(Dude Buggies)
OmniIBIBUltraInstinctGodzilla (ch 17): Yeah I thought so too, but I also figured it was their time.
OmniIBIBUltraInstinctGodzilla (ch 18): Yeah, I doubt many people are gonna complain about the Goths getting a win, given that they're one of the more liked teams. But yeah, I figured it was time for Noah and Owen.
Cody Fanatic: Truth be told looking back, cutting the Sisters seemed like more of a good idea at the time. On the plus side, I did try to tone down Noah being a simp, even if I wasn't really that bothered by it in canon. But yeah, those little noodle incidents with Owen and Geoff were fun to write out. I won't say anything about which of the final seven will be cut next, so you'll just have to wait and see.
Spectacular Webhead 11: Yeah I know what you mean, but it was their time. Unfortunately, the laws of Total Drama dictate that the antagonist has to get pretty far, for the sake of keeping it interesting. Don't worry though, the Ice Dancers aren't going to win.
SuperSonicHeroes: Yeah not a lot changed in this chapter, and I figured it was time for the Reality TV Pros to leave. Owen was a canon finalist, and Noah got a lot of time to shine both in this race, and in A BFG's World Tour. I'm glad to see you approve of me giving Devin some more development regarding his feelings for Carrie, and the Rockers getting a chance to work with another team was fun to write.
Frost Wolf: Yeah, not a lot changed here, but yeah Noah was speaking straight up facts. As far as that teaser at the end goes, at least with the way this is set chronologically, there is at least some possibility of a new season. I haven't really been keeping up with details for the new seasons, so I'll wait and see for myself. Also, a Merry Christmas to you too.
Blagoj Pejov1: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. Merry Christmas to you too, and a happy new year.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Last time on the Ridonculous Race: the final eight teams were sent to Flores, Indonesia. There they encountered dragons and poison, they showed great displays of bravery, and even a little bit of cuddling. The Ice Dancers made a dirty play to try and snag the gold, but the Goths ended up winning by a hare, which is actually a fancy word for rabbit. On a more somber note, we had to give a heartfelt goodbye to Owen and Noah of the Reality TV Pros after they failed to reach the carpet. But today is a new day and anything can happen, because it's time to get started on the next exciting installment of… the Ridonculous Race!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
One intro later…
"And here we are again." as per the status quo, once the intro was over, Don started off the next episode from the Chill Zone of the day before "Allow me to welcome you back to the Chill Zone from yesterday in Flores, Indonesia. As per the status quo, the previous winners get to pick up the first travel tip of the day. Today that honor belongs to the Goths, who are still giddy from their latest win."
Sure enough, Crimson and Ennui (with Loki tucked into the latter's shirt), still as emotionless as ever, made their way over to the Don Box, and the former picked up a tip "It says we're going to Las Vegas."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Located in Nevada, USA, not to mention being one of the most famous cities on Earth, Las Vegas is most well known for its bright lights, bold entertainment that can also be categorized as provocative and derogatory at times, and incredibly poor judgement that's almost comical. Plus the smell of old smoke, dirty money, recycled air, led wheels, slot machines and broke dreams. I love that city. The only thing about it is that unlike me, our seven remaining teams aren't going to be seeing any of it. This is meant to be a family show after all. Instead they're going to have to head past Las Vegas until they find a certain Don Box located in the Nevada desert, containing their next set of instructions. Now the teams are off, and with thanks to the power of editing, and the convenience of recycled stock footage, a flight that lasts 18 hours for our remaining teams is only eight seconds for all of you. To the viewers at home I say, you're welcome. Anyway, now that they've landed, the teams have to hail taxis and head for the desert Don Box."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
And now for the opinions of the frontrunners…
"So this is what Las Vegas looks like." Crimson glanced over at Ennui "This isn't the worst place that we've been so far."
"Agreed." Ennui gave a simple nod "I particularly like the overwhelming feeling of sadness that is portrayed by the city."
"In a certain sense, that feeling calls to us." they were promptly shook by a loud crash, and they looked back to see that the Ice Dancers had rammed into them "Her rage however, does not."
"Agreed. It's mostly just petty by this point."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the petty lunatic herself…
"I have absolutely HAD IT!" Josee was growing more enraged by the minute "Being left to come in second again is bad enough as it is, but losing to the Goths is unacceptable! But I'm onto those Joker rejects now, and I will do whatever it takes to bring them down. That's why I picked up a few things at the airport gift shop, in the form of garlic and a wooden stake."
