"Last time, on Total Drama Revenge of the Film Lot..." Chris began the recap, standing in a dingy lab with two large pods behind him. He was dressed up as a mad scientist, having a pair of green goggles on his forehead at the moment. "Lawyers! And no, not the kind that ruin the fun for me. The teams were given some made up evidence to use against each other in witty court battles to try and avoid elimination and a guilty verdict in this free for all! Joan Kindwoman stole the show by nailing the legal coffin in on the Critics, and Klaas may have revealed a bit more than anticipated with his passionate defense! Without his buddy Jack to talk to however, Freddy shared his passion of FNAF with his other teammates, who all quickly got annoyed and gave him the boot over it. His farewell was happy unfortunately, as he made things up with Trixie on the way out. Will Jack manage without his friend? Will Beck actually contribute to the episode? And how is Bonnie going to insert her desires into this challenge? Find out these and more right here, on Total, Drama, Reeeeeeeevenge of the Film Lot!"
Intro Sequence:
The rock tune of I Wanna Be Famous started up, with high-grade film cameras popping out of different places. First out of the chimney of a trailer, then out the window of a soundstage, a toxic waste barrel after that, and finally a sewer manhole before a movie clapper came in and closed, letting the full shot begin.
Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine, you guys are on my mind
The camera zoomed onto the film lot, passing by Chris in a dingy golf cart being pushed by Irene, Elroy, Oliver, and Ted, while Virgil was stuck to the cart itself. Going past several soundstages, the camera weaved between a few movie backdrops, before going up the large hill that led to the soap opera sets on top. The shot then dove down into a pool of water below where King was swimming inside. He saw Fang swim up behind him, so he turned around and punched him right in the face, sending the mutant shark flying up.
You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see
Flynn was above the water, now in a soundstage, commandeering a pirate ship floating on it while Delanie copied his behavior. Fang landed on their ship though, forcing both of them to dive off of it. Trixie had watched the two jump down, smirking at their misfortune.
I wanna beeeeeee famous!
The shot now panned out of this soundstage, passing up Kahlin running out of one of the dressing booths, with Sasquatchanakwa right behind him. Jack was looking over some outfits on a rack, although Lilac jumped out from behind some of the clothes, showing her teeth and scaring him.
I wanna live close to the sun
Beck was relaxing on a lounge chair on a beach set, his hands behind his head. He winked at the camera, while Flaky and Bonnie were ogling at him from behind a bush.
So pack your bags cuz I've already won
Panning to the right and into the makeup trailer confessional, Kylie was doing her makeup, applying lipstick at the moment. Trina walked inside, carrying a basket of different foundation. Kylie looked them over, then shooed Trina away.
Everything to prove, nothing in my way, I'll get there one day
Klaas and Vergil were in a boxing ring together, both of them glaring at each other. Vergil threw a punch, as did Klaas, with their fists colliding as they did so. Both of them fell back because of this, although Esteban was quick to run in and help them up.
Cuz I wanna beeeeeee famous!
Toby and Luis were in the kitchen with Chef, with Athena preparing some kind of soup. She seemed to be having trouble with it though, so Toby walked over to help her out. Maxine was watching this from a monitor in Chris's office, then pressed a button to try and blow up the kitchen.
Na na na nana, nananana, nananana
This blew up a different set though, where Thomas, Nanashi, and Jim were inside. A bear had taken the brunt of the explosion though, and it let out a roar at the three of them. Jim pointed at the other two and ran off with a guilty look, although Thomas ran away as well, leaving Nanashi to get chased by the bear.
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!
Diamond and Melissa were sitting at the outdoor theater on the benches when Jim and Thomas ran by. They didn't pay much mind to it though, but Freddy popped up from behind them both with a puppet mask on, startling them both. Diamond laughed, while Melissa rolled her eyes.
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!
A flash from the outdoor projector transitioned to the Aftermath studio, where Donna was sitting in between Geoff and Bridgette. Mittens the monkey hopped up from behind the couch, scowling at the aftermath hosts. This confused both, with the shot then zooming out to show the rest of the contestants sitting in the peanut gallery benches, whistling along with the last notes of the intro while the season logo was shown on a TV above.
After the intro ended, the episode began with a shot of the two trailers a bit late into the morning. Plenty were already getting breakfast while some were still waking up. Oliver walked up to the guys' trailer, holding a clipboard at the moment. "I don't like this one bit..." he muttered to himself as he knocked on the door.
After a few seconds, Klaas opened up the door to the trailer, a little confused to see the intern here. "Hey, you're..." he began, not knowing his name.
"It's Oliver, not that it matters though. Um, how many of you are still inside?" Oliver asked, gesturing inside the trailer.
Klaas looked back, then held up two fingers. "It's just me and Toby in here, everyone else went to get breakfast." Klaas told the intern.
Oliver checked some boxes off on his clipboard, then gave a thumbs up. "Thanks! That's all I needed, Chris wants me to do headcounts today for some reason." Oliver thanked Klaas, then moved on to the girls' cabin.
"No problem. Have fun with that." Klaas replied and gave Oliver a quick two finger wave, then closed the door.
"I wonder what Chris is doing headcounts for. Maybe he is concerned for our safety?" Toby pondered, sitting on his bunk while he carefully tied his shoes.
Klaas shrugged, sitting down across from him. "Doubt it. He probably has something going on and he doesn't want us snooping. No way he cares about our safety." Klaas disagreed.
Luis shook his head though, raising a paw. "You nyever know! He can't let anyone lay a paw on us or else it messes up the show!" Luis reminded Klaas optimistically.
Klaas looked at the puppet and chuckled, then at Toby. "Maybe. Say Toby, you're pretty good with advice right? Because I have some things I want a second opinion on, just not from my team." Klaas transitioned the topic, reaching over and giving Luis a little pat on the head.
Toby nodded his head, leaning forward a little. "Sure thing Klaas. I'm always here if you need to talk. What's on your mind today?" Toby inquired, speaking with his usual warm tone.
Klaas thought of a way to word it, then spoke. "It's about Nanashi. We've been getting closer every day, and I just think that she might be more than just a friend to me. Like there's potential for us to be more than that you know? I just don't really know how to tell her, or if she feels the same way. What do you think of us dating, or how I would even go about that? Like, how would I tell her I love her without being corny?" Klaas explained his situation to Toby, who listened intently.
After absorbing Klaas's story, Toby lightly chuckled, still smiling at Klaas. "Ah love, it's always a tough one to wrap your head around isn't it? You know, if that's how you truly feel about Nanashi, then why lie to yourself and do otherwise? Is she already with someone else?" Toby followed up, just in case.
Klaas shook his head. "Not that I know of. She told me I'm the first person to understand her, so I don't think she's been in a relationship before at all." Klaas answered honestly.
Toby nodded his head in understanding. "I see, so she might have these same questions floating in her head. You don't have to just say that you love her though, there's many ways to tell someone that you love them." Toby pointed out.
Klaas raised an eyebrow, now leaning forward as well. "Do you mean with a note? I guess a note she might find cute, like one of those ones where you check off if you like them or not. I always found them dumb, but maybe it'd work here." Klaas asked, guessing at the other ways.
Toby shook his head, then elaborated. "A note is just one of many ways to tell someone something, but there's also many ways to show that you love someone. It doesn't just have to be verbal." Toby stated, then looked to Luis.
"Nyeah! Like just bein' there when things are a wee bit ruff! Just bein' there for someone is enough to show your love! Guidin' them through things, and nice lil gestures go a long way to say you love them!" Luis listed off examples, then hugged Toby's arm.
Toby patted Luis on the head as he hugged him. "Mhmm, we love each other very much, but we don't have to say it, because we show it every day. With how you stood up for Nanashi yesterday, and her hugging you when she was free, I think the message got through." Toby added, chuckling a little again.
Klaas thought about his advice for a moment, then stood up. "Maybe you're right. Nanashi might already have similar feelings. Just saying it outright would be awkward. I'll just keep doing what I've been doing then. Thanks Toby. I need to go get breakfast now, can't keep Nanashi waiting. See you." Klaas thanked the puppeteer and gave a quick wave before leaving the trailer.
