Tens of thousands of people have signed up to audition for the new season of Big Brother, but only fewer than 20 will enter Israel's most famous house tonight. The person who has seen all the inquiries, or at least most of them, is Sarit Bar Cohen, the main cast member of the show who manages a team of 15 casting directors and scouts, who for six months do everything possible to make the casting - the most important motif of the season - successful.
"Casting director Tzachi Eliyahu gave me the first opportunity in the first season of 'The X Factor,'" she says. "I cast Rose Postens, who won that season, and that's where it all started."
How many signed up for the season?
"Tens of thousands registered on the site alone. Besides them, there is the casting system that reaches potential contestants through articles, recommendations and other places. In no season of Big Brother have I worked in which I have seen this many subscribers. For six months every day we auditioned for a crazy amount of people."
"We saw an insane amount of people." Sarit Bar Cohen, Photo: Alon Gruber
When you meet so many people, how do you know how to identify the interesting ones?
"As a lead casting director, I go through all the auditions, and even if a casting member who works in my system thinks someone isn't a good fit, I'll still watch him and only then do we decide if he's right or not. Even after I watch, it goes through another cast meeting."
What catches you?
"In general, anyone who triggers any emotion in me is for him, and it can be any kind of emotion - a smile, excitement or even nerves. For me, that means he has the potential to be a tenant in the Big Brother house."
There were seasons when the casting was too stereotypical and too deliberate, what will happen this year?
"At the end of the day, what will determine the show is the people who come to auditions. I won't take someone just because they meet some criterion. If someone comes along and surprises me, he'll have a place in the house. This season, people came to us that we didn't think we'd meet. These are people who, no matter what meeting we had at the outset, we wouldn't expect them to come. That's ultimately what decides the cast. And besides, there's always room for singles."
There are several viewers who applied, who complained to me that they did not return to their registration. How does it work?
"We try to reach everyone, but it's hard. This season, there's someone who reached out to me on Instagram, and she's in. I suggest that anyone interested in entering the house contact any platform and all casters, in the end we will get to the message. It's important to me to give everyone a chance, and those who are really determined will come to auditions. If not this season, next season."
Big Brother House, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
What tips would you give to someone who comes to the audition?
"Don't try to be someone you're not. Many tell me that they mention a resident who has already been in another season, and that is a mistake. We're trying to innovate, not recycle. Second, don't think we're looking for heartbreaking stories. The fact that a person sits down with a sad story will not help him to be accepted. Let us get to know you, your personality, and if you have a story we'll get to it. If you turn to Instagram, open the page. Sometimes people reach out and they and their profile are blocked, and we can't see them."
What are you looking for for the second entrance?
"We don't know yet, because we're waiting for the season to come up to figure out where the wind is blowing. After we see what's going on at home, we'll know what we're looking for. People think it's a pre-closed entrance and that's not true, and soon the auditions for the second entrance will begin."
Last season was excellent, do you think you can surpass it?
"I came into this season after a crazy season and I was afraid we wouldn't make it, but the people this season are so different from what we've seen, and it's the people themselves. I'm really excited both for myself and for everyone who's going to watch. I'm interested to see how viewers at home experience the people we've experienced."
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