Let's cook up those replies!

lordgemini- The hardest part of this for me is writing some of the characters knowing the development they face down the road from here. It feels so odd doing that backwards where hidden villains are still nice and general nuisances haven't had their big moments yet. I would definitely change this season's elimination order if I could, but you're right, it's a re-write, not a re-imagination.

This one might not change a ton, I'll be honest. Let's see how it goes though!

Episode 3: The Hunger Aims

The sun rose on Karon Island, the rainstorm from before completely gone. Chris and Chef were on top of Mount Karon, while Chef was fiddling with the Launch of Shame. Chris faced the camera, excited to get going for the next day. "Last time, on Total Drama Karon Island," Chris began, "our twenty new campers went to their first challenge, and since I did not have a ton of time, we did a relay race, which I had plenty of time to stock up with dangerous traps." He laughed to himself as scenes played of Helio stopping when the ditch gave out. "Things were off to a rough spot for the Happy Hens, who broke into argument instantly." Clips played of Hannah being yelled at by Angie and Ethan and Jonathan arguing.

"At the end of the day, the Bouncing Bunnies' strategy of sending all their fastest runners out first won the challenge for them, as well as Kara's dangerous attempt to blow herself up." Clips played of the Bouncing Bunnies celebrating, as well as Kara flying across the beach to win the challenge. "Despite the initial impression, Hannah was spared from elimination, and it was Gretchen who took the fall for the team. Something is certainly off." Finally, clips played of Angie's shock when Gretchen lost, and Ethan and Norm teaming up.

Back at the top of Mount Karon, Chris was still brimming with excitement. "Who will be the first one to be launched off for day two?" As he said that, Chef accidentally sent a deer into the sky with the Launch of Shame. Chris sighed. "First...person to be launched off on day two? Will the Hens turn things around today? Find out today on Total! Drama! Karon Island!"

Opening Sequence

[Various cameras and other director equipment come popping out of various points on the island. Firstly, it appears out of a large tree, then out of a hole at the entrance to the mines, and finally, shooting all the way from the top of The Chasm.]

Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,

[The camera zooms all the way up at the top of Mount Karon. Kara is at the top, observing something as Kayla jumps off of the cliff and starts flying downward, opening up a parachute at the very last second.]

You guys are on my mind,

[The camera moves to the beach, where Gretchen falls off of the rocky cliff and lands face first into the water, still splashing around happily anyway. Nearby, Juan is relaxing in the water as Hannah pops up next to him, evidently annoying him.]

You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see,

[Near the beach, the fourth boat is still wrecked and crashed into a rock. Helio lifts the boat out of the water to move it, all while Daniel is still on it, shocked at the boy's strength. Meanwhile, Madison emerges from the boat wreckage as well, and Jonathan offers his hand to help, which she takes begrudgingly.]

I wanna be famous!

[Further into the woods, Paul is narrowly racing against Sarah in a race. The pessimist trips over Sheldon and crashes to the ground, upset over his loss because of it. Flora rushes over to check on the safety of both the boys.]

I wanna live close to the sun,

[At the base of Mount Karon, Randall is decked out in climbing gear, excited to start moving up the mountain. Next to him, Alexa, looks significantly disinterested, sleeping on a log instead of watching.]

Go pack your bags cause I've already won,

[In the forest, Chad is screaming and jumping around to different trees, while Angie stands in the middle of all of it, covering her ears and getting increasingly more agitated.]

Everything to prove, nothing in my way, I'll get there one day,

[As Chad makes more noises, Ethan and Norm watch from a tree in the distance, before both of them exchange an understanding nod. Next to them lies an empty poison bottle.]

Cause I wanna be famous!

[In the dining tent, Chef and Luna are conversing rather calmly, before a strike of lightning crashes down on the tent. Chef runs out, but Luna appears unfazed by it, instead calmly glancing upward.]

Na na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na na na na!

[The camera moves to the dock, where Luna appears out of nowhere, spooking Paul and Kayla. The two glare at her, the former giving up on caring much faster than the latter.]

