A/N: This took way longer than it should have and I apologize.
"Last time on Total Drama House Party..." Hatchet stood in the foyer for the recap. "Our contestants took a dip in some shark-infested waters for Invincibility. It wasn't as eventful as ya might think because the sharks took one person at a time at a pretty slow rate. Outside of that, Franklin started gettin' pretty testy at Sonamjit for votin' out Bailey and ended up joinin' Rachel in Ernie's alliance with Erica. On the romance side, we had a hit and a miss. Mac and Sonam hooked up after a heart-to-heart talk about depression or somethin' while Yolonda finally figured out that David ain't worth her time. Franklin's attitude started rubbin' his allies the wrong way, but in the end, Ernie's alliance stood strong, and Sonamjit, er, I guess she's Spankety again. Whatever! She got voted out! What do we have in store for our final six? Find out ya fool! Only on Total! Drama! HOUSE PARTY!"
Ernie and Erica went to the backyard.
"Another night, another miserable time outside with little sleep," Erica griped.
"Dude, you're in the final six," Ernie pointed out. "You have, like, no right to complain. Think of everyone you've outlasted who wanted to be here."
"Since when are you Mr. Empathy?" Erica remarked.
"I don't, like, dwell on it, but sometimes I wonder what it'd be like if I were a forgotten early boot," Ernie said. "Ya know, like half of Team Thunder. Heheh."
"They did lose quite a bit in the early stages, huh?" Erica snickered. "Eh, better them than us, right?"
"'Us'? Since when are you Ms. I-Don't-Hate-Everyone?" Ernie remarked.
"I don't hate everyone. Just people who look down on my for my condition. Which just happens to be most people," Erica explained. "...And also Barry! Can't stand him either."
"Tch. Right," Ernie snickered.
"I do!" Erica insisted.
"I've hardly known you for a week, and even I can, like, tell that's a lie," Ernie said.
"Nuh-uh!" Erica pouted.
"Then explain why you hate Rachel in particular," Ernie said simply.
"She... uh... she... you know... shut up!" Erica huffed.
"That's what I thought," Ernie chuckled.
Confessional:
Ernie: Erica's actually, ya know, a pretty good ally. I think she knows people don't care for her attitude, so she's probably gonna stick with me for protection. I'm pretty sure I could, like, beat her in a challenge too, so I might even take her to the finale.
Erica: Do I need to explain a reason to hate Rachel? I'm sure all the viewers at home hate her too.
Rachel, David, and Franklin all went to the basement.
"I wonder how Mac's doing all alone in first class," Rachel thought aloud.
"Heh. If only he'd picked me to go with him," David chuckled. "Naw, I get why he did it. Between your guy friend and a girl you really like, the choice is obvious."
"Whatever happened to 'bros before hoes'?" Rachel asked.
"I don't think first class is serious enough for that to apply," David said. "If it was the final three and he had to pick between me and Spankety, then it'd apply."
"Even though you'd obviously beat him in the final challenge?" Franklin pointed out.
"If it were physical, probably," David said. "If it were mental he'd probably have me beat."
"Speaking of challenges, you're probably going next if you don't start winning them," Franklin pointed out. "Just a fair warning."
"Yeah, I figured that'd be the case," David admitted. "Unless I can convince you two to form an alliance with me. We could take out Ernie. He's a giant mental threat, after all."
"Will Mac be a part of this alliance?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah, probably," David said. "What do you say?"
"I say Franklin and I will talk about it tomorrow morning," Rachel said.
"Cool," David grinned.
Confessional:
David: I'm on thin ice in this game, and don't think I don't know it. I'm no genius, but I know I'm going to need four people to get a majority. I figured since I had Rachel and Franklin right there, I might as well ask them.
Rachel: David does raise an interesting point. There's no guarantee the last challenge will be physical. Total Drama Action had the winner decided by a vote, after all. Maybe I have a chance after all, despite being by far the physically weakest person here.
Mac entered his first-place room.
"These rooms are pretty nice. I should win challenges more often. Heeheehahaha!" Mac said to himself.
Mac opened the mini-fridge in his room and took a blood orange soda.
"Nice. How'd they know these were my favorite?" Mac said, impressed. "I should really win some more challenges."
Silence.
"Oh yeah, totally, Mac," Mac said, deepening his voice as if he were imitating someone.
"Why thank you, imaginary person I just made up," Mac said graciously.
"No problem. You always have us," Mac said, this time in a falsetto voice.
"Why thank you, other imaginary person I made up in seventh grade," Mac beamed.
