SEATTLE — The Norwegian reality show "Alt for Norge," also known as "The Great Norway Adventure" held casting auditions at the National Nordic Museum in Seattle last Saturday. They were looking for Americans who are either descendants of Norway or have some Norwegian blood in their veins, to come to Norway for 6 weeks to participate in the program.
So where can you find folks with Nordic heritage in Seattle? Why Ballard, of course.
“We came to Ballard because this is where it's at. I mean, all the Norwegians come to Ballard, they're all here," said Joan O'Connor, a Casting Director with O'Connor Casting Company in Chicago. "It's such a wonderful place. We've been here before. A lot of our previous contestants are from Ballard.”
"We expect about 100 to 150 [people]. We don't know," Joan said. "It kind of grew and grew and grew. That's the great thing about Ballard. It has such a tight-knit Norwegian community that the word spread like wildfire."
The casting company came back to Ballard in hopes of finding 12 Norwegian Americans to take part in the upcoming eleventh season of the show.
"They'll walk in, and they'll check in, they'll sign their name and all that good stuff. And then David O'Connor will kind of prep them because we don't have a lot of time with them. So, he'll prep them on what I'll be asking," Joan said.
Among those trying out is Seattle’s Emma Spickard.
"I have never done anything like this. I figured what do I have to lose? [I'll] Probably meet some cool people, love the Nordic Museum. So, a bit nervous but more just excited,” said Spickard. "I've never been to Norway, and I do have Norwegian heritage that I know names but nothing else about beyond our immigration story, which is really one of assimilation," Spickard said.
"We're looking for someone passionate about being Norwegian," "I think that's important because that's what the show is really about," said Joan."We're looking for people who have a lot of different interests and unusual stories. Just people who are excited, friendly."
When auditions were held in Ballard before, they found one of those friendly faces in Lars Phillips, who was on season 7 of the show.
"Initially, when I tried out, I thought I had no shot whatsoever," Phillips said. "But I was eventually called back to Chicago for the callbacks. And I treated it like a job interview. And I didn't know I guess I put my best foot forward and I represented Ballard well, and all of a sudden they pick me, and all of a sudden two months later, I was off on a plane to Norway for the adventure of a lifetime."
So what advice does Lars have for anyone who gets picked?
"I think that so many of the challenges, once you get over there are luck-oriented," said Phillips. "You really can't do too much to prepare, you just have to be ready to have a really good time and soak in the experience. Understand that every single week that you're over there it's almost like you've won an all-expense paid trip to Norway, with an amazing group. It really is the adventure of a lifetime."
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