It wasn't Chef Hatchet's first time in a prison. And with his luck, it wouldn't be the last. He followed the warden down a hall with many prisoners looking onward. Cries of, "I'm innocent!" rang in the ears of both men. Hatchet even caught one of them giving him bedroom eyes. He wasn't interested. What he was interested in was the prisoner that sat in the very last cell; Maximum Security was holding someone rather… special.
"And the Crusty Cockroaches have a huge lead over the Soiled Stinkbugs! Lightning slips past Owen, and the heat is on! Yeah, look at that! That's what I'm talking about!" yelled its holder, as well as acquaintance to the war veteran. There sat a man half his age watching as a cockroach and a stinkbug have a "race" on his bed. The warden cleared his throat, snapping the young man out of his trance and getting his attention. He delivered a look of scorn towards the other man twice his age.
"Well, look who finally came to visit me after a whole year," he said. "Cram it, McLean!" demanded the warden as he unlocked his cell. "C'mon. You've finished your sentence for dumping toxic waste," Chef informed him. But McLean wasn't going anywhere. He just sat on his bed.
"Whatever," he said. "I think I'll stay right here; got everything I need, including Chef 2.0! I made him from a cashew," he continued, taking out, indeed, a small cashew that held a striking resemblance to his partner in crime. Yep, prison did not treat him well. If his mental state wasn't as visible, his appearance would have you assuming the same thing. His hair was disheveled, his five o'clock shadow was replaced with a neckbeard, and he had a glazed look in his eyes. Chef then handed the younger a manilla folder.
"The producers greenlit another season… with a new host," Chef began. "I was replaced?!" McLean shouted. "Higher ups thought to continue on without you due to your… situation," Hatchet continued. "But he was recently called in to do another show, so he quit. We need you back, Chris," he finished.
Chris then took the folder and opened it, reading its contents: plans for one grand reunion season: contestants from seasons past, rookies and veterans, all on the island where it all began three years ago, and with the host who started it all. He then grew a sadistic grin on his face. "It is on!" he proclaimed! And with that, he and Chef Hatchet made it out of his cell, and the prison, and on their way to one more season of Total Drama...
Camp Wawanakwa has officially been restored to its original glory: no more radiation or toxicity in the air, the water, the wildlife, et cetera. The buildings have been rebuilt in stellar condition, the bonfire area was more grandiose, even the dock, which was more sturdy and less rickety, was decorated to commemorate a grand reopening. There Chris stood, makeup and hair done for the first time since becoming incarcerated. Yep; he looked like his old self, perfectly camera ready.
"Welcome to the biggest season of Total Drama yet! After my year long… ahem… 'vacation', I really needed to be in a familiar environment, surrounded by the people I love… to hurt," he began, laughing maniacally. "I can't actually hurt them, though. It's a condition of my parole," he then confessed, frowning. "That replacement of mine didn't seem to get what the series was about, so I'm back with twenty-four Total Drama contestants from seasons past to battle it out in the most dangerous, death-defying one billion dollar competition ever!" he announced. Wind suddenly began to pick up from around him. Looking up, he sees a helicopter hovering over the dock, a rope ladder unfurling from it, landing next to Chris. "And here they are now!
"Now then, these first six I barely have any knowledge, so I'm just gonna read these cue cards they left for me, starting with zombie apocalypse expert, Shawn," As Shawn made his way down the rope ladder, Chris pondered to himself what exactly someone in Shawn's field was. He certainly gained a chuckle after the dude got his foot stuck in one of the rungs and slipped. Luckily, for the contestant, he didn't land on his cranium. That chuckle turned into a grumble when no additional harm came to him.
"Hey, where's Don?" he asked. "Hosting another show. Money's on it failing before the pilot even airs," Chris answered, smirking to himself as Shawn made his way down the dock to the benches.
"Australian survival expert, Jasmine," he read next, less confused than before. What did confuse him was the fact that the girl, Jasmine, was much taller than him. Heck, he assumed that she was taller than Chef even. "You're tall," he said. "And you're much shorter in real life," she responded, making her way down to meet up with her boyfriend.
"Chris McLean's biggest fan, Topher. Hello…!" he said as he saw a young man wearing Chris' attire slide down the rope ladder, landing perfectly on his feet. "Nice to finally meet you, Chris! Glad to be competing for a competent host for a change!" the younger complimented. "And I am officially flattered," declared the host.
"Canada's top cheerleader, Amy," he read next as the blonde girl in uniform did a somersault out of the plane and landed perfectly on the dock. Sure, her ankles hurt from that stunt, but it was worth impressing the host. "Ehh… eight," Chris judged as he earned a scowl from the blonde.
"Going to take over the world tomorrow, Max?" he questioned as he read this next cue card as thunder booms and maniacal laughter is heard. He then turned to see the short, purple-haired teen, chuckling afterward. "How cute," he snarked. "I am not cute! I helped take over Pahkitew Island last season! And I would've gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for that Scarlett…!" he declared, gritting the name of his former "sidekick" through his teeth. Max then joined his former castmates.
