Author's Note: It's merge time! Once again I find myself at a loss for words, but remember that the next episode will be posted on Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest.
Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama, the shuffled concept or the (most of) the characters.
And to answer some reviews:
Derick Lindsey: Brick elimination was obvious, but they can't all be shockers. Not gonna lie, sports aren't my forte so I just did take some inspiration from season 2. Once I settled on the dance-off, Izzy and Justin were kinda obvious, and I felt like throwing the guy a bone. The Geoff Courtney truce will last. IT will be tested constantly, but it'll last. I don't know, the scene with Olivia taking responsibility for her actions felt needed to me. as for everything else, wait and see.
KryptonianKnight: Eh, like I said, they can't all be shockers. And no I can't blame Owen. Even Contessa and Olivia admit he has a reason for his animosity.
Tempokeep: Another reason I wanted to get rid of Brick. I like the idea of a competition being anyone's game. I'm glad you liked the challenge though.
Gucci Mane LaFlare: Thanks. Little challenges are easier for me to write too. No need for a team leader, it's the merge now.
LazloVader9943: It is a shame about Brick, but it was needed. No worries, they'll be cross for a bit, but they're too good of friends to let it really get between them. Yeah, bringing up the rebel wasn't Topher's brightest move. And I'd like to think you're right about what was going through her head.
OmnipotentAbsoluteUIGodzilla: No more relationship angst for now. Now that we're in the second half of the season, it's time to wind down Topher's rampant good luck. And I just felt like giving Justin a win.
Crosshot: Thanks! I really like the little arc of Contessa slowly regaining her confidence and coming into her own.
LittleMermaid: Well thank you, welcome to the reviews and happy birthday! It's a little embarrassing to receive such praise though. The best fanfiction you've read? I don't know about that. Honestly, I'm starting like Courtney just from the challenge of making it seem like I don't hate her. I can't stand when writers invoke Ron the Death Eater. Contessa and the Olivessa ship are my favorite parts of the season though. I'm really glad I changed that form Dawn/Contessa. I like the Olympics too, but I pretty much only care for the opening ceremonies. And I've already said, I don't break up couples. Except for Contessa/Rebecca, but Rebecca's a sociopath and it was just a stepping stone to her current pairing. Sorry, but I'm not commenting on Redemption yet. Mainly because there still some things there I need to fine tune. And I don't mind the long reviews, I love hearing how much people enjoy my work... that sounded less narcissistic in my head. And I honestly couldn't tell English wasn't your first language from your review.
Remaining All-Stars:
Heroic Horses: Contessa, Izzy, Owen
Villainous Vipers: Courtney, Geoff, Justin, Olivia, Topher
AKA The Vampire Strikes Back
Episode 09: Return of the Drac
"Last time, on Total Drama!" The montage started off with the previous episode's soccer shootout. "Our all-stars were ready for Rio in this season's take on the Olympic Games!" The teams were shown assembled on a soccer field, followed by Owen and Topher's failures at the soccer shootout, Olivia's victory in the tennis match, Contessa winning the wrestling match, and Courtney's victory in the hurdles.
"And for the first time ever, Izzy let her team down," the wildcard's dance shown in part, as well as the judges beaming at the Justin's modeling and declaring him the winners. "Lucky for her that it was Brick who was sent packing," the cadets was shown hanging his head and Chef giving him the Toss of Shame, "thanks in part to Topher's mind games." the instigator was shown smirking at Courtney, and the recap ended.
"We're eight all-stars down," Chris continued as the scene cut to him and Chef in the cockpit of the plane, "with just eight to go. Who's gonna make it to the end of this totally dramatic episode? Find out! Right here! Right now! On Total! Drama! All-Stars! 2!
XXXXX
[The sequence opens exactly as it did in season three, with a tilted shot of a stagelight swinging up and turning on in front of an airport control tower, followed by another light popping out of an overhead compartment along with a pair of oxygen masks; then a camera forcibly ejecting a raccoon from a wing engine and another camera bursting out of a suitcase, sending undergarments flying. A pair of white-skinned arms clap a film slate in front of the camera, which then flies down the aisle of first class seats. It passes a drink cart, then forces Chris McLean to jump to the side as the camera flies into the cockpit.]
Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doin' fine;
[Chef Hatchet is piloting the plane in its cockpit, bobbleheads of himself and the host sitting on the control panel. For a single frame he turns his head and glares at the camera before it passes through the windshield and out onto the runway, the silhouette of the CN Tower visible in the distance as the camera flies over and through several baggage tugs.]
You guys are on my mind!
[Fading through the whiteness of a baggage cart, the camera emerges close to the CN Tower. The camera flies up along it, the sun shining bright at its peak. The scene arcs downward towards a lake, and speeds forward into it with a splash.]
Ya asked me what I wanted to be,
[The bubbles from the splash fade to show Owen floating underwater seemingly naked. He notices his swim trunks float past him and covers his crotch with a blush on his face, and the camera pans up to the surface.]
And now I think the answer is plain to see!
[On the roof of the cabin of a boat woven from reeds, Dawn is meditating in lotus position.]
I wanna be...famous!
[The camera pans down and to the right to where Olivia is frantically paddling the boat as crocodiles leap out of the water on either side and snap their jaws. The boat leaves the screen, and on 'be' one of the reptiles winces; the camera moves back to the boat, revealing that it had crashed into an inflatable raft that Contessa was standing on. The raft begins to sink, and Olivia quickly grabs her into a fierce hug. The two girls blush and separate just as quickly.]
