"Last season on Total Drama: 14 new campers flocked to Pahkitew Island for one of the most explosive and unpredictable seasons yet! They laughed, they cried, they nearly blew up. In the end, zombie conspiracy theorist Shawn triumphed over gymnast Sky with the help of his girlfriend, winning the couple one million big ones. This season, we're introducing yet another new cast, this one 33 teens big! We've returned to the abandoned film lot from season two, but this time instead of tackling movie genre themed challenges, the contestants will be facing challenges based on video game genres! With a new theme and such a big cast, it's sure to be an action packed season full of fun, pain, and LOTS of drama. Tune in and watch it all unfold, right here on TOTAL... DRAMA... LEVEL UP!"
*** Opening Credits ***
Chris stood outside the familiar entrance of the abandoned movie lot, a smile on his face as he eagerly awaited his newest victims. Soon, a large bus pulled up and 33 teens slowly filed out.
"Welcome everyone to the newest season of Total Drama," Chris exclaimed as everyone finished getting off the bus. "We've been waiting for you."
Chris chuckled as the bus skidded away. When it was gone, Chef drove up in a trolley. There were three tramcars to the trolley, each a different color. The front was red, the middle blue, and the back one yellow.
"You'll notice that the trolley has three colored sections to it," Chris pointed out. "This represents the three teams of 11 that we'll have this season. Our first order of business is dividing the lot of you into your teams. I'll call out your names and-"
The teens began loudly conversing with each other, annoying the host as he couldn't get a word in.
"Quiet down maggots!"
Everyone grew silent at Chef's voice, bringing a grin to Chris's face.
"Now that's more like it." Chris pulled out a piece of paper and cleared his throat. "When I call your name, go take a seat in your team's tramcar. We'll start with the red one. Liam!"
A tall, tanned teen with short blonde hair, wearing a white tank top and baggy black sweatpants stepped forward. He nearly tripped as he climbed into the trolley. He smiled awkwardly at the others as he sat in silence as the first one called out.
"Mandy!"
A girl with short black hair, a gray short sleeved shirt, tan pants and combat boots was the second name called. She eyed the others curiously as she made her way to the trolley and took a seat next to Liam.
"Next up is Kyle."
Many teens raised an eyebrow as a boy wearing a black tux with a red tie stepped forward. He wore tidy gray dress pants and black shoes, his blonde hair slicked back. He didn't so much as look at Liam and Mandy as he took his own seat in the trolley.
"Lee Lee!"
A tall and slender girl with a black ponytail was next. She wore a white tank top, black shorts and black boots. She reluctantly took a seat next to Kyle, scooting away as far as she could.
"Lukas!"
A brown skinned guy with short messy dreadlocks and tired grey eyes stepped forward. A golden anarchy symbol was on his black shirt and he also wore black pants and biker boots. As he plopped down into his seat, he looked back at his fellow teammates curiously. Liam put on a smile while Lee Lee raised an eyebrow at him.
"Zila... Xyla... how do I pronounce this one?" Chris asked.
"It's Xilier," a tall, skinny girl with long red hair replied. She wore a tie dye shirt, black and white pants, and medieval boots.
"Alright, Xilier, go pop a squat."
Xilier nodded and took her seat next to Lukas on the trolley.
"Next we have Lincoln."
A boy with messy brown hair, brown eyes, a black t-shirt, blue jeans and purple sneakers grinned and eagerly took his seat on the trolley. He looked back at his current teammates, still keeping his grin.
"Sup, guys?" Lincoln said. "It's a real pleasure to be on your team."
He stuck his hand out to Lukas, who eyed the hand curiously. Lukas spat in his own hand and used it to shake Lincoln's.
"Yeah, a real pleasure," Lukas replied.
Lincoln had a look of disgust as he pulled back his hand. He wiped his hand off on his pants as Chris continued.
"Alice!"
A pale girl with long raven hair stepped forward. She wore a white t-shirt that had a skull and crossbones on it, a black leather jacket, a black and gray plaid mini-skirt, black fingerless gloves, black knee-high boots, and a silver omega symbol necklace. She quietly took her seat next to Lincoln, who was still wiping off spit on his pants.
"The final guy of the team, Zane!"
A skinny boy with shaggy brown hair smirked. He was wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans. He took a seat on the tramcar, leaving only two empty seats.
"Next is Andrea."
A girl with short black hair wearing a black dress shirt and jeans stepped up. She wore a cross around her neck and had three X tattoos on each arm. She eyed everyone on the tramcar slowly before taking a seat next to Zane.
"And the final member of the team: Taylor!"
A pale girl with autumn hair and pink highlights smiled and stepped forward. A few tufts of hair and a ponytail poked out of her grey beanie. She had blue eyes, freckles, purple lipstick, a raggedy purple tank top, a black skirt, dark blue leggins, black boots, black fingerless gloves, and a choker. She took the final seat next to Andrea, filling up the first tramcar on the trolley.
