Getting back into reality game show competition wasn't simple at all for any of the contestants; but at least Gwen and Trent were still in relief that Blaineley was hosting the season instead of psychopath sadistic Chris McLean.

On the other hand, most contestants could have been unknowingly around Mal's return and the revolting interns.

—

—

—

—Scene at the trailer area; at 10:00 AM in the morning—

The contestants met up at the trailers again during the following morning to prepare for their current day.

Gwen recalled the unexpected events from the previous days and decided to chat with Trent in private.

"I don't know if we should spread the bad news that Dakota told us about yesterday because it might cause something more other than just disqualification. However, if the game is truly rigged we'll need some support to investigate the situation." Gwen said to Trent.

"Smart thinking. I believe a few of our teammates could possibly keep this secret, yet I'm not quite certain on specifically who." Trent conjectured.

—

—Scene at the boys' trailer; at 11:00 AM—

Trent and the other male contestants gathered around to talk before the next challenge was going to be announced.

"The way Cody was voted off last evening seemed very questionable. Glad I was not on his team." Scott said to the boys.

"It was indeed." Trent thought.

"Several of us have noticed Mike has been acting strange lately and he's been semi-conscious during the last two nights." Duncan told them with suspicion.

"Since you've observed Mike while we were in bed, did you ever see what he was doing?" Trent asked Duncan.

"Not very clearly because it was dark out, but I could hear him cursing in his 'sleep' and he could have been sleepwalking." Duncan answered.

"Don't tell me Mal has returned…" Scott responded anxiously.

"We'll need to keep a careful eye on him." Trent advised.

—

—Scene at the mess hall; at 12:00 PM—

The remaining 9 contestants were given a one hour lunch break before starting the next challenge.

Gwen and Trent discussed further about their investigations while eating.

"I noticed our team is experiencing less friction than the opposing team and it's possible that the interns are targeting them rather than just those who are not getting along." Gwen observed.

"Based on what we saw during the previous days, it's very likely that the interns will target the weaker team first." Trent assumed.

"Possibly; I'm not sure what they want with us and the other contestants even though the hosts are more likely to blame." Gwen pondered.

"Do you think our daughter is still in a safe spot?" Trent asked Gwen.

"Erika is currently secure with Dakota and we've exchanged phone numbers for emergency contact just in case, so she'll let us know if there are any concerns." Gwen told her husband.

"Glad you took extended precautions. I guess we get on with the game today after lunchtime then search for more answers." Trent asserted.

—

—Scene at the campground; at 1:00 PM—

Blaineley came over to the campground to reveal the upcoming challenge.

"Good afternoon Stormy Hydras and Flaming Phoenixes. Today you will be playing a game of hide-and-seek paintball tag in the forest." Blaineley assigned.

"Let me go over the rules of this challenge."

"For this challenge, two members of each team are chosen as seekers who will be tagging the opposing teams' members with paintballs who are hiders."

"You will wear your team colored vests and safety goggles; cerulean blue for the Hydras and amber red for the Phoenixes."

"The hiders will be wearing dull colors and the seekers will be armed with paintball guns wearing bright colored vests to make it easier for hiders to run from them."

"You will not score any points if seekers tag other seekers."

"The team who successfully tags all of the opposing team members' hiders with paintballs wins the challenge; but remember, friendly fire counts as a score for your opposing team so be careful."

"Gwen and Scott will be the seekers on the Stormy Hydras and Mike and Amy will be the seekers on the Flaming Phoenixes. The rest of you will be the hiders who will try to evade paintball shots." Blaineley explained.

"So this is like 'Paintball Deer Hunter' all over again; only without Chris and deer costumes." Gwen inferred sarcastically.

"Yes, pretty much. But this time there's a twist to the game that you will have to find out for yourselves." Blaineley told Gwen and the others.

"I will start the game when both teams are secure with vests and goggles." Blaineley said further.

—

The hiders put on their gear and got a head start to hide while Gwen and the other seekers were suiting up in their paintball equipment.

"I don't exactly get why hiders get to wear dull colors and why we are wearing bright colors even though all of us will be relying on our own stealth. It seems really unfair." Amy criticized on the rules.

"My guess is because they'll be dodging rapid projectiles, unlike us who will not need to run as fast; yet you've got a point." Gwen told Amy.

"That could be one reason; could be 'more'." Mike thought.

"This game better be something explainable or it's a team's lost cause." Scott pleaded.

—

—1:10 PM—

Seekers from both teams started the search a few minutes after all the hiders hid themselves in the forest.

Gwen went solo on her search for the opposing team's hiders and left Scott to do the same.

