Authors' Note

Hello again! Despite having come down with a cold this week and a minor delay in writing due to ongoing housework, Chapter 12 was surprisingly easy and enjoyable to write. I would have preferred to have gotten this chapter out several hours earlier, but happily I've still gotten it out at the early end of my 6-8 day schedule.

On to the reviews!

Sleep Arypsure: I think all of this was already covered in a PM convo, so I'll just give you my usual thanks for reviewing.

XxRin-sanxX: Hmm, well, I don't know about the 'love' part in their relationship in this series, but I could totally see it happening in another fic. And yeah, Courtney totally was abusive towards Duncan, especially in Action and World Tour. It was funny in Island when they were just hot for each other, but then time went on and Courtney became more and more demanding...well, I needn't say more. Character development is definitely what Courtney needs before she's in an actual long-term stable relationship.

80jj: I think I would probably use 'exceptionally' rather than 'emphatically' in that case. I personally think Jo has potential despite her abrasiveness, but how she ends up developing in this series will have to wait to be seen. As for your last question...limiting the couples in question to Gidgette, Gwent, Lyler, Duncney, Lesharold, Ozzy, Gwuncan, Aleheather, Zoke, Samkota, Scourtney, Dasky, and Jashawn...according to my current plans, exactly six of those couples (Samkota and Gidgette included) will at least meet at some point during this series, either in their initial seasons or in the mixed old/new casts of World Tour and All-Stars. I'll leave it at that.

acosta perez jose ramiro: Thanks as always!

Bellyacher: Well...I will say that, as far as Topher is concerned, his final line of last chapter was genuine. I have...a bit of a backstory planned for him and Sierra.

Madison Wooten: Thanks, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

4428gamer: Thanks! I don't think I've really run across many boring/tedious rewrites of that challenges (although to be fair I only read a few Total Drama fanfics). I think the key is probably to focus less on the cooking and more on the interactions it forces between the campers. As for the origins of Shawn's cake decorating skills...it could be that the writers did it as a tribute to Peeta, but I'm admittedly not too familiar with the Hunger Games series so I don't really know.

Star Saber21: Thanks! Also, good suggestion about the list of remaining campers, I'll make sure to do that from now on.

Cole D. soul: I apologize, but I want to keep my plans for shipping in future seasons as much of a secret as I can. Please understand.

As requested, here are the remaining contestants as of the beginning of the chapter:

Killer Bass - B, Bridgette, Geoff, Sam, Scarlett

Screaming Gophers - Alejandro, Beardo, Dawn, DJ, Jo, Sammy, Shawn, Topher

With all that said, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

- Fangren


Episode 11 – Who Can You Trust?

"Last time, on Total Drama Island!" The recap began with a shot of each team working in the kitchen. "Things really got cooking between the campers! Scarlett and Jo both tried to throw their weight around despite not being the Head Chefs for the cook-off challenge," the scenes quickly transitioned into Scarlett narrowing her eyes at her partner and Jo arguing with her teammates, "Sam got stung by some bees," clips of the gamer's incident while he retrieved additional ingredients was shown, "and Alejandro convinced Sierra to alter her team's meal behind their backs, giving the Gophers another victory." The pair's conversation in the food truck was shown, followed by Sierra adding pepper flakes to her team's dessert and Chris subsequently rejecting it.

"It was finally time for Sierra to go," the host said over clips of Sierra's elimination, and his stalker giving an awkward hug as she left for the Dock of Shame. "Will the Bass ever be able to come back from behind? And how much longer before the Gophers start trying to kill each other?" The previous episode's footage finally ended, and Chris gleefully finished his introduction. "Find out, this week! On Total! Drama! Island!"

xxx

(Fade to Opening Theme)

Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doin' fine;

You guys are on my mind!

Ya asked me what I wanted to be,

And now I think the answer is plain to see!

I wanna be...famous!

I wanna live close to the sun!

Well pack your bags, 'cause I've already won!

Everythin' to prove, nothin' in my way;

I'll get there one day.

'Cause I wanna be...famous!

(Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)

I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)

I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)

(Fade to Episode)

xxx

A close-up of an empty meal tray opened the episode, and Chef's arm was shown dropping a scoop of a pale orange something with the consistency of mashed potatoes onto it. "Today's breakfast," Chef announced as he stuck a straw into the pile, "is French-Italian fusion casserole!"

The camera pulled back to show Scarlett skeptically accepting the tray. "Made from the remnants of the previous challenge, of course," she said dryly.

"Yeah, that's right!" Chef shouted over a military drumline leitmotif. "You got a problem with that?!"

Scarlett paused, peering at her breakfast and not meeting the cook's gaze. "It doesn't appear to have spoiled, so no." She walked away from the counter without looking at Chef, and the giant man could only sneer menacingly at her back.

