Total Drama: Clash of the Titans – Episode 9: Test of the Titans
"Last time on Total Drama: Clash of the Titans, it was an epic three-way regatta race for redemption between Sky, Duncan, and Heather. In the end, Sky's sharp shooting and fast feet won out, sending Duncan and Heather home for good. Sayonara, winners! Now you're losers! Then, the final nine entered the individual game, competing for solo immunity on a deadly trek to the peak of Underworld Island, where Hades had to be charmed with a song. Some bombed, some choked, some sang from the heart, but in the end, Jasmine's weird opera made Chef, er… Hades suuuuper emotional, and thus, earned her the first win of the post-merge, as well as a phone call home to be shared with another player, aka Lightning. The votes came down to Sky and Gwen, two friends turned rivals. Gwen attempted to make things right at the cost of her own game, but Sky was too bitter and competitive to care. And in a close five-to-four vote, Gwen was eliminated by her rival's alliance of five, leaving Cody alone with farm girls Beth and Sugar on the bottom. Now, just eight remain in the battle of the best! And with more twists abound, who will be the next titan to fall? Find out here, on Total… Drama… Clash of the Titans!"
The final eight returned with mixed emotions to their housing complex. Jasmine, beaming with joy as she held a burner phone with limited minutes, walked side by side with Lightning as they took a seat at the courtyard's picnic table.
Courtney whispered something in Scott's ear before they went to their respective rooms. Sky just kinda vanished into her room without saying a word or, surprisingly, showing much emotion at all. Beth and Sugar hung out with Cody at the other picnic table, awkwardly silent as Jasmine and Lightning enjoyed their reward nearby.
"I can't believe I'm gonna talk with Shawn," Jasmine sighed dreamily. "Even if it's only been a couple days since we saw each other, I just want to make sure he's still okay after that spill he took in the challenge. It'll be just the boost I need to reach the finale."
"Sha-right! And once Lightning gets that sweet praise from Pops, he'll be energized like that rabbit with the drum you see on TV! He'll be so proud of me… Pops I mean. Not the sha-bunny."
Jasmine snorted. "I knew whatcha meant. Chris said we have five minutes each, so make sure the call counts."
As Jasmine slowly typed the digits with her thick-ass fingers, Sugar glared over her shoulder and plopped chin-first onto the picnic table, a sour pout on her face.
"If she wants to talk to Shawn so bad, she should just swim to the Playa."
Beth gave her friend a supportive pat on the back. "Don't worry, Sugar. It's not over yet. Sure, we're on the outs and they have all the challenge beasts, but we have something better."
Cody sighed, bags already forming under his eyes. "What?"
"Each other," Beth said, grinning ear to ear. "I know we can make some magic happen if we play hard and give it our all together."
Cody sighed again, now with two bags under each eye. "...Yep."
Sugar blew a lock of hair out of her face. "I don't believe in magic anymore. Mr. Wizard ruined it. Just like that stupid Lightnin' ruined my chance at winnin' this pageant..."
Confessional
"I feel terrible," Cody sighed. "Gwen and I were gonna be the final two... That was the dream. And then Sky showed up and ruined it. I don't wanna sound like a bitter simp, but… it's just unfair. But Gwen told me to win this and I can't let her down. Even if the odds are against me, I have to keep trying, for her. Like I said, being a legendary contestant isn't about masterminding strategies and causing eliminations every episode. It's about sticking up for what's right and being there for your friends. At least… that's what it means to me. Probably an unpopular opinion I'm gonna get flamed for when this airs, but it's how I wanna win this thing. I've played without Gwen before and made it all the way to the finale, and I can totally do it again."
End Confessional
Jasmine put the cheap phone to her ear and waited for an answer, hardly able to contain her hype. "Come on, pick up. I swear, the Playa phone won't have a mind control chip in it..."
"Hey?"
"Shawn!" Jasmine squealed. "It's me!"
"Jasmine?! What the heck? Don't tell me you got captured by aliens and need back up? I'll be right there! Keep your cheeks shut and don't let the probe in no matter how much brain juice they offer you!"
Jasmine snorted out a little laugh. "No, silly. I'm still here on the island! I won a phone call to a loved one and you were the obvi pick, mate!"
"Oh… Well I'm so proud of you, Jasmine! Kick all their butts for me!"
"Oh, I will. Trust me. I already won the first immunity at the merge and I have actual allies who trust me. It's great. I just… wish you could be here with me. It's so unfair what happened to you. Speaking of that, how've ya been since the challenge?"
"Never better! The pampering at the Playa is top notch. If you win, we need to upgrade the bunker to include a spa room with massage chicks and a mud bath! Never thought being this clean and loosened up would be so great."
"I think you mean when I win," Jasmine snorted. "But yeah, put it on the list and we'll make it happen. Since the flower shop fighting school fell flat on its face, I might have a couple other ideas too. And no, it's not the fighting shop gardening school, I swear."
"Ha! Yeah, that was so terrible… No offense."
"None taken."
As the conversation continued, Courtney leaned over the railing upstairs, waved to Jasmine and Lightning, and once she had their attention, pointed back into her room, tapped her wrist, and held up five fingers.
Jasmine nodded back and gave a thumbs up. "Well, glad to hear Heather's staying salty. I can't even imagine how different that vote would have been had she been here instead of Sky."
"And Gwen's surprisingly okay with it. Kinda shocked, but hey, as long as you're still in the running, I'm happy!"
"Well I'll be in it until the end if I have any say around here, so prepare to be without me for another few days. Ain't that much time left, but the days pass so slow without ya, I swear."
"Totally. At least I have zombie proofing business to keep my busy. Did you know that the vents connect to all the rooms around here? It's a perfect escape route and gives me a wicked vantage point against lurchers!"
"I bet it does," Jasmine sighed happily. "Keep a good watch, would ya? Ya never know what's gonna pop up around there."
The phone let out a light beep to signal the five minute mark was near.
"Oh, crap. I'm low on time. I love you!"
"Love you too, babe! Now go kick some butt for the both of us!"
Silence. Happy silence.
Confessional
"That was exactly what I needed to get me through the rest of this game," Jasmine said, gazing dreamily off into space. "Even if it was only a couple days since we last saw each other, it's still a lot, especially when the season's so intense and stressful. And now that I'm energized, the others better watch out. I'm coming for all of 'em." She flashed a cocky yet charming smirk. "One by one."
End Confessional
Jasmine handed the phone to Lightning. "It's all yours, mate. Enjoy. See ya in Courtney's room for the alliance meeting," she said with a whisper.
Lightning started dialing. "Sha-boop! Sha-beep! Sha-bam!"
It rang.
"Awww, yeah. Pops is gonna love the news. Lightning: mergin' again!"
It kept ringing...
"He's gonna be so proud."
And ringing…
"Whenever he picks up."
And ringing…
"Any minute now..."
And then Pops' voice came through, delighting Lightning to his core.
"Eyyyy, this is Mr. Jackson. If you're hearin' this message, I'm busy doin' my sports stuff. Or I just don't want to talk to you on account of a certain son of mine costing me my championship rings on a reality show. The boy knows who he is. Either way, leave a message. I probably won't listen to it. Jackson, out!"
Lightning's hype waned, but he kept smiling, albeit with a twinge of cringe. "Uh, hey, Pops. It's me, The Lightning. I know you ain't really answerin' my calls anymore and I ain't allowed at the mansion, but hey, I made the merge this time… Sha-yeah. That's uh… That's the news. Even if I ain't got your rings back or won the money, Lightning's gonna… He's gonna try… Sha… sha-bam..."
The phone hit the table with four minutes remaining and Lightning wiped his nose, awkwardly glancing to the other table where Beth watched with a pained look, Sugar refused to look his way, and Cody was fast asleep, head down on the table.
"Uh, it went good!" Lightning said, forcing a toothy grin. "Sha-mazing! He's uh… Pops is super proud of the Lightning and totally loves him… Sha-bam!" He ended with a half-hearted flex, then slumped upstairs to Courtney's room.
"Poor guy," Beth groaned. "That's gotta be tough to hear. Or… not hear I guess."
Cody snored.
Sugar rolled her eyes, but her sneer was less noticeable. "Oh please. Sports guy's just gettin' what he deserves for not votin' with us. It's karma. Hundred and two percent!"
"Maybe one of us should talk with him later," Beth suggested. "Even if he's not in our alliance, it doesn't mean he's not a person with feelings. I can't imagine having parents that unsupportive. And for what? Because he got second place one time?"
An uncertain, uneasy look flashed across Sugar's face and she quickly walked off. "Uh, I'm just gonna go to bed. Gotta get that bee-you-tee sleep before the next challenge. Night, farmie..."
Beth, now alone with a sleeping Cody, gave him a gentle pat on the head and whispered softly in his ear. "Night, Cody. We'll figure something out in the morning. I promise."
Upstairs, in Courtney's bedroom, the five members of the alliance gathered in a circle on the floor between the bed and the door, all on equal ground.
Lightning entered last, looking numb with his zoned out eyes and limp shoulders.
"Uh, are you okay?" Courtney asked.
"Lightning's just tired after such a brutal climb today. That's all."
"Alright then," continued the CIT. "We just need to have a brief meeting to plan out our next moves and lock down this alliance moving forward."
"Yep," Scott said. "Five of us to the end where the best player wins. We have three more votes to get through, so we might as well make 'em easy."
"First we take out Sugar," Sky said.
"Then Beth," Jasmine added.
"And Cody gets a humble sixth place finish," Courtney concluded. "We just need to keep winning challenges, make sure none of the others get any rewards that could boost their chances, and stay loyal to the five."
"Exactly," Scott said with a scoff. "Like who wants to see any of the others win? Nobody's here to watch Beth, Cody, and Sugar make the finale. They want the big players to win, not the weird rejects who only got included because they lucked into the final four one time."
Courtney shot Scott a deadpan look. "You could stand to be less negative about it since this alliance is supposed to be a positive thing for us, but yes, it's true. All five of us are the big threats to win, and if we turn on each other, we're just paving the way for the lesser players to dominate under the radar and pick up the scraps."
"Agreed," Jasmine said. "I like Beth and Cody fine enough as people, but this is a season of the best and… they're not exactly the best competitors here."
"Not to mention Cody voted for me twice," Sky grumbled. "I still want him out for that."
Jasmine, noticing Lightning had been super quiet if not dead silent, nudged him in the arm. "Any input, mate? You're a part of this too. Probably the MVP too since you saved our bums tonight."
He shook his head. "Uh… not really. Sounds like a sha-plan to Lightning."
"Then it's settled," said Courtney sticking a hand palm down in the middle of the circle as everyone else followed suit.
"We need to come up with a catchy alliance name," Jasmine said before they could break the formation. "Something to really unite us together."
"Good idea," Sky said. "Maybe something like..."
"How about Team Lightning Squad?" asked you-know-who.
"How about no chance," Scott scoffed. "Something like… I dunno, I don't care about the name."
