Author's Note
I can't believe I've been working on this for a year. Thank you all for the support, and it's fun kind of creating head-canons, and theories, while combining it with facts from what was on the show. Looking forward to finishing this, and I have written most of the drafts for the second generation cast.
The slender but tall woman with blonde hair (and green roots growing) came out of her car, and heavily primped herself for a few minutes in the parking lot, and kissing her mirror before walking into the studio. She was still a bit taller than she was before going on the show, but nowhere near as tall as she was when turning into "Dakotazoid", as the treatment she went through over the last several years was able to reverse a lot of the damages that were caused. Dakota was very fashionable in her look, wearing a pink jumpsuit, but was covered overall.
Josh and the other producers were eagerly awaiting this, "Alright, so Dakota clearly moved on from the lawsuit mess that happened, though it was technically only Chris' fault, and not the network's. Maybe she will want to keep it cute, since she's still trying to have a Hollywood career."
"HELLO EVERYONE, Dakota has arrived," she announced as she entered the room, and took her seat. She saw Josh reach out his hand, and she didn't take it, "Sorry, I don't shake hands. Just not my thing, and I rarely let people touch me."
He just rolled his eyes, "Sorry that your trauma, mixed with your snobbish attitude causes you to not accept handshakes. Anyways, we are going to alphabetically go through all of your castmates, and Sam will be saved for last, since he is your love interest." Josh grabbed the picture of the curvaceous woman, "Anne Maria is first. From the little we saw on the show, you two almost got into an all-out brawl during the boat, before even stepping on Wawanakwa."
She looked at the picture, and started chuckling, "Wow was her fashion horrible back in the day. I remember seeing her during finals, and was wearing THE MOST atrocious outfits ever. She was matching HIGHLIGHTER RED with HIGHLIGHTER BLUE, she had all of these cheap products in her hair, and her clothes were 2 sizes too small. I couldn't stare away, and what made things even worse was that she thought she was DOING THE DAMN THING. She came on the boat with this uppity attitude, and mentioned that no one looked as good as her, and that everyone else better give it up, since she will be the only one that gets camera time. We got into an argument because she decided to confront me about being horrified by her outfits, and I did not like how she was badmouthing me at the finals, and thought that I wouldn't hear it. Worlds were thrown, and she said that she would beat me up. Right afterwards was when we did the introduction shown on the show, and I saw it as my chance to get back at her, so I shoved her. We did not speak for several weeks after that, and I kind of forgot about the entire situation, since she was that irrelevant. Anne Maria was in a REALLY GOOD MOOD when I spoke to her next, and it was around the night challenge. She was talking about how she hooked up with Vito or whatever, and I mentioned that I think I have a crush on someone. We had a nice conversation, she asked me about my motivations for coming back, and I accidentally revealed that Sam was the person that I'm potentially crushing on. The next time we spoke was when I was at Playa des Losers, and we... both realized that the producers set up a plot."
"YEEESSSS. Anne Maria did mention something about a devious plot that Chris planned out, and it lead to you turning into Dakotazoid. While I knew he was awful, I never thought he would go that low, and he had his people cover it up pretty well that it was pre-meditated," he spoke, being reminded of the situation. He saw her immediately tense up, and wanted to calm her down, "Take as much time that you need to."
Dakota sighed, and ignored her twitching hands, "Well, I overheard Chris and Chef talking about planning something HUGE for the mid-season, and it involved one person on the cast. I would walk by, and they would get very suspicious of it. I would ask them what they're up to, and they would pretend like I was crazy. This was during the first few days I was an intern for them. There was another moment where they were on the phone with lawyers, who were YELLING AT THEM OVER THE PHONE for even THINKING about executing one of their ideas. I remember during the underground challenge, they took me from my bed, and I overheard voices saying that I wasn't covered on their insurance, so I would be an easier risk to do their... plot. I woke up just when they dropped me, and they trapped me in there, where they stated that they will have me take someone's spot. Of course I ended up in the infirmary, and they told me that I was going to be back in the game, after they convinced... someone to quit. Once Anne Maria quit, I put one on one together, and then Chris CONFIRMED to me that this was the moment they wanted. The two of us talked about everything when we were at Playa des Losers, and I felt like she was one of the FEW who understood how traumatic the experience was for me, and had to REALLY EXPLAIN things to Sam, even a few years after the show. I told her how I felt about things in our relationship, and she was a good support system when I was Dakotazoid, and she helped me out when I was starting to slowly revert back to my older self. She kept me entertained during the time Sam went filming the next season, and I couldn't go out like everyone else could. I went through a phase that I wanted to live my hot girl summer stuff a few years ago, and it caused tension between Sam and I. Anne Maria was really there for me during those tough times, but I think that's what it was for. When we see one another, we have fun, but we aren't close friends. and I think we served a purpose in our lives for a specific period of time."
