Auditions at MOA for reality show in Norway

Minnesotans with Norwegian ancestry have a chance to compete on a Norwegian reality show, which is holding a casting call at the Mall of America on Saturday.

"The Great Norway Adventure" has featured six Minnesotans in past seasons and hopes to find more Norwegian-Americans eager to visit the homeland for the first time. The auditions were taking place from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Casting director Joan O'Connor said viewers enjoy watching their American cousins encountering real Norwegian culture.

"There's language competitions to see if you can remember phrases in Norwegian," O'Connor said. "And then, of course, there's the food competition to see if you'll eat certain things. I recall Season 1 they had to eat sheep's head, but you don't have to eat the stuff if you don't want to."

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O'Connor said contestants have to have at least some Norwegian ancestry.

"The show is really about the contestants' relationship with their Norwegian experience rather than a backstabbing type of reality show where it's their relationship with the other contestants, so it's all friendly competition," she said.

Similar reality shows exist for Swedish- and Danish-Americans.

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