Solitary

Solitary, Episode 1: How Can It Be a Nightmare if Nobody Can Sleep? by Jeffrey Clinard -- 06/13/2006 Welcome to Solitary, the only reality TV show where the contestants have no interaction with any of the other players. In fact, their only companion is Val, a computer voice with a pleasant manner and a sadistic streak. What kind of treatment are the guests in Solitary in for? Read and find out. Welcome to Solitary. Nine people have entered individual octagonal “pods” about seven or eight feet in diameter. Unlike other reality TV shows, the contestants will never meet or communicate with each other. They will not be voted out, nor will a judge eliminate them. Their only enemy is themselves. They will last as long as their personal limitations allow them to. Each pod contains nothing but some mirrors (no doubt concealing cameras), a video screen, several slots and hatches, and two buttons, one green, one red. Their only companion is a computer voice named Val. Val controls every aspect of their lives. Their food, their rest periods, and even the temperature of the room are all controlled by Val. The contestants each enter their personal pod, each painted with colored strips and each having their own number. Val introduces himself and asks each person to give their name. They answer as follows: Pamela, 21, travel agent and dancer. Michelle, 31, personal trainer and competitive swimmer. Came within 4/100ths of a second from qualifying for the Olympics. Taralee, 29, fashion designer. Likes to ride motorcycles. Florin, 30, writer. Born in Romania. Mark, 36, martial arts instructor. Buddhist. Cliff, 25, stuntman. Obsessed with hair gel. Steven, 35, high school English teacher. Loves to break dance. Danielle, 29, beautician. Once a fight club member. David, 28, development coordinator. Mensa member. Works for a non-profit organization. After each contestant gives their name, Val tells them that it is incorrect. Their new names are the number of their pods. Val then again asks for their names, and each replies with their number. Val asks them about their new home. Michelle says it will be a little lonely, while Mark notices there is no bathroom. Val tells him not to worry as a lavatory has been integrated into his floor plan. However, they can’t leave the pod without Val’s approval. To do anything, they must push the green button and ask Val’s permission. If they don’t like it, they can quit by pushing the red button. In fact, it’s the only way out. Everybody agrees to the rules, and Cliff says he won’t quit. Val tells him that’s not true – all of them will quit, except one. That person will win $50,000. Val tells us that none of the guests have been told the nature of the tests and treatments they will endure. They are designed to push them to their physical, mental, and emotional limits. They are not competing against each other – they are competing against themselves. Val is there to observe and note what makes them strong – and what makes them weak. Val tells each contestant they agreed to take part in this experiment without knowing what they were getting into. To reward their bravery, Val is allowing each contestant a phone call. It will be their final contact with the outside world. Val asks each contestant who they would like to call. Pamela opts to call her mom. Michelle elects to call her fiancé Tony, while Taralee wants to talk to her best friend Kimberly. Florin declines the phone call and refuses to explain why. Mark opts for his parents, Cliff asks for his mother, Steven wants his wife, Danielle her sister Debbie, and David wants his partner Richard. Each contestant gets their phone call and describes their situation. Cliff asks Val to say hi to his mom (Val complies). Many ask their families to pray for them. Without warning, the phone calls are all cut off. Val tells them that is their last contact with the outside world for a very long time. Val next asks each person why they are there. Pamela says she’s there to prove something to herself. Val says that based on the message on her T-shirt, she might be there a long time, then asks her to repeat the message. It’s, “Don’t call me a cowgirl until you’ve seen me ride.” Val asks if it is a sexual message. Pamela asks if Val takes it as a sexual message. Michelle says she is there to prove to her daughters that if you set your mind to something, you can do anything. Val tells Taralee that her personal profile says she came there seeking fame. Taralee admits it. Florin says he’s there to win, not to enjoy the color scheme of his pod. Mark says he recently divorced, and his ex wanted to move on and find herself. He decided to do the same thing. Cliff isn’t there for the fame, money, or to be on TV. He’s there to test his limitations. Steven says he’s there to accomplish something, but says it’s in God’s hands. Danielle says she’s not weak, and has to prove to herself that she isn’t. She says she’ll kick some ass. David is there to prove something to himself and the world. He won’t be leaving of his own volition. Next up on the agenda is a game called “Take Away.” Each guest has brought three personal items with them. These items and a bit of background on the other