Lightning sighed, his eyes sinking to the floor.
"Well, we're mostly new school contestants," Sky reasoned. "Maybe something tying into that?"
"And nothing that could totally curse us either," Jasmine added. "No Team Victory or anything like that."
Courtney tapped her chin, feeling a little awkward with how long everyone's hands had been linked in the middle and ready to get it over with. "Um, well… We are in Greece, so if we want to tie that in with the new school alliance and the fact that we're all the big threats… How about something simple: the Titans Alliance?"
Sky shrugged. "I like it."
"A little derivative of the season's name," Scott mumbled. "But it's got some power to it."
Jasmine nodded. "Agreed. Really communicates our communal strength. I'll vote for it."
"Sha-sure," Lightning sighed. "Fine with Lightning."
"Then it's a done deal," Courtney finished, breaking the bond of hands with a celebratory chant the others joined in on. "One, two, three… Titans!"
Confessional
"This is perfect," Jasmine said. "An alliance of five with myself and Sky is just what we needed to get to the endgame. Now, what happens when we get there is another story, but I think I could sway Lightning to our side over Courtney and Scott's. But I don't want to plan too far ahead or the present'll smack me in my pearly whites. One day at a time to the finale is the way to play it."
(static)
"There's no way I'd ever take Jasmine to the finale," Courtney said with an air of smugness. "The second we don't need her vote or Sky's for that matter, they're going home... for good. No offense, but those girls are the biggest threats left to me. Why would you want to bring both of them to the final five when someone like Cody or Beth is right there as an easy beat? I'd never be able to call myself a good player if I did something that dumb, and Scott's on the same wavelength. But for now… we'll keep the alliance strong and wait for the right moment to strike." She ended with slamming a fist into her palm, a confident smirk on her face.
End Confessional
As the Titans left Courtney's room one by one, Scott was the last remaining. And just as he was about to leave, she grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him back behind a closed door.
"Hey, one last thing," she said. "We need to keep this between us, but we have to start searching for the last idol."
Scott smirked. "Way ahead of ya, sweet cheeks. I've already been looking for it since the start and have an idea where it definitely isn't… if it's still out there obviously."
Courtney sighed. "Good. Let's hope it is. But when we get some off time, we need to put in the overtime work. If the other three get the idol, we're screwed now. If Sky and Jasmine get the idol, we're screwed later. But if we have the idol, we're basically locked into the final three by default."
"Totally. And my advice: search around the beach. I've combed the forest to hell and back and never found a trace of it. Not even a clue. Either that, or the mountain. Something tells me Chris would find it funny if the idol was right under our noses the whole time, and since the first idol was in a tree and the Pendant thing was in the well outside, it only makes sense that trinket number three is somewhere else."
"Nice deduction," she said with a playful, teasing smirk. "You're pretty smart for a grimy hick, huh?"
Scott smirked right back. "Yeah. Just like you're pretty… pretty after all..."
She raised an eyebrow. "Uh, thanks." She was still plenty amused though. Just… unsure how to feel about that line. Cringey, but… in a good way?
Confessional
"Well that was a dumb thing to say," Scott growled, gritting his teeth. "You're pretty pretty? Weak stuff. But hey, at least my country bumpkin charm is intoxicating enough to make up for any verbal blunders with Courtney. She might be on the fence about getting back together now, but trust me. She'll be salivating all over me by the finale."
(static)
"So Scott's not the best with the English language," Courtney said with a light giggle. "That's a given since most what comes out his mouth is crude trash talk and fourth grade reading level dialogue. But he's got charm where it counts. And he's fiercely loyal to me, which is great in and out of the game." She caught herself smiling a little too hard and shook her head. "But don't take that to mean I'm gonna hook up with him again! I'm still here to win after all. And when I win, then I'll consider trying our relationship again. Keyword: consider." Try as she might though, she couldn't hide her blush.
End Confessional
As the night went on and everyone got a night of sleep, some more so than others, a new day neared until it dawned, casting a fresh, hazy glow across Temple Island. The birds were singing. The fish were splashing by the shore. The bugs were buzzing through the forest. What a wonderful morning.
But not so much for Sky.
Waking up, she felt… off. Not sick or even ill. Just a little numb. So before the others could awake, she snuck down to the library and took a seat in the confessional chair for a little chat with the camera.
Confessional
"I woke up and I felt… weird," she mumbled, gazing off with a tired look on her face. "Like, obviously I'm glad Gwen's gone and I'm happy Jasmine and I have this big alliance, but… something doesn't feel right. I spent days in the Underworld feeling bad, but there was a fire inside me when I was there, and I carried that back into the game with me. Now it's… Not gone, just a little weaker. Like the fire burned out into an ember. I thought Gwen going home would give me the energy I needed to finish strong, but after last night, when I actually pulled it off and ascended to control the game, it's like… I don't know. I'm just not really satisfied. Of course, I want to win and take out everyone who put my coin in that urn, but something inside me is off and it's distracting. But I'm not going to say I feel bad, ever. Gwen had it coming for a while, so I shouldn't feel bad, right?"
Memories coursed through her mind, flashing like burning out bulbs. She took a deep, exhausted breath and trudged out of the room.
"I'm done. I don't have anything else to say. I need to stay focused and win this thing. That's what matters..."
End Confessional
As Sky left the library, she bumped into Jasmine, who jumped back in surprise.
"Whoa! Sorry about that, Sky. Just goin' to deliver the old morning broadcast." Then she saw it: the change in her friend's demeanor. It was like they were right back on the Underworld together, but something was off. "Uh, are you okay?"
"I'm just tired. Being out there in the elements with people I didn't like was tough, and yesterday was stressful across the board. You know?"
Jasmine smiled and nodded with a considerate vibe. "Yeah. I getcha. I just figured you'd be super pumped with Gwen gone and us being in a super good spot for the first time, but I'm not gonna push ya on it."
"Thanks. I'll save you a seat at breakfast."
"Roger that."
As Sky rounded the corner, Jasmine's smile faded and she headed inside the library.
Confessional
"Sky's acting a little weird this morning," Jasmine sighed. "I feel like it's more than just her being tired, because all day yesterday she was totally over-the-top with vicious hype, and now she's turnin' blue on me like a 'roo without her joey. I just hope she's not feeling sorry for herself, because she shouldn't. Her head needs to be in the game and not swimming in her emotions or she's gonna lose this game a second time… Or, a third if you count being voted out once this season. But that's beside the point. All in all, I just hope she's okay. Friend to friend."
End Confessional
As Chef delivered breakfast via the gruel cart, the seating arrangements couldn't have told the story more clearly. At one table sat the Titans: Courtney, Scott, Lightning, Jasmine, and Sky. At the other table: Cody, Beth, and Sugar.
"This is awkward," Cody sighed. "They're all sitting together like we don't exist."
"I mean, we could try sitting with them," Beth suggested. "Maybe they won't mind?"
"Oh, they'll mind," Sugar huffed half-heartedly. "You ain't never been to a pageant before. Every time, there's always the cool, pretty, nice girls hangin' out and treatin' the others like a carcass on the side of the road."
"Running over it?" Cody asked, uncomfortable with the image.
"No," Sugar groaned. "Lookin' at it like a free take home meal to go!"
Beth and Cody both grimaced.
"Point is," she continued, "once the big clique forms, you know they're gonna work together for their own good. And I know it 'cause I've been there before. It's the best feelin' in the world, but when you ain't makin' the cut? Ohhhh it's dreadful."
Cody raised an eyebrow. "I thought pageants were just like… beauty contests and stuff? There aren't actually alliances are there?"
"Heck yeah there are. Half the pageant work is strategizin' against everyone else. I mean, I ain't usually in the big cliques so it's more against me most of the time, ya know, because I'm hard to beat, but lemme tell ya, the business breeds craftiness. The same craftiness ya need to win this here show!"
Cody blinked. "I'll, uh, take your word for it."
"I can't wait to come to one of your pageants," Beth said, playing with her gruel. "It's gonna be so much fun to see you in your fancy dresses and tiaras and costumes. I wish I could be in a pageant, but there's no way I'd ever win against so many girls with all that experience."
"And actual good looks," Scott snickered as he passed by, throwing his bowl in the trash nearby.
Beth glared his way and clenched her fists. "Well that wasn't very nice. My mom says I'm super pretty all the time. She'd never lie to me."
Sugar blinked.
Confessional
"Look," Sugar sighed. "The only reason I ain't instantly untrustin' of Beth is… Well… Because she ain't as pretty as me. I know it's kinda reductive, but it ain't like it ain't true. Normally I'd be all about callin' out ugliness when I see it, but… I guess I'd feel bad if I did since my farmie's been super supportive of my passions and goals. And she's been one heck of a student too. You gotta keep a hold on those kinda friends when ya got 'em, 'cause they ain't out there growin' on vines and stuff."
End Confessional
As everyone wrapped up breakfast, Chris strolled into the courtyard with a classic McLean smirk.
"Oooooh I don't like his face," Lightning whispered.
"Morning, legends," Chris said in a sing-song voice. "How was breakfast? Bad as usual? Good. And I don't care. Because as the Earth turns, the game moves on, and this episode's gonna be a big one because we've got some twists in store."
"Oh great," Courtney groaned. "We just merged yesterday and you're already throwing a gimmick at us?"
"Yep. First, I'd like to announce that there will be… no challenge today..."
Scott smiled. "Nice! I've been waiting for an off-day."
"Because," Chris continued, "the challenge will be tonight! That's right! It's a nighttime challenge, held in the Temple, leading right into an elimination ceremony."
"Seriously?" Scott growled. "You can't give us one day off?"
Jasmine merely shrugged at the announcement. "Eh. Rest is for the weak. Bring it on."
Chris' smirk grew more devilish. "Bring it on, you say? Glad you're excited, because that's not the only twist in play. Tonight, one person will be voted out… After someone is eliminated in the challenge! That's right: it's double elimination night!"
Everyone gasped in horror, but none more so than Sugar, Beth, and Cody.
Confessional
"A double?!" Cody groaned. "This is terrible!"
(static)
"A double?" Courtney hummed. "Not the worst twist ever. But the challenge-based elimination could totally screw us over if one of our alliance chokes. Thankfully we have five people, so losing one might not be that bad, especially if Jasmine or Sky take the fall." Her minor frustration slowly turned to slight intrigue. "Hmmm, maybe the challenge will do my work for me."
(static)
"So… I don't feel awful about the twist," Jasmine said. "I'm a challenge beast and my alliance has the numbers. So either way, I'm pretty secure right now, like a joey in a pouch sucking on the teat of victory."
