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“This is nonsense,” he said, looking at the proposal in his hands and the man sitting in front of him. “I’m not doing this, Toto,” he added.
“George, the board wants you to,” Toto said with a sigh. He clearly did not enjoy being the bearer of bad news, but somehow George could see a hint of playfulness in his eyes.
“If we want to continue the partnership with Netflix, they want more than just a couple of episodes in a documentary from you,” he added.
“We’ve already done so much. I see their cameramen more than I see my mother,” he retorted.
“They specifically asked for you,” Toto said when he still refused to accept the offer.
He raised an eyebrow at Toto, silently asking him to elaborate.
“They want to cast single drivers,” he added. “And they want one from Mercedes. Kimi is too young. You’re the only option we have.”
That stung. It had not even been half a year since he had sadly ended things with Carmen. She was perfect, everything he had ever dreamed of in a girl, but it did not work out. He had been ready to build a future with her, but that future never came. Problem after problem, the last year had tested their relationship until it finally fell apart. It was not her fault, nor was it his. They were simply not meant to be, even though they had tried their hardest.
“Why not Lando?” he asked.
“He’ll be participating as well,” he answered. “So will other drivers,” he added.
“I don’t know, Toto. It’s just so recent; some people still think I’m dating Carmen. Wouldn’t it hurt my brand?” he asked.
“Just think it over, George. If we want to reach as many people as possible, this could be it. Give them a sneak peek into your life, and maybe more people will learn to love you,” Toto reasoned, leaving him silent.
“Give me a couple of days,” he said as he gathered the proposal and stood up. “I’ll let you know.”
It was funny—comical, even—because after he talked things over with his manager, the first person he called for an opinion was Carmen. Sweet Carmen, bless her heart, was in the middle of a meeting and unable to answer his call. But she texted him right away, telling him that she would call him once she was done with work.
He texted her back, telling her to take her time, as it was not a serious matter. He put his phone on the kitchen counter before making his way to the fridge, taking out several ingredients and starting to cook. He had a personal chef, one chosen by his nutritionist to keep his meals healthy, but he was given one night per week when he got to cook whatever he wanted.
He decided to make a simple pasta dish, a recipe he had learned from Kimi’s mother when they met during a Mercedes AMG Petronas team get-together. It was so simple yet delicious that it had become one of his go-to meals lately.
Carmen called him as he finished plating his meal, so he accepted the call.
“Hello, Madam,” he said with a smile as he saw Carmen’s tired but beautiful face on his phone.
They talked about their lives lately: how Carmen was doing with her company, how another season was wrapping up for George, and how their families were doing.
After a while, he finally told her the main reason he had called. He showed her the proposal for the upcoming series and even brought up the reason he had been asked to join it: because he was recently single.
Carmen laughed at his predicament. There was no bitterness on her face; she truly had let him go.
“You know, George, I think it’s really time for you to get out there. I’m not telling you to date if you’re not ready, but maybe it’s a good thing to show everyone that you’re okay,” she encouraged him.
“I think it’s going to be fun,” she said. “They’ll be able to see the you I saw for years. Just George, not Formula 1 Driver George,” she added. “I’ll watch every episode,” she continued jokingly.
“But are you going to be okay with it? What if they start bringing you up or something?” he asked. They might not be a couple anymore, but the love, admiration, and respect remained. He did not want to bring her any more pain or sadness.
She smiled genuinely at him. “I know you’ll protect me. Besides, I’m a big girl; I’ll manage.”
“I guess it’s a yes then,” he said as he typed a confirmation to Toto, saying that he would be participating in the series.
‘Sweet Jesus, why did I agree to this?’ He mumbled to himself, starting to regret his decision to agree to joining this series.
“It’s based on a Korean variety show called ‘We Got Married’. The program paired up popular celebrities—often K-pop idols and actors—who role-played as a married couple, completing weekly missions, living together, and participating in candid studio interviews.” The producer explained. “Usually each episode would be divided into separate sections, and each section would display a couple before we go on into another couple.”
“It was really popular in its time, but it was controversial, especially for some of the female participants who got paired with a male k-pop idols. People were also complaining that it was repetitive, cringey and rather scripted, so they lost popularity after a while.” She explained.
“We want to bring it here, and we think it’ll be more successful. Our fan culture is not as harsh as theirs, and people are more accepting of the idea of their idols being in a relationship,” she said. “And to ensure that we keep things unscripted, we want to change the concept from meeting once per week to living together during the filming process.”
“Wait... so you’re saying I’ll be living with a stranger during filming? Are you out of your mind?” George asked, bewildered by the concept of the show.
“Yes, that concept has been used a lot. We have shows like Big Brother or Love Island, where people live together in isolation,” she said. “The difference is that there’s no isolation. You’re free to do what you want; you just have to make sure you live under the same roof,” she added.
“Do I know who I’ll be paired with?” he asked. “I know Lando is joining. Can I be paired with Lando?” he added, trying to negotiate with the production team.
“We usually announce pairings before the first day of shooting, but we’re still waiting for a couple more names to join the cast, so we can’t decide now. And as for Lando, I don’t think it’s possible because you two are already good friends,” they added.
George sighed at the response but he understood the reasoning behind it so he let it go. They continued on, talking about logistics but the more they talked, the more nervous he became.
“You can sit here,” the floor director said as George entered a small interview room. The background was dark, and there were only three other crew members in the room besides him.
“Is he audible?” the floor director asked a crewmate before sitting across from George, beside the camera, after receiving confirmation from the team.
