Chapter 19: Top Dog


Reviews:

WeirdAlfan101: There is absolutely nothing positive I have to say about Mike, except "at least he's not Dave." I don't blame you for being happy Aiden is gone, as I made him as unlikable as possible on purpose. Yes, Mike is skinny, but in-universe, Mal (and I'm assuming Vito) are very strong despite that. I'm glad you decided to keep reading. Thanks!

Gucci Mane LaFlare: Glad to hear I did a good job. Yes, it was. The challenge was actually kind of a pain to write, but I got what I needed out of it. Yes, I figured it was about time for those two to make up. Glad I'm not butchering Scott's character too much. Thanks!

TaitanoRules555: Thanks!

xtremexavier15: Glad you won't miss Dave.

Phenomenal Ultra Instinct: Yup.

xtremexavier15 again: That's how I like Amy as well.

QueenAzulaThinksYourWorthless: I doubted Mike would be missed. Fangren was basically the only author who could make him likable to me, although there were a few others that came close. Glad to hear Aiden didn't overstay his welcome. I'll do my best with those plotlines.

Crystaliser: Thanks. And it is possible.

insertnamehere21: I don't know what version of All-Stars you watched, but Mal was not confirmed to be the original. Mike and his alternates thought he was briefly, but then remembered Mal could edit things in Mike's mindscape. I do agree the timing was much better. I admittedly did exaggerate Cody's desperation for comedic effect, but I'm sticking with my interpretation of Cody. He just found Gwen's anti-queen bee status cooler than Heather's queen bee status.

Knifez: I picked the challenge because it involved violence and wasn't especially teamwork-oriented, meaning it would serve the plot purpose. To be fair, it works a lot better in Total Drama: Legends vs. Nobodies (which everyone should still absolutely read, by the way). I like playing with expectations a bit, as long as it makes logical sense, and both eliminees wouldn't work as well by staying as their eliminations would as catalysts for further story development. I agree, Duncan's position on the Gophers was precarious, and Katie and Sadie were going nowhere development-wise. Topher does have more plot going on than Sierra, which stems from a fundamental difference in their playing styles (Topher focuses on strategic game, Sierra on challenge skill). Tyler and Lindsay are indeed likely to be targeted soon, though you'll have to wait and see how it plays out.

Riley-Cooper123: That was absolutely a Gravity Falls reference, and it wasn't even the only one I made. I'm glad to hear I did such a good job of writing Aiden. The reason people don't like OC stories is because the OCs have a habit of dominating the entire story and taking focus away from characters the readers actually care about. Also, I don't do things just for the representation like that. The gay thing will come up again before Beardo gets eliminated.

insertnamehere21: Not sure what you were trying to say about Duncan and Brick. Anyway, we know little about DJ's background, so I had to make some things up. Chris doesn't care, but keeping Mike around would be pointless as he would have been voted out pretty much instantly at that point, and this is still the first season, so Chris isn't entirely sure what he can get away with. Aiden admittedly wasn't especially creative, but that was more or less the point-he thinks he's great, but he can't back it up.

Omni Spectator: Yes, Mal is indeed gone. I'd agree that Topher and Sierra are doing well with fixing things between them. I admittedly don't really get Mike's appeal, but I don't hold it against you for liking him. Not sure why you would need the anonymity of reviewing seperately from your account but okay. If you have challenge recommendations, please send them via PM.

Dark mage: Maybe. And no, all three immunity idols are on Wawanakwa.

Red Rain: Wasn't my idea, it was from one of agreenparrot's stories. I do agree this was a good time for Mike to go; he just didn't mesh with this story. Aiden would have been eliminated soon anyway, the injuries were just retribution for his attempt at sabotaging Mike. Yes, the status quo has been altered significantly. Thanks!


Teams:

Gophers: B, Beardo, Beth, Brick, Heather, Jasmine, Katie, Sammy

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

Moose: Cameron, Harold, Leshawna, Lightning, Noah, Owen, Shawn

Badgers: Alejandro, Bridgette, Duncan, Geoff, Sadie, Sierra, Sky, Trent, Zoey


The episode opened on Shawn falling out of the tree he was sleeping in. Thankfully, he had tied a rope around his ankle and to a branch, and he avoided crashing to the ground.

