Interview with casting director Neil Constantini

I'm Vic Cohen, and it's a fair question. It's a fair question. It's a fair question. It's a fair question. Hello, this is Vic Cohen broadcasting live from downtown Los Angeles' Skid Row Studios. The name of the show is It's a Fair Question. Because on this show, every question is a fair question. There is no question that is ever too personal or ever off limits. And tonight, I have one of Hollywood's biggest casting directors sitting across from me. When I say biggest, I mean the tallest. He's about 6'2", maybe 6'3". 6'3". Something like that. But also, he has cast some of, if not all of, the biggest reality shows on television. From Big Brother, Survivor, Deal or No Deal, Pontiac Vibe. Yes, he was a part of Pontiac Vibe. I am talking about Neil Constantini. Hello, Neil. Hello, Vic. It is so awesome to have you here. Thank you for having me. Yeah, I'm impressed with my casting tonight. Are you impressed if I cast the show? I think you're one of the top three casting directors in this studio. Right now. Really? And where are you on that list? I'm number two. Really? Is there someone who you think is better? There is. God? No, there's some people who came before me that know what they're doing. Okay. Well, good. First of all, you listening, I know Neil from working with him on many shows, including Deal or No Deal. And Neil was in charge of the entire casting department. Is that correct? That's correct. And you helped make a lot of people very rich. I have given away over $100 million in my career in television shows. You've actually done the math? Yeah, over 100. I stopped at 100. Now, how did you get started? We were talking a little earlier and I found this very interesting. I didn't want to hear it till we really got on the air. Tell me where you started. When I was in college, I used to go on a lot of dating shows. Singled out, buzzed. Were you just horny? Change of heart. I was in college, so yes, I was, certainly. Right. But I did one and then the casting directors kept calling me back for others. And then I kind of became the ringer. So if someone didn't show up on a tape day, they knew they could call me at 7 a.m. or 11 p.m. and tell me you had to be here at the studio the next day to be on this dating show. And they would pay me $200. Did you do Love Connection? I did not do Love Connection. No. Now, because the show is called It's a Fiction, it's a fair question. And as you heard, Neil, no question is off limits. Okay. How many times did you get laid through those years of being on these dating shows? You know what? I only went on one date. I would go on the dating shows and they would hook you up on set, but I would take my money and prizes and run. So you never slept with one contestant? Not one. Really? Never. Never had the interest? No. I was never that cute. I was doing better on my own. Really? Did you do well? I think so. How much money do you think you made as a contestant through your college years? Oh, I probably, maybe like $2,000. Really? Yeah. And that's 1970s money, people. Neil's a lot older than he sounds. That's mid-90s. Just kidding. That's grunge money. Right. So a couple grand through just showing up. What was the biggest show you were on as a contestant? The biggest show? Oh. I did. I did Change of Heart. That was a big one. Is that how you met executive producer Scott St. John? That's how I met Scott St. John, yeah. And did you guys hit it off? I didn't meet him when I was a contestant. Okay. But the casting director of that show, her name was Robin Kast, and she gave me my first job right after I graduated. Yeah. Just wonderful. Yeah. That's great. Now, Scott St. John is the executive producer, was of Deal or No Deal, and also a show that we just worked on. I don't even know if we're allowed to say the name of it. We are. It's been released. It premieres. It premieres in July on CW. Perfect score. Okay. So now it's out there. It's out there. You're responsible for any problems. The thing that people don't know, and people meaning you listening, maybe, is that we have to sign all these confidentiality papers. And it's a big deal if you break, if you, I was asking you how many shows you've been on. You said there are only four you could tell me about, which is pretty impressive. That's a lot of shows. So you started as a contestant. Scott St. John, he somehow... Found you through Robin? He, Robin offered me, I literally did... Robin the casting person. Correct. I graduated from college. The day after graduation, I was on Change of Heart. And a couple of days after that, I had a job ready for me as a corporate recruiter. And instead I got, I took a job working at Change of Heart as a singles recruiter. So what does that mean? You're going to malls? Going to bars and nightclubs and malls. And looking for anybody who was single who wanted to be on television. Did you get laid a lot doing that? Oh boy. You know, from, I met my wife early on. So I mean... She's not listening. She's probably listening. No, she's not. On occasion, yes, that happened. Yeah. Men or women? Always women. It's a fair question. It is a fair question. So you were, you were getting laid a lot. I did. Yeah, sure. Yeah. Now, from my experience, having written on a lot of shows and also, you know, just being around it for years like yourself, to me, the casting department gets laid a lot. Not because they're sleazy people trying to get laid. It's part of the culture. Like you're having fun. You're out at the bars, especially when you guys go on the road. Oh yeah. Yeah. For those, for the single casting people, they have a lot of opportunities. Some of them take it. Some of them don't. Is it professional to take, to have sex on the road when you, or even, when you're working in studio? I, anyone who works for me is not permitted to actually. Really? What about with himself? That is. Self-pleasure allowed? Or are you strict with that too? It's a fair question. No, to each his own. So you're telling me that if I worked on Deal or No Deal as a casting person and I went to Omaha with the group and cause that's what you would do. You'd send out these groups, right? That's right. You would stay at the main fort back in Los Angeles. Send these mini groups out to get contestants. They are not allowed. They were not allowed to make love on the road. They could not do that with anyone they met at an event or was a potential contestant for the show. So they could