"Last time on Total Drama Malibu..." Geoff began the recap, standing in front of the stone tables with Bridgette, which were currently empty. "With Vanessa back in the game, things got a little more tense here on the beach! Mitzy tried to get Zoey to join her alliance with Arin and Mickey, while Anne Maria tried to do the same for her, Mike, and Vanessa's rocky alliance. The challenge was a simple moped race through one of Malibu's most beautiful valleys, but dude, Vanessa did not act beautiful in the challenge! Bumping into people and knocking them off their mopeds is not cool! Anne Maria ended up winning immunity after a tussle between Mickey and Vanessa, and it was this tussle that got him targeted by Vanessa and her alliance! For reasons we don't know, Zoey ended up siding with Vanessa even after seeing how she acted, sending Mickey packing! Will Mitzy and Arin be picked off now? Or will they turn things around? Find out right here, on Total Drama Malibu!"
Intro Sequence:
Instead of the usual rock tune of I Wanna Be Famous, harsher electric guitar chords came in at A minor, along with harsher drum beats and synths. Cameras popped out of various places along a beach in Malibu, first a trash can, then from behind a lounge chair, then out of some sand. Before the lyrics came in, a film clapper appeared in front of the camera and began the scene.
Whatever happened to the young young lovers? One moved on and the other got lost in
After the scene began, the camera briefly showed a beautiful stretch of a Malibu beach, with a bustling street right behind it. Geoff and Bridgette were shown on a pier together, each of them raising an arm to let the camera zoom by them. Mike was a bit behind them, just watching the co-hosts with a blank expression.
Meds and shocks and tears in the street, tears on his knees, teary history
Vanessa and Zoey were further down the pier, playing a carnival throwing game together. Vanessa had a big smile on her face as she got a bullseye with a baseball, making Zoey sigh as she threw and missed her shot.
Whatever happened to the Nerd Herd? Still quite sane, but what about Shane? Took himself back to the drawing board, plotting for those he abhorred
Mitzy and Arin were playing some kind of laser game at a carnival stand, both of them having ice cream cones, with Shane trying to keep up with them in the game and fire at the aliens in it. Jo came running by down the pier though, and his face filled with malice.
An eye for an eye, a leg for a leg, a vote off the show doesn't go away
Going down from the pier and onto the beach itself, Monica was sitting on a beach chair with binoculars on her eyes, while Lucien was napping on a chair next to her. Jo passed by them both on her run, blatantly pushing Monica off her seat as she passed by.
Everyone has to go, but being booted by a kid stings a long long way
Anne Maria was trying to sunbathe on the beach in her swimsuit when Caleb passed by with a metal detector, getting a scornful look from her.
You wanna be famous? You wanna be famous? You wanna be famous? They go
Brick and Brava were playing volleyball together, although Brava jumped up and spike the ball right at Brick's face. The cadet rubbed his face, but tried to keep a smile albeit pained. The ball bounced towards Petunia, who was startled as it hit her in the back and made her spray them both.
Na na na, nanana na na
The skunk spray transitioned the scene to neon lights above several beach garlands on wooden posts at night. Mickey and Jay were sitting next to each other on folding chairs, already looking nervous before Geoff popped up between them to try and cheer them up. This made the twins run off, with Bridgette letting out a sigh as this happened. The scene then zoomed out to show the rest of the cast sitting in a half circle on folding chairs, all of them humming one last droning note while the title of the season was shown on the center garland.
After the intro, the episode began inside the merge hut in the morning, where Anne Maria was the first person to wake up and step aside. She was proudly applying her morning coat of hairspray, still feeling great after her challenge win. "Aw yeah baby, ain't nothin' out there that can stop me!" Anne Maria boasted to herself.
Vanessa then stepped out of the hut, followed by Mike almost immediately after. "Can you spray that somewhere else? You're almost as bad as Petunia with that." Vanessa complained, plugging her nose.
"Pff, you shoulda gotten used to it by now. Ain't my fault you skipped half the game." Anne Maria retorted, just continuing to spray herself.
Vanessa gagged, then just walked past her. "I don't know how you merged with that attitude still. But whatever, enjoy your next few days of safety because of me." Vanessa told Anne Maria, hurriedly walking away to get away from the spray.
"And you like this chick why?" Anne Maria asked Mike, rolling her eyes.
"She's trying to make things up with me... just not everyone else." Mike answered, shrugging and still just following Vanessa.
Anne Maria wasn't buying it though, now grabbing his arm to stop him. "Not so fast. You ain't foolin' me. You ain't the Mike I know, the one that told her you didn't love her no more, the one that got all mopey dopey just being around her. Who's in charge up there?" Anne Maria pressed him, poking his forehead with her spray can.
