Hotseat Ep2 by Ethan Fox

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“Hello all and welcome back to America’s favorite gameshow with your host, Mason Whitmore!" The deep voice of the studio announcer boomed out once again as the studio audience applauded and the familiar face of Mason Whitmore greeted them, entering the stage from the curtain in the upper center stage. He gave a big wave to the audience flashing his hostly smile at them. He was dressed in a red and blue suit, inspired by a barber’s pole and his blonde quiff were flowing ever so elegantly as he moved towards center stage.

“Welcome back everyone, I’m your host for Hotseat- and what did the deep bass voiceover guy say? America’s favorite gameshow?" He looked around at the audience with that same smiled glued to his face, “How many favorite gameshows does America have by now?" He said, laughing along with at the audience, “But in all seriousness, I want to thank you all for your support after Episode 1. A lot of work and heart went into the creation of Hotseat and it warms my heart to see the reception Episode 1 got."

Mason Whitmore glanced around the stage; it was decorated the same as it was for the series’ premiere. The host’s podium on the right of the stage was modified as the legs of the podium now resembled barber shop poles. The three barber chair’s were right in their places with Dave, Chuck, and Sam flanking them in their tunics with all their supplies laid out next to them. The floor of the stage was made to look like the linoleum you’d find in a real barbershop. The right of the stage had a door and a model green storefront around the door with the ‘Hotseat Barbershop’ painted on the fake glass that if you looked out a fake street was painted on the outside. Below Hotseat Barbershop were the specials:
Strike 1………Trim
Strike 2………Skin
Strike 3………Bald

There was even a little coatrack by the fake entry.

“Well last time we waved goodbye to two new cueballs Beckett and Andrew, and congratulated our winner Joshua," Mason smiled at the memory of the inaugural episode, “So lets see who our victims- I mean contestants are for this episode," He smirked as the audience validated his ‘slip of the tongue’ with laughter, “It is my honor to introduce our first contestant today, please welcome to the stage Remi!"

The crowd burst into applause as Remi entered the field of play from the door on the right of the stage. He was of average height, long blonde hair, it was almost like a pompadour but instead of it swooshing up, it was swooshing down, directly in his eyes. He possessed a completely average build, but you couldn’t help but notice the slight tone of his chest. His jaw was chiseled and his nose was small but sharp, he had both a defined face and a soft face depending on how you looked at his features. He was dressed in a sweater with the collar of a buttoned down shirt showing underneath it. Remi sauntered across to where Mason Whitmore was center stage with his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans, he gave that friendly upwards nod to Mason as he walked and said, “Sup, thanks for having me," he said before Mason could get a word in.

“It is certainly our privilege to welcome you, Mason nodded, “So Remi… like the rat?" He asked as the audience bursted out with laughter. Mason waved his hand to get the crowd back under control, “So what is it that you do? What brought you here to Hotseat?"

Remi leaned his head back and shifted his weight from one foot the the other. He shook his head to the left to get the hair out of his eyes, “Im gonna join the army, so I thought that if Imma lose my hair anyways in boot camp; i might as well try to win some money?" He shrugged as a sporadic chuckles could be heard in the audience.

“You?" Mason put the audience’s confusion into words, “You’re enlisting? Really? I didn’t think you were the army’s type?" He laughed earning a scoff from Remi in response.

“Im going into the army, y’know to pay for college. It’s not going to be that hard, I’m strong dawg, believe me," Remi smirked, pressing his tongue against his inner cheek.

“Let us help out the army then and have the joy of knocking you down a few pegs… And giving you a real haircut" Mason laughed; pointing Remi to the three barber chairs, “Please, take a seat."

Remi gave a nod to the crowd as he continued to strut across the stage. He settled into the far left chair; Dave smiled as he looked at his prey. Remi slouched back into the chair, resting his arms on the leather armrests.

“Our second contestant for the day, please everyone give it up for Ryan!" Mason called out, once again prompting the audience’s applause.

Ryan entered through the same door, clapping along with the crowd. He was a large piece of man too, his chest was about the size of Mason’s head and his biceps were equally impressive. He was easily over 6’ tall with very tan almost orange hued skin. His hair was dirty blonde, almost brown. It was curly at the top with a nice taper in the back, the top making a fringe coming down his forehead slightly. There was a striking but endearing contrast between the manliness of his body but the boyishness of his round face and long curls. The pure size of his thighs and chest shown through the polo and dress pants he wore, this was the body of a man who must work out everyday.

He met Mason with a handshake, “What’s up my man," he said with a small laugh.

“Ryan, nice to welcome you to Hotseat," Mason nodded, “Now tell us what you’re about?"



“I’m a linebacker for the local college," Ryan said, folding his hands in front of him with a proud look on his face.

“We can all see that, you’re looking jacked I have to say," Mason gestured to the physique of Ryan as the audience hollered, “How was the season?"

“It was good thanks for asking," Ryan nodded clapping his hands, “8-4, winning record, can never complain. We’ve been putting in the work this offseason, you best believe. And next year, I think we’re taking that conference chip. They’re not ready for us."



“You heard it here first folks!" Mason looked to the audience, “Ryan the linebacker is promising a conference championship!" He chuckled as the crowd applauded, “Now tell us what brought you to Hotseat?"

“Well I gotta be honest," Ryan laughed, “Me and the boys were watching episode 1 and they said I should fill out the application to be on the show. Im a little nervous," He said running a hand through his hair.



“Don’t be nervous! Nothing bad’s going to happen to you here. We’re just going to clean you up, make you look more like a man," He laughed, clapping a hand on Ryan’s shoulder while the linebacker flashed a nervous smile, “And now that you’re here! Why don’t you say hi to your boys," Mason said, taking a step aside for Ryan to have the camera.



