Several of the cast members said they were recruited by casting assistants as opposed to applying for the show on their own.
“They called me,” said season 18 runner-up Stephen Fishbach.
Ditto for fellow season 18 contestant Erinn Lobdell. The Milwaukee hair stylist initially balked at the idea. But she changed her mind and flew to L.A. for the audition process, where candidates get sequestered in a hotel for several days while the production staff makes its picks.
Chicago native Jenny Guzon-Bae initially thought it was a prank when she got a call at home asking her to apply for the show. The casting agent had spotted her real estate agent profile online.
Guzon-Bae, who’s Filipino-American, ended up on season 13, the controversial Cook Islands installment where the four tribes were broken up by ethnicity.
"They want you to fill a role,” said season 14 competitor and Chicagoan Mookie Lee, referring to the popular “Survivor” personae that continually crop up, like The Nerd, The Jock, The Crazy Old Lady.
......
“They tell us what to wear,” said John Cochran, last season’s nerd who rocked a sweater vest in the South Pacific. Turns out that sartorial decision wasn’t his own. The Harvard Law student didn’t own a sleeveless sweater before the show, but producers wanted that look. “The lady on the phone said, ‘Justin Timberlake wears sweater vests,’ ” Cochran said.
That sucks, why can't they cast normal ppl, instead of using casting agency?