Seeing that Vanessa was far enough away, Mal just chuckled, before pulling Anne Maria closer using her hold his arm, a grin now forming on his face. "Guess I got sloppy now didn't I if you managed to figure it out. Mike is taking a little backseat while I play this out for him. Don't worry though, you'll get your Mike back, once he's a millionaire that is." Mal admitted, before pulling his arm away.
Anne Maria was left with her mouth wide open for a moment, processing her hunch being right. "No way you think you can just get away with this! Once the others find out, yo ain't making it any further than tonight!" Anne Maria threatened him.
Mal wasn't afraid at all though, pointing at himself. "Oh really? Who's going to believe you that sweet Mike has actually been evil all along? I've already got everyone to accept that I'm working with Vanessa, there's nothing you can do about it. So like Vanessa said, enjoy your next few days of safety. Hehehe..." Mal told Anne Maria, before just walking away to go catch up with Vanessa, leaving Anne Maria to just kick some of the sand in frustration.
-Confessional: Anne Maria-
Anne Maria nearly crushed her spray can in her left hand, before throwing it at the wall and making it bounce off, which hit hair with a metallic dink. "Lousy Mike! I been here worried what's goin' on with him, and I was right! That boy ain't even there! I can't just sit back and do nothin' these two days though. We pick off the nerds, and then my only hope is Zoey and beatin' those two bozos in a tiebreaker. Ugh... I ain't likin' that risk. It's just Shane all over again, but without Mickey to swing things. I shoulda stuck with my hunch and voted and Vanessa last night!"
-End Confessional-
Inside of the hut, Zoey sat up once she was awake, rubbing her eyes to clear out the blur, only to see Arin and Mitzy sitting on their cots not far from her. "Hey... good morning!" Zoey greeted them awkwardly.
Both of them gave her a dirty look, although Arin stood up and spoke first. "Don't speak to us like you didn't just vote against us like those other villains!" Arin blurted at Zoey, with Mitzy nodding in agreement.
"Wait, I didn't just vote for no reason, I-" Zoey began to defend herself, but was cut off.
"Wanted to side with Vanessa instead after what she did to Arin and Mickey? How could you!?" Mitzy added, crossing her arms.
Zoey now got off her cot, approaching the pair. "I can explain! I don't have anything against you guys, really!" Zoey pleaded, growing more panicked.
"Nothing against us? Then why side with Vanessa?" Mitzy questioned her skeptically, while Arin still looked at her with tempered rage.
Zoey sighed, gesturing outside the tent. "It's just... part of the game. We'll have to all vote each out of the game eventually. I spent the whole pre-merge with Mickey, he was my friend too! But I learned from Anne Maria that at the end of the day, only one of us can win. So sorry." Zoey apologized.
This angered Arin further, who shook a fist at Zoey. "Villain! Scoundrel! You're letting your greed for the money cloud your judgement! And now my boyfriend is gone because of-"
"Arin, drop it. It's fine." Mitzy told Arin, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Zoey dropped her guard a little, hearing this from Mitzy. "Wait, really?" Zoey asked her in surprise.
Mitzy nodded, although she still didn't smile at Zoey. "Fine enough reasoning, you're still a traitor. Just leave us alone." Mitzy responded dismally.
Zoey saw this was the best she was going to get, and promptly left the hut. "You're seriously accepting that? She's no better than the other villains who voted for Mickey!" Arin protested.
"I don't like it, but that's her reasoning. Not much we can do about it. Makes for an interesting narrative point for my comic at least." Mitzy replied, just flipping open her sketchbook again.
Right after she did that though, the fairly adjusted loudspeakers turned on throughout the beach strip. "Good morning vacationers! It's time for today's challenge! Meet us at the shoreline like during the surfing challenge, although you won't need your swimsuits for this!" Bridgette called the players for the day.
-Confessional: Mitzy-
Mitzy was sketching something, letting out a sigh as she glanced at the camera. "Anne Maria got Zoey to realize she needed to play the game, and I can't really blame Zoey for voting against us. If it came down to the four of us, she probably would have been gone. It's just strategy, comes with this stage of the game. And the deeper I get, the dumber I feel for how I treated Howard..."
-End Confessional-
The final six players arrived at the shoreline as ordered, with Geoff and Bridgette waiting for them already. "You called us a little early for this one, we didn't have time to eat breakfast!" Mike pointed out, chuckling innocently afterward which just made Anne Maria more angry.
Geoff nodded his head, as Irene and Elroy pulled up in motorboats to the shore. "Precisely the point my man! Today's challenge is an endurance one, so doing it on an empty stomach is gonna make it that much tougher bro!" Geoff replied, shooting two finger guns at Mike.
"That sounds... challenging? Oh boy..." Zoey mumbled, trying to stay positive, while Arin was still giving her the side eye.
"What are we doing to have to put up with today?" Vanessa asked, one hand on her hip.
Bridgette pointed far out from the shore, where the contestants could barely make out six platforms floating in the water. "You'll be stranded on triangular platforms out in the water, and you'll have to balance on them for as long as you can!" Bridgette introduced the challenges, making a triangle with her fingers.