"Alright guys, the 11 of you will from this point on be known as the Red Mushrooms!"
The team symbol of a red mushroom flashed on screen. Most of the team members cheered, although Lukas, Andrea, and Kyle stayed relatively quiet.
"Come on, dude, aren't you excited?" Xilier asked Lukas.
"Oh yeah, I'm pumped," he sarcastically replied.
"Alright guys, time to keep things rolling with the next team," Chris said. "If I call your name, sit in the blue tramcar. First up: Ryan!"
A bright smile came from a tall, muscular guy with spiky brown hair. He wore a tight sleeveless shirt and ripped jeans. He gladly took his seat on the trolley as the first member of the second team.
"Next up, Piper!"
A tan girl with long curly brown hair and caramel highlights stepped forward. She wore a light blue tee with a white 64 on the back, red shorts and red shoes. Ryan gave her a wink as she sat down next to him, making her roll her eyes.
"Trevor!"
A chuckle came from a short skinny guy with a short, slick dark brown pompadour and blue eyes. His attire was all black. Black shirt, black button-up jacket with a red T on the pocket, black pants, black shoes, and even black socks. Ryan and Piper both watched him curiously as he took a seat in front of him.
"Next is Rowan!"
The girl to step up was a tall, curvy blonde with long silky hair and violet eyes. She wore a gray tank top, blue skinny jeans, and black high tops. She gave her other teammates no attention as she sat next to Trevor with a bored look.
"Aden!"
A pale boy with brown hair and green eyes adjusted his glasses before making his way to the trolley. He had on a green shirt and blue jeans. He silently nodded at the others already on the tramcar before taking his seat.
"Lexi!"
A smirk came from a girl with short hot pink hair and piercings on her nose, bellybutton, and eyebrow. She had on a black leather vest over her white t-shirt, black jeans, black combat boots, and studded black wrist bands. She took a seat next to Aden and looked down at him with a smirk.
"Uh... hi," Aden nervously said.
"Hey yourself, short stuff," Lexi replied in a thick British accent. She grinned, revealing that she was missing a tooth.
"Next up: Rowley!"
A skinny guy with brown hair grinned and quickly made his way to the trolley. He wore a green t-shirt, blue shorts, and red shoes. He enthusiastically took a seat in front of Aden and Lexi as Chris continued.
"Riley!"
A fist pump came from a girl with straight light brown hair and blue eyes. She had on a green shirt with a Game Guy on the front, skinny jeans, a black beanie, black and lime glasses, and red high tops. She exchanged a high five with Rowley after taking her seat.
"Billy!"
A muscular teen with messy brown hair covered by a yellow backwards baseball cap stepped forward. He wore a red jacket over his white shirt, black pants and black sneakers. He smiled at the others as he took his seat on the tramcar.
"The final girl of the team, Iris!"
A short, scrawny girl with long red wavy hair and green eyes quietly stepped forward. She had on a long sleeved white cardigan over a maroon dress, and had white ballet flats. She blushed as she noticed her fellow teammates watching her as she took a seat next to Billy.
"And finally, the last member of the team, Garrett!"
A buff, tattooed dude with spiky brown hair and green eyes smiled and cracked his knuckles. He wore a red bandana, emerald vest, orange sash, red pants, and brown shoes. He took the final seat next to Iris, who shyly scooted away from him.
"From this point on, the 11 of you will be known as the Blue Bombers!"
The team's symbol of a blue bomb flashed across the screen and most of them cheered, although the sudden loud noises made Iris yelp and cower back into her seat.
"I am pumped," Riley cheered. "This team is gonna be awesome!"
"You can say that again," Billy added. "Go Blue Bombers!"
"Settle down, you guys," Chris said. "We gotta sort out the final team. Now, obviously the 11 of you make up the remaining team, but we still gotta introduce you one at a time. Let's start things off with Caleb!"
A tall guy with brown eyes and shaggy brown hair awkwardly smiled as the other 10 stared at him. He wore a blue t-shirt and blue jeans. He took the first seat on the yellow tramcar.
"Next we have Annara."
A slim girl that had short reddish hair with light orange streaks and blue eyes stepped forward. She had on an orange t-shirt with a fox's paw print on it, blue jeans, and light-rimmed glasses. She exchanged a smile with Caleb before taking a seat next to him.
"Jacque!"
A brown skinned teen with brown eyes and short black buzzcut approached the tramcar. He wore a red t-shirt and brown pants. He nodded at the two teammates already on the tramcar before taking his seat.
"Ellie!"
A tiny girl with long, straight blonde hair and blue eyes slowly made her way to her seat. She had on a blue t-shirt, black pants, and red sandals. She avoided looking at the others as she took a seat next to Jacque.
"Lance!"
A lean, muscular guy with brown hair and green eyes smirked and stepped forward. He had on a dark blue t-shirt, a dark brown jacket, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes. He sat down in front of Jacque and Ellie.
"Next, we have Morella!"
