Author's Note
Welcome back, dear readers! As you might have already spotted, this isn't the Japan episode like you may have been expecting. Don't fret, I haven't made a mistake - this is just the first instance of my changing around the order of locations, as I talked about in the AN for the first episode. Why did I decide to move this episode up? Well, I'll talk about that in the Post Script. For now, I have a butt load of reviews to answer.
Elizabeth Life Stone: Are you actually reading the chapters? Because you always post your reviews so quickly, and this one doesn't really make that much sense to me since Ezekiel wasn't eliminated.
Nickie Mudkip: Yeah, figured Staci wouldn't be missed too much even if people do feel sorry for her. As for what Scott's strategy is...well, you'll find out in time.
BuckJohnson: Thanks! As for the losing streak that occurred in canon, the identity of the season's main villain, and the next elimination...well, all I can say now is that I will continue to enjoy people's predictions.
Zak Saturday: Thanks! Also, the votes last chapter were made pretty clear - Staci was the only one who voted for Lightning; the rest of Team Victory voted for her.
Boggie445: Well...you'll find out what happens eventually, I guess.
StarHeart Specials: I'm glad you like it! As for Scott's role this season...well, only I know for sure.
Ddynamo: Thanks for the review as always, and I enjoyed hearing your thoughts - especially about the future villains.
Bruno14: Yup, Sugar's not really the type to like Ella even in the Shuffledverse. I'm happy you enjoyed the songs last episode, as well as Scarlett getting stuck on the hind end of the camel, Alejandro and Bridgette's continued rivalry, and the interactions between Lightning and Tyler. I hope you continue to enjoy this season!
insertnamehere21: Yeah, probably. Anyways, I'm glad you liked the chapter! Especially the roles that are being filled, particularly Ezekiel's.
ashDanLand: True, but last is still last. Thanks for the review!
acosta perez jose ramiro: Agreed. As funny as it was to see Zeke lurking around in the background of the plane, it just wouldn't work with Staci.
CVluvFoxy: Ah, I see. Well, you're not the only one who missed the first week. Anyway, I'm glad you;re liking how the season is shaping up so far, especially the songs! I hope I can keep up the quality.
Glowing Insanity: Thanks! And I did briefly consider a team switch, but that would've involved probably Geoff and Bridgette or something and I wanted to keep them apart this season.
PizzaTheBomb: Thanks! It really makes me happy knowing that people like my songs. And sorry about not having her follow Zeke's path from canon, but I do think it's for the better in the end.
Karts of Sugar Rush: Thanks so much about the songs! Although StarHeart Specials has already volunteered to help me with the songs if I need it, and I haven't taken them up on that yet - not that I'm doubting anybody's musical talents, just that I really want to try doing it myself first if only to grow my skills in that area. That aside, I'm glad you like Sierra's role as the brains of her team, and you're certainly right that Team Universe has the most friction in it by far. As for Team Victory...well, you'll see a bit more of them interacting in the next two episodes.
The Prime Writer: Hey, no problem - there's nothing wrong with trying to get away from the 'net, or from loving it. I'm glad you're okay with Staci getting the first boot - she's an odd character to develop, and you're certainly right that I'd rather spend the efforts on Ezekiel and some of the others. I won't spoil my current plans for Alejandro and DJ, but Sugar and Ella's relationship is definitely something I'm still deciding on so far as how it's gonna end up. All in all, I hope you enjoy the ride!
Knifez: Yup, you're exactly right - some people just have to be fodder in any given season. It can be a tough call to make at times, but it has to be done. And as for the relative lack of plots at the moment...well, I hope I'm not repeating my mistake from the past two seasons and starting off too slowly. I know I've said I'd try to fix that, but I hope I can actually do so. As for who's going next...well, you'll have to wait and see. And yeah, the character limit for chapter titles on this site is annoying, even if I do understand why it exists.
FOWLKON: Yeah, I'll admit I'm kinda going with that vibe for Scott, especially with respect to Chris's opinion of him - we've already seen what he can do once, so he's not as surprising as Alejandro was in canon. And yeah, while Ezekiel's canon subplot had some good moments before he went totally feral, it was ultimately just a waste to set up a LotR reference. As for whether or not this season's eliminations will be balanced...well, they'll be more balanced than canon's at least.
Lowland Warrior: Well, I won't say I wasn't surprised to see your reviews! You, uh, you might wanna finish TSA, though, just to understand what happened with Scarlett. Let's see...I did consider making Sugar's hatred of Ella justified, but I decided I like her better as her cheerful and good-natured canon self. I'm glad you caught the reference to both Scott's season one curse as well as the curse from canon...oh, and there probably won't be anymore reprises after the first two chapters, though the Aftermaths will still generally have two songs. Moving on to the second review...well, I'm certainly glad you're liking Team Universe. Although I do hope that you'll find something you really enjoy about the others teams too. As for Lightning quitting in the first episode...well, I won't say I didn't consider something along those lines, but it really wouldn't have worked out very well.
Eternal Nexus Warrior: Yeah, Staci's elimination was pretty obvious. And as for Tyler...well, it was random after all.
DSX62415: Yeah, it definitely seems like that right now as far as Staci goes at least. As for what will become of DJ, Sammy, and Dawn...well, you'll have to wait and find out.
aloasa: Hey, no worries about not reviewing for awhile, I totally understand. And yeah, the ending of last episode's challenge was a deliberate parallel to canon, and I'm glad it still ended up feeling distinct enough.
Star Saber21: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! And regarding Dawn's skill with reeds...well, I needed somebody on Team Universe to have that skill, and Dawn seemed like the best choice. All in all I'm glad you're liking the changes that have been made, and that you're looking forward to seeing how things develop. I hope you continue to enjoy the season!
Ruffhero77: First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to read and review all the way up to this point! I'm glad you've enjoyed the series. For this season, I'm glad you liked the songs as well as this season's intro sequence and it's hint about Geoff and Bridgette being separated. And I'm sorry I had to eliminate Staci, but, well, somebody had to go first. And as for Team Universe and the rivalries therein...well, I'm glad you like them, and I hope you like what I have in store!
I. M. Poik: Yup, they definitely do. And as for the songs...well, I will agree that they still need some work, but I'm not gonna get better if I don't keep practicing. Sorry, but you'll have to bare with my songs for the rest of the season. I am glad you liked the rest of the chapter, even if Staci elimination was pretty predictable. And I can see what you mean about Zeke's elimination in canon not being fair, since he wouldn't have used the stick to attack if Harold hadn't suggested the attack in the first place.