"And finally, Sammy, not Samey. Everyone calls me Samey. Please don't call me Samey. It is Sammy," he read quizzically as he saw… Amy descend from the helicopter again? Wait, this one's missing her mole. "Ahh… Samey," he greeted, earning a groan from the girl. "Didn't you read what I wrote you?" she asked. "Of course I did, Samey," he answered, simply to annoy the identical girl. She soon made her way to her former castmates as Chris began to introduce the next set of contestants.
"Next, some slightly familiar faces. From Revenge of the Island, say hello to newly rehabilitated Dakota," the host began as his former intern made her way down the ladder, green still in her blonde hair, but nonetheless back to her old self. She kept blowing kisses at the camera with her free hand every few steps before finally standing next to Chris. Shoving her aside and into the water, Chris went on to introduce the next contestant.
"Challenge-throwing dirt farmer, Scott." The dirt farmer came out and saw Dakota's shadow in the water, but mistook it for someone else. "Uhh, that's not Fang, is it?" he asked. After not moving for a few seconds, an impatient Chef Hatchet shoves him out of the helicopter and Scott lands on the dock. "Who apparently still has mutant shark-ophobia," Chris added as Scott groaned in pain.
"Aura reading beetle whisperer, Dawn." The smaller girl made her way down the ladder, or rather floated down. "How does she do that?" he wondered to himself. She set herself down next to Scott, helping the boy up. Dakota finally resurfaced, spitting water out of her mouth and climbing back onto the dock. "You are paying for my dry cleaning!" she yelled as she walked off and towards the benches, joining Scott and Dawn. "Unfortunately, thanks to her father suing me, I am. It's another condition of my parole," Chris confirmed.
"Private Pants-Wetter, Brick." When Brick made it down to the dock, he gave an obedient salute to Chris and shouted, "Private Brick MacArthur reporting for duty, Sir!" Chris just patted him on the shoulder. "At ease, soldier… for now," he said as Brick joined the rest of the contestants thus far.
"Body Bruiser, Jo." As Jo climbed down the rope ladder, she shouted down, "You're a dead man, McLean! And so are the other contestants if they hold me back or get in my way!" sending death glares at the contestants down at the dock thus far, a few of them even cowering behind others.
"And Silent B!" B just walks past Chris without a word. "C'mon man. Can't you say something at least once?" Chris asked. B was about to answer when a blast of a ship's horn was heard, cutting him off. Chef Hatchet flew the helicopter off as the yacht pulled up next to the dock. Clearly, there were more contestants that could not fit into the copter.
"And now, you've begged for these men and women to compete in one more season! Your wish is my command!" he announced. "From the original Total Drama Island, we have Know-It-All CIT, Courtney." The CIT was the first to exit from the boat, sending a glare at Chris. "You're just lucky that you got a good defense team. Otherwise, you'd still be in prison," she told him. "Could've asked you to defend me, Court, but I had a feeling you'd turn me down," he replied as Courtney made her way down to the rest of the contestants.
"Next up, Courtney's former broody beau, Duncan." Duncan just exited not bothering to look at the host who has given him, as well as his ladies, hell on the show. "Nice to see you too…" Chris groaned as Duncan ignored him. Duncan gave a passing glance at Courtney, who just turned away.
"Courtney's former bestie-turned-boyfriend stealer, Gwen." An audible growl came from the yacht as Gwen made her way down. "Can't you just let it go?!" she asked as she found herself standing next to Chris once more. "I could, but it's just too much fun to harp on it!" Chris declared as Gwen joined her boyfriend and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, earning a scowl from the scorned ex.
"Ladies-Man Wannabe, Cody." Cody walked down cautiously in case an obsessive stalker by the name of Sierra was hiding somewhere waiting to ambush him. "Please tell me Sierra isn't here. Her stalking has gotten a lot worse to the point where she's watching me take a shower," he begged. Since Chris didn't confirm or deny Sierra's presence, Cody continued to worry.
"Actual Ladies-Man, Justin." As Justin walked down to the dock, most of the female contestants began staring at him in admiration. "Thanks for allowing me back, Chris. It'd be a crime to not allow the world to witness this!" he said as he took his shirt off, revealing his twelve-pack and causing girls to faint. He then went off to join them.
"Devious Diva, Heather." Immediately, Chris was met with a kick to the shin. "My time here had BETTER not be wasted!" she yelled, still upset that she lost her million two years ago. Chris continued to hop as Heather walked off and he greeted the next, more friendly contestant.
"Lovable Light of our Lives, Lindsay." Lindsay walked down as cheery as she usually was and gave Chris a friendly hug. "Hey, Kyle. It's good to be back." Chris knew by now that it was impossible for Lindsay to ever remember most names correctly, so he didn't bother to correct her and continued to introduce the rest of the contestants.
