Author's Note
I'm quite happy to have a chapter come out when I expect it to! Especially since this story seems to be relatively popular so far. It was a fairly simple chapter to write, especially since I've known who was going to be eliminated for some time. I think I've also gotten a nice look at how this challenge could have gone, and hopefully I've managed to keep everyone in-character while doing so.
With regards to the reviewers:
80jj: I'm glad you like it! I also like B and Beardo, but how far they're going to get in this game I'll keep a secret - not that it would be difficult to have them go further than they did in their canon seasons.
invaderzimdibfan: I'm glad you like the concept! Hopefully I can maintain the quality.
TheNextAngelRoy: I'm happy you liked the callbacks! I'm also happy you wrote down your thoughts for each character. I obviously won't spoil the plans and details I've already hammered out, what with spoilers and all, but I will say that our character preferences don't completely line up so you may end up disappointed down the line. Still, I hope you keep reading and enjoying!
Anonymous Guest #1: I don't know if this is your opinion or not, but the assumption that all characters are straight until shown otherwise is inherently homophobic. In this series, we know very little of where the majority of characters lie in the spectra of sexual and romantic attraction, and even the stuff we do know doesn't automatically exclude all other possibilities (i.e. Geoff's attraction to Bridgette doesn't automatically mean he can't be attracted to a guy, though I don't plan to explore that in this fic). Also, I am most decidedly not including non-straight ships because, as you seem to believe, I am 'a horny fangirl who finds that kind of thing hot and gets off on it.' I am twenty-six years old; I have much better things to do than be attracted to a bunch of animated teens. Any ships i include in any story I write are there purely because I either like them, or they are canon.
Sleep Arypsure: I hope you find the wait to have been worth it!
EvilAngel666: I'm glad you like it! In some ways, I'm happy that Heather isn't in this season, as it means that one of the later seasons is guaranteed a high-quality villain. Hopefully I won't take too long to get to her debut.
Thank you all for reading! I await your feedback should you choose to give it.
- Fangren
Episode 2 – Not So Happy Campers, Part 2
The episode opened with the same distance shot of Chris at the dock used for the preview at the end of the previous episode. "Last time, on Total Drama Island!" The camera cut to a shot of all twenty-two campers at the campfire pit, awaiting their team assignments, then to parts of the scene at the Gopher girls' cabin, and finally lunch with the hulking Chef. "Twenty-two campers have signed up to spend eight weeks right here at this crummy old summer camp, then have to face the judgment of their fellow campers."
"It's our first challenge, how hard can it be?" The clip of DJ eating with his team was shown again, followed by a dramatic switch to the cliff.
"Oh, shit."
xxx
(Fade to Opening Theme)
[Several shots of the lights and cameras hidden around camp popping out and turning on, often at the expense of the wildlife. A cue card marks a transition to a fly-by shot starting at the docks and 'Wawanakwa' sign, past the camp facilities, and over the top of the host drinking coffee in a director's chair just as the lyrics start.]
Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doin' fine;
[The camera flies through the trees and up to the largest cliff, peeking over to see two rings of buoys laid out in the water.]
You guys are on my mind!
[The camera dives off the cliff and into an underwater shot; DJ is shown in a barely-fitting life jacket and swim trunks. He spots a shark and screams, swimming upwards just as a fishing line hooks his life jacket.]
Ya asked me what I wanted to be,
And now I think the answer is plain to see!
[A cut to the surface, where B is sitting in a modified canoe. As he tinkers with a motorized fishing rod, DJ surfaces and grabs the side of the canoe; the mechanism malfunctions and tears the life jacket off, flinging it high into the sky.]
I wanna be...famous!
[The life jacket hangs in front of the sun for a moment before coming back down into the woods. The camera pans down to Dawn meditating on a stump and surrounded by small woodland animals; the life jacket hits her in the head, knocking her over and scattering the wildlife. The camera zooms out to show Scott watching the scene and laughing, and then again to show Scarlett raising an eyebrow, then writing something in a notebook.]
I wanna live close to the sun!
[The camera zooms to another part of camp, showing Sierra and Topher sitting in an inflatable raft and about to go over a waterfall. Too busy slap-fighting, they notice too late and scream as they go over the edge.]
Well pack your bags, 'cause I've already won!
[The shot pans down to the bottom of the waterfall, showing Alejandro standing on a broken log suspended between two rocks. Too busy balancing on one hand, he misses Sierra and Topher falling behind him. Shawn, shooting fearful looks behind him, runs into view and collides with Alejandro, sending both flying off to the left of the camera.]
Everythin' to prove, nothin' in my way;
[The camera rapidly pans to follow Shawn and Alejandro, and they eventually slam into the outhouse confessional. The impact causes Sugar to fly out the door, and the camera pans over to the Main Lodge – Chef's silhouette is visible in the window.]
I'll get there one day.
[The camera moves in past the window to show a smirking Chef, arm deep in a large pot of something sickly green. He looks behind him to where Beardo and Beth are sitting, both tied up. The two share a nervous glance.]
'Cause I wanna be...famous!
