The night was peaceful over the campgrounds as the moonlight reflected along the calm waters. While Cameron tossed in his cabin bunk, he noticed the eerie silence looming over the room. It was only when he turned on the lights that he noticed his roommate didn't come back. Out on the dock, Mordecai dozed off as he sat on the wooden boards and stared at his rippling reflection in the water.
"Mordecai?" Cameron called over to him quietly as he stepped onto the dock, "Why don't you come to bed, it's getting late."
"Yeah..." Mordecai sighed.
Cameron looked over at his teammate and shook his head sadly, "I'm sorry I tried to vote you out. I shouldn't have listened to Zarra. Now Ike's gone and I guess I'm part to blame"
"It's so weird." Mordecai lamented, "I don't even know why I'm so frustrated. Ike didn't deserve to go like that. If I just ignored him, or if I never got into that fight with Zarra, he'd probably still be here."
"How far do you think he would've made it?"
"Well, he was a lot friendlier than me."
CONFESSION
Mordecai: Honestly, Ike doesn't need me, and I don't really think he was in love with me. I think he just doesn't know what he wants and has a lot of pressure on him. I'm upset that Zarra cheated him out but I think it's good that he's with his sister and can be in a less competitive environment. He's a nice dude, I wish I could've been more helpful to him, but I could probably use that same help.
END
While the sun rose over the campgrounds, the teams filed into the dining hall, where Bobby stood waiting for them to be seated. As the Gophers began to sit at their usual table, Sophie sat down next to a slouched-over Liam.
"Had trouble getting some shut-eye?" Sophie asked him.
"I stayed up late to read through Addison's 'prize'." Liam clarified as he lifted his head up, "P.S, those letters are just as bad as you expected."
"Hey," Addison fumed, "you were not supposed to read those!"
Liam teased, "Yeah, because I'm sure while Harold was writing them, he was thinking, 'man I-I hope Liam doesn't see this.'"
"Well," the host started, "congratulations to the ten of you for making it halfway through the competition. The challenges will play out a bit differently from here on out. Today, we'll have the battle of the sexes, competing for a special prize."
"So, we're gonna eat gross food again like last time?" Juliette asked.
"Pretty much," Bobby continued, "However the rules will be slightly different this time around. Let's not get too ahead of ourselves though, we have to make some quick housekeeping changes first. The girls will be in the Bass cabin and the boys will be in the Gopher cabin starting now. Get comfy and meet me back here."
"Wait…" Cameron paused, "I have to move out?"
"Evicted!" Jacey shouted back at him jokingly.
Bobby sighed, "Let's make this move quick and painless. When you're done, come back here so we can begin the challenge."
CONFESSION
Sophie: I am so so so excited about this! I get to move in with the other girls, including my sister… I hope it will be just like the good ol' days again.
Cameron: Back home, I share a room with Sara, so when I first got here it felt kinda awkward bunking with five strangers but it's gotten better. Now I have to relive that experience. The only interaction I had with those guys was during the war challenge and they were threatening to pelt me with ping pong balls. Not a great start.
Juliette: This merger may be a good start for me. After Petunia left, I started feeling out of place with my team. Now that I'm on my own. I need to start stepping up my game.
END
"Are you excited to move?" Cameron asked Mordecai as they cleaned out their cabin.
"No," he chuckled, "I can't imagine living in a room with those three idiots will be any better than this. Addison already cries in the shower so I can't imagine how he is in the cabin."
"Maybe you'll be able to find a new boyfriend." Zarra intervened as she stood outside with Jacey, "Have fun moving boys." Mordecai glared over to her for a moment before he finished packing up his belongings.
"C'mon Cameron."
Mordecai pushed his way past the girls while Cameron followed. As Cameron and Mordecai entered their new living arrangements, they were greeted with a very loud welcome.
"Howdy," Addison exclaimed, "Welcome to my crib."
"Welcome to Addison's crib." Liam echoed quietly.
"Thanks for the warm welcome," Cameron smiled.
As the two newcomers started setting up their beds, Addison watched Cameron as he climbed up the ladder and noticed the small black pouch hanging from the back of his pants.
"Do you keep fairy dust in that little bag on your belt?" Addison asked.
Cameron looked down, "What? Oh, my pouch. No, it's just an inhaler. But there's probably a rock in there too."
Mordecai scoffed, "You never said anything about having asthma before."
Cameron shrugged, "What is there really to say about it? If I have an asthma attack, you'll know."
"Well, I always have first aid stuff on me too," Junior intervened, "Band-aids and medicine and EpiPens and what not."