contestants will be provided, and each guest will make a decision of what items they would elect to take away from each of the other guests in turn. However, Val tells us that their choices make no difference – no item will be taken away from any guest, though Val still controls when each player will receive these items. The game is actually designed to measure each guest’s capacity for cruelty – or kindness. The items are as follows: Pamela (#1): hula hoop, belly-dancing scarf, notebook Michelle (#2): foam workout roller, Bible, dumbbell Taralee (#3): full-length mirror, pedicure kit, personal blanket Florin (#4): 65-lb. dumbbell, sketch pad, workout gloves Mark (#5): chanting beads, martial arts training stick, Buddha statue Cliff (#6): resistance band for working out, hand mirror, tennis ball Steven (#7): guitar, Bible, sketch book Danielle (#8): yoga mat, jump rope, guitar David (#9): grad school psychology book, teddy bear, crossword puzzles The items each guest elects to deny the others are as follows: Pamela (#1): took the workout roller and dumbbell from Michelle, the blanket from Taralee, the sketch pad and workout gloves from Florin, the training stick from Mark, the tennis ball and hand mirror from Cliff, the guitar from Steven, the jump rope and guitar from Danielle, and the psychology book and teddy bear from David. Michelle (#2): took the hula hoop from Pamela, the tall mirror from Taralee, the dumbbell from Florin, the training stick from Mark, the resistance band and tennis ball from Cliff, the guitar from Steven, the jump rope and guitar from Danielle, and the psych book and crossword puzzles from David. Taralee (#3): took nothing. Florin (#4): took nothing. Mark (#5): took the hula hoop, scarf, and notebook from Pamela, the tall mirror from Taralee, the Hand Mirror from Cliff, and the Yoga Mat from Danielle. Cliff (#6): took nothing. Steven (#7): took everything from everybody. Danielle (#8): took the dumbbell from Michelle, personal blanket from Taralee, hand mirror from Cliff, and sketch pad from Steven. David (#9): took nothing. Val gives the general results of the game, saying that four people took away nothing, naming the specific number of items others took away, and reporting that one person elected to take everything from everybody. Val then tells the guests that nobody is losing anything, and the point of the experience was to test cruelty and kindness. Val finds it interesting that #7 (Steven) brought a Bible into Solitary but elected to take everything from everybody. Val instructs him to go to the interview room to explain himself. Steven explains that he had to make a decision that was fair to everybody, and that was to take everything away. Val tells him that his actions were the cruelest in the experiment and asks if he has any guilt. After he hesitates, Val demands that he answer the question. He asks forgiveness from his friends and family for his actions, and then for God’s forgiveness. #3 (Taralee) is brought to the interview room and Val says she was kind, but asks if she can be cruel. She admits to having been cruel to many people in the past, but thought it was well deserved. #4 (Florin) is asked for his reasons behind taking nothing. He says that if you take, somebody takes from you. Val says his reason wasn’t kindness. Florin replies he’s not there to love people he won’t meet – he’s there to win. #6 (Cliff) explains that he isn’t there to take things away from people, and wanted the others to be at their best when he went up against them. #9 (David) cites the golden rule for his actions, and says while he hasn’t always been the nicest person, he’s working on it. #5 (Mark) is told that he wasn’t particularly cruel, but three of the six items he took were from #1 (Pamela). Mark laughs and says they are all items his ex-wife would have. Val asks all of the guests how they feel now that they know a little bit of information about their fellow guests. Michelle is worried. Cliff thinks #2 (Michelle) is competition for him. Danielle thinks the “hair gel guy” (Cliff) is her biggest threat. Florin is most worried about the Buddhist (Mark) while David feels like the odd man out given the physical threats. Mark, however, thinks the Mensa guy (David) is the strongest opponent, followed by the beautician who was in a fight club (Danielle). Val tells us that the isolation pods are designed for individual reflection and soul searching. After some time alone, Val is hoping each guest will share their deepest thoughts and revelations. However, it’s a montage of nine people slowly going nuts. They crack knuckles, beat the floor, talk to themselves, and otherwise go stir crazy. Well, most of them. Danielle tears something up to make letters and patterns, and says it’s a dream come true. It’s like being in a mental institution with torture aspects, but she’s a masochist so she likes it anyway. Val admits he might have overestimated their ability to achieve deep thought – or perhaps not. Mark is coping well by meditating. Val asks everybody how they feel, and gets responses from disoriented to delirious. Val tells us that the guests have only been allowed to sleep for two hours over the past two days. It