Chris, Topher, and Lindsay stood at the city limits of Drama City.
"Last time, on Total Drama Party with the Stars!" the three began in unison.
"Nothing is sacred anymore, at least when it comes to loyalty. Hehaha," Chris chuckled.
"That's not true! Tyler and I have always been loyal to each other!" Lindsay cried.
"Chris has never had a serious relationship. Just let him cope," Topher told her quietly.
"I'll give you something to cope about!" Chris threatened. "Anyway, as I was going to say, people have been forming new alliances outside of their old alliances with other people who have alliances outside their new alliances."
"My head hurts," Lindsay moaned.
"Basically, everything's unpredictable right now since anyone can group up with anyone and pull off anything," Topher said. "Of note, Jean-Marie set up an alliance with Frita and Quentin, Steve Jenkins set up an alliance with Hugh and Vladimir, and Cyan set up an alliance with Louise, Nolan, Frita, Quentin, and Bailey."
"That last one holds a pretty big majority, but will Jean-Marie affect Frita's or Quentin's loyalty to it?" Chris wondered.
"I hope so," Lindsay said. "I like Cyan and hope she does well, but I also support true love on this show!"
"Quentin is into Jean-Marie, but I don't know if that's being reciprocated," Topher thought aloud. "We'll see."
"Anyway, the challenge was a city-wide scavenger hunt, sending our contestants to various places they'd been before to grab specific items," Chris recapped. "After another close bout, the Grand Gryphons were sent back to Elimination Station to lose another one of their own."
"They've really made a habit of doing that, haven't they?" Topher snickered.
"It takes twenty-one days to break a habit. I learned that when I made myself stop chewing my nails," Lindsay informed.
"Ernie's and Irving's names had been brought up multiple times long before the elimination, and, with Steve Jenkins and Vladimir seemingly playing both sides, nobody was entirely sure how the vote would sway," Chris continued. "In the end, Ernie was deemed too big a liability, and the show said goodbye to one of the era's pioneer villains."
"And things can only keep going from here," Topher winked.
"Isn't that true of... everything?" Lindsay asked, confused.
"Don't overthink it," Topher advised.
"Who will taste victory, and who will taste defeat?" Chris asked. "And what do victory and defeat even taste like? Only one way to find out! It's all happening right now, on Total!" he began.
"Drama!" Topher and Lindsay continued.
"Party with the Stars!" the three concluded in unison.
Shadya sat on her bed in her motel room, reading a piece of paper.
"'Congratulations, Shadya,'" Shadya read. "'Thanks to a twist in the game, those who have been voted out of the game participated in a small challenge during the Aftermath show, the winner of which, Isidora, has won the right to select one player still in the game to receive a clue to a hidden statue. You have been selected to receive the clue.' Interesting. 'The clue is as follows.'"
Shadya heard a knock on her door, interrupting her reading aloud. She stuck the piece of paper in her pocket before opening the door to see Vladimir on the other side.
"You wanted to speak with me, right?" Vladimir mentioned.
"Yes, come in," Shadya grunted.
"I imagine you have a lot of questions, and I'm happy to answer them," Vladimir told her.
"How hard is it to vote for Irving? How skilled is he in bed, hm?" Shadya exasperated.
"Haha. I wasn't expecting jokes," Vladimir admitted. "I want to preface this by telling you that I have no intention to throw you to the wolves."
"And yet you voted for Ernie," Shadya glared.
"We talked about getting Hugh onto our side, yes?" Vladimir explained. "Steve Jenkins and I do vaguely have Hugh's trust, actually, but I wanted to prove to him that we weren't just stringing him along, and I felt that Ernie was someone we could afford to lose."
"What could possibly make a confirmed vote against Irving worth losing?" Shadya doubted.
"We need to think long-term, here," Vladimir told her. "Ernie's social game is atrocious, and he isn't skilled enough in challenges to make up for that. By dropping him, not only do we lose an unhelpful ally, but we convince Hugh that we are willing to play with him in mind. That's invaluable for getting him to flip on Irving."
"And Hugh's social game isn't atrocious?" Shadya scoffed.
"I won't pretend like he doesn't get on my nerves, but he did end up in the majority," Vladimir claimed. "Obviously, Irving is what's keeping that alliance together, but if we want to get rid of Irving, then I think that Hugh is our best bet. He's proven that he'll backstab his allies if a better opportunity arises, and it has."
"And you really trust Hugh and Steve Jenkins to stick with us and not Brittany and Irving?" Shadya asked skeptically.
"Not infallibly," Vladimir admitted. "But we can do whatever we need to in order to make them want to."
"We need to make them feel like we are their only option," Shadya agreed. "The problem, of course, being that their minds are illogical."
Vladimir took notice of the picture of the wealthy couple Shadya had hung on the wall.
"Are these your parents?" Vladimir asked.
"That is none of anyone's business!" Shadya shot.
"You see, nobody's mind is entirely logical or illogical," Vladimir told her. "Maybe if you lean more into your emotional side, you'll be able to relate more to them and have them relate more to you in return. I think Brittany and Irving already realize that to some extent."
Shadya took the picture off of the wall and put it back into her nightstand drawer.
"You don't need to let them into that particular part of your heart, but open up to them about something," Vladimir suggested.
"As you have been, I'm sure," Shadya accused.
"I have my own ways of appealing to them," Vladimir insisted.
"Ways that aren't good enough for me?" Shadya scoffed.
"Ways that stem from me not being cold and closed-off from the beginning," Vladimir said. "If you want people to stop thinking you're cold and closed-off and not want to work with you, you should make it a point to act the opposite."
Shadya responded with a grunt of recognition.
Confessional:
Shadya: (She slowly cracks her knuckles.) I don't know what gave Vladimir the impression that he can talk down to me, but I'm awfully close to showing him just how emotional I can be. (She sighs.) Sadly, he's more likely to vote on my side than anyone else on this team, so I need to bite my tongue for now. I don't know what I'm supposed to open up about to get Hugh and Steve Jenkins to relate to me, though. I sincerely doubt any of them have won even one game of chess in their life, or played even one game of water polo, or put on even one successful puppet show. Look it up.
Vladimir: I do see Brittany and Irving as much more immediate threats than Shadya. Lest we forget that they still have an ally in Bailey on the other team, not to mention Hugh's prior relationship with them. Ernie was a necessary casualty in order to make people more inclined to work with me. I intend for that to pan out, believe me.
The marquee outside of Hatchet's Diner read "Closed During The Challenge, Ya Loonies!". Inside, Dalit and Kiki feasted on their breakfast.
"You really take food for granted when you spend all day in isolation," Kiki emphasized before shoveling a forkful of hashbrowns into her mouth. "So good."
"I didn't eat big or many meals for most of my life. Eating as much as we do is a blessing," Dalit informed. "That's why I never let food go to waste, even if I don't like it much."
"That's a good mindset to have. It's important to understand how well we have it, and to make the most of the privileges we're granted in life," Kiki agreed. "I hope Frita's doing alright at Isolation Park. I worry about her mental health even more than her physical health."
"She'll be fine. I've been through worse," Dalit dismissed.
"And you've come out of it all a strong and confident woman," Kiki assured. "Frita isn't what I'd call strong or confident, though. I worry that she may break under the pressure."
"She asked to be sent there. If she doesn't know her own limits, that's her fault," Dalit countered.
"Sometimes people don't know what they're not comfortable with until they end up facing it," Kiki said firmly.
"She's been there before, though," Dalit pointed out.
"That is true, actually," Kiki recalled. "I wonder if any more statues have been found. I didn't find any when I was in the park."
"Bailey didn't mention anything being played in the first two votes," Dalit recalled.
"That doesn't necessarily mean a statue wasn't found. We ought to keep that in mind," Kiki reminded her. "The fact that the statues we know of are Genesis and Dunstan makes me think that David, Brittany, and Godfrey statues must be out there, too. Unless that's what they want us to think. Which would be cruel, but I wouldn't put it past them."
"Maybe, but they also like having lots of dumb twists for no reason, so more statues means more people can lose without being able to do anything about it," Dalit claimed bitterly.
"Honestly, I wouldn't put that past them either," Kiki admitted. "Whatever the case, I hope Frita ends up finding something. Even if Kun is starting to see the errors of his ways, I must assume that I'm his ideal target at the moment."
"Quentin's got his awful Genesis statue, right?" Dalit recalled. "He said he'd play it for you, too."
"You always want options," Kiki stated. "You always have to account for the possibility that something can go wrong and have an out just in case. Quentin's statue is one option, but if he decides not to play it, we need a way to get by without it."
"It sounds like you trust Frita more than Quentin," Dalit noted. "Me too."
"I don't really trust either of them more than I trust you, but I can't take anything for granted," Kiki sighed. "One day of complacency can lead to no more days in this game. I learned that firsthand. Ugh, now I'm mad at myself for not finding any statues when I was at Isolation Park."
"There might not even be more statues," Dalit claimed. "If you want options, make options that aren't statues!"
Kiki hummed as she thought to herself.
Confessional:
Kiki: I can't rely on the possibility that my allies or I can find statues at Isolation Park when there's no actual hard evidence that there are any more. The only problem is, I don't know what else I can do. I already have Dalit, Frita, and Quentin in my corner, maybe Bailey as well. That's five, and if Nolan's random vote is for anyone other than me, that means a majority... I should secure Bailey for sure.
Dalit: You know, I wish we didn't need dumb statues and we could just play the game without them! Shuffle Party didn't need statues! Why can't this be like that, huh?!
Hugh and Steve Jenkins had just arrived at the diner themselves.
"So, Vladimir actually voted Ernie's ass out," Hugh brought up.
"And the rest of him, too," Steve Jenkins joked. "I told you we could trust him."
"We both had our doubts and you know it," Hugh countered. "Still, actions speak louder than words, and there's no way he would do something as risky as losing a number if he didn't intend to stick with us. I mean, what other option does he have at this point?"
"Maybe he's secretly working with Shady, Brittany, and Irving," Steve Jenkins threw out.
"Don't even joke about that, man," Hugh groaned.
"Yo Chef! What's for breakfast?" Steve Jenkins inquired as the two made it to the front counter.
"Eat my ass is for breakfast!" Chef snapped.
"...Do you still have an appetite?" Steve Jenkins asked Hugh.
"No, but my stomach is actively growling so fuck it, I need nourishment," Hugh groused.
"You want to eat his ass?" Steve Jenkins cringed. "I mean, you do you, I guess."
"That's not really what's for breakfast!" Hugh shouted.
"He said it was," Steve Jenkins argued.
"Dalit and Kiki are eating a normal breakfast," Hugh pointed out.
