Author's Note: Welcome to the penultimate episode of the season. This is probably the most radically different chapter I've ever written. Now I should warn you. This one pretty much all dialogue, but I still think the premise is something you'll enjoy. Also, for those who read the canon Danger Island, the challenge is different here.
Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama, the shuffled concept or the (most of) the characters.
And to answer some reviews:
OmniUIShaggyOverexaggerated: Yeah, the cowboy was a little blindsided by that. I can't comment on the rest of your view right now, but I think you'll really enjoy the rest of the season.
Derick Lindsey: Well I'll admit Chris is more likable than these three, but isn't that a fun problem to have? Honestly I couldn't think of anything to do in the first part of the episode, or where to get rid of Dakota, so everything kinda worked out there. As for what happens next, wait and see.
Tempokeep: I'm kinda shocked everyone's so shocked by Mitch's elimination. I thought the fact that he was such an obvious winner was like a red shirt. I'm glad you liked the little tour through deadly creatures, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the season.
Gucci Mane LaFlare: Thanks. I'm glad you liked my version of Topher. I noticed that most writers tend not to use his canon goals so I was a little worried about treading that path.
That British Guy: Yeah, I really thought Mitch's elimination was obvious considering how I'd been writing everyone.
LazloVader9943: It's a scary thought, but it'd never work. Matthew hates Mal's guts and Rebecca's not a team player.
Irrelevant User: Sorry to disappoint with the lack of Zeke cameo, but I can promise you'll see him again in the future. I expected Topher's to be obvious, but I'm kinda surprised how no one seems to have seen Mitch's elimination coming. Thank you, both for the review and citing me as your inspiration. I didn't really think I affected people that much.
Zevros: Honestly, I've been going back and forth on if I would or not. We'll see when I finish this series.
Remaining Campers:
Boys: Terrance
Girls: Olivia, Rebecca
No hint this time. But I think you'll enjoy this one.
Episode 12: Fallout
"Previously, on Total Drama Danger Island!" Chris was shown holding out a burlap sack as the recap started, and was followed by assorted shots of the host in his costume, and each of the campers holding a card. "Campers went hunting for animals, and yours truly put in a very tactful portrayal of a beloved conversationalist."
"But this was no ordinary trapping expedition," Chris continued as the footage of himself faded into clips of the various sub-challenges. "The campers put their lives on the line to bring back the most dangerous animals to ever appear on this show," Topher, Rebecca, and Mitch were shown getting the goat and Clone respectively, "while others risked their looks." Terrance shown shielding his face from Clone's beating, then Olivia was shown running from Sasquatchanakwa.
"But in the end," Rebecca, Mitch, Terrance, and Olivia were shown making it to the dock, "Rebecca wound up winning the challenge and Topher," the fan was shown announcing his accent to host, followed by Chris revealing his set-up, "strolled right into last place and into the Trebu-Shame!" Chris said with a laugh as the fan was launched into the air. "Goodbye!"
"When it came time to vote, Mitch being the only decent person left in the game was ironically," the host continued over a clip of the cowboy and Olivia awaiting the final marshmallow, and the actress receiving it, "what wound up costing him the game."
The cowboy was launched into the night and the recap ended, cutting to Chris in his usual pre-show position at the docks. "It's down to the Final Three and no one here is considered a good person. Will anyone be forgiven for their actions?. Who'll be able to stomach all the horrible things they've done to get to this point?" He moved his hands from a vague shrug to his stomach, then into a point at the camera. "Find out, on the most shocking episode yet, of Total! Drama! Daaaaaaaanger Island!"
XXXXX
[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 lilting tune played as the episode opened on the cabin, but it was quickly replaced by something higher and more dangerous as the scene cut inside to Olivia sleeping in her bed, a familiar shadow falling over her. She opened her eyes, and the music spiked as the perspective inverted, showing the silhouette of Rebecca glaring angrily down at her.
Olivia screamed.
"I couldn't help but notice that Terrance is still in the game," the rebel said dangerously. "I also remember telling you to vote for him after the last challenge."
Olivia rolled her eyes and sat up in her bunk. "Okay, this little rivalry you two have going on is seriously getting old." She told her roommate. "You were about to let the strongest person this season into the Final Three. Luckily for you, I was able to make him see reason."