Mitzy raised a hand, before showing a quick sketch of a triangle and a person standing on it. "Umm, won't we just slide right off of it? Especially since it'll be wet out in the water." Mitzy pointed out.
"Can I see that?" Bridgette asked, to which Mitzy nodded and handed over her sketchpad. Bridgette then drew some horizontal lines along the top sides of the triangle, and flipped the sketchbook to show everyone. "There will be narrow footholds on the sides of the triangle, and you'll start at the bottom ones. As the challenge goes on, you'll move up to the higher ones, which will make it tougher to balance. By the end, you'll be standing on top of the triangle! Whoever lasts the longest wins immunity!" Bridgette explained the challenge, then handed it back to Mitzy.
Anne Maria smirked, then looked right at Mike. "Balance huh? Guess we gonna have to throw in the towel since you can just bring out Svetlana and win this right?" Anne Maria remarked.
Mike shook his head, chuckling slightly. "Nah, it wouldn't be fair to do that. I like to try and handle this on my own." Mike answered, smirking right back at Anne Maria.
"Alright dudes, hop in the motorboat, Irene will take you all to your platforms! We'll be watching and guiding you the whole way through!" Geoff directed the players as he and Bridgette stepped into their intern's motorboat. Anne Maria grumbled once more as she and the other five got in the motorboat, before both boats now took off about a quarter mile away from the shore.
-Confessional: Zoey-
Zoey looked worried, tapping her fingers on her seat. "Okay, I might need to win this one really bad. Mitzy and Arin don't like Vanessa, but I think they might go after me instead. Mike and Vanessa wouldn't vote for me too right? I've been trying to nice to everyone while also play the game, but that's getting really tough. If you're watching this, sorry Mickey!"
-End Confessional-
Cutting ahead, the six players were soon on the wooden triangle platforms, which each had three footholds on the sides, then a pair at the top. Everyone had their feet on the bottom, currently not even needing to hold their hands out. Bridgette and Geoff sat on the bench in Elroy's motorboat, next to a cooler and a pantry. "Looks like everyone is ready, the challenge is started dudes!" Geoff announced, as he started a timer on his phone to see how long the challenge would go for.
Arin, Mike, Anne Maria, and Mike all were pretty much perfectly still, while Vanessa and Mitzy took a little bit to properly find a good middle ground to lean for balance. "Are you gonna be alright Mitzy?" Arin asked, standing on the triangle next to her.
Mitzy nodded, giving a thumbs up while holding both hands out. "Yup! All good! Just trying to picture myself like those balancing minigames we played with Sam!" Mitzy responded with a smile.
Anne Maria frowned as she saw Mike perfectly able to balance himself on the bottom footholds, although it did lighten her mood a bit to see Vanessa struggling. "Looks like it's pretty clear who's losin' this thing first!" Anne Maria remarked just to get at her.
"Oh shut it! I've got the hang of this! Are you good Mike?" Vanessa asked Mike, who was to her left.
Mike nodded, shifting his feet every so often to go along with the waves moving the triangle platforms ever so slightly. "Yeah, the waves are more annoying than actually balancing here!" Mike chuckled, having an easy time so far.
Zoey had both hands out, biting her lip briefly as one big wave made her platform wobble. "Jeez you're right about that! And this is the easiest part?" Zoey agreed with him, now looking to the hosts.
"Yup! So get comfy dudes!" Geoff answered, resting his arms on the edge of the boat as he and Bridgette watched.
-Confessional: Vanessa-
Vanessa rubbed her chin, a little deep in thought. I want to help Mike here, but this is a pretty individual challenge. And my center of balance is nowhere near some of these guys. Why is there so many physical challenges this season? If there was a piano challenge at some point that'd be great, but guess I've got no shot at winning this one either. Buuuuut... I can make sure that someone else doesn't get immunity."
-End Confessional-
One hour had gone by, and everyone was still standing on the bottom footholds of their triangles, and they all had adjusted comfortably to the position at this point. "Think I'm finally getting the hang of this!" Vanessa told Mike, not wobbling or shuffling even a bit now.
Seeing that everyone was comfortable and the timer was a convenient time, Bridgette stood up and waved to get everyone's attention. "You guys have been going for 60 minutes now! Time to move up to the second level!" Bridgette announced.
Geoff then stood up, grabbing a can of soda from the cooler. "Or if any of you dudes want, you can come chill with us and help yourselves to whatever is in the cooler while you watch the challenge!" Geoff offered the alternative.
Mitzy and Arin shared a glance, before they just nodded together and moved up to the next footholds at the same time. Their stance narrowed a bit, so they had to adjust quickly. "It's not too hot yet, soda doesn't beat immunity!" Mitzy remarked with a smile, trying to stay positive.
Arin nodded in agreement, looking plenty determined still. "Yeah! A hero never backs down! Mickey would want us to go on!" Arin declared fiercely.
