Unlike the typical intro narrated by Chris, things started out over a blue globe backdrop. The generic sounding Aftermath theme played while the camera circled around the globe. In bright white text the words TOTAL, DRAMA, and finally BATTLE OF THE GENERATION flashed on screen. Finally, the word AFTERMATH appeared underneath. The screen went white and turned into a clip of Staci from the second episode.

"This is so unfair, I can't die yet." Staci sobbed as she hung to B's arm from desperate fear. "I was going to become a cook, just like my great great great great-"

As B's expression turned from one worried about the yetis to one annoyed at Staci, Lightning's hand covered the liar's mouth. "The Lightning is NOT in the mood to hear chatty girls blabbing right now."

A flash transition switched to another clip from the same episode.

Meanwhile, Izzy dangerously balanced her cattle prod on the tip of her finger, getting a worried look from DJ in the process.

"Izzy, you gotta be careful with that thing," the brickhouse pleaded. "You're gonna get one of us hurt."

"No worries, big guy. Izzy always has everything under control." As if on cue, right after saying as much Izzy fumbled her cattle prod, accidentally turning it on in the process and almost allowing it to come shocking down on Cody's head. Thankfully for the geek, she regained hold of it at the last moment and smiled. "See? No problemo!"

Cody and Trent exchanged an uncertain look, trying to keep the near electrocution out of mind.

After the next transition it switched to a clip from the Ireland episode.

Ezekiel cackled maniacally as he fired shoes at Team Old School as if it was a machine gun. While most shots missed, some pelted team members in various body parts.

"Leprechauns are supposed to love having shoes clean and polished, shooting them around the forest is totally inaccurate to the lore," Harold complained before a well sized boot found itself planted square between the legs. He groaned in pain, grabbing his assaulted crotch as he fell to the ground.

Following the next transition was a clip from when Rodney quit the competition.

"I consider myself a gentlemen, and it's my duty to do what's right."

"What's right is you sit back down and let this ceremony finish," Shawn shot back, panic growing in his tone as they realized what the farmer was doing.

"I'll never be able to live myself if one of these two go when it should have been me," he kept on, the objections going in one ear and out the other. "I need to redeem myself in the eyes of my team."

"We're telling you right now the thing that will make us most happy is if you sit down and don't do this," Sammy said, practically screaming in an attempt to actually register with the rambling loverboy. "Are you even paying attention to us?"

Going backwards, the next clip was actually from the Kyoto episode.

"Sam would have known better, he's played this game hundreds of times," Dakota shot back, her voice growing louder and angrier.

"Well sorry that I'm not your dang boyfriend." Scott turned his back to his teammate, not noticing as her shadow began to grow drastically. "Seriously, you can't expect everyone to have the same amount of dumb video game knowledge as him. Especially when we're doing it in real life! Like come on, cut me a bre-"

"SHUT. UP." Suddenly, a large orange hand squeezed around Scott and picked him up. He had no time to react as the breath was crushed out of him. Darting his eyes up, he confirmed that he was in the clutch of Dakotazoid now, who looked ahead at the finish like with venom in her eyes. "WE NOT LOSING!"

Finally was another clip from earlier in the episode.

"Just wanted to check in on ya, bromigo." The scruffier boy chuckled awkwardly. "We haven't really had a chance to talk yet this season, and I was just hoping you were doing ok."

Dave shrugged. "I guess. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well... Pahkitew Island did end kind of awkwardly. And while Jasmine and I don't really use social media, Sammy mentioned fans have been pretty hard on you after everything with-" Shawn stopped himself, realizing the potential awkwardness of it all.

"Everything with Sky?" Dave finished, sighing. "Yeah, it's been rough. But I'm trying to move away from it, it's in the past ya know? I'm fine, honest." His friend smiled hearing this, prompting a small smile from Dave as well.

*** Opening Credits ***

The same Aftermath tune playing over the blue globe backdrop repeated and once again displayed the title of the season, only this time accompanied by the raucous cheers of a live audience. Once the lead in was done, we were live at the Aftermath stage, looking just as it did all those seasons ago. Cheers and whoops echoed from the crowd as the camera panned across the stage. Most of it was covered in darkness, though the faint silhouettes of sofas could be made out on both ends. There even seemed to be a few people sitting in the right set of couches, though the darkness made them hard to make out.

At the center of a stage was a smaller sofa, with two figures sitting on it masked by the shadows. But it was then that a spotlight shined down, revealing the pair. On the left was a well groomed young man, flashing the camera a pearly white smile. He had left behind his usual attire to take on a more formal getup, wearing a sleek blue suit jacket over a white dress shirt. He had matching blue dress pants and had his hair looking as immaculate as possible. On the right was a girl who radiated a much kinder energy than he did. Usually known for her pink attire, she was now wearing a blue Cinderella-like dress to better match her comrade. Her hair had also notably grown longer, though she still wore a bow.

"Welcome to the new and improved Total Drama Aftermath," he said, having to yell so he was heard over the still cheering crowd. "We're your hosts Topher!"

"And Ella," she finished, earning even more cheers from the adoring fans in the audience. Things were getting so loud that Topher had to motion for them to lower the volume.

"Now I know what you may be thinking," the sharp dressed guy continued. "Since when are we the Aftermath hosts? Shouldn't we be competitors if anything? Why is there even an Aftermath to begin with, they haven't done this since World Tour!"

"In honor of this season being a successor to the ever popular Total Drama World Tour, the network thought it would be fun to bring the Aftermath show out of retirement," Ella answered, smiling. "And they asked us to host personally!"

Topher chuckled, leaning back in his seat cooly. "Yeah, Ella's apparently a hit with the fans but Chris did NOT want to bring her back for a whole new season. So they settled on asking her to do this with me. And why am I here, you may ask? Because what better way to help the Total Drama fandom learn to love their future new host than by cutting his teeth hosting here!"

Ella clapped excitedly. "Oh, they've already offered to let you take over as host in the future? That's great, Topher!"

His smile faltered, sinking back a bit. "Well, no. But I know they'll come to their senses once they see how much I spice things up here. Heck, I won't be surprised if they're already chomping at the bit for me to take over before the season is even over."

"So what you're saying is they told you no to the role you really wanted." She chuckled, patting her co-host on the head. "That's ok, I really wanted to compete this season so I could be singing with the others. It happens to the best of us."

As much as he wanted to make a snappy comeback in objection, Topher just cleared his throat and put back on an upbeat demeanor. "Moving on, we've got a packed show planned for all of you. Since the season started, a whopping six competitors have found themselves kicked off the Jumbo Jet."

"Thankfully none of them went AWOL like Duncan and Ezekiel last time, so we have interviews lined up with each of them." Ella clapped happily along with the crowd. "We'll get their thoughts about their respective eliminations and see how they've been since they left the game."

"Plus we have plenty of surprises up our sleeve to help spice things up a bit," Topher added. "As a matter of fact, we can start things off by introducing our special guests!"

The camera focused on the right set of couches that were still shrouded in darkness. Cheers intensified from the crowd despite them having no idea who may be hiding in the shadows.

"The Aftermath wouldn't be complete without a peanut gallery, after all." The wannabe princess smiled towards the couches. "And we have a special group for today's set of guests. Even if us having them on is against Chris' best wishes."

"Many of you TD fans back home have probably also checked out the network's newer hit, The Ridonculous Race," Topher explained. "And you probably also noticed how our suspiciously bitter host made it a point to shun any mention of the show around him."

Ella nodded. "Speculation ran rampant with fans theorizing that the reason some favorites didn't return was due to their participation on another show. It looked like Chris wanted them wiped from Total Drama history itself!"

"Which is precisely why we've invited them to hang out with us here today." Topher chuckled, motioning towards the couches theatrically. "Because even if Chris doesn't want to invite them back, that won't stop US from talking with them. Please help us in welcoming..."

"Leonard!"

The two co-hosts introduced each name together, with a spotlight turning on to reveal each person as they were called. Leonard looked the same as ever, with his fake beard maybe looking a bit more disheveled if anything. He spread his arms and made hand signs as if he was casting some sort of spell on the people around him. Naturally, nothing was happening.

"Noah!"

Cheers intensified the most they had yet as the bored bookworm waved half haphazardly at the audience. His appearance had also gone unchanged, and he merely hunched over in his seat with a bored expression that told the story of someone just here for the paycheck.

"Owen!"

Unlike his best bud, Owen lived for the applause and stood up to wave back enthusiastically. He had actually appeared to have lost some weight since many had last seen him on The Ridonculous Race. He was still very large, but the improvement was noticeable enough to get some impressed stares from spectators.

"And finally, one of Total Drama's longest lasting power couples," Ella finished, giving a dramatic pause for effect. "... Geoff and Bridgette!"