"That's good," Mordecai recalled, "Ike had some first-aid stuff with him so at least we have that covered now that he's gone."
Liam clarified, "Ike probably wasn't being solicitous, he has a grass allergy and it's pollen season."
"...Right."
CONFESSION
Mordecai: Ike never told me that he had a grass allergy, I didn't realize people could be allergic to grass but I suppose it makes sense why his sport of choice is hockey. I also didn't know that Ike was acquainted with Liam. That monotonous freak is hard to read, but not going to count on his friendship any time soon.
END
On the other side of the cabin, the gopher girls began to clean out their own room.
"I'm sure you're probably excited to bunk with Zarra, huh?" Rosie conversed as she watched Sophie slovenly stuff her suitcase.
"Uhh," Sophie mumbled, "I guess you could say that…"
While the other girls finished packing up their belongings, Juliette sorted through a pile of her laundry. She noticed an unfamiliar dark blue fabric poking out of the pile.
"Oh," she noted as she lifted up the article of clothing, "I guess I should've given Landon his brother's hoodie back."
"You kept that nasty thing," Rosie teased, "Guess you'll have to wait until you're eliminated to give it back."
The girls finished cleaning up, then headed outside where they saw Zarra and Jacey standing outside the cabin. The door to their room was propped open with a small fan blowing into the doorway, blocking the entrance.
"What's happening?" Rosie questioned.
"Jacey dumped an entire bottle of room spray on the floor," Zarra explained, "Unless you want to pass out, I wouldn't recommend going in there."
"We have guests, I just wanted it to smell nice!" Jacey explained.
Juliette asked, "What about our bags?"
"You can throw them in the boy's room for now, I guess." Zarra suggested. The girls looked at each other before taking her suggestion and placing their suitcases just inside the door. Rosie and Juliette started to head towards the dining hall while Sophie inched towards her sister.
"Hey Zarra," Sophie chuckled awkwardly, "Guess we'll be rooming together again like the old days."
"Yeah, I guess."
CONFESSION
Rosie: I hate to say it, but I'm not too happy with his situation. Sophie's been very helpful this whole game but I'm losing her to Zarra. I'd be willing to vote out Zarra, but my one ally, Sophie, isn't going to like that too much. So, I probably need to make some friends. The boys from my team are stupid and Juliette is a little too friendly with Liam for my liking, so I'll probably need to leave my comfort zone for a while.
Zarra: I'm conflicted. I don't really think Sophie's gonna be all that helpful in the game. I feel like she's being nice to pity me. But if she's willing to come along for the ride, I'll show her around. My main focus is getting rid of Mordecai and I'll need more than Jacey to do that.
END
"The rules will be a bit different this time." Bobby explained while the campers reconvened in the dining hall, "Today, you'll be dining on a ten-course meal. Each contestant will be required to take one bite of their meal, however, if someone on your team refuses to eat or pukes, they'll be forced to sit out. The last team standing wins the game and a special prize. If we get to the end with only one camper remaining, they'll receive an additional reward on top of the team's prize. Any questions?"
"Umm," Cameron raised his hand, "I have a few dietary concerns."
Bobby sighed, "Right. I am obligated to say to the allergy enthusiasts in the room that none of the food provided will contain the following items, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, soy, or gluten. Additionally, our producers have a medic on standby in case things get a little crazy."
Sophie chimed in, "And who's going to be making the food anyway? You still don't have a chef."
"Oh gosh," Rosie guessed, "He probably got our parents to make us nasty food since he just loves to bring them in."
"Don't assume," Bobby continued, "I have something even better." The campers looked over to their host in confusion as he placed his hand over his earpiece.
"Send them in."
The dining hall doors slowly creaked open as the campers watched in awe. Ten familiar faces stepped past the dining tables and lined up behind the host. Eye contact was made between the groups and the tension in the room steadily increased.
"Say hello to the previously eliminated contestants."
CONFESSION
Ike: I can't say I was expecting to be back on the island so soon. It's good to be back though, even if it's just temporary. Hopefully, the guys are doing alright without me.
Callum: It's so weird being back! Everyone looks so different since I left. Well… they look the same, only a little more tired. Anyway, I'm hoping my disgusting concoction is so offensive it makes someone throw up from just looking at it.
Petunia: Back at camp! It's gonna be so exciting to see some drama right up close. Hopefully, it's not too gross though.
END
"Here's the deal." Bobby explained, "The losers have prepared their own special dishes for your torture and for their amusement. For every one of you they get to puke, they'll get $100 as a little incentive to make it extra gross. One by one, each loser will come in to present their dish and will leave when the round is over. I'll be in the back eating an ice cream cone so… bon appétit."