Toby waved back with a pleased smile as Klaas left, as did Luis. "Nya think things'll go alright for 'em? They might just become more than furiends!" Luis asked Toby curiously.
"That we'll just have to wait and see, but I think things will go just dandy." Toby predicted, optimistic as always.
-Confessional: Mutant Movie Munchers: Klaas-
Klaas tapped a finger to his chin, in somewhat deep thought. "So I don't have to tell Nanashi I love her? That seems backwards almost. How would you ever get a relationship going if you never addressed it? Do I even want a relationship? Or am I just rushing into one? I've never done this kind of thing before, so I really don't know. Toby talks like the people on Fabeltjeskrant, just a Dutch kids show I watched growing up. But when I hear advice from him, it just sounds so correct. He'd be real good at poker."
-End Confessional-
In the craft services tent, most of the players were eating or finishing up their breakfast. Klaas walked inside to see Nanashi sitting with Melissa, Kahlin, and Beck, so he grabbed his tray of food and quickly joined them. Trina walked into the tent not long after him, also getting her tray and walking over to where Delanie was sitting at the end of one of the tables to join her.
Delanie was sitting with Kylie already, and the two of them were chatting it up. "Oh my gosh, you're a cheerleader too? No way! Never would have guessed that!" Kylie exclaimed, impressed by Delanie.
Delanie nodded her head. "Mhmm, had to do for a bit during my acting training. It was either that or gymnastics. But like, the outfits for cheerleading are so much cuter for real." Delanie responded, her voice still in that somewhat shrill preppy girl register.
Trina set her tray down on the table next to Delanie's, waving at the two of them. Chef this time had served spiky mashed potatoes, along with blue jelly that glowed a bit too much for comfort. "Hi ma'am, is it alright if I sit here?" Trina asked Delanie hopefully.
Delanie nodded her head, patting the seat. "Go ahead~! Kylie and I were just talking about our activities outside of school! We're both cheerleaders, isn't that cool?" Delanie gave the go-ahead, keeping her enthusiasm.
Trina nodded, then began to eat her food. "That's pretty cool yeah, the cheerleaders at my school were pretty cool, and they made sure everyone knew it! But it's probably a little awkward being on the same team as Flynn isn't it ma'am?" Trina giggled slightly, looking to Kylie.
"What do you mean? Did he say something about cheerleaders?" Kylie asked curiously, not getting what she meant.
Trina gave a wave of dismissal, then began to write something down in her notepad. "Oh it's nothing ma'am! Just a cheerleader and a pirate being on the same team made me think of 'Two Section', it's a show about pirates, and they don't really get along well with cheerleaders." Trina answered, not thinking much of the reference.
Delanie lightly elbowed Trina, also giggling. "Yeah, she's a bit of a nerd if you couldn't tell. Doubt she'd do well on a cheer team like us. We'd be so awesome if we performed together huh?" Delanie brought the topic back to herself.
"Totally. I'm great in group acts, but the other girls in my school aren't as great as I am. If there's ever a talent challenge, I know what we're doing!" Kylie agreed, and the two then fist bumped.
Trina reached in to join the fist bump, but the cheerleaders already moved their hands back by the time she did, leaving her hanging before she lowered her hand. "If we both merge, we gotta stick together you know? Cheerleaders always gotta do that!" Delanie added, offering another fist bump.
Kylie once again took it, and Trina once again was too late. "Yup, for sure!" Kylie once again agreed without a second thought.
-Confessional: Toxic Film Critics: Kylie-
Kylie had a relieved smile, sitting with her arms crossed. "Here I thought Delanie was going to be super lame all season. Things are looking up honestly. She isn't annoying anymore, Freddy is gone, and Jack is back to his senses. I ain't got a thing to worry about now!"
-End Confessional-
Trixie was watching Kylie and Delanie talk, sitting at the other table with Jack. "So anyway, that's why I think Smile isn't that great. It had a decent yet derivative premise, and the ending was a pretty lame conclusion that just desperately wants to set up a sequel." Jack complained to Trixie, who was barely listening to him.
"Uh huh, all those guys care about cash, not actually making a good cohesive story." Trixie agreed with Jack, still just watching her teammate.
Jack noticed her looking over once he finished his thoughts though, raising an eyebrow. "Something wrong over there? You kinda tuned out to my analysis." Jack questioned Trixie, slightly miffed.
Trixie nodded her head, pointing in their direction with a subtle finger. "It's Kylie. She's been warming up to Delanie a bunch lately, don't know why." Trixie told Jack, keeping it brief.
Jack shrugged his shoulders, then took a bite of his mashed potatoes. "Well she was friends with the vampire, and she's got a lot in common with Delanie, so that's probably it. Like how Beck is sitting with Kahlin." Jack guessed, gesturing to Beck with his fork.
Trixie didn't buy this answer though, still frowning. "I sure hope it's that simple." she commented, then took a bite of her food.
Out of the corner of her eye though, she saw Thomas walk over and dump his trash in the can, then walk out of the tent by himself. "Hmm. Where do you think Thomas is going?" Trixie asked Jack.
Jack scratched his chin, before just drawing a blank. "No clue. He doesn't talk to anyone, I don't know much about him. But maybe he has a set up like I do? Although he does sleep in the trailer. I got nothing." Jack theorized, unable to get a conclusion.
Trixie also thought about it, before just getting up from her seat and dumping her trash out. "I think I'll go see for myself..." Trixie trailed off as she then left to follow Thomas.
Jack swirled his fork in his mashed potatoes as Trixie left, letting out a sigh. "Man, breakfast without Freddy is lonely..." Jack mumbled to himself.
Athena walked over to the table though, sitting down across from Jack. "Hey Jack, I want an alliance." Athena greeted him formally.
Jack blinked a couple times, offput by this. "Who starts a conversation like that? You just sat down!" Jack let out, confusing Athena.
"I started a conversation like that. But yes thanks for noticing I sat down." Athena confirmed, making Jack facepalm.
Jack shook his head, giving Athena an annoyed look. "You know what I mean. And I don't want an alliance. Whenever a group forms in a zombie or ghost flick, they're way more likely to get picked off!" Jack turned Athena down, expressing his worry.
"I said I want an alliance though, can you give me one?" Athena corrected Jack politely.
"Yes, you can have one, just... go away, you creep me out." Jack hurriedly accepted the offer, making a shooing gesture with his hand.
"Oh okay, nice. See you." Athena gave a wave to Jack, then left the table.
-Confessional: Toxic Film Critics: Athena-
Athena looked bored, tapping her fingers on the vanity. "It's good to have an alliance with Jack. He's the captain after all. They almost voted me off last night, not good. Apparently getting alliances make you stay longer, so getting one from Jack is nice. Maybe Toby can give me one."
-Confessional: Toxic Film Critics: Trixie-
Trixie had Jack's note from Trina in her hand, looking it over. "I don't think I really even needed these notes, Jack is pretty similar to Freddy. Just a bit more competent and self centered. He's not a goody goody like Freddy was, so it'll be harder to take him out when the time comes. But Thomas? I can't believe I've been ignoring him this whole time. He's a swing vote and I completely missed him, he's really good at blending into the background. Since he's walking off on his own, I think I can strike up an alliance with him and secure another vote on my side. I've got Jack, and if I get Thomas, that'd be half the team. Kylie still worries me though, is she plotting against us? Or is she trying to get the Award Winners off our back? Whatever it is, it better not involve me, or she's out of here ASAP."
-End Confessionals-
Trixie walked out of the craft services tent, right away confused when she saw that Thomas wasn't there. "Huh? Wasn't he heading toward the trailers though? Where else would he go?" Trixie asked herself out loud, wondering where the translator went.
She quickly walked around the side of the tent, and she was able to see Thomas heading towards the soundstages. "Ooh, he's trying to get a preview on the challenge, that makes sense. I should have thought of trying that." Trixie figured as she fast-walked towards him.
