Episode 5 Part 1: Viva Las Vegas

Disclaimer: Fedora Kid does not own the rights to the song parodied in this chapter; those rights belong solely to its creators and distributors; Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman.

"Last time on Total Drama World Tour: The desolate plains of Kansas. We were down to 15 kids, and the challenge was simple yet painful; hold onto a trailer as long as possible, and last one standing wins. Sounds easy right? Heh, heh. WRONG!

"Through the unbearable heat, exhaustion, wind, rain, thunder, lightning, and even a tornado, tensions and drama were high! Some of this drama included but was not limited to: Cocky winner boy tricking dimwit Suzie into dropping out first by using some loose change; Perfectionist attempting to form an alliance with Shakespeare and Silent Girl; and an epic clash between the Shakespeare fanatic and the psycho redhead in the midst of a storm, which the latter won. As a result, Team Victory II won yet again, and on Team Madison, ditzy Suzie was given the axe.

"Who will go home next? How much longer will it be before Team Victory II faces their downfall? Will the scheming redhead's alliance stay strong? And what's our next location? Find out today, right now, on Total…Drama…World Tour!"

…

"I'm telling you, we have got to bring back this team's morale!" Ethan declared, pacing back and forth with one hand behind his back and another clenched into a fist. "We've lost two members now. Two! And so far, that stupid Team Victory rip-off has been sitting in first class every single week! How much longer do we have to put up with this? Sitting on these rotten, filthy old benches? Having water drip onto us from the ceiling? Rats skirting between our feet? Cold, hard, unforgiving metal and wood as our beds? I say that there is only ONE solution!"

There was a pause as he slowly glanced at each and every one of the other eight occupants of economy class, members of his team and the opposing team.

After a pause, Jessica piped up. "We win?"

"WRONG! …Well, kinda, yes." He shook his head and mentally kicked himself at the mistake. "But I was thinking more along the lines of 'We ensure that Team Victory II loses'!"

"He's right." Mary agreed, standing up and moving next to him. "It doesn't matter which of us wins, as long as Team Victory II loses! Then we can finally even this thing out a little! Every time Team Victory II wins, it's another one of us gone! Do we want a member of Team Victory II to win?"

A collective "No!" was shouted out by Jessica, Lauren, Anna, and Isaiah.

"Thank you, Mary." Ethan concurred. "Now, while I am not necessarily the strongest advocate for an alliance between two whole teams, it is inevitable in this particular instance. Either Team Madison and Team Sahara join together against Team Victory II, or we will all be whittled away, and all five of them will be the top five!"

"But what difference does it matter?" Nicole asked. "Haven't we already been trying to beat them for the past four weeks?"

"In a way, yes. But for the last four weeks, we've been going about it the wrong way. We've been looking out for ourselves, trying to ensure that our own team wins. Now all we need to do is shift the focus a little: Rather than focusing entirely on our team winning, we focus on their team losing."

"You…don't mean…?" Louis started.

"That's right, my good sir: Sabotage."

"It's evil…but necessary." Lauren admitted.

"All those in favor?" Ethan asked.

The hands that went up almost immediately were those of Ethan, Lauren, Samantha, Mary, and Anna. A few seconds later, the hands of Jessica and Isaiah followed with slight reluctance. Only two people decided to stay firm and keep their hands down.

Lavatory Confessional

Ethan – That little "vote" just decided who is and who isn't willing to be loyal to me. Looks like I know which two people to get rid of first at the merge.

Louis – I just do not endorse such a barbaric act at this juncture. I can understand their reasoning for it, but I do not share their emotions.

Nicole – (swallows nervously, tugs on her shirt collar) I have that horrible feeling that me and Louis not raising our hands is gonna come back to bite us in the butt. That Ethan kid really is starting to scare me…

End

In first class…

"Attention all slimeballs!" The speaker sounded off loudly, interrupting the casual nap of the winning team's only two members. "We will soon be landing in our next destination, which, for your information, is still in America."

"Again? Dang it, even I'm getting sick of this continent." Matthew grumbled.

"So am I, kid, but you don't see me complaining, do you?" The voice responded. "Now, as I was saying, we'll be landing in…"

Just then, the plane started shaking wildly and bumping up and down. The cucumbers slid off of James and Matthew's eyes, and loose objects started falling and rolling around on the soft, carpeted floor.

Rachael and Violet, sleeping in another chair and one of the couches, respectively, were jolted awake from their otherwise peaceful naps as well.

"…never mind. We're landing right now! So buckle up!"

"Nice timing." Matthew grumbled as he sat up, pulled his seat back into the upright position, and buckled the seat belt together. James did the same.

"Still in America, eh? I wonder where, though." James mused.

