Author's Note:
And welcome back, readers! I've been hard at work on the next episode and decided that it could be fun to incorporate an aftermath show into the series! This is quite unprecedented as I've been closely following the sequence of events I set up way back in 2015, but hopefully this supplementary material keeps you around for a bit longer!
Enjoy this chapter!
Heroes: Dave, Dawn, Noah, Tyler,
Villains: Alejandro, Courtney, Jo, Lightning, Lindsay, Sammy, Scarlett, Scott,
I'm not sure why you'd need this since it's an "Aftermath" episode, but there you go!
xxx
The livestream began with the words "STARTING SOON" shown in big bold letters. Slowly, more and more viewers were tuning in to watch this unprecedented livestream. Many of them were typing in the chat, eager for more Total Drama content.
After two minutes of silence, the livestream finally began. A white, tall, and thin woman, with green hair and dressed almost entirely in pink was seen on the left side while a white, pudgy, man with curly hair and brown glasses, almost resembling a celebrity known for comic relief, was seen on the right side. Both looked very enthusiastic over what was to come.
The chat went wild seeing these two together once again, clearly expecting to see either Chris or Chef take over this supposed spin-off series. The boy waved at the audience. "Coming to you live from our apartment!" he began with a grin. "This is our brand-new Total Drama spin-off series, Dakota has a Broadcast! Or DHAB!"
"Technically, we are in no way associated with the Total Drama franchise, but what are they gonna do? Sue us?" the girl commented in a bubbly tone. "Anyway, my name's Dakota Milton!" she winked.
"And I'm Sam! You may remember me from my time on the fourth and fifth seasons of Total Drama!" he said impishly, "Though I did go pretty early both times so I don't blame you if you've already forgotten."
"Easy for you to say! I was robbed this season!" Dakota whined, "Though, at least I get to spend more time with you and get my own spin-off without having to deal with any of Chris' lame challenges."
"Oh, man! Can you believe it? 7 Seasons! Pretty exciting. And with an all-returnee cast? We're only six eliminations in and this season is shaping up to be one of the best ever!" Sam applauded.
"Which reminds me!" Dakota said as she stared directly into the camera. "I have a special surprise for all the viewers at home. Right now, we're in a Bloom call with over twenty contestants from Total Drama's history!"
The livestream switched to a different screen to show that Dakota and Sam were indeed in a call with many of Total Drama's past players. The screen showed a five-by-five grid of many old campers with their cameras on, waving at the audience. Some notable attendees from the first generation were Gwen in what looked like a college dormitory, Owen at a fast food restaurant, Katie & Sadie together, Duncan behind bars, Cody and Sierra relaxing on a couch, and of course Heather rolling her eyes the whole time. Representatives from the other two generations were also seen such as Mike, Zoey & Cameron, Ella, Sugar, Jasmine, Max in a wheelchair, and surprisingly even a grumpy looking Amy. Despite the other generations appearances, the fans were fixated on once again seeing several of the original twenty-two castaways.
"As we'll be flying them into our studio as we get closer to the finale, but for right now, they'll be spectating at home with their loved ones." Sam grinned, feeling a strong sense of nostalgia from seeing his friends again.
"They'll also be on mute so please don't expect much from them. Some of these guys have no filter and we'd rather have this first episode go as smoothly as possible." Dakota admitted, as Amy was seen mouthing rude words while Duncan held up his middle finger. The screen swiftly switched back to just Dakota & Sam.
"We'll be interviewing the eliminated contestants about any juicy details we have missed on the show. So stay tuned for that! We actually have all six of them lined up backstage, ready for questioning." Dakota grinned.
"Starting with you! The first elimination of the season" Sam said, as he grabbed queue cards. "Ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be!" she replied.
"Now Dakota," Sam turned to address his girlfriend. "Last we saw you, you were a giant mutant wrestler! What ever happened to the Dakotazoid?"
