~A/N~ Sorry for the hiatus, guys. School was getting at me, but now I have Christmas break to whip this episode out ASAP. Thanks to every one who reviewed the last chapter and voted on the poll. A new one should be up after you read this, so make sure to vote. Anyways, enjoy this clusterfuck of an episode. It's going to be a blast. Hehe.

Episode 11: Parade of Pain

"Last time on Total Drama, our three teams became two and Team Evil was shattered. Noah and Izzy joined Eva on Team Vengeance and stole her loyalties from Courtney while Scarlett sabotaged her Team HP partner, Owen, landing the guy in medical... again. Come our gladiator arena showdown, Courtney lost the final battle and continued her losing streak. At elimination, it was a relief that no one was going home, but that relief was shattered by the revelation that Eva was E-Scope strong, causing Courtney to flip out. Twelve are left, but not for long. Find out who gets the boot in our most shocking vote yet, here, on Total Drama... World Tour... Round Trip!"

(The theme song plays)

Confessional

Scarlett opens the clue to the idol and reads aloud. "You're closer than ever, and yet so far. Finding safety is easy, so look to the wobbling star."

She rolls her eyes and scoffs. "The more clues I find, the more I start to think this idol doesn't even exist. That's very Chris-like of Chris to do."

End Confessional

Economy Class was divided. Literally. Courtney, Dave, and Scott sat on one side of the plane while Noah, Izzy, and Eva sat on the other. A strip of tape divided the cabin into two halves.

"Wow. That was... lame," Noah yawned.

"You're one to talk," Eva snorted. "My game is ruined. How was I supposed to know it wasn't an elimination?!"

"You weren't," he replied. "But that doesn't mean you're out of the game. Sure, Courtney, is pissed..." He looked across the cabin and saw the Vengeful Triad asleep. "But it's still three on three."

"Yeah, but now I'm the target," Eva whispered bitterly. "If I had just voted for you, then maybe I'd still be on high ground."

Noah raised his brow. "You'd vote for me?" He shrugged. "Expected. It's still a team game, but I get it. We're here to win. That means I'll vote you off early too? Yeah, it does."

Eva felt her hands tighten. Something drew her to throw a punch, but she held it back.

Confessional

Noah shrugs. "I'll do whatever it takes to make sure my name doesn't show up around our next vote off. E-Scope is great and all, but if I have to save my own hind, I'll take... drastic measures."

(Static)

Eva cracks her knuckles. "This sucks. If Noah and Izzy hadn't switched, Dave and Scott would still be on the bottom. Now I have to scramble, and I hate scrambling. It makes me look all desperate and stuff."

End Confessional

Izzy jumped between her two alliance members with a smile strung across her face. "C'mon, guys. Lighten up already. E-Scope is back and ready to-"

Noah stood up. "And E-Scope also ruined our games. I had Scarlett out the door, Eva was safe, I was safe, we were winning... It was perfect. Now look at us. We're falling apart at the seams thanks to this alliance."

Izzy began to cry. Her eyes widened like those of a sad little puppy.

Noah rolled his own. "I'm not giving in to the act, Izzy. You can cut it out. Face it: E-Scope might not be the best direction for any of us."

"But it's soooo cooool," Izzy whined.

"I'm with Noah," Eva grunted, trying to get more shut-eye. "E-Scope was a mistake. We drew too much attention to ourselves and now we're targets. I'm a target."

Noah and Eva went to sleep, leaving Izzy to cradle herself in her arms.

Confessional

Izzy sighs and smashes her head into the countertop. "This suuuucks. Noah and Eva were so into this before. We had that whole mole thing going on, we we're in alliances, we were just awesome! I really wanted to play with my friends, y'know. This isn't much fun for Izzy." She sniffs and cries. "Stupid Chris and his twist... He'll rue that choice."

End Confessional

Jo's face was up and close and personal to the camera. Her eyes were closed and she was lightly snoring.

Frrrrrrt...

Her eyes shot open and her nose started to burn. She quickly stood up and walked off, plugging her nostrils.

Confessional

Jo kicks back and rests her feet on the countertop. "That guy is disgusting. A total waste too. I can't believe he made it the other merge three times. What were they thinking when they kept him? What, were they high on his ass fumes? Someone tell me!"

End Confessional

Jo snuck back into First Class once the air had cleared. She took her seat and leaned back, closing her eyes and fading off into sleep.

"Psst."

Jo's eyes shot open and zoomed around the room.

"Over here," came the voice.

The jockette yawned and peered into the darkness. Owen emerged from the shadows and walked towards her, encouraging the beefy girl to narrow her eyes. "What is it?"

"I left my blankie in that seat. I think it slid into the cushion."

Jo blinked. "And..."

"I have trouble sleeping without it sometimes. Especially without Noah around."

Jo leaned back down and reclined the seat. "And I have trouble sleeping with you." Her eyes shot open when Owen giggled. "Get your mind out of that gutter, maggot."

"Sorry. Now can I please look. It'll only take a second."

Jo sighed and jumped off, allowing Owen to reach his fat arms down into the seat. After a few seconds of straining, Owen pulled his little rag out of the seat. It was brown stained and filthy.

"Aww, you do come back," Owen cooed, rubbing the blanket into his face.

Jo pushed Owen back to bed and went back to sleep herself.

Confessional

Owen giggles and hugs his blanket. "Jo can be really mean sometimes, but I always knew she had some good in her. I just hope she doesn't vote me off for all my body weight. You know you're in trouble when the team captain does two hundred squats at midnight... in her sleep."

End Confessional

The Total Drama Jumbo Jet descended from the clouds and squealed to a halt along a busy beach. People ran to escape the incoming mass of steel and some may have died, but thanks to the magic of editing, it wasn't shown and no lawsuits were filed. :)

The twelve remaining players jumped down onto the sand and covered their eyes from the blazing light of the sun. A few spotted tall cliffs in the distance, as well as a heavenly statue atop the tallest peak.

