"Last time, on Total Drama Malibu!" Geoff began the recap of the episode, standing on top of Little Rock with Bridgette, with the clips from the previous episode playing once he began. "Caleb and Jo didn't hit it off well again, Monica tried to make another move on Mike, and the twins talked strategy, before Shane tried to get in on the action! After breakfast, we had them work together to scale a gnarly rock! The twist? They were tied together, so teamwork was a must! Thanks to Brick's leadership and the Octopi's lack of, the Gulls got an easy dub for the day! Since Caleb was being a big bummer, little bro got sent packing! With both teams even again, which one's gonna come out on top? Find out right here, on Total, Drama, Malibu!"
Intro Sequence:
Instead of the usual rock tune of I Wanna Be Famous, harsher electric guitar chords came in at A minor, along with harsher drum beats and synths. Cameras popped out of various places along a beach in Malibu, first a trash can, then from behind a lounge chair, then out of some sand. Before the lyrics came in, a film clapper appeared in front of the camera and began the scene.
Whatever happened to the young young lovers? One moved on and the other got lost in
After the scene began, the camera briefly showed a beautiful stretch of a Malibu beach, with a bustling street right behind it. Geoff and Bridgette were shown on a pier together, each of them raising an arm to let the camera zoom by them. Mike was a bit behind them, just watching the co-hosts with a blank expression.
Meds and shocks and tears in the street, tears on his knees, teary history
Vanessa and Zoey were further down the pier, playing a carnival throwing game together. Vanessa had a big smile on her face as she got a bullseye with a baseball, making Zoey sigh as she threw and missed her shot.
Whatever happened to the Nerd Herd? Still quite sane, but what about Shane? Took himself back to the drawing board, plotting for those he abhorred
Mitzy and Arin were playing some kind of laser game at a carnival stand, both of them having ice cream cones, with Shane trying to keep up with them in the game and fire at the aliens in it. Jo came running by down the pier though, and his face filled with malice.
An eye for an eye, a leg for a leg, a vote off the show doesn't go away
Going down from the pier and onto the beach itself, Monica was sitting on a beach chair with binoculars on her eyes, while Lucien was napping on a chair next to her. Jo passed by them both on her run, blatantly pushing Monica off her seat as she passed by.
Everyone has to go, but being booted by a kid stings a long long way
Anne Maria was trying to sunbathe on the beach in her swimsuit when Caleb passed by with a metal detector, getting a scornful look from her.
You wanna be famous? You wanna be famous? You wanna be famous? They go
Brick and Brava were playing volleyball together, although Brava jumped up and spike the ball right at Brick's face. The cadet rubbed his face, but tried to keep a smile albeit pained. The ball bounced towards Petunia, who was startled as it hit her in the back and made her spray them both.
Na na na, nanana na na
The skunk spray transitioned the scene to neon lights above several beach garlands on wooden posts at night. Mickey and Jay were sitting next to each other on folding chairs, already looking nervous before Geoff popped up between them to try and cheer them up. This made the twins run off, with Bridgette letting out a sigh as this happened. The scene then zoomed out to show the rest of the cast sitting in a half circle on folding chairs, all of them humming one last droning note while the title of the season was shown on the center garland.
After the intro ended, the episode began with a shot of the huts of both teams, this time on an overcast day. Jo was the first to step out of the Octopi hut, stretching with a smile on her face. "Ahhh, finally a morning without that pipsqueak!" Jo let out, as Caleb was no longer around.
Vanessa stepped out of the hut after hearing Jo, not as pleased as her. "Yeah. He's gone. We'd all prefer if he just wasn't brought up period now." Vanessa remarked a bit sharply.
Jo picked up on the attitude though, pointing back at Vanessa. "There's probably more you prefer we don't bring up. So don't tell me to shut up, ever. Because I know darn well that Monica wants you out of here, and pretty much everyone else here too. I do too, after your little backstabbing last season." Jo reminded Vanessa, returning the sharp tone.
"Oh let me guess, you're going to try and bribe me into voting with you?" Vanessa sarcastically asked, rolling her eyes.
"Right to the point, good. Would have been really annoying to run through all that. So yeah, vote with me or I just vote you off. Best part, no one will defend you on this, so I don't even have to twist your arm here! You twisted it yourself!" Jo taunted Vanessa, laughing for a moment.
Monica stepped out of the hut, rubbing her eyes as she was waking up. "Good morning, have you two seen Mike? He already left the hut." Monica greeted them, right away jumping to her point as well.
"Probably went to grab breakfast, doubt he wants to see you though." Vanessa answered coldly, pointing further down the beach.
"I'm sure he'll just LOVE to see me, thank you very much! I actually care about him for one!" Monica rebutted, then happily skipped away to the picnic tables to get breakfast.
Jo crossed her arms, watching Monica leave. "You could at least pretend to care. You get mad at me for threatening you, but then you go and act like that?" Jo chastised Vanessa.
"Not like her opinion is going to change. Just looking at it realistically. I'm going to get breakfast now, so you can stop with the voting talk. I'll vote with you, there." Vanessa responded, then hurriedly walked away.
-Confessional: Oddball Octopi: Jo-
Jo leaned against the confessional wall, sitting with her arms crossed. "Vanessa is a trainwreck that went off the tracks, got placed back on, and is now barreling towards an orphanage. No one wants anything to do with her. But for me? That means a vote that no one else is going to try and get on their side. Normally I like to have some competition, but turning down a free vote would just be stupid. I can probably get Mike or maybe the nerds to vote with me next time we lose, then I'll have an unstoppable majority. I'm playing hardball with this right away, no time to make friendships. We all know each other now, playing pattycake to get to know each other better is pointless."