will help prepare them for their first “treatment.” By the time the treatment is over, one of the guests will have left Solitary forever. The other eight will be closer to the prize – but they will have suffered greatly. Val asks #7 (Steven) and #2 (Michelle) if they were sleeping. Steven admits to dozing, but Michelle denies it. Val asks #3 (Taralee) if she likes sleeping. She loves it and hates being told when she can or can’t. Val then tells us that he’s made the pods quite cold. The guests are miserable, but Val then instructs everybody to open their meal slots. They each contain a thin blanket, but Val tells us that they will be inadequate – he’s lowering the room temperature even more. The low temperature also brings the side effect of hunger. Val provides their first meal in Solitary – but it’s just fruit and a nutritious but tasteless food block. David says it’s nasty, but it’s better than bugs. Val tells the guests that their first treatment is about to begin. When it is over, one of them will have quit and left Solitary forever. The good news is that the guests will be allowed to sleep during the treatment. However, first they must open their meal slot. It contains a numeric keypad. Val explains that while they are sleeping, an alarm will sound. To stop the alarm, they must enter a code into the keypad. The first code is 32. Failure to input the code correctly will result in the alarm staying on for the duration of the treatment. The only other way to stop the alarm is to push the red button and quit. However, the first person to quit will be eliminated from Solitary. Hatches open up and beds come out. Val tells them to get some rest. Most of the guests jump into bed, but David concentrates on the numbers first. Val tells us that on average, it takes 30 minutes to fall into a deep and restful sleep. Val is giving them 19 minutes. The alarm goes off and everybody enters the code except for Danielle. She’s made the decision not to enter the first code. The new code is 326. Forty minutes into the treatment the alarm goes off again. Everybody enters it, and the new code is 3260. Each new cycle adds more digits to the code. However, Taralee has a brainstorm. Lint is coming off of a blanket. By making dots out of the lint next to the keypad, she makes a visual reference to the code (now up to 3260841). She thinks she has the game beat. The alarm goes off again and Michelle fails to enter the correct code. At 2 hours, 8 minutes Val decides to make the experiment more “interesting.” He instructs each person to leave their blanket and pillow on the bed. The beds are then retracted. Val tells them their bed will not come back until they push the red button and quit. At 2 hours, 43 minutes the alarm goes off again. Everybody (except Michelle and Danielle, who are already in full alarm mode) enters it, and the new code is 3260841264. At 3 hours, 14 minutes the alarm goes off again, with Michelle and Danielle getting an increase in volume. Another alarm goes off and everybody enters it correctly. The new code is 32608412649 – in reverse (94621480623). Val tells us that #2 (Michelle) has adopted a new strategy to cope with the alarms and flashing lights. She takes off her shirt and wraps it around her ears and eyes. Its effectiveness is limited at best. The alarm goes off again and everybody gets the code right again. Val tells them the code has been changed again. The new code is the same as the old code, except that all the 6s are replaced with 5s, and all the 1s with 7s (making the new code 9452748052.). Nobody is happy. The alarm goes off again. Danielle considers quitting but doesn’t press the button. Everybody enters the code correctly, and Val tells them the new code is the same as the last code – but to add 1 to each even number, subtract 1 from each odd number, and leave 0 the same. Taralee updates her dots, and David says he couldn’t even process it. When the next alarm goes off, Danielle and David have had enough. Each of them pushes the red button and the alarms stop in their pods. Val tells #9 (David) that he had entered every code correctly, and asks why he quit. David says he had no idea what the code was. He couldn’t take the noise for another second. He could fall asleep standing up right now. Val tells #8 (Danielle) that she was not the first person to quit. She’s happy and jumping for joy. Her stay in Solitary will continue. Val informs #9 (David) that if he was the first to quit, his time in Solitary will be over. He acknowledges it but hopes he wasn’t the first. Val tells him he was the first to quit. David’s mouth drops open and he looks stunned. His stay in Solitary is over. David tells us it was about proving to himself that he could do it. However, he couldn’t. Val tells him goodbye as he leaves Solitary, and says he will miss him. On the next Solitary: The treatment continues, as nobody knows that #9 (David) has been eliminated. Then it’s time for the Solitary Cinema Experience, with shocking, twisted, and disturbing films as the main feature. Finally, a new treatment will teach the guests the real meaning of pain – sleeping on a bed of nails (well, actually blunt pegs, but the concept is the same).

