The Zach Nichols Podcast - All Stars 4 EP. 4 Review w/ Jonathan Woodbeck! | ZNP EP. 42

Episode Date: April 26, 2024

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Hey everyone, what's up? My name is Woody Woodbeck, and I am here at the Zach Nichols podcast. Make sure you guys check us out. We're talking all things, the challenge behind the scenes, and of course I'm here to spill some tea. Welcome back to the Zach Nichols podcast. I'm here with my co-host, Mr. Zach Nichols. I think this is going to be a great guest this week.

It's very interesting. I do too. You bring up a very interesting part of the whole industry. We have Emmy Award-winning TV producer, Mr. Jonathan. then Woodback, aka Woody in the building. I'm so happy to be here. Can't tell you all hype I am. You're like the man behind the masks.

Like, but in a good way. In a good way. The best way. No, like, I've heard your name. I heard your name being spoken to me on doing seasons before I even knew you had a major role in casting me on Real World San Diego. That's that's very kind. Or Real World Back to San Diego.

It's very kind. So we are going to be covering episode four of All Stars 4 and then getting into all the stuff that a producer has to. to do. A casting producer in on site, in the field producer has to do on the challenge. So stay tuned for all that. I do want to remind you guys

our show in San Diego, where you did have your first real world. Tickets are on sale for that. So go get that. It's actually in the house, the real world house, man. I'm getting that. Yeah, no. The show is in the house. La Jolla. Yeah, but it's very close. But yeah. La Jala.

We are, we're going to get, we're going to dive in to the casting of Zach. But just real quick, just a quick tidbit. What's your first, what was your first impression of him whenever you saw him? Oh, he was hot. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I mean, truthfully. Key word was. No, no, no, no, I didn't mean it like that at all. I promise. But, you know, when you look, when you think about the standard for real world, we'll be very honest. It was at a time, MTV's flagship, right? So, like, the people that we look for had to be of a certain caliber.

And most of the time, at our casting calls, they were not. Right. Oh, it was rough. That's what I saw. You were seeing people that look like me when you needed people that looked like Zach. Maybe. In your words, not mine.

I had the worst hair back then. Oh, the worst? It was like in between long and short still. It was bad. The ugly stage? So it must have just been the drawline back then. Had to be. I mean, I definitely think that there was something very charming about you.

I definitely remember watching, you know, because there are obviously so many rounds for us, especially when it comes to the real world. We go from thousands to a couple hundred. to like 38 you know and so there are multiple interviews there's those background checks as you know like we do a full thesis on each of these potential people so you really start to discover and learn and I said to him earlier I was like you know the first round that first round interview is important but that second interview and that third interview are really where that's when you can tell you

separate like you know the cats from like the felines you know that's right that's right That interview, that was second interview you speak of, my first one was in Ann Arbor. My first day was in Ann Arbor. It was the big one. Then I came back to Ann Arbor for a one-on-one in front of a green screen. I was like, did I sign up for a porn? Everyone only. Take your shirt off.

Take your shirt off. Then the third one actually was with you in Chicago, and that was the worst day of my life. No, no, I can't say that because I was, you know, people have died in my life. I can't say that. But like it was top 20 most stressful days ever. Why was that, Zach? They put me on a train to Chicago. Oh, okay.

And so then I get to Chicago, I felt the interview was ass. Because they were just monotone, didn't have, like, I feed off of reactions, right? I was getting like zero reaction. And then something happened to the train in my 4 p.m. train back to Michigan, didn't leave until 1 a.m. Sure. I got back to Michigan at like six or, I don't know, wait. How far is that train ride? It's like four hours, five hours, six hours.

six hours. So we probably left around midnight. I got back at six. I had to be at work at seven. I'm like I bombed this interview. Dreams over. I'm a janitor now. Like that ride sucked. I didn't sleep at all. And people act crazy in public transportation systems. I had, I was in the Chicago train station from like 2.30. You know, and this is again, I had never traveled to this point of my life unless it was for football. So that's literally like being a kindergartener. Like get in line, get on the bus, get off the bus, go to your hotel room. and so I didn't know like anything so I'm just sitting in the train station and I was there were some scary things that happened yeah that's wild I still to this day won't go into any subway no train station like nope what do you remember about that Chicago interview here's the thing truthfully I did so many seasons of the real world that I and interviewed hundreds of people that I don't necessarily remember specifically but I will tell you that if I wasn't showing you something is because I was testing you because you have to understand like obviously I'm obviously you know you've been through it. When we start to really dwindle it down, when you step into that room, you have to be able to show us layers and who you are. And if I was giving uncomfortable energy,

it was definitely for a reason. I wanted to see how you would react. What, what are you going to do? What are you going to say? How are you going to feel? Because knowing in a way that that is a test, because when you're going to, when you go into a house with seven complete strangers, you never quite know who's going to be in the house with, who are you going to rub it? So maybe a lot of the times, would test certain guys, especially alpha males, because I would want to know, like, are you going to be able to hold your own with somebody that you may not fuck with? Right. Yeah.

So if anything, that was probably because of- I believe that now. And I think, like, in my head, I just, I think I literally said, like, hey, I'm just going to go, you know, I'm just going to full throttle this. Just try to make this guy laugh. Just go for it. You know, I didn't back down. I remember that.