Mitzy chuckled, then tried to look determined as well. "Yeah, for Mickey!" Mitzy declared with her.
-Confessional: Mitzy-
Mitzy shuddered, crossing her arms for a moment. "Ohh... I don't like this one bit. Only one person can win immunity, and if I win it, then Arin is definitely getting voted off! And if she wins it, then I get voted off! It's just part of the game though, so she wouldn't get mad if I won this challenge for myself right? She was pretty upset with Zoey for playing the game, but I'm her best friend, it'll be different then right?"
-End Confessional-
Anne Maria moved up to the next foothold, then looked to her left as Vanessa did the same right after her. "You ain't takin' the soda? Figured you would since you ain't lastin' much longer!" Anne Maria teased Vanessa.
"Why did I take the spot next to you..." Vanessa muttered, not looking her way.
Mike moved up to the second level, finally followed by Zoey. "So Mike, I've been meaning to ask you something for a while now..." Zoey began, wiping some sweat from her forehead.
"What is it?" Mike asked, bracing himself for another personal question.
"What kind of movies do you like to watch?" Zoey asked curiously, sounding completely genuine.
Mike had to pause for a moment, before just scratching his head. "...movies?" he repeated in mild confusion.
Zoey nodded, growing a smile. "Mhmm! We didn't spend any time together during the premerge, and the one time I talked to you, you just shut me down immediately. But you seem much happier now! So what kind of movies are you into?" Zoey elaborated, sticking to the question.
Mike thought for a bit, before coming up with an answer he thought was good. "Horror movies of course! Love seeing the grisly action, although the scary stuff never bothers me, part of why I enjoy them." Mike answered with a grin.
Zoey raised an eyebrow, before just nodding. "Really? Wow, I thought you'd be into more theatrical things, I remember you talked about that last season, you were a theater kid and knew a ton about plays." Zoey pointed.
Mike just shrugged, his grin quickly fading. "Tastes change over time, it's just what I'm into right now." Mike replied, then faced forward again. Zoey was still a little bit confused by this, which Anne Maria quickly noticed.
-Confessional: Anne Maria-
Anne Maria smirked, flipping a can of spray tan and then applying it. "Guess who just found her way to sink the diva in Mike's head! Zoey is noticin' somethin' is off 'bout Mike already, and she already trusts me. Once the nerds are gone, I can flip her against him easy. Once Vanessa finds out she's being duped again, she ain't gonna be siding with him either!"
-End Confessional-
Another hour went by of everyone standing, still able to adjust just fine to the second level of footholds. The waves and now the wind picking up were being rather annoying, but it wasn't enough for anyone to fall off. "This challenge isn't so bad! It's honestly kind of nice out here right now." Mitzy commented, feeling the wind in her face.
Zoey nodded in agreement, enjoying the ocean breeze paired with the view. "Totally, helps that we're at a beach!" Zoey agreed with her.
"She wasn't talking to you, traitor!" Arin yelled at Zoey, shaking a fist for a moment.
Zoey frowned, having hoped this would have died down. "You're still upset about that? I'm really sorry, I just-"
"Of course I'm still upset! You switched sides, and voted off my boyfriend right after we got together! On top of that, you sided with Vanessa! That's only something villains do!" Arin lampooned Zoey angrily.
Vanessa now took offense to this, glaring at Arin. "You pretty much just spelled out exactly why we voted for Mickey. You two were too powerful together, just part of the game. Get with it or get out." Vanessa told her bluntly.
Arin scowled, more infuriated hearing Vanessa. "Oh I don't want to hear a scoundrel like yourself talk about people being together! You're nothing but a heinous v-WOAAHH!" Arin let out as she now got a bit too angry and lost her balance as she shook her first.
Arin fell forward and into the water, much to Vanessa's satisfaction. "Oh! And looks like Arin is the first one to fall off her triangle! Come swim over here and join us Arin!" Geoff called to Arin as she surfaced.
Arin splashed some water in Vanessa's direction, before just starting to swim to the boat about 30 feet away from her. "Stay strong Mitzy! Plus Ultra!" Arin cheered Mitzy on as she swam away.
-Confessional: Arin-
Arin was still wet, frowning at the camera. "I let that villain distract me and now I'm the first one out of the challenge! I can't believe Zoey still, how can she just be so willing to do the morally wrong thing for the sake of 'gameplay'? I wouldn't want to win unless it was fair and honorable, no betrayals whatsoever!"
-End Confessional-
With Arin on the boat with them and another 30 minutes having gone by, Geoff stood up once again. "Alright dudes, been two and a half hours now! Move up to the next level!" Geoff instructed everyone, looking at the timer on his phone.
Just as he said that, Brody now arrived on his own speedboat, which had another cooler and several lunchboxes. "'Sup dudes! I brought a bunch of stuff to snack on while we hang out here!" Brody greeted everyone.