Chris jumped down and spooked the group with his sudden entrance. "Welcome to Copacabana Beach in Rio!"

"Brazil?!" Geoff gasped. "Bro, I've always wanted to come here, man! Surf some waves, play in the white sand, do some rad hang gliding-"

Chris hushed the surfer dude with a finger to his lips. "And you'll be doing none of that today. Sorry, dude."

"What else do you do on a beach?" Eva asked. "Are we tanning or something? Because I don't sunbathe!"

"Relax," Chris yawned. "You're not getting a tan unless you didn't bring sunblock... which applies to all of you. Hehe."

"Well, I have translucent skin," Scarlett groaned. "I burn very easily."

Chris merely shrugged before moving on. "No one cares, really. Follow me, everyone!"

The cast arrived at a volleyball court where attractive young men and women were having fun. Chris blew a whistle and they all looked his way.

"This court is under new management. Everyone out or I get ugly!"

The beachgoers ignored the host, most to his chagrin. A stray ball hit him in the chest and his eyes narrowed. He whipped out a walkie-talkie and snarled into it. "Chef, do the thing."

A few seconds of awkward silence passed and Jo sighed. "What?"

Chris clicked the button again. "Chef, do the thing! That's an order, and I'm the host, so what I say goes!"

Silence of the very awkward variety.

One twenty something with long dark hair and a goatee spoke up in a somewhat Spanish accent. "Look, bro. This place is ours. You wan' it? Get in line."

Chris sighed in defeat. "Fine, but just for the record, I'm famous, so... Yeah."

"Never seen ya'," deadpanned a Latina girl.

The host's eye began to twitch. "Let's just go. We'll find a better place. Without brats!"

Chef's walkie-talkie was on the bed with the batteries popped out and strewn haphazardly across the covers. The bed shook and quaked with sounds of laughter coming from under the sheets. Chef emerged from under the covers playing a handheld console. "Ha! Eat that, ghosts!" He paused and looked around like the room was haunted. "Hmmm. Feels weird. Like Chris needs my help again... Screw it!" He dove back under the covers.

Chris led the players to a less awesome and more ragged court. The sand was mostly broken shells and the net was half burnt off, but it would have to do. And even so, it wasn't like Chris was playing.

The host pulled a volleyball out of nowhere because host stuff. "Alright, guys. Today, we'll be holding two challenges. The first, for reward, is a volleyball game. I'll need two people from each team to step up and play."

Jo jumped forward for Team HP. "Me and Geoff!"

Geoff looked stunned. "Wait... me?"

"You're a beach boy, right?" Jo sighed. "Aren't you all naturally good at this stuff?"

Geoff nervously gave a thumbs up. "Yeah, dude. Spot on, man. We'll crush them."

Confessional

Geoff groans. "I hate volleyball. I'm okay, I guess, but my buds are way better. I'm more of a frisbee guy myself. Played for two hours in a game of Fire Fling. Got burned three times and didn't even cry a tear."

End Confessional

Courtney and Eva reluctantly joined together. "We'll do it!"

"Let's go, ladies!" Noah cheered in a really flamboyant voice. "Put those hormones to work."

Courtney glared back and locked eyes with the snarker.

Noah merely smiled.

Both pairs took their places and Chris raised the ball. "The first pair to get three points wins reward, and it's a good one. Ready... Set... GO!"

The ball went flying and landed on the sand next to the net on Team HP's side. Nobody moved.

"Well?" Chris asked, flabbergasted. "Go for it!"

"We serve, not you!" Geoff explained. "You never volleyed before, man?"

Chris blushed and grabbed the ball. "Uh, yeah. I was-"

"Testing us?" Courtney deadpanned. "Doubt it."

Chris sneered and sighed. "Okay, forget it. Just do rock, paper, blah, blah, blah..."

Geoff and Courtney met in the center. Only a millimeter of net kept them apart. They both put their hands behind their backs and drew on "1... 2... 3!"

Geoff threw rock and Courtney threw scissors. Jo smiled wide and Eva snorted like a mad bull. Courtney sighed and rushed back to Eva's side. Chris tossed Geoff the ball and readied himself to referee the game.

Geoff squinted to block out what sun breached the shade of Jasmine's hat. With sharp precision, he launched the ball into the sky and smacked it on the way down, spiking it down between the Vengeance girls.

Eva dove and bumped it back over, scraping her entire body on broken shells. She stood up and saw blood on her leg, but ignored it.

Geoff smacked the ball right back and let Jo step forward to hit when Courtney sent it flying right at them. The jockette leaped up and knocked the ball down, trying to spike it, but ended up hitting the net instead.

"Point for Team Vengeance!"

Courtney fell to the ground and cheered to the heavens. "Yes. Yes! YAS!"

Eva nodded with a smirk and watched Jo beat down the sand with her foot.

Confessional

Eva smiles for once. "It's not that we get along-"

(Static)

"We just like winning," Courtney says.

End Confessional

Noah clapped. "Keep it up, guys! And by that I mean Jo and Geoff! Keep screwing up!"

Jo whipped around to face the little snarker. "You're dead, Bobble-head!"

"Nice one," Noah chuckled. "A little lacking in delivery, but a decent attempt nonetheless."

Jo glared daggers at Noah, but her anger turned to a smirk. "I like him," she whispered.

Chris blew the whistle and Courtney launched the orb over the net. Geoff bumped it back with a well timed bump and Eva had to dive to keep the ball in the air. Jo jumped to slam it down and barely hit the ball, but luckily Geoff was ready to spike it and made contact.

Eva and Courtney dove for the white orb and crashed into each other, allowing the ball to drift down into the shell bank.

"We're tied at one each!" Chris announced, causing Team HP to cheer.

"You got this, guys!" Sky hollered. "Just don't let your guards down. Be the ball!"

