Driving to work this morning, I heard this conversation on an Atlanta radio talk show. One of the talkers was quoting a magazine article from last week (Vanity Fair?), and said these bits of info:

1. Guess where Evan was "discovered"??? It was publicized that he sent in an application for Big Brother... but what they didn't tell us what that Evan was apparently discovered at "Belly", the bar where entirely too many Big Brother and Survivor people have come from to be a coincidence... (for those not in the know, "Belly" is where Mike Booger Malin works and supposedly part owns. Also known to have worked there is Gabe from Survivor IV. And Sean from S-IV also made appearances there. Apparently, "Belly" is the Reality-TV bar of choice for the Reality-TV cogniscenti.

2. The talkers believe there will be a double twist in the show: that Evan really is rich (possibly really part of the Mariott fortune, despite denials), or that something surprising will happen. The talkers agreed that Evan was hand-selected for this job not only for his looks, but because of his seeming ill-fitting for the role of a rich guy (one person even called him "dumb").

Sorry I don't have more, just caught this on the way to work.

I *still* think this show is a fake.
Contradictions don't exist. If you are faced with a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong. -- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

• RE: "Joe" show discussion on Atlanta radio,Q, 09:14 AM, 01-21-03
  • RE: "Joe" show discussion on Atlanta radio,SurvivinDawg, 10:29 AM, 01-21-03
• "discovery",SurvivorBlows, 11:16 AM, 01-21-03
  • RE: "discovery",SurvivinDawg, 11:49 AM, 01-21-03

Dawg,

All this Belly Business has me pissed off. I mean why are they even taking applications for shows anymore. They should just call Mike Boogey and say...

Select a few bar patrons for me to look over and we will begin filming next week.

Do you think Belly will go Belly up when reality TV sours? (sorry could not resist the cheesy pun)

And The talkers believe there will be a double twist in the show: that Evan really is rich (possibly really part of the Mariott fortune, despite denials)

Who knows about this one. It may also be a reason they did not give his real last name to the contestants. They would assume he was part of the family? Maybe? Well we shall see how things pan out.

They should just call Mike Boogey and say...

Select a few bar patrons for me to look over and we will begin filming next week.

I think they're doing this already.

Yes, with the possible exception of Survivor itself, most of these shows get selected from the fortunate few who happen to catch the casting crew's collective eye. There was a thresd on Big Brother 3 about how even Gerry was asked to apply for the show (he and Roddy discussed it during the show).

As to the rest of it, I've felt while watching that this show is really contrived all the way. After all, just look at how Evan gives away the pendants.... not so much as a kiss on the cheek. Then a "well, I'll see you later" and he's gone. Soooo carefully staged. This thing just reeks of fakery.

...it's still fun to watch because of it's sarcastic nature...
Contradictions don't exist. If you are faced with a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong. -- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

LAST EDITED ON 01-21-03 AT 11:18 AM (EST)

Dawg, either your radio folks confused the facts or the other numerous reports I've read are wrong -- because early on I read several reports that said Evan was "discovered" by a one of the producer-type folks who remembered being introduced to him at a party a few months back.

Basically the story I heard is that they were having a hard time finding the "right" guy, then one of the producer-type folks remembered this friend-of-a-friend that they'd met a a party a couple of months earlier and they tracked him down and approached him for the role.

Assuming that's true, my guess is your radio show guys confused Evan's "discovery" with that of Survivor 6's Alex Bell -- CBS admits Alex was working as a doorman at Belly when he was "discovered" by a casting director during an "unofficial" (whatever that means) visit to the bar.

I reported it below:

http://www.realitytvworld.com/index/print.php?sid=890

Maybe they did confuse it... but I wouldn't be surprised if Fox was attempting to hide the fact that the place (that the friend-of-a-friend "found" Evan) was indeed "Belly", because of the bar's reputation with Reality-TV.

Also, the Atlanta radio people did mention what you said above, that a producer found Evan after a fruitless search, etc.

So I don't know for sure, and wish I'd heard their source a little better this morning, but either way I wouldn't be surprised... "Belly" keeps bellying up in Reality-TV circles...

Time for us to visit "Belly" and get casted!!!
Contradictions don't exist. If you are faced with a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong. -- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged