(It's a new day on the ship. A plank of wood falls off on the outside, hitting a random duck in the water. Meanwhile, Cody is sitting on a hard wood bench outside the library, Eileen sits next to him, reading a book. Duncan is carving the wood on the wall while leaning on it next to them.)
Cody: (sighs) It's so much quieter here without those guys.
Duncan: Tell me about it. I can practically hear the water coming in through the ship-
Eileen: (gasps) Oh no! Tell me it isn't!
Duncan: (chuckles) I'm just yankin' your chain. It hasn't happened...yet.
Eileen: (confessional) Duncan is quite the funny guy. He was giving me noogies earlier this morning. (whispers to camera) I think Rigby was jealous too.
Cody: Their jokes were witty though, especially the mom ones and the ones about hot sauce! I laughed my clothes off, literally!
Duncan: And that's the only thing they were good for.
Eileen: Pardon?
Duncan: Look, you can't joke around so much on a show like this. You're trying to become a millionaire, not the next big comedian. That and..people won't take you seriously.
Eileen: Oh.
Duncan: (to Cody) You should know all about it after 3 seasons, right pipsqueak?
Cody: Yeah! I'm just saying, those guys were wicked coolio!
Duncan: (carves a hard cover book randomly) I know, I miss havin' the dudes around too, but I'm sure they're someplace safe where they can tell their jokes.
Duncan: (confesional) It's away from me, that's all I care about.
(In another area of the ship, Margaret is walking with Gwen.)
Gwen: You gonna do it today?
Margaret: Yeah! I finally found the courage to do it.
Gwen: (smiles) He'll totally say yes, no doubt.
Margaret: (excited) Oh my gosh, you really mean it? (glances away with doubt, looks out the window into the sea) But...what if I'm not his type?
Gwen: (sighs) Margaret, you can't think like that. Just tell him how you feel and hope for the best.
Mordecai: (from a distance away) Margaret!
Margaret: (sees him run up to her) Hey Mordecai! How've you been?
Mordecai: I'm good, y-you?
Margaret: Great! Oh, this is my friend, Gwen! Gwen, that's my friend, Mordecai!
Gwen: (smiles) Cool to meet you.
Mordecai: (smiles) Same to you. (looks at Margaret) But uh, I had something I have to tell you-
Margaret: I do too! (in low voice) I'm gonna ask this guy on my team to go out with me!
Mordecai: WHAT?
Margaret: I know! I'm super excited too!
Mordecai: (is nervously but somewhat happy) Wow, that's great! Uhh, what's his name?
Margaret: Duncan. You know, the guy with the mohawk?
(Mordecai has a shocked and disappointed face)
Gwen: (smiling) And the 10 million piercings?
Mordecai: Oh. Oh yeah yeah, sure. That's pretty...a-a-awesome. (Gwen secretly notices his facial expressions) I thought you hated guys with the whole 'punk' thing going on and all.
Margaret: I know, but... (smiles) Duncan's different. He may look like that on the outside, but once you get to know him, he's so cool and sweet.
Mordecai: (is crushed, his eyes bugged out) Oh.
Margaret: So what was it you wanted to tell me?
Mordecai: Oh! I wanted to uh..you know...wish you and Gwen good luck, your team too, heheh..
Margaret: Aww thank you, good luck to you too! Well, I better run. See you around! (jogs off)
(Mordecai stands there, crushed, while Gwen is neutral. Rigby was watching from on the deck through the window.
Rigby: Hmm..
Rigby: (confessional) Dude, I've never noticed how...bad Mordecai feels until now. I guess because the chick he's in love with is about to ask out some jerk that hates us as much as we're scared of him! (gasps) What if SHE tries to beat us up because she turns into someone like him? Ah man, I gotta hide!
Chris: (P.A.) Attention, everybody! Head to the front deck for a little surprise!
(They all get there and notice the door opens and they see...a big carnival?)
Pops: Oh my, is that a land of jibby jabbily fun? Ahahaha! (runs towards it and giggles) I want to have fu-AAH! (falls down a slide)
Benson: Pops! (looks down and sees a very high slide)
Pops: (from below) I'm okaaaay..
Noah: Is this a joke?
Chris: No joke! (they see him and Chef from behind) Head down the slippery fun slide and wait for my instructions!
Duncan: (laughs) That sounds so stupid coming from you- (yells as Chef throws him down onto the ground below instead of down the slide)
Chef: (to the rest) Go before I put you all in my BEEF STEW!