She was shown sitting down with her four other teammates, and wordlessly began eating. "Man," Geoff said as he looked around the table at his team's low spirits, "you guys need to cheer up. It's like a graveyard over here or somethin' right now."

"Unlike you," Scarlett told him, "the rest of us are unlikely to have a significant boost to morale until we begin to win, and more importantly win consistently. If we continue to fail, we risk losing our chance at the prize money."

"Hey, I know losin' so much is a bummer an' all," Geoff replied, "but at least we're havin' fun, right?"

Scarlett just raised an eyebrow at him.

/

Over at the Gopher table, Jo was approaching with her breakfast. Just as she was about to sit down, a loud fart was heard and she blushed. The camera panned over to Beardo sitting nearby with his hands over his mouth; he began to whistle faux-nonchalantly while Alejandro and Topher laughed.

Jo clenched both teeth and fists, glaring at her former ally.

Further down the table, DJ gently placed Bunny on the table and began petting him. Dawn and Sammy soon joined in, and offered the rabbit bits of food.

Topher looked over at them and rolled his eyes. "I don't know why you bother with that thing," he told them, "it's timid and weak, not at all suitable for a harsh competition like Total Drama."

"Hey!" DJ protested, clutching his pet close to his body. "There's nothin' wrong with Bunny! He's just a cute little rabbit!"

"That's the problem!" Topher replied. "It's just a rabbit! The only way it could cause any drama is if it ran away or got eaten!"

The gentle giant gasped, as did his two companions. "How could you say that?" DJ asked, beginning to tear up. He began to stroke the anxious Bunny, and whispered "It's okay little guy, you're gonna be safe with me, I promise."

The handsome boy scoffed. "Oh please, it's only a matter of time before something happens to it," he began to smile blissfully, "and I just know it'll make Chris laugh to watch it. It'll be great."

"I know you're only trying to follow in Chris' footsteps to get people to like and respect you," Dawn interrupted, "but it won't work. Chris McClean is a bitter, sadistic, and lonely man who ends up driving away anybody who tries to get close to him."

Topher spluttered and flustered for a few seconds. "You take that back!"

/

A touching and emotional tune began as the scene changed to the forest, and Chris walked into view with a frown on his face. "Hi," he began sadly, "Chris here. Sometimes teams...just don't get along! So the producers and I thought that the best way to work through the group friction would be," his frown became a grin, "to exploit it for laughs!" He started to rub his hands together. "This is gonna be awesome!"

/

The two teams were shown lined up along the docks, team logos appearing in their respective corners. "So!" the host began. "Last week's challenge exposed a few Gopher issues," Jo was shown glaring first at Alejandro, and then at Beardo, "aaaand I'm sensing a little something funky floating in the Bass pond too!" Scarlett crossed her arms and grimaced, glancing briefly at Geoff who didn't seem to notice.

"So," the host continued as each team was shown in their entirety, "this week's challenge is gonna be centered around building trust, because," Chris grinned, "all good things begin with a little trust!"

xxx

"Pfft," Jo scoffed in the confessional, "trust is for the weak."

xxx

"There will be three major challenges that have to be completed by two or more members of your team," Chris explained as the jock-ette rolled her eyes. "Normally, we like to have the campers choose their partners," he said with a hint of laughter, "but not this time! More fun for me!"

/

The footage skipped ahead and the music became tense as the campers were shown assembled at the base of a cliff. "Okay!" the host began as the camera slowly panned upwards. "So for the first challenge, you'll be doing an extreme freehand rock-climbing adventure! B and Sam will play for the Bass," Chris announced as the camera cut back to his close-up then switched to the Gophers, "Topher and Dawn for the Gophers."

"Oh my..." the mystic said in a hushed tone.

"Here's your belay and harness!" Chris said, throwing the equipment with a smile. Dawn reached to catch them, but Topher stepped in front of her to take them first.

"Sorry Dawn," he told the blonde in a condescending tone, "but I'm not about to entrust this beautiful face to your little arms."

"You won't be holding her up exactly," Chris interjected. "One camper pulls the slack through the belay as their partner climbs," he explained while Topher and Dawn glared at each other. "If their partner falls the belay will stop them from crashing." He demonstrated by pulling the rope through the belay and throwing the slack to B, who was shown looking at it closely.

"The catch?" Chris continued. "Both the side and the base of of the mountain are rigged with a few minor distractions like," each obstacle was shown in turn, "rusty nails, slippery oil slicks, mild explosives," several clusters of dynamite were already primed and ticking along one stretch of rock, "aaaand a few other surprises."

"Sounds pretty cool," Sam said excitedly.

