Okay. So now, we have an aftermath. And since we've been in America twice, having it in New Zealand is more of a novelty (I know Hawaii isn't the mainland, but...) Also, for spirit animals, I have to work with Auckland Zoo, so sorry, no jaguars. We do have cheetahs, servals, tigers and lions, though...

Also, fun fact: The names of the Auckland Zoo animals are not made up. I checked the website, and their names are mentioned (the elephants also have their names mentioned).

Thanks for reviewing, OmniUIShaggyOverexaggerated.

The aftermath show was...okay, I guess. Geoff began the episode. "Hello, world!" he called into the camera. "Welcome to Total Drama Aftermath, coming at you live from the shores of Rangitoto Island! After travelling all around the world this season, we had to wrap it up with a big shot of wilderness paradise! And I'm not chilling here solo, oh no!" He went on, introducing the peanut gallery, and then finally, me, along with the other post-merge losers.

"Why did I get intro'ed with Cody, Sierra, Jemma and jerkface?" Courtney asked bitterly, glaring at Duncan momentarily.

"We're doing things way differently today!" Geoff explained in his announcer's voice. I could see why he was a host – he had some serious charisma in front of the cameras.

"But I still get a song, right?" Courtney said, looking anxious. "Cause I've been working on mine for weeks." She began to sing a note, but was stopped. Geoff had more to say. We had to go and sit in the peanut gallery with the other contestants.

Meanwhile, Geoff went into his spiel about Bridgette being stuck in Siberia, nursing a bear with a hurt paw, and not being able to fly home, so being stuck on a fishing boat until it got to Auckland. "But the wait is finally over!" He looked towards the ocean.

Okay, so Bridgette wasn't there. There was a while between cuts. But when she did show up, about half an hour later, the cameras caught her surfing her way onto shore.

"Geoff!" called the blonde. "I'm so glad to see you!"

Geoff froze. He'd seen what was with her. "BEHIND YOU!" he yelled.

Bridgette glanced back at the surfing bear. "He's so cute, huh?" she called.

As it turned out, the bear was called Bruno. He'd actually followed her to New Zealand, and boy was he possessive.

We didn't notice it at first. Bridgette jumped off her board and ran across the shore, but then tripped over a loose rock and landed on Geoff. "Sorry!"

"No worries, babe." Geoff told her. "Now that my granola goddess is back to cohost, I'm feeling no pain!" But when he tried to kiss Bridgette, he got a punch in the face from the bear.

Bridgette turned to the bear and scolded "No, Bruno! Bad bear! Bad!" She explained that he'd started getting possessive after she fixed his paw. "But he's perfectly sweet and safe – as long as no one gets within three feet of me."

"How's a guy supposed to reunite with his girl like this?" Geoff complained.

"Maybe he would be okay if we just, like...touched elbows..?" Brightette said lamely. And they actually tried, but Bruno still looked cross. Bridgette looked up at him again. "I think he's just hungry."

Oh, great. I had to spend the whole time feeling tense because of a bear, and yet everyone else was ignoring it. The theme of the show was the final three. The players were mostly split between Lindsay and Noah. No prizes for guessing who I was rooting for. Still, Alejandro had a surprising amount of supporters. Even Heather shrugged and muttered something about the show just being a game.

Geoff and Bridgette then sang a cute song starting "Who you gonna root for? Who's it gonna be?" They sang a verse about each finalist, stating that Noah was a non-action smart guy, and his lack of athletics would have to be overcome by his brain if he wanted to win. Then they talked about Alejandro eliminating everyone, and the question of whether the lack of support would be enough to slow him down. Finally, they talked about Lindsay, the sweetest final three contestant, but also wondered if her lack of brainpower would be her downfall.

After the song, they went through each contestant, going into more detail about each contestant, both their strengths and what might stop them from winning.

When they got to talk about Alejandro, Bridgette talked about how he'd managed to avoid injury all season. "Plus," she said, raising her hand, "Raise your hand if he's the reason you're here now."

I raised my hand, as did Harold, Owen, Tyler and even DJ. I had to wonder, exactly what went on with that broken board that had sent him and Leshawna tumbling that day in Jamaica?

