Author's Note: Ridonculous Race chapter coming Monday or Tuesday. I found that those flow better when I write on the weekend. This chapter is closer to average length, and I really hope you'll like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama, the shuffled concept or the (most of) the characters.
And to answer some reviews:
Nicky Haugh: Thanks!
Guest #1: Not dead yet. It's a shame I wasn't able to do anything with Beth, but it is what it is. I don't know why, but the Leonard/Lindsay pairing fits pretty well to me. I'm glad you liked Olivia's backstory, there'll be more bits as her role progresses. I can't really say what Terrance will do. For a guy who tells the truth a lot, he keeps his motives well hidden. Even from me.
Tempokeep: You think there was plot in the last chapter, wait 'til you read this one! I can't say exactly what'll happen with Scott and Olivia, but that alliance is at the center of all of it. I have to stress that Mitch and Carly aren't going to be a couple. Glad to see I didn't disappoint with Beth's elimination.
Critica7: I have some ideas for her come Redemption, but nothing's concrete yet.
Derick Lindsey: Beth was starting a friendship with Carly. Sadly Topher's thoughts on Chris feed into the attempted usurpation. I actually liked that plot in canon. Oh, Terrance is a major asshole, but not because he does things like blackmail. That's only if he has no other option. Regarding Scott, Olivia, and the immunity idol, wait and see
Gucci Mane LaFlare: Well those don't really seem like the type to work with others I'll admit. I kinda don't like how obvious my lack of ideas for Beth were though.
That British Guy: Contessa's naturally likable. I don't fault her for being your favorite.
Remaining Campers:
Jade Dragons: Carly, Contessa, Mitch, Owen, Rebecca, Terrance
Ruby Warriors: Jasmine, Leonard, Lindsay, Olivia, Scott, Topher
Today's episode is a slam dunk
Episode 05: Sport-tacular Plots
"Last time, on Total Drama Danger Island!" The recap footage began with a clip of the handsome host standing in front of the Fun Zone entrance. "We dumped our campers in the middle of the Fun Zone to fend for themselves," several short clips of the the stranded teens were shown, followed by a shot of Leonard and Lindsay running from Larry the mutant fly trap, with a forest full of angry mutants!"
"Scott and Olivia formed an alliance," the two villains were shown talking after meeting up, "and unsurprisingly plan on backstabbing each other," The two's confessionals after the fact were shown. "And Owen's sense of direction got him and Beth totally lost," the optimist and dork were shown meeting up, then realizing they'd gotten lost in the Fun Zone.
"In the end, the Jade Dragons lost once again," the five Dragons were shown reacting to their latest loss, "and Beth was chosen to be the next passenger on Trebu-Shame Airlines thanks to Contessa and Rebecca." the hopeless romantic was shown talking to the rebel, the rebel was shown talking with Terrance, and Beth was shown being flung into the night.
"The last challenge was intense" Chris asked in a close-up on the Dock of Shame as the recap footage ended. "But today's is getting EXTREME! Right here" He pointed a finger at camera as it started to zoom out in increments until the whole island was shown. "Total! Drama! Daaaaaaaanger Island!"
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[The sequence begins much as it did during the first season, with an open into letterbox format as the camera focuses on the tops of a few distant barren pine trees. A barnacle-covered stage light rotates up and turns on; then the shot changes to a seaweed-covered spotlight swinging down and turning on as well; then a small security camera popping out of a small water-filled hole; then another camera bursting out of a tree hollow, a small deluge of water flowing out with it; then a pair of fair-skinned arms clapping a film slate in front of the camera which switches to a shot of the island, then flying forward down the dock and past the run-down buildings, passing the host as he handed a roll of duct tape to the fat intern and pointed off to the left.]
Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doin' fine;
[The camera flies through the trees and up to the largest cliff, peeking over to see two rings of buoys laid out in the water.]
You guys are on my mind!
[The camera dives off the cliff and into an underwater shot; Owen is swimming through the water with a large grin as a fish swims by. He farts, and the gas bubbles kill the fish.]
Ya asked me what I wanted to be,
And now I think the answer is plain to see!
[A cut to the surface, where Olivia is in her swimsuit sunbathing on a pink inflatable raft. The fish surfaces, and she sits up with a look of pure disgust. A bird swoops down and picks up the fish, and the camera follows the bird as it flies away.]
I wanna be...famous!
[The scene lingers on the bird in front of the sun for a moment before it drops the fish. The camera pans down to Topher sitting on a stump and admiring his reflection in a mirror; the fish lands in his hair and he runs away screaming and wiping away his hair. The camera zooms out to show Scott watching the scene and laughing, and then again to show Terrance also laughing, the two boys slapping five as Scott wipes a tear from his eye.]
I wanna live close to the sun!
