Nicky Haugh: Thank you as always!
Mistress Mysterious: I see someone enjoyed ROTI's winner.
SideshowJazz1: Let's see if your hopes have been answered.
N8han11: High praise. I feel like both Sammy and Scarlett's canon potential was squandered by Amy and Max weighing them down. Interesting parallel you noted too.
AnonBrowser: Yeah, an Amy-centric plot for Sammy could've been avoided in canon, but I think Topher and Max enjoyed Amy's nasty behavior for different reasons and Rodney was already crushing on her at the time, so she had the swing of the votes. I came up with Rodney and Ella as a couple years ago; Ella is an easy-going person, and Rodney getting together with a girl who's more likely to return his feelings was a way to resolve his character arc. Their pairing is supposed to be a reference to Disney's habit of princesses falling in love with less than royal princes (Aladdin, Flynn, Kristoff, etc). We'll have to see if your roster is correct.
Fear the Darkness Inside: Thank you!
Cosmic Warrior: Even so, never joke about that sort of thing.
StarHeart Specials: I'm glad the finale was worth the wait. Also, it's not that hard to do better than this season than canon, all things considered.
Xtremexavier15: Thank you!
Killshot Kamikaze: Look no further!
The British Guy: That's fair.
Joel Connell: Let this be a lesson to Scarlett, never underestimate anybody. They might surprise you. I can't make promises, but I will strive to do better with Sundae Muddy Sundae.
Fangren: Thank you for your critical responses to decisions I've made. I'll keep those in mind going forward. I suppose Scarlett letting down her hair later would've been good for dramatic effect, and I didn't have any ideas how to put Sammy's costume into play other than cosmetic effect. I also understand your issue with the point-of-divergence. That's a fair point. Thank you for enjoying everything else, though.
SilentSinger948: Glad you enjoyed the winner.
Great Idea Alert: Interesting guesses on the All-Stars cast. We'll have to see if you're right. I think I won't do a big epilogue about what everyone's up to in the future because I want my readers to feel free to have their own assumptions about what happens later on. I also won't be having Chris be replaced by Don. As much of a jerk Chris is, Total Drama wouldn't be the same without him. I also ask that you please stop insisting that someone 'lay down the law' with Sierra. She's capable of change on her own. In the end of World Tour, she accepted that Cody didn't love her and that they could be friends first.
Alright, with reviews out of the way, let's start Total Drama All-Stars!
Disclaimer: I do not own Total Drama, or anything within the franchise. I only own a DVD of season one and some Total Drama shirts.
Episode 1- Heroes vs Villains
The first thing shown was the hand of Chef Hatchet holding a manila envelope as the man himself walked down a hallway lined with bars.
"I'm innocent, I tell you! Innocent!" Someone yelled as the camera pulled back to show Chef being guided down a prison hall by an officer. Paper airplanes and other items were thrown around as the two men walked. Chef briefly eyed a pair of inmates they passed, one of which made a kissy face that unnerved him.
"The Crusty Cockroaches have a big lead over the Soiled Stinkbugs!" The familiar voice of Chris McLean rang out, swiftly followed by a shout of 'Cram it, McLean!' from someone else. Chef's eyes darted around the hall, trying to figure out who was snapping at his co-worker.
He eventually came to a private cell with a transparent door. The cell housed Chris himself, who was serving out a sentence for his environmental damage from the toxic waste of the previous season in a prison orange jumpsuit. His cell was surprisingly well-furnished. Along with the typical bunk bed and toilet of normal prison cells, the cell also contained a portrait of Camp Wawanakwa from an aerial view and a shelf where bobbleheads of Chris and Chef sat.
"Shawn slips past Duncan! The heat is on!" Chris declared, looking at something on the floor. "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about." Briefly shown on the floor was a cockroach and a stinkbug. Chef's shadow appeared over them, attracting the attention of the imprisoned host. "Well, well, well… look who finally decided to come visit me after a whole year." The look on Chris's face told that he was quite miffed at his supposed best friend not visiting sooner.
"Come on. You finished your sentence for dumping toxic waste," said Chef in an attempt to calm him.
Chris shrugged dismissively. "Whatever. I think I'll stay here. I've got everything I need right here, including Chef 2.0. I made him from a cashew." He held up a cashew which remarkably resembled the shape of Chef's head and had the man's face drawn on it.
Ignoring the poor attempt at replacing him, Chef slid the envelope he had been carrying through the slot in Chris's door. "What's this?" Chris took the envelope to examine.
"Your contract," Chef explained, "the producers have greenlit another season. So, you in?" He asked with a grin.
Chris went wide-eyed with glee, and immediately responded, "It is on!"
(cue intro)
After the intro was finished, Chris was shown standing on the repaired Dock of Shame in his civilian clothes. "Welcome to Total Drama All-Stars," the host greeted. "After my involuntary year-long 'vacation', I really need to be in a familiar environment surrounded by the people I love… to hurt." He gave a chuckle at that before explaining, "It's a condition of my parole- except for the hurt part. That's all McLean." Chris walked over to one end of the dock, where the infamous Drama Machine from the Celebrity Manhunt show sat by with the case containing the season's prize money in claw. "So, I'm bringing back fourteen TD All-Stars to battle it out in the most dangerous, death-defying, one million dollar competition ever!"
The machine held up the case, and opened it to show off the grand prize. A strong breeze started to pass through, making a few stray dollars flutter out.
"Here they are now," Chris said, his hair flapping in his face. The camera zoomed out to show an old military-style helicopter hovering onto the scene and creating the breeze. "From Revenge of the Island, say hello to conspiracy crazy Shawn!"
The side door of the helicopter opened, revealing the survivalist with his formerly injured arm no longer in a cast. He seemed to hesitate, but Chef shoved him out.
"It's not a conspiracy!" Shawn shouted as he fell towards the lake.
"The giant from the land down under, Jasmine!"
Jasmine stood in the helicopter door, glaring at Chef inside. "Watch where you're shoving!" She grabbed her hat with one hand, and jumped out. Sammy slid into view, looking down at her friend that had just jumped.
"Jasmine's bestie with a meanie for a twinnie, Samey!"
