Ep 12: I Gaunt-let You Win!

The road to the finish arrived closer and closer. The end was near. Luggage ready for lift off. The final three.

Hailee casually strolled across a brown, muddy field. Small hills could be seen waving around, with dirt paths formed like a dirt-bike racetrack. Circling around the wet dirt field were stadium-like bleachers, clean and spotless. Surprising, given that the seats were made from chipped-up wood, albeit sturdy and stainless.

The morning sun shined an orange tint over the new outdoor motocross arena, intrusively constructed on natural green fields and sticking out like a sore thumb from a top-down view. The seats painted gray to showcase the illusion of metallic material, but the lack of reflection from the sun would not be enough to fool the masses.

Hailee stood stern in front of the camera, wiping off the expressionless look on her face. Meanwhile, Calvin stood to the side behind her, arms behind his back, fidgeting his shoulders back and forth.

"Ahem." Hailee gritted her teeth, shooing Calvin out of the frame; she immediately went host mode, ready for action. "Last time… on Total Drama: Bakuhatsu Island," she crossed her arms softly as she slowly walked to her right. "It was—to put it bluntly—chaos. Alliances formed. Alliances broken. Tears were shed. Anger let loose. Explosive comebacks here and there. Ultimately, it was the totally dramatic spectacle you've all been waiting for!" She grinned smugly; in the background, a yellow excavator dug out a massive clump of moist dirt, with its beeping almost muffling her voice. "Emily and Arnold continued working together, Arnold and Kayla saw eye-to-eye after their… 'romantic getaway', Kayla and Daniela grew hostile towards each other, and Daniela and Emily continued their friendly banter. But their close friendship didn't last long before… the grand expose. During the Bakuhatsu hopscotch-trivia challenge—which, by the way, never finished through completion because of a certain somebody—Kayla dropped the entire truth, revealing Emily's true intentions, severing relations between each other in the most drastic fashion. Fiery. Absolute drama—"

"I-I'm s-sorry for handing Emily's private folder to Kayla." Calvin interrupted, eyeing the ground in guilt.

"Ya know?" Hailee let out a small breathy chuckle. "You've been an adequate assistant. Punctual. Professional. On time. Hrr… for the most part." She briefly paused. "Anyways, yeah, providing the finest shoulder massages goes a long way. Not to mention, without your intervention, stagnation. Sometimes, if the wood refuses to burn, we light it up ourselves. Gotta run the show one way or another. So… alright! Why not! I'll give you a pass."

"Yes!" Calvin quietly cheered. "Thank you, Ms. Friarwood."

"Now…" she held her hands on her hips. "Don't think you're off from massage duties. Back rubs at 10 A.M. Don't forget."

"Yes, Ms. Friarwood!" Calvin saluted, smiling.

"Now, moving on…" Hailee let her arms loose, this time, walking to her left. "We had to improvise the challenge after Kayla's sudden outburst." She shrugged. "No biggie. It's what I was trained for. But what I didn't see coming was Kayla hurling a pebble at Baku. Because of his ultra-sensitivity to sharp impacts, he ravaged Daniela to bits. Of course, she wasn't really in danger. We had their outfits coated with a special fabric for this very occasion…" She rolled her eyes. "Like I would ever showcase live cruelty without preemptive measures. Get a grip. But… anyhow…" she paused, waiting until the excavator strolled out of the frame. "After Daniela bit the dust, we're down to… the final three. We're near the end, folks! Who's going to slide to the finale? Will it be… Kayla and Emily? Emily and Arnold? Or… will it be… Arnold and Emily? Tough question. Well, looks like you'll have stay tuned! Right here! On…"

"Total!"

"Drama!"

"Bakuhatsu Island!"

Opening Theme

(Multiple cameras popped out of the lush bushes and palm trees found within the island)

Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doin' fine,

(The camera did its signature zoom across the island, as it quickly flew by Hailee and Phil arguing on the camper's compound.)

You guys are on my mind.

(The camera then entered a deep pond found further inland covered in dark, dense vegetation.)

You asked me what I wanted to be

(A gleeful Arnold found a treasure chest deep within the pond, but it was quickly snatched by Hunter's fishing rod as he raised it onto the wooden boat. Arnold swam up onto the boat and threw his fake, plastic cutlass sword towards him, but Hunter deflected it and whipped it into the air, as it flew across the sky.)

And now I think the answer is plain to see,

(The cutlass falls and lands with the blade stuck on the ground, frightening both Kiara and Kayla, as they stood right next to it.)

I wanna be famous.

(A large, green snake with bright, red eyes slithered out a nearby bush and hissed at Kiara and Kayla, frightening them once more as the snake chased after them.)

I wanna live close to the sun,

(Spencer and Nanci were both on a motorboat, cruising through a river in a dense, swampy region. A couple of random crustaceans jumped onto the motor and pinched it, causing the motor to glitch. The boat then sped uncontrollably, zooming through the river. Spencer and Nanci were panicking.)

Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won,

(The boat quickly passed by Alexander, as he continued playing his pipe flute.)

Everything to prove, nothing in my way

(The crustaceans that were on the motorboat jumped out the river and pinched on all over Alexander's body, as he then screamed in immense pain.)

I'll get there one day.

(Lily leaned onto the outhouse confessional and noticed Alexander's screams from a distance. She took photos of his inconvenience with her camera but was then startled by a sudden arrow piercing through the confessional door. It was revealed to be Emily carrying a bow and arrow, who then had an apologetic smile.)

Cause, I wanna be famous!

(At a region near the beach, Rashon tried to carry multiple coconuts at the same time, presumably for someone else, but clumsily tripped on a rock, dropping all the coconuts at once. Zane creepily stared at him from near a palm tree.)

Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na!

(Soraya and Daniela were seen arguing on the beach. Soraya was standing with her arms crossed, while Daniela sat on a black couch with her hand resting on her face.)

I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!

(On the main dock, Oliver pulled out a line graph from the sky, seemingly out of thin air, as he pointed out the downwards slope in viewership and ratings for Total Drama.)

I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!

(The dock exploded out of nowhere, dropping Oliver into the water. As he swam back up, it was revealed to be Phil. He stood on the leftover part of the dock, holding a remote control in his hand as he grinned menacingly.)

(Whistle)

(Spencer and Nanci smiled and looked straight into each other's eyes, but suddenly, Arnold popped right in between them, waving his sword in front of their faces. Nanci's face turned to confusion, while Spencer was completely annoyed. The camera then zoomed out of the campfire site, revealing all the contestants sitting in a circle.)

"Rise and shine, campers! This is Hailee Friarwood speaking. Thirty minutes 'til challenge time…"

Dim blue sky. Scattered cloud spots. Quiet serene rainforest. While not completely cloudy, a sense of moist felt through the skin of a mope, sitting outside the victory cabin, on the painted wooden stairs of the front patio.

Drawing a squiggly blob of entangled gibberish on the wet ground with her finger, she glanced at her muddy drawing. Emotionless. The show slowly drained her lively energy left in the tank by the minute. But a certain something kept her pushing forward: the victory cabin. Sitting blue and firm, the smell of wood brought back a memory: home. Coziness. Not a worry in the world, shielding her from the dangers that could be. It was the reminder that the homesick Pahkitew shed could not spark: home.

She sighed before glancing to her left, noticing her pirate friend walking towards her with a sleepy saunter, rubbing his eyes while letting out an audible yawn, arms stretched out.

"Argh! Ahoy, matey!" Arnold smiled, flashing a salute. "Mind if I sit?"

Kayla rested her chin on her palm. "Sure."

After taking a seat, the pirate's smile morphed into a slight frown, "You okay? You seem… out of it lately." He gently held her shoulder.

"I… I can't, like, wrap my head around it," her eyes glittered. "I… I would never, like, inflict pain on, like, anyone. Ever. Yet I did it anyways. But, like, I was just so scared. So frightened by whatever-the-hell Emily was going to do. I felt so powerless. Like, I thought I could finally step up to the plate. Be the leader I never thought I'd be. But… I cowered. Like a little doll."

"Hey, hey…" he gently rubbed her shoulders. "It's not your fault. You were played. Fooled by a conniving grifter."

"Oh-of course I was." She dug her face between her knees. "Like, I knew that. Of course. But I sometimes wonder; why can't I be like Emily? Not caring for anyone or anything… but the money. Not distracted by love. Or any nonsense drama."

"Oh-trust me. You don't want to end up like her." Arnold comforted. "People like her don't deserve sympathy. Fabricatin' assault is so messed up. Those kinds of people shouldn't be our role models. Like you said, we stay true to ourselves, no matter how many times others want to push us down." He smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "You'll be okay. You were not to blame. You're a good person. A great friend. You're amazing just the way you are."

"Thanks." Kayla lifted her head, smiling back. "Yeah, you're… you're a great friend too."

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the front doors. Turning their heads back, the doors creaked open; the sleepy redhead walked out to the front porch barefoot, admiring the scenery with a joyous smile as she held onto the wooden railing. Arnold and Kayla both rolled their eyes, looking away to face straight ahead with unamused faces.

"Morning!" Emily grinned. Of course, she knew they hated her. "Don't worry. I won't kick you out. I get it. The shed sucks ass. I'll let you two sit and chill for a bit, if you want. Seems like it's going to drizzle."

For a long moment, everyone kept quiet. Kayla stared down the trees surrounding the compound; the leaves almost waved on its own without any wind. Arnold practiced his sword-twirling abilities, fully concentrated. Meanwhile, Emily finished trimming her toenails, sitting near the railing edge.

All three sat quietly near each other. Almost like they were a group of friends…

Aside from the obvious tension, of course.

"You can stop pretending like we're besties." Kayla blurted out, without an inch of subtlety.

"Oh." Emily remarked, smiling teasingly. "Still mad about the tiger incident? I get-cha."

"ARGH!" Arnold interrupted, ready to defend. "You pushed my dear friend to the brink of distress! Can't you see the path of destruction you paved?"

"First off…" she stood back up; arms rested on the railing with a casual grin. "I did not expect your dear friend to lash out like that. Poking the tiger so that Dani loses by default? Smart. Didn't see it coming. Thought she'd curl up in a ball, but hey!" She glanced at Kayla. "You proved me wrong. Seems like you got what it takes after all. Doesn't matter though. Not to brag, but… it all still worked out in my favor."

"Pfft." Kayla shook her head, standing up while resting her left elbow on the railing, staring right back at Emily. "What-with your criminal record? Oh-of course you'd want to burn down our shed so that we sleep in the woods. To give yourself that well-slept advantage. Why am I not surprised?" She rolled her eyes.

"Good one." Emily chuckled, looking away into the forest. "First off, you're making it seem like I'm some senseless pyromaniac." She took one last glance at the peculiar, shaky trees ahead before looking back at Kayla. "I was arrested for burning my mother's boyfriend's house. Technically my property. He pays the rent. But lemme-tell ya', that guy's a jackass. A reckless moron. So, I used him as a scapegoat to burn my own house down and collect my insurance money as a little retribution. Still, I wasn't gonna charge him. He wasn't even home. I'm not that jerkish. I was gonna make up a story that he did something accidental, yadda-yadda, to save his own butt. But my own mother turned me in. She's got some hidden camera in some backyard light post that I didn't know about. Gave it to the police as evidence. And… you know the rest."

"Good." Kayla looked away. "Your mom did the right thing. She must be, like, so proud of you."

"Oh-trust me." Emily remarked, giggling. "You wouldn't like my mother either. She's an a-hole."

"Yarr!" Arnold fiercely stood up in between the girls, confronting Emily. "You have no moral high ground here! You lied to me! About Spencer! Pretending to be my friend to further yourself in the game. You framed an assault, Emily! You framed… an assault! You lied about all sorts of things! Even your own name! Emily, Annika… whatever it is!"

"Okay." Emily looked away, stifling a chuckle. "You may not like me. You may not like my game plan. Hell, you could even argue I'm the worst person you've ever met on this show. But… it's nothing personal, man. It's all just the winning mindset. I'm here to win. Whatever it takes. That sorta thing…" she breathed in, eyes closed with a smile, admiring the fresh, outdoorsy smell: a hint of moist mud with a touch of water. "Also, Emily isn't my real name, but… you already know that, of course," she giggled. "Call me whatever you like. Emily, Annika, Nikki, whatever. Hell—even Lauren. My mother calls me that. She likes how 'posh' it sounds. Bleh."