(The rest scream and all go down the slide at once. Duncan rubs his head and pulls Margaret out from the pile and holds her hands.)
Duncan: You okay?
Margaret: (blushes) Yeah, thanks for saving me from the pile. I would've been crushed.(giggles)
Duncan: (chuckles along) Yeah, it's what I do.
Margaret: (confessional) I did it! I asked him and he said yes! I've never felt so relieved. (remembers her boyfriend back home) Umm..by the way, Darren, it's over. Sorry. You were always being such a jerk to me anyway. Unlike you, Duncan would never do the things you did. (crosses her arms, then sighs dreamily) He definitely wouldn't...
Chris: (walks up to the rest of them, wearing a magician outfit) Welcome, tourists from all over, to Carnival World!
Noah: You and the producers couldn't come up with a better name than that?
Chris: (crickets and silence) Actually, this land doesn't belong to me, it's a real place on the map.
Skips: C'mon, what dimmension are we in, really?
Chris: (annoyed) I told you already, Skips, we're on planet Earth, NOT another dimmension.
Benson: No, I'm with Skips on this one. When are we going to go to a place that actually exists? There's no such thing as a place or whole country called 'Carnival World'! What the heck is going on here?
Chris: Listen, your useless overthinking is taking time away, which is not good for the show, which is NOT good for my ratings or *ahem* your possible chance at the million. So...ZIP IT and pay attention! (Benson gets redder and growls a bit but stays quiet) Thank you kindly. Let's move on, shall we?
(He takes them inside the gates of Carnival World, where there's various stands, rides, e.t.c.
Chris: Today's challenges are related to things you see at a carnival, not only that, but the importance of peer pressure. Here's how it'll go down. For each challenge, 2 members from each team will go against each other while their teammates cheer them on the best that they can, don't just sit and watch like a bunch of stunned deer, you guys on the sidelines play an important part when it comes to whether your team wins the challenge. Studies show that the impossible can be conquered with enough encouragement. In other words, never say never, no excuses, all of these challenges are possible for all of you!
Pops: But what if a game is too scary? I do not think I'll be able to handle it if it is too terrifying!
Chris: (chuckles) Then I guess you better man up, cuz none of you are backing out of your challenges unless you wanna cause your team an immediate disqualification.
Eileen: How many challenges are there?
Chris: It depends on how much you guys can handle, and how each team scores up. Check it out! (directs their attention to all the different challenge sets set up) There's plenty of them here that are perfectly determined to give you every warning symptom on the back of any medicine bottle. Either that or give you courage to do things you never thought you could do. Which reminds me, let's move on.
(They are now in front of two 'Test Your Strength' machines, but both go quite high, maybe about 30 feet into the air and have both have dozens of flags trailing all the way up. )
Chris: These are the very popular 'Test Your Strength' games. I like to call them 'Drop of Death'! (evilly chuckles)
Margaret: (looks up) That's kinda high, a bit too high..
Chris: Oh yeah it is! One member from each team will be harnessed on the machine while going all the way up and the other will be in control of using their mallet to send their teammate high enough to hit the very top while ALSO collecting all of the flags. The first one to collect all of the flags AND hit the very top wins the challenge. (looks at the teams) Pops and Skips, you'll be on flag duty for your teams..and...Noah and Cody will be on mallot duty!
Noah: (has a bit of trouble lifting the mallet) Strength isn't my forte'! Can't you assign someone else to do this?
Cody: (lifts it up but it lands on his foot) OW! Same for me!
Chris: Hello? Peer pressure? That's the whole idea of these challenges, I just explained all of this, did I not? Now, get ready...(they both lift their mallets) Get set...GO! (blows whistle)
(Team Silver.)
Noah: (bangs down on it repeatedly, Pops collects a few flags)
Pops: (giggling loudly and grabbing flags) Oh, this is so fun!
Katie and Sadie: (cheering) Gooooo NOAH!
Mordecai: You can do it, dude! Act like you're trying to impress a chick!
Rigby: A really hot one! REALLY HOT!
Benson: (smiles at them)
Benson: (confessional, smiling) I hate to admit it but..Skips and Pops were right. Sure, they're probably only putting in real effort because there's a million bucks at stake, but it's the determination that counts. It really says a lot about them.
Benson: Yeah and uh...imagine the reward we could get if we win this whole thing! C'mon!
Pops: (calls out) You all must try this game, it's so exhilarating!
Benson: Just focus on getting all the flags, Pops! Grab ALL of them!
Pops: Oh yes yes, of course! Good show!
Noah: (pants but continues to bang)
(Team Gold.)
