Author's Note

Here we are once again, dear readers! And with the onset of the second 'quarter' of the main story that I know you're all eager to see develop.

The TVTropes page for this series could, of course, always use a little more work (though I do understand that with such a long fic, finding every last trope will be time-consuming to say the least). I do greatly appreciate the work that has been done on it so far though!

The chapter for next week has, regrettably, not been finished yet again - I fear that this truly will be a running thing with this season, but as I have not yet once failed to meet a deadline I'm not too concerned. Losing some Saturday free time is certainly a drawback, but until I get better at working out the songs it's a necessary one.

And, of course, The Ridonculous Race is now over halfway done - episode 16 hasn't aired yet as of my writing this, so I don't know what surprised it may hold, but with only nine teams remaining things are only going to get more exciting from hear on out.

But that, of course, is not what you're here for. Let's get on to the reviews, shall we?

Elizabeth Life Stone: Thank you, but no thanks on your offer to help. I know that sometimes these chapters get delayed by a couple hours, but that's mostly because my attention is required elsewhere. And since all I really do on Friday is give the chapter one final edit, then write up the Author's Notes and upload the chapter to the story, there's really nothing that can be helped anyway. This is all stuff that only I can do (though if it wasn't, I'm still not the type to accept help).

Glowing Insanity: Wow, thank you so much! It really is nice to hear that about a chapter I wasn't very certain on, the songs especially. Though I won't take credit for Blaineley getting dragged away - that was just an adaptation of a canon scene, after all.

acosta perez jose ramiro: Yeah, that's what I was trying to go for with the dynamic between Jo and Lightning - they're definitely willing to compete against each other, just not for something petty like giving Blaineley a good show. They like proving themselves against a good rival, even if they haven't outright realized or expressed it themselves.

PizzaTheBomb: Hey, glad to hear you liked the Aftermath! And yeah, I wanted to make Lightning's song an amusing display of his ego, while also showcasing that he has accepted some of his flaws.

Solarr-Eclipse: Thank you! Regarding your question about Blaineley, what happened to her last week was basically what happened in canon. She began as an Aftermath host in Bridgette's place, who was one of the first guests. Blaineley spent most of the episode trying to force a confrontation between Geoff and Bridgette over Bridgette's infidelity, but their fighting fell apart when they began to make-out. Blaineley snapped and started throwing stuff around, got dragged away, and stopped being a host. However, she was still forced to be part of the later Aftermaths as a roving reporter of sorts, but she mostly just caused mischief until she was forced to compete on the main show. So, my apologies, but this is probably going to be the path I put her on in the Shuffledverse as well. I am glad you liked Lightning's character development, and you're right that if he'd had it sooner he probably would still be on the show...but ultimately, that's just not what I needed to happen.

StarHeart Specials: Hah, wow, thanks!

bruno14: Glad to hear you like the Aftermaths! And I'm glad that I was able to do so well with the first one of this season, between Lightning song and character development; Blaineley trying and failing to cause him to fight with Jo; and Dawn and Staci being on the run. For Topher I think I'll probably try to expand his role a bit more in future Aftermaths, though it might be a little tricky. Still, I'm glad you liked last week's chapter and I hope you enjoy whatever comes in the future!

FOWLKON: Yeah, I get what you mean. So much of the canon episode was devoted to the tension between Geoff and Bridgette and Blaineley taking advantage of it, and there was nothing that could really take the place of that in the Shuffledverse. Still, it looks like at least some others liked what I put together, so even though I know the chapter is far from perfect I'm pretty happy with it. For The Ridonculous Race, I enjoyed Zimbabwe though the Austrlian episodes had some problems. And yeah, that's a pretty good description of Noah and Owen's dynamic.

I. M. Poik: Well, I'm certainly happy that I was finally able to produce some songs you actually like. I don't mind 'I'm Sorry' myself, and I quite like 'Baby', so it was hard to figure out what to replace them with. I'm glad they both worked out by and large, and you're right that 'Beardo's Rap' mirrors Leshawna's song from later in the canon season, and intentionally so - I figured singing about those who'd taken him down would work well for Beardo. And as for what happens this week...well, it's certainly gonna be set in New York.

Boggie445: Hey, thanks! It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing I decided to do, and I'm glad it was appreciated.

Knifez: Yes, believe me, I know you don't like Aftermaths. Still, I am glad you liked what happened with Beardo and Lightning. As for Staci...well, I do have a plan for her, and I don't think it's gonna be something ridiculous, but that'll come when it comes. Regarding the All-Stars cast, I will be picking them all myself as I did for last season's cast and most of this season's. I am almost certainly going to derive all the first generation returnees from this season, though ranking isn't really gonna be that big a factor. I haven't quite finalized the All-Stars cast since I want to see how this season and season four turn out, but there's only a few spots I'm not nearly certain about. And for the record, the casts for ROTI and PI were determined before I even started writing season one, and I've also figured out what the teams are probably gonna be. There's gonna be a lot of...interesting dynamics in those seasons, I think.

DSX62415: Yeah, I'm starting to agree. Thanks for the review!

aloasa: I'm glad you liked it! Although I personally did like Bridgette's song in canon. Also glad you liked Scarlett's little clip; I wasn't certain how to fill that spot initially, but I'm happy with what I came up with since it shows that she's still trying to free herself.

CVluvFoxy: Thanks! As I've already said, I do have plans for Staci, and Blaineley isn't gone yet... As for Sam being angry about losing his job to Blaineley, well...I expect you'll find more about that when the next Aftermath airs.

Guest #1: Area 51? Well, I do certainly have something in mind already for that episode, but I'm not about to say what.

Call Me Ishmael: Yup, I'm glad I was able to develop Lightning and Jo over these three seasons. It's been pretty fun fleshing them out as being more than just super-competitive jocks, and I'm glad it all turned out so well. And believe me, I'm looking forward to what I have in store for Drumheller's song.

Animation Adventures: Yeah, I kinda miss the Aftermaths myself, if only because they gave us another look at those who were eliminated. And I'm glad you enjoyed the start of this season's Aftermaths, and the plotlines they're gonna bring to the series. I'm happy I was able to give Lightning's song a little pizzazz, and also kinda happy that I'm not the only person who thought they were a little cringeworthy. I...vaguely get the joke, I think? Pretty sure it's from a Disney movie I've never seen. Blaineley's coming back, as I've said, and you may have seen me mention the possibility of rethinking my stance on not doing Shuffled RR on Tumblr. It was, admittedly, mostly a knee-jerk reaction to Leonard getting booted so early, but, well...I have also begun to think about what exactly I would have to do to make such a fic work. No promises, though. One of the main reasons I've been reluctant to adapt the show is that this series takes up so much of my time, and once it's over I'll finally be able to use it for other things I need to do like get an actual job. Adapting TRR would just delay a lot of things I really need to do.

The Prime Writer: Agreed, that was easily one of the best parts of the Aftermaths - they gave other characters a chance to develop a bit, and wrap-up their plotlines. And in this season's case, it also meant building up Blaineley's eventual downfall. Glad that yet another long-time reviewers has enjoyed Lightning's growth over the past few seasons, and also that you liked Beardo's reunion with his band (Drama to Drama in the shuffledverse, not the Drama Brothers) and Blaineley's fangirlish reaction to them. I won't spoil my plans for Dawn and Staci, but I do hope you enjoy how this trilogy ends up ending.

Guest #2: ...what? Please don't leave one-word reviews.

Ddynamo: Hmm...not much else I can say other than that the predictions are interesting like always.

TDIMudkip77: Aha, thanks! Personally I think some of the early chapters could use some edits, but even I was surprised by how good it was when I re-read it some months ago.

Guest #3: Thanks, I know answering reviews takes up a lot of time and space but I think it's worth it. And I'm still leaning away from doing TRR anytime soon, but shuffling the locations is, admittedly, a good idea for it.

