The lights came up as the camera panned back and forth wildly on the cheering audience. The announcer spoke in a clear, steady cadence. The audience joined him when he reached the title. He said, “It's time for Make... Me... A Mannequin.” The already peppy music reached a crescendo as the camera swung back to the stage and centered on the still figure of a woman. She was tall with a svelte figure, long blond hair, and a face that had launched its fair share of ships. She wore a gold lame, off-the-shoulder gown with matching heels. It was also obvious she was a mannequin. There were visible separations where her arms could be removed. The announcer continued, “And now, everyone's favorite mannequin, Jenna Olson.”
There was a flash of light and the mannequin was transformed into a living woman. She waved to the crowd and said, “Thanks, Gerry. Welcome everyone to Make Me a Mannequin. I'm your host Jenna Olson and we're going to see which of our lovely contestants will earn one of our fabulous price packages. Who's with us today, Gerry?”
The camera switched to a different female mannequin standing next to a podium. It was dressed in a white blouse and a scarlet, knee-length, pencil skirt. Gerry, the announcer, said, “Jenna, our first contestant hails from Chicago where she works in merchandise display. She's Alice Kroger.” A flash of light transformed the mannequin into a living woman. She waved to the audience and then stepped behind the podium.
“Alice,” said Jenna. “Why do you want to be a mannequin?”
“I love mannequins. I work with them everyday and I think they are just so beautiful.”
“Yes, they are. Who's next, Gerry?”
The camera switched to a dark-skinned male mannequin standing next to another podium. It was dressed in a red and blue plaid button-down shirt and blue jeans. “Contestant number two is from Seattle and drives a truck for a living. Please welcome Lamar Michaels.” The mannequin transformed into a living man. He said, “Hello,” as he stepped behind his podium.
Jenna said, “Driving a truck and being a mannequin are very different. What brings you to the show?”
“Hi, Jenna, I've always wanted to meet you,” he said. “I'm tired of driving. I want to stay in one place for a while.”
“You've come to the right place. Gerry, who is our last beauty?”
The camera moved to a female mannequin of east Indian heritage wearing a tight red dress with spaghetti straps and a plunging neckline. “Contestant number three is from Hollywood and has appeared in a few commercials. She's Hemasri Pahwa.”
“You have wonderful cheekbones. I can see why you want to be a mannequin,” Jenna said.
“Yes, I love acting but modeling is so much fun, wearing different fashions all the time. I can't wait.”
“Well, first you have to win,” Jenna said. “Winning is simple. Just answer our fashion-based trivia questions correctly to gain points. The most points at the end of the first round mean you qualify to spin the prize wheel and if you can answer three more questions. You win the prize.
“Let's get started,” Jenna said. A stage hand gave her a tablet and she read the first question off it. “Who did Beyoncé wear to Grammy's in 2018?”
Alice and Lamar attempted to buzz in but Hemasri apparently buzzed in first. She said, “Nicolas Jebran.”
“Correct,” Jenna said. The questions continued for a few moments and Alice took the lead on the third question. Jenna eventually said, “We need to take a break. We'll be right back after this.” The camera pulled back, showing her standing with her right hip sticking out and her arms akimbo. With a flash, she was transformed into a mannequin, a big smile on her face.
A stage hand shouted, “Clear.” Various member of the game show's crew started scurrying about tending to this or that detail. The contestants put their buzzers down and chatted among themselves. A production assistant walked up to me and said, “Can I get you coffee or something?”
I looked up from the monitor I was using to see how the show looked to the home audience. “No, thanks,” I replied. “Can I talk to the contestants?”
“Be quick,” she said looking at her watch. “You only have eighty seconds before we're live once again.”
I thanked her and moved toward the podiums. On the way I walked past Jenna. She was still a mannequin. “Hi, we spoke earlier. I'm the reporter from the magazine. I was wondering how it felt being mannequins for the opening of the show?”
“It was awesome!” Alice said. “I could have stayed like that forever.”
“It was cool,” Lamar said. “Sitting and driving for hours can be uncomfortable. But being a mannequin makes standing easy.”
Turning the third contestant, I asked, “You were a mannequin the longest. How did you like it?”
Hemasri said, “I must admit I've been a mannequin before. But the magic they use here is far more sophisticated. I can't wait to win and get to experience it for much longer time.”
“We'll see about that,” Lamar said playfully.
“Ten seconds,” shouted the stage hand keeping track of the time.
“I'll be back,” I said as I returned to my spot.
The stage hand counted down the return to live broadcast with his fingers while saying, “Three... Two... ...”
The announcer said, “Welcome back to Make Me a Mannquin.” There was a flash of light.
Jenna, who had not moved since they went to commercial, turned back to flesh. “Thanks, Gerry.”
The questions continued and Alice's lead slipped away as Hemasri answered a series of five questions in a row. During the next commercial break I spoke with the contestants again.
“Did any of you have any additional comments now that you're actually on the show?”
“Sixty seconds,” a stage hand announced.
“It's everything I was expecting,” Alice said.