Dakota did a slight frown. "You see, that's quite the story. The whole "Dakotazoid '' phase led to a lot of amazing opportunities but it came with many more difficulties. I wasn't allowed to be left alone without supervision, couldn't hide from a crowd, and most clothes couldn't even fit me anymore! It wasn't all bad but Daddy figured that the novelty would only last a few years.
"I tried my best to get Mr. Milton, her father, to keep her as this awesome fighter, straight out of a fantasy RPG, but it wasn't meant to be." Sam added in quite a somber tone.
"It took months of surgery, but we managed to rid my body of all that radiation." she said.
"After all, it helps when your family is stacked in cash thanks to all that Milton hotel merchandising." Sam interrupted with quite a bit of uncertainty. "Moving on, let's look at some questions from our viewers! They're all wondering about your elimination! The episode made you out to be a huge loner,"
"I am not a loner." the blonde replied in annoyance, crossing her arms in retaliation.
"I know that, but that's what the viewers are saying!" the gamer tried to damage control. "It couldn't be farther from the truth so what really happened on the island?"
Dakota shrugged. "Beats me. The edit didn't make it clear but I hit it off pretty well with the olympic girl and her cheerleader friend. I'm surprised that none of that made the air. The girls on my team, uhh, the Heroes? Yeah, the Heroes. We bonded together pretty well so I was totally blindsided when I found out both Dawn and Bridgette voted for me."
"That Noah guy. Why was he the target? It's not very clear why he was the one some wanted out." Sam asked.
"It's an interesting story, really. And a short one too" Dakota giggled. "Sky thought he acted like a more condescending version of Dave. After all she went through during her first season… I can kinda see where she was coming from. As for me, Noah never really even attempted talking to most of us during those first few days. I didn't know he was forming an army behind-the-scenes to take me down. Talk about petty!"
"Petty?" Sam asked. "How so?"
"He's already a reality TV pro!" Dakota explained. "As if his fanbase couldn't get any bigger. He's, like, the most talked about contestant in Total Drama history! And he's been in like, what, five episodes? He didn't want someone else hogging the spotlight and figured to cut me out early! Well, sucks for him! Guess who has her own spin-off series now!"
The chat responded with quite a bit of either confusion from Dakota's accusation or unfiltered fangirling and fanboying over even the shortest mention of Noah.
"Last question!" Sam announced. "What was your biggest regret out on the island?"
Dakota pondered for a moment. "Other than agreeing to do the season without you? Well, I'd say that talking about wanting a spin-off was what caused my downfall. You see, Bridgette and I have known each other since the season four days. I'm pretty sure my comments came across as self-centered and ignorant and it really isolated her." she bit her lip as she uncomfortably stared at the floor. "If I hadn't annoyed her so badly, I bet that you'd be interviewing Noah instead of me."
"We wouldn't have this show if you weren't the first one out. It sucks but at least we have this." Sam said in an attempt to make his girlfriend not feel so bad. "And hey! Bridgette's in the back waiting for her turn. You two can have a bit of a reunion!"
Dakota stared at Sam, took a deep breath, and innocently blinked at him. "Thanks for the encouragement, Sam. I really appreciate it."
"And now, a word from our sponsors!" he announced as Dakota wrapped her arms around him.
/
"Are you tired of eating nothing but pork and beans? Well, head on over to Handsome Steve's Vegetarian Deli! It's a real treat for those who don't want meat!"
/
The camera cut back to show Sam and Dakota making out on the couch before noticing that they were live again. They shrugged and continued their session for a few more seconds until a finger tapped Sam's shoulder.
"Hey? You two aren't trying to suck each other's brains out, are you?" a scruffy looking boy asked.
Dakota quickly adjusted herself, accidentally launching Sam off the couch. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's Shawn!"
"Glad to be here!" Shawn said as he shook Sam's hand. "Your studio doubles as a pretty nifty zombie bunker! No way they'll ever find us! There are way too many rooms in this mansion!"
"Apartment!" Dakota muttered quietly, to which the viewers could still hear her.
