It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last week.
Am I how would I describe a television set, oh Man from a headline grabbing point of view, the hack producer me says one hundred percent put him in.
Welcome back guys to TV Reload. My name's Benjamin Norris and on this podcast I go behind the scenes with the biggest players in television.
Yeah, great questions. The show's about the game. There's a lot of great television out there in Australia.
But I've also got to go behind the scenes with writers. The truth is, when I started writing it, it wasn't had nothing to do with the news and casting agents they.
Know from a casting point of view what they need.
And editors because that's what we do as editors where storytellers them. Not to forget some incredible executive producers who are making some of the best TV content in Australia.
I have been on the program since the beginning and it's kind of in my DNA.
So thanks for joining me each week and I hope the podcast continues to give you real insight into the magic of tee. This week on the show, I have special guest Kirsty de Valance, who is a casting genius. Kirsty runs a cast of thousands which has cast some of the biggest reality shows in Australia and is currently
working for screen Time Australia. Kirsty would have to be one of the most sought after creatives in the country and I have to say that every one of the people I spoke to leading up into this chat talked about her empathy, her intelligence and an ability to unearth stories at a level that most people could only ever dream. You might recognize her name from her work on reality, factual and documentary shows like Big Brother, Master Chef, Playing
It Straight, The Bachelor, Farmer Wants a Wife. But today we'll focus on Channel seven smash Hit SAS Australia. The seven network is of course about to launch the second series of SAS on Monday, the tenth of September at seven point thirty, and all eyes will be on the seventeen celebrities who will face some of the most toughest challenges at the hands of an elite team of ex
Special Forces soldiers. These celebrities will be cut off from the outside world at a secret base in a harsh but spectacular terrain where they will eat, sleep, and train together in punishing conditions with no allowance made for their celebrity status, age or gender. As they are subjected to extreme physical endurance, sleep deprivation, interrogation and psychological testing, these
celebrities will be pushed beyond their limits. Kirsty and I will also talk about how to stand out in casting, how celebrities get picked, will the industry run out of celebrities, and the backstory to her amazing career. However, let's get started with today's guest. I'd like to welcome to TV Reload. It's Kirsty de Valance.
When I am casting, I'm looking for celebrities that might have a story.
In the Special Forces, you're expected to have physical fitness.
You have to be an open book and you have to be vulnerable.
If you think the Olympic tools tough.
We change people's lives in a weird sort of way.
We need to see these sausages try to meet through sees true.
Personally, I don't want to see people like that on something like.
This SAS Australia.
Thank you were talking about SAS and our ill Flator trip to New Zealand.
Hi, Kirsty, how are you.
I'm very well, Thanks Benjamin.
Well, welcome to TV Reload.
You know, I was on the phone to you the other day and you were saying you were wondering when I was going to call you and make you do this podcast.
Indeed I was. I thought, Oh, come on, this is You're into second series and you haven't called me in the first series. I'm very upset.
Well spoiler alert.
I had a couple of people talking about casting, and you know, I didn't want to do casting every time. So if you look at it this way, you're the first casting person really for series two.
So it's a coup.
Well, thank you. That makes me feel feel very special.
Today we're going to be talking a lot about television and the thing that really fascinates me, and that is casting. And you know, you've been working and casting for so long, which is so elusive, and everyone wants to know about it, and you kind of hold the keys, so you're happy to open up and seat of reveal how casting happens on television.
Absolutely, throw the questions at me and I'll do the best I can.
You know, what is one thing that makes a person stand out above the rest?
Is there a trait that people commonly might have.
It's a silly thing, but it is just a feeling when someone walks in the room. I still remember one of my first big shows when I first started a cast of thousands. One of my first gigs was The Mole when it came back and we were doing it was The Mole Live. To this day, I still remember Liz Cantor coming in and she's in a green T shirt. She's playing green green T shirt jeans, and she's just someone I will always remember from that moment that she walked in the door.
Los Cantor with the latest breach reports every Friday and Saturday night.
It's a tough job.
Someone's going to do it, lo and behold, she ended up winning The Mole and going on and having a lovely career in television just because of that green T shirt.
All of these people are going to be turning up to auditions from now on green T shirt.
Yeah, it's just one of those weird things. It's just something to It's the idea of first, you know, just standing out in something about you. You know, And I do bang on about and I've always banged on about authenticity. I think a lot of people can't maintain the kind of character that they've come in thinking that you want to see as a casting person. It wears off very quickly. I mean your perfect example would be a Big Brother audition where you're there for hours. It's not like you
just walk in and do a quick audition. You are being observed for hours and end and you see people's energy levels change or you know, you think they're this person and you know they're being watched and you see a different part of them come out. So it's an interesting thing just to see people who are going to maintain being authentic.
I think you kind of still have to have the human element.
Look absolutely you do, and it's just looking at personalities that you think can maintain or maintain whole series. I mean, that's the thing. You don't want twelve of the same types of people. It'll make boring television.
Is there a personality trait that you particularly like, you know that you are looking out for that is something that in your mind goes that always makes a good reality TV contest.
I think there has to be layers on them. And when you say that the backstory, it might not be that someone's had cancer, or someone's gone through an absolute massive tragedy, But there's always something for me. It's like the bus driver is an interesting person because they would be seeing different people and they would be observing people every day, so there's something interesting about them and their job. I guess for me, a lot of people's jobs are
quite interesting. That can always get my attention straight away. When you read about someone else's jobs, they also my job's interesting, But I actually find other people's jobs interesting. So that's something that jumps out straight away.