-End Confessional-
Lucien stepped out of the Octopi hut after a while, letting out a long yawn. Seeing that the girls were over getting breakfast, he walked around to the back of the hut, where Mike was sleeping on the sand. "Coast is clear. Or I guess the coast is right here, you know what I mean." Lucien told Mike, looking down at him.
Mike sat up once Lucien greeted him, letting out a bored yawn. "I get it, thanks. I don't know what to do about them, so I'm gonna just avoid them until things die down." Mike thanked Lucien, although he didn't sound too interested.
Lucien nodded, just putting his hands in his pockets as he carried a frown. "I'll be honest, I think you should just give up on Vanessa. That spaceship has left the base long ago. The more you try and pursue it, the more Monica is also going to be a pain." Lucien reasoned.
"But then wouldn't that just make Monica think I'm all hers?" Mike pointed out, thinking through the solution.
Lucien just shrugged, then began to walk away. "Better to deal with just one than both. This isn't my problem though. So I'm just going to go get breakfast." Lucien replied, leaving Mike.
Mitzy and Arin stepped out of the hut together, with Mitzy flipping open her notepad right away. "The ocean is sooo pretty! Having it in person like this is perfect to capture it as a backdrop." Mitzy commented, resuming work on a shoreline.
"Can't you just look up a picture of the ocean though? It's a comic, the water isn't moving in them." Arin asked Mitzy, looking at the page curiously.
Mitzy teetered one hand for a moment, not entirely disagreeing. "Yeah you can just have a reference pic, but it's not the same y'know? It's hard to explain why having your reference in person is just like, 10 times better." Mitzy replied.
Arin didn't question this, just walking side by side with Mitzy. "Oh yeah, forgot to tell you, I saw a superhero running around here, or at least some kind of hero. I think it was the same one I saw back at camp." Arin told Mitzy, sounding a bit more excited.
"Really? I remember you mentioning that, then we never saw them. Well I hope to see them this time around then! I'd love to sketch out a real life superhero!" Mitzy also got excited at the thought.
-Confessional: Oddball Octopi: Arin-
Arin had her hands on her hips, looking at the camera with a fierce look. "I doubt Mitzy will be able to get a good still of the Pink Panda! I hear that the Pink Panda swoops in, saves the day, and is out of there! What a noble and humble hero! With how they do that, no one gets to sing their accolades to them!"
-End Confessional-
Over at the picnic tables, all of the Gulls and most of the Octopi were now having their meals. Mickey and Jay sat across from each other, with Jay picking the seeds out of his watermelon while Mickey was carefully filling the holes in his waffles with syrup. "Is that how you guys always eat?" Zoey asked them, just eating some toaster tarts normally.
Jay nodded his head. "Mickey has what the doctor calls type 4 diabetes. He needs sugar still, but has to have it in very specific amounts. It's easier for him to just use the holes on waffles to measure it, then avoid sugar for the rest of the day. I need to have fruit, but nothing from the citrus family. But the seeds are a choking hazard, so... y'know." Jay explained, setting all the seeds down in a small pile on his plate.
Anne Maria was eating a hot dog lathered with condiments, shaking her head disapprovingly. "Now that ain't how you should live life. Maybe if you two worked out or somethin' your bodies would be a bit tougher." Anne Maria commented, wiping her mouth afterward.
Mickey shivered when she said this, rubbing his arm. "Last time I tried to work out didn't go too well. I lifted a dumbbell, but it fell and crushed my foot, going right into the floor." Mickey replied, now carefully cutting the waffle up with a plastic knife.
"For real? How does that even happen?" Anne Maria asked in skepticism, while Zoey just had pity written all over her face.
Jay finished getting the seeds out of his watermelon, so he dropped the rest of the seeds onto the plate before answering. "We were in a gym that had that rubber padding on the floor, so when the weight fell, it crushed Mickey's foot and sank in, keeping it trapped there. He couldn't get it off, and I couldn't pull it off either. We had to call our gym teacher to help, who just laughed about the whole situation." Jay finished telling the story.
"Oh... I'm so sorry you guys. I can't imagine someone laughing at that." Zoey tried to comfort them, feeling extremely bad.
"You get used to it." Jay quipped with a sigh, then began to eat his watermelon slice.
Mickey solemnly nodded in agreement, and Zoey and Anne Maria shared a worried look. "Hey Red, gonna grab more food, wanna have a word with you." Anne Maria told Zoey, then walked to the food table.
Zoey raised an eyebrow, but got up and followed Anne Maria over to the table. "What is it? And, my name is Zoey. Did you forget? That's okay if you did. A lot of people umm... forget." Zoey asked, also preemptively forgiving her.
"Nah, it ain't that. Was gonna ask you 'bout making one of those alliances. I ain't liking how this team is shaping up with those two on our team. I know they ain't gonna scheme, but they isn't doin' much for us in challenges." Anne Maria proposed, getting a bit more serious.
Zoey was a little taken aback by this, covering her mouth with her hand for a moment. "Umm... I kinda already have one? Isn't it like, wrong to join more than one?" Zoey asked Anne Maria, her eyes going to Shane for a moment, who was currently eating a sausage biscuit.
Anne Maria groaned, then shook her head. "Don't know who it's with, but that's just more for you. Just like, fill me in or somethin' when your little alliance is gonna vote. Got it?" Anne Maria settled, grabbing another hot dog.
"Yeah, nothing really seems wrong about that. Okay! Does this make us friends too?" Zoey accepted the idea, more hopeful now.
"Yeah sure, whatever Red." Anne Maria replied, then walked back over to sit down and eat with the twins.
Zoey silently pumped a fist in the air as Anne Maria walked away, proud of herself. "That's two and a half, yes!" Zoey whisper-cheered.