I wanna live close to the sun!
[The camera flashes to the a snow-capped mountain, immediately cutting to the top it as Brick climbs up from the side, then wipes the sweat from his brow as he helps Courtney reach the summit.]
Well pack your bags, 'cause I've already won!
[The couple stop with shock on their faces as Izzy suddenly runs past. The wildcard blindly runs straight into Jasmine, and the two tumble off the other side of the mountain.]
Everythin' to prove,
[The camera quick-pans to Mitch standing in an open field on Pahkitew Island. He catches Jasmine in his arms and gently sets her down, and she kisses him on the cheek as Izzy lands on the ground behind them.]
Nothin' in my way; I'll get there one day.
[Another pan to the right shows Topher watching with a devious expression. He rubs his hands in anticipation, only for a furry paw to quickly tap him on the shoulder. The camera pans to Scuba Bear glaring at the instigator, who promptly runs away. On the bear's other side, Terrance begins to laugh...]
'Cause I wanna be...famous!
[...Scuba Bear then turns to glare at Terrance instead, even roaring at the boy and chasing him off. The camera zooms in on a mountain in the background, and flashes over to Geoff and Katie walking down the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The party dude turns to the right and screams and the two run away, a large number of fans chasing them away.]
(Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
[Justin and B were next, the genius driving a speedboat and the model waterskiing behind him. They speed up and out of frame and the camera shakes for a moment. The shot pans to the right to show that the boys had ran into another speedboat driven by Sasquatchanakwa, Justin now face-down in his and B's boat. The yeti makes a hand gesture that had to be censored and the camera pans up to the sky.]
I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
[The jet flies right past a Mayan pyramid, causing whole structure to fall apart; the jet flies over Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro, startling a priest into crossing himself; the jet flies trough the air and the camera pans down.]
I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
[The pan ends on a zoomed out shot of the swim-dressed all-stars lined up on eight platforms according to their teams – the villains holding red dueling sticks on the left of each platform, the heroes holding gold dueling sticks on the right. The camera zooms in and moves between them as they clash – smirking Courtney against smirking Brick; smug Topher being shoved in the water by a smiling Mitch; vain Justin holding off a confused Owen with one hand as he admired his own reflection in a hand mirror; Geoff thrusting eagerly but being easily blocked by an unimpressed Jasmine; Katie smirking darkly as she easily knocked Dawn into the water; Olivia being knocked away by a maniacally grinning Izzy; Terrance evenly matched with B, both boys smirking competitively; and Rebecca evilly smirking as she slammed her stick against a terrified Contessa, the top pieces of the padding suddenly catching fire and making both girls look up in surprise.]
[The lyrics end and a guitar is strummed as the camera zooms in on the two flames as they flare together, and the last few whistling notes play. The fires peter out to show the cast lined up and most of them smiling at the camera, the jet behind them. Mitch is on the far left end; to the right are Jasmine, B, Owen, Terrance, Geoff, Justin, Topher and Rebecca. In front of them are Dawn, Olivia, Contessa, Katie, Courtney, and Brick. Rebecca has her back turned to the camera as the song ends, spray-painting a '2' at the end of the 'Total Drama All-Stars' logo on the side of the jet, then turns and winks at the camera.]
XXXXX
The episode opened at night, the plane flying off to the right before the camera cut inside to the cargo hold. A pan across the cabin revealed Olivia lighting candles set on a red blanket with a soft smile. The sound of footsteps caught her attention and she smiled and grabbed something offscreen, and the quick change in camera angles showed the remaining Heroes approaching her.
"Hey Tessa I-" Olivia started brightly and handing her a bouquet of flowers before lighty blushing in embarrassment at the unexpected guests. "- honestly expected something else when you asked me to meet you."
"I knew it!" Izzy announced jovially. "I knew there was something going on with you two! Go Izzy!"
"Unfortunately," Owen muttered under his breath.
Contessa shot the two a quick glare before smiling at Olivia. "I'm sorry," she smiled sheepishly. "I wanted to talk strategy and... didn't realize it sounded like a date. But thank you for the flowers," she said grabbing them and sniffing them with a more joyous smile. "They're really pretty."
"Well that explains what they're doing here," Olivia said, fully recovered and a familiar scowl on her face. "But what's up?"
"So by my count," Contessa started as the music turned deep and plodding, "we should be at the merge now. Which means we've got to get rid of the biggest threat." She glanced around at the three, who were all giving her their rapt attention. "Topher." She said seriously.
Olivia narrowed her eyes and her teammates gave her disbelieving looks. "Are you sure about that?" Owen asked. "Because from what little I spoke with the guy he's..." the optimist trailed off.
"A narcissistic idiot?" Izzy finished.
"It's an act," Contessa explained. "Remember Jasmine's grudge against me?" the other Heroes nodded and Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Well she told me that she thought I was sabotaging the team. And only one person would try and stir up drama like that. Plus," she narrowed her eyes, "and I cannot stress this enough. He threw me out of a plane last year. Anyway," she sighed. "My point is, he's been sabotaging us and making me out to be the bad guy."
"That little rat!" Olivia shouted suddenly, offhandedly punching a hole in a nearby crate to the Heroes shock. "He went back on our deal!"
"Hah!" Owen said with bright eyes. "I knew you were just using Contessa! I take it she wasn't supposed to find out?"