"The person on belay must also harness their partner up," the host said as B shot a smirk and thumbs up to his partner while Topher and Dawn continued to glare at each other. "It's all about trust people, and, remember, nev-er let go of the rope! Your partner's life depends on it!"

"Umm, I don't suppose you'd consider a swap?" Dawn asked the host hopefully.

"Oh please," Topher shot, "like I'm gonna kill you!" For a moment, Dawn looked slightly relieved. "Of course, I can't guarantee what'll happen if you hit one of Chris' devious traps! Now let's get you harnessed up!" The young woman pursed her lips and raised her arms.

"Huh, I can't think of a game I've played that's like this," Sam commented as B began to secure him. "Then again, climbing mechanics are usually pretty simple in video games anyway. Guess this'll be a new experience for me!" He took another look at the cliff and frowned. "Probably a painful one. Got any tips?"

B scratched his chin, then shrugged. He worked on the harness a little more, then gave his partner a pat on the back.

The camera cut back to the Gophers. "Okay, that should be good!" Topher said as he stood up. "As safe and secure as I can make it!"

Dawn looked down and the camera focused on the oddly convoluted system of loops running through and around her harness. "That really isn't very comforting..."

xxx

Topher looked slightly uninterested to be in the confessional. "With Sierra gone, I'm in need of a new foil, someone I can play off of in order to cause drama. First I was thinking DJ, but after she insulted Chris I think Dawn might work too." He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Of course, I'll see what I can get out of both of them for now, and oh do I have some plans!"

xxx

The music picked up as the footage cut back to a close-up of a patch of nails just as a slender hand grabbed on to a ledge between them. The viewpoint shifted to show Sam and Dawn slowly making their way up the cliff, the gamer in a slight lead.

"No, not there, too much negative energy," Dawn muttered as she carefully planned her next move and Sam's lead widened.

"Come on, Dawn," Topher called up in annoyance, "we don't have all day!" The two competitors were shown again as Sam pulled himself up. To his right, an explosion detonated just above Dawn, causing both teens to flinch. Moments later another explosion occurred in front of Sam, sending the large boy flying backwards. Dawn couldn't help but watch as the gamer screamed and fell.

The camera cut to B, who immediately pulled the rope and stopped his partner's fall. "Thanks man!" Sam called out, getting a thumbs up in response.

"I promised surprises!" Chris said, leaning into the shot and showing the camera large water gun. "Habañero pepper sauce, anyone?"

The nozzle of the gun was lowered, and a stream of red sauce was fired from it. "Gah! Not the hair!" Topher cried, having been the first to be hit. "Or the face!" he added, letting go of his rope and attempting to rub the spicy fluid out of his eyes. Dawn felt the slack in the rope and looked down worriedly.

"Muy caliente!" Chris said with a flashing smile. Another stream was shown heading for B, but the silent young man merely raised his large coat to shield himself from the sauce. He didn't once take his eyes off of Sam.

The camera quickly panned back to Chris, who put his hand on his sauce gun and frowned at the camera. "Don't we have anything else?" he asked in a whisper.

Continuing with the challenge, Sam was quickly catching up to his slow moving opponent. "Heh heh, this is much easier now that I know where all the obstacles are!" the gamer chuckled. "Nails, nails, grease, nails, explosion," he listed off in sequence, getting around each in turn. "Sorry Dawn, but the combo train is leaving the station! Woo woo!" He cheered, and sped up.

Dawn groaned and looked hesitantly at the wall above her. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sped up as well. For several moments the two were making good progress on their climb, but the camera cut briefly to a grinning host before showing Dawn put a hand down by a hidden cache of dynamite. It exploded, and Dawn fell.

"Topher, the rope!" She called out to her partner below her. The handsome boy, however, was paying more attention to the sauce in his hair than to his teammate. Without anyone holding on to the free end of the rope it slipped through Topher's harness, and Dawn hit the ground with a thud. As the camera looked down at her, she groaned and passed out.

Sam made it to the top of the cliff without further issues. "Looks like the Bass have won the first challenge!" Chris announced as the gamer smiled and caught his breath.

"Oh yeah!" he cheered, raising his arms. "New high score! Literally, huh huh."

/

A pair of lights came on in the Mess Hall, illuminating a podium standing between the two tables. A third spotlight came on in the center, and the opposing pairs rose into either side as if they were being raised mechanically: first Beardo and Jo for the Gophers, then Geoff and Bridgette for the Bass. The camera panned up from the blonde duo, catching an unnamed white male somersaulting through the air and landing behind the podium. Seconds after the landing Chris popped up from behind it, dusting off his shirt as though he had done the stunt himself. He crossed his arms and grinned cockily at the camera.

"And now round two!" he announced as the camera pulled back to show both pairs watching him. "The Extreme! Cooking! Chal-lenge!" As Chris mugged for the camera, the unnamed man crawled out in the background, heading into the kitchen as the four teens watched.

