How do the shows screen contestants?
Once a casting director has found a pool of possible contestants, shows often hire psychologists or outside firms to do background checks and screening. Elaine Carey, national director of investigations for the Control Risks Group, which screens on shows for ABC and CBS, says the company starts with a 20-page questionnaire. Medical and sexual history might be included if the show involves romance. A search is conducted through online databases, court records and interviews with friends and former associates. She says that it’s important to check civil as well as criminal records; domestic violence often gets filed as a civil record and would show a violent tendency.