"Oh sacre cerise, are you losing your mind woman?" Jacques let out a groan "The two of them are goths, not vampires!"
"Aren't they Jacques? Aren't they?!" she held up the stake to make her point "And I will skewer as many people as I have to as long as they are among them!"
"Okay, we're crossing into the territory of things that can't be said on TV."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with another set of teams…
"Cool, I didn't think we'd hanging out together again like this but I'm not complaining about it either." Rock glanced over at the Surfers "Thanks for letting us use your cab dudes."
"No worries man, figured it was only right." Geoff gave a shrug "Figured we worked pretty well together yesterday."
"It got kind of squirley for us yesterday with the whole… dragon thing. I'm still coughing up smoke and a little bit of blood."
"You really should get that checked out." Bridgette told him.
"I did, they said it was gonna go away in a day or two. Anyway we got a little bit sidetracked during all of that, but this time we're staying focused. Assuming there isn't any stuff with really big teeth around in Vegas."
"Wait, we're in Vegas?" Spud spared a dull glance over at him.
"Sort of."
"Huh. Alright man, we're gonna kill it!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with another team…
"Okay, she's over there, good…" Devin breathed a sigh as he watched Carrie try and hail a taxi, and then he turned to face the camera "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. For the past few days, ever since I broke up with Shelley, I just… felt so different whenever I'm with Carrie. I don't know how to explain it, it just feels… different. Like I get this churning feeling deep in my stomach, and I feel my heart pounding like bongos or something. It's not really a bad feeling, but I… don't realy know what to make of it. Maybe it's for the best we broke off from the Surfers for today, I need a little bit of time to get my head together."
"Hey homie check it, I finally got a taxi!" Carrie called Devin over to where she had managed to hail a taxi "Sorry it took so long, the only other one I could get looked old and beat up. And I'm pretty sure it was on fire."
"Probably for the best, we don't wanna get blown up or anything. I especially don't want you to get hurt during this."
"Really?"
"Really." the two of them locked eyes and both of them started blushing, but then he quickly shook it off and pulled her into the cab, which then took off.
"Oh yeah, the sparks are definitely there." what they didn't notice was that Kitty had seen that little exchange going down from where she was hailing her own taxi "Well, time to focus on winning a million bucks. Hey Emma, you coming or what?"
"Yeah yeah, I'm coming." Emma sulked her way over to the cab and let out a sigh "Noah hated riding in taxis, he called them germ incubators. That's so Noah of him isn't it?"
"Emma?"
"What? (Bleep), I keep slipping into these Noah dazes. Okay here's what we have to do, every once in a while, you might have to slap me across the face as hard as you can."
"Okay." she promptly slapped Emma across the face "Like that?"
"No! I meant when I fall into one of my Noah dazes, and ow!"
"Piece of advise big sister, if you're gonna be a lawyer then you're gonna have to learn to be a lot more specific. Seriously, I can see a perfect outline of my hand on your face." and then she took a picture.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the current leading team…
"There it is!" Bridgette and Geoff bolted out of their cab and rushed over to the Don Box, with the Rockers right behind them, where Bridgette pushed the button and pulled out a tip "Looks like this is an Either/Or challenge, either doing a dune buggy bonanza or a magic show."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Yeah that's right dudes, you heard the lady. In this Either Or challenge, our seven remaining teams have to complete one of two tasks. In the case of the dune buggy bonanza, they can race a remote controlled dune buggy around a course we've set up, directions provided in the tip they collected, and pick up three flags within a time span of one minute. In the case of the magic show challenge, they have to complete a classic trick from a magic show in typical Vegas fashion, and make a lion disappear for the local magician acting as the judge. Once teams complete either of these tasks, then it's going to be a foot race throughout the Nevada desert until they reach the Chill Zone. As is to be expected by now, the last team to arrive may be cut from the race and sent home, empty handed and ashamed. Which is actually pretty fitting considering we're doing this in Las Vegas."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
And now for some decision making…
"So essentially a real life video game or a magic show. Well how about it sweetie, which one do you think we should do?" Bridgette looked over, only to find Geoff long gone "Geoff?"
"Dune buggies here we come!" came the voice in the distance.
"...Yep, I feel like I should've seen that coming." and so Bridgette rushed off after Geoff towards the dune buggy challenge.
Rock on the other hand, he just glanced over at Spud "You up for going on stage in Vegas?"
