The Playground - 1. Opening Ceremony

There was excitement and anticipation in the air as hundreds of people gathered in front of a large, golden gate leading to an opulent mansion, waiting for the doors to finally open. They were all here for one thing - lucky invitees eager to see their favorite celebrities in the flesh, at least for a moment before they are whisked away to the grand villa to participate in the much talked about new variety show.

“What’s happening? Where is everyone?” a young, thin guy in an oversized basketball jersey asked, his eyes trained on the mansion door.

“I don’t know. They said eleven o’clock,” the girl next to him replied, checking her phone. “It’s two past eleven now!”

Just as the words left her mouth, the front door to the mansion opened. Loud chatter turned into cheers and screams as famous TV host Nicholas Stone sauntered out, followed by the camera crew. Dressed in a tailored navy blue suit matched with a wine red shirt, the man oozed charisma, smiling as he made his way down the stone path that lead to the gate. The crowd, standing in their fenced off areas, held up their phones as if on command, taking photos and videos.

Once the golden gate was ceremoniously opened, the crew came out and stood in front of it. As soon as Nicholas held up his microphone to his lips, the noise died down, replaced with a low murmur.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming! I know you’re all impatient, but here we are at last.”

“You’re two minutes late!” a voice came from somewhere in the crowd, followed by laughter.

“Yes, well, if you’d put in an effort to look as good as I do, you’d be late too,” the host replied without skipping a beat. Even more laughter followed. “You’ve seen the teasers on our social media, so you know we’ve got something fun planned. Well, the time has finally come to present to you all… The Playground - the biggest and wildest competition featuring your favorite stars. Over the next seven days, ten celebrities will be living in our Playground Mansion and competing in a variety of games, and every moment will be captured on camera for you to watch. They’ll have to compete in individual and group games, show off their wits, charm and agility, and fight to stay in the competition. But they better hold nothing back, because there can only be one winner! Each round, one person will be eliminated from the show until we crown the Playground King or Queen!

“Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Let’s see who will be competing in The Playground!”

The atmosphere was electric, tension so thick you could almost cut it with a knife. It seemed that everyone’s eyes were fixed on the mansion door, waiting for it to open and reveal the contestants.

“First off, you all know and love this guy, and I suppose I don’t mind having him on my show either,” Nicholas Stone spoke again. “If you haven’t heard his albums Bleed Out and Night Calls, you must be living under a rock.”

At this point, excited screams broke out from the audience as people figured out who it was.

“Please welcome our first contestant, pop star Samson Flynn!”

The door opened to the sound of his hit song Clouds, and out came Samson, sporting tight purple pants and a sparkly black shirt. With a flirty smile on his face and his signature eyeliner framing his eyes, he waved to everyone. All the nervousness he had felt dissipated as he came out to deafening cheers of the audience.

“That was a bigger applause than what I got, but I’ll let it slide,” the host quipped. “Samson, welcome to the show! How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling great, honey! I was a little nervous, but this warm welcome made it all better. I wanna say a quick hello to my family and friends, and a special shoutout to my fans, my lovely Stansons! I’m gonna fight hard and make you all proud - and hopefully not make a complete fool of myself!”

“And I hope you will, because that’ll be great TV,” Nicholas replied. “Next up, this woman is used to hosting game shows, but how will she fare competing in one? According to scientific research, she’s the second best TV host here today - the one and only, Alana McConnell!”

A brown-haired woman in her late thirties came out next, wearing a gray tracksuit and sneakers. Laughs and cheers erupted as she jogged over to the crowd, blowing kisses all around.

“I see you came well prepared. Unfortunately, today is not running day, it’s mud wrestling,” Nicholas eyed the second contestant.

“Nicky, darling, you haven’t seen my wrestling singlet under these sweats. I’m ready for anything you have to throw at me,” Alana was quick to respond. “My kids are watching so I have to behave. But we’re still gonna have fun, won’t we?” she asked, turning to look at the crowd, which immediately went wild.

“We sure will! Coming up, our next celebrity is someone who should have an easy time with all the sports games we have prepared. His NFL career is going strong, but luckily he’s found some time for us. Please welcome the New England Patriots quarterback Eric Collins!”

A buff, tall man came out of the mansion, wearing his green jersey with number 28. His black skin glistened in the sun, huge biceps bulging as he flexed his arms, showing off.

Once the applause and whistling finally subsided, the host continued.

“Eric, how are you? Raising the heat already?”

“Someone’s gotta do it,” the athlete shrugged his big shoulders. “How are you guys feeling? Any football fans out here?” After even more cheers and whistles, he spoke again: “Shoutout to my Patriots! Gonna show them I can win here too!”