End Confessional
"Here's how it works," Chris explained. "First, we'll run the challenge. The first person to complete it wins immunity through the entire night, meaning they land a spot in the final six. They'll also win a reward which will be a secret until the challenge is over. The rest are up for instant, do-not-pass-go elimination where the worst performer, aka the last to finish, will be out on the spot. Then, the seven remaining players will immediately vote someone off. Said losers will share a Ferry of Shame ride across the River Styx to Loserville. And what might this challenge be, you ask? Well, I told you that doing your research and supporting your local library would pay off, and now's the time for that to come full circle, because tonight's challenge will test your knowledge of Greek Mythology based on the challenges we've held and the books available in the library. And given how much time you've all spent in the confessional this season, I assume everyone is well read and will have no problem answering the questions correctly..."
Sugar gulped. "Uh, yeah… Totally. My brain's like a steel cap with that stuff. Heh. Get… Get Sugared."
Beth winced. "Oh no..."
Confessional
"So not only is it a double boot," Beth whined. "It involves testing too?! On one hand, I'm totally stoked for my chances since I took a class on this stuff, but I'm like, super scared for Sugar. She can't read a lot of that stuff because of all the big fancy words and I'm pretty sure she's been ignoring the theme of the season since the beginning. But I won't give up! I'm gonna sit her down and become the tutor who will lead our little alliance that could to victory!"
End Confessional
"Really?" Courtney snorted smugly. "A Mythology test? Talk about a cake walk. I've been doing my reading every night before bed in anticipation of this exact challenge."
"Oh wow, thanks Miss Smarty Pants," Scott groaned. "You could have at least told us this could happen."
Courtney narrowed her eyes. "Wait. You haven't been reading?"
"Not much," Scott said, rolling his eyes. "As if I'd waste my time reading weird fairy tales."
Courtney immediately shot looks at the rest of her alliance. "You've all read, right?"
Jasmine winced. "Uh, about that… Kinda been out of the game a while… Sorry, mate."
"Same here," Sky sighed. "I was never much of a reader. More of an audiobook kinda girl."
Lightning blinked in surprise. "We had a library around here?"
Courtney pinched her brow. "Oh my god, you've got to be kidding me. Just... be ready for a cram session later today!"
"And you'll have the time," Chris added. "Challenge is at 8:00 PM sharp, so that gives you about twelve hours give or take to prepare your brains for quizzing and your butts for potential booting. Have fun. Meanwhile, I'll be enjoying my hot tub, lobster biscuit breakfast, and massage in my base camp. What a wonderful day this is gonna be. For me."
Once Chris left the final eight to their own whims, Beth immediately slammed both hands on the table. "I'm gonna get a ton of books! See you up in my room in an hour!" And with that, she was off.
Courtney saw Beth make a mad dash for the library and growled. "Same here! Study session in an hour. My room. Don't forget!" She leaped over the table and chased after Beth. "Don't you dare take all the books, Beth! Don't. You. Dare."
Confessional
Working on opposite sides of the library, Courtney and Beth funneled books into their arms by scooping them off the shelves with no discrimination. If it had pages, it was good enough. Be quick about it. That was the theme.
"I'm not letting you win this one, Courtney!" Beth barked. "You're going down!"
"Don't get all cocky. You're still on the bottom, so don't push your luck." Courtney nearly toppled her stack, but kept stacking books. "Keep it up and you might be going home next."
"If it means I get to fight to the bitter end and stand up for my friends, I'll take it! I'll never give up, and neither will Sugar or Cody!"
"That's cute. Still only three people though."
"For now!"
"Exactly. It's gonna be down to one tomorrow morning!"
End Confessional
As the hour of free-time began, Scott quickly feigned a trip to the bathroom, but once he was out of sight, circled back around to the beach and jogged along, looking for landmarks that could signify the presence of an idol.
"Come on," he panted. "There's gotta be something around here. Chris wants us to find the dang thing. He ain't gonna stick it somewhere nobody would check."
Eventually, he came across a small, sandy wreckage, left behind from a beached dinghy.
He smirked. "Heh. Now that's what I'm talkin' about."
Approaching the wreckage, he fell to all fours and dug around the boards, ripping them out of the sand to clear a way inside the wooden capsule. Once an eye could peek through the boat to the inside, he reached a hand into the darkness without thinking twice.
Big mistake.
"OWOWOW!"
Snapping his hand back pulled three giants crabs with it, all pinching with full power.
"Get off, you lobster wannabes! AHHHH!"
Confessional
"I will look for this idol all day," Scott growled, his right hand inflamed and puffed up. "No matter how many dangerous animals I have to go through to get it, it's landing in my pocket one way or another. Sucks that it's all on me since Courtney's all over the study business today. Why can't she get wrecked by wildlife for a change? I mean, not that I'd want someone I like to go through that, but… You know what? Just don't air this. She'd totally take it the wrong way."
End Confessional
Meanwhile, Sugar hung around the courtyard, eyeing the trash can from afar. Once the coast was clear, she anxiously scurried over there like a chubby raccoon and dug through the garbage with both hands, pulling out bowl after bowl and licking the remnants of gruel from the inside of each. She did the same with the spoons, even going as far as to scoop the traces of goop off the inside of the bin and sucking it clean off her finger with a satisfied moan.
"S'up?" came a voice from behind her.
Casually whipping around, Sugar found Lightning awkwardly standing there, his arms crossed and eyes pointed away.
"Ugh. What do you want?" she groaned, silencing herself momentarily by fisting her maw to get all that gruelly goodness off every inch of skin.
Lightning bit his lip. "Uh… Lightning just wanted to apologize for last night."
"Huuuh?" she mumbled through her fist.
"Yeah, well, Lightning didn't really get to think it over before he voted. I mean, now he's in a sha-dope alliance, but at the time it was like 'Sha-bam! I can call Pops!' and no way was Lightning gonna turn that down."
Sugar yanked her fist out and wiped the slobber on her pants. "Hmmph. You made a mistake, mister. You really think those chumps are gonna take you to the finale?"
"Girl, were you?" Lightning snorted, his eyes rolling.
Sugar shook her head. "Nah. I was gonna go with Beth. But you would've been final five."
Lightning blinked, did some quick counting on his fingers, miscounted, counted again, and finally rolled his eyes all the way. "Girl, that's the same math as my alliance now. Final five, then fight it out."
Sugar kicked at the dirt with her pageant shoes. "Drat. Never was good at math. But the point still stands, big boy. You screwed up big time and they'll cut you quicker than Mama cuts up my blue ribbons after a bad pageant performance."
Lightning totally overlooked the strategy talk, raising a brow at the last bit there. "Sha-daaaang, girl. Destroyin' awards? That ain't right at all. Your Mama and my Pops would get along great then."
Sugar's aggressive scowl drooped into a curious confusion. "Huh? Oh, yeah… Your Pops..."
Lightning sheepishly rubbed his arm. "Uh, Lightning don't like talkin' about it, but you probably heard a lot last night, huh?"
"I heard enough. My ear holes are gapin' like a largemouth bass' gullet all day every day. Gotta be alert to win."
By then, both had taken a seat across from each other at the table.
"Yeah," he sighed. "Lightning hasn't really been in Pop's good graces since his first finale in Season 4. Losin' to that girly little bubble nerd was bad enough, but to cost Pops his rings? That's true sha-shame."
"I feel ya," Sugar sighed back. "One time, my Granny bet sixteen of her cats, a horse, and ten chickens on me winnin' the Little Miss Alberta pageant. Well, stupid Beatrice Burkins won and only 'cause one of the judges was her auntie… Or was it her mom? She might've been both, I dunno. But Granny was furious after that. Said I ruined her life, and ever since, she ain't let me used the fancy flush toilets on long trips. Gotta settle for the side of the road if I gotta go."
Lightning winced. "Dang, that's harsh. When I threw an interception and lost a championship game by one point, Pops got on my grill and seared me like a slab of steak. Man wouldn't speak to me for a week. Then when Lightning got benched for a foul, which totally wasn't his sha-fault 'cause that ref was square in the head, Pops tossed out my trophies. All of 'em. Lightning was out there diggin' in the garbage dumps for days before he got 'em back. Ever since then, he ain't ever lost a game. Cause if he does, it's bye bye trophies."
Sugar pouted. "That's harsh. But if you ain't first, you're last. That's just how it is, and you either go with it... or drown in a pool of vomit and tears after a Taco Barn binge at two at night as your Mama drowns out your sobs with Country classics."
"Taco Barn?" Lightning asked. "Girl, that ain't protein. That's just fat with salt all over it."
Sugar narrowed her eyes. "That's what ya took away from that?"
He shrugged. "Lightning watches his weight. If he goes over 125 kilos and it ain't totally muscle… that's when Pops pulls out the stops to get Lightning back on track. No protein powder, no meat, no nothin' until the weight's gone. Or else Lightning ain't in shape for the big games."
Sugar gasped. "That's just cruel! Food's the heart and soul of a growin' man! And a girl like me too. If we ain't eatin, we ain't beatin'!"
"Sha-right! Winning everything is hard when Lightning's not at his full power level. And even then, he doesn't win every time because random things can go wrong. Ain't his fault if a ref makes a bad call or some chump trips him up at the one yard line."
"Yeah, and it ain't my fault if the judges were bribed by some richy-rich slimeballs or my outfit spontaneously catches on fire. Mama and Granny can whine and complain all they want and steal as many squirrel bacon fritters from my plate at dinner as they like, but they don't know what it's like havin' all that pressure."
Lightning nodded with a big smile, but just as he opened his mouth, Courtney's screech rang out through the courtyard.
"Lightning! Study time! Now!"
The mega jock shrugged Sugar's way. "Guess that's sha-it then. Glad we could see eye to eye, Farm Girl. Lightning's gotta bounce though. See ya 'round."
Sugar was left alone at the table, waving him off. "Huh," she mumbled. "Wasn't I mad at him a few minutes ago?"
Confessional
"It feels pretty darn good to get that stuff of your chest," Sugar sighed happily, her arms crossed with confidence. "Mama and Granny know what's best, but it don't mean it ain't hard on a girl. I'm just glad I got Lightnin' here to understand the struggle. Ain't every day you meet a guy who loves to chow down and relates so hard to the pageant world..." She started to blush a little, but the library door opened and Beth ran in, wiping the rosy tint off her face.
"Study time, Sugar. We've got a lot of practicing to do if we're gonna stay in this."
"Oh, uh, right."
(static)
Lightning wiped the sweat from his brow. "Man, Lightning thought Farm Girl was gonna wreck his ass back there. Nice to know she ain't super salty anymore. Never would have guessed we had so much in common either." He smirked, doing a quick flex. "It's not like you meet someone who can match up to allllllll this everyday. And I ain't sayin' she can obviously… but she's closer than most."
End Confessional
As Lightning cruised into Courtney's room, he was immediately ambushed by said CIT, who confronted him with crossed arms and a suspicious glare.
"Why were you down there talking with Sugar?"
Lightning looked away. "Uh, Lightning was just apologizin' for last night. No biggie."
"Um, yes biggie," Sky huffed. "You can't just go talk to people outside the alliance for that long. Especially Sugar, who's a hundred percent conniving enough to poison your mind. She's totally tricked me before and she'll do it to anyone in a heartbeat."