Thomas walked silently alone, already knowing exactly where he was going. He had a stone cold look on his face, with plenty on his mind. "Maybe I should see where he's going before I say anything, this might be useful intel..." Trixie now lowered her voice, following Thomas from a distance.
Thomas turned a corner around soundstage 20, heading over to the next row of soundstages. Trixie of course turned the corner as well, staying about 30 feet behind him and keeping her steps light as she followed. Thomas entered soundstage 15 through the back entrance, opening and closing the door swiftly. "The challenge is in there? How does he know that?" Trixie wondered, standing in front of the door to the soundstage.
Trixie waited a few seconds, then opened up the door and stepped inside just to be sure Thomas didn't know he was being followed. She looked around, again not seeing the translator anywhere. "It's dark in here, I thought was supposed to be the challenge room..." Trixie muttered, watching her step as she avoided tripping over loose film equipment.
It seemed she had lost him, until she came across the ladder that normally led up to the lighting of the soundstage. This time however, the ladder also went down a hatch that had been flipped open. "Bingo, secret passage. Wait... what the heck is this." Trixie realized how weird this all was, but still went down the ladder anyway.
When she reached the basement floor, Trixie heard voices off in the distance, so she stayed hidden behind some of the cardboard boxes and listened in. "So the legal angle is a complete bust huh? So after all that effort of firing up the environment agencies, we've made no progress, he can just spend his way out of any legal approach." a serious voice complained.
"Seems that way. We might have to get more direct right away then." a female voice added, also very serious.
"But then there's Chef we have to keep in mind. As well as a couple of the interns, they're extremely loyal. We have to catch Chris alone in a way that wouldn't alert anyone else." Thomas reminded them, brainstorming a bit afterward.
"We just catch him while the contestants do a challenge then, easy." the male voice suggested swiftly.
"Can't do that. He always stays nearby the kids during the challenge. Not only would the contestants be traumatized, but they could very well also stop us from getting him." Thomas rebutted just as quickly.
"Darn that Chris, he probably is aware he's at risk. Surrounding himself with bystanders is scummy, but it's the only thing left between him and the death he deserves." the female voice commented bitterly.
Trixie raised an eyebrow, then popped up from behind the box. "You guys are talking about trying to kill Chris huh? Well good luck with that." Trixie greeted them, just to see who the others were.
That wasn't a good choice though, as the other guy right away pulled a knife and leapt over Trixie, blocking her exit. "So he has spies watching us? The mission isn't compromised yet, we just have to deal with you it seems." the guy said stoically. He was a lean and athletic Russian boy, although his clothes made him look a bit lanky. He was wearing a white long-sleeved dress shirt, a bluish gray sleeveless vest, black tie, black pants, and a blueish gray fedora.
Thomas saw that it was Trixie though and right away waved his hands. "No, not yet. She's a contestant. On my team no less." Thomas informed the male, while Trixie seemed surprisingly calm.
"Yeah, so put the knife down bub. I've gotten in my fair share of scraps, I'm not like the other wusses on this show." Trixie added, staring the guy down.
The girl stepped out of the shadows though, giving Trixie a disproving look. "You wouldn't do well against my brother. We're trained assassins. You're only alive because you're a contestant. Kill you, and everything on high alert for Chris." the girl told Trixie sternly.
Thomas nodded his head, crossing his arms. "As am I. Now, why did you follow me? Do you have a death wish?" Thomas demanded an answer, speaking more harshly than he ever had before.
Trixie shook her head, backing away from the guy. "You think I knew there was a conspiracy going on down here!? I just thought you were sneaking a peek at the challenge. I was going to ask about an alliance, but now I guess I have to ask for my life first don't I?" Trixie answered angrily as the man stepped closer to her.
Thomas groaned, then made a gesture to the man, lowering his hand. "We can let her live. She's on my team, I'll be able to keep a close eye on her. Doesn't hurt to have another person on the inside." Thomas told the man.
The girl nodded in agreement, so the man lowered his knife. "Fine. If anyone else finds out about this though, they're dead." the man replied, a bit bothered by this.
Trixie hid her fear still, just leaning against the boxes while looking at the three. "Ohhhkay then, mind telling me what all this is about then now that we got the whole sparing me thing off the list? Would like to know what I'm not supposed to blab about. I'm no snitch, so don't worry." Trixie questioned Thomas, mostly focusing on him.
Thomas mulled it over for a moment, before letting out a tiny sigh. "I suppose I do owe you an explanation. I'm not here for the money. I work for an assassin agency as an agent, as do Brava and Nikolai here. Our assignment is to deal with Chris while avoiding as much publicity as possible. He's traumatized enough people, we don't need to add to that." Thomas explained to Trixie, with both of the other assassins giving a quick formal wave when he said their names.
"I have so many questions, but I'll save the time and not ask them, since you aren't really going to share much are you?" Trixie figured, seeing their serious looks.
Nikolai nodded his head in response. "You'd be right. Our mission still isn't any of your concern. We'll probably need you for aid though, now that you know. Don't comply, and we'll-"
"Kill me, yeah, you guys are all the same. I'll help you though, as long as I get a cut of whatever you guys were paid for this. If I'm doing work here, then I'm getting paid too." Trixie proposed, smirking slightly.
Brava narrowed her eyes at Trixie, almost appalled. "You're really trying to get money out of this? We could end your life right now if we wanted. You are not in a position to bargain." Brava reminded Trixie.
"But ya can't. And you already said why. So I'm getting some money out of this yeah?" Trixie reiterated, her smirk growing.
"Fine, you can get a cut." Nikolai agreed, then moved out of the way for Trixie.
Trixie snickered, giving the three a thumbs up. "Then I'm all in. See you at the challenge then! You better vote with me, or else I'm not helping out either." Trixie added as she walked to the ladder and began to climb.
Nikolai clenched his fists, frustrated with her behavior, while Brava and Thomas shared a concerned look. "Are you certain she won't compromise our mission?" Brava asked Thomas worriedly.
"I'm certain. She has her own matters to deal with anyway. She's still playing for the money, and I'm sure she values her life more than money... I hope." Thomas answered as he watched Trixie leave.
-Confessional: Toxic Film Critics: Thomas-
Thomas let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head. "Why did she have to get herself involved in this? Why didn't I just let them end it right there? Normally I don't have a problem with this. But for some reason I just couldn't let them. Whatever. Not an important matter. Trixie is my alliance mate now I suppose. I was eventually going to need one, and Trixie will suffice."
-End Confessional-
Esteban was eating his food off by himself at the moment, watching the clique of Beck, Kahlin, and Melissa from a distance. "They're able to just chat normally, good for them." Esteban commented to himself as he ate his mashed potatoes.
Esteban continued to eat peacefully until Flynn came by, setting his tray down right in front of him. "Ahoy laddie! Seems ye lost yer crew, what's got ya dinin' alone today?" Flynn greeted Esteban.
"Oh hey Flynn, I could ask the same of you, how come you're not eating with your team?" Esteban asked back, chuckling lightly at the pirate's accent.
Flynn gestured to Jack eating by himself, then Kylie eating with Delanie. "They be doing their own thing, and I ain't got a clue where the rest are. Figured I'd strike up a chat with a fellow competitor! So how goes it?" Flynn answered, then took a big bite of his potatoes.
Esteban shrugged his shoulders, wearing a small smile. "Oh it's going alright. I just feel a bit disconnected from my team. I guess that's why I sat by myself this time. Delanie and Trina are glued together, Toby... uh... Beck hangs out with his friends, so I feel awkward being there, and King is a standoff to everyone. So I just feel out of place." Esteban explained to Flynn.
Flynn rested an arm on the table, then pointed at Esteban. "Ah, there's your problem! Ye answered yer own question! You sittin' by yourself ain't solving the problem! If ya feel disconnected, ya gotta reconnect then!" Flynn suggested, rather invested in Esteban's problem.
"So it's just as simple as sitting with them? Even if they don't have much to say to me? It always felt awkward when I did that with my brothers back home, balancing being a brother and a father to them, so I always gave them their own space when needed. Does that not apply here?" Esteban questioned Flynn's idea.