Rebecca folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" she asked.
"Plus I know you two will never work together," the actress admitted. "So while you two try to take each other out, I'll just sneak into the Finals."
"That's where you're wrong," Rebecca told her roommate. "You see, I hate the both of you. So my role the next challenge will be to take both of you out. I've done it before. You can expect me to win the next challenge."
"And you know what the next challenge is?" Olivia asked curiously.
Rebecca shrugged and replied, "Nope. But it's always something physical with either a sudden death elimination or the winner choosing their opponent in the finale. And I don't see you beating either of us in anything physical."
Olivia smirked. "We'll just have to see then won't we?"
XXX
Olivia was filing her fingernails as the confessional began. "It looks like Rebecca's still underestimating me." She chuckled. "That'll be her last mistake. It's the semifinals and I'm pulling out all the stops."
She sighed deeply. "The others want to win," she looked at the camera with a fierce determination. "I need to. And nothing's going to stop me."
XXX
"As much as I hate Terrance, and trust me I despise him, Olivia's been a real thorn in my side for about as long as he has," Rebecca confessed before crossing her arms and looking to the side. "The whole thing really ticks me off. Not only did they screw me over, but they forced me to reveal my hand earlier than I wanted. Ideally it'd be me, Contessa, and Topher here. We'd take out the McLean wannabe, then I'd tell Contessa how I really felt to guarantee she wouldn't be able to stand against me in the finale."
She crossed her arms again and huffed. "A perfect plan ruined because of those two selfish... Whatever I'll just have to win the old-fashioned way. And believe me, I'm gonna," she told the camera in an almost threatening manner. "Olivia's a conniving little toothpick who won't be able to cheat herself ahead for much longer, and Terrance isn't even half as tough as I am. As long as Chris doesn't pull any tricks, I have this game in the bag."
XXX
A few heavy notes played as the scene moved to the other side of the cabin, showing Terrance idly tossing a basketball in the air and catching it while lying on a top bunk. "Thirteen down, two to go," he said before catching the ball one last time and spinning it around on his finger for a bit.
Terrance sighed and hopped to the floor.
XXX
"Was there ever any doubt I'd make it this far?" Terrance asked while spinning the ball in the confessional. "I'm the favored to win obviously. Sure I ain't the nicest guy around, but you can't say I didn't play a fair game. Unlike the 'ladies' on the other side of the cabin and I use that term very loosely."
XXX
The static cut to a close up of the loudspeaker a it squawked to life. "All right you lazy bums!" Chef's voice surprisingly came from the device. "It's time to get up and meet me in the main lodge! Now! Now! Now!"
\
The footage skipped ahead to show the Final Three all sitting at the table closer to the kitchen in the main lodge. "Took y'all long enough to get here." Chef said, his voice dripping with malice.
"Aw, did our gruel get cold?" Terrance mocked.
Chef growled, "Just come get your breakfast."
The three didn't waste time doing as told. They quickly grabbed their trays, and sat back down.
When they settled in, Chef announced, "You got 30 minutes. After that I'm supposed to escort you to the location of the next challenge."
"And that would be?" Olivia asks.
Chef smirked at the Final Three before answering with, "The amphitheater."
"The amphitheater? Didn't we already do that? What kind of challenge are we doing?" Olivia questioned.
"Well it definitely ain't physical," Terrance pointed out. "Probably some kinda memory game."
Rebecca shook her head. "The last challenge before the finale isn't gonna be a memory game," she told the others. "Not when we're dealing with Chris."
"Whatever it is, it'll throw us all for a loop." Olivia said so no one could hear her.
XXX
"I was really banking on a physical challenge," Terrance admitted. "I'm actually starting to get worried."
XXX
The static cut to Chef and the campers on the stage of the amphitheater. The final three nervously looked around, only to find that they were alone. Directly in front of them was a makeshift table composed of a long cabinet and a crate. Across from them, two tiered set of bleachers made from makeshift desks and a varied assortment of chairs and the oil drum podium in between the table and bleachers.
"Where's Chris? And what is all this?" Rebecca asked.
Chef only shrugged. "Late. He has some extra things to bring."
"How frustratingly vague." Terrance asked.