As Bobby and the remaining losers left the dining hall, Aiden stuck around and grabbed his plates from the back room.
"Well," Aiden explained as he placed covered dishes onto each of the tables, "It would've been easy for me to just scrape up some dirt from the back yard but I wanted to bring something that was more of a legitimate dish to the table today. I called up my uncle to see what weird stuff he's eaten back home so… enjoy."
Aiden uncovered the platter to reveal a reddish-brown gelatinous substance, sliced into small cubes.
"It's meat-colored…" Cameron observed as he cautiously poked the unknown food with his fork.
"Kinda looks like spam." Sophie pointed out.
"It's tofu…" Aiden started.
"See Cameron, that's in your wheelhouse. It'll be alright." Mordecai reassured him as he started putting food onto his plate.
"... made of pig's blood."
Cameron jolted out of his chair, "I'm not hungry!"
"Having trouble over there boys?" Zarra teased from the other table as the rest of the girls stared over at them and chuckled.
CONFESSION
Cameron: Some people are ethical vegans or environmental vegans; I consider myself involuntarily vegan. Yes, I've snuck a piece of cake at a birthday party a few times, but I've never even really looked at meat. I've been conditioned to be repulsed by it. Yes, I eat eggs, but I've only been allowed to for the past few years. How can someone just go from not eating meat or dairy their entire life to eating curdles of animal blood? In short, mom, maybe skip this episode.
END
"Don't let it trip you up," Rosie asserted, "it's like eating a rare steak, just… without the steak part."
"Yeah, that's not helpful." Zarra huffed as she stared down at the dish.
"C'mon Zarra," Sophie encouraged, "I don't think it's too bad. Besides, it's the first dish."
"Pretend it's the blood of your enemies." Jacey suggested as she placed a helping onto her plate.
"I've actually eaten this in soup before." Juliette recalled, "It's weird, but not too bad."
As the girls started to dine on for their first dish, the boys hesitated a bit longer.
"Cameron, it's gonna be alright." Junior assured him, "And if you don't want to eat it that's fine too."
"Are you nuts? But then we'll be short one teammate against the girls." Mordecai noted.
Junior explained as he placed the tofu on his plate, "I think I'll make it pretty far. I have a pretty high tolerance for gross foods. Plus, Addison ate all those fishtails a while back. I think we'll be fine."
"Well," Liam chimed in, "Cameron doesn't have to eat but I wouldn't want to be the first person to tap out if I were him."
Cameron drew a heavy sigh before sitting back down and closing his eyes while Mordecai passed him a plate. The guys watched in anticipation as Cameron slowly lifted the fork up to his face and took a bite. He recoiled in disgust as he tried to swallow it.
"I don't get all the fuss. It's not too bad." Addison noted while reaching for another piece.
"Well don't eat too much of it," Aiden suggested, "You got nine more dishes ahead of you, plus you can get iron poisoning."
"Hey Aiden," Rosie called out, "We finished before them. Do we get the point?"
Aiden shrugged, "I don't think so. Besides, I'm not the host. But I wish you the best of luck with Callum's dish. I could smell it from the other room and it wasn't pleasant."
CONFESSION
Junior: Back in middle school, kids on the playground used to dare each other to eat worms and other weird bugs to see who'd be the first to puke. I've gotten pretty good at keeping it down over the years. Guess you could say I was the playground champion.
END
The teams watched as Callum stepped into the dining hall while pushing a serving cart. As he stepped closer to the teens, the putrid smell hiding beneath his dish cover coated the room.
"So," he explained, "I'm not allowed to use the stove back home. This will be the first dish in my horror-themed recipe book. You guys are gonna be my first taste testers."
Rosie gagged as she held her hand over her nose, "It smells like wet cat food."
"Close," Callum slowly lifted the dome off the platter to reveal his cake-shaped abomination, "I wanted to make a cake out of dog food but it didn't really look like a cake. So, I threw some sprinkles and frosting on the top here."
"Still confident about that strong stomach?" Mordecai nudged Junior as he covered his nose from the stench.
"Yeah," Junior coughed, "Let's do this."
"I never thought that the first time I'd ever eat meat would be in dog food" Cameron chuckled nervously.
"Well, and frosting." Addison added.
The room filled with watery eyes and turning stomachs as Callum passed out the slices of 'cake'. Zarra looked over and noticed her sister wincing at the sight of the dish.
"Okay," Sophie cried, "I don't think I can eat this one."
