Chris, Topher, and Lindsay stood at the city limits of Drama City.

"Last time, on Total Drama Party with the Stars!" the three began in unison.

"Our twenty star players returned for their second shot at a million dollars!" Chris said.

"They were quickly split into two teams: the Grand Gryphons, comprised of people who've made the merge before, and the Fighting Wyverns, comprised of people who couldn't," Topher continued.

"I dated a guy named Griffin once in middle school," Lindsay mentioned. "He was kind of mean, though."

"Fascinating," Chris said sarcastically. "We gave the contestants a quick tour of the city, and of course we gave them the opportunity to get to know each other a bit."

"While some contestants seem content to take it easy during the early game, others were quick to put alliances together," Topher said. "Kun, Shadya, Hugh, and Kiki all did what they could to get a majority going as quickly as possible."

"And a lot has changed for a bunch of people, too!" Lindsay added. "Dalit's moved in with Bijou and now she's an Instagram model! But Jean-Marie got kicked out of his home and now he's a hobo! Vladimir's pretending to be Barry, and Bailey's confident enough to talk all smart without writing anything down."

"And, of course, we've got people like Lilith, Steve Jenkins, Frita, and Irving who are just kind of annoying everybody. Hehaha," Chris chuckled.

"The contestants are biding their time until their first challenge," Topher said. "And it's going to be an important one, because tonight will be the first elimination of the season!"

"Wait, I thought that was tomorrow!" Lindsay gasped.

"Nelson decided to speed things up," Chris explained. "But with less time for the contestants to prepare, it should lead to some interesting outcomes!"

"How will the alliances this season fall into place?" Topher asked.

"Who will win the challenge, and who will go home?" Lindsay asked.

"All this and more, on Total!" Chris began.

"Drama!" Topher and Lindsay continued.

"Party with the Stars!" the three concluded in unison.

Bailey and Brittany met up in Bailey's room.

"Yep, your room's basically identical to mine," Brittany commented. "So, what's up?"

"I'm sure you've noticed the same casting discrepancy that I have," Bailey prefaced.

"Yes, I know I'm the only winner here, but I'll be honest, I-"

"Not that," Bailey interrupted. "I'm actually referring to the number of people per original season present."

"Oh, you mean how there are supposedly five people from House Party and three from Explore Party?" Brittany asked.

"Indeed," Bailey confirmed.

"Explore Party was a small season, so normally I'd just assume that none of the men who made the merge could make it," Brittany said. "But considering who one of those men is..."

"My thoughts exactly," Bailey said.

"So, do we think it's Barry or Ernie?" Brittany asked.

"You have more experience with Vladimir than I do. I was hoping you'd have more insight," Bailey said.

"My experience with him is limited," Brittany admitted. "But if I were him, I'd do what I could to look as harmless as possible. So I think Barry is the impostor, here. Do you have enough experience with Barry to be able to tell?"

"Clearly not enough that I knew he and Rachel had broken up," Bailey lamented. "Sadly, he and I didn't cross paths much, either. But I do agree that Vladimir is more likely to make himself look like a non-threat."

"So, should we talk about this with the others?" Brittany asked.

"Let's not point any fingers until we have to," Bailey suggested.

"Good idea," Brittany agreed. "So, what do you make of the alliance Shadya put together?"

"Us, Shadya, Isidora, Ernie, and Barry, right?" Bailey recalled.

"Well, Barry's on the outs of the group, at least that's what Shadya said. I'm inclined to agree," Brittany said. "I think this group could benefit us. If nothing else, I can't imagine working with any of the rest of our team."

"They did not skimp out on bringing villains back, did they?" Bailey noticed.

"Villains make drama, and that's literally the name of the game," Brittany figured. "I mean, even Shadya and Ernie are considered big villains in their season. How much do you think we can trust them?"

"What are you suggesting?" Bailey asked.

"Oh, nothing," Brittany said truthfully. "I just want to make sure I'm one hundred percent on any alliance I'm a part of."

"I've worked with Ernie before, albeit briefly," Bailey mentioned. "I do think we should get closer with the others, though."

"Alright, then let's get out of here and meet people!" Brittany grinned.

Bailey gulped.

Confessional:

Brittany: I'm determined to play as loyal and honest of a game as I possibly can. Stabbing people in the back is not a feeling I enjoy, and I know it's possible to win this game without having to do that. Bailey is someone who I think I can definitely trust, but I'm not as sure about the others. I'm going to need allies who I'm sure will genuinely want to work with me throughout the game.

Bailey: As hard as I've worked to come out of my shell, I'm still not the most social butterfly around. Being on a team of cutthroat players certainly isn't making me any more confident in my abilities out here. But I will do what I must, because Franklin is counting on me.

Kun ran up to Kiki as she wandered the streets.

"Kiki!" Kun called as he caught up to her.

"Jeez! Give me a heart attack!" Kiki chastised.

"Um, sorry," Kun apologized. "But, um, I would like to speak with you."

"What is it?" Kiki asked.

"Well, I saw you, um, gathering up all the girls on our team back at the park," Kun began.

"First of all, we are women, not girls. We are adults, and we will be treated as such," Kiki said. "Secondly, what, am I not allowed to mingle with my teammates? Or does that go against your iron rule over our team?"

"I was, um, just, um, making sure you, um, weren't..." Kun cleared his throat. "Making any alliances without me."

"Even if I was, I'm allowed to," Kiki said.

"So you don't, um, deny it," Kun noticed.

"You know what? No. I don't deny it!" Kiki retaliated. "You don't have any right to tell me how I can or can't play this game! If I want to make an alliance of my own, that's my right as a player in this game!"

"Well, we, um, agreed earlier that, um, well, you, me, Joseph, and Jean-Marie..." Kun trailed off.

"What was I supposed to do, tell all three of you to your faces that I never want to work with you?" Kiki scoffed.

"N-Never?" Kun frowned.

"I especially don't want to work with you now, if you're just going to keep me on a leash and tug at it every time I speak to someone without Master's permission," Kiki accused.

"I-It's not like that!" Kun panicked.

"That's how it looks to me, and it's not a good look," Kiki said. "Now please leave me alone."

Kun sighed and left Kiki alone.

Confessional:

Kiki: I will not have anyone walk over me. I let the likes of Lauren and Tucker bully me into submission before, but not this season! This will be the season where I take the reins on my team, and ultimately take the grand prize!

Kun: Well, um, that's about exactly the opposite of what I wanted to, um, have happen with her. I was hoping to, um, vote out someone weak and unsociable in the event of a loss, but, um, Kiki could prove actively detrimental to my game, um, specifically. I, um, can't let that happen.

Ernie and Isidora both sat at the bar in Hatchet's Diner.

"So, Hatchet, when we asked Chris if there were, ya know, designated times we had to eat, or when this place opened or closed, he said to ask you," Ernie mentioned.

"I'm supposed to be here from 8 in the mornin' to 8 in the evenin'," Chef snorted. "Whether or not I make food for y'all durin' a time when it ain't one of the three meals is entirely up to my mood."

"Cool. Can I get, like, a piece of pie?" Ernie asked.

"What, you think I spend all day bakin' pies?!" Chef asked.

"What do you do if not that?" Ernie challenged.

"Check my phone for what's new, mostly," Chef admitted. "Did you know they got robots now? Honest to god robots."

"Does this mean no pie?" Isidora finally asked.

"I thought people with anemia are supposed to, like, eat extra healthy," Ernie mentioned.

"I can eat one piece of pie without bursting into flames, surprisingly," Isidora remarked.

"Heh. Fair enough," Ernie chuckled. "So, apparently Shadya's got us in an alliance together."

"Is that so?" Isidora asked.

"Honestly, there are, ya know, worse options on this team," Ernie figured.

"Who else did Shadya say I'm working with now?" Isidora asked.

"Bailey and Brittany. With Barry as a temporary sixth," Ernie explained.

"I guess I can work with that," Isidora conceded.

"I know you were clamoring to work with Hugh, but we have to make sacrifices here," Ernie jested.

"I'm not sure how I'll manage without him," Isidora played along.

"Honestly, I'm not even sure he's the first person I'd want out, that's how, ya know, messed up this team is," Ernie said.

"Who is your first pick?" Isidora asked.

"Probably Steve Jenkins," Ernie answered.

"I can't imagine anyone will be vehemently opposed to that," Isidora said.

"Sweet. Easy first vote," Ernie chuckled.

Confessional:

Isidora: I guess I do see Ernie as a kindred spirit of sorts. I'm not sure why. But, really, I could see myself working with him throughout the game. At least more so than anyone else on this team. They had to bring back Hugh instead of Warwick, didn't they?

Ernie: I did throw Steve Jenkins under the bus because I think he's the only one on this team I'm not even a little aligned with. Also, he's, ya know, obnoxious, but that goes without saying. Hopefully Shadya isn't affronted by me making a suggestion without taking it up with her first. That is, like, a distinct possibility.

Frita was in her motel room, drawing when she heard a knock at the door.

"Oh, it must be challenge time," Frita sighed.

She stood up and opened the door to see Quentin on the other side.

"Hey, Frita. What's up?" Quentin smiled.

"Time for the challenge?" Frita asked.

"Huh? No," Quentin responded, confused.

"Then why are you here?" Frita asked.

"I just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out, I guess," Quentin answered. "We're allies, so it makes sense that we should be good with each other, right?"

"...I won't try to stop you," Frita resigned as she returned to her bed. Quentin followed her in and leaned against the wall.

"So, you like to draw people dying and stuff, right?" Quentin asked.

"That's right," Frita sighed. "I won't show you."

"That's fine," Quentin assured her. "Although I am kind of interested to know how you got into that kind of thing."

"The fact that you call it 'that kind of thing' means you're not actually interested in knowing," Frita leered. "You're not the first person to reach out to me like this. I've seen it all before."

"Oh. Sorry," Quentin apologized. "How about we talk game, then? I'm not very good at it, but maybe you've got ideas?"

"...I don't know. I'm not very good at strategy," Frita admitted.

"Is there anyone in particular you want to see gone?" Quentin asked.

"Jean-Marie might be the least offensive option. Other than myself," Frita posited.

"I get along with him. I'd rather not vote for him right now," Quentin told her.

Frita sighed. "See, I told you. I'm not good at this."

"Do other people want to vote for him?" Quentin asked curiously.

"I don't know! It was just me and my dumb mouth and I don't know what I'm talking about!" Frita panicked.

Quentin didn't seem to know how to respond.

"Just get out of here before I embarrass myself any further," Frita told him.

"...Okay," Quentin complied as he left.

