A Dramatic Ridonculous Race

by The Legendary Dragon Reaper

With Chris McLean rotting in prison, it seems like the era of Total Drama has come to an end. However, numerous contestants flock to other shows, and some find themselves in yet another race around the world, and they'll make some new friends along the way. Some of them may even find love.

26. A Million Ways to Lose A Million Dollars

(A Million Ways to Lose A Million Dollars)

Spectacular Webhead 11: Truth be told, that was the reaction I was expecting from a lot of readers of this story, but I understand the sentiment, so don't worry about that. As for my Ninja Turtle Spider-Man story, I actually plan to get back to that as soon as I finish this one.

Phillip Clark: Yeah, I had a feeling that the Ice Dancers finally getting eliminated would make a lot of people happy. I imagined people would start making predictions at some point. I did already establish that Cameron and Lightning won't be competing, and the same goes for Geoff, Bridgette, Trent, Lehsawna, Owen and Noah. I think I've made it clear based on past stories that I'm not fond of Sierra, and I don't plan to include her. I do have the current line up planned out, but as for who's included in that, you'll just have to wait and see. Cameron is easy enough to fill the spot for on the heroes team, but Lightning would be a bit more complicated. I have at least one idea for that spot, but we'll see how it works out. Your idea for Suckers Punched would be a very interesting one, and Taylor is a unique choice. However, by that logic, I think Josee would be a better choice, given how similar she is to Courtney's past self, and even worse when you think about it. A character from Ridonculous Race showing up would highlight Chris being a hypocrite sure, but given how popular the show was, I don't think his pride would allow that to happen. I do have ideas for how the portrayal of Mal is going to go, but as for how that plays out, you'll just have to wait and see.

OmniIBIBUltraInstinctGodzilla: I knew that the Ice Dancers losing would make a lot of people happy. Plus you never know, sometimes a little bit of genuine sincerity can go a long way for some people. The Surfers, the Performers and the Goths are an interesting finale no doubt.

SuperSonicHeroes: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. The shouts out only felt appropriate, given the pirate theme for the challenge, and it did give Leshawna and Trent some closure for how the treasure hunt on Island went for them. Don making shots at Chris was a little joke that I couldn't resist including. The Ice Dancers getting eliminated was inevitable, but given all of the crap they've pulled throughout the race, losing before even making the podium is a punishment well deserved for them. Jacques would be the most unexpected source of causing them to get eliminated, which plays into the Wild Card Theory you brought up in your last review. Also yes, the scene with Zuko and Iron in Lake Laogai was exactly where my mind went when I had been writing out that scene. The final three is one I've thought out carefully, and you'll get to see for yourselves which one of them comes out on top. I think I know which fic you're talking about with the Goths too, and it's a pretty good one. In any case, I don't think there are any teams left that don't deserve to win. The remake of All Stars will come, I just can't confirm when, but I can tell you that I'm going to pour my all into it.

Magic Detective: The Talk no Jutsu is unsurpassed, nothing compares to its effectiveness. Well, except for maybe the Sexy Jutsu. I've put a lot of thought into the sequel, especially Courtney's role and her character arc throughout. I'll also be doing my best to do Duncan justice, and I can assure you that he won't get arrested this time.

Frosty Wolf: The Ice Dancers being eliminated would satisfy a lot of readers, but I did do my best to humanize them, at least to a certain degree. At least they went down with some dignity in the end. I won't say which team is going to win just yet, but know that I do plan to include an alternate ending for the other finalist team. I don't have any thoughts on the live action Avatar series just yet, I'll wait until it comes out and see for myself. If you'll recall, I do plan to do one more story after this, covering the events of Total Drama All Stars.

Guest: You never know, keep reading and you might get your wish.

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"Prevsiouly on the first part of the grand finale of the Ridonculous Race: Our final four teams found a series of maps, and then went on a search for underwater treasure, a challenge Josee and Geoff found to be seemingly impossible to finish. It turned into another photo finish when we reached the Carpet of Completion, but the Ice Dancers came in last, and much to the joy of just about everyone else, they were cut from the race. So much for reaching the podium. Anyway, there was no rest for the weary either, as the final three teams raced right on. The Surfers, the Performers and the Goths. Which of these three teams has what it takes to win? There's only one way to find out, and it's to watch right here and right now, on the long-awaited and explosive grand finale of… the Ridonculous Race!"

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"When we last left our loyal viewers, we had just finished in the Bahamas, or Nassau to be more specific. The Ice Dancers have been eliminated, which tones down the drama and the cheating by a wide margin, and our final three teams have received their final travel tips and taken a series of water taxis to the airport, and have boarded the same plane for one final flight, to our final destination. That destination is none other than New York City, the playground of nature for capitalist wolves and jazz-handed stars of Broadway alike. It's home to 8.4 million people, and about 16.4 million rats that happen to be smarter than about 85% of those people. And even more, depending on the form of entertainment you prefer, either a series of superheroes with high tech armor, super soldiers, gamma radiated strength or a magic hammer that can summon lightning, or a group of teenage mutant turtles with ninja training that live in the sewer with a giant rat. Once the final three teams land at the famous JFK airport, they'll have to find the Don Box we've provided outside the airport and collect their next tip."

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"As previously stated, the final three teams have boarded the same plane for one final flight as they head to our final destination. At this point, it really is anyone's game."

"Could we really win?" Bridgette shared a look with Geoff "Truth be told, I don't see why not at this point."

"No doubt about that babe." Geoff gave a wide grin "We've definitely got a hell of a ton of luck on our side."

"What makes you say that?"

"Think about it babe. We were lucky to get as far as we did, but the fact that we made it all the way to the finale?"

"That is pretty incredible."

"No doubt. So we've got awhile before we land… you wanna make out?"

"As if you had to ask. Let me just freshen up a bit." and so Bridgette made her way off towards the bathroom.

"Like she needs it." Geoff let out a chuckle, then turned back towards the camera as he pulled a small black box out from within his shirt "The finale ain't gonna be the only big thing that goes down when we get to New York City. Once I find the right time, I'm gonna make my move. This is gonna be freaking crazy."

