"Fresh from Canada"
Episode Nine
Story Written by Freedom Fighter
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Fresh TV, Inc. The 2010 Winter Olympic Games and all mentioned licensed characters, places, and other related material are the property of the International Olympic Committee. Oh, and this fanfic is not officially endorsed by either the IOC, Fresh TV, or anyone else involved with the Olympics.
Last time...
"You're just lucky we won today," Heather said aloud. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be here."
The tension between Heather and Lo reached its breaking point...
The boys ran to the girls' apartment, and saw Heather and Lo on the floor, wrestling around, as Lindsay watched, cheering the latter on. Both girls started flailing their arms in the direction of the other, hoping to land a hit across the other's face.
"Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!" Reef shouted.
"A friend of Heather's is an enemy of mine!"
"Friend? Are you crazy?"
Harold then grabbed Lindsay by the waist and tried to get her to let go of Wyatt.
"We're all on the same side!"
"If you're with Wyatt, then you're with Heather!"
"Will you listen what I'm saying to you, woman!"
Such that Lo's place in the game became endangered...
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"Okay," commented Reef, "this just went from a barrel of laughs to dark and grim. These girls have snapped! I definitely don't want to be in this apartment tonight!"
======= [End Confessionals] ======
"I have nothing to say to you," Lindsay turned away. "I'm trying to not get kicked off this show."
"Kicked off?" Harold asked. "Why would they do that?"
"Because," explained Heather, "the network has a rule against us competitors trying to physically hurt one another."
"I am, I am! I'm just trying to figure out how to explain this to the producers! You do still want to be here, right?"
"Of course I do!"
But instead of kicking her off the show...
"I want you... to give me your scarf, my dear. It's over."
The three teams were merged into one mega-team...
"If this is the merge," Harold began, "then why are we one team, instead of six individuals?"
To take on another mega-team... of former competitors...
"Noooooo!" shouted Reef.
"This can't be!" gasped Harold.
"This is a nightmare," Heather shook her head in disbelief. "My worst nightmare!"
"I'm soooo scared Lindsay is your third strongest offensive player," Fin fake-shivered in Heather's direction.
Both teams fought hard, but there could only be one winning team...
"Sco-ore, dude!"
Jude was quickly tackled by Trent and Cody, who dog-piled on him with glee. Gwen and Jen shared a high-five before joining their teammates.
And the All-Stars knew who they wanted in the Elimination Challenge...
"Guys... who did you pick to throw into challenge?"
"Heather," Gwen quickly shouted.
"That's why our second pick... is Reef."
And this time, the person everyone wanted to go home, in fact did...
"Heather, today you just didn't get your way. You're not in the Final Five. It's time for you to leave."
"Obviously, it looks like Heather's exit may finally bring peace to the remaining competitors," Allen deduced.
Is the host right? Will there be peace now that only five teenagers are left to fight for the grand prize! Find out tonight on the penultimate episode of... 'Fresh from Canada!'"
Twenty teens
Two weeks
One grand prize
For some, it's another chance at glory
For others, they're newbies on the reality scene
They lived through tons of total drama
They've experienced what it's like to be 6teen
They know how it feels to be stoked
But none of them has had the chance to be an Olympic athlete
Until now
Skiing, snowboarding, hockey, and yes, even curling
That's because they're all from Canada
They'll experience them all
While living like bonafide Olympic athletes
But they're not from all over the world...
They're just... FRESH FROM CANADA!
[presented in HD print where available]
Millennium Water
2010 Olympic and Paralympic Village Vancouver
Despite a tough day on the ice, the five remaining competitors were celebrating Heather's elimination from the game by throwing a small party in the boys' apartment.
"Let me propose a toast!" Harold raised his glass up. "To Heather being denied yet again!"
"Here here!" the others cheered.
The five of them then drank from their glasses filled with apple cider.
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"The final five!" Harold exclaimed. "I'm really loving my chances to win this! There are only a few Winter Olympic disciplines we have yet to try out, and I'm pretty confident I can fare well in all of them."
"Oh my God, only five of us left!" squealed Lindsay. "That's one less than six! With Heather gone, I can totally see myself being in the finals! In fact... I see myself winning it all! As long as we don't have to do anything else that's physically challenging."
"I couldn't have asked for a better final five!" gloated Reef. "Wyatt's a pushover, Harold's a nobody, and the girls... not even in my league! VIP seat to the Opening Ceremonies, here I come!"
"I wanted to be in this to prove to Daddy that I could do things for myself," remarked Lo. "I only have to last a few more days. And if I win... not only will I be let back into the penthouse suite for sure... but Daddy's gonna have to shower me with gifts! See, Daddy? Your daughter's making it in this world!"
"Now that I've made it into the final five," Wyatt thought out loud, "what now? I wasn't expecting to still be here. I still can't even imagine winning this competition! I guess being a nice guy in these competitions is paying off after all."
======= [End Confessionals] ======
"Being a star is the best thing ever," Lindsay told Reef as they hung out near the balcony door. "Everyone treats you all nice and they buy gifts for you and write you all sorts of fan letters!"
"Wow," Reef gasped.
Lindsay continued to ramble on, but Reef wasn't paying attention. Instead, he just gawked at Lindsay's figure the whole time.
"I showed Beth a handful of them, but she didn't seem too into them. She recommended I file a restraining order against some of my fans, especially this one guy who wanted me to cut off a lock of my hair every month and send it to him. Something about not being able to meet me in person because he was in a place he said 'people who do things others think are morally wrong are placed,' so he wanted the next best thing."
From the kitchen, Harold, Lo, and Wyatt watched the two of them chat away... and they seemed concerned.
"Those two sure are spending a lot of time together tonight," Lo observed. "You guys think they like each other?"
"Well," Wyatt answered, "Reef likes Lindsay. A lot."
"As in he talks about her in his sleep a lot," clarified Harold. "As for Lindsay, well... she's Lindsay."
"And that means..."
"She probably doesn't even realize Reef's trying to hit on her."
"Hit on her? She doesn't even realize he's gawking at her!"
"It must be nice being Lindsay," Lo remarked. "She probably gets guys to do whatever she wants all the time."
"Not all the time," corrected Harold.
"I'd love it if guys paid attention to me like they'd pay attention to her. I mean... look at me! How do I compete with talents like hers?"
