A Dramatic Ridonculous Race

by The Legendary Dragon Reaper

With Chris McLean rotting in prison, it seems like the era of Total Drama has come to an end. However, numerous contestants flock to other shows, and some find themselves in yet another race around the world, and they'll make some new friends along the way. Some of them may even find love.

18. Got Venom

(Got Venom)

Cody Fanatic: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. Granted Jacques is the lesser of two evils in comparison to Josee, but he's still part of an antagonistic force, and I think it's important to show his part in that. I figured that if I was going to end things properly with Cameron and Lightning, it would be best to show how to learn from your past mistakes and move forward. On that note, I thought that just because this was where they were going to go out doesn't mean they would have to be at each other's throats. I'm also glad to see you read my previous Ridonculous Race story. I am using it as inspiration in some areas, but I'm not going to just copy and past all of the ideas that I had from that story. I'm not going to spoil anything regarding the elimination order, so as far as that goes, you're just going to have to wait and see.

SuperSonicHeroes: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. Yeah, Cameron and Lightning being canon finalists made it pretty clear that they weren't going to win in this fic, but at least I gave them a solid arc and had them go out on a satisfying note.

Frosty Wolf: I know what you mean, I had grown pretty fond of writing out the character arc of Brains & Brawn myself, but given that they were both previous finalists, I think it was safe to say that they were never going to win. Still though, I'm glad to see you enjoyed the chapter, so thanks.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Last time on the Ridonculous Race: We got a front row seat to some serious head games, and some even headeir games, and some even headier games than that, and I mean that in the most literal sense possible. I think the headiest of all was when the Ice Dancers tried to get into the heads of Brains & Brawn, especially when they managed to score a Boomerang and sent them spiralling all the way into last place, and out of the race entirely. Man, is it me or did it just get cold in here? Oh yeah right, that's because we're still at hte Arctic Circle, but now things are about to heat up to the extreme, because it's time to start the next exciting installment of… the Ridonculous Race!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One intro later…

"And here we are again." once the intro had come to an end, Don started off the new episode in front of the Chill Zone from the day before "As is to be expected by now, the Chill Zone from last week is the starting line for today. In this case it's the Arctic Circle, and since the Goths won the last race, that means they get to right to grab the first travel tip of the day. And then after them are…"

"I don't know how we survived out here dressed like this." Geoff and Bridgette on the other hand were still trying to take the cold in stride, though the former was struggling a bit more in that regard "I mean seriously, my nipples are rigid right now."

"...Yeah word to the wise Geoff, not the sort of thing you'd want to say on air. We're still in the middle of a legal battle to keep that family rating."

"Sorry Don, just telling it like it is. But if it helps, you can have this bad boy that I made earlier today." he gestured to an ice carving of a swan that sat nearby "And take my buddy Brody's word for it, that's only like the second best nipple carving I've ever done."

"Uh huh. That would be a lot more touching if I didn't know how you made it, but I'll still be damned if I didn't think that was still pretty impressive." Don paused, then glanced back over at the camera "Yeah, anyway like I was saying, the Goths get to go first."

Sure enough, Ennui and Crimson (with Loki perched on the former's shoulder) made their way up to the Don Box, and the former glanced over at the camera "Fluffy white snow, it's never been our thing."

"Then again, it did get us in first place." Crimson pointed out "And the law of averages means that we're bound to go somewhere that's less of a nightmare for us, and more of a nightmare in a good way."

"Perhaps." Ennui pun on the Don Box and pulled out a tip "It says that we have to fly to Flores, Indonesia."

"...Is that better or worse than here?"

"More than likely worse, it's supposed to be fairly warm."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh believe me, it's a lot more than just fairly warm. Flores, Indonesia is known to be packed with a series of beautiful empty beaches, majestic ranges of mountains and jungles filled to the brim with ominous silences. Each team will have to take a flight to Indonesia and take a taxi to a certain local village, where they'll find the Don Box with their next set of instructions. I'm sure at least some of you are wondering, how do the locals manage to keep tourists away from such an island paradise? Nobody knows with absolute certainly, but it may or may not have something to do with the problem the locals have with komodo dragons."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And now for an unexpected change of plans…

"Got it." Bridgette was the next one to pull out a travel tip from the Don Box "Huh, looks like we're going to Indonesia."

"Cool, I always wanted to try some of that curry stuff." Geoff gave an innocent grin, only to be met with a few confused looks from the others "What?"

"Sweetie that's India, we're going to Indonesia."

"Yep, I just went over the details in the narration." Don noted dryly from where he was standing next to a series of cargo planes "Our eight remaining teams will be departing on one of three different cargo planes, each of them taking off an hour apart from each other based on when they arrived at the Chill Zone."

"Which means that us, the Goths and the Ice Dancers."

"Aw man, I was kind of hoping it was just gonna be the two of us." Geoff shot Bridgette his typical grin, only for both of them to jump and him to hoist her into his arms as a pissed off narwhal burst through the ice beneath them "What the (bleep)?!"

"Yeah, I probably should've given you guys a heads up." Don pointed to where the narwhal had popped the tires on the wheels of one of the planes "Apparently the narwhals weren't as happy about the ring toss game during the last leg of the race as we were led to believe."

"Aw man, and I thought those things were so cool and friendly after I saw one of them in that one Christmas movie. You know, the one about the one guy who's raised by elves and then goes to live in New York?"

"That elf movie with Will Ferrell?"

"Yeah, that one is awesome."

