Chapter 10 features the obligatory horror-themed challenge. Every canon season has at least one of those ("Hook, Line and Screamer" from TDI, "The Sand Witch Project" from TDA, "I See London" from TDWT, "Finders Creepers" from TDROTI, "Moon Madness" as well as "Zeek and Ye Shall Find" from TDAS, and "Hurl And Go Seek" from TDPI). I had to fulfill that unspoken rule sooner or later. Details to follow after my review responses.
Rockin' D-99: Apologies for not giving Trent, Leshawna, or DJ enough focus (even with each of them scoring victories and me trying to give the lattermost a badass moment with the paintball evasion). I can safely say they'll get more plot and interactions here. Perhaps I got too caught up with Jock and Della plotlines in previous chapters. My bad! Speaking of our germaphobe, that conversation with Dakota did indeed convince him to confess his attraction to the princess sooner rather than later (he otherwise would've done so in this chapter), and it led to her asking the dude out upon sensing he was about to do so anyway. Nice to know you not only found it funny how Beardo interrupted them smooching right after becoming a couple, but also feel I put the human soundboard and his potential to good use! I wanted him to go out on an amusing note with that as well as pranking Chef by immitating a bear.
OmniIBIBUltraInstinctGodzilla: As much as I would've loved to take Beardo further, it wasn't feasible when I couldn't come up with anything else for him to do in the contest. This guy will next be featured during the second aftermath (Chapter 12).
amit avrashmi: Chef will give a bit more detail on the donor here. As for Jo and Brick, let's just say that being on opposite teams is partially why they're hesitant to admit their affections for one another.
On with the fic!
It was pouring rain when Chris woke up in the morning. He woke up and peered outside his bedroom window to observe this. Not wanting to go outside alone, the host knocked on Chef's door after getting dressed and told him "Even though our challenge for today is going to be delayed, we still need to feed our contestants."
"Very well, but I'd like you to please lend me a hand with preparing breakfast no matter what that ends up being." replied his aid.
(Begin Confessional: Chris)
"Part of me wishes I didn't have to cook when I could instead spend such effort on tormenting contestants and coming up with new ways to do so. On the other hand, I get a say in what's served."
(End Confessional)
Within half an hour, both men had finished making lots of oatmeal, and could be seen eating that along with each of the players. After swallowing a mouthful, Leshawna asked Dawn "Can your aura powers by any chance read the weather and give you a sense of when this rain will let up?"
This was answered with "I wish they could, but sadly no."
"Too bad." added the sassy one. "It was worth bringing up when you seem very in tune with nature."
"Fair enough, and I can understand where you're coming from." said the aura-whisperer.
(Begin Confessional: Leshawna)
"On the bright side, we can relax after breakfast with an ongoing downpour. This isn't a problem."
(End Confessional)
At some point following breakfast, DJ could be seen with Trent in the lounge. The former stated "Having a new couple on our team confirms my suspicions that there's an alliance that doesn't involve us, and I'm sure you've also figured that out. This is something to think about for when we next have to vote."
"Meaning it would be strategic to boot Dave or Ella at next opportunity?" questioned the guitarist.
"Not necessarily. Depending on how they perform in upcoming challenges, we could join forces with them to cast 4 votes against someone else." his ally clarified.
"I hadn't thought of that." Trent responded. "Let's just hope their relationship doesn't interfere with us getting more victories."
(Begin Confessional: DJ)
"A four-person vote isn't guaranteed right now, but still is something that can help in the future."
(End Confessional)
Over in the spa, Sam and Dakota were seen getting massages. He asked his girlfriend "With 5 remaining members left on our team, how much harder do you think it'll be to win again? We've already had 4 losses and only 3 victories."
Her response was "Hard to say when we don't know what challenges will follow. All I know is that the elimination ceremony last night was a close call. I was tempted to vote for Jo as retaliation for letting you and me get blasted by paint, but that isn't someone who was really in danger of going home after not being hit. She luckily was willing vote with us as compensation for this. We otherwise wouldn't be competing together anymore! At least Beardo didn't appear to hold any resentment for what we did."