The party animal whooped enthusiastically, fist pumping with one arm and using the other to swing around his hat. And next to him was... not Bridgette. Not even close. Instead if was another male, with darker skin than Geoff but still a familiar face to many watching. Especially when he joined his friend in the hollering, which then gave way to bodacious laughing and fist bumping.

"That's... not Bridgette," Ella said.

"Ya don't say." Topher glared at the surfer bros, who had finally started to calm down from the cheering. "Geoff, where's your girlfriend? She was scheduled to be on the show with you, not Brody."

Geoff chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, funny story about that, dudes. Bridge was totes cool with coming on to do the Aftermath gig, we were stoked to be trying out doing the whole guest experience instead of having to host. But then there was this rally for some endangered animals down in New Brunswick and she really wanted to hit that up."

"So she got with the producers to see if she could just take a rain check and come to the next Aftermath instead," Brody continued. "And since my bro still needed to bring someone with him we were all like, bro what if I came on with you?"

"I ran it by the dudes at the network and they thought the idea was totally chill!" Geoff laughed, exchanging another fist bump with his bro that they ended with a "Boom."

Both co-hosts looked on at the pair, confused as to how they should react. Topher eventually sighed and rubbed his temples. "Sure would have been nice if they told us about the last minute change before the show started."

"Well at least it's still someone most of the viewers would know?" Ella said optimistically. "There's no use dwelling on it, the show's underway already."

Topher sighed and nodded. "You got me there. Well, moving right along, welcome back everyone! How did it feel getting left out of another season's chance to win a million big ones?"

"Meh, me and Owen weren't lacking in offers to go on other shows so it's their loss as far as I'm concerned," Noah answered with a shrug. "I remember them reaching out to us right as we had got eliminated from Ridonculous Race, but apparently Chris went back on the offer when he saw how successful that show got."

"I think I heard he replaced us with Cody and Trent," Owen added. "Which is a huge bummer if you ask me. Not the Trent and Cody coming back part, I'm happy for them, but I really would have loved getting to go around the world again with my old buds!"

Leonard nodded along from nearby. "Perhaps it was for the best. Fame can be just as much a blessing as it is a curse. Between Pahkitew Island and Ridonculous Race, I've become something of a celebrity back home. I hardly have enough time anymore to formulate new spells."

The audience laughed, unsure if the LARPer was being serious or making a joke.

"S'all good, bros. I've just been taking it easy with Bridge and my bros ever since the race, so coming back for all the drama would have harshed my vibe." Geoff fist bumped his bro, chuckling. "But I'm all for throwing them a wicked post season party!"

"Ah bro, that would be legit," Brody piped in. "Haven't seen DJ at one of your parties since that gnarly rager you threw after season 3 wrapped up. Dude's a legend, he could pretty much down a whole keg on his own!"

There were some cheers and oohing from the crowd, with both hosts smirking in amusement.

"Something tells me DJ's momma will want to have a word with him after hearing that," Ella said, the audience laughing in agreement.

"And what have you guys been up to since the race wrapped up?" Topher asked. "Noah, one of our sources passed on a very interesting rumor about you."

Noah simply folded his arms and turned his head. "I have no idea what you're referring to."

"I think he's talking about how you proposed to Emma last month." Owen got a sharp glare from his buddy, making him recoil bashfully. "Oooh, that was supposed to still be a secret, wasn't it?"

While he was trying to maintain being annoyed at his chubbier friend, the barrage of cheers and applause from the spectators made Noah sink into his seat with his face turning bright red. Ella was perhaps clapping the hardest of all. "Congratulations, Noah! It's so wonderful to hear about young love continuing to blossom!"

"Yeah, thanks, whatever," the bookworm mumbled, trying to remove himself from the spotlight as soon as possible.

"Ah, dudes, speaking of which do you think you could hook a bro up with Kitty's digits if she's still single?" Brody asked. "She always seemed like a cool senorita that knew how to party."

"What about MacArthur?" Owen asked curiously. "Weren't you still crushing on her?"

Geoff put a hand on his bro's shoulder while he lowered his head, dejected. "Nah bro, they went on a date but she never called back for round 2. Few weeks later we found out from Sierra's blog that she's dating Sanders now."

"Who knew it'd be so hard competing with someone who's known and been with her for years?" The darker skinned surfer shook his head, earning a mix of laughs and awws from the crowd. "Guess that's how it be sometimes."

"The fact that they're sharing a million bucks together probably doesn't hurt," Topher added, head rested on his hand casually. "And how about you, Leonard? Anything big going on with you?"

"As I said earlier, things have been a lot busier back home for Tammy and I," he explained. "Our humble guild that is the Dragon Defeaters club back home ended up tripling in members following the race! Between that and the campaigns I assist with even beyond our local one, I've been up to ears in magical work!"

Topher blinked, not looking very hooked by the conversation. "Riveting. Well, speaking of awkward weirdos, how about we finally move on to our first guest in the hot seat for the evening?"

Cheers from the crowd confirmed this being a good idea, and Ella motioned to the TV screen above that now displayed a picture of the compulsive liar. "Staci's journey on Total Drama was once again cut short, with her exiting the competition first for the second time in a row."

"Despite almost hanging on thanks to sharing a team with Shady Scott, her constant chattering and general uselessness in the challenge sealed her fate." The mini Chris rubbed his hands together mischievously, chuckling. "But maybe she'll finally get her wish, because we plan to really make her talk. Heeeere's Staci!"

Both hosts motioned to the side of the stage where the pink clad girl made her entrance. She waved enthusiastically to the crowd, who were giving polite cheers despite them being notably quieter than what the peanut gallery received. While Topher only waved and motioned for her to take a seat in the currently empty left set of couches, Ella ran up to offer a hug that the chatter mouth gladly accepted.

"Staci! Thanks for joining us here and not trying to stow away on the plane," Topher quipped, getting a laugh from the crowd.

"Yah, well they didn't really give me the option since they electrified the wing." Staci finally took her seat. "But that's my bad for not being more alert, since it was my great uncle Conner that invented the taser. He was really good with electricity."

A large portion of the crowd laughed at the obvious lie, though Topher looked less amused. "Riiiight. Well, tell us how it felt once you were kicked off the plane. I bet it was absolutely soul crushing to get eliminated first AGAIN."

"It was really tough at first." Staci nodded sadly. "I thought I had been doing so good! But I knew I couldn't keep sulking. I just needed to hold my head up and keep charging forward. Much like my great cousin twice removed Amanda that invented the first steam propelled train."

There was once again laughter, though noticeably less so this time. Over at the peanut gallery, a puzzled Leonard looked down in thought. "Wasn't the person to invent that-"

"A British dude name Richard, yup," Noah answered in an unamused whisper.

"Well even if you journey was cut short, you can still be proud that you were able to do it in the first place," Ella said optimistically. "It had to be stressful when you were face to face with that pack of angry yetis!"

"Oh for sure! Ya know, with the way their white fur looked, they kinda reminded me of a mop. Which was invented by my great great great grandfather Bryce in the 1700s!"

Now there was just an awkward silence, some in the crowd coughing as the gag had fully run its course. Owen looked down at his buddy, as if silently asking how far off she was out of curiosity.

"It was in the late 1800s and was invented by a black guy," he whispered back. Owen shook his head in pity.

Topher took notice of the growing awkwardness and boredom caused by Staci's clearly false stories. Rubbing his hands together, he prepared to strike.

"Well then, Staci, since you didn't get much of a chance to compete this season, I think it'd be a fun idea to let you play a game right here for the show!" He chuckled, getting a weird look from his co-host who didn't seem to know what he was getting at. "Sound good?"

The compulsive liar perked up. "Yah! That sounds like fun!"

"Good. Then it's time to bring back an old Aftermath favorite." Topher motioned up to the monitor. "Let's play Truth or Electrocution!"

On the screen an image of an electric chair zapped away while the text of the game surrounded it. A watermelon was attached to the headpiece of the chair, and the volts sent to it were enough to cause it to pop. When the camera came back, a now very distressed Staci was already being strapped into the electric chair while the crowd cheered it on.

"Ah dude, not this thing again." Geoff recoiled in shame, hiding his face with his hat as memories from his time hosting the TDA Aftermath came flooding back.

"Topher, you can't do this to her," a very shocked Ella protested. "I was never told we'd be doing something like this on the show!"

"Because they knew you'd pull out of hosting if they told ya." The meaner host smirked, stepping over to Staci with a raised eyebrow. "Now the rules are simple. I'll ask you some questions and all you have to do is answer them. Answer truthfully, and everything's peachy! But if you lie, well, ZZZZT! Oh and don't worry, it's non lethal voltage and whatever."

Ella looked mortified, leaning towards their guest in concern. "Just tell the truth, Staci. It'll get us through the game faster."