"I will admit it aged better than I thought it would. It also raises questions about how a guy like him goes from movies like that to stuff like Stepbrothers is beyond me." Don shook off that thought and turned back to the camera "Anyway, putting aside that little interruption, the same idea still stands but with two planes."

"Um…" Bridgette pointed to where the narwhals were immediately popping the tires on the second plane.

"...Okay new plan, caution to the wind. Everybody on the last plane right now, go go go, move move more! HURRY!" and that was enough to send all of the teams running to grab their tips from the Don Box, and then rushing onto the last plane. Well, all but one of the teams that is.

"This is an absolute outrage!" Josee on the other hand was less than cooperative "It's bad enough as it is that we're not in first where we should be, but I'm not going to let myself be stuck on a death trap with the rest of these peasants!"

"Well considering what the alternative is-" Jacques didn't get a chance to finish before a narwhal bursting through the ice scared him into Josee's arms "I think the choice is actually a pretty simple one, don't you?"

"...Okay, you might have a point there, but know that I do this under protest!"

"That is to be expected." and so they rushed onto the plane, which managed to take off without any of its tires getting popped. Not for the lack of trying on the part of the narwhals.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So putting aside the unexpected change of plans, the race has turned into an eight-way tie for first, as all of our remaining teams are on the same flight to sunny Indonesia. A country free of narwhals, and thank the great god above for it. Unfortunately what they lack in narwhals, they make up for in komodo dragons, so… kind of a win-win situation then."

"Go go go go go go!" as soon as the plane came to a stop and the hatch opened, all of the teams came rushing out at full speed. Well, all but one of them that is.

"So long losers, I'll see you at the finish line, behind us of course!" as it turns out, Josee and Jacques had gotten their hands on a truck and were using it to get ahead… only to be forced to turn around screaming as the plane came at them.

"Come on hurry up, we need to get a taxi!" Noah and Owen were among the last teams to reach the road and try to grab a taxi "Hurry up and try to hail a taxi, and for the love of god don't even think about yanking off your shirt to do it. I already saw the Rockers do it once, we don't need to make it a trend."

"But why? You've seen me shirtless before." Owen pointed out.

"I've also been electrocuted by aliens, mauled by a dingo, forced to marry Alejandro, devour live meal worms and jump out of a plane, which was actually less dangerous than spending weeks riding in that death trap itself."

"Hey Noah over here, you can ride with us!" Emma got their attention and ushered them into the cab that she and Kitty had hailed, only to notice the look that Kitty was giving her "What?"

"Okay I'm just gonna go ahead and say this now." Kitty leaned over towards Emma, her voice low "On the one hand, I'm so proud of you giving love another shot and finding a guy that you really care about. But on the other hand, I would also like to win the race and get my hands on a million bucks, if you take my meaning."

"Oh come on, what do you take me for?

"Well would you look at that?" Noah let out a low whistle as he glanced at the landscape "Just take look at the sapphire blue water, hot and steamy jungles as far as the eye can see. Normally stuff like that makes me sick, but if there weren't so many people around, like say just the two of us, I'd at least find it bearable."

"Hey watch it Noah, keep in mind that we agreed to not officially start dating until after the race was over."

"Yeah I know, I was talking to Owen."

"...Oh. You're too hilarious."

"Most of my humor comes from me not giving a (bleep) about most of the insanity that goes on around me." Noah glanced over at Owen "Though being around you helps to desensitize me from stuff like that."

"Um… sure." Owen returned his glance, though it was a rather nervous one.

"What?"

"You okay little buddy?"

"Fine, why?"

"Well it's just that you're smiling a lot today, even though…"

"Even though I've made a point to make it clear just how much I hate people who do that unless it's you or Cody? I guess I just finally realized how much of a win-win situation this race has turned out to be for yours truly. The second either us or the Sisters get kicked off the race, I get to go out with the hottest girl alive. If we win the race then I win, if we get kicked off the race then I still win."

"But uh, we still don't wanna lose or anything right?"

"Well duh, I'm not a (bleep) lunatic. No way in hell I'm gonna pass up on the chance to win a million bucks. Just because I actually feel something akin to happiness for once doesn't mean I'm stupid." it was at this that the cab came to a stop, and they took notice of a certain sign on the side of the road "Dragon crossing?"

"OMG, I gotta get a selfie with this!" Kitty was quick to whip out her phone.

"Right, take a picture of a street sign. That oughta get a lot of attention on Twitter."

"Um, guys?" Owen promptly directed their attention to where a komodo dragon had appeared at the crossing and was staring down the taxi "OMG that is terrifying!"

"Dude I've been mauled by a jackal, forced to ride in the death trap that was the Total Drama Jumbo Jet, and endured plenty of your farts over the past few years. This thing doesn't hold a candle to any of that." Noah paused when he looked over to see the komodo dragon tearing off the front fender of the cab with its teeth "Though I will admit that it is turning out to be a pretty good candidate."

"DRIVE!" Emma on the other hand wasn't handling the stress of the situation as well as Noah, and was promptly clinging onto him for dear life "Don't just sit there, drive like hell and don't look back! Run it over! JUST GO!"

"...And the situation does have some benefits."

"Are you kidding, this place is crazy." Owen muttered.

"Take it easy chubby buddy. I said before that I've had to endure your farts for many years, so the way I see it, those dragons should be afraid of you." and that dry comment turned out to be enough to make Emma burst out laughing "Funny or not, it's still true."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One semi-dangerous cab ride later…

"Well I might have lost feeling in my pelvis for awhile, but I'd say it was worth it." Noah and the others exited their cab once they, along with the Surfers and the Best Friends reached the sight of the Don Box… only to find a fairly large komodo dragon sleeping in front of it "So… who wants to go for it?"

