My interview group gathers in the hotel lobby before leaving for the FIRM. (Left to right) Me, Wendy, Tim, Bryce, Leigh and Amanda. (Photo courtesy of Tim Davies)

Sunday we got to sleep in a little later because that was "testimonial day", our one-on-one on-camera interviews with an instructor (who would be off-camera). My call time was 9 a.m. and once again my group gathered in the lobby before driving over to the studio. We'd originally been scheduled to travel to an old mansion for an exterior shoot, but the weather just wouldn't cooperate, so they'd set up the gym as a contingency plan. The interviews were running one at a time, simultaneously, with Suzanne Bates in studio A and Lisa Kay in studio B.

This time we were scheduled based on our departure times. My 6 p.m. flight put me near the end of the day, so I knew I had a lot of time to kill. Hair, makeup and wardrobe, once again. (What I wouldn't pay for these gals to come to my house and get me ready for work every day!) As is the norm with any film production, it was "hurry up and wait", so we spent most of the day sitting in makeup until it was our turn to go. Fortunately that gave us lots of opportunity to chat with one another, Cathy Sovde and the instructors... and to take plenty of photos. And as an added bonus, Allie del Rio held a full cast rehearsal for her new workout in the "mural hallway", so when we really got bored, we snuck downstairs to get a peak of the instructors at work.

Bryce's Angels. Jen Carmen and Allie del Rio arrived on Sunday to rehearse Allie's new workout. (Photo courtesy of Tim Davies)	Suzanne Bates reviews some of our success stories and photos before heading upstairs to begin the interviews. (Photo courtesy of Tim Davies)

The mood around the studio was generally more relaxed on Sunday and things ran so smoothly that we were actually ahead of schedule. All day long my friends would trickle in to makeup after their interviews were over to gather their things and say goodbye. Those of us who hadn't gone yet would grill those who had on how things had gone, what was asked, and generally what it was like to be up there alone, without a net. In addition, the realization that our adventure was coming to an end began to seep in as well. This really hit home when Christy Chase - who had a 2-3 hour drive ahead of her - became the first to leave us at about 11 a.m. Christy is the only testimonial missing from the group photo we took during the lunch break.

My last trip to the makeup chair. (Photo courtesy of Joan Boadway)	Bryce and the ladies who made me pretty. (Photo courtesy of Bryce Chicoyne)

I ended up being the first interview after lunch and was pretty nervous when they finally brought me on set. Early in the day - long before we had even left for the FIRM - I had joked that we shouldn't let the rain bother us, that they'd film us in front of a green screen (a la George Lucas) so they could drop in a sunny garden behind us. I almost laughed when I walked in to Studio A to see precisely what I'd described - a wooden bench sitting alone in front of a green screen! Nevertheless, I still couldn't shake the feeling that I was absolutely on the wrong side of the camera, and I began to sweat under the lights. Fortunately there was a fan (guess they knew I'd need it!) and both the stylist and Suzanne Bates, who interviewed me, made enough small talk to put me at ease as the crew set the scene and the sound. I relaxed a bit by the time we rolled camera.

Again, I don't recall much of what I said other than emphasizing the health side of my weight loss as opposed to the vanity issue, but I do remember talking about the millions of little humiliations that come with being overweight. Suzanne asked me my impressions of the workouts we demoed the day before, and of course, my thoughts about the new Sculpting Stick. After it was over, the crew couldn't have been more gracious or complimentary. Relieved and on cloud nine, I bounced my way back to the dressing area and changed back into my FIRM tee and yoga pants before heading back down to makeup to wait for my departure.

Hurry up and wait: me, Amanda, Stephanie, Bryce, Wendy and Cindy Eldridge. (Photo courtesy of Joan Boadway)

Dressed in our Sunday best: (rear, left to right) Joni, Leigh, Suzanne, Wendy, Kathy, Tim and me. (Front, left to right) Bryce, Joan, Tara and Cindy E. (Photo courtesy of Joan Boadway)

The group of us flying between 6 and 7 p.m. left the FIRM sometime after 3:30 to return to the hotel and grab our bags. Then Catharine, Wendy, Cindy L., Tim, Kathy, Susan, Leigh, Bryce, Amanda and I all piled back into the van and headed for the airport. En route, Scott, our driver, took a quick detour to drive by the retirement home that was used as the garden party set in the first infomercial. When we arrived at the airport we discovered that several of us were flying Delta and Continental at about the same time, so we all went through security together. Poor Susan still had her hair up from her interview session, and the bobby pins in her hair set off the metal detector! None of us really wanted the weekend to be over, so we decided to stay together as a group to the bitter end. We moved some tables together in the concession area and chatted away over soda and frozen yogurt until our flights were called and it was time to say goodbye.

All in all, it was one of the most memorable weekends of my life - a great experience for this little exercise vidiot. I don't know how much will make air, but I had a blast, and plan to go down with a few pals for a non-tv fitness weekend sometime next year.

So ends my television debut!