Arnold and Kayla sat back down, ignoring her blabbering, looking straight ahead once more. Another moment of the campers' quietness sprung back up, just waiting until the next challenge was announced. Already done and over with the show.

"You can act cocky all you want…" Arnold looked up, glaring at Emily with eyebrows of determination. "Kayla told me all about your secret advantage. Readin' all our personal information. Readin' ahead future challenges. Calvin may have given you the cheat codes, but… I still have a few explosive tricks up my sleeves…" he stood back up, left elbow resting on the railing behind Kayla, aiming and throwing his plastic cutlass to a lone tree situated near the center of the compound. A circle the size of a fist was carved out on the tree bark like a target, and the blade struck right in the center. The fling was an immaculate success. The blade tip wiggled within the circle bark before becoming stationary. A bullseye. "I may have… method-acted my way into the interview. Without mentioning… my knack for circus acts. You're not the only one with sniper accuracy."

Clearly stunned and caught off-guard, Emily tried shrugging it off with a relaxed smile. Fooled by Arnold's secret competence. "Impressive. Looks like I got competition."

And then, more silence. Almost quiet blissfulness. Almost. After another moment of staring into the wilderness, their exhausted faces were caught off-guard by sudden loudspeaker feedback, scraping into their ears like sandpaper:

"Good morning, campers! This is Hailee Friarwood speaking. You know the drill. All campers must report to the campfire ceremony. Immediately. Ready? Go!"

Partly cloudy skies casted moving shadows over the island, randomly shifting from light to dim with each passing minute. An odd feeling, given that the final three stood around the campfire during the day. Without the fire, of course.

Hailee stood across the campers, glaring at her wristwatch; the clock ticked and ticked, passing by each number with a sense of hurry. She aimed for precision, estimating the duration of the challenge in prudent accuracy.

"Great. Right on schedule. Okay…" Hailee touched her hair before crossing her arms. "Before we commence, I would like to briefly congratulate you three for pushing through our rigorous challenges. No matter the adversity, all three of you stuck it out like fighters. So… congrats." She gave a slow, sarcastic clap, with her annoyed, emotionless face frozen in place.

"Argh?" Arnold shared a few confused glances with his competition, all three shrugging.

"Tongue-in-cheek. Whatever…" The host waved off. "Anyways, today's challenge… is a big one. A back-to-back marathon sprint through the gauntlet. Your toughest, potentially longest challenge yet. So long—in fact—that the challenge will be split into ELEVEN parts."

"Excuse me, like, ELEVEN?" Kayla crossed her arms, face in disbelief. "You decided, like, it's best to save the most excruciating challenges for last?"

"Wanna quit now, princess?" Hailee smirked teasingly. "You got this, dear. Consider these… micro-challenges. So, a few key points; you won't be competing in our pre-made challenges. Instead, each micro-challenge will be based on each eliminated camper's own challenge ideas that everyone—including you three—filled out in your interview forms."

"Oh-so we will be doing our own challenges as well?" Emily blurted out in glee.

"Of course, not." Hailee retorted; arms crossed tighter. "I said you'll be competing in each eliminated camper's challenges. You three are still here; therefore, your challenge proposals are voided."

"Aww." Emily moped, throwing her hands in her pockets before catching Kayla's eye-rolling face.

"You're seriously, like, keeping the act? Ugh." Kayla pretended to gag.

"Oh-how mature of you." Emily smiled back before yawning. "Ooo, am I now banished from, gasp, having emotions?"

"Stop pretending like you don't know what I'm talking about." Kayla fired back, glaring down into her eyes.

"Girls! Ladies!" Hailee shouted, clapping twice. "Ahem-ladies. Save it for the challenge." She continued. "We will traverse through the eleven-challenge marathon in order, from first eliminated camper, to the most recent. The winner of each part will receive three points. Second place, two points. And last, one. Just one. Whoever receives the least number of points for the entire challenge gets the dramatic goodbye. Hasta-la-vista. Ta-ta. Adios."

Confessional:

Kayla: Eyes closed. She breathed in, then breathed out. Slowly and relaxingly. "I'm, like, near the finish line. This is it. I'm ready."

-static-

Arnold: He stabbed the wooden plank with his cutlass toy. "Seems like my time as a clown has paid off. Argh! Final three! Million bucks! Bring it!"

-static-

Emily: "Arnold lying on his application? Smart. Very smart." She grinned. Not a single concern on her face was present. "Still, the cards are stacked against them," she crossed her arms. "Call me cocky, but I've worked my ass off to ensure my victory. Just a matter of time 'til they fold. But me? Oh-don't worry 'bout me. I got the mentality of steel…" she pointed to her head in swagger, smirking.

-static-

Emily raised her hand. "So… the first micro-challenge will be… Alexander's?"

"Argh!" Arnold stabbed the sand. "That traitor?"

"I… don't even know who that is." Kayla admitted, muttering. "The… colorful costume guy?"

"Yes. The colorful costume guy." Hailee facepalmed. "Pushing trivial matter aside, here is the order of eliminations in case you need a refresher…" She pulled out a small piece of paper. "Alexander, Zane, Lily, Kiara, Rashon, Soraya, Hunter, Oliver, Nanci, Spencer, and lastly, Daniela. First to last." She peeked at her wristwatch one last time before eyeing down the final three. "Now… let's see what Alexander had in mind…" she pulled out her flashcards, squinting at the tiny text before smirking. "Oh… you three will like this one…"

"A… performance?" Kayla whined, flicking dust off her boots before staring straight ahead, eying down the outdoor stage seemingly propped up in the middle of the beach. The clear, dark-blue ocean water grabbed onto the shoreline back and forth, growing rougher by the minute. The clouds tinted the blue sky greyer, almost wanting to lightly drizzle at any moment.

Kayla, Arnold, and Emily stood tiredly, facing the outdoor wooden stage. Almost assembled out of pure wood, with metal frames slightly peeking out of a few scattered crevices. The campers ignored the stage's shaky structure and irritatingly glanced up at Hailee, who stood mighty on the stage, holding the microphone with proper class and elegance.

"Alright, campers!" Hailee announced, prompting unintentional, screeching feedback before adjusting it back to normal. "Ahem… stupid mic," she muttered, tapping the microphone grille. "Okay, ignoring our brief technical difficulties…"

Kayla leaned into Arnold's ear. "That's been, like, the staple of the entire show," she whispered, quietly giggling.

"They really be spendin' most of their budget on cameos," he chuckled back.

"Okay, ladies!" Hailee rolled her eyes. "Ladies… and Arnold—"

"Argh! Hey!" The pirate blurted out, pointing his cutlass.

"Okay. Let's move on…" Puffing out air from her nose in irritation, she pulled the dangling string, opening the red curtains for the reveal… "Here are your judges for the day, including me, of course…" the walking, cold-blooded shark strolled out to the front stage wearing a tuxedo, shaking his hair spray can for his bald head. "Your second judge, if-it-wasn't-so-obvious-already… FANG!" The cartoony, yet vicious shark chomped on his colossal teeth, prompting gulping reactions from the campers. "And here comes your third judge! Apparently, our team really paid good money for his cameo appearance…"

"Go figure." Kayla whispered close to the pirate's ear, both sharing a smile.

"Here he is!" As the curtains opened wider, the third judge slowly walked out to the center stage; each poised footstep tapped onto the wooden floor with striking presence and larger-than-life magnificence. Black boots. Black pants. And a sinister hairstyle. But ditching his iconic red outerwear, he wore a black blazer over his dark-grey dress shirt…

"Alejandro!" Hailee announced, with the campers staring at the calculating charmer with slight awe. Even the unaware Emily knew who Alejandro was. Practically a celebrity at that point. No surprise, given his villainous run on the show.

"Thank you, Ms. Friarwood." Hands behind his back, he stared down the campers, almost supercilious in his presentation. "Greetings. Indeed, I was paid very handsomely to come back to Total Drama. This time, it appears that I will be judging your performances today, so this better be worth my precious time because, well… like Hailee, I too have a busy schedule and—"

"Okay, like… we get it." Kayla interrupted, rolling her eyes, tired of hearing the word 'schedule' repeated over and over in her head.

"Hey! Show some respect to your superiors!" Alejandro fired back; arms crossed.

Confessional:

Arnold: "ARGH! Now this is more my style." He grinned, hands on his hips. "I knew there was genius within the pied piper's mystical mind! I still wonder how he pulled off all those hypnotic magic. You gotta respect a master of their own craft. It's impressive, like beyond just method actin'…"

-static-

Kayla: "I'm… not really, like, a performer type." She gulped. "Well, I can, like, juggle, but juggling's lame." She sighed. "Below-average singing voice, don't fail me now…"

-static-

"Alright, let's not jump into another debacle." Hailee waved off, snatching the microphone from Alejandro. "Contestants, you have ten minutes to prep… whatever talent you got. Backstage. Singing, juggling, I-don't-care. Just make it performance worthy. So long as it follows a musical theme. Then, after the time is up, it's showtime. Ready? GO!" She blew her airhorn as the campers dashed to the back.

From left to right: Hailee, Alejandro, and Fang. The three judges sat on leather stools, with grading papers neatly placed on the wooden table surface. Its long, rectangular shape almost resembled a bar table, but with the judges sitting right by each other, facing the funky action ahead. No drinking necessary.

"Alright, campers! Time's up!" Hailee shouted through her megaphone. "Let's have the tall, gentle princess up on stage! Kayla! You ready, dear?"

Behind the curtain, Kayla rolled her eyes, peeking one eye out. "Coming!" She slowly opened the curtains, walking out to the front as she grabbed the microphone from the stand, pointing it close to her lips.

Kayla flashed a thumbs up to the side, signaling Calvin to press play on the stage speakers. A mixture of pop-R&B and trap-pop instrumental bumped from the speakers, radiating a moody, bouncy atmosphere as the nervous singer quietly prepped her voice through humming.

Seconds into the beat, she began her verse, singing—

"You got me some type of way." [1]

"Not used to feelin' this way."

Rather timid and without punch, she continued singing quietly through the microphone. Stiff and rigid, much to the judges' quick disapproval.

"Took one damn look in your eyes."

"Can't wait to hear your next lies."

"For the most part, don't give it away."

"But you know I'm out here thinkin' bout it."

Fang stretched his fins out, yawning loudly, already wanting to fall asleep. Alejandro raised an eyebrow, confused. Hailee, however, remained expressionless, arms crossed, thinking of her to-do list for the day. Probably.

"Split up with your lover."

"Hurry up, 'cause I'm bored."

"Gonna fall behind schedule."

"So-hurry up, 'cause I'm bored."

"And now, I'm bored." Alejandro leaned his chin on his palm, tempted to yawn.

"Alright, we've heard enough!" Hailee shouted through her megaphone, cutting the performance midway. "Sorry to say, princess, but… lackluster performance, what-can-I-say. But… you have a cute, pretty voice. With a touch of natural, soothing rasp. So, I'm scoring you a… five out of ten."

"Meh." Alejandro shrugged. "I've heard better singing. Three out of ten."

Fang was already fast asleep, but quickly woke back up after Alejandro's careful, teeth-gritted poking. Remembering the sleepy performance, he wrote a giant '1' on a piece of paper, then held it midair.

"Figures." Kayla crossed her arms, walking off-stage arms crossed.

"Alright!" Hailee announced. "It appears that Kayla collected a combined score of… nine! Let's see what the next contestant has to offer. Arnold! You're up!"

Peeking out through the curtains, the pirate noticed Kayla's disappointed eyeroll, walking backstage with a big huff-and-puff from her arms-crossed posture. He readied his cutlass, giving it a last twirl on one hand before dashing out to the stage head-first, fists on his hips while carrying a beaming smile of confidence…

Confessional:

Arnold: "Argh! About what I said earlier…" he scratched the back of his head, accompanied by nervous chuckling. "This may NOT be my style after all. I've overestimated myself. First time I'll admit that proudly and publicly. But… as terrible as the circus was, at least they had props…"

-static-

"AHOY, MATEYS!" He growled, gripping his fist in the air toward the deadpanned judges. "Get ready for the most scally salacious scallywag across the seven seas! I call this performance… The 'Hey Arnold'!"