Star Saber21: Thanks! And yeah, we haven't seen the last of Blaineley. I'm glad you liked Beardo's Rap, and as for who will discover Scott and Sugar's scheme...well, you'll just have to wait and see.

ashDanLand: Well, I'm glad you liked the first Aftermath of the season and are looking forward to the next one, though I am sad to hear that you think Beardo and Lightning were/are boring guests. Hopefully you'll like the next guests better, I guess?

wifishark: Ah, thanks. I knew it was pretty close to the canon episode, and I wasn't really feeling too happy about it, but I'm glad my reviewers don't all feel the same way.

And with that, the reviews are answered for the week. The list of contestants hasn't changed since last time, but here it is anyway:

Team Victory - Ezekiel, Scott, Tyler, Geoff

Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Mean - Bridgette, Shawn, Sierra, DJ

Team Universe - Sammy, Alejandro, Ella, Sugar, Scarlett

The cast is finally off to New York City this week, and I hope you enjoy the adventure that is to come!

- Fangren


Episode 7 – Broadway, Baby!

"Last time, on Total Drama!" Chris opened the recap, the clips starting with a pan across the jungle path. "The contestants experienced every pitfall Peru could put forward," he said over shots of Sugar getting bitten by piranhas, Team Victory getting cornered by the pair of fake Zing-Zings, and Team Universe getting attacked by giant caterpillars. "They visited some ancient landmarks," Machu Picchu was shown crumbling, "hung out with the locals," Team Victory was shown tied to the tree while the two actors tended their fire nearby, "and made friends with the native wildlife," Team Chris was shown looking shocked as a bunch of tiny monkeys popped out of the trees above them.

"Shockingly, Team Victory actually lost, and Lightning paid the price for it," the host added over shots of Lightning getting the star treatment from the locals, then taking the Drop of Shame. "But what was even more shocking was that Dawn quit the game!" Part of the mystic's final confessional was shown, as well as the shot of her watching the plane fly off from the ruined ruins.

"Thirteen contestants," Chris said as the recap ended and the scene flashed to him in the cockpit with Chef. "One million dollars! Loads more exotic locales to destroy!" He punched his open hand. "Right here, on Total! Drama! World Tour!" As the shot pulled back in time with the usual blaring music, a single red balloon was shown floating up below the plane.

xxx

(Fade to Opening Theme)

Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doin' fine;

You guys are on my mind!

Ya asked me what I wanted to be,

And now I think the answer is plain to see!

I wanna be...famous!

I wanna live close to the sun!

Well pack your bags, 'cause I've already won!

Everythin' to prove, nothin' in my way;

I'll get there one day.

'Cause I wanna be...famous!

(Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)

I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)

I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)

(Fade to Episode)

xxx

A reverent tune began as the episode opened, starting with a shot of the plane flying before switching to DJ and Bridgette sitting in first-class seats. Both had bowls of what looked like oatmeal, but only the surfer was eating it.

"How can I enjoy first class after Dawn disappeared on me and Sammy?" he moped, halfheartedly stirring his bowl with a spoon. "I mean, she didn't even tell us why she left!"

"Maybe something just...came up?" Bridgette suggested.

"In the middle of the jungle?!" DJ countered on the verge of tears.

"Well...it's not like she left because of you, right?" the surfer said. "Right?" she repeated, looking across to Shawn and Sierra sitting opposite her and DJ.

"Don't expect answers from me," Shawn said with a wary look. "Unless she left because she knew she was infected and wanted to save us, I got nothin'."

"I'm pretty sure that's not it...," Sierra said as the focus moved to her. "Dawn's always been mysterious, so it's hard even for me to figure out why she's gone, and I've analyzed everything any of us has ever done on this show. But if I had to guess, I'd say that she felt she had to abandon you."

A moment passed, and DJ burst into tears. Bridgette and Shawn glared at Sierra, who sheepishly said "Maybe I should've said that a little differently..."

/

The scene flashed to the economy section, the camera focused on Team Universe on the left wall. Sammy was sitting in the middle of the five, with Alejandro and Ella on her right and Sugar and Scarlett to her left.

"Don't worry, Sammy," the singer said, "I'm sure you'll meet her again some day!"

"Though perhaps you shouldn't force it," Alejandro added quickly. "Dawn must have left for a reason, after all, and you should respect her desire to stay away."

Sammy sighed despondently. "I guess, but it still majorly hurts, you know? Like, if she didn't wanna talk to me and DJ she could've just said so, we'd understand."

"Sadly, it appears she didn't agree," Alejandro said, patting the cheerleader on the back. "Leaving in such a secretive manner can only mean that she wanted to make sure nobody saw her. Perhaps she just didn't feel the need to say goodbye to you."

Ella gasped. "Oh, say it isn't so!" she said. "It would be dreadful if Dawn didn't want to say goodbye to such close friends."

"That's assuming she felt the same degree of closeness to you that you did to her," Scarlett interjected. "After all, this isn't the first time she's gone off without either of you. Perhaps she's merely grown tired of you?"

"Oh wow, I really hope not," Sammy said sadly.

"Well, whatever the reason she left," Sugar said, suddenly throwing an arm around the cheerleader's shoulders and pulling her close, "just know that Sugar is gonna be there for you. Strong, independent girls like us gotta stick together, y'hear?"

"Oh, thanks," Sammy told the pageant queen with a small smile.

xxx

Sugar began her restroom confessional with a giggle. "What they don't know is that I know why Dawn left," she explained, "on account of my findin' the letter she wrote." She patted her chest. "But since it also talks about how me an' Scott are in a secret alliance, I ain't about to hand it over just yet. Besides, as long as she's mopin' it'll be easier to get her into a regular alliance so I can get rid of Ella and Al."

xxx

The handsome boy in question donned a suspicious look, and the camera pulled back as he smiled at Sammy. "Likewise, I will gladly lend you a shoulder to cry on is you so desire," he said.

"Oh, me too!" Ella added happily. "I'm so happy our team is so close, even in this tragic time!"

/

The camera quick-panned to the other side of the room to where Tyler was watching with a dreamy look on his face.

"Dude, are you seriously making eyes at her?" Scott whispered sharply from next to him as the shot pulled out and the jock was startled out of his reverie.

"What, Ella's pretty hot!" Tyler whispered back defensively. "You know, in an adorable kinda way."

"More like in a creepy kinda way," Scott retorted. "Besides, inter-team romances never work out. I mean, just look at Geoff and Bridgette," he jerked a thumb at the party boy next to him.

Geoff looked shocked for a moment, then furrowed his brow in outrage and said "Hey!"

"Say what you want," Scott told him, "but I still think there's more to Bridgette and Shawn's 'zombie checks' than they're telling us."

"La la la, I'm not listening, I can't hear you!" Geoff said, putting his fingers in his ears and clenching his eyes shut.

xxx

"Ever since Peru, Scott keeps going on and on about Bridgette secretly wanting to hook up with Shawn or Alejandro," Geoff said coolly in the cockpit confessional. "But I don't believe him. I know Bridgette's into me, alright. She told me so herself, and I trust her."

"Doesn't mean she can't be into that scruffy boy, too," Chef interjected from behind him. "Though personally, I think Alejandro's more her type. The guy's just too pretty."

"Not helping here, dude!" Geoff yelled, causing Chef to shrug and turn his attention back to piloting the plane.

xxx

"I wouldn't mind it if Bridgette showed interest in me, eh," Ezekiel said. "She's pretty cute."

"Dude, not you too!" Geoff exclaimed, throwing up his arms in exasperation. "Bridgette is my girlfriend, okay? Not yours."

"Sorry, eh," Ezekiel said, "guess I've just been a little jealous of you. I know it doesn't seem like it, but I've never really had a lot of, umm, luck with girls."