"Maybe the menu changed," Steve Jenkins guessed.
"Chef, what's for breakfast?" Hugh asked exasperatedly.
"Sausage and hashbrowns. Gimme a minute," Chef grunted before returning to the kitchen.
"But anyway, it's got to be Irving who goes next," Steve Jenkins mentioned. "Or maybe Brittany. We'll see what Vladimir thinks."
"What, you're just going to bend to whatever Vladimir wants?" Hugh scoffed.
"They're both huge threats. I want Brittany gone more, but I feel like he wants Irving gone more," Steve Jenkins explained.
"What about Shadya?" Hugh brought up. "You know, also a huge threat, also not a part of the alliance."
"That is true. Shady has been kind of pissy with me recently, too," Steve Jenkins thought aloud.
"Exactly. Just because she's supposed to be good at everything doesn't mean shit if we're losing challenges anyway," Hugh sneered. "We don't need her."
"Would Vlad go for it though?" Steve Jenkins asked.
"He should if he wants us to stick with him," Hugh snickered. "At the end of the day, he's only a vote, just like everyone else. There's power in numbers, and we can decide where we want the numbers to fall. Heheheh."
"Aw, that's what's up!" Steve Jenkins whooped. "Finally, Steve Jenkins is getting the power he's always deserved."
"Here's food. Quit shouting," Chef growled as he served the young men a plate of breakfast with orange juice.
"To power," Hugh stage-whispered as he held his orange juice up.
Steve Jenkins clinked his own glass with Hugh's.
Confessional:
Hugh: Listen, if Steve Jenkins and Vladimir want to keep me safe, wonderful, I'm sure as hell not going to tell them to stop. Doesn't mean I'm necessarily in any rush to throw Brittany or Irving under the bus, since they want to keep me safe, too. Shadya can get fucked, though. She never liked me, I never liked her. We understand each other.
Steve Jenkins: I've gotten nothing but disrespect from Ernie and Shadya, which is why I never wanted to work with them to begin with. Hugh's actually kind of cool, though, and Vlad's always been in the Steve Jenkins corner. This alliance suits me just fine, heh heh.
Jean-Marie and Kun took a walk through McLean Park.
"Do you think my expectations for myself are too high?" Kun asked out of the blue.
"Hm?" Jean-Marie blinked. "Pardon, that was a bit of a sudden question."
"I know, sorry," Kun mumbled. "It's something I've been, um, thinking about a lot recently. Kiki told me that the reason I'm not an effective leader is that, um, I'm trying too hard to be something I don't have to be right now. I'm not focused on what I need to be in the moment, just, um, what I need to be in the future."
"I see," Jean-Marie responded. "What, may I ask, do you believe are the expectations that are too lofty for you?"
"I'm still not sure what she meant by that," Kun frowned. "That's why I wanted your, um, input. I trust you as a friend to be fair and honest."
"I appreciate that," Jean-Marie smiled. "And as your fair and honest friend, I ask not what you think Kiki thinks you expect of yourself. I'm asking directly what you expect of yourself."
"Well, um, I expect to have the leadership skills possible to keep my family's company, um, active and successful," Kun explained. "I expect to use Total Drama, and, um, smaller personal projects at home to develop the skills I need through experience."
"Is that all?" Jean-Marie asked.
"...And, I'll admit, I've expected to be able to lead my team effectively out of the gate instead of being open to learning, despite that, um, contradicting my expectations to learn from Total Drama," Kun sighed.
"...What's important is being able to learn from your mistakes," Jean-Marie said solemnly. "It's easy to let the pressure or embarrassment of your mistakes weigh you down. But life isn't supposed to be easy. What life is, is always moving forward."
"That makes sense," Kun accepted. "But if I give Kiki an inch, um, she could end up taking power over the team. And that's, well, no good for us."
"How is your relationship with the rest of the team?" Jean-Marie asked.
"The rest of the team?" Kun asked. "Well, I get along alright with Cyan and Louise. I should, um, talk to Bailey some more, just to be sure about her, but I have a good feeling about her."
"A good leader should be on good terms with those he leads," Jean-Marie told him. "I've noticed Kiki talking to everyone on this team at least once. Perhaps you should do the same if you want to be an effective leader."
"Perhaps you're right..." Kun sighed. "Heh, maybe you should be the leader of this team. You're clearly, um, smarter than I am."
"Mais non, you are plenty smart," Jean-Marie denied. "Smart enough that I trust you to do what is best for yourself and for the team."
"Thanks, Jean-Marie," Kun praised. "You're right, I really should, um, expand my sphere and truly get to know the others on the team. I don't know why I've been neglecting that."
"Like I said, focus on moving forward," Jean-Marie reminded him.
Confessional:
Kun: I've... really failed as a leader so far, but it's not too late to try and, um, make things right. I just need to figure out what I need to do in order to do that. Obviously, I want to, um, be a better listener, but there has to be more to what Kiki told me than "I'm trying too hard". This is tough... but a good leader needs to be able to overcome tough situations.
Jean-Marie: Being a leader is a tricky situation, one which I think I've proven is not for me. Still, if I can help Kun avoid the same mistakes I've made, then maybe some of it will have been worth it. Especially since he also has a family business he wishes to support.
Brittany and Irving met up in the garage hangout.
"So, it looks like Steve Jenkins and Vladimir are actually willing to work with us," Brittany commented. "Wasn't expecting that, I won't lie."
"I know Hugh's been getting chummy with Steve Jenkins recently," Irving pointed out. "Maybe the little bastard actually do be loyal to us."
"Did you doubt him?" Brittany asked. "I mean, not that it wouldn't make sense, but still."
"Hugh be a creature of his own whims," Irving explained. "A pirate captain's always got to keep an eye on a potential mutineer. I had me doubts once he started making nice with Steve Jenkins, but perhaps it was in our favor all along."
"I'm still not sure how comfortable I am with that whole thing," Brittany admitted. "Steve Jenkins came at me hard at the start of the game, and for all I know, he still wants me gone."
"Aw, ye know what they say, Mister Brittany," Irving grinned. "Keep yer friends close, and yer enemies closer, aye?"
"Is that why you've been spending so much time with me?" Brittany smirked.
"Of course! I couldn't stand ye from the start!" Irving shouted.
"Alright, just making sure," Brittany giggled.
"Now that that be squared away, what do ye think about the next vote?" Irving asked.
"Well, if Steve Jenkins and Vladimir voted with us, that means that they're at least more willing to work with us than Shadya is," Brittany figured.
"She do be completely unwilling to engage with me," Irving nodded. "There also be the part where I wanted her gone before Ernie, and Hugh insisted that it be Ernie instead. That be suspicious if ye ask me."
"Do you think Hugh is working with Shadya?" Brittany asked.
"He said something about vaguely trusting her more than he trusted Ernie," Irving explained. "Which, fair, Ernie be a shifty son of a bitch, but Shadya be the biggest threat to us by far."
"Well, Ernie's gone, there's not much we can do about that now," Brittany reasoned. "Meaning there's no reason Hugh should want to vote for anyone besides Shadya."
"Expecting anyone to follow the same logic as ye be asking for trouble, Mister Brittany," Irving chuckled. "As the enemy that the Dread Pirate Irving keeps closest, I be insulted that ye haven't figured that out yet."
"I'm starting to get an idea," Brittany chuckled.
Confessional:
Brittany: Irving's kind of a doofus, but he clearly knows what he's doing in the game. Maybe a bit showy for his own good, but, with Bailey on the other team, he's the person I trust the most right now. Not sure what that says about me, but as long as he's willing to stay loyal, then so am I. N-Not that I need a reason to stay loyal. I am not a backstabber anymore!
Irving: Don't think I not be still pissed off at Hugh for wasting a perfectly good elimination on Ernie. I still can't really place the lad's intentions, but I be going to have to keep a closer eye on him. If I let him get too carried away, he may end up putting me in danger, and that be damn unforgivable!
Bailey, Cyan, Nolan, Louise, Quentin all met up in the latter's penthouse.
"This might be the first time I've seen so many people in the same place at once that wasn't for a challenge," Nolan commented.
"I hope none of the others notice us leaving this place all at once after the meeting's over," Bailey thought aloud.
"You guys don't have to all leave at once. Make yourselves at home!" Quentin offered.
"If you insist!" Louise beamed as she took a bag of snacks from Quentin's penthouse gift basket and opened it. "I love these things."
"Please, take them," Quentin chuckled awkwardly.
"Anyway, now that we're all here, minus Frita because she's at Isolation Park, let's talk targets," Cyan prompted. "We can just hang out after we get everything squared away. I don't want us to get distracted."
"That's fair," Nolan agreed. "It'll be between Dalit, Kiki, Jean-Marie, or Kun. I have no bearing on the votes themselves, so I'll refrain from giving my input unless it's specifically requested."
"Is there any one of the four you guys had in mind specifically?" Cyan asked.
"Dalit's the hardest to get along with," Louise claimed. "Out of everyone on the team, she's the one I've had the toughest time having a pleasant conversation with."
"That's actually why I'd rather not vote her out," Bailey offered. "She'll have the hardest time getting allies to potentially save her out of all of them. From what I can tell, Jean-Marie has the best social game of the four, which is why he's the one I'd rather eliminate."
"His social game would make him the easiest to potentially work with if we end up needing him," Quentin quickly added.
"When would we need him?" Bailey asked.
"You know, if there's a team shuffle or something," Quentin guessed. "Better to have him as a friend than an enemy."
"Better to have him gone now than as a nuisance later," Bailey countered.
"How would he be any more of a nuisance than Dalit?" Quentin doubted.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but nobody sees Dalit as an actual threat," Bailey claimed. "Why take her out when we can take out someone who is?"
"Because he could help us down the line!" Quentin exasperated.
"Hey, guys, let's take a breath, yeah?" Louise interjected. "Cyan, Nolan, what do you guys think?"
Nolan took a coin from his pocket. "Heads, I support voting Dalit. Tails, I support voting Jean-Marie," he told the others.
"Do you really not have an opinion on this?" Louise asked.
"I see merit in voting either way," Nolan told her. He flipped the coin and smacked it on the back of his hand. "If you truly can't decide on something, it's fun to leave fate in the hands of a coin toss. I could have rolled a d4 and thrown Kiki and Kun in the mix, too, but I actually do want this alliance to get somewhere."
"Well, what'd it land on?" Cyan asked.
"Before I reveal that, Cyan, I want to ask what you hope it landed on," Nolan queried.
"Please don't be difficult," Cyan sighed.
"Aw, you're no fun," Nolan reprimanded.
Regardless, he revealed the position of the coin: heads.
"That means you want to vote out Dalit, right?" Louise asked.