[The camera zooms to another part of camp, showing Leonard and Lindsay sitting in canoe and about to go over a waterfall. As he was too busy casting spells and she was too busy being impressed, they notice too late and scream as they go over the edge.]
Well pack your bags, 'cause I've already won!
[The shot pans down to the bottom of the waterfall, showing Rodney standing on a broken log suspended between two rocks with a blank look on his face. Though he does not see Leonard or the canoe falling behind him, he does see Lindsay and catches her. She smiles wide and hugs him, and he drops her with a lovestruck expression.]
Everythin' to prove, nothin' in my way;
[The camera rapidly pans to the right to the outhouse confessional, where Rebecca is spray painting something to the side. The camera pans out to show Jasmine leaving the confessional unaware as to what Rebecca is doing, then pans over to the Main Lodge – Chef's silhouette is visible in the window.]
I'll get there one day.
[The camera moves in past the window to show an irritated Chef, arm deep in a large pot of something sickly green. He looks behind him to where Max and Carly are sitting; the former with his arms raised and in the middle of an evil laugh, the latter trembling in fear next to him.]
'Cause I wanna be...famous!
[The camera pans left to Mitch sitting with his feet on the counter. He tips his hat to the camera, and it zooms out past another window to show the edge of the docks. Contessa notices the camera and gives a short and shy wave.]
(Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
[Dakota moves the camera onto herself, and kisses the lens. She waves as the female intern quickly wipes away the smudge, then types something into her cellphone. Moments later, five other men appear on the docks with cameras, snapping pictures of a rapidly-posing Dakota.
I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
[The camera pans down the docks to show Beth giving a wide toothy grin and wave to the camera.]
I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
[Beth steps back and twirls a flaming baton while passing it back and forth between her hands, then tosses it in the air. The camera follows the baton as day becomes night. The camera lingers as the baton falls out of frame - a few embers still flying up - and pans down across the stars and dead trees and full moon to Mitch and Jasmine, sitting at a campfire together. They lean in for a kiss but are interrupted by Owen's sudden appearance between then, an arm around both of them and an oblivious smile. The shot zooms out to show the other campers also sitting around the fire and whistling the last few notes of the theme song - Max, Carly, Olivia, Rodney, Contessa, Rebecca, and Lindsay on Mitch's side; Beth, Scott, Leonard, Dakota, Terrance and Topher on Jasmine's side as Chris watches on Jasmine's side and Chef watches on Mitch's. The shot continued to zoom out until a signboard was shown marking the presumed entrance to the fire pit; it read 'TOTAL DRAMA DANGER ISLAND' in block letters, the third word being the largest and the last word relegated to a board tacked on at the end]
XXXXX
A shot of the camp from the beach opened the episode, the background music beginning lightly as the camera flew up and over to the dining hall. The music deepened as the long banged intern walked past with a cup of coffee in hand, only to fall into a sudden sinkhole with a splash. He looked at the spilled drink on his stomach with disappointment as snoring started to play over the scene, and the footage cut a quick shot of Carly snoring in her bed. Scott and Olivia were also shown asleep, the young man in a dirty white tank top with several blocks of wood lying around him and his counterpart wearing a sleep mask. Mitch and Jasmine were the final campers shown, sleeping in their usual clothes and lying against opposite sides of a dead pine tree.
The sound of an air raid siren began to sound startled them awake with a shout and a yell respectively, and they both shot look of annoyance to the campgrounds. The shot cut over to Chris and Dakota in the common area between cabins, the former wearing a referee's shirt and a set of earmuffs and the latter cranking the siren. The campers all assembled to complain about the noise, but it all merged into unintelligible complaining mixed in with the siren.
"You can stop now intern," Chris told Dakota with a grin and a dismissive hand gesture.
"What?!" Dakota asked loudly, stopping the cranking to stick a finger in her ear.
"Welcome campers!" Chris greeted, ignoring the twelve glares he was getting, "to your fifth day of competition!" The camera cut to the Dragons as Terrance rolled his eyes and Carly sagged in disappointment and fear, then panned over to the Warriors as Olivia glared at the host and Lindsay let out a huge yawn.
The camera cut back to the smiling host as he removed his earmuffs. "For today's challenge, we'll be revisiting four," he held up four fingers, "of the show's most,"he held up a megaphone with his other hand, "DANGEROUS SPORTS CHALLENGES EV-AR!" The final word reverberated loudly, causing Terrance, Carly, Olivia, and Lindsay to cringe nearby.
"What?!" Dakota asked loudly again, but the host ignored her and Chef grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
"First up, from season one, it's," Chris made use of the megaphone again, "EXTREME SOFA-BED SKYDIVING!" The campers listen with dread as he continued his explanation. "Contestants will jump," Chris said as the side door of the plane slid open and Dakota warily looked down upon an unfolded sofa bed on the ground, "onto a waiting sofa bed target below."