Right, What else am.
I looking for? I hate saying it because it just sounds like you're not giving it a proper answer. But there is always an X factor. There's always just something that you cannot put your finger on it until you get to know them and you walk out of an interview or a meeting in you go, gosh, I really like that personal gosh, that person was like the sand in the oyster. They're going to be great because they're
going to be that sort of disruptor. It's a quality of the X factor, that weird quality that you just know you know.
I would imagine that being good at casting has a lot to do with reading between the lines. What makes you do you think really good at being able to read between the lines? I mean, I have done a lot of research on you and listen to a podcast today about your life story, and I thought to myself while listening to your life story, which we won't go into all of today, but I can imagine something to do with your upbringing and your experiences have.
Helped you read people.
But a couple of words in your mouth, you know, you've got to say what beautifully Benjamin.
Look, No, I honestly feel that that is a big part of where I have come from to how I got into this, into this job. I mean, I fell into this job anyway. It wasn't something. It wasn't even a thing called reality TV casting when I first started in television all those years ago. Yeah, look, I grew up. I'm a girl from the Central Coast. I'm Bogan. I still live in the suburbs now. I don't live in the you know, I'm not an Eastern Suburbs girl by any stretch of imagination. I live in the Burbs and
I like watching people. You get to see how people interact. And I'm not in the bubble of say a bonder where you know a lot of the beautiful people live. I'm up in the northern suburbs of Sydney where it's all sorts of people.
You know.
It's a funny thing my mom. As you're aware that my mom passed away when I was sixteen. My neighbor after she died, and my neighbor had said, your mum always had an affinity with people, and I feel that that is something that track with me. I've always had an affinity with people, and I guess that's back too. I think that's why I do read people well. I have a good sixth sense about people, not in that psychic kind of way, but just a knowing of people,
you know, knowing what, yeah, what makes people tick. I guess I should have been a psychologist. I would have been paid.
Well, have been as much fun.
That is very Actually, you can't really sit back as a psychologist and well go onto YouTube and see how they're going these days.
You know, when you think about these people.
You've cast over the years, you probably think to yourself, I wonder what that person's doing and just type it in and you can reconnect.
Yeah, it's funny. I do. I do always wonder about that. I mean, I've been around for gosh twenty odd years on things and one of my first projects and I wasn't casting on it. I was, I guess a production assistant at the time, and that's scandalous.
The fans anxiously wait for the climax of the show, their favorite Australia's number one get single Me Myself.
And.
You know, they were the second lot of pop stars and I was very, very involved in their lives for eighteen months and I got to go on. Actually it's our twentieth anniversary this year. And see how I say we, It's like I was like the mother hand. It's like we. I was with them every step of the way. You know, we toured the UK and things together and it's been wonderful to follow their careers over the twenty years, and
you know, different ways that their lives have gone. So you know, they're one of many that I feel like I've got a connection with. And I was, yeah, I do, wonder how do they go? Like Master Chef for example.
You know a lot of the first few series of Master Chef, we were very involved with the casting and it's just amazing to see we change people's lives in a weird sort of way, you know, by you know, just by reading their bio and then you know, going, yeah, I think I'd like to meet them at the audition, to then seeing them do their cook off at their first audition, and then going to michelin stas you know, restaurants and things and they're cooking and following their passions.
So it's very exciting. Master Chef definitely changed my life.
I've had my own cooking.
Shows, written books, started my own business. It was just that electricity in the Master Chief kitchen.
Well, backtracking on something you said as well, I think is so vital when it comes to what it is that you do.
I love the fact that.
You can own that you're a bogun, but that also that you're living in the suburbs and you're living with the people that watch the television, which means that you're not living in some strange society where you don't understand the people that are going to be watching Free to Wear. You know, you're living amongst it, which means that that's some of the best voyeurism.
Absolutely, and it's quite funny because I use my sisters wouldn't mind me telling you this, but they love television, and you know, there's been times where I've rung them about a potential host for a show. And one of the big ones was when we end up changing the host of The Biggest Loser from AJ and you end
up going with Kaylee Lewis. And I remember having a chat with my sister and talking to her about some thoughts of who we were looking at, and it was just sadly to hear her she just thought Hailey was the best person for the job because everyone loved Hailey. And then she came on and she was She was a much loved presenter for that series, and I think she was a wonderful edition. Hi everyone, Hi, welcome to
Today's Wayne. Yeah, I use my sister sometimes there's a bit of a barometer of what's out there and what's happening. So and they've been pretty spot on.
Actually, she's going to call your sister tomorrow and be like, I was listening to this podcast.
Apparently I got a job because of you.
So how did you.
Get into casting, because I know that you got a job at Channel nine early days when you were starting in TV.
How did you get into this casting and find out that this was your superpower?
