Author's Note

It's that time of the week again, dear readers, and I hope you're all excited! We're nearly halfway through with this season - hard to believe, I know. But thing have been progressing well, and there's still so much more that I have yet to figure out and decide on.

But for now, let's get on with the reviews!

Eternal Nexus Warrior: Hah, I'm glad you're enjoying Noah right now. And as for the chapter before last...well, you'll find out soon enough what, if anything, it was foreshadowing.

Elizabeth Fire Ice Heart: Thanks! I figured Justin's elimination would be at least a little surprising, and I'm glad you enjoyed Lindsay's rant. I wasn't sure at first if I should include it, but it was such a classic scene for her in canon that I couldn't have something similar here.

acosta perez jose ramiro: Wow, I actually wasn't even thinking about the season one ski challenge, but you're absolutely right that Lindsay is pretty good at that type of thing. And she's also not the type to let someone off with betraying her trust and kindness once she's figured out that's what's happening, either. Also, I'm glad you like the direction I'm taking with Noah.

Animation Adventures: Thank you so much! And yeah, Justin is basically a less-effective Alejandro...so much so that he wasn't able to get very far in the game. With the notes, it just seemed to me like Noah would naturally make it seem like they were from someone else since the point was to not draw attention to himself, and it looks like it worked as planned. Other than that, I'm glad you enjoyed Gwen, Trent, Courtney, and Lindsay's development last week, and I hope you enjoy what comes next!

Call Me Ishmael: Not much to say, other than that I'm glad you're liking how everyone is developing! I hope you enjoy the rest of the season.

Ddynamo: Well, it was a fitting end for him at least. And as for the season's main antagonist...well, what I have in mind for that role will become clearer as the season progresses.

Zak Saturday: Hah, I don't think most people did.

Glowing Insanity: Thanks, I try to twist things up and play with expectations when possible. It doesn't always work, but I'm glad it did here. And as for Noah filling Justin's role...well, all I can say is that Noah's strategy and Justin's are pretty different, though that's already obvious.

CVluvFoxy: Wow, I'm glad it was such a turnaround! I guess that's to be expected when a prime villain candidate is eliminated instead of a fan favorite like Dawn. I'm glad you enjoyed the little moment between Lindsay and Zoey, and those two girls in general - I've been fairly conscious as of late as to how I want to develop them, and I'm happy with what I've come up with. Same with Gwent, in that I happy with how their being on opposite teams has forced them to develop and relate with the rest of the cast. And as for Noah...well, I agree that more villains need to be more behind-the-scenes types, and I hope I don't disappoint with him.

P. T. Piranha: Mmm, yeah, I was kind of keeping Noah somewhat to the side or in the background - always there, but never prominent. I think it works for him, as it's fairly low-effort but if done right can keep him in the game for a long time without anyone being the wiser.

The Misguided Angel of Death: Hah, I'm glad you're enjoying Lindsay's development. She really is an amazing person, isn't she? And Justin honestly just got unlucky in a way, he was completely unaware of the chain of events that led to practically everyone turning against him. Zoey is another person I'm really happy I've been able to develop, she had so much wasted potential in canon. And as for today's cameo, I will say that it's Dakota, but Sugar is an interesting second choice if only because it would force the plot pretty far off its canon rails.

Tokusatsu-31st Century: Yup, I was deliberately trying to make Justin into the obvious antagonist choice - but sometimes those types of people just don't make it far into the competition.

Guest: I did consider doing the 'Admiral Lindsay, Her Hotness' bit, but ultimately I was just unable to work it in - there was just so much else that I needed to do. And yeah, with Zoey learning more about friendship it was only natural that she wouldn't make the same mistake as with Harold. And as for the main villain...well, you'll find out with time.

ashDanLand: Fair enough. And yeah, Justin was pretty ineffective in canon, so I wouldn't be surprised if part of the reason why Alejandro was created was to show how that sort of villain could really be done. And...Lindsay as the antagonist, you say? Sorry, but I can't see it. And, of course, you're right to think that I'm hiding something, as I almost always am.

OMAC001: Who knows? You'll just have to wait and see.

Sarcasm is a Habit: Thanks! Although sadly Jasmine never actually had the chum bucket on her head. Harold...I don't think really has the sort of guile to actually pull off the notes, I think his skullduggery tends to be more straightforward (as in his ballot-stuffing in season one of canon). But I'm glad you enjoyed the fake-out with Lindsay and Justin, and I hope you enjoy what happens next!

PizzaTheBomb: Wow, I'm happy that you're so happy that I didn't eliminate Lindsay! Yeah, she's pretty awesome when given the chance to develop, and I'm glad I was able to show some of that off last week. Same with Zoey, really.

DSX62415: Mmm, yeah, Noah's a crafty one. And I'm glad you enjoyed the fake-out with the Justin boot.

moka evans: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it so much. And yeah, nobody in the cast can really match Scott's type of deviousness - but that just means I get to be more creative with the villainy this season. Speaking of villains, it was surprisingly difficult to get Lindsay and Justin's behavior just right during last week's challenge in order for Justin to become suspicious, but I think it all worked out well. Incidentally, Courtney shooting Jasmine was more a parallel to Jo shooting Lightning in the canon episode, which is what caused the canon Rats to basically begin their downward spiral - Scott secretly shooting Sam was later.
Honestly, the original stereotypes had a lot of oddities so it's possible they were decided upon long before the story was finished, and then basically ignored. It is a shame, though, that Noah never really got to do any scheming in canon, so I'm glad I've been able to rectify that a little.

bruno14: Ah, right, I see. And yeah, Justin certainly had it coming with Lindsay blowing up, and that whole scene having a different feel than in canon is to be expected due to the different circumstances, which I think makes it a better callback. Not much else I can think to say right now, other than that I have no interest in superhero movies and as such I will not be going to see Civil War.

graveexcitement: Yeah, once I realized how much of the cast was shared it just lodged itself in the back of my mind. And yeah, it's been super super weird at how fast this season is going; what used to be only the first quarter is now the first half. It's almost scary, to be honest.

FOWLKON: Yup, exactly - the Maggots just weren't gonna go with Justin again after everything that had happened since then. And good point about the differences between TD and actual reality shows regarding villains and when they go home, though in Survivor's case there are often late-running villains, if only because real villains are a little more complex and better at laying low early on...or are only villains by way of their edit, but I digress. Other than that, I'm glad you enjoyed the direction I've been taking most everyone still on the cast!

VIPGuest: Wow, yeah, I'd say. Sorry to hear you say that about Zoey, though...anyway, I answered your question about favorite characters as honestly as I could, but as for my favorite season...probably a toss-up between World Tour and Pahkitew Island, I guess?

Gage the Hedgehog: Thanks!

Explorer of the Unknown: Yup, that trope is somewhat of a mainstay, I guess, in this series? Though I don't know if I'll use, or even need, it in the next two seasons. And yeah, in many ways Justin is just a less-effective version of Alejandro; he just doesn't really have the right kind of mind to out-strategize people for very long. Regarding Gwen being more forward with Trent than she was in canon...well, honestly a lot of that is just because I need them to be, as this series is half as long as TDI so even if they did both make it far there still isn't as much time for their relationship to develop. Maybe something more drawn-out would suit them better, but I don't really have the time for it.
I'm happy you enjoyed the last few scenes with Zoey - she's definitely come along way from a few episodes a go, and even from canon. The whole 'learning the meaning of friendship' thing is just such a natural fit for her, so I'm glad it's been working. Same with Noah's strategy, at least so far - he naturally fits as a background or side character, and he's not the type to really draw attention to himself if it can be avoided. He doesn't want people to think of him as that important, though how that ends up playing out for him in the long run has yet to be seen,

Star Saber21: Hmm, well, who knows? I'm glad you enjoyed Lindsay's not-quite-goodbye, and Noah's behind-the-scenes strategy. I hope you enjoy how everything plays out.