"Her vote was really crucial there." the gamer added. "While I feel bad for him, it was a necessary evil to stay in the game after more paintballs struck us three than anyone else aside from Brick, who I'm sure would've gone home had we won instead."
"That sounds like a reasonable guess." said Ms. Milton.
(Begin Confessional: Dakota)
"I'm starting to worry about our team's standing. If we lose again before the merge, then I don't know which of us will next be cut from the contest."
(End Confessional)
Outside the hall near bedroom doors, Max was quarreling with Jo, asking "What happened to us voting together? I thought we had an EVIL deal, and Beardo going home this soon wasn't part of that!"
"He was one of the people who got hit by the most paintballs. It otherwise would've been either Dakota or Sam, and I decided against those options because separating that couple via an elimination would've just led to lots of complaining which could easily drag things down for our side." explained the jockette. "We now can't afford to lose any additional members. If we end up having to vote anyone else off before the teams dissolve, then I could easily convince everyone to give you the axe after that stunt you pulled with the pebbles, so don't fuck up any other challenges for us! Got that? I might otherwise beat the shit out of you, and you should consider yourself lucky that I could even get anyone to vote off Eva after she made us lose."
Not in the mood to deal with more lecturing or threats, the aspiring evildoer simply replied with "Got it."
Her next words were "Very good. Now, we just wait until this damn rain stops."
(Begin Confessional: Max)
"Pfft, like I can really be bossed around! Jo probably formed some other deal behind my back, so perhaps I could be villainous by putting an end to whatever that is. I won't let her have the last laugh!"
(End Confessional)
Once the rain had stopped, Chris could be seen outside near the hotel entrance with his megaphone commanding "Now that the weather has cleared up, please meet me outside for the challenge."
Three minutes later, all 12 contestants had gathered outdoors. Hatchet carried over a giant box and informed them "Today will test your aiming skills. Inside this box are your weapons and ammo for the upcoming challenge."
His boss opened said box to pull out a Nerf blaster and added "With these puppies, you'll have to land as many hits as possible, which is quite a contrast from yesterday's paintball challenge. Try not to waste too many darts when only a limited amount is available."
"What will we be firing at?" inquired Jo.
"Anything besides your competitors that radiates light. Your challenge will take place within a very dark room that's at least 10 minutes away from here." answered the host before opening another box nearby containing vests and continuing with "Chef will now give everyone glow-in-the-dark vests to identify one another. Silver ones for the Coyotes, and gold ones for the Leopards. By the way, you'll also be using darts that match the colors of your team vests."
"Well, at least it isn't complete darkness." Brick said with relief as every player received their vests, which prompted glances from the others, and he added "That makes the targets easier to spot, so I'm not sure why you're giving me those looks."
"We all know the real reason you're grateful for light. Don't bother trying to deny it." Leshawna commented.
"Is it really that obvious?" asked the military boy, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Very much so, yes." she affirmed.
"I figured it out right away." the second-in-command told him.
"Now that Mr. Scared-of-the-dark has some comfort blanket—or comfort vest in this case—let's stock up on ammo and head over to the challenge area." his boss taunted.
"You don't need to mock him like that!" DJ reprimanded.
The host dismissed this with "Whatever. When an opportunity shows up, I take it."
"Deep down, we all have fears, and you don't need to feel ashamed of yourself." The gentle giant assured Mr. MacArthur, which prompted a smile of gratitude for the consolation.
"Good thing I'm not alone in this regard." replied the cadet.
"No, you definitely aren't." his teammate affirmed.
(Begin Confessional: Brick)
"I still do not like the dark at all! DJ thankfully seems to be understanding."
(End Confessional)
As everyone approached a giant cube with no windows, Chef informed the players "Whichever team racks up the most cumulative points within 20 minutes wins. Every shot you land will count as one point each. Make the most of your darts."
