Appearance on TV a possibility

Want to have your life put on national television? Live with six strangers?\nNo?\nWell if you had the chance to do it in Paris, or perhaps the South Seas, then would you go?\nIU students and Bloomington locals ages 18 to 24 have the opportunity to audition for MTV's The Real World and Road Rules Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Kilroy's Sports Bar, 319 N. Walnut St. The open casting call will be complete with casting director interviews and competition with perhaps 800 to 1,200 of your closest friends.\n"We just drag out a map of the U.S. and decide where we want to go," said MTV casting director Jason Horowitz. "We have our old standbys such as Boston and San Francisco, but we have slots for cities that we haven't gone through for a while.\n"We know Bloomington's got a great campus and a great student body," he said.\nJonathan Murray, an executive producer for both shows said casting directors look for individuals with outgoing natures. \n"We look for characters from real life -- people with strong personalities who are unafraid to speak their minds," he said in a statement.\nThe Real World, which is looking for casting members for its next taping in Paris, is a show which is based in a major city, stars seven strangers from various backgrounds and locations and has them live together while their every move is caught on camera. They are to work together and, of course, the show highlights the day-to-day trials and tribulations that result from the cast's different world views or opinions on societal and moral issues. \nRoad Rules, which is auditioning for its location in the South Seas, has five to six cast members travel around in a complementary mobile home where they travel through different places to take on tasks competing for money and prizes. Like The Real World, Road Rules' cast is comprised of a wide range of people and their sometimes scandalous, sometimes hilarious, other times downright dirty actions are caught on camera -- aired for the entire world to see.\n"With each new season, the challenge becomes finding cast members who represent a perspective we haven't yet seen on the show," said executive producer Mary-Ellis Bunim in a statement.\nWhen asked what IU students should do to prepare for the show, Horowitz jumped with a one-word response.\n"Nothing."\nHe said individuals should arrive unprepared and expect to show directors an outgoing, dynamic and unique demeanor if they want to be considered for future rounds. The screening process includes numerous interviews and the taping of a 10-minute diary. Eventually, those who make it to the final round are flown to Los Angeles where they meet with casting directors and MTV executives for further interviews and consultation.\n"They have to be themselves. We don't want people to prepare, we just want them to be ready for impromptu discussion," Horowitz said. "We want them to be able to bring just themselves to the table."\nHorowitz said that there is never a set number on how many are called back from any one location.\nThose who come to auditions need to bring a non-returnable, recent photo of themselves as well as a form of photo identification.