Staci gulped, starting to break out in a sweat.

Smirking devilishly, Topher whipped out a stack of note cards. "Question one, and this one is common knowledge. Who invented the first practical use telephone?"

"Oh that's easy, it was my great great uncle Parker." You could immediately see the look of regret on her fact as the electricity was sent coursing through Staci's body. She twitched in her seat until the voltage finally ceased and she could sigh in relief.

"Wrong answer, it was Alexander Graham Bell." He switched to the next car. "How about this one, who invented television?"

Staci grimaced, almost as if she didn't want to lie but couldn't stop herself. "My great cousin William."

Once again she was hit with a nasty volt of electricity. Now her clothes were becoming a bit burnt from the chair's effects. Topher tsked and shook his finger. "Nope, Philio Farnsworth. We're 0 for 2 now. Here's one you can't get wrong, who's the host of this network's highest rated reality show?"

She whimpered, trying to move to cover her mouth but the straps prevented her. "M-my aunt once removed Melissa?"

And once again Staci was hit with another wave of electricity. By now much of the crowd and peanut gallery were looking on in worry as smoke wafted from he lying girl.

"Topher that's enough, she's going to get seriously hurt," Ella yelled. But her co-host was merely laughing in disbelief.

"The answer was literally just Chris! Why would you even lie about that one, everyone watching knows that answer without even having to fact check it on the web." He walked over to the smouldering liar, shaking his head. "It's like you're straight up unable to tell the truth. What is it that causes you to lie so much?"

Before she could answer, the nicer host began tugging him away, looking shook up. "I said that's enough, she doesn't have to answer any more questions. We've put her through enough alread-"

"Because I want people to think I'm interesting," Staci yelled from her seat, startling both hosts. "When I was a kid everyone ignored me and said I was boring. I started saying a few stories about my family here and there to get people interested and then I just kept going and going. It just got out of control and I don't know how to stop!"

There was silence, as everyone looked on in shock. Staci looked nearly on the verge of tears, while the audience murmured among themselves as they took in the new developments. Once she had re-composed herself, Ella ushered for two interns to come help.

"There, you got your answer, now can we please get her out of that chair?" While the two interns worked to remove Staci's straps, Ella gave her co-host a stern look. "Honestly, Topher, you should feel ashamed for subjecting her to that."

"Yeah, well, that's showbiz honey." He shrugged dismissively. "It's not always glitz and glam. The network wants drama, so I'll give them drama."

"At the cost of crossing the line?"

It was then that Topher noticed just how awkwardly the mood had shifted. The crowd was ominously silent, and even the members of the peanut gallery were looking at him with disgust. Really starting to feel the uneasiness of it all, he chuckled awkwardly and motioned Staci to take a seat at the back of the guest couches.

"Well how about we bring the mood back up by moving on to our next guest?" His co-host didn't look too enthusiastic. "And no more Truth or Electric Chair, I promise."

Ella was skeptical, but sighed at Topher's persistent look. "Very well. Up next we have a long time series favorite, beloved for being as unpredictable as she is destructive."

"Ever the human rollercoaster, Izzy went from single handedly winning her team part of a challenge in Antarctica to being the thing that kept them behind just enough to lose in Ireland," Topher added, the monitor above cycling through images of the red head's antics. "And when Courtney wasn't able to successfully stage a counter alliance, Izzy fell victim to the unity that was The Drama Brothers."

"But at least she was able to ensure Ezekiel didn't sneak his way back into the plane on her way out." Ella motioned to the side of the stage where Staci had come from previously. "And now she gets to spend time here with us. Here's Izzy!"

The crowd cheered and applauded, but no one ever came on stage. Both hosts shared a look, wondering what the hold up was.

"Uh... Izzy, everyone," Topher said louder. Once again the crowd cheered, but still nothing. Meanwhile at the peanut gallery, they were distracted long enough for a certain orange haired blur to begin rising behind two of the spectators. Perhaps sensing her presence, Noah sighed and braced himself.

"She's behind us, isn't she?"

"Noah! Big O!" Izzy whooped happily as she wrapped an arm around each boy, nearly squeezing the life out of them. "They didn't tell me you two would be here!"

"It's... good to see you too... Izz," Owen managed to get out between pained squeezes.

"Izzy, glad you could join us," Topher said, chuckling. "Mind joining us over here for the interview?"

The wild child glanced over at the other set of couches. Not knowing what to do, Staci offered an awkward wave, but was still recovering from her previous incident. "Nah, I haven't seen my boys in ages! I'll do my interview right here, thank you very much."

With that, Izzy finally broken her hug so that she could climb over Owen and rest in his arms. She then rested her head on Noah's shoulder like a pillow, giving him a sly grin. "Oh! And I heard backstage about you and Emma getting hitched. Nice. I'll be expecting my wedding invitation in the mail by this time next week."

The bookworm exchanged a horrified look with his buddy. He did NOT need Izzy crashing his wedding with her foolery, but once she got her mind on something it was next to impossible to prevent her from doing it.

"Ok, guess we'll just move right along then." Topher settled into his seat, glancing at their odd guest. "So Izzy, do you have any hard feelings towards your team for voting you off so early? You DID help them out big time in Antarctica after all."

Izzy waved her hand dismissively. "Ain't nothing but a thang. I did get pretty into my wrestle sesh with Zeke, sure I COULD have wrapped it up sooner, but I didn't think the other teams would be as fast as they were. Izzy's willing to admit her mistakes."

"Speaking of Ezekiel, what happened to him after you pulled him off of the plane with you?" Ella asked curiously. "The last we got to see was you chasing him somewhere in Ireland."

"Oh yeah, I thought he was just playing hard to get so I was gonna track him down to take him out on a night on the town! Never dated a feral guy before, I thought it'd be fun." She noticed Owen giving her a weird look, making her perk up. "But don't worry, once the producers finally tracked us down and carted him off for therapy, I realized it was but a fleeting moment of passion! Nothing serious, like me and Big O used to have."

The crowd were loving the look Izzy was giving her former flame, some whistling and others cheering. Topher decided to capitalize. "Sounds like there might be some lingering feelings between you two. Might we be on the verge of another couple reunion live here on the show?"

Owen blushed, chuckling awkwardly at the crowd's continued approval. "I did always hate how me and Izzy ended things back in World Tour. If she really wants to give things another shot then I am so there!"

"Aw, come here ya big lug." Izzy wrapped her arms around Owen, pulling him in for a quick kiss. But then the quick kiss turned into a full fledged makeout session. Not that the crowd minded, it just got them cheering and whooping even louder. The only one who seemed to not be enjoying the PDA was Noah, likely since the pair being distracted by their lip locking made them oblivious to when they leaned back and flattened their nerdy friend beneath them. His pleas for help fell on deaf ears.

"Dudes, that is so beautiful," Brody commented, wiping away a tear and clapping.

"Love is, like, radical bros." Geoff stood up to applaud, and even Leonard joined in.

Over on the host couch, Ella was enamored with the display of affection, though now Topher was starting to get fed up since the making out showed no sign of slowing down.

"Well, I guess we'll have to cut that interview there," he noted, trying to return decorum to the studio. "While we try to peel those two off of each other, let's move on to another guest from Team Old School!"

Because Ella was still swept up in the romance, her co-host had to tap her on the shoulder to get her attention. "Oh! Right, let's move on to Harold!"

Mention of the geek was able to get most of the crowd's attention back to the show. Images on the monitor showed off moments of Harold's throughout all of his seasons since there wasn't too much to show for this one.

"Harold had big plans for this season when he started it," Topher explained. "He came in with a pretty sweet advantage having his band bros Trent and Cody at his side, and from there he planned to even recruit a new member in the form of Beardo!"

"But biggest of all, other than winning the money, his main goal was to rekindle his romance with Leshawna." Ella squeed happily. "And he did it!"

"Yeah, after he got taken out of the game thanks to one of our other guests flattening him like a pancake." The meaner host laughed. "But hey, at least he didn't leave the season with nothing BUT regrets. And all it cost him were some broken bones!"

"Let's give a warm welcome to our next guest... Harold!"

Once more the crowd and peanut gallery rose to cheer on the next guest. Perhaps ironically in this case, as Harold rolled himself out in his wheelchair. He smiled towards the audience, but could only offer a short wave since steering required both hands. He came to a stop next to the couches, electing to stay in his own seat instead of pulling himself on to the sofas.

"Welcome to the show, Harold," Ella said with a sympathetic tone. "Sorry that it had to be under such harsh circumstances."

"No worries, it comes with the territory of the show." He chuckled awkwardly. "And hey, I technically did better than I did in World Tour. I outlasted two people instead of just one."

"Unless me or Staci return," Izzy suddenly yelled in his ear, somehow having made it to the guest couches away from Owen without anyone noticing. "And if both of us return, you'll have done worse than World Tour!"