"What did you bring?" Bridgette asked curiously, peering over at his speedboat.
Brody tossed her one of the lunchboxes, which she then opened up. "Got a bunch of chips, fruit, popsicles, and more chips! Had a rocking party last night so I just took the leftovers!" Brody answered, well loud enough for the contestants to hear.
Geoff caught his own lunchbox and then held it up. "If any of you dudes wanna step out now, you'll get to chill with us, drink whatever is in the coolers, and whatever you want from Brody's lunchboxes!" Geoff announced, sweetening the pot.
Mitzy was unmoved by this offer, although the other four looked a bit more tempted. "That sounds so nice right now, especially with this atmosphere, but I can't." Zoey commented, just moving her feet up to the third level of footholds, as did Mitzy.
Mike just closed his eyes for a moment, taking his mind off of the soda and snacks, then climbed to the next level as well. "It'll all be there when we're done with the challenge anyway right? It's not like last season where this was the only chance to get them." Mike reasoned.
Vanessa moved up to the next footholds, although her feet were aching at this point. "Ugh... I don't think I'm lasting to the next level." Vanessa complained, bending her knees a bit to maintain balance.
"Then just jump already, no one stoppin' you." Anne Maria replied quickly, then moving up to the next footholds as well.
Vanessa clenched her fists, before a smirk formed on her face. "Fine, I will!" Vanessa declared, before leaping off her triangle and right at Anne Maria, tackling her into the water.
Mike and Zoey winced at this, while Mitzy tried to hold back a laugh. "Woah! Looks like Vanessa and Anne Maria are both out of the challenge!" Bridgette narrated after seeing them both splash in.
Vanessa surfaced first, followed by Anne Maria whose hair didn't even look remotely wet. "What was that for!? You betta have a good answer or you're dead!" Anne Maria yelled at Vanessa, ready to punch her in the face.
"Relax, we control the vote. Just wanted to speed this up." Vanessa told Anne Maria dismissively, then swam away.
Anne Maria decided not to punch her for this, but still scowled and swam after her. "Whateva, I was gonna win that one anyway." Anne Maria muttered to herself.
-Confessional: Vanessa-
Vanessa smirked at the camera, pointing at herself. "I control the vote. Anne Maria is on the outskirt of our alliance. And now with Zoey in on it? It's whoever Mike and I say that's leaving is going. If I really wanted, we could just side with the nerds and boot out Anne Maria tonight now that she doesn't have immunity. It'd still be three to two us, and it would be oh so satisfying."
-End Confessional-
The third footholds were more of the same of the second ones, just a bit narrower, so Mike, Mitzy, and Zoey were all able to maintain their balance for the next two hours, having to watch Arin, Anne Maria, and Vanessa indulge themselves on the snacks and soda. "The wind is picking up, things are leading up to the climax, just like in superhero flicks!" Arin exclaimed, feeling her hair brush up against her face from the wind.
Bridgette looked at the phone timer, then saw some of the wobbling caused by this rush of wind. "It's a little soon but I don't think they're going to fall any time soon. Do you think we should move them up Geoff?" Bridgette asked him.
Geoff nodded, before stuffing his mouth full of chips. "For sure babe, gonna be wicked seeing them try to stand on the top with this wind!" Geoff answered enthusiastically.
"Anything that makes this go by quicker." Vanessa added, kicking back and sipping some lemon-lime soda.
Bridgette then stood up and waved to everyone. "Okay! It's been two hours now, so everyone can move up one last time! Stand on the top of your triangles, and we'll see who wins the challenge!" Bridgette directed the remaining three.
Mitzy gulped hearing this, but she just put on a brave face as she lifted one foot on top, then the other. "W-Woah!" Mitzy let out, her feet right next to each other now as she stood on the thin beam of plywood on top of the triangle. She had both arms held out, tilting back and forth to stabilize herself.
Zoey took a deep breath, and stepped onto the top beam, one foot lifting up once she was on top as the triangle rocked on the water. She planted it back down and regained her balance, but was now much more on edge than before. "Talk about a step up am I right?" Zoey joked, still trying to stay positive, although neither Mike or Mitzy laughed.
Mike was the last to move himself up to the top, planting his left foot firmly on the beam before moving his right. The a wave came by as he did this though and rocked the triangle, which paired with the wind was enough for him to finally fall backwards and off balance. "Yow!" Mike let out as he hit his head on the beam before sinking into the water.
"Mike! Are you okay?" Zoey shouted, worrying this would be like the duel stick challenge.
It only took a few seconds for Mike to surface though, forcing a smile as he looked at Zoey. "I'm fine! Don't worry about me, just stick this one out alright?" Mike told Zoey, before swimming away.
Inside Mike's head though, the hit to the head had certainly been felt. "Oy! What the heck was that? Some kinda earthquake?" Vito complained standing back up and rubbing his head.