A tall, skinny girl with long dark brown hair and green eyes grinned and eagerly took her place on the trolley. She wore a gray t-shirt, black skinny jeans, and red shoes. She smiled at her teammates before taking a seat next to Lance.
"Nathan!"
A short guy with black hair looked around hesitantly and started making his way to the trolley. He wore a zipped up red jacket, blue jeans, and blue shoes. He quickly took his seat and faced forward when he noticed the others eying him.
"Clara!"
A bright smile came from a girl with golden blonde hair and blue eyes. She had on a white blouse, white skirt, and high top sneakers. She gave Nathan a big grin after taking a seat next to him, who just nervously smiled in response.
"Kusa!"
A guy with spiky brown hair going down to his neck nodded at Chris and made his way to his seat. He wore a black headband, a black muscle shirt with a fist making a thumbs up on the front and Yin Yang symbol on the back, black kung-fu pants held up by a black belt, black fingerless gloves, black kung-fu shoes, and red armbands. With him in the trolley, only two teens remained with Chris.
"The final girl of the new cast, Deborah!"
The aforementioned short, petite girl with bright tan hair styled into a bun nodded and stepped forward. She had on a black t-shirt with a brown coffee cup logo, khaki capris, black sneakers and black socks. She took her seat next to Kusa, leaving only one empty seat left.
"And the final male of the cast, John!"
The final teen was a tall guy with long black hair, held back with a blue and gold headband. He had on a black t-shirt with Japanese writing on it, cargo shorts, and black sneakers. The odd thing that stood out was that he was carrying a wooden kendo sword. Chris raised an eyebrow at this and stopped him as he began walking to the trolley.
"Whoa there, dude, can't let you get on with that thing," Chris said. "Chef, mind taking care of this?"
Chef nodded and exited the driver's seat. Before John could ask what was going on, Chef took the wooden sword from him and shook him down for any other hidden weapons.
"Hey, be easy," John complained as Chef sat him down. "I don't have anything else on me."
"You can have that thing back at the end of the season," Chris said as he pointed a finger at the sword. "For now, go take a seat with your team."
John sighed and nodded, taking the last seat on the tramcar next to Deborah. While Chef returned to the driver's seat, Chris smiled and clapped his hands.
"Alright! This final team will be known from now on as the Yellow Ghosts!"
A team symbol of a yellow ghost flashed by the screen and the team cheered, this time getting everyone on the team in on the cheer.
"Yeah, ghost team is the best team," Morella yelled with glee.
"We're gonna dominate this competition," Caleb added.
"Congrats to all of you for making it on to this season of Total Drama," Chris started. "You'll be spending the next few months competing in various grueling challenges in an attempt to win one million dollars!"
Everyone cheered at this.
"Of course, there can only be one winner," Chris continued. "So you'll have to go through a lot of pain, embarrassment, and drama to get there."
Chris walked up to the driver's area of the trolley and sat in the passenger seat next to Chef.
"We're gonna take you guys on a tour around the lot. It'll end with you guys arriving at the site of your first challenge." Chris chuckled. "Take this time to get to know your teammates, because one team is going to be one player short after tonight."
Everyone gasped, making Chris grin.
"Take us around, Chef!"
Chef nodded and started up the trolley. Slowly, they began to move into the abandoned movie lot. An awkward silence fell upon each tramcar as everyone looked around at the people they'd be on a team with for weeks to come. The Yellow Ghosts were the first team to break the silence.
"So... you guys up front," Lance called out to Kusa, Deborah, and John. "What's with the getups? None of you guys look like you're here to be on a reality show."
Kusa raised an eyebrow as he looked back at Lance. "This is just what I usually wear. I take my training very seriously."
"I haven't wore anything besides this is months," Deborah said. "These are my work clothes. I didn't even sign up for this show, my coworkers signed me up. I didn't have time to find something else when they showed up to bring me on the show."
"I just really like anime and manga," John grumbled, still upset that his kendo sword had been taken.
Jacque chuckled and whispered to Ellie. "Some colorful characters on this team."
"Y-yeah," she shyly replied.
"Oh my gosh, you guys, we're going to have so much fun together," Morella exclaimed, jumping up and down in her seat. "Don't you think it'll be exciting?"
Morella was looking at Nathan, who seemed to be trying to hide in his seat.
"Oh, uh, sure, I just hope the first challenge isn't anything too crazy," Nathan replied.
"You know how Chris loves to torture teens like us," Annara said. "I'd say we should expect anything."
"Totally," Caleb said, nodding in agreement. "Hopefully we don't end up being the first team to send someone home."
"I certainly hope not," Clara added. "I'm much too excited about getting to meet all of you. Hopefully we don't have to send someone home so early."
"Yeah, can't let the other two teams think that we're weak or something," Lance agreed while relaxing in his seat. "Let's try and kick this challenge's butt."
The Blue Bombers, hearing so much talking going on in the tramcar behind them, decided to also get acquainted with each other.
"So," Trevor started. "Quite the interesting looking team we got here."
