DISCLAIMER:
Hello everyone! We're starting the seventh episode of the story. As always,
A tisket, a casket I'm gonna blow a gasket
Last time on The Ridonculous Race, some teams had more fun than others. The ants came marching one by one, with the tension between the teams finding new heights and lows at the bottom of the gorge. Also, the stress of the race started to get to the Daters.
The Real Reality TV Pros came in first, and we said so long to the Rockers, who came in last and were cut from the competition. Luckily they missed their flight home, which crash-landed on a small island. I guess being so slow has its perks, but not in this race! Here only the fast will remain. This is the Ridonculous race.
Yesterday chill zone was Copacabana Beach. At the front of the line were LeShawna and Tyler, the Ice dancers glaring at them.
"Damn, someone is still angry after winning silver yesterday," said LeShawna, whistling.
"No, I'm not," said Tyler, raising an eyebrow.
LeShawna deadpanned. "Ty, I'm not talking about you."
"Ohhh, You mean Jacques and Joseé," Tyler looked at the Ice dancers, who were still glaring at them. "Hahaha, that makes sense. I was wondering why you say that if I wasn't angry… and we didn't win silver yesterday."
"Oh boy, you're too much," said LeShawna laughing
After a moment, the leg started, and the Real Reality TV Pros took their ticket from the Don Box.
"What does it say LeShawna?" shouted Tyler excitedly, running in place. "We must hurry to keep our advantage."
"Hahaha, calm down sugar, we'll be fine," said LeShawna before reading the ticket. "Make your way to Dracula's Castle in Transylvania, Romania."
Tyler fist-pumped. "Romania? Awesome! I love ravioli!"
"Hahaha, Sorry Ty, but Rome and Romania are different places."
"Eh? What a bummer," Tyler looked at the ground lowering his eyebrows.
"Ehem, I hate to interrupt your 'deep' conversation," said Don, raising his eyebrows. "But we have this shuttle bus ready to take you to the airport."
The sista smirked, "Oh, thanks."
"Shuttle bus? AWESOME!" shouted Tyler
Both Real Reality Pros went to the bus, with the Ice Dancers sitting behind them.
"It seems you won't get any advantage after stealing our first place," said Joseé, every word filled with poison.
"You're barking at the wrong tree, girl. We'll win again even if we share the same bus," said LeShawna, glaring at the Ice dancer.
Tyler nodded. "YEAH! I hope you like the taste of dust because you will have it as dessert."
Jaques and Joseé blinked several times, unsure what Tyler's sentence meant, while LeShawna chuckled.
Team confessional: Reality TV advantages.
"Do you ask me if we're angry because we share the same bus with the rest of the teams? Of course not," said LeShawna, shrugging.
"Yeah, because the other teams are AWESOME!" said Tyler, fist-pumping.
LeShawna nodded. "And also, after participating in many shows, you get used to these moments in which the show ruins your advantage."
"Oh yes. Like those multi-part challenges in which you win an advantage in the first part that is useless on the second part," said Tyler, nodding.
"Or when you win a challenge, and it's a non-elimination round," said LeShawna, glaring at the camera.
Tyler laughed. "Oh, I remember that one. That happened a lot with Team Victory. Hahaha, what a funny name."
LeShawna glared at the jock.
"Sorry, but you must admit it's a fun irony. Team Victory losing every…" Tyler then got silent as LeShawna's glare intensified.
"Ok, I'll just shut up," said the jock, gulping.
Team confessional: First place
"This is disappointing! We haven't won a single gold on five legs," said Jacques crossing his arms.
"Yes, but those TV has-beens already ruined our placement TWO times," said Joseé cracking her knuckles. "And those mall cops stole our gold in Paris."
Jacques nodded. "Oui, but those police cadets are just brutes, the TV pros are EVIL."
"I don't care! We have crushed better and meaner opponents. We just need to exploit their weakness," Joseé rubbed her hand, chuckling.
"Which is?"
"I don't know, but we'll find out," said the female Ice Dancer, both smiling at the camera.
On the bus many teams were strategizing, other were resting and then were the fashion bloggers.
"Can I show them? Let me show them," said Tom in an excited tone, talking about the people watching show.
"Yes, yes, show them," said Jen, making a wide grin.
Team confessional: Make fez popular
Tom took out a fez and put it on his head. "I bought it from a local here who, as it turns out, is also a distributor."
"So Tom bought 4000 of them to be shipped home," said Jen, raising a hand excitedly.
"I'm gonna make fez happen," Tom pointed forward, his voice filled with passion.
"Put yours on," said Tom, grinning at his teammate.
Jen's eyes darted back and forth nervously. "Maybe later."
After this drama happened, the 14 remaining teams arrived at São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport. Before the bus stopped, LeShawna elbowed Tyler.
"Ok, you know the drill. Once the bus stops, we need to rush down to buy our tickets," said LeShawna, lying forward.
"Hahaha, of course I know, just trust me, I'm as fast as a gazelle," said Tyler, who then rubbed his chin. "Sorry, I mean fast as a lion, after all those catch gazelles."
The teams began to rush down the bus as soon as it stopped. Tyler fell down on the aisle, while Leshawna got stuck on the door with MacArthur.
"Hey tv loser, get out of the way," said MacArthur, trying to get out of the bus.
