Total Drama: Clash of the Titans Chapter 10: Tragedies and Tribulations, a total drama series fanfic

Total Drama: Clash of the Titans – Episode 10: Tragedies and Tribulations

"Last time on Total Drama: Clash of the Titans, the final eight were faced with a test of mythological proportions in a deadly double elimination twist. But before the challenge started, the game was firmly divided. On one side, Jasmine, Sky, Courtney, Scott, and Lightning held control as the newly formed Titans Alliance, some happier than others. Sugar and Beth were on the bottom with newly Gwenless Cody as their only ally. But as the season has proved, hormonal teens equals tons of delicious drama. Sky felt conflicted, Scott felt horny, Lightning felt guilty, and Sugar felt a touch of love. Gross, I know. In the end, our big winner was Beth and Scott finished in last place, sending him to the Ferry of Shame, but not before getting his smooch on with Courtney and passing her his idol clue-filled shoe. Sugar seemed screwed, but Lightning leaped into action to defend her and flipped in front of the entire alliance, sending Sky out the door in yet another brutal blindside. With the game flipped upside down, romance blossoming, and loyalties shattered, who will take the walk of shame next? Find out here, on Total… Drama… Clash of the Titans!"

"So," Beth hummed. "What's the reward? It's the next episode now, right?"

Chris finally set his arms down from his dramatic closing pose and sighed. "Yeah, yeah. As I promised, Beth has not only won immunity, but also a sweet reward that she and another player can enjoy in the form of… A deluxe screening of a sponsored movie! Complete with popcorn, candy, and all the soda they can drink!"

"Yay!" Beth cheered. "Oh my gosh, that's awesome. I'm taking Sugar!"

"No surprises there," Chris said. "Your movie will be waiting for you in the amphitheater, as will your food and drinks."

Beth turned to her farmie, but when she did, she caught her giving Lightning a heartfelt look of adoration as her hand rested over her heart.

"Uh, wait… I change my mind. I'd like to give up my spot to someone else."

Chris raised a brow and smiled. "Oh, really?"

Beth smiled back. "Yeah. Sugar and Lightning deserve it. After all, we wouldn't be here without him changing sides."

"Sha-what?" Lightning gasped. "No way! Thanks, girl!"

"Uh, yeah, thanks," Sugar said with a sheepish chuckle. "You're the bestest farmie I could ever ask for. Heh."

Confessional

"As much as I love movies, I can totally see the close connection Lightning and Sugar are forming," Beth explained. "So I had to give them the reward. Some might say it's strategy since we need Lightning to stay on our side in the next vote and this is a good way to prove he's part of the team, but I just really care about Sugar and her feelings. And if I let the chance to play match-maker slip by, what kind of friend would I be? The friend who doesn't help her friend get a man, that's who!"

(static)

"I don't see many movies in an actual theater," Sugar said. "Usually it's like, on a fuzzy TV or the ratty drive in with the raccoons gettin' it on in the projection room. And it ain't like this a real theater either, but it's gonna be suh-weet." Her cheeks turned rosy and she touched her finger tips. "And spendin' the time with that Lightning guy ain't a bad deal either..."

(static)

"Feels sha-weird jumpin' ship like that," Lightning said. "But Sugar didn't deserve to go home like that… or at all. Nobody else out here see's the Lightning for who he is. Not just the totally sexy beast with every skill in the book, but the totally sexy beast with every skill in the book… and some issues he's gotta work through. Seein' Sky all cut up wasn't easy, but Lightning had no choice. And now it's movie night, so hey, it all sha-worked out."

End Confessional

As Lightning and Sugar began their trek up to the temple for their movie night, Beth and Cody returned to the housing complex, all smiles for the first time in 24 hours.

"I was so worried," Cody sighed. "If Lightning hadn't flipped, we'd be toast. And with no chance of making a comeback."

"Totally," Beth agreed. "Now we have the power, but we can't let it go to our heads like it went to theirs. That's what always happens to the villains."

"Speaking of, where did Courtney and Jasmine go? They just kinda bailed after the send-off."

"Probably off to get some sleep. All our brains are pretty fried after that challenge."

"And so is my face," Cody mumbled. "I'll get some ice for it and head to bed. See ya in the morning."

"Same here. But… without the ice."

Where were Courtney and Jasmine exactly? Up in Courtney's room of course, plotting their next move.

"We're screwed," Jasmine huffed. "In one night, we went from a five person alliance to just the two of us. I just… don't know what to do except win the challenges."

Courtney set Scott's shoe on the nightstand and plopped down in bed face first. "Ugh… We'll have to figure out who to flip from that side."

"Good luck getting Sugar and Beth to flip, and I doubt Lightning's gonna be all cheery about workin' with us again after that big blow up."

Courtney turned over and punched her pillow. "So our only option is... Cody? Shit."

"Better than no options," Jasmine stressed. "Have ya talked to the guy much?"

Courtney shrugged. "No, not much. I talked him into cutting Duncan, but then he went all self-righteous about how he wasn't going to," she put on a mocking tone, "play a villain game and stick up for his friends this time. Ugh, what a joke. Scott and Sky should still be here over those four. They were here to play the game hard. Cody's just pathetic, Sugar's a gross floater, Beth's… there, and Lightning's a traitor. Am I salty? I'm salty, aren't I?"

Jasmine, despite her frustration, mellowed out when she saw how stressed and downright ugly Courtney was acting. "A bit there, Sheila. No need to rip into 'em like that. I agree they aren't the top tier contestants here, but they beat us fair and square at our own game. And if we melt down entirely, neither of us is making the finale."

Courtney took a deep breath and calmed down, taking a seat on the edge of her bed. "You're right. I just… I put so much effort into making this alliance happen from Day freakin' One and it just went up in flames like it was nothing. It's like 9 episodes were for nothing."

Jasmine faintly smiled. "Well, you still have me. I'm with you to the end, a hundred percent. And besides, I've been back to square one before. Actually, square zero. Being voted off first was spirit-crushing, and losing Shawn was the ultimate stickler, but hey, I made final six with a huge target on my back from the start."

Courtney smiled back. "That's actually a good point. We haven't been voted out for good, so there's still a chance things change. And who knows? Maybe the next challenge will be sudden death with no vote, or the winner gets a sole vote, or maybe Chris will just auto-eliminate Sugar for being annoying."

"I'd prefer the third option," Jasmine snorted. "But let's not plan for twists. We gotta plan for a vote. But come to think of it, there might be another idol out there somewhere. The really powerful one you can use on yourself. Unless of course you've found it already."

Courtney shook her head. "Nope. No idol here. And if Scott had it, he would have given it to me after he got eliminated, and no way was it small enough to fit inside his gross, stinky shoe."

"Yeaaaah, that was a strange choice for a gift. But Shawn was always the weird gift giving type, so it's kinda sweet if you ask me. Like getting a bucket of pig guts for your four month anniversary to smear on yourself if... But yeah, sweet."

Courtney, still feeling a touch of sand on her lips from Scott's kiss, sighed happily. "Yeah. It was, wasn't it?"

Confessional

Courtney let out a defeated sigh. "Yeah, I miss Scott already. Sue me."

(static)

Jasmine took off her hat and dusted it clean, her face drooping with sadness. "So. That ceremony was a bloody disaster. Two people from the Titans go home and one of us flips? Terrible luck. Not to mention my closest ally is just… gone out of nowhere. Sky deserved to be here after all the fighting she did, but looking at the competition left, I have a chance to win challenges against most of them now. If Courtney and I can't flip anyone, at least I can win immunity to the finale and maybe find an idol if push comes to pushier. And you bet it's gonna get pushy."

End Confessional

As the conversation awkwardly drifted to a close, Jasmine bid Courtney goodnight and returned to her room, leaving the CIT to wallow in stress.

"Ugh, I don't know what to do," she grumbled into her pillow. "This is a worst case scenario. Not only did our alliance implode, my only ally left is the one person I'd never take to the finale. But as long as she's here, at least she's a shield… as long as she doesn't win the challenges."

Grabbing Scott's nasty shoe, she held it up and groaned. "Why couldn't you just study? Then we'd all still be here!" In a brief moment of rage, she tossed the shoe across the room. As it sailed to the wall, a slip of paper fell out and fluttered to the ground.

"Huh? What the?"

Courtney hurried over to the paper, opened it up, cringed from the odor, read it, and gasped.

Confessional

"Oh my god," she gasped. "Scott had an idol clue? And he gave it to me? Talk about a lucky break! I thought I'd never be able to find it, but… Thanks, Scott. Now I get why you gave me your shoe, because you wanted me to carry your torch to the end and find that statue. If you're watching this, don't worry. That idol is as good as mine. I just have to make sure the others don't find it first."

End Confessional

Up atop the mountain, Sugar and Lightning chilled in the amphitheater as Chef wheeled out a cart of popcorn, candy, soda, and hot dogs. Where Chris' podium once stood was a decent sized drive in screen, and behind the seating, resting on a piece of rubble, was a film projector ready to go.

