Watching television isn’t enough for some reality show fans. In the case of Weinberg sophomore Megan Calhoun, she spent spring break auditioning for her favorite show, “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Calhoun said she and 700 to 1,000 other hopefuls auditioned for the Fox dance competition in a Los Angeles auditorium. After a 12-hour wait, she performed a 20-second improv dance to Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around” with about 10 others for a producer and judge.
She didn’t make the show, but said she didn’t think she would anyway.
“I just loved the show and wanted the opportunity to take part,” Calhoun said.
With her parents and grandparents as fellow fans, Calhoun said the show’s appeal involves the “universality of dance” and enjoyment of watching performances.
Television writer and producer Kevin Kramer said people like watching reality TV because they see characters like themselves on the shows.
“Instead of watching sitcoms or movies, they watch something that’s quasi-real that they can maybe envision themselves in,” said Kramer, who has worked on shows such as “The Biggest Loser” and “Beauty and the Geek.”
Calhoun isn’t the only NU student who’s experienced the audition process. Joe Block, a McCormick graduate student, made the second season of “Beauty and the Geek” in October 2005.
“I thought it’d be something I could look back on, show my kids at some point and say, ‘That was me,'” he said. “Dating and style were my weaknesses, and the show gave me a chance to work on that in an expedited fashion.”
Block said he wanted to participate in “Beauty and the Geek” because it is more of a learning show, not an exploitative show.
“We really tried to find people who were there purely to learn and get something out of the experience,” said Kramer, one of the show’s story producers. “We want to have really fun and energetic characters who are able to take as much as they can out of the premise.”
People who aren’t chosen for the shows should ask themselves why they wanted to participate in the first place, Kramer said.
“They should look at being in a reality TV show as a hobby, not a job (to earn a living from),” he said. “It’s just one thing to do for a few months of the year.”
People who are really outgoing, love to perform and have a lot of patience should consider auditioning for “So You Think You Can Dance,” especially if it’s their dream, Calhoun said.
Block said since “Beauty and the Geek,” he feels more confident and understands fashion and style better, adding that he’s become “kind of a public figure.”
“I’ve made great friends and definitely recommend the show, even though it’s not for everyone,” he said. “But who can complain about being trapped in a mansion with a bunch of beautiful women?”Other students have created reality TV shows of their own.
Rachel Wolther, a Communication ’07 alum, served as creator and producer of NU Channel 1’s “Robot House,” an unscripted reality show that followed the lives of the six people living in one house.
Jackie Doherty, a Communication ’06 alum and participant in “Robot House,” said as a warning: “If you want to do a reality TV show, you have to have no shame and be willing to share your misfortunes with the world.”
Many of the actors and writers he runs into dislike reality TV, said Kramer, who lives in Los Angeles.
“They don’t like reality TV as much because it takes work away from them,” Kramer said. “Reality TV takes up time on networks or cable and takes away from sitcoms or movies written and acted by people.”
Reality TV will have a long life, Kramer said.
“It’s been out there for 10 years now. People have spoken and they like the shows. It’s going to be around for a while.”
Reach Kristin Ellertson at [email protected].
