Chapter 2: In Denial?

Chris led the three teams over to a starting line. They looked down and saw three circles on the ground, one for each team. "Ooh, look, team colors! I like our pink one", Izzy said. Harold glared at his. "Why the heck is our mat yellow? We're no cowards!", he shouted. Leshawna patted his shoulder. "Relax, sugar. The mat's gold, cause Team Victory's in first place!" "I can't believe Duncan got disqualified just cause he won't sing", Gwen said. Courtney rolled her eyes. "He didn't get disqualified. He quit, remember? And it serves him right, he doesn't deserve a million dollars with that attitude." Sierra walked over to Bridgette. "Lindsay and Cody fans would be devastated, but I think you and Heather have a shot at becoming fave Total Drama couple on my fan site." Bridgette blushed. "R-really? You think so?" Sierra smirked. "Trust me on this one. Still, it'll be hard to compete with Cody... did you know he slept with a stuffed emu named Jerry until he was... well, okay, he still does." Noah raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "And you know this how?", he asked. "I called his aunt once. I pretended I was a telemarketer." "Ooh, stalkerlicious."

Chef bashed some cymbals together, and the teens turned to Chris, who was sitting on an intern's back while another intern fanned him. "Don't know about you guys, but I am loving Egypt, and I'm gonna love it even more watching you enjoy your second challenge: the amazing camel race!" Harold looked around. "Where are the other camels?", he asked. "There are no other camels! It's a camel race, not a camels race." Heather cheered, Alejandro groaned and the goat grumbled. Leshawna glared at Chris. "We won last time, but they get a camel, the other team gets a goat, and we get a stick!" "Each reward has its advantages. Trust me. You'll be racing to the world's most infamous waterway, the Nile. Teams must bring their rewards all the way to the finish. You have sixty seconds to strategize."

Heather climbed onto her team's camel. "Let's get going, people! We have a race to win!" The other girls climbed onto the camel, with Izzy on its neck. "Yeah, I get the throat!" She started groaning. "I just introduced myself in Camelese", she said. Gwen smiled nervously. "I bet you did..." Cody tried climbing up by Gwen. "Hey! Glad we're on the same team again this season." Gwen smiled. "Cody, hey! How are things with Lindsay?" Cody sighed. "I don't wanna talk about it..."

Confession Cam: Cody

"Stupid Alejandro trying to flirt with Lindsay... and Bridgette... come to think of it, why is he going for the ones who already have boyfriends? What's he up to?"

Alejandro paced back and forth in front of his team. "We need no camel! We have each other, and we are unstoppable! We have the will, and the strength, and together we will triumph!" Everyone cheered except Sierra.

Confession Cam: Sierra

"Look, I'm the number one Total Drama superfan. It says so right on my blogs. But Alejandro? He's never even been on TV before. I've never seen HIM in Cute Teen Monthly. I do not know what these girls see in him. They're loco."

Confession Cam: Bridgette

"Gotta stay loyal to Heather... gotta stay loyal to Heather, after all we've been through... I can do it. I have to."

Meanwhile, Harold was using his team's stick as a sword. "Hiyah! Hiiyah! On the bright side, I can use this stick to defend us from deadly sand snakes. They could be anywhere." Lindsay and Bridgette shrieked, and Leshawna jumped into Harold's arms. Harold groaned and held her up. "Fear not... I will protect you..!" He swung the stick around and poked Zeke in the eye. DJ snatched the stick from him. "Whoa, cool it before you really hurt somebody!" He threw the stick up, and when it came back down, a bird came with it. "What the..."

Confession Cam: DJ

"First I accidentally destroy a mummified dog, and now I assault a bird? Man, I love animals! This never would've happened back home!"

Tyler and Noah sat down on the goat. "Sierra, Owen, up, up!", Alejandro said. They climbed up and sat on Noah and Tyler, who groaned in pain. Owen laughed. "This is so cool, Alehandout! Or, Alakazam! Ah, I'm just gonna call you Al, okay?" Owen laughed. "Woohoo, go Al!" "Yeah, this is gonna work", Noah said. Alejandro smiled. "Have faith, Noah. Believe in us!" Alejandro jumped up and landed on Owen and Sierra. Tyler's spine cracked. "Whoa, we're perfectly balanced!" "Okay, consider me impressed", Noah said. Then, Chris stood up on the intern. "Alright, Nile's that way! Kinda big, blue and watery? Can't miss it. Or, I guess you can, but then you'll die. Probably get eaten by the local scarab beetles. It's mating season, and they get all killy when they're in heat." Leshawna walked up to Chris. "I am glad there aren't any out here, those things are nasty!" "I'll tell them you said so." Chef walked up with a large vase and dropped it on the ground. A swarm of scarabs crawled out, and the contestants ran and rode away screaming in the other direction. Chris laughed. "Well, let the race begin!"