But I just remember leaving being like, I've never been in an interview in any situation that I didn't dominate and I was like fuck yeah I think they I think he knows I'm full of shit and literally did you know you actually did charm him and to get into the next round 100% you know what's crazy about that was when I was in because when you get we got this whole first of all this hotel in Chicago was the big I mean I've been in the hotel in Indianapolis that they have the NFL draft at this hotel was so big I don't know which hotel it was all I know is it was probably the lobby was like a mile yeah I remember that it was huge and I remember the person that met me at the door

walked me to like an area where nobody else was sitting and he was like you cannot sit anywhere else and I remember looking around and I have a good memory because I remember, obviously I remember you from that interview, remember your face. I remember Brandon Swift was sitting in the table like

you know it was so far away but I remember looking at him being like he was wearing a scarf he had his button up. I'm like there's no way that kid is not here for this interview because he's wearing a fucking scarf and then like who wears it like I'm like who would wear a scarf in just he looked ridiculous. Like he was going for it.

Yeah. And then also, and maybe it wasn't him, but I'm almost positive it was, but you know who else I saw in the casting process? And she didn't get casted for this specific reason. It was in L.A. And they're supposed to keep, you're not supposed to see anyone until you get to the house. So the P.A. is messed up. And they were walking me into the doctor's office.

And me and Marie, like, boom, face to face. And I was like, we're not supposed to see each other. Yeah. And both PAs, like, freaked out, like, freaked out. And then they got a call. And the one that I was with was getting, like, you could hear the screaming happening. And then when I got out of the interview that I went into, a new P. Like, they fired him on the spot.

So now fast forward to bail the season or fast forward to St. Thomas. And I turn on the TV. They're doing the new promo or whatever. And I see Marie. I'm like, oh, my gosh. Marie didn't get cast on San Diego because of that moment. Isn't that crazy? It's wild because I.

I'm one of the people that helped find Marie as well. And we've been friends ever since. And it's interesting, truthfully, when you see how, who fits where, because a lot of the times people will make it to the finals and they might not get cast on the show because of the ensemble. It doesn't mean that MTV has an earmarked them for maybe another season. Exactly. We've learned that. A lot of people. That happened to Laurel too.

Yeah. So let's talk about that real quick. It's been, so you, Marie, myself, go through some of, go through your, like top 20 so i so my big one was new back to new Orleans because i ended up with two or three people that i found on that show so as a part of mackenzie i was part of i forget who else who else was on that season reason brian resley and then there was like one other on that season but i was that dustin no dustin was uh oh las vegas yes that's right that's right so dusty was or dustin was Las Vegas, Nani.

Like, I've been a part of some big place. You got Dustin and Nani? Yeah. Nani's a big one. So for me, Nani, my favorite memories about Nani is Nani was on, I want to say it was an Instagram live or a TikTok live. She was enjoying herself and she was having a good time, probably a few drinks. Before show or after show?

No, this was like years later. She's done challenges and she was on. And she was on something and she was saying, I want to give that. give that what do you guys shout out he gave me a chance when no one else would give me a chance he believed in me and i really from the day that i met nani i was like that girl's meant to be a star oh yeah so to see her have everything that i knew that she deserved because remember i don't think that for challenge fans in the beginning she hit right i don't think that she was necessarily as loved as she is now i think that she was a little rough around the edges initially

She was rough around the edges But I think Nani Nani was always polarizing I think Nani always had people Nani always had people who loved her But also people who really hated her 100% As both with cast members

And with fans I feel like That's exactly Well I mean pretty much Everyone that we've just named me They either love me, they hated me Frank loved them or hated him Oh I didn't say Frank But you did find Frank

Yeah I did Frank's second round I interview I remember doing So yeah you did mine and his Both the second round Yeah so I remember when I met Frank. They had told me a lot about him and I think Frank was still identifying as bisexual back then. Yeah, he was on our season for most. Yeah. So I remember, you know, they had said like there's a lot to him. So like really like dig in. And I think our interview was at least an hour and a half. Wow.

Which was a long time because I really just had like pressed him on everything. All the political stuff and this and that. Well, because he comes from. His dad's a small business owner. Right. And he was from upstate. New York and we had a lot in common because so was I. And like, so we really, I digged. And I remember leaving that interview and saying to my boss, like, if you guys don't cast him, he would a bunch of idiots. He pretty much, he knew that too. He's extremely intelligent.

He basically, he told, I think he, I don't know if this is verbatim what he said, but essentially the whole cast was built around him. Interesting. That's kind of what he was told from. Somebody. Yeah. Or he just was telling us that to fuck with us. But I believe it because, I mean,

come on. Yeah, he has an integral piece to that. Come on. He may be the most, one of the most polarizing. For sure. Well, I cannot wait to talk about all that producer stuff, but let's get into All-Stars 4. We come back from the Rachel and Ayanna elimination to... Did you cast either of Rachel or Ina?

No. No. No. I was just checking. Okay. I was in diaper. Yeah, no. We come back. We come back from that double elimination, and then, you know, Rachel feels slightly guilty about stealing a star from Tina, but, you know, the trio of her Veronica.

That was a smart political mood though because I didn't piece anyone off Let me ask you this. That concludes the free preview of the Zach Nichols podcast. So go to Patreon and subscribe to see the rest of the shit that we talk. Go do it now.