Reality TV Attracts More Applicants Than Ever. For Reality-TV Coaches, It’s a Gold Rush

For $350, Ms. Wincheski worked with Ms. Carmine to highlight the most interesting parts of her back story, cut extraneous scenes from her audition tape and craft a pitch that reflected her enthusiasm for the show. “I was able to help her understand where she had gone wrong so she could fix it,” Ms. Wincheski said. She also calmed her client’s nerves before meetings with producers. 

By the following summer, Ms. Carmine had made it onto the 43rd season of the show. 

Ms. Carmine declined to be interviewed, citing an agreement in her contract with

CBS,

but in an email said Ms. Wincheski “was such an integral part of me getting cast.”

Ms. Wincheski is part of a growing cottage industry of former casting agents and contestants who are now working directly with people who want to be on reality TV. It used to be that a single casting director or producer could make or break an applicant’s chances at getting on a show. Now, independent coaches are offering wannabe stars the chance at a do-over. Part career counselor, part therapist and part drama instructor, they help clients overcome rejection and put forward their most camera-worthy selves using tips from the trade.

According to Lynne Spillman, a two-time Emmy-nominated casting director, getting on reality TV is more competitive than ever, as applicants look to parlay contestant roles into lucrative influencer gigs or bona fide acting careers. To stand out to the producers and directors eyeing their applications, it’s key to convey that they can elicit a range of emotions.

“A show only resonates with an audience if it has a cast that people can relate to, feel inspired by, or has someone you want to cheer for or against,” said Mrs. Spillman, who has put together casts for “Making the Cut,” “The Amazing Race,” “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” and 38 consecutive seasons of “Survivor.”

Former casting producers and contestants say their experiences on reality sets make them particularly suited to advise applicants going through the audition process.

Adam Klein, a former “Survivor” contestant who won the show’s 33rd season, is now a full-time reality-television consultant. “Nine percent of my clients reported receiving a callback in 2021, and that number grew to over 13% in 2022,” he said. Those same clients had applied more than five times previously without producing any interest, he said. Mr. Klein offers group workshops (he said 400 people attended his first one) and provides a number of one-on-one coaching packages as well that range in cost from $150 for basic help to $450 for extended time and guidance.  

Mr. Klein said that many of his clients yearn for feedback after facing rejection. “It’s brutal for people who get so close to their dream to put so much into the process, only to never really find out why it didn’t pan out for them,” he said.

Ms. Wincheski, who spent two decades casting people for “Survivor,” “Big Brother” and “The Amazing Race” before striking out on her own, said she’s met thousands of would-be contestants over the years who have attended casting calls or sent in a multitude of audition videos. Common mistakes often boil down to cinematography, she said, such as people filming with poor lighting or in distracting environments. Other reality hopefuls struggle with storytelling. 

“Too many people come off like they’re reading a job resume,” Ms. Wincheski said. What’s more, she said, most shows offer little in the way of explanation about why a contestant isn’t a good fit.

“You really have to know what you are doing to get anyone’s attention the right way,” she said. 

Through her company, Casting Reality, she charges $150 to review a written application, $250 to review an audition video with a follow-up telephone critique, $300 to help put together the right video in the first place, and $500 for a full-service consultation: audition-video help, interview prep, written-application guidance and reviews of up to four videos. 

To some, this level of preparation might seem antithetical to the genre—in other words, not real. On Season 18 of “The Bachelorette,” for instance, one contestant was sent home for arriving on set with a binder full of tips for how to win, collated by friends who were fans of the franchise. (A representative for ABC declined to comment.) Ms. Wincheski said that isn’t what her company does.

“I’m certainly not ‘gaming the system,’” she said. “I don’t turn anyone into something they’re not, don’t introduce them to casting directors and don’t provide any casting shortcuts. I just help contestants put their best foot forward.” 

Gavin Whitson, the runner-up on season 38 of “Survivor,” said that coming from a small town in Tennessee, he found the L.A. casting process intimidating. “Jodi kept reminding me to be confident because the producers already liked me for who I was,” he said. 

Charnel Wright, who was on Bravo’s “Spy Games” in 2020, said that Ms. Wincheski was particularly helpful to her during the interview process. “Reality television is a funny business because you constantly find yourself second-guessing if you’re saying the things the producers want to hear, or if you should just be yourself. They rarely give you any feedback.” Ms. Wright said that Ms. Wincheski gave her the confidence “to stay true to myself” the whole way through. “While other people keep reinventing themselves during the casting process, Jodi kept me on track,” she said. 

Though Mrs. Spillman, the casting director, would have once looked down on the idea of contestants being coached before auditions, her perspective has changed.

“Some contestants oversell or undersell themselves and someone monitoring that can certainly make a contestant better,” she said. “Even I have coached some people who came to me for advice, because I know how trying the process can be,” she said. 

Jeff Probst, the longtime “Survivor” host and executive producer, said that every show is looking for specific attributes and qualities in would-be contestants, so authenticity is key. 

“There’s a tendency to think if you act crazy or behave in a controversial way that you’ll end up on a show,” he said. “You don’t have to do, say or behave in any one particular way, just be yourself. The truth is what we’re seeking.”