I. M. Poik: Yup, like I've said before, Justin is basically a less-effective version of Alejandro. I'm glad you've recognized Harold's recognition by his team, and that you're enjoying Noah's strategy. Something steady and sneaky befits him, I think.l

Knifez: Hmmm...well, hopefully you'll end up enjoying what I have in mind regarding the season's villains. And as for the cliche...I honestly don't know if I've ever really pulled off the gloat-before-getting-eliminated thing? At least not this straight, with the gloating at the actual elimination ceremony. Then again, I've eliminated a lot of villains so it's possible I forgot something. And at any rate, most people actually seemed surprised that Justin was booted last week...
Regarding the potential double boot/returnee situation, I'll say that there's a strong possibility of it happening. Though keep in mind that I haven't yet worked out exactly how it'll all play out, particularly since I haven't actually finished next week's chapter yet.

StayOuttaMyShed: Thanks, that's what I was hoping for - a bit of misdirection with readers expecting what appeared to be main villain Justin getting another person eliminated, only to utterly fail. And...perhaps you have a point about her not being portrayed as much of a ditz last chapter, but in part that's because I just wanted to show that she's more than that. She's still the almost childishly naive and airheaded girl as always, but admittedly those aren't always going to be the most prominent parts of her character.
I'm glad you're enjoying the dynamic between the Rats, though I will admit that Cameron...isn't as different as maybe I wanted? I don't know, he's been a little hard to figure out but I'm confident I'll do him good.
Hah, I'm happy somebody caught Zoey's indie make-up line. But that aside, I'm really happy with the direction I've been able to take Zoey, even if it's basically just 'learning the true meaning of friendship'; it's just made her so much more interesting to have around. And yeah, all four of the canon Drama Brothers are in this season. I actually considered having their band form early to play the role of musical guest for the World Tour aftermaths, but quickly decided against it. Whether or not they'll ever form the band in the Shuffledverse...well, probably not - though that's not to say a band of some sort involving some of them is off the table.
I'm glad that you, too, are enjoying Noah's secretive strategy with the notes. I did sort of consider giving the reveal a bit more of a build-up, but between wanting to just get it over with and another reason I can't say right now, I figured it would be best to just do it last week. All in all, I hope my plans for him meet our expectations.

wifishark: Thank you. Part of me is a little sad that Justin wasn't anymore effective here than in canon, but hey - not everyone can be, especially villains. And as for Noah...well, you'll find out in due time.

link9753: Hmmm...well...I can't really comment on your thoughts regarding Justin's potential place in next season's cast, so I'll just say that your thoughts on this season's finale are interesting, at least.

And, finally, that's over with for now. Like last weel, the poll in my profile will remain up for the time being, and as always a TVTropes page for this series exists, and as per usual with such things, could always use more work. I thoroughly appreciate those who've already been working on it, and look forward to seeing what you all add next.

The current teams are as follows:

Toxic Rats: Cameron, Courtney, Gwen, Noah, Harold

Mutant Maggots: Jasmine, Lindsay, Trent, Zoey

How will they chance by the end of this week's episode? Read on, find out, and enjoy.

- Fangren


Episode 6 – Runaway Model

"Previously, on Total Drama Revenge of the Island!" Chris opened over a stock shot of Wawanakwa, the capstone theme starting up in the background. "The campers went deep," the recap montage opened with Justin and Harold sinking to the lake bed in their antique diving suits, the dweeb quickly getting held back by Fang, "in an underwater scavenger hunt."

"A mysterious note made Justin all paranoid about Lindsay," the supermodel was shown reading the note he'd found under his pillow, then narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Lindsay standing on the air hose, and then arguing with the blonde as they water-skied in pyramid formation. "While everybody else but Lindsay got sick of having Justin around," Harold was shown complaining to Noah, then Trent to Gwen, then Zoey was shown consulting first Trent and then Jasmine.

"And when the Maggots lost the water skiing challenge," Courtney's final gull was shown ringing the third bell just before Lindsay, Justin, and Jasmine fell on it, "Justin tried to convince the others to vote Lindsay out, only for him to get chewed out instead." The model was shown talking to Jasmine and Zoey, then his former ally was shown launching into a long tirade of censored words and gestures. Chris laughed, and Justin was shown getting Hurled.

"It's now Team Rat versus Team Maggot," the host said, the Rats' logo appearing on-screen against a radiant golden background. The logo rotated around into the Maggots' logo, and a four-way split-screen of the Maggots' remaining members rose up from the background – Zoey in the upper left against a brownish-red backdrop; Trent in the upper right against dark blue; Lindsay in the bottom left against turquoise; and Jasmine in the bottom right against yellow. "Will the Maggots man up before all their men are down? Let's hope not," Chris said as the scene cut to him standing at the end of the dock with Chef, "there's nothing more entertaining than a man down."

As if on cue the wood under Chef started to creak and crack, breaking away and sending Chef plunging into the lake with a startled scream. Chris laughed. "More where that came from, right now," he pointed at the camera, "on Total! Drama! Revenge of the Island!"

xxx

(Fade to Opening Theme)

Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doin' fine;

You guys are on my mind!

Ya asked me what I wanted to be,

And now I think the answer is plain to see!

I wanna be...famous!

I wanna live close to the sun!

Well pack your bags, 'cause I've already won!

Everythin' to prove, nothin' in my way;

I'll get there one day.

'Cause I wanna be...famous!

(Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)

I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)

I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)

(Fade to Episode)

xxx

The sun was already high in the sky as the episode opened, and a loon cried out in the distance as the camera panned down onto the communal bathroom then cut inside. The mirror on the back wall was too cracked and smudged to use, the trash can was grimy, and the strip of fly paper hanging in the corner was in need of a change, but nevertheless Jasmine, Zoey, and Lindsay were still gathered along the countertop – the survivalist sitting on the far left; the indie girl adjusting the flower in her still-braided hair; and the bubbly blonde happily painting her nails.

"Mmm, definitely the right color for me right now," Lindsay said, finishing up and admiring her left hand. "Don't you think so?" she asked Zoey.

"Yeah, it looks great on you," she answered happily.

xxx

"Being friends with Lindsay is actually really nice," Zoey confessed. "I feel bad for not really giving her a chance before...but luckily, I guess she still gave me one. Maybe...there's more to this whole friendship thing than I thought," she added, putting a hand on her arm and flashing a sheepish smile that quickly turned anxious. "I...really need to get around to talking to Harold, don't I?"

xxx

"Ooh, Jasmine, you should totally let me do your nails next," Lindsay offered, taking the taller girl's hand. She looked more closely at it, and added "And maybe give you a manicure too, you could use one."

Jasmine chuckled. "Thanks for the offer, but I wouldn't bother if I were you," she told her teammate. "Anything you do to my nails isn't gonna hold up for very long outdoors. Besides, I'm happy with the look I've got. It's more..me, y'know?"

"So true," Lindsay nodded. Zoey looked from her to Jasmine, and then smiled contentedly.

/

The scene flashed to the Rat's cabin, a fast-paced chiptune began to play as Harold said "So who's ready to go out there and kick some Maggot butt?" The shot cut inside to show him addressing Noah and Cameron, the two boys sitting on Cameron's bed. "By which I mean the other team, of course, since actual maggots don't technically have butts."

"Wow, what's got you so fired up?" Noah asked dryly as the chiptune faded away. "I figured with Justin gone your old teammates would be back in your good books."

"Well sor-ry for wanting to support my current team," Harold retorted. "Just because I'm ready to forgive Jasmine and Zoey if they apologize to me doesn't mean I'm gonna let that interfere with my performance. I mean gosh, what kind of guy do you take me for?"

"One that's incredibly melodramatic?" Noah answered.

"Well forgive me for feeling," Harold cried out, making an exaggerated and almost Shakespearean hand gesture.

"You're forgiven," Noah said, stretching his arms and standing up off the bed. "Although you still haven't explained why you're so gung-ho with the team spirit."

Harold stopped and blinked. "Oh, right," he said with an embarrassed smile. "Honestly, I just don't want Courtney to vote me out if we lose today. I figure if I make it clear who's side I'm on, she won't be able to use me as a scapegoat."

