Here is our first team challenge. Coming up with original challenges has been a struggle (which is partially why this and Chapter 1 each took almost a month to complete), but I feel content with the ideas used so far. I also spent lots of time going through ideas for interactions and what you see below went through multiple changes prior to posting. Time for review responses!
PrincessGumballWatterson777: Sorry I didn't bring back more people you would've wanted. As for Ridonculous Race contestants, they were left out when I'm not nearly as invested in that group of characters (or the spin-off as a whole) and overall don't find them as memorable as the main show and its players.
Rockin' D-99: Your enthusiasm is very much appreciated! I have some plans for Blaineley. Time shall tell what those are. Trent most definitely has potential for redemption. Eva is someone I felt could use another chance after only getting 1 season, and when the only other OG's who never returned after TDI during the canon series (Katie and Sadie) are people I find very annoying, this wasn't a tough choice to make when the BFFFL's would be a pain for me to write. Getting to Anne Maria, I've also seen fics where she's attracted to Justin, and her feelings were unrequited in at least one of those. Our model also didn't beat around the bush when rejecting her or Sugar, and certainly didn't hold back when giving Rodney a reality check. Our farm boy would be wise to listen to Brick's words. Glad you also liked how quickly Dawn and Ella sensed Dave was telling the truth. As for Brick and Jo, you'll see what happens with them.
WhatTheHeck23: I see what you mean in regards to our germaphobe's lengthy monologue. It was even wordier before I initially posted the first chapter, so be grateful you didn't see the original form :P. The purpose of it being long was that I wanted Dave to address his past behavior and what led to making efforts to improve himself. That guy's confessional has now been reworded somewhat and I moved about half of it to a later point in the chapter (namely when Chef brings up karma). Take a look and tell me whether you think it's an improvement. While Dakota already mentioned that surgery was what (mostly) restored her pre-mutation appearance, I've now expanded her comments on how multiple operations were required to achieve this. Couldn't think of anything else to add for Justin in the first chapter, and in case I hadn't already made it clear, Chris wasn't in the mood to let the contestants interact for very long before the challenge began. Apologies for any inadequacies there. I tried not to go overboard with Chef stealing his boss's thunder, but for what it's worth, he continues to do that in this chapter. Nice to have assurance you aren't ragging on me :).
OmniIBIBUltraInstinctGodzilla: Glad you feel that way. Let me know your thoughts on what follows.
totaldramargi: Thanks for the praise! I also like the variety of having multiple casts compete.
Danicus Green: Not spoiling how far anybody will go in the contest. I thought about having Sam win, but felt having Max win would help surprise my viewers more. There won't be any team captains, just people who pick teammates. Justin is rather picky when it comes to women. I do however see where you're coming from with how shallow he and our hairspray lover are. They do indeed place heavy emphasis on appearances. Regarding our princess, let's just say I won't have her go through all the same things with Sugar that she did throughout TDPI.
Piecesxoxo: Tom really let us down for sure with his cop-out. Nice to know you liked the choices I made for returns. Dave and Beardo both are determined to avoid repeating past mistakes.
Clips were shown of all 18 players comfortably sleeping in their own beds. After that, Chris was seen outdoors holding a megaphone and a remote control. He pressed the latter to activate the alarm clocks in each bedroom before loudly announcing "Rise and shine, campers! We have teams to form today and another challenge ahead of us. I'm giving you one hour to eat breakfast and get dressed beforehand."
In the cafeteria, Chef was shown serving French toast to the contestants. They loved every bite of it. A certain someone particularly enjoyed this cooking. It was Sugar, who unleashed a very smelly fart after greedily feasting upon the breakfast. Hatchet was prepared in advance for her to request more food. The cook placed a "One serving only per player" sign in front of the food before letting anybody eat it, making it clear he wasn't willing to perpetuate more gas than necessary. Upon smelling this, the second-in-command told everyone else "Feel free to finish eating in another room as long as you can get outside in time for the team pickings." while packing up the rest of the untouched food and exiting the area.
They quickly took advantage of that offer, leaving the gassy one alone. She just shrugged her shoulders and wasn't bothered by it in the slightest.