"Cuz I'm the one stopping you, right?. You were the one trying to exit when I was at the door. Now take your elbow off my face and move your fat body back into the bus so I can go down," shouted LeShawna, glaring at the police officer.
"I'm not fat. I'm curvaceous!" said MacArthur, putting more strength, when suddenly both girls got free from the door, the police falling to the ground.
LeShawna kept her balance and ran toward the ticket counter. "Sorry, I don't have time to waste fighting with you."
Sanders crouched, but MacArthur pushed her away.
"NO! I'm fine, you follow her. We need to be on the first flight," said MacArthur, her teammate nodded and ran behind LeShawna, as the rest of the teams left.
Tyler went down off the bus, a bit bruised after the contestants ran over him. He saw MacArthur on the ground and rushed toward her side.
"Are you ok?" asked Tyler, helping her stand up.
"I'll after I teach that conceited cow of your teammate a lesson," said MacArthur cracking her knuckles.
Tyler chuckled. "If you can joke, then you're fine. But be careful, if you feel dizzy or anything, it's better to see a doctor."
"Don't be a worrywart. Look at this," MacArthur flexed, showing off her biceps. "Do you think with a body like this a small fall can hurt me?"
"Hahaha, I'm sure you're pretty tough, but there is no reason to not be careful, many people would be sad if you got hurt," said Tyler winking.
MacArthur's jaw dropped, and after a second, she blushed, punching him on the arm. "Hahaha, you're weird, Tyler, I don't hate that in a guy. Now let's go, we have a race to win."
Tyler rubbed his arm with a pained expression, following the police cadet. MacArthur was smiling all the way to the queue.
The last team to arrive at the queue was the daters, Stephanie glaring at the other teams.
"There are only two flights to Transylvania, and we aren't getting stuck on flight number two, NO WAY!" said Steph, pointing at the front of the line.
"But we…"
Steph ignored Ryan's complaints and raised her hands. "Pick me up and throw me to the front."
"Oh Steph, I just can't…"
"PICK ME UP!" shouted the small woman. Ryan gulped and did as she said.
"AAAHHH" Steph flew all the way toward the counter, Tyler looking at her like a deer in headlights.
"Take cover!" shouted MacArthur, pushing Tyler down and letting Steph crash against the poor guy at the counter.
Team confessional: Try harder
"Ryan has voiced some concerns about how competitive," Steph made air quotes while saying that word. "I've been getting, but we reach an understanding.
The big guy cleared his throat. "I need to try harder so Stephanie doesn't feel the need to be the constant and lone motivator."
Stephanie then jumped and kissed him.
"Haha, We're so going to win this."
The Real Reality TV Pros, The Police Cadets, the Ice dancers, The daters, Best friends, Larpers, and surfer dudes boarded the first flight with Tyler running next to MacArthur.
"Thanks for helping me back there," said Tyler.
"Don't worry boy, I'm a police officer. I'm supposed to protect hunks," said MacArthur, winking.
Sanders squinted her eyes at her. "We're supposed to protect everyone."
"Tomato, tomato. Stop being such a word-lawyer," said the older police cadet, laughing.
The plane departed 45 minutes before the second plane. The atmosphere was heavy, especially between the Ice dancers, the police cadets, the Real reality tv pros, and the Larpers.
LeShawna, tired of this situation, decided to ignore them.
"Hey Ty, do you mind if I sit with Geoff? I want to hear what Bridgette is doing," said LeShawna smiling.
"I don't mind but, didn't you talk about that in France?" Tyler scratched his head, looking at her with wide eyes.
LeShawna deadpanned. "No, we spend all the time talking with Dwayne about aliens."
"Oh yes, that's true, he was kidnapped by a mother ship and almost wed with an alien," Tyler nodded and chuckled. "Such a champ. I wonder what he's doing right now?"
At Sao Paulo airport, Dwayne sneezed, covering his hands with snot.
"Ugh, Dad! " shouted Junior, giving him some paper napkins. "I hope you're not getting a cold.
Dwayne cleaned his hands. "Don't worry, kiddo. I never get colds. I probably sneezed because someone is talking about me."
Junior sighed sadly.
"HEY! I say they're talking about me, not that they're badmouthing me," Dwayne crossed his arms, frowning at his children.
"Yes, because there are so many good things about you," whispered Junior, looking sadly at the ground.
Dwayne couldn't hear his son, so he just smiled and patted his head, assuming he was saying something positive.
Back to the plane, Brody and LeShawna swapped seats, the sista seating next to Geoff.
"LE-SHAW-NA! So you're competing against me in another reality show, and with Tyler as your teammate. It's such a small world," said Geoff in a playful tone.
"Hahaha, yes it is," said the sista, laughing. "But I was surprised you entered with Brody and not Bridge. Usually, you're joined by the lips."
Geoff smiled. "Yes, but she had this huge surfing competition in Australia that she had been training for months. So when we got the chance, I talked with production if I could participate with another person."
"And you chose Brody," said LeShawna, raising an eyebrow.
"YES! He is like a brother born from a different mother… and father," said Geoff putting on a thoughtful expression and then shrugging. "We have known each other for years, and he's a great guy with an iron stomach. Also, dude wanted to know the world, so the show was like made for him."
"Hahaha, sounds like an obvious choice," the sista smiled.
The party guy scratched his head. "Yes, but what surprised me is that you entered with Tyler."
