Nicky Haugh: Thank you as always.
WeirdAlfan101: Hey, got to get you guys on your toes once in a while, right? Rest assured, Cameron's evacuation left a bitter taste in my mouth too, which is why nothing of the sort will be happening.
QueenAzulaThinksYourWorthless: Yeah, it was important to me that Sierra had a better arc.
TheLegendaryDragonReaper: Thanks for the review. Everybody can have their own opinions on things, and I'm going to stick with my opinion that All-Stars is the worst season, and that Sundae Muddy Sundae was one of the worst episodes in the series, if not the worst.
SideshowJazz1: Glad I made the episode so enjoyable for you in many aspects. Thanks for the interest in Drama Toddlers Meet Drama Adults (working title), I'm still working out snags in it. You're welcome for the reviews on your letters.
Acosta perez jose ramiro: Yeah, for all Sierra's quirky behavior, she has shown some creative brilliance at times that could be an obstacle to Sugar winning.
LovelyLuly: Thanks for the review, and your notes on the differences between the main show and Dramarama.
AnonBrowser: Thank you for your opinions on Sierra, but I respectfully disagree that she was the most expendable. And Cody's not bluffing, he's done this thing called 'growing up' and 'character development'. Though I can agree that Jasmine and Shawn making up was well-needed.
Knight: I don't know. Sugar is a kind of person that Gwen has never encountered before, so she may not know what to look for as signs to mistrust Sugar. For all she knows, Sugar is a really strange person with unusual logic.
Phenomenal Ultra Instinct: That's right about Sugar, and yes, I made sure Jasmine and Shawn's thing did not drag out longer than necessary.
That British Guy: Why would Sierra do anything to Playa des Losers? That's a historical Total Drama site, and she loves it.
Critica7: Thanks for the review. You have interesting reactions to the episode. In the game, you never know who's safe, except for the one with the immunity idol.
SilentSinger948: Good to have another Sierra fan on board. It was time for Jasmine and Shawn to reunite, and yeah, Sugar is once again on equal footing with the others.
Joel Connell: Sammy's elimination was basically Alejandro's fault. He saw a lot of himself in her while she fought Amy, and he decided he needed to get her out before he could sympathize with her plight and let her slip further into the game. During the vote, Topher went along with his decision, and Sugar was the tie-breaking vote. Considering how much of an enigma Sugar is, who knows why she voted with them?
Alright, with reviews out of the way, I'd like to remind everyone there is a TVTropes page for Cast Swap that is always looking for improvement and additions. If you have something you think can be added to the page, please go ahead. Now onto Episode 100!
Disclaimer: I do not own Total Drama, or anything within the franchise. I only own a season one DVD and some shirts.
Episode 9- Zeke and Ye Shall Find
The episode opened on recap footage of the previous challenge, with Topher running after Cody and Sierra.
"Last time on Total Drama All-Stars," Chris began to narrate, "the teams were no more, and it was a free-for-all race for the floating machines for a regatta to boat around Wawanakwa." Clips such as the team disbandment, followed by Alejandro jumping into his claimed speedboat, and then Chris's example race on the monitor were shown. Next, Gwen was seen trying the powerboat that Sugar had sabotaged. "But, some floated better than others for some reason. Ahem, Sugar," Chris not so subtly fake coughed when Sugar's previously mentioned sabotage was shown onscreen.
"And Chef supplied some dynamite entertainment," Chris continued to recall over Chef dropping a stick of dynamite onto Jasmine and Shawn's speedboat, which made the engine explode. "Topher won the challenge, and Sierra got into my cottage and out of the game."
The recap finished, and Chris was shown standing on the Dock of Shame. "Seven players move on, one soon will be gone. Who will it be? Stick around and see here on Total Drama All-Stars!"
(cue intro)
Later that night after Sierra left, Topher decided to live his first solo victory of the season in style. For him, that meant relaxing in the hot tub that accompanied the spa hotel while being served by the butler employed there.
"Ah," Topher sighed contently. "I no longer have to envision my future because I am living it! A whole spa hotel to myself. Once I win the million and my hosting career really takes off, living will only get better than this." The butler arrived with a smoothie complete with a straw, and Topher took the drink from his hand. "Thank you very much. Keep this up, and I may just hire you for myself one day." As the butler left, Topher took a long slurp of his smoothie.
"Hey, mind if I join you?" Cody asked from the side. Topher looked over, and saw the geek wearing his swim shorts.
Topher shrugged. "Sure, knock yourself out."
"Thanks." Cody stepped into the hot tub. "Really appreciate picking me to join you here. With my team's losing streak, I was wondering if we'd ever get back in here."
"No problem, if it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't have gotten that ride from Alejandro that won me the challenge," Topher said, slurping another swallow of his drink. "You want one? The smoothies that guy can make are really refreshing."
"No thanks, I'm good. And speaking of not doing things, don't go in the dining room for a while. Fang's got the place pretty full."
The camera briefly cut to the dining hall, where Fang sat at the head of the table, shoveling all sorts of meat into his big mouth and swallowing without a single motion of chewing. He had stacks of bacon, hot dogs, steaks, and other various meat products spread out across the table.
"If the butler wasn't so professional, I would think he'd never want to cook another piece of bacon or another steak ever again," Cody remarked.
"Eh, he's part of the staff. Not our problem," Topher replied with a roll of his shoulders.
"Hey, can I ask you a question?"
"Shoot."
"Why do you want to be so close to Alejandro? The guy's a-!"
"Two-faced wolf who will kill and eat a sheep right after he comments on their wool? Easy, he's hot and manipulative. If anyone can get me to the end of the game, it's him," Topher answered, cutting Cody off mid-statement.
"Well, I don't know about the first thing, but manipulative? Yeah, pretty on the nose there. Aren't you worried he's going to betray you like those sheep?"
"Duh, of course I am. Which is why when it comes down to it, I plan on backstabbing him first." Thinking for a moment, he amended, "if I haven't really done it already."
"What do you mean?"
"Yesterday, he told me not to out Sugar's statue, but I kinda did it anyway. Once I tell him that I did, he may not be happy."
"Is that another reason why you chose me to spend the night here instead of him?" Cody asked pointedly.
"Yeah."
"Good call."
Nodding, Topher drank some more of his smoothie while Cody sunk up to his neck in the hot tub.
Gwen sighed, reclining on her bunk while sketching in her sketchbook. "Just when I was starting to feel at home in the place."
"Woo," Sugar whooped, throwing the cabin door open and entering. "Today was amazing!"