He moved on by giving her another picture, "So B is next, and because he is silent, I am sure you don't have many thoughts on him."
"I don't have many thoughts on him, other than the fact that I think he's very judgmental and rude. He had no interest in speaking to anyone who he thought was less intelligent than him, or had any different interests than him. He didn't even have to say a thing, but I could feel his bad vibe, and every time I spoke, he rolled his eyes, or pretended to be asleep. Since Dawn could read his thoughts and words without him speaking, she blurted out that he was campaigning to get me out of the game because he thought I was a producer pet, and he used that has his rationale, since the producers made it clear that he was a last-minute addition to the cast, and that they hated him. When I was at Playa des Losers, and I was Dakotazoid, he was more interested in speaking to me, and I was insulted that not only could he talk, but he felt like me turning into a monster was enough for him to think that I'm worthy of having a conversation with him. He thought that he was easing me into accepting being Dakotazoid, but it only made me feel worse, since he saw me as an experiment. I avoided him during the next few cast meet ups over the year, the few that I did attend. It wasn't until when we sat out of the follow up season, and met up with the original cast, where B and I had some comradery. The two of us were the ones who sat out the most, since he didn't like speaking with me, and I was still nervous about being in the real world in the form that I was. B told me about his anxieties, and about his crush on Dawn, which I DID find cute, so I would encourage and help him to make a move, and he gave me advice on how to deal with Sam, who was trying his best. We really had some nice moments, but it was of convenience, since when Sam and I were going through out relationship issues over the next few years, HE was the one who planted seeds about me TO MY OWN BOYFRIEND, and ENCOURAGED HIM TO BREAK UP WITH ME. HOW DARE HE, ESPECIALLY with how his relationship was going downhill. CLEARLY I don't speak to him anymore."
"Well, he didn't tell me about that last part," Josh commented, before giving her another picture. "What were, and what are your thoughts on Brick? You were never on the same team as him, but both were mid-season boots who were at Playa des Losers, and didn't compete in the fifth season."
She took the picture, and looked at it with no reaction, "I didn't think of Brick during the season. I found his unibrow, and desperate need to be liked and the most fit person to be repulsive. I didn't care about his weird dynamic with the guys or Jo, and trying to outmen all of them. We didn't speak at all, and I didn't like how he supported the harassment that Sam got by the other Toxic Rat guys, so he was on my shit list for that. If I remember correctly, it wasn't until I was Dakotazoid, and trying to deal with the... I won't call it powers, but the uber strength that I attained, and he was the one who helped me physically adapt and hone them with precision and technique. For some reason, him and Sam became friends after the show, so he would visit from time to time. Due to this, Brick thought that he had the authority to comment, and judge our relationship, which he did when Sam was filming "All-Stars". I was already lonely and isolated, because I couldn't physically do what everyone else was doing, and having him judge me for feeling a way about Sam fetichizing me was fucked up."
He had something to work with now, "I do remember Brick commenting about how he felt like your relationship with Sam became very uncomfortable, and he thought that you blamed your misfortunes on Sam. He also mentioned watching you force Sam to do that awful reality show."