"Wait, we're in Vegas?" Spud glanced over at him with a dull grin "Aw hell yeah, this is gonna be wicked!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So now the challenges have been established, and one by one teams are picking up their tips and making their choices. This could make or break their position in the race."
"Here it is!" Trent and Leshawna were the next to reach the Don Box and make their choice for the challenge "I'm thinking the dune buggies."
Then came the Goths "Magic."
Then the Ice Dancers, only for nothing to come out of the Don Box, but then Josee pulled the tip out from Jacque's ear "Magic."
Then came the Sisters "Dune buggies or magic show?"
"Noah would've loved doing the magic show, he-" Emma didn't get a chance to finish before she got slapped across the face "Okay new plan, dune buggies it is."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the current frontrunners…
"Okay, so here's what we have to do." Bridgette and Geoff took a look around the course as the former started reading the instructions on the tip "So we have to collect three of the flags that they placed around the course in one minute or less. One of us has to control the dune buggy with the remote control from the watch tower overlooking the course, and the other one has to ride in the buggy and collect the flags from around the course."
"Not to mention trying not to crash." Geoff gave a wide grin "God this whole thing is totally awesome!"
"Not exactly the word I'd use for it babe. Anyway, if the dune buggy crashes or the passenger falls out, then we have to start over. So do you want to get in while I control the thing?"
"You'd let me go in there and do the dangerous part? Best. Girlfriend. EVER!" and so Geoff bolted into the dune buggy without a second thought.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, at the magic show…
"Woah, this looks wicked!" Spud looked on in awe at the sight of the stage, and then he looked over at Rock "So what time do we go on?"
"Give me a minute and we'll figure out what we gotta do." Rock told him as he read over the instructions on the tip "Okay here's the deal, the assistant goes into one side of the cage and the lion is in the other. The cage gets coveted by a huge tarp, and the magician has to put the lever into the correct position to drop the divider off the stage. That way, the assistant won't end up getting mauled or eaten, or both."
"Wait, so we're not rocking out on stage?"
"Maybe we can see if there's time for it later. Anyway we gotta figure out which one of us is gonna be the magician, and which one is the assistant. The only downside is one of us is gonna have to wear a dress."
"Wait, I gotta do what now?"
"One of us is gonna have to wear a dress."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"As the Performers and the Sisters race ahead to reach the sight of the dune buggy challenge, while the Best Friends continue making a mad dash for the Don Box, the Surfers end up getting a surprising lead ahead of the rest of the pack."
"Okay, we'd better get started." by this point, Bridgette had made her way up to the watch tower and was in position for the challenge "You ready for this sweetie?"
"You know it babe!" Geoff gave a thumbs up from his place in the dune buggy "Now you gotta punch it like it's Mario Kart!"
"Way ahead of you, and… go!"
"YES!" Geoff was left having the time of his life as he started zooming around the course, catching three flags before screeching to a halt at the finish line "Alright, that was so freaking awesome! Way to kill it babe, so what's our time?"
"25 seconds."
"YES! See this is why I hate it when people say that video games don't teach you any kind of real life skills. I'd love to see the looks on the faces of every teacher that I never bothered to listen to! So I say to all of them, did they see how much we just totally went and crushed that challenge?!"
"That's one way to put it. I guess you can take inspiration from pretty much anywhere if you look hard enough."
"Hey since we're so far ahead of everyone else, you think we can go again?"
"Maybe later, we don't wanna get distracted. For now let's just head for the Chill Zone, and then see if Don will let us come back and do it again."
"Alright! You're the best babe!" Geoff scooped Bridgette up into his arms and pulled her into a heated kiss, and then he took off running, leaving her to trail behind him, somewhat dazed by what had just happened.
It was only after they left that Leshawna and Trent arrived on the scene "Alright go ahead and strap in white boy, I'll do the driving."
"You sure that's a good idea?" Trent shot her a raised eyebrow.
"What, you got a problem being behind the wheel when I'm the one driving?"
"Would you be surprised if I said yes? I haven't forgotten about the time you got your hands on an ATV and tried to run over Heather."
"Hey that skinny little (bleep) is the one who insulted me, as far as I'm concerned she had that coming."
"...If anything, that makes me feel less comfortable about you driving."
"Too bad, we're already behind the Surfers and no chance in hell I'm gonna risk coming behind that icy little (bleep) Josee. Get in the driver seat and I'll take it from there." and that was the end of that conversation.
That was when Kitty and Emma showed up on the scene "Okay so one of us drives and the other one gets the flags, but which one of us does which."
