Some of the other contestants who still had a shot at the finals began putting
pressure on the show''s producers, demanding that Ste be disqualified.
No matter how many times the organizers exined that Ste was the innocent
victim of a car ident and only missed thepetition because of that, the
otherpetitors refused to listen.
They had one refrain:
"It''s because of Ste that Felipa was dragged down and lost by default. Ste
should take responsibility for that, otherwise it''s unfair to Felipa."
With the usation of "unfairness" hanging over them, the organizers found
themselves in a difficult position.
In the conference room, the show''s team leads gathered to figure out what to do.
Manager A spoke up first. "This whole situation isn''t Ste''s fault. Honestly, the
problem''s with our rules. Felipa is meless, but Ste shouldn''t be punished
either. How about this: Ste gets zero for this round, and Felipa advances
automatically, just like the other group that moved on by default?"
Manager B shook his head. "If we do that, the others will say it''s unfair to them.
Advancing Felipa is unfair, but giving Ste zero is unfair too. There''s no winning
here."
Judge A gave a cold chuckle. "Those contestants'' motives couldn''t be more
obvious. Let''s be real-they just want Ste out. But do they really think, if they
force her out, they''ll have a shot against the internationalpetitors? Please.
They''d get crushed before they even got started."
Judge B nodded in agreement. "Even if Ste gets a zero this round, her skills are
more than enough to make the cut. She''s a top contender. We cannot let her be
pushed out."
A few others from the operations and nning teams chimed in as well.
"From a skills perspective and for the sake of the show''s viewership, we can''t let
Ste quit."
Someone suggested, "How about we redo the round and let thempete
again?"
Another person shook their head. "That won''t work. The rules are the rules. If we
start breaking them whenever there''s trouble, how can we expect the contestants
to respect the process?"
"So this won''t work, that won''t work-what do you all suggest, then?" someone
asked, exasperated.
At that moment, Howard Shaw, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.
"There''s a real w in our team
evenly. "I think this is the perfect
time to revise them. Let''s change
the rules so contestants can choose
their own partners. That way
teamwork is still tested, but if
someone''s partner can''t make it for
any reason, it''s on them, and no one
else gets dragged down. What do
you think?"
Someone considered this. "That could work, but the contestants who''ve already
scored points might not ept a redo."
Howard replied, "No decision will
ever make everyone happy. But if we
push Ste out now, andter they
bomb at the world finals, they''ll
me us for forcing her out. So, do
we take the heat now, or do we
embarrass ourselves on the world
stageter? You know me-l can''t
stand unfairness. But would
disqualifying Ste be fair to her?
She didn''t choose to get into an
ident. She didn''t want to get
hurt."
Howard''s words left the room in thoughtful silence.
Momentster, someone spoke up.
"I agree."
"Me too."
"Count me in."
"Alright, it''s settled then."
...
As soon as the show''s announcement about the rematch went public, it caused a
massive stir.
Interest in thepetition exploded to new heights, with the topic trending
everywhere. Within a day, discussions had soared past two hundred million.
But just as the show''s poprity
reached its peak, it was instantly
eclipsed by another bombshell a
piece of news so shocking it broke
the inte.
A scandalous livestream video featuring Karl and another man hit the top of the
trending charts, crashing servers on every major tform.