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Now for the thoughts of the second team…

"Yeah you got that right yall." Leshawna gave a smirk as she and Trent leaned back in their chairs "Me and my boy Trent here made it all the way to the big bad finale. If we survived all the challenges up until now…"

"Not to mention all of the stuff on Total Drama." Trent added.

"Along with ripping the Ice Dancers a new one, then I say that the two of us have got what it takes to handle just about anything!" the two of them shared a fist bump "We're gonna show em what we're made of, and we ain't giving up until we climb all the way to the top."

"Probably a little bit excessive, but if we've come this far already, then I say we at least don't go down without a fight."

"Amen to that hon."

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Now with the third team…

"So this is what it's like." Ennui and Crimson sat in their seats gazing out at the skyline, Loki sitting on Ennui's shoulder to get a better view, thought none of them were very enthusiastic, at least compared to the other teams "We made it to the finale. I'm so excited, I think I might even pee myself again."

"You just did." was Crimson's blunt input."

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"Our final three teams have finally landed at JFK airport, and now it's a rce to take the first tip, which will give them an early lead."

"Let's go!" the final three teams bolted out of the airport, with Bridgette and Geoff being the first to reach the Don Box, and the former pulled out a tip "The challenge is an All In, Who's ready to face the traffic?"

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"For this All In challenge, our final three teams must take one of the ridonculous taxi cabs that we've provided, and drive themselves all the way to what is arguably the most famous building, the Empire State Building. One the teams arrive, they will then have to climb a measly 86 flights of stairs, which really isn't that bad compared to the climb they had to make in the CN tower during the first part of the race in Toronto, in order to reach a certain observation deck and then get their hands on their next travel tip, which we've attached to three suitcases that we've set up there. This will bring them one step closer not only to the final Chill Zone, but to finally winning the million dollar grand prize. Oh and as a quick word of advise that's also meant to scare the crap out of them, the last team to arrive is pretty much doomed, so the only thing I can do now is wish the teams luck."

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Now for their reactions…

"There are the taxis, let's move it! Go go go!" Geoff and Bridgette were quick to make a beeline for the taxis, with the other teams following in hot pursuit.

"Let's go." Crimson and Ennui were quick to take off after the other teams "It seems that we're in last place."

"I noticed." was Ennui's blunt response "Which way do we go?"

"Continue taking us straight, I'll tell you when we have to turn."

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Meanwhile, with a team of reality TV veterans…

"Holy crap, this whole thing is so freaking cool!" Geoff looked around in awe as he sat in the passenger seat of his and Bridgette's taxi "Isn't the Empire State Building where that giant crazy gorilla went out of its gourd back in the day?"

"Geoff, you do know that movie was fictional right?" Bridgette shot him a raised eyebrow.

"Nice try babe, I know these kinds of things like the back of my hand. Don't forget that I am kind of a history buff."

"Uh huh."

"Histroy and stuff like that is super important. Don't forget that if it isn't for stuff like that, we'd be just like "Have we met?" and all that stuff forever.

"...Never change sweetie. Never change." Bridgette patted Geoff on the cheek.

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Meanwhile, with the other realitv TV veterans…

"Okay, so far so good." Leshawna and Trent continued driving their way through the streets of New York City, the former reading the directions and the latter driving "Take the next road to the right."

"Got it, though you might wanna hold onto something." Trent braced himself as he spun the wheel, sending the taxi hurtling onto the street to the right.

"Kind of surprised you're getting so into this now."

"What can I say? After getting put through the ringer on two seasons of Total Drama and then spending a month and a half, it kind of sets off that fire in your belly. If we came this far, I say we give it our all and see if we can go all the way."

"Sounds good to me. Take another right!"

"On it!" Trent yanked the steering wheel to the right, sending them down a new street.

"Nice set of driving hun."

"I learned from the master."

"You're damn right you did, now take another right."

"I'm on it, first place here we-" Trent was cut off by another taxi pulling up next to them "I think that's the Goths."

"Don't just sit there, pull ahead of them!"

"On it!" Trent slammed his foot onto the gas, allowing them to pull ahead, only to spot another taxi in the distance.

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Meanwhile, with the current frontrunners…

"Alright babe, so far so good." Bridgette continued driving at a steady pace, during which she cast a glance over at Geoff "How close are we to the Empire State Building?"

"We're already halfway there, just keep heading straight and-" Geoff was cut off by their taxi hitting a pothole in the road, blowing out one of their tires and sending their taxi spinning around in a crazy frenzy.

Fortunateyly for another team, this allowed Trent and Leshawna to pull ahead of them "You think they're gonna be okay?"

"Relax, they're gonna be fine." Leshawna told him flatly "They've survived a lot worse, and the guys in charge wouldn't let anything happen. They ain't sadists like McLean."

"...Yeah okay, fair point." and so the two of them continued onwards.

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"The Performers have now taken the lead, while the Surfers find themselves about to take out a good majority of 81st and 3rd."

"Crap, crap, CRAP!" Geoff and Bridgette were clinging onto each other for dear life until their taxi ended up crashing into a lamp post. Once that was done, Geoff pulled himself out of the taxi and into a nearby trash can, and then proceeded to puke his guts out "Oh god, when the hell did I eat any sushi? No wait, I think that's the pork and beans from the dude ranch. Hey babe, how are you holding up?"

"I'm alright, I think." Bridgette pulled her way out and spat out a piece of her air bag "The same can't be said for our taxi though."

"Aw man, now what are we gonna do?"

"I don't know, unless we can-" Bridgette cut herself short when she noticed how close they were to a nearby subway entrance "Right, we're in New York. Of course there's a subway. What do you say?"

"I say we book it babe!" and so the two of them took off running down into the entrance of the subway.

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Meanwhile, with the frontrunners…

"Alright, so far so good." Leshawna looked down at the map, then over at Trent "We're a little bit over halfway there, just keep going and-"

"Crap, hang on tight!" Trent suddenly slammed on the brakes, bringing their taxi to a screeching halt, where they took a look around and found a large number of other vehicles being brought to a halt as well.

"What the hell gives?"

"Dammit, I can't believe I didn't think about this. We just got stuck in… a New York City style traffic jam.