"Why? Tyler and I entered together in many other reality shows in the past, so it was an obvious choice," said LeShawana, frowning. She didn't like Geoff's tone.
"I know, but he's with Lindsay, so I was surprised Tyler entered with you and not with her," said Geoff. LeShawna gave him a death glare, making him panic. "Don't misunderstand me. I mean, she's his girlfriend, so even if you're better at challenges, it's weird he entered with another woman."
LeShawna kept glaring at him. "Well, they were already together during Action, and that didn't stop him from teaming up with me in those Reality shows."
"I guess so."
"AND," LeShawna added, crossing her arms, "Isn't exactly the same situation with you, Brody, and Bridgette?"
"Yes you're right," said Geoff sighing. "Sorry, it was that Lindsay is so ho… ho…" The party guy panicked. There was no way he could complete that sentence. "HOPELESS! She is so hopeless without Tyler that I couldn't imagine Tyler leaving her alone."
LeShawna deadpanned. "Lindsay is hopeless? Really?"
"Y-Yes," said Geoff, sweating a bucket.
"Yes, I guess it's weird he didn't enter with her," said LeShawna tapping her chin.
Geoff sighed with relief, not noticing what he had just provoked.
At the same time, Brody and Tyler were bonding over sports.
"And there I was running like crazy, and 5 yards before the touchdown, I stumbled with a random can and fell to the ground," said Brody, misremembering he stumbled with his feet.
"Bro, that happened to me too. 5 yards and suddenly, BAM! I fell to the ground after kicking a random can," said Tyler, who also stumbled on his feet.
Brody offered Tyler a fist bump. "Really, dude? Wow, What are the odds?"
"Yes, it's pretty sick," said Tyler bumping his new friend's fist. "And also that you accidentally hit your coach with a hockey puck."
"Totally, and we both crashed our water skis on a school bus," said Broddy, nodding.
The steward left Brody and Tyler food as they talked. Tyler opened his salad. "Yes dude, it's like we're on the same wavelength."
"Yes, so true man," Brody then blanched, looking at his sandwich with wide eyes. "Oh dude, I'm sorry."
Tyler tilted his head. "Why?"
"Because I forgot you were scared of chickens, and I bought a chicken sandwich." Said Brody covering his meal with both arms. "I'll go and eat in the bathroom."
"Oh no, don't worry bro, I'm only scared of living chickens," said Tyler, holding his friend's shirt.
"Really?"
"Yes," Tyler pouted, thinking a little. "Well, I'm also afraid of roosters and chicks, but only if they're alive. Eggs, fried chicken and the like don't scare me."
Brody began to eat happily. "That's awesome! I love to eat chickens, but I'm not that fond of living ones."
Tyler nodded silently.
"By the way, dude, I know this is weird because we just met, but I need your help," said Brody, blushing.
"Bro, you're my friend, so tell me and I'll do what I can to help," said Tyler, making a wide smile.
Brody's eyes filled with tears. "Bro…" he then dried the tears with his arms and took a deep breath. "Tell me how I can be as popular as you?"
"What?" Tyler's smile suddenly disappeared.
"Yes dude, I see how you're close to MacArthur and had a nice gal as LeShawna at your side. Men, those girls are hot. What's your secret?" asked Brody, not noticing Tyler's confused expression.
Tyler rubbed his neck. "Dude, I'm not dating LeShawna. Also, I'm not interested in MacArthur. I …"
"Really?" Brody fist-pumped. "That means I have a chance! But which one should I try to make my move?"
"Bro, LeShawna has a boyfriend," said Tyler, crossing his arms.
Brody dropped his head. "Aw, that's a bummer."
"Well, I believe she has one. Now that you mentioned it, I'm not sure if they're still together or not."
"Really? YEAH! That means there is a chance," shouted Brody, raising both arms.
However, Tyler wasn't listening to him. He just realized he knew nothing about LeShawna, even after competing with her in 6 countries.
"Dude, I think I'm an awful friend," said Tyler, but before Brody could answer him, LeShawna swapped places with him again.
"Did something happen?" asked LeShawna, raising an eyebrow.
Tyler sighed and forced a smile. "Oh no, nothing."
The plane arrived at Transylvania, and the teams ran out of the airport. The town and castle were on a hill near them, but a huge storm was falling over the place.
Team confessional: Dracula's home ground
"Once we arrived, it was pouring. The sky was so dark that it looked like the evening came earlier, and the worst part, there wasn't a SINGLE TAXI, so we had to run in the middle of the rain," said LeShawna, frowning with her arms crossed.
"It was an EXTREME challenge, running uphill through the muddy path, lightning bolts falling here and there," Tyler said excitedly. "The only problem is that we were shivering and dampened, but what is life without a little challenge?"
"Enjoyable?" replied LeSawna, raising an eyebrow. "Anyway, the worst part were the other teams."
Tyler chuckled. "C'mon, they aren't that bad."
LeShawna just deadpanned at her teammate, sighing before the confessional ended.
The 7 teams were running through the muddy path. The Real Reality TV Pros were first, followed by the Ice dancers, Daters, surfer dudes, Best friends, police cadets, and, far behind, the Larpers. The police cadets began to pass the other teams as Joseé and Jaques got closer to LeShawna.
The female Ice dancer pulled LeShawna's ponytail, trying to knock her down.
