Talented Teens - 1. Round One

Thank you for taking the time to read this. It's been a long time since I wrote something to completion ~ family losses and recent struggles have made creativity a luxury in recent times - but trashy reality TV seems to be my jam at the moment!  

"Teenagers! They're just like us, but surlier, glued to their devices, and most importantly, they think they know everything. So tonight, I'm making eight teens put up or shut up. As round by round they vote off the weakest player, seven will leave with nothing. However, one of our contestants will win up to two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, half for their future and half for the schools lucky enough to ride on their coattails, tonight on a special Talented Teens episode of The Weakest Link!"

The Hostess turned to face the eight contestants, standing behind their podiums in a neat half-circle.

"Unlike your uniforms, your names and backstories are all very unique and different - let's hear a bit about what makes you so special."

In the first position was a tall, red-haired girl with thick-rimmed glasses, round blue eyes and a heart-shaped face that was more freckled than not. Her red hair was tied into two plaits with two tartan bands, and she had visible braces when she spoke. Her left forearm was encased in a plaster cast bedazzled with glitters, signatures and stickers, suggesting she'd recently broken it.

"I'm Candice, fourteen, and I'm representing the Christian Girls' College. I really like space, planets and everything in the universe, so I'm going to be an astronomer."

Second, a growing, dark-skinned boy with short black hair in a blazer, tie and pocket square stood on a small raised platform so he'd be as tall as her previous girl. Though Candice had beamed at the camera, he didn't smile. A haughtiness, almost an arrogance, surrounded him as he stood with his developing chest puffed out, several badges adorning his immaculate school blazer.

"My name's Tyson, I'm thirteen, and I'm representing Mornington Grammar. I play three instruments, I play four sports, and I'm going to take my VCE early in two years. I'm going to be a politician, like my dad."

Up third, a south-Asian girl with dark brown hair, prominent eyebrows and a large nose snapped to attention. She was also on the podium and hadn't quite grown out of the puppy fat phase, but she had perfect, white teeth when she smiled at the camera. She spoke with an accent.

"I am Sona, I am also thirteen and representing East Lindon Grammar. I love gymnastics and literature, and quiz shows! I am going to be a doctor - I want to specialise in pediatrics."

The fourth contestant was a wiry fellow with glasses, braces and brown curls that reached his shoulders, and he smiled nervously at the camera, showcasing braces on his teeth. He gripped his podium tightly with both hands as he survived the spotlight on him.

"I'm Elijah, fourteen, and I'm representing Oakfield Private Boys School. I love books and poetry, especially mysteries and whodunits! So I really want to be a forensic investigator."

In the fifth position, a tall, very slim girl with impossibly large, curly black hair and a narrow face pointed charismatically to the camera as she introduced herself. She wore large hoop earrings in both ears and the boldest makeup of any of the girls in the lineup.

"I'm Vanessa, I'm sixteen, I'm representing Oakfield Private Girls School, and I love fashion, beauty and making my own jewellery," she moved her wrist so that the many bracelets jingled. "I'm going to be a biochemist."

Sixth was a handsome, fit young man with a natural tan, blue eyes and blond hair. Everything about his appearance, from his tie and blazer to his manicured nails, was well-groomed and deliberate, not a hair out place. He smiled shyly as the camera panned to him.

"My name is Topher. I'm fifteen, I love swimming - especially at the beach - and I want to be a teacher, and I'm representing Saint Joseph's High School."

Next, the seventh contestant was a short, stout blond girl with subtle makeup, smiling green eyes and golden hair that cascaded down to her waist beamed at the camera, showcasing some lovely dimples. She also stood on a podium to appear taller.

"Hello, I'm Genevieve, sixteen, from Della Vale High School. Dinosaurs are my favourite thing in the world, so when I graduate, I'll be studying paleontology!"

Lastly was a boy almost as small as the girl beside him, also on a podium. Of the eight, he was the only one not wearing a school uniform, wearing a nice button-up brown shirt and cream-coloured chinos. His smile at the camera seemed forced, but it looked good on his feminine face, with a spattering of freckles and chestnut hair combed neatly on his head.