"Just plug your nose before taking a bite." Zarra suggested, "try to dilute the taste a bit."
"It's just one bite, Sophie. We got this." Juliette chimed in.
As Sophie gained the courage to take a bite, Rosie trembled as she lifted the fork to her mouth. However, the settling flavors of bitter dog chow and the overly sweet frosting were too much for her to handle. Rosie stood up from the table and ran to the nearest trash can where she threw up her meal. As the horrific scene unfolded, Bobby returned to the room where he saw Rosie laying on the floor next to the garbage can.
"Well," Bobby announced, "I guess this makes Rosie the first person out of today's game. When you're able to regain composure, please make your way over to the loser bench. The boys now lead with 5 to the girl's 4."
"Not so tough now are you, Rosie," Mordecai bragged from across the room, "Ladies, I'd watch out if I were you. Us guys actually know how to hold down a meal."
"Yeah, I'm not too sure about that." Sophie chuckled as she pointed over at Cameron who was struggling to eat the dish.
"I got you dude." Addison exclaimed as he stood up behind Cameron and pounded lightly on his back. Unfortunately, instead of holding it down, Cameron went into a coughing fit before puking on the floor.
"Addison!" Mordecai nagged, "You should've just left him alone."
Addison shrugged while Cameron started to waddle towards the back of the room.
"Sorry guys, I'll see myself to the loser bench."
"Alright," Bobby intervened, "The score now sits at 4 to 4. However, we will have to take a quick intermission."
"Come on! Can't we just get this over with?" Mordecai complained.
Bobby explained, "Well we would but unfortunately, the production crew lost track of Sara. It should only take a few minutes to find her. So, sit tight."
CONFESSION
Sophie: I appreciate Zarra's willingness to help me out in the challenge. I just remember how she'd always get super annoyed with my picky eating when we were kids. I hope we can actually work together in future challenges.
Cameron: So, I technically didn't swallow the dog food. I'm still clean. But I did eat the blood… I don't know.
Callum: My cake's going home with a blue ribbon today! You're now looking at the richest Callum has ever been. What does one even with $200?
END
As the teams waited for Sara to arrive with their next dish, Mordecai peeked out the back window where he saw the remaining losers bantering outside.
"Hey," Mordecai wondered aloud to Cameron, "What kind of gross dish do you think Ike made? I'm willing to bet he just threw something together last minute."
"Oh please," Liam butted in, "You don't have to think about Ike all the time. He's not even in the game anymore."
Mordecai scoffed, "I don't think about him all the time. He hasn't been gone for very long. But I get it, he was your little friend back in the day so you feel the need to insert yourself into the conversation."
"Guys, why don't we do this later…" Junior added trying to alleviate the tension.
Liam paused for a moment, "Well clearly you don't even know Ike very well. Ike isn't my little friend, Ivonne and Ike are my cousins."
Mordecai looked at him and mouthed, "What?"
"In what way?" Addison intervened, "Junior and I are kinda like cousins too."
Liam explained, "Not like that at all. My dad is their uncle. We share a grandfather. You know, like cousins."
Cameron recalled, "Ike would tell me crazy stories about his family all the time and never brought it up. This isn't the uncle that accidently shattered the dining room table on Christmas Eve, is it?
"…Oh no."
CONFESSION
Mordecai: I don't know if I believe Liam, I think he knows about my alliance with Ike and just wants to poke at me, make me feel small. I saw what happened with Landon.
Liam: Ike, Ivonne, and I decided to keep it to ourselves while we were here. It didn't really make sense to bring it up anyway. But Ike and Ivonne are gone and their little friends have to deal with me now.
END
While the campers chatted, Bobby returned with Sara. He let out a long sigh as he opened the door, releasing Sara into the kitchen to grab her dish.
"Okay," he slurred, "Sara's back so eat some nasty food or whatever."
Sara kicked through the door of the kitchen, startling the remaining contestants.
"So," Sara explained, "I'm in charge now. My first order of business is you have to eat my soup."
She chuckled as she uncovered her boiling pot of soup, revealing its smell across the room.
"Sara, is this what I think it is?" Cameron asked from the back of the room.
Sara nodded," This week's mystery stew contains the following: mayonnaise, sauerkraut, onions, jelly beans, black olives, greens olives and pretzel sticks."
"I don't think you can call that a 'soup'." Juliette questioned.
"No, it's fine. The mayonnaise is the broth; I watered it down a bit to make it more brothy."
