CONTENT WARNING: Immobility, weight gain, teasing,
You could barely see the stage from where you sat. The rows and rows of audience members in front of you cheering blocked your view. Still, you could still make out the face of the host of Matchmaker Extreme, Todd Benny. He stood tall in the center of a circular stage with his microphone in hand doing a sound test. On the left side of the stage sat a very attractive blonde girl in a floral dress. Her modest dress gave you the impression that she was quiet, sheltered, and probably from a small town. As the production crew shuffled all their equipment into position, you tried to contain your excitement.
Matchmaker Extreme madness had taken over the entire country if not the world. The premise was that they would take someone with extreme tastes or romantic preferences and pair them with three random audience members. The chosen audience members were given chances to ask questions and then to guess what the weird preference that the person had. If the contestants fail to guess the person's unusual interest correctly, the game show's guest would describe the perfect evening together as they transformed into the person's perfect match.
For example, on the last episode, the guest was really into the Willy Wonka movies. No contestants were able to guess that bizarre interest so they had to sit as the guest described her trip through the chocolate factory. By the end of the story, each contestant had swelled up into a blueberry at least six feet around. She selected one of the three contestants and rolled them home happily. The look of fear and embarrassment on that contestant's face was met with roaring laughter and cheers from the crowd. You couldn't wait to get a first hand view of an episode. Suddenly, the microphone screeched to life and the stage lights went up.
"Welcome everyone to a very special episode of Matchmaker Extreme!" Todd shouted, extending his arm to the audience. Some of the cameras panned around to show people standing up in their seats cheering, including you. He sauntered over to the blonde girl on the stage.
"Let's meet our latest guest. Can we have your name dear?" Todd leaned down towards the girl who was sitting in a comfy red armchair with a heart shaped back.
"I'm Harper. It's great to be here." She said into the microphone with a big smile.
"Harper! Give her a big round of applause. Now Harper, we are going to give you one shot to land your dream partner. Someone you think doesn't exist. Can you give us a little information about your dating life?" Todd questioned her as the audience clapped.
"Well, I've never met anyone with the same interest as me. I've always had bigger plans for my partner that they were not interested in. After a three year relationship, my significant other left me because they were too scared of committing to my plan for them." Harper coyly bit her lip as she detailed her mysterious past dating life.
"Oooooh. Cryptic. You are going to do well in this game. I hope you find exactly what you are looking for. Now let's have our computer randomly select our audience members." Todd smiled and went back to center stage. The speakers around the stage played a cliché robotic sound, full of beeps and boops.
"327! 121! 437! Please check your seat numbers as our staff escort you to the stage." Everyone around you got up to check their seat number as Todd commanded. You did the same. 121. The audience members around you started to cheer for you as you were filled with dread. You didn't want to be on the show. This was a mistake! What were the chances of actually being selected!? Before you could think your next thought, two large security guards made their way to you. They showed you the way to a set of stairs that lead down to the stage. You and two other contestants were placed behind three podiums with screens on the front of them.
"Contestants. Remember if you escape the clutches of Harper, you will walk away with $10,000 each!" Todd reminded you all that this wasn't all bad, you had the opportunity to walk away with some cash if you succeeded.