Looking up from her sketchbook, she raised an eyebrow at the pageant queen. "Where have you been?"
"Eating piranha fish," Sugar said. "I got the idea earlier, and really wanted to try it out. The interns kept coming to try and make me stop, but I shoved them off."
Gwen stared at her roommate weirdly. "Can you even eat piranha?"
Sugar rummaged through her stuff, eventually finding her makeup bag. "Heck if I know, but I just did it and they were delicious."
Setting down her sketchbook, Gwen sat upright. "Okay then, weird eating habits aside, why are so happy anyway? You had to use your statue."
"Yeah, but I'm still here and a step closer to the prize money. I call that a win."
"You sound delighted for someone who had to use up an advantage."
"Eh, you pick that up in pageants. You gotta show the judges and the audience your most positive self. They like that in a winner." Sugar dug through her makeup bag, and found her toothbrush. "You coming? A potential pageant winner needs their beauty sleep."
Gwen rejected the offer with a wave of her hand, returning her attention to her sketchbook. "Nah, you go ahead. I prefer staying up later."
"Suit yourself. Night!" Sugar stepped back out into the island wilderness.
The camera cut to outside, showing Sugar walking towards the communal washroom before zooming in on the guys' side of the loser cabin.
"I do not blame Topher for wanting to keep our alliance under wraps and repay the favor he owed those pitiful Hamsters, but I still wish he had chosen me," the charmer commented to no one as he looked around the empty room. "Him and Cody are in the spa hotel, and Shawn prefers sleeping in the trees. I should not be suffering here by myself. I suppose the only good part of this arrangement is some peace and quiet. It's been far too long since I had some of that." Lifting up the covers of a bunk, he crawled in and covered up. Resting his head against the pillow, he closed his eyes in preparation to sleep. That lasted for all of twenty seconds before he removed the covers. "I know I started sleeping out of my sleeping bag, but in this situation, it's probably more comfortable." Getting up, he went to go retrieve it.
(Confessional- Alejandro)
"Am I happy that Sugar used the statue?" He asked the audience. "I am happy to an extent, but something doesn't make sense. Why would the others vote for her? Unless they've finally realized how disgusting she is, I can't think of a reason why other than…" His thought vocalizing slowed to a stop. "The statue? Topher! That mini-Chris went behind my back and told everyone about it when I told him not to!" Pointing to the camera, he swore, "I've got my eye on you, Topher. Do not slip up again, or this may be when our alliance needs to part ways."
The bonfire was still glowing strong later that night, and the conspiracy nut sat contently near it. He heard footsteps, and looked in the direction of the beach.
"Well, look who it is," Shawn greeted Jasmine with a smile on his face. He then noticed something in her hands. "Hey, you found your hat!"
Jasmine nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, and it only took a couple of hours wandering the beach surrounding the island." She set the hat on the ground near the fire pit, and sat down next to Shawn. "All it needs is a quick dry, and then I can wear it again. Anyway, what's going on with you? Why are you sitting by the fire all on your lonesome?"
Shawn gave a shrug. "Just felt like it. Plus, zombies hate fire, so I have a feeling I'm safe for now."
"Ah," Jasmine said with a tone of understanding, "mind if I sit here while I wait for my hat?"
"Sure, you coming along is actually making this better than it already was."
Exchanging smiles, the pair sat in peace. The camera cut to behind their backs, the firelight shadowing their frames. After a few moments in silence, Jasmine turned to Shawn.
"You know how you said your zombie… hobby didn't get you a lot of friends?" She prodded.
"Yeah," he replied, glancing at her. "What about it?"
Jasmine looked down shyly, which was normally uncharacteristic for her. "Let's just say that my outdoors hobby didn't get me a whole lot of mates either."
Shawn raised an eyebrow, interested. "Really?"
"Really." The explorer gazed up at the stars above them. "It all started when I moved to Canada when I was six. When I was growing up in Australia, I learned a lot about living in the wild. My family would go into the outback almost every weekend, and camp out. I learned how to forage, how to navigate without a map, and how to kill anything that might want to kill us. Kids at school back there really admired kids that knew that stuff. When I moved here, I found out that kids here didn't appreciate that as much. One time, a snake got into our playground. Darn thing freaked out all the kids there except me. Since I figured I was the only one there who knew how to deal with it, I went and killed it while everyone else ran around screaming or trying to find a place to hide. Instead of thanking me and thinking I was the coolest kid like back in my classroom in Australia, everyone here looked at me like I was crazy, as if I should've just ran and screamed like they did." She sighed heavily, lowering her gaze again. "Nobody spoke to me for a while after that, and then it got worse after I went through my growth spurt and got stronger. I think, I think by that point, it wasn't how strange everybody saw me, but that I intimidated people."
Shawn frowned, having done so at some point in her story sympathetically. "I'm sure it wasn't like that, was it?"
Jasmine glanced at Shawn flatly. "Mate, I can literally punch a tree and make it fall over."
"Oh."
They both sat quietly for a few moments more, and then, Shawn bent over to pick up Jasmine's hat. Shaking it out, he handed it to her with a smile.
"For what it's worth," he began to say, "if I wanted anybody to have my back in an apocalypse scenario, I'd choose you. Anybody who wouldn't want your strength and skills is an idiot."
"Thanks," Jasmine said, smiling back while putting her hat on her head. "And if I ever get stranded in the outback with someone, I hope it's you."
The pair ignored the bonfire, choosing instead to enjoy each other's company.
(Confessional- Jasmine)
"Shawn is probably the most like any Australian boy I've ever met," she admitted. Looking at the camera, she grinned happily. "He knows how to survive, and I like that in a guy. Which is good all things considered in this game. With Sammy out, I need someone I can count on to help me remain on the island."
(Confessional- Shawn)
"Fire," the conspiracy nut stated confidently with a raised finger, "it keeps zombies away, and lets other survivors know you're alive. I knew staying at the bonfire pit was a good idea." He boasted, folding his arms over his chest. "And, I have a good feeling that Jasmine won't make a mistake that leads me to becoming zombie food."
After the sun rose the next day, the loudspeakers finally blared to life mid-morning.
"Challenge time," Chris announced, "please proceed to the McLean spa library."
At the loser cabin, Gwen stood on the porch with a skeptical expression. "The spa hotel has a library? First time I'm hearing about this." Shrugging her shoulders, she descended the steps to head over. Sugar poked her head out the screen door, and jogged over to join her.