Confessional:

Quentin: I figured, if I'm going to be the friend Jean-Marie needs, I might as well do the same to Frita, especially since I'm already in an alliance with her. It seems like it's going to be tougher with her since I guess she feels patronized when people try to be her friend. Hm, maybe that's where I'm going wrong. Maybe I shouldn't have to try.

Frita: (She sighs.) I guess just one day of being out here is better than staying in my room back home for the entire summer.

Shadya stood outside the elimination building when Hugh walked up to her.

"You're curious about it, too, eh?" Hugh grinned.

"Unfortunately, the building is currently locked, and my card key won't open it," Shadya relayed.

"Well, on the off chance that we do find out what it's like in there, I've got a proposition for you," Hugh sneered deviously.

"Hm. I guess you are as delusional as the show made you look," Shadya dismissed.

"Okay, hear me out, artard!" Hugh snapped. "You and I are clearly the two most threatening villains on this team. Working against each other won't benefit either of us. So I've got an idea for an alliance."

"Do tell," Shadya prompted uninterestedly.

"You, me, Steve Jenkins, Lilith, Ernie, and Irving," Hugh listed. "Steve Jenkins and Lilith are idiots, Ernie's lazy, and Irving will chomp at the bit to be in a big villains alliance. We work together to take out the quote-unquote 'heroes', and we ultimately run the game."

"You don't think I can run this game without your help?" Shadya scoffed.

"With whose help, then?" Hugh doubted. "Brittany, who can't backstab anyone without spending twelve confessionals lamenting about it? Barry, who's so actively religious that telling a lie will have him break out in hives?"

Shadya sighed. "Alright, fine, you've made your point. Count me in."

"I don't need your sarcasm!" Hugh shouted.

"I'm not being sarcastic," Shadya told him. "There aren't really many better options on this team. I'll work with you."

"Huh. No shit," Hugh responded, surprised. "Well then, it's an honor to work with you, Shadya. Let's tear this game a new asshole, why don't we?"

"I will not be doing anything so crude," Shadya told him.

"Keh. If you say so," Hugh dismissed.

Confessional:

Hugh: (He laughs maniacally.) And who says that being a bad boy doesn't get the ladies to listen? I just got one of the scariest contestants to ever play this game in my pocket. If I can do that, I can do anything! (He starts laughing again.)

Shadya: I mostly just said that to get him off my back. The day I work with Hugh is the day I renounce every award, record, and trophy I've ever won. As if I'd waste my time working with the likes of him, Irving, Lilith, or Steve Jenkins. If it'll keep them from targeting me, then I can pretend. By the time they realize I'm not with them, they'll be in an inescapable minority anyway.

Cyan and Nolan were at McLean Park, finishing up a game of slapjack.

"You've really never played this game before?" Nolan asked.

"Nope," Cyan said. "They never allowed cards at the high school I went to."

"Tsk. What a shame," Nolan said.

"What's a shame is that you keep beating me! It's not fair because you have more experience than I do!" Cyan cried.

"Haha. Maybe I'll lend my deck to you and someone else so you can play against each other," Nolan offered.

"Maybe," Cyan said. "What do you think our first challenge will be?"

"If I had to guess, probably one of the first challenges from a previous season," Nolan said. "They re-used old challenges in the previous All-Stars, and I figure this one will be similar."

"Well, I doubt they'll be bringing back any challenges from Virtual Party. Unless they managed to get giant flying pirate ships or real dragons and volcanoes," Cyan mentioned.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound likely," Nolan chuckled. "I haven't seen any Playground of Pain equivalent around the city, either, but then again, I haven't looked very hard."

"Maybe the entire city is one big Playground of Pain," Cyan giggled.

"That might make certain challenges a lot more difficult," Nolan remarked. "I was thinking mostly of the Floor Is Lava challenge, since that was the first one."

"Actually, the first challenge in Virtual Party had us go through a city of roughly this size..." Cyan recalled.

"Whatever we have to do, we're going to have to really put in the effort to beat the other team," Nolan figured. "Sure, we have strong people like Joseph and Louise, but they've got stronger people like Shadya and Irving."

"We just need to work together, is all!" Cyan proclaimed. "...I just hope we can."

"I've gotten along well enough with everyone," Nolan said. "Actually, now that I think about it, you might be the first girl I've really spoken to so far. Kun was concerned about Kiki sequestering you guys when we were at the park earlier."

"Yeah, Kiki..." Cyan chuckled awkwardly. "Whatever you assume to be the case about her is probably true."

"Forming an alliance with all the girls to take out toxic masculinity?" Nolan guessed.

"So she really is as clear as the sky to everyone," Cyan confirmed. "You don't have to worry about me and Louise. We aren't sure Kiki's going about, well, anything the right way."

"Good to hear it," Nolan smiled. He took his die and rolled it. "This may be forward, but I've just been informed that I'm allowed to make an alliance offer with you and Louise."

"Oh, sure!" Cyan agreed. "I'm sure Louise would be fine with it. We should talk to her later."

"Wonderful," Nolan smiled.

Confessional:

Nolan: Yes, my dice did say that I had to reach out to Dalit specifically, and I will, but Cyan approached me, so I don't think I'm breaking my own rule. And now I have my first official alliance of the game. Cyan's a sweetie, and Louise seems cool, too. I can see this working out.

Cyan: I think Nolan's already got some decent connections on this team. I've seen him talking to a bunch of other people, so I think I can safely assume he'll be good to have on my side. Being on good terms with lots of people means that he'll have lots of people not voting for me. I hope. You can never be sure with this game.

Irving strolled throughout the city by himself, until he paused.

"I sense... a creepy girl who wishes to speak to me about ghosts," Irving said.

"Awwwwww, what gave it away?" Lilith asked.

"Ye smell, for one thing," Irving mentioned.

"How adorable. You already associate my perfume with me~" Lilith said.

"Ye be the only lass I've met what wears what smells like potpourri on purpose," Irving told her. "Now, go on about your unrest boner so I can be on me way."

"Why, Irving, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were in love with me," Lilith giggled.

"Keh? How does that figure?" Irving doubted.

"You act like you just want me to leave you alone, but I can tell you miiiiiiiissed me," Lilith teased. "Admit it: you've never felt guilty about absolutely laying into me. You enjoy that sense of power, maybe even of catharsis. You enjoy making others miserable."

"I would enjoy making ye miserable if ye weren't so obsessed with getting your feelings hurt," Irving snorted.

"...Irving, what do you make of the alliance Hugh put together?" Lilith asked.

"Hugh's alliance? Gyarharhar! He couldn't've picked a more dysfunctional group if he tried!" Irving guffawed.

"Oh, Irving. You're so funny," Lilith said. "Surely it's occurred to you that nobody else is ever going to trust us."

"As they shouldn't," Irving chuckled.

"You can't just talk your way around the fact that nobody likes you, honey," Lilith told him. "That might have worked before, when nobody knew you, or knew what they were doing, but you've got a reputation now, and these people are smart enough to realize it."

"I imagine ye picked up on this once ye realized it about yourself, then," Irving sneered.

"Oh, I always assume eeeeeveryone thinks the worst about me," Lilith smiled perkily. "All I'm saying is that, like it or not, we need each other."

Lilith immediately pulled Irving in for a hug.

"What the?!" Irving choked.

"I'm your beeeeeeeestest frieeeeeeend out here~" Lilith whispered in Irving's ear.

Irving shuddered.

Confessional:

Irving: Ye won't catch me dead telling that weird wench that she's right. Unless it would mess with her because it be the opposite of unrest. Still not sure. Won't risk it. She may think she has this all figured out, but she be forgetting one important factor: I be the Dread Pirate Irving! The rules don't apply to me!

Lilith: I hate Irving, and Irving hates me. What a wonderful, glorious, wretched pair we will be~ Mweeheehee... He may think he's still a big shot, but I don't see him lasting unless he sticks with the villains' alliance. Of course, it would be amazing if his own hubris caused his downfall. Just imagine.

Dalit had finished fixing her makeup in her bathroom and had decided to leave her motel room. She found Jean-Marie sitting on the stairs.

"Oh! Dalit," Jean-Marie acknowledged.

"I do not want for you to speak with me," Dalit told him frankly.

"May I ask why?" Jean-Marie frowned.

"I am not the fool I once was. I know how you play this game," Dalit mentioned. "You like to take advantage of women's... how women usually think you're charming. But it will not work with me!"

"I endeavor to avoid such tactics in this season," Jean-Marie assured her. "That's the sort of thing that led me to my current life state."

"Tch. Your current life state," Dalit scoffed. "I grew up in slavery! I've never known my real parents, and never will! I spent sixteen years with no friends or family, just washing a rich bastard's feet! You grew up privileged and rich. I don't want to hear it."

"I can see that you truly do not like me," Jean-Marie frowned.

"Good, I'm glad I don't have to make it even clearer," Dalit sniffed. She began to walk off.

"So you refuse to hold une seule conversation with me?" Jean-Marie asked.

"I do not speak French! I've only been speaking English for a few years!" Dalit shouted at him.

"My apologies," Jean-Marie apologized.

"I repeat: I do not want to be speaking with you!" Dalit shouted as she made her leave.

Jean-Marie sighed. "C'est la vie."

The Frenchman waited for Dalit to be out of sight before he stood up to leave elsewhere.

"Perhaps I should see if Chef Hatchet will allow me any more food," Jean-Marie told himself.

Confessional:

Dalit: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on you! I will not fall for the tricks of villains any further! I will not trust Jean-Marie as far as I can throw him!

Jean-Marie: I am used to being looked down upon for my past actions, but Dalit seems to believe that my woes are invalid due to my upbringing. That is not something I am used to. I should probably avoid Dalit from now on. Elle a blessé mes sentiments plus que je ne voudrais l'admettre.

Steve Jenkins found Vladimir wandering the streets of the city.

"Hey, Baz!" Steve Jenkins shouted.

"Baz? That's a new one," Vladimir said.

"It's cooler than 'Barry'. Berry is what smoothies are made of, and that's kind of lame," Steve Jenkins explained.

"I like it," Vladimir smiled. "So, what's up?"

"Oh, not much, I was just curious as to why you're worshipping some intangible god that they made up thousands of years ago and not the incarnation of perfection that stands before you," Steve Jenkins said casually.

"Because I know God exists. I've felt His presence," Vladimir said.

Steve Jenkins started tapping on Vladimir's head obnoxiously. "Do you feel my presence, bro? I'm right here, in the flesh!"

"This isn't getting me any closer to converting," Vladimir notified, annoyed.

"Damn, you're stubborn," Steve Jenkins griped. "How can you be in such deep denial when I'm literally right in front of you?"

"To be honest, I'm still trying to process how you came to the conclusion that you're some kind of god," Vladimir said.

"Uh, have you met me?" Steve Jenkins scoffed.