-Confessional: Gallant Gulls: Anne Maria-
Anne Maria sat with her legs crossed over each other, applying her spray tan at the moment. "I don't do friends anymore, and I just met Red, so she wouldn't even be a friend if I still did that. Broke things off with that dumb jock too, I'm my own woman baby. I'm gonna guess 'cuz of twig one and two, we're gonna lose a bunch. So I gots to make sure I ain't gonna be the one gettin' sent home once our team is smaller. Like look at me, it'd be a crime if a perfect 10 left early!"
-End Confessional-
After a good while of everyone eating their breakfast, Geoff and Bridgette walked over to the picnic tables, greeting the teams with friendly waves. "Yo yo! What is up party peeps! Are you guys ready for today's challenge?" Geoff greeted the contestants enthusiastically.
"It looks like it's going to rain, so not looking forward to it." Shane pointed out right away, looking up at the gray sky.
Bridgette looked up as well, but didn't seem bothered. "Look at it this way, rain will probably be the most annoying thing to deal with this challenge if it does end up raining. Because this will be a fun one for both teams!" Bridgette told him optimistically.
Lucien rolled his eyes. "If... good one. Yeah I know a lot about weather, it's definitely going to rain." Lucien remarked droningly.
"You know about weather?" Mitzy asked, a little surprised.
Lucien nodded his head. "Oh right, you all kicked me off before I could share my interests like the rest of you. When you study everything in the sky and beyond, you learn a lot about weather. There." Lucien replied cynically.
Geoff walked over to the Octopi table and patted Lucien's back, resting his arms on Lucien and Mike's shoulders. "Well when it rains, the challenge stays the same! 'Cuz we hid shells all across the beach, and you have to find them!" Geoff announced what the challenge was.
"A collectathon? What's the catch?" Brava questioned Geoff suspiciously.
Bridgette waved a hand though, smiling at Brava. "Nothing! We just figured it wouldn't be a beach season if you guys didn't dig up treasure. There are seven shells of each team's color buried in the sand from here to the huts, and you just have to find them! The first team that gets all of their shells wins and is safe from elimination!" Bridgette explained how the challenge worked, then pulled out a green painted sea shell.
Brick got a confident look on his face, then turned to the rest of his team. "I can take charge on this one, back at cadets we learned how to dig up mines with the smallest cues, so digging up some shells can't be that much harder!" Brick informed them confidently.
"Great, you jinxed it." Shane replied, unamused.
Mickey's eyes widened at this, putting his hands on his head. "J-Jinx!? No... I can't, this is gonna go bad! Jay I wanna go home!" Mickey blurted out in fear.
"What's his deal?" Anne Maria asked Jay, gesturing to the headgeared twin.
Jay sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "We were at a baseball game with our parents, and the team we were rooting for was up three points in the last inning. My dad said there was no way our team could lose now, which our mom said jinxed us. After that, the other team hit a grand slam and not only won the game, but clobbered Mickey in the head and sent him into a coma. He's been afraid of jinxes and baseballs ever since." Jay explained, with Mickey nodding to confirm while he hugged his knees and shuddered.
Bridgette looked at the twins with concern, hesitating to pat Mickey to comfort him. "Don't worry, we didn't hide explosives in the sand or anything. The interns just buried the shells." Bridgette assured Mickey.
The interns had already arrived at the picnic tables now, gathering up the trash to clean up. Oliver overheard, so he waved to Mickey. "Yeah, what miss Bridgette said! We just buried shells in the sand, no other surprises!" Oliver also assured Mickey.
"Lame, but it makes it easier for us to just tear through this. Can we start already?" Jo piped up, gesturing to the sand behind them since that's where the shells were buried.
"Sure thing brah! You guys can get started! Good luck dudes!" Geoff gave the go-ahead to start the challenge, prompting everyone to get up and leave the picnic tables behind, heading for the sand patch.
-Confessional: Gallant Gulls: Zoey-
Zoey looked a tad bit excited, but worried at the same time. "Ooh, this could be so much fun! I used to go the beach all the time as a kid and try to find the prettiest shells possible to take home. Well, by myself of course, all the other girls thought it was stupid. But hey, it'll finally help here! That makes up for the mean comments they made right?"
-End Confessional-
With the challenge begun, both teams had began to spread out across the eighth mile stretch of sand from the tables to the huts. "Strategy people! Strategy!" Jo called to her team, waving an arm to get their attention.
Since everyone was still relatively close, she was able to get their focus. "Instead of just spreading out willy nilly, we need to just start here, and dig together in a straight line!" Jo ordered, pointing down where she was standing.
Monica raised a hand right away, then gestured to the huts. "But what if some of the shells are all the way on the other side?" she pointed out with mild concern.
Jo narrowed her eyes, then looked to Vanessa. "Fine, Vanessa, you take opposite end and the rest of us will dig towards you." Jo course corrected, gesturing to the huts with her thumb.
Vanessa raised an eyebrow, but just went along with it. "Thanks I guess, gets me away from psycho stalker." Vanessa thanked Jo a bit droningly.
Jo ignored the thanks, watching Vanessa jog away while the other Octopi all lined up near the picnic tables to start their dig. "I'll also go dig with Vanessa. Just in case." Lucien told Jo, then walked past her.
"Not like you'd be much help anyway Galileo, you're just as shut off as him too." Jo remarked, then began to dig at her end of the sand.
"Heh, good one. Although it wasn't by choice, he was under house arrest." Lucien corrected Jo's joke as he left.
Jo was already digging faster than the others on the team, letting out a small groan when Lucien corrected her. "Pff, nerd." was all she mumbled to herself as she dug.
-Confessional: Oddball Octopi: Lucien-
Lucien let out a yawn, leaning his head on the confessional wall. "I don't really care a ton about how this challenge goes. They're not gonna kick me off, not yet at least. Jo needs pawns, Vanessa needs pawns, Monica needs pawns, and they're all going for each other. I'm just helping Vanessa today since she's the most chill of the three. I like chill. Even if she's a horrible person or whatever, at least she'll stay out of my way."