"It's cool to hang out with your friends in first class, huh?" Mac said in his deeper voice.
"I agree!" Mac said in his falsetto.
"You guys are the best. Heeheehahaha!" Mac cackled.
Confessional:
Mac: ...So I was kinda lonely. Can you blame me? My girlfriend just got voted off.
Ernie entered the dining room alone.
"Welp, time for my white bread and tap water," Ernie grumbled. "I'd take Hatchet's slop over that. At least that probably tastes like something..."
"Trust me, you don't want that," Yolonda said as she entered the room with Ernie's breakfast. "It's way worse than it looks."
"Eh, if you insist," Ernie shrugged.
"Hey, you and David used to hang out, right?" Yolonda asked.
"I wouldn't call it 'hanging out' so much as, ya know, he voted how I told him to but we spent a noticeable chunk of the premerge together. Why?"
"Did he ever mention anything he liked about me?" Yolonda asked.
"If he did, I honestly don't remember," Ernie said. "I came here for two reasons: to slack off and to win a million dollars while doing it. I'm not here to, like, keep track of relationship drama."
Yolonda took Ernie's glass of water.
"Hey!" Ernie objected.
"If you're not going to help me, I'm not going to give you your water privileges," Yolonda said.
"Wow. Rude," Ernie scoffed. "If you want to know if David likes you, then why don't you just, ya know, ask him?"
"I know he likes me for my appearance and because I make him food, but I want to know if he likes anything about who I am," Yolonda explained.
"Again, just ask him," Ernie scowled.
"You are no help whatsoever," Yolonda sighed as she returned to the kitchen.
"At least I don't take people's beverages when they don't do what I want," Ernie said as he scratched his head.
Confessional:
Ernie: If Yolonda wanted to know about David so bad, why didn't she just ask Mac? Mac and David are, like, best friends now, right?
Franklin and Rachel met up in the armory.
"So, about David's proposal..." Rachel started.
"Quite frankly, we'd be stupid to go with it," Franklin said. "Who would you rather align with? The challenge threats, or the non-challenge threats?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking, though I wouldn't have put it so bluntly, myself," Rachel agreed. "I get that he wants to win, but so do the rest of us."
"It's his own fault for not playing with strategy in mind until now," Franklin scoffed. "First he rides Ernie's coattails, then Sonam's. Now that it's down to him and Mac, well, I wouldn't trust Mac with strategy either."
"I dunno. David did say Mac was probably smarter than he is," Rachel thought aloud.
"Oftentimes the smartest people are the most unhinged," Franklin said.
"...None taken," Rachel said, despite her tone clearly conveying that she was offended.
"Eh, that sounded better in my head," Franklin shrugged. "Point is: we're not aligning with David and Mac?"
"Yeah," Rachel nodded.
"Good. I'm going to get some breakfast," Franklin said as he left the room.
Confessional:
Rachel: Though I am hoping that the finale is based on a vote, I can't play the game under the assumption that it is. With that in mind, I don't think I'll take Franklin to the finale with me. I suppose my best bet would be with Ernie. He doesn't strike me as the type to exert himself in a physical challenge, and I like to think I'm at least as smart as he is, so I'll have my bases covered.
Mac and David met up in the rec room.
"Awwww. Rip Spankety," Mac frowned.
"Uh, what?" David asked.
"You know. Rip Spankety," Mac repeated.
"I don't get it," David admitted.
"You know how you say 'rip' to someone who's dead?" Mac asked.
"That's R.I.P. Stands for 'rest in peace'," David explained. "I should know. I wrote a song called 'R.I.P'. Besides, she's not even dead."
"Nah, that's boring," Mac dismissed. "You don't pronounce each letter in 'lol'. You just say it."
"I must have missed the memo," David said in disbelief. "Anyway, I got some good news."
"You're changing your name to Fleetwood so we can pay homage to one of the greatest acts in music history?" Mac asked.
"The good news is that I spoke to Rachel and Franklin last night, and they said they'd consider aligning with us and voting out Ernie," David continued.
"Oh, cool," Mac smiled. "I'm guessing Erica would go right after that?"
"I guess so," David said. "Though that'd leave us with a tie in the final four. Unless we can get one of them to flip. I think."
"Couldn't we just lose one of them in the final five?" Mac asked. "We could probably get Erica to vote for Rachel, leaving us, Erica, and Franklin in the final four. We vote out Franklin, then Erica, then bam. Final two."
"...Whoa," David said.