"This is the first time we've ever spoken," Vladimir pointed out.

"And how often has God spoken to you?" Steve Jenkins challenged.

"God speaks to me every single day," Vladimir smiled.

Steve Jenkins let out an annoyed shout.

Confessional:

Vladimir: It is a lot harder for people who just don't have any religious experience to grasp the religious mindset. I didn't really know much, if anything, about it before researching for this disguise. It makes more sense the more you try to understand it. Of course, Steve Jenkins doesn't strike me as the type who really understands anything. (He chuckles.)

Steve Jenkins: How can one be in such deep denial when undeniable proof of my existence is right before him? It's absolutely mind-boggling.

Joseph and Louise were out at McLean Park, tossing an American football back and forth.

"Nice thinking bringing this, bro!" Joseph called out to her.

"Of course! You can easily kill a few hours if you just have a football and some friends!" Louise declared.

"I hear that!" Joseph agreed. "What do you make of the team so far?"

"It seems nice!" Louise answered. "Not as much conflict as the other team so far, from what I can tell."

"That's definitely not a bad thing," Joseph grinned.

"I should probably warn you, though, that Kiki doesn't really like you all that much," Louise mentioned.

"Kiki? I don't think I've even spoken to Kiki," Joseph pointed out. "Is that why she's annoyed with me?"

"No, she just assumes you're a douchebag because you're always talking about your bros or 'the boys' or something," Louise shrugged.

"She sounds like a hoe," Joseph frowned.

"That also probably isn't helping," Louise admitted.

"Well, I'm not changing who I am," Joseph maintained. "If she doesn't like me for who I am, then that's on her."

"Are you going to talk to her about it?" Louise asked.

"It would be the adult thing to do," Joseph conceded. "But if that doesn't work out, then we could always just vote her out."

"I guess that's true," Louise figured. "I think she has Dalit and Frita on her side. She tried getting me and Cyan, but neither of us is really into the whole 'girls only' thing."

"That's how I know that you're true bros," Joseph grinned. "Is that an alliance offer?"

"I wouldn't mind an alliance," Louise said. "We'll definitely need more than three people, though."

"Believe me, I'm no stranger to being in the minority," Joseph assured her. "Who else do you think we should get to work with us?"

"I have no idea," Louise admitted.

Confessional:

Joseph: Bro, being targeted on round one is not how I wanted this game to go. Especially over something so petty. It's honestly putting a pretty big damper on my mood. Man, why does Kiki have to be like that? I never did anything to her.

Louise: I'm not exactly a genius or anything, but even I've learned better than to let someone's alliance start picking up steam if I'm not in it. Joseph's cool, and I don't want to vote him out right now. I think the team could do without Kiki, though.

Brittany had been wandering through the city when she came across Irving.

"Ah, if it's not our big winner of the gang!" Irving grinned jovially.

"Yeah, I guess that's me," Brittany responded awkwardly.

"Oh, come now, lass," Irving said. "Ye may be trying to downplay your own skill, but nobody's forgotten that you're the only one among us skilled group of players who's actually taken the gold."

"And let me guess: you want to form some sort of secret duo between us where we protect each other because we're both such big threats," Brittany deduced.

"Ah, there be the brains ye be known so well for," Irving chuckled. "Of course, we could always get a bigger crew if it'd sell ye. Ernie and Isidora seem like a cunning enough lot, and easy enough to get along with, methinks."

"That wouldn't be the worst alliance," Brittany conceded.

"I know the likes of Hugh or Shadya would probably want ye gone sooner than later," Irving mentioned. "Let's face it: we're all here because we want to win, and nobody here wants someone to hog all the wins for herself."

"That's not fair! I'm a contestant in this game, just like everyone else," Brittany insisted.

"I don't make the rules, lass. Don't shoot the messenger," Irving said innocently. "Of course, I be well aware of how screwed up our team be. One can easily take advantage of the cracks if they want to. That's why I be offering to help ye out. I know how it feels to be on the outs simply because everyone's afraid of ye."

"That's because you're manipulative and have no empathy," Brittany pointed out. "In fact, why am I even considering this offer?!"

"Because ye know it could be your best shot at making it in this game," Irving said smugly. "I'm not trying to mess with your head, Brittany. I know ye be too smart to fall for any of me tricks. All I be suggesting is that we have each other's backs. Agreeing with me will only benefit ye, even if ye don't plan on staying true to it."

"I am planning on staying true to... my word," Brittany maintained.

"I see," Irving chuckled. "Let me know when ye've made up your mind. I won't pressure ye about it."

Irving walked off.

Confessional:

Brittany: I've already proven that I'm capable of winning, as Irving is so quick to remind me, but I want to win in a way I can be completely proud of. I know I said I wanted allies who trust me, but I don't think Irving is someone I can trust, and I already have a pretty big alliance, so I don't think I'll be taking him up on his offer anytime soon.

Irving: Sometimes ye just need to be patient if ye want to plunder the valuable booty. And in Brittany's case, I do mean booty! Gyarharharhar! Jokes aside, I think Brittany could be a valuable ally to have. Hell of a lot more valuable than Hugh or Lilith, that's for damn sure, and I could use me some valuable allies if I want to stick around.

Kun invited Jean-Marie and Joseph into his room.

"What's the dealio, brotherino?" Joseph asked.

"I cannot help but notice Kiki's exclusion from this meeting," Jean-Marie pointed out.

"Yes, that's, um, relevant to the topic at hand," Kun said. "Kiki has opted to remove herself from the alliance."

"...I fail to grasp how this benefits her," Jean-Marie said flatly.

"Louise told me that Kiki's got a new alliance cooking up," Joseph informed them. "Dalit and Frita, I think."

"Dalit has already declared me her enemy, so this affects me little," Jean-Marie said.

"So what we need is to rope in more people to vote with us," Kun said.

"Well, Louise said she'd be open to an alliance with me and Cyan," Joseph mentioned. "We could probably rope them in for an easy five."

"That could, um, work," Kun agreed. "Who does that leave unaccounted for?"

"Nolan and Quentin, oui?" Jean-Marie answered.

"That's right," Kun recalled. "I don't think we can rely on Nolan's vote, but we could talk to, um, Quentin. That would mean a clear majority."

"Worth a shot, I guess," Joseph figured.

"I think Quentin is someone I can get along with," Jean-Marie complied.

"Of course, it should go without saying, but, um, the three of us will be the, um, core of the alliance," Kun reiterated.

"Of course," Joseph grinned.

"Tant que je ne suis pas l'un complotant contre les autres," Jean-Marie added.

"Excellent," Kun smiled. "I really think things will, um, work out for us this season."

"Hell yeah, bro!" Joseph cheered. "We might not be the Gorillaz anymore-"

"We were never the Gorillaz," Jean-Marie interrupted.

"-but we could still be... ooh! The Beastie Boys!" Joseph suggested.

"It still sounds barbaric," Jean-Marie griped.

"We can, um, brainstorm ideas for alliance names later," Kun suggested.

Confessional:

Kun: Just because, um, Kiki no longer wishes to work with me, doesn't mean I need to panic. Her openly declaring war on me actually, um, benefits me, because now I can plan around it. Just so long as we can, um, trust Cyan and Louise. I ought to touch base with them soon.

Jean-Marie: This seems like about the most wholesome way I can keep myself safe, short of being best friends with everyone, which I don't think most of us could do, let alone me. I do worry that I've seen Quentin speaking with Frita before, so she may try to pull him into her alliance.

Joseph: Look, I'm just saying. Three boys in this alliance, three boys who are licensed to ill. It makes sense! Lowkey, I'm a little insulted that JM thinks he's so above my cool-ass name ideas. I don't see him pitching anything.

Bailey met up with Ernie and Vladimir at Hatchet's Diner.

"Well, isn't this nice? Kind of a House Party reunion," Vladimir smiled.

"I guess," Ernie droned. He turned to Bailey. "Is that why you pulled us both aside specifically?"

"I thought it would be neat," Bailey smiled. "It's been six years since we've been together. It reminds me of how much fun I had back then."

"I guess," Ernie conceded. "Not inviting Kiki or Nolan, though?"

Bailey shot Ernie a look for a fraction of a second before composing herself. "I figured I'd keep it within our team. I'm sure those two have their own business to attend to, their own connections to form."

"So you're pulling us aside and preventing us from, ya know, forming connections with our team?" Ernie asked.

"Come on, Ernie, don't be like that," Vladimir said. "Didn't you miss us?"

"I think we all know the answer to that question," Ernie said.

"Well, I hope everyone else knows the answer, because, to be honest, I'm a bit worried that the others may see us as potential targets because there are three of us," Bailey told the two.

"So, again, you're, like, keeping us from making connections outside of our original cast," Ernie pointed out.

"Alright, if you're going to be like that, then you can leave," Bailey said impatiently.

"Will do," Ernie yawned as he left the diner.

"I'm not sure what I expected from him," Bailey told Vladimir.

"He always has been kind of a misanthrope, hasn't he?" Vladimir said.

"I suppose, but we were able to work together last season, so I thought he'd be a bit less rude to me," Bailey frowned.

"It has been a while since we've all seen each other," Vladimir conceded. "Plus, as happy as I am to see you guys again, he has a point about making connections with the others that we don't already know."

"Perhaps," Bailey thought aloud. "In that case, our House Party reunion will just have to wait, won't it?"

"For what it's worth, it is really nice to see everyone again," Vladimir smiled. "Or at least the four who did make it."

"You mean five?" Bailey asked skeptically.

"Not counting myself, of course," Vladimir chuckled. "I see myself every day."

"Mm," Bailey half-responded.

Confessional:

Bailey: I'm still leaning towards Barry being the impostor, but I wouldn't be too shocked if it turned out to be Ernie, either. I won't bring this up to anyone other than Brittany until I can be more sure.

Vladimir: Ahhh, I see what Bailey's trying to do. She suspects me and is trying to suss out which of me or Ernie is the real deal, and which is the master of disguise at work. How very risky of her. I wonder just what exactly I ought to do about it. (He chuckles.)

Ernie: I'm not, like, here for this to be House Party 2. I'm here to win. And I can't do that if, ya know, Bailey's got me on a leash. Bailey's, like, really starting to annoy me, ya know?

Kiki came across Quentin by himself at McLean Park, looking at birds.

"Sure enough, the house wren seems to have found its way to this city," Quentin thought aloud.

"Do they usually find their way to cities, inhabited or not?" Kiki asked.

"Oh, Kiki!" Quentin jumped a bit. "They're pretty common in Saskatchewan. They like forests, barns, and city parks. I don't know how long Drama City has been around, but it's pretty fascinating that the birds are already comfortable with it. Sort of makes me wonder if this city is really a bird habitat and we, the humans, are just visiting it."

