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Kimberly Wyatt, a bright-eyed blonde, jumps on our bed wearing way-short shorts and tight leggings. Kimberly studied dance at New York’s Joffrey Ballet and got her first big gig with Royal Caribbean cruises; before that, she truly was just a small town girl, living in the lonely world of Warrensburg, Missouri.

So what’s life on the high seas like?

It was exciting. We had drills every single week: We’d hear the alarm, put our big orange life jacket on, and go to our muster stations, which is where you go for the lifeboats to come down. I knew I wanted to quit after my first ship, because I get so seasick, and I was on the toilet every Friday.

What was your must humiliating L.A. gig?

I was on Cedric the Entertainer Presents. It was like In Living Color, and we were the Fly Girls — and I idolized the Fly Girls as a kid. But they had us in the craziest costumes — lingerie and clear raincoats. I did it anyway — I was under contract.

In the spirit of “Don’t Cha,” what’s the freakiest thing you’ve ever done?

Moving to L.A.! I decided to give up everything and pack my bags and live on Sunset Boulevard. It was freaky. I still look back and think, “How the hell did I do it?”

After Kimberly leaves, cute-as-a-button Melody Thornton takes her place, wearing a tank-top that shows off her toned arms and a ballcap that plays up her Phoenix, Arizona, roots. The youngest Doll, Melody drove to the group’s 2003 audition and was one of the first to be signed up.

So you’re the lucky one — you came to L.A., auditioned and got the gig. No raincoats-and-lingerie getups for you!

I’m so lucky. When I first met all of the girls, some of them — not the girls who are in the group now — were not as welcoming. I was like, “What? I’m a kid! Leave me alone!”

How did you feel when they told you Nicole was going to be the lead singer? How can I put it? I have an idea of what I want out of this, and I think that it’ll definitely come. I’m biding my time. Whether they want to admit it or not, we all see this as a springboard for something else. Some girls have said, “It’s my dream to be in a pop group,” and I’m like, “OK, because I want to be Mariah Carey.”

What do you look for in a guy?

I’m young, so I’m still pretty shallow, and I go for muscles. The girls say I go for the meatheads, which is not true. I like guys that are buff! There’s nothing wrong with that. I mean, he’s gotta be intelligent … sometimes.

When Jessica Sutta enters the room, she sits upright and stretches one leg out in a yoga-like pose that Blender would have thought was humanly impossible. Jessica, a pale brunette with a sharp sense of humor, was raised in Miami, where she was the head cheerleader for the Miami Heat.

When did you first realize you could get a guy’s attention?

In middle school, boys were kind of mean to me, and my mom was like, “That’s because somebody has a crush on you!” I was definitely flirtatious. I’m more reserved now.

How reserved are you when it comes to the Pussycat Dolls outfits?

I love to look sexy, but I think less is more. My mom has always instilled in me to have poise. When I first booked the Pussycat Dolls, she didn’t really like the name. And I was like, “Mom, you know I wouldn’t be part of something that wasn’t tasteful or classy.”

What was the first concert she took you to?

Debbie Gibson. I thought she was the coolest. I actually got to meet her like a year or two years ago. I freaked out: “Oh my god, Debbie Gibson!” And she was like, “It’s Deborah.” I don’t know if she took it right.

Are you dating anyone now?

I don’t really have time for that. In London there was a tabloid rumor about me dating James Blunt. Which is so not true.

What’s the freakiest thing you’ve ever done?

It’s going to take a couple of dates and some gifts to get that out of me.

Suddenly in need of some air, Blender takes a break and futilely attempts to crack open the room’s suicide-proof windows. That’s when Ashley Roberts pops in, wearing a post-workout tank-top and tight sweatpants. Ashley, whose father was a drummer in the Mamas & the Papas, was 19 when she got her first professional dancing job. The good news was that it was a national tour; the bad news was that it was with Aaron Carter.

Who was your first pop-star crush?

My dad’s mom was a jazz dancer, and she would babysit me. She had VH1 on all the time, and whenever George Michael came on, she’d be like, “Ooooh, look at him in those tight pants! His butt just moves!” I remember being like, “Yeah, Nana, he’s so hot!”

What do you look for in a guy?

Confidence but not cockiness. A guy who can be goofy, because I’m such a dork. I actually didn’t have a boyfriend until I was 19. I was just a dork with my dancing.

Are the Dolls a showbiz stepping stone?

We all have a home with the Dolls. But I wouldn’t mind venturing out. I love acting. I’d like to do a romantic comedy someday. I make a lot of weird faces. I don’t have any cartilage in my nose, so it goes in really weird directions.

Roberts heads off to the showers, and Carmit Bachar struts in, wearing a fur-collared top and earrings the size of beer coasters. Carmit is the oldest of the Dolls and has been a member since 1995; her dance career has taken her from one infamous gig to another, including Janet Jackson’s 2004 Super Bowl snafu.

What do you look for in a guy?

Humor, style … he’s got to have at least one killer dance move. And sixpack abs never hurts.

Are you dating anyone now?

I hate dating. Dating is wack. You either have a connection with somebody or you don’t.

As a firsthand witness, what’s your take on Nipplegate?

None of us knew that was going to happen. We’d been rehearsing for a month. We were walking off the field, looking up at the screen and it was like, “Oh my god, was that Janet’s tit?” I don’t know, to this day. When you watch it, it looks like Justin went to grab something. If my boob came out, my first reaction would be to cover it. But she didn’t. So I don’t know.

And then there’s Nicole Scherzinger.

None of the other members have any illusions about Nicole’s place in the group: She is the star, the one who co-writes the songs, hits every tough note and stands front-and-center in the band’s photos and live shows. Raised in Hawaii and Kentucky by conservative parents, Nicole is the most unpredictable Doll, shifting from hyperanimated to quietly demure within seconds. She’s also the most concerned with the group’s music: While most of the girls are trying to figure out what to do with their day off tomorrow, Nicole has slotted the time to work on new songs; she’s already got a dozen or so for her next album, which she insists won’t be a solo record … yet.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a performer?

I was very shy when I was a child, and the thing that opened me up was singing. That was the only way I could communicate — otherwise, I’d be hiding behind my mom’s leg.

You sang your way to L.A., and then tried acting for a year. What was that like?

I never got so much rejection in my life — never. I had a full year of rejection.

What was the worst audition?

I needed the money, and I was like, “I am going to be the best dancing toothbrush I can for Oral-B.” [Laughs] I went to the dancing auditions and really saw myself as that toothbrush. I went for it. And I didn’t get the job. It’s funny now, but it was life and death at the time.

What did you learn from Eden’s Crush?

After I worked my balls off for two years and didn’t make a dime? It was very hard to be in a girl group that was put together on television [on the WB’s Popstars], with cameras in our face all the time. I was always caring about what other people thought. But it really made my skin thick.

Did you date a lot in high school?

I was very shy when it came to guys. My sophomore year in high school I started dating a boy [Nick Hexum from 311], and we were together for seven years. I’m never really good at dating. I just kind of get engaged.

What’s the freakiest thing you’ve ever done?

Have you ever heard of secondhand vision? Where one person can’t see, and the other person sees through him? I did this thing with Keith Barry, an illusionist, where I was in the car and he was driving [with his eyes covered] at full speed on a narrow road with cliffs. He kept saying, “Don’t take your eyes off the road!” I was screaming the whole time. But I thought, “If I die, at least people would see it.”

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