Jasmine woke up as well, and the two climbed down from their trees. "Wow, it's bloody blustery this morning, isn't it?" she asked, having to speak loudly over the wind.

"Yeah, could be a storm on the way," Shawn agreed. "We may have to compete in the rain today."

"That'd be annoying," Jasmine commented.

"Yeah, but that's part of the price we pay for being on this show, I guess," Shawn said in response. "Or for spending a lot of time outdoors in general. Well, at least in Canada. I don't know if Australia gets a lot of rain."

"Some parts of it, but not where I'm from," Jasmine replied. "But I've lived in Canada for a couple years now, so I'm used to it, mostly. Still, it can get pretty annoying."

Shawn shrugged. "Let's get some breakfast. I'm hungry."


Confessional: Shawn

"I'm not gonna miss that Aiden guy. He kinda sucked. But now my team is basically controlled by an alliance I'm not part of. I know the next person off my team will probably be Lightning, Owen, or me. I need to find a way to ensure it's not me."

End confessional


After breakfast, Shawn tried to sneak off to go idol hunting. However, it seemed Lightning had other plans. "Where you think you're sha-going?" he asked Shawn.

"Idol hunting," the survivalist answered.

"No, you ain't," Lightning retorted. "We've got to train."

"But I'm in great shape!" Shawn retorted.

"Sha-no matter," Lightning told him. "If you skip, everyone else will wanna skip too."

Shawn groaned.


Duncan woke up late. When he got out of bed, he noticed his spray paint was missing. He stormed out of the cabin, and heard the hiss of a spray can coming from the side of the cabin. He followed the sound to see Zoey putting the finishing touches on a mural on the side of the cabin.

"Excuse me?" he asked. "What the heck? Why'd you steal my spray paint?"

Zoey looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry...I just woke up feeling inspired and I had to paint before I lost my inspiration."

Duncan frowned at her. "Well, that's no excuse! You're not supposed to..." He trailed off as he saw the mural. The camera showed a sci-fi city with a spaceship flying above it, with laser blasts being exchanged between the two.

Duncan grinned, impressed. "Never mind, you can steal my spray paint whenever you want. This is epic!"

Zoey smiled. "Thanks. Oh, and welcome to the team."


DJ, Sam, Courtney, and Scott were walking together. DJ asked Scott and Courtney, "Hey, some of the guys from the other teams are playing basketball. Wanna play?"

"I'm refereeing," Sam added. "I've played a few of the NBA video games, so I know the rules."

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Courtney asked. "Scarlett—"

"We probably don't need to worry about Scarlett," DJ remarked. "With Mike, or Mal, or whoever he is, with him gone, we've got the majority vote now."

"She could still find an immunity idol," Scott countered.

Sam shook his head. "This is a long season, and those idols are well-hidden. Scarlett's lost, bros."

Scott grinned devilishly. "So what you're saying is..." He started doing the Macarena. Sam looked away, embarrassed.

Courtney shrugged slightly. "I guess I'm in."

"Well, I guess I'm in too," Scott said. "If by some miracle Scarlett does find an immunity idol, we can always just steal it."

"Um, sure," DJ said.


Confessional: DJ

"I mean, I do think Scott is a good person at heart, but I'm not sure I like how quickly he decided to resort to stealing. I guess maybe it would be the smart thing to do, but he could at least act like it's a tough choice."

End confessional


The basketball game consisted of Lightning, DJ, Courtney, Geoff, and Brick playing against Jasmine, Alejandro, Scott, Duncan, and Zoey. Several other campers were watching the game, though there were also some that weren't. In the bleachers, Katie and Sadie were whispering to each other. Tyler had wanted to play, but nobody wanted him on their team, so instead he made out on the bleachers with Lindsay.

"I've missed you so much," Sadie said to Katie.

"I'v missed you more," Katie replied. "So, aside from Alejandro, who do you think is the hottest guy playing right now?"

Sadie thought for a moment. "DJ, I guess. Who do you think?"

Katie thought for a moment. "Geoff, I think." Then she gave Sadie a hug. "I don't know how I'm going to do challenges without you," she sobbed.

"Yeah, it's gonna be hard," Sadie sobbed back.

Heather looked at the two thoughtfully.