Team Amazon took an early lead, but Team Chris was right behind them. Courtney patted the camel and talked to it. "Come on! Come on, camel, faster!" "That is not how you talk to a camel", Heather said. "Ahem... Frickin' move it!" Gwen laughed. "Much better." "Guys, keep it down, okay? I'm trying to tell him a fair tale!", Izzy said. She started groaning and grunting at the camel again. "Uh, guys? Can you pull me up? I'm barely hanging onto this guy's tail", Cody said. Courtney shook her head. "We can't risk having someone fall off by accident. Just stay put, okay?" Cody sighed. "Fine... as long as it doesn't go number two." Heather and Courtney turned around and smirked at Team Chris. "We're gonna go win the race now!" "See ya, losers!", they said. Alejandro smiled. "Such witty remarks from such fiercely intelligent women! I'm both humbled and intrigued!" Courtney laughed. "Nice try, new guy. You have to meet my standards before I accept any flirting." "You're right. Even the son of a diplomat like me doesn't deserve you." Courtney rolled her eyes. "Can you see the Nile, Izzy?" "No, not yet!" "It's got to be around here!" Alejandro looked around and spotted it. He gasped. "Hold on, everyone, I'm changing our route!" He swiveled his hips and the goat turned. After a while, Cody turned around. "Hey, where are they?" The camel farted. "Oh no... please don't poo, please don't poo!" It did, and everyone was disgusted.

Confession Cam: Alejandro

"Perhaps it would've been kind to show the girls' team which way to go, but you've seen my team. We need all the help we can get."

Team Amazon and their camel kept going for a few minutes and stopped atop a sand dune. "Uh, guys, the other teams are gone, we're all alone out here", Gwen said. "Does anyone know where we are?", Heather asked. Izzy laughed. "Planet Earth, silly." "We're lost!", everyone else said.

Meanwhile, Team Victory was in last place and trying to catch up. "You know... we're so far behind, we can't even see the others anymore, eh", Ezekiel said. They ran by a cactus. "Didn't we pass that cactus like ten minutes ago?", Bridgette asked. "Oh yeah... hey, pointy!", Lindsay said. She waved at the cactus and the others stopped running. Leshawna gasped. "We've been running in circles!"

Team Chris reached the Nile. "There's the finish line!", Tyler shouted. Noah rolled his eyes. "Yeah, on the other side..." Chris waved at them from across the river. He shouted something, but no one could hear it. "Could you speak up!", Owen yelled. Chris scowled and picked up a megaphone. "I said welcome to the third and final Egyptian challenge: basket cases! Each team must weave a basket of river reeds. Your basket has to be big enough to hold your whole team and your reward from the last challenge, AKA goat face over there." Tyler glared at Chris. "Hey!" "I believe he meant the goat", Alejandro said. "Oh... cool." "And, you're gonna use the baskets together with those oars over there to row yourselves to the finish line!", Chris continued. "First team across flies first class to our next destination." Sierra smiled. "This is perfect!" "What, the fact that we're hosed?", Noah asked. "I'm a fourth generation basket weaver! We're gonna need a lot of reeds..." Sierra began plucking reeds and tossing them to her team.

Team Victory was sitting down on a sand dune. "Lost in Egypt... ain't that a kick in the pants!", Leshawna said. "From first place to last... gosh!" Harold snapped the stick over his knee, then looked down. The pronged middle piece was shaking. Harold gasped and picked it up. "It's a divining rod!" "I don't wanna be struck by lightning!", Lindsay said. "A divining rod helps you find water", Leshawna explained. DJ smiled. "Chris said each reward had its advantages... that stick can lead us straight to the nile!" The team cheered and ran off, with Harold in the lead.

Meanwhile, Team Amazon was back tracking. Courtney, Gwen and Heather were arguing about which direction to go. "Hey guys, why don't we ask Ruby?", Izzy asked. She grunted at the camel for a minute. The camel grunted in response. "There! Shouldn't be long now." The camel turned and Courtney rolled her eyes. "Oh please, it's just a coincidence the camel changed directions", she said. "Probably looking for a place to die", Heather added. Gwen sat up on the camel and pointed ahead. "What's that?" The girls gasped. "The finish line!" "Weird. I asked Ruby where we could get some lemonade, but this is okay too, I guess. Want me to tell her to hurry up?", Izzy asked. "Yes!"

They soon arrived at the Nile, where Team Chris was halfway done with their basket boat. Cody fell off the camel. "Basket weaving? You have to be kidding me", Heather said. "It's the only way across", Noah told her. Izzy hopped off the camel and Sierra walked up to her. "Sorry you guys are so far behind... of course, that's mostly my fault", she said. "I care more that you got Owen and Noah on your team! Those guys are so fun to hang with." "But you have Cody!" Sierra ran to Cody and hugged him. "I know, Cody. I wish we were on the same team too!" Cody looked away and pulled himself free. "Sorry, I have to go... do something." Izzy smiled. "Aww, you guys are so cute together!" "Maybe we could swap teams!", Sierra said. "Trade a basket case for a basket weaver? Fine. Sierra, you're with us", Heather said. "Izzy, go play with the boys." Alejandro ran up. "What! Where's Chris? He won't allow this!" Chris drove up to the teams in a motorboat. "Excuse me, what's going on here?" Sierra ran up to Chris and hugged his legs. "Today's officially the best day of my life, so I really hope you allow us to swap. But of course, you'll make the best decision, cause you're the best decider ever!", she said. "Sorry, Sierra, but rules are rules. No team swapping." Sierra frowned. "But why not?" "Frankly, it's more fun to torture you." Chris laughed and Sierra walked away.