A few springs poked out of the mattress, and Chef pushed her out of the plane and onto it. She landed on the sofa part, causing the mattress to forcefully retract in on her; the cook chuckled at the heiress's muffled screams.
"Like before," the host continued, "you'll be skydiving from 5000 feet! And using these!" Grinning evilly, he lifted a pair of ratty old parachute packs up to his window and threw them at the campers' feet. "Our lucky contestants are...," he said as he pulled a pice of paper from his pocket, "Topher and Contessa!"
"Alright!" Topher cheered, putting away his mirror. "Get ready for the Topher experience."
"Yeah, uh, sure," Contessa said nervously, "bring it on..."
"But wait! There's more!" Chris interrupted. "Because the second challenge of the day is, BARE KNUCKLES BOXING!" The camera panned over to the Chrisiseum. "Two campers will fight head to head using only their fists," The camera panned over to the boxing ring used in season five's boxing challenge. Like all other things on the island, being underwater did little for it's quality. The ropes were saggy, all the turnbuckles were leaning in different directions, and the foundation had noticeable holes in the sides, "in our old boxing ring from season five!"
"That doesn't look safe," Carly whimpered.
Chris quickly put his arm around her and continued his explanation. "Luckily for you, you won't be fighting! Rebecca's fighting for the Dragons! And Scott," the camera cut to Scott, Olivia, and Jasmine, "you'll fight for the Warriors!" The schemer smirked.
Rebecca just smirked and cracked her knuckles.
"Following that is," Chris announced via megaphone, "PANKRATION WRESTLING!" The scene cut to a nondescript section of beach that had a large white circle drawn in the sand. "One camper from each team will wrestle, and anything goes," he said with a grin. "Last one standing wins. And I hope you've been itching for a rematch Jasmine," he continued as the amazon looked up in mild shock, "'cause you and Mitch'll be going head to head."
"Good luck ma'am," Mitch said, holding out a hand.
"Same to you mate," Jasmine replied as the two shook.
"And, the final challenge," Chris announced via megaphone, "EXTREME SEADOO WATER SKIING!" The scene cut to a large pool of mud in a clearing the the woods; on the left end was a checkered banner indicating the start and finish, while a pair of ramps and several colored flags were scattered about the middle. On the far shore was the large totem pole with tape-mounted cameras. "Contestants will water ski a race course, grabbing as many flags as they can before crossing the finish line, while a member from the opposing team drives the seadoo."
A flash transitioned the scene back to the campers. "Uh, don't you need water in order to water ski?" Owen asked hesitantly.
"Not really!" Chris said with a smile through his megaphone. "Check it out!" The camera panned over to Dakota, who water skied into view over a small cliff and onto the dry dirt. She screamed as she bounced along the ground, only stopping when she slammed head-first into a large rock face.
"Awesome!" Chris laughed before turning his attention – and megaphone – back to the campers. "Lindsay, you'll ski for the Ruby Warriors!"
"Yay!" the ditz said enthusiastically. "I can model my bikini!"
"And Carly, for the Jade Dragons!" the host added, finally putting his megaphone down.
The pantaphobe gulped and started trembling.
"Now for the cruel twist!" Chris said, making use of his megaphone once again. "Points in the last challenge are based on the number of flags you grab," he told them. "So it's possible for a team to completely blow all the challenges, win the final one and still save themselves from elimination!" A quick tense tune played as the campers all began to complain.
"That's not fair!" Rebecca complained.
"I know, right?" Chris told her. "And here's something else to worry about," he said deviously. "According to my interns, someone actually found the invincibility statue during the last challenge." The tune played again as everyone gasped.
The scene cut to Chris getting on the Jeep as it was driven by Chef. "Okay gang," he told them, "chow for brekkie, then report back in twenty minutes for the TOTAL DRAMA SPORTS-TACULAR!"
A large cloud of dirt and dust was blown up as the plane took off, leaving Mitch and Olivia with a hacking cough.
\
Owen and Contessa were shown walking away from the dining hall together in the distance, with Scott leaving the building as well before the scene cut inside. Olivia quickly swallowed the last bits of gruel from her bowl with a grimace, placing it on top of a stack that Chef held before walking over to where Dakota was seated.
"Got a minute?" she asked in a hushed tone, sitting down across from the still-eating young woman.
Dakota's eye widened as she looked around the room, then sighed in relief as she answered her former teammate "Sure thing! What do you wanna to talk about?"
"Well," the actress said slowly, "I was thinking about your dream to be on your own reality show. I still have some contacts in Hollywood. Maybe I can put in a good word for you?"
Dakota smiled brightly. "You can?" she asked seriously getting a nod in return. "Yes! I accept, just let me tell Chris I quit this stupid job and-."
