Author's Note: So there wasn't an update to the race last time. Truth is, the race is a bit harder for me to write than the main series. So rather than do it in three days, I'm spreading out each chapter over the seven off days in my rotation. You'll still get a chapter every two weeks, but it'll coincide with a chapter of the mainseries. Easier for me, and more episodes for you. It's a win win!
Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama, the shuffled concept or the (most of) the characters.
And to answer some reviews:
Derick Lindsay: Well Gary was one of the more obvious early boots. Sorry to disappoint you with the lack of Harold and Sky rematch, but yeah, I'm pretty impressed with Jaxon's ability myself. You know I can' answer any questions about the next season though. Yep, Carly and Shawn are the main couple. I was thinking their similar personalities would work well together. I'll never understand why the writers for the original show dropped Scott's intended plot. Of course there are a lot of choices they made for All-Stars that I'll never understand.
LazloVader9943: You though Gary'd last longer? I mean he works as comedic relief, but I'm not exactly in short supply of that here. Well, Rodney is flat and one note, but he does have a small purpose here. And even if I didn't include him, Beth stil wouldn't be here because of gender balance. The only person she could have replaced is Carly, and I wanted to write her and Shawn more than trying to come up with an idea for Beth.
KryptonianKnight: Really? huh, that was one of the episodes my research said wasn't popular. I'm really excited for Sharly and I hope I can live up to your expectations. And Britney's gonna get a lot worse before she gets better.
Gucci Mane LaFlare: Thanks. Sharly started as an oddball idea when I was coming up with crack pairings and I liked it so much I made it happen. But I like when I can surprise you. Wel not all th bonus clips will be All-Stars, but it's nice to have the cameos back.
Tempokeep: To be fair, the only reason he made far in 'canon' was Natasha making use of his stupidity and arrogance. No one needs him here. II hope you like not just Sharly, but all the pairing going forward.
Crosshot: I know, and considering how good an idea ot was, I'm amazed I'm the first to do it; But yeah, Scott's definitely learned from his mistakes. Also, Sky won't be Britney's only target. Any girl who gets too close to Dave is going to push her closer to the edge. Unfortunately her idea of 'too close' happens to be 'in the same room as'.
LittleMermaid: No worries, review when you can. You must not have read the original Danger Island. The quality's not there, but Gary's always been insufferably arrogant, given he's a parody of the modern 'thug life' rapper. Well episodes that weren't a lot of people's favorite is one of the themes of the season. It's not just the campers fighting for redemption. It's the show itself. And not all the challenges will be copy-pasted but each one will be based on a previous episode. Unfortunately it's a bit too early to talk about the subplots. But I hope you enjoy the rest of the season.
Remaining Campers:
Ferrets of Failure: Anne Maria, Dakota, Dave, Ella, Ezekiel, Gwen, Harold, Jaxon, Lindsay, Sam, Sky, Trent
Llamas of Loserdom: Amy, Britney, Cameron, Carly, Eva, Leonard, Rodney, Sadie, Scott, Shawn, Sierra
Yeah, I can't think of a joke to put here.
Episode 03: Total Drama's Got Talent
"Last time, on Total Drama Redemption!" Chris began, the opening montage beginning with a long distance shot of Pahkitew Island. "The Llamas of Loserdom lost the first challenge of the season to the Ferrets of Failure," footage of the dodgeball game was played, showing both sides making – and taking – hits, "though not before putting up one heck of a fight. There were bruises and risky moves on both sides of the field," clips of Sky getting hit in the face and Gary using Sierra as a shield were shown, "and in the end it was the wannabe rapper Gary who was too much for his team and got the boot." The Ferrets were shown carrying Jaxon and Harold off the field in celebration, and then the Llamas glaring angrily at Gary.
"This week," the host continued over clips of the rapper's elimination, "another challenge will send one more camper flying," the montage ended to show Chris standing next to the Boot of Shame, "via Giant Shoe Airlines. Who's got the talent needed to stay in the game?," the host pointed downward down, then up, then to the camera. "Find out right now, on Total! Drama! Redemption!"
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[The opening theme began similarly to the way it did in season six – a shift into letterbox format for a shot of a rocky forest waterfall, a broken stagelight rotating up from behind some rocks and flickering a bit before the light died. Then a rusty spotlight swings down from the unseen branches of some mossy, mushroom-ridden tree. The shot moves to a pond where a brown bear wearing a scuba mask sits in the water glaring at a frog on a lily pad, both animals looking surprised as the lily pad is suddenly lifted into the air by a duct tape covered security camera rising up from below it. A rabbit sitting on a rock on the beach is pushed away by a panel in the rock slamming down on it, another broken camera emerging from within, and a pair of white-skinned hands clap a film slate in front of the main camera.
As the film slate is pulled away the camera flies forward past the camp facilities, and over the top of the host drinking coffee in a director's chair just as the lyrics start.]
Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doin' fine;
[The camera flies through the trees and up to a cliff, peeking over to see the interns swimming away from Scuba Bear.]