"From what I've learned watching previous seasons of this game show, Topher would most likely be the easiest to target." Gwen analyzed.

"I'm assuming he might be running off into a place that he thinks needs a co-host so I'll head towards the interns' lounge." she thought further.

—

As Gwen headed for the interns' lounge, she noticed one of the interns was attempting to sabotage the game settings and a certain team when she reached their headquarters.

"I wonder what this intern is trying to do to my team or the opposing team." Gwen said to herself while hiding behind a bush.

Another intern then appeared next to the intern that Gwen was spying on.

"Should we launch our plan this afternoon or sometime later when the contestants are less alert?" the male intern asked the female intern who he was working with.

"Maybe sometime later. Anyway, the rest of our crew are still trying to figure out how the game show was set." the female intern replied to him.

"Also, I've had this weird dream about Mike sneaking into the hosts' cabin late last night trying to steal something valuable from Blaineley; or it could have possibly happened for real." the female intern told the male intern.

"If Mike did actually steal an expensive item from the host, this means he went ahead of our plan." the male intern presumed.

—

—1:20 PM—

Gwen listened further into the interns' conversations and then returned to the game challenge.

"I know eavesdropping would most likely be considered intrusive, but this might be an emergency." Gwen thought.

"From what I've just heard, there's a chance that Mal has somehow come back."

—

—Scene back at the campground; at 1:50 PM—

The hiders on the separate teams were still not found during the past 40 minutes into the current challenge.

A sudden noise from a big tree then got Gwen's attention.

—

Samey was hiding in the big tree on a thick branch trying to stay quiet, but Amy was scolding at her from below behind the tree's trunk.

"You better find a less conspicuous place to hide and avoid being a sitting duck!" Amy yelled at Samey.

"Stop! You're going to expose my hiding spot." Samey said as she desperately tried to get her sister to stop talking.

"Too late!" Gwen said as she launched a surprise attack at Samey who hadn't moved from the tree branch.

"Argh!" Samey yelled in anger when the paint pellet exploded on her.

"Gotcha!" Gwen said after her paintball pellet struck Samey.

"You wouldn't stop talking and you got me hit! I hate you even more now!" Samey screamed at Amy with rage.

"So what?! You were never good at hide and seek since you were born!" Amy taunted Samey.

—

"It looks like Samey is out first!" Blaineley said through the megaphone pole.

"Let's see who's out next…"

—

—2:00 PM—

There was only one hider remaining on the Flaming Phoenixes team after Samey got hit.

None of the hiders from the Stormy Hydras team were currently taken down.

"Mike doesn't seem to be helping and I guess it's up to me to hunt down the opposing team's hiders." Amy asserted.

"My team is outnumbered five to four players; and thanks to Samey, we're going to risk losing again."

Gwen backed off from the twins' bickering and continued with the challenge.

"I wonder if these two would ever stop fighting. They're going nowhere with the constant blaming and whining and this may stir up something." Gwen thought to herself from hearing Amy and Samey quarrel again.

"I should probably check on my team's progress chart before the game ends."

—

—2:10 PM—

An hour into the game had past and the scores were now tied.

Trent was found by Amy and hit with paintballs then Courtney had gotten targeted and struck by Mike's paintball gun shortly afterward.

Duncan from the Stormy Hydras team and Topher from the Flaming Phoenixes team were still not found.

Gwen met up with her teammates at the campground who were out of the challenge to speak with them for a short time.

"I thought Topher would be easy to target because he's been known to stand out from the rest of the opposing team, but I guess I was wrong." Gwen told her teammates.

"That actually sounds unusual. Like you said, he's been known to show off." Trent presumed.

"Do you suppose something abnormal happened to him?" Courtney asked.

"That's possible. Blaineley also said there could be a twist to this game; yet we shouldn't jump to conclusions on what it could be about." Gwen told her.

—

—2:30 PM—

Blaineley notified the contestants with an update through the loudspeakers.

"If the last 2 hiders from opposing teams aren't found within the next 30 minutes everyone must report to the campground and we'll settle this game with a tiebreaker." Blaineley disclosed.

The seekers resumed the game for the next half hour.

—

Scott walked up to Gwen to discuss something regarding the last few minutes of the challenge.

"I don't think anyone has found the twist to the game yet. Do you suppose it's an immunity idol like that was used during previous seasons, or is it something else?" Scott questioned Gwen.

"Possibly; though there could be more than just one twist." Gwen replied to Scott.

"Have you noticed anything strange going on with the game on lately?" Gwen asked back.

"Not really, however it seems like Topher made some disappearing act." Scott answered.

"Hmm…, now something doesn't seem normal…" Gwen thought to herself in suspicion.

