User blog comment:LuluTDFan/Discussion: What Makes for an Interesting Contestant?/@comment-27329394-20150626211001


 * Do you think the character needs to have an interesting or unique design?

Not necessarily. The only real purpose of a design is to try to fit the character's purpose, and you can have characters with really generic designs still be interesting characters. As long as it fits their personality, it works.


 * What about their personality or stereotype?

It depends on the type of character that is intended. This may sound weird, but comic relief characters typically seem to be the most interesting when they are the most straightforward. If minor traits can be mixed in from there, then they end up being a lot more interesting than if they are defined by several major traits. As for other characters, it still needs to be able to be traced into a clear character, but their hidden depths can be far more prominent.


 * Who do you think is the most interesting contestant on Total Drama or The Ridonculous Race over all?

I have a feeling some people will say Dawn, but for me its probably either Heather or Duncan. I like it when a character can have a lot of traits to them but still clearly be defined by their stereotype. These aren't necessarily my favorite characters (though Duncan comes close), but they would be higher if humor wasn't a factor. The humorous characters aren't exactly as interesting as these two and similarly approached contestants such as Jasmine and Courtney, but they are still fun to watch.


 * Do they have to be a cutthroat competitor or can nice characters be interesting too?

You can have nice characters be interesting, but one thing you need to be wary of is not make them completely defined by their niceness, which is part of what hurts contestants such as Zoey, Beth, and Sky in my opinion. Nice characters will generally either need to also have a factor about them that makes them funny, or a clearly defined stereotype that just happens to coincide with them being nice.

I suck at writing fanfictions but I hope that answers some of your questions.