It's a funny. It's a funny. So yes, I started at nine and I worked in facilities, so I was booking in at the time. You know, VHS takes to be recorded and so at Channel Army had a number of productions happening and it was quite a busy little beast to call it the factory. It was a lot lot going on and I just helped in the facilities and operations side of it. That was that was my
very first job in the industry. And then I moved over to special projects and one of the jobs was for a documentary series called The Waiting Game, and it was where we were going to follow ten overweight people as they went on a weight loss journey. But they did different types of diets and different ways of how they Vandaloo's weight. And that was my first sort of job as casting. But I the researcher, so that was what you called it in the days. It wasn't There
wasn't a casting person. It was just did research and you found people to do the show. And this is well before the internet, young people, and you know, you'd have to send letters or you know, you'd make phone calls and you'd have to wait for information to come in by mail and crazy things like that. I think we had ms doss so you couldn't you couldn't email it. It was all letter writing or faxing actually, So that
was the start. And then I moved across and did another show where I was like a research or associate producer, a show called Playing It Straight, which was a really, really horrible show. You can say that, I can say that now and at the time, you know, at the time, it was like, well this is it's a bit controversial, but it's still I just still shake my head now. I think I can't believe we made it.
Tension viewers.
The male contestants in this program may be lying or misrepresenting themselves at all times, including in their interviews.
We had an American producer come over and he was serious producing it, and I found the cast and again thinking that was his research, and he said, look, if you're in the state, she'd be the casting director. And I was like, what do you mean. So that was kind of a plan of the seed. And then I think within a year and a half I'd created a cast of thousands and it's been going for what sixteen seventeen years now.
I think I've been on a date with someone from that series. Ooh, and that's a really bad because it sounds really rude. But I'm pretty sure my partner and I both went on a date with this.
There's only what eight of them that you could choose from her really because it was hard too.
Was named John O what may have been? Oh god, I feel so bad.
Anyway, Now I'm forty one now, so I'm old, and it was probably twenty years ago, right, do you know what it was?
And it's funny because I'm still friends with beck who was the main girl, and Simon who was one of the boys on the show, who's still a very dear friend now, which has not really it's actually really nice.
And then here we are, But what point did you want to start? You know, your company a cast of thousand.
Look, it was just timing. I don't know, it just came. It just was like, I think it was the right place at the right time. Sort of took the leap of faith that I could do it, and you know, within a few months I was given the mole. I ended up doing the first celebrity Survivor again way back, was one with Bobby and Guy Leach and so I did that, and then the Biggest Loser came along, and that again another life change, life changing thing for the business.
At that point, my husband was in He was a creative services guy in an advertising agency and he didn't like it, and we just had kids and he was hating going in and out into the city and back and not seeing us. And just one day I said, and I was bringing other people in to do some sort of subcontracting to me, and he was like, why are we paying other people? I could do this. So then he kind of quit his job and we went, shit,
what have we done? And then literally, I think within two weeks we had Biggest Loser, we had Master Chef and World Strictest Parents. So it kind of exploded into a business that was crazy and we got to employ other people and it was you know, it's been chuggling along ever since. It's you know, we've had up and up and down times, but we've cast some pretty amazing shows and I've been really lucky to have traveled all over Austronia meeting people from all walks of life.
Isn't it funny where you say to yourself, oh shit, It's usually when something really amazing ends up happening.
It's funny.
It's those times where you take a massive gamble and sometimes it pays off. And I do tell people sometimes you need to have the leap of faith if it's in line with something that you're truly passionate about, because if you're truly passionate about it something you know you'll make a.
Work absolutely absolutely. And look, some days you think, oh what am I doing this for? And you know, and you work. You don't sleep at night sometimes because I'm worried about gosh, I haven't set that person that document, or this person's jumping on a plane tonight, and oh, my good goodness that they have they made that flight. And you know, I take a lot of things personally, which a lot some people may not, but for me,
it's like everything has to be done. This, you know, has to be right, and if it's not, I'm the panicker and a worrier.
People love that about you, though, because when I was doing the research for this, that's something your social intelligence and your empathy and your emotions, that's part and parcel of who you are, and that is why people want to work with you. Sometimes it's good to be a little bit emotional and be connected.
Oh absolutely, I've definitely cried in front of do we talk about Says and our Ill Flavor trip to New Zealand that was that definitely was me putting my heart on my sleeve. That's for sure.
Well we're going to get into Says, that's for sure. But you've successfully worked in Australia television and you've seen obviously a lot. Has the reason for why people want to be on television changed in your career.
Definitely, because I think when I started, there wasn't things like social media and Facebook and Instagram and what have you. But I still think people they look, they do it because it is a unique experience and I think it's something that money can't buy being on that And look, I would say ninety percent of people have a good time. Even more I would say majority of people have it. I think some people might complain about it afterwards, but I think in general, anyone that I've spoken to or
I have cast, have had a good experience. Look, I think there's an element of people thinking they're going to get fame after this. You know, in the early times, it would have been hoping that they would get to become a TV presenter and what have you. But I don't blame them for thinking that, because of course, there are some people that have come from reality TV and have had are having successful careers in radio and television
and podcasting and instagramming. So look, I think part of it is, yeah, I think it's a mixture of hoping to get fame or to change, you know, get out
of their mundane jobs and go to something different. And the other one is just the unique experience, you know, and we try and tell people, you know, like again with Master Chef, but in series two we had I would so close to I think it was like over ten thousand applications, so you know, and from that you then have to get it down to I think we saw maybe six hundred people around the country and then from that you go to I think it was the
top fifty from that, so that's crazy. I think that many people wanted to do the show, and a lot of them was because they wanted their own you know, they want to be a travel writer or a travel and food writer, or they wanted a cookbook and things like that, and not everyone came to have that. But then at the same time, if you really wanted a cookbook, Well you could actually make your own one. You don't necessarily have to do a TV show to do that, but I guess it helps.