"Shawn!" Sam interrupted in an attempt to distract the viewers. "The only winner in the season and you were booted in a unanimous vote! What gives?"
"Well, at first I thought they didn't want to have a previous champion around. After all, I already won a million bucks… though most of it went to either my zombie bunker or Jasmine's cage-fighting flower shop." Shawn confessed as he poked his fingers together. "But you see, there's actually a different reason– the season's theme! Now that we no longer have to survive in the wilderness while trying to avoid robot animals and starvation, my skills aren't exactly ideal in the team's eyes. It doesn't help that I barely trusted any of them."
"Oh, really? Who did you trust then?" Dakota asked eagerly.
"Well, I trusted you! That's for sure. A mutant who's also a zombie? How ridiculous! And based on my original season, I was pretty sure Sky and Sammy were good too… though I'm not entirely sure about Sammy's sister. But yes, when you only trust three other people, it doesn't leave a lot of room for socialization. I was the easy boot and that's that."
"Despite being the two finalists of last season, we rarely got to see you and Sky talk. Anything up with that?" Sam questioned.
"No no. Sky and I are still good friends. We didn't have many opportunities to talk much, but when we did, it was either about potential zombie candidates or our disappointment in Dave's behaviour. She wanted me to teach her how to disappear completely in the wilderness in case Dave started getting all...creepy again.
Both Sam and Dakota winced, knowing full well about Dave's odd behavior. "You two were best friends, back in your first season, weren't you?" the gamer asked as he leaned closer. "What do you think about everything that's happened with Dave so far?"
Shawn glanced at Sam and Dakota, looking a bit concerned. "It's definitely unhealthy and it's a little shocking to know how much he's changed in just one year. Even though Jasmine and I wanted her to take the win, I'm kinda glad Sky's out of the game. It's better if they're away from each other, y'know?"
"Agreed!" Sam replied.
"I know how Sky must've felt." Dakota confessed. "Before my appearance on Total Drama, the paparazzi would not leave me alone. At first it was pretty flattering but after a while I just felt so… violated. Can't a girl get any privacy?"
"Last question, Shawn!" Sam interrupted. "With Sky out of the game, who are you gonna root for? Who's it gonna be?"
Shawn scratched his head and thought for a moment. "That's a tough one, but in all honesty, I'd have to say Sammy. Jas and I hope that she can make a name for herself, especially with Amy out of the way!"
"Agreed! I really liked that girl." Dakota added.
"Anyway, that's all the time we have for your interview. Thanks for coming, Shawn!" the gamer broadcasted as the chat began wishing him farewell. "You can sit in the peanut gallery over there." he pointed to an off-screen location.
The camera inverted perspective and showed the four other eliminated contestants on the bleachers. Among them was an annoyed Topher, Brick in a wheelchair with two interns beside him, and a polite Bridgette & Sky applauding at Shawn.
"Next up is a player who needs no introduction!" Dakota announced as the camera focused on a close-up of a grumpy Topher. "Topher!"
The screen flipped on its axis as we cut to show Topher sitting on the couch while Dakota and Sam looked bored out of their minds.
"And that's the reason why I should be the new face of the Total Drama franchise!" Topher beamed in arrogance. The livestream chat was pretty quiet as many viewers even left out of boredom. The audience dropped from just above a million to a little under six hundred thousand.
Dakota gently tapped Sam a few times on the chin to bring his focus back. "Huh? Oh! Right! Uhh.. thanks for that, Topher!" Sam said quite absent-mindedly. "Let's get into our questions, eh? What's it like being the only villain eliminated so far?"
"Not a big deal," Topher answered while posing viciously, "I don't think I deserve to be put on the Villains team but it did help drive the "bad boy" narrative I've been trying to push, so I can't be too mad! What can I say? Reality TV loves bad boys!"
"That's true," Dakota noted, "But what about Alejandro, Scott, and Lightning? They're what you call "bad boys" too but by being in the game, they're getting much more screen time than you are!"
