The 11th season of OWN TV’s “Ready to Love” will film in Chicago; all the show needs is a dynamic cast of “Chicago-based successful singles” between the ages of 30 and 50. Well-known TV and film casting director and consultant Thea Washington has been posting flyers on social media since July in hopes of recruiting Chicagoans for the hit TV show.
One challenge she’s come across, however, is finding eligible Black single men. The casting crew has found the women for the show’s Chicago season, she said. But they’ve been sliding in DMs and posting on social media, hoping to recruit more Black men to apply for the show.
On TikTok, Washington — who runs her own casting agency, Thea Washington Casting — posted a video on Aug. 17, asking her viewers to lead her to the “quality” Chicago men who are “tall, fine, attractive,” and “are really looking for love.” Also, she added, men who are “really single and no one thinks that they go with you.”
”So the men, I think they are hiding or they are married,” Washington told The TRiiBE. “I don’t know where they are, but we’re looking for them.”
Produced by big-screen filmmaker Will Packer and Lighthearted Entertainment, and hosted by Thomas Miles (a.k.a “Nephew Tommy” from The Steve Harvey Morning Show), “Ready to Love” is a dating show on the Oprah Winfrey Network that explores the experiences of Black singles who are looking for lasting love.
Contestants are encouraged to date multiple people while completing tests and tasks. Eliminations take place every week, with contestants voting off the cast member who they’ve connected with the least. As the season dwindles down, remaining couples decide if they would like to keep building a relationship.
For the Chicago women they’ve seen, Washington said, dating is “not all about the money.”
“If you take two incomes and put it together, it might really work out. We all like men that have a dollar but if he don’t have all the dollars in the world, but he has all these other areas where he seems to be loyal, he seems to be fine as hell, he has a career… we might pass them through,” Washington said. “If you don’t have all the money, but you kind of fine, it might work out.”
Those interested in being casted in the forthcoming Chicago season can visit https://chicago.castingcrane.com/ to apply while spots are still open for the next few weeks. Lighthearted Entertainment also has an application link here: https://lighthearted.com/show/ready-to-love/
Washington let The TRiiBE in on the secret sauce for finding the right people for the show. She said she reviews applicants quickly, looking for potential and checking for any major red flags. She may call candidates for a quick pre-screening to dig a little deeper.
If the candidate passes the pre-screening, they are invited to join a video call to verify authenticity. “You just need to make sure, because people get a little crazy with the filters and the catfishing and all that stuff,” she said.
Successful candidates then participate in a one-hour interview with a show producer. In this interview round, candidates are asked in-depth questions about their lives and suitability for the show.
The producer’s notes are pitched to the network, which provides feedback and determines if the candidate moves forward.
“We want people who are a prize, a catch,” Washington said. “We don’t want somebody that doesn’t have any drive.”
Candidates who pass the network review then undergo background checks. Final selections are made by the network and executive producers.
For Washington, “Ready to Love” is more than just a love show; it’s a much-needed reflection of Black love and modern dating.
“This show is important because it shows educated, beautiful Black people navigating through life, and we need to see reflections of ourselves,” she said.
Washington said “Ready to Love” also gives OWN TV a platform to support local businesses, restaurants, clubs, and brands, giving them national exposure. Over the last 10 seasons the show has gained a loyal following, maintaining a daily viewership of 246,000 viewers, according to the U.S. TV database.
“They have Facebook groups. They have meetups. They have discussions. They have all of these things because they know that they’re not alone,” she said. “They’re not the only ones in their 30s, or in their 40s, or in their 50s, looking for love.”