"Hold on a minute," the actress interrupted. "If I'm going to be doing this favor for you, I'll need something in return. And I figure since you work for Chris, you can help me know about challenges ahead of time?" Olivia asked, offering her hand. "Help me win this show, and I'l help you get your own."
Dakota started to accept the deal, then looked down pensively. She sighed, the sealed the deal with a handshake.
"Perfect! By the way, you should probably end your lunch break now," Olivia said. Dakota gasped and ran off. She passed Scott on the way out, and the he sent her a suspicious look.
Once his former teammate had left the room, Scott approached is ally. "What were you two talking about?" he asked, casting a suspicious look at the door.
"Not really," the actress answered with a bratty hand gesture. "She just wanted to know if I could help her get her ridiculous spin-off series."
"Figures," Scott smirked. "Don't know why she asked you though. You're not exactly famous yourself right now."
"What do you want Scott?" Olivia asked him with thinly-veiled anger.
"Yeah," the dirt farmer said. "Now, I know we don't really get along, but we need to talk about who's going home tonight. And if that person's gonna be from our team."
Olivia narrowed her eyes and folded her arms. "I hope you're not trying to get me to axe Jasmine again..."
"Not at all," Scott said condescendingly. "I was thinking someone a little more... obvious." He chuckled. "Or do I have to spell it out for you."
Olivia pursed her lips. "Leonard," she said after a moment. "And you're sure you can make it look like he's the reason we lost?"
"Easy," Scott replied, "the guy thinks he's a wizard." He scratched his chin in thought. "Or at least I think he does, anyway he ain't exactly the most useful person on the team. It'll be a cinch to get rid of him."
"Sounds like a plan!" the actress told him with a dark smile.
XXX
"We've already won two challenges so far," Scott confessed. "And as far as I'm concerned that's two too many. Sure, I'd like for Jasmine to be gone. But I can't exactly be picky when there's someone who knows I'm throwing challenges."
He snickered. "Luckily I can ditch her just before the merge and pin all my plans on her. That bratty little city girl won't know what hit her."
XXX
The footage cut back to a distance shot of the plane on the ground, with the two jumpers putting their gear on and the rest of their teams inspecting the sofa beds. "Now, remember," Chris told them, "Ground teams can wheelie the sofa beds wherever they want in order to help their comrade with the landing. And watch out for sinkholes," he warned them. "We ran outta duct tape a while ago, so we can't fix any we come across until we get some more."
"You'll be fine, Contessa," Owen told his friend before leaning in to whisper "And just think of how it could impress You-Know-Who?"
"Actually," the hopeless romantic blushed. "I may have already done that."
Owen let out a squeaky gasp. "That's awesome!" he laughed.
"Done!" Topher said with a slap on his fellow jumper's back. "You ready for this super dangerous and deadly challenge?" he asked slyly.
"Try not to leave a chalk outline," Terrance told the jumpers. "If any of you die, thy might cancel the rest of the competition."
"Your concern is touching," Contessa deadpanned.
\
The shot changed to a high-altitude view across what was implied to be the landscape surrounding the island, a mix of water and chunks of land. The sound of the engine heralded the plane's on-camera arrival, and the viewpoint shifted to get a head-on view of Contessa and Topher as the side door of the plane slid open mid-flight.
"If you could just fill these out!" Chris said over the roar of the plane, leaning out of his seat and pointing to a stack of papers in his hand.
"These aren't for organ donation again are they?" Tohper asked warily.
"No," the host confirmed, "they're just some legal forms absolving the show of blame if the plane falls apart mid-flight. It's where the majority of our duct-tape budget went this season, and I'm not sure how long it'll hold!"
"Don't you think you should've told us that before we got on the plane?!" Contessa asked.
"If I did that, you wouldn't have gotten on," Chris smiled. "Drop zone incoming!"
Topher and Contessa cautiously looked out over the island, and an aerial shot of Wawanakwa transitioned the scene to down below. The camera panned down from the trees to reveal Carly, Terrance, Mitch, and Rebecca struggling to move the sofa by themselves.
"Why is this thing so heavy?" Carly stated, taking a break from the task and peering upwards with a hand shielding her eyes. The camera cut to show Owen curled up and asleep on the mattress.
Terrance sighed and crossed his arms. "We should've kept Beth."
\
Back in the air, the teens were preparing to jump. "I'm not sure I can do this," Contessa said uncertainly,causing Topher to smirk.
"Don't worry," the fan said patting her on the back. "I'll give you a hand!" with that, he gave her a hard shove that sent her out of the plane with a scream.
XXX
"You know what a good source of drama is?" Topher asked the camera with his prize-winning grin, "an injured competitor." He chuckled as he held up two cords, one red and one blue.
XXX
Back at the beach, the four awake Dragons stood around Owen with contemplative stances. "We might be able to move him?" Carly suggested. "How long do we have?"
