So, the next day I was at the in-laws house for dinner when I got the call. "Hi, this is Penelope from the biggest loser, I thought you were really great yesterday and I would love to have you come for a call back tomorrow afternoon." I couldn't believe it! After all the people she saw that day, after us how did she even remember what we said? I called my boss immediately and said I have an appointment I couldn't miss. I got the day off and started working on all the things they asked us to being to the call back. They wanted more pictures. They wanted props that could help us sell ourselves. They wanted us to have an new much much longer application filled out and ready. It was already 9pm and we had to finish everything by 1pm the next day and drive down again. I was running on adrenaline and stayed up half the night. Hubby was working so he couldn't even be there to help.
The next day we headed out and couldn't help but be excited. We were told to call Penelope when we got there and if she didn't answer then they were in another call back and we should wait in the lobby. We called and left a voice mail that we were there. We waited in the lobby for what felt like an eternity but it was probably about an hour. Finally Penelope called and said she was sorry they were running late but we could head up to the room now. In the room was Penelope and the male casting director from the casting call. His name was Dean. They greeted us and ushered us into the hotel suite. In the sitting area of the room there was a camera set up across from a couch. We chit chatted while they adjusted the camera and lighting. When they were done they asked for our pictures and second application. Dean held the pictures up to the camera and asked us to talk about each one. Then came the interview. Dean asked most of the questions while Penelope took notes. I thought it would be weird to talk to the camera but I just focused on Dean. He was so warm and fun to talk to it felt like any conversation I would have with a friend. The interview lasted a little over 2 hours. We talked about what seemed like everything. When we first become overweight, what our relationship with food is, how our weight affects our marriage, our fertility issues, how our weight affects us at work, our families, and more. It was a very in depth and emotional process for me. It was nice to have hubby by my side. One of the most touching moments was to hear him talk about how much he wanted to help me get to my goal weight because he wanted me to feel as beautiful and wonderful as I really am. He also got a little teary as we discusses my health and how doesn't want me to have to deal with obesity related illnesses down the road. By the end of the interview I was emotionally drained but we had a fabulous time. They hit stop on the camera and Dean said "I think you guys are perfect! You have an excellent shot at this, you need to start talking to your employers about getting some time off." Penelope handed us a 28 page background check form that must be completed for each of us and turned in 7 days from then. They also said we needed to make a home video that they would use to pitch us to the producers. They gave us the address and a special code word to put on our package to make sure it was pushed up to the top. We were told to keep everything confidential and only tell people you needed to know. They wanted to keep the contestants identities a secret.
We left feeling on top of the world! How could it have gone any better?
To be continued.