-End Confessional-
Brick looked over the sand as he jogged out, staring intensely down. "I know it's a challenge, but you don't have to get that intense about it." Shane commented, jogging right behind the cadet.
Brick shook his head, then came to a screeching halt. "Right here! There's something buried!" Brick declared, pointing down at the sand.
Shane raised an eyebrow in doubt, crossing his arms. "Oh really? How can you tell?" Shane questioned him.
Brick got down on his knees and began to dig at the sand, which right away gave away into a small hole as soon as he began to dig. "It's a trick I picked up from the academy. When the enemy buries something, they can't layer the ground back on top of it normally or else it'll be crushed, so any ground that is much lighter than what's surrounding it has something buried. Pretty easy to tell with thin sand like this." Brick explained, then reached into the hole and pulled out a green painted shell.
Shane looked impressed for a moment, but shook it off. "Hmm. I'll go tell the others then. We should be able to make quick progress with this." Shane told Brick, then hurried away.
"You do that soldier!" Brick gave Shane a quick wave, then went to jog and look for more shells, but instead tripped on the hole he had just dug and faceplanted in the sand.
-Confessional: Gallant Gulls: Shane-
Shane scoffed, then pointed at himself. "And by that, I mean I'M the one who knows how to do this and gets the credit for it. Brick is too much of a gentleman for his own good. I got rid of him way too early last time."
-End Confessional-
Brava had already made her way back to a patch of sand near the huts where no one else was digging and knelt down, scooping up sand and pushing it aside to try and find the shells. "Wonder where all their strategy is going." Brava pondered, seeing some of the other players talking in the distance.
Brava wasn't bothering with it though, just digging on her own and at a good pace too. She just wasn't finding anything yet. Vanessa and Lucien were nearby though, with the former scooping up sand in a similar vein to Brava, just slower.
Lucien wasn't digging, just walking around and stopping occasionally to tap his foot on the sand. "What's that supposed to do? Or do you just not feel like trying?" Vanessa asked Lucien, looking up from her digging.
Lucien just shrugged. "No way the interns buried them that far down. I'm just feeling around to try and find something hard." Lucien replied, swiveling his foot around a bit when he stopped again. Still nothing.
Vanessa snorted at his wording, covering her mouth for just a moment. "Right. I'm not digging that far either. Just enough so when Jo gets over here she doesn't chew me out for it. She's a pain isn't she?" Vanessa complained a bit.
Lucien shrugged again, not looking her way. "I guess. Still useful in challenges though. So I don't care." Lucien responded despondently.
Brava listened to the two of them, just silently taking in info. "Well, I was thinking we just get rid of her now before she becomes a problem, you saw how far she got last season. And with Caleb gone, no one else is really going to try and stop her." Vanessa suggested, a bit eager about the idea.
Lucien swished his foot around in some sand some more, then just sighed. "I'll think about it. I wasn't around for all of the drama that went down between everyone. So I'm just... neutral on this all. Not something I want to stick my head in. I'm going somewhere else." Lucien told Vanessa, then turned on his heels and walked away, dragging his feet through the sand as he did so just to check for shells.
Vanessa pumped a fist in the air as he left, slightly more chipper now. "Good, you'll definitely make the right choice!" Vanessa called to Lucien as he left her.
Once Lucien was far enough away, Brava now finally spoke up. "Why do you want him on your side? He doesn't seem good for much, you never talked before either." Brava questioned Vanessa, cutting right to the point.
Vanessa perked up when she heard Brava, taking a break from her digging. "Don't alliance-shame me, thank you. Jo thinks I'm her ally right now, so I need to rally up support against her while I can, since as soon as she finds out, she's gonna focus on me." Vanessa explained to Brava, who just nodded in understanding.
"So you weren't entirely lying to him. Hmm. And you're so open to disclosing this information because...?" Brava followed up, just a bit curious.
"Heh, the best lies are just seasoned truths. But be real, you can't stand Jo either. Or at the very least, you know she's an athletic threat." Vanessa admitted, chuckling a little.
"I'm not one to disclose my own strategy, so no comment. I won't say anything though, you have not misplaced your trust. But be more careful going forward." Brava warned Vanessa.
Vanessa rolled her eyes, then went back to digging. "Yeah sure, warn me about strategy miss 3rd boot. Oh hey, a shell!" Vanessa remarked, then got a smile as she found one of the red shells buried in the sand.
Brava did a bit more digging, and soon pulled out a shell as well. "Found one as well." was all Brava said, before hopping to her feet and sprinting off to go dig somewhere else.
It didn't take long until Brava came by Anne Maria, who was digging fairly deep in each spot she checked. "How many shells have you found yet?" Brava asked Anne Maria, holding up her one.
"None yet, we gots like a whole buncha sand to check, how'd you even find one so fast?" Anne Maria asked Brava back in an annoyed tone.
"Luck." was all Brava answered with.
Anne Maria stood up and wiped off her hands, getting a small smirk. "At least you're honest. That Shane is runnin' around telling us about his magic technique or somethin'. I'm wearin' heels, I ain't gonna feel some sand weight change." Anne Maria remarked, gesturing to her shoes.
Brava looked, then just didn't say anything. Anne Maria expected a response to that, so when she didn't get anything, she got a bit more annoyed and snapped her fingers in front of Brava. "Hello? What's with the long look huh? Ain't much of a talker?" Anne Maria asked aggressively.
"Just had nothing to say. You laid out your feelings. I had no place in the matter." Brava stated completely seriously.
Anne Maria let out a deep sigh, then shook her head. "Ugh, whateva. By the way, you wanna make an alliance? Just the two of us. It ain't gotta be one of those big schemey ones. Just an agreement not to vote each other off, you in or what?" Anne Maria offered, since Brava wasn't playing into the small talk.
