Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Total Drama Island or its characters. The rights belong to Teletoon, Cartoon Network, and the producers of the show. No profit has been earned in the making of this fanfiction (darn copyright laws). The opinions expressed by the characters in this story DO NOT represent my own opinions. I'm also supposed to tell you something else…something about the ridiculously dangerous stunts on this show…yeah, I'm drawing a blank here.
Author's Note: The episode numbers have been changed to reflect what they would be in the real show (Episode 1 here becomes Episode 14, Episode 2 becomes 15, etc.) to avoid confusion in the future.
Episode 4, Part 2: The Ring of Broken Ties
Justin walked into the fourth chamber, sweaty from spending the last fifteen minutes scaling a difficult rock wall. He met Heather just outside the entrance, who was formulating a plan to navigate the obstacle ahead.
"Holy crap," Justin uttered in shock as he surveyed his surroundings. The chamber contained a pool of lava that spanned the entire room. The only safe areas were the platforms at both the entrance and exit, and the numerous stepping stones that bridged the two platforms together.
"I know, right?" an annoyed Heather asked.
"Wait, if this is supposed to be an Egyptian temple, then what is all this lava doing here?" Justin wondered.
Heather shook her head. "It's like Chris isn't even trying anymore."
"Of course I'm trying!" Chris retaliated. "I'm trying to make this challenge so difficult that it could possibly kill you!"
Heather and Justin looked at each other with disturbed, but unsurprised, faces. "You'd think the authorities would've figured out by now that Chris is homicidal," Justin droned.
Heather stood at the edge of the platform, preparing to get a running start. "Okay, the key here is to cross as quickly as you can. The less time you spend worrying about balance, the less likely you are to screw up and fall in."
"I sure wish we could get a practice run at this," a nervous Justin said.
The queen bee pushed off her back leg and leaped for the nearest stepping stone. She gracefully bounded from stone to stone, taking long strides without hesitation. She somersaulted as she reached the opposite platform and dusted off her legs. Justin merely stared at Heather with his jaw agape.
"I guess my talents in ballet finally paid off," Heather shrugged, dismissing the previous obstacle as a simple impediment.
"You expect me to do that?" Justin incredulously exclaimed.
"It's not as hard as it looks," Heather assured.
Justin gulped as he took his running start and recklessly started crossing the lava pool. He attempted to replicate Heather's long strides, but his legs could not stretch out far enough. About halfway across, his foot slipped off of one of the stones and sent the model tumbling into the lava.
Heather winced at the sight, feeling slightly sympathetic toward Justin. "Well that's a harsh way to go out," she muttered to herself. She started to turn toward the exit when she heard a splashing noise. She looked over her shoulder and saw Justin emerge from the lava, swimming toward the other side as quickly as possible.
"HOT! HOT! HOT!" Justin wailed as she scrambled out of the lava and onto the platform. Heather took a long look at him and noticed that his skin was not burnt, although it was starting to turn red.
"What in the world? Must be one of Chris' lame attempts at special effects," Heather said.
"Yeah, it's just water with a bunch of red lights at the bottom to make it look like lava," Justin explained as he grit his teeth through the pain. "Then again, the water is still boiling hot!"
"Boy, you should consider yourself lucky we weren't able to get real lava in time for the filming of this episode!" Chef yelled over the PA.
"Sure thing, Chef. Whatever you say," Justin responded, clearly angry at the co-host.
Confession Cam
Heather: I used to believe Chris whenever he said that he was out to seriously injure or kill us, but now I'm starting to think that those were just empty threats.
Justin: Sometimes I wonder how much respect Heather would command if she weren't such a jerk. I mean, she can complete pretty much any challenge with ease! It's kind of impressive. You know, if you look past the whole "evil manipulator" thing.
Beth and Harold entered their fourth chamber, which looked identical to the previous room they were in. It was an empty square room that provided a straight path to the exit.
"Wow, I didn't think we'd get two easy rooms in a row," Beth remarked, surprised at their good fortune.
As the pair reached the middle of the room, the ground suddenly shook, causing them to wobble back and forth for a second. Harold quickly turned around and saw a large stone golem charging straight at them.
"Watch out!" he yelled as he pulled Beth out of harm's way. The golem slid to a stop and slowly made a 180-degree turn, preparing to bull rush the two nerds again.
"We've got to make a break for the exit!" Beth exclaimed, only to watch as a sliding stone door blocked their means of escape.
"So it's come down to this…" Harold said with a determined look on his face.
Harold dodged the golem's second charge as he started running towards the east wall. The golem slowly turned around and made another attempt to ram the lanky teen. Harold quickly sidestepped and watch the golem run into the wall.
"Nice job!" Beth cheered as she ran toward the exit. Unfortunately, the door remained closed. "Wait, now what are we supposed to do?"
"I hope you guys realize that you actually have to defeat that thing in order to advance," Chris responded.
"In that case, have some of THIS!" Harold shouted as he kicked the golem in the leg. The kick ended up doing more damage to Harold than to the golem, as he started bouncing on one leg while he rubbed his kicking foot. "Ow! That probably wasn't one of my smarter moves."
It took thirty seconds for the golem to pry itself free from the wall. Once it was able to move again, it targeted Beth for its next attack.
