Yes, it's true -- you can be a reality celebrity like Tiffany "New York" Pollard. Great piece in this week's Time Out New York by Mike Olson about the New York Reality TV School, which Remote Ben wrote about a few months back -- an acting coach named Robert Galinsky heads the three hour, $139 seminar, along with actual reality-show contestants, which teaches people how to, in his words, "be authentic," and therefore get on a reality television show. Olson makes a good point:
you might find the idea of people learning how to be themselves pretty damn ridiculous.
But Galinsky has a counterargument:
It's beyond reality at this point. It's personality TV. And you don't even have to come in first place to be noticed.
True. Surreal, but true. And if this whole learning to be realer thing wasn't weird enough, word is Galinsky is about to sign his own TV deal, for a reality show about a reality TV school. We know, that just blew your mind. Anyway, here are TONY's tips for how to get on a reality show, in case you want to save the $139. We especially like the part where they tell you to "be uncomfortable":
Get the part!
A very small taste of what students learn at New York Reality TV School.
1. Do your homework. You have seen the show you’re trying out for, right? Right?! Find one that makes sense for you. Just because What Not to Wear is casting doesn’t mean you need to apply.
2. Don’t act like an actor. Be sincere. If the producers wanted to hire a professional, they would have.
3. Practice your story. Know what makes you the right fit and be armed with examples why. Don’t just say you’re “interesting”—share specific experiences that prove you are.
4. Keep sensitive material on the surface. Was Dad a drunk? Did you just cheat on your wife? The people who get the part are the ones who bare their souls.
5. Stay open-minded. Be willing to take chances and be uncomfortable, and you’ll stand out.