Madelyn (00:06)
Hi everyone. It's the first episode of the unscripted files. I'm really, really happy that you're here. My name is Madelyn Cunningham. I am an unscripted development producer. My job is to find talent, create formats create shows and try to sell them. And I wanted to bring this show forward because I was noticing there was so much coverage in the scripted world about how things are made, created, distributed. There's script writing podcasts, there's moviemaking podcasts.

And when you get to the unscripted industry, we have a ton of coverage about the entertainment itself, but nothing about behind the scenes. And I really wanted to dive into the people working behind the scenes from creators to craft services, casting, producing, show running, and just bring these conversations I'm getting to have on a day-to-day basis to you, especially with this sort of fourth wall break we've seen in reality entertainment, as well as how savvy audiences are.

It's like, know how this works. So let's just like talk to the creative people behind it. On this show, I'm interviewing everyone from like current day, you they're working on Southern Charm, they're working on Love Island USA, all the way to conversations about the origins of reality television on ANTM and the early days of like the wild, wild west. It's really, really fun. It's insightful. Whether you're in the industry you want to be, or you're just curious about how this all works and you love reality television, I highly encourage you.

to like, subscribe, follow. You guys know I got to plug it. One more note. This interview was filmed before the tragedy of the Los Angeles wildfires. LA is a city that is so linked to entertainment and unscripted entertainment specifically. I highly encourage you if you can to donate or support if you can find it within your means to support the city as it rebuilds and it will. Our first interview is with Emmy award-winning casting director, Quinn Fegan. She has worked on everything from Queer Eye,

to Love Island USA to Alone on History Channel. We get into everything. We get into casting the heroes on Queer Eye and the addition of Jeremiah, all the way to how do you cast for a show where death is a definite possibility? And then of course we get into all things Love Island USA. You guys know I love the show, so I'm asking all the questions. I'm not gonna make a habit out of long intros, you guys. Let's get right into it. This is Quinn Fegan first episode of The Unscripted Files. Hope you enjoy.

Madelyn (02:28)
really official Quinn Fegan. Welcome to the podcast. I'm so happy you're here.

Quinn Fegan (02:32)
Thank you for having me.

Madelyn (02:34)
I totally stalked you. Like I was checking out after watching, I think it was after watching Love Island USA last year, I could not get over. mean, the world couldn't get over how great the casting was. And I was like, who the hell is on this team? And I was like in IMDB super deep, found you, saw that you did Queer Eye, some other incredible shows. And I was just like, I have to talk to this person. So I'm so happy that we got to connect.

Quinn Fegan (03:00)
Yeah, mean, listen, as a casting person, I respect the stock. Like, that is, I feel, part and parcel to most people's job in Unscripted. So, I mean, game, recognize game.

Madelyn (03:13)
to right mean, the FBI skills have to be on point. So I'm sure and I'm sure yours are too. tell me I can't wait to get into all your shows, but I really just want to know how you got into this career and how this sort of resonated with you

Quinn Fegan (03:18)
You're through.

mean, I, well, I'm a single child from an only parent. So I think that like TV was like very much a babysitter in my adolescence. I think like, as I got older and I went to college, I interned at MTV and had, I think always been interested about like, why do I like this show? Why do I resonate with the show? Why do I like the people on the show? Why am I continuing to watch it?

And so I think that just came from watching TV and loving it I started at MTV was hired in the casting department after interning and it was just like a really good match. I didn't really recognize at 21 that like casting would be my thing,

But yeah, always really interested and was good at identifying really interesting characters and.

And also just relating to a lot of different spaces and people in those spaces. think doing a lot of research, which I think people are surprised to hear that being an unscripted, whether you're in casting or development or producing, you're doing a lot of research.

Madelyn (04:36)
100%. I mean, whether it's, well, cause every show, every assignment, every project is a different world. You're looking for different people in that world to fill it out, to give it color, whether it's, I mean, you've done like ink masters, right? So you're like knee deep in this world. Then you're doing survivalist show with Alone, Queer Eye, which is like city to city. You kind of go to different hubs. You're looking for different heroes and then dating shows. And it is, it's a ton of research that's involved.

a lot of stalking, lot of, also a lot of intuition, a lot of gut feeling. Was that something you just really felt like you had early on?

Quinn Fegan (05:13)
yeah, I think that yes and no, I think that we all deal with a lot of imposter syndrome and specifically as women in entertainment. I think that I always did well with connecting with people and really relating with them. And I think that oftentimes unscripted gets a really bad rap.

in terms you know, how we engage with talent. But I think that my process has always been really honest and really a place where want people to trust me because I this to be a positive experience. And you see that on camera. And I would say that a lot of the people that I've cast on series have become some of my closest friends because there really is organic chemistry there.

and you can meet people where they're at. So for instance, if you're doing a survival show, I live in a big city I don't think I'd survive three hours outside in the wilderness, but I also, and I don't always maybe agree with the way they see the world, but I also, can, think with any person, you can find some common connector. I think that's really served all the shows that I've worked on.

Madelyn (06:22)
Yeah, absolutely. mean, there has to be an enormous amount of empathy, I'm sure, involved in when you're looking, you said, you you might not always align with these people, how they believe, how they live, whether it's hero and Queer Eye or someone alone, whatever. But yeah, there's that sort of, how can I find a common ground here? Because we all have it, it exists, it's somewhere.

And I think if you as the casting director can find that, then the audience can find that. And so they're right. Like that's the ticket.