"We should be good as long as we don't actually hear her screaming," Rebecca answered. Naturally Contessa's fearful screams echoed a second later, and she landed in the ground leaving a Contessa-shaped crater.
"That ain't gonna feel good come mornin'," Mitch winced.
\
"Okay," Topher told himself, "Pull the blue cord first, then the red." He put his hand on a the cords dangling from the bottom of his pack, then jumped.
"Or was it the other way around?!" He said after mere moments in the air, and pulled at the red cord, which broke away. "Uh-oh!" he exclaimed, pulling the blue and having it detach as well. He immediately began screaming as the camera panned down to the beach.
Leonard as he pointed to the sky. "Zounds! Our companion is approaching," he told the others, motioning for the four to move with him.
"Move! Move! Move!" Jasmine shouted, pulling the couch the direction the wizard indicated.
"Wait," Scott told them as Topher's screams of terror grew louder, "he might be wrong!"
The fan was shown again, having somehow managed to deploy his parachute. With little control over his descent, he ended up nearly at the mercy of the wind as he swayed back and forth with a laugh that was doing a poor job of masking his panic.
"Oh no!" Lindsay cried. "We have to do something!"
"Yeah," Scott grunted as he struggled for control of the sofa, "but we don't know which way he's headed!"
Olivia growled in frustration. "Would you all please make a decision already?!"
As Topher approached the ground, it was Jasmine who decided. "We're going this way!" she called out to her teammates, pulling the sofa the direction Leonard said earlier. The team got into position and Lindsay quickly extended the bed portion. The wizard's estimate was proven accurate and Topher landed squarely on the extended mattress. He let out a relieved chuckle before the mattress suddenly retracted, carrying the young man with it into the bowels of the sofa.
"There's somethin' you don't see everyday," Scott mused.
\
Chris' plane flew over a few trees before circling around past the campers. "Dragons lose, Warriors win! 1-0!" he announced through his megaphone.
"Uh," Rebecca said as the camera cut to the Dragons surround Contessa, who had been put in a full-body cast and placed onto a stretcher. "You want some company while they... rebuild you?"
"I'll go," Owen said contritely, twiddling his thumbs. "It's my fault this happened anyway..."
Contessa made an audible noise of objection. "Not your fault," she grunted, "would've happened regardless."
\
"Okay kiddos!" Chris announced as the footage skipped ahead. "Let's start the boxing chal-len-ge!"
"And good news for you," Chris said as the camera pulled back to show Scott and Rebecca on opposite sides of the boxing ring. "The lawyers won't let us do a bare-knuckles boxing challenge, so you'll be using gloves." Chef was shown outfitting Scott with a air of red boxing gloves, and the camera briefly cut to Rebecca to show she was wearing a similar pair but in green.
"These gloves weigh a ton," Scott complained.
"Probably because they're weighted," the host said, "you won't break anything. But you'll feel like you did," he chuckled. "Now, let's see some boxing!"
The bell rang, and both boxers were shown charging at each other. Scott pulled back an arm, and was quickly punched in the face by Rebecca. The schemer dropped to the mat and didn't get back up.
Chris walked over to the fallen farmer and pick up one of his hands. He let it go, and it flopped to the floor. "And Scott's down for the count. So, via a one-hit KO, Rebecca and the Jade Dragons take the second challenge."
XXX
"I planned on losing the fight anyway," Scott grumbled with a black eye. "I just didn't want it to be so embarrassing..."
XXX
"The score is one to one," Chris said as the capstone theme began to play, Jasmine and Topher carrying an unconscious Scott in the background. "Who will prove to be the best sport of them all? Find out when we return on Total! Drama! Daaaaaanger Island!"
\
(Commercial Break)
\
The episode resumed to the two teams standing on opposite sides of the pankration circle with their logos above them and the host between them.
Jasmine was stretching in her swimsuit in the right side, smirking cockily across the ring. The camera panned over to Mitch, also in his swimming trunks and smirking. For some reason both teens were still wearing their hats.
"I apologize for what's about to happen ma'am," Mitch told his opponent with a tip of his hat.
"Don't worry about it mate," the amazon said jovially, "we both wanna win."
"And speaking of winning," the host took the attention back to himself. "You've got two options, knock your opponent out of the ring, or pin them for three seconds. Ready!" Both teens got into position. "GO!"
Jasmine was the first to move, quickly circling around Mitch before he had a chance to react. The amazon pounced on the cowboy's back who yelped in surprise. She quickly put him in a headlock, but despite the fact-paced background music it quickly became apparent that Mitch wasn't budging.
In fact, his shock quickly faded into amusement, and he grabbed her by the arms and tried to pry her off him. "Sorry ma'am," he told the girl as she grunted and struggled to keep her hold. "That trick ain't gonna work on me twice." He finally managed to break her grip, and tossed her lightly onto the ground on her back.