Topher was taken back and instantly became very defensive. "So what? Alejandro's a has-been, Lightning lost all popularity when he lost to the bubble kid, and Scott!? Please!"
"Ooh!" Sam gasped, "I take it you and Alejandro have a rivalry now? Tell me, what was your plans with him going into this season?"
"Well, here's the thing. I was trying to lower my threat level by pretending to be a massive Alejandro fanboy. After securing his trust, I'd find just the right moment to cut him loose. After all, he does make an amazing shield from votes, what with being the most manipulative contestant of all time." Topher explained as Sam and Dakota nodded in agreement. "Things just didn't go according to plan when Scarlett and I were left alone together."
"I never got why you did that." Dakota said with genuine curiosity in her voice. "Why did you have to accuse Scarlett of that? Don't get me wrong, we all know what she's capable of, but this time around, she seems… less hinged?"
"She's so obviously a phony. It takes one to know one, right?" Topher admitted. "She's always writing in her notebook and seeing her bond with Jo just feels so… disgusting?"
"Disgusting?" Sam replied.
"Yeah! Disgusting! It isn't real! She's only using her for votes." Topher rationalized. "Once a psychopath, always a psychopath. Sure, she seems fairly normal now, but just like last time, she's a wolf in sheep's clothing. One of these days, Evil Scarlett's coming back! Mark my words!"
"Thanks for the input, Topher" Dakota bubbled as she stared back at the audience and noticed that the numbers were rising once again. "We're gonna have to move on to our next guest. Before we go on break, what do you guys think? Has Scarlett changed for the better, or is this all a scam?"
Topher interrupted "We'll be right back on Total! Drama! Afterm-"
Sam quickly slapped his mouth while Topher stared at him in anger. "We legally aren't allowed to go by that! We'll be right back after these messages!" Sam added. "Cut to commercials! GO!"
/
"Do you hate holes?" a mustachioed announcer announced, "Well, now's your chance! Buy now, the Hole-Filler 3000! This state-of-the-art machinery is sure to rid your garden from the nasty holes among us! Ever thus to hole filler, desperados!"
/
The scene cut back to show Brick in a wheelchair was beside both of the hosts and two interns. A few machines were connected to him while a monitor showing a green LED, a red LED, and the images of the twelve remaining contestants were all visible from the livestream.
"So, you were eliminated a mere two days ago. Have you caught up on all the episodes since the start of the season?" Sam asked. After a few moments, the red LED light flashed.
"That's understandable." the fame-monger added. "So how about your performance? Are you proud of how you played the game?" Dakota asked. The green LED flashed brightly.
"What you did for your team was very heroic. Many theorize that you launch yourself into the dark abyss to save your friend Dawn from elimination. Is this true?" Sam asked as the green LED light continued to flash.
"Well, you really proved yourself as one of the most noble and kind-hearted to ever play the game" Dakota continued. "Out of the twelve remaining players, who are you rooting for most?" Surprisingly, Jo's icon lit up.
"JO?!" Both hosts gasped in unison. "Care to explain?" Dakota asked.
No lights turned on. It took the hosts a few seconds to realize why.
"Right… he's probably gonna have some trouble explaining all that." Sam said in embarrassment. "Though, if I were to guess, Jo finally showed some actual respect for once. That's all you wanted from her, right? Just a bit of respect?" the green LED flashes again.
"Well, we really appreciate you coming onto show, even with your condition." Dakota thanked as the interns began wheeling him away. "That's Brick everyone! Another round of applause for Total Drama's hero in battle!" After a bit of virtual applause, Dakota faced the camera as her tone became very serious. "I'm only going to briefly address this but we've had to remove Topher from the studio. He tried to get us into hot water with copyright infringement, and we all know not to mess with any of that!"