You've got to go into this with an expectation that the only person you need to impress is yourself and have a good time.
Perfectly said, absolutely, just enjoy it because you'll never get to do that experience again.
I have had the right to me and they're like, I want to do it because of my partner. You know, I want to impress my partner. I want to show my dad that I can do something. And I'm like, no, you're already going in the wrong direction. It sounds crazy, But the only reason why you want to do it
is because you want to impress you. And if you can do that, that's achievable because you're never going to know how competitive are all these celebrity shows now, Like I'm a celebrity, get me out of here at sas Dancing with the Stars? How competitive is casting those people?
Like?
Are you all chasing after the same people to get onto these shows?
I want to know about the competition in that bubble.
But the silly thing is that you never you never really talk to other casting people about it, so I wouldn't. I don't know who I'm a celebrity got or whose celebrity apprentice is chasing. A lot of the time you were talking to agents first, and of course they're going to put their talent forward. And I'm sure that there's a situation where it's well, who's offered the most money and will go with that, and it is it's getting harder.
I mean, you know, you want to have the best possible cast you can find, but Australia is only such a you know, it's a small pool, and it gets smaller because we have got you know, it almost feels like it gets diluted in a funny sort of way. But in saying that, I think SAS is a different type of show where you have to be a type of person to want to do that, and it's a type of show that a lot of celebrities have said no to. Other shows that have said this said yes to this.
If you think the Olympics is tough, wait to see these Aussies try to make through sees training Jule.
Olynthia in both winter and Summer Olympic Games from the Upins Olympics.
My first Olympics.
I want to meet with the gold medal in the Sydney two thousand Games.
I don't care who they are. It's about what's in here that counts.
My whole life was to become a professional tennis player. In confident.
We'll take them to the edge, then we'll push them up.
I think why it works and why people like it is they have a master interview and then the next time they are in front of the cameras, are they starting to do the course And we don't interfere with any of that stuff. And it's quite an authentic experience. So I think that's I'm very lucky in that regard that people have seen the show. They kind of know what they're going to get, what they're getting themselves into,
and they it's again back to that unique experience. It's an experience that money can't buy.
Have you ever been chasing a celebrity and chatting to them and then they've just appeared on one of the other reality shows.
Yeah, but you know you can't be angry at that. I mean it's you know, people people needing, needing to get paid, and maybe this one was more like more fun for them than what something like says was I mean, look, there's a big brother brought in some people from overseas and I think, well, that's it's a different gimme cuss the post. You know, you've got to raise the stakes to an agree to get a different sort of look
of people. You know, you don't want to see the same people on TV on different celebrity things.
Hello, Australia, I've been very busy. They have searched the country and around the world for the most fascinating stars and I've found them.
Look, and I'm sure my celebrities, like other cries, the celebrities that were on series one and then the current series, I'm sure I've seen them on something else down the track and I you know, good for them. I mean it's it's it's a paying job, so i'd be doing it. There's not a lot of pain work out there.
So who's a celebrity that you've cast that you particularly wanted and chased?
After that, you feel really proud.
Of, Oh, Sabrenna Frederick Series one of sas Australia knows me as an AFL player, I'm here to prove that when men can win this.
Oh really, look Chappelle.
Of course, I think Chappelle was a coup. And you know, sometimes I still shape my head and go, how the hell did I do that?
And I am Stephen Moriarty.
Look, Stephen. Stephen and I have had a really good relationship for a number of years and we've always stayed in contact. And again, I think because of who I am and he trusted me, and because of that, I got to, you know, talk to Chappelle and I gave him my pitch and it was during lockdown last year and we spoke for over an hour about the show
and how hard it would be. But the fact that again it's back to says appealed to her because of the authenticity of it and that she could just be herself and was on her terms.
Last of Feast the Backwards Fall is notorious convicted drug smuggler Chappelle Corby.
I think the public sees me as.
And attention seeking girl.
They think I'm out for money, they think I'm out for celebrity, they think I'm out for everything that's completely opposite to me.
Yeah, I'm pretty proud of that, I must say. But I'm extremely proud of Sabrina only because I'm a passionate AFL supporter anyway at the best of times, but I'm also passionate advocate for women's sport. And when Sabrina was keen to do it, we actually had it. She was actually our reserve. I don't know whether you know this, but she as you know, we were meant to film Series one in New Zealand, so we had our whole cast.
COVID had just hit I think it was China and it was Starlin Starts slightly seeping in and I mean the rate that it moved was phenomenal. But we had planned to be in New Zealand on the I think it was the twenty third of March, and on the week kend before a Saturday afternoon, my boss at screen Time rang and it was like three o clock on a Saturday, and I went, this isn't going to be a good call. What's nothing good comes of a call on a weekend? And he just said, New Zealand are
about to shut their borders. We need the cast over in New Zealand tomorrow. It was just like, okay, give me a couple of hours. So from three o'clock till midnight I had to ring all sixteen cast members and say can you pack your bags? Can you be on a plane tomorrow? And Forasdarani was in Adelaide at a fortieth having a great old time. I had made a call to his brother who was in Sydney, saying can
I get his passport? He can? You know, it was just this crazy coordination of getting Foras and for us was an easy one. He was in Adelaide, so we managed. He flew first thing Sunday morning, brother met him at the airport and the end up getting At one point I thought I was going to be driving out to his brother's house at eleven o'clock at night on the Saturday night to get the passport, but that all got sorted.