Dave rolled his eyes and cheered for his own team. "Don't be the ball! Balls get smacked around! Be the winners!"

"Hey, it was figurative!" Sky barked from across the court.

Dave grabbed a shell and tossed it at Sky, but missed by half the court when it hit Jo in the leg. Sky grabbed her own projectile and launched it too far, sending it over Dave's head.

"Hey!" shouted an aggravated Chris over the commotion. "You two, cut it out. You'll have plenty of time to be sworn enemies in the next challenge."

Dave and Sky turned away from the court and pouted like children who just got timeouts. Curses were heard under their huffing and puffing.

Chris blew the whistle and Geoff casually slapped the ball over the net. Eva bumped it back and nearly hit the barrier, taking Jo's attention off the ball for just a split second as she thought it was a shot too low to clear the top.

Geoff dove for it. "Dude, get-"

Jo went for it as well and the ball went under her outstretched hands.

"Score numero two for Team Vengeance! This might actually be their first win of the season."

Eva and Courtney were beaming and trembling. Nerves rattled in their fibers, the fear was taking over. Just one wrong move and they lost... again.

Jo was still pissed, so she kicked some shells out of their place and went back to her position. Geoff just kind of chilled out like a boss, sure that he'd be able to pull it out if he tried hard enough and didn't get any lame shots.

Eva tossed the ball into the air and leaped to spike it. Jo jumped to the side and bumped it over the net, only to send it right into Courtney's hands. The CIT tossed it back up to the heavens and let Eva do another powerful spike, which hit Geoff in the chest.

The surfer fell over and saw the ball coming towards him. He bumped it back up and called for Jo. The sweatpants-clad captain smacked it over the net, but Eva found a way to spike it once more, landing the ball just across the net. Geoff launched himself into the shells and stopped just short...

"Team Vengeance wins their first challenge and a reward!"

Courtney smiled and collapsed to the ground, clenching her fists and shaking with hype. "Yes! Thank you! Woo!"

Eva sighed with relief and did a pelvic thrust/fist pump combo. The rest of the team cheered and ran onto the court, helping Courtney to her feet.

Jo and Geoff looked crushed.

"We should've won," she snarled to herself. "This is bull. We had a beach boy for crying out loud."

Geoff took a step back. "Hey, brah, not all dudes like me play volleyball, man. Chillax and let it go. It's just one little reward challenge."

Sky grabbed Geoff on the shoulder and cringed. "Just let her vent. Remember, we're on the bottom here."

"Oh, yeah. Right."

Owen wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'm so torn. I'm glad Noah and Izzy won, but I really wanted that reward. What if it was food!? Oh, or maybe it was a buffet!"

Scarlett's eyes rolled so hard that her eyes turned pure white.

Confessional

Scarlett pulls out her idol clue and groans. "This team is obnoxious for sure, but at least I have options. Jo and Brick seemed to have obtained the power before the switch, so it would be wise to align with them for the time being. Geoff is purely idiotic, so he'd be easy to manipulate unless that heathen known as Sky gets in the way. Then there's Owen, who will go home next if we lose for being such a waste of flesh. Plus there's an idol hidden somewhere on the plane..." She reads the clue again. "Look to the wobbling star... Meh. No clue. At least I'm the only one looking for it as of now. Or at least I think I am."

End Confessional

Chris approached a joyous Team Vengeance minus Noah, who looked as if he didn't care whatsoever. "Congrats, Team V. For the first time, you've ranked first in something other than the number of losses. For your reward, you'll be getting something you definitely need: showers!"

Courtney squeed and nearly lost herself. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, eeeeee!"

"Better than I expected," Noah said, giving no craps.

Scott looked happy as well. "Does this mean I get to see Courtney-"

"Uh, no!" said the CIT with a disgusted look on her face.

Chris nodded. "Sounds like you're all excited, but what fun would this be without a twist?!"

Courtney's smile faded from her face, gradually becoming a look of fear. "Uh... what?"

Chris pulled Eva and Courtney to his side. "Alright, since Courtney and Eva competed for their team, they'll get to make a choice. They can either take cold showers for the whole team... or take spa trips by their twosome!"

Courtney's smile returned brighter and wider than before. Noah and Dave glared at her, trying to hope for the best but expecting the worst. Eva just remained silent, het observed the team reacting to the news.

"Courtney, Eva, this has to be an agreed decision," the host explained slyly. "If you can't come to an agreement, Team HP gets the reward."

Courtney had her answer. "Spa for two."

Chris blinked. "Gotcha. Eva?"

The traitor stood there, looking at Noah and Izzy, her old pal Dave, and Scott. She looked at Courtney and gave her answer. "Spa day..."

Noah closed his eyes and let out a deep, angry sigh. "Unbelievable."

Dave glared at both girls. "I can't believe you."

Izzy gave them puppy eyes and quivered her lip.

Scott snapped his fingers. "Dang... I really wanted to see-"

"However!" Chris added. "You can take one other person with you!"

Courtney turned to Eva. "Scott, right?"

Eva saw her old alliances looking at her from her peripheral vision. She could take Scott and maybe get back on Courtney's not-bad, yet not-good side. Or she could take Noah or Izzy just to piss Courtney off. Or she could take Dave and try to sway him over to E-Scope. "Yeah, I guess."

"Booty, here I come!" Scott howled, snickering all the way to the two young women. He wrapped an arm over Courtney's shoulder and got a kick to the shin. "Yoooww!"

Chris scanned over Noah, Izzy, and Dave. "No spa for you guys. I guess that means you can go ahead and move onto the next immunity challenge then." He looked at the seething Team Horsepower. "You guys too! Follow me!"

Courtney, Eva, and Scott followed a local woman down the beach as Chris led the others into the city to the real challenge. Team Horsepower trailed behind the three remaining Vengeance-ers and boiled in their loss.

"I can't believe this," Jo grumbled to herself with her eyes on the sidewalk below. "We deserved that spa day, and they know it."

