The next morning was a particularly sad one for Steven. He lay in bed silently, almost not even wanting to get out.
(Confession Cam)
"Weak. So weak. It absolutely sucks that they voted off Victoria." Stephen confessed. "And it's not just her brother speaking, she was more valuable then a few of the others on our team."
Sophie shivered as she woke up the next morning. Sometimes there were those cool mornings in summer, but this was unlike anything she had felt in late June. Stretching and wiping the sleep from her eyes, she still found herself extremely cold.
"Did some freak storm hit or something?" Sophie peered out the window of the trailer door, and saw equipment waiting on the picnic tables. Quickly, she dressed and went outside to take a look.
(Confession Cam)
"Poles, boots, parkas. All completely unseasonal. If I wanted a mountain getaway, I wouldn't go somewhere where a sadistic host would sic rabid bears on us just to get a single ratings point." Sophie confessed.
(Confession Cam)
"Clearly, she doesn't know what ratings mean." Chris confessed.
"I wonder what all this is." Casey wondered as the contestants sorted through the gear.
"Chris must be planning a trip." Doug replied. "Somewhere cold."
"That's kinda sorta it." Chris came up to the contestants. "Our next genre is going to be the sports movie."
(Confession Cam)
"This isn't bad." Kristen confessed. "Most of those types of movies end up being kiddie, but there's a few good ones out there."
"Specifically." Chris continued on his introduction. "Our challenge is going to be ski-themed."
"I've never done that." Sophie replied. "Malibu's a beach town. What about you, Christian?" He shook his head.
"It snows once in a blue moon down where I'm from." He replied.
(Confession Cam)
"I'm looking around at some of the other competition, and I'm thinking we just might have scored this challenge." Dustin confessed. "Skiing isn't my sport of choice, but up where I'm from, there's some good powder."
"We're going to be on location for this one, folks. In one hour, be ready to get going." Chris replied before departing. Once he left, the two teams immediately got together.
"Who here has skied before?" Sheldon asked his team. To his chagrin, none of his team answered affirmatively.
"I prefer a more urban setting for my ride." Kristen replied. "Though I am used to snow being on the ground while doing it."
"Not the same thing." Sheldon replied tersely. "I suppose we'll just have to make do with a few other tactics." He silenced himself and started to think.
The Swing Gang seemed excited at the prospect of a ski trip.
"I'm not the best skier, but I do like it." Casey remarked.
"I've always wanted to go." Parker affirmed. "I guess this is a good excuse."
"Sounds well and good, but we need to win the challenge here as well." Mark replied. "I wonder how he's going to do the challenge. It's not going to be just a trip down the mountain, I can tell you that. What do these types of movies have?" No one could volunteer anything concrete.
The camper's huddle didn't last for long, as Chris soon gathered them all and started a drive. The trip wasn't long and soon, the contestants found themselves at the base of a large mountain.
"Hey, Chris, this doesn't look like a ski lodge." Dustin said. "There's no chairlifts or anything."
"What is this, the Ritz?" Chris asked. "Do you know how expensive it would be to rent an actual ski resort for the day. All you need is a mountain with snow on it."
"And that's there ain't a trail for skiing..." Christian started, but saw that Chris was ignoring him.
"...Doesn't bother you." He finished glumly.
(Confession Cam)
"Typical." Alice replied. "I don't understand why I'm still surprised by his careless disregard for our safety."
"Alright, here's how it works. There are two challenges to complete here, but it is the second one that determines whether or not who wins and which team will be voting someone out."
"So what's the point of the first challenge?" Sheldon asked.
"Well, the first challenge is going to be to get you acclimated to what we're doing. I understand some of you have never skied before. Also, the Silver Screen award is up for grabs, and the winner of this challenge will be snagging that."
"We can do that." Doug replied. "What is the first challenge?"