Quinn Fegan (06:52)
Absolutely, and I think Queer Eye is one of the hardest series I've ever worked on for number of reasons, but I think that if you're in casting, and I think in television in general, but in unscripted because you're dealing with real people and real lives and real families, but Queer Eye on an empathy scale has been one of the most challenging for me because is so deserving. There's not a single person I've ever spoken to who wasn't

just so deserving of acknowledgement and care and love. and then hearing some of these stories. I mean, I watched the finished show on Netflix and I'm hysterically crying and it's like, know, I know what's gonna happen. But it's like, I think that inherently that show has been really special because it came in a time and place where I think America really needed

Madelyn (07:34)
Right.

Quinn Fegan (07:50)
to feel really good about and really positive about. And not, I mean, I love, I love A Real Housewives, I love A DocuSope, but I think that one in particular is like, you have to be very sensitive with that, the heroes of that show, because it's always delicate. A lot of the stuff that they're sharing is really sensitive and that goes for almost every show. Whether it's something like A DocuSope or,

Alone, is a survival show, a lot of these people are sharing incredibly intimate things that maybe not even their families know. So handling that with care from the beginning really sets the tone for the rest of the show.

Madelyn (08:30)
Absolutely. mean, we can dive into Queer Eye ninth season just came out in Sin City, Vegas. What a fun, I mean, this show has gone everywhere from, you know, Georgia to the Midwest. think Austin for a season, right? And now in Vegas. And so, know, eight to 10 heroes a season and really focusing on that sort of holistic for people, not just physical, but in their life and their confidence.

how does that process go? Cause I know that people don't use submit, like people submit, they nominate, you know, people for essentially. so you are the one who kind of receives those and are going through all of those nominations. Right. Wow. How many do think you get?

Quinn Fegan (09:07)
Yeah, I mean, like I said,

Thousands, thousands upon thousands. a little overwhelming actually in terms of just seeing volume there because we also on top of that do boots on the ground casting where, cause you know, that's the whole thing when you think about early to mid 2000s and before that casting, we weren't using the internet as kind of our.

Madelyn (09:11)
Wow.

Scouting.

Quinn Fegan (09:35)
primary resource for casting. And you always hear networks kind of wax poetic of like, and then we found this person and he was just at this one shop. we, was part of the team that cast the host for Queer Eye as well. And we talked a lot about how they found the original host for the OG Queer Eye and that it was only boots on the ground. So we still try to...

have that play a part in our casting because it is true. Not everyone lives on the internet some of those just like really captivating, compelling people that you would never see, know, like we have found that way and Texas was like a big one that way and so was New Orleans. And so we did that in Las Vegas. But to circle back,

We are, you just said, we are looking at an outward transformation, but also like almost most importantly, what is the internal transformation, which I think is kind of the magic of Queer Eye, especially now is like, it's not just your physical and that's actually quite secondary to why you need this type of help and acknowledgement.

And I think one of the biggest components people don't realize is timing. always this sense of like, need the Fab Five's help now. It is urgent. Because we have lots of questions like, well, why couldn't they just do this whenever they want? And it's like, yeah, we have to think about a million. We've got a million boxes to tick in terms of that. So it's been one of the most rewarding shows I've ever worked on. I...

Madelyn (10:55)
Mm.

Mm-hmm.

Quinn Fegan (11:12)
It is truly one of the most stressful as well.

Madelyn (11:15)
Yeah, if you're an empath, I just can't imagine like going through all of those submissions and then, and then really working to craft a season, something that feels something that feels diverse. so, you know, so do you, so you take all the initial submissions, certain ones stick out, you're flagging them, and then you, you get down to your, you know, eight to 10, depending on the number of episodes.

And who else, like, who do you start to bring in when it gets down to those final, like, do the, like, do the five get to have any influence on those decisions?

Quinn Fegan (11:50)
They do, they are starting from, I believe, last year, they are now, EP titles for the show, which is really helpful because they are the ones who really can lean into how they can help. Lane, who is the executive producer Queer Eye, has just been a tour de force in shaping that show on Netflix.

Madelyn (11:59)
Mm-hmm.

Quinn Fegan (12:15)
Scout Productions who ideated the OG Queer Eye is also production company that we work with for this and they a big input and obviously Netflix, our executives at Netflix have clear input but we actually go through many rounds of, I think people don't realize how much kind of

involved brainstorming goes into an episode of Queer Eye and actually in every show that I've done from Alone to Love Island, which is a whole nother stratosphere of really eye dating. What are we seeing? How does this connect to X, Y, and Z? we actually have story producers who go out and visit kind of our, as we get to kind of.

get closer to that, final eight to 10, to really flesh out what are we really seeing and can we actually make genuine impact, which is really integral for that show, is that they want to walk away feeling like they've made a real difference in our heroes' lives.

Madelyn (13:22)
yeah, and working through what that arc is for every single person, what the individual impact is. Typically there's a community impact element because a lot of these people are extremely involved in their communities. And I can't imagine the work that really goes into in on each episode, making it feel so personal. so it's just not a copy paste. Every person gets the same treatment and

gets the same approach. It really feels so bespoke to that individual. And I'm sure that that takes so much time and just a lot of effort creatively from a lot of different people.

Quinn Fegan (13:57)
when we're talking about locations for Queer Eye, that is part of how we cast as well as are we telling a story of also where we are by the people we've cast because these locations become characters in their own right as well. And we want to represent

Madelyn (14:07)
Mmm.

Quinn Fegan (14:14)
this place that we are spending a whole season in. So making sure that something feels representative of Texas, you know, we went through a laundry list events that we might want to play into it, but also what is indicative of Texas? What do we think about when we think about Texas? that could be something as simple as a rodeo a chili cook-off. You know, we are kind of ideating all of that through

all of these locations while casting.