"I hope my time playing Nerf N-Strike comes in handy here." said Sam.
"Even though that had some levels set in the dark, I'm sure it'll be much harder to hit anything here without much light." Dakota remarked.
"Unless you've got top-notch aiming skills like Chuck Norris or Hank J. Wimbleton, chances are you'll miss multiple times, and that goes for everyone here." added Chris. "I'm not expecting perfection, just looking to see how well you can shoot. Let's now enter the arena."
Every player walked into the dark room. Right before closing the door, Hatchet instructed "Wait for an alarm to go off before you start shooting. Once you hear it again, that means time is up."
Once the door was closed, the only things visible were their vests. A certain cadet could be heard hyperventilating. Trent followed the sound to find his teammate and tried to calm him down with "It'll all be over in 20 minutes. Besides, we'll have lots of lit-up things to aim at."
"That's a fair point. I just want this to be over with." Brick replied.
"Just take slow, deep breaths instead of quick and shallow ones. Looking at the vests might also help." advised the guitarist.
Mr. MacArthur complied, and some of his anxiety began to subside, prompting the guy to gratefully reply "I definitely needed that, so thank you."
"Sure thing. If sticking close to another lit-up vest would make things any easier, then feel free to do that as well." added his teammate.
(Begin Confessional: Trent)
"I know from experience that paranoia can really be detrimental to those who feel it, so I didn't want Brick's nerves to get the better of him."
(End Confessional)
Shortly afterwards, a buzzer went off to signify that the challenge had begun. Two glowing objects entered the room. Everybody did their best to hit them. However, nobody could strike either of those, with each contestant wasting at least five darts. Chris could be heard saying through an intercom "That was just a little taste of what's to come. Maybe you'll miss all of your shots." before chuckling to himself.
"Seriously, you're making it too hard for them now." Chef told him. "I'm turning on the lights in there."
"You do that, and I'll make sure you don't get paid for the rest of the season." McLean threatened.
"Can you at least enable the laser pointers on their blasters? That'll help with their aim." asked the second-in-command.
With an irritated groan, the host relented "Fine, but that's all they get for the remaining time."
(Begin Confessional: Sam)
"I knew our cook wasn't entirely evil."
(End Confessional)
(Begin Confessional: Chef)
"Is my boss so eager to torment contestants that he makes it just about impossible for them to even carry out given tasks? Our donor will not like that at all. By the way, they've decided to visit towards the end of the season, and the only other new detail this person is currently allowing me to reveal about them is that it's someone who has never previously appeared on the show."
(End Confessional)
(Begin Confessional: Chris)
"To be honest, I was hoping each contestant would fail to hit any targets at all, but a certain somebody had to be a party-pooper and insist I make things easier for them. It would've been funny to see them waste their entire loads in futile efforts to score points! Oh well."
(End Confessional)
As soon as the laser pointers were activated, it became much easier to score points. The first person to hit a target was Max, followed shortly by Dawn. This prompted the former to declare "Let it be known that EVIL has good aim when not in near-total darkness."
"Please quit bragging and just focus on the targets. It's already enough of a pain to have very little lighting." Leshawna requested.
"You will not silence me so easily!" retorted the aspiring evildoer.
Becoming more irritated now, she impulsively pointed her own blaster toward him and inquired "Care to bet on that?"
Upon noticing this, DJ pleaded "He's not worth it and you should save your shots for the actual targets. This also isn't like you." while scoring himself two points.
His teammate complied with "OK you're right, and I needed that.", going onto hit three targets and feeling satisfied with such progress.
"Sure thing, now let's win!" he replied.
(Begin Confessional: Max)
"I just might have gotten a new idea for which of my opponents should go out next."
(End Confessional)
About one quarter way through the time limit, Chris decided to make things more challenging, not pleased to see that everyone had hit at least six targets by this point even when there were also lots of misses. He told Chef "Let's give them a scare with some spooky things to aim at."
"You mean like ghosts or skeletons?" asked his assistant.