Ali6132: Aha, no worries, no worries, you managed to read it in the end. I'm glad you're enjoying the season so far! And...admittedly it was more of a surprise that you're supporting Team Universe than you expected, but only because with so many reviewers it's difficult to keep everyone's favorites straight...sorry. Also, yeah, I was super disappointed by that comment on Fresh's blog about Dakota and Ezekiel. With how sci-fi this show gets at times, it isn't too much to think that those two could return to some semblance of normality eventually.
atom king: Ah, no, I have no plans for Scarlett to redeem herself now or ever. As for Jo, well, she'll be on the Aftermaths at least.
wifishark: Yeah, I guess Staci can't. As for the rest of Team Victory...well, you'll find out soon enough.
And with that, the reviews are done with for the week. Next up is the list of remaining contestants:
Team Victory - Ezekiel, Scott, Lightning, Tyler, Geoff
Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Mean - Bridgette, Shawn, Beardo, Sierra, DJ
Team Universe - Dawn, Sammy, Alejandro, Ella, Sugar, Scarlett
Obviously, not much has changed so far. But will that hold true this week? Find out and keep warm, because this story is heading north.
- Fangren
Episode Three – Anything Yukon Do, I Can Do Better
"Last time, on Total Drama World Tour!" Chris began as he walked into a shot of the first-class seats from the left. "Egypt! Land of pyramids!" he made a triangle above his head with his arms. "Land of hot!" he mimed fanning himself in the desert heat. "Land of sweaty! Our contestants had loads of fun, on the run, in the sun," he said over clips of Team Victory running on foot, Team Universe traveling by camel, and Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Mean's swaying stack on top the goat.
"And! They still managed to find time to," Team Victory was shown realizing they were lost, "meet some scarabs," Scarlett was shown running through the pyramid from a swarm of beetles, "chat up a camel," Dawn was shown conversing with her team's mount, "feed the crocs," Staci was shown accidentally allowing a crocodile to swallow her team's stick, "and feed a goat, too," Team Chris' reward was shown taking a bite out of their reed boat.
"Showing style on the Nile, Team Universe pulled out a win," the host continued over footage of the six crossing the finish line first at the end of the previous episode's musical reprise. "Staci found a way to lose," Chris said over a clip of the chatterbox getting thrown out of the plane for the elimination demonstration, "un-lose," Staci was shown arriving last to the starting line outside the pyramid, "aaaaaand lose again!" Chef was shown kicking the disliked girl outside the jet once more.
"This week," Chris said as the recap footage ended and the scene flashed to him in the cockpit in his antique pilot's uniform, "who's gonna sing? Who's gonna dance? Who's gonna sell out their friends for a chance at One! Million! Dol-lars! Welcome, to Total!" A blaring note played as the camera zoomed out to a close-up of the cockpit from outside. "Drama!" Another note accompanied another movement back as the rest of the plane was included in the shot. "Woooorrrrlllddd~ Tooouuurrrr~!" As the host sang the title, a V-shaped flock of birds flew past beneath the jet.
xxx
(Fade to Opening Theme)
Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doin' fine;
You guys are on my mind!
Ya asked me what I wanted to be,
And now I think the answer is plain to see!
I wanna be...famous!
I wanna live close to the sun!
Well pack your bags, 'cause I've already won!
Everythin' to prove, nothin' in my way;
I'll get there one day.
'Cause I wanna be...famous!
(Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
(Fade to Episode)
xxx
The episode opened to a shot of the Total Drama Jumbo Jet flying through the sky, pointed towards the left of the screen. The camera cut inside with a flash to a close-up of Ella's smile, pulling back slightly as she sighed happily and said "First class is wonderful!" She was reclining in her seat, and had her eyes closed in peaceful rest.
"Indeed," Alejandro said, reclining in the seat next to hers. The camera panned left to Dawn and Sammy sitting in the seats across from them; the cheerleader seemed to be asleep on her side, while the mystic was playing with a deck of what looked like tarot cards on a fancy tray table.
The camera quick-panned further to the left, landing on Scarlett who was sitting at the first class mini-bar. She gulped down a small glass of what looked like some kind of juice, banging both the translucent purple glass and her forehead down on the counter afterward. A muffled groan issued forth from her hidden mouth.
"What're you mopin' for?" Sugar asked, walking into view from the right. "We're in first class! We're winnin'!"
Scarlett raised her head and glared at the pageant queen. "We've only won a single challenge so far," she said bitterly. "...and I can't exactly enjoy our current accommodations knowing what will happen when we lose." She peered into her glass again as if searching for another drop, and Sugar gave her an odd look.
xxx
"It's no secret that with the team as it is now," Scarlett explained in the restroom confessional, "I will be the first choice for elimination. And with Ella in Alejandro's clutches, my only viable choice is to align," she sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose, "with Sugar."
xxx
The scene cut to economy class, focusing first on Lightning, Tyler, Geoff, Ezekiel, and Scott sitting along the left wall looking variously tired and bored. Panning to the other side of the room revealed Sierra, Beardo, Bridgette, Shawn, and DJ sitting opposite them. The surfer looked up from her lap and sent a soft smile across the room, a touching tune playing as Geoff's face was shown lighting up into a smile of his own.
"Aaaand how is everyone back here?" Chris asked as the camera cut to the curtain separating economy class from the rest of the plane. "That is what I would ask if I cared," he added over shots of each team glaring his way. He walked into the room, saying "Coming through, make way," as he passed in front of team that had been named after him.
"Where are we going next?" Bridgette asked. "Can it please be somewhere a little cooler?"
"No mummies would be nice," Shawn added.
"Or crocodiles," Scott added from across the aisle.
"Our next destination is everything you've just asked for," Chris told the two teams with one of his usual smiles, immediately earning a concerned look from Sierra.
xxx
"Yeah," the superfan began her confessional with a cautious look, "after two seasons with Chris, I can be absolutely certain when I say that he wasn't really telling us the whole story. I'd say we're in trouble," she frowned.
xxx
The music became tense as the scene cut back outside and the jumbo jet started jolting up and down. A 'fasten seatbelts' sign was shown flashing and dinging, and the screaming members of Team Chris frantically tried to comply. Another jolt caused Beardo – who hadn't buckled himself in yet – to raise up and hit his head on the overhead compartment, making the sound of a car crashing as he did so, and another as he unceremoniously plopped back down onto the bench.
"We got some nasty air bumps," Chef announced as the scene moved to the cockpit, "lock your butts to a seat. O-ver!"
"You don't need to say 'over'," Chris pointed out in the seat next to him.
"I like sayin' it," Chef explained, "o-ver!"
"Aah! Aah! Aah!" Geoff screamed in terror as the camera cut back to economy class. "We're gonna die, dudes!"