"Don't worry, man," Tyler told him with a smile. "I bet that after this season, girls will be all over the two of us."

"Definitely, eh," Ezekiel grinned, and the two boys bumped fists while Scott rolled his eyes.

xxx

"Yeah, girls'll be all over them alright," Scott said in the restroom confessional. "Probably to laugh at the two biggest dorks on the show. Still, I gotta make sure they don't hook up with anyone. Which'll probably be easy," he said with a thoughtful chin-scratch, "since Ella's crushing on Al and Zeke wouldn't stand a chance with a hunk of wood."

xxx

/

A dramatic tune played as the season's world map was shown, depicting the plane icon flying up across the Gulf of Mexico from Peru to the northeastern United States.

/

The scene flashed to the cargo hold where the contestants and Chris were standing in an orange and black motorboat; Chris was notably wearing an orange life jacket. "Take a seat," the host commanded, following it up with "Grab a handle" when they complied. "And I'll tell you where we're going!"

"Ho, sweet boat guy," Tyler said before turning to the girl next to him. "Right, Ella?"

"Oh yes," the princess nodded. "Don't you think so, Alejandro?" she asked her teammate.

"Any boat is sweet if you're in it," the charmer told her, earning a giggle and a blush, as well as an annoyed glare from Tyler. "Though I am concerned that only Chris has a life jacket."

"That's 'cause there's thirteen of you," the host replied, "but only one valuable me. HIT IT CHEF!" he cupped his hands to holler, and the camera cut to the cockpit as the pilot unblinkingly pulled a cord over his right shoulder.

The dramatic background music that had been building up peaked as the scene moved back to the cargo hold, the bay door suddenly opening causing the boat to plummet. Chris smiled and the contestants screamed all the way down, until they landed safely in some urban waterway with splash. A few angry mutters and thrilled laughter issued from the teens, and the host sped the boat off.

"Welcome to," he said as the boat sped past a buoy and up to a wooden dock; the camera panned up it and the island it was connected to up to picturesque shot of the Statue of Liberty, "New York City!"

xxx

"Wow, New York City!" Tyler said excitedly in the restroom confessional. "Do you know how many awesome teams play here? Man, I really hope we at least get to see one of the stadiums, how cool would that be?"

xxx

The footage cut back to the cast standing before Chris at the base of the statue. "Your first challenge is a carriage race to Central Park," he told them, "which I like to call 'Liberty or Death!'" He adopted a dramatic pose and tone of voice as he announced the name of the challenge.

"Ooh, a horse-drawn carriage?" Ella spoke up excitedly. "How romantic!"

"I just hope that we aren't gonna be the horses," Shawn said.

"Slow down, conclusion-jumpers," Chris told them with a smile. "It's a baby carriage race!"

"Oh, sweet," Geoff said before looking around. "So where are the carriages at?"

"Yeah," the host said with a finger pointed directly upwards – the camera cut to the Statue of Liberty's crown, where a baby carriages in one team's color was perched at the end of three of the spikes, and likewise three ropes were tied and hanging down the statue's front. "Hope you brought your climbing gloves!"

The contestants groaned as dramatic beats played, each in time with a shot of one of the carriages – first the yellow of Team Victory on the left, the blue to Team Universe in the middle, and the red of Team Chris on the right.

"You think it's dangerous enough?" Scott asked in a snarky tone, craning his neck to look upwards.

"It better be," Chris answered. "It took the interns forever to put those carriages up there, and I don't wanna have to wait around for the crew to make the climb harder."

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be hard enough as is," Scott said, stealthily winking at Sugar while most of the rest of the cast were still looking up at the statue. Sugar grinned and quickly winked back, and the camera quick-panned to Sierra turning her head towards them and wordlessly raising an eyebrow.

xxx

"Okay, are my eyes playing tricks on me, or did I just see Sugar winking at Scott?" Sierra asked the restroom camera. "I don't know what's going on between those two, but I intend to find out," she added with a suspiciously thoughtful look. "The fans will definitely wanna know if those two hook up." She finished with a matter-of-fact nod.

xxx

"Okay," Chris said as the shot cut back to him, "let's cut the chatter and get on with the splatter. Err, climbing," he corrected. "We'll leave the splatter to fate. Anywho, once you reach Lady Liberty's crown," the top of the statue was shown again, "pull up your rope to bring your team up faster." The camera panned up the grayish ropes as a tense tune played. "Once everybody's up, your team grabs the correct carriage off the spike," the camera panned from the end of the ropes to the carriages, "races back down to your boat," the shot cut to a trio of motorboats in the teams' colors waiting at the end of the dock, "and follow the buoys to your next exciting destination," the camera panned over to a buoy as a drumroll started up, "Central Park!" A gushing fountain was shown in the middle of the park.

"Hey, are we gonna visit any of the stadiums or anything?" Tyler raised his hand and asked.

"Nope, no sports today," Chris answered. "Only challenges."

"Aww...," Tyler said, slumping over in disappointment.

/

The footage skipped forward to the three teams gathered at colored mats below each of the three ropes – Team Victory on the left; Team Universe in the middle; Team Chris on the right.

Chris blew a whistle, and a tense challenge tune began to play as Alejandro immediately jumped onto his team's rope and started climbing.

Sammy sighed, then grabbed the rope next. "Might as well get this over with..."

A flash took the focus to Team Victory, as Geoff grabbed the rope and recoiled in pain. "Ouch! Dude, what is this rope made out of?"

"Steel wool," Chris answered after walking over. "Strong and rough, just like the Big Apple."

"Killer," Geoff said blankly before jumping up and climbing again.

"Alright, time to do this thing!" Tyler declared, jumping and grabbing the rope as well.

A third flash took the scene to Team Chris. "Guess I'll go first," Shawn volunteered. "Should be a piece of cake, right?"

"You do have the best climbing skills," Bridgette told him with a smile that he returned.

"Exactly," Shawn nodded before he grabbed the rope. "And since zombies can't climb, we should be safe. As long as they aren't already up there."

Bridgette chuckled. "I'm sure we'll be fine," she told him as he began to climb. She turned to her other teammates, and with a smile asked "Okay, who's next?"

"Oh, sorry," DJ said when he realized Bridgette was looking at him, "what're we doing again?"

"Climbing the Statue Liberty, remember?" the surfer said with concern on her face.

"Right, sorry," the gentle giant said in embarrassment. "I've been kinda zoned out for the last few minutes thinkin' about where Dawn coulda gone. You think maybe she ended up comin' to New York too?"

"Well if she did, I don't see why she would have left in the first place," Sierra commented.

"You...go on ahead, Sierra," Bridgette told her teammate, seeing DJ's sad look. "DJ and I will be up soon."

"Okay," Sierra said as she grabbed the rope, "just remember that we're in a competition, and that losing isn't gonna help any of us."

"Don't worry, we know," Bridgette insisted, motioning for Sierra to climb.

xxx

"What was I supposed to do?" the surfer said in the restroom confessional, shrugging helplessly. "I couldn't just let DJ stand around looking so sad! Honestly," she put her hands on her hips as her expression became stern, "I don't know what Dawn was thinking letting such sweet people go without so much as a goodbye! She better have a good excuse for putting DJ and Sammy through this heartbreak."

xxx

"Look, DJ," Bridgette said, putting her hand on the brickhouse's arm, "I get that you're pretty messed up over Dawn leaving, but Sierra does have a point. I hate to say it, but if we lose you might end up going home. And I know you don't wanna have to leave Sammy, too."

DJ sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't be slowin' everybody down over this. I'll start payin' more attention."

"Good," Bridgette smiled. "Now let's climb!" DJ smiled and nodded as a triumphant tune welled up in the background, but it quickly fell flat when he jumped, grabbed the rope, and immediately let it go with a wail of pain. Bridgette sighed and put her hand on her forehead.

