Welcome to the second chapter, fellow reader! I'm glad that you've decided to stick around for part two of Chris's interview! And of course, if you haven't read the first chapter yet, you should definitely do so, or else you might get lost and confused.
Anyways, I know it's been seventeen days since I uploaded the chapter, so I do want to apologize for the long wait, especially for a chapter that's still part of the prologue. However, with school calming down a little bit and all twenty-four characters being selected, it's time to finish up the prologue and reveal the cast!
So let's get right into the chapter! Enjoy!
Chris attempted to take in everything Matt had just told him, but only a few words came out, "M-My first challenge?"
Matt nodded, "That's correct! Depending on your performance, it could also be your last challenge as the host of Total Drama! If we're going to make this work and head on up towards the big leagues, you're going to need to be on your best performance!"
He leaned back against his chair and continued, "And that leads to your second lesson: always put in your best effort! It doesn't matter what job you have, and it doesn't matter how much experience you have! If you don't work hard, you're not going to succeed!"
As stressed as Chris was feeling right now, he couldn't help but feel a bit inspired by Matt's speech. Sure, one can counter argue about some parts in his speech, but there was no denying that other parts held truth for everyone. Deep down inside, he started to feel more confident, but looked like he was ready to call it quits on the outside.
"You do make a good point there, Mr. Westwood." Chris complimented him. "So, what do I have to do exactly? And more importantly, are these two people behind you also my bosses?"
Indeed, there were two people sitting behind Matt; both of them had serious expressions on their faces, indicating that they weren't going to take this interview light-heartedly. Did it help that they appeared to be judging him silently as well? Definitely not.
The man sitting behind Matt on the right appeared to be brown skinned and older than Chris and Matt, having a large and muscular physique that could intimidate many people. He has large black eyes and his bald head appears to have a white chef's hat on top of it. His current attire consists of: a pastel dress shirt with a light purple tie attached to it, yellow-green pants with a brown belt around it, brown formal shoes, and of course, his white chef's hat on top of his head.
The lady sitting behind Matt on the left appeared to be tan skinned and a bit older than Chris and Matt, having an attractive physical appearance that could arguably resemble a model. She has large blue eyes and her long, dirty blonde hair appears to be curly at the bottom and straight at the top and middle. Her current attire consists of: a white blouse with a black business jacket over it, a pastel skirt that was barely above the knees, and black formal shoes.
"If I were you, I wouldn't worry so much about me and Norbert than your interview right now." the lady remarked in a cold tone. "Remember, you only have one chance to prove your worth, so don't let two extra people be the cause of your failure."
Chris nodded and looked at Norbert, expecting him to say something as well. But he didn't, as he continued to silently judge him with his cold, intimidating expression, one that could cause chills to go down someone's spine. As the host gulped and began to sweat more, he looked at Matt and hoped that he would get the challenge started.
"Thank you, Trish." Matt gave her a smile before looking at Chris again. "Now then, today's challenge will sound very simple. However, whether it's easy or not will be based on your effort and your skills. Of course, effort is more important than skills, but you'll need both in order to remain as the host of Total Drama."
Chris interjected before Matt could continue, "What is Total Drama exactly?"
Unfazed by the interruption, Matt's smile grew bigger upon hearing the question, "I'm glad you asked, Chris! You see, Total Drama will be a brand new reality television show that will feature young adults competing against each other for a cash prize of one million dollars! They'll compete as teams and individuals in very tough challenges that will push them to their limits, all while living at a summer camp that's on an abandoned island!"
He then gave Chris a wink after explaining, "And that's only the gist of it! There's a lot more to explain about the show, but it would probably take the whole day to do so! Now, do you have any more questions for me?"
Not wanting to risk getting on Matt's bad side, despite his friendly demeanor and bright smile, Chris simply said, "I'm ready to get the challenge started."
"Excellent!" Matt exclaimed before finally getting started with the challenge explanation. "So for your first challenge, I want you to use your hosting skills and your charisma to persuade Trish to watch our new show! And using the information I've given you about Total Drama, I want you to answer whatever questions she may have about the show!"
"And you'll be judged based on whether you win her over or not." he continued. "As I said earlier, it may sound simple, but I've seen many come and fail this challenge because they simply underestimated the challenge and put in mediocre effort."
