The Amazing Race > The Amazing Race Discussion
Mactors/Recruited Teams
kadilahopper:
I guess I will be the dissenting vote on this one WP. I don't think that mactors or recruits add that many more viewers. TAR has a base. One that has been there from the beginning. I believe that if casting keeps up this trend of recruiting half or more of the teams on each race that they will lose their base. Peach is right. Interesting unknowns who have never been in front of a camera react totally different from someone who has already been in the spotlight. Also, for example, Jeff and Jordan were unknowns before BB. The way they were on that show was different from the way they were on TAR. They were jaded by the time they got to TAR. If the casting department would take the time to look hard enough, I am sure they could find the next Rob/Amber, Frat boys, Team guido, Gretchen and Meridith. etc. etc. etc. As Peach says, if TAR keeps casting so many semi-celebs the dream will die for all the hopefuls. TAR'S faithful base. When that happens, TAR will be no more. I hope that doesn't happen.
walkingpneumonia:
--- Quote from: TexasLady on August 03, 2010, 10:07:21 PM ---I did not really start watching TAR until the All Star season with Charla & Mirna. Charla was one of my favorites because it was physically challenging for her but she did the best she could. Who would have thought that she would even be chosen for the race. She wasn't a mactor, she wasn't a beauty pageant winner and yet she made the race interesting for me.
There is a place for "ordinary people doing extraordinary things" which also builds an audience.
--- End quote ---
I don't think Charla was an "ordinary people doing extraordinary things", but she is a good example of a non-celebrity who fills the same role in casting as a celebrity - they exact a reaction from the audience right from the beginning.
I don't want to put words in your mouth, but I would suggest when you first saw Charla you had an instant emotional response - "OMG - she's only 4 feet tall. How can she possibly compete against the other racers"
I had a comparable reaction to Sarah Reinertsen right from the beginning of TAR 10- "She has a prosthetic limb. Thats amazing. I want to see more."
Other people would have had similar reactions to Luke Adams (TAR 14) , Zev Glassenberg (TAR 15) because of their respective challenges. Similarly, many people react (good and bad) to homosexuals, which is why I think we see so many interesting gay people cast.
My point is that some people react to celebrities, others react to people who face physical or mental challenges or are different from themselves. But the important thing is that they do evoke a response of some sort as the race starts. That's the stickiness factor that keeps the audience coming back and that's why they get cast.
I won't talk about any specifics outside of the spoiler threads - but I think TAR 17 is going to be interesting in its casting choices... can't wait till September!
Slowhatch:
Charla is an interesting example. It's one of those times when production/network went out looking for a specific type--in this case, little people. Charla saw a notice on a little people listserv looking for applicants. She and her tag-along Mirna then sent in a tape and went through the usual interview process.
Caelestor:
--- Quote from: kadilahopper on August 04, 2010, 03:25:40 AM ---I guess I will be the dissenting vote on this one WP. I don't think that mactors or recruits add that many more viewers. TAR has a base. One that has been there from the beginning. I believe that if casting keeps up this trend of recruiting half or more of the teams on each race that they will lose their base. Peach is right. Interesting unknowns who have never been in front of a camera react totally different from someone who has already been in the spotlight. Also, for example, Jeff and Jordan were unknowns before BB. The way they were on that show was different from the way they were on TAR. They were jaded by the time they got to TAR. If the casting department would take the time to look hard enough, I am sure they could find the next Rob/Amber, Frat boys, Team guido, Gretchen and Meridith. etc. etc. etc. As Peach says, if TAR keeps casting so many semi-celebs the dream will die for all the hopefuls. TAR'S faithful base. When that happens, TAR will be no more. I hope that doesn't happen.
--- End quote ---
IAWTP. What sustains an audience is good will, and TAR may be losing it. Casting celebrities is a great way to get ratings in the short term but leads to declining numbers in the long term. People may watch to hate on the mactors, but they mainly watch to support people they can sympathize with.
Competitor:
--- Quote from: Caelestor on August 04, 2010, 02:25:02 PM ---
--- Quote from: kadilahopper on August 04, 2010, 03:25:40 AM ---I guess I will be the dissenting vote on this one WP. I don't think that mactors or recruits add that many more viewers. TAR has a base. One that has been there from the beginning. I believe that if casting keeps up this trend of recruiting half or more of the teams on each race that they will lose their base. Peach is right. Interesting unknowns who have never been in front of a camera react totally different from someone who has already been in the spotlight. Also, for example, Jeff and Jordan were unknowns before BB. The way they were on that show was different from the way they were on TAR. They were jaded by the time they got to TAR. If the casting department would take the time to look hard enough, I am sure they could find the next Rob/Amber, Frat boys, Team guido, Gretchen and Meridith. etc. etc. etc. As Peach says, if TAR keeps casting so many semi-celebs the dream will die for all the hopefuls. TAR'S faithful base. When that happens, TAR will be no more. I hope that doesn't happen.
--- End quote ---
IAWTP. What sustains an audience is good will, and TAR may be losing it. Casting celebrities is a great way to get ratings in the short term but leads to declining numbers in the long term. People may watch to hate on the mactors, but they mainly watch to support people they can sympathize with.
--- End quote ---
Agreed. Though celebs might bring in temporary audiences, more often than not, those audiences leave after their team is gone. So, if a team is cast and they bring their own "fans" but fail to last but two or three episodes, then a large majority of those fans are gone after their team is eliminated. In addition to this, the die hard TAR fans are even more put out because the season is filling up with people who aren't "one of them". Therefore, you are running a risk of keeping fans who are there for a team and not the show while alienating some of those who are bigger fans of the show.
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