/

The scene cut forward and up to the statue's crown where Chris stood on one of the spikes. "It's been twenty-five blister-busting minutes," he yelled both at the camera and down towards the contestants, "and nothing! You guys are bumming me out!"

As he yelled, the shot cut down to Shawn making his way up the rope. "Hey, this is pretty easy!" he commented to himself as he climbed past Sugar to his left. "A little slow, but it shouldn't be much longer!"

The Pageant Queen scowled nastily, but he ignored the look and kept moving. The camera shifted focus to Sugar as she leaned further left and saw the members of Team Victory making good progress as well.

"Psst," she hissed to Scott, easily gaining his attention. "You keep goin', I'm gonna try to mess with Bridgette and DJ," she whispered.

"Good idea," Scott replied with a grin. "I'll see if I can cut the rest of their team off at the top." Sugar donned a serious look and nodded, which Scott returned before he resumed climbing.

/

"Hurry it up, people!" Chris called down as the scene cut to the crown again. "I'm officially bored!"

With a grunt of effort, Alejandro pulled himself up nearby. "You...are pure...evil!" he told the host, glaring as he caught his breath.

/

The shot flashed down to DJ and Bridgette climbing up level with the statue's chest, the brickhouse out in front and wincing with every inch he climbed.

"You got this, DJ," the surfer called. "You've made it this far, you can make it all the way to the top."

"I know, oww!" DJ said. "I just, oww! Wish we were climbin' somethin' softer!"

The camera panned up and to the left, where Sugar was watching from near the statue's chin. She smiled impishly, then allowed her foot to slip off the side of the statue. "Whoops!" she declared as she was sent into a spinning rightward swing. She bumped into Team Chris' rope and caused it to wobble and sway as well, and the camera panned down to DJ and Bridgette as they voiced their surprise.

"Whoa!" Bridgette said as she and DJ swung, then slammed into the statue and suddenly stabilized. "Phew!" the surfer added in a close-up, wiping the sweat from her brow and smiling upward. "I thought we were gonna fall! You okay up there DJ?"

"No!" the gentle giant squealed in discomfort, the camera panning up to show that he'd gotten his foot caught in the statue's chest.

xxx

"That was really embarrassing," DJ confessed in the restroom. "You just don't put your foot there, even if it's a statue! Man, Momma is not gonna like seein' that on TV. Sorry, Momma."

xxx

"Ughhhh, let's goooo!" Chris exclaimed in annoyance as the camera panned across those who'd already made it to the top and were trying to pull up their teammates. Shawn and Sierra were pulling hard for Team Chris; Alejandro was joined by Sammy and Ella for Team Universe; and for Team Victory Geoff, Tyler, and Ezekiel were confidently pulling up their last member. "I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I gotta pee!" Chris complained, now out of the shot.

Scott finally reached the top of the statue, and Geoff and Tyler whooped with joy as Ezekiel helped the farmer up. "Boo yah! Team Dude's rockin' it in first!" the party boy exclaimed, and the four boys shared a high-five. "I'll go snag the carriage, bros," he added eagerly before dashing off, and the viewpoint shifted to show him cautiously making his way up one of the spikes towards the yellow carriage.

"Uggh, what is taking them?" Sierra grunted as she and Shawn continued to pull on the rope with no sign of their teammates.

"I don't know," the survivalist commented, "but they'd better be alive when they get up here. I don't wanna fall behind and lose two teammates to the undead."

The shot cut over to Team Universe, who were also still struggling. "Seriously, did Sugar stop to eat the statue or something?" Alejandro said in annoyance. "She and Scarlett can not be this bad at climbing."

"Don't say that," Ella said with a light scolding tone. "I'm sure they're trying their best!"

"Perhaps Sugar is," Alejandro conceded, "but I wouldn't put it past Scarlett to make our lives miserable just out of spite."

Sammy sighed. "I wish Dawn were here right now," she said.

"I suppose she would be another person helping us pull," Alejandro said, gaze still locked on the edge of the statue.

"Well, mostly I just miss her," Sammy said, "but that would be nice too I guess."

"Woo hoo!" Geoff hollered excitedly, drawing the focus back to him and his teammates as he carried the yellow carriage back down the spike. "Piece of cake, dudes!"

"Team Victory takes the lead," Chris said off-screen.

"So how are we supposed to get back down?" Tyler asked.

"Fireman's pole anyone?" the host replied, the camera cutting to him standing next to a pole rising up from a hole in the statue. "It's only a thirty story drop!"

Tense music played as the shot moved to the pole hole looking up at the four boys looking down.

"Whoa," Geoff said blankly.

"That's a long drop, eh," Ezekiel added.

"Well someone's gotta go first," Scott told them.

"On it!" Tyler said with a confident grin. The viewpoint changed again, now showing a side-view of the jock sliding down the pole. "Extreme!" he shouted excitedly, and the shot changed back to the view looking up at the other three boys as they winced at the sound of a crash. "I'm okay!" Tyler called up from below, and they shared a look.

"Woo hoo!" Geoff whooped as he slid down along with the carriage. Ezekiel and Scott followed after him, both screaming in fear.

/

A flash took the scene back to Team Universe as Alejandro helped Sugar up to the statue's crown, with Scarlett having already joined them.

"Phew, that was tough!" Sugar said in relief as she finally regrouped with her teammates.

"I'll grab our carriage!" Ella volunteered cheerily, and a grand and elegant tune played as she was then shown dancing gracefully up the spike and grabbing the blue carriage.

xxx

"As I've always adored singing, it felt natural to take dance classes too," Ella explained in the restroom confessional. "And I must say, being able to stay balanced anywhere has sure come in handy."

xxx

A couple dramatic notes played as the five members of Team Universe were shown screaming as they descended down the fireman's pole – first Alejandro, then Sammy, then Scarlett, then Sugar, and Ella bringing up the rear with the carriage in her hand and a musical twinge to her voice.

/

Back up top, Shawn and Sierra were still having trouble pulling up their teammates. As they yanked and heaved, the camera quick-panned down to Bridgette and DJ – the brickhouse still with his foot caught, the surfer trying to help him, and both trying to hold on to the rope that was being pulled on.

"Almost...got it!" Bridgette said, a short tune of triumph playing as DJ's foot was finally freed. The two were suddenly yanked up by their teammate's efforts, and immediately hit their heads on the statue's chin.

/

Down at the base of the statue, Team Victory ran out of a door with Geoff and the carriage in the lead. "There's the boat, dudes!" he called as Scott, Tyler, and Ezekiel followed him out.

The scene moved to the motorboats waiting at the docks, and the four boys quickly and easily jumped into the blue one. Scott took the wheel and started the engine, and sped the boat away with enough force that Ezekiel stumbled and fell backwards into the water.

"Aww, man!" Tyler said in shock.

"Turn around, bro!" Geoff told Scott, who was concentrating on driving.

"What?" the farmer asked over the roar of the engine.

/

"Finally!" Shawn said as the shot flashed to DJ and Bridgette flopping over onto the statue's head.

"Sorry guys, I got my foot stuck," DJ explained, rubbing the foot in question.

"Doesn't matter," Shawn told him. "You two pull yourselves together, I'll grab the carriage." The shot cut to him gulping nervously and inching along the spike, the dramatic and tense music continuing to play.

"Man, if I hadn't been so clumsy I could've gotten it easy!" DJ said sadly.

"It's alright," Bridgette told him "we understand."

"Well I don't" Sierra countered with a frown. "How exactly did you get your foot stuck anyway?"

"I don't know, we just started swingin' when Sugar accidentally slipped and hit our rope!" DJ said defensively.

"Hmmm...," Sierra said, rubbing her chin in thought before Shawn suddenly rushed past behind her pushing their red-colored carriage.