"Hey no worries bro, just honk and it'll scatter no problem." Geoff promptly honked on the horn of the cab, leaving it to speed away as the komodo dragon chased after it "See?"

"...Geoff sweetie, I think we need to have a serious talk later about the moral implications of that whole thing." Bridgette promptly went over to the Don Box and pulled out a tip "Looks like this challenge is an All In. How to Milk Your Dragon?"

"Woah. Wait, we have to do what now?"

"Apparently make an obligatory reference." Noah commented dryly "Though I will say that I give them points for being creative with it this time."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yep you heard him right, and yes that was a reference to How to Train Your Dragon. Just when you thought these creatures would turn out to be somewhat harmless, it turns out their saliva just so happens to be loaded to the brim with venom. Each team will have to collect one vial filled with the drool of a komodo dragon and hand it to the local at the end of the challenge site in order to receive their next travel tip. But with that being said, try to avoid getting bitten by one of those things. In the event that you do, side effects may include headache, nausea, dizziness and being eaten alive by a komodo dragon."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And now for the frontrunners…

"I don't know, this challenge seems pretty dangerous." Devin glanced down at the tip, then over at Carrie "You sure you aren't gonna wanna sit this one out?"

"What do you mean, why would I?" asked Carrie.

"I mean you read the tip, these things are seriously dangerous, and if one of them got their hands on you…" he shuddered slightly at the thought, only to stop when he felt Carrie gently take his hands in hers.

"I know these kinds of things can be risky, but we did promise that whatever we deal with, we'd face it together. Just have some faith in me, okay homie?"

"...Alright."

"Great, now let's get moving." and so she rushed off towards the site of the challenge.

"Woah…" Devin on the other hand was left staring at her retreating form "Okay that's kind of weird, when did Carrie get so… curvy?"

"I'm pretty sure that runs in the family." Geoff patted Devin on the back, causing him to jump and recoil "What, you've seen Bridge. I know what I'm talking about."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with another group of teams…

"Okay, this gets more and more unsettling by the second." Kitty carefully made her way through the group of komodo dragons and over to where Emma and Noah were in the middle of cuddling on the balcony of one of the huts along the beach "So here's the thing, I know that you're in your happy place right now, but is there any chance you'd be willing to do this challenge on our own, like without Owen and Noah?"

"What's the big deal? They've always helped us." Emma pointed out.

"Helped as in the past tense. But in case you haven't noticed, the PDA is starting to throw off our game in this race."

"Oh come on, you're exaggerating."

"On the one hand, I don't want to take sides." Noah spoke up from where he had Emma sitting in his lap cuddling up against his chest "But on the other hand, Kitty might be onto something with that logic."

"Alright alright fine, we'll split up for this challenge. After five more minutes."

"Good enough for me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with one of the… less intelligent teams…

"Hey come on little buddy, you wanna give us some drool?" Spud held out a vial as he crept his way towards a komodo dragon, only to be held back by Rock "Hey what gives man?"

"Take it easy dude, you don't wanna let one of those things get you." Rock told him.

"Oh, you mean because they can breathe fire right?"

"No because- Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Yeah it's basic fantasy rules, the first thing to remember about dealing with anything involving dragons or magic stuff is that they breathe fire, so we gotta make sure we don't get burned by its flames."

"Dude they don't breathe fire, they're not real dragons. The only fire-based stuff we've had to deal with since the race started was the hot coals in Hawaii and that one air guitar concert you had to do back in Finland." Rock paused, then glanced back at Spud, a huge grin spreading across his face "You know what, I think you just gave me a really good idea. I don't think I've ever said before."

"Said what?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with another team…

"Okay, here's what I'm thinking." Trent pulled two mangos off of a tree branch and turned back to Leshawna "All we have to do is throw a mango to one of them, let it finish it and then pick up the saliva from the pit when it's done. For all we know, that thing is going to get soaked to the brim with venom."

"So why did you grab two of them?" asked Leshawna.

"I was hungry."

"And why are you holding out the other one to me?"

"Becuase they're more likely to be scared of you than they are of me."

"Huh. Can't argue with that, hand the thing over." so Leshawna promptly made her way over to where a group of komodo dragons were laying around "Hey what's up big guys, anyone want a mango?" she was met with a raised eyebrow and one of them licking its lips "Good, they like the thing."

"Okay so far so good, now let him chew on it and take the pit when it's done."

"Works for me, now gnaw on this thing and give us some of the good stuff." Leshawna dropped the mango in front of them komodo dragon… only for it to roar and pounce at her.

Trent on the other hand, could only cringe at the sight "Ouch, suddenly I feel bad for the komodo dragon." and then he just started eating his own mango.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with two other Total Drama veterans…

"Well they look harmless enough." Noah and Owen poked their heads out from behind a rock as they watched a group of komodo dragons gnawing on a skeleton, and promptly devour an entire antler in one gulp "But then again people say the same thing about you, and I'm pretty sure your farts have killed a person at least once."

"Hey come on little buddy, the autopsy was inconclusive." Owen pointed out.

"I know what I saw, heard and smelled that day. Anyway we gotta come up with a plan to get some salvia from those things."

"Maybe they won't bother trying to eat us if they're already full."