"I think you mean quite the good looking team," Ryan replied before flexing. "You guys should count yourselves lucky."
Piper cringed at this. "Great, just what this show needed. Another Justin."
"Hey, I am NOT like him, ok?" Ryan scoffed. "I'm way smarter than that narcissist."
"Yeah, he seems like a real Einstein," Rowley whispered to Riley, who chuckled.
"Well he IS right about us having the team with the best looks," Rowan said.
"And the most strength," Garrett added. "We're gonna cream those other two teams!"
"I can get behind that," Billy replied. "I think we could have something really good going here. What do you think?"
Iris noticed that Billy was looking down at her and she yelped. "I-I suppose we could end up being a good team."
"No suppose about it," Riley said. "I got a good feeling about this team."
She looked back and noticed Aden looking at the passing buildings of the movie lot in silence.
"Hey, you've been kinda quiet," Riley said. "What's your story?"
"Yeah, four eyes, why are you so quiet?" Lexi added, nudging Aden.
"I'm just not that talkative," he replied while trying to scoot away from Lexi. "Yeah, I think we got a good team going here."
"Darn straight," Trevor replied. "This is gonna be fun."
As the last team to not yet get a conversation going, the Red Mushrooms finally began to join in.
"I like your tattoos," Taylor said to Andrea, who raised an eyebrow at her. "What do they mean?"
"They're because I'm straightedge," Andrea replied in a serious tone.
"Straightedge?" Taylor asked.
"It means she don't do drugs and stuff," Zane replied before Andrea could.
"Well hey, I've never done any of that stuff," Liam said. "Does that mean I'm straightedge too?"
"It isn't just something you label yourself, it's a way of life," Andrea replied without looking back at Liam. "You live by it. Die by it."
Kyle chuckled at this. "You peasants are quite humorous."
"What do you mean by peasants, bub?" Lee Lee asked. "We're all equals here."
"Hardly," Kyle replied.
"Come on guys, let's not get in any arguments before the first challenge even starts," Alice piped in. "We should stay unified and get to know each other. How about you?" Alice looked back at Mandy. "Tell us about you."
"Let's see." Mandy thought things over. "I like to read, I'm a big horror movies fan, my dream is to slay vampires, I-"
"Whoa whoa whoa, wait," Liam interrupted. "Vampires? You know those aren't real, right?"
"That's what they want you to think," Mandy replied. "But they're very real! And when I win the prize money, I'll use it to help me take those blood suckers down once and for all."
Lukas groaned and rubbed his forehead in annoyance.
"They put me on a team of idiots," he grumbled to himself.
"Hey, it's not the bad," Xilier replied, hearing him say this. "Give em a chance."
Lukas sighed and eyed her curiously, noticing a blue dragon tattoo on her arm. "Alright, well what's your story? You gotta lot of tattoos there."
"I'm trying to become a tattoo artist," she proudly replied. "I'm super into it. You got anything you're really into?"
"Well, there's motorcycles," Lukas replied. "I'm all about em. All vehicles, really."
Suddenly, the two of them noticed Lincoln looking back at them with a grin.
"Holy crap, the first challenge hasn't even started and I can already smell a showmance in the works," Lincoln excitedly said. "You two would be so cute as a couple!"
Lukas narrowed his eyes and got in Lincoln's face.
"Dude, did you just call me cute?"
"N-no," Lincoln said as he nervously leaned back. "I was just making a-"
"Players," Chris suddenly yelled through a megaphone. "Quit your yammering and take a look at what's on your left!"
Everyone did as Chris said and looked out to the left, where they were passing the set of the Gilded Chris Ceremony. However, the giant Gilded Chris statues were now replaced with statues of Gilded Joysticks.
"As you all know by now, this season is all about video game genres," Chris yelled. "So everything about the season has been given a new video game theme. The Gilded Chris Ceremony is now the Gilded Joystick Ceremony! I tried to get the producers to keep the Gilded Chris, but they wouldn't budge."
Chef chuckled at this.
"You'll also notice the nearby makeup trailer confessional cam," Chris said as he motioned to the right, where the aforementioned trailer was. "Now, instead of being full of costumes and makeup, it's full of video games! You can't play any of them because there's no consoles in there, but it sure looks neat in the background when you kids do your confessionals!"
*** Confessional: Riley ***
"Holy crap, LOOK at this place," she said as she rummaged around the various video games on the shelves. "They even have Dueling Frogs! Can I just win this place if I win the competition?"
*** Back at the trolley ***
"We are now passing the trailers where you'll be spending the rest of the season." Chris motioned to the left where the two trailers from season 2 sat. They now had two doors and were divided in two to give living for both genders. However, there was a third trailer next to them. This trailer was golden and five times the size as the other two. The contestants gaped at it with jaws dropped.
"What's with that trailer?" Zane asked.