"Come on, we're not too late!", DJ yelled. He and the rest of Team Victory arrived at the river. Chris, back on the other side, picked up the megaphone. "Weave a basket of reeds, row to the finish, yadda yadda yadda." "You heard the man, make a basket!", Leshawna said. The other teams were finished with their boats, and Team Victory was almost done soon after. "Ha! Who's happy to have just a stick now?", DJ asked. "And who's happy Leshawna knows her way around a weave?", Leshawna asked. Team Chris got their boat in the water. Everyone got in, and Owen got in last. "It floats! Awesome!" They started rowing. "And who's happy to have a fourth generation basket weaver?", Noah asked. "Glad we didn't swap for Izzy."

Team Victory got their boat in the water. "Harold, come on!", Leshawna said. He grabbed an oar and used it to pole vault into the boat. His legs crashed through the front of it. "Whoops..." "Paddle!" Then, Team Amazon got their boat into the water, the camel onto the boat, and began rowing. Then, some crocodiles swam up behind the boats. Lindsay gasped. "Oh no, what do we do!" "Just bop 'em on the nose! I learned it in Muskrat Boys!", Harold said. A crocodile swam up by him and he whacked it with his oar. The others did the same, except Ezekiel. When a crocodile swam up to him, he whacked it with the stick and the crocodile ate it. "No!"

The teams kept rowing and holding off the crocodiles. Team Chris reached the finish line first. "We did it!", Sierra shouted. Her team hopped out of the boat and cheered. Team Amazon finished next, followed by Team Victory. Chris walked up to the teams. "Congrats! You're alive, and as long as you all brought your reward across the finish line, there will be no elimination tonight." Everyone cheered except Zeke. "A croc ate the stick, eh..." Team Victory glared at him and Chris laughed. "Wow... sucks to be you!" Harold glared at him. "Nice going, Zeke." Ezekiel glared back. "Hey, you broke the stick earlier! We would've lost anyway, eh!" "Well, we'll see what our team thinks."

After everyone boarded the plane, Chris brought Duncan and Team Victory to the elimination room. "Team Victory, you came in last and lost your reward on the way. So, it's vote time!", Chris said. "In the confession cam, you'll find six passports." Harold glared at Zeke. "Unless Zeke already fed them to a crocodile", he said. Ezekiel turned and glared back. "That was an accident, eh!" "Stamp the passport of the team member you'd like to send home. Got it?" Everyone nodded.

Confession Cam: Lindsay, Ezekiel, Leshawna, DJ, Harold, Bridgette

Lindsay stamped one of the passports at random and smiled.

Ezekiel shrugged. "I guess I pick Leshawna, eh."

Leshawna stamped Zeke's passport.

DJ just scratched his head.

Harold stamped Zeke's passport as well.

Bridgette applied some eye makeup and hurriedly stamped a passport.

"I've got the results right here", Chris said after the voting. He held up the six passports. "Those staying in the game will get in-flight snacks." He held up a bag of peanuts. "Mmm, barfy! The following players are safe. Lindsay, Bridgette, DJ, Harold and the last bag of peanuts goes to... Ezekiel." Leshawna stood up and screamed. "What! You gotta be kiddin' me! Who the heck voted me off!" Ezekiel raised his hand. "Sorry, eh." Lindsay scratched her head. "I think I did by accident..." Leshawna glared at them. "Well... fine then!" She hugged Harold tightly. "Good luck this season, sugar. You're gonna need it. And kick Zeke's butt for me, okay?" Harold smiled. "Whatever you say, Leshawna." She let him go and sighed. "Well, thanks." She walked up to Chris and got a parachute, then jumped out of the plane.

Duncan laughed. "Sucks to be her..." Chris walked over to him and handed him a parachute. "Last stop for quitters!" Duncan glared at him. "Yeah right, you're supposed to gimme a ride home!" "Yeah, but, we're going the other way. So... see ya!" Chris shoved Duncan out of the door and he fell, screaming. Chris walked to the door and waved. "Happy landings!" He turned to the rest of Team Victory. "Well, that's two contestants down in one day, and one of 'em just wouldn't sing. You know what? Forget the singing. If you guys are gonna drop out this fast because of it, it's not gonna be any fun. Be sure to tell the others: no more songs. This is just gonna be a dramatic, exciting world tour."