Chapter 2: Alien Resurr-eggtion
The campers sit among the two tables in the craft services tent waiting for the first challenge of the season to commence. At the end of the table closest to the beige tent flaps Leshawna, Trent, Gwen, and Harold sit on the dirty oak bench. The wood creaks at every movement they make. The former Gophers talk animatedly, making guesses at what movie themes they will be seeing this season. Gwen is enthusiastic at the thought of a horror themed challenge where she can scare her fellow cast members, while Trent is wary of anything that includes stunts after the many injuries he's endured throughout his time on the show. Harold, sitting at the musician's left, smiles awkwardly as Leshawna laughs at something the goth says.
On the other end of said table sits Duncan, DJ, Katie, Geoff, and Bridgette. The latter two are locked in a steamy embrace, their lips smacking together loudly much to the distaste of the others in the room. The Wonder Twin sits closely beside the surfer, happy to have a confidante in the game despite Sadie being back at home. The friendly giant tries to engage in conversation with Duncan, but the delinquent is too distracted to notice his attempts. His blue eyes watch Courtney at the other table with her back facing him. All he can see is her side profile when she turns to say something to Justin who is seated beside her. Duncan's eyebrows furrow in frustration watching her talk to someone who she has never given the time of day before.
Sitting across from the CIT are Noah and Cody, who silently listen to the brunette speak. Their eyes travel every few seconds towards the entrance, anticipating the host's arrival. It is unknown what went on between them in the time between leaving their trailer and entering the tent, as they have been oddly friendly with each other since. Silent whispers are exchanged between the boys every now and then, their voices going unheard by the two teens who are only a few feet away.
The final two contestants sit staggered along the end of the far table. Lindsay sits hunched over, checking her painted nails for imperfections. The Queen B eyes the other contestants with a glare. She knows that very few of the others in the room would bother aligning with her, so trying to be nice to them would only be a futile waste of time.
Finally, Chris pushes the flaps apart and stands in front of the two tables. The contestants move their attention towards the host, ready to hear what he plans on putting them through. Chris smiles brightly at the camera across from him before directing his eyes towards the fifteen teens.
"It's time to announce your first challenge. Today's theme is aliens! Your task is to retrieve one of the alien eggs that are hidden somewhere on the set. While searching for the eggs, try to avoid being caught by Chef." As he pauses the cook exits the kitchen, exposing an ill-fitting alien costume. The material makes a loud squeaking sound as he walks. "He will be hunting you down, loaded with a gun filled with green alien slime. If he hits you, you're out for the rest of the challenge." To demonstrate, Chef raises his gun and directs it towards the wall, releasing a large spew of sickly green goo that slowly slides down the side of the tent. One of the contestant's let out a quiet whimper at the sight of it dripping from the beige fabric onto the floor. "Once you have your egg, you will race for the finish line. First two people to cross goo-less and with their eggs intact will choose this season's teams."
Chris opens the bag clinging to his hip, pulling out a large device. "To help you guys out, here are your GPS devices, all equipped with a map of the set." The GPS in his hand is tossed to Harold, who is barely able to catch it. "Tonight, all of you will be voting off our first lucky loser." Several faces: especially the previous season's early boots, look at each other anxiously.
"Why can't you make the teams like you did last year?" Leshawna asks with crossed arms. She's dreading the thought of having to wash the sticky slime out of her hair.
McLean shrugs with a grin. "I don't know. I guess I just enjoy bringing out my contestant's insecurities." He rejoices at the look of annoyance the teens share at his expense. "Get a move on people, I'd prefer for this challenge to be over before morning."
"Excuse me, Chris," The CIT raises her hand while the other teens begin to stand up and leave the tent, "is it possible for me to sit out of this challenge? I'm not particularly concerned about winning, given what an asset I am. Anyone would be lucky to have me on their team. There's no way they'll send me home." She says confidently. "However, I really don't feel comfortable participating." Courtney stares at the host pleadingly.
The host raises an eyebrow at the teen. "Why would I let you sit out? I've never given any of you special treatment before."
"Please, Chris!" The brunette whines. "Just this one time."
Gwen overhears the girl's request and can't hold back her amused chuckle. "This is the perfect challenge for you. The thick, green, warm slime. If you think about it, it looks quite a lot like that green jelly from—"
"You aren't helping!" Courtney gives the goth a dirty look. "It's not fair that I have to put up with my fear again when no one else has to. It's not like he's going to bury you alive or have a mime chase Trent around the set."
Chris grins at the desperate teen. "Letting you off the hook would ruin the fun." The CIT begins her retort but is silenced by the host slapping his hand over her mouth. "You better hurry up before your head start runs out. Winning is the only way to guarantee you won't get covered in the slime."
With terror filled eyes Courtney quickly flees from the tent, almost knocking into Justin who was slowly pushing the tent flap out of his way. The host joyfully cackles before following the last few contestants towards the alien themed set.
"If I were an alien egg, where would I be?" Trent asks himself out loud. Gwen, Cody, and Katie follow closely behind. The alien-themed set actually does look like it is out of a movie rather than something quickly thrown together by Chris's interns. There is a blue glow to the air, giving their skin a pallid and sickly look. On the walls are an assortment of what look like futuristic technology. Although everything is for decoration and are not operational, it's still cool to look at all the same. "Gwen, you're interested in aliens, right? I remember you talking about this one movie that you really loved."
Gwen nods her head. "Yeah, Alien Chunks. I've watched it twenty-seven times."
"You must be an expert with this alien stuff then." The geek remarks.
"I wouldn't go as far as calling me an expert. Not all alien movies are the same. But I guess I know a thing or two." Her words sound dismissive, but you can see the self-satisfaction in her dark eyes.
"Don't worry, Gwen. I know a thing or two about aliens, too. You remember that one movie I recommended for you to watch? With those aliens who talk weirdly trying to take over the world?" The musicians asks the goth with a knowing smile, proud of the information he can contribute to the group. Gwen, however, avoids his gaze and continues to stare intently at the map.
Confessional: Gwen
"Alright," the goth girl sighs, "I didn't watch it. Trent is notorious for liking the worst movies. I have probably a list of fifty of them that I have not touched ever since I watched this rom-com he suggested to me. I'll never understand who thought it was a good idea to make a movie about two people floating aimlessly in outer space. There was literally no storyline! All they did was drift around in their spacesuits."
"Most of these rooms aren't labelled. Chris may be lazy, but I don't see the point in him giving us these GPS devices if they were going to be useless." The goth stops walking so the three teens can crowd around her.
The Wonder Twin shakes her head. "Maybe their purpose is to mess us up? I wouldn't put it past him to put the eggs in the most generic room in the set."
The goth turns her head and raises her eyebrows at the girl. "Why would he put them in a random spot? That kind of defeats the point of making these challenges movie themed. How would an empty room be appealing to an alien as a place to hide their eggs?"