"Uh..." Harold poked, at the risk of being offensive, "what kind of talents are we talking about?"
"Which ones do you think?"
"Now now," redirected Wyatt. "Guys pay attention to you too. You have a cute smile..."
Lo gasped. "You think... my smile is cute?"
Wyatt hastily covered his mouth with his hands.
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"Did I just say that out loud?" Wyatt asked himself before starting to bang his head against the wall. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid..."
======= [End Confessionals] ======
"You misheard me... guys in general think your smile is cute!"
"No... I'm pretty sure you said that you think I have a cute smile."
"Come on, Lo. Admitting that I think you have a cute smile is like admitting that I... you know, like you."
"Wait! Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"Would you look at the time?" Wyatt changed the subject, looking down at the 'watch' on his wrist. "Harold, we should have an alliance meeting right now to discuss what our next move should be."
"But," Harold objected, "isn't Lo in the alliance too? As well as Lindsay?"
"Just come with me," Wyatt mouthed through gritted teeth as he pulled Harold out of the apartment.
Wyatt and Harold exited, closing the door behind them.
"Could it be..." gasped Wyatt, "that she likes me likes me?"
Wyatt and Harold had gone into the stairwell, as Wyatt tried to figure out his feelings.
"You know, if you're into Lo, you should just come out and express your feelings! You don't want this opportunity to pass you by! One of you might not be here tomorrow night!"
"You make it sound so easy. But I've been burned by girls a lot. A couple of them really, really hard. I don't want to get my hopes up just to have them be shattered in a heartbeat."
"It sounds like you're afraid of rejection."
"That's EXACTLY what it sounds like."
"You can't live in fear of being rejected! People get rejected all the time... it's part of life!"
"Not... helping."
"What I'm getting at is that if you really, really like her, you need to tell her! If she's 'the one' and you miss the chance to confess your love, you'll probably be kicking yourself for months! Trust me, it's better to know if she feels the same way or nor rather than not knowing at all."
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"I get what Harold's saying," Wyatt admitted, "but he hasn't had his heart broken like I have. Serena, Marlowe, the coffee girl..."
======= [End Confessionals] ======
"I dunno. Lo looked shocked when I told her I liked her smile. I doubt she feels the same way."
"For crying out loud, just confess! It's not the end of the world if she says no!"
"Fine," sighed Wyatt. "It's not like I have anything else better to do right now."
Meanwhile, Lindsay and Lo had gone back to their apartment, and were chatting about relationships themselves.
"Reef is so nice," cooed Lindsay. "He, like, listened to every word I said! Guys usually get tired of me after I go on and on about my life for hours and hours."
"Better be careful," Lo casually warned, "he likes flirting with girls. A lot."
"Oh. You mean girls like you?"
"Me? Oh, no no no no no! Girls like you."
"Like... me? So do you think..."
"Don't get your hopes up. He's SO into Fin."
"Fin? But didn't they, like, argue all the time?"
"Yeah... love's like that sometimes."
"Oh, don't I know it! Courtney and Duncan were like that last season. And the season before that, too. Hmmm... I guess they've always been like that."
"Courtney and Duncan? I still don't see how those two became a couple. There's just something... off about them."
"I always thought there was something off about Courtney."
"What? Really?"
"Oops," Lindsay gasped. "I didn't mean to say that. Out loud. With all the cameras rolling."
"Anyway... you've been in a lot of relationships before, right?"
Lindsay thought for a second. "Well..."
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"The last guy I really, really, really liked was Tyler," Lindsay stated. "We totally hit it off on Total Drama. The only thing is... I haven't seen or heard from him since he got voted off! Strange, right?"
======= [End Confessionals] ======
"One or two. You?"
"Me? A couple I had mad crushes on, but nothing serious. I'm more about hooking other people up than getting someone myself."
Lindsay's face turned serious. "This is about Wyatt, isn't it?"
"No, it's about Wy... hey! How did you..."
"You two look so cute together!"
"Uh, Lindsay... how long have you thought that?"
Lindsay shrugged her shoulders. "I guess... since you two were paired together?"
"You really think that?"
"You mean... you don't think he's cute?"
"Well," Lo told Lindsay, "I never said he wasn't cute..."
Wyatt was about to knock on the door to the girls' apartment, but he stopped when he could hear them talking about him.
"I mean, we work well together," he heard Lo said. "And I do like his hair..."
Wyatt smiled as he ran his hand through his locks.
"But... he's not exactly a hottie..."
Wyatt froze in stunned silence.
"Have you seen how many girls on this show have attempted to get with him? None! Absolutely none!"
Upon hearing that, Wyatt heard his heart shatter in two. Lowering his head, he started heading back to his apartment.
"It's odd," Lo noted, "because I thought someone would be attracted to him. Jen, maybe? They seemed to like each other's company..."
"Maybe," Lindsay tentatively agreed, "Jen seems like the type of person that would stop being bossy if she had a boyfriend."
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"That's a great idea!" Lindsay exclaimed. "If I find a boyfriend for Heather, then maybe she'll stop being so bossy too!"
She then pulled out a photo of Tyler.
"Hey! Maybe I should hook her up with this guy!"
======= [End Confessionals] ======
"Wyatt, to me, isn't boyfriend material. He's friend material, most def... but not boyfriend material."
"How you figure that?"
"He's nice, supportive of me, always cares about what I need to say. Just last night, he comforted me after the incident with Heather."
"Just like friends should do!"
"Exactly! I feel like, if I wanted to, I could share my deepest, darkest secrets with him. That's how friendly I feel about him."
"So, you two are still gonna talk after this show's over?"
"For sure! I'm even thinking about giving him my cell! And hey, maybe I'll invite him over to the resort this summer."
"That sounds awesome! Can I come too?"
"Of course! I'll invite all my new friends to the resort, including you!"
"Yeahhhh!" Lindsay applauded with glee.
Meanwhile, in the boys' apartment...
"Ohhhhhhhhh..." Wyatt mumbled as he lied face-down into the pillows on his bed.
"That bad?" Harold asked, dumbfounded.
(End Act One)
The next morning, the five remaining competitors were already up and preparing to leave for the next challenge. But unlike the previous night, where they were all jovial following the exit of Heather, an entirely different mood permeated in the complex.
Harold and Wyatt were in the kitchen, eating cereal for breakfast. They were idly chit-chatting when Reef emerged from his bedroom. He walked over to the iPhone, which was sitting on the counter, and picked it up.