"Oh man," Beth squeaked as she dove to the side. The golem punched the ground with enough force to create a small hole in the floor.
"Although this golem appears to be powerful, it's also horrendously slow," Harold noticed.
Beth was about to get up when she noticed that she dropped Chris' note from the previous chamber. She quickly scanned the part of the note that was still unread and found some interesting information at the end.
"P.S.: If for some reason you're still wasting your time looking at this note," Beth read aloud, "I might as well tell you that the only way you can beat the monster in the next chamber is by kicking its butt. Literally."
"Behind you!" Harold warned.
Beth quickly whipped her head around and saw the golem rearing its arm back to punch the ground again. Remembering the contents of the note, she dove forward and slid between the golem's legs. The golem punched the floor and ended up getting its fist stuck. Beth jumped up in an attempt to kick the golem's butt, but could only manage a light tap. To her surprise, the golem instantly fell apart, causing the exit door to open.
"Now that was well done," Harold commended, nodding his head in approval.
An embarrassed Beth rubbed the back of her head. "There's no time to pat ourselves on the back, though," she said as she ran for the exit, with Harold closely trailing.
Confession Cam
Harold: I suppose I could have handled that battle a little better, but it's nice to know that Beth is capable of stepping up in this kind of situation.
Beth: I've always wanted to avoid challenges in the past, but now that I have more experience, I think I stand a better chance now.
"Ow, ow, ow…" Justin groaned with each step as he slowly followed Heather into the treasure room. They entered the room at the top of a tall staircase, leading down to three pedestals that held identical artifacts.
"Hah! It looks like we're the first ones here," Heather noticed as she sprinted down the staircase.
"Good. Maybe we can take five. You know, until the stinging dies down," Justin grumbled.
The model was about to slump forward when a large boulder suddenly dropped just inches in front of him and started to roll down the staircase. Heather could feel the impact behind her, and nearly tripped as she starting scrambling toward the bottom.
"Hurry up Heather…oh, what am I worried for? Of course she's gonna get out of the way," Justin reasoned to himself.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"…that wasn't Heather," Justin muttered as he looked to his right to find the source of a pair of screaming voices.
Duncan and Courtney were still riding the mine cart as they entered the final room, waiting for their first chance to get off of the wild ride. The track eventually brought the cart parallel to a long stretch of ground where they could ditch the cart.
"So when is this thing supposed to stop?" Duncan asked.
"…it isn't," Courtney gulped as she saw that the track would come to an end fifty feet away.
"Oh crap. Jump for it!" Duncan yelled as he vaulted himself off of the cart. Courtney tumbled out a second later and immediately made a break for the artifact. As Duncan watched the cart fly off the tracks and into the chasm, he never heard a sound indicating that the cart had hit the bottom.
Heather reached the bottom of the staircase and dove to the left as the boulder harmlessly passed by. "Come on, Justin! Can't you run interference or something?"
"I'm kind of having problems here!" Justin complained as he slowly made his way down the staircase, still feeling scalding pain all over his body.
Harold and Beth finally reached the artifact room and simply had to sprint across a narrow pathway to get to the treasure. Unfortunately, the path started to crumble behind them, forcing the pair to hustle.
Harold made it to the other side with ease, but Beth was a tad slower due to having shorter legs. Upon reaching the end of the path, she dove forward and barely avoided falling into the abyss.
"Are you all right?" a concerned Harold asked.
"Forget about me. Look!" Beth shouted as she pointed towards Duncan, who was hobbling his way over to the artifacts. This prompted Harold to race over in his direction.
Heather quickly got up and started running towards Duncan as well. "There's no way in hell I'm letting you-"
"Not so fast!" Courtney interrupted as she dove for Heather's legs and held on to them as she brought the queen bee to the ground.
"Oh, now that's hot," Duncan commented as he reached one of the pedestals.
"Duncan! Focus!" Courtney ordered, trying to hide her blush.
As the criminal reached for the artifact, he noticed something very familiar about it. "Wait a minute…this is just a Gilded Chris!"
"Wrong answer, my man," Chris said. "That's not a Gilded Chris award…it's a Golden Chris award!"
"…I don't even know what to say anymore," a flabbergasted Courtney uttered.
"There's no time for this," Duncan dismissed as he reached for the artifact.
"Not so fast!" Harold yelled as he charged toward Duncan. The punk merely sidestepped, causing Harold to collide with the pedestal. The impact knocked the Golden Chris to the ground, where it rolled for a few feet and over the edge into the chasm.
"Oh, that's real nice," Duncan remarked. Upon saying that, the ground started to shake and the ceiling began to crumble.
"Uh oh," Harold said as he rubbed his head. "I just remembered that as soon as you grab the treasure, there's another trap that you have to deal with."
"Now what?" Justin asked as he finally made it to the bottom of the staircase. A large chunk of the ceiling landed right behind him, prompting the model to run for the exit screaming.
After some struggles, Heather managed to pry Courtney off of her. "I swear, I have to do everything myself!"
Amidst the chaos, nobody noticed Beth grabbing one of the remaining Golden Chris awards and hightailing it out of the temple. "Harold! Let's move!"
Heather snatched the last Golden Chris and followed Beth. She had to zigzag a couple of times to avoid falling debris. Harold tried to keep up with Heather, but was slowed down from feeling wooziness after hitting the pedestal earlier.