“Hey Kenneth, Hey Matt, Hey Austin, I’m on Hotseat, can you believe it?" Ryan waved timidly, chuckling as the crowd cheered for the band of bros. He smiled as Mason joined him again by his side.

“Good good- I’m sure that’ll make them happy when they watch, what’ll make them more happy will probably be watching that hair fall," Mason joked earning a nervous chuckle from Ryan, “Now please join Remi in our barbers’ den."

And with those words from Mason Whitmore, Ryan power walked over to the three chairs giving Remi a nod. He planted himself in the middle chair, running his hand through his hair once more. He nodded to himself, grasping the armrests.

“Now for our final contestant for the second episode, please welcome everyone… I feel like I say the same thing for each intro? Maybe I need to start switching it up… anyways," He laughed at himself, “Yeah I know," he nodded at the crowd’s laughter, “Not the time to get introspective though… Please welcome Cameron everyone!"

A short young man with a ginger pompadour, this time sticking up walked onto stage out the door, He smiled at the audience, his freckled face beaming. The audience welcomed Cameron with cheers and applause as he met Mason in the middle of the stage. He walked in with a plain button up and dress pants on, nodding his head.

“Cameron, Cameron, welcome!" Mason said, shaking his hand, “What do you do? Why are you here?"

“Im a college student, studying business… why am I here?" Cameron laughed, putting his hands on his hips, “Bit of fun, I guess? It’s kind of a crazy show to say that you’ve been on."



“Business student? Maybe we can get you out of here with a cut clients will respect," Mason smiled, “Well carrot top, get in the remaining chair so we can get a move on."



Cameron smiled as he made his way to the far right chair. He sat straight up, watching the other two contestants with interest spread all over his face.

Mason Whitmore made his way behind his podium in front of the monitor with the bright green Hotseat logo with barber pole bannering to pick up his cue-cards, “It is now time to go over the rules of Hotseat!" Mason smiled looking at the contestants, “One at a time, I’m going to ask each of you a trivia question from a random category and you will have to answer the question. We’ll go in a snaking order, meaning if you end Round 1, you start Round 2. Get it wrong and it’ll cost you some locks of your hair. On Hotseat we operate on the rules of 3 strikes and you’re bald. One strike and the scissors will come out and cut off a nice portion of your hair. Two strikes and we’ll be treated to seeing some skin. Three strikes and what?" Mason gestured to the audience who responded with yells of ‘bald’, electric cheering ringing out through the studio. It was clear that the fans wanted more, and the three contestants would have to supply them with that, “The winner will walk out $10,000 richer. Any questions gentlemen?"

The three contestants shook their heads.

“Then barbers please-“ Mason gestured back to the returning trio of terror Dave, Chuck, and Sam.

Chuck and Sam wrapped and tied their capes sporting the Hotseat logo around Ryan and Cameron respectively in one quick swoosh. Ryan sat up in the chair and nodded, letting out a nervous breath. Cameron on the other hand, swallowed as he glanced out at the audience. He was the furthest away from the audience, so he had to look around both Ryan and Remi to see the audience.

“Sit up straight," Dave commanded Remi, who looked around absentmindedly before shifting up the chair into more of an upright position. Dave wrapped the cape around Remi and tied it especially tight, causing a little discomfort as Remi shifted around, moving his head left to right.

“Our first question is to you Remi," Mason started, holding up the first cue card, “In your chosen category of science! The question to kick off episode two is Metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous are types of what?"

“Uhh- rocks dawg?" Remi said, nodding his head sure of his answer. He scoffed at the simplicity of the question and slouched again slightly in the chair.

The audience and Dave sighed out of disappointment as the ding played to signal that Remi was in fact correct. Everyone already wanted to see Remi taken down just a little bit.

“Then we’re onto Ryan, his category is sports!" Mason continued, “The question is What nationality was Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball?"



“Oh shoot," Ryan blinked, “I don’t know man, was he British"

The buzzer rang out signalling that British was not the right answer.

The audience cheered as Mason Whitmore tried to conceal a smile, “A rare quick misfire on Hotseat, and that is strike number one Ryan. You don’t want to take strikes that early. Well Chuck please by all means take some off."

Ryan let out a sigh of disappointment at himself as he tried to keep a smile on his face. The lights dimmed and for the first time of episode two, the spotlight came down upon Ryan. Chuck grabbed a pair of scissors off out the barber’s equipment area and walked up behind Ryan. He pushed down Ryan’s head and indiscriminately took some wild hacks at the back of his hair. The audience as well as Mason laughed as Ryan’s eyes popped wide open.

“What’s he doing?" Ryan asked trying to raise his head with a horrified look out at the audience.

Chuck continued cutting off chunks of the back and sides for about 10 seconds before walking back. Ryan’s hair was maimed as at some places it was down to the scalp and at other places his hair seemed completely unharmed. Ryan glanced around, still unsure of what happened to him. He tried to lean forward and look across stage to use the monitor as a mirror but the brightly colored Hotseat logo made that impossible.

Remi was trying his hardest to muffle his laughter as he faced the other way at the audience who were also howling. The lights turned back to normal as the game continued.

“Thank you for that one Chuck," Mason got out as he composed himself turning to look at Cameron, “Well we’ve already seen hair fall in round one; will that continue? Cameron, your chosen category was entertainment! Your question is what movie did the villain Joan Crawford appear in?"

Cameron inhaled deeply, seemingly a universal response for all Hotseat contestants when asked their first question. He blinked, obviously rummaging through the content of his brain, “Mommie Dearest?" he nodded, finally letting that exhale out, “I remember watching it with a friend once who was a big Joan Crawford fan…" he explained.

