(Alternate Ending)
Gman5846: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. The classic competitors I chose to include in the story were ones that I felt didn't get enough spotlight in canon. Leshawna was one character that way too many people wanted to win, and I thought Trent deserved to get a chance to shine as well.
Spectacular Webhead 11: Win or lose, both teams get their happy ending in this one. Now let's see how the alternate ending plays out.
Magic Detective: Glad to see you caught the Madagascar reference, and yeah, the penguins are the best part. I doubt many will disagree with the thought that Leshawna needs to win a season, or that Trent needs to catch a break. Geoff and Bridgette getting engaged was pretty monumental in its own right too.
OmniIBIBUltraInstinctGodzilla: Glad you caught onto the references to Marvel and TMNT, and the nod to the penguins from Madagascar. The Goths might not have won, but they gave it one hell of a fight. The Surfers getting engaged was a major win, with or without the prize money. Noah being the one to set up the big scene was meant to be a big representation of his character development, and I figured bringing in a bunch of their closest friends from Total Drama would make it even more special. DJ and Kitty aren't going to be a thing, but I thought it would be a fun nod to their interaction in A BFG's World Tour. I figured the eliminated teams having different opinions on the finalists would make it more exciting and interesting to see who comes out on top. The Performers winning was definitely an exciting outcome, and the alternate ending will be coming out soon.
Cody Fanatic: Don't worry about the reviews, I'm just glad to see that people are invested in my stories. Leshawan and Trent were two characters that definitely deserved their time to shine, and even without winning, the Surfers did get their happy ending. I'm glad that you approve of my characterization of the Goths and Jacques. I don't see Josee doing a heel-face turn anytime soon, but I did what I could for her. I'm also glad to see you're excited for the All Stars story, though that's going to be awhile.
Magic: Good choice, at least you can still post your thoughts in anonymous reviews. I'm glad to see you caught the SAO Abridged reference at the end.
SuperSonicHeroes: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it all the way through. Given that it's New York, I couldn't resist making references to the Avengers or TMNT. The same goes for the cameo by the penguins from Madagascar, and I stand by Don's claim that it still isn't anywhere near the weirdest thing that happened during the race. You're right about the Performers and the Surfers, they're both made up of Total Drama veterans that deserve to show the world what they can do. I really wanted to go all out for the scene where Geoff proposes to Bridgette, and I thought that there would be no better way to do so than to bring in their closest friends from their time on Total Drama. And yeah, in the end Kitty got to prove that her encounter with DJ was real after all, which I thought would be fun to include.
Frosty Wolf: I get why you're disappointed about the Goths, but I'm glad you still liked the chapter, so thanks. A scene of Kitty and her love interest would've been a good idea, but I chose to go with a callback to Kitty's claims of meeting DJ on that train. I get what you're saying about the siren thing with Loki, and yeah I figured that was a little bit much, but I couldn't really think of another good substitute. But yeah, I did have it so the Goths grew on Don since they got to stay in the race longer. I did want to give the Performers time to catch up to the Surfers, and I figured that would be the best time to show off Geoff's proposal, killing two birds with one stone if you will. Also I'm glad that you caught onto the Madagascar reference. The penguins were the best part of the entire franchise, no contest.
Darkknight55: Glad to see you're on board with the ending. Just wait and see how you like the alternate ending.
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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 SURFERS!" Don made the call, which earned a round of thunderous cheers and applause.
"YES! WE DID IT!" Geoff spun Bridgette around in a tight hug, both of them filled to the brim with joy, and then they got to engage in heated makeout session.
"...Well, we can't really be too upset about it." Trent shared a look with Leshawna and gave a small smile "We got all the way to the finals, that's gotta be something for us to be proud of, isn't it?"
"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…
"Well I can't really complain, all things considered." Trent shared a glance with Leshawna "I mean 18 teams started this race, and we managed to make it all the way to the final two. That has to count for something."
"That's one way of looking at it." Leshawna gave a scowl and looked away "But to come that close and just have the win slip through your fingers feels like such a copout."
"In some ways I guess, but that's not the only thing to take away from this. We faced adversity on a whole other level and fought our way through it, and I think we both got the chance to learn a lot from all of this too."
"Part of me wants to say that this was all for nothing… but you've got a point." Leshawna let out a sigh and gave a small smile "We did learn a few things along the way. One thing I've learned is 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 thoughts from the winners…
"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 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 Geoff and Bridgette 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:
Now we see the final challenge of the season come to a close with a different ending, and this time it's the Surfers that comes out on top instead of the Performers. Once that happens, this story finally comes to a close. I hope that all of you enjoyed it all the way through, and keep an eye out for the final story in this series, sometime this year at least.
Anyway, that's pretty much all I have to say Until next time guys, I'll see all in my final Total Drama story of this series: From CIT to All Star. Until then, thank you all for sticking with this story for as long as you have, and make sure to stay safe out there.