Her concern for her friend briefly faded, and she jabbed a finger down in Chris's direction. "I thought we went over this! My name is Sam-eep!" She was kicked in the rear by Chef to get her off the helicopter.
"The big ball of hair himself, Beardo!"
"Can't we just arrive on the island normally for once?" Beardo asked before sighing. He jumped while making the long whistle sound effect used for long drops.
"Phone-stealing wannabe star, Topher!"
Topher was carried by the collar of his shirt to the door by Chef. "Put me down! I need a classy entrance." The boy protested indignantly, and Chef dropped him over the water.
"Vile villainess, Scarlett!"
Scarlett's hair was back in a bun, and she was once again wearing her glasses. "I would just like to point out that this is unnecessary," she said as Chef threw her out.
"Pageant pounder, Sugar!"
The pageant queen physically struggled against Chef trying to push her out the door. "You can't do this to me. My make-up ain't the fancy waterproof kind!" She eventually lost the fight, and screamed upon being thrown out.
Chris chuckled at Sugar's expense. "And from our original cast- emotional goth boyfriend stealer, Gwen!"
Gwen pounded and kicked at Chef when he carried her to the door and flung her out. "They weren't dating at the time!"
"Scrawny computer geek, Cody!"
"Oh come on," Cody griped, falling through the air. "Not again!"
"Broody bad boy, Duncan!"
Duncan scoffed at the host while falling. "Bring it on!"
"Devious diva, Heather!"
"I hate Chris!" Heather announced her disdain for the man immediately, following Duncan.
"Total Drama's number one stalker- uh blogger, Sierra!"
"Yay! Camp, here I come!" Sierra giggled excitedly, waving her arms to show her enthusiasm like her cheer hadn't already done so. Her hair had grown back enough in the past year for her to put it into a short ponytail that was only a fraction of the length it was in her original season.
"Owen, Total Drama's champion of chewing!"
At the door of the helicopter, Owen guffawed, "Another season at one of my favorite places of all time? I love this game!" With an eager smile, the chubby young man belly flopped down into the lake.
His diving formation seemed to horrify everyone already in the lake, including a certain pageant queen with make-up running down her face, and they quickly tried to swim out of his landing range. It was all for naught; the lovable lug's splash ended up being so big that Chris and the robot could see it very clearly from the dock.
"And feral freakshow, Ezekiel!" Chris concluded.
Chef stood at the door again with rips in his clothes, holding a swiping and snarling Ezekiel at arm's length. At Chris's cue, he released the malnourished camper from his grip. The assembled group down below gasped in horror at Ezekiel's descent.
Ezekiel smiled maliciously while he fell, but growled in confusion when a plunger tied with some rope at the end stuck to him and reeled him in.
"Just kidding," joked Chris, revealing that the Drama Machine was the one reeling Ezekiel in. "No way is that guy coming back again." With a snap of his fingers, the Drama Machine fired Ezekiel away from the lake like a cannon. Ezekiel snarled as he disappeared into the distance. "Ah, it's great to be back."
A flash forward transitioned to Chris and the robot meeting the cast on the beach, all of them exhausted and soaked from the swim to shore. Some of them coughed to relieve water from their lungs.
Chris greeted them all with his trademark smile. "Greetings, old friends!"
Standing on her feet, Heather somehow coughed up a starfish and then threw it away. "I am not your friend."
Sierra walked over, a knowing smile on her lips and her hands on her hips. "Aw, somebody's missing her true love."
"Who? Alejandro? As if!" The original antagonist shoved her former teammate to the ground. "I'm glad that he isn't back. That handsome jerk…"
While Heather vented, Gwen went over to Chris. "Uh, I think I made it explicitly clear that I didn't want to come back unless Courtney was going to, and she isn't even here." Her expression made it very clear that she was not pleased with the mentioned girl's absence.
Beardo added, walking into the shot, "And don't get me wrong. I'm glad to have a second chance with the game and all, but wouldn't have Dave or Sky made better choices than me? They made a lot more drama than I did."
"You all came back because you were the most willing," answered Chris. "Courtney cited that her stress levels were way too high and that coming back wouldn't be good for her health. I did try to get both Dave and Sky back so we could continue their story of broken hearts, but Dave flat out refused and was too depressed to play anyway, and Sky's had too many problems at home she couldn't leave."
(Confessional- Gwen)
The goth girl sighed. "I only came back so I could apologize to Courtney. I'm pretty sure she blocked my number or changed hers, and she keeps avoiding me. I thought this would be the only way to talk to her since we'd be forced to look face-to-face."
"Now that everybody's had a moment to catch their breath," Chris continued, "I'm pleased to announce all the big changes we've made for this season. For starters, the island is now 100% toxic waste free."
"Are you sure about that?" Shawn spoke up, and the camera pulled back to show the cast sitting in odd groups on some rocks in a semi-circle. "Because I heard toxic waste is really hard to clean up…"
Chris held his hands up in a placating gesture. "I assure you. The island is completely clean. In other good news, I've updated your accommodations." He walked away from the group and towards the widescreen monitor the Drama Machine was rolling onto the scene. "The losers will still have to sleep in a stanky old cabin," Chris noted as the monitor showed one of the old cabins. The cast groaned at that bit of news. "But the winners get to stay in the all-new eco-friendly McLean spa hotel." The image of the cabin zoomed out to show a newer, larger building next to it. The building had a deck wrapping the second floor, and a hot tub on the side. "Complete with butler, hot tub, and twenty-four hour masseuse."
Topher, Sammy, Heather, and Duncan were shown cheering at the new housing.
"And in honor of your all-star status, I'm dividing you into teams based on your past performances- heroes versus villains!"
(Confessional- Heather)
"Obviously I'll be on the villains' team, and I'll be running it by lunch," the queen bee boasted.
(Confessional- Gwen)
Gwen slumped on the toilet seat. "Heroes versus villains? Guess Duncan and I won't be on the same team, unless Chris considers Duncan a hero." She allowed herself to chuckle at the notion. "Yeah right."
