| We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| Tales from a Casting Call - The Biggest Loser | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Aug 25 2007, 12:02 PM (4,416 Views) | |
| Deleted User | Aug 25 2007, 12:02 PM Post #1 |
|
Deleted User
|
The day started before the sun even rose over the sky line, or broke through the smog, this is Manhattan after all. I woke at the sound of the alarm before 5 a.m. as I was to meet my line partner at 6:30a.m. at the famous 30 Rock. There, we would stand for four hours or so until the auditions officially started. We weren’t sure what the day was going to be like, all we knew was that we needed someone to hold our place if we had to go to the bathroom. The oncoming subway is pretty when you're tired, and not on the tracks Even at such an early hour we were not the first people in line, though we were in the first few. In front of us were some, shall we say, enthusiastic people who kept screaming at every skinny person that passed by, and not in the nicest of manners. So how does time pass waiting in line? We joke around, A LOT. Meet other people and talk about everything, except perhaps our weight. There was this brother and sister ‘team’ from Texas and they were a lot of fun, joking around with each other and the rest of us. We spoke of barbecue and seeing if we could get Dunkin Donuts to sponsor the line. In front of us were the resident ‘been here done that’s’ who were telling everyone who would listen what the process was like and that after the audition everyone will be told to mail in a video anyway. She explained that if they like you they will call within a day or so and ask you to go to the next open call. This leads us to the VIP’s – I’m assuming that they were call-backs from a prior open audition, as at around 9:30 or so (the doors were set to open at 10:00am) these people came walking by and were given VIP arm bands. They didn’t have to stand in line (we weren’t allowed to sit) and were able to walk in first. The rest of us got generic white armbands with a number on it (I was 15! Woo-hoo). The City’s Reaction This is New York City, and during tourist season. The day was mild with a threat of rain that didn’t come while we were there. Many people were walking by and asking what the line was for, and many times those guys in the front of the line would yell out something about for fat people only, then someone starting yelling that it was for America’s Next Top Model (I had to laugh at that one). Some thought it was for the studio tour and we had to keep telling them this wasn’t that line. I swear there are others who just see a line and start standing. The best though was this one really slim older woman dressed all in black. At first she walked toward the line, then you saw her eyes widen as she looked at everyone in it, “Ohmygod, fat people!” was the look on her face. Then, as she reeled away backwards her hand went to her face, “what is going on, so many in one place!” it was a total look of shock and disgust. Then, the best part, she started to scowl, “Maybe this is the line to finally put them out of their misery” someone from the line chirped in as an interpretation of her thoughts. That wasn’t far off from the look on her face.  I See Fat People Another time an under 100 pounder came by asking about the line. One of the NBC cattle wranglers was out there, and exasperated. He told her to join the line if she needs to lose weight. She reeled back, “ohmigod, I knew I looked fat!” she pronounced. “So I need to join the line, don’t I? I knew I gained weight.” We chastised the wrangler for chasing another bulimic back to the toilet to get back to her birth weight as her boyfriend grabbed her and sent the look of death back at our NBC guide. What Else Happens in the Line? Well, to try and boost our moral a former contestant and some of her friends were going up and down the line talking to everyone, although it took us a while to figure that out. See, the group I was with are casual watchers (save the one in front I mentioned early who was a veteran applier and knew all the contestants) so we thought she was another auditioner. As the person behind me so aptly put it, “wow, she’s not the best role model for the show, is she?” as she was still overweight. But in talking to her, she had lost a lot and then put on (it was either 40 or 80) right after the show and then lost half of that on her own. Something for you folks reading this need to remember is that dramatic quick weight loss is mostly due to dehydration, so a lot of what these people are losing isn’t the fat. Another thing that happens is cameras are there – but they weren’t news crews – they were from the show themselves filming and talking to us in the front of the line as we all screamed that we wanted to be losers. They said the footage, if used, will be for promotional purposes or as a title sequence. Who knows. And the best? People already trying to psyche others out. My line buddy and I were told more than once that we didn’t belong in this line (I’m would love to lose about 30 pounds, he about 50). Well, it was kind of nice to feel slim one time in my life, but this one woman kept saying over and over that I’ll never get on the show, I don’t need it, blah blah blah and being overly negative. But then she was quiet for awhile and apparently thinking. Because she turned to me later to say: “But you’ll have a good transformation. You won’t win, but you’ll look great and be good press for the show. Maybe that’s a good idea, you don’t need to lose that much and you’ll look good. We should be partners.” So she went from wanting me off the line to wanting me to say I’m her friend and we’re going as a team – not going to happen. Oh yeah, and NBC didn’t supply bathrooms, so a huge shout out to the Dean and Deluca that was kind enough to let all us ‘Chubbies’ use their restroom.  Potty elsewhere please Excuse Me, But Your Issues are Showing. It turns out the auditions are in groups of ten and it’s a roundtable discussion. We are finally seen at around 11:30 a.m. No individual evaluations! They want to see how we react to one another. This serves to be a real eye-opener for me, especially when they ask why people are overweight. At first we are talking about the food programs, the lack of information, growing up in an era where we were told we had to clean our plates because of starving people in Africa. I grew up poor, and there is a definite link between poverty and obesity so I brought that up. Everyone nodded and agreed, and then things got more personal. This one mother/daughter team both had emotional issues. The daughter spoke of being in a horrible relationship for the past ten years and watching her weight balloon while the mother, if she had self-esteem, I couldn’t see it. She was very down and depressed and convinced everything was hopeless but was here for her daughter. There were also a couple people who had recently given birth and were down in the dumps about not shedding the weight. The discussions were interesting; we talked about how overweight people are treated in society (as a disease was the main focus) and common misconceptions about fat people (when I said it’s a common misconception that all overweight people hate themselves, the depressed mom spoke up against me. I really say we pray for her to get out of that depression.) and what society can do to help (make me some nice clothes dammit!). After only about ten minutes they thanked us for our time, took our applications and pictures, and then shooed us out to prepare for the next group of ten. They also told us to send in a video if we are serious about wanting to be on the show and to get that information online. |
 
|
|
| Epheks | Aug 25 2007, 01:33 PM Post #2 |
The King
  ![]](http://209.85.48.14/static/1/pip_r.png)
|
That was a really interesting and funny story. Good luck with the show! |
 |
|
| funnygirl | Aug 25 2007, 03:47 PM Post #3 |
|
Easin' into summertime...
|
Awesome Ernmalley!! They are doing the same thing today in Chicago at NBC Towers. I heard the add last night. I would have run last year, but this year, I'm slimmer, healthier, fitter and feeling great. If your true personality is anything like your writing persona, you'd make a great cast member to any reality show. Let us know how things turn out for you!! |
|
Those who can't laugh at themselves, leave the job to others. Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders & says... 'Oh, crap...she's awake!!’ | |
|
|
|
| Deleted User | Aug 25 2007, 06:47 PM Post #4 |
|
Deleted User
|
ITA Ern is Awesome and I would root for her anyday!!!! |
|
|
|
| dfleminator | Aug 25 2007, 07:26 PM Post #5 |
Dr. Horrible
|
That's great ern! Thanks for the report! And I would actually watch the show if you were on it! |
|
|
|
| Deleted User | Aug 25 2007, 08:09 PM Post #6 |
|
Deleted User
|
Ah, ya'll are too sweet. But I didn't get any phonecall, lol. I did it more for the story to tell then anything else
|
|
|
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · The Biggest Loser · Next Topic » |
7:56 AM Sep 4