Brick put a beefy hand on Jo's shoulder and spoke in an authoritative tone. "Ma'am, I get your anger, but they were losing every challenge. I think it's fair that they won a single reward challenge in exchange for us winning immunity."

Jo sighed and kicked her feet on the ground. "I guess so, but if we lose this one too-"

"We won't," said the cadet. "Just try hard and never give up."

"Wow," she deadpanned. "Way to be original."

Owen and Scarlett stayed at the back of the pack. The chubby teen looked sad, but Scarlett didn't care. She just kept her poker face.

"I feel bad for Noah and Izzy," said Owen. "I wish they went on the spa trip instead of Courtney and Scott. Those two have been nothing but mean all season long."

Scarlett walked ahead. "Well, they didn't get to go, so live with it."

Confessional

Owen draws smiley faces on the window in his moist breath. "Being away from Noah hurts. I thought I could handle it, but every person here but Geoff just ignores me. I need someone to hug again, that's all. Let's see..."

End Confessional

Geoff was telling Sky about his latest party tricks when Owen launched into his back and squeezed him tight. "Ahhhhhhhh..." he gasped for breath.

Sky panicked and tried to pull Owen off, but the fat... it was too much to handle. "Hey, get off!"

Owen whined like a dog and retreated, leaving Sky to groan. "What a pain in the butt."

Geoff dusted himself off. "No biggie. The big guy's just a little alone over here. That's all." He turned and gave Owen a friendly wave.

"But how can you stand him?" Sky gasped, lost for words. "He's so annoying and clingy."

Geoff shrugged. "Tell him to stop, make things clear, works like a charm. Take control, you know, man?"

Sky paused. "Uh huh, yeah. Got it."

"Deja Vu?"

The athlete rolled her eyes. "Pfft, no. I mean, yeah, no, maybe... Ugh!"

Confessional

Sky bangs her head against the wall. "Why. Won't. It. Stop? Just let me shrug it off already. He didn't want to hear the but and..." She pauses and buries her face in her hands. "Get yourself together. You just have to beat Dave once and for all and take the million for yourself. No more conflict, just redemption. Just... redemption."

End Confessional

The contestants arrived at the challenge site: an abandoned lot covered in garbage bags. Three zones of color were painted on the concrete. One blue, one red, and a purple zone in the middle. Both end zones had a large wooden box on wheels and a few bags, but the purple zone had most of the bags plus some planks of wood.

Chris moved to the front of the crowd and directed all attention to himself. "Teams, this is your immunity challenge. In the spirit of the Brazilian Carnival Festival, you'll be making parade floats to show off in a 'parade' of sorts tonight. Each zone is filled with supplies that you may use to spruce up your floats, which are already build for you. Team V will stick to the red zone and Team HP will stick to the blue zone, but the purple zone is special. It's called a free zone, and anyone can get the goodies inside by any means necessary. And yes, physical contact is allowed. It might be worth it for the best supplies on the field. At the end of the day, the team with the most applause from the crowd wins immunity. The losers will be voting somebody off. Any questions?"

Dave raised his hand. "Uh, yeah. What about our three MIA teammates? Shouldn't we wait for them to come back?"

"Sorry," Chris said with a shrug. "It's an all day spa, so I guess you're down by half your team."

Jo smirked. "Guess I'm glad we lost. Huh. Lucky us."

Noah narrowed his eyes and curled his lips. "That's not fair. We won the reward, not a disadvantage. Just take three of Team Over-Power out of the mix."

"Coulda, woulda, won'ta!" Chris chimed in song. "You have four hours to make your floats. Chop chop, people!"

The teams went to work, but Noah just gave Chris a look of disgust. Izzy came up from behind and grabbed his shoulders. "It's okay, No-No! We don't need all that muscle. We've got Izzy, Noah's brain, and... that weird guy! We're like the A-Team, but without a buff black guy to say "fool" a lot. Hey, maybe Lightning could come back and-"

"Let's just get this done." Noah brushed her off and grabbed the nearest bag.

Izzy sniffed with a sorrowful look. "Oh, uh, okay."

Jo grabbed a bag and dumped it out on the ground. A bunch of colored feathers spilled out and blew away in the breeze. "Well, I guess we need-"

"There's a lot of feathers!" Geoff shouted, dumping another bag out. "We could make a pretty decent float just usin' feathers!"

Jo slapped her face. "We need more than feathers, we need-"

"Long, hard wood!" Owen boomed, dragging a plank from the purple zone.

Jo gasped. "That's it, team. Get everything from that purple zone into the blue!"

Dave heard Jo's commands and ran to grab something. Noah and Izzy followed behind, picking up as many trash bags as possible. The six HP members overpowered the weaker three and took their things, leaving the purple zone a mess of feathers, ribbons, streamers, and junk. Team Vengeance had managed to grab a couple extra bags, but Team Horsepower had at least seventy percent of the supplies.

"Great," Dave mumbled.

"Don't give up, we can still win," Izzy laughed. "They have waaay more stuff than they need, right?"

Noah grabbed a bag and some glue and went to feathering a tarp. Dave helped out by dumping bags into the red zone and sorting them into piles.

"Darn," Izzy cursed. "You guys need to have more fun."

Courtney and Eva were living it up. Mud baths, massages, pedicures, good food, the best day of the season. Scott had left to use the restroom, leaving the two girls alone in their chairs, towels wrapped around their bodies, drinks in their hands, and cucumber over their eyes.

"It feels nice to get out of the game," Courtney yawned. "Even if I have to spend it with... questionable company."

Eva let a slight growl slip. "Yeah. Same."

The CIT took a sip of her punch and sighed with ecstasy. "I could just lay here all day. Still, I wonder what the others are up to."

"Probably hating us, but mostly you." Eva took a sip like a boss.