"Someving must have happened on ze other side!" Svetlana cried out, standing up as well.
"You kids and yer earthquakes, ain't you ever heard of stop drop and roll?" Chester complained to them both, rubbing his back as he stood up.
Mike rubbed his head, also feeling it some. "Whatever it was, let's just hope it helped us out a bit. Come on everyone!" Mike waved the other three, who all continued to trudge along with him.
Mike was right on the money with his hope too, as when they soon came across Manitoba, his chain had already been broken and he was leaning against his boulder in front of an open fire with a snapped cuff on his wrist. "Took ye lot long enough, was gettin' bloody bored out 'ere!" Manitoba greeted them.
"Ah ha! Ze are all free now!" Svetlana cheered.
Mike looked at the fire in front of Manitoba, then saw some rope on the ground next to him. "Glad you're already free, but what were you doing here? With the fire and the rope?" Mike asked him.
Manitoba then chuckled, kicking aside the rope. "Ah wouldn't worry 'bout it. Mal was just having me burn your memories with that Vanessa chick. See those clouds up there?" Manitoba answered, then pointed up.
Mike looked up, and saw a bunch of pink clouds flying overhead. "Those are my memories? Why is he burning those!?" Mike let out, mostly just horrified at the thought of memories being erased.
Manitoba grabbed the rope and swung it onto one of the pink clouds, pulling it down to their level. "Take a gander at one of 'ese and tell me if ya think he's wrong." Manitoba told Mike, tapping the cloud to project its memory. Once Mike looked at it, he could see what said memory was.
Mike scratched his head at the breakfast table, thinking of an answer to a question Vanessa just asked him. Dawn approached the two of them, waving softly. "Hello friends. Congrats on the relationship." Dawn greeted them politely.
Vanessa looked to Dawn and gave a two finger wave. "Sup Dawn. And thanks, I'm just glad we could bury all the lies and move on to dating. We're perfect for each other aren't we?" Vanessa greeted Dawn back, gesturing to Mike.
Dawn nodded her head. "Of course. His aura reads of bright pinks and lavender. It has a soft and fuzzy texture as well, you sure do make him happy." Dawn told Vanessa, which made a blush appear on Vanessa's face while Mike mouthed 'thank you' to Dawn.
Manitoba tapped the memory, then prepared to toss it into the fire. "Wait! Don't burn that!" Mike cried out, putting his hands under it.
"Why not? Mal said there's no point of holdin' onto the good memories of your ex. You been pinin' after her even after she broke your heart, burnin' these oughta solve it." Manitoba argued, pausing on burning it.
"That's not for him to decide! These are my memories, and... I've learned from them. I learned to be more honest after setting all that up with Vanessa for nothing. If I forget it all, I'll just make the same mistakes again and be more miserable. Like when Zoey tried to reach out to me on our third day here. I just shut her out because I was too busy being miserable. I don't want to keep doing that to people." Mike reasoned, then freed the cloud from the rope and let it fly off.
Manitoba thought about it for a moment, and then just tossed the rope into the fire. "Like me and my treasure huntin' mate. Ain't good to check the same spot twice. I get what ya mean. Mal's tower is just past here, what say we get a move on and give him the heave ho?" Manitoba sided with Mike now.
"Zes! Ze shall triumph over Mal!" Svetlana cheered.
"Let's just get this over with, I need a nap!" Chester complained as usual.
Mike chuckled, glad they were all on his side. "Thanks guys. Let's head to that tower!" Mike exclaimed, then began to jog ahead, with even Chester now trying to keep pace.
-Confessional: Mitzy-
Mitzy took a deep breath, currently sketching in her pad before showing it to the camera. It was her and Arin, standing on top of a cliff and backing towards the edge as caricatures of Mike, Zoey, Vanessa, and Anne Maria approached them. "It's just me and Zoey now. I have to win immunity, I can't let this one pass by. Arin got out first and did horrible last challenge, but me? I've stuck it out here, and I think they know I'm actually trying to play the game now. If I don't win this, I'm the one going home!"
-End Confessional-
Another two hours had gone by and both girls were still holding on, with the sun now starting to set. "It's evening and we haven't eaten all day, ugh..." Zoey groaned, unable to clench her stomach as it growled since she needed to hold both hands out.
"I feel that. My head can't even come up with good art ideas right now... my head and stomach are killing me here." Mitzy complained, swaying a little.
Seeing that both of them were starving while the other four contestants were still enjoying the remaining snacks, Bridgette figured out a way to end this quickly. "Mitzy! Zoey! Since you're both hungry, we'll settle this right now! Both of you will raise up one leg of your choice and keep it up!" Bridgette added to the challenge.
"Oh that's gonna be gnarly to try! Alright dudettes, you heard her, one leg up starting now!" Geoff ordered, loving the idea.