(Begin Confessional: Sugar)
"A queen sometimes just has to bask in her scents alone. Nothing personal. I've done that before."
(End Confessional)
The host later met with everybody outdoors and said "Since Max finished his final lap before Ella did, he gets first dibs. Both will take turns picking one teammate at a time."
"Since I've come to respect her EVIL scheming from last season after watching some clips of that, my first choice is Sugar." proclaimed the wannabe villain, getting a grateful response of "I'm glad somebody appreciates what I could do!"
"For my team, I'll start by taking Prince David." Ella announced, and he replied with "Nice to be somebody's first pick."
(Begin Confessional: Dave)
"For anybody who's wondering whether I ever noticed during our time on the show last season how Ella had a crush on me, the answer is yes: I figured it out during her elimination when she told me 'you made my heart wince' before leaving. At the time, I admittedly wasn't sure how to respond to this. I also didn't know until re-watching myself on camera how that line referred to sadness over learning how I was into Sky instead or how her attraction began when I pulled that girl out of some water and helped put her shoe back on. The fact that I was Ella's first choice for a teammate made it quite clear that she continues to carry a torch for me. It looks like I've underestimated how much impact that shoe moment had. While I still don't return such affections, I feel bad for inadvertently breaking her heart, and am quite grateful for how she's given me some benefit of the doubt. I'm fine with us being friends now and wouldn't turn down an offer to be allies. Now I'll need a way to gently decline any future romantic advances from her."
(End Confessional)
"Justin and his charms shall serve my team!" proclaimed Max, and the model assured him "You won't regret having me on your side when I'm the most gorgeous person on this show."
"Don't flatter yourself; that distinction actually goes to me!" McLean narcissistically retorted.
After pondering her options for a moment, the other team picker decided "I'll go with Dawn. Our side could use another animal lover.", prompting her choice to grin and gratefully say "Thank you very much for that, and your aura tells me you also have a special way with them."
The one who aspired to be evil followed that up with "My side could use another person who has played dirty, so give me Blaineley." and got a shocked response of "You seriously remember that? To be honest, I feel impressed."
Ella thought about who to select for several seconds before saying "My next choice is Trent. We could use another musical member. Maybe he could play guitar for my songs?"
"Not sure yet because I don't know what the rhythm or lyrics are. In any case, I'm glad to not be the one who gets chosen last." answered the guitarist.
Max followed that with "Bring me Sam. I could take notes from the villains of his video games on how to scheme and perhaps improve upon their plans."
"I doubt you'll have much luck with that when they're fictional and those plans get foiled, but very well." said the gamer.
Before the princess could say which of remaining options would be chosen next, Dawn whispered into her ear. This led to the announcement "We'll have DJ join us. A big heart like his and love of animals is very welcome.", prompting the gentle giant to happily respond with "I'm honored you feel that way."
Taking a note from what just happened, Sam decided to also whisper something to the wannabe villain. He told everybody else "The next to join my side is Dakota just so I don't have to deal with separation complaints.", who was glad to be on the same team as her boyfriend and gratefully replied "Thanks for keeping me on the same team as my favorite guy!" as the couple briefly hugged one another.
(Begin Confessional: Dawn)
"I knew exactly what I was doing with that whisper. Aside not wanting to deal with Dakota and Sam complaining about being separated as Max suggested, DJ's aura tells me he still has some concerns about animals after his time on the show's third season. Here's hoping I can convince this guy that the alleged 'curse' of harming them was only in his head like Leshawna mentioned. Lindsay also once helped demonstrate the fear was unfounded by pointing out how monkeys attacked DJ rather than the other way around. Too bad Alejandro later had to psyche him out with the fish ordeal."
(End Confessional)
(Begin Confessional: Sam)
"Dawn, I quickly figured out what you did when the teams were being formed, and thanks for preventing my lady from having to compete against me this season. We're both highly grateful for that."
(End Confessional)
Ella followed that with "For my next teammate, I want Leshawna. She came in fifth place during her first season and that at the very least helps prove strength." said the other teammate picker, and her choice replied with "Not a bad point there."
The aspiring evildoer took some time to look over the unchosen players. He told them "I now want Eva. Her villainous temper might be of use.", prompting a warning of "Don't press your luck with me!"
