The episode opens up on a shot of the loudspeakers situated on the wooden polls around camp.
Suddenly, said loudspeakers screech into life, as Chris' voice filters through it.
"Attention all ten remaining campers: Beth, DJ, Gwen, Geoff, Duncan, Harold, Noah, Sadie, Ezekiel, and Cody! Please report to the mess hall pronto!"
As Chris called each name of the contestants, the camera cut to their faces as they listened in interest to the announcement.
Cut to every camper sitting down at the mess hall tables, as Chris and Chef watch, hiding back wicked smirks.
"Welcome to the half-way point, campers.", said Chris. "All of you have resisted the odds to be our top ten contestants."
"Some of you I didn't expect to be here at all.", said Chris, pointing at Sadie. "Like, I expected Katie and Sadie to be the first ones out."
"Um, I'm still in the room.", said Sadie, testily.
"Today's challenge will come with several twists.", said Chris, ignoring the best friend. "Firstly, there will be no elimination this week."
The campers all cheered.
"Secondly, today's reward is the biggest one yet. A three-day cruise with all the luxuries you can imagine."
The campers cheered even louder.
"Thirdly, the current teams are officially dissolved.", finished Chris.
No campers cheered at that. "Like, is this the merge we've all heard about?", said Harold.
"Not quite. You will be split into teams based on gender: boys vs girls, for a one time challenge."
"But, there's so many boys, and not enough girls.", said a confused Beth.
"I know, which will make it super funny when the boys utterly cream the girls.", said Chris, chuckling to himself.
"Anyway, all the boys will be moving into the Gophers cabin, while all the girls will be moving into the Bass cabin. You have fifteen minutes to do so, as me and Chef..." Chris and Chef began snickering quietly to themselves.
"... prepare breakfast.", finished Chris, still snickering.
Noah and Cody give each other an aside glance.
Cutting to the former Gopher' cabin, the boys are all unpacking their stuff.
Geoff took out some soda left over from the tuck shop reward. "Dudes, a cabin for only boys. It's going to be nothing but parties from here on out."
"True that.", said DJ. "Throw me a soda, dude."
Geoff did so, as Duncan pulled out his amp. "I've got the tunes!", he said, and turned it on. Immediately, heavy metal music filters into the cabin.
As Duncan, Geoff, and DJ rock out to the music, Cody, Harold, and Ezekiel looked awkward in the corner.
Noah, meanwhile, was just reading in his bunk.
(Cody): Never actually been to a high school party before, unless you count the one I tried to start. I invited all the popular kids, but none of them showed. Only my tech club mates came.
In the newly christened girls' cabin, most of the women of the camp were just minding their own business.
Finally, Sadie walked up to Gwen. "Hi, we haven't talked much, being on other teams, but I'm Sadie.", said the chubby girl.
"Oh, um, I'm Gwen.", said Gwen, a little awkwardly.
"Yeah, so do you want to talk?", said Sadie, eagerly.
"Um... sure.", said Gwen, slowly.
After fifteen minutes of Sadie talking, Gwen stalked over to the other side of the room where Beth was unpacking her stuff.
Gwen sat on a bed, and said, "If that girl squeals one more time, I'm going to strangle her." She looked to Sadie, who was still talking, not even realizing Gwen was gone.
"What?!", said Beth, and as she turned, Gwen could see she had ear plugs in.
After the fifteen minutes of unpacking were over with, each camper walked back to the mess hall and reentered the building.
Chef and Chris were already there, and were still holding back snickers.
The snickers turned into out right laughter, as the campers sat down at their places on the tables.
"What's so funny, eh?", said Ezekiel, looking nervous.
"Today's challenge will be an eating contest.", said Chris. "You will each be served a plate of food, and each team member will have to eat all of the food for either team to win a point."
"What's the obvious catch?", said Noah, rolling his eyes.
"The catch is that each meal is the most disgusting thing you can think of.", said Chris, motioning Chef to wheel out a tray filled with covered plates.
Chef sat a plate before each of the nervous campers, then uncovered them...
"Oh, phew! It's just meatballs.", said Sadie, picking one up and flipping it into her mouth.
"Well, you're right about the 'balls' part.", said Chris, cheekily.
"It's beef bourguignon.", explained Chef. "Otherwise known as steer testicles."
Cut to a bull laying on the ground at a farm holding his crotch in pain.
Sadie immediately stopped chewing and froze in place. Her eye twitched momentarily.
"Beef... testicles.", said Harold, holding up the 'meatball' and looking at it in horror.
"Oh, I can't do this to my bovine brothers.", said Geoff.
"It's like... the most important organ to a man.", said Cody.
Seeing the boys hemming and hawing, Gwen and Beth nodded their heads in sync, and began chowing down on the beef testicles.
All the boys gasped in horror.
Sadie was still frozen in place, until Beth nudged her with her elbow, and said, "Remember, Sadie; the cruise!"
Hearing this, Sadie gulped down her first bite, then methodically gulped down the remaining balls.
Chris looked smirking at the girls' empty plates, then to the boys. Noah took a small bite out of his ball, and held it in disgust.