"I'm Veikko, fifteen, representing Peatsland Academy, and I'm going to be an influencer."

The Hostess briefly assessed her victims, folding her arms, and the studio came alive with twinkling blue lights.

"I'm assuming you're all in bed asleep by the time the show aired, so I'll give you all a refresher on the rules! I'll ask questions, one at a time, and if you string together enough correct answers, you can win the top prize for the round. In round one, a chain of eight correct answers will put ten thousand dollars in your bank, but one wrong answer breaks the chain, losing all that money. However, if you press your button and say 'bank' before your question is asked, that money is safe, and we start a new chain from scratch. Remember, only money you've banked can be carried to the next round. The prize for round one is ten thousand dollars, and you'll have two minutes and thirty seconds. We'll start with Candice. Let's play The Weakest Link! Start the clock!"

The Hostess turned to face Candice, who met her with a shaky gaze and a nervous smile.

"Candice, according to the popular expression, a picture is worth how many words?"

Candice looked down at her shoes as she thought. "A thousand."

"Correct. Tyson, in geometry, how many faces does a cube have?"

"Six," Tyson cut her off before she'd even finished.

"Correct. Sona, what is the largest country in size in South America?"

Sona tilted her head, taking some time to vet her answer. "Brazil?"

"Correct. Elijah, in Australian slang, what insect is known informally as a 'blowie?'"

"Blowfly."

"Correct. Vanessa--"

"Bank!" Vanessa slammed her button, securing $1000 for the team.

"In Norse mythology, who is the god of thunder and lightning?"

"Thor!" The girl shouted her answer and pointed theatrically at the Hostess.

"Correct!" The Hostess nodded with enthusiasm to match. "Topher, who was the first son of Adam? Cain or Abel?"

"Cain," Topher answered before she'd even given him the multiple choices, and looked appalled that he didn't let her finish. "Sorry–"

"Cain is correct! Genevieve, what is the capital city of India?"

"Ooh," Genevieve leaned forward, doubt on her face. "Is it New Delhi?"

"Correct. Veikko, in maths, what is the term for a number that can only be divided by itself and one?"

"Prime number," Veikko's face barely moved as he gave a quick answer.

"Correct! Candice, two things that can't be compared are said to be like apples and what other fruit?"

"Oranges," Candice spoke again to her shoes, not the Hostess. It looked like she might have been intimidated by the formidable woman staring down the stage at her after all.

"Correct. Tyson, creatures that are decapods have how many limbs?"

Tyson recoiled a bit as though the Hostess had asked him a trick question. "Ten."

"Correct. Sona--"

"Bank," Sona pushed her button, securing $3000 for the team.

"In cricket, which bird's name means a batsman is out without scoring any runs?"

"A duck," Sona beamed.

"Correct! Elijah, which actor replaced Pierce Brosnan as James Bond?"

Elijah's face fell, and he shook his head in dismay. "I-- uh... Robert Patterson?"

Some of the other contestants laughed, and Genevieve was staring open-mouthed at him as though he dropped a curse word.

"No, Daniel Craig. Vanessa--"

"Bank!" Vanessa smashed her button, but Elijah had given her nothing to bank.

"The Olympic symbol consists of five interlocking rings that are blue, green, yellow, black and what other colour?

Vanessa's lips moved as she appeared to visualise the question. "Red!"

"Correct. Topher, in food, eggplant is more popularly known by what other name?"

Topher's eyes widened, and he looked around the stage as if he might find the answer written somewhere. "Pass," he quickly realised he couldn't give the answer.

"Aubergine. Genevieve, in fractions, what is larger: one-third or one-quarter?"

"One-quarter."

"No! A third!" The Hostess scolded her, and Genevieve hid her face in her hands as Vanessa sneered at the terrible answer she gave. "Veikko, in sport, which football team won the AFL grand final at the Gabba in 2020?"

"Ugh," Veikko rolled his eyes. "IDK. Carlton?"

"What?" Tyson could be heard scoffing from the other side of the stage.

"No, Richmond. Candice," Candice readjusted, listening to her question. "Candice, what is the name for the apparent line where the sky seems to meet the land or sea?"

"Horizon."

