The Suffolk Voice

Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: Filler Magazine

We are in the age of reality television, a time where it has become acceptable to be attracted to Flavor Flav and to drink liquefied rats for money. Anything worth watching these days, assuming such a thing exists, is hidden beneath the cesspool of tired nonsense from the sewers of the small screen. America has somehow fallen victim to being mesmerized by shows that require the intelligence of a sandwich to become a fan of (don't kid yourself, we are all guilty). What just might be able to surface above these moronic shows is NBC's new reality program, "America's Toughest Jobs."

Similar to the Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs" with Mike Rowe, contestants will be challenged to do people's everyday occupations; however, they will be participating in a 60-day trek across the country performing jobs that are considered very high-risk for a cash prize possibly up to $1 million.

Casting director, Dave Polanzak, says the show will have "the intensity of 'Fear Factor,' the mental fortitude needed for 'The Amazing Race,' and the brute strength of 'American Gladiator.'"

Well, does repelling down skyscrapers faze you? Or how about dangling from a bridge; does it sound effortless? Does crab fishing in the Bering Sea seem doable? It might be until you find out it has the highest mortality rate. The human psyche and body will be tested unlike any other show, as "Jobs" hopes to showcase an unprecedented type of reality show that not only makes viewers aware of these high-risk jobs, but to be amazed by the every-day person that can perform them.

Polanzak and fellow casting director, Jenny Bernstein, are optimistic about the show's potential.

"It's really cool because these are jobs that people really do have, and you just don't think about it," said Polanzak, pondering whether or not it was too late to quit and try out. "There's the element of people watching saying 'that's a normal person, I can do that!'" Bernstein agreed saying "it's an every-man show."

On Saturday afternoon, an open casting call was held at FELT Boston in Downtown Crossing, where several other NBC reality shows have held auditions. FELT's event manager, Farah Casis, believes that our city has a lot to bring to the table.

"[Boston] has a great pool of people," said Casis. "We have a good combination of people to work with from different backgrounds because it's such a big college town."

The casting call brought in hundreds of people, some not even knowing what they were trying out for. The ones unaware of the show's premise became nervous when they reached the page in the application about rating certain fears 1 to 5, including sharks, blood, fire, and drowning; however, there are always the ones who claim to be fearless.

Continued...

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