A Public Service Announcement for Anyone Looking to Be Cast on Jersey Shore
Several people sent us a Craigslist casting notice claiming they're casting new guidos for season two. We called the number and, guess what, it's faker than that rack JWOWW is sporting.
The nice gentleman on the other end of the phone asked us a bunch of questions like if we were "in good shape" to be on the show, if we had the right look (though he didn't ask about the deepness of our tan or the height of our poof), and if we would be free for June, July, and August. He said the show is looking for additional cast members and would be paying $5,000 an episode for 12 episodes so we could make $60,000 if we're chosen. Yay, cash! Then he got all official sounding with some disclaimers and questions about if we were in an actor's union. He told us we'd have to send in some pictures and give him some information about ourselves. Oh, and we'd have to pay $98 for processing. Say what?
This sounded like a scam to us—after all, the Screen Actor's Guild warns against any casting director that charges for its services—but we went along with it. The nice gentleman directed us to the just-professional-enough looking website for Actors on Set. He took my (fake) name, (bogus) address, and (almost real) phone number and set up an account for me online. He even told me how to upload pictures and fill out all the info I'd need. Then he asked which credit card I'd be using to pay our processing fee. Say what? I hemmed and hawed. Can't I just put it in online? Can't I pay later? He said, "No, you have to do it now," and asked which credit card I'd be using again.
That's when I hung up. I was right, it's definitely a scam. I called MTV and their rep confirmed, saying that they never charge casting and they didn't authorize this Craigslist casting in any way. Yes, you can find just about anything your petty little heart desires on Craigslist but, just like the amazing pictures of the person who just wants to please you in bed, most of it is too good to be true.