Lightning promptly reached over Tyler and slapped the party boy. "Pull yourself together!"
On the other side of the compartment Bridgette was shown putting her hands together and uttering a silent prayer skyward while Shawn frantically tied his uncooperative seat belt into a thick knot. On the other wall Scott attempted to buckle himself up as well, only for one of the straps to break. "Seriously?!" he said in angry disbelief.
"Should we stop messin' with 'em and level out?" a bright-eyed Chef asked the host back in the cockpit.
"Ehhhmm...," Chris said as he thought, "nah!" He shook his head and grinned, and the two men shared a brief look before bursting out into raucous laughter. The jet was shown shaking from the outside again, and a world map took over the screen with a focus on an airplane icon meandering across northern Canada.
The jumbo jet was shown again as it touched down on a runway in some frozen landscape; the sun was nestled between forested mountaintops and shined down on a half-frozen river. The plane's landing was anything but smooth, and the cast could be heard screaming and yelling inside as their ride jerked and jumped and finally crashed just off-screen.
DJ was shown opening the back door and stepping out, immediately screaming and flailing his arms as he tried to stop himself from falling several feet to the snow below. Unfortunately, the moment he regained his balance his teammates came up from behind to check things out, and Beardo bumped into him. DJ fell, followed by Beardo, the rest of Team Chris, the members of Team Universe, and lastly Team Victory with Ezekiel and Tyler bringing up the rear as everyone landed in a heap around DJ below.
"Welcome to the Yukon!" Chris announced as he leaned out of the door. A hollow sound played as a chilling wind blew across the Arctic landscape, jostling something from the top of a pine tree – the camera zoomed in to show it as a bird that had been frozen into an ice cube, along with two similarly-icy eggs.
/
The scene flashed to an overhead shot of the ice floe, the camera panning down to the starting line where the contestants shivered before Chris, who was wearing a luxurious white parka. The camera panned across them and their chattering teeth, eventually landing on Lightning who angrily asked "Yo, where are our sha-jackets at?"
"Relax, I ordered coats for everyone," the host told them reassuringly, earning a short round of cheers. "They won't be ready for weeks, but, as soon as they arrive I'll be sure to hand them out." The contestants groaned in disappointment.
"I th-think we should h-huddle together," Tyler suggested, "y'know, to keep warm and stuff?"
Ezekiel promptly smiled and tried to huddle with Bridgette, but the surfer quickly held him back at arm's length and grabbed Geoff to huddle with instead. DJ and Sammy quickly closed in around Dawn, and a touching tune played as Alejandro moved closer to Ella and gave her a charming smile that made her blush.
"Little chilly without mittens," Chris commented.
"Cocoa?" Chef asked with a styrofoam cup in his hand; he was wearing a sleeveless down jacket and trapper hat over his usual clothes.
"Don't mind if I do!" the host said, happily accepting the beverage.
As he drank, the camera cut away to Alejandro as the charmer shot a sly smile off-screen. The focus cut to Bridgette as she huddled with her boyfriend, the surfer noticing her rival's look and scowling back at him.
"Ahhh," Chris sighed, the camera cutting back to him as he finished his drink, "much better."
Sugar zipped over to him in an instant. "You gonna finish that warm beverage?" she asked bluntly, pointing a shaky finger at the cup.
"Of course he is," Sierra answered for the host with a somewhat bored look on her face, "it's Chris' favorite drink."
"Wrong," the host corrected, "my-"
"Second only to tomato juice," Sierra finished before the host could.
Chris pursed his lips in annoyance. "Yeah, not even gonna bother asking. Aren't you, like, not my biggest fan anymore...or something?"
Sierra shrugged noncommittally. "I've mostly moved on to the show as a whole, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten everything I know about you. Especially since I'm-"
The host cut her off by putting hit mitten-wearing hand over her mouth and pushing her to the side. "Yeah, don't care," he said in an unamused voice. "Moving on now!"
/
A flash took the scene back to Chris addressing the line of shivering teenagers. "Crossing the icy river and Canada's frozen tundra used to be easy," he told them, "back when the river was frozen solid. But thanks to global warming, Earth is finally becoming a lot more interesting. By which I mean...deadly!" he lurched forward in a sudden attempt to scare the cast, but Sierra, Tyler, Lightning, Ella, Alejandro, and Sugar just shivered on without flinching.
"Today's challenge is called 'Total Drama the Icicle'," Chris announced, briefly pretending to shiver. "Teams must make their way across this watery chasm," the shot changed back to an aerial perspective as the host motioned behind him and the camera panned to follow, "by jumping from ice floe to ice floe." The camera lingered on the hunks of floating ice before returning to Chris' close-up.
"First team member across must make their way to the dogsleds on the far shore and become the dog." The shot followed his thumb across the river and zoomed in on a trio of sleds – one that looked sleek and new; one that looked more like an antique; and one that looked like some crates tied to a toboggan. "Pulling the sled all the way to the finish line," an ominous note was struck as the camera panned up, following a trail of flags going up a tall hill and over to an icy cliff where the finish line banner was, "as you grab the rest of your team along the way at marked meeting points."
"Sleds are first-come, first-serve, so, move fast," Chris explained over one shot of Ella, Alejandro, Sugar, Dawn, Sammy, and DJ gawking upwards, and another of Geoff, Bridgette, Ezekiel, and Shawn in a similar position. "Don't worry," the host addressed the cast, "if you fall into the water we're legally required to save you. So! We have two divers downstream ready to pull you out."
The shot quick-panned to two people in scuba suits who had been frozen into solid cubes; one had even flipped upside down.
"You guys ready for some mad ice floe jumpin'," Tyler quickly asked his teammates, "'cause this guy," he pointed both thumbs at himself, "is kickin' it into high gear! Hoo!" Scott and Lightning shared an unimpressed look.
"I say those of us who don't get to the sled first all head straight for the finish line," Sierra whispered to her teammates. "That way the sled can go straight there too." The other four responded with a hushed chorus of "Right"s and "Yeah"s.
"Umm, excuse me," Sammy spoke up, "but what's the reward for this challenge?"
"Did I say reward?" Chris replied with an impish smile.
"Well, that's how this works, right?" Sammy asked with a hint of confusion as an undercurrent of drama filled the background music. "An elimination followed by a reward?"
"Yeah," Sierra spoke up, "that's how it was last season, and we have about the same number of people this time."
"Yeah, but, we found teams try harder during elimination challenges," Chris explained as the dramatic music began to rise. "So, this year, there's no set routine. Every challenge could end in elimination!" He chuckled, and the cast moaned and griped in protest. "That's the spirit! On your mark!" Chef walked up to him some kind of horn-based instrument. "Get set! Go!" He waved his hand down, and at the signal Chef blew the horn – it sounded enough like a bellowing moose that an actual bull moose raised its head in interest.