Jasmine stepped in to relieve the tension. "What they're trying to say is don't go off and look suspicious, mate. It's not the end of the world, but we can't risk anyone breaking up this tight five, especially with a double elimination tonight. We gotta be alert and focused, and talking with the enemy, and yes, especially her, is bad news."
Lightning slumped forward, his arms dangling all limp. "Sha-roger that."
"Anyways," Sky added. "Where's Scott?"
Courtney blinked. "Uh, I don't know. Probably on a bathroom break. He'll show up soon. We should just get started though, just so we have an ample amount of study time."
Where was Scott exactly? Well, the dirt farmer was currently finishing his lap around the beach, covered in pincher marks, sand, and seawater soaked clothes.
"Stupid idol," he grumbled. "I've scanned the whole damn beach and it ain't here. I'm sure of it. I just hope none of the others have found it yet or I'm just wasting time I don't have."
And then he tripped.
"Whoa! What the heck? Who just leaves a bottle sticking out of the sand?!"
In anger, he kicked the bottle's top into pieces with one strike from his boot. "Serves you ri-"
There, sticking up from the shattered glass, was a small scroll.
Scott, blinking in disbelief, stood there slack-jawed before finally grabbing the paper to read for himself and himself only.
"To find the treasure that you seek, ascend to Temple Island's mighty peak… I knew it was up there! Yes! Score one for the Scottmeister!"
Confessional
"I swear, these idols just love me," he said, holding up the paper for the camera. "Now I just have to find out where it is on the mountain and I'm golden as a mule's piss..." His satisfied smile suddenly dropped into a half-cringe, half-frown. "Ugh, why would I go with that comparison? Stupid..."
End Confessional
"Alright, team!" Beth cheered. "Who's ready for the best cram session of your life?"
Cody shrugged. "I guess I am."
Sugar snapped out of her absent-minded stare. "Oh! Uh, yeah, time to cram… Cram what?"
"Knowledge," Beth stressed. "Let's start with where the season began: the story of Theseus and the Minotaur." Opening one of the books from the library, Beth read through until she came up with some quiz questions for her allies. "Okay. Who was the hero of the story?"
"You mean his name?" Cody asked. "Easy. Theseus."
Beth nodded. "What about the king who demanded sacrifices to the Minotaur? What was his name, Sugar?"
The pageant queen snapped back to reality once again. "Uh… His name was… His name..."
Beth leaned in. "It starts with an M."
"Uhhhhhh… Maple Syrup?"
Beth groaned. "No. Minos. Just remember that Minos owned the Mino-taur. Anyways, you have to remember how Theseus conquered the maze right? What did he use to find his way out?"
Sugar tapped her chin. "Hmmm, well, when I get lost in Granny's corn maze, I always scream really loud for help. Like this. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Cody and Beth both plugged their ears, gritting their teeth in pain.
Once the screeching subsided, Beth chuckled nervously. "Uh, no. Sorry. It was a ball of twine."
Sugar blinked. "Oh. Gotcha. Next story! We're gonna speedrun this stuff no sweat."
Confessional
"This could be bad," Cody groaned. "Sugar's terrible at trivia and we only have a few hours to practice. We have to be prepared and no way can Beth and I get this stuff down perfectly when Sugar takes an hour alone just to learn the names of the characters. I hate to say it, but… I don't see a way out of this one. But hey, at least I'm probably getting saved for last by the other alliance... Yay?"
(static)
"As alliance leader, I have to make sure my friends are total geniuses by tonight," Beth explained. "Cody's getting the hang of it because his brain is already kinda big… and also kinda pervy, but still big. Sugar though? I don't wanna be mean and say she's dumb, but she's… a slow learner. But we can't give up. Even if there's only three of us, we're still in this together."
End Confessional
"God of War?" Courtney asked.
"Ares," Sky replied.
"God of Fire and Metalwork?"
"Oh, Hephaestus!" Jasmine answered.
"His wife?"
Sky raised a hand. "Aphrodite."
"God of Attraction?"
Everyone looked to Lightning, who stared them all down in confusion. "Uh… The Lightning?"
Courtney blinked. "No."
"It's Eros, mate," Jasmine whispered.
"Oh yeah!" Lightning said. "Sha-Eros! Knew it!"
"And what was he the god of again?" Courtney asked.
Lightning blinked. "Lightning?"
Courtney facepalmed. "No. Attraction, romance, and desire. But you know who the God of Lightning was, right?"
The jock kept blinking. "Shaaaaaa… Me?"
Courtney's eye began twitching. "Zeus."
Confessional
"I don't like this," Courtney huffed. "Sky and Jasmine are doing great and I know I'm on my A-game, but Lightning is a total dunce at this stuff. He's still doing better than Scott just on the basis of actually being present, but you'd swear he's never read a book in life."
(static)
Lightning read closely from a book… which was held upside down and backwards. After a few seconds of frustration and confusion, he slammed it shut and yeeted it off-screen. "Man, Lightning ain't good at this stuff. Why can't the challenge be about lifting a boulder or scorin' a sick touchdown? He'd sha-school these chumps in that challenge, but naaaaah, we gotta do a lame-o quiz. Sha-thetic."
End Confessional
As the sun grew closer to the horizon, Scott frantically searched up the mountain, checking every step on the path up, every little nook and cranny on the sides near the path, and every dangerous outcrop in reach. Nothing.
"Attention, campers!" Chris announced over the PA. "You have one hour until challenge time! So get your brains and butts in gear pronto!"
"Great," Scott growled. "No way am I finding this thing before dark. The temple will take forever to search and I gotta get back before they start to get suspicious." Making sure the clue was still in his boot, he began jogging back down the mountain.
When Scott finally entered Courtney's room, everyone turned to look at the sweaty, sandy farmer with raised brows. Except Courtney, who tried to look as calm as possible.
"Uh, some bathroom break, huh?" Jasmine said sardonically.
"Yeah, man," Lightning huffed. "You took sha-ages. We're already on the Opium dude's story from the last challenge."
Scott gulped, sheepishly rubbing his neck. "Well, uh, Chef's gruel really backed me up over the last couple days. Had me stranded on the can for hours. Can't compete in a do-or-die challenge with full bowels, right?"
Sky blinked. "They have sand in the bathroom?"
Scott quickly brushed himself off. "Uh, no. I was down at the beach cleaning off."
"Even though there's a sink in the bath house?" Jasmine asked.
"Yes," Scott said matter-of-factly. "Because I had more than just my hands to clean after-"
"Okay, okay, enough," Courtney groaned. "We get it. You're dirty and gross. Just sit down and start memorizing."
Confessional
"I told Scott to search for the idol," Courtney said. "How was I supposed to know he'd take all day and come back looking suspicious as hell? I thought he'd do it in his free time! Ugh, this better not send him home, I swear."
(static)
Jasmine glared at the camera, looking mildly annoyed. "Okay, it's clear as day the guy was lookin' for the other idol. Not a surprise considering his track record at finding 'em, but the least he could do is not lie to our faces about it like we're stupid mongrels. It just makes me think he's in this for himself before he's in it for our alliance."
End Confessional
"Alright, last speedrun," Beth said, readying her page of notes. "Challenges in order!"
"Theseus," Cody started.
Sugar tapped her chin. "Uh, that's uh… the horse one? Troy?"
Beth gave a thumbs up. "Trojan horse, yeah. Next?"
"Jason and the Argonauts," said Cody.
And thus it continued back and forth. Offerings to the Gods, the Olympics, gross Greek yogurt, Greek combat, and finally Orpheus, with a little quiz on the Underworld challenge of the Odyssey thrown in at the end for good measure.
"I think this is as much as we can do," Beth sighed. "I just hope we remember enough to beat at least one of the others."
Sugar plopped back on the floor, spread out angel style. "My brain is hurtin' like a hen in a fox coop. Maybe Chris'll just let us have immunity..."
"Why would he do that?" Cody asked.
"Cause if the three of us go home in a row, it's boring as sin? Duh!"
Beth and Cody shared a nervous look. The possibility was certain there. For the three of them going home of course. Not the weird theory Sugar tossed out. That was out of the question.
Confessional
"I shouldn't be scared," Cody said. "I'm good at the trivia and I doubt they'd want to vote me out over Sugar or Beth, but if Sugar is eliminated in the challenge and Beth wins immunity, that leaves me as the only target!" He sighed. "But maybe I'm just paranoid. There's no way an alliance with those five people would stick together until the end, right? Right?"
End Confessional
As night fell, the top eight gathered in the Temple's arena where a couple dozen giant, circular carpets of various colors had been placed around the outer edge of the sandy circle. One mat, bigger than the others, was a bright yellow trimmed with gold. Sitting on it were eight jumbo dice of different colors. The other carpets were mostly green with a handful of reds and blues thrown in to break it up a little. Around the arena, torches kept the place lit fairly well.
"Welcome to your next challenge!" Chris announced, standing at the podium which had been turned to look over the arena. "As you can see, we've done a little remodeling to convert the arena into a giant… board game!"
Sugar clapped her hands with a hyped energy. "Eeeee! I love board games. Like uh… Um… Sorry, can't think of one off the top of my head."
Courtney stepped forward, annoyed with arms akimbo. "I thought this was a quiz challenge. Don't tell me we wasted our day studying for nothing."
"No need to worry," Chris said. "This challenge will still test your knowledge of Greek mythology, but with a few twists. As you can see, there are four colors of carpets on the board. The giant gold carpet is both your starting line and finish line. You'll start by rolling your die and moving that many spaces clockwise. The color of the carpet you land on determines your fate. Land on a green carpet and it's quiz time. But we wanted to add some diversity since an episode of trivia would be booooring. Land on a red carpet and you'll have to complete a small mini-challenge that will be embarrassing, dangerous, or both. Land on a blue carpet and you don't have to do anything. Consider it a freebie space. But beware, should you fail to answer a question correctly or fail to complete a challenge, you lose your next turn."
Lightning fist-pumped. "Awww yeah, Lightning likes the sound of that. Challenges are up his wheel-alley!"
Cody gulped. "Not mine."
One camera cut later and everyone was standing on the golden carpet with jumbo dice in hand. Around the arena, the board went in order as such clockwise, starting and ending near the podium:
START
Challenge
Quiz
Quiz
Safety
Quiz
Challenge
Quiz
Quiz
Quiz
Safety
Challenge
Safety
Quiz
Quiz
Quiz
Challenge
Quiz
Safety
Quiz
Quiz
Challenge
Quiz
Quiz
Quiz
FINISH
"We did some quick RNG to determine the order you'll roll: Jasmine, Beth, Scott, Sugar, Sky, Lightning, Courtney, and finally Cody. Jasmine, you're up first."
The Aussie rubbed her hands together, grabbed her die, and rolled. It landed on 4.
"Yes! Safety first!" she cheered, jogging ahead to the first blue carpet. "Not a shabby start."
"Nice roll, Jasmine," Sky said.