"My thing with Brick is that he always has so many opinions on everyone else and their relationships, but if you MENTION his relationship with Jo, he shuts down, doesn't want to say anything, and gets angry. I liked who I was, and I wanted to physically go back to how I was like when I was 16 years old, and I thought I would have had more support. Brick called me vain because I wanted to do the show, and I was expecting Sam to support me, not only with the show, but with my transition back to being physically normal. I told Brick to fuck off, and he's only manipulating Sam to be as miserable as he was, while telling everything about Sam to people he KNOWS Sam doesn't like. It's also ironic because Brick was the one who modeled for everything he could, in order to get some fame. Brick likes to act like he helped Sam and I get back together, but it was ALL DAWN, because she is a genuine, and empathetic person."
"So Cameron won the season that you played on, and I don't recall you ever interacting with him on the show, but from the little he did say, you two did not get along. What is your perspective on Cameron?"
All she could do was sign in annoyance once his picture was brought to her, "We did not speak... like AT ALL on the show, since I was out early, we were not on the same team, and I didn't care to speak to him when I was an intern, but I knew that something was off with him from the very beginning. Of course after the show, he all of a sudden took A LOT of interest in me, and what happened to me, despite not uttering A SINGLE WORD TO ME THE ENTIRE SEASON. Even during that one episode where I came back, they didn't tell me about voting out Scott, make an alliance, or anything of the sort. Cameron sent me a few messages asking for info about my situation, and I refused to respond to him, and I wasn't going to a lot of the cast events during that year either. Apparently him and Sam got VERY close during the next season, and he was telling Cameron all about my struggles, and the things happening in our relationship. Sam knew how I felt about Cameron, but he asked him to study and train me, which I was HORRIFIED by. Looking back, I got that Sam was doing what he thought was best for me, and trying to get someone who is knowledgeable in science to try and study and to come up with solutions to my condition, but I don't want to be a lab rat for someone who lacks human empathy, and sees people as experiments. You even SAW how he treated Mike as an experiment on our season, and I know that they had some distance for a while too. I also called him out for letting his friends vote Sam out, knowing that he saw that season as a way to prove that he's a good player, and claiming that he's a friend of Sam's, while keeping stalker Sierra around. I don't like Cameron, and I haven't spoken to him in about 6-7 years."
Josh went to grab another picture, and handed it to her, "So Dawn is the other blond on the season, and I remember on the show, she said out loud that something horrible would happen to you if you stayed on the island. Did she tell you this, and what was your interactions with her like?"
Instant comfort radiated from the young woman, "Dawn is one of my closest friends. I did think she was kind of invasive with her questioning, but it came off to me like she was trying to find the best way in finding friends. She seemed sincere and honest to me, which I could not say for most of the cast while we were on the show, and it was clearly to her detriment. With Dawn, she is a good listener, and once she lets the awkwardness pass, you could just vent to everything from her, so with that in mind, Dawn did warn me about the fate that I would have if she stayed on the island. To me, I didn't believe it because I was an egotist at the time, and Dawn likes talking in riddles, and not outright stating it, since she likes to keep things mysterious. Even when I was an intern, she was one of the few who would hang out with me during off time, and we realized that we both suffered a lot of loneliness growing up, and she still tried to get me to leave the island. I never felt judged around her, and I knew how much it hurt with the other girls snubbed her. Once I became Dakotazoid, she was the ONLY one that was there for me, day in, and day out. I mean, she flew to my house for SEVERAL years to make sure I was alright physically, mentally, spiritually, and came up with all types of activities and living venues for me to reside at. Unlike most of the others who checked on me, Dawn did not make me feel like an experiment, but I still felt like Dakota. Even after the show, she kept in contact with me with the visits, protected my privacy, which many others didn't do, and I really appreciated her being there for me."
"So you stated earlier that you felt like she was the only one that helped you and Sam get back together. There has also been some discussion about some overlap with her... romantic relationships with some of her cast members. What is your commentary about both situations?"