"I don't know." Katie says in exasperation. "I was just trying to help. Maybe the aliens want to hide them in a place people will least expect them."
"That's actually kind of smart." Cody replies sheepishly. He quickly darts his eyes away from Gwen's when she shoots him a pointed look.
Confessional: Katie
She stares at the camera with her hands perched on her hips. "It may come as a surprise to some of you, but I'm not useless. Sure, Sadie may be the smart one, but I'm fully capable of coming up with a strategy when I need to. I can totally be a good competitor if I really put some effort into it. Now that Sadie is gone, I need to prove to everyone that I'm someone they should keep around."
Gwen lets out a groan before inspecting the device again. "The alien eggs should either be in the cafeteria or the boiler room. Those are the places that make the most sense given the movies I have watched. If they aren't in either of those places, then we can go with Katie's idea. Is that fine with everyone?" The musician and the geek both nod in agreement. The Wonder Twin, however, doesn't budge.
"Why would they be in the cafeteria?" She questions. "Do you even know what you're talking about?" The goth girl is clearly irked by her accusation. The two boys exchange worried looks.
Gwen blinks at her blankly. "In Alien Chunks the people blended them up into fruity blended drinks. The cafeteria is the only place that would have a blender."
"I doubt Chris got his inspiration for this challenge from just that one movie."
"Fine!" The goth girl yells, pulling at her teal hair in frustration. "Let's go to the boiler room, then." Katie, seemingly finished with criticizing Gwen's ideas, smiles and looks at the map on her own GPS device. Gwen looks over at Trent in frustration. "Somehow she's even more annoying now than when she was crying her eyes out."
"At least she's done talking about Sadie." The musician reassures her.
With the Wonder Twin's lips now sealed shut and eyes focusing on the map in front of her, Gwen can finally calm down and regain her composure. She worries that she was too cruel to the girl. After all, her idea wasn't half bad. The goth girl contemplates apologising, but Katie is quick to make her change her mind.
"Sadie has always been so much better at following directions that me. Not to mention how smart she is. If she were here, we'd probably have found the eggs already." She smiles solemnly. "It's so unfair that Sadie can't be here with me."
The goth girl gapes at her boyfriend. "There's no way this is happening. This is the first day and I'm already going insane."
Trent reaches for her hand and squeezes it reassuringly. "Don't let her be the reason you lose your cool. We need to win so we can make sure we're on the same team again."
"Fine." She sighs. After making the final with having the likes of Lindsay, Beth, and Heather on her team, putting up with Katie's blabbering for the next half hour should be a walk in the park.
The four decide to have Cody take the lead. He makes an effort to check every hallway they pass to ensure they don't bump into Chef. Katie, no longer feeling the need to give any insight on the challenge, tells stories about her friendship with her other half. She is utterly unaware that the other three are trying to tune her out. As the minutes tick by the goth girl's patience begins to waver.
Heavy footsteps echo from around the approaching corner, startling the teens. Cody's eyes widen when he sees the cook only a short distance away from them.
"How is that possible?" The geek exclaims. "We should've heard him already if he's that close!" Cody turns around and runs towards the teens. Trent and Katie are quick to follow him to evade Chef's attack before he finally reaches them. The goth girl chooses to stay put and waits for man in green spandex to approach her.
The musician looks back before stuttering to a halt. "What are you doing? Chef is going to catch you if you don't run!"
"Hurry up and get this over with!" Gwen shouts towards the direction Chef is coming from. "My head is going to explode if I have to listen to her talk for another second!"
Chef rounds the corner and almost knocks into the goth girl. He eyes her disappointedly before pointing the gun at her torso. "I had much more faith in you."
"Someone needs to be the first one out." She shrugs. With a shaking head the cook pulls the trigger and drenches her with the sickly green slime. Katie and Cody are long gone, but Trent has yet to move. He takes a few steps forward towards the gun wielding alien at the other end of the hallway before Gwen vigorously shoos him away.
"Just because I'm out doesn't mean you can't win this by yourself!" She says. "Get moving before Chef catches up to you."
The musician does exactly as he is told and tears down the last bit of hallway, turning into another corridor before the cook is even able to begin following him. His tight spandex suit restricts his body and buys Trent enough time to successfully escape his pursuit. Without a second glance towards the goth Chef turns into a different hall, having likely heard someone else to sneak up on.
"I knew you'd come and ask me to work with you." Harold claims triumphantly. "It was only a matter of time."
Heather wrinkles her nose in disgust. "Do not twist this into one of your weird nerd fantasies. This is only a one-time thing. You're probably the geekiest person here besides Cody, so I figured you'd be most likely out of everyone to find where Chris hid those stupid eggs."
"Lie as much as you want. We both know you'll be begging me to form an alliance with you before the week's over." The redhead challenges, earning a grated glare from the Queen B.
"Wow, aren't you overly confident. You are probably the most hated person here after me. I wouldn't go around pissing more people off if I were you." She sneers.
The redhead crosses his arms, the GPS device hanging from his fingers. "The only people who dislike me are Courtney and Duncan. You're just trying to scare me."
"Whatever." Heather groans. "I'm not here to chit-chat. Tell me where the alien eggs are already."
With a content sigh the redheaded nerd takes a few steps towards her to show the map on his screen. She wrinkles her nose in disgust at his proximity but decides to listen to what he has to say rather than argue.
He points at the spot on the GPS where an icon signifies their location. "We are right here. Everyone else probably isn't too far away. If Chris wants this challenge to last longer than ten minutes, he'll surely hide the eggs somewhere on the other end of the set." His finger slides across the screen to the top of the device. He points out five of the rooms depicted in that area. "However, knowing him, he'll want the end of the challenge to be as climatic as possible. This leads me to believe that the eggs will be somewhere near the exit." His index finger jabs at the spot marking said door. "The eggs are in the boiler room."
"You are such a dork." The Queen B remarks, taking a large step away from the nerd. "You could've told me that without the lengthy explanation."
The redhead rolls his eyes. "Don't judge the process."
Heather reaches for the hair on her head to anxiously run her fingers through the locks, but halts once she feels the wig slide against her scalp. Instead she crosses her arms. "Let's get this over with."
Confessional: Justin
"This season, the obvious move is to find at least one person that I can align myself with. I've learned from my mistakes last season and now I have an opportunity to prove that I'm not just some pretty face like Lindsay and that I do have brains." The model shakes his head in discontent. "However, my options are slim. From my time on Playa de Loser it was clear Noah wasn't my biggest fan, and he clearly has his eyes set on Cody. The majority of this cast already have pre-existing alliances from last season, so that knocks out just about everyone. The only viable choices left are Courtney, Heather, and Katie.
Courtney is by far the best option, given she is a strong competitor, and no one really dislikes her unlike the other two. On the other hand, Heather probably has some tricks up her sleeve to avoid getting voted off early. She lasted really long on Total Drama Island, so she must be doing something right. Katie would be a last resort, so I just hope I won't have to stoop to that level."