Five people were left. The one resembling Snow White told them "I'll take Brick. He's a noble guy who I'm certain will never abandon his comrades."
"You got that right, and I shall serve the team with honor!" promised the cadet.
Max subsequently proclaimed "Beardo could be useful with his sound effects, and those are fun either way, so he's joining my side.", and got an eager response of "You really think so? Thanks!"
(Begin Confessional: Beardo)
"It really meant a lot to me how somebody values the noises I make. Many people I've met find my habit bothersome, so this was a welcome change of pace!"
(End Confessional)
Ella announced her next pick with "I'll take Rodney because his muscles could come in handy."
Upon hearing those words, that farm boy's cheeks turned red while joining his new team and smiling. His response was "Yes, they sure can."
(Begin Confessional: Rodney)
"How did I not see it before? Ella is the one! Both us are single, so I just need to come up with the right words once we're alone."
(End Confessional)
This left only two contestants. Upon making his decision, Max told them "Jo can join my side when she seemed to be more underhanded from what I saw when watching the fourth season. I commend such EVIL thoughts and have a feeling this will make her more useful."
"You aren't wrong there." the jockette admitted with a shoulder shrug.
"That means Anne Maria joins the other side." added Chris, getting a response of "I already figured that out, Captain Obvious." from said hairspray lover before he continued with "Now for the team names: Max, your side shall be known as the Howling Coyotes while Ella's is dubbed the Roaring Leopards."
A silver circle with a coyote and a gold circle with a leopard were shown hovering the respective teams. The wannabe villain inquired "Why can't mine be Team Evil?" while the princess asked their host "How come we don't have something less vicious sounding?"
Both questions were answered with an arrogant "Because I like my ideas too much to change them, plus I feel they're better than anything you people can come up with. On another note, I'm not sure whether I already mentioned how the prize has been increased for this season, but you'll now be competing for $10 million instead of just $1 million."
Every competitor joyfully cheered upon hearing that. He followed this with "Can't say I'm shocked that such information pleases you. Now, there's a challenge to get through, so please follow me. We don't have all day."
They all gathered in a baseball field. The host informed everyone "Today will test your batting skills! Chef will pitch baseballs to each contestant, and your goal is to hit them as far as you can. Our interns will measure the distance of every hit unless you knock it out of the park, which would be even better and automatically count as 400 feet! Every contestant only gets one swing total, so make the most of your turn when it comes up. If you miss your shot, then too bad; no do-overs and you'll score nothing for your team! Whichever side racks up the most cumulative distance among all teammates with their hits will win immunity for today."
Hatchet could be seen standing at the pitcher's mound with his tennis ball shooting device from the previous season, except now modified to fire baseballs instead. "I hope my time playing the baseball portion of Wii Sports comes in handy now." said Sam, getting a response of "That doesn't seem likely, and we'll have Ella's team start when Max already had the first pick on teammates. I'll let you decide who bats when among your teams. After your swings are complete, step aside and hand the bat to someone on the opposing side. We'll alternate between Leopards and Coyotes batting."
Both teams formed separate huddles. Their dialogue was inaudible to any outsiders. Who did the Leopards choose to kick things off? That was Brick MacArthur, who assured them "I'll give us a strong start!" after their huddle disbanded.
Chris handed him a baseball bat as he went up to take his swings. While preparing for his shot, this contestant held a tight grip on the bat. The cook fired a ball at him, which was knocked clean out of the park! McLean declared "That definitely is a strong start for the Leopards. Let's see whether the Coyotes can replicate it."
"I'll be happy to do so." Jo proclaimed, and Brick handed her the bat as she told Hatchet "Hit me with your best shot. Fire away!"
"Ok, you asked for it." he relented, and adjusted the settings on his device to fire faster before launching one.
It was another perfect hit. The jockette boasted "There's your answer: we can in fact match the opening 400 thanks to yours truly."
"Quit bragging and pass the bat over to me already!" said Leshawna, who wanted to go up next, and the Coyote complied.
"Ready for some heat?" asked the second-in-command while preparing to shoot again, getting a confident answer of "Most definitely." before sending a ball her way.
