AN: You can tell by the dialogue that this chapter was roughly meant to be posted at around the end of December or early January, but life sort of got in the way. Make no mistake though, the story may have been on hiatus for awhile, but it (along with my other total drama fics) will be seen through to the end. You have my word on that.


Chris's Recap

"Previously! On Total Drama Zero Sum!:

For the past few weeks, you've been watching 24 teens battle it out. Friends and enemies were made. Connections were formed and hearts were broken. Now, 18 contestants remain in the game for the million dollar grand prize. On the Screaming Winds, we have Carys an asocial girl and a hardcore Do It Yourself-er, the sole catcher of the fish that keep her team fed. Hubert, a self-proclaimed detective who seems to know everyone's secrets before even they do, Katelyn, a high-end upper class daughter of two incredibly wealthy parents in the movie biz, a small fashionista and a large film enthusiast, Twilight, a rather robust girl whose main trait is not her muscles, but her tendency to give everyone around her a blunt pet name, and Damon, a boy who always stops whatever he's doing to help any animal in need, from the most insignificant ant to the most violent shark. On the Killer Waves, we have Isaac, a righteous young man who prides doing the ethical thing above all else, though he is known to get on others nerves for his constant preaching, Artemis, the shrew-iest shrew of a shrew that I've ever seen on this shrew- I mean show, rarely acknowledging others, unless she's spitting venom in their direction, and Melody, a beautiful but mischievous and traitorous young woman who serves literally no one but herself. On the Violent Quakes, we have Zastin, a professional larper and Dungeon Master who has been using his skill at bringing joy to others to stay in the game rather than any athletic prowess that he likely doesn't have, Nublina a rather quiet but incredibly kind woman who always seems to know exactly what to say to calm anyone down, Donovan, a strapping young man who, although quite fast and athletic, has a bad habit of both taking large risks and being tricked by pretty faces, Rudo, an overall average girl who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty when necessary, and Oswald, a polite and sophisticated young man who seems to have a nasty habit of taking things that don't belong to him. Finally, On the Raging Flames, we have Helen, Class President of her school and natural-born leader, Liu-Ten, a young man who largely seems to be living in his own fairytale world where romance isn't nearly as complex as its real world counterpart, Conlan, a versatile young man who seems to have acquired a small amount of skill in just about every talent imaginable, though there always seems to be at least someone better than him, Kaede, a beautiful young woman who suffers from a severe inferiority complex and will likely apologize to you if you even breath the same air as her, and finally, Peter, a city boy who is known to be disobedient towards authority and has no problems speaking his mind, though speaking clearly may be another story.

These teens have had ample time to get to know each of their teammates, and everyone seems to have already formed strong opinions on their fellow team members, so we here at Total Drama thought….why not shake things up a bit? We are one fourth of the way into the competition, so it's time to test who truly trusts whom! Get ready for this season's biggest twist yet and another elimination on Total! Drama! Zero Sum!"

*Total Drama Theme Song Plays*


Location: Po'ino Bonfire

Contestant(s): All Remaining

"All right, McLean…" Twilight crossed her arms. "Spill it."

"Congratulations!" Chris announced to the remaining contestants. "You 18 have all successfully passed the first quarter mark of Total Drama Zero Sum. As a reward, I've prepared a special gift for all of you!"

He turned towards the camera. "Happy Winter Holidays to you all watching at home, eh? I bet you'll have more fun than these suckers!"

"A gift?" Katelyn asked, rather excited.

"I don't buy it." Artemis crossed her arms. "Chris McLean doesn't give gifts…"

"Then, what's in this bag full of presents?" Chris asked as he held up a large sack, that clearly had presents in it. "I've got one for everyone, so go and find the one with your name on it and open it up!"

"I don't get it…" Twilight said as she opened her present. "Mine is just the Screaming Winds Tiki back from our first day here…"

"And mine's the same Violent Quakes Tiki too…" Zastin said.

"Same here…" Rudo announced. "Violent Quakes Tiki…"

"Um, Chris…" Helen held out a Killer Waves Tiki. "I think there's been a mistake. I'm on the Raging Flames, so shouldn't I get a Raging Flames Tiki?"

"Nope!" Chris smiled. "Congratulations, the 18 of you! I'm switching up the teams this Christmas season! And to make things even more fun, we're going from 4 teams, to 3! The Raging Flames have hereby been disbanded!"

"What?!" Kaede asked nervously.


Confessional: Kaede: ?

"But, I- I need to be on the same team as Peter and Helen! I don't know what I'll do without them! Maybe if I wish really hard, I can get one of them on my team."

End Confessional


"Go stand on the mat that corresponds to the new tiki I've just given you." Chris said as the contestants all shuffled until there were six on each mat.

"Alright…" Chris said. "Our NEW Screaming Winds are…

Oswald,

Twilight is staying,

Liu-Ten,

Melody,

Peter,

And Nublina!"


Confessional: Twilight: The Screaming Winds

"You know what? I take back everything bad I ever said about my old team. I like them a lot better than these guys...I especially don't like Liu-Ten and Nublina though. We literally just got off the mat and they've already run somewhere to celebrate and make out with each other. Let's keep this competition classy guys, come on!"

End Confessional


Confessional: Oswald: The Screaming Winds

"So...It appears that I've got a new team, and this time Melody is a member. I've yet to determine whether this is good or bad, but I can at least take comfort in knowing that I have my Earth Tiki to keep myself safe. If all goes well, I might even emerge a leader this time."

End Confessional


Confessional: Melody: The Screaming Winds

"Okay...so there's Oswald, and I can probably control him pretty well, but both Liu-Ten and Peter seem to have someone else that they like, really like, so I'm going to have to play less off the looks and more off the brain. And honestly, with this team, that shouldn't be too hard."

