Chapter 13: Water You Waiting For?


Reviews:

Phenomenal Ultra Instinct: Thanks! I'm really glad to hear that you liked it. Glad you liked Lightning and Sky's interactions as well. I'm glad the vote didn't seem like I was just trying to stick it to a character I hate, even though that's exactly what I was doing. Yes, the figure was indeed Mal, and Mike is actually cursed.

dm4487: EXACTLY! I have almost nothing good to say about Jo, except that she was the one who kept people's heads in the game on the Mutant Maggots, and that doesn't seem like it will be a problem for the Moose, so she was entirely expendable.

EndeavorT: Yes, it was Justin's hair care products.

QueenAzulaThinksYourWorthless: I completely agree with everything you said about Jo. Honestly, I don't think she should have even been able to get Lightning eliminated, because while he did drop the ball during crunch time, so to speak, she wasted hours arguing with Heather before that. Whoa, whoa, what about JaShawn? What are they, chopped liver? And does Mal really look like a guy with a plan?

DSX62415: I'm very happy that you liked it. And Jo definitely had it coming.

Gucci Mane LaFlare: I also hate Jo less than Amy, but only because Jo is somewhat less useless and only bullied Brick and Cameron for about a week, as opposed to the years Amy has tormented her sister. Glad you like Cody's attempts at flirting. Thanks!

perfectlove990: Thanks! Yes, she definitely had it coming. I won't comment on Justin and Gwen just yet, you'll have to see for yourself how that goes down. As for Alejandro attempting to manipulate Zoey, it may happen at some point. Many of the Badgers are rather complacent at the moment because they haven't lost since the Awake-a-thon, but it might happen.

DangerousDill11: I wouldn't say Lightning isn't a jerk at all, he is a bit of a jerk, more so when under stress. I do think that side of him is severely overstated, but it is there. However, I don't plan to make it too prevalent.

dark Mage: Thanks! Sorry, I said I wouldn't consider challenges left in the reviews section, but I honestly doubt I would have had an archery challenge anyway. It's a bit too straightforward.

TaitanoRules555: That I will not tell you, not yet. I will say I do have plans for her, but she won't be super relevant until later. With this many characters, many of them need to take turns getting focus.


Teams:

Gophers: B, Beardo, Beth, Brick, Dawn, Duncan, Ella, Heather, Jasmine, Sammy

Bass: Courtney, DJ, Ezekiel, Lindsay, Mike, Sam, Scarlett, Scott, Topher, Tyler

Moose: Aiden, Cameron, Cody, Eva, Harold, LeShawna, Lightning, Noah, Owen, Shawn

Badgers: Alejandro, Bridgette, Geoff, Gwen, Justin, Katie, Sadie, Sierra, Sky, Trent, Zoey


The episode opened on the campers eating breakfast. Justin and Alejandro bursted through the door.

"All right, who took our hair gel?" Justin demanded.

"Don't look at me," Trent said.

"Wasn't me, bro. I don't even use hair gel," Geoff said.

Justin demanded, "Then who did?"

Aiden offered, "It was probably Izzy. She's still out there, remember?"

Alejandro asked, "Would she really steal from us?"

Aiden looked blankly at him. "You're kidding, right? I know you weren't on our team, but I'm sure you must have noticed how psychotic she is. She should probably be locked up in a padded cell, honestly."

Noah shrugged. "Yeah, she is a complete and total nutjob. And I'm not talking tiny peanuts. That girl is a Brazil nut sized nutjob."

Chris suddenly burst through the mess hall doors. "Gooooood moooooorning campers!" he shouted. "Who's ready for today's challenge?" The campers groaned. "That's the spirit! Everyone, change into your swimsuits and assemble at the dock in twenty minutes!" DJ froze up.

"Excuse me, Chip?" Lindsay raised her hand. "My mom said not to go swimming less than thirty minutes after eating, or I might get sick."

"Yeah, I heard that too!" Owen said.

Justin added, "I can't get sick! It could be bad for my modeling career!"

Chris sighed. "Fine. Assemble at the dock in thirty minutes."

Thirty minutes later, at the dock, the campers looked at what had been set up, seeing a few buoys, a circle in the water, and a box covered by a tarp on the dock, as well as a speedboat and a jet ski. "You might be wondering what all this is for," Chris said. "Well, today's challenge is in three parts. And not all of you will be participating." That caused a stir.

"The first challenge is a four-way chicken fight," he continued.

"CHICKENS?! Where?" Tyler screamed.

"No, Tyler, chicken fights have nothing to do with chickens," Courtney explained. "In a chicken fight, one person sits on another's shoulders, and tries to push a similarly situated person into the water."

"Huh. Then why's it called a chicken fight?" Tyler asked.

"Ahem!" Chris interjected. "The second part is a race, from…a ways offshore, I don't know how many feet 50 meters is."