"That, boys and girls, is the coveted winners trailer," Chris exclaimed. "The winning team of each challenge will get to spend the night is that luxurious place instead of the boring, run of the mill trailers that the others stay. Just another reason for you guys to go for the win each week!"
"That place has me written all over it," Ryan commented as they drove by. "We gotta get that place today."
"We can agree on that," Piper added. "We gotta win today."
"What IS our first challenge, anyway?" Lance yelled from the back tramcar.
"Patience, guys," Chris said through the megaphone. "We're coming up to it right now."
On cue, the trolley began to approach a large building that was likely originally used as a movie set. There were three doors at the front of the building, with one of the team symbols above each. Chef parked next to the building and Chris motioned for everyone to get off the trolley. Once everyone was off, Chef drove the trolley away.
"Players, welcome to your very first challenge!"
Some teens cheered while others looked the building over curiously, trying to somehow figure out what awaited them inside.
"Your first challenge is dedicated to the arcades," Chris said as everyone gathered around. "Each team will enter through their door and will compete in a different challenge themed after an arcade classic. The team that finishes their challenge first stay in the winners trailer until the next challenge. The team that comes in last will send someone packing."
"But how is this a fair challenge if each team is doing something different?" Deborah asked.
"Sush," Chris replied. "Just get your challenge done quick and you won't have to worry about anything. Now then, another thing I should mention about this season is that veterans from the past of Total Drama will be around to help make challenges work. For today's challenge, we've brought in Total Drama's resident game guy, Sam!"
Sam stepped out from the Red Mushroom door and grinned at the contestants.
"Hey guys! So you all get to compete on the video game season? Lucky."
"Alright, Sam, go get in position," Chris said. "Challenge is about to start."
Sam nodded and waved goodbye to the teens before going back inside. Chris turned to the others and grinned.
"Alright, guys, get in front of your door and prepare for your first challenge!"
The three teams did as they were told and stood in front of their doors.
"On your mark... get set... GO!"
The doors swung open and the teams ran in. The Red Mushrooms were the first to make it to their challenge, and saw various red tilted platforms that led up to the top of the building. The platforms looked like construction beams.
"Red Mushrooms, your challenge is simple," the voice of Chris said from inside over an intercom. "Just make it to the top!"
"Well that sounds easy," Lee Lee said.
"Too easy," Andrea replied. "Something's up here. What is he having Sam do?"
"It's fine, you guys," Liam said before running to the first platform. "Here, let me show ya!"
Just as Liam was about to climb up to the second platform, a hole in the wall shot open and a barrel blasted out, knocking Liam to the ground.
"Oh, I forgot to mention that Sam will be firing barrels at you as you climb," Chris said over the intercom before chuckling. "So try not to get hit."
Liam groaned in pain while the others took another look up. There were about 10 platforms to climb before reaching the top.
"I am not participating in this farce," Kyle commented. "I could get hurt!"
"You wanna be the first one voted off, fancy pants?" Lukas asked.
Kyle sighed. "I suppose not."
"Then come on, guys, let's get to climbing." Zane went over to Liam to get him up. The others nodded and began climbing, avoiding barrels shot at them by Sam as they went.
Meanwhile, the Blue Bombers had also reached their challenge. 11 devices that looked like cannons lied on the ground. The room was completely black besides some lighting on the devices.
"So, uh... where's the challenge?" Billy asked.
"Blue Bombers," Chris suddenly said on the intercom, making Iris jump. "Your challenge is a fun one! Before you is enough cannons for all of you to shoot with. The objective? Destroy all the enemies!"
More lights came on and above them the teens could see many cardboard aliens in straight lines scooting back and forth on wires.
"Our challenge is Galaxy Intruders? Radical!" Riley ran over the nearest cannon and picked it up. "Now how does this thing work?"
She fiddled around with the device and ended up accidentally shooting a tennis ball in Aden's face. Trevor and Lexi laughed at this.
"Nice shot, eagle eye," Lexi said between laughs.
"Come on guys, we don't got time to horse around," Garrett yelled out as he picked up a cannon of his own. "Everyone grab a cannon and help blast these aliens to bits!"
He shot up and nailed one of the cardboard aliens, smashing it to pieces. The others followed and grabbed their own cannons and began shooting up at the aliens.
The Yellow Ghosts, meanwhile, made it to their challenge. They suddenly found themselves at the entrance of a maze. On the floor were multiple circles arranged in a line. John ended up stepping on one, causing it to light up.
"Whoa, that's cool," Caleb commented as he stepped on another circle, making it also light up.
"Yellow Ghosts," the voice of Chris said. "Your challenge should be a familiar one to someone with even the most casual knowledge of video games. You're in a maze and you have to collect all the pellets. In this case, you're just making all the circles light up. Once you've lit them all up, you just need to make it to the exit on the other side of the maze."
"Oh hey, I've played this one," Nathan said. "Don't we also have to avoid a bunch of ghosts?"
"Yeah, we couldn't really make ghosts work," Chris replied. "So you guys will be avoiding these instead!"