End Confessional


"The new Killer Waves mat is looking really...Screaming Winds-y…" Chris said. "With

Hubert,

Katelyn,

Damon,

Carys, the rest of the original Winds still in the game,

And we have Donovan,

And Helen both joining from the old Quakes and now extinct Flames respectively."


Confessional: Helen: The Killer Waves

"From top of my team to the bottom of another just like that? Chris McLean, your presents stink."

End Confessional


Confessional: Carys: The Killer Waves

"As far as I'm concerned, nothing has changed. I'll still be feeding this team. I refuse to allow miss thinks-she-knows-best to provide anything that I can already provide just fine without her. Yes. I am still mad about the little lecture she gave me a few days ago, what's your point?"

End Confessional


Confessional: Hubert: The Killer Waves

"This...is...perfect! Helen's now vulnerable. If I play my cards right, I should be able to sneak her into my alliance with Carys. The biggest obstacle being convincing Carys that 3 is a better number than 2, and than Helen is a better choice than any of our other teammates."

End Confessional


"And finally…" Chris turned towards everyone on the Violent Quakes mat.

"For our NEW Violent Quakes, we have…

Isaac and

Artemis from the old Waves, looks like they get to stay together.

Zastin and

Rudo are both staying from the old Quakes, and

Conlan and

Kaede have both come over from the extinct Flames!"


Confessional: Conlan: The Violent Quakes

"Okay, this is going to be really awkward for me going forward...See...I'm not close with Kaede like, at all. Heck, I even voted for her just a while ago, but something tells me that she'll be spending more time with me now that we've been dumped on this team together...And I really don't want Rudo to get the wrong impression...She can be a little quick to jump to conclusions."

End Confessional


Confessional: Rudo: The Violent Quakes

"Alright...so...Conlan's on this team now, so that's cool. Now he and I can play DnD with Zastin all we want without Helen lording over him like a soccer mom. I'm still a little on edge about the girl he said he had a crush on in the competition. I hope it isn't Kaede, because she's really pretty, and I'm not sure I can compete with that…"

She stopped and looked into the camera.

"Oh, crap...I said that out loud, didn't I?"

End Confessional


Confessional: Artemis: The Violent Quakes

"ARGH!" Artemis tussled her hair as she momentarily let it out of its ponytail. "I HATE this! I'm shoved onto a new team against my will, and my closest ally is Isaac?! Do you have any idea how absolutely horrid of a situation this is? That imbecile has more power than me again, and now he's going to make me annoyed as all hell again!"

End Confessional


"And now…" Chris announced. "It's time to redistribute the Camp Luxuries!"

"But there were 16 camp luxuries." Hubert said. "How can we redistribute-"

"I've already solved that problem, Hubert." Chris said as a few interns brought out the Wheel of Reward. "Take a look at that picture of the charcoal grill! See anything else?"

"The charcoal grill and the bag of charcoal are being grouped together this time?" Oswald asked as he looked over the wheel.

"Yyyep!" Chris nodded. "Now...I want every team to pick a person to walk up and spin the winds. Killer Waves, since you won the last challenge, you guys get first spin!"

"Wait a minute!" Melody said.

"I won that challenge!"

"Noooo…" Chris replied. "While you may have been the reason the Killer Waves won the challenge, it was still the Team known as The Killer Waves that won. Not the team known as Melody."

"But, none of the original Killer Waves are even on the new one!" Artemis complained.

Chris shrugged.

"Them's the breaks." He smiled.


Confessional: Artemis: The Violent Quakes

"[CENSORED][CENSORED][CENSORED][CENSORED][CENSORED][CENSORED][CENSORED][CENSORED][CENSORED][CENSORED][CENSORED][CENSORED][CENSORED][CENSORED][CENSORED][CENSORED]"

End Confessional


"I'll-" Helen raised her hand.
"I'll spin." Carys said as she walked up to the wheel without a second thought.

"The Cabin!" Chris exclaimed as the Wheel of Reward landed on the Team Cabin.

"Not furnished mind you, but at least it's shelter. Ought to be nice for avoiding all those nasty rainforest night bug bites."

He turned towards the new Screaming Winds. "All right Winds, let's see you spin!"

"Me!" Melody pounced on the opportunity. "I'm spinning!"

She spun the wheel.

"Team Bathrooms!" Chris announced. "I suppose that'll beat going out in the wild, or the confessional can…" He squinted. "Donovan."


Confessional: Donovan: The Killer Waves

"Look, I really had to go, and I was already in here! Besides, it flushes fine. It's not like I clogged the toilet or anything."

End Confessional


"Leave it to Melody to give us the place to shit." Oswald said as the rest of the new Screaming Winds laughed.

Melody was not amused.


Confessional: Melody: The Screaming Winds

"Don't test me Oswald…I don't like being tested."

End Confessional


Confessional: Oswald: The Screaming Winds

"I think I've already figured out my secret to staying in this game longer. Throw Melody under the bus. If I can become that guy. The guy who managed to get rid of Melody...That's sure to earn me the trust of my team. Oh I can already see it now...her pretty face all red with anger, her stomping in frustration, but everyone else all second guessing their opinions about me...Yes, this is a good plan. But first, I'd like to win a few challenges, whittle down the other teams a bit. Especially that one with both Helen and Carys. They've both proven to be thorns in the sides of others, and I'd rather not have to deal with either of them later on."

End Confessional


"And..Violent Quakes.." Chris said. "You're up!"

"I shall go." Isaac announced as he walked up to the Wheel of Reward.

"Hold it!" Artemis said. "We never said you could-"

"Ah-" Isaac began to step back.

"No, he can go." Zastin shrugged.

"Yeah." Conlan I agreed I don't mind.

"I just want to land on a food source." Rudo said. "It doesn't really matter to me who spins it."

"Well, what about you, Kaede?" Artemis asked. "You don't want Isaac to spin this wheel do you?"