Confessional: Heather

"With Katie now on my team, I have two options. I can get her to align with me, or turn her into a target. On the one hand, Katie strikes me as easily influenced. On the other, she's annoying. She cried herself to sleep last night, and getting everyone else to go after her shouldn't be too hard. That being said, that would probably make her desperate. That also being said, if I align with her, I'd still only be able to force a tie..."

End confessional


The sound of an air horn rudely interrupted the game. "Attention, campers! Challenge starts in ten! Assemble at the campfire pit!" Several of the campers groaned.


At the campfire pit, Chris began his explanation of the challenge. "Today's challenge is in two parts. Each team will be provided with an animal mascot, which will be important for the challenge. For the first part, you must train your mascot to resemble one of your team members. Whoever does the best job of this will get a big advantage in part two."

He then walked over to four cages covered with tarps. He unveiled two to reveal a badger and a moose. "No prizes for guessing which teams get these two," he said, then opened the cages.

He then walked over to the other two cages, and said, "We thought about getting a gopher and a bass for this challenge as well, but we figured, since the other two teams have animals that are pretty hard to deal with, we settled on this." He unveiled a raccoon in one cage, and the other turned out to be a tank containing a shark.

"Hello, little guy," Bridgette said in the voice a mother might use when talking to a baby, but the badger simply growled at her and charged at her. Sierra tried to tackle it, but it dodged and started scratching her. Duncan then grabbed it and pulled it away from Sierra.

"Okay, listen here, bub. I'm the boss here, and what I say goes. Got that?" He pulled out his pocket knife for emphasis, but the badger was unimpressed. It snarled at him, and he dropped it and backed away.

Trent shivered at the animal's ferocity. He tapped his rabbit's foot against his forehead. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine."


Confessional: Duncan

"I just want to clarify that I was not scared of that furry freak, I was just...the best way to get someone to do what you want is to make them think they're in charge, right? That's what I was doing."

The badger's snarls came from outside the confessional, and Duncan screamed like a little girl.

End confessional


The Moose also had a rather hard time with their mascot. Cameron was the first to react to the animal.

"It's a real-life Alces alces!" he exclaimed. "Greetings, Alces alces." The moose was substantially less impressed with Cameron, however, and head-butted him in the stomach. Cameron collapsed to the ground, and groaned, "I don't think I like Alces alces."

Harold tried to deal with the moose next. "That's no way to treat your teammates. Gosh!" The moose simply head-butted him too.

"Oh no no no, you do not mess with my man!" Leshawna shouted. "Come get some, big-nose!" She grabbed on to the creature's antlers, and started pushing it backwards.

Lightning had a thought. "Maybe we could teach it to play football?" Upon seeing Noah look skeptically at him, he said, "Just a thought."

Owen shrugged. "I didn't think it was such a bad idea."

Noah shook his head. "No, it was a pretty bad idea. Right, Shawn?"

Shawn held up his hands defensively. "Hey, leave me out of this. Besides, Leshawna's got this. Unless you want me to turn the moose into a zombie hunter."

Noah shook his head again. "No, don't do that. How would you demonstrate that, anyway?"

Shawn nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, good point. I suppose I could find a zombie, but bringing it back for the moose to take out without it biting anyone would be hard."

Noah snickered. "You looking for a zombie? I think they employ them at Wal-Mart to cover the night shift, because nobody else can deal with the nighttime Wal-Mart people."

Shawn's eyes widened. "What? The fools! That's a perfect way to get the virus to spread!"

Noah frowned. "Don't underestimate the evil of nighttime Wal-Mart people!"


Confessional: Noah

"I worked the night shift at Wal-Mart one summer. It was quite possibly the most horrible experience of my life."

End confessional


The Bass were having a vigorous debate over what to do with the shark.

"So, maybe we can get the shark to jump through one of those flaming hoops?" Courtney suggested.

"We don't have a flaming hoop. And even if we did, which member of our team would that represent?" Scarlett argued.

"We could move the flaming hoop so the shark would crash into it, and say it was meant to represent Tyler," Courtney suggested.

"Hey, I heard that!" Tyler protested.

"You were meant to."

"Even so," Scarlett said, "We still don't have a flaming hoop."

"Well, I don't hear you making any suggestions," Courtney spat.