Did this go as far as the first two hits? No, but still made some good distance. The showrunner announced "Ms. No-nonsense gets a total of 360 feet for that hit, which is quite good. It has been topped but still is hard to surpass."
"Guess now would be a good time to prove myself worthy." Beardo remarked as he went up to bat, full of determination and eager to demonstrate his skills.
(Begin Confessional: Beardo)
"When a lack of participation is at least partially why I got booted off before anybody else in my first season, I knew that I had to step things up, so opting to bat early seemed like a good way to show I wasn't going to repeat my past mistake. Something that probably helped boost my confidence for today's challenge is the fact that I've often played baseball with my cousins during family get-togethers."
(End Confessional)
"Ready or not, here it comes, noisy!" Chef announced while firing a ball towards him.
With a large smack, its total ended up in between that of the previous two contestants. Chris said "That's another 375 feet for the Coyotes. Quite a good amount!"
The human soundboard had an expression of pure joy. He raised both of his fists triumphantly, feeling proud of himself. This guy declared "Hell yeah!" and passed the bat over to Rodney, who said "It's been a long time since I used one of these. Here's hoping I'm not too rusty."
Trying to help in some capacity, Leshawna advised him "Just swing as hard as you can once the ball comes and you'll get us closer to victory.", not realizing he'd get distracted by such comments.
The farm boy turned towards her to respond with "Sure, I can do that", and a blush was visible on his grinning face.
(Begin Confessional: Rodney)
"Leshawna is a lovely lady who knows how to encourage people at the right time. I hope she and Harold aren't still a couple. If they aren't, then perhaps we have a shot together. It regardless isn't hard to see why he fell in love with her during season 1."
(End Confessional)
"Keep your eye on the ball!" shouted Trent as Chef shot another ball, but the one at bat didn't notice this until it was too late, completely missing it during his swing.
"That's our first miss of the day! One big fat zero for the Rod-meister." the host taunted before Justin took the bat from Rodney and subsequently proclaimed "The one really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking contestant will now score big for his team."
"Don't get too cocky, pretty boy." the second-in-command cautioned.
"You got the 'pretty' part right for this hunk at bat!" Sugar complimented lovingly while staring at the model before Hatchet fired a ball, and even though it didn't get hit as hard as those who went before him, it still was a decent swing.
"That's 325 feet for Justin. Can the next batter top it?" McLean pondered as said contestant bragged "No matter what follows, remember that beauty such as me knows how to score."
"I'm sure many know how you're a pro." Anne Maria swooned while taking the bat from him, and her palms got sweaty in the process.
The hairspray user tried to keep herself from getting too worked up over the object of her affections during this exchange, not wanting to get sidetracked by such feelings like Rodney did over Leshawna, which would put their team at an even bigger disadvantage. She wiped the sweat off her palms before gripping the bat firmly and turning towards Chef. He fired a ball towards the girl, which failed to exceed 300 feet. To be more specific, the host announced "Our tan-in-a-can gets 290 feet for her hit. So far, only one other person has failed to go past 300. Maybe the next swing will change that."
Anne Maria passed it over to Sugar, who insisted "Give it to me and I'll top that." before proclaiming "This one is for Justin!"
"Perhaps you forgot how he made it obvious yesterday that you'll never be a couple." added Mildred, getting a bitter response of "It's not like you could possibly have any better chance of getting with him or other guys."
(Begin Confessional: Justin)
"Whenever I reject a girl's advances towards me, no amount of flattery will make me change my mind afterwards. Neither of the ones I turned down yesterday seem to realize this even after I gave clear indications that I wasn't interested in them."
(End Confessional)
While the one at bat wasn't distracted enough to miss how the ball was thrown, she completely missed it when swinging due to feeling upset over a certain teammate reminded her of an unpleasant reality.
"This is what can happen when emotions get in the way, and I love it!" said Chris. "That's a zero for the Coyotes."
"You can kiss my ass!" Sugar angrily retorted, and he replied with "I really would rather not. Just pass the bat over to someone else." before DJ took the aforementioned bat and commented "Pretty sure I can get a good hit."
Dawn interjected "Hold on, there's something you need to hear before going up." and quickly whispered something into his ear, which was inaudible to everyone else.