“Correct…" Mason said as the ding played, “Well after one round, if you look at the floor of our makeshift barbershop; only Ryan’s dirty blonde/brown hair is covering it. We now move into round two, we’re right back with you Cameron, will your auburn mane join Ryan’s on the floor? Your next category is entertainment again… really guys? You’re gonna give him his category twice in a row?" Mason looked into the camera with a look of mock fury and shook his head, “Alright now- the question is: What superteam includes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter?"

“Justice League?" Cameron furrowed his brow, simultaneously sure of his answer but unsure if the producers were playing any tricks with him. He relaxed back into a smile as the ding sounded and his auburn mane was safe for another round.



“Cameron is on a roll," Mason gave a small clap before turning back to Ryan, “Now Ryan, we’re back to you. And as a football player, I’m sure you know the horrors of an 0-2 record, I’m sure you wish to avoid that… Your category is history-“ Mason said, powering through Ryan’s groan, “What presidential medal did Helen Keller win?"

“I only know the Medal of Freedom… so I’m gonna hope its that," Ryan reached his hand out of his cape to scratch the back of his head, earning himself a swat from Chuck. He flinched forwards, only to hear the sound of a ding. He laughed at himself, settling back down and bringing his hand back under the cape. As he sat upright, his muscular chest was still noticeable even through the cape.

“Alright first round where everyone’s gonna be right, will it happen folks?" Mason called out from the stage and was met with sporadic “No!"s from the jeering studio audience, “Remi, your category is science! And another category twice in a row for a participant? What- did we not meet the time requirement for last episode?" He said into the camera, almost as if he were talking to the producers, “Question is: The letter K can be used to denote what type of energy meaning “to move" in Greek?"

The audience erupted with noises as if they were trying to derail Remi’s train of thought. The boy in the chair shifted, nodding his head forwards and back, “Its just Kinetic right?" He said visibly moving his arms under the cape as he spoke. The ding sounded as Remi gave an upward nod and a smirk.

“Hopefully we can wipe that smirk off your face and see some of those pretty boy locks on the floor as we’re right back to you Remi, your category is History, the question is this," Mason paused to look down at the card and read out, “From what country does geometry originate?"



“Easy-“ Remi laughed at the question and nodded his hair, “Greece man- they invented everything, no sweat." His smile was replaced by his jaw dropping and his hand popping out from under the cape as the buzzer sounded, “Dawg there is just simply no way," he protested, “They did like all math bro."

“I’m sorry- I’m just reading what it says on the card Remi, and our producers credit Egypt for inventing geometry; which I mean come on, the pyramids?" He said earning a small whine from Remi, “And I guess that means we’re just going to have to see those pretty boy locks fall, take it away Dave!" Mason smiled.

The lights dimmed once again on Episode 2 of Hotseat and Dave beamed as he readied his scissors. Remi shook his head in disbelief at his wrong answer feeling that he was wronged in this matter, but he didn’t have much time to dwell on it as Dave lifted up his long blonde fringe and in three sips of the scissors, Remi’s bangs were no more. Remi closed his eyes almost in a pained way and let out a small breath. His small forehead now shown and the audience roared at finally seeing a dent in Remi’s pride.

The lights came back up as Mason tried to conceal the smile on his face, “Now you’re looking a tiny bit more like an Army man… though not really, Ryan you are now joined by Remi on one strike, let’s see if you can keep it that way; your category is entertainment," he said turning the card over, “Who released the hit song “Barbie Girl" in 1997?"



“Well," Ryan pursed his lips, “If the boys are watching this then Imma pretend I don’t know, but for the sake of these curls, I’m gonna have to say Aqua," He laughed as the ding sounded for his correct answer.

“We’re back in the groove and saving those curls, Cameron: the only one with no strikes, we are back to you," Mason smiled, “Your category is Geography… What is the real name of the tower most often called Big Ben?"



“That would be uh- Elizabeth’s Tower after The Queen or- well y’know," Cameron shrugged, his freckled skin shinning under the stage lights. If you looked close enough you could see that he was slightly sweating. The ding came with a sigh of relief.

“And it remains 1 strike a piece for Remi and Ryan, Cameron in the lead currently; though as we all know it only takes one question in Hotseat for hair to hit the floor. Cameron we’re back to you for Round 4 and its history? wow- I can’t wait for favortism claims for you as our producers are yet to ask you anything truly obscure," He joked, “Alright, Elizabeth Cady Stanton is an American who was famous for what?"

“Feminism," Cameron bit his lip with a small shrug not fully knowing what the answer should be despite his knowledge. There was no ding…. but there also wasn’t any buzzer- Cameron ducked his head forward to evade any sneak attacks by his barber as he stared direct at Mason Whitmore, waiting for his verdict.

Mason flashed a contemplative smile as his eyes darted from his card, to Cameron, and to the audience. This riled the audience up as they wanted to see bloodshed, or hairshed. Mason finally came to a decision as host, “One more chance, I need you to be more specific Cameron, or else it’ll be strike one."

Cameron let out a small “oh god-“ as he racked his brains. A few seconds went by as Cameron’s eyes flashed as he came up with an answer, “Seneca Falls Convention!" He smiled, sure of the right answer.

Mason Whitemore responded with a laugh and shook his head, “Now you’re too specific, but I might just give it to you as that question was a little vague."

“Nah nah nah-“ Remi started, “You can’t give him that- weren’t you just on about favortism?" He interjected.

“Yeah man- and his questions have been easier, give him a strike," Ryan added on.

Cameron darted up in his seat, raising his arms under his cape in his defense, “I gave an answer more specific. I literally gave a better answer…"



But the rest of his defense was lost as the fans chanted “Strike! Strike Strike!"



A panicked Cameron looked at Mason with wide eyes and shook his head, “Look you can’t do this to me," he said as the buzzer rang.

