If there was one thing Chris McLean hated, it was public transportation.
It was, in his mind, demeaning to someone with his stature. He had money, he had fame, he had a private jet, he had... No, it was just fame and money- and not a whole lot of each. He had no idea where his private jet was (although he assumed it to be in an impound somewhere after the Vice City incident) and he had lost most of his fortune to drink. Of course, ever since the third season of Camp TV had ended, he had managed to live comfortably from the earnings of his new reality show. Granted, he didn't have millions of dollars, a giant mansion, a yacht, and young starlets waiting at his doorsteps, but he had enough. Despite he still held a position as a reality show host, he lived what was actually a somewhat quiet lifestyle. For the most part Chris actually enjoyed it. Maybe he didn't have everything he had ever hoped for- but, he had enough. For the first time in his life, Chris McLean was happy.
Until he found out Camp TV was renewed for a fourth season.
Yes, two years later, and it was back. The show Chris had thought he had been forever done with. To be honest, Chris did originally have plans to bring it back, which surfaced about halfway through the season. Once Alejandro had been eliminated, there had been a sudden spike in ratings, and Chris thought he could maybe milk the show another year. So, once the season was nearing it's end, he had an idea. Similar to the first season, he would propose a chance to the winner to double their money. All they would have to do was give up their current winnings and participate in another season.
What Chris HADN'T planned on was Noah winning.
Intelligent, resourceful, and- though he would never admit it- actually very charitable, Noah made sure he hired the best lawyers he could find as soon as the season was over. Two months later, he, Justin, and Josh had legal documents stated that they would never again participate in any of Chris' shows. Many of the more popular contestants followed suit, including both Trent and Heather- not to mention other contestants who were otherwise preoccupied. Defeated, Chris admitted defeat, and dropped the idea of Camp TV from his mind forever. So he thought, at least.
Two years later, another season of Camp TV was commissioned, and Chris now found himself on a red-eye flight to England. The worst part? The studio didn't even buy him first class.
Chris groaned, ran a hand thorugh his hair, and turned to the elderly lady sitting next to him.
"You know," Chris said, "I used to have my own plane, once. I flew around the world in that thing with some of my co-workers. And I mean the entire world."
"Oh really?" the old woman yawned.
"Oh yeah," Chris nodded, "we went to Rome, Vegas, Transylvania, Ireland, Australia... we even went to Cuba, once. I mean, it wasn't really legal, but we did it anyway."
"Fantastic," the woman frowned, gazing out of the window impatiently.
"Now look at me," Chris huffed, folding his arms, "stuck in stupid coach class with stupid people and stupid in-flight snacks... "
"If you feel that way, why did you bother coming in the first place?" The old woman scoffed.
"You know what I miss most?" Chris smiled, "I had this button, right? One push, and it could send whoever happened to be sitting next to me at the time soaring out of the plane and into the sky! I used to do it to my intern all the time. Then he sued me and got a restraining order. Good times."
The woman began muttering to herself, and put in earplugs.
"Oh, fine then!" Chris snapped, "Ignore me, see what I care- I'M CHRIS MCLEAN!"
The pilot's voice briefly came over the intercom, and informed the passengers they would be arriving in England in roughly and hour.
"Pfft," Chris muttered, "you know, I think I miss that old plane. Or maybe it's the people that were on it. I mean, they totally hated my guts, but at the same time, I guess they were good company."
Chris frowned, and rested his head on his hands.
"I'm not sure what to think of it," Chris muttered, "seeing everyone again. I honestly thought I had been done with it all."
The old woman, now looking slightly concerned, turned to Chris.
"We all have to face up to our pasts once in a while," she said, "take my grandson, for example. He had a rough life 'til his daddy died, then he went out to live with his aunt down in the southern US. I'm on my way to wish him good by-"
"I'm sorry, was I TALKING to you?" Chris snapped, "I'm trying to have a moment here!"
Chris shook his head and sighed.
"Sheesh," he said, "the nerve of some people!"