Solitary, Episode 2: Disturbing Films and Uncomfortable Beds by Jeffrey Clinard -- 06/13/2006 The eight people left in Solitary face their first test - a puzzle in a movie filled with disturbing images. However, the prize for winning is freedom from the next treatment - a bed of pegs designed to put the guests in pain. Who has brains, and who can take the pain? And what does the hair gel Cliff (right) uses have to do with anything? First a note; according to the Solitary web site, Val is a female computer voice. While Val is computer generated and has no specific gender, Val will now have feminine pronouns associated with her. When we last left Solitary, David and Danielle reached their breaking points during the sleep deprivation treatment and pushed the red button. Their alarms stopped, and Val told Danielle that she was not the first to quit. David, the Mensa member, was, and he was forced to leave Solitary. Val tells us that she found out who was the weakest. Now she’s interested in finding out who is the strongest. Seven guests are still undergoing the treatment. At 4 hours, 22 minutes, the code is 42718375217. Nobody is getting much rest. They are sitting on the floor exhausted waiting for the next alarm. Michelle, who failed to enter the correct code at the seventh interval, must endure the alarms until she quits. She tells us she’s there for her daughters. The alarm goes off again, and everybody enters the correct code. The twelfth cycle begins. The new code is the old code, multiplied by two (85436750434). Florin tells us that it’s a psychotic experiment show, not a reality show. However, Cliff, the stuntman with an obsession for hair gel, gets an idea. He gets hair gel into his fingers and starts writing the code on one of the mirrors. He’s the second person to make use of available materials to do so (the first being Taralee, who used lint dots to track the code early on in the last episode). Michelle has had enough. She tells us that she’d rather come in last than next to last. She pushes the red button and the alarms in her pod are silenced. Val asks her how she would feel if she was the first person to quit. Michelle says the only saving grace is that she’ll be in her bed and can kiss her daughters. The good thing about leaving would be she was going home. Val tells her she was not the first person to quit, then notes that she doesn’t look pleased. Michelle is annoyed, and says that her nipples have been hard for a long time due to the low temperature. She can handle the noise, lights, and food, but the cold really got to her. She tells Val if that’s part of the method to make her uncomfortable, she’s succeeding. Val suggests some sleep might help her find the will to win. Her bed is extended, and Michelle crawls in to get some rest. For the six remaining guests undergoing the treatment, the alarm sounds again. This was the cycle that finally cracked people - nobody enters it correctly except for Cliff. Writing on the mirror with his hair gel made it easy. Everybody else is trying to plug their ears and eyes while coping with the alarms. Suddenly, without warning, the alarms stop. Val tells everybody they have endured the sleep deprivation treatment for over five hours. #6 (Cliff) is the clear champion. The treatment is now over. The beds are extended, and everybody crawls in. Val tells #6 (Cliff) that he will be rewarded with a hot meal when he awakens. Cliff taunts Val, saying he remembers the first code she gave him. Val asks if he wants her to be impressed. Cliff rants about how he took out everybody else at their best. Val acknowledges he has established himself as the leader. Val eventually wakes up the guests, and retracts the beds. She then plays music. Almost everybody gets into the beat and starts dancing. The one holdout is Taralee. Val asks if #3 (Taralee) has something matter with her. She doesn’t reply, just curls up with her blanket in a corner of her pod. The music ends, and Val tells the guests that #9 (David) has left Solitary. Those who did not push the red button will be rewarded with one of their personal items for 30 minutes. In addition, each guest will be allowed to write a letter home. Danielle writes it’s an amazing experiment; hard but she’s adjusting, and becoming her own best friend. She tells her mom that she did wash up, though it was with a bowl of water while people were observing her. Taralee writes about her experience, and talks about the music. She’s mad at herself for not taking advantage of it to dance. She wonders why she makes excuses for not doing things. Michelle is writing to the eldest of her two daughters. Val asks how old her daughters are and Michelle replies that they are six and three. Her oldest daughter is creative, but her youngest is autistic. She writes that she knows she sometimes misses out on things due to her youngest daughter’s needs, but she’s very proud of her and misses her greatly. Val says she is touched by her devotion. Michelle says that she would go through the whole experience for 200 days if there was a cure for autism once it was over. Val tells us that isolation and captivity is an old and effective tool for inducing confessions. Now she wants to observe how everybody uses their personal items. Mark has chanting beads, and explains their use to both the audience and to Val. Pamela is asked about her relationship with her hula hoop. Pamela never leaves without it - it’s always her in car. Val asks if it is fun or flirtatious. Pamela says it is between the two. Val asks if she can flirt with her. Pamela says they need more time together. Steven plays his guitar and sings Amazing Grace. He reflects on his life as a Christian. Val then goes to Cliff, and notes that he is proud of his performance. Cliff says it shows that he can take anything she can throw at him. Val says it’s a bold statement to make to somebody who controls his life, and asks if he’s trying to annoy her. He says he is, because he wants her to come down harder on him. Val notes the experiment is just beginning, and they’ve only had one treatment so far. Cliff asks who won it. He goes on to say that this was his game. Val asks him if he