Madelyn (14:43)
just think you guys do a fabulous job of, I love how you said that the location is a character in and of itself. just so fun to play around with.

all these different parts of the country and understand all these different people. often, when it was filming in Georgia, I remember thinking, cause I like born and raised there. And I remember thinking, gosh, how are, how's the community reacting

mean, you're in Southern sort of belt territory. Can you tell me a little bit about how that was even? Because like you said, it was kind of at a time when it really felt like we needed some unification in the country. felt a little tense. And then we bring forward this sort of aspirational show where a lot of the heroes think and believe differently.

than our hosts do. So tell me what that was like, what the community reactions were like as well.

Quinn Fegan (15:34)
Yeah, we'll give Netflix a lot of credit for taking a huge risk with bringing five men and one individual who as non-binary Bible Belt areas and very conservative areas. And I think it was very intentional, also a risk to see how that was going to play out. But I think that

The intentionality of this series from the beginning was that this was gonna feel different to some of the kind of the culture of the OG one, which was also groundbreaking its time because we didn't see, we didn't have gay hosts in our home.

Madelyn (16:15)
So before it's time.

Quinn Fegan (16:22)
it wasn't a commonplace thing. And so that was so integral so many reasons. But this time around, we were looking at how do these hosts also learn from the people that they are helping? You know, they're not there just to kind of dispense advice. They are also learning about people who are very different to them. And I think with kind of that

channel of communication and respect and reciprocity. It earned a lot credibility within the community. And you see that in the first episode of Georgia, I think it's titled God Can't Fix Ugly. that hero was a, who I also cast as a trucker, who had a lot of questions about their lifestyle.

Madelyn (17:12)
Mm-hmm.

Quinn Fegan (17:12)
and how they lived. it was a genuine curiosity. And I think that you could see his joy and this connection that they had made. I think that really resonated with people. people are realizing that they're not here with an agenda and they're not here to do X, Y, and Z, it made people a lot more open and vulnerable.

Madelyn (17:35)
Absolutely, I remembered that episode and I think it's just so easy to otherize when people aren't up close. And then when you, you know what I mean? And then when you're up close, changes things. And I feel so strongly that watching those episodes play out, those interactions play out with so much grace, curiosity, I think it was so healing and I think it gave

birth to of earnest aspirational programming. And that word is kind of, everyone wants to stay away from it, but it really did. I mean, I can't tell you the pitches, you know, that you see come through. It's queer eye for this, you know, is what we hear. It gave birth to a whole new sort of era of programming that felt good and I think was inspirational and bridged gaps, is just so huge. So of the heroes on this current season,

Did you have a favorite sort of story that really resonated with you?

Quinn Fegan (18:28)
Don't know if I have a favorite. think that what is most exciting about this season is that we have new host of kind of interior, exterior design. And really fit into the cast really.

seamlessly and I'm really looking forward to audiences getting a chance to kind of...

see something, see a new dynamic, see a fresh dynamic. And I think that we see that, we're seeing that more and more often with trends some of our favorite ensemble casts that, you know, some people are leaving for whatever reason or pursuing other opportunities. then you're having audiences have to get used to someone new and what does that look like? So I'm excited to see our...

Madelyn (18:53)
Mm-hmm.

Quinn Fegan (19:16)
our audience's reaction to this new host dynamic, because I think it's really amazing, and I think it's going to be really positive.

Madelyn (19:23)
So Jeremiah just feels like such a perfect fit. mean, don't know who else was in contention when it came to sort of sliding him right in. had the treat of being able to interview him and Nate for an HGTV show he was so unbelievably genuine and...

He had a depth about him that I really loved. And I just think he's, just fits right in. And I, I feel like it'll feel new and fresh, you know, as things have gone on, but it'll also feel familiar.

Quinn Fegan (19:53)
was gonna say, actually had known a lot most of our hosts already. And so there was already a real genuine dynamic there that was really helpful. And I always think that about that, like in the Real Housewives world, it's like, really makes a lot of sense for someone to kind of seamlessly transition when they actually know people that they're working with or that they're co-talent with.

Madelyn (20:17)
it comes to the capturing sort of someone's essence and style and executing that in their space and in their environment, I just think he's just perfect at it. I, I'm so excited for this new edition. You work on Love Island as well, but you don't, I want to make sure I get this right. You don't cast the,

contestants, you work with the hosts, right? So Ariana Madix, which was the best thing I've maybe ever seen in Love Island history your doing. We've got like Maura Higgins who comes on to some of the after shows. So that obviously has been a hit forever, but this past summer hit record numbers, was number one streaming for weeks on end was just

so well executed. And if you just do a quick scroll through your Instagram, you can see how much fun you had on that set. So talk to me a little bit about your role such a kind of iconic brand and and how you work within that.

Quinn Fegan (21:16)
Love Island, by far and away, is one of the largest, massive unscripted television productions I've ever worked on. It's a machine are airing almost in real time from Fiji.

Madelyn (21:27)
A machine.

Quinn Fegan (21:36)
I mean, when you see the scale of a production like this, I worked in TV for 15 plus years. I had never seen the likes of it. It feels like you're on the set of future film. can't take full credit or any credit for getting Ariana Madix on this show. think that...