"She is noticeably hard to get along with, and team synergy and morale are important if we want to keep winning in the first place," Nolan explained.
"I see," Bailey spoke.
"For what it's worth, I also would have preferred to vote for Jean-Marie," Cyan told Bailey.
"Aw, see, that's exactly why I wanted your input first. It would have made the coin flip that much more dramatic," Nolan lamented.
"We're not trying to be dramatic, we're trying to decide on one target," Cyan told him.
"If the majority of the alliance, Frita notwithstanding, wishes to vote for Dalit, then Dalit it is," Bailey relented.
"As long as we all agree on one target and can stick to it, we can get this done!" Cyan encouraged.
"Yeah! Teamwork makes the dream work, everyone!" Louise added.
Confessional:
Bailey: It sounded as though Quentin was more interested in not voting for Jean-Marie than he was in voting for Dalit. I don't understand why he'd be so passionate about keeping around someone he's not working with who's a notable threat. Unless, of course, he is working with Jean-Marie.
Quentin: Yeah, this big alliance is cool and all, but Jean-Marie is my friend and ally, too. I mean, yeah, Dalit is supposed to be, too, and I'd rather not vote her out either, but the others already kind of settled on it being one of those two, and given the choice, I know which I'd rather keep.
Cyan: Well, that got more heated than I expected it to. Even if we don't get rid of Jean-Marie next, we can always get rid of him the next time we lose after that. Actually, once Dalit's gone, Kiki may be willing to work with us if it means she stays safe, so that could be another point in our favor, too. You can actually probably say the same about Kun if Jean-Marie leaves. Whatever. It's just neat to be in charge of everything!
Frita wandered aimlessly around Isolation Park.
"Why am I even bothering to look for a statue?" Frita asked herself. "It's not like I'm going to win this game anyway, and the longer I stay here, the longer I take up a spot that someone who actually deserves to win could be in."
She stopped to lean against a tree.
"Someone was voted out last night. Someone who probably worked their hardest to survive and still couldn't," Frita sighed. "And what have I done? Be in a couple of alliances by default or proxy?"
She began to sob quietly.
"What am I doing?" Frita choked. "Why did I think that another chance with this game was going to amount to anything? How selfish can I be?"
She slumped down to the ground and buried her face in her knees.
Confessional:
Frita: I really should stop letting myself be alone with my own thoughts. They got... drastic. (She sighs.) Even when I'm punishing myself for being useless, I still manage to make it worse for myself. I don't know why I'm even surprised anymore.
Shadya found Steve Jenkins walking through the city.
"Ah, Steve Jenkins," Shadya prompted. "I wish to speak with you."
"Look, Shady, I know you trusted Ernie and all, but the dude had nothing good to say about me," Steve Jenkins told her. "Which would be an impressive feat on its own, if it didn't mean that the one and only Steve Jenkins might be put in danger."
"That's... not what I wanted to talk to you about," Shadya forced herself to say. "I wanted... to talk about you."
"What's that?" Steve Jenkins blinked in disbelief.
"I want to talk about you... Steve Jenkins," Shadya claimed. "What led you to become the man you are today?"
"Well, nobody is born with inherent talent, charisma, and genius," Steve Jenkins began. "Thankfully, I'm above such principles. You know why?"
"Because you're Steve Jenkins," Shadya relented.
"That's right!" Steve Jenkins beamed. "See, I knew you understood deep down."
"Right," Shadya mumbled. "What would you say is your greatest accomplishment?"
"I mean, damn, that's tough," Steve Jenkins answered. "I've done so much that it's hard to keep track."
"Everyone has their one proudest accomplishment," Shadya claimed.
"Oh, yeah? What's yours, then?" Steve Jenkins challenged.
Shadya smirked. "I'm sure you've heard about me being the youngest person to ever climb Mount Everest unassisted."
"It sounds familiar. Is that it?" Steve Jenkins asked, unimpressed.
"Not only are you dealing with frigid temperatures and depleting levels of oxygen, not only does it take days to scale, and not only are you dealing with other people also climbing it, but one wrong move could have been the difference between me being here to talk about it with you today or not," Shadya laid out. "And this was when I was still a teenager, mind. Countless grown men have tried and failed to climb Everest."
"Psssh. I could do it," Steve Jenkins claimed.
"You won't be able to usurp my title of being the youngest, but I'd like to see you try," Shadya told him. "It requires immense discipline, determination, and constitution."
"I got all those things out the ass, Shady. You know me," Steve Jenkins winked.
"I sure do," Shadya sighed.
"It's a privilege not many get to enjoy. Consider yourself lucky," Steve Jenkins told her.
"I don't believe in luck," Shadya snorted. "You don't get to be as accomplished as I am through chance alone. I earned my status."
"Hell, yeah! Let that be a lesson to you all at home!" Steve Jenkins beamed. "If you work hard and apply yourself, you, too, can reach the level of getting to meet Steve Jenkins in real life! I look forward to meeting you guys!"
"He's exactly as charming in real life as he seems on TV," Shadya added dryly.
Confessional:
Shadya: I'm not hasty enough to try and prod him for an ideal target yet. I'm fully aware that I need to make him completely comfortable with me first. He didn't get to a point where he's willing to betray me without believing it was best for him. I need to remind him that there is no safer option than working with me by easing him to feeling safe with me.
Steve Jenkins: I wasn't about to tell Shady this, but Mount Everest is a total cliche. Everyone's done that. Call me when you've done something nobody else has done. That's how legends are made. That's why I'm the best. Because nobody else has been, can be, or could ever be... Steve Jenkins. (He runs his fingers through his hair.)
Bailey and Kiki met up at their garage hangout.
"I have to say, the color you guys added in your garage does make a difference," Bailey admitted.
"Did you guys not paint yours?" Kiki asked, taken aback.
"It wasn't deemed to be a high enough priority," Bailey explained. "The results of that challenge speak for themselves."
"Something as simple as the color of the walls in a room can make a difference in one's mood," Kiki said. "I'll give Cyan credit where credit is due, she chose a great color for this one."
"Agreed," Bailey nodded. "The shade of the unending ocean, surrounding me with emotions of abandonment yet comfort."
"How poetic," Kiki complimented.
"I try," Bailey giggled. "Speaking of Cyan, I have some news that you may want to hear."
"Oh?" Kiki acknowledged, nervous.
"Don't worry, this is good news for you," Bailey assured her. "Well, I have good news and bad news, but mostly good news."
"Start with the good news," Kiki requested. "It's easier to accept bad news if you hear the good news first. The concept of 'getting the bad news out of the way' is counterproductive."
"Interesting," Bailey noted. "Well, yes, the good news is that there's a strong push against Jean-Marie coming from Cyan."
"Is that the case?" Kiki blinked. "That... doesn't make any sense. Why wouldn't she come to me about that if that's what she wanted? Is that the bad news?"
"Yes and no," Bailey half-answered. "You see, Cyan's set up an alliance of six: her, Louise, Nolan, Quentin, Frita, and me."
"Quentin and Frita?!" Kiki scowled. She took a deep breath. "That's fine. If they want to vote for Jean-Marie, then that's still good. They probably... They probably still put me before the others."
"Quentin was actually pretty adamant on not voting for Jean-Marie," Bailey told her. "The other option that was brought up was Dalit, and while he didn't outright say he wanted to vote for her, the implication was impossible to ignore. That was the bad news."
"God damn it, Jean-Marie!" Kiki snapped. "I wanted to give Quentin the benefit of the doubt, that he was just hanging out with Jean-Marie because he's a nice, friendly guy. Of course, Jean-Marie's got his hooks in Quentin. How does it benefit Quentin to turn on his allies who have had his back from the beginning?"
"For what it's worth, I'm willing to vote out Jean-Marie," Bailey said. "And I'm willing to-"
She cut herself off when the door opened as Nolan entered the garage.
"Ladies," Nolan greeted with a tip of his hat. "I'm here to practice that hockey game to make sure Louise never beats me. I hope I'm not disturbing you."
"Are you bothered by the idea of a woman being better than you at a video game?" Kiki asked.
"What? No, I just like winning games," Nolan chuckled awkwardly.
"Mhm," Kiki doubted.
"Don't you remember playing games with him at the Motel of Rejects?" Bailey asked. "He and Ziggy were always trying to one-up each other at whatever card game they were playing that day."
"I stuck mostly to hanging out with Jilly," Kiki reminded her.
"Ah, Ziggy. I wonder what he's up to," Nolan reminisced as he sat down on the sofa with a controller.
"You don't wonder about Jilly?" Kiki asked skeptically.
"She's been big in the underground EDM scene for years. I know how she's doing, and it seems like she's doing well," Nolan added.
"That's fair," Kiki accepted.
Confessional:
Kiki: Quentin and Frita... Of course Cyan and Louise set up a new alliance and of course, they joined it! I don't know what the hell Nolan is doing there when he can't even vote the way he wants, but on the plus side, it sounds like Bailey is on my side, here. So I can still work my way through this!
Bailey: To be frank, I don't see how eliminating Dalit before Jean-Marie is of any benefit to anybody involved. Jean-Marie is clearly a much bigger threat, and if I can deal with him now, I won't have to worry about him later. Just because Cyan's alliance doesn't necessarily want to vote for him doesn't mean it can't happen.
Nolan: I've kept in contact with the old House Party gang as best as I could. Ziggy's never been particularly social, so he doesn't post on social media very often. Jilly's doing pretty well for herself, though. I think she's dating one of the Shuffle Party guys, and she'll feature him as a rapper on some of her tracks. Not really my kind of music, but I'm happy for her.
Brittany found Vladimir relaxing to himself at McLean Park.
"How's your day, Brittany?" Vladimir greeted. "I haven't noticed your name in the hot seat in a while. Feels good, right?"
"I've definitely felt worse, but I can't afford to take it easy, either," Brittany told him.
"I should hope not," Vladimir smiled.
"At any rate, you and Steve Jenkins voted for Ernie. That says something," Brittany segued. "So I want to ask: what are your plans going forward?"
"Well, the obvious move is to take out Shadya next, seeing as how she's currently on the outs," Vladimir answered.
"I know you better than that, Vladimir," Brittany challenged. "It's not about the easy move, it's about the move that benefits you the most."
"Well, if you expect me to tell you that I plan on voting for someone else, I'll have to dash those hopes," Vladimir told her. "Even if I was planning to, it wouldn't do me any good to tell someone whose mission statement in this game is to play as honestly and loyally as possible; someone who could tell that target."
"If you don't trust me, then how am I supposed to trust you?" Brittany asked.