You guys are on my mind!
[The camera dives off the cliff and into an underwater shot; a fully-clothed Cameron gagging.]
Ya asked me what I wanted to be,
And now I think the answer is plain to see!
[Cameron frantically swims up and grabs on to the end of an oar. The camera pans up to reveal Eva as the one rowing the boat; she pulls her oar out of the water and is startled to see Cameron clinging to it, and even more so when something starts pulling him back. But with a fierce yet muted roar, Eva manages to pull the oar away from the the thing...and in doing so, throw Cameron high into the sky.]
I wanna be...famous!
[Cameron hangs in front of the sun for a moment before coming back down into the woods. The camera pans down to Gwen drawing on a stump while surrounded by a guitar playing Trent and a singing Ella. Cameron falls from the sky and knocks Gwen down, startling Trent and Ella. The camera zooms out to show Scott watching the scene and laughing, and then again to show Lindsay crossing her arms and pursing her lips at him.]
I wanna live close to the sun!
[The camera zooms to another part of camp, showing Leonard and Gary surfing down a river.]
Well pack your bags, 'cause I've already won!
[The shot pans forward a bit, showing Harold and Sierra also on surfboards. Leonard and Gary arrive on screen, but while the three boys are busy showing off, Sierra's eyes widen and she ducks. She just barely misses getting hit by a low lying branch that the boys smack into.]
Everythin' to prove, nothin' in my way;
[The camera rapidly pans over to the outhouses. Ezekiel opens the door to one and a thick green cloud comes out of it, causing him to look nauseous and pass out. The camera pans over to the craft service tent.]
I'll get there one day.
[The camera moves in past the window to show a smirking Chef, stirring a large pot of something sickly green. He looks behind him to where Sam is sitting and playing on a handheld game console. Dakota is looking over his shoulder as he plays.]
'Cause I wanna be...famous!
[The camera pans left to show Sky and Dave chatting. Britney comes out of nowhere to separate the two and sit on Dave's lap, glaring at Sky all the while. The camera zooms pans left again to the opening of the tent and flashes to an open field. Amy knocks a bouquet of flowers out of a kneeling Rodney's hands, then pushes over Sadie as the the girl bends down to pick up a shell.]
(Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
[A pan rightward shows Jaxon making a screen gesture with his fingers. He looks from the left to the right and rolls his eyes in irritation.]
I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
[Another pan to the right centers the camera on Anne Maria spraying her hair. She notices the camera on her and glares, spraying it enough that the thick cloud covers the whole screen.]
I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
[The cloud dissipates to reveal Carly and Shawn sitting at a campfire in front of a large full moon. They lean in for a kiss but are interrupted by Chris's sudden appearance between them while wearing a zombie mask, startling them both into running away. As Chris takes off his mas to laugh, the shot zooms out to show the other campers also sitting around the fire - Ella, Trent, Gwen, Sky, Amy, Sam, Dakota, Ezekiel, Gary, Scott, and Rodney with Carly trembling behind them on the left; and Anne Maria, Britney, Dave, Cameron, Sadie, Eva, Leonard, Lindsay, Sierra, and Jaxon with Shawn trembling behind them on the right. The zoom continues even further, showing the signboard over the firepit's entrance which now read 'Total Drama Redemption'.]
XXXXX
A pleasant, lilting tune began as the episode opened on Pahkitew Island, the sun only just rising out from between the peaks of its hills. The logo of the Ferrets of Failure spun into the corner of the screen as the shot moved to the team's bunker, and the camera soon cut inside.
The focus was placed first on the right half of the building, where the six girls were shown sound asleep in their bunks; Gwen and Ella had taken the bottom and top bunks in the back left of the room, Sky and Anne Maria in the top and bottom in the front left, and Lindsay and Dakota were across the room.
The camera flashed to the other side of the structure, and showed the six boys sound asleep as well. Dave and Jaxon were in bunks that were placed along the left wall, as were Ezekiel and Sam; while Trent and Harold were in bunks placed along the back wall.
Dave started to groan almost painfully in his sleep as the camera focused on him. He tossed and turned for a bit, and suddenly woke up with a shout when the sound of guitar music played through the air.
A pan over to the right showed Trent sitting up in his bunk with guitar in hand. He looked over at the glaring germaphobe and cringed sheepishly. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "It's uh, been a while since I had to share a room with people when I'm not touring."
"Is it time to get up already?" Harold asked as he sat up in his bed and rubbed his back. "I don't remember setting up an alarm..."
"Not this time man," Trent chuckled. "I just forgot I was back in the game for a minute."
"What's all the fuss about eh?" Ezekiel chimed in, the camera cutting to him sleepily sticking a finger in his ear.
Jaxon groaned. "He had just figured out the perfect color scheme for his next painting," the artist complained. "The loss of such artistic vision is on your head sir."
Trent gave him an odd and bewildered look. "Uh...duly noted,"
"Good to see some people haven't changed..." Dave muttered to himself.