Sara scooped a ladleful of soup into each contestant's bowl. She walked around to each table until she got to Liam, who stared into his bowl cautiously. He scooped bits of pretzel out of his bowl and broke it up with the side of his spoon.
"Sara, can you grab me the bag for the pretzels?"
She nodded and trotted into the kitchen while the rest of the contestants started digging into their meal.
"It's like a sandwich but in soup form." Jacey noted.
"So, you eat sandwiches with jelly beans and swimming in mayonnaise?" Sophie questioned jokingly.
"Hey! No judging!"
While the girls dined on their dish, the boys watched as Sara returned carrying the empty pretzel bag.
"Sorry for the wait, I had to dig it out of the garbage." Sara chuckled as she handed the bag to Liam. He scanned the front and back of the bag briefly before waving Bobby over to the table.
"I can't eat this," he explained, "What happened to honoring dietary restrictions?"
Bobby sighed, "Sara, didn't you read the instructions I gave you the other day?"
"Hey!" Sara snapped back, "you said I could use anything I found in the kitchen. I found all this in the kitchen!"
"Oh yeah…"
Addison butted in, "Liam, didn't you eat pasta and pastry in the cook-off challenge?"
"Yeah, and who brought the truck full of ingredients to the campgrounds?"
"Okay," Bobby offered, "You can take a bite of it without the pretzels, but that's the best I can do. If you don't eat it, you'll have to sit out."
Liam reiterated, "I guess I'll sit out then. It's already been contaminated."
Mordecai needled, "Come on Liam, they're just pretzels; you ate dog food like five minutes ago. If something happens, Junior's got some EpiPens, remember?"
"Well, hold on, Mordecai," Junior chimed in, "If he's done, he's done. I think we'll be alright."
CONFESSION
Liam: Yeah, I don't think epinephrine is going to help me, I have an autoimmune disease not a food allergy. I don't really care what the others think of me for dropping out. I'm already stuck here; I don't need other issues on top of that. Not like anyone is going home today either.
Cameron: Funnily enough, 'mystery soup' is something Sara and I make each other all the time. It started with her pouring dish soap in my oatmeal when my back was turned. Now we just throw random things in a bowl and make each other guess what's in it. I'm surprised she didn't throw in a live squirrel this time.
END
In the back of the room, Liam nudged Rosie as he sat by her on the loser bench, "How was it throwing up blood chunks and dog kibble?"
"I don't think I'll ever have the stomach to feed my dog again," She looked over at him and pouted, "But I can't say that was the grossest thing that happened to me here so far."
"Whatever."
"Okay," Bobby announced, "The girls now lead with four to the boy's three. Let's speed up this process a little bit so here's Nora."
The teams watched while Nora stepped through the dining hall and grabbed her dish. She returned carrying a stack of cups and a metal teapot.
"I figured I could serve something I enjoy," she explained, "Who wants tea?" She passed out the cups and slowly poured a small amount of the beverage into each. The drink was a deep brown and gave off a hoppy and bitter smell.
"Why does it smell like leather?" Mordecai asked.
As the teens stared into their warm cups, Juliette decided to take a small sip where she was met with the strong salty flavor that was festering inside Nora's teapot.
She coughed, "What's in there, marmite?"
"Well actually, it's vegemite."
"Aw c'mon," Addison complained, "I hate hot tea"
"Well, you're going to drink it anyway," Mordecai ordered, "With Cameron and Liam out, we need to stay ahead of the game."
"I say, on the count of three we plug our noses and all take a sip," Junior suggested, "We can work through this together."
As the guys began to sip at their drinks, the girls stared into their mugs a bit longer.
"What even is vegemite?" Sophie wondered.
"It's the leftover residue from brewing beer." Zarra explained, "It's not as gross as eating jelly beans in mayonnaise but it's got a strong flavor."
The sisters looked over at their teammates where they noticed Jacey waving her empty mug in the air.
"I need a refill!" She asserted.
"Well, everyone's had a drink," Nora noted, "and I think Ivonne was supposed to come in."
"No one puked? Alright, go fetch Ivonne then." Bobby prompted before Nora cleaned up and made her way out of the dining hall.
CONFESSION
Junior: Man, I haven't seen Ivonne in quite a while now. I wonder how she's been doing from time to time. I feel a little guilty that she got booted off and everything but what can ya do?
END
"Hey Bobby," Junior asked, "Can we move to one table? I think it'd be easier since there's only seven of us left."
"Sure, why not."
While the teams shifted to one table, Ivonne stepped into the kitchen carrying her large food tray. She stood before them and uncovered her grotesque dish, a pale multicolored block of food covered in a gravy-like goop.
