Jai Rodriguez is an actor and was in Zanna, Don’t! So he had a venue for himself (although it seems they really don’t have any use for him on Queer Eye—his contributions to the show are as lame and purposeless as can be).
But how were the others cast? What did they have to do to demonstrate their “talents?” And how was the group “test-marketed?”
I actually know someone who tested for a role on the show. He answered a personal ad in “Variety.” he’s not a professional actor, but has done acting work in the past. He is an interior decorator, and was interviewed about his work (showed photos of apartments he’d decorated), and was called back to take a screen test. (basically they put in front of a camera and he talked about himself, to see what he looked like on t.v.) At that point, he was cut. (Don’t know if he tested badly, or that other folks just tested better.) When he was finally eliminated, he was one of about 50 people the producers were looking at. Although I don’t know if he was 1 in 50 they were casting people for a specific job, or if they had eliminated ALL the “contestants” for all five slots down to 50 guys.
So, yes, there were cattle calls, and a screening process. They considered folks first on the basis of their work, then on a screen test. I imagine that those who were selected from their screen test were paired off in groups to see which combination of 5 guys had the best “chemistry.” Presumably, acting experience was a plus, but it was not considered a requirement for the job.
For the record, when my friend told me he was testing for a part on a t.v. show, and then explained the premise, I cringed. I thought it sounded horrible, and expected it to bomb. What do I know?
I often use the Sigourney Weaver line from Galaxy Quest when we start making fun of Jai…
“He has ONE JOB on this show, and it’s STUPID, but he’s gonna DO IT!”
The weren’t cast, they’re—
CRAB PEOPLE, CRAB PEOPLE…
In interviews, the majority of the Fab5 mentioned that they found out about the casting call through personal contacts who encouraged them to apply. They weren’t looking for a TV gig, TV found them.
Peace.
ON the Bravo Channel website, you can read the backgrounds of each. They are pretty knowledgeable and successful in their respective areas. I was kind of surprised actually.
Interesting, it seems Ted isn’t really a chef by trade, but more of a food writer/editor. Yet on the show he’s cooking most of the time.