"I um…" Kaede backed up nervously.

"Come on, tell him you don't want him to spin the wheel!"

"I'm sorry!" Kaede bowed her head. "I don't want Isaac to spin the wheel!"

She looked up at Artemis.

"H-How was that?"

"Well then…" Artemis said. "If no one else cares who spins it, and Kaede and I both don't want Isaac to, then I guess it might as well be me, right?"

"Hold on…" Zastin said. "By that logic, Kaede should have just as much of a right to spin the wheel."

"Oh my god, would someone just spin it already?" Chris asked.

"Whatever…" Conlan sighed as he walked up to the wheel. "Fuck it, I want to get some sleep!"

"Breakfast prepared by Chef!" Chris announced as the Wheel of Reward landed on Chef''s Breakfast.


Final Camp Luxuries For Each Team:

The Screaming Winds: Team Bathrooms, Team Mattresses, Team Shower, Fishing Spear, Snorkeling Equipment

The Killer Waves: Team Cabin, Team Couch, Chicken Coop, Towels, Team Water Bottles

The Violent Quakes: Chef's Breakfast, Team Canoe, Chef's Dinner, Grill and Charcoal, Team Hot Tub


Confessional: Conlan: The Violent Quakes

"Yes! I still get to stay in that awesome Hot Tub! And now Helen can't get mad at me for inviting Rudo into it! This is great!"

End Confessional


Confessional: Zastin: The Violent Quakes

"I'm glad that we've got food and all...but we have no shelter or comfort. I'm really going to miss that cabin...It was the perfect place to host DnD. I'll have to find a new place to play it…"

End Confessional


"All right." Chris smiled. "Now, everyone head back to your new camps. Your next challenge starts bright and early tomorrow."


Location: KW Campsite

Contestant(s): Katelyn, Damon, Hubert, Helen, Donovan, Carys

"There it is... our Cabin." Donovan said as he spotted the Cabin. He quickly ran inside.

"Oh, how I missed you, shelter."

"Dude…" Katelyn said as she walked in after him. "We were only in the wilderness without stuff for like, a few hours."

"Hey Katelyn…" Damon pointed. "Isn't that the coat you were wearing when you first got here?"

"My coat!" Katelyn pushed passed Helen to grab her article of clothing.

"Ewwww!" She said as she picked up. "It's all wrinkly!"

"Oh…" Donovan said. "Yeah...we've been using it to carry berries recently and-"

"Don't!" Katelyn hit Donovan with her coat in between each word.

"Use! My! Coat! To! Carry! Fucking! Fruit!"

She brought it back up to the dim moonlight.

"It looks all ruined…" She whined.

"Maybe I could mend it for you?" Damon offered. "I just a little time to-"

Katelyn shoved her coat into his hands.

"I want it done by tomorrow morning." She ordered. "Like, for serious, get started right now."


Confessional: Katelyn: The Killer Waves

"Damon is probably one of the least attractive guys on the planet, but he's a good workhorse, and if he's willing to shower me with compliments and do anything that I don't want to waste my time doing, then I guess it's okay for him to like me. Not that I'm going to ever return his feelings or anything. I mean, hello? His face looks like a deformed bull dog."

End Confessional


"Hey…" Hubert said to Carys. "Could you follow me outside?"

"What is it?" Carys asked with arms crossed as she followed Hubert outside the cabin.

"Give me a boost." Hubert said. "Onto the roof."

"A boost onto the roof?" Carys was confused.

"Why the fuck do you want that?"

"Just…" Hubert looked back into the cabin from its one window. Everyone was still awake.

"Just trust me." He said. "I'm doing something that'll help us."

Carys rolled her eyes, but helped lift Hubert onto the roof of the cabin.

"Yes!" Hubert said from the roof.

An intern with a night vision camera zoomed in.

"Hubert, dude, why'd you take the tiki off the weathervane?"

"This is it!" He exclaimed as he scrambled down the cabin and showed the tiki off to Carys and the intern.

"This is the Air Immunity Tiki we've been looking for!"


Confessional: Hubert: The Killer Waves

"I was tearing my hair out trying to find that freaking tiki, but when I saw that the Team Cabin had a weathervane, I immediately knew how someone could hide a tiki in the wind! Take that McLean! I found your Tiki!" Hubert sighs.

"But since Carys knows I have it, I guess that means we need to share it, huh...It's a pain, but I'll let her hold onto it. I stand by my first impression of her. I think she wouldn't be here if she didn't need the money for something important, so I want the both of us to make it far."

End Confessional


Location: VQ Campsite

Contestant(s): Artemis, Isaac, Rudo, Zastin, Kaede, Conlan

"Alright...so we've got a few new characters joining us…" Zastin said as he, Rudo, Conlan, Kaede, and Isaac all sat around the picnic table where Chef would put breakfast the next morning.

He turned to where Artemis was crossing her arms alone in the shelter they had built.

"Are you sure you don't want to join?" He asked.

"I'm not going to play that loser nerd game." Artemis replied.

"I'd have more fun if you did…" Isaac tried to encourage her.

Artemis turned even further away until she was facing the opposite direction.


Confessional: Artemis: The Violent Quakes

"So, ever since that moment on the beach, Isaac has been, like wayyy too familiar with me. I mean, seriously I told him he had to earn that right! I think I might have misunderstood what I said, which is such an Isaac thing to do. Seriously, that dude is all muscle and no brain…

….

*notices that she's still in the confessional*

"No I wasn't!" She says to the camera. "How dare you insinuate that I was thinking about some boy I only just met a few weeks ago!" She storms off.

End Confessional


Location: SW Campsite

Contestant(s): Liu-Ten, Oswald, Peter, Nublina, Melody, Twilight

"Oh, ew…" Melody shuddered as she closed her eyes and walked by Liu-Ten and Nublina who were making out on one of the mattresses.

