Entertainment

It Literally Pays to Watch TV on Bravo

by Laura Rosenfeld

Normally, watching people watch TV shows in their own homes is creepy, but Bravo's latest cult hit The People's Couch makes voyeurism cool again. Every week on the show, families, friends, and couples of all flavors gather 'round the good old boob tube to discuss the week's most OMG TV moments from I Wanna Marry "Harry" to Miley Cyrus' Billboard Music Awards performance. There's laughing, there's confusion, and there's plenty of shade thrown. It's basically The Soup or Best Week Ever, but with regular TV watchers instead of comedians.

Yes, people just like you and me appear on national TV every week. Well, with the exception of former child star and Full House alum Blake McIver taking a seat on the couch. But it's mostly just normal people lying in bed or wearing pajamas breaking down Ramona's latest antics on The Real Housewives of New York City. And they get paid for it. So can anyone just sign up for this? And, hypothetically speaking, if someone wanted to be on The People's Couch, how would he or she do it? Asking for a friend, of course.

Though it doesn't look like the show is casting at the moment, when it was, it seemed like it was as easy to sign up as sending an email. On The People's Couch Casting Facebook page, a post dated January 22 of this year opened up the casting call, asking for people who find themselves "laughing, yelling, or crying at the TV" and fight with their families over the remote control (which doesn't narrow it down much). If you fit into any of the categories of "LOUD & PROUD Retired Couples," "Outspoken grandparents," or "Wealthy Friends, Girlfriends & 'Frenemies,'" then The People's Couch may just be for you. If you're the kind of person who gives some side-eye to anyone who asks, "What's going on in this show again?" (I won't name any names), then you're probably better-suited to just watching TV from the comfort of your own home.

Once you figure out what type of TV watcher you are and feel like giving it a go, there's an email and phone number you can use to get in touch with the people casting for the show. And then their people will call your people, and if they like you, bada bing, you'll find yourself talking trash about the Kardashians before you know it. Oh, but anyone not located in the greater Los Angeles area need not apply, since that's where filming takes place.

One casting blog says that you can snag up to $6,000 for the gig, depending on how many episodes you're featured in. While we can't say whether that's true or not, the possibility of eternal glory should be compensation enough for you. What if The People's Couch is your ticket to stardom, or at least a coupon to become a Bravolebrity? One way or the other, it beats watching Netflix alone on your laptop.

Image: Bravo