“But the producers can," Mason shrugged, “The only people we care about have spoken, the fans," He chuckled as the spotlight came down, “The answer on the card is suffrage. I think we all want to see those smooth red locks on the floor," he said, the audience making their agreement known.

Cameron squirmed at the injustice before finally leaning back, going through all five stages of grief in the three seconds it took for the lights to go down, he hit acceptance and sighed as Sam grabbed his scissors and took all the length of Cameron’s ginger pompadour.

Cameron swallowed hard as he peered down at the orange locks that had just fallen from his head as Mason turned to Ryan, “1 Strike across the board as we’re back to you. Category is Science! What is the only part of the skull that can move?"



“Uh- jaw? Ryan said blankly, everyone in the studio able to see the gears turning in his head, the ding sounded and Mason swiftly continued.

“That is correct, now onto Remi to end Round 4, category is The Arts," he said reading the question through Remi’s groaning, “What term is used for the speed at which a piece of music is played?"



“Gotta be tempo right?" Remi said in a cascading voice as the ding. He gave a small fist pump under the cape.

“Perfect! Now a commercial break before we go into Round 5!" Mason smiled, waving at the Cameron.

“And we’re back! Welcome to Round 5," Mason smiled from behind his podium as the music faded out and the camera panned from the contestants to him, “Right now it is neck and neck- or head to head… or hair to hair, no we’re gonna gave to work on that one," Mason chuckled to himself, “But what you need to know is that all our participants have one strike going into Round 5."

“We start with you Remi, your category is Entertainment, question is What is the name of John Carpenter’s first feature movie?"

The editors had to censor the whispered curse word that escaped Remi’s lips as he racked his brain. He shook his head slowly as the 5…4…3... of the timer started when his thinking time reached ten seconds. Remi panicked, racking his brain for anything that would save his hair… John Carpenter? Who even was that?

Remi looked at the clock as it counted down 2… 1… He let out a noise as if he meant to make a guess, but no words could be made from it.

“I’m sorry Remi," Mason, who was not sorry at all; in fact he was thrilled to hear the buzzer, “The correct answer was Dark Star, Dave that is strike two you know what that means?" He laughed, “It means skin! Give the candidate a more fitting haircut will ya Dave?"

The lights dimmed and the spotlight came down on Remi and his blonde hair. Dave grabbed his pair of clippers and turned them on. Remi jumped slightly hearing the buzz approaching him from behind.

Dave started to run the clippers up the back of Remi’s head, but before he could get to Remi’s crown, Remi squirmed out of the path of the clippers, his heart started to race. Remi’s mind was boggled as the foreign feeling of the cold vibrating clippers caused him to leap forward. The first time feeling clippers was jolting to anyone, but with the bright spotlight taking away all sense of where he was, and the the sound of the crowd blending with the clippers’ roar in his ear, it was almost an out of body experience for Remi. He couldn’t believe what was happening to him as he reached his hand out of the cape and back to feel the damage of the single stripe that was made in the back of his hair.

But before he could feel the stripe, Dave took his revenge, annoyed with the Blonde’s actions. Nobody gets out of the way of his clippers! He pushed Remi’s head down, so his chin was touching his chest and even pushed a little harder so that Remi had to bend his back forwards slightly due to the force. He kept his hand, firmly pressing down on Remi’s head until he felt Remi submit to what was about to happen. Remi exhaled softy before holding his breath, there was no fighting it, no denying, and no avoiding it anymore. He was about to lose some serious hair and be skinned for the first time.

Dave then brought the clippers back up and plowed them down the back of Remi’s head. Dave dug the clippers harshly into his head, determined to strip the contestant of his back and sides. The slight pain of the metallic steel clippers being rammed into him caused Remi to let out a small ‘ouch’.

Once the back of Remi’s head was completely bare, Dave pulled the top of Remi’s hair lightly to get his head back upright from its downwards position and then pushed it down to the left to deal with the right side of Remi’s hair. He started up from the side burns and in a few swipes of the clippers, the right of side was bare. He repeated the action for the opposite side of Remi’s head and then turned the clippers off and set them aside. The combination of the balding clippers and Remi’s blonde hair made it seem like there was nothing left at all. The only thing that revealed that he ever had any hair at all was the red marks from how hard Dave pressed the clippers into his head.

The crowd roared at seeing the first sighting of skin in Episode 2 as the lights came up. The camera cut to Mason Whitmore who was dying of laughter from behind his podium, “Joining the army eh? Are you sure you don’t want to go into the Marines instead because right now you look more like a jarhead," he teased Remi as the boy stared down at his fallen blonde locks on the cape and floor, “You know Remi?" Mason continued, “Those army barbers are going to be a lot more harsh than that, I know that might be hard to believe but I dare you to try and pull that avoiding move at boot camp." he laughed.

“Ryan, it is now you’re turn again, you’re no longer behind, in fact you’re tied for the lead now, the comeback is strong!" Mason smiled, “Your category is sports… the football player gets sports, I guess the producers are trying to preempt the Cameron favoritism allegations. Your question is What are A.C Milan, Ajax, and Real Madrid,?"



“Soccer teams," Ryan nodded, looking over to laugh at Remi’s misfortune. The ding rang and Ryan flexed his pecs making visual movements under the cape.

“That is correct- football teams.. I meant clubs for our British viewers, but its like 4am for our Tea-drinking friends. Cameron to end round 5, your question is general… phoning it in are the producers, ahem- question: In which U.S. State will you find the massive Talladega Speedway?"



“Alabama- Thank you Talladega Nights," Cameron chuckled.

“Perfect, and we’re onto Round 6 with Remi on two strikes, the rest on one. You already know the drill Cameron, we’re right back to you. Category is language, will we be seeing skin rom you?," Mason hummed, “Here we go: From what language did English borrow the word “rodeo" from?"

“That would be Spanish!" Cameron confidently answered and smiled to himself as the ding sounded.