"I do trust you. I wouldn't have voted Ernie out if I didn't," Vladimir claimed. "But there's a difference between trusting someone, and acknowledging that everyone is their own person with their own ideals in this game."
"What are your ideals?" Brittany inquired.
"It's about the move that benefits me the most, apparently," Vladimir chuckled.
"Nice to see you're as easy to talk to as ever," Brittany remarked.
"Hey, you're the one who approached me to talk," Vladimir shrugged. "Listen, there is no benefit to keeping Shadya that outweighs the benefits of voting her out. Sure, she's good in challenges, but I think it's been well-proven that that doesn't matter a whole lot to this team, given our record. Otherwise, she's not too easy to get along with in the first place."
"Maybe I am too paranoid. I'm sorry," Brittany apologized.
"You've got a lot riding on this. I get it," Vladimir figured.
"What makes you say that?" Brittany asked skeptically.
"You're the winner of the group. You've got a legacy to uphold, right?" Vladimir answered.
"Listen, Vladimir, I don't just want to be 'the winner'," Brittany sighed. "I just want to be Brittany, if that's alright."
"Believe me, if anyone understands the desire to have people perceive you a certain way, it's me," Vladimir told her. "That said, perceptions are born for a reason. The goal of this game is to win, right? If you're the only one among us to pull it off, that's going to make you stand out."
"I'm tired of standing out!" Brittany snapped. "Why can't I just exist without everyone putting me on some pedestal? Before the game, it's because I was smart and pretty, after the game it's because I won Total Drama. I'm over it!" Brittany paused and cleared her throat. "Sorry, that was just..."
"I apologize if I struck a nerve," Vladimir frowned.
"I'm just..." Brittany sighed. "I'm just tired of all this unnecessary pressure being put on me because of what I am rather than who I am."
Confessional:
Brittany: Vladimir is someone I've never really understood. I guess that's what he's going for, but I spent a whole Saturday once rewatching the episodes of Explore Party he was in to try and make heads or tails of him. I really want to think I can trust him, but so did Ray, and Ernie for that matter. I don't know.
Vladimir: Personally, I'm curious as to why Brittany would return to the show at all if she's as tired of the spotlight as she claims, but, as willing as I am to throw her to the dogs, it still wouldn't hurt to have her on my good side, at least for now. Any votes that aren't cast against me are invaluable.
Dalit and Quentin ate lunch together at the diner.
"Once again, you can eat better food in your penthouse, but you refuse," Dalit pointed out, annoyed.
"Like I said, I like spending time with people," Quentin smiled.
"And like I said, you can just invite me to your room!" Dalit exasperated.
"Um, hello," Kun greeted as he approached them with a plate of food. "Do you, um, mind if I join you guys?"
"Not at all," Quentin agreed. "See, Dalit, this way we can hang out with Kun, too."
"But why though?" Dalit asked.
"I feel as though I haven't, um, spent enough real time with you two," Kun explained. "We're teammates, but we seem to have been keeping our distance from each other. I don't want that to be the case anymore."
"Because we're in opposite alliances," Dalit said flatly.
"We don't, um, have to be in game mode 24/7," Kun offered.
"But then why are you?" Dalit challenged.
"Hey, if he wants to hang out, there's nothing wrong with that," Quentin assured. He turned to Kun. "Take a seat."
"Thank you," Kun smiled. "So, um, Dalit. Greg mentioned that you used your spa pass yesterday. How was that?"
"What?! I didn't know he was going to tell people," Dalit gasped.
"It's not a big deal. Right?" Quentin asked unsurely.
"I don't want it to look like I'm overwhelmed by the game! It makes me look bad!" Dalit insisted.
"Not at all," Kun told her. "If anything, I think it, um, reflects well on you that you're able to understand your limits and when it would help you to unwind."
"Good. So you'll give yours to me so I can use it when I understand my limits?" Dalit snickered.
"That's, um, not what I... not what I said," Kun stammered.
"Relax, she's just kidding," Quentin assured him.
"That is not what I said," Dalit claimed. "Nobody can speak for me but me!"
"S-Sorry," Quentin murmured.
"I will go make Chef give me another water," Dalit decided as she stood up and left.
"So, hey, you trust Jean-Marie, right?" Quentin asked Kun, making sure Dalit couldn't hear.
"Um, yes?" Kun answered warily.
"Good. He asked me and Frita if we wanted to work with him, and honestly, I think I'd prefer working with you two over Kiki and Dalit," Quentin admitted. "I guess I shouldn't speak for Frita, but I just wanted to let you know that you've got a friend in me."
"Um, well then, I'm, um, glad we were able to get lunch together," Kun responded.
"Me too," Quentin smiled.
Confessional:
Quentin: I don't want Dalit or Kiki knowing that I'm... actually, I think I'm aligned with everyone on the entire team at this point. Heh, not bad for someone who doesn't really get the intricacies of strategy. Obviously, I like Jean-Marie quite a bit, and if he wants to help keep me and my closest ally safe, then hey, I won't say no. (He grins proudly.)
Kun: Well, um, Quentin was one of the people we needed to sway to get a majority. Still, I'm not sure how I feel about Jean-Marie making alliance offers behind my back. Maybe he, um, intended to tell me and just forgot. It doesn't do good to get, um, paranoid about people who are on your side. (He looks at his shoes.)
Dalit: I did not know Greg liked to gossip! Well then, I'll just need to find out something embarrassing about him and tell everyone about it! I just hope he can feel embarrassed. I don't know for sure if he can feel anything.
Irving found Hugh standing outside the motel, juggling some colorful balls.
"Enjoying yerself, there?" Irving chuckled.
"It's important to stay sharp. You don't know if a talent show challenge is coming up," Hugh claimed. "Also, I'm bored as hell, and this is at least something to do."
"Well, if ye be bored, then I can't say I be doing me job properly, can I?" Irving laughed.
"If it's your job to keep people entertained, then maybe you really are as much of a clown as you come across," Hugh sneered.
"Says the man who be juggling as we speak," Irving countered.
"Did you want something?" Hugh scoffed.
"I just wanted to make sure we be on the same page," Irving said. "We had different ideas of who to target yesterday, and I won't let that happen again."
"Yeah, heaven forbid people disagree on something," Hugh commented.
"The vote be Shadya," Irving said firmly.
"Oh, yeah, that's actually perfect, I was going to say the same thing," Hugh said.
"Gyarhar! Well then!" Irving grinned. "Anyway, it seems like ye've been working Steve Jenkins over as of late, aye?"
"Surprisingly, he's not even close to being the most annoying person I've tried to sway," Hugh claimed. "And he's on board with a Shadya vote, too. I guess Ernie and Shadya kept treating him like shit, and you know how he is. Anyone who challenges his ego is as good as dead to him."
"Hmmmmm... Can't say I relate!" Irving laughed. "As we all know, who be I but the most humble of Dread Pirates?"
"Is that what you call it?" Hugh doubted. "But anyway, yeah, we can trust Steve Jenkins. Vladimir, I'm not as sure of, but if the other four of us are willing to vote Shadya, then what choice does he have?"
"Vladimir does have a proven knack for swaying people," Irving recalled. "Then again, if he be so good at the game, then how come he ain't part of the majority!"
"Heh, if he had just been himself from the start, I probably would have invited him to the League of Villains," Hugh snickered.
"Vladimir be just another ruse, though, aye?" Irving recalled. "Nobody knows his true self."
"Ah, bullshit," Hugh dismissed. "Vladimir might not be his real name, but I highly doubt that, if he could just choose his personality at will, he'd choose the one he's shown us."
"Hard to say for sure, but frankly, I'd hate to give him the satisfaction of giving it too much thought," Irving decided.
"Yeah, true," Hugh agreed.
Confessional:
Hugh: Well, this all works out swimmingly. My old allies and my new allies all seem to want to get rid of Her Highness, and here I am in the middle of it all, nobody wanting me dead. And people doubted my potential as a bad boy. Who's laughing now, artards! (He laughs obnoxiously.)
Irving: I still can't say I like that Hugh be so buddy-buddy with Steve Jenkins now. For all I know, he really could be aligned with Shadya and Vladimir, forcing me and Mister Brittany down the plank! Ye can't tell me it be unlikely, and frankly, I can't be taking that chance. Perhaps a shift in priorities be in order... Keheheh...
Cyan and Louise met up in the latter's room.
"So, what do you think of the alliance?" Cyan asked.
"I'm excited!" Louise grinned. "It'll be cool to really take the reins of everything and direct the team to the best possible course."
"See, I agree with that, but I'm concerned that six people may be harder to get on the same page than I'd thought," Cyan confessed.
"Oh, is this about us settling on voting for Dalit instead of Jean-Marie?" Louise asked. "I mean, if you want to talk to everyone about it, that's fine. We don't have to have everything set in stone right away, right?"
"It's not that you guys wanted to vote for Dalit specifically, it's that things were that divided at all," Cyan hummed. "It's got me worried about whether this is going to blow up in our faces."
"I mean, we have a majority now, right?" Louise asked. "What else should we do if not go with the alliance?"
"I don't know," Cyan sighed. "I'm probably just overthinking it. I just don't want this all to go wrong."
"I get that. This is our second chance, our chance to learn from our mistakes and take that W!" Louise agreed. "Then again, both of us got kind of screwed by things beyond our control last time."
"I don't know if that's true in my case," Cyan admitted. "Irving went out of his way to make sure I went home. He could have gone for Lilith, someone he didn't like, but he thought I was a huge threat. Maybe I'm not doing myself any favors."
"Hey, that's not fair," Louise denounced. "All you've done is be smart and likable. Don't think you should hold yourself back just because it means people might come after you in the game. You came here to play Total Drama, so play Total Drama the best you can! If Irving's scared of you, that's his own problem."
"I mean, it became my problem once he got me eliminated, but I get what you mean," Cyan giggled. "You're right, I shouldn't be a lesser version of myself just because of some dumb threat label. I'm Cyan! Not yellow, not orange, nothing but true blue Cyan!"
"That's what's up!" Louise encouraged.
"I just hope that being true blue doesn't mean that other people might want to take that from me," Cyan worried. "Like I said, the alliance being so divided is worrying me."
"I think we all just need time to get used to each other," Louise figured. "Most of us haven't been working together very long. Teamwork can't happen unless the players are familiar with each other."
"You're probably right," Cyan nodded. "Thanks for talking with me."
"Of course!" Louise assured. "You're pretty much my best friend in this game. I've got your back."
"Likewise," Cyan promised.
The two shared handshake-hug.
Confessional:
Cyan: Louise is right. I haven't hung out with Quentin that much, so there isn't as much trust between us as there would be if I did. And, honestly, at the end of the day, it's not the end of the world if Dalit goes home before Jean-Marie. Both are going to need to go soon, anyway.
