Tori Lynn has one dream - to grow her sweets shop into a New York dessert landmark. She expects there to be competition, mischief, and hard work when opening up a store front. What Tori doesn't expect is to join the ranks of the nation's top bakers...
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It didn't matter how many times she closed her eyes. The high-powered LED lights around her were blinding. She could see their vivid glow through her eyelids.
Tori had already made her introduction. She told the camera about her shop in New York, her best friend and business partner, and why she thought their team was going to win the grand prize. Her answer to the last question needed some refinement from Victoria. Apparently, her stumbling words and pauses didn't make for a great first impression. It took four tries, but eventually she mustered enough confidence and delivered the lines in a way that would fool even Lucas into thinking she was a natural extrovert.
"Can you tell us how you're feeling about the competition?" That was Victoria, reading from a page on her clipboard.
She opened her eyes and settled her gaze on the lens of the camera. The brightness faded into the background as the lens turned and focused on her face. She was suddenly aware of her minimal makeup, and hoped the camera wasn't zooming in to show off her pores.
"I'm feeling like it's going to change my life. If I win, then I'm going home to my shop as one of the nation's few bakers to have this title. If I lose, then I'm going home with a new confidence in myself."
She couldn't see Victoria's face. There was only a dark outline of a figure standing beside the camera and its tripod. A shadowy hand came up and her pen made a swift check on the page.
"Thank you, Tori." she said, gripping the clipboard to her chest. "You know your way back downstairs, right?"
"I think I can find my way."
She pushed herself out of the chair and squeezed past Victoria. The room was so small; over-stuffed with studio lights, cameras, wires, a chair, and a green screen. Tori felt her muscles unwind as she closed its door and made her way down the staircase.
Her first confessional was over, and it wasn't as dreadful as she expected.
As each new contestant followed Josh up the stairs, she grew more and more concerned. She wondered how much information she would need to give about herself. She didn't think of herself as an interesting person, and the most she could say on the subject was that she enjoyed spending time with her cat and watching crime drama reruns on the TV. Not really the kind of thing that makes for good reality television.
The questions seemed fair. Victoria wanted to know about the shop; what kind of food do you sell? Where is your shop located? What makes your business stand out from the others?
Tori half expected to get questions about the other contestants. She waited for Victoria to ask what she thought about her competition in order to sprinkle some drama into the confessional. She was thankful that it was all professional. No bad-mouthing yet.