Staci perked up a bit at the idea of returning. "Yah, that's a good point."

Harold looked at the other two, not really sure how to respond. "Er, noted. But anyway, yeah, I'm happy I get to be here and not in a hospital or anything. I even get to see one of my best buds from the show thanks to this peanut gallery you picked out!"

Owen and Geoff shared a look, not too sure which Harold was talking about since neither were that particularly close with the geek.

"It's marvelous to see you as well, Hargar the Wicked," Leonard suddenly chipped in, bowing in respect. "You'll be delighted to know that the campaign has been going well during your's and Sir Codicus' absence."

"That's great!" Harold grinned. "I know when they have a Crypt Captain as proficient as you, keeping their wits about them without us is no small feat."

Both hosts looked confused, Topher especially. "Uh, someone wanna translate this nerd speak for me?"

"Leonard leads an online Crypts and Cyclopes campaign for reality show alumni such as ourselves," Harold explained. "Cody and I are part of it, but obviously we haven't been able to partake while we're busy with the show."

"Worry not, it's not the first time prior commitments have kept them from the adventure," Leonard added. "What with them being such proficient real life bards, and all."

Topher blinked, still not fully understanding what was being described. "So this is basically just one of those secret geek club things?"

"Oh, it's no secret, we actually live stream our sessions. Fans love it!" The mad skills geek snort laughed. "Obviously Leonard and Tammy are there. And we've got Sam and Cameron on the show, Ellody and Mary from Ridonculous Race..."

"Hey, isn't Noah part of that too?" Owen asked, just as the bookworm in question was beginning to pick himself up. "He seems to really have a lot of fun hanging out with you guys!"

"Alright, seriously, am I gonna have to put duckt tape over your mouth or what?" Noah grumbled, earning a sheepish grin from his chubby buddy in response.

"It sounds like a lot of fun," Ella gushed, leaning towards the wizard in awe. "Might I join the campaign sometime?"

"But of course! Especially with Sir Codicus still out of the fray, we're more than happy to welcome newcomers."

Topher was getting fed up with the nerdy talk, loudly clearing his throat to get attention back on him. "Anywho, going back to Harold and his time on the show. You were able to sucessfully rekindle things with Leshawna before leaving the show. Any worries that things might not work out now that you're spending so much time apart?"

Harold's smile fell. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it, you poured your heart out to her right before your elimination in season 1, hooked up, but then once you were reunited she broke it off." Topher counted off points on his fingers. "Then in season 2 she went and talked trash about you behind your back and you voted her off. THEN in season 3 once you were gone she was all over Alejandro like a moth to a flame. Ya gotta be scared that this time will be another repeat of failure, I'm sure."

"Everyone was falling for Al's manipulation, heck even I did when he mind gamed me into quitting, GOSH." He waved off the comments with a confident nod. "This time we're going to make it work out long term. It'll be different."

"And you're not worried about her falling for another hunky guy?" Topher teased. "DJ, maybe Trent. Heck, it could even be someone from another team like Scott."

"Pretty sure that guy has his sights pretty squarely on Courtney," Harold pointed out. "And Trent and DJ are my friends. Don't be an idiot."

"Ignore him, he's just trying to stir up drama that isn't there." Ella gave her companion a stern look, though he merely shrugged innocently. "Now I know this may be a sore subject, but since Dakota will be coming out soon we have to ask how things are with you and your injury."

The geek nodded in understanding. "I figured it'd need to come up. It's not as bad as it looks. My neck and coccyx are healing up real nicely. It's basically just my legs that are really still janked up. Hence why I'm still stuck in this wheelchair for now. I'm hoping to be out of it and on crutches instead by the next Aftermath. So yeah, I'm starting to heal pretty nicely, though I don't like looking back at the footage since it was seriously painful when it happened."

Topher chuckled. "That's a shame, because you're main eventing today's version of another old Aftermath favorite... That's Gonna Leave a Mark!"

While the crowd was cheering, Geoff booed loudly from nearby. "Get new material, dude. You're just copying my whole TDA flow!"

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," the pretty boy said with a wink, motioning to the monitor. "Now let's see some carnage."

An upbeat whistling tune played over the series of clips, while a plain white transition came between each.

First was a clip from Antarctica, mere moments after Courtney had struck Scott with a cattle prod. In new footage captured from an alternate angle, we saw Brick fly through the air as the snowmobile was sent rolling. An unfortunately placed chunk of ice was jutting from out of the ground, and the cadet's kiwis zeroed in on it with scary accuracy. He cried out in pain as he gripped his sore crotch, and from nearby a bruised up Scott weakly laughed. But it was then that their team flag came flying down like a javelin and hit the dirt farmer square in the nether region. Both boys keeled over in agony.

In a second clip, Chef was passing out plates for dinner one evening on the plane. When he went to put the last plate down, he noticed a sudden bit of resistance. He looked down to see that Izzy had been hiding in the bottom of the rollcart and grabbed the plate for his attention. Before the large man could react, she jumped from out of her hiding place and karate kicked him in the jaw. She ran off, cackling.

Next, Team Explosive was in the middle of the Madagascan rainforest during their challenge. Beardo suddenly realized that he badly had to use the bathroom and excused himself to duck behind a bush. This was a mistake, as once he was behind the shrubbery he was face to face with a sleeping family of bats. Being disturbed from their sleep caused them to fly into his face, sending him falling backwards and violently into the shrub that happened to be littered with thorns.

Chef once again started the next clip, doing a round in the cargo hold to take inventory and make sure things were where they needed to be. He noticed one of the boxes rumble. Expecting an ambush, he brandished a ladle threateningly and carefully opened the top of the crate before taking a fighting stance. There was a pause, as nothing came out. Confused, he peered into the crate to see what had been causing the rumble. He didn't get an answer, as Izzy suddenly burst out of the crate BEHIND him. She suplexed the larger man, doing the nae nae on top of his stunned body before running off. A stray racoon then jumped out of the shaking crate and clawed up the prone man's face.

Last, as promised, was a replay of Harold being flattened by Dakotazoid. The geek looked up in horror, unable to react in time as her mighty stomp crushed him and demolished his kart in the process. Later on, Chef and an intern carried Harold over to an ambulance on a gurney. He was loaded up into the vehicle and whisked away to check for serious injuries. It was then that the intern unmasked herself, revealing that it was Izzy all along. She promptly kicked Chef in the kiwis and ran off with another laugh.

"Izzy, how the heck did you make it to Kyoto when you had already been eliminated in Ireland earlier?" Topher asked, dumbfounded.

"Ah, you know, I had some time to kill before coming to do this show and I thought it'd be funny."

"... that doesn't answe-"

"You're not gonna get an answer, dude, that's just how she is," Noah interrupted, not at all shaken up by the crazy girl's feat. "You get used to it."

Owen and Geoff nodded in agreement, though Leonard looked on in awe. "You'll have to teach me how you became so proficient in teleportation spells!"

Ella giggled at Topher's continued confusion. "Well thank you for your time, Harold. We'll revisit everything with the injury when Dakota comes out. For now we have another guest to get to before that."

Harold nodded, staying parked beside the couches for now.

"Guess that means it's time to talk about lover boy Rodney." Topher motioned to the monitor, now displaying a smiling picture of the farmer. "While he lacked the strategic element to ever be a true contender in the game, Rodney's immense strength made him an asset to the team that you'd think would help him stick around."

"And then Amy had him wrapped around his finger, taking advantage of his easily infatuated heart." Ella put her hands on her hips, huffing. "How rude of her, toying with a innocent person's heart like that. Is there anything more cruel?"

"It turned out to be a fantastic move on Amy's part, though." Topher chuckled. "Because she was poised to get voted off from her team when they suffered their first loss! But being stricken with grief over losing the tiebreaker, Rodney offered himself up to be eliminated in her place."

"Some call it the most foolish move of the season, but love makes people do foolish things." Ella nodded sympathetically before motioning to the side of the stage. "And here he is now! Please help us welcome, Rodney!"

The crowd applauded politely, with one girl in the crowd even whistling up at the hulking boy. He waved back happily, making a noticeable dent in the sofa when he finally took his seat. Lad was an absolute unit.

"Thanks for joining us here today, Rodney," Ella chirped. "We're happy to have you on!"

"Hehe, thanks." He blushed at having a cute girl acknowledge him, trying to keep his attention on Topher to stay focused. "It's good to be here."

"I wouldn't describe losing my shot at a million bucks as good, but you do you my guy." The meaner host chuckled. "But since we have you here, many fans are still dying to know what your mindset was behind quitting. You were already safe and your team held no grudge against you. Why throw away your shot at the money? With your strength, you could have been a serious threat!"