"C'mon, get her while she's down!" Terrance called from the sidelines.
He took a step towards her but she smirked and she swept her leg, knocking his leg out from under him and knocking him flat on his back.
"Pin him!" Lindsay called form the sidelines in eager excitement.
Jasmine followed her teammates advice and jumped onto her opponent, their faces mere inches apart. They both noticed their proximity and blushed. "H-howdy," Mitch said nervously. "Mighty close ain't ya?" The music became noticeably more romantic.
Jasmine blushed harder, and leaned her face down. With a needle scratch in the music, Chef pulled her up Chris was next to her in moments. "And we have a winner!" he said with a grin, a victorious tune playing as the other Warriors except for Scott cheered. Jasmine shook herself out of the daze, looked down at Mitch, and raised her arm in victory.
Still on the ground, Mitch groaned at looked at his teammates. He winced at the glares he got from Terrance and Rebecca.
XXX
"I can't believe I got so distracted in the middle of a challenge," Jasmine told the outhouse. "I mean sure, I won, but I didn't even realize I was supposed to be fighting Mitch when I did." She looked at the camera. "Do I like him that much?"
XXX
The footage skipped ahead to a shot of a red all-terrain vehicle skidding to a halt. "Well, with that taken care of," Chris said in an unamused tone, revealed to be the driver of the ATV, "Ruby Warriors are in the lead!" A smile came back to his face, and he resumed his usual demeanor as he continued. "But the Dragons can still come back int the EXTREME SEADOO WATER SKI CHAL-LENGE," the shot zoomed out to show him and the campers around the predesignated mud pit.
"I'm reeeeaaaady!" Lindsay's voice alerted the campers. Terrance, Topher, and especially Leonard looked up appreciatively while Contessa looked away with a blush and Scott smirked, and the camera cut to the ditz's feet then panned up slowly to a RnB tune to show her in a green bikini that was a bit smaller than her normal swimsuit.
"So I think Leonard should be our driver," Olivia said bratily while glaring at her male teammates.
"Why me?" the wizard said, the comment having knocked him out of his daze.
"Well I don't wanna do it," the actress explained.
Leonard thought for a moment, then shrugged . "I guess that makes sense."
XXX
"Okay, so we're behind," Carly confessed. "Terrance is driving Lindsay, and I'm skiing, so both of us have to pull through for us to win. No pressure!" She laughed nervously
XXX
"Hey Merlin,we gotta talk," Scott said, grabbing his teammate's arm as he walked past. Leonard had already changed into his swim trunks and still wearing the hat and beard, and was eyeing the course.
"What is it?" the wizard asked. "Come up with a good strategy?"
"You could say that," the redhead answered. "Here's the deal. Either you throw the challenge or I tell your buddy how you just eyed her like a piece of meat. I'm sure she'll still wanna hang with you after that," he snickered.
Leonard looked over at the girl in question. She caught him looking and smiled and waved, causing him to blush and look away. "Fine," he sighed. "I'll do it..."
Scot smirked and walked away.
\
The next scene showed Lindsay on the skis and holding the tow rope. The camera panned over to Terrance on the ramshackle seadoo; he smirked back and her and said "You should've stayed at the mall Blondie!"
Lindsay scowled as Chris drove slowly past on his ATV. "This one's just like the first time." he announced. "Which means, there are no rules!"
The footage flashed ahead to the start of the challenge. "Aaaaand...go!" Chris called with a wave of a flag, and Terrance narrowed his eyes. He revved the engine and accelerated, nearly causing Lindsay to fall over; to his irritation, the ditz was able to stay balanced with ease, though her legs did get splattered with mud.
The driver briefly looked back at his opponent before taking the seadoo over the first ramp; Lindsay quickly bent down and picked up the flag standing at the end.
"Flag One for the Warriors!" Chris announced via a pair of loudspeakers taped to the central totem pole by which the other teens waited. Jasmine and Topher shared an excited high five as their teammate landed off the ramp and continued to be pulled along.
Terrance frowned. "How are you not falling over right now?" he called back over the roar of the engine.
"I'm sorry, I can't hear you!" Lindsay yelled back, raising her head as she picked up another flag.
The basketballer quickly looked forward to hide his scowl. He was approaching the bend, an decided to take the curve tight. It wasn't enough to shake Lindsay, however, as she leaned out to make up the difference and snatch another flag. "No!" Terrance groaned, and the footage skipped ahead to show the blonde with several flags clutched in her hand.
"Three flags and counting!" Chris announced over the loudspeaker again before the scene cut from the non-competitors back to the host as he followed Terrance and Lindsay from the shore. "Terrance will be disqualified if he doesn't cross the finish line, but when he does, Lindsay will score a major advantage with all the flags she's gathered home for the Ruby Warriors!"
