Toronto should soon have a reality show to call its own. Dubbed Lake Shore, the proposed program would stick a group of Torontonians, each from a different culture, under one roof on Lake Shore Boulevard and watch them struggle and thrive as their respective cultures clashed.
The program is the brainchild of 25-year-old television executive Maryam Rahimi who was inspired by MTV’s hit Jersey Shore. “It’s really the latest trend to come out of reality television,” she says. “Everyone wants to know what everyone’s doing. They want to poke their noses in other people’s business.”
“People love junky television and that’s exactly what’s this is.”
Producers took a different route to help the show stand out from the crowded reality TV pack.
“We were interested in showcasing the diversity of the young people here — the different cultures and sexual orientation, and how inclusive the kids could get, how open they could be,” she said.
Auditions took place over two days in July at a downtown Toronto bar. Prospective cast members were encouraged to imbibe and show off their unique personalities. Standouts met the judges to determine if they were “wishy-washy” or strong characters. “We wanted to see how far these people would go to get noticed,” admits Rahimi.
One contestant went so far as to run around the bar naked, screaming at the top of his lungs in an attempt to catch the judges’ eyes.
The eight favourites start shooting this fall.
