I was sitting up late one Sunday night on Salt Spring Island and decided I missed theatre and extra work so I searched Auditions and coming across a new show that was being cast, decided to apply. The very next day I received a request for an audition tape and made one of my commute, walking to work along the harbour. It didn’t take long before we were contacted to take a specific time off in June 2002 and arrangements were made with our individual work to Trade Places with another family and head to a place undisclosed in Canada.
We were disappointed to find we were going to Calgary as Ashlée had come from Cranbrook to be part of this and the next closest big city to Cranbrook is, yep.. Calgary. But I had signed a document saying I would go along and do what was asked.
I worked my tush off and Lee got to hang out, go do manly fun things and both kids were basically abandoned at home. It was during a heat wave and there was no air conditioning in their home, nor the restaurants. I really wasn’t impressed they brought their nanny with them. It was not in fact trading lives! I wanted to see what it would be like with a nanny! Fed up at one point I did rebel and took the kids to the zoo which was a treat.
According to Her staff she had the second highest cell phone use in Alberta due in most part to micro-managing. Shame that, as her staff were more than capable and really fun. They asked me to stay, lol
For the record I have never made tofu, died hemp and at that point hadn’t even been salmon fishing. At least my friends were getting advertising for their small businesses.
There was unfortunate blow-back about my assistant manager calling her ‘girly’ but it’s island living, pretty familiar. I didn’t think it was fair Roxanne wasn’t given the directions, that was the Producer’s idea.
It was also the producer’s idea that they do that yard installation. I was so angry when I got home as we pay for everything we cast off. I sent them the bill once I got it all taken away. I also thought they were extremely rude in mocking the fun lifestyle and home we had. It was also the Producer’s idea that my oldest daughter who was returning home just before it was over pretend she was shocked there were strangers in our home. I refused to let the world think I was the type of mother who would allow that to happen to my teenager. In the end I heard the field producer’s were let go after this. I hope not but it really was a false reality and I may have enjoyed it more if I had been them having a vacation rather than I who worked so hard and made her business look great in spite of raw chicken being transported in a car trunk in a heat wave, or mouse droppings in the cupboards that I hid from the camera.
I don’t regret it and was recognized by strangers for a couple years after but it did turn me into a reality show junkie. I watch the clothes and hair and timelines that don’t match.
Sadly that trip was also the end of my marriage with us separating when we returned. It was strange for the newspaper coverage and the release of the show all to have happened while we were no longer together. Some long lost people from my past did manage to connect after learning where I lived. It was 5 years before Facebook after all
Years later I did meet Roxanne in Calgary. Their marriage hadn’t survived the years either. She did thank me and said her life had changed after that, she’d gotten a better perspective.
triumphgal 