"Yeah... what exactly are these 'extra things' that you're talking about?" Olivia asked nervously.
Suddenly, Chris's voice came from nowhere, "Actually, I can answer all of these questions for you!"
The three campers and Chef looked all around them, trying to find the source of the noise. Finally, the host flew down on his jetpack and landed behind the podium. He took of the jetpack and tossed it aside, then rubbed his hands in anticipation.
"Good morning to our Final Three!" Chris enthusiastically greeted the campers. "I trust that Chef explained nothing to you?"
"Pretty much." Rebecca answered bitterly.
Chris smiled menacingly at the rebel's reply. "Good! That will make this explanation all the more fun. As you all know, this is the twelfth and last day of competition before our Finale, where two of you will battle it out for the million. And I'm sure you're all more than ready to prove yourselves today in the Invincibility challenge. And normally, that's totally what would happen. Except... well, we're not doing that today."
"What?!" The trio shouted.
Chris held up his hand to prevent them from pushing the matter. "Let me finish! While today's challenge won't have a winner, someone will be eliminated. The only difference is, you'll have absolutely no say in the final decision. And that's because... today, a jury of your peers will decide your fate!"
All three campers' jaws dropped at the announcement.
After a moment of silence, Chris spoke again. "Surprised? Good, because there's more to explain anyways! Now, there's no doubt that this season has been one heck of a ride. The three of you are by no means popular with your former competitors. I mean between all the bullying, backstabbing, double-dealing, it's kinda hard to market any combination of the three of you as finalists. That's why today, you will attempt to convince all thirteen of your fallen competitors why you deserve to make it to the Final Two. Each jury member will vote for their choice to be eliminated; the player with the most votes goes home. Sound fair?"
The trio collectively grumbled their reluctant acceptance.
Chris grinned as he got his megaphone ready. "Great! You three, take your places and mentally prepare yourselves- I'm about to call in our jury members!"
The Final Three silently took their seats - Rebecca sitting on the left, Olivia on the right, and Terrance in the middle. All three looked apprehensive.
XXX
"I'm feeling a lot less nervous," Terrance smirked. "Sure some people might call me a bully, but I'm nowhere near as bad as the others."
He sighed contentedly. "That million is as good as mine."
XXX
"Yeah, I got a lot of flak about the Contessa situation," Rebecca scoffed. "But that's one person compared to Olivia's... pretty much everyone else."
XXX
Olivia began her confessional with a one drawn out word that had to be censored. "This is just what I needed. I actually lost count of the number of losers I helped get sent home. My only hope at this point is to play up the others and make myself seem the lesser of three evils."
She brightened up. "That might actually work... I mean, all I did was eliminate people. That's the point of the game. But Terrance is a bully and Rebecca's psychotic. There's no way I'm losing." She smirked. "Bring it on."
XXX
Chris brought the megaphone back to his lips and began his introduction. "Attention campers, former and current! It's time to bring in our jury, who will decide the fate of our Final Three! I present to you- Max! Dakota! Rodney! Beth! Leonard! Lindsay! Carly! Scott! Jasmine! Owen! Contessa! Topher! and Mitch!
The thirteen former campers all arrived in a single file line, each of them taking their time to get a good look at the Final Three - Max looking absolutely disgusted, and his attempt at a wicked glare didn't faze them; Dakota made a point not to have eye contact with them; Rodney waved enthusiastically to Olivia before catching Rebecca's eye and looking away in shame; Beth looked sad as she passed them by; Leonard and Lindsay glaring at Olivia while they held hands; Carly catching the finalists' eye, then yelping and dashing ahead, running into the aforementioned couple; Scott looking at the three with a heated glare that actually manages to bring a smile to their faces, Jasmine glaring at Rebecca and Terrance before catching Olivia's eye and sighing in disappointment, Owen shielding Contessa from Rebecca's mocking gaze while sending her a hated look that surprises the finalists, Topher smirking at the three, and Mitch walking past without acknowledging them.
The footage skipped ahead to show the thirteen former campers sitting in bleachers. The higher tier was reserved for the former Jade Dragons, with Rodney, Beth, Carly, Owen, Contessa, and Mitch lined up in a row while the lower tier, reserved for the former Ruby Warriors, housed Max, Dakota, Leonard, Lindsay, Scott, Jasmine, and Topher.
