Love Island bosses look for Irish Assets
Wit and charm winning over reality TV chiefs
LOVE Island researchers have been targeting Ireland for sexy contestants for this summer’s show, a top model boss revealed.
Derek Daniels has told how he’s been inundated with calls from ITV requesting castings for wannabe reality stars.
Derek runs Dublin-based Assets Model Agency which is the first stop for top shows whose producers are attracted to the Irish wit and charm.
He said: “Irish people have the craic built into them and production companies are aware of this.
“If they get a good Irish character they’re on to a winner. We have an inbuilt spirit of fun and we’re great conversationalists and we love to talk.
“Regardless of whether they’re talking a load of crap or not they create great reality TV and are even better in the editing suites.
“You need all these elements to make these work.”
Derek, who has worked with Ireland’s top models including Sarah Morrissey and Glenda Gilson, added it’s the younger ones who are into instant fame.
He said: “There is a certain genre of young people who are interested, then there are others that have more sense than to get involved. In reality TV it’s very well put together, getting people vying against each other to drum up ratings.”
Derek admitted he advises his models to be wary of the psychological impact of the shows. He added: “Let’s face it, it’s very well structured in that it creates great entertainment, but there is the other side to it, other people have to pick up the pieces with these kids afterwards.
“It’s all a bit like instant fame, the dangerous part of all these things is instant fame that lasts five minutes and then you see suicides from these shows.
“I know Jeremy Kyle isn’t a reality show but it runs along the same lines, Last year’s Love Island line-up
getting people to expose themselves live on television. These things set on these Caribbean Islands, only a handful of people gain success from them, the rest are extras.
“Then they have to live with the consequences that nobody is interested in them because they have nothing to offer.”
series of Love Island will begin on ITV2 on Monday, June 3