"Approximately 164.041995 feet," Harold said.

"Thank you, Harold," Chris said flatly.

"I was just trying to be helpful. Gosh!"

Chris continued, "And the third part will be a water-skiing competition. The winners of each individual part will win invincibility for their team, and the team that loses all three parts will send someone home."


The teams all discussed who should participate in each event. "I should totally do the swim race," Geoff said to his team. "I'm a surfer, so I'm used to swimming, and I have the most upper body strength out of all of us."

Bridgette nodded. "And if he doesn't win, I should water-ski. I'm a surfer too, so I would have an easier time keeping my balance than anyone else."

On the other side of the dock, Eva said to her team, "Leshawna and I should do the chicken fight."

Lightning objected, "Why don't you want the Lightning to be in the chicken fight? I'd sha-do great!"

Eva explained, "You're going to do the swim race on the off-chance we lose. Leshawna and I aren't as fast of swimmers as you."

Lightning considered this. "You got that right."

A bit away from them, Scott said to his team, "Okay, so we'll need our strongest players for the chicken fight. So, you and me, DJ?"

DJ paled. "No, I can't. I'm scared of the water, remember? I can't do this."

Suddenly, Chris said, "Who told you all that you would get to pick your participants? No, only the Gophers will be picking their participants, because they won the last challenge. For the rest of you, it seems fate will decide." He pulled the tarp off the box, revealing the randomizer from the Truth or Scare challenge.

He spun it once, and the faces it showed were those of Eva and Owen. "So, it looks like Eva and Owen will be doing the chicken fight for the Moose. The Bass's players will be…" He spun the slots again. "Courtney, and…Mike!" He spun the slots once more, and announced, "And the Badgers participating will be…Gwen, and…Geoff!"

The Gophers conferred quickly. "We should have me and B participate in this one," Duncan said. "He's stronger than anyone else on our team, and I'm plenty strong myself. Plus, I think this challenge sounds fun."

Chris asked the group, "Who will do this challenge for your team?"

Duncan answered, "B and I will do it!"


Owen whispered to Eva, "Are you nervous about losing this one?"

Eva shook her head. "Should I be? The Bass and Badger pairs don't seem like much of a threat, and I'm sure we can take whoever the Gophers pick."

Owen looked at B. The silent genius was about the same size as him, but unlike the blond boy, B was extremely muscular. He looked at B's huge arms, then at his own, and said, "I don't know about that."

Eva followed his gaze. "Just focus on keeping your balance. I can get their other player off his shoulders."


Mike told his team, "I'm going to need to bring out one of my alters for this challenge. I know Vito can be insufferable, but he's my physically strongest alter, so can you put up with him until this is over?"

Courtney shrugged. "How bad can he be?"

Mike took a deep breath. He then removed his swim shirt, he gasped, and his hair slicked back. "Yo, yo, yo! Da Vito is in da house! Time to par-tay!"

Courtney sighed. "I had to ask."

Scarlett decided to intervene. "Excuse me, Vito, we need your help for a challenge. Could you-" She put her hand on his arm, but he jerked away. "Ay, Red! If you wanna touch da Vito, you gotta make an appointment!" He then turned to Courtney and Lindsay and grinned. "You two, though, you can touch me all you want."

Courtney and Lindsay both scowled at him.


Confessional: Courtney

"It's for the challenge, it's for the challenge, it's for the challenge..."

Confessional: Lindsay

"I can't believe the nerve of that Toto personality! Like, I know I'm pretty, but I'm not easy. I hope Miles doesn't bring him back after this."

End confessional


The chicken fight began with the four pairs in the circle in the water. Owen charged forward toward B and Duncan, hoping his momentum would knock the two down, or at least make it easier for Eva to topple Duncan. However, B charged as well, towards Geoff and Gwen. He knocked the surprised surfer over easily, and Owen frantically tried to stop his charge, barely succeeding. Vito and Courtney tried to take advantage of the opening, but Eva shoved Courtney into the water, and she took Vito down with her.

B and Owen then crashed into each other, and Duncan and Eva tried to topple each other as B tried to knock Owen over. Owen desperately tried to keep his balance. Duncan and Eva shoved each other as hard as they could, trying not to be the first to fall. However, in the end, the delinquent couldn't match his opponent's tremendous strength, and he ended up falling. About a second later, B shoved Owen over, causing both him and Eva to fall into the water.

"And the Moose win, by a hair!" Chris announced. "Now, on to the second part!"

As they climbed out of the water, Vito said to Courtney, "Sorry I couldn't keep you out of da water. Though if you don't mind getting wet—"

Courtney cut him off, giving him a death glare. "If you ever want to have kids, you won't finish that sentence."

Vito gulped. "Got it."

Scott quickly forced Mike's shirt back onto him. "I think we've all had enough of that guy."