"Well," She started, "Some of us have been rewatching Total Drama Action back at the resort so I wanted to try to make my own prison slop. So, say hello to Ivonne's Nutraloaf, with great ingredients such as baby carrots, brussels sprouts, nail clippings, hair, black licorice, and orange marmalade and dried up worms."
"Are you gonna lock us up before we eat it too?" Mordecai asked jokingly while Ivonne passed out plates.
"You don't think this is punishment enough?" Juliette teased.
As the teams began to eat their slop, Mordecai watched as Zarra poked at her food.
"Yeah," Zarra stated, "I think I'm done."
"You're tapping out?" Sophie asked.
"It's not like anyone's going home tonight," Zarra explained, "And besides, I don't think any of the boys are gonna make it to the final round anyway."
"Ha! Loser!" Mordecai quipped as Zarra walked towards the loser bench. He redirected his attention and realized the others at the table were all staring at him.
Ivonne noted, "Well, you're the last one left, Mordecai."
"Hurry up!" Jacey shouted.
"Alright alright!" Mordecai stared down at the mushy loaf on his plate and took a deep breath. As he bit down on his fork, the mixed taste of brussels sprouts and orange marmalade caused an intense reaction. His eyes watered as he went into a coughing fit, spitting out his bite.
"Well, I guess Mordecai's out." Bobby announced from his chair in the front of the room.
"Seriously," Mordecai complained, "At least give me another chance to take a bite."
"Sorry," The host explained, "What part of 'let's speed this up' didn't you understand." Mordecai sighed and headed over to the loser bench where he sat next to Cameron and Zarra.
"What was it you were saying earlier?" Zarra ribbed.
"Oh, shut it."
CONFESSION
Mordecai: I feel like I've kinda lost footing. I got so used to working with my team but CJ, Addison, and Liam are so different. And while I'd love to see Zarra and Jacey ride out on the loser boat, I kinda have to watch my back a little more now. Without Ike, I'm completely outnumbered and I don't think I have earned Cam's loyalty either. My best bet is probably to team up with one of the other girls, but that won't help me here.
END
As Ivonne headed out of the dining hall, she was stopped by one of her former teammates, grabbing her by the hand.
"Hey Ivonne," Junior complimented, "You did a really good job. That was pretty gross."
Ivonne blushed, "Thanks. I promise I can make a much better meatloaf than that."
"Well, maybe next time you can make me a real meatloaf."
While Ivonne stepped out, Petunia joined the remaining campers, pulling a cart behind her.
"Okay," She whispered to herself, "Time for redemption."
Petunia set her tray on the table in front of the remaining campers. Her dish seemed eerily normal, like ice cream shakes in tall sundae glasses.
"Behold!" Petunia exclaimed, "My last bag of fishtails went into making these so, enjoy."
Addison chuckled, "Looking for a rematch, eh?"
"I never thought I'd eat one." Junior chuckled, "Let alone in ice cream."
After Petunia handed the five remaining contestants their glasses, Juliette stared into her sundae, letting the familiar rotten fish smell linger over her.
"This brings back some memories." She chattered, "Not very good memories. But still."
She watched quietly as her remaining competitors took small sips of the sundae.
"Ugh," Sophie cringed, "It tastes like a wet sock."
"Yeah," Junior concurred, "I think the 'yum yum' in the title is a little exaggerated."
Juliette sighed, "Well, all or nothing I guess." She pursed her lips on the straw as she thought about the rotten contents of the glass. While she closed her eyes in an effort to power through the dessert, she could only think of being in the fox hole deep in the island forest and the putrid smell of caramelized fish that surrounded her.
"No no," she cried, "I can't. I'm sorry girls." Juliette pushed herself away from the table and ran out of the dining hall, into the fresh air.
CONFESSION
Juliette: I felt pretty confident going into this, I love adventurous eating. But it took me like 12 showers to kill that fishy puke smell after the paintball challenge. A girl's gotta draw the line somewhere, right?
END
"Ah man," Petunia fretted before leaving the dining hall to run after her friend, "Juliette I'm sorry!"
"Well," Bobby noticed, "I guess we're down to the final four. Let's hope these next four dishes really knock it out of the park."
"I will be the brunch champion!" Jacey asserted.
"We'll see about that," Bobby continued, "Here's Malik."
Malik stepped into the dining hall followed by Mavis who was carrying the tray of food. Bobby sighed as he looked over at the pair before getting out of his seat and heading towards them.
"You guys know you were supposed to each make a dish, right?" He explained, "This wasn't a team effort."