"...Aw crapbaskets." Leshawna was quickly met with a raised eyebrow "Harold got me to watch it awhile back, it's good writing."

"Fair enough. So we've got a few minutes, and there is something that I've kind of wanted to ask you about for awhile."

"Which is?"

"Are you and Harold ever going to actually become a couple?"

"...(Bleep), you had to go there didn't you?"

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Meanwhile, further back in the traffic jam…

"Hold on." Ennui brought their taxi to a halt once they reached the traffic jam "New York City, the city where no one drives. Probably for these reasons."

"We really should've seen this coming." Crimson noted dryly "One positive thing about this is that if we're stuck in traffic, the other teams should be as well."

"I only see one other taxi with the race logo ahead of us. There's no sign of the third."

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As for the third team…

"Huh." Bridgette looked around the interior as she and Geoff continued riding the subway to the Empire State Building "You know, it's actually a lot cleaner than I thought it would be."

"I know what you mean babe." Geoff gave a wide grin "I'm starting to think we ain't even gonna get mugged while we're down here."

"Next stop: Empire State Building."

"Yeah, now this is gonna be wicked!"

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Meanwhile, in the traffic jam…

"This is growing tiresome." Crimson glanced over at Ennui "Do you have any suggestions as to what we should do?"

"I don't, but I think Loki might." Ennui looked over to where Loki was scampering onto the top of Crimson's east and started making noises akin to a police siren, earning a raised eyebrow from both of them "That was… unexpected to say the least."

"But considering this is Loki, unexpected is hardly unexpected. He's displayed a variety of skills far beyond what most humans are capable of, even those that are actually intelligent."

"Fair enough. Anyway, let's go." and so with the traffic clearing, the group continued on their way to their destination.

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Meanwhile, with the frontrunners…

"There it is!" once the subway came to a halt, Bridgette and Geoff bolted up the stairway and were quick to find themselves across the street from their destination "There it is, the Empire State Building."

"Next stop, you and me rolling in the green stuff!" Geoff gave a wide grin as he wrapped an arm around Bridgette "Hey word to the wise, we gotta be careful when we're getting over there."

"Trust me sweetie, I've been in the city enough to know traffic laws."

"No I get that, I meant so you can watch out for falling gorilla poop."

"...Thanks for the heads up babe." Bridgette patted Geoff on the cheek, then pulled her head up, and the two of them took off across the street and into the building.

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"Geoff and Bridgette of the Surfers are the first team to arrive at the Empire State Building, and now they've begin the climb up the 86 flights of stairs. However, given the fact that the other teams are about to break free of the traffic jams, they may not have the place to themselves for very long."

"So as far as you and Harold go, you guys are-" Trent was cut short by the sound of a loud siren blaring in the distance "Right we're in New York, the place where most superhero stuff goes down and has a massive crime rate. What do you think is going on?"

"My guess is two idiots wrestling over a hot dog." Leshawna gave a shrug, only for both of them to notice a certain taxi passing them "Or it's the Goths. Don't just sit there white boy, follow them already!"

"Got it, if nothing else we can follow them out of this." so Trent stepped on the gas, and they got to following the Goths out of the traffic jam.

"Then when the time is right, we shoot past them. We're in it to win it!" the two of them then caught each other in a high five.

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Meanwhile, with the frontrunners…

"Yes!" Geoff and Bridgette rushed through the doors of the observation deck, and the former was quick to pump a fist in triumph "Now that's what I'm talking about, we totally rocked that!"

"And there are three briefcases, we must be the first team here." Bridgette was quick to pick up a tip off the first suitcase "The tip says that now we have to take the briefcase and the tip with us and head over to the midpoint Chill Zone by the fountain in Central Park."

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"Yeah that's right, all of you heard the lady loud and clear. Our final three teams will have to race all the way to Central Park, where they'll find the midpoint Chill Zone. Once they arrive, they have to hand me their tip in order to continue onto the next challenge, and be sure to take their suitcases with them as well. The first two teams to accomplish this will be designated as our official finalists, but if they're the last team to arrive then that's it, they'll be cut from the race for good. Man, who ever that happens to is going to lose it! We're gonna need some extra cameras in as high of a definition as we can get to capture that epic footage."

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One tip reading later…

"So yeah, that's about the sum of it." Bridgette pocketed the tip and turned to Geoff "We'd better get going, the other teams are probably close as it is."

"You got it babe, Central Park here we come!" Geoff turned and prepared to take off running at full speed… only to immediately fall flat on his face and clutch his legs in pain "Oh dear god it hurts!"

"What is it, what's the matter?"

"Major leg cramp, both of my legs! Not again!"

"Don't worry, just hold still." Bridgette knelt down next to Geoff and pulled something out from her pocket: a banana "After what happened during the challenge at the CN tower, I figured there was a chance of something like this happening again. The best thing to do for when you run low on potassium is have a banana."

"Is that why you kept buying bananas at every place we went to?"

"I figured it couldn't hurt to have any on hand, and I like them. Plus it's why I stopped at that stand in the airport once we landed. Just eat this and give it a minute or two, and you should be good to go."

"Got it." so Geoff downed the banana in one go, and within a moment he was back on his feet with a wide grin spreading across his face "I can totally feel it babe, my cabs are loosening up like crazy!"

"Good, now let's get moving."

"Right behind ya!" and so the two of them took off down the stairs.

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Meanwhile, outside the building…

"This is it!" Leshawna and Trent were the next team to arrive in the Empire State Building "No sign of any other teams, we gotta be the first ones here!"

"Just give me one second, I gotta find a parking spot." Trent told her.

"Are you (bleep) kidding me?!"

"What am I supposed to do, leave it in the middle of the street? I'm not gona cause a giant car wreck. Besides, if I do then what guarantee do I have that we won't get towed?"

"...If we lose because of that, I'm suing your ass for half a million bucks." and so the two of them drove off.

"And just like that, a loss for the Performers is a gain for the Goths. But yeah, they probably would've gotten towed."

"Here we are." it wasn't long after the Performers left that Ennui and Crimson showed up and they, along with Loki, left their taxi and rushed into the building.

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A few moments later…

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me, another taxi!" Leshawna let out a groan as she and Trent pulled up and parked in front of the building "I told you we could've parked there!"

