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f e a t u r e s t o r y bullet-headed guy in a purple shirt sweats as he sits on a little upholstered stool, deep inside the Prey Bar & Lounge in New York’s velvet-rope hipster Wanna Aarea of Chelsea. His state of liquidity doesn’t have to do so much with the blazing heat on this summer day as be the next it does with the people sitting opposite from him — two reality star? casting producers. It’s obvious he really wants the gig — to be one of a select few chosen to participate in season Producers may 2 of Bravo’s reality cook-off series Top Chef. But casting producer Randy Bernstein isn’t just be looking for interested in this guy’s culinary talents. And neither you right now. is Randy’s cohort, Danielle Harrington. There’s something more that these two want from Bullet Having a talent Head, and it is something so simple: just a secret — dirty or otherwise. What is it about him that nobody helps, and so knows? They tease him again and again. But the does a willingness close-mouthed candidate just won’t give it up. Before the day is through, his gentle torturers to show your true will see a couple hundred more Top Chef wannabes. And a couple thousand people and colors (even if many plane trips later, Randy and Danielle will they’re tattooed have the final lineup of contestants for the next Top Chef season, which debuts later this year. on your arm). Pick out a day, any day, and chances are there’s an assortment of TV types scouring By JANET STILSON America for people to star in reality TV shows. You can feel the vibrations with the few keystrokes it takes to get to classified ad sites like craigslist.com or the sites of established reality series like The Real World. There’s no telling who these talent scouts may be looking for. 18 s c r e e n z m a g a z i n e … CAREER MOVE: Some celebrities are f a making a career out of reality shows. l l 2 Flavor Fave, the hype master of Public 0 0 Enemy fame, is now in his third series on VH1, 6 The Flavor of Love, in which he must select one of 20 women vying for his affections. Unscripted TV is fertile ground for losers in that round? everybody, from B-, C- and even D-list So many of the celebrities to struggling chefs and hopefuls were trying designers to every-man types from too hard, Randy Main Street USA. explains. Even though No matter what your state of mind the nervous guy or particular skill set, there’s a chance wouldn’t cough up a you could qualify for a reality show. secret, “he felt genuine,” But first a few caveats: It helps to be Randy says. That was young and attractive or young and a true of Tequila, too. “We little — or a lot — quirky. liked her energy, and how open and honest she was A few pointers about her cooking style Need a few pointers? Let’s circle back and herself.” Whether the to Danielle and Randy. CALM, COOL AND COOKIN’: two picks have the cooking They’re in that Chelsea bar, and they’ve Harold Dieterle shares a moment with chops to make the final got to be dying for something stronger Top Chef mentor Tom Colicchio during the grade would be determined later in the show’s first season. The cool and collected than water at this point. They’ve seen a selection process. Dieterle went on to win the competition. stream of people for three hours straight. A Wall Street broker turned caterer, a 20,000 wanna-bes froggy throated Italian restaurateur from on either side of her neck. She hasn’t Folks at that granddaddy of reality the Bronx who cures his own olives. A bothered to fill out an application, and shows, The Real World, can be even young sous chef who can turn blocks of ice she swears like a sailor. choosier. Each season, they vet some into giant Tiki gods. No wonder Danielle’s “Do you think it’s hard being a woman 20,000 applications from 20-somethings thrown off a flip-flop. chef?” Randy asks. who want a shot at being on the show, Then the ice carver’s younger brother “Absolutely.” about the same number of people who shows up. The dude says he wants to prove “Why?” apply to Harvard University every year. he’s better in the kitchen than his sibling. “I think it puts you in a difficult position, “One of the most important things is “He’s always done everything better than because you don’t want to be too nice, and finding someone who is charismatic — me,” he says. you don’t want to come off as a bitch.” who you want to be with, who has a strong Randy is skeptical about this turn of “Why not?” point of view. Someone who will tell you events. “You came here with a script, “Because it’s difficult to manage people things that some people might consider right?” he asks. that are usually taller than you, larger than private,” says Sasha Alpert, vice president “Not really,” the interloper says, ever so you and sometimes twice your age. I don’t of casting at Bunim/Murray Productions, casually. Danielle laughs. “Have you seen ask people to do things. But I also don’t which produces the show for MTV. (And the show?” scream and yell at them.” yes, she swears they look at every single “Yeah. Every episode.” Randy and Danielle ask her a few videotape that comes in.) “Which one of the contestants are you questions about what she likes to cook. Some people just stumble into a chance most like?” she asks. Everyone breathes an internal sigh of at being on a reality show. That was “I’d say Harold. ’Cause I’m really relief when she doesn’t compare herself certainly the case for two people who relaxed in the kitchen.” to Harold. visited a drab little house tucked behind After he leaves, Randy sighs. “I think you’re interesting,” Danielle another drab little house in the Long Island “Everybody says they’re like Harold.” says finally. community of East Rockaway last May. Harold Dieterle was last season’s ever-so- “Interesting?! You should drink with Home buyers George and Corina calm in the kitchen Top Chef winner. me!” Arniotis were there for an episode for The next visitor is a short, wide-bodied In the end, Randy and Danielle ask Mr. HGTV’s new series Hidden Potential, which person in a loud orange T-shirt that reads Bullet Head and Ms. Tequila to come back is debuting in October. That day, they ooo “Tequila — Have you hugged your toilet for another interview. Mr. Tiki and his kid and ahh as the series’ designer/architect today?” She’s an executive chef who sports brother are nixed. Barry Wood and host Peggy Bunker discuss scars all up and down her arms and tattoos What separated the winners from the see reality p 20 f e C reality from p 19 L T : a t i d e t r C u The Right how the show could turn the Long — s r e g e Island house into a real gem — if a m I the couple can cough up about y t s t Psychic Stuff e t G $150,000 in renovations. / A Court TV producer turned to the o n o Corina says she wasn’t really t r r i t cops to find crime-busting seers S y looking to be in a TV series. t n e r B Her mother saw a classified : r ow do you suss out a psychic? That e h ad announcing that HGTV was p has been the preoccupation of Robyn a H r g o Hutt, who’s had a major hand in finding looking for people in hot pursuit t o h of new homes, and she convinced P stars for two Court TV shows that tap into Corina to contact the network. After the great unknown to solve crimes, Psychic some initial investigation, “We knew Detectives and Haunting Evidence. it wasn’t a scam. It wasn’t goof TV,” Hutt, who is senior vice president of cur- rent programming and specials at the net- Corina recalls. work, isn’t the ethereal type. And her level- Why were the Arniotises chosen headed approach has probably been a for the episode? First, they met a real good thing. Her crews were spooked SILENT TREATMENT: For its series The major requirement for the show: They several times when filming Haunting Monastery, TLC sequestered five men of really needed a new home, says Nicole Evidence earlier this year. varied faiths and backgrounds in a New Sorrenti, the show’s producer. What’s Mexico monastery to explore their own The program, which stars medium John more, “They’re young; they’re energetic; spiritual crossroads. Oliver, psychic profiler Carla Baron and they’re comfortable on camera.” paranormal investigator Patrick Burns, But being sunny and energetic isn’t the focuses on murders that have never been whole story. For its new reality show The the call-for-candidates in newspapers and solved.“There have been several times Monastery, TLC, placed five women in a web sites. In the end, they interviewed when the crew that’s filming is completely terrified,” Hutt says.“They have been state of nun-like seclusion at an abbey in about 500 candidates.

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