"Well keep in mind that you're a lot better at video games when me, but do you think you'll be able to handle it?" asked Emma.
"I think so. I'm not as obsessed as I used to be, but I still like playing them when I get some free time. I still remember the time I played the entire Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm series for like a week straight. Well 1 to 4 anyway, I probably could've done Generations and Revolution too, but you had to unplug my game consoles and refuse to give them back until I went and took a long shower."
"I had no choice, you smelled like a bag of wet popcorn. And looked like it too."
"Okay okay I get it, that wasn't my finest hour. But given that it was Naruto, I still say that it was totally worth it.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the magic show challenge…
"Okay, so I think I'm gonna go ahead and be the magician." Rock looked over at Spud "Not to offend or anything, but given the whole reaction time thing, I'm probably better off doing the thing then being near the lion."
"Wait, what are we doing again?" Spud glanced over at him, and then they looked over and noticed Jacques bolt out of the dressing room, clad in a purple dress and white gloves "And do I have to wear that?"
"Um… yeah?"
"...Alright, this is gonna be wicked!"
"Yes yes you don't have to stare, I know I look great." Jacques did a quick pose "Personally I think you should be glad you get to be the assistant."
"What makes you say that?" asked Rock.
"I don't have a problem with it myself. After all, when I skate with Josee I'm always filling the role of the magician."
"You wanna run that by me again?" Josee shot a dirty look at him.
"Think about it. I lift you, carry you and twirl you around whenever we're in the middle of a performance. All you need to do is smile and not fall down."
"Oh wow, when you put it like that, I guess it makes me want to do this trick right all the more, or else you might get eaten by a lion!" and she dragged him away.
"...Wow." Spud just glanced over at Rock "They've got issues."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A few moments later…
"There, now stand back and watch the magic happen!" Josee pulled the lever as the tarp came down over the cage, and then she pulled it up.
Unfortunately, the result was Jacques trying to shy away from the lion in terror, shrieking all the while "Not to be that guy Josee, but could you put the divider BACK?!"
"Oh you've gotta be kidding me." Josee's scowl deepend as she saw the judge give her a thumbs down, and so she grabbed Jacques by the back of his dress and dragged him out of the cage and off the stage in frustration "(Insert stream of bleeps)! The worst part of all of this is that we have to let the other teams have a turn before we get to try again!"
"That's the worst part of this? Are you kidding me?!"
"I know what I said!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the other magic act…
"Okay, it could be worse…" Rock glanced over to see Spud come out of the dressing room, clad in the assistant outfit "At least it's not as bad as that one time you tried to cosplay as that dude from Naruto."
"I still say I would've made a killer Choji Akimichi." Spud then looked over to see the lion on the other side of the divider in the cage "Cool. Can I get in there?"
"You're supposed to."
"Really? Wicked!" so Spud tried to climb into the cage… only to end up getting stuck in the door to the cage "Aw crap."
"Come on dude, suck in the gut!"
"I'm sucking, it's too small!"
"Suck in the gut!"
"I'm sucking as far as it goes!"
"Yeah word to the wise, you might wanna cut back on the choco oinks." Rock gripped Spud by the shoulders and managed to force him into the cage… the only problem being that his dress came off, revealing his underwear "Um… dude? You're kind of exposed. Nice choice for the underwear though."
"Thanks, I had these custom made awhile back. It took them awhile to make it so that I could get the image of Thor's hammer right over my-"
"Don't need to know about that!" Rock shut the door and pulled the lever, covering the cage in the tarp, and then he pulled it again… revealing the divider gone and the lion still there, and laughing at Spud's underwear, causing the judge to give a thumbs down "Hey come on man, it's not like I could help it! You try seeing your best bro in his underwear with Thor's hammer over his… yeah. Hey Spud, when this is over could you give me the name of the guy that made those things? I kind of wanna get a pair myself."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the team of stragglers…
"Okay hang on homie, I've got it." Devin pushed the button on the Don Box and pulled out a travel tip "It's an Either/Or, looks like we either have to do some kind of challenge with dune buggies or a magic show."
"Wait, magic show? Like for real?" Carrie's face lit up when she heard this "Oh man, that would be so awesome! Just think about it, we could do an actual magic trick on an actual stage in Las Vegas of all places! That would be so amazing!"
"Well now, I didn't think you'd so pumped up over something like this. But then again, you were always a lover of magic and stuff like that. I mean you were the one of us that discovered Fairy Tail and Black Clover. And Owl House."