"Ya know?" Chef said. "You two annoy me sometimes, but at least you appreciate the cookin' I do. Ain't everyday I get a couple kids with stomachs the size of Jupiter who eat whatever I give 'em. Respect."

"Thanks, man," Lightning said, grabbing a tub of popcorn, a bag of candy, a few hot dogs, and a root beer. "This ain't much in the way of protein, but Lightning loves himself a good movie night. And it ain't movie night without a little junk food."

"You can say that again," Sugar said, getting her own food soon after. "We really owe it to my farmie Beth for lettin' us have this one."

"Sha-totes. Feels good to be workin' with peeps who appreciate the Lightning for who he is and not just his vote. You don't respect these guns..." He did a quick bicep flex. "And the Lightning don't respect you. Sha-truth."

Sugar giggled. "I like how ya say 'sha' all the time. Funny as a donkey stuck in the outhouse in Febberary. What's it mean though? You doin' a bit or something?"

Lightning confidently shrugged. "Every epic hero needs a catchphrase. Lightning just woke up one day, said sha-bam as he got outta bed, and it was sha-set in sha-stone."

"Oh, like a pageant queen's signature thing! My craptry's my 'shuh-bam' I guess."

As Chef started the movie, a brief message played, courtesy of Chris.

"Hey, lucky winners. Tonight's movie is brought to you from the great Escaped Inmate Studios, makers of great films such as Bearcano, How to Master Your Dragoon, and the all time classic, Super Wolf vs Jesus. So sit back, enjoy the show, and make sure to react positively or they'll drop the sponsorship. I mean it. No matter how bad the movie is, pretend you're having fun. We'll even play a flashing screen for the camera and tell them you watched it in the editing. Oh, and turn off your phones, dude. Don't be dicks."

"Ah man," Lightning groaned. "Course Chris shilled out for a shoddy B-movie."

Sugar shrugged. "A movie's a movie. As long as the girls ain't prettier than me… which ain't possible, but just sayin' of course."

The movie finally began with one of those old school openings, with the static and the numbers and the beeps and all that jazz.

Sugar and Lightning watched with anticipation. What was it gonna be?

And then the title flashed up on screen.

McLean: The Story of the Greatest, Sexiest, and Smartest TV Host Ever

"Hey! Nice movie you got playing here!" came a familiar voice.

Lightning and Sugar made room as Chris walked down from behind them and popped a squat between them.

"Hey! This is our movie night, man!" Lightning groaned. "Sha-ve off."

"Yeah!" Sugar barked. "Ain't no movie date of mine gettin' ruined by your mug, sonny."

Chris' smirk fell like a brick. "Uh, what?"

Sugar immediately stumbled over her words to correct herself. "I mean, movie reward. W-what else would a girl like me mean to say? Hehe..."

Lightning stared on in total cluelessness, shoveling a hot dog down his gullet. "Man, just leave already. Nobody asked you to be here. Or wanted you. Sha-go."

Chris shuddered as horrible, disgusting, depraved images filled his head, turning his cheeks a light shade of green. "Ugh. Fine. I'll leave. But only because I don't feel like being grossed out more than usual tonight. I'll just watch from my lodge across the island, if you don't mind. And hey, at least that version's 4K. Enjoy the 360p, losers."

As Chris left the amphitheater with Chef, he fiddled through his pockets and came up empty handed. "Huh? Where's my master remote? I swear I just had it."

"Probably left it back in the lodge," Chef said.

"Awww, you're gonna help me search? How sweet of you, Chef."

Chef merely grumbled to himself as the pair vanished into the night. "The things I do for this man..."

And with that, the movie officially began with a scene of a baby being born. Only when the mother revealed the baby's face, it was a poorly edited CGI Chris face doing the crying.

"Waaaaaah! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Sugar and Lightning both gasped in horror, clutching each other for comfort.

Confessional

"That… was terrible!" Sugar yelped with a shudder as she sat with Lightning in the library. "Worst movie I've ever seen. That Chris is one slimy man, lemme tell ya."

"I thought we were supposed to give a good review," said the jock. "That ain't positive… but Lightning agrees. That was not sha-kino. More like… Uh, more like sha-crapo."

"I feel like I lost a ton of brain cells just from first five minutes. Like… easily a dozen of 'em."

Lightning nodded along. "Yeah. That thing was an insult to the senses. Chris needs to learn a thing or two about cinema. Maybe his next movie should star me."

Sugar hid her blush. "Oh yeah, I'd uh, I'd watch that."

"But at least the food was good. Chris spared no expense there."

"True."

End Confessional

Another night passed and made way for another sunrise, and Courtney was up early as usual, making her way down to the bathroom before ducking into the woods and booking it for the steps up the mountain. In her hand: Scott's clue to guide her.

Montage-style, Courtney scoured the temple grounds for signs of anything, digging through the rubble of the ten demolished busts, rummaging through the ears and noses of the six remaining ones, digging around the arena, looking around the bases of the pillars, checking all the stones in the amphitheater for any kind of marking that would indicate something being hidden, and even raiding the voting confessional for anything worth finding.

Voting Confessional

"Ugh, this is hopeless," she groaned, shaking the obviously empty urn. "It's not here, is it? Someone must have already found it, which means it's probably still in the game. But just in case, let me read the clue again… To find the treasure that you seek, ascend to Temple Island's mighty peak. Yeah, I did, and it's nowhere to be found." And then she put another few seconds of thought into it. "Wait..."

End Voting Confessional

Dashing outside, she walked the perimeter of the temple, gazing up to the highest visible point of the structure. The blinding white marble was hard to look at directly with the sun finally rising, but near the back of the temple, steeped in shadows, was a small outcrop no larger than a dinner plate with a small, suspicious looking carving of an arrow pointing down into it from above.

"Oh my god, it was there the whole time? Seriously?!" Taking a quick peek around to make sure she wasn't being followed or watched, she hurried over to the pillar directly under the outcrop, grabbed on, and… wasn't even able to climb. Not only was the pillar too thick, it lacked any kind of footholds or anything to really grab onto outside of the few thin rings every few feet.

"No..." She groaned, falling to the ground. "I'm so close. There's gotta be a way up there."

Confessional

"Chris," said the CIT, "I hope you're enjoying the show. But trust me, I'm getting up there if it kills me, because I am not leaving this game without a fight."

End Confessional

As the final six minus Courtney gathered for breakfast, Sugar, Lightning, Beth, and Cody ate together as Jasmine sat alone, munching on her supply of fruits and nuts gathered over the last few days on the island. Gruel? Not on her watch.

"I wonder why Courtney's sleeping in," Cody said. "I thought she was always up pretty early around here."

"I think I heard her leave her room this morning," Beth said. "But maybe it was just the raccoons crawling around... There are raccoons on this island, right?"

"Pfft, Bossy Girl's probably out lookin' for that invincibility statue," Lightning scoffed. "She's all freaked out like AHHHHH after the blindside she got last night."

"Totally," Sugar grunted. "We just gotta hope she don't find it."

"Well, the island's pretty big," Cody reasoned, playing with his gruel instead of eating it because ew, gross. "There's like… a ton of places to search. I'd say the odds of finding it are preeeeetty slim."

Jasmine overheard from her own table and narrowed her eyes as she swallowed. "That they are," she whispered.

Confessional

"I've been on the lookout for that idol since I got back," the Aussie Amazon sighed. "But they're right. This place is massive and without a clue, it's pretty hopeless. But if anyone's liable to find it, it's me. All that foraging I'm known for gives me a lot of free time to search without looking sus. I just… need more time. And after last night, I might not have much left. Oof."

End Confessional

Appearing just outside the complex, Courtney brushed herself clean, pulled a peach from her pocket, and walked in looking calm as she ate.

"Morning," she said to the group.

Lightning perked up. "Oh, there you are, girl. Where'd ya go?"

"Oh, nowhere. Just to do a little morning wash up before breakfast."

Sugar narrowed her eyes. "Really? You seem pretty calm for a girl who just got betrayed, lost your boyfriend, and landed on the bottom in one night."

The CIT took a deep, calming breath to avoid losing it on the pageant queen. "Actually," she said with grit teeth, "I've played best from the bottom in previous seasons, so this is nothing but fuel for me." With her piece said, she sat next to Jasmine.

"She's not wrong," Beth said to her alliance. "We wanted her out since like, forever back in Action. But she kept winning stuff and made the final four. Then she went beast mode in All-Stars when she got exposed as a traitor, and only lost because Chris changed the challenge rules last second. She might be bossy and rude, but she's still tough."

"Not as tough as the Lightning," the jock huffed. "He's a perfect specimen in all challenges, so Courtney better watch her back. Cause it ain't as dope as Lightning's."

Sugar tapped her nails on the table, gazing at Lightning with doe eyes. "You can say that again." Realizing her blush was more visible than ever, she shook it off her cheeks and rubbed her neck. "Uh, I mean… Yeah. Bingo."

Cody blinked.