"Each team must choose who cooks, and who eats," the host explained with a grin.

"I was Head Chef last time," Geoff offered, "you better cook." Bridgette nodded.

"I'll be cooking," Jo said, "I'm not gonna risk you messing this up."

Beardo raised an eyebrow.

xxx

"Yeah, there's no way this is gonna end well for me," the hairy boy confessed. "I doubt Chris is gonna give us somethin' easy." He sighed and imitated the classic tune of Chopin's 'Funeral March'.

xxx

"Today you'll be preparing fugu sashimi," Chris announced, "the traditional Japanese poisonous blowfish." Chef wheeled a cart into the scene, on top of which sat a tank with two trembling and wide-eyed blowfish inside.

A gong sounded, rattling Beardo and Jo before a short Japanese tune played in the background. A rough diagram of where to cut the fish was projected onto the wall next to the host, who picked up a pointer to assist in his explanation. "The fugu blowfish contains enough lethal toxin to kill thirty people," Chris said. Chef tapped the side of the tank with a fish scoop, causing the two blowfish to puff up.

"Fishies?" the hulking man said, picking up the fish by their tails, "meet your maker!" He tossed them onto the cutting boards on the tables in front of Jo and Bridgette, who looked at them warily.

"They must be sliced veeerrry carefully," Chris told them, "to cut around the poisonous organs." Jo poked the fish with a knife, and Bridgette looked anxious. "The poison paralyzes the nerves, and," Chris grinned darkly in a close-up, "there is no antidote!" His tone became lighter as he finished, "So no worries!"

Beardo gulped, and Jo snorted. "Oh please," she said, "it's just a fish! How hard can it be?" She confidently jabbed the fish with her knife, causing it to rapidly deflate and fly around the room. Beardo and Jo followed it with their eyes as it shot into the kitchen and, as evidenced by the sounds, crashed into some pots and pans.

/

A stack of sashimi rolls on a plate was shown, and Bridgette placed a sprig of parsley on top. "Finished!" she said after she let out a breath and wiped her brow.

"Took you long enough!" Jo said from across the room, holding up a pile of pink mush. "I've been done for five minutes!"

Bridgette smiled and pushed the plate over to Geoff, who picked up a piece hesitantly. Chris and Chef were shown watching with anticipation as the party lover slowly put the piece of fish into his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed. He looked around, and grinned. "Excellence!" he said, giving his partner two thumbs up.

Chris and Chef looked over at the other team as Jo shoved her plate into Beardo's arms. "Eat up!" she said in a commanding tone.

The camera focused on the vague lump of fish on the plate, looking the complete opposite of the Bass' sashimi. Beardo stabbed a piece with is fork and held it up to his face. He took a whiff and stuck his tongue out in disgust. The shot switched repeatedly from Beardo's nervous visage, to the piece of fish, to Jo's scowl, and back again. Eventually, the hairy boy's face fell and he put his fork down. "I'm sorry. I just can't do it," he said.

Jo looked at him with disgust. "Oh come on," she told him, "it might look crappy but it's not gonna poison you! Here, let me prove it!" Before anyone could stop her she had picked up the fork and shoved the fish into her mouth. She quickly swallowed it, and for a moment she looked to be fine.

Then her stomach gurgled, she wretched, clutched her stomach and fell over. "I blame," she gurgled out, skin turning bluish "the diagram!"

She was shown lying on the floor twitching, vomit flowing out of her mouth. Beardo recoiled, and gave her a reluctant look of pity.

"It's cool," Chris told the teens as Geoff and Bridgette rushed over to see, "give her twenty-four hours and she'll be up walking and breathing good as new."

"Uh, is anybody gonna help her?" Geoff asked in bewilderment. Jo was shown in the midst of another spasm, the Chef – dressed in a nurse's uniform – leaned in to give her mouth-to-mouth. She gurgled in horrified disgust as the scene faded to black.

/

The sun was shown high in the sky before the camera panned down and out. Bridgette and Geoff were running across the docks together, smiles on their faces.

"Last one in's a rotten blowfish!" Geoff said, taking the lead and flinging himself into the lake. Bridgette followed shortly, and the two surfaced near each other a few feet away.

"You were so brave to eat that blowfish," Bridgette said as touching music played in the background.

"No biggie!" Geoff told her. "I knew I could trust you. You're cool."

"Oh yeah?" the surfer smiled playfully. "Know what else is cool? This!" she splashed him with water and swam off, laughing. Geoff laughed and gave chase.