“Let’s bounce right back to you Ryan, category is arts, question is What is the first name of writer H.G Wells?"

“Oh…" Ryan hummed, caught off guard by the literature question, “Im gonna guess Henry?" He shrugged as the sound of the buzzer rang. Ryan let out a large groan as the crowd cheered.

“Oh no I’m sorry Ryan but we were looking for Herbert," Mason smiled, “That is strike number two you know what means!" He clapped his hands, “Chuck let’s see some skin from our linebacker?"

Ryan pursed his lips, for the first time he would feel the bare clippers against his skin. He tensed up, looking out at the audience with a smile asking for support. A round of applause came from the audience, showing that support. He nodded and mouthed ‘thank you.’

The lights dimmed again as chants for ‘skin’ and hollering filled the studio audience. Chuck gestured the audience to get louder as he raised his clippers to the base of Ryan’s neck. Ryan’s eyes popped open and jaw dropped at the sensation of the clippers running up the back of his head. The intense vibrations coupled with the growing lightness of his head was a unique juxtaposition that for someone who has never felt bare clippers before was a complete shock. He could feel the room grow colder with each swipe of the blade from Chuck. He smiled out of shock, feeling the draft from off stage on the back of his head, but not from the top that was still covered in hair.

“Its feeling good so far, I can’t lie," Ryan nodded, earning a laugh from everyone from the audience to Mason to Chuck. Ryan closed his eyes opting to go along for the ride, enjoying the feeling as Chuck repositioned himself and the clippers.

Chuck tilted Ryan’s head to the right as he gently shaved the left side of his head, the hum of the clippers filled the contestant’s ears as he joined Remi with his back and sides being sheared bald. Ryan was starting to enjoy the calming hum, and the vibrations that seemed to massage his skull. Chuck finished and dusted off the back and sides of Ryan’s head as a smile erupted on Ryan’s face. The feeling of hair falling away seemed to free him, he chuckled wondering why had he been so nervous and better yet: why had he not submitted to the clippers sooner?

“What do we think?" Mason asked with a chuckle at the serene expression on Ryan’s face.

“Bro those clippers feel nice man- and I’m like so much cooler I gotta tell you," Ryan beamed, shrugging off the hair on his cape so it hit the floor, “I’m getting a man’s cut today," he laughed again, imagining what his sheared sides must look like.

“Well you’re looking good, with that chest and those biceps, you’re going to give The Rock a run for his money if you lose. I’m sure that’s going to feel a lot better after practice too when football season starts back," Mason laughed, “Its going to make showering a lot quicker of a process."

“Yessir," Ryan nodded, enjoying the immediate enhanced feeling of the air condition on his scalp.

“Now that is two strikes for you and for Remi, whose turn it is now. Jarhead, your category is science, they’re giving you a lifeline… What kind of animal was the now extinct Dodo?" Mason asked



“Bro- bird," He answered in a shaky voice, trying to act as if nothing had happened to him during the episode.

“I don’t know what a brobird is but bird is correct! We go into Round 7 with both Remi and Ryan at two strikes and Cameron at one. We start back with Jarhead; category is Geography, question is what is the capital city of Djibouti? And remember before you answer, a wrong answer will cost you the remaining hair you have on your head."



“Dji-what?" Remi cried out, leaning his head back, shocking himself in the process when his bangs didn’t fall into his eyes, “Uh- I don’t know man, Djibouti City….?"

Ding-

“What? That worked?" Remi laughed, springing back up in his chair, “Lets gooo- we’re still in it," He cheered as the audience sighed in disappointment. The surprise save was what he needed to relax slightly and get his mind back in the game

“Ain’t no way that worked bro-“ Ryan chuckled in return looking over at Remi. They made eye contact, and as they glanced at what was remaining of the other's hair. They both broke out into laughter

Mason moved along to Ryan, “You’ve been lucky enough to receive a question from our general category, exciting I know! The question is: How many holes are on a standard Chinese checkers board? An incorrect answer, and the curls will fall Ryan."



“I didn’t know China had their own checkers," Ryan admitted, taking a moment to think of any guess he might have. His smile immediately fell after he cracked the joke, knowing that this was it for him. He had one chance at a guess to save his curls, “One hundred!" He decided on, his body tensing up as he heard the buzzer. He was officially the first loser from Episode 2.

“I’m sorry man, it was a good run," Mason called out, “You did well, nothing to be ashamed of, but as that is strike number three, you know what time it is! Let’s see our football player bald!"



The crowd started chanting “Bald bald bald!" as Chuck picked up the balding clippers and fired them up. Ryan suppressed a smile as Chuck held the clippers at his forehead. This was it, Ryan was going to be bald.

He quickly accepted it with a smile, this was a man’s cut after all, and Ryan liked to consider himself a real man’s man. A linebacker, over 6 feet tall, and a shredded body. Bring on the baldy! It would only suit him, he chuckled.

“I’m ready dawg, we gotta do what we gotta do, I lost man… Gotta face the consequences, make me look like a man!" Ryan laughed, bracing himself. As excited as he was, which he didn’t expect he would be going in, he couldn’t help but be a little nervous. He still had no idea how he looked, all he knew was he felt great.

The ready was all Chuck needed for him to plow the clippers straight over the top of Ryan’s head, leaving white scalp down the center of his dirty blonde curls. The crowd's loud collective gasp and cheer was enough to make Ryan laugh and open his eyes, he shook his head as Chuck made more swiped on either side of the first one. The feeling of the clippers over his head was blissful to Ryan; the light pressure and weight of the machine followed by the weightlessness of hair falling, it seemed every part of having your head shaved was a beautiful moment of contrasting emotions and sensations.

