‘Melrose Place’: Colin Egglesfield explains what’s up with Auggie’s blood-stained uniform

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Following last week’s ‘Melrose Place,’ we still don’t know much about Auggie Kirkpatrick, other than that he can wield a knife in the kitchen.

So Show Tracker went straight to the source. We asked actor Colin Egglesfield to fill us in about who might have killed Sydney -- what’s up with setting that bloody coat on fire, hmmm? -- Auggie’s love interests, and what he’s learned from culinary boot camp.

So many suspects, so little time. Do we find out soon if Auggie’s innocent or not?

You’ll see the history of Auggie and where he comes from. He’s got quite a few demons. You can see how he’s teetering on the edge and falling back into the dark side. He gets in trouble with his boss. There are also hints that Riley’s (Jessica Lucas) wedding jitters might pay off for Auggie, and that Violet (Ashlee Simpson Wentz) senses my character is going to the dark side.

But that line from the pilot about Auggie’s hookup with doctor-in-training Lauren? A fluke?

I think it was just a one-time thing. I think maybe after I moved in or she moved in they might have had a relationship.

Do you know who Sydney’s killer really is?

Honestly, I don’t and that’s the fun part about this. They’re being very tight-lipped about what they reveal. Only Laura Leighton [who plays Sydney] knows. I’ve been trying to get it out of her and she won’t open her mouth. It could be any number of people. I’m just as anxious to tune in and see what happens as anyone else.

And the stained uniform?

(Laughs) I’m a chef so it could be just cutting up some beef. There are four other characters just as suspicious as I am. It’s very plausible that they could have done it too.

How do I know to trust you? Convince me Auggie didn’t do it.

The only reason why Auggie wouldn’t have done it is because he really cares about Sydney. [Spoiler alert!] She’s the one who helped him get back on his feet and convinced him that being a chef is something that he can do and he should do. They have a relationship. There’s a few other characters who have a much stronger motives.

Can you give us any clues that we should watch out for this season?

Pay attention to the murder weapon. They slowly reveal little clues here and there. There isn’t one major thing you need to focus on. It’s all about uncovering what Sydney’s relationships were with all these characters. It’s interesting to see how her character fits in with the landscape 12 years later.

So far, this show seems to be all about secrets and how to keep them. Got any big ones you’d like to spill about yourself here?

My deep dark secret is ... I’m not that good a cook. They threw me into boot camp training for cooking when I first booked the pilot. There’s a chef in Burbank who has three restaurants and he threw me in the kitchen and put me to work right away. It was just a whirlwind of ‘Iron Chef,’ ‘Top Chef,’ you name it. So far I haven’t chopped any of my fingers off.

Has your cooking has improved?

Before this, my extensive cooking prowess was throwing spaghetti noodles in a pot and boiling it and heating up ground beef with spaghetti sauce. Now I’m learning how to make orange roughy with tortellini and gnocchi and stuff I wasn’t able to pronounce before.

Why do you think now is a good time for a ‘Melrose’ update?

I think the audience is still there. I think enough time has passed so that people are curious to find out where the previous characters are. ‘90210’ and ‘Gossip Girl’ are about high school. In our show, the characters are a little bit older. The people are just kind of starting out [as adults] and there’s nothing really on TV right now that’s really about people who are dealing with choices at this point in their life.

So it’s not just because of the cat fights?

Absolutely. That’s what I really like about this. It’s not just a prime-time soap opera. There’s a lot of really great material in this. Each character is really well-defined. It’s not just a lot of pretty people in a complex. There’s a lot of serious issues we look at. We try to tell the stories of these people who are finding out what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Do they fit in? Should they be in a relationship with this person? I think a lot of people can identify with what’s going on.

What do you think? Can you relate to this show? Or are you watching just for the back-stabbing and betrayal? Share in the comments section.

-- Whitney Friedlander

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