[The camera pans left to show Jo and Lightning arm-wrestling. Jo points at something behind Lightning, distracting him long enough for her to win. The camera zooms out past another window to show the edge of the docks. Amy backhands a gabbing Staci, then pushes over Sammy as the nicer twin bends down to pick up a shell.]
(Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
[A pan down the docks show Sam happily playing a portable console. A furry hand taps him on the shoulder, distracting the gamer and allowing the arm to snatch away the console. Sam realizes what's happened, and rushes angrily at the large hairy ape-man now playing the game.
I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
[Dakota moves the camera onto herself, and kisses the lens. She waves as a man quickly wipes away the smudge, then types something into her cellphone. Moments later, five other men appear on the docks with cameras, snapping pictures of a rapidly-posing Dakota.]
I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
[The photoshoot is interrupted by a splash of water; the camera pans right to show an annoyed Chris standing on a boat and holding an empty bucket. The reflection of light on the bucket become stars in the night sky as the scene transitions, panning down to reveal Bridgette and Geoff sitting at a campfire in front of a large full moon. They lean in for a kiss but are interrupted by Ezekiel's sudden appearance between then, an arm around both of them and an oblivious smile. The shot zooms out to show the other campers also sitting around the fire and whistling the last few notes of the theme song as Chris watches.]
(Fade to Episode)
xxx
A shot of the entire cliff was shown before changing to the group of campers overlooking the edge. "Okay!" Chris announced as the camera panned left to show him standing next to a crate as well as the other campers. "Today's challenge is threefold! Your first task is to jump off this one-thousand-foot high cliff, in to the lake."
"Piece of cake." Bridgette said with confidence.
"If you look down, you will see two target areas." Chris continued off-screen, prompting Bridgette (and Lightning, who was in the shot with her) to look down at the water. The view switched to a top-down shot of the water below, showing a large semi-circle of buoys a the base of the cliff which enclosed a much smaller floating ring. "The wider area represents the part of the lake that we have stocked with," a trio of dorsal fins were shown circling at the surface of the lake, "psychotic," Chris chuckled as one of the fish jumped out of the water to snap at nothing, "man-eating sharks!"
Several shots of the campers looking down at the danger that waited them were shown as Chris continued to explain the challenge – first Geoff and Alejandro, "Inside that area is a safe zone," then DJ, "that's your target area," Ezekiel, Jo, and Shawn, "which we're pretty sure is shark-free!"
"Umm, can you say that again?" Sammy asked nervously. The camera cut back to a smiling Chris, who ignored her and continued speaking.
"For each member of your team that jumps and actually...survives, there will be a crate of supplies waiting below." The camera quick-panned to two stacks of crates already piled on the beach. "Inside each crate, are supplies that you'll need for the second part of the challenge...building a hot tub!" the shot changed to a close-up of the object in question, zooming out to reveal it in its entirety and accompanied by a jingle reminiscent of a game show. The camera cut back to the grinning host. "The team with the best one gets to have a wicked hot tub party tonight!" Chris pointed at the camera.
The view changed to a lonely pair of suitcases sitting on the edge of the dock at sunset. "The losers," the music turned slightly sinister, "will be sending someone home." The shot changed back to Chris once more. "Let's see...Screaming Gophers! You're up first!"
The view changed to a shot from below of Shawn looking down at the water. "Oh man that's a long drop! So, uh, who wants go go first?"
Crickets were played over shots of both teams as nobody made moves to volunteer. "It can't be that bad, right?" Bridgette said from amongst the Bass. "I mean, these shows make the interns test everything beforehand, right?"
A ripple effect signaled the transition to footage of Chris and Chef at the top of the cliff, the larger man sporting purple board shorts and an orange swim tube. "We need to test the stunts first!" Chris exclaimed. "You know that!"
"Do I look like an intern?" Chef asked in a close-up.
"No," the host replied as the camera switched to him, "but the ones we had are all in the hospital. Come on just jump it you big chicken!" He made a few clucking noises.
"I don't get paid enough for this man..." Chef said, snapping his swim goggles over his eyes. He hopped off the cliff, and screamed all the way down.
The buoys of the target area were shown, before the camera quickly panned left to where Chef landed, well outside the smaller circle. "Hey! I made it!" Chef panted once he'd surfaced. "I made it man!" The view switched again, this time showing Chef's legs dangling below the surface of the lake from the point-of-view of something approaching the large man. The background music took a foreboding tone as the shot switched back to a close-up of Chef. "Somethin' just brushed by my foot!" he said in a panic, whipping around to try and catch a glimpse of what lurked beneath the waves. The shot zoomed out to show a shark fin swimming just behind Chef. "Hey Chris, man! Somethin' ain't right down here!"
He briefly disappeared below the water before jumping clear out of it, swimming away and yelling unintelligibly as a shark chased him.
The camera cut back to Chris at the top of the cliff, writing something on a clipboard. "Well! That seems safe enough." He walked away, and the scene rippled back to the present challenge.
"So, which one of you is going first?" Jo barked at her teammates.
Amy immediately raised her hand. "Samey will!" she said, shooting a vicious look at her twin. "After all, she is the most expendable."