"OUCH! What the hell are you doing?" shouted the sista, who was stronger than the Ice dancers expected.
"Oh, I'm sorry, it was an accident," said Joseé in a mellow voice.
LeShawna glared at them. "No problem, but if it happens again, I may accidentally slap some teeth out of your mouth."
"Again?" said Tyler, raising an eyebrow.
The ice dancers looked at each other with worried expressions. Maybe it was better to target a different team for now.
"MOVE IT!" shouted MacArthur, passing Joseé.
The Olympian smile turned into a smirk while she pushed Sanders down the hill. "Sorry I didn't see you."
The younger office cadet fell and crashed against Devin, knocking both down through the mud.
"Officer down, shots fired!" shouted MacArthur before tackling both ice dancers down the hill.
"Wow dude, should we go down and help them?" asked Tyler, pouting while thinking.
LeShawna rubbed her ponytail. "Only if it's to kick those ice dancers while they're on the ground. Now seriously, focus on the race, we don't have time for petty squabbles."
"But a moment ago…"
"Sugar, FOCUS ON THE RACE!"
"Yes ma'am."
The Real Reality TV pros arrived at the town under the castle, closely followed by the Daters. LeShawna picked the tip while Stephanie groaned, taking the ticket soon after.
"See, thanks to your slow pace, we arrived second!" shouted Steph, jabbing her finger on Ryan's chest.
"Hey sister, take a chill pill. You're in second, which is pretty ok. And at least you lost against a friend," said LeShawna, frowning at the shorter woman.
Stephanie rolled her eyes but didn't say anything else. LeShawna then read the ticket aloud.
"All-in, Coffin Time: you must enter Dracula's castle and find an empty coffin, whoever took the tip from the Don box must drag the coffin to the graveyard with your teammate inside and tip it into an open grave. The teammate in the coffin may not get out or help in any way, complete the task to get your next tip from a local gravedigger."
Steph stomped her foot while Ryan rubbed her back. LeShawna's face slapped while Tyler cupped his ear with one hand. The surfer dudes arrived at that moment.
"Lesh, did you hear that? It seems it's time to show your stuff," said Tyler laughing at his own joke.
"Hey, dudes, want to team up?" said Brody, waggling his eyebrows.
Tyler gave him a high five. "Let's do it!"
Ryan looked at Steph, who glared at him, shaking her head. The daters went alone, leaving the other two teams behind. LeShawna noticed this but didn't say a word.
Meanwhile, the second flight arrived while the Police Cadets and the Ice dancers kept fighting in the mud.
"You're making us fall behind," said Joseé, struggling with MacArthur choking her. "LET ME GO!"
"You first!" shouted MacArthur.
"While we fight the reality has-beens are getting ahead," said Joseé in a pained voice.
The police cadet released Joseé and stood up. "Damn, she's right. C'mon Sanders, we can let that LeShawna beat us."
The ice dancers followed them. In an instant, they caught up with the Larpers at the Don box. Leonard's robe was covered in mud.
"Darn it, I forgot the archmage robe could get so heavy when it's wet," said Leonard, huffing and puffing, while reading the tip.
"Well, at last is over. Now you can take a breather," said Tammy playing her ocarina,
Leonard's expression darkened as he read the tip. "Damn it!"
The surfer dudes and the Real Reality tv pros were inside Dracula's castle. The dark place, narrow corridors, and the old wood smell gave the building a scary atmosphere.
"Then I said: Dude, that moose don't need a mouth-to-mouth, is a head on the wall," said Brody, pointing at a mounted moose head. The other three laughed.
LeShawna dried a tear. "That was a fun story, but we need to be more serious and focus on finding those coffins."
"Don't worry LeShawna, I know a trick," said Geoff, throwing his cowboy hat. "We just need to go in the direction my hat falls."
The four looked at the hat, which fell behind them.
"Toward the entrance? Really?" asked LeShawna, unamused.
"Maybe there is a hidden door or passage," said Geoff picking up his hat.
Tyler's eyes sparkled. "WOW! Like in the old movies. I love when someone laid in a wall and then…"
"Ty?"
However, Tyler disappeared. The other three took a moment to process what had just happened.
"AWESOME! That Tyler really knows how to perform a demonstration," said Brody, fist-pumping.
"Can we take this more seriously? My teammate just disappeared!" shouted LeShawna, not finding the situation as awesome as the surfer dudes.
Geoff winked and walked toward the wall. "Calm down LeShawna, I'm sure there is a…"
As soon as Geoff put his hands on the wall, it spun, pushing Geoff to the other side.
"OH NO, GEOFF," said Brody, hugging LeShawna. "Don't worry girl, I'll protect you."
"Wait, it may be a hidden passage," said LeShawna, walking toward the wall while pulling Brody, and like the other two, as soon as they touched the wall, it spun.
Geoff laughed. "See! I told you those two would find the hidden passage."
"Phew, That's awesome," said Tyler, who had two coffins next to him. "Geoff and I already found the coffins!"
"Woohoo/That's great!" said Brody and LeShawna, coming closer to the wooden boxes.
"Now you can push us to the cemetery," said Tyler, lying inside the coffin as Geoff lay inside his own.
"Woohoo/great…" Brody cheered while LeShawna groaned. She had forgotten about pushing the coffin.
