Reality bites: filling the reality casting pool

As Australian producers create more reality content, is there an endless supply of willing people to cast in these shows? Georgina Pearson finds out how reality casting works and those cashing in on the success of its previously unknown stars.

Flick through a TV guide on any given day and chances are there will be at least one reality show filling a prime time slot. Right now, two major programs are on the schedule – The Biggest Loser and My Kitchen Rules. Fifteen years ago, it seemed unlikely Australian audiences would become so enamoured with watching people just like them doing ordinary things like cooking, singing, dancing, dating or even losing weight. But reality television is so prominent in today’s television landscape, entire network schedules are built around these shows, sometimes with dire consequences (hello Excess Baggage).

And with this steady stream of programs requiring bodies to fill them – reality shows hitting our screens in the coming months include The Farmer Wants a Wife, The Voice, MasterChef series four and Big Brother – casting is big business.

When the producers of these shows start planning their next series, the first call they make is to husband and wife team Kirsty and Graeme de Vallance. The team behind casting agency Cast of Thousands, the de Vallances have assisted the producers of some of the biggest and most prestigious reality shows in Australia.