AN: I don't own Twilight or Big Brother. I do enjoy both, however, so this little fic is the result. I am not having it beta'd, so I apologize for any typos and errors. So, without further ado, onward…
Premiere Night Part 1:
The studio lights were warm against my skin as I looked out across the sea of people ogling me and the six strangers huddled at my side. Everything had moved so quickly that I could hardly believe I was standing on the front steps of the Big Brother house about the give my life over to the public for ten weeks of no privacy and what promised to be a lot of drama. When Angela suggested that we head to Fado's Irish Pub for the open casting call in Buckhead, I almost laughed in her face. She knew I had been a long-term fan of the show, and sure, I had joked about applying to be a contestant one day, but I never really took the thought seriously. Evidently, my best friend had.
The cattle call of potential cast members was insane. Fado's was always busy on a Friday night, but that night it took us two hours to even make it through the front door. I tried to turn back, but Angela wouldn't let me. She insisted that even if nothing ever came from it, the experience of attending the open casting would be an adventure. She knew me well enough to know that my curiosity would win out in the end, and so, as I handed my photo and information to the casting scout, I smiled and did my best to make a good first impression. Three weeks later, I received a phone call that I was a semi-finalist.
The semi-final round interview was actually a lot of fun. Robyn Kass, the casting director, and one of producers, Allison Grodner, talked to me for about twenty minutes. I had expected it to feel like a job interview, but the setting was far more casual and the questions mostly conversational. Truthfully, the camera filming my every move bothered me a bit, but I knew that was part and parcel to being on the show. As a photo journalist, I was far more comfortable behind the lens than in front of it, but I adapted quickly and was able to open up to them. I typically didn't talk too much about my life, but they were good at getting me to relax. As if chatting with friends instead of television executives, I spilled my guts about my family, friends, love life, work and so much more. I tried not to get my hopes up too much, but I honestly felt really good about the whole deal and my chances when I left.
Apparently, they agreed. A few weeks later, I flew out to Los Angeles for the next round of auditions. After a few more interviews, a photo shoot and a not-so comfortable physical and psychological evaluation, I was sent home with a promise that I would receive word "soon". "Soon" turned out to be exactly four weeks. And so, when the phone rang on Monday to let me know that I had been selected as a finalist and that a crew would be sent to film me in my "natural environment", I couldn't get Angela on the phone fast enough. Though she had never heard back from them after Fado's, she was beyond thrilled about my progress. As promised, the crew showed up the next day and tracked my movements.
I was instructed to go about my day as I normally would. It was odd to be followed, but by the time I met Angela at the gym after work, I had almost forgotten they were there. When I reached in my bag to pull out my sneakers, however, their proximity was brought back to the forefront of my mind with a rush of shock and anxiety. Instead of my worn Nike's, I pulled out a cardboard key to the Big Brother house. I had made it! The next hour was a whirlwind of activity. I was rushed home where I was told I had until morning to pack and be ready to go. A town car arrived at five am to whisk me away to the airport. I was put up in a hotel alone for the night and then brought to the studio for pre-show intake. Naturally, I was required to sign away all of my privacy rights for the next ten weeks. I had expected that much, but my poor hand felt as if it would fall right off the end of my wrist by the time I was done signing the slew of other contracts, indemnifications and hold harmless agreements they presented to me. I got it; the show didn't want me to blame them if I was emotionally scarred after exiting the house.
The risks were worth it; to me, at least. While $500,000.00 certainly wasn't the biggest prize on reality TV, the money would mean the world to me–certainly more than I wanted to even consider as I stood in front of the live studio audience. So far, everything was bigger, faster and grander than I had expected. Ever the good student, I had done my research. The premise was simple: fourteen "houseguests" were selected to live in the Big Brother house and have their lives taped for ten weeks as they competed for power, privilege and survival inside the house. The houseguest would live in total seclusion with no access to the outside world, while hundreds of cameras behind the walls and in the ceilings would film every moment. In the end, the last man–or woman, as I hoped the case would be –left standing would win $500,000.00. The runner-up would receive $100,000.00, but my eyes were on the big prize.
Still, what I couldn't figure out was why there were only seven of us standing by the front door. I wondered if perhaps veterans from seasons past were going to be joining us. Given my fan status, there were several old guests I would love to meet, but I didn't particularly like the odds of competing against veterans. I decided then and there that trying to figure out that particular twist was more effort than it was worth. The show was known for throwing crazy situations at the houseguests. Time would tell, no doubt.