"The magic stuff lured me in, but the stories and characters are really incredible."
"No arguments here, you always did have good judgement in stuff like that."
"Well except for the cab that is. I didn't think we were gonna get stuck behind… what did they call it again?"
"Something along the lines of a conga line with cars. I don't get it either. Anyway that's not on you, so there's no sense in me starting to doubt you now. Magic show it is."
"Yes!" and so Carrie took off running towards the magic show site, with Devin trailing not far behind her.
As they made their way, Devin found himself staring at Carrie's back, his thoughts drifting as he started musing out loud "When did she get so… amazing and gorgeous? It's like I'm looking at a whole different person or-" and then he ran straight into a cactus "Ow… part of me thinks that I should've seen that coming.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, at the Chill Zone…
"Okay no sofas, what about a mini fridge or one of those vibrating reclining chairs or- Wait hold that thought, we've got incoming." Don glanced over to see Geoff and Bridgette make their way onto the Carpet of Completion "Nicely done Surfers, you're in first place!"
"Yes!" Geoff spun Bridgette around in a tight hug, and then looked over at Don "Hey do you think we could go back and do the dune buggy challenge again? That was way too much fun to only do once."
"Come back to me after the challenge is over. Two reasons for that mainly. One, we're still in the middle of the race. Two, the other teams are getting a little bit… physical with how competitive they are."
"For real? How so?"
"Well to make a long story, Leshawna got angry at Kitty cutting her off and-"
"Say no more, we get it." Bridgette told him "Leshawna's awesome, she really is… but she's got a pretty bad temper when someone gets on her bad side."
"Trust me, we've all noticed. I'm pretty sure her rivalry with the Ice Dancers is part of why we have so many fans. Bitter rivalries make for great entertainment. As long as it doesn't turn into something overly gratuitous."
"True, but knowing Leshawna, it might turn out like that before too long."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the flag collectors…
"I knew I shouldn't have let her control this thing!" Trent found himself trying to hold himself together inside the dune buggy, still clashing with Emma all the while "I don't suppose you're handling this any better than me?"
"Truth be told I'm actually in the same position as you." Emma breathed a sigh "In hindsight, the decision to let my little sister drive me around in this thing wasn't one of the better calls I've made since this race started."
"How do you figure?"
"There was this one time when she got pwned online, and she was so worked up over it that she smashed the console. And the living room. She insisted that she's cool, but I've still got my doubts about this."
"I know the feeling, I'm pretty much the same way with Leshawna."
"How so?"
"You ever watch Total Drama?"
"No."
"Watch a few scenes with her and that'll explain it." and then the two of them reached the end of the course with flags in hand, only to groan when they saw the timer "Let me guess…"
"Over a minute. Great, now I gotta do this all over again."
"...Yep, it's gonna turn out to be one of those days."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"While the Sisters, Performers and Ice Dancers struggle to complete their challenges, be it for one reason or another, and I do mean struggle to the point where it's pretty much comical, the Goths take another crack at making magic happen."
"Here we go." Ennui pulled the lever to lower the divider… and then Loki leapt out of his shirt and into the cage, and then directly into the lion's mouth, leaving the judge and the Rockers horrified by the sight.
Josee on the other hand burst out laughing, until she noticed the Goths staring at her "Oh right, um… I'm so sorry for your loss and all that."
"No you're not. At least we're sincere in our hatred of emotion." Ennui then made his way into the cage and over to the lion, and once it roared at him he reached into its mouth and promptly pulled out Loki, alive and intact, leaving almost everyone present stunned and prompting the judge to give them a thumbs up. And Josee…
"(Insert massive stream of bleeps)! That is IT!" she held up her wooden stake in a fit of rage for emphasis.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the other magic act in waiting…
"Okay seriously, what the hell?!" Rock and Spud were left dumbstruck as they saw the Goths making their way to the dressing room "I mean for real guys, how did you do that?"
"It's part of the magician's code." Ennui told him "We swore an oath to never reveal our secrets to others."
"When did you do that?"
"When we agreed to participate in the race, it was in our contracts. Read the fine print."
"Oh. Good to know. So what did the judge think?"
"He said it was the greatest trick he'd ever seen. He even offered us a job where we would do eight shows per week, but we said no."
"You'd pass up the chance to perform in Vegas?"
"We don't have the energy for it. Just putting on our happy faces long enough for the cameras is exhausting as it is."
"...Those are your happy faces? Seriously?"
"Yes." and then they went into the changing room without another word.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the dune buggy challenge…
"One side girly, I've got a challenge to win!"