Duncan stomped the ground in frustration, having the misfortune of using his injured foot to do so. "Ouch! Dammit! Princess, let's book it already!"
Courtney slowly got up and met Duncan at the pedestals, with every Golden Chris award gone. "We're screwed, aren't we? There's almost no chance that we'll both survive this week."
Duncan scowled as he realized that invincibility was out of their grasp. "I'll think of something. We'll get out of this mess somehow," he reassured as debris continued to fall around them.
Back in the monitor room, the group of interns looked on as the challenge was nearing its conclusion. Despite the fact that they were witnessing a thrilling finish, the main thing that they had on their minds was their bet.
"Come on! Kiss her already!"
"I am NOT losing seventy bucks over this!"
"Seriously, if you're not gonna make any effort to escape from a collapsing building, you might as well…"
"Guys, I'm pretty sure that at this point, they're focused on finding a way to avoid getting voted out, not to mention trying to escape with their lives, which means that there would be no time to waste with-"
The dissenting intern was punched in the stomach before he could finish his claim. "Stop stating facts!" the aggressor demanded.
"Now was that really necessary?" the unfortunate victim grunted as he keeled over.
"Cut it out, guys!" Chef ordered. "I don't need anyone distracting me from the action over here!"
"Thanks, Chef. It's good to know that you care about our safety…"
"Says the fool that's all caught up in the romantic lives of people they don't even personally know!"
"I guess that's a fair point. Maybe we both need to get our priorities straight."
"All right boy, it's your turn to go get the Gilded Chris awards for tonight. The rest of you need to go set up the stage for tonight's ceremony. Let's move it, people!"
The interns followed Chef's command and left the monitor room. The co-host stayed behind and watched the conclusion of the challenge unfold.
Chris stood by the studio's exit, waiting for the castmates to emerge. Justin was the first person out, and his skin was noticeably red.
"Justin! You got a little something on your…entire body."
"Really, Chris? How far are you willing to go with these challenges?" an annoyed Justin asked.
"The sky's the limit, my man. Unfortunately, it appears you are empty-handed, so-"
"I'm here, Chris!" Beth shouted as she made it outside, holding up the Golden Chris.
"Nicely done, Beth," Chris applauded. "It looks like you-"
"Screw you, Chris!" Heather scorned as she emerged from the temple with her own Golden Chris. "These challenges keep getting worse every week!"
"Thank you, I try my best," Chris responded with a bow. "Now if you guys would let me finish here-"
"Just give me and Justin invincibility already," Heather demanded.
"Yeah…I'm afraid this challenge doesn't quite work that way," Chris nervously said.
"What are you talking about? Is this another one of your crappy technicalities? Don't tell me Courtney sued the show again!"
"No, Courtney hasn't done anything this time, and the technicality thing is debatable," Chris started. "You see, even though I split everybody into pairs, I specifically said that the first person to exit the temple with the artifact would win invincibility. By that rule, Beth is the winner of today's challenge!
"I won? Yay!" Beth shouted with glee. "Wait a minute, what about Harold?"
"What about Harold? He's not the one holding the Golden Chris," Chris explained. "Speaking of which, here he comes."
Harold finally managed to exit the temple, but had a couple of bruises from being hit by falling debris. "I sure hope I don't get a concussion from all of this. Did I miss anything?"
"You missed Chris making another egregious rule change," Heather answered, bitter about the result.
"That wasn't a rule change! It was there from the start!" Chris shouted in defense. "It's not my fault you weren't listening carefully enough."
"But I shouldn't be the only one who gets invincibility! It's not fair that Harold worked his butt off in that challenge and gets nothing for it," Beth complained.
"It's all right, Beth. You earned that victory," Harold said with a smile.
"But you need invincibility more than I do," the farm girl retorted.
"No giving away invincibility!" Chris asserted. "That's just lame."
"Hey, what happened to Courtney and Duncan?" Justin asked out of concern.
"I sure hope they're making out in there…" Chris mumbled under his breath.
"What was that?" Heather asked with a weird expression on her face.
"I said I hope that they make it out alive!" Chris exclaimed. The two fan favorites finally emerged from the temple, looking dirty but no worse for wear.
"The Golden Chris award? How much more narcissistic can you get?" Courtney angrily asked.
"Well what did you expect? A bunch of statuettes in your image? Please!" The host turned toward Duncan. "Dude, you might want to get that wound checked out."
"What's the point? If I see Chef, all he's gonna do is put a band-aid on my foot and kiss it," Duncan scoffed.
"If you say so," Chris responded. "All right, the Gilded Chris ceremony is in a couple of hours. Beth is safe tonight. The rest of you…heh, good luck! You're gonna need it!
Confession Cam
Heather: Perhaps this week's results weren't quite as bad as last week's, but as long as Chris continues to make these rules as ambiguous as possible, there's no predicting who will win.
Harold: To be honest, I don't mind missing out on invincibility. The only thing that matters is that Courtney and Heather are vulnerable tonight…now I just have to decide who to vote for.