Tense challenge music began as the contestants started to run. Tyler was the first to jump onto an ice floe, but he immediately lost his traction and flailed his legs all the way into the water.
"Sha-bam!" Lightning said as he easily leaped from the first ice floe to the next.
"L-l-l-l-l-little h-h-h-help here, d-d-dude?" the less-adept jock asked through chattering teeth.
The overachiever paused mid-jump to look back at his teammate. "Sorry New Guy, but Lightning does not stop once he's started." He jumped off, leaving Tyler to frown.
xxx
"I may be the new guy around here," Tyler confessed in the airplane's restroom, "but I'm still a serious contender! I gotta show Lightning and the others that I deserve to hang with them. But that means I gotta dig deep, 'cause outdoing Lightning is gonna be hard."
xxx
A Latin riff played as the scene cut back to Alejandro deftly leaping from one chunk of ice to the next, the music ending as the camera quick-panned back to the shore of the river where Scarlett and Sugar were standing together.
"We may as well get this over with," Scarlett said dryly before jumping to the nearest floe; she began to slip, but with a lot of flailing she managed to stabilize herself on the far edge.
"Yeah!" Sugar cheered. "If they can do it, so can we!" With a grin she jumped towards the same piece of cue that Scarlett was on.
"No wait!" the brainiac said in a panic, trying to jump to the next floe. She was too slow, and Sugar landing on the ice catapulted Scarlett into the air – fortunately, due to her placement, she was sent forwards and managed to land face-first on another chunk of ice.
"Oops," the pageant queen chuckled to herself. "At least you got ahead!" she then shouted to her teammate.
The challenge music resumed playing as the shot cut back to Scarlett as she groaned, and was promptly passed by Beardo. The hairy boy took a confident leap onto the next platform, only to slip – he made the sounds of a comic pratfall as he fell on his butt.
Bridgette was shown next, landing on a rather large piece of ice – surprisingly enough, at the same time as Geoff. The two lovers quickly grabbed each other's arms as the platform wobbled, then shared a smile.
"Fancy meeting you here, mister," Bridgette said.
"You too, babe," Geoff replied. They leaned in for a kiss, but it was stopped prematurely when the floe they were on cracked in two. "Or not...," he said in disappointment as they began to drift away from one another.
"I guess we'll see each other later, then?" Bridgette added with a hopeful note. Geoff smiled and nodded, and the two jumped to the next pieces of ice.
"Ice floe to ice floe, it's really quite nice though," Ella sang to herself while leaping gracefully across the ice. She started to slip on one, but managed to turn it into a spin into yet another leap. After landing on the next piece, she looked around thoughtfully. "Now where should I go next?"
"How about out of the way?" Scott said snidely as he landed on the floe she was standing on and barged past to keep moving.
"Whoa-oa-oa!" Ella said as she slipped right off the ice and into the water.
"Ella?" Alejandro said as the shot cut to him landing on another piece of ice and looking to his left, away from the camera. The perspective switched to show the princess floating in the water a little ways away, then changed again to show Alejandro leaping off in that direction to a triumphant piece of background music.
xxx
"Ella is someone I enjoy playing the game alongside," Alejandro explained in the restroom confessional. "So of course I'm going to help her out of danger. I am a gentleman, after all."
xxx
The shot cut back to Ella, who suddenly smiled as she was lifted out of the water; the camera pulled back to show her sitting on the shoulders of a polar bear. "Oh, hello mister bear!" she said sweetly. "Thank you so much for rescuing me!"
The bear looked angry for a moment, then smiled as a few touching notes played. It growled softly, then carried her over to the next ice floe and let her jump off.
"Qué?" Alejandro said in shock as the camera quick-panned back to him. Too distracted by the sudden turn of events, he slipped on the ice and fell into the water as well. "Great," he muttered as he started swimming towards the nearest ice floe, but the polar bear suddenly rose up out of the water behind him. "I...don't suppose you'd like to give me some assistance?" the charmer asked with a cautious smile. The bear looked like it was considering it for a moment before it looked down at its growling stomach, then back up at Alejandro. It growled, and the young man swam away in terror.
/
The scene flashed back to Scarlett and Sugar as the two girls jumped from ice to ice along two separate 'paths'. They paused when they heard Alejandro scream behind them off-camera, and Sugar chuckled.
"Guess he ain't as charmin' as he thinks," she told her teammate.
"Perhaps," Scarlett said idly, "but we still need to keep an eye on him. To that end...," she stifled a sigh, "I think we should align with one another."
Sugar immediately laughed. "Me? In an alliance with you? Now why would I do that?"
"Because," the evil genius hissed in annoyance, "with Dawn and Samey together and Alejandro working Ella, we have no other viable option!"
The pageant queen raised an eyebrow. "Uhh, I think you mean Ella is workin' Al."
Scarlett palmed her face. "That doesn't matter! The point is, if we don't team up the others will vote us out!"
Sugar frowned. "Well that doesn't make sense! You're gonna have to be more convincin'." She turned and hopped to the next ice floe, leaving Scarlett to growl in annoyance.
xxx
Sugar began her confessional with a giggle. "Actually, I do understand what Scarlett's sayin'. But since everybody seems to think I'm dumb, I figured I'd play along with it."
xxx
The footage cut back to a group of ice floes close to the far shore as DJ happily and easily ran across them. "Not too far from the sleds!" he said aloud. "Sweet!"
Elsewhere, Alejandro was struggling to swim in the icy water. "H-have to k-keep moving," he said to himself through chattering teeth. He reached the edge of a floe, and was offered a hand by someone just off-screen. He grabbed it without thinking, and only when the camera pulled back did he look up and see that it was Bridgette. "W-why didn't you just leave me?" he asked in surprise.
"I may not like you," she told the villain as she pulled him out of the water, "but that doesn't mean I want you to become an ice cube."
"...thank you," he said once he'd gotten back on his feet.
/
Back at the shoreline, Shawn jumped off a final hunk of ice and landed in a roll. He quickly looked to his left and right, then muttered "Okay, no zombies in sight. Should be safe to keep movin'."
"Watch out, yo!" a holler came from behind him, and the camera followed the survivalist's gaze backwards to see Ezekiel flying towards him. Both boys screamed right before they collided and rolled into a snow drift.
Shawn quickly raised an arm out of the chilly mound and gave Ezekiel a muffled "Thanks."
The homeschooler popped his head out and replied, "Well I warned ya, eh."
