"Which is most of the day." The host of the show appeared in a fabulous dress. When she walked in, she kissed the Judge. "Hi, Sweetie."
"Break a leg," he said to her. "Take us to the top." He backed off.
It was time for the host to talk. "Welcome, I'm Cheery Pie." She seemed delighted. "It's wonderful to see you all this year. Let's give this everything we have to make sure Home Sweet Never Home lands at the top of the Romances of Werewolf Islands. Companies have been trusting in this exact home to really pull in ratings, that they have given plenty of advertising to us. We expect this series to start charting soon, hopefully after the first episode."
She clapped her hands together. "The first episode, I am going to be the most involved so we can cover these new angles. There are lots of extra cameras coming into this house. The usual areas are sealed off, so don't worry about the bedroom or private areas. They are all still private. The first episode will be pulling two hours as a special, so we'll need a full two hours of events going on that people want to view. Any questions? Good," she said right away as only one hand came up. "Because we are getting started very soon." She clapped her hands. "Guards, you all need a name first. Every woman can call you the same name, or you can have four different names. For the first episode, each of you will have the option of just being called guard. Come up here."
Devin, Zoan, Grey, and Billy all went toward her. She looked at their nametags while everyone was just basically getting a second patch of 'Guard' on them. "A week from now, you should all have a different tag on you. This nametag is for the first episode only." She looked toward the women. "You do not have to choose, get close, or lose anyone in the first episode unless you genuinely want to get rid of someone. You four, I will be around the most since you have guards. I refuse to be around men alone very much. People working on the show will conduct interviews, not me. Don't ask me many questions, ask other people you see around you from the show."
She made everything pretty clear not to bother her with trivial things. "My job is to explain challenges, be here to start the shows, to end the shows, and I might show up for things in the middle. Otherwise, I'm not here. Anyone bothers me in any way, I will kick them out or I will sue. I mean anyone. Anyone," she said firmly. "Even though I am not here, I still catch things. We have cameras and we will have people here during our hours of filming. Do not try and get away with stupid things like names. The names are on the shirts or dresses. It's on every day. You won't get far from your room before a worker will catch you."
She moved toward Destiny. "How many of these men do you actually fear? Whisper it to me."
Destiny whispered something in her ear.
Cherry Pie bit her lip. "Beginning of show. Ending of show. Rarely between. I want a guard with me at all times, so one of you ladies will accompany me at all times. Even to the bathroom. You can turn around when I am in there, but you are coming too."
"To the bathroom?" Mattie now 'Lily' asked. "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely, I am not stuck in this house. I made the sane choice to have a husband, and I have three wonderful children. I will not leave myself vulnerable in this madhouse to get hurt by anyone!" she yelled at Mattie now 'Lily'. "Keep the carefree attitude you've exhibited for the camera, people will love that."
She reverted back to a smile. "Underneath, always remember where you are. Do not lose your guard. Just because you are on a show, does not mean you are safe. If someone kills or hurts you, repercussions happen afterwards. There is no help during, so never lose your guards. I have worked on this show for five years."
She held up all five fingers. "Every year, I have seen something that has made me consider retirement. I once hosted on a show about people with phobias and traumas facing their worst nightmares, including rooms of spiders and pools of real blood." She glared at Mattie, now 'Lily'. "I still felt safer on that show than these romance reality shows."
She smiled again. "The pay is way better though, people want to see a friendly familiar face in this dangerous setting to feel 'okay' to watch the drama unfold." She looked toward all the women. "My advice to you that I give all the women of the show? Do not try to find Mr. Right, find which one you tolerate and trust the best, and get out of this hell. You do not have to all make it to the end of the season for the show to keep going. Remember that."
"What about the conditions of leaving though?" Mattie now 'Lily' asked. "The . . . pregancy?"
"It's the rules. Please be smart," she told them. "Try to find the right one to have the baby with, choose them and get out. If you don't get it right, then kick the man out, and find someone safe. Forget attraction, pick someone you would feel safe with for the rest of your life, and then get out. Do not sit making child after child, trying to find Mr. Right." She grumped. "It sinks ratings, and your chances plummet of the choices you originally started with."
She moved slightly away again. "Now, last thing. There are four women here, and we aren't going to be playing around with 200 going after four." She motioned to a worker who came forward. "Workers are always in red jumpsuits, with a leathery finish that turns blue when the light hits it. Do not get confused. We use this fashion as proprietary to protect you from confusing workers."
She handed out the papers. "On this list, is fifty names a piece. We have already lost some contestants, so your lists are smaller, thank goodness. A worker will join with each of you, to make sure the ones who left are dropped off the list. This list can change, and it should. As you get to know men, they should be jumping on and off a woman's list. They should be falling off each day as they are terminated. Etc. By the middle of the season, most of the dangerous ones should be gone."
She walked around slightly, but not very far from the guards. "Now? If you are threatened, the cameras are always running. Remember, we can get you justice for what happens afterwards to you. Afterwards. If the threat is something that will take days, do not be stupid. We'll already know in hours. If it is something that takes minutes, then the decision is up to you. If you do something like keep a creep on because of a threat, have to lose a darling, or get forced into some binding contract of marriage or children, it can and will be corrected. There is no fear of contracts." She hit the wall very hard. "They will not be ejected, they will be killed. This is law and will not be undone."
She went toward Destiny. "The show starts in fifteen. I want you to work with a worker on this list." She had another worker come toward her with the list. "Go work on it." She left toward the front again, not very far from any of the guards.
"If you are here to find love, a woman, or a family I hope you have a great time. If you are here to have an experience with a women, I hope your time varies depending on what the woman you chose wants too. If you are here to hurt, main, kill, steal or extort from these women? I hope you rot in the deepest pit of Hades, and make no mistake. You will be found and killed. Someone always pays when the shows go bad."
She flipped her hair. "From now on, all of you ladies. You cannot go by your names. I guarantee you, I am not excited my the name 'Cheery Pie', but it's what I am called on camera. Mattie, you are Lily. Lily, you are Sunny. Also? I am going to fire the worker responsible for that confusion." She sighed. "Destiny, you are Sweetie. These are the names from now on. Screw up, and it will hurt after the show. Now?" She snapped toward one of the workers. "We are on in three, two, one!"
I hope you are ready for the show! I wrote some chapters in first and third POV's to prepare you for this next part. When POV is first (characters use I) it means the show is running, the cameras are going, medical aid is present, workers are there and everything needs to be 'child-friendly and safe'. When it slips into third person (character names are used) the shows cameras are off, workers are gone, and the house? Might not be as safe.