I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous! I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!

[The camera drops down to the mines, where Kara is lurking, and she presses a button that launches out a ball of fire. The fire reveals some sort of odd structure inside the mine, bursting into a big glow that transitions to the fire.]

I wanna be famous *whistling*

[Everyone is circled up at the fire. In the middle of all of it, Jonathan leans in toward Madison, who jumps backward, accidentally landing in Ethan's lap, where she is even more freaked out. Above them is the sign that reads 'Total Drama Karon Island'.]

The sun was shining on the dining tent, as the Happy Hens were making their way inside, with the Bunnies already there. The group was slightly broken up. Seven of the nine were walking in the middle with everyone. Behind all of them, Hannah was walking a bit slower, trying to avoid a lot of her team, especially Angie. She looked a bit nervous, but more than anything, angry.

Hannah: "Okay, sure, I blew it a bit yesterday," she finally admitted, "but I can't believe those people almost voted me off! Do they know who I am?" She scoffed. "They might get challenges, but my least active social media has over three thousand followers." She shook her head in disbelief. "How else are these people going to find connections? TV doesn't take anyone, ya know."

Up at the front, Chad was racing toward the dining hall at a full sprint. "Yo, dudes and dudettes! We can't just chop off our hope hats! We gotta get ready to win today!" His yelling was putting off a lot of the people behind him, even if it was tougher to hear him since he was up front. Norm especially had his eyes wide, almost ready to cover his ears from annoyance.

Angie on the other hand, tried to simply ignore him and hope that his yelling would go away. "I've almost forgotten about last night's betrayal on this team," she reminded them, gesturing to the group. "I have something else to be angry about now." She looked at the dining tent. "I mean, I don't get it, this show makes enough money to give away a million bucks and we still get a tent?"

Chad was still running, and eventually made it to the tent in front, tripping on one of the support wires as he made it there. He kicked up the rope that was staked in, letting a piece of paper fly out of it, which no one else noticed. "Yo brah! Killer wipeout!" Everyone else made an attempt to avoid him and just went inside. Chad noticed the paper. "Check it, mans, piece of paper! I'm pape'd up!" He glanced at it for a second. "Huh, can't read."

The alpha threw the paper on the ground and put it back where he tripped and found it. He promptly went inside, where Jonathan walked out and grabbed the paper from the ground. "A riddle? Cheesy." He then read it further. "Oh...this is no normal riddle." He smirked. "I better keep this to myself, don't want it in the wrong hands, or even the right ones." Jonathan threw the paper in his pocket and then went inside as well.

In the dining tent, the Bunnies were having a strategy meeting for the upcoming challenge. One of their members also appeared to be missing. "Alright, everyone," Paul instructed, "we need to get ready for today. Sure, we won yesterday, but we got lucky. We can't afford to be complacent or slack off." He looked right at Alexa. "That means everyone has to participate."

Alexa sighed. "Okay, first of all, I don't know if we've met properly. I'm Alexa. I have a steady job and plan on keeping it until I can afford a private island like this one. Second, I was not the worst person yesterday. I think you need to chill for a second and stop being all doom and gloom." She flipped her hair, which accidentally went into Kayla's face.

The brat spat out the hair, before widening her eyes. "Oh my gosh," Kayla exclaimed, "that's such smooth hair, what products did you bring to keep it so smooth and brushed?" Alexa shrugged, indicating she hadn't done anything. "Wow." She shook her head. "Sorry, getting off track..." she glared at Paul. "Right, who died and put you in charge?"

Paul's typical defeated expression switched to one of anger. "Okay, first of all, you need to get off of me, now. I'm trying to help the team and you are being defiant for no reason. Plus, I don't remember giving you permission to speak, weasel."

Kara raised an eyebrow, and their argument was getting in the way of everyone else's conversations now, with the whole dining hall having their attention on them. "Um, what did he mean by weasel?" Kara asked, "because if it's about looks, you realized you insulted me too."