"Don't want the spin-off series taken down! Especially after we've just gotten started!" Sam chuckled. "Oh, hey! We're back to just over a million viewers! I'm into E-Sports and I've never seen a streamer get anywhere near that number! How did we get so many?" he asked.
"Total Drama is huge nowadays! This season had just as many viewers as the first! And that one was huge." Dakota guessed. "When you add a loyal fanbase hungry for any sort of content, I suppose it all adds up!"
"Well, folks, you're not gonna miss what's next!" Sam smiled. "Our next guest is someone that has a lot to say about the game so far. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Bridgette!"
The members in the peanut gallery politely clapped as the surfer wobbled her way to the stage. Dakota had quite a hard time looking at her, but Bridgette was able to grab her attention. The two blonde girls looked at one another as Bridgette reached her hand out.
"No hard feelings, alright?" the surfer lamented, not sure what to expect.
"None at all!" the fame monger bubbled. The two girls shook hands and even exchanged a hug as Bridgette seated herself on the couch. "Glad that there's no drama between us!"
"Well, let's just say, certain contestants aren't so lucky." Bridgette said, trying her best not to sound so heated. "But, here I am! It's great to see you two are continuing the tradition of hosting Total Drama Afterma-"
"NOTHING!" Sam coughed. Bridgtte put her hands to her mouth and gave a guilty non-verbal apology.
"Sorry. What I meant to say was, it's great to be on the very first episode of Dakota Has A Broadcast" Bridgette corrected. Sam gave a thumbs-up in response as the chat began speculation.
Dakota butted in to change the conversation. "Bridgette, my girl! I'm so sorry to see you here so early. You haven't had the best of luck in your past few seasons."
Bridgette shrugged. "Not like I wanted to be on the show, anyway. After I met Geoff on that first season, being on reality TV felt pretty unnecessary."
"And yet, that's not what you told Noah…" Dakota slyly added as the screen cut to show an iconic moment from the first episode. Bridgette was seen with her head held down, staring at the sunset as Noah emerged from the shadows and began approaching her.
"Augh! Forgot about that!" Bridgette confessed. "I didn't realize that scene got aired. Look, I know what I said about Geoff. It just– it just– sucks! The Ridonculous Race opened so many doors for us, but now he's a reality TV celebrity and I'm just his girlfriend. It's… really demotivating." She sighed, not sure what to say. "Not like you know what that feels like."
"Oh, I absolutely catch your drift." Sam groaned. "Dakota and I are happier than we've ever been, but man! When your girlfriend is either known for being a totally kickbutt mutant wrestler or the cover girl for Canada's Next Hot Model, it just… it makes you feel irrelevant."
"Oh Sam," Dakota sighed as she put her hands together. "You know you could've told me about how you felt, right? I completely understand where you're coming from."
"I didn't want to risk hurting your feelings" the gamer apologized. The two hosts then shared a cute hug as the audience cooed. Bridgette gave a slow applause in support.
"You guys really are like me and Geoff!" Bridgette complimented. "You guys are gonna make an amazing spin-off."
The couple both nodded in agreement as Dakota continued the interview. "So Bridgette, what do you think about Noah? How did he know the exact buttons to push?"
Bridgette stared into space and took a few seconds to respond. "So here's a little known fact. Over the past five years, the "original twenty-two" have all gotten pretty close with one another. Going through Chris' sociopathy really brings people together." she affirmed as she thought for a few more seconds. "I've always felt pretty bad that Noah's one of the few that I haven't been in contact with recently. He's a pretty chill guy when you get to know him, but I've always felt that our relationship was pretty distant."
Dakota nodded. "The twenty-two of you went through a lot together. None of the other casts are anywhere near as close as you guys!"
Bridgette took a bit longer to respond. "Yeah, so the thing with Noah is that, well, he knows a lot more about me than I do about him. He knew he was in danger. He needed one more vote to save himself and he just so happened to find me at the perfect moment. The episodes don't show it that well, but he and I were pretty close in the days before my elimination. Being part of those first three seasons really is a huge advantage out there!" the surfer said as she shifted her position by crossing her legs. "But, well, I don't think he meant any of it. I was nothing but a number for him and when he needed to keep both Sammy & Sky around, he threw me under the bus."
