Iowans who auditioned for the 10th season of “Big Brother” at an open casting call Saturday all have strategies for winning the show.
Casting producers of “Big Brother” said about 200 people showed up at Merle Hay Mall on Saturday to audition for the show, which places house mates together for three months without any contact from the outside world and tapes their every move.
Noreen Hills of Newton said she’s been a fan of the show from the start and has been building an arsenal of techniques by watching how other house guests have behaved.“In my mind, I’ve implemented a strategy,” Hills said, “but it’s a secret. I want to be the girl that wins the show.”But Hills said that there are lines she won’t cross because her four kids will be watching.
“My kids laughed and said, ‘They’re not going to pick you. You’re an old lady.’ I want to prove to myself that I can do it, because I’m 47, and for the money,” Hills said. Hills’ daughter, Sharaya, said that her mom would be a motherly figure on the show.“But if she had to, she’d shake the game up and do what it takes,” Sharaya said. “My dad loves football and this show is like her football. She’s obsessed with it.”
Greg Scavo, 29, of Des Moines said his mother “is afraid I’m going to kill somebody on the show because I get a little obnoxious from time to time.”“They asked why they should pick me and I said ‘Cause I’m the most obnoxious person they’ve seen.’ And they asked why it would help and I brought up ‘evil Dick’,” said Greg Scavo, referring to the man who was a winner of a season of “Big Brother.” “I think it’d be fun to just be obnoxious to people I don’t see on a regular basis,” Scavo said. “I’ll find a way to entertain myself at the expense of others.”
Scavo’s coworker, Cyndi Conner, said she made sure he would audition for the show because “he can let a lot of things slide and put up with a lot before he gets mad.”Scavo said Conner and her husband Neil are “an adopted mom and dad.”
Eric Edwards, 29, of Shenandoah said that he’s only been watching “Big Brother” for half a season, but his motto in life — “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for everything” — will help him get along with everyone on the show. Edwards said his tattoos, rings and dreadlocks set him apart from other contestants, but that he has a different appeal because he doesn’t drink, do drugs and respects religion.
Edwards said people do not expect him to be a trustworthy and responsible person, but he started building his janitorial service business, Tender Care Cleaning, when he was 14 years old.“I’ve always been kind of a people watcher,” Edwards said. “I don’t judge people by just what they say, but I pay attention to their body language.”
The show’s 10th season is expected to premier in July. The casting call lasted for about four hours and producers will move on to cities such as Newton and Pella in the next few days.
A Mason City woman was selected for season nine of CBS’s reality show “Big Brother.” Reporter Jacqueline Lee can be reached at (515) 284-8065or
jlee9@dmreg.comNo last names at casting call?Casting producers of “Big Brother” profit from house guests’ full disclosure on screen, but use their watchful eye to screen real life media as well.
DISQUALIFIED: If a contestant’s full name is revealed by media, then the contestant will be disqualified, according to Tedd Schermerhorn, a senior casting producer for “Big Brother” who was at Saturday’s open casting call at Merle Hay Mall.
POLICY: Schermerhorn told The Des Moines Register that CBS has a strict confidentiality policy.
NEWSPAPERS: But newspapers, including the Register, typically have policies that required people who are interviewed for articles to be fully identified. News media in Michigan, Utah and Ohio have published first and last names of potential contestants. Schermerhorn said he did not know whether those contestants were disqualified.
