"Whose ready to play... Risk the Biscuit!"
The audience erupted into cheers, and lights came on in the studio. The host stepped onto the stage in front of the camera. "That's right! It's time for central-western Rhode Island's top-viewed Wednesday morning game show, Risk the Biscuit. I'm your host, Teddy Tanaka. We've got three brand-new contestants today. Let's meet them, shall we?"
Teddy walked over to a grouping of fancy-looking podiums where two women and one man stood looking nervous but excited. The host approached one of the female constants and began to interview her. "Tell us about yourself, miss," he said, putting his long microphone up to her mouth.
"My name is Melody. I'm a general practitioner doctor. My husband and I love your show, Teddy, and have never missed an episode. Well,l except for last year when you said all those unkind words about Neil Armstrong, who we feel is a national hero."
The audience clapped while Teddy gave an annoyed look to the young woman. "All I said was he was a total fraud and doesn't deserve one percent of the praise he gets." Teddy wasn't a moon landing denier. He was just a super fan of Michael Collins, the third member of the Apollo 11 mission who didn't walk on the moon. "Tell me, who is rooting for you today," he asked, moving the show along.
Melody turned around and looked at the people sitting in the audience right behind her. "First off, I have my husband, Marc. He's a doctor, too, and my rock. I love you, honey!" Marc kissed his hand and blew it in her direction, and the audience gave an 'Awww' sound in response. "Next to him is my sister Lexie and my best friend Haley." Both women waved to the camera.
Teddy thanked his first contestant and moved on to the female guest. "My name is Hannah, and I'm here with my husband, Dexter, who, like me, is unemployed, and unless we win here today, we will lose our home to foreclosure," she said with a strained smile.
A man next to her husband in the audience then spoke up. "What she says is correct, Teddy. I'm her banker and will be taking her house away right after the show wraps if she doesn't win." A mistake on the production side of the show caused the applause sign to light up, causing the audience to loudly clap to this news.
"Well, hopefully, our final contestant won't depress the hell out of me with his story. Tell us about yourself," Teddy asked the man.
"My name is Max, and I'm here to prove to my wife I'm not a total loser," he said. "Say hello, honey."
A very attractive woman in the front row answered. "I'm his wife, Wendy, and it's like my husband said. He's here to prove he can act like a real man. I told him he could either man up and impregnate my sister like she's been asking him to, or I told him to win some money on a regionally aired game show. If you met my sister, you would understand why he chose to do this."
Teddy looked over to his producer with a 'what the fuck look' before regaining his composure. "Right, well, let's talk about how to play our game. We will ask our contestants a question, and if they get it right, they'll win some money. Of course, the real fun comes afterward. We will present them with a physical challenge where they can put the money they won on the line. If they win, they get double the money back! Of course, if they lose, their winnings are taken away."
This was Melody's favorite part of the game. The challenges were always so fun, and she couldn't wait to do some for herself. Sometimes, they required you to put together a puzzle in a set amount of time or do twenty jumping jacks. Every challenge was different. How did the showrunners come up with such interesting challenges for every show? But she couldn't think about that right now. She needed to focus on getting the questions right first. Otherwise, she wouldn't even get a chance to do a challenge.
"Without any further delay, let's start our first round of Risk the Biscuit! Your first question is: In which comic did the villain Sleez, mind control Superman and the female hero Big Barda into filming a porn video together," Teddy asked the three of them.
Melody was taken aback by this question. Can they really ask such a sexual question on television? The most risque question she remember hearing previously on the show was that one about Margret Thatcher and the National Coal Board.
"Action Comics number 592," Hannah answered. Crap thought Melody. She had been so worked up about 1980s British energy policy that she let someone else answer the question.
"That's correct! You are awarded fourteen dollars!" Teddy proclaimed.
"My husband and I are avid collectors of vintage comics involving beloved superheroes fucking each other," Hannah added, looking proud. "It's one the main reasons we are in so much money trouble today." Her banker in the audience nodded vehemently in agreement.
She was presented with a challenge where she needed to sort through a box of blocks and group them all by color in one minute time. Hannah elected to risk her winnings of fourteen dollars. In the end, she was able to complete the challenge and earn twenty-eight dollars. "Oh, thank you, Jesus. We can buy Alias comic number 1! That's where Jessica Jones gets butt fucked by Luke Cage," her husband yelled excitedly. Their banker coughed, which took the wind out of Dexter's sails. "Or we can use it to keep our house...," he said solemnly.
"Time for our next question. How many times per week do you masturbate," Teddy asked us. What the fuck was going on, Melody asked herself. She looked over to her two co-contestants and expected to see them equally shocked, but instead, it looked like they were counting in their heads. But Melody steeled herself. The question was ridiculous, but she wouldn't allow it to keep her from trying to win this game. Besides, she could just lie.
"Zero," she answered. A harsh buzzard sound rang out, indicating she got the question wrong.
"The correct answer for you is four to five times a week, depending on if you watch a Burt Reynolds movie that week."
Melody was in complete shock at what she heard. "That's... right. How the hell did you know that?"
Teddy pointed back to her husband, whom Melody looked back at in disgust. "Why the heck would you tell them that," she yelled.
Marc had a confused face. "They asked it on the form we both filled out to get on the show. Is it that big of a deal I told them? I tell everyone about your masturbation habits," he said. Melody's sister and best friend nodded in agreement. As did the two strangers sitting on the other side of Marc.
Before she could explain to her husband why revealing what she does with her vagina in her free time is not something that needs to be revealed on television, Max shouted out his own answer. "Once per week if my wife Wendy thinks I've been a good enough boy to deserve it," he yelled out.