"Uh, no," Olivia told him, brow furrowed and arms crossed as Contessa glared at him. "Well, I was helping him," she explained reluctantly as her crush stared at her in surprise, "but only because he was blackmailing me."
"What'd he do?"Owen scoffed. "Threaten to take away your mirror?"
Olivia narrowed her eyes. "He found about me and Tessa." Contessa gasped. "And threatened to tell you guys about it and get her kicked off if I didn't help him."
Contessa cleared her throat before Owen could retort. "All the more reason for the four of us to team up," she told them. "It'd take too much for him to get rid of us if we did that."
Izzy shrugged. "Fine by Izzy," she said. Olivia huffed, but nodded in agreement and Owen glared at the actress before sighing and noddin his own agreement.
A tense tune played as the scene panned to the right and onto Topher. The instigator scowled, then turned and walked away.
\
"So...any ideas what we'll have to do this time?" Geoff asked Courtney as the footage flashed to the two sitting at the mini-bar in first class.
"Not really," Courtney told him. "I was going to try and strategize, but," she sighed.
"Yeah," Geoff said, also sighing. "I get what you mean. I miss Katie. But that's why were choking down our mutual hatred and working together right?"
Courtney frowned. "It's not the same. You aren't the reason Katie went home."
Geoff thought for a moment. "...well, maybe you're right. Doesn't mean you gotta throw in the towel. That'd just add insult to injury for the dude. And I'm pretty sure he forgave you anyway."
"That just makes the guilt worse," Courtney groaned.
Geoff chuckled. "Congrats Whorf," he joked. "You've mastered human emotion."
Courtney turned a glare at the party dude, then chuckled a bit to herself.
The music turned plodding as the camera panned to the left a little ways, showing Topher sitting down next to Justin while the model ate a steak.
"So," Justin asked his ally. "What's the plan to avoid elimination if we lose?"
Topher raised an eyebrow. "You realize that we're probably gonna merge before the next challenge right?"
Justin thought for a minute, then perked up in realization.
XXX
"With the teams merging soon and Contessa setting up that little voting block against me, I need to be more...flexible with my strategy." Topher rolled his eyes. "And now that Justin's my only ally I need all the help I can get. Maybe I can third wheel with Courtney and Geoff and subtly influence them with 'dumb' ideas..."
XXX
A dramatic tune started playing as the view switched to the series' world map, the plane icon spiraling its way from Brazil to Eastern Europe. "Attention All-Stars!" Chris announced over the plane's PA system as the scene moved to the cockpit. "The airport closest to our next challenge location is a too far to walk, so, we're just gonna jump."
The scene moved again to the host's voice coming out of a loudspeaker in the cargo hold, the contestants still in it immediately voicing their objections. "Aaaand, we don't have enough parachutes," Chris added.
"...Didn't expect to need 'em," Chef said back in the cockpit.
"So, you might wanna light a fire under your butts and grab one before they're gone," Chris told the contestants.
\
The scene skipped ahead again, now in the elimination chamber as the Villains, Izzy, and Owen lined up in front of the open door with parachutes on their backs. Geoff was in front and jumped out with a whoop, and the shot cut to a close-up of the lone remaining parachute.
"Wanna share?" Contessa asked Olivia as the two looked at it warily.
\
An organ playing the first few notes of "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" played over a shot of a large medieval castle in the rain. A flash of lightning served as the flash to Chris addressing the eight teens.
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"All-Stars," Chris began happily as the group walked down a path in the rain, the host inexplicably the only one not getting soaked. "Welcome," his tone became sinister. "To Wallachia!"
"That sounds made up," Justin said suspiciously.
"Nope!" the host smiled. "Unlike some other shows. Our research is top-notch. You see, Wallachia is a Romanian province with a loooooong history. Before Michael the Brave unified the country, there was one prince who ruled Wallachia with an iron fist," he frowned. "Vlad the Impaler!" A dramatic riff played and the camera moved in for a close-up as Chris said the name, a dark grin on his face.
The Heroes gasped. "He's also known as Dracula," Chris explained, taking out a painting that portrayed a somewhat familiar pale young man. "Your challenge is to find a stake made from Vlad's original coffin. It's the only thing that can dust such an ancient and powerful vampire. But be caaarefuuull," he said slyly, "Drac's aware of the weapon's power and will do everything in his power to stop you!"
"One more thing," Chris announced cheerfully, "as you may have noticed, we're down eight players. Which means it's time for everyone's favorite part of the game," he announced with a sing-song as the group finally arrived as the castle doors. "The merge!"
XXX
"Well now I'm even more nervous than before," Contessa confessed, still soaked for some reason. "I mean, sure, I'm in an alliance with my best friend and my kinda-sorta-girlfriend. But I was in a similar situation last time and that ended... poorly."
"Then there's Topher to worry about," she added. "I need to be really careful with what to do there."
XXX
Courtney, also soaking wet, began her confessional with a groan. "I can't exactly be happy about making the merge considering what happened last time," she said. "And I'm a similar situation too. I'm not popular with the others and I only have one ally I can count on." She rolled her eyes. "And considering that person's Geoff I can't count on him forever."
"But I can promise you," she told the camera with a fierce determination, "I am going to win this season."
XXX
"Woo-hoo!" Geoff cheered, arms raised in the air and soaked like the two before him. "The Final Eight! And the merge. It's my second time here and I'm goin' all the way! Woo!"
"Heck," he lowered his arms. "I probably could've won last time considering I was never actually voted off. I can do this," he declared.