"Surely this must have been an actual city before the show started using it," Kiki figured. "Constructing all these buildings, roads, and parks is much too expensive and time-consuming for it to have just been another Total Drama setting."

"I don't know. They built a one-to-one recreation of Wawanakwa. Plus, Pahkitew and the Explore Party island were artificial, too, right?" Quentin figured.

"Did they really never give the Explore Party island a name?" Kiki asked. "Huh, now that you mention it, I can't seem to recall it having one."

"Maybe we can ask Frita or Jean-Marie later," Quentin figured.

"...Speaking of Frita, I have a proposal for you," Kiki decided.

"Alright?" Quentin cocked his head to the side.

"I'm putting together an alliance of people I like and trust," Kiki said. "I know this is our first real interaction, but I can already tell that you lack the sort of toxic masculinity that keeps ruining reality TV. I've already got Frita and Dalit. What do you say?"

"Er, I'll have to think about it," Quentin winced.

"I suppose it is a rather sudden offer," Kiki admitted. "I do implore you to join, of course. I know there's an alliance of Kun, Jean-Marie, and Joseph out there looking to take control of the team, and we could really use your vote to deal with it."

"I'll let you know," Quentin told her.

Kiki nodded. "So, any other birds I can expect to see out here?"

"Oh, don't even get me started on the finches in Saskatchewan," Quentin began excitedly.

Confessional:

Kiki: I'll be honest, I wasn't looking for Quentin nor expecting to offer him a spot in my alliance, but if Cyan and Louise won't work with me, Quentin is the logical next step. I did notice him getting more hesitant once I mentioned toxic masculinity. Men don't seem to realize that that phrase does not envelop all masculinity, which is annoying. He could also have been put off by aligning with Frita or Dalit. Or maybe he's already in an alliance. Oh, that'd be really annoying. I swear, if he's already chosen Kun's alliance over mine...

Quentin: I mean, I am already aligned with Frita, so if she's aligned with Kiki and Kiki wants me in her alliance, that would make sense. But, I don't know, Kiki telling me that I'm not traditionally masculine hit a nerve. I'm not insecure about the fact that I'm not a super manly man in and of itself, but my ex-girlfriend would always mention it so blithely that it started to feel like she was making jabs at me, and, well, long story short, now she's my ex-girlfriend. I guess Kiki probably didn't know that, but it still stung. I don't know.

Isidora read a book in her room when she heard a knock on the door.

"Hey, alliance buddy! You in there?!" Steve Jenkins' voice came from the other side.

"Maybe if I just stay quiet he'll go look for me somewhere else," Isidora muttered.

"I heard that!" Steve Jenkins shouted. "You don't get to be Steve Jenkins without god-like powers of perception."

Isidora groaned as she marked and shut her book. She opened her door.

"What do you want?" Isidora asked shortly.

"Well, I figured we ought to have some sort of plan going forward," Steve Jenkins said as he invited himself into her room. "Otherwise people are going to start targeting me for being a pretty huge threat."

"I can't deny that you being a target seems likely," Isidora droned. "So what's your plan?"

"Alright, so Brittany's already won this game," Steve Jenkins prefaced. "She may look like just another pretty face to underestimate, but a pretty face like me knows better. She's got to be wicked good at this game, too. I say we throw her under the bus. Otherwise, she's just going to slip through the cracks."

"Yeah, sure, sounds good," Isidora said dismissively. "Anyone in particular you planned to work with?"

"Well, Shady and I go way back, so she's a given," Steve Jenkins said. "I'm not sure about the others, though."

"Steve Jenkins, are you bothering Isidora again?" Shadya asked as she entered the room, as the door was still open.

"I'm dropping some major strats right now," Steve Jenkins insisted. "Get this: as soon as we lose, we throw Brittany under the bus as someone who's going to slip through the cracks and probably win a second time."

"Sure, whatever, works for me," Shadya said dismissively. "Can you leave the two of us alone? I have a... womanly issue I need Isidora's help with."

"Ew. TMI," Steve Jenkins gagged. "Alright, peace!" Steve Jenkins ran out of the room and shut the door.

"That never fails to clear men out of the room," Shadya smirked. "No matter how dense or smart they might be."

"I'd be more impressed if you weren't making me think about your period," Isidora grimaced. "Do you actually have something you wish to talk about?"

"Well, I'm putting together an alliance of people who I deem worthy to make it far in this game," Shadya said.

"Yeah, Ernie said something about that," Isidora nodded. "Us two, him, Bailey, Barry, and Brittany, right?"

"Exactly," Shadya confirmed. "Hugh also begged me for an alliance, so I said yes if only to shut him up. If he claims I'm loyal to him, know that I am not."

"Knowing him, he'd probably backstab you as soon as it was convenient for him, anyway," Isidora figured.

"He could try, but I sincerely doubt he could come close to succeeding," Shadya scoffed.

"Look, he's a delusional jackass, but he didn't get seventh place just through sheer luck. He does know what he's doing... kind of," Isidora reminded her. "Of course, I'd still rather get rid of Steve Jenkins first."

"Even though he seems to trust you?" Shadya asked. "Believe me, you don't have to tell me what a pain he is to be around, but genuine trust is a valuable asset in this game."

"So is my own sanity," Isidora insisted.

Confessional:

Isidora: In spite of everything, Shadya is completely right about how valuable genuine trust is, and how badly I'm going to need it. Even if this alliance of six is looking good now, things can go south with little to no warning, and maybe I could use Steve Jenkins as some sort of fallback plan. Better safe than sorry.

Shadya: What I told Isidora is what I've been telling myself in order to convince myself that, just in case this game decides to screw me over, I could use Hugh as a potential ally. Out of respect for Isidora, I will also do what I can to keep Steve Jenkins out of my line of fire - temporarily, of course. That just leaves Irving and Lilith as potential first targets. I'm okay with that.

Steve Jenkins: I'm telling you, Brittany's doing what she can to lay low and look harmless, but I'm too smart to fall for her tricks. The all-discerning eye of Steve Jenkins has singled out the biggest threat in this game, and I'm going to make sure she isn't going to get away with it!

Dalit and Frita sat at a small table right outside the motel.

"I insist, if you simply brushed your hair, you would look so much more noticeable for boys," Dalit told her.

"I tried that once. It doesn't help," Frita sighed. "Besides, even if boys did notice me, my personality would put them off."

"That might be true, but a makeover did not hurt my chances of finding my boyfriend, and the same could be true for you," Dalit insisted.

"You grossly underestimate how repulsive people find me," Frita stated.

"Ladies," Nolan greeted.

"Ah! Nolan, you used to dress very poorly," Dalit began. "Tell Frita how you figured how to stop."

"Well, I hate to make it sound like my wife dresses me, but whenever I go shopping for clothes, she'll hard veto a lot of my choices," Nolan chuckled.

"I did notice your wedding ring," Dalit mentioned.

"Yeah, you remember CJ from House Party. I'm still madly in love with her," Nolan grinned. "She knows a lot more about aesthetics than I do, being an artist and all."

"Ephraim is too poor to afford a wedding ring. It's annoying," Dalit griped.

"How did a gambler and an artist end up with enough money to get married?" Frita asked.

"I mean, gambling is just a hobby. I've got a full-time job at a warehouse right now," Nolan explained. "And CJ works retail on top of selling commissions online. Even then, our apartment is nothing special."

"Pff. It sounds like you took the cheap way out," Dalit said. "I will not have my wedding be so unfortunate. I will have a grand, expensive wedding!"

"Just try not to be a Bridezilla," Nolan chuckled.

"The women in that show are grossly overexaggerated. I should know, it happened to me in my first season at Total Drama," Dalit dismissed.

"By the way, I'm also an artist, but I guess I still don't know anything about fashion," Frita mentioned.

"Be quiet, we're talking about my wedding," Dalit shushed.

Frita sighed.

Confessional:

Nolan: Dalit is definitely someone who isn't afraid to tell people what she thinks or what she wants. Quite the opposite of me and my dice strategy, I dare say. Cyan mentioned that Dalit and Frita are aligned with Kiki, who I'm supposed to be in opposition to, so I'm not going to make any offers, but if they make an offer, I'll let the dice answer for me.

Dalit: When I first left Israel, I had taken my first bath in months at the airport shower in Canada. My hair was greasy, my clothes were ugly and tattered, and I had never worn makeup before. Bijou managed to fix most of that, and in just a few weeks, I found a wonderful boyfriend. I have learned enough to think that I can do the same on Frita.

Frita: Honestly, I'm not even sure things would work out with any boy even if Dalit gave me a makeover. I'm in my twenties and I've never had a boyfriend before. My lack of experience would make things too difficult and annoying and awkward for him. I've already accepted that I'll die alone, so it's fine.

Hugh was walking through the streets of the city when he came across Lilith standing in the middle of the street.

"Just ignore her. Acknowledging her is exactly what she wants," Hugh told himself quietly.

"Isn't that what we all want? To be acknowledged?" Lilith whispered in his ear.

"Gahhhhh!" Hugh shouted. "When did you get so close to me?"

"Deep down, haven't you always felt close to me?" Lilith giggled. "You and I are one and the same, you know. We both like to make others miserable for our own peace of mind."

"Tch. If that's genuinely what you think I'm about, then you're clearly nothing like me at all," Hugh scoffed. "I only stab backs - and fronts, for that matter - because it's good for my game."

"Noooooooooo, no~ It's not just that, silly billy," Lilith cooed. "You love the feeling of playing the villain, or the bad boy, or whatever you're calling it now. You've admitted as much all the time."

"Jeez, can I not just walk to my own room without being psychoanalyzed by this psycho?" Hugh lamented.

"There's no sense in hiding from your own truth, Hugh," Lilith stated. "Hiding from yourself is nothing more than running away, and I don't know a lot of bad boys who like to run away."

"And what do you think my truth is, artard?!" Hugh snapped.

"You never really wanted to be bad," Lilith claimed. "But everyone convinced you that you were bad because you would act up without really trying. And the more and more defensive you got, the more and more you proved to them that you're just as awful as they thought."

Hugh tried to walk away, but Lilith gripped tightly on his shoulder.

"Hey! Let go!" Hugh shouted.

"So you decided to double down on it. You tried to own it," Lilith continued. "That way their words can't hurt you, riiiiiiight? Wrong! You still resent the idea, Hugh! You're just cowering away in the recesses of your own mind while putting up a wall to keep them from finding and hurting you."

"E-Even if you were right, which you're not, how am I supposed to spread your precious unrest if you're trying to convince me that I'm a good person?!" Hugh questioned as he tried to wrench Lilith's grip from his shoulder.

