Popularity Contest, Episode 9: Ousted Contestants and Unseen Footage

Previously on Popularity Contest, ten big city folks have shot rifles, milked goats and driven big rig trucks, all to prove they could fit into small town Texan life. One by one, the least popular contestants were eliminated and now only two remain. Before the final showdown begins, we get to review the contestants' greatest moments, never seen before footage, surprising confessions, and a side of the contestants we have yet to meet. Rory and Alex are in this to win and we will find out why the town has chosen them as the final two.

Alex calls his time in Vega the most liberating experience of his life. Rory loves the town and so many things about it. How could a small town have such a profound effect on them? What's so special about Vega?

Quincy, newspaper editor, says you can count on the Vega people. "Someone is always there for you and you are always there for them." Don Allred, county judge, says there's a closeness that really can't be described. "It's a community made up of characters. There's many more differences in the people of Vega. The characters stand out."

But when it comes to characters, Vega has nothing on the contestants that started this journey. Alex wonders if he is interesting enough to the town folk. Yeah, he's Mr. Nice Guy, and everyone likes him but he doesn't want people just to say, "Alex is a nice guy!" He wants people to say, "Wow, this is Alex and we love that guy!" Alex has charmed the town by giving baseball lessons and coaching the Vega boys. He's had a blast with his baseball clinic and loves sharing his knowledge.

Rory, the chef, planned to have a good time during her Vega visit and she wasn't going to go to church every Sunday. Her cooking for the town folks has been a huge plus. Alex calls her the master of PR. "A public relations genius!" As popular as her cooking has been, her cursing has led to controversy along the way. She cussed at the school grounds during a challenge. Though she apologized, the legend of her foul mouth has caused her anguish and a few tears.

Alex would love to win the fifty grand, but his life with his wife is priceless. There are clips of Alex calling his wife, only to get her voice mail. He has called her six times and she is never home. He finally gets through and she doesn't seem pleased. Couldn't he give her some notice of when he plans to call?

While Alex's marriage seems to be dying, Rory's romance with Klay seems to be coming alive. Klay is 34, and the most eligible bachelor in Vega. She definitely has a crush on him but she's trying not to. A crush could distract from the game and she doesn't want to ruin any friendships. She likes Vega and so many things about it. She’s not about to let any of the city slickers come in and take over the town just to win the money.

With only three days of the competition left, the Vega residents have a tough choice. Rory thinks it feels surreal that there were ten of them and there's only two left. Alex thinks it will all come down to just a few votes. Will the voters choose laid back Alex or rambunctious Rory? The game is on!

Ten contestants originally came to Vega. We now get to take a trip down memory lane and find out a bit about those that left previously and why they didn't fit in.

The first contestant to be shown the outskirts of town was model, Leyla. She thought her strength would be giving the town folk makeovers. She wasn't into household chores, didn't know how to get up before ten, and had never operated a washing machine. She thought the women were threatened by her beauty and that there weren't enough men voters to keep her in town.

Next to hop in the sheriff's car was Angela, a sales rep previously voted second most popular. Letting that status go to her head, Mandell said her true personality came out. "She thinks she can be a butt hole and still win." (Damn, that still makes me laugh!) Being a Christian, she thought joining Bible study and praying for votes would get her through. The residents didn't agree.

Psychic Medium Tana could actually feel the aura of being the next to go. Quincy shared that he liked to be the center of attention but not in a good way. The town folks found his psychic gifts more than they could bear. Vega's a Christian community and seeing angels and auras didn't set well. He left Vega wishing that he had never shared his gift. Vega wasn't his kind of town.

Though she worked hard, Marthia couldn't sing her way into the Vega hearts. The town folk felt she was only there to get her opera voice heard. Though she made some friends with her musical buddies, her singing put many to sleep.

Jason posed himself to the people of Vega as a restaurant owner and businessman. Sadly, he actually did provocative posing in his real life with his twin brother. When the other contestants shared his real life occupation and racy website, Jason was escorted from town still claiming he was himself and didn't put up a front.

The halfway mark of the competition marked Mandell's farewell. He lit up Vega like a fireball. During his introduction to the town he was the only contestant to offer to take off his shirt. Yeah, he was kidding, though Judge Allred didn't find it funny. He bonded with his first host family, forming a fast friendship with Deborah Sue. He was in the competition to meet the family called Vega. There was plenty of room for him to run around in without breaking anything. Mandell didn't know if he had the patience to stay in Vega. He missed his baby and his girlfriend. The voters made this decision for him, by sending him home with puppy "Vega Hollywood."

Of all the contestants, cheerleader Ali stood out the most because she wore the least, which didn't make a good first impression on the town folk. Her inability to campaign, even with pal Quincy's support, made her a sure goner. She was afraid to ride a bike (but caught on quickly due to her cheerleading balance skills). She was also afraid to fire a rifle during the "Turkey Shoot," (but caved in to the pressure when she thought it would cost her votes.) Ali was afraid of eggs being pelted at her and traumatized at the thought of sticking her head into a vat of gravy. Bible study may have renewed her faith but the voters of Vega finally squelched her fears.

Jose didn't have to struggle to win votes early on. All model Jose had to do is flash a smile. He thought he had a 99% chance of winning the whole shebang, as long as he could grab the votes from the town ladies. Finding that the men folk didn't cotton to male models, he tried working at the local Dairy Queen. Unfortunately, Jose spread Jason's web site news, came home drunk, and insulted his host family in the process. The town was forgiving and a new-improved Jose emerged. Jose learned a lot during his time in Vega. Sadly, he learned his lessons too late to change the voters' minds.

We are down to the final two and who knows where Jose's voters will fall. Don Allred thinks that Alex is a neat guy who could easily move into Vega. Rory's dynamic personality is her strongest asset and she has made many friends. Everyone likes her. Rory is an excellent game player, as is Alex. The town is split and there is no way to know how the votes will fall.

What would the residents do if they win $50,000? One will pay off his land debt, while another would pay off her student loans. The Chamber of Commerce would be given the money from one town citizen, while another fellow would love to buy a four wheeler. Don Allred prays that the money will go to an individual who can truly use the money.

The Vega town people like both Alex and Rory. Who will win? It's anybody's game!

Next Week: And the most popular new resident, in the city of Vega is... join me for the grand finale!

Sandy McFarland once lived in a very small town only to move to a bigger small town. She can be reached at sadygal@yahoo.com.

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