Flynn nodded, then pointed over at Toby sitting by himself. "Giving people space just means you ain't talkin' to 'em. You wanna be connected? Just bein' there helps. So why don't you just sit with 'em?" Flynn reiterated.
Esteban looked over at Toby, who was just talking with Luis when he noticed Esteban look his way. "Hi Esteban! Would you like to sit with us? We'd be delighted to share breakfast with you!" Toby called to Esteban.
Esteban then looked over at King, who was meticulously eating his food. "I guess I'll give it a try." he said to Flynn, then got up to go sit with the perfectionist. Toby watched Esteban head over to sit with King, lowering his hand and just going back to eating with a small sigh.
"What are you doing here." King asked Esteban as he sat down across from him. Flynn soon joined the two, just for fun.
"Figured you could use some company, no one really likes to eat alone. You're a bit distant, but even you enjoy some company right?" Esteban answered, being as friendly as he could.
"Nope. I do my challenges, vote when we lose, and go about my day. Nothing more." King replied, completely serious.
Esteban rubbed the back of his head, not sure how to continue at first. "Oh, well I guess I'll just eat with you if you don't mind." Esteban said, not pressing King much further.
"I don't." King commented, just as seriously as before.
"What a great crew..." Flynn muttered to himself, hiding his snickers.
-Confessional: Toxic Film Critics: Flynn-
Flynn let out a laugh, patting the vanity with his fist. "Ay, that there be a crew that's fallin' apart! But the cracks are only showin' a little. It be the kind of crew that keeps makin' the captain walk the plank, then again and again till you got no one cookin' the food! Best of luck to Esteban for fittin' in, cuz he ain't got much time left if he doesn't! Those guys seem like they'd boot anyone disconnected from the team, even if they ace the challenge! Thar be real wrong for that, but it be true!"
-End Confessional-
Trixie and Thomas walked back into the tent together, followed by Athena not long after. "Where were you at?" Trixie asked Athena, slightly worried.
Athena shrugged her shoulders. "Where were you at?" Athena asked back, completely flat.
"Y'know what, I won't pry then." Trixie dropped the topic quickly, just sitting back down with Jack while Thomas sat down alone.
Chris entered the craft services tent not long after them, with Oliver right behind him carrying the clipboard. "Helloooo test subjects!" Chris greeted everyone, showing off his mad scientist outfit.
Kylie rolled her eyes at this greeting, then glanced at Delanie. "He's not even trying to hide the mutant stuff is he?" Kylie asked sarcastically.
"Are you going to subject us to toxic waste? Because I'm ready to quit the show right now if so." Klaas asked, raising an eyebrow.
Chris teetered his hand, snickering a little while Oliver whistled innocently. "It isn't toxic waste if that helps, just a teensy bit of experimentation." Oliver assured the contestants, trying to sugarcoat it.
Toby sank back in his seat a little when he heard this, rubbing his ears. "Will there be treatment to reverse the effects of the experiment?" Toby asked hopefully.
Oliver nodded, giving him a thumbs up. "Yup! Well, not from Chris, but if you're feeling under the weather, stop by this tent after the challenge and we'll help you out if you're feeling wonky!" Oliver answered, relieving many of the worries of the contestants.
With that out of the way, Chris did a quick flip of his lab coat, then walked to the exit of the tent. "Now, follow me to my laboratory, better known as, soundstage 37!" Chris ordered, then walked out of the tent with Oliver right behind him.
In soundstage 37, the 18 contestants were gathered in a dingy lab set, filled with a bunch of glassware, tech, and chemicals all littered across tables and shelves. "What's all this stuff for? Are we doing sci fi today?" Jack asked curiously, looking over the chemicals with a cautious eye.
"Maybe true crime? This all looks pretty suspicious!" Nanashi guessed, poking one of the beakers and listening to it hiss.
Kylie looked around the lab, scoffing at it all. "After the last two challenges, Chris is really showing off how much he loves to break the law huh? Typical." Kylie remarked cynically.
Chris walked through the lab, then over to a long table with a couple dozen vials on it filled with green liquid and a short girl in red looking them over. "Are they ready to go Heloise? Because I've got the kids here ready." Chris asked the girl.
Heloise snickered, then looked up at Chris. "Oh you bet they are, nyehe! Wanna have a sip?" Heloise offered, holding a vial out.
Chris laughed, then shook his head. "Ha, good one. Yeah, these are just for the contestants." Chris replied, then let Oliver take the tray of vials.
"Are we sure this is actually going to work? The network really isn't going to like it if we poison them. I won't like it if we poison them!" Oliver asked Chris worriedly.
"Poison us!? What!?" Melissa let out, overhearing Oliver.
Chris waved his hands in dismissal though, carrying an eager smile. "Don't worry, he's just an intern who doesn't know everything! These have been tested already, they're just hallucinatory. Which is where your challenge comes in!" Chris dismissed the concern, while Oliver began handing out vials to the players.
The teens grabbed their vials, looking them over with mixed looks varying from curiosity, concern, dread, and disgust. "So what do these do? Make us high as a kite?" Kahlin questioned Chris.
Jim snorted, glancing at Kahlin. "You'd be the type to be into that bruv?" he remarked.
Kahlin shrugged his shoulders, glancing at Jim with a smile. "Maybe, but you'd definitely be the type to get beat up trying to sell stuff like that." Kahlin joked, prompting Jim to start to throw out a punch, before stopping himself and lowering his arm bitterly.
Chris teetered his hand to Kahlin's question, then grabbed one of the spare vials after Oliver finished handing them out. "Sort of. We'll be delving into psychedelia movies today, so these here will make you see all kinds of crazy things! The cure to the effects is on the roof of the soundstage, so while under the effects, you'll have to work together to get up there and cure yourselves! Last team to make it sends someone home! You may drink your vials now!" Chris explained the challenge, then handed the vial back to Oliver.
Flynn chuckled, then took the cork off of his vial. "Sounds like a walk in ye park! Bottoms up everyone!" Flynn told the others, then downed his glass.
A few others like Kahlin, Delanie, and Nanashi right away downed their vials, while the rest hesitated before drinking. "Ohhh... I'm already feeling woozy... we're not gonna get Cosby'd are we..." Bonnie commented, dropping her vial and putting a hand on her head after she finished drinking.
Heloise walked up to Chris's side, rubbing her hands together as she watched. "Oh you'll wish it was as simple as that! Have a nice nap!" Heloise taunted the teens as they all began to pass out, hitting the lab floor.
-Confessional: Victorious Award Winners: Beck-
Beck pinched the bridge of his nose, leaning back in his chair. "Why did we listen to Chris and the pirate again? Delanie drank hers right away too, not even thinking. I hate her so much... just kidding. But yeah this challenge blows."
-End Confessional-
Jim was the first person to wake up, rubbing his hand with his left hand and then gasping when he saw it. "This... isn't my hand. What is this?" Jim asked himself, soon pushing himself up to his feet.
Bonnie got up not long after, letting out a shriek when she saw herself. "No no NO! Why am I the pervert!?" Bonnie cried out, looking down at herself.
Jack let out a small yawn as he woke up, quickly registering what had happened. "Oh sweet, got lucky with this one. This'll be fun..." he commented mischievously.
Trina tried to do a front flip to get back on her feet, but didn't have the height for it and ended up hitting her head on the floor before just standing up normally. "Great, now I have this worthless body to deal with..." she muttered as she rubbed her head.
Chris and Heloise snickered together as the castmates began to wake up one by one, realizing their situation. "Yeahhhh, you weren't just a bit tipsy, I decided to use you guys as test subjects for my conscience swapping brew! And based on these indignant reactions, it was a success! Not that I expected to fail of course." Heloise proclaimed triumphantly, looking up at the body swapped players as they woke up.
Kylie right away got up and began to grope herself, having a sly smirk on her face. "Dope... so is the challenge still the same or was that part also a lie?" Kylie asked, absentmindedly rubbing herself as she talked.