"Heather, Duncan, Scarlett, Topher, Sugar, and Gwen," Chris called out. The robot forcefully moved Gwen to stand next to the others named, and dropped her harshly on the ground. It rolled away as Duncan knelt to give her a hand. Duncan and Sugar were both bewildered by the robot's rough handling. "From now on, you're the Villainous Vultures."
A dark red circle with the head of a vulture appeared above the team's heads, showing off the team logo.
Topher folded his arms confidently. "I'd say that team name is pretty accurate."
Gwen had the opposite reaction. "What? Why am I on the villains' team?"
"Because you stole Courtney's boyfriend and did a bunch of other harsh stuff?" Sierra answered obliviously, not realizing how bad what she was saying sounded.
Chris pointed a finger at Sierra for the answer. "Yeah, that."
"But I've done so many good things," protested Gwen. "I'm not a villain. I'm nice."
The geek's words were ignored by mostly everyone. Duncan wrapped a comforting arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. "Being bad is cool, and now we're on the same team. So that's good, right?"
Gwen lowered her head, leaning against him. "I guess." Her answer made Duncan stare at her with half of his unibrow raised.
(Confessional- Duncan)
"Aw man, I only came back for Gwen. She better not sulk the whole time, otherwise I may as well be dating Courtney," the punk complained.
"Shawn, Jasmine, Samey, Beardo, Owen, Cody, and Sierra," Chris listed once the static transitioned. Sammy was the only one to frown when her name was called. Unlike Gwen, the robot was gentler with moving Sierra over to her new teammates. "You're the Heroic Hamsters."
Cody blinked at the host, drawing looks from his team. "Hamsters? Seriously? What about hawks? That's a bird too."
Chris shrugged at the question. "It was either hamsters, or hippos."
Sammy looked at her teammates, and said, "Hamsters does sound better."
"Wait a pickle picking minute," the voice of Sugar interrupted. The footage cut to the new Vultures staring at the team member that had spoken. "We got six people and they got seven. I'm calling this fixed!"
"I needed the seat on the copter for that Ezekiel prank," defended Chris. Once Sugar gave him a hard glare, he rolled his eyes. "Fine. You can have the robot." When he pressed a remote, the robot rolled over to the Vultures and took a spot right next to Heather. It was closer than she would like.
"Keep your distance, toaster." Heather held her arm out to keep it from moving any further.
(Confessional- Heather)
She shuddered when her confession began. "There's something about that robot I just don't like."
Scarlett adjusted her glasses, glancing at the robot as she did so. "I don't see how beneficial the robot will be compared to a human teammate, but as long as it keeps Sugar's complaints to a minimum, I see no problems with it being of use to us."
Chris sarcastically replied, "Glad to know it has your approval, Scarlett." He put on a host-worthy smile, and rested one hand on the monitor. "This year's challenges all nod to classics from the past, but with harsh new twists to make this the toughest Total Drama season ever." Clapping his hands together, he turned the image of the spa hotel back on the screen. "Your first challenge- find the key to the spa hotel, and you'll do it in a homage to Total Drama's first ever challenge, cliff diving into water infested with ravenous sharks."
On either side of Sugar, Duncan and Topher wore looks of concern while she put on a smug grin.
(Confessional- Sugar)
"Sharks? Big deal. I wrestled with one last year, and it was on land. If I could beat him, then I shouldn't have a problem with the ones in the water," Sugar boasted with a face of restored make-up, her new team logo briefly appearing in the corner of the screen. "But the thing is I don't wanna get wet. I was already wet once today, and I don't want my make-up to run a second time."
Chef was shown on the monitor, kicking an intern in a red shirt and a cowboy hat off the cliff into the lake. "Once you dive into the water, try to avoid the sharks long enough to snag a key and choose wisely. Only one of those suckers is the real deal." The intern was shown struggling against a shark, and noticed a bunch of silver, gold, and a few bronze keys littered on the lake floor. The intern, now all scratched up with his hat half eaten, walked out of the lake with a key in hand, and slumped into a gold-colored baby carriage near the red-shirted intern from last season with hair covering his eyes. The intern then started to push the carriage out of view. "Assuming you live long enough to reach dry land, a teammate will drive you to the hotel in one of the baby carriages from season three's race to Central Park.
"The first team to unlock the spa door wins, and someone from Team Loser will be going home tonight. Meet me at the base of the cliff in fifteen minutes. Chop chop!" Chris hopped into a nearby jeep, driven by the red-shirted chubby intern from last season, and rode off.
"Uh, what about bathing suits?" Owen asked as the host left.
"Forget 'em!"
A shot of the cliff was briefly shown before the camera panned over the top of the woods the contestants were traveling through. A cut down to the ground level showed the Vultures walking several feet behind the Hamsters, with the robot's wheels squeaking quite obnoxiously.
"Ugh! I said keep away from me," Heather reprimanded the robot. It insisted on rolling closer to her than any of her other teammates.
The camera panned to the Hamsters further ahead, where Beardo attempted to start a conversation. "So, Sierra? What brought you back?"
"It's been a dream of mine to come here. I mean- this is Camp Wawanakwa, where the whole show started!" She made a grand sweep of her arms, gesturing to the entirety of the island. "I'm glad for it too because if it was on the plane again, I doubt Chris would've let me come."
"Oh yeah. You accidentally blew it up." He raised a hand to point at something. "Nice to see your hair growing back after you lost so much of it."
Sierra looked at her short ponytail fondly. "Thanks. Anyway, now that I'm here. I'm really excited to get to the end this time. I won't make the same mistakes that cost Cody and me the game."
(Confessional- Sierra)
"It's really great to be here," said Sierra. "I get to be part of Total Drama's first ever All-Star season! The only thing better than being part of it all would be being the winner of the first ever All-Star season!"
Heather reached for Scarlett's shoulder, and pulled the evil redhead behind her. "Brainy Betty, you like robots. You make friends with the toaster."
Scarlett fixed her glasses and glared at the original villain. "I would advise you refrain from irritating me. I have ways of making your life a nightmare."
The scene pulled back to show Gwen walking with the two girls. "Guys, just because Chris put us on the villains' team doesn't mean we have to act like villains. We're a team. We should work together as a team."