Justin's sandals slap against the metal grate, causing an echo to thunder through the halls around him. He looks at the diverging hall in contemplation, trying to decide which way to go. Unlike the others, who have their eyes glued to the devices the host gave them in hope of an answer to dictate the correct way to go, the model can't care less about finding the eggs. He may not have allies, but he's a far more forgettable contestant than many of the others wandering around the set. An early elimination may be in the cards for him again this time around, but its unlikely. Justin is far stronger than the likes of Noah, Harold, and Cody, which gives him an edge over them, and is much easier to tolerate than the blonde couple who are constantly attached together. Everyone's focus tonight will be targeted on someone controversial rather than the attractive man who is relatively hidden in the background of their antics.
The model turns left after noticing Chef's costumed body running in the opposite direction. To evade his attention, Justin slows his pace, allowing the clip of his shoes to be almost silent. Winning may not be a priority, but an early elimination in this challenge would make him appear weak and valueless.
After a couple minutes of pure silence, Justin concludes that the cook is long gone and he's safe to continue moving at his previous pace.
Geoff and Bridgette aimlessly wander the halls with their hands intertwined. A few feet ahead of them is the CIT, who joined the blonde couple after realizing her only other choice was to search for the eggs by herself. She has tried to garner ideas from her former teammates, but they've proven to be useless in the pursuit for immunity.
"The eggs must be somewhere around here." Courtney ponders. "Most of the rooms appear to be on this side of the set."
"Uh huh." The party animal distractedly hums in agreement. She looks over her shoulder in hope for further comment, but quickly comes to a realisation that they have been ignoring her the entirety of the search. The couple take turns pressing their mouths close to the other's ear, whispering short nothings between their bursts of hushed giggles. Courtney can't help but feel out of place when observing their flirtations.
"What is so funny?" The brunette inquires, her voice empty of malice. She's genuinely curious to hear what's so interesting that they're unable to focus on the challenge ahead.
Momentarily, the surfer looks up, attempting to keep a straight face. "Oh, nothing." Her attention is quick to switch back to her boyfriend as he whispers something else to her under his breath. Courtney's patience is quickly wearing thin as another round of laughter erupt from the couple.
The CIT spins around towards the lovebirds with her fingers tangled in her brown locks. "You two are ridiculous! Do you even care about this immunity?"
Bridgette shares an amused look with her boyfriend as she pulls away from his embrace. She offers the girl a shrug, much to her irritation. "Not really. Everyone likes us, so it's not like we're going to be voted off."
"Yeah." Geoff chimes in. "I'd rather spend this time with my girl. She's way more important than some stupid challenge."
"Aww. You're so sweet." The surfer smiles. She leans into him, her lips pursed for a kiss, but is interrupted by the CIT's scoff of disbelief.
"You two are so simple minded." She points out. The blonde couple glare at the insult thrown their way, but Courtney doesn't appear bothered. "Sure, maybe winning immunity isn't a priority for people like you, but what happens when you aren't on the same team? Don't tell me you'll still be this cheery after having to compete against each other until one of you are voted off."
The brunette stares at the teens, anticipating their indifference to shift to realization once the reality of the game hits them. However, neither seems to be fazed when Geoff rolls his eyes and responds, "I'm sure one of my boys will come out on top. And even if we are separated, I'm sure we will be perfectly fine. Right Bridgey-bear?"
Bridgette nods eagerly in agreement. She laces her arms around his neck and leans in once more, pressing her lips against his. It's only a matter of seconds before the delicate peck initiates another grotesque make out session.
"I think I've had enough." The CIT sighs. "I'll go find someone else to search with me." After a final glance Courtney takes a left turn and deserts the couple in the middle of the hall. Her timing is impeccable, as only a minute later the cook emerges from behind him with his gun pointed at the distracted teens. He doesn't even give them a second to react; probably realizing gaining their attention would be futile, and coats them in the sick green slime. Even then, the blonde pair refuse to pull apart.
Confessional: Courtney
"I can't believe a thing that came out of Bridgette's mouth!" She exclaims. "Last season, she was strong and independent. Now she's belittled herself to nothing more than Geoff's little girlfriend who's only interest is swapping spit with him. The only time her personality seems to come out is when they're separated, which seems to be just about never." She pauses for a moment, reflecting on the words that have left her mouth, before adding, "I truly respect her, more than anyone else here, but I just wish that she could revert to her old ways and prove that she's more than the nice girl who is dating Geoff."
"This is a waste of time." Noah complains aloud. He walks through the narrow corridors by himself, not wanting to put up with any of the other contestants after the long day he's had. Two challenges in one day? Is Chris mad? Probably, the bookworm decides, but nonetheless it was pointless to put the teens through the havoc of running away from that animatronic monster only to do them try to avoid the cook once again under an hour later, this time for immunity.
Out of the contestant's in the season, Noah has one of the highest chances of being the first boot. However, he is aware of his capabilities and realises that he doesn't have the stamina to win.
"Chef, if you're around here, can you put me out of my misery already?" He calls out. His voice echoes against the metal walls. "My calves are killing me. I haven't walked this much in my entire life."
"I wasn't expecting much from you, but I hoped you'd put up more of a fight." Chef steps out from behind him with the slime-filled gun dangling from his fingertips. He is evidently disappointed by the ease of catching the short teen. "Any last words?"
"Nah." Noah shrugs.
"Come on." The cook sighs in frustration. "You all have been sucking so far. At least say something to keep the audience somewhat entertained."
The bookworm only shrugs in response, not caring less about how the viewers respond to the show. Chef is clearly unamused as he points to gun and releases the green slime. Many may view Noah's move of being eliminated early as week, but in reality it may be his only chance to guarantee his life in the game. This immunity may save him today, but a well thought out play can take him to the merge and possibly beyond. Now he has the time to sit in solitude and think.
A screech of feedback emits from one of the many overhead speakers before Chris's voice thunders through the halls. "Noah has been eliminated! Kind of surprised he lasted longer than someone like Gwen, but he failed cowardly nonetheless." In the background the bookworm's monotone voice can be heard berating the host for creating an individual challenge so unfair for the athletically challenged. The speakers go silent until the door of the room Chris is in slams shut. "Someone better put a lock on this door before the next challenge!"
Lindsay, Duncan, Leshawna, and DJ walk slowly through the halls in silence, being alert for any incoming footsteps. At least, everyone but Lindsay. Every few minutes she'd speak up to complain of her boredom or talk about whatever random thought popped into her head. Violent shushes pleading for her to be quiet would fill the air, their eyes glaring in frustration.
"If I knew you guys were going to be no fun, I would've joined another group." The blonde complains.
The delinquent rubs his forehead in frustration. "Then go find other people to bother. Your constant blabbering is going to get us caught." He is clearly on the brink of losing it.