Louise: I'm not just here on behalf of myself, but of my husband, too. I need to do whatever it takes to win, and I think keeping this majority going is the way to go. I think we've got a good group going, and I honestly think we can take it to the end!
Jean-Marie sat at the bar where Jayne served him.
"You truly have no aspirations?" Jean-Marie asked. "No desires?"
"My capacity to desire seems weak compared to you and other organic people," Jayne said. "I desire to do my job in a satisfactory way, I desire to spend time with Joseph, I desire to stay alive."
"Do you desire to feel stronger desires?" Jean-Marie asked.
"I do not," Jayne told him. "Should I?"
"I suppose that is up to you," Jean-Marie admitted. "Desires are what drive us to make our lives even better, but if you do not desire a better life, then that is your prerogative."
Greg, having arrived not long ago, invited himself behind the bar.
"Greg, what are you doing?" Jayne asked.
"Dalit wants a martini, but does not wish to be around Jean-Marie," Greg explained.
"Heh, I had no idea her feelings for me were so strong," Jean-Marie commented.
"Dalit has expressed notable distaste for you," Jayne relayed. "Cited reasons include your actions in your previous effort in the game as well as your attempts to appear sympathetic being less valid than her own sympathetic qualities."
"Quoi?!" Jean-Marie reacted. "I do remember her saying something about my problems not mattering because I had a much nicer upbringing than she did. I knew not how strong her resentment burns." He took a sip of his drink. "By the way, Jayne, should you be telling me this? Isn't bartender chat supposed to be confidential?"
"No such information exists in my etiquette database," Jayne admitted. "I'm sorry if I caused offense. I will make a note of this to avoid such blunders in the future."
"Without the information on what to avoid, there is no way you could have known what to avoid," Greg claimed. "By the way, I lack the information on how to make a martini."
"I will help," Jayne offered. "Greg, how strong are your desires?"
"That is a relative question. Strength is not something I am able to measure desire with," Greg said uncomfortably.
"Do you desire to have more desires?" Jayne asked as they began making the martini.
"Should I?" Greg asked.
"That was my response when Jean-Marie asked me a similar question," Jayne mentioned.
"If an organic person thinks we should, then perhaps we should," Greg figured.
"I did not necessarily say you should, I simply asked if you did," Jean-Marie clarified.
"Should we? Should we not?" Greg asked.
"That's for you to decide," Jean-Marie told the two.
"I seem to lack the information to make such a decision," Jayne thought aloud.
"I do as well," Greg corroborated. "Jayne, I think we should endeavor to fix this in order to make this decision."
"I agree. It sounds important," Jayne nodded. They handed the finished martini to Greg.
"Thank you," Greg told them.
Confessional:
Jean-Marie: I did not anticipate that such a simple question would be so hard for those two to answer. Nor did I anticipate for Dalit to resent me so much even still. Part of me wants to remedy that, but another part of me worries that I may not be able to, and may just make things worse.
The fifteen contestants met up with Chris, Topher, and Lindsay at McLean Park.
"We now welcome back Frita from Isolation Park," Topher gestured towards the gaunt woman making her way towards the rest of the Fighting Wyverns.
"How are you feeling?" Kiki asked, concerned.
"Worse than usual," Frita sighed.
"Take care of yourself," Kiki instructed.
"Today's challenge will be at Hatchet's Diner!" Chris informed the contestants.
"Interesting," Vladimir commented.
"Probably an eating challenge," Shadya noted.
"Wait, how come we had to go all the way here and not just wait at the diner?" Dalit objected.
"Because this is the place where we meet up," Chris smiled.
"It's true!" Lindsay backed up.
"He's got you there," Steve Jenkins told Dalit.
"Nobody has me anywhere," Dalit claimed.
"Alright, gang, let's all head on over to the diner!" Topher encouraged.
The contestants followed the hosts' direction, albeit begrudgingly in many cases.
Confessional:
Frita: I could use something to eat... but since it's a Total Drama challenge I doubt it'll be that simple.
The group all arrived at Hatchet's Diner. A few of the booths had police tape blocking access to them, leaving only six open.
"Heh. Who died?" Hugh asked.
"You guys, maybe soon. Hehaha," Chris laughed.
"Chris, that's not funny!" Lindsay objected.
"I chuckled internally," Topher mentioned.
"Anyway, welcome to today's challenge, folks!" Chris began. "It's a Total Drama classic: the gross food eating competition!"
This was met with groans and looks of discomfort from several contestants.
"Here's how this is going to work," Chris continued. "There will be six dishes in all for one person per team to eat: a sheep's head, a plate of duck fetuses, pickled pigs feet, an alligator tail, a cow brain, and a bucket of KFC!"
"They've got the entire farm for lunch today," Nolan chuckled.
"Have I mentioned that I be vegan?" Irving claimed.
"No, you ain't! You had sausage for breakfast!" Chef accused as he entered the dining area from the kitchen.
"I've done a lot of reflection since then, ye see," Irving maintained.
"You can choose not to eat, but it could cost your team the win," Chris warned. "Each participating player will claim one of six dishes. Your goal is to finish your dish before your opponent from the other team can finish theirs."
"Each station will have someone watching over the proceedings to make sure we know who finished first," Topher added.
"Is that my cue?" Jayne asked as they entered the dining area from the kitchen as well.
"Sure, why not?" Chris figured. "But it's not just Jayne helping out."
"And that's my cue!" came a boisterous voice from the kitchen.
The kitchen door flew open, revealing a large, muscular man on the other side.
"Famous for losing his own gross food eating challenge, here's Jeremy as our guest judge!" Chris introduced.
"To be fair, I was up against a robot who couldn't taste," Jeremy brought up. "I think anyone would have lost against her."
"That's racist," Jayne stated.
"If you finish your dish before your opponent can, you earn your team a point," Chris continued. "The first team to four points wins the challenge. But don't stop eating if your opponent finishes, because if we end up with a 3-3 tie, the first team to finish all their dishes will take Invincibility!"
"They're really determined to have us finish all the food," Bailey noted.
"It's no good to waste food. I approve of this," Dalit mentioned.
"And don't forget, Fighting Wyverns!" Jeremy brought up. "You'll need to pick four people to sit out. Jean-Marie, Kiki, and Kun need to play this one."
"Once we've got everything all figured out, we can get this going!" Chris informed.
Confessional:
Irving: There be lots of positives to veganism, ye know! The more animals ye leave alive, the more oxygen the world will need, and that will incentivize people to plant more trees! Trees, which, as a vegan, I'll be eating. Ye see, it all works out in the end! Gyarharhar!
Louise: This will be tough no matter what, but we aren't the Fighting Wyverns for nothing! I know that no matter who eats what, we can persevere and win this!
The Grand Gryphons huddled together.
"Alright, who's eating what?" Hugh asked. "I'm good with anything but the brain."
"If I had to pick one, it'd be the pigs' feet," Brittany said. "Or the KFC, I guess, but that seems like the easy way out."
"Someone will have to take it," Vladimir pointed out.
"I suppose I should ask up-front: is anyone willing to eat the brain?" Shadya asked.
"Naw, man, that's nasty," Steve Jenkins declined.
"I will if nobody else wants to," Vladimir offered.
"I was thinking the same," Shadya said. "I should reasonably be able to eat any of these dishes. If the rest of you would have trouble with the cow brain, I'll eat that."
"Quite the team player, ye be," Irving commented. "I be willing to take any of what be left, for the record."
"Is anyone particularly picky about what they eat, other than Brittany?" Shadya asked.
"You don't need to call me out like that," Brittany tsked.
"I'll eat the duck fetuses or the gator tail," Steve Jenkins offered.
"I trust you more with the tail," Shadya stated.
"Works for me," Steve Jenkins shrugged.
"Wait, you'd rather have duck fetuses than KFC?" Hugh asked.
"Well yeah! That stuff's unhealthy AF," Steve Jenkins defended.
"As far as KFC goes, I don't have to worry about greasy food giving me acne, since you can't see my face, to begin with," Vladimir brought up. "I'd be fine eating that."
Vladimir immediately caught Steve Jenkins' arm reaching for his mask and bent it at an unnatural angle.
"Ow! Hey! Uncle!" Steve Jenkins cried.
"I warned you not to do that ever again," Vladimir said darkly.
"I'll take the duck fetuses then," Hugh decided.
"Which leaves me with the sheep's head! Neat!" Irving grinned.
Confessional:
Steve Jenkins: (He is rubbing his arm.) I don't know what the hell Vladimir has to hide, but there's no way in hell it's worth doing that kind of thing to Steve Jenkins! I mean, I could have fought back if I wanted, but, uh, I wanted to take the high road. I can't lower myself to his level, you know.
The Fighting Wyverns also huddled together to make their own decisions.
"Alright, um, so we know three of us are competing for sure," Kun began. "We will need three more volunteers to compete. Who's, um, confident in their chances?"
Frita mustered a noise but did not speak further.
"Frita?" Kun acknowledged.
"I'm hungry... but I'm not confident in my chances," Frita explained. "I'm sorry, I won't take a spot from someone who can win."
"You can just eat the KFC, right?" Kiki proposed. "It's not great food, but it's definitely the easiest possible choice. And you do need to eat."
"If there are no objections, that is fine by me," Kun nodded.
Nobody objected.
"If you guys say so..." Frita sighed.
"If I may, I don't see myself being able to finish any of these dishes quickly," Bailey brought up. "I apologize that I can't be of more help."
"Four of us are going to have to sit out anyway, right?" Cyan mentioned. "I'd actually like to sit out, too, if I can."
"I'm good to play! Put me in, coach!" Louise offered. "I'll eat any of these!"
"I, um, I like the enthusiasm," Kun complimented.
"Alright, that's, um, five confirmed to play, two confirmed to sit out..." Kun muttered. "Dalit? Nolan? Quentin?"
"I won't make a decision unless the other two absolutely cannot decide," Nolan said as he moved a coin between his fingers.
"You are just a coward," Dalit accused. "I will eat some gross food. It can't be worse than what I grew up eating. Sheep's head could be tasty, even!"
"Alright, I'll, um, put you down for that," Kun acknowledged. "JM? Kiki? Louise? Any preferences?"
"Since you asked, I'd feel most comfortable eating the alligator tail," Kiki answered.
"I suppose the pigs' feet wouldn't be the worst option," Jean-Marie thought aloud. "Relatively speaking."
"I can eat duck fetuses, if you're okay eating the cow brain, Louise," Kun offered.
"Bring it on! I'm here for a challenge," Louise grinned.
"Good luck, guys," Quentin smiled. "You've got this."