"You say that as if being full has ever stopped you from eating. Why don't we just wait for them to finish and then grab some spit from the carcas."

"Great idea little buddy."

"Anyway we got a few free minutes, we could talk about our goals in life, catch up on the latest news on the anime front a, or maybe go and see what the Sisters are up to?"

"Um…"

"No you're right, gotta tone it down a few notches or else turn into the Surfers or whatever the hell is going on with Harold and Leshawna."

"...So did you see the latest episode of My Hero Academia?"

"Oh big time. Plus did you hear that they're making movies for Black Clover and Demon Slayer that they're going to stream on Netflix?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with one of the dumber teams…

"Okay I think I've got it." Rock finished digging around in his pockets and pulled out a certain object: a lighter "Perfect, this is gonna be wicked!"

"Woah." Spud shot a dull look at Rock "We're gonna teach the dragons how to smoke? That's a pretty bad habit dude."

"No! Well I mean that would be kind of cool to see, but this is how we're gonna get that thing to give us some spit. Now we just gotta put some fuel in your tank. Let me get on your shoulders, I'm gonna go for one of those mangos."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the pros…

"Hey check it out." Owen poked his head over a rock and found a layer of komodo skin lying abandoned on the ground "It looks like that komodo up and exploded or something."

"Wait what?" Noah poked his head over Owen's shoulder "No that's just a layer of skin, I guess that means komodos molt like every other reptile."

"Huh… I wonder…"

"Aw crapbaskets, the cheesy wheels are turning inside your head aren't they?"

"If I went and wore the skin of a komodo, then I can just crawl up to one of them and swipe some spit no problem!"

"Uh huh. Just to clarify, you're saying you wanna make out with a komodo dragon? Well you are married to Izzy, so there's a pretty good chance this is actually less dangerous."

"No no, nothing like that. I'd never cheat on my hot bundle of crazy. It wasn't my plan in the first place."

"Then what is your plan?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with two other Total Drama veterans…

"Okay there it is, right in the line of sight…" Geoff and Bridgette poked their heads out from behind a rock and found a komodo dragon lurking in front of them "Here's what I'm thinking, we go in on three and then you leave the rest of it to me. Okay?"

"You still haven't told me what your plan is to get some venom." Bridgette pointed out "What's this amazing plan you keep telling me you have?"

"I figured we could bag a komodo the same way Brains & Brawn did back during that bunny bagging challenge in Australia. I figured if it worked for bunnies, why wouldn't it work for giant lizards loaded to the brim with venom? Plus I got this idea from that one chick cop that's part of my bowling league."

"Wait Geoff, are you sure that-"

"HOLD IT!" Geoff pounced out from behind the rock and landed in the middle of the group of komodo dragons… only for them to start closing in on him and Bridgette.

"Um Geoff, they're not stopping. I don't supposed you have a Plan B?"

"That depends, you think you can get close enough to scratch their stomachs?"

"What makes you think that would work on them?"

"Everyone loves that, sometimes I even do it to myself."

"True as that may be, I don't think we'll be able to get past their giant teeth and claws to be able to do that."

"In that case, gonna go ahead and put my own Plan B into effect."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One transition later…

"Okay, done." Geoff looked down from where he and Bridgette were clinging onto the trunk of a tree with at least two dozen komodo dragons surrounding it "I call plan B a success."

"Somehow, I don't think this is really a good plan." Bridgette clung tighter to the tree as she saw one of the komodo dragons try to climb and fail.

"Hey we're not dead, and at least we're together, right babe?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the antagonist team…

"Okay, that's disgusting." Josee recoiled as she watched a komodo dragon cough up a pile of bones and leave them in a puddle of drool, and then she glanced up at Jacques "Well what the hell are you waiting for? Go get some venom."

"I know, I'm on it." so Jacques rushed out from behind the tree they were using to hide and moved to snag some of the venom, only to end up tripping on the bones and falling flat on his face… right in front of a komodo dragon, which subsequently roared in his face, before suddenly retreating back a short distance "Um… okay then."

As it turns out, Crimson and Ennui had made their way onto the scene, and the former held out a vile to the komodo "Spare us some venom?" the only response they received from the komodo was it running away in fear "Ugh, like fine, whatever."

"What did you… How did you just do that?"

"Ennui and I both wear organic komodo dragon musk deodorant, it's called Komodorant. They obviously get it from larger and scarier komodo dragons, so we smell like trouble to the rest of these wimps."

"...Good for you two."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with one of the less adaptable teams…

"Wow, that's a lot of teeth." Carrie recoiled at the sight of the komodo dragon in front of them letting out a roar "Maybe if we just throw it a piece of food or a branch or something, and then we can get it once it's done."

"Not a bad idea homie, but just stay back. I can handle this one." Devin gently ushered Carrie off to the side and slowly approached the komodo "Hey little buddy, just stay calm and hold still, this won't hurt a bit…"

While that was going on, Carrie just glanced over at the camera "Wow, lately Devin has been acting so… protective. Does that mean that maybe he… No, I don't want to get my hopes up if I don't know for sure that he-"

"RUN!" this was when Devin bolted past Carrie, grabbing her by the hand and dragging her away as the komodo dragon chased after them "Okay I gotta admit, I imagined that plan going way differently!"

"What did you do to it?"

"I tried to tickle its tummy to get it to calm down so I could get some venom, and it turns out they don't like that!"

"Why did you think that was going to work?"

"Because everyone likes having their tummy tickled, why do you think Geoff makes me do it to him whenever we're alone?"

"...What?"