"Alright guys, let's go!" he called out to his teammates, who quickly scrambled to follow. The viewpoint cut to the pole inside the statue again as Shawn was shown sliding down. "Look out below!" he yelled confidently.

He was followed shortly after by Bridgette, Sierra, and DJ, all three screaming for their lives.

/

The scene cut to a close-up of the back end of the blue boat as Ezekiel struggled to pull himself out of the water. The dramatic challenge music returned as the five members of Team Universe hopped onboard, Alejandro taking the wheel and starting the engine.

"Alright ladies," he said, "let's move!"

"Wait, eh!" Ezekiel tried to say before they sped off, leaving him to tread water by the dock. He looked back at the final boat as Shawn untied it from the dock and jumped on, then Bridgette drove it off. "Guys, wait!" he called out to them, only to quickly dive as they unwittingly drove over him. "Watch where you're going, ya knobs!" he yelled at them after resurfacing, angrily shaking a fist.

"Aww man, now we're in last!" Tyler groaned as Team Victory's boat was shown turning around and heading back for their missing teammate.

"Get on, bro!" Geoff said, pulling Ezekiel out of the water as their boat approached.

"Wait, are we in first place?" Sammy asked with a hint of distractedness as she looked around.

"We sure are!" Sugar said with a chuckle.

"Yes," Scarlett spoke up, "but more importantly how are we supposed to reach Central Park by boat? It's completely landlocked!"

"I fear I know," Alejandro said. "There's the next buoy!" He pointed ahead of them, and the camera cut to a close-up of the buoy as it bobbed and rang. The shot zoomed out to show that it was in front of a partially-barred and distinctly dirty opening in the side of a cement wall; another similar opening was situated nearby, and several smaller pipes jutted out all around. The water around the various openings was noticeably brown.

As the boat sped inside, the members of Team Universe began to groan in disgust. Team Chris' boat followed them in seconds later and also bemoaned the smell, and Team Victory followed too moments later.

"The sewer? Seriously?" Scott's voice echoed after he and his teammates entered the tunnel. "I knew this show was a bunch of garbage, but I didn't think it was literal!"

"Who will survive?" Chris said as a few booming notes played. "And who's takin' a dive?" The shot cut to him looking through a telescope on top of the Statue of Liberty. "Find out when we return, on Total! Drama! World Tour!" The camera zoomed out as he spoke, ending on a full shot of the statue.

(Fade to Commercial and Back)

An eerie tune played as the episode resumed on a shot of Team Victory motoring at a decent pace through the sewers.

"Oh my gosh you guys," Sierra said through a pinched nose, "this place is worse than the bathrooms from season one. I so hope we get first class again for this, we are all seriously gonna need a shower."

"Totally," Bridgette said before a deep, loud growl rumbled through the air. "What was that?!"

"The alligators down here are just an urban myth, right?" DJ squeaked in fear.

"Maybe," Shawn said, "but that might just be what they want you to think..." DJ whimpered again as they sped off, and the eerie music hit a few deeper beats as the camera lingered just long enough to catch a giant albino alligator poke its head up on the surface and growl again.

/

The growl continued as the focus moved ahead to Team Universe, who shot uneasy looks around them.

"Oh my," Ella said worriedly.

"Whatever that is, it sounds hungry," Sugar added.

"We'd best keep an eye out for alligators," Alejandro said, eyes wide as he looked around.

"We will keep an eye out," Scarlett corrected harshly. "You need to watch where we're going so I won't have to verify the creature's existence from inside its gastrointestinal tract."

The shot panned over to Sammy as she looked around in silent horror, the camera rotating to get her point of view. The background music became even eerier when she caught sight of a familiar blonde-haired figure standing with its back to the camera in a side passage. Sammy was shown gasping sharply, then furrowing her brow in confusion – the shot moved back to her perspective, but that short, blonde, and waifish figure was now gone without a trace.

/

Another growl echoed through the sewers as the scene flashed to Team Victory.

"Okay," Geoff said with a worried look ahead, "is it just me, or did that come from ahead of us?"

"I think I heard it too, eh," Ezekiel said nervously. "And I'm also thinkin' that I don't wanna meet an alligator right now."

"Well it's not like we have a choice," Scott spoke up over the motor. "We're behind enough as it is, so you'd better hang on tight 'cause I am not slowing this thing down!" Tyler was shown gulping, and gripping hard on the side of the boat.

/

The tension in the music faded slightly as the scene cut back to Team Universe.

"I'm telling you, I saw Dawn back there!" Sammy told her teammates.

"What would she be doing in the sewers of New York?" Alejandro asked skeptically.

"I-I don't know," Sammy told him, sitting near the engine with Sugar, "but maybe we should go back and look for her?"

"Hah!" Scarlett barked out a laugh from the front of the boat. "As though we'd compromise our lead in order to entertain what was obviously a hallucination induced by a mix of stress, sewer gas, and wishful thinking."

"I know what I saw," Sammy said forcefully, the camera once again shifting to her perspective as a white-scaled head began to rose out of the water in the distance and the music rose dramatically, "and now I see an alligator!" Her rapidly-panicked voice was accompanied by a vigorous point that successfully got the attention of her teammates, and all five screamed as the giant alligator jumped out of the water to lunge at them. Fortunately Alejandro had already swerved out of the way, and the albino reptile completely missed them.

It splashed down into the water, then surfaced facing the other way. A moment later Team Chris' boat entered the scene with a scream of their own, ramping off the alligator's head and landing in the water. The boat continued forward a few feet, but soon stopped as the the engine began to sputter and puff and die.

"We've stalled!" Shawn shouted as he frantically tried and failed to drive the boat.

"What are we gonna do?!" Bridgette said, holding her head in panic. She looked up at the alligator behind them as it growled again, and the four teens screamed.

The shot cut to Team Victory approaching rapidly from behind. Geoff, Tyler, and Ezekiel were already screaming, but Scott's eyes narrowed as a smirk formed on his face. "Hold on, boys, I'm gonna bring this puppy around!"

The other three answered by screaming even harder as Scott maneuvered their boat around the alligator's right side, deliberately taking it as close as possible and angling the craft so that it slammed into the side of Team Chris' boat and bounced off, knocking their four opponents off their feet as they themselves continued on.

"Dude, what was that for?!" Geoff exclaimed. "Bridgette's on that boat!"

"Sorry, I guess I just lost control for a second!" Scott explained with a sorry expression that rapidly faded as Geoff sent a worried look behind him.

"This isn't good!" Bridgette exclaimed in panic as she got back on her feet and immediately noticed the alligator that was now looming angrily over them.

"You're telling me!" Shawn said as he tried to start their boat.

"We're all gonna die!" DJ screamed in terror as the gargantuan reptile opened its mouth and lunged at them.

/

The scene briefly cut to black as the four members of Team Chris screamed in terror, then cut back to Team Universe and Team Victory racing through the sewers.

"Oh man," Geoff said with an immensely panicked expression while pulling on the brim of his hat, "oh man oh man, this is horrible dudes!"

"Uh, yeah, totally!" Scott said with an unnoticed lack of sincerity. He noticed Sugar look back at them and winked, and after a moment's confusion the pageant queen winked back.

/

The scene cut outside to the end of a large pipe as Team Universe's boat sped out into the open, and Team Victory followed shortly after.

"Woo hoo!" Tyler cheered in a close-up, the dramatic music pausing. "We made it!"

"Wait, where's DJ's boat?" Sammy asked frantically as the focus moved to her team.

The dramatic music resumed as the shot cut back to the pipe and the giant albino alligator began to shoot out, only to get stuck. It coughed up Team Chris' boat, the four teens screaming as they hit the water with their motor running once more.

All three teams breathed sighs of relief as they reached another dock at around the same time, with Team Universe taking a slight lead and Team Chris taking a slightly greater loss.