/
"We're almost there!" Sammy exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the shore from somewhere else along the half-frozen river. "You need any help with these jumps?" She looked back over her shoulder, and the camera quick-panned to Dawn who was standing in the middle of a relatively isolated floe.
"Thank you, but I don't believe that's necessary," the mystic told her friend as the hunk of ice she was standing on floated past Sammy. The cheerleader smiled, then sprung over the gap to her own next floe.
/
The scene flashed to Sierra jumping to an ice floe and then to shore as the camera panned to the right a little showing Chris watching nearby. "I did it!" she cheered upon landing on the shore. "Yay me!"
"Good job," the host told her as she began to run off. "And lucky you, DJ got here first!"
"Smiley face!" the superfan paused to clap excitedly.
"Yeah, he's on dog duty, so you get to kick back and enjoy the ride!" Chris added as the shot changed to show the gentle giant next to the tow harness of the newest-looking sled as Sierra ran up; he seemed to be sobbing into his hands.
"Let me guess," Sierra asked her teammate as she got in the sled and put on a furry Russian ushanka hat, "you miss your Momma?"
"All this ice is just like her freezer!" DJ explained between sobs as a touching tune played.
"Thought so," Sierra said with a hint of a sigh. "You always cry when you're homesick, and being in Canada isn't helping."
"Yeesh," Chris said softly as the scene cut back to him, a tenser riff playing as Scarlett and Sugar ran past him; they were shown skidding to a stop in front of the old-fashioned sled at around the same time.
"Scarlett, first member of your team to arrive," Chris said while walking over to them, "grab a sled and start pullin'."
"Umm, what?" the evil genius asked flatly. "Sugar and I arrived simultaneously, if anything we should both pull the sled."
"Yeaaaaaah, no," the host said bluntly. "In the event of a tie, we go alphabetically."
"You heard the man," Sugar told her teammate while quickly stepping into the sled, "get to doggin'!" Scarlett growled her annoyance, but the pageant queen ignored it in favor of grinning at her furry hat. "And hey, if you do a good job pullin'," she told the brainiac, "maybe I'll join your alliance!"
Scarlett grit her teeth and stomped towards the sled's harness.
The shot cut to Lightning and Tyler racing from the shore to the sleds; just as they past Chris, Tyler tripped and slid ahead of his teammate.
"Oh yeah, I made it!" he said excitedly as got to the final sled first and promptly bumped into it; radiation warning signs were plastered to the sides of the crate and tanks that made up the bulk of the sled.
"You better do a good job pullin', New Guy," Lightning said with a scowl as he ran up.
Tyler looked from the uber-jock back to the sled, and gasped upon noticing the black-and-yellow insignias. "Is the box radioactive?" he asked the host.
"Ehh, what isn't radioactive these days?" Chris told him.
"Aww man," Lightning griped, "we gotta use this thing? Sha-dang ice slowin' Lightning down..." He kicked the side of the box, causing Tyler to gasp and flinch.
"Ahh, there, finally!" DJ said in relief as the shot cut back to him fastening the snaps of his harness. He started running, and the sled was pulled smoothly behind him.
"Oh em gee, Team Chris for the win!" Sierra cheered as her teammate pulled her through a few trees and past Team Universe.
"How is this thing meant to be oriented?" Scarlett growled as she tried to put her own harness on.
"Who cares?" Sugar told her. "Just put it on already so we can catch up!" Scarlett growled in frustration as she slung the harness onto her back and put her arms through it.
Tyler was shown putting his harness on next, and with a cry of "Sha-mush!" from Lightning he started to run as well, and soon past Scarlett and Sugar.
"What're you waitin' for?" the pageant queen demanded. "Get ta mushin' already!"
"I know," Scarlett shot back as she finally fastened the harness on and started to run as well, "I'm going!"
"Faster!" Sugar commanded, holding up a long whip. "Don't make me hafta use this!"
"You wouldn't dare!" Scarlett replied angrily as she pulled the sled past Chris, who was watching in the foreground.
"Will anyone survive the coldest challenge in Total Drama history?" he asked the camera. "Place your bets and cross your fingers. The results, after this."
(Fade to Commercial and Back)
The footage resumed on a long-distance shot of Dawn and Sammy walking across the snowy tundra together.
"W-wow, it's cold out here," the cheerleader said as she shivered along. "I wish I had a sweater like you instead of my cheer uniform. A bare midriff really isn't helping me right now."
"Don't worry," Dawn said, quickly stepping closer to her friend so that they were touching each other, "I'll help keep you warm." The two girls smiled at one another, but broke eye contact as slight blushes formed on their cheeks.
/
A flash took the scene to Team Victory's sled as they made their way across the landscape. Lightning was shown shielding the sun from his eyes as he looked around, and finally perked up and pointed off-screen. "There's one of our dudes!" he said, the camera quick-panning over to reveal Ezekiel waiting next to one of the meeting point flags.
"You want me to slow down?" Tyler asked as he started to veer left.
"Heck no!" Lightning answered before cupping his hands around his mouth "Jump on, Homeschool!" he shouted to Ezekiel as the sled drew closer.
"Aww, really guys?" Ezekiel said in annoyance as the sled past him. He ran to catch up, and finally managed to jump on the back of it. "Okay homies, I'm on," he told his teammate.
"Good," Lightning said before turning his attention back to Tyler. "Now hustle, New Guy, hustle!" The shot panned over to Tyler, who frowned in annoyance.
xxx
"As Team Captain," Lightning explained, leaning towards the restroom camera, "it is Lightning's job to make sure the team is bringin' their A-game. But New Guy," he scoffed, "Lightning's surprised he has any game at all."
xxx
"Look, there's Beardo!" Sierra exclaimed as the scene moved back to Team Chris as they approached their hairy cohort. True to their strategy, the beatboxer wasn't at one of the designated meeting points, and in fact had been running through the woods himself when the sled caught up to him. "Hop on!" Sierra said as DJ pulled the sled alongside Beardo and slowed down a little.
Beardo made a cash register-like sound as he got on the sled, and DJ stepped up his pace again. "Alright," the beatboxer said, "just Shawn and Bridgette left to find, and then we're home free."
Sierra cringed just before a sob was heard from DJ. "You probably shouldn't have said that," she whispered to Beardo with her hand shielding her mouth. "DJ's pretty homesick right now." Beardo's eyebrow shot up, and he made a quick 'wailing trumpet' sort of sound.
/
The background music picked up slightly as the scene flashed back to Team Universe. "Have you seen anyone yet?" Scarlett asked impatiently.
"I've seen you," Sugar answered with a nearly-suppressed giggle.
"I meant besides the two of us," the brainiac corrected.