“I’m sure they’ll be watching you, Eric. Next up, we have another athletic contestant. He’s been a dancer for the likes of Ash Khong and the Kittycat Dolls, and he’s won second place in Dancing with Celebs last year. Will he do better here? We’ll have to wait and see. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Marcus Knight!”

A young, lithe man came out the door next, dressed in a tank top and sweatpants. He walked briskly down the path, giving a small wave to the cheering crowd.

“Marcus! Come to dance circles around these guys?”

“That and more, Nicholas! They better watch out,” the dancer warned with a cheeky smile. “Can I just give a quick shoutout to my boyfriend, family and friends - and all these amazing people here! Hope you all have fun watching us!”

As he walked over to the other contestants, Marcus made it a point to stand next to Samson, giving him a cocky nod as if to say ‘the game is on’. With a smirk, Samson nodded back. He was well aware of how competitive Marcus was, but for all he knew, the others would be just as big of a threat.

“Contestant number five is bound to cook up some trouble for her competition. She’s known for her no-nonsense approach to cooking and baking, and we all love her for it. Well, except all the chefs she regularly makes cry on her show. Please welcome celebrity chef Clementine Swann!”

A short woman in her early forties came out next, her peach outfit almost as pale as her skin. Her blonde hair was tied in a bun, not a single strand out of place. She stood on the doorstep for a moment, giving the audience a tight smile and a wave before coming over to join the rest of the cast in front of the gate.

“You can relax, Clementine. We have no baking challenges prepared, so there will be no soggy bottoms in this mansion,” Nicholas announced.

“I will be checking thoroughly,” the woman replied with a straight face.

“I expect nothing less. Are you feeling prepared? You’ve never done anything like this, right?”

“No, I haven’t, but it’s never too late to try out new things,” Clementine said. “I’m feeling confident, and I’m sure I can go all the way. I can’t disappoint my family - I hope you enjoy watching, and you better be rooting for me.”

“You heard her. She sounded serious! Now, if you can’t stand the heat, you might want to get out of the kitchen, because our next contestant is scorching hot. You’ve all watched his movies and paused at his shirtless scenes. And there are many of those. Please welcome movie star Troy Wolfe!”

Once again, excited screams erupted from the crowd as a young man came out of the mansion, taking a slow walk down the stone path. His tight, caramel colored t-shirt left little to the imagination, showing off his impressive physique. Raising one arm, he waved at the audience, a small smile dancing on his lips.

“If this doesn’t get you to watch our show, I don’t know what will! Welcome, Troy. How are you doing?”

“Thank you, Nicholas, I’m doing great,” the actor replied with a charming smile as he moved to stand next to Clementine. Samson quickly glanced over, catching the actor’s eye for just a moment, but it was enough for him to blush. “Loving the atmosphere here, everyone seems really excited. Looks like this’ll be a blast, which is all I’m hoping for. Of course, winning would be sweet, but it’s all about the experience, right?”

“That’s the spirit. Any special mentions?”

“Yeah, I wanna give a shoutout to my family, friends and my entire team. You guys are free of me for a week, I’m sure you’ll be celebrating whether I win or lose.”

“We should be celebrating because we’ve got you all to ourselves now! Now, our seventh contestant is no stranger to reality shows. She’s already won Big Sister, and she’s also got her own show, Sky is the Limit. That’s right, it’s Tiffany Sky!”

A wild applause broke out as a young woman in pink yoga pants and a white crop top appeared at the door. Flicking her long ponytail, she winked at the audience before strutting down the path toward the gate.

“Look at her, you’d think she’s already won. Sorry to tell you, but you’ll have to do more than cause drama and make out with guys to win this show,” the host teased. Tiffany blew him a kiss before coming over to stand next to Eric, giving him a flirty look.

“How are you feeling? Are you ready to take this Mansion by storm?”

“Oh my God, I am so starstruck, it’s not even funny! Look at all these people here!” Tiffany laughed. “I’m gonna do my best, Nicholas, that’s for sure. Even if I just get everyone to sign my bra, I’ll call that a win.”

“I’ll have my pen ready,” the host replied. “Any shoutouts?”

“Right! A big, big shoutout to my family and all the girls from my show! I miss you so much!”

“Seven down, three to go. You may know our next contestant as an evil witch… Oh, and she also plays a villain in the hit TV show Black Magic. Please welcome Gloria Mendoza!”

A young woman with long, brown hair came out next, her floral dress fluttering in the wind as she walked, making her look more like a forest nymph than an evil sorceress. With a wide grin on her face, she waved at the excited crowd as she came out to stand next to Tiffany.

“Gloria, it’s always a pleasure to see you. Are you ready for the games to begin?”