"Morning, bros! What's up?"
Harold and Wyatt didn't reply, as Reef pressed a few buttons and read the latest text message from Allen.
"Woo hoo!" he shouted excitedly. "Another challenge today! The third in three days, am I right?"
The other two guys just kept eating, not even looking shooting a glance at them.
"Man, what's with you guys?" Reef asked as he went to fix himself some breakfast. "You guys didn't sleep last night or what?"
Harold and Wyatt got up from their seats, leaving their half-eaten breakfast, and headed for the door. Wyatt opened it, then led the way out of the apartment. Reef looked confused as Harold closed the door behind him. He lifted up his arms and smelt his pits.
"It's not me... I showered yesterday."
Harold and Wyatt made their way down to the lobby, where they found Lindsay waving at them. She was sitting at a table that had four chairs around it, one of which her posterior was riding in, and she was already dressed for an outdoor event, like the boys were.
"Morning!" Lindsay greeted cheerfully.
"Morning, Lindsay," Harold happily greeted back.
"I didn't think you'd be the first one down here," Wyatt said to her.
"Got up a little early this morning. I couldn't wait for today's challenge!"
"It doesn't matter what the challenge is," Harold said. "What matters is what happens afterward."
"You mean Reef," stated Wyatt.
"Exactly. He's the last person standing in our way. Once he's gone, it'll just be the four of us. Then, it's everyone for themselves."
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"Even in my wildest dreams did I think our little alliance would last long enough that now only one person stands between the four of us and Olympic glory!" Harold said with a smile. "Still, I actually am starting to lament the fact that Heather left yesterday. Reef's such an athletic specimen, he could win all of the remaining challenges easily. At least if Heather was still around, we would've stood a decent chance. But as it stands, the only way Reef goes home today is if he makes himself go home."
======= [End Confessionals] ======
"One of us has to win immunity today!" Harold told the others. "We have to put him in the Elimination Challenge and get him out of here!"
"But if one of us wins," Wyatt thought aloud, "someone still has to go into the challenge with him. Which one of us would be willing to risk our shot at a quarter of a million dollars and VIP tickets to the Winter Olympics?"
"I will!" Harold proudly declared. "I'm willing to risk it all to get him out!"
"But... what happens if you win immunity?"
"Well... I actually haven't thought of that scenario. Hmmm..."
Suddenly, the three of them heard footsteps coming from the stairwell. They turned in that direction, hoping it wasn't Reef coming down to break up their alliance meeting.
They breathed a sigh of relief when Lo appeared.
"Yeah!" Lindsay cheered. "Lo's finally here!"
"We'd better make this quick if we're really going to do this," Lo told them. "Reef'll be down here any minute!"
Wyatt tensed up as Lo walked past him and took the seat at the table across from him.
"So we're planning what to do if one of us wins immunity, right?" she guessed.
"Yep," replied Lindsay.
As Lindsay got Lo up to speed, Harold noticed that Wyatt was starting to sweat nervously.
"Hey, Lo," Harold interrupted. "I think Wyatt has something he wants to say."
"He does?"
Wyatt turned to Harold and whispered into his ear.
"What have you done?"
"Set you up. Now, hit it out of the ballpark!"
Wyatt looked back at Lo, who now had all of her attention on him. Lindsay was just as attentive, curious as to what Wyatt had to say as well.
"Well... you see..."
"Yes?"
"I just want... want... want to say..."
Lo nodded as she urged him to get the words out.
"Say that... I... I... I love..."
"GOOD MORNING, VANCOUVER, THE REEFSTER HAS ARRIVED!"
Reef had just appeared in the lobby, bringing an abrupt end to the meeting. Wyatt decided to use the opportunity to 'abort mission.'
"WAFFLES! I LOVE WAFFLES!"
Everyone, including Reef, shot odd glances at Wyatt.
"You love... waffles?" Lo repeated, a bit dazed by the declaration.
"No time to explain!" Wyatt shouted. "Reef's here, so it's time to get in the van! We've got a challenge to get to!"
Wyatt then bolted out the front door.
"Man, something must be up with him today," Reef commented. "Any of you know why?"
Harold glared at Reef, then calmly got up out of his seat and exited the building. Reef then saw Lindsay stand up.
"Sorry... I can't explain anything."
Lindsay also then left, leaving Reef alone with Lo.
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"I'm starting to get the feeling I'm a fifth wheel," noted Reef.
======= [End Confessionals] ======
"Why doesn't anyone want to talk to me this morning?" Reef asked as he sat down across from Lo.
"I didn't want to be the bearer of bad news," answered Lo, "but we were going to try to figure out who could beat you in an Elimination Challenge."
"What? You guys are trying to vote me off?"
"Well..."
"I can't believe you'd do this to me, Lo!"
"It's not like you didn't know! Besides, that's what alliances do!"
"Then let me join the alliance."
"I'm pretty, pretty sure it doesn't count as an alliance if everyone is in it."
"Lo, we're friends here, right?"
"Friends don't stand by when I get into a fight with a heated enemy."
"Oh, so you're holding the other night against me?"
Lo sighed. "Reef. It's nothing personal. It's just... I made a deal with Wyatt, Lindsay, and Harold. The four of us at the end. I can't back out on them now... not this late in the game!"
Lo got up and started to walk away, but Reef reached across the table and grabbed her right arm.
"Hey! Reef!"
"I have an idea! Why don't the two of us team up? Get Lindsay on board... the two of you are close, right? Then we'll have a majority."
"I told you, Reef, I can't do that!"
Reef sighed as he released his grip on Lo's arm.
"Then... what am I supposed to do?"
"The only thing you can do to keep us from voting you out, I guess. Win the challenge today."
With that, Lo headed for the door.
"Win the challenge..." Reef said with a smile. "It's so simple that it might actually work!"
After an hour-plus ride up into the mountains, the van holding the five competitors arrived at the site of this day's challenge, Whistler Creekside. They filed out and headed for the spectator seating area by the finish line, where Allen was waiting for them.
Once the five were lined up, Allen began to talk.
"Good morning."
"Good morning," they all responded.
"Only five of you left. You guys are getting ever so close to the end of the road. One of you, in a couple days, will be leaving Vancouver as the winner of our competition. To whet your appetite, let me quickly remind you everything that you five are playing for."