All she did was sigh from the memories, "I think Beverly is very manipulative, and wanted to put that out there to make himself look better, and to guilt Brick and Dawn, who are very naive people. Dawn is brutally honest, and made it known to him and everyone else that their relationship had problems, and that it was on a decline. She came to me for comfort and advice, which caused for me to tell her the truth. She was evolving as a person, and B wasn't, and was too scared to, so he tried to hold her back from improving on her insecurities, and being more social, where he intentionally became more stagnant. Dawn and Brick did not get together until a few months later, and I told her that this... wasn't it. Brick was clearly using her as well to fulfil some... emotional neglect that he was getting from a few people, and I could tell that he wanted someone to... mother her. I think she felt guilty because B kind of manipulated her, and I think she knew that Brick never liked her in the same way. Dawn had to spend a lot of time with Sam, and getting to know him as well, so she had to be the narrator for the both of us, and she became such a great communicator. Everything went down between Sam and I for the last few years, and we weren't living together.. She got us to understand the other's point of view, and we got back together. Dawn is the person I am closest to from our season, outside of Sam."
Josh went on to move in order to grab another picture, "I don't remember you interacting with Jo much through your time on the show? What were your thoughts on her back then?"
A very blank look was on Dakota's face when thinking about the blond woman, "Well, Jo and I did not have much of a relationship. I remember eavesdropping on her and Brick's walks when I was an intern. They had some REALLY nice conversations, while also having some REALLY heated arguments. Watching the two of them interact was their own television show. But I noticed that Jo was a MAD HATER, and was JELAOUS that all of us pretty girls felt confident in us. She made fun of Sam and I's relationship and infatuation, but I just called her a coward because Zoey, Anne Maria, and I went for what we want. We got into some arguments about that, and it got to the point where Chris and Chef forced me to limit contact, since they didn't want my "influence" as an intern to affect the game. Of course when I became Dakotazoid, Jo ALL OF A SUDDEN had an interest in me, but after I became kind of known for being a wrestling physical performer. Jo tried to keep in contact with me over the next few years, and I had to curse her out a few times, since she was only interested in me because she wanted to use MY trauma, and the strength I got from that trauma to benefit from it herself. I don't like her at all, though I haven't dealt with her in over 5-6 years."
"How did Jo try to bond with you after becoming Dakotazoid? Like I want specifics."
"I just remember her showing up to my shows, and acting very friendly, which she NEVER ACTS LIKE, TO ANYONE. Even at Playa des Losers, she was trying to run with me, and have me train her on some of the stuff that Brick was training me for coordination. And then she stated stuff to the press about supporting me, and it was clear that she was using me. Literally AS SOON AS I QUIT my wrestling career, within SECONDS, Jo decided to take my place, and stated that I WANTED HER TO DO THAT, and then BASHED ME WEEKS LATER. I was going through my transition back to normal, and then she used my reality show, and the press I got from that to bash me. It lead to a nasty social media battle, and then we DID get into a fist fight a few years ago. Jo ain't as strong as people think."
Josh couldn't help but blush and giggle, "That's... that is some good tea. Anyways, do you have anything about Lightning? I KNOW him and Sam REALLY hated one another during the season, so there should be more tea about that."
Dakota just giggled, and lifted an eyebrow, "Here's some real tea about Lightning, and the REAL reason why him and Sam got into it during the season. From the beginning, he tried to hook up with me, and I rejected him several times. I told him that he took too much roids, and I needed... a little cushion with my men, and his ass was not enough cushion. Once I rejected him, he then was OBSESSED with getting rid of me, but when he saw Sam and I speak after I became an intern after the Ice challenge, he started LOATHING and threatening Sam. There would be times that I would hang out with the Rats cabin when I was an intern, and I felt him glaring at me the entire time. Sam and I got closer, and Lightning was getting blue balls, so he trashed us, and right after Sam got eliminated, he and I got into it. I read him for FILTH, and EVERYONE was there for the show. Interestingly, he became a lot more mellow once hooking up with Anne Maria."
He definitely perked up, "I remember she said that they were... friends with benefits for a bit, and they were living together. So did you and Sam hang out with the two of them, since you were friends with her for a while?"