"Hey," Malik attested, "Mavis and I work better as a team. Plus, she's the one that keeps me from starting another kitchen fire."
"Fine fine," Bobby acquiesced, "You can be a team."
CONFESSION
Mavis: I wouldn't really say we worked together on this. It was more me forgetting to make a dish and Malik letting me piggyback off his.
END
"So," Malik explained, "When I was a kid, I used to look up ways to make myself sick so I could skip school. So, I have for you 'Malik's sick breakfast concoction thing'. Composed of scrambled egg whites topped with Dijon mustard with a side of burnt toast. And to wash it down, a glass of milk mixed with orange juice. Enjoy."
"Is the orange juice pulpy?" Jacey asked while the pair passed around plates and glasses.
"That's your concern?" Mavis questioned as she set the glass down in front of her.
"Milk and orange juice?" Sophie cringed, "Do people even drink that?"
Junior recalled, "Well I mean, orange cream is common enough. It can't be too bad."
"Sophie, you're going at this all wrong." Addison intervened, "you just gotta use the forbidden tactic. In the hot dog eating contest world, we call it dunking. And I've also gotten disqualified for trying it."
The teens watched in utter disbelief as Addison lifted up his plate and scraped his eggs and toast into his glass before chugging the entire concoction.
"Oh?" Junior stared at him puzzled before breaking into laughter. Sophie, however, had the opposite reaction and started gagging at the sight of her own plate.
"Addison why?" she cried before puking onto the floor beneath her.
"I guess doing something gross right after eating fish shakes and mayonnaise soup is one way to eliminate the other team." Junior commented.
"Please… don't talk about it." Sophie muttered before solemnly making her way to the back of the room.
CONFESSION
Sophie: I love Addy, I've known him my whole life, but he never fails to surprise me.
END
Landon entered the dining hall carrying a small covered dish. After setting the plate down on the table, he noticed the long line of campers sitting on the back bench.
"Only three left?" Landon questioned, "That's a shame."
"Hey! Why don't you try eating dog-food-cake and blood chunks!" Rosie quipped from the back of the room.
"Well, you'll probably be glad you're sitting over there for this one." Landon slowly lifted up the cover to reveal an eerily recognizable organ sitting dryly on the plate.
"Woah, a brain," Addison marveled, "Is it human?"
"If I eat it, will I absorb its knowledge?" Jacey asked.
"No and maybe," Landon explained, "It's pig. I was going to throw it in a soup but I got lazy." The room watched as Landon cut the brain into wedges and passed the three remaining teens a plate.
"Well, today I've eaten dog food, blood, fishtails, and now a brain," Junior chuckled nervously, "I think I'm set for life on my adventurous eating."
"Pig again?" Addison thought aloud.
CONFESSION
Addison: One of the freakiest things to me as a kid was that Studio Ghibli movie where they eat a bunch of food and turn into pigs. For a while, I was scared to eat too much, so I stopped eating my vegetables. But I never considered the possibility of eating too much literal pig. You are what you eat, right? Man, I shouldn't have had bacon this morning.
END
"Listen," Addison explained to the others, "I don't think we should be eating this. We already ate its blood. I don't want to be more pig than man by the end of the day.
"But we've already been eating like piggies all day, so it can't get worse." Jacey noted.
Junior teased, "I mean, you already wheeze like a pig in your sleep. You're probably more at risk than the rest of us."
Addison watched in horror as his remaining competitors took a bite of the dish. He stared at the brain on his plate as it taunted him with his greatest fears.
"I will not be part of your sick game!" Addison shouted after he jumped out of his chair.
Landon reassured him, "Listen man, you don't have to-"
But before he could reach Addison, the distraught teen grabbed what was left of the pig brain and hurled the plate towards the front wall. The impact left splatter on the panels, ceramic shards on the floor, and the entire room in shock.
"Yeah, I think I'm gonna go for a walk." Cameron added before exiting the dining hall.
"Well," Bobby chimed in as he stared at the mess, "Sucks for whoever has to clean that up. And it looks like we'll be having a tie-breaker today. Whoever wins this next round will not only win for their team, but they'll be receiving the bonus prize as well. A lot's on the line here."
CONFESSION:
Junior: Time to show those kids on the playground what I'm really made of!
Jacey: Ohh. The nasty food was the challenge. I thought this was just brunch.
END
Ike joined the teams inside where he glanced over at the splattered food and puddles of vomit as he made his way to the front of the room.
"Congrats," Bobby announced as he put his hand on the teen's shoulder, "You're in charge of the tie-breaker. So, what've you got?"