“It’s lovely to see you too, Nicholas, and I’m ready to do my best,” the actress sent him a gentle smile. “I know my parents and my sister are watching, so I’ll never hear the end of it if I screw up.”

“Lucky you have an army of fans to defend you then.”

“I do. Much love to all of you out there!”

“Only two people to go! This next guy can also do some serious magic, but on the basketball court. Here to represent his hometown of Miami, it’s NBA star Rico Gonzales!”

A tall man appeared at the door, almost hitting his head as he walked out. Neatly dressed in a blue polo shirt and khaki pants, he carried a basketball in his hands. Halfway down the path, he stopped and lobbed the ball into the screaming crowd as people jumped to catch it.

“Now that’s how you make an entrance! Take notes, everyone,” the host shouted, pointing at the athlete. “Rico, welcome, it’s great to have you here!”

“Thanks for having me, man! It’s good to be here,” the athlete replied, looking around. “Miami, you better be watching!”

“I’m sure they all are. Do you think this’ll be a piece of cake for you, or are you nervous?”

“I’m not nervous, but I think I’m gonna have some tough competition here, you know? So we’ll see. I’m here to have fun.”

“As we all are! Alright folks, we’ve got one more contestant to present. And if you think one popstar wasn’t enough, worry not, we’ve got you covered. This girl can sing and dance, but can she carry an ostrich egg on her head while ice skating blindfolded? Perhaps we’ll find out soon enough. Please welcome our final contestant, Kelly Marvel!”

A short, black-haired girl came out to the sound of her hit song Limited Edition, wearing a black top and a colorful skirt. With a confident smile, she swayed her hips as she approached the gate to join the others.

“Kelly, welcome! You look like you’re already having fun.”

“I am, I’ve been having fun ever since I got here this morning. I couldn’t wait for us to come out here and greet all these people, get the party started.”

“There’s a party? Nobody informed me.”

“You can come as my plus one,” the singer replied sweetly.

“You’re a peach, Kelly. Any shoutouts?”

“Of course - my fans, I love you so much, you mean the world to me, my friends and family, please root for me!”

“I’m sure they will, Kelly. Well, I hope that’s everyone because my mouth is getting dry,” Nicholas spoke once the applause died down. “Our ten celebrities are here, and they’re all ready to fight! Not literally - unless the game demands it. We’ve got a bunch of fun games prepared for them, and of course, you must be wondering, what are they fighting for? The winner of The Playground will win this amazing trophy,” the host pointed as a crew member brought out a big, shiny cup shaped like a playground slide, “as well as three hundred thousand dollars for a charity of their choice!”

Another applause followed, along with cheers from the ten contestants. All too soon, it was time to wrap things up.

“Sorry to disappoint you folks, but we can’t stay. Well, I could, but these ten have to go and change into their singlets. Like I said, it’s mud wrestling today. Thank you all for coming to our opening ceremony, you’ve been a wonderful crowd. Follow us in two hours on HTC+, when we begin the live broadcast of day one! Now, give it up one final time for our contestants!”

***

“So, how are we feeling?” Nicholas Stone asked as he led the contestants into the mansion.

“Hungry,” Rico was quick to reply. “I only had some eggs and ham for breakfast.”

“Only?!” Tiffany was shocked. “That sounds like enough for the whole day.”

“Don’t worry, lunch will be served as soon as we do a quick tour around the mansion. You’ve already been to the lounge,” the host pointed to the large open-floor space on his left. “The kitchen and dining room are this way. You’ll get three meals every day, but you can still use the premises to make whatever you want. It’s all fully stocked. Down this hall is the gym. I’m sure some of you will want to make use of it.”

After the ground floor was covered, the group took the stairs down.

“On the basement level is our gaming room where some of the games will be played. You can also come here to chill and play games whenever you want. Up there,” the host continued as they climbed the stairs to the top floor, “are your bedrooms and bathrooms. On this floor there are no cameras, so you’ll have complete privacy here. But down on the ground floor, basement and outside, we’ll be watching your every move,” he finished with an eyebrow wiggle.

“That sounded ominous,” Kelly pursed her lips as she eyed the host.

“Well, that depends on what you plan on doing here,” Nicholas shrugged with a knowing smile.

“It’s a reality show, what did you expect,” Eric chimed in. “If they wanna record me doing my workouts, I don’t care.”

“And finally, out here we have the swimming pool, the barbecue area and the playground, where some of the outside games will take place,” Nicholas finished the tour with the grand backyard behind the mansion. With lush greenery and a tall fence providing complete privacy from the outside world, it was the perfect place to soak up some sun, swim and enjoy the summer.