The scene pulled back even further to show the entire team walking together. The robot was in the back, followed by Scarlett, Heather, Gwen, Duncan, Sugar, and Topher. They all quickly voiced agreement on the statement.
"Yeah! Sure thing!" "Yes!"
(Confessional- Heather)
The queen bee gave a scoff. "No way is that going to happen. I-"
(Confessional- Scarlett)
"-Don't trust-" The evil genius continued.
(Confessional- Duncan)
"-Anyone-" The delinquent pointed a finger at the camera.
(Confessional- Topher)
"-On this-" The wannabe host said.
(Confessional- Drama Machine)
The robot beeped in a way that sounded like a bleeped curse word.
(Confessional- Sugar)
"-Team!" The pageant queen finished.
(Confessional- Gwen)
She laughed slightly. "I think that went well."
The footage pulled back to show Gwen's confessional surrounded by two columns of screens with her teammates on them, only they had backgrounds of fire. She laughed good-naturedly while her teammates all gave villainous cackles.
Scarlett continued to glare, and Sammy was shown wincing at the action. She looked up at Jasmine walking beside her.
"Scarlett keeps making that look at me. It's been a year since the finale. You'd think she would let it go by now," she told her friend.
"She's just being a drongo. Some people hold grudges longer than others," assured Jasmine.
"That may be the case, but it also wouldn't hurt to be on your guard," Shawn interjected, joining the girls in the frame. "You never know whether someone's got something up their sleeve, or if they're going to become a zombie." He made a point of scanning the area with his eyes in a close-up.
(Confessional- Shawn)
"Scarlett's a tricky character. Considering things she's done, and things that she thought about doing, we'd all have the right to be paranoid around her." He stood up on the outhouse seat, and looked out the window cautiously.
Owen and Cody walked together, and the larger boy spoke up. "Great to be back at camp, isn't it? The nature, the memories…"
Cody chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah… the nature, the memories…" He got a faraway look in his eye and stopped walking to shudder for a moment. He blinked his eyes and noticed that his team was passing him. The geek jogged lightly to catch back up to Owen.
On the beach beside the cliff, the Vultures stood on the left with a dark red baby carriage while the Hamsters stood on the right with a bright yellow one.
Right when the robot rolled onto the scene, the campers heard Chris's familiar chuckle. "Greetings, All-Stars!" The host appeared from the sky, wearing his helmet, gloves, and his jetpack. The jetpack's thrust kicked up a lot of sand, sending most of the campers into coughing fits while trying to keep sand from getting into their eyes. Satisfied with his entrance, Chris landed between the carriages. "Here are your carriages- blood red for the Villainous Vultures and purest gold for the Heroic Hamsters. You've got thirty seconds to pick your carriage drivers, starting now!"
"I'll drive!" Sugar called, grabbing the carriage's handlebar.
Topher came up beside her. "No, I will!"
"I can't dive. My make-up will run again and I just put on a new coat," she reasoned.
"You also can't run. I've got way better calves than you. I should be the driver," argued Topher.
(Confessional- Topher)
"If I can drive the carriage, I can get some one-on-one time with the classic players and try to make an alliance with them. It's perfect for starting a new game."
Heather walked over to settle the argument. "As much as I hate Chris, and anybody who wants to be like him, I have to agree with Chris Junior. He's driving, and you're jumping."
Sugar scowled at her. "Make me." Heather grabbed a portion of her curly hair and yanked her away from the carriage. "Ow! Quit pulling my hair!" Topher smirked, watching her be pulled away.
"Ten seconds," Chris announced while the camera cut to the Heroic Hamsters.
"Anybody want to volunteer?" Sammy looked between her teammates.
Cody shrugged, stepping forward. "I'll do it. I'd rather not get stuck in a baby carriage again, or dive into shark-infested water."
"Okay, everyone but Cody and Topher, up the cliff you go!" Chris pointed up, finalizing the decisions.
Several campers were heard panting as the camera zoomed in on the cliff. Chris was already at the top waiting for them, and he had ditched his jetpack equipment. Duncan was the first to arrive.
"I hate this stupid cliff," the delinquent spat, trying to catch his breath. His teammates sans Topher all joined him, followed by the Hamsters. Shawn and Owen had just reached the top when Owen tipped over and fell on top of his teammate, eliciting a groan of pain from the conspiracy nut.
Never having been up on the cliff before, Jasmine, Beardo, and Sugar all took a look over the edge down into the water with identical expressions of horror. In the middle of the circling sharks below, Fang surfaced and gave them a taunting wave.
"Fang!" The three campers gasped.
Gwen joined them, and fretfully asked, "Who?"
Ignoring the concern from the campers, Chris began narrating, "Who's the best key spotter? And who's dead in the shark-infested water? Find out when we return on Total Drama All-Stars!" As the camera panned out for commercial, Sugar could be seen glaring down at her old rival. Then everything went black.
When the darkness faded back into the show, the teams were in position. Most of the Hamsters were nervous, and Jasmine was the only one wearing a confident smile. The Vultures showed more indifference to the challenge, and Duncan was the only one of them to smile.
"Places, people! It's diving time," declared the host.
"Can somebody try and get the key before it's my turn? I still have a problem with jumping this high." Owen looked to his teammates for reassurance.
Chris held up an air horn. "One diver per team at a time. The next diver has to wait until their carriage returns. Ready, set…" He pressed the horn, signaling for the challenge to begin.
"I'll take a crack at this first," Jasmine told her team, already taking a running start and diving off the cliff.
Scarlett soon followed suit. "As will I."
The sharks below awaited their first victims, but Jasmine was more than prepared. With a hand clasped onto her hat, she curled her other hand into a fist and thrust it out in front of her. Before Fang knew it, he was being struck in the nose by the explorer, and the other two sharks were so stunned by the display that they could only blink when Scarlett splashed down in the same place Fang had been.
Jasmine soon came up for air, holding up the key she had retrieved. "What do you know? The TV was right. You can punch a shark in the nose." She quickly made her way to shore, and hopped into the Hamsters' carriage. Her long legs comically dangled mere inches from touching the ground. "Let's move out, mate!"
