Bellevue resident Maureen Francisco received the call from Fox Reality Channel. She had been selected as a show contestant for Solitary v3.0 and had four days to be in Los Angeles for two weeks of filming. And no one could know what she was doing.
The next stop was her boss’ office.
Francisco and eight other contestants entered a solitary cell, or “pod” their names replaced with a number. Each participant performed punishing tasks while deprived of sleep and all human contact, and given limited food. When a contestant fails, quits or refuses a challenge they’re out. The last remaining contestant wins $50,000.
“Ever since I saw Survivor, I’ve been obsessed with being on a reality show,” said Francisco. “I liked this concept – it’s a battle of wills, the only way to lose is if you quit.”
A 31-year-old former TV reporter, 5’1”, and 98 pounds, Francisco seems an unlikely candidate for a punishing endurance contest of physical and mental stress.
“I came to the U.S. from the Philippines as a non-English-speaking child and went on to become a TV reporter,” said Francisco. “I’ve been filmed live having eyebrow surgery, Lasik surgery, and I ran four marathons in a year,” she said. “I like challenges.”
Blindfolded, Francisco traveled from the hotel to the studio, never meeting the other contestants or studio staff. All instructions came from a computer taskmaster known as “Val.”
“I didn’t know how much time was passing and didn’t know whether other contestants had quit,” said Francisco. “At the end of the filming, I was driven blindfolded to the airport having not showered for two weeks.”
Like the show’s fans, Francisco is seeing what happened for the first time.
“I didn’t know I’d been awake for 40 hours before we were granted our first 30 minute nap until I was watching the show,” said Francisco. “And there are behind-the-scenes shots on Fox’s website in addition to the edited show.”
What part of the experience did Francisco find surprising?
“I thought we’d have a make-up artist and meet the other contestants,” she said. “Instead, we couldn’t shower or brush our teeth.”
Filmed in August, and broadcasting now, Francisco won’t reveal the final results.
“I did well,” said Francisco. “Each contestant has a story. This was one of the most amazing experiences of my many life experiences.”
Bellevue resident Maureen Francisco competes for $50,000 on Fox Reality’s most popular TV series, Solitary v.3.0, Saturdays at 9 p.m.
View the entire season series on FoxReality.com or Hulu.com