Our executives at NBC, Universal, Peacock and our executives at ITV America worked really closely and are seeing a lot of beautiful trends of how we can have some of our fan favorites from other big franchises play a part in our own shows and franchises. I had worked with Ariana.

as a guest host on the show the season before, and if you've ever watched Vanderpump Rules or have ever heard an interview with Ariana Madix, she is obsessed with Love Island. It was a absolute perfect fit. I think that this past season was very much like lightning in a bottle where we were seeing Ariana Madix who had just come off Dancing with the Stars

who is also very deeply invested in this show and knows everything about it, this unbelievable cast where the casting team for Love Island is spending months and months and months. the executive producers go through rounds and rounds and rounds because yes, they must be good looking, but also what else are they bringing to the table?

Can they self-generate story? they dynamic? Do they have a point of view? I mean, it's kind of asking a lot when you think that these people are 21 years old. have to think about when you were 21 years old, did you have all these opinions and point of views? So definitely looking for a lot of kind of factor people who aren't just beautiful.

Madelyn (23:36)
yeah, mean it, started with Love Island UK, watching USA, only this past year because of Ariana. I was like, I am tuning as a Vanderpump Rules Stan RIP. like heartbreaking news on that. It truly.

Quinn Fegan (23:50)
I know, I I saw that yesterday. It was so funny. End of an era.

Madelyn (23:58)
Like you want to talk casting lightning in a bottle. I've got to, I've got to talk to whoever discovered them. It, it, it, and I just don't know if it'll ever, ever happen again, but she is just so, you know, coming off of obviously this unbelievable, that occurred, you know, with her and her ex to dancing with the stars and just Chicago, mean, Broadway having this incredible,

arc and being able to showcase what she's always been. And I love the way to that hosts are treated on love Island. Like they're there. Yes. The contestants are hot. The host is the hottest. Do not get it twisted. We are going like her looks every episode, the slow mo camera work of her walking in. She just melted so seamlessly into the environment

has such a way about her of being playful in the way that she hosts, but also being extremely direct and kind of the questions and making the little comments like, we've got plenty of time. She just handled each situation so well, because there was a lot of intense moments. And I think it's just kind of everything you could have asked for when it came to someone handling each of those situations, just an absolute dream.

Quinn Fegan (25:12)
Yeah, mean, Ariana is a student of this show and this franchise, and you can see it in the way she handles being a host, where she pulls no punches, nothing gets by her. She has observed every trick in the book from every season of every territory. So, I mean, she was so on top of it.

And I think what's really interesting about when you are watching Hosts of Love Island, you're watching Love Island, you have to realize that the people who are working on these shows, not only on camera, but off camera, are working around 19 to 20 plus hours a day. mean, it is, know, it is just an exhaustive, know, two month kind of marathon.

I think, was really impactful this season was that she brought a lot of intentionality to everything about the show that she presented. So her looks, know, her and her stylist, Emily Men, who is a tour de force, really, they go in for weeks beforehand, ideating the looks she's gonna wear. Her hairstylist, her makeup artist, Carl Bembridge and Crystal Dawn, you know, they flew from the UK and just every look.

was just minutia. So I think sometimes you don't realize how much force is behind something like just her look, which is not the headline of the show, but it's like.

Madelyn (26:41)
But it's what everyone was talking about. mean, they were just, if you are a lover of reality television or just hair and makeup or just Love Island, I mean, her looks week after week, because I was on, you know, I was on TikTok. I was looking, everyone was doing recaps. talking about her looks. Everyone's talking about how she handles things. What I couldn't believe was that...

clips from Vanderpump started circling around this time as well, just kind of like iconic sort of edits and montages of her. And saw people commenting going, Ariana from Love Island? And I was like, no, no, no. What do you mean? What do you mean? So they had only known her from Love Island and we're seeing these cuts of her at Vanderpump. And I'm like, my God, there are some people who will only ever know her as the host of Love Island, which is crazy because of her like iconic on Vanderpump.

So when you are actually in the set, what is your day to day look like? What are you managing? What are you doing in Fiji?

Quinn Fegan (27:37)
So my job is hyper logistics, which is different from a lot of the casting work that I do. am, and you would, you also have to understand that Love Island changes on a dime. You know, we could have planned for this specific shoot, with this specific look, and that can change 10 minutes before. And so I am typically navigating.

Madelyn (27:53)
Hmm.

Quinn Fegan (28:05)
of our hosts, that's Ariana Madix, Maura Higgins, Cely Vazquez, who's our social media ambassador, and anyone else who is a guest star on the show or on Aftersun, sure they are where they need to be, that they have enough time for all their hair and makeup.

their hair and makeup teams, all of their press, and their hair and makeup at times can take three to four hours. wardrobe have enough time? Has wardrobe fitted everything in time? the executive producers have enough time with them to discuss? Do we have their scripts? Do we need to do a script run through? Do you want to make changes to that? So it's a lot of kind of on the fly logistics, making sure all the hosts

are where they need to be and look exactly how they need to look what we're about to do.

Madelyn (28:54)
It is so overwhelming to think about, honestly. When you, especially when you factor in the near real time sort of decisions that are made, the editing, the fact that we're all seeing it, what 48 hours later, and you're discussing it. And I mean, it is just, it is absolutely wild. The fact that you say that the whole season isn't planned out when you start, you know, cause I think I know that even cast members are sort of,

day to day who we're bringing in and who we're gonna, who's a bombshell, know, who's even the OG sort of isn't thought out before. There's like some people that you're like, okay, these would be a great starter, but it changes. And so just the idea that things that you have to be that nimble and that like ready to go for eight weeks is just.

That's absolutely wild. mean, it is so impressive as well because it's executed in a way that where we're glued to the screens. We can't stop talking about it. And that's, think, it's just so special.