"Well, we've been gradually moving west since the Mississippi." Matthew noted. "First Mississippi, then Kansas…We're probably gonna stop somewhere in the Midwest, or maybe the West Coast."

"Oooooh! California? I hope we stop in San Francisco!"

"I doubt it'll be that far. And what's so great about San Francisco anyway?" Matthew asked with a raised eyebrow.

Before James could respond, there was another sudden and loud crash as the plane shook wildly. It sounded as if something large and heavy had just broken off.

"What was that?" James asked frantically as he struggled to get his seat belt over his bulk and fasten it.

"I don't know, but it doesn't sound like anything new." Matthew commented as he rolled his eyes.

Later…

After the chaotic semi-crash landing, the 14 remaining contestants all disembarked from the Jet into a blazing hot Nevada sun, surrounded by a busy and crowded airport. Almost instantly, the heat began taking its toll.

"Oh my GOD!" Lauren exclaimed. "Why is it so hot out here? My makeup will be ruined! The mascara stains will take hours to rub off!"

"Where are we, anyway?" Ethan grumbled. "The Mojave?"

"Close, but no cigar. You are all now officially in Sin City itself!"

"San Andreas?" A clueless James asked.

"Vice City?" Matthew added.

"NO! The REAL Sin City: Las Vegas, Nevada!"

Almost instantly, a chorus of cheers went up.

"ALRIGHT! Las Vegas is the place!" Isaiah cheered. "I've always wanted to see all of the replicas of world monuments! The pyramid, the sphinx, the Eiffel Tower…"

"Las Vegas. While somewhat crude in its style of entertainment, it is without question one of the world capitals for plays and stage performances of the highest level. What a stop!" Louis said with a smile.

"Sweet! I'm gonna hit the town!" James cheered with a pump of his fists.

"Oh, you will all get a chance to see the sights…" Chef paused to chuckle evilly. "…But not for too long, because if you do stray off for sightseeing, you'll find yourselves sending someone else home! Today's challenge is another treasure hunt! This time, you'll be searching for your team's lost item somewhere in downtown Las Vegas! There is no time limit; only whoever finds the item first, second, and last!

"You will all receive one clue to your hidden items in the form of a riddle! The answers to all three riddles is some structure in Las Vegas, where your item will be hidden either inside, outside, or near."

He then reached into his pocket and pulled out three rolled-up pieces of paper, each tied neatly with red bows, and approached the teenagers, handing each one to a representative from each team: Matthew, Ethan, and Mary, respectively.

"You may use whatever transportation methods you are able to use: Walking, taxi, or even piggybacking each other. But you must think hard about these riddles, and that's just the beginning. Some of these places may be foreign to those who have never been to Las Vegas before, much less ever been to one of these places. So you all either need to find yourselves a map or hope that one of you is a Vegas expert. Any questions?"

Almost immediately, a hand shot up from Matthew. "What exactly is the nature of these items?" There was an obvious tone of sarcasm in his voice as he clearly remembered the similar hidden prizes in the first challenge.

Chef caught the obvious sarcasm, and was prepared to strike back. "You'll find out when you find them, now won't you?"

"That's not the answer I was looking for." Matthew retorted.

"Well too bad, because you ain't looking in the right place! Are there any other questions from anyone else, that don't involve your own selfish desires?"

After a few silent seconds, interrupted only by a grunt from Matthew, Chef responded, "Good. Now, here are the walkie-talkies ya'll will be using in the challenge. Each team gets two walkie-talkies, and you may use them as you please. If you choose to split your team into groups, you may do so. I recommend, however, no more than two groups; one per walkie-talkie, you know. These can be used to communicate with members of your own team, as well as myself back at the Jet and members of the other teams if you wish. Team Victory II's channel is 1. Team Sahara's channel is 2. Team Madison's channel is 3. And my channel is 4. When you have located your team's item, you press the red button to send off a signal indicating so, or you may simply report it as a spoken message if you so wish.

"Now that that's out of the way, there's only one thing left to do before we start your challenge…"

Ding-ding!

Musical Number – Viva Las Vegas

James: Bright light city gonna set my soul

Gonna set my soul on fire!

Matthew: There's a secret item hidden somewhere out there

So get those stakes up higher!

Ethan: There's the key to immunity hidden out there

They are all hidden, but where, where, where?

James: It's too bad we don't have much time to spare!

All: Viva Las Vegas!

Viva Las Vegas!

Louis: How I wish that I could spend all 24 hours in this city

Because all the lights are so bright!

James: And all of the girls are so pretty!

Oh, there's black jack and poker and the roulette wheel!

All you really need are some nerves of steel…

Matthew: We're not here to gamble so get real!

All: Viva Las Vegas!

Viva Las Vegas!