"Your toxicity is not necessary."

"No, I really think it is. You aren't, though."

"Oh? Tell me, where would this team be without my intelligence?"


Confessional: Courtney

"Ugh! I hate her so much! Thinks she's so smart...see how smart you are when we vote you out, [bleep]!

End confessional


Meanwhile, the others were looking at the shark, with Scott hiding behind DJ. Sam looked at the two girls, then at the shark. Then he had an idea. "Hey, Scott! Where's that knife you use for whittling?"

Scott handed him a pocketknife, and Sam looked at his hands. He took a deep breath, and exhaled through his mouth. He held the blade near his hand, but retracted it. "I can't do it, guys. My hands are the only part of my body I'm really proud of. I can't do this to them."

"Here, let me," DJ offered. "I can take it."

He took the knife from Sam and cut his finger slightly. and let a drop of blood fall into the tank. When the shark smelled the blood in the water, it went berserk. Scott screamed and ran to the confessional.


Confessional: Scott

"Okay, I'm pretty Chris made this challenge just to mess with me specifically."

End confessional


The Gophers looked at the raccoon Chris had given them. None of them spoke for a few seconds except for Beth, who asked, "Has anyone seen my retainer?"

Beardo stroked his chin for a few seconds, the pointed his finger in the air and made a "ding!" noise. He then started chattering at the raccoon, imitating the sounds of an actual raccoon. The raccoon snarled at him and attacked him. Jasmine managed to calm it down by offering it a walnut, while Beardo scrambled away from the creature.


Confessional: Beardo

"What did I say?"

End confessional


Beth searched around in a trash can. "It's got to be in here somewhere," she said as she searched. Heather and Jasmine looked at each other meaningfully.

"Okay, time for judging!" Chris announced. He looked at Leshawna and the moose fighting, and then at Courtney and Scarlett fighting as the shark raged in its tank. He then looked at the badger growling at anyone who got too close to it. Duncan looked at it, then at Chris. He hesitantly ventured, "Grr. I'm a tough guy."

Chris looked at him skeptically, and Duncan rolled his eyes. "Fine, I can't do it. That thing's a Mal, not a Duncan."

Chris made a face and said, "I like violence, but I was looking for something a bit...different. I mean, after what happened last time, I thought we could use a break. But whatevs." He looked at the raccoon, which dug something out of the trash and ate it. He then looked at Beth, who dug a garbage-covered retainer out of the trash. She said, "I found it!" and put it in her mouth.

"Gross!" Chris exclaimed. "And requiring a bit more effort than just violence! Gophers win part one! As a reward, they get an advantage in part two."

Sam's shoulders slumped, and Lindsay patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay, Sid. It was worth a try."


The next part saw each team in different locations within the woods. "You have all been placed in locations equidistant to camp," Chris announced over the intercom. "Mmm, equidistant. Very grown up. Anyway, part two is to get back to camp using only your ingenuity and your animal buddy's instincts. Last ones back to camp lose. Gophers get a thirty minute head start, starting...now!"

Heather was the first to speak. "Okay, how do we find camp?"

B smiled, took a compass out of one of his pockets, and handed it to her. "Okay, great," Heather answered. "But that doesn't tell us which direction camp is in. We need to know which direction to go in, then we can use this."

"I'm pretty sure he already knew that," Jasmine said. "Maybe I could climb a tree and see which direction we need to go."

Suddenly, it started to rain. "Great," Heather commented. "My hair is going to be totally ruined."

Brick noticed the raccoon crawling away. "Hey, where are you going?" he asked. The raccoon crawled into a large hole near the base of a tree, and Brick followed it, followed by most of his teammates. Beardo and B couldn't fit in the hole, so they stood near the entrance in order to hear.

The hole led into a large cavern, containing a lot of human luxuries, including an HD television with an Xbox, a ping-pong table, and a well-stocked bookshelf. Inside were several raccoons and Izzy, who was using the TV to watch clips of the show.

"Oh, hi guys!" Izzy said. "After I caught the Gremloblin that was menacing them, these nice raccoons offered to let me stay with them! Isn't it nice here?"

"Um, sure," Sammy said. "We're in the middle of a challenge right now, so...could you get your raccoon friend to come with us to camp?"