LeShawna was doing her best to push the coffin to the cemetery. She tied her jersey to her waist and rolled up her sleeves, but the task was harder than she thought.
"Why are you pushing the coffin and not carrying it?" Tyler asked, his voice muffled by the coffin.
"Because you're heavier than you look," said LeShawna, huffing and puffing.
"What about Brody? Is he also pushing?"
"No, he is pulling the damn thing and doing better than me. I told him to go ahead of us because we were slowing them down."
"Oh, that's a shame. But don't worry Lesh, you can do it!"
"Sorry boy," LeShawna huffed and puffed again, "Right now, no cheers can help me push faster."
Then she heard something hitting the ground, and again and again. LeShawna turned and saw Joseé, who, instead of pushing, pulling or carrying the coffin, the ice dancer was rolling it.
"Damn girl, I knew you were a bitch, but at least treat your partner with care. This stuff is labeled 'fragile' you know?" said LeShawna, frowning at the Canadian medalist.
"I don't remember asking your opinion, and also, this is a race, and Jacques doesn't mind a few bruises if we can win the leg. So bye-bye, slowpoke," Joseé waved and mockingly laughed before rolling Jaque's coffin again.
LeShawna snorted, held Tyler's coffin, lifted it, and ran behind Joseé.
"Sorry girl, but I don't have the patience to wait for you. See you at the goal," said LeShawna, passing the Ice dancers.
"NOOO!" shouted Joseé, but she couldn't catch up again with the Real Reality TV Pros.
After a moment LeShawna arrived at the cemetery. She was sweating a lot but didn't care, still angry after meeting Joseé. The surfer dudes already had their tickets, so the sista threw Tyler's coffin in an open tomb.
To their surprise, two other teams were arriving at the place, The best friends and the stepbrothers. The stepbrothers were Chet, a chubby, white-skinned, brunette boy and Lorenzo, a thin, brown-skinned and dark-haired boy.
"Weren't you in the second plane?" Asked LeShawna, as Tyler climbed out of the tomb.
Chet shrugged while throwing his coffin into an open tomb. "Yes, we were."
LeShawna blinked a couple of times, but the brunette didn't show any intention to elaborate more.
"AAAAAH!" suddenly Tyler screamed and jumped on LeShawna's arms, a creepy old man was next to them, with a big machete in his hand. He had the travel tip pierced on the machete.
"Hey old man, didn't your momma teach you it's bad manners to point people with a knife?" said LeShawna, glaring at the old man, who slowly put the machete down and offered her the tip with his hand.
"That's better," said LeShawna, who then looked at Tyler, "And can you please go down now?"
"Hehehe, yes, sorry," said Tyler, letting go of his friend.
LeShawna smiled and read the tip. "Horsing around: Ride on horseback to the Romanian gymnastics training center and find the Don Box."
Both tv pros turned around to see many horses on the field outside the cemetery, the wind and black clouds making them seem eerie.
"Oh boy, This gonna be EPIC!" said Tyler, fist-pumping.
"Sugar, do you know how to ride a horse?"
The jock gave LeShawna a thumbs-up. "My father-in-law has a small stable at home," he then sighed sadly, "Linds taught me. She loves horseback riding."
"I didn't know that girl was a good rider," said LeShawna, with wide eyes.
"Oh no, she isn't," Tyler dismissed the thought with a hand wave. "She loves horse riding but she is terrible at it."
LeShawna gulped. "and she taught you how to do it?"
"Hahaha, yes, but don't worry, we'll be fine, just ride with me," Tyler smiled confidently and then rubbed his chin. "But where are the chairs? I didn't know there were models without a chair."
The sista with a 'tude just resigned herself, and both mounted the horse, LeShawna holding tightly to the jock.
"Ok buddy, show us what you got," said Tyler patting the horse's head, but the animal didn't move.
"C'mon,. move it," said Tyler patting the horse hard, but the animal just scoffed angrily.
"Ty, I don't think…"
But Tyler interrupted her. "Don't worry I have this under control," and saying this, the jock kicked the horse with his heels, "GO!"
The animal's eyes turned red-colored, and after doing a scary neigh, it began to run amok at a frighting speed.
"AHHHHH!" LeShawna screamed as her horse passed Chet and Lorenzo.
The sudden move scared the stepbrothers' horses, making them fall to the ground, Lorenzo falling over Chet.
"Ugh, thanks for saving me," said Lorenzo, standing up.
"I didn't save you. You crushed me," replied Chet, glaring at his brother.
The videogame fan chuckled. "Well, at least you were useful for once."
Then both realized they were in the middle of the forest without their horses.
"I wish you were also useful sometimes," said Chet, shaking his head.
As the stepbrothers bickered, the Real Reality TV Pros also passed the surfer dudes. The ice dancer, who had great riding skills, tried to catch up with them, but Tyler's horse was too fast.
"TYLER, SLOW DOWN!" shouted LeShawna, holding the jock with all her strength.
"I can't," replied Tyler with a trembling voice. "This model doesn't have a reign. I suppose these are very cheap."
LeShawna groaned, "I should have imagined something like this would happen."
Both began to scream as the horse crossed the dark forest.
At the same time, more teams were getting closer to the cemetery. Sanders was struggling to push MacArthur inside the coffin.
"We're falling behind Sanders. Use your glutes!" shouted the older police cadet.