thinks she made the game just for him. He asks Val if it isn’t his game. Val goes silent, and despite him pressing the green button, does not return. It’s time for another test. Val tells the guests that it must be hard to go so long without any visual stimulation. She’s about to change that. In their meal slot is popcorn and soda for them to enjoy while they watch a movie. Inside the movie is a test. Once a guest knows the answer, they need to push the green button. If they are correct, they will win freedom from the next treatment. Inside the film is a match equation: A X B + C - D + E X F. Guests will have to count the things they see. A is the number of times a building is imploded. (4), B is the number of octopi (3), C is the number of rats (12), D is the number of shots of a boy getting wet (4), E is the number of burning dolls (8), and F is the number of times meat is being drilled (6). The correct answer is 168. The film is over 20 minutes long and filled with many other disturbing images; clowns, wrists being cut, worms, bondage scenes, bodies being dragged, clocks running backwards, slaughterhouses, skeletons coming out of a grave, and Richard Nixon, among other things. Guests are trying to count, but at the end of the film, nobody has the right answer. Val says they’ll have to try again, and starts the film for the second time. Mark is clearly freaked, but Pamela and Taralee start using their popcorn to count out the required numbers. However, nobody gets it right the second time. The third viewing starts, and Cliff once again starts using his hair gel to smear numbers on the mirror. Still nobody gets it right on the third or fourth viewing. On the fifth viewing, many come close, but Pamela answers 168. Val tells her to stand by, then announces that the theater is closed. Pamela is free from the next treatment. Val promises the others that they will regret their failure. Val tells us that the first test was not just about counting, but about the ability to cope with disturbing images. All aspects of Solitary are designed to reveal who the guests are, how they solve problems, and how it affects the problems in their daily lives. Mark says the video was twisted and horrific. Val asks him what was wrong with it. Mark talks about the images of suicide, death, and clowns with knives, as well as other things. There was nothing right with it. Val asks if clowns disturb him. Mark talks about the image of a kid dressed as clown with a knife. Val says it is interesting, because there was NO image of a clown holding a knife. Val tells Danielle that her answers were incorrect, but she adapted well to the disturbing images. Danielle just laughs and says it was interesting. She’s not disturbed at all by the images. Val questions her about why she didn’t find it disturbing. Danielle says she surrounds her life with chaos. She hopes she can apply what she learned in Solitary to her everyday life. Steven is bothered by his failure in the test. He does a complete analysis on each number and tries to figure out where he went wrong. Val asks him if he keeps replaying his mistakes in his mind. He says that he uses it in a positive way to do better in the next test. Val observes Solitary is taking a toll on #2 (Michelle). Michelle talks about the sleep deprivation, and how she feels stupid because she multiplied by the wrong number. She says she needs to learn patience. She cusses at Val, and Val notes her reaction was recorded. Val asks #3 (Taralee) how she liked the movie. Taralee responds that she hates horror films - they give her nightmares - if she can sleep at all. Val asks what the scariest part was, and Taralee describes feeling like an idiot was the worst. She admits to having many fears for as long as she can remember. Florin is trying to figure out where he went wrong. Val asks if he is angry with himself. Florin says the film didn’t bother him, even the slaughterhouse scenes. Val asks why, and he says he grew up on a farm where it was an everyday sight. Cliff tells Val none of the images were happy, and he tried to put captions on some of them to keep himself from being bothered by him. Val chides him, saying that he used the hair gel on the mirror, but the answer eluded him. Is it still his game? Cliff says he figured out where he made his mistake, and maybe next time he’ll get it. Val asks Pamela how she figured it out. Pamela responds that she started with fingers and toes, but then realized she could use popcorn as a counting aid. Val asks if she has thought about winning Solitary. Pamela replies she already knows what she’s going to do with the money. To begin with, she would pay back her grandmother for her education. Val tells us that Aristotle said we cannot learn without pain. So she will be educating them with a surprise in their pods. It’s a version of a bed of nails, with plastic pegs. First, there is new clothing for everybody in their meal slots. It’s a jumpsuit, which the guests don (except Pamela, who gets her bed while the others get the treatment). Each guest has five pillows to arrange as they see fit. The treatment is simple - once they get on the bed, they can’t get up until the treatment is over. If the discomfort is too much, they can push the red button. However, the first person to push the button will end their time in Solitary. Everybody climbs on their bed. Val tells us that after a half hour, their muscles will relax. Everybody is fine at first. Cliff advises people to take things as they come and not complain. Flashbacks are shown of Cliff’s multiple complaints during the first episode (the food, the cold, the boredom, etc.). After a short period, Val tells everybody to remove one pillow. Danielle says the bed is like a painful form of acupressure. Michelle describes it as a torture bed. Mark says that being beat up as a martial artist is ten times easier than the bed in terms of pain. 15 minutes into the treatment, the guests are told to remove another pillow. At the 30 minute mark another pillow has to go, and yet another at 45 minutes. Steven muses that he could have avoided the treatment with a right answer to the test. One hour into the treatment