Reality Check - Page 7/53

"While I have not had much luck in my thirty-one years, I am still a hopeless romantic with a kind heart." The tape went on for another few minutes, talking about who she was, what she did, and what she liked.

With the choices they had already made, they felt that Samantha would be a breath of fresh air. They chose her to be on the show.

With just one more man to choose, they looked at Brian's again.

"Brian is a kind, considerate guy. He'd give the shirt off his back for a friend."

"Brian has a heart of gold. A hopeless romantic."

"Brian would make some lady a great husband. He's sensitive, loyal, caring. A true Boy Scout."

All this narration was behind pictures and home movies of Brian at work and at play. They showed footage of him volunteering his time helping with his church's Vacation Bible School and taking donations over the phone for the Hope for Haiti telethon. After five minutes, the screen flashed "Vote For Brian."

Just as they were about to select Brian, they viewed one last video. After a long discussion, Brian got bumped, but they kept his video in mind in case of emergency.

One by one, the executives called each of the thirty tenants to give them the good news. They also made arrangements for passports for the thirty tenants.

"Samantha Dawson? This is the office of Heartbreak Hotel. We were calling to see if you were still interested in being on our show."

"Sure. I just need to clear this all with my boss."

Having been given the time off, she arranged for her neighbor to take care of Tigger for the next few weeks. She packed and headed for the airport.

They got the thirty men and women together, keeping the men separate from the women. Each one had a thorough background check done. Each one took a complete physical.

As the men boarded their plane destined for a tropical paradise, one of the guys was pulled aside. The background check turned up a criminal record from his youth. He was disqualified. Now, they scrambled to find a replacement.

Remembering the videos, they played Brian's one more time. After a short review, they decided to fly Brian out without running a check or physical.

They tried calling his house, but all they got was his answering machine. They left a message. Then, they tried calling his cell phone.

"Brian Little speaking."

"Brian, Hi. I'm from the Heartbreak Hotel. I'm calling about the tape your friends sent in. I was wondering if you were interested in being in our movie."