For $350, Ms. Wincheski worked with Ms. Carmine to highlight the most interesting parts of her back story, cut extraneous scenes from her audition tape and craft a pitch that reflected her enthusiasm for the show. “I was able to help her understand where she had gone wrong so she could fix it,” Ms. Wincheski said. She also calmed her client’s nerves before meetings with producers. 

By the following summer, Ms. Carmine had made it onto the 43rd season of the show. 

Ms. Carmine declined to be interviewed, citing an agreement in her contract with

CBS,

but in an email said Ms. Wincheski “was such an integral part of me getting cast.”

Ms. Wincheski is part of a growing cottage industry of former casting agents and contestants who are now working directly with people who want to be on reality TV. It used to be that a single casting director or producer could make or break an applicant’s chances at getting on a show. Now, independent coaches are offering wannabe stars the chance at a do-over. Part career counselor, part therapist and part drama instructor, they help clients overcome rejection and put forward their most camera-worthy selves using tips from the trade.

According to Lynne Spillman, a two-time Emmy-nominated casting director, getting on reality TV is more competitive than ever, as applicants look to parlay contestant roles into lucrative influencer gigs or bona fide acting careers. To stand out to the producers and directors eyeing their applications, it’s key to convey that they can elicit a range of emotions.

“A show only resonates with an audience if it has a cast that people can relate to, feel inspired by, or has someone you want to cheer for or against,” said Mrs. Spillman, who has put together casts for “Making the Cut,” “The Amazing Race,” “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” and 38 consecutive seasons of “Survivor.”

Former casting producers and contestants say their experiences on reality sets make them particularly suited to advise applicants going through the audition process.

Adam Klein, a former “Survivor” contestant who won the show’s 33rd season, is now a full-time reality-television consultant. “Nine percent of my clients reported receiving a callback in 2021, and that number grew to over 13% in 2022,” he said. Those same clients had applied more than five times previously without producing any interest, he said. Mr. Klein offers group workshops (he said 400 people attended his first one) and provides a number of one-on-one coaching packages as well that range in cost from $150 for basic help to $450 for extended time and guidance.  

Mr. Klein said that many of his clients yearn for feedback after facing rejection. “It’s brutal for people who get so close to their dream to put so much into the process, only to never really find out why it didn’t pan out for them,” he said.

Ms. Wincheski, who spent two decades casting people for “Survivor,” “Big Brother” and “The Amazing Race” before striking out on her own, said she’s met thousands of would-be contestants over the years who have attended casting calls or sent in a multitude of audition videos. Common mistakes often boil down to cinematography, she said, such as people filming with poor lighting or in distracting environments. Other reality hopefuls struggle with storytelling. 

“Too many people come off like they’re reading a job resume,” Ms. Wincheski said. What’s more, she said, most shows offer little in the way of explanation about why a contestant isn’t a good fit.

“You really have to know what you are doing to get anyone’s attention the right way,” she said. 

Through her company, Casting Reality, she charges $150 to review a written application, $250 to review an audition video with a follow-up telephone critique, $300 to help put together the right video in the first place, and $500 for a full-service consultation: audition-video help, interview prep, written-application guidance and reviews of up to four videos. 

To some, this level of preparation might seem antithetical to the genre—in other words, not real. On Season 18 of “The Bachelorette,” for instance, one contestant was sent home for arriving on set with a binder full of tips for how to win, collated by friends who were fans of the franchise. (A representative for ABC declined to comment.) Ms. Wincheski said that isn’t what her company does.

“I’m certainly not ‘gaming the system,’” she said. “I don’t turn anyone into something they’re not, don’t introduce them to casting directors and don’t provide any casting shortcuts. I just help contestants put their best foot forward.” 

Gavin Whitson, the runner-up on season 38 of “Survivor,” said that coming from a small town in Tennessee, he found the L.A. casting process intimidating. “Jodi kept reminding me to be confident because the producers already liked me for who I was,” he said. 

Charnel Wright, who was on Bravo’s “Spy Games” in 2020, said that Ms. Wincheski was particularly helpful to her during the interview process. “Reality television is a funny business because you constantly find yourself second-guessing if you’re saying the things the producers want to hear, or if you should just be yourself. They rarely give you any feedback.” Ms. Wright said that Ms. Wincheski gave her the confidence “to stay true to myself” the whole way through. “While other people keep reinventing themselves during the casting process, Jodi kept me on track,” she said. 

Though Mrs. Spillman, the casting director, would have once looked down on the idea of contestants being coached before auditions, her perspective has changed.

“Some contestants oversell or undersell themselves and someone monitoring that can certainly make a contestant better,” she said. “Even I have coached some people who came to me for advice, because I know how trying the process can be,” she said. 

Jeff Probst, the longtime “Survivor” host and executive producer, said that every show is looking for specific attributes and qualities in would-be contestants, so authenticity is key. 

“There’s a tendency to think if you act crazy or behave in a controversial way that you’ll end up on a show,” he said. “You don’t have to do, say or behave in any one particular way, just be yourself. The truth is what we’re seeking.”