Justin: I've been thinking about this all day, but there might be a way for me to win the favor of the others, ensuring me a spot in the Final Two. The problem is that it's an incredibly risky plan…
Courtney: It's so annoying to see Chris acting so smug after we've suffered dozens of near-death experiences throughout the show's run. He's going to get it… *takes out PDA*
The lonely intern entered a storage room located in one of the deepest parts of the film lot. He had light brown hair and green eyes, and sported a pair of glasses. He was wearing an intern uniform, which consisted of a red shirt, khaki shorts, and a cap with the number 99 on it. The intern grabbed five Gilded Chris awards and sighed, hoping that his fellow interns only represented a small portion of the Total Drama fanbase.
Once he left the storage room, he temporarily set the awards aside and took out his cell phone to make a call.
"Hello?" asked a familiar voice on the other end.
"Hey Karl, it's Lenny," the intern responded.
"Dude, how's it going on your end?"
"…I'd rather not talk about it. What about you?"
"I got stuck with the task of finding the studio where the Aftermath episodes are being filmed."
"Of course! The contestants at the Aftermath have seen everything that's happened so far! Maybe one of them has the info we need."
"Sure, but that's only if I can find the damn place. I've been searching all over Toronto, and there's nothing. Absolutely nothing!"
"You know, there's an easy way to find that studio."
"Well, what is it?"
"Come back to the film lot, wait until the elimination ceremony is over, then tail the Lame-o-sine. Even if it doesn't take you straight to the Aftermath studio, you'll at least know where the eliminated contestants are gathered."
"See, this is why you should be the one doing this crap, not me."
"You're welcome."
"Heh, thanks man. See you soon."
Lenny hung up. "Yeah, if those asshole fanboys don't murder me first…"
Courtney anxiously paced back and forth within the girls' trailer, which annoyed Heather, who was lying in bed and trying to contemplate her next move.
"Is there a specific reason why you can't stay still?"
Courtney glared at the queen bee, still upset by the events from before the challenge. "I'll have you know, I'm waiting for an important call. Once that call comes, your defeat tonight will be ensured."
Heather rolled her eyes. "If I had a nickel for every time I've heard someone say they'll vote me out…"
"I'm serious!" Courtney claimed.
"Of course you are," Heather sarcastically replied. "Hey, where's Beth?"
"I dunno. She could be using the Confession Cam for all I know."
Heather was still suspicious, so she got up and left the trailer, ignoring the sound of Courtney's PDA as it received an incoming phone call. Once Heather made it outside, she could hear faint voices coming from the boys' cabin. She snuck over to a window and peered inside, witnessing an unexpected scene taking place…
"Okay guys, I know your alliance seems like the kind of group that sticks to a game plan with no intention of deviating but…you have to help me take out Heather and Courtney!" Beth pleaded.
"For the last time Beth, we don't have an alliance!" Justin denied.
"Save your breath," Duncan said. "There's no need to keep it a secret at this point."
"I don't think it was much of a secret to begin with," Harold disputed.
"You know Beth, it's pretty weird seeing you jump ship like that, especially when you have invincibility this week," Justin noted. "What's the reason?"
"Well, you guys are the only alliance that's left, and I'm sure either Heather or Courtney will attempt to join up with you eventually," Beth explained. "We need to vote them out before they try anything funny."
"Then it's settled. The four of us are voting for Heather tonight," Duncan announced.
"Well, we could try voting out Courtney," Justin brought up. "You know, with all the advantages she keeps getting, we may not get a better opportunity than this." Duncan threw a pillow at the model's face to signify that he was shooting down his idea.
"That's not a bad plan, actually," Beth said, trying to defend Justin.
"Sure it isn't," Duncan replied. "Unless if you want to get voted out next week…while wearing a full body cast."
Harold sighed, knowing that the conversation was about to take an ugly turn.
"Why do we always have to go with your idea?" Justin questioned. "In this case, it's not necessarily the best strategy."
"Because I founded this alliance, and I've been keeping your butts safe for the past couple of weeks," Duncan argued.
"But the best move for the alliance is to take out Courtney!" Justin argued. "If Harold had to vote out Leshawna, I don't see any reason why you can't-"
"I've heard enough out of you!" Duncan interrupted. "If you want to vote for Courtney, that's fine by me. I'll make sure you're ousted tonight. Does that sound good to you?"
"Come on, Duncan. You probably don't see me as an actual threat, so why pass on an opportunity to take out one of the stronger competitors left?"
"Hey, I was totally prepared to vote Heather out tonight, but since you plan on defying my strategy, I might as well get rid of you now."
"Dude! Think about this for a second! Do you honestly think that Courtney would keep you around until the Final Two?"
"That better be a rhetorical question. If not, you're asking for it."
"Attention castmates, it's voting time!" Chris announced over his bullhorn. "Everybody must report to the Gilded Chris ceremony immediately!"
Duncan gave Justin the death glare before walking out of the trailer. Heather snuck around the back of the trailer before she could be spotted.
"Well, this is going to get messy," Harold remarked.
"I guess that's the end of your alliance," Beth said. "Sorry about that."