Ike shrugged, "Well I kinda forgot about this whole thing until the last minute. I brought some cheerios and some spice jars so I thought we could have fun with that."
"That'll do."
Junior and Jacey sat at either side of the long lunch table, each with a bowl in front of them.
"This is an eat-off," Bobby explained, "You're both going to be eating cereal until one of you either vomits, gives up, or requires medical attention. Ike's gonna dump whatever spice he wants into your bowl. So… let's get this over with."
"Okay then, let's start with CJ." Ike placed his hand over his eyes and reached for a random jar off the table. He chuckled as he looked at the label and proceeded to pour the entire bottle into Junior's cereal bowl.
"Hope you like cinnamon."
"Not too bad," Junior reassured himself, "My preferred flavor of cheerios is apple cinnamon anyway."
Ike then blindly reached for Jacey's spice, coincidentally grabbing the largest and most recognizable jar on the table.
"Oh no," Ike stared at the label before pouring it into Jacey's cereal, "Sorry Jacey. Looks like you got table salt."
"Why the 'oh no'? I love salt."
"We're ready?" Ike announced as he handed the pair each a spoon, "And... go!"
With a crowd of eyes on them, both teens trembled as they lifted up their spoons. The spectators in the back of the room moved closer to cheer on their respective teammate. Through the shouting in the room Junior set the spoon in his mouth, causing his eyes to immediately start watering.
CONFESSION
Junior: When the cinnamon first hit my mouth, I felt like I was suffocating. The milk made it a little better, but I knew I had to power through it. Jacey kicked our butts in the paintball and the war challenges. I wasn't gonna let her take this.
Jacey: Update, I don't like salt.
END
"It burns!" Jacey cried
Junior dryly coughed into his hand before grabbing the spoon to take another bite while Jacey slowly followed. The pair dined on their powdery cereal; each bite worse than the last. As their bowls got lower, Ike refilled the milk and cereal, adding in a new spice every time.
"Guys I'm fading fast." Junior panted as he dropped the spoon into his bowl.
"Come on Junior, just pretend it's ice cream." Addison encouraged. Junior hunched over his bowl to take another bite before noticing a green-faced Jacey.
"One more bowl Ike!" She demanded as she coughed on her last bite.
"Jacey you don't look so good, don't push yourself." Sophie consulted.
"Don't discourage her!" Rosie objected, "If she's still wanting to eat, let her eat!"
Jacey wobbled in her seat as she watched Ike pour more milk into her bowl.
"Give up now baby," She slurred, "I could eat all day." Junior froze as he watched Jacey's eyes roll back before face planting into her cereal bowl.
Ike knelt down next to her and pulled her face out of the milk, "Uhh… can someone grab a medic?"
CONFESSION
Zarra: Never thought I'd see Jacey get knocked down. What a shame.
Jacey: He called it early, I wasn't done. I will get the tall guy back next time.
END
"Congratulations to our winners for today, the guys." Bobby started, "Since big-mouth was the last one standing today, he will be receiving a special prize. Meet with me later outside, this prize will greatly impact the competition."
"Can we at least know what it is?" Rosie asked.
"Oh, you'll find out in due time. And additionally, the rest of the team gets their own prize. Each of you will be getting a special package from home. They'll be waiting for you in the cabin by the end of the day."
"What happened to the boat? I wanted a hot stone massage." Liam asked.
"Yeah, I'll tell the spa crew you're thinking about them," Bobby teased, "Enjoy your weekend teams, starting Monday it's every camper for themselves. See ya then. Oh, one more thing, ladies, since you lost today's challenge, I'll need you to clean out the dining area, get rid of all the puke and what-not."
"Great…" Rosie muttered.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a boat to catch."
CONFESSION
Liam: I thought Bobby was joking. Chris should've made me the host.
END
"Well," Zarra sighed, "Let's start now and get this over with."
"Good thing I puked in the trash can, Sophie." Rosie gibed as she handed a mop to a red-faced Sophie.
Mordecai and Junior watched as the girls started to scrub at the floor before Junior got up and headed towards them.
"Need a hand?" Junior offered.
Mordecai scoffed, "You won, and now you're gonna be a sucker?"
"It isn't about me."
Mordecai huffed as he exited the dining hall. While heading to the washrooms, he spotted Ike in the distance chatting and laughing with his little sister. He stared out at them for a moment while he thought about all the things Ike told him and the time they spent together.
"Liam's wrong, I do know Ike. And I can tell he's happy. Smile on man, I'll see ya."
Go to the next chapter for the epilogue to this chapter -