Confessional:
Mac: Of course, there's nothing stopping Erica from winning invincibility in the final three. Or Franklin winning it twice after Rachel leaves. Ah, we'll figure it out when we get there. Heeheehahaha!
David: Am I the only one who sucks at strategy?
Ernie entered the game room and found Erica playing Tetris.
"'Sup," Ernie greeted.
"Hey," Erica greeted back. "So, we're voting Rachel tonight, right?"
"Eh," Ernie shrugged. "I mean, I'd rather get rid of one of the goofballs first, ya know? If only because I don't know how Franklin will react to us flipping on Rachel."
"Ugh. Good point," Erica yielded. "I guess as long as I don't have to actually talk to her, it's whatever."
"That's quite mature of you," Ernie noted. "You seem to be growing up."
"Wow. Do you not realize how incredibly condescending that sounds?" Erica snorted. "What, are you going to tell me you're proud of me next? Like I need your approval."
"Sorry. Wasn't trying to offend," Ernie said half-heartedly.
"Eh, at least you apologized," Erica conceded. "...So, you ever play any games?"
"Yeah, but it's usually, ya know, puzzle games," Ernie said. "I find Picross to be quite the underrated gem."
"Never heard of it," Erica said.
"My point exactly," Ernie said. He turned to the camera. "Consider this free advertising. Go buy Picross."
"You're such a sellout," Erica chuckled.
"Eh, we've all sold our souls for a chance at the million. Why should this be any different?" Ernie shrugged.
Confessional:
Erica: Ernie's actually pretty cool, I guess. At the very least he's honest, and doesn't seem to care about my condition. I consider him a friend.
Ernie: I honestly don't understand why everyone always says Erica's hard to deal with. If anything she's, like, the most decent ally I've had in this whole game.
The contestants all met in the foyer at Hatchet's request.
"Welcome to the final six!" Hatchet said. "Since y'all have made it this far, I'm sure y'all have gotten to know each other pretty well."
"Actually, I don't think I've spoken to Ernie once this entire game," Mac pointed out. "Hi, Ernie!"
"Whatever," Ernie droned.
"Anyway! Today's challenge is the return of a Season 1 classic: the Tri-Armed Triathlon!"
"Oh, this should be fun for me," Rachel commented.
"Quit yo' whinin'," Hatchet said. "You're the one who decided to stay in the game after breakin' your arm."
"CJ broke it, but that's besides the point," Rachel corrected.
"Rachel, your partner will be David," Hatchet continued, ignoring Rachel's correction.
"At least I have enough strength for both of us," David chuckled as he nudged Rachel.
"Yeah, probably," Rachel shrugged.
"Franklin and Erica, y'all two are also partners," Hatchet said.
"Eh, I'll take it," Erica said.
"Good to know I'm satisfactory," Franklin said icily.
"And lastly, that leaves Ernie and Mac as a pair," Hatchet said.
"Well what do you know? I was just thinking we hadn't spoken much," Mac pointed out.
"Riveting," Ernie deadpanned.
"As the title implies, there'll be three challenges," Hatchet explained. "The first challenge will involve all six of ya and will consist of an eatin' challenge. The second challenge will involve the two grounds that didn't finish their food and will consist of a totem pole arrangement where ya gotta stack the heads of the eliminated players on top of each other. And yes, there will be two heads for Tucker, Bailey, and Spankety, so don't forget that. The first team to finish that challenge will compete with the team who won the eatin' challenge in a race to the attic. First team to make it there wins Invincibility for both of y'all."
"...So it's basically exactly like the challenge from Season 1," Erica pointed out.
"Nah, because someone is guaranteed to win this challenge!" Hatchet corrected. "To the kitchen!"
Confessional:
Rachel: David's probably the best partner I could have ended up with. And hey, as it turns out, I might not need to use my right arm that much after all. Yay, me.
Erica: Eh, I could have gotten a worse partner.
Ernie: If Mac doesn't want to, ya know, go home, he's going to have to help me win Invincibility too. I like this challenge.
Each pair stood at a different table with an identical spread of food in front of them.
"Here's the deal," Yolonda said. "One of you spoon-feeds the other. When you think you've finished up all the food, call for me. I'll decide if you have or not."
"Uh, I call bias," Ernie said. "You and David are friends."
"Trust me. David will receive no bias, positive or negative," Yolonda assured him. "Choose who's doing what."
"I should probably feed you," David said. "What with having both working arms. Can you do that?"
"Oh, don't worry. Rachel's used to lots of swallowing," Erica called from the next table. She snickered as Rachel glared at her.