"Mr. Participation Award, Tyler." As he walked down, Tyler was doing a few tricks with his yo-yo, but unsurprisingly ended up getting tangled in the string and trip on the dock. Lindsay immediately went over to her accident-prone boyfriend and helped untangle him. "Thanks, babe," he thanked and the two immediately shared a kiss. "Ahem, save the PDA for later, will you?" Chris asked as the two simply headed off to make out and embrace somewhere else. Sighing, Chris moved on.
"Girl with 'Tude, LeShawna," Chris introduced. "Hey, what's up y'all! LeShawna's back in action!" she greeted in excitement as she made her way down to the dock. Gwen immediately welcomed her friend's presence and hugged her. "Missed you too, girl," the sister said, smile on her face.
"Man with Mad Skillz, Harold." Harold was going to say something, but stopped when he saw Duncan cracking his knuckles with an evil grin on his face. Remembering Duncan's constant bullying and the underwear incidents back in season one, Harold gulped and simply walked to the other side of the crowd of contestants.
"Our resident insane lady, Izzy." A loud and crazy laugh was heard from above. Everyone looked up and saw Izzy leaping off from the top of the yacht and land on the dock. Once again, however, she missed, and landed on Chris, rather than in the water like her last failed attempt. "WHOO! Ten points!" she cheered as she got off of him and ran to the other contestants. Chris, still in pain, was able to get up and continue with the show.
"And finally, Feral Freakshow, Ezekiel!" he announced as Ezekiel ran down towards the dock, hooting like a savage. Suddenly, Chef returns with the copter, sending down a plunger which immediately connects with the boy's head. "Hahaha! Kidding! No way we were actually letting him come back!" Chris laughed as Chef reeled Ezekiel into the copter and flew off.
"No, our actual twenty-fourth contestant is… on his way." Chris announced. "So, welcome, campers, to our biggest season of Total Drama yet! Please, settle down, mingle while I find out what's taking him so long." Chris then headed off to his cozy cottage while the twenty-three contestants got together, meeting one another and reminiscing.
Courtney walked up to Duncan and Gwen with a harsh glare. "Listen up, traitors!" she shouted before being interrupted by Gwen. "No, you listen! I thought you and Duncan were officially over when I kissed him and wasn't I punished enough already?! I got eliminated because I got ill in a tiebreaker with you, lost a million dollar prize, got stranded in the middle of the Australian Outback, and got attacked by a kangaroo! And despite all that, you still continue to torment me! Can't you just let it go already?!" Gwen asked angrily.
"I'll let it go once you decide to apologize." Courtney argued. Duncan, in spite of wanting a cat fight between the two, came in between them before one could start. "Okay, Gwen has NOTHING to apologize for! I… I mean we weren't even a thing at the time!" Duncan shouted in defense. "You really think I would've been this angry if you and I weren't together at the time?" Courtney asked. "Besides, I'm over you. I should've seen it coming sooner or later, but I didn't. But Gwen, I thought we were friends!" Courtney then sighed. "If anything, I hope Duncan treats you better than how he treated me," she said as she walked away.
Courtney: Am I still upset that Gwen stole my boyfriend? Yes. Do I miss Duncan? Heck no! In fact, I kinda miss Gwen more… Maybe if she wasn't being so hostile every time I approach her, I'd listen to what she'd have to say.
Gwen: I know what I did was wrong, but I can't apologize until Courtney stops harassing us! I mean, I want to, but I want to do it when she's calmed down and not ready to tear my face off at the first opportunity… that's pretty much my only reason coming here, to make things right with Courtney, because honestly, I miss her. I miss what we had together before Duncan came in and ruined everything.
Duncan: Me treat Gwen better than I treated Courtney?! Nononono. You got that backwards! Gwen's definitely treating me better than you ever could have! But to be frank, it's gotten… boring with Gwen; hearing her constantly whinge about wanting to make things right with her after all of the crap she pulled. I say forget her… Forget Courtney, not Gwen.
Lindsay immediately pulled the CIT into her embrace. "Aww~! You're fighting like old time sake!" she squealed. "Well, we won't be having any more of that," Courtney replied, dismissing the friendly blonde. "This year, I'm putting my all into the competition! No more friends or romances for this girl!" Courtney declared, and Lindsay just blinked. "You know, you could stand to be a bit nicer…" Lindsay admitted. Lindsay wanted to like and be friends with everyone, and right now, Courtney needed one, but made it clear she didn't want one. Lindsay saw that she wanted to be alone instead, so she left her alone and went back with Tyler.
Meanwhile, the twins were bickering as they always did on a daily basis. "You might as well give up now before you make a fool of yourself and screw everything up for your future teammates!" Amy yelled. Sammy growled in response. "Oh, I'm going to screw up?! If you recall correctly, all you did last season is treat me like scum, take credit for my accomplishments, use me as a human shield in challenges, and make me a scapegoat for our team's losses!" Sammy counterattacked. Amy just rolled her eyes and said, "Whatever. I'll just do all that again this season. I will always be able to manipulate the other contestants into believing I'm the superior one. And there's nothing you can do about it."
