Free Taste Test by Kelly Fiore Page B

stopped breathing entirely. My head is spinning. Fourpeople?! The idea of one elimination is nerve-racking enough—but FOUR ? Hell, there are only twenty of us here in the first place!
    Gigi is sitting beside me and I can’t resist turning to look at her. Her eyes mirror what I feel, what everyone seems to be feeling—shock, horror, and, most of all, fear.
    The crew adjusts their cameras and Marcus leans forward in anticipation. The judges take their seats and Ms. Svincek gives us a smile that can only be called menacing.
    “Let the interrogations begin!”

 
    Director’s Notes
Challenge One
    These guys are in—try to catch reactions on camera—can be a brief shot, no prolonged excitement. Encourage hugging.
    Joy Kennedy-Swanson
    Emily Myers
    Nora Henderson
    Pierce Johnson
    Christian Van Lorton
    Kelsey Dison
    Dillon March
    Angela Moore
    Aaron Hale
    Coral Bishop
    Bottom Six (in)—hold for a longer reaction, camera trained. Will be interviewed individually post–Elimination Table.
    Malcolm Letterman
    Gigi Orsoni
    Lawrence Simon
    Jennifer Berrymore
    Jason French
    Patrick Atchley
    Bottom Four (out)—these guys are outta here. Film longest moments, preferably shots with tears or visible anger. Encourage emotional reaction.
    Walter Warwick
    Sky Norman
    Abby Johnson
    Amy Brenner

 
    To:  Nora Henderson [email protected]
    From:  Billy Watkins [email protected]
    Subject:  How’d it go?
    1st challenge was last nite, right? Tell me everything.
    B

 
    To:  Billy Watkins [email protected]
    From:  Nora Henderson [email protected]
    Subject: Re:  How’d it go?
    Well, I’d tell you—but then I’d have to kill you. LOL. Lemme put it to you this way—there’s gonna be a lotta drama. The show’s just started and this place has already become soap-opera worthy. I dunno if I’m coming home with a scholarship or a Daytime Emmy!
    N

Chapter Six
Spy-cing Things Up
    “Wow, that was intense,” Aaron mutters.
    “I can’t believe what Svincek said to Walter,” Emily says to no one in particular. “She was harsh!”
    Malcolm kicks a rock, launching it several feet in front of the group.
    “What the hell right does Prescott have to interrogate me ? When’s the last time he cooked something instead of posing for magazine covers?”
    The walk back to the dorm is completely different from the walk down to the arena a few hours ago. Some people are red faced, tear stained, and stuffy nosed. Others are grumbling or shaking their heads in disbelief. Most, though, are like me—silent. And everyone can’t help but observe the glaring, most obvious change—that there are four less of us heading upstairs. Four people who won’t be back to their rooms tonight. Four of us whose double rooms just became singles in a matter of minutes.
    When the judges announced the elimination times four, it was like the atmosphere of the whole contest transformed. Each of us, no matter how sure we were about our dishes, felt as though there were a target on our backs. Even Joy, the queen of supposed self-confidence, started chewing the inside of her cheek, trying to mask her worried expression.
    The panel asked each of us questions, but never gave praise—only harped on the mistakes they perceived in what we had done. Had I thought of brining the meat before I grilled it? Did I consider a coarser grind for the coffee beans? A few times, it took all my practically nonexistent self-control to bite my lip, nod, and stay quiet.
    But the worst part … the worst part was the handful of devastated people told to say their good-byes, that they’d been “eighty-sixed from Taste Test .”
    Don’t get me wrong—we all expected eliminations. Everyone knew they were coming, knew they were inevitable. But our chances of being eliminated that first night were far greater than we could have imagined. What made it all the more painful was that the contestants who were cut were actually selected from the bottom ten ,