"You get the (bleep) out of my way, I'm not losing to you again!" and then the loud crash came from the watchtower.
"Take it easy up there Kitty, at this rate I'm gonna get carsick!" Emma reached for another flag, but just as quickly ended up puking into her dune buggy.
"Hey you're getting off easy, you're not the one with the weak stomach!" Trent felt his cheeks bulge and promptly puked out of the side of his dune buggy "And apparently it doesn't apply only to food. Also word to the wise, be careful not to slip on my… trail back there."
"Thanks for the heads up, it would mean a lot more and be a lot less disgusting if I didn't see you do it!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the magic show…
"Alright, this time we nail it for sure!" Josee took another crack at the magic challenge and pulled the lever… only for the tarp to rise and reveal Jacques with his foot in the lion's mouth, and he was biting down on his own finger to not scream in pain, earning a thumbs down from the judge "(Bleep)! Seriously Jacques, what the hell is with you? Are you hiding raw meat in your dress or something?"
"Hey don't get mad at me, it's not my fault I'm irresistible!" Jacques struck a pose "It must have something to do with my natural manly musk."
"...Yeah, I'm so sure that's the reason for it. Alright get ready, we're going to give this another shot."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"As the dune buggy teams fight for flags, and to keep their lunch down, the Rockers have made the call to flip their roles and cross their fingers."
"I'm probably gonna hate myself for this." Rock (now clad in the assistant's outfit) took a breath as he slowly made his way into the cage "Remember Spud, you gotta pull the lever or I'm gonna get eaten by a lion."
"Hey calm down dude, I got this." Spud then looked then pulled the lever and covered the cage in a tarp, and then he pulled it back, only for nothing to happen, despite him trying it a few more times "Uh… Aw crapbaskets."
"What are you doing?" asked Jacques.
"I dunno." then there was a loud roar and the sound of screaming, followed by a thud, and that was when the lever finally worked.
The curtain rose to reveal the lion clinging onto the floor of the trap door, only for Rock (now sporting a variety of claw and bite marks) to shove him in with his boot, earning a shrug and a thumbs up from the judge "Yes! In the past week I've fought a komodo dragon and a lion, and I didn't get maimed by either of them! That's totally a win in my book!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the dune buggy challenge…
"Okay seriously, this is getting ridiculous!" Emma continued being forced to collide with Trent during the dune buggy challenge "Kitty this is our sixth try, quit playing smash up derby and get me the hell near the flags already!"
"Personally I would say that Leshawna should chill, but I doubt it would work." Trent muttered dryly.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the magic show challenge…
"Okay this time it has to work, or I'm suing this (bleep) of a race!" Josee pulled the lever once more… only to see Jacques with his head stuck in the lion's mouth "Oh you've gotta be (bleep) kidding me!"
"Dune buggies please… please…" Jacques was left quietly begging as Josee tried to drag his head out of the lion's mouth.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Now the Ice Dancers have chosen to switch challenges, and in another mix up of things, the Sisters and the Performers have finally stopped trying to strangle each other and are working on obtaining the last of their flags. In the meantime, two of our other frontrunner teams have already completed their tasks and are in a foot race to the Chill Zone."
"Come on dude, put the pedal to the metal!" Rock continued running as fast as he could, Spud trailing a short distance behind him "If we can survive dealing with death lizards and a pissed off lion, we can do anything!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
One foot race later…
"Times like these I enjoy the silence, fleeting as it may be…" Don took a sip of water from his glass, only to do a spit take when he noticed the Goths standing on the carpet "Sweet merciful god, how is anyone that quiet?! Anyway congratulations, you're in second place."
"Hm." Crimson and Ennui just walked away without a word.
"Note to self, see if I can hang bells around their necks or something."
"Rock and roll!" Rock and Spud were the next team to reach the carpet.
"Nicely done Rockers, you're in third place."
"Alright! Victory riff!" and then the two of them started rocking out.
"Yeah if you're gonna do that, can you do it away from the carpet? We're still trying to conduct a race here."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the challenge switchers…
"Okay no time to screw around, we're far enough behind as it is." Josee leapt into a dune buggy and shoved the remote control into Jacque's hand "You take the control tower and I'll collect the flags in the buggy."
"Really? I figured you'd want to be in the tower." Jacques shot her a raised eyebrow.
"Grabbing the flags is the most important part, as if I'm going to stand back and let you screw this up again lion bait!"