"Well since we're all awake we might as well get some breakfast," Sam said. "I'm off to craft services. Anyone comin' with?"
"Sure," Harold said with a shrug, most of the guys making nonverbal but vocal sounds of agreement.
The focus moved to Dave as he dryly said "Yeah, you go on without me."
"Suit yourself," Sam replied with a shrug of his own, "Come on guys," the majority of the Ferret boys walked off, and the camera moved back to Dave.
"...I'm going back to bed," Dave said with a groan
XXX
"Guess I'm still not used to actually being a part of the game," Trent smiled. "Well, it has been eight seasons but still. I made it to the Final Six last time I played, maybe I can last even longer this time.
XXX
"Is it just me," Ezekiel asked. "Or do Sam and Harold sound kinda the same?"
XXX
The scene moved to the Llamas of Loserdom's treehouse, their logo appearing in the corner of the screen as the camera zoomed in on the left. It cut to the inside to show the girls's side of the shelter.
"Good job on the strategy the other day," Eva told Sadie as the shot cut to the two of them near a set of bunk beds. "We still lost though."
"Sorry about that," Sadie said sheepishly.
"It wasn't your fault," Eva clarified. "Gary's always been insufferably arrogant, it's no surprise he blew a sure thing."
"oh," Saide said. "Well, sorry for not realizing that."
Eva narrowed her eyes at the former sidekick. "That's the second time you've apologized in as many sentences," she pointed out.
"So-" Sadie started to say before catching herself. "I'm just not sure what to do without Katie here."
"Do what you did the last challenge," the iron woman said. "You've got a brain. Use it."
XXX
"I can see Sadie might need some help now that she's on her own. So I'll help her," Eva confessed with a shrug. "I actually used be completely dependent on someone else like that. But he left... Now I don't need anyone but myself."
XXX
A slightly quirky theme began to play as the scene cut to a close-up of a tree growing along a forest trail. the sound of footsteps could be heard, and the camera panned up to show Shawn using the tree as a vantage point. He smiled to himself, and jumped down.
He landed in front of Carly who screamed in terror and blindly threw a punch. The pantaphobe's aim was lucky, and she hit the survivalist in the eye. He landed on the ground on his butt with a groan, and Carly opened her eyes in shock.
"Oh no..." she moaned as th boy rubbed his rapidly swelling eye. "You've done it now Carly. Now, you're his eternal rival."
"Rival?" Shawn asked in confusion. "I don't think you're a rival, I just-"
Carly shrieked. "I know what this is! You're really mad and are trying to lure me into a false sense of security! Well I'm not falling for it!"
"Calm down," Shawn said as he stood up. "I promise I'm not-" he removed his hand from his eye, revealing an ugly bruise that had made it swell shut.
"AH!" Carly screamed. "The icy glare of death! I can't take it!" she ran away as fast as she could, leaving Shawn slightly bewildered.
XXX
"I just wanted to see if she knew what we were having for breakfast," Shawn, sporting a black eye, confessed blankly. "But man," he smiled. "She can really pack a punch."
XXX
"Campers!" Chris called over a tall loudspeaker, a drumroll as he paused leading into a more intense tune. "It's time for the world to laugh at you." He announced, and the shot cut to Dave chatting with Ella and Gwen as Britney could be seen with a violent and wild look from behind a nearby tree. "There's a path heading into the forest. Follow it to today's challenge." The male Ferrets in the craft tent were shown listening as well before the scene flashed away.
\
The footage skipped ahead to a shot from behind the campers; they had assembled on team bleachers in front of a small outdoor stage. "Welcome to Pahkitew Island's new outdoor amphitheater!" Chris announced, the viewpoint quickly shifting to behind the host looking out at the campers and back. The camera came in for a close-up and the host continued. "This week's challenge is one we haven't done in a while," Chris announced, raising a single finger and pointing out to his audience. "A talent contest!"
"A talent contest?" Jaxon perked up. "You have his attention."
"Each team has eight hours to pick their three most talented campers," the host continued over more shots of the campers listening. "These three will represent them in the show tonight! Sing, dance, juggle, anything goes as long as it wasn't your act if you went last time!" The camera briefly cut back to the campers before the shot took it's place among them.
"You'll be judged by our very own Chef Hatchett!" Chris's voice took on the quality of a sports announcer as he reintroduced Chef, and the view switched back to the host's close-up as his explanation continued. "Who will give each act a score of one to ten. The team with the lowest combined score sends someone to the Boot of Shame."
The campers began to walk back away from the stage. "Gee, I don't know how we'll ever win this," Scott said loudly and with a quick aside glance towards the Ferrets. "They've got an Olympic gymnast, two members of a boy band, a great singer, and don't even get me started on that artist guy! He must have loads of talent!"
The shot cut over to the boy in question, all puffed up and strutting alongside his team. "He thinks he should be in charge of this challenge," he told the other Ferrets, "as the most avante-garde player in the game, he can guarantee that they'll impress Chef."
"Fine with me." Dakota answered.
"I've got no complaints," Lindsay added.
