Teaser 3: Everybody Loves Chris
The sounds of a murmuring audience could be heard. Various topics of discussion were presumed in smaller groups - the dominating one at hand about the stage in front of them. At that moment, it appeared to be dark. At a low pitch in the room. From the production team, cameramen scattered around the area, their goal to capture all the footage in high quality from different angles. If one were to guess, this room held a talk show of sorts.
On the stage itself held three leather couches, suitable for sitting and relaxing in comfort. The least wide of the three was positioned on the left, second widest in the middle, and the widest was aligned on the right - all of them were near each other. They were accompanied by a laminated, red-colored, wooden floor and a background wall with unique designs spread all over; the most notable was the large 'W' in the center. Add some curtains on the sides of where the host and guests entered from, and that completed the front set.
Backstage would be another story.
Then the first stage light turned on. The next one followed suit. Another one in the left corner of where some blonde woman held a latte sat nearby. Soon, the once-dark room turned into a bright-and-cheery setting as cameramen began filming the stage, and a familiar intro—indicated by the riff from an electric guitar—caused most of the audience to pay attention. To the people watching at home, they could see letters and blocks of words cross the screen, like an opening. At the very end of it, the middle of the screen had the title, centered and all in red, and it read:
WILSON'S WORLD.
As the audience began clapping, a male voice could be heard from off-screen. "Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, please welcome your wonderful host: William Wilson!" He made sure to put emphasis on the name, considering that he was introducing the host. The applause grew louder and some of them started cheering.
Within the next minute, a well-dressed man made his entrance from the left side of the stage—the applause continued and grew louder. Having an attractive physique and clean, light brown skin, William Wilson smiled for them, the cameras, and the spectators at home. His formal outfit consisted of the following: a traditional black suit over a white, long-sleeved, tuxedo shirt with a red tie—sporting white polka dot designs—tied around it, stylish black tuxedo pants, and matching black dancing shoes. Onto his hair; it was a simple, medium afro fade cut. All in all, a classic attire.
He began speaking and introducing himself while waving at the live audience. "Good morning, good morning, folks - how're we all doing!" William let out a small yet enthusiastic chuckle. Soon the applause and ovation came to an end, sans a couple of feminine cheers. This caused him to address the excited ladies. "Thank you, thank you. Glad to know our front row is energetic and…" He scanned the front row quickly. "Very into that new Unicorn drink from Starbucks." It got a small round of laughter from the audience.
"But let's get right into business, folks! We got ourselves plenty of topics to discuss, right here today. It's been a wild week of events, as you may or may not know." William had a charming voice, and he could fit right in with the news reporters if he wanted that job. Then he listed out some of the events. "We got a new Cyberpunk trailer, another lawsuit from C.I.T. Courtney herself, and a huge album drop from the Drama Brothers, amongst other things." The mention of the band got some people letting out a quick cheer.
Once the audience went quiet again, he continued. "But nothing can compare to the huge, shocking announcement of one man, none other than Chris McLean himself, returning to the Total Drama scene." He knew he had to put emphasis on the name of the iconic Total Drama host, to bring out more excitement from the audience. Speaking of which:
More loud cheers erupted from the audience, majority of them being female. In fact, it seemed to be the loudest reaction so far. William made sure to stay on this topic. "I know, I had the same reaction when I first saw it on Twitter. Just when I thought it would be an article about his retirement or resignation from the company, he comes back like nothing ever happened." His smile grew wider, albeit in a subtle manner. "But y'know what? Why rely on articles for answers? I'm sure none of y'all wanna wait another week for the updates, right?" He received something along the lines of 'yeah' and 'yes' in response.
"Well, I agree as well, so let's cut right to the chase. Our first guest this morning on Wilson's World has made success over the last several years, and, while a lot of us can't deny he's said and done some controversial stuff, he's made Total Drama the popular show that it is today." William let out a light cough before continuing once more. "Without him, there would be no Total Drama."
"Yeah! Daddy Chris!" A female audience member, blonde, shouted from somewhere in the stands. While some joined in and agreed with cheers, plenty of others laughed at the random remark. The rest remained silent or didn't give a damn. Even William couldn't help but chuckle at this.
He regained his composure and looked into the main camera, still smiling. "So here he is, live from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, please welcome—the host of Total Drama: Chris McLean!" William gestured to the side curtain near the edge of the stage.
Most of the audience erupted in a near-thunderous ovation. If one listened close enough, they could hear some booing, but they were deafened by the cheers, squeals, and people screaming their heads off. Not literally, but still. It grew louder in volume as soon as Chris McLean, the same man who had been hosting a now-international reality TV show since 2007, came out onto the stage.