"That should be fine," Rachel told David.
"Alright, how fast can you eat?" Erica asked Franklin.
"I'm not used to big meals," Franklin said.
"Tch. What kind of man are you?" Erica sneered. "Fine. You can feed me."
"So, what's the dealio here?" Ernie asked Mac.
"I'd like to eat, personally," Mac said. "You've had more of Yolonda's cooking than I have."
"Eh, fair enough," Ernie said as he scratched his head.
"Are you ready?" Yolonda asked the players.
"Yes," all six said in unison.
"Go!"
David, Franklin, and Ernie all began spoon-feeding their partners.
Confessional:
Ernie: You know, I don't recall Yolonda saying I couldn't help eat the food.
Ernie held two spoons in his hand: one for him and one for Mac.
"Yo, not that I'm not grateful, but is this allowed?" Mac asked.
"She didn't say otherwise," Ernie said. "Trust me on this."
Erica caught a glimpse of Ernie.
"Hey!" Erica objected. Just then, Franklin fed her some food.
"What is it?" Franklin asked, slightly annoyed.
Erica chewed her food for a couple seconds, and then swallowed.
"Ernie's helping eat the food!" Erica pointed out.
"I never said you couldn't do that," Yolonda shrugged.
David got a glimmer in his eye. He procured a second spoon from the table and used it to shovel all the food into his mouth.
"Ew..." Rachel winced.
"Done!" David announced.
Yolonda walked up to the table used by David and Rachel to check their progress. Sure enough, David had cleaned the plates.
"Welp. David and Rachel will be moving on to the final round," Yolonda announced. "This challenge is over."
"Nice!" David cheered.
Confessional:
David: Even when Yolonda's pissed at me, her food is AWESOME!
Rachel: So the implication here is that I'm holding the two of us back. Hopefully, that's not the case in the race to the attic.
Erica, Franklin, Mac, and Ernie all met up in the foyer. Hatchet was there, along with a number of wooden heads.
"Welcome to part two of the challenge," Hatchet greeted. "Y'all know how it is. Stack a totem pole of eighteen heads in order of elimination, with the first elimination at the bottom and the latest elimination at the top."
"I have to say, the craftsmanship here is nothing to sneeze at," Franklin commented as he examined a Ziggy head.
"This should be easy," Ernie told Mac. "I've, ya know, been to a lot of these eliminations."
"Cool. Let's do it," Mac grinned.
"And... GO!" Hatchet shouted.
Confessional:
Mac: Heh. It's a good thing Ernie remembers a lot of these boots because I was gone for most of them. All I know is that people kept showing up at the Motel. Don't remember which order though.
"Okay, Sonam was the first boot, obviously," Erica said as she grabbed a Spankety head.
"After that was Ziggy and then Preston," Franklin remembered as he grabbed Ziggy's and Preston's heads and put them atop Spankety's.
"Was Mac after that?" Erica asked.
"How should I know? He was on your team," Franklin said rudely.
"I was just making sure," Erica scowled.
"All I know is that Susan left fifth," Franklin said. "Don't know who left between Preston and Susan."
"It was probably Mac," Erica decided as she put the Mac head atop the Preston head.
Franklin followed by putting the Susan head on the Mac head.
Confessional:
Erica: One thing that sucks about everyone being awful is that I can't be bothered to care who left when.
Ernie took a Spankety head, set it upside down, and put a Bailey head atop it.
"Whatcha doing?" Mac asked.
"Working in reverse," Ernie said. "It'll be, like, easier for me to remember that way."
"Cool," Mac said.
"Why don't you, like, work from the bottom up?" Ernie asked as he added the Judy head to Bailey's. "You probably remember that better than I do."
"It'll be hard to stack things when you're using my arm as well as yours," Mac pointed out.
"Shoot. Good point," Ernie conceded as he added a Tucker head to his pole. "Grab the heads I tell you to. We'll get this done faster."
"You're the boss," Mac shrugged.
"Don't shrug. It pulls on my arm," Ernie said as he scratched his head. "I need the Barry head now."
"Gotcha," Mac saluted.
"And definitely don't salute," Ernie sighed.
Confessional:
Ernie: If I didn't, ya know, have Mac bound to me, I'd have finished this challenge in a minute.
Erica and Franklin had built up to Nolan's head.
"Crazy bitch," Erica commented as she held up CJ's head. "What I wouldn't give to cave her face in."
"I liked her," Franklin chuckled. "She made beating you guys a whole lot easier."
"I liked you a lot better when you were just soft-spoken and not an asshole," Erica commented.