"So just because you said it was simple doesn't mean it's actually easy?" Chris asked.
"Exactly!" Matt answered. "If you take my two lessons into consideration, then I guarantee you'll pass this challenge! Remember, always expect the unexpected and always put in your best effort!"
"And if you put in effort and use your skills wisely, every challenge will be conquered easily." Trish added, her expression as serious as ever.
"Thank you, Trish." Matt thanked her before looking at her. "Now that my part is done, would you like to take it from here?"
"Yes," she replied before giving Chris a look that could send shivers down a person's spine. "So, you wanna be the host of Total Drama, right?"
Chris nodded before she continued, "Very well, then. Let's see if you have what it takes to convince me to become a fan of this new show."
As Matt and Norbert listened, Trish and Chris were ready to go.
"So," she began to act out her role. "I assume you're the host of that new television show I've been hearing about lately. It was… Total Drama, I think? Can you confirm that?"
"You are absolutely correct, ma'am." Chris replied, also getting into character as a charismatic host. "I will be the host of Total Drama under the name of Matthew Westwood, a man who has given me the honor to provide entertainment for potential viewers like you."
Matt couldn't help but smile at the compliment, although one couldn't tell if it was sincere or part of Chris's character. While Chris appeared to be smiling and even a little more confident than earlier, Trish still had her serious expression.
"I see…" Trish nodded at what Chris had told her. "Well, I'll take your word that you'll be able to impress us with your hosting skills. Actually, as a matter of fact, why don't you show off some of your talent for me? I think it would be awesome if you could tell me more about this Total Drama show."
"Of course! You're more than welcome to ask me any questions about me or the show!" he told her with a smile before standing up to explain. "Now, you may or may not have seen reality television shows that have a set of strangers living together and compete against one another for the sake of winning a high amount of money. Regardless, Total Drama's premise is to take a group of young adults that don't know each other and have them compete in teams and as individuals in challenges that will push them to their limits! Many of their aspects will be tested, all on camera for the viewing audience to see!"
He swallowed his saliva before continuing, "And what's more is that they'll all be living together at a summer camp that's on an abandoned island! Imagine all of the entertaining possibilities that could happen outside of the challenges!"
"Like what?" Trish asked him, curious to know about the possibilities.
"So many examples!" Chris answered her question. "The exciting bonfire parties, the friendships that'll be formed, the possible hookups and relationships that could happen, and most importantly, the drama and conflict that will keep you entertained and interested for weeks! And I can assure you that there's a lot more possibilities than what I've listed!"
Trish couldn't help but looked a bit impressed by his talent. He still had a long way to go, but there was no doubt that he already had potential to draw in a large audience like Matt had said. But she wasn't done yet, as she wanted to ensure that Chris would keep his game up at all times.
"Hmm… that sounds like it'll be an entertaining show." she told him, causing the charismatic host to feel relieved and happy. "From what you're describing to me, it does seem like Total Drama has the capability to live up to its name and provide entertainment in not just the challenges, but also during their free time as well."
"And although it is a stretch to say it'll be the best show ever," she continued. "Tell me, how are you going to contribute to the show's possible success? How are you going to be a lovable and entertaining host that will keep me tuned in for not just the whole episode, but for all of upcoming ones as well? These are questions I wanna know from you, Mr. Host."
"You're always welcome to call me Mr. McLean!" he couldn't help but smirk a little bit at the confidence boost that Trish had given him. "And to answer your questions, first and foremost, I will be a fair host and call it right down the middle! As the one who will be spectating the contestants during the challenges, it is true that the host can make the challenge unfair for a certain team or certain individuals, but I can assure you that I won't abuse that power and will play as a neutral bystander!"
"You're not wrong about what you said about hosts or higher authority being able to abuse their power to help their favorites win." Trish told him. "I'm glad that you won't be one of those people that will find excuses to screw over someone's chances of winning because of any aspect. Believe me, I find it less entertaining and really irritating if a host interferes to have a fan favorite win the challenge. I would much prefer someone I don't like winning a challenge on their own than someone I like winning through outside assistance."
"And I'm glad we're on the same page of impartial hosting!" Chris added on to the interview conversation. "Now, there's more I can do to provide to the show's success besides being an impartial host! Whenever I get an opportunity to be on camera, I will explain the challenges thoroughly, emphasize the commentary, and even get involved if there is a serious emergency that threatens the lives and safety of the contestants! There's a big difference between interfering for ratings and interfering for someone's safety."