"You don't have to be so mean, Devan." She pouts.
DJ, the gentle giant, pats her on the shoulder. "Linds, how about we play a game? The four of us will compete to see who can be quiet the longest. Doesn't that sound fun?"
"Totally! I'm so good at this game!" She cheers gleefully.
Leshawna offers DJ a relieved smile. She may be more tolerant than the delinquent but having the opportunity to ensure that Heather isn't on her team has worn her patience thin. "Alright, sweetie. We'll begin in three… two… one." After she completes the countdown Lindsay nods at her, a look of determination on her face.
After five minutes of silence, Lindsay still hasn't uttered a single word. In this time the trio have been able to check nearly a dozen rooms, all empty except for the odd prop or two. The blonde follows a fair distance behind as her legs have grown tired of the endless walking in her high heeled boots. The pointed heels would constantly get stuck in the grate floor, so after tripping for what felt like the hundredth time, she begins to walk more cautiously to prevent adding another bruise to the collection slowly forming on her knees.
The blonde is startled by the sound of footsteps behind her. She slaps her hands to her mouth to muffle her yelp of surprise, going unnoticed by the teens ahead of her. Lindsay doesn't want the other three to hear her after how well she's been doing keeping quiet so far. She slowly turns around and peers into the hallway the group just passed through. Her eyes widen when she sees the vibrant green alien costume heading quickly towards them.
She spins around towards DJ, Leshawna, and Duncan, waving her arms violently in the air to get their attention. However, none of the turn around. The clicking of Chef's gun is what finally alerts them to his presence, but it's too late. The green slime coats Lindsay, every drop letting out a faint sound as they fall to the floor. The teens need all the luck they can get to escape Chef's pursuit.
"Oh shit!" Duncan yells in frustration, fixing a glare at the fallen blonde. "Lindsay, why didn't you say anything?"
She stares at him dumbly. "We were playing the quiet game. If I spoke, I would've lost!"
Leshawna shakes her head in disappointment. "You just lost us the challenge."
"The challenge isn't over for you yet, maggots." He cocks his gun and points it at Leshawna, quickly eliminating her. She sits on the floor and angrily yells at the Chef while squeezing the green goo from her dark locks. DJ And Duncan, being much further away from their assailant, take off in a sprint, making random turns in hopes of losing the fry cook. In the distance Lindsay releases her cheers of encouragement. The gentle giant leads the way, but Duncan manages to follow closely behind him.
"Do you think…" DJ gasps for air. "… we've lost him yet?"
The delinquent turns his head to look over his shoulder, but soon darts it forward after seeing the green alien costume barreling after them. "I don't think we're going to be able to get out of this, man."
DJ shakes his head and screeches to a halt. Duncan staggers for a few steps ahead of him before stopping himself. "Go on without me." The gentle giant motions him to continue moving. "Courtney is probably scheming to get rid of you. I really don't mind what team I'm on as long as all of my friends are still in the game."
Duncan nods at him in appreciation. "I totally owe you something for this, don't I?"
"Go on," DJ rolls his eyes with a smile, "before Chef catches both of us."
The delinquent does as he is told and hurries off, his footsteps slowly fading away the further he gets. DJ takes a deep breath to collect his courage before turning to face Chef, closing his eyes as the onslaught of green slime connects with his face. He stands in the fry cook's way and blocks him from going after the teen, buying his friend as much time as possible.
Confessional: DJ
The gentle giant scrubs a cloth against his face before releasing a gag of disgust. "I think I got some in my mouth." He spits a couple of times on the floor beneath him before turning back towards the camera with a somewhat less nauseated expression.
"I really hope Duncan wins this challenge so the three bass boys can be on the same team again. I'm sure this time we can use that to our advantage and dominate our way to the final three. I am kind of concerned about him making it to the finish line, though. He's a good competitor, but after how he was staring at Courtney earlier, I'm concerned if he'll be able to keep his head in the game if he runs into her." DJ frowns at the thought of his friend being eliminated. "Surely this set isn't small enough for him to meet up with her now."
"Leshawna, DJ, and Lindsay are down, and no one is even remotely close to finding the eggs. Come on people, I don't have all day!" Chris's voice is heard bellowing out of the various speakers along the walls.
Heather frowns at the redhead who has stopped once again to squint at the GPS in his hands. "'No one is remotely close'? What the hell have you been doing this entire time? Do you even know where we're going?"
"Don't worry, Heather. We're taking the safest route to boiler room, so it's going to take us a bit longer to get there."
The Queen B presses a hand against her forehead in frustration. "How do you even know this is the safest route?"
"I just have a feeling." The redhead responds.
Knowing that arguing won't help her predicament, Heather decides to bite her tongue and restrain from responding. Although she doesn't want to admit that Harold's right, she can't help but wonder if an alliance with him down the road would be beneficial for her. She is well aware no one wants to affiliate with her after all the shenanigans she's pulled. At least, everyone but Harold. He may be annoying and dorky but having a number on her side could make or break her performance in the season.
"Why aren't you with Leshawna? I was kind of surprised seeing you go about this alone." She questions him. Although the redhead will be easy to coax into an alliance, Heather knows that he is unlikely to stick with her for long if she does not extend some sort of kindness his way.
Harold's eyes widen quizzically at the genuine tone in her voice. Throughout the time he's known her, she's never been one to speak to others without a hint of malice. "Why are you being nice to me?"
"Don't make me regret this." She snaps, her tone reverting to its usual chill.
Taking advantage of the olive branch she is extending to him, he chimes in with a response to her inquiry. "It may come as a surprise, but Leshawna and I aren't very close." A hum of laughter leaves Heather's lips. "I feel like she's embarrassed after kissing me last season. Every time I try talking to her, she shuts me down or changes the topic."
"Why do you give her so much attention then? She clearly doesn't feel the same way about you."
"She does like me, she's just afraid to give me a real chance." He retorts defensively.
Heather raises her eyebrows in amusement. "Right."
"She's the reason I'm so worried about getting this immunity." Harold confesses to the Queen B. "If I were to go home now, I'd never have the chance to win her over. Duncan's torment last year was awful, and I really don't want to go through it again, especially now that Courtney has a vendetta against me as well. I would be voting myself off if I didn't have a good reason to be here."
"That's kind of sweet, actually." She admits to the redhead. "Gross and weird considering it's Leshawna you're after, but I think that's nice."
"Thanks…" Harold responds hesitantly. "I hope we are both able to win this immunity. You may be mean, but I think everyone should give you a chance."
"I can guarantee that I will be voted off if I don't win." She complains. "I'd hate to have sat through that bus ride listening to Katie's whining just to go home the same day."
He momentarily glances down at the GPS device to ensure they're still going the right way before looking back up at her. "I hear you. This game is stacked against people like us who aren't able to befriend the main group. They basically dictate who stays or goes."