Confessional
"I still feel… off," Sky said. "Especially being here in the arena again. But I can't let my emotions get the better of me. I've gotta win this and make sure Sugar goes home tonight. Maybe that'll help me clear my head of this... funk."
End Confessional
Beth was the next to roll… and rolled a nice, juicy 5.
"Yay! I got the lead!" she cheered, hurrying to the green mat in front of Jasmine. "Hit me with the question, Chris!"
Chris filed through his cards. "Beth's question is… Which God freed their brothers and sisters from the Titan Cronus?"
Beth snorted. "Easy one. That's Zeus! His mother replaced him with a rock when Cronus tried to eat him alive so he could grow up and-"
"Yeah, nobody cares," Chris said. "You don't lose a turn, but don't make me take it away by force. Next up, Scott!"
Scott snickered, spitting in his hands for good luck. "Alright. Scotty needs a new pair of jeans!"
He rolled…
"A one?!" he growled. "Come on!" That being said, he took his spot on the red mat.
"Oh, our first challenge of the night," said Chris, sorting through another pile of cards. "Scott, to keep your turn, you'll have to… eat a disgusting blend of the various yogurts from the last eating challenge."
Scott rolled his eyes, noticing Chef bringing out a glass of the sludge. "Easy enough. Just gimme the glass so I can get this over with."
Snatching it out of Chef's grip, the dirt farmer chugged it down, let out a gross, queasy belch, and groaned. "Done."
"And Scott stays alive. For how long, we don't know. That stuff was sitting outside a long time. Anywho, Sugar's turn!"
The pageant queen yeeted her dice overhead and let it fall. "A three? Meh. I'll take it."
Taking her place on a green mat, it was then question time.
"Sugar, your question is… What was the name of the city who chose Athena as its patron Goddess?"
Beth wiped her brow. "Oh that one's easy," she whispered to nobody in particular.
Sugar blinked. "Hmmm… I guess I'll go with… Orlando?"
Beth nearly fell over in shock.
Confessional
"Sugar, it was literally in the name!" Beth groaned. "Athens! We went over it like, five times!"
End Confessional
"Wrong!" Chris said. "Sugar loses her next turn and on we go to Sky."
Sugar stomped her foot. "Crud. It's totally Orlando..."
The gymnast rolled a 2 and hopped over to a green mat. "Sucks to be behind Sugar, but it's better than a one."
Scott squinted her way.
"Sky, your question is… Who was the Goddess of the Hunt?"
She didn't even need to think. "Uh, Artemis, right?"
"Correct! Lightning, it's rolling time!"
The jock tossed his die. "Sha-bam! Come on, dice! Give Lightning a sweet six!"
It was indeed a 6.
"Sha-yeah! Let's go! Lightning's in the lead! Sha-first!"
His waltz along victory road ended on a red mat.
"Oooh, it's challenge time," Chris said. "Lightning, for your challenge, you must… dodge a barrage of blasts from Chef Hatchet's powerful peach pummeler!"
"His what?" Lightning asked, raising a brow. "Man, that sounds plain wrong."
Chef emerged with what looked like his tennis ball blaster from Pahkitew Island, but instead of balls, the ammo container was loaded with freshly picked peaches. "Hehehe, feelin' peachy, boy? You won't be for long!"
Lightning snorted and took his Superman stance. "Sha-please! As if Lightning's gonna get taken down by a bunch of fruit!"
Chef opened fire and Lightning began to dodge, ducking and jumping and swerving and rolling away from the projectiles that splattered against the wall on the other side.
"That it?" Lightning taunted. "Lightning can do this all day!"
Chef smirked and flipped a switch, and suddenly the blaster was firing at a much more rapid pace.
Lightning screamed and started dodging faster, but alas, the dude's body was too big and eventually Chef made contact. And again. And again. And again.
"Ahhhh! Sha-help! Ahhhh!"
As the gun ran out of ammo and whirred down to a stop, Lightning groaned in pain on the ground, coated in welts and peach splatter.
As his allies cringed, Chris moved on. "Lightning loses a turn! Next up is Courtney!"
The CIT gladly rolled. And rolled a big, fat one.
"You're joking..."
"Nope!" Chris snickered. "Looks like it's Courtney's turn to be challenged… And her challenge is a good one. You've been hit with one of Eros' arrows. Have a steamy make out session with the person closest to you on the board!"
Courtney immediately looked over at the other person on her mat. Her heart sank.
Scott waggled an eyebrow. "Hey, good lookin."
Confessional
Courtney buried her face on her hands. "Seriously? Of all the people, it had to be Scott?! I mean, not like I haven't kissed him before and… enjoyed it… But I don't want to kiss him now! I might catch fee-I mean…" She grimaced. "Catch a cold! Yeah. A cold."
(static)
Scott nearly squealed in excitement. "Best. Challenge. Ever. Rollin' a one ain't so bad after all, eh?"
End Confessional
"Any day now, Courtney," Chris complained, noticing her reluctance. "Half hour show, remember?"
Courtney looked between Scott and his waggling eyebrow, and the finish line one spot behind her. It was a long way to go, and she couldn't give up. So, grabbing Scott by the cheeks, she locked their lips together and closed her eyes… only to immediately open them in shock. Backing off, Courtney hurled into the sand, leaving the other seven cringing in revulsion. Scott himself looked totally offended.
"Oh come on! Was I that bad?" he whined.
Courtney recovered, covering her mouth. "N-no… It's… Your breath."
Scott breathed into his hand and sniffed it. "Ohhhh yeah, the yogurt. Heh, sorry about that."
Confessional
Courtney hurled into a bucket and groaned again. "Worst. Kiss. Ever."
(static)
"Stupid Chris!" Scott growled. "My one chance to kiss Courtney without her no-selling me and you ruin it with your stupid yogurt? What a joke."
End Confessional
"While it wasn't steamy, it sure was ratings gold," Chris said. "Courtney passes the test. Cody, your turn."
The geek took his roll and sadly joined Scott and Courtney on the first red mat, having rolled a measly one. "How many ones are we going to roll?"
"Hopefully not too many," Chris said, eyeing his stack. "We only have so many cards here. Anyways, your challenge is… wait for the next roll without pants. You'd swear Sierra wrote that one, but nah. That's all me. And don't you dare take that the wrong way."
Cody sighed and unzipped. "Sierra's gonna clip this and watch it every minute until she dies, but if it's that or getting eliminated..." Removing his pants, he nearly tripped into Scott, who shoved him back.
"Hey, don't get your junk all over me!"
"Sorry," Cody whined, finally getting free of his pants and tossing them over his shoulder, now exposed down to his boxers.
"No shame," Beth said. "Way to take one for the team, Cody!"
Jasmine avoided watching the mess unfold, now set on taking her second roll and hopefully the lead as well. She rolled…
"A 5? Nice!" A hop and a skip later and Jasmine was standing on a green mat. "Quiz me, mate!"
"Jasmine, your question is… Name the first task Heracles was assigned."
The Aussie snorted. "Easy one. Take down the big mean lion."
"I was looking for the Nemean Lion, but close enough. Beth, you're up."
With fingers crossed, Beth tossed her die to the ground.
"Oh, Beth rolls a six, sending her to a blue safe space!"
The wannabe jumped for joy and hurried to the next blue mat. "This is so cool! And now I have the lead!"
Scott rolled his eyes and his die. "Not for long." Rolling a 4, he walked to a green mat.
"Scott," Chris said, "your question is… What was Ixion's punishment in the Underworld?"
Confessional
"At least if Scott wasn't around to study until the last second, he got an easy question," Courtney said. "We literally just did the challenge yesterday. Piece of cake."
End Confessional
"Easy," Scott snorted. "Dude had to roll that boulder thing up a cliff or something."
Courtney smacked her head so hard it nearly bruised.
"BZZZZT! Wrong!" Chris shot Scott a finger pistol. "Ixion was the wheel dude. Looks like you lose a turn. So sad."
Scott's eyes went wide. "Crap! First I roll a one and now this?!"
"Sucks, don't it," Sugar taunted, grabbing her die. "Sugar's gonna roll her way to-"
"Oh no you don't," Chris said with a sneer. "Sugar, you still lost your turn in the last round. Sky rolls next."
Sky shot Sugar a smug look. "Yeah. Learn to play by the rules, cheater." She rolled a 4 and landed on a challenge space.
"Sky, to keep your next roll, you'll need to… do a handstand for one whole minute."
The gymnast couldn't help but smile now. "Finally, something I'm great at. You don't even need to count. I could do it all day."
Chris gave her a sly smirk. "So is this a challenge you're proposing?"
Sky's smile dropped and she held her hands up defensively. "Uh, no thanks. One minute's fine."
As Sky leaped into the air and landed on her hands, Lightning, standing on the same space, attempted to do the same and fell flat on his face.
Courtney finally took her second turn. "Come on, give me a 6..."
It wasn't a 6.
"Ugh! Another one? This has to be rigged!"
Chris rolled his eyes and whipped out a quiz card. "Or you just suck at rolling. Anyways, who was the dude who wrote the story of Oedipus?"
"Well, the play was written by Sophocles," Courtney said. "But technically the story was an older myth."
Chris blinked. "Yeah, don't care. You're still safe though. Cody, put your pants back on and roll."
"It better not be another challenge," he whined, rolling… a 4! Hurrying to a green mat with his pants still falling down, he tripped and nearly took Scott down with him.
"What did I just say?!" the dirt farmer growled.
Chris pulled another card from the green pile. "Cody, which monster was the hero Perseus tasked with killing?"
The geek rubbed his head and finally buttoned his pants back up. "Medusa."
"Correct! Round two comes an end! Direct your eyes to the scoreboard for the standings."
A screen popped out of the ground near the podium, displaying the board in computerized form with colored faces of the final eight sitting on their respective spaces. Beth was in the lead on Space 10, Jasmine was right behind on Space 9, Lightning and Sky shared Space 6, Scott and Cody shared Space 5, Sugar was still stuck on Space 3, and poor Courtney was all the way back on Space 2.
"There's still a lot of game left to play, so… let's roll!"
A montage of various rolls began, as well as the various challenges, questions, and answers each contestant had to deal with.
"Liver got eaten by a vulture!" Jasmine said. "No wait!"
"Wrong!"
"Homer's the Iliad!" Beth answered.
"Correct!"
Sugar stuffed her face with eggs until her cheeks were about to burst. Once the timer ran down, she swallowed them whole, shells and all, as Lightning looked on in amazement.
Sky hit a blue space and wiped the sweat from her brow.
Lightning bit his lip and gave an answer of "Uh… Timbuktu?"
Chris gave him a thumbs down. Another lost turn. Sha-damn.
"Simple," Courtney answered. "That would be Dionysus."
"Correct!"
"Uh, wasn't that Icarus?" Cody answered. "I kinda did that challenge, hehe."
"Bingo!"
Beth hit another safe space and did a goofy little dance as Jasmine, having lost a turn on a trick question, started to sweat as Beth's lead grew wider and wider.