"Expect the unexpected!" That was the motto of Big Brother. Whenever the houseguests in seasons past would get too comfortable, the producers would respond by throwing some insane twist into the mix to shake things up. I had been mentally preparing myself for what was to come, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous as hell. I liked plans and organization. I wasn't rigid by any means, but order was my friend.
"Houseguests," Julie Chen's voice sounded over the speaker system in the studio. I couldn't see her, but I knew she was close. I squeezed my hand around the strap of my Big Brother duffle bag, which was currently cutting into the skin on my shoulder. "Take a look around at the men and women beside you. These people will be your housemates for the next several weeks inside the Big Brother house."
I nervously did as I was told, being careful not to fall off the step. There was no need to reveal my utter lack of grace so early in the process. I sucked in a breath, letting my eyes briefly fall for the first time on each of the faces of my fellow contestants. There was a young woman next to me who looked as excited as I. She bumped my shoulder with hers giving me a cheerful, warm smile. There were two guys behind her, one a big burly body-builder type and the other his exact opposite, weighing in a buck ten, if that.
There was an older woman on my other side with graying hair at her temples and then a rather striking Native American man with long brown hair and gorgeous eyes to match. He smirked at me as he caught me appreciating his physique, and though I didn't want to get involved in some "showmance" for all of the world to watch, I couldn't help the butterflies in my stomach when he looked at me. My dating history was painful, and if truth be told, a bit pathetic. Still, I wasn't looking for a boyfriend. My heart wasn't ready; I wasn't sure if it ever would be. Our group was rounded out, and I meant that with all puns intended, by a voluptuous buxom blonde with striking blue eyes hidden beneath a smattering of faux eyelashes and tarantula-cached mascara. She had clearly noticed our Native American housemate as well, and she was too busy eye fucking him to pay me any mind.
"In just a moment," Julie continued, "I'm going to ask you to turn around and enter the Big Brother house." I took a big breath and tried to contain my smile. I was about to bust with the thrill of it all. "Alright, houseguest, are you ready?"
"Yes, Julie!" we all cheered in unison.
"Ok, then houseguests, you may now enter the Big Brother house."
The seven of us turned and practically stampeded through the big green door behind where we had been standing. We passed through a small vestibule and then another door before entering into the main living room of the Big Brother house. People were scurrying all around in a flurry of movement, but I just let my bag drop and took it all in for a moment.
The house was a mix of vivid colors with both modern and retro accents and randomly placed props, which included a six foot tall statue of Godzilla standing next to the kitchen counter and a pair of bright yellow stiletto platform pumps hanging on the hallway wall. I had read that the house theme was "Tokyo Pop", and while I hadn't really had any idea of what that would entail when I first saw the term, I certainly was getting a better sense of it as each minute passed. The floor was covered in a rectangular and square color blocked pattern in varying shades of orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. The whole thing screamed retro-eighties to me, and I adored it. The vivacious orange living room chairs were even more dated, with a cool seventies lounge feel that was complemented by the seventies mod contemporary couches in lavender and tables in white.
"Hi there." The spunky brunette who had nudged me on the front steps leaned in and gave me a big hug that I hadn't been expecting. I was thrown slightly off balance by her boisterous greeting, but I thankfully recovered before she knocked me down. "Sorry about that. I'm Alice. Isn't this place incredible?"
"Hi, Alice, I'm Bella, and yeah, I'm having trouble taking it all in right now." Alice seemed nice enough. Her eyes were glittering with what I assumed was the same anticipation that I was feeling. She was dressed in a fashion forward denim skirt, flowing top and white wedge sandals that added a good three inches to her five foot nothing fame.
"Just wait until you see the bedrooms; I've already claimed the two best beds for us," she said as she pulled me eagerly down the hall and around the corner into a room that looked like a shrine to Kicks and Converse tennis shoes. There were a least a hundred different colored tennis shoes set up on boxed shelving along the near wall and then a pair of Kicks were painted in a colorful mural above two nicely appointed double beds. "Isn't this just great, Bella? Check it out, you can be over there, and I'll sleep over here. We are going to have so much fun; I can already tell."
I wasn't sure who this girl was, but I couldn't say a bad thing about her. She was a bit over the top, perhaps, but I loved her energy and the fact that she was already looking out for me. It seemed I was going to have an alliance right off the bat. "Thanks, Alice; this is great. Should we wait for the other houseguests before choosing our rooms though? And I doubt they'll be nice enough to let us have our own beds."