Confessional

"Is it just me, or does Sugar have a thing for Lightning all of the sudden?" the geek asked. "That's… weird. And kinda depressing too," she sighed. "Imagine Sugar finding a date before me."

(static)

"OMG!" Beth gasped. "I knew they were a good match! I can tell Sugar's totally into him, which means giving up my reward was the right call after all!" Her excitement waned slightly. "I just hope Lightning feels the same way though. I'd hate for Sugar to put in all this work towards getting a boyfriend and then get friend-zoned. Hehe, been there... A lot."

(static)

"Yeah, I like the guy," Sugar huffed, trying to sound all tough and stoic. "Who could resist a guy who loves to eat meat, win stuff, and talk about how great he is? But ol' Sugar ain't gonna be one of them gooey-eyed princesses singin' about how sucky her life is without a boy around. That's C-tier pageantry crap right there, and I still gotta win this pageant and show Mama and Granny what I'm made of, just like Lightning's made of a couple hundred kilos of-"

End Confessional

"Sexy muscles!" Lightning sighed, doing a little morning bicep kissing. "Sha-gorgeous!"

Sugar was nearly drooling. "Ooooh, can I touch one?"

"Ha! Lightning usually operates on a 'look, don't touch' policy, but he'll make an exception."

The farm girl jiggled in place as Lightning brandished his left bicep for her. With a single finger, she pricked it and went into a squirming fit. "Ahhhh! It's so rock hard!"

"Aaaand I'm full," Cody sighed, dumping his full bowl in the trash and heading for the bathroom.

Courtney shuddered and leaned into Jasmine's ear. "Are those two… a thing now?"

Jasmine rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh no, not a chance. They're like oil and water. On fire."

"...Yeah, you're probably right. I doubt they're smart enough to even know what love is."

Jasmine suddenly got stern. "Okay, I know they're both kind of… idiots, but there's no need to be mean about it. That's how you make enemies. Even if they can't hear you, they can sense your energy. And right now, you're giving off a lot of it. Negative stuff."

"Maybe you're right. I can play nice for now and crush them later."

"And we'll do it together." Jasmine offered a fist bump.

"Uh, yeah. Totally." Courtney returned the favor, then whispered super softly, "I need your help later."

"Anything," Jasmine said with a nod.

Confessional

"Look," Courtney sighed. "That idol is like, what, fifty feet off the ground? Even if Jasmine's only like seven and a half, she'll probably have a better chance of reaching it than me with all the weird outdoor stuff she does, and her knowing about it is better than me not having it at all." She sneered. "But we'll definitely set a boundary line as to who actually owns the thing once we get it."

End Confessional

After a call from Chris over the loudspeakers, the final six made their way to the temple and took their seats in the amphitheater. Once everyone got nice and cozy, for the most part given Courtney and Jasmine looked too determined to relax, Chris and Chef wheeled out a costume rack full of togas, armor, robes, and other classic Greek outfits.

"Welcome, final six," Chris said. "Hope you're having a good morning, because I'm sure not!"

"Aww, what's wrong?" Beth whined.

Chris sighed. "You know that remote I've been using all season? The one that blows up your giant sculptures and controls like, most of the things around here including my...? Yeah, it's gone. I left it in my lodge last night before I checked in on the movie night, which was very uncomfortable by the way..." He paused to shoot Lightning and Sugar a narrow eyed glare. "And when I got back, not only was it gone, the door's was ajar, so something or someone must have taken it. My money's on the raccoons, if they live around here, but what did it isn't important. What is important is that today's deadly, high stakes, big budget challenge had to be scrapped since all the fun parts required my master remote."

"And by fun you mean death traps, explosives, and maiming machines," Courtney said sarcastically. "Sounds like we're getting an upgrade to me."

Chris snorted. "Yeah, you'd think so." And then he slumped forward. "And you are. Because this back-up challenge is a total snoozer, but one we had in mind just in case something went wrong in the challenge design department. Anyways, the Greeks were known for a lot of things. Myths, battles, science, and last but certainly not least, their plays. So for today's challenge, you'll be writing and performing your own Greek tragedies!"

"Oh yay!" Sugar cheered. "Sugar's takin' to the stage! Her home turf!"

"An acting challenge?" Courtney mumbled. "I like what I'm hearing. I live to perform."

"Now," Chris continued, "a classic Greek Tragedy has five major parts. First, the Prologue, which is basically a monologue explaining what the tragedy is about. Then you have the Parados, where the chorus comes in and info dumps all over the place to tell the audience what's been going on. After that, the Episode is the meat of the play where all the action takes place and you get to know your main characters, with one of them typically having a tragic flaw that brings their downfall upon them, usually in the form of death, mutilation, or the realization they banged their own mom. Along the way, the chorus appears for the Stasimon where they comment on the episode. And finally, the Exodus is the final chant from the chorus where the moral of the story is laid out. We clear?"

Sugar and Lightning blinked. Courtney looked smug and satisfied. Beth was unsure. And Cody was basically neutral on the matter.

"I'll take that as a yes," Chris said, heading over to the costume rack. "You'll perform your plays at sunset, using these costumes to get into character. The Greeks weren't really the special effects types, so you'll have to really sell the scene with your performances and fashion. Oh, and one more thing. You'll be competing in pairs!"

Everybody gasped.

Confessional

"I'm glad Chris lost his remote," Jasmine said. "Not only did it mean we get a day off, it means a challenge where two people can get immunity! I just hope I get paired with Courtney, because between the two of us we'd crush this one."

End Confessional

Chris pulled out his little bag of coins again. "In this bag contains six coins, one with each of your faces. I'll draw two at a time to decide the pairs, and once you have a partner, no switching. Got it? Good." He reached into the bag and whipped out two coins. "And the first pair is… Beth and Cody!"

Beth clapped and squealed while Cody simply smiled. At least he was paired with someone he enjoyed being around who wouldn't wring his neck.

"Pair number two is..."

Jasmine and Courtney crossed their fingers, as did Sugar, hoping to the gods she ended up with Lightning.

"Jasmine and… Lightning!"

Jasmine cursed under her breath, but ultimately wasn't too cut up. After all, this would give her a lot of time to swing Lightning back to their side, something she didn't trust Courtney to handle whatsoever. At least she and the jock had a decent relationship, right?

"Which means Sugar and Courtney round out pair number three," Chris concluded, noting the last pair glaring daggers at each other. "Alright, people! Get to work! You have until sundown to rehearse and plan out these tragedies, so make 'em good. Seriously, without my original challenge, the ratings are gonna need all the help they can get. And just know Chef and I will be judging, so put on some good shows. Anyways, I'll be looking out for my remote, so if you see it, don't hesitate to let me know. Who knows… I might give you immunity if you find it. I mean, I won't. But I'd at least consider it for a suspenseful couple seconds before breaking your hearts. Peace out."

With that, Chris and Chef left the temple and the final six split up… but not into their pairs just yet. Because Beth called a quick alliance meeting huddle off to the side.

"What's up?" Lightning asked.

"Uh, I have an idea, but not everyone here will like it," Beth whispered. "I… I think Sugar and Lightning need to throw the challenge to me and Cody."

Sugar and Lightning looked totally offended.

"Try not to win?" Sugar gasped. "No way. Sugar ain't no quitter."

"And Lightning always wins. He ain't no thrower like Scott."

Cody facepalmed. "But Beth has a point. We need both Jasmine and Courtney vulnerable tonight. Because if one of them is safe and the other has the last idol, they can take out whichever one of us they want and not even sweat about it."

Beth nodded. "Totally. See, I've learned a lot of strategy stuff this season. I know you guys are really into winning, but… Look at it as, uh, winning by losing?"

The two shared an uneasy look, but ultimately sighed together.

Confessional

"Lose the most pageanty challenge yet on purpose?" Sugar scoffed. "No way! This is my thing! My time to shine! My time to show the world my stuff!" That rosy blush returned. "And maybe impress Lightnin' a bit..."

(static)

"Ha!" Lightning huffed. "As if the Lightning would throw a challenge. Lightning is here to win, and even if he ain't one of them dorky theater nerds, he's gonna give it 150%!" He struck a pose. "Sha-bam!"

End Confessional

As the core four huddled up, Jasmine and Courtney huddled up as well.

"Say, what's that favor you wanted from me?" Jasmine whispered.

Courtney nibbled at her lip. "Uh, well… Okay, I know where the last idol is."

Jasmine nearly screamed with hype, but restrained herself and ended up squealing into her hands.

"But hold on," Courtney continued. "It's in a very hard to reach place and I think you've got the best chance at grabbing it. And uh… it's literally like a hundred meters away. So we'll have to be discrete about it."

Jasmine's hype subsided as she tapped her chin. "Good point. Where exactly is it?"

"Out back. At the top of the temple. There's a little outcrop there with a carved pointing down into it. I tried climbing the pillar, but fat chance of that happening."

Jasmine nodded along. "Right. Since we've got all these props here, there might be something useful. Like a grappling hook or some climbing gear. I'll check out the goods and see what I can find. Then I'll head out behind the temple for a little 'test run' and work some magic."