"Correct. Tyson, in a story by Carlo Collodi, what old man has enchanted wood and turns it into a puppet?"

"Pinocchio," Tyson responded.

"No, Geppetto," the Hostess corrected him. Tyson craned his head back in frustration, and he inaudibly swore.

"Sona, what European group is the only band in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame whose name is a palindrome?"

Sona took a moment to answer as the clock's final seconds ticked down. "Abba!"

"Correct--"

"Bank!" Elijah hit his button immediately to save the $100 earned from Sona's last-minute answer.

The lights popped off, and the music filled the studio. Round One was officially over. It wasn’t the debut the contestants had expected as they met and talked strategy in the green room. The Hostess was the first to comment on the performance of the first round.

"To our viewers at home - don't adjust your sets! The picture is fine. It's our contestants that aren't very bright."

Laughter rang through the studio as the eight contestants had mixed reactions. Where most of the contestants were definitely enjoying themselves, Veikko, Tyson and Vanessa all looked irritated or upset with how the round had gone.

"In Round One, out of a possible ten thousand dollars, you managed to bank a lukewarm three thousand, eight hundred and fifty dollars. It's also worth mentioning that it only takes eight consecutive correct answers to hit your target, and you clever young men and women managed to get eleven in a row," the Hostess explained, arms folded in disappointment, looking like a jaded deputy principal telling off her students. "That money will roll through to the next round, but the same can't be said for one of you. Who among you loses their lunch money? Who will you send to the Principal's office? It's time for you to vote off the Weakest Link!"

The lights turned red, the eight contestants looked at their screens, and the names of the other seven contestants were visible for each of them. A lot of nervous glancing at other competitors occurred in the next couple of minutes. Tyson and Sona pressed their touchscreens very quickly to cast their votes, but Topher, Elijah and Candice appeared to have trouble choosing their victim.

"Alright, voting is over!" The Hostess commanded the attention back to her. "To give credit where it’s due, you talented teens managed to eclipse the average prize netted by the usual grown-up contestants. However, you still missed your target by a mile. Elijah, why do you think that was?”

She spun around and the lanky teenager started to sweat, nervously brushing away some stray curls that managed to fall out of his bun.

“We got some questions wrong.”

“Who did?”

“Me, for one. A lot of us.”

“What do you study at Oakfield Private Boys School?"

"I do all the core subjects, but I take English Literature and Legal Studies as electives."

"Really? Do you study film?"

Elijah giggled nervously, looking away from the Hostess only to see seven other faces staring directly at him. "I'm more of a book person than a movie person."

"Is that why you thought Robert Patterson was the new James Bond?"

"He's the new something, isn't he?" Elijah responded sheepishly.

"He's the new Batman! Come on!" Genevieve called out, three spots away, making the live audience laugh.

"All that matters is you tried," the Hostess comforted Elijah half-heartedly. "So, who did you vote for?”

“I actually voted for Veikko.”

“Why should Veikko get the chop and not you?"

"A lot of us got a question wrong in that round, and unfortunately, Veikko's just the one I can see the clearest from where I'm standing," Elijah shot an apologetic look to Veikko, who raised a perplexed eyebrow and shrugged it off.

"Genevieve!" The Hostess snapped over to the short girl. "You seem to know the answers to Elijah’s questions - just not your own. Tell me, is three thousand, eight hundred and fifty dollars closer to a third or a quarter of your potential target?"

Genevieve laughed out loud. "I know it's a third!"

On the other side of the spectrum, Sona and Tyson both eyed Genevieve off with bemusement and scorn respectively. Veikko managed to look amused rather than bored.

"So I take it you're not a maths whiz," the Hostess continued to torture the poor sixteen-year-old. "What are you good at?"

"I'm actually very good at maths," said Genevieve. "I misunderstood the question."

Topher turned his head slightly, as though he didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that he didn’t believe her. Vanessa was looking down at her screen.

"It's not me you have to convince," the Hostess moved on. "Are you a fan of Robert Patterson's by any chance?"

Genevieve was the most animated contestant by a large margin, and she came alive when the Twilight dreamboat's name was mentioned. "Yes, absolutely! So I couldn't believe it when Elijah thought he was the next James Bond. I'm Team Edward all the way!”