"Alright alright, if you say so." Jacques pressed the button and sent Josee careening along the path at high speed, glancing at the camera as she did so "She can say whatever she wants, but I am surprised that she was willing to give up the control tower so easily, especially given how much she enjoys looking down on people. Anyway I shouldn't waste any more time talking about the wide variety of issues she has, the other teams have a sizable lead over us and we don't want-"
"Done!" Emma and Trent screeched to a halt with their flags in hand, and they looked over to see their time on the clock "53 seconds, move it to the Chill Zone!" and so the two of them took off running.
"...That, we don't want that to happen. Aw crapbaskets."
"Hey wait up!" Kitty chased after Leshawna on her way down from the watchtower, and she was quick to catch up with Emma "Well that went well."
"I would've preferred a lack of getting carsick." Emma told her flatly "Still though, I am proud of you for finishing the challenge without breaking anything. Especially me."
"Aw, that's one of the nicest things you've ever said to me. I didn't think I was gonna get into a fist fight with a Total Drama veteran though, so this worked out awesome for me. I'm so gonna post this online."
"...Good for you little sister."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the magic show…
"Okay, wasn't expecting that…" Devin winced as he picked a few more spikes out of one of his arms and looked at the camera "Yeah, that whole thing with the cactus held us up a little more than I would've liked. Can't lose focus now, gotta make sure that we don't come in last, or we're out of the race."
"How does it look? It feels like a little bit much."
Devin glanced over to see Carrie step out of the changing room in the assistant dress, leaving him dumpstruck for a moment, before he snapped out of it "Wow, that… that look really works for you."
"You… really think so?" she started blushing.
"Yeah… Anyway we'd better go, we don't wanna come in last."
"R-Right!" and so the two of them made their way towards the stage in order to start the magic show.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, at the Chill Zone…
"And here they come now." Don was quick to count off the next group of teams as they arrived at the Chill Zone "Fourth places goes to the Performers, and fifth place to the Sisters. That leaves only the Best Friends and the Ice Dancers, and the question remains, which one of them will make it to the Chill Zone next? The pressure is on."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the Best Friends…
"Okay, fingers crossed, how hard can this be right?" Devin took a breath and pulled the lever to cover the cage, and then he pulled it back… only to reveal that the lion was there, but Carrie was nowhere to be seen "Carrie? Carrie?! Oh fu-"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Now for the other half…
"Devin?" as it turns out, Carrie had found herself stuck underneath the stage… with a pack of hungry lions for company, and she let out a squeak of terror.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the only other remaining team…
"Okay, how does it look?" Jacques brought the dune buggy to a halt once Josee had completed the course, only to scowl when he looked at the timer "5 seconds over, oh come on! That's more ridiculous than when Disney bought the Simpsons!"
"You don't even like that show." Josee shot her own scowl at him "You said it stopped being good like a decade ago."
"It's the principle of the thing!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the magic show crisis…
"Carrie! Carrie where are you?!" Devin was continuing his frantic search for Carrie throughout the stage, albeit with little success "Oh my god, what the hell have I done?! She's my best friend, she's like the… the most important person in my life and… and I love her!" he paused as he took a moment to realize what he just said "Wait… I love her? Do I…" he paused again, and then he broke out into a wide grin "Yeah, I really do! I love Carrie! God, I've been such an idiot! All this time I had been focused on Shelley… I never realized who was right beside me, supporting me every step of the way… But that ends now. Hang on Carrie, I'm coming baby!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Unfortunately, this realization happened at the same time as another one.
"Okay, this is a sign if there ever was one." Carrie found herself being forced into a corner, using a chair to hold back the group of lions advancing on her "It's time for me to get over Devin. It's pretty clear by now that it's never gonna happen. I can't believe I wasted so many years… But you know what? Maybe it's time for me to stand up for myself! No more putting all of my wants and needs aside just to satisfy him! No more trying to force him to see just how great the two of us would be together! I! Am! Moving! ON!" but then the chair she was holding got ripped apart by one of the lions "Okay let me rephrase that, I'm moving on from him if I live." and then she proceeded to scream in terror.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the dune buggy challenge…
"Come on, come on! Let this be it!" Josee picked up as many flags as she could as she went through the course, and her face lit up when she saw the timer after she was done "59 seconds, good enough for me, now move your butt to the Chill Zone already Jacques!" and then she took off running, with Jacques hot on her heels.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the magic show…
"Work already, for the love of god why won't you work?! I'm begging you, bring her back to me already!" Devin continued desperately pulling the lever back and forth.