XXX
"Oh yeah," a soaked Izzy cheered. "Izzy's in the merge again! All I have to do is not get chased off by the RCMP and I can like totally win this."
XXX
A soaked Justin began his confessional with a sigh. "So this is how it feels to make it to the merge. I know I haven't really done much this season but that's all about to change. I've got some killer strategies cooked up and you're not gonna wanna miss them."
XXX
"Tessa was right about the merge," a wet Olivia confessed with an expression that was somewhere between haughty and lovesick. "But I shouldn't be too surprised. I have excellent taste after all. No, right now my main issue is Topher," she glared. "It was bad enough he blackmailed me but he didn't even have the decency to keep his end of the bargain." She rolled her eyes and smirked. "I guess I'll just have to remind him why it's a bad idea to make an enemy out of me."
XXX
"If Contessa can be believed," a soaked Owen contemplated, "and she pretty much always can be, then Topher's been stirrin' up the doo-doo," he made a stirring motion with his finger. "But I have faith that Contessa's plan will work. I mean, she's kinda the smartest girl I know. Even if she can be a bit of a scatterbrain sometimes," he whispered.
"I'm super psyched about the merge though. And the alliance. If it works then I'm guaranteed a spot in the Final Four, and it'll be awesome! Izzy and Contessa are my friends!" He sighed and rolled his eyes. "And I can tolerate Olivia. I guess."
XXX
"So the teams merged," Topher said, soaked like everyone else. "And I already see the lines drawn in the sand. But it's still too early to think eliminations. Now that challenges aren't done as a team, I need to plan for the challenges and the votes. But I should still be sitting pretty."
"Well I'm always pretty," he chuckled. "But now I mean as far as the game goes."
XXX
The static skipped the footage ahead to the inside of the castle, which looked rather basic. The walls and floors were a light gray stone and the carpets, rugs, and drapes were red with gold trim. "Your challenge," Chris began, "is to explore this creepy castle to find the stake made form Dracula's original coffin."
"The doors are locked," he added as Owen tried and failed to open the heavy wooden doors, "so you can't get out. First one to find the stake, or last one not captured by the vamp," he explained with an odd grin, "wins immunity."
"So you're actually gonna spend the whole night in this castle with us?" Courtney asked skeptically.
"Nope," Chris said. "I'm a hologram right now. By the way! Legend has it that if Dracula catches you trespassing, he'll turn you into one of his undead servants for all eternity. Good luuuuuuck~"
The host disappeared in a flicker and the contestants gasped.
\
The screen flashed to show the cast was being watched from a monitor. The camera pulled back to show Chris sitting in a chair, watching four such monitors showing the three different rooms in the castle and the confessional. He chuckled and turned to the camera, whispering "There's more to this challenge than any of our all-stars know," he hunched over and rubbed his hands while letting out a deep and evil chuckle.
\
"Okay," Courtney told the others, "even if we are competing against each other, I think we should pair up and search, agreed?"
"Agreed!" Contessa and Owen said together. "But, umm," the hopeless romantic added, "I'm just gonna...ignore the horror aspect of this challenge... Black people never make it the end of a horror movie..." she grumbled.
"Good idea," the optimist told her. "So who's pairing up with who?"
To no one's surprise, Topher grabbed Justin and the two ran off to the left.
"Come on Courtney," Geoff said, shocking the alliance of four. He grabbed her arm and ran to off to the right, ignoring her protests.
"So..." Owen started. "How are we doing this?"
"Kinda obvious isn't it?" Contessa replied. "I'm going with Liv, and you and Izzy are pairing up."
Owen narrowed his eyes at the actress, but before he could Izzy piped up with a cheerful "Works for me!" grabbing his arm with an almost devious smile and dragging him off to the right.
Contessa and Olivia looked at one another, then headed off to the left silently.
\
An outside shot of the castle was shown, and another bolt of lightning served as the flash to the two girls as they walked down a corridor.
"So," Olivia broke the silence, "why did you come with me instead of one of your old teammates?"
Contessa chuckled. "Two reasons. One, I'm sick of watching Owen and Izzy dance around each other. And two," she hugged Olivia's arm and rested her head on her shoulder, "I wanted to spend time with you."
The actress didn't respond, but a deep red blush covered her whole face.
"Liv~" Contessa sang coyly. "If this is gonna work you've gotta get used to me being affectionate without doing your impression of a tomato."
Olivia turned to glare at her crush, but a quick kiss on the lips from her rendered the poor girl even redder than before. Contessa just laughed.
The viewpoint moved back an open doorway, the background music taking an ominous turn as the camera shifted around and heavy breathing was heard – somebody was secretly watching the girls from a distance.
\
Another outside shot of the castle was shown, complete with a flash of lightning taking the scene elsewhere. This time to Owen climbing a flight of stairs with Izzy on his back and tapping a beat on his head.
"...so that's the story of how Owen ate a hundred and ninety-eight host dogs," the optimist said. "It would've been two hundred," he continued, "but the judges didn't count the last two since they shot out of Owen's nose."
"That is so awesome," Izzy chuckled.
"Owen's stories aren't bothering you are they?" he asked seriously as they reached the top and continued down another corridor..
"Nah," the wildcard shrugged after a moment. "All your chattering is taking my mind of Count Dracula making us his eternal undead servants!"
"Oh crap!" Owen said suddenly, dropping Izzy and causing her to glare at him. "I totally forgot about that! It's like a scene in a horror movie when the monster comes and kills the couple who are making out!"