Shannon Pontm was in Hawaii. Happened to have an Apple watch, so he heard the buzzer go from me and I said, can you get on a flight. So he left his family on a holiday, which jumped on a flight from Why and we got him into all before the border shut. Shane and Jack was on this survival weekend to practice, so she was on this on Morton Island where there was no fine coverage, and I'm ringing him. I'm saying
where is she to go? She's on this survival thing with this guy with this guy, and I'm like, this is so weird, Like what do you mean you don't know what your daughter is? So I had my husband, He's ringing every camp around on Morton Island, and somehow the word got to her that she was we needed her on a flight. So she was on a boat at nine o'clock at night, on some speedboat in the dark, getting her land to get on to the seven o'clock foot like it was just it was nuts, madness, madness.
So I managed to get sixteen of sixteen on flights into the country and then the border shut and then for five days we were just in an hotel in Queenstown kind of waiting it out. And the plan was we were meant to they weren't meant to know each other before they go on the show, and that's normally what happens with a lot of the celebrity shows is that you want the meeting to be real when they
first see each other. But for five days we were kind of stuck at this hotel and we just said, well, look, you're all here, you've all known who's been in because you've been on planes together and what have you. So we kind of hung out for five days and they were all amazing, like they trained and you know, we're getting haircuts done and because they all came a week earlier than what they thought. And then on the front
afternoon got called to say it shut down. We can't go ahead and film because all of New Zealand was going into a lockdown. So crew had to go home. We weren't allowed of film and you know, in the time, it's like, well film in this bubble, and it was like everything was so unexp like we just didn't know what was going ahead. Twenty four hours later everyone was back on planes going back to back home. And that was the day our pride because we've got them all there.
Everyone was just ready to go and they'd all worked so hard in their training. And then it was like, sorry, it's done with We've got to pull up at the pin.
And then did you lose a lot of celebrities? Who or the reshoot? So you've lost two? Who were the two that you lost?
We lost Yanna?
Yeah, and she was having a baby I think by the was that right?
Yeah, So she hadn't falling pregnant, so she had the baby, and there was just a tweet with someone else who had had an injury, so we kept them off that show preferred not to name the person, and then because of that, we had an opening and that ended up being ended up being Chappelle, so she came in and that was you know again, we were sitting around waiting and hoping that something, you know, where we're going to go back to New Zealand or what else we were doing,
and then we had the plan was, hey, let's to shoot in New South Wales. We'll go to Gindervine. The stars aligned. Kids weren't traveling for school excursions and people weren't allowed to travel, so then we had the ridges at Ginderbyne opened up and we pretty much had I think most of the accommodation there. We fell under the radar because still people thought Sas Fudares Wins was the Mike Whitney show, so they didn't realize what the show
actually was. So we've all kind of got everyone there under the radar, and then we kept Chappelle from everyone. None of the cast knew that Chappelle was in it, and they didn't know about Arabella or Sabrina. So when we had to do our reshoot for publicity, Sabrina and Arabella rocked up and it was just like, oh gosh, who are you too? And then we kept Chappelle right up until the moment you see the goods come off
on the very first shoot. No one knew it was Chappelle until None of the cars knew about her until that very moment.
What was the look on their face? Can you do it for me?
Right?
For a podcast?
Everyone was a bit shot. I think maybe five people knew that she was doing the shows, even to the point we had to bring her in earlier to do her Master interview like we did with everybody else. Thankfully, everyone was wearing masks on planes even at the time last year, so I met her at the airport. There
was no one around because of no plane. I had very few people flying last year, so again, so I managed to meet her at the airport at Sydney Airport, take her to Master interview, get her back on a plane. No one knew. I still to this day cannot believe no one ever knew that happened. And then when we got her down to Ginderbye under a cloak and dagger so to speak. Again, no one knew and then it was announced. Channel seven did the big announcement on the Sunday paper that she was in the show, and I
think within six hours we had three paps. So oh, yeah, amazing.
You're like, let's just put a big dirty target on our back and every junior path that's working for the Daily Mail will be here in five minutes.
Yeah, well they were. They were through bushes and yeah, they were everywhere, ringing, ringing the hotel trying to ask for her and stuff. But in fact she wasn't there. She was on the course.
What makes the right level of celebrity to be on these shows? Because I'm going to ask this all the time because I meet people who have experienced some form of notoriety in their life and so they think, in their minds, I could be on one of these shows.
You know, in your mind, what makes a celebrity.
Combination of things? I mean, sports stars are sports stars, so people know them by their their first name or their nickname and what have you. I think that's that's a level onto itself.
For me.
Celebrity. It could be Instagram followers and that is Look, it's another form of media. It's not traditional television, but it's not I think it's what the new generation of people are following. So I think you can be an Instagram you can be a celebrity through your Instagram look notoriety to a degree, but it's a funny one because if we look at Chappelle, no, she's not a celebrity, but she's one of the most intriguing people our country
has ever had. So sometimes I hate the word celebrity because it doesn't define a lot of people who kind of fall under that umbrella. Because it's intriguing, someone who was intriguing or is part of our culture or you know, our vernacular. I think that makes you a celebrity.
In the UK, though, they kind of see celebrity really differently. Like I just looked at the lineup of celebrity goggle Box and I was like, oh, wow, those two from RuPaul's Drag Race are in there. And then I showed a picture to like sent the photo online to another friend of mine and said, oh, this is so exciting, and they were like, who are those people?