"Apparently Lightning and Sam formed some sort of bond during Playa des Losers on "All-Stars", and they wanted to continue their... I don't know about friendship, but their new cordial relationship to thrive. Shockingly, Lightning came off as a lot less aggressive, though still delusional and arrogant, but it was a bit more humorous and tolerable. He showed us another side to him, and there was a... likability there. But things started changing once Anne Maria ditched him for Topher, and he started accusing me of getting into a threesome with Topher and Anne Maria, pretty much insinuating that I cheated on Sam. And the WORST thing about it, was that Sam believed him for a few years."
Josh literally gasped out loud, "OO OOO. NOW THAT was JUICY AS HELL! I DEFINITELY need to put a pin on it for future reference. People have mentioned the tension with you and Sam after the show over the years, but Lightning was never mentioned with it, and how Sam believed the rumors. Seems like he became bitter once Anne Maria left him in the dust." He went to get another picture to hand to her, "Mike is the next person. Did you ever even speak to him?"
She took his picture, and had an expression that was hard to read, "I did not get to speak to him a whole lot until the last few weeks I was on the island. This was during his mess with Anne Maria, and he was REALLY WORRIED about how close Zoey was getting to Scott. There was a rumor that the two of them had a crush on one another, and Mike wanted to get the tea on Scott, which I DEFINITELY DID provide all of the details of. Not just from what I experienced with Scott while being on the Rats, and what else I found out through the production camping grounds. Mike and I always had a good relationship due to that, and he wanted to keep me around once I was brought back in the game. I did my best to keep things calm and cordial with Mike and Anne Maria while they were fighting in Playa des Losers, and over the next few years, he did help try to get Zoey and I on a good path. After I mostly transitioned back to normal, Mike suggested me to go to some great rehabilitation centers and mental institution resources to help me through the process. We aren't best friends, but we've always remained in contact, and been on good terms."
"So we are going to skip Sam, since I like talking about the interviewee's romance last, which means we are going to move onto Scott. What was your experience with him like?"
A huge grunt came out of her mouth, as the picture was put in front of her, "Fuck Scott for life. Do you remember that conversation him and Lightning had in the second episode about hooking up with chicks?" Josh shook his head, and she continued, "What they DIDN'T show was that Scott was telling people that I was hooking up with him, and he told this to other people as well. Because he was too scared to go hit on Zoey yet, he tried to make the moves on me, and I OUTRIGHT REJECTED him. Both Scott and Lightning were mad that I rejected them, and it caused them both to want me gone ASAP. Them bullying Sam was MAINLY because him and I got closer, and they felt like someone like me should have never gotten with someone like him. We also got into it about him lying on his dick while I was an intern, and I called him out also for being mad that Zoey and Mike were together, and trying to get Zoey to use him as a rebound. I was not shocked at all that he booted me when I returned."
Josh was grinning from all the tea that was being revealed, "Ooh, that's very juicy too. So he got rejected by YOU AND ZOEY? BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I CAN'T WAIT to hear his side of the story. Anyways, you both went through severe traumatic body changes through the season, so did that bond the two of you?"
"Absolutely not, and I immediately thought he was exaggerating his injuries when he showed up to Playa des Losers. His story never made sense as to what happened, the body part he claimed was injured would be fine two days later, and he's not a good actor at all. Scott decided to get a body suit so he didn't have to keep lying about his injuries, and so he could claim everything was injured. And it's no coincidence that literally 2 MONTHS LATER, he was COMPLETELY HEALED. Not even Alejandro, and some of the others who have sustained serious injuries akin to that healed that quickly. He then started making comments about me being Dakotazoid to the press, and I made my comments about how he faked his injuries. A few months later, I got a cease and desist from a law firm that he hired, which was after "All-Stars" finished. I continued, since my family has the best lawyers, so he sent people against my father legally. I realized that it was the company Courtney was interning for, so it was one of the puzzles that caused us to realize that he was dating Courtney at that time."
Staci's picture soon landed on the table, "So she is the only person that you outlasted on the show, so you must have spent a lot of time with her on Playa des Losers, and when you both sat out the fifth season. What do you think about Staci?"