"You can blame my dad for that one." Trent told her as they rushed into the building "The guy is a lawyer and he taught me how to drive."

"So?"

"So he used his lawyer skills to drill into my head where it's legally okay to park in a busy city area like this. He also lectured me on the evils of jaywalking."

"But everyone does that anyway."

"That's what I said, but you can't argue with a lawyer. I mean you can, but they'll use their skills to verbally beat you down. I'm pretty sure that's how Courtney got back on the show in Total Drama Action."

"That… actually does make sense. Anyway let's keep going, we've got a race to win and a crap ton of cash to collect! First place here we come!"

"Hey guys!" this was when Geoff and Bridgette rushed past them on their way back down the stairs "Hey word to the wise, the Goths are already up there, you're gonna wanna book it if you wanna keep in it!"

"Thanks for the heads up party boy. Come on white boy, let's keep at it!" and so the two of them continued running, though as they did Leshawna glanced at Trent "Okay, better them win it than the Ice Dancers."

"No arguments here." Trent gave a shrug "We're still not giving up though."

"Oh definitely not. Way to keep up by the way, I figured you'd be panting like a dog in heat by now."

"What can I say, racing around the world doing all sorts of crazy crap builds up a hell of a lot of endurance."

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Several flights of stairs later, at the observation deck…

"We go to Central Park." Crimson picked up the tip and the briefcase, and she, Loki and Ennui took off running.

"Let's move it!" Leshawna and Trent reached the observation deck just as the Goths started back down the stairs, and the former picked up a tip "We gotta head to Central Park with the briefcase and the tip, and the last team to arrive is screwed. Let's move!" and so they took off running down the stairs.

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Meanwhile, outside the building…

"Hey check it out!" Geoff and Bridgette made their way out of the building and found another taxi waiting for them "Don left another taxi for us!"

"How do you know it's Don that did it?" Bridgette shot him a raised eyebrow.

"I dunno, where else could it have come from?"

"One of the other teams left it?"

"...Oh yeah, good point. What do we do now?"

"Hang tight babe, I got this. TAXI!" Geoff ripped off his hat and shirt and started waving them around wildly, flagging down a new taxi in a matter of seconds "Yes, it worked!"

"How did you know that was going to work?"

"Easy, the Rockers told me about how they did something like that back in Finland." the two of them were quick to climb in "Central Park and hurry, we're in a race!" and so the taxi took off at full speed.

It wasn't long after the Surfers left that the Goths came down next, with the Performers hot on their trail "Let's go!" and so the two teams took off in their battle for second place.

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With the frontrunners…

"Here it is, stop the car!" the cab was brought to a screeching halt at the entrance to the park, and Bridgette and Geoff were quick to take off running at full speed "I can see the Chill Zone from here, and there's Don!"

Sure enough, Don stood at the Chill Zone by the fountain, and was quick to greet them once he took their tip "Bridgette and Geoff, I have to congratulate you both. The two of you are the first team to arrive at the midpoint, and that makes you our first team of finalists!"

"YES!" Geoff spun Bridgette around into a tight hug, and then he pulled her into a heated kiss that lasted for a good few moments.

"Ahem!" after a few moments, Don cut into their little scene "I appreciate the genuine emotion and intimacy of a happy couple as much as the next guy, but we've got a race to finish and I have a schedule to keep. Anyway, the final Don Box on the other side of the fountain holds the tip that tells you what to do for your next challenge. I wish you both the best of luck."

"Got it, thanks bro. Let's move it babe."

"I'm already on it." Bridgette rushed over to the Don Box and pulled out a tip "It's anothe All In challenge, this one is called Buys will be Buys."

"That is so true. So what do we have to do?"

"We have to head over to the boat house and rent one of the boats, then use it to search among the buoys in the middle of the pond for the one that has the correct combination that will unlock our briefcase. Okay, let's get moving."

"Actually babe, do you think we could hold up for a minute?" Geoff stopped in his tracks, which prompted Bridgette to do the same.

"What? Why?"

"I know we ougtha head over and get to the boat house and all, but since we're pretty much in the final two now, and we're way ahead of all of the others, there's something else I really gotta do. Something I've wanted to do for awhile."

"Um, okay? But are you sure it can't wait?"

"More sure about it than anything since I started wearing this hat." so Geoff took Bridgette by the hand and led her to a more private area "And I figured if we're this close, then no time like the present right?"

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Meanwhile, with the current second place team…

"There it is." Crimson and Ennui continued making their way towards their destination "Central Park is straight ahead, not far from now."

"Right." Ennui put more pressure on the gas, only for a loud pop to draw their attention, and then their cab slowing down "One of our tires went flat."

"Just keep driving for as long as we can." and so the two of them continued on their way, albeit at a slower pace than preferred… until another pop could be heard.

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Meanwhile, with the last team…

"I can see them!" Leshawna and Trent continued on their way in their own taxi, until they took notice of another one in front of them "I can see the Goths dead ahead!"

"Not for long, we've got this in the bag!" Trent slammed his foot on the gas, only for a loud sputtering to be heard, and then their cab started slowing down "What the- Oh you've gotta be kidding me."

"What the hell gives?"

"What gives is that we're out of gas!" and then their cab came to a stop, prompting them to climb out, and they rushed out in time to find the Goths climbing out of their cab "Oh, hey. You guys run into a problem."

"The tires on our cab went flat." Crimson told him dryly "You?"

"Ran out of gas."

"The Surfers said their cab ran into a pot hole."

"Huh. Didn't think they were that faulty."

"They likely did that to make the race longer and more difficult for us." Ennui noted.

"Ah, that does make sense." a brief pause "So… we're still racing and we're gonna have to move it right?"

"That would be prudent."

"Cool, so then…"

"Way ahead of you white boy, now let's move it!" so Leshawna slung Trent over her shoulder and took off running towards Central Park, with the Goths hot on their heels.

"Do you really have to carry me all the way there like I'm a sack of meat?"

"Hey I didn't come in last place the last time my team was in New York, I sure as hell ain't gonna come in last now!"