"I know something else you're gonna be hearing for the first time," the pageant queen said, reaching out to stop the loner. Looking around, she whispered secretly to Gwen, "I hear it's Al and Topher's fault that girl with the phone left last night."
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "You're saying Alejandro is the reason Sierra and I went to a tie?" She rolled her eyes with annoyance. "Why does that not surprise me?"
"Yeah, I think he and his pal played us all for fiddles," guessed Sugar. "I don't know how they knew about my statue thingy, but maybe they decided to use it as a cover or something so I'd get blamed for the whole thing when I used it."
Lifting a hand, Gwen considered the idea. "That does sound like a strategy that Alejandro would come up with."
"And it makes sense too," Sugar added, "they were gunning for me last challenge to make it seem more real. You don't just ram someone else's fancy boat with yours if you don't have some scheme going on." She pointed a finger at Gwen. "You keep an eye on him. Topher too."
"Same goes for you," Gwen replied, nodding her head. The two former Vultures continued heading towards the spa hotel.
Several minutes later, the final seven teens were in a room full of monitors and recording equipment along with Chef, who was holding a steaming cup of coffee. Sugar stood at the front of the group, having shoved her way there with Cody and Topher behind her as the spa's recent guests. Alejandro and Gwen stood behind them, followed by Jasmine and Shawn in the back. Noticeably, Jasmine and Shawn stood closer to each other than they usually did. The only thing missing was a certain host with a massive ego. Naturally, as someone who wanted to usurp the position, Topher was the first to ask.
"Hey, where's Chris?" The wannabe host inquired.
"Just hush up," Chef ordered, "you'll see in a minute." Raising his mug, he took a swig of his beverage.
True to Chef's command, the widest monitor in the room turned itself on, revealing Chris in another location. The host wore a party hat and was blowing a noisemaker. Behind him appeared to be a long table with a buffet of foods, including a tall four-layered cake with 100 spelled out in numbered candles.
"Welcome to episode 100 of Total Drama!" The host greeted on the video. He then ducked out of frame to show off the buffet while the campers looked at each other in bewilderment. None of them had realized that the show had reached such a milestone. He returned onscreen, holding a sheet of paper. "To celebrate, I have an extra special one hundredth challenge!" Chuckling, he failed to notice the dark figure lurking in the shadows behind the table. "I hope none of you are allergic to rhinoceroses, fire, poison, smallpox, gluten…"
The figure ran off-screen, and then came back, closer to the camera. It was Ezekiel, looking as sickly green and hairless as his last appearance. The feral ex-camper grunted furiously while Chris's back was turned to him.
"Is that?" Gwen gasped, pointing while several pairs of eyes went wide.
"Formaldehyde, dirt, tree nuts…" Chris continued to list off, unaware of the danger.
"Look out!" Most of the contestants screamed at him in warning.
"Please do not interrupt," the host responded flippantly, "I'm- whoa!" Ezekiel slammed a burlap sack over Chris's body, and then attacked the camera, making it turn to static.
Chef was so surprised by the sudden disconnection that he spit his coffee onto the monitor, which dripped down onto the keyboard underneath it and shorted out every monitor in the room.
"That can't- agh!" Chef tried to find the words to express his feelings about the situation, but settled for yelling in frustration when he failed. Whirling around, he barked, "New challenge- find Chris!"
"You want us to hunt for Zeke?" Gwen exclaimed incredulously. "No way! He's psycho crazy!"
Cody added, "And it's you guys' fault this happened in the first place." He yelped when Chef jabbed a finger in his face, recoiling.
"Hey, if no one saves Chris then there ain't no show, which means no winner and no million dollars!" Chef emphasized, still wagging his finger.
Topher raised a hand. "Uh, you can have a show without Chris. Hello, prime substitute host here." He motioned to himself.
The cook shook his head. "No Chris, no show!"
His attempt at hosting within reach, Topher gave an irritated growl, making strangling motions with his hands. Alejandro placed a calming hand on his shoulder.
"Hold on," the charmer said with the tone of someone who had an idea to take advantage of the situation. "We accept this challenge only if the one who finds Chris gets immunity for the next vote."
Catching onto his plan, Sugar demanded, "And get to stay in this here spa hotel the rest of the time they're in the game."
"And they also get to pick the next person to take exile on Boney Island," Cody tacked on, sending a glare in Alejandro's direction.
"Fine, deal! Just find Chris!" Chef pleaded.
Humming in thought, Jasmine pointed out, "Last season, Ezekiel was living in the mine. I bet my hat that's where he took Chris."
"To the mine," Chef declared, while Topher swung his arms up indignantly.
A flash cut had Chef and the campers standing outside the mine shaft entrance that had been used last season to start the seventh challenge.
"Huh, still looks pretty sealed up," Shawn remarked.
Jasmine put a hand on her hip, glancing down at her alliance partner. "He already found his way out once. There's probably more escape routes around here that nobody noticed before."
Chef tossed everyone a flashlight, saying, "Then find them. I'm going back to the spa hotel to see if I can get the monitors working."
"Me too," Topher stated, pointing at himself with his thumb. "Whether they like it or not, the show needs a replacement host, at least until Chris gets rescued. At most, it's too late to save him and I'll have already shown my skills." He made to follow Chef back, but was held back by Alejandro grabbing his arm.
"Oh no you're not," Alejandro said harshly. "After the stunt you pulled, you're helping me get that immunity."
"Come on," Topher whined as Alejandro dragged him off to search for an entrance.
The pair went past Sugar, who stood beside Cody and Gwen. When they were out of frame, Sugar leaned towards the latter two. "Told ya they were up to something."
Cody glanced at her suspiciously. "I suppose you want to come with us."
To his surprise, Sugar waved him off. "Nah. Only one person can win all those fancy perks, and I ain't gonna risk losing them to someone else. See ya!" She walked off in the direction opposite of Alejandro and Topher.
Cody stared after her in confusion, only to be soon distracted by Jasmine and Shawn walking past him and Gwen.
"Back into the mine again," Jasmine remarked with little confidence. "Great…"
When they passed, Gwen and Cody shared a look, the former pointing at them and the latter shrugging before they followed.
(Confessional- Cody)
"Sugar is really weird, like 'weirder than Izzy' weird," the geek commented in the outhouse. "As nutty as Izzy is, she'd never turn down a team-up." He gave the toilet paper roll a spin on its holder. "The strange thing is Gwen seems to be acknowledging her despite all that. Something must've happened when they were roomies."