Vito gasped and turned back into Mike. "Did we win?"

Ezekiel told him, "Noo, that Eva girl won. She's really strong, eh."


Confessional: Ezekiel

"It was actually seein' Eva fight those dinosoors wot convinced me dad was wrong. I'm just glad I didn't say anything befoor, or she mighta hurt me, eh."

Confessional: Scott

"That Vito guy? Well, let's just say it's a good thing he ain't the main personality, or I'd mess him up pretty bad. Well, that's assuming Courtney wouldn't beat me to it."

End confessional


Chris spun the randomizer again for the second challenge. "And for the second challenge, for the Bass, the swimmer will be...Ezekiel! And for the Badgers...Bridgette! Gophers, who will be representing your team? And it can't be Duncan or Beverly, because they already participated."

The Gophers conferred quickly. "We've chosen Jasmine to swim for our team," Heather told the host shortly afterwards.

Chef took the three swimmers offshore in the Boat of Losers. "On your mark, get set, GO!" he shouted, and the three of them dived into the water.

Bridgette took the lead early. Jasmine and Ezekiel were both fast in the water, but it was no contest. Bridgette easily beat them in the race.

Geoff helped Bridgette out of the water. "You were pretty awesome back there," he complimented.

"Thanks," she replied. "I feel like a total klutz when I'm on land, but when I'm in the water, it's like I'm in my element."

Geoff nodded. "I get it. Like, whenever I surf, it's like, I feel super chill, more than anytime else."

Bridgette smiled. "Yeah, I feel...at peace in the water too."

Then they saw Ezekiel climb out of the water, Jasmine having already done so. "That woos embarrassing, eh."

Chris frowned. "Not the most intense second part, but you get what you get. Now, for part three!" He spun the randomizer one last time. "Skiing for the Bass is...Sam!"

Sam smiled. "Cool! I got the high score on the waterskiing minigame on Wii Fit Plus."

The host then turned to the Gophers. "Who will be skiing for your team?"

The Gophers all looked at each other nervously. Beardo made a buzzer noise, indicating that he didn't want to be the one to ski.

Heather said, "I'm with you, Beardo. I don't even know how to waterski."

Ella volunteered, "I'll do it!"

Heather looked at her. "You sure you can do this?"

Ella held her gaze. "Absolutely! I would love to be the skier for our team! I've actually been waterskiing several times."

Heather nodded. "Okay." She then turned to Chris. "Ella will be skiing for our team."

Chris raised his eyebrows. "Ella? Not who I was expecting. But we'll just have to see how she does, then. Sam, you get to go first!"

Beth asked Chris, "Will Chef drive the jet ski?"

"Excellent question, Beth! You get a cookie!" The host tossed her a sugar cookie covered in plastic wrap, which she caught. "No, each team will choose a driver to drive their opponent's jet ski."

Scott stepped forward. "Then I'm it!"

Heather also stepped forward. "Me too!"

Chris smiled. "Perfect."


Sam stood on the dock, his feet strapped into the skis. He held the tow line in his hands. "So, do I just stand here, or—whoa!" He felt the jet ski pull him off the dock and into the water. It took him a moment to find his balance, but once he did, he skied fairly well. "Hey, it is a lot like the game!" When he raced past the first flag, he grabbed it. "Ten points!"

Heather scowled and pressed the accelerator. She raced even faster past the second buoy. But Sam reacted quickly, and grabbed the second flag. "Combo x2!"

Heather's scowl deepened, and she started swerving left and right. Sam struggled to adjust, but he caught the third flag anyway. However, when he reached the fourth buoy, one of his skis connected with the base, and he lost his balance, barely missing the fourth flag and falling into the water. He did manage to hold onto both the tow line and the three flags he had caught, but Heather sped past the fifth buoy before he could recover.

When he got out of the water, he was quite red. He shouted, "It stings!" He then handed Chris the flags. Chris counted them. "Three flags. Gophers, if you can beat that, you're golden."

Scott sat down on the jet ski, and grinned evilly at Ella. "Are you ready, princess girl?"

Ella smiled sweetly. "Oh, yes." Scott zoomed off, but if it bothered Ella, it didn't show. He drove as wildly as possible to try to shake her, but she wasn't fazed by any of it. As she skied, she sang:

"Skiing on the water is so lovely,

Underneath the summer sun,

Not a cloud in the sky above me,

I am having lots of fun,

The way the sunlight bounces off the water,

And rainbows in the ocean spray,

The beauty sets my heart aflutter,

Today is such a lovely day!"

As she sang the last note, she grabbed the fifth flag, having successfully collected all five. "And Ella wins it for her team by...singing?" Chris announced.


Confessional: Scott

"All I'm going to say is, that girl has nerves of steel. Also, where was the music she was singing to coming from?"