"Because you've aaaaaalways done so from the start. Weren't you paying attention?" Lilith asked. "No matter how hard you try, Hugh, you will only ever annoy, or inconvenience, or repel people~ Mweeheehee. You call it being a bad boy. You call it being a villain. When will you accept for yourself that you're just an inherently repulsive human being and always will be? Like me! Mweeheehee!"

"I am nothing like you, you whack job!" Hugh cried.

He successfully broke Lilith's grip from his shoulder and ran off. Lilith broke into a giggle fit.

Confessional:

Hugh: How the actual fuck did she make it to the merge of her season, let alone be considered enough of a star to come back? She even admits that she's useless and unlikeable! This chick needs to be in an asylum, not televising herself and her weird, ass-backwards philosophy!

Lilith: I've aaaaaalways sensed in Hugh the potential to become such an amazingly horrid ghost. So full of unrest with the world and with himself~ Mweeheehee... I'm going to make sure he loathes every aspect of existence~

Cyan and Louise met up in Cyan's room.

"Alright, so you trust me, right?" Cyan asked.

"Of course! You're the person out here I trust the most," Louise confirmed.

"OMG, same!" Cyan gushed. "Okay, so I've been going around and talking to people. I haven't talked with everyone yet, but I was talking with Nolan, and he offered me an alliance deal that also includes you."

"Nolan, huh?" Louise asked. "Nolan seems cool and all, but are we sure we can trust him? He makes his game decisions entirely on the roll of a die."

"He rolled his die before making the offer, and said that it decided that he was allowed to make the offer," Cyan explained. "I know he's probably not the most reliable potential ally, but it's something, and we could use something, especially since Dalit is working with Kiki now."

"Actually, I was hanging out with Joseph earlier, and we also decided that working together with you would be beneficial," Louise informed.

"Ooh, I do want to work with Joseph!" Cyan clapped. "We hated having to work against each other last season just because of how the alliances formed."

"I can relate. That's how I was with Wisdom in my season," Louise said. "But that's cool! Both of us are out here roping in more allies."

"Do you have any ideas other than Nolan and Joseph?" Cyan asked.

"I think I've seen those two hanging out with the other three boys," Louise recalled. "Quentin seems cool."

"Yeah, I'm not sure I can trust Jean-Marie or Kun nearly as much," Cyan agreed. "Although Kun might need to be a back-up plan, just in case Nolan suddenly decides he can't work with us."

"Why not just have Kun full time instead of Nolan?" Louise asked. "He can be a capable leader, in spite of his shyness."

"Because I already said yes to Nolan, mostly," Cyan admitted. "Besides, Nolan's a lot more fun to be around than Kun."

"I guess it's better than Jean-Marie who's unfun and unreliable," Louise figured.

"Exactly," Cyan agreed. "We should keep an eye on our teammates. If we can suss out who's best for us to work with, we should be able to get pretty far in this game."

"I'm not that smart, but I can definitely try," Louise chuckled.

"The game is a great blue ocean, just begging to be explored!" Cyan proclaimed.

Confessional:

Cyan: I think Louise and I are in a perfect position right now, because I can't imagine either of us is going to be anyone's first targets with the way the lines have been drawn. We just need to make sure we're not too blatant with playing the middle, and we should be all but guaranteed to actually make the merge this time! ...I hope I didn't just jinx it.

Louise: I'm still not so sure someone as unpredictable as Nolan is going to make for a valuable ally, but if he swears to Cyan that he wants to work with us, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. I am liking the Joseph and Quentin angles, though! Those two seem cool to work with.

The contestants met up with Chris, Topher, and Lindsay in McLean Park.

"Are you guys ready for your very first challenge of the season?!" Chris asked excitedly.

A handful of contestants clapped and cheered.

"Which season's first challenge have you decided to pastiche?" Shadya asked expectantly.

"We haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about," Topher claimed.

"Plus, pistache is my least favorite kind of ice cream," Lindsay added.

Chris and Topher glanced at Lindsay for a second.

"Yes, even more than black walnut, okay?!" Lindsay doubled down.

"There is black ice cream?!" Dalit asked, surprised.

"It's not actually black," Brittany explained.

"Then they should stop with calling it black. That is very so confusing," Dalit huffed.

"This is all extremely hilarious, but if we could get back to the challenge," Chris droned.

"Maybe our guest will catch their attention!" Topher grinned. "For the first challenge of the season, we've brought in the first person voted out of the Party era of this show to help explain!"

"Spankety spankety spankety!" A clown peeked out from behind Chris and then handspringed away from him and in between Topher and Lindsay.

"Aw, geez, why her?" Ernie complained.

"Specifically to annoy you!" Spankety answered cheerfully. She honked a clown horn with a big dumb smile on her face.

"Great to see you again," Kiki smiled.

"And it's grate to be back!" Spankety began grating a block of cheese over Kiki's head.

"Where is she, um, getting these props?" Kun asked Nolan.

"You got me," Nolan admitted.

"Anyway!" Spankety threw the cheese and the grater off to the side. "For today's challenge, you're going to have to transfer a big huge wagon from the garage it's in all the way over to another garage way across town, all while making stops to get some crates along the way!"

"Sounds like a pretty physical challenge," Louise grinned.

"Jubilation," Isidora deadpanned.

"The starting garages are south of Hatchet's Diner, and your final destination is south of the elimination building," Topher continued.

"The wagons will also come with a map telling you where to find the crates as well as the destination garage," Chris continued.

"You're going to have to find the starting point on your own, though," Lindsay mentioned. "But hey, we did already give you a hint!"

"The team that gets their wagon and crates into the second garage first will win Invincibility!" Spankety announced. Her face went serious. "The losing team will have to force one of their own to know the misery of coming all the way out here only to leave before the day is over."

"That will not do again!" Dalit promised.

"Heehee. Have fun!" Spankety beamed.

She backflipped into a nearby bush, which enveloped her completely.

"And with that..." Chris began. "Your challenge begins now!"

The twenty contestants all ran to the west.

Confessional:

Shadya: This challenge could not be better suited for me. Strength and endurance will be required, of course, but also planning and leadership, which are also gifts of mine. My only real obstacle will be people like Ernie and Isidora who think they're above physical activity.

Kun: Oh boy, my first, um, challenge as the leader of the Fighting Wyverns. At the very least, I can tell that my team really wants to win this, so, um, it shouldn't be too difficult to motivate them.

Irving: Why, this challenge be little more than sailing me grand ship across the area, picking up loot as we go along! And I guess me crew will also be there, too, but let's be honest. Everyone remembers Blackbeard, but who could name any of his crew? Keheheh.

Dalit: I will not be allowed to be the first person to be voted off again! I will have to make sure that we win this challenge! And every other challenge, for that matter, but this is the most important one!

The two teams arrived at the garages they were pointed towards. One of them had an orange gryphon spray-painted on the door, and the other had a purple wyvern spray-painted on the door.

"Irving! Help me open this door!" Shadya ordered.

Irving and Shadya both grabbed onto the handle near the bottom of the door and used their collective strength to lift the door open seamlessly. This revealed a massive orange wagon, about seven feet tall with wheels about three feet in diameter.

"We're supposed to be dragging that thing across the city?!" Hugh gasped.

"It has wheels, so it shouldn't be as difficult as it looks," Brittany assured him.

"It's probably still going to be, like, pretty heavy, though," Ernie mentioned. "Cars have wheels, too, ya know?"

"Where is the map that Chris mentioned?" Bailey asked.

"Probably in the wagon," Isidora deduced. "Here, someone help me up."

"I got you," Vladimir complied.

He let Isidora use his hands as a step in order to boost her up to be able to grab onto the wagon and pull herself up.

"Geez, I haven't done anything physical in a while," Isidora panted. "Anyway, I have the map."

"Where are we headed, lass?" Irving asked.

"We're all headed to the deepest pits of despair~" Lilith giggled.

"You guys start pushing the wagon. I'll direct you," Isidora said.

"No, you will get out of the wagon and help us push," Shadya leered.

"If 115 extra pounds is really weighing the wagon that noticeably, I'll get down," Isidora conceded. "But don't expect me to contribute much to pushing. Keeping up the pace on foot is going to be exhausting enough."

"We don't have time to lose, guys! The other team's already setting out!" Steve Jenkins alerted everyone as the Fighting Wyverns began pushing their wagon out of their garage.

"Damn. Let's get going, everyone!" Shadya ordered.

The nine Grand Gryphons who weren't in the wagon took to either side of the wagon and began pushing it out of the garage.

Confessional:

Isidora: Of course we had to start with perhaps the most physically-oriented challenge I've ever had to partake in. I'm still going to do whatever I can to help, even if it doesn't fit perfectly in line with Shadya's picture of what she wants to have happen.

Vladimir: I have to say, Shadya's doing an excellent job making sure she stands out among the crowd. That's not really what I would consider a good strategy for the early game of Total Drama. If you stick in people's minds, it'll be easy for them to single you out, you know.

The Fighting Wyverns had already begun pushing their similarly-designed wagon through the streets.

"Keep it moving at, um, a steady pace," Kun told his teammates as he helped them push. "We don't want to burn out before the, um, end."

"Alright, guys, the first crate is just around the corner of the big scary Exile place that's gated off," Quentin said as he followed behind the wagon with the map in his hands. "Are you sure you don't need me to help push? I wouldn't mind."

"We should, um, have you take it easy, in case someone needs to take a break," Kun explained. "That way you can fill in for them."

"Makes sense to me," Quentin agreed.

"Alright, everyone! We've got a lead on the other team, so let's make sure it stays that way!" Louise encouraged.

"You heard the coach!" Cyan chimed in.

"That's, um, that's going to get us burnt out, and..." Kun stammered.

"Put a sock in it. Louise is an actual PE teacher. She knows what she's doing," Kiki told him.

Kun sighed.

"You will have your time. Ne t'inquiète pas," Jean-Marie assured him.

"Kind of strange that they've got the two teams going in different directions, isn't it?" Joseph commented.

"They probably expected us to be more focused on sabotaging each other than actually doing the challenge," Frita said.

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if that was a big factor," Nolan mentioned.

"Anyone who needs to do sabotage to win doesn't deserve winning!" Dalit claimed. "I still can't believe Genesis won Alpha Party after destroying my chance and others's chances too with lies!"

"You can't deny its effectiveness," Nolan smirked.

"You also cannot deny that it makes others mad at you," Jean-Marie mentioned.

"You would know," Kiki said.

Confessional:

Kiki: I relate deeply to Dalit's plight. Just when I had finally summoned up the courage to start talking to the men on my team, they suddenly decided to team up with the sexual predator and vote me out! And, much like Genesis, one of my backstabbers ended up winning the whole thing. Maybe Dalit and I have even more in common than I thought.