"Go right ahead!" McLean enthusiastically responded in approval.
The cameras cut back to the arena. Blaineley could be heard pondering "What's next for us?"
Her inquiry was answered with a wailing noise. It came from a ghost-shaped target that approached them. More and more of these began to surface and wailed as well. This startled Mr. MacArthur enough for him to yelp, though he managed to hit two of the ghosts.
(Begin Confessional: Brick)
"They just HAD to bring ghosts into the darkness, seriously? That only makes things even worse."
(End Confessional)
"Remember they aren't dangerous." Trent said, trying to alleviate his teammate's nerves. "You simply have to hit them with darts and that's it. Take another breath and keep shooting."
The cadet breathed a bit before aiming at more targets. It helped him calm down, and he was able to continue without so many worries, replying "That really works wonders."
Jo had witnessed that exchange while hitting other ghosts and was glad nobody could see her small smile of relief upon seeing Brick more at ease, which was barely visible even to the cameras. Had they been on the same team, she would've tried to help the guy out herself without giving away any secrets. Nevertheless, Dawn could tell what the jockette was thinking in that moment, though decided not to comment on the matter when it could detract from gaining points.
Elsewhere in the arena, Blaineley could be seen walking backwards while firing away, as could DJ. The two bumped into each other. Once they did, the former decided to swipe away the latter's blaster and go for double points. She chuckled mischievously while doing so. This was met with strong disapproval from the one who lost his blaster, who asked "Chris, is there any penalty for taking away another person's weapon? Somebody needs to pay for that!"
The host's response was "There actually isn't, so feel free to retaliate!"
"I'll gladly do so." DJ bitterly replied before promptly took Mildred's gun and resumed hitting targets.
"That's how you wanna play it?" inquired the former co-host of Celebrity Manhunt.
The gentle giant answered "Of course, and you frankly should've expected some form of payback."
"Eh, you have a point there." she relented.
"Yeah, of course I do, now let's get this challenge over with." He told her with some irritation.
(Begin Confessional: Blaineley)
"Dual wielding blasters means double the potential for scoring, right? It was worth a try. Too bad that didn't last long."
(End Confessional)
(Begin Confessional: DJ)
"I know which of my opponents I hope goes out next."
(End Confessional)
Once half the time limit had passed by, Chef could be seen preparing skeletons of various animals. His boss commended "Those look pretty spooky, and I approve. Maybe the contestants will have a harder time hitting them."
"Nice to know somebody appreciates my craft." the cook responded in gratitude.
The cameras subsequently cut back to the arena, where Sam and Dakota each hit one of the two remaining ghosts before they disappeared. McLean informed everyone "There's more where that came from, so get ready for new targets!"
A certain aura-whisperer was irked by the designs of animals, even when knowing these were never live creatures. Ella was even less comfortable, complaining "Why did they have to be shaped like this? It's a very unpleasant sight."
Dave reminded his girlfriend "It's not like we have to deal with corpses of anything; those are only designs, therefore not something you have to worry about harming.", which appeared to help somewhat.
After taking a breath and landing a shot, her grateful response was a peck on one cheek followed by "The reassurance is quite welcome."
"Sure thing, now do your best to hit them." He encouraged while simultaneously scoring a few points.
While continuing to score points for the Coyotes over the next few minutes, Jo couldn't help noticing how those two had grown even closer since becoming a couple. She deep down felt somewhat jealous not because of a desire to date either of them, but because of frustrations that it would be risky for her to do the same with Brick when he was one of the Leopards, worrying that could lead to accusations of throwing challenges for him. It had started to become difficult to conceal such affections, especially after Beardo shared the truth right before leaving, which was quickly refuted.
(Begin Confessional: Jo)
"Romances can sometimes be distracting not only for those involved, but for others around them. Hearing me say this might make you wonder why I can tolerate the relationship between Dakota and Sam. The answer is quite simple: they keep their affectionate moments for times I'm not around, and already got together before the current season started anyway so it's not like those two are in some sort of 'honeymoon' phase. I can also get them to vote for anybody in the contest I want when both are strategic enough to aim for the same competitor. Simultaneously having the same target as Max twice was a bonus, though I'm not sure how much longer I should keep him around after that pebble tossing."