Sammy just sighed. "I guess you're right," she confessed. "I might as well give up. You win." Amy just blinked in surprise. But, instead of suspecting anything, Amy just smiled, thinking her "inferior" sister finally learned her place in life. "I'm so glad you're finally seeing things my way!" she exclaimed, right before Jasmine decided to intervene. "You better watch that attitude of yours. If the first and second generation contestants watched our season, they will never believe your lies. Now Sammy, we need to talk," Jasmine says as she dragged Sammy away.
"Sammy, what gives? Why did you just tell that tyrant that you can't beat her? I thought you knew better by now," Jasmine said right when she and Sammy were out of Amy's hearing range. "I was only playing her to shut her up. Besides, I have a foolproof plan to show the others that I'm not the bad twin whether they watched last season or not," Sammy assured. Jasmine just blinked. "Okay then…" She wasn't exactly sure what her smaller friend had planned, but if she wanted to keep it a secret, she respects the cheerleader's wishes.
Sammy: I've come up with something that will make it much harder for my sister to take credit for my accomplishments. [removes the top of her uniform to reveal wearing a blue one underneath] I bought this shirt behind her back before we left for this season. Whenever our teammates see the twin in blue help out, there is no way they can mistake me for her.
Elsewhere, more of the castmates were reconnecting… somewhat. Brick and Jo have already begun a race around the island to catch up on old times, which left the others a chance to sit and talk. "You sure Fang's not around? You sure he's not hiding around somewhere?" Scott asked, terrified. Cody sighed in agreement. "I'm with you. Sierra's started acting… obsessive again," he confessed. Scott glared at him and said, "Imbecile. You should consider yourself lucky that your problem is just an obsessive stalker. That's nothing compared to being on the top of the menu for a mutated land shark. I can end up becoming Scott nuggets at any moment."
"At least neither of you had to go through MONTHS of radiation treatment," Dakota complained, still bitter from becoming Dakotazoid. "Why are you back here, then?" Cody asked. "If Chris left you exposed to… that?" Dakota just rolled her eyes. "Why are any of us back here? Hmm?" Most of them still remember the bad memories of competing on this show, so that question does make sense. For some, they just wanted another shot at the money. For others, such as the Pahkitew cast, they suspected Don would be hosting again. For a select few, their reasons were different.
Reasons that will be tended to later, as an air horn blasts in the ears of the twenty-three hopefuls as Chris returns… with the Drama Machine from Celebrity Manhunt? "Contestants, time for your first challenge!" Chris announced. "Uhh, but we don't even have teams yet," Shawn pointed out. "Is the challenge going to determine teams again?" asked Dawn. "Nope. I've decided this time to assign your teams based on what you're most remembered for in seasons past: Brains, Brawn, or Beauty," Chris answered, leaving the contestants puzzled.
"First off, I need Gwen, Heather, Harold, Max, Dawn, B, Cody, and Izzy." Those eight contestants all grouped up together, Gwen having to be dragged over there by the robot. "You guys are the Brainiac Buzzards!" he announced as he tossed the goth girl an orange banner with the logo of a brain with a pair of sharp wings.
Gwen: Guess Duncan and I won't be on the same team. Too bad, though, he was smart enough to evade the police for the entire first half of World Tour.
Heather: Chris must've taken notice of my strategic gift and placed me with those who could only hope to be like me. I got this game in the bag, especially since that Al guy isn't here… I wonder what happened to him, anyway? Not like I care.
Dawn: I'm so relieved that I'm not on the same team as Scott. I don't have to worry about him framing me for theft again or throwing challenges for my team.
"Next up, Jasmine, LeShawna, Duncan, Brick, Jo, Scott, Shawn, and Tyler." Duncan still remained close-ish to Gwen as the rest of his teammates gathered around him, and was tossed a green banner with a logo representing a pair of muscles, one on each side of a buffalo. "You guys are the Brawny Buffalos!"
Jo: Brawny Buffalos? I like that. They're tough enough cripple a full-sized human for life. Just like me.
Shawn: Hmm. I guess it's a relief that I'm on a team with tough people. They'll come in handy to fend off any zombie attacks if that happens.
Jasmine: Admittedly, it is a shame that I can't help Sammy with her Amy problem if her plan, whatever it is, doesn't work. But it's also a relief that I won't have to compete against Shawn.
Courtney took a quick look of who's left, and was immediately overcome with dread. "Oh no…!" she groaned. "Which leaves Courtney, Lindsay, Justin, Amy, Samey, Dakota, and Topher. You guys are…" Chris began as he began to stifle laughter. "You're the…" Chris was unable to contain his laughter as he was about to announce the name of this, clearly, joke of a team. "Come on, Chris! Spit it out already!" Courtney demanded as he threw a purple banner at her head. She quickly got up and unraveled it, revealing its logo to be a triad of butterflies next to an eye. "The Beautiful Butterflies!" Chris announced as he laughed some more.