"I'm wha-!" Sammy started to object, but she was already too close to the edge of the cliff – she was shoved off by her sister, who watched Sammy fall before jumping off after.
Miraculously, Sammy landed screaming but well within the inner circle. "Oh em gee, I did it!" she exclaimed once she'd realized her own safety.
"Break my fall!" The younger twin's happiness evaporated as she heard Amy calling from above. Sammy only had time to look above her before Amy landed right on top. "Oh, sorry." Amy said without meaning a single word. "And hey, looks like you're not even good at being bait, sis!" As the boat came to pick them up, the camera cut back to the top of the cliff.
"Well then," Alejandro said as he looked over the cliff alongside Beardo and Staci, "I suppose I shall be the next to jump." He took a deep breath, and swan-dived off the cliff. The camera followed his descent, but slowed just enough to catch the two that had jumped after him. Beardo came first, imitating the sound of an air raid siren. Staci followed shortly, screaming; she landed on one of the strings of small floaters, causing the bells on the adjacent buoys to ring noisily.
Back at the clifftop, DJ was next in line but looking extremely hesitant. "Uh-uh, no way man." he said, shaking his hands and taking a step back. "I'm not jumpin'."
"Scared of heights?" Chris asked, touching music playing in the background.
"Yeah!" DJ nodded. "Ever since I was a kid!"
"Well too bad!" Jo interrupted, angrily getting in the gentle giant's face. "You're jumping, or else I'll really give you something to be afraid of!"
DJ squeaked in fear and backed away, only to trip over a small rock. As he'd had his back away from the edge, he ended up tumbling backwards over it. He began to scream and flail his arms as soon as he realized what had happened, and even louder when he looked below him and saw a shark on the surface, jaws open and waiting.
Naturally, both human and fish had misjudged their relative positions and DJ landed on the shark's back. Although the predator had been knocked out cold by the impact, DJ hadn't noticed. With his already considerable strength amplified by fear, he windmilled his arms all the way to shore.
The camera cut back to an angry Jo and delighted Chris. "Anyone else wanna chicken out?" the jock-ette said to the other four Gophers still at the top of the hill. None of them spoke up. "Good." Jo said, walking to the edge herself. The camera switched back to the falling viewpoint as Jo called out "Look out below!"
It was Shawn who came next, and he was in decidedly higher spirits than the rest of his team. "Woo hoo hooo!" he cried as he plunged downwards. The camera followed him all the way down, showing him landing perfectly in the center ring. The scene cut to his teammates cheering on the beach, then back up top.
It was now Beth's turn to look over the edge in fear. "I don't know if I'm more scared of jumping, or what Jo's gonna do to me if don't jump..." she moaned.
"There's no need to be afraid of either, actually!" Dawn said, putting a hand on Beth's shoulder.
"How do you know?" the farm girl asked casting a worried look at her teammate.
"I can see it in your aura!" Dawn answered happily. "It's a very lovely shade of magenta, by the way, it suits you! But more importantly, there's no sign of death in your near future, so you should be fine!"
The close-up of Beth's face showed no signs that she had been comfort. Instead, bewilderment had largely replaced her fear. "If you say so..." she said, looking back at the water far below and gulping. She stood up straight, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "I can do this!" she told herself as she jumped off.
Her fear quickly caught up to her, although she did indeed land safely. Dawn was not as lucky, landing a few feet away from the target area and attracting the attention of the sharks.
"Oh, um, yes, I don't suppose you'd like to help me get to shore?" Dawn asked the sharks, backing away in fear. The three fish actually stopped to look at each other for a moment before resuming their approach. "Right, yes, just checking!" Dawn said, hurrying to the 'safe' area and the waiting ship.
The scene transitioned to Chris holding up a clipboard at the top of the cliff. "Let's see now..." he said, studying the papers on the board. "Looks like we've got ten jumpers so far! Pretty surprising if you ask me, but we're still missing one!"
"That's me, Chris!" Topher said as the camera panned to him, standing alone in a wetsuit. "Just wanted to tell you how great of a job you've been doing. I mean, this first challenge is just perfect! Really sorts out the winners from the chumps, you know what I mean?"
"Glad you like it, Topher!" Chris smiled. "But you should probably get jumping."
"Right, gotcha!" the fanboy shooting one last look at the host as he took a running leap off the cliff.
"Wow, I seriously can't believe they all did it!" Chris said as he watched Topher hit the water down below. "I mean, it's a thousand-foot drop into shark-infested water! I might have to step up the difficulty of future challenges if this keeps up." He turned around to look at the other team, the shot zooming out to get all twelve in frame. "Killer Bass! If you can match their score, I'll give you a pullcart to push your crates on!" The cart in question was shown on the beach, accompanied by the same jingle as the earlier hot tub. "But if you fail, I'll give it to the Gophers instead!"
"Oh yeah!" Lightning cheered. "I'm up first! Sha-Lightning!" He took a running dive off the cliff, striking a pose at the last second before twisting back into form. He was shown to have landed without issue, and the shot cut back to the clifftop.
