Behind The "Reality" - page 8 - A Turning Point A Turning Point How did the tension created by the producer's question affect the atmosphere among the cast?       Well, I think deep down Erica did a big U-turn then that affected all of us. I've been thinking about this and my theory is that she got so mad that she had been caught out like that that she in some way blamed us for that situation...even though we're not the ones who made that comment. She ended up looking bad in that conversation and they could have shown a lot more footage of her being stressed and upset, but they didn't...and thank goodness because she then would have had even more reason to be mad.       At that point, she just started to shun all of us as if it was something that we had created. None of us wanted it to be that way at all. In fact, at the time I thought everything was fine. I though everybody had worked through it okay. We gave her a big hug and I kind of felt that everything was all right, but apparently it wasn't. Did the contestants get a chance to see those 20-second profiles before the show aired, or even when the show aired?       No, and we weren't allowed to turn around and watch them. So we would always wonder, "What did I say? What did I do?" and the rest of the contestants would have to tell us what we'd said and done on our clips. We never saw them unless we saw a tape of the show or a rerun.       That was always kind of interesting, especially on that night. I could hear what was going on, and I'd already seen Erica's clip because she went on before me that night. Then they played my clip right after her performance.       Then when I heard my comment "Oh, I called a meeting..." I knew that people were going to match up those two clips just as the producers had planned and get the idea that I had called a meeting to tell the younger girls that they didn't deserve to be there, which I would never do and never would have even thought of doing. After the next show, the one where you were actually eliminated, some people noticed the face you made when Jody got selected to perform and you and Erica Jo were left. In fact, they showed that moment again on the very last episode. What was going though your mind at that moment?       Well, first of all, Jody and I are the best of buddies and we care about each other very much, so I know Jody wouldn't have thought for a millisecond that I was being disrespectful to him.       Actually my reaction had nothing to do with Jody at all, it was only that his selection meant that Erica and I were the only two left, and I was the one going home. I knew that at that moment. That look was a moment of "Holy crap, those clever producers have checkmated me." That's exactly how I felt. I'd just gotten checkmated...because it's a game. It's a game without you really knowing that it's a game. That was my look of "They got me. Good job, guys. You were one step ahead of me." Next Page: Looking Back    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Back To Top