Confessional:
Kun: It's, um, nice to see Jeremy again. And to know that he's a good sport about how he lost last time. The Tough Tundras were... tough to deal with. But that was then. This is now... where I get to eat duck fetuses to win a challenge.
The contestants sat at their respective booths, with their plates of intimidating-looking food placed in front of them.
"On your marks... get set..." Chris built up.
He blew an air horn loudly to signify the start of the challenge.
"Ow..." Kun squeaked from the booth right next to Chris.
"Quit complaining and eat your balut," Chris scolded.
"It's just eggs but weird," Hugh commented with his mouth full of food. He swallowed. "Which is what I expected, but still, it's weird."
Kun began eating the fetuses with little issue.
"Damn it, have you had this before?" Hugh exasperated to Kun.
"Once," Kun admitted. "I've, um, never been in any rush to eat it again, but if it's for a challenge..."
"Shit," Hugh swore as he stuffed an entire duck fetus in his mouth.
"Ohhhhhhhhhh, 'twas broadside to broadside a long time we lay. Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we," Irving began singing. "Until the Prince of Luther shot the pirate's masts away, cruising down the coast of the High Barbaree!"
"You stop that!" Dalit shouted. "Your singing is awful!"
"'Oh quarter, oh quarter,' those pirates then did cry," Irving continued.
"Eat your food, Irving!" Shadya shouted from across the diner.
"I was only whetting me appetite, I was," Irving claimed before taking a big bite of his sheep head.
"Did it work?" Lindsay, his and Dalit's supervisor, asked.
Irving did not answer, opting only to wolf down his food. Dalit followed suit.
Over in Shadya's booth, she had been cutting her cow brain to pieces with a knife and fork.
"Nervous?" Louise teased before taking a bite directly from her own cow brain.
"I am incapable of fear," Shadya claimed. "I'm simply cutting my food into manageable-sized pieces so I don't choke in my haste to consume it."
"Shadya usually has a method to her madness," Jeremy, the two's supervisor, recalled.
"Aren't you supposed to be a neutral party?" Louise asked.
"Er, right, let's focus on the challenge and maybe we can catch up later," Jeremy decided.
Louise took another bite of her brain, grimacing as she did so.
Confessional:
Hugh: The food was nasty, but it's no worse than the time I had to swallow a rock whole for the gross food challenge in Alpha Party. That was... I mean, most of the food in that challenge barely counted as food, but that was just stupid.
Dalit: Hmph, if Irving insists for being a dumb annoying pirate, he could at least look for pirate chic and make himself look nice with a better jacket and a pirate shirt with a cravat sewn into the collar. And lose the dreadlocks! He could look good if he tried to. Bijou would have a field trip with him.
Shadya: I've been all over the world and tried all sorts of dishes not familiar to the average Canadian. I almost feel sorry for Louise, since I can tell she has the drive to win in spite of the task at hand, which I appreciate. Sadly for her, a fight between a mighty oak and a forest fire is still no fight at all.
Kiki and Steve Jenkins ate their alligator tail the way they would any other meat, cutting it to pieces and eating it piece by piece.
"Wait a minute, this is tasty," Steve Jenkins commented. "Once you get past the fact that it's a weird-ass animal, it's just good food."
"That's how most food is," Kiki told him. "You'd be surprised how much good food is locked behind one's fear of what's different to them. Or how much you're held back in general by fear of the unfamiliar, for that matter."
"Bitch, please, who do you think you're talking to?" Steve Jenkins scoffed.
"What did you just call me?" Kiki glowered.
"I'm Steve Jenkins, the only thing holding me back is the common courtesy of not going out of my way to look as perfect as possible in front of others because I don't want to make them jealous," Steve Jenkins claimed.
"Girl's right, though," Chef, their supervisor, sniffed. "Too many folks always callin' my food bad. They just don't know fine cuisine when they see it, ungrateful sons of bitches!"
Kiki swallowed a chunk of meat. "That's different," she muttered.
Brittany and Jean-Marie ate their pigs' feet as effectively as they could.
"Two former rivals, now back against each other in a one-on-one bout to see how many feet they can put in their mouths," Topher narrated.
"Did you have to word it like that?" Brittany cringed.
"It was worth it if only for your reaction," Topher chuckled.
Jean-Marie swallowed the food in his mouth. "I nearly choked. Would it have been worth it if I had?"
"I would have saved you, it would have been fine," Topher dismissed.
"I hold no hard feelings for Brittany anymore, by the way," Jean-Marie stated. "We do not have to be rivals."
"I appreciate that, but this is a challenge and we're on opposite teams," Brittany chuckled. "Unless you want to lose, in which case, be my guest."
"I'm afraid I can't let that happen," Jean-Marie smirked.
The two returned to eating their food.
Over in the last open booth, Frita and Vladimir ate their KFC wordlessly as Jayne watched over them wordlessly.
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...
"Our contestants are eating their food," Jayne narrated. "Presumably, one of them will finish doing so before the other. That person will score a point for their team."
The two contestants did not acknowledge the narration and focused entirely on eating.
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"Recent updates to my database have supplied me with the knowledge that these two were on a team together in their previous attempt at this game," Jayne brought up. "I wonder if this is affecting their drive to surpass the other."
"I wasn't even in the same season as Barry..." Frita murmured. She looked at Vladimir. "People were suspicious of you, but... if Jayne is right..."
"I don't want to hide it anymore. Yes, I am Vladimir," Vladimir confirmed.
He returned his focus to eating. Frita did the same.
Confessional:
Kiki: I'll be damned if I let a fragile male ego like Steve Jenkins beat me in this challenge. Eating food is hardly the most difficult challenge, so I should be able to surpass him if I really push myself through it all.
Jean-Marie: People often stereotype French food as being gross and outlandish, but whoever those people are simply don't know what they're talking about. Eating pigs' feet, now that is something worth making fun of, si tu me demandes.
Vladimir: That damn robot, spilling the beans. Frankly, I'm surprised Bailey didn't outright tell the Wyverns who I was. I really should just come out and reveal myself to everyone so people don't think I'm intentionally deceiving them.
Hugh and Kun kept at their duck fetuses.
"It's pretty close over here," Chris commented. "Kun has a slight lead, but anything can happen."
The men kept their focus on eating rather than dignifying Chris with a response.
"How close are the others to finishing, fellow supervisors?" Chris asked.
"I be finished!" Irving announced.
"Yep! Irving finished his first!" Lindsay confirmed.
"No fair!" Dalit objected. "His singing distracted me!"
"It not be like I was eating while singing. Ye had every chance to take the lead, lass," Irving taunted.
Dalit growled, frustrated.
"I'm done!" Kun said.
"Wait, fuck you, I was done too!" Hugh claimed.
"We can review the footage real quick," Chris said.
"Why, do you not trust me?" Hugh asked, feigning offense. "Have I given you any reason not to believe my word at face value?"
Chris gave Hugh a flat, unimpressed look before heading off.
"I am finished," Shadya stated, having just swallowed her last piece of cow brain.
"Damn, you finished that quick," Louise commented, still with a few bites left of her own brain.
"Shadya takes a point for the Grand Gryphons!" Jeremy announced.
"A 2-0 lead right now, but the Wyverns can still turn things around," Topher added.
"Alright, we looked at the footage," Chris said as he returned to the scene. "Kun did, in fact, finish his last duck fetus first, so the Fighting Wyverns take that point! Make it 2-1!"
"Give me a break," Hugh grumbled.
Meanwhile, Bailey, Cyan, Nolan, and Quentin played cards in one of the closed-off booths.
"You think they have this?" Nolan asked no one in particular.
"Maybe. Eating is hard to easily gauge someone's skill in," Quentin said.
"Unless you're someone like Owen, to whom I don't think you can compare anyone here," Bailey thought aloud.
"I'm not surprised that Irving got his team a point, for what that's worth," Cyan said.
"Anyone want to bet on what they think will happen?" Nolan asked.
"We're already playing cards, let's just focus on that," Cyan requested.
"You may come to regret that," Nolan chuckled.
Confessional:
Nolan: It was I who came to regret that. I've severely underestimated my competition, it seems.
Bailey: You could smell the strange mix of what everyone was eating even if you weren't eating anything. I managed not to get sick, but frankly, I'm surprised that I managed to do so. I don't envy the people who participated in this one. (She shudders.)
Kiki and Steve Jenkins kept up their race to see who could finish their alligator tail first.
"Damn, mang, these kids really appreciate Creole," Chef commented. "Maybe kids these days ain't too bad after all."
"Eating alligator is still weird as hell," Steve Jenkins said with his mouth full. "It's just a challenge."
Kiki swallowed the food in her mouth. "I like it," she informed.
"I always knew the House Party kids were the best," Chef boasted. "Damn shame about Ernie."
"It really isn't," Kiki claimed, mouth full.
"Can confirm: not a shame," Steve Jenkins added.
"Chef, quit playing favorites!" Chris scolded.
"The House Party kids are the only ones I already know!" Chef reacted. "Handpicked 'em myself."
Kiki swallowed her last piece of alligator. "I'm done. Also, you cast sexual predators, a murderer, a couple of psychopaths..."
"Wait, you can't be done! I'm not done!" Steve Jenkins cried.
"Kiki finished first! Point for her team!" Chef announced.
"The score is even right now!" Chris announced to the entire diner. "It's down to Brittany vs. Jean-Marie, and Barry vs. Frita."
"You don't have to keep calling me Barry!" Vladimir proclaimed. "Everyone's already caught on!"
Quentin reluctantly handed a five-dollar bill to Nolan.
"Alright, good, because this all-Explore-Party moment is too cool to not point out," Topher grinned.
None of the still-participating contestants gave any further input, opting instead to remain focused on finishing their food.
"I've been led to believe that what Frita and Vladimir are eating comes from a successful restaurant," Jayne mentioned. "Why, then, is it part of a challenge involving the consumption of gross food?"
"I don't know. I like KFC," Lindsay shrugged.
"It's okay to be wrong," Topher told her smugly.
"Topher, pay attention to Brittany and Jean-Marie," Chris scolded.
"Sorry, dad," Topher snarked.
"Victory is on the line! Press onward to glory!" Jeremy declared to no one in particular.
Confessional:
Brittany: I don't necessarily have to finish before Jean-Marie, I just have to finish before all the Wyverns are done with their food. I wasn't really paying attention to the others, obviously, but the fact that we were among the last to have someone finish first is concerning to say the least.
Frita: (She sighs.) I'm going to get so fat. Not that my appearance will matter that much. We need to win, and that's what's important. Assuming I can even do that right.
"I am done!" Vladimir suddenly announced.
"This does appear to be the case," Jayne confirmed.