(End Confessional)
Once 18 of the 20 minutes had gone by, Chef could be heard announcing "You now have only two minutes left. Sorry that you had to deal with Mr. I-like-to-torment-others initially making it just about impossible to score anything. Each player so far has exceeded 15 points. Some of course got more than others, but you won't hear your individual scores until you run out of ammo."
"They needed a challenge that tested their capabilities!" Chris insisted.
"Not at such absurdly high difficulties, though." the cook retorted before continuing with "Anyway, best of luck to you all!"
"You honestly think they can get much more with so little time left?" McLean asked. "Honestly, people like Max are probably too small to hit anything else in the first place."
Enraged by that comment and eager to debunk it, the aspiring evildoer landed seven consecutive shots as he retorted "Don't call me small; I'll break down your feet and stick them on your head!"
This made Blaineley ponder aloud "Who knew such anger over his height could be put to good use? I wish we saw that in previous challenges."
"Simply put, EVIL can surprise others. It's a good thing people have kept me around." explained the wannabe villain.
(Begin Confessional: Dawn)
"No matter how much he might try to insist otherwise, Max is far from the biggest evil lurking around."
(End Confessional)
As the final minute approached, some contestants found they had no more darts left. Who was the first to run out? None other than DJ, followed closely by Leshawna. They both frowned upon noticing this, which prompted the host to declare "Our big teddy bear finishes with a grand total of 29 points. To be honest, I didn't think anybody would even reach 20 at first. His sassy teammate racked up 34."
"We did our best, and it wasn't easy to begin with." she assured the gentle giant, which appeared to lift his spirits somewhat.
"You can say that again!" he replied.
Shortly afterwards, Mildred found she also had no remaining shots, prompting her to remark "I'm glad I could at least hit something with my last dart."
"Another update: our old lady finishes with 30 points." Chef proclaims.
"Hey, I'm younger than you, and we all know it!" she resentfully told him as Max hit one last dart.
"As funny as that was, leave the totals to me." McLean insisted. "Anyway, our wannabe villain managed to hit 42 targets in all, which I find baffling."
"Someone isn't giving me enough credit for my abilities." the aspiring evildoer replied.
"Don't flatter yourself; the truth is you just got lucky." Jo insisted right before aiming for a final target and missing, prompting her to complain "OK that seriously should've landed!"
"Well too bad. Your total is 45 points, by the way." said Chris.
"That's an impressive score!" Brick complimented before remembering she was on the opposing team, which made him blush.
"Do I need to remind you that she's not on our side?" asked DJ.
"No sir; I'm already aware of that." replied the cadet as Dave launched one last dart and just barely earned a point.
"Hopefully that most recent dart helped things." remarked the germaphobe.
"You managed to hit 32 targets in all. Now we wait for the rest of your teammates." Chris informed him.
Which player ran out of ammo next? The answer was Dakota, who managed to hit a target with her final shot. Upon realizing this, she complained "This was way too hard! At least I didn't completely fail to earn points."
"Ms. Milton racked up 33 points. It's now up to her boyfriend to boost their team's score." the second-in-command stated.
"I just told you not to give out those numbers!" his boss chastised.
"Hold up, do any of you have more than one shot left?" Trent asked Dawn, Ella, and Brick, who all shook their heads no before he continued with "Me neither. That means we really have to make these count."
"You can say that again, especially when this upcoming target is the last one!" Chris stated as said target approached the arena.
The only other person with any remaining darts was a certain gaming nut, who also just had one to spare. Each player felt nervous about finishing the challenge. With 10 seconds left on the timer, the five contestants all aimed carefully and fired. Just one shot managed to hit the target, and it belonged to…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Sam! His dart landed with one second to spare, and the buzzer went off just as everybody else's missed. The gamer joyfully remarked "Never underestimate abilities gained from first person shooters!"
