another round of starsearching in Berkeley tomorrow.

Casting directors will be holding one of the shows' 15 open casting calls at LaVal's Pizza on Durant Avenue Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They expect 1,000 to 1,200 people to try out for the roles.

"We love Berkeley as a school," says Jason Horowitz, senior casting coordinator of Bunim/Murray Productions, the company that produces the shows. "It offers a lot of diversity and a lot of unique people."

Both reality TV shows have been on MTV for over a decade. "The Real World," MTV's longest running show, documents seven strangers living and working together in such locales as Seattle, New Orleans, Boston and even London.

"Road Rules" involves six college-age people driving around in a Winnebago and participating in wild adventures ranging from bungee jumping to swimming with sharks. The Winnebago has driven all over the world, from Australia to Canada.

The casting directors look for a diverse and interesting college-age cast and have thoroughly mined UC Berkeley in the past.

But don't expect the casting process to be painless or easy.

"The first thing people are going to experience is a wait," Horowitz says.

People have even shown up at casting locations the night before and camped out there. Typically, a long line has already formed by the time the casting crew arrives in the morning, Horowitz says.

Even the wait proves to be potentially exciting, though. There will be a small camera crew on site conducting and filming interviews with various applicants. The footage will be used in the casting special that will air before the shows' first episodes for the new season.

After waiting in line, 10 to 15 people at a time will be formally interviewed by a casting director, who will throw out ideas for a 15-minute discussion on anything that stirs up debate. Former cast members will also be present to conduct interviews, says Jeff Jenkins, a casting director for the shows' producers.

The best advice the casting crew has to offer to show hopefuls is to just "be themselves" and to have a good time.

"I think that there's this misconception that we're looking for beautiful models, and that's totally not true," Jenkins says.

But while being yourself, being interesting doesn't hurt.

"I feel like part of the strength of these shows is their ability to tell stories," Horowitz says. "We're always looking for a cast member who has a different story to tell, a unique and interesting perspective on their own life and who is willing to share that."

They are also looking to cast a very diverse group of people.

"We are interested in seeing dynamic people who you can't stop watching, people who are fascinating, who cover every class, race, creed and type," Jenkins says.

One UC Berkeley student, however, remembers dynamism gone too far. Sophomore Garett Ng saw a short line in front of LaVal's last year and decided to try out.

Ng recalls pretentious, hyper answers to simple questions and a rowdy environment similar to an MTV dating game.

"They would ask us, 'What do you think of relationships?' and these people would be like 'Booty call!'" Ng says. "And then they'd get to me, and I'd be like, 'I think relationships are good,' and then they'd go, 'Booty call!' again."

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