"Well, if that fake-fan Topher can do it," Sierra muttered, "then so can I." She turned a smile towards the host. "Hey Chris!" she sang, "I'm gonna do the same dive you did at the end of that competitive diving movie you were in, remember that?"
"Yes, Sierra, I do remember that horrible film. Unfortunately." Chris deadpanned.
"Good!" Sierra answered, oblivious to the annoyance she'd caused. "I hope you like it!" She took a deep breath and launched herself off the cliff, tucking in her legs and starting to somersault forwards. She kept spinning all the way down, only uncurling herself just before she hit the water.
Sierra struck the water flat on her back. "Owww..." she mumbled, sinking beneath the lake's surface but fortunately within the target area.
"Well whaddaya know?" Chris smirked blandly, the camera switching back to his close-up. "She actually pulled it off." He turned his head and the camera panned to the rest of the Killer Bass. "Next?"
Bridgette was the one who stepped up first. "It's no big deal..." she said, psyching herself up. "Everybody else who jumped landed safely, so why shouldn't I?" The surfer took a deep breath and swan-dived off the cliff.
The point-of-view fell with her, slowing down once more to get shots of other campers mid-descent.
"WOO-HOOHOOHOOHOOOO!" Geoff cried as he fell.
"YEE-HAAA!" Ezekiel followed suit, hitting a protruding rock halfway down which sent him spinning.
Scarlett was next, showing decent form despite her obvious fear. "It's only approximately eight seconds, it's only approximately eight seconds, it's only..." she muttered all the way down.
B was last in the sub-group, tucked in to a cannonball. He landed outside the inner ring, but the splash he caused sent the sharks flying away from him.
"Well shucks," Sugar said as she looked over the edge, "looks like I'm gonna hafta get my hair wet. But I ain't gonna let nobody call me chicken!" She steeled herself, and hopped off.
The camera cut to Chris at the sound of Sugar's splash, the host making more marks on his clipboard. "Let's see, just three of you left! And remember, you all have to jump or the other team get the carts," he told the last three campers with a smile. "But no pressure, dude!"
Sam gulped and stepped forward. "Okay, there's pressure!" Chris said suddenly and with unnerving glee.
A funeral bell began to toll as Sam began to prepare himself. "Yeah, I was pretty nervous." The gamer said by voice-over. The camera transitioned via static to the confessional, where Sam sat. The Killer Bass' logo was placed in the top left corner. "I haven't exactly been leveling my swim skill, if you know what I mean." Sam said with a nervous chuckle.
The confessional changed to Geoff, the reddish fish still showing in the corner. "I'm lookin' at this guy and thinkin'," the party boy said, "there's no way he's gonna make it."
"For a moment there I thought," Jo said in the next confessional, green gopher having replaced the old logo, "if he does this? He's gonna frickin' die!"
One last bit of static and the camera cut back to Chris and Sam at the clifftop. "Take a good run at it buddy," Chris coached, "you can do this!"
The scene cut to a bare-chested Sam walking away from the camera. "Ohhh man I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die, and I haven't even reached the final level of 'Cave Conquerors 2'," he lamented. The other eight members of the Killer Bass who'd already jumped were shown on the beach, looking up at Sam in anticipation and fear. Sam's fist was shown being clenched, before a few members of the Screaming Gophers were shown in profile, looking up as well.
A shot of Sam's eyes narrowing, then back to Geoff on the beach. "You can do it, dude!" he called up to his teammate.
Sam charged past Chris and straight off the cliff, the tone of his screams changing rapidly from determination to utter fear. A top-down view of the target areas was shown again, Sam's pasty back sliding into view as the large boy jumped. Various angles of his fall were shown, first a head-on view, then in profile, a brief cut to Chris, Scott, and Dakota watching the boy fall, then back to the water's surface looking up, and finally to the zoomed-out view of the cliff to show the extent of the belly flop splash.
In truth, it was only about on par with B's cannon ball, but it certainly looked more impressive thanks to the camera angle. "Uggh..." Sam moaned as he struggled to get on board the boat, barely hearing his teammate's cheers.
The camera cut back to Scott and Dakota, still on top of the thousand-foot-high cliff. "Your turn, Princess." Scott said. "Better hope your make-up doesn't get ruined by the water," he snickered. "Or by the man-eating sharks."
Dakota took another look down at the water. "Good point. I don't think I can do this."
The camera cut to a confused Chris. "Really?" he asked. "You're going to single-handedly give the Gophers a big advantage, and seriously cheese off your own teammates in the process?"
"Well, it's not like I'm going to risk my looks on this!" Dakota replied.
"Works for me!" Chris shrugged, and reached to the crate he'd been standing by since the challenge started. "But, since you're the first person to not jump, you also get to be the first person to wear one of these!" He took a yellow chicken-shaped hat out of the crate and jammed it on the rich girl's head. "A chicken hat, which you have to wear for the rest of the day. Because you're a chicken." He clucked at her.
"What? But that's not fair!" Dakota protested, looking at the dangling chicken legs in horror.
"Tell that to your team." Chris smiled. "The chicken path down is over there." He lead Dakota to what appeared, due to a combination of props and video editing, to be the top of an escalator.
