From the Duke Lacrosse scandal to basketball games on ESPN to the latest Sex Workers Art Show hullabaloo, Duke students are used to being on television. Now Blue Devils have the chance to move from news stories to reality television with a spot on MTV's The Real World.
First airing in 1992, the show-now casting for its 21st season-will be holding open auditions at Shooters Saturday Feb. 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The show, now the longest running program in MTV's 26-year history, is famous for tackling serious issues like AIDS, homosexuality, religion and alcohol abuse. However, in recent years the show has been criticized for shifting away from hot button issues and focusing more on partying. Casting director Damon Furberg believes that the show has become formulaic and that Duke students will offer something missing from The Real World.
"Duke is a great school. We are looking for smart students this time around," Furberg said. "Its always hard to find the right balance, and here we can find people with intellectual capacity, sociability and ability to relate to people."
The Real World features seven strangers from different backgrounds living in a (usually extravagant) house for several months, with the location of the show changing cities each season.
New York University alum Parisa Montazaran, a cast member from the Sydney, Australia season, knows what it is like to go from a top-ranked college to cable television.
"Coming from NYU and going into the Real World house, I was thrust into the reality that there are people who aren't exposed to the same experiences and culture that you see in college," Montazaran said.
The Long Island resident said that being Iranian and Muslim was extremely difficult, given the homogeneity of her all-Caucasian cast mates, but the experience was worth it. However, many Duke students are wary of auditioning for the reality show, especially given Real World's recent reputation.
"It is trashy, not classy," sophomore Supriya Sundaram said. "There are always a lot of bad decisions being made, which there are enough of here, and I don't think anyone on this campus wants the entire world watching them do it."
Thousands of people across the nation audition for each season of the Real World through home videos, online applications and casting calls similar to the one being held this weekend. Furberg openly offers advice for those willing to be one of the selected seven.
"It sounds counter-intuitive, but people should not come in with a game plan," he said. "People who don't place a lot of pressure on themselves do the best. There is this weird phenomenon when people drag their friend who doesn't want to go and that the person ends being the better of the two because they are more relaxed."
Though the auditioning process is rigourous and the probability of being on the show is unlikely, those that make the final cut are poised to receive more benefits than psuedo-celebrity.
"There is a certain amount of growth that comes from self-awareness and experience that you gain on the show," Montazaran said. "It can only make you a more interesting person."
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