"Oh, well in that case," the pageant queen said as Sammy and Dawn ran up behind them, "yeah!"
"Finally," Scarlett muttered, slowing down and looking back over her shoulder to see the two blondes hop on to the sled.
/
"You don't have to follow me y'know," Bridgette told Alejandro as the two walked up to a meeting point flag. "I mean, we are on different teams."
"You're heading straight for the finish line, right?" Alejandro asked, to which Bridgette just nodded and continued to shiver. "Then I think I shall do the same. It is an intelligent plan after all, at least if we can make it all that way."
"Hah!" the surfer scoffed. "Don't act like you're not cold, I saw you shivering when I pulled you out of the river."
"That was then," the charmer explained. "My Latin blood has warmed me back up since."
"Oh really?" Bridgette retorted. "Are you sure it wasn't all that hot air you're full of?"
"Oho, such a witty comeback!" Alejandro said with a short chuckle. "You humble me, Bridgette." The surfer just rolled her eyes.
xxx
"Honestly, he hasn't changed a bit since season one," Bridgette told the restroom camera. "If anything, he's become more of a flirt. Too bad for him it'll never work on me."
xxx
"Okay, I can not believe that," Sierra said to Beardo as the scene cut back to them getting pulled along in their sled. "I mean, even for him that seems a little much."
Beardo nodded. "Needless to say, that song was awful."
"Uh, seriously you guys, I can't see!" DJ spoke up as a few dramatic beats played.
"Wait, really?" Sierra asked in confusion and alarm. "Why not?"
"My tears froze my eyes shut!" the gentle giant explained.
Beardo quickly looked around, and made a few rapid dings of alarm. "Guys, I don't see the path anywhere!"
"DJ, you have to stop! We don't know where we are!" Sierra commanded. The brickhouse gasped and skidded to a halt, the sled slowing down gently behind him. "Beardo, try and find the path," Sierra said, earning a salute from the hairy boy. "I'll help DJ!" She jumped from the sled, ran over to her teammate, and started trying to rub his frozen-shut eyes.
"Jeez, watch it!" DJ cried.
/
A flash took the scene to Shawn, who was currently looking out over the landscape from the top of a pine tree. "Hold on," he said, his eyes briefly widening before he squinted and shielded the sun from his eyes, "is that...?" He dropped down from his perch, and the shot cut to him landing in the snow just as his team's sled pulled up to it from the right.
"What happened?" he asked as he hopped on the sled behind Beardo. "Why are you guys so far from the trail?"
"DJ had some, umm, eye problems," Sierra explained, "but he's okay now."
"I'm really sorry!" DJ said, his eyes wide open as he pulled.
"You're lucky I was looking for a shortcut," Shawn told his teammates. "By the way, the finish line is in that direction." He pointed back over his shoulder, and the shot pulled back as Team Chris went off-screen, then came back on it heading in the right direction.
"Whoops," Beardo told an annoyed-looking Sierra.
/
The shot cut back to Bridgette and Alejandro as they trudged across the tundra. The camera cut in to a close-up of them shivering, but the sound of an engine caused the shot to zoom back out a little as Chris drove up on a red snowmobile.
"Oh my," he said with a deliberate slowness, "what do we have here? A couple of lovebirds looking for some privacy?"
"What?!" Bridgette exclaimed in outrage. "No way. You know I have a boyfriend."
"It's true," Alejandro explained, "we just happen to be headed for the finish line together."
"I see...," the host said, rubbing his chin in thought. "You know what would help ease the tension between you two?" he asked, the two campers sharing a look of dread. "A song!" At Chris' excited announcement, the music note symbol appeared on-screen with its usual dings.
"Oh no, seriously?!" the surfer groaned.
"Just the two of us?" Alejandro asked. "Are you sure?"
"Sure I'm sure," Chris said excitedly. "gotta mix it up some times, and I looove a good duet."
~/~
A slow piano tune began as the camera focused in on the two singers, and the background of trees and snowy hills began to fade.
"You think that you know me," Alejandro sang slowly as he walked forward while holding his arms close to his body, gaining a slight lead on Bridgette.
"You haven't changed a bit," Bridgette answered with a dirty look as she quickly caught up and even got a few steps past the boy.
"But you can't see through me," Alejandro sang, regaining his slight lead.
"Yeah, I'm not buying it!" Bridgette responded, getting ahead once more as the background faded completely into a pale blue color that rapidly got darker until it was nearly black.
"How can I trust you after everything you've done?" Bridgette sang as the two walked against a backdrop of several clips from previous seasons – a rapid montage of Alejandro duping Ezekiel, Sierra, Beardo, and Dakota; scheming with Jo and Scarlett; and forcing Chef into an illegal alliance.
"That's in the past," Alejandro sang, the montage seemingly getting ripped away by the sound of his voice.
"It doesn't matter now... 'cause a new game has begun!"
They continued along in relative silence for a few seconds, the piano music leading in to the next verse.
"I can't let you hurt her," Bridgette sang as the two walked up to a snowman shaped suspiciously like Ella holding her hands over her heart, eyes closed and a smile on her face.
"But Ella knows her heart," Alejandro replied, grasping the snow princess's hands with his own.
"You'll lie then desert her," Bridgette sang, the snowman unceremoniously falling apart into a pile of snow.
"Not if she plays her part!" Alejandro answered, giving the pile a sad look before he started moving away from it and the background began to fade to white.
"I'd rather not drop her until the game is fin'ly won," the charmer continued as a montage of his interactions with Ella played on the backdrop, starting with their meeting on the red carpet and ending with his readiness to save her after she'd fallen into the icy river.
"I won't believe," Bridgette sang, a shake of her head seemingly scattering the backdrop and allowing the actual landscape to be seen again.
"'Cause that's so far away... and the new game's just begun!"
"We'll wait and see, how ev'rything turns out...," the two slowly sang together as they walked a few more steps. They paused suddenly and looked back over their shoulders., and the camera quickly panned over to show Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Mean approaching on their sled. The camera promptly cut back to the two singers.
"But for now it seems I've won!" Bridgette sang with a bright smile on her face.
"But for now it seems you've won!" Alejandro sang at the same time, but with a noticeable frown.
The piano faded out as Team Chris pulled up to the two, and Bridgette hopped on the sled.
~/~
"Aww, no!" Alejandro groaned, slumping a little as he watched Team Chris speed off.
"Sucks to be you right now," Chris said, riding up again on his snowmobile. "Guess you're stuck walking to the finish line alone. Unless you can find your team, of course."
"I don't suppose you'll tell me where they are?" Alejandro asked with hope in his voice.