make love to the ugly ones. To anyone who wasn't a potential contestant. That would be the ugly ones, right? No, we had some different looks of people on the show. That's true. If you go back to Deal or No Deal, we did have some interesting people. By the way, the number here is 800-893-9562. It's 800-893-9562. This is a special night. If you've ever wanted to talk to a real live Hollywood casting director. Wow. Isn't that exciting? It is. You're waiting to meet them, aren't you? This is exciting. Yeah, I know. I'm getting very excited. I am talking to one. Now, do you think there's prejudice against dramatic casting versus reality? Do you feel like reality is still the bastard stepchild? Here's what I would say. There are two completely different genres. I think what we do in reality is actually more impressive than what people do in scripted. Really? Yeah. Okay. You're a writer. Yes. And an actor extraordinaire. Please, Neil. Comedian actor. Because you are a cast and director. I have to impress you. Show me you're real. I have. And I will. Scripted television, scripted anything. I think if it doesn't have great writing, nothing else matters. Writing is the key to everything. You can have an average actor with great writing and that can make the show or television show amazing. If it has bad writing, I don't care how great of an actor you are. I'm not interested. Okay. With reality, there are no writers. You're killing me. There's not. There's no writers. There's nobody. There's nobody. The story is being written. The main spine of the story is being told as the cameras are rolling. That's right. And that actor that in reality is a real person. He doesn't have lines. He's saying what's in his heart and what's in his mind. So you've got to find someone who not only is interesting looking and acting, but also what they say is great. So it's twofold. I'm finding the writer and the actor. So would you say that you're basically... You're casting actors who don't even realize they're actors? Sure. Yeah. I'm casting talent. All of the people that I put on these shows are talent. A great contestant that you love to watch and you root for on Deal or No Deal or on a game show is talent. Right. And if they stink, it's hard to watch the episode. Exactly. You also have to be a bit of a fortune teller, Neil, because these are real people. And just the way someone behaves in an audition, unlike a professional, is a real person. Right. Right. Right. Right. A professional actor does not mean that's how they'll behave on the show. Those surprises can be wonderful and they can be upsetting. You know, you could have someone you think and you swear. And many times I said, I'll swear on my job that this person is going to be amazing. And they go up on stage and they lay an egg. Give me an example. What's one in your mind that sticks out the biggest? God, that's hard to say. Okay. Well, let's go. Come back to it. I'll tell you. Here's my, here's my answer for you. Are you, did you see Bachelor One, the very first Bachelor? Vague. It's all vague to me. You know why? I'm sure many of you listening. You know why? Because he stunk. Did you have a hand in that casting? We, many of us did. And many of us thought he was going to be a great Bachelor and he was horrible. You remember many of the other ones. No one remembers the first guy and you normally you would. I just was reading about him. Didn't he, he, I guess they all do bad things after the show. Like they screw over a girl. They screw over a girl or two, right? Probably. Yeah. So did you put your job on that? No, I did not. But the argument could be made that it wasn't such bad casting because there have been many Bachelors after that. The women were great. The women that he got to date from and were great. And that helped the story along. Do you study reality shows? I watch a lot of reality. What's on your DVR? On my DVR from reality. I love flipping out. I love great characters. Individual characters like people like Jeff Lewis. I'm flipping out. He's probably one of my favorite and one of my most, I think the most interesting character on television right now. I love that. Billy the exterminator? No. Okay. Never watched it. I like gigolos on Showtime. I like stuff that's shocking and people that get loud. I don't like like housewives, desperate housewives or whoever they are. Not interested. You've watched them. Yeah. I don't like anything. I don't like anything that feels fabricated. Well, I was thinking when you, before you came in that one of the things that's so interesting, particularly about game shows is kind of what we were just talking about. We don't know, you know, when they say like reality is all fake and produced when it comes to game shows legally by law can't be, the outcome cannot be produced. That's right. And that's what makes it so unlike the Kardashians and these other, so, you know, the umbrella of reality. And that's also what makes it so exciting. Yeah. Game shows are great. Game shows are great. And there's no, it's so illegal to stick your hand in anything. And there's so many people watching just from the quiz show rules that. The quiz show scandal. The quiz show scandal. Of what, the fifties? Yeah. And it's gone so far as Neil and I have had conversations. I'm, I'm a real nut about it because I just freak out if someone I know I see his auditioning or they've called, they call me and say, Hey Vic, you know, I was wondering if you could help me out. I'm like, I immediately go, I'm like the biggest straight guy. I, you know, like I go by the rules, like boom, like I would bend over. Right. Haven't you? Haven't I come to you? I mean, that could be misinterpreted. Totally. You've said, I know this person and then you bend over. Right. No, but is it, do you remember? I remember distinctly like in a kitchen telling you, I mean, you usually say, well, how well do you know them? Yeah. It's, it's based on if you have a real strong bond, if there's somebody who you could call on the phone right now, we don't want them on the show, but if there's somebody you knew in passing, maybe they're a Facebook friend. But not a real friend, then it's okay. So those of you who have friends who work on game shows, don't ask them to get you on the show. Once you do that, you're basically never going to be on the show. Right. You're out. Yeah. So you need to let them just go through the motions and see what happens. Also lying in an application is bad. That's