Rodney puffed out his chest confidently. "Life isn't always about money, I wanted to uphold my principles. I was the one who caused my team to lose in the tiebreaker, so it wouldn't have been fair for my dearest Amy to get eliminated instead of me."

Some fans in the crowd laughed, which confused the hulking Casanova.

"Riiiight, well speaking of Amy let's talk about her." Topher pointed to the monitor that now showed off a picture of the mean twin. The crowd errupted into a chorus of boos and jeers despite her not even being there in person. "I mean, you threw away your entire game for her! You must feel pretty serious about your relationship."

The farm boy sighed dreamily. "Oh yeah, it's true love! Heck, before I left Nashville I even looked around to pick her out an engagement ring!"

Many in the studio gasped, some looking distressed at him potentially having wasted a large sum of money. Thankfully, their worries were eased when he pulled out a mere onion ring from his pocket.

"Uh... not trying to sound mean here, but you know what's just an onion ring, right?" Staci pointed out from behind him.

"Couldn't even swing for the lollipop on a ring, eh?" Noah snarked from nearby. "Don't think she'll be impressed, buddy."

"Well I didn't bring much money with me on the show, all the real rings were out of my price range." Sighing, he tucked the onion rings back into his pocket. "But monetary value isn't what's most important in life. It's the thought that counts, as long as it comes from the heart an onion ring is just as good!"

Brody sniffed, wiping away a tear before clapping. "Bro, that is so deep."

"I think it's a lovely gesture, Rodney," Ella offered. "But I do fear the enthusiasm may be a bit misplaced."

"Yeah, do you still think Amy was into you like how into her you were?" Topher tsked, shaking his head. "Well I've got a confessional of her's to show you. Check it out!"

Static filled the monitor, before switching to video feed of Amy in the confessional. Specifically, it was a clip from the Madagascar episode following Rodney's elimination.

"Uuuugh, this sucks so much. Here I was, looking forward to dragging that big dumb hick to the finale with me so he'd hand me the million dollars. Now I have to bring Sugar with me. Can you say ew much? I'd say I was happy that him quitting kept me safe, but if he had just voted for Samey like I told him to then I could have just beat her in the tie breaker! So yeah, farm boy is dreaming if he thinks I'll ever call him back."

Boos from the crowd intensified, Rodney staring off into space after what he had witnessed. Harold gave him a sympathetic glance and Staci even patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Wow," the farmer mumbled. "I can't believe it... she really wanted to take me to the finale?"

Immediately the gestures of sympathy stopped so everyone could collectively facepalm.

"That's amazing! She must have really cared about me if she wanted me to go with her all the way to the end."

"Dude, she wanted to take you to the finale because you probably would have lied down and handed her the money," Topher corrected. "She did NOT care about you at all. We even have bonus clips to prove it."

Once again the monitor displayed Jumbo Jet footage, all consisting of new clips not seen in previous episodes. In the first, during one of Team Explosive's many stays in first class, Rodney was filling up Amy's cup with freshly squeezed lemonade.

"Ya know, after this I could give you a foot massage," he offered. "My pa used to make me give him one all the time so I'm pretty good at it."

"Ew, no. What are you, one of those foot fetish freaks?" Amy walked away in disgust. "Never offer me that again, not interested."

Rodney hung his head dejectedly, not noticing when Sugar scooched up next to him.

"Is that offer going fer anyone? All this running around the world's got my bunions hurtin more than a deer in the middle of the county gun show." To prove her point, she removed a shoe and stuck her nasty ass foot in Rodney's face, nearly making him hurl in the process.

The next clip took place in economy class, sometime prior to the elimination ceremony from the Nashville challenge. Rodney was staring at his crush with a dopey lovestruck expression. Clearly annoyed, Amy elbowed him in the side to snap him out of it.

"Hey, how about you be useful and go get me a glass of water or something?"

Not about to deny her, he eagerly nodded and ran off to fulfill his task. Now with a moment of peace and quiet, the mean twin looked over at the other side of the room where Lightning was doing situps. She leaned back, very much enjoying the view as the turbo jock's muscles bulged.

"Now THAT'S a real man," she said to Sugar, who had been preoccupied seeing if she could lick her own elbow. She could not, if you were curious.

The final clip showed Amy in the confessional once again, some point after Shawn's elimination. She had a big smile on her face.

"Even if it wasn't my lame-o sister to get the boot, we finally have things going my way on this team. And like, hello, why wasn't it like that already? Now that Sugar's roped in Beardo and Dave, we're untouchable. I guess we didn't need Richard after all." She paused, looking off quizzically. "Or was it Robert? Ralph? Meh, doesn't matter, that guy was a total nobody anyway."

When the clips were done, things seemed to finally be getting through Rodney's thick skull as he grimaced and hung his head in shame. Some in the crowd yelled out calls in support of Rodney, while others yelled out words of hatred towards Amy. The peanut gallery looked equally disgusted with the mean twin's words.

"Total harshness, dudes," Geoff said, shaking his head. "I think that chick even out cattys the ice dancer lady from the race."

"And that's saying something, dude," Brody agreed. "Totally gnar gnar."

Over at the host couch, once again Ella was giving her co-host a stern look of disapproval. "Oh honestly, Topher. Do you have to play that much to crush his poor heart?"

"I'm just trying to do what's right and show him Amy's true colors," he said, putting on a sickeningly fake tone of sincerity. "We wouldn't want the big guy being strung along by Amy even longer, right? It's better to just rip the bandaid off so he can heal."

"Yes, but you could stand to take a more gentle approach." Eager to prove her point, the nicer host marched over to the heart broken Casanova, kneeling down to meet his eyes and give him a reassuring smile. "Rodney, you're going to make a very special girl incredibly happy one day. You're too good for someone as mean as Amy. You should hold your head up high and take pride in the fact that you'll always be more pure of heart than she is!"

The audience erupted into cheers, captivated by Ella's words of encouragement. Of course, no one was more awestruck by the gesture than Rodney himself, who looked on at her in shock.

"Whoa. That's like... the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me!" He chuckled dreamily, leaning in closer to smile at the now surprised wannabe princess. "You're so kind, Ella. Pretty too. It's like... happy birds and chocolates... teddy bears who dance in the snow and-"

Now that Rodney was firmly stuck in one of his gibberish sessions, Ella glanced back at her co-host to look for a way to move the show along. Tempted as Topher was to let her stay in the awkwardness, they had a time limit to adhere to.

"I think it's time we brought out our penultimate guest of the evening," he announced, motioning to the picture of Dakota on the big screen."

"That's right!" Ella used the opening to rejoin the host couch. "Dakota had the biggest transformation coming into Battle of the Generations. Literally, she had shrunk by multiple feet and even brought along a gorgeous new jumpsuit!"

"But of course, even if she was normally herself, the lingering threat of Dakotazoid could rear its head at any minute." As Topher continued, the right half of Dakota's monitor picture was morphed to resemble Dakotazoid. "Which started out as a good thing, when it saved her team from being devoured by ferocious yetis in Antarctica."

"But then in Japan, Dakotazoid winning her team the challenge cost a fellow competitor a serious injury."

"Oh, oh, she's talking about you, Harold," Owen called out jovially.

"I'm aware," the nerd said. "Thank you Owen, very cool."

"And the worst case scenario came to pass in Madagascar, where Dakotazoid came out at the most inconvenient time. Not only costing Team Radioactive the win, but almost killing them in the process! Hence why she's joining us here today."

Ella clapped enthusiastically. "She's a billionaire heiress that you DON'T want to make angry, here's Dakota!"

While the crowd cheered loudly, some of those on stage tensed up as the rich girl made her entrance. Not everyone, since Izzy looked excited to see her and Leonard was fascinated, but Harold in particular was doing a poor job to hide his nervousness. She smiled awkwardly and took a seat near the injured geek.

"Nice of you to join us, Ms. Milton," Topher greeted. "You can rest easy knowing that, per word from the producers, we aren't to subject you to anything embarrassing or stressful so we don't risk making the other you come out."

Dakota grimaced at the immediate mention of Dakotazoid, but tried to shake it off. "That's reassuring, I guess. You know, it's funny. Back in season 4 being on this talk show would have been perfect for me. I would have ate up all the attention and drama. But right now? Feels like things are a bit tense."

"Well we'll do our best to try and make things more welcoming," Ella assured her. "Have you had a chance to see Sam and your family since leaving the game?"

"Oh for sure! Daddy flew us out to South Africa for the weekend after I got the boot. We did some shopping, ate some great food. It was fun."

"Sounds like it was a much better environment for you to keep your cool," Topher pointed out. "Do you think coming back to Total Drama was a bad idea, or do you wish you were still competing?"