"We can give that one to you, Oswald." She said as she joined Oswald, Twilight, and Peter in the creation of their team's shelter.

"Would you like to share the make out mattress with me next, Melody?" Oswald asked in retaliation. "I didn't quite catch that."

"Can we not designate a make out mattress?" Twilight asked.


Confessional: Twilight: The Screaming Winds

"Seriously, I'm the only one on this friggin' team who isn't acting selfish as all hell. I thought Peter would be cool, but he's a complete joke now that his nervous-ass girlfriend is across the island!"

End Confessional


"Yeh…" Peter agreed with Twilight. "I'm not sure Kaede'd like dat I've got a make out mattress at my camp…"

Twilight rolled her eyes.

"This next challenge ought to be which team can have a member beat the most crap out of their teammates." She mumbled.


Location: Nui Kaua Fields (Old RF Campsite)

Contestant(s): All Remaining

"Welcome contestants!" Chris announced. "To what is sure to be your most difficult challenge yet...placing your trust in each other!"


Confessional: Helen: The Killer Waves

"Switching up all the teams, only to follow up with a challenge based off of trust. Luckily for me, I'm on the team that's still largely the same group. We should have this challenge in the bag!"

End Confessional


"Well, that should work out well for us." Helen turned to the rest of The Killer Waves, who all looked away, almost guiltily.

"Well…." Katelyn began. "About that…"

"We'll be fine." Carys crossed her arms.

"Or so you think!" Chris interjected. "Because everyone's trust buddies will be decided randomly!"


Confessional: Artemis: The Violent Quakes

"I don't want to be paired with that oaf who has been following me around all season, but if I am paired with Isaac, I hope it's for one of those blind obstacle course things so that I can make him walk into every obstacle like the idiot he is."

End Confessional


"Now, allow me to explain how his challenge will work." Chris said. "Each of the three teams will be paired up into 3 separate pairs for each team. Each pair will then compete against a pair from each of the other teams in a portion of this challenge. Completing the portion will net you a point for your team. If you complete the challenge and win then you receive a whopping 3 points. Finally, if you fail to complete the challenge, you'll cause your team to lose 2 points!"

"Chris." Oswald raised his hand.

"Yes, Oswald?" Chris asked.

"What would happen if all three teams tied? What would the tiebreaker be?"

"Oh, there won't be any tiebreakers." Chris laughed. "Because any teams that tie for last place will all go to the Po'ino Bonfire for elimination!"

Many of the contestants gasped, though Oswald seemed perfectly okay with the information.

"Understood." He grinned before shooting a glance at Melody.

"Oh you wouldn't dare." She glared back at him.

"Imagine how popular I'd be with everyone else though, getting rid of little miss antagonist."

"Like you aren't one yourself."

Twilight flicked them both in the sides of their heads. "Shut up, and let Chris explain the first challenge."


Challenge:

3 Rounds:

Round 1: Pairs will stare into each other's eyes whilst holding each other's hands for at least 60 seconds. The pair with the longest record of eye contact will be declared winners(thus gaining 3 points), and passing the 60 second mark and not winning will result in that pair gaining a single point. Failure to complete the 60 seconds results in a 2 point loss.

Round 1 Pairs: Screaming Winds: Oswald and Twilight, Killer Waves: Hubert and Carys, Violent Quakes: Zastin and Rudo

Round 2: One member of each pair will be heavily blindfolded while the other partner uses only words to guide them through an obstacle course. The two then switch roles and repeat the process. The first team to complete the course will earn 3 points. Completing the course in a place other than first earns a team 1 point, and breaking any of the rules will result in failure to complete the challenge and a loss of 2 points.

Round 2 Pairs: Screaming Winds: Melody and Nublina, Killer Waves: Donovan and Damon, Violent Quakes: Isaac and Conlan

Round 3: The Prisoner's Dilemma. Both members of each pair will be given a choice to either 'Ally' or 'Betray' the other member of the pair within the next minute. If both partners choose ally, that pair receives 3 points as normal. If one partner chooses betray and another chooses ally, that team will lose that portion of the challenge(thus a 2 point drop), but the partner that chose betray will gain immunity should the team be heading to the Po'ino Bonfire Elimination Ceremony. If both partners choose betray, only 1 point is lost and neither partner gains immunity.

Round 3 Pairs: Screaming Winds: Peter and Liu-Ten, Killer Waves: Katelyn and Helen, Violent Quakes: Artemis and Kaede


Location: Nui Kaua Fields (Old RF Campsite)

Contestant(s): Oswald, Twilight, Hubert, Carys, Zastin, Rudo

"Welcome to round 1 of the Triple-Trust challenge!" Chris exclaimed as the six contestants selected to participate stood on their teams' respective mats. "Now, face your partner, hold your hands at the waist, and look directly into their eyes. We've got Chef watching you through the hidden cameras, so he'll know if you even look slightly away from each other."


Confessional: Chris

"I just love watching these kids squirm, heh heh. Ohh, I have a great job."

End Confessional


"Hey Chris," Zastin said without looking away from Rudo's just as anxious gaze. "We can talk to our partners right?"

"I don't see why not." Chris shrugged.

Zastin couldn't help but smile.

"Psst." He said to Rudo. "We're going to play another round of D&D."

"I can't roll any dice." Rudo responded.

"We'll be fine." Zastin assured her. "Just let the DM take care of things. So, you enter this bustling town north of-"

While the two Violent Quakes were talking to each other, Twilight and Oswald on the Screaming Winds were not nearly as comfortable.

Oswald was clearly shrinking in Twilight's unflinching gaze.