"YES I AM" groaned Sanders, "using my glutes."
Then they were passed by Ellody, who towed her coffin with a weird contraption with big wheels.
"Where did you get that?" asked Sanders, wide-eyed.
Ellody adjusted her glasses. "I build it. Basically, you just need a stick and two wheel-like objects. This is actually the center of two chandeliers…"
Mary then knocked her coffin many times, the Indian genius nodding at them.
"Mhm Mary, you're right. We're in the middle of a race. Sorry I had to go. If you're curious, I can explain to you how to build this machine later," said Ellody, waving at Sanders. "Thanks, Mary."
The taller genius knocked on the coffin again.
"Hahaha, you're such a jockster," said Ellody chuckling, as Sanders looked at them with a confused expression
Team confessional: Codes.
"Many people may think we were using Morse code," said Ellody smiling.
"Hahaha, artless people," said Mary snorting and laughing.
Ellody also laughed. "Yes, we were using tapping code, not morse."
"Both are communication methods, but the tappin…."
"OK girls I warned you. No more boring confessional. THIS ENDS NOW!" said Don in a harsh voice, both geniuses looking at the front and lowering their eyebrows.
The genius then passed Leonard, who was struggling with his coffin.
"Darn it, those second-flight minions are already here," said Leonard, huffing and puffing.
"I told you to put better numbers in strength," said Tammy from her coffin.
Leonard rolled his eyes. "But strength is a dump stat. Tell me a situation where you need a strong wizard?"
"What about pushing a coffin filled with treasure out of the dungeon," said Tammy in a playful voice.
"Hahaha, that's a good joke," said Leonard, pushing harder.
"What joke?" asked Tammy, while Leonard groaned. They arrived at the cemetery, where Tom and Stephanie were dropping their coffins on the tombs.
"Jen are you ok?" asked Tom, still wearing his fez.
"Yes, you're such a gentleman," said Jen, chuckling, as her teammate helped her leave the tomb.
Ryan exited the tomb and was startled by the grave keeper, who gave him the travel tip.
"Oh thanks," said Ryan with a nervous smile while Stephanie frowned behind him.
Team confessional: Taking their sweet time.
"It took us a little while to find the graveyard," said Ryan with a trembling voice.
"JUST SAY IT! It took ME a while to find the graveyard, ME!" said Steph in a high-pitched tone.
Ryan smiled at her tenderly "Hey, we're still ahead of most of the teams, right?"
"You're right, I'm sorry," Steph sighed and hugged Ryan.
"We're a great team" said the big guy with wide eyes, not looking too confident about his words.
Meanwhile, The Real reality tv pros were arriving at the Romanian gymnastics training center.
"SOOOO," shouted Tyler for the nth time.
However, this time the horse stopped, sending both Real Reality tv pros flying against the don box. If the animal stopped thanks to Tyler or because it arrived at the stadium didn't matter. At least it stopped.
After the crash, the don box was ripped off the ground, and travel tips were lying everywhere. Both Tyler and LeShawna were groaning in pain. The jock took the tip with a trembling hand.
"B-Botch or Watch, Gymnastics:" said Tyler in a weak voice.
"Gymnastics? Really?" LeShawna slowly got up, frowning at her teammate.
Tyler nodded and kept reading. "Whoever d-didn't face the bullet ants in Brazil must perform two gymnastic feats *ouch*. First, walk a balance beam and land a split jump at the center, second complete a flip over the vaulting horse. Get a thumbs up from this local judge Bala Karaoke, and it's a footrace down that road to the Chill Zone."
"I can't believe I must jump around just after pushing your coffin all the way to the graveyard," said LeShawna, cracking her back.
"That sucks," the jock sighed, patting his friend's back. "But don't worry Lesh, you have this in the bag. Just focus, and I'm sure you'll be fine."
The next scene showed LeShawna jumping on the balance beam and falling to the ground.
"Don't worry Lesh! The third time is the charm," shouted Tyler from the bleachers.
"I want some of that optimism," said LeShawna, rubbing her back.
"Get out of the way, dear, or someone may think you're the vaulting horse," said Joseé in a mocking tone.
LeShawna blinked, her eye twitching. "EX-CUS-ME!?"
Joseé ignored her, flawlessly executing the split jump on the balance beam.
"Sorry, I don't have time for losers," said the ice dancer, her smile more authentic than ever.
"Ok, girl, you just did it," LeShawna rolled up her sleeves. Went over the balancing beam and, with astounding speed, walked over it and made the split jump.
At the same time, Joseé was already jumping on the vaulting horse, performing 2 summersaults, and getting the judge's approval.
"Heeello first place," said both Ice dancers, waving at the camera and running out of the gym.
"I don't think so," shouted LeShawna, running toward the vaulting horse and performing a front handspring, landing on her feet. She scoffed and glared at the judge, waiting for his evaluation.
The frowning Romanian coach gave her a thumbs up.
"WELL DONE, Lesh!" said Tyler hugging her.
"Later sugar, we need to catch up with those annoying Ice dumbs," said LeShawna, rushing out of the gym.
The ice dancers keep smiling even after seeing the Real Reality TV Pros rushing behind them.
"And the race for first will be a close one," said Don, watching the teams getting closer. "Anyone can win this, and the first place is…"
Both teams ran as fast as possible, LeShawna elbowing Joseé and the ice dancer returning in kind, but one team arrived first at the carpet.
