Page 14 of Unscripted

“A problem?”

“The ferry is having mechanical issues and is out of service,” he explained, panic lacing his tone.

“Is there another one we can take?”

“That’s the problem. The next boat leaves in an hour, but another contestant will be on it.”

Harry stepped out of the car and started pacing, his words tumbling out as he did. “You’re not allowed contact with any other contestant until you walk into the villa. Not even a passing glance. We really have to build the suspense, you know? It’s what makes the show work.” He looked up at me and I nodded back eagerly.

It didn’t seem right to tell him this was really not a big deal when he was clearly distraught by the turn of events.

“If Cecilia ever found out you crossed paths with another Bella and it wasn’t on camera, I would be in so much trouble,” he continued.

I leaned forward and smiled at him, putting on my most calming voice. It was the same one I had often used to get difficult actors to set on time.

“Is Cecilia going to be on the next boat?” I asked.

“No, she’s not arriving until tomorrow morning.”

“And what about any of the other senior producers?”

“They’re already on the island. It’s just the contestants and their individual producers traveling today.”

“So, then no one would really know which boat got us to Ischia, would they?”

I could see the wheels in his mind turning, debating the pros and cons of bending the rules.

“It’s too risky,” he said, but his shoulders had come down from where they had been hiked up under his ears, and he stopped pacing.

“Look, there’s nothing we can do at this point,” I told him. “Let’s just get on the boat that leaves next and you can hide me away so I don’t see the other contestant. You can sort it out with their producer when they arrive. It’ll be fine.”

He let out a resigned sigh and nodded at me.

“Fine, but you can’t tell anyone about this.”

“My lips are sealed,” I assured him as I hopped out of the van.

We boarded the ferry, and Harry did a lap around the entire boat until he found an alcove with a small stairwell that led up to what I could only guess was an off-limits area. A large red sign with a giant “X” on it hung from the door, with large block letters under it. I couldn’t understand what it said as it was all in Italian, but the message was clear enough: Keep out.

I wasn’t exactly sure I was even allowed to be in this part of the boat, but Harry was stressed enough, so when he pointed to the space and told me the spot would be great, I quickly obliged.

“Wonderful!” I said as I sat down on the stairs.

“Stay here,” he instructed in the most serious voice I’d yet to hear him use. “I’m going to wait for the other producer at the dock and fill them in. The most important thing is to keep you contestants separated.”

“Got it,” I said, giving him what I hoped was a reassuring thumbs up.

Harry took off and I tried to get comfortable, but it was no use; the hard wood of the step dug into my tailbone no matter which way I sat.

As I fidgeted around, my curiosity about the other contestant grew. For a moment, the green eyes at the end of the studio hallway flashed in my mind. I was suddenly very glad I had kept that moment to myself; it clearly would have been a bigger deal than I thought if Harry knew I’d already seen one of the other cast members.

Soon enough, Harry was back and appearing much more at ease.

“Bang on, we’re aces! Ben, the other producer, and I were PAs together on another show last winter. He’s great,” he said, the hint of a blush blooming across his cheeks. “He agreed to keep this whole ordeal between us. We get the first level of the boat, and they’ll stay at the top. Problem solved.”

His relief was palpable, and I was glad for him that the fire had been put out. I knew what it was like to work for a boss who demanded perfection in imperfect situations.

“So,” I said to him, wiggling my eyebrows, “tell me about Ben.”