Cody grinned at her. "Nice!" Using his scrawny arms, he began to pull the occupied carriage off the beach. Topher watched them go with an annoyed expression.
"And the Heroic Hamsters take the lead," Chris narrated while the sharks were shown comforting Fang's bruised face with a handkerchief. This moment of sympathy allowed Scarlett to swim behind them safely to shore.
Scarlett got into Vultures' carriage. "Move it! Jasmine's body weight is more than mine, so we should be able to utilize less drag to catch up with them."
"We wouldn't need to catch up with them if you moved faster in the first place," Topher argued, but started to pull the carriage away regardless.
In the woods, Cody panted as he pushed the carriage to their destination. "You were on the island while it was mutated, right? Was it bad?"
"Oh, it was bad. There were lots of strange things I'd never seen before, but they weren't anything I couldn't handle. If you need any help with things like those, just let me know," Jasmine said.
Cody nodded. "Sounds good, though I think Sierra's got that covered." He chuckled a little.
They finally arrived at the spa hotel, and Jasmine got out to reach the door. She tried to fit the key into the lock and twist, but it wouldn't budge.
Jasmine gave a groan of irritation. "No good. This wasn't the right one."
Cody leaned against the handlebar of the carriage for a moment's rest. "With how many keys Chris seemed to have, I'd be surprised if we got it on the first try."
Jasmine dropped the key on the porch since it was useless, and made her way back to the carriage. "I suppose you're right. Let's get back."
Just as they were leaving, Scarlett and Topher arrived at the hotel. Scarlett inserted the key, but it wouldn't budge. "This key is incorrect." She threw it to the floor and looked at the key hole.
"Coming from you, that's a surprise," Topher snarked.
Back up at the cliff, Duncan was getting impatient with waiting. "Come on, come on…"
Sierra walked over to him and Gwen. "You know, a lot of my blog readers were mad about you guys hooking up, but I get it. Love is love." Duncan and Gwen exchanged a strange glance as she went on. "Just like me and Cody."
"Aren't you guys just friends now?" Gwen asked.
"Yeah, but maybe someday we could-"
Suddenly, Duncan pointed down at the beach. "Here comes Topher! How about a kiss for luck?" He suggested to Gwen, puckering his lips in preparation.
Gwen looked at him and then at Sierra, who seemed very interested in watching them kiss up close. Being between the two made the loner feel awkward, so she shoved Duncan towards the cliff edge. "Sorry, no time!"
Caught off-guard, Duncan fumbled over the edge with a scream. Luckily, the sharks didn't seem to be around to try and attack him when he fell in. Eyeing a key close to him, he scooped it up and was met with the agitated face of Fang. While Fang tried to take a bite out of him, Duncan speedily swam to the surface.
Scarlett and Topher seemed to have passed Jasmine and Cody on the way back, so they were at the beach first. The evil genius was quick to get out of the carriage, and Duncan soon replaced her in it.
"Let's roll," he said to Topher, who obligingly started heading back to the spa hotel.
"And the Villainous Vultures take the lead!" Chris announced from the air, his jetpack back in place.
"Somebody jump; we're behind now," Jasmine hollered up to the cliff when she and Cody arrived on the scene.
Sierra appeared to take up the command. She jumped with a wide smile. "I'm coming, Cody! Yeehaw!"
Bewildered by the girl's enthusiasm, Shawn and Sammy couldn't help but peer over the cliff and watch her disappear under the water.
"Something about her just isn't right," Shawn remarked to a speechless Sammy.
Sierra, in a usual show of her surprising strength, punched and kicked at Fang's cohorts until she was able to snag a key. Once she was back above water, she held up her key in awe. "I found one that looks just like Cody!"
Having just gotten out of the carriage, Jasmine looked on with a confused frown while Cody felt the need to facepalm. "Yeah, you might be onto something," she said to the geek.
Sierra bounced into the carriage. "Hehe, quite the reversed roles. Right, Cody?" She joked.
Cody rolled his eyes at her sense of humor. "If you say so." He started to make his second round to the hotel.
In the woods, Topher did exactly as he planned and tried to talk with Duncan. "While we're alone for the moment, you want to make an alliance?"
"An alliance with Chris's mini-me? No thanks." Duncan scoffed. "The only person I'd be in alliance with is Gwen, and maybe Owen, but he's on the other team."
"It'd be worth your while," Topher persisted.
They arrived at the hotel, and Duncan tried the key in the lock. To his dismay, the key wouldn't fit. "No go, it's a dud."
"So about that alliance?" Topher asked, standing beside him on the porch with a hopeful face.
Duncan dropped the key, and crossed his arms. "The answer is still no." Topher sighed at the rejection.
(Confessional- Topher)
"I really need an alliance," Topher admitted to the audience. "It's the only way I can get enough votes to get rid of Scarlett, and I need to act before she does. She's crazy smart, so she might already be trying to get rid of me too."
Soon after Duncan and Topher left, Cody and Sierra showed up. The latter ran up to the door, and tried her seemingly Cody-shaped key. Like the others, it wouldn't open the door.
"Aw, my Cody key is too small. Back we go!" She ran back to the carriage.
Breathing heavily, Cody complained, "But we just got here."
A flash returned to the cliff. Sammy and Gwen were lined up next while their teammates watched for the carriages to return. Duncan and Topher had just returned moments before, and Cody and Sierra caught up. Having not jumped from the cliff in years, Gwen was hesitating her jump, which lost the Vultures the lead.
"Hey, there they are!" Owen pointed out. He turned towards Sammy and Gwen. "Sammy, go!"
"Okay!" Sammy replied, and got ready to jump. She looked at Gwen beside her, and offered her hand. "You want to jump together?"
Gwen looked at her with surprise. "You look like one of the last people that would willingly jump off of this." She gestured to the cliff.
Sammy smiled sheepishly. "I know, but spending the last year with Shawn and Jasmine made me more willing to try new things." She offered her hand again. "So, do you?"