"Sounds simple enough," his lazy roommate told him before looking over at the third Rat present. "What do you think, bubble-boy? Share your thoughts with the class."

Cameron looked uneasy at the abrupt shift of focus onto him, but his expression quickly became thoughtful. "Well, it's true that Courtney is still pretty critical of any perceived weakness, but I doubt she'd actually use your former loyalty to the Maggots as a reason to vote you off. I think she's pretty much grown past being unable to forgive the faults she sees in us."

Noah smirked and chuckled and elbowed Harold in the side. "You hear that?" he said. "He thinks she's pretty." Harold snorted and smiled and snickered as well

"Hey, you know that's not what I said," Cameron objected with growing anger.

"Relax, Cameron, we know," Noah told him. "Just thought we'd poke a little fun."

The bubble-boy raised an eyebrow at them, then raised a thoughtful finger to his lip. "Huh, I've never been teased about admiring a girl before," he said.

Harold and Noah started snickering again. "Heheheh, admiring," Harold chuckled, earning an annoyed look from Cameron.

/

Another flash took the scene to bonfire pit, the strumming of a guitar mixing in with a pleasant tune as the camera zoomed in on Trent and Gwen, sitting together and facing each other on the stump seats. The goth watched with a smile as he played for a few more seconds, the musician's performance ending with a few slower notes and one final strum.

"So what do you think?" Trent looked up and asked with a smile of his own.

"It was great," Gwen answered. "I can't wait to hear the finished version."

"Thanks, and me too," Trent laughed. He paused for a second, then said "This is gonna sound corny, but...lately, when I've been writing music, I've been thinking a lot about you."

Gwen blushed. "Really? That's so sweet."

xxx

"Yeah, Trent's pretty cool, I guess...," Gwen opened her confessional, leaning against the wall with her right leg up on the seat. "Okay," she admitted with a growing smile, "he's more than just cool, he's pretty much incredible! Just...don't tell anyone I said that, okay?" she told the camera with a look of concern.

xxx

"Sooo...does that make me your muse, then?" Gwen asked with a coy smile.

Trent chuckled again. "Yeah, I guess it does. My dark, and brilliant muse," he told her, gazing into her eyes and sharing a smile.

They lingered that way for a second before footsteps and a voice from off-screen got their attention. "Oh, hey Gwen!" Courtney said, the camera cutting outward to show her walking up to the two from the clearing's main entrance. "And...Trent...," she added, looking at the musician with a more awkward smile.

"Oh hey Courtney, what's up?" Gwen turned and greeted her teammate as Trent's smile faded into a more level look.

"Oh, nothing much," Courtney replied with an awkward laugh. "Just, you know, figured I'd take a walk and see what everyone was up to."

"Oh really?" the goth smirked. "Well, Trent and I have just been enjoying ourselves up here. Getting some peace and quiet before the challenge, you know?"

"Yeah, sounds...great...," the ex-CIT said with another awkward laugh.

xxx

"Okay, I know I said I wouldn't get on Gwen's case about...whatever it is she has with Trent," Courtney told the outhouse camera, annoyance covering her face, "but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Then again," she tapped her chin in thought, "she hasn't really been letting it affect her performance from what I can tell. Plus, it might be a smart move in the long-term to have both of them on my side since the teams should be merging soon. Hmm...," she tapped her chin a few more times, "I'm gonna have to give this some major thought."

xxx

The whining ring as the scene cut to a shot of one of the island's loudspeakers heralded a broadcast from the host. "Iiiit's challenge time!" he began. "Campers~! Meet me on the other side of the island~!" he announced in an almost sing-song voice.

/

The footage immediately skipped ahead to the nine teams already nearly assembled on two sets of low bleachers in a clearing lined with a handful of stage and spot lights. The four Maggots were seated on the stands to the left of the camera, while Gwen and Courtney were just now filing in with their teammates on the right.

"Hello Gwen, hello Courtney," Cameron greeted the two.

"Hey Cam," the goth smiled, giving him a short wave before sitting down behind him.

"Any sign of Chris yet?" Courtney added, taking her seat next to the bubble-boy. "I wanna know what he expects us to do so I can figure out our winning strategy."

"Not yet," Cameron smiled before a sudden and rather trendy tune caught their attention.

The perspective inverted to reveal that the two teams had gathered before a large stage and runway, complete with a short catwalk and a large curtained-off backstage area. Chef was already waiting in the pink dress he'd worn to ceremonies back in season two, and Chris shortly joined him by way of descending from above with his jetpack. The host was wearing a sharp gray suit and fashionable glasses with tinted lens, but more noticeable were the changes to his hair – it was now pure white and long enough for him to sport a short ponytail.

Chef walked up as he landed and took the jetpack of his back, then walked away as Chris spread his arms and smiled. "Welcome to your challenge," he opened, "the Weird and Wild Fashion Spectacular!" He took a paper fan out of his breast pocket and waved it a bit as he spread his arms even wider.

"Ooh, I love fashion!" Lindsay squealed, clapping eagerly. "This is so my challenge."

"Yeah, with you on our team we'll be hard to beat," Zoey told her happily.

"Hey," Courtney spoke up, drawing both the Maggots' attention and the camera over to her, "I happen to know plenty about fashion. Don't think we won't put up a fight on this."

"Hey, as long as I don't have to be the model," Gwen said, the camera panning up onto her as she slumped over in annoyance. "Foo-foo girly and getting stared at are not my thing."

A sudden airhorn caused the Rats to cringe in irritation, and the camera cut to an annoyed-looking Chris. "Zip it!" he commanded as the airhorn petered out. "You won't be walking the catwalk," he started to fan himself, "no-no-no-no. No amount of fashion can help you people...except maaaybe Lindsay."

The shot briefly cut to Lindsay as she clasped her hands and smiled sweetly, a matching tune playing in the background before the trendy music resumed.

"Here's how it's gonna work," the host continued. "Each team gets a wardrobe of clothes," the camera cut to a dresser, clothes rack, and several pieces of luggage on the side of the stage, "a make-up kit, and ten minutes to dress and make up a model." Chef held up an hourglass and glared mutely at the camera. "Which, you'll send down the runway," the shot zoomed in on the host's fan as he walked his fingers across it, "to be judged by myself, Chef, and today's Total Drama classic competitor, Dakota!"

The shot cut back to the wardrobe pile as the smallest case lying on the stage opened up and the heiress rose up out of it to a triumphant tune. "Hey everyone!" Dakota said, striking a pose as she stepped out of the suitcase. "It's so great to be here, I bought a new pair of shoes just for judging." She motioned to her feet, and the camera zoomed in on the sparkling and strappy heels that had replaced her old pink wedges.

"Wow!" Zoey exclaimed, sharing an excited look with Lindsay. "We get to dress an actual model!"

"Uh-huh," Chris said, scraping some white powder off his shoulder with his fan. "Right after you catch one."

"Well, that doesn't sound too hard," Jasmine said. "I mean, after Justin I'm pretty sure all of us can handle a model."

"Did I say human models?" Chris corrected, fanning himself again as he walked across the stage. "Don't think so! No, your models are in there!" With a dramatic riff he thrust his finger off to the right, forcing Dakota to duck under his arm. The camera quick-panned to the woods just as an earth-shattering roar shook the area.

"They're wild! They're mutated!" Chris told the campers, the camera moving behind his back. "And like me, they despise teenagers." The five Rats were shown looking shocked and concerned.

"Okay fashionistas," the host said in a campy accent, "go!" He blew his airhorn again, and the campers ran off.

/

The footage flashed ahead to a trail in the woods, Zoey searching behind a rock in the background while Harold and Noah walked by in the foreground. The camera panned to the right and stopped on Cameron and Gwen, her who were warily looking upwards.

