Who are those sources and where do they get their information? We have good statistics on the number of players and how much they win from wwtbam.biz, but I'd question any stats about the pool.check2012 wrote:I've done a bit of research about my odds now that I'm in the pool. One source said anywhere from 2/3 to 3/4 of the people in the pool are called to be on the show. Another source said about 350 are kept in the pool, 175 episodes are filmed a season, and approximately 1.75 people are on each show (one person's full run, plus 3/4 of another person's). So it looks like my odds, based on at least those sources, are about 50%.
Despite the fact that this group follows the show more closely than just about anyone, we don't know. TPTB keep these facts top secret (athough they may mention general numbers about total number of auditioners and total numbers of contestants, per season). The best we can do is speculate, based on what we've observed over the years.check2012 wrote:Do they draw names randomly out of the pool, or do the producers simply review every contestant in the pool and then choose one there (aka not random)?
IMHO, it's absolutely not random, although it certainly may be arbitrary. My hunch is that each of the AP may keep their favorites in mind and they recommend casting these contestants whenever they're making the selections. Since they see so many auditioners, throughout the whole season, that means that (in general), the longer someone is in the pool, the more likely they'll be forgotten about (although people do get cast after being in the pool for a year or longer, from time to time). Beyond that, do they "stir the pool" reviewing everyone in it? Do they have some strict set of guidelines about what types of contestants to cast, given to them by the executive producers and/or sponsors? We don't know.