bad. Right. I mean, we'll find out the truth about if they have a friend. Yeah. Now I, uh, I was approached to do a reality show, a dating show. Yeah. And I pulled out, I pulled out, let me rephrase it. I pulled out, I decided not to be the contestant. On what show? It was, um, the show that Jeff Appeloff was doing. Uh, oh, take me out. Yeah. There was, and, um, I was really interested, but what happened was, and this was fascinating to me, it was a good experience. And this is, this is something you're probably aware of, of course, that contestants have to now get psychologically profiled. Yup. On many big shows they do. And I didn't like that. I don't, I've got enough issues. I'll keep them to myself because I work with these people, you know, and I don't, basically what they wanted me to do is talk to some psychologist in Pasadena for two hours or whatever it was. And then he was going to write up everything, a psychological profile on me. And that's just doesn't work for me. I knew a guy, his name was Ben and I knew him and I thought he was wonderful. And Ben was going to be great for the show. And he was this, you know, tall dashing guy, bald head, goatee. And I won't say his last name, but, um, Ben ended up turning out and this was someone that I kind of knew in passing and had wanted on shows. Very sweet guy turned out. He didn't pass the psych test. What does that mean? Not pass like he could kill someone. The networks make those kinds of decisions, but a psych evaluation is done and they go through the steps to, um, to ensure that they're safe. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They make sure that when they get on a stage that they're safe, that they're not going to hurt anyone. So it's really cause I never had issues with violence. But do the psych person said no to you? No, I never got that far. Oh, I wouldn't talk to them. Why? Because I don't need to some psychological profile being made about me and then handing over to network people that I work with. That's that makes sense. You know, some putting my, because who are this? Who's this guy doing this profile? I don't know. And they also say in the paperwork. You can't ever see what they wrote or respond to it. That's true. And so I wouldn't want any part of that. Yeah. I mean, network spends spend millions of dollars on the background checks and psych evaluate. Right. And you know, if I'm, if I'm that psychologist in Pasadena, I want to earn my money. You know, I'm going to dig. Yeah, they dig. Yeah. I don't want to be dug into. I go, you know, I didn't interest me. Would you? Um, I, I, I would because I think I'm about as sane as they are. As sane as they come. Yeah. Well, I'm not saying I'm crazy. You think the interpretation here is that I'm insane and that I don't want others to know. I think your sanity has been called into question more than one. That's not fair. That is not fair. And I will tell you that it's, if anything, it's because I'm neurotic. Do you, do you think that you are sane? Yeah. It's a fair question. It is a fair question. Do you think you're sane? I do. But then I get nervous because it's the people who think they're okay. Who are usually the ones who are. No. Like, no. See, now I really sound crazy. I do think that I'm totally sane and I, you know, I'm, I'm sometimes you've seen me maybe not appear sane. I've seen you do some of the craziest stuff I've ever seen a human being do. Seriously? Like what? I saw you go on stage in front of 15,000 people on a, uh, and propose to someone who, and then I've seen you in an airport in the Netherlands. That was, uh, hold on. Yeah. You take off your shirt and start acting like a monkey. I don't remember that. Yeah, I do. It was the Netherlands. We were in, where were we? No, we were in Copenhagen. We had a stop over in Copenhagen and there you were with your shirt off. In the terminal? In the airport. Yes. Just walking around like a monkey. God, I don't remember that. I do. Yeah. It's probably good. I didn't take that test. The thing with the proposal was, uh, that was at Fox woods, right? In Connecticut. That's right. And I was like, I'm going to, um, I think a wardrobe person. Oh, Grace. I don't know, but she said no in front of 15,000 people. Or did she say yes? I don't remember. Yeah. I know. I remember I was wearing a leotard. Yes. You were wearing a leotard. I think it was like a tiger. Might have been a tiger print. That's very sexy. Well, you know, I have been married and, uh, she struck my fancy at the moment. Sometimes you gotta be impulsive, but that was just a joke. I'm totally sane. Um, so I know you listening at home. That the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news the news go trip now that I have a very big friend here. Thank you. But it is true. I actually was looking at your credits and it's very quite impressive. Thank you. Yeah. The question is, how did these, how do you listening, you know, tell them what do they need to do? You know, usually you can go on different networks, websites, and you can find the different casting notices. So all, if you go on NBC, there's a, there's a page you can click on casting and you can find out all the different things that people are casting for. A lot of people find out on Craigslist, but typically it's through those network pages where you can find out all the shows that are currently casting. Okay. So a lot of these shows want tapes, right? Let me tell me the do's and the don'ts. You know, I actually recently, actually yesterday looked at a tape from this guy and I'll just say his name was Juan Carlos and Juan Carlos was naked on his tape. So that's what was, did he look? He, he actually was in gray shape and he may have been a good contestant for something, but Juan Carlos is there dancing naked. We immediately turned the camera off. We turned the V the, the DVD player off. We're done looking. Right. It's not about all of that. You've got to, you've got to show us your personality. You got to show us not your penis, not your penis. Yeah. P is for personality and show us your personality. Show us who you are. Show us. Um, we like meeting people's families on, on these things. Okay. That, that's more helpful. You know, when you say, show me who you are, not as not, I need specifics. Okay. So you said show the family. What about the family? Like this is grandma. Is it good if one's in a wheelchair? She doesn't have to be in a wheelchair, but I, you have to create your own