Allen reached underneath the stands, and the quintet watched him do so for about a minute. Finally, he pulled himself back out... and he had a silver steel briefcase... that had the Fresh TV company logo on it.
"Whoa!" gasped Harold.
"The winner of the competition wins this suitcase! Tomorrow night, I will be giving this to one of you five. And in that case tomorrow is $250,000!"
"Yeah, baby!" shouted Reef.
"I can already imagine how I'm going to spend it," Lindsay said aloud.
"Me too," agreed Lo.
"Also, you get VIP tickets to any three Olympic event finals! Very expensive, and hard to come by... almost all of them have already been sold! But the winner gets to choose which event they want to go to! Women's Figure Skating Free Skate, Men's Snowboard Halfpipe Final, Men's Ice Hockey Gold Medal Match... just a few of the many events you'll get to choose from!"
"Even Curling?" Harold asked.
"Even Curling, yes. Plus, the winner gets the honor of being Fresh TV Incorporated's unofficial representative for the 2010 Winter Olympics! That means you'll get to spend two-plus weeks here next month for the games, schmoozing with your favorite athletes, hanging out at a few parties, and cheering on your favorite country. I dunno about you guys, but I'd root for the home team.
"But before you can even think about winning it all tomorrow, you have to think about getting through today. With that, I officially welcome you to the home of the Alpine Skiing events of the 2010 Winter Olympics... Whistler Creekside!"
"Does that mean we finally get to see ski bunnies?" Reef hopped up and down excitedly.
"If you mean the resort staff and our interns, who are smoothing out the course in order to make it manageable for today's competition despite the warm weather... then yes, you get to see ski bunnies."
"That tanks!"
"You guys know how to ski thanks to the Biathlon earlier in the competition, but today, you're not going for distance. You're going for speed and technical precision. Today, you will be competing in the Olympic sport known as... the Slalom!"
Allen turned around and pointed to the finish line, as well as the large number of pliable poles, either red or blue, coming down the mountain and leading to the finish.
"The task sounds easy enough... get from the start line all the way down here to the finish as fast as you can. Along the way, you must pass between pairs of red and blue poles. But it wouldn't be a slalom if you could just come straight down the hill. Nope... you're gonna have maneuver around left and right to get between and around those babies!
"Each person must make two runs down the course. But be careful! If you miss going through any pair of gates... you're immediately disqualified, and your day is done! The skier with the best combined two-run time wins the challenge, gets immunity, and is guaranteed to compete in the championship festivities tomorrow! The winner also will pick two of the other four losers to compete the Elimination Challenge... but more on that later."
"Great!" Wyatt exclaimed. "What prize are we playing for?"
"Well, we originally weren't gonna offer any more prizes..."
"What?" everyone shouted, upset.
"Hey! I can't help it... we blew our budget! Luckily, we had a few generous benefactors chip in so we could offer you guys something great!"
"If any of those benefactors is Chris Maclean," prefaced Harold, "I don't want it."
Allen reached under the stands again. This time, he pulled out a 16x20 photo of...
"A brand-spanking new 2010 Toyota Corolla!"
"A car?" Reef freaked out.
"You're giving us a car?" squealed Lo.
"This is the happiest day of my life," said Wyatt.
"Hey, hey! We're not giving all of you a car! Just whichever one of you wins today's challenge. Sheesh... our benefactors aren't THAT generous! Anyway, it has 1.8 liter, 4-cylinder engine with 4-speed automatic transmission, no less than half a dozen airbags, and a whole bunch of other standard features that I just don't have time to get into! And as an added bonus, we'll deliver the winner's new car to their house, fresh off the assembly line!"
"So what are we waiting for?" Harold asked his fellow competitors. "Let's hit the slopes!"
"Yeah!" the other four exclaimed.
The four headed to get outfitted for ski gear, and then it was onto the lifts.
"Which one of them will win this shiny new car?" Allen asked as he held up the photo to the camera. "Stay tuned to this station to find out!"
(End Act Two)
It wasn't long before all five of the competitors had gotten their skis and had made it to the starting line. They were being given three hours to learn the course, then an hour and half for lunch and some rest before the challenge was to begin.
"I'm going first!" announced Lindsay as she stepped towards the starting gate.
"Good," Harold said in response. "I'd like to study the course in detail before attempting it."
Lo was stretching as Lindsay passed by her and up to the gate.
"You're heading out already?"
"Yep! I really wanna do my best today, so I'm going to get in as much practice as I can!"
Lindsay stood there on her skis for awhile, not doing anything.
"Um... can someone tell me when to go?"
"I think that's totally up to you," Lo told her.
"Oh! Well... I choose to go now!"
Lindsay pushed off of the ground with her skis and onto the course. Lo watched as Lindsay headed to the first set of pole gates... and straight towards the red one on the left.
She swung her right pole at the gate to knock it out of the way, but it only bent back slightly before flinging itself back and whacking Lindsay in the face.
"Ow!"
She quickly swerved to try and make the second gate, and just did so barely. But she had to clip the inner blue gate with her skis to do it, and once they were no longer on the bottom, the gate whipped back up, hitting Lindsay again.
"Ow!"
Hearing all the noise, Wyatt, Reef, and Harold joined Lo in the starting gate as Lindsay continued to hit each gate one way or the other, and getting retaliatory whips back in the process.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow..."
The others winced as they heard Lindsay's cries of agony and pain.
"She does know she's supposed to go around those, right?" Lo asked the other competitors.
Finally, coming upon the first group of gates that were set up in a straight line rather than on either side of her, Lindsay veered right and out of the racing line.
"Okay," she winced, taking off her helmet and revealing a couple red lash marks on the left side of her face, "this is even more painful than the one we did on the sled!"
As Lindsay was escorted off to the side of the course, back up top Lo had finished her stretching, had her skis on, and was making her way to the starting gate.
"Um," Wyatt tapped her on the shoulder, "are you sure you wanna go down so soon after Lindsay?"
Lo winked at Wyatt and said.
"Just trust me. I'm a Ridgemount."
She then lowered her goggles, turned around, and pushed off onto the course. Harold walked up, with a sly look on his face.
"So you care about her well-being, huh?"
"As a friend!" Wyatt exclaimed, blushing. "Not a boyfriend!"