Confessional: Oswald: The Screaming Winds

"So, here I am, and I kind of want to throw the challenge to get rid of Melody because at the moment that's about the only thing I think I can do to gain any sort of popularity amongst this team, but Twilight is bigger, stronger, and scarier than me, so I couldn't bring myself to make that move. Up until now, I'd never been so afraid of something that I kept staring at it. Congrats, Twilight. You helped me stick with my original plan of winning these things, but I don't know how much more of looking you in those mismatched eyes I can take. As long as we don't lose, we should be fine though, right?"

End Confessional


Hubert and Carys seemed to be doing remarkably fine without making any noise at all. Just silently staring into each other's eyes.

"It's almost like they're having a mental conversation." One of the interns watching with Chef said.


Confessional: Carys: The Killer Waves

"Hubert was a robot during that challenge. It would have been unnerving if it was anyone who doesn't constantly bother me. Still though, once the challenge was over…"

End Confessional


"And...Time!" Chris announced as he pointed. "Anyone who wants to can stop."

Almost immediately, both Hubert and Oswald stepped back from their partners.

"Figures." Twilight scoffed.

"What was wrong with you?" Carys asked Hubert.

"Oh, me? Um…" Hubert took off his glasses and rubbed them with his shirt.

"It's a little embarrassing to admit it, but I'm not very good at idle conversation, and you weren't saying anything to distract me from how uncomfortably close our faces were, so I might have panicked a bit."


Confessional: Hubert: The Killer Waves

"Her stoic silence was unnerving yes, but, um, well her lips were right there and I'm a teenage guy. We tend to get certain ideas."

End Confessional


A few more minutes passed before Zastin and Rudo realized the challenge had ended. The two high-fived once they were told that they had won.


Confessional: Zastin: The Violent Quakes

"And once again, D&D saves the day. Now all that's left is Isaac and Conlan's obstacle course, and...uh-oh…"

End Confessional


Team Score:

Screaming Winds: 1

Killer Waves: 1

Violent Quakes: 3


Location: Nahele Forest

Contestant(s): Melody, Nublina, Donovan, Damon, Isaac, Conlan

"Round two, everybody!" Chris exclaimed excitedly as he stretched his arms out and gestured to the giant obstacle course he had constructed.

All six participating contestants' eyes widened.

The first leg of the obstacle course was simply hurdles, nothing too out of the ordinary. The second part of the obstacle course was a large net climb, which again, seemed fine, but the third part was grabbing onto monkey bars and going across a pit full of Nui Kaua piranhas, in one of their mating seasons. After that was over, there were multiple hoops of fire directly followed by a crawl through thick mud under barbed wire, before finally, a heavily greased balance beam to the course's finish line.


Confessional: Melody: The Screaming Winds

"Chris expects me to go through that blindfolded? Even I think this is a little ruthless."

End Confessional


"Melody and Nublina, Donovan and Damon, and Isaac and Conlan…" Chris smiled at the contestants. "You are the lucky six selected for this torture- I mean challenge! In the spirit of the alphabet, we'll blindfold partners alphabetically by first name, so congratulations to Melody, Damon, and Conlan, you all get to be our first victims- I mean runners!"

"This is absolutely ridiculous." Melody said as Nublina blindfolded her. "I've barely been around my partner enough to know what she sounds like."

"I sound like this." Nublina laughed as she spoke to Melody. "Don't worry. You can trust me."

"You sure you won't go make out with your new boyfriend in the middle of the challenge?" Melody joked.

"I'll be right here the entire time." Nublina smiled, ignoring the insult behind Melody's joke.


Confessional: Melody: The Screaming Winds

"Do you know what sucks the most about being blindfolded first, Donovan isn't also blindfolded at the same time. Which means when I'm out, he'll be down there and won't be able to see me, so I won't be able to distract him and help screw that team over! Chris, why are you ruining my game?"

End Confessional


Confessional: Nublina: The Screaming Winds

"I understand that Melody is trying to get a rise out of me, but she's only trying to do that so that she has a scapegoat in case we lose the challenge. I understand the need to blame someone for a loss, but if I remain calm, I might be able to channel some of that positivity to her and we can win this section as a team! Or, at the very least, get a point as a team…"

End Confessional


"Alright, Damon, don't worry about this." Donovan said as he blindfolded his partner up. "I can be loud when I need to be. We should finish this quickly if you listen to what I tell you."

"As long as none of those piranhas are harmed because of us, I think I can do this." Damon nodded to no one, as he couldn't see through the blindfold.

"I'm over here." Donovan turned Damon so that they were facing each other.


Confessional: Damon: The Killer Waves

"Donovan is pretty cool so far. I think I can trust him enough for this. At the very least, I don't think I've been given much of a reason to not trust him."

End Confessional


Confessional: Donovan: The Killer Waves

"Alright, check this out: While Damon's doing the course, I'm going to study it, get a feel for where everything is, and then I'm just going to blaze through it as fast as I can. Our team could really use those three points. I know it's dangerous, but I'm a natural gambler. It runs in the family."

End Confessional


"Okay, big guy." Conlan said as Isaac tightened the blindfold around his eyes. "You're going to be eyes and tell me where I need to go and what I need to do. Think of it like, um…." He scratched his chin, before coming to an idea. "Like it's one of Zastin's D&D sessions and you're guiding my character through the dark. You played with us last night so it should still be fresh in your head."

"Sounds like a plan." Isaac replied with a nod. "You can't see me, but I'm nodding right now. I'll be sure to guide you through swiftly and safely."


Confessional: Isaac: The Violent Quakes

"Conlan is an amiable individual, all of Artemis's and my new teammates are, really. I'm worried though, about the final round. Artemis is naturally distrustful of others and Kaede, while I'm sure she's nice, is not the most social of people. I hope there isn't going to be a problem there...But I suppose focusing on that now won't do Conlan or myself any good. I'll fight until the cows come home for Artemis if I have to, but right now, when I don't have to, I'll work for the betterment of my new team."