/

Jo was shown lying on a bed next to some medical equipment, still clearly afflicted by the blowfish she'd eaten. A small puddle of vomit had already formed under her head, and she was making alarmed gurgling noises. Chef, in his nurse's uniform, smirked as he looked between her and a large needle filled with a purple liquid. "This won't hurt a bit," he told her with a tap of the needle, "it'll hurt a whole lot."

As Jo pitifully attempted to scream, the camera panned over to Dawn lying unconscious on another bed. Beside her stood Sammy and DJ, the latter holding his pet in his hands.

"I hope she's okay," the cheerleader said quietly. "I don't want her to get voted out because of this."

"I know how you feel," the gentle giant said. "I don't want her to go either. Here, Bunny," he set the rabbit down next to his petite friend, "you watch Dawn for us while we're gone, okay? When she wakes up she'll need somebody to keep her company." Bunny sniffled, and hopped closer to the girl. DJ and Sammy smiled, then walked away.

The camera lingered and the music turned dark as Topher poked his head into the infirmary tent. He checked and saw that Chef was still preoccupied with Jo, and grinned. He ducked off-screen momentarily, before a pair of hands rose up behind Dawn's bed and snatched Bunny away.

/

"Good news!" Chris announced as the camera panned down from the treetops to show the remaining members of both teams lined up before the host. "The third round involves three more challenges! It's the Three Blind Challenges!" The handsome man held up three fingers, and the camera passed over the campers as they reacted to the names of their next tasks. "It begins with the Blind William Tell, followed by the Blind Trapeze, and culminating in the treacherous Blind Toboggan."

He gave Beardo a pair of shades similar to what was used during the paintball challenge, then placed an arrow on top of the boy's mane. "Like legendary marksman William Tell," Chris explained as he went to stand by a barrel of apples some distance away, "you'll be knocking arrows off your partner's head with crabapples."

"Actually," Scarlett corrected, "Tell shot an apple off his son's head with a crossbow, thus-"

"Shush!" Chris interrupted. "Also," he showed them a white cloth, "the shooter will be blindfolded!" Beardo made an alarmed sound and his teammates edged away from him.

"The person who knocks off the arrow while causing the least amount of facial damage," the blindfolded host explained, readying a slingshot, "wins." Chris let lose the apple, which hit Beardo below the belt. He fell to his knees and made a high-pitched buzzing noise, putting his hand on the damaged area.

"Ahh, nuts!" Chris said, peeking out from beneath his blindfold. "Sammy and DJ, you'll be one team," he said as the two Gophers smiled at each other, "Scarlett and B, you'll be the other."

The two geniuses looked at each other. "I suppose I'll throw, my motor skills and visualization abilities should allow me to mitigate the lack of visual input," Scarlett said.

"Okay!" Chris said, pumping his fist. "Let's rock and roll!"

The scene cut to B with safety glasses and arrow on his head, panning over to show Sammy in a similar situation. Across the clearing stood DJ and Scarlett, already blindfolded, while Chris and the other campers stood to the side – Beardo still holding his groin. Both shooters shot their first apples; DJ's came up short and hit the ground before reaching its target, while Scarlett's bounced off her teammate's chest.

"Little higher, DJ!" Sammy called, and the shooters prepared their second volley.

"I'm sorry, I just don't want you to get hurt!" the gentle giant told his friend as he made his second shot, Scarlett following shortly after. DJ's shot went high this time, while B was struck in the shoulder.

An apple was shown whistling through the air after being shot by DJ, and it was soon joined by Scarlett's third. "You...!" Sammy began to say, wincing as the fruit hit her in the arm. "You can do it! Don't worry about me, I'll be fine!"

DJ whimpered but continued to fire, as did Scarlett who was beginning to grit her teeth. Several more apples were shown hitting or missing the two targets in quick succession and B was looking annoyed at all the hits he'd had to suffer.

Eventually, DJ steeled himself and let one more apple fly. The camera followed it in slow-motion as it soared through the air and impaled itself straight onto the arrow. As it fell off the Gophers cheered, and Scarlett growled in frustration.

"Oh man, are you alright?" DJ said, removing his blindfold and rushing over to his teammate. "I didn't hurt you with any of those, did I?"

"Oh, I'm fine," the blonde said with a slight blush, rubbing where her arm had been hit. "I've been hurt worse, this is nothing. Besides, you did it! You won this part of the challenge!"

DJ smiled. "Yeah, you're right! I did!" The two high-fived, and rejoined their cheering teammates.

/

The next part of the challenge had the host and campers assembled behind a tall wooden structure suspended over a pool of water. Going up the two front posts were rungs that could be used to climb to a small platform, and hanging over the gap in the middle were two trapeze.

"And now," Chris announced, "the Blind Trapeze! To avoid serious injury, the trapeze has been set up over this pond," he motioned to the pool, "which is full of jellyfish!" A school of pinkish-purple jellyfish crackling with electricity was shown, and the Killer Bass gasped.