\
A sharp whistle moved the scene in front of the treehouse, where Amy stood before her team with a clipboard. "Listen up, I'm charge of this challenge, if there aren't any objections," she glared at Eva.
The iron woman narrowed her eyes. "I don't care."
"Good," Amy smiled smugly. "Now, I want everyone to show me their talent so I can pick who's going to compete. Who wants to go first?"
"Oh, I have an eidetic memory!" Cameron said from just off-screen, the shot zooming out to show him standing just inches from a disgusted Amy.
"Ew!" Amy shouted, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at the bubble boy. "Okay, no, we are not putting your nerdy nonsense up on stage." Cameron scowled and rejoined his team. "Next!" Amy barked.
\
The camera flashed to the Ferrets, who also had gotten together in front of their bunker. Jaxon was looking over them with with vague disinterest. "Okay...you!" he pointed at Sam, "What can you offer?"
"Uhhh, I'm really good at video games," Sam said, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I could do a speed run or go for a high score, but I'd need to ask Chris for my Gameguy back."
Jaxon looked thoroughly unimpressed. "He doesn't think so. There's nothing impressive about video game."
"Well, what about your talent?" Dave asked snidely.
Jaxon rolled his eyes. "To display his own talent would be to diminish its value. No work of art is as appreciated upon its second viewing." He gestured dramatically to the sky and quickly regained his composure. "On another note, he has already decided to put his own name in the proverbial hat. Now he must see who can stand alongside him."
\
Back with the Llamas, Rodney walked onscreen and carrying a banjo. He played a complicated and fast paced tune and the camera cut to most of his team nodding their heads.
"Yeah, no." Amy said bluntly, the music screeching to a halt. "I don't think Chef is gonna be impressed by whatever that's supposed to be."
Dejected, Rodney sniffed and rejoined the rest of his team. "But if it makes you feel better, I didn't hate it." she said, uncertainly putting a hand on his shoulder.
The shot cut to the farm boy's close-up, a sweet and lilting tune playing as the background turned pink and his expression turned doe-eyed. "If we can't find anyone else than I see no reason not to let you play," The shot cut to a close-up of the cheerleader, surrounded by a border of flowers and ribbon-holding cherubs as the light turned pink. She noticed Rodney's look and smirked.
XXX
"Oh wow," Rodney confessed in a rather awestruck tone. "I don't think I've ever felt like this about anyone! I may have been a fool last time I competed, but now my heart only yearns for Amy."
XXX
"Well that didn't take as long as I thought it would," Amy smirked. "My strategy is to use Rodney's dumbness to my advantage, as a perfect little minion."
XXX
It was Ella's turn to audition for the Ferrets of Failure. Jaxon and the others watched the princess as she performed some vocal exercises, and to their surprise, a flock of bird and various other woodland creatures arrived to listen. "Obviously, I'll be singing actual lyrics," Ella said. "But I do hope you've enjoyed my audition."
Jaxon shrugged. "He's heard worse," the artist said. "He supposes you can join him."
Ella clapped and smiled.
\
The music turned to something pop-like as the scene cut back to the other team. Sadie danced around a boombox while her team watched on with disinterest. Her movements were awkward at first, but she eventually got into the swing of things and finished her routine with a jump into a split.
Amy rolled her eyes before making her decision. "No. That was disgusting. Who told you you were talented anyway? This is pointless," she said to her team. "All these people and we only have one act. Take a break, but I want to see something from everyone that hasn't already auditioned."
As the Llamas dispersed, Cameron caught up with the former sidekick. "Hey! Just wanted to say I actually liked your dance."
"Oh, thanks..." Sadie said, rubbing her arm sheepishly. "I've never done that part of the routine before..." Cameron opened his mouth to say something, but Sadie kept going. "Katie was supposed to be in the front while I danced backup..."
"Well, you still did a pretty good job," Cameron told her. "If it were up to me, I'd put you in the show."
"Thanks..." Sadie said quietly, looking away to hide her blush.
\
"Now," Jaxon announced as he looked over her teammates, "Gwen, it' is your turn."
"Yeah no," the goth said dryly. "I didn't do this last time, and I'm not doing it this time."
Gwen left to enter the bunker and Anne Maria stepped forward in her place. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath in preparation.
"NEXT!" Jaxon interrupted, forcing and end to Anne Maria's audition.
\
The scene cut back to Amy as she spotted Scott spying on the competition. "Spying on the losers I take it?" she said, sliding up next to him and rolling her eyes.
"So," the dirt farmer said as he noticed his teammate. "What's it to you?"
"Oh, not much..." the blonde smirked, peeking around the corner she and Alejandro were standing behind while getting closer to him all the while. "You know your reputation will get you sent home if we lose again right?"
"That's why I'm spying Princess," Scott replied with a smirk that she couldn't see. "I need to make sure we win."
"Is that really enough though?" Amy said as she herself began spying. "You could stand to have an ally or two in case whatever plan you have doesn't work."
"You gotta point," Scott admitted with his eyes still on the Ferrets. "So Princess, is that an offer?"