"Forget about that, just RUN!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with a newly integrated komodo…

"Alright Owen, time to show them what you're made of." Owen braced himself as he slowly made his way up to a group of komodo dragons, clad in an abandoned skin, and then he started talking "I say mates, mind if I join in yeah?"

"You gotta be kidding me, why the hell would he fake an accent?" Noah anxiously poked his head out from behind a rock, only to see the komodo dragons disregard Owen and go back to doing what they were doing, and his expression dulled considerably "Nevermind it's working, because of course it is. What point is there to logic and common sense anymore anyway?"

"Hey what do you know, these bones are actually pretty tasty." Owen found himself gnawing on one of the bones, and then he felt one of the komodos ticking his ear using its tongue "Aw that tickles, you know I like you too big guy." and then he started licking the komodo across its nose, weirding it out "You know I always like making new friends, now what to name you? Oh I know, I'm gonna call you Chewy."

That turned out to be enough to make Noah puke into a nearby bush "Okay seriously, how in the hell is he still alive?"

"Alright sorry Chewy, just gotta get some of your stuff and… got it!" Owen gave a grin full of triumph as he finished filling his vial with venom "Now that's a right beauty ain't it? Well I'll just be moseying off to-" he didn't get a chance to leave before Chewy suddenly pounced on him and started lounging around on his back "Or not. Hey Noah, a little help mate?"

"He's your boyfriend, you dump him."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the future fire starters…

"Okay, let's go over the plan." Rock glanced over at a komodo dragon from where he was hidden in a bush, and then he turned to Spud "You got the lighter?"

"Right here man." Spud held up a lighter.

"You got the mangos to put fuel in your tank."

"Yep." he started downing another.

"Good, make sure there's plenty in there, then open the lighter and let er rip!"

"On it!" so Spud turned around and held the lighter up to his backside, and then he farted, which subsequently released a green wave of flames that torched the bush, as well as a fair amount of the greenery in its path.

"Now!" while the komodo was distracted trying to get away from the flames, Rock snuck up behind it and pinned it to the ground under his legs "Perfect, now I just gotta get some venom and then we're home free- When did everything turn upside down?" he looked up and saw that the komodo was now sitting on top of him, snarling angrily in his face "Right, reptile with big teeth, and apparently pretty strong. Aw crapbaskets. Spud help!"

"Mmm… mango…" Spud on the other hand was getting deep into the mango he was eating, and then a thought came to him "Hey Rock, you want one of these too? Rock? Where did you go dude?"

"HELP! EVIL DRAGON LIZARD THING TRYING TO EAT MY FACE!"

"Hang tight dude, I'm on it." Spud turned his back to where Rock was trying to avoid being eaten, and then he opened the lighter and positioned himself…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the tree hugging power couple…

"Okay, they haven't moved in awhile. They might be asleep." Bridgette grabbed a mango and dropped it to the ground, only for it to be thrown back in her face "Or maybe not."

"Well it could be worse babe, at least we're together." Geoff gave her a small smile "Even if we lose the race, and probably our lives, I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be. Well a few of those places actually, but no one I'd rather be with either way."

"Aw, you're so sweet Geoff."

"Just telling it like it is. I love you babe."

"I love you too."

"And that's why there's something I want to ask you, something I've wanted too for awhile, even if we might not get the chance to see it through."

"Whatever it is doesn't matter, I just want to spend it with you." Bridgette let out a somewhat wistful sigh "I just wish that I could've gotten to see Carrie one last time, make sure that my sister is happy before… you know."

"Yeah. That actually might be a lot closer than you think."

"What do you mean?"

"Okay I'd say don't tell Devin I'm the one that told you this, but he's totally been checking out your sister for the past few days."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Oh yeah, back in the Artcic I noticed him staring at her butt, and earlier today I heard him call her curvy? And I know for a fact that he's speaking the truth."

"That's great, now they- Wait what?" she shot a look at Geoff "What do you mean he's speaking the truth? You realize that's my sister you're talking about."

"Of course I do, I know it's true because it looks so similar to yours."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the fire starters…

"Okay then, here you go little dude." Rock (covered in soot, scratches and claw marks from head to toe) held out the filled vial to the local "Can we get our tip now?"

"Hold on a second." this was when Don showed up on the scene and took the vial, only to pause as he looked at Rock "What the hell happened to you?"

"Tried to get some spit from the komodo… didn't go that well." he let out a shallow cough full of soot "Probably not the best plan to use a lighter and sneak up on it."

"Uh huh." Don held up the vial and studied it closely "Wait a second, is this… blood?"

"Pretty good chance actually." Rock gestured to the various scratches and claw marks from across his torso "I tried to sit on top of the thing and pin it down, but then it got the better of me and… it got kind of ugly from there."

"...You know what, I don't want to know. Just go back and do it again, and whatever you do to get the venom, make sure you keep it PG. We don't need the lawsuit."

"Aw man… okay."

"But first, get one of the medics to take a look at you. Seriously, you look like you just came out of a war zone."

"You ever had to fight one of those things dude? I might as well have." Rock breathed a sigh as he allowed himself to be pulled off to the side by one of the interns.

"Wait, what are we doing again?" Spud shot him a dull look, earning a loud groan from Rock.

"And then there's that. I can only guess how some of the other teams are doing with this."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with one of the other teams…

"Okay Jacques, easy now…" Jacques slowly crept his way towards a sleeping komodo dragon, trying to keep himself calm as he did so "It can't be that hard to handle a venomous reptile, you skated with Josee for years after all."