"I don't understand why everyone is so adamant about getting rid of me. Everyone hates me so it's not like they'll have much trouble convincing everyone to vote me off." The Queen B rants to the nerd, who nods his head knowingly at the words leaving her mouth. "If they were smarter, they would work with me instead. I may not have the best track record when it comes to being trustworthy, but I am much more reliable than you screen hungry pre-merge boots." Harold opens his mouth to retort at the label she put on him, but the Queen B doesn't give him a chance to utter a word. "With Owen off who knows where, Gwen is the biggest target here. People will realize that and get rid of her."
Harold nods. "That's true. You know, if we manage to win this immunity, maybe we can work together and shake up the game. I'm sure there's a few people here who'd be happy to take the popular guys down a few pegs. I don't think it's fair that they get a free walk through the first few eliminations while the rest of us have to worry about who'll end up being the forgotten pre-merge boots."
"I like the sound of that." Heather chimes back with a grin. The two underdogs smirk at each other as the quicken their pace towards the alien eggs.
"Justin, I'm so happy to have found you. I hated walking around on my own while Chef is around here somewhere with that gun filled with that sickly, gross—" Courtney shivers in disgust. She looks at the GPS in confusion, unable to decipher the undetailed outline of the set. After leaving Geoff and Bridgette she has had plenty of time on her own to search, but only succeeded in walking in circles. "I know you're not much a talker, but it'd be really helpful if you could give me some idea on where we should be going." The CIT looks down again at the map displayed on the device in her hands before looking over at Justin questioningly.
He looks at the map briefly before shrugging in defeat. "I have no clue. Our best bet is probably to walk around and check every room we come across."
"That's going to take forever!" Courtney exclaims in frustration at the notion. "How are we supposed to avoid getting caught when we're constantly stopping. With an idea like that it's like you want to lose!" The model rolls his eyes behind her back before looking over her shoulder at the device again.
"Maybe it's in the control room." He jabs his finger at the spot on the map.
The CIT nods. "It's worth a shot."
The duo's footsteps are immensely quiet; thanks to the constant scolding of the CIT every time Justin's shoes made a sound on the metal grate. Courtney continues to lead the way despite her difficulty manoeuvring through the endless maze of halls. The model makes sure to keep an eye on the GPS from over his shoulder, pulling her into the right direction after every wrong turn she makes. Once the brunette's constant remarks have seemed to cease, he takes the opportunity to speak up.
Justin clear his throat to get the CIT's attention. "So, Courtney, I've noticed what a smart girl you are, not to mention strong…" After watching the season prior to prepare for the competition, he has concluded that the best way to persuade the CIT to align with him is by showering her ego with compliments.
Courtney mumbles something incoherently under her breath in response while staring at the map, adamant of figuring the map out herself to guide them to victory. The model decides to proceed to make his offer, deciding that her quiet words were confirmation that she's listening
"I think that we could potentially take over this game if we were to—"
A figure suddenly emerges from the corridor a few feet ahead of them and rams into Courtney, knocking them both to the ground. The wind is knocked out of the brunette who gasps to regain her breath. It takes her a couple seconds to acknowledge the delinquent and his warm body weighing down on her. Eyes glazed with anger, she slams her elbow into his ribcage, pushing him away from her.
Duncan lets out a groan and rubs the tender spot on his side where the CIT hit him. Justin rushes over to the two and extends his hand out to his potential alliance who accepts it with a scowl. Once sturdy on her feet, she begins her onslaught.
"Are you incapable of looking where you're going?" She demands.
The criminal huffs in annoyance. "Oh, so now you decide to talk to me. Why is it that you'll only talk to me when I do something to piss you off?"
The CIT crosses her arms. "Maybe it's because there's nothing I want to say to you! I find my life to be much more enjoyable when you aren't a part of it."
"We're both on this show, Courtney! You can't ignore me forever!"
"Try me!"
Justin rubs his temple in exhaustion. "You two need to quiet down—"
"You are such a drama queen!" Duncan shouts at the girl and scrambles to his feet.
The CIT scoffs. "Me? You're the one demanding that I talk to you after you were the one—"
He scowls at her. "I'm trying to be civil! Why do you have to be so immature?"
"You are insufferable!" Courtney yells, taking a step forward and jabbing her finger into his chest.
Duncan shoves her hand away. A myriad of insults are shouted among the two teens, their raised voices echoing through the thin walls. Justin can only silently watch on, knowing any effort to silence them would be in vain.
Confessional: Justin
He shakes his head with a sigh. "So, clearly there's no hope working with Courtney. I want nothing to do with the lovers' quarrel she has with Duncan and her hot-headedness is surely going to be her downfall."
From the corner of his eye the model can see Chef closing in on them, yet he has no interest in warning the unsuspecting pair. The two continue to bicker while Justin sneaks off to avoid the cook's attack. His feet step quietly yet quickly until they are out of sight and all that can be heard is the delinquent's angry accusations and the CIT's fearful cries.
"We're here."
After their heart-to-heart earlier, Harold and Heather decided to finish their walk in silence to ensure they're alert in case Chef sneaks up on them. Luckily, they are able to reach their destination without crossing paths with the cook even once.
"If you're wrong about this, I will vote you off tonight." The Queen B sneers as she plants her hand against the door to push it open.
Harold crosses his arms with a confident expression on his face. "I am not wrong. This is the only place where they can be."
Heather swings the door open wide enough for both of them to enter the dimly lit room. It only takes a second for her eyes to react to the change in lighting before they latch to the illuminated eggs in a pit in the centre of the room.
"You are a genius." The Queen B exclaims with a grin. Happiness fills her at the realisation that no one will be able to vote for her tonight. She momentarily forgets how who she is speaking to when she pulls him into an embrace. However, the moment is short-lived when she feels his scrawny arms wrap around her back. She pushes him off of her while he raises his hands up in surrender.
The unlikely pair approach the eggs, contemplating the best course of action to retrieve them without falling into them. Heather kneels down and tries to grasp onto one with her long arms but comes a few centimetres short.
"Your arms are long enough to grab them, but you'll need to lean your entire body in order to reach." The redhead offers after her failed attempt.
She scowls at him. "I realise that." Heather's hands brush against the wig on her head with a sigh. She leans down again, this time lowering her entire body. Her hands tightly clutch one of he eggs while she pulls herself up and hands it to the nerd. The Queen B reaches back down for the second one and is able to get a firm grip on it. However, with her hands occupied, she is unable to prevent her wig from slipping off her head and into the pit below.
The egg falls from her hands when she reaches them up to brush the cool stubble on her head. Harold is barely able to catch the alien egg before it cracks open on the ground. "Fuck! Why couldn't you have gotten them instead?" She shoots the redhead an accusatory glare.
"You never asked." He shrugs in his defense.
She looks down in the pit, watching as her wig sinks into the pile of slimy alien eggs. A pitiful sigh leaves her lips as she turns to the other teen and snatches her egg away from him. "It's gone now. Let's just get this over with. There's no way I'm losing now."