"Devin?!" this eventually worked and Carrie was brought back up onto the stage… along with the lion standing right in front of her face, leaving her to scream in terror.
"CARRIE!" without hesitation, Devin bolted into the cage, grabbed Carrie by the arm and pulled her out to safety before either of them could be eaten "Are you okay?"
"I… I think so. Just a little bit shaken up." the two of them looked over at the judge and saw him giving them a thumbs up "YES!"
"Oh thank the great god above that's over. Hey listen Carrie, there's something I have to-"
"Save it for later homie, we've gotta move!" and so she took off running.
"That was… surprisingly assertive." Devin blinked, then looked over at the camera "But I'm not kidding, Carrie is just so amazing in every sense of the word. How did I not see any of it before now?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
And now for the final stretch…
"Looks like the final two teams are on their way to the Chill Zone, but I'll only get to call one of them a loser, so which one will it be?" Don received his answer when the next team reached the Carpet of Completion "And it looks like the Ice Dancers come in sixth!"
"So that means… the Goths beat us again…" Josee got out through gritted teeth, eye twitching all the while.
"Along with four other teams. In order, the Surfers, Goths, Rockers, Performers and Sisters all beat you."
"...I knew I should've used the wooden stake and garlic when I had the chance."
"Oh sacre cerise woman, they're not vampires!" Jacques breathed a sigh "I'm just grateful that we didn't finish in last. And that I got to keep the outfit."
"Call that a consolation prize. Now if you don't mind, I have another team coming in that I need to address." Don promptly sent the Ice Dancers on their way "And here they come now."
Sure enough, this was the moment that Carrie and Devin reached the Chill Zone "So did we make it?"
"Well that's the good news, you did." he was met with cheers "The bad news is, you're in last place." he was met with groans.
"Aw man."
"Carrie I'm so sorry, this whole thing is my fault." Devin turned Carrie to face him and gently gripped her by the shoulders "But during that whole fiasco, it made me realize something really important…"
"Did you realize this is a non-elimination round?" Don poked his head in between them "That's because it is, you guys are still in the race!"
"Really?"
"Yes!" Carrie pumped a fist in triumph, and then turned back to Devin "So what did you want to say?"
"Um… it can wait." Devin breathed a sigh as he walked away "The moment got ruined either way."
"So all seven teams survive to race another day. More or less." Don turned to the camera to sign off "But only one race can win our grand prize of one million dollars. Which team is that going to be? I guess there's only one way to find out, and it's to tune in for the next exciting installment of… the Ridonculous Race!"
A/N:
Here we are people, the first chapter in 2023, if a bit of a shorter one than usual. I know it might be a little bit late, but let me wish a Happy New Year to all of you, and love is in the air for the story, and lord it can get messy. Devin and Carrie at least, but Geoff and Bridgette are doing great, given that they got into first place. I figured that since Bridgette would be more level-headed, she wouldn't let Geoff goof around or get distracted during a challenge.
Not as much to say about different character interactions as I would like, but I did enjoy doing the smaller ones scattered throughout the chapter, such as Trent and Emma bonding a little bit while Kitty and Leshawna are fighting, and the various interactions with characters like the Rockers and the Goths.
Speaking of which, that brings me to my next point: I had worked out most of the elimination order in advance, but there are still a few points I had yet to plan out for this story, mainly when it gets to around the final seven. So here's my question. Do you guys want me to eliminate the Goths in the next chapter, or kick off one of the other teams instead? Keep in mind that this will likely effect the path of the rest of the story, so let me know if the reviews, and you'll see my decision next chapter.
Now to close out this chapter, I want to give you guys some exciting news. Towards the end of last year, a certain reviewer was kind enough to create a TV tropes page for my Total Drama story, A BFG's World Tour, which has also been uploaded on Deviantart if you guys wanted to check it out there. I can't tell you guys how much of an honor this is for me. I've been writing fanfiction for about six or so years now, and I've been posting on this website for more than five years (even though I had been reading on here for a few years longer than that), and this is the first time one of my stories has gotten this kind of recognition. Anyway, I want to take the chance to thank you all for supporting my stories over the past few years, and a big shout out to SuperSonicHeroes, who was kind enough to create my TV Tropes page. Also be sure to check out his stories too, they're really good.
Rankings:
Surfers- 1st
Goths- 2nd
Rockers- 3rd
Performers- 4th
Sisters- 5th
Ice Dancers- 6th
Best Friends- 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