"Whoa, hahaho!" Chris laughed through a gas mask, waiting on the dock with Chef Hatchet. "Nasty! That's the kind of stink that never comes out." The camera pulled back a little as he looked at the hulking man beside him. "Make the gator sign a waiver so we can show it on TV."

"Stupid show...," Chef grumbled, the dramatic music resuming again as he exchanged his chef's hat for a purple swimming cap and dived into the water. He tapped the trapped gator on the arm, then raised a clipboard to it – it signed with its claw.

"Man, sorry Bridge," Geoff told his girlfriend with a genuinely apologetic look on his face, "we didn't mean to ram into you back there."

The surfer sighed. "I know. I'm just glad we all made it out of there in one piece. Any one of us could have been eaten in there."

"Yeah, guess we all managed to avoid certain death," Scott said. "So, uh, no hard feelings, okay?" He smiled oddly, and while Bridgette gave him a stern and disbelieving look only Sierra looked truly suspicious.

xxx

"Okay, knowing Scott he probably crashed into us on purpose," Sierra said in the restroom confessional. "It fits with the strategy he used last time, although I guess he's moved on to sabotaging other teams now and not just his own. But some reason, I can't help but feel like there's more to it this time..."

She ended her confessional with her hand on her chin and her brow furrowed in deep thought.

xxx

"Alright, focus people!" Chris clapped, now standing in front of a small blackboard that showed three curved and crisscrossing lines – one in each team's color – leading to a bluish circle, and then to a heart. "Welcome to the second half of the challenge, 'Bobbing for Big Apples, NYC Style'!" As he named the challenge the camera zoomed out to show the three teams assembled with their carriages next to the dock.

"Here's how it's gonna go down," the host continued, taking a pointing stick out from behind his back. "Team must push their carriages along one of the three paths," the shot zoomed in on the three colored lines, with a particular focus on the blue one in the middle, "to Central Park's fabled Turtle Pond." He traced the short and to-the-point path all the way to the bluish circle representing the pond.

"There, one member of each team will bob for some very special apples, using only their mouths." The shot briefly cut to Chris pointing at his shining teeth. "No hands! Once they get it to shore," the focus moved back to the image on the blackboard, "the rest of the team must load it into their carriages and race to the finish line in the heart of Central Park." He traced the remaining path with his pointer, then tapped the heart symbol.

"And what's a baby carriage without a baby?" he asked with his usual smile.

"Uhh, some kinda tiny shoppin' cart, I guess," Sugar guessed.

"It was a rhetorical question," Chris said blankly.

"Umm, Chris?" Sammy hesitantly raised her hand. "I think I might've seen-"

"Yeah, I'm sure you saw a lotta things down there, Samey," the host answered sternly. "And I don't wanna hear about any of 'em. Ev-er."

Sammy sighed sadly, and DJ raised an eyebrow at her.

"Anyway, one member of each team must ride in their carriage," Chris continued his explanation, "and stay there all the way to the finish line."

"Guess that's me," Shawn volunteered for Team Chris with an uncertain shrug.

The camera panned left to Team Victory as Scott, Geoff, and Tyler simultaneously declared "Not it!" They looked at their fourth member, and Ezekiel hung his head and groaned.

The focus moved further leftward to Team Universe. "Obviously, we should give the role to whichever one of us weighs the least," Scarlett said as Alejandro gave her a skeptical look. The evil girl grinned viciously, then suddenly shoved both Ella and Sammy from behind – both girls screamed, but while Ella managed to regain her balance immediately the more distracted cheerleader fell flat on her face.

"And that proves what exactly?" Alejandro asked dryly while helping Sammy up.

"The fall notwithstanding," Scarlett answered matter-of-factly, "Sammy's abdomen gave slightly less resistance, implying she has less mass."

"I'm fine being the baby, but you could've just asked," Sammy said in mild annoyance as she dusted herself off.

"True, but this was more satisfying," Scarlett told her.

"Universe got here first," Chris announced as the shot cut back to him, "so, they get the shortest path to the pond." He pointed to the middle blue line on the blackboard. "Team Victory gets the longest path on the left," he pointed to the yellow line, "and Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Mean gets the longest path on the right. Oh," he grinned as he looked back at the teens, "and, a little traveling music please?"

"Oh, I've always dreamed of singing in New York City!" Ella said excitedly.

"So we really are doing the music thing every time?" Shawn asked.

"Yup!" the host smiled. "Fun, huh?" The familiar bell chimes heralded the appearance of the music note icon, and were accompanied by a grand showtune-like theme. "Now move it!" Chris added sternly. "We only have permits to cordon off this section of the park for another hour."

~/~

[A grand show tune began to play as the teams started running, and the camera quick-panned first to the Washington Square Arch, and then to the Brooklyn Bridge which faded into a color drawing of the same area.]

"What's not to love about New York City? The skyline's high and the view is pretty!"

[Ella began the song, an all-pink version of her popping up on the right side of the screen. The bridge faded in favor of the skyline behind it as it was mentioned in-song, Ella putting her hand on her brow to shield the sun as she smiled at it.]

"The subway lines, are right on time;"

[She rapidly faced the camera and moved to the left side of the screen as the background shifted to a subway station near the tracks.]

"What's not to love about New York?"

[She through up her hands as she finished the verse, and behind her a subway train sped by with its headlights flooding the 'camera'.]

"The food is hotter, the trash is trasher;"

[A cyan-colored Geoff sang next as the lights faded into him walking and dancing along a street, the music taking a deeper tone; he passed a hot dog stand and leaped over a pile of garbage bags.]

"The mugs are mugger-er and the fast are faster;"

[Geoff danced past the next alley which was completely blocked by what looked like a burly and menacing white man colored dark green; once that alley was out of sight Geoff paused as a horde of differently-colored silhouettes ran past him in the opposite direction.]

"The roads get clogged and traffic is a slog; What's not to love about New York?"

[As the runners cleared away they were replaced by a swarm of cars which Geoff happily took to dancing on top of. As he finished his verse the taxi he was standing on drove out from under him, and with a stunned "Whoa!" he fell face-first through a manhole.]

"The news, and the papers, big scoops, and headline breakers;"

[A lavender Sierra sang next as the music became a bit grander. She was wearing a press hat and holding a small notepad as the camera panned up to her in front of the skyscraper. The background shifted as she sang, putting her in a newspaper printing press.]

"It's crazy 'cause the city never sleeps!"

[She spread her arms wide, and one of the newspapers that was printing behind her flew off the press and into the 'camera'; the headline read ''Total Drama World Tour' Is International Sensation' over a picture of another stretch of New York City, which promptly enlarged and took over the screen."

"Yay!"

[Ella cheered as she popped into view again; she started dancing as the tune slowed down, beginning with a few simple tap steps before twirling ballet-style. Light-blue Alejandro stepped in to join her, taking her by the hand and spinning her around even more. The two joined hands but were startled to a stop when light-green Sugar bounded in front of them and started dancing for the camera in her own awkward and nameless style. The three were interrupted even further when Scarlett's head appeared, red and furious. "GET MOVING!" she yelled at them, shocking the three into running again.]

"Baseball games and the parking limits;"

[A low drumroll led up to the scene moving to Team Victory singing together as they ran through a purple-tinted Central Park; they were all colored yellow like the the carriage Geoff was pushing Ezekiel in.]

"Cross Manhattan in a New York minute!"

[The camera panned back a little ways to a blue-colored Team Universe as they sang the next line; Alejandro pushing Sammy in the carriage.]

"And pretzel stands for all you pretzel fans!"

[Sierra said with a wink as she and Team Chris, all colored a light red, passed by a food stand with a pretzel painted on the side. DJ, of course, was doing the pushing with Shawn in the carriage.]