The host turned to the only other person left on the clifftop. "You gonna jump man? It won't really help your team, but you'll still have to wear a chicken hat if you don't do it."
Scott shrugged. "Hey, now that Daddy's Little Angel chickened out, there's no reason for me not to jump, now is there?"
"'Kay." Chris said as he took out a megaphone. "One last jumper, campers!" he called down to those who waited on the beach. The Killer Bass, who hadn't yet learned of Dakota's decision, looked torn between confusion and excitement.
A brief period of static marked the switch to confessional footage, with Scott in the outhouse and the Bass logo in the corner. "My strategy is to let my team lose so the Gophers develop a false sense of security," the redhead explained. "Then, once the teams merge, they'll be ripe for the picking!" He punched his hand before continuing. "Since I got Dakota to chicken out, they should go after her first. And the best part is that I barely had to do anything! Still, a little sabotage couldn't hurt, heheheh." The camera cut to static as Scott rubbed his hands devilishly.
Back at the clifftop, Chris made use of his megaphone once more. "And the winners of the first part of the challenge and the pullcarts are..." the host began, stretching the pause for as long as he could. "The Screaming Gophers!"
The team in question began to celebrate just as Dakota made it to the bottom of the cliff. Between the hat on her head and the obvious fact that she hadn't jumped, the Killer Bass quickly realized she'd cost them the win.
"What?" Dakota asked when met by ten glares.
The camera zoomed out from the beach and faded to black, then faded back in to the Gophers – back in their normal clothes - in the process of hauling their crates back to the cabins. They had been given four carts with which to carry eleven crates; it had taken some careful stacking, but they were managing comfortably. Alejandro, Jo, DJ, and Beardo had volunteered for pulling duty, and spirits were high enough that they had decided to sing '99 Bottles of Pop' to pass the time.
"Forty-nine bottles of pop on the wall, forty-nine bottles of pop! If one of those bottles should happen to fall, forty-eight bottles of pop on the wall!" That was the only verse they were shown singing before the camera quick-panned to the Killer Bass. The Gopher logo which had been hanging in the upper-left portion of the screen spun around to show the symbol of the Bass.
Although they had one less box to carry, the diverse physical abilities of the team was making things difficult. Fortunately for them, Scarlett had already come up with a plan. "As we're the two physically weakest members of the team, Dakota and I should combine our energies. Everyone else should focus their efforts on transporting a single crate as far as they can by themselves, and if time permits anyone who reaches the cabins should double-back and aide whomever is the furthest from our destination," she said as they started the journey back.
"Do I have to?" Dakota groaned as she approached the brainiac.
Scarlett gave her a withering glare. "Yes. Or have you not realized that if we lose this challenge, you'll be the one that gets eliminated?" Dakota squeaked and started to help, albeit reluctantly.
The camera quick-panned back to the other team, logo changing accordingly. As they sang past the thirty-second bottle, Topher noticed the camera and struck a few poses. He stopped when he heard a cry of "Sha-woo!" in the distance; the camera panned right to show Lightning approaching rapidly, crate in his arms and grin on his face, then panned back to Topher. The handsome teen panicked, and ran to catch up with the other Gophers.
Another quick-pan showed the Killer Bass making slow but steady progress. Aside from Lightning's tremendous lead, it was Geoff, Sierra, B, and the duo of Scarlett and Dakota that were making the best time. The former three were pushing their crates along the sand, while the two young women were managing to carry their shared load.
B stopped pushing for a moment and wiped his brow. "Please don't take too long of a break," Scarlett told him as she and Dakota passed by, and the large young man shot them a thumbs up. As he caught his breath, he took a closer look at his crate, then scratched his soul patch in thought. He looked around and saw something amongst the bushes and trees along the beach, then calmly went over to pick it up.
A flash was used to transition back to the Gophers mid-verse. "...should happen to fall, twenty-eight bottles of pop on the wall!" The team came to a stop, and the camera switched to a close-up of Beth.
"Hey look!" she said excitedly, the shot changing to one of the cabins. "There's the campgrounds!"
"Well it's about time." Amy complained.
"Okay, time to get to work!" Jo ordered.
"Let's get started, shall we?" Alejandro said.
The two shot looks at each other, Jo's angry and Alejandro's questioning. Their eye contact was broken by Lightning rushing past them, crate held high.
Another flash took the point-of view back to the Killer Bass. "Get movin'!" Sugar yelled at B as he stopped once again to collect something off the ground. "I didn't ruin my make-up so you could look at the dang scenery!"
B shrugged and stowed his latest acquisition in his coat. He quickly got back to his crate, and started pushing it alongside Sugar, Sam, and Bridgette.
A flash transitioned the scene back to the campgrounds. The camera panned to follow Chris as he walked past Shawn, Alejandro, and Topher as they worked to open a pair of crates. "Remember, you guys can only use your teeth to open the crates!" the host said, explaining why the teens behind him had been attacking the containers with their mouths. "I came up with that one!" Chris smiled in a close-up.
"And it sure is a good one!" Topher commented, spitting out the end of a rope he'd been pulling that was attached to his crate.