And I was like, they're in.
UK's RuPaul's Drag Race two years ago and they were like well, they're not a celebrity, and I'm like, that's exactly right. In the UK they have a different opinion on celebrities.
Yeah, and they do they kind of they like in the UK they do a celebrity show and then it does boost their appeal and then they end up going
into going into further other celebrity bits and pieces. It's so funny when I look at someone like Katie Price, I think she was a Page three girl and then she ended up doing the first I think it was the very first time a celebrity over here and met Peter Andre and then since then her I mean she's a massive celebrity over in the UK, but for doing not a lot, just being a celebrity.
Love in Sas though where they you hear the special forces people saying if you're here.
Further your career, we will find you. And I'm like, I kind of like this.
I do not give two flying who these celebrities are.
Who keep your hand to doll.
I want to know about your beautiful life, how much money you earned, how many followers you've got a don't look done. Do not think that this is to boost your career. Just walk You're not done to just walk. We've been there, done it. It's real for us. You have to get into that military mindset.
Put your arms down, arms down, if your head well done.
If you've come here for the wrong reasons, we will make you suffer.
You know this season of Essays Australia, which launches on Monday night at seven thirty on Channel seven, Oh, it's way more intense because I've seen the first I think five episodes of it. It's way more intense than I ever expected it to be on top of what we saw last year. Did the producers give you a heads up and say we're going to be turning it up a few notches now?
You know what I always say, I don't want to know because in case I accidentally bloat something out, so I am kept in the dark as much like all all we say is watched. You know, when we're approaching. When I'm approaching celebrities, it's have a look at series one. Here's the links, check it out and then let us know whether you know, let me know if you if this is going to be of interest to you. It's good that we've had one series now because people are
aware of what they will get themselves. Into they all talk, so celebrities from this series ask, you know, some advice to from the celebrity series one, and I know that the same things happening with my current crop that we're talking to the celebrities from series two. So look, they have to make it different, you know, to the first series.
So obviously we had a different location, we wanted a different look, and the challenges have to be different because people aren't going to tune back in if it's just seen the same thing again. So yeah, there's some I mean, I've only actually seen the first two episodes, and oh my goodness, there's some things where you just absolutely, you're right, absolutely compelling, compelling to watch.
Watching a part of it, you know, and you've obviously seen episode two, so you know what I'm talking about. But yes, I just was like as a viewer on my couch, and granted I was watching it in a home cinema, so it was very big, but I was very much experiencing the vertigo and I just could. I had so much sympathy for them because some of them, one of them being one of the most famous people on the show. This year, he was referred to as.
Bambi donno bum bin get fucking up.
Because his legs were just jelly and he just kept falling over and I just had so much sympathy for him. So I was like, make sure that person doesn't help with any of the referrals for the casting moving forward.
A few people said, don't do it, but look at everyone who has done it has said they don't regret it, regardless if they got out on episode one or got to the end. No one has actually regretted giving it a got.
Can you do me a favor because I think there's a lot of people out there that would love this phone call.
What does the pitch see sound like?
You know when you ring the person you have the phone and the ring rang, this is you And you've now got to be like, Hi, Derma Braritan.
Hanging a second.
We'll come up with a different celebrity, but there's anything wrong with dermy Sonya Krueger. Let we'll go with Sonya Krueger. So she's she's on seven, all on seven.
Hi, it's Kirsty. I'm casting sas series three. I was just wanting to know what you think. Have you seen the show? What are your thoughts? Would you think about having a go on doing it yourself. Then they go want to get my number all so now it's look,
a lot of the time I am approaching agents. Of course, you sort of have a hit list of who you love to have on the show, and then are the ones that you can end up talking to you to themselves, be it I sent slide into dms and ask people on Instagram or whatever if they'd like can I talk to them? Going to have a chat, And a lot of people I've spoken through just by touching base of them via Instagram and then having a proper, proper chat
with them. Look, there's a few people that have been approached and were keen at first and then slept on it and went, look, it's just not for me. And that's absolutely know. You've got to be You've got to be have strong belief in yourself and I think you you know, it is a really strong mindset as well, like you've got to have. Of course, there's you know, I'm trying to I have to find people who at least have a good baseline of fitness, but it's it's
also mental toughness. So when I'm when I am casting, I'm looking for celebrities that might have a story, because a part of that is it's about breaking through some of the things that you may have read in the media and breaking through and moving on from it. And that's the whole part of SAS is just being an open book and letting all that crap go that if you may have had in your in the past, it's been hung, the monkey off your back and you move on from it.
One of the things I really love about Says is some of the types of celebrities that are there. You know, someone who's got a backstory that's like a personal struggle, they've got an image issue, or something's happened in their life.
Is that the juicy sweet spot that.
You're looking for, You know, when you're reaching out to people that they kind of might fit the mold of being interrogated the way that they will be.
Absolutely you have to you have to look for it because if you haven't got anything interesting to say in the interrogation, it doesn't work, it doesn't make it interesting. So there's no truth whatsoever in those allegations.
Absolutely not.
Starf Ad media cammed outside the front door for weeks, chasing me across the front lawn, asking me with a camera and a mic in my face.
So you were slight?
Are you really?
Sharon Stone?