"Tracks!" Sugar exclaimed gleefully, spotting some footprints in the dirt leading to an unblocked hole in the mine's side. "Size? The same as that fake diamond giver! I'm on the right trail. Alright, you Sugar tricker! I'm coming for you." Grinning deviously, she crawled into the hole.
(Confessional- Sugar)
"This is it!" She proclaimed, spreading her arms wide. "This is where my whole game went kaput last time. Saving Chris is going to be my comeback, I'm going to win this entire pageant, and then I'm going to college to be the first makeup person for animals in movies!"
On a hill, probably the backside of the mine, the group of Jasmine, Shawn, Gwen, and Cody found several holes that seemed recently dug.
"Crikey, that lad's been busy," Jasmine observed while shining her flashlight down one of them. "Either he dug these, or…" she gulped. "Those mutant gophers are still down there."
"Mutant gophers!" Gwen repeated, growing frantic as her claustrophobia started to kick in. "It's bad enough we're going into tight holes, but possibly being attacked down there?" She began to pace. "I cannot go down a hole. I have a phobia of being buried alive- agh!" Her frantic state led to her not realizing where she was stepping because she accidentally stumbled down one of the holes.
"Gwen!" Cody called after her, jumping into the one she had disappeared down.
"Buried alive?" Jasmine echoed, growing just as frantic as Gwen. "Oh boy, I don't like tight tunnels enough, but I never considered that."
Shawn took her hand, attempting to calm her down. "Jasmine, I'm going to be down there with you the whole time. You can do this. Don't lose your head."
Jasmine inhaled deeply at his words, and tried to slow her breathing. "Okay."
Shawn pointed at a nearby hole with his flashlight. "Let's go with this one. We'll have a better chance of finding Chris if we take a different path than the others."
"I'm still not sure about this," she said even as Shawn pulled her down the hole he picked.
Meanwhile, Alejandro and Topher found a river that coincidentally fed into the mine.
"Perfecto," Alejandro mentioned to the still disgruntled Topher, standing on a rock in the middle of the river while Topher stood on the riverbank. "If we follow the water in, we may be led straight to where Ezekiel is hiding Chris." He jumped to the next rock, only to run into an unfortunate mishap. "Aye, Topher! My boot is stuck." The charmer attempted to pull his foot out of a wedge between two rocks. "I can't get it out. I require your assistance."
Topher stared at his trapped alliance partner for a moment, looking over his shoulder. "I wonder if it's too late to sneak a ride back to the hotel with Chef."
"Topher!"
Raising his hands, Topher made a calming motion. "Relax. I'd probably have to walk all the way back at this point. Hang on, I'll get your foot out." The wannabe host jumped onto the rock Alejandro had previously occupied.
Another flash cut occurred as Topher jumped out of view.
The green-skinned hand of Ezekiel was shown pulling the top of the sack off Chris. However, Chris's hair appeared to stand up along with his necklace rising up to his chin. If Chris was aware of either things, he didn't show it. Instead, he chuckled.
"Hardy har, Chef," Chris fake laughed. "Yep, you got me. Chef?"
The footage zoomed out and spun one-eighty degrees, showing Chris was hung up from the ceiling of a cave by some rope. Below him was a vat of toxic waste, surrounded by several discarded waste barrels that Ezekiel must've gotten the waste from. Ezekiel himself stood on a nearby ledge.
Gleefully, Ezekiel rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Eheheheh."
Chris's eyes went wide when he realized that his captor wasn't Chef, and thus, probably wasn't being pranked. "E-Ezekiel! Hey, buddy… yeah, looking good." He tried not to look at the drool dripping from Ezekiel's mouth, but from what he could see, the drool still looked normal. "Um, what's up? You upset with me, or something?"
The former camper seemed to understand the question, for he raised his arms and made some menacing gestures while he hissed and growled.
"I'm not very well-versed in freakazoidial interpretive dance, but I'll take that as a yes," Chris quipped, trying to make light of the situation.
In a tunnel somewhere in the mine, Jasmine and Shawn walked along with their flashlights clicked on. Evidently, their tunnel led them not too far from the surface because cracks of light could be seen through the tunnel's ceiling.
"Well, this didn't take us very far down," Shawn remarked, sounding almost disappointed. "We should've gone with a different one."
Jasmine, looking almost frightened, swallowed hard as she followed behind him. "I think our tunnel is perfectly fine to be honest. At least this way, I can get out quick if I really need to."
"Ezekiel probably took Chris deep into the mines, maybe the same place he camped out last time," Shawn told her, glancing up at her with a determined expression. "If we want a chance at rescuing Chris, we have to get further in. Come on." He walked on ahead.
Jasmine groaned, but followed regardless. "I really didn't want to come back here again…"
In another tunnel, it was mostly dark. The only source of light was Gwen's flashlight, and even that wasn't guaranteed with the way it kept flickering out on its user.
"Come on! Work," Gwen pleaded as the light kept turning on and off, growing increasingly scared with every blackout. "Okay, you can do this. Don't panic, don't panic."
Her flashlight shut off a final time, and the loner let out a shrill scream.
Back at the hotel, her shriek came through the speakers in the monitor room loud and clear.
Chef stood to the side, watching as the chubby intern successfully plugged two cords together.
"We got sound," Chef stated upon hearing Gwen, and glared down at the intern. "Now where's the dang picture?"
Instead of answering the cook's question, the intern pointed at the camera filming them. Chef caught on, and rolled his eyes at the thought of doing what he was about to do.
"Oh, you want an update?" He asked the camera, as well as the audience. "I got no idea what Zeke is up to, where Chris is, or where the kids are at. And I have no idea how we're going to find any of that out with the monitors on the fritz."
Seeming to realize that Chef wasn't going to do it, the intern dropped the cords and cleared his throat, lifting his arms. "On Total Drama All-!"
"Fix the monitors!" Chef roared over a shot of the island before the show faded to commercial.
When the show returned, Gwen was still stumbling around in the dark. The only light that could be seen were the silhouettes of her eyes. As she neared the center of the frame, a flashlight turned on, making Gwen scream again.
"Agh! Cody!" She shouted at the geek.
"There you are, Gwen," Cody greeted with a grin. "I knew I'd find you."
Gwen thrust her arms out in exclamation. "You scared me half to death!" Then without warning, she hugged him. "Thank you so much." She let go of him, getting in his face. "Don't you ever do that again." Surprising him once more, she gave him a second hug. "You're the best."