"Well, this touchy-feely movies were all the rage back in the 80's, and they all start the same way, with a nice but lovable loser who is just starting out. They end up being pretty good, which doesn't sit well for the hot-shot jerk, who challenges him to a race. He tries to sabotage, tortoise beats the hare, and everyone is force-fed a lesson about honesty or some such nonsense. Okay, so the first challenge today is not only to get your feet wet, but it's a homage to the stupidest, yet greatest plot device known to man. And that is ...the montage!"
"Totally called it." Kristen chuckled. "All sports movies have those things."
"You didn't say anything, hon." Sophie playfully reminded. "But I know what you're getting at. I think this sounds fun, let's get right to it!"
"Here's how it works." Chris explained. "You only have a short amount of time to get as good as you can for the big race. So, hit the slope, find out who's got the moves. At the end of two hours, you'll all take a practice run down the amateur bunny slope, and the first one down wins for their team."
As soon as the Swing Gamg hit the slopes, it was clear who their best skier was. Although Parker and Mark both showed remarkable aptitude, it was Dustin who showed the most ability on the slopes.
"Not bad, boy." Parker smiled at him, causing Mark to scowl. "We should probably help out the others."
"I'm all right." Casey replied. "I can get down without falling and turn a little."
"But you go too slowly." Parker returned.
"Slow beats tree. This isn't a regulation course, if there was such a thing as a regulation course. There's trees everywhere. Help out Ellie, Dustin. She's the one who needs the help."
The Boomers were having more trouble on the slopes. While Kristen did remarkably well, the rest of her team wasn't faring so well. Sheldon was clumsy on the skis, Doug had difficulty staying upright, and Alice had trouble turning, and was getting easily frustrated as a result. Although Sophie was able to stay upright, she moved extremely slowly, and wouldn't be of much help in a race. Although Kristen tried to help out her team, there simply wouldn't be enough time to get everyone in tip-top shape.
(Confession Cam)
"I really, really don't like this. The problem I'm seeing is, since I'm the best on our team, if our team loses, people might think I'm the one responsible for failure. How they put their hopes for success on me, you know." Kristen confessed.
Chris had claimed that the final race for the montage challenge was going to be on a bunny slope. However, the actual course was anything but.
"Hills, jumps, trees, you must think we're some pros." Christian lamented.
"Hey, that's what a montage is supposed to do. Make an amateur into a pro in no time flat."
"I despise you." Sheldon said to the host.
"Alright, so like I said, the first one down wins for their team. There's no special advantage to it or anything. Now, just to warn you, we have a few hazards placed on the course in addition to the normal bric-a-brac. This is a movie, and these movies always have sabotage."
(Confession Cam)
"I should have seen that coming." Mark confessed. "Then again, these types of movies aren't my thing. The sports scenes are too short, and they focus on the whole bad family situation or set it in a historical thing or some other such nonsense."
The race soon started. Parker took a quick lead as she swished down the mountainside, but soon Kristen was overtaking her.
(Confession Cam)
"I admit it, I'm not the fastest skier. But what I do know from all that time skating is how to maintain speed. Parker's fast, but she loses a lot of speed when she turns. And with this twisty course, keeping speed is essential to win that race." Kristen confessed.
Kristen maintained her lead for a while before she ran into the first hazard. There were some extremely curious bumps in the snow. At first, she thought they might be small jumps. But she veered too close to one and soon saw her error. As she came too close, the bump exploded, causing her to be blown off to the right and off balance.
(Confession Cam)
"Ah, explosives make anything better." Chris confessed. "Old proximity mines are enough to knock em off, but the range is pretty far, so they won't get too seriously maimed. At least I think they won't. Last thing I want to see are bloody smears when I go down that mountain."
It took Kristen a little time to get untangled and back on her feet. By that time, she had dropped out of the lead. He wasn't moving as fast as Kristen was, but avoiding the suspicious bumps was a lot easier for him. The hazardous field soon gave way to simple trees.
(Confession Cam)
"Trees I can deal with." Mark confessed. "At least, moreso then those crap hazards Chris throws out as us."
Mark's lead was short-lived, as Dustin quickly overtook him. Dustin handled the trees remarkably well. After a short trip, he soon found the land clearing up. Immediately, he wedged his skis to slow himself down.