Courtney shifted in her seat and spilled a little on her cleavage. "Crap... Well, maybe they're just jealous of my stellar gameplay and five season record. If you stayed loyal, maybe you wouldn't be so dead to me and maybe you'd have a chance to make the finale."

"I have a chance. As good as yours."

Courtney couldn't help but snort with laughter. "Hehe, really. You're done, and you should accept it. Even if you make the merge, you'll still go home first for being such a huge time bomb and a beast in more ways than one."

"You don't know that. You're an idiot."

"Eva, I have an alliance of three. You have Noah and Izzy, two lame players with no shot of beating me in a tiebreaker or outfoxing me if they merge."

Eva snorted. "You're cocky. That's what gets you every time."

"But this is my fifth season, so I've learned how to curb that stuff like a pro. Face it: I'm the best player this season and you have no shot."

"Big words coming from someone who's never made the final three in her four seasons. Heather twice made it and won. Duncan made it and almost won. Owen made it twice and almost won. You've played just as much as they have and you still haven't made it. Face it: you're a terrible player and you'll lose."

Courtney tossed her drink down her throat and threw the glass away. "I don't need your opinion."

"Good. I don't think you deserve it."

A voice suddenly sounded and the girls removed the cucumber. "Hola."

A woman stood holding a note in her hand. "For you."

Courtney grabbed the paper and read it aloud. "You're closer than ever, and yet so far. Finding safety is..."

"What is it?" Eva asked, peeking over at the page.

Something clicked in Courtney's mind and she tore up the paper. "Nothing."

Eva knew what was up. She didn't like it. "Was that an idol clue?!"

"N-no, just-"

Eva ripped Courtney from her seat by the arm. "It was a clue! Tell me what it said."

Courtney pulled back. "No. Let go of-"

"Tell me! Now!"

The girls fell over and Eva yanked on Courtney's towel, pulling the sheet off her body and leaving her completely nude. Censor bars covered up everything but her face as Scott walked in and fell victim to the sight of... everything.

Courtney grabbed the towel back and ran off to get her clothes. Scott's jaw dropped and his eyes went wide. Eva just smirked.

Confessional

Scott looks into the camera with dilated pupils. "I have seen the light."

End Confessional

Courtney quickly put her clothes back on and thought about the "wobbling star" from the clue. It was obviously an idol, and she wanted it... badly.

Scott entered the room and laughed. "Nice set of-"

"Shut it!" Courtney hissed. "And come here."

Scott went red with excitement. "Oh, wow, were moving fast, I see. I'm game, just let me-"

"Oh, grow up. I'm not taking any more time to think about what just happened. I found a clue to the idol."

Scott raised a brow. "Nice. Need me to find it? I'm good a finding idols without a clue, so finding one with a clue should be a cinch."

"Well, I don't know where to look. The clue could be talking about the spa or the plane or wherever. Eva's going to tell everyone I have this info, and we need to work fast. Can you still whittle?"

"Do it everyday. Why?"

"Well, make a fake one like you did in your season. If we can't find the real one, we can at least make it look like I'm untouchable. No one would even think about voting for anyone with an idol in their pocket. We could even use it as a bargaining chip too."

Scott gave his crush a smirk. "I like the way you think... and your butt's amazing."

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Yeah, thanks. Just get to work. I'll see if I can find that Chris head before we leave."

"Gotcha. But what about Brawny McTraitorson out there?"

"She knows I have a clue. Just roll with it, but don't let her see you whittling. If you have to, use the bathroom to get some privacy. We good?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely. I still like your butt though. It's just... perfect."

Courtney pushed Scott out of the room and slammed the door.

Confessional

Eva slams her fist into the window, creating a small crack. "Crap! If she finds an idol, she's immune when we tie the votes and one of us goes home. Then we're outnumbered and we just hand her alliance the game. But now I know there's an idol out there, and whatever happens, I'll make sure that Courtney doesn't get her grubby little mitts on it."

End Confessional

The floats were coming along nicely.

Team Horsepower had their block of wood draped in a tarp and covered with blue, green, and purple feathers. Two pieces of wood were nailed together to create a tent shape and a spotlight was fastened to the top. Each corner of the float was adorned with a feathery plank standing upright. Streamers and ribbons hung between them and carried paper lanterns on their ropes. Off to the side, Sky was making costumes out of leather and feathers for the girls to wear during the presentation. The guys were going to wear a feather necklace and go shirtless while the girls did a local dance.

Jo held a plank up to the float as Scarlett hammered it in nail by nail. Once it was tight and set, Scarlett looked to her teammate. "It's coming along nicely. Much better than expected for just four hours."

"Yeah, it's good. A mess, but a good mess, I guess." Jo tapped the float and peeled off a couple feathers. "Hopefully it stays together until the end. I'd hate to have it break apart at the last minute for no reason."

"I believe my hammer work did the trick. Ahem, my I ask you a question?"

Jo turned her head and gave Scarlett a suspicious look. "What?"

"Do you have need for an alliance?"

Jo just stood there, pondering the question. She's a cold killer, but she's smart. Plus, I need help getting back on top with the team. Ugh, why her?! Scarlett Witch is going to kill me in my sleep, but maybe it could work. She's a lot more docile and reserved than she was in Scarlett Fever, but she's a good actor...

"Well? I'm waiting. Geoff, Sky, and Owen could rally together and take you out next if we lose. Allow me to join your alliance with Brick and we can tie it up."

Jo looked at Brick, Sky, Geoff, and Owen sorting stuff into piles twenty yards away. "Tempting, but quick question: How did you know about all of our alliances over here?"

"I'm always watching," she replied with a wink. "Observation is the key to success."

Jo threw the two feathers back on the float and grabbed Scarlett's hand. "Deal, but only if you promise not to go crazy and kill one of us. Okay?"

"I'd never do that," Scarlett chuckled wickedly. "It would violate my contract."