"Not if you keep calling me that it won't be," Amy scowled.
"Relax," Scott said patronizingly, patting her on the head and making her glare at him. "I was only yankin' your chain. I'm totally in for an alliance."
Amy's face returned to normal and she took a step away from him. "Good." Scott offered one last smirk, which forced the cheerleader to avert her eyes to hide her own smirk.
XXX
"That should really keep me safe for a while," Scott said. "Since she's obviously using Rodney for his vote, I get both of theirs. And once I finish messin' with Britney," he chuckled. "I'll be able to do whatever I want."
XXX
The music took a more percussive tune as the scene shifted back to a shot of a few clouds above the treetops. An arrow entered the scene from the right, and the camera followed it to a tree where a primitive target had been set up. It hit the center of the bullseye, and the camera cut to a shot of a stump near the Ferrets' bunker as Dave, Lindsay, and Sam watched in the background. The camera cut to Ezekiel notching two arrows at the same time and firing them, both hitting the target and almost hitting his first arrow.
As the Ferrets cheered, Anne Maria and Jaxon approached the party boy. "A bit barbaric for his tastes," the artist remarked. "But he can't deny your skills. We'll sign you up."
\
The footage skipped back to Leonard holding a deck of cards. "I shall now blow your minds, with magic!" he said, spreading out the cards so someone could pick one.
"Are you kidding me?" Amy said. "Next!"
\
Another skip forward and the music turned tranquil as Britney was shown behind a log that had been suspended from two other logs. The shot zoomed out to show her team sitting on stumps behind her, then focused on the globetrotter as she took a deep breath.
"Uh, are you sure that's safe?" Shawn asked as he looked at her skeptically.
"Well I've never tried breaking anything this big before," Britney admitted, "but It should be fine if I do this right." She took another deep breath, and with a martial arts yell, hit the log with one hand. Her team watched in amazement as the log split in two and the pieces hit the ground. "More logs," she smirked.
The footage skipped ahead to another log on her set-up. Another deep breath, and she raised her foot high in the air and brought it down on the new log, it also split in half.
A third skip showed her doing the same routine with another log. This time the deep breath preceded a headbutt to the same effect as her previous strikes. She took another deep breath and bowed her head for team, and the camera cut to them all clapping for her.
"Fine," Amy sighed, "sign her up." She looked at the others. "That's two acts, we need one more."
In response Eva just snorted, then walked over to Rodney and picked him up with one hand and held him over her head. With her team watching in shock, she walked over to Sadie and picked her up with the other hand, holding her high above her head as well.
"This counts right?" she asked with a smirk.
Amy just stood there gobsmacked. "Yeah, why not?"
\
The scene cut to Britney walking through the camp by herself. "If the other girls see what I'm capable of," she muttered to herself, "then they'll want to stay away from Dave. I won't hesitate to treat them like those logs if they get in the way of our love."
The camera panned to the left, showing none other than Sky in the middle of a jog. The camera moved some more onto Dave, who smiled. "Hey Sky!" he called as the athlete passed by.
"Huh?" Sky grunted as she skid to a halt. Spotting Dave waving at her, she smiled and walked up to him. "Hey Dave. What's up?"
"So, I'm not trying to be a defeatist," the germaphobe started "but-"
"You don't have a lot of faith in us to win tonight do you?" Sky accused.
"None whatsoever," Dave agreed bluntly. "It's just, with Jaxon pretty much forcing himself in the show..." he trailed off.
Sky rubbed her chin for a moment. "I see your point. And to be honest, I'm a little worried about Anne Maria too. She was really ticked that Ella made it and she didn't. I'm guessing you wanna form an alliance in case we lose tonight."
"Actually... yeah," Dave said. The two shook hands to seal the deal... and the music turned dark and ominous as the camera panned back to Britney watching with wide eyes and a psychotic smile.
\
The camera flashed over to a shot of Scott with a look of bewilderment mixed with disgust.
"Hey, whaddya think your doin'?" The point-of-view shifted to the spy's back, showing Anne Maria standing alone behind the cabin.
"My bad," Scott began, stepping out from hiding. "I heard you practicing, and couldn't help but get a closer look! You really talented, but that's to be expected from someone as good lookin' as you."
"Yeah, I know," Anne Maria started, walking up to her competitor and expression shifting into a glare. "But I ain't in the show."
"Really?!" Scott said, his eyes widening in faux shock. "Because without you, I don't see you beating my team. Which sucks, since there's a coupla people I wanna get rid of. Unless you were to suddenly be needed?" He flashed a smirk at the Jersey girl, who simply narrowed her eyes.
"Keep talkin'..."
XXX
Anne Maria began her confessional with a snort. "It's about time someone on this show recognized my worth." She complained while filing her nails. "Look at me. Perfect hair, perfect tan," she gestured to herself, "I almost don't need the million bucks since I already look like it."
"That said," she got serious. "I don't expect that cartoon princess to get us the points we need to win. But I'm still not takin' that farmer boy's advice. I mean, he wanted to tank his own team so that means he can just as easily tank mine right?"