"So, here's how today is going to go," the host continued his explanation. "One-by-one, in the order you were eliminated, each jury member will get the opportunity to address the Final Three. You can ask them a question, you can compare game moves, or you can just air out your grievances. We will then go to a vote. The person with the most votes will be sent packing. So let's get things started with... Max!"
The villain stood up proudly upon hearing his name called, his face the image of someone who's been wanting to speak his mind for a while and finally getting his chance.
"Thank you host." He said before turning to the finalists.
"First of all," Max said disdainfully. "It pains me to see the three of you making it this far. You are all pale imitations of true evil and a mockery to villains in general."
An irritated Terrance fired back, "Just get on with the question."
"I plan to," the villain sniffed. "To earn my vote, you must convince me that you are evil enough to earn the million."
The three campers looked at each other as the music turned hollow.
XXX
"Could there have been a worse person for the first question?!" Olivia griped. Her eyes widened as she remembered something. "Oh yeah... that was almost me..."
XXX
"Yeah, I'll go first," Terrance shrugged. "I'm not evil. I'm a jerk, I'll be the first to admit," he added. "But I think I played the fairest game here. So, I don't really care if I get your vote or not."
Max sniffed, displeased with the answer, then turned to Olivia.
"I don't think I'm evil either," the actress said after a moment of thought. "My unorthodox strategy was mainly due to personal reasons I'm not getting into. Trust me, if there was another way for me to get here, I'd take it."
Finally, Max turned to Rebecca.
"You're in for a hat trick of disappointment Maxy-Boy," the rebel mocked. "I'm not evil either."
Max shrugged off their answers, as to show their insignificance, but others were clearly disgusted by the responses.
"My previous assessment was entirely accurate," the villain sniffed as before he sat down.
Dakota gave a suffering sigh and stood up to address the semifinalists. "Before I say anything, I just want to thank you all," she said to the surprise of everyone. "You showed me that there are some lines that just shouldn't be crossed when going after what you want. Because while I still want to be famous," she said with a smile full of malice, "I never want to be anything like the three of you."
"Oh ask your stupid question already," Olivia griped.
The heiress looked the actress in the eye, signaling the question was more for her than the others. "What gives you the right to act the way you have? To treat us all the way you did?"
Terrance spoke up first. "You really wanna know?" he asked. "Simple. None of you people are perfect. You're probably the most annoying bunch I've ever met. So why am I such a jerk?" He let out a mirthless chuckle. "I deserve it after putting up with the likes of you."
He received thirteen glares from the jury.
Olivia chuckled. "Way to tick off the people who decide if you get past this," she mocked.
"It's harsh," the basketballer agreed. "It's also the truth. I don't expect you to have much experience with that."
The actress gave a much darker chuckle. "I know I stepped on a lot of toes this season," she said to everyone. "But trust me when I say there are worse people than me." She crossed her arms. "That's all you're getting out of me."
XXX
"No way am I telling them the truth," Olivia confessed angrily. "I don't need nor do I want their pity."
XXX
The static cut to Rebecca rolling her eyes. "You wanna know what your problem is?" Dakota raised an offended eyebrow but said nothing else. "You think of the world in these neat little boxes of good and evil. Good and evil are outdated concepts that serve no purpose other than to stop people from reaching their full potential. Don't hate me because I figured it out and you didn't."
She leaned over the desk. "What gives me the right to act the way I want? Simple. I want to act this way, so I do."
"Thank you," the Dakota spat. "You've given me a lot to think about."
"Next!" Chris announced. "Rodney!"
"There's no need for me to ask my question," the farm boy said as he stood up. "Who else should win but my beautiful Olivia?"
"Your beautif-" the actress started to say before coughing and sending him a sweet smile. "Thank you Rodney."
"Wake up and smell the delusion man!" Terrance shouted. "At what point did you two ever act like a couple?"
"Plus I thought we had something special..." Rebecca pouted.
"You know we can all hear you right?" Owen asked icily.
"Jurors who don't wait their turn will be removed," Chris warned.
Rodney looked rather confused and sat down without further comment.
"Beth!" the host called out as the short girl next to him stood up.
"Tho," the dork lisped. "Who would you thare the money with if you had a choithe?"
