"Variety is tough because to make it through, we need AMAZING and confident talent, people who won't feel "burned" if they don't make it… but in turn take the opportunity to show the world what they are made of.

"We want professionals who KNOW they rock, will continue to do so, and not allow David Hasselhoff to stop them from performing afterwards if they don't make it all the way through. I am also looking for people who are seeking incredible exposure, and would like the opportunity to perhaps be able to take their career to the next level, like MARIO & JENNY of our last season.

"I am not looking for someone who thinks they can ride a unicycle or can be on stage for a moment in a bigger show. I'm looking for someone who IS the show, who you can imagine buying $100 tickets for to see their very own Las Vegas show because they are that talented or that relatable to America. Or maybe they are almost the show, but just haven't been given the opportunity to shine for an audience of 13 million people.

"Terry Fator may have been fine doing corporate gigs and driving state to state performing for a sold out school events, but he was hoping for the next level. $100,000,000 later, he is doing alright with his own show in Vegas. You can't get more VARIETY than him. "This past season we had 3 variety acts in our top 20 and one made it to third place, Recycled Precussion. We also have the basketball team act (ACRODUNK) in the Vegas show that is happening for the next 10 weeks to help them promote themselves even more!…

"In addition, the production value of the show has made tremendous effort to really do all we can to showcase the top acts to give them the best shot possible including coaching, costuming, choreographers, etc. Basically, we give them a team of experts if they make the show! The level of talent will continue to rise if we get more people to see the opportunity of bringing thousands of new views to their websites. How much is that worth?

"Thanks for this thoughtful response to my admittedly cranky voicemail. May I have your permission to reprint your email on CircusNYC.com? Perhaps your concrete examples of people's careers doing well after the show will encourage some reluctant performers to perform, and I would be happy to include it on our website if you'd like me to.

"Two primary considerations will still keep many of us from applying:

"1. Great acts have been hurt professionally (not just felt burned) by the show. Major exposure is a double-edged sword. Of course bad acts should face their poor reception, but the implication of your letter, that the quality of the act has a causal relation to how it does on the show, has not been borne out by the data. The positive and negative effects the show has produced on artists' careers could not have been predicted by acts' quality.

"For example, in Season 1 the judges told Vladik Miagkostoupov that he didn't have what it took to be a Vegas performer. Vladik had been performing professionally since the age of nine, had won gold medals in both the juniors and seniors categories from the International Jugglers Association, and had won the gold medal in the world's most prestigious circus festival, the Cirque de Demain in Paris. Is there anyone who should have been more confident than him? Las Vegas had already proven he had what it takes!

"2. Many people consider the concept of the show insulting to the profession. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, plumbers, television casting producers, and reality show judges are all paid for their services. Market forces adjust the rates they can collect and the number and quality of the jobs they get. Many performers prefer to offer their services in the same form of arrangement. Shows that suggest it is appropriate to compensate some performers and not others may hurt performer-client relationships.

"It's not up to us to argue, which is why I continue to post your audition notices and distribute your postcards. I let people make their own choices. It's a high-stakes game with terrific potential rewards and a high level of risk. The judges' lack of expertise in variety arts increases the role of chance in the game. Hundreds (thousands?) of people each year decide to take that chance.

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"I personally have benefitted tremendously from reality, competition television (I won A&E's House of Dreams in 2004). It was very fun for me to compete in something that didn't affect me professionally, and I gained a large financial prize (big house, two cars, etc.). I know better than most people how much fun and how lucrative such shows can be. However, I would never throw my career down as stakes in such a game of chance. I hope you will understand that other people might not either."