It appeared to help given his smile that followed. Chef declared "OK, now that she seems to have finished, it's time to find out what you'll get." and subsequently fired a ball towards him.
This achieved a perfect score. "Our giant teddy bear scores 400 feet. Well done! Can the next person match it?" pondered the host.
"Pass it over and you'll get an answer." said Dakota, who grabbed the bat and prepared to swing. "Even when not mutated any more, maybe I have enough leftover strength to help here."
"You got this, babe!" her boyfriend cheered encouragingly.
How much did she score? Just over 300 feet. "Not a bad swing at all. With that hit, Ms. Milton scores 305 feet!" complimented Chris.
"I guess I'll go next." added Dave as he took the bat. He didn't surpass the previous hit. "That's 275 feet for our germ-hater." stated the cook, with his boss snapping "Hey, those announcements are MINE to make, not yours!", only to get a response of "You need to learn how to share more."
"Can I take my swing now?" inquired Sam, who now held the bat.
"Go right ahead. Fire away!" McLean answered, and Hatchet shot a ball.
The gamer smacked it further than the host or cook expected. "Well done. You managed to get 315 feet with that hit!"
"I hope to obtain more." said Ella, who took the bat from him.
"You don't have the muscle for it, Princess faker!" Sugar mocked, getting a confused response of "Me, a fake? What in the world gave you that idea?"
(Begin Confessional: Dawn)
"Sugar shouldn't project her faults onto others like she does with Ella. By no means does it ever help anyone or anything. In fact, doing so only makes her look worse. On another note, I'm glad my confidence boost for DJ worked wonders. His aura showed no signs of worries over any curses when swinging that bat, and getting a perfect score made things even better. Perhaps I can later give more evidence to disprove those prior concerns by presenting live animals to him."
(End Confessional)
Unfortunately for the girl at bat, she got too distracted by this to hit the ball, completely missing when making her swing. Chris followed it with the announcement of "Our Snow White/Cinderella hybrid gets nothing!"
"Trying to belittle her physical strength or wrongfully accuse someone of being a fake won't compensate for any of your problems." Dawn told the obese blonde, who defiantly insisted "That has to be a joke; there's nothing wrong with me!"
"Your denial was expected given how low you consciously have stooped in the past. It isn't fooling anybody here." added Hatchet.
(Begin Confessional: Sugar)
"I obviously know how to play dirty at the expense of others. That really is a strength and not an issue. Chef is probably jealous of my skills. In any case, it's nice to know that I haven't lost my underhanded touch as shown by how I could sabotage the one who really got on my nerves last season. I previously got third place when playing baddie, so maybe sneakier tricks this time will help me go to the finals and even win them. The fact that none of the other contestants who came back have ever made the final 4 when competing in the past likely puts me at an advantage."
(End Confessional)
"Let EVIL show you all how this is done." Max proclaimed while taking the bat.
Did this guy hit his ball? The answer was no. Having a shorter-than-average height hindered him from doing so. Hatchet commented "Another zip; this time for the wannabe villain."
"What did I tell you about doing that!?" spat an angry host.
"The pipsqueak needs to lower his pride and should've aimed higher." said Blaineley, getting an irritated growl from the one who just missed his ball.
(Begin Confessional: Max)
"Nobody calls me a pipsqueak and gets away with it! Also, it's not my fault that Chef wouldn't adjust the ball-shooting device properly."
(End confessional)
"Perhaps I can score something." added Dawn, trying to refocus people's attention.
"Fat chance of that!" taunted Sugar, hoping to distract another player from the opposing team, but this didn't work again.
"That's 265 feet for our aura-reader!" Chris announced, and the one at bat retorted "You can't deter my focus or expect the same distraction trick to work so soon after using it on somebody else."
"I should be able to top that." Eva declared, and to nobody's surprise, her prediction came true.
"It's out of the park; 400 for our hot-headed jock!" said the cook, getting a warning of "You do that one more time without permission, and I won't let you back into our hotel tonight." from McLean.
That was enough to prevent his assistant from trying to make any further score announcements for the rest of the day. He frowned in response to the threat.
(Begin Confessional: Chef)
"Maybe someday I should permanently take over as host. I'd probably get better pay and wouldn't have to worry about Chris raining on my parade whenever I try to have some fun with announcements."