"Wow. Clever." Hailee jabbed, already unimpressed. "Just… skip the intro. Go."

The pirate glanced to his right. A single, smirky eyebrow perk signaled Calvin the green light, pressing play on the speaker. The rising crescendo of horns and trumpets slowly stacked up as Arnold waltzed around the stage with his blade. Just what the former clown ordered…

Circus music. With a twist.

Once the beat dropped, a bombastic hip-hop-trap instrumental overlayed the track: an entrance of the gladiator indeed. As soon as he tossed his cutlass in the air, he pulled out two pocketknives from his back pocket, circling them both in the air as he juggled all three blades in an impressive, fast-paced feat. Rhythmic, grooving alongside the beat while twirling each blade at each drum and snare.

One knife was hurled across the stage; its blade tip viciously stuck onto Fang's piece of paper like a sniper. Nothing but the same-old angry disapproval showcased by Fang's menacing growl. In fact, another knife intentionally flew out of Arnold's hand, stabbing onto Alejandro's scoring paper. A similar glaring look from the charmer beamed right back at the pirate.

And finally, for his last trick, he spun his cutlass around his body like a magnetic ball and flung it towards Hailee. Fortunately for the host, she saw it coming a mile away and grabbed the handle midair in mighty gladiator-fashion.

"Okay." Hailee kept her unfazed stern look, writing the score on her paper as she holstered the sword onto her belt. "Odd choice of music, but quick, straight-to-the-point, and adequately rambunctious. But… based on your potential, you can do better. Six out of ten."

Alejandro nodded his head at Hailee's score. "Blade juggling? That's it? Underwhelming. The first season of Total Drama had more impressive feats. Five out of ten."

Shockingly enough, Fang flashed a huge smirk, throwing up a giant "8" written on his piece of paper: he loved it.

"O-kay," Hailee continued. "Arnold. You have collected a combined score of… nineteen points! Not too shabby. Now… last but not least… Emily! You're up!"

"Okie-dokie!" Emily peeked her head out of the curtains, waiting for Arnold's exit as she winked him a good job, much to Arnold's dismissal humph.

Confessional:

Kayla: "I don't know about you, but like… Emily has like, a fifty percent chance of bombing her part." She gritted her teeth, arms sternly crossed. "I don't like my chances, but like, if she blunders, then Arnold's up ahead and, all fine and whatnot. But if she blows it out the park, then… we got a problem" She glared the camera down in a serious tone. "But, like… whatever. No more petty games. I'm all in…"

-static-

"Ready!" Emily sung with emphasis, almost rather raspy. "And yes, I'm hydrated."

"No one cares. Time crunch, remember?" Hailee pointed at her wristwatch. "Anyways, the floor is yours. Go!"

Emily winked at Calvin, signaling him to press play.

Arpeggios. Glistening arpeggio chords trickled through the stage over an electropop backdrop. Sounds that Arnold and Kayla were not expecting to come out of Emily's playlist.

Calvin tossed Emily her props: a bow, three arrows, and a lighter. She dropped the three arrows slowly and seductively on the wooden floor, loosening up her face with a sensual smile as she faced the judges. Slowly but surely, the echoey drums kicked in; she prepared to sing…

"I only threw this party for you." [2]

"Only threw this party for you, for you, for you…"

"I was hopin' you would come through."

I was hopin' you would come through, come through, come through."

Hearing her singing from backstage, Kayla's jaw dropped slightly, sharing similar expressions to a wide-eyed Arnold. Not what she expected, given her characteristic fake high-pitched voice. Emily's lower mezzo-soprano vocals not only sounded just good: they sounded angelic. Pristine. Blew Kayla's singing out of the water by just the first four lines alone.

"Only threw this party for you."

"I only threw this party for you, for you, for you."

She licked her bow, winked to the camera after her slow shoulder dance, then readjusted her lavalier microphone before grabbing an arrow and her lighter. Just one flick was enough to lit up the tip of the arrow: a fiery flame. Bright red…

"I'm about to party on you."

"I'm about to party on you, on you, on you."

She began walking across to the right side of the stage in braggadocio strut, twirling her fiery arrow between her calculated fingers as she prepared to rap.

"1000 red balloons."

"DJ with your favorite tunes."

"Birthday cake in August."

"But you were born 19th of June."

As they observed Emily's slightly raspy rapping, some of the judges were left in awe by Emily's sheer bow-and-arrow acrobats. Alejandro rested his chin on both palms, hypnotized by her fiery arrow-twirling. Fang smirked the entire performance through; the usual. Hailee, however, kept a straight face. The usual.

"1000 red balloons."

"Dancin' on to your favorite tunes."

"Hope you walk in the party."

"'Cause I three the party just for you like woah."

Turning to face the left side of the stage, she readied her bow-and-arrow, stretching the string back as she marched forward, singing back the chorus:

"I only threw this party for you."

"Only threw this party for you, for you, for you."

"I was hopin' you would come through."

"I was hopin' you would come through, come through, come through."

In an impressive feat, instead of simply turning around to face the speaker, she flipped a 180 in dramatic fashion before aiming straight at the speaker. No shots fired, yet…"

"Only threw this party for you."

"Only threw this party for you, for you, for you."

"I'm about to party on you."

"Watch me, watch me party on you, on you, uh-huh."

Suddenly, she swiftly grabbed her two other arrows on the floor, lighting both tips with the flame from the first arrow tip before standing them both near the left edge of the stage as she does one last backflip, aiming straight at the speaker. Only this time, she fired her bow, lighting the speaker on fire: bullseye. To finish it off, she grabbed the remaining two arrows, firing both one-by-one: each one landed on the first arrow. Boom after boom. Bullseye…

After bullseye.

The judges clapped with bright, satisfied smiles. Much to Kayla's and Arnold's discontent as they scanned the judges' reactions from the stage sidelines.

Hailee cleared her throat. "Beautiful singing. Beautiful choreography. Nice mix of acrobats, although, the rapping could use some polish. Also, thanks a lot for wrecking our speakers. Regardless, great execution. Eight out of ten."

"Mesmerizing." Alejandro complemented. "Nice and groovy, and… yeah, that's all I got. Nine out of ten."

Fang was mostly impressed by Emily's fast-paced acrobatic movement and fire-twirling, but other than that, not so much to warrant a score higher than a "7", shrugging his fins.

"Aww, thanks!" Emily flashed a blush.

"Well, based on the critical acclaim, not so hard to determine the winner here…" Hailee read her paper in a slight smug. "With a combined score of twenty-four, your winner for part one of today's challenge… Emily!"

"YAY!" She cheered for herself, clapping and hopping on one place.

"And just so that we're keeping early score…" The host continued. "You're now at 3 points. First place. Congrats. Following second place is Arnold with 2, and Kayla in last place with 1."

"Hurray!"

"Wow. Showoff." Kayla muttered, shaking her head as she stuck her tongue out. Turning towards Arnold, they both glanced each other in worry, already thinking ahead of their next potential steps. Steps to deter their arch-nemesis from winning…

Confessional:

Kayla: She leaned her chin on her knuckle, pondering. "This… is gonna be, like, a much tougher fight than I thought."

-static-

Arnold: "Yeah, no kiddin'." The pirate nodded; eyes wide opened.

-static-

Emily: "Kayla did the singing. Arnold did a performative dance. I did both. Easy-peesy, lemon squeezy." She smiled with a shrug. "Hey, I warned them. Not your typical cutesy patootsie cutie-pie."

-static-

Dampness. Humidity once more.

"Great. Back to Florida land."

Kayla complained, standing in between Emily and Arnold, right underneath the damp rainforest trees. The green leaves did a poor job on obscuring the sun. But no worry: the gray clouds already blanketed the sky, wanting to sprinkle rainwater once again, but restrained itself from disturbing the island: an island that appeared to move and jiggle on its own from afar, but alas, just the wavy trees waving hello.

A gust of wind swooshed across the camper's compound. Not even standing near the edge of the circular compound region kept the breeze away, dramatically flowing through Hailee's bright blonde hair.

"Tanner! Reorganize the cards for me, will ya'?" The host slapped the flashcards onto his chest. "Make yourselves more than just glorified bodyguards."

"Yes, Ms. Friarwood. You got it, boss."

"No Trevon today?" Emily flashed pouty puppy eyes. More eyerolls from her taller competitor ensued.

"Better question, no more Alejandro? Guess the budget's slim these days." Kayla retorted, giggling alongside her pirate buddy.

"Get a room, you two." Hailee crossed her arms, displeased. The easy one-upped cheap shot flustered Kayla. "Why so embarrassed, dear? It's not like you two made out for an entire episode. Need I remind you?"

"No." Both Arnold and Kayla fired back in deadpanned unison.

"Whatever." Hailee glared to her left. "Tanner, get-a-moving!"

"Done." The assistant slapped the flashcards onto her palm, reading out the next challenge quietly.

"Second challenge from the enigma himself. Let's see…" The host's eyes shifted left and right like a game of table tennis, squinting in irritation before tearing up the flashcard in front of the final three. "Nope. We're not doing this."

Emily raised her hand. "What did the Zane card say?"

"Nothing of importance." She fired back. "Or rather, nonsensical nonsense. Doesn't matter. We're skipping over Zane's. End of story." She pulled the following card in front of her. "Let's see what Lily's got in store for us. Better not be a dud…"

Standing in front of a long wooden table, the final three had their arms crossed, waiting for the host's slow arrival. Situated smack middle of the camper's compound, Hailee and Tanner arrived with three kitchen blenders: one for each competitor. Each appliance was carefully set and lined up on the table.

A cooking contest, perhaps? Few eyebrows were raised given the potential ease.

Kayla lightly chuckled. "Lemme guess, another dud?"

"I had to shake up the challenge." Hailee briefly pulled out her flashcard, hovering it in the air. "Initial challenge read something like, 'who can make the best replicate of a caramel macchiato', and… no. Too niche. We're simplifying it."

"Oo! Oo!" Emily raised her hand with glee.

Hailee rolled her eyes, about done with her shenanigans. "Yes?"

"Do I… get an advantage for this part? Pwetty pweese? Ya-know, since… I won the last challenge?"

"No." The host fired back. "Did I ever mention reward challenge? Of course, not." Upon glancing at the time, she signaled her muscled assistant, pointing him to stand on the sidelines. "Let's not waste any more time with trivial matter and jump straight to the challenge. This micro-challenge is straightforward: each of you are assigned a blender. Your task? Simple. Whoever makes the most delicious drink wins. That's it."

"Really? Pfft." Kayla snortled. "That's it? That's it."

"Oh-typical questioning of the host." Hailee smirked. "No, of course that's not it. I was just being sarcastic, dear."

"Stop calling me that." Kayla blurted back in an irritated half-mutter.

"Curious to know the kicker?" She pointed the forest behind her with her thumb. "Your ingredients… will be whatever you find in the wild. Which means… no startup ingredients. No handouts. No recipes. You're all on your own to gather whatever you can find in the wild. Which ALSO means… no sneaking into HQ to steal employee snacks. I'm looking at you, Emily." She glared down the small redhead, who simply remarked by throwing both her palms up with a 'whoopsie' smile. "Anyways, you have thirty minutes to gather your ingredients and whip your own drinks. Ready? GO!" She blasted her airhorn. All competitors dashed into the wild rainforest. Not a single competitor played about.

Well, except for maybe one…

"Guess you'll be a natural at this," Emily teased Kayla smirkingly, running behind her as they maneuvered through crowds of trees. "But don't be all sappy when we find out there'll be more physical challenges."

"ARGH!" Upon hearing Emily's taunts, he leaped onto her from behind, tackling her to the rugged ground. "You talk too much!" Forcing her head down and faceplanted to the dirt, he looked up to his startled friend. "Kayla! Grab whatever you can! I'll distract her!"

"Grrrrawr!" Emily muffled in chuckles, smacking Arnold's face with the back of her head before jumping out from the dirt. Her flexible legs leaped onto the pirate's shoulders, bouncing up onto a large tree branch. "That the best you got, tiger? C'mon now."

"No." Arnold glared up, hands on his belt. "Well, I mean… kinda. Seems like I did a well enough job distractin' you. Huh. Would you look at that?" He glanced around his surroundings sarcastically. "Where's Kayla? Yarr! It appears your sabotagin' is slackin'! Better luck next time, scallywag!"