Frita sighed and slumped face down onto the table.
"It's 3-2 in the Grand Gryphons' favor!" Chris announced. "It all comes down to Brittany and Jean-Marie! Who will finish their pigs' feet first? And don't forget to keep eating, because if Jean-Marie finishes his first, it'll come down to which team can finish all their food first!"
"Best of luck, Brittany," Jean-Marie offered.
"Mhm," Brittany reciprocated, her mouth full of food.
The two ate their food as quickly as they could. Dalit, Hugh, Steve Jenkins, Louise, and Frita all either kept eating their food or had just finished, despite their respective opponents having finished before them. The supervisors all watched over Brittany and Jean-Marie to see what would happen.
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"Done!" Brittany announced.
Jean-Marie swallowed the last piece of food. "Bon sang," he grumbled.
"The Grand Gryphons win Invincibility!" Chris announced.
Hugh, Irving, and Steve Jenkins all cheered loudly. Shadya and Vladimir nodded in approval. Brittany let out a huge sigh of relief.
Confessional:
Brittany: Man, it feels good to win a challenge. We... haven't been doing that very much, and I think we've been getting discouraged and losing even more because of it. Hopefully, we can pick up some momentum.
Jean-Marie: Well, that was disappointing. Being the reason your team loses a challenge is not a good feeling, but losing to Brittany, in particular, brought me back to a place I do not wish to think about. Pour l'instant, je vais me consoler d'être dans la majorité.
The contestants all grouped together into their teams, and stood before the supervisors.
"A great effort from you all!" Jeremy complimented.
"Sadly, even great efforts are not always met with success," Jayne stated as they looked directly at the Fighting Wyverns.
"Hey, don't be treating our victory like a bad thing, robot!" Hugh accused. "If anything, we're the underdogs!"
"Fighting Wyverns, it's time to follow me to Elimination Station," Chris told them.
"And Grand Gryphons, it's time for the Best/Worst Vote," Topher informed.
Lindsay handed out pens and papers to the Grand Gryphons, while the Fighting Wyverns made their way out of the diner.
"So what happened when I was gone?" Frita asked Quentin as the group followed Chris. The two were sufficiently far behind the others so that they were out of earshot.
"You remember Cyan's big alliance?" Quentin whispered. "We're voting Dalit."
"Wait, what?" Frita winced. "Who are you voting?"
"I mean, I'm part of the alliance too..." Quentin murmured.
"That doesn't make any sense!" Frita objected.
"Hey, let's save it for the elimination ceremony, 'kay?" Chris called back to them.
"Actually, I-I'm glad I heard about this before we left," Frita said shakily.
She revealed a small wooden effigy that resembled Brittany.
"Ohoho!" Chris laughed as his face lit up. "Everyone, stop right now! We've got something big!"
Everyone stopped and turned their attention to Frita.
"What the hell?" Kiki asked.
"I-I'm not letting my ally and friend get voted out!" Frita quavered. She took a small, folded-up piece of paper from her pocket, unfolded it, and read it. "'Congratulations, you have found the Brittany Statue'."
"Well, that's, um, unexpected," Kun said.
"'Playing this statue will allow you to select one contestant who is about to attend an elimination ceremony, and exclude them from that ceremony'," Frita continued. "'This means that the person in question will not be present to listen in on what happens, they will not cast a vote, and they cannot be voted for. You must play this statue after the challenge before the elimination ceremony begins'."
"Interesting," Nolan commented.
"Did you just find that today?" Dalit asked.
"Actually, I found it the first time I went to Isolation Park," Frita explained. "I didn't find anything this time."
"We can discuss this further later. Frita, right now I need to know who you're playing this on," Chris requested.
"I'm playing this on... on Dalit," Frita answered.
"Huh?!" Dalit gasped. "Why?!"
"They were going to vote you out..." Frita told her as she approached Chris.
"What?!" Dalit snapped.
"This is the real Brittany Statue," Chris confirmed as Frita handed him the statue. "Dalit, head on over to your motel room. You're exempt from this elimination."
"So this means I'm safe, right?" Dalit figured. "You guys better not do something stupid."
She headed off for her motel room.
"Alright, with that all said and done, let's continue to Elimination Station," Chris chuckled.
Confessional:
Kiki: I don't know why the hell Frita didn't tell us she had that, but it sounds like she made the right call in playing it. This is going to be one hell of an elimination, I can already tell.
Topher had just finished tallying up the Grand Gryphons' Best/Worst votes.
"Alright, everyone, who's ready to find out who gets a nice penthouse, and who gets to sleep out in the open on a bench or something?" Topher asked excitedly.
"I am!" Lindsay answered.
"Lindsay, you already know who it is," Topher said flatly.
"...Oh yeah," Lindsay recalled.
"The person who was voted as the best in the challenge, staying in the penthouse..." Topher began.
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"Shadya!"
"I see," Shadya grunted. "I ask you guys to let me go to Isolation Park to discipline myself for not finishing first, and you can't even do that."
"Oh, spare it!" Irving reacted. "We all know ye just be looking for hidden statues, ye be. How stupid do ye think we are?"
"But let's see who did end up chosen to go to Isolation Park," Topher suggested. "That person is..."
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"Brittany!"
"I mean, she was the last of us to finish, I'd say she was, in fact, the worst," Steve Jenkins claimed.
"I'll see you guys around," Brittany told her team. "Try not to kill each other without me, alright?"
"Knowing this team, I don't know if we can promise that," Vladimir chuckled.
Confessional:
Shadya: I got a clue to a hidden statue from Isidora, and I intend to make use of it. I just need to remember to do poorly in a challenge while still making sure we actually win that challenge. It is doable - anything is doable for me - but ensuring that the others actually vote me into Isolation Park is a whole other story.
Votes:
Best:
Shadya - Brittany, Hugh, Irving
Steve Jenkins - Shadya, Steve Jenkins
Brittany - Vladimir
Worst:
Brittany - Brittany, Hugh, Irving, Steve Jenkins
Shadya - Shadya, Vladimir
The Fighting Wyverns arrived at Elimination Station and took their places at their respective lecterns.
"Welcome back to elimination, Fighting Wyverns!" Chris announced from his raised seat. "I know it's been a while, so just in case you guys forgot: you'll have thirty minutes, or until everyone has voted, to discuss who you guys want to see gone. When you want to cast your vote, press on the face of the person you want to vote for on your podium, there. The blue light on your podium will turn red once your vote is locked in. You cannot change your mind after voting. And most importantly, have fun!"
Nolan immediately rolled his die and cast his vote. "If anyone wants to know how I voted, my terms are the same as in our previous vote," he said. "I need a majority to assure me that I am safe."
"What's the point of voting randomly if you're not even going to tell us how you voted?" Kiki asked. "Won't it just mean a constant hinky vote?"
"As I said before, it's mostly out of respect for whoever gets chosen randomly to receive a vote," Nolan explained. "As our last vote proved, it can make a difference, and I understand the frustration of potentially losing by random chance, especially in this game."
"I think we have a more important issue at hand," Bailey said before turning her attention to Frita. "You said you'd had that statue since your previous trip to Isolation Park, correct?"
"Th-That's right," Frita confirmed.
"And nobody knew about it?" Bailey asked.
"I didn't tell anyone, no," Frita confirmed. "You're not supposed to tell people about these things, because it makes you a target. Not like I need any more help in that regard."
"Well, the results speak for themselves," Bailey said.
"Not that it should matter, because Dalit was never the target. Right?" Kiki leered.
"This is the first I'm, um, hearing of it," Kun admitted. "Which is odd, since, um, I'd thought the lines had been clearly drawn. No offense intended."
"This is the first I'm hearing of it as well," Jean-Marie admitted. "She has notably had issues with me from the beginning, so why I wouldn't be told about it is anyone's guess."
"Wait, was she the target or not?" Louise asked.
"That's what I was told, right after the challenge," Frita said.
"Who told you?" Kiki asked.
Frita did not answer.
"Quentin was the only person I saw talk to her after the challenge," Bailey mentioned. "Not to mention, he seems to be the person who talks to her the most in general."
"Quentin?! Why would you tell Frita that?!" Kiki accused.
"I, um, well, I was just telling her what I'd been told, and-" Quentin stammered.
"Who was going to vote for Dalit?!" Kiki demanded.
"H-Hey, d-don't yell at him!" Frita objected. "Don't shoot the messenger."
"So you confirm that it was Quentin who told you," Kiki surmised.
"I, uh, um, I didn't-" Frita stammered. She sighed and looked at the floor.
"As interesting as this discourse all is, I want to know what the goal of it all is," Nolan piped up. "Keep in mind that we all have to vote. Kiki, is this a proclamation of intention to vote for Quentin?"
"Not necessarily," Kiki clarified. "I was told that there was a different target, and I intend to stand by that."
"I wonder who that could be," Jean-Marie jested, clearly slightly hurt.
"Weren't you, um, already voting for Jean-Marie?" Kun asked.
"Who said it was Jean-Marie?" Kiki retorted.
"...It was Jean-Marie!" Quentin accused.
"Well, I suppose Quentin said it was," Jean-Marie chuckled hollowly.
"The vote was going to be either Dalit and Jean-Marie," Quentin laid out. "We'd decided on Dalit, but maybe someone who wanted to vote for JM spilled the beans to Kiki in order to get more votes against him."
"Who is 'we'?" Kun fretted. "Um, Quentin, who is 'we'?"
"That's, uh, that's on a need-to-know basis," Quentin stammered.
"What, now you're clamming up?" Kiki doubted.
"Well, let's look at it logically," Jean-Marie opted. "Clearly, this 'we' would need to have a majority in order for Quentin to be so sure that Dalit is going home. If Kun nor Kiki nor Dalit nor I are in it, then if we assume Nolan is not being included due to his voting habits, that is the entire rest of the team, non?"
"I'm being intentionally excluded because of my dice twist? Ouch," Nolan commented.
"Ah, the cat's out of the bag, Nolan, you don't have to pretend," Louise groaned.
"It... It wasn't necessarily for me. Come on," Nolan frowned.
"So allow me to get this straight," Jean-Marie said. "Bailey, Cyan, Frita, Louise, and Quentin were all to vote for Dalit tonight, only for Frita, presumably not privy to this plan until right after the challenge, to object, and use her statue to save Dalit. I was the other potential target, so now the votes are going to fall on me. Is that correct?"
"It's nothing personal, I promise," Cyan told him. "We just felt that a shift in dynamics was in order. Everything was being kind of dictated by Kiki and Kun."
"Dictated?" Kun gulped. "I'm, um, I'm very sorry if that's the impression I gave off."