It was obvious that Trish was gaining more respect for him, given by her small and unnoticeable smile. And Chris was practically full of confidence, his energy and excitement going well with his charismatic host character. Matt had a grin on his face, proud that his employee was using his lessons to kick ass in the interview so far. And Norbert was the only one who still had a serious expression on his face.
"Yes, as a host of a reality television show, it's very important for me to keep the show entertaining through impartial ways!" he continued before Trish could say anything. "But at the end of the day, the contestants' safety should always be the top priority. Like my mother says, 'there's no point of having a show if the people are going to get hurt or killed.'"
He looked at Trish and then at Matt and Norbert before continuing, "And you know what? My mother was right! If the contestants get hurt, then I would have failed as a host! A host does more than just recapping the episodes or explaining the challenges or providing commentary!"
He took a deep breath before continuing on, "A host should be there to protect the contestants and ensure their safety. Why? It's more than because of lawsuits or ratings…"
He took another deep breath before finishing, "It's because the contestants need the host, and vice-versa. And without one or the other, there would be no show."
As Chris finally went silent, everyone else in the room looked shocked. Even Norbert had widened his eyes because of what Chris had said. Trish barely had her mouth agape, but one could tell she was stunned to even say a word. And Matt was smiling like a kid at a candy store — one could say he looked like a goofy idiot.
After almost a minute of silence, Matt started to clap slowly, getting faster by each second. Trish and Norbert followed after, and all three of them stood up from their chairs like they were giving someone a standing ovation. All while this was happening, Chris stood there and took in all of the claps, having a shocked face for receiving this much praise from the people he would be working with in the future.
Finally, after what appeared to be a minute of clapping, the four sat back down and Chris anticipated for the results of whether he passed the challenge or not. He had a lot of confidence and exerted a good amount of his charisma, but even as he waited for Matt or Trish to say something, he still felt nervous in his stomach. He knew that he had put in his best effort to not only complete the challenge of persuading Trish to watch Total Drama, but to showcase his talent and skills as well.
Matt was the first to speak, "That… was… absolutely amazing!"
"Thank you, Mr. Westwood." Chris gladly accepted his compliment with a relieved smile on his face.
"No," Matt quickly butted in. "Thank you for putting in your best effort! I've seen so many performances, and you were one of, if not, the best performance I have ever witnessed! From start to finish, you were on top of your game, and you managed to use your creativity to come up with ways to convince Trish as the host of Total Drama!"
Trish decided to add on to the conversation, "What impressed me was that you managed to persuade me with not too much information given about the show. You thought outside of the box, and you stayed in character the whole time."
Chris was about to say something, but she beat him to the punch, "And I know what you're about to ask. I think it's obvious, but yes, you passed the challenge. Congratulations on doing well in the interview, and I hope we can get along well for the upcoming summer."
She held her hand out and Chris didn't hesitate to shake her hand with a grin on his face, "Thank you, Trish. I hope we can work well together and accomplish a lot of our goals."
After shaking hands, Matt decided to lead the conversation for the new topic, "So, now that we've all decided that Chris has passed the challenge and will remain as the host of Total Drama, why don't we go out and eat together for dinner?"
Norbert responded, "Sure. I have nothing better to do."
Trish responded, "Does Korean BBQ sound good, Mr. Westwood? We could go to Blue Palace and try out the beef bulgogi that we've been wanting to eat for a while."
"I am definitely craving some Korean BBQ! Also, do you think you and Norbert can cook it this time? I'll try to help out, but I don't wanna risk burning the meat again." Matt told the two people that joined in for Chris's interview.
Trish nodded, "Yes, sir."
She then looked at Chris, "Do you wanna come with us as well? If you don't have any plans for today, of course."
"I'll have to talk to my mom first." Chris responded. "We may or may not have plans to go out and eat as well."
"Let's hope you can make it!" Matt told him. "After all, I am gonna invite my father to join us so he can meet you, Mr. McLean."
"Y-Your father?" Chris asked, a bit nervous about meeting someone who is at a higher power than Matt himself.