the guests have to get rid of their final pillow. At the 90 minute mark, Val asks the guests about how they think the others are doing. Michelle thinks the Buddhist (Mark) is probably doing well. Actually, Mark says his back is killing him. Michelle thinks a heavyset person might not be taking the pressure well. Cut to Florin (the heaviest of the guests) who is actually snoring. Val asks #2 (Michelle) how it compares to her swimming competition. She says that in swimming, you know how long it will last. This test has an unknown length of time. Val then asks Taralee why she is so strong. She just says she’s stubborn. Val asks if she minds the questions, and Taralee says she welcomes them. Florin talks about life in Romania. If you didn’t like the rules there, you were sent to jail and killed. Val says she won’t go quite that far. Most guests complain their butts are numb. Val reminds them that the red button is always an option. Danielle says they’ll have to take every peg out of her cold dead body before she’s the first to go home. At 2 hours, 37 minutes Cliff tells us he once broke his leg almost completely though his skin, and that wasn’t even close to the pain he has now. But he didn’t say ouch then, and isn’t saying it now. Michelle tells us she’s had two babies, and would gladly take an epidural now. Cliff taunts Val, telling her that he can take more. He bangs his head against the pegs and bounces his body on the pegs. He hurts, but he’s not quitting. Val tells us that each square inch of human skin has 72 nerves. At this moment, her guests are each averaging 1,300 feet of nerves in pain. Danielle says there is more pain and numbness. Michelle chants about her strength, and Mark is also chanting. Steven is in some serious pain. Danielle says she has had about enough. Then somebody gets up and pushes the red button. It’s Michelle. Val tells her that if she was the first to quit, her time in Solitary will be over. Michelle acknowledges it. Val tells her she was the first to quit. Michelle says she has nothing left. She learned that she has limitations, and that she didn’t value time before. Solitary has made her realize the value of time. Val tells her she has lost the game, but learned a lesson. Michelle says the benefit of losing early means that she will be reunited with her daughters. Next week, on Solitary, the treatment continues. How much more can the guests take? Next, hunger starts to take its toll. A test involves hourglasses and playing cards. Plus, after days of eating next to nothing, gluttony is on the menu. They have to keep the food down... or be the next one to quit. Source: http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=4&article=article9744.art&page=1

Solitary, Episode 3: Hell’s Dining Room by Jeffrey Clinard -- 06/21/2006 Time seems to have no meaning in Solitary - or does it? How well can each guest do in a test involving measuring time? Plus, after days of eating next to nothing, how many courses of food can the guests eat during their treatment before one of them spills their guts? Read on for the answers, plus too much information about Taralee (right). Previously on Solitary, the remaining eight guests were shown a film with disturbing images and a puzzle. After five viewings, Pamela came up with the correct answer and was spared the treatment - a bed of pegs designed to put the guests in pain. Michelle was the first to break, and was eliminated from the game. Six guests continue the treatment and prepare for their next challenges. After the recap, Val tells us that she is sure there will be another quitter soon. Sure enough, Danielle has had enough and gets off the bed. She tells us her back is getting messed up and pushes the red button. Val asks her why she quit, and Danielle cites her bad lower back. Val asks her how it compared to the sleep-deprivation treatment. Danielle says it’s terrible in a whole different way. Val warns her if she was the first to push the red button she will be eliminated. Danielle understands, and Val then tells her she was not the first to quit. Danielle smiles and claps her hands. After 4 hours and 7 minutes, Val asks how the remaining guests are doing. Taralee says she feels she has a straightjacket on. Cliff tells the audience that it really hurts. Mark has just one word: Cramp. Florin compares it to having knives in his head - it feels like it is about to crack open. Florin has had enough. He gets up and pushes the red button. Florin says he knows if he was the first to quit, he’s eliminated. Val tells him he was not the first to quit. Florin says he can’t jump in excitement, but he is relieved. Four remain, and all are reaching their pain threshold. All show signs of serious pain. Steven takes off his wedding ring and clenches it in his teeth. Mark has had enough. He gets up, and there are serious peg marks in his jumpsuit (and body). He pushes the red button and asks if he is going home. Val tells him he was not the first to quit. Mark thanks Val and smiles with relief. Source: http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article6205.art&page=1

Solitary, Episode 4: Everything You Know is Wrong by Jeffrey Clinard -- 06/27/2006 Val continues to stress the guests to their breaking points, depriving them of some of their personal items and giving them a whole new set of facts about the world. Plus, what punishment is in store for Cliff (right) when he starts to rebel against the iron rule of Val? Read on to find out. Previously, on Solitary, Steven won the test and was rewarded with a prime rib dinner and freedom from the next treatment, gluttony. After 19 courses of food Danielle vomited and had to quit. As she was the first to do so, her time in Solitary was over. However, none of the other guests know they are safe. How much more food can they take? Before course 20, Val reminds the guests there are two ways to end the treatment: push the red button and quit, or vomit and quit. Val asks them if they are wondering how they got themselves into such a pickle. She instructs them to open their meal slots to reveal... a pickle. Mark doesn’t like it, and Florin says he used to like them, but not anymore. Sushi