Four doors opened in the roof and four bears were lowered into the maze with mechanical arms. The teens gasped.
"B-Bears?" Ellie said. "Isn't that a little extreme?"
Chris began laughing. "Oh man, you guys are in for a long season. Have fun!"
Everyone looked around nervously as they heard roars come from within the maze.
"If we split up that should make things easier," Kusa said. "If a bear catches one of us, we can easily lose them by taking a bunch of twist and turns in the maze."
"That's assuming we can actually outrun them," Lance replied. "Those things are gonna be out for blood. If only Chris let John keep that stick thing. We could have knocked the bears out with it."
"Hey, bears are living creatures too, you know," Annara said. "We can't hurt them."
"They're definitely gonna try and hurt us, though," Jacque pointed out. "We need to stay alert."
"I don't know if I can do this, you guys," Nathan said. "It's too dangerous."
"Aw, come on man, it'll be fun," Morella assured him. "I'll stick with you. We'll be fine."
Nathan nervously nodded.
"Come on guys, we need to get moving," Deborah said. "Let's go!"
The Yellow Ghost players ran into the maze and began to split up. Meanwhile, the Blue Bombers were making quick progress as they shot alien after alien.
"This is almost too easy," Rowley commented as he nailed another alien. "We'll win for sure!"
Suddenly, Chef emerged from a trapdoor in the floor, dressed as an alien and wielding a spaghetti cannon. He took aim at Rowley and blasted him with pasta.
"Just had to open your mouth, didn't ya?" Garrett said as Rowley groaned in pain.
"Hit the deck," Billy yelled as he ducked under a wad of projectile spaghetti, which instead hit Piper.
"Hey, watch it," Piper complained.
"Well, this just got a whole lot more interesting," Trevor said to himself before chuckling. "This is gonna be fun."
In the Red Mushroom room, everyone was slowly making progress up the platforms, narrowly avoiding barrels as they did so. Liam nearly tripped and fell off the platform they were currently on before Alice narrowly stopped him.
"Watch you footing, dude," Alice said. "That's a long way down."
Liam looked down and gulped. "Thanks."
"We got like 3 platforms left," Mandy observed as she jumped over a barrel.
"Then we're almost done," Lincoln added with a smirk. "We got this in the bag!"
Suddenly, Kyle was struck with a barrel and knocked off their current platform. He screamed and grabbed on to the edge of the platform below them.
"Ugh, I'll go get him," Xilier said as she began to climb down to get Kyle.
Meanwhile, Caleb was jogging through the maze, trying to light up as many circle as he could, when he noticed that Clara was following closely behind him.
"Hey, uh, weren't we all supposed to split up?" Caleb asked.
"Oh, yeah we were," Clara replied. "I just, you know, got kind of spooked and decided to stick close to you. Do you mind?"
"Nah, I don't mind," he replied as he peeked around a corner. "Just keep an eye out for the bears for us while I try to light up these things. Sound good?"
Clara smiled and nodded. In another portion of the maze, Ellie was carefully maneuvering around.
"This really stinks," she whispered as she tried lighting up as many circles as she could without rushing into a bear. She peered around a corner and noticed one of the creatures sniffing around. She yelped and jumped back, knocking into Annara.
"Ellie, what are-"
"Shh!" Ellie peered back around the corner to confirm that Annara's voice hadn't been heard. "There's a bear over there!"
"Oh," Annara replied. "I can take care of that."
Ellie gasped as Annara rounded the corner and walked straight up to the bear. The beast growled and prepared to claw her when she suddenly began scratching a spot on his belly, making him roll over and pant like a dog.
"These guys are just big teddy bears if you know the right place to scratch," Annara commented. "You go ahead and keep up the challenge. I'll keep him distracted."
Dumbfounded, Ellie nodded and left Annara to the bear.
*** Confessional: Annara ***
"I know a lot about animals. It all just comes really natural to me. Bears are easy. It's not their fault that humans seem so appetizing sometimes."
*** At the challenge site ***
The Blue Bombers were struggling to get any more aliens shot with Chef terrorizing them. Only a few cardboard aliens remained, but no one could do anything without getting stuck in a lump of pasta. Aden was the newest one to get shot for trying to shoot his cannon.
"This is impossible," he complained as he picked himself out of the pasta. "We can't get anything done before Chef creams us."
"Not to mention how humiliating it is," Rowan whined as she picked spaghetti out of her hair.
"Come on guys, we can't give up when we're so close to winning," Billy said as he helped Aden out of the spaghetti. "We can do this!"
A scream whizzed by them as Iris got stuck to the wall with pasta. Chef chuckled.
"This is too much fun," Chef said before nailing Piper with his cannon.
Meanwhile, the Red Mushrooms seemed poised to become the first ones to win as they were one platform away from the end. The barrels still shot out at them like crazy, but they were all able to avoid them.
"Where even IS Sam?" Lincoln asked. "In some sort of control room?"