On Team Vengeance, the float was... less than spectacular. The feathers and tarp with all warped and unevenly spread. The streamers just kind of hung from wherever and dragged along the ground. The lack of teammates, coupled with the lack of supplies, was crippling the trio.

"This is lame," Dave said as he observed every inch of the float. "Like, lamer than Sky lame."

"I think it's a work of art," Izzy laughed menacingly. "Think of it as subtext, like in a Van Gobbledygook thing."

"Well, I think it's lame," Noah sighed. "Looking at Team OPs float and considering our lack of muscle with three people gone, I'd say we're hosed."

"We're hoes?!" Izzy gasped. "Wicked! Haha!" She put on a pair of do-me eyes and grabbed Noah's chest. "Hey, sex machine, you wanna get fuh-reakay with the Iz-zay?"

Noah pushed Izzy away and grabbed one of the last unopened bags. "Well, it's not like we have a chance right now. The only way to win would be to burn the other float to the ground and Izzy, don't try it." He opened the bag and pulled out some pre-made bird costumes for both sexes. "Hey, anyone wanna try this on?"

Dave cringed. "Ew! That's probably been infected with the plague or something. Put it back!"

Noah sealed the bag. "Dave, you really need to get over your stupid issues."

The crybaby started to whine. "I do not have stupid issues. I can't help it if I have a fear of germs, and dirt, and grease, and rats, and-"

"That's your choice to be afraid." Noah took a pile of dirt and tossed it at Dave, who ducked out of the way with a squeal.

"I can't just choose to not be afraid!"

"Get over it. Your phobias are only in your head. Maybe if you looked at germs as something other than the worst of the worst, you'd get over it in no time."

Dave kicked the clod away and knocked it off his shoe. "But germs are bad. They get me sick, they kill people, they-"

Noah took over, rolling his eyes back and forth. "Make your yogurt, digest food, decompose waste, help prevent diseases... Need I continue?"

"But those are good germs."

"So? They're germs."

"..."

"You could at least try to get over it. I mean, I saw you use two pairs of rubber gloves, a mask, hand sanitizer, and goggles to scrape a dried booger off the opposite wall because 'it was looking at you funny'. That's stupid."

Dave kicked the clod of dirt again. "Yeah, well maybe I'm just playing safe... Or maybe my immune system's weak and I get really sick if I ever get even the smallest cold. Ever thought of that?"

Noah shook his head. "No. Not really. I guess, uh, that's a pretty good reason. Sorry about all the confrontation. You just annoy me."

"Same here," Dave scoffed with a slight smile. "You're just so uptight and inconsiderate."

Noah crossed his arms and grinned. "And you're just so obnoxious and bratty."

"Izzy's got gas!"

Both boys looked over to see Izzy holding a can of gasoline. Noah could only shake his head.

The sun was setting and only thirty minutes remained in the challenge. Eva, Courtney, and Scott approached the challenge area to find Noah, Dave, and Izzy glaring at them.

Courtney looked at the messy float and was confused. "So we have to repair that really crappy float?"

Noah growled.

"I'll take that as a no."

"You missed the challenge," Dave moaned. "That stupid reward exiled half the team for this one and now we're losing again!"

Scott grabbed some feathers and started playing with them. "Cool feathers."

Izzy slapped them out of the redneck's hand. "No! Bad Russell Hantz expy! No feathers for you!"

"Who's this Hantz guy?!" Scott asked, backing off. "Should I know him?"

Eva pushed Scott aside and looked at the float. "We should've thrown the reward."

"And miss that spa day?!" asked a stunned Courtney. "Uh, no."

"Why?" Eva asked, the air getting thick with a sudden tension. "Becuase you found an idol clue?"

Noah gasped. Dave gasped. Izzy licked her lips.

Courtney turned red with shame. She knew this was going to happen, but she was terrified nonetheless. "No. The spa was just fun. That's all."

"You have a clue." Noah walked up to Courtney. "Give it up. Now."

"I threw it away. It's gone and I didn't even read it." Courtney cringed at her lie. It was that bad.

"You read it out loud," Eva hissed. "I heard you and you stopped in the middle when you realized what it was!"

"I'll never find it," Courtney argued. "It's not happening."

Scott randomly jumped into the fray. "Yeah, if anyone would find it, it's me!"

Courtney grabbed her face. "I'm sorry. I know it looks bad, but-"

"But what?" Noah asked rhetorically. "What could you possibly say to cover your ass on this? Just tell us the clue and we'll drop it."

"Something... about the cargo hold." She lied again. Her grave was only getting deeper.

"Okay," Noah shrugged. "You lie. But enough of this. Let's just get things ready for the challenge. We have, what? Ten, fifteen minutes?!"

Jo picked up some of Sky's costumes and put on a feathery necklace. Sky rushed to take it off and handed her a dress and headpiece. "No, the girls wear these."

Jo scoffed and took the necklace back. "Uh, I'm not wearing some blue feather bikini, Air Head. I have way too much dignity for that thing."

"I concur," Scarlett said. "I'll wear the necklace."

Sky grabbed her costumes and looked at Owen, Geoff, and Brick. "Well then I guess you guys might be wearing the girl ones."

"That's cool," Owen said grabbing one and slipping it on over his thick frame. Feathers stood straight out around his waist like some kind of saw blade. "Lookin' good?"

"Hot, man," Geoff said, high-diving his bud.

Brick saluted and grabbed a dress. "If I must... for the good of our team, I shall ruin my image."

Confessional

Brick sits in the confessional with the outfit on and a smile across his lips. "I think I like this. It makes me feel beautiful, like a swan going into battle."

End Confessional

Chris took center stage and calmed the crowd of parade-goers with his hands. "Now now, settle down, people. The show's about to start!"

Jo peeked out of the curtain Chris had set up in front of the lot. The crowd was wild and ready for a show. She gave her Team a thumbs up and Team Vengeance watched from behind, scared of the inevitable loss.

"First up: Team Horsepower!"