Ryan groaned slightly as the clippers tugged on one of his curls, but for the most part he just sat there, enjoying it. Even the brief moment of pain brought him amusement! How funny is it to have a handheld steel machine with basically the equivalent of a car motor inside of it pull your hair while trying to leave you bald? He shook his head and laughed and Chuck finished off clearing up the top of his head.

The clippers turned off, the crowd cheered the loudest roar of the night, and Ryan was bald. His pale white scalp in sharp contrast to his orange-ish skin. The look suited him though, his defined facial features like his chin and cheekbones now stood out more on his round face now that the boyish curls were gone. He looked more masculine with the bold cut, and the round face didn’t seem too out of place.

Chuck dusted off Ryan’s head with a duster, earning laughter from both the victim and the bystanders in the crowd. Even the aftermath of the shave was enjoyable? He felt the light tickle of the duster and the bliss continued. The cape was taken off, and Ryan’s hands immediately went to his head, “Yooo- its so smooth but like soft- yet still a tiny bit rough, I don’t know… I love it" He shook his head as Chuck brought him the mirror.

“No man- I can’t believe that," Ryan said as he looked into the mirror, “I gotta tan like right now, I’m going straight to the beach after we finish in the studio… Is it cold in here?" He blurted out as he finally stood up, causing the audience to laugh. He slapped his head twice and pounded his chest and let out a battle cry earning more laughter as he flexed at the audience. He laughed at himself and smiled at Mason as he started talking.

“Looking good man," Mason called in, finally walking over to shake Ryan’s hand, “You looked more jacked with the bald head, let the physique do the talking," He smiled, “Give it up one more time!" How does it feel man?"

“It feels so good," He laughed, rubbing his head continuously. Ryan felt the softness and the roughness, the silk and the sandpaper- This is what he was missing out on huh? This feeling- He chuckled as he stopped laughing. This was a man’s cut, he couldn’t deny. He couldn’t wait to get out now that he was bald.

“Say hi to your boys now that you’re bald," Mason laughed pointing Ryan to the camera.

Ryan smiled and nodded his head at the camera and rubbed his head, “Matt! Austin! Kenneth! You best believe I’m getting you back for this. I got myself a real man’s cut unlike y’all" He let out a roaring laugh, still enjoying himself.

“Alright Ryan, thank you so much for playing," Mason shook his hand and gestured for him to leave the same way he came on stage.

The crowd cheered as Ryan flexed and popped his pecks for them. He got a standing ovation as he exited the stage, walking out the door.

“Alright now back to Jarhead with two strikes, Cameron still has one. Remember its back and forth once we get down to the last two, no snaking; Remi your category is history, question: The Parthenon in Greece was dedicated to which Greek Goddess?" Mason said, transferring the audience’s attention onto the two finalists for the episode.



“Athena," Remi exhaled. The reality of what may happen to him was magnified now that he watched someone as big as Ryan get sheered all the way down to the skin. He was one strike away himself from that same fate.


DING

“Cameron, your category is geography, the question is this: The Vatican and what other country has a square flag?"



“Switzerland" Cameron nodded, confidence filling him up. He was in the lead, all he had to do was outlast Remi; he could even protect most of his hair… That was the goal: survival. He endured enough as a child, being made to keep that short back and sides by his father, finally he was able to grow it out. And watching both Remi and Ryan lose most or all of their hair, he realized he wasn’t ready to be clipped again.

DING



The crowd applauded the rapid fire answers from the contestants, respecting their knowledge. Their thirst to see clippers was quenched momentarily.

“Next round, alright-“ Mason reorganised his cards,"Remi, one wrong and you join Ryan in throwing away all the shampoo in your house. Cameron, you have one strike to play with, but I’m sure you’re playing to protect your carrot top."

“Remi," Mason started, “category is history, In what month did Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans?"



“August…" Remi said, following his gut feeling. He might’ve been too young to remember the exact specifics of Katrina, but August felt right.



DING



“Cameron, category is sports, which sport is Pele associated with?"



“Soccer…" Cameron smiled even brighter, the categories were in his favor. The questions were rolling his way, and Remi wasn’t sounding so sure of himself anymore. The momentum felt full on his side.



DING

The crowd burst into applause again and Mason even cracked a smile, “We have ourselves a ballgame huh?" He said, prompting more cheer, “Remi, category is The Arts, What Ray Bradbury novel is named for the temperature at which paper catches fire?"



“Fahrenheit 451…" Remi said, silently thanking his old high school teachers for forcing him to read all those novels that bored him to death.. Hey, they finally came in handy for him. He quietly laughed at himself, thinking of all those time he asked his teacher, ‘when are we ever going to use this in the real world’ well, that stupid book just saved the rest of his hair.



DING

“Cameron, category is history, What political party did Oskar Schindler belong to?"



“The NSDAP…" Cameron said slightly turning red, not wanting to give the answer out really. 



DING



Mason laughed and nodded his head, “I appreciate you saying that in a way that won’t get us cancelled, and we’re back to you Remi, can we keep this going? General category, Which Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees the right to a speedy trial?"



“Sixth…" Remi said, holding in a deep inhale, looking directly up at the ceiling. The questions were starting to amp up, from high school English to high school US History, Remi was all of a sudden wishing he paid more attention.

DING 



Remi exhaled and looked over to Cameron.

“Cameron, general one for you too, What kind of bird is the mascot of the cereal fruit loops?"



“Toucan…" He smiled, he was enduring. He knew it, his mind was starting to celebrate slightly. He could see the discomfort from across the stage, his view of Remi was clear now that Ryan wasn’t in between them.



DING

“And we’re straight back to you Jarhead, category is Arts, question is What was the name of the man cub in “The Jungle Book"



“Oh god-“ Remi blurted out, rolling his neck as he thought. This couldn’t be it- he knew the answer, he wasn’t going to lose his hair due to the jungle book, “Let’s see, baloo was the bear," he let out a long sigh, trying hard to search for the answer, “so was it Mowgli?" he swallowed, closing his eyes.

