Reality TV producer reveals what she looks for in hopeful stars

One of Australia’s most successful reality TV producers has revealed the secret to getting cast and the question she asks every hopeful star.

Yana Groves, who has worked as an executive producer on several popular shows such as Big Brother, told the TV Reload podcast that being authentic and genuine are essential.

‘In casting, I always ask “What do you want out of this?” and I’ve interviewed so many people who say “I’ve always wanted to be famous”,’ she said. 

‘And that’s a very sad situation because for me under that is an unwritten story that is actually looking for validation.’

She explained: ‘The ones that go in with those intentions don’t make it.’

Yana went on to say:’You need to know who you are when you go in, not become you during the process. It’s about being real.’

‘You want to feel like someone is genuine and is doing this for the real purpose of the show. If you’re going on The Voice to sing, I want to really feel it.’

Last year, Yana told the Back From Reality podcast that people who are driven to be in the spotlight are fine for talent competitions, but there needs to be more genuine intentions for other genres, like dating shows. 

‘You have to have some element of genuine interest in the show’s elements, so whether that’s a DIY show or a gold digging show, you want people who are genuine so that the audience can relate to them.’

She added: ‘These are not scripted scenarios. The audience wants genuine stories to follow and be inspired by.

‘Genuine people to go on their journey with, genuine people that they can identify with. I think the audience can spot a phony from a mile off.’

She also said that it’s important to make sure that potential participants are strong enough to handle the gruelling process of filming a reality show.