Something croaked above them and the shot cut to a small frog, seemingly normal aside from an eye stalk on the top of its head, sitting on a branch. With a grunt of effort Courtney pounced on it from the right, and smiled when she opened her hands and saw she'd caught it. Unfortunately for her, the background music turned dramatic as the mutant frog produced an odd noise and flash of light, blinking out of sight but quickly reappearing on top of the confused young woman's head. With another noise and flash of light it disappeared, this time bringing Courtney with it, and they blinked back into existence in mid-air a few yards away. Courtney screamed as she started to fall, and the mutant frog teleported away to presumed safety before its failed assailant landed with a crash on the forest floor.

/

In another part of the forest, Lindsay was looking around absentmindedly while approaching what appeared to be a gigantic turtle shell, a short and spiky tail poking out of one end. The girl sat down on the shell and started pursing her lips and tapping her chin in thought, but gasped and wailed when the tail suddenly wrapped around her leg and pulled her inside the shell. The beast inside growled and stood up, its stout legs and turtle head popping out of the shell's holes...along with Lindsay. With another growl the mutant punched her away, and she landed in a heap with a pained groan.

/

The camera cut next to what appeared to be an ordinary beaver sitting perfectly still just at the edge of a bush. The music turned tense as Harold rose grinning from another bush in the background, then pounced upon it with a dramatic beat. "Yes! Awesome!" he cheered, his jubilation quickly fading into confusion as the unmoving beaver was somehow lifted up by its tail, taking Harold with it...

The shot cut outward to reveal the beaver has no more than a lure of a large bipedal anglerfish-like monster, which promptly roared. Noah, who was standing nearby, promptly screamed and ran away, and was soon followed by Harold and the angler mutant.

/

Another flash moved the focus to a close-up of a slice of pepperoni pizza, lying on the ground in the middle of a loop of rope that led of to the left. "What on earth...?" Jasmine said, the camera zooming out to show her looking down at it and scratching her head. She looked up and smiled, and the shot cut over to none other than Fang not quite hidden behind a tree, an axe in one hand and the anchored rope of his snare trap in the other.

Jasmine chuckled. "You know I can see you, right?" she asked the mutant shark, startling him out of hiding. The camera zoomed out once more to show the survivalist walking past the trap and towards Fang, apparently without fear – though she stopped before she got too close. "And besides, a trap like this wouldn't have caught me. That's what you wanted, right? To get revenge for me shooting you with that gull the other day?"

Fang growled at the memory, but quickly stopped, held up a hand, then reached behind the tree and pulled out a piece of paper. He held it up with one hand while pointing to the gap in his teeth with the other, and the camera zoomed in on a very crude crayon drawing of a certain red-haired, green-garbed wild child.

"Ohhh," Jasmine said in comprehension, "you're after Izzy. Good luck with that, mate, Chris has been searching for her for weeks."

As if on cue, the cackling cry of the girl in question rose up from the treetops along with a renewed energy in the dramatic background score. She suddenly darted down from the treetops, landed with a roll past the snare trap, picking up the pizza as she went, then darted back off without a single word.

The camera cut back to Fang and Jasmine as the mutant growled and ran off after his quarry, and Jasmine just shrugged and continued on in the opposite direction.

/

The scene cut abruptly to a massive mutant brawl between a massive two-headed rabbit, two spiny woolly beavers, and a hairless squirrel zapping them with its eye-lasers from a nearby branch. The camera panned left as a giant hermit crab scuttled up and snapped its claws, with Noah, Harold, and Gwen watching from behind a bush in the background with wide eyes.

"So...which one do you think we should use?" Gwen asked.

"How about one that won't tear us to shreds the moment we get within three feet of it," Noah replied.

A whine signaled the loudspeaker turning on once again, and soon enough Chris' announcement rang through the air. "Five minutes, people!"

"Hey guys!" Cameron quickly followed, directing his teammates' attention to their right. "How about that slimy maggot?" he asked, the shot cutting to close-up of a small green caterpillar happily chewing on a leaf atop a fallen log. "The one that's the size of a beagle," Cameron clarified, the camera pulling back to reveal the much larger maggot standing nearby. It promptly vomited up a puddle of green fluid.

"It'd be a cinch to catch," he explained, the camera cutting to all five Rats standing in a row, "and dress. We could just...slide it down the runway."

"Good idea," Courtney told him, "but using the other team's mascot as our model is probably a bad idea.."

Cameron rubbed his chin in thought. "Well then, how about that?" he said, pointing back towards the side, the camera following to show a large hairless rat jump onto the log. It quickly stuffed the smaller maggot into its mouth, then chittered and looked around.

"Perfect," Courtney said with a sly grin.

/

"Okay, did anybody find something we can catch?" Trent asked his teammates, the Maggots now hunkering down behind a bush.

"Not really," Lindsay said. "But honestly, I don't think any of the animals out here would look that good in people clothes to begin with. They're not that cute or people-like."

"So...if we want something that's human-like," Zoey said thoughtfully with a brief look around, "then what about him?" She stood up and pointed over the bush, and the shot cut to none other than Sasquatchanakwa walking into a cave, oblivious to the teens watching him.

"Maybe, but how are we gonna catch him?" Trent asked.

Jasmine smirked. "Leave that job to me," she told her teammates.

/

"Alright, in order to snare something you gotta have the right bait," Jasmine said, the scene flashing back to the stage as the tallest of the Maggots started looking through the various dressers and trunks that made up the wardrobe Chris had provided. "Once we lure the sasquatch out into the open, we can overpower it and get it dressed. Understood?"

The camera cut to the rather blank faces of her teammates. "Uhh, I guess so," Trent said warily. "But what could you possibly use to attract its attention?"

"This," Jasmine smirked, finally pulling something out of one of the trunk of clothes – a cowboy hat which the camera promptly zoomed in on, a radiant background appearing as a triumphant tune played.

"Oh! Just like in season one!" Zoey said brightly as the shot cut back to her, Trent, and Lindsay.

"Exactly," Jasmine nodded. "Now let's grab some clothes and get back to that cave."

/

The scene immediately flashed away, but to the Rats rather than the sasquatch cave.

"Alright, just to make things clear," Courtney addressed her teammates, their mutant rat of a model firmly in Gwen's grip, "none of you are gonna object to me dressing the rat, right? I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm the most well put together out of all of us."

"Well, unless you think the judges wanna see a gothic rat," Gwen replied, locking eyes with the rodent she was holding. It chittered in confusion, and the camera panned to the boys – Cameron and Noah giving blank or bored but ultimately silent looks while Harold raised a finger and opened his mouth as if to speak. Courtney gave him a withering look, however, and he lowered his finger and looked down.

A sudden ringing got the team's attention, and Chris announced "Three minutes remaining!" over an unseen loudspeaker.

"Well, we should probably just go with Courtney's idea," Cameron said.

"Exactly," the ex-CIT said, hands on her hips and a smug smile on her lips. She cracked her knuckles, then grinned darkly at the mutant rat they'd captured. "Alright, time to work my magic," she said, and the hairless rodent squirmed uncomfortably in Gwen's arms.

/

The music became low and tense as the scene cut back to outside the cave, the four Maggots hiding behind a rock with a couple duffel bags on the ground and the cowboy hat in Zoey's hands.

"Alright," Jasmine whispered, "let's set the hat down and get into position."

The other three nodded, and the scene cut inside the cave. Sasquatchanakwa was sitting in a wooden armchair, drinking a can of soda and watching some jaunty-themed show on an old television set when a sharp whistle from outside caught his attention. With a curious grunt he stood up and walked to the cave entrance, the camera following behind him and cutting to an over-the-shoulder perspective. It zoomed in on the cowboy hat lying on the ground just next to the large rock formation, and the ape-man smiled. It walked forward, bent over and picked it up, then put in on and happily adjusted it.

"Get him!" came the call, startling Sasquatchanakwa – and startling him even more when Jasmine, Trent, and Zoey jumped out from behind the rock. Jasmine quickly tackled him to the ground while her teammates, looking far less certain, pinned down his arms.

"Lindsay, quick! The clothes!" Jasmine called back over her shoulder, punching the thrashing ape-man in his head and chest while Trent and Zoey struggled to keep his arms away from her.