"Scott," Rebecca answered immediately. "Not that I'm gonna or anything," she warned.
"I'd share it with Contessa," Olivia answered. She bristled at the jury's disbelieving looks and scoffed. "Look, I see a lot of myself in her. Okay?"
"Well aren't you full of surprises?" Terrance asked mockingly. "Even though I can't stand the guy, I'd share it with Mitch." The cowboy raised an eyebrow. "You can respect somebody and still hate them." Mitch shrugged in acceptance.
Beth smiled in satisfaction. "That'th all I needed to know."
"Leonard!" Chris said to the wizard. "You're up next."
The wizard stood up and took a deep breath. "The way I see it, this is similar to a Mazes and Monsters campaign I played once. Rebecca, you are like a red dragon. You go around breathing fire and while you rarely try to burn others, you don't really care when you do."
"Pretty much," the rebel shrugged.
"Olivia," he continued. "You are a wicked witch. You put on a facade, pretending to be sweet and kind, but all you did was manipulate everyone around you to do your bidding."
"Uh, when did I ever pretend to be sweet?" the actress protested.
She received no answer as the wizard had already turned his attention to Terrance. "Terrance," he said, "you are like the party's rogue. A true lawful evil, you act according to your own twisted code while not caring how people are affected by your actions."
"Are you saying I'm no better than her?" the basketballer asked in offence while pointing to Rebecca. "And what's your question anyway?"
"Oh," Leonard waved them off. "I had none. I merely wanted to share my views of you."
"Way to waste our time nerd," Rebecca scoffed.
"Leonard," Chris said. "Sit down. Lindsay, stand up."
The wizard and ditz did as told. "My question is for Olivia," she said. The actress looked briefly panicked, but hid it away. "Do you have any regret for what you and Scott did to me?"
"Yes," the actress said bluntly. "I don't know about him, but I just wanted you eliminated. He's the one that sent you to the hospital."
"Don't you blame me for all that! It was your idea to target her!" Scott stood up and yelled.
"Sit down and wait your turn Scott," Chris warned.
The schemer grumbled and sat down.
"I don't know if you're telling the truth," Lindsay said, "But thank you anyway."
"We're halfway through our interrogations and it's looking like these guys don't know how to make themselves likable at all," Chris told the camera as it moved back to him and the capstone theme began to play. "But, with the people coming up after the break, I'd say things are gonna get intense. Stay tuned to see who convinces the losers not to add them to their ranks here! On Total! Drama! Daaaaaaanger Island!"
\
(Commercial Break)
\
The episode resumed with a shot of Chris crossing his arms and smiling brightly. "Welcome back," he said. "We're halfway though our semifinals, where our Final Three have to answer tough questions from everyone they eliminated to get here." He chuckled. "Fun right? Next up, is Carly!"
The pantaphobe gulped nervously as she stood up and turned to the Final Three while keeping her head down. "The three of you have all done some pretty bad things," she said meekly. "So I guess I wanna know..." she took a deep breath. "Was there a camper here you actually liked?"
A dull note played as the Final Three looked nervous.
"Ooh," Chris said impishly. "Looks like meek little Carly managed to cut deep with that one! I'm gonna need answers from you all," he told the campers.
"Owen," Terrance said after a moment's thought. "Don't get me wrong I thinks he's really annoying, but he's also kinda hard to hate. Plus he earned some serous respect for how he left. Shame someone had to use his friendliness against him," he added as an aside toward Olivia.
"Ouch!" Chris laughed. "And Terrance wastes no time throwing people under the bus."
"If we're talking about earning respect," the actress said with a quick glare that the basketballer ignored. "Then my vote is for Contessa. She was obviously terrified of coming out but did it anyway. If only she could find someone who actually loved her," she added while nodding her head to Rebecca.
"Cheap shots," the rebel grumbled. "I gotta say Scott," she said out loud. "Who wouldn't like it if someone on the other team was throwing their challenges. He really helped me out early on."
Carly frowned at the answers, then sat down. Scott cleared his throat and stood up after.
"I'm sick of seein' you all suck up to us," the schemer said. "We all know you think you're better than us so just come out and say it. Which one of us do you hate the most?"
"Mitch," Terrance answered right off the bat. "His 'holier-than-thou moral compass' act got old real fast. Ladies?"