"What's not to love;"

[Team Chris sang as one.]

"What's not to love;"

[Team Universe joined in as the shot cut to back to them.]

"What's not to loo~oove about New York!"

[Team Victory joined in for the final line as the camera pulled back to show all three teams running in a cluster with Team Universe and Team Victory barely in front. Shot were shown of the printing press, an empty alley, the Washington Square Arch, the pretzel stand, and the Brooklyn Bridge again as the music came to its conclusion.]

~/~

The scene moved to a close-up of three large apples floating in a pond, a pigeon sitting on the rightmost one and hocking up a throaty bit of spit before flying off.

"Aww shucks!" Sugar exclaimed in disappointment as the camera pulled back to show the three teams, the host and assistant, and a young white woman on a nearby park bench attending an actual baby carriage. "I thought we had the short path, how come everyone else is here too?"

"Well, you guys did stop to dance," Sammy said.

"Sorry everyone," Ella sheepishly told her team. "Those apples look nice, though," she added as the camera cut in closer. "And also very large."

"Remember!" Chris said, drawing the camera's focus to him an Chef atop a large rock in the pond. "No hands!"

"I've totally got this, guys!" Tyler declared confidently, dashing from his teammates to the pond and jumping into a dive...and smacking flat against the water, earning a wincing groan from the others as he sunk into the murk.

"Don't expect me to do this," Scarlett said as the shot panned slightly to the left. "Not only am I the reason we didn't fall behind even further, but this wretched collar might short-circuit in the water and kill me."

"Well, I can't go in and risk ruining my hair," Alejandro said. "And, of course, I wouldn't want Ella to have to swim around in that filth. And since Sammy can't leave the carriage, I suppose that leaves only..."

Four pairs of eyes moved to the pageant queen who crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Guess it's time for Sugar to step up and show the rest of you how it's done." She walked over to the edge of the pond and jumped right in, her make-up running as she came up to the surface again.

"Bridgette?" Shawn asked his teammate as the focus moved to Team Chris; Sierra immediately looked at the surfer while DJ looked lost in thought.

"Uh, sure, I guess I can do it," Bridgette said. "I'm still a little wary about swimming with turtles again, but it can't be that bad, can it? Wish me luck!" She smiled at her teammates and started walking forward.

"Good luck!" Shawn told her with a smile of his own.

"Huh?" DJ said, blinking a few times as he remembered what as happening. "Oh right, good luck!"

Bridgette took another step, but Sierra quickly stopped her. "Be careful around Sugar, okay?" she whispered in the surfer's ear. "I think she's up to something..."

The surfer stifled a laugh. "Sorry," she told her frowning teammate, "it's just that's it's Sugar. I don't think she's the scheming type." Sierra made a displeased noise and looked away, and Bridgette walked over to the pond and dived in as well.

"Well you might not think she's the scheming type," Sierra muttered with narrowed eyes, "but I'm not gonna take that chance." She sneakily stepped forward and grabbed some of the reeds growing next to the pond, then darted back to her teammates and grabbed Shawn's hat.

"Hey!" the survivalist said in bewilderment as he reached up to feel his shaggy hair.

He only got a rushed "Sorry I'll bring it back later thank you!" from Sierra as she ran off.

The background music picked up the pace and intensity as the camera moved to Team Victory cheering their teammate on. The shot then cut to Tyler as he swam behind one of the giant apples, then began to blow on it to no effect. "Uggh, it's not working!" he called out.

"Yo, try usin' your head, eh!" Ezekiel suggested.

The jock complied by repeatedly bashing the apple with his skull, and slowly but surely it started moving through the water.

The camera zoomed out slightly as Bridgette swam rapidly past Tyler, behind another apple, and began pushing it along with her head in a much smoother fashion.

"Yeah!" the camera cut to Shawn cheering excitedly from his team's carriage. "You can do it, Bridgette! Nobody's better in the water than you are!"

As the others continued to cheer, the shot cut to Geoff as he glared sharply at the survivalist. "You got this, dude!" he called to Tyler, the scene briefly going back to them to show the jock falling behind the surfer. "You're unstoppable, bro, the greatest! Bridgette's nothing next to you, bro! Less than a worm, even!"

Bridgette gasped indignantly, then repeated the gesture when a grinning Tyler bashed his apple ahead of her.

"Vamos! Vamos! Get going, Sugar!" Alejandro yelled as the focus moved to Team Universe. The pageant queen was only just at the final apple, and paused to glare back at her teammates.

"I am vamosin'!" she yelled. "Ain't my fault these turtles keep gettin' in my way!" She raised her left arm out of the water, revealing the two small turtles that were biting down angrily on it. "Get off, you!" she said, wildly shaking her arm and successfully dislodging the reptiles. As luck would have it, they landed on the back of Tyler and Bridgette.

"Yeow!" Tyler hollered in pain as the turtle bit down on his shoulder, halting his progress through the pond.

Bridgette smiled as she passed him by a little, but then frowned in shock and horror as she looked back and saw the turtle riding her. "Oww! Hey!" she said as it bit into her butt.

"It's called 'Turtle Pond' for a reason," Chris said with an amused expression as he watched from atop his rock.

"Now make way for the Pond Queen," Sugar said as she swam past Tyler and Bridgette. Unlike them, she had opted to balance the oversized fruit on her head; like them, however, she was now being swarmed and bitten by multiple turtles. She was the most persistent, though, and soon managed to pass both Tyler and Bridgette up.

"C'mon, dude, hurry!" Geoff yelled, gripping his hair in rising panic.

"You can do it, Bridgette!" Shawn added. "Just ignore the pain, and-"

He was cut off when a figure suddenly ran past him, dressed in a familiar knit cap and sunglasses and with a long magenta-dyed braid slung over her mouth like a mustache – clearly Sierra in disguise. A trophy woven from reeds and stuffed with pretzels in her hands, she skidded to a stop at the edge of the pond right in front where Sugar, Bridgette, and Tyler were moving their giant apples towards shore.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Sierra called out in a deepened voice, waving at Sugar at immediately gaining her attention.

"What is it, I'm busy!" Sugar yelled back in irritation.

"I'd like to inform you that you've just been selected the winner of, uh, the annual Central Park Stealth Pageant!" Sierra said.

Sugar paused, and the apple fell behind her with a splash. "Central Park Stealth Pageant?" she repeated. "What's that? I ain't ever heard of no Stealth Pagent before."

"It's...a little-known New York tradition," Sierra quickly explained as Bridgette and Tyler, shrugging away their momentary confusion, continued the challenge behind Sugar. "Doesn't get much press. On a randomly-selected day each year, judges scour the park for the most beautiful and talented girl they can find, and-"

"Get moving, you imbecile!" Scarlett yelled angrily from the sidelines. "This is obviously a trick!"

"You don't know that, so hold your horses!" Sugar shot back. "So then," she asked the disguised Sierra, "you're sayin' that li'l ol' me was judged the most beautiful girl in the whole park?"

"And talented!" Sierra repeated with a nod. "Here's your grand prize." She thrust out the cup trophy woven from reeds and stuffed with pretzels.

Sugar's face lit up and she squealed with delight. "Oh my gosh, thank you so much for awardin' me such a wonderful prize!" she said, swimming towards the shore Sierra was standing on. "I'm not prepared to make a speech, but just give me a second and I'll see what I can come up with."

"Take your time," Sierra said, looking warily over her shoulder. The camera followed her gaze back to the shore where the others were standing – Tyler and Bridgette were nearly finished, and the members of Team Universe were largely yelling at Sugar to focus on the challenge.

"C'mon, we're barely in the lead!" Scott hissed as Tyler bashed their apple close enough for him to grab it out of the water. As he walked off with it, the dazed-looking jock sunk into the pond – luckily, Geoff had lingered behind and quickly pulled him out with a concerned look on his face. Scott put the apple down on Ezekiel in the carriage and ran off with it, Geoff and Tyler following shortly behind.

