The series follows 12 Norwegian-Americans who fly to Norway and immerse themselves in the culture and compete in a series of adventurous and fun challenges. The winner receives a CASH prize of $50,000.00 and meets Norwegian relatives they don’t even know exist.
According to Norwegian producer Thor Oreld, the show is popular with viewers because “Norwegians love to see Americans react to typical Norwegian things. We can laugh about their poor adaptation to Norwegian culture and laugh at ourselves as they point out weird customs that we take for granted. When we think about it, it is kind of strange that every Norwegian cabin has a portrait of the king and queen in the outhouse.”
Casting Producer Joan O’Connor says that many people apply because they want a deeper connection to their past. Others, like Season 5’s Kent Luetzen, 22 crave the adventure, but are surprised by what happens.
Luetzen says, “The intense emotion of standing on my family farm that I originated from was unexpected. I learned that everyone comes from generations of success, failure, hardships, love, and a lot of hard working people. Now it’s my turn to leave a mark in my family history, so that in a hundred years when a 22 year old college kid is looking at his lineage, he’ll see my name and be proud of his last name and the things I accomplished.”
In the past 5 seasons there’ve been 58 cast members from all over the United States. So far two from different seasons married each other and one has moved to Norway. Anyone can apply as long as they are American with Norwegian ancestry (even a little bit counts) who are age 18+ and have never traveled to Norway. For all information and to apply online go to oconnorcasting.tv and click on “Casting Board.”
This series is produced by Norway’s Monster Entertainment.
Alt for Norge airs on SBS Discovery channel TVNorge – and at the moment the Season 5 airs every Sunday at 20.00 this autumn.
Photo by TVNorge