"It's all right. I didn't expect it to last much longer anyways…"
Confession Cam
Harold: Duncan's lack of leadership skills has been keeping his alliances unstable. I mean, he can't even sustain one for more than two episodes! Anyways, I suppose I could vote for Heather, although Justin did make an excellent point. I've got a chance to get Courtney out of my hair…but if Duncan finds out, I'm as good as dead. *sighs*
Duncan: Heather's actions today are pretty difficult to ignore. I'm not letting anyone badmouth Princess like that without answering to me first. Then again, Justin is trying to get her eliminated tonight. I was hoping I could wait another week to take out one of my alliance mates, but…ugh! Do I attack Heather, or do I defend Princess? Damn, this is tough…
Courtney: Finally, I get another chance to take out Harold. The problem is that I did guarantee that Heather would be voted out tonight. I don't want to look like an idiot by not backing it up! But damn it, I don't want to see Harold string a bunch of invincibility wins together either!
*looks at PDA* This thing needs a coin flip app.
Beth: I never thought that asking the boys for help would lead to the demise of their alliance. It's weird how things work out like that. I guess I might as well side with Justin on this one. It's not just because he's the hottest contestant remaining…okay, that might have a little to do with it…but I think it will be difficult to eliminate Courtney if we don't vote her out tonight.
Heather: Well, now I know that those dweebs are trying to target me, but that sorry excuse of an alliance has no chance to vote me out now that they're in shambles. Thanks, Justin. You just gave me the opening I need to escape yet again.
Justin: Oh man, I don't know if I can go through with this…but I guess there's no turning back now. I don't know if Duncan is gonna forgive me for what I said earlier, but if everything falls into place, I won't even have to worry about him. I just need a little luck…
Chris and Chef walked out on stage, with the six castmates waiting anxiously in the bleachers, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Chris started, "it's been a rough season so far, but after tonight, the lucky people who survive elimination will be a part of Total Drama Action's Final Five!"
Chris paused, waiting for applause from the audience, but the six competitors didn't comply. Courtney and Heather were glaring at each other, and Duncan was doing to the same to Justin, who was wringing has hands in nervousness. Harold tried to clear his thoughts in an attempt to calm his own nerves, while Beth simply observed what everyone else was doing.
"Uh, okay," Chris said as he cleared his throat. "Anyway, after today's brutal challenge which featured a couple of injuries and a wild finish-"
"A challenge, might I add, that was poorly run," Courtney interrupted.
Chris ignored the outburst. "…we sit here knowing that one of you is about to feel the agony of defeat after making it this far into the game."
"That's nice, now let's just get to the voting already," Heather said hastily.
"In due time. First, I wanna know what's on your mind. Justin, you're not looking too comfortable there, man."
"For the record Chris, I don't think there's a single moment in this game where anybody would actually feel comfortable," Justin countered.
"Ah, you're just trying to cover it up. What about you, Duncan? After narrowly avoiding elimination two weeks in a row, surely you've made some kind of adjustment, right?"
"Nope," the punk bluntly answered.
"…that's it? All right, suit yourself. Finally, Beth…you actually WON something! That might be the surprise of the season so far! Do think this changes everyone's perception of you?"
"I hope not," Beth responded. "I mean, it would be great to earn a little respect, but I don't want the others to start targeting me because I look like a threat."
"Well, you certainly won't be targeted tonight. Okay everyone, it's time to cast your votes."
The castmates pulled out the voting devices and carefully made their decisions. Beth and Heather cast their votes without hesitating. Duncan and Harold thought it over before finally making a choice. Courtney nervously moved her finger back and forth between two names before eventually settling on her vote. Justin tucked his voting device where no one could see it before making his choice.
"And the votes are in!" Chris announced. "I thought last week's results were weird, but this…oh man, this is gonna be good."
All six contenders had nervous expressions on their faces as the host continued. "You guys know the drill. There are six of you and only five Gilded Chris awards. The person who doesn't receive a Gilded Chris must immediately take the Walk of Shame and board the Lame-o-sine, and they won't be able to come back…EVER!"
"As usual, the first Gilded Chris goes to the invincibility winner, Beth." Chef tossed the award to the farm girl, who was still unnerved despite being guaranteed safety.
"The next award goes to the person who didn't receive a single vote…Duncan? Huh, go figure." Chris scratched his head in confusion as Chef threw the second award. The punk caught his Gilded Chris with a smirk, unsurprised at the result.
"The next Gilded Chris goes to…Harold!"
"Yes!" Harold exclaimed as he caught his award. He took a quick glance at Courtney and noticed that there was no reaction from her, causing the nerd to raise an eyebrow.
"The penultimate Gilded Chris goes to…
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…
"…Courtney!"
The CIT didn't make an attempt to catch her award, as she was focused on seeing who gets the final Gilded Chris.
"And it comes down to you two…" Chris said as he faced Justin and Heather.
"Heather, I have no idea how you lasted this long. Well, I guess all those invincibility wins as a member of the Screaming Gaffers helped, but you still survived two Gilded Chris ceremonies where you were vulnerable." Heather wanted to counter with a snide remark, but refrained from doing so.
"Justin, what happened, man? You had your good looks working for you in the early part of the season, but now, it's clearly not doing you any favors. Still, I'm impressed you managed to get this far in the competition despite having few physical or strategic abilities." Justin looked toward the ground in disappointment, believing that his defeat was assured.
"The final Gilded Chris, and the last spot in the Final Five, goes to…"
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…
…
…
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"…neither of you."
"WHAT?" the contestants screamed in disbelief. Beth and Harold dropped their awards in shock, while Duncan slapped his forehead out of frustration.
