Jesse Tannenbaum has dedicated his career to casting for CBS, primarily on Survivor and The Amazing Race. After years of working his way up on both shows, he became the lead casting director, taking the reins for The Amazing Race in 2017 and Survivor in 2019.
During Tannenbaum’s tenure, both shows have produced seasons that are widely considered fan favorites — a remarkable feat given that The Amazing Race is heading into its 38th season and Survivor is approaching its 49th.
His work has not gone unnoticed by the Television Academy. After earning an Emmy nomination last year for The Amazing Race, Tannenbaum has been honored with two more nominations this year (one for each show). This marks the first time Survivor has been nominated in this category since the Reality TV Casting Emmy was introduced in 2017.
With these nods, Tannenbaum is the only reality TV casting director to receive more than one nomination this year.
Insights From Jesse Tannenbaum
- Focus on showcasing what makes you unique and avoid fitting into a stereotypical “type” to stand out during auditions.
- Develop strong emotional honesty and storytelling skills to connect deeply with casting teams and audiences alike.
- Build authentic relationships and communication skills, especially when auditioning as a team, since dynamics can make or break your success.
You’ve been on Survivor for almost 10 years and The Amazing Race for nearly 15. How have the two jobs evolved over that time? Are you casting differently than you did when you first joined the shows?
Having worked for both shows for so long, it’s been interesting to see the evolution of the casting process and what we look for now, versus then. The main thing that has stayed constant is the search for dynamic people who are beautiful storytellers, but there has been a shift in the type of people we choose.
What I mean by that is, we don’t look for a “type” anymore. Ever since I was given the opportunity to be the casting director of these shows that I have loved since the early 2000s, I wanted to stop looking for archetypes and focus on what makes each person unique and special. No more putting people in a box. If my team and I aren’t emotionally invested in the person, how will the viewers be?
For Survivor, another major shift in the casting process has been working closer than ever with Jeff Probst and our executive producers on deciding who will be a part of the casting finals. We all work so well with one another and respect each other’s different opinions and thoughts on who would be great for the show. If any of us say we will “fall on the sword” for a specific person, they are automatically moving forward in the process.
Something I’ve always wondered about casting The Amazing Race: do you seek out people who you think will travel well, or people who you think won’t? Or is it a happy medium of the two?
Our goal is always to find teams that will be successful in the race. Each person brings a specific set of skills that help their team succeed, along with some weaknesses that might slow them down.
What’s interesting about the race is that a team might be strong across the board, but the dynamic in the relationship might be the nail in the coffin if they aren’t able to work on their communication and past issues.
What are some favorite success and failure stories of contestants over the years?
A recent success story that I love is watching Carson and Jack, two childhood friends who have always dreamt of an epic adventure, but only doing so through their imaginations while playing Dungeons & Dragons. Seeing how they always stayed positive and soaked up the experience, even when things got hard, was inspiring. Proud to have them as the winners of season 37.
Failure story. Okay, I feel bad about this one because if a team decides to put themselves out there and challenge themselves on this journey, there are no failures. However, watching siblings Maya and Rohan do a 30-point turn to try and get out of a dead-end street instead of reversing was TV gold. Once again, not a failure, but entertaining to watch.
Let’s turn to Survivor, which I have watched since the beginning. Unlike The Amazing Race, where you’re auditioning pairs who don’t spend much, if any time with other pairs, with Survivor, you’re casting a community. Several small communities, if we’re being specific. How does that factor into your casting process?
To be honest, I would say that in the first half of the casting process, we don’t think about it all. We are just looking for the best of the best. Who is compelling, relatable, dynamic, intriguing, alluring, a fantastic storyteller, etc?
After we get over the major hump of finding a bunch of captivating people, we then begin to look at the big picture. Do we have a diversified group? What are we missing? This is where the casting team and I hone in on finding people who add to what we already have, and that’s where the fun begins for us! A
t the end of the seven-month-long casting process, we fly in all of our top finalists to meet us in person. After two long days, we start choosing who will be on what season and what the tribes will look like.
How hands-on is Jeff Probst as you’re putting the castaways together?
Jeff is very hands-on during the casting process from start to finish.
After we have our internal pitch meeting, we then send our top picks to Jeff and some of the producers, who decide who they want to pre-screen before being approved to come to an official casting final. He FaceTimes each person, day or night, to connect with them. Throughout each round of finals, Jeff conducts each interview, with the network asking questions as well.
Just like with The Amazing Race, I’m curious about Survivor surprises. Are there particular people who did better than you thought they would?
It’s so hard to predict who will do well or not so well on Survivor as the variables change with each cast, but there have been some surprises while watching it all play out on my TV screen.
Andy from season 47 is the first person that comes to mind. He’s an extremely intelligent guy, and during the casting process, we were all so enamored by him, which naturally led me to believe his social game would be strong.
Much to my surprise, in the first episode, he had a “meltdown,” and his constant paranoia deterred people from working with him. He then surprised me again when he turned his game around and had a somewhat devious streak.
What about people who flamed out, who you thought might be potential winners?
There are always players that I assume would go far, but when you are on a cast with sharks, you get eaten, sometimes sooner than expected. A couple of these players for me were Kellie from 45 and Thomas from 48.
I know this is a loaded question, but this is the first time Survivor has been nominated since the category’s first year, in 2017. What do you think sets the season 47 and 48 casts apart from previous seasons?
That’s a very difficult question to answer because I truly believe each cast is so unique and special. We always try to find people who are relatable to our audience. People who not only entertain, but also inspire, and I think this past year we’ve had some incredibly compelling stories of adversity, triumph, compassion and unity.
When you see Kamilla, Shauhin, Kyle and Joe bonding over their family backgrounds and experiences as people of color, it’s a conversation that isn’t highlighted as much as it should be on reality TV.
Having Eva open up to Joe about her autism, and then seeing him expose his game when she was in need, was a truly beautiful moment and an important one for people to see. Eva’s story isn’t told that often, and she told it in a very powerful way, giving hope to so many people watching who might have a family member with autism or who themselves might be autistic.
The important conversations and beautiful moments from this past year are why I think we were nominated, and why I love working on Survivor.
With so much success for your shows this year, does that increase the pressure moving forward? Does it raise the bar? Or is it incidental to your process and how you put these casts together?
The bar is always rising, and my team and I are up for the challenge.
Impossible question to answer, but I’m asking it anyway: you’re the only person nominated twice in this category. Do you have a preference for which show wins?
Ha! May the odds ever be in everyone’s favor.
Final Takeaways
Casting veterans like Jesse Tannenbaum show that success comes from more than just fitting a mold. It’s about bringing your genuine self to the table and telling your story in a way that resonates. For new actors, understanding what casting directors truly look for can make all the difference.
- Be authentic and highlight what makes you different instead of trying to fit into a predefined type.
- Hone your storytelling ability so casting teams can emotionally connect with you.
- Collaborate well with others and show strong communication skills, especially when working in teams.
- Stay open to feedback and be ready to adapt, as casting decisions often involve many perspectives.
- Prepare to showcase resilience and positivity, even when the process gets tough or unpredictable.
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