She giggled, flicking dirt off her pale face. "Ha! You're funny. Looks like I've underestimated you." She winked, crouching as she prepared to leap onto another tree branch. "But you're such a cutie. Thank you for the warm wishes, captain! Not like I'll need it, but hey! I respect the swagger. Ta-ta!"

And before Arnold could fire back with another remark, she leaped away in a swift sweep, into the shadows.

Just like that, she vanished.

Confessional:

Arnold: "ARGH! She talks too much." He twirled his cutlass around. "And that's sayin' somethin', comin' from me!"

-static-

Emily: "'You talk too much', oh-that's rich comin' from eyepatch blabber." She giggled.

-static-

Kayla: "Think Arnold and I, like, locked into each other's eyes and knew we had to stay close-knitted as a team to limit Emily's chances of success. Like, we're holding hands tight—" Upon realizing her rather poor choice of words, she glared into the camera with her arms crossed. "And no, I don't mean it like that. Ugh, c'mon!"

-static-

Sprinting alone in the middle of damp, shadowy nowhere, Kayla removed her green jacket and tied it along her waste, collecting berries from a nearby bush as she tossed them inside her jacket pockets. The sticky air caught up to her, dazzled by how her skin remained unchoked throughout all that time blanketed by her outfit.

She glanced around her surroundings one last time before picking more blueberries. Unnerving rumbles echoed around her. Turning around, she saw nothing. Nothing but more trees, shrubs, and bushes. Only color aside from green and brown were the blue from the berries.

Huh, blueberries. Ripe for the taking…

Confessional:

Kayla: "Uh… do blueberries grow this ripe in the wild?" She shrugged in a smile. "Anyways, Naomi and I once had to grow and harvest strawberries and blend our own little 'extravaganza' for a school project. Cheesy, I know. But, like, I've came prepared. I got this."

-static-

As she stood up, she instantly noticed an alarming sight; the tree in front of the blueberry bush… vanished. Almost like the tree got up from the dirt and left, leaving behind a sudden ray of sunshine puncturing through the blanket of rainforest.

"Uhh… okay—"

And once again, noise of rushing footsteps skirmished closely behind, turning around in fright as she noticed yet another tree gone missing. Nothing but a jagged dirt hole and a beam of sunlight remained, surrounded by sudden creepy stature of lifeless trees.

Kayla's eyes widened open. A creep and a chill rippled through her skin. "Uh-nope. Nope-nope-nope, nope, nope. Not having this. I'm out" She dashed away with no second thoughts, not looking back to the site in relief that she collected all the blueberries she needed.

Rainforest. Nothing but heavy vegetation throughout the wilderness. As per usual, the maneuvering redhead sustained no injuries prancing through the treetops, scanning for coconuts. Surprisingly rare these days, given the tropical environment.

Swiftly hopping from tree to tree in cautious grace, Emily scoured the thick leaves. Any coconut will do, no matter the juicy content.

Mosquito bites popped more frequently the longer she lingered off the ground. Not as moist as ground floor, and yet, the flying pests kept bugging her face, swiping each parasite for every hop she took.

"Pesky little suckers," she mumbled in annoyance.

Forcing one last leap onto her sore thighs, her forehead clashed into a hollow, fuzzy sphere, almost knocking herself off the tree. In a dash, she gripped onto the tree branch where she stood, crawling towards the triple-coconuts like an ecstatic spider tending its meal.

"Bingo." She muttered smirkingly, sliding two coconuts underneath her red hoodie and gripped the last one under her armpit before climbing her way down.

Until suddenly, a sudden slimy crawler emerged out of the ground. The green creature snarled as loud as it could, driftingly dragging its flimsy legs closer to her like a zombie straight out an apocalypse.

Slamming her foot onto the wet ground, she hurled a coconut straight towards the creature's head: a bullseye. The harsh impact knocked the creature down as she zoomed past the area.

Even the usually straight-faced Emily was weirded out, not looking back whatsoever before muttering to herself: "What the… f—"

"Fungus!" The pirate's yelling rumbled through the forest; Emily ignored it and continued running away. "Argh! This will do well in my collection!" He pulled the squishy brown fungi off the ground and sprinted off before a disruptive loudspeaker spat out feedback from a distance.

"Time's up, campers! This is Hailee speaking. Report back to the camper's compound for your drink reviews!"

Hailee impatiently waited for the final three to dump all their ingredients into their respective blenders, tapping her heels onto the ground at each passing second. Each blender thundered the shaky wooden table as the contestants await their finishing drink for judgement.

Meanwhile, Hailee's assistant Tanner stood behind the host, away from the camera shot, waiting for further instructions.

"Argh! Mushrooms!" Arnold blurted out without warning, startling Kayla.

"Uh… Arnold?" She glanced at the pirate's strange brown drink, scratching her head. "Why are you making a protein shake?"

"Actually, correction..." He playfully nudged her shoulders. "I'm craftin' magic."

Confessional:

Arnold: "My theatre instructor once demonstrated his "magic elixir" using certain mushrooms and some tree sap." He pulled out a bundle of mushrooms in various shades of brown and a jar of tree sap out of his pocket. "His dream was to become a chemist. Nicest teacher on the planet! Although, he did flunk chemistry once. BUT… he told us he improved. Absolutely no way this will backfire. Sometimes, all you need is faith in your favorite teacher!" He grinned.

-static-

"Okay, time's up!" Hailee blasted her airhorn, already fed up with all the blenders going rampant at once. "Please welcome our taste tester for the day… Tanner!" She lightly shoved him to the forefront.

"Oh-great." Tanner nodded his head in visible annoyance. "Guinea pig moment," he muttered. "This reminds me: should've not thrown the blame on Topher—"

"Excuse me?" She raised an eyebrow, arms crossed.

"Nothing, Ms. Friarwood. Just spitballin'."

"Good." She glanced at her watch. "Okay, each one of you has a glass cup set on the table. Kayla, you arrived at the table first. Hand Tanner a sample, will ya'?"

Kayla nodded, carefully pouring her blue fruit punch onto the glass before sliding it over to a hesitant Tanner as he noticed a tiny sprinkle of tree twigs. "Okay." Kayla cleared her throat. "I call this drink… the Blueberry Extravaganza—"

"Sorry, who asked?" Hailee tapped her heel. "Tanner, one-to-ten. What's your rating?"

"Mmm," The assistant chugged the entire punch in one slurp, enough to quench his constant thirst. "Not a fan of the little pieces of twigs left inside, but other than that, a solid 8."

Kayla smiled, returning to her seat while she observed the next contestant walking over towards Tanner with a plain white drink.

"Next up… Emily!" The host blurted out.

Tanner grabbed the drink from the cheery-grinning Emily, glancing at it suspiciously before taking a slow sip.

Surprisingly, flavorless. Bland. Almost tasted like tap water, but with the slightest touch of coconut. Given the misty-white color, he expected a strange flavor, but alas, a boring taste.

"It just tastes… like water." Tanner finished his drink regardless; the constant humidity worsened his thirst by the minute. "Meh. I'll give it a 4."

"Yay?" Emily shrugged with a smile, walking away to her table as she irritatingly dumped her entire drink from the blender behind her chair.

"Last, but not least… Arnold!"

The pirate bounced over to Tanner, slamming his murky-brown drink onto the assistant's thick palms. "ARGH! YER READY?"

Tanner gulped, glaring down his drink in a wide-eyed shook. While the smell was rather nonexistent, he noticed crumbles of mysterious red chunks floating around. Still, he was on a mission, clinching his nose while gulping the entire drink. Within a matter of seconds, he completely froze, eyes stuck open before collapsing backwards onto the ground. Everyone else glared in shock.

"Argh? Not the intended results." Arnold scratched his hat. "He was supposed to gain super-ultra-mega strength.

Hailee lightly tapped his paralyzed shoulders with her heels before continuing onwards. "Well, looks like Tanner will be out-of-commission for the rest of the season. Arnold… looks like you earned your last place for this mini challenge." She wrote down her notepad. "Congrats, Kayla. 3 points for you, dear. 2 for Emily. 1 for Arnold. But don't get too excited; Emily is still in the lead with 5 points total. Kayla, you're second with 4. Arnold, last with 3."

Upon hearing the news, Emily slid a cheeky shoulder smirk toward her competitors, purposefully rubbing them off.

"Looks like we need to, like, amp up our play." Kayla whispered aggressively to her pirate companion.

"Yeah, no kiddin'." They both fired back at Emily with a mean glare, ready to fight fire with fire…

"Next up: Kiara's challenge!"

"Argh! Back to the beach?" Arnold held his hands over his belt, looking around the almost-burnt-up outdoor stage on the beach. This time, calmer weather with a clearer sky, but waves still ferocious. "Another performance?"

"Nope. Modeling!" Hailee smirked, resting her calculated fingers under her chin. "A TD classic. Only except, squished into a micro-challenge." She strolled upstairs to the centerstage. "Alright, here's the gist; we don't have a runway. So, all you need to do is to present the best outfit for me to judge. Don't forget the iconic poses. And… yeah, that's about it." She looked at her watch once again, unfazed by the time. "Let's make this quick. A wide assortment of clothes and props can be found backstage. You have five minutes to assemble your outfit."

"Not enough time, but… 'kay." Kayla shrugged; shoulders relaxed in a casual smile of confidence.

Confessional:

Kayla: "Need I say more?" She grinned with her fists on her hips, crossing her legs. "I'm the trend follower. Time to play to my natural strengths."

-static-

"Let's zoom through this already." Hailee continued, holding onto her airhorn midair. "Ready? GO!"

All three scattered around the stage, ruggedly shuffling through the beach sand as they maneuvered to the back, discovering a massive container filled to the brim with random clothing and accessories, from ultra-clean to dirty. A wide assortment indeed.

"Oh-of course!" Kayla complained. "Hailee forgot to mention we will be dumpster diving for our outfits."

"Aww!" Emily clasped both hands to the side of her face, forming a face of pity. "Seems like something you'd be good at!"

"ARGH!" And once again, Arnold jumped her from behind. Literally. Tagging Emily to the ground, he forced her wrists onto the ground to limit as much movement as possible. "Kayla! Find yer treasure while I stall for time!"

"Oh-how fun." Emily muttered off her breath in a smirk, attempting to lift her left ear off the sand. "Looks like you two finally grew a brain for once. Too bad you're wastin' all this energy on a challenge Kayla will win by default. But hey! Good on you too! I finally have competition…"

"YARR! SILENCE!" Arnold randomly fed her a blueberry, almost like he pulled it out of a hat. "YOU TALK TOO MUCH!"

"Mmm. Actually, this is pretty tasty! Thank you, Arny!" Emily startled the pirate with an out-of-the-blue compliment.

"Oh-thanks! Kayla handed me a few for—"

"ARNOLD!" After tossing numerous clothes from the container to the sand, Kayla swiftly turned around, shaking her head in utter annoyance. "Don't entertain her mind games."

"Aye-aye, captain." He saluted, continuing to pin her down for as long as his wiggling frail arms could endure.

"Time's up, campers!" Hailee announced through the megaphone, laying on a beach-reclining chair facing the exact center of the stage. "Let's see what you got! Kayla! You're up first, dear!"

"Ugh. For the last time, stop calling me that." Kayla huffed, walking out the curtains with her chosen wardrobe: the stylish pirate outfit she wore during her love shenanigans with Arnold. From the top-down, she prepped, wearing the same red pirate top, mixed with dark-blue pants and thigh-high boots. Posing with her pirate sword holstered to the side, she slightly bent one knee, right heel lifted in a step back, hands clasped together over her thighs as she grinned straight at the host with glittering eyes. Even Arnold was awe-struck by her natural beauty, reminiscing the what-could-have-been.

"Oh-look at you, gorgeous bee!" Hailee beamed, enamored by her outfit of choice, resting her chin on her palms as she continued gawking. "From a scale of one-to-ten, you're a 9, dear. Boots a bit tacky, but other than that, stellar." She lifted her megaphone off the sand. "Emily! You're up!"

"Coming!" Emily slowly walked out to the centerstage, wearing nothing but a black and red retro bikini. Although the sun was still obscured by puffy clouds, her skin was still visibly pale and bright. "Okay! Here I am!"

Hailee crossed her arms, staring in confusion. "Okay, where's your outfit?"