"Sounds good. And uh..." Courtney paused, unsure how to say it without sounding like a huge bitch. "Just so we're clear, I get to hold the idol for us, right? Since I found it first?"

"Deal," Jasmine said, offering a handshake which Courtney gladly accepted.

Confessional

"I hate this," Courtney groaned. "There's no way I'd trust anyone, even Jasmine, not to grab that idol for themselves. I mean, it's what I would do. But if I have to trust her, so be it."

(static)

"As much as I'd love to have the idol myself, I can't just go breaking trust with my only ally. I've gotta be loyal to someone and proving she can trust me is the smart choice. I think… Unless she tries to come after me obviously."

End Confessional

"So..." Beth began as Cody scanned the costume rack. "What should our story be? I've read some Greek plays and they were usually about like, kings and stuff."

"I dunno," Cody said. "But these kinds of plays usually start with someone in a position of power who falls from grace, so that's probably our best bet. The king stuff I mean. And for the moral..."

"Be nice to your friends?"

"I guess. I'm not really good at coming up with big, epic stories and stuff." Cody pulled a toga out of the rack and slipped it over his usual attire. "So, how does it look?"

Beth smiled. "Great! And yeah, I'm not really a big story telling kind of girl either. I'm more of the listening to stories at bedtime type. But hey, if Sugar and Lightning throw this one, we'll be able to win for sure!"

Lightning and Jasmine approached the rack as Beth and Cody left with their togas.

"Glad to be on a team with ya, mate," she said.

Lightning raised a brow. "Really? I thought you'd be all sha-mad about last night. You really ain't bitter?"

"Nah," Jasmine said. "I was a little ticked, but I got over it after a night of sleep and a little brekky. I still want to work with you though. We're both power players here, and I want to compete with the best."

Lightning smiled back, pulling out some foam armor and a wooden sword. "Of course. Everyone wants to work with the Lightning. And now you are!"

Jasmine blinked. "I mean like… in the game. As an ally. With me and Courtney. Get it? I wanna get the alliance back together tonight. Go to the final three together."

The jock shrugged. "Sorry, girl. Lightning's been drafted on a new team. Doesn't mean we can't work to win this challenge though."

Jasmine sighed. "Gotcha. But… just keep an open mind. I think you'd be better off with us since those three are super tight and you're the fourth wheel on the rickety wagon there. Anyways, what should we do for our play?"

Lightning blinked, letting Jasmine's words sink in. And then he went back into challenge mode as if nothing had been said at all. "Hmmm, maybe something about a star football player who ends up winnin' every Superbowl for the rest of time, starrin' me!"

Jasmine snorted, lightly punching him in the shoulder. "Come on, mate. It's supposed to be a tragedy, not a power trip. But I do like the modern spin idea you got going on. Why stick with a Greek setting if you don't have to?"

"So… he only wins a few Superbowls?"

"Or he never wins. What if he breaks his legs or something and can't compete, but he's been a huge jerk the whole time so it's kinda like karmic justice?"

He cringed. "Ugh, Lightning's worst nightmare."

"Well, for now it's just fiction. But if you can get in character like this, we'll be off to a good start."

Meanwhile, Courtney and Sugar talked it out off to the side. And by talked, I mean bickered.

"Uh, clearly I should be in charge," Courtney said. "I was a CIT, and one of the camp activities I was responsible for holding was the annual Stage Play Night. It went off without a hitch. Not to mention my amazing vocal range..."

Sugar growled. "Listen here, missy. I live for the stage! Usually it's with rainbows and glitter and frilly dresses, but this is still a stage challenge, so I call the shots!"

"Uh, no. You don't. Because I actually understand proper acting, know proper English, and know how to direct us to victory. You can recite your lines and look the part, but leave the actual planning to me."

Sugar pushed Courtney to the ground and bounded over to the rack of costumes. "Buzz off. I'm lookin' for a dress fit for a pageant queen."

Grumbling curses under her breath, Courtney pulled herself back up and brushed off the dirt. "Since when were there pageant queens in Ancient Greece?"

Confessional

"This challenge is a bust," groaned the CIT. "Sugar's a total beast to work with and she's totally dragging us down. No way Chris would give us a win with how bad her singing, acting, attitude, and stage presence are. And he already hates me so... Ugh!"

(static)

Sugar blew a raspberry into the camera, spewing spittle all over it. "That's for Courtney. She's more whiny than a baby locked in a hot car at the farmer's market. To think we almost worked together all those days ago. Well, the new and improved Sugar ain't down for that!"

End Confessional

"Okay," said Cody, writing a few notes in a provided notebook. "So I'm thinking you can be the powerful queen and I'll be the lowly peasant. You'll be all like 'Huh, what a loser' and I'll be all like 'Yeah, I uh… kinda am' and then you'll kick me out, I'll go home and sulk, and then… Uh… Hmmm. I dunno. That's usually where my experience with asking girls out ends. Sorry."

Beth stroked her double chin. "Well, we could always reverse the roles so you can be the king and I'm the peasant girl, or the innocent concubine slave to his bidding."

Cody gulped as sweat beads formed on his face. "Uh, no, that's uh... that's a little weird."

"Oooh, then how about we're both royalty?"

"But someone has to play the peasant role and we only have two people. And we're already playing the chorus too."

"Oh, right. Um, then maybe I'll be the queen and you can be like, a really shy guard who cares for her when the king isn't giving her what she needs?"

The geek just kinda shrugged and went back to his notes. "We can try that. Still kinda weird, but it's an improvement."

Across the arena, Lightning and Jasmine were training for a little sword play against each other, dressed in foam armor.

"Ha!" Lightning taunted, whipping out a cheap looking severed head prop. "I got the ball! Time for the ultimate touchdown! Sha-yeet!" Whipping his arm forward, he launched it straight into Jasmine's chest where she caught it with ease.

"Uh, I don't think the head is really selling it," she said with a wince. "A little dark, don't ya think?"

"Dark? Nuh uh. These ancient places were all about the killin' in sports. You never heard of the radiators of the Californium?"

"Uh, first off, you mean gladiators of the Colosseum. And second, that was Rome, not Greece. Though you are right about the head in a twisted way. The Maya used to use severed heads of losing teams as balls in their sports. Pretty gnarly stuff."

"See? I told you it was accurate! Sha-capitation!"

Jasmine let the head drop and sighed. "Well, as long as you're into the performance, I'm happy."

Having gathered their costumes, Sugar and Courtney took a seat away from the others… and continued bickering. Surprise, surprise.

"Oh please, you can't even read above a grade three level," Courtney said, snatching the notebook and pen away from her partner. "Need I remind you that ugnanymous isn't a word?"

Sugar reached for the notebook only to miss her shot. "Hey! I write my pageant speeches all the time! This play ain't nothin' but one big speech. You just gotta start off with 'I firmly believe' and then spew some bullshit for a few minutes and boom, trophy time."

"I struggle to believe that, and no, you're not getting up there and reciting some cheesy pageant talk for immunity. It's not just your neck on the line, you know. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to write us a literary masterpiece so our butts don't get roasted tonight."

As the CIT retreated for solitude, Sugar grumbled to herself. "Stupid Courtney. Why'd I have to get paired up with Miss Know-It-All?"

Confessional

"Not that Sugar even has a neck to put on the line," Courtney said smugly. "The butt though? She's got plenty of that, and I assure you it's getting roasted."

End Confessional

"I bet we could use effects," Beth said to Cody as he wrote down his ideas for lines. "Like, maybe some glitter to throw in the air for our chorus scenes?"

"Chris and Chef like glitter?"

"I dunno. But it's still pretty, and it makes us stand out. Though… knowing Sugar she's probably hoarding the glitter for herself."

"Hmmm, well I think we could find something to use. Maybe something for cool lighting? It's gonna be at sunset, so we can work with that."

"Good idea! I'll go look for something. Just keep writing, Cody."

"Yeah," he sighed, looking at his mediocre work. "Will do."

Confessional

"I can't even write a silly love poem to the ladies," Cody whined. "I don't know how good my dialogue is gonna be, but it can't be worse than roses are red, the ocean's polluted... please go out with me… Yeah, not really a wordsmith here."

(static)

"Cody's such a nice, sweet guy to work with," Beth said. "Sure, he's a little down in the dumps now and then and a little awkward, but so am I, so we just kinda click. Not in a romantic way though. That'd be weird and he's just not my type." She ended with a comical snorty laugh.

End Confessional

The sun started to crawl towards the horizon from its peak overhead, and Jasmine finally saw a chance to do a little climbing. The reason for her window of time? Lightning was busy doing his daily push-ups, Beth and Cody were busy at work, and Sugar and Courtney were still bickering despite having their costumes picked out and most of the script written. Perfection. So, grabbing a long rope from the prop pile, she told Lightning she was going for a little inspection of the temple's roof to test out an idea for their performance. The dude agreed, and she was off without a wink of suspicion sent her way.

"Alright," she mumbled upon finding the pillar Courtney referred to. "Not that bad of a climb. Just a bit sore on the core I'd reckon."