story. So in, in like, let's say, what is a typical length of a, of a video? Like two minutes, two minutes. So yeah, you gotta be able to tell the tell in two minutes. But when you say a story, you don't mean a beginning, middle and end. It's the story. The story. It's the story of you in two minutes. You could go ahead and, and go ahead and tell me right away in two minutes, here's the story of Vic. And you could do it on a camera. I know you could pull it off because you're going to animate. You're going to show me yourself at a level 10. I always need a contestant to be at a 10. I want to see what they're like at a 10. I know what happens when, as a producer, someone says, okay, reel back, slow down, take it easy. But I need to know what I'm going to get when I get you at a 10. Okay. So I want your, your most talkative, the person that says I'm Neil and here's what you need to know about me and talk and talk for a minute and a half and then throw in 30 seconds of here's my house. Here's my room. Here's my job. Here's my life. Perfect. That's what you like. What about why they need the job? Why they would be a great contestant? Do you have a lot of people will do that. They'll say the reason I'm Vic Cohen. And the reason I'd be a great contestant on your show is there's the, there's a famous quote. The reason why it'd be great is because I would make your ratings go up. No, you're probably not. You just tell me about you and I'll decide if you're going to be a great contestant. It's, it's kind of like, I think with comedy, like I don't, I won't say I'm funny. Let someone decide for themselves or be funny. So if someone says I'm going to be a great contestant, be the great contestant, say it through your audition. In auditions all the time, you hear someone say, I'm really funny. And I know that person's Yeah, be funny. Not going to be funny. So you would, you're, you would advocate what I'm saying. If you think you're funny, be funny. Be, be fun, be energetic, be entertaining. Don't be fake. Okay. Now what are some other do's and don'ts or, or do you have any others on the list? Yeah. I mean, when you go out and when you go into an audition, the number one thing is whether you're going to be a good guy. Hold on one sec. I just want to stop you here. So we've, now let's say there's an, you're talking about a call now, not the tape going in. Now we're into the moment where you're meeting possibly you or one of your casting assistants. You know, a lot of the days of getting tapes are starting to wane. Okay. You know, it's, it's kind of antiquated now for people to send in tapes. There's only a couple of show that will even take it. You mean not because tapes antiquated, but the whole process. Right. You want to see them in the flesh. You want to see them in the flesh. A lot of interviews are done on Skype. Now we have Skype. Why is this? Um, because I want to be able to ask you questions directly. That's where I get more information rather than you thinking what I want to hear. And it's because the technology is there. Yeah. Because before you couldn't do Skype. No. There was no Skype. Before, if you wanted some from someone from New York, you had to go to New York and do the casting. And now we can, we can do it on Skype. What are, what are some big don'ts that, um, people, let's just stick with the tape for just one moment. A big don't, you've mentioned a few, but just like right away, red flag, eject, stop. You're not watching. I always hate talking heads. So talking heads. Talking heads is just someone sitting on a chair, talking to the camera. You know, find a friend, have them shoot you, walk through your house, be excited, jump on the bed, be walking through a park. Show me something exciting. If you're just a talking head, you're probably going to fail. But don't show your penis. Please. Because that's been done. Juan Carlos did that. Please Juan Carlos, don't show your penis. Have you ever seen vaginas on cross, on tapes, casting tapes? Yes. Really? What kind? Are there different kinds? There are. There are millions of kinds. There are happy ones. There are ones that are more smiley. I've seen several. Really? Yeah. What's the oldest one you've seen? It's a fair question. What's the oldest vagina on a casting tape? Do you ever see a grandma give you a Sharon Stone shot? Yeah. Really? Yeah. I mean, I worked for two seasons on Big Brother and some of the tapes we would see were astonishing. When we, when, uh, being a casting director, you know, there's a lot of people that do, you know, do a lot of things. Yeah. And there's a lot of, uh, feel like casting directors are getting hit on a lot. How many times has someone given you the Sharon Stone crotch shot? I have never, I've never had the Sharon Stone, uh, crotch shot, but I have been hit on a lot. Well, you're getting it right now for me. God bless you. Look under the table. It's gorgeous. Oh look, you don't shave. The hearts. Cute. It's cute. You do have good eyes. Um, so you have ne, no one's ever flashed their eyes. No one's ever flashed their eyes. So you have no one's ever flashed their vagina at you. No. Hmm. Sounds like a gang sign, like flashing the vagina. That's, that's surprising me. That surprises me a lot actually. Why? You think women are just flashing it at auditions to get somewhere? This is Hollywood, not to be cliched, but there, I've seen some of the girls who walk in and out of your office and I, and, and a lot of them. You're gonna get me in trouble. No, I mean, well, I mean, you know. Out of our audition space? Yes. Perhaps. Yeah. I didn't say your home or your, or your van. Not my own private office. Your minivan. Um, which is very nice. It's a luxury SUV. Very plush. Yeah. Only casting guy with his own, own van, luxury SUV on site. No, that's not true. No, that's the thing about you. Well, I want to get to that in a minute, but let's get to the process now. We're inside the studio. Uh, maybe some, one of your associates has found us in a mall or we've been called in off our tape. Either way. Here we are. What are the do's and the don'ts? Um, so we're now in the audition. Yeah. When you come in, whether you're a good guy or a bad guy, you want to be a villain. You want to go on a dating show. You want to go to a game show. Smiling is a beautiful thing. There's some people that are coming in there to tell us your problems. We don't want to hear about your problems. We'll get there. Smile, energetic. I shouldn't have to