A huge roll eye came, "Staci had the nerve to attack my family, and to claim that we are a bunch of frauds, when NONE of her family lineage makes sense. I was there with her at Playa for a week, we argued THE ENTIRE TIME, and I did make fun of her looks. One of the reasons why I flew back to the island was because I COULD NOT TAKE HER ANY LONGER. Once I was eliminated again, we did not have much conversation, but I found myself hanging out with her quite a bit once we met with the first generation cast, since she was not much of a social person, and we both felt like outsiders. We did bond during the next summer, and I got to understand her a lot more. Her family did not give her much attention while growing up, and it caused for her to be caught up in her own world, while I didn't get the RIGHT attention from my family. We both have a HUGE love for pop culture and the paparazzi, so that was something that bonded us for the next few years. I would be lying if I said we kept in contact much afterwards, other than the group events we attended, but there is no hard feelings on my end regarding Staci."
"Alright, so now it is time to talk about Zoey. The only time we saw you two interact on the island was when you turned into Dakotazoid, and you tried to threaten and blackmail her into becoming your friend, but she was the vote that caused you to go home, and she didn't even have the nerve to admit to you that she was not interested in being friends with you."
Dakota had to calm herself with heavy breathing before replying, "Well I think Zoey is kind of male-identified, and claims that she's a bubbly girl, but is really one of those "I'm not like other girls" type girls; even more than Jo, which says a lot. The only girl she tried to get to know was Anne Maria, and that blew up in her face. Dawn and I tried to bond with her through the season, but Zoey took no interest whatsoever. A large part of it does seem like she was nervous, since she never had many friends before, and I understood that. Whenever we would have a girls event during the days off, all of us made Zoey feel comfortable, and she thanked us for the effort, but she would go back to the guys, and create all types of excuses of wanting to get to know them, compared to us. After Anne Maria left, Zoey and I had a discussion where we wanted to have more girlfriends, and we would be there for one another. What people DIDN'T see was that Scott and Zoey were flirting with one another A LOT during this point, and even though Anne was gone, Zoey did not trust Mike. She did not want to boot Scott, and claimed that I was "hazardous to her health" amongst other things that were not shown, but NO ONE ELSE thought that. Zoey also talked about me after I left, saying that I was spoiled, entitled, vain, manipulative, and just foul."
"So how did you react to her when she was eliminated, and when you had to see her for cast events/trips?" Josh asked with genuine interest.
She continued, "Well when I saw her at Playa, I called her out for being the most inconsistent person on the cast, regarding her personality, stories, and how she pretended to be a "girls girl" to many of us. Zoey clearly didn't get it, but she was mad that I called out her interactions with Scott during the mid-game. Anyways, she did apologize to me, and did check up on me here and there regarding my condition, but she stood by her stance with it being a hazard to her. When Sam was turned on in "All-Stars", especially over the nutbag Sierra, I did publicly call them out for it, especially knowing that he didn't want to perform poorly again. It just seemed very cruel, and of course she didn't have anything to say about it other than some passive-aggressive tweets. It took MANY years for us to be on decent terms again, and it was mainly because Mike invited me to one of his charity fundraisers for mental health, and we talked everything over to clear it up. This happened about 3-5 years ago. It seemed like now that she had some other girlfriends, and grew up, she has relaxed, and made amends with everyone she had issues with, which I do respect. We are in a good place now, but I wouldn't say we are friends. I think the appropriate term is friendly acquaintance."
Josh looked very unenthused, as he handed her the final picture, "So Sam is last. I really want to know how this happened, since the show makes it look like you had NO interest in him, until AFTER you were booted. It seemed like TO ME that you realized he was your only way of getting camera time in the season. Everyone seemed very rushed, and calculated on your part."
"FUCK YOU for your implications Josh," Dakota harshly cut in with venom in her voice. "You have spent YOUR ENTIRE CAREER latching onto people for camera time and attention, but it has FAILED. You are STILL mad that Blaineley is more popular than you, and was able to usurp from "Celebrity Manhunt", okay!" She calmed herself down, before she started speaking, "No, I was not attracted to Sam when I first saw him, and I think that's okay. In the first episode, I jumped into his arms, and it was just a natural instinct for me. After a few days, it was clear to me that he was the easiest guy to talk to on the cast, and so while I didn't share those same immediate feelings, he never gave up, and never let what other people said got to him, so I... started respecting him for his strong character. Before I was eliminated though the first time, Sam had a HORRIBLE SENSE OF CONVERSATION, so whenever he would flirt with me, or try to bond with me about certain things, it fell flat. Sam is better with action, instead of words."