Terrance grimaced, and the camera panned ahead first to one final flag, and then to the finish line.
XXX
"I wasn't about to be the reason we lost," Terrance admitted in the confessional with a shrug, "so I did what needed to be done."
XXX
The basketballer smirked, then swung himself around on the seadoo so he was facing backwards. "Liiind~say!" he called out, slowly standing up and holding a handful of mud, "I hope you like mud baths!" Just as his blonde-haired foe was preparing to pick up the last flag, Terrance threw the mud ball at her.
Lindsay's eyes went wide, and she quickly shielded her face with her free hand – and the flags. The damage had already been done, though, as she sped unwittingly past the final flag.
Terrance looked disappointed by the outcome but a sudden jolt to the seadoo as it hit a small rock forced him to turn back around and regain control. Both he and Lindsay passed beneath the finish line.
"Despite some trickery from Terrance,"' Chris commented as he finished his own circuit around the mud pit, "Lindsay's managed to bring in three flags for her team!" The other members of the Ruby Warriors except for Scott congratulated their teammate, Leonard even giving her an excited hug. "That means the Dragons will need to pick up all five if they wanna win!"
\
Some time later, Carly and Leonard had taken their positions for the final challenge. Carly was looking nervous, while the wizard looked down and sighed.
"Ready!" Chris began from nearby. "Set! Paramedics on standby! Go!"
The engine revved, and the seadoo took off. They quickly went over the first ramp, and Carly let out a short, triumphant laugh as she snagged the first flag, then splashed down hard into the mud.
"Flag one!" Chris announced over the loudspeakers, and the Dragons cheered. "Flag two!" he added over another laugh from Carly, and the camera cut to the two teens coming up on the bend and third flag. The camera focused on Leonard as he drove around the course some more slowly, then sped up.
"Carly has all five flags!" Chris exclaimed. "Leonard is euchred! He has to cross!"
Leonard smirked and piloted the seadoo across the banner without an issue, bringing it to a stop on land just in front of his glaring and upset team.
"I can't believe she actually did it," the host said to himself as he brought his ATV to a rolling stop on the shore.
"Dragons win!" came Chris's voice over the loudspeakers for a final time.
The camera cut over to the Warriors. What was that?!" Jasmine complained to Leonard
Scott snorted. "Just leave him, he's the reason we lost."
Topher looked at his leaving teammates, then chuckled deviously. "More drama comin' up soon..."
\
The footage flashed ahead to Leonard about to walk up the steps leading up to his cabin. The camera focused in on him, and he stopped when he heard a familiar voice say "Larry! What happened out there?"
He turned around with a smile on his face. "Hi Lindsay," he said. "'Tis nothing. Scott just told me to throw the challenge and I did.
"But now the others wanna vote you off," she told him, pulling him close and looking in his eyes. "Why would you do that?"
"Because I found this, near the main lodge just before the challenge," he told her, holding up the immunity idol. "That rouge doesn't know it, but he just walked into a cunning trap."
"Oh my gosh!" Lindsay said. "I can't believe you found it. So all we have to do is..." Her words degenerated into indecipherable mumbles as the camera panned over to Topher standing at the side of the cabin with a smirk on his face.
XXX
"So... much... drama!" he gushed.
XXX
The footage flashed ahead again to show the Ruby Warriors at the campfire pit, Chef and Chris standing before them with the former holding a tray of five marshmallows.
"Welcome back Warriors," Chris told the team. "You had a nice little reprieve from loserdom, but just couldn't stay away from the campfire."
"Now for the reason you're all here. The following people are safe," the host said, picking up the first marshmallow off his tray. "Jasmine." The amazon caught her prize with a smile.
"Topher." The fan sitting next to her was next, still eager as he caught his marshmallow.
"Olivia." Next came the actress, filing away at her fingernails and not paying attention to her surroundings. Her marshmallow hit her on the head and she glared at the host.
"And Lindsay." She smiled in relief as her marshmallow fell into her open hands, then looked at her friend in concern.
"Who will get the final marshmallow," the host asked. "Will it be...Scott, the boxing failure," the schemer's face fell into an odd mixture of sternness and boredom, "or Leonard, the driving failure." The shot panned to the wizard, who's anxious, wide-eyed face was shown in a close-up. "The last marshmallow goes too...," Chris said, drawing it out as the music's tension rose. Leonard was shown biting his nails, the final treat was shown sitting motionlessly, and Scott was shown donning yet another devious smirk. Chris picked up the final marshmallow right as the music reached its peak.
"...Scott!"