ask you more than anything other than tell me about yourself. You should have a two minute answer for tell me about yourself. If someone can speak and answer the long version, they're money. A yes or no answer is a disaster. Death. Yeah. What about age? It just depends on what it is. I mean, you can be 18, you can be 81. I've, there's shows that want all kinds of age. If you're dyslexic, you'd be both. Amen. So it just depends on the show. It depends on the show. Yeah. What are some more do's and don'ts? One is yes or no answers aren't going to cut it. Right. What are like the, what about the way someone dresses? You know, if, if you are a young, attractive person, you don't need to come in, in a sweater and a jacket and baggy pants. I mean, show what you got. You know, if you are, if you work out in the gym and you're looking great, you should, I want to see it. You know, show me how great you look. If you don't, I don't want to see it. But I think that's a good thing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But I think my policy and what I tell people when they come in for an audition, wear what you would wear if you were going out on a date. Okay. And is that just for dating shows or any show? Any show. Wear what you would wear if you were going out on a date and that shows your personality too. If you're going to come in and with a cat shirt and you know, board shorts and flip flops and that's what you were wearing on a date, I know a little bit about your personality. And that could be a good thing. Yeah. Now, uh, some casting directors really hate when people come in and shake their hands. Yeah. They do? What's your thought on that? I have no problem with it at all. Does that sound like a crazy question to ask? No, I mean... Because it is actually, I'm telling you, out in the world, actors talk about that. And I've heard this even in workshops. Don't get too chatty with the casting director. Don't get, you know, if they want to ask you a question, answer, but... I'll tell you, before I did Deal or No Deal, I used to shake everyone's hand. And since then, now I only fist pump. I don't shake anybody. Because of Howie Mandel. Yeah. Right, because of the germs. Yeah. So it's nothing to do with you just not liking to shake hands? No, I have no problem with that at all. No, I think it's great. I think a lot of people are excited and they won't get a chance to be on the show and it's their moment. And I want that. I always want it to be special. I never cut someone off in 15 seconds if I don't think they're going to be great for the show because I want them to leave feeling like they had a great experience. Okay. So any other do's or don'ts? Smile. That's a do. Don't bring... This is not a babysitting event, so don't bring your child. Don't try and make a child. That would be bad. And eye contact is a great thing. You know, look the person in the eye who you're talking to. Don't look in a camera. That feels cheesy. And don't feel like you're performing. You know, we don't need a performance. We just want to know who that person really is. Just be yourself. The other thing is in these forms that you fill out, I mean, there's so many pages. And sometimes it's almost like filling out a dating form where you're wondering, like, what should I answer to make me the most attractive? What's the answer they're looking for? The answer is if you try to guess and create, you're probably going to fail. You should just be who you are and answer the truth. But answer truthfully. Don't hold back. There's people that will come into the audition and say, this is all I'm going to show you about me right now. But when I get on stage, well, you're never going to get on stage. Put it all on the table in that two minutes. And I remember on Deal or No Deal, there was the persistent rejected person. Right. Tell me about that person. Yeah. I mean, there's people that do not make it on a show like Deal or No Deal or Survivor or Amazing Race that will send in their tape and they're like, or their application or come into auditions over and over and over again. And there'll be people on these shows that didn't make it season one, didn't make it season two, didn't make it season three, but they make it season four. I think persistence is a good thing. I have no problem with it at all. I recommend it. Well, I remember someone, I think mailing a shoe or something. I've seen the craziest stuff, mailed pictures of Howie, pictures of, I've had boxers with my name on it. Weird. Stuff. Does that work? No, but I like them. Are you wearing them now? I have, I still have them and I wear them. Okay. Well, the idea really isn't to provide you with gifts and wardrobe. No, I don't accept any gifts that are handed to me at all. Right. Until the show's over. Correct. So there doesn't seem to be, from what you're sharing with me, many ways of manipulating the system. If you just come out and blow me away in those two minutes, you're in. With anything you do, though you have a two minute span. And really just like if you go on a date, the first two minutes of a date will dictate whether or not you're going to have a second date. It's been, it's a truth. If on the first two minutes you can blow that person away, you're going to get a second date and they're going to be wowed by you. So I walk in the room knowing and practicing what my two minutes is going to be. So that when you're standing up there, you're not umming and um, well, um, and rubbing your tummy and doing, you know, have two minutes. That's all you need. If you can't be interesting for two minutes, you've got a lot of problems. In general. Yes. Well, one thing I thought was really interesting on the last show we worked on is you had some people who didn't make the cut for whatever reason, not because they were not entertaining, but whatever the criteria are, sometimes we, you know, other than you, not everyone knows, but you liked them. You saw something in them to make them be run through contestants. And a lot of these guys and ladies ended up making more money probably than the contestants because they got paid every run through for the producers and the network. So that's another part of this whole process that people don't know, you know? Absolutely. I mean, anything you can do to get yourself seen is a good thing. Any of those guys were take it all. We had a bunch of guys who would do these run throughs for the network, for the producers in a little like room. And