Matt noticed his nervousness and gave a friendly laugh, "There's no need to worry, Chris! My father may seem intimidating and scary at first glance, but once you get past that, then he's a really cool and caring man. Sure, he's older than all of us, but he definitely fits in with the newer generations."
"So he's basically like one of those teachers that's smart and cool on the inside, but looks the opposite on the outside?" Chris asked.
"That's an excellent analogy of my father!" Matt complimented him. "But anyways, I think you and him will get along very well for the upcoming summer season."
"But what about my possible plans with my mom?" Chris asked him. "I understand he's a very important person for me to meet, but I don't know if I should -"
"It's okay if you can't make it," Trish assured him. "There'll be plenty of chances for you to meet him. The last thing we want is for your relationship with your mother to be ruined because of one person… no offense to your father, Mr. Westwood."
"None taken!" Matt told her with a smile. "Now then, let's head on out of here, shall we? Chris, you have my phone number, right?"
"Yeah," Chris replied. "You gave it to me through your email."
"Excellent!" Matt exclaimed before standing up to head towards the door. "I hope we'll be able to see you at Blue Palace around six-fifteen! Take care, Mr. McLean!"
As Matt and Trish left the room, Chris and Norbert were the only two left. However, it appeared that the big man was taking his time to leave, much to the confusion of the host of Total Drama. Norbert still had the same, serious expression on his face, and as he glanced at Chris, his expression turned into a glare that wasn't too scary, thankfully.
"I-I hope we get along too, Norbert." Chris told him nervously, not liking his glare that was directed at him. "Um… what's with the angry look?"
His question was answered when Norbert walked towards him, causing the host to back away in fear of being beaten up by a man that was almost twice his size. Norbert's glare never softened, and it definitely looked like he was about to get violent with Chris. However, when he got close to him, he merely continued to glare at him — he didn't make any physical contact.
"N-N-Norbert…" Chris said with immense fear in his voice. "I-I-I don't know what your p-problem is, but we can talk this out! I-I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die…"
As Chris prayed for his life, Norbert had finally said something, "I ain't gonna hurt you."
Upon hearing Norbert talking, Chris glanced at him with one arm shielding his face, "W-What?"
"I didn't stutter," Norbert told him. "You can put your arm down 'cause I ain't gonna hit ya."
Still feeling skeptical about Norbert, Chris slowly lets his arm down, but still remained cautious and kept his guard up, "T-Then why are you giving me that angry look like you're about to kill me?"
Norbert's glare deepened, causing Chris to cower away in fear again, "I'm just kidding! Don't hurt me, please!"
"Quit being a scaredy-cat and put your arms down!" Norbert ordered him with a rather loud voice. "Like I said, I ain't gonna hurt you."
"S-So why are you giving me an angry look if you're not gonna hurt me?!" Chris asked in return, daring to fight back. "We've just met like an hour ago, and I never said anything disrespectful to you or about you! I'll let my arms down if you at least back up and give me some personal space, please!"
Norbert thought about it for a brief moment, and after deciding that Chris wasn't going to cooperate until he gave him a reason to feel less terrified, he sighed and took a few steps back. His hands weren't in his pockets, and Chris saw from the corner of his eye that Norbert had backed off. Knowing that Norbert had made his promise, Chris followed suit with his promise and let his arms down. Now, they were facing each other with silence.
After almost a minute of silence, Norbert spoke up, "Listen, I ain't gonna even lay a finger on you unless you give me a reason to. But looking at you and how you behaved the whole time I was here, it's clear that you need to be toughened up."
"Toughened up?! You were giving me an angry look and got close to me!" Chris retorted defensively. "Is it not wrong for me to feel scared and intimidated by a big guy like you?! And besides, how am I supposed to know that you weren't lying about hitting me?!"
"You don't." Norbert bluntly answered. "You're already starting off on the right track by being cautious, but that'll be something for another time. But right now, you need to stop being fearful too much!"
"Let me repeat myself," Chris told him. "You were giving me an angry look, even though I didn't say anything wrong. And then you got close to me, still with that same angry look. So it's very obvious that I would have to react with fear over logic! If you would've done the same thing to Trish or Mr. Westwood, they would've been scared like me as well! The same goes for almost everyone else!"
"But you're not like most of the other people." Norbert simply told him.