The shot cut over to Lindsay still by the rocks. She frantically bent over and started sorting through the bags of clothes they'd brought, but stopped when Zoey flew screaming over her head. Lindsay winced as Zoey crashed painfully off-screen, then winced again as Trent flew by moments later and landed similarly.

"Umm...," she said, casting a nervous glance to the right as the sound of several heavy blows filled the air, and even Jasmine was thrown through the air. "Maybe we should try something else..."

The shot cut back to the cave as Sasquatchanakwa, looking rather beat-up with several missing patches of fur, adjusted his cowboy hat with a snort and retreated back into his lair.

/

The scene flashed back to the Rats, the camera positioned close to Courtney's face but focused on her four teammates behind her. The camera zoomed out as they watched her apparently tie a sleek steel blue tie around their unseen model's neck.

"There," she said, letting out a satisfied breath and brushing her hands together. "Okay, tell me what you think. It's good, right?"

"Looks like it to me!" Cameron said brightly.

"Well, it's not what I would've picked," Gwen said.

"Me neither," Harold chimed in.

Another ringing got their attention, and they looked up towards an unseen loudspeaker as Chris announced "One minute!"

"Well, I think that settles it," Noah said. "For better or worse, we're stuck with this. Let's just get back to Chris."

"Yeah, exactly," Courtney said with a hint of smugness that quickly faded. "Hey, wait, what do you mean 'or worse'?" she asked of as her teammates started walking away.

/

"I hope this idea of yours works...," Zoey nervously told Lindsay as the scene flashed to the two girls running through the woods, dropping clothing from the duffel bags they were carrying.

"I don't see why it wouldn't," Lindsay replied. "I mean, we know it likes clothes, right? Plus, this way we can get it back to Chris without any more ouchies."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Zoey smiled. "It's like a trail of breadcrumbs..."

"...only the crumbs are fashion!" Lindsay finished happily.

"Let's just hope we can get back there in time," Zoey added. "Shouldn't Jasmine and Trent be luring it out soon?"

She was answered by a shrill, piercing whistle, and then that was answered in turn by an earth-shattering roar.

"Yup, I think that was them," Lindsay said, and the two girls picked up their pace.

/

A grandiose tune started playing as the scene cut to a spotlight as it turned on; then a couple stage lights turning on as well; then a mutant squirrel hopping up next to a book-reading bear which lowered its book to reveal its three eyes, both animals looking at something curiously; then the stage and catwalk, Chris front and center with Chef and Dakota – the former in sort of rapper-ish outfit with a red tracksuit and hat, earphones, and gold chains – sitting at the judge's table.

"It's freaky forest fashion time!" the host announced as the music reached its climax. "Rat-istas," he turned and pointed his fan backstage, "show me somethin' fierce." The five Rats walked out on stage, Noah, Harold, and Courtney on the left with Cameron and Gwen on the right. Only the bubble-boy and ex-CIT were looking especially confident.

"Chef, drop that needle!" Chris commanded next, the shot cutting to a close-up of a record turntable as the needle was dropped onto the spinning disc and a trendy tune began to play. The camera zoomed out, and Chef gave the host and campers a thumbs-up.

"This dashing rodent is sporting the height of modern business casual attire," Courtney began smoothly, motioning to the gap between her and Cameron as their model reluctantly scurried out on all fours but continued down the runway on its hind legs. In addition to the steel blue tie it was wearing a fine gray vest, a light blue dress shirt, and dark gray pants that fit surprisingly well. The camera followed it as it walked along looking both nervous and awkward, Courtney continuing her piece all the while. "His three-piece ensemble is a relaxed fit, sleek enough to show he means business but still comfortable enough for the rodent on the go." She finished up with a haughty look, and the camera panned right to show Gwen rolling her eyes.

"Sensible," Chris said as the rat reached the end of the catwalk, "although the model doesn't exactly scream comfortable right now." The camera briefly cut back to the rat as it chittered nervously, still looking around. "I give it an 8.5!" the host announced, a victorious tune playing as he held up a placard with his score.

"Yes!" Courtney and Cameron cheered, their three teammates also smiling happily.

"I could see myself in that," Chef said from the leftmost seat, holding up an 8.1.

"Hmm," Dakota said in between the two grown men, pursing her lips and holding up a 5.3 to the immediate objection of the Rats. "Hey, it's nice, but it's so been done before," Dakota explained as the two men looked at her.

"Fair enough," Chris said, looking back towards the catwalk. "Show me what you've got, Maggots!" he called out, the trendy music resuming as the shot cut back to the stage, showing it utterly empty. The camera zoomed in and the music kept playing, but for several more seconds there was still no movement backstage. "...Maggots?" Chris called out again and finally Lindsay and Zoey ran out, out of both breath and clothing-filled duffel bags.

"As you can see, the yeti is wearing a pastiche ensemble of several different styles," Lindsay said as the two blondes reached the end of the catwalk, Trent quickly running out to join them.

All three motioned towards the backstage curtain, and Jasmine could be heard saying "C'mon, get out there already!" A smack shortly followed, then a bellowing roar before Jasmine ran out to join her teammates, the angry sasquatch hot on her heels. His outfit consisted, as Lindsay said, of several different styles – blue and green vertically-striped board shorts; a yellow-and-black plaid v-necked sweater; a deep red sport coat; pink high-top sneakers; and the cowboy hat.

"The garments were carefully and artfully selected by the yeti himself," Lindsay said, cringing in terror as her team's model quickly tossed Jasmine and Trent and Zoey away again, "in a stylish display of wild instinct." The ape-man moved to grab her as she finished, but she quickly screamed and jumped off the catwalk.

The music stopped, and Sasquatchanakwa finally noticed the three judges just as the first one spoke up. "Eww, that's hideous!" Dakota said, cringing at the sight of the model before her. He paused and looked down at his clothes, grunting in confusion. "While some of those things could work on their own, together they just clash. He's so badly coordinated I almost wanna throw up!"

"True," Chris admitted, fanning himself again, "it doesn't exactly compliment Sasquatchanakwa's monstrous visage."

Another trendy tune started playing and was soon joined by the flashing of cameras, the shot cutting back to the catwalk to show a group of men not seen in three seasons taking pictures of the poorly-dressed model.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Dakota objected. "I called you guys here to take photos of me and the cast, not this!"

The paparazzi continued unabated, and soon the constant flashes began to irritate the subject of their attention. Sasquatchanakwa rubbed his eyes and growled in ever-increasing anger, then tore off his clothing as the shot cut away to the judges. "I mean," Dakota told Chef, "I don't wanna be rude but he does not-"

She was cut off when the yeti suddenly reached forward and grabbed her by the head, yanking her out of her seat with a startled yelp of "Hey, take it easy!". The shot zoomed out as an engine whirred to life, revealing that Sasquatchanakwa had also commandeered Chris' jetpack. With the captive heiress in his arms, he took off into the air.

"Hey, he took my jetpack!" the host quickly and angrily protested. The shot cut back to the ape-man and heiress as Dakota screamed, and Saquatchanakwa flew off to the foggy and ominous crags of Boney Island.

"Uh-huh...," Chris said blankly, still fanning himself. "Will Dakota survive?" he asked the camera, lifting up his shades as several deep and ominous chanted notes started to play. "And am I legally liable if she doesn't? Find out, after the break."

(Fade to Commercial and Back)

"What do you mean I'm liable if the yeti eats Dakota?" Chris asked frantically, his cellphone now against his ear while he continued to fan himself. "It's not my fault she's delicious!" The camera zoomed out to show the host on the Dock of Shame, the two teams watching him intently a few feet away. "Gotta go," he quickly told the person he was talking to, quickly transitioning into a laugh as he turned his attention back to the campers.

"He-he-hey! For our next challenge, the two teams will...," he paused to think, "compete to rescue Dakota!" he announced, causing the campers to scratch their heads and share confused and disbelieving looks with one another. "Yup, that's it! Everyone grab a canoe and head to Boney Island!" The campers promptly ran off down the dock, leaving Chris to laugh nervously. "It's all good!" he reassured himself.