Scott and Sugar both gave answers. Both were wrong and snapped their fingers in frustration.
"Sparta!" Sky answered, earning a thumbs up from Chris.
Courtney rolled another one and nearly yeeted her die at Chris when he pointed and laughed. Needless to say, she got her question right even if she was salty as hell.
Cody furiously ran from a swarm of bees, waving his arms around in a blind panic until he crashed into the wall.
Jasmine donned boxing gloves and went toe to toe with a bear, only to be swiped into the wall as well, leaving a Jasmine sized dent on top of the Cody one.
Beth hit a red space and despite her squeamishness, licked the bottom of her own shoes.
Sky joined Beth on the same space and with a fierce determination, powered through being stretched by a torture rack without once saying "Uncle!"
Lightning sheepishly rubbed his neck as another question was tossed his way. "Uh… Sha-ngri-La?"
Another thumbs down.
And last but not least, Courtney finally hit a blue mat.
"Finally. I catch a break. And rolling a 2 is better than a one… I guess."
"After five rounds, we have some close calls," Chris said, pointing to the standings. Beth and Sky are on Space 21 within striking distance of immunity. Jasmine is also on Space 21, but thanks to a loss against that bear, she's lost her turn in Round 6. Despite getting every question wrong and failing his challenge, Lightning's comfortably on Space 14 due to Lady Luck. Cody's middling around at Space 11. Courtney's been on a hot streak, just not with her rolls, because she's on Space 10. And just behind her, Sugar's on Space 9, and even further behind with two wrong answers and some bad rolls is Scott on Space 7. But it's still anyone's game, and anyone's elimination!"
Beth grabbed her die and took a deep breath.
Confessional
"This is it: my chance," Beth sighed. "I just need a 4 or better and I win this one. And given this is the one challenge I've been super good at… I really really want it!"
(static)
"I just need Beth to roll less than a 4," Sky said. "Then I'll have a chance to beat her to the finish and make sure I win this. I doubt I'll really need it, but we can't risk Beth having immunity just in case one of Sugar or Cody has an idol. Even if Sugar flops and goes home by the challenge, we're not out of the woods."
End Confessional
Beth rolled. Everyone stood on their tip toes to get a better look.
The die slowly rolled over, hovering between a 2 and a 5. Beth was sweating bullets and Sky bit her lip in agony.
And it landed on…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"And Beth rolls a 5, putting her over the finish line!" Chris announced. "And with that, Beth is immune for tonight's vote and lands a spot in the top six!"
Beth squealed like a piglet and ran across to the golden mat, jumping for joy. "Yay! I did it! I did it! I did it! Take that, alliance!" With a trembling finger, she pointed at Sky, Courtney, Lightning, Scott, and Jasmine, none of them looking at all pleased.
"What a sore winner," Sky grumbled. "If I was in line before her, I would have won that!"
"And you didn't," Chris snickered her way. "But you can settle for second place potentially. Anyways, with Beth immune, it's now a race to not be last! Scott, let's go."
The dirt farmer sighed and weakly tossed his die to the ground. It was a lame-o 2.
"Great. Just give me an easy question this time."
"No can do. Your question is… what was the name of Hera's hundred eyed monster?"
"Did we even go over that?" he groaned.
"Yes, we did," Jasmine mumbled. "And you weren't there for it."
"Uh, I dunno… Centiclops?" Scott didn't even sound convinced by his logically sound answer. If a cyclops had one eye and 'centi' was usually describing things of a hundred… it made sense.
And it was still wrong.
"BZZZT! Lose a turn. Again."
Scott kicked the mat and nearly pulled his hair out. "Seriously?! How come everyone is getting freebies and challenges except me?"
"Luck of the roll, bro," Chris said. "Sugar, let's see if you can make up ground."
"Okay, Mr. Dice," Sugar whispered at the colorful block. "I need you to gimme a juicy 6. Can ya do that?"
With a powerful toss, she rolled… a one.
Sugar was pissed until she saw it put her on a blue mat.
"Finally," she sighed. "I'm tired of questions and junk. Blue mats are what a pageant queen deserves."
Sky rolled a 4 and crossed the finish line without saying a word, looking peeved and emotionally drained as she took a seat on the ground away from Beth, who was still giddy over her big win.
Courtney looked ahead at her options. A two would put her on another freebie space, not that she needed it. Anything higher would be perfect. As long as it wasn't a stupid one again though, she would be happy.
It was a 2.
"I swear this die is weighted," she grumbled.
Cody was up next and rolled… a 5, putting him on a red square.
Chris whipped out one of those challenge cards. "The Codemeister's challenge is… punch yourself in the face. Like you mean it."
"Oh come on," he groaned. "First the stripping, then the bees, and now this? Is this just the embarrass Cody hour?"
"Yes. Now punch unless you want to lose another turn."
The simp did as he was told and decked himself in the face again and again. Scott watched with a satisfied smirk as Sky cracked a little smile. Beth cringed and Lightning watched in a state of confusion.
Chris's eyebrows raised a little higher with every punch. "Uh, dude..."
Cody finally finished his punching spree until his eye was black and his nose was dripping a little blood. "H-huh?"
"You only had to punch yourself once," the host snickered. "I didn't think you'd turn your mug into hamburger, hahaha! But… you pass in glorious fashion."
Cody wiped the blood from his nostril and collapsed to the ground.
Confessional
"I guess I got ahead of myself there," Cody groaned, holding an ice pack to his hurt eye. "I just imagined I was punching that alliance one by one…" He cracked a goofy, gap-toothed smile. "And it felt kinda good."
End Confessional
Jasmine rolled a 4 and crossed the finish line, joining Sky at the sidelines.
"So close," she sighed playfully. "Yet so far."
"You can say that again," Sky mumbled. "I'm just glad Sugar's struggling. I was afraid she'd luck her way into a win like she did in our first season. Like that stupid vending machine thing… Even though my team won..."
"Don't let her distract ya," Jasmine said, offering her friend a pat on the back. "Just a few more rounds and she'll be out one way or another."
Sky wrapped an arm around Jasmine's shoulder. "Thanks for the comfort. I… really needed it."
"Still feelin' bad?"
The athlete nodded. "I... I just want to be done with this game already. Get to the final two with you, get rid of the people who tried to vote me off, all that. And go home to train."
Jasmine gave her a hug. "We'll get there. Just a few more days of game left to play. Don't beat yourself up though if you think you did anything wrong. Gwen let ya down, mate. Just like all the others who didn't see your side of the story."
As they talked, more rolls went down, with Sugar and Lightning getting another couples questions wrong, Courtney overcoming an encounter with Minotaur Chef, Cody nailing a question despite his condition, Scott finally hitting a blue safety mat, Courtney once again facing and overcoming a challenge in the form of tying a specific sailing knot in a set time limit. Eventually, Cody flopped across the finish line and sat with Beth, followed by the ever incorrect Lightning and the exhausted, worn down Courtney, who sat by the other girls from their alliance.
And then two remained. Scott, standing on Space 16 after completing the challenge of withstanding being submerged in a barrel of hagfish for a whole minute, was soaked but confident. Sugar, one space behind on Space 15, just got her previous question wrong yet again and forfeited the next roll to Scott.
Taking his die, Scott looked at the next few spaces.
Confessional
"Being in the bottom two here stinks, but I got more brains in my pinkie than Sugar's got in her whole body… Or whatever. That didn't make much sense. But a couple good rolls and a challenge win is all I need to take down the Barfing Queen once and for all.
(static)
"As if I'm goin' home in lousy eighth place!" Sugar huffed. "That Scott might live that farm life, but he ain't got the competitive edge I do! I just gotta beat one person to the finish, and it's gonna be him. Bet on that."
End Confessional
Scott rolled a one and starting seething. "Oh my god… Come… ON!"
"And Scott enters the quiz zone yet again. Now… What was the name of the witch who cursed Odysseus and his men, turning them into pigs?"
Courtney watched with narrowed eyes. "If he doesn't get this..."
"Tip of my tongue," whispered the dirt farmer. "Uh… Cirie?"
"Oooooh, so close, Scott!" Chris gave him a thumbs down. "Circe! One letter off, dude."
Scott slammed his die into the mat. "Well I got most of it right! Throw me a bone, man."
"No can do. Them's the rules. Sugar, you lost your turn this round, but since Scott lost his turn in the next round, you can go ahead and roll."
Sugar glared at the farm boy two spaces ahead and casually dropped her die, letting it roll across the ground until it landed on…
"Six!" she cheered. "Boom! Get Sugared, fool!" Taking her spot on a red mat she made sure to blow a raspberry at the fuming Scott as she passed by. "Hit me with the challenge, Chris!"
"She better lose this," Sky huffed, drawing an uneasy eye from Lightning.
"Hey, girl. No need to be all negative. Sugar ain't that bad once you get to know her. You'd probably have a lot in sha-common." He offered her a pat on the back, but she swatted him away and shot him a confused look.
"Well you didn't have to experience what I did last season. So don't tell me how to feel."
Jasmine put an arm between them. "Whoooooa there! No need to fight and bicker like a couple rabid dingoes."
Sky crossed her arms and looked away. "Fine. But Sugar's still gonna lose. And I'm gonna love every second of it."
Lightning quietly gazed between Sky, Sugar, and the ground between his feet, his brows slumping in confusion and conflict.
Confessional
"Lightning is part of this alliance and all, but man, he feels sha-bad for Sha-Sugar. She ain't perfect like the Lightning, but she don't deserve to be treated like this. She's… a friend at the end of the day." He then rubbed his chin. "Hmm… Friend? What a weird word to describe a person..."
End Confessional
"Sugar," Chris said. "Your challenge is… Crab-upuncture!"
"Say what now?" she grunted.
"It's exactly what it sounds like," Chef said with a cheeky smirk, approaching with a bucket full of pinching, writhing crabs. "You just gotta last the whole procedure without takin' any of these bad boys off. Do it and you win the challenge."
"Pfft! Puh-lease. This is gonna be easy. In the pageant world, us farm girls use crayfish as bobby pins right outta the swamp holes. Lay 'em on me, Chef!"
Scott rolled his eyes, grabbing a nice clod of sand to crunch on. "Talk about a freak."
Chef applied the first crabs to Sugar's arms and legs, then moved on to her belly, chest, back, butt, and finally her face, ending with a nice double pinch on her lips, nose, and ears.
Sugar, unfazed throughout the entire thing, giggled with a kid in a candy store. "It kinda tickles. Mind if I keep these for later? I wanna do a boil."
Chef blinked.
Confessional
"That girl ain't right in the head," Chef groaned. "But it ain't every day one of these brats enjoys my cookin' as much as her, so I give her a pass."
End Confessional
"And Sugar survives, putting her within four spaces of survival" Chris said. "Mr. Sandmuncher, you're up!"