they just became, we got to know them as people. Now, having gone through that process, was there anyone there that you will call back, you think for another show now that you've gotten to know them? Absolutely. There was one guy in particular who was that boisterous redhead. I won't say, do you remember him? The name was Matt. Okay. This guy, Matt was a boisterous redhead. He was amazing. We couldn't use him for the show because he was using a run through and it was illegal. Was he wearing a do rag at one point? No. No. Okay. But he's already, I've already put him on another show. Wow. There was another guy, very funny. I can't remember his name. Zach. Okay. He, I thought his personality, you know, sometimes you don't get to know a guy till, I mean, it's such a great opportunity to get in front of your eyes in the network. But if you could just get into even the run throughs. Yeah. So not getting cast doesn't mean, you're not going to have an opportunity. I mean, if you go on Craigslist, there's all of these ads, people begging for contestants for shows. I mean, the opportunity is there. You go on Craigslist right now and you go to TV, film, jobs. There's hundreds of people begging, desperate looking for contestants. Now, what do you say to the actor or actress listening? You know who you are listening. Says, I'm an actor. I'm not going to be seen on one of these reality shows. Your stupid dating show. I'm a dramatic actress or actor. Studied at NYU. Juilliard. What do you say to that? I say Bill Rancic. Bill Rancic was the winner of Apprentice One. Okay. I'll be that person. Well, Bill Rancic wasn't a classically trained actor. He was a business guy. I'm an actress. He has his own television show in a $50 million empire. I say Skinny Margarita. Ever heard of it? Yes. She's worth $100 million and has her own television show. I say The View. She was on Survivor. Elizabeth Hasselbeck. That's correct. I say time and time again, there are examples of people that consider themselves actresses or actors. I say Emma Stone. What was she on? She was on The Partridge Family, the real Partridge Family. She was never dragged to be on the real Partridge Family when she was 14 years old. That's a dramatic show and she was a kid. I mean, that was like a comedy, right? She was 14 years old. It was a reality show where they took a bunch of- Oh, it was? Yeah, it was a reality show where they took a bunch of people that wanted to be, and they wanted to recreate the new Partridge Family. Really? It's a reality show. I did not know that. Yeah. That's where she came from. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure where she came from. We could see that probably online. Absolutely. And you'll see Emma Stone and that's where she came from. Because I'm with you. I think that actors and actresses who, from my perspective, micromanage to the point where they don't put themselves out there, end up really selling themselves short. Look at all the great actors who were on The Dating Game in this, I think it was like the 60s and 70s. I mean, there's a list. I think Goldie Hawn was on one of them. Yeah. And then there's some major TV actors, dramatic actors, major. So, yeah, this idea, but it's very, it's still, you hear it a lot. It's a very popular thing for actors and actresses to say. They get the Kardashian syndrome. They think that's all it is. Yeah. I mean, look, if you believe in your art and you don't want to cloud it with a reality show, I understand. Go ahead. But if you want a way to get ahead and get eyeballs on you, it's a heck of a way to do that because it's hard to get it. It's hard for people just to get an audition, just to get a manager. At least you're exercising that muscle of talent of getting in front of people. I totally agree. And I think the lines are blurring so much every day. And the problem is that real actors and actresses, I think there's a certain amount of anger when they see Boo Boo. Or whatever her name is. Yeah, Honey Boo Boo. Yeah. Becoming a star. And her mother and that family, you know, are Jersey Shore people. What do you think of that? I would say most people, if they could trade places with Pauly D today, I bet you they would. I would. Pauly D probably made $10 million during the course of the run of that show. And now he makes $50,000 to DJ. For one night at a nightclub. Right. Well, you're talking money. Yeah. So I think what you said earlier. I'm talking money. If you're an artist. And I'm talking celebrity. He's a celebrity. If you want to be an actor, then be an actor. But if you want to be a celebrity, if you want to make money, it's a means to an ends to get that. But it can also open the door to acting as well. I mean, it's not popping out the top of my head right now. But there's plenty of people that did reality shows and are actors today. Well, money can create opportunity. Sure. That's undeniable. So you come from a family business. Your dad's in a jewelry business, right? Right. Wouldn't that have been an easier way for you to just go into your family business right out of Northridge? Yeah. When I graduated high school and told my father that I'm going to college, he said, why? Really? Not even? He didn't even think you should go to college? No. I mean, I was a straight C student. I had no real reason. And he knew what I was going to end up doing, which is just partying my way all through college. And yes, he very much wanted me to go into the family business. And it would have been great for the family. But he will be the first person to tell you today, thank God I didn't do it because I love what I do. I have the best job of anybody I know. I have many friends that don't work in this industry. And they could only dream of doing the things that I get the chance to do. What are those things? I get to travel all around the country, all around the world. Where have you been other than with Deal or No Deal? We did some shows on the road in South Africa and wherever. We were in the Philippines, Estonia. I've been to over 150 cities in the United States. Some would say that could be torture. It's been a lot. I've been to Evansville, Indiana. I'm sorry. Paducah, Kentucky. There's nothing wrong with this one. I've been to Olympia, Washington. I've been to cities and states that most people will never ever go into. On the company dime. Yeah. I've had amazing opportunities. I get to travel. I get to be on set. I get to meet exciting people. And I get to audition