Unique people are encouraged to show up and "be yourself"

Before the tribe had ever spoken or a "final answer" was ever given, seven strangers piled into a New York City loft to have their lives broadcast for the world to see.

Now UA students have their chance to join the original reality show when MTV comes to Tucson tomorrow to hold open casting calls for the 12th season of "The Real World."

MTV will be interviewing applicants tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 8Traxx, 214 N. Fourth Ave.

The filming location of the 12th season of "The Real World" is "top secret," said MTV casting producer Sasha Alpert.

The 11th season, which began airing Tuesday, was filmed in Chicago. Past seasons have included locations such as New York City, San Francisco, London, Seattle and Hawaii.

MTV will also be screening applicants for the 11th season of "Road Rules," a show in which six cast members travel the world and attempt challenges in hopes of winning "a handsome reward."

People interested in being on either show must be between the ages of 18-24 and bring a recent photo and picture ID to the casting call. As for preparation, Alpert has one piece of advice.

"Be yourself," she said. "Being yourself is really the most important thing because if you're yourself, you're who you are, and that's really what we're interested in seeing."

Alpert said MTV tends to find more cast members at the open calls than with alternative application processes such as videos or mailed-in applications.

Tomorrow's casting calls will consist of casual conversations between small groups of applicants and a casting director. Groups tend to be between eight and 12 people, although Alpert said that toward the end of the day, she's had groups with as many as 20 people in them.

In the group conversations, a casting director may be interested in one or more of the applicants, Alpert said. Directors may choose to speak further with these candidates.

Around 40,000 people apply yearly to be on "The Real World" and "Road Rules," and casting calls tend to attract between 500 and 1,000 people at a time, Alpert said.

Despite the number of applicants, Alpert encourages interested applicants to be optimistic about their chances of getting on one of the shows.

"Your chances, if you're looking at it like a lottery, are low," she said. "But if you feel yourself to be a unique person, you actually have some control over getting on or not getting on."