"We still need to calculate the team totals now that time's up and you're all out of ammo, so don't get too excited just yet." Hatchet cautioned.
"Here are the results: The Leopards get a cumulative score of 188 points after Trent has 26, Dawn racks up 24, Ella finishes with 22, and Brick gets 21. With Sam scoring the last point and bringing his number to 39, the Coyotes get 189 in all, which means they win the challenge by a hare!"
Shocked by these results, the one who scored the last point ecstatically shot both of his fists in the air as he and his teammates cheered triumphantly for this victory. Dakota told her boyfriend "Don't let anybody tell you that you aren't valuable to a team!"
"Many thanks, and I most definitely won't!" he gratefully replied as the losing team sighed in defeat.
(Begin Confessional: Ella)
"I almost won for our team today. It's quite sad that my last shot had to miss."
(End Confessional)
Later that day, Trent could be seen sitting outside the hotel entrance, playing his guitar. He still had a look of disappointment from failing to secure a point at the last second. Jo surprised him by walking up and inquiring "What are you composing, a goodbye song for your departure?"
"Nah, I just was fiddling around to no particular melody. It sometimes helps me come up with new songs, but I haven't formed any ideas for that today so far." the musician answered.
"Fair enough. Anyway, I wanted to thank you for getting Brick to not freak out so much when he otherwise would've created a commotion that could throw off everybody else's focus. In return, I decided give you a way to save yourself from getting voted off when you were one of the people who missed the challenge's final target." said the jockette.
That was enough to get him to stop strumming. While not entirely trusting her, Trent was intrigued and responded with "Go right ahead and tell me."
She informed him "Here's what you do." before whispering inaudibly into his ear.
He subsequently asked the girl "Are you sure that's the best option?"
"Without a doubt. I need to get going for now, but good luck carrying it out." Jo confirmed before walking into the hotel.
(Begin Confessional: Trent)
"Once I tell DJ my plan, I should be safe. By the way, I know how Jo likes Brick and secretly wanted to calm him down herself, though I couldn't say that aloud in front of her or that would end poorly."
(End Confessional)
The cameras cut towards the pool, which had Sam and Dakota making out as they swam. As their lips parted for a moment, the latter congratulated "Way to go for scoring us a victory today with that last point! I know you've already heard this, but I'm saying it again anyway: it was badass, and you should be proud of yourself for it."
"Believe me, I am, and maybe I could do that again next challenge." Her boyfriend affirmed. "On another note, when do you think Brick and Jo will admit their rivalry is a mask for a mutual desire?"
Before she could answer, Leshawna entered the area and commented "It definitely won't be today when they're on opposite teams. Still, it's not hard to notice even without Dawn reading their auras."
"You can say that again." Ms. Milton remarked. "Perhaps you could test her reaction by voting him off in tonight's elimination ceremony."
This was followed up with "I've already made up my mind on who to vote for, though will say that's an intriguing thought."
"For what it's worth, I doubt you'll go home tonight when you scored the most points on your team." added the gamer.
"Yeah, that sounds like a safe bet." the sassy one added in agreement.
(Begin Confessional: Leshawna)
"While I could spite Jo by choosing to get rid of Brick, let's just say that's not my top priority right now."
(End Confessional)
Shortly before dinnertime, Dave could be seen consoling a saddened Ella with "Don't beat yourself up so much. Today's challenge was hard for all of us with lots of darkness, and we had no way of knowing how many targets could be hit or what they'd be like."
"OK that's a fair point." she admitted. "Still, I wanted to keep up our winning streak, and there's a chance I could go home for missing my last shot as the buzzer went off."
"We just have to find at least two people who are willing to vote with us, and you should be safe. I doubt that'll be too difficult." Her boyfriend replied.
"You really think so?" the princess asked, now sounding more hopeful.
"I do. It's just a question of which teammates will say yes." He affirmed with a peck on the cheek.