Sammy: Why do I always have to end up being on the same team as Amy? Typical Chris. Making me have to put up with Amy's abuse again to increase the drama. However…
Courtney: Beautiful Butterflies? SERIOUSLY?! Why aren't I on the Brains team?! I'm smarter than all of those bozos put together! Yes, I know Izzy claims to have an IQ of 183, but do you guys honestly believe her? Even me being on the Brawns team makes more sense! Why am I teamed up with these...?! [groans]
Chris: For those of you wondering why Courtney is on this team as opposed to the other two, there are two reasons. One, my cameramen seem to be fixated on her behind. Two, to ensure that she goes home as soon as possible. By placing her on the weakest team, full of people well aware of her reputation, she'll be out faster than Ezekiel.
"Aww~! Butterflies are so adorable!" Lindsay squealed. "Well, it was either that or the Beautiful Bunnies," Chris replied, causing Lindsay, as well as the rest of the blondes on the team, to go, "Aww…!" The twins then turned away from each other, because Heaven forbid they actually agree on something! Justin and Topher, the two boys on the team, looked rather uncomfortable having such a girly name for their team. Courtney just rolled her eyes, but discovered something else about her team: "Wait, we only have seven members while the other two have eight! What gives?!" she asked, just as the Drama Machine wheeled itself over to them. "Fine. You can have the robot," Chris groaned. "Right now, it is time for your first challenge!"
"Wait, shouldn't we settle into our cabins first?" asked Tyler. "No time. Besides, you're going to be competing for your living arrangements!" Chris announced. "If you do adequately enough, you get to stay in our newly refurbished cabins and eat adequate meals from the Mess Hall," he began as the camera panned over to the two cabins, definitely looking better than in seasons past.
"Do better, and your team stays at our brand new resort and spa hotel where you'll be catered to your every whim, sponsored by Dick Milton and Milton Hotels." The camera then pans to the two-story building with a hot tub located outside, as well as a balcony right above the front entrance. On the two front doors, there was a giant M, which the narcissistic host would like to think stands for, "McLean".
"And if you come in last… you win a tent." The camera just pans to an unopened tent kit just in between the two residences. Judging from the size, it would not be big enough to house eight people. "Oh, by the way, these living arrangements are permanent." Immediately, all three teams knew where they wanted to stay. And to get to stay there for the entirety of the season, up until the merge at least, was a huge bonus! "So, teams get to the cliff!" Chris then blew his air horn again and the contestants began running… or at least the first two did. The third team was lagging behind since the Drama Machine could only go so far in such a short time.
"Ugh! Our first challenge hasn't even started yet and this stupid bucket of bolts is already slowing us down! We're going to end up with the tent for sure!" Courtney complained. "Samey, make yourself useful for once and push that robot to quicken its pace!" Amy demanded. Normally, Sammy would expect Jasmine to defend her whenever Amy belittled her or ordered her to do all of the labor. This time, however, since Jasmine was on a different team, she had to stand up for herself. "What? And let you take credit for my work again?" she snapped. "And when have I ever done that?" Amy asked, obviously lying through her teeth.
Courtney rolled her eyes at the two bickering and decided to push the robot herself. "I'd help, but I don't wanna ruin my manicure," Dakota complained. "Me neither," added Justin. "You heard them, Samey. Help her." Amy ordered. Sammy just rolled her eyes again, thinking now was the best time to put her plan into action. "Okay." She then went over to Courtney and helped her push their metal teammate along, but not before taking off her red top. Amy was shocked and angered to see her sister in a blue top. "You… skank!" Amy yelled.
Amy: How dare she buy a mismatched shirt without my permission! How am I supposed to take credit for her accomplishments now?!
Sammy: The look on Amy's face when she saw my blue t-shirt was priceless. As an added bonus, I took money from her piggy bank to buy this shirt. I know that sounds bad, but you'd be surprised how much money she stole from me. Since she won't willingly pay me back, I might as well do it for her.
As Sammy pushed the robot with Courtney, she noticed Courtney was glaring at Duncan, whose team was right ahead of them. "You've been staring a hole at Duncan ever since we got here." Courtney chose not to respond, and instead look away once Duncan looked back at his former Princess. "Isn't it time to let go of the past?" Sammy asked. "Duncan did do a terrible thing to you. I'll give you that, but if you continue on like this, you might end up doing something that you'll probably regret later in life."
"I can't say I'm mad at him anymore. I should've seen it coming. He's a bad boy, he does bad things. Here I am thinking I could change him," Courtney answered. "So, you're chastising yourself for what happened back in London?" Sammy asked, chuckling because this seemed rather out of character for the otherwise bold Courtney.