For the most part, at least from the outer appearance, he looked the exact-same way back to the first season and since then. Same gelled, raven black hair. Same amount of stubble on his chin, more-or-less. Same damned, signature smile that he showed off on-camera whenever he got the chance. Chris wore that baby blue formal getup that he had worn during elimination ceremonies in Total Drama's second season.
When he came out onto the stage, he greeted William with a high-five and took a seat on the couch in the middle right away. William followed suit and sat down on the couch to the right. All in the while, the same intro song played in the background, slowly fading to silence as both men got settled. Even once it was all quiet and the spectators sat down, more quick cheers came from the crowd—most of them from the women.
"I see the women really—and I mean—really love Mr. Chris McLean, AM I RIGHT, Y'ALL?" William waved his arms up and down, signaling the audience—especially the women—to roar louder than ever before, rumbling the sturdy walls once more. Once the rather wild audience settled down, he regained his composure. Hands crossed over his lap, facing towards Chris. "I love this crowd. What a rambunctious night we're havin', right? Now-tell me, how's life been treatin' ya? Had trouble falling asleep knowing you were briefly casted out of the show indefinitely?"
A few chuckles were let out from the audience. Chris, however, was not very keen on that particular question; his left eye twitched just a lightning-flash bit, but he laughed it off, slapping his knee. Couple more tee-hees were rattling as a result from Chris's sudden burst of laughter. "I love you, William, my man! Life's been great! A few bumpy roads here and there, like that one time I once had to sleep in a 3-star hotel last year after being 'laid off'. Not… cool, dudes." Giggles could be heard after blurting out his signature line.
"So, you must be aware of the new, recent season that just dropped last year," William continued, keeping his buttery-smooth smile on-air. "Let's talk about it."
"Let's talk about it, indeed..." Chris held his laughter, before blurting out: "NAH!" Chuckles and giggles followed suit, slightly rumbling the room. "Let's just skip to the end and show them the new teaser clip for Total Drama: Pahkitew Showdown!"
Suddenly, intermission. The enormously wide screen projector submerged onto the stage as the crowd ooh-ed and ahh-ed in a trance. The scene opened up: Chris McLean standing right beside the campfire ceremony near the iconic Pahkitew cliff-drop. The short clip revealed his charming grin. His dazzling outfit, neat and tidy. Flip-flops to capture the outdoorsy neon-western theme make-over. He finger-gunned the camera: he was ready.
"Welcome back, Total Drama fans!" He dusted his shirt clean under the beaming sunrise. "After missing in action for an entire excruciating season without a single Chris McLean in sight, I… am finally back!" He let out his signature chuckle. "Ready! To wreak havoc for an entire twenty-six episodic season! Walk with me…"
He pointed the camera toward the inner forest: blinking neon lights. New buildings and shacks. Western theming. And a calmer state with no mechanical island shenanigans in sight. This time, the premises were flooded by flocking tourists, wanting to record the one-and-only host with the host.
"DADDY MCLEAN! OVER HERE!" One fanatic screeched, ripping her own blouse to reveal 'DADDY MCLEAN' tattooed on her thin belly.
"As you can see!" Chris raised his voice over the drowning sound of cheers and photographs. "Pahkitew Island received a few… renovations while we were gone. Some good, some interesting, and some very good!" He briefly paused for a quick photoshoot pose. "BUT… the rules of the game remain the same. Only this time… THIRTY-TWO competitors will battle it out for—not one, not two—but THREE! MILLION! DOLLARS!" He raised both hands in celebratory fashion as the crowd behind cheered loudly. "We've raised the stakes here, dudes! There will be shacks! There will be showers! There will be hotels! There will be hot tubs! But ONLY for the winners!" He laughed. "So, buckle up, on the most spectacular, grandiose, chaotic season yet! Right here! Right NOW! On…" The camera zoomed out, slowly revealing the entire island…
"Total!"
"Drama!"
"PAHKITEW SHOWDOWN!"
Opening Theme
Multiple barrages of cameras popping out from one place to another, including inside an artificial pine tree bark, underneath a pond inside a dimly lit cave, from the main Pahkitew bar as it spooked a couple tourists sitting on stools, and popping out from grains of sand at a beach as it pointed its lenses towards a frustrated Hailee resting on a reclining beach chair.
Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doin' fine,
The camera performed its usual flyby across the island; this time, it flew through a flock of tourists attempting to take photographs at a young mysterious figure in a black jacket with his hoodie flipped over his head while protected by two buff bodyguards.
You guys are on my mind.
The camera then hovered over an artificial cliff as it suddenly sprung high up from the ground, while a startled Melissa stood frozen on the top as she played around with a remote that activated the cliff right under her. The frame flew past her as it dropped like it leaped right off the cliff, falling into the ocean headfirst.