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Meanwhile, at the Chill Zone…

"Looks like the second team of finalists is almost here." Don looked through a set of binoculars and watched as the Performers and the Goths made their way towards the scene, but then he broke off and looked over at the camera "But seriously, flat tires and a leaky gas tank? What happened to keeping them in good condition?"

"The producers said that they had to make a few budget cuts at the last minute." the camera guy told him.

"Yeah but I thought they took care of that by firing the camera guys and making the teams drive themselves."

"Not like it would've made that much of a difference, do you know how much a cabby in New York actually makes?"

"Not as much as I do with this job, which is all I really pay attention to when it comes to that sort of thing." Don gave a shrug as he leaned against the water fountain and looked around… only to notice something poking out of the ground "What the-?"

It was at this moment that a plastic spoon broke out of the ground, and four penguins rose up from the hole that followed, during which the first one took a look at Don "You there, inferior mammal. Sprechen sie Englisch."

"...I sprechen."

"In that case, what continent is this?"

"Manhattan."

"Hoover Dam, we're still in New York. Abort! Dive, dive, dive!" the leader started pushing the other penguins back down into the hole, and then he looked back at Don and the camera guy and shot them a glare "You didn't see anything." and then he disappeared back into the hole as well, covering it up with a nearby ball of dirt in the process.

"...Well that happened." Don shared a look with the camera guy "I don't know if it's a good or bad thing, but that's still not the weirdest thing that I've seen someone say or do since we started this race. Speaking of which, what's the progress on-"

"AND THIS IS HOW WE ROLL!" Leshawna burst onto the scene, Trent still being slung over her shoulder, and leapt onto the carpet a split second before the Goths did, and handed her tip over to Don "Just like that."

"And just like that, we have our answer. The Performers take second place, and that makes them our second team of finalists!"

"YES!" Trent got himself down from Leshawna's shoulders, only to be pulled into a tight hug that he gladly reciprocated, and then they made their way over to the Don Box.

"And then there was one." Don then turned his attention to the Goths "Crimson, Ennui, and your pet rabbit." he was met with a low growling noise "Fine, Loki. You're the last to arrive. Part of me thought I would be saying this on the first day, though to be honest you guys kind of started to grow on me after Mexico, but here it is. You've been cut from the competition. Do you have anything left to say before you depart?"

"Very few, but yes." Ennui shared a look with Crimson, then turned back to Don "We wish to extend our thanks to you for the opportunity to take part in this race. It was… enjoyable for the most part, and provided numerous opportunities for growth and development."

"Huh. You know that was a lot more moving than I expected it to be. So, uh…"

"Departure monologue and telling us to get lost, we know." Ennui turned back to Crimson "So do you want to start?"

"I might as well." Crimson gave a blank stare as the two of them started to walk away from the scene "I'm glad that we got to go to Transylvania."

"The same with Finland, that was epic. So what do we do from here?"

"We could always go back to Vegas I guess, if we need the money anyway. At least we got to see the Ice Dancers lose."

"I wanted them to get worse than that."

"I love it when you get vengeful."

"I know. Wanna go see if we can try out some New York pizza?"

"Sure, why not?" and so the two of them walked away down the path leading away from Central Park.

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"Just like that, the Goths are officially out of the running. As for the Performers, they move onto the final challenge, which the Surfers have yet to even start for… intimate reasons. No not that kind of intimate, otherwise we wouldn't have that family rating."

"Take it easy Geoff, what's the big rush?" Bridgette continued following Geoff until they were in a wide open field area of Central Park "We're in a still race, is this something so important that it can't wait?"

"It's been waiting a long time babe, and I say it's waited long enough." Geoff turned to her and gave a wide grin "Bridgette…"

"What is it?"

"Don't think you're going to get started without us."

Bridgette turned around, and her eyes widened at what, or rather who, they were seeing "What the - Devin? Carrie?"

Sure enough, standing before them was Devin and Carrie, the two of them pulling each of them into a tight hug "You didn't think we were going to miss this did you?"

"Started on what?"

"Something that we've been looking forward to for a long time."

"Okay?"

"You aren't the only ones." this was when Owen showed up on the scene, with Noah trailing close behind her, the same with Emma and Kitty.

"Owen my man!" Geoff caught Owen in a high five and a quick hug, and then he gave Noah a fist bump "Totally awesome you guys are here, I want a bunch of witnesses for this."

"Incoming!" this was when Leshawna and Trent showed up on the scene, sweating and panting heavily "You coming or… what? There's a whole… race to finish…"

"You guys still in it?"

"Yep, the Goths already bit the dust." Leshawna told him "Speaking of which, what the hell are you guys doing over here?"

"There's something that I've been wanting to do for a damn long time, and I figured now is the right opportunity." Geoff then breathed a small sigh "I just wish that the rest of our peeps could be here for this."

"Then you might wanna turn around." came another familiar voice, taking most of the others by surprise.

"No freaking way…" Geoff and Bridgette both whipped around, and their eyes widened at who they saw "No way! DJ? Guys?"

Sure enough, before them stood DJ, Duncan, Courtney, Gwen, Cody and Izzy, and the former gave the two of them a wide grin "Surprise. Bet you guys didn't think you were gonna see us here did you?"

"OWEN! Bring it in hubby, Izzy needs it!" Izzy took the chance to pounce on Owen and tackle him to the ground, and subsequently pull him into a heated makeout session.

"...Pretty sure Owen didn't see that coming."

"I don't think he's gonna be complaining about that." Duncan commented dryly.

"I don't either, I'm just saying."

"And I'm just saying, holy crap, bring it in dudes!" Geoff caught DJ and Duncan in a tight hug, with Bridgette doing the same to Courtney, Gwen and Leshawna "What the hell are you guys doing here?"

"What do you think, we're here to watch you make your move." Duncan told him "If you're gonna do it then do it."

"I mean how did you get here? How did you know we were gonna be here?"

"I actually had my lawyers make a couple of calls." Courtney gave a shrug "They got the higher ups to agree to let us come to here so long as we don't interfere in the final challenge. Beyond all of this I mean. But they did arrange for us to come out here. We would've gotten Harold and Tyler too, but apparently they got roped into competing in some karate tournament out in Vancouver. Cody's live streaming it though."