Halfway down the course, Lindsay was watching from the sidelines, on the other side of the 'out of bounds' temporary orange fence-like netting, when he saw Lo making her way down, going through every gate.
And by going through every gate, that meant safely in-between each of the gate poles.
"Oh..." Lindsay took a mental note, "that's how you do it!"
She observed as Lo proceeded through the first group of gates in a straight line, whipping back and forth from each pair with quickness and tight turning.
"Yeah! You go, Lo!"
Crossing the finish line, she angled her skis out to come to a successful stop. She looked up at the scoreboard. The timer wasn't on, but the feed from the camera that followed the skiers on the course was... and she saw herself rising her arms in triumph.
"Ha ha! I did it!"
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"Lo's good," Reef commented. "Like crazy good! I know the biathlon was one thing... but this too?"
"Man, she was impressive," observed Harold. "She must really want that car."
"She just wants to make sure she's here for the big prize," explained Wyatt. "A car's nothing to someone like her."
"My jeep's been having engine problems since it gotten driven into that pool last summer," Lo admitted. "If I win this, I get a new car to call my own! And I promise to leave the keys in my room the next time I throw a party!"
======= [End Confessionals] ======
While Lo was having instant success, the others weren't. The warm conditions meant that artificial snow had to be added and frozen onto the course. Unfortunately, that made some of the tighter turns hard to make, and Harold and Reef were among those having the most trouble, as they found themselves unable to make their direction changes fast enough to avoid missing gates. Lindsay now knew to avoid the gates, but that didn't keep her from still getting hit a few times as she struggled to make a complete run. As for Wyatt, he was finding the turns hard to do at all.
He expressed his frustration to Lo at the finish line, just after she had finished another training run.
"I hope the course holds up," wished Lo as she took off her helmet, "I just squeaked by a few of those gates near the bottom."
"How can you make that look so easy?" Wyatt asked.
"Simple... because you're not doing what I'm doing."
"Pardon?"
"First off, you're not leaning into the turns enough! This is the slalom, Wyatt! You have to be more aggressive! You're not going to be able to make all the turns if you don't attack the course!"
"Attack the course?"
"You know, show it who's the boss! Own it!"
"Own it?"
"Own it! Now, I want to see you like that the next time down the course!"
"Great!"
"So... wanna ride back up to the top with me?"
Wyatt hesitated, then nodded his head.
"S-s-sure!"
Lo grabbed Wyatt by the hand and pulled him towards the lift.
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"I know I should be concentrating," Wyatt scratched his head, "but the warmth of Lo's gloved hand... ummmmmmm... huh? Ahem... I mean, I know I will be concentrating..."
======= [End Confessionals] ======
The next time at the starting gate, Lo observed as Wyatt headed down the course. Following her advice, Wyatt leaned more into the each of first couple turns... and made them with no problem at all.
"Hey, I'm doing it!"
But the brief lapse of concentration was enough to make him late to turn as he passed through the third gate. He leaned too far inward to make up the difference... and promptly fell to the ground. Luckily, still being near the top, he wasn't going that fast yet... but he had already slid past the fourth gate before he stopped.
"Ouch..."
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"I'm going to show Lo that I can do this!" Wyatt said, from... a video room, "once I get a little bit more help."
He pressed play on the DVD player and listened as the instructional video began to play.
"Chapter Nine," stated the narrator, "'How to Slalom for Dummies!'"
======= [End Confessionals] ======
Finally, it was time for the challenge to begin. All five competitors were with Allen at the finish line, and the host was holding a small purple sack in his hands.
"Okay, time to draw the running order for the first trip down the course," Allen said them. "We'll do another draw for the second run, with how many of you manage to get that far."
One at a time, everyone reached in, and each pulled out a little marble, with a number between 1 and 5 on it.
And drawing number 1... was Wyatt.
"C'mon," he kept telling himself. "You can do this. You can do this!"
"You'll get it this time, Wyatt!" cheered Lo, third in line with only Lindsay between them. "I know you will!"
"Okay, so now she's cheering for me... now I'll feel even worse if I screw up!"
Wyatt got the signal to take off... and away he went! Showing immediate progress, he got past the first few gates with no problem. He was following Lo's advice, as well as those from the DVD, and he was actually making his way through the course.
Coming up upon the first group of lined-up gates, he started to struggle. After going through the first, he turned a little too hard to make the second. He managed to stay on his feet, but he had lost a good deal of speed and momentum in the process. But he got past the other gates because of it.
Wyatt kept steady as he went down the remainder of the course, including another set of gates in a straight line. He made it through there, too, and easily let the hill carry him down between the final few gates and across the finish line.
After coming to a stop, he smiled and raised his poles in triumph. Wyatt's first run time was clocked at 55.70 seconds.
Second up with Lindsay, and she too was determined to make her first competition run her first successful trip down the mountain.
Though not quite as aggressive as Wyatt, she weaved her way through the course. In each of the straight-line sections, her skis clipped the gates a few times, and she was on the receiving end of a few more lashes, adding on to the many she had gotten in practice.
Persevering through the pain, Lindsay did manage to reach the finish line, both on her feet and without missing any gates.
"I made it!" Lindsay shouted, jumping up and down for joy. "I really made it!"
Lindsay had crossed the line with a time of 57.13.
As clouds began to cover the course, Lo was third to compete in the first round. And again, she was making it look easy. Even as the course started getting choppy in the sharpest turns near the bottom, Lo continued to keep her composure and form and rocketed her way to the finish line.
Glancing up at the scoreboard, she knew she was in good shape when she noted she was more than three seconds clear of Wyatt's time.
Lo had gotten through the course in a time of 52.39.
Reef had steadily improved through the practice session, and it showed as he was able to maneuver his skis the way he wanted as he progressed down the hill. He was making pretty good time as he reached the second straight-line set of gates, but as he went through them he felt a raindrop or two hit his shoulder.
He kept his balance but eased up just a little as he came out of it, then he glided past the final few gates and across the line, where a light drizzle was falling.
Reef felt the chilly raindrops hit his hair and his face after he took off his goggles and helmet, and headed for cover as soon as he saw his time.
Reef's first run was good enough to put him in second, at 53.27.
Harold was the last to go, and he saw the conditions start to get hairy at the start gate too, as a little bit of fog rolled in.
Still, Harold had to cope with the hand he had been dealt, and he headed out on the course. Though he had struggled on skis back in the biathlon, Harold was a different animal in these short, downhill events.