His girlfriend began to smile and told him "As long as we can stay in the game together, I'm all for it."
(Begin Confessional: Dave)
"Even though I'm not yet sure who Ella and I should join forces with, there is no way I want us to be separated via elimination the night after we got together. Whatever follows, I ultimately am glad we could start our relationship while both of us were still in the game, so it's a good thing I told her how I felt after all even when I was originally planning to do that later than I did. It's going pretty well so far!"
(End Confessional)
Dinner that night was burritos. Contestants could choose between bean, chicken, pork, and steak fillings. As Trent and DJ sat alone at a table together, the latter inquired "You said you had an idea for us to stay in the game together, so what is it?"
His ally looked around to ensure nobody was within earshot before saying "Here's the best thing I could come up with." and whispering something the others couldn't hear.
"If that's the only option, then so be it." the gentle giant responded.
Max noticed this exchange from a distance. While unable to decipher what they were saying, he asked Jo "Do you think either of them has spent their last night on the island?"
"Not sure yet, but I'm glad it won't be me who gets axed tonight." she answered, which was only a half-truth when the jockette sensed the guitar player would follow through with her suggestion, and the wannabe villain couldn't help getting suspicious.
(Begin Confessional: Max)
"I get the feeling a certain teammate of mine is trying to hide something from me as well as other people. It could perhaps be an EVIL plan. If this is the case, then Jo should feel free to tell me so I could partake in that!"
(End Confessional)
After dinner, the elimination ceremony began with the winners already in bleachers and the losers sitting on log stumps. Chris greeted them with "Welcome back to voting, Leopards! You just barely failed to win today's challenge and now must send someone packing. Coyotes, sit back and enjoy as you watch tonight's results."
(Begin Confessional: Brick)
"I know I screwed up today, but it's not like I was the only person to miss that last shot. Hopefully one of them will go out instead. Better them than me!"
(End Confessional)
(Begin Confessional: DJ)
"This is purely for strategic purposes so I can help Trent survive the vote."
(End Confessional)
"We've now got the verdict. Who's prepared for this?" asked Chef.
Before anybody could answer, his boss stated "Ready or not, here it comes. Our first key of the night goes to the loser with the highest number of points, namely Leshawna."
While collecting her safety symbol, she confidently responded with "Not at all surprising."
"The second one is for Dave because he had the next highest score among the group."
"I wasn't expecting to do so well, but thanks." the germaphobe replied while collecting a key.
"It's not like today was easy for anybody." Hatchet remarked.
"Anyway, we're giving the third key to DJ. Well done, man." said McLean.
The gentle giant's response upon collecting that was "Nice to know I'm valued."
"OK, that leaves us with the four people who missed out big time. We have two animal-loving wimps along with a scaredy cat who hates dark places and his babysitter for the day." taunted the showrunner.
"Seriously, give the mockery a rest! They've been through enough already today. Just tell them who is and isn't safe." reprimanded his aid, much to the satisfaction and surprise of the contestants.
With an irritated groan, Chris replied "Very well. Believe it or not, our next key goes to Mr. MacArthur. It shocks me that he got no votes after receiving the lowest score of anybody."
The soldier eagerly accepted the key that Chef gave him and assured "I won't take this for granted!", prompting Jo to discreetly smile with relief.
Only two more safety symbols remained. Who would collect them? McLean continued with "The last loser to not get a single vote tonight is…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Trent!"
While collecting his key, the guitar player sighed in relief before saying "I was starting to get worried, so that's quite welcome!"
Dawn and Ella became visibly nervous upon realizing they had both gathered votes. Dave was anxious as well, not wanting the latter to leave so soon. The second-in-command stated "I just have a singular key left. Sorry it had to come down to this tonight and that you couldn't have had a more appropriate challenge, but sometimes my boss just won't budge from his choices. You otherwise might not be on the chopping block."
"That doesn't matter; they both racked up votes and one of them is about to leave!" interjected Chris. "With that said, our last key of the night goes to…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Ella!"