"Mutual security, I'm in. Good luck with your shell collecting. You'll need it." Brava accepted the offer, then sprinted away.
"What a weirdo..." Anne Maria said to herself as Brava left, then crouched back down and resumed her digging.
-Confessional: Gallant Gulls: Brava-
Brava had a stoic look, sitting with her hands on her lap. "I see this behavior quite a lot with the circles my targets come from. Once you get to know a group better and better, you have less surface level reasons to start conflict with them. There has to be benefit to it. Something in the long term. The ones who stuck around last season long enough to start hating each other thus can't make alliances with each other. It's always the new faces that become the most valuable resource."
-End Confessional-
A half hour went by, and the overcast sky now begin to show it's effects as rain started to drip down over the teens. "Oh great, it's raining. I'm allergic to rainwater..." Mickey muttered worriedly as he looked up.
Mitzy was digging nearby, and had to do a double take as she heard this. "Saying this in the nicest way possible, how are you alive?" Mitzy asked, not believing Mickey.
"Lots and lots of allergy medication. Lots. Our doctor says that there's more allergy medication and supplements in Mickey's body than calcium." Jay answered, as Mickey began to sneeze profusely.
Mitzy made sure her drawing book was tucked away underneath her shirt to protect it from the rain, while Arin stopped digging and walked over to make sure Mickey was alright. "Should we get him out of here? It won't do you guys any good if he can't help any more and ends up being sick for the next challenge." Arin asked Jay.
"I- ACHOO! Can... still helCHOO!" Mickey let out, his eyes quickly watering.
"He runs out of tears and mucus pretty quickly, we don't have much built up ever. The violent allergic reactions are just for a few minutes. Hang in there Mickey! Let it all out!" Jay explained to Arin, then comforted his brother.
Mitzy pulled a shell out of the sand, waving it happily. "Phew, got one here! Look, just take a few minutes off then. I'm sure your team won't mind that much. That's something one of my characters has to do a lot. Whenever the drawbacks of her superpowers kick in, she has to just sit on the sidelines. Usually that's when catastrophes that she just has to sit and watch happen, but this is y'know, shell digging. So don't worry." Mitzy told the twins.
Arin nodded in agreement. "Right! We'll kick it up a notch to make up for it, because that's what a superhero team does! Go beyond! Plus ultra! If we find any of your shells, we'll just hand them to you and you can say you guys found them." Arin declared, putting her fists on her hips.
Jay smiled at this, and Mickey gave a weak thumbs up. "Thanks a lot. I'll stay here with Mickey for a bit then." Jay thanked the nerds, then sat down on the sand with Mickey.
"ThankCHOO!" Mickey thanked them as well, but his violent sneeze cut him off.
Mitzy and Arin shared concerned looks, but Arin put on a confident face. "No problem, that's what heroes do! I'll head to the huts since no one is there really, you cover near the tables. Nerd Herd split!" Arin directed Mitzy, then ran off.
"Nerd Herd split!" Mitzy shouted right after Arin did, then ran the opposite way.
"Nerd Herd split!" Sam shouted right after Mitzy, sitting on the couch in his basement while watching the show.
Dakota was sitting with him, giggling for a moment as he did this. "Is that one of your guys' catchphrases?" Dakota asked him curiously.
Sam nodded his head, gesturing to his headphones. "Yeah, whenever we game over voice call, it's just our way of saying goodbye. Sounds pretty cool huh?" Sam answered happily.
Dakota nodded, leaning against him. "Totally, I should hop on there with you guys one of these days!" Dakota agreed, smiling right at him.
Sam rubbed the back of his head, then looked over at his gaming set up. "Yeah, maybe when I upgrade my set up if Mitzy or Arin win this thing, that'd be awesome for all of us." Sam commented hopefully.
"Speaking of which, the episode is still going!" Dakota reminded Sam, pointing to the screen.
"Oh, right. Yeah we can talk more about it later, heheh." Sam chuckled, then leaned back with Dakota to continue watching.
Zoey was using the technique Shane had told her to use, stepping around on the sand to try and lighter spots. "How does this work?" Zoey asked herself, not really getting what she was supposed to do.
The rain making the sand damp and mushy wasn't helping either, as every step now had her shoes sink into the sand a little. She had already found one shell, so she was just trying to find another. "Ugh, can I even tell when something is buried with the sand like this?" Zoey continued to talk to herself, lifting up her left for a moment and frowning when she saw all the mushy sand stuck to it.
Monica was also having the same problem was her, getting her hands covered in the mushy sand as she tried to dig for another shell, also having found one already. "Hi Monica, any luck?" Zoey greeted Monica, despite being on the other team.
Monica looked up at Zoey with a smile, hopping right to her feet. "Oh hi Zoey! I found a shell yeah, what's up?" Monica greeted Zoey back happily.
Zoey was a little surprised by this energy, but smiled right back, glad to have this friendliness. "Oh nothing! I was just saying hi, a lot of people here are kinda standoffish. Hard to really slide into the group. How are you doing?" Zoey asked Monica back, nervously chuckling.
Monica teetered her hand a bit. "Everything is going good! Trying to get extra shells for Mike right now, he's just so dreamy isn't he~" Monica answered, swooning a bit.
Zoey scratched her head, a little confused. "Umm... I don't know? I haven't really talked to him much. He doesn't want to talk to me either. I think he might hate me..." Zoey responded, not sure how to answer.
"Good. He's got a lot going on right now, so getting to say he found more shells will be perfect to cheer him up! As for you trying to slide into the group, just do what I do, study what they do and don't like, then make sure you only do the former! Works pretty well! Anyways, gotta go get more shells for Mike, see ya!" Monica told Zoey, then booped her on the nose and happily skipped away.