"You two," Chris said as he tossed blindfolds to Sam and Shawn, "will stand blindfolded on the platform until your partners tell you when to jump." The two boys looked warily at their assigned partners Geoff and Alejandro.

"And then we trust them to catch us, right?" Shawn asked nervously.

"Yup!" Chris told him. "Otherwise, that's gonna be one heck of a painful swim. Okay, hut hut!"

The scene skipped ahead to show the two blindfolded young men at their stations, Geoff hanging from his knees from the Bass' trapeze, and Alejandro next to his teammate on the Gopher's platform.

"Okay, dude!" Geoff called as he swung back and forth. "Get ready to jump...," he swung forward, and Sam cautiously inched towards the edge of the platform, "now! No wait, not now! Not now!"

It was too late. Geoff had waited too long to make the call, and missed catching Sam by a yard. The gamer plunged into the pond, sending up a wave of water and jellyfish. His screams and the sound of stinging filled the air as his team looked on in concern.

"Okay Gophers, your turn!" Chris continued with a smile.

Shawn was shown standing alone on the platform, and Alejandro was swinging calmly. "Okay amigo," he said, "I want you to jump when I say 'three', do you understand? I was once part of Cirque du Monet's all-child show 'Infantile', I have done this many times before!"

"If you say so!" Shawn replied uncertainly.

"One..." Alejandro called out slowly. "Two...three!" Shawn gulped but took the leap, and his multi-talented partner caught him easily. As the two swung over the pond, the Gophers cheered.

"Looks like that's another point for the Screaming Gophers!" Chris announced.

xxx

"I knew he'd be able to tie it up," Topher confessed smugly, "you can always count on hot guys like me and Al to look good on TV. Now I just gotta do my part!"

xxx

The footage cut back to the infirmary. A gruff "Oww!" followed by the sound of an electric shock was heard as Sam entered the tent, a jellyfish still clinging to him. "This sure got painful pretty fast. Oww!" He took a seat on one of the beds, and noticed somebody off-camera.

"Oh, hey Dakota!" Sam greeted as the camera panned over to show the heiress spoon-feeding Jo on the other side of the room. "You got anything for removing jellyfish?"

Dakota waved, then put a finger to her lip. "Umm, I think Chef probably has something, he should be back soon."

"Great!" Sam chuckled, getting shocked again. "Oww! Hey, what's with her?" He pointed to another bed, where Dawn sat, meditating in the lotus position.

"I have no idea," Dakota said. "She was like that when I got here."

"Just making sure my natural energies are flowing correctly," the small blonde explained, moving only her lips. "I should probably return to my team – if that's allowed, of course."

Dakota blinked, then shrugged. "Like, I guess so? Chef didn't really say..."

"Then I shall take my leave of this place," Dawn stated as she uncrossed her legs and slid off the table.

Dakota shrugged again, and reluctantly turned her attention back to Jo. "Eww..." the intern whined as a bit of drool came out of the paralyzed girl's mouth.

/

A pair of toboggans leaning against a tree had caught the eyes of the remaining campers as Chris began to explain the final challenge. "And now, the final leg!" he said grandly. "The Blind Toboggan Race!"

"Ooh, I've been looking forward to this!" Topher said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Each team will have a driver, and a navigator," the host explained, and the camera panned over the ten teens. "The driver steers, while the navigator shouts directions. Oh yeah! And the driver will be blindfolded!" Bridgette, B, and Geoff gasped.

"Looks like we're down a few," Chris noted as he looked over the campers. "We keep losing you guys!" He laughed, then scratched his chin. "Oh well. Ah...Topher and DJ, Scarlett and Bridgette." The two pairs looked at each other, but DJ's eye was soon caught by someone else.

"Dawn!" he called as his friend rejoined her team.

"You're awake!" Sammy added, giving her friend a hug.

""Oh yes," Dawn smiled, "and I decided it would be best to watch the end of the challenge."

"Cool," the gentle giant nodded, "did you bring Bunny? I don't see him."

The mystic's brow furrowed. "Why would I have Bunny?"

"Wasn't he in the infirmary when you woke up?" DJ asked in growing concern.

Sammy gasped. "Oh no! Did he run away?"

"I'm so sorry!" Dawn said sadly. "I hope he returns!"

DJ wiped away the tears that had started to form, and placed a hand on Dawn's shoulder. "It's okay, it's not your fault." He sighed, and stepped over to a mischievously grinning Topher.

"Bunny...we were such good friends." DJ dropped to his knees and raised his hands to the sky as the music became touching. "Please don't do me like this!"