"Well, for the moment, the last Gilded Chris is still up for grabs," Chris explained. "For the first time in Total Drama history, two players have tied for receiving the most number of votes. In order to decide this in the fairest way possible, a tiebreaker challenge will be held between Heather and Justin."
"You want me to do another challenge? Ridiculous!" Heather protested.
"What did you expect? Did you think we were gonna pick rocks out of a bag or something? We're not cheap like that," Chris replied.
"That actually doesn't sound so bad," Justin said.
"Yeah, you guys don't actually have a say in this…so off we go!"
Chris and Chef led the way to the location of the challenge, but the competitors were slow to follow, as they were still trying to comprehend how the vote turned out the way it did.
Meanwhile, Karl emerged from the nearby bushes, having witnessed the entire ceremony. "Oh, what the hell? It had to be tonight! The one time they have a tie in the voting! I swear, they never make it easy on me…"
Confession Cam
Beth: *buries face in hands* Oh man…I made the wrong choice, didn't I?
Courtney: I swear, sometimes the voting makes no sense at all…
Duncan: So Princess received a vote…somebody's got some explaining to do! *pounds fist*
Harold: By my calculations, Heather and Justin only received two votes apiece. That means at least one person among the Guys' Alliance defected. I'm certain that it was Duncan…but did he vote for me or Justin?
Heather: This game has been falling apart for the past few episodes…it's like no one is using their head anymore! Especially not Chris!
Justin: Holy cow…phase one of my plan was actually a success! As straightforward as phase two will be, it's still gonna be a tough fight.
Chris led the castmates to the center of the film lot, which was just a simple stretch of flat ground surrounded by the numerous studios in a grid pattern. On the ground was a large circle that was crudely drawn with white chalk.
"Justin. Heather. You're arena awaits…" Chris directed.
"Arena? It looks like it was made by a five-year-old," Heather remarked.
"Hey! You'll hurt the interns' feelings with that insult!" the host replied.
"Really?" Justin asked.
Chris chuckled. "Nah, I don't care about the interns."
"Now here are the rules. This arena here is simply known as The Ring. Two people enter…one person leaves."
Justin and Heather exchanged nervous looks.
"…and the person that does leave must immediately take the Walk of Shame, take a ride on the Lame-o-sine, yadda yadda, you know how it works."
The two competitors sighed in relief.
"…you know, provided the person that remains in The Ring is still alive."
"Oh, will you knock it off?" Justin cried out.
Chris broke out into a fit of laughter. "Okay then. I suppose you want a more detailed explanation. When the challenge starts, you two will face hazards that you've already seen in the fifteen challenges you've faced this season. Your job is simply to avoid them to the best of your ability. This challenge is only a test of your dodging skills, so physical contact with your opponent is not allowed. The first person to have their entire body outside of The Ring is eliminated. Got it?"
The model and the queen bee nodded as they stepped into The Ring.
"I would suggest that the rest of you keep a safe distance away…" Chris advised as he looked around.
"We're one step ahead of you!" Harold yelled as he hid behind one of the studios along with the rest of the contestants.
"Not that far!" Chris protested. "You won't be able to see anything from there!"
Justin and Heather stood by, waiting for the challenge to start. "Hey, did you vote for me?" Justin inquired as he turned to face Heather.
"I'm not inclined to give you that information," Heather answered.
"Well I'll have you know that I didn't vote for you," Justin said.
"Really? That makes tonight's vote even more messed up…" Heather mused as she rubbed her chin, trying to make sense of the result.
"All right, combatants! Get ready!" Chris shouted. "And…ACTION!"
Right off the bat, a couple of hoses emerged from the ground and doused Justin and Heather in the goo from the alien challenge. While their movements weren't completely hindered, they were still noticeably slower than usual.
"Now how is this fair?" Heather complained as the next hazard emerged.
Four cannons rose from the ground and started firing paint bombs. Heather managed to dive to her right to avoid it, but Justin wasn't as quick to react, and was pelted by three bombs, causing orange paint to splatter all over him.
"Oh…that had to hurt," Chris commented.
"Hey, I don't remember this from a previous challenge," Justin griped.
"Some of these hazards might only be loosely related to one of the challenges. The paint bombs here are from the war challenge. The cannons were my own idea," Chris explained.
"That figures…" Justin muttered as he tried to shake off the mixture of paint and goo that was covering him.
"And now, from the beach challenge, I'm sure you remember our rare, deadly, man-eating, freshwater sharks!" Chris introduced. On cue, a pair of sharks jumped into The Ring to the bewilderment of the onlookers, as they wondered how the sharks could move so well on dry land.
"I'm sure they remember me as well," Justin said as he flashed a smile toward the shark that was charging him. Unfortunately, he was unrecognizable to the shark due to the messy substances that were layered on his body, and the creature tackled him. The two slid all the way to the boundary, with Justin's head poking outside the line. The model struggled to avoid being pushed out oven further.
Heather's predicament wasn't much better, as the other shark bared its sharp teeth at her. The queen bee was on her back, trying to use her legs to push the aquatic predator back.
"Go Justin!" Beth cheered. "You've got to win this!"
"I assume we're all on Justin's side here, right?" Harold asked.
Courtney scoffed. "I'm not rooting for Justin. I'm just rooting against Heather."