"This is my outfit. It's a summer outfit! Ya' know? Since we're on a beach." Emily casually fired back as she tried capturing the same enamor Hailee had for Kayla, laying on the wooden floor with her left ear resting on her palm, biting her lower lip in a shameless attempt at seduction. "You're looking scrumptious today, Hailee."

"Emily, I-uh… what?" Hailee remained befuddled; eyebrow perked as she slid her shades back on. "Yeah, no. Unoriginal choice of outfit. You get a 4."

"Yeah-whatever." Emily stormed off from the stage, already knowing the results just by observing Hailee's unimpressed face.

Confessional:

Emily: "I only had thirty seconds." She shrugged, playfully smirking. "No biggie. Win some, lose some. Next couple challenges better be physical, or I'll risk losing to coin-tosses and preconceived notions."

-static-

"Arnold! Your turn!"

"YARR!" The pirate slid the curtains open, walking towards the center to showcase himself, hands on his hips like a star illuminated his back. But all Hailee witnessed was… lack of inspiration; Arnold wore the exact same pirate outfit. No changes whatsoever.

"Guys. What are we doing here?" Hailee scribbled nonchalantly on her little notepad. "Let's get more creative next time."

"I only had thirty seconds…" Arnold whimpered.

"Not my problem." She fired back. "Maybe instead of infighting, you can strive for better scores. Nonetheless, at least the pirate getup has more charm than Emily's… whatever it was. 5 points."

"Wonderful-oh, I mean… ARGH!" He flipped back in character.

"Kayla, 3 points. Arnold, 2 points. Emily, 1…" The host counted with a finger swing, readjusting her sitting posture. "Which means… Kayla is now in the lead with 7 points total, Emily with 6, and Arnold with 5." She stood up, dusting sand off her white blouse. "Now, onto micro-challenge number 4!"

Sudden change of scenery, a surrounding blanket of trees, two cabins, and another round of dark rainclouds: the camper's compound. Hailee stood right next to an object covered by a brown blanket, almost appearing human-size, but falling rather short compared to the towering host. The final three stood scattered, waiting for Hailee's flashcard reading…

"Rashon's challenge…" She squinted. "Let's see… whoever makes out with a cardboard cutout of Rashon the 'sexiest', wins." Upon reading the strange contest, she uncovered Rashon in cardboard cutout fashion. The final three stood frozen, deadpanned with 'why' faces. "It also reads, 'girls only plz', but… yeah, no. It'll also be rated by Rashon himself, so we will be having delayed results. Not an issue, so long as we meet proper scheduling."

"Blah-blah, let's just get this over with." Kayla rolled her eyes.

"Okay." Hailee shrugged, smirking. "You go first then."

Kayla nodded sternly, slowly walking towards Cardboard Rashon and wrapped her arms around the flat neck, slightly bending her knees as she gently pressed her lips onto the cutout's lips. Her eyes softly closed shut, waiting for about five seconds before letting go of the cardboard.

"Wow. Look at you!" Hailee smirked before giggling, clearly flustering Kayla. "Alright, Arnold, you're next."

"Argh?" Arnold crossed his arms tightly, raising an eyebrow. "But isn't it 'girls only'?"

"Ooo!" Emily teasingly nudged his shoulders, smirking grinningly. "Seems like Arnold can't kiss a guy!"

"I can most DEFINITELY kiss a guy on the lips!" Arnold shouted with pride. "Watch!" He stomped over to the cutout, viciously planting his lips onto Cardboard Rashon's lips as he rolled over onto the ground, kissing it viciously for about ten seconds before launching the cutout into the air, sending it gliding. "Voila! See? I just kissed Rashon with passion!" He stood back up. "Hailee, I don't think Emily here can top my performance. Automatic win?"

The host glared back. "I won't be judging. Rashon's the judge. He will be sending the winner through text."

"YARR!" He slammed his sword onto the ground.

"Emily! You're next! Show us what you—"

And before Hailee could finish, Emily dashed to the cutout, slamming it onto the ground once again as she repeatedly pecked the lips before fully making out. She made sure to press her lips as hard as she could, letting out make-out moans for the cherry on top.

And… still going. A long-winded make-out session, to put it bluntly.

Thirty seconds gone by, and Hailee had enough. "Uh-okay. Let's wrap this up. This isn't an endurance contest." She clapped twice, signaling Emily to get off the floor.

"Did I win?" Emily flashed a grin.

"Like I said, Rashon will be texting us the winner." Hailee facepalmed, already irked from all the repetition. "Now, moving on…"

Now, another new scenery slid to the surface: the middle of nowhere rainforest, mixed with trees, vines, bushes, shrubs, and more trees. Three blank, white painting canvases were neatly set over wooden stands, situated on near-muddy dirt. Plentiful tree shade, although not necessary in the slightest given the clouds slowly morphing together into a menacing cumulonimbus. The three competitors readied their paintbrushes, pecking the brush onto the canvas in a pinky's touch.

"Soraya's challenge." Hailee slammed her flashcards into her pockets. "Best painting wins. Ten minutes!"

"Really? Typical Soraya." Kayla muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes.

"Ready? GO!" Hailee blasted her airhorn, then scrolled through her phone as she waited for the competitors' strokes of paint slashing onto the blank white squares. An assortment of colors indeed, with splashes of vibrant colors dripping right out of each brush.

With payback in mind, Emily turned her head to her right towards Kayla's canvas, calmly blowing the droplets of paint trickling down the canvas to partially smear her artwork. Kayla immediately noticed her giggling tricks, moving her canvas away from Emily and closer to Hailee.

"Ah-err, okay, girls!" The host stomped. "It's a painting contest, not a kindergarten fight. Grow up and get painting!"

Kayla shook her head, irking and slashing her paintbrush across the canvas in a sudden hurry as she peeked over Hailee's phone, observing the time.

"Ten seconds!" Hailee shouted.

"Well…" Kayla doubted. "That was fast. Are you sure you didn't skip—"

"Well…" The host interrupted. "If you and Red Robin over there didn't horseplay around, maybe you'd have enough time to create fine art," she glanced at her watch. "Oh-would you look at that. Time's up." She lightly tapped her airhorn. "Drop you brushes! I'll be coming over and judge your paintings. Kayla, let's see what you got."

"Yeah, I didn't get to finish." Kayla reluctantly flipped her canvas around, facing it towards Hailee. A house in the middle of the woods, half colored while the rest in black-and-white. Bits of blue noodles smeared onto the colorless side, presumably Emily's mischievous contribution. But a sense of the good-old-days escaped out the painting. Pine trees left featureless in the backdrop, with partial shadow casted over the rooftop. No one inside the house, nor outside. Just a house. In the middle of the woods.

"Artsy. Wow." Hailee nodded her head, jotting down notes. "7 for effort." She walked past Kayla, looking over to Arnold's painting. "What do we have here?"

"Voila…" Arnold spun the stand around, a rambunctious reveal of adventure and light-hearted fun. In the centerpiece, a fearless Kayla in her pirate outfit led an army of ragtag misfit pirates as she aimed her cutlass up ahead, stomping her right foot on the front deck of the ship. The ocean waves were detailed and dramatic to the core. Rain clouds hovered over them, but no cast of shadow could penetrate through Captain Kayla's determination for the lost treasure of Bakuhatsu Island.

Glancing it furthest away from everyone else, Kayla hid her flusters, both hands in her pockets as she rolled a rock on the ground with her boot, back and forth. Emily simply leaned her shoulder onto a tree, arms crossed with a careless smile. Still impressed, nonetheless.

Even Hailee was awe-inspired, jaw slightly dropped. "Wow. Blew me away. I may have to keep this and hang it on my wall, but—" she cleared her throat awkwardly. "Immaculate work. 10 points!"

"ARGH!" Arnold cheered with a jump, walking towards Kayla as he grabbed and handed her the painting. "Made it just for you, my friend. Consider it an early birthday present."

"Arnold, this is, like… so sweet." She reached over for a tight hug, stuck in a flustered smile. "Thank you so much!"

"Alright, enough lovey-dovies!" Hailee interrupted, full-serious tone, walking towards Emily for the final review.

"Finally. Speakin' my language." Emily spun her canvas around, revealing a mess of colors. Dashes of white slashed across the canvas, mixed with blotches of black and a gray backdrop. A couple squinting measures revealed a silhouette portrait of a seemingly handsome mystery figure with a distinguishable combover painted entirely in red, hidden underneath the white slashes and black blotches.

Nonetheless, Hailee was not impressed. "Wha-what am I looking at?"

"Avant-garde." Emily faked a cheer but could not bother adding an explanation to the host's soured face.

"I don't know what this illustrates, but this is screaming pretentious…" Hailee jotted on her notepad. "4 points."

Emily shrugged it off, peeking over at Arnold's and Kayla's happy rise of confidence. Rocking the canvas back and forth with her middle finger, she toyed around scenarios, biting her bottom lip as she observed her options. Arnold's constant careless dumping-and-pulling personal belongings into his front jacket pocket. Kayla's repeated reaching into her boots to remove the most miniscule, harmless pebbles. Emily's head scribbled down notes like an engine running full gear without a single rumble, smirking…

Confessional:

Emily: "Sometimes, things don't go your way." She shrugged, smirking once again. "But there's always a flip side: false sense of security…"

-static-

Kayla: "That was honestly, like, so sweet of Arnold." She gleefully held her new painting midair before noticing a squinting reveal. "Wait, are my boobs really that small?"

-static-

Arnold: "As long as we keep teamin' up and takin' down the snickerin' trickster, we're lookin' at a bright friendship finale!" Arnold pointed his sword upward triumphantly. "We're halfway today. Five more challenges to go! ARGH! BRING IT!"

-static-

"BMX motocross race!"

A sudden change of scenery yet again, like sliding through locations a hundred miles per hour. Arriving full-stop inside a massive outdoor motocross arena, the contestants stood on a small dirt-bike hill. Dark-brown and muddy. Bleachers visibly wooden. A flock of hummingbirds settled on empty seats, repeatedly chipping the wood with their needle-like beaks. The sky grew darker and meaner, thundering but not a sprinkle of rain in sight.

"Let me guess… Hunter's challenge?" Kayla irked an eyebrow, arms crossed as she stood between her competitors.

"It's almost like your contemporaries were your besties the entire time." Hailee jabbed teasingly, leaning her arms onto a bike rack; three BMX bikes—red, green, and blue—were neatly rested and ready for use.

"Ugh." Kayla rolled her eyes. "More like, sharing a room with strangers for days. Inevitable that we'll, like, learn their interests and secrets, 'kay?"

"Oo! Oo!" Emily raised her hand ecstatically. "Like that one time you thought Hunter pickpocketed your phone?" She winked, giggling. "I remember that one. Cute rose phone case, by the way. Matches nicely with your itzy-bitzy necklace."

"Oh-shut it." Kayla shook her head, arms crossed and stiff. Arnold simply stared Emily down, ready to rumble. "Hailee! Let's jump straight to the ringer. I'm ready."

"Right-on. Finally." Hailee stood back up straight, already exhausted by their constant bickering. "But before we do, Rashon just texted us the rankings for the… make-out challenge." Even she was dumbfounded, briefly caught-off guard by the absurdity. "First place… Kayla! Second place… Emily. And last place… Arnold."

"Argh!" Arnold raised his fist. "My pirate senses are tastin' a pattern here… and it tastes like calzone straight from the school cafeteria!"

The host shrugged. "Challenges are unfair sometimes. Get used to it." Glancing her watch once again, she tallied up the total points. "Kayla, congrats. You're on the lead with 12 total points. Emily and Arnold are tied for last, with 9 points total."

"YARR!" Arnold celebrated. "Seems like thy captain's plan is workin' after all!" He fiercely pointed his sword towards a smiling Emily. "Ya' see? Two can play at that game!"

"Oh, really?" Emily smirked menacingly, giggling, staring right back as she leaned her chest forward. "I highly doubt that, but bring it, man! I'm all game!"

"Ahem… can we start?" Hailee interrupted, cutting the chains loose from the three bikes before pulling out her flashcard for a brief read-aloud. "For Hunter's challenge, you will be 'riding BMX bikes across a motocross dirt-bike-extreme-dirt-hilly racetrack, like from that one Mission Impossible movie.' Huh."