/

The non-competitors were briefly shown standing behind the finish line as the camera panned over to the highest cliff in the area. "This is it, DJ!" Topher said, looking down over the course. "The final challenge of the day, the all-important tie-breaker that will determine who wins! It's all up to us, and here you are without your beloved pet! Tell me, how are you feeling?"

DJ sighed and slouched. "Pretty sad, dude. I just wish I knew why Bunny deserted me..."

"Hey, you never know, he might come back!" Topher said, putting a hand on his teammate's shoulder. "If we can make it through this death-defying race, you'll have plenty of time to go look for him!"

He looked over at Chef, who was brushing something oily onto the bottoms of the toboggans. "Just lubin' them up," he said with a devilish smirk. "Get a little more speed goin'." Topher raised an eyebrow, but DJ took no notice in his despair.

/

The footage cut to Chris and Chef standing over the Gopher duo on their toboggan, DJ having donned the blindfold. "On your marks!" Chris said as he walked over to the Bass, showing Bridgette blind in front with Scarlett behind her. "Get set!" He put his foot on the edge of the girls' toboggan, and took out an airhorn. The shot zoomed out to reveal Chef with his foot on the boys' toboggan, and as the host blew the horn the two men gave the teens a push.

The music became fast-paced and hectic as Bridgette and Scarlett sped down the hillside. "Left! Right!" Scarlett called, leaning down and forward. As Bridgette moved the toboggan according to the directions, her partner pressed down on her back, forcing the blind driver to keep herself low. The two passed behind a large tree, allowing the footage to transition to the other team.

"Right!" Topher called, and DJ sluggishly leaned away from the camera. "Watch out for the tree!" DJ leaned the other way, and the perspective changed to a top-down view, showing Topher glance back at the tree they'd just dodged before the camera panned forward to show Bridgette and Scarlett hitting a sloped rock.

"Are we flying?!" Bridgette cried as the two ramped into the air.

"An intentional shortcut, I assure you!" Scarlett called back. "Now brace for impact!" A splash was heard, and the Bass girls were shown to have landed on the river. They quickly went over a waterfall, hitting a log lodged between two rocks and springing back into the air.

The boys were shown again, DJ still steering the toboggan in a lackluster manner. "Okay, DJ," Topher said, "this isn't working. We keep this up, and we're gonna lose!" DJ gave no reply, prompting Topher to frown and reach behind his back. "I was saving this for later, but I know when to play my cards. DJ, look what I've got!" The background music struck a triumphant note as the handsome white boy pulled a rather scared-looking Bunny out from who-knows-where. He pressed the rabbit against DJ's cheek, and the gentle giant frowned.

"Don't tease me man," DJ told his partner while reaching for his blindfold, "why would Bunny be with...Bunny!" He peeked out from beneath the piece of cloth over his eyes, and his entire face lit up.

"Okay then, let's go!" Topher cheered before DJ could say anything else.

"Yeah!" DJ smiled, sliding his blindfold down and getting serious.

"Right! Left!" Topher directed, still holding Bunny in one hand. As they raced down the hill, the perspective changed again to show Bridgette and Scarlett landing a ways ahead of them.

"Left!" Scarlett said as trees sped past behind her. "And again!"

"Right!" Topher said in alarm. "Right!" Suddenly, an explosion went off just to the left of their path, and Topher looked back in shock.

"What the heck was that?!" DJ asked in a panic.

"Heh heh, n-nice surprise, Chris!" Topher mumbled nervously.

The scene cut to Chris, holding a blasting machine, smiling as he depressed the plunger. "We had a few explosives left over," he explained to the camera as another explosion was heard in the distance, "and I just hate to waste." He detonated another explosion, this one going off near Bridgette and Scarlett. The two teams were shown barely dodging the blasts, until another one hit close to the boys and sent Bunny flying off of Topher's hand and into the trees.

"Rabbit down!" the young man said frantically. "I repeat, rabbit down!"

"What?!" DJ cried. "BUNNY!" He began to sob, and the Gopher's toboggan quickly spiraled out of control. One of the explosives finally hit them directly, sending both them and their toboggan flying apart.

Scarlett smirked as she looked back at her opponents, then resumed facing forward. "Right! Left!" she called, and the scene cut to the finish line.

Geoff was cheering loudly, while the Gophers looked mostly stunned. Dawn and Sammy were at the front showing visible concern. The racing music reached it's triumphant conclusion as Bridgette and Scarlett slid into the tape stretched across the finish line, breaking it and winning the challenge.