—

—2:40 PM—

Gwen and Scott ran into Duncan several minutes later who was hiding in a hole underground.

"Ouch! Oh no! They bumped into my head and found me!" Duncan screamed in distraught.

"Calm down. It's just us." Scott told Duncan.

"Oh, good. It's you and not the opposing team." Duncan said after realizing it was his teammates.

"Blaineley mentioned something about a hidden twist to the game. By any chance did you get a frisk on it? Gwen asked Duncan.

"I've been snooping around but I haven't found any dirt on Blaineley's whereabouts." Duncan replied.

"How about you two?" Duncan asked Scott and Gwen.

"Nothing special yet." Scott said.

"I'm normally not the type of person who exposes secrets and this has nothing to do with Blaineley, but I think Mike's alternate persona 'Mal' has returned!" Gwen anxiously revealed to them.

"So you're telling us Mal is back?!" Duncan said with concern.

"If I'm not wrong, I'm afraid so." Gwen assured.

"Maybe Blaineley knows about Mal and he was the twist." Scott implied.

"Could be." Duncan thought.

—

—Scene at the campground; at 3:00 PM—

Twenty minutes flew by and Duncan remained hidden from his opposing team and Topher still couldn't be found.

Blaineley signaled both teams with an airhorn.

"Time's up! Everyone must report back at the campground immediately for the tiebreaker game!" Blaineley summoned.

All the remaining contestants except Topher met up at the middle of the campground when the game ended.

"I see everyone is here… hey, wait. Where's Topher? He should be back by now." Blaineley questioned.

"I wasn't paying attention to him and I won't know." Mike said.

"Beats me." Amy answered.

"I don't know either." Samey added.

"I haven't seen him since the start of the challenge." Trent informed.

"I couldn't find him anywhere during the challenge." Gwen remarked.

"He's probably fooling around. It'd be a surprise to see him vanish and have others take him serious this time." Scott inferred.

"I doubt he'd run off like this. Something might have happened to him." Courtney analyzed.

"He could have been kidnapped by interns." Duncan joked.

"Duncan!" the other contestants yelled at him in disgust.

"Alright, alright! Maybe I said too much." Duncan responded to the others with grief.

Blaineley stood in front of them stunned.

"Does anyone else have something more to say?" Blaineley asked the contestants further.

"Yes. I think Duncan's 'theory' might actually sound plausible." Gwen told Blaineley.

"In what way would you think that?" Blaineley inquired with curiosity.

"Dakota told me something about the interns acting more strange than usual yesterday and I'm not sure if I should spill the news." Gwen answered.

"If there are any 'secrets' behind the set, I would most likely catch them on camera." Blaineley mentioned to them.

"I know I could risk disqualification if I reveal this to you, but I need to say this. The interns are revolting and they are trying to sabotage the game show!" Gwen hypothesized.

"Interesting theory; yet we still need to get on with today's tiebreaker without Topher and later prepare for the next elimination ceremony." Blaineley said as she took notice.

—

—3:05 PM—

The tiebreaker game was then set for the two teams.

"Your tiebreaker will be a 50 piece jigsaw puzzle for each team and whichever team completes their puzzle picture correctly first wins today's challenge." Blaineley explained.

"You may open the puzzles' boxes and start now."

Members on opposing teams quickly scrambled for puzzle pieces to assemble into a picture.

It seemed like the Stormy Hydras had the lead.

—3:45 PM—

About 40 minutes went by and the Stormy Hydras team managed to put their puzzle together first.

"This looks like a picture of Camp Wawanakwa." Trent said after his team completed the jigsaw puzzle.

"Yes, that's correct; and your team wins again!" Blaineley told them.

"That means we lost for the third time!" Amy said angrily.

"What was our puzzle picture supposed to be anyway?" Samey asked.

"Looks like the jumbo jet from Total Drama World Tour." Mike figured after examining the incomplete puzzle.

"I'm sorry Flaming Phoenixes. You will be voting off someone out of your team this evening, or in another case someone absent will be disqualified for not being here." Blaineley said to the losing team.

"The Stormy Hydras have gained immunity but there won't be a reward this time."

—

—Scene at the trailer area; at 5:30 PM—

Courtney was chatting with Gwen inside the girls' trailer regarding what was heard earlier.

"Do you think the game is really rigged or do you think it was just a coincidence that we've won three challenges in a row?" Courtney asked Gwen.

"I'm positive that this game show is being rigged, I saw it happen with my own eyes this afternoon." Gwen replied to Courtney.

"I haven't witnessed anything very strange until today, so I'll keep my eyes out too." Courtney considered.