Courtney looked at her and asked back, "And what is the issue with that? Didn't you ever chastise yourself for not rebelling against your sister years earlier?" Sammy felt more surprised than offended by that. "You mean that even with my red shirt on, you can tell the difference between me and Amy?" Courtney rolled her eyes and said, "Of course. It baffles me on how your teammates back in TDPI were idiotic enough to not realize that you don't have a beauty mark, while your sister does." Courtney soon joined the younger twin in laughter.
Meanwhile, the first two teams were already at the top of the cliff. They had to wait a while for Team #3 to join them. Eventually, they did and Courtney and Sammy collapsed from exhaustion. "What took you guys so long?" Heather asked. While she felt too exhausted to yell, Courtney still managed to say in an angry tone, "Isn't it obvious, you idiot? This robot is slower than a sloth and all but one of my teammates were too lazy to help me."
Believing this to be an opportunity to hoodwink the cast into believing in her "superiority," Amy said, "Yeah. I helped Courtney push this robot most of the way up, but Samey was too lazy to help until the last minute." Courtney and Sammy glared at her. The rest of her team just blinked, because they swore the twin in BLUE was the one who helped Courtney push the robot up, not the one in red. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was your sister," Lindsay admitted. If Lindsay was able to see past the façade, there was no helping the older twin. Sammy's plan worked! Before she can brag about it, however, Chris arrived. "Now then, I'm sure you all recognize this location, whether you were actually here or not."
Those closest to the cliff's edge looked down. Sure enough, there was the thousand foot drop towards the waters below. "Your challenge is to dive down to the bottom of the bay to retrieve a key. One of those keys opens the spa hotel. One of them opens up one of the cabins. The other twenty-two open… other things," Chris began. "Each team must have one person dive down, and then race to the shore where one of your teammates will push you along in the baby carriages from Season Three's New York challenge. So decide who's going to be doing the pushing, as well as trek all the way back down to the beach."
"I'll go push for my team. I still have that 'condition' that prevents me from jumping off cliffs this high," Courtney volunteered. Clearly, that condition was "sanity." She'd do a lot for a billion dollars; jumping a thousand feet in the air to land in the water was not one of them. Duncan just rolled his eyes. Gwen also stepped forward. "I'll do it." Duncan was surprised by Gwen's actions. Surely she would've wanted to stay away from Courtney, especially since the brunette volunteered first. Duncan also stepped forward. "I'll go to make sure my girl doesn't get into a fist fight."
"Alright. No team member is allowed to dive until your carriage pusher makes it to their respective carriages. So, who's up for a toboggan race?" Chris asked as he guided the trio to a triad of toboggans. All identical save for each of the team flags draped over the front of each one. The young adults didn't bother to wait for Chris to signal the race to start as all three had already jumped in and began sliding down. "Huh… rude much?" Chris asked, glaring at the camera.
Courtney, ignoring the pain from pushing her metal teammate all the way up the cliff, blazed downwards to make sure Duncan and Gwen wouldn't be able to kept up with her. However, Gwen was on her tail, with Duncan close behind. The girls were both able to steer away from obstacles such as trees, rocks, and animals. Duncan, not so much. Gwen turned back to see if he was alright, but narrowly avoided crashing into her former friend. "Watch it!" Courtney yelled. Duncan just stared, mesmerized by the CIT… What was happening to him?!
Duncan: And now I remember why I fell for Courtney in the first place; she's fierce, she's determined, and won't take crap from anyone… not even me. Not to mention it's SO MUCH FUN to mess with her! Then again, she LOVES to play Nutcracker, and try to mold me into the "perfect boyfriend." Meanwhile, Gwen doesn't care that I'm perfect or not, not to mention she's also sweet and snarky, as well as very talented and humble! However, these days, our relationship is seeming… dull…
Meanwhile, each team was deciding who should dive first. "Oh! Can I go first? Can I? Please?!" Izzy squealed, hopping up and down. Heather rolled her eyes and answered, "Yeah. Sure." Izzy cheered and made her way to jump, but saw that Gwen wasn't at their orange carriage yet. Pouting, she stood there at the cliff, ready to jump when the moment struck.
Elsewhere, another redhead was doing his best to stay away from the cliff's edge. "No way. I'm not jumping at all," he claimed, backing towards a tree. "Fine, you don't have to go first you little coward, but you ARE jumping. I'll go," Jo volunteered as Brick also made his way towards the cliff. "Actually, it should be me who goes first. I've been to military school and one of the things they taught was combat swimming." Jo immediately got in his face and continued to bicker with him.
Brick: In truth, frogmen in the military are outdated and I was never taught about combat swimming, but I needed to think of some way to look better than Jo.
Scott: I wanted to volunteer to push the carriage for my team, that way I wouldn't have to face [gulp] Fang… PLEASE let him actually not be here and I'm just being paranoid for no reason?!