Visibility cleared up as he exited the first-third of the course and whipped through the first straight-line section. He picked up speed as he continued along at a torrid pace. But he, too, ran into the raindrops towards the bottom, and he tried to account for the new conditions.
Making his turns a little less aggressively, Harold skied through the bottom portion of the course and got to the finish line.
Harold was happy with his result, as he seemed undaunted about being just a hair out of the lead. He crossed in 52.71, a tick over three-tenths of a second behind Lo.
"I'm impressed," Allen admitted, holding the purple marble-filled bag from before once again, "you all made it down! Even in World Cup competitions, that's a rare sight."
"What can I say," Lindsay shrugged, "we're all experts at this now!"
"Heh," chuckled Allen, "let's see if you're all still smiling after the second run, especially with the weather worsening!"
After the second draw, Reef found himself the first to tackle the rapidly deteriorating course for the second time.
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"I have to win this challenge!" Reef declared. "If I don't, I'm gonna end up going home for sure... and I'm determined to not let that happen!"
======= [End Confessionals] ======
Following an extended break to try and make the course as passable as possible, Reef stood up in the starting gate, ready to go.
"This is for all the marbles!"
With that shout, Reef set off. A steady drizzle had now blanketed almost the entire course, which threatened to make it slippery. Reef, though, tried to stay as aggressive as he could as he got through the first-third.
He eased up prior to the first straight-line section and carefully carved his way through. Immediately following, he hit a brief area of gates where no rain had fallen. But before he knew it, Reef was feeling raindrops again.
Reef tried to ignore the rain as he concentrated to keep his form steady and his feet flat on the slick ground. He kept control into, through, and out of the second straight-line gate group, and got to the finish line.
Coming to a stop, Reef's eyes quickly raced to the scoreboard. He wiped away a few raindrops from his goggles so he could see it.
His time for the second run was 56.51, more than three seconds slower than his first run. His total combined time was 1:49.78.
"Man," he shook his head as he walked off. "I hope that holds up."
Lindsay had again drawn the number '2,' but was she prepared for the change in the course since her initial trip down the course?
As she set off with limited visibility and rain falling, she made her way through the first few gates. But her form wasn't the best, and she fought to keep her balance as she picked up speed.
Somehow, some way, she managed to reach the first set of straight-line gates. But that's where it all went wrong. She got into the first gate fine, then the second, but then she lost her footing trying to make the quick turn back for the third. Her left ski rose above the ground for a split second...
But that was enough. She passed the third gate before she could go through it, and was disqualified.
At the top of the hill, it was Harold's turn.
"Here goes nothing!"
Harold set off, into the drizzling rain. He could feel the course getting harder to navigate, especially with the combination of the rain and those who had gone before him pushing a lot of the artificial snow out of the racing line.
Which meant at times his skis were rattling along the actual part-grassy, part-rocky ground.
The rattling pounded away at his legs, and Harold felt the pain as he made his way down the course. He tried to grin and bear it as he reached where Lindsay had skied off-course, at the first straight-line section. The snow here was still partially intact, so that made it easier for Harold to quickly whip through... even if it meant clipping a few of the poles with his arms.
At the bottom of the hill, Reef was watching the monitor alone in the wet bleachers, as Lindsay had not made it all the way down yet, waiting to see if Harold would get to the finish.
Harold kept his speed up as best as possible as he got to the bottom of the course. He crossed the line, and immediately turned his head to the scoreboard.
His time was 58.03, which gave him a combined time of 1:50.74. He was dejected as he realized that was almost a full second slower than Reef, who blew a sigh of relief.
"Whew... dodged that bullet."
Harold walked off, wondering if he could've done any better.
Wyatt was next to go, and he was getting some extra advice from Lo as he stood in the starting gate.
"Ease up as much you can at the bottom," she told him. "It's going to be rough down there."
"But isn't the idea to be fast? Especially if one of us wants to beat Reef?"
"Yes. But let me worry about that. I want to make sure you get to the bottom safely."
"She cares about my safety," Wyatt thought to himself. "That's a sign, right?"
Lo stepped out of the starter area, and Wyatt lowered his goggles and prepared to head out.
"I'm going to get to the bottom, no matter what!"
(End Act Three)
A little drizzle continued to rain down most of the course as Wyatt got the signal to go. He took a deep breath and pushed out of the gate.
Wyatt could already feel the difference in the snow beneath his feet as he made his turn towards the first gate. His skis felt it too, as they began to hit some of the bare ground underneath the snow.
He made a late turn in-between the poles of the first gate, which threw him a bit off-line for the second... but it was still manageable. But as he continued along, he could feel his legs start to ache thanks to all the bumps his skis were constantly running over.
He arrived at the first straight-through section and swerved his way between the gates successfully. But then as he set up for the next gate, he felt the back of his skis start to come around on him. He tried to lean inward to correct it, but that actually turned the skies even faster.
Before he knew it, Wyatt was no longer on his feet and he was rolling on the ground. He tumbled arm-over-arm five times before sliding about ten feet. By the time he had stopped, two members of the resort staff were already on the way out to check on him.
At the finish line, Reef, Lindsay, and Harold had all watched it unfold on the big screen.
"I hope he's okay," stated a worried Lindsay.
"I think Reef lucked out getting number one," Harold admitted, "Lo is capable of getting down the course fast... but I'm not sure if she's aware of how treacherous the course is."
Up top, as Lo stood in the starting gate, she had heard per the staff's radios that Wyatt had crashed out. She worried about him as she anxiously awaited her shot to unseat Reef from the top of the podium.
Back at the bottom, the gang saw the two resort staff members had already unstrapped the skis from Wyatt's feet and they were talking with him. 20 seconds later, one of them helped him stand up. After that, Wyatt followed the officials off the course, under his own power.
"That's a relief," Lindsay sighed.
"It's time we start protecting our interests," Harold told Lindsay.
"Huh?"
"We need to protect ourselves should Lo be unable to best Reef's time."
"But how are we going to do that?"
Harold pointed out the answer... Reef himself.
At the top of the course, the rain had stopped as workers raced to keep the course intact enough for Lo to make a run on it. But she knew they wouldn't be able to do much... she'd have to rely on her own abilities to get to the bottom safely.