"A scallywag, Hunter was!" Arnold blurted out, hands on his hips. "On what planet did a Mission Impossible movie ever feature a BMX race?"

Hailee shook her head, irked by all the interruptions. "Hunter's not the brightest bulb in the shed. No need to fill in the viewers with such trivial matter. Okay-may I need to remind you all that we are on a tight schedule here?"

"WE KNOW!" All three blurted out in unison.

"ALRIGHT! First to finish three laps, wins. Just go!" Hailee blasted her airhorn as all three dashed forward to their respective bikes, with each of their names etched onto the tires in white font.

And a dash they went. Close race, with the final three vigorously riding their bikes onto the bumpy dark-brown dirt path, speeding like driving away from a cop chase. Bumpy off-roads up ahead. Tires dragging onto heavy mud. Bikes hopping mid-air hill after hill. The competitors had no time to waste, pedaling as vigorous as they could; each eyed straight ahead, eyebrows scrunched down in try-hard determination for more points.

Lap one complete. Pedaling right behind Emily, Arnold rear-ended her tire with full speed, attempting to wiggle her off the course. And a wiggle there was, but not enough to deter Emily, slowing down to ride alongside the angry pirate.

"YARR! Avast! Ye can't escape me! I will always be on your bounty booty!" Arnold gloated, riding the bike with his hands rested behind his head.

"And you'll always be chasing Kayla's booty!" Emily fired back with a brief giggle. "Too bad all you'll be gettin' at the end of the show are her farts!"

"RAAAH!" The pirate slammed his bike onto hers, attempting to knock her off the tracks once more. In return, Emily slammed him back in rougher, giggling fashion. "Ow!" He briefly screeched. "Looks like you want a real pirate battle."

"Aww. Did I hurt you, baby?" Within a flash of a smirk, Emily propelled her left handlebar towards Arnold's direction, slamming the tip onto the pirate's small fingers. A piercing jab, bruising his entire right hand with a purple blotch stamped right on his dorsal.

"AHHHH-OW!" And within a matter of seconds, the pirate's ship sank; he drove off uncontrollably, zigzagging ecstatically before his bike leaned out of the tracks, slamming into a yellow excavator left dormant in the center of the racetrack.

Confessional:

Emily: "I used to ride bikes as cheap little escape routes." She grinned. "Especially BMX's. My personal favorite. These little babies fit so well with my little-ol'-me aesthetic." She shook her head, scratching her head from the absurdity before planting her right foot on the wooden seat. Tired; a rare sight. "Why am I baby-talkin' the confessional?"

-static-

Riding right past the pirate, Emily glared ahead, pedaling harder to catch up to her other rival. Kayla avoided their altercation altogether, riding with more careful grace to maneuver through unexpected jitters with her wobbly front tire.

"Kayla! My hero aca-dorky!" Emily rear-ended Kayla's bike, clashing tires in viscous collateral.

"Ugh!" Panting, Kayla pedaled faster, leaping out a hill to gain more speed. "Lay off my back will ya'?"

"Hmm, let me think… NAH!" Emily slammed her side, trying to knock her off-course, but to no avail. "Your long legs be lookin' funny riding a little BMX bike! Don't be skippin' leg day, dude!" She giggled, accompanied by another attempt at bike-slamming.

"At least I don't look like a middle schooler!" Kayla fired back; eyebrows crunched as she pedaled harder than ever before. Panting after panting. Sweat after sweat. Not resting one bit until she crossed the finish for the final lap. Looking straight ahead, ignoring Emily's teasing insults.

Until…

"BAM!" Emily twisted her front tire onto Kayla's back tire in a nibble, forcing a screaming Kayla to collide face first onto the wet mud, with her bike front-flipping over her onto the ground. So close to the finish line, and yet, not quite there.

"Emily is your winner!" Hailee shouted through her megaphone, resting on her trusty reclining chair, beach style. "And here comes our second-place competitor… Kayla! Dragging her bike over to the finish. With last place handed to Arnold by default!" She glanced over to the excavator, noticing a defeated, yet determined Arnold still attempting to fix his own bike using a tool bag found within the excavator. "Arnold! Time's up! No time to spare! Onto the next challenge!"

"And now… we have a trivia question."

A simple challenge. Perhaps a little too simple. Hailee shrugged, pulling out Oliver's question written on a crumbled-up piece of notebook paper, unfolding the creases in rare, but still stone-cold patience. No longer in the arena, but now, all four returned back to the camper's compound, avoiding the sprinkling drizzle for the hour. Rainclouds still stood afloat, waiting…

"Not surprisin'. Oliver is one strange man." Arnold shook his head slightly, arms crossed, sandwiched in between the two ladies. Both stood stern and humorless, waiting to get the entire challenge done and over with. Faces of exhaustion and fatigue creeped in. Even Arnold's pirate act slowly slipped and lingered away.

"Ahem," Hailee cleared her throat, squinting onto the paper, quickly reading through the tacked-on intro paragraph. "It says… 'Hi! This is Oliver. I know I will probably be a forgettable comic-relief side-character leaving a not-so-impactful… impact on the plot, XD. Or maybe… I will outperform Sierra from WT on her own game, uwu. Hopefully, the script from above hands me plot armor so that I don't become simple fodder because, ya' know… I wanna be famous, XDDD. Or maybe…' yadda-yadda-yadda…"

"Hailee, can you just skip the fodder?" Kayla blurted out, chin resting on palm in bored fashion.

Hailee followed up with a sudden shush. "What do you think I'm doing?" After skimming through two paragraphs, she continued. "Anyways… 'So, here it is! The ultimate question for the day: based on my secret ranking that I will continue keeping secret, who is… my favorite Total Drama contestant? Hint, anyone from Island to Pahkitew is fair game. Hint-hint, she…' On the count of three, you must guess Oliver's favorite contestant. Only one. Closest answer, wins."

All three were fiercely pensive, looking down the ground with fingers grinding on chins. Who could it be?

Confessional:

Kayla: "I know… almost nothing about Oliver." She crossed her legs in worry. "I'm assuming, like… he's into… reading?" She facepalmed. "Yeah. I got, like… nothing."

-static-

Haliee began the countdown: "Three… two… one!"

"Izzy!"

"Beth!"

"Heather!"

"Who said Heather?" Hailee calmly glanced away from the paper, eyeing down the laser-focused contestants.

"Oo! Me!" Emily raised her hand gleefully.

"Congrats. You got one of Oliver's top picks." The host shifted her eyes over to second place. "Izzy! Another one high on Oliver's list. But not as high as Heather. Two points for Arnold!"

"Argh?" The pirate scratched his eyepatch.

Confessional:

Arnold: "What?" He muttered, baffled by the results. "How could Oliver favor Heather over… Izzy? Izzy has star power. Izzy is vicious! Izzy is GREEN! Not to mention… she would make a great pirate actress! Heather's just… bleh! Talentless! Reminds me so much of Kayla's princess friend. But at least her friend was… at least she was, uh… she was…" He could not recall ever having a conversation with Kiara, but he remembered the unflattering rumors. Not to mention her unpleasing reputation. From afar, the pirate recalled her haughty mess and Oliver's constant Heather comparison chit-chats. "Well… maybe Oliver was right on that one…"

-static-

"And last place… Kayla. Okay, Beth? Seriously?" Hailee cracked a rare chuckle.

"What?" Kayla huffed. "They both wore glasses. That's all I got, 'kay?"

"Whatever. One point." She tallied up the score. "Let's speed this up. Onto Nanci's challenge…"

"Argh? What game is this?" Arnold scratched his hat.

"Don't know, but I like it." Kayla lied; she recognized the hit indie game Shinebright Valley from a mile away, even if she had her eyes closed shut. Just like the video game challenge episodes ago, the final three sat on the rugged ground as they stared at their own miniature TV screens, maneuvering each of their own 2D characters through the lush, pixelated landscape using the same outdated controllers. Task was simple: farm, grow crops, raise livestock, forage, fish, then get rich.

"What's our goal again?" Emily laid flat on her stomach, fully concentrated to her screen as she continued harvesting pumpkins in-game using her redhead character.

"First to reach 10,000 coins in the game, wins." Hailee repeatedly tapped the ground with her heels once more. "Must I keep repeating myself?"

"Yes!" Emily muttered loudly with tease.

"No!" Arnold fired directly at Emily. "It appears like your Animal Frosting skills can't save you this time around, yarr?"

"Yeah. I suppose you're right," she giggled, wiggling her legs in the air. "But at least I'm not an ass-kissin' simpleton. Don't forget to pay your monthly subscription to Kayla's Snapgram Premium! Is she sellin' another discount this time around?"

Confessional:

Kayla: "What? Premium? Eww." She stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Like, who does she think I am? Dani?"

-static-

"Shut up." Kayla zipped with punctuation. "You talk WAY too much smack for a trash 'gamer'." She bragged, confidently standing up to showcase her near-victory: 9,892 coins. Just one more round of carrot-selling at the in-game shop to easily surpass the marked goal of 10,000…

And… boom.

"There you have it! First place goes to Kayla!" Hailee clapped slowly.

Confessional:

Hailee: "I have absolutely no idea how the game works." She shrugged. "So long as I see five figures on the screen, I'm golden. Video games are such a waste of time."

-static-

"Now…" The host continued. "Second place is still on the line—"

"YARR!" In a sudden dash, Arnold leaped off the ground, celebrating as he sold an entire batch of watermelons, which skyrocketed him over the mark by thousands. "I'm swingin' my booty! Mmph! Mmph! Oh-yeah!" He shook his bottom over Emily's deadpanned face, attempting to rub it in with as much annoyance as possible. "Are you jealous that my cake is bigger than yours? Or perhaps… that you're in last place?"

"Not necessarily…" Hailee interjected; arms crossed. "She may have lost the mini challenge, but she's still in second place overall. Kayla's in first, with 18 points total. Emily's in second, with 16. And Arnold, you're still in last place, with 14 points. I'd suggest you start catching up soon."

"Whoopsie-daisy." Emily giggled, nibbling her finger.

"Moving on…" Hailee hurried after glancing at her wristwatch. "Let's see what our next eliminated contestant had in store…"

"Poetry?" Emily shrugged, followed by a raspberry. "Whatever."

"YARR! Another non-physical challenge! For once, I must thank the stinky-doo-doo face that is Spencer." Arnold raised his cutlass in the air, then pointed it towards Emily. "How does it feel suckin' so much?"

"Your mom." Emily fired back, walking away as she sat on the wooden table. Outdoors per usual. Same wobbly table used for Lily's drink hunt as they all waited for Hailee to pull out empty pieces of notebook paper.

"Okay. Listen up!" Hailee clapped once with loud emphasis, calling their utmost attention. "Spencer wrote an entire essay detailing this one mini challenge. I'm not reading all this. So… I'm summarizing. Your mission? Write a roast attacking one of your current fellow competitors. Poetry-style. One minute. Best roast wins. I'll be the judge. Okay, get your pencils ready!" She shouted as all three gripped tight on their respective pencils, laser-focused, ready to write. "GO!"

They wrote vigorously, leaning their heads down with full, face-frozen concentration, pointing their eyes towards the paper in fierce sharpness. Scribbles rippled through each clock tick. In the meantime, Hailee pulled out a boombox, blasting heavy metal music as an attempted distraction to their writing, but alas, it only served as fuel to their arsenal.

"Three… two… one… okay, TIME'S UP!" Hailee slam-stopped the boombox, dropping it down to the ground as she walked over to assess their poetry roasts. "Arnold! You're up first. Hand over your paper. I'll be reading them out."

"But…" Arnold looked up at the host, attempting puppy eyes. "I wanted to read it."

"Nope." She reached out her palm, already impatient. "Okay-just hand me the paper." She snatched swiftly, clearing her throat in preparation to read Arnold's poetry verbatim. "To Emily…" she turned towards her. "Scallywag, Emilywag, no difference, see? Avast, ye! Siren of thee seven seas…"

Kayla could not contain herself, stifling as much laughter as she possibly could. Hailee's attempt at a pirate accent left Kayla almost collapsing to the ground. Emily also struggled not cracking a smile. But Arnold held his arms crossed, not impressed by Hailee's minimal commitment to his craft.