"That water doesn't have any toxins in it, right?" Dakota asked. "I don't want it ruining my genes… again." Lindsay blinked. "But you're not wearing jeans," she commented, confused by the homophones. "Well, if history is going to repeat itself, then the sharks down there will help me find that winning key no problem," Justin bragged, earning a loud laughter in response from Topher. "Good luck with that. I was able to charm a few animals myself. I'll take this," Topher volunteered. Justin already had his ego tempered with Al, despite him not even competing in Season Three with the Latino. He didn't need it from Sierra's long lost twin cousin or something like that. "Let's put it to a vote," Justin suggested as he took off his shirt. The way his female teammates swooned as he did so not only ensured he still got it, but that he'll take the first dive. "Fine, I'll go second," Topher complained.
Finally, one of the three tobogganers reached the shore and their carriage. Grabbing their team flag, they stood it in the sand. And with that, Izzy cheered, "Geronimo!" as she leapt into the water below. Gwen, meanwhile, was resting on her carriage when Courtney showed up. "Hey, Courtney…" Gwen began. Courtney looked willing to listen. "You think maybe after the challenge we can talk? Without Duncan?" Gwen asked. Courtney remained silent, wanting to focus on the challenge, but intrigued by what Gwen had to say. "Sure," she answered. "As long as you're ready to apologize."
Gwen was about to retort when Izzy came back and hopped in the yellow baby carriage. "I got the key to victory! Let's win that hotel!" Izzy hooted as Gwen pushed her along. Courtney, thankfully, didn't have to wait too long after for Justin to appear from the water, the sharks assisting him to shore. Just as Duncan was sliding into the area, Courtney and Justin made their way to the hotel with their key. And Duncan waited for someone, ANYONE, to jump and dive in for their own. Brick and Jo quickly took notice and started to bicker again.
"Look, Duncan's here now, so let me take the jump!"
"Allow me… to make the chances of you getting the winning key greater?"
"Like you're fooling me with that!"
As the two continued to argue, Tyler decided to take matters into his own hands. He jumped, screaming along the way down, and landed in the water below… or he would've if his aim wasn't off and instead hit the boat Chef was on monitoring the challenge from the sidelines. He simply picked the jock out of the boat and tossed him back into the water. Eventually, Tyler came back up and jumped in their team's baby carriage. "Finally…" Duncan groaned as he began to push it to the spa hotel.
Meanwhile, Izzy and Justin have both got faulty keys for both the hotel and the cabins and were on their way back. "Bummer!" Izzy complained before tucking the key in her shirt. Justin was simply silent as Courtney returned him. As soon as both girls reached the beach once more, two more contestants took the dive: Harold jumped and, thankfully, did not land on his groin this time around. Instead, he landed on Lindsay as both crashed into the water. Duncan quickly returned with Tyler who had just barely missed his girlfriend blow him a kiss.
As the challenge went on, more contestants took the dive: Topher found a key shaped like Chris' head, and when that didn't work, he kept it as a souvenir. Shawn discovered a key that appeared to have had a bite taken out of it, and it was no surprise that it failed to open either residence. Dawn had hers handed over to her by a school of fish, and was still grateful even after the key was revealed to be yet another phony.
Soon enough, Heather and Gwen were at the Spa Hotel. "Come on, stupid door! Open!" she yelled. "I'm pretty sure that's not the right key," Gwen said, rolling her eyes. Heather just jumped back into the carriage as Gwen wheeled her to the cabin. She tried the key there, and it turned. "And second place goes to the Brainiac Buzzards!" Chris announced over the speakers. Of course, the team was disappointed, but at least they didn't get stuck with the tent. However, no one on that team was more upset than Heather.
Heather: Damn it! I have to spend an entire season in a cabin that has cracked windows, a leaky roof, beds with springs that hurt, thin blankets! I can go on with the complaints forever!
Dawn: In all honesty, I was hoping my team would end up with the tent. I greatly prefer camping out at night and listening to the soothing sounds of nature over sleeping on a bed in a cabin.
Left on the cliff's ledge were Amy, Sammy, Jo, Brick, Scott, and the robot. When Courtney arrived with Dakota, relieved that the water did positive wonders to her hair, the twins decided to go the way of Jo and Brick. "Come on, Amy, no one's going to fall for your tricks now. If I jump and get the winning key, so be it," Sammy argued. "Like I'm letting YOU be responsible for our team! You'd get us in the tent for sure!" Amy fired back. Scott just groaned. "You know what? I'LL decide which one of you goes over first if that'll make you happy!" he shouted, picking Amy up and throwing her off the cliff. "Hopefully, that'll stop the racket."
Scott immediately regretted his decision as Jo came to toss him over as well. "H-Hey! I just wanted it to be quieter up here!" he shouted in defense. "I know your thing was throwing challenges so your team would purposefully lose, but actively helping the other team?! Now I feel like throwing YOU!" Jo screamed as she chased him around. While Jo was distracted, Brick jumped and Sammy just stared.