Izzy shrugged. "Sure." She chattered something to the raccoon in its native language, and the raccoon chattered back. it then climbed onto Beth's shoulder.

Once the team had gotten out of the hole, Izzy poked her head out. "Camp is that way," she said, pointing in a direction. "Make sure to bring Lawrence back once you're done!"

Beth patted the raccoon. "Lawrence? Is that his name?" Izzy nodded.


As they waited for Chris to give them the signal to start, the Bass were talking amongst themselves. Scott pulled Topher aside, and whispered, "Hey, Topher. There's a good chance we're gonna lose this one, so I'm just making sure we're going to vote together, like we would have if we had needed to vote out Mike."

Topher appeared to consider it. "Voting together would guarantee us a majority vote."

Scott grinned. "Exactly. Don't break an egg...if...if it's working properly..." As he butchered his figure of speech, the grin disappeared from his face.

Topher chuckled. "Were you looking for 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'?"

Scott didn't meet his eyes. "Yeah, I may have mixed my metaphors there."

"Mixed them? You put them in a blender!"

Scott glared at Topher. "Okay, this conversation is over." He walked away from the wannabe host.

Courtney examined the tank in which the shark swam. "This challenge is totally rigged against us."

Scarlett nodded. "The aquatic nature of our so-called 'animal buddy' does put us at a disadvantage."

Courtney glared. "Do you think we could sue the show for this?"

Scarlett shook her head. "I doubt it. Chris likely has ironclad legal protection."

Tyler, who had been pacing around, pointed out something that had caught his eye. "Hey, look! The creek! Maybe we could get the shark to swim down it to camp!"

Scarlett's eyes widened. "NO! Our host, in his infinite ignorance, gave us a nurse shark, which is a saltwater shark! Putting it in fresh water will kill it!"

Tyler looked at her, confused. "Sharks can be nurses?"


Confessional: Scarlett

"Ugh. Why did I choose to align with someone so stupid?"

End confessional


The Badgers were also sitting and talking as they waited for the chance to start. Bridgette asked Sky (in a one-on-one conversation), "Why is it that you don't really seem to have many meaningful interactions with any of us?"

Sky shrugged. "I'm trying to be nice to everyone, but I'm not really here to make friends. I know there's a chance I'll have to vote out everyone here, and I don't want to have to deal with someone I'm too close to being eliminated. I don't want to let my emotions get in the way of my gameplay."

Bridgette shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think that's a good way to approach this. First, not being close to anyone could make you an easy target."

"Or a swing vote."

"And second, if you don't win, you'll be left with nothing to show for it."

"That's a risk I have to take."

Bridgette sighed.


Confessional: Bridgette

"I get that Sky doesn't want her game to be compromised, but I think she's wrong about choosing not to have friends here. And I get the feeling that there's more to her self-imposed isolation than just that."

End confessional


Unlike the other two teams, no meaningful conversation was taking place on the Moose team. Owen was performing his rendition of "Singin' in the Rain," but that was it. However, Shawn was not listening to Owen's performance, but searching for any potential immunity idols close by. However, he found nothing and returned quietly to his team, with nobody noticing he had even gone.

Chris's voice came over the loudspeaker. "And the other teams can start in three, two, one," followed by the blast of an air horn.

The electronic cage holding the moose opened. When it stepped out of said cage, Owen attempted to pet it. "Now, noble beast, are you ready to accompany us on our quest? We seek your aid in..." he was cut off by the moose head-butting him in the stomach. Then it tossed its head, snagging its antler on the waistband of Harold's underwear and lifting him off the ground in a massive wedgie.

"How many times do I have to teach you this lesson?" Leshawna shouted, as she jumped on the moose's back and grabbed its antlers. As she and the moose struggled, the creature's head accidentally slammed into Cameron's legs, causing him to fall over onto its head. The moose then reared up onto its hind legs, causing Cam to tumble face-first into Leshawna. When Harold saw the position that Cam had landed in relative to Leshawna, he turned green with envy.


Confessional: Harold

"You had better not have been enjoying that too much, Cameron!"

End confessional


Leshawna lifted Cameron and turned him around so his back was to her. "Don't wanna break your back when I lean forward," she explained. The fourteen-year-old prodigy was blushing, though whether from embarrassment or...actually, let's just assume it was embarrassment. Leshawna is Harold's girlfriend, after all.