"I liked this game a lot better when Bailey wasn't blindsided," Franklin retorted.
"Hey, Barry got blindsided too, but you don't see me complaining," Erica said.
"I thought you hated Barry," Franklin smirked.
Erica glared at Franklin, and then pushed the totem pole on its side, causing the heads to scatter.
"Oops," Erica said in faux innocence.
"If we lose, I'm voting you off," Franklin said.
"Likewise," Erica said with a malicious grin.
Ernie and Mac continued working on their upside-down totem pole
"Pretty sure Nolan was before CJ," Ernie said. "Not entirely sure, but I can't think of anywhere else for him to go."
"I say go for it," Mac said as he handed Ernie the Nolan head.
"It was either him or Tucker," Ernie thought aloud.
"No, Tucker was before Nolan," Mac said. "I have a weird vivid memory of Tucker at the Motel where-"
"I don't care," Ernie said as he added Nolan's head. "Just give me the other Tucker head."
"Whatever, dude," Mac said.
Confessional:
Mac: Ernie's taking this too seriously. I mean, yeah, he'll probably be going home if he doesn't win, but still.
"I could get the votes to get you eliminated, you know?" Franklin threatened.
"Oh, I'm so scared," Erica said mockingly.
"David offered me and Rachel and alliance with him and Mac," Franklin said. "And I know Rachel wouldn't mind getting rid of you."
"...I hate you," Erica said as she began rebuilding the totem pole.
"Your feelings towards me are irrelevant, frankly," Franklin said as he took a Spankety head.
"Was that a freaking pun?" Erica snapped.
"It wasn't meant to be," Franklin said as he added the Ziggy and Preston heads to the pole.
Ernie added the Preston head to his duo's pole.
"Say, do you suppose Hatchet will accept the pole if it's upside-down?" Mac asked.
"He never said he wouldn't," Ernie smirked. "You have to look out for these kinds of things. Being a smartass can make things a lot easier for you sometimes, ya know?"
"I could have sworn he said 'first boot on the bottom, latest boot on top'," Mac said. "I mean, either way, Spankety's going to be at the ends, but still."
"Tsk. I think you're right," Ernie said. "Here, help me gently lay the pole down. We can just, like, flip it over."
The two boys slowly and carefully lay their totem pole down.
"And then... Ziggy and Spankety," Ernie said as he added their heads to the pole.
"Sweet. Let's get it up!" Mac snickered.
"Tell me that wasn't a penis joke," Ernie said with a sigh.
"Hey, when you have a long, stiff, wooden pole in the room, you have to make at least one," Mac stated.
"I don't think that's in the Total Drama rulebook," Ernie said as he scratched his head.
"No, but it is in the 'not having a stick up your ass' rulebook," Mac giggled.
"I'm ignoring that," Ernie said as he struggled to get the totem pole to stand up on his own.
"Oh, shoot. Sorry," Mac said as he realized that he wasn't helping. He grabbed the other end of the totem pole and helped it stand up.
"Yo, Hatchet. We're, like, ready and stuff," Ernie called.
Hatchet inspected the totem pole. From bottom to top, the heads were arranged as Spankety, Ziggy, Preston, Mac, Susan, Jilly, Tucker, Nolan, CJ, Bailey, Chappy, Kiki, Lauren, Barry, Tucker, Judy, Bailey, and Spankety.
"Ernie and Mac make it to the final round!" Hatchet announced.
"Nice!" Mac cheered.
"Meanin' that Erica and Franklin are out of the challenge," Hatchet said as he turned to the two losing teens.
"Whatever," Erica shrugged.
Franklin glared at her.
Confessional:
Erica: I don't care if I'm not invincible tonight. I'm not a target anyway.
The pairs of David and Rachel, and Ernie and Mac all stood in the foyer, awaiting Hatchet's instruction.
"Alright, here's how it's gonna work!" Hatchet said. "Y'all are gonna race to the attic! First group to make it there wins invincibility for both of ya! Any questions?!"
"Yeah," Franklin said from one of the couches. "Why do Erica and I still have to be cuffed together?"
"Because the challenge ain't over!" Hatchet answered.
"Can I ask for the Wimp Key?" Franklin asked.
"The Wimp Key eliminates you from the game, not the challenge," Erica reminded him.
Franklin sighed. "Nevermind."
"Any more questions?" Hatchet asked the contestants who were still in the challenge.
The four teens glanced at each other to see if one of them had a question. Nobody did.