Both Sam and Dakota nodded sympathetically as the gamer put his hand on her shoulder. "Aww, Bridge. I don't think Noah's anything like that! I'm sure he didn't fake being your friend. I'm sure there's at least some truth to his action."
"It's just so hard to tell." the surfer sighed. "I felt a genuine connection out there and it hurt so bad when he betrayed me. We both could relate over having a more successful partner and wanting our revenge on Alejandro that it just… I guess it made me blind over what was really going on. You're right, he's not a bad guy, but man that was so… cutt-throat?"
"Well, if it's any consolation" Dakota said as she wrapped her hands around Bridgette and Sam. "As I said– I'm not mad at you for voting for me. Noah's a crafty dude but his gameplay is almost like playing with fire. Who are you personally rooting for to take the million this year?"
"Honestly, I haven't thought much about that." Bridgette contemplated. "Like, I'm happy that Noah's getting the chance to show his true smarts. He's a pretty analytical guy but he hasn't been able to show any of that in his previous seasons. I wouldn't want him to win though. His social game needs a lot more work. Hmm, there are a lot of people on my mind like Tyler and Sammy, but honestly, I'd say… Dawn!"
"Dawn? Interesting choice! Care to explain?" Sam asked.
"She's fully aware of Noah, so it'd be pretty awesome to see her take him down! Scott too, actually! Her and I are huge animal lovers so we bonded pretty well on the Heroes team." Bridgette explained. "Oh! And don't forget! Using the money she made from selling TD memorabilia and a little bit of Geoff's winnings, the three of us have agreed to form a foundation for the awareness of teenage mental health."
"That sounds amazing!" Sam gleamed as Dakota nodded. "What inspired you to specifically raise awareness for that?"
"We can all agree that the craziness of the Total Drama series hasn't exactly been the best for our mental states, right? After everything we've been through, I think it's smart to use our resources to help teens in need of someone to talk to." Bridgette informed the audience, now staring directly at the camera. "If you wish to support our cause, please check out .ca for more details."
"You know, being Chris' intern sucked! It definitely caused a lot more pain than I'd like to remember." Dakota admitted. "I'll definitely be donating some of Daddy's cash to help out."
"Oh, hey. Bridgette, last we saw you, you helped Ezekiel get off Boney Island. How'd you do it?"
"Ezekiel's had a crush on me since the day we met. I figured I'm the only person on the planet who could tame his animal instincts, and it worked! Geoff and I have looked for places that could help revert him back to his normal homeschooled self. I'm not sure if it's even possible, but it's worth a shot, right?" she affirmed.
"If I can recover from being a freak, then so can he!" Dakota replied, to which Bridgette smiled in reassurance. "That was very thoughtful of you, undoing Chris' wrath and all. Good for you!"
"It's the least I could do," Bridgette said shyly. "After all, I was one of the people that voted him out which subsequently caused this whole mess in the first place."
Both hosts looked at the girl with empathetic looks. "Please don't beat yourself up over that. Who could've known?" Dakota said with concern in her eyes. Bridgette slumped her head down and silently nodded.
"Thanks for coming on the show, Bridgette. We really appreciate it and I'm sure the foundation you and Geoff set up will help teenagers all over the globe." Sam interjected. The chat was seen sending heart emojis to their favorite surfer. Bridgette sheepishly waved to the camera. "What do you think, live chat? Is Noah an upcoming villain or is he just a brutal strategist? We'd love to hear your thoughts!"
Dakota giggled as she stood up in an excited motion. "And now, wel have one more guest to show, and believe me, you aren't going to miss what she's going to say! We'll be back, right after these messages!"
The camera reversed over to Sky in the peanut gallery, waving proudly. The footage then cut to black
/
A commercial for the current Total Drama season was shown with an enthusiastic announcer's voice being heard.