You asked me what I wanted to be
Both Viola and Walter swam away to a tunnel leading underneath the island, away from a robotic bear driving a speedboat as it chased them down. Jasmine and Carter dropped midway down in front of the tunnel entrance using ropes, scaring away the frightened robot using laser rifles as their shoes barely touched the ocean surface.
And now I think the answer is plain to see,
As Viola and Walter continued swimming away frighteningly into the dark tunnel, they passed by a mischievous Alexander playing his black flute as he strolled across the narrow sidewalk with an army of rats following right behind him in a straight line. Dawn quietly observed from the sidelines in amazement.
I wanna be famous.
After Jacque exited out the doorway in a shady, serious manner with his hands stuffed within his pockets, a peek inside revealed Duncan and Hunter facing each other in a sewer-like meeting room, shaking hands as they both smirked deviously while Rival spied on their backhanded deal from a distance, hidden behind a door underneath the shadows.
I wanna live close to the sun,
As the camera zoomed into a random sewer pipe leading upwards high up onto the surface, Daniela and Beardo shared earbuds, listening to the music playlist on her phone with calm smiles on their faces before noticing their boat leading towards a waterfall, attempting to row away from the fall before the entire river system had shut off. Their boat remained stuck on the dried-up river.
Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won,
Nanci and Spencer argued on a rather high-up, unstable, and narrow natural bridge as a wild Arnold swung towards them using a long rope, crashing into Spencer as they both flew across the island. They both smashed their faces onto the outhouse confessional.
Everything to prove, nothing in my way
Startled by the sudden ruckus rumbling the entire outhouse, Dylan exited out the door to stare down both Arnold and Spencer before noticing her loose jeans almost falling down, gripping them tight while covering up anything slightly revealing using her baseball cap.
I'll get there one day.
Inside a suburban-like cabin, Preston sliced up a neatly-assembled salad into a large bowl before serving Uma and Frederick a plate. As they both excitedly grabbed their plates from the kitchen counter, Uma caressed Frederick's muscles flirtatiously, leaving him dumbfounded while wrapping her hand with bandage, thinking that her hand was injured, much to Uma's confusion.
Cause, I wanna be famous!
Inside the living room from the same suburban-like cabin, Samey noticed a tiara randomly lying on the black couch, picking it up before being shoved by Amy, falling face flat on the cold floor with the tiara tumbling and rolling across the room. Kiara noticed her precious tiara carelessly dropped, yelling at Amy before they each pulled their hair, leading into a vicious fight. Eliza walked right past them, not caring one bit as she vigorously rubbed her eyes.
Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na!
Near the campfire ceremony, Wane wedgied Max, thwarting his evil plans before running away with money bags on both hands, laughing deviously as Max chased after him angrily. Cora chased after them downhill, irked that she had to watch over them like babysitting children.
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!
On one of the wooden docks, Keesha happily sang along with the lyrics, ignoring the dangerous robot sharks jumping over the docks in front of her as she continued eyeing the camera before one of the other contestants snatched it away to the other dock.
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!
Shun swiftly readjusted the camera with her hands slightly covering the lenses, letting go of the camera to face her standing on the dock before playfully sticking her tongue out and gesturing peace signs, spinning around in one spot with her roller skates as she pointed to the bright sun above the horizon.
Whistling…
Rodney and Sky sat together right behind the campfire as they awkwardly stared at each other. The farmer had trouble containing his blush while Sky continued glancing in puzzlement before they were both startled by a hooded figure behind them. Removing the hoodie revealed to be Ben, glaring at the camera in stern awkwardness and confusion as the camera zoomed out, revealing the entire cast sitting around the campfire in the middle of a neon-infested night.
Total Drama: Pahkitew Showdown
Written by: Lillaptop and Project Drama
Once the theme song finished playing, the TV inside his room was turned off. Zooming out of the screen revealed a messy living room. Scattered wooden furniture. Chipped, worn, and disorganized. Very early 2000's era aesthetic. The sheets barely blocked the sunlight out from the windows.
He turned his ceiling fan off, tossed his wrench on the TV desk, and slammed open the door in a grunt, tossing his beanie over his almost-bald head as he grabbed a drop of hand sanitizer.
Fresh air, he needed. He could not glance at his tiny TV any longer...
Author's Note: I can safely say, Total Drama: Pahkitew Showdown is back up-and-running again! Woo! We are both very stoked to finally get the show on the road! Expect the very first episode to be released this upcoming Monday! Only three days away from the release!
So, few questions:
Thoughts on this brief little teaser? Thoughts and theories on the theme song? Some clues and foreshadowing were sprinkled in a couple of the scenes within the opening theme. Let's see how many you can spot!
And as always, we look forward to reading all reviews. Thank you so much for sticking by through all the long waiting. Remember, the very first episode will be released this Monday! In three days! Stay tuned for the following update! Because, oh, it's going to be a doozy!