"Shiver me timbers! Annika lingers like a drinker. A sad, mopey excuse of a muse! Too short for boys her age. Too cynical to enjoy her age. A narrow gauge she rides through her teenage years, but true friends, real friends; hard to come by these, but at least by the end of the show, I'll have one while you will have none…"

Brief silenced followed through. Emily nodded, mildly impressed, turning towards Arnold as she softly clapped in a slight smile.

"Got some bars there, man." She congratulated, albeit with a sprinkle of hesitance.

"It's good." Hailee nodded. "Had some clear effort thrown together in under a minute. 8 out of 10."

"YARR!" Arnold swung his sword vertically in front of Emily's face, grazing her nose tip. Nonetheless, she remained unfazed, unbothered.

"Alright!" Hailee called their attention. "Emily, you're up! Let's see what you got."

"Okie-dokie!" She bounced and hopped towards the host, slamming her paper onto the host's hands.

"Ahem," Hailee cleared her throat. "To Kayla…" she read aloud Emily's poetry. "Who will [BLEEP] my [BLEEP] tonight? Your mom. Who will be my new boyfriend tonight? Your dad. Who will be your new mom tonight? Me." Hailee shook her head, glaring at Emily. "Yeah, how about you keep this family-friendly next time, okay?"

Emily shrugged. "Whatever."

"Minimal effort. Crude language. But… a sizzling roast, nonetheless. 5 out of 10."

Confessional:

Emily: "Poetry… is the worst." She rested both legs over the wooden seat, stretching them out. "Sitting down to write? For fun? Who does that?"

-static-

"Kayla! You're up!" Hailee extended her hand out, waiting to feel paper resting on her palm. "Is this…"

"It's for Emily." Kayla blurted out; arms crossed.

"Okay." Hailee shrugged a whatever face, clearing her throat as she read aloud her entry. "Emily, it's no wonder you have no boyfriend. You are so short; you look like a middle schooler. You're not even diva worthy. Why? Because you're not tall enough. I wonder if you're even tall enough to ride a Ferris wheel. So gross and weird that you like older…" Hailee flipped over the paper, but the rest was empty: incomplete. "Is this all you got?"

"I did not finish." Kayla rolled her eyes. "One minute just wasn't enough for me to, like, edit and revise, 'kay?"

"Yeah, not impressed." The host flashed a quick thumbs down. "Even worse that it's incomplete. Thought you'd be a smart gal."

"Actually," Kayla corrected. "I'm an honors student."

"Yeah, well…" Hailee jotted down notes on a flashcard. "2 out of 10."

"Pfft. Okay..."

Confessional:

Kayla: "Seriously?" She crossed her legs tightly. "I can't, like, write an entire roast under just a minute. Like, yeah-like, I have an A in my English class, thank-you-very-much."

-static-

"Let's revisit the total points one last time…" Hailee tallied all the points thus far on her little notepad. The final three stood in front of the table, sternly waiting for the scores… "First place… Kayla! With 19 points total. Second place… Emily. Carrying 18 points. And last place… Arnold. 17 points."

Arnold and Kayla glanced at each other one last time, nodding firmly in agreement. No words spoken throughout, and yet; they both knew what to do. They both turned to face Emily: a silent showdown of fiery stares.

"Guys! Up here!" Hailee snapped her fingers twice. "Last mini challenge. Prepare yourselves…" she pulled out her final flashcard: Daniela's challenge. "Okay, skimming through… yada-yada-yada…" her eyes shifted back and forth, silently reading past the filler before reaching to the actual challenge. "Okay, here we go… 'whoever finds the key to my heart, wins.'" She briefly eyed the contestants, flashing a smirk. "This should be fun…"

"Oh-great. We're back here?" Kayla muttered, glancing at her surroundings.

"Flashbacks to the golden days!" Arnold shouted in glee, but Kayla shook her head.

"More, like, the days of filthy drama…" she sighed, glancing around after looking straight down the deck. The ship swayed back and forth, right under a thundercloud in formation. The calm neared the end before the inevitable storm swung towards where they stood: the same pirate ship during the capture-the-flag challenge. Only except, nearly worn out from all the wooden decay. Spiderwebs formed under each door frame. Not an ideal home for the spiders, as the soon-to-be storm would simply wash them out of their new nesting habitat.

Emily, however, embraced the incoming storm, slowly breathing in the heavy, damp moisture while resting her elbows onto the gunwale. She scanned the clouds afar; thunder and lightning grew louder, like music to her ears.

"Whoever finds the key to her heart, wins!" Hailee suddenly busted out the doorway with her megaphone twirled around her fingers; a calm smirk carried through her instructions. "Your last and final challenge for the day is simple: we have hidden three keys scattered inside the ship. They're bright, shiny, and glow-in-the-dark. Hard to miss. But you know what's not hard to miss? A bundle of scattered explosive barrel traps strapped onto a couple ceilings here and there. So… watch your step, and find a key. Any key. Then swim all the way back to the beach. There, you will find Calvin and two treasure chests. Crack one of them open first, and you will receive the last 3 points. Second place, 2. And last without a treasure chest open… 1 point. From there, we will tally up all the total points. If, for whatever reason, we end up with a tie, then a secret tiebreaker challenge will ensue." She looked at each contestant in brief silence before switching back to her stern, arms-crossed, no-nonsense self. "Any questions?"

"We get to… open up… our own TREASURE CHEST?" Arnold grinned with gleeful exaggeration; eyes wide opened in watery excitement. "SHIVER ME TIMBERS! THIS IS THE BEST CHALLENGE YET!"

Emily raised her hand. "What's in them?"

"Heart-shaped boxes full of chocolate, one hundred dollars, and a surprise." Hailee answered back bluntly, raising easy suspicion from the distrusting contestants. "Hey, you three have gone through hell and back, so why not. A little reward wouldn't hurt. But yeah… anyways…" she shrugged, glancing at her wristwatch. Force of habit, no doubt. "Calvin will oversee who arrives first, who arrives second, etc. I'll be at the elimination ceremony, immediately ready to boot out the loser and to announce our finalists. Okay, time's running out, so… GET TO IT!" One last airhorn blast for the day, and one last dash for the final three, sprinting past the host with heavy sweat and serious looks.

Confessional:

Kayla: "This is, like, literally it—"

-static-

Arnold: "The final challenge…" Arnold breathed in slowly.

-static-

Emily: She chuckled loudly; chin rested on her palm. "Ripe for the pickin'."

-static-

Emily teasingly chased around Kayla from one dimly lit corridor to the next, sliding through each doorway before the signature cutlass flew across the following doorway, sticking straight through the wooden frame as she suddenly braked midway.

"Got you stranded." Arnold tilted his head mockingly, flashing a cocky smirk before setting himself into a self-defense standoff position. Both hands extended outwards in a martial arts stance as Emily stared back with a calm smile. Right as storm thunder cracked, she kicked a wheeled cabinet towards the pirate with both her feet as she made her exit out the doorway.

"Na, na-na boo, boo!" Emily teased, sliding out with ease.

No problem for the pirate; he slammed the cabinet out of his way using his elbow, dashing out the doorway for a hot pursuit chase, stomping the wooden floor as he carefully maneuvered through the shadows, avoiding easy head collisions.

Suddenly, he braked midway through a dark, unstable room. Eerily empty, with no cobwebs in sight. Only a king-sized bed, and a singular file cabinet. A glowing cabinet, in fact. Tiptoeing to the ominous furniture, he slowly pulled the top drawer open, reaching his hand inside for a grab before his ears picked up a bed squeak. A slight jump-scare, but he shrugged it off. The red flags instantly went off the moment the room floor wobbled violently. No time to spare, he grabbed the mysterious object inside the cabinet and ran towards the doorway. But his speed was not enough to out-maneuver the floor snapping before his eyes, like an earthquake fault splitting a room in half.

"Oh-SNAP!" Arnold screamed before his bottom landed on empty boxes, acting as cushions. After swiftly standing back up and shaking wooden dust off his pirate attire, his eyes scanned the entire room: a worn-down basement bilge. Spiders crawling amok. Cockroaches zooming across the ceiling. The smell of burnt wood flowed through his nose. Unpleasant, unnerving, and uncomfortable, as he attempted to leap his way out the bilge with no success. Complete silence, aside from his exhausted pants and the buzz emitting out of a single rustic lamp.

Complete silence, until…

"Achoo!" Popping out from a pile of empty boxes, Emily dragged herself towards the corner of the room, right underneath the lamp. Her sudden appearance spooked Arnold.

"Argh?" Arnold scratched his head. "Were you here the entire time?"

"Nah. I was hiding under the bed." She giggled before instantly coughing up dust. Reaching into her skirt pocket, she pulled out a piece of cloth ripped from the bed sheet, tying it over her bleeding knee; the dark blood heavily contrasted over her pale skin. Still, no biggie for her, aside from a slight wince. "Gotta patch myself up real quick, and then, well… you know the rest." She winked.

"Hrr, well… we are deep-deep-deep in concave. Doesn't look easily escapable, so… I guess we're stuck here. For now." Arnold plucked back down, sitting crisscrossed while glaring up at the high ceiling, smiling. "Looks like my work here is done."

Emily briefly stopped attending her wound, stifling a giggle. "What?"

"Teamin' up against you. Lettin' Kayla take the lead." He looked right back at Emily, cracking a teasing grin. "You made one crucial mistake: underestimatin' the clown."

"Well, I guess that makes me the circus." She giggled. "But okay. I applaud. Good on ya' for growing some balls. Still, I'm sure the circus taught you daring performances. Had it masked under that pirate getup the entire time. Smart."

"It's called… method actin'." Arnold answered back, confused over her conjecture. "It's not trickery. I'm preparing myself for a future movie role."

"Ooo, a superstar in the making. Fun."

"It's been a long dream of mine." He stared up the ceiling, moving his fingers into his front jacket pocket. "Never wanted anything more than to become an actor. Pirate roles, especially. I just need… a break-out moment."

Emily slowly laid her stomach on the ground, lifting both her feet in the air. "Film industry is a rough playground. Those that can stomach the politics and the occasional snakes are more likely to succeed." She rested her chin on one hand.

"Well, I'm glad you're not in the film industry."

"Oh-please." She laughed. "Like I would ever want to succumb myself to pleasing the status quo." She looked down the dirty floor, drawing a circle over the dust with her finger. "My mother used to be a C-list actress. Bottom-line support roles in meh romcoms. She did land a few good movies here and there, but still, C-list actress. Even got nominated for some random award. I don't know. Whatever. But… she got caught in some big ol' pickle, defrauding some executive that she apparently… played around with, if you catch my drift. Got slapped a hefty fine. But she foolishly gambled the risk. Big mistake."

Arnold looked down at his boots, re-tying the laces. "Sounds like your mother was the snake in that situation, if you ask me."

"Perhaps." She shrugged. "Not like the higher-up was any different. He had a cheating heart."

"Yeah… sounds like two snakes."

"Two snakes, but one was bigger than the other."

"Well, in that case, makes you wonder if two snakes could actually fall in love."

"Hah. If they don't end up stabbin' each other's backs. They'd bleed out by then, no doubt."

"I guess that makes sense." Following their brief conversation, silence. Arnold continued fiddling his front jacket pocket with his fingers as Emily looked and watched. They both suddenly locked eyes, smiling exhaustedly at each other. "So… any regrets in your past?"

"Regrets?" She rubbed her chin, cracking a confused grin. "Do you?"

"Used to regret the circus." He rubbed the back of his head. "But now, I learned to embrace it."

"From regret to leverage. Fun!" She smiled, standing back up as she flicked dust off her skirt. "Aside from throwing a party long-long long ago for a crush that never showed up, never liked me… I can't think of any other big o' regret. I won't be going over that embarrassment, but aside from that, I remember messin' up big time in a sneaker heist."

"Wait-a-sec, a sneaker heist?" Arnold raised an eyebrow, stifling a chuckle. "Like a shoe robbery?"

"It's more than just shoes." She giggled, hands behind her back. "These were one-of-a-kind sneakers, worth big-juicy money. I'm a sneakerhead, so I know my stuff."

"Okay, go on…"

"We had this plan. Flawless plan. The con was all set, ready to go. We had our small, close-knitted crew of three ready to make the owner of this massive sneaker collection the biggest fool of the day…" she walked closer to Arnold, reaching her hand too close for comfort. Her fingertips slightly grazed the pirate's jacket, alerting him as he stepped back.