/

The scene flashed ahead to the two teams rowing across the lake, the Maggots in a red canoe in the background with the Rats in green in the fore.

"Uggh, I can't believe we have to do this because the Maggots thought using a sasquatch as their model was a good idea," Courtney griped from the middle of their canoe.

"Hey, I'm sure they had their reasons," Harold said, sitting behind her. "I mean, it's not like they were expecting the sasquatch to kidnap Dakota."

"Well they should have expected something to go wrong," Courtney shot back.

"Maybe they just couldn't find anything smaller and had to make do," Gwen suggested, rowing directly in front of her roommate.

Courtney gasped indignantly. "Hey, who's side are you on?"

"The reasonable one," Gwen answered plainly as they entered into a fog bank, the music trilling tensely in the background.

The fog moved away as the shot cut to the island they were approaching, the skull-shaped mountain looming ominously as hollow, whooping cries echoed across the water.

/

A seamless cut ahead took the scene to Lindsay, Zoey, and Harold running through the slightly-barren woods of Boney Island one right after the other. "Dakota! Where are you?" the indie girl called, and the camera zoomed in on Harold's rather blank but thoughtful look.

xxx

"Hmm, it's been some time since I last talked to Zoey," Harold mused in the confessional. "Perhaps now is the time to see if she's really sorry about voting me off? Well, as long as Courtney isn't watching, at least," he added with a nervous glance from side to side.

xxx

Zoey was shown panting as she ran along with worry in her eyes, and the camera panned back to Harold as he sharply cleared his throat. Zoey didn't shown any reaction, so Harold frowned then made a louder "A-hem!"

Hearing that one, Zoey looked back and promptly slowed down as Harold ran up closer to her. "Oh, uh, hi Harold," the indie girl said nervously. "Did you, um, want something?"

"Just to say that I like what you've done with your hair, and also to apologize for being an epic jerk when we were facing that spider monster a while back," Harold said with a wide and expectant smile.

xxx

Zoey opened her confessional with a deep and nervous breath. "Okay, here's my chance," she told herself, clenching both fists in determination. "I just have to apologize to him for betraying his trust, helping get him voted out, and potentially ruining whatever chance of friendship we may have had. Easy, right?" she asked the camera with an anxious smile.

xxx

"I'm sorry too," Zoey said, rubbing her arm and not meeting his gaze. "I...I never should've let Justin talk me into voting for you. I should've realized that he was just using me, and voted him out then. Can you forgive?" she asked, looking up at him with worry on her face.

"Absolutely," Harold grinned and nodded.

"Oh, thank you!" Zoey said, quickly enveloping him in a hug that caught him off-guard. She broke it after a few seconds, then said "So, does this mean that we can still be friends?"

"Heck yeah!" Harold grinned. "Although we should probably get back to searching for Dakota before my teammates see us," he added with a more serious expression.

"Oh, right, yeah," Zoey said with an embarrassed blush.

/

The scene skipped ahead again, showing Cameron coming to a halt with Harold, Zoey, and Lindsay right behind him. "Guys!" he called out panting, pointing up and ahead. "The sasquatch!" The camera panned up and ahead to a cliff with scaffolding set up on its face and Sasquatachanakwa sitting with Dakota at the top.

"Aww, I'm sorry for what I said before," the heiress said, patting the sulking ape-man on the back. "You did the best you could with what you had to work with! Just take this as a learning experience so you can better show off your beauty next time!" As she spoke, the yeti rubbed the tears from his eyes and looked at her.

"So what's with the scaffolding?" Noah asked, the camera cutting back to ground-level to show that the rest of the cast had arrived.

"I'm turning Boney Island into my personal resort," Chris explained as he and Chef arrived. "The Health Department said it was unfit for human life, but, I sent in workers anyway," he continued, the cast giving each other incredulous looks. "Hmm...wonder where they went?" the host asked with an oddly sly smile.

/

A flash took the focus to a gruesome scene of human bones and workers' clothes scattered around some rocks in the forest. The camera panned to the right as gnawing sounds joined with a rapidly-rising horror tune, a trio of woolly beavers coming into view chewing on bones and wearing hard hats and pouring out a cup of hot coffee from a thermos.

/

"Don't hurt him!" Dakota called down to the campers. "He just has like a lot of body issues he's working through!"

"Awwww," Lindsay cooed sympathetically.

"I hear that," Jasmine nodded to herself before noticing the others staring at her. She quickly cleared her throat, then looked up at the clifftop. "Even so, you can't just go around kidnapping people who make you mad!" she declared in a strong, clear voice.

"Okay, why are we bothering to reason with it when we should be taking it out?" Courtney questioned, walking forward and picking up a sledgehammer off the ground. She spun it around, then let it go and watched as it flew up and hit Sasquatchanakwa in the eye. The yeti quickly rubbed where he'd been hit, then lowered his hand and growled revealing the black eye he now sported.

"Hah! How's that for a new fashion, you dirty ape?" Courtney taunted up at him. This only angered the sasquatch even more, causing him to jump up and down in such a rage that Courtney was shocked.

xxx

"Ooookay," Courtney told the outhouse camera with wide eyes, "in retrospect, maaaaybe insulting the four-hundred-pound yeti was a bad idea."

xxx

The music turned dramatic was again as the raging ape-man jumped across the clifftop, his landings shaking through the stone and causing parts of the scaffolding to come lose – the right side of the top level, then the left side of the next, then right side of the level below that, and the left side of the very bottom level providing a convenient series of ramps up the side of the cliff. He then picked up the sledgehammer that had hit him, snapped its handle like a twig, and roared.

"Way to go, Noble Leader," Noah said as the rest of his team gasped.

The camera panned over to the Maggots, the four teens huddled together. "Alright, let's figure out how we're gonna do this," Jasmine started off, the perspective changing to an upward view from inside their circle.

"I think we should probably avoid fighting it this time," Trent said, looking around at the girls. "I don't want any of us getting hurt again."

"Well, I think I know what I did wrong last time," Jasmine admitted, "but you're right that the rest of you shouldn't try to go toe-to-toe with him. I'm the only one who has a chance at getting up there and fending him off long enough to rescue Dakota, but I don't think me just rushing in like a cassowary on fire is gonna be enough."

"Well, what if we try to, I don't know, distract him or something?" Zoey suggested.

"Ohh, I can do that!" Lindsay said. "I'm great at talking to people who are feeling down on themselves!"

"Are you sure?" Zoey asked her hesitantly. "We don't want you to get hurt for this."

"Don't worry, I can totally handle this," Lindsay said in a reassuring manner. "I'll just go up the ramp thingies and talk to him and be nice."

Zoey and Trent shared a concerned look, but Jasmine smiled. "Well, if you're feeling confident, then I guess we'll give it a shot," she said. "While you're doing that, I'll climb up the side and grab Dakota."

"And what about me and Zoey?" Trent asked.

"You two just stay here and let us know if you think there's danger," Jasmine said.

"Right," Zoey nodded.

"Alright Maggots," Jasmine said as the camera cut back to a sideview of the team breaking apart, "let's move!" She and Lindsay ran off, leaving Trent and Zoey to share another wary look.

/

"Gosh, how are we gonna rescue Dakota before they do?" Harold asked as the focus cut over to the Rats watching their rivals put their plan into action.

"Perhaps we can use someone prettier than Dakota to lure the sasquatch away?" Cameron suggested as the background music took a dramatic turn.

"Isn't that pretty much what the Maggots are doing?" Noah questioned.

"Yes, but they're using Lindsay," Courtney said. "While she may be pretty, I don't think she's smart enough to keep that thing distracted for long."

"Okay, but if we're doing Cam's plan we need someone pretty too," Gwen spoke up, "and since you just made the sasquatch hate your guts, I don't know who that leaves us with." The stopped then, noticing all four of her teammates looking at her expectantly. "Oh no," she said, waving her hands and shaking her head, "no no no no no!"

Courtney smirked. "Okay boys, fetch me some make-up," she commanded.