(End Confessional)
"Here's hoping I can pull that off as well." said Trent as he prepared for a ball to come by.
This swing didn't go out of the park, but still got respectable distance. Chris remarked "That's a decent hit for our guitar player; 330 feet, giving the Leopards a grand total of 2,290 feet. If the final swing of today surpasses 160 feet, then the Coyotes will win."
"Now I know my minimum goal to finish things off." Blaineley stated as she took the bat.
"Here it comes!" said Hatchet right before firing one last ball.
It went a total of…
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0 feet! Due to poor timing, her swing completely missed the ball. It understandably made this batter quite upset. Chris rubbed salt in the wound with "Madam O'Halloran scores nothing. The Coyotes finish with a total of 2,120 feet, which means they'll have to vote someone off after tonight's dinner and that the Leopards win today's challenge!"
The victorious side cheered triumphantly while the losing one sulked in defeat. Trent was particularly thrilled when he scored the winning hit for his team, even when other swings got more distance.
(Begin Confessional: Blaineley)
"To be honest, I was never that good at sports. It sucks that today's challenge had to be batting. Even worse, my team lost today because of me, which means I could easily get voted off."
(End Confessional)
(Begin Confessional: DJ)
"Winning our first team challenge is quite nice. What makes it even better is how I got a perfect score today! It gives me a good feeling about this season. The biggest questions for me now are how well I'll get along with my new teammates and whether I can make the merge. In any case, I'm very relieved to not be the first one eliminated."
(End Confessional)
Later that day, Sam, Dakota, and Justin were shown getting massages at the spa. The gaming nut asked his girlfriend "Who do you think we should vote off tonight? While I have a feeling each of us will be safe, voting together will increase are chances of that as well as eliminating somebody else."
She answered "I can't decide between Sugar and Blaineley. Obviously one of them must go after failing to get any distance, but both have irksome ways that it's hard to make up my mind. Max can be spared for now when he ensured we'd be on the same team even when missing his own swing."
The wannabe villain heard this upon entering the area and replied with "Thank you. I personally think the old lady should go first. She cost our team the challenge today and is a misfit among us to begin with when around Chris's age."
"My recommendation is Sugar for being generally repulsive and already going the furthest among those who returned from last season, but I see where you're coming from." suggested the model. "We'll find out soon enough who shall get the axe. I simply am glad to not be on tonight's chopping block."
(Begin Confessional: Justin)
"Even though I already have firmly decided on my vote for tonight, I wouldn't mind seeing Max's target go home either. He had a decent rationale even when there was clearly an ulterior motive: getting payback for her making fun of his height. I didn't bring that up in front of him, though, because I sensed it would probably make the guy feel even more sour and I wasn't in the mood to deal with that. The fewer conflicts I have, the better my chances are of going far. Even being on neutral terms with others is better than having enemies. Saying the wrong thing to that wannabe villain could easily prompt him to turn against me."
(End Confessional)
The cameras cut towards Brick and Dawn swimming in the hotel's pool, and the former asked "Out of curiosity, can your aura-reading abilities predict how likely we are to win challenges in advance or even what they'll involve? It would be nice to know what to prepare for.", getting an answer of "If I had enough time to look further into the auras of Chris and Chef, then maybe I could've figured out what they have in mind for what follows, but I'm exactly not an oracle either way and I don't have a crystal ball or anything to see into the future."
"That's too bad. Having such a sense really could've helped us." replied the cadet, and a look of disappointment was clearly written across his face.
"I know. Whatever comes next, I do hope we win again." she told him with a smile.
"Same with me." said Leshawna, who walked into the area and overheard their conversation. "I'll be ready for it. In the meantime, we get to chill without any worries about losing one of our members. The big question is who the other side will kick off. I'm glad to be safe tonight."
After that, she entered the water and relaxed. None of them were certain which player would be voted off. In fact, their opponents hadn't entirely figured that out either. It was only a matter of time until the verdict would be given. A few hours passed before the contestants were seen eating dinner. Chef had prepared sliced roast beef and salads for them tonight. They were all happily feasting upon their choices. Ella asked Dave "Any guesses on which teammate the Coyotes will send home? All I'm sure of is that it'll be someone who missed their swing."