"Argh?"

"Hey, I'm not gonna pickpocket you, okay? Could I borrow your sword for just a sec please?" Emily asked with a smile, as Arnold hesitantly slid the toy blade onto her palm. "Thank you. Like I was sayin'…" she took a step back, giving each other more space as she slowly paced around him in circles. "We had this neat little trick. The owner had his sneaker collection stored in this vault-like cabinet of glass and steel. But… he also had a blabbering mouth, so we took advantage of that. It's sorta like a pendulum; going into deep conversations that gets their gears engaged keeps them distracted by all the thinkin'. They think about what to say next, and we get started on searching for the keys. Simple as that. But what we didn't consider was how unprepared our plan was. Maybe I was being a little too harsh on my acquaintance, but then… splat!" She swung the sword downwards. "He ended up bailing on us, screwin' up our entire blueprint. Everything turned into mush. The owner called the cops, and we had to bail quick. But… at the end of the day, it is what it is. It's sorta like not tipping a barber and getting half your hair screwed up. It's bound to happen. What do you expect? You overlook one important detail, and suddenly, the entire con falls apart. A job half done."

"Regret?" Arnold muttered a harr-harr. "Sounds like karma to me."

"Aren't you a pirate?" She teased back. "Like you wouldn't do the same."

"No… because we're not the same."

"Of course, not." She lightly chuckled, twirling the sword around her sly fingers. "But maybe… it wouldn't hurt to learn from the best."

"Best in what?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Arnold, I'm gonna say this bluntly," she walked to her right, standing next to the lamp, arms crossed. "Where do you see this ending?"

"What do ya' mean?"

"You and Kayla. I mean… let's be real here," she giggled. "What do you gain from helping Kayla win every mini challenge?"

"A new friend." He fired back defensively.

"You sure about that?" She grinned mockingly. "On a reality show? Are you guys going to be best friends after the show is over? Let's be honest here; I bet you still don't even have her number. Or her socials. And even if you do, give it a month at most and she'll be leavin' you on seen. Here's the most likely scenario; after the show is done and over, Kayla will be returning home to Kiara and her rich clique of soap-opera besties, while you'll be—oh-right, yeah… the upcoming movie star you've always wanted to be. But then tell me, in what way will handing Kayla freebies benefit you in any way, shape, or form? Hmm?"

Arnold had no comment to add, looking away to his side arms crossed as he rubbed outside his jacket pocket once more. "I know what you're trying to do. You want me to betray Kayla. Or to form a new alliance with you. It ain't happenin'."

"No. I'm sure you hate my guts, so why bother?" She slowly approached him, hands behind her back in waltz-like fashion. "All I ask is that you reconsider your friendship with Kayla. Because let's be frank; at the end of the day, we are here to compete for the big million. Do you really think you two will be friends after the show? Do you even know what she truly thinks of you? What if she's just being nice to you purely as a strategic means to one-up me? Do you really want to live with regret knowing you helped Kayla willy-nilly, without any owed favors? Think about it. No benefits? None? Sounds like a job half done to me…"

Arnold turned his head around to face her. "I'd like my sword back please…" Brief silence roamed the air yet again. Both stared at each other intensely, almost standoffish. Arnold's arms laid loose but firm, frozen as he fiercely eyed the smiling deceiver. But it was not long before hearing rushing footsteps over their heads. A dim silhouette casted a shadow over them as Emily faced the pirate once more, in a teasing smirk.

"Sure thing…" As soon as she lightly tossed the cutlass to his palms, they intensely stared at each other in one final showdown. But suddenly, five seconds in, Arnold immediately hurled it right back at her, aiming for her face. A swing and a miss, as Emily ducked down, kicking an empty box towards him as hard as she could.

"YARR!" Arnold karate-chopped the box out of his way, darting towards his cutlass on the floor. A distraction well-executed; Emily climbed out of the bilge pit by gripping onto a sturdy wooden spike protruding out the wall, swinging enough momentum to leap towards the doorway exit, immediately chasing down Kayla without a glance back. More fuel for Arnold to take down Emily; he jumped onto the spike, bouncing out of the bilge while rolling through the door frame like an impressive circus performance.

Immediately, he scurried through the corridors, hunting and tracking down Emily's dusty footsteps. Stomping echoed through the dark ship. Rain began spilling into the hallways, flooding the floor by half an inch. Rushing splashes were in close proximity; Arnold cracked a slight smile, knowing Emily lost track of Kayla.

Then suddenly, the showdown commenced.

After sharply turning to his left in a corridor intersection, he foresaw his enemy, bumping into her as they knocked each other down on their backs, followed by echoes of water splash. They both sprung back up; Arnold stood his ground, readying for battle in a martial arts stance. Emily reached into her skirt pocket, pulling out a slingshot. Both glared each other in the eyes sharply. Not a single muscle move or twitch in sight.

Until suddenly, boom…

A wooden barrel dropped from the ceiling, falling between the two as it exploded upon impact. Both flew back from the strong whiplash, splashing onto the flowing water once again.

"Argh! Wait!" Arnold paused their showdown, as they both looked up in fright, noticing an entire line of explosive barrels held flimsily by a single rope, stretching out the entire corridor ceiling.

They both froze, firmly staring at each other before interrupted by a sudden voice of glee.

"Found you! Finally!" Her sigh of relief echoed across the entire corridor, all the way to the other side. Arnold and Emily both cupped their ears, deciphering the echo from a mile away: Kayla.

"Looks like your so-called 'bestie' found a key." Emily smirked, forming into a sprinting stance, preparing to outrun the pirate with the improvised plan to snatch the key from Kayla. She chuckled by her quick thinking, winking at Arnold one last time. "Catch me if you can!"

And away she dashed, making a run for it. But little did she knew, Arnold hatched one final gambit, envisioning this very scenario in slow motion; her arms swayed back and forth, and her shoes splashing onto the flooded floor with each step. A speed not many people could pull off. But none of it mattered because Arnold spotted an opportunity; he readied his cutlass, aiming his sword towards a dangling rope hanging against the wall a few meters away from him. Once he pinpointed the target, he let his sword loose, spinning in a flash. And just a second to spare…

Bullseye.

The sword pierced through the thin rope, cutting loose the entire row of barrels, as each one dropped down slowly in a quick succession. Emily had no choice but to glance back in horror, stunned as she held her arms over her head, shielding herself as much as she could from the soon-to-be mass destruction.

But Arnold stood still, frozen, shrugging it off before grabbing his pirate hat. He held it onto his chest, closed his eyes, and cracked a smile, envisioning himself going down with the ship.

And down… it went.

Boom.

After finally reaching the shore, Kayla turned around, instantly noticing a massive explosion from the pirate ship. The shockwave flew across the ocean, temporarily swaying away rain as the storm slowly calmed itself once again. Thunder less frequent over time, and no lightning strikes in sight. Impressive, given that Kayla swam the entire way back, with her clothes entirely drenched.

"Boom." She slid her key inside the leftmost treasure chest, immediately falling backwards in a huge sigh of relief once the chest opened itself up. She was exhausted. And yet, she smiled, followed by an infectious laugh. She won.

"Congrats, Kayla!" Calvin smiled back, holding his umbrella tight. "Now we have to wait for the remaining—"

And suddenly, Calvin and Kayla both heard screams submerging from the gray sky. Upon looking upwards, they instantly recognized the voices: Emily and Arnold. Completely covered in ash over their torn-up clothes as they face-planted near the shore, splashing intensely upon impact.

"Oh-my-gosh." Kayla rushed to the rescue, pulling Arnold out of the shore. "Are you okay?"

Arnold stood back up, attempting to dust off the black ash almost covering his entire body. No hat or eyepatch in sight. Just his short blonde hair and his worn-and-torn clothes. He pulled out his cutlass, but unfortunately, the sword already succumbed to the fire, shattering into pieces upon wielding. "Argh—" he coughed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry, I'll… I'll buy a new one. Maybe." He chuckled. "But not to worry. It all worked out in the end, because… I have the second key!" He limply strutted towards the second and final treasure chest, pulling out the key from his front jacket pocket as he slid it into the keyhole.

Victory, at last…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

But much to his horror… he did not hold the key. No key in sight. Upon readjusting his eyes, his jaw dropped in utter shock by the revelation; he was holding a pebble. A pebble. But how? He could not believe. He refused to believe it. He dropped onto his knees, resting his tired arms behind the treasure chest in quiet dismay. "How… how is this possible?"

"Bulls-eye." Emily blurted out, standing back up as she washed the remaining ash off her body. The entire left portion of her hair was almost shaved off by the explosion, leaving behind a messy side-part bob. But she smirked off her unfortunate hairdo, limping towards the treasure chest as she pulled out her prized possession: the key. "Such a shame, Arnold. You were doing so well. But you made one crucial mistake: a job half done." She slid the key inside the treasure chest, opening her winnings. "I never found a key, so I snatched yours right out of your jacket while you were distracted. No hard feelings." she giggled, adjusting her hair off her face before closing the chest shut.

"A hard pill to swallow…" Arnold sighed. "Well… that does it. To the Swim of Shame, I go…"

Confessional:

Arnold: "I'm… not that upset that I lost. Well, okay… maybe a little." He laughed. "Should've seen it comin'. But… oh well. I had a good run. Good things must come to an end, after all."

-static-

Kayla: She sighed heavily, eyeing down the floor. "I can't believe I would ever be saying this, but… I'm going to miss him. I'm going to miss Arnold, like, so much." She shed a timid tear. "But… at least we tried. I guess a friendship finale wasn't meant to be."

-static-

Emily: She crossed her legs, laughing. "I never planned to take Arnold with me to the finale. Way too risky, and I wanted an easy opponent. Duh. So, I kept my eyes peeled, observing his every move. And there it was… inside his jacket. As if his constant pocket-shuffling wasn't obvious enough." She giggled, pointing at herself in braggadocio. "You can't play a playa. Been doing this long enough."

-static-

"Any last words?" Hailee stood on the wooden dock, right under a cloudy, but calm evening sky. Standing right next to the host, he already accepted defeat, smiling as he looked back, noticing a distraught Kayla and a casual Emily chewing a marshmallow; the nonchalant redhead waved goodbye to Arnold as if nothing ever happened between them.

"Kayla?" He flashed one final grin. "I'll be rootin' for ya' in the finale. And Emily? Nice haircut." Arnold teased Emily one last time before saluting Kayla goodbye, falling backwards into the water.

The pirate ship has officially sunk.

"And there we have it, viewers!" Hailee walked back to shore, resting her hands on both Kayla and Emily's shoulders. "Our two finalists! A vicious rivalry! An unlikely hero versus a cunning trickster! Who will reign victorious? Who will end the show with bragging rights? Who will take home… the million-dollar prize? Who will win the last and FINAL challenge? This is it. The epic showdown is upon us all. So, stay tuned. Save your popcorn. Because you're about to witness war. A Kayla-versus-Emily battle. Right here! On the next and FINAL episode of…"

"Total!"

"Drama!"

"BAKUHATSU ISLAND!"

The Votes

Sudden-Death Elimination: (Arnold)

Elimination Table

1.

2.

3. Arnold

4. Daniela

5. Spencer

6. Nanci

7. Oliver

8. Hunter

9. Soraya

10. Rashon

11. Kiara

12. Lily

13. Zane

14. Alexander

Remaining Contestants

Kayla, Emily

[1] Interpolated Lyrics, Source: "break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored" by Ariana Grande

[2] Interpolated Lyrics, Source: "party 4 u" by Charli XCX

And there goes Arnold…

Here we are! The finale! The final two! After almost FIVE months of long, excruciating waiting, we are finally here! I did not expect, yet another lengthy chapter. But it turns out that writing a marathon of ten miniature challenges in one single chapter proved to be a bigger task than I initially thought. Also, some personal IRL stuff that took a large portion of my writing time, but I'll talk more about that on my final author's note.

I'll keep this short and sweet as well; I had a lot of fun writing Arnold, and I will for sure miss his shenanigans. I always envisioned having him go far in the game, but this episode felt like a good conclusion for him.

Overall thoughts? Who will you be rooting for? Who do you think will win? Any final predictions or theories?

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers! You're the best!

Stay tuned for the finale! The last and final revelation is near…