"Tapeworm" Trivia Quiz

Answer: It was a Thursday

In New York City, sometime in the not so distant past, Vivian arrived at the Sheila Klein Modelling Agency with her headshots and joined the long line-up of models waiting for an audience with the agency's namesake. She took a seat next to an excited, young woman named Heather, shaking her hand before having her Polaroid taken. Vivian commented on the length of the line, but Heather chalked it up to it being a Thursday; on Thursdays, Sheila always held open calls for all categories. Girls would come in from all over to be seen.

It was Vivian's first day in the city. She vowed that when that happened, she'd walk into Sheila Klein's office and introduce herself. Simple as that. Heather'd been trying for three months. The two of them admitted they ate "Vogue" for breakfast; it was a dream, for both, to be on the cover. They made a deal; first to the cover would toss the rope back and hoist the other up.

Answer: Star quality

Sheila, flanked by executives in one of her meeting rooms, had an assistant call in Vivian before all the other girls. Vivian proceeded into the cavernous chamber and stood before the fashion mogul to explain her dream, but Sheila didn't really want much more than the basic info. Vivian couldn't even pin down what type of modelling would best for her, and when Sheila yelled at her to walk like she would on the runway, Vivian tried her best (even thinking she did quite well). It came as a bit of a shock, and certainly a surprise, when Sheila explained how much star quality Vivian really had coming in the door.

Unfortunately, Sheila couldn't really do anything about signing her. The reason? She's a size four. She's too fat.

Answer: In a back alley

Vivian departed from Sheila Klein's in tears and Heather rushed out to comfort her over the embarrassing encounter. Vivian vowed that she would get back at Sheila; she'd exercise, diet...anything. Heather offered up an alternative and handed over a business card for Dr. Thaddeus Lau, a specialist in ancient practices (and an endocrinologist). Vivian would never shrink down from a size four without his help.

And Vivian took her up on it, heading to Dr. Lau's office shortly after...and finding it in a back alley off the city streets. Despite her hesitation, she proceeded in. After all, by this point she'd tried everything else.

Answer: Shot

Upon hearing out her case, Dr. Lau informed Vivian that everything looked good with her bloodwork and he wanted to recommend her onto Mondify, a diabetes drug that he's had a lot of success with for weight loss, especially for people in Hollywood and on TV. Though Vivian was hesitant with the idea of needing to take a shot once a week to keep off the weight, Dr. Lau assured her that it was perfectly safe-- he'd even been using it!-- and above-board; FDA approved!

That night, both Vivian and Heather took their shots together, toasting to their future and the possibility of a "Vogue" cover.

Answer: Yes

A few months after Vivian starts taking Mondify, she auditions with Sheila Klein once again, this time getting the attention and success she hoped for. Sheila signs her on the spot and has her head to the front desk to put in her paperwork. Sheila asks if she's on Mondify and Vivian admits she is. All Sheila can say is to keep it up; Vivian'll be the next 'it' girl.

Before long, Vivian ends up on massive photo shoots for major campaigns. She tries to get Heather in on the action, but Sheila is convinced that Heather's not right for high fashion. Sheila lets her know that "a gazelle shouldn't live with the hyenas".

As Vivian's shoot continues, she starts to feel light-headed. Before she realizes, she blacks out.

Answer: Heart murmur

When Vivian stops by Dr. Lau's to check in, he notes his frustration with her as she never disclosed the fact that she had a heart murmur this whole time. Unfortunately, she never felt it mattered as it was a complication resulting from a medical issue in her youth. He notes that he can't, in good consciousness, allow her to continue taking Mondify as her heart could explode if she remains on the drug.

Vivian says that she's willing to pursue other options, but Dr. Lau says the alternatives are dangerous. This warning doesn't deter her. She vows she needs to stay in the business to be resilient. It's because of this that he gives her a more concerning, but more natural treatment as a solution.

Answer: Eat only as she normally would

Dr. Lau shows Vivian the solution and reminds her that it comes with its own set of issues, chief amongst them being that the replacement for Mondify is a very exotic tapeworm. If she drinks it down with oolong she'll lose more weight than with Mondify. Although initially quite disturbed by the idea, Vivian comes around within a few moments.

Dr. Lau tells her that the tapeworm will make her feel extremely hungry, but she must not eat more than normal. Doing so would put her at immense risk. If she follows his guidelines, she'll be down ten pounds in a week.

She doesn't hesitate in swallowing the tapeworm.

Answer: Yes

Vivian returns home from Dr. Lau's and finds, almost immediately, that she's quite hungry. Heading to the fridge she finds a bottle of ranch dressing and drinks it in its entirety before turning her attention to rotten leftovers.

But she does lose the weight, taking on more and more high-profile jobs over the next weeks while also eating more and more. To her own surprise, her behaviour starts to shift. She starts lashing out at innocent bystanders, colleagues on photoshoots, and even Heather. Sheila steps in to stop Vivian from going too far, but it's no use-- Vivian booked the cover of "Vogue" and doesn't feel she needs to listen anymore.

Sheila finds Vivian eating alone after her outburst. She forgives Vivian though, believing the issue to be nothing more than imposter syndrome. She isn't aware Sheila is off Mondify.

Answer: A mysterious serum

Heather finds Vivian in their apartment, crouched in the closet eating tubs of ice cream, and it quickly becomes apparent that Vivian's mood swings are becoming too much of a problem. The lashing out hits a breaking point, and though Vivian realizes just too late, Heather suggests that she pack up her things in a few days and move out.

The next day, after Vivian is called out for being too thin at her "Vogue" shoot, she returns to Dr. Lau's office seeking help, waiting outside for him to arrive to work. He expresses his regret for giving her the tapeworm and he offers her the only solution at his disposal. Since any surgery or poison would be too risky, he offers her a red vial of serum. The mixture will cause the tapeworm to leave her body in revulsion, but it won't be pretty. She'll need to fight but it might work.

Answer: Vivian

Heading home, and with such little strength left, Vivian takes the serum in her bathroom and sets about waiting to expel the tapeworm via the only means left. The serum works almost immediately, causing Vivian's body to wrack as the tapeworm tries to flee her system. Unfortunately, in the graphic process, the creature emerges and attacks her, seeking food.

Heather returns to the apartment the next day, finding the aftermath of Vivian's fate in the bathroom. What she doesn't notice until too late is the tapeworm, still alive, hanging from the ceiling. Catching her by surprise, the tapeworm finds its way into her mouth.

In the wake of the tragedy, Sheila signs on Heather as her new model. When she does, Heather expresses how hungry she is for the job.