‘Reality Life with Kate Casey’ Host Shares Gritty Details of Popular Podcast

Kate Casey is the host of Reality Life with Kate Casey, one of the highest rated podcasts in TV & Film, and devoted to unscripted television. She is considered the queen of unscripted tv. Three times a week she interviews talent, directors, producers, and hosts of television’s most popular reality shows, docuseries, and documentaries. Her show has been regularly featured in Newsweek, Time, People, US Magazine, Buzzfeed, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Daily Mail, and more. Her weekly must watch list is a go-to for TV industry insiders and viewers alike.

Kate’s love for unscripted television began with a weekend of marathon episodes of The Real World while home on vacation from school. The groundbreaking television series was about seven strangers who were picked to live in a loft in New York City and have their lives filmed over several months. The series reminded her of the experience she had as a student at Milton Hershey School, a school for underprivileged children in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

With a natural curiosity and a superior memory for details about people she became a walking encyclopedia for unscripted TV. After leaving behind a career as a media consultant for global law firms she turned her fascination for reality shows into a podcast. Six years and 525 episodes later she is the go-to expert on what to watch every week. Her interviews span every subject in the genre, including sports, true crime, romance, and housewives.

Kate and her husband live in Southern California with their five children.

Film Daily Q&A

When and why did you decide to launch your podcast “Real Life With Kate Casey”? Six years ago I pitched the idea of a podcast about reality television to a network. Can you believe the podcast network executive asked me if enough people watch reality shows?
How has it evolved over time? Did you always plan to do all unscripted or did you start in one area and expand (reality, true crime, docuseries etc. ) I began just covering reality shows, but expanded it to all of unscripted. I love stories about real people and real life circumstances. I find that is more compelling storytelling.
How do you decide on what guests to have on? What have been some of the most exciting guest interviews or most challenging to book? I choose guests based on my must watch lists and what I find is the most interesting story to highlight that week. I think I have a great finger on the pulse, I know what moves people. Surprisingly it is hardest to book guests from reality shows then it is booking a host of a top competition show or an Academy award winning director or producer. It is insane!

Any that were particularly surprising (either good or bad or just not what you expected?) I was surprised how much I liked Mike “The Situation” from Jersey Shore and Jon Gosselin. They were both very introspective given their experience with fame. I have loved so many guests featured in documentaries about cults. I think Sarah Edmonson (The Vow) and Elissa Wall (Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey) are extraordinary. Elissa Wall should get the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I think Marcus Lemonis from The Profit is a superior human being.
Why do you think audiences are so fascinated by unscripted TV ? People like to get a window into someone else’s world. We can expand our world view by learning about others’ life experiences and choices.
We’ve seen such an expansion into true crime in recent years especially with so many more streaming networks? Where do you see this going in the next few years? I think we will see more stories about citizen detectives and understanding forensic psychology.
You also do live shows! How did that come about and what’s it like having a hybrid comedy/podcast stage presence? I wanted guests to experience my show as if I am sitting at the end of their dining room table. I feel like I am the most interested person at a dinner party, always looking for the most interesting guest.
What are your plans for the podcast in the future? I would like to do more live shows and branch out to producing television and documentary films.
If someone is thinking about getting into this career, what advice do you have for them to enter the reality programming world? Make sure this is something you would want to do all day long. This is a huge commitment.