"Alright then!" Hatchet shouted as he procured an airhorn from his pocket. He pushed the button and a loud wail emanated from it. "GO!"
Mac and Ernie both dashed as quickly as they could, but Mac was faster than Ernie, which caused him to trip and fall on his face.
"Heeheehahaha!" Mac cackled. "Wait, I'm not supposed to enjoy this. For Spankety's sake."
"That's great. Can we pick it up?" Ernie asked impatiently. "They're going to pass us."
Ernie pointed at Rachel and David with his eyes. The two moved rhythmically yet not quickly.
"Right. Left. Right. Left." Rachel recited.
"Aren't we going a bit slow?" David asked.
"Slow and steady wins the race," Rachel said.
"Even with invincibility on the line?" David asked with a raised eyebrow.
Ernie and Mac then passed the two.
"One. Two. One. Two. One. Two," Mac repeated quickly.
"I'm going to take the biggest nap after this..." Ernie complained as he scratched his head.
Confessional:
David: I know I'm probably a huge target, so I need invincibility. I hope Rachel's not throwing it so she can get me out.
Ernie: (he is fast asleep)
Both groups had now made it to the second floor.
"Right. Left. Right. Left," Rachel continued.
"Er, you sure we shouldn't pick up the pace?" David asked.
"It's hard enough having to move my right leg on left and my left leg on right," Rachel said. "I do that so as to not confuse you."
"You do realize our legs aren't cuffed together?" David asked. "I don't think we need to move that formulaically."
Just then, Mac fell on his face again, causing David and Rachel to pass him and Ernie.
"Dang it, Mac. Stop enjoying that!" Mac scolded himself.
Rachel shot David a slightly smug look.
"They're going to pass us in a minute," David insisted quietly.
"Onetwoonetwoonetwo!" Mac exclaimed as he and Ernie speed-walked past their opponents.
"Here, let me carry you," David said to Rachel.
"What?" Rachel asked, taken aback.
"I'm a fast runner. We can make it if it's just me. Besides, you don't seem that heavy," David explained.
"Alright, fine," Rachel huffed.
Confessional:
Rachel: I hate being wrong. I hate it even more when others are more right than I am.
Both groups had now made it to the third floor.
"If I'm'a be a hunnit, I think we got this," Mac grinned.
"Do I want to know what a hunnit is?" Ernie asked.
"If I'm'a be a hunnit percent, dawg," Mac clarified.
Ernie gave him a blank look.
"A hunnit percent honest," Mac said, straight-faced.
"This would be, like, a ton easier if you didn't use arbitrary hip-hop slang," Ernie sighed as he scratched his head.
"You've been scratching your head a lot recently," Mac pointed out. "Good thing you don't have dandruff, huh?"
"My shampoo is nice like that," Ernie nodded.
Just then, David passed the two boys, carrying Rachel bridal style.
"Shoot!" Mac exclaimed.
Mac's outburst distracted David, causing him to trip on the rug.
"Later, lose- okay, you're not losers, but you know what I mean!" Mac called behind him as he and Ernie passed the two.
"Slow and steady," Rachel reminded him.
"Fiiiiiiiiiiine," David whined.
Confessional:
Mac: Being a hunnit really pays off.
Mac and Ernie found the attic door.
"Nice," Ernie smirked.
Mac pulled the string to open the door, causing the falling ladder to drop on his face.
"Heeheehaha- NO!" Mac exclaimed.
"Hey, how are we supposed to, like, climb this with our hands cuffed together?" Ernie asked.
"Piggyback it!" David called as he sprinted to the ladder. "Thanks for the help."
Ernie hopped on Mac's back.
"Whoa! All aboard!" Mac said as he and David both grabbed the ladder at the same time. "Well this is awkward."
"Nah. Just let me win. You're probably not a target," David said to Mac.
"You really are," Ernie told Mac.
"Just go, David," Rachel said impatiently.
"Not on my timepiece!" Mac said.
Just then, one of the friends grabbed the ladder with both hands and made his ascent, his partner on his back. The two found Yolonda waiting for them.
"Congratulations," Yolonda said.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
"Mac and Ernie, you've both won Invincibility," Yolonda continued.
"Sweetness!" Mac cheered as he threw both fists in the air.
"Ow! That's my arm!" Ernie growled as he rubbed his cuffed arm.
"Aw, dang it," David frowned as he and Rachel entered the attic.
"Sorry, Rachel, but you fell just short," Yolonda said.
"Somehow I'm not surprised," Rachel said.
"Ernie, Mac, as the winners, pick a duo to sleep outside," Yolonda instructed.