Cody chuckled awkwardly, patting her on the back with his free hand. "Uh, sure? No problem." When she separated from him, he held up a finger. "Now, do me a favor and take a deep breath." Gwen did as asked, and inhaled deeply. "Now, exhale." His alliance partner did as instructed. "Good, let's keep going." He walked past her, taking the lead with his flashlight as they went further down the tunnel.
(Confessional- Gwen)
"I'm so glad that Cody was down there with me," the loner informed the audience. "If I was by myself, I don't know what I would've done."
(Confessional- Cody)
Cody pumped a fist. "My first hug from Gwen. Well, technically first two hugs I guess. It took five seasons, but I finally got them." He smiled at the camera for a few moments, and then frowned. "What? Were you expecting me to celebrate more? It was just a hug, and I've grown up." Rolling his eyes, he folded his arms over his chest, glancing at the wall of the outhouse beside him. "Not the same guy I was back on the plane."
"What are we going to do once we save Chris?" Jasmine wondered out loud. She and Shawn had gotten deeper into the tunnels, and that led to Jasmine becoming more anxious by the minute. To distract herself, she decided to talk about the furthest thing from dark, narrow tunnels- strategy. "I suppose we'll have to play it by ear depending on who wins now, right?"
Shawn shrugged, walking ahead of her. "I guess. And considering Alejandro's the biggest threat in the game, it might make the most sense to go after him next. If the others are thinking the same thing we are, it shouldn't be hard to get them to join us and make the majority vote."
"But, what if he wins the immunity? What then?" She pointed out.
"Then, we'll go with one of the other original Vultures. You, Cody, and I are the only original Hamsters left, and we're currently outnumbered," reasoned Shawn as he stopped and turned around to face her. "If we can get rid of two Vultures soon, I think we should be safe getting to the end."
"Sounds like a plan," Jasmine agreed with a nod of her head. "But, which one of them should we go after in the case Alejandro can't be voted off?"
"Eh, we'll figure something out later. Let's go this way." Motioning with his hand, Shawn led Jasmine down a tunnel.
Meanwhile, Alejandro and Topher were still outside. Topher gave a strain of effort, and then he grinned as he lifted his arms up.
"Finally," Topher beamed. "There you go. One free foot."
Alejandro stood in front of the kneeling Topher, kicking his boot back and forth. "Excelente. Gracias, Topher. Now, let us enter the mine." He walked past Topher, his boots splashing in the shallow stream with every step.
"Does this mean I'm forgiven for-?" Topher attempted to ask.
"Not a chance," the swift reply from Alejandro came off-screen. Topher sighed heavily, and jogged to catch up with his teammate.
Thanks to the superb camera work of the production crew, the footage had such a view of Ezekiel's hateful eyes that Chris could be seen reflected in them. Ezekiel growled as the footage zoomed out to show him snarling at Chris.
"Where's all this anger coming from?" Chris inquired, though he probably knew the answer. "Was it season three when I kicked you off the plane, and made everyone hunt you down? Was it last year when I trapped you inside a mine filled with toxic waste, and sent you off the Hurl of Shame with Shawn? Or, was it this season when I flew you back in just to boot you out again?"
Considering the huge, croaky roar that Ezekiel gave in response, the correct answer was all the above.
Chris smiled casually in spite of the clear rage. "Aw, you wouldn't let something like televised humiliation come between us, would you?"
Ezekiel padded over to a box, and opened it, lifting the box up for Chris to see. Inside were dark-colored rats with beady red eyes.
"Cute pets," Chris commented, though he winced when they started to squeal furiously.
As they went on, the tunnels got wetter. Droplets of moisture fell from the stalactites above them. The eerie sound of water falling was getting to Gwen, who was starting to whimper at every little thing, and she jumped when she thought she heard something behind her.
"Gahaha!" Cody shouted, making the loner whirl around in response. Right where Cody formerly stood in front of her, his flashlight sat abandoned. She let out an ear-piercing shriek.
(Confessional- Gwen)
Gwen curled up on her side in the confessional outhouse, whimpering as she laid in a fetal position.
Back at the spa hotel, Chef and the chubby intern had made progress. When the cameras checked back in with them, the intern had successfully plugged the monitors back in and got them running.
"We got picture!" Chef declared, pumping a fist before realizing what the monitors were displaying. "What in tarnation-?!"
On the far right screen, Cody was seen trapped in a wooden cage, with some very clearly damp pants. The footage panned left to the central monitor, where Chris's hostage situation was in full view. Chef gasped sharply upon seeing his co-worker and friend in such a perilous situation.
(Confessional- Chef)
Much like Gwen before him, Chef was in a fetal position on the seat in the outhouse, barely able to mumble coherently.
Sugar sauntered through a tunnel, her flashlight active in her hand. As she looked around, she had an annoyed expression on her face.
"Dumb Chris, making us rescue him. What fool goes and gets himself nabbed by a kid that acts more like a critter than a person," the pageant queen muttered to herself, unaware of the hypocrisy of her statement considering how she ended up receiving her game-ending diamond. "Once I save his sorry butt and get that spa, I'm getting a full treat-mennnt!" In her self-absorbed rambling, she failed to notice a cliff that she unwittingly walked over and fell further into the tunnels.
Elsewhere, Jasmine and Shawn were walking through another tunnel, pausing when they heard familiar screaming.
"Hey, what's that?" asked Shawn.
Without warning, Sugar slid down from a hole, and crashed into the pair, sending up a dirt cloud and making all three campers cough. When the cloud cleared, the pair got a better look at who crashed into them.
"Sugar?!" Jasmine inquired in surprise.
Sugar rubbed her head as she got to her feet, along with Jasmine and Shawn. "Would it kill them to put up a sign or something that there's a cliff next time?"
Shawn pointed a finger at her. "What's the big idea ramming into us like that?"
Not liking being accused, Sugar waved a finger back at him. "I didn't do nothing. It was the stupid cliff's fault."
Jasmine glowered. "Would you keep it down? Zeke might hear us with the shouting you two are doing."
"If you were actually paying attention to your surroundings," Shawn lectured Sugar, "you wouldn't have fallen over that cliff in the first place."
"Guys," Jasmine tried to intervene.
"And if you weren't such a pigbrain, you'd know that it wasn't my fault," Sugar shot back. A shadow started to lurk over them. Jasmine noticed this, gasping softly, and made a run for it.
"Jasmine, back me up here. Tell her she was being- Jasmine?" Shawn looked over his shoulder, seeing that his partner was no longer there. He heard a gasp from Sugar, and then he finally saw it.
He only had a brief moment to scram at the sight of Ezekiel leaping at the both of them.