XXX
"What an interesting development," Chris laughed, the scene moving to him viewing the confessional footage on one of several monitors in his control tent. He paused the feed, then turned to face the camera as the capstone theme began to play. "The teams have their acts. Who will win? Find out when we return on Total! Drama! Redemption!"
\
(Commercial Break)
\
The scene cut to the Llamas of Loserdom waiting on stage; Britney meditating in lotus position, Scott sat a little ways away whittling a chunk of wood, Leonard played cards on a few crates with Sierra, Shawn, and Sadie, and Eva stood watching contentedly.
"Hey Eva," Ezekiel said nervously as he walked over to the group.
"What do you want Homeschool?" the iron woman glared at him.
"I jus' wanted to apologize fer all that stuff I said last time eh," he said, nervously rubbing his arm.
Eva's eyes widened in surprise, but she shook it off. "No harm done. You know better now right?" He nodded, and there was an awkward silence. "So... are you in the show tonight?"
"Yep," Ezekiel nodded proudly. "I'm showin' off my archery skills. What about you? Are you competing?" he asked.
Eva just smirked. "Yep. Deadlifting."
"That's cool," Ezekiel smiled.
"What really?" Eva asked.
"Yeah, I bet you're probably gonna get a lotta points eh. It's cool how strong you are."
"Oh," Eva blushed. "Um... thanks..."
XXX
"I wasn't flattered or anything!" Eva snapped in the confessional. "It's just... guys don't normally compliment me like that. I was thrown off-guard is all." She crossed her arms and looked to the side, but she couldn't hide her growing blush.
XXX
The shot changed to a close-up of the Anne Maria narrowing her eyes at her team. With a sigh, she took out a can of hairspray from her pouf and started spraying. As she walked across the stage, the camera panned up to one of the stage lights, and back down along a connected rope. As Anne Maria passed by, she unwittingly brushed against the rope. Though she continued to walk, the rope untied and unwinded itself.
From below, the light was seen falling, and the camera cut away just as it crash-landed. It cut back to show Jaxon, eyes spinning, prone on the ground having been unable to dodge the falling fixture.
"Oh crap, are you alright?" Anne Maria exclaimed, rushing to her teammate's aide.
"What's going on back here?" An annoyed voice took the focus off the Ferrets as Dave entered the scene, looking between the scattered campers and the fallen light. "Jaxon?" he asked as he and Anne Maria helped the boy to his feet. "What happened?!"
"I don't know!" Anne Maria shouted. "It was an accident!"
"Don't worry," Jaxon slurred as he stumbled, forcing the two to catch him once again. "I'll be fine. I can totally do the challenge guys."
The two looked at him, then gave each other worried looks.
XXX
"Okay, Jaxon not doing his tortured artist routine means he's way worse off than we thought," Dave told the camera. "We're gonna need a replacement."
XXX
The presence of Britney, Eva, and Amy preparing backstage with Ezekiel and Ella indicated that the footage had skipped ahead to shortly before the competition. Anne Maria appeared from stage right. She strutted confidently past the other campers, earning most of their attention and a variety of looks.
"I hope you guys are prepared to lose," she announced, "Because I'm here now."
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The static cut to a spinning background of purple and orange rays, upon which the Ferret and Llama logos rotated into view in the middle of the screen. "Iiiiiiit's the TDR Talent Extravaganza!" Chris' voice announced, the facing logos backing away from each other then colliding in a shower of stars. The camera cut to a distance shot of the host on-stage; night had clearly fallen and the non-competing campers could be seen watching in the stands.
"Welcome," Chris said as the point-of-view moved behind him and panned across the seated teens, "to the Second Total Drama Talent Contest," the view switched to the host's close-up as he thrust a finger at the camera, "where six campers will showcase their mad skills, and desperately try not to humiliate themselves." The shot zoomed out to show Chris standing to one side. "First up for the Ferrets of Failure, is Ezekiel!"
A brief cut to the Ferrets applauding and cheering their teammate before the focus shifted to the stage. Music began to play as the homeschooler walked out from backstage with his bow and quiver full of arrows. He made three shots in rapid succession, each one hitting the bullseye of a target set-up across the stage. The first two were barely half an inch apart from each other, but the third managed to split the first one in half.
The Ferrets of Failure cheered.
XXX
"Okay," Eva confessed with a smirk. "Homeschool's got some skills after all."
XXX
"Okay dude," Chris applauded as he walked out on stage, "That was pretty awesome, and it looks like I'm not the only one who thought so!" The host put his arm around the homeschooler's shoulder as the camera cut to Chef holding up a placard with an eight on it.
The Ferrets were shown cheering again before switching back to Chris's close-up. "First up for the Llamas of Loserdom," he announced, "Make some noise for Amy!" Her team was shown cheering before the cheerleader cartwheeled into the spotlight with Rodney walking behind her.