"I hated you," Olivia told Scott. "Your 'plan' was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard and if I didn't need you, I'd have had you sent home way earlier than I did."
"The only two people I hated are sitting next to me," Rebecca said. "Everyone else didn't even matter to me."
The jury looked even more disgusted with the final three, and Scott smirked as he sat down.
XXX
"Gonna be hard for them to build good will with us losers after that," the schemer chuckled.
XXX
The static cut to Jasmine already standing up. "Olivia," she said seriously. "We both know I know your secret. I won't reveal it, but I'm curious as to why you've been keeping it a secret."
The actress gave the amazon a look of pure hatred. "How dare you bring that up?!" Jasmine opened her mouth to say something but Olivia cut her off. "No, you asked me a question and you're gonna hear the answer. I don't need your pity or anyone else's. I got here of my own merit and I'm not gonna play some trump card just to get ahead. If you think for a minute I would then obviously you're not the great team leader you thought you were."
Jasmine sighed. "I see. You're right. I'm sorry." She sat down and Owen was the next to get up.
"My mom told me that if you can't say anything nice, then you shouldn't say anything at all." He took a pause then glared at the three campers. "And that's why the three of you should say NOTHING EVER! You're all the biggest! The meanest! The B-(BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP) OUTTA KALAMAZOO! Thank you."
The camera cut to the shocked expression of Chris, then the shocked Final Three, then the shocked jury, and back to the optimist.
"Owen. Out." He sat down and Contessa took a deep breath and slowly stood up.
The hopeless romantic looked at the Final Three and suddenly started hyperventilating. "I'm sorry!" She cried as she buried her face in her hands and ran away. "I'm not ready! I'm just not ready!"
"O...kay," said a thoroughly confused Chris. "Chef, go make sure she comes back for the vote. Topher, you're up."
The fan confidently stands up and turns to the campers. "Hello, to our remarkable Final Three! Definitely not as good looking as it could've been, but I was eliminated! And now, my question to you is... if you had to switch places as a finalist with one of the jury members, who would you pick?"
Terrance didn't hesitate with his answer. "Owen, easy. If even a misanthrope like me can't bring myself to hate him, then the dude definitely deserved better than seventh place. Let's face it, he'd be probably the only one here without votes if he was here."
Owen smiled at that and Chris chuckled. "Oh, this wouldn't be the challenge if anyone even remotely likable was still in the game," the host said. "I actually canceled the real challenge just for this." The Final three glared at him.
Olivia went next and said, "If we're going by personal choice, definitely Contessa. But if we're talking game wise, I'd say Lindsay. Really her only fault was getting in my way and being too close to Scott's idiocy. I'm curious to see how far she'd gotten otherwise."
Rebecca rolled her eyes and said, "Scott. I don't really get why you guys kicked him off way back when. He came up with a strategy, that's the point of the game. You can't hate someone for being willing to do what you're not."
Topher looked rather annoyed at the answers. He bitterly ended with, "Well, I guess that's it for me... at least in this season!"
"We'll see," Chris said tersely. "Mitch! Finish us out!"
"All right," the cowboy said as he stood up. "Since I'm the last one here I'll ask the question we all wanna know. Was there anything in the game you regret doing?"
"Signing on with Rebecca," Terrance answered immediately. "Thanks to her, my rep dropped even lower than it already was. Plus there's the whole Contessa thing. I'd never helped her if I knew that's what she was really like."
"You and me both," Olivia said. "Actually I can't decide if allying with her or Scott was my biggest mistake. I spent half my time with Scott cleaning up his messes and almost got sent home because of it, and we all know Rebecca's a psycho."
"I am not psychotic," the rebel complained. "My biggest regret is agreeing to help Terrance get rid of Beth. That started an alliance that eventually led to the unraveling of a carefully plotted out strategy. We done here?"
"Almost," Chris sang. "Before our jury goes to vote, I have one more task for you all. Finalists, please tell the jury why you deserve the million."
"Seriously," Terrance griped. "Isn't that what we've been doing this whole time?"
"Yes," the host agreed. "But think of this as a closing argument. One last chance to sway the jury to your side."
