Chapter 42: Eliminated
...
"First off, congratulations to you all for making it past the first round," Michael announced to the fifteen contestants sitting in the lobby.
It was quite early in the day, and all the winners from the previous night had been gathered to be briefed on their next agenda.
The remaining nine mbers of the house, although not eliminated fully yet, had no business with the current competition anymore.
"Always rember that it’s just the start, so don’t celebrate early. Advancing in this round does not guarantee you’ll remain in the house next week," Michael added, his gaze sweeping over the relaxed faces. Upon spotting so confident smiles falter, he nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright, for the Semi-Finals, the producers have taken the liberty of selecting the songs. You and your chosen opponent will have to perform the sa track. It’s a direct battle of interpretation. Here are the fixtures."
With a wave of his hand, everyone turned to the large screen as it flickered to life.
Team 4 vs. Team 1 — Shivers by Gingerbread Man
Team 3 vs. Team 5 — Hate
by Aria Diana
"You’ll have today and tomorrow to prepare for your performance. Then, on Wednesday, we’ll be live."
Michael went on to brief them on the other procedures, and what they were to avoid this ti.
"Good luck. You’ll need it."
Imdiately after Michael left, the room burst into motion. They only had two days, and no one wanted to waste a second.
As Von was ready to head out with Julian and Max, a figure blocked their path.
It was Celine.
The blonde girl, who had maintained a quiet, gentle image since arriving at the Star Mansion, walked straight up to them with a warm, polite smile. She ignored Von and Max entirely.
"Julian!" she called and pulled him into a hug. "I’ll be looking forward to facing your team. I’ve always wanted to see how we compare on stage."
"Likewise, Celine," Julian replied with his usual gentlemanly charm.
"I hope you won’t go easy on us just because we’re girls," she giggled, leaning in slightly to strike up a conversation.
Von didn’t bother stopping to listen to them, he turned and walked toward the exit. He didn’t know why, but sothing told him she was always up to sothing.
It felt curated. But what mattered to Von was the matchup. While Team 1 only had three mbers; Aura, Celine, and Sophie, they were stacked.
Every single one of them could dance. Especially Sophie... Von found it scary he wasn’t at her level despite his Dance skill.
’If we can beat them... winning the whole thing won’t be a challenge. We have to win at all costs.’
He was in thought when a heavy arm draped over his shoulder.
"Bro, we are in luck!" Max bead, causing to raise an eyebrow.
"Luck?"
"We were assigned my favorite song! Shivers? Are you kidding ? That’s my jam!" Max did a little spin. "I’ve morized the choreography long ago. So it’s all on you guys to catch up."
"Ah, I see. That’s good news then. But our opponents aren’t easy either so I can’t say it’s going to be a breeze."
Von was usually confident, but this ti felt like playing it safe. It also didn’t feel right to him Max was being comfortable.
"Please!" Max yawned, walking faster to match Von’s pace. "If what you pulled out on stage last night wasn’t you being possessed by a dance demon, then we’ll be winning this thing. I’ll be better this ti, trust ."
Von looked at Max’s confident grin and couldn’t find it in himself to argue. He just hoped Max was being serious.
***
(Monday, 1st April, 2019)
The online fandom were in a frenzy following the Supergroup Wars. While a faction were unhappy with the results of the first round, the general public had been captivated by the sheer entertainnt value of the show. Once again, Project: Star was trending.
For those who missed the broadcast, The Daily Star Gazette released a recap article that was quickly circulating through social dia.
[PROJECT: STAR- SHOCK UPSET AT THE STAR MANSION!]
[After enjoying the initial explosive episodes from Project: Star, fans were undeniably excited to be part of the live shows currently ongoing in the Star Mansion.
However, many viewers noted a strange silence from the production side regarding the daily lives of the contestants. It seed like the producers were in a rush, or perhaps driven by so other intention, as they had pushed back the release of clips from inside the Star Mansion.
Speculation is running wild: is this an attempt to package the House Drama as premium paid content later, or simply a strategy to build unbearable hype?
Regardless, no one bothered to complain for long, as all attention was forcibly shifted to the first competition round announced: The Supergroup Wars. A brutal format said to be responsible for eliminating a total of eight contestants from the house!
The competition was taken seriously by the contestants and the show alike, as the first episode produced record-breaking numbers. Team 4 were unarguably the stars of the opening night.
With their viral remix and perfect staging, fans believed they would go all the way to win the entire bracket.
But fate had other plans when they were paired against the small but mighty group of Team 1.
It was a tight race between the two. Everyone could agree that Team 4 really dropped jaws with their charisma, but a slip from the unexpected main man of the round, Max Blueberry, proved costly for them.
A missed transition in the final chorus broke their formation, allowing the technically flawless Team 1 to edge them out in the vote.
While that error spelled the premature end for the fan-favorites, the second leg of the semi-final saw the underdogs, Team 3, defeat Team 5 with superior and organized teamwork.
It was quite ironic that the very team Team 4 had thrashed in the first round made the Finals, while the they sat on the sidelines. Such is the cruelty of Project: Star.
The Finals themselves didn’t et much hype, due to everyone expecting a brutal slaughter from Team 1. So fans stayed hopeful for a Cinderella story, but there was no luck this ti as Team 1 went on to win with an absurd margin, guaranteeing themselves a spot in the next round.
The next monts were tense as each Judge was given the chance to save four contestants each from the pool of losers. The Judges made their choices, but the fans didn’t agree with the results.
The most shocking factor? Only two mbers from Team 4 were saved by the panel!
It wasn’t all over yet, as the 16th and final spot was reserved through a frantic 10 -minute fan vote. But that quickly turned into a popularity competition in the eyes of many.
Despite there being only one Top 10 contestant from the Hollywood rank among the remaining nine, Max Blueberry (Rank 19) was the unexpected fan favorite.
He moved on to the next round ahead of his teammate, despite being directly responsible for their loss in the Semi-Finals.
His save ant that the final eight contestants had to say goodbye to their ti in the house.
The Officially Eliminated Contestants are: Brian K., Sarah L., David M., Jessica P., Tom R., Eric S., Liam T. ...and in a result that has broken the internet, 3rd ranker, Alex Hall.
Despite the upset, fans are on the edge of their seats for the next rounds and what the Show held for us]
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