DING

“Cameron, your category is language with the question being, which Latin word is used to express the meaning word for word?"

“word for word?" Cameron repeated, “Verbatim?" He answered in more of a questioning tone, but with the sound of the ding, Cameron sighed. Remi was starting to falter, he could feel it. Both of them were starting to run out of gas, but Cameron knew he had more mileage with only one strike to his name.

“Remi, category is science, which two elements are the most common in the universe?"



“Hydrogen and Helium," Remi nodded: English, US History, Chemistry? Goodness was high school only good for trivia? Well it was sure bailing him out here.

“Cameron, Category is Geography, Phnom Penh is the capital of which Asian country."



“Uh- oh no," Cameron sighed, a dent in his armour forming as his almost perfect game of Hotseat was unfolding before him, “Not Vietnam… Not Thailand…" He shook his head, he finally got a question that stumped him. He swore in his head and bit his lip to keep it inside, he wouldn’t be able to stop skin from showing, that was becoming evident. Maybe a guess could save him? “Cambodia or Laos?" he asked, looking over at Mason

“I can’t give you any hints, you know that," Mason shook his head at Cameron’s hopeful look, “Is it finally time again? Will we finally see skin from Cameron, and that beautiful auburn hair touch the floor? You’ve been so good at protecting it all game, what a shame," Mason shook his head with mock pity.

“Laos…" Cameron said in almost a whisper, strike two would come, he knew it.



“Is that your final guess?" Mason smiled over at him, glancing up from his cue-card.



“Yes…"



The buzzer sounded, “It was Cambodia- that’s very unfortunate Cameron," Mason said as the spotlight came down once again, it was now two strikes a piece, “Come on Sam, lets see some hair hit the floor and some what?" 



“SKIN!" Yelled the audience back in response.

The lights dimmed and the spotlight returned as Sam turned on the clippers and Cameron would join the other two contestants with skin showing. The crowd roared at seeing the almost unbeatable Cameron be once again helpless. Sam pushed his head down and raised the clipper in the air theatrically as he began to run them up the back of Cameron’s head. Cameron’s mind immediately went back to his childhood, his dad giving instructions to that old barber on main street. The crowd somehow got even louder as his hair fell like autumn leaves all around the chair. The scene was like one from his childhood nightmares, being shaved on a stage under a spotlight with a hundred people cheering. Cameron’s head was tilted from side to side just like Remi’s and Ryan’s as all that was left after Sam finished was an orange-ish hue on the white scalp left behind by the clippers.

“Now that’s a cut that’ll make the clients feel that they’re being taken care of by a real professional man," Mason chuckled while clapping his hands as the lights came back on.

Cameron grimaced as he shook his head, the feeling of the clippers… the weightlessness he felt on the back of his head? The blow of the air? It was so foreign, but even just shaving the back and sides made him feel as if a whole pound was dropped from his head. He let out a sigh, staring out at the audience, the audience that was cheering at his dismay.

“Jarhead, we’re back to you… though I guess you both look the part now, but Remi, your category is entertainment. Which member of Guns n’ Roses was born in Hampstead, England?"

“That would be my boy Slash," Remi said nodding his head back and forth again, believing once again that he now had a chance to win the episode and the $10,000 cash reward. Cameron had been rattled, he knew how it felt as he hadn’t fully covered from either one of his strikes. But a rattled opponent is a vulnerable one. Remi thought that he might be able to leave as Jarhead, not baldy.

The ding sounded and the pressure was back onto Cameron.

“Cameron, your category is general, question is what color was considered appropriate for baby boys in the 17th century?"



“Pink!" Cameron called out almost immediately as Mason finished reading the question, this was it. He needed to get back into the rhythm that he was just in. He had to put the clippers out of his mind. He couldn’t lose to Remi who had been floating on two strikes for most of the episode and he couldn’t lose the rest of his hair. Cameron wouldn’t accept defeated. He smiled as the ding played



“Remi, your category is science, question is Phobos is the name of one of the moons of which planet?"



“Uh-“ Remi froze immediately. He inhaled, calm down he told himself. He repeated the question in his head, ‘which planet?’ that narrowed it down to seven. Six as the Earth only had one move, he nodded his head trying to fake confidence as he saw Cameron perk up in his barber’s chair out of the corner of his eye. Mars or Jupiter?

“Jupiter," he decided on, biting his lip, trying to conceal how nervous he was.

BUZZ, the buzzer rang, signalling an incorrect answer.

“Uh oh Remi, it looks like that is strike three!" Mason beamed as the audience were already beginning to chant for the final blow to be dealt to Remi’s blonde thatch, “All those pretty boy locks will go! And you’ll be receiving that induction cut sooner than you thought huh?"

The lights dimmed and the spotlight shone as Remi let out a big sigh as he leaned back in the chair defeated and shook his head, already dreading the seconds to come. Just like that, all his hair would be gone. After the fight he put up all episode, enduring the comments, hard questions, he was still walking out bald. Dave readied the clippers and held them right against Remi’s forehead, teasing him. He kept them stationary for a few seconds earning an abrupt outrage from the audience.

“Cmon man just put me out of my misery," Remi begged Dave, his eyes looking up as if he could make eye contact with the clippers themselves. He accepted it, he would be bald. It would either be here or boot camp, but either way those blonde locks were going to go… The spotlight was causing the sweat to materialize on Remi’s forehead as he was left to wait for Dave to deal the final blow.

