Bimbo or Billionaire: Fun with Numbers
by TheHandsThatLead, copyright © 2014
Chapter 2 — Opening Credits
The studio curtain raised as the theme music blared from the speakers with the applause of the live studio audience. I was still off stage and was going over the math in my head yet again using the mnemonic technics I’d come up with.
I had seen the collar of fate so many times in the episodes I’d watched and there seemed to be two different reactions to it. The first was to ignore it and the second was to fidget with it. I’d spent the better part of the last week trying to stop myself from fidgeting with it and now as the show began my hand was once more moving it about as if it was made of wool and irritating my skin.
“Yes folks it’s time to answer the question that is on all of our minds... Is she a... Bimbo or Billionaire!” the announcer’s voice came across the PA system and the audience roared in response.
Soon I’d have to start opening cases and the work would begin, but before that there were introductions to do. I need to make sure everything went smoothly, while I wasn’t actually cheating the game, I certainly didn’t want to give them any reason to stop the show or disqualify me before I had won.
“Thanks Dan, now to get to today’s contestant... Lilian!” the crowd cheered as I walked on to the set, smiling and waving, trying to be as confidant in my appearance as I was in my math skills..
“Hi Lilian, are you excited to be here today?”
“Sure am Jack, excited and ready to play all the way to the end!”
“That’s great Lilian, now on your information form under career, you list ‘hacker’, is that true?”
“Sure is Jack, I spend the last 10 years working in the information security field, hacking in to some of the most secure networks in the world. Of course all legally, having been hired by those same firms to prove their security!” Expect my recent forays in to the show, but they didn’t need to know about those.
“Wow, Lilian, that’s quite impressive. That might make you one of the smartest contestants we’ve ever had on the show! It’s says here you’re a member of Mensa and graduated 2 years early from university. That’s an amazing accomplishment, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s your IQ?”
“Well Jack, that’s kind of a personal question...” I said winking, “but I guess I could let you know, 149.” Cheers came from the audience, I knew they liked nothing better than seeing a highly intelligent woman lose.
“That’s incredible Lilian. Well we will get to some more about you later in the show, but now I have just one more question for you... are you ready to play?”
The crowd echoed Jack’s question as he asked it and I knew it was time to get serious again.
“I’m ready Jack, let’s get going!”
“Ok Lilian, let’s get a few housekeeping items out of the way and we can get going. First off I’d like to bring everyone’s attention to our case girl Chrissi!”
As always the spotlight highlighted Chrissi and the buxom blonde bimbo waved and giggled as the crowd cheered and whistled. I had heard the next line so many times I almost lip synced along with it.
“Chrissi was the unluckiest contestant to ever play our game here and opened twelve bimbo cases in a row. But we just couldn’t let her leave with nothing so instead we didn’t let her leave at all and she’s been with us ever since!
In the back of the studio we also have the fine technical folks who are operating the Collar of Fate tonight, we won’t get a chance to see them but we’ll certainly see their work on stage!
And of course we cannot forget our generous benefactor, who has put up the billion dollar prize! Our mystery man that we simply call ‘The Accountant’". As always the pitch black area above the columns of monitors was backlit revealing a person sitting at a desk but obscured in darkness.
“Of course you all know our board, two sides with twelve steps each, revealed one at a time as the cases are opened. As always the cash side starts at a penny and works its way up to one billion dollars!
The bimbo side is divided in to two halves, the first six are physical changes that the ‘Collar of Fate’ will make and the second half are mental changes. Each of the changes will be selected by an audience vote from a list of four random selections from our database!”