How Reality TV’s Secret Puppet Master Picks the People You Can’t Stop Watching

There’s a hidden craft behind reality TV casting. Unlike actors, contestants don’t have résumés—just real lives and personalities. Casting directors like Jesse Tannenbaum shape the stories you can’t stop watching, handpicking stars for Survivor and The Amazing Race who are authentic, magnetic, and utterly bingeable, like Survivor 48‘s Eva Erickson and Mitch Guerra. “It’s about the contestants, the relationships, the dynamics, and their storytelling ability,” Tannenbaum told Deadline during an Emmy-nominee roundtable.

Jesse Tannenbaum Looks For Interesting People With Stories

Those eager to live out their reality television fantasies on Survivor or The Amazing Race are very familiar with Tannenbaum. Having been responsible for bringing some of the games’ most iconic players in recent memory to the screen, his mission is to find “people who not only entertain, but also inspire.” His ability to find the right dynamic of people who have can provide something beyond the game has been essential in his show’s earning its first nomination since 2017. So why the gap? He said, “We’ve had some incredibly compelling stories of adversity, triumph, compassion, and unity.”

“I think really important conversations happen on Survivor that some shows just don’t hit,” he shared in the Deadline roundtable. Only recently has Survivor shifted by incorporating backstories and integrating them into the gameplay, thanks in part to the expanded 90-minute episodes. This past season of Survivor was groundbreaking because it featured a castaway with autism, who made Jeff Probst tear up during a challenge. Another player has a speech impediment. Both players, driven by a love for the game, were there to shatter stereotypes and bring visibility. Sharing with Collider earlier this year, Mitch shared, “I knew there had never been someone on a CBS reality show who stutters, so I wanted to be the first.”

How Diversity In Casting Influenced CBS Reality Shows

No longer are reality television competition shows a jumping-off point for fame. The fame-hungry don’t apply to starve themselves or experience a race around the world to become an overnight celebrity. It stems from the passion they have for the shows they’ve admired for decades. This has changed the casting pool tremendously. In 2020, in the wake of George Floyd‘s death, CBS launched a casting initiative to promote diversity, where 50% of the reality cast must be BIPOC. Though the political landscape has shifted greatly, especially on the network that airs both shows, Tannebaum ensured it’s still the playbook he runs.

“From my perspective, nothing’s changed. I’ve always, in the back of my mind, felt we needed more diversity on these shows,” Tannenbaum told Deadline. While he did not confirm or deny that the mandate is still in place, he added, “Everybody needs to be represented. We are getting people who are representing all different types of races, religion, and sexual orientation across the US and Canada. We are lucky.”

Jesse Tannenbaum’s Tips On How To Get Cast

Tannenbaum’s ability to find fascinating individuals without a traumatic backstory or groundbreaking attributes is what makes him one of the best in the business. Tannenbaum’s ability to find interesting stories through multiple perspectives is why these long-running shows live on. The game may evolve over time, but it’s a social experiment built upon the individuals participating.

So how do you win over Tannenbaum? Authenticity. He shared with Casting Networks that they no longer look for a “type.” His process is more intimate than that of the past, where he shares updates with potential applicants through FaceTime. “We catch ’em at different parts of the day. Is there consistency in their personality? We can definitely tell,” he revealed.

Survivor is available to stream on Paramount+.