Zoey was more confused by this, awkwardly waving to Monica as he left. "Thanks? Does this make us friends?" Zoey asked hopefully as she left.
Monica didn't reply though, already too far to hear her. "Oh well... maybe I can ask her how things go later. That's what friends do right?" Zoey went back to talking to herself, stomping her feet into the sand to try and feel the lighter spots.
-Confessional: Oddball Octopi: Monica-
Monica held up two shells now, showing them off to the camera. "Look! I found another one! Mike is soooo gonna love these! When the whole team starts praising him for finding multiple, he'll be right back on his feet, good as new! I don't normally give up a boy, but when he's this withdrawn, it makes it hard to care y'know? So this better work!"
-End Confessional-
Mike at the moment was digging through clumps of lumpy sand, now two thirds of the distance from the tables to the huts, sticking to the path that Jo had said to. The others had all deviated from it pretty quickly besides him. For that, Jo had jogged over just to check up on him. "How many shells have you got? Found one in my lane. Don't know how much the others have gotten." Jo asked Mike, pulling a red shell out of her pocket.
Mike looked up from his digging, scratching the back of his head. "Well... haven't found any yet." Mike answered, then went right back to digging.
Jo raised an eyebrow, looking down at him. "That's it? No weird quips or nothing? Jeez, do you have a personality that's supposed to be the funny one that's just hidden right now?" Jo remarked, chuckling at her own joke.
Mike shook his head, still having a small smile. "Ah, nope, don't got one of those, hehe..." Mike chuckled awkwardly.
Jo rolled her eyes, tossing her shell up and down in her hand. "That was a joke. Vanessa really did suck the fun out of you huh?" Jo tried to joke again.
"I guess so! Haha... I'm just gonna keep digging. Okay? Okay!" Mike told Jo, nervously laughing as he said this, trying to play along with her joke halfheartedly now.
Jo frowned at all this, although it wasn't really an angry one, more one out of pity. "...forget I said anything. Sorry, or whatever." Jo hurriedly told Mike, then walked away just a bit unnerved.
Vanessa walked over to Jo as soon as she left Mike alone, carrying her shell. "Found a shell by the end, need me to keep digging there?" Vanessa asked Jo, gesturing to the huts.
Jo took the shell from her and put it in her sweatshirt pocket, doing the same with the other. "Dig anywhere else, they probably spread them out. Make it fast, who knows how many the octopussies have." Jo ordered, taking a quick glance at Brick.
Brick was looking at the ground with a sharp eye, and the second he stepped on a certain patch of sand and his foot went just a bit deeper, he lifted his foot and grabbed the shell inside the hole. "Another shell has been found! Let's keep it up soldiers, the enemy could be moments from winning!" Brick declared to his team, raising up the shell for a moment.
Vanessa and Jo groaned at the same time as this happened. "I'll go quick yeah. How many have the others found?" Vanessa asked Jo quickly.
Jo gestured to Mitzy first, who was still near the tables scouring the sand. "Wannabe Jack Kirby got one earlier, me and you both got one, and I think diet Sierra got one. Nothing from Jeff Dunham or Mrs. Uncredible yet." Jo informed Vanessa.
Vanessa blinked a few times, but nodded her head. "I think I got it. Makes sense Mike got nothing, he's pretty useless. You wanna send him packing tonight?" Vanessa suggested.
As soon as Vanessa said this however, a loud gasp was heard from Mike. "You good?" Jo called to Mike without any sort of joke.
Mike was motionless for a moment as his hair fell, but he soon gave Jo a thumbs up in response without saying anything. Jo faced Vanessa again after that. "Yeah, he's just not much help with his head in the clouds right now, more of a nutcase than anyone I've seen at Walmart. Plus Monica is probably going to be voting with him, knock her power and him out of the game with one stone." Jo reasoned, agreeing with Vanessa.
"Sounds like a plan." Vanessa gave Jo a quick finger gun, then walked away. Jo took another concerned glance at Mike, but didn't pry and just went back to digging in a straight line.
-Confessional: Oddball Octopi: Mike-
Mike rubbed his hands together, a wicked grin on his face. "So they want to get rid of Mike huh? Well they sure did, but now they have me to deal with. For all of you at home, the name is Mal. Do well to remember it, because when I'm done with this game, everyone will know my wrath, starting those two. But first..." Mal introduced himself, then pushed the hair covering his eye back up.
The hair fell back down though, as he had nothing to just magically make it stick up. "Hmph. I'll have to work discreetly then. No matter, Mike won't be leaving tonight. Not on my watch."
-End Confessional-
The rain was coming down hard now, and both teams were nearing their goals. Anne Maria and Jo had both found shells to add to their total, but the last few were getting increasingly difficult to find with how mushy the sand was getting, making it harder to traverse. "One more people! Hurry it up before they finish!" Jo demanded, shoving her latest shell into her pocket.
"Yeah, you better hurry, because we're almost done too." Shane taunted Jo as he reached down into a hole and pulled out a green shell.
Jo scowled, but resisted the urge to attack him. "What area haven't we checked yet?" Zoey asked, walking up to Shane.
Shane tapped his chin, looking around. "I combed the shoreline, so that should be done, and Brava covered the spot near the huts. Where did you check?" Shane told Zoey, trying to deduce where their last shell would be.
"I checked the edge closer to the sidewalk, I already found a shell over there too." Zoey answered, holding up her shell.
Shane took the shell from her, giving a thumbs up, which made a big smile appear on her face. Lucien walked over, having his hands in his pocket. "Didn't find anything. Checked the whole area by the hut and now it's raining bad, so I'm going to get a nap." Lucien told Jo, then spun around to head that way.
"Oh no you don't! You are not done until this challenge is done, keep looking!" Jo yelled at him loudly, sick of his work ethic.