Whipping one end of the rope around the pillar, she grabbed it with her free hand and effectively hugged the rocky column with the rope, leaving a couple feet between her body and the stone. Putting one foot against the pillar, she heaved herself up and leaned back enough to find a solid footing with both feet.

Confessional

Jasmine gave a humble shrug. "It's an old tree climbing technique I learned in the Bush. As soon as I saw the pillar, I knew exactly how to handle it."

End Confessional

Little by little, out of sight, and totally like a badass, the Aussie climbed foot by foot up the pillar, inching the rope up, getting her footing, and repeating the move all the way to the top.

Waiting for her up there on the outcrop, right under the carved arrow, was the iconic face of Chris McLean carved out of wood and shined to shimmer. Tied to it was a small note.

"Hello, little beauty," she whispered with a cheeky grin, snagging the thing in hand and quickly shoving it under her hat before beginning the climb down.

Confessional

"I can't believe it," Jasmine sighed, holding the idol in one hand with the note open in the other. "I found the idol! Shawn is gonna be so proud of me when he finds out..." And then a little memory sucked some of the hype. "But I promised Courtney it would be her idol, not mine, so a deal's a deal. But it's too risky handing it off in the open, so I'll do it before the ceremony. And then whichever one of us needs it tonight can get to play it. Pretty solid plan I reckon."

End Confessional

As she descended, she snuck a peek over her shoulder and did a double take. There on the beach on the far side of the island were a couple dark figures creeping into the treeline.

"Huh?" Jasmine squinted to get a better look, but like fleeting shadows, they vanished. "Probably just some interns."

The second she hit the ground, she made sure her hat was steady and returned to the arena where Lightning was still doing those push-ups.

"Hundred and ninety-eight… Hundred and ninety-nine… Two hundred!" The jock popped back up like a jumping bean and brushed off his dusty hands. "Oh hey, Jaz. What's the roof situation like?"

"Nothing worth attempting," Jasmine said with a casual shrug. "I'd say we do it like my Year 5 teacher always told me: keep it simple, stupid. The more gimmicks we add, the more risks we take. Let's just work on those lines and choreography while we have time."

"Sha-greed!"

"Um, Sugar?" Courtney asked in an accusatory tone.

She looked up. "What?"

"What's all this?"

The camera zoomed out to show the pageant queen surrounded by several buckets of colorful glitter.

"Uh, my glitter stash? Duh! Ain't nobody gonna use this stuff 'cept me! I'm like one of them big dragons, but instead of guardin' gold, I guard sparkly flakes of sunshine and joy."

Courtney blinked. "Sugar. We're not using glitter in the performance. It tonally clashes with the rest of the play. Go put it back and keep rehearsing before you cost me this win. Now."

"Ha! As if you're the boss of me. This is Sugar's challenge, so if anyone's holdin' anyone back, it's you and your tight as hell pants."

The CIT growled. "I'm serious. Do you even want to win at this point?"

"Uh, yeah! Winnin' this stuff in my blood, snot, and tears. But it ain't like I need the immunity since one of y'all's done like an oppossum dinner tonight. I'm just in it for the braggin' rights."

Courtney finally gave up trying to argue and shoved the notebook into her chest. "Just… practice your lines and don't improvise. Got it?!"

Confessional

"While throwing this challenge to piss off that city slickin' prissy-puss would be sweet, winnin' is even sweeter," Sugar said, beating a fist into her palm. "Mama and Granny are gonna see what I got, and I'm gonna bring it to the table big time. Trust me, it's gonna be a feast of excellence tonight."

(static)

Courtney buried her head in her hands and groaned in pain. "Oh my god. Jasmine, please find that idol!"

End Confessional

As the sun crept closer and closer to the horizon, the final six worked hard at memorizing those lines, walking through their moves, setting up potential surprises, and trying not to kill each other in Sugar and Courtney's case.

Soon enough, Chef returned and set up a makeshift stage on the arena floor, which basically amounted to a couple curtains on a string. Lined up and ready to go, Beth and Cody would be first, followed by Jasmine and Lightning, and finally Sugar and Courtney.

"Hope you all had a fun day," Chris said, waltzing in towards the judge's table set at a hastily moved block of marble. "Because I sure didn't! Without my remote, how am I supposed to turn on my TV, turn on my hot tub, turn on my virtual fireplace, turn on the security cameras, and blow up your statues now?"

"Wait, you didn't get any footage?" Courtney asked. "So we slaved away all day for nothing?"

"Don't worry," Chris explained. "The cameras around the island recording footage for the episode run on solar power and are always on, twenty-four-seven, three-six-five. Consider it my one way of paying back the environment after the whole toxic waste debacle. But the cameras guarding my bungalow lodge? Yeah, those are old school. And it turns out whoever took my remote decided to turn them off."

"And there ain't no ON switch?" Sugar asked.

"Everything's remote-controlled these days." Chris shrugged. "Not my fault the tech companies had a lot of oversights. But, while my interns continue the search for my missing remote, and trust me, it's not between the couch cushions, I will be enjoying a series of delightful, heartbreaking tragedies, courtesy of you guys. So, I hope you made 'em good. Places, people! It's show time!"

Confessional

"I feel… okay about our chances," Beth said. "As long as Cody and I believe in ourselves and give it all we've got, we're winners either way. And if Sugar and Lightning throw it like we told them to, we should have it in the bag!"

(static)

"Lightning ain't sure how Jasmine'll do in this performance," said the mega jock with a cocky flex, admiring his muscles. "But you can bet he's goin' for an Oscar tonight… Or is that only for movies? What's the one for plays? I ain't no geeky theater nerd so I dunno. But as a champion of victory, Lightning's gonna win sha-both!"

(static)

Sugar glared at the camera, her arms crossed and her foot tapping. "Oooooh, if Courtney does anything to sabotage this performance with her Little Miss Perfect attitude, she's gonna get it from me! The stage is Sugar's domain and nobody else's, and don't you forget it!"

End Confessional

Chris and Chef got their scoreboards ready as Beth and Cody took the stage, the curtains slowly swinging aside to reveal them dressed in togas and wreath crowns.

"Looooong ago," Beth began, loud and monotonous, "there was a heartless queen. She spent all day alone because she was a really, really, really, really, really cold person, and not even the king wanted to be around her. But there was one person who did want to be around her: a noble guard who..." She broke character and whispered to Cody. "Wait, is this the Prologue or the Parados?"

Cody shrugged. "Just roll with it."

"Oh." Beth cleared her throat and returned to her speech. "A noble guard who saw her as more than just a rude, bossy old lady. This… is their story."

They hurried behind the curtain and emerged with new outfits a few seconds later. Beth was dressed in a queen's robe and a crown, carrying a cheap plastic scepter. Cody wore a helmet and carried a sword, but forgot to remove his toga. Oh well.

"I do say," said Queen Bethia in an annoyingly bossy tone, "these servants are so… uh… they're so totally not serving me right now! What a bad bunch of people they are!"

Codycles, the noble young captain of the guard, shyly stared at his tapping foot. "Uh, of course your queen, I mean, your majesty... Highness."

"It's like nobody respects my authority. And that's not wrong. Because the city needs an order of people to work. If the people beneath me don't accept it, they're uh… They're gonna get it. Yeah. They're gonna get it bad. Or good."

"Perhaps," Codycles continued, "you should be nicer to them and then they'd serve you more?"

"HA!" Queen Bethia laughed. "As if a mean old queen like me would ever nice to people. Being mean is how you control them!"

Chris yawned and Chef popped an earbud into one ear.

"But uh… But..." Cody cringed. "Sorry, forgot my line."

"But being kind is the best way to treat people because it's super nice and kind," Beth whispered.

Codycles blinked. "Uh, yeah… Being nice is the way to… Being nice is really good! Truth!"

Bethia shoved Cody away, but it wasn't as much a shove as it was a weak, pathetic pat on the chest. "Do not tell me how to run my city, silly guard. Now, attend to the dungeons and make sure the prisoners aren't being fed!"

Beth stumbled off stage, nearly tripping over her robe, leaving Codycles alone.

He sighed. "If only she knew how much I cared for her. It's like… She's super cool and stuff, but she's just too cold and mean to see it. Her beauty is… Damn it, I forgot my line again. Uh, she's really hot..."

Chris and Chef stared on in confusion and Cody turned red, hurrying off behind the curtain in shame.

A few second later, both emerged again in the same outfits, but now Codycles had a red stain on his chest.

"Ugh!" he groaned. "I've been stabbed!"

Bethia scoffed. "Serves you right for telling me how to run my city. It's karma!"

Codycles coughed up a storm and motioned for Bethia to come closer.

"What could you possibly have to tell me?" she asked, leaning in closer.

"I… I really liked you," Codycles gasped, finally passing out and going limp with a nice "Blegh" sound.

Bethia gasped and turned to the judges. "OMG! Nooooooooooo! He was my true love after all! If only I didn't treat him so badly, he'd still be around and I'd have a hot boyfriend to smooch and do lewd things with! The tragedyyyyy!"