Quinn Fegan (29:54)
Yeah, I mean, it's not for lack of effort. think whenever I talk to people who are not in this world, are like, love Island, I'm like, listen, is the most thought out show I have ever seen. executive producers are tracking storyline, which is why they have to make snap decisions that deviate from an original plan because they're following real time storylines. so, and you don't.

Again, these kids aren't actors they're not TV savvy. so we're really kind of following whatever happens. And that just means that we're constantly pivoting. So I think that's probably why a lot of people love working in unscripted television is that it's people who are, in a sense, comfortable with being uncomfortable.

and very good at kind of rolling with the punches.

Madelyn (30:48)
Yeah, 100%. It feels like such a monster to pull together. And again, that's one of the reasons I wanted to start this, because I was like, everything you love, every show you love, none of this happens by accident. a science. It's work of so many creative people behind the scenes to create these water cooler moments that we all love to talk about.

To create something like that that breaks through this day and it just really, it's so impressive. It's such a feat. And I know it's the result of just like so much hard work coming together. What, I don't know, what are some things that we might not know goes into production for Love Island specifically? I think, you know, there's a lot about they don't have their phones with them. They don't have clocks. You can't see anything. But what are some things that we might not consider that are a huge piece of kind of making it all happen?

Quinn Fegan (31:38)
I would say the scale of how many crew members are part of it is not something people realize. We, at any given day for those two months, have from 500 to 800 crew members.

Madelyn (31:56)
What?

Quinn Fegan (31:57)
we've been over a

Madelyn (31:59)
I did not expect

you to say that.

Quinn Fegan (32:01)
Yeah, it's like being on a feature film. It is unbelievable. so when you think about those responsibilities of how, why are there that many people? You have to think about, okay, so someone, there has to be a whole team that feeds everyone. There has, the art department, when you see all these challenges that they're doing and even the,

Madelyn (32:18)
Mm-hmm.

Quinn Fegan (32:26)
decoration of the house, the villa itself. I mean, that villa created, you we had some foundation, but they literally built a villa. And they built a villa that has the ability to have secret cameras all within it. And you have to think about like the construction and ideation of that plan of like, how do we get all the angles so we're never missing anything because there's not cameramen in there.

Madelyn (32:54)
Right.

Quinn Fegan (32:54)
You know, your people are behind the walls. And so there's just a lot, you know, our entire post department who is pulling all the footage and putting it all together is a whole massive team unto itself. I think that would be the biggest one is that I don't think people realize how...

big the crew is for Love Island to make, to pull that off. think another one that people don't know about this past season is that we had a different villa the season before in Fiji. We were in the same general location, but this was a brand new villa for us. it made a lot of sense for thinking about 500 crew members. Like you need a big space.

for all wardrobe, right? You think about whenever they have challenges, they need new clothing or bathing suits or whatever. there was train that was in front of the villa, like the smallest train you've ever seen that would carry sugar cane back and forth. And it was a fully active train. So there's an entire security team that has to be there to make sure no one's on the tracks the train comes because you're crossing back and forth.

Madelyn (33:44)
Mm-hmm.

Quinn Fegan (34:05)
to the villa. that was like a really interesting component where they'd be like, the train's coming and you don't have to like, you know, I'd be there with Ariana who's about to go on being like, okay, let's just pause for the train.

Madelyn (34:16)
I could talk about this forever I have so many even like that like even like you're saying down to wardrobe what they're wearing for every date for like the heart rate challenge when they're all like Doing their own little theme. I'm like is that do they just get that given to them? Do they get to choose ahead of time? Like how does it work? It is just it's crazy to think about all of these the massive amount of

coordination that goes into it. And it's not like you film and then you have months of posts. It is just, it's just nonstop.

Quinn Fegan (34:45)
It's,

right, you're just constantly, you know, when you get one thing done and you got a new thing. And if you think about, I mean, wardrobe, every department deserves so much credit, but because things change on a dime, tomorrow they may have planned for heart rate challenge and made sure all of those costumes fit each of those people. And the person who has figured out the music for everything and they...

Think about music starting, the show starts in June. They started thinking about that in January, about the compilation of music and music they need clear that they are going to use for this show.

Madelyn (35:16)
Mm-hmm.

there

were some big needle drops last season. Like, honestly, I was like, OK, there was some good ones.

Quinn Fegan (35:28)
You'll have to give credit to James Barker, who is one of the executive producers of Post, who is also a DJ in his very little spare time. But he spent six months putting together a music list that is also being gathered in real time as big things drop throughout the summer. And to get clearances on that music. yeah, when you think about, and I...

Madelyn (35:41)
Wow.

Quinn Fegan (35:54)
I jumped to music, when you think about Wardrobe, who's been planning for one challenge, and then that night, they're like, we're actually wanna do this other challenge, you know, they're up night sometimes hand sewing half of these things.

Madelyn (36:07)
Wow. it's so crazy to think about. It's just such a fun show. you prepping for next season right now? You are?

Quinn Fegan (36:20)
Yeah, it is gonna be back. There is going to be some surprises within the Love Island universe that I think fans of the show are really gonna look forward to. there's lots to come. And I think that we see that a lot now, right? It's like we wanna expand these universes.

Like you just said, people see Ariana as the host of Love Island, not realizing she was part of VPR. And then some people saw her on the Dancing with the Stars and then followed her from there. So I think lot of networks are looking to see how do we maximize our audiences that way? If they love someone, where do we see them on other shows? And you see traitors, for instance, being really successful with that, or house of villains being really successful with that model.