Both Mitzy and Zoey slowly raised their left legs, with Mitzy holding hers out in front of her while Zoey bent it back. "Eek! I can't stay balanced like this!" Zoey cried out, already leaning back and forth as she felt herself wobble.
Mitzy began to slide forward a bit from the wetness of the beam and only having one foot planted down, so she tried to lean back while also leaning side to side to keep herself balanced in place. "Don't fall Mitzy! You've got this!" Arin cheered from the boat, watching intently.
Both girls continued to wobble, until another good wave passed through and rocked the triangles, causing one girl to stumble right off balance and fall down into the water. One person cheered, while the rest were just indifferent.
"Zoey wins immunity!" Geoff and Bridgette announced together, before she too fell in the water now that the stakes were gone.
Mitzy and Zoey surfaced at the same time, with the latter very relieved and the further getting more worried. "Didja really have to take me down then? It was just gonna end right now matter what anyway." Anne Maria complained to Vanessa.
"I didn't know they'd step it up past the top. But whatever, the nerds didn't get immunity. We're fine." Vanessa assured Anne Maria dismissively.
-Confessional: Mike-
Mal's hair was wet still, so it was a bit droopier than usual. "Ugh, Vanessa and Anne Maria are becoming annoying to lug around together. If they keep this up I might just take them both out and ride to the end with Zoey. At least she can win challenges."
-End Confessional-
Later that evening, once everyone was back to shore, Arin and Mike had headed to rest before the ceremony, Zoey and Anne Maria walked together to get food, and Vanessa just hung out by the shoreline. "You grabbin' some food finally?" Anne Maria asked Zoey, noticing that the interns had now actually put food on the table next to the stone tables.
"Yeah I'm starving! But hey, a win's a win right?" Zoey replied with a smile, winking at Anne Maria as she fast walked.
Anne Maria nodded, applying some hairspray at the moment to make up for it getting wet. "Yeah, sure. But you notice somethin' off about Mike lately?" Anne Maria asked, cutting to the chase.
"About Mike? I mean, his tastes have changed a little, but that's normal." Zoey answered, shrugging her shoulders.
"Not just that, I mean with how he's behavin'. He hated Vanessa and then he starts hanging out with her willy nilly? Somethin' ain't right. I think he's got one of his personalities in control pretending to be him." Anne Maria theorized.
Zoey tensed up hearing this theory, but kept a smile. "Pretending to be him? Now why would they do that? They really weren't trying to stay hidden last season." Zoey pointed out, grabbing a plate and putting some macaroni on it.
Anne Maria wanted to say more, but she couldn't go all the way just yet. "Maybe because they think Mike can't win on his own? I don't got a clue but I know he ain't in there." Anne Maria guessed, tapping her head.
"Mike can definitely win on his own. I really don't think there's anything wrong with him." Zoey stated, now fast walking to a stone table so she could just eat.
Anne Maria grumbled, sensing that she wasn't wanted right now. "I'll leave ya alone, but just think on it yeah?" Anne Maria told Zoey, leaving her unnerved to eat alone.
Down by the shore, Vanessa was humming some chords she was thinking up in her head when Mitzy now approached her. "What were you humming?" Mitzy asked Vanessa, although it wasn't really friendly.
"Just some tunes for a song I'm writing in my head. What do you want nerd? Are you here to beg, because it won't work." Vanessa asked coldly, already knowing what this was about.
"Actually... I have a proposal." Mitzy began, having her hands behind her back.
"Oh? Let's hear it then." Vanessa decided to engage with the idea.
-Confessional: Zoey-
Zoey looked even more troubled than she did this morning, rubbing her fingers together. "So I wasn't the only one thinking that something is very very wrong with Mike. Anne Maria sees it too. That thing with him liking horror movies made no sense at all either, he was such a scaredy cat last season! Not that it's a bad thing, but it's definitely not him right now!"
-End Confessional-
Later that night, the 6 mergers were gathered at the elimination ceremony area on the beach, with the neon yellow lights shining down on them from the garlands. There were longer rows of folding chairs, just one row where Mitzy, Arin, Mike, Vanessa, Zoey, and Anne Maria sat in that order from left to right. Some were already very comfortable, while others just had a sinking feeling that even Geoff's attitude couldn't fix.
On the other side of the fire in front of them was Geoff and Bridgette, standing next to the cooler while Bridgette held the ballot box. "Welcome to the ceremony everyone, I can tell you're all really tense right now, so we'll just get right into it." Bridgette stated, and the only person who even looked relieved by this was Zoey.
Geoff got out a soda can from the freezer, then tossed it to Zoey. "Zoey won the challenge, so you're good dudette!" Geoff reminded everyone while Zoey caught her can with a guilty look as she looked to the person she voted for.
Bridgette then looked at the other five, shaking the ballot box. "All the votes were already counted, but if anyone wants to play their immunity idol, now is the time to do that." Bridgette stated, giving whoever had it a moment.