"Haha, no way dude!" the host laughed. "You're on your own. Good luck!" He promptly sped away, leaving Alejandro to groan again.
/
"So what was that about anyway?" Shawn asked Bridgette as the shot cut to Team Chris.
"Just Chris forcing me and Alejandro to sing, it was no big deal," the surfer explained.
"Huh," Sierra said, "I was wondering when the musical number would come up."
"Nice to know it's been taken care of," DJ said as he continued to run along, pulling the sled behind him. His teammates nodded and murmured their agreement, but the camera cut in close to Bridgette's face as she sent a sad look behind them.
/
"It's about time!" Scott told his teammates as Tyler pulled Team Victory's sled up to the meeting point he'd been shivering next to. "I thought I was gonna freeze to the pole!"
"Sorry guy, I got here as fast as I could," Tyler told Scott as the latter hopped on to their sled.
"Well get to the next dude faster!" Lightning commanded.
The footage flashed forward to show Team Victory in motion once again, the three members riding the radioactive 'sled' actively looking around for their final member.
"Hey look!" Ezekiel said excitedly, pointing off into the distance. "I think I see Geoff over there, eh!" The camera quick-panned forward, showing the party boy standing with his back to the sled with a look of concern on his face.
"I'm on it!" Tyler exclaimed as the focus cut back to the sled. He clenched his eyes shut in determination as he sped up, a victorious tune playing as the camera pulled back to show the sled rapidly approaching the flag pole that marked the meeting point.
Geoff finally turned around and noticed his team barreling towards him, and ducked to the side with a panicked yelp. Tyler, unable to see where he was going, promptly crashed straight into the pole...and was hit by the sled moments later, forcing it to a stop and him to gasp in pain.
"Whoa, dude, you guys came outta nowhere!" Geoff exclaimed as he hopped on the sled and Tyler got back up and shook his head.
"Yeah, but we gotta go somewhere," Lightning said, "so get movin', New Guy!"
"I'm am moving," Tyler said wearily as the focus cut back to him making all the right motions for running. The shot pulled out again, showing that he was going nowhere – his shoes seemed to have no traction and were just squeaking against the ice. "But my court shoes are no good on ice!" he explained in a frustrated tone. He stopped, then added "If the contest was pulling a sled across a volleyball court, we would have already won!"
A few dramatic notes played as the shot zoomed out even further and Team Chris ran across the screen several yards in front of the stunned Team Victory.
/
A flash took the scene to Ella, standing alone by a meeting point and humming to herself. She opened her eyes at the sound of a sled approaching, and said "Hi everyone!" as the shot pulled back to show most of Team Universe pulling up to her.
"Hop on already!" Sugar commanded. "We ain't got all day!"
"But of course!" Ella said, complying happily. "Looks like we've nearly reunited our whole team!"
"Yes," Dawn said as Scarlett started pulling the sled again, "all we have to do now is find Alejandro and get to the finish line."
"Oh, I hope he's alright," Ella said with a look of concern.
/
The shot cut to the handsome young man in question, shivering as he trudged through the snow and ice. He looked up and saw a meeting point, then ran towards it with a smile. "Finally! I never should have followed Bridgette."
/
Another flash put the focus on Tyler as he struggled to pull the rest of Team Victory over a narrow icy arch.
"Dude, come on," Geoff said in an antsy tone, hopping from foot to foot with his hands over his crotch. "I gotta take a whizz, and I don't wanna have to do it out here!"
A few dramatic notes played as the camera zoomed in on the ice they were standing on just as cracks started to form in it. "Yeah, I think we gotta get-" Ezekiel said frantically as the shot panned up to show him looking down at the ice with wide eyes. He was interrupted as the shot zoomed out to show the ice below the sled breaking away, but managed to finish with "Moving!" as he, Geoff, Scott, and Lightning fell, the other three boys screaming for their lives.
As he was attached to the sled by a rope, Tyler was thus yanked along with them as they fell. The shot zoomed in to the edge of the broken ice as he slid past, arms out in front as they tried to grab hold...which they finally did. The viewpoint moved to the bottom of the icy valley they had been crossing, showing the human chain that Team Victory had become: Geoff hanging onto Ezekiel hanging onto Scott hanging onto Lightning hanging onto the sled tied to Tyler who was holding them all up.
xxx
"I've got wicked strong fingers,' Tyler explained in the restroom confessional, looking at his digits with a proud smile. "Docs can't explain it! My first piano lesson, I broke the piano. Got into sports after that."
xxx
Dramatic music rose in the background as the scene cut back to Team Universe.
"Anybody see him?" Sammy asked as she, Dawn, and Ella scanned their surroundings.
"I see the finish line!" Sugar announced as she excitedly pointed ahead of them. "And nobody else is around! We're gonna come in first place again!"
"Shouldn't we wait for Alejandro?" Ella asked. "I don't want to leave him behind."
"He'll understand," the pageant queen said with a scowl as she turned her head back forward. "Now keep movin' straight forward, Scarlett! Mush!" The camera panned forward to the evil genius, who grit her teeth in frustration.
/
Back with Team Victory, the music took a tense turn as the boys climbed up one by one. "Thanks for savin' us, dude," Geoff told Tyler as he climbed over the jock and onto the ice.
"Yeah, eh," Ezekiel added as he followed suit.
"Who'd've guessed you had it in you?" Scott said with a smirk as he pulled himself up.
"Maybe you aren't so bad after all, New Guy!" Lightning added as he was shown joining the other three on top of the icy cliff.
"Th-thanks," Tyler told them, struggling to pull the sled up as well. He finally managed to get it back over the edge, but in doing so caused it to fly forward over him. His teammates cheered as the sled landed by them, and they quickly grabbed on as it slid along. "Ow-ow!" Tyler cried in pain, bouncing and tumbling as he was dragged along behind them.
The viewpoint changed to a long-distance shot of the finish line, where Team Universe was quickly approaching with Team Chris not too far behind – and Team Victory rapidly entered the shot from the slope on the left.
"Aww man," Lightning said, "we're in last!"
"Quick," Ezekiel said, "everybody lean forward!" The other boys complied, and the sled seemed to speed up – with Tyler still dragging behind them, even smacking into an icy crag.
The shot focused in on the finish line just as Team Universe crossed it and cheered; mere seconds later, the speeding sled of Team Victory passed Team Chris and stole second from them.
"Yeah, dudes!" Geoff cheered, the camera showing that they'd finally stopped. Ezekiel and Scott cheered as well while Lightning just crossed his arms and looked unimpressed. The shot panned to the left, where Tyler stuck his arm out of the snow and cheered as well.
"Aww, what?" DJ said, his team stopped just past the finish line. "We got last?"