Terrance was the first to speak. "I'm the only one left who played an honest game. I didn't try to curry favor with people I didn't like and the second my main ally started acting shady I got the heck out of dodge." He sighed and looked at the former campers. "I know I'm not well liked with you guys, but I think it should count for something that I told you all exactly how I felt instead of hiding behind some fake persona the whole time. You knew exactly what you were getting with me and nothing I did shocked you."
The basketballer finished with, "I'm not a good person. I'm rude, misanthropic, and take far too much joy out of ticking people off. But, I'm a whole lot better than those two."
"Okay," Rebecca said next. "Let's take a good long look at this season. Olivia the reason almost half of you are there instead of here, and Terrance just bullied his way though the game. I screwed over one person, and happened a lot earlier than it was supposed because of these two. Plus you're all forgetting. It's just a game. Stop taking yourselves so seriously."
"Also," she finished. "I'm pretty sure Olivia and Dakota were cheating most of the season, so consider that in your votes."
"Are you two kidding me?" Olivia snapped. "All you two have done this whole challenge is throw me under the bus! You wanna know why I deserve to win? I'm the only one here with a legitimate reason for acting the way I did. I had to! You all think you know the real me? Everything I am is because I've been prepared for the real world. This show makes people famous, well guess what? This is how you survive in the world of fame."
"Okay," Chris rubbed his hands together. "Jury! Please go cast your votes in the confessional for who you want to be eliminated." Max stood up first to go vote, and the Final three watched him with bated breath.
XXX
"I vote for Olivia," Dakota said. "She's just too shady to win, and she's the reason a lot of us were eliminated."
XXX
"I'm voting for Terrance," Carly told the outhouse. "He was really mean to lot of us and he didn't really have a good reason."
XXX
"I'm voting for Rebecca," Topher shrugged. "It was great that she made it this far, but it wouldn't make for good TV if she wound up winning."
XXX
Chris briefly glanced through the several slips of paper in his hand before he addressed the jury. "Campers, I'd like to thank you all for your time today. Chef is going to bring you back to the Playa, where you will soon be joined by our third place finisher."
"Wait," Lindsay asked in mild shock, "you're not going to read the votes?"
The host chuckled, "Not with you all here. But you'll find out soon enough, considering the loser of the day will be sent there tonight. Now, scram, all of you!"
The jury members all groaned in annoyance, but nonetheless obeyed Chris's orders and follow Chef away from the amphitheater. Once the jury is out of sight, Chris addressed the Final Three directly.
"Rebecca, Terrance, and Olivia. Soon we will learn which of you will fight for the million in our Finale. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to count the votes. When I return, we will have our final Campfire Ceremony of the season."
The host left before any of them can ask any questions. Unsure of what else to do, they all remained seated, and silently waited.
XXX
"I really wish we had a real challenge," Terrance sighed. "I hate to say it, but I may not come out of this one intact."
XXX
"This is gonna be a lot closer than I'd care to admit," Rebecca said. "It's hard to read which one of us they hate the most."
XXX
"Please please please let me get past this," Olivia prayed.
XXX
The standard elimination music began as the static cut to a long-distance shot of the island. Another flash, and the camera cut to the campfire pit where the three campers were waiting nervously – Olivia on the left, Terrance in the middle, and Rebecca on the right. Chris walked up to his oil drum podium with the votes clutched firmly in his hand, and Chef was standing next to him.
"Did it really take that long for you to count thirteen votes?" asked a rather annoyed Terrance.
"Huh? Oh no," Chris answered with a grin. "I finished like three hours ago. I just wanted to wait until it was dark out. It adds to the aesthetic."
"Are you kidding me?!" Rebecca shouted.
"Nope! Anyway, this is what we're gonna do; I'll give you the name of each jury member, and then I'll show you who they voted for. Chef is keeping a tally of how many votes each of you get. All votes are final, and the camper with the highest score will be joining the other eliminated contestants via the Trebu-Shame. Now, let's begin."
Chris held up the first picture with the face hidden from the Final Three.
"Max voted for... Terrance."
He turned the picture over to reveal Terrance's headshot, then tossed the picture into the campfire, only to repeat the process with the next photograph.
"Dakota voted for Olivia, Beth voted for Terrance, and so did Rodney."
