Jimmy headed to a table and picked up a clipboard as I trailed behind him, wary. “Just to give you a quick run-down, you’re entering the house tonight. First, we’ve got to check your luggage, make sure you’re not hiding any contraband.”
“Contraband?”
“Cell phones, food, drug paraphernalia,” he said in a bored tone. At some point, he’d gotten some gum and was chewing it loudly. “Contraband. Once we’ve established that you’re clean, you’re gonna go in for your physical.” He pointed at one of the tents further down the sprawling lawn. “Once the docs say you’re okay, we send you through the pre-show interviews. Then, when you’ve gone through everything, we put you in an isolation booth. You’ll come out of isolation when you enter the house. Until then, you’re my charge.” He held out a wide-brimmed straw hat and a bandana that had the House Guests logo written across it. “And you have to wear this bandana unless I tell you it’s safe to take it off.”
“I wear this so I don’t see the other house guests until we go inside?”
“No,” he said sarcastically. “So we can play Blind Man’s Bluff.”
I snatched the blindfold out of his hand. “You’re not very nice.”
“I see people like you all the time, baby doll. And they don’t pay me to be nice to the Mactors.”
What a jerk.
“Here’s your disclaimers. I’m going to need you to complete these. Once we’re done with that, we’ll head on to the physical. You got any questions?”
“Not really,” I said, taking the clipboard he passed to me. There was a thick packet of paper attached to it, and I wanted to sit down and read all the pages.
I knew how House Guests worked. I’d watched every season. Twelve people entered the house at the beginning of the summer and competed in challenges. You nominated people for eviction and eventually whittled down the group until there were only two remaining. Then, the jury (comprised of the last five previously voted off cast members) decided who they wanted to win the million-dollar prize.
And I needed that million.
~~ * ~~
“Hi Kandis,” the two-way mirror said to me. “This is your first interview for the show, so we’d like for you to introduce yourself. You’re not live, so don’t be nervous. Just relax and tell our viewers what you’d like for them to know about you.”
I stared at my reflection in the mirror. It was going to be disconcerting talking to myself. At least my hair and makeup looked good despite the stress test they’d put me through. At this point, I was exhausted yet strangely wired. I’d gone through medical tests, more paperwork than I’d need for a mortgage, sound checks, a psychological evaluation, and finally hair and makeup. They’d picked an outfit from the bag that I’d brought for my ‘intro shots.’ The hair and makeup team had put entirely too much makeup on me, teased my long brown hair into fluffy, curling layers, and even plucked my eyebrows. I wore a tight yellow sleeveless bodycon dress that had been provided for me, since the dress I’d chosen had been declared ‘too busy’ for network television. My cast photos had been taken, and now I was here at the pre-interview, trussed up and ready to play.
One step closer to being in the house, and one step closer to a million dollars.
So I smiled brilliantly at the camera. “My name is Kandis Thornton. I’m twenty-three years old, and I’m a Zumba instructor. A lot of people don’t know what that is, but it’s a fun dancing workout set to music. Doing six or seven classes a day keeps me really fit, so I’m probably just going to tell the others that I’m a student so they don’t see me coming in the challenges.” I couldn’t stop the sly grin that crossed my face. “I’m actually planning on lying a lot in this game. I know some people come here because they want to be famous or because they just want everyone in the world to like them. Screw that. I want the money.”
I paused, waiting for some sort of reaction, but there was nothing but silence on the other end. That was unnerving. I rubbed my arm, thinking of what else to say. “I know it feels a little mercenary coming in here and saying I’m going straight for the money, but it’s true. My mother…” I sighed heavily, wondering how much to confess. This was all going on TV, after all. “My mother has a bit of a gambling problem, and I found out a few weeks ago that she’s taken out a second mortgage on her house. Not only that, but she’s behind on both. So if we don’t find some money from somewhere, she’s going to lose her house. And since I’m her only family, that would mean she would move in with me.” I gave the camera a tight smile. “I love my mom, but I am not about to take her on as a roommate. And Zumba instructors don’t make much money, so there’s no way I’d be able to catch her up.”
I didn’t mention that I’d tried to give my mother some money and that she’d just gambled it away. This time? I wanted enough money to take the mortgage out of her hands. So even if she tossed away her entire paycheck, she’d still have a roof over her head.
I wanted to run my fingers through my hair, but they got tangled into the spray-teased curls and I winced. I tended to fidget when I was nervous, and I was exceedingly nervous right now.
For some reason, being on camera and knowing that my confession was going to be broadcast to millions of people? Didn’t bug me. Thinking about my mother sitting at the casino and squandering her life savings? It made my lungs tighten and my stomach hurt with anxiety.
“So that’s why I’m here. I know this show is about scheming and backstabbing your way to the million-dollar prize, and I plan on doing that with the rest of them. If I have to flirt? I’ll flirt. If I have to lie? I’ll lie. I’ll do whatever it takes to claw my way to the top. And I’m saying it now—if I’m not very nice in this game, just know that it’s not me. This is just something I’m doing to bail out my mom and get us ahead. And I apologize in advance.”
“So what’s your personality like, Kandis? Describe it for us.”
I sat up, startled to hear the words come through the mirror. Someone was listening after all. “Well,” I said, thinking. “I’m not much of a flirt, so I’m going to have to work really hard on that aspect. Be prepared to see a lot of bad, obvious flirting,” I said with a wry smile at the camera. “I tend to get really competitive. Like, over-competitive. It’s probably my biggest flaw. I’d say I’m easygoing, but that’d be a lie. I’d also say I’m a good person, but I find that most of the time, when someone says that they’re a good person, they’re usually trying to convince themselves. I’m honest, though…so, again, I will be doing a lot of bad, obvious lying in this game. Be prepared.”