(Confessional- Jasmine)
"Okay, I feel really bad for running off like that," Jasmine admitted, sheepishly playing with her fingers. "But it happened, alright? I panicked. I was in dark, claustrophobic tunnels, and I panicked. Anybody with my problem probably would've done the same thing."
Unbeknownst to Chef Hatchet, who was eating a tub of mint-chocolate chip ice cream while concernedly watching the feed focused on Chris, the footage of Shawn and Sugar turned to static. The intern poked his head out from under the monitor desk, frowning at Chef.
"What?" The man retorted defensively. "I eat when I'm stressed."
The footage on the far right monitor changed to the cage again, where Shawn and Sugar were now in with Cody. It was then Chef noticed something on the central monitor.
"Zoom in on the rope holding Chris," he ordered to the intern, who obeyed. The rats that Ezekiel had showed off to Chris were now on the rope, chewing on it. Chef gasped softly, looking at the ice cream tub in his arms. "We're gonna need more ice cream."
"Shawn?" Cody inquired, walking over to the fresh captives. "Why're you with Sugar? I thought you were with Jasmine."
"She was with him," Sugar answered, crossing her arms as she glared at the conspiracy nut. "Until she ditched him to save herself."
Shawn pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Don't you start. We were getting along just fine until you came along. What kind of idiot do you have to be to walk over a cliff?"
"It was a cliff!" Sugar shouted. "What kinda cliff doesn't have a sign that says 'Watch out! Cliff ahead'?"
"One in an abandoned mine!"
"Well, that Ezekiel guy seems to be living here, so it's not abandoned anymore, is it?" Sugar replied, using some rather… interesting logic for her argument. She paused, sniffing with her nose. "Hey, do y'all smell pee?"
Cody, who had backed away when the two new prisoners had started arguing, quickly covered the front of his pants. "No! Why, do you smell something?"
(Confessional- Cody)
"I thought I grew out of that!" lamented Cody, who sighed and put his head in his palms. "I'll never live this down."
Panting, Jasmine stopped in what looked to be a more spacious area than before, looking over her shoulder. "Okay, I should be safe for now." She frowned to herself. "I hope Shawn isn't too mad about me running off." Looking around, she tried to identify her surroundings. "Where am I, anyway?"
The footage zoomed out, showing that she was at the underground pond where Sammy and Topher landed after their mining cart went off the rails.
"Hey! I recognize this place! Heh, I wonder if Chris's old phone is still down here somewhere." Speaking of Topher…
Jasmine spun on her heel, scowling. "You two!"
Alejandro merely shrugged as he and Topher approached her. "What are the odds that following a stream into the mine would lead us to an underground pond?" He asked rhetorically. "I see Shawn is not with you. I take it you must've gotten separated."
Jasmine jabbed a finger at him. "That's none of your business."
Topher smiled at Alejandro. "He totally got captured, didn't he?"
Alejandro agreed. "I indeed think so."
"Hey, while we've got you here, what do you think of teaming up with us to eliminate Sugar?" Topher offered, and Jasmine raised an eyebrow in reply. "She's more bad news than you think, and we need to nip that pageant schemer in the bud."
"Why should I have anything to do with you? You both have been bad news from day one," argued Jasmine. "And I think you're a bigger problem to deal with than someone who thinks with her stomach more than anything else."
Alejandro pursed his lips, thinking what to say next, and then noticed something. "Hey, what's that?" He pointed at the water. He, Topher, and Jasmine looked at the underground pond, specifically the trail of bubbles on the surface moving closer to them. The sight was so creepy, Jasmine actually joined the boys in backing away from the shore.
Even though they knew what was probably coming, it didn't surprise them any less when Ezekiel leaped out, growling.
Reacting purely on impulse, Topher scrunched his eyes shut and shoved Alejandro forward. "Take Al!"
Alejandro stumbled, and then screamed when Ezekiel came at his face.
The monitor room at the spa hotel was filled with empty mint-chocolate chip ice cream tubs by this point. Poking his head out from a pile gathered by the keyboard, the intern stared at Chef in bewilderment.
"We're outta ice cream," Chef informed him, tossing away the last empty tub. "Total Drama will not end at episode 100." Taking out his trusted pasta blaster, he checked to see if it was operational. Once he was sure it was, he marched out of the room.
When the camera focused on the intern, he lifted his hands helplessly. It was clear he had no idea what Chef had in mind as much as the audience did.
Alejandro winced as Ezekiel locked him in the cage with the others. He turned around, asking, "Is this supposed to be a party?" He flinched again when something brown hit his arm. "Gah!"
Shawn, Sugar, and Cody were also pelted with the brown stuff. Cody, who was in a fetal position in the corner, pleaded, "Tell me that's fudge."
Sugar, the only person gross enough to test the theory, licked some off her arm. Smacking her lips, she answered, "Yep! That's fudge, and it's delicious!" With renewed vigor, she stuck her whole hand, covered in fudge, in her mouth and began to suck on it.
Shawn wiped a chunk off his face, and licked his finger. "Not bad compared to the bakery I used to work at, but I've had better."
As it turned out, throwing food at his captives was Ezekiel's way of serving snacks to the party-goers. He started grabbing sticky buns, and threw them at his prisoners.
In a tunnel somewhere else in the mine, Topher and Jasmine jogged beside each other.
"Are you sure throwing Alejandro to Zeke was the best idea?" Jasmine asked, not really caring anymore that they were on opposing teams the whole season.
"Hey, it kept Zeke off our backs, didn't it? And I think Alejandro is mad at me already, so what difference would that have made?" Topher replied. "Let's just find Chris. I want this show to be around long enough for me to host it. Oof!"
While they were talking during their jog, the pair accidentally bumped into Gwen.
"Gwen?" Jasmine confirmed.
"You guys! You have no idea how happy I am to see you," Gwen said gratefully. "Being down here alone has been driving me bonkers!"
"Wait, are the three of us the only ones left?" Jasmine checked. "I was with Shawn and Sugar when they got nabbed, we just lost Alejandro, and you're not with Cody…"
"Holy crap, I think we are!" Gwen exclaimed, clutching her head.
Jasmine raised her hands. "Keep it down. Shouting was how Zeke found Shawn and Sugar."
"Keep it down?" Gwen repeated, losing any cool she had to her phobia. "We're already down! Down several people, down who knows how many feet underground! How further down are we going to go before we die down here?"
Topher felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, and he looked up to the ceiling, his eyes widening. He pointed upwards. "Ask him!"