(Confession Cam)
"Whenever things seem suspicious, it's because they are. I'm not going to let Chris trap me." Dustin confessed.
The first leg of this clearer path went by without incident. However, Dustin started to notice a few more odd bumps in the snow. He continued along, trying his best to avoid them. Doing so soon required him to take a narrow passage between two trees, which he was able to do.
"Beat that, Chris." Dustin said silently. He didn't have too long to celebrate his victory, as he suddenly found himself flying into the sky.
"What the..." Dustin was surprised to see himself caught in a net.
"How did he set this thing up?" He wondered as he tried to free himself. But the thick ropes held. He watched the rest of the campers pass by him.
"This wasn't in any skiing movie."
Although Mark tried to keep his lead, it was Kristen who made it down the mountain first. Once all the contestants had assembled, Chris started to deliver the next mission.
"You've all gotten your feet wet." He explained. "Now it's time for the real thing. The final run down the Double Black Diamond."
"That's bad, isn't it." Alice wondered.
"I've heard someone say that before, that's really steep." Sophie reflected. "That's not going to go well. I only did so good in practice."
"You might not be doing it." Chris replied. "The final big match is always one-on-one. Each time will nominate one representative. The rest of you won't be skiing. So, pick wisely."
"It's got to be Kristen." Sheldon replied. "She did the best here." No one else seemed to protest.
Over on the Swing Gang, however, Mark refused the idea when it was proposed that he run the course.
"Dustin does better on the slopes then I do." He replied. "Besides, there's other things to be done."
"Like what?" Ellie replied. "Only one racer."
"There are other aspects to these types of races. Chris said only one racer, but that doesn't mean we just sit around."
"Now hold on a minute." Parker crossed her arms. "What does that entail? You saying we sabotage the race?"
Mark feigned a look of surprised indignation.
"Why, how could you suggest such a plan? That won't be necessary. I've seen Kristen on the slopes, and Dustin is better. But I'm suggesting a different sort of sabotage.
"You mean, you think the other team is going to try it?"
"Come on, hon, use that pretty head of yours. You know who is on that team. Shall we, gorgeous." Mark winked. Parker huffed, but nodded.
While Dustin and Kristen were going up to the top of the mountain, Sheldon started to slink off.
(Confession Cam)
"Because I'm the only one who seems to piece together Chris's doublespeak, I know that we aren't limited to doing nothing. There's a few ways to slow down Dustin's descent, or even get him stuck on the mountain. I've noticed that Kristen is faster when the path is curvy, so I gotta make sure there are more obstacles to avoid."
Before he left, Sheldon grabbed Doug to help him. At first, Doug had refused.
"We aren't supposed to be racing."
"We aren't racing." Sheldon explained. "That's why Chris said we won't be skiing. If he wanted us to sit around, he'd say so." Doug seemed torn a bit.
"Listen, these types of things happen in these movies all the time. Chris wants us to do stuff like this. It boosts ratings. Come on, we aren't breaking the rules." Doug seemed indecisive again, but followed Sheldon up the mountain.
(Confession Cam)
"I was smarter then that dork when I was eight." Sheldon confessed. "But he's an extra pair of hands. Strong hands."
About halfway up the mountain, Sheldon stopped.
"This is good. We'll set the first one here. Break off some of the larger tree branches and scatter them across the course. Don't completely block things off, just make it twisty, twisty like Lombard Street." Doug stared at his reference blankly. Sheldon sighed, and returned to work.
Starting down the mountain was a cinch for Dustin. The mountain was easily the steepest he had ever done, but he knew how to handle himself. Kristen, despite a rocky start, was also making excellent progress, and Dustin found himself going faster and faster just to maintain his lead. Despite the various hazards that plagued the last course, this one was surprisingly free of them. But the path was steep and twisty, and that was hazardous enough in itself. Kristen had to pull off some fancy maneuvers to avoid a path that simply dropped off the cliff side.
