The show's casting director, Danielle Gervais, says that there's a huge checklist that a candidate has to meet before being featured at the center of an episode.
Tan says that viewers often think that they're paid to take the heroes shopping at certain places, but that's actually a misconception. He takes them to places that make sense for their lifestyle.
Before the Fab Five meets a hero, they receive a dossier from production that lists information about them like age, job, hobbies, and favorite stores.