"But we're not making out," Izzy pointed out.
"Oh," Owen said in embarrassment. "Right," he chuckled.
There was an awkward silence. Izzy looked at her crush and former teammate and asked "Wanna make out?" The camera shifted to a nearby doorway, a shadow falling unnoticed on the floor as the music turned eerie.
Owen chuckled nervously, and the wildcard stood up with her best attempt at a seductive grin and pulled him close. The figure in the doorway stepped forward enough to a pale and pallid looking man dressed exactly like the picture Chris had shown the contestants earlier. He tapped Owen on the shoulder and raised a knife in the air.
The two former Heroes screamed and backed away as the vampire plodded forward menacingly. As his victims ran off screaming, he sighed and continued to slowly chase after them.
\
A flash took the scene to Owen and Izzy running in sheer terror. "Didn't we climb up a flight of stairs to get here?" Owen asked.
"Horror movies like to extend the running scenes!" Izzy told him. "It gives them time to film a good wipeout!"
It was then that Owen trip on a small kink in the carpet and fell down the stairs, bouncing from his head to his butt and back the whole way. The shot briefly cut to Izzy watching in concern and back to Owen just as he landed in a heap on the floor.
"Owen!" Izzy called out. "I'll be right there!" she slid down the bannister and landed right next to him. They both looked up in disbelief in horror, and the camera cut to Dracula at the bottom of the stairs waiting on them.
A pause icon appeared on the screen.
\
"And it looks like our first two players are already out of the running," Chris said as the opening notes of the capstone theme played. He walked in front of the scene, and rubbed his hands. "Think they might make it? Find out! After the break."
\
(Commercial Break)
\
The episode returned to the same scene. Dracula raised a knife and began stalking towards Owen and Izzy, who had gotten up and back ed hemselves up against the stairs.
"Owen's too young to die!" the optimist shouted. "Here! Take Izzy!" he shoved the wildcard in front of him and ran off to the right.
Izzy looked Owen's retreating form with anger and disbelief, then back at the vampire with horror.
\
The scene cut to Owen running through the castle screaming, the scary music which had accompanied the scenes with the vampire continuing on as he ran into a petite form. The camera pulled back to show a young woman as pale as the vampire and dressed in an elegant but gothic red and black ballgown.
"The dark lord requires more servants," she said in a creepy monotone voice as she approached him.
The music peaked again as another outward shot of the castle was shown as Owen's screams reverberated through the air.
\
The camera flashed to a smiling Chris watching as Owen and Izzy were tossed into the room. He smiled and walked over to the two as Izzy rubbed her head and Owen looked around in confusion. "Hey guys," he told them.
"Forget the challenge!" Izzy yelled incredulously. "There's a couple of delusional wackjobs in there!"
"About that," the host replied with a chuckle. "I thought it'd make the challenge more fun if there was a terror element. And I was right."
"Don't you think that was a little harsh?" the wildcard asked him. "I mean, we actually thought we were gonna be killed!"
"Hey," Chris shrugged and laughed, "I thought it was funny. And that's all that matters."
"So...," Owen finally said, "We're not gonna be turned into undead servants? Or killed?"
"Nope!" the host said cheerfully. "You're safe, but unfortunately you lost the challenge. But now," he motioned over to the monitors, "you get to watch our fake psychos terrorize the rest of the all-stars! Fun, huh?" he chuckled.
"Yeah," Owen smiled. "Awesome!" he looked to the left to see Izzy glaring at him. "Oh, you're still on the part where Owen shoved Izzy into the vampire?" he asked with a shoving motion. "Aren't you?"
Izzy just narrowed her eyes further.
"Owen's not getting to second base is he?" he asked, causing her to shake her head. "First base?" he asked hopefully, earning another shake. "Didn't think so," he sighed. He perked up again. "Is he gettin' up to ba-"
She interrupted him with a punch to the face strong enough to send him to the floor.
\
"Uh...," Contessa asked as the scene flashed to the remaining six contestants at the bottom of the staircase circled around a pool of red liquid, a large trail of it with red footsteps beside ti trailed off to the right. "Please tell me that isn't what I think it is..."
Olivia touched her hand to it and grimaced. "That depends," she said. "Do you think it's blood?"
"I don't even wanna know how you know that," Justin shuddered.
"Well it looks like Chris's cheapness finally got the better of him," Courtney scoffed. "If I get out of here he is so gonna hear from my lawyers!"
"It could still be a prank," Geoff said. "Chris's got a messed up sense of humor."
"Geoff's right," Topher chimed in. "For now, let's just keep going about the challenge. Only one of us can win after all."
The group paired off again. Contessa and Olivia following the red trail, Courtney and Geoff ascending the stairs and Justin and Topher going to the right.
\
The scene moved to a crack in a heavy doorway, with deep breathing to be heard as the camera moved to the right, showing Geoff and Courtney standing inside a grand dining room and Dracula slowly and quietly opening the door.
"Okay," Courtney said with a hint of panic as the camera cut to her, "I'm going to check the kitchen. No offense but I need immunity more than you. A-a-and you better not leave me!" she shouted. "If you do I will end you!"
"Chillax dudette," Geoff chuckled. "I'm not going anywhere."
Courtney looked uncertain, but began her search anyways. "If I was a special weapon, where would I be?"
\
The scene pulled back to the Chris lounging with his feet on the desk in front of him. "Cue the ice cream truck!" he said happily, pressing a button on the console beneath the monitors.