"Seriously?"

"Right over here!" Cody called out from where he was filing the entire scene using the camera on his phone "And for the record, we're streaming this live right now. It's times like this I'm grateful for international coverage." that earned him an eye roll from Gwen, as well as a peck on the cheek,

"Yeah but how did you know we were gonna be here?"

"Actually, a member of one of the other teams called us up and gave the idea for us to come out here so we could see it." Gwen told him "And trust me, you're not gonna believe which one of them it was."

"Who was it?"

"Give you one guess." she pointed past the group over towards… the Reality TV Pros.

"You mean Owen?" asked Bridgette.

"Shockingly, nope."

"...Wait, are you kidding me? Noah?!"

Sure enough, Noah raised his hand and gave a shrug "Alright fine, I'm the one who pitched the whole idea to get them out here."

"You… You really did that for us?"

"Yeah well, I'm counting this as the gift for you guys, except maybe a blender or something for when the big day comes."

"What big day?"

"Give it a second and you'll find out. Also, here." Noah suddenly pulled a guitar out from god knows where "Figured this would come in handy."

"Why?"

"I think that's my cue right now." Trent stepped up and was handed the guitar by Noah, which he promptly used to play a soothing slow melody.

"Wait, what's all this for?"

"You're about to find out." Geoff gave a smile as everyone else stepped back… and he got down on one knee and pulled a small black box out of his hat.

"Oh my god…" Bridgette was left stunned as she slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Bridgette… the two of us first met at Camp Wawanakwa four years ago, and my life has never been the same since then. The good times that we shared were the best of my whole life, and the bad times… well yeah they hurt like hell, but we got through them. We made mistakes, but we were able to get through them, and our relationship got even stronger. We did have some close calls, a few of them nearly ripped us apart. There's no way in hell I'm gonna risk that happening for real, not us. I never want to miss another moment of my life with you, because you're what makes my life really worth living. You're the last thing that I think about when I go to sleep at night, and if I got to see your face every morning when I wake up, then my life would be totally perfect. There's nothing else in this entire freaking world that would make me happier than the chance for that." he took a deep breath and opened the box… revealing a diamond ring contained in it "Bridgette… will you marry me?"

"Geoff, I…" Bridgette slowly lowered her hands as tears of joy began slowly streaming down her face "Yes… Yes, a million times yes!" she held out her hand to let him slide the ring onto her finger, and then she pretty much pounced on him as the two of them engaged in a heated makeout session, amidst a series of thunderous applause from those present.

"That was definitely quite the scene." Emma glanced over at Noah with a raised eyebrow "I am pretty surprised though, I didn't think you could be so romantic."

"I didn't have the motivation to actually try before. Now I do." Noah gave a shrug as he gently slipped his hand into hers, and the two of them exchanged a small smile.

It was only after the makeout session had died down that Leshawna tackled Bridgette into a tight hug, with Gwen and Courtney doing the same "Alright way to go girlfriend, congratulations on the big one!"

"Thank you." Bridgette returned the hug with the three of them, though after a moment she broke away from them "As much as I love to stick around and celebrate with you guys, there's one last thing we have to do… We've got a race to win."

"You read my mind girlfriend." Leshawna gave a smirk "But don't think you getting engaged means that we're just gonna throw it for you. We're giving it all that we've got."

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Come on babe, let's get moving."

"You got it babe. Later dudes!" Geoff gave a quick wave to the rest of those present, and then he and Bridgette took off running as fast as they could.

"Come on white boy, we gotta get moving!" Leshawna was the next to take off.

"I'm on it!" Trent joined her in their sprint as he threw away the guitar… earning the sound of angry cat yowling in the distance that nobody actually acknowledged.

"...Okay, so we're just left alone them." Duncan was the one to break the silence once the four of them were gone, and turned to the rest of those present "So what do we do now?"

"Well actually, we've gotta get going." Noah told him "The rest of the teams are already lined up at the finish line, and apparently the contracts we signed for the race say we're required to be there when the teams reach the finish line."

"So long story short, you're out?"

"Yep, and I've got a hot lawyer girlfriend here, so see ya."

"Hold on second, I'm not wasting this opportunit." Kitty took the chance to make her way over to the other Total Drama veterans and took a selfie with all of them, then made her way over towards DJ and took a selfie with just him "Thanks for that."

"No worries." DJ gave a grin "Good to see you again too, Kitty right? Yeah, not since we outran that mob of crazy fangirls on the train, back during World Tour."

"YES!" Kitty pumped a fist in triumph, then immediately pointed at Emma "I told you it really happened! Suck it!"

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Meanwhile, with the finalists…

"Okay, here it is!" Bridgette and Geoff were the first team to reach a map that showed the entire area of Central Park, with Trent and Leshawna pulling up behind them "Okay, so from the look of it, we have to take this path here to get to the boat house by the pond."

"Thanks for the heads up, now let's move!" Leshawan and Trent were the first team to leave the map and make a beeline for the pond, the Surfers trailing close behind them as they ran.

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"Following that incredibly touching display of love and sincerity, the Performers and the newly engaged Surfers are neck and neck as they finally hit the water and search for their respective buoys that feature the combinations they need to open their specific suitcases. Inside of those suitcases awaits their final tip, colored golden for the occasion, that contains a map with the directions they need to reach the final Chill Zone of the race, where I myself will be waiting with the 16 previously eliminated teams, waiting in anticipation to crown the winners of our race around the world. Whichever team gets here first will be the winners of our grand prize: one million dollars! But before we get into that, let's hear some thoughts from a few of the previous eliminated teams."

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With the previously eliminated teams…

"Holy crap dude, this is all kinds of heavy!" Rock looked over at Spud as he tried to contain his excitement "One of the teams is totally about to win it all!"

"Woah, this is the finale?" Spud shot a dull look at him, and then he grinned "You mean we're in the finale?!" and then he started rocking out to air guitar, to which Rock gave a shrug and then joined him in a power riff.

"At least someone's happy about this?" Pete glanced over at the Rockers, then over at Gerry as he let out a scoff "But seriously, the Performers and the Surfers? Oh wow, how exciting of a finale that is. It almost makes me not wan't to fall asleep. Almost."

