MD

Arts

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Advertise with us »

Weight of the 'World'

BY KIMBERLY CHOU

Published September 26, 2006

Remember Trishelle Cannatella? She was cherubic Louisiana-born girl with a rockin' body and penchant for making out with her cast members on the Las Vegas installment of MTV pop culture institution "Real World." Regarded as a do-nothing floozy on subsequent seasons of "The Gauntlet" - a extreme-sports battle royale pitting former "Real World" cast against participants on its travelogue sister show "Road Rules" - she's parlayed her three months of fame into a Playboy magazine spread and post-routed her way to Lingerie Bowl III's Most Valuable Player.

University students now have the chance to reach such heights as Cannatella's. Or "Real World" San Diego's arrest-prone Brad Fiorenza. Or Cannatella's "Real World: Las Vegas" castmate/hookup buddy Steven Hill. All three have been gracing second-tier dance clubs as "celebrity hosts" and "guest DJs" since their respective stints on the show.

MTV is holding casting calls in select cities across the nation for the 19th season of the hit program. The network, specifically the reality-TV Svengalis at production company Bunim-Murray, has chosen Ann Arbor as a location for an open call.

Producers and MTV representatives will be on hand at Scorekeeper's Bar & Grill tomorrow from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Those interested are asked to bring a recent photo of themselves and picture ID - applicants must be between 18 and 24 years old - to interviews at the popular Maynard Street bar. The seven lucky strangers culled from MTV's nationwide casting calls and videotape submissions will be picked to live in a house and have their lives taped. Assumedly, the network's viewer demographic will once again find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real.

This is the first time Skeeps has hosted a casting call, but not southeastern Michigan's first taste of "Real World" buzz. Gossip was heavy in 2004-2005 that the show's 18th season would be filmed in Detroit and its cast members would work in some capacity promoting Superbowl XL. Of course, it wasn't going to be set in Detroit: MTV scouts were reportedly looking into renting out one of the high-end lofts in the safer, hipster-yuppie enclave of Royal Oak. In the end, plans fell through and Bunim-Murray chose a Denver location instead.

MTV has not disclosed the location of the upcoming season for which they are casting, Scorekeepers' manager Aaron Eleby said. The bar's staff knows few details about tomorrow's event.

"All we've been told is they'll be having a casting call here and they (the producers) will be doing their thing," Eleby said.

Eleby said that since receiving the intitial phone call from MTV a month ago, Scorekeepers has received calls from all over the Midwest, according to Eleby, from residents of Kansas City and elsewhere who want to be part of the Ann Arbor casting call.

Ann Arbor has been an MTV recruitment focus as of late. Last year, local high schools were invited to host open casting calls for the reality makeover show "MADE." Ann Arbor Huron's Dylan Wood, then a freshman, was chosen and realized his dream of becoming a fashion designer when MTV coached him to a design contest win at his high school.

As for future "Real World" cast members, showing up at Skeeps on Thursday will be their best bet. Manager Eleby will be there himself.

"Actually, I am trying out," Eleby said. "Who knows?"