His response was "There's no doubt in my mind that it'll be one of those three. On that note, shame on the one who interfered with yours. You didn't deserve that or the way she tormented you last season. I'm sorry you had to endure such agony and hope they'll kick her off for such actions and generally being obnoxious both in the past and present. That bitch honestly wasn't any easier to deal with after you were eliminated. In any case, I'm quite glad she's not on the same team as us again."
This put a huge smile on her face. She followed it up with "Thank you, and hearing that means more than you know. Perhaps we could be allies and vote together whenever the time for that comes up."
Grateful to have assurance that somebody had his back, he told the princess "My pleasure, and no objections to your idea. Let's toast to that and our victory." before they clinked their glasses and drank from those.
(Begin Confessional: Ella)
"While part of me wanted to hug David for his sympathy during our meal this evening and accepting my alliance offer, I didn't do so when I had some unshakable gut feeling that it would've been inappropriate when he's not ready yet to do non-platonic things with anyone, and such an action could be taken in the wrong way." The lookalike of Snow White paused for a moment and blushed heavily. "To tell the truth, no matter how much I deep down want a romance with him, I'd hate to push my luck and risk the friendship we have now by making premature advances. Maybe being allies could serve as a step towards that. On another note, a truth that may shock others is that I knew all along how Sugar hated me when we first competed together, and I naively thought we could've worked past this with my attempts to form a friendship instead of stooping to her level and doing bad things. In retrospect, I should've figured out sooner how it was a lost cause and she'd never change her ways. Oh well."
(End Confessional)
Once everybody had finished their dinner, McLean instructed through his megaphone "Everybody now must come outside, including the Leopards! All contestants are required to be present for elimination ceremonies for this season even when immune from the vote. Further details shall follow once all have gathered there."
Each of the competitors complied and met with him around a campfire. A bleacher and a set of log stumps could be seen nearby. He told them "Much like in our fifth season, the winners get to relax in the peanut gallery while the losers have to sit on the logs. Those people have nothing to worry about for now. I also thought I'd save some time by having one explanation of our procedure for everybody instead of twice total with separate team eliminations. Take your seats accordingly and Chef will tell you more about how things shall go."
The cook followed that up with "This season, we'll use voting ballots. Once you fill in the circle next to which contestant you want gone, place your ballot in the box. Be sure to also sign your name at the top so we know who voted for who. After those are counted, everybody who's safe shall receive a bronze key of safety from me. We thought it would be nice to change things up from having so many marshmallows." and held up an example of said key upon finishing.
"You heard the man, now our losers must decide who to send off. I'll tell you about the deportation method after the keys are distributed." said Chris.
(Begin Confessional: Eva)
"That Max has bothered me lately, so my choice tonight is to get rid of him. Maybe getting voted off will teach him some humility."
(End Confessional)
(Begin Confessional: Jo)
"Decisions, decisions. Who do I want out first? They're all expendable, but I can only choose one."
(End Confessional)
After the votes have been cast, the host declared "Now that the results are in, it's time to give out the keys. Our first players safe are the ones who had perfect swings, namely Eva and Jo.", and the named contestants each grinned while receiving their symbols of safety before he continued with "Beardo got the next highest score among this team and is also safe tonight."
The human soundboard was ecstatic to be safe and cheered "Hallelujah! I'm so glad to not be the first one out again!" as Hatchet tossed him a key.
"Quite understandable. If I was in your shoes, then I'd probably feel the same way." replied McLean, who subsequently went onto announce "Justin, Sam, and Dakota also get to stick around. They did decently today when exceeding 300 feet with their hits."
Each of these players were also relieved to survive the ceremony and got keys from the second-in-command. Ms. Milton clinked keys with her boyfriend in a similar matter to toasting with beverages. This left three remaining members. They all were noticeably anxious. Chris said "Sugar, Blaineley, and Max, you all missed on your swings earlier, and it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that you were the only ones who got any votes tonight. Whoever survives really must step it up next challenge. No key means it's bye-bye for you."