Scarlett took the wheel and started pedalling the float out of the curtain and Jo and Geoff took their places in front of Sky, Owen, and Brick. The fabric split and the float entered the light, glimmering with blues and greens, like a wild macaw in flight at first light. The spotlight turned on and Jo and Geoff were lit up. They joined hands and lifted them to the sky as the crowd let out a slight cheer. Then, with a flash of light, the duo sunk into the shadows and the trio of 'female' dancers took center stage. Brick, Sky, and Owen shook their hips side to side and did some bellydancing as a sea of glitter surrounded their wriggling forms and gathered in their feathers, making them glow. The crowd went wild and, despite the lack of female dancers aside from a nervous Sky, the dance was still sexy. Jo and Geoff emerged again and the five dancers formed a human pyramid as their show ended.

Chris held up a small meter, an applause-meter to be exact, and checked the crowd's audio level. "Nice job, Team HP! That's a solid 8 on the scale. It's gonna take a miracle for Team Vengeance to win this one!"

Noah heard the cheering and emotionally quit on the spot. He took his spot at the wheel and peddled the float into the open and the crowd cheered for the sake of it.

The set up was poor and messy. Feathers were falling off every second and streamers were slapping people in their faces. The red glitter stormed up all at once and flew away, leaving the last five members of the team with nothing to accompany their dance. They stepped out with pre-made costumed that looked pretty good, albeit a little old and crumbly. Each person had a hood resembling a bird beak, a chest plate made of feathers, and a set of rainbow wings. They all twirled around and around, taking some time to flap with the background music. The crowd was cheering, but they weren't loud enough.

Izzy looked upon bored expressions and people texting. Then she realized it was all on her to win it. She had the master plan, she had the stuff, she had the victory in sight. "This looks like a job for... Explosivo!" Izzy pulled out a remote and the team jumped ship. Noah ended up jumping straight into the crowd and landed flat on his face when they didn't bother to catch him. Scott and Courtney jumped together and landed together... on top of each other. Eva just dropped and rolled off the side like a boss.

Izzy pressed the button. Gasoline caught fire. Everything went white and then to chaos. Screams erupted from the crowd and everyone fled the terror of the explosion. The smoke cleared and nobody was left but the host and the contestants.

Chris looked at the meter. "It's... a 10 point score!"

Noah looked up. "No. Way."

Courtney got on her feet. "We won? We won?!"

"Yes!" Chris said. "Well, maybe you would have had this score been judged from screams of death and terror. Because you didn't even score any cheers, Team HP wins, again."

Jo snickered and reveled in another win as Brick gave her a high five. Scarlett, Geoff, and Sky looked satisfied, but Owen ran to the wreckage of the blown up float.

"Izzy! Izzy, talk to me! Tell me you're ali-hi-hive!"

Izzy popped out of the burnt wreckage with ash all over and some burning hair. "That. Was. Amazing. Let's do that again!"

Owen hugged Izzy tight. "I thought you died!"

Izzy laughed. "Haha! Nothing can destroy Explosivo! Boom boom!"

Courtney and Scott sat alone in Economy Class. Both looked ticked off.

"I hate this season," Courtney mumbled. "I don't even know who to vote off!"

"Eva?" Scott suggested.

"Or Izzy? Or Noah?"

"Basically, what we we're already sure about doing."

"Yeah. I just don't want to go to another tie breaker. Once was enough in Season 3."

Scott tapped his chin and thought about it. "Okay, then maybe you can convince someone to flip. You have an 'idol', right?"

Courtney felt the bulge in her pocket. "Yeah, I do. I'm talking to Noah. Make sure to keep thing on the down low until the vote. I don't want anything getting out."

"Roger." Scott watched Courtney's fine butt leave the room as a smile came across his chops. "Damn, honey. That's still a good butt."

Noah heard Courtney enter the canteen and turned to face her. "What? You wanna rub it in my face that I might go home again?"

"No." Courtney took a seat. "We need to talk."

"About what?"

"The chances of you siding with us."

Noah raised a brow. "You're joking."

"No, not this time. I'm serious. If you side with us, well, we'll take out Izzy and Eva before you. If you stay with the girls, and we tie... I play this, one of them goes, and then you go next." Courtney pulled out the Chris idol and Noah's heart stopped. "I found it today. See the seal on the bottom?" She turned it over and there was a little stamp of Chris' face on the bottom.

Noah took a deep breath. "It's real?"

She nodded.

Noah took some time, but he came up with an idea. "How do I know you're not screwing me over? What if you're all voting for me and don't want a tie?"

Courtney knew there was no way to prove it, but she tried. "Look, I hate your guts, but you're not a hindrance. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have had a float to show in the first place. You're smart. So, think about it. You come with us and you're safe. Side with them and you're toast. Your choice."

Noah leaned forward and stared into Courtney's soul. "Give me your PDA."

"Why?"

"So if you boot me, you boot your precious little device too. That would prove you're trustworthy for now."

Courtney gulped and pulled it out. "But it doesn't get service."

"Don't care. Just hand it over. Make this deal a little mutual."

Courtney dropped her phone into Noah's hands. "There. Now, here's the plan..."

Confessional

Noah types some stuff into the PDA. "Yeah, I could go with the Vengeful Triad and betray my old alliance, but maybe I won't. Courtney's idol is obviously a fake. I mean, look at it. The proportions are off, the chin is a little too butt-like, the seal is just eyeliner... Give me a break. Still, there are pros to both choices. I'd hate to go to a tie and lose one of our own because I'd go home next. Then again, having dominion over the game with my alliance of three plus Scarlett and Owen would be sweet. We'll just have to see..."

End Confessional

Chris read the votes as the six losers waited anxiously for the results. Eva and Courtney exchanged some 'You're dead to me' glares, Noah remained stone cold and poker faced, Dave was just kicking the ground, Scott was peeking another glimpse at you know what, and Izzy was licking her eyeball... somehow.