Gwen groaned and palmed her face.

xxx

"Me? A model? Are they serious?!" Gwen asked the outhouse camera in sheer disbelief. "For the record," she said in a more serious tone, "I am only doing this so they don't vote me off when we lose."

xxx

A low challenge tune began playing as Jasmine and Lindsay were shown beginning their ascent, the survivalist climbing the sheer rock to the right of the scaffolding while her more fashionable teammate took the scaffolding itself. Sasquatchanakwa quickly noticed the taller girl and picked up a barrel from a nearby pile, but his attention was quickly caught by Lindsay.

"Hey! Sasquatch!" she called out as she climbed up to the second tier of scaffold-ramps. "Look, we're really sorry about what happened! We never should have done any of it!" The camera cut up to the ape-man and his captive, both looking down at the approaching girl with interest. "The truth is, you're a snowflake! A really, really, big one, but still! The world just isn't ready for your beauty!"

Sasquatchanakwa smiled, and so did Dakota as she put a comforting hand on his arm.

The shot cut down to Trent and Zoey, who were watching with awe on their faces. "Wow, I can't believe she's actually doing it!" the musician said, cracking a smile.

"I know," Zoey said. "If you'd told me a week ago that something like this would be happening, I never would've believed you. I mean, who could've guessed that someone like Lindsay could talk down a yeti?"

"Guess it just goes to show that some people are more than what they seem," Trent said, laughing a little. "And after everything that's happened to us, I think that's something we've all realized. I think the four of us have become really good friends, don't you?" he asked Zoey, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Zoey smiled. "Yeah, I think so."

xxx

"Trent makes a good point, but it makes me worried about what'll happen if we lose again," Zoey confessed. "I mean, I really do think Jasmine and Lindsay and Trent are all my friends, but after what happened with Harold I just don't think I have it in me to vote any of them off. Like...after waiting so long to finally make some friends I don't think I'm ready to say goodbye."

xxx

"Okay, you're sure this is going to work, right?" Gwen asked with a hint of panic in her voice as the scene cut to the Rats, the goth's back to the camera as Courtney got to work with a powder puff in one hand and a make-up brush in the other. Harold, Cameron, and Noah watched with variable interest behind the bossy girl. "Because I don't wanna get all made-up like this only to have it not work," Gwen added.

"Relax, it'll be fine," Courtney reassured her. "I mean, I look great, so it's only natural that I can make you look great too, even with your pasty complexion."

"That really doesn't make me feel better, Courtney," Gwen said, her panic rising.

Courtney paused and blushed sheepishly. "Oh, haha, right, sorry," she said.

"Well, I think you both look great," Cameron spoke up with a chipper tone. "I bet that sasquatch will love it!"

Harold and Noah smirked. "Yeah, especially if he has the same taste in girls as Cameron does," Harold said.

"Yeah-hey, wait!" Cameron started to nod, only to suddenly realize what his teammate had said.

"Hey, he only said the obvious," Noah said.

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Would you two stop picking on Cameron?" she scolded. "I need to focus on getting this right."

"Sorry," Harold said, "I guess I couldn't help myself. And for the record, I too think you're doing a good job with Gwen's make-up."

Courtney puffed up and smiled proudly. "Thank you, Harold, I'm glad that you and Cameron have such good taste."

"Yeah, and I'm sure the yeti will too," Noah said dryly. "But not to rain on your parade, unless you hurry up and finish we aren't gonna get the chance to find out."

"I'm with Noah," Gwen spoke up, "can you hurry this up so we can get this over with?"

"Hold on, I'm almost done," Courtney said, the camera zooming in past Gwen to focus on her alone. The former CIT made a few more strokes with her brush, then put it away and did something with her hands instead. "There," she said slowly as a delighted smile formed on her face.

"Good," the goth said, still behind the camera. The sound of footsteps and Courtney's moving gaze signaled that Gwen had finally ran off towards the cliff.

/

The tense music resumed as the scene cut back to the cliff, both Lindsay and Jasmine just about at the top. "Okay, so, I was thinking that maybe you and I could have, like, a nice little chat about fashion and figure out the best way to make you look gorgeous!" Lindsay called out as she walked calmly up the final scaffold-ramp. "Do you think you'd like that?"

Sasquatchanakwa looked at Dakota, who smiled and nodded encouragingly, then the ape-man smiled and nodded at Lindsay.

"Good!" she said. "Only, umm, could we maybe do it in private? And also, like, not look over there?" She hesitantly pointed to her right for a brief moment, and naturally both Sasquatchanakwa and Dakota turned their heads in that direction. "No, I said not to look over there!" Lindsay immediately protested.

The camera panned over to the edge of the cliff as Jasmine grabbed on with one hand, then the other, then started to pull herself up. The sasquatch snarled angrily, then grabbed another barrel from the nearby pile. "No, wait!" Lindsay cried out in alarm, but it was too late – the barrel had been thrown, and hit Jasmine in the head just as she looked up and saw it coming. It broke over her, stunning the giant young woman but not knocking her off the cliff. A second barrel, however was enough to finish the job.

"Oops," Lindsay cringed, shrinking back even more when Sasquatchanakwa loomed over her angrily.

/

The scene cut back down to the ground, where Trent and Zoey were helping Jasmine back to her feet. "Oh no, I'm so sorry we weren't able to warn you in time, it all happened so fast!" Zoey fretted.

"I know," Jasmine groaned. "I'm completely disappointed in myself for not being able to do anything to that guy."

"Don't worry," Trent said, "we know you did your be...est...?" The sound of footsteps caught his attention in mid-sentence, and the camera panned a bit to the left as he turned his head, catching a quick glimpse of a certain goth's legs running up the second level of scaffolding. "Wait, was that Gwen?" he asked in shock and disbelief.

/

A flash took the focus back to the top again, Sasquatchanakwa still looming angrily over Lindsay. "Okay, I know you're mad, but just hear me out, okay?" the blonde defended herself.

"I think you should listen to her," Dakota added, grabbing the ape-man by the arm and causing him to pause.

Just then Gwen ran on to the scene, finally revealing the new look Courtney had given her – a significantly less pale face all around, as well as lightly rouged cheeks, a bit of eyeshadow to match her lipstick, and her hair tied back into a short ponytail with two locks framing her face.

"Uhh...hi there...big...guy...," she said awkwardly, striking a fairly seductive pose with one hand on her hips and one on her head. "Wanna have a little...fun?"

The music stopped abruptly as Lindsay, Dakota, and Sasquatchanakwa all stared at the made-up goth. "Okay, I think that's almost a good look, maybe?" Lindsay told her fellow blonde.

"Maybe," the heiress admitted, "but honestly it needs a lot of work. Like, this is exactly why you can't go halfway with makeovers." Both Lindsay and Sasquatchanakwa nodded in understanding.

"Okay, I am officially done with this," Gwen scowled, clenching her first in irritation and storming forward to the surprise of the three fashion-lovers. She suddenly and swiftly kneed Sasquatchanakwa between the legs, shoved him over into the pile of barrels, and grabbed Dakota by the wrist. "Sorry Princess, but you've just been rescued," she informed the heiress.

"Awww, but I was just about to do that!" Lindsay said.

"Sorry Lindsay," Chris announced as he flew up with his jetpack, "but you were just too slow. Which means, Team Rat wins immunity!" Gwen smiled, and her teammates on the ground cheered. The camera panned from them to Trent, Jasmine and Zoey, all of whom groaned in disappointment.

"Hmm...," Dakota murmured, yanking her wrist free of Gwen's grip and checking out her face in a compact. "Not too bad all things considered," she said before the goth snatched the mirror away from her. "Hey, I was using that!" she complained.

"Relax, I'll give it back once I see what Courtney did to me," Gwen said, opening up the compact and looking herself over. "Yup, that's what I thought," she muttered in annoyance, thrusting the compact back into Dakota's hands and walking past Lindsay over to the edge of the cliff. "Hey Courtney!" she yelled down at her teammate. "Next time, don't make me look so perky, would ya?"

