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Sally said, her clipboard still gripped in her hands. “First, don’t look at the camera. We’ll be talking to all of you in interviews throughout the filming, so you don’t need to give the camera your opinions. I don’t want to see you rolling your eyes at the camera, gesturing to it, shaking your head, anything. Second, don’t talk to Clint, Ed, Billy, or me while the camera is rolling. We aren’t here. However, if we talk to you, do whatever we say, no questions asked. Got it?”
    Ashton and the others nodded.
    “Okay, let’s get rolling.”
    When Ashton would have stepped toward the door, Sally put up a hand. “Let the camera crew go first.”
    Clint and the others rushed outside. After a few minutes, Sally told them they could go.
    Ashton positioned herself in the middle of the herd. She didn’t want the camera to catch her first, nor did she want it to linger on her in the end. Since she was half the size of Anthony, she used his body to shield hers. Still, she was all too aware of Clint following her movements.
    Don’t pay attention to the camera? Yeah, right . She had never been so aware of her walk in her life. The way her hips swayed and her arms swung. Whether she stood straight or hunched. She couldn’t help a few fleeting looks at the camera. When they finally reached the black vans, a rush of air broke free from her throat. Before she even had time to take a swift gulp of oxygen, she was pushed into the second van with Anthony and Elena.
    “That was awful,” Elena said, visibly shaking.
    “I know. But we’ll get used to it,” Ashton encouraged.
    “I don’t know why I did this,” she moaned. “I hate being in the spotlight. But the prize this year was too good to pass up. And honestly, I never thought I’d actually get picked.”
    “What do you mean?” Ashton remembered the previous seasons’ winners got a cookbook deal, $25,000, and a one-hour special on Food Fanatics TV. The prize details had probably been in her contract, but she’d been afraid to read the fine print. She hadn’t wanted an excuse to back out.
    “You didn’t hear?” Anthony chimed in. “They got a new sponsor this year and raised the prize money to a hundred thousand dollars.”
    Ashton’s mouth fell open. One hundred thousand dollars could save her restaurant. With that kind of money, they could hire a professional PR team to make sure Sweet Home was on the must-see list of every Chicagoan and tourist.
    This changed everything.
    Jenna and Chloe had sent her thinking any publicity would help, even if she didn’t win. Winning had been a matter of her own pride. But now an obscene amount of money was involved. Now, she had to win.
    Since the studio was so close, the ride was only a few minutes. The car pulled to the curb and they exited.
    “The camera crew will go in first,” Sally said, standing in front of the building door. “We want to get your reactions to the kitchen. Be as expressive as possible. Faces of astonishment, gasping, laughing are all good things.”
    Exactly what she had done yesterday. Now Ashton would have to fake it. Great. Ask her last boyfriend how good she was at faking.
    Sally put a finger to her ear, and Ashton realized she must have some sort of electronic microphone in the cavity. “Right. We’re ready.” Sally looked over the crowd. “Let’s move, people.”
    The line inside mimicked the way they left the house. Jolene, Duffy, and Lance up front; Ashton, Anthony, and Elena in the middle; and Jin and Morgan in the rear.
    Just before they reached the doorway into the set, Ashton took a deep breath and forced a wide smile onto her face. As she entered the kitchen, she gasped loudly and giggled.
    “Cut!” Sally shouted. “Let’s try it again, this time without overacting.”
    Again? Fake shock and amazement again?
    After two more takes, Sally was finally satisfied, and she let them get their caffeine fix from the catering cart.
    “Is it always like this?” Ashton asked