A single tear fell down DJ's face.
"And the girls' win the first round!", announced Chris.
The girls all cheered as Chef took away the various plates.
"Our next dish is a pizza... covered in grasshoppers and jellyfish.", said Chris, as Chef tore the covers off the newer plates.
All the campers looked in horror at the dish, with Sadie even gagging and throwing up on the floor.
Chris took out his stopwatch, clicked it, and said, "You have ten minutes to wolf these down."
Gwen and Beth both closed their eyes, and began eating their slices of pizza, while Sadie still looked at the meal with a pale face.
Seeing this, Duncan, Geoff, and DJ all closed their eyes, and began wolfing down their respective slices.
Soon, the three of them are done. "Ha! That point is as good as ours.", said Duncan, until he saw something that annoyed him.
Noah, Cody, Ezekiel, and Harold hadn't even touched their food.
"Uh, hello, earth to nerds. If you don't eat, then we don't win the point.", Duncan said.
Noah pushed his plate away. "I'm not eating this.", he said, simply.
"What, why not?", said Geoff, confused, as Duncan growled in Noah's direction.
"Do I have to spell it out for you? It's disgusting. I'd rather not go on a cruise, then definitely get my stomach pumped.", said Noah, irritably.
Cody, who was looking at the meal with a pale face, said, "Um, I don't think I can do this, either."
"Oh, you're going to do it.", said Duncan, getting dangerously close to their faces. "Don't forget; it can be done. Me, Geoff, and DJ did it."
"And why do you think that was...", muttered Noah.
"What was that, dork?", said Duncan, raising a fist.
"Time's up!", said Chris, as the three boys looked around. "The girls win!"
Indeed, Sadie had apparently gotten over her nausea while the three boys were bickering and eaten her required slices.
Duncan growled and slapped his palm to his forehead, as Chef wheeled out the next meal.
This meal turned out to be... spaghetti.
"All right, an easy one for a change.", said Geoff, spooning a spoonful of 'spaghetti'. As he got closer to his own mouth, Geoff realized something: it was wriggling.
"Worm spaghetti, made with real, live earthworms, garnished with kitchen grease and hairballs.", announced Chris.
As the new challenge began, Noah grabbed the lid of bowl as if he was moving it away.
Duncan caught the other end of the bowl, stopping the push. "You better not be doing what I think you're doing.", said Duncan. "Now, tell me what you were going to say last challenge."
Noah just looked at Duncan with a bored expression.
Duncan raised a fist, cracking his knuckles, while the other hand grabbed Noah's shirt collar.
Noah, who hadn't changed his bored expression, said, "I was just going to say that you three are popular kids.", he said, gesturing to DJ and Geoff as well.
"What does that have to do with anything?", said Geoff, suspiciously.
"Well, it's simple really: you guys are more used to doing crazy things at your wild parties or whatever. You said it yourself: we're are nerds. We're just not cut out for it."
"So, we should just let you guys chicken out, and lose us a cruise trip away from this stinkin' camp?", said Duncan, through gritted teeth.
Noah smirked cheekily. "If you don't mind."
Duncan was about to punch the schemer, when a timer went off. "Time's up! Girls win again!", said Chris. "Will the boys win any rounds?"
Duncan growled, but released Noah nonetheless. Chef soon brought the next dish: French Bunion Soup with hangnail crackers.
Geoff, DJ, and Duncan went about drinking up the soup in one gulp, while Cody picked up a hangnail cracker with trembling hands, dunked it in the soup, and bit into it.
Immediately after, Cody ran out into the grounds, vomiting profusely.
"Bye-bye, cruise ship.", said Duncan, wearily, from the window.
The camera then goes into a montage of events of the challenge: various disgusting snacks being presented to the campers, the campers attempting to eat it all, the campers vomiting profusely, and the popular boys and nerds arguing at the boys' side.
"And in a stunning upset, the girls beat the boys with a perfect score!", said Chris, looking at his clipboard of points. "Didn't see that coming."
The girls all cheered, and jumped up and down at their victory.
Meanwhile, at the boys' table, the popular kids were at one end, and the unpopular kids at the other, both glaring at each other.
Cut to sunset, as the cruise ship laden with Gwen, Beth, and Sadie drives off from the dock.
Duncan, Geoff, DJ, Noah, Cody, Harold, and Ezekiel watch it leave, then give each other sideways glances and go their separate ways.
Contestants: Beth, DJ, Gwen, Geoff, Duncan, Harold, Noah, Sadie, Ezekiel, and Cody
Eliminated: Owen, Izzy, Tyler, Bridgette, Justin, Leshawna, Courtney, Katie, Eva, Lindsay, Heather, and Trent
Like last time, this was a light chapter. Nothing too major happened, apart from a growing divide between popular and unpopular competitors.
However, I promise you guys that next chapter will be an absolute banger, considering who's coming back and who's leaving.
Also, I've made it to the halfway point of a fan fiction, which I've never done before. Here's hoping I continue the streak!
Don't forget to review as much as you can!