people and hear people tell me their story at work. It's amazing. I mean, it's amazing. I mean, I'll look up at the clock and it'll say 6.30 and I feel like I just got to work. It's the best job on the planet. So you're not feeling any fatigue, burnout? No. I love it. I still love it. It's been, wow, it's been a long time. It's been 12 years. I've been doing this for 12 years. Well, that's a quick ascent in 12 years. When I came in 12 years ago, there were like five shows. Now there's five. Now there's 500. So there weren't a lot of people to do all this stuff. I mean, a lot of the times I got promoted because they had no choice. There was no one else to hire. You came in at the perfect time. Perfect time. I came in at the perfect time. So you've been on all these shows as a casting person, big brother, survivor, bachelor, amazing race. Share with me, share with you listening, the people listening, some things we might have missed. Yeah. Yeah. That maybe the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses the excuses The Bachelor season one, I had to travel across the country looking for the women for season one of The Bachelor. And at that time, the idea, the creative for the show was that the women at the end of the show were going to actually get married. So the final episode was a wedding, not a proposal as it is now. So I had to travel around the country. This had never been done. And tell the girl, do you want to be on the show? You have to sign this contract that says when the show is over, you have to agree to get married with the guy that you've met after four weeks. And people thought I was hilarious. They laughed at your face. They thought I was ridiculous. It was a very difficult thing. Yeah. What about Amazing Race? I only did a short span. I just did season two of Amazing Race. I don't know. I mean, Amazing Race is, I think, the best show on television. They have eight Emmy Awards. It's probably the finest product in reality television. I mean, it's pretty self-explanatory. There's nothing crazy behind the scene. We just look for interesting, fun pairs. Did you have to travel with the show? No. I did it all locally. But Big Brother? Big Brother? Big Brother. Big Brother is a show where, and you see it when you watch the show on screen. We look to, they look to find. We look to find different personalities that will clash. They're not, we're not looking for people that are going to be yin and yang together. We want oil and water. So if, if this person is a Republican who hates gays, we better have a gay guy. You know, there's always one of each on a show like that, which makes the drama and makes the excitement of the show happen. Does that mean that one who would like to be on that show should. Well, there's room for everything. There's, there's the, you know, the sweet mom, there's the Southern Belle, there's the, there's the, there's always a sex pot girl and the sexy guy. There's room for everybody. And it's through line for all the shows is be who you are and, and maybe that's what they're looking for. So you've done this for 12 years. And where do you see yourself 12 years from now? Um, I also create and develop my own projects. And hopefully I'll be able to do that. And hopefully I'll be able to do that. And hopefully I'll be able to do that. Hopefully in 12, 12 years from now, I'll have my own projects on television and I won't be in somebody else will be casting. I have a, an amazing team that works with me. Um, uh, the person who kind of runs my company, her name is Kristen and, and hopefully she'll be able to take over this company one day and she'll run it herself. Do you, do you see, um, any interest in doing scripted casting scripted? Never. No interest. I do. I, I do. I do find a lot of hosts for shows and that's been a, a part of my job as well as finding hosts. Um, but scripted, no, it's not something I'm interested in. Right. And they're so different. That's the amazing thing. When people talk about casting, it's like, you'd think it's so similar just cause it's casting. I couldn't tell you the difference between a, a, a great actor and a good actor, but I know there are people that that's what they do. You know, a lot of times I've noticed on these shows, um, people, uh, a contestant will get a great first impression and then they fall apart on screen. What is that like when you're watching someone, whether it be someone you've championed or not, you know, not necessarily just crumble, but when you're just off camera watching it unfold, what's that feeling like? Um, I did a show and, and there was a guy on there, his name was Gutz and that's why he went, what he went by. His name was Gutz. And he had the best personality. He was amazing in the audition. He'd sit in the room with the network executives for the, for the interviews and Gutz was the best literally. And we had no idea. The second a camera was in his face, he froze frozen like, like an iceberg mumbling. You're talking while the show was rolling. While the show was rolling, we traveled him to the show. The show was running. He was going to be a part of 12. When you say traveled, you mean flew him out from some other city? Correct. Okay. We flew him out, came through for the audition. Everyone loved them and everyone signed on the dotted line and Gutz turned into a statue the second that the camera turned on. Now, when you say everyone loved him, explain what you mean, because I don't think, um, I wouldn't have known unless I'd seen the process. It's not just you deciding. It's a whole team of people. There are, um, a lot of doorways you got to open. It's the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the a pool of people, then hopefully you're the one. What are the craziest reasons a network person or an executive producer has given you for not liking someone that you liked and it brought to them? Oh boy. I mean, I, you know, it's a, it's a dangerous thing to say anything negative about any network executive. I mean, at the end of the day, a network is putting millions of dollars on the line and on a reality show, like I said, and most people agree if the cast isn't great, that those millions of dollars are for not. So sometimes they just have a gut feeling. I've had times where I said, this is my favorite person. Number one, nobody else is nearly as good. And I've had... Somebody just literally looked me in the face, said, nope, don't like them. Next. After I sworn, this is the greatest