"I'm actually just up here," Sam's voice suddenly replied. Everyone looked up to see him standing on the final platform, waving at them with one hand and holding a device with another. He pressed a button and a barrel nailed Liam, but Zane caught him before he could fall off.
"I'll handle this," Taylor said, jumping and grabbing on to the ledge of the top platform. She pulled herself up and came face to face with Sam.
"Hey, ya made it," Sam said. "Good jo-"
"Listen here, buddy," Taylor suddenly barked out, grabbing Sam by the collar and holding him up. "Drop that thing and stop shooting barrels at us before I clobber you!"
Startled, Sam dropped his device and held his hands up. Taylor glared at him as her teammates climbed up.
"We're up," Andrea said. "Come on, we need to go!"
Taylor smiled and gently sat Sam down. "You got it guys! It was nice meeting you, Sam. I'm a big fan."
Taylor merrily skipped off to join her team, leaving Sam confused on the ground.
"What the heck was up with that?" Sam asked as he rubbed his head.
Outside the back of the building, Chris waited as the Red Mushrooms ran out.
"Hey, we're the first ones here," Lukas pointed out.
"Indeed you are," Chris replied with a grin. "Which means you guys win the first challenge!"
Everyone cheered and exchanged high fives. Meanwhile, inside, Lance was jogging through the maze.
"Attention Blue Bombers and Yellow Ghosts," Chris said over the intercom. "The Red Mushroom have won! Now it's up to you guys to decide which team sends someone home tonight. I'd hurry if I were you guys."
Lance groaned. "How much do we have left anyway?"
"Can't be much," Jacque said, suddenly turning a corner to face him. "I can't find any more unlit circles. Must be in one small area with someone else."
"Well who isn't pulling their weight?"
In another part of the maze, Morella was slowly nudging Nathan along as they lit up the last few circles.
"Come on, Nathan, you heard Chris," Morella said. "We gotta finish this thing, or else we lose."
"I know, I know," Nathan replied. "I just don't want to get mauled is all."
The duo came to the end of the line that they were currently walking. Nathan lit up the final circle in the line, causing an alarm to sound in the room.
"Yellow Ghosts, you lit up all the circles," Chris said. "Now you just have to get out of the maze!"
Nathan and Morella smiled.
"You did it, dude!"
"Hey, guess I did," Nathan replied. "Now all we need to do is get to the end and-"
Nathan froze when he turned the corner and found himself up close and personal with a bear. The creature growled at him.
"Don't panic," Morella whispered. "Let's just slowly step back and-"
Nathan ignored what she said and yelled at the top of his lungs as he sprinted away. Morella followed and the bear gave chase.
In the Blue Bomber room, only three cardboard aliens remained, but Chef wasn't going to let them destroy them easily. Everyone was trapped in spaghetti. Trevor and Riley picked themselves out of some pasta when Riley suddenly had a revelation.
"Trevor, I got an idea to win this thing," she whispered. "Mind helping me?"
"Well, I'd definitely rather do that than lose," Trevor replied.
"I want you to shoot at Chef to distract him. While he's shooting at you, I'll take care of the last aliens. Think you can handle it?"
"Oh yeah," Trevor said with a chuckle. "I'm gonna enjoy this."
Taking aim at Chef, Trevor fired his cannon, nailing his target in the head. Chef glared at Trevor, who had a wide grin.
"You done it now, maggot!"
Chef began firing rapidly while Trevor ran away from the spaghetti. While Chef was distracted, Riley took aim at the remaining aliens and quickly shot them with her own cannon.
"Blue Bombers, you've destroyed all your aliens," Chris yelled through the intercom. "Now you just need to make it outside before the Yellow Ghosts."
Riley pumped her fist victoriously, but then looked back to see her teammates all still stuck in pasta.
"You, uh, mind giving us a hand?" Ryan asked.
Meanwhile, everyone on the Yellow Ghost team besides Morella and Nathan had made it to the door to the exit and were awaiting their teammates so that they could finish the challenge.
"Where are they?" Jacque asked.
"Maybe they got lost?" Ellie suggested.
"The maze isn't THAT big," Deborah said. "They must have ran into trouble."
"We should go help them," Kusa added. "It's better than standing her and doing nothing."
"I'll go with you," Annara said. "If it's a bear giving them trouble then I can-"
Suddenly, two screams could be heard coming from the maze. Nathan and Morella eventually emerged and collapsed when they saw their teammates.
"That... was close," Nathan said.
"I told ya... not to panic," Morella replied.
"Guys, get up," Lance demanded. "We gotta get going before-"
"Blue Bombers have finished their challenge," the voice of Chris suddenly yelled. The camera switched to outside where the spaghetti covered members of the Blue Bombers had now joined the Red Mushrooms. "That means the Yellow Ghosts lose the challenge! Prepare for the first Gilded Joystick ceremony of the season."
Everyone inside groaned, then turned their gaze to Morella and Nathan, who looked around at them nervously.