"Ahem." Josee got his attention from where where she was standing three feet away, glaring holes into his back "You know I'm standing right here."

"Um… I do now." and on that note, Jacques crept closer to the komodo with his vial in hand, and tried to grab some drool dripping from its mouth, only for a loud rumbling to send it running away, right before both of the Ice Dancers got trampled by a stampede of komodos hurtling over them "Ow… why…?"

"Come back, you cowards." this was when Crimson and Ennui calmly walked past them without acknowledging their presence.

"Oh. Right. Komodorant. Good for them."

"Okay you know what, this is ridiculous!" Josee yanked herself and Jacques onto their feet "I say it's time to forget the challenge and focus on destroying the other teams!"

"Right, because that worked out so well last time."

"Hey, we got them eliminated."

"The sabotage and mind games failed miserably, the only reason they got eliminated is because we used the Boomerang on them. We don't have one of those now."

"We don't need one either. Just follow my lead." so with that in mind, Josee made her way over to the Goths and put on a fake smiles "Hey guys, I have to say that little rabbit of yours there is just so darling. Jacques used to carry around a shih tzu just like it."

"Loki isn't darling." Ennui cast an emotionless glance at the Ice Dancers "He serves as a beacon of famine."

"Oh that's just wonderful. But still he must be terrified by all this, the thought that those komodo dragons are just waiting to gobble him up. One wrong move and he's dragon chow. It would be in his best interest to get him out of here while you can."

"Hmm…" Crimson's frown deepened with thought, and then she looked at the others "Let's see for ourselves what Loki has to say. Ennui, establish a link with him."

"Uh, what are you-"

"Silence. The link is being established." Ennui closed his eyes and leaned forward as Crimson held up Loki, their foreheads touching "Loki is refusing to leave. He has another plan to secure what we need."

"Huh. Good for you." Josee promptly turned away and shot a smirk at Jacques as she pulled him behind a set of bushes nearby "Are the two of them seriously taking orders from a rabbit? The way I see it those rabbit lovers might as well pack their bags, they're coming in last place."

"Um, somehow I wouldn't be so sure about that." Jacques pointed to where Loki was perching himself on a high up branch in a nearby tree, throwing acorns at a komodo dragon to get its attention, and subsequently drooling into a bucket as it tried and failed to get Loki "Wow."

"Loki doesn't know fear. Them on the other hand, they can smell it." Ennui and Crimson went over to the komodo and scared it off once their bucket was full enough "Yes, smell your defeat at the paws of one who knows no fear." and so they scooped enough venom up to fill their vial, and once Loki was perched back on Ennui's shoulder they walked away.

"And again I say, wow."

"That is one b-a-d bunny." Josee muttered.

"Well I think it's safe to say that plan backfired, and much faster than I was expecting it too as well."

"Who cares about that, we've got what we need! To the winner's circle!" Josee scooped some venom into her vial from the bucket, which she promptly kicked over, and then she and Jacques took off running.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the frontrunners…

"Here." Crimson handed the vial of komodo venom to the local and promptly received a travel tip in return "It's an All In, prepare to meet your loom."

"That pun is painful, and not the good kind." Ennui muttered.

"It's not the worst one they've used though."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yeah we've gotta get a new guy to make the puns, but it is accurate to use the word loom in this case. Indonesia is well known for making ikat textiles, and I mean a lot of them. Somewhere in the ridonculously oversized piles are eight ridonculous rugs with the logo for the race on the front of it, one for each team. Each team will have to find one of them, and only then can they make their way all the way over to the Chill Zone. Not that I'm in a rush, I like to take some time to enjoy the scenery. Also, as is to be expected by now, the last team to arrive may be cut from the race."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with two Total Drama veterans…

"Okay, I definitely didn't think things were gonna turn out like this." Trent looked down at the group of angry komodo dragons trying to climb the tree he and Leshawna were sitting in, and he shot a glare over at the latter "Remind me again how you managed to piss off an entire group of these things?"

"Hey don't get mad at me for that!" Leshawna was quick to defend herself "I tried to pin that thing to the ground to get some of its spit, then the others all jumped in and tried to gang the hell up on me! Next thing I know, we're up here."

"Probably some kind of pack mentality then." Trent was met with a raised eyebrow "I still hang out with Cody every now and then, some of his brains tend to rub off on you after awhile. Then there's those random facts you learn when you're on the internet, like how you can deter a shark by smacking it on the nose with a wooden paddle."

"Smack it on the nose huh? That gives me an idea." so Leshawna ripped a branch off the tree and subsequently started using it to beat the komodo over the head until it fell to the ground in an unconscious heap, which scared off the others in the process "There, looks to me like we're good now."

"...Does that count as animal cruelty on some level?"

"Worry about that after we get out of here, for now just head down there and scoop up some of its drool."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the power couple…

"Okay, so is it just my arms that are getting tired?" Geoff glanced over to see Bridgette holding up just fine, though his own arms drooping slightly "Yeah that figures."

"No worries sweetie, give me one second." Bridgette gritted her teeth as she hoisted herself up onto a high branch, and then pulled Geoff up onto it "You good?"

"I'm good, thanks babe. So what do we do now?"

"...Start screaming for help?"

"Yeah, I guess we probably should've done that an hour ago."

"Probably. HELP!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the fire starters…

"Okay, I'm thinking this time we forget the lighter plan." Rock (covered in several bandages all over his torso) and Spud poked their head out of the bushes "We're gonna have to come up with a new plan."