"I can't believe it," Bridgette said sadly as Beardo chimed in with a 'sad trombone' effect.
"Actually," Chris corrected, "Team Universe crossed the finish line without Alejandro," the shot pulled out to confirm the charmer's absence, "so they come in last."
"Aww, fudge knuckles...," Sugar said with a snap of her fingers as her teammates also expressed their disappointment.
"Which means Team Chris is Really Really Really Wicked Mean is in second place, and Team Victory takes first," the host added.
The five boys immediately began celebrating, with Geoff high-fiving the others and Lightning walking over to Tyler as the boy pulled himself out of the snow.
"Guess you did good today, New Guy," the uber-jock said as he helped pull the lesser-jock up. "Maybe Lightning underestimated you."
"You really mean that?" Tyler said excitedly.
"Don't get too excited," the overachiever said sternly, "Lightning is still sha-better than you." He walked away, leaving Tyler to frown.
xxx
"I can't believe the team lost because of me!" Alejandro exclaimed. "This just doesn't happen! I could understand if it had been due to Scarlett not pulling hard enough, or Sugar getting her tongue stuck to a pole, but this?!" He groaned and palmed his face. "It's gonna take a lot of work to make sure I don't get voted off."
xxx
A few dramatic notes played over a shot of the jumbo jet flying through the air. The camera cut inside to the elimination room, where the six members of Team Universe were sitting before Chris.
"Team Universe! I have peanut-filled barf bags for all but one of you." the host opened with a motion to the tray sitting next to him. "Dawn and Samey, you're safe," he said as he tossed the first two bags to the blondes who caught them easily and shared a smile. "Sugar, Ella, so are you." The singer and pageant star also accepted their prizes with a smile.
"That leaves us with just Alejandro and Scarlett on the chopping block," Chris said as a few more dramatic notes played over the worried faces of the two villains. "Alejandro, it's no secret that you messed up today. By choosing to follow Bridgette instead of look for your team, you caused them to come in last place, and thus end up here. It's gonna be hard to win back what little trust they had in you in the first place." Alejandro hung his head and groaned.
"As for Scarlett, you're up for elimination because, well, nobody really likes you," the host admitted with a frown as he idly tossed the final barf bag in one hand. "You proved yourself to be a major menace last season, and it seems like everyone's afraid of what you'll do next. So much so, in fact, that the only person who didn't vote for you, was you." The evil genius gasped as a devilish smile formed on Alejandro's face, the handsome boy quickly catching the bag of peanuts that was thrown at him.
"That's right, you're out," Chris said as Scarlett stood up, nostrils flaring and fists clenched with rage.
A moment of silence passed, then... "PSYCHE!" The host's sudden proclamation was accompanied by a quick blow on a party horn. "Yeah, this wasn't actually an elimination challenge, you're all safe," he told the stunned teens. "Although now that Scarlett knows how you all feel, maybe you aren't, haha." The focus moved back to the brainiac as she turned around and faced her team, visibly seething with enough fury to make all of them nervous.
"Anyway-" the host continued before he noticed Chef walking up behind him. "If we're both here," he asked, "who's flying the plane?"
"I have it covered," Chef answered.
/
The shot cut to the inflatable balloon version of Chef Hatchet floating in the copilot's seat in the cockpit. "I repeat," came a voice over the radio, "uncharted aircraft this is a no-fly zone, over." Obviously, the balloon gave no response. "...Hello?"
/
"Just wanted to tell you that I gave the winnin' team their reward," Chef told the host.
"Awesome," Chris said before turning back to Team Universe. "So while Team Victory enjoys their reward in first class, the six of you get to enjoy more time together in loser class. Have fun!" He laughed as he walked off with Chef, leaving Scarlett to glare angrily at the teammates who'd just tried to vote her off.
xxx
"I really shouldn't be surprised," the brainiac seethed in the restroom confessional. "But this just gives me all the motivation I need to work harder. If they wanted me gone, they just lost their only chance. And don't think I'm done with Sugar yet, either."
xxx
/
A relaxing yet triumphant song begun to play as the camera panned through the first class seating area, showing the members of Team Victory enjoying mugs of hot chocolate and what looked like some kind of dog sledding movie on a hanging TV screen. The shot zoomed in on Tyler as he leaned back in his seat, put his hands behind his head, and sighed happily.
xxx
"Well, I totally rocked it today," he told the restroom camera. "I saved everyone's lives with my bare fingers." He looked at his fingers, then raised his arms and looked up. "Everyone is gonna know who Tyler is now. Hoo! Mission accomplished." He crossed his arms and nodded in satisfaction.
A loud buzzer startled him, and the restroom door suddenly opened to reveal Lightning. "Whoops, didn't notice ya New Guy," he told his teammate before leaving.
Tyler groaned, and another buzzer heralded the arrival of Chris McLean. "Will the New Guy ever earn the respect of his teammates," the host asked, leaning into the restroom.
"I have a name y'know!" Tyler protested.
"Find out next time," Chris winked, "on Total!" The shot cut outside the plane, showing most but not all of it. "Drama!" Another zoom-out as the season's dramatic musical signature played showed the whole of the jet. "Woooorrrrlllddd~ Tooouuurrrr~!" The camera zoomed out even further from the plane as it wobbled slightly.
(Fade to Credits)
Author's Note - Post Script
The Yukon has come and gone, and surprisingly enough works pretty well in the earlier slot. Why did I move it up? Because I decided that I wanted it to be a reward, and that moving up would give everyone one more episode with most of the characters in it before the next elimination. Why didn't I just make Japan the reward challenge instead? Well, I felt it would work better for the second actual vote to happen there - you'll find out why when that episode comes up.
This week's song is titled 'A New Game has Begun', and I gotta say I'm not sure it isn't cringe-worthy. It's the first one that's majorly deviated from the source song for the episode, and as such might be a taste of other songs later on that get changed drastically as well. It took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to do with it, but I'm not certain if it actually works since nothing new really comes out of it. But, well, I guess that's something I need to hear from all you reviewers out there. Incidentally, the next songs for the next two episodes will be closer to their canon counterparts.
Other than that, I think the episode was pretty okay but not astounding. Adapting Tyler's canon subplot to fit his new circumstances worked out pretty well, as did the look at Scarlett and Sugar working together. DJ being homesick felt a little awkward in the re-read, but it still makes sense, I think, given who he is. Hopefully you all think so as well.
And, of course, we have our first fake vote-out, of what will no doubt be many. Gotta keep you all on your toes!
As always, let me know what you thought of the episode, and I'll see you all next week!
- Fangren
Appendix: TSWT Eliminated Contestants
Staci - (17th Place)