~o.0.o~
Four hours later, and Chris had finally arrived at Specter Island. As soon as he had gotten off the plane, he set out to the docks to pay someone to transport him to the island. It was a surprisingly difficult task. No one was willing to sail through the water, due to the severe levels of radiation that had sprung up seemingly overnight about two years ago. When he finally did find someone willing, they took damn near forever getting ready, and by the time Chris got there, the sun was beginning to rise. The camera crew was due later in the afternoon, and the contestants weren't actually due until the next week, so Chris decided to head to his lodge and have a nap.
A few months earlier, Chris arranged for several structures to be built on the island. A massive lodging for himself, two large cabins for the contestants, a brand new confessional, and several small houses for the crew. Much to Chris' dismay, they were all built from wood. The buildings were strong, sure, and certainly looked nice, but Chris was worried that they could be destroyed if something... unusual happened.
"Whatever," Chris yawned, "I better turn in for a bit. Get some beauty sleep before everyone else arrives."
With that, Chris made his way to the lodge.
~28 hours later~
It was 8 o'clock, and Chris was sitting on the beach, sipping his coffee and waiting patiently. Much to his amusement, the camera crew was scurrying about, trying to get everything just right for the arrival of the contestants.
"Relax," the host called out, "the competitors aren't due until next week. You don't need to rush."
"But... they're due today, sir," one of the men stated, "they should be arriving any minute, now!"
"Wait a second wait a second wait a second," Chris said, "Milton said they were due next Wednesday-"
"Milton said they were due THIS Wednesday- and he said that two days ago! He meant they were going to get here today!"
Chris blinked.
"Wait a second!" the host panicked "I haven't even set any traps yet! No explosives or pits or anything! I haven't even had time to import bears for- WHY IS THERE A BOAT HEADED TOWARDS US?"
"That'll be the contestants. The Veterans, at least, the Newbs are supposed to arrive fifteen minutes after them," the camera man gulped, beginning to press buttons, "uh, don't mean to pressure you, but you're on in three."
"Minutes?" Chris asked.
"Seconds," The cameraman said, grinning sheepishly, "sorry."
"I can promise you that you'll suffer dearly for this," Chris growled, "fine, just give me a second."
Chris took a deep breath, and turned away from the camera, facing the water.
"You're on," the cameraman whispered.
"Two years ago," Chris said silently, still staring away from the camera, "you witnessed one of the most historic battles to ever take place on basic cable. Twenty-one campers battled it out, facing not only each other, but every other obstacle thrown in their path. But in the end, it came down to two people- two people that would forever change the face of reality television. They battled it out, and one went home with a million dollars. And that, my friends, is where the story ended... Until now."
With that, Chris turned around, signature smirk on his face.
"Welcome," he announced, "the the fourth, and most exciting season yet of CAMP TV! Each year, we've prided ourselves on getting better and better, and this time around will be no exception! With contestants new and old battling it out for the grand prize, they'll face other competitors, vicious wildlife, dangerous challenges, and their worst enemy- themselves. Not only that, but they'll have to fight tooth and nail to survive after I introduce several brand new twists to the game! Get ready, because after a two-year hiatus, were bringing you the best season yet of Camp TV! Now, let's meet our contestants for this season!"
As the boat pulled up, Chris chuckled to himself.
Yeah, he still had it.
"Let's see who's first off... look's like former competitor DUNCAN!"
"Hey McLean," Duncan greeted, "long time no see."
"Duncan," Chris smirked, "how's it hanging? I'm sure after last season everyone's eager to see a little more of you... for the time being, at least. But for now, it's time to introduce our second contestant... Lindsay!"
The blonde stepped off the boat, smiling and waving at the cameras.
"Hey Craig!" she greeted, "It's soooo nice to be back!"
"We'll see about that," Chris chuckled, "tell me Lindsay, do you think you'll be able to do better than your last two tries?"
"What do you mean?" Lindsay asked, apparently genuinely confused.
"I mean you started out strong," Chris said, "you came in second place in our very first season. In our second, you were voted out first, and last time, your were out second. Do you think you'll be able to do any better?"
Much to Chris' annoyance, however, Lindsay was paying no attention, and instead fiddling with her hair.