Bonnie stormed over to Kylie though, smacking her hand. "Don't even think about doing what I think you want to do! That is my body, not yours!" Bonnie demanded, disgusted by Kylie's actions.
King stood up tall, stretching a little. "Wow... this feels great! So tall, so limber! But something doesn't feel right..." King exclaimed, enjoying his swap.
King looked down at his waist, then nervously gulped. "I... have one of those now huh..." King realized, his excitedness quickly fading.
Esteban looked over at King, raising an eyebrow. "Hm. It seems that some girls swapped with boys. Likely intentional on Chris's part." Esteban observed formally.
Chris just shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, Heloise put all this together. I just suggested the idea and got it greenlit. But the challenge remains the same! Your cure is on the roof, and the last team to make it to the top sends someone home! First step of course is to actually regroup with your team, then you can get going! So begin, that cure is just waiting for you all!" Chris answered, then began the challenge with a snap of his fingers.
-Confessional: Mutant Movie Munchers: Klaas-
Klaas looked entirely apathetic, resting a hand on the vanity. "Guess I got Klaas. Don't know much about him." Klaas commented, then looked around the makeup trailer for a brief moment. "Uhh... hey. I'm Klaas. I have a crippling gambling addiction. That's what he'd say I guess."
-End Confessional-
Trixie looked at everyone, seeing their mixed reactions and furrowing her brows. "Okay! Critics, doesn't matter who you're in, just gather over here!" Trixie called her team, clapping her hands to get their attention.
The instructions seemed to be followed, as Jack, Esteban, Flynn, Delanie, Klaas, and Bonnie all met up where Trixie was. "Wait, why there be seven of us?" Flynn asked, taking a quick headcount.
Jack raised an eyebrow, giving Flynn an odd look. "Wait, you didn't swap? How did that happen? Why did you get to be the lucky one?" Jack asked, a bit frustrated hearing him with his accent.
Flynn let out a hearty laugh, patting his stomach. "You're askin' a hearty sailor why a drink didn't get to him laddie! A gallon o' rum can't get to me, so what's that lil' glass gonna do?" Flynn answered, smiling at Jack.
Bonnie looked over her hands, then over at Flynn. "You're really lucky then... who even swapped with you? Or did someone else not get swapped?" Delanie asked, confused by Flynn.
"We don't have time do dwell on that, we have a challenge at hand!" Trixie declared, clapping her hands once more.
Trixie pointed a thumb at herself, then over at Jack. "I'm Jack, and I swapped with Trixie it seems. Is that clear? That's where most people go wrong in these kinds of episodes. If everyone just clarifies who's who at the start, then the problem is eliminated." Trixie introduced herself, with Jack nodding in agreement.
"Why don't they do that then." Klaas questioned Trixie dully.
"Because it leads to more hijinks, I dunno, why don't you ask the people who write those kind of episodes?" Trixie replied, growing annoyed with Klaas already.
Klaas looked around when she said this, scratching his head. "Uh, where are they." Klaas asked, making Bonnie and Jack facepalm together.
"He didn't mean that literally." Esteban informed Klaas, patting him on the head.
"Oh. Oops." Klaas let out, slightly disappointed.
Trixie didn't dwell on this long of course, waving for her team to follow her as she began to jog towards the exit. "No time for this, best way onto the roof is outside! I know just the way up!" Trixie exclaimed, prompting the rest of the Critics to follow her.
Kahlin watched the Critics all leave, getting slightly annoyed as they did so. "Why do they have seven..." he muttered to himself, crossing his arms.
He didn't focus on it long though, instead just looking to the rest of the contestants trying to figure things out. "Okay, Award Winners, meet right here. But like, only those actually on our team. Not those just in our teammates' bodies." Kahlin called everyone over, taking charge.
Trina, Toby, and King were all quick to join Kahlin, with Trina glaring at King as they regrouped. "Don't you dare get injured on my account." Trina warned King, who nodded obediently.
"Yes ma'am- err, sir!" King replied meekly.
"Don't make me look like a complete pathetic tool either." Trina added, not liking King's response.
Jim and Thomas soon joined them as well, with Thomas waving to Kahlin. "I'm Esteban in here, a bit weird being so much shorter, but I'm just glad we were able to gather everyone." Thomas greeted Kahlin.
Kahlin and Thomas fist-bumped, while Jim scratched his head in confusion. "Wait, so is it just a bunch of pairs for the swaps, or did some people get passed around in a line? I'm really confused about all this." Jim asked the others.
Toby shrugged his shoulders, then looked at his hand and saw Luis. "No idea how this works, Chris didn't explain it at all. But hey look! Don't worry, Toby and his carefree puppet are here to contribute absolutely nothing! Don't worry guys, I'll encourage us to victory!" Toby replied, then did a mockery of himself.
Jim raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. "So some people were passed around in a line maybe? That's really confusing. But you're doing it wrong, you're not being nearly annoying enough. You have to talk to Luis like he's alive." Jim remarked, pointing at the puppet.
The two shared a laugh, then both looked over at Kahlin. "So what's the plan Delanie? Assuming that's you just pretending to Kahlin. Can you not do the acting thing today? You're going to get really confusing." Jim asked Kahlin.
Kahlin shook his head though, pointing at himself. "What? I'm Beck. Whatever, the Critics already left, so let's just get started. What's the fastest way up?" Kahlin asked the rest of his swapped teammates.
Toby looked around, although he soon felt a sharp pain. "What the heck!? Where are all those voices coming from!?" Toby cried out, soon collapsing to the floor.
"Woah man! Are you alright!?" Thomas let out, crouching in front of Toby.
"No! I can hear everyone! The Critics, they're talking about climbing some ladder outside, Chris and that girl are talking about the budget for this, but it's all at once! Make it stop!" Toby further cried out, shocking the rest of the Award Winners.
"That could be useful in the future. Unless it's just a side effect of the vial." Trina commented, ignoring the pain Toby was in.
Kahlin looked to King, pointing at the writhing Toby. "We'll sort out this problem later. Can you carry him King? There's a ladder outside, so we'll just head that way as well." Kahlin requested, then began to jog that way.
The other Award Winners followed Kahlin, while King reached down and picked Toby up, who had his hands over his ears still. "Sorry that the side effects are so harsh sir, Chris should have warned us about this." King told Toby as he jogged.
-Confessional: Chris-
Chris had an annoyed look, sitting with his arms crossed. "I did warn them! And those interns even set up that stupid infirmary in MY tent! Just for that, I think I'll just shut it down. It was eating into my spa budget anyway!"
-End Confessional-
As the Award Winners left, the rest of the contestants looked at each other conclusively. "So the rest of us are the Munchers. At least we got that sorted." Beck figured.
Melissa and Nanashi were looking at each other, with the latter not too happy. "I feel so... lax. It just isn't right not having my athleticism." Nanashi complained.
Melissa on the other hand clapped excitedly. "Ooh! I feel like I could run a marathon right now! This is great!" Melissa exclaimed giddily.
Kylie was still just casually groping herself, completely zoned. "Yeah, great..." Kylie agreed blissfully.
Nanashi walked over to Kylie, then smacked her hand. "Guess you're Bonnie then. Now knock it off." Nanashi told Kylie harshly.
Athena for once looked chipper, chuckling a little at Nanashi. "It's weird seeing Nanashi do something strict like that, even though it's not actually her." Athena commented, opting to stand next to Melissa.
Beck did a quick count, then chuckled a little when he noticed there was only five of them. "Guess someone went AWOL on us. Ah well, we know who to boot if we lose!" Beck stated, very amused.
Beck then looked to Nanashi, who was still eyeing Melissa bitterly. "So 'Nanashi', what's the game plan? Or did swapping take away your leader skills too?" Beck joked, letting Nanashi take the floor.
"Ha ha, very funny. I've got a functioning brain at least." Nanashi retorted, then looked around the interior of the soundstage.
Nanashi's eyes darted around the lab quickly, knowing the other two teams were already outside. "Oh! We can take the fire hatch. Shouldn't be too tricky to just climb up the lab equipment to it." Nanashi suggested, pointing to the fire escape hatch on the ceiling, being about 20 feet above them.