\
Geoff looked around with a calm smile, and perked up when an ice cream truck jingle began in the distance. "Is that ice cream?" he asked excitedly. "I'll be right back!" he shouted with a grin on his face as he ran off in the direction of the music, which faded into something more sinister as the camera lingered on where he had just been.
"I don't think we're gonna find that stake in here," Courtney said fearfully as she exited the building, immediately noticing the party dude's absence, "Geoff? Wherever you are, this isn't funny!" she called into the room.
A throat clearing caught her attention. She widened her eyes in panic and slowly turned around. The camera showed Dracula raising his knife as the music spiked.
Courtney's scream echoed over an outside shot of the castle.
\
The footage flashed ahead to her being dropped onto the ground in front of Izzy and Owen. "Hey Courtney," the wildcard said brightly.
The prep huffed and crossed her arms. "I knew it was a challenge all along," she said. "Your little 'vampire' couldn't scare me."
"Sure it didn't," Chris said with an eyeroll and a look of disbelief.
\
"Oh man," Justin worried as he and Topher wandered about the castle, "this isn't good. How could we be so stupid, of course there's some psychotic killer running around. I bet it's that guy..." he trailed off, "the one with only one eye." He scratched his head. "What was his name again?"
Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Topher only made it two steps away before footsteps made both boys jump. Their eyes suddenly widened and Topher took a deep breath. "We're not alone," he told the model, "whatever happens remain calm. Don't scream. Don't panic. Just keep it cool." They turned around completely and gasped.
The music turned ominous as the camera pulled back to show Dracula slowly advancing toward them. He let loose a small chuckle behind his mask, then raised his red-stained knife.
Justin screamed in panic and in the heat of the moment, grabbed Topher and put the instigator between himself and the vampire. Topher glared at him, then elbowed him in the stomach. Justin doubled over in pain and Topher ran off, leaving his partner behind. The model eventually recovered... just in time to see Dracula right in front of him
Justin's scream echoed over an outside shot of the castle.
\
"Dude, that was so harsh," Chris told him as he was deposited with the others. "Better hope that doesn't come back and bite you." The model just groaned.
\
The scene moved to a large room filled with axes, swords, and suits of armor. Topher entered the room wearlily and sighed in relief at the silence. He looked around and smiled to himself.
"Looks like an armory of some sort," he said to himself. "Probably the best place to look for a weapon." He rubbed his chin. "I'd bet it's in one of those suits of armor. A good hiding spot, and searching for it will attract a lot of noise and alert Drac." He nodded. "So that's probably where it is."
He walked off-screen and the air was soon filled with a lot of metal clanking.
\
The footage skipped ahead to show Topher in the midst of a large pile of parts from the suits of armor. The clanking so loud he didn't even notice Dracular apporaching him. The vampire shook his head and cleared his throat.
"Found it!" Topher cheered, the music turning triumphant as he held up a simple wooden stake. "I win!" Dracula cleared his throat again, causing the boy's eyes to widen and the triumphant music to slowly peter out.
"That sucks," he said out loud once the music stopped, not even bothering to turn around.
Topher's scream echoed over an outside shot of the castle.
\
"Well," Topher said back with the others, "at least I got the stake. Does that mean I win?"
"Yep," Chris said. "You have immunity from tonight's vote." Behind him Owen and Izzy shared a look.
Topher smiled. "Yes!"
"Does that mean this stupid game is over now?" Courtney asked from his seat in a corner.
"Sorry," Chris smiled unapologetically, "we gotta wait until everyone's slashed. And it looks like our buddy Geoff is up next!" The camera panned up and over to the second monitor from the left, where the party dude was unwittingly being trailed by Dracula.
The shot lingered on the monitor for a moment before shifting over to Courtney." How is it possible that he doesn't notice there's someone right behind him?" the annoyed prep said in disbelief.
\
Both the ice cream truck music and the eerie background music were playing while the scene cut over to Geoff as he walked down a corridor. Dracula tapped the party dude on the shoulder, finally catching his attention.
"Hey man, you see a ice cream truck around here?" Geoff asked over his shoulder. The theme song cut off, and the vampire just stared back and breathed heavily. "No?" the party dude shrugged as he turned his head back. "Bummer," He suddenly stopped, eyes going wide as he slowly turned his head back at the man following him.
Geoff's scream echoed over an outside shot of the castle before he was unceremoniously deposited with the others.
"By far," Chris told him as the other competitors looked down in disappointment and disbelief, "the worst blunder yet."
"Not to mention you left me behind," Courtney added. "What the heck was that about?"
"I told you I'd be right back," Geoff defended.
Courtney opened her mouth to say something, but the conversation was cut short by Olivia's voice over the monitors. "I don't really do horror movies," she said. "Do black people really not make it to the end?
"Never," Contessa confirmed. "Unless there's two and one's played by a rapper. "Also guaranteed to bite it are the party dude, the guy no one likes, and any guy that looks like he could be a male model."
XXX
"That woulda been good to know earlier," Justin confessed with annoyance.
XXX
The conversation continued in footage directly from the hall the girls were exploring. "Doesn't that mean you're next?" Olivia asked worriedly. "I mean, if we really have been hearing all those screams, then we're the last two left."
"Yeah..." Contessa trailed off nervously, "it's a bit of a toss-up. The sole survivor is always a girl you see and we might be the last ones left. And the only person who usually dies before the black one is..."
Olivia sighed. "The alpha-witch," she finished.