"Whatever," Chris called, "NEXT!"
DJ stepped off the boat, a look of fear in his eyes.
"Uh, hey," DJ greeted, "nice to be back, I guess."
"Nice to have you back," Chris nodded, "especially since you never had another appearance after the first season. WE're all very eager to see what you can do with another chance."
"The next person Chris introduced was Courtney.
"Glad to have you back," Chris smiled, "of course, we'll see how long you can stay without Geoff or Owen to help you."
"Good to see you too, Chris," Courtney smiled, shaking her head.
"Alright!" Harold smiled, stepping off the boat, "another chance to-"
"Harold, for the love of- did I say it was your turn to be introduced?" Chris shouted.
"No, but-"
"That's right, I didn't!" Chris snapped, "Now go quietly stand somewhere while I think of how to properly punish you! Sigh... next up, Gwen! After your injury in the third season, you must be glad to have another chance at winning this season, right?"
"I guess," Gwen shrugged.
"Speaking of your injury last season," Chris smiled, "also returning is failed antagonist ALEJANDRO!"
Alejandro stepped off the boat, smiling.
"Yes, and my sincerest apologies about that, Gwen," he said, "I was... blinded by greed last time, and I fear I let my emotions get the better of me. I... don't suppose we can hope to start off on a clean slate this season?"
"Don't push it," Gwen snapped.
"Fair enough," Alejandro nodded, "I just ask that you try to be more open-minded than I was at my time of weakness."
"And weak you were," Chris snickered, "did you know, Alejandro, you are the only player to be classified as an antagonist and not make it to the top ten?"
"I am aware," Alejandro hissed, "but hopefully this season I will lose that classification."
"Yeah, whatever," Chris shrugged, "speaking of antagonists, let's have out the surprise heel, Bridgette!"
Bridgette appeared, a frown on her face and her hands in her pockets.
"Bridgette, you don't seem too happy to be here," Chris smirked.
"Look, let's just get this overwith," she sighed.
"I thought you'd have a new outlook after what happened last season," Chris smiled, "I expected maniacal laughter, or something. I am sorely disappointed. Next up, Tyler!"
"Hey Chris!" Tyler smiled, "Glad to be here! You guys better be ready, because this season I'll-"
"Nobody cares about you," Chris frowned, "but why don't we hear from our next contestant, LeShawna!"
"Hey y'all!" LeShawna greeted, "Glad to be back!"
"LeShawna," Chris said, "how do you think you'll do this season? Will you manage to come out ahead or slink back into obscurity?"
"I'm sure I'll do just fine," she smiled.
"Good," Chris said, "because next up, we have- another contestant nobody cares about, of course! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, NOAH! Sigh... next up, we have Ezekiel!"
Before Ezekiel could open his mouth, Chris cut him off.
"On to our next contestant," Chris said.
"But I didn't get to-" Ezekiel began.
"Nobody cares," Chris snapped, "but you know who people DO want to see? Or, PROBABLY want to see? I HOPE they want to see? EVA!"
Eva stormed off the boat, and took her place with the other contestants.
"Eva, pleasure to see you!" Chris grinned, "And I do mean that! You barely got anywhere in the first season, managing an early elimination and a lot of hate from the fans. But in our third season, you managed to beat sixteen other players and secure fifth place for yourself- not too shabby! Until, of course, Bridgette betrayed and humiliated you on TV. But other than that, I look forward to seeing how far you can take yourself this time!"
"Oh, I'll make it all the way this time," Eva scoffed, "just you wait. No one will stop me- certainly not Alejandro or Bridgette!"
"And that brings us to our final veteran competitor," Chris said, "and one of the few fan-favorites available to return this season, heeeeeeere's Coooooodyyyyy!"
Cody jumped off the boat, a smile on his face.
"Chris!" he greeted, "What's up, man?"
"Nice to have you back," Chris said, "at least, it should be good for the ratings. Cody, you managed to do so well the first two seasons, but you were eliminated THIRD last time- do you think you could make the finals again?"
