Students line up to open their lives - on TV

More than 40 students signed up to attend the early-May casting call of a new reality show pilot directed by two Princeton Borough entrepreneurs, Tricia Rosenthal and Rosana Clawson.  

Clawson told The Daily Princetonian that the show would offer an “insider look” into the lives of individual Princeton students, but the directors declined to go into greater detail and could not be reached for an interview.

Lester Nare ’13, a member of the men’s soccer team, said that he was interested in being on the show, but decided not to go to callbacks after the University’s athletic director requested that he not proceed.

“I went into the audition having absolutely zero idea of what the show was about, but I was interested,” Nare said. “[The directors] described the show as more of a Princeton lifestyle reality show, rather than, ‘Let’s go film them going to eating clubs and getting hammered.’”

But many wondered how the film crew would be able to film on campus or in the eating clubs. Requests to film on campus or use the Princeton University name must be reviewed by the Office of Communications. University spokeswoman Emily Aronson said that as of early June, the directors of the show had not contacted the University about permission to film on campus or to feature Princeton.  

Reality shows have approached the University in the past, Aronson said, but none has been approved.

“This does not mean that we would never approve one, but we have very stringent criteria that we would apply in considering these shows, particularly as they relate to student privacy issues,” she said.