Gwen looked at the hand, flummoxed, but a grateful smile formed on her pale face. "Sure. Let's do it." Taking Sammy's hand, the pair of them jumped into the water. Gwen was the first to pop back up for air, and she was confronted by Fang's cronies. "Whoa, nice sharks…" The loner tried to hold her hands up in a calming gesture.
Fang rose behind her, with Sammy clinging to his dorsal fin. Gwen turned and got her first close look at the mutated shark, making her gasp in fright.
Duncan's eyes went wide with concern. "Gwen!"
A low whistle sounded as a rock was lobbed down at Fang, bopping him on the nose to the confusion of everyone in the water.
"Nobody's becoming shark bait today!" Shawn defiantly cried, picking up a rock and throwing it. He grabbed another one and threw that quickly after the first.
He managed to hit all three sharks on the nose, and they retreated, leaving Gwen and Sammy to tread.
"Thanks, Shawn!" Sammy called up, and she and Gwen dove for their keys.
Shawn smirked to himself for a job well done. Behind him, Sugar and Heather along with Beardo and Owen all commented on his skilled shots. He heard them, and spun around to address them. "Hey, I'm not on the heroes' team for nothing."
A cut forward showed Gwen reaching shore first with her key in hand, and she jumped into the carriage. "Hurry!"
Topher started taking her up the beach, grumbling. "I know the drill."
Sammy arrived at the Heroes' carriage soon after they left. Sierra gestured to it kindly. "It's all yours."
"Thanks!" She got into the carriage. "After them, Cody!" Seeing how tired he was, slouched over the handlebar, she politely added, "Please?"
Gwen tried her key at the hotel, and stomped her foot when it didn't open the door. "Darn it!"
"We better get the right key soon. This level of sweaty is not a good look for me," Topher remarked, panting.
"Maybe you should've been a diver," Gwen suggested passively, getting ready for the return trip. Topher hauled her away, and the Hamsters showed up after them.
Sammy ran up to the door to test her key. "Nope. Still not right." She frowned sympathetically when she heard a groan from Cody off-screen.
Beardo massaged Owen's shoulders in an attempt to help him. "You can do this. You've jumped the cliff before. You can do it one more time."
Owen nodded along with the encouraging words. "One more time. Just one more. Okay, here goes." Before he could turn back, he made a run for the edge. Heather was already there, preparing for her jump. Unfortunately for her, Owen collided into her back and made her jump premature. Both veterans screamed as they fell towards the water.
Heather landed far off-course while Owen hit right where he was supposed to. He came up moments later exclaiming, "Great nostalgia goggles, that was just as terrifying as it's ever been!" The sharks' dorsal fins caught his eye, and he let out another terrified scream.
With the sharks occupied by Owen, Heather was able to slip under and select a key to try. She emerged from the lake and ran for Topher. As he carted her away, she called, "Sucker!"
Owen managed to get to the lake floor and take a key. When he noticed his attackers coming close, he tried to swim away. A well-timed fart escaped his butt, giving him a boost away while Fang's gang choked on the flatulence.
A flash forward a few minutes later had Topher resting from his continuous runs. "This idea of trying to make alliances during these runs sounded a lot better in my head."
"It doesn't fit! Come on, let's go!" Heather snapped, returning to him.
Cody and Owen arrived at the hotel at the slowest rate in the challenge so far. The carriage looked ready to break under Owen's girth. As for Cody, he appeared ready to faint from exhaustion.
"Thanks, Cody, you're a pal." Owen thanked his teammate, prying himself out of his ride to try his key. Once he was out of frame, the carriage somehow popped back up into proper shape, unwittingly slugging Cody in the chin and making the geek collapse.
(Confessional- Cody)
"It's been more than a year since I did these challenges, and I forgot how brutal they could be," the geek said in the outhouse. "I hope we don't have to make any more runs like this one later on."
"Come on, Sugar! It's your turn!" Gwen complained while she and Scarlett attempted to pry the girl off a large boulder. Duncan stood to the side along with the robot.
"We've all done our part except you," Scarlett informed her.
"No way! I ain't jumping. I already had to do my make-up twice today," Sugar shot back.
Beardo pointed down at the beach in a quick pan to the Hamsters. "Cody and Owen are coming back."
Jasmine glanced at Shawn. "You're up, mate." He nodded to her, and dove.
"You have to dive. It's you or the robot, and I'm pretty sure the robot isn't waterproof," Duncan quipped when the focus returned to the Vultures.
While trying to get Sugar off the boulder, Scarlett threw a glance over her shoulder to analyze the robot with a glance. "I can confirm that. It doesn't appear structurally stable enough to withstand complete aquatic submersion."
"Now you're just making up words," Sugar retorted, struggling to maintain her grip.
Shawn arrived on the beach with a key in hand. "Quick, while we've got a chance." He climbed in, and Cody started on a tired walk.
"The Heroic Hamsters have re-taken the lead," Chris declared.
"Dive!" All of Sugar's human teammates shouted at the pageant queen. In the moment they did so, Gwen and Scarlett finally managed to get Sugar off the boulder, but it had taken all their might so they fell back and accidentally pushed the robot backwards.
The robot stopped at the edge of the cliff. It made a pitiful couple beeps that sounded like 'uh oh' before the edge couldn't support it anymore and broke off, sending the metallic player crashing down the side of the cliff. Gwen, Duncan, and Sugar all winced at watching it hit some rocks on the way down. It created a big splash upon entry, leaving a short stream of bubbles in its wake.
On shore, Heather actually seemed pleased by the development. "So long and good riddance." Beside her, Topher was too tired to pay attention to what she was happy about.
The robot sunk to the bottom of the lake. Fang and his crew were quick to descend on their new chew toy. Fang took to biting the head while his fellow sharks bit at the arms. The robot started to spark, making them back off for fear of being electrocuted. After a few sparks went off at different parts around the body, the robot exploded in a watery combustion.
A figure flew out of the water along with the parts of the former robot, rising against the sun.
A close-up showed that the figure was none other than a disheveled Alejandro from the third season with a five-o'clock shadow and hair longer than it was when he had competed throughout the show. He opened his eyes and gave a charming smile to the camera upon seeing he was freed.