"So what kind of surfers are the blonde ones again?" asked Gerry "Are they the computer kind or the water kind that wipe out all the time?"

"Doesn't matter to me, they both suck." and then the two of them burst out laughing, which did attract the attention of some of the other teams.

"A rather… interesting perspective on the matter." Cameron watched the Tennis Rivals laugh at their own joke, then turned to Lightning "Though given their background as alumni from Total Drama, I believe that both candidates are equally deserving of the victory."

"No arguments here." Lightning gave a shrug "But frankly if I had to pick one, then I gotta go with the Performers. Leshawna's a beast."

"Not the vernacular I would have chosen, but I agree with the sentiment. In any case, I suppose we'll have to wait and see how this pans out. Still it's quite exhilarating."

Kelly on the other hand, she cast a glance over at Taylor "I have to ask sweetie, are you said that we didn't make it to the finale?"

"Are you kidding? Not a chance in hell." Taylor let out a scoff "I'm just glad that we got kicked off before we had to do anything super disgusting like eating worms or crap. Or worse, share a sauna. That's all kinds of wrong."

"That's my girl."

On another end, Ennui glanced over at Crimson "You seem out of sorts. What's wrong?"

"Part of me is sad that we only made it to the final three." Crimson's tone was dry and void of any emotion, as per usual "The rest of me is just glad that the Ice Dancers got eliminated before us."

"Just make sure to be careful. Your happiness is infectious."

"Will all of you shut up?!" Josee snarled at the other teams "This finale is an absolute pile of dog crap! Where's the talent, what about the passion? I give both teams a 0 out of 10, and they know exactly why."

"Ahem." Jacques shot a disapproving look at her.

"Alright fine, I give the Surfers a 6 and the Performers a 2. That's as high as I'll go."

"Agree to disagree. I give the Surfers a 7 and the Performers a 6."

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Meanwhile, with the first team of finalists…

"What the hell is that?" Trent and Leshawna continued rowing their way across the pond in their boat in search of a buoy, only for them to take notice of a loud munching noise "You hear that too right?"

"Yeah, it sounds like some kind of biting noise, like Harold that one time with-" Leshawna was cut off in the middle of her sentence by a snapping turtle bursting out of the water and trying to sink its teeth into her, only for her to catch it and throw it back into the water "Oh come on, this is hard as it is! Like I need a bunch of TMNT rejects trying to maul me! Why couldn't we just get a motor boat or something instead?"

"They probably wanted to make it harder for the teams when they designed the challenge, make us really earn the million when the time comes."

"I get the reason for it, doesn't mean I don't think it's a load of (bleep)." this was when the two of them finally reached one of the buoys "Now that's what I'm talking about, we already got the first one!"

"You see any numbers on it?"

"No sign of them, but I ain't gonna give up on the search."

"I got one right here babe." Geoff was quick to attract their attention from his and Bridgette's boat as he picked a buoy up out of the pond… with a snapping turtle on the bottom of it, as well as a combination "3-4-1, give that one a shot babe."

"On it." Bridgette punched in the combination on the briefcase, only for nothing to happen "That wasn't it, we're gonna have to head over to the next buoy."

"Oh. Well that makes a lot more sense." Trent cast a look over at Leshawna "So to sum up, we have to check the bottoms of the buoys for the combination. We're gonna do it, and we're gonna do it right."

"Took the words right out of my mouth white boy, now let's do this!" Leshawna ripped a buoy out of the pond and held it up "4-2-0, the joke ain't lost on me, but let's see if that works. Give it a shot."

"On it!" Trent tried to combination on the briefcase, only for nothing to happen "Dammit, let's go over to the next one."

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"The search is on for the combination to gain access to the final travel tip of the entire race, and the gloves have officially come off. At this point it's still anyone's game. That is, until we see this happen…"

"1-1-7." Trent punched in another combination… and this time, the briefcase snapped open and revealed a golden-colored tip placed inside it "Yes! And just like that we've got a map to the Chill Zone!"

"YES!" Leshawna caught Trent in a quick high five… only for them to notice their boat starting to sink "Okay, I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to happen."

"It's not, what the hell gives?"

"Hold that thought." Leshawna reached into the water and pulled out a snapping turtle scowling at her "You gotta be kidding me, it's the same one I snagged earlier!"

"Forget about that now, we gotta get to the shore! Let's move!" so the two of them quickly got to work paddling their boat towards the shore.

"Aw man, they're leaving already?" Geoff let out a dejected sounding groan "That it's babe, it's game over. We're so screwed now."

"Hey come on babe, I didn't agree to marry a quitter." Bridgette gripped Geoff by the shoulders and pulled him into a quick kiss "How did that do for giving you back your spirit?"

"Pretty good actually, thanks."

"It's what I'm here for. Besides, we've still got a chance to catch up. Just take a look and see for yourself. 4-0-9." Bridgette put in another combination from a buoy, this one managing to open up their briefcase and revealing the golden tip inside "Yes, we've got it! Now paddle like our lives depend on it!"

"I'm on it babe, we're gonna paddle like the wind!" and so the two of them started paddling their boat towards the shore with all the strength they could muster.

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"Despite their boat being in the process of sinking via a vengeful snapping turtle, the Performers manage to make it to the shore a full minute ahead of Geoff and Bridgette, but don't think for even a second that means our resident newly-engaged Surfer couple is going to go down without a fight."

"Come on let's go, we've gotta pick up the pace!" by this point, Trent and Leshawna were both running down the path to the Chill Zone as fast as they could, and the former took a look back to see how far away their opponents were.

As it turns out, Bridgette and Geoff were actually pretty close to the Performers, and getting ever closer by the second "I can see Trent and Leshawna up ahead, we can do this!"

"Yeah but I can see the Chill Zone too!" Geoff pointed ahead to where the Chill Zone could be seen in the distance, and then he got an idea "If we're gonna do this then we're gonna have to pick up the pace. It's time to break out the TURBO BOOST!"

"...I'm pretty sure nothing about this is neither the time nor the place for that."

"What do you- No babe, I mean we've gotta go faster, not fart."

"I'm just remembering what happened at my family reunion."