Both of his female companions glanced up where he indicated, and gasped sharply. Ezekiel pounced down on Topher and Gwen, making all three contestants shout in fright.
The scene cut ahead to Topher and Gwen both waking up in the cage with the others, sans Jasmine.
"Gwen!" Cody rushed over to her, kneeling beside her. "Are you okay?"
To his surprise, she smacked his hand away as she stood up. "I nearly died. Do you think I'd be okay after that?"
Topher rose to his feet, wiping his pants. As he met Alejandro's eyes, he saw the look of anger in the charmer's eyes. "Hey, Alejandro…"
His alliance partner pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Save it, amigo. I think it's pretty clear that you're ready to cut ties."
"Don't act like you wouldn't do the same at any point," Topher retorted, becoming as vindictive as his accuser. "I know you, Al. I saw your season."
(Confessional- Topher)
"He's trying to make it look like I'm as bad as him," Topher said, crossing his arms. "Well, I'm not, so good luck convincing everyone else."
Ezekiel's pet rats were making progress in cutting the ropes suspending Chris over the vat, and with every shredded bit, Chris lowered closer to it.
"Uh, little rodents?" Chris spoke up, concern clear on his face for his own safety. "Let's make a deal here. I know a cheese artisan. Surely, we could work something out." There was a big snap, and he dipped several inches closer to the toxic waste. "Okay… getting scaredy. Help…"
Jasmine, having followed Ezekiel back to the cavern after he captured Gwen and Topher, crouched behind a rock to observe what she was up against. Chris could be heard yelling for help, louder than his first plea.
"Everybody else is trapped…" she murmured to herself. "Chris is hung up… emu's feathers, I wish I had some backup."
As if she had practically asked for it, Chef ran past her, making the explorer blink.
"I said HELP!" Chris called for aid loudly.
Chef entered the cavern proper, and saw his friend. "Chris!" The contestants began to cheer upon seeing the cook, realizing that they were potentially being rescued. Noticing the rats, Chef quickly picked up a stick and swatted them off the host before they could sever the ropes.
"What took you so long?" Chris demanded not unkindly, before sniffing deeply. "And why do you smell like mint-chocolate chip ice cream?" The pair flinched when they heard the sound of a weapon clicking, and turned to see Ezekiel wielding Chef's pasta blaster.
Ezekiel fired at Chef, coating the man in pasta noodles and sauce. The blow was enough to stun Chef, who fell to the floor. Seeing Chef go down made the captured campers stop cheering and gasp in horror.
"Zeke! Zeke, let's talk about this," Chris stammered hastily, his hope for rescue vanishing.
It was clear Ezekiel was in no mood to talk. With his rats knocked out of action, he dropped the blaster and moved to finish Chris off himself.
That was a mistake.
Before he could leap up and snap the rope, Jasmine had picked up the discarded weapon, clicking it in preparation.
"Hey, Zeke!" She called out. The feral camper whipped around, snarling. "You look like you need something to eat!" Jasmine pulled the trigger, firing a ball of pasta and sauce that stuck Ezekiel to the floor.
He thrashed in the pasta, attempting to get out. Everyone cheered at Jasmine's well-timed rescue.
Jasmine made quick work of tying Ezekiel up with some spare rope he had around the cave for Chris's capture, and then went to go get Chris away from the vat.
"Ow! You could've been more gentle," the host admonished as she dropped him on the cave floor but left him tied up. Leaving him, Jasmine broke the lock on the cage, and freed the other campers.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" Chris ordered once he was free of his bonds.
"Wait," Cody spoke up, bringing everyone's attention to him. "What about Zeke?"
Ezekiel struggled to get out of Jasmine's bindings, but failed in his efforts. Cody hated to admit it, but it looked like Jasmine's knots were better than his.
Chris shrugged. "What about him?"
"Shouldn't we take him with us?" Cody prompted. "Like finally get him medical attention, or something?"
"Why would we bring him back to camp? He kidnapped me!"
"Because this whole thing is your fault!" Cody accused, throwing his arms in the air. "If you had just gotten him some help the moment you found out he was still around instead of using him in your twisted challenges, he wouldn't have become like this to abduct you in the first place!"
"Yeah, he's right," Jasmine agreed, frowning at the host.
"And he would stop looking and acting like a zombie!" Shawn added, scowling.
"Seriously," Topher joined in, "even I would treat the campers better if I was host. Unlike you, I seem to have standards."
Chris stared back at all the furious looks he was being given, and eventually sighed in annoyance. "Fine! We'll bring him with. His freakshow thing was getting old, anyway."
(Confessional- Chris)
"For the record, I would like to state that I, Chris McLean, was never actually scared of that freak named Ezekiel. Sure, it looked like I was scared, but I was faking." Chris tried to defend. Putting on a smile, he placed a hand over his heart. "I would say that dramatic performance is worth at least five Gemmy awards. Thanks!"
Later that night, the bonfire was proceeding as scheduled in spite of the unorthodox challenge.
Alejandro, Topher, and Sugar sat in the back row of the stump seats, and Gwen, Cody, Shawn, and Jasmine sat in the front row. Jasmine, in particular, sat on the end closest to where Chris stood with Chef. The cook himself had an arm in a cast and sling.
"Jasmine wins our never-to-be-repeated or spoken-of-again challenge," Chris announced, smiling his way through the horrible flashbacks to the day. "She saved all of us, but more importantly, she saved me. So, I'll honor the deal Chef made. The spa hotel is yours, Jasmine."
"Thank you," Jasmine thanked the host, "but, I'm fine with my tree." She glanced at Cody down the row. "Cody, since you stood up for Ezekiel getting treated, why don't you take it?"
Sugar stood up in outrage. "What? She can't do that! Can she?"
Chris shrugged. "Eh, she saved the most important life ever today. I'll allow it."
The pageant queen scowled fiercely, sitting down again.
"Nice," Cody grinned, sharing a grin with Gwen as they bumped fists.
"Jasmine, who do you want to send to Boney Island?" Chris continued on as Chef walked off.
Jasmine tapped her chin thoughtfully. "There aren't many options left, but I think I'll pick Alejandro."
"Que? But, I served exile last time." Alejandro protested.
"Face it, dude. You're a popular choice," the host teased as Chef came back with the plate of marshmallows. Chris took it when it was offered to him. "Okay, marshmallows. The first one obviously goes to Jasmine."
The explorer smiled, catching her marshmallow in hand.
"Gwen."
Smirking lightly, Gwen snatched her marshmallow as it flew at her.
"Cody."