"So that is why you let him get eaten by a bunch of Maggots in the Finders Creepers challenge," he muttered with disbelief in his tone of voice. "You have to admit that a bunch of things about your relationship, and how it came to be made, and still makes no sense, where even some of your cast mates agree with me on. Now get to how things were like leading up to both of your final boots, and Dakotazoid."
Dakota rolled her eyes, as she continued getting more annoyed, "I didn't realize it at the time, but I did that because I had feelings for him, and I didn't, no... I couldn't fathom or conceptualize it. When Bridgette and I demonstrated the next challenge, we got very close, and she started asking about who was hooking up with our generation. I told her the truth, and she encouraged me to go after Sam, since romances like ours is rare, and having a summer romance is an experience like no other, and she compared it to how she had to deal with Geoff's awkwardness at first on her season. After that, Sam and I had a REALLY GREAT conversation about our lives, and I got to see another side of him. He wasn't as nervous, and then I saw how he didn't let his teammates get him down during the next challenge, and how brave he was, so I gave him my number. Of course the Dakotazoid stuff happens and I..." She starts tearing up, but fights it off, "I... I..."
Josh genuinely started to feel bad for her, "It's okay. Take as much time as you need to. It's a traumatic event, and you didn't deserve that."
"I tried to put up a front for SO LONG afterwards. I tried to make it seem like I was fine with what happened, especially with Sam being so supportive the entire time, and stating that I was better than ever. A part of me kept it together for as long as I did, or pretended to was because Sam was so supportive, and I noticed that his nervousness went away." She went to get a tissue, and wiped her tears, and blowing her stuffy nose, "I went into hiding from a lot of the Total Drama events; the ones that were exclusive to my cast, and the ones that involved the other casts. They did do a lot of webcams, and tried to do some events at my house, and I do appreciate their efforts to include me, but... it wasn't enough, and I lost that vital time finding myself socially, and personally. I remember the press wondering why I was hiding and not partaking in a lot of the events, and Sam convinced me to sign up as a wrestler. I felt good about it at first, since the public was initially supportive, but I soon felt... exploited, and then I became resentful."
He tried to be as delicate as possible, "So, there has been a lot of mention by... everyone from the cast that we interviewed so far that Sam was not very supportive, and there was A LOT of tension and strain in your relationship for YEARS, to the point where it broke you two apart. What are your thoughts on it?'
She controlled her breathing, and took a drink of water before speaking, "Sam was supportive in a lot of ways, like being there to handle my changed increased hunger, to find out what could help me adapt more to the real world physically, etc. But he wasn't supporting me emotionally AT ALL. Whenever I would have one of my freakouts or depression periods regarding the situation, he acted like I had no reason to be upset, that I was now a superhero, that this makes me more special and unique. He was becoming the guy that I didn't take to initially, with him saying the wrong things all the time. And I had to hear it from MIKE after filming the next season that he went to "All-Stars" to become a monster like me. We had an argument about that, but after the show was over, things somewhat became more nuanced, and cooler between us... until I told him a few years afterwards that my father booked me with some of the best doctors and scientists to reverse everything. Sam and I got into a HUGE blowup, since he saw it as an attack on our relationship, and he was insecure about me going back to the Dakota that I was before the show, meaning that I would leave him. That eventually DID happen, but it was because despite promising to support me, he never really did after that, and became very bitter. I was in my early 20s, and wanted to relive the events that I got to miss out on in my late teens, so I started partying with others more, and having fun. We had our reality show at this time, and THAT was the straw that broke the camel's back."
"So how did the two of you end up back together about 2 years ago?"