"Wait, what are we doing again?" Spud glanced over at Rock "Can I get more fruit?"

"Get them after we get the lizard spit, we gotta come up with a plan or we're screwed."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, we gotta distract it or something or-" it was then that they heard the sound of loud screaming "You hear that?"

"Screaming like Steven Tyler?"

"That's a pretty high mark for screaming, but yeah basically." so the two of them rushed over to check it out and found Geoff and Bridgette stuck in their tree, still surrounded by an angry group of komodo dragons "Holy crap, it's Geoff and his girl! Hang tight guys, we're gonna get you down from there!"

"We are?"

"We can't just leave them up there, so grab some sticks."

"Like these?" he held up two sticks and handed one to Rock.

"Got it, now let's do this! BATTLE CRY!" and so the two of them charged forward… only to be sent running away screaming by a pack of komodos charging at them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

About two minutes later…

"Okay, I think it's safe to say that didn't work." now Rock and Spud found themselves huddled on the same tree as the Surfers, and the former glanced over at the others "So anyone got a plan for what we oughta do now?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"As the Surfers and the Rockers are left to circle the last place drain, the Goths and the Ice Dancers are still battling it out for the lead, and the rest of the teams are still working on collecting their venom. Some of them have more success than others. One team however hasn't made much progress at all."

"Okay Chewy, you're kind of digging into my spine there…" Owen wined from the pain he felt, and then he made a desperate plead "Help… me…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, at the Chill Zone…

"But you never know what's going to happen. More often than not, the team that you think is in first will end up in last." Don paused when he looked over and took notice of a certain change in that plan "And by that I mean congratulations, the Goths take first place. I'm just as shocked as the rest of you."

"What, you mean we have to take silver again?! This race is fixed!" Josee started swinging her rug around in a fit of rage, knocking out Jacques in the process "Those pasty-faced freaks went and stole the gold that rightfully belongs to me! I bet you guys are just loving all of it right about now!"

"Do they look like they're loving it to you?" Don jerked a thumb at where the Goths still stood emotionlessly "Any comment on your victory today?"

"We won." was all Crimson said.

"And there you go. Anyway now that the first team is over and the winners are celebrating their victory, more and more teams are completing the second challenge and making their way to the Chill Zone."

"Make way sistas, coming through!" this was when Leshawna and Trent bolted onto the Carpet of Completion, with the Sisters closing in right behind them, and the Best Friends coming in a short while after.

"That makes third place for the Performers, fourth place for the Sisters, and fifth place for the Best Friends."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Unfortunately, while many of the teams are making progress on the challenges, the final three teams are left stuck in a rut and/or tree."

"Okay, this is going too far." Bridgette glanced over at the others "We need to create some kind of diversion, if we throw something that smells like one of us then they might go after it and give us the chance to escape."

"...I think I know what I have to do." Geoff took a deep breath and slowly pulled his hat off of his head.

"Sweetie what are you doing? That's your hat."

"I know, but you gave up your principles to help us stay in the race back at the dude ranch. If I have to get rid of my hat in order to keep you safe, then it's a trade worth making." so with a deep breath, Geoff threw his hat off into the distance, causing the group of komodo dragons to chase after it, allowing them to return to the ground safely.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the other straggler team…

"Okay, I think it's about time for us to draw the line." Noah looked down at where Owen was still pinned under Chewy "Seriously, at this rate we're gonna come in last!"

"And it's getting worse, Chewy's drooling in his sleep." Owen was immediately met with some drool going into his eye, leaving it red and swollen and him screaming.

"You okay chubby buddy?"

"The venom's in my eye, oh great gobs of chudney it burns!" and then he let out a fart, which proved to be enough to scare Chewy off in a coughing fit, allowing Owen to stand up and take off the komodo skin "Huh, lucky for us. I guess they forgot to mention that farting is a side effect of komodo venom."

"No. It isn't."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the other stragglers…

"Man, this ain't good for any of us." Rock glanced over at the others as they hid behind a series of bushes "Those things are tougher than they look so it's not like we can just sneak up on it and pin it down. I already tried that and it made a chew toy out of me."

"You don't need to gang up on it, you just gotta know how to scare them off." Geoff told him "I did it earlier with the one hanging around the first Don Box."

"Really, how did you pull that off?"

"Oh I just honked on the taxi horn and made the thing follow after it." Geoff paused and shared a long look with the others, and then he bolted out from the bushes "You know what, that gives me an idea."

"Geoff what are you gonna do?" asked Bridgette.

"This. TAXI!" and then a taxi suddenly pulled up out of nowhere.

"How the heck are there taxis in the jungle?"

"Don't worry about it babe, just hang back and leave it to me." Geoff then cast a glance over at the cab driver "Hey sorry about this man, you mind lowering one of the windows?" the cab driver did so "Thanks. HERE KOMODO!" he honked on the horn, drawing a komodo to the window, which Geoff promptly closed part of the way, trapping it there and allowing him to fill a vial with some of its drool "Thanks for the help man, so who wants some drool?"

"Right on dude!" Rock went next and filled up his vial, though after this he looked over and noticed the cab driver breathing into a paper bag "You think we oughta help him out? He's not looking so hot."

"Stand back, I've got him." Bridgette knelt down next to the cab driver and tried to help calm him down "Easy there, in and out, nice and slow."

"Oh cool, you got medical training?"

"First aid at least."

"Nice."

"Um, hey dude?" Spud looked over at him.

"Yeah?"