Shawn shouted to the others, "I can get us back to camp! Follow me!" He ran in a direction, with Lightning and Owen following him. The moose pursued Owen, Leshawna and Cameron still on its back, and Harold still hanging from its antler by his underwear. Noah went after them, moving as quickly as he could, but that wasn't especially fast compared to them.


The Bass were having a very hard time with their shark. Scarlett had pointed out that the clearing in which the creek resided led back to camp, the shark tank was heavy, and the rain was making it slippery. Furthermore, Scott looked as if he was on the edge of a panic attack.

"This challenge is absolutely rigged," Courtney grumbled to Scott. "And as soon as it's over, I'm getting in contact with the best lawyers I can find."

Welcoming the distraction from the shark in front of him, Scott said, "Look on the bright side. After tonight, we can ditch one of Scarlett's minions."

Courtney thought about this. "True. It's not like we're at risk. Still, it's the principle of the thing."

Scott raised an eyebrow. In answer to his unspoken question, she elaborated, "The principle of my hatred of losing."

"I get that," Scott said. "But when you look at the bigger picture, losing won't hurt us much here. It's not like losing Tyler or Lindsay makes our position any worse."

Courtney contemplated this. "I guess not."

Lindsay decided to make conversation with Sam. "Hey, Sid," she said. "How is Virginia doing?"

It took Sam a moment to decode Lindsay's question. "You mean Dakota?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yes. I thought it was mean of Chris to make her work so hard and not even let her be on the show much. How is she?"

"She's doing fine," Sam said. "The hard work took some getting used to for her, but she's not doing too badly now. I even introduced her to video games, and she told me she really likes them."

"So, when are you gonna ask her out?" Lindsay asked.

Sam hesitated. "I...have no idea what you're talking about, heheh.


Confessional: Sam

"Okay, that wasn't true. But I don't wanna mess things up with Dakota. Real life isn't like one of those dating games that I used to play but don't anymore. The right dialogue choice to lead to the good ending isn't always obvious. Heck, I don't even know if the 'good ending' is what's best for me or Dakota." A thought occurred to him. "She doesn't edit the confessionals, does she?"

Confessional: Male intern with red hair

"No, I edit the confessionals."

End confessional


As soon as the cage surrounding the badger opened, the badger started running in a different direction from the way camp was. "Wait! Come back, dude!" Geoff shouted, but the badger ignored him. The team that had been named after its species followed it to a nest in the crack between two boulders, and Sierra noticed something first.

"Look! Baby badgers!" she pointed out to her teammates. "They're so cute," she said. When the badger growled at her, she held up her hands defensively. "Okay! Look, but don't touch! I get it!"

"Chris has no shame," Alejandro said darkly. "To tear a mother away from her young like that is truly a despicable thing."


Confessional: Sierra

"That's the last straw, Chris! I used to be your biggest fan, but not anymore!"

End confessional


Sadie was the one to say what everyone else on the team was thinking. "Guys, we can't take her back to camp now. Even if it means we lose, we have to leave her."

Her teammates agreed, and they began the walk back to camp, without their "animal buddy."


With their huge lead, the Gophers were the first to make it back to camp. "And the Gopher team wins!" Chris announced.

Beth set Lawrence the raccoon down near the edge of the camp. "Well, bye, Lawrence."

Beardo attempted to say something in raccoon to Lawrence. However, Lawrence got mad at him, and scratched at his face, and then ran off.


Confessional: Beardo

"Seriously, what did I say?"

End confessional


Several minutes later, the Moose team, sans Noah, reached the camp. Harold's underwear waistband snapped, and he fell to the ground. "That was the second worst wedgie of my life. Gosh," he commented.

"And the Moose team comes in second," Chris said, "is what I would say if you had your entire team here. But you seem to be missing one." Each member of the team quickly did a head count, and realized Noah was missing.

"Oh no! Oh bad! What if the zombies got him?" Shawn fretted. Upon hearing a rustling in the distance, he panicked. "Zombie!" he screamed, and tore a post from the railing of one of the cabins. When Noah got out of the forest, Shawn was about to bring it down on Noah's head. Noah screamed and covered his head.