Hearing that verdict made the princess and her beloved simultaneously proclaim "Hooray!" as she gathered the final symbol of safety.
"Dawn, there was a 4-3 vote against you, so pack your bags." announced the showrunner.
Hearing that made the newly eliminated contestant frown in disappointment. She stood up and replied with "I won't lie; that's very disappointing. However, there's something people should know before I head out: Jo's aura tells me she was behind my elimination tonight."
Most of the other players gasped in surprise when they heard her words. The only exception, which none of them seemed to notice, was how a certain musician felt guilty for listening to the plan even when it spared him from getting axed. Max asked his teammate "Why didn't you tell me about such a scheme? I could've helped carry it out!"
"Because chances are that you would've blabbered it to the wrong people and ruined everything." the jockette explained.
"Hold up, since when is anybody taking voting advice from opponents this season?" inquired Leshawna.
"Since they wish to find ways to stay in the competition and keep alliances from being broken." answered the aura-whisperer. "I'm not mad at anybody who voted for me because none of them did so out of malice. Whatever resentment you feel is better directed at the orchestrator."
"I'll be sure to target her at first opportunity." replied the sassy one while glaring at the one who organized this evening's elimination.
"Pfft, good luck with that!" Jo taunted.
"Moving along, we need to carry out our departure." interjected Chef, who subsequently carried Dawn over to the area with the big boot.
"Anything else you'd like to add before leaving?" Chris asked. "Make it quick."
The one who read auras responded with "Jo should be watched very closely! She's got more tricks up her sleeve and should be taken out at first opportunity."
Before she could add anything else, the host pressed a button to kick her away. The remaining contestants walked away afterwards, except for Leshawna and Trent. She noticed his guilt and inquired "Was it you that carried out this plan of Jo's?"
Seeing no plausible way to deny it, the guitarist sighed before confirming "Yes; she gave me the idea. I feel bad about it, though, and couldn't think of a better way to stay in the contest."
"At least Dawn understood that and isn't holding anything against you. If you promise not to let anyone from the opposing team sway your vote again, then we'll be fine, but consider this your only warning. You instead should've just told me you wanted someone else out and I could've gone along with it." his teammate replied.
They shook hands as he promised "OK, that's a fair deal. It won't happen again.", which somewhat helped clear his conscience as they both smiled while exiting.
Chris signed off the episode afterwards with "The scores are tied 4-4, and seven people are out. Keep watching when the season isn't even halfway over yet! We have plenty to follow here on Total. Drama. Generation Showdown!"
As the scores even out again, the number of players continues to dwindle. Will Trent be able to cope with the guilt of tonight's vote (which hasn't entirely gone away yet)? I know the answer already, but you'll have to wait until Chapter 11 for further details.
Reason for elimination: Dawn was a threat when able to read auras. Jo decided to get rid of her not only for that (so she couldn't expose any future plans), but also in a desperate plea to save Brick after he scored fewer points than anybody else. The jockette also knew Trent would rope in DJ for a vote and wanted to repay him for doing what she couldn't without drawing suspicions (comfort the frightened cadet). Another thing she told the musician was that joining forces with Dave and Ella (another alliance) would help ensure his safety. Axing our aura-whisperer was even harder for me than writing out Beardo's elimination (which is saying a lot), though the girl could only go so far without being targeted by others. At least she outlasted more people here than in TDROTI and got four wins instead of just one, plus was able to score her team a victory before leaving!
Voting results:
Ella: 3 votes (Brick, Dawn, Leshawna)
Dawn: 4 votes (Dave, DJ, Ella, Trent)
Elimination Order:
Sugar (18th place), Justin (17th place), Rodney (16th place), Anne Maria (15th place), Eva (14th place), Beardo (13th place), Dawn (12th place)
Remaining Players:
Howling Coyotes: Blaineley, Dakota, Jo, Max, Sam
Roaring Leopards: Brick, Dave, DJ, Ella, Leshawna, Trent
Chapter posted: June 8, 2021.