The camera moved to DJ helping Bridgette out of the water with one hand and holding up the apple in the other. "Let's get goin'," he said, gently handing the fruit to his carriage-bound teammate but partly crushing Shawn just the same.

"Right," Bridgette said, dripping wet and covered with bites and scratches. "C'mon, Sierra!" she called as the trio began to move again, and the shot moved back to Sugar and their disguised teammate.

"Coming!" Sierra said in her normal voice, tossing the pretzel-filled trophy away and running to catch up with Team Chris. The trophy landed in the lap of the young white woman on the bench nearby, who looked at in confusion before her baby reached out and grabbed a pretzel.

"It was a fake!" Sugar gasped in sudden realization.

"That's what we've been telling you!" Alejandro yelled in frustration.

"Well she is going to pay for that," Sugar grumbled, diving underwater and coming back up a moment later with her apple on her head. With a grunt of effort, she easily headbutted it all the way to her waiting teammates, and Alejandro easily caught it.

"Come on, we have to make it to the finish line!" he called, slamming the apple down on Sammy and taking off at a run with Scarlett and an uncomfortable-looking Ella. Sugar joined them as they rounded the edge of the pond, and the background music deepened a moment before leveling out.

/

The scene flashed to an angel statue atop a fountain as Chris said "She's got a sister, y'know." The camera panned down to him and Chef sitting on the edge of the fountain's pool; in the background, a tallish brown-haired white boy in a blue hoodie and shorts walked by, staring at his hands in bewilderment. He looked up just long enough to notice the camera, then promptly forgot where he was walking, tripped over a barricade, and fell out of sight into a larger body of water in the background.

"For real?" Chef said, paying attention only to the host. "A'ight, give her my digits man."

"Oh, hold on," Chris interrupted as he looked off to the side, "here they come."

The challenge music briefly returned as the camera cut back to show Team Victory arriving first with Team Chris in a close second. The music wrapped up triumphantly as Team Universe came in a couple seconds later, and the boys of Team Victory whooped and cheered.

"Great, we lost!" Alejandro exclaimed in annoyance.

"And the winner of the New York challenge is," Chris announced as a drumroll began, "Teeeeeam Victory!"

A triumphant tune played as the shot zoomed in on the four boys cheering. Geoff shot a grin over at Bridgette, but it quickly turned sad as the camera panned to show her commiserating with Shawn over their loss.

'Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Mean, congrats on getting second place once again," the host told the other team of four, none of whom looked particularly excited about it.

"Aaaand Team Universe," Chris told the third team with a frown, "you're facing elimination again. Buuut," he donned an impish smile and raised a finger, "you won't have to go through with it, 'cause this is really a reward challenge!" He put his hands on his hips, then crossed them and smugly said "Psyche!"

Immediately, Scarlett wiped her brow in relief and Sugar cheered excitedly. Sammy and Ella also exchanged a happy smile, but as the camera panned to Alejandro the charmer frowned in annoyance and shook his head.

xxx

"Although losing because of Sugar would have been irritating," Alejandro explained in the restroom confessional, "at least I would have finally been able to get rid of Scarlett." He sighed. "Now, I must suffer in economy class without benefit."

xxx

/

The scene flashed to the jumbo jet flying through a flock of birds and scattering them, then into the elimination room where Team Victory was sitting.

"What did I tell you?" Scott whispered to a depressed-looking Geoff. "She was so into zombie boy she didn't even notice you!"

"Aww, dude! I don't even wanna think about that right now." Geoff replied. "Did I seriously let things between me and her get so bad?"

"Looks like it," Scott said with feigned sympathy as he pat the party boy on the back.

The camera abruptly zoomed out to show the whole room, Chris standing at his podium and the three giant apples lined up against the wall. "As the winners of this reward challenge," he told them as their team logo appeared on-screen, "Team Victory gets to keep or dump the prizes contained in the apples. So, have at it dudes!" He tossed the wooden mallet he was holding to Tyler, who missed the catch.

"Oww!" he said as it hit him in the eye. He picked the mallet back up, then grumpily walked over to the middle apples and whacked it hard. The side broke open, and a pile of smaller apples tumbled out. "Huh," he said blankly, "who woulda guessed they'd be filled with more apples?"

"At least they look pretty good," Ezekiel said.

"True that," Tyler said with a smile as he walked back to his team and handed the mallet to Geoff. "You take the next one, man. You need it the most."

"Thanks, man," Geoff said as he accepted the mallet and stood up. He gave the apple a neutral look as he walked over, then spun the mallet around and cracked the fruit open. The shot cut to his close-up as his brows shot up, and a grin formed on his face. "Candy?" he exclaimed as a pile of wrapped sweet cascaded from the broken apple. "Sweet!" He eagerly scooped up a hat full, then tossed a few pieces in his mouth and began to chew.

"Almost...," he said, sniffling and tearing up as he walked back to the bleachers, "almost as sweet as Bridge!"

"There there," Scott said, giving him a comforting hug and pat on the back. He snatched the mallet, then broke the hug and let Geoff sit down. Scott walked over to the last apple, raised the mallet over his head, and brought it down hard and vicious. It shattered into tiny pieces, and he raised an eyebrow as he bent down to pick up his unseen prize.

"A meat grinder?" he said skeptically, holding up the device, it's power cord and on/off switch marking it as being an electric one. "Cool!" he smiled. "Pappy always did say that ground meat was a luxury you shouldn't turn down."

"Looks like we're gonna be eatin' even better than usual, eh," Ezekiel said happily.

"Too bad I'm not feeling better than usual," Geoff chimed in sadly as he tossed another handful of candy into his mouth.

"Will Geoff ever reconnect with his lost love?" Chris asked the camera as the series' usual ending music began playing.

"Dude, he's like right here," Tyler said in shock, pointing to his teammate as the music briefly paused.

"Find out next time," the host continued with a renewed smile, "on Total!" the whole room was shown. "Drama!" the shot cut outside the plane. "World Tour!" the final shot cut even further away as the blaring music concluded.

(Fade to Credits)


Author's Note - Post Script

So, as in canon, this challenge ends in reward. I did it this way because, to be honest, I didn't want to figure out how to A) get the meat grinder into play in some other fashion, or B) fit both the reward and elimination into the same episode, which would have been really weird. So the challenge remains the same, but unlike canon the reward remains on the plane - what becomes of it you'll see next week, as I'll say now that the Alps is the next destination.

This week's song is merely a Shuffled version of 'What's Not To Love?'; even keeping the same melody getting the right words was a bit annoying. I think it does work, though, and in many ways can be thought of as something like a second half to the canon version. Admittedly I could have made something more different like I did with the first two episode's songs, but those had the luxury of being completed before the season began whereas this week's song did not, and I didn't want to rewrite everything from scratch. Plus the visual style for the canon song were pretty great, and I wanted to adapt them for this story.

A few things started here, and a few things continued - most notably Sierra becoming suspicious enough of Sugar and Scott to interfere with the former; and of course the fallout from Dawn's sudden departure. Things are getting interesting on that plane...

Oh, and by the way, that kid who was walking behind Chris and Chef in the fountain scene was a cameo requested by Animation Adventures, formerly known as Karts of Sugar Rush. I hope it wasn't too intrusive, though I'm not too certain whether or not I'll have other cameos in the future. Certainly not any time soon.

That aside, I'm eager to hear what you all think of this chapter and all its developments! The second quarter of the season has just begun, and I have a lot of things in store for you all.

- Fangren


Appendix: TSWT Eliminated Contestants

Staci - (17th Place)

Beardo - (16th Place)

Lightning - (15th Place)

Dawn - (14th Place? | Quit Unofficially)