“Yeah,” Lamar said. “I just wish these ladies didn't know so much about fashion.” Lamar was currently in third place.
“That is the point of the show,” Hemasri said. “I love how these spot lights are setup to make this feel like a window display.”
“It really is,” Alice said. “I was thinking that myself.”
“Ten seconds,” the stage hand announced.
“I gotta go. Good luck.” I moved back to my spot as the stage hand counted everyone back into the live broadcast.
During the next segment, I left the stage area and wandered backstage. I found a door decorated with yellow stars above the door frame. I asked a passing assistant what was in there.
“Contestant storage.”
“What?”
“Let me show you.” He fished a key out of his pocket and opened the door. It was a nondescript storage room. Packing cases lined both sides of the room. The ones on the right had labels on them. One label read, “Maggie Rebovich, St. Petersberg.” Another read, “Pat Morris, Chicago.”
The assistant said, “This is where we pack the winners and store them until they're shipped. We only ship on the first of the month so the month's prior winners wait here until then.”
“So there are mannequins in these cases waiting to be delivered to their prize destinations?”
“Yes,” he said. “I need to lock this up.”
“Okay.”
I returned to the stage as the next segment began. Hemasri was announced as the first round winner and the other two contestants left the stage. Hemasri was led to a large spinning wheel with various locales arranged around the circumference. She gave the wheel a spin and it landed on “New York Boutique”. Hemasri was happy with the result. The announcer said, “You'll be disassembled here and shipped to New York City.”
On the monitor, I could see that they were showing a storefront with some amazingly life-like mannequins posed in the window front. “You'll be set up in the main store window at Bede's Boutique where you'll display the latest fashions for a year,” the announcer continued. “Bede's Boutique. Fashion's beginning and end.”
Jenna said, “Isn't that great? I love visiting Bede's. They know mannequins. Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, your first of three questions is: Who said, 'A woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting.'?”
Hemasri answered immediately, “Christian Dior.”
“Correct,” Jenna said. The audience cheered and Hemasri waved into the audience. “Do you have someone in the audience routing for you?”
“Yes, my BFF Janis is there,” Hemasri said pointing at the audience.
“Hi, Janis. Okay, question two. Who modeled the first modern bikini, designed by Louis Réard?”
After a moment, Hemasri said, “Micheline Bernardini.”
Jenna delayed a moment to build tension before saying, “Correct. Only one more question. After this commercial break.” Jenna said into the camera. Light flashed and she turned into a mannequin.
“Clear,” shouted the stage hand.
I rushed to Hemasri. “This might be the last time I get to speak with you. How do you feel about the potential prize?”
“I was hoping for Milan. But I've been to Bede's Boutique in Los Angeles and it's such a mannequin-friendly place. It will be a thrill to stand in their window in New York.”
“How long did you study to know the answers to these questions?”
“All my life. I've always loved fashion.”
“Ten seconds.”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
As they returned from commercial, Jenna was restored and said, “Are you ready, Hemasri?”
She nodded.
“Your final question is: who was the first major designer to ban from his shows models with a BMI of less than 18?”
“Giorgio Armani,” Hemasri said slowly.
“Correct.” The music swelled. Confetti fell. Hemasri jumped up and down.
The announcer said, “Hemasri, you have won a one-year storefront window position as a mannequin. You will be turned into a mannequin, packed in a crate, and shipped to Bede's Boutique New York where you will display fashions in the main window of the shop.”
“How do you feel?”
“I can't wait.”
“You don't have to wait,” Jenna said. As she said that, a pair of stage hands rolled out an empty crate similar to the ones I saw backstage. “Take your pose.”
Hemasri assumed a classic mannequin pose as if she had been practicing for this moment. It was similar to how she had looked at the beginning of the show. There was a flash of light and Hemasri became a mannequin. Jenna stood next to her and said, “That's our show. Break her down boys. Goodnight.”
There was another flash and Jenna turned into a mannequin. The stage hands removed Hemasri's arms and began the process off packing her into the crate.
“Clear,” announced a stage hand.
I watched as they finished breaking the once living Hemasri down into plastic parts: arms, legs, hands, feet, torso in two sections, and head. She had apparently come prepared to win since she wore no undergarments under her dress. The crate seemed too small to hold her but in the end there was plenty of packing material around her body parts. A production assistant slapped a label on the crate as they finished closing it and placed Hemasri's dress in garment bag. The stage hands wheeled the packing crate away to the back room without ceremony.
The same assistant stepped over to me and says, “We're done for the day so you'll have to leave now.”
“No problem,” I said. “What about Jenna?”
“She'll stay like that until we start filming the next episode.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it's in her contract. She is only human when we are on the air. Someone will change her clothes and do her hair tomorrow morning.”
“That will make it harder to get a quote from her.”
“She takes no interviews.”
“So I've heard. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
* * *
A few weeks later, I was in New York and I took a picture of the store window at Bede's Boutique. It was the last thing I needed so I could complete my article before sending it to my editor. Standing there in a divine blue ballgown was Hemasri Pahwa, mannequin.