Cody: (grunts and bangs it down as hard as he can, sending Gwen about the same height) This is harder than it looks!
Duncan: C'mon, dweeb! We need this win, man, we can't lose anymore!
Cody: I'm trying!
Skips: (calls out) I've already got a bunch of flags! Keep going!
(Meanwhile, Chris and Chef have cannons aimed at Cody and Noah a little farther away.)
Chef: Let's see how they like duck meatballs! (chuckles and shoots a bunch at Noah)
Noah: (gets hit) Augh! (looks at it) Who threw meatballs at me?
Eva: STOP GETTING DISTRACTED!
Benson: Yeah, just keep your eye on the ball!
Rigby: The meatball you mean?
Benson: No, it's a figure of speech! (gets hit with a bunch and turns red with anger) Ugh! (looks back) Quit hitting me you son of a-(gets knocked down by a bigger meatball)
Chris: (chuckles) You think that's distracting? Wait 'til you see what I got!
Cody: (bangs and then gets hit with multiple rubbing alcohol-filled balloons) Yeowww! What is that stuff? It burns!
Duncan: (facepalms) We don't have a chance.
Margaret: Act like you're impressing a girl you like!
Cody: Huh? (remembers) Yes...
Cody: (confessional) Now that Duncan is going out with Margaret, I might have a chance with Gwen! Even though I'm not the strongest person around...well, anything can happen when it comes to love! (sighs dreamily)
Eileen: (sees Cody is in a daze and Team Silver is doing well, they're cheering and Pops is giggling) What else can we do?
Duncan: Wait Margaret, what's that you were saying about-
Cody: Gwen! How am I doing?
Gwen: Huh? (sees Duncan nod to her) Oh umm... (smiles at him) I'm really impressed..
Cody: (smiles) You are?
Gwen: But you need to pound harder if you want us to win!
Skips: Yeah, I've got almost all of the flags!
Cody: (puffs out his chest muscles) I'm on it! (pounds harder than he ever has before)
(Pops grabs one more flag.)
Pops: YES!
Mordecai: Is that the last flag?
Skips: I've got all of them!
Benson: (frantic) It is! Noah, pound him to the top NOW!
Noah: My arms are weak-
Eva: POUND NOW OR I'LL POUND YOU!
Cody: What'd you say?
All of Team Gold and Team Silver to their teammates: Pound him to the top NOW!
(The camera is in slow-motion. Cody and Noah dramatically pound down and send Skips and Pops up. Both teams watch closely to see if their teammate reaches the very top first.)
Chris: (watches both with binoculars, sees the winner hit the bell first) And...Team Gold takes the win for the first challenge!
(They cheer.)
Eva: Nice going, No-talent.
Noah: My arms are practically jelly molds right now! (gets hit with a big meatball)
Benson: (tells the rest) It's fine, it's only the first one, we've still got more to go, let's try to keep our heads up. (walks over to Pops) Hey Pops, is your head alright?
Mordecai: (glances over towards Team Silver and his eyes bulge)
Gwen: (hi fives Eileen, then her eyes bulge as well, looking at the same thing Mordecai is..)
Margaret: (hugs Duncan) This is amazing! I can't believe we did it!
Duncan: (grins) Yeah, me eithe-(gets cut off by Margaret's beak lips, passionately kisses back)
Gwen: (crosses her arms and frowns a bit)
Gwen: (confessional, sighs) He looked like he was enjoying it. (shakes her head) What am I saying? He doesn't enjoy it at all, he's just using basic strategy...right?
Mordecai: (eye twitches and he sheds a tear as he watches them)
Rigby: Eh, we'll win next time, right Mordecai? (sees the two and then looks at Mordecai) I-I don't know what to say but...(playfully punches his arm) I'll always be here for ya!
Mordecai: (eye continues to twitch, he won't move)
Rigby: (tries to shake him) Mordecai? Mordecai?
Benson: (sees him and walks over, concerned) Mordecai, what's wrong?
Rigby: Long story..
Benson: (sighs) Well, I'll never know what's wrong unless you talk to me about it.
Mordecai:...h-heart...b-b-b-bro-oken-AGH! (gets hit with a big meatball)
Chris: (by cannon still, chuckles) That should wake him from his nightmare. (to camera) So, Team Gold is taking the lead so far! Will Team Silver be able to function while Mordecai is all lovesicky? And...(sees Duncan and Margaret still kissing) When will those two finally gasp for air? We'll find out when we get back to..TOTAL...DRAMA...MASHUP!