"Erica and Franklin?" Mac asked Ernie.
"Eh, why not?" Ernie shrugged.
Confessional:
David: So Yolonda's sorry to Rachel, but not to me? Real mature.
Ernie: Well, my arm's in serious pain, but, ya know, invincibility's never a bad thing, so it's whatever. (he scratches his head) It does kinda suck that I had to send Erica outside, but I didn't want us to seem too close.
Rachel: That could have gone better.
Mac: So, like, who invented colors anyway? That's not related to anything that's gone on today, but I'm curious. Whose idea was it to give them names and stuff?
Rachel, Franklin, Ernie, and Erica all met in the game room.
"So, looks like our only option tonight is David," Rachel said. "Which is fine by me. Honestly, he wasn't a great partner."
"Hey, at least you didn't end up with Erica," Franklin told her.
"It's almost as bad as being with Franklin," Erica sniggered.
"Guys, let's focus," Ernie said. "So yeah, David's gotta go tonight. The fewer threats there are, the better."
"How he even made it this far is beyond me," Rachel said.
"It's because he's a coward," Erica said. "Always hiding behind someone else's alliance. And now the jig is up."
"Heh. Couldn't have said it better myself," Ernie agreed.
"I'm going to grab a snack," Franklin said. "Rachel, would you care to join me?"
"Eh, sure. David ate all my food in the eating challenge anyway," Rachel shrugged.
Confessional:
Ernie: This is going to make the final challenge, like, a heck of a lot easier. I'm pretty sure they're always physical, and David's, like, the opposite of a slouch in that department.
Franklin and Rachel went outside the game room and eventually went to the armory.
"This is the armory," Rachel pointed out.
"It is," Franklin said. "I have strategy to talk."
"Oh boy. This should be fun," Rachel said.
"Hear me out," Franklin said sternly. "How many merge challenges has David won so far?"
"Uh, I think just the one," Rachel said. "The obstacle course, I think."
"And how many has Ernie won?" Franklin asked.
"I think... this one, and the trial. Why?" Rachel inquired.
"All this time we've pegged David as the biggest challenge threat in the game, but he isn't," Franklin said. "He couldn't even win a footrace. And he was against someone who's not only less athletic, but had a heavier teammate."
"So... you want to blindside Ernie?" Rachel asked.
"I want to at least talk with the goofballs," Franklin said. "It could be a good idea."
"But Ernie's invincible, remember?" Rachel asked.
"That's why we take out Erica tonight," Franklin said. "We can weaken Ernie at the very least."
"And then what? Ernie loses trust in us because we blindsided his ally," Rachel sighed.
"We'll make something up. Come on, let's at least talk to them," Franklin insisted. "Besides, do you of all people really want to keep Erica of all people in the game?"
"Alright, have it your way," Rachel said.
Confessional:
Rachel: I'm still not sure this is a good idea, but I honestly trust the goofs more than I do Erica, so who knows what could happen?
Rachel and Franklin met up with David and Mac in the rec room.
"Oh, hey guys," David said. "What's up?"
"We've come to talk strategy," Franklin said.
"Does that line usually work at the bars?" Mac asked.
"Look, Ernie's immune, but we're willing to vote out Erica," Franklin said. "Thoughts?"
"I don't really know Erica all that well, but I guess that'd be fine," David said. "She doesn't seem super nice."
"Yeah, she's kind of a bitch," Mac chuckled. "Pardon my Dutch."
"You mean 'French'," Rachel corrected.
"Hey, you have your ancestry and I have mine," Mac huffed.
"Point is, we're voting for Erica," Franklin said. "Cool?"
"Cool," David smiled as he shook Franklin's hand.
"Good talk," Franklin said.
Confessional:
David: Wow. My first day of strategy and people are already begging for my vote. I have to say, it feels good.
Rachel: I don't like how Franklin basically spoke for me, but I'll live. As long as I'm still here at the end of the day.
Ernie played some Tetris while Erica watched.
"Wow. You are awful," Erica snickered.
"I also have a life outside of playing this one game," Ernie chuckled.
"You also have no physical mutations," Erica said.
"Blond hair and blue eyes are both mutations, I'm pretty sure," Ernie corrected.
"Well then I await the day that albinism is as commonplace as blond hair and blue eyes," Erica pouted.
"Have a ton of albino babies and maybe that'll happen," Ernie said.
"Implying anyone wants to have sex with me," Erica said with a resigned chuckle.
"I'm sure someone does," Ernie shrugged. "You never know if you don't ask."