is up next. Cliff says he’s too straight to be into sushi. Taralee gets it down, but says it was close. Florin is asked how he feels, and he says he’s like a hot air balloon filled with nastiness. Course 22 is a glass of cola. All drink it down, and Val tells us that each guest has consumed over 5,000 calories in a two hour period -- more than all the rest of the food Val provided up to that point combined. Next up on the menu is caviar. Taralee has had enough. She pushes the red button and quits. Val asks why, and Taralee says she was too full. Val tells her she was not the first to quit. Taralee is happy, and then requests to use the bathroom. Val gives her permission, and we’re treated the sounds of her vomiting. Once she returns, Val asks if she feels any better. Taralee says she feels great. When asked if women would have harder time than men, she talks about how big guys have big stomachs. While she describes it, we’re treated to the sight of Cliff vomiting into his bucket. Mark is convinced the caviar put somebody over the edge. Val tells Cliff that his body gave out on him and quit. She asks him to make it official by pushing the red button and saying “I quit.” He refuses. He says he didn’t quit, he just threw up. Val tells him that vomiting is a survival mechanism, and it quit for him. Cliff is still defiant, and wants to keep going. Val reminds him of the rules. He says he understands them, but doesn’t agree with them. Val once again tells him to push the red button and say “I quit” and Cliff refuses. He tells Val to kick him out, but he’s not going to say he quit. Val then tells him he was not the first person to quit, and says the alarm on his door is disabled so he can use the bathroom. They’ll deal with his inability to cope with the rules later. Cliff says somebody has to open the door for him. Val tells him there isn’t anybody; just her and him. Val withdrawals her goodwill gesture of the bathroom. Val moves on to the remaining three guests. She asks them how a nice plate of lasagna would taste. All of them groan and open their meal slot to find it empty. The treatment is over. Val asks #1 (Pamela) how such as small person could eat so much. Pamela says her male cousins taught her to burp on demand, and it came in handy. Val tells #5 (Mark) that he was strong. He says it was worse than the bed of nails, but he wasn’t a punk this time. Val tells #6 (Cliff) to put his bucket in his meal slot. Cliff refuses, saying he might need to take a dump in it. Val warns him that defecating in his pod will result in expulsion. She tells him to put the bucket in the meal slot and use the bathroom. Cliff once again tells her to get somebody to open it for him. Val tells him to play by the rules. Cliff finally goes to the bathroom on his own. Val notes that the time in Solitary has made some of the guests fragile. It’s unfortunate, because things are only going to get worse. The next experiment Val has planned is deprivation of some personal items. Steven notes that some of his hygiene items are missing, and Pamela says she lost her toothpaste. Mark is missing a razor. Cliff doesn’t have his Chapstick. He asks Val about it, and Val says she has it, but he can’t have it right now. Cliff says if she lost it, he can provide the name, brand, and type to replace it. Val assures him that she is keeping it safe. Cliff doesn’t believe her. One way Val does keep track of the guests is through a daily evaluation form, with statements like “I am confident I am going to win” to “I overcame my fears” and a rating of one to ten for each statement. Everybody fills them in, except for Cliff. Instead of entering numbers, he writes, “I know you lost my Chapstick.” Val tells him she can’t evaluate his answers. Cliff responds that he is so disoriented he’s mixing up his letters and numbers. Val sends him another evaluation form. For the rest of the guests, Val provides a set of crayons, and tells them to use their room as a canvas, to illustrate who their really are. Pamela draws figures of her family and friends (more like stick figures, but I’m not much of an artist myself.) Steven writes inspirational messages all over his pod, and Mark draws doors on his. Florin is quite a talented artist, and draws excellent trees, plus a wonderful view of the Earth and the moon in three dimensions. Taralee draws all kinds of images on her pod and says it has an “Alice in Wonderland” feel. Cliff continues to be defiant. He refuses to fill out the evaluation form, and tells Val that this is what you get when you stick somebody in Solitary. He’s sorry if it isn’t going by her plan, but that’s reality TV. Val tells him that when he accepted her invitation, he agreed to play by the rules. It seems like he’s trying to rewrite them. Val tells him that since he refused to push the red button after vomiting in the last treatment, he won’t be allowed to take the next test, thus automatically being forced to undergo the next treatment. He doesn’t seem to care. Val says that the isolation of the guests is teaching her how it affects their mental and physical well being. Cliff’s limits are in cooperation and personal items. She makes him go to bed while the others take the test. She hopes he will realize the rules won’t bend for him, and will start cooperating again once his sleep period is over. For the rest of the guests, Val presents a series of “facts” that may contradict what the guests believe to be true. For example, if Val shows the equation “2+2=5” then the new answer to what 2+2 equals is 5. After Val provides the complete series of facts, a 25-question quiz will be given. The winner will receive freedom from the next treatment. Here’s some samples of the world according to Val: A flower is a hand grenade The Revolutionary War was won by the Spice Girls The most popular baby name in 2001 was Godzilla The guests each have eight fingers on their left hands The guest’s mother’s occupation was a taxidermist The guests have been arrested seven times The guest’s employer is Enron California’s Nickname is “The Silicone State” The first person to walk on the moon was Lance Armstrong Marlon Brando won an Oscar for Showgirls