*** Confessional: Morella ***
"I only went with Nathan in the maze because the poor guy wouldn't budge without any help. I really hope I don't go home first over this."
*** Confessional: Nathan ***
"Ok, in my defense? There was a BEAR! Kind of had to worry about not getting ripped to shreds."
*** Confessional: Lance ***
"Ugh, we lost the first challenge. Definitely not how I wanted to start this season."
*** Gilded Joystick Ceremony ***
11 teens sat on the bleachers as Chris walked out in his blue tuxedo. He looked at them all with a huge grin.
"It's time for the first elimination of the season! Isn't this exciting?"
Everyone glared at Chris, who chuckled at this.
"Under your seats, you will all find a voting device. All you have to do is simply click the picture of the person you want to eliminate. Simple, right?"
Everyone got their voting device from under their seats and the faces of everyone on their team rolled by on each of them. Chef then stepped out in his pink dress assistant outfit from season 2, horrifying and amusing everyone. He carried with him 10 gilded joysticks.
"It's the moment of truth, people," Chris said. "Time to decide our first loser! The gilded joysticks go to..."
Everyone looked around nervously.
"Deborah!"
Deborah sighed in relief and caught her joystick.
"Lance, Caleb, Annara!"
The aforementioned three smiled and gladly took their symbol of immunity.
"Kusa, Clara, Jacque, Ellie..."
Everyone was tossed a gilded joystick as their names were called.
"And John! All of you are safe."
John wiped away some sweat and caught his joystick. Nathan and Morella looked at each other with worried looks. Chris grinned as he held the final gilded joystick.
"The two of you caused your team to fall behind," Chris said. "But only one of you can be safe. I wonder who it will be? The final gilded joystick goes to...
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... Morella!"
Morella jumped up and cheered, gladly taking her gilded joystick. Nathan looked at the ground and pouted.
"Aw man, first one out?" Nathan asked. "This bites."
"Sorry dude, but someone had to do it," Chris said as Chef escorted Nathan away. "Looks like you were the man for the job."
Nathan walked down the red carpet, where the Lameousine should have been waiting for him. However, there was no Lameousine, and there was instead a giant slingshot.
"Uh, Chris, what's this thing?" Nathan asked.
"It's a new season," Chris replied. "So we need a new method of elimination. You're going to be the first person to ride the Sling of Shame!"
Nathan opened his mouth to ask something when Chef suddenly scooped him up and placed him in the slingshot. Chef pulled him back far before letting go and sending Nathan flying through the sky, screaming. Everyone watched with wide eyes.
"Is he gonna be ok?" Ellie asked.
"Probably," Chris replied. "The rest of you guys are safe... for now. Head on over to the trailers and crash in the one that the Blue Bombers didn't take. Long season ahead of you guys."
Everyone got up and slowly walked away. Chris turned to the camera and grinned.
"And so ends the first elimination ceremony for Total Drama Level Up! There's going to be a lot more of these to come. 30 more, to be exact." Chris laughed. "This season is sure to be a good one. Who will win next? What drama will unfold on the teams? And who will be the next person to ride the Sling of Shame? Find out the answer to all of that and more, next time on TOTAL... DRAMA... LEVEL UP!"
Votes:
Nathan: Morella, Ellie, Lance, Kusa, Annara, Deborah, Caleb
Morella: Nathan, Clara, John, Jacque
Remaining Contestants:
Red Mushrooms: Kyle, Andrea, Lukas, Xilier, Alice, Mandy, Lee Lee, Taylor, Lincoln, Zane, Liam
Blue Bombers: Piper, Trevor, Aden, Lexi, Garrett, Riley, Rowan, Ryan, Billy, Iris, Rowley
Yellow Ghosts: Caleb, Ellie, Lance, Kusa, Jacque, Morella, Annara, John, Clara, Deborah
33rd: Nathan
Author's Note:
And so ends the first chapter of Level Up! What did you guys think? Sorry to Pokerox27 for eliminating Nathan first. None of my eliminations are personal, he was just the character I decided upon to eliminate first once I thought over the elimination order in my head. I guess that goes to everyone who submitted a character. If the character is eliminated early, please don't take it personally. I'm just trying to create the best possible story that I can, and your character might not be a long term part of it. If you want to stop reading when your character is gone, you're more than welcome to, but I'd appreciate if you stuck around afterwards. I love input and the characters will still appear in the finale and bonus aftermath chapters. Also, some attires were slightly tweaked for a few characters for simplification purposes. Hopefully that doesn't bug anyone. As for anyone reading this that didn't submit a character, I hope you enjoyed the first part of the story! I'm going to try and make something great from this, so hopefully it caught your interest.
So that's chapter one. Chapter two will be out soonish. This chapter was large with how much I needed to fit in it, but the next chapter might not be as big. Also, the sign up chapter is now a table of contents. No use in having the original chapter since the story is underway. There will also be a cast list on the table of contents so everyone can be credited for their character. Thanks for reading, guys. Please leave some feedback in the reviews.