Insider reveals the truth behind why problematic men get cast so frequently in reality TV shows

Let’s be honest, from Love Is Blind to Married at First Sight, it’s inevitable that every season of a reality TV show will have some problematic cast members.

Despite this being an issue that gets called out by viewers every season, it doesn’t seem to be getting resolved, and now an insider has revealed to Cosmopolitan why these kinds of people always get cast in reality TV.

Their insider, Jamie, who has worked in casting for a UK reality TV series, says that the answer isn’t as straightforward as the fact that these shows want more drama, and so cast more complex characters.

She explained that a paid background search gets done for potential cast members, which could “pick up things missed via Google.”

She explained that everyone who appears on a reality TV show will have been approved by a psychologist, who also spends time with their friends and family to understand what they’re truly like as a person.

Jamie added: “Meeting the people in their life normally gives indicators as to whether there’s anything going on, any red flags.”

She says that while a DBS check is generally done, a lot of stuff does get through the net, warning: “Unless you’ve been arrested and convicted, [allegations] won’t show up. If the charges were dropped or the investigation was inconclusive, it wouldn’t show. TV casting just doesn’t have the remit to do a police level background check.”

Jamie continued, discussing the issues of channels not giving the production companies enough money in order to do proper background checks, explaining: “Channels don’t give enough money to production companies who in turn hire casting teams, so people are guilty of cutting corners or not hiring enough people to do background checks.”

She continued: “Every production company should outsource their social media checking [to a specialist company], and a number of them don’t.

“I do think that should be a non-negotiable. You are relying on the individual, usually someone lower down, to catch it.”

She admitted that a lot of the pressure comes down to those who are more junior in the casting teams, saying: “There’s a lot of anxiety about being the person that misses something.

“A lot of pressure is put on junior people to carry out these background checks, which are very tedious. People sometimes rush them, which is a huge issue.

“It’s maybe one of the most important parts of casting, yet I think if you get lumped with it, it’s a nightmare, and also a lot of pressure that I don’t think one person should have.”

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