"We're at three votes for Terrance, one for Olivia, and none for Rebecca." Chef read from his clipboard. The basketballer and actress exchanged wary looks, while the rebel chuckled and smirked.
Chris replied, "Thank you, Chef," before going back to revealing the votes.
"Leonard voted for Olivia. Carly voted for Terrance. Lindsay voted for Olivia. And Scott also voted for Olivia."
"Two-thirds through, and we're now at four votes Olivia, four votes Terrace, and Rebecca's still not on the board." Chef announced.
Olivia started trembling at the news, and Terrance visibly stiffened up. Chris made no comment about their unease.
"Jasmine's vote is for... Rebecca." The rebel raised an eyebrow. "Owen's vote is for Rebecca. Contessa voted for Rebecca. And Topher... also voted for Rebecca."
"One vote left, we have a three-way tie, with four votes each." Chef declared.
Now Rebecca looked just as nervous as her fellow campers as Chris held up the last picture, purposefully pausing to let the tension build.
"There's only one vote left... with four votes each, this one is Mitch's and will determine who goes on to the finale and who rides the Trebu-Shame. So with that, the final vote is for..."
After another moment's suspense, Chris turned over the photograph. The headshot was of a girl. She had a superior air about her and as all three noticed, long blonde hair.
"Olivia." Chris announced. The Ex-Child Star gasped in horror while Terrance and Rebecca let out a relieved breath.
"No," Olivia finally said, near tears. "This can't be right. I put in the work. I did everything the way I was supposed to." She started breathing heavier and heavier. "Now I have to go back-" With that she descended into a full blown panic attack. "I can't go back! I can't go back!" She yelled, dropping to her butt on the ground and rocking back and forth. "Please! No no no no no!"
Chef sighed and picked up the third place finisher and slung her over his shoulder, Olivia now kicking in a futile attempt to free herself. "You can't send me back there!" she pleaded. "You don't know what they'll do to me! Don't send me back! Please don't send me back I'm begging you!" she yelled as Chef carried her away from the campfire pit.
XXX
"Man I was sure I'd get the boot once Mitch was the only vote left," Terrance sighed. "Oh well," he smirked. "Fourteen down, one to go."
XXX
"That was closer than I'd care to admit," Rebecca said. "But now there's only one person left. And I'm pulling out all the stops to beat him. That money is mine."
XXX
The static cut to the Trebu-Shame, the somber farewell theme starting up in the background.
"Please don't send me back!" Olivia said from the trebuchet's sling, her make-up runny and her eyes bloodshot. "I'll do anything!"
Chris thought it over. "Well there is one thing you could do."
Olivia gasped and attempted to regain some of her composure. "Really? What is it?"
She was unceremoniously flung into the night with a scream. "You can stop whining!" Chris said with a dark chuckle. The viewpoint shifted behind Chris as he watched her go.
"There's only one more episode," Chris turned and told the camera as the capstone theme began to play, "and it's the much-anticipated finale! Who's gonna win the whole shebang?" he asked, the camera zooming in as he stuck his arms out to either side. "Will it be Terrance?" he pulled the basketballer in from the left. "Or will it be Rebecca?" He pulled the rebel in from the right, and both finalists gave the camera confident smirks. "Find out next time," Chris pushed the teens back out of sight and raised his arms, "on the season finale of! Total! Drama! Daaaaaaaanger Island!"
\
(Roll the Credits)
Author's Note Post Script: Well it looks like no one really predicted this one. At least none of the reviewers. So Olivia, the main antagonist got the boot. I feel like this was an obvious outcome given how intense the rivalry between Rebecca and Terrance is, but oh well. Sorry to Olivia, but the grudge between the other two was just too good to not write.
Like I said, those who read this episode will notice it's rather different from its 'canon' counterpart. That's because when I realized I had the opportunity to do an all villain Final Three I just had to have all the losers come back and confront them.
So here we are. Next time you see me it'll be for the finale and then I'll get started on finishing the Ridonculous Race. Until then, stay safe and healthy.
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 I'm sure I'm forgetting 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
11th Place: Lindsay/Carly
10th Place: Carly/Lindsay
9th Place: Scott
8th Place: Jasmine
7th Place: Owen
6th Place: Contessa
5th Place: Topher
4th Place: Mitch
3rd Place: Olivia