"But I am!" Chris exclaimed in response, having a confused look on his face. "The only people I know that wouldn't be scared of you are the guys and girls that have the same physique as you, and the crazy, weird people!"
"You're not like most of the other people," Norbert repeated to him. "You might think otherwise, but there's something about you that reminds me of someone I used to know."
"Who's this someone?" Chris asked out of curiosity.
"That's none of your business." Norbert answered with a glare, giving Chris the indication that he shouldn't ask more about it.
He sighed quietly before continuing, "All I'm trying to say is, you have the chance and potential to toughen up. And it ain't the normal toughening where you grow bigger muscles and act less of a scaredy-cat…"
"It's the type of toughening that will save you from a downfall." Norbert concluded.
"Downfall?" Chris asked.
"Did I stutter?!" Norbert yelled at him with a question, causing Chris to be startled. "I ain't gonna stop you from doing whatever you wanna do, but if ya wanna survive in this world, then I'd suggest using logic more often than your emotion."
"I'm a human, not a robot." Chris replied. "If I had no emotions, then I would end up as a psychopath, or killed at a very young age! Only some crazy or big person would have no fear in standing up to someone -"
"I never said you were supposed to use only logic," Norbert interrupted. "You used your emotions to identify the problem, but you used logic to escape the problem. You obviously wanna use both, but logic is the main thing that will get you out of conflict and nasty situations."
He then started to head towards the door, not looking back at Chris while talking, "I'll see you at Blue Palace… if you can make it."
Norbert closed the door behind him and left a stunned and confused Chris behind. He didn't know how to exactly feel about Norbert, especially after their first conversation between them, not to mention that he had been nearly been scared to death by the large man. And after receiving advice from Matt in the form of lessons, getting more advice from another person started to make him feel a bit stressed.
He sighed and checked his phone, in which the time was currently 01:24 PM. He had been in the interview room for over an hour, and he still had to meet up with them again later around 06:15. It was optional, but he also wanted to make a good impression with Matt's father by attending the dinner event. As he proceeded to exit the room and head towards the elevator, he decided to give his mother a call.
"Hello?" Chris's mother picked up from her end.
"Mom," Chris replied to her with a smile on his face. "I'm all done with the interview now."
He heard her gasp as she said, "What happened?! How did you do, my little honey bun?!"
His smile grew as he entered the elevator and pressed the button that would take him to the lobby room, "Not only did I get the job…"
"That's amazing!" she interrupted him with a delighted cheer. "I'm so proud of you! I knew you could do it!"
"Thanks, Mom." Chris responded to her. "And get this, Mr. Westwood brought in two other people to join us for the interview. I had to go through a challenge to have a chance of becoming a television show host."
"A challenge?" his mother asked out of curiosity.
"Yup!" he replied to her as the elevator reached the lobby room. "The challenge was to convince one of my co-workers named Trish to check out a brand new reality television show called Total Drama. And I used only what Mr. Westwood told me about the show to persuade her. Of course, I used my creativity and charm to win her over."
His mother couldn't help but chuckle, "Well I'm glad that you managed to use your skills to beat the challenge. And did anybody in that room make you feel uncomfortable?"
Chris remembered about Norbert, but decided to not tell her about it, "Nope! It wasn't a scam or anything like that. Everyone was professional, and I'm looking forward to working with them for the upcoming summer season."
"That's good!" she exclaimed in relief for her son's safety. "So are you on your way back to the car?"
"I am." he told her as he walked out the front entrance door and towards the parking lot that was covered with sunlight and warm weather. "I see our car, so I'm assuming you went for a walk?"
"I certainly did go for a walk!" his mother responded, much to his own relief. "I'm not that far from the car, actually. I assumed that the interview wasn't going to take long, so I didn't travel far during my Muskoka exploration."
"Try to wait for at least five minutes, please!" she continued in a cheerful tone. "I did buy you some food on the way back! It's from Green Garden!"
Chris's eyes widened upon hearing Green Garden, "Awesome! We can enjoy our food and go explore around Muskoka right after!"
There was a small moment of silence from the other side before his mother spoke up once more, "Well, we can't take too long. I have to go in for work at around four, and getting back to Toronto will take a little while."