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"Let's see," Lo explained her options. "I win, I have to throw Reef into the Elimination Challenge, as well as one of my friends. But if Reef wins, he gets to throw two people in... and one of them could be me. But... he's the last person here who'd throw me into the challenge. I think I'm safe either way.
======= [End Confessionals] ======
After waiting for 11 minutes, Lo finally got the signal to go ahead. She shook the nerves out of her head, arms, and limbs, trying to get rid of all of the thoughts in her brain...
Except for the ones that told her how to ski.
She took a deep breath... and pushed off onto the course. Even though it was not raining at the top anymore, some of the rain had mixed with the artificial snow, making it melt as Lo's skis ran over it instead of just being tossed aside.
Lo could spot the rough patches on the upper part of the course, so she guided herself around them. But she quickly realized that she would have to go through some of them if she had any hope of besting Reef's time. But like Harold and Wyatt before her, she felt the bumps of the ground as she ran over them.
She did her best to ignore the pain as she sped through the first straight-line section of gates as fast as possible by swerving through as close to an actual straight line as she could manage.
At the bottom, Reef, Lindsay, and Harold kept their eyes on the overall clock. A minute and 19 seconds, 20 seconds, 21 seconds...
Conditions at halfway had remained as close to what they were at the start of the competition, so Lo tucked in and got aggressive, in an attempt to shave some seconds off her time. Back to attacking the course, she seemed in her element as she carved a path to the bottom of the course.
She couldn't see the clock, but she knew she had to push it as she came upon the second and final straight-line section. Reef looked on nervously as Lo got through with almost as little movement as in the first section. From there, it was through the final few gates and onto the finish line.
Lo was already pushing her goggles up to the top of her helmet as she brought herself to a stop. Turning her attention to the scoreboard, she saw her time appear.
For her second run, 58.77 seconds. That meant her combined time for the two runs was... 1:51.16.
"YEAH!" Reef yelled from the stands. "I win! I win!"
"How can that be?" Lo asked herself as she replayed her run in her head. "I swore I was going fast enough..."
Meanwhile, Reef continued to dance in the stands.
While the results were being confirmed, Harold was trying to bargain with Reef for survival.
Or was he?
"I understand if you want to throw me into the Elimination Challenge," Harold said to Reef. "But don't throw Lindsay in too! She's not a threat to you."
"Eh," Reef hesitated, "I like having her around... but if Fin were here, she'd want me to throw her in."
"But she's not! Look, the choice is easy. Pick Wyatt. He's a nice guy, but you need to pick two people... and I doubt you want to throw in Lo."
"Look, I'm my own man! I'm doing what's in the best interests of myself and the Olympic games!"
"And that means you're picking..."
"I don't know yet! I'm thinking, okay?"
"I was 'this' close to a new car," Lo told Wyatt, holding her thumb and index finger a couple inches apart.
"Looks like Mother Nature and Lady Luck shined on Reef," Wyatt concluded. "If not for them, you would've won for sure."
They looked at Lindsay, who still had her helmet on for some odd reason. One the two of them practically begged her with their eyes to tell them why.
"I don't want my hair getting wet, okay?"
Allen showed up just as Reef and Harold walked in from wherever they had been talking.
"Time to make the results official. Reef?"
Allen presented Reef with an imitation gold medal.
"As winner of today's challenge, you win a brand-new 2010 Toyota Corolla!"
"Sweet!"
"You also now have a decision to make. You must pick two of your four competitors to throw into the Elimination Challenge. Understand that whomever you throw in, only one of them will emerge as one of your competitors. The other will be sent home."
Reef looked over his choices and thought long and hard about whom he was going to pick.
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"I wanted to make sure the two people I least wanted to win the grand prize were the two that were thrown in the Elimination Challenge," explained Reef. "When I thought about it that way, the decision became easy."
======= [End Confessionals] ======
"My picks... are Lo and Lindsay."
"You picked me?" Lo asked, shocked.
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"He picked me?" Lo repeated.
======= [End Confessionals] ======
"But I'm your friend!" she pleaded.
"And I thought you liked me!" added Lindsay.
"This wasn't what I had in mind when I talked to you a minute ago," growled Harold.
"Have a heart, guys!" Reef said aloud. "The only reason I picked Lo and Lindsay was because I thought they were the least worthy to win the grand prize."
"And how did you come to that conclusion?"
"They're both girls."
Everyone gasped.
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"Reef's not a nice guy after all," complained Lindsay. "And he threw Lo and I in the challenge because we're girls? I seem to remember the last time I was on a reality show and someone railed against girls, that person was the first one voted off. So now everyone knows what they must do! Make Reef the first person voted off! Or better yet, throw him into the Elimination Challenge!"
======= [End Confessionals] ======
Reef was hiding behind Allen, as Lo tried to reach over and strangle him. But Wyatt was holding her back.
"It's not worth it," Wyatt shouted. "It's not worth it!"
"I... think I'll explain the rules of the Elimination Challenge at the top of the course," Allen decided.
A few minutes later, Allen was behind the starting gates with Lo and Lindsay. Both girls had their skis back on, but neither was happy with the reason they had been selected.
"I can't believe Reef would do something like that," Lindsay shook her head.
"This has just got to be the stupidest thing he's ever done," groaned Lo.
"Even if you disagree with the decision," Allen told them, "all that I care about is that he picked you two. And thus, welcome to... 'The Final Slalom Run!' Which, actually doesn't need much explaining. Both of you have to make another run down the slalom course. Whomever gets to the finish line in the fastest time stays in the game and advances to the final day of competition tomorrow. The other person... goes home!"
"That's so unfair," whined Lindsay.
"Uh, the intention of the Elimination Challenge is to send someone home. It's completely fair!"
The boys were waiting at the finish line as they saw Lindsay step into the starting gate.
"I can't believe you did that," Wyatt told Reef. "The girls were very upset, and rightfully so!"
"You should be thanking me!" responded Reef. "I could've thrown you in instead."
"How is this decision of yours even strategically sound?" Harold asked. "If you think there's a chance the final challenge is also on the slopes, then I understand Lo. But why Lindsay?"
"I told you... she doesn't belong her."
"Because she's a girl?"
"Yes. Because she's a girl."
"Do you live in the 1600's or something? Guys don't act like you just did anymore?"
"Actually," Wyatt hesitantly admitted, "he kinda reminds of Jonesy."