"You think he's freaking out because the lizard is still in the window?" he pointed to where the komodo dragon was still stuck in the window, squirming wildly.

"...Oh yeah, that's a good point. Anyway let's go, we've got a challenge to win!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So after a comically long struggle on two fronts, the bottom three teams have finally moved onto the second challenge. The race to not come in last is on like Donkey Kong."

"Aw crapbaskets, that's a lot of piles." Noah looked up at the giant pile of textiles in front of them "Well if it's gotta be done then it's gonna be done, I'll search this one and you-"

"Going down!" Owen tripped over a rug on the ground and fell flat on his face "Aw man, I landed on my keys."

"...Okay new plan, I'll search and you try not to hurt yourself."

"Forget that little buddy, I'm not holding us back now! LET'S DO THIS!" Owen let out a roar as he bolted to his feet and charged forward… straight into a pile of textiles, sending the whole thing tumbling down on top of them, though he managed to dig himself out with one of the rugs in hand "Hey Noah check it out, I think I found one! Noah? Noah where did you go?"

"I have no idea where I am!"

"What?! Hang on little buddy, I'll dig you out of there!"

"Hurry up babe, we gotta find the right rug!" this was when the Surfers and the Rockers rushed onto the scene and stared searching through the piles to find a rug.

"Noah! Noah hold on!" Owen on the other hand was left to try and find Noah among the various piles, though he was having little success in that regard, yet he continued his search regardless, until…

"I found it!" Bridgette held up a rug, and then she and Geoff took off running towards the Chill Zone.

"I got one!" Rock held up a ridonculous rug, and then he and Spud rushed off, leaving Owen to try and find Noah before it was too late.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Now for the end result…

"It's a three way race to avoid come in last, but who's going to be sent home? It's going to be a close one, and…" Don cut himself short when he saw the Surfers and the Rockers rush into the Chill Zone with their rugs in hand "It wasn't close at all. Talk about anticlimactic."

"You think that's bad, try the final battle in Soul Eater." Spud muttered.

"I'll take your word for it. Anyway, that's sixth place for the Surfers and seventh place for the Rockers. And now for the last ones."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Now to the last place team…

"NOAH!" Owen was still searching through the piles in a desperate bid to find Noah, only to stop when he saw Don approaching them "Uh oh."

"Sorry fellas, but this is where it ends for you." Don's tone was solemn.

"Does that mean…"

"I'm afraid so. As the last team to finish, you've been cut from the race." and then he turned on his heel and walked away.

"Aw man…"

"Noah, Noah where are you?" this was when Emma came rushing back onto the scene and began to search through the various piles of rugs "If I could find you then I'd totally kiss you."

"If only it could work as easy as-"

"HERE I AM!" Noah's head suddenly poked out into the open.

"Oh come on, where was that energy a minute ago?!"

"Where was the motivation?"

"How about right here." Emma grabbed him by the head and pulled him into a hug.

"Okay as awesome as this is, it is kind of hurting my neck."

"Sorry. But anyway, you meet me at the final Chill Zone after Kitty and I win the race, and then we'll go on our first date, okay?"

"Works for me. Quick question though, what about the "I'd totally kiss you" think?" he was then pulled into a heated kiss, leaving him to fall limp as he fell out of the pile of rugs.

"I'll see you soon, for our first date." and then she walked back to the Chill Zone.

"Wow…"

"Don't worry little buddy, I've got you." Owen pulled Noah back onto his feet, allowing him to regain his composure, and then the two of them started walking away into the sunset "You know as far as reality shows go, that got about as a real as reality shows get."

"It's shocking that I'm the one saying this, but it wasn't really all bad. Before it started I didn't have a girlfriend, and now I do, so this is an easy favorite."

"I mean sure, the million bucks would've been nice and all, but all the money in the world can't buy people happiness. Besides, I already won a million."

"Plus I'm dating a lawyer, so I'm never gonna have to work again."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure Emma's gonna love to hear that. So what reality show do you think we should next?"

"Didn't I tell you? We've been asked to do the next season of-" and then the screen ended up going to static.

A/N:

Well here it is guys, what's probably going to be my last chapter of the year, and with it we lose another team of Total Drama veterans. It shouldn't be a surprise that the Reality TV Pros ended up losing, given that Owen is a canon finalist, but at least I did my best to give them a proper sendoff, even if it doesn't differ that much from the canon version.

I will admit that there wasn't much of a chance for interaction between various teams, given that most of them were off doing their own thing in this chapter, but I did get a chance to explore certain concepts and ideas. For example, I'm trying to give some more development and foreshadowing to Devin's feelings for Carrie, so that they don't feel like they just came out of nowhere. There were at least a few points though, such as the interaction between the Surfers and the Rockers.

Adding onto that, I did have to come up with a unique way for the Rockers to get their hands on some of the komodo venom without just copying and pasting what one of the other teams did from canon, which is why, as I'm sure you've noticed, I switched up the roles of a few of the teams in this chapter.

Rankings:

Goths- 1st

Ice Dancers- 2nd

Performers- 3rd

Sisters- 4th

Best Friends- 5th

Surfers- 6th

Rockers- 7th

Elimination order:

Reality TV Pros- 8th

Brains & Brawn- 9th

Father & Son- 10th

Stepbrothers- 11th

Adversity Twins- 12th

Mother & Daughter- 13th

Fashion Bloggers- 14th

Vegans - 15th

Geniuses - 16th

Tennis Rivals 17th

LARPers - 18th