Chris couldn't help but frown at what his mother had said. On one hand, he clearly has free time to accept Matt's invitation and join them at Blue Palace, making him less stressed between two choices. However, on the other hand, he wanted to spend plenty of time with his mother, more so than spending time with his co-workers. But what's done is done, and there was no way that his mother could convince her boss to avoid tonight's shift.
"It's fine," he responded in a calm tone. "It's harder to take a day off on Thursday anyways."
"Don't be upset," his mother attempted to cheer him up. "It was a last minute call, and I was looking forward to spending time with my son. So believe me, I'm also upset that my boss called me in."
"Yeah, yeah." Chris replied in a nonchalant manner, even though it was only a minor inconvenience. "But you're gonna be busy tomorrow, Saturday, and part of Sunday. And it won't be until Sunday evening that you'll actually be able to relax and spend time with me instead of being on your computer, sleeping early, or going out to hang with your friends."
"Christopher!" his mother's voice suddenly turned harsh and serious as she started to berate him. "You know I can't just call off often! I may be at a high rank in the company, but that doesn't mean I can do whatever I want! I do want to spend time with you, but I also have my own life as well, even if you're my son! So don't start acting like a whiny brat because -"
"Mom!" Chris suddenly yelled at her, causing her to go silent immediately. "If you're gonna scold me, then at least do it in private and not on the phone where other people can hear you! Look, I'll just call up one of my buddies and we can hang out for the evening, alright? Let's just not argue anymore and go explore Muskoka with whatever time we have."
He heard her take a deep breath over the phone before responding, "Okay."
And after hanging up, Chris called Matt to accept his invitation.
After Chris and his mother ate lunch and went on a quick tour of Muskoka, not to mention talking things out about the conversation from earlier, the host took her back home and drove off to Blue Palace that was in Muskoka. He didn't get changed since he was already in business attire, and he got gas on the way there. This time around, he took the local streets to not only kill time and find a gas station, but to also avoid Highway 401.
It was a longer drive to Blue Palace than to the interview place, but after over an hour driving, Chris had finally made it. As he parked the car and checked the time, which was 04:41, he decided to kill time by looking around for a nearby massage parlor. Thankfully, not only did he manage to find Blue Palace, but he also found Body Relaxation, a massage parlor and salon that was a few doors down to the right. He really needed to get his body massaged, especially his legs!
By the time he paid and left the place, his body felt as good as new, and he was re-energized. He checked his phone again, and the time was now 05:01. He didn't know when Matt and the others would show up, but he still had about an hour left to kill. But as he was ready to find something else to do, he suddenly saw a familiar face…
It wasn't an old friend or his mother, but it was Matt himself! He had already gotten out of a silver Lamborghini that looked very stylish and clean. Trish and Norbert followed suit from the back. As the three of them headed towards Blue Palace, the front passenger door opened and a man stepped out, having a very serious expression on his face.
"This is it, Father!" Matt exclaimed to him with a large smile on his face; Trish had a small smile on her face, and Norbert had a neutral expression. "I guarantee you that this place will be amazing!"
Matt's father appeared to be old, yet attractive and muscular, having a build that's a little larger than Norbert's. He has large blue eyes and his short, gray hair appears to be combed and spiked up all over with hair gel. His current attire consists of: a blue hawaiian shirt with pineapple designs all over, khakis with a brown belt around it, and white sneakers.
He nodded at his son's statement, "Well, this place does have a 4.7 rating that's out of five stars, so I do have high expectations. Now then, let's not waste any more time and order a table before it gets really crowded."
As they were heading towards the door, Chris attempted to hide and somehow sneak to his car without getting caught. But as he was crouching and trying to use his environment to his advantage, it was ultimately to no avail…
"Mr. McLean!" Matt called out, causing Chris to freeze in place as his boss walked up towards him. "It's good to see you! I'm glad you could make it, and very early as well!"
Knowing that there was no point in sneaking away, Chris turned around and put a smile on his face, "It's good to see you too! I assumed the traffic would be bad, so I left earlier than planned, but taking the local streets wasn't better than I expected."
Matt couldn't help but let out a friendly laugh, "No worries! You're not the only one who doesn't like taking Highway 401 either!"
He then continued, "I'm actually glad that you made it early! My father's plans right after dinner was moved to an earlier time; it's not by much, but still enough for me to come here earlier than planned. I was gonna call you to let you know too, but here we are!"