"Let's get on it then! We can climb on the super computer over there and get pretty close I think." Beck pointed to the prop tech, which had a comically large computer screen currently off.
"Good idea, let's not waste any more time then. Nanashi, since you're the most athletic right now, you hold the rear in case someone falls." Nanashi ordered Melissa while they walked over to the giant monitor.
Melissa nodded, giggling at Nanashi's order. "Yeah, I'm the most athletic one! Kinda weird isn't it?" Melissa commented, watching the other four climb onto the table in front of the monitor.
"Extremely." Nanashi replied bitingly, climbing onto the table.
Melissa didn't climb though, instead just doing a standing jump onto it. "Wow, not just weird, that was super easy!" Nanashi exclaimed, as the jump onto the standing table was 4 feet.
-Confessional: Mutant Movie Munchers: Nanashi-
Nanashi looked really uncomfortable, hugging herself. "Really not a fan of this challenge. And it's not really fair either, I'm hindered because Nanashi isn't athletic while she gets to take advantage of all my hard work. We should have been allowed to select our pairing at least. I would have gladly partnered up with Kahlin for this."
-End Confessional-
Outside the soundstage, the Critics had followed Trixie to the other side of the building, although she let out a groan when they reached it. "Crud, they took out the ladder. Guess it would have been way too easy if we could just climb up there. These things always happen in these kind of episodes, shoulda seen it coming." Trixie complained, kicking the ground lightly.
Bonnie rolled her eyes, looking up at the empty frame where the ladder should have been. "How are we supposed to get up there then? No way we can scale it, it's just a flat wall. Especially not in these bodies..." Bonnie asked, not seeing how this was possible.
Flynn scratched his chin with one hand, tipping his pirate hat up a little with the other as he thought. "Aye, ye laddies should just throw in the towel then. Might just be Chris's way of forcin' a multiple team elimination since he couldn't get one yesterday." Flynn guessed.
Delanie raised an eyebrow, shaking her head at this. "Why ye be copyin' my accent? I ain't gonna let that slide!" Delanie called Flynn out.
Flynn raised an eyebrow as well, facing Delanie. "Not sure what yer talkin' 'bout lassie. I'm still the same ol' me. Maybe that there vial still sent me mind out, but whoever got me didn't take over." Flynn assumed, rather confused.
"That's horrifying for whoever was supposed to swap with you. Jeez." Jack commented, offput by the thought.
"So we've got two Flynns then? That puts our team of seven to rest. Now can we get on with figuring out how to scale this impossible wall?" Bonnie quickly said, not wanting to waste time.
Flynn gave a thumbs up, going back to looking for anything to use. "Let's freakin' do it lassie!... as soon as we figure out how." Flynn replied, chuckling a little defeatedly.
Trixie had been silent as she watched the exchange, but also just went to looking for something to use. "We may have to climb another soundstage and just jump onto this one, do you all think you could do that?" Trixie asked the others.
Bonnie shook her head right away. "Doubt this body even makes it three feet out before plummeting. I normally could, but eugh, stuck with this thing." Bonnie answered in annoyance.
Trixie furrowed her brows, then began to walk away to look elsewhere for something to climb with. "Back to square one then..." she mumbled.
The Winners were outside the soundstage as well, with the six of them minus Toby looking up at the roof of the building. "Yeah, Chris didn't really leave a platforming challenge for us did he? Thought he'd make us go through pain to get up there." Kahlin commented.
"Instead he left us with nothing to work with, hmm..." Jim added, letting out a small sigh.
King looked around, then behind them at the other soundstage. "Oh hey! There's a ladder here! Maybe we could just move it and lean it against the soundstage, then we climb it!" King suggested enthusiastically.
Trina walked over to the ladder attached to soundstage 36 and pulled, although it was stuck to the building with the slots it was inserted into. "I don't think you can pull it out, just a warning. That ladder is supposed to support people climbing on it." Thomas advised, having his doubts.
Trina shook her head, having a confident look on her face. "I can. Just watch." Trina quickly replied, then pulled as hard as she could.
The ladder didn't so much as even budge though, and Trina soon lost her grip and fell backwards, hitting her head on the pavement. "This body is completely useless. Why did I have to get stuck with this thing?" Trina complained as she stood back up.
Jim frowned, shaking his head. "You shouldn't say things like that, they can be pretty hurtful. Maybe this is a good chance for you to learn what it's like being in Trina's shoes." Jim told Trina calmly.
"I learned that it sucks and I pity her existence more than I already do. There." Trina remarked, rubbing her head now.
"Please stop saying such harmful things. We're a team, we shouldn't be like this with each other." Jim reiterated, still staying calm.
"Okay! I'll pull the ladder! We don't have to continue this okay?" King chimed in, then walked over to the locked in ladder.
King gripped the two sides of the iron ladder, and without much effort, he was able to dislodge it from it's place, although he had some trouble keeping it balanced. "Got it! Now where do I take it? I don't know how long I can hold this!" King asked hurriedly.
"Just lean it against soundstage 37, try and get it as straight as you can." Kahlin directed King, stepping aside.
Thomas stepped aside as well, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, we can just correct it if you mess up anyway. No worries." Thomas assured King as he swung the ladder around to face the right way.
King carefully set the 20 foot tall ladder back down, wiping his hands once he was done. "Wow, it's crazy feeling this strong! I never thought I could do something like that!" King exclaimed after seeing how easy it was.
"Not without a decade of work." Trina grumbled.
Thomas stepped onto the ladder first, making sure it was safe to climb. "We're good to go! King, can you carry Toby? Err, whoever is in King carry whoever is in Toby. Yeah. We might just win this right away!" Thomas directed, then began the climb.
-Confessional: Toxic Film Critics: Thomas-
Thomas had a smile on his face and his hands on his hips, feeling good at the moment. "I think I'm getting engaged with the team pretty well now. I took a few cues from Toby and Flynn, just be encouraging and involved. Beck and I are already close, Toby can be easily swayed, so all we have to do is pull Trina away from Delanie and I think we'll have a pretty good team. Jim is right about King, he's not really bringing great vibes. Neither is Delanie. They're good in challenges is the thing, makes it pretty tough to want to send them off, but it's for the good of the team in a weird way?"
-End Confessional-
At the top of the soundstage now, Kylie was the first person to make it to the top, pushing open the fire escape hatch and climbing onto the roof. "Aaand I'm out. Now while I'm alone..." Kylie said to herself dubiously, sticking her hand into her skirt.
Before she could actually do anything though, Beck crawled through the fire hatch with ease as well, making Kylie pull her hand right back out. "Oh hey Beck~ you know, you should drop Delanie and give us a try~" Kylie greeted Beck flirtatiously.
"I'm not Beck silly goose, body swap challenge remember?" Beck reminded Kylie.
Kylie was drooling at this point though, completely zoning out as she ogled Beck. "And you swapped into a hot as heck body..." Kylie trailed off.
Athena pulled herself through the hatch next, and then tried to help Melissa up right after, although the athlete climbed out with no problem at all. "Thanks, but I think I got this one, heehee!" Melissa giggled, making Athena chuckle a little as well.
Melissa peered down the hatch, seeing Nanashi jumping repeatedly from the top of the monitor to try and grab onto the hatch. "Oh, sorry! Forgot you couldn't do that on you own! Here!" Melissa apologized, holding her hands out for Nanashi to grab.
Nanashi grabbed them on her next jump, and Melissa was able to pull her onto the roof. "There we go! That's all of us!" Melissa exclaimed once Nanashi had both feet on the roof.
"Ah ah, we're still waiting on whoever Jim swapped into." Kahlin reminded Nanashi, since there were only 5 of them.
"Oh, right. Well let's hope we're lucky and he makes it up here in time! I always love doing that!" Melissa sat down on the slanted roof now, eagerly waiting to see if he would make it.
"Yup, let's hope we get lucky." Athena agreed, sitting down next to her.
Nanashi looked around the roof, and noticed a basket sitting in the center. "Oh hey, those must be our cure Chris was talking about. Should we wait for Jim to get here before drinking these?" Nanashi asked the rest of the team, grabbing a vial filled with purple liquid.