Scott gulped, noticing just how close Sugar really was to stealing his safety here. That six she rolled and the challenge she had? Both totally screwed him here. He was still 8 spaces from the finish, but the path to victory was clear. Roll a 4, do the last challenge on the board, let Sugar tank a question with a low roll, and then nail a good roll to clutch the win.
But he was still sweating for the first time in the challenge, as was Courtney.
"Please," the CIT mumbled. "You have to beat her… Please."
Scott rolled, sighed, and took a stroll six spaces ahead to another green mat, leaving just one more green mat between him and the finish line. "I swear, if it's another impossible question..."
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't," Chris teased. "That's why it's fun. Anywho, your question is… Which body part was Achilles' weak point?"
A satisfied smirk crept across Scott's face, cutting under his nose and curling up devilishly. "Hmm… I wonder what it could be?"
"Finally, one he can answer," Courtney sighed with relief.
Scott snickered his typical Scotty laugh. "Hehehe. They don't call it the Achilles Tendon for nothing. Final answer."
Courtney fell over. Sky and Jasmine looked on in utter shock. Lightning was still looking at the ground in deep thought.
Sugar blinked. "Uh, you mean the heel?"
Cody sighed. "Of course the one question she knows isn't even hers."
Scott's grin evaporated and he glared at Chris. "I-I mean the heel. Yeah. Actual final answer!"
Chris shrugged. "Sorry, dude. I can only accept the first answer you gave. And while yes, the Achilles Tendon is in the heel, it wasn't the answer I was looking for. Which means surprise, surprise, Scott loses another turn!"
Off-screen, Courtney let out an annoyed "UGGGGGH!"
"Music to my ears," Chris said to the camera. "Sugar… you can win it right here. Either roll a four or higher to pass the finish line, or, since Scott lost his next turn, land on a quiz space and answer the question correctly. But fail to do either of those things… and you're done. For good. Hopefully. You're seriously annoying."
Beth had her fingers crossed and Cody stared on, sweating bullets. Though that might have been from the pain in his face more than anything.
Sugar grabbed her die one last time, closed her eyes, and focused.
Confessional
"This is it," she said. "My one chance to stay in the game. If I fail, and I never do, Granny is gonna wear my pit hair as a wig when I get home. Sorry, Granny. But not this time. Scott, prepare to get Sugared good."
End Confessional
Sugar rolled the die. It hit the ground. It tumbled over itself. And finally settled.
"Ooooooh, so close," Chris said. "Looks like Sugar rolls a 3 and has to suffer through another trivia question. Chef, prepare Sugar's statue for a little demolition demo, would you?"
"Not yet!" Sugar barked. "You still gotta ask me my question first!"
Chris yawned. "But like, do we really have to? Do we really, really, reeeeally have to?"
Sugar glared at the host. "I ain't gettin' robbed by you again, so yeah. Gimme the darn question!"
He shrugged. "Eh, whatever. Sugar, your question is… What was the name of the king who owned the Minotaur? Remember, giving up is always an option."
Beth gasped, a flutter of hope beating in her heart. "She might know this..."
Cody gulped. "She better..."
The pageant queen pressed into her temples and focused so hard she was shaking. "The uh… the name of the guy was… Uh… Minotaur dude was called..."
"I need an answer, Sugar," Chris said. "In like, ten seconds."
"Uh, I… Um… Come on, brain work with me here. I know you ain't good at readin' all that junky stuff, but you're good enough to get me an F-minus in..."
That was it.
"Oh! Oh! I got it! His name was..."
Beth crossed her fingers so hard the joints almost exploded. Courtney gazed on in growing dread. Scott's eyes widened like dinner plates. Sky's eyes narrowed with every passing second.
"King Minos!"
The air around the arena was dead silent. Sugar stood proudly on the carpet as Chris' jaw went slack.
"Uh, that's… That's correct," he mumbled. "Sugar's correct! Which means, somehow, Scott is donezo!"
The dirt farmer hit the ground with both knees, his hands locked around his head as he stared into the night sky. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Courtney went totally pale. "B-but… I..."
"Way to go, Sugar!" Beth cheered alongside Cody, running over to her farmie for a big hug. "I knew you could do it!"
Sky buried her head between her heads. "Oh my god... She fuckin' won."
Lightning looked on with a faint smile. "Sha-nice," he whispered. "Way to go, girl."
Sky glanced over and glared him down.
Stepping down from the podium, Chris approached the broken man formerly known as Scott and whipped out his trusty remote. "Scott, I didn't see this coming and I can't believe it actually happened, much to my chagrin, but you're out of the game. For good."
Scott couldn't even speak. He just stared into the void as Chris waved a hand in front of his face, unable to break his trance of despair.
"Uh, hello? Scott? You in there?" After a few brief waves, Chris shrugged and detonated Scott's bust, sending a cloud of dust and shards across the arena to break up the celebration.
Confessional
Courtney ripped a library book in half, her mouth contorted into a twisted, raging grimace. "How could this happen?! My one ride or die, the one person I had locked into the final two, the one person who was never going to betray me… GONE! This couldn't get any worse! And now guess what? I have to find a new final two… from scratch! Ahhhh-"
(static)
"I'm so proud of her," Beth said, her hands clasped together. "But even if we were able to make Scott pay his dues… there's still the vote left. And… you know who they're going to vote out, huh? Yeah..." The wannabe slumped over and sniffled. "I'm gonna miss her so much. But at least she managed to take one of 'em down with her."
End Confessional
Courtney hurried over to Scott's side when the dust settled and smacked him across the face, snapping him back to reality. "Hey! Wake up and smell the dust you just ate!"
"Ah!" he screamed, wildly waving his arms around. "N-no! No! I can't leave like this! This has to be a twist, right? A non-elimination! Maybe someone has an idol?!"
Chris shook his head. "Sorry, bro. You're done as a Thanksgiving turkey… or whatever you weird prairie people eat."
Scott slumped over, finally out of energy to the point of being unable to stand. "Sorry I blew it, Courtney..."
The CIT was still fuming, but couldn't help but feel bad for the guy. "It's… definitely not okay, but we still have the votes. We will avenge you, I promise." She sent a mean glare Sugar's way, and the pageant queen glared right back.
"Do your worst," Sugar huffed. "If I'm goin' down, I still took one of y'all with me."
"While I would love to simmer in this drama a little longer," Chris continued. "We still have tonight's vote to get to. Since Scott is out, he won't be voting, so the seven of you, head off to the Voting Confessional and cash in those coins."
"My pleasure," Sky said, sneering at the pageant queen. "You might have survived the challenge, but you're not getting away again. Time for karma to smack you in the chops."
"Yeah, well..." Sugar paused, blinking furiously. "You suck!"
Sky rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just go home already."
Lightning, standing outside the chaos entirely, trembled in his tennis shoes as he looked anxiously between the others. He saw the writing on the wall… But could he bring an eraser to this drama party?
"Hey! Wait up!" he barked. "No sha-way am I votin' out Sugar tonight!"
Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Lightning, the alliance agreed on it as a group. We can't vote for Beth and voting Cody is a waste."
Sky stepped forward, looking mighty upset. "Yeah, we had a deal. And we just lost one of our own, so we're in no mood to change the target. So grow a pair, play the damn game, and vote her out if you know what's best for you."
Lightning faltered... then suddenly gained a sense of resolve.
"No."
"What?" Courtney growled. "What do you mean no?"
"I ain't gonna do it," Lightning said. "Sugar ain't my sha-enemy anymore. She's my sha-friend. She's the only one who ever really saw Lightning for who he was, even if she took a while to see it. And it took me a while to see how cool she was too."
Sky stomped forward, staring up at the jock with a bitter gaze. "Where did this come from? I thought you hated each other."
"We had our ups and downs, but turns out we got a heck of a lot in sha-common!"
"I knew it," Courtney grumbled. "She poisoned your mind. We told you to be careful and you didn't listen!"
"Yeah, you're getting played, mate," Jasmine said, trying not to sound as… harsh as the other two girls. "Trust us. Just vote her out and you'll never regret it. We got final four on lock, mate. Trust in the Titans..."
Sugar stepped forward, pushing Sky and Courtney out of the way to get to Lightning. "I ain't playin' ya. I swear on my Pappy's grave. You ain't in my crosshairs, big boy."
Lightning stared into Sugar's eyes for a brief moment, then looked at Sky, Jasmine, and Courtney, and then back to Sugar.
"Girl… Who we votin' out?"
Sky, Jasmine, and Courtney gasped in unison, their faces dropping from anger to absolute shock and finally to complete dread. Beth and Cody shared a hopeful look. Was... was this the lucky break they needed?!
Confessional
"Oh no-" Jasmine snarled.
(static)
"He-" Courtney growled.
(static)
"Didn't!" Sky yelled.
End Confessional
Sugar gave Beth and Cody a brief glance. Both returned with a nod. Confident in their choice, Sugar whispered a name in Lightning's ear.
"Sha-done."
"Lightning, please," Jasmine begged, her eyes bulging from her face as she sensed her game's last breath approaching. "You're screwing yourself if you flip. I swear!"
"If you save her, you're ruining your already shaky reputation," Courtney added. "We have a final four together. Believe in it and become the legend you were meant to be alongside us."
"If you flip, you're toast," Sky groaned. "We're toast! You're literally gonna give the game to the cannon fodder who didn't deserve to be here at the merge!"
Lightning snorted, turning away from the pleading ex-allies. "None of y'all ever asked Lightning what he wanted. You just needed him for his vote, told him what to do, and then sha-yoink, you'd cut him loose I bet! I thought we were a team, but when I talked with Sugar earlier, I realized what a real team should be like. Sha-truth! Chris, I'm ready to vote!"
The host, smiling from ear to ear as the ratings gold poured in, laughed to himself. "Oh yeah… this is gonna be good."
Voting Confessional
Everyone was seen dropping their coins into the urn on a seven way split screen. Some… happier than others. Much happier.
End Voting Confessional
Chris returned with a platter of kabobs. Everyone was seated in the amphitheater, even Scott off to the side looking dejected and pissed. But not as pissed as Sky and Courtney who glared at Lightning like he just stabbed their mothers. Jasmine looked more disappointed than anything. On the other hand, Beth, Cody, Sugar, and Lightning looked satisfied. Uneasy, but satisfied.
"Okay, I've tabulated the votes," Chris said. "Kabobs go to… Beth, who won immunity and a reward which will be revealed after the ceremony… Cody, who received no votes… Lightning, who also received no votes… Aaaand Sugar, who received three votes but gets her safety early for the added suspense."
Only Sky, Jasmine, and Courtney remained. All three looked miserable. Angry. Bitter. Disappointed. Afraid. You name it.
"One of you received four votes," Chris continued. "Whoever received those votes must immediately join Scott in taking the Ferry of Shame. And you can't come back. Eveeeeeeeer."
"Get it over with," Courtney hissed through grit teeth.
Chris raised the second to last kabob. "But Courtney will not be joining her ex tonight. Heads up!"
Courtney was too relieved to even catch the meaty treat. Instead, she sighed with relief and wiped the sweat off her face as the kabob sailed overhead.