She fell to her knees, collapsed on Codycles' body, and the two crawled behind the curtain again, returning a few seconds later wearing their chorus outfits again.

"And that's why you shouldn't be mean to people," Beth said. "Because you never know if one of them could be a super hot boyfriend in the future."

Cody sighed. "Yeah, the queen screwed up, so now the guard is dead. And that's just really lame for both of them… The end?"

Chris blinked. "Oooookay then. That was… something. The pros? Decent effects work on the blood there for the props you had, you stayed in the confines of the tragedy formula for the most part, and uh… Yeah that's about it."

"Too bad y'all forgot some lines," Chef added. "That, and the actin' was awful! Beth, I don't buy you as an evil queen for a second. And Cody as a hot guard? Worst casting choice since you got cast for this season."

"Agreed," Chris said. "It wasn't good. But… it wasn't annoying, which is always a bonus. I give it a 4/10. Chef?"

"Meh," the co-host snorted. "I've seen worse, but it still sucked. 3/10."

"Okay. That means Cody and Beth score seven points. Easy to beat you'd think, but there are still two performances left, so you're currently in the lead with a chance should the other teams bomb."

Beth and Cody trudged off stage looking glum and dejected. The wannabe put a kind hand on his shoulder as they headed for the amphitheater seats. "It's okay," she said. "We did good for our first on stage performance together."

Confessional

Par for the course, Cody sighed. Again. "I feel terrible. Beth was counting on me and I couldn't even remember my lines from all the stage fright. And I wrote most of them. Thankfully it's not like it's a sudden death elimination, so it's not the end of the world. But it suuuuuure feels like like it sometimes."

(static)

"I don't blame Cody at all," Beth said. "Everyone has their weakness in life. Some people have a ton of them. Cody just leans towards the second side of the spectrum, that's all. But he's good at lots of other stuff. Like... Um, how long's the battery life on this camera again? Might need a minute."

End Confessional

Next up were Lightning and Jasmine, entering in similar toga and wreath costumes. Lightning, as usual, took the time to flex and bicep-kiss as he walked in front of the judges. Jasmine still wore her hat, not wanting the idol inside to be stolen had she left it sitting somewhere.

"Alright," Jasmine began. "Today, the play you're gonna watch is a tale of tragedy, tribulations, and falling just short. Hopefully we can all realize something about winning today: that being humble is the best way to achieve your goals."

"Booooring," Chris mumbled.

The two returned in new outfits. Jasmine wore a red cloak as she sat in a meditative pose while Lightning dressed himself in chest armor and tossed that severed head prop up and down.

"Aw yeah!" Lightonius boasted. "Look at how awesome I am! Sha-hot, huh! I'm the greatest player of uh, severed head ball in all of Rome!"

Jasmine cringed.

"I've won all my battles and stomped mudholes in all the other losers around here, and now I'm goin' to the Superbowl to compete with actual competition… if they exist at all! Sha-bam!" He ended with a flex, giving Jasmine her cue.

"I'd watch yourself, mate," she hummed, appearing to be in some sort of trance. "Something wicked this way comes and you're right in its deadly path..."

Lightonius gasped. "Sha-what? Who are you weird hippie girl?"

"I… am the Oracle of Delphi," she replied. "I can see the future of all who visit me, and now-"

"Whoa hold up! I ain't here for a palm reading. I'm here to win the big game!"

Jasmine opened a single eye and shot Lightning a "shut the fuck up" kind of look. "Uh, you definitely came to see me. You want to know what the other players are going to do in the game so you can plan against them, remember?"

"Ha!" Lightonius snorted. "Light...nonio ain't in need of your help. He's got this on lock!"

"Uh, you definitely need my help," the Oracle grumbled. "If you don't, you'll end up a total mess on the field. Trust me."

Lightonius kicked sand in the Oracle's face and Jasmine fell over in shock.

"Take that, future-seein' nerd! I'm gonna go win! Sha-yeah!"

Jasmine quickly brushed off the dirt and hurried behind the curtain with her partner snagged by the arm, leaving Lightning to return alone in a mad dash across the arena.

"Let's go! Lightning's the hero again, gettin' himself that trophy. Touchdown, here I come!"

Off-stage, Jasmine tossed Lightning the severed head, expecting him to trip and fall just before reaching the other side of the stage.

But this was Lightning we're talking about. And he had his own way of doing things.

"Sha-score!" he bellowed, catching the head and diving off-stage as Jasmine facepalmed. Quickly returning with the head in hand, he smashed it into the ground and did a victory dance. "Aw yeah! Aw yeah! Who's the winner? It's me! It's me! Sha-bam! Sha-boom! Sha-yeah!"

Jasmine quickly donned her chorus outfit and hurried on-stage. "Uh, so..."

Chris and Chef watched with confused anticipation.

"The moral of the play is… Um..."

Lightning stepped in front of her, still doing a little groovy jig. "Never listen to stupid nerds who think they know what's up about sports! Take that one to your grave!"

Jasmine sighed, staring off into space. "Uh, yeah. So basically the oracle was a liar and the guy was right to feel cocky and confident about his skills. The end."

The temple was so quiet you could hear an idol drop out of Jasmine's hat. Good thing it didn't.

"Uh, yeah," Chris said. "I can't imagine all of that was planned, but I appreciated the subversion of expectations, and improv is key sometimes. Not half bad. Not a big fan of the basic bitch costumes, but the prop you chose was certainly… something. Chef?"

He shrugged. "I love a good game of toss the severed head, what can I say? But it was still a big mess, so I give it a 5/10."

"Eh, I was pretty amused by how much heart Lightning put in," Chris added. "I'll give it a 7/10, which means Jasmine and Lightning, you guys are in the lead with twelve points, meaning it's down to Courtney and Sugar's performance."

Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief and gave them a thumbs up. "Thanks for the high remarks, mate."

"Only twelve?" Lightning grumbled. "Should've been a perfect score..."

Confessional

"What a robbery," said Lightning, his pearls firmly clutched. "Lightning delivered a top tier sha-kino performance out there. He should get 20 points himself for it, but sha-naaaaah, Chris had to be all like 'nuh-uh' and now Lightning's upset. But at least we're in the lead."

(static)

"That… could have gone worse," Jasmine said with a shrug. "Lightning nearly ruined the play, but he brought it back at the end big time, so props I suppose."

End Confessional

Last and potentially least, Sugar and Courtney huddled behind the curtain, the CIT getting up in the pageant queen's face.

"Don't go off-script," she told Sugar. "I have to win this, and I don't need you running your mouth and pissing off the judges."

Sugar snorted in her face. "Oh yeah? Well I'm gonna win it for the team, and by team I mean me. So just stay in your lane and let the purr-fessional handle it."

"I'm dead serious," Courtney stressed. "If we can put our differences aside and meet in the middle, which is definitely more towards my side given how far off the deep end you are, we're both in the final five."

"I'm in the final five no matter what. We got four to your two. That's just basic science." Sugar poked Courtney's little princess nose and walked past her towards the opening in the curtains. "See ya on stage, Prissy Pants."

Courtney growled and donned her toga, getting stuck briefly in the folds.

Chris and Chef perked up as the final two actresses entered their view.

"This should be interesting," the host said with a playful smirk.

"Greetings, one and all!" Sugar began. "I firmly believe this play will be super awesome and tragic! A long long long long long time ago in Anchovy Grease, er… Ancient Greece, there was a demon-goddess named… Sissy-Phone-"

"Sisephone!" Courtney cheered, emerging in front of Sugar in a last ditch effort to save the show. "She was a mere demigoddess due to her heritage from the mighty Hera, which granted her the power of matchmaking… for all but herself!"

Sugar grumbled to herself. "Mother… stupid... frrrr..."

"But," Courtney continued, "Sisephone was a hopeless romantic in every sense of the word, so her powers proved to be far more ironic than she ever anticipated..."

Courtney dropped her smile and dragged Sugar behind the curtain.

"What the hell was that?" she hissed.

Sugar rolled her eyes. "Not my fault your script was gibberish."

"It was authentic," the CIT shot back. "Now get your stupid dress on."

Sugar pouted, ripping her toga off to reveal a sparkling, glittery, pink dress not unlike what a fairy queen would wear.

Courtney peeked out from behind the curtain and made her return, now dressed in a super macho suit of armor with her hair in a bun. Keeping her voice deep and low, she spoke.

"On this fine day, I, Adras the Manly, have realized my bed is quite barren. I desire a strong woman to keep me company, but alas, none are strong enough to suit my needs. If only there was someone out there for all of us, no?"

Sugar clomped on stage, looking salty as before. "Oh hey there, handsome maaaaan. You lookin' for a hook up?"

Adras fought the urge to cringe. "Uh… Yes, I am. But in a committed marriage of course, as noble warriors such as myself should move beyond the classically misogynistic domination of men over women. You do seem to be a strong woman though. Might I ask your name, my lady?"

"Sissy-Phone."