Dave smiled mischievously as he granted Remi’s last wish, putting his hand under Remi’s chin and tilting his head back, leaving him to stare at the bright lights of the ceiling. Remi closed his eyes as he felt the clippers descend down the top of his head. Remi let out a small whine feeling the vibrations right on top of his head, almost as if it were in his brain. All he could hear was the hum, all he could feel was his hair being stripped away, but all he could do was just sit there and take it. He tried his hardest to ignore the slight tugging sensations that told him that his mane was being shaved completely off. He hoped his humiliation would end soon enough but Dave took his sweet time with each individual swipe with the clippers.

Dave finished up with the clippers, leaving Remi’s shorn head to glisten underneath the spotlight, his blonde hair not even leaving a shadow behind or a trace that there was even hair on his head in the first place.

The clippers turned off and Remi was dusted off starting from the top of his now glowing head. Remi flinched at the sensitivity of his scalp and had to bite back a chuckle from the tickling feeling of the duster on his scalp. Dave put the duster down and winded up a big slap to the back of his head, the audience laughed along with Dave as Remi’s face turned bright red as the cape was taken off of him. Ignoring the sting in the back of his head, Remi sighed, knowing now that for sure, nothing was left.

“You still look like a pretty boy to be frank," Mason nodded, “But now you look like one of those models who shaved their heads."

Dave held the mirror up so Remi could see his reflection for the first time and the crowd laughed alongside both Dave and Mason as they watched Remi’s eyes almost pop out and his jaw drop as he stared at himself. He looked straight at his bald head, this was his future. He tried hard to imagine himself in an Army uniform shouting ‘Sir Yes Sir’ at an Army barber who asked him if he liked his induction cut. He swallowed hard, swallowing the bitter pill of his vulnerable state, accepting that yes, he had just been shaved completely bald in front of a live audience and on television.

His scalp was ghostly pale, but the look did suit him in a way. His slender face was made more angular by the absence of his hair, his jaw and nose more defined. The only thing that he was surprised by was how small his forehead looked without the long fringe covering it. All he got do was shake his head in surprise as he stood up. ‘You have months to grow it out before you enlist’ he told himself, ‘and after boot camp you can grow it out’.

“Alright recruit!" Mason Whitemore barked out trying to emulate a drill sergeant, “Drop down and give me twenty as further punishment for losing!"

The crowd cheered as Remi stood, both hands on top of his head. He was still processing the tactile difference, his head that was used to long flowing blonde locks was now smooth and there was barely any resistance in the soft bristles as he ran his hand over them. He gave his head a small shake, and it was even more apparent how bald he was when he couldn’t even feel a single piece of hair move.

“I said recruit!" continued Mason, riling up the audience anymore who chanted “twenty!" along with him, “Drop down and give me twenty!"



Remi slowly got down into a pushup position, peering over at Mason and then at the audience with a lost look on his face. Were they really doing this to him? Making him do pushups after shaving him? Hadn’t he endured enough today? He started doing pushups as the crowd counted along as he did them: “1..2…3…"

When Remi hit about fifteen pushups, he began to struggle. The audience cheered, rallying him on for the first time instead of against him and that gave him to strength to reach sixteen and seventeen… But that was all he could reach before falling to the ground.

The crowd sighed but applauded out of respect for the attempt, Mason just laughed. He walked over to Remi and wrapped an arm around his shoulder and slapped him on the back of the head just like Dave did, “Good luck in the Army, I hope we could give you a small taste of what its like, but for now lets congratulate and give it up for our winner Cameron!" He said letting go of Remi to walk over and to Cameron.

 “Let’s get you cleaned up to celebrate your victory!" Mason said as the spotlight came down on Cameron, but this time it was accompanied by a celebratory score of music sounding out through the studio.

Cameron, with a confused look, stared straight out in the audience who clapped along to the beat. He shook his head as Sam brought out a comb and his clippers and began to cut what was left of his hair into a flattop.

“I thought since I won, I was done with the haircut?" Cameron said over the noise of the clipper and the music. What was happening?

“Well we weren’t going to let you leave with no hair on the back and sides and a floppy mess on top, we want you to look professional for your future clients and come on! What looks more professional than a nice flattop? We’re doing you a big service here," Mason said smiling as the audience clapped.

A flattop? That was worse than the short back and sides! Cameron just sighed and closed his eyes, trying at least to picture what we was going to do now that he was $10,000 richer. Eventually the clippers came to rest and the cape was lifted off of him. The mirror was brought up to him and Cameron couldn’t help but let out a groan. His red hair, perfectly squared off in a nice short flattop with the back and side shaved. He looked like a 1970s military man. He stood up and the first thing he did was bounce his hand on the top of his head… it just kind of bounced right off the flattop, then he brought it to rub the back of his of his head, “OH man- that’s weird," He forced a chuckle as he walked over to shake Mason Whitemore’s hand.

“You’re going to get used to it," Mason said gesturing Cameron and Remi to the center, “And let’s get Ryan back out here! He smiled.

Ryan ran back on stage from where he exited to the crowd’s applause and came to center stage right next to then others.

Mason Whitmore stood beside the three contestants, telling them to get into the final position.

The boys already knew what this meant and Cameron stood in the middle, smiling to the camera with his new flattop with his left hand on Ryan’s shorn head, who flexed at the camera beaming and his right hand on Remi’s shorn head, who tried to muster his best smile.

“Thank you all folks for joining us on another episode of Hotseat! All of us who work hard to bring you this show were delighted and grateful for the feedback we received on the premiere, and thanks to you! We don’t see Hotseat stopping anytime soon!" Mason waved goodbye as the audience roared one again as the broadcast ended.


Author's Note: Thank you for being patient and waiting for Episode 2,I hope the wait was worth it. I feel like a much better writer than I was when I made Episode 1. I'm excited to continue this project and begin many many more, and ultimately just become a better writer. I appreciate the kind words and comments on Episode 1, I hope you enjoy this one too.

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