Shawn halted his intended coup de grace. "Noah? You're still alive?"

"Of course I'm still alive!" Noah shouted. "Seriously! You guys left me behind, didn't even notice that you had done so, and tried to attack me when I caught up with you! What am I, Aiden?"

Chris shook his head disapprovingly. "Too soon."

Noah relaxed a bit. "And now the Moose team got second place," Chris finished.


A short time later, the Badgers arrived at camp, empty-handed. Upon seeing Chris, Sierra walked up to him and kicked him as hard as she could in the groin. Chris collapsed to the ground, and it took a while for him to recover. Once he did, he said, "You do realize that because you didn't bring your animal buddy, you lose, right? You can still go back and get her before the Bass arrive."

Alejandro shook his head. "We have elected to take the loss."

Chris shrugged. "Fine. One of you goes home tonight. Here's hoping it's Sierra."


When the Bass arrived with their shark tank, it was almost sunset. Chris said to them, "Wanna know how you did?"

DJ shrugged. "Lay it on us, Chris. There's no way we weren't the last team back."

Chris shrugged. "True." Upon seeing their looks of defeat, he said, "But, because the Badgers didn't bring back their mascot, you escape elimination for another day!" This caused the Bass to break out in cheering and high-fives.


At the campfire ceremony, Chris looked at the Badgers. Beside him, Dakota held a plate of marshmallows. "I have eight marshmallows on my plate," Chris said. "Whoever does not receive a marshmallow must walk the Dock of Shame, board the Boat of Losers, and leave, never to return. Ever. Marshmallows go to Zoey, Bridgette, Sky, Alejandro, Trent, Geoff, and unfortunately, Sierra.

"Duncan, you're on the chopping block because you're the new guy, and Sadie, you're on the chopping block because you're a liability. The camper going home is...

"Sadie."

Sadie got up. "Yeah, I figured," she said. Once she had boarded the boat, and it had taken her away, Chris turned to the others.

"The rest of you are safe. For tonight."


Katie observed the Badgers returning from their elimination ceremony, and quickly registered who was missing. "Sadie?" she whispered to herself. Tears in her eyes, she went to her cabin.


Later that night, Shawn was woken by a sound. He looked for the source of the sound, and saw motion in the woods. "Zombie," he whispered to himself. He took a hatchet from inside his jacket and pursued it deep into the woods, but lost it.

Suddenly, he heard a voice from behind him. "Hey, Shawn!" He turned around, and saw an orange-haired girl. "Izzy?"

"Yep, it's me," she said. "I decided to give you a hint! Remember: stickers aren't waterproof."

Shawn was confused. "What?"

Izzy refused to elaborate. "You heard me. Think about it."

Shawn did think about it for a moment. "Stickers...stickers...there are stickers on the bottom of the immunity idols!"

Izzy grinned. "Exactly."

"So that means they have to be hidden somewhere they won't be rained on!"

"Yes! I thought you'd get it on your own eventually, but it might be too late by then."

Shawn suddenly looked curious. "Why would you want to give me a hint like that?"

Izzy said, "I gave it to you to keep things interesting. After all, one alliance having a controlling vote on their team? Not interesting. An alliance having a controlling vote on their team when one person outside their team is close to a trump card? Much more interesting."


A/N: Well, for a less eventful chapter, this took too long to write. With classes starting soon, I won't be able to update as often, just saying.

Thoughts on Sadie? Few. I found her and Katie to overall be mostly just cannon fodder. While they can occasionally be written as interesting, it's rare, and when they do have relevance, it's usually just as another player's pawns. I only kept Sadie around as long as I did because she was on an overall strong team, and because of Justin. As the weakest remaining Badger, her elimination was a foregone conclusion.

However, don't take this to mean Katie will be next. I still have plans for Katie.

Edit: I decided to change the end from Izzy giving Shawn an immunity idol to a hint that would help him find one.

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

38 (Tie): Gwen, the Loner

38 (Tie): Dawn, the Moonchild

38 (Tie): Eva, the Hothead

37: Ella, the Fairytale Princess

36: Justin, the Eye Candy

35: Cody, the Flirty Geek

33 (tie): Mike, the Introspective

33 (tie): Aiden, the OC Hate Sink

32: Sadie, the other BFFFL