"Surely there must be a better way?" Alejandro said, rubbing his jaw after gnawing at the wood failed to yield results.
"I know, right?" Shawn added as he too took a break. "You'd practically have to be a...a zombie to bite your way into these things!"
The camera changed back to footage of the Bass, this time focusing on Scott and Ezekiel at the tail end of their team. The homeschooler was hunched over trying to carry the box on his back, while the redhead didn't seem to have broken a sweat pushing his.
"Yo, which one of you needs help from Lightning?" they heard the jock say as he ran through the other members of their team.
"I could use a hand, eh!" Ezekiel answered gladly. Scott just rolled his eyes.
"No problem!" Lightning said as he took the crate off of Ezekiel's back. "Lightning knows that not everyone is as amazingly strong as he is!" The overachiever took on the entire burden himself, and left Ezekiel blinking.
"Hey, want me to help?" the toque-wearer asked his teammate, lifting up one end of the box before getting an answer.
"Gee, thanks." Scott said with barely-concealed bitterness.
Back at the campgrounds, the Gophers had managed to open a few of their crates and were now looking through their contents.
Beardo made sounds of a hammer and wrench at work as he held up those tools, and switched to the sound of water filling a pool as he held up the plastic liner.
"Oh, wood!" Staci said, holding up a few planks. "This reminds me of my Great-Great-Great Aunt Cleo, who came up with a new method of waterproofing pieces of wood! It actually replaced a technique invented by my Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather Louis, yah."
"Nobody cares!" Jo barked. "Just throw in on the ground and move on to the next crate!"
"Hold on, shouldn't we try to keep the parts organized? Alejandro objected. "After all, our opponents have already gotten several of their crates here, and we don't want to lose our lead because we can't find something!" He pointed to Geoff and Sierra, who were already working on the crates they had pushed over.
"It won't matter if we don't get our crates open!" Jo argued.
The camera cut to another group of campers still working on their crates. "Try harder, Samey!" Amy yelled as she watched her sister bite a crate.
"I'm trying as h- ow!" Sammy began, before recoiling in pain. "I think I got a splinter on my lip!"
"Uggh, cry me a river why don't you?" the older sister spat.
The camera cut back to the main group of campers as Scarlett and Dakota joined their teammates.
"Uggh, I'm so tired!" Dakota moaned, pulling a compact from her pocket and checking her face in it. "I'm not blotchy, am I?"
"You look fine to me!" Geoff told her, finally prying the lid off the crate in front of him.
Scarlett took a look at the campers around her and frowned. She motioned for Geoff and Sierra to come closer and began to whisper to both them and Dakota. "Listen. Even using the rope, attempting to open these wooden shipping containers with only our teeth is extremely inefficient in terms of both time and energy expenditure. We need to procure better tools, such as-"
She was interrupted by something being tossed over her head – a thick, sturdy stick which Geoff caught with ease. The camera panned over to B at the front of the rest of the Killer Bass; he took several more sticks out of his coat and smirked.
"Excellent!" Scarlett said as she grabbed the stick from Geoff's hand and examined it closely, the shot zooming in to focus on her discerning eye and a pointed end of the stick. "These fallen branches can be used as a combination wedge and class-one lever," she explained to her team in hushed tones. "If we insert the sharpened end into the gap between two of the crate's faces, we can-"
"-use them to pry open the crates!" Bridgette finished. "Scarlett, B, you two are geniuses!"
"Thank you," Scarlett said, "but we should really start working, as I'm fairly certain the other team heard your outburst."
The scene flashed in transition to a close-up of Alejandro, who had been leaning an ear towards the Bass in hopes of eavesdropping. "Of course, I should have thought of that sooner!" he muttered to himself, turning back to his struggling team. "Amigos! I have an idea to get the rest of the crates open quickly!" he called to them, earning the attention of most. "But first, half of us need to start working on the hot tub."
"Hey, who made you the boss?" Jo barked.
A montage of the two teams' progress on their tubs was shown, switching regularly to highlight the vast differences between the Gophers and the Bass; the icon of the team being focused on at a given moment was shown in the top-left corner of the scene. First up was a shot of Lightning and Sierra easily opening a pair of crates thanks to the tools B had provided. In contrast, the Gophers were still struggling as Alejandro and Jo argued over how to proceed.
Another shot of the Bass showed B and Scarlett making quick work of the construction, with the former handling most of the building and the latter ensuring that he had every tool and part as they were needed. The Gophers, however, lacked such engineering talents – Beth and Shawn were doing the most work, but the girl had to leave the tub for a moment to get a piece she needed. Without another pair of arms, the scruffy boy was having difficulty keeping the tub in one piece, and it looked ready to collapse.
The next scene showed Scott swipe a part from his team when they weren't looking, and quick-panned to show Scarlett and B puzzling over where the missing part was meant to go. B signaled that he'd had an idea, and disappeared into the Bass cabin. Scarlett shot a puzzled look after him, but shrugged and went to check on the rest of the campers, parts, and tools.
Alejandro, DJ, Beth, and Staci of the Gophers were shown looking between one last piece of wood and their tub, which looked poorly-built and empty but otherwise complete.