"Nah, the others have picked their beds, too. It isn't our fault that we were selected to come in first. That's part of the game." She pulled me from the room and showed me the other bedrooms. One was set up with a retro club vibe, which included equalizer bars on the wall, speakers, headphones and even a fake boom box a la "Say Anything". There I met Jessica, or Fake-Boob Barbie, as Alice had affectionately dubbed her with a quick whisper into my ear. Jessica's voice had a squeaky quality that would most certainly grate on my nerves before all was said and done. For now, however, I wanted to give everybody the benefit of the doubt, so I had been as cordial as I could be.
The next bedroom looked like the side of the moon. The walls were painted with a dark hued blue and accented with planetary and star constellations in florescent green, yellow and orange. The beds were built into the floor so that the round mounds of comforters, pillows and padding rose into the room like domed planets on the floor. I found Emmett, the brawny man I'd seen outside, checking out the décor when I entered. He gave me a gigantic bear hug and then twirled Alice around with one hand like a ballerina on a stick. He was playful, and I was looking forward to getting to know him more.
"Houseguests, please make your way to the living room and have a seat on the left side of the room only," the Big Brother "voice" I had heard on TV sounded over the speakers. We all rushed back to the main area of the house and quickly found our respective seats. Alice and I sat next to Esme, the older woman who I knew instantly would be the "mom" of the house. The skinny kid, Mike, sat next to her, and from what I could tell, he was practically drooling over Jessica's breasts while he prattled on about how the he felt like he was living inside the Star Ship Enterprise or some such thing. Jessica was doing her best to avoid him, but he didn't seem deterred.
Finally, there was Jacob, or Jake, as he had asked me to call him. He was the Native American guy who I still found just as gorgeous as I had when I first saw him. He was sitting in the left-most of the two orange "nominee" chairs with his ankle crossed over his knee. "I'm hoping sitting here on the first night won't turn into a bad omen," Jake said quietly to me as we waited for Julie or Big Brother TV voice guy to come back and tell us what to do next.
"Nah, I'm sure you're good. You look like you'll be a pretty strong competitor," I responded softly. I wasn't trying to be coy. He genuinely looked like he would kick ass in the house.
"You think?" he asked, though I suspected he had little doubts about his ability to dominate any of the physical competitions in the house. "You never know in this place; I can't get too comfortable." He sounded genuine, and I liked that he wasn't bragging or puffing up his own ego, though I felt assured he had every right to do so. If my heart was available, he'd probably be just the sort of man to make me fall in love. As it was, that ship had sailed for me two years ago.
"Hello again, Houseguests," Julie appeared on the flat screen panel in the living room and we all clapped and responded with our own greetings. "I hope you've been having fun taking in your new surroundings. As I'm sure you have noticed, there are only seven of you in the house so far. But this is Big Brother, and you know we wouldn't let you off with only having to compete with six other people. That would be way too easy. So, in just a moment, the remaining houseguests will enter the house, but before they do, you need to know that they have been instructed not to speak. They are to enter the house and sit down in the living room with you and await further instructions. Likewise, you all are instructed not to speak. Do you all understand?"
"Yes, Julie," we all responded together.
"Good, then houseguests, radio silence begins…now!" We all looked around anxiously, wondering who or what was about to come through the front door. I had never seen this sort of approach on Big Brother, and I could only imagine what was in store for us.
The door opened with far less fanfare than it had when our first group entered. The new houseguests filed in one by one into the open floor plan living area. They dropped their bags and came around the couches to sit across from us. I was sure they were all very interesting people, but I wouldn't have known in that moment. One thing, and one thing only, held my full attention: Edward Cullen.
For the last two years, not a day had gone by that I hadn't harbored thoughts of looking into his emerald eyes or being held in his strong arms again. And for two years, I had hated myself for every single one of those traitorous thoughts. He literally broke my heart, and when he left, he took the fractured pieces with him. Angela tried to get me to get over him. She set me up with countless suitors, but none could hold a candle to what I had once had and lost. But now, as if the Big Brother producers had reached into my heart to figure out what would hurt me the most, I was sitting across from the man who had ruined me.
Expect the unexpected. Indeed!
AN: Hey all, Big Brother season is upon us, so I felt the need to set it to fanfiction. I'm sure it has been done before, but I'm put my own Twimamma spin on it. I'm going to make the chapters relatively short and try to finish this by the end of Big Brother 14. We'll see how that goes. Please leave me some love and let me know what you think! Twimamma