“So I’m going to take a wild guess - like you did with your question - and say you voted for Elijah this round?”

Genevieve laughed at herself. “Yes. I don't know. I thought that was worth my vote. Not that I think Robert Pattinson couldn't be a great James Bond, but I can't forgive that answer!"

"I see," the Hostess moved to her next victim. "Veikko! Do you follow sports?"

"Ahh, do I look like I follow sports?" Veikko sassed her, bugging his eyes briefly to emphasise how ridiculous that question was.

"You don't look like you follow much of anything! You don't wear any uniforms at Peatsland Academy?"

"No, I can wear what I like."

"Did you dress up or down for the show tonight?"

"Neither actually; smart casual is the expected look. We can't go in dressed like bogans," Veikko explained. "Still, I didn't think I'd have to go to much trouble to make a better outfit than everyone else here."

A moment of silence followed as the other contestants made sense of Veikko’s barbed words. Tyson, Vanessa and Topher all looked unimpressed by the eighth competitor’s mockery.

"Need I remind you that you're up on the chopping block right now, and you're likely to fall into the hole you're digging for yourself?" The Hostess remarked, drawing some laughs from Candice, Elijah and Genevieve. "Why did you vote for Genevieve?"

"She got an easy question wrong," Veikko shrugged.

"She might say the same thing about you," the Hostess pointed out, and Veikko shrugged nonchalantly a second time. “Alright, let’s reveal our votes and find out who the team has decided is the weakest link.

Candice pushed her button. "Veikko."

Tyson followed. "Topher."

Sona next. "Genevieve."

Elijah fourth. "Veikko."

Vanessa after him. "Tyson."

Topher appeared stressed. "Elijah."

Then Genevieve. "Elijah." She turned to see who Veikko voted for.

"Genevieve," Veikko gave a shady side-eye to the person he'd voted for.

Contestants counted votes and made noises of intrigue as the Hostess assessed the situation in front of her.

“We have a three-way tie! Elijah, Genevieve and Veikko, with two votes each. Funnily enough, the statistically weakest player in that round isn’t even in the running! Do you know who that was, Topher?”

Topher did a double take, before pointing to himself. Tyson, the only person who voted for Topher, made a condescending tutting noise.

“Correct! You certainly flew under the radar, didn’t you?” The Hostess teased him. “Well, in the event of a tie, it’s the strongest link who needs to cast the deciding vote. In Round One, that was Sona,” she turned to the youngest of the girls, who met her gaze with confidence. “Now, you’ve voted for Genevieve, who doesn’t know her fractions. You can stick with this choice, or you can change your mind and send off either Veikko, who has nothing nice to say about your uniform, or Elijah, who doesn’t know a Bond from a Batman.”

All eyes were on Sona. Candice, who also had a terrific round, darted her eyes between Genevieve, Veikko and Elijah. Veikko didn’t bother to meet Sona with pleading eyes the way both Elijah and Genevieve did. Vanessa, who didn’t vote for anyone in the three-way tie, had her eyes boring into Sona.

"I'll stick with Genevieve."

"Why?" The Hostess challenged her.

"There were some mistakes in that round, but even if I don't agree with Veikko about my school uniform, I agree with him that Genevieve got the easiest question wrong."

"Genevieve! You didn't make it a third - or even a quarter - of the way to the end. With two votes, Sona has declared you as the weakest link. Goodbye."

Genevieve let one final breath of air out of her lungs, as if she'd been put out of her misery, but while she giggled with embarrassment as she stepped delicately off her little pedestal, she looked happy. She walked from the podium past the Hostess, and before exiting through the illuminated tunnel, she turned and waved to her new friends.

"My friends are never going to let me live it down! The shame is I really am great at maths - but this game is not as easy as it looks when you watch it from home! It really didn't feel fair to be the first one voted off. I don't see how my mistake was any worse than Elijah's or Veikko's for that matter - either one of them could be here instead of me right now. I know it's petty, but I don't want Sona to win, especially after she sent me home. Even before we started I got the feeling she thinks she’s better than everyone else. I want Topher to win. He was really sweet."

Seven contestants remain.