The geek grinned hugely, happily receiving his sugary treat.
"Shawn."
The conspiracy nut caught his marshmallow without issue.
"Alejandro."
Catching his marshmallow, Alejandro pocketed it so he would have a snack for exile.
Sugar crossed her arms in a huff while Topher visibly began to panic.
"Sugar, Topher, it's down to the two of you. Sugar, it's been clear there's a vendetta against you for a little while, and tonight might be the night it takes you out." Sugar sent a dark look at Alejandro and Topher sitting beside her. "Topher, you've made some questionable decisions these past few days, and I heard you were trying to take my job while I was… occupied. Not cool." Topher flashed an irritated look at the host for the comment, but said nothing in response. "The final marshmallow goes to…"
Sugar redirected her dark glare towards Chris.
Topher raised his hands to his face, fearful of his position in the game.
"…Sugar."
"Yes!" Sugar ran up to Chris, and stole the marshmallow from his hand. She pointed at Alejandro and Topher with a disgusted sneer. "You two thought you could get rid of me? Well, that ain't happening."
"But, why?" Topher voice his question, gesturing to his alliance partner. "Alejandro is more of a threat than me."
(Confessional- Jasmine)
"Even though I don't like Alejandro or Topher," she informed the camera, "it didn't sit right with me how Topher practically threw Alejandro at Ezekiel. With Shawn by my side, I can deal with Alejandro later."
(Confessional- Alejandro)
"If Topher is ready to make such a betrayal, then he can leave," the charmer huffed. "Besides, I work better on my own anyway. He was probably holding me back from reaching the finale."
Topher floated in the Flush of Shame, and even though he didn't have anybody coming to see him off, he wanted to get his last words out anyway.
"I may have screwed up my alliance, but I still want Alejandro to win. And everybody better watch out for Sugar, she's smarter than she's letting on. And one day, one day, I'll be hosting this shooooow!" He went spinning down the drain.
Chris smiled, finally happy to be rid of Topher. "Like that'll happen. It wasn't how I wanted to spend the one-hundredth episode of Total Drama, but at least I'm not hurt. Tune in next time for a challenge that was actually planned on Total Drama All-Stars!"
(cue end credits)
(Bonus Clip)
When the clip started, there was nothing to be seen but open water. Bubbles began to gather in a spot, and after a few moments, Topher emerged, panting for air and his bangs drooping over his eyes.
"Ugh, peh!" The wannabe host spat water out of his mouth. "If that toilet isn't gone by the time I become host, it's going to be when I do! Blegh, puh!" He spat a few more times before a big, black and white creature rose up from underneath him- a dolphin. "What the? Whoa!"
The dolphin began zipping through the water across the screen.
A brief cut later showed a wooden cabin sitting by a beach with fishing boats on the shore, and a lighthouse standing tall in the background. Unable to get several feet closer to the sand, the dolphin bucked Topher off its back for the last little stretch, and swam back out to sea when he hit land.
Topher groaned as a light voice called out pleasantly, "Thank you, mister dolphin! My goodness, Topher, you're soaked. Towel?" Pink slippered feet entered the shot, and Topher lifted his head up to see the kind face of Ella staring down at him with a towel in hand.
"Ella?" Topher asked in confusion.
She smiled at him, helping the wannabe host to his feet. "That's right. Oh dear, I do not envy you or the others if you have to deal with that dreaded toilet. Here." Ella took the towel, and started dabbing at his drenched shirt with it.
"Uh, thanks?" Topher raised an eyebrow. "While you're doing that, can you explain what's going on here?"
"Oh most certainly, sweet Rodney and I were sent out here to pick you up after your elimination. We were so lucky to retrieve you so close to home. Some of the others have had to go out to Easter Island and Egypt to pick up our other friends."
"Seriously? What kind of plumbing does the Flush of Shame even have?" Topher glanced around. "And where's Rodney, anyway? He came with you, right?"
"That's correct," Ella nodded absently. "He's just up in the house helping our kind host make you a hot meal. You must be famished after such an exhausting journey."
Speaking of Rodney, the country boy poked his head out the screen door. "Uh, Ella?"
The fairytale princess glanced up, along with Topher. "Yes, my lovely prince?"
"You know how we thought this guy kinda looked like Chris, but shorter with a red beard?"
"I recall. Why, is there a problem?"
"Well, turns out he's Chris's cousin, and he noticed that it's Topher we're picking up, so…"
Swearing came from inside the house, and nobody would know what he was saying to insult Topher except the locals who spoke Newfoundland slang. Rodney didn't look like he understood what Chris's cousin was saying, but he still cringed nonetheless.
On the beach, Topher groaned. "Aw man…"
Topher- 7th
Sierra- 8th
Sammy- 9th
Duncan- 10th
Heather- 11th
Beardo- 12th
Scarlett- 13th
Owen- 14th
Ever have one of those days where you make a possible game-ending mistake? Topher had one of those last episode, and it continued to spiral downward from there. Add in his constant desire to replace Chris as host in a situation where Chris has been forcibly removed from his position, and he became a prime target for elimination.
This episode was one of my least favorites to write. I think it mostly has to do with how bad the canon episode was. You have Mal trying to manipulate Cameron, who was done an injustice by being saved twice only to be made into a medical evacuation, the start of an official Scottney relationship that made no sense, Alejandro fussing over a boot, and the fact that Ezekiel is once again denied medical treatment. For the series' one hundredth episode, it should not have been as underwhelming as it was. Trying to adapt such a terrible episode to the Cast Swap universe was really tough, and I don't know how I could improve it more than I already tried.
I suppose aside from Topher's mistakes and his downfall, the only two noteworthy things that came out of this episode are Shawn and Jasmine's bonfire chat, as well as the cast insisting that Ezekiel be given proper medical attention. For the bonfire chat, I actually forgot to note in the last episode that Jasmine found her hat after the challenge, so it made a good excuse to have her wander back to the bonfire where Shawn was. The bonfire chat was meant to give depth to Jasmine and Shawn's renewed bond. As for Ezekiel, my one goal when I started writing this episode was to ensure the feral Zeke gimmick came to an END. No matter what, someone had to call Chris out for not taking care of Ezekiel's situation and pressure him into seeing to Zeke getting help.
Rodney and Ella were chosen as Topher's pick-up crew because Rodney was sort of Topher's friend last season, and Ella could use her connection with animals to search the bay for Topher. Newfoundland was selected as his flush location because the episode focused on Chris's rescue, and as most of us recall, Chris is from there.
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