End Confessional


Confessional: Conlan: The Violent Quakes

"Isaac's…..well, he's about what I expected him to be like from what I've seen of him in the challenges. I'm not worried about my turn on the obstacle course nearly as much as I'm worried about his though. He has a tendency to be a bit stubborn when he's on the receiving end of orders."

End Confessional


"All the contestants are lined up…" Chris smiled as he held an air horn up in the air. "Remember, once you cross the finish line, you must take your blindfold off, run back to where your partner is, blindfold them, and they must do the obstacle course while you call out directions. The first team to complete the obstacle course will win 3 points, 2nd and 3rd place will both win a single point provided you complete the challenge, but if Chef, myself, or one of my many interns catches you cheating, you can say goodbye to completing the challenge and hello to a minus 2 points penalty! Campers, on your marks!"

He blew the air horn. "Go!"

As Nublina tried to tell Melody where to go over both Donovan's and Isaac's booming voices directing their own partners incredibly well, The rest of the contestants, watching the events unfold from Chef's tent, gave hearty laughs at the scenario.


Confessional: Oswald: The Screaming Winds

"To see Melody helplessly blindfolded and running around to the instructions of a soft-spoken girl...It is such a blessing."

End Confessional


"Oof." Melody walked into the climbing net and began to climb.

"And remember to grab the monkey bars at the top!" Nublina called.

"While Melody and Nublina are struggling to understand each other…" Chris announced. "Damon and Donovan have taken an early lead on Conlan and Isaac!"

"Great job, Damon!" Donovan called from his spot. "You can jump off the monkey bars now! No piranhas will get hurt!"

"Oh, phew!" Damon immediately let go before rubbing his arms as he continued. "My arms were getting really sore!"

"It's the fire hoops now!" Donovan called out. "When I say jump, I want you to dive forward and be sure to land on your stomach, because you'll be crawling through the barbed wire afterwards!"

"Got it!" Damon called back.

"Alright...Jump!" Donovan announced. Damon dove forward, through the three fire hoops and into the thick mud, and began to crawl through the barbed wire, ripping his shirt in the process.

As he emerged to complete the greased balance beam, Katelyn's eyes widened in Chef's tent as she focused on Damon's deceptively defined chest and abdomen muscles.


Confessional: Katelyn: The Killer Waves

"I didn't know Damon was that….buff..."

End Confessional


"Hey-" Katelyn nudged Helen in the tent and pointed at Damon as he fell across the finish line. "He likes me." She giggled.

"Good for you?" Helen asked in response.


Confessional: Helen: The Killer Waves

"Okay, it could just be me getting a bad first impression, but isn't that Katelyn girl really shallow? I feel like I remember her wanting nothing to do with that Damon boy when we all first got here, but now that he's got some muscle she's fine with it?"

End Confessional


As Conlan was putting Isaac's blindfold on, and Melody was finally making her way across the greased up balance beam to finish her half of the course, Donovan was rushing through the obstacles with little input from Damon himself.


Confessional: Donovan: The Killer Waves

"Wooo! The risk paid off! I'm on a hot streak!"

End Confessional


"And Donovan wins it!" Chris announced as Donovan sprang across the finish line. "In record time!"

Isaac followed soon after, with Nublina bringing up the rear.


Confessional: Carys: The Killer Waves

"Well, it appears that we've tied things up with the new Quakes. All that's left is for Katelyn and Helen to do that prisoner's dilemma game and pull us ahead. In any case, unless someone gets too selfish for their own good, I'm fairly certain this team will be safe for another episode, just like I said we would."

End Confessional


Team Scores:

Screaming Winds: 2

Killer Waves: 4

Violent Quakes: 4


Location: Po'ino Bonfire

Contestant(s): All Remaining

"It's the final round of our Trust Challenge!" Chris exclaimed with an evil grin while the six participating contestants of Peter, Liu-Ten, Katelyn, Helen, Kaede, and Artemis all sat across from their respective partners in front of small machines. "The Prisoner's Dilemma!"


Confessional: Helen: The Killer Waves

"I remember learning about the prisoner's dilemma in school before the show. Basically, there are two prisoners who committed two crimes, let's say robbery and murder, and they were jailed for the smaller one, robbery, but there wasn't enough evidence to convict them for murder, even though it seems pretty clear that they did it. One day, a guard visits each prisoner, and tells them the same thing. In short, he says that they have enough evidence to convict both prisoners for two years. But if this prisoner rats out his partner and his partner keeps quiet, the partner will face a ten year sentence will this prisoner will have his sentence shortened to one year instead. If they both remain quiet, they serve the two years as initially judged, and if they both rat on each other, they each serve five years. The dilemma comes in whether you want to act for the good of the individual, or the good of the group. The smallest amount of group time spent in prison comes from both prisoners choosing to remain quiet and put up with two years of jail time, but the smallest amount for individual time comes from betraying your partner. Chris here has emulated that with individual immunity for what will basically cost your team the challenge…." Helen pauses for a bit. ",,,,And I've been paired with Katelyn." She sighs in despair.

End Confessional


"Remember…" Chris told the contestants as Peter gave a nervous Kaede a reassuring look to distract her from Artemis's cold gaze. "If you both ally, that's your 3 points. If you both betray, you only lose one, and if you manage to get the best of your partner, your team might lose two points, but you'll get individual immunity, and isn't that all that really matters in the end? Heh heh…Also, remember that you must choose either ally or betray within the ten seconds of the challenge or risk an instant loss for your team!"


Confessional: Kaede: The Violent Quakes

"I-i...I'm not sure I can handle this amount of s-stress…Artemis looks really grumpy…"
End Confessional


Confessional: Melody: The Screaming Winds

"I better see both Peter and Liu-Ten choosing to ally with each other, because if any other scenario comes up, our team is the one going to elimination, and I refuse to be eliminated this early in the game!"