"Six down, twelve to go! Will your favorite contestant be the next one sent down the Sub of Shame? Who will survive, and who will prevail?" As the announcer continued, a still image for each of the twelve remaining contestants was shown. Alejandro was looking at his own reflection in a mirror, Courtney was drawing a new chart, Dave was scrunched up in the confessional booth, Dawn was meditating, Jo was doing pull-ups on a tree branch, Lightning was sloppily eating out of his protein bucket, Lindsay was absent-mindedly playing with her hair, Noah was reading his book with an eyebrow raised, Sammy was looking insecure, Scarlett was adjusting her hair tie, Scott was whittling with his pocket knife, and Tyler was seen trying and failing to eat a banana.
The scene then cut to Chris on the dock. "Find out on the next exciting episode of Total! Drama! The Island Strikes Back!"
/
The scene was now back in the studio with the former cast members in the peanut gallery and the hosts and their guest on the couch. Despite being within earshot of their guest, the two hosts decided to gossip.
"You sure you wanna do this? This might get ugly." Sam asked with concern as the camera slowly panned to the two of them.
"Hey!" Dakota argued, "Worse comes to worse, my broadcast get more views! More views equals more episodes!"
"We're fine! Do you know how rare it is to have... " Sam argued as he checked the numbers. "Over 1.7 million viewers?"
"Compared to the actual season, those are rookie numbers!" Dakota pointed out.
"Guys? I think the cameras are rolling" Sky pointed out as both hosts gave wide grins.
"And we're back for our final guest of the evening!" Dakota said happily as the camera zoomed in on the olympian. "Some may know her as last season's runner-up, but we know her as Queen Sky!"
"Queen?" Sky said in bewilderment. "No one ever calls me that?"
"What do they call you then?" the gamer asked politely.
"I don't think I'm allowed to swear whie live" Sky shared, causing a slight cringe from Dakota.
"I'm so sorry," Dakota apologized, "I can't imagine what you've been through. Getting harassed by passionate Dave fans online like that."
Sky twitched a little bit before taking a deep breath. "Look, this whole situation is so much more complicated than it ever needed to be. We were both seventeen at the time and we made really stupid mistakes. I should've told him about Keith from the get-go" she confessed as Dakota nodded. "You have to remember that we were starving for eight weeks straight! We weren't our best selves and it sucks that our stupidity was shown on national TV."
"So after all that's happened, what do you think about Dave?" Sam asked.
"I want to be his friend. I really do!" Sky said. "He really was one of the sweetest guys I've ever had the chance to meet but this year, he's gone off the deep end. He refused to listen to a single word I've said to him and he started spreading exaggerated rumors to all the other guys on the island. I really wanted to make it up to him but he's gone too far with antagonizing me."
"We know exactly what you're talking about." Dakota replied with a look of concern. "Dave really needs to learn a thing or two about personal space, if Courtney's confessionals are anything to go by."
"What Dave's doing with Courtney isn't very far off from what he did with me during our first season. The big difference is that my genuine connection with him distracted me from seeing the red flags, while Courtney isn't so lucky. She's only using him for his vote but she isn't prepared for Dave at his peak creepiness." the olympian ranted. "Okay, creepiness may be a bit too harsh but when that guy has a crush on someone, he'll go out of his way to move the sun, moon, and the stars, just to spend a few extra minutes with her."
"What's the most invasive thing he's done to you?" Dakota wondered. "I know a thing or two about fans invading my privacy."
Sky gazed into space for a few seconds. "I swore to him that I wouldn't tell anyone the extent of his madness, and I'm a girl of my word. Let's just say, at the rate he's going, Courtney's in for a real nasty surprise soon…"
"Moving on to some non-Dave questions, what did you think of the Hero team?" Sam asked.