“Remember, be as honest as you can,” he said, smiling when George nodded in return. “So, George, tell me about yourself.”
His voice became more animated and inviting, encouraging viewers to engage with the conversation.
“My name is George—George Russell. I'm a couple of years away from turning thirty, and I work as a Formula 1 driver for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team,” he said in his usual media-trained voice. “I love driving. I've been karting since elementary school before starting my career in Formula 4. I enjoy traveling, although I don't get to explore much when we travel for races. And I love food. I'm not a very good cook, but I'm learning,” he added.
“You've been a professional racing driver for years, but this is your first time accepting an offer to appear on a show like this. What made you say yes?” the interviewer asked.
“To be frank, I'm not sure. I still think this is some sort of prank,” George said with a chuckle. “But I was encouraged to take part by my closest friends, so I did. They said that by joining, I could show people a side of me that isn't just the professional driver. Does that make sense?” he asked.
“It does. I bet a lot of people are curious,” the interviewer said. “Some people say you seem too good to be true—you know, scripted, or worse, fake in a way.”
George smiled at the comment. It wasn't a sneer; it was a genuine smile.
“Of course, I get it. Truly,” he said. “Without realizing it, I compartmentalize a lot. There's no way we could do our jobs professionally without compartmentalizing things. The moment I arrive at the track or the hotel, it's all business and work. So the side people have seen is just Driver George. To be honest, I'm a bit scared to show the other side of myself.”
“Are you excited about meeting your future partner?” the interviewer asked.
“I don't think excited is the right word. I don't know what to expect, so I'm mostly nervous. It's like the first day of school—you don't know who your new classmates will be. But I think this is worse because it's just the two of us. I'm scared they might hate me,” he admitted.
“I think whoever it is probably has the same worries you do,” the interviewer said.
“I hope they don't,” George answered immediately. “Whoever it is, I hope they're not as pessimistic as I am. My friends say I'm too realistic and that I worry too much. It can get tiring, you know, always having something to worry about. I hope they're more cheerful than me,” he commented.
“Do you have any preferences when it comes to a partner?” the interviewer asked.
“No, not at all. I'm not too picky, so if I'm matched with someone, I'll just learn to adapt,” George said. “I just hope they know who I am—or at least know that I exist. It feels ridiculous to introduce myself with, ‘Hi, I'm George. I drive fast and go zoom.’”
As a joke, he held out his hand to the interviewer as he faked introducing himself, making the crew chuckle.
“Fair enough. Last question. If there's something you'd like to say to the viewers before you move into your new house,” the interviewer said, making George chuckle and glance away, slightly bashful, “what would it be?”
“Hmm.” George hummed, his bottom lip jutting out unconsciously as he thought. “Please be nice to me?” he said, his tone rising slightly as if unsure whether it was the right thing to say. “Not because I need everyone to like me, but more like... please be a little understanding. I'm still new to this. I might say or do something you don't like, or I might look awkward, or whatever it is. I'm still learning too, so I hope you can be a little patient with me.”
“That's perfect, George. Thank you for spending a little time with us. We'll see you tomorrow at your new home,” the interviewer said.
The floor director helped him move his luggages from the lobby to the penthouse where he’ll be spending the next couple of months. They talked about the weather, the logistics because they each pushed a big luggage inside.
“Do I need to wear a mic?” He asked as he entered the penthouse, instinctively taking off his shoes to change into the slippers provided at the shoe rack.
“Every part of the house is covered by cameras and they can pick up your voice.” He explained. “You don’t have to yell, but if you whisper to each other or just mumble, it might not be able to pick up your voice. In cases like that, during the editing, we’ll ask from you what you were saying there.” He added.
“The bathrooms have no camera in it. And there’s a room, a bedroom, a private room where there’s no camera at all. If you feel overwhelmed by the cameras, you can take a moment there and regroup.” The floor director explained.
“Good! Thank you for providing that,” He said. “I guess this is it, then?” He asked.
“Yes, sit tight, your partner might come in an hour.” The floor director said before biding his goodbyes and left the penthouse.
George just stood by the foyer, watching the floor director left, like a puppy being left alone in a house by his owner. After a while, he stepped inside, exploring the house. There was a big bedroom with a balcony facing the ocean, the living room was spacious, connected to the kitchen that has a breakfast bar that can host four.
There is a closed room, and he opened it. It had a television and a private bath, he thought it was the private room mentioned previously. He went to the other closed room and saw two racing sims inside, complete with a small desk and a small fridge stocked with all kinds of drinks, mostly energy drinks. He didn’t think much of it, he also has two racing sims at home, his manager might set it up to make him as comfortable as possible.
Once he was done exploring the house, he took out a couple of wet tissues and used it to wipe clean his luggage. Once he was done, he dragged both luggages inside the bedroom but he was too lazy to unpack right now so he just looked around the house once more.
He noticed one of the cameras on a corner of the bedroom. He used his height, tiptoeing to get his face as close as possible to the camera to verify whether he was correct or not. “Oh so this is what the camera looks like,” He said as he stared at the camera. “Hi, everyone,” He said, his whimsy showing.
He got curious, he then went around the penthouse, looking for a camera, making count on how many he found, and greeted each one playfully. It was quiet fun, and he found about 20 cameras all around the house.
He was still wandering around the house when he heard the bell ring. He thought it might be his partner. He quickly made his way to the foyer, taking a deep breath and tried to fix himself a little. He put his best smile, ready to be as friendly as possible as he opened the door.
“Hi- MAX?!”