End Confessional


"Alright…" Chris announced as the machines turned on. "You have ten seconds to decide starting...now! 10….9….."

Helen pressed down on her choice.

"8…..7…."

Peter and Liu-Ten both chose at the same time.

"6….5…."

Artemis pressed down on her choice.

"4…..3…."

Katelyn poked the button of her choice.

"2….1…."

Kaede gulped and slammed her hand down on her choice just before Chris said

"And 0! Let's see our results! Interns!"

A couple of interns wheeled in a giant TV monitor.

"Where has that been this whole time?" Artemis crossed her arms.

"In my cabin a few islands over." Chris smiled. "I'm honestly shocked you find this surprising. I've been doing this for five seasons, after all."

Artemis stuck her tongue out, and Chris returned the favor.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat as he regained his posture. "Interns, if you would be so kind as to show our lovely contestants their decisions. Let's start with the Screaming Winds!"

Liu-Ten: Ally

Peter: ….Ally

Screaming Winds Final Score: 5

"Finally, a break." Twilight sighed. "I was beginning to worry everyone on this team was either selfish or a wimp."

The Killer Waves's results were up next.

Helen: Ally

Katelyn: ….Ally

Killer Waves Final Score: 7

The Killer Waves all began to cheer, with most of the team congratulating Katelyn for her decision.


Confessional: Katelyn: The Killer Waves

"Am I, like, missing something? Why is, like, everyone on my team so, like, surprised by my choice? I'd rather, like, win than go to elimination, and Helen was an easy 'Ally'. It isn't, like, that hard to put two and two together."

End Confessional


"Wait a minute…" Hubert noticed. "We had the same score as the Violent Quakes, what if the winners tie?"

"Let's find out, shall we?" Chris nodded to the interns as they changed the settings to show the results of the Violent Quakes's game.

Artemis: Betray

Kaede: ….Betray

Violent Quakes Final Score: 3

"Kaede, what the shit?" Artemis yelled at Kaede.

"Eep!" Kaede covered her face with her sleeves before running off.

"Well now...I think the winner of this challenge is clear." Chris looked around.

"The Killer Waves!"

"Wooo!" Isaac cheered for a split second before remembering he was no longer on that team. "Oh, wait, I mean, Nooo!"

"Wooo!" The new Killer Waves cheered.

"Helen and Katelyn, since you clenched the victory for your team, you'll get to spin this week's Wheel of Reward!"

Some interns brought out the large wheel and Katelyn and Helen both walked up to it and gave a large push to begin spinning.

"If we get that grill back, we can cook some actual chicken…" Katelyn's eyes were on the grill and charcoal wedge.

The wheel passed by Breakfast made by Chef, it passed by the Hot Tub, it passed by Towels, and it made it to the Grill and Charcoal before landing on the Canoe wedge.

"Oh cool, I can keep the canoe." Helen smiled.

"But it's useless!" Katelyn complained. "We don't have any fishing gear and-"

"Conlan taught us Raging Flames how to hand fish, kind of." Helen smiled. "I'm sure we can still catch some if I teach the rest of you."


Confessional: Helen: The Killer Waves

"Not to mention, I need to appear as useful as possible to this team, because I'm literally on my own out here with these people. Peter and Liu-Ten are over on the Winds, and Conlan and Kaede are over on the Quakes, but I'm a little worried about what'll happen to her now that she has to go to another elimination ceremony. The first one she was at didn't go too well for her, and now she's on a team of strangers."

End Confessional


Location: VQ Campsite

Contestant(s): Artemis, Conlan, Isaac, Zastin, Rudo

"I just got back from the forest." Rudo said. "She's still just sitting there."

"She better." Artemis said. "She had some nerve choosing to betray like that."

"You know…" Conlan couldn't help but bring up. "You chose to betray too. If Kaede hadn't then we'd have still lost the challenge but you'd have im-"

"Let me stop you there, Conlan." Isaac stood up. "It may be true that Artemis chose betray, and I will be the first to agree that the situation is not ideal, but Artemis understood that Kaede is a ticking time bomb of emotions. Artemis knew Kaede would choose betray no matter what, owing to her inferiority complex, and simply chose the option that would grant us the least amount of net loss. Forgive my bluntness but you need to learn to control your teammate's behavior."

"Excuse me?" Conlan's eyes widened. "Here's a thought for you, maybe we wouldn't be in this position if you weren't so slow on the obstacle course."

"You could have been louder, Conlan." Isaac shook his head, dismissing the notion that he had anything to do with the loss. "I simply didn't hear you over-"

"Over Melody and Damon?" Rudo laughed. "More like you didn't listen."

"Guys, I think it's important that we focus on the real reason we lost the challenge." Zastin brought up. "And that's because of the third round. We were tied for first before the Prisoner's Dilemma started. Artemis and Kaede are the two who brought us to last place, and now we have to vote someone off. I'd prefer it be Artemis, because Kaede has a tiki, and who knows who'll she'll vote for if she plays it and all our votes no longer count."

"I completely disagree with you." Isaac cupped a hand over Artemis's mouth before she could respond and instead began to make her case for her.

"Kaede is relatively useless in most challenges, but Artemis is very athletic, as well as smart, and not hampered by any sort of inferiority complex. Kaede also has that thing for Peter on the Winds remember? It's not a stretch to believe that she might throw a challenge just to keep him safe."

"You want to blindside Kaede?" Zastin asked.

"It is my goal to purge this team of those that would undermine its success." Isaac put a hand to his heart. "And Artemis will be nothing but a benefit to us in the future. Kaede is the devil we don't know, friends."

Zastin, Rudo, and Conlan all looked at each other, and seemed to reach an understanding.

"Alright." Zastin sighed. "You can vote for Kaede."


