Production In Progress (Chris x Chef)

Chapter 1

"Dear Mr. Mclean,

We are reaching back out to you about your reality tv show, Total Drama Island. We here at Nickolodeon decide to go into a direction and went with another option. We thank you for your time, and luck on your show.

-Nickolodeon Directors."

Great, another rejection letter. At first, I would get disappointed about it, but now it's so common that it doesn't bother me anymore. But now, I'm starting to run out of options for companies to pitch to. Now, I'm waiting for my turn to pitch my show at Fresh TV headquarters, freshly showered and dressed to make a good impression, my black hair gelled and styled. Around me are some other people waiting, hoping for the same thing. Hopefully, they can see my vision and be willing to work with me.

"Mr. Mclean, Room 10B for your audition," said the nearby secretary.

I got up nervously and went down the hall to Room 10B. Through the window on the door, I can see 3 directors sitting and waiting for my pitch. I comb my finger through my hair and take a deep breath before opening the door. I greeted them and set myself up in the front of the room. The directors had their full attention on me, waiting to see what I would bring to the table.

"Hello, I'm Chris Mclean. Today, I will be showing you the next biggest hit in Reality TV, Total Drama Island," I say as I pull the curtain off the board nearby, showing off the poster for the show. "In this show, 22 campers will be sent to an island to compete in challenges for $100,000. The campers will be teenagers, split on 2 teams while competing. The losing team will vote someone out, while the winning team will win a reward for that week. It'll all come down to 2 campers, doing one last challenge to win the money. During their stay, we'll be filming everything and record confessionals from the contestants for the viewers at home. So, Fresh TV, how would you like to add Total Drama Island to your production?" I finish my speech as a small amount of sweat comes from my forehead. I was nervous throughout the entire speech, but tried to keep it under control.

The directors finish writing in their notebooks and look up at me.

"Do you have any idea on who would host the show?" one of the directors asked.

"I would be more than willing to host of the show. I have experience as a host, as I used to be host of Dancers on Ice," I said confidently.

"Why would you use teenagers instead of adults?" asked the other director.

"Teenagers would bring so much drama to the show and the ratings will be through the roof," I said, looking over the group.

"Will it be a scripted show?" asked the director in the middle.

"No, these will be every day teenagers from all around Canada. We'll promote the show and gather audition tapes at the same time," I said.

The directors start writing in their books again before looking up at me.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Mclean. We'll be contacting you by next week," said the director in the middle.

I thanked them for their time and took my promotional board with me as I exited the room. My nerves haven't settled down the entire pitch, but I feel great about how it went. I was starting to feel hopeful, that this time my carrer will start, but reality started to seep in. It's been a year since I started pitch this show, and no one has given me a chance. So, why would Fresh TV?

***********

Next week rolled by as the mailman pulled up with some letters for my mailbox in the afternoon. Still in my pajamas, I lazily walked over and got them out.

"Let's see... Bills, bills, bills..." I mumbled walking back to my trailer.

Shuffling through the bills, a letter from Fresh TV came into view. I hurried over to the front door and made my way inside. Sitting in the living room, I started at the letter for a while. I knew it was going to be another rejection, so why was I so nervous to open it? With the little courage I had, I opened the letter and started reading.

"Dear Mr. Mclean,

Thank you for reaching out to our company about your Reality TV show idea, Total Drama Island. After some consideration with the directors and producers, we would like to offer you your show on our line up. If you would like to work with us, please contact the below number to schedule a meeting with our team.

We look forward to working with you.

Fresh TV Director, Tom McGuillis.

1-800-XXX-XXXX"

My eyes widened as I read through the letter multiple times. I can't believe it! My show has been picked up! After all this time, I'm finally going to make my dream come true.

"Yes! I made it!" I cheered.

I quickly called the number and after a few button presses, I was put through to a secretary.

"Thank you for calling Fresh TV headquarters. How may I help you?" asked the lady on the phone.

"Hi, my name is Chris Mclean. I was calling to schedule a meeting with the producers about my show," I said.

"Did you want to schedule a time for your pitch?"

"No ma'am. I received a letter stating that my show was accepted."

"Oh congratulations! Alright, so it looks like the earliest opening is this Thursday at 9:30 am. Does that work for you?"

"Yes, that works perfectly."

"Alright, your meeting has been booked. Thank you for calling and have a great day."

"You too, bye-bye."

******

Sitting in the conference room, I look over the contract handed to me. In the room were a few writers, directors, and producers sitting at the table, waiting for my signature. I grabbed the pen next to me and signed my name at the bottom, handing it back to the main producer.

"Alright, we're ready to start production. Welcome to the team," said the main producer, holding out his hand.

"Thank you for having me," I said, shaking his hand.

"Alright," he said as he let go, "First matter of business, we need to find a small island for shotting. We also need a few ideas for challenges and a co-host for you."

"A co-host?" I asked surprised.

"Well, we feel like we should have another person with you on set, to help with challenges and handling some background stuff. You'll still be the face of the show, you'll just have a little help," said the main director to the left, adjusting his glasses.

"Okay, that sounds good. Do you guys have someone in mind?" I asked.

"We're going to start holding auditions tomorrow for the role. We would like for you to be there for it to get a feeling on who you would work best with," said the main director.

"Of course! Thank you so much for this opportunity! You won't regret it!" I said before saying goodbye and heading out.

**************

The next day, when the auditions were being held, numerous people came to audition. None of the people stuck out as a possible choice as a co-host. The only other person that stood out was a guy named Don, but I'm pretty sure he'd want all the spotlight, so I turned him away. The whole day was going by fast and still no luck with anyone.

"We can always try again tomorrow," said the director packing up his papers.

"Yeah," I said defeatedly.

We start packing up, until we heard a creak from the door. We turned over and saw a tall, fit man peeking in through the door, dressed in a professional shirt and tie.

"Excuse me, is it too late to audition?"