Everything else they mentioned, I knew and didn't really listen to.

"Here's where it gets interesting!" Geoff announced. "It's time to vote for your favourite finalist."

We all had to sit on opposing couches and hold up flags to say who we were rooting for. I was sitting with Beth, and we were both holding Lindsay flags. A few others were with us, including Tyler and Leshawna, but there was almost an equal number of contestants on Team Noah. Team Alejandro was smaller. Katie and Sadie had chosen to root for him, as had Heather, and even Courtney. Was it just me that noticed all of his supporters were girls?

Courtney's reasons, to be fair, were understandable. "Alejandro blew all of you off the map." she declared. "He's the best player the game's ever had."

Heather muttered something under her breath, but despite her scowl, whatever it was didn't sound like she really believed what she was saying. Plus a light blush appeared on her face. Owen had said Noah said Alejandro was into Heather. Maybe he got it the wrong way around?

Guess what we did with Bruno? We fed him cava tea That was strong and calming enough for him to take an impromptu nap (which was a real relief for me, as he had started licking me and I was afraid he would get tired of that and eat me if we left him to it). Okay, he fell on Geoff, but once we got him free (during the commercial break), he was fine.

During the break, we all had to go halfway up the volcano with Bridgette, while Geoff reintroduced the show. "So, contestants, have you missed being in the game?" she asked.

Dead silence. I let out a nervous giggle, but it was half nervous and half "You're kidding, right?" I really didn't miss the show, not now I was so enjoying myself just hanging with everyone else. I didn't have to worry about being backstabbed or not knowing who to trust.

Bridgette looked hesitant, but I could tell just by her response that she was working from a script that expected a yes, because she said "Great! Because you're going to be competing to help your favourite Final Three contestant win!"

Geoff joined us soon after that, so they could explain the challenge together, asking for a volunteer for each finalist.

For Team Alejandro, Courtney took a step forward. "I am the winning-est member of my team." she declared.

Heather glared at her and snapped "Really? When did you place third? Not that I want to do this challenge, of course, but I'm pretty sure your answer is 'never'." she added. That was an interesting tidbit. Heather had placed third in one season? I wondered how strong a competitor she would have been if her team hadn't voted her off the minute they could.

I looked around at the rest of Team Lindsay. "As Lindsay was my Final Two partner when we were in the game, I want to do this one." I said. "Any objections?"

No one gave any, although Tyler sort of looked like he wanted to (but no way was I letting him do this – he was too klutzy). I held Beth's eye contact for a second, just to ask, but she smiled and gave me the thumbs up. Maybe she thought I was more coordinated than her.

Team Noah had less people who wanted to do it. After all, Lindsay had two besties and a boyfriend on her team. Noah's only real friend was Owen, who wasn't very confident about it.

Finally, the person to step up was...Cody? "I'll do it!" he declared.

Izzy (also on Team Noah) suddenly burst out laughing (she told me later that she was sure there was some kind of relationship between the two guys, but I asked Cody and he assured me that the only person he was interested in was Gwen...and maybe Avril Lavigne when she was younger, but celebs didn't count).

After that, Geoff came up with a set of animals that we might find in the Auckland Zoo. We each had to choose one to represent our contestant's "spirit animal".

Bridgette turned to me first. "Jemma? Which one?"

I thought about it for a while. "I guess...a giraffe? They're so smiley and placid. They seem sweet." All attributes belonging to Lindsay.

"Then Lindsay's spirit animal is a giraffe!" Bridgette announced. She turned to Cody next.

He thought about it carefully. Then he said "I think I'll go with nyala. They sort of have similar eyes."

Bridgette finally went to the last competitor. "Courtney, have you got a choice for Alejandro?"

"I'm gonna go cheetah, Bridgette." Courtney said immediately.

"Are you sure?" Geoff asked her, looking perplexed.
"Of course I am! They're smart, they're lean, they're fast..."

Geoff added onto Courtney's list. "They're spotty, you shouldn't leave them alone with your kitten...okay, then!"