Gwen, Duncan, and Sierra all stared with their jaws dropped in shock. Jasmine eyed the former contestant skeptically while Beardo scratched his afro in confusion. Sugar shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand while she too tried to see who had come out of the robot. Heather took the surprise worst of them all.
"Wha-aaat?!" she exclaimed. "You have got to be kidding me!" As she expressed her incredulous outrage, Sierra could be seen recovering from the shock and breaking into a huge smile.
(Confessional- Alejandro)
Still in his unkempt appearance, Alejandro explained, "Last I remember, I was burnt to a crisp by the volcano and Chris sealed me up in that robot suit to 'heal'." He put air quotes around the last word. "It feels so good to be free after all this time. I must thank Sugar for her stubbornness."
Alejandro landed on the beach on his feet, the robot parts falling around him. He even managed to catch a key that had been blown out of the lake with him.
"Way to go, Alejandro!" Gwen cheered among the Vultures' other praises. Those praises quickly turned to sympathetic winces when his legs gave way beneath him and he fell face first into the sand.
(Confessional- Alejandro)
"I was stuck in that robot suit for a year! My legs are so asleep, it's like they're in a coma!" For emphasis, he picked one leg up and tried to shake it awake. "Wakey wakey… nothing."
At the hotel, Shawn found out his key didn't work and he added it to the pile on the porch. "Wrong key! There goes our lead. Let's head back."
"I wish I had let you volunteer to push instead," Cody sighed while the conspiracy nut climbed back into their team's ride. He was about to start pushing when Topher arrived with Alejandro in the Vultures' carriage. "What the? Alejandro?!"
Alejandro smiled at the geek's surprised expression. "Si, amigo. It's me." Topher wasn't strong enough to carry the former robot up the stairs, so he had to settle for dragging him up by the armpits. Alejandro put the key in the lock, and twisted.
The door opened.
"Finalmente!" Alejandro cried out while Topher shouted, "Finally!"
"The door is open!" Chris arrived via his jetpack. "The Villainous Vultures win!"
Cody and Shawn groaned at the loss as the scene faded.
When the show faded back in from commercial, night had fallen on the island. The camera cut to the bonfire pit. Chris and Chef stood at the oil drum podium that the host liked to use while the Hamsters sat on the stumps that usually served as seats for the ceremony. Beardo was in the back left corner, followed by Owen, Jasmine, and Shawn. In the front row, Sierra sat on the end with Cody next to her, and Sammy on Cody's other side. In a corner of the bonfire pit, a new row of bleachers was added, and it was those bleachers where the Vultures sat.
"Welcome to our first elimination ceremony," Chris greeted the cast. "How do you like the new peanut gallery? Now winners can watch their opponents give someone the boot before they head to the spa hotel for a deluxe dinner."
The Vultures had been indifferent in the gallery until Chris mentioned their reward meal, to which they all started high-fiving each other. Alejandro, Gwen, Duncan, and Scarlett occupied the lower bench while Topher, Sugar, and Heather were in the upper bench.
Jasmine took the moment to lean over to Shawn. "We're still clear on who we're voting for, right?"
Shawn nodded in response. "Yeah, hopefully we have the majority."
"Before we start," Chris began to speak again, "I need one winner to volunteer for a special reward."
Sugar was at his side in an instant. "You had me at winner."
Chris smiled mischievously at her. "Great. Your reward is spending the night in exile on Boney Island with all the hungry wild animals."
"That's not a special reward," Sugar argued before jabbing her finger at him. "You tricked me!"
"The reward is special because there's a McLean invincibility statue hidden somewhere on Boney Island. Find it, and you're golden." Chris finished his explanation, holding up an example of the idol for everyone to see.
Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Now he chooses to inform us of an invincibility statue."
Sugar still didn't like the fact she'd be spending her first night as a winner not in luxury, but let Chef guide her down to the Boat of Losers since the statute meant an extra chance at staying safe in the game.
"This year, you get to vote by placing an X on the 8 by 10 photo of the person you want to eliminate," Chris informed the Hamsters. "Now, get voting."
(Confessional- Sammy)
The cheerleader frowned sympathetically as she crossed out the portrait of her choice.
(Confessional- Shawn)
The conspiracy nut crossed out his chosen portrait, a bit more determined than Sammy appeared.
(Confessional- Jasmine)
The wilderness explorer made a quick mark on her selected photo.
(Confessional- Beardo)
The human soundboard poked his afro with his pen, trying to decide if he should mark the photo in his hand.
(Confessional- Sierra)
Like Beardo, the blogger thought for a moment about who to vote.
(Confessional- Cody)
The geek marked a picture.
(Confessional- Owen)
The chubby buddy looked up in thought for a moment, and then smiled as he marked a portrait.
Once the votes were over, Chris was shown onscreen with a plate of marshmallows. "Okay, the following people are safe… Jasmine!"
She smiled as she caught the marshmallow thrown to her.
"Sierra!"
The blogger eagerly accepted her marshmallow.
"Shawn!"
He kept a serious face while catching his treat.
"Beardo!"
The marshmallow got caught in his hair, and he plucked it out.
"And Sammy."
The cheerleader happily caught her marshmallow.
"Cody, you're on the chopping block because you were today's driver." Cody gaped at the threat of elimination. Stuffing her marshmallow in her mouth, Sierra reached over and wrapped her arms protectively around his head. "Owen, you're on the chopping block because you really took the wind out of Cody during today's run."
Owen opened his mouth to say something, thought about it, and then instead said, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
Chris held up the final marshmallow. "And the loser is…"
Owen bit his lip. Cody grimaced, waiting to hear the result. The camera showed the marshmallow one last time before showing the bottom two together.
"…Owen."
"Oh, thank you." Cody inhaled a breath of relief, catching the marshmallow. As Sierra let go of his head, he faced his teammate. "Sorry, Owen."
"Yeah. Sorry," Sierra added, also looking at the chubby buddy.
Owen stood up from his stump. "It's okay. It was fun to come back to camp for a little while." He looked at Chris. "Do I have to use that catapult thing they did last year?" He pointed at Jasmine and Shawn in question.