"I hope so," Cody shrugged, "but I mean, it's been a while."
"That it has," Chris nodded, "and I can promise that things haven't gotten any easier! Now, the thirteen of you- Duncan, DJ, Cody, Alejandro, Harold, Ezekiel, Tyler, Bridgette, Courtney, Gwen, Lindsay, Eva, and LeShawna-will reunite once more to form a team and compete against the others. But there might be just enough friction left between you guys to make that task difficult."
"Wait," Duncan said, "OTHERS? You told me there would only be returning competitors this season!"
"And you believed me?" Chris mocked, "HA! No, the studio felt it might be necessary to add new competitors this season so as to shake things up a bit. Also, having new competitors will make it so new viewers have someone they can enjoy without having to watch the original seasons. Make sense?"
"Sure," Duncan shrugged, "I mean, I guess."
"Good," Chris said as another boat pulled up, "because it looks like the new contestants are here now! But before we introduce the new kids on the block, I'd like to take the time for some shameless advertisement!"
With that, Chris pulled out a can labelled "Blue Cow".
"Say, have you folks at home tried Blue Cow, the hot new energy drink?" Chris asked. The host smiled, took a sip, and spit most of it out.
"Yeah!" he coughed, "I mean, it may taste like gasoline, but you'll buy it anyway because we tell you to! Now then, where were we? Let's introduce our first new contestant- David!"
A tall boy with long, brown hair and light blue eyes approached the contestants. He wore a denim jacket, black sneakers, and a white t-shirt.
"Hey," he said, smiling faintly and giving the other contestants a quick wave, "I'm David. Nice to meet you guys, I guess."
"David," Chris smiled, "What do you think now that you're here? What do you make of your surroundings and the other competitors?"
"Well," David shrugged, taking a quick glance around, "it's a nice enough looking place, I guess. I think I'll still watch where I step, though."
"Clever boy," Chris smiled, "our second new contestant is Aria!"
A girl wearing a grey hoodie, jeans, and a blakc beanie slowly trudged off the boat.
"Uh... hi," she sighed, "sticking her hands in her pockets.
"Aria, nice to meet you," Chris said, "how you feeling today?"
Aria shrugged, and walked next to the other competitors without a word.
"Quiet type, I guess," Chris shrugged, "whatever, we still have plenty of competitors to get through, so I suppose it's for the best. Next up, why don't we have Lance?"
An african-american teen wearing a very fine red suit greeted teh competitors.
"Nice to finally meet you guys," he smiled, "name's Lance."
"Sorry, I didn't know this was formal dress," Duncan smiled.
"What, this?" Lance said, "Hey, like they always say, you get one chance at a first impression, right?"
"Right," Chris nodded, "I like your style, kid! But we don't have all day to talk about suits, so let's keep moving- how about we have Miri next?"
"Oh, uh, hi!" a red haired-girl with glasses and labcoat smiled, appearing at the tip of the boat, "It's nice to meet all of you, just let me- woah!"
Miri stumbled and fell onto the beach, and pulled herself to her feet.
"Whoops," she chuckled, dusting herself off, "sorry, I'm uh, a bit clumsy, I guess. My name's Miri, and I-"
"We'll get to know each other later," Chris snapped, "we have to keep moving!"
"Oh, sorry! Sorry!" Miri gulped, "I'll just, um, go over here!"
"Our next contestant is Johnny!"
A tall teen wearing a duster and cowboy hat made his way over to the contestants.
"Howdy," he said tipping his hat, "nice to meet you guys."
"Sorry, loser, there's no rodeo around here," Eva scoffed, "better head back to wherever it was you came from."
"Hold on now, take it easy," Johnny said, "we don't have any reason to fight each other-"
"Not YET, anyway," Chris smirked, "NEXT!"
Next was a girl with a blonde pixie cut. She was wearing a faded pink shirt, torn black pants, and sneakers. She also had a few ear piercings, and had an electric guitar slung over her shoulder.
"'ey!" she greeted with a very apparent English accent, "Name's Sunny- great to be 'ere."