Madelyn (37:12)
And NBCU, luckily, mean, God, they have Bravo Leberties. NBCU is so rich with talent from all of their shows, because I develop for them and I'm always just pulling from their of different people and talents. It's so, so much fun. do want to talk about Alone because survivalist shows are so interesting to me.

for a lot of reasons and we've, know, Alone, Survivor, there's just so many out there what it's like, let's, Naked and Afraid, I mean, I can go on and on, but Alone specifically has been on history since 2015. Did you start off season one?

Quinn Fegan (37:51)
I didn't. I came the end of season four, which was our duo season when we kind of for the first time broke format a little bit about them not being exactly alone because they had it alone together. I started from there. But I mean, that show, I will say, is probably actually one of my favorites.

Madelyn (38:03)
Alone together.

Quinn Fegan (38:16)
I think that in its level of organicness, casting plays one of the most pivotal roles those survivalists are alone out there and there aren't any producers to kind of push to generate story or say, could you actually talk about this? The casting is so important because they have to be people who can communicate what they're feeling and thinking.

Madelyn (38:16)
Okay, tell me more.

Quinn Fegan (38:43)
But this is where the research comes back into play. They have to be really, really good at doing primitive survival with very minimal items to help them. the only way you find someone who's good at that is to actually know what's real and kind of what's BS. It's the only way, because I will say this. Anyone who does survival will say that they're great at survival. It's the people who say.

that they are on the fence about like not knowing their own skills, those are the ones you want. Those are the ones that people who have smidge of survival imposter syndrome are the ones you're looking for.

Madelyn (39:23)
It's so funny that you mentioned this because I was just reading a survey. I was just reading something and it said nearly 50 % of men specifically, some women 20%, but 50 % of men believed that they could land a plane in an emergency situation. And so I said, so I started looking into, I know I started looking into overconfidence and what other things people are overconfident about. And the two others are fighting off an animal and surviving in the wilderness. And it was saying that the people who are overconfident

are overconfident because they don't know what they don't know. And the people who actually are experts at it kind of assume everyone knows it, so they'll downplay it. It's exactly what you said.

Quinn Fegan (40:01)
Yeah, well, that's fascinating and also feels like attracts. And that's the thing is like, I think that people really struggle to realize how real that experience is because when you watch anything from the comfort of your own home, it seems doable. We're all kind of armchair quarterbacks. of it seems that hard. You just need to pitch a tarp.

Madelyn (40:05)
I know.

I

Quinn Fegan (40:29)
But actually what people don't realize is that there's such a psychological component of being alone a challenging environment where food is not guaranteed and neither is clean water. there's a part of you that has to be a feral to really be successful at that. people who come with their big packs and these gearheads, they just don't realize that

They just can't kind of wrap their heads around all the weird components that you don't really think about. It's not really necessarily the most enjoyable experience. It kind of takes you to your knees and it really transforms people. I am very good friends with a lot of former cast members and their complete psyches changed from the experience and being alone that long and being in survival mode.

that long. yes, think back to like research, there's a lot of people who think that they're going to be great at this. it's not to say that they're not great at X, and Z, but I know what they're going to need to be successful out there. that comes with research about hunting, trapping, and fishing, skills that include food procurement.

And if I didn't know those things, it would be easier for someone to just say, I'm great at hunting. I hunt with a bow. Like, well, what kind of bow and what's your draw weight and what have you done and what have you done alone? So, you know, I think, again, like having kind of that research in your back pocket helps you identify the best choices for any show that you're casting, but especially something like Alone.

Madelyn (41:52)
Right.

I grew up in my dad bow hunting and you just said draw weight. I'm like, okay, like you, mean, you really have to dive in there because you're, this show specifically requires skill, like hard technical skill. There's no if, ands buts about it. You cannot fake it. And so you being able to dive deeper than just can you hunt, can you fish? It's like, there's a technical skillset that you absolutely have to have.

How do you vet these individuals? mean, are you like, send me a video? Like, how are you sort of ensuring that they're, they can do what they say?

Quinn Fegan (42:40)
Yeah, is, Alone is actually one of the most labor intensive casting processes I've done for any show. we need them to prove to us they can do these things. So we are, our casting cuts we have like a huge document where they have to do a range of self shot footage that proves that they can do what they are saying they can do.

And so we're looking at hunting with a bow, a trad bow. We're looking at trapping if it's legal to do that in their area. They're looking at primitive methods of fishing. We want you to build a full shelter. want you to invest time in this. And we want to see ingenuity we want to see that you can make things out there you're only going in with 10 items. we, mean, that I actually think is the

that one of the barriers to entry is that people are like, God, just the casting process is such an investment, helps us as well.

Madelyn (43:39)
Yeah, it helps

you weed people out for sure. there anything that people do, and maybe this is across the board for any show, but is there any sort of thing that people can do or say during a casting process that's an immediate red flag to you?

Quinn Fegan (43:52)
Yes, the number one red flag. Me and other colleagues always, and the executive producers, always joke about this. If someone says they're gonna be out there longer than a hundred days just from the interview, is the first red flag. that we would have to drag them out of there, that this is gonna be the best time of their lives. Anything in that ilk of

Lack of self-awareness of how difficult this is, is the first red flag. Overconfidence, like I said, is a hallmark lack of experience in the outdoors. if you, it sounds like you went hunting with your dad, you will know that this is the most unpredictable to be out in the woods where we're bringing them.

intended to be even more difficult than kind of your baseline outdoor experience.