Location: Po'ino Bonfire (Elimination Ceremony)

Contestant(s): Artemis, Conlan, Isaac, Kaede, Rudo, Zastin

"Violent Quakes, I'm honestly a little disappointed." Chris said as the new Violent Quakes sat down. "I had my money on the Screaming Winds losing, and now I owe Chef a hundred bucks! So thanks for that!"

Artemis stuck her tongue out at Chris as she crossed her arms and folded her legs.

"And you stop doing that!"

"Make me!" She snapped.

"Chris, you mustn't blame Artemis." Isaac stood up. "She is simply grumpy owing to the fact that Kaede has betrayed the team and-"

"Will you just shut up already?" Artemis massaged her temples as she asked Isaac the question. "You're starting to annoy me. Chris, can we just, you know, get to the vote?"


Confessional: Zastin: The Violent Quakes

"I talked with Rudo and Conlan before the vote. We came up with a bit of a plan that ought to get rid of the real problem fairly easily. I talked to Kaede too, and gave her a specific instruction. A message to everyone watching. I am the DM of my team, that means I make the rules, and this is how I maintain control."

End Confessional


"Um…" Chris looked around at the other contestants, who seemed just as eager to get the vote over with. "Sure, I guess...why don't we start with Isaac, since he's already standing up?"

Isaac left to go vote,

Conlan after him,

Kaede after him,

With Rudo following close behind,

Zastin after her,

And finally, Artemis casted her vote.

"And here we are." Chris said as he returned from counting the votes.

"I have five tikis on this plate. If you have an eligible Immunity Tiki and would like to play it, now would be the time."

All eyes went towards Kaede.

Kaede looked at Zastin, who tapped his leg twice. She gulped and nodded.

"Last chance…" Chris lingered.

Kaede looked to Zastin again. He tapped his leg twice.

She fidgeted in her seat.

She reached down.

She was adjusting her sandal.

"Alright." Chris said. "Let's get on with this then. If I call your name, come up and take one of these five tikis. The camper who does not receive a tiki is eliminated, and must immediately walk the Coals of Shame, and can never come back. Ever."

"Yeah, yeah, we know." Artemis rolled her eyes. "Just give us the tikis already."

"Rudo, Conlan, you two are safe." Chris called up Rudo and Conlan, who both grabbed tikis before smiling at each other.

"Zastin, you too." Chris announced as Zastin walked up to join Rudo and Conlan. "The rest of you all received votes tonight."

Isaac turned to Artemis. "Did you-? Again?"
Artemis gave a shrug. "Stop annoying me and I'll stop voting for you." She responded.

"Holy shit…" Zastin mouthed, excitedly, to Conlan and Rudo.

"Kaede, here you go." Chris tossed Kaede her tiki before she walked up to join the others. "Strangely enough, if one of the votes had been changed to your name, we'd have had a three-way tie on our hands."

Artemis and Isaac looked at each other, and then at the single remaining tiki.

"Artemis, Isaac...Original Waves...There is one tiki left on this plate."

"Wait a minute…" Artemis began to panic. "I think there might be some mistake about-."

"There's no mistake." Chris smiled. "I counted the votes, and everything checks out. The final tiki of the night goes to…

….

….

….

Artemis."

He tossed Artemis the last tiki, before turning to Isaac.

"You lost by a single vote, dude, sorry."


Confessional: Zastin: The Violent Quakes

"Isaac, do not attempt to take control of the campaign away from me. And Artemis, you keep saying you want Isaac gone, well, I'm calling your bluff. We'll see how tough you act now that I've removed your enabler from the picture. Besides...no one wants to play D&D with that guy."
End Confessional


"Well…" Isaac sighed as he stood on the Coals of Shame and faced the rest of his team, Artemis in particular. "I did not see this coming. I suppose I should have, but I do not regret my elimination, for my goal was to see Artemis through to another challenge, and I have succeeded."

He smiled at Artemis. "I hope that you will fight hard and go far for the both of us. Your victory is my victory."

"Is he still standing still on the hot coals?" Rudo leaned in to ask Conlan.

"I just wonder if he'll ever stop talking like some renaissance idiot." Conlan responded.

"It's been a pleasure, milady. I hope to connect with you again outside the show." Isaac finished

He leaned in for a kiss, and instead received a punch in the face.

"You moron!" Artemis shrieked before running off.

"Artemis!" Isaac was about to run after her, but Chris stopped him.

"Oh no. You're already on the Coals of Shame, my man. You gotta walk across them! Chop chop!"

Isaac tilted his head down and nodded, before slowly walking across the heated coals.

"Ow…" He mumbled. "Ow….Ow…..ow….ow…."

Chris turned to the camera.

"And that's it for our knight in shining armor, Isaac! We're down to 17 contestants left, and if I know this show, and I do, we'll be down to sweet 16 at any minute! How will these new teams fare with the shuffling of contestants and resources? How will Artemis cope with the loss of her human shield? Are the Killer Waves still cursed to lose contestants? When is Kaede going to play that friggin tiki? Answers to at least one of these, next time!

On Total!

Drama!

Zero Sum!


*Isaac's Final Confessional:

"I was careless, and let my personal feelings get the best of me. I was so concerned with making sure Artemis was seen in a good light, that I destroyed any good reputation I had built up with my new teammates in the process. If I ever come back for another season, I am sure that I will do my best to avoid the same mistakes. Next time, I'll fight for what's right and honorable rather than a person who I want to be seen as such. I just wish I could have said my goodbye to Artemis on better terms. I suppose I can always call her after the show. That's about all I have to say, so I guess this is it, huh? Man, I wish I didn't have to leave so soon…"

End Confessional*


The Votes(for those who are curious)

Conlan voted for… Isaac

Kaede voted for… Artemis

Zastin voted for… Isaac

Rudo voted for… Artemis

Isaac voted for… Kaede

Artemis voted for… Isaac