The final two scenes of the montage showed the two teams filling their tubs. Once again, the Bass showed greater coordination by forming a bucket brigade between the lake and their tub. The Gophers, on the other hand, were shown trying to deal with a sudden leak that appeared when Jo dumped a full bucket into it and ran off.
The music became tense as the scene changed to a shot of both teams standing in front of their cabins with their hot tubs, colored logos hovering above each side. Shots of Chris examining the two tubs were interspersed with close-ups of each team looking nervous. The host lingered on the Killer Bass' steaming masterpiece and threw up his arms. "This is an awesome hot tub!" he exclaimed, the background becoming celebratory as the Bass cheered.
"Sha-yeah!" Lightning said, popping out of the tub with a splash.
Chris approached the Gophers, and the music became tense again. The eleven teens gasped as Chris tapped the side of the the shoddier tub, and was squirted by a sudden new leak. The camera zoomed out to show several other jets of water spurting out from the tub, and the water level lowered quickly.
"Well," Chris smiled at the camera, "I think we have a winner here!" He looked between the two teams one last time, and raised a hand to his left. "The Killer Bass!"
The victory music began again as the Bass cheered and the Gophers looked angry and glum. "Bass!" Chris told the winning team, "You're safe from elimination and you get to rock this awesome hot tub for the rest of the summer!" He pointed directly at the camera. "Bonus!"
The Bass were shown cheering again.
"Screaming Gophers!" Chris turned his head to the losers, a frown on his face. "What can I say, sucks to be you right now!" The disappointment was still present in the Gopher's body language, Beardo even making a 'sad trombone' stock sound effect. "I'll see your sorry butts at the bonfire tonight." The host's smile had returned.
"WOOHOO!" Geoff cheered, whipping his hat around. "We won, dudes! That means we're all stayin' for three more days!"
"I know, isn't it great?" Sierra added. "Take that, you fake-fan!" the tall girl spat at Topher, who huffed and turned away.
The camera cut to the next meal, starting with a shot of the entire group of campers eating and then switching to the Gophers.
"So, what now?" Sammy asked from her seat between her sister and Topher.
"We decide who to vote off, duh!" Amy said with a hateful smile. "Probably you, since it's not like you were any help in the challenge."
"It's not like you were any better!" Jo rebuked, sitting opposite the twins with Shawn to her left, DJ and Alejandro to her right. "Of course, if somebody had just let me lead the team..." the jock-ette trailed off with a look towards Alejandro.
"I merely wanted to help!" the taller teen explained. "If you choose to treat my skills and ideas as a threat to your authority, then I suppose that is your right."
Jo rolled her eyes. "Well then Mr. Perfect, who do you think we should get rid of?"
"I...will admit that I am still undecided." Alejandro answered after a moment.
"Personally," Topher began, "I think we should get rid of you, Jo. It's no secret what a horrible leader you are." The jock-ette sneered and kicked his shin beneath the table. "Ow!"
"Maybe we should draw straws?" Beth suggested hesitantly.
"Are you kidding?" Shawn said from the other end of the table. "Who'd take that risk?"
"Hey," Staci piped up, "this reminds me of my Great-Great-Great-Grandfather Eugene, who was a member of the House of Commons, yah. He's the one who invented debating an issue before voting on it. And before him was my Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandmother Roberta, who invented voting. Before her, large groups of people couldn't make decisions without resorting to violence."
As she blathered, she failed to notice the looks her teammates were giving her – Topher and Beardo on her sides, Alejandro and Beth across the table; even Bass members Ezekiel and Geoff looked annoyed as they passed by.
"Perhaps I have made a decision..." Alejandro whispered, camera focusing on his narrowed eyes.
The scene skipped forward to the elimination ceremony; the campfire burned brightly and the clearing was lined with torches and strings of lights. The eleven members of the Screaming Gophers sat on the stumps awaiting their fate – Shawn, Jo, Staci, Sammy, and Amy had claimed the first row, with the back row occupied by Dawn, Beardo, Beth, Topher, Alejandro, and DJ.
The camera zoomed in on the back row, showing Beth, Topher, and Alejandro shooting devilishly satisfied looks at the back of a certain someone's head. The view panned to the front row, focusing on Staci and Jo.
"Next time you're in a competition, you should try shutting up for a change." Jo told the girl next to her.
"Screaming Gophers." The camera cut to Chris holding a plate of marshmallows. "At camp," the camera zoomed in on the plate, "marshmallows represent a tasty treat," the camera cut to the mostly-smiling teens, "that you enjoy roasting by the fire." The view went back to a serious Chris. "At this camp, marshmallows represent life."
A cut to Alejandro faking a yawn, then winking at Amy. The cheerleader blushed and stifled a giggle. "You've all cast your votes," Chris continued in a close-up, "and made your decision. There are only ten marshmallows on this plate!" Another brief close-up of the plate. "When I call your name, come up and claim your marshmallow. The camper who does not receive a marshmallow tonight must immediately return to the Dock of Shame," the camera cut to the dock, the boat not yet present, "to catch the Boat of Losers." Chris pointed to the off-screen campers. "That means, you're out of the contest," another shot of the expectant campers, "and you can't come back," the campers seemed surprised, "ever."