The pair runs off towards the finish line, unaware of the voices of the teens not too far behind.
Throughout their search for the boiler room, Cody and Katie managed to bump into Justin. Ever since he joined their duo, the wonder twin has been glued to his side, incessantly rambling at him as Cody walks a few feet away leading them to victory. Thankfully for the model, it doesn't take long for them to spot Heather and Harold run out of a room with the glowing alien eggs in hand.
"Finally." He sighs in relief, quickening his pace to catch up with the geek. "I don't know how much longer I could've listened to that," he mumbles to Cody under his breath.
The brunette nods in agreement. "At least you weren't stuck with her the entire time."
"I tell you, sometimes being attractive is a curse." The model shudders. It only takes the Wonder Twin a few seconds to catch up to the boys and loop her arm around his.
Cody opens his mouth to argue Justin's statement, but stops when the boy pushes past him to open the door. The three crowd into the small room and stare down at the pit where the eggs lay.
"There's no way I can reach those without help." The geek tells the two teens, waving his hands along his body to emphasise his lacking stature. Justin smiles politely while Katie hums in amusement.
"No worries. I can lower Katie down so she can grab them for us." The model reassures Cody. Neither boy notices the girl's eyes light up at the notion of Justin's hands holding onto her waist.
Confessional: Katie
"Oh my gosh!" The Wonder Twin cries. "Isn't Justin such a dreamboat? He could totally get those eggs by himself, but he chooses to help me get them instead. You can't tell me that isn't flirting." She lets out a screech of excitement. In the background, an intern complains about the ringing in his ears. "We're totally going to be boyfriend and girlfriend before the season is over!"
Even after retrieving all the eggs, Katie has yet to stop smiling. She can still feel the heat of Justin's arms around her body even after he walked away. Cody has to call out her name to snap her out of her daydreams and coax her to follow after them towards the exit.
Just as the three teens begin their departure Trent runs through the door, almost knocking into Justin as he tries to come to an abrupt stop. He presses his hands against his knees as he tries to catch his breath.
"Why do you look like you just ran a marathon?" Cody questions the musician.
Trent takes a deep breath before speaking. "I was trying to find you guys after we got separated."
"Why were you running, though?" The Wonder Twin asks in amusement. "We weren't walking that quickly."
"I kept running into Chef." Trent rubs the sweat from his forehead. "It was almost impossible to get rid of him."
"Does that mean he's close?" Justin asks, concerned of how much time they have to escape the small room before he catches up to them.
The musician's eyes widen at the prospect of having to outrun the cook again. "Probably. We should get out of here as soon as possible."
The three teens nods in agreement. Justin slips past Trent, followed by the bookworm and Wonder Twin. The musician can hear the slapping of their shoes as they run atop the grate floor towards the finish line.
Trent walks over to the pit in the centre of the room and inspects the pile of luminescent eggs. He reaches down and pulls out one for himself. In the process, he uncovers the black wig that's sinking towards the bottom.
He looks down at the egg in his hands skeptically. "I mean, they are pretty slippery. The extra grip might make it easier to hold onto." Trent leans back down into the hole and pulls out the tangled mullet. As he stands up, he wrings the thin layer of slime until the strands are almost dry. Once content, he grabs the egg from the ground and wraps it inside the thick mass of hair.
"Hurry up, Harold!" The Queen B yells at the boy behind her as he gasps to catch his breath. She runs through the exit of the set into the outdoors. The sun is blinding in comparison to the dimly lit halls they've come accustomed to. Behind the finish line the eliminated contestants impatiently wait for the challenge to come to an end.
The redhead slowly comes to a halt as his scrawny legs beg from the incessant running to cease. "My lungs feel like they're going to burst!" He cries out to the bald girl.
"Suck it up! We're literally almost at the finish line." She growls.
Just as Harold begins to pick up is pace to catch up to Heather, someone knocks into him and sends him sprawling to the ground.
"Oops, sorry." Katie calls out to the redhead as she steps around his body. Cody and Justin follow closely behind. Only a few seconds later the musician also emerges from the doorway.
"This is it?" The geek wonders as he stares at the open field ahead of them. "This'll be a piece of cake."
The Queen B turns her head and watches her fallen comrade in contemplation. If she continues running, she's sure to win immunity. However, doing so can mean Harold going home. She doesn't have an opportunity to come to a decision when the loud roar of helicopter propellers rumbles above her.
"A piece of cake, huh?" Chris asks, his voice bellowing from a speaker attached to his helicopter that hovers overtop the cast. "Try to dodge this!" The host presses a red button on the dashboard. Large slime-filled bombs fall from underneath the flying vehicle.
"Oh shit!" Heather curses as she runs for safety behind a nearby crate.
The five contestants who remain near the exit separate, running in terror as they try to find a place to hide. Harold is able to hide behind a crate of his own while Katie quickly lunges behind a nearby barrel. Trent is also quick to escape and jumps behind a prop bush. The model, taking advantage of the precarious situation, rams into Cody and knocks them both to the ground. The more underdogs in the first elimination means more eyes off of him.
A loud bomb thunders through the air and the ground shakes as the bombs hit the ground. A wave of green slime flies through the air, coating the windows of Chris's helicopter soaring above while he cackles with laughter. Cody and Justin pick themselves up from the ground. The geek lets out a disappointed sigh as he wrings the goo from his shirt. At his side, Justin apologizes for his clumsiness, which Cody forgives. The contestants who were eliminated earlier in the challenge release an onslaught of complaints as a new layer of wet slime drips from their bodies.
A desperate cry comes the tan girl a few feet away as she struggles to push the heavy barrel that fell onto her body during the explosion. The cracked shell of her egg clings to her ponytails.
"That's rough." Heather laughs at the distraught teen, watching as Cody rushes to assist her. She scans the area for the two remaining boys who have yet to leave their hiding places.
"I'm over here!" The redhead calls out to her. His legs wobble as he stands up. He hugs the alien egg to his chest as he tries to not slip on the slick ground beneath him. Upon seeing the object in his hands, the Queen B scans the area for her own egg. It doesn't take long for her to see the cracked remains of her egg from underneath a pile of boards that were knocked askew from the bombs.
Heather lets out a cry of disbelief. "Seriously!? I was so close to winning."
The redhead stands beside her and lightly taps her shoulders in reassurance. "That sucks. If it helps, I won't vote for you tonight."
The Queen B glares at his effort to comfort her.
"Hey, where's Trent?" Justin asks. The eyes of the two clean females light up at the prospect of the musician being eliminated as well. Chris never told them what would happen if only one person managed to finish the challenge unscathed. Maybe they still have a chance to win the immunity after all.