Madelyn (44:50)
Yeah, the overconfidence is, it's actually, honestly, frankly, even what I do has become a huge flag for me. Anytime people kind of speak in hyperbole or super overconfident, I just immediately get a little, I don't know, you know, cause it's like that saying of like, you know, the loudest, the squeaky wheel kind of sort of thing. And so I kind of feel the same way. I think there's a big sort of question with these survivalist shows.

frankly about like how much actual intervention there is. So can you sort of address, know, these people are completely alone, right? Self-filming their experiences. How much sort of intervention is there? And is there, like, how do you determine when is appropriate to intervene in these situations?

Quinn Fegan (45:37)
Yeah, mean, Alone is definitely an experience where people have to realize that there is a legitimate risk of death. It is no joke, which is why also the casting is very important that we're putting people out there that can handle situations with very serious weather and very serious predators, because those are the two hallmarks of that show.

Madelyn (45:46)
Mm.

Quinn Fegan (46:04)
And so we have a safety team that is on standby they are there only if an alone participant contacts them Yellow Brick to say, I'm tapping out. And I would say even this, because our locations have such serious weather,

Like anything with search and rescue, you have to make sure when you're doing search and rescue that you are not risking your life while trying to rescue someone. And that also is a rule for the safety team and the search and rescue teams that we work with that if the weather is that serious, we have to take into account, you know, are we gonna make it to get that person?

It is honestly one of the realest, most serious I've ever worked on and the danger is real. I I go out there every year with them to do a training camp at site so they know safety protocols. There's a method to the madness in all the things that we do to mitigate all these risks.

But I mean, we've had wolves surround us, we've had grizzly bear right around the corner. mean, it is, you know, it's real.

Madelyn (47:29)
It's real.

Yeah. I mean, so why, you know, at the end of the day, you said you're, you remain friends with some people who are on this show still, and they talk about this transformation. Is that why you feel like people want to go on this show? Or is it, is it this innate desire to

to test themselves? Is that really at the root, you think, of sort of desiring this experience, just to test that sort of root human nature of survival? Like, what are some of the things that you see when they go in of what they're looking to get out of it, and then at the end, sort of, know, how they're feeling?

Quinn Fegan (48:03)
think that most people in this world would say alone is the Olympics of survival series. I think that whenever I've asked people why they want to do this, that is the primary motivation to really test themselves at this level. I think what's helpful about it, because people would say, well, why don't you just go out and do this alone?

is that a lot of these people have families. And so you're testing yourself with somewhat of a safety net because we are there to make sure that, you know, we are mitigating risk in your survival. And so I think something a little comforting in knowing there's a whole team out there who can support you, but as you get yourself to red line, and if you watch the show, you see people are at red line.

I mean, they have been airlifted out. We've had people who've spent a long time at the hospital. I think that people really want to see how far they can push themselves. I think alone kind of gives them that opportunity to kind of be able to do it in a relatively more safe way.

Madelyn (49:17)
Sure. I think it's human nature to seek out these things really. mean, I don't know, skydiving, tattoos. I go get Brazilian waxes just to see if I can, you know what I mean? you're like, it is honestly, I'm like maybe half those contestants could never do it. It is.

Quinn Fegan (49:32)
That's the worst thrill scene!

Madelyn (49:39)
But sometimes I'm like, I can mind over matter. I can do this. And I think it's human nature really to just kind of see how far you can push it. it's, it's really an incredible thing. really, I can't imagine. And it's the fact that you guys are still friends too, speaks to fact that it was a super challenging process, but ultimately positive.

You know, these people aren't like never speak to me again. Like you, and I love that you've retained friends from all of these, you know, different things that you've worked on. As we wrap up a little bit, I just love to know like your, okay, from a casting perspective, like your Mount Rushmore of like the best cast shows that are not your own, where you're like, this was just chef's kiss.

Quinn Fegan (50:18)
Ooh, I love, love that question. I mean, I will say this, I am a huge Bravo fan. what I don't think people realize is that the kind of like, the more docu-soapy the series, the harder that was to cast or the more the series, like, you know, the people who have 20 kids or, you know, my 500 pound life, like those are incredible.

incredibly difficult to cast. I give that, like those directors a lot of credit. is such an old school one, but I have thought this forever. The original cast of Southern Charm is actually one of the best cast series I have ever seen. And will tell you why.

Because in the grand scheme of affluent docuFollow series, the level of access they had was unbelievable. Thomas Ravenel's family has a whole bridge in Charleston. mean, Katherine, and his mother who owns that giant mansion, Patricia Altschul. I mean, and I think what we saw from this was real wealth get real messy.

Madelyn (51:24)
Patricia.

Quinn Fegan (51:33)
And I think that's like a Bravo foundation is wealth and messy. And that show and its first few seasons, I had never seen anything like it at both those levels.

Madelyn (51:45)
I agree with you a million percent.

It was just this, it was this insight into this, Southern wealthy old money, messy. And it was kind of before people, I don't know how to say this. It was before stars learned to filter and it was just no holds barred and incredible. I agree with you, a hundred percent.

Quinn Fegan (52:06)
I

mean, it was not even like there was no filter and they were literally having children with each other. I mean, it was, and I think you so rarely see money on series because they are typically quite resistant to exposure like that. I think that the proof is in the pudding with how great the casting was for that show, because you see how many cast members had their own spinoffs.

Madelyn (52:11)
Yeah.

Quinn Fegan (52:31)
like Southern hospitality to the dating show with Shep. mean, I think Craig being on a lot of episodes of Summer House, I mean, you just kind of saw that it's like that was an amazing lightning in a bottle cast.