Nolan: (He is flipping a coin repeatedly.) Honestly, I thought we were long past the idea of deceit being frowned upon in games like this. It's standard gameplay at this point. Kind of like in poker. I guess Dalit has only lived in Canada for a few years, so I can forgive her for not knowing. The others don't have that excuse. Although, I'm still not sure what Jean-Marie's current deal is. It's probably none of my business.

The Grand Gryphons had just turned at their first corner to find their first crate.

"Can you help get it up there on your own?" Brittany asked Isidora.

"How many people can lift it?" Isidora asked.

Shadya attempted to lift it on her own and was able to do so, albeit with evident trouble.

"Here, someone help me up onto the wagon. I'll help Isidora take the crates," Brittany offered.

"I've got you," Vladimir offered.

Much like before, he used his hands as a stepstool for Brittany to pull herself up onto the wagon.

"Speaking of help, Shady, let me take the other end of the crate," Steve Jenkins offered.

"If it will speed us up, fine," Shadya relented.

Steve Jenkins took the other end of the crate, distributing its weight between the two of them, as they carried it up to the wagon. Brittany and Isidora each grabbed onto a side and pulled it up onto the wagon.

"Where to next?" Ernie asked.

Isidora read the map. "Somewhere we haven't been before. I'll guide everyone."

"Brittany, get back down here and help us push the wagon!" Hugh called. "We're going to need everyone's help thanks to the extra weight of the crate!"

"Oh! Right," Brittany agreed as she let herself back down onto the ground.

"Sooooo, you're taking orders from Hugh, now?" Lilith asked Brittany as everyone began pushing the wagon.

"I mean, he isn't wrong about the extra weight," Brittany mentioned.

"It'd do ye best to just ignore her, lass," Irving suggested. "Attention is what she craves."

"You're one to talk, Mister Pirate," Lilith giggled.

"Should we separate those two?" Bailey asked Shadya from the other side of the wagon.

"As long as we're getting this wagon to where it needs to be, I don't care if they fight," Shadya stated.

Confessional:

Steve Jenkins: I mean, with my almighty strength, I'm not sure one extra person pushing the wagon will make much difference, but if anything, that's just going to prove how much we don't need Brittany on this team. See, I am a genius!

Bailey: I've never been a very confrontational person, so I have always had trouble understanding how and why people are so quick to taunt each other, or form arguments between one another. It isn't beneficial in any particular way.

The Fighting Wyverns had just finished loading their first crate onto their wagon and had begun pressing on.

"The next crate is in this big green area kind of to the southwest of here," Quentin relayed as he read the map.

"Southwest? We're about as west as we can be," Jean-Marie mentioned.

"Right, I meant southeast," Quentin corrected himself. "I always get east and west confused."

"So should we keep going straight until you tell us where to turn?" Kiki asked.

"Seems like it," Quentin answered.

"'Seems like it' or 'Is like it'?" Kiki asked impatiently.

"Here, Quentin, why don't you, um, let Kiki take over on reading the map, and you can, um, help us push?" Kun suggested.

"Works for me," Kiki agreed as she let go of the wagon and walked up to Quentin.

"Oh, uh, okay," Quentin complied as he handed the map to his teammate without a second thought. He took Kiki's spot at the wagon and helped the others push.

"We can't slouch, everyone! We need to prove that we deserve this second shot!" Louise encouraged.

"Hell yeah! Push! Push!" Joseph agreed.

"We are pushing," Nolan mentioned, annoyed.

"Push harder!" Joseph insisted.

"If we could be pushing harder, we would be!" Dalit snapped.

"The human body will not allow itself to reach its full capacity because it wants to avoid hurting itself," Frita claimed monotonously. "Plenty of my drawings involve... Never mind, you guys don't want to hear it."

"Alright, guys, the next crate isn't too far from here," Kiki explained, only glancing back at the map occasionally. "There's going to be a big field south of O'Neal Barcade, not too far from here. It's going to be there."

"Got it! Thanks, Kiki," Louise complimented.

True to Kiki's word, the field in question took little time for the team to reach. Not only was the burgundy crate intended for the Fighting Wyverns easily visible not far from the group, but off in the distance, one could barely make out the gold-colored wagon of the Grand Gryphons retrieving a similar crate, also painted gold.

"Is that the other team?!" Cyan gasped.

"Where?" Quentin looked around the immediate area.

"On the other side of the grass, imbecile," Dalit scolded.

Joseph pulled himself up onto the wagon. "Alright, hand me the box, bros!"

Jean-Marie, Louise, and Nolan all hoisted the crate up and carried it over to Joseph. He managed to retrieve the box from his teammates and pushed it towards the back of the wagon.

"Alright! Let's go!" Joseph encouraged.

"Y-Yes, let us proceed!" Kun attempted.

Confessional:

Kun: It seems as though my, um, voice of leadership isn't really getting through to the others. People like Louise, or Joseph, or Kiki seem to be commanding my team without a second thought, and nobody seems to, um, notice or care that it is not their team leader doing so. That's very troubling.

Louise: I think we're about neck and neck with the other team. I, for one, refuse to have someone who didn't make the merge in their first season going home first! That just defeats the entire purpose of our team!

The Grand Gryphons had loaded their second crate into their wagon and had pressed on.

"Okay, the last crate looks like it's going to be inside one of the buildings," Isidora relayed to her team as she read the map from on top of the wagon.

"That really narrows it down," Hugh snarked as he looked around at the street full of nondescript buildings.

"Are there any particular landmarks we should keep an eye out for?" Vladimir asked.

"...Our building is shorter than the two buildings to either side of it," Isidora said, sounding as if this was the best possible answer she could give.

"I trust Isidora will know when we're in about the right area," Brittany assured the rest of her team.

"If nothing else, we're still heading towards the final destination, so we won't have to make up too much ground if we pass it," Bailey figured.

"Unless the other team doesn't pass theirs, and that costs us the lead," Shadya mentioned.

"You hear that, Isidora? You'd better pay attention, or you'll singlehandedly cost us the win~" Lilith swooned.

"I'll keep an eye out," Isidora said flatly.

"The rest of you should probably, like, keep an eye out, too," Ernie suggested.

"'The rest of you'? Don't you mean 'the rest of us'?" Hugh sneered.

"Someone has to keep all their focus on pushing the cart," Ernie claimed.

"Bullshit! You just can't be bothered to pay attention to your surroundings," Hugh claimed.

Ernie shrugged unhelpfully.

"Good thing I'm on the team. I can pay attention to at least three things at once. You know, because I'm Steve Jenkins," Steve Jenkins boasted.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Irving asked from behind Steve Jenkins.

"Five," Steve Jenkins guessed without looking behind him.

"I'm pushing the cart, ye nonce!" Irving laughed.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Steve Jenkins shouted indignantly.

Confessional:

Ernie: I think our team is, like, a lot more physically oriented than the other team, so I can afford not to put 100% into every challenge. Actually, I think we have a lot more mental threats than they do, too. I guess that's what'll happen when, ya know, all of us made the merge and they didn't. Heh heh.

Brittany: I think the Gryphons do overall have more skill than the Wyverns, but I don't know if that will mean as much when there are so many big egos conflicting against each other. That was Team Weed in a nutshell, and I know the signs. I wonder what Jean-Marie's doing over on the other team. He and I haven't really been able to talk yet.

"This is the one!" Kiki announced as the Fighting Wyverns' wagon arrived in the vicinity of the building that her map said contained a crate.

"The single-story one here?" Cyan asked.

"Bro, that's easy!" Joseph beamed. "Let's go!"

Kiki handed the map off to Kun before the boy could go into the building. "You take it easy."

"As the, um, team leader, 'taking it easy' is the exact opposite of- you're not listening. Please..." Kun sighed as Kiki ignored Kun's words and ran into the building with her teammates.

"There are double doors, so we can easily get the crate from in here to out there," Nolan noted from within the building, which looked to be nothing more than a warehouse with only a few empty shelves and the big crate within. "But two of us will need to hold those doors open."

"Who needs to rest their muscles?" Louise asked.

"Would you guys mind terribly if I...?" Frita trailed off.

"I should also be not lifting right now," Dalit offered.

"Then the rest of us should be able to carry the crate easily," Jean-Marie said.

"Alright, let's do it!" Quentin agreed.

Cyan, Jean-Marie, Joseph, Kiki, Louise, Nolan, and Quentin had no trouble picking up the heavy crate and carrying it out through the doors that Dalit and Frita held open. Outside the building, Kun had hoisted himself onto the wagon, waiting to help pull the crate up onto it.

"Is he going to be able to help it up there by himself?" Cyan asked, concerned.

"I can help him!" Quentin offered.

He let go of the crate, suddenly bearing his share of weight onto his teammates. Kiki was not able to hold on, and she let go, forcing the weight she was holding onto the others.

"Hey! Quentin!" Kiki scolded. She took a deep breath and returned to her part of carrying the crate. "Warn us next time!"

"Sorry," Quentin frowned.

"Don't, um, worry about her," Kun suggested. "We're ready when, um, you are!" he called to his teammates.

"I'm not sure I can hold on much longer. Dépêchons-nous," Jean-Marie mentioned.

The group carried the heavy box over to their wagon and held it up for Kun and Quentin to take. The two boys were both able to muster enough strength between them to get the crate onto the wagon.

"Alright! Now we just need to get it into the second garage!" Louise encouraged.

"It's the final stretch. Let's put in everything we've got, bros!" Joseph added.

Confessional:

Quentin: Man, this has not been my challenge. See, if you need proof that there's no such thing as being a lucky or unlucky person, look right here. I just hope things don't go to the worst-case scenario...

Frita: I think this challenge is the most exercise I've ever gotten in my life. I feel... weirdly excited. It's probably just because my heart is beating too fast. My brain thinks that's excitement because that only happens when I get really into a drawing.

Chris, Topher, and Lindsay all waited in a building near the two destination garages. The room had little more furnishing than linoleum floors and a table and chairs within it. A window provided their view of the garages.

"Are they there yet?" Topher groaned as he played a game on his phone.

"It's a challenge for a reason," Chris shrugged as he poured himself some coffee. "I am eager to get the important parts of this round going, though."

"Is the challenge not important?" Lindsay asked. "Isn't it what determines everything else?"

"It's a part of it, I guess," Chris figured as he sat back at the table. "It's not the interesting part, though. Just kind of a necessity."

"What if there was a season with no challenges?" Topher smirked shrewdly. "Wouldn't that be interesting?"

"Eh, maybe," Chris said.

"Come on, you can't tell me that's not a little interesting," Topher insisted. "If nothing else, it's cost-effective."

"Talk to Nelson about it, I don't know," Chris dismissed.