The heiress pouted, needing to take a second to collect her thoughts. "Hmm, well it's hard to say. If I'm being honest, I never cared about winning. I mean come on, I'm not exactly lacking in money so I didn't really need it. The reason I came back was to try and make some new friends and have fun. Considering how I didn't really make any friends, except maybe Anne Maria, I do wish I was still there to keep trying."

"Yeah, it isn't exactly easy to focus on making friends and junk while you're in the middle of a competition," Noah pointed out.

"Speak for yourself, bro," Geoff objected. "I made hella friends back in the first season!"

Topher cleared his throat to get the conversation back on point. "Yeah, I'd imagine Dakotazoid didn't help make things easier for you in that department. Your mutant strength makes you an absolute beast, but it also makes you a huge threat."

She sighed dejectedly. "That's putting it lightly. Thanks to Dakotazoid, I left the season with new enemies if anything. I really hate that I put my team at risk and never patched things up with Leshawna."

Harold looked over, conflicted between feelings of spite due to being injured out of the competition by her and sympathy since her condition was out of her control. Topher took notice and decided to strike while the iron was hot.

"I suppose that's as good enough a segway as we can ask for to finally address the elephant in the room." At his cue, spotlights were focused on Harold and Dakota, both of whom were surprised and nearly blinded by the move. "We have someone here that lost the game due to injury and the one who accidentally injured him. I'd say it's time we get the two of you to talk it out."

"And that requires blinding us, how?" the geek asked while shielding his eyes.

"Ok, well, here goes." Dakota took a deep breath, trying to ignore the blinding spotlight. "Harold, I'm really sorry about what happened. I promise, I didn't mean to injure you. When I get into the zone as Dakotazoid, I tend to just hyper focus on something and don't really pay attention to anything else around me."

He scratched at his chin, still feeling conflicted as he felt the spectators all watching him. "Well... I'm not gonna lie and say that there's NO hard feelings. I was really excited about getting to compete again this season. If I had just been eliminated normally then so be it, but because it was due to injury I can't help but wonder what could have been had it not happened."

"And I get that, totally. I don't expect you to just forgive and forget. Just know that I'm really really sorry. Coming back to this show was a dangerous choice, and I hate that it cost you a shot at the money."

Harold looked at Dakota, sensing genuine remorse in her tone and expression. Eventually he sighed. "Apology accepted. Truth be told, thanks to the Drama Brothers I'm not really lacking for money either. If anything I just wanted to redeem how badly I did in World Tour. But between getting back with Leshawna and still being able to cheer on her and my bros, I guess it's not all bad."

He stuck out an arm for a handshake, which she happily accepted.

"And I know I can't get you back in the game, but Daddy knows some really important people, so if you or Leshawna ever need a favor just let me know. I could hook her up with some of the latest fashion before it even hits the stores, and Sam's been making some big friends in the video game industry he could introduce you to."

Now Harold was looking impressed. "For real? You could do that for us?"

"Of course," She chirped, smiling brightly. "I can give you all the deets."

Since the two of them seemed as reconciled as they were going to get and now deep into conversation with one another, Topher looked to the crowd with a chuckle. "Guess that settles that. Now we can move on to our sixth and final guest of the evening!"

"And this is a big one, since we're talking about a former Total Drama finalist!" As Ella spoke, the monitor above showed the image of the zombie survival nut. "Shawn is undeniably one of the strongest competitors in the show's history. Packing not only countless survival skills that makes him an asset in challenges, but also a strong social game."

"And he was by all means set to be a major player once again, especially since he shared a team with his equally dominant girlfriend." With Topher continuing, clips played on screen of Team Explosive's various challenge wins, all highlighting the survivalist couple. "Together, Shawn and Jasmine made for one of the most threatening duos in show history."

"They were poised to ride their momentum all the way until the merge before the most shocking elimination ceremony of the season struck." Ella placed a hand on her forehead dramatically, pretending to be on the verge of fainting. "In a twist, Sugar and Amy were able to rope in Beardo and Dave's votes, spelling doom for our favorite zombie expert."

"Which may raise even more questions since we all know Amy wanted her sister gone more than anyone else." Topher chuckled, motioning to the side of the stage one final time for the night. "And nobody is asking those questions as much as the man himself, so let's bring him out now. Shawn, everybody!"

Easily getting one of the loudest reactions of the show, the crowd were on their feet to cheer on the former finalist. He waved politely, not entirely sure how to take in the huge reaction. After exchanging greetings with the two hosts, he found a spot next to Rodney on the couches.

"Shawn, buddy! Long time no see." Topher smirked. "Gotta say, I did NOT expect to be interviewing you so soon into the show."

"Yeah, well, you and me both." He grunted in frustration. "I'm still kind of reeling from it all, I was expecting the merge to be nearly impossible to survive, but I never expected my team to turn on me."

"It blindsided many of us watching," Ella said, the crowd voicing their agreement. "Would you mind walking us through your thought process after you found out you were eliminated?"

The conspiracy theorist frowned. "I guess. So from what I understand, Sugar and Amy were somehow able to get Beardo and Dave to both vote with them to kick me off. Now Beardo doesn't surprise me too much. I didn't think we had any beef, but we weren't really friends and I had noticed Sugar suddenly started hanging around him more after Rodney's elimination. I didn't think much of it at the time, but that should have clued me in that something was up. But I have no idea why they voted for me over Sammy, and I especially don't know why my so called friend Dave backstabbed me!"

"Ah yes, Dave. He's more involved in this situation than you may expect." Seeing Shawn give him a confused look, Topher chuckled. "But don't just take my word for it. See for yourself!"

As expected, the monitor switched to showing a scene from the most recent episode in Italy. Specifically taking place on the Jumbo Jet following the results of the challenge being confirmed. Amy and Sugar stood on either side of Dave.

"Sure, I'll do it."

There was a pause, Amy and Sugar both being caught off guard.

"Really?" The mean twin asked. "Just like that?"

Dave nodded. "Yeah, I'll vote with you guys." He noticed that Amy was about to break out in a wicked smile, so he held his finger up to stop her. "On one condition."

"Condition?" Sugar looked skeptical. "What kinda condition?"

"You let me pick who we vote for tonight."

Gasps rang out among some audience members, and even from the other eliminated contestants. Shawn was flabbergasted.

"That's right, Dave was the one to pick you for elimination," Topher confirmed. "Had it been up to Amy, it'd be Sammy talking to us right now."

"... But why? Out of everyone from our season, I always thought I was the one who treated Dave the best." He threw his arms up, still shocked. "I know he thought I was weird, but I thought he still considered me a friend. Why the hell did he eliminate me?"

It was Ella's turn to jump in. "If I may, we have footage of his voting confessional. That might help explain things a bit."

Everyone's eyes went back to the screen, which now showed Dave alone in the confessional.

"Shawn has everything so good," Dave lamented while stamping the zombie nut's passport. "His perfect girlfriend, got to make it to the finale, has countless fans. Well now it's his turn to see what tasting failure is like. Doesn't taste so great, does it buddy?"

Many in the crowd started to boo, almost rivaling the reaction Amy's clips had got. As for Shawn, he stared at the ground in awe as he processed his former friend's words.

"So... he was jealous of me? THAT'S why he stabbed me in the back?" He looked around for some sort of confirmation, but nobody said anything. "Even though I was the one to be concerned about him after the fallout with Sky? Seriously, what the heck? I don't remember ever trying to rub anything in his face."

"I'm afraid that's all we have right now to offer any sort of explanation," Ella said sadly. "I'm sorry, Shawn."

He shook his head, not sure if he should be angry, sad, blindsided, or any combination of the three. "Geez, and now Jasmine and Sammy are stuck with that on their team on top of having to deal with Amy and Sugar."

"Worried that they won't make it much longer?" Topher asked. "Now that they're on the outs of the team, it'd take some sort of miracle to keep them safe."

"I just said they'll have to put up with him in a way that it'll be unpleasant," Shawn corrected. "I'm not worried about them. They're both tough, I know they can figure a way out of this. Maybe they can flip Beardo to their side? He doesn't strike me as a bad guy, he's probably just being manipulated."

"Very optimistic." Topher chuckled ominously. "We'll see how that works out for them. Anything else you'd like to add before we move on?"

The scruffy boy tapped a finger to his chin. "Well, I guess there's no point in saying who I'm rooting for. Obviously it's for Jasmine and Sammy. Hopefully they also remember to practice good zombie safety. Oh! That reminds me, since you've got me on this talk show thing, I figure it's a good platform to talk about some walker tips. Like what kind of baseball bat is the best to use for self defense against them."

"I'd figure it'd have to be the metal alloy or aluminum bats," Harold suggested. "They're way more durable than a wooden one, plus they'd be easier to clean."

Shawn looked impressed. "That's right! You versed in zombie survival?"

"My years of consuming the best zombie video games and movies has made me a bit of a connoisseur in the field, I'd say," the geek boasted proudly.