"Yeah, that way we don't let anyone we've swapped with mess with us." Beck replied, walking over and looking into the basket of about 20 vials.
"Yup, don't mind staying as this either." Kylie added, rubbing herself again, before getting a smack upside the back of her head from Nanashi.
The Critics had opted to take Trixie's idea, as nothing else seemed like a feasible option, so the 7 of them had now climbed onto the roof of soundstage 38, which was about 10 feet apart from soundstage 37. "Let's hope this works, because if I break this body I'll be... actually not sorry. I'm all for this." Bonnie began, quickly changing her tone.
"Yeah, these aren't ours. They're rentals." Klaas commented.
"Rentals? But we didn't choose or buy them, we're just kind of, borrowing them." Jack pointed out, not seeing the wording.
"I'm just gonna say rentals anyway." Klaas dismissed the correction right away, completely monotone.
Trixie looked over at soundstage 37, letting out a small gasp when she saw the Munchers. "They beat us up there! We have to make this quick everyone! Jump!" Trixie shouted, then got a small running start and leapt from soundstage 38.
Surprisingly, Trixie was barely able to make the jump, landing on the 37 roof and falling forward afterward. "I'm okay!" Trixie called to the rest of her team.
Since it looked possible, the others began to jump as well. Jack easily leapt across, as did Klaas. "Hey, I'm definitely going to make it with this body, and you got lucky with yours, mind giving me a lift?" Bonnie asked Esteban, who was about to jump.
"Figured as much. Sure." Esteban took the request, picking Bonnie up and letting her sit on his shoulders as he ran and jumped across the soundstages.
"Why do I get lucky like that when I'm not in my body..." Kylie muttered, watching Esteban and Bonnie.
The Award Winners were now reaching the roof as well, with Thomas and Kahlin already making it up there. "Okay, not everyone is here yet, we've still got this!" Thomas encouraged everyone still climbing up the ladder.
Chris flew up to the roof with his jetpack, while Heloise was right with him in a lever controlled saucer. "And it looks like it's going to be a close one!" Chris narrated, seeing everyone arriving at around the same time.
"It was moronic for them to not drink the vials right away." Heloise commented, seeing the full basket. "They could easily just push each other off and undo their progress. It's what I would do." she added, rubbing her hands together.
"I like the way you think, but they aren't as brutal as that sadly. It'd be great for ratings if they were!" Chris agreed with her, slightly disappointed at her truth.
Trina and Jim climbed onto the roof, while Flynn and Delanie jumped across the soundstages, making it even closer.
The jumpers didn't quite make it though, with both of them having to grab onto the ledges of the roof. "Arg... we be in a predicament ain't we?" Flynn commented as he began to pull himself up.
"Aye, we are the same guy, it be makin' sense that way." Delanie agreed with Flynn.
Trixie saw them both climbing up though, offering a hand to both. "Here! I got you both!" Trixie told them as she lowered her hands.
Delanie grabbed her left and Flynn grabbed her right, both relieved to have help. "Now I don't got you!" Trixie quickly declared, letting go of Flynn's hand and letting him fall.
"TRIXIE!? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU LASSIE!?" Delanie cried out, watching Flynn fall and land in the dumpster on the ground, somewhat breaking his fall.
"That's just Delanie acting like she was you. You never say 'freakin', that's a Delanie thing. It's a common trope in body swap episodes actually. Usually someone will take advantage of the situation and pose as the person they swapped into." Trixie answered, chuckling slightly.
"That's great and all, but PULL ME UP LASSIE, I AM THREE STORIES HIGH!" Delanie shouted at Trixie, who now held her hand with both of her hands.
Trixie blinked as Delanie's cry registered. "Oh right. Forgot. Whoops!" Trixie apologized quickly, then pulled Delanie onto the roof.
Once Delanie was on the roof, she hurried over to the basket. "We have all the Critics, drink your vials!" Trixie shouted.
The other Critics right away took the cue, grabbing their vials from the basket. As they did this, Trixie glanced at Delanie. "Oh yeah, sorry for dropping your body into the dumpster just now." Trixie again apologized.
"No worries lassie, all in the name of the game! Bottoms up!" Delanie dismissed the apology, then clinked her vial with Trixie before drinking it.
King climbed onto the roof as the Critics drank, still carrying Toby. "Okay, we have all six of us! Award Winners, get drinking!" Kahlin commanded, seeing them arrive.
"About that..." Toby began, walking over to Trina, who already had grabbed her vial.
Trina raised an eyebrow, but was completely caught off guard when Toby kicked her in the stomach and took her vial in the process. "Ow! Ow! Owwwwww!" Trina's yells trailed off as she tumbled down the roof, then plummeted off it entirely.
Toby drank his vial, and Beck got a smirk on his face. "Knew it. Munchers, we're good to go!" Beck declared, drinking his vial right away.
The rest of the Munchers all drank their vials as well, with both teams finished their drinks at around the same time. "Talk about a swift end! The Critics and the Munchers both take first place!" Chris announced, unable to tell who finished first.
Flynn rose from the dumpster, although immediately laid back down due to the pain, while Trina also struggled to move. "Delanie, King, don't worry about coming back up, your team already lost!" Chris called to them with his megaphone.
Both passed out thanks to the harsh pain not longer after though, and the rest of the Award Winners also drank their vials since the challenge was over. "Award Winners, you'll be back to normal soon, and once you are, I'll see you at the elimination ceremony tonight!" Chris told them, then flew away with his jetpack.
Heloise watched Chris leave, then flew closer to the contestants in her saucer. "Thank you all for being excellent guinea pigs in this experiment! Knowing that this works, my father will be able to sell these like hotcakes!" Heloise thanked them, grinning wickedly.
"Sell them... to who..." Esteban asked, already groggy.
"That's for me to know and you to worry about, nyehehe! See ya!" Heloise waved goodbye to the groggy contestants as their deswaps began, then flew away.
"No... I need to know..." Esteban trailed off, before falling to the ground unconscious.
-Confessional: Victorious Award Winners: Jim-
Jim laughed to himself, sitting with a triumphant smile on his face. "That was golden. They didn't suspect a thing! Swapping in a line? Seriously? And they bought it! Anyway, I just went undercover to see how things were going on their team, and also just to make sure someone else was taking last place. The Critics really only have Jack as a serious threat. But the Award Winners have Delanie, King, Esteban, and Beck all as competent players. They hadn't lost in a while, so consider this me putting them in their place."
-End Confessional-
In the evening, King, now back in his body decided to pay the infirmary a visit. Although to his dismay, it was just Toby, Flynn, and Trina there. Toby was currently receiving a shot to his ear from Irene, clutching Luis tightly to bear the pain of it. Trina was in a full body cast in a wheelchair, hooked up to an IV, with Flynn just sitting in a wheelchair having a right arm cast and left leg cast. "Oh. I thought Delanie would be here with you." King stated as he walked inside.
Trina whimpered as she shook her head, barely able to move it. "N-No... she's back at the trailer sir." Trina answered weakly.
"I see. I'll be off then." King replied to this information, then promptly walked right out of the infirmary.
Toby watched King leave, then looked over at Trina. "Hey Trina, how are you feeling now?" Toby asked her.
"N-Not great, but I'm a quick healer, workplace injuries and all. I'll be better." Trina replied, not looking over at Toby since he was at her side.
Irene finished the injection to Toby's ears, giving him a thumbs up as she walked away. Flynn chuckled, looking at the two of them. "Quick healer huh? That makes two of us lassie! Out in ye vast sea, there ain't a hospital to go to, so you gotta just tough it out like a real pirate!" Flynn told them, patting his arm cast with a laugh.
"Good for you sir... ow..." Trina tried to give Flynn a thumbs up, but as she lifted her arm she immediately had to lower it, so she just did it in place.
Toby pulled his chair closer to her, then put both of his hands on hers. "By the way, I hope what King said about you didn't hurt that much. He just doesn't understand how hurtful his words can be it seemed. You're still great at what you do, even if it isn't athletic. That's not all that matters. And you're just as special as he is because of that." Toby comforted Trina.