Arin and Mitzy shared a glance, although neither pulled anything out. Mike just leaned back, waiting for the vote results. Vanessa eyed the people sitting near her, and Anne Maria leaned intently forward. "No one will be playing it? Alright. If you receive a soda can, then you're safe and move on to the final 5! The soda cans go to..."
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"Mike."
Mike caught his soda can, although the only one to react was Anne Maria who was just annoyed seeing him get his first.
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"Vanessa."
Vanessa perked up, surprised she wasn't the one being targeted. She caught her soda can, but didn't open it. She had enough soda for the day.
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"Mitzy."
Mitzy sighed with relief as she heard her name, although as soon as she caught it she looked towards Arin with worry.
Arin and Anne Maria now both felt their hearts sink as they realized they were in the bottom 2, although Anne Maria looked much less worried than the former. "Anne Maria, Arin, the two of you seem to have gotten the most attention tonight. And I'm sure you both know why." Bridgette stated grimly.
"Yeah... but it's not over yet!" Arin declared, staying fierce despite the situation.
"Oh I know why I'm here..." Anne Maria muttered, glaring at Vanessa for a moment.
Geoff pulled out the final soda can, already knowing who to toss it to. "Guess we don't gotta recap then dudes! The final soda can of the night goes to..."
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"Anne Maria!"
Anne Maria dropped her glare towards Vanessa and snatched her soda can out of the air, while Arin just slumped in her seat. "Sorry guys, your alliance just goes against ours." Mike apologized half-heartedly.
"Ugh, we saw this coming..." Mitzy mumbled in a defeated tone.
Arin then stood up from her seat, taking a deep breath again. "I got to the merge this time and lasted pretty far! That's worth something!" Arin stayed positive, putting her hands on her hips proudly.
Bridgette smiled at her positivity, nodding her head. "Mhmm, you did great Arin! But the Bus of Losers awaits, so it's time to go." Bridgette told Arin, pointing towards the sidewalk.
Mitzy then stood up, patting Arin on the back. "Come on, I'll walk you out." Mitzy tried to comfort Arin, then following her as they left the other behind.
"The rest of you dudes can head back and chill for the night! I'd say tomorrow is gonna be rough, but I think I know where this is going." Geoff directed the others, who just got up and left as a unit, with Zoey still looking guilty over the whole thing.
Over at the sidewalk, the bus had now pulled up and Mitzy stood with Arin near the bus door. "Say hi to Mickey for me when you can!" Mitzy requested, trying to keep things light.
Arin gave a thumbs up, winking at Mitzy. "You got it! But watch out for Vanessa and her alliance! They're going to be all going for you tomorrow." Arin warned Mitzy.
Mitzy nodded, looking toward the hut for a moment. "Don't worry, I have a plan to deal with them. I'll be fine." Mitzy assured Arin.
Arin gave Mitzy one last quick hug, then began to walk to the bus. "Good luck then! Remember, as Superman once said, 'you're the hero of your own story!' So be that hero Mitzy!" Arin bid Mitzy farewell, before hopping aboard the bus.
Mitzy waved goodbye as Arin got on and the bus left, although guilt creeped onto her face as soon as she was gone. "Yeah. The hero..." Mitzy mumbled, looking down at the ground.
-Confessional: Mitzy-
Mitzy looked tired now, frowning at the camera. "I'll admit it, I asked Vanessa to have her alliance target Arin instead of me. I don't feel good about it, but she wasn't playing the game! If one of us was going to go tonight, it needed to be her if either of us had a shot at winning! I'm sorry Arin, but I'll win for you and Mickey!"
-End Confessional-
After the confessional, it cut to Bridgette and Geoff sitting in two of the folding chairs in front of the fire while Oliver dragged one of the chairs away. "Ooh! Talk about a betrayal! Wonder if Arin is gonna take that well when she finds out!" Geoff exclaimed rubbing his hands together.
"Will Mitzy be able to survive much longer on her own?" Bridgette asked the audience.
"And will Zoey and Anne Maria finally catch on to what Mike has going on?" Geoff asked the audience.
Both hosts then stood up and raised their arms together. "Stay tuned to find out next time on Total, Drama, Malibu!" they exclaimed together, before the episode then faded to black.
Players Remaining:
Zoey, Anne Maria, Mike, Mitzy, Vanessa
Elimination Order:
6th: Arin
7th: Mickey
8th: Jo
9th: Shane
10th: Lucien
11th: Brick
12th: Brava
13th: Jay
14th: Monica
15th: Caleb
16th: Petunia
Author's Note:
Yeah, Arin and Mitzy were a bit too powerful together, and with her romance plotline over, Arin just had one last role to fill in Mitzy's story before she too had to go. I enjoyed expanding her here and showing more of what she's like without her desire to mutate herself, and I just love writing her antics in general. Thanks again to Grape Escape for letting me use her! Be sure to let me know what you thought in the reviews and I'll see you all next time!