Yet again another conversation was going off the rails as the two boys went back and forth talking about zombies. Though it wasn't clear if Harold took them as seriously as his scruffier comrade. Annoyed, Topher clapped his hands to once again regain everyone's attention.

"Actually, before we sign off, we have one more special treat for everyone watching."

Ella looked up at him curiously. "No one told me anything about this."

He smirked. "And you'll understand why after I announce it. Each Aftermath, we'll be allowing one of the former competitors a chance to perform one last song!"

Gasps echoed throughout the crowd, quickly replaced by cheers. Though no one cheered louder than Ella at the prospect of a song.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful!" She leaned in expectantly. "And I'm sure they'll need backup singers as well, right?"

"Sure." His co-host squealed happily, forcing him to hold a finger up to her face. "But singing is for former Battle of the Generations contestants only. IE, not us."

It was as if someone had just told Ella for the first time that Santa Claus wasn't real. "That's so unfair! Geoff and Bridgette sung during the World Tour aftermath!"

"I always really liked that song Geoff sung to diss Blaineley," Owen said from the peanut gallery, getting an agreeing smirk from Noah.

"Bridge's Sorry song was pretty sweet," Brody added. "She looked really ho-" He noticed his bro giving him a rare dark expression, ready to react in potentially severe ways depending on how he finished his sentence. "Honestly sincere, it was a real tearjerker dudes."

Geoff eased up, smiling at the song compliments. "Yeah, why won't they let you two sing? Isn't singing one of Ella's favorite things?"

"The producers make the rules not me." Topher shrugged, not looking like he cared if he could sing one way or another. Though his co-host seemed nearly on the verge of tears. "Tell ya what, I'll see if I can convince them to let us sing in one of the later Aftermaths. Sound good?"

"I suppose..."

He gave a thumbs up, then turned to the six former contestants. "Cool. So anyway, we're already running late so there's only time for one song. You guys sort out who you want to do the honor while Ella and I do an ad."

"Only one of us gets to sing?" Dakota asked.

"We might have been able to do something bigger, but like I said we're running late. So yeah, just one singer." That done, he and Ella turned to the screen and put on their best smiles. "Have you all heard of the year's most ambitious RPG title?"

"It's the epic adventure you can play on your phone with over 400 character to choose from," Ella added. "That's right, today the Aftermath is sponsored by Rai-"

While the hosts continued to shill a shitty mobile game, the former contestants entered a huddle to decide who would sing. They had to partly lean over the couches so that Harold could participate.

"I would have loved to sing a love ballad about Amy, but after everything I heard today I guess it wouldn't work." Rodney hung his head sadly. "Maybe I could think up one for Ella, but I don't think I'd make good lyrics in time."

"Riiight." Shawn looked around at the others. "Well I don't really care about singing, so I'll bow out. How about you guys?"

"I'm still feeling pretty awkward after they put me in that electric chair." Staci fidgeted in her seat. "I'll pass."

"Izzy WOULD normally have fun with it, but she'd rather just go back to making out with Big O."

"So I guess that leaves me and Harold?" Dakota looked down at the geek she had injured. "Well he IS the only real musician out of us. And letting him be the one to sing is the least I could do after everything."

Harold grinned. "Thanks, guys! I have a really good modernized version of the song I sang back on the first World Tour aftermath. This is gonna be straight fire."

The huddle disbanded just in time to catch the hosts finishing their ad.

"-So remember to use code BOTG to get 50,000 Silver and a free epic champion. Download today!" He noticed that the six were waiting for him to finish. "Ah good, you guys are done. So Shawn, ready to sing?"

The zombie nut raised an eyebrow. "Uh, what? We decided on letting Harold sing."

"Oh, you guys don't actually get to choose, I just needed you occupied for a minute so we could do that ad. Network picks who goes, and they said to make Shawn do it this time."

"GOSH! What is it with this dang network and denying me the things I love?" The crippled geek folded his arms with a huff. "Can I at least be in the video?"

Topher shrugged. "Sure, all of you can. Heck, let's get the peanut gallery in on it while we're at it. This is required, by the way."

"I don't remember this being part of the deal when we agreed to come on," Noah objected, only to get picked up by Owen's massive arm.

"Aw come on, little buddy. It'll be fun!"

"I'm down, dudes," Brody agreed, fist bumping a nodding Geoff.

"What do I even sing about?" Shawn asked. "I'm not exactly an expert in song writing."

"Just sing about something you love," Ella suggested. "Like Jasmine! Or, zombie survival!"

Topher rolled his eyes. "Zombies? That'd make for a stupid song."

"Zombie survival is not stupid," Shawn objected. "It's vital information that'll save lives one day!"

"Then put your money where your mouth is and sing about it!"

Leonard clapped happily. "A jaunty tune about combating the undead? Marvelous!"

The crowd was similarly pumped at the idea, cheering Shawn on and even chanting his name. Riding the wave of support, he finally nodded and stood up. "Fine. But you all better pay attention. This stuff could totally be the difference between life and death for you in the future."

Song Start!

"Zombie Time." Parody of "Thriller (Music Video Version)," by Michael Jackson.

[The video began outside the Aftermath studio, in what seemed to be a smokey alleyway. Despite it being daytime in actuality, during the video the sky was dark and cloudy. Smoke seemed to fill the streets and the howls of wolves accompanied the slowly rising ominous tune. Shawn made his way out of the alley, taking off his usual jacket and tossing it off screen. He looked around cautiously, stepping carefully down the foggy street as the music turned to a funky beat.]

"Alright, first lesson. The zombies always prey, come day or night. No sleep for lurchers, they'll sneak up on you masked within the dark."

[As he sneaked his way down the street, two heads vaguely resembling Owen and Noah's poked around the corner of a building. They ducked back into cover before Shawn caught sight of them.]

"And never scream! That sound will make the horde close in for snack time."

[Behind a nearby trashcan, Staci poked her head out to look at the scruffy boy. Thanks to being closer to the camera, it became apparently that she was adorned in zombie makeup, giving her skin a green hue with what appeared to be rotting flesh dangling from her cheek. Once again, she went back into hiding before getting in Shawn's line of sight.]

"Beware their squeeze! The grip is just as painful as their bite. Both ways you'll die!"

[As he rounded a corner, he tensed up as three zombies stood in the middle of the road before him. More specifically, the zombified versions of Geoff, Brody, and Izzy. They lumbered towards him slowly, arms outstretched and groaning menacingly.]

"Come time to fight them, it's best to try and beat them without a gun. The bang attracts them, just try and melee them down one by one."

[Proving his point, Shawn showed a prop gun to the screen and decided to pocket it rather than use it on the upcoming zombies. Instead he brandished what looked like a baseball bat. Thankfully for the three zombies it was made of foam, but it looked real enough for the video.]

"Don't lose your mind! Stay on your toes, don't let the ghouls surround you."

[Moving expertly, he sidestepped a swipe from the Brody zombie and nailed it in the back of the head with a bat. When the Geoff zombie approached, he hit him in the shins to bring the walker to its knees, then delivered a deciding double tap.]

"And don't play nice! Keep swinging till you know that they're all done. Then book it and run!"

[Shawn had a slightly harder time dealing with the Izzy zombie, who bobbed and weaved away from his first two swings. To get her still, he brandished a flashlight and nearly blinded the Izzy zombie with its light. This distracted her long enough to allow him to get a deciding blow to the head. As another corner was turned, a zombified Harold emerged from behind a dumpster and rolled its way towards Shawn. Thankfully the sound of the wheels turning alerted the conspiracy nut, allowing him to safely catch the nerd zombie in a headlock.]

"Make every move count. Remember that their weak point is the head."

[Shawn pointed at Harold's head for emphasis, then released him just in time to deliver another expertly pulled off blow to the skull. But even with that zombie down, zombie versions of Rodney and Dakota lurched out from behind the same dumpster. Noting that those zombies would be harder fights, he turned and ran.]

"They can't outrun you. The zombies aren't a fan of cardio. No time is safe, so try to sleep in a tree or a bunker."

[A Leonard zombie dived off a rooftop in an attempt to get the drop on Shawn. But he was savy, and rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the sneak attack. As he backed up, he didn't notice as more figures were emerging from out of the alleys around him.]

"Don't drop your guard! They'll overwhelm you into a mistake. Just one, and it's too late!"