"Well you've been trying to be a better person lately," Contessa told her. "Maybe that's factored in the horror trope?"
"And does the nice girl usually make it to the end?" the actress asked dryly.
Contessa sighed. "No."
It was then that a candleabrum next to them suddenly lit itself. Both girls gasped and clung to each other, and the music turned ominous as a knife flew from nowhere and embedded itself in the walls high above the girls.
"RUN!" Contessa cried, grabbing Olivia and taking off.
\
The footage skipped ahead to show them panting heavily and still running. "Tessa," Olivia gasped, stopping and grabbing the hopeless romantic's arms to make her do the same. "I can't," she panted. "I can't run anymore."
The camera pulled back to show Dracula approaching them and not looking tired at all.
"Go," Olivia told Contessa.
"But-" Contessa started to say.
"Go!" Olivia shoved her to make her run. "I'll be okay," she smiled. Contessa gave her an uncertain look, then ran off.
"You're not touching her," Olivia told the vampire.
"You can't stop me," he replied in a monotone. "I shall make you both my undead servants."
"Uh, no," Olivia said in disgust. "I'll die before I let that happen."
"But of course," Dracula said as he approached the Olivia, the actress trembling but standing her ground. "Death is a necessary step in the journey to undeath." The footage switched to a frontal view of the vampire
Olivia's scream echoed as he approached the camera.
\
"OLIVIA!" Contessa screamed in horror as the actress's scream filled the air. "no..." she said more quietly, sniffling at the end.
"He'll pay for that," the hopeless romantic said with a crack of her knuckles as Dracula approached her. "You hear me?" she shouted as soon as she noticed him. "You'll pay!"
The camera pulled back to show Contessa tackle the vampire to ground. "How dare you!" she shouted as she grabbed his collar and reapeatedly slammed him into the ground. "How dare you hurt her! I'll make you pay for hurting the girl I love!"
She suddenly stopped. "Love?" she said to herself. "Do I love Olivia?" She smiled and let out a laugh that was thick with emotion. "I do! I love her!"
"Congratulations," a voice groaned. Contessa's eyes widened as if she'd had remembered the vampire she was beating up a second ago and looked down in shock. The vampire's hair had been completely disheveled, and had fallen in a way to make him easily recognizable as the long-banged intern.
\
A duller tune started playing as the footage skipped ahead to show the jumbo jet parked on a runway in front of another castle-like structure in the rising sun. The scene cut inside to first class where Chris and Chef were standing next to a large entertainment center set into the wall; its screen was divided into quarters showing the inside of several of the rooms the cast had visited through the night.
The two adults leaned to the left, the camera panning to the left and revealing the captured contestants lined up on a long rug against the wall – Owen, Izzy, Courtney, Justin, Geoff, Topher, Olivia, and Contessa arriving while escorted by the female intern.
Contessa immediately cringed when she saw Chris. "Sorry about your intern..."
"Are you kidding?" Chris said as he walked past the captured contestants and patted the hopeless romantic on the back. "That was awesome! And since you not only lasted the longest out of everybody but took out Dracula himself," Chris added, "you get immunity. Topher," the boy in question stiffened at the call, "since you managed to get the original stake you also get immunity. And both of you get to stay in first class to our next destination."
Topher began to cheer in excitement as the proper triumphant tune began to play while Contessa sent a worried glance to her alliance.
"Now," the host turned back to the others, "it's head on to the elimination room, one of you has got to go."
\
A more plodding tune took over as the footage skipped forward to Contessa, Owen, Izzy, and Olivia meeting in the cargo hold. "So what do we do now?" Izzy asked. "Topher's got immunity."
"I don't know," Contessa said. "Do you have any ideas Liv?"
The actress blushed upon hearing her crush's question, but cleared her throat and regained her composure. "Justin." she said. "He was also in the alliance and if we can get rid of him now, we can weaken Topher."
"Works for me," Owen said. The girls all moved to leave, but he tapped Olivia on the shoulder to stop her.
"Don't touch me," she hissed. "What do you want?"
Owen sighed. "I'm sorry for assuming you were using Contessa," he said. "It's obvious you care about her, and she seems to care about you too. But I swear you better not hurt her," he warned.
"Never," Olivia declared. There was a pause and she sighed. "And don't give up on Izzy. I mean, you screwed up big time. But the fact that she still wants to be in this alliance means you might have a shot."
\
"We need to talk," Topher told Justin as the camera flashed to them in the common area.
"Is this about what happened with the vampire?" Justin said nervously. "Because-"
"No worries," the instigator said with a dismissive hand-wave. "I just wanted to talk about who we're voting off tonight.
"Umm...," Justin began, only for Topher to immediately cut him off.
"Let's skip the inevitable confusion and just say," he said with slight irritation. "We're voting off Courtney."
\
The footage flashed ahead to the elimination ceremony as the standard theme for the event played. "Now," Chris addressed the all-stars said as a few deep notes played, "time for your first individual vote of the season!"
XXX
The static cut to a single eight-way split screen as the campers cast their votes in silence – Courtney, Olivia, Contessa, and Izzy on the top; Justin, Owen, Geoff, and Topher on the bottom.
XXX
"And now for the moment you've all been waiting for," Chris said, now holding a tray of seven marshmallows in one hand. "The votes have been tallied, and the following players are safe. Topher," he began, tossing the first bit of fluff to the instigator. "Contessa." He tossed her the next one, and she gave a nervous glance to Olivia.