Eryn: Viva Las Vegas with your neon flashing

And your talent for washing

People's hopes down the drain!

Lauren: Viva Las Vegas

I've seen it a million times

And every time it is so fine

It's so strange but, I want to see it again!

Ethan: We're gonna head for the goal

No matter what the toll

Louis: Even if we waste all of our time

If we end up losing

I'll remember that our journey here was still sublime!

Matthew: Time to give it everything we've got

Lady Luck please let our chance stay hot!

James: Since we're in Vegas it's worth every shot!

Team Victory II: Viva Las Vegas!

Team Sahara: Viva Las Vegas!

Team Madison: Viva Las Vegas!

All: Viva!

Viva!

Las Vegas!

And so the musical number ended, and Chef Hatchet turned to the 14 teens once again.

"Just follow the yellow arrows on the tarmac and you'll head straight to the nearest terminal. You'll find the nearest exit on your own, I'm sure, and from there, you can use whatever mode of transportation you can acquire to get through the city. You will receive no hints and no assistance from me or the camera crew. This is all you.

"Alright, and the challenge begins, right…NOW!"

The three teams dashed off, following the yellow arrows on the ground and heading for the nearest terminal.

Team Victory II…

Matthew unrolled the paper that Chef had given him. As the team ran along (with James noticeably falling behind and trying his hardest to keep up), he read the clue out loud.

"I have four sides and three sides. I'm the oldest structure in all of Las Vegas. I'm the only building in Las Vegas that has a pet. Once you discover what I am, you will get the point."

"OK." Matthew started, jumping straight into the challenge. "So we're looking for the oldest structure in Las Vegas. Oooooh, what is it? What is it?" He was already slapping his forehead in frustration.

"That's not the kind of question any of us might know, is it?" Rachael asked doubtfully.

"We need to find tourist information and ask them."

"Didn't Chef say getting help was against the rules?" Violet asked nervously.

"No, he said that getting help from him or the camera crew is against the rules. We can use any other resources, including the local tourism businesses!"

Team Sahara…

As the five members of Team Sahara made it out the nearest exit and off towards the taxi cab queue, Mary read their clue.

"More gambles happen here than in any casino. I appear regularly on TV. I'm every pirate's dream and nightmare; dream for the treasure and nightmare for the haggling. We've got two Ricks but no Rolls. What am I?"

"Wow. This sounds tough." Nicole commented worriedly as they approached a yellow Ford Escape.

"We've got to really think this one through, guys." Mary declared firmly as she pulled open the passenger-side door and slid in. Isaiah slipped into the middle row, with Anna instantly sliding beside him, and Louis and Nicole took the back row.

Mary turned to her teammates.

"Anyone got some spare cash?"

"I've got some." Isaiah quickly reached for his wallet and withdrew a Jackson, passing it to Mary, who handed it to the cabbie.

"Where to?" The driver asked as he put down his Stephen King novel – The Shining – and received the bill.

"Uh…" Mary turned frantically to her teammates.

"Down the strip!" Louis ordered firmly.

"Traffic's pretty rough down there at this hour." The driver commented. "Hope you don't have to be where you're going in a hurry."

"Don't worry; we've got time." Louis reassured, before sharing a wink with Mary.

The Escape pulled out and onto the road, heading down towards downtown just as Team Madison came rushing out, with Ethan reading their clue.

"I reach high into the atmosphere. To find that which you seek, you must climb up me and jump into the sky."

"'Jump into the sky'?" Jessica asked incredulously. "Any ideas?"

She turned back to the rest of her teammates. Samantha was still rapidly texting away on her phone, her speed of texting increasing as the service was sharper and faster in the crowded area, while Lauren was still a bit captivated by the sights.

She turned back to Ethan.

"Got anything?"

"Well, reaching high into the atmosphere implies something that's obviously very tall. So we gotta look for the tallest buildings, or maybe the tallest building, in Las Vegas."

"So we're heading downtown?"

"Bingo. Taxi!"

Ethan waved down the nearest taxi as it approached.

Author's Note: Yes, this chapter is rather short, isn't it? I figured that the wait you guys had to go through since the last chapter was long enough, so I'll just post this now and make part two much longer.

Heads up, guys! In exactly four days, the fourth season - Total Drama: Revenge of the Island - premieres in Canada! Hopefully this will cause the TD fanbase to start flooding with activity again. It's been getting pretty lonely around here. :/

Instead of answering one particular question for "Trivia of the Week," you've all got another challenge this time: Try to figure out any one of the three riddles given to the teams. Whoever answers one correctly first will get the prize.

Stay tuned, readers. It's one wild ride through Sin City, with another musical number, and by the end of the next chapter, you'll all be seeing two contestants get the boot!