"Wow. This was a shocker," Chris said, pulling out five barf bags. "Of course I could just be saying that to throw you kids off the obvious outcome, but who knows? Me, that's who."

Noah was still calm and emotionless.

"The first bag goes to... Scott!"

The farmer snatched his bag and grinned. "Called it.L

"Dave gets a bag as well!"

Dave dodged the germy sack and shuddered when it hit the floor and squished.

"Noah, you're safe too."

Noah let the bag fall into his lap. He set it aside and leaned forward, still dull and lifeless.

"Courtney, you may or may not have an idol and, along with Eva the rageaholic, won your team a huge disadvantage and made them feel like crud. Pretty good reasons to boot one of you. Izzy, you blew up your team's float and yourself, not like you were winning anyways though. Still, that reckless behavior is a pretty good reason to boot you."

Courtney and Eva gulped. Izzy just smiled like the Grinch and kicked her feet against the bottom bleacher.

"Courtney!"

The CIT gasped. "What?"

"You're safe!" Chris tossed her the bag.

Courtney fell back to catch it and hit any angry Eva. The buff young woman looked around confused. How was she on the bottom with Izzy?! It was impossible!

Izzy just scoffed. "Dude, get your math right. Courtney got votes. Do you not see the facts!?"

Chris smirked. "Oh, she got votes. Two of 'em to be precise. One of you got four votes!"

Eva's face went from confusion, to anger, to fear. "Who flipped?! Who?!" She looked from Noah to Izzy with bulging eyes. "I swear I'll tear this place apart!"

"Not so fun, is it?" Courtney sneered from her seat. "Having your trust in someone and then getting it crushed. Sound familiar?"

Eva realized what was happening. She was pissed. Her face turned red and her lips started to shake. Steam flowed from her ears and her teeth rattled with rage. She saw Noah look down from the corner of her eye and snapped her head to face him. "(Bleep) you!"

Noah just buried his head in his lap and heard the last name get called. He was ashamed and terrified at the same time, and it killed him inside.

"And the last bag goes to..."

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"Eva!"

Eva caught her bag and tossed it at the ground. She wasn't sure if she should've been happy about staying or fuming at Noah for flipping.

Izzy stood up and shrugged. "Myeh. It was fun. I got to blow stuff up, got to blow more stuff up, got to make out with a chick. No hard feelings, guys." She looked to Noah, who was still hiding in his lap. "Hey, it's okay, Noah. Don't feel bad. Sure, you betrayed E-Scope and should expect a large black guy with a gun and a cool catchphrase at your door after the season's over, but it's cool... and kind of hot."

Chris tossed Izzy the chute. "Izzy, so long. I'm sure you'll find plenty of things to do that aren't life-threatening, but I'm sure you will."

Izzy stopped. "Oh, wait! I can't leave yet!"

"Uh, why?" asked the host.

"Because Izzy hasn't had an epic battle with Chef Hatchet yet! It's a tradition that must be honored!"

Chris shrugged. "Fine then. Chef!"

Chef came roaring into the room with a paintball gun. Izzy launched herself at the cook and the two battled it out as Noah finally looked up. He was beaten.

"What have I done?" he whispered. I'm so dead.

Eva ran off kicking anything in her path as Courtney smirked. She had won.

Chris popped up in front of the Izzy/Chef battle. "Huge blindsides, idol clues, and broken souls galore! See all of the above and more on the next episode of Total Drama... World Tour... Round Trip!"

The Votes

Izzy: 4

Courtney: 2

Eliminated: Max, Zoey, Dawn, Jasmine, Rodney, Lightning, Izzy

Team Vengeance: Courtney, Eva, Dave, Scott, Noah

Team Horsepower: Jo, Geoff, Sky, Brick, Owen, Scarlett

Drop of Shame: Izzy

Izzy fell through the sky doing cartwheels. "Alright. This is awesome. I mean, not getting voted off, but falling at terminal velocity. Totally hot, right?" She pulls on the chute cord and slows down to a safe pace. "I still can't believe how fun this was. Noah was waaay smarter than me though. I should've voted myself out before he had the brilliant idea. That would've been awesome."

She landed on a small section of the beach and removed the chute. A ball suddenly came out of nowhere and hit her in the head. Her neck snapped to the side and her eyes narrowed. "Oh, it's on!"

Police are still unable to locate the madwoman responsible for the deaths of seventy-three beachgoers. Experts say the woman used something large and soft to suffocate them all in their beach chairs, though the only thing to be found at the crime scene was a discarded bra. The study will continue into the following weeks.

End Drop of Shame: Izzy

Reasoning: As an Izzy hater, I thought I'd be happy to get rid of her, but writing her has given me a new respect for just how much potential she has as far as comedy goes. She was never going far nor was she lasting any longer than maybe 11th place in the earlier boot orders I had in mind. Realistically, I feel like Noah and Eva would be more useful in challenges than a total goofball, and that's why I feel solid with sending her home at Noah's hands. I felt like Izzy would be one of the wildest characters of the season, so I went all out with the random I hope you enjoyed her short run. :)

~A/N~ And so ends another overdue chapter, and one of my favorites as well despite the predictability up until the end. I wanted to get this out sooner, but 50% of it was written yesterday when I had a huge burst of inspiration after a two month dead zone. I can't make any promises, but I hope to get the next chapter out in February.

Review Questions:

1. Was Noah's flip understandable and believable? (Basically, he could side with Courtney and get out 4th on the team instead of 5th. He's thinking strategy, and siding with Courtney would let him go farther than risking a tie breaker and going out next.)

2. Who do you think will not make the merge? I won't reveal when the merge is or how many people will make it, but it's close.

3. Who will find the idol first? Courtney, Scarlett... or someone else? :)

Thanks for all the reviews again, guys. You're all awesome and I love hearing your thoughts. Until the next chapter, make sure to vote on the new poll on my profile and have a good one.