Meanwhile, Lindsay had just left the starting gate, beginning the Elimination Challenge. At this point, the only place it was raining was at the bottom of the course. But the damage had been done, and getting down the hill one more time wasn't going to be easy.
Lindsay got through the first few turns, in pretty much the same way she did on her previous run. Again, she was a little off-balance as she reached the first straight-line section, but this time she kept her feet on the ground and she managed to clear all of the gates.
She then passed the area where Wyatt had fallen a little while back and made that right-hander, but coming back across for the next left turn, she cut a bit too deep to the inside as she was heading for the blue pole of the next gate.
She tried to get her feet to go around the right side of the pole. Her right ski managed to pass by the pole on its right. Her left ski, however, pushed the pole down and to the right... meaning it had gone by on the left side.
Lindsay, thinking she had cleared the gate after her ski came off it, continued down the course...
Despite the treacherous conditions, Lindsay managed to clear all the other gates and crossed the finish line. As she came to a stop, she glanced to the clock on the scoreboard.
But all she saw were the letters 'DNF' next to her name.
"Sorry, Lindsay," apologized Allen.
"What happened? I made it to the finish line!"
Allen pointed to the replay on the big screen, and Lindsay saw the incident in question.
"Your left ski passed by the outside of that gate," Allen explained. "Unfortunately, that means that you've been disqualified."
Lindsay gasped. "Does that mean I have to go home now?"
"Nope. You have a chance to stay in the game... provided Lo also fails to make it to the finish line."
Back at the top, Lo had just put her goggles down and was ready to launch out of the starting gate. She had not been told what had happened on Lindsay's run. Her focus was on getting to the finish as fast as she could.
Navigating the course, this time around she tried to stick to the fastest line as much as she could withstand the bumpiness of skiing on ground with very little snow on it. She got to the first straight-line section, and zigzagged through it with ease.
Everyone watched from the finish, Lindsay and Allen near the finish, and the boys in the stands, as Lo continued to charge down the course. She continued to fight through the bumpy course, making turn after turn and passing through all of the gates correctly.
She came upon the second straight-line section. Her speed made it impossible to go through it as closely as she did the first time, but she cut her way left and right, working her legs and her skis hard to make the turns.
Upon clearing those gates, she raced towards the finish line. She had a smile across her face as she skidded to a stop. She felt that she had put down a great time even given the course conditions. Her thoughts turned out to be true, as a time of 56.05 seconds was showing on the scoreboard.
"You did it, Lo!" Wyatt shouted from the stands.
Lo was ecstatic, but she still wondered why Wyatt was prematurely celebrating. There was no time next to Lindsay's name on the board... he must know her time was faster. But why would he spoil the surprise.
Allen and Lindsay came out, and Lindsay immediately ran over to Lo and gave her a hug.
"Congratulations!"
"What... why are you..."
"Lo, if you would please turn around and look at the videoboard..."
Lindsay let go of Lo and let her do so, and the cautious skier watched the replay of Lindsay's run. It wasn't long before she saw Lindsay's fatal mistake.
"As you can see... Lindsay did not clear that gate correctly. Therefore, she did not finish her run. Since you did, you have won the challenge... and you are still in the game."
"So that's why..."
"Lindsay," Allen turned to the blonde, "you've gotten far in this competition. But unfortunately, your road ends here... one day away from the final challenge. Lindsay, it's time for you to go."
This time, it was Lo who reached over and hugged Lindsay.
"Good luck," Lindsay wished Lo.
"Thanks. You take care, okay?"
They released each other. Lindsay then turned to the stands, and waved goodbye to the guys.
"Good luck guys!"
"Good luck," all three guys said back.
Lindsay then headed out of the spectator area and out towards the parking lot, where she would wait in the drizzling rain for a ride to the airport. And she did it with her helmet still on her head.
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"I guess that's it for me," confessed Lindsay. "I never imagined how many new people I would meet here. As well some old people I had met before. I made a lot of new friends on this show, and I hope I can keep in contact with all of them.
"Fifth place is a lot more than anyone expected. Heck, I didn't think I'd finish anywhere near here! I've got to hand it to these Olympic athletes... these events were some of the hardest things I've ever done! No wonder they call themselves the best in the world!
"My money's on Lo to win. Just because she's gotta stand up for us girls! I would be fine if Harold wins too. He deserves it. As for Reef... let's just say I hope someone treats him to humble pie! I would do it myself... but I don't have any money to buy pie."
======= [End Confessionals] ======
The guys had come out of the stands and had joined Lo in front of Allen.
"And then there were only four," Allen said to them. "It's been a long, hard two weeks. But now, the real finish line is within sight. I want each of you take a good luck at who's still here..."
The four did as they were told, as they sized up their competition.
"Tonight will be your last night in Vancouver. Tomorrow night, one of the four of you will be declared the winner of 'Fresh from Canada.' Until then... enjoy the rest of your day."
Reef, Wyatt, Lo, and Harold left the arena, relieved that they had made it to the end of the show. But they also knew that only one of them was going to walk out a winner.
They were going to have to fight it out to see who that was.
To be concluded...
(Next time, on the final episode of 'Fresh from Canada'...)
"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" someone yelled, charging into the apartment.
(The final day of competition pushes the four remaining teens hard...)
"I don't think I can do this!" Lo shook in fear.
"Is $250,000 really worth risking our lives?" Harold asked Allen. "Again?"
Jude watched as Wyatt collapsed on the ground in front of him.
"That tough, dude?"
Fin punched Reef in the side of his left arm.
"Ow!" he shouted. "What was that for?"
(And their greatest test stands before them...)
====== [Confessional Booth] ======
"If it's going to take breaking every bone in my body to win," Lo declared. "Then I'll willingly break every bone in my body!"
======= [End Confessionals] ======
"Is that accurate?" Reef winced as he saw '150 kph' on the screen.
"I have something I want to say!" announced Wyatt.
(But only one of them can be the winner...)
The competitor flew off the edge of the final ramp and into the air, and all eyes were on him as he went for the biggest stunt of all.
"A million dollars says he lands face-first in the snow!" Duncan betted.
"You're on!" Harold agreed, before taking a step back. "Wait a minute..."
(Who... will... it... be?)
"The judges have made their decision!" exclaimed Allen. "The winner of 'Fresh from Canada'... is..."
('Fresh from Canada': The Final Episode - Two weeks from tonight!)