"Ice dancers, you got gold, Real Reality Tv Pros, you're second," said Don, smiling.
"YES FIRST PLACE!" shouted Joseé, raising both arms.
"Our winning streak starts now," said Jaques, hugging her.
LeShawna crossed her arms while Tyler clapped at them. "Congratulations, nice play."
"Hahaha, in your face has-beens, get used to biting our dust because we will keep winning," said Joseé, glaring at them.
"We will see," said Tyler, facing them. "This isn't over until the fat lady crosses the goal line."
LeShawna, Joseé, and Jacques got confused by Tyler's statement but decided to ignore it.
"Whatever, see you later looosers," said Joseé as she and Jacques got away, cackling,
"Those Ice dancers are such a good sport. They're always smiling and laughing," said Tyler while waving at them.
LeShawna sighed. "You know something Ty, I sometimes envy you."
"Hahaha, thanks, Lesh, but you're also awesome," said the jock, not getting what she wanted to say.
Don just saw them and shrugged. "They get disappointed after getting second? I don't understand these guys."
Back to the training center, the step brothers entered the building.
"We're now at the bottom, thanks to you," said Lorenzo, glaring. "How did you get lost like that."
"My fault? I get lost looking for you, who was so dumb that you lost your horse," said Chet, rolling his eyes.
Lorenzo also rolled his eyes. "I told you I didn't lose it. It escaped after I went down to try to find YOU."
"Same thing," replied the brunette brother.
"YEAH, but same thing too," Lorenzo crossed his arms. "And good luck on the challenge. Try to not fall too hard."
"Thanks, I will," said Chet, sounding a bit more honest than usual.
Inside the gym, a couple of teams, like the surfer dudes and the sisters, had already finished, and others, like mother and daughter and the larpers were struggling.
"C'mon Mom, you can't keep falling," shouted Taylor as her mother fell from the balance beam. "Ugh, I told you to stop."
Meanwhile, Leonard was running toward the vaulting horse, but he stumbled on his robe and fell to the ground before jumping, the coach giving him a thumbs down.
"Leonard, are you ok?" shouted Tammy, helping him stand up.
"Yes, only my pride received a critical hit," said Leonard dusting his robe, "If there was only a way to get my robe out of the way.
Tammy smiled. "There is!"
Meanwhile, the geniuses were doing some operations on a notebook. Lorenzo stood next to them while Chet went to the balancing beam.
"What are you doing?" asked the Latin guy.
"We're calculating how to perform these exercises optimally," said Ellody, scratching her head with her pencil.
Mary nodded. "In contrast to other gymnastic tools that require strength and endurance, these two challenges just require the right balance and coordination. And there is a formula to perform them with a higher grade of success."
"I don't really understand what you mean, but wouldn't it be better to just perform the trick?" asked Lorenzo, tilting his head.
"Without preparation?" said Ellody in an alarmed tone. "Preposterous."
But as she shouted, Chet went over the beam and crossed it quickly and professionally.
"Yes, just like him," said Lorenzo shrugging.
Mary nodded. "I think our adversary is right, Ellody. This challenge requires celerity."
"What language is that? I kinda understand it, kinda don't," said Lorenzo scratching his head, then he saw Chet finishing the challenge. "Either way, good luck."
Mary rolled up her sleeve and got ready to climb the balancing beam. At the same time, the last teams arrived at the gym.
In the chill zone, Don began to receive more teams.
"Surfer dudes, you're third, Best friends, fourth and Sisters 5th," said Don smiling.
"YES! From 10th to 5th," said Emma raising her arms.
Kitty smiled and took a photo of them.
After a moment more teams began to enter the carpet. "Stepbrothers, you're 6th, Genius, you're 7th, Mother and daughter eight, and…" Don looked at the next team with wide eyes and then laughed. "And I thought you couldn't be more ridiculous."
Tammy and Leonard stepped on the carpet. The wizard used his belt to tie his robe to his waist, looking like a knee-long skirt showing his thin legs and sneakers.
"Ha-ha-ha, keep laughing, but this spell helped us to win the challenge!" said Leonard raising his head proudly, and took off his belt, unfolding his robe and covering his legs again. Tammy was also playing an angry song in her ocarina.
"Yes, yes, anyway, you're 8th, now disappear before I penalize you for noise pollution," said Don, glaring at them until they were out of the carpet. "How can they spit so much nonsense so quickly?"
Although Don didn't have time to keep complaining as more teams arrived at the carpet. "Father and son, you are in 10th and Police cadets are in 11th."
"Eleventh? ELEVENTH!" MacArthur scoffed and crossed her arms.
"Sorry, it's my fault. If only I pushed the coffin faster," said the younger police cadet, looking at the ground.
"Yes it was," said MacArthur in a neutral voice. "But don't worry, I'll carry us in the next one. Just wait."
Sanders was shocked by her partner's comment but then smiled. At least she wasn't angry.
Three teams remained in the gym, trying to finish the challenge. Jay, Tom and Ryan just couldn't get the coach's approval.
The adversity twin was so light that he jumped over the mat, while Ryan jumped and hit his groin with the vaulting horse.
Stephanie glared at him, crossing her arms. "Do you know who wins gold medals doing this? TWELVE YEARS OLD GIRLS!"