"How has your daughter Erika been lately since the game show started?" Courtney asked again.

"She's been missing me and Trent during the past three days of competition and I want to do better for her." Gwen told Courtney.

"I can agree that this film camp is not a proper place for a baby to live." Courtney observed.

"The sooner Trent and I finish with this game show, the faster we'd get out of these living conditions and move back to our apartment." Gwen contemplated.

"Erika will be sleeping next to her daddy in the boys' trailer tonight and hopefully she'll learn more about her environment."

—

—Scene at the campground; at 7:15 PM—

An intern was searching for equipment inside a supply shed that evening and he stumbled upon Topher who was tied up in ropes with his mouth taped shut.

"Hey dude, what are you doing in here?" the intern asked Topher.

Topher couldn't speak with the tape covering his mouth so he squirmed towards the intern and made a muffled sound.

"Let me get that strip of tape off of your mouth." the intern said to him.

"What have they done to you?! I think the hosts have gone way too far this time with torture!" the intern thought.

With his mouth untaped, Topher could speak.

"No, it was Mike who did this to me!" Topher explained.

"Why would he do this to you?" the intern asked Topher again.

"Give me a moment to get this clear." Topher said as he tried to remember what happened.

—Topher's flashback—

***Flashback Scene***

In a flashback, Mike (Mal) had secretly assaulted and trapped Topher somewhere by the campground and was planning to do something unthinkable to him.

"If you mention something about revolting interns to the others, I will tie you up with ropes and throw you off the cliff into the shark infested lake next to this campground!" Mal cruelly told Topher.

"I wasn't intending to be nosy. I was just trying to find a hiding spot, then I ran into you. We're also on the same team." Topher said fearfully while trying to confess.

"That doesn't matter. What I want is for you to keep your mouth shut and avoid telling the host and remaining contestants that you heard I'm joining the revolt to get revenge on the show." Mike (Mal) explained specifically.

Because Mal knew that Topher was foolish enough to reveal secrets, he had second thoughts and tied him up with ropes, taped his mouth shut, and stuffed him into a supply shed.

***Flashback Ends***

—

The intern then spoke with Topher again.

"If Mike is planning to join our revolt, I don't understand why he would put someone's life in danger instead of demanding for better treatment and wages." The intern wondered.

Topher then remembered he had to get back to the campground before it was too late.

"Oh, look at the time; I gotta run." Topher said as he left the area where he was found.

—

—Scene at the campfire ceremony; at 7:30 PM—

Blaineley was about to hand out medals to the contestants who weren't going to be voted off.

She also invited the Stormy Hydras team to watch their opposing team's elimination.

"As you might have heard before, those who don't participate in the game or refuse to follow rules could risk disqualification." Blaineley reminded the last few members of the Flaming Phoenixes team.

"For tonight, one member from the Flaming Phoenixes will be sent home for not participating and reporting back to the camp when today's challenge ended."

Topher made a nervous face.

"I'm sorry Topher, but you've been eliminated and you must take the 'Lift of Shame'." Blaineley told Topher.

A shocked reaction appeared on Topher's face.

He wanted to explain the cause of his disappearance but he didn't have enough time and left the film camp shortly after being disqualified.

—

Blaineley then had something else to say.

"Stormy Hydras, I brought you guys over to the campfire because I will be merging the teams tomorrow. You will be competing individually the next day and for the rest of the game." Blaineley declared.

"This would be like the first season of Total Drama where Trent and I both made the merge; however things may be different with Erika around." Gwen thought to herself after making observations.

—

—Scene at the trailer area; at 8:30 PM—

Trent spoke with Gwen later that evening outside the trailers.

"With the teams merging, I suppose alliances could be off limits." Trent considered.

"Yes, and this means that we'll have to rely on our own strengths and experience." Gwen conjectured.

"Contrary to this if one of us gets voted off, Erika could be taken back home to live a normal life." Gwen pondered further.

"You're right. She'll be happier in her usual environment." Trent concurred.

—

—Scene at the boys' trailer; at 2:00 AM the following day—

Something was going on during the middle of the night while Trent was sleeping in his trailer with his daughter next to him.

Mike sleepwalked out of the male contestants' trailer and entered the confessional booth not knowing that Mal was taking over again.

—

—Scene behind the trailer area; at 2:05 AM—

Mike's (Mal's) confessional footage:

"It seems like Gwen has discovered the interns' strike and there's a chance she's going to fight back." Mal said.

"What she doesn't know is that I've known about this revolt all along and I'm actually infiltrating the interns' plans in order to steal the million dollar prize money and leave them penniless."

Mal continued to conceal himself and left the confessional.