The schemer's eyes widened, as did his grin. In the back row, Leonard was shown closing his eyes, taking a breath, and reaching for his pocket. "Magic dust and armpit smell," he said in response, confusing his teammates, "bring forth a time reversal spell!" He pulled the carving from his pocket to a dramatic riff. Jasmine, Topher, and Olivia gasped, but Lindsay merely smiled an eyebrow and Scott smirked.
"Oh yeah?" Chris said, leaning on his podium and looking less than impressed. "Where's the McLean Seal of Approval on that thing?"
"Huh?" Leonard asked in sudden, blank shock as the music cut away. He quickly looked down at the statue he was holding it, turning it over and over again. "But...what seal are you talking about? There's nothing here!"
"Sorry man," Scott told him mockingly as the sombre elimination theme began to play. "I whittled some knock-offs after we got back from Boney Island and planted around the camp hoping some sap would try to use it," he chuckled, "and it looks like one did." He caught the final marshmallow that was tossed his way at last, and the shot panned over to Chris.
XXX
"Good to know," Olivia said, bitterly holding an invincibility idol in her hand. "Good. To. Know."
XXX
"Sorry Leonard, but thems the breaks. You're out," the host said. Leonard sighed, then slumped away.
He was just about to leave the campfire pit when he heard a sudden voice. "Wait!" Leonard cried, running over to him. "Aww, I'm gonna miss you," the ditz told the wizard, pulling out a slip of paper from her pocket and pushing it at him. "Call me, 'kay?"
"Call you?" Leonard asked in happy confusion, "Does that mean-" Lindsay interrupted him by pulling him in and kissing him, the camera briefly cut to the shocked faces of the Ruby Warriors, Chris, and Chef, then back to the couple as they broke apart with a smile.
Leonard let out some unintelligible babble and sighed contently.
"Way to go Lindsay," Chris admonished, having recovered from his shock. "You broke him!"
\
The scene flashed to the Dock of Shame, Leonard in the trebuchet's sling with Chris and Chef standing nearby.
"Chris, man, you sure it's safe to send him home like this?" the cook asked nervously as the wizard continued to babble.
"It'll be fine," Chris said as he walked over to the trebuchet's lever. "Watch." Chris pulled the lever and launched him into the night sky. The camera lingered on the moon, as Leonard suddenly started flailing and screaming.
"We're five down and eleven to go!" he turned and asked the camera as the capstone theme began to play. "Who's next to be flung off the island? Find out next time, right here on Total! Drama! Daaaaaaaanger Island!"
The camera jumped outwards with each part of the title as usual, but the scene lingered there even as the capstone theme faded.
\
The shot cut to the Warrior cabin, then cut to the girls' side. Olivia was putting her hair into a ponytail and the music turned tense and eerie as Lindsay entered the room. She glared at her teammate and stormed over to her. "Leonard told me everything about Scott," the ditz said seriously. "And it doesn't take a genius to figure out you're working with him. So I'm only gonna say this once." The camera cut in close. "Stop."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said brattily before donning her sleep mask and heading to her bunk.
XXX
"I don't know what that nerd lover thinks she's doing threatening me like that," the actress complained in the confessional. "But between my alliance with Scott and Dakota feeding me inside information, I'd say she's waaaay out of her league."
"Of course after tonight's elimination I'll need to find something to do with Scott before it's too late," she smirked, "but I'm sure I'll come up with something."
XXX
(Roll the Credits)
Author's Note Post Script: And thus we come to Leonard's elimination. I'll admit,had I not given him the relationship with Lindsay he probably would've been the first one gone. But with new plot comes a rarely seen reason for sending the wizard home - not because he was annoying, but because he tried to out-gambit a villain and lost big time.
By the way, I don't think I'm ever going to fully state if he actually thinks he's a wizard. Once I gave him a plot, I couldn't decide if he would be delusional or role playing like in the Shuffledverse. So I just decided not to mention it and write what came naturally. I hope that's not off-putting in any way
Despite the heavy focus on the Warriors lately, not to mention how obvious Leonard's elimination likely was, I'm really digging how this episode came together. It's a fantastic blend of several parts - Scott's forgery from canon, Topher's desire to create drama coming through, Olivia forming her own side deals, and Leonard and Lindsay's attempt at scheming all coming together to blindside the hell out of Leonard.
Speaking of Olivia's side deals, here's Dakota's plot! Over the course of the game she'll see just what lengths people are willing to go to get what they want are seriously gonna make her question her goal of reality stardom and her plans to get there. I really hope you all enjoy where I end up with that.
By the way, don't forget that a TVTropes page exists for this series and could always use some love from fans like you.
And as always I'm sure I'm forgetting to mention something.
I hope you all enjoyed the episode, or some part of it.
With that I'm signing off
-TotalDramaFan14
RDDI ELIMINATION TABLE:
16th Place: Max
15th Place: Dakota
14th Place: Rodney
13th Place: Beth
12th Place: Leonard