"Can I just hand the remaining keys out already?" inquired his assistant impatiently, getting a response of "I was hoping to build up some more suspense. The audiences dig that, and it helps keep people on the edge. Now, with only two votes, the next person safe is…
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Max!"
"Evil prevails! This team would otherwise be at a disadvantage." proclaimed the wannabe villain upon receiving his key.
The only two people left both exchanged nervous looks and were now sweating bullets. McLean continued with "Ladies, one of you received three votes and the other racked up four. Only one of you gets another chance to not screw up. Who will it be? With fewer votes against her, our final key of the night goes to…
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Blaineley!"
The former co-host of Celebrity Manhunt took a big sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from her forehead after hearing this and getting a safety symbol from Chef. Justin could be seen smirking triumphantly. In contrast, the newly eliminated contestant had an expression of despair and protested "Are you fucking kidding me!? Unless somebody rigged the votes, they had to have been miscounted. There's no way in hell I can possibly be the first one axed!"
"If there was any error or tampering, then we would've known by now. Just face the fact that your team doesn't want you around any longer, and to be honest, neither do I." the cook replied.
"You will not be missed in the slightest." taunted Blaineley. "Have fun being known as one of the people who came in last place on this show."
Feeling even angrier now, Sugar growled and barked "That last key should be mine and not yours when you cost us the challenge, so give it to me!"
"OK, you can have it." Mildred said before chucking it at the girl's face, giving her a nosebleed, and she spat "Why you little piece of shit! I'm gonna kick your ass!" in response.
Before the one with a bleeding nose could retaliate, the host and Hatchet each grabbed one of her arms to restrain any potential attacks. Chris said "Everyone, please follow us. It's time we got rid of this major nuisance. She no longer is welcome around here."
The cameras cut towards a giant boot. It looked like the one from season 5's pancake-eating challenge and had to have been at least 30 feet tall. All 17 of the remaining players watched as Chef placed the loser of the night on a target circle, who now had tissues up her nose to keep it from bleeding further. Chris subsequently informed them "After each contestant is eliminated, they'll get sent far away with a powerful kick from our boot of shame. No second chances once you're gone. Now, do you have any last words before we send you off, Sugar?"
"I sure do. Whoever voted for me will regret it, and I hope that stupid Ella is the next one gone! That supposed goody-goody-two shoes doesn't deserve to outrank me! After she's eliminated, be sure to get rid of that creepy girl who reads auras." she replied while giving double middle fingers to the remaining contestants, and subsequently was fired away once the host pressed a button to activate the boot.
"One elimination down, 15 more to go before the finale." said the cook.
(Begin Confessional: Beardo)
"Entering new territory now. My nerves are starting to tense up a bit when not entirely sure what to do. I got lucky at tonight's elimination ceremony, but don't know how long that'll keep up. Here's hoping my team can win the next challenge!"
(End Confessional)
The host signed off the episode with "That was the first team challenge. One player is gone, and there's plenty more action to come this season. Who will get the boot next? What will the subsequent challenges involve? There's only one way to find out: be sure to keep watching Total. Drama. Generation Showdown!"
The Coyotes lose their first challenge. Will the Leopards win again? I already know the answer (as well as who gets axed next), but you'll have to wait until Chapter 3 gets posted to find out.
Reason for elimination: Nobody in the game likes Sugar, plus I didn't have much planned for her aside from receiving some overdue karma (which includes getting last place). She already had a chance to shine during season 6 by getting to its semi-finals anyway. Those gassy moments during meals also contributed to certain people wanting to get rid of our Honey Boo-Boo knockoff. Apologies to any Sugar fans who are reading this, but I had already made up my mind even before submitting Chapter 1 that she wasn't going to reach the merge regardless of who went out first.
Voting results:
Max: 2 votes (Eva, Jo)
Blaineley: 3 votes (Beardo, Max, Sugar)
Sugar: 4 votes (Blaineley, Dakota, Justin, Sam)
Elimination Order:
Sugar (18th place)
Remaining Players:
Howling Coyotes: Beardo, Blaineley, Dakota, Eva, Jo, Justin, Max, Sam
Roaring Leopards: Anne Maria, Brick, Dave, Dawn, DJ, Ella, Leshawna, Rodney, Trent
Chapter posted: December 29, 2020.