Adras took a deep breath. "Oh, uh… Sisephone! What a beautiful name. I do say, you are looking quite beautiful as well. What does a fine woman such as yourself do with all the suitors you must have at your threshold every morning?"

Sugar blinked. "Uh… I tell 'em all to scram! Cause they're a bunch of whiny simps like Mr. Faux Fur Wizard was!"

"Sugar, get on-script," Courtney hissed. "Now."

"I didn't read past the first paragraph," Sugar hissed back. "You got the pages on ya?"

Courtney's eyes widened. "You didn't even practice? Are you serious?"

Sugar shrugged. "You should know I ain't a big reader by now… You're real stupid, ya know that? So much for all them book smarts."

At that point, Courtney's eyes were twitching.

"Anyways," Sugar continued. "I, Sissy-Phone, am here to get myself a man! A tall, dark, handsome one too! You though," she said to Adras, "are kinda ugly. Like a mangy fox, or one of them wart faced ducks that chase me at the pond."

"Alright, that's it!" Courtney yelled. "I'm done with this! You ruined everything I worked so hard for, you know that?!"

Sugar leaned in, her eyes narrowed and lips pursed. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah! I was the one to set up the Titans Alliance! I was the one to lock down a final five and wipe your band of misfits off the island! I was the one who came in with no allies and got back on top! I was the one who actually played the game! And then it all came crashing down because you got in Lightning's head, you… you freak!"

"Oh!" Sugar huffed. "Gonna blame me cause you sucked?! Think again, Prissy Missy! You've had this comin' all season long!" With a devastating blow, she smacked Courtney upside the head, undoing her bun and sending a cascade of hair pouring down her face.

"Ow!" Courtney swished her vision clear and smacked Sugar back. And from then on it was utter chaos. Both girls hit the floor in a tussle, crashing into the curtains and ripping them from their rods.

Jasmine, Beth, Courtney, and Lightning watched in shock, as did Chris and Chef.

"This is for turning on us at the first vote!" Courtney slammed Sugar's face into the dirt.

Sugar quickly tossed her off and slapped her across the cheek, leaving a clear mark. "That's for bein' so annoyin,' you weasel!"

Courtney pushed back with another take down to the ground. "This is for costing me nine episodes of hard work!"

Sugar flipped her off and grabbed her by the hair. "And this is for bossin' me around all day!"

"I've seen enough!" Chris whipped out an air horn and stopped the fight dead in its tracks. Both girls were dirty, sweaty, and bruised. "Courtney and Sugar, there's no need to keep fighting. Because it's pretty clear what this performance has earned you."

Courtney pushed Sugar away. "Thanks a lot… for nothing!"

"That was..."

Sugar glared daggers back at Courtney. "It ain't fault you ain't a good stage partner! You'd never survive a minute in the pageant world!"

"Awesome!" Chris finished.

Both girls dropped their anger and looked over at Chris, confused and befuddled. "Huh?!"

"I asked for a great tragedy, and I think we got the biggest one yet in Courtney's epic downfall over the course of this season so far. And the acting? Amazing! If I didn't know any better, I'd think you guys were actually this mad at each other! And the effects? Talk about getting in on the action, because the fight choreography was spot on and the bruises and scratches are totally proof of your commitment to the art."

Chef nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I love a good cat fight between two ladies who hate each others guts, and this delivered. Not sure what the stupid love story thing at the start was, but the rest was prime entertainment. Ten outta ten!"

"I believe the weird and boring stuff at the beginning was a meta commentary on how boring and safe the other performances were," Chris said. "You know? To make us think we're getting something lame and then hitting us with the juicy stuff? "He held up all his fingers. "But same here! With a perfect score of 20 points, Courtney and Sugar win this challenge and are both safe tonight!"

The four other contestants gasped. Jasmine had mixed feelings. Beth looked excited for her friend, but was a little concerned about her bruises ruining her perfect symmetry. Lightning looked annoyed. And Cody was totally confused.

"But we didn't fulfill the basic formula of a Greek tragedy," Courtney whined. "That was inauthentic and terrible!"

"Hey, that was just a history lesson." Chris shrugged. "I never said you had to follow the formula to win. I just wanted to be entertained. And surprisingly, Sugar did the best job tonight."

Sugar gave Courtney a smug, cross-armed smirk. "Told ya this was my realm. You just got Sugared!"

The CIT rolled her eyes. "Whatever. At least I'm immune too, so suck on that."

Sugar giggled and walked off towards the amphitheater. "Oh, you're funny. Even if you were a pain in the butt, Jasmine was always gonna be our target. See ya at the ceremony, Missy."

Seeing Jasmine anxiously watching from the peanut gallery as Sugar celebrated with her allies gave Courtney a twinge of despair.

Confessional

"Even if I'm immune, this still sucks," Courtney groaned bitterly. "Jasmine's going home tonight, so she better hand off that idol before she leaves. That's my ticket to final four! But she's been a loyal ally so far and she's been playing with house money since she came back from the Underworld. So giving me the idol is clearly the ethical thing to do."

(static)

Jasmine held the idol in her cupped hands. "I promised Courtney I'd give it to her before the elimination ceremony, but now that she's immune, she doesn't need it anymore. And I do. So now we can put it to good use and take out one of the others. It won't be Sugar, but hey, at least Courtney and I will still be here tomorrow.

End Confessional

With only a few minutes left before the Elimination Ceremony and Chris allowing some last minute bathroom breaks down the mountain, Courtney and Jasmine met up behind the housing complex where Jasmine pulled the idol out from under her hat.

"She's a beauty, ain't she?" the Aussie said.

"Oh thank you," said an exhausted Courtney. "I was worried you didn't grab it."

Courtney reached out for it, but Jasmine held back. "Uh, but I'm playing it tonight, right? Because you're immune and I'm not? So we can keep our alliance intact going into the endgame? With maybe Lightning as a swing vote down the line?"

Courtney blinked. "Um…"

And that pause was all Jasmine needed to hear to change her tune. "You weren't playing it on me, were you?" Her voice was solemn and her eyes, usually relaxed, shined like two moons in the dusky evening.

"Jasmine," Courtney said sternly. "That… That idol belongs to me. You know that, right? We had a deal. I found out where it was, you got it for me. That's what we shook on."

"I got it for us," Jasmine retorted, sounding more peeved than understanding. "As in you and I, not just you or me. And right now, I'm going home if I don't use this tonight. That's a fact. And what else is a fact? The fact that I've been through too much to go home now because my ally got selfish." She stuffed the idol in her pocket and Courtney gasped.

"But you wouldn't have found it without me!"

"And you couldn't get it without me. Courtney, be careful. You've already lost most of your allies this season. You're pretty close to losing your last one right now."

Courtney wanted to reach into Jasmine's pants and rip that idol back into her grasp, to lock down that final four spot, to ascend to legendary status… But Jasmine had a point.

"Fine. It's your idol now. But we vote for who I want gone tonight, got it? Consider that the updated deal."

Jasmine reluctantly shook Courtney's hand. "Deal."

Confessional

"I can't believe she stole my idol!" Courtney roared. "How many times do I have to get screwed over on this show before I catch a break?!" Taking a second to do some breathing exercises, she returned to a happier, calmer place. "But… allowing Jasmine into the final five and taking one of their numbers out has its pros. Jasmine's going to be a threat in challenges, so if she loses, she'll be targeted before me. And it narrows the margins down to 3-to-2, meaning we'd only need one person to flip to have the majority again. It's… a path I'd rather not take, and it's full of risks, but if it means keeping the one ally I have at this point, I guess it's the only path left."

(static)

"Courtney really thought she could scam me, huh?" Jasmine snorted, tossing the idol up and down. "Nice try, Sheila, but I got skills you don't even know about. And one of 'em just happens to be hagglin' for a good bargain. It's not like I fully trust her anymore because you know she wanted to pull the rug out from under me, but we need each other if either of us is going to win."

End Confessional

"Okay," Chris said, platter in hand. "You've all cast your votes."

Sugar sent Jasmine a smug grin and mimed slicing her own neck. Jasmine simply rolled her eyes.

"I have five deliciously tough lamb kabobs, and six lame-o contestants. So without further ado, the first kabobs go to-"

"Uh, Chris?" Jasmine hummed. "I'd like to say something before we start."

Chris paused just before he was about to throw the treats. "Yes?"

The Aussie reached into her pocket and pulled out the Chris Idol. "I'd like to cover my ass tonight if you don't mind."

Beth, Cody, and Lightning gasped in horror, but not louder than Sugar.

"No! No no no! That's gotta be a fake!" Sugar pleaded. "Jasmine's still gone!"

Jasmine smirked Sugar's way and tossed the idol at Chris. "Sorry, girl. Just count yourself lucky you weren't vulnerable tonight or you'd be a lock for the Ferry."

Courtney rolled her eyes. "I would've played it in a more epic fashion," she mumbled.

"I can confirm this is the real deal," Chris said, setting the idol on the podium. "And good thing too, because Jasmine got four votes tonight, which was easily enough to send her right back to the Ferry of Shame a second time."