"Oh!" Sky gushed, "I genuinely loved my team! I feel as if I got along with everyone, which is a huge step up from my first season. Well, everyone except the one person that caused my downfall." Sky shuddered. "Noah! Who knew he was capable of so much gameplay? He was the only person I never really talked to. I figured he'd be an easy first elimination but he formed an army behind my back! I never really got any footing in the game after you went home." she commented, gesturing to Dakota.
"After seeing the episodes, how did you feel knowing that you were only kept around as long as you were because Noah wanted to fuel Dave's motivation for the game?" Sam continued.
"Credit where credit is due, pretty clever! I can't really complain since it meant I'd stay a few episodes longer, but I wish we didn't hit such a bad losing streak. It would've helped so much if my team didn't lose so many members. The day Chris swapped Dave onto the Heroes team was the day I knew my time was running out. I was at Noah's mercy and he didn't feel like giving it to me any longer." Sky described as the hosts nodded.
"Did you try to get some numbers on your side during your last marshmallow ceremony?" Dakota asked.
"I did!" Sky answered. "I tried explaining to my teammate that Dave wasn't to be trusted and that one of us needed to leave to finally put an end to the conflict but… I guess they believed his word over mine."
"I never understood that," Sam said, "He pushed you into a pit of toxic waste and yet they still voted against you?" Sky shrugged in response.
Dakota put her hands on Sky's shoulder. "You may have a very vocal group of haters, but you also have many loving fans! A lot of us were rooting for you, Sky. We're sad to see you here this early. Who are you personally rooting for?"
Sky put her hands to her lips and began thinking. "Even though I didn't really get to talk to her– Courtney! She's a strong player who seems to be correcting her past mistakes. If she's able to handle Dave, then more power to her!"
"Final question," Dakota said in quite a careful tone. "Do you think there's any chance you and Dave could ever end up together?"
"Definitely not," Sky responded almost immediately while doing an X gesture with her arms, "That ship has sailed long ago. There's been too much beef on both sides where I just wouldn't be comfortable with dating him. I'm still down to be his friend though after all is said and done. I'd love to have a nice chat with him over dinner, especially in a non Total Drama environment, where we're hopefully both our normal selves."
The livestream chat began having a minor civil war over who was more in the right– Sky or Dave. Sam tilted his head and gave Dakota a supportive thumbs up.
"Thank you, Sky! We hope to see you more in the future!" Dakota congratulated as she shook Sky's hand. "As for the fans out there, that's a wrap for this exciting episode of DHAB! If you enjoyed our pilot episode, please leave a positive review for more!"
"I'm Sam!"
"And I'm Dakota!"
"And we'll see you guys next time!" both hosts waved the camera cut to black.
/
The scene faded back to the studio. Dakota and Sam were still on the couch while Sky was seen getting off. The two hosts looked exhausted. Shawn and Bridgette were seen happily chatting among themselves while two interns were seen wheeling Brick back to the hospital.
"Thanks for the interview, guys!" Sky waved as she joined the others leaving the studio.
"You did a great job today, Sam! You're a natural!" Dakota told him. Sam smiled as the two shared a hug.
"You think your Dad's gonna renew the show for another episode?" he asked as he whipped out a portable game console.
"I'm sure he will!" Dakota giggled as the stage lights turned off.
Author's Note
And that's a wrap! I hope you all enjoyed the first episode of DHAB! This is my version of the Total Drama Aftermath and it was a lot of fun to write! I was pretty unsure on whether or not this episode was even worth it, so I'll leave it up to you to decide if there'll be more in the future. Also, it was definitely nice to see Dakota, Shawn, Topher, Bridgette, Sky, and Brick again, especially since it has been three years since I last wrote for most of them.
Hopefully I did a good job with the interview section and gave some closure on the stories these characters had. I'm curious what you all think so please leave a review below!
I'm about halfway done with the next chapter so expect an update very soon!
Take it easy!
Elimination Table:
Dakota - 18th
Shawn - 17th
Topher - 16th
Bridgette - 15th
Sky - 14th
Brick - 13th