One thousand young adults waited in line for hours at “The Rack” restaurant in downtown Boston yesterday in the hopes of scoring cast positions for the upcoming seasons of MTV’s “The Real World” and “Road Rules.”

The reality shows, some of the first of their kinds, drew a large audience, including a handful who arrived at the casting call as early as 2 a.m.

“People were smushed against the glass when I got here at nine o’clock this morning,” said Gregory Fulcher, senior editor for Global Television Network, Ltd.

Casting Directors from Bunim/Murray Production [BMP], producers of the perennial hit shows, held the open event from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Once the contestants withstood the long wait, Fulcher led them through red ropes to be divided into groups of 10.

At large tables, MTVN and BMP employees, including former “Road Rules” and “Real World” cast and crew members, held a 10-to-12 minute discussion with each group. MTVN and BMP said they will make cast choices for the next season partly from the discussion and an application the candidates filled out while in line.

“People always tell me I should be on the “Real World,” said Jenn Pakinat, who had been waiting in line for three hours. “There are too many people here; I’m not going to make it, but I should.”

Pakinat confessed she doesn’t even watch MTV, but the mass of the 18-to-24-year-olds clogging the sidewalks looked like an MTV production themselves. People of all different shapes, sizes, skin types, hair colors and brand names filled out the applications and waived away just about everything but their physical health to BMP and MTVN while waiting.

The release forms and applications, limited to 1,000, gave BMP and MTVN the permission to use any amount of footage in “any and all media throughout the world in perpetuity.”

“I’ve always wanted to [try out],” said Adam Bischoff. “And this is the last year I would qualify.”

Twenty-four-year-old Bischoff, who found details about the event online, would be too old to get a cast slot for the next season. “The Real World Season 13,” which he was trying out for, will be held in Paris, France.

Jamar Dodson, who was standing in front of the van, mistook the date of the event and took off work to show up last week. After giving his bosses a second excuse why he couldn’t work, he was back again after hearing the correct information on the radio.