"Crud!" Sugar roared, stomping so hard she cracked the stone seat below her.

Beth, Cody, and Lightning all shared that same cold sweat. They knew what was coming. And it wasn't going to be a happy ending.

"That being said, tonight's kabobs go to our three immune players: Sugar, Courtney, and now Jasmine. Eat up, ladies."

Jasmine and Courtney happily caught their kabobs, but Sugar, for once, ignored hers to continue glaring at her rivals, letting it fly into her hairdo where it became stuck.

"Also safe is… Cody!"

Cody reached for the kabob got poked in the hand. "Ouch! T-thanks..."

Beth and Lightning gulped, gazing in hopeful horror at the last kabob left. Sugar, stuck between them, cried a single tear.

Jasmine and Courtney watched with satisfied smiles.

"And tonight's loser is, with two votes against them..."

…

"Beth!"

The wannabe gasped as Sugar fell to her knees. "Farmie, noooooooooooooo!"

Lightning wiped his sweat away and grabbed his kabob, anxiously chowing down on that protein to restore his shot nerves. "Sha-dang," he mumbled with his mouth full. "I thought I was sha-skewered."

Beth stared at Courtney and Jasmine with a hurt, confused, but ultimately disappointed look. "Well… final six isn't too bad, I guess."

Sugar gave Beth a nice, big bear hug. "I'm gonna miss you, farmie! What we had was special!"

"Y-yeah," Beth wheezed, her lungs almost caving in. "Totes, Sugar. It's okay..."

"No it ain't! W-we were gonna be final two! A-and now that ain't gonna happen..."

Beth broke free of Sugar's grip and took her hand. "It's okay, honestly. I wanted to make the finale with you, but it's just my time to go. It's been fun, and I'm glad I was able to learn a lot from you in our few days together. I can actually play the game now. That's... just super cool! And honestly? You've learned a lot from me too."

Sugar wiped her tears away and blew her nose into her sleeve. "Y-yeah, we did, didn't we?"

They hugged one last time. Cody and Lightning watched with and Jasmine watched with boredom.

"Yeah, yeah," the CIT moaned. "Just get on the Ferry already so I can take a shower."

Beth threw a glare Courtney's way. "You know, maybe if you actually cared about your friends on the show, you'd be able to keep them for more than one episode. And you'd actually be sad about people leaving instead of all smug and angry. Food for thought."

Courtney huffed hot air and looked away. "And maybe if you had any game sense, you'd be able to win."

"Even if I didn't, I still learned how to play hard," Beth said, smiling at Sugar as they hugged again. "And I did it without being mean or hurting anyone. Well, except that time I put bread in Sky's pants and got her voted out."

"You did what?!" Jasmine growled.

Beth blinked. "Oh uh, that was just the wind. I didn't say anything. Hehe..."

Confessional

"Why vote for Beth over Lightning?" Courtney asked. "Easy. Breaking up the power couple on that side is super important. Plus Lightning's still hovering in the middle I believe. All we have to do is convince him to join us again and I'm back on top."

(static)

Sugar sobbed into the nearest book, tearing out pages to use as tissues for her eyes and nose. "Beth was my best friend out there and now Jasmine took her away from me! I swear, I'm gonna make her and Courtney pay for that if it's the last thing I do!"

End Confessional

One cut later and the Ferry of Shame had a new occupant: a disappointed but happily waving Beth.

"Take care, you guys," she called out as the Ferry left the island. "I'm rooting for you, Sugar! Go win it for the farmies!"

"I will!" the pageant queen bawled. "I'm gonna make you so darn proud, they're gonna put my face in the dictionary under that word!" As Beth faded from view, she collapsed to the ground knees-first.

"It's okay, girl," Lightning said, patting her head. "We might be down, but we ain't out. There's still a whole quarter of the big game left."

Sugar felt a warmth surging through her body from head to toe. Having him there to comfort her was… pleasant. Yeah, pleasant. And as soon as she realized it, her tears slowed and her pout wobbled into a faint smile. "Y-yeah… There is, ain't there?"

Courtney and Jasmine gave each other the same look. That "we've got a lot of fight left and it's not gonna easy, but we'll see what happens" look.

Chris popped up among the group, his hands flailing wide. "And so ends the final six as the final five are formed! With no idols left in the game, it's a straight shot to the finale. With only a couple rounds left, we still have so many questions! Will Jasmine and Courtney strike again? Will Sugar and Lightning finally become a thing as gross as it sounds?"

Lightning perked up. "Sha-come again now?"

"Will Cody finally do anything of note after the merge?"

Cody sighed.

Chris tone changed to annoyance at the end. "And will I finally get my remote back so I can detonate Beth's big, fat face?"

"Hey!" Sugar growled. "Her face wasn't that fat!"

"Find out next time on Total… Drama… Clash of the-"

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Out of nowhere, a massive tremor shook the island and a cloud of smoke puffed up from the Temple.

"Uh, what's going on?" Chris asked, his beady little eyes wide with panic. "I didn't authorize that explosion… Who the heck did that?!"

And from the smoke, shining like a gem in the night sky, emerged a giant zeppelin with Chris' face plastered on the side.

"Chris?" Cody asked. "Is this some weird challenge?"

"Uh… No!"

"What's the fancy flyin' machine for then?" Sugar gasped. "That thing's huge!"

"Attention!" came a deep voice from the zeppelin's speakers. "This season is under new management! And a certain outdated host is now out of commission!"

"This is weird," squeaked Jasmine. "And bad."

Chris gulped and stared at the camera as the final five watched in horror as the zeppelin crawled through the sky towards the beach. "Um… Next time on Total Drama: Clash of the Titans! Now cut. Cut I said!"

The feed went to static…

Exclusive Final Words: Beth

"Going home this close to the finale is a bummer," she said, cruising along the nightly waves. "Especially since I thought Sugar and I were like, totally destined to make it there and stuff. But I'm happy with how I did! Coming into a season full of legendary contestants and making it through ten episodes is pretty cool! And I made new friends I'll cherish forever, so I can hold my head up high and hope the fans don't totally hate me for… a lot of stuff. Sorry, Sky fans."

Casting a glance at the Playa in the distance, she gulped. "I do feel bad for how I cost her the game though. But I know I'm not that kind of person deep down and neither is Sugar anymore. We had to teach other a lot of stuff along the way, like she had to learn how to be a good friend and see the game as less of a ruthless competition, and I had to learn to take control and play to win. So it's kind of a meet in the middle thing. So that's nice."

The shockwave hit. Beth nearly fell out of the boat. "W-w-w-whoa! What the heck was that?!"

Gazing off into the distance, the smoke rising from Temple Island was ominous…

"Oh crap... The heck was that?"

Voting Confessionals

"I gotta take a minute," Sugar said, holding Jasmine's coin over the hole. "A moment this awesome's gotta be milked like a dairy donkey for all it's worth." She breathed in... and out... and let go.

Beth sighed as Jasmine's coin slipped into the urn. "I like Jasmine as a person, and I wish she and Sugar could see eye to eye, but... Sorry. It's our only option."

Cody voted for Jasmine. "Just… part of the plan I guess. Would have been nice to win today though. Last place stings, especially in a challenge that wasn't even physical."

Lightning sighed as Jasmine's coin dropped in with a clang. "Jasmine, Lightning still likes you a lot. But he's here to win, not to have a stupid little friendship finale. See ya 'round, girl."

Courtney reached for Beth's coin. "This… is for Total Drama Action." She slipped it in. "Among other things."

Jasmine cast her vote for Beth without hesitation. "Lightning's the bigger threat in challenges, but he's also the only one who would possibly flip and Cody sucks in challenges. So… Sorry, Beth. You're a sweet girl, but someone's gotta go and Sugar's immune. Unfortunately."

Eliminated: Mike, Zoey, Owen, Alejandro, Shawn, Duncan, Heather, Gwen, Scott, Sky, Beth

The Final Five: Cody, Courtney, Jasmine, Lightning, Sugar

Reasoning for Elimination: Beth wasn't a character I had high hopes for when I first cast this season. I hadn't really written her much before and she never quite gripped me in canon, so she was really only here because the cast needed her to be. But as the season went on, I really grew to appreciate what she brought to the table, being the nice, meek girl among a cast of hardcore players and strategists. And over time, she learned how to join the upper tiers and ultimately got a decent placement, some new friends, and a solid resume out of it. This was as far as she was going though. Anything past top six wasn't on the table to be honest. I ultimately just didn't have a spot for her in the final five, that's all. Her story was finished, she left her impact, and her impact will continue to be felt in the next episode.

A/N: What the heck is happening next time? Well, you gotta stick around for another episode to find out. Wink wink.

As an English major who studied a ton of Greek tragedies, this was a challenge I KNEW I had to include. Not only did it give me some fun creative opportunities, it let me write some fun character dynamics when the final six had to get creative themselves. So we basically got three massive shit shows, all of which I hope were entertaining for the cringe factor at least. I had a blast with this episode and hope you all did as well.

Until Episode 11, take care! :D