person. I've had situations. I did a show where the person... Are you hearing stuff? We're hearing some crazy buzzing. We're hearing some crazy buzzing in our headsets. I'm speaking to Jeremy, our person rolling the board here. I don't know. It seems, it seems better now. It went away. It was just bizarre going from one ear to the other. Watch out for those little connectors. Like that thing right there will cause some... Mostly my fault. All right, go ahead. So we were talking about reasons that people will turn someone away. That could be a network person, someone you've brought. You know, it's weird. I did a show once called The Two-Timer. It was on ABC and it was a show in which we wanted to find a guy who had multiple girlfriends. A guy we actually use in the show had six different girlfriends. At the same time, we wanted to find a guy who had multiple girlfriends. None of the girls knew that he had any other girlfriends. And we had six different guys to choose from. And we brought them to the network. And we had five great guys and one guy who was there to make the other five look better. They picked the guy that we brought to make everyone look better. And he was... They picked the scumbag. Right. Were they all the guys were cheating? Correct. But this one was the biggest cheater and you thought he was the worst of all of them. To the point where no one would ever want him. Correct. And how did he do? He was on... You've never heard of it, have you? Why? Was it famous? It was on the air. I mean, there were seven episodes of the show. I mean, nothing happened with this guy, right? I mean, he didn't like commit any crimes. He just wasn't that talented. He just wasn't that great. You think he killed the show? Yes. Yeah. What about... I mean, it could be something as simple as, I don't like her eyebrows. I don't like her teeth. Absolutely. Let's talk about teeth. Okay. I always find it interesting. If someone doesn't have a tooth, that can be a problem in casting, correct? They may not get past anyone, depending on the budget, because some budgets will allow for temporary dental work. Is that too sensitive a topic? It is a fair question. Yeah. I mean, look, you want to be fair to everybody. Obviously, this is... It's television. It's a visual medium. Yeah. So looks matter. Just how it is. It is. It is how it is. Right. Do you have any other misconceptions about the whole reality world that you could share with us? I think a lot of stuff that people think is fake is actually not. It's just really good casting. I can't believe that... There's no... Yes. I get that too. Deal or no deal. Because for those of you who don't know, I was the writer on the show. That's the reason the show got the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the people are able to deliver some crazy stuff. Now, I heard that there's a big run right now on dating shows. There's like 25 or something like that going on. What is going on? Why? Why? I think it's all kind of cyclical. You know, there was a huge dating show bonanza, like in the in the mid-90s, there was all of these dating shows and they went away. And then in, you know, 10 years, five, six years ago, actually, it was a huge game show time. There were so many game shows on television, Deal or No Deal and Millionaire just spawned all of these copycats and these expert shows. And now it's gone away. I'm sure in a couple of years from now, you'll see game shows cluttering the market again. It's all kind of cyclical. And you said that there's nothing in the world you'd rather be doing. No. Well, I mean, honestly, I'd rather be a stay-at-home dad, but my wife does. She does not work. She goes shopping and goes to the gym. So I can't do that. Really? You think she'd like to hear that? Well, I mean, look, I have earned the right to screen many different women and I decided to ensure that I screen the hottest woman I could have. And I married her and she gave me two beautiful daughters and she's allowed to do what she wants with that time. You know, Neil, one thing that really does strike me is, you know, how real you are, you know, and it's not to be ironic or whatever, you know, because this is reality TV that you work in and, you know, you're not affected. You're not in any way false. What does that attribute to? The way you were raised? Yeah, I was raised, I guess so. You know, my parents always told the truth. My parents are very blunt. I am very blunt. All of my family are very... Very blunt and straightforward. And, you know, I don't want to be coddled and I don't want to coddle people and I want them to know the truth. I don't want people to suffer lies. Are you a tough boss? I am extremely tough boss. If someone's listening to this, wanting to work with you, how do they even find you? I don't have a website. I don't have a Facebook page. I don't have a Twitter because I prefer not to be found. Do you have a phone? I have a phone. I have a phone. Yes. Okay. So you're basically saying you are on... I think someone who's clever could find you. There is a website called Staff Me Up where many reality shows hire their staff. So if someone's looking to get into reality television, that's a good place to look. Do you consider yourself a good mentor? I try to be. That's a big thing I do is I try and train the people I work with so that they can be successful in casting. It's a great place to work. Okay. Well, we're almost... We're almost finished up here, but is there anything you want to share with me that we haven't covered? Yes. I would like to share the first time I saw you topless. The first time I was ever greeted by the amazing body hair that is contained in the Vic Cohen body and the pleasant memories I have. Where was that? I believe it was on stage while you sang a Jewish holiday song. Yeah, I remember that. Yeah, I did. I sang... I don't think it was Hava Nagila. I think it was... Yeah, that's right. It was something... It was a Passover song, my favorite. Well, Neil, I want to thank you so much for coming here. I know it was a lot of work coming all the way downtown. And I want to thank you for listening and join us again here on Vic Cohen's It's a Fair Question. I'm Vic Cohen, and it's a fair question. It's a fair question. It's a fair question. I'm Vic Cohen, and it's a fair question. It's a fair. It's a fair. It's a fair. It's a fair. It's a fair question. I'm Vic Cohen, and it's a fair. It's a fair. It's a fair. It's a fair. It's a fair question.