"H-A-T;" Amy cheered, "C H-E-T!" She stepped in front of her Rodney and he, with a huge smile, took a knee. "That's who makes theeeeee," the cheer continued with "best food to eat! Go! Hatchet! Go Chef Hatchet! Go Hatchet! Go Chef Hatchet! He's number one!" she did a backflip into a handspring and launched herself in the air, Rodney caught her with only one hand and lifted her up, with glowing effects added to the dramatic pose.
"Nice cheer," Chris told them as he walked out, "but maybe Rodney should have had a bigger role. Let's see what Chef thinks!" He pointed over to the cook,who was holding up a mere four. "Not much," the host frowned at the camera. The two walked off the stage, Amy angrily muttering to herself. "So, with two down and four acts to go, the Ferrets of Failure aren't doing much failing right now. Next on-deck, Ella!" He raised his hand and backed off the stage. "Do your thing!"
The princess walked out into the spotlight and curtseyed to the audience. She took a breath and cleared her throat and a slow ballad like tune began to play. "Reach for my hand," she sang almost solemnly, "I'll soar away. Into the dawn oh I wish I could stay," The camera cut to the audience leaning forward with Gwen in particular gasping. "Here in cherished halls, in peaceful days . I fear the edge of dawn, knowing time betrays..." The music cut out and she lowered her head, and the audience cheered for her.
"Better than what you usually sing." Chris said as he stepped back into view; Chef gave her a six. "Seems like Chef agrees! Three down, and three to go, and the Llamas of Loserdom are totally living up to their names so far. Let's here it for Britney!"
The globetrotter stepped on stage accompanied by a stereotypically Asian tune and her hands behind his back. "Friends," she opened, "tonight, I'm going to break these boards." She bowed to the audience. "However, if you want to add something else for me to break, by all means."
She started off simple, breaking the three boards that were set up with ease. As per her request the other Llamas ran up to the stage and tossed various items at her – Shawn threw a bag of chips, Sierra her log, and a staff from Leonard – and all were chopped in half without missing a beat. A gong sounded and she bowed to the audience once again, and her team clapped and cheered.
"Impressive moves Britney!" Chris said as he took to the stage. "andChef enjoyed the act as well." He pointed to the cook, who gave the globetrotter a seven. "Looks like you've almost managed to tie things up for your team! We'll take a quick break, and then see how our last two contestants fare!"
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"Welcome back to the TDR Talent Extravaganza!" Chris' voice announced over the same 'clashing logos' animation that had opened the contest.
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"Welcome back!" the man himself repeated. "The Ferrets are leading fourteen to eleven. It all up to our last two competitors to determine who wins. So, without further delay, here she is for the Ferrets, Anne Maria!"
Anne Maria smirked as she walked into the spotlight and turned to face the audience. "This wasn't my idea," the Jersey girl began. The camera cut to both the Llamas and the Ferrets, most looking confused save for Scott's anticipatory smirk. "But I'm gonna finish out the song that Ella sang." She nodded to someone offstage, and the song from Ella's turn played again
"Faint lights paaaaasss through colored glaaaaaasssss in this beloved plaaaaaaccceeee!" she sang in a close-up. The words were completely off-key, and her drawing out of the words meant she was becoming more-and more off-beat. "Silver shiiiiiiiinnnnes the world diiiinnnneeees A smile on each faaaaaaaacccceeee!"
"As joy surrroouuuunnnndssss, comfort abbbooooouuuuunnnndddsss! And I can feel I'm breaking free!" The next high note was enough to shatter the camera lens, startle a flock of birds out of the nearby trees, and even cause some bears to wince. "For this moment left in time I'm finally me!"
"So I wish I could hide awwwwaaaayyyy," she walked across the stage, "Hold tight to what I love keep cruel fate at baaaaaaaaaaay!" Her final note was much higher than the music suggested it should be and caused every human to clutch their ears in pain.
"That's how it's done!" Anne Maria congratulated herself.
"Yeah, no." Chris told her, visibly displeased as he stepped into view. "Never do that again." To emphasize the host's point, Chef gave her a single point.
"What? That can't be right!" Anne Maria protested as she was forced backstage. "What do you know?!"
Chris took a moment to regain his composure and his signature smile. "Well then, it's down to the final act of the night. Can Eva do better than Anne Maria? I certainly hope so. Can she do good enough to win for her team? Let's find out!"
Eva stepped out to applause from her team; she rubbed her arm, then fell into a sneer. "I'm gonna beat Chef's weightlifting record." She told them. "No breaks. No spotters. Don't try this at home kids." She walked over to where a weightlifting bench had been set up, laid down on it.
"Count each rep," she told the audience. "The goal is forty-five with three hundred and fifty pounds." She began, starting her reps quickly as Cameron and Sadie started counting. When she got to ten, Sierra joined in, followed by the rest of her team around the fifteenth rep. Despite her slowing down a bit, the audience was on the edge of their seats.
By the twenty-fifth rep most of the Ferrets had joined in the counting, excitement was buzzing through the crowd when she hit thirty-one. Even Chris joined in the counting around rep forty.