"It looks like they're here!" Lindsay announced as she stood up and pointed to the window.

Sure enough, one of the teams had arrived at their garage. The contestants threw open the door, and the others pushed their wagon into the garage.

"Well, there we go," Chris smirked. "Come on, let's go announce the results!"

The three made their way out of the building and ran up to the garages.

"Congratulations!" Topher told the winning team.

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"We won?!" Louise gasped excitedly.

"Yep. The Fighting Wyverns will be safe tonight!" Spankety confirmed as she leapt out of one of the crates.

"What the hell?!" Joseph jumped. "Was she there the whole time?"

"Excuse me?!" Shadya snapped as the Grand Gryphons just approached the garage.

"Sorry," Lindsay offered sympathetically.

"I will escort the Grand Gryphons to the Elimination Station," Chris said. "Topher and Lindsay, you know what to do."

"I'm calling bullshit on this," Steve Jenkins griped. "I understand the temptation to rig it so that I, Steve Jenkins, look more like a rootable underdog, but losing is not the Steve Jenkins way of life! There's a reason my middle initial is W!"

"It is?" Vladimir asked.

"At any rate, if you guys will follow me," Chris told the Grand Gryphons.

Chris headed north, towards the Elimination Station. The losing team reluctantly followed him.

Topher and Lindsay turned to the Fighting Wyverns.

"You guys aren't dismissed quite yet!" Topher told them. "Because, as the winning team, you all still have an important decision to make!"

"We won! We should not have to be voting someone out!" Dalit snapped.

"Don't worry, this is a good vote," Lindsay assured her.

Topher pulled some small pieces of paper and pens from his pockets. "I want each of you to vote for who you think did the best in the challenge, and who you think did the worst. The only rule is that you can't vote for yourself."

"What if the same person gets the most votes for best and worst?" Nolan asked.

Topher looked to Lindsay unsurely, hoping she might have an answer. He looked back to the Fightin Wyverns. "Don't," he instructed them.

Topher began to pass out pens and papers to the ten winning contestants.

Confessional:

Nolan: I'm just saying, there's a real possibility that five of us could choose one person as the best, and the other five could choose that same person as the worst. In fact, the same arrangement of people could also pick someone else as their worst or best respectively. And then what? Sounds like a pretty big oversight.

The contestants all handed their filled-in slips of paper to Topher and Lindsay.

"Alright, we've counted everything up!" Topher announced.

"Just get the worst over with," Frita sighed.

"I think we're supposed to do the best first," Lindsay told her.

"The person who was voted as the best contributor to the challenge..." Topher began.

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"Kiki! Congratulations!" Topher announced.

"Oh, wow! Really?" Kiki smiled.

"Yes, really!" Topher confirmed. "It was close, but you managed to get the majority vote! This means that you will have access to the penthouse of Blaising Tower! This is effective until the next time someone wins access to the penthouse."

"Oh, awesome!" Kiki grinned. "Thanks, everyone!"

"And then... there's the person who was voted as doing the worst," Topher snickered.

"This one wasn't as close," Lindsay admitted.

Before Nolan could speak, Topher piped up. "And no, it wasn't Kiki! It was, in fact..."

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"Quentin, sorry bro!" Topher announced.

"O-Oh," Quentin frowned. "I guess I made the odd mistake or two, but... I guess you guys had to pick someone, huh?"

"Nothing personal," Cyan assured him.

"For being decided as the worst contributor, Quentin, you will be spending your time in Isolation Park until it's time for the next challenge!" Topher declared.

"Next challenge?!" Quentin gasped.

"That's pretty extreme," Joseph commented.

"Such is the price of falling behind, I'm afraid," Topher said.

"It won't be that bad! If you find a unicorn there, you'll get three wishes granted!" Lindsay assured him.

Topher drew his hand across his neck in a 'cut it' motion before anyone could say anything.

"I'll take you to the park," Lindsay told Quentin.

"The rest of you are dismissed!" Topher told the rest of the team.

"Hey, wait a minute, where did Spankety go?" Kiki asked.

"The world may never know..." Nolan said wistfully

Spankety chuckled from within the building where the hosts had been waiting.

Votes:

Best:

Kiki - Frita, Jean-Marie, Louise, Quentin

Louise - Dalit, Kiki, Joseph

Joseph - Cyan, Kun

Frita - Nolan

Worst:

Quentin - Cyan, Dalit, Frita, Jean-Marie, Joseph, Kiki, Louise

Frita - Quentin

Kiki - Kun

Jean-Marie - Nolan

Chris and the Grand Gryphons arrived at the Elimination Station building. He led them all into the singular room, and then pressed the elevator button.

"What the?!" Hugh gasped.

"An elevator going down. Interesting," Shadya sniffed. "Any particular reason that eliminations take place underground?"

"Because it's cool. And we can," Chris shrugged proudly.

"I've heard worse reasons to build an elevator," Ernie figured.

"Like what?" Brittany asked.

"Elevator shafts are very good, like, hiding places," Ernie explained. "And there are lots of things that people are going to want to, ya know, hide."

"Like booooooooooodies?" Lilith asked.

"I was thinking more about drugs, but I guess, ya know, bodies work too," Ernie told her.

The elevator arrived at its destination, and the Grand Gryphons bore witness to the starry-decorated room.

"Shiny," Isidora commented.

"If everyone will take a podium," Chris coaxed.

Everyone took a spot at one of the eleven podiums stationed in the center of the room, each with a small blue light facing the center of the circle. Chris sat in a high-rise chair nearby.

"We seem to have one too many," Bailey noticed. "Was this going to be a cast of twenty-two, and two people had to bow out?"

"It is a mystery," Chris said unhelpfully. "Anyway, you guys will have half an hour - or until you all cast your votes - to have an open discussion on who you want to see voted out. I'm sure you've noticed the touch screens on your podiums. At any point in this elimination ceremony, you can use that to cast your vote. Just know that, once it's been cast,"

"Har! I be used to taking risks that I know can't be taken back! Bring it on!" Irving laughed.

"Then vote right now," Isidora challenged.

"Alright. Remind me of your name again?" Irving sneered.

"Hugh," Isidora answered.

Irving tapped on the touch screen. "Alright, I voted for Hugh!"

"H-Hey! Tell me you didn't actually!" Hugh snapped.

"Relax, ye lily-livered lout. I didn't really vote," Irving chuckled.

"Or diiiiid he?" Lilith brought up.

"Chris, how are we supposed to discuss this kind of thing in front of everyone?" Vladimir asked nervously. "Even if someone does throw out a name, that person is right there."

"Exactly! Hehaha," Chris chuckled. "You're going to have to play hard if you want someone out that badly. This is All-Stars, after all!"

"Thankfully, I have full confidence that the choice I will be making is the correct one," Shadya stated.

"Whaaaaat's thaaaaaaaaaat?" Lilith giggled.

"You," Shadya said point-blank.

"Me?" Lilith asked. "Mweeheeheeheehee! You're so funny, Shadya~"

"That's a sentence that I doubt has ever been spoken before," Isidora commented.

"Lilith is not particularly skilled in challenges and has demonstrated nothing resembling an attempt to connect with me," Shadya explained. "By a show of hands, who also feels as though Lilith hasn't made a real attempt with you?"

Bailey, Brittany, Ernie, Isidora, and Steve Jenkins all raised their hands.

"To be fair, I have actively gone out of my way to avoid her, on account of her being a massive lamer," Steve Jenkins made clear.

"Hey now, is it really fair to be ganging up on Lilith like that?" Brittany asked.

"I think I can say without a shadow of a doubt that you do not have any better options," Shadya said.

"Now that, I can't agree with," Irving chuckled.

"Oh, my hero~" Lilith swooned.

"Don't mistake this for me being able to tolerate ye," Irving scowled. "But methinks I can name a name that may yet be more preferable to us as a team."

"What's that?" Bailey asked.

"Well, I guess for the sake of technicality, I don't actually know his name," Irving said.

"That's going to, ya know, make it harder to call him out," Ernie droned.

"Or Irving could just point," Brittany mentioned.

"Oh, I know the name he wishes to be called. I know two of them, in fact," Irving chuckled.

Bailey's eyes lit up. "I think I know what you mean," she said.

"Just spit it out already!" Hugh shouted.

Irving dramatically pointed his finger in Vladimir's direction. "This man is a fraud!"

"M-Me?!" Vladimir gasped.

"I propose to the court that the man who has called himself Barry is, in fact, our good friend the master of disguise from Total Drama Explore Party!" Irving continued.

"You watch, like, too many courtroom dramas," Ernie claimed. "God, I wish it was actually that exciting."

"So you caught on, too?" Brittany asked Irving.

"I assumed everyone had," Irving chuckled. "I just wanted to be over-the-top for a minute."

"Just a minute?" Isidora doubted.

"Even if that is Vladimir, as you claim, what difference does it make?" Shadya asked. "He contributes to challenges, and, more importantly, isn't annoying beyond belief."

"I'm not Vladimir, by the way," Vladimir mentioned. "I'm the real Barry Flynn."

"Then prove it, artard!" Hugh challenged.

"Like, what, tell you something only I would know?" Vladimir asked. "Uh, my favorite Bible verse is Matthew 6:34. 'So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today'."

"What a horrid passage," Lilith pouted. "I think everyone can stand to worry a lot more! Worry about so so so much! Tether your anxiety to this Earth, that you may wander as a ghost foreeeeever and ever~!"

"Steve Jenkins will leave a legacy that will carry on for millennia to come! I don't need to be a ghost to do that!" Steve Jenkins promised.

"We're getting off-track!" Shadya insisted. "There is no good reason to keep Lilith over Barry, or Vladimir, or Tom Selleck, or whoever that is!"

"Tom Selleck?" Brittany asked.

"I bet she thinks about him a lot," Hugh snickered. "Daddy issues, remember?"

"That wasn't necessary," Bailey scolded him softly.

"You're not necessary!" Hugh snapped.

"Well, let's look at this from the perspective of whether or not we should, like, vote for Barry," Ernie decided. "Obviously, Irving, ya know, felt confident enough that it was a good idea that he made it public."

"Ernie! There is no reason to do that!" Shadya insisted.

"If you keep getting defensive, it won't look good in front of a jury," Ernie told her. "Or, I guess it'd be the rest of the team in this case. The point stands."

"I'm with Shadya, here," Vladimir chuckled awkwardly. "No offense, Lilith, but I just don't see us working together, you know?"

"It'll be hard for that to happen when you're eliminated," Lilith giggled. "At least, that's what I'd be saying if I was voting for you."

"Oh, uh, thanks?" Vladimir accepted, confused.