"Fine, but the rest of us thought it looked good!" Courtney replied, causing Gwen to roll her eyes but smirk all the same.

"Welp, that about wraps things up," Chris said, "so let's head back to camp. Maggots," the shot cut down to Trent, Jasmine, and Zoey as they shared a nervous look, "you've got some voting to do."

xxx

"Oh no, this is exactly what I was worried about," Zoey told the outhouse camera, anxious concern radiating from every part of her. "How can I bare to vote for anyone? What am I gonna do?" She lifted her legs and hugged her knees, burying her head in them to hide her sadness.

xxx

/

An owl hooted as the opening notes of the usual elimination theme began to play, the footage flashing ahead to a shot of the island at night then zooming in to the campfire pit. Unusually, both teams were present – the Rats on the left, and the Maggots on the right.

"Well that was a complete fiasco!" Chris opened, him and Chef standing ready with their respective marshmallows. "Zoey, your choice of models left a lot to be desired," he said, the indie girl in the front row frowning and looking down in shame. "And Jasmine," the camera moved behind Zoey, "you dropped the barrel on this one by not living up to your toughness." She, too, hung her head in shame.

"Of course, Lindsay could have salvaged the whole thing had she not slipped up and did the opposite of distracting the sasquatch from her teammates," the host continued, the camera moving to the blonde sitting in front as she closed her eyes and nodded sadly. "And finally, Trent," Chris said, the camera moving to the back again as the sole male Maggot straightened up nervously. "I'm afraid you just didn't do much of anything, but I don't expect that to be of much help right now. All of you messed up today, and because of it one of you is about to go home." The shot zoomed out to show the entire cast, the Rats watching their depressed rivals expectantly. "However," the host continued, picking up two marshmallows from his tray as the camera cut to his close-up, "it won't be-"

"Wait!" a voice called out, causing the host to stop and the camera to zoom out – revealing that Lindsay had stood up. "I volunteer for elimination!"

Everyone gasped, even Chef and the Rats. "Lindsay, why?" Zoey asked in concern.

"Yeah, you don't have to do this!" Jasmine chimed in.

Lindsay shook her head. "Sorry, peeps, but I gotta," she told them. "This was a fashion challenge and fashion is my thing, but instead of me leading us to victory I just messed up. It's only right that I go home."

"But-" Zoey said, reaching out to her friend in despair only to feel Jasmine's hand on her shoulder. She looked back, and the survivalist shook her head sadly.

Lindsay took a breath, then stepped forward firmly. "I've made my decision."

"Yeah, I noticed," Chris said blandly as Chef took out the toxic marshamllow. "You were gonna be eliminated anyway since the only person who didn't vote for you was Zoey, who voted for herself. But if you wanna be all noble about it then okay, I guess."

He shrugged noncommittally, and Lindsay frowned. "Oh...," she said, casting a brief glance at her former teammates.

"Sorry," Trent said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"Well...I guess this is goodbye, then," Lindsay said as the sombre farewell tune began to play. The toxic marshmallow bounced off her head and she winced, but kept her smile and continued on. "But don't worry," she said as she was led away by Chef, "saying bye isn't so bad. Because really, it's just a 'hi', with a 'b'!" Her former teammates, including Harold, were shown waving her off with sad smiles, and even the other Rats were shown watching somberly.

"And with that special moment out of the way," Chris said with a smile, "now for something even more special. Toxic Rats, you're probably wondering why I asked you to sit in on this elimination." The shot cut to the team of five, all of them watching the host with anxious suspicion. "I'll need a volunteer from each team," he told them.

"I'll do it," Harold said, standing up proudly from the Rats' back row next to Gwen and Noah.

"Me too," Trent added with a calm smile.

"Pack your baa~ags!" Chris told them impishly.

Zoey gasped. "You're hurling them, too?!" she asked in shock and horror.

"Nah," the host waved dismissively, "I don't give people time to pack before they get hurled! These two are switching teams!"

Everyone gasped but the two boys in question, who just smiled and walked towards their 'new' teammates, exchanging a high-five as they passed each other. Harold sat next to Jasmine, who smiled and punched him lightly in the arm. "Great to have you back, mate. And sorry for almost eliminating you back then," she said with a more apologetic tone. "I hope you can forgive me."

"I already have," Harold grinned, earning smiles from both Jasmine and Zoey.

The shot cut to Trent as he took a seat next to Gwen, and the two immediately locked eyes and smiled. "Well, I guess we're finally on the same side," he told her.

"Yeah," Gwen replied. "I look forward to working with you."

"Same," the musician chuckled. "Glad you went back to your old look, too. The new one just wasn't you, y'know?"

"Tell me about it," the goth laughed.

The camera panned left from them to show Noah watching with a single raised eyebrow on an otherwise bored face. The shot then zoomed outward to focus on Cameron, one of his eyebrows raised as well but with a more thoughtful expression. And finally, the camera to the right onto Courtney, who briefly looked at the two with narrowed and suspicious eyes before looking forward and pursing her lips.

/

The scene flashed to the docks, Lindsay sitting sadly in the bucket of the Hurl of Shame. The sombre farewell resumed once more as Chris approached her. "Any last words before your ride to loserdom?" he asked in a taunting manner.

"Yeah," she nodded, the perspective moving behind her as she looked up and saw all four of her former teammates standing behind the host. "I hope everyone remembers that friends are worth way more than money," she told them with a happy smile, the camera zooming in on Zoey as she sadly brought her hand to one of the braids Lindsay had given her.

"Yeah, no they're not," Chris interrupted with a laugh, abruptly catapulting the golden-hearted young woman off into the night. "And on that note, we say goodbye to our foxiest player," he turned and told the camera as the series' capstone theme began to play. "Who will be the next loser hurled? How much can we humiliate them first? And what will become of our new-ish teams? Find out next time, on Total! Drama! Rrrrevenge, of the Island!"

/

The music became tense and eerie as the scene cut back to Boney Island, the fog parting to reveal its skull-shaped centerpiece as a hollow cry rung through the air. The shot cut to a small campfire with three hardhat-wearing woolly beavers...and Izzy.

"Well," she sighed, stretching her arms above her head, "it's been fun hanging out with you guys and all, but I should probably get going." The beavers started growling viciously, but she just smiled. "Hey, guys, I know," she said dismissively, "but I don't want my roommate to worry, y'know? It can be pretty dangerous out here at night!"

The beavers snarled and pounced at her, but she deftly jumped over then and off into the woods. The shot cut back out to the face of Boney Island, the wild child's laughter now ringing through the air.

(Fade to Credits)


Author's Note - Post Script

So long Lindsay, you will be missed. As some of you may have guessed, she was the person originally slanted to be eliminated in episode three before I decided that she needed a better chance to develop. Thus, I changed things around and moved the first team swap up as well as Leonard and Justin's eliminations, and boy am I happy I did so. Lindsay has such a golden heart, and I'm glad I was able to show it off these past couple of weeks. But, ultimately, her role in the story was done, and she went out with nobility.

Swapping Trent to the Rats here was obvious, I think, as it'll allow some more progress with his and Gwen's relationship. Swapping Harold back to the Maggots, however, may seem odder. To be honest, it was always gonna be like this - giving Harold a breather to help develop Noah, have some fun with the Rats, and force Zoey and Jasmine to feel guilty. Then when he forgave them, he got to rejoin the team. I don't know, it makes sense to me.

Also, no note from Noah this week, or any real sneakiness for that matter. I figured it would be best to take a bit of a break from it, especially since I knew going in that Noah wasn't gonna be in danger of elimination or even being on the losing team. Plus, he'd probably want to lay low for a bit anyway, so the others don't get suspicious of so many mysterious notes running around. Maybe I should have at least given him a confessional or something to that effect, but I suppose it's too late for that now.

Anyway, let me know what you thought of this week's episode, and I'll see you all next week.

- Fangren


Appendix: TSROTI Eliminated Contestants

Cody - (13th Place)

Izzy - (12th Place | Still AWOL)

Leonard (11th Place)

Justin (10th Place)

Lindsay (9th Place)