After Sunny was another girl- she had straight brown hair, and wore a dark blue hoodie and jeans.
"Hi!" she smiled, "I'm Veronica!"
"Nice to see you," Chris said, "why don't you take your spot by the other contestants?"
Veronica nodded, and walked over to Sunny.
"Ooo!" she smiled, "That's a really nice guitar!"
"Thanks," Sunny smiled, "you play anything?"
"Um, well, I learned how to play the recorder in third grade," Veronica shrugged, "Oh, and I'm reeeeeally good at Rock Band!"
Sunny smiled and shook her head.
"Coming your way now is new contestant Lucky!"
Lucky stepped off the boat, a smirk on his face. He had short black hair and green eyes. He was wearing a white suit jacket over an untucked black collared shirt.
"Yo," Lucky nodded, surveying the landscape, "nice digs, Chris. Very Jeff Probst."
"Hey!" Chris snapped, "This isn't some rip-off of the show that shan't be named! This is quality TV, damnit!"
"Whatever you say, baby, whatever you say."
The next person to be introduced was a boy named Kyle. He was a slightly-overweight blonde who wore very simple clothes and a chef's hat. Overall, he seemed like a friendly person.
"Must be a stupid hat convention here, or something," Eva scoffed.
"Hey!" Kyle frowned, "This is my lucky hat!"
"I'll give him a week," Eva said, "maybe less."
The next competitor was a girl who went by the name Quinn. She wore a leather vest, purple undershirt, jeans and boots.
"Quinn, nice to see you got here in one piece," Chris said.
"Whatever," she scoffed, "I'm just here for the money."
"I like you," Chris nodded, " we only have a few competitors left though, so let's keep it moving- how about we hear from our next contestant, Ricardo?"
Ricardo stepped off the boat, a cocky looking youth wearing a Hawaiian t-shirt and black pants.
"Greetings!" he smirked, "Ricardo is very happy to be here- hopefully we shall have some good times, yes?"
"Depends on your definition of good times, I guess," Chris shrugged, "now, let's have our last female of the morning, TAMMY!"
A girl with dirty, matted blonde hair and a blue jacket scurried down to the beach.
"SHH!" she said, "Not so loud! THEY might hear you?"
"They?" Tyler frowned, "Like, us?"
"SHH!" she hissed, "Quiet, I need to listen!"
Everyone fell silent, and stared at Tammy nervously.
"...False alarm," she sighed, "I thought THEY were back. I guess not. I hope not..."
"Uhhhhh... okay," Chris gulped, "right. That... yeah, okay. Well, that just means we're down to our final competitor, Vevo!"
"Chris, please," a voice snickered, "like I really need an introduction."
Vevo stepped onto the beach, a smirk on his face. He was wearing a bright blue and pink jacket over a white t-shirt, blue jeans, large white sneakers, and black fingerless gloves on each hand. He also had very dark, black shades. He was also apparently listening to a music player, as he had one earphone in his right ear.
"I mean, come on," he continued, "everyone's going to know my name soon enough, why bother with the formalities now? After all, what would this season have been without yours truly?"
"Probably much more pleasant," Lucky shrugged.
Vevo glared at Lucky.
"Okay," Chris said, "now that you're all hear, I'd like to officially welcome you to season four of Camp TV! I never thought we'd make it this far, but whatever, may as well go with it. Now, before we begin, I'd like to explain the rules of the game. There have been several major changes from last time. For example, I have several treasure chests hidden around the island- I believe six in total. If you find one, you can turn it into me for a reward. I'll remind you what the rewards are when you turn one in, but I'll give you a quick list now: you can trade it for immunity, an advantage in the next challenge, food, several material prizes, and you can also call for a double elimination the next time there's a ceremony."
"Wait a second," Alejandro frowned, "those are all fine and good, I agree, but why put food on that list? It seems a minor reward compared to everything else."
"Not quite," Chris smiled, "because this season, you have to get your own food! That's right, you'll have to hunt birds, scavenge berries, go fishing, the works. At the beginning of every week I'll supply you with a small ration of food, but take my word for it when I say it won't last very long."