"HELP!" Mickey cried out, catching all of their attention.
Mitzy gasped as she heard him, running their way. "Oh no, one isn't allergic to sand are they!?" Mitzy cried out.
Brick sprinted over to them as well, soon seeing that the twins had sunk into the wet sand while they had been sitting. "They're that thin that this happens!?" Brick let out as he saw them.
Mickey was up to his shoulders in sand, while Jay was slightly higher. He was trying to use his hands to push himself out, but was far too weak to do that. "Take my hand soldier!" Brick ordered, holding a hand for Jay to take.
Jay reached and grabbed, holding on as tight as he could. Mike hurried over alongside Brick and grabbed Jay's other hand. "Ow, that's sharp!" Jay let out as Mike grabbed his hand.
"Just hold on tight!" Mike told Jay as he and Brick pulled him out of the sand.
Mickey was continuing to sink though, and Zoey was unable to get him out of the thick clumpy sand on her own. "We could use some help here!" Zoey called out, her feet sinking into the sand as she tried to pull Mickey out.
"Have no fear! FOR I AM HERE!" a bold voice shouted.
Zoey looked toward where the voice was coming from, quickly seeing a masked figure in a pink onesie with a fluffy panda head covering their face. This figure jumped right above Mickey and hooked their hands under his arms, then yanked him out in one go.
Mickey let out several deep breaths once he was free, as did Jay once Brick and Mike set him down on the surface. "Thanks! I thought I was gonna die that time!" Mickey thanked the masked figure graciously.
The figure just gave one quick nod, having their hands on their hips. "No need for thanks, it's what a hero does! Just remember the name, Pink Panda!" Pink Panda introduced themselves, then sprinted away.
Geoff and Bridgette had rushed over now as well, having seen the commotion. "Is everything alright?" Bridgette asked them worriedly.
Mitzy nodded her head, letting out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, Mickey and Jay were sinking into the sand, but it's all good now, the Pink Panda saved the day!" Mitzy answered, amazed by what she saw.
Jay and Mickey stood up, both relieved to above ground again, even if they were now covered in the wet sand. "Oh yeah, this ended up in my hand, this is the last one we needed right?" Jay asked, holding up a green shell.
Shane nodded his head, taking it right from Jay's hand. "That it is! There's all seven!" Shane exclaimed, pulling out the other two shells he had. Brick pulled out his two shells, with Anne Maria and Brava get their shells out as well.
Geoff did a quick look, then gave them a thumbs up. "Right you are dude! Looks like the Gallant Gulls take another win today! Way to go dudes!" Geoff congratulated them.
Jo angrily kicked the sand when she heard this, while the other Octopi looked way less upset than her. "We lose to luck, seriously?" Vanessa complained.
Lucien shrugged his shoulders. "The whole thing was luck. Shells in sand? That's just needle in a haystack with a new coat of paint." Lucien remarked, apathetic towards their loss.
Right after that, the rain stopped and the skies cleared up a little bit, but not entirely. "What timing... can you guys just rig the weather down here in Malibu?" Shane asked the hosts jokingly.
Geoff laughed, shaking his head. "Course not bro, just some funny timing. Can you imagine a season where they rig the weather? That'd be crazy!" Geoff replied, finding it crazy just imagining it.
Mitzy saw a rainbow form in the sky from the rain disappearing, so she right away pulled her sketchpad out to draw it. "With the overcast, it's a little darker than most rainbows huh?" Mitzy commented.
"What are you, 5? Pretty sure you're the only one here who still looks at rainbows." Jo insulted Mitzy, very bitter over losing.
Bridgette looked to the Octopi, having a sorry frown. "Settle down. I know you guys are upset about losing, but what's done is done. We'll see you tonight at the elimination ceremony, just be sure to vote!" Bridgette told them, leaving the contestants after that for things to simmer down and brew.
-Confessional: Oddball Octopi: Arin-
Arin looked amazed, her eyes wide in astonishment. "Wow, did you see that superhero? She was so cool! She's like the kind of thing I fantasize! I saw her a couple times back at camp, but I guess she followed us here to protect us from these challenges! Glad Mitzy finally got to see her, she's so freaking awesome and heroic!"
-Confessional: Oddball Octopi: Vanessa-
Vanessa had her ballot, which she wrote on quickly and then showed to the camera, having Jo's name on it. "Jo's little tantrum at the end, plus my coercing should be enough. She doesn't even know what I've been up to this whole time. She got comfy after getting rid of Caleb, didn't think there was going to be someone else gunning for you huh Jo? I came here to win, not be remembered for how things went down with Mike. And you're in the way of that, trying to blackmail me. So see ya."
-Confessional: Oddball Octopi: Jo-
Jo grabbed her ballot and began to write on it, getting to 'Mi', before just pausing. "This isn't right." she said to herself, letting out a groan. "Why did he have to make himself look so pathetic back there? It's not because I've gotten soft. I definitely haven't. Never making that mistake again. But getting rid of Mike just isn't right. Blackmail or not, Vanessa just deserves to be out of here. Why am I throwing away an ally!? Damn it Jo!" Jo ranted to herself, growing more angry as she crossed out the letters she started to write and changed the name.
-End Confessional-
Later that night, the 7 members of the Oddball Octopi were gathered at the elimination ceremony area, adorned with red neon lights on the garlands again. In the front row of folding chairs sat Jo, Lucien, and Monica, while in the back row sat Mike, Mitzy, Arin, and Vanessa. Once again though, Lucien was asleep for the night already. "Does he just know no one was going for him?" Vanessa remarked.
"Wish I could be comfy enough to sleep through one of these, lucky him." Mitzy commented, giggling briefly when she saw his sleeping form.