So you do need to have you need to have something and it doesn't have to be a juicy thing. It might be just something from me past or you know, the death of your parent has really shaped to who they are, or career. You know, someone's had a career and then they've been on the back burner and they want to reignite that or change the person that they want. They want to become that person again that they that they knew ten years ago or what have you. So
look there again that every person has a story. But you're a celebrity or you're not a celebrity. There is a story there with every person and I think with Sas the big part we've said to everyone is, you know, you have to be an open book and you have to be vulnerable because if you're not, it's just why you're doing it. You know, it's not worth it because if you're going to keep your guard up the whole time, you're not going to get anything from it.
You know, some of them are really polarizing people that people either love them or they hate them. You know, we all read the headlines with the casting drama that happened with another popular show which is now in the can Do you think someone like Katie Hopkins would have worked on a show like Sas because of that? Like, is that an opportunity for them to the special forces people to give her a grilling because she is on
the cusp of polarizing. And when I say polarizing, one percent of the population or on board, ninety nine percent aren't. But would she have made a better person to cast on essays?
Look? Possibly, But I don't think she's ever going to change who she is. I think that's her stick. And look, personally, I don't want to see people like that on something like this because I feel like I'm giving that person a platform that's me personally, But then at the end of the day, it's not my Like I present to the network and they say yes or no, they if
they want this person or they don't. Look, she may have, but I don't know because it was never She was never in an equation to start with, So it's a hard thing to sort of say in a mirror him, Yes, she probably would have. It would have been really interesting to watch, But I just don't think this would have changed her attitude or changed the way that she is. Then I don't know her personally. I've never had a
conversation with her. I don't know whether she's all talk or you know, she is she saying things for afect, for effect or you know. I don't know.
So what about Pete Evans, Like, you know a lot of people don't like Pete Evans anymore? Would he be a good person for essays because we would get to watch him being interrogated?
Like do people want to answer?
Absolutely? I would have. I would have loved to have had him on the show. I think it would have been good to see see him get built. But would he have broken down? I don't know. I think he would be he'd be fascinating to you would have been fascinating.
Well, then that kind of leads me to because he ended up nearly being on I'm a Celebrity, What do you think is the major difference between your show SAS from I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here.
I think SAS it's more authentic in the regards to and again, I've never worked on I'm a Celebrity, So I don't know what they're set up. I mean, there's a lot of similarities in cameras everywhere. When they're on base and then they do challenges, I think I'm a celebrity. It's not as physically punishing, and they have a lot more like the food challenges and things like that, more sort of fun, I guess, quirky challenges that are a bit gross, whereas here it is a real authentic experience.
And by that it is, and even the celebrities they you know, you can tell them time time again. Once we hand you over to the DS that very first morning, we're hands off, like we have very minimal interaction with you, like it is an authentic experience. The DS want it to be an authentic experience. So I don't even see the recruits until they VW at the end, and then I'm there to sort of take them back and clean them up and you know, get them hot meal and stuff.
So I think that's the difference with this. It is completely authentic. We don't pull you aside and ask you questions, like you don't come off and do a chat on today that day's challenge. We do a pre interview leading up to the show. A couple of weeks before where we hope to cover everything that could possibly happen on the show, and that's the only time they ever get an interview, so it's and they do. We do a short one when they VW, a very very brief one,
but that's it, so they don't once they're in. It's a twenty four to seven. It's crazy. It is lack of sleep, lack of food, and I think, honestly do like you can tell them, but this is explain exactly what I've just said, how authentic it is, and that you're sleeping in these bunks and the ds actually sleep on the base. I don't go back to a hotel. They're in a room off from the where the dorm is.
They live the experience, as do the recruits. But I think at the start they thought we would break and you'd have cut okay, yout a cup of tea and there's there's a little little craft area where there's food for them. Well there isn't. It's not that at all. You get serve the meals and the army rations, and you eat when you get given to eat, you eat and then you're off to the next challenge. So the first twenty four hours, throws.
People, no craft services, no craft.
Services, not not there not on this show.
Have you been allowed to watch the physical and mental challenges in the flesh?
And yes, yes, sorry, not in the flesh. I'm in the control room. I can see a lot that goes on on the base, and I am I can't of get a warning if someone that they think someone's a bit wobbly, so I'll be they're on standby that someone leaves at three o'clock in the afternoon or eleven o'clock at night, and I take them home and I look after them at the accommodation wherever we are after and just make sure that they're looked after from the moment they leave and have a shower and have a pop
basket all their technology back and they can speak to their families and what have you, and then I look after them to get them home.
In a small description, what's the hardest one that you've had to watch? Like, what's the one challenge boxing?
Okay, I actually got to see it sort of live in this when we did shot the Civilian series, and it was hard to watch.
I heard this rumor.
Now you can just clarify because I heard this rumor that you make people carry a bag of bricks like that are like really heavy for ten kilometers to see if they're fit enough to do the show. Is there any physical challenge that you make some celebrities do, because you're like, I'm not sure if Denise Dreisdale could carry Daryl Summer's upper.
Hill, you know, is there a challenge that you make some people do?
Not a challenge.