"That's ridiculous!" Eva snapped, "You can't do that!"
"Of course I can," Chris laughed, "you all signed contracts! Except for Courtney, who negotiated to be served a private breakfast every morning instead of risking starvation."
Everyone glared at Courtney.
"What?" she frowned, "When I read the contract, I thought the terms were unfair, so I negotiated a bit! Am I really the only one who reads those things?"
Everyone looked at the floor, embarrassed.
"It would appear the answer to that is yes," Chris nodded, "also, Aftermaths have been abolished this season in favor of recap episode near the finale, like in the first season. The final major change is that, a few challenges in, I will begin switching teams around as I see fit! That's right folks! Like your current veteran/newbie team division? Well, don't get used to it, because it isn't going to stay that way!"
"Great," Alejandro groaned, "truly, this keeps getting better and better."
"Now," Chris said, "before I explain today's challenge, allow me to introduce you to the new confessional system!"
Chris gestured to a blue camera on the beach.
"Now," the host said, "while I do have a confessional stall like in the old days, I added several blue confessional cameras for convenience sake. If you feel like leaving a confessional but aren't close to the booth, just find a blue camera and use that. Now, before we get started, I'm going to give you the chance to leave a confessional. Go ahead, say whatever you want. When you're all done, we'll get going."
CONFESSIONAL: Alejandro
Great, here again. While it is true the others will be suspicious of my actions, I do believe I'll have an easier time without that trio of self-righteous idiots trying to get in my way. Of course, I have several problems I should take care of immediately and an alliance is definitely on my priority list, I may want to consider laying low for a while.
CONFESSIONAL: Courtney
I guess it's good to have another chance at the money. I know I lost fair and square last time, but I was a little disappointed with how things turned out. Hopefully I'll have better luck this time. Oh, if you're watching this, I miss you, Geoff!
CONFESSIONAL: Harold
I'll admit my last two chances here didn't go exactly as planned, but I'm sure I can do better this time. I've been honing my skills- watch! (Harold pulls out staff, and begins twirling in the air as if to fight off invisible attackers. He then trips and falls over) *coughs* Gosh!
CONFESSIONAL: Lucky
Things aren't as bad as I thought they would be here. The island's nice enough, and at least I don't have to deal with that psycho-broad or the brainiac and his pals. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think a few of the guys here didn't look like bad news, but most of the people here seem on the up-and-up.
CONFESSIONAL: Lance
Yeah, I've got a good feeling about this. Long as I don't get mixed up in anything too shady, I should be fine. (Lance pulls out a bottle of pills, and quickly takes a few) Sorry. Anyway, like I said, I'm sure I'll be fine.
CONFESSIONAL: Sunny
(strumming the notes to "Too Young To Fall In Love" by Motley Crue before speaking)You know, I've actually been wishing for an opportunity like this to come by for a while now. I mean sure, that Chris bloke is off his rocker, but this is a good chance to get famous and win money while doing it. I'm not saying fame is everything, but you try starting a band in a town with practically no venues to play or any real coverage. It's bloody maddening, sometimes!
END CONFESSIONALS
"Well," Chris said, "now that we're done with that, it's time to get started. What will our first challenge hold? What friendships and rivalries will be formed? How will the old and new manage to coexist- or will they tear each other apart? Most importantly, who will be the first to go home? Find out next time on
CAMP TV:
SPECTER ISLANDS!"
(A/N: Well, that's it for this first chapter- not too eventful, I know, but I hope you enjoyed! There will be a lot more cast interactions and such next episode, I just wanted to introduce the characters this time around. Also, I'd like to apologize if you didn't see some of your favorite characters in there. I didn't include several people for varying reasons. In the case of Noah, Justin and Josh, for example, I felt like they ended the last season with all of the closure they deserved. I felt they had a good ending, and saw no reason to throw them into another season and keep adding on plots to them. Another prominent character I excluded was- of course- Izzy. This was because I wanted this season to be more serious, and I couldn't see that happening with her as a regular character. She WILL make an appearance or two later on, but not as a contestant. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed- I'll update soon!)
