A Full Course Meal (ziam)

/1/The Prep

Chapter 1: The Prep

It was the mother of all bad ideas. Maybe even the father. Every ancestor of all bad ideas too, to be honest. Liam mumbled a curse under his breath directed at Andy, wherever he may be, while he fixed the dark grey apron a crew member had given him to wear, facing a full-body mirror propped on a wall. Of course Andy was not there to hear it, he was probably back at home, 'cheering in spirit', like he said he would with a full blown pout when Liam forbid him from accompanying him. Liam really didn't need an audience, supportive or not.

Cheering from a distance was the least Andy could do, wasn't it? Considering he was the one that convinced Liam that this was actually a good plan. When they heard from a friend that the Food Network would be recording a few episodes of Chopped in London, of course Andy talked him into sending them a tape. Of course. Like competing in Chopped was a walk in the park, like it was making morning pancakes, like it was spag bol on Sundays.

Fuck Andy. He better be cheering with a full cheerleader costume on, pompoms and all. He better be praying to every god he knew, because Liam was surely going to need all the help he could get to even get through the emotional process of a top level cooking competition.

Of course Liam was to blame too. As stupid as this idea was, he still went with it. Not only because listening to his best friend's crazy plans was a default for him, but also because what if? What if he won? What if he could count on those ten thousand dollars to actually do something about his dreams? It was a long shot, an incredibly long shot, but what if?

According to Andy, Liam could definitely win. His experience as a Chef, cooking in one of London's best Italian restaurants was more than enough for the cooking part of the contest, and his experience in life was that little bit extra that would help him with the crazy challenges. Maybe Andy was right. Maybe. Liam did have under his belt more than a few victories making delicious meals out of unthinkable things back in college. So just maybe...

But yeah, in that moment, Liam still cursed him under his breath, because his self-confidence was wavering and because the stupid apron made him feel too hot and in a moment he would face the show's host and the judges and his competitors and cameras. Good god, cameras. Those would suck. Liam was good in the kitchen, yeah, but his stage presence sucked. He stuttered, he sweat, he always made a mess of himself; there was a reason why he always shied away from anything that had to do with an audience, hiding in a kitchen was a perfect career choice. It was going to be hell.

He was already there, though, there was no running away this time. He had a million chances to stop the process and resign from the competition during the sign up and audition process, but he didn't, and now it was done. He was going to do it. Fuck...

After he was semi satisfied with his appearance, or at least as satisfied as one could be in such a crazy situation, he walked back to the high table that was located at the center of the room he was in. The waiting room, as the producer, Sally, called it. It was simply another piece of scenography, mimicking some sort of modern dining room, a high table in the middle, with four high chairs around it. There was a big leather couch on one side of the room, and the walls were painted in a dark red color that made it feel even smaller.

The lights were already on but there were no cameras around yet, which was one of the few positive points for Liam's nerves. The crew was just getting ready, still setting up; yes, inside the room, because of course the show also included behind the scenes action, and it was supposed to be filmed in there. Down the line the cameras would be there to record every bit of juicy interaction between the contestants, trying to catch some dramatic interactions.

That was another part of the recording process he was not looking forward to, mostly because it was about looking for unnecessary drama to attract viewers, but also because his competitors looked like nice guys. Maybe he wasn't there to make friends but he wasn't there to make enemies either.