Chris held up a single marshmallow. "The first marshmallow goes to...Alejandro!" The latino teen smiled, and calmly approached the host to get a marshmallow put on the stick he carried. "DJ!" Chris continued, the muscular young man grinning and getting his own bit of confection. "Amy!" was the next to be called; she stuck her tongue out at her sister before getting up. "Beth!"
"Yay!" the girl cried as she ran up to join the others.
"Topher!" the host continued.
"Knew it!" the wannabe said as he stepped up.
"Shawn!" the paranoid young man approached cautiously, eyes glued to the trees. "Sammy!"
"Me?" the younger twin mouthed as the realization sunk in. "Yes!" Sammy cheered, dashing to get her marshmallow and doing her best to ignore Amy's glare.
"Beardo!" the hairiest Gopher mimicked the victory tune from a certain JRPG when he got his marshmallow. "Dawn!" The petite young woman had somehow managed to approach without the host noticing, as he gave a small start when she held out her stick the moment her name was called.
The host quickly regained his groove, and the background music became consistently dramatic. "Campers," he said, the camera focusing once more on the near-empty plate, "this is the final marshmallow of the evening!" The shot quickly changed between Jo and Staci, to Chris and the marshmallow, to Staci biting her nails, to the marshmallow again, to Jo looking the most nervous she'd been that day, back to Staci, back to Jo, back to Staci again, to the marshmallow, to Jo, to Staci, to Chris as the music picked up, to Jo and Staci leaning forward nervously, to the host closing his eyes and extending a finger high above his head, to the pair of campers on the proverbially chopping block, to Chris' ominous pointer finger being brought down to eye level, the point-of-view shifting behind him as he moved his finger between the two young women. He tapped his chin as the music came to a climax.
One final shot of the two stressed-out campers then back to a close-up of the host, leaning forward and peering at them with one open eye. Chris smiled, and held up the last marshmallow. "Jo."
"Darn right!" Jo said, regaining her composure and hiding her relief. She shot a cocky grin towards Staci as the host put the final marshmallow on Jo's stick. "Like I was even worried."
"Aww, and I was doing so well, too..." Staci lamented.
"Yeah, not really." Chris smiled as he approached the chubby young woman. "You annoyed pretty much everyone here." He gestured for Staci to get up. "Dock of Shame is that way, girl!"
Staci got up and started walking, the music turning solemn as the footage skipped ahead to her walking the Dock of Shame alone.
"The rest of you!" Chris addressed the remaining Gophers at the campfire pit, smiles on their faces and marshmallows on their sticks. "Enjoy your marshmallows! You're all safe." The camera cut to a close-up of the host's evil smirk. "For tonight."
Staci was shown at the end of the dock as the Boat of Losers, driven by the Chef, arrived with a splutter.
A bout of static marked the start of a confessional. "Okay, so maybe my plan didn't work this time." Scott admitted, donning a devilish grin. "But it won't matter in the long run, because I'm playing to win."
The scene cut to outside the Bass cabin, the sounds of a party in the background. Ezekiel, Bridgette, Geoff, Dakota, and Lightning were all enjoying the hot tub, and the party boy raised a glass to toast. "To the Killer Bass, dudes!" The four in the tub with him repeated the toast, and they all cheered.
"Yeah! Us Bass rock!" Sugar said, beginning to dance in front of the tub. None of her teammates quite knew what sort of dance it was, but it didn't stop Sierra and Sam from joining in, the three chanting "Bass rock!" over and and over again.
The scene zoomed out to show Beardo, Beth, and Jo sneaking around the revelers. Jo stopped when she noticed the camera. "Still rolling?" she asked, looking directly into the camera and earning a close-up in return. The music became ominous as Jo continued to talk. "Good. Because while those rodents may think they've won," she pointed thumb over her shoulder, "a real competitor knows it isn't over until there's only one left standing. And that's gonna be me." She turned her thumb to her own chest, and snarled.
(Fade to Credits)
Author's Note - Post Script
Well, sorry Staci fans, but she's the first one out! I knew from just about the start that Staci would have to go first - I find her the most generally annoying of the three characters to get eliminated first, all of which are in this season. Plus, you know, Beardo is still new on the scene so i want to explore his character a bit, and I kind of put Zeke on the same team as B and Scarlett without thinking about it and obviously there was no way they'd ever lose at building a hot tub. If it's any consolation to the Zeke-haters out there, he's still the same little turd he was in the canon season one.
Hopefully I managed to make the Gophers lose believably - their tub was worse than the Bass', but not as bad as the canon bass tub. I do think that the challenge took less time to complete overall than it did in canon though.
I also hope you liked my description of the shuffled opening. Some bits of it were easier to write than others, and I will say that the placement and/or prominence of characters doesn't mean anything about when they'll be eliminated. I actually only have the first four eliminations planned, and only a hint of an idea of who could potentially win.
I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter. Chapter 3 is currently scheduled to come out in 6-8 days, so look forward to it!
- Fangren