Apparently, they managed to get one of each animal for the challenge from the zoo. Since giraffes were kind of tall for the job, I got a baby one called Kabili, while Cody got a new mother nyala called Xolani. Courtney's cheetah was called Quartz. Of course, we didn't see them yet – they were each tethered on a raft in the water.

Our job was to go up to the top of Mt Rangitoto, grab a necklace of hibiscus flowers ("There's even a coast named after them just north." Geoff told us), then surf down on a steep river that went to the ocean. Then, we'd have to try and get the necklace around the neck of our contestant's spirit animal.

Cody looked the tiniest bit smug. He had the easiest animal by far. Courtney's cheetah was the tiniest bit vicious, although it looked pretty relaxed at that moment, and I was sure I'd have a hard time getting high enough to drop the necklace around Kabili's neck, even though she was still smaller than an adult giraffe.

Then, it was time to go. Just as we each grabbed a necklace, Geoff stopped us. Ding-ding! "Sorry, but Chris said we had to make you sing a song." he explained.

Courtney started some terrible song that included slagging off her ex-boyfriend, but Geoff cut her off. "Not that song. A challenge song!"

Courtney instantly changed her tune. "Rockin' it the Kiwi style, surfing down this magic mile,

Hoping I don't get burned by, the lava that's a-flyin'!" She sang, jumping onto her surfboard and flying down.

Cody chimed in. "One more chance to prove my might, keeps us small guys up at night,

Why else would I volunteer, to do more death defyin'?"

As they sang, I was still pulling a surfboard out. I could still hear them singing, but not exactly what it was. All I could tell was that they were alternating.

Once I got into the water, I felt as if I was going faster than them – I mean, I started gaining right there. "Wish me luck as I jump in, only a friend makes this my thing

I'm the queen on Lindsay's team, so I'm gonna be a winner!"

"I'm winning for Al," Courtney sang, just up ahead of me, "Cause I'm his kind of gal!"

"Noah needs my skills now," Cody added, "Though I do-on't know how!"

"Coming here now, past you!" I sang as I drew level with Courtney, "Sorry but I'll, beat you!"

"I'm still good, good as you!" Cody sang as he started to gain a little more.

"I'm still coming for you!" Courtney sang. "Oh-oh, I'm winning this time!"

"No way, Court," I said without singing, "This is mine!"

"And now I'm stuck behind..." Cody sang.

And then we sang together. "Oh-oh, I'm winning this time! Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

So who actually won?

Well, I got to the end first, but the ring landed on Kabili's head like a headband. It was at an angle that there was no way it could slide down her neck.

Cody got down next, for whatever reason he beat Courtney, but his hibiscus necklace landed just in front of Xolani and she leant down to eat it.

Finally, Courtney landed just short of Quartz, still holding the necklace. But by that point, Quartz was snarling and hissing and baring her teeth. Courtney was brave and competitive, but not stupid, so she let things go.

As it was, Geoff explained that no-one was supposed to win anyway.

"It was Chris' idea." Bridgette explained. "But someone actually did get the lei onto her animal, even if it was the wrong place, because girls rule! And she has won Lindsay the minor advantage!" She smiled at me as it was wheeled down. "A baby carriage! It'll make sense eventually."

Then, the episode was closed out. Courtney gave me a cross look, but I shrugged, smiling nervously. I hadn't expected to beat her, really, but getting Lindsay an advantage, even if it was little, was something to be proud of. Not to mention everyone else on Team Lindsay was proud of me. Most of Team Victory was also Team Lindsay (Harold wasn't, but since he was a bit like Noah himself, it was only to be expected), and we all wanted our team representative to win it.

Bridgette confided later on that she would have been Team Lindsay, but as host, she hadn't been allowed to choose sides. I asked to talk to her privately afterwards, because I needed to hear exactly what had happened between her and Alejandro. It was just as it had sounded – he'd strung her along for the whole episode in the Yukon, got her to a meeting point, and convinced her to wait instead of going to the finish line. Then, when his team had arrived, he'd made like he was going to kiss Bridgette. She consented, but closed her eyes long enough to hit the pole, having not seen him pull away. His team's sled was gone, but she wasn't going anywhere. "Chris found me there, but all he did was make me sing about it, then made a point of spilling his bottle of water instead of letting me free my tongue with it." she said at the end. "I only got it removed when I landed." She admitted that she'd had a tiny crush on Alejandro since Egypt, but nothing actually came of it until then.