"Well, it took me a few years to realize that the drinking, partying, socialite lifestyle isn't all that it's cracked up to be. You have people doing anything to get attention because they are lonely and miserable, and there is no loyalty amongst that crowd either. I found myself in the hospital almost overdosed a few times, and none of those people were there for me. I also tried to get a few acting spots, especially since Sam and I were able to get a few together, though that caused some issues with that washed up villain couple from the third season. People were not interested in me on my own. Apparently when I was drunk, I sent Sam a bunch of messages and texts about how much I missed him, and I ended up in the hospital the next day. I didn't remember a damn thing, but Sam ended up being there, and we got back together. I stopped drinking, and I think that time caused us to find ourselves as individuals, since he also grew during those 2-3 years that we were not together."
Josh was elated that things were winding down, "So the second last question I have for you is who do you speak to from the other generations, and what were your interactions with some of them? We do know that you spent some time with the first cast once the "All-Stars" season was filmed."
She actually had to think about it for a while, "Well, Bridgette and I became quick friends once she cameoed on our season while I was an intern, and we remained good friends since. Due to that, I was also good friends with Geoff as well, and he's also a socialite-type of person. Sam and Harold are VERY GOOD friends, so I have interacted with Harold and Leshawna a lot over the years. We're cool, but I would not say either of us are close friends. Sam and Lindsay also became very close during "All-Stars", so I have gotten close to her and Tyler over the years as well. Also, Beth, Katie, and Sadie took their time to get to know me during that time, and I have definitely partied with the three of them. Sierra is also a VERY good friend of mine, and we've bonded over pop culture and the media as well, as she and Sam also became good friends on their season. Cody is okay, whenever I go to visit her, and he is there. Justin is also someone I've gotten very close, and he's helped me with some job opportunities."
"So what about the third generation cast? There was some mention about Topher earlier in the interview."
"Well I actually hit Topher up, because I was working on creating a journalism outlet from my computer, and he would have been the one to spill about the dynamics and drama of the third cast. I was still going through my transition, so we spoke online a lot of the time, but when I was mostly reverted, and I was single, we had a lot of fun together, and got to know one another REALLY well. It was a quick fling, but we did remain friends, and I think he's misunderstood. I am actually close to both of the twins, since there are aspects of Amy and Samey that are likable. Amy went through a lot of hate and trauma due to the show, so I felt bad for her, and Samey had to go through the process of making friends and not being the "dumb blonde" archetype, so I relate to them both. Sugar and I were also friends for a good while, especially when she was dating Leonard, but then we fell out. Ella and I are on good terms as well, and we often hang out with Dawn together. I personally do not speak to any of the others, though we all did get together at a cabin shortly after their season finished airing, and there was some drama that happened."
He was already starting to pack up once he asked the final question, "So my final question for the interview is, what did you learn from your experience on the show, and what have you been up to since?"
Dakota groaned before responding, "Obviously I was a 10 foot monster, so my options were limited for the next few years after the show. Sam signed me up to be a wrestler when our season was airing, and I did it for about a year, but I quit because I hated it, and hated being the butt of the joke. Outside of that, I was still mainly sequestered in a few locations, so I was kept away from society. I couldn't enjoy my late teen years, and I wanted to revert back to my normal body. But even getting to a similar enough size and look to my old self took an additional few years, and that was when I decided to create my own blogging social media company. Once I got the transition results I've been looking forward to getting, I did some pilots for some acting gigs, and I was successful at that for about a year or two. Became a party-obsessed socialite, and was a model of some sorts. Of course there was the reality show with Sam that was a disaster. Over the last few years, I have focused mainly on blogging, and social media management, meaning that I help others increase their social media following and branding. When I feel like, I help Sam with his gaming company that he's trying to build up. As you see, my roots are still green, so I have to balance that, and my skin is still somewhat tanned orange."
Josh got up to shake Dakota's hand, who also got up, "Alrighty, thank you for the interview, and best wishes... I guess. I really don't care."
"And I don't care if your contract is not renewed after your bootleg interviews," Dakota hissed back as she left. "Mildred is still the star, and even Chris and Don STILL have more clout and relevance than you. Ta ta."