We give them a guide so they get they do get a training guy. The big things are that they before they start and they once they've signed on, we send them the boots, so they actually train in those boots. And the boots that they wear on the course. They've already warn them in because listers are a bitch and they're already going through enough pain as it is to
have blisters as well. So they all get boots a couple of weeks beforehand, they train in them, and they bring them on the course, and that's the boots that you see them wearing, so they've already the one thing that's already been worn in. We tell them to just pack march so not bricks, but the bourgens each way twenty kilos, so the backpacks that they have on the show are twenty kilos, so we tell them to start training and build up to twenty kilos in a backpack
so you're used to carrying it. So a lot of them might train in weighted vests or what have you. But they all are told that. They all get a training guide about being able to run maybe two kilometers and do some hiking and do all that sort of thing. So yeah, they're given we call it the guidelines. And then but again most of them are quite it anyway. So then they go and it's up to them if they want to go harder or just keep to that.
A couple of them people get obsessive and they are out training a few times a day and what have you. And you know, I had people go on as like Shana and Kerry put Us in this series. They went off to a survival twenty four hour survival camp to learn how to do things and just get themselves mentally prepared. Yes, so there's people will do different different ways to prepare, but the basics are you've got to work up to we do. They all have to do a fitness test,
which is like a beat test. It's how many push ups they can do in a minute, how many hangs they can do a swim test just to make sure they can tread water and swim, just in case they're in a well. As you've seen on series one, they're in the water with the boat challenge, so we just have to make sure that they are they can tread water, should be should they get into trouble. It's pretty stringent. I mean, you know, they have to pass extensive psych tests as well as a medical.
What kind of medical insurance gets organized for these people? And does it cost ten billion dollars?
That I wouldn't know because I don't do that. They are ensured, but now I stick to the casting and that stuff, but they are. You have to be sort of dangerous things that they're going to be doing.
Well.
There's a great future for SAS.
And you know, we've got a civilian series that's coming up, which we're very excited about. What can you tell us about the type of people who are.
Going to be in the civilian series?
Got all walks of life at all different ages the civilians. It's a really interesting bunch, ranging from I think the youngest is about twenty one to forty seven, So it's a really, really interesting range of range of talent.
Have any of them experience any levels of notoriety like as in, have they been in the media for nearly drowning or being eaten by a shark?
So they have some stories that may have some kind of notoriety, yes, but.
I'm not divulging who or what those stories were. But there were two stories from out of all of the people that my plient that will be interesting to watch and to know know more about.
I'm excited. I just don't know.
I'm so excited about this after watching the first few episodes of this second series. For anyone that's listening to this podcast, tune in on Monday night because it is unbelievable.
What did you like about episode one? What was what intrigued or what were you most surprised about?
You know, truthfully, it was the look on my partner's face because we sat on the couch and watched it.
I think it was a Sunday evening.
Everything that I was feeling, I could look over and look at my partner and he was expressing it with his face. So watching Mark philippouss sitting in a toilet doing a number two next to Manu was a TV experience that I never thought I was going to have, and my partner's face was just was amazing. So there are so many of those moments I think for the viewers that are kind of I just didn't see that coming.
That's something I really I love about it too, is that you just have to expect the unexpected because you you just don't know what's going to happen. Yeah, I'm excited for the viewer to follow everyone's journey and see where they end up.
One of my questions that I always ask all my guests before they go is what's an amazing story from behind the scenes.
That we as an audience would appreciate.
I would have to say, and I'm sure she won't mind me saying this is in series one with Chappelle. As I've spoken earlier on that, you know, she flew in under the radar and no one knew that she was there, and we got her on surprised everyone when the hood came off at the very start of the series. So when she came out, we didn't want the media because the media had all come down and that we had pats everywhere, and we didn't want the media to know that she had gotten out early in the piece.
So I was in a two bedroom apartment at the Ridges in Ginderbyne, and that was the plan, was that it was like a revolving room. So every day I would get a VW and I'd have my room, they'd have their room, and you know, I'd fetch them food and all sorts of things. So they went alad to leave the apartment because of media. So she came in and it was like, well, look, we can't get her on plane now tomorrow because people will know she's around.
So she ended up sharing. She basically became my flatmate for three days, and she was amazing that she lets her. We So from day one when they all fell out of the helicopter, they were all in their cities in series one, so they had all this wet clothes and it was a Sunday morning. Nothing in Koum or Ginderbyrone was open. So when they'd started and they'd gone, I come back to the production room and production office and
do my bits and bits of paperwork and what have you. Oh, their wet clothes are in bags all in the production office and I'm like, well, what are we doing with that? And they went well, there's there's nowhere to wash the wash all these clothes. So I started taking the bags and putting them in my room in our apartment and washing them. And then she fell support, bring it to me.
I've got nothing else to do. So she sat for the next three days, washed and dried and folded and had everybody's clothes all sorted so when they got when they came out, she had a pile of every person's close or beautifully washed, cleaned, dried, done for everyone. And it was just just it just showed me what type of person she was.
She was just such a beautiful girl, and to just do that just out of just to be kind and to help to be to be at least to be doing something while she was sort of crammed up in our little apartment.
So I thought she was very special.
That ends in a way that I thought was much nicer than where I thought it was going.
I thought you were going to be like we had to keep her there for three months, So we recreated a Balinese prison and we met her stay in a room for three months, and no one spoke to her.
No, that was very much, very much in my life anyway.
I just want to say thank you so much for being able to join today on TV Reload. It was so amazing with these stories. I could talk to you forever, and I just want to say thank you for your emotional intelligence and your empathy and what it is that you do when you work with these people. Because I've spoken to producers, I've spoken to the bruties, and they all say the same thing and that you were just so fantastic to work with, so.
Well, that's nice to hear.
Yeah, so yeah, thank you so much for being able to be here today.