The shot cut to the back row as Topher gave his fellow winner a smile, which she returned with a dirty look. Olivia giggled at the exchange.
"Owen," Chris said off-camera, the scene panning to the nervous optimist as he let out his breath and shared a happy smile with Izzy. "Izzy." The wildcard sighed in relief. "Geoff." The camera cut back to Chris as he tossed a treat to the party dude.
"Courtney, Olivia, Justin," he said with false solemness, "all of you received votes against you." A split-screen close-up of the faces of the bottom three slid into view, Olivia and Justin from the top and Courtney from the bottom. Only the model looked nervous. "The next person safe tonight is...Courtney."
The two right sections of the split-screen disappeared as Courtney let out her breath, then looked over to see Geoff resting his hand on her shoulder and smiling at her. The shot cut to Olivia and Justin locking eyes, the actress now looking nervous and the model now calm.
"And tonight's loser is...," Chris began, the elimination music reaching the peak of its tension as the shot quickly switched between close-ups of him, the corner final marshmallow, Olivia's wide-eyed face, and Justin as he calmly looked to his partner and raised an eyebrow.
"Justin," the host finally announced. Olivia sighed in relief, catching the last treat and wiping the sweat from her brow. "Sorry dude," Chris said, "but you're out."
"Wait?" The Eye Candy said as he stood up in shock. "What? But why me?!"
XXX
"Hey, I gave him multiple tests to see if he was worth keeping around," Topher explained with a shrug. "And he flunked every one of them." He smirked. "I guess that's why he's called a flunkie," he chuckled couple of times, then slid into full-blown laughter at his joke."
XXX
"Oh don't worry," Chris said impishly. "Because someone will be joining you!"
Everyone present gasped.
"Remember how I said whoever found the stake would get a reward?" the host asked. Topher's eyes widened as he continued. "Well the reward is they get to choose who joins Justin for today's Toss." He chuckled. "I kept it secret to keep people from vying for his favor."
XXX
"And to screw over any plans people might have made," Olivia huffed.
XXX
"So who's it gonna be?" Chris asked the instigator.
"It's a tough choice," Topher said with false concentration. "But I think I'll eliminate... Owen..."
A short but dramatic riff played over a close-up of The Optimist's shocked and horrified face, and Izzy stood up and declared "Wait!"
She grabbed Owen and kissed him on the lips. "I'll see you at the finale okay?" he nodded blankly. "Okay, take him away," she said with a smile.
XXX
"Yeah I'm still mad," Izzy confessed. "But since he's going home, I can suppress it long enough for a goodbye kiss."
XXX
The camera cut to the outside of the plane as Justin, then Owen, were subjected to the Toss of Shame. "Here's some fezes," Chris told the boys. "They're really popular this season!" He sighed happily, closing the door to the chamber to block their protests. "I love my job," he said.
\
"Ten players down, six to go," Chris told the camera as the footage cut him and Chef in the cockpit, the capstone theme beginning as it always did. "Who's the next to have their chance at the million staked? Only one way to find out. Tune in next time for more! Total! Drama! All-Stars! 2!"
(Roll the Credits)
\
\
(Bonus Clip)
The bonus footage opened on Owen and Justin walking down the runway. "Well, that could've gone better I suppose," Owen told the camera with a light sigh as he put on the fez. "At least the alliance against Topher proved it could work."
"Hey," the model said, "you mean I only got voted out just because of my alliance with Topher?"
"Yeah," Owen told him. "I mean come on Dude" he chuckled. "You're not exactly a threat in the game."
"I-wha-that's not even-," Justin spluttered before switching to outrage. "I coulda been a threat!"
"Hey it's not a bad thing," Owen said placatingly. "And if Topher wasn't immune you'd still be in the game. That's gotta count for something right?"
"Not as much as you think," Justin scoffed. He noticed a flapping sound and stopped in his tracks. "Hey, do you hear that?"
"It sounds like..." Owen trailed off as a horde of bats descended upon the boys. "BAATS!"
The horde darkened the screen just as the two screamed in terror
Author's Note Post Script: For the record, I did say that Justin had a role this season. Never said it was a big one. I just needed a plausible merge boot and he fit the bill perfectly. I mean it could have been Brick in theory, but it'd take a lot of working around to make it happen.
Owen on the other hand, will be explained by Topher next episode. But I will say he had a definite strategy involved when he did it. As for the... oddness of his exit scene? Well he already had an emotional goodbye las season with Contessa and I didn't want to redo it. On the other hand, I needed to wrap up the Ozzy plotline and it fit Izzy's unpredictable nature I thought.
Overall, this chapter was an odd one to write. I'm not that well versed in horror. Can't stand the genre actually, so that might have been a bit difficult to read. And did you really think I'd do a horror challenge with Owen and Izzy and not include the punch? Come on. I also think with the ship tease I've been giving them all season the sudden make out feels a bit more natural. But as always you guys will be the judges of that.
And as always I'm sure I'm forgetting to mention something.
I hope you all enjoyed the episode, or some part of it.
Please stay safe and healthy during these difficult times.
And I'd also like to remind you guys that a TVTropes page for this series does exist and needs you guys adding to it.
With that I'm signing off
-TotalDramaFan14
RDAS2 ELIMINATION TABLE:
16th Place: Rebecca
15th Place: B
14th Place: Terrance
13th Place: Dawn
12th Place: Mitch
11th Place: Jasmine
10th Place: Katie
9th Place: Brick
8th Place: Justin
7th Place: Owen