End confessional


"And that means that I will be seeing you guys at elimination," Chris said to the Bass team. The members of the Bass team groaned.


At the elimination ceremony, Chris held his plate of marshmallows. "Honestly, several of you messed up today, yet none to the point of being solely responsible for your loss today. But one of you has to go, and it won't be DJ, Lindsay, Topher, Tyler, or Scarlett," he said.

"But as for the rest of you, you're all at risk. Courtney, Mike, Ezekiel, and Sam for losing your challenges, and Scott for failing to shake Ella."

Scott interjected, "Hey, that's not my fault! She was determined!"

"Which is why you're safe," the host said, as he tossed the ginger a marshmallow. "Courtney, you are also safe. But the other three received votes tonight. And tonight's loser is..."

"Ezekiel."

Ezekiel gasped. "Wot? Why me? I did wot yoo said, and kept quiet, eh."

Chris shrugged. "I guess you just weren't popular enough with your teammates. It happens." Ezekiel sighed and began to walk down the Dock of Shame.

Scott's expression was shocked, but he quickly recovered and scanned the crowd of faces. Courtney and DJ were both confused, Sam and Mike were relieved, Lindsay and Tyler both were studying the ground, Topher's expression was impassive, and Scarlett was smirking. He narrowed his eyes.


Confessional: Scott

"I may be from redneck territory, but I ain't no sucker. I know why Ezekiel was voted out, and probably Rodney, too. They were voted out in order to weaken me. And I'm guessing Scarlett was behind it. I've even got a pretty good idea of who she's allied with. Well, if it's war you want, Smart Girl, it's war you'll get! I ain't goin' down without a fight!"

End confessional


As the campers were leaving the campfire area, Scott drew Courtney, DJ, and Sam aside. Once he was certain the other five were out of earshot, he whispered to them, "Hey, I need to talk to the three of you. First, none of you are in an alliance with Scarlett, right?"

The three of them looked confused. Courtney asked, "No, why?"

Scott responded, "I didn't think so, but I had to be sure. I have reason to believe Scarlett, Mike, Lindsay, Topher, and Tyler are in an alliance, and that Scarlett is calling the shots for them." The other three all looked frightened by the implications.

DJ asked him, "All of them? Are you sure?"

Scott answered, "I can't prove it, but yes. Remember how she chose them to work with her in the capture the flag challenge? That would have been the perfect time to tell them to vote for Ezekiel when we next lost. And I think their alliance was responsible for voting out Rodney, too. Now, I'm suggesting we form an alliance of our own to fight them. It might take a bit of dishonesty and playing dirty, but I think we can still beat them."

Courtney's expression darkened. "I'm in."

Scott smiled. "I thought you would be."

Sam and DJ both looked more uncertain. "I'm in too, but there's still five of them and four of us," Sam said. "What do we do about that?"

Scott grinned maliciously. "Leave that to me." He put his hand in the center of the circle the four of them created, and Courtney and Sam both put their hands in as well. The three of them then looked at DJ expectantly. Courtney said, "Well?"

DJ took a deep breath. "I hope I don't regret this." He placed his hand in to join theirs.


Well, now, it looks like things are getting interesting on the Bass team, eh? I just hope the ending makes up for what I thought was an underwhelming challenge. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling particularly inspired for this challenge. I'll make it up to you guys next chapter, I promise.

But back to the topic of the Bass team, things are certainly getting interesting. Scarlett has a majority vote right now, and Scott knows it. Now, we'll just have to wait and see what he does about it. He may be at a disadvantage, but I wouldn't count him out just yet.

As for my thoughts on Ezekiel, I feel sorry for him more than anything else. I don't really like him, and I don't think stories where he gets far feel realistic for the most part, with Total Shuffled World Tour being the only exception I can think of. But he's harmless, he shouldn't have been first out in World Tour (would it have killed them to eliminate him fifth or sixth?), and he definitely didn't deserve his canon fate. I also think writing his dialogue is kind of annoying, but I can assure you that didn't factor into his low placement.

Apologies for the chapter being short. I promise you a long one next time, okay?

I do have a lot challenges planned, but I do still need some ideas, particularly for the four-team phase but also some for the two-team phase. The idea is for the challenges to get more sadistic over time, PM me if you have ideas. Do not leave your challenge suggestions in the reviews, or I will not consider them.

Elimination order:

52: Dave, the Germaphobe

51: Staci, the Compulsive Liar

50: Dakota, the Fame-Monger

49: Sugar, the Pageant Queen

48: Amy, the Evil Twin

47: Leonard, the LARPer

46: Anne Maria, the Jersey Shore Reject

45: Izzy, the Psycho Hose Beast (still out there?)

44: Rodney, the Lovesick Farm Boy

43: Max, the Super-Villain Wannabe

42: Jo, the Take-No-Prisoners Jockette

41: Ezekiel, the Homeschooled Guy