"So, wait, someone offered a name that isn't yours as a feasible target, and you're still going to be difficult?" Isidora asked.

"Mweeheehee," Lilith giggled.

"Cool, just checking," Isidora said.

"I think the best target is clear as day," Lilith said. "Why, I'm surprised no one else has brought it up."

"Stop being vague and just tell us already," Steve Jenkins groaned.

Lilith turned to Brittany. "Brittany's already won this game, plus she's sooooooo boring."

"I would think that you of all people would find my inner conflict in regards to whether or not backstabbing my allies was good for my game interesting, but go off, I guess!" Brittany winced.

"At first, I thought Barry was the most boring person here, but if he really is Vladimir all along, then that's going to cause all kinds of stress and unrest!" Lilith beamed. "But you? You're just some boring, nice, pretty girl. Who cares?! People like you are a dime a dozen, Brittany! You add nothing to this show!"

"As much as I hate to say it, I'm with the freakshow," Steve Jenkins said. "In regards to wanting to lose Brittany and in no other way."

"Okay?" Brittany winced. "Can I ask what I did to you?"

"It's like Lilith said, you've already won this game," Steve Jenkins explained. "Keeping you around would not only cost someone what could be their first win, but it's also going to keep around a threat that I think people are underestimating. Isidora's with me on this!"

"That is something I told Steve Jenkins," Isidora said emotionlessly.

"Well, is it true?" Brittany asked, hurt.

"...I'm on the fence," Isidora said. "While I have nothing against you personally, I do have something against the idea of someone who's already won winning a second time when everyone else could have had their one and only win."

"That's hardly fair!" Brittany insisted. "You got fifth place in your season, and got twice as many episodes as I did! Ernie also got fifth place! Irving got third! All of us have done well in our original season. Just because the rest of you came only close, and I just managed to fall ass-backward into a win, suddenly that means I'm not allowed to play Total Drama anymore?!"

Isidora pointed her eyes to Steve Jenkins for a second and then shook her head slightly. Brittany looked to the floor.

"If I may, I respect how you feel, Brittany, but you've already won a million dollars," Vladimir mentioned. "The rest of us could also use a million dollars. Ernie's in law school, Bailey's boyfriend is in prison, Irving grew up less-than-fortunate... hell, I've already picked out how I'm going to donate the money if I win."

"...Did you just say 'hell'?" Bailey asked.

"This... This is a stressful environment," Vladimir said. "It slipped out. I'm sorry."

"Dude, apologizing for saying 'hell' is pretty lame," Steve Jenkins told him.

"I've played alongside Barry in the past," Bailey said. "And not once did I ever use any word more profane than 'crap', and that was when he was stressed out."

"That's still not a very offensive word," Lilith smiled.

"Not to you or me, but Barry takes the concept of Hell very seriously," Bailey said. "If you'll recall, his task in the facing-your-fears challenge was to watch Drag Me To Hell."

"Which doesn't actually take place in Hell, by the way," Irving added.

"I don't think Chef actually knew that," Chris chuckled.

"The point being, Barry wouldn't just let that word slip out like that," Bailey claimed. "I believe that the man we've been calling Barry is, in fact, Vladimir!"

Vladimir gulped, almost unnoticeably.

"Even if that was the case, who cares?!" Shadya snapped. "Do you want to vote someone out for something stupid like being in disguise or already winning, or do you want to keep the team strong so we can make sure we don't end up back here?!"

Shadya pressed on her podium. The light on her podium turned red.

"I guess that means she voted," Isidora said.

"And if the rest of you had any brain cells, you would also vote for Lilith!" Shadya maintained.

Lilith pressed on her podium. The light on her podium also turned red.

"Come ooooooon, you guys know you want to vote for Brittany," Lilith smiled. "She knows what she needs to do to win, and she's proven that she'll do it."

Brittany's grip tightened on her podium before she cast her vote, turning her light red. Bailey and Vladimir cast their votes not long after.

"Who still hasn't voted?" Bailey asked. She looked around to see Ernie, Hugh, Irving, Isidora, and Steve Jenkins still with blue lights.

"What could possibly be taking so long?" Shadya asked.

"I'm stalling specifically to annoy you," Isidora deadpanned. "If you must know, I'm still torn."

Irving cast his vote. "I know when to read a room. I can sense that the Vladimir vote ain't happening tonight."

"Please don't call me Vladimir," Vladimir sighed.

Ernie also cast his vote. "Hope I, like, made the right decision."

Steve Jenkins cast his vote. "I definitely made the right decision. Steve Jenkins is known to do that from time to time."

This left Hugh and Isidora as the only two who still had yet to cast a vote.

"Is there any way I can convince you two not to vote for me?" Brittany asked desperately. "Please, you guys..."

"Mweeheehee. Your desperation is so so so precious, but it wouldn't be enough to change my mind," Lilith giggled. "You'll need to show more unrest than thaaaat."

Hugh cast his vote. "Fuck it," he decided.

Isidora cast her vote. "It probably shouldn't have taken me this long, but what can you do?"

All ten of the podiums in use had their light glowing red.

"You have cast your votes and made your decision!" Chris announced. He took his phone out of his pocket. "I will reveal the votes one by one. Of course, the person with the most votes against them will be the very first person eliminated from Total Drama Party with the Stars. Hehaha."

The Grand Gryphons glanced at each other with varying levels of nervousness.

"First vote... Lilith!" Chris announced as he read from his phone.

Lilith simply giggled.

"Second vote... Lilith!" Chris continued.

"Adorable," Lilith smiled.

"Third vote... Brittany!"

Brittany took a deep breath.

"Fourth vote... Brittany!"

Brittany closed her eyes and looked at the floor.

"Fifth vote... Brittany!"

"You cannot be serious," Shadya grunted.

"Sixth vote... Lilith!"

"Oh?" Lilith asked.

"Seventh Vote... Brittany!"

"Don't do this to me," Brittany muttered.

"Eighth Vote... Lilith!"

"I actually have no idea how this is going to go," Isidora mentioned to Ernie, who stood near her podium.

"I get the feeling that it's going to be, ya know, either Brittany or Lilith," Ernie told her.

Isidora shot him a deadpan look.

"The last two votes... are for the same person," Chris told the Grand Gryphons. "And that person is..."

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"The first person voted out of Total Drama Party with the Stars... is Lilith!" Chris finally announced.

Everyone's eyes turned to Lilith, who wore a wide grin on her face.

"Mweehee... Mweeheehee... Mweeheeheehehehehehahahahaha!" Lilith broke into laughter. "So this is what it's like! This is what it's like to be deemed so annoying and useless that you're worth voting out over the actual threats!" Her face flushed. "None of you will ever like me, will you? I bet not even the others who voted for Brittany will ever want to see me ever again! I bet you never did!"

"I mean, pretty much," Ernie said.

"Any last words before you're escorted out of here, Lilith?" Chris asked.

"Only that I loathe each and every one of you, and I hope you all go to Hell," Lilith smiled serenely.

"Please don't say that," Vladimir said queasily.

"Wait, Hell, not sticking around as ghosts?" Hugh scoffed. "If you're going to be edgy and subversive, at least be consistent!"

"I am," Lilith said. "I hope none of you become ghosts, and all just end up in Hell. Mweeheehee... Mweeheeheehee!"

The ceiling above the Grand Gryphons opened, and the Shackle of Shame snaked its way over to Lilith. It clasped onto her waist and began to pull her up above ground as she laughed. Once she was completely removed from the room, the ceiling closed again."

"And that, my friends, was the Shackle of Shame," Chris chuckled. "Pro-tip to not getting shackled: don't lose! Hehaha."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind," Brittany cringed.

"You guys can head back to the elevator and back to the motel," Chris told the Grand Gryphons. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

Confessional:

Brittany: Well, so much for keeping things casual early on! If people are going to vote for me just because I've already won, then I'll show them why I won in the first place. I'll show them why I'm an All-Star!

Vladimir: Well, it seems that Bailey isn't the only person I need to worry about. And now that my identity as Vladimir is on everyone's minds, retaliating is just going to make me seem more suspicious. I guess a start would be to cement my spot in Shadya's alliance. I managed to survive this vote, and I will be surviving the rest. Mark my words.

Chris, Topher, and Lindsay all stood in front of the city limits of Drama City.

"Our first elimination, and it was already pretty heated!" Chris announced.

"Lilith may have been able to slip between the cracks before, but I guess All-Stars just moved too quickly for her," Topher said.

"Hey! All body types are beautiful!" Lindsay scolded Topher.

"What?" Topher asked flatly.

"Anyway, how will the Grand Gryphons react to how the vote turned out?" Chris asked.

"How will the dynamics on the Fighting Wyverns continue to flesh out?" Topher asked.

"Will Quentin find all the statues over at Isolation Park?" Lindsay asked.

"You didn't hide them, remember?" Chris remarked.

Lindsay hung her head in shame.

"You'll just have to find out what happens next time, on Total!" Chris began.

"Drama!" Topher and Lindsay continued.

"Party with the Stars!" the three concluded in unison.

Votes:

Bailey: Lilith

Brittany: Lilith

Ernie: Brittany

Hugh: Lilith

Irving: Lilith

Isidora: Lilith

Lilith: Brittany

Shadya: Lilith

Steve Jenkins: Brittany

Vladimir: Brittany

Grand Gryphons:

Bailey - The Pragmatic Poet

Brittany - The Loyal Bombshell

Ernie - The Lazy Law Student

Hugh - The Head Villain

Irving - The Chaotic Pirate

Isidora - The Asocial Bookworm

Shadya - The Genius Athlete

Steve Jenkins - The Vlog Icon

Vladimir - The Untrustworthy Impostor

20th: Lilith - The Harbinger of Unrest

Fighting Wyverns:

Cyan - The Sweet Madame Blue

Dalit - The Social Media Model

Frita - The Morbid Artist

Jean-Marie - The Homeless Frenchman

Joseph - The True Bro

Kiki - The Strategic Hipster

Kun - The Awkward Team Leader

Louise - The Friendly PE Teacher

Nolan - The Wildcard Gambler

Quentin - The Lucky Ornithologist

A/N: I don't recall Lilith ever being a particularly popular character, but I've always really enjoyed writing for her. When picking which of the girls from Virtual Party's merge I wanted to come back, I did, in fact, consider Vanessa or Wanda for the spot, but I didn't really have any strong plot ideas in mind for either of them, and I didn't want to just give them an early boot slot because I knew it would disappoint the people who were actually looking forward to seeing them play again. With Lilith, I didn't really need any sort of plot, just her quirks causing friction with the other characters, and I think she's an understandable enough first boot that I at least hope I won't be getting any angry letters about letting her go first. And thus, first blood has been drawn. What did you guys think of Lilith this season?