Once they returned to the mansion and changed into more comfortable outfits, the contestants met in the dining room, where lunch was about to be served.

A grand table awaited them, already set for ten.

“I hope they have something vegetarian,” Gloria said as she took a seat. Tiffany quickly sidled in beside her.

“Me too. Today’s my tofu day and if I don’t have any… ugh!”

“So, what do you all think the games are gonna be like?” Samson asked as he sat on the opposite side of the table, next to Troy Wolfe. Even though his question seemed addressed to everyone, he cast a glance at the actor, eyeing him up and down. But even more than getting to know Troy, Samson wanted to find out what the competition was thinking. He had to know who he was up against right from the start.

Kelly approached the table next, claiming a seat on the other side of the actor.

“Whatever they are, I’m sure it’s nothing I can’t handle,” Eric replied with a casual shrug of his shoulders before sitting down next to Tiffany. He felt confident in his ability to rise to any challenge, but he also wanted to project that image of himself to his rivals. He found it was a good strategy in football, as well as in any other competition. However, one person didn’t seem that impressed with his confidence.

“I’m pretty sure you’ll need more than a cocky attitude to win,” Clementine spoke up for the first time since they entered the dining room, casting an unimpressed glance over at the quarterback. She made a long walk around the table and sat at the other end, trying to put as much distance between herself and Eric as possible.

“Hah! You of all people should talk,” Alana jumped in, chuckling good-naturedly. She was still in her sweatpants. With barely any makeup on her face, it was a far cry from her usual preened look on her own game show. “The ice queen herself.”

“At least I can back it up. I came prepared for anything,” the chef replied coolly. “I wouldn’t have come here if I wasn’t confident I could win.”

“Same can be said for any of us,” Rico said. “Besides, what makes you think Eric can’t back it up? If we get any sports games, I’m sure he’s got you beat there.”

“Sounds to me like someone’s nervous so they’re trying to psych out the competition,” Eric shot back at the chef.

Observing everything from his spot at the other side of the table, Marcus just smirked in silence, relishing the drama that was already unfolding before his eyes.

“And why are you so quiet?” Alana murmured in his ear as she nudged him.

“Nothing, just enjoying the show. Didn’t think it was going to get so entertaining this fast,” the dancer whispered back, watching the others argue. People can get so easily distracted with petty drama, he thought. It was only going to help him win.

“And we haven’t even started with the games yet,” the TV host replied, grinning.

“You guys are taking this way too seriously,” Troy said, leaning back in his chair. “Chill out for a bit. I know drama makes for good TV, but you don’t have to be ‘on’ all the time.”

It was only a minute later that a group of waiters came in, carrying plates with various dishes, something for everyone. The delicious, warm food caused a slight lull in conversation, as everyone was too focused on eating, just occasionally commenting on how good everything tasted.

Once everyone was full, Nicholas Stone entered the dining room, carrying his notes in his hands. The cameras, which had up to that point been focused on the contestants, now turned to him.

“I hope you’ve enjoyed your meal. We had Clementine locked up in the kitchen all night for this,” the host said, causing quite a few snickers. “On that note, I hope you’re all ready to show us what you got. You have an hour to relax, and then we’ll all gather on the playground outside for the first round of games.”

“Already?!” Tiffany almost screamed with excitement.

“Of course. As much as we love watching you bicker at the table, that’s not the main premise of the show,” Nicholas deadpanned. “For the first round of games, you’ll be competing in two groups, five versus five.”

“I’m with Rico!” Kelly’s hand shot up at the speed of light, pointing at the NBA player across the table. Being teamed up with a professional athlete sounded like a great idea if they were playing outdoor games, and she was ready to take every opportunity to maximize her chances of winning.

“Sorry, but you’ve already settled on the groups,” Nicholas quickly crushed her dreams.

“What do you mean?” the singer frowned.

“You’ll be grouped based on your seating order. The five of you on that side of the table are one team, and everyone on this side is the other team,” the host explained with a devious grin as some people began to groan and roll their eyes, annoyed at being tricked.

“So Clementine and Eric are together,” Rico noticed, letting out a chuckle. "You guys are on my team so you better behave, I don't wanna lose on day one."

Samson quickly glanced down the table to see who he was teamed up with - Troy, Kelly, Alana and Marcus. It wasn't that bad, although he wasn't sure how he felt about having Marcus in his group. Even though the two had buried the hatchet and were mostly on good terms, Samson still remembered the way the dancer tried to sabotage his song release out of jealousy. “Looks like we have a pretty good team - for the most part,” he whispered to the hunky actor next to him.

“Damn right,” Troy nodded, shooting him a crooked smile that made Samson swoon. “I know I just said we should relax, but… we’re gonna crush them!”