"Thanks Tobes. But how come you didn't tell us about your hearing problem sir? Jim was barely able to handle it." Trina thanked him, although shifted the topic.
"Ah, I just didn't want you guys to worry. I'm not someone worth worrying about. I'm just glad that you're feeling okay. You don't really believe what King says do you? Because he couldn't be further from the truth about how wonderful you are." Toby told her.
"Nyeah! A real cool cat you are!" Luis chimed in, making Trina giggle.
Trina now had a smile, weakly nodding her head. "If you say so sir. Hearing it from you, well, no one has really said these kind of things before, so it means a lot. Thanks again." Trina thanked him once more.
Toby smiled as well, patting her hands before getting up from the chair. "Of course. You deserve happiness too, everyone does. We'll have a better day tomorrow, that's a promise." Toby promised, waving goodbye to Trina as he left the infirmary, with Luis doing the same.
"You got it!" Trina took the promise, watching him leave with a warm smile.
-Confessional: Toxic Film Critics: Esteban-
Esteban let out a deep sigh, having both hands on his head. "Why did we have to lose today? Just when I was making progress. I don't think they'll go for me? But who do I go for? Every option hurts the team really. I've been working on getting King to come out of his shell more, so maybe asking and voting with him is the way to go. It's tough trying to be the father figure for the team when it comes to these ceremonies, it's like asking you to get rid of one of your kids!"
-End Confessional-
Grandiose music played after the confessionals, showing a highlight reel of all of Chris's best moments and expressions from throughout the series. Fireworks could be heard, and the reel panned out to show a giant Gilded Chris in the center of it all. Fireworks went off behind the statue and the music got louder, signaling that the award ceremony was about to start.
The six members of the Victorious Award Winners sat in the stands, with Trina in her wheelchair in the front. Toby sat next to her, with Beck and Delanie sitting together a row behind them. Esteban and King sat together in the back row, all 6 of them holding their voting devices. "Welcome back, been a little while hasn't it?" Chris greeted the team, none of which were happy to be here.
Chef walked onto the stage, carrying the tray of 5 awards. "Things got flipped on you guys right at the end, can't feel too good can it? Delanie, Jack caught onto your trick, Trina, you took a tumble for being just a tad bit too weak, and Jim tricked all of you! So you're all to blame really." Chris went over why they were here, which was met with crickets.
Delanie clenched her fists as Chris said this, prompting Beck to scoot away from her in his seat. "But... some of you feel strongly about singling one person out, which is the whole point of the ceremony, can't boot out the whole team! So cast your votes on your devices and we'll see who has been banished this time, swapped out of the game permanently!" Chris commanded everyone, pointing at the Award Winners.
Delanie cast her vote right away, Beck casually cast his vote right after, Toby firmly selected his vote, King voted without a second thought, Trina struggled to tap and cast her vote, and Esteban hesitated before making his choice, already looking guilty at his decision. "Aaaaand the votes are cast! No switcheroos here, the votes tell all!" Chris announced, seeing a sheet of paper come out of the vote receiver.
Chris grabbed the paper, looking over the votes cast. "Ah? Okay then! The Gilded Chrises go to..."
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"Beck."
Beck got a small smile as he heard his name first, leaning forward briefly to catch his statue.
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"Esteban."
Esteban caught his award with no trouble, although his face looked plenty troubled.
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"Trina."
Trina tried to raise her arm to catch her award, but she had to lower it since she couldn't. Toby caught the award before it could hit her though, then handed it over.
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"Delanie."
Delanie grinned as she heard her name, snatching the award out of the air.
That left the bottom two, who had very different looks. King just sat with his arms crossed, having a completely bored look on his face. Toby looked at Luis, having a worried look briefly. He took a deep breath though, and that worried look changed to a smile. "Toby, it was you who got tricked by Jim ultimately, and it was also you who kicked Trina down and cost your team the win. Plus you're just really lame. King, you're strong in challenges. Strong socially? Can't say the same. Is your time up?" Chris went over why they were there, failing to affect either of them.
Chris furrowed his eyebrows at them, bothered they weren't showing fear. "Apathy and a smile? You guys are both about to get booted! Show some life!" Chris complained, while Chef got ready to throw the final award.
Neither changed their mood though, so Chris just gave up. "Fine. The final Gilded Chris goes to..."
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"Toby."
Toby caught his award with his spare hand, although he dropped it to just hug Luis instead. "Hmph. You voted on emotions. Foolish really. But I'm not surprised. This game was getting boring anyway. None of these challenges were difficult for me. I'll take my skills elsewhere." King stated, not all that mad about being eliminated.
Chris groaned, ripping up the ballot. "Really!? Still apathy!? You just lost out on a million dollars!" Chris yelled, his frustration growing.
"I never came here for the money. I came for a challenge, worthy adversaries, anything just to feel something. Alas, I only left this game respecting one of you. I don't wish to ruin your chances though, so I shall simply observe the game going forward. The rest of you are whelps not worth my time. Farewell." King explained, before getting up from his seat and just walking out of the stands.
Esteban let out a long sigh as King left, while Trina looked relieved to see him go. "So that's it then huh? Way to kill any sort of hype. Just go get in the Lame-O-Sine." Chris ordered, now defeated.
Cutting ahead a bit, King now went down the Walk of Shame and approached the Lame-O-Sine. He opened the door and was about to get in, until he heard footsteps. "King wait!" Toby called to King, hurrying over.
King raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised to see Toby. "Hmm? Wishing me farewell? You voted me off. You clearly wanted this. Is this an attempt to taunt me?" King asked the puppeteer.
Toby shook his head though, smiling up at King. "Of course not, I just wanted to let you know that I still consider you a friend. I don't know what happened in your life that set you on this path of apathy, but I believe everyone can change for the better." Toby replied, with Luis nodding in agreement.
"Mhmm! Nya got yourself booted fur your mean words, but improve your cattitude and you'll be right on track to making fast friends!" Luis added.
King got a small smile on his face, then reached forward and pat Luis on his hat. "And this is why I respect you. You have that outlook I wish I did. My own mother was lovely and even she wouldn't be this generous. Don't ever lose that Toby. Good luck going forward." King told him, then held out a hand to shake.
Toby took King's hand with his spare hand, and the two shook it. "Thank you King, best of luck to you as well." Toby reciprocated the gesture.
"What he said! I got a feline you'll pawsper real soon! See ya!" Luis waved goodbye to King as well, and Toby stepped away from the Lame-O-Sine afterwards. King got inside and closed the door, with it soon speeding off.
Cutting back to Chris on stage, he tried to get the bored look off of his face. "Well that was anti-climatic. I thought stoic types like him would burst during these. Ah well, will the Award Winners be able to go on without their powerhouse? Can Esteban really integrate himself? Is Thomas up to something? And is Bonnie going to get herself kicked off for her behavior? Find out these and more next time, on Total, Drama, Reeeeeeeevenge of the Film Lot!"
Teams Remaining:
Mutant Munchers: Melissa, Nanashi, Kahlin, Bonnie, Klaas, Jim
Award Winners: Delanie, Beck, Esteban, Trina, Toby
Toxic Critics: Jack, Kylie, Trixie, Thomas, Athena, Flynn
Placements:
18th: King
19th: Freddy
20th: Lilac
21st: Vergil
22nd: Diamond
23rd: Flaky
24th: Maxine
25th: Donna
Author's Note:
Ah King, I could have gone any route with him really, but a bit early on I decided that winning wasn't quite in the cards for him. I saw many predict that his poor social game would get him to the merge and be the first one out there, but with the teams thinning, this was inevitable. Thank you to BadLuckAE for allowing me to use him, although I apologize for him not making it further. He was a good foil for other people to bounce off of and contrast with, so I had a lot of fun with him, but his competition run ends here. I hope you all enjoyed this episode, join the Discord if you'd like for extra content (join code on profile), and be sure to leave a review! Have a good day!
