Producer: Megan told the cameras Daphne’s insecure and fake.
Angie: God, Megan is such a bitch.
Producer [voice off camera]: Would you describe Megan as crazy?
Sabrina: I don’t use the word crazy. It’s offensive and derogatory Megan just happens to lack emotional intelligence. She could also use a punch in the face.
Producer [voice off camera]: How would you describe your relationship with Megan?
Daphne: I like all the women in the castle.
Producer: Is it true about what Megan said to you before the ball started?
Daphne: I like all the women in the castle.
Producer: Don’t you want to know what Megan said about you behind your back?
Daphne: I like all the women in the castle.
Maureen’s note to editors: Use this script to help splice together the footage.
WEEK FOUR
New Orleans—Sunday, June 27, 2021
10 Contestants and 42 Days Remaining
Charlie
As he sits in a plush first-class seat somewhere over Arizona, he closes his eyes and pretends like closing his eyes can erase the past twelve hours. He would especially like to erase the part where he kissed Daphne Reynolds like kissing Daphne Reynolds could solve all his problems.
Kissing Daphne Reynolds solved exactly zero problems.
All kissing Daphne did was verify he does not enjoy kissing Daphne. And not enjoying it induced a panic attack, which forced him to confront the reality that he very much does want to kiss someone else.
“Look at this!” Dev points to his knees, points to the back of the seat in front of him, points to his knees again. There is a three-inch gap between his legs and the chair. “Do you know the last time this happened on an airplane. Never! I’ve never had enough legroom in my whole life. Is this what it’s like to be rich? You always have room for your whole body?”
As a contestant handler, Dev usually travels economy, so he excitedly orders his free mimosa while Skylar and Jules both sleep across the aisle. It’s just the four of them. A travel crew has been in New Orleans setting things up for the past two weeks, and Skylar will meet with them as soon as they land. The rest of the crew and his ten contestants are flying out later tonight, but they wanted to give Charlie extra time to settle in.
His only consolation at the moment is that Maureen Scott doesn’t travel with the show. She remains in LA with the editing team splicing together the first few episodes. For the next four weeks, she won’t be around to haunt him with her fake-sweet voice and her overt manipulation of the women.
The flight attendant hands Dev a hot towel, and he looks thoroughly confused by its existence. He reaches over and drapes it across Charlie’s forehead. For the length of two wild, frantic heartbeats, Dev’s fingers are on Charlie’s face. He shoves them away. “Stop. I’m trying to sleep.”
“Sleep? How can you sleep right now?”
Dev has an inexplicable level of energy for someone who, based on the sound of his anxious pacing through the wall, didn’t sleep last night. Dev jostles his knee and impatiently beats his fingers against his armrest and gets up to walk around when the seatbelt sign clicks off, presumably just for the hell of it. Charlie will take whatever Dev-reprieve he can get.
Not that distance from Dev actually helps. He tried that.
He tried avoiding Dev; he made sure they were never alone together; didn’t look at him, didn’t touch him. Charlie still couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Then, when they were alone together last night in the bathroom, Charlie tried to dry-hump Dev mid–panic attack.
The terrifying thing is, he doesn’t know what any of it means. He’s pretty sure he’s never been attracted to a man before. He’s not bothered by this turn of events, though he wishes he could’ve chosen a different man for this particular sexual awakening, one who isn’t his producer.