Memoirs Submission

[Sydney Wheeler]

Sydney Wheeler - The Inside Story Reality television can entice you in and drain the life force from your body. Millions upon millions of people watch reality television shows for just an hour a week. They move on with their lives and watch it merely for entertainment. But what happens to the lives of those reality stars after the television is turned off? One reality star knows exactly what it means to lose herself completely to the effects of reality television. Sydney Wheeler. This is her story. ~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ Beads of sweat trickled down her neck. The room got darker, somehow smaller. The sound of the audience was mumbled with all voices from either side of the room mushed together. In an instant her life could change. Suddenly the world gained its sound back at those next two words: CHELSEA MEISSNER! And that was it, it was over. Sydney Wheeler was not the million dollar winner of the reality television show Sausage Island. But at that point in time she had no idea that her life did actually change forever. Wheeler's journey was about to spiral out of control. *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ Wheeler's fifteen minutes of fame seemed to last longer than most reality stars from the Sausage alumni. Despite the attention and publicity, life was not a cake walk for Sydney. After leaving the show Wheeler suffered from anxiety attacks, partly caused by phone calls that were answered only to hear heavy breathing. Forcing herself to get out of the slum she was in, and the phone calls that made her panic, she sought out a job. Wheeler landed several commercial gigs from her experience on Survivor. Most notably, she co-starred in a Taco Bell video (Commercial viewable here), as well as transvestite Jackie for a mobile company. (Commercial viewable here) Under the cameras once again, Sydney felt at home. Caressing the fast food bag against her body she awaited the go from the director. Once the cameras started to roll, she felt back on Sausage Island. But with Taco Bell. Memories flooded her head of the auction challenge. She would cherish this taco as if it were the last taco she'd have for thirty-nine days. It seemed certain that Wheeler was experiencing some form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The fifteen minutes she had from Survivor escalated a couple more minutes and she was entering down a dangerous path. Addiction. *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ Sydney's spotlight in the media garnered her connections. Those connections allowed for access to illegal substances. In short, after losing Survivor and coping with the hardships of the experience, Wheeler turned to drugs. Her attitude underwent a drastic change. Those close to Sydney knew she was not behaving like her normal self. Close friend and winner of Sausage Survivor season three, Chelsea Meissner, commented: "She lost her God darn mind' ROFLMAO." The media took advantage of whatever was left of Sydney's fifteen minutes and slandered her name in the press for all eyes to see. Wheeler was found with all sorts of substances, ranging from marijuana, to weed, and coke. Thus she was then awaiting a sentence at a court trial. Sydney could feel herself heading down a slippery slope. No longer was she able to distinguish right from wrong. The pressure of the trial felt like the weight of a thousand suns. Eyes glared at her from the Judge to the Jury. The Jury. She looked right back at the Jury and stared them down, ready to pounce on them. Were they going to ask her questions again? She started to feel her mood swinging. This wasn't Survivor. This wasn't Survivor. She tried to tell herself with failure. How was she going to prove to them her marijuana bong was the most worthy million dollar deserving bong of all? Despite being found clear of the charges made against her, and being seemingly clean and sober, friends of Sydney were still concerned about her well-being and personality changes. Her Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from her experience on Survivor was not showing any sign of relief. One night in total recklessness, Sydney picked up the phone in her home to answer her heavy breathing phone caller. What she found on the other end of the line was what nobody expected. Pregnancy. *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ Co-Star of the CBS reality show Sausage Island three, Sekou Bunch, became engaged to Wheeler on September 7th that same year. Adding to further life altering changes, Sydney was also expecting her first child. Bunch and Wheeler wished to keep their lives private, but the media is known for its ruthless invasion of privacy. Sydney could not escape the press and everything that came along with it. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Magazines began to publicize about Wheeler's affairs. Not only was she leaving the realm of being just a reality television star, but by this point, she was becoming a household name. Wheeler gave birth to her child, Jynx Bunch, on May 14th of the next year. Hee Hee Hoo. Hee Hee Hoo. The pain she felt was more excruciating than the starvation she faced on Survivor. Never did she imagine anything would top the torture on the Sausage Islands. But both experiences of hardship offered something gratifying. With one final push Sydney gave life. Looking into her newborn daughter's eyes, she beamed. Jynx's eyes gazed upwards at her mother. The smile on Sydney's face slowly sank. Would this baby turn on her? The lack of trust in the game of Survivor took its toll on Sydney. Even the blessing a of a newborn daughter could not keep Sydney's life from more ordeals. Having a baby out of wed-lock caused irreconcilable differences between Bunch and Wheeler. Shortly after the birth of their child the two broke off their engagement. Afterwards, Sydney tried to keep out of the public's eye. She went into hiding with her name was no longer in magazines and newspaper articles. Her household name status was starting to become a thing of the past. But at the end of the year, after nearly fading into obscurity, Sydney received an unexpected invitation. Survivor. *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ Survivor Sausage Allstars was underway. Thirty-five of the best characters would return to give it another go for the million dollar prize. The tabloids were in a frenzy at the news of the newly announced season. Of course, this meant Sydney Wheeler was a highly sought out contestant to participate. Who would not want to watch the effects of all her baggage on the small screen? But was Survivor, the experience that spiraled her life out of control in the first place, something she could handle once again? Wheeler was not sure she was ready to take on the spotlight once more. In constant talks with the casting directors about joining the season, Wheeler had much hesitation. Dropping everything to have a second life time experience was a big deal. She'd likely see her ex-fiance again and she just had just bore a child. In the end, one thing decided it for Sydney. Babies were expensive. So with mother Bunch set to take care of her baby, she left for Sausage Island. There was nothing Sydney could do to prepare herself for the hardships she'd soon face all over again on the islands of Sausage. She only hoped this time, that after the game was said and done, it would result in changes for the better in her outside life. The helicopter landed. Anxiety built up in her chest as the door opened, sending a strong gust of wind in her face. Her eyes were squinted as the harsh light of day beamed down upon the island. She opened her eyes to see Host Lex standing proud upon a rock, with Host Brett draped across it by Lex's legs. Sydney looked around and saw the myriad line of returning players. The cameras shifted, their recording lights flickered on, and Lex shouted: "Everyone welcome to Sausage Island 6, ALL-STARS!" Here we go again.

[/i][/font][/size][/blockquote]

[/center][/td][/tr][/table]