DJ and Topher trudged in shortly after. The gentle giant had already removed his blindfold and was dragging the toboggan behind him, looking inconsolable. He didn't even spare Dawn or Sammy a glance as he walked over to his team and slumped onto the ground.

xxx

"Bunny..." DJ sobbed into his hands in the confessional. "Whyyyyy?" He sniffled, and looked up into the camera. "This...this is all Topher's fault, man. He brought Bunny to the race." He broke out wailing again. "And now he's gone!"

xxx

As the camera panned over the campers, Jo and Sam were revealed to have rejoined their teams. Sam had a few adhesive bandages on his face but looked fine otherwise, while Jo was confined to wheelchair and still gurgled every now and then.

"And the Bass are the winners of the toboggan race!" Chris announced, to the five teens' delight. "Gophers! You're headed to your fourth elimination tonight." He walked away, and after Bridgette and Scarleet had been lifted onto their teammates' shoulders the Bass did as well.

"Aww, man!" Shawn lamented, giving Topher an annoyed look. "First you let Dawn fall, and now this? Why did you even have that rabbit in the first place?"

Topher rolled his eyes. "Well excuse me for wanting to make things more interesting! How was I supposed to know the stupid thing would get blown up?" DJ wailed at the mention of his pet's potential fate.

"For treating one of nature's children to such unjustified cruelty," Dawn told him as she passed with Sammy doing her best to comfort DJ, "doom is certain to befall you."

"Come on, you don't really mean that, right?" Topher asked the backs of his teammates. "Right?"

/

The logo of the Screaming Gophers appeared in the top right corner of the screen as the elimination began, the camera panning from the eight members of the team to the smiling host and his plate of marshmallows. "Who wants a treat?" he opened. "A tasty goody that represents exemption, security, peace of mind-"

He was interrupted by a soft groan from Alejandro. "Must you do this every time?"

Chris immediately popped up behind DJ and sped up his speech. "And if you don't get a marshmallow you have to walk the Dock of Shame and you can never come back!" He ducked behind the teary giant and showed back up close to Alejandro's face. "Ever!" Alejandro glared as Chris retreated.

"Let's see...one for Beardo, one for Sammy, one for Dawn!" He tossed three of the marshmallows across the fire, and the two girls happily caught them in their mouths. "Alejandro, Shawn, and DJ! Well done, my brothers!" The charmer and the survivalist also caught their prizes in their mouths.

"Looks like we only have one left," Chris said as the view moved to the remaining campers. "Jo and Topher," the boy looked nervous while the girl could barely manage a glare, "the final marshmallow..." As the smug-faced host paused, Topher met Alejandro's eyes, but Alejandro quickly looked away.

xxx

"Topher has been a reliable vote all game," Alejandro confessed, "but while Dawn does owe me a favor, I do not think she or her allies would agree to eliminate anybody else right now."

xxx

Topher looked back at Chris and gulped, while Jo continued to glare angrily. "Uhh, are you gonna do this or what?" Shawn asked.

"Don't rush me!" Chris protested. "The audience eats up this kind of dramatic conclusion!" Shawn just rolled his eyes.

"...Jo." the host said after another pause. The marshmallow he shot bounced off the paralyzed young woman's forehead, and she grunted.

The handsome boy let out his breath, then stood up. "Well," he said sharply, "looks like some people don't appreciate everything I bring to the table. Guess this show just lost its best-looking contestant." Alejandro's grimace at the remark went unnoticed. Topher walked up to his idol and extended a hand. "It was an absolute honor to meet, and work, alongside you, Chris. Keep givin' 'em everything you've got, man!"

"Oh, I will Topher," Chris said happily, accepting the handshake, "I will." As the young man walked off, Chris turned his attention back to the remaining Gophers. "The rest of you are safe," he told them. "For now."

/

Topher was shown walking sadly down the Dock of Shame. He noticed the camera, and winked at it. His parting words were spoken in a style similar to the host's own. "What does Chris have in store for the remaining contestants? Find out next time, on Total! Drama! Island!"

(Fade to Credits)


Author's Note - Post Script

Well, there's Topher down. I think I at least handled his elimination better than what happened in the canon episode, in which Sadie was finally given the boot after having done essentially nothing since Katie was eliminated. Topher, on the other hand, has at least had some form of relevance to the plot, even if it was partially limited to his feud with Sierra. At any rate, we'll be seeing both him and his foil again in the future.

I did actually consider having Alejandro call in his favor from Dawn, but as I still intended on having DJ and Sammy vote for Topher anyway, I decided to save it for another time.

Regarding Bunny...well, he wasn't eaten. He might have died, or perhaps he'll turn up in a future episode, who knows?

Only three chapters left before the merge, so until next time!

- Fangren


Appendix: TSI Eliminated Contestants

Staci - (22nd Place)

Dakota - (21st Place)

Ezekiel - (20th Place)

Sugar - (19th Place)

Lightning - (18th Place)

Amy - (17th Place)

Scott - (16th Place)

Beth - (15th Place)

Sierra - (14th Place)

Topher - (13th Place)