[As if jinxing himself, Shawn turned around to see the zombified forms of Owen, Noah, Staci all surrounding him, even joined by the former Geoff, Brody, and Izzy zombies. He turned around to flee, but the Rodney, Dakota, Harold, and Leonard zombies had his other side covered. Properly surrounded and with no clear means of escape, he brandished his trusty bat in anticipation of a fight. But then the Izzy zombie tossed a rock and knocked the melee weapon from his hands. He was grabbed by the mighty strength of the Rodney zombie, making it impossible to move out of the way as the rest of the horde swarmed him. The music swelled ominously, turning to an eerie hiss as the ambient wolf howls and raven caws echoed louder. A climatic high note was played as the zombies finally stepped away, revealing that Shawn was now also turned into one of their own. He was also somehow now sporting a swanky red jacket.]

[But just as soon as the camera began to zoom in on the zombie Shawn, the funky beat returned and he twitched his head. He began stomping towards the camera, occasionally twitching his head towards his shoulder. Behind him, the zombified versions of the peanut gallery and former contestants mimicked his moves. They stretched out their arms, lurching their way forward in a sort of sidestep shimmy. As they hopped from right to left, swinging their arms menacingly, it was clear they were moving along perfectly to the beat. It was then that they performed three enthusiastic pelvic thrusts, with some of them looking like this particular move made it hard to continue maintaining an angry and threatening gaze at the camera.]

[Once they were done thrusting, they clapped above their heads and shimmied to their left. Then they stamped their foot and repeated the motion, this time going to their right. They then shuffled towards the camera with their arms outstretched, much faster than usual. Once the zombies had jumped into place again, they held their arms up like claws, swinging from left to right. They stepped to each side, claws held up all the while. Much hopping took place, sometimes facing the camera and other times facing backwards. All the while they moved their arms and gyrated their hips to the beat.]

[After some stylish punching towards either side, some zombies got dedicated closeups as they jerked towards the camera. Zombie Owen had drool hanging from his mouth, colored black and yellow in a grosser than normal fashion. Somehow even Harold's wheelchair looked to be decaying, as mold and fungus covered it while his shattered glasses complimented his demented glare. Dakota's zombie form could have given even Dakotazoid a run for her money, as part of her skull and jawbones seemed to be exposed, thanks to her flesh looking like it was melting off her face. Last was Staci, who had maggots covering her hair and burn marks covering her rotted head. The zombies slowly began stamping towards the left, hunched over as they stomped away from the camera. Then Shawn finally stood back up, now without the zombie makeup but still rocking the jacket.]

"And now it's zombie, zombie time. They're hungry for your brains, and looks like you are out of time."

[Despite no longer being zombified himself, the zombie entourage continued mimicking Shawn's dance moves. Some with more grace than others, as zombie Noah especially was starting to look winded.]

"Watch out for zombies, zombie time. Don't wanna lose your mind inside a walker, lurker."

[The zombies knelt to the ground while Shawn did a sick spin. They slowly rose around him, some still copying his moves while others showed off more standard zombie-like mannerisms.]

"Zombie, zombie time! Don't let them hear a sound, no time to scream or time to cry."

[In a neat shot, the zombies of Geoff, Brody, Noah, and Leonard all lurched in place, somehow both pulling off zombie motions while still dancing.]

"Zombies, zombie time. You best be set to fight against the lurchers, creepers, eaters. Zombie horde tonight!"

[Shawn did more sick spinning moves, with the zombies circling and rising around him.]

"You know it's zombie! Zombie time. Always go for the head, anything else don't even try."

[For one final time, the zombies echoed his dance moves, repeating things like the claw march or the stomping away from the camera. Shawn did one last spin and posed for the camera as he finished.]

"Zombie, zombie time. You're fighting for your life against the hungry, angry, zombie time tonight!"

Once the video was over, both former contestants and peanut gallery members were somehow back in their original couch positions. The audience and Ella both erupted into cheers and clapping. Shawn almost felt like he was supposed to take a bow, but opted instead to just awkwardly wave at the adoring fans.

"Well I guess that's as good enough a note to end on as it gets," Topher announced, barely able to be heard over the applause. "You guys got any parting words for the fans before we sign off?"

"Be careful with your lies," Staci said. "One day you may end up in a really painful electric chair. Wouldn't recommend it, yah."

Izzy just dabbed at the camera.

"Sometimes life may not be fair," Harold said, pointing at his wheelchair. "But always look on the bright side of things. Don't let it get you down too much, gosh."

"Never give up on love," Rodney announced to the heavens.

"Bottling up your anger can lead to some pretty bad stuff, so maybe don't do that." Dakota winked at the camera. "And stay fabulous!"

"Jasmine, Sammy, you guys got this!" Shawn pumped his fist. "And remember everyone, always aim for the head!"

With Ella finally calming down from the live performance, Topher moved to the sign off. "Than from us here at the Total Drama Aftermath, we've been Topher."

"And Ella!" The fairy tale princess clapped excitedly. "We'll see you next time with a brand new group of guests!"

Both hosts waved goodbye, Topher flashing a cocky grin while Ella smiled sweetly. Former contestants and peanut gallery members alike waved at the camera until the screen finally faded away.

Author's Note:

Well shit, this chapter ended up being longer than I expected it to. Since it was feeling bloated enough as is I didn't even include the current standings that I usually put at the end of each chapter. But really, it feels like that's not needed for Aftermath chapters anyway. Hopefully people enjoyed what I did with this chapter, because I fear that I packed too much into it.

So anyway, what did you think? As I said, there was a lot to go over with this Aftermath. I had to try and establish the roles both hosts filled, the peanut gallery, a highlight section for each eliminated contestant, and then end it all on a song. Let's go a step at a time and first cover the hosts. I'll admit that I kind of gave Topher and Ella the hosting roles at first just because I wanted to utilize more TDPI characters than what I had on the cast, and they felt the most fitting, but I eventually warmed more up to the decision since Topher fits the sort of TDA Geoff/Blaineley host role of the asshole willing to stir up drama to get the network's attention, while Ella is the sweet nice host to the guests. Also I get to torture her by making her watch live singing that she can't participate in. I don't care too much for either character, but I know they each have their fans and hope they worked well as hosts. For today's peanut gallery, I obviously used the characters from Ridonculous Race that in universe were snubbed because Chris is jealous (though only Geoff was actually part of my planned cast before the season aired). I hope no one minds the gag of Brody filling in for Bridgette. Spoiler alert, she will indeed be a guest on Aftermath 2, but I thought including Brody would be a fun little way to get the tiniest bit of chance for me to write RR characters. Also upon editing this chapter, I realize I made an offhand joke that references a season winner when I don't think I've established the winners of this universe thus far. I don't think it particularly matters that much, I try to write the story without relying too much on certain endings from past seasons, but for the sake of getting it out there the winners of each respective season in BOTG goes: Owen, Beth, Heather, Cameron, Zoey, Shawn, The Police Cadets. Anyway, I hope the peanut gallery was enjoyable. I liked the little moments I gave Owen, Noah, and Leonard, though I worry I didn't give Geoff and Brody anything of note. As for who will the guests be next time other than Bridgette? Well looking at what everyone on the gallery had in common this time other than RR participation, you may be able to wager a guess from there.

Perhaps the most bloat of the chapter came from eliminated character highlights. I wanted to try and capture as much flavor as the original aftermaths had, so I tried to get in what I could for segments like Truth or X, and That's Gonna Leave a Mark where appropriate. I think only Izzy didn't get much of anything special, so I made her prominent in a good way for the leave a mark segment. I'm interested to see what people think of each interview/segment. And last was the song. I got through the whole chapter and since I knew the last guest would be singing it, I guess it was kinda awkwardly tacked onto the end of the chapter. I'll try to fit other Aftermath songs more naturally into the chapter. But on that note, I implemented listing what song is being referenced (and if you're curious, previous singing chapters should soon also be updated to adopt this). Though it probably wasn't that needed this time since I parodied the song and visuals from arguably the most iconic music video of all time. I should note that I did specifically use Thriller in the way that it's laid out in the music video, IE all the verses first and then the "'Cause this is Thriller," chorus parts at the end. I thought it would flow better with the visuals I wanted to do by using the song that way. Sorry to anyone that wanted Dakota, Harold, or someone else to get the song spot. When thinking over what songs would fit these 6, once I got the idea of using Thriller for Shawn I was hooked. Also, I used this song to experiment with the alternate way of writing the song by bracketing the visuals and leaving the lyrics on their own. Reading it back, I do think I prefer it this way, but as always I'd like to hear what you guys think.

And that's all for me. We're back to the main competition next chapter as the second arc of the story begins. If you want to predict who's getting the axe between now and the next Aftermath, by all means predict it in a review. I love reading predictions. And I suppose I promised a location hint for next chapter. We're going... to the Americas! I've decided that whenever I'm doing a chapter in North or South America and it ISN'T in the United States, that'll be how I hint it. If it's in the United States, I'll say as much. There's 50 states and only a few off my contenders, that's still enough to not be too specific. So yeah, next chapter is somewhere in the Americas that is not the United States. I'll leave you guys with that, and see you next chapter.