Their hope is soon crushed when Trent cries out in relief. "There it is!" Throughout the drama occurring after the bombs, no one noticed the musician leave his hiding spot in pursuit of his egg that he'd dropped in his haste escape. Now, he stands only a few feet from the finish line, leaning down the grabs his egg that is still encased in Heather's wig. He inspects the shell for a crack as he steps over the finish line. Much to everyone's disbelief, the alien egg is in one piece despite the far distance it was thrown.
"I guess it's over then." The redhead sighs. "Good luck." When he turns to face Heather, he's surprised to see a smirk rather than a disheartened frown. "Wha—"
The Queen B latches her hands onto the egg and tries to pry the alien egg from the nerd's grasp. However, Harold isn't going doing without a fight. He pulls the egg closer to his chest to strengthen his hold and slams his shoes against her shins to try and push her off him. In spite of his best efforts, his strength is nowhere near that of Heather's. With a grunt, she pulls the egg away from him.
Harold staggers back a feel steps until he gain regain his balance. In that time, Heather runs past the finish line to stand beside Trent.
The helicopter lowers until the landing gear touches the ground. Slowly, the spinning of the propellers comes to a halt and the host emerges from the flying vehicle. He walks past the onlooking teens until he's alongside the victors.
"And just like that, Trent and Heather are the winners of today's challenge and will be choosing the teams tomorrow! Now, go get showered, you all reek. The Gilded Chris ceremony will be in twenty minutes." Chris calls out to the cast.
As the teens begin to walk back to the trailers, Cody stops the goth with a tap on her shoulder. She spins around to face him, her eyebrow raised questioningly. Leshawna, who is walking alongside her, comes to a halt as well.
"What do you want?" Gwen asks warily. She is in no mood to hear the geek bargain for his safety after watching Heather seal herself immunity. The goth has yet to decide who she's voting for, but whoever he has on his mind is probably low on her list of possibilities.
Noah steps forward from behind Cody. "Relax, we'll be quick. Just hear us out about tonight."
"Why should we care about what you have to say? We don't gain anything from keeping either of you guys. I'm sure we can do without your loyalty." Leshawna says with an eyeroll.
"Gwen," the geeks directs his attention to his past crush. "I wouldn't be wasting my time talking to you if I didn't have your best interests in mind. Just give us five minutes. If you don't like what we have to say, then vote however you want. Please just listen."
She turns her head to look at her friend for approval. Leshawna only offers a shrug in response before leaving her to deal with them by herself. After a few seconds of debating whether or not she should follow her friend and leave the boys to further scrambling, she gives in to Cody's pleas. "The showers better still have hot water by the time we get there."
Duncan, DJ, and Geoff walk from the set, green slime dripping from their clothes and soaking the concrete. The delinquent is disheartened by his loss knowing he could have won and that Heather would be going home like she rightfully deserves. DJ even gave up his chance of winning immunity for Duncan and he blew it.
"So, who are we voting for?" DJ asks to break the silence. He exchanges a look with the party animal before both turn towards Duncan expectantly.
The delinquent furrows his eyebrow as the several faces run through his head. Harold is his first thought, but he quickly decides against it. In his mind the redhead is an easy vote and exactly the opposite of what he wants to do with such a large voting pool. With at least four votes on his side and likely several more, now is the best opportunity to get of someone who is a threat to his game.
"Maybe Gwen or Leshawna." He ponders out loud. "They got pretty far last season, and everyone likes them. If there's actually a jury this year they'll win by a landslide against any of us."
Geoff shakes his head. "Come on, man. This is the first vote. There's no point worrying about the final while it's so far away."
"Yeah." DJ cuts in. "I really like Gwen and Leshawna. We should keep them around for a bit longer."
Duncan sighs in frustration. "Fine, we can worry about them if they're still around by the time the teams merge. Who do you want to vote for?"
"Well…" The party animals says slowly, his voice slightly timid. "Leshawna asked Bridgette and me earlier if we'd vote for Courtney with her, Gwen, and Trent."
"Courtney?" The delinquent stammers in disbelief. "Why would they be going after her?"
Geoff holds his hands up in surrender. "Don't get mad at me. You asked for ideas, so I gave you one."
"You guys have been broken up for a while now." The friendly giant adds. "She won't even talk to you anymore."
Duncan shakes his head in protest. "No. I'm not voting for her."
"I'm not forcing you to." The party animals says defensively. "Although, I think it's a good idea. Haven't you seen her going around nagging people to vote for Harold with her? It's only a matter of time until he's gone and she decides to go after you."
"I think I'm going to vote for her." DJ says meekly. "She's one of the only people here who I don't have an attachment to, so I won't feel as bad if she goes home."
Knowing that the two guys clearly have their minds set on the CIT, Duncan decides against starting an argument with his allies. After all, why should he be worried about Courtney's wellbeing? It's not like she'd bat an eye if people were suggesting to vote for him.
"If that's what you want to do, go for it." He sighs. "I'll figure out who I'm voting for later, I guess."
"No hard feelings, bro?" Geoff asks carefully. He extends his fist towards the delinquent.
Duncan bumps his fist while a weak smile. "We're all good."
"Great!" The friendly giant chirps, happy that an altercation was avoided. "I'll go tell Leshawna that we're voting with them." DJ walks off towards the bathroom where Leshawna waits to cleanse the slime from her skin, leaving the two boys alone.
Geoff waves at the delinquent as he takes a few steps backwards towards the craft services tent. "I've got to talk to Bridge. See you later."
Duncan waves dismissively at the party animal before turning around and heading towards the communal bathroom where a long line waits for the stalls to empty up. The wait is something he's thankful for, though, since he'll need all the time he can get to determine what his course of action will be.
The bright spotlights beside the stage illuminate the stage, causing the blue of Chris's suit to appear almost glowing. On the bleachers the contestants stare expectantly at him with squinting eyes through the intense light cast around them. In their hands are voting devices, idly waiting for the ceremony to commence. Chef walks up the steps of the stage wearing a glittering purple dress, a platter of golden statuettes of Chris in his hands. His eyes glare daggers at the teens who laugh under their breath at his expense.
Chris turns to face the camera located behind the bleachers. "Welcome, everyone, to the first Gilded Chris ceremony. In your hands are voting devices; all you've got to do is press the button of the person you want to vote off. Trent is safe from today's elimination, as well as Heather, much to everyone's disappointment." Heather smirks at Gwen and Leshawna's angry faces.
"That should be my immunity." Harold sulks "It was my egg that crossed the finish line."
The delinquent rolls his eyes. "Even if you were safe today, you'd probably be going home tomorrow."
Harold turns around and glowers at his bully. "Gosh, are you still not over me eliminating your girlfriend last season? Haven't I suffered enough for that?" He questions, referring to the CIT's brutal beating at Playa de Losers. He has never been able to look at a lamppost the same way since without shuddering at the memory. Courtney chirps her response at being called Duncan's girlfriend, but no one gives her a second glance.