"Ooh. Yeah. Forgot about that. Is your mom still mad about that?"

"On the one hand, I want to reassure you and say no. On the other hand, we're not supposed to go into a marriage on a foundation of lies."

"Aw crapbaskets."

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At the finish line…

"Well everyone, this is it. The moment we've been waiting for." Don turned to the camera as he waited at the final Chill Zone, along with the other previously eliminated teams "We've reached the last dash to the final Chill Zone. After travelling to 21 different countries and a multitude of challenges that tested our competitors in every way possible, it all comes down to this. We have the Surfers, consisting of Geoff and Bridgette, and the Performers, consisting of Leshawna and Trent. Which of these two teams will come out on top, and win our grand prize of one million dollars?"

"Come on, come on… COME ON!" the two teams were now neck and neck as they made their final dash towards th Chill Zone, almost all of the previously eliminated teams watching in nail biting anticipation as the two teams came closer and closer to reaching the Chill Zone. The dash eventually came to a close, one of the teams managing to reach the carpet a split second before the other.

"And we have our champion! The winners are… the PERFORMERS!" Don made the call, which earned a round of thunderous cheers and applause.

"YES!" Trent and Leshawna embraced each other in a tight hug of joy "We did it! We actually did it!"

"...Ah well, you win some and you lose some right?" Bridgette looked over at Geoff with a soft smile as she gently caressed his cheek and looked at the new diamond ring on her hand "I think getting engaged is a pretty good substitute for a million dollars."

"Yeah, I ain't gonna argue with that." Geoff gave a grin of his own as he pulled her into a loving embrace "I love you Bridge."

"I love you too Geoff."

"Graceful acceptance all around, I have to commend you for that." Don gave a smile as he took a look around "Looks to me like everybody is happy."

"We're not!" Josee gave a scowl from her place in the stands.

"For the last time, I don't care! No language on earth has a world for little I care! A quantum super computer calculating for 1,000 years could not even approach the number of (bleep) I do not give!"

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Final thoughts from the runners up…

"I gotta be honest with you." Geoff cast a glance over at Bridgette "Getting the chance to do something like this was freaking amazing. But getting to do this with my dream girl, not to mention getting engaged at the end of it… I can't even think of a word for it."

"Trust me sweetie, I share the sentiment." Bridgette pulled Geoff into a loving embrace "But I choose to take it as a sign."

"Of what?"

"Of the fact that getting through the race was nothing compared to everything we've been through since we first met. All the hardships and struggles, the emotional trials. Now the race too. If we can get through that, then I say our relationship can survive anything."

"No arguments here babe. No arguments here."

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Final thoughts from the winners…

"I gotta be honest with you." Trent cast a glance over at Leshawna "Part of me is really shocked that we actually managed to win the race."

"I don't see how it's that much of a surprise." Leshawna gave a shrug "Sure the two of us just became partners for this race like most of the other teams, but you and I managed to power through everything the race threw at us."

"That is true."

"Exactly. The money is awesome as all hell, and we had a crap ton of fun doing the whole race itself too. We got to dodge geysers, riding dune buggies in Vegas, jumping off bridges and into giant boreholes."

"Truth be told, I think we balance each others' strengths and weaknesses out a lot better than I first thought we would, maybe now even better than before."

"No arguments here. Plus I've learned that you've shown that there's a lot more to you than meets the eye. You can be a real beast when you wanna be. Truth be told, I wouldn't mind the chance to do something like this with you again."

"You know something Leshawna? I wouldn't be against this either." the two of them shared a high five.

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Final closing shot…

"So this is the end of it." Don finished lining up all 18 teams in front of the last Chill Zone for one final group shot, and then cast a dry look at where Leshawna nand Trent were throwing their prize money around in celebration "Yes, throw all of your money on the ground, very smart way to use the grand prize." then he let gave a smile as he turned back to the camera "Anyway, that's all we have for now ladies and gentlemen. We hope that all of you enjoyed our incredible race around the world. Be sure to keep an eye out for more of… the Ridonculous Race!"

A/N:

Well guys, this is it. It was a hell of a ride, and a hell of a long ride, given that this story has been going on for more than a year, but we're finally at the end. Almost at least. There will be one more chapter for this story, which features the alternate ending to this story. This way, for those of you that really wanted to see the Surfers win (and believe me, I feel the same way, I think this will suffice.

I knew going into this that I was going to have the Performers and the Surfers end up in the finals. Both teams are made up of characters that got shafted pretty hard in one way or another. Granted the Performers were the first team I chose to have win, but given that I plan to do the alternate ending for the Surfers, you guys have the choice of whichever team you prefer to win. I did choose the Performers to win first because of its lineup, Leshawna in particular. Believe me, I've heard plenty of gripes over the years about how Leshawna got robbed during Total Drama Island, and part of the reason I chose her to compete in the race was to give her the chance to win that she deserves. I doubt I'm going to get many complains about that.

Adding onto that, I really tried to go all out with the proposal scene, which I'm sure that many of guessed was going to happen beforehand. I figured that I would want as many of Geoff and Bridgette's closest friends there as possible, so I incorporated the most prominent members of the Killer Bass (DJ, Duncan, Courtney), as well as some of their other friends (Cody, Gwen and Izzy) and brought them in so they could bear witness to the big moment. Plus I figured that having Noah be the one to give the idea to get them out there for it would showcase his character development after everything he went through in the race.

Oh yeah, and I'll give you one guess what that scene with Don and the penguins at the fountain was referencing. I will say that when New York and Central Park came up while I was planning out this chapter, my mind sort of went there. Also see if you can guess what the reference was at the end.

Rankings:

Performers- winner/ runners up in alternate ending

Surfers- runners up/ winners in alternate ending

Elimination order:

Goths- 3rd

Ice Dancers- 4th

Best Friends- 5th

Sisters- 6th

Rockers- 7th

Reality TV Pros- 8th

Brains & Brawn- 9th

Father & Son- 10th

Stepbrothers- 11th

Adversity Twins- 12th

Mother & Daughter- 13th

Fashion Bloggers- 14th

Vegans - 15th

Geniuses - 16th

Tennis Rivals 17th

LARPers - 18th