Faithful “Missionary Positions” viewers may be in for new perspectives on sex if freshman Vanessa Heil-Chapdelaine has her way. As the new student host of the show, she hopes to include more guest panelists on the risqu‚ Washington University TV headliner.
“I like the atmosphere of the show, the discussion that happens, and the live questions,” said Heil-Chapdelaine of the show’s current format, adding that next year’s season might include “a taped intro, some taped segments…and more guest panelists.”
Senior Alison Small, the current host and executive producer of “Missionary Positions,” said she chose Heil-Chapdelaine to be the next host because of her personality and professionalism.
“[Vanessa] has just the right combination of charm, intelligence, and on-the-ball humor that a good host needs,” said Small. “She came prepared, handled the other panelists well and most of all was comfortable in front of the camera.”
Small went on to explain that Heil-Chapdelaine’s level of comfort translated well into a “balanced on-screen personality.” While she wasn’t afraid to make jokes about the sexually explicit material discussed on the show, she respected the questions that were fielded.
Though Heil-Chapdelaine watches “Missionary Positions” every week, she said her decision to audition for the host position was largely due to her friendship with freshman Jessica Black, who lives on her floor and who will take over as the show’s executive producer next year.
“[Jessica] mentioned they were looking for a new host, [and] I thought it would be fun and that I could do a good job,” she said.
Small said Black and Heil-Chapdelaine will be working very closely together next year because of their positions on the show. Her final decision to cast Heil-Chapdelaine as the host, however, was not an easy one.
“It was an extremely hard decision,” said Small. “The other finalist (Emily Schultz) was also very good and had a lot to offer. In general I thought the auditions went surprisingly well. I would have hoped for more initial auditionees, but honestly I think I still would have chosen Vanessa and Emily as the two finalists-they were just that good.”
Heil-Chapdelaine described her experience auditioning as “a little bit shocking.”
“It was what I expected, but we had to pretend to be the host and they asked us some pretty risqu‚ questions,” she said.
Small said she wants Heil-Chapdelaine to “add her own flare and technique to the show,” and for this reason she will not go through any training for next year. Small has given her tapes of past shows, however, to give her a general feel for what the show has been like, and intends to “fill her in on the basics” of hosting the show.
“She’ll also need to get a good idea for what the show’s history has been like, and I’ve saved all the articles and interviews for that!” said Small.
Heil-Chapdelaine is looking forward to both the experience and recognition she will obtain from hosting the show next year.
“I’m looking forward to the fame and fortune, [and] I think it’s going to be a great opportunity to take a really good idea a little bit further by adding personal touches, ” she said.