Amy just grimaced as she made her way with her key to Courtney. "Finally…" the CIT groaned, pushing Amy in the carriage. Duncan just rolled his eyes as Brick hopped in his carriage, doing his best to sprint to reach the hotel before Courtney did. Good news, he did make it first. Bad news, the key Brick got wasn't the winner. Duncan just groaned.
Meanwhile, Jo was successful in tossing her teammate in the water. When Scott landed, he swam as fast as he could to the lake bottom and grabbed one of the keys. However, right when he was about to swim to the shore, he saw Fang swimming right for him. He screamed and started swimming with Fang in hot pursuit. He reached the shore, but Duncan had not returned yet. Seeing that Fang also reached the shore by now, he started running around the beach with Fang right behind him.
Soon, both Duncan and Courtney returned and Scott immediately hid in his team's carriage. "Hey!" Courtney complained. "Get back here you cheat!" Duncan just flipped off his ex as she growled at him. Thankfully, Sammy was able to dive, grab one of the remaining keys, and make her way Courtney. "Let's go!" she shouted as both raced to the hotel.
Duncan once again made it first, and once again found that their key was a dud. Upon seeing Courtney and Sammy rush over, he placed his foot in their path in an attempt to trip them. Instead, he wound up with said foot in pain. Those wheels were a lot sturdier than he realized.
Sammy soon hopped out of the carriage, but realized she had dropped her key in the process of Duncan's sabotage attempt. "Oh crap!" she shouted as she began looking for her key. Courtney, noticing her teammate's struggle, also went down searching for the crown-shaped key in the grass. Thankfully, she found it and tossed it over to Sammy, who quickly bolted towards the Spa Hotel door.
Click.
And just like that, it was over.
"Yes!" Courtney shouted. She hugged Sammy as they cheered in victory. She quickly gave a smug grin at Duncan, who just glared in response. The other Beautiful Butterflies, including the robot, cheered along with Sammy and Courtney, except Amy, who was glaring and crossing her arms at Sammy. Noticing this, Sammy followed Courtney's example and gave a smug grin at Amy, which only made Amy angrier.
Courtney: This challenge could not have gone better. Not only did my team win, but Duncan has to live in a small cramped tent for remainder of his time here. Too bad he won't be living in those miserable conditions for long though. I'm making sure he's going home the first opportunity I get.
Duncan: This blows! Not only does my ex live in a fancy schmancy hotel during the summer, but I have to live in a tent?! [sighs, then chuckles] But it's not like she'll be staying there for long. They're gonna vote her off the first chance they get. All I have to do is sit back, relax, and watch her burn…!
Amy: I… I can't believe this! My sister won the challenge for us… and I can't take credit for it! [groans] Looks like I actually have to… put effort into the competition! I shouldn't have to do that! That's what the bottom of the pyramid is for: they do the work while the top gets all the praise. And Sammy, despite her luck today, is a definite bottom.
"Congratulations to the Beautiful Butterflies. You're staying at the Milton Resort and Spa during your time here. Hooray…!" Chris droned, obviously unenthused at what he thought was going to be the weakest team was celebrating their win. All brought their bags inside, leaving the losers in the dust… literally for a handful. Gwen just walked up to Duncan after settling down in the cabin.
"Hey… sorry you have to stay in the tent," Gwen began. Duncan didn't respond, obviously still pissed. So Gwen decided to kiss him in an attempt to cheer him up. Duncan kissed back. "I'll be sure to bring you breakfast in the morning," she promised. "Good, last thing I need to eat is Chef's leftover schlop," Duncan chuckled before making out with his girlfriend.
Unbeknownst to Gwen and Duncan, Courtney watched them the entire time from the second floor balcony of the Spa Hotel. As Duncan was walking to his team's tent, Courtney said to herself, "Sweet nightmares, Duncan. Tomorrow, you will face the full force of Hurricane Courtney." It wasn't long until she caught Gwen staring up at her, and she rolled her eyes, remembering that she promised to talk, but not wanting to make the trek back down and outside. "What?"
"Look, I know what I did was wrong, SUPER wrong, and I just wanna apologize for everything that's happened and—" Gwen began to ramble but Courtney cut her off with, "I'm sorry too…" she said begrudgingly, leaning on the railing of the balcony, looking down at her former friend. She was still mad at Gwen, but she still missed having her as a friend. Gwen agreed. "So… friends again?" she asked. "Maybe," Courtney answered, smiling as she went back inside the Milton and Gwen to the cabins. All the while, Chris was watching, and gagging at, the scene.
"Hello! It's Total DRAMA, not Total FRIENDSHIP. How am I supposed to get ratings out of that?!" Chris complained with a sigh. "At least we still have a heated rivalry between Amy and Samey. I highly doubt that they'll ever end their conflict. Can't believe I didn't have a chance to milk it last season!" Chris then turned to the camera filming him. "Now that the teams are settled, who will rightfully rise to victory, and who will unsurprisingly send someone home tomorrow? Seriously, the Butterflies just got lucky, but they won't be next time, on Total! Drama! All-Stars!"