The Rebel Billionaire Episode 9 - Mini Recap
Turbulence Abounds
By Eleanor Meilinger
December 30, 2004
Picture this:
Sir Richard Branson dressed as Austin Powers delivering the line "Virgin's in space? I'm up for it baby. Where do I sign?"
Of course you'll never get to see this because it never happened. It was just the first thing that sprang to mind when I heard Shawn and Sara's catch phrase for tonight's team challenge. This time out, more than ever, I envied the cast their experience. I have been living vicariously through their misadventures all along but this time I really wanted to play along. Turns out they could have used me to play mediator and prevent the series from dissolving into a battle of personalities rather than wits. Of course, it's easy to sit at home and criticize. Under the same circumstances, any one of us may have fallen apart.
Until the opening scenes, Candida was a bit like Schroedinger's Cat for me - since I didn't actually observe her departure she still remained in my reality. I had to find out what events led to her departure so I called upon a friend to fill in the blanks. The facts were not pretty.
I'll leave that behind for the moment and get to the good stuff. This is what I have been waiting for. I really got interested in this series because of my admiration for Sir Richard Branson and all things Virgin. When I heard about the reality show I was tempted - but I have led far too colorful a life to withstand the scrutiny of reality television. Instead I decided to become the series biggest cheerleader, trying to insure everyone got caught up in the exciting adventure that the lucky contestants were going to embark on for our viewing pleasure. I joked that I was doing the recaps until I got my dream job - Air Hostess on Virgin Galactic, when in reality I went ahead and signed up:
Dear Future Astronaut,
Richard Branson and everyone on the Virgin Galactic team were delighted to receive your response to the Virgin Galactic website.
The support shown for this amazing project has been overwhelming and we will very shortly be in a position to discuss with you the next steps on your journey to become a Virgin Galactic Astronaut!
Over the next few days we will contact you again with more details, so there is no need for you to respond to this message.
Many thanks for your interest in Virgin Galactic.
Best wishes,
Stephen Attenborough
Head of Astronaut Liaison
www.virgin.com/galactic
What about the airfare? I never worry about trifling things like that. If I want to go, I'll find the money - besides the projected fares have already come down by about $100,000. A few lottery tickets and I'm there!
Seriously, I am captivated by the accomplishments of Burt Rutan, and the entire SpaceShipOne project. The notion that this competition was taking the remaining players one step closer to living out my fantasy was enough to make me forget all of my disappointment in the series so far. I dismissed all the personality conflicts and production flaws and sat down to watch what promised to be the most intriguing episode of the series.
You'd think I'd know better by now…
Heather, Gabriel, Shawn, Sara, Erica and Nicole meet up with Richard on a yacht, the "Never Say Never", docked at Fisher Island in Miami, Florida. He congratulates them on making it this far and divides them into teams of three. Anyone who has been keeping track will be able to figure out the breakdown but for those who weren't paying attention: Heather and Gabe - they "bonded" during the last two competitions, though Gabe doesn't seem to think so; Shawn and Sara - my picks for the final two for reasons stated elsewhere and Nicole and Erica - destined to live with the "BBB" label long after this series concludes.
Erica, sensing the rest of the players are primed for a lynching, bemoans the fact that it is automatically assumed that she and Nicole are a unit. Even without the benefit of last week's bitch-fest and taking into consideration "creative editing" it is still hard to separate Erica from all of the major incidents with Nicole. Perhaps she didn't contribute as often to the sniping but she has remained at Nicole's side, supporting her pronouncements regarding the other players and helping to instigate the conflicts. She was more than happy to share in Nicole's successful navigation through the game. She never once stood up to her to defend someone else. Now it's time to pay the piper and she'd like to be considered on her own merit. Which is? Erica is a bright and beautiful girl with an adventurous spirit and great athletic ability. She is not and never was considered a great entrepreneurial mind. She rode this far on Nicole's coattails; it was Nicole and the other team members, who have kept them winning each week. Could Erica work for Virgin, represent them as a spokesperson or model for their ads? Of course. Could she run a company? Not from what we've seen. The fact that she tries to distance herself from culpability at this point speaks volumes about her character.
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