Chris chuckled, "You did tell me to always expect the unexpected, so that's what I did!"
Matt gave a pat on Chris's back, "It's awesome that you're applying my lessons and advice already! Trust me, there'll be more helpful ones from me in the future!"
He then realized something important, "Oh! I need to introduce you to my father! And remember, he may seem like an intimidating person at first, but trust me when I say he's a cool and caring man."
Chris followed Matt to meet his father, and upon seeing him, there was no doubt that the man appeared to be large and intimidating… even more so than Norbert! Despite feeling nervous and a bit terrified, Chris still kept a brave face and walked towards him.
"Father, I want you to meet Chris McLean," Matt introduced him to his father. "He will be the host of Total Drama! I believe he is someone you will be very impressed by, given his creativity, skills, and the amount of effort he puts in."
"N-Nice to meet you, Mr. Westwood." Chris held out his hand for a handshake, hoping that he would get one instead of something terrible.
Matt's father looked at him and his hand for almost a minute, causing Chris to feel more nervous than before. The look he was giving him was terrifying, to say the least. And if he dared to piss him off even the slightest bit, he might as well get a coffin or an ambulance ready.
But what came afterwards was a surprise for Chris and Matt himself. He didn't show any disrespect towards the host, nor did he make physical contact with him. Instead, he walked towards the silver Lamborghini, gave Matt a gesturing look that he needed to unlock the car, and opened the front passenger door. He grabbed what appears to be a clipboard with some papers attached to it and walked towards them after closing the door.
He got close to Chris, and then proceeded to hand the clipboard over to him, "I want you to take a look at the papers that are attached to the clipboard."
Chris complied and took a look at the first paper that was in front of him, which was a list that had names of different people divided into two sections…
The Male Contestants
01. Leon Lui
02. Gabriel Peterson
03. Velvet Ruto
04. Alex Kenion
05. Therion Suárez
06. Nikolai Mitchell
07. Mason Scherz
08. Eliade Sima
09. Thiago Datura
10. Tom Nguyen
11. Charles Soltz
12. Drake Flare
The Female Contestants
01. Gabriela Martìnez
02. Olivia Morales
03. Callie Brighton
04. Xanthia Ranston
05. Melissa Lambert
06. Rosa Frediano
07. Abigail Phillippa
08. Albienne Rosary
09. Helena Browning
10. Ciara Brady
11. Theresa Valentine
12. May Susens
After going through the names on the first paper, Chris proceeded to flip to the other papers, "Mr. Westwood, can you explain more about the information on these papers?"
"These are the papers you'll need as host," Matt's father responded with a serious expression on his face. "Once filming begins, you'll need to know each of the contestants through name, picture, and brief information, just so you know how to interact with them without accidentally pissing them off. I have the rest of their applications at home, but you don't need to worry about it because me and the other executive producers will handle it."
"So don't lose them." he continued with a stern look before offering his hand out with a grin. "It's nice to meet you too, Mr. McLean. You can call me Thomas to avoid confusing me and Matthew's last names."
After shaking hands, Thomas spoke to everyone, "Now that important matters are out of the way for now, let's mingle and relax for this dinner event, shall we?"
As they all conversed with one another about general topics, Chris took a look at the papers again, and as he began to walk away to put the clipboard inside his car, he began to think about his future with many different possibilities.
But one thing's for sure, this was gonna be an interesting summer for him.
And there you have it! Almost seven-thousand words later, I have finally revealed the official contestants for Wawanakwa Island! Now, to those who applied and didn't see your character(s), I'm sorry to say that your application(s) got rejected. Of course, I've read through all of the submissions, but if I never replied to you, then that means your character(s) got rejected. I do apologize for not stating so, but just know that I really appreciate you for taking the time and effort to not only answer my first chapter question, but to also fill out a rather detailed application.
Now that I have all of the contestants, the next chapter will be the first part of the first episode! Yes, I say part because each episode will be divided into multiple parts to provide detail and development. All I can say is, the next chapter will be very long because all of the contestants will be introduced, so bare with me if I take long with the update!
I also have a question for you to answer in the reviews! Now, this one is entirely optional, but it does help me improve! Of course, it can be short or long, it doesn't matter.
Here's the question: What was your personal opinion about Trish, Norbert, and Thomas Westwood?
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one! Until then, take care!