The Reality of Reality TV: The Psychologist Who Decides Who Gets on the Show

Have you ever wondered how the people on reality TV get cast? Dr. Steven Stein is a psychologist who's spent twenty years helping make that call. Working behind the scenes of shows like The Amazing Race Canada and Big Brother Canada, he assesses who belongs, who can handle it, and what might happen when the cameras start rolling.

"People want to be the villain. And if you fake it, we try to screen you out. You can’t fake being a villain."

Hear Steven talk about:

How casting works: the psychological assessments, the interviews, and how producers narrow thousands of applicants to a final cast
The personality traits that drive people to apply for reality TV in the first place
What it really means to be the "villain" and why the best ones know the difference between the game and real life
The 12 reality TV archetypes he's identified and the quiz he's developed to find out which one you are
Why social media has fundamentally changed what contestants experience after the show airs
What reality TV has taught him about behavior, emotion, and how people perform under pressure

Mentioned in this episode:

Multi-Health Systems (MHS) — Dr. Stein's company, which developed the EQ-i emotional intelligence assessment
Yes, Chef with Martha Stewart — the cooking competition show Dr. Stein describes as one of the more intense sets he's worked on

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Mentioned in this episode:

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