Reality TV Show Contestant Selection From Cisive

Take the Necessary Measures to Protect Your Reputation 

Reality television has evolved, but it continues to be a strong television presence that now encompasses hundreds of channels. Although reality TV remains a good financial and ratings winner for the networks, there are still concerns regarding the integrity of the contestants applying for the shows. Don’t risk your reputation when it can easily be protected. 

Are Your Contestants Who They Claim to Be?

Past embarrassments of all sorts — legal or otherwise — can result in a public relations nightmare and potentially cause real damage to your reputation and your financial bottom line. And in the lawsuit-happy world we live in, contestants — including those not actually chosen for a show — can wage legal warfare against the production companies and the networks. Knowing this, it’s imperative that you take the necessary steps to investigate every potential contestant — properly and legally — for your reality programming.

The bottom line is: Are the contestants who they claim to be? Due to our long-standing history and reputation as a leader in these types of investigations, we are perfectly positioned to provide the information you’ll need to formulate the answer to this critical question.

It’s well understood that there’s no absolute standard when it comes to conducting research for reality television shows, and Cisive’s contestant-vetting research program was designed to be flexible to meet the specific needs of each show. 

That said, following is a brief description of the basic investigative services we provide.

Standard Background Search

Depending on the needs of the show, this could consist of: 

• On-site criminal and civil court record review at the local, state, and federal levels
• Driving history
• Media review
• Property record review
• Employment verification
• Education verification
• Sex offender registry search
• Statewide public records search

Other Searches

Various other searches are available and can be conducted depending on your specific requirements.

• Telephonic Interview. Interviews with family members, friends, and co-workers can be conducted to develop an in-depth portrait of a prospective contestant.
• Internet Search. Internet and social media searches are becoming an increasingly important investigative necessity. It’s the internet, after all, where the majority of these tech-savvy contestants share their real selves with their online friends and followers. So it stands to reason that a failure to review these sources would result in a serious void in the investigative process.
  
  What might be found on the internet? Possibly an innocent tax-related document that suggests a past criminal act, or an email address that links a contestant (and intimate photos) to a porn site. Or maybe there’s a Facebook or Twitter posting that suggests a darker and more sinister side to a contestant’s personality or lifestyle. 
  
  Without an internet search, you won’t see the contestants in the same way that fans of the show will see them — until it’s too late!
• Document Review. This consists of client-requested information to flesh out a contestant’s application history, and can include financial documents and other information deemed necessary. In many ways, this type of review is a variation of the time-honored forensic technique that asks the same question multiple times but in different ways — and then analyzes and compares the answers given. Often, identified differences suggest little more than a minor and honest variation of the truth; however, they can also be a warning sign that the truth is being purposefully withheld!

Our Full Suite of Background Screening Solutions