Sky and Jasmine took each other's hands and glared at the final kabob, each intent on receiving it.
"Wow. So much for this Underworld duo, huh? I guess one of you is about to feel like the days spent out there were a big waste of time."
Jasmine removed her hat and shook her head in disbelief. Sky gulped, gripping Jasmine's hand as her last source of warmth.
"But in the end, the four votes went to..."
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"Sky!"
At that exact moment, he detonated her statue, causing the temple to erupt in bright light and smoke.
Jasmine gasped. "Oh my god I thought I was gone…"
Sky hid her face behind her hands and let out the longest, most frustrated sigh of all time.
"Boom!" said Sugar. "That's how it's done! Second time's the charm!"
"And that's for Gwen!" Cody scoffed proudly.
"Sorry, Sky," Beth said with a bit of a wince. "But it was our best choice."
The athlete didn't even look up. Instead, she let it out and cried through her hands, with the tears sneaking through the gaps in her fingers to fall on her knees.
Lightning immediately looked away from the mess going on with her, his discomfort showing on his face plain as day. Did he just mess up big time? Perhaps...
"I'm so sorry," Jasmine whispered, hugging Sky with her long arms and holding her tight. "We almost had 'em."
Courtney stared lifelessly into the fire, refusing to even look at her allies.
"I don't get it," Sky mumbled behind her hands.
"Hmm?" Jasmine hummed. "What's that?"
She revealed her reddened face, her eyes bloodshot and dripping with tears. "I. Don't. Get it. I did everything different this time. No crushes. Actual alliances. Playing for the team. Why am I going home again?! I don't understand!"
Jasmine didn't know exactly what to say, so she kept up her hugging. "It's okay, Sky. I'm here for ya. It's gonna be alright. This game is… cruel."
"Well," Beth mumbled. "It was between you and Jasmine and um, we thought Jasmine was easier to be around, plus Lightning's on good terms with her and I wouldn't want him to betray a friend like that. She's just… really nice to people even if we're in opposite alliances."
"And I'm not?!" Sky cried. "I'm one of the nicest people here… right?"
"You were totally mean to Gwen when she was trying to make up," Cody said. "That was like, the opposite of nice."
"Yeah, and you're a whiny baby when you ain't winnin' stuff," Sugar huffed. "At least own it."
Sky let out a devastated, shuddering gasp, so she didn't even hear Sugar's taunt. "I'm not like Dave!"
Beth blinked. "Uh, nobody here said you were. You don't thi-"
"You're all thinking it!" she snapped back. "You're probably all like 'Oh wow, look at the huge bitch hurting everyone's poor feelings with no remorse because she's all about winning even if it hurts the people around her' aren't you?"
Cody shrugged. "N-no… But-"
"I don't want to hear… the… but…" Sky went back to hiding her face. "I can't right now. Just leave me alone."
Jasmine sent a mild glare towards the four Sky voters. "I hope you're happy with yourselves. Makin' her cry like this. Talk about bullying." A bit preachy? Yeah. Even she cringed at that line, but she had to do something to defend her friend.
"It's a game," Sugar groaned. "And if you're cryin like that, you ain't cut out for a darn second of it."
"Didn't you cry the time you got eliminated?" Jasmine asked, her eyes laser focused as if she wanted to burn through Sugar's skull. "Bloody hypocrite."
Sugar blinked in confusion, then looked away with arms crossed defiantly. "Pfft. Pot meet kettle."
"Sky," Beth murmured. "We don't hate you." She shot Sugar a quick look as to tell her not to add to the conversation, then looked back to Sky. "You've totally been through a lot of awful stuff. I've seen the way the fans treated you."
Sky looked up. "Wait… You did?"
"Yeah," Beth replied. "They said so much mean stuff about you, just like they said a lot of mean stuff about me. But if you dwell on all the bad stuff that happened to you and let it define who you are, you'll never be able to spread your wings into a beautiful butterfly… Or should I say: butter-Sky."
The athlete blinked. "That's… really sweet of you. Really cringey, but... sweet."
Beth smiled. "Just because I voted you out doesn't mean I hate your guts. It's just a game and it shouldn't totally define who we are, right? That's what Sugar taught me."
Sugar raised a brow. "Huh? I did?"
"Yeah," Beth said. "She taught me how to play hard, and I adapted it into playing hard without hurting feelings along the way. At least… I tried to. Sorry about that. Still new to this whole strategy thing."
Sky wiped a few tears away. "I… I just… I don't want to lose again. Not like this. Not being stabbed in the back by people I trust left and right."
Lightning bit his lip. "Uh, Lightning might've gotten a little dramatic back there. He just really likes Sugar now, so..."
"Well good for you," Sky mumbled, finally standing. "I'm… done. Just take me to the Ferry of Shame already. I need a night of actual sleep again. And a trip to the gym. And… to talk with Gwen."
Beth smiled. "That's the first step in a long road to recovery. I promise. I just wish I had a friendship bracelet to give you."
"That's fine," Sky sighed, wiping the last of her tears away and heading for the exit. "Let's go, Scott."
"Finally," the dirt farmer grunted. "I thought it would be sappy drama hour for the whole night."
One cut later and Scott and Sky were crammed side by side in Charon's ferry as the other six and Chris watched from the beach.
"I'll win for you," Jasmine said. "Trust me. I ain't gettin' kicked out without a serious fight."
Sky nodded solemnly. "Yeah. You can do it."
Scott rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever." And then he felt something in his boot: the idol clue. "W-wait a second! Courtney, I have something to give you!" Stepping out of the ferry, he waded back to shore where a numb looking Courtney waited.
"Here!" he said, handing her one of his smelly shoes with the clue hidden deep inside. "Something to remember me by."
Courtney suddenly came alive as the scent hit her nose. "Ewwww! But… thanks? I guess?"
"Oh, and one more thing," Scott said, pressing his lips against hers without the foul taste of yogurt to pollute their kiss. Courtney was taken by surprise, but eventually let it happen and even added her own pressure to the union of faces.
"Awww," Beth cooed. "What a cute but totally weird couple."
Sugar pouted. "Yeah, lucky them... Wish I could get some uh that."
Once the kiss was broken, Chef emerged from the darkness to drag Scott, lovestruck into dopey silence, back into the boat and kicked it out to sea.
"I'll miss you," Courtney sighed, clutching the nasty shoe with a loving embrace. "Surprisingly."
As Scott and Sky vanished into the open sea, Chris popped up in front of the final six. "Eight have become six! Two more legends have fallen! And a whole lot of blood got spilled! With the game changed, will Courtney and Jasmine stand a chance anymore?"
"Uh, yes," Jasmine grumbled. "We will."
"Will Sugar finally stop annoying me?"
"Don't count on it, buddy boy!" taunted the pageant queen.
"And will Cody actually do anything of note without Gwen in the game?"
"Hey!" the geek whined. "I'm depressed..."
"Find out the answers to those questions and more, next time, on Total! Drama! Clash of the Titans!"
"And what about my reward?" Beth asked.
Chris shrugged. "Meh. Save it for the next episode. Audiences love a good cliffhanger."
Exclusive Final Words: Scott and Sky
"I can't believe that's how my Total Drama career ends," Sky sighed, staring into the water below. "I fought so hard..."
"At least you got voted out," Scott whined. "Try losing a quiz challenge to Sugar."
She rolled her eyes. "I just hope the fans don't rip me apart. But… they will. They always do."
Scott kicked back and stared at the stars. "You'll get over it. The fans hated me back in my first season, but after All-Stars, they couldn't get enough of me. I practically turned into a fan favorite overnight."
"Easy for you to say," she huffed. "You're funny and people like seeing you scheme and get hurt. I'm just the… evil bitch who leads people on, can't hold a relationship, and can't win to save her life. I just… I just hope Gwen still wants to talk to me. She… She was right."
Scott raised an eyebrow. "If you say so. I just hope the clods at the Playa are as good as the ones on the island were. Scotty's starving for some real food."
As the Ferry passed by a piece of floating debris and sailed out drifted out of sight, the driftwood lifted up, revealing a dark figure underneath dressed in scuba gear. As soon as it appeared, it submerged again and the debris began moving back towards the island… along with several others just like it. Six of them as a matter of fact.
Voting Confessionals
Jasmine dropped Sugar's coin in the urn, looking totally destroyed. "I… don't know what happened."
Sky voted for Sugar, a mean pout on her face. "Even if Jasmine goes home tonight, I will fight to avenge her. At least they'll vote her before me. The one good thing about this mess..."
Courtney slammed Sugar's coin in the slot. "Unbelievable!"
Sugar happily voted for Sky. "Second time's the charm. I know I'd rather see Jasmine gone 'cause of a lotta reasons, but this is some instant karma for yesterday and Lightning ain't gonna throw a fit about bootin' ya first. Boom. Sugared!"
Cody dropped Sky's coin in the slot… only to miss because fuck his depth perception. But he still got it in the slot eventually. "I… wasn't expecting that to happen, but you won't see me complaining."
Beth sighed, dropping Sky's coin in. "Sorry, Sky. Jasmine's a big threat, but you're just kinda mean since you came back, and we need Lightning's vote right now. And like, it's easier to convince him to vote for you than her. No hard feelings."
Lightning dunked Sky's coin in the urn. "Sha-flip!"
Eliminated: Mike, Zoey, Owen, Alejandro, Shawn, Duncan, Heather, Gwen, Scott, Sky
The Final Six: Beth, Cody, Courtney, Jasmine, Lightning, Sugar
Reasoning for Elimination: So. That was an episode I've been looking forward to. From the jump, Scott was never going to make it to the endgame. I debated cutting him earlier in the drafting process, but ultimately I wanted Courtney to have a partner in crime she could bounce ideas off of long term, and I feel like that's exactly what his story ended up being: the loyal second in command, a little comic relief, and a little goofy heart thrown in to make for a solid secondary character.
Sky on the other hand? Oh boy. Her arc was a hot mess to say the least, going from power player to pre-merge boot to bitter, vengeful returnee to shocking blindside victim just an episode after fighting her way back in. But ultimately, I wanted to focus on Sky's more competitive, sore loser side since it was barely teased in PI's finale and could have been used to make her far more interesting. So I settled for writing her as an emotional train wreck in the wake of her last season who means well, but ultimately struggles with managing the people she competes against and the game itself, and it eventually comes back to bite her in the butt. She wanted to return for the win, but once again, she got too emotional and it was her downfall. And we all see how that went. But I loved writing her even if I'm fairly certain she's going to be controversial as a character given how much of a departure she was portrayal-wise.
A/N: And just like that, we're down to six. The game flipped on its head with the 5 person alliance losing two members to eliminations and another to a flip. With Jasmine and Courtney on the bottom, what's gonna happen next? Will they get picked off? Or will they find a way to save themselves and take a shot at the new power players they seriously underestimated? Only way to find out is to wait and see in a couple weeks as we enter the season's endgame :D