"Yeah, I'm pretty much hoping for a tie," Duncan said. "Knowing Chris, he'd probably eliminate them both in that case."
Heather eventually kicked the shark in the nose, causing it to run off in tears. "Okay, seriously, how is it doing that? It doesn't even have legs!"
"Okay, this looks like it's too easy. You've managed to stay in the middle of The Ring the entire time," Chris noticed. "I know how to fix that. Chef!"
Heather turned around to see Chef reaching into a sack and tossing random objects toward the queen bee. "I love this job!" the co-host said as he managed to hit Heather several times, forcing her toward the boundary.
"Hey Chris, is that from the disaster challenge or the Christmas challenge?" Beth asked.
"I forget. We'll probably find out later, if these two manage to last that long," Chris answered.
Justin was still in a wrestling match with the remaining shark, and his upper body was outside the boundary. Using his legs, he flipped the shark over his head and outside The Ring. The model slowly got up and shuffled his way back to the middle of the arena.
"Now this particular hazard should be very familiar to you guys," Chris said as the four cannons from earlier emerged again. This time they shot large chunks of rock at Justin and Heather.
"This is from today's challenge, isn't it," an annoyed Heather grumbled as she lied on her belly to avoid the projectiles.
"We do love to recycle here, and we couldn't let the ceiling chunks go to waste," Chris explained with a sinister smile.
Justin was also on the ground, and he tried sliding away from the flying gravel when he saw a large shadow in the distance. "Oh…crap."
The ground shook as the shadowed figure took heavy footsteps toward the arena. "And now for one of my personal favorites, the monster from the first episode!" Chris presented.
The monster gave a loud roar as it stepped into The Ring, proceeding to stomp the ground in an attempt to crush the unfortunate competitors.
"Chris, you're freaking insane!" Justin yelled as he dodged the monster's massive feet.
"You haven't seen anything yet," Chris responded with an evil laugh. He pressed a button, which unleashed another familiar face into The Ring. "Now here's someone who's back from the dead!"
"Oh great, it's that piece of crap," Duncan spat as he watched a skeletal version of the T-Rex from the prehistoric challenge jump into the arena.
The monster switched its attention to Heather. In a risky move, the queen bee started running along the boundary of The Ring to get away from the giant robotic creature.
The T-Rex darted toward Justin and picked him up with its mouth. Instead of swallowing Justin like in the challenge from three episodes ago, it instead tossed the model toward the edge of the arena. As Justin was about to tumble outside of the boundary, he managed to keep one arm inside The Ring and crawled back in.
Harold breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. "Too close."
"I wouldn't hold out hope for him," Courtney said. "That thing is nearly impossible to defeat even with a weapon, and Justin is unarmed here.
Justin attempted to run around the T-Rex, but to no avail. The dinosaur headbutted Justin and knocked him back towards the boundary. Heather, who was still running from the giant monster, had to jump over the model while she continued to avoid the robot's feet.
"Is it over?" a dizzy Justin asked as he remained lying on top of the boundary. The T-Rex prepared to pick him up again, but the giant monster inadvertently stepped on top of the dinosaur and broke the skeleton apart.
"Rest in peace, you brave soldier…" Chris said with a salute, to the aggravation of the four bystanders.
"Just end the challenge, Chris!" Heather demanded. "Justin can't even move!"
"Since when are you concerned for his safety?" the host asked.
"Never. I just think continuing is a waste of time."
"Well, forget it! This challenge isn't over until someone leaves The Ring!"
Chef took out another sack and started tossing presents into the arena. "I'll be surprised if they're both still in after this," he said as he tossed one gift toward Justin.
"Hey, there's the Christmas hazard! Hey Chef, where's your costume? It's not quite the same unless you're in the holiday spirit!" Chris taunted.
The co-host responded by hitting Chris in the head with a heavy-looking present. "BOOM! Headshot!" he yelled, with the observing contestants cheering Chef's bold move.
"Oh, that is so going out of your paycheck!" Chris berated as he rubbed his head.
Justin crawled over to a nearby present and opened it to reveal…a makeup kit. "What the heck am I supposed to do with this?"
"Boy, this isn't the time for a makeover!" Chef mocked.
Before Justin could respond, the monster turned its attention back to him, forcing the model to run back toward the center of The Ring. Exhausted, Justin fell on his stomach and started panting heavily.
Heather took one of the remaining presents, trying to find something that could protect her from the monster. Her eyes grew wide when she heard a faint beeping noise coming from the box. In a brief moment of panic, she threw the present toward the monster.
Justin slowly began to get up. "Hey Chris, how much longer do I have to-"
The model was interrupted when the present detonated in the monster's face, causing the robot to cry out in agony. The monster whipped its tail around in fury. Justin immediately hit the deck to avoid the swinging tail, but Heather wasn't expecting it to come around and was hit with full force. The queen bee flew several feet through the air before landing hard outside of The Ring.
"That's it! It's all over!" Chris announced. "Heather is out! Justin is moving on to the Final Five!"
"YES!" Beth squealed as she ran into the arena to hug Justin.
"Nice win," Courtney congratulated as she helped Justin to his feet.
"I still would have preferred a tie," Duncan said, looking grumpy.
"That was one of the most awesome challenges ever!" Harold exclaimed. "I almost wish I was in on it."
"Trust me Harold, no you don't," Justin replied.