"I was exaggerating. You're not a bad leader, Kun, it's just..." Cyan took a breath. "We're all here to play the game for ourselves. Not for someone else."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that Frita is a good, loyal ally," Kiki smiled. She turned to Quentin. "Unlike you, who can't seem to keep your mouth shut."
"Uh, um, hey Nolan, I promise not to vote for you. Haha," Quentin laughed nervously.
"I appreciate that, but I'll need more than just one promise before I reveal who got my vote," Nolan told him.
"It's not like it matters in the first place," Louise said. "We have our target."
Louise cast her vote.
Bailey also cast her vote. "We can't stray from the plan. If even one of us does, who knows what might happen."
Quentin cast his vote. "I'm voting for Bailey. She threw me under the bus, and she's probably the one who told Kiki about the JM target, too, even after we decided on Dalit!"
Jean-Marie and Kun shared a look. They nodded to one another before both casting their votes.
"We are also, um, voting for Bailey, if you guys wish to be rid of, um, someone with connections on the other team," Kun offered.
Kiki cast her vote. "Nice try, but if it's Jean-Marie's time to go, it's Jean-Marie's time to go," she said.
Cyan cast her vote. "Sorry about this in advance," she apologized.
Frita sighed and cast her vote.
"All the votes are in!" Chris announced. "I'll read the votes one by one, and-"
"Chris!" Quentin interrupted.
"What's up, Quentin?" Chris requested.
All eyes went on Quentin. He began to sweat as he looked between all his teammates.
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"N-Never mind. Carry on," Quentin finally said.
"Alright, fine, more suspense, cool," Chris chuckled. "First vote... Jean-Marie!"
"Compréhensible," Jean-Marie nodded.
"Second vote... Bailey!"
"Mhm," Bailey acknowledged.
"Third vote... Louise!"
"Wait, what?!" Louise gasped.
"That was probably Nolan," Cyan assured her.
Nolan simply shrugged.
"Fourth vote... Bailey!" Chris called.
"Mm," Bailey hummed.
"Fifth vote... Bailey!"
"I beg your pardon?" Bailey blinked, taken aback.
"Sixth vote... Jean-Marie!"
"That does not sound good," Jean-Marie commented, nervous.
"Seventh vote... Jean-Marie!"
"Dieu, s'il te plaît, ne laisse pas cela arriver," Jean-Marie requested.
"The eight vote... and the ninth vote..."
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"Are for Bailey and Jean-Marie!" Chris laughed.
"I don't get it," Louise admitted.
"It means that, at a vote count of 4 to 4 to 1, we have a tie!" Chris announced.
"So what do we do now?" Cyan asked. "Is it the thing where we revote and if it's still a tie, one of us goes home randomly?"
"Well, it would be, if a tie was possible on a revote," Chris said. "Here's how it'll work: Bailey and Jean-Marie won't be able to vote. Everyone else can only vote for Bailey or Jean-Marie. You guys will have five minutes to talk this over and lock in your votes. Hehaha. Have fun!"
"I can't imagine anyone plans on switching," Kiki commented. She turned to Frita. "Except maybe you. You voted for Bailey, right?"
"She... She threw my ally under the bus. I don't want someone who's willing to do that to stay around," Frita mustered.
Jean-Marie smiled as Frita cast her vote. In succession, Kun, Kiki, Quentin, Cyan, and Louise cast their votes as well.
"I see," Bailey realized. "If nobody plans on switching, then..." she turned her head to face Nolan.
"Yep, I'm afraid so," Nolan said. "If nobody has any incentive to change their vote if there's no chance of a random draw, that means that the last vote falls on me. In essence, whether it's Bailey or Jean-Marie who goes home rests entirely on the flip of a coin."
"You say that like it's something to be proud of," Kiki scoffed. "You can't disregard your dumb twist for one vote and actually pick who you want to go home?"
"I'm tempted, believe me," Nolan admitted. "But what would the point of the dice twist be if I can just not abide by it whenever I don't want to? How would that be fair to Joseph, who went home largely because I happened to vote for him at random? How would that be fair to Mac, who went home largely because I happened to vote for him at random?"
"Isn't that the sunk cost fallacy?" Kun asked.
"Haha. Maybe. I am a gambler, so I might be more prone to that than most people would be," Nolan admitted. "My point stands, though. I joined this game with the express purpose of playing the game in my own unique way. I won't compromise that. And hey, there's a 50-50 chance that I vote the way you want me to anyway."
"And an equal chance that you vote the way we don't..." Bailey pointed out.
Nolan flipped a coin and caught it on the back of his hand. He inspected the outcome and cast his vote.
"Alright, I've got the revotes," Chris told everyone. "Let's get this underway."
Bailey and Jean-Marie tapped nervously on their lecterns.
"First vote... Bailey," Chris relayed.
Bailey nodded.
"Second vote... Jean-Marie."
Jean-Marie nodded.
"Third vote... Bailey. Fourth vote... Jean-Marie."
Nobody present seemed particularly comfortable as the votes were being read. Nolan had simply tipped the brim of his hat over his eyes.
"Fifth vote... Bailey. Sixth vote... Jean-Marie."
Bailey and Jean-Marie shared their final glance.
"Seventh vote... and the person going home... is..."
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"Jean-Marie!"
Jean-Marie hung his head, unable to prevent the tears from falling.
"I'm sorry, Jean-Marie," Nolan apologized sincerely.
"You're not the one who owes an apology," Bailey said. "Frita and Quentin went against what was supposed to be their alliance."
"They're, um, not the only ones," Kun frowned as he looked to Cyan and Louise. "If you two had problems with me, why didn't you just say so?"
"It wasn't a problem with you, necessarily..." Louise responded.
"C'était un problème avec moi?" Jean-Marie asked, bereft.
"It wasn't a problem with anyone in particular," Cyan insisted.
"It was enough of a problem to turn the vote against me," Jean-Marie sighed.
"To be fair, it was against Dalit until Frita saved her," Kiki mentioned.
"Whose side are you even on?" Quentin asked.
"I could ask you the same thing," Kiki accused.
"Any final words to or from Jean-Marie before he surrenders his position in the game?" Chris chuckled.
"I have nothing further to say," Jean-Marie said. "I don't think there was anything I could have done differently that would have saved me. It was all down to the flip of a coin. I wish those who voted to keep me the best of luck in this game."
"I... wish you the best of luck in life," Quentin told him, blushing
"Likewise," Kun agreed.
"Please take me away, Chris," Jean-Marie requested. "I cannot bear to be here any longer."
"If you say so! Hehaha!" Chris laughed as he pressed a button on a remote control.
The ceiling opened up, and the Shackle of Shame gripped Jean-Marie around the waist. The homeless man was hoisted up off the ground and dragged above the ceiling. Once he was no longer in sight, the ceiling closed up once again.
"If tonight should have taught you anything, it's that you should never assume anybody is fully loyal to anyone," Chris told the contestants. "Things can, and often do, change. Anyway, that's all I have for you guys. You can head back to the elevator and back to the motel. I'll see you guys later!"
Confessional:
Quentin: (He is crying.) I was this close to playing my statue on Jean-Marie. I could have saved him. But I had to think realistically. I didn't want to alienate most of my allies just because I have a stupid crush on a guy who probably doesn't even feel the same way. So I had to let JM go. (He weeps.) It sucks. They probably already don't trust me at this point.
Kiki: I'm going to be honest: I have no idea what just happened or how I should tackle this going forward. I think I should be able to get in with this weird big alliance since Frita and Quentin proved they can't be trusted anymore. I did vote for Jean-Marie too, after all. And either way, one of my biggest enemies is gone now. So things are looking good.
Chris, Topher, and Lindsay all stood outside the limits of Drama City.
"Another big night of twists and turns!" Chris gushed. "I have to imagine it'll have a pretty big impact on the game going forward."
"But that's not the only thing that'll have a big impact, nudge nudge wink wink," Topher hinted.
"...Huh?" Lindsay asked.
"You know. The twist," Topher reminded her.
"Ohhhhh yeah, the twist!" Lindsay remembered. "That should keep things interesting for sure!"
"But that's all we're going to say about it. For now," Chris chuckled. "What could we be talking about? How will the big convoluted Jean-Marie vote affect how the Fighting Wyverns tackle the game going forward? And how will the Grand Gryphons work out when everyone seems to be making deals with everyone on that team? And will any of it affect next episode's vote?"
"Statistically, it's very likely!" Topher added on.
"Statistics? I'm not that good at math, please be gentle!" Lindsay cried.
"No one's asking you to do stats, hon," Chris remarked.
"Oh, thank goodness," Lindsay relieved.
"Anyway, all this and more, next time! On Total!" Chris began.
"Drama!" Topher and Lindsay continued.
"Party with the Stars!" the three finished in unison.
Votes:
Bailey - Jean-Marie
Cyan - Jean-Marie
Frita - Bailey
Jean-Marie - Bailey
Kiki - Jean-Marie
Kun - Bailey
Louise - Jean-Marie
Nolan - Louise
Quentin - Bailey
Those eligible to vote in the revote did not change their vote, with the exception of Nolan, who voted for Jean-Marie.
Grand Gryphons:
Brittany - The Loyal Bombshell
Hugh - The Head Villain
Irving - The Chaotic Pirate
Shadya - The Genius Athlete
Steve Jenkins - The Vlog Icon
Vladimir - The Untrustworthy Impostor
17th: Ernie - The Lazy Law Student
19th: Isidora - The Asocial Bookworm
20th: Lilith - The Harbinger of Unrest
Fighting Wyverns:
Bailey - The Pragmatic Poet
Cyan - The Sweet Madame Blue
Dalit - The Social Media Model
Frita - The Morbid Artist
Kiki - The Strategic Hipster
Kun - The Awkward Team Leader
Louise - The Friendly PE Teacher
Nolan - The Wildcard Gambler
Quentin - The Lucky Ornithologist
16th: Jean-Marie - The Homeless Frenchman
18th: Joseph - The True Bro
A/N: Jean-Marie's placement was never particularly consistent as I was planning, or even writing, the season. Part of me wanted him to go far as sort of a light protagonist, another part of me felt that setting him up to go far would make for an effective early boot. I even considered him as a potential winner in the pre-planning stages. Of course, with me, it usually comes down to how a character works in practice, and while I enjoyed writing Jean-Marie, I felt like he didn't have as much to bring to the long-term compared to others still in the story.
It's always going to hurt having any original Fighting Wyverns go home, since, at this point in the story, it means that they won't have made the merge in either of their seasons, but sometimes, that's just how things have to be. Hopefully, Jean-Marie delivered for you guys regardless of his ultimate placement. What did you guys think of Jean-Marie?