Madelyn (52:50)
Yeah, some amazing instincts. mean, you look at Craig, you look at Paige now, like it's just, there's so many characters that you love to love or love to hate or hate to love. And it's just, it's just such good stuff. And I, again, being only what, growing up two and a half hours from Charleston, like I just eat it up every single time. So it's, no, it's so, so good.

If there was a, let me think, what do wanna ask you? What are you just love watching? Like right now, what are you binge watching? What are you keeping up with?

Quinn Fegan (53:21)
I'm a huge Real Housewives aficionado. I'm really interested in seeing the trends that Bravo is having with reshuffling casts. I'm very interested to see how new cast members do within existing dynamics. And we kind of talked about that with Queer Eye. I am loving Real Housewives of Salt Lake City's newest cast member, Bronwyn. She is

Madelyn (53:45)
Bronwyn.

Quinn Fegan (53:48)
unbelievable and I think there was like quite a heavy lift. I think when you have people with a lot of wealth and access, it is a heavy lift to get these people to be on these shows and really reveal so many things. And I kept on thinking as I was watching it, God, mean, it must've taken a lot of conversations with her and her husband to get this going. I love that.

I'm really liking this trend of everything's like Mormon.

Madelyn (54:17)
was going to ask, tell me you've seen Mormon, secret lies of Mormon wives. You talk about getting people to reveal things. I could not believe. how transparent and in their lives they were. The commentary, I was like, was so refreshing, honestly.

Quinn Fegan (54:33)
My jaw was on the floor. My jaw was on the floor. I was not hopeful, I hate to say it, for that series when I saw the ads or the promos for it. The first 20 minutes of the first episode, it was like, I couldn't believe it. And I think what really, like you just said, the level of access production got to their personal lives, because it's one thing, all those girls are on TikTok.

Right? So like, you know that they're okay with showing X, Y, and Z of their lives, but they got their husbands, their families, their children. I mean, it's everyone. I mean, we were seeing like kind of Mormon prayer happening over kind of newborn baby. Like, I was amazed to see that we got that level of access. And I mean,

Madelyn (55:01)
Mm-hmm.

Quinn Fegan (55:27)
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. I mean, I wish I could watch it again for the first time. I can't wait for the second season.

Madelyn (55:33)
damn good TV. And I had the same reservations as you where I was like, I've seen this play out on TikTok, why do I need to tune in? And that's a question that even in show development, you get asked constantly. If I could see it on my phone, why do I need to tune in? And damn, if they did not make us tune in. And I just, again, could not believe the level transparency these young women were giving into their lives, into their relationships, how messy it was, their...

sex lives, their marriages. I mean, it was, and then they just left us on a cliffhanger that was just unbelievable. could, I like think I screamed at the TV. just damn good TV, real good.

Quinn Fegan (56:11)
Yeah, I was feeling, and I was really happy about like, know, television's going through a moment right now and there's a lot of challenges, but when something's greenlit immediately with a 20 episode order, it's like, good for you guys. Good for you guys.

Madelyn (56:16)
Mm-hmm.

Exactly.

love it so much. okay. Well, tell me a glass question. I will ask. Let's see if there was one piece of advice you could give for someone out there who wanted to do what you do, who was like, I have such good instincts. I could get into casting. What would you tell them?

Quinn Fegan (56:39)
tell them what I would tell anyone who's approached me and I've had people DM me and communicate with me in all kind of different creative ways is that it is creating that network. And so when you watch a television show and you see, love this show and I really am into casting and you see that casting director reach out to them. I just recently had someone DM me because she loved Love Island and we talked about it and where she's at.

and what she can do to move forward. And, you know, as we staff up for Love Island, this is how people get opportunities in this community. You know, it is a small one. And so I think that, you know, finding your community of television people is really important. And reaching, not being afraid to kind of reach out and not being afraid to know that you're gonna work really hard.

and kind of going in eyes wide open about that working behind the scenes is not always as glamorous as it might appear.

Madelyn (57:41)
But when you have good people around you, it makes it worth it. Yeah. No, I agree with you a hundred percent. It is that, that mentorship, that reaching out, not being afraid. You know, I was talking to someone the other day that I screenshot all my rejections because the thing that keeps you from reaching out what an email in your inbox that says no.

Like that's it, that's all it is, you know? And so I love that you are so open to people reaching out to you. You were so even open to me wanting to have you on to chat. And it's just, I think it's so important because this industry can feel secretive and gatekeepy and like it's only reserved for special people. And I do think there's a way for people to get in who are really passionate. So I appreciate you so much for spending time with me, for chatting. just, all things reality TV. love that you're in some of

all of our favorite shows, but you also just are a connoisseur and a lover of it in general. feel like I could talk to you about it all day.

Quinn Fegan (58:33)
I was gonna say thank you so much for the invite. could chat with you about reality TV actually all day. thank you so much, this was really fun.

Madelyn (58:38)
Hahaha.

Yeah, absolutely, and we will look forward to, we're gonna all enjoy the new season of Queer Eye, and we will look forward to whatever is awaiting us for Love Island this summer.

Madelyn (58:50)
my gosh, first episode and we are wrapped. Thank you so much for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast, again, please like, follow, subscribe, rate, review. This is our first episode, so every little bit counts. Guys, I'm telling you, the lineup of people and interviews and information and insights and tea that I have for you is, it's so, so good. So I'm so happy that you're here. Have a great rest of your weekend and we will see you on the Unscripted Files next Friday.

Madelyn Cunningham (59:18)
The Unscripted Files is brought to you by Good Gravity Entertainment. Thank you to producer Bonnie Adams, Original Music by composer William Wright, Artwork by Lisa Schweikart, and Photography by Reid Schick.