Chris applauded as Chef walked over to the group. "Here's your reward, pretty boy," Chef said as he handed the last Gilded Chris award to Justin.
"Thanks," Justin muttered before collapsing to the ground from fatigue.
Chris walked over to Heather, who was struggling to get up after the rough impact scraped her right leg. "Well Heather, I was hoping you'd last a little longer, but your time is up here."
"Can I just say something before I leave?" Heather asked.
"Yeah, all right," Chris answered with a shrug.
Heather turned to the remaining five contestants. "All right dweebs, listen up. You had your chance to take out the one person that's been messing with this game ever since she got here, and you blew it. I mean, this game is already bad enough from all of the unbelievably difficult challenges that Chris puts us through, but now the ultimate outcome is pretty much out of your hands at this point. How can you guys possibly ignore the weird rule changes, the wacky vote outcomes, and the fact that Courtney received invincibility a week ago without actually doing anything? This is completely insane! In fact, I'm glad I got eliminated fair and square right here, because I know that I'd be ousted by some BS loophole if I stuck around. Now, do you have anything to say for yourselves?"
The other castmates were silent at first, before Courtney decided to speak on their behalf. "I think we've had enough of your wild conspiracy theories. Bye bye, and don't let the door hit you on the way out."
Heather was furious, but she turned around and solemnly marched toward the Lame-o-sine.
"Heh, the Walk of Shame is going to be a bit longer this time around…" Chris commented.
A crew member ran up to the host and whispered into his ear. "Chris, dude, we're running really short on film here."
"All right, I'm gonna end it right here," Chris mumbled back. The crew member ran off screen and Chris turned toward the camera.
"Tonight, we have just witnessed an epic battle, and hopefully there will be several more by season's end. What kinds of challenges remain? Will they be as exhausting as this tiebreaker showdown? Who will come out victorious? Find out next time, but not really, on Total…Drama…Action!"
"And…cut!"
"All right, I'll see you losers later," Chris said to the contestants as he walked back to his trailer.
"…okay, can somebody tell me what the hell Heather's problem is?" Duncan asked as he broke the silence among the remaining competitors.
"I dunno, her claims seem to have some merit," Harold responded.
"Yeah, you're not biased at all," Duncan sarcastically countered.
"Guys, maybe we should hear Courtney's side of the story," Beth intervened. Unfortunately, the CIT had already departed, leaving the wannabe puzzled.
"Wow, that girl can't stay in the same place for more than two seconds," Justin said as he let out a big yawn. "Man, I'm tired."
"Now that I think about it, it does seem like Courtney is tried to avoid us," Harold wondered. Duncan gave him a hard shove in the back in retaliation.
"Don't tell me you're actually buying into Heather's lame excuses!" Duncan yelled.
"Gosh! I was just noting an observation! Why do you have to be so sensitive?"
Duncan stormed away from the group, causing Beth to sigh. "Wow, even though we've just gotten rid of Heather, we're still far from being out of the woods."
Karl impatiently sat in his automobile, which was parked several spaces away from the Lame-o-sine. Tired of waiting for the eliminated competitor to arrive, he decided to call Lenny.
"Dude, this is taking forever. It would've been much easier if they just did a fire-making challenge to break the tie," Karl complained.
"Quit your complaining. Everyone knows that Chris likes to go over the top with these challenges," Lenny responded.
"Yeah…so how long are you gonna stick around here?"
"I might be here for the rest of the season. I'm expecting a call from the U.S. about the results of Sam's…rather brief investigation of the film lot."
"You mean the one that ended up turning into a broken search-and-rescue mission? Don't remind me."
"Hey, at least now you're involved. You might find something really important in the Aftermath studio."
"Or I might be running around in circles."
"You make it sound like that's a bad thing. Low risk, high reward. There's no reason to back down."
"I'm just afraid of letting the organization down. Getting to the bottom of this scandal is a huge deal for them."
"Of course it is. You, of all people, should know the consequences if we don't flush out the cheater soon."
"Ugh, I've tried really hard to forget about the Winnipeg riot. It's just ridiculous how people can get so worked up over a reality show."
"Sadly, we can't change their nature, but we can prevent a bigger riot from happening."
"I can't even imagine…oh, wait a minute, someone's coming."
Karl shifted over to the passenger's seat to get a better view of the Lame-o-sine. He saw Heather walk out of the film lot and enter the vehicle. "Hah! Heather lost! Suck it, you devious little bi-"
"Quit wasting time talking to me!" Lenny yelled over the phone. "Follow that limo!"
"Right, see you later." Karl hastily hung up and started his car. With a loud screech, he drove off into the city, doing his best to trail the Lame-o-sine as discreetly as possible.
Votes
Beth: Courtney
Courtney: Heather
Duncan: Justin
Harold: Heather
Heather: Justin
Justin: Harold
Vote Count
Heather: 2
Justin: 2
Courtney: 1
Harold: 1
Eliminated: Geoff, Bridgette, Trent, Gwen, DJ, Izzy, Owen, Leshawna, Lindsay, Heather
Remaining: Beth, Courtney, Duncan, Harold, Justin
Next Time: Can't make sense of the recent episode's vote? That's what the upcoming Aftermath is for, now featuring an unprecedented four eliminated contestants!