"Forty-one!" The host and audience counted. "Forty-two! Forty-three! Forty-Four! Forty-five!" She stopped and set the weights down while her team cheered and clapped.
"She did it!" Chris announced as he joined her on stage. "But, what did Chef think?" The camera cut to the cook giving her a six. "It's not a blowout," the host said, "but it's still enough to declare a winner! Despite their efforts, the Ferrets of Failure have been trampled by the Llamas of Loserdom!"
The other Llamas swarmed the stage, with Sadie and Sierra giving their teammate a giant hug. "You were awesome, Eva!" Cameron said.
"At least I know why you wanted that record from Chef now," Sierra shrugged.
"And as for the Ferrets of Failure," Chris announced, stepping away from the winning team. Those still on the bench were shown looking at the host in fear. "Pick you favorite loser, and I'll see you at the bonfire."
XXX
"If only Chris hadn't limited us to people who didn't perform last time," Harold told the outhouse. "I coulda easily won the challenge again," he nodded decisively.
XXX
"Congrats to you all for an incredible night of entertainment!" Chris said over the night-time shot of the island. The shot changed to the twelve Ferrets sitting and watching the host with fear. "When I call your name, you're safe. Whoever doesn't get called gets the boot," he chuckled as he pointed to the Boot of Shame.
"Ezekiel, Harold, Trent," he called, tossing marshmallows to the three. "Gwen, Sky, Dave," were next, the former smirking and the latter two nodding at each other. "Lindsay, Dakota, Sam," were called next, the girls cheering while the gamer smiled. "aaaaand Jaxon." Theartist, with a bandage around his forehead, caught his marshmallow with a grin.
The shot cut to Ella and Anne Maria at the campfire, both girls looking nervous.
"Ladies," he told them, "You're both on the chopping block fro bringing songs to a talent show. You should've saved it for a singing show. Anyway, tonight's loser is..."
"Anne Maria."
A quick pan over the remaining Ferrets showed a mixture of relief that The Jersey Girl was gone, lack of concern, and general annoyance. Chef appeared and escorted her to the Boot.
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The somber elimination theme started as the scene skipped ahead to show Anne Maria loaded into the Boot of Shame. "How could I lose again?!" She growled. "It's not my fault you guys can't appreciate good singin'!"
"But is is your fault we had to hear it," Chris said to the girl. He pressed the button on his remote, kicking Anne Maria into the night.
"Another elimination means we're down to twenty-two players," Chris said as the capstone theme began to play, "Who's next in the to get the kick? Only one way to find out. Keep watching Total! Drama! Redemption!"
(Roll the Credits)
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(Bonus Clip)
The clip opened with Anne Maria's orb flying on-screen with her screaming within. It hit the ground and rolled for a bit, then a hole opened in the side and she climbed out.
She looked around in shock at the hotel she landed at and smiled. "Bada-Bing baby!" she cheered. "This is so much better than some crappy island."
"It's something isn't it?" a familiar voice asked, causing her to perk up and look to her side. The camera panned to the left to show Justin smirking at her.
"And the view just got better!" she said, running to the model and hugging his waist.
"So how about we hit the hot tub?" Justin asked.
"Lead the way hotstuff," Anne Maria said, giggling as the two walked off-screen.
Author's Note Post Script: Well, Anne Maria's elimination was a fairly easy decision for me to make. Not only does it trim away some elimination fodder, it also means I didn't have to work too hard to see which team lost. I do apologize if the acts seemed awkward. I'm uh, not good a lot of the stuff these guys are. But back to Anne Maria. It was a hard choice between her and Jaxon, which is why Scott fed both of their egos. But in the end, the constant two word name, along with something in the next paragraph, made the decision for me
And there's another couple. Ezekiel/Eva, or Evezekiel? I don't know. I originally wanted to explore his canon crush on Anne Maria, in fact I had swapped her and Sadie's team placements for that reason, but I just couldn't justify anything to get her to like him. Or any reason other than looks for him to like her. But to be fair, Zeke doesn't actually like Eva right now. And he's clueless about how much he affected her because clueless chick magnets are funny to me. Speaking of Sadie, the other pairing is Cameron/Sadie. Not sure where the idea came from but you gotta admit, they're really cute together.
Ella and Anne Maria's song is called 'Edge of Dawn' from the Fire Emblem Three Houses soundtrack. It's a pretty somber tune that talking about will offer massive spoilers but it's really pretty and I thought would fit for Ella doing something different to what she normally does.
Yeah, so there was never really an interview subplot. I just needed a bit of humor for Gary's clip. For this one, I wanted to throw Justin a bone. So there's still one girl who's still into him.
And as always I'm sure I'm forgetting to mention something.
I hope you all enjoyed the episode, or some part of it.
And I'd also like to remind you guys that a TVTropes page for this series does exist and needs you guys adding to it.
With that I'm signing off
-TotalDramaFan14
RDR ELIMINATION TABLE:
24th Place: Gary
23rd Place: Anne Maria