Chris shook his head. "Nope! This year, we've got a brand new elimination device." The scene flipped to the Dock of Shame, where a giant toilet was positioned at one end. Owen sat in the bowl of the giant toilet. "Behold, the Flush of Shame!"
Most of the remaining Heroic Hamsters cringed in disgust. Sierra, however, smiled while taking out what looked like a phone and snapping a picture.
"Bye, guys! Have fun now that camp's back to-" Chris cut Owen off by pressing a remote and activating the flush function. "Norm-aaal!" Owen spun around the bowl before disappearing inside it. A flush sounded, and a large wave of backsplash flew out. Reacting timely, the host opened an umbrella over his head, leaving the contestants to get soaked.
They cringed in disgust again, with Cody in particular muttering, "Ewewewewew…"
Their sickened reactions left Chris chuckling. He discarded the umbrella once the splash was over. "Who will be flushed into the history books next? Find out when we return on Total Drama All-Stars!"
(cue end credits)
(Bonus Clip)
In an unspecified body of water, bubbles formed on the surface and popped rapidly. Soon, Owen surfaced, gasping for air.
"Whoa, what a rush!" Owen commented to no one, chuckling. "It was like a water slide!"
"Ooh, ooh! There he is! Hi, Owen!" An excited voice called, making Owen look to the screen's left.
A speedboat arrived on the scene with Izzy and Eva on board. Eva was steering while Izzy was waving wildly.
"Izzy? Eva? What are you guys doing here?" Owen asked, looking around again. "Speaking of, where is here anyway?"
Izzy helped Owen into the boat as she explained. "We're in New York, silly. Pretty close to Central Park too." The camera zoomed out to show they were indeed in New York. They were near a sewer entrance, and skyscraper-like buildings could be seen in the background. "We came to pick you up and take you home."
Owen smiled gratefully to her. "Thanks." He got a confused look on his face, and then scratched his head. "But how'd you know where I'd be?"
"Thank Noah. He wanted to screw with Chris and the producers by hacking the show's database, and he found out some really juicy stuff."
Eva grunted, "If you can even call it that. The stuff he found on the giant toilet and the finale is weird, if you ask me."
"Oh, cool." Owen looked between the two girls. "Um, don't take this the wrong way. I get why Izzy's here, but I don't get why you are."
The bodybuilder shrugged. "Noah made me. He's still trying to figure some stuff out, and he's your friend so…"
Izzy bounced in her seat. "Come on! Let's get some giant pretzels and head home."
"We're not getting giant pretzels," Eva replied, starting up the boat again and driving it out of frame.
"Aw…" Both Owen and Izzy whined at the same time.
Owen- 14th
When I first started planning All-Stars, I noted several things wrong about the original lineup, like there being no Gen 1 males on the Heroic Hamsters and there being a 5-2 gender division for each generation. In my version, I sought to rectify that. When I went about fixing that, I knew I wanted both World Tour newbies in because they deserved a second chance to play and the 'canon' season messed up their characters horribly, so I wanted to fix that too. In order to bring Gen 1 males into the hero mix, I took out Lindsay for Owen, and took out Courtney for Cody. As controversial as the second decision probably is, allow me to point out that the Pahkitew crew had one more heroic female than the Revenge crew, which messed with the gender balance of the lineup, and since I refused to take Sierra out, Courtney was the only other choice. That, and I wanted Gwen and Duncan's story to occur without Courtney around as a third wheel and making Gwen's situation worse.
Regarding the cast for this, Alejandro, Duncan, Gwen, Heather, and Sierra are all in by virtue of being in the original. Owen was selected because like Gwen, he was one of the two original finalists, and Cody was selected for reaching the final three and if Sierra's previous attitude towards him is any indication, he has a big fanbase in-universe. Then for the newbies, Beardo, Jasmine, Sammy, Scarlett, Shawn, and Topher were all in by virtue of being in the newbies' first merge. Sugar, the wild card of their group, was chosen because she had quit due to the worthless diamond and needed some redemption. Plus, since she more or less played Anne Maria's role, her inclusion could be a nod to Anne Maria's intended inclusion in All-Stars before she was dropped. I know several people were guessing Dave and Sky would be cast, but I already have enough relationship drama to focus on with other couples.
Right off the bat, I knew Owen was leaving first. The guy was due a pre-top ten elimination, and I have plans for everyone else. The idea of flushed contestants being picked up by former contestants comes from Fangren's Total Shuffled All-Stars, but it could be argued the idea originated in canon too with Heather picking up Alejandro in his bonus clip. The idea is just too awesome not to include, and lets me play with characters that wouldn't have been involved in Cast Swap otherwise.
Onto changes made in this version of All-Stars. Due to how terribly the characters were treated, I attempted to fix several things. First and foremost, the Gwen bashing the show seemed to pull. Repeatedly, Gwen tried to defend her relationship with Duncan by stating he and Courtney were broken up when she and Duncan kissed and hooked up. We saw nothing about a break-up between Courtney and Duncan prior to that, so she really did steal Courtney's boyfriend. I had Sierra bring this up as the reason for Gwen being on the villains' team, but she was nicer about it, and unlike canon, I had Gwen not try to defend herself with the same statement over and over again. Not having Courtney involved also removed the scene of Gwen trying to apologize and give Courtney flowers she 'just so happened' to be allergic to as well as next episode's scene with the garbage booby trap 'proving' Gwen was on the right team.
Another change made was Sierra's dialogue. Now that she's been an official member of the cast and official friends with Cody for over a year, her fandom of both has been dialed back a few notches. The Sierra I'm trying to portray is the one I believe we would've gotten if everyone's characters weren't so terribly botched. This time, instead of hanging around Cody, Sierra is more focused on being where the show began and getting to know the contestants that came after her.
Speaking of dialogue, I hope nobody has a problem with a lot of dialogue being recycled from canon due to nearly half the cast being the same as in the original version.
We are nearly one month away from the holidays, so I would like to express my holiday wish for Cast Swap to receive a TV Tropes page. My year would be made if someone were to make one.
Review in the box below, and remember, reviews are awesome!