Val gives the quiz, with each guest having trouble with at least a few of the questions. After it’s over, Val tells them nobody got a perfect score and to prepare for round 2. More questions are asked, and more answers are given. Val tabulates the results and says some of the guests were close. Pamela had 24 correct answers, while Taralee had 19, and Mark 16. However, Val tells #4 (Florin) that he answered 25 out of 25... then goes to tell #7 (Steven) that he got every answer correct. Val then tells everybody that two guests had a perfect score, so the test isn’t over yet. Steven and Florin have a 20-question tie-breaker round, with the person with the most correct answers being the winner. Val asks the questions, and in split screen unison both Florin and Steven give correct answer after correct answer until the question “Who Wrote The Cat in the Hat?” is posed. Florin answers “correctly” with Dr. Phil. Steven answers Isaac Hayes, then winces as he realizes his mistake, and tells himself it was Dr. Phil. The test ends, with Steven having answered 19 of the 20 questions correctly. It’s not enough for the win - Florin got all 20 correct. He’s thrilled with his victory. He admits that he surprised himself. Val tells us that after observing the guests, certain patterns are emerging. Steven continues to beat himself up over perceived shortcomings. He says Dr. Phil is his new 168 (the answer to the test in Episode 2). Val notes that Florin struggles to contain his anger. Florin says if he didn’t control it, he’d be dead or in jail. The next item Val provides via the meal slot is face paint. Val encourages each of them to use it to express themselves as a warrior. Mark uses quite a bit of white paint and compares himself to a Zulu warrior. Pamela uses purple on one side, and red on the other, while Taralee creates a black raccoon style mask (though with white eyelids and an aqua dot on them). Steven paints letters and numbers to remind himself of his family. Florin, who isn’t going into battle in the treatment, uses it anyway, creating a white base with black lines. I’d describe it as the second cousin to a Gene Simmons (of Kiss fame) demon design. He says that if he ran into it in a dark alley he’d be scared. Val tells him she thinks he wears a mask sometimes. He says that he does hold his emotions in; he feels them, but controls them. Val hopes #6 (Cliff) has settled down. She provides him with a video camera in order to better express himself. He does a Blair Witch Project kind of video, talking about the experience in Solitary and how it is designed to break him. He calls it a constant nagging at his mind. He refutes that vomiting was quitting and hopes he hasn’t offended anybody during his time in the game. He says he’s going a little crazy. He puts the camera away, and Val asks whom the video was directed to. He says it was to himself, and he wanted people to see what his world was like and why he acts the way he does. Val is pleased with the video and his progress. Val warns the guests the next treatment is coming up, and asks them to give a fierce battle cry. Some give them, but Taralee just laughs. Val tells all of them that it wasn’t enough to make one of her circuits quiver. All of them scream again, with Steven adding a “Dr. Phil” and break dancing. However, Val feels #6 (Cliff) needs more time to express himself before the treatment. She provides him with markers, and tells him to let his imagination run wild. He uses them to write “This Show Is ******” on the mirror - backwards. Val tells him to put the crayons away and stand in the middle of the room. Cliff just lies down. Val asks if he’s feeling OK. He says he’s fine, but doesn’t move. Val tells him that if he wishes to stay in Solitary, he needs to put away the crayons immediately. He responds by getting up and cursing at Val, then leaves his pod. Val tells the other guests to stand by. By leaving his pod without permission, Cliff has violated the rules and eliminated himself from the game. Cliff goes to the interview room, and Val says he may leave Solitary at any time, but she needs him to return to his pod so she can make arrangements for him to leave. He refuses, and Val tells him to acknowledge he quit. Cliff sits in defiance, and complains about being tricked, and not knowing if his personal items are safe. Val tells him his personal items will be returned, and questions if it was really about the items. She suggests he’s become irrational and paranoid. He says he doesn’t want to answer questions - he wants to eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom. Val asks him if his mind is playing tricks on him. Cliff talks about his sleep periods. He would take off his headphones and put them away, convinced somebody told him to do it. He was also convinced cast members were rearranging things in his pod. Val says that did not happen. Val says that the experiment was designed to push people to their limits. Nobody should underestimate the emotional burdens the guests have. Cliff says that he went in thinking there was no way he would quit. He could handle the tests and the treatments. However, the isolation was the factor he didn’t count on. Val tells him he will learn a great deal about himself by watching the show. Cliff says he’s learned a lesson. Val tells him by learning it, he has won. It won’t be the same without him. She asks him to return to his pod one last time. Cliff complies, and pushes the red button and says he quits. He then tells Val she has something in common with his ass. Vals asks what it is, and Cliff pulls down his pants and exposes his rear to the camera, and points out the “Your Name” tattoo on it. He puts his rear against the mirror and asks her to kiss it. She replies she has no lips. His stay in Solitary is over. Next time, on Solitary, the treatment starts for the other guests. The test involves lots of little superballs bouncing into the pods, and the treatment involves spinning in chairs. Who will be the next to quit? Find out next week. Source: http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article0922.art&page=1

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