Page 47 of Playing With My Heart Strings

the confessionals

Aspen:That [bleep] challenge was a joke.

Producer:What happened in there? Walk me through it all.

Aspen:My team sucked. That’s what happened. And nowI’mat risk of being eliminated because my team couldn’t get [bleep] done.

Katherine:You know, I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but that was exhausting.

Jade:Aspen is my friend, but sometimes she can be a bit…intense.

Producer:She mentioned that your team couldn’t get anything done.

Jade:Mhm. But what Aspen will never admit is that it was all of us. Not just me and Katherine.

Producer:What do you mean by that?

Jade:I mean, it’s a team effort. Everyone has to pull their own weight, and that just wasn’t being done. And now there’s a chance I could be going home.

Producer:There have been some rumors swirling around about the intentions of some of the girls. What are your thoughts on that?

Baylor:I mean, in an ideal world we’d all be here with good intentions, right? Only here for Dusty Wilder and nothing else. But that’s just not realistic, is it?

Producer:Any theories on who isn’t here with good intentions?

Baylor:(laughs)Yeah, I have my theories. But I’m not going to say them out loud.

Producer:Walk us through your thought process on your conversations with Sage and Aspen this week.

Dusty:I heard some things you never want to hear in this position. And I wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Producer:Do you think you did?

Dusty:That’s still up for debate.

17

baylor

The Battles

A weight has been liftedoff my shoulders with the knowledge that Valerie, Sage, and I are all immune for this week’s elimination. Dare I say, an Aspen-shaped weight? That is, if she’s eliminated. I’m not going to get my hopes up too high, though, because knowing her, she’ll somehow make it through to the next week.

We were informed this morning that we’ll be able to watch the elimination tonight after the episode airing concludes, so when the producers tell the three of us to follow them after Aspen, Valerie, and Jade are escorted to the stage, it comes as no surprise.

We’re led down the hall into the auditorium. During the early weeks of the show, there’s no audience, just the camera crew, but the last four weeks will include live concert performances. Colette had described it as a “mini tour,” asHeart Stringswill travel to three different cities and then come back to Nashville for the concert and the final decision at the Ryman Auditorium.

We’re seated near the middle of the theater, so we don’t block the cameras or get in the way of the crew.

“I wonder what’s going to happen this week for the elimination,” Sage murmurs.

It must be something different than the last two weeks. If it’s the same, it seems odd for the producers to allow us to watch.

“I don’t know, but I’m glad we’re not the ones at risk tonight,” Valerie answers. Her voice shakes a little as she reaches the end of her sentence. I know she and Katherine are close, and I’m crossing my fingers that she’s not the one sent home tonight.

“We’re live in ten!” someone calls out, and the crew frantically finds their places.

The stage lights kick on, and Jarrod Stone walks out.

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