"Is that a hint?" Erica asked.
"What? No. I like... someone else," Ernie said as he scratched his head. "Are either of your parents albino?"
"Yeah, my father is," Erica said.
"If he could end up with someone, you can too," Ernie said.
"I guess..." Erica said. "So, about the vote..."
"You still want to vote for Rachel," Ernie interrupted.
"Yeah," Erica nodded. "Just being in the same room as her pisses me off."
"You really hate this chick, don't you?" Ernie asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"So much..." Erica growled.
"Eh, I guess we could," Ernie shrugged. "We might be able to talk the goofs into it. Even if Franklin turns on us, we can figure a way out of it."
"...Thanks," Erica said with a genuine smile.
"It's whatever," Ernie said.
Confessional:
Erica: I hate being compared to my father, but getting to vote for Rachel makes it all better. ...Guh, I sound so sappy.
Ernie: At this point, I don't think being a mental threat is really a factor, so I'm basically untouchable right now. I have full confidence I can, like, make the finale.
A while later, Erica bumped into David in the hall.
"Oh. Sorry," David apologized.
"If you're sorry, you'll vote for Rachel tonight," Erica grunted. "If you don't, then you'll really be sorry. Got it?!"
"...Okay?" David said.
"Good! Have a nice day!" Erica shouted angrily.
Confessional:
David: ...That girl confuses me.
The seven contestants sat on a couch in the foyer. Hatchet came down the staircase carrying an ice box. He set the ice box down as he stood across from the contestants.
"I got five sodas in this ice box," Hatchet said. "That means that in just a couple minutes, we'll be down to the top 25% of the cast! Be proud, dammit!"
"I'm ugly and I'm proud!" Mac shouted.
"Heh. Classic Spongebob," David chuckled.
"Anyway! Sodas go to..."
"Mac."
"Ernie."
"Franklin."
"David."
Rachel and Erica both seemed surprised to see themselves in the bottom two. They glanced at each other, and nervously at Hatchet.
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"Erica."
"Yes! YESSSSS!" Erica cheered. "In your face! I totally outlasted you!" she taunted Rachel. She opened her soda and chugged it in front of her rival. "Okay, ow, that was a bad idea. I can't chug soda very well. Ow."
"Well this sucks," Rachel said, annoyed as she got up and walked for the Door of Shame. "A broken arm and some decent strategy and nothing to gain from it. What a waste of time."
"Sorry," Mac said sympathetically.
"At least I get to be with Barry again," Rachel said as she smirked at Erica.
"Go do that. Barry is old news to me," Erica huffed.
"If you insist," Rachel said as she left the house.
Confessional:
David: Whoa. Final five. I'm as surprised as you are that I got here. I guess since I'm here, I might as well go all out! Get ready to rock!
Erica: I outlasted Rachel, which is all I really needed, but I figure at this rate I might as well win, too.
Ernie: I've had my eye on the prize since, like, day one. That hasn't changed one bit. Fifteen down, four to go.
Franklin: I can't lose this game. I've come too far to lose now. I need that money, and nobody's going to stop me from getting it.
Mac: I mean, I just applied for the heck of it, but I've had so many good times, winning it all would be a cool way to end it.
"We're in the final stretch," Hatchet said to the camera. "What will Franklin do now that he's all out of allies? Can Ernie and Erica get away with blindsidin' Rachel? Do David or Mac have any semblance of a chance? You'll hafta find out next time, on Total! Drama! HOUSE PARTY!"
Votes:
Erica: Goodbye, Rachel. Hello, happiness.
Franklin: I figure the fewer allies Ernie has, the easier it will be to take him out when he's not invincible. That's why I vote for Erica.
Ernie: Eh, might as well go for it. Rachel.
Rachel: I'd really rather vote for David, but going against the majority is too risky, so I vote for Erica.
Mac: I guess Rachel's a bigger threat or something? I guess that makes sense.
David: So, between Rachel and Erica... Rachel's probably more likely to turn on me and Mac. She's all smart and strategic like that. So I'll beat her to the punch. I vote Rachel.
A/N: Overall I like how Rachel turned out. The idea with her was to turn a cold and cutthroat strategist into a more rootable and emotional hero/anti-hero, which is where Barry came in. This also served to subvert the trope where a temptress turns her otherwise good prey into a villain, as Barry managed to teach her to be a bit more sweet and caring, while never really losing who she was to begin with. In the end, I suppose her manipulation still led to her downfall, since manipulating Barry was the reason Erica was so against her in the first place, so one can't say she went unpunished for it.