"Yelling at me isn't helping," said Ryan, with a tired expression.
"It's a botch or watch, I'm NOT allowed to help you," said Steph coldly.
At the same time, Tom jumped on the vaulting horse and fell to the ground, getting a thumbs down from the judge.
Tom stood up, rubbed his back, and looked at the ground while walking toward his teammate. "Sorry Jen, I'm so bad at gymnastics. You know my strength is coordinated clothing. If you were doing this, we would be already done. You're so good at stuff."
"Tom, you're great at everything you put your mind to, so great is annoying, but great," said Jen hugging him.
"Oh, thank you sweetgirl," Tom adjusted his fez and smiled. "I won't let you down. I can do this!"
Jen put on her fez. "I know you can."
"YOU DON'T GET TO QUIT ON MY WATCH!" shouted Steph, startling the fashion bloggers. She pushed Ryan toward the balance beam. "Go back there and start thinking like a 12 years old girl, mister."
The twins glanced at the daters, trembling in fear.
"You hear them Jay, just try to think like a 12 years old girl and you'll get this," said Mickey, chuckling nervously.
"It won't be hard, I think we're as strong as 12 years old girls," said Jay, sighing sadly.
Jay, Ryan, and Tom keep performing the challenge. The three determined to pass.
After a few tries, one of them got the approval of the Romanian coach. Soon after, the second team finished the challenge, the third one ended a bit later.
The race to not last was a fierce one. The first team did their best, but the second passed them. The third team was a bit behind them, speeding up.
"And here they are, the last three teams. Who will get here first?" said Don.
A wolf's howl could be heard as Don watched the teams.
"And the adversity twins are in 12th," said Don, smiling.
"Werewolf!" shouted the twins, rushing through the carpet without looking back.
"And team number thirteen is the Fashion bloggers," said Don, winking.
"YES!" shouted Tom and Jen, hugging.
"NO, NO, NO!" shouted Stephanie. "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"
Don sighed, "Sorry Steph, but you and Ryan are out of the race."
"But it's not fair! This whole idiotic challenge was made to eliminate us!" said Steph stomping her foot and making a small hole in the ground.
"Sorry, but the rules are the rules, and every team did the same challenge," said Don raising his hands defensibly.
Ryan put his hand on Stephanie's shoulder. "He's right Steph. You're overreacting."
"I'M NOT OVERREATCING," said Steph, slapping Ryan's hand. "And it was YOUR fault. How took you so long to do a simple gymnastic trick?"
"My fault! You were the one that took more than 30 minutes to find the graveyard!"
Steph pulled her hair. "You said it was fine!"
"That was before you started pointing fingers!" replied the big guy. "You know something? We're done."
"W-What!" Steph gasped, her eyes widening. "Are you dumping me on national TV!?"
Don raised a finger. "It's actually international."
"YES! I'm dumping you!" shouted Ryan, walking away.
LeShawna and Tyler run out of the chill zone.
"Wait!" shouted the sista with a 'tude.
"Please, spare me whatever you have to say," shouted Steph, glaring at her.
LeShawna glared back at Stephanie. "Calm down girl I just wanted…"
"I know what you wanted. You wanted to say goodbye while you stayed in the damn race! I don't have time for your self-righteous attitude, playing like you're one of the nice guys while you play dirt to keep going. So goodbye."
The sista clenched her fist. "Wait a damn moment!"
But Don stopped her. "Sorry, teams can't leave the chill zone once accounted."
LeShawna just saw Ryan and Stephanie go their separate ways, Tyler rubbing her back in silence.
The Real Reality TV Pros dinned with the surfer dudes, LeShawna being quieter than normal, but none of them said anything.
After dining, the teams went their separate ways, Tyler and LeShawna sharing one room.
"Are you ok?" asked Tyler, lowering his brows. "I'm not the smartest person but a good listener."
LeShawna forced a smile. "I'm fine Tyler. I'm just tired."
"It's a shame Ryan and Stephanie are out. They were cool," said Tyler, lying on his bed. "Don't mind what she said. She was stressed after the elimination."
"I won't," said LeShawna, turning around. "Thanks boy."
"No problem Lesh. Good night."
But LeShawna couldn't sleep. She really felt a connection with Stephanie and Ryan, so their elimination hurt her, but the worst part was what Steph said. Was their friendship a lie? At least it wasn't on LeShawna's side. Did LeShawna ruin it without realizing it? She kept wondering about this until she fell into a restless sleep.
And the daters are out, something that will affect LeShawna for sure. It seems Transilvania was bleaker than expected.
Now I like the daters, and I think their friendship with LeShawna was initially real. But Steph competitiveness made her make many bad decisions and ended with a premature elimination. (Also the butterfly effect that the Best friends were in the first plane.)
I'll try to show a bit of the difference now that things are changing and not focus only on the TV Pros, even if they will be the story's main protagonists.
And as always, please leave a comment/review with your thoughts about the episode. What did you like or not about the story so far, or if you find some jokes funny. Your comments help me improve and keep my motivation.
Now as always, let me reply to the lat weak reviews:
bobomb33rd: I hate to eliminate Rock and Spud, but at least they won't suffer more accidents in the season.
Also, one of Tyler's features is that he is accident-prone, but in this story, I wanted to twist it so it can help him sometimes or even create misunderstandings with other teams.
As always thanks for reading and I hope you like it.