Geoff and Bridgette walked up to the fire pit, with Geoff pulling the water cooler right behind him. "Hey Octopi, sorry you lost twice in a row, but if you really think that it was luck, then better luck next time." Bridgette greeted them, carrying the ballot box.
"Thanks Bridgette! We'll do our best next time!" Monica thanked Bridgette happily, not at all tense right now.
"Glad some of you dudes are taking it well!" Geoff laughed for a moment, appreciating Monica's positivity.
Geoff opened up the cooler, and Bridgette looked through the votes. "Just like last time, if you get a soda can of safety, you're good for the night. Otherwise, the Bus of Losers is here for you." Bridgette told the team, gesturing to the bus as it pulled up to the curb.
Bridgette closed the ballot box, then looked to Geoff, who gave her a thumbs up. "Soda cans of safety go to..."
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"Arin."
Arin caught her soda can happily, cracking it open right away and guzzling it.
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"Monica."
Monica clapped her hands excitedly, happily catching her soda. "You can have mine Mike, I know you love soda!" Monica offered her can to him.
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"Mike."
Mike seemed back to normal, as he just casually caught his soda can and cracked it open. "Thanks Monica, but I'll pass." Mike turned her offer down uneasily.
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"Lucien."
The soda can sailed right over his head.
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"Mitzy."
Mitzy caught her soda can happily, clinking it with Arin right after catching it. She cracked it open, and the two nerds enjoyed their soda together.
That left the bottom 2, with Jo being slightly confused while Vanessa tried to hide her smirk. "Oh for real? Just blame the only one actually trying?" Jo sarcastically remarked.
"Well, your strategy didn't work..." Mitzy told Jo hesitantly.
Jo scowled at Mitzy, only not able to swing on her since Mitzy was a row behind her. "I'm sure you both know why you're here. So let's just get this done so you can get your rest. The final soda can of safety goes to..."
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"Jo."
Geoff tossed Jo the final can, and as soon as Jo caught it, she smirked at Vanessa once she saw her reaction. "Hmph, so I wasn't the only one who changed their vote last second? Guess I made the right choice." Jo remarked, then took a sip of her soda after opening it.
"B-But... this was supposed to be MY season! My redemption! My way of shutting up all those naysayers online! Why did you betray me!?" Vanessa complained, standing up.
"Guess I have a moral or two still in me." Jo joked, snickering for a moment.
"You ever try an apology video? It'd be about as believable as anything you do here." Monica sarcastically advised, having a massive grin on her face.
Vanessa glared at Monica, pointing a finger at her. "Man, I may have been led on by Mike, but at least I got with him, I'll always have that over you." Vanessa reminded Monica.
Monica trembled as she heard that, her grin remaining but her eyebrows furrowing. "Oh yeah? Well I didn't get led on and I never heard to break the heart of the most precious boy here! He doesn't appreciate me now, but he soon will, just you watch!" Monica shot back angrily.
Mike stood up though, having a stone cold look. "That's enough, I don't need you to stand up for me." Mike told Monica, who nodded obediently.
Vanessa smirked, crossing her arms. "Oh what's this? Gonna try and make one last attempt to get back with me before I go? Guess what, that's not happening you freak. So don't even start trying to-"
"I don't love you anymore." Mike cut Vanessa off.
Vanessa was confused by this, as well as a bit upset. "Wait what? Oh so now you get to decide how I feel about this whole thing? I dumped you, not the other way around, so get off this high horse of yours before some cowboy personality comes out and makes you fall off." Vanessa insulted him, trying to take the high ground as well.
"When did I say any of that? Just saying I don't love you any more. I don't need a dramatic standoff to tell you that. So... go away." Mike told Vanessa, then sat back down.
Vanessa was fuming at this, but she couldn't think of anything say. "Well screw you too! I'm not done with you! You think it's that easy? I live rent free in your head with all the other freaks, so have fun with that!" Vanessa tried to mock Mike, before storming off towards the Bus of Losers.
Mike didn't even bother watching Vanessa leave, just carrying a small smile. "I think I'll head to bed now. In the hut this time." Mike told the others, getting back up from his seat and heading to the huts, taking his drink with him.
Bridgette looked happy with how that went, so she faced the rest of the team with a smile. "Well that's that! You call can rest up too, see you tomorrow!" Bridgette told the rest of the Octopi, who all got up except for Lucien. Jo just picked Lucien up and carried him while the others walked back to the huts, rather than leaving him out.
Once everyone was gone, Geoff and Bridgette faced the camera. "Well that got gnarly with the rain! We should schedule like, all the challenges on rainy days!" Geoff exclaimed, still wowed about earlier.
Bridgette laughed, then shook her head. "We'll be back to fun in the sun tomorrow, and things should be better now that Vanessa is gone. Will Mike get his mojo back? Who is Jo going to crawl past next to stay in the game? And will the twins even survive tomorrow?" Bridgette asked the camera.
Geoff pointed a finger right at the camera. "Find out these and more next time, on Total..."
"Drama..."
"Malibu!"
Teams Remaining:
Gallant Gulls: Brick, Brava, Shane, Zoey, Anne Maria, Jay, Mickey
Oddball Octopi: Jo, Mike, Monica, Mitzy, Arin, Lucien
Elimination Order:
14th: Vanessa
15th: Caleb
16th: Petunia
Author's Note:
Really tired because of a new job and college, so apologies again for the delay. I don't want to touch much on what happened this episode, since a lot of it carries into other things, so it'd just be spoiling. Mike's storyline isn't over with this elimination though, I'll say that. Thank you again to Gucci Mane LaFlare for letting me use Vanessa! Didn't expect to go this route with her all the way back in episode 1 of Reloaded, but here we are currently. This won't be the last of Vanessa of course, but for her competition run, it ends here. Be sure to let me know what you guys thought in the reviews, and I'll see you all next time!