(Confession Cam)
"This is not going to end well for me." Kristen confessed. "If I don't plummet off a cliff, I'll hit a tree. If I don't hit a tree, I'll hit some explosives or other traps. If I don't hit them, Dustin will not hit those non-existent hazards and beat me. But that doesn't mean I'm going to roll over and lose."
Sheldon and Doug had finished laying their first hazard, and were going a little further down the mountain to lay another. By the time they got there, however, they ran into Mark.
"It seems hard to eke out a dishonest living, doesn't it." Mark chided. "I usually don't take such an interest in men, but I'm feeling generous today."
"We are following the rules." Doug stepped in closer. "There is nothing wrong with what we are doing."
"I'm not a rules lawyer." Mark replied. "But that doesn't mean I won't try and stop you." With his attention focused on Doug, Sheldon managed to sneak away. Mark moved to follow, but soon stopped. This too, was not unforseen. He continued to engage Doug in conversation, trying to stall him until the race was over.
Sheldon tried to finish his task. He briefly considered going over to get another helper, but that would cost too much time. He decided to set the trap himself.
"Trying something?" A woman's voice called out. Sheldon turned to see Parker behind him.
"Oh great, Mark's little girlfriend. He's over with some guy, chatting him up."
"Don't be a pig." Parker returned. "I figured something like this would happen, so we split up. So what are you planning. No wait, it doesn't matter. This race is going to continue as it is. Don't you think Kristen wants to win on her own merits?"
'Without a doubt." Sheldon replied. "But will she? And don't give me a remark on rudeness, it's a simple question. Compare their skill levels, I'm just evening the playing field."
"Fair enough. But that doesn't mean I will not stop you." Parker protested.
"With fighting? How base." Sheldon insulted. Parker merely stared him down with fury in her eyes. Sheldon returned the stare, until he heard the sound of whizzing behind him. He turned to see Dustin, racing ahead of Kristen, as he rocketed down the path.
"Too late for you." Parker laughed. "And once they hear about this, I don't think you'll be long for this island."
"They won't believe you." Sheldon replied. "You are the captain on the opposing team, and would say anything to weaken our team. Besides, I never broke the rules. I'm heading back down."
Back down the mountain, Alice was wasting no time admonishing Kristen for losing. Although she came close, it was no cigar. Christian was being very supportive of her, while the Swing Gang high-fived and celebrated yet another victory.
"I'll see you tonight, Boomers. Although you lost today, things aren't all bad for you Kristen. You did win the first race, and I did promise you a reward for that. You get the Silver Screen award tonight." Chris replied. The teams entered their vans and returned back to the studio. Although the teams drove in separate vans, Parker tried to speak to another of the teammates, when she realized she didn't really know them. She settled on Sophie, but by the time she tried to get her, it was time for the Gilded Chris ceremony.
"You have all cast your votes and made your decisions. I'll be giving you a Gilded Chris if you're making it to the next round. The first person safe is Doug." Chris threw the award to Doug, who smiled and tucked it under his seat.
"Sophie." Sophie pleasantly thanked him as the award was given to her.
"Christian." Christian cheered as he retrieved his award.
"Sheldon.' Sheldon couldn't help but laugh at his own correctness when Chris called his name.
"And this, is the final award. Kristen, today you skied very well, but didn't win, and not winning is what gets you here. And Alice, for someone who didn't ski very well, you sure did chew out Kristen a lot." Alice scowled at him.
"It's the reason we're here, just like you said." She replied.
"Indeed." Chris acknowledged. "But it's not what saves you. Alice, you're done. Kristen, here is your Gilded Chris."
"No way!" Alice shouted. "You've got to be kidding me!" She ranted and raved as the other team ignored her and went back to their trailer. Eventually, she was lead off the set down the red carpet. The limousine drove away rather swiftly as it went out of sight.
(Confession Cam)
"Time for a little more sabotage, dear heart." Sheldon confessed. "Alice left for reasons I didn't have to devise, but I'm not about to let you stick around. We'll see how long you last when I set my guns on you, Parker."