"I remember before you took the Drop Of Shame, there was something you were trying to say." I remembered. "Was that related?"

"Yes." Bridgette nodded. "I was trying to tell you that Alejandro was evil deep down and just pretending to be a nice guy. He'd taken me in completely before then. I nearly lost Geoff by falling for him. In fact, I'm really lucky he took me back. When I first got to the studio, I was sure he'd never forgive me, because he wouldn't even look at me. Even when I was a guest on the Aftermath, he made a point of avoiding letting me on the show – that's how much he didn't want to see me." She gave a sigh. "At least now I know I'll never let that happen to me again."

"Well, I understand, sort of." I told her. "I don't have a boyfriend back home, but Alejandro actually made out that we were unofficially together for the moment, and the minute he saw a chance to eliminate me, he just took it. The way he said it, it was like he expected me to think what he was doing was understandable!" I paused. "Now I remember, Owen said Noah told him he thought Alejandro was into Heather just before she left."
Bridgette's green eyes went round. "Really? Do you think that's true?"

I shrugged. "I didn't really notice, but Noah warned me about him a lot throughout the show, you know. When I asked him, he literally said you might be able to tell me why I should be on my guard. I trust his judgement."

Bridgette managed a smile. "I guess he was right. Maybe that's why he tried to hug me in the Yukon – because he already had some idea that Alejandro would try something with me. I don't get why he picked on me first, though."

"Maybe because he sensed you were nice and honest and wouldn't expect anyone else to specifically target one person unless they'd had a history of doing it?" I suggested.

Bridgette shrugged. "I guess that makes as much sense as anything else. Back in Season 1, I got voted off by the guys because Duncan convinced them I was a threat, because, well..." She blushed. "...if you see the episode, he says why."

I'd already planned to watch the first two seasons between the episodes of this season airing. And now, all that was left was the finale.

Oh, and as for Bruno? We managed to get him more interested in an intern and after that, he left Bridgette alone and the intern took him back to Siberia. I couldn't imagine he'd be too happy in New Zealand. It was going to get colder soon, sure, but I was pretty sure Bruno wouldn't like the summery Christmases (to be honest, I was the opposite. I kind of liked the idea of a BBQ on the beach for Christmas).

So Jemma won a minor advantage for Lindsay. Just a minor one. The race to Rangitoto Island will be a little smaller, more like a race through Auckland – starting from the Stillwater airport (private airport far North, planes generally land in the terminals in South Auckland), and then they're on their own to choose how to get to the main ferry terminal. Hope this chapter was all right, and that my version of "I'm Winning This" wasn't too cringey. If anyone's wondering, this Aftermath would've been called "Aftermath 4: Kiwiana Island!" (Kiwiana is a term meaning everything that says New Zealand culture, like Maori culture, NZ inventions like Buzzy Bees and our rugby (football in America) team, the All Blacks). The bit where I mention the hibiscus actually named an area is true – I live on Hibiscus Coast myself. It basically stretches from a place called Silverdale up to an area called Waiwera which used to boast a hot water park ("Wai" is "water" in Maori), also covering an area up to Army Bay, an area near a place called Gulf Harbour, which also has ferries, but they only go to one island, and it's not Rangitoto.

If you're wondering why I chose three female animals from the zoo and no males, they were the only ones named on the website. There was a cheetah other than Quartz named, but she was female, too. None of them were probably there in 2010 since Quartz is new and Kabili is a child or teenage giraffe at the very oldest (I don't know about Xolani, but she just recently became a mother), but let's just assume they were.

And before anyone jumps at me about New Zealand stereotypes with their beach barbies and their summer Christmases, it happens, okay? Not always, but it has happened. A few years ago, I worked at an ECE centre around Christmas. One of their mat times involved a book with Jingle Bells verses based on a New Zealand-type of Christmas Day, going to the beach, swimming, having a barbeque for lunch, and things like that.