As I pulled up to Premier Atelier on the morning of rookie makeovers, I couldn't help but flash back to my panel interview. Not five minutes into the interview, Judy asked me, "What is your natural hair color?" Hmmm...how do I answer this? The truth is I haven't seen it in several years, so let's go with, "Light brown. I've been highlighting it heavily." She took a good look and replied, "So are you ok with going darker?" Honestly, I was ok with going red, purple, pixie, or spiked �whatever they wanted if it meant I got to "go" anywhere with them!

I greeted Rainer at the door of the salon with a smile so big that that my position on this subject was clear: Any change, regardless of how drastic, was genuinely welcome. As it turns out, no major transformations took place on my end...a heavy trim, darker lowlights, and better shaping around my face. That night at Valley Ranch, everyone looked stunning! As each rookie entered the studio, we saw darker, blonder, shorter, longer, and even a new redhead! We waited in the locker room for rehearsal to begin; comparing notes on what we thought the "surprise fitness event" would be that week. Rock climbing? Race car driving? It wasn't until the next morning when we arrived to the activity site and saw the 16-story tower that it hit us: free falling.

To gain perspective on exactly how a high a 16-story tower is, imagine having an aerial view of not only Texas Stadium in Irving, but Cowboys stadium in Arlington as well. Brooke, Kelsi, Cassie and I were one of the last groups to go up...the "brave ones," they called us. When the operator asked who wanted to drop first, I snapped, "I do!" My hasty reaction was not one of courage, but of utter urgency. I desperately hoped this was not evident on my face, for I had claimed to be fearless all morning...so much for that stroke of bravery. I fought not to notice that from our altitude, we could see the runways of Love Field and DFW airports, the layout of Valley Ranch, the surrounding towns of Coppell, Carrollton, and Grapevine. Enough! I needed to get down immediately.

I shut my eyes tightly as they lowered me onto my back, suspended by a single metal hook. "Count to three and we'll let you go," the operator instructed from above. I gulped and began the countdown, "ONE..." Why exactly did I agree to do this? "TWO..." I sure hope the safety net isn't on a coffee break. Suddenly I was airborne, free falling in shock. What happened to THREE?! After a few seconds that might as well have been a few days, my panic was broken with the soft embrace of the net.

The bus back to Valley Ranch overflowed with laughter as we relived the day's events through pictures, videos, and stories. Though most of us had little interest in ever free-falling again, we now shared another training camp memory, another layer of camaraderie that would help us get through the evaluation night ahead.