"I want you gone because I find your nerdy ways super annoying. Also, who knows if Chris is going to let you get away with your bullshit again. Maybe this time you'll rig it so I'm the one going home." Duncan sneers.
The nerd crosses his arms. "You just want me gone because you're intimidated by me."
"Intimidated by you? Who would ever be intimidated by your scrawny ass?"
"Ahem." The host interrupts in irritation. Glares are exchanged between the boys but neither continue to speak. "Now that you're all quiet, you can enter your votes."
Confessional: Gwen
She looks hesitantly at the camera. Her head turns to the side where an intern is standing. "Voting them off is the smartest move, right? It'll help my chances in the long run." The goth girl turns back to the camera. "I'm not too eager about dealing with a certain someone's wrath afterwards though."
Confessional: Trent
"I really don't know who to vote for." He rubs his face in frustration before looking back at the camera. "I'd like to think I'm friends with a lot of the people here. I guess I will probably have to go with Courtney."
Several minutes pass as the teens slowly decide on who they're voting for. Eventually, the last contestant presses a button on their device and slides it back under their seat. A machine at the corner of the stage lets out a loud roar as it processes their votes and prints them out on a long piece of paper. Chris steps away from his podium to grab the sheet. He takes his time returning to the centre of the stage to revel in the tension. Noah and Cody nod to each other solemnly, knowing very well one of them could be gone in the next few seconds. Courtney narrows his eyes at the back of Harold's head, waiting expectantly for Chris to declare him as the first boot of the season. Bridgette stares at the host with wide eyes while her boyfriend leans carelessly against her. The Queen B, sitting in the back away from the other contestants, can't hide the relief on her face knowing that her name isn't on the slip of paper in Chris's hand.
The host sets the paper down and turns to grab two of the gilded statues from the cook. "Gilded Chrises go to Heather and Trent…" He tosses one to each of them.
"Duncan… Leshawna… Geoff… Justin … and Lindsay." He throws them to the aforementioned teens before grabbing two more. "Noah and Katie are also safe." The bookworm lets out a sigh of relief. He briefly forgets about the boy beside him waiting for his name to be called.
He grabs another statuette. "Looks like Bridgette gets one too."
Chris's eyes scroll through the names. "Everyone left has at least one vote against them. The next two gilded Chrises go to… "
"Gwen and Cody." The geek fumbles his catch, causing the statue to fall to his lap. A hopeful grin spreads across his face. Trent smiles at his girlfriend while she scowls at the host's golden smirk. "That leaves DJ, Courtney, and Harold." DJ looks over at his friends in confusion, unsure why he's racked up so many votes. Harold is prepared to make his descent to the Lame-O- sine, waiting for Chris to utter the words that seal his fate. The CIT's confidence slowly diminishes now that there are only two Gilded Chrises left.
Courtney, Harold, and DJ all watch the host anxiously as he tentatively picks up the second last Gilded Chris from the tray in Chef's hands. The brunette whips her head towards Duncan to accuse him of putting her in this position but is unnoticed as the delinquent watches Chris just as nervously. His face is ashen, and his hands are so to tightly gripped together that they've gone white.
"The next Gilded Chris goes to…" Chris smirks at the last three empty-handed teens. "Harold." He tosses the statuette to the redhead. His face glows brightly with the reassurance that he's safe for another day.
"That leaves DJ and Courtney. DJ, I have no idea what you did but apparently a lot of the people here want you gone. Courtney, you have a habit of getting on your fellow competitor's nerves. The first loser of this season is…."
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"DJ." Chris tosses the final gilded Chris to Courtney, who is quick to protectively clutch it to her chest. Her body shakes as the adrenaline slowly leaves her body. On the other end of the bleachers the delinquent releases his own sigh of relief. The happiness soon vanishes once he realizes his friend is going home instead. Cody and Noah grin at each other victoriously. "I hope you haven't started unpacking yet, man, because you've got yourself a one-way ride to Loserville."
The gentle giant looks around dumbstruck, unsure if he misheard the host. "Did I do something wrong?" He was confused by his elimination when the likes of Lindsay and Noah were fair play.
"Seriously? DJ? Why did you go after him?" The delinquent looks around the bleachers, trying to pick out who in the crowd are responsible for his friend going home.
Confessional: Noah
"I can't believe that worked." He looks down at the gilded Chris in his hands with surprise. "When Cody and I proposed voting off DJ to Gwen, we were sure she'd just ignore it and vote for one of us or Courtney. While everyone was showering, Cody shared our plan with Justin and Katie while I proposed the idea to Harold. He wasn't all too eager since Courtney was clearly gunning for him, but I guess he went along with it after all. Apparently, the people here are too simple-minded to make decisions for themselves." Noah looks to the side where an intern sits off camera and waves the statue in the air. "What am I supposed to do with this? I'm not too keen on carrying a tribute of Chris around with me. His ego is already too overinflated as it is."
DJ stands up and pats the delinquent on the back. "I guess I'll see you again at the finale. I'm counting on you to win." Duncan offers a nod of acknowledgment. The gentle giant makes his goodbyes to Geoff and Bridgette before heading towards the Lame-o-sine. He wasn't even able to completely close the door to the vehicle before it tore off down the road, the engine releasing unhealthy coughs and squeals.
Once the Lame-o-sine is out of sight the host begins to speak. "Who will Trent and Heather choose for their teams?" The camera pans between Heather and Trent. Heather glares at the camera and swats it away after the camera man holds it up close to her face. "Will Courtney and Duncan ever get along?" The brunette stares stubbornly at the ground in front of her while the delinquent runs his fingers through his mohawk in frustration. Tune in next time for another thrilling episode of Total. Drama. Action!" He enunciates each word of the title, his voice brimming with excitement at the prospect of the next day's torment for the cast.
Confessional: Courtney
The CIT scowls at the camera. "I can't believe that I was almost the first person eliminated. Again! When will these people realize what an asset I am to them?"
Confessional: Duncan
"How did DJ get voted out?" The delinquent slams his fist down against the table, causing several tubes of lipstick and mascara to clatter to the floor of the trailer. "Okay, maybe he'd still be here if I voted for Courtney instead of Harold. Sue me. I'd be bored to death here if she wasn't around to constantly argue with me." He smiles briefly before shaking his head to regain his angry demeaner. "Everyone likes DJ! Winning may not be as easy as I thought now that one of my closest alliances are gone."
Confessional: Gwen
She looks at the camera with uncertainty. "I'm starting to doubt that DJ was the right person to vote for. He is such a nice guy, while Courtney is awful to everyone. Hopefully Cody knows what he's doing, or I'm screwed now that Duncan is pissed off that he's gone."
Votes:
DJ – Noah, Cody, Gwen, Justin, Katie, Harold
Courtney – DJ, Geoff, Bridgette, Leshawna, Trent
Harold – Courtney, Duncan
Cody – Lindsay
Gwen – Heather
Eliminated:
15th – DJ