Alexa shook her head. "No, it isn't," Alexa defended, "by the way, you two are gorgeous, don't let anyone tell you otherwise." She put a hand on the curious girl's shoulder. "Kayla was telling us last night while you were healing from your explosion. The two have been at ends since Paul won't share with Kayla something he found."

FLASHBACK, PREVIOUS NIGHT

Paul exited the confessional. "Interesting votes, but it's hard to tell who instigated that decision," he decided. As he walked back to the campsite, he noticed an oddly placed rock. "No way, what if it's the idols?" He pulled it up, but only found a piece of paper. "Nope, just some dumb paper...I should have expected that." He read the writing on it. "A riddle? For the idols?" He kept reading:

Two idols are hidden, scattered around the camp,
One is somewhere cold, and one is somewhere damp.
If you find it, you're as gold as gold,
You can be saved from being sold.
Invincibility Idols may be played,
After the elimination is made.

"That's incredibly lucky for me," Paul mused, "Actually, very unlike me to be that lucky." He sighed. "Alright, let's hide this thing so someone else doesn't see it. He then heard footsteps and someone coming near him. "Oh...no, I need to move fast." He quickly threw it underneath a stake holding up the dining tent.

Kayla appeared in the dark of night, just as Paul was walking away. "Well, isn't this suspicious?" Kayla said with a cocky grin. "I took you to be a giant doom and gloom guy, but here you are scheming." She peered over his shoulder, but could not see what he had been up to. "Why don't you tell me what's up? You won't weasel out of it from me."

"Weasel?" Paul scoffed. "I haven't done anything. You're the one who followed me here, so if anything, you're the weasel." He shook his head. "I was out here to check the votes, which I figure you did too?" Kayla paused, knowing he was right. "Yeah, so don't call me a weasel, weasel."

The brat glared at the pessimist. "Fine, keep your secrets, but only because your argument wasn't dog water." She turned to leave. "You may be more athletic than me, but I have you socially way more than you have me athletically, I am not someone you want as your enemy."

Flora cleared her throat amidst all of the arguing. "Friends," she called out to them, "we are only on our second day and are fortunate enough to not have lost anyone yet. We are at an advantage regardless of the challenge." She paused and glanced around, noticing that they in fact had the same number of people. "Wait, where is Luna?"

At that moment, the psychic walked into the dining tent. "Apologies," she said to her team politely, "I was out meditating so I could determine today's challenge and allow us some extra time to create a plan." Everyone glanced over to her on the team. "Oh, of course, the challenge today is paintball shooting, specifically at each other."

Sheldon snickered. "Excellent," he said with a cocky smirk. "Paintball is not a physical sport, it requires a higher level of nuance to allow perfection. I will bring us to victory with my heightened brainpower and-"

"Okay, that's enough, Pencil," Kayla said, closing the obnoxious nerd's mouth with her own hand, recalling how Kara had described him the night before. "This seems really straightforward, just don't stink."

Chris walked in the dining tent as Kayla was ridiculing Sheldon. "Hi everyone, hope you had ample time for breakfast!" Some people looked satisfied with their breakfast, as people like Sarah and Helio were done eating, but others like Angie and Alexa had barely ate any of the grey gruel. "Meet me outside in a minute! It's challenge time!"

Kayla: "Paul needs to watch his step," she griped, "I want to see him be put in his place. Sucks I'll never find out what happened with him last night, but I'll get him. My social game is incredible, I can read people like books. For example, I can tell Alexa isn't going to be a problem. Pencil, though, I need him to eat the dirt quickly."

Once everyone was gathered outside the dining tent and with their team, Chris announced the challenge to them. "Today's challenge is simple. You are to be the last team standing in a paintball battle." Everyone on the Bunnies looked at Luna in surprise that her guess was actually correct. "You can do whatever you want to get the other team out."

Chris continued the challenge explanation. "This time, unlike season 1, we will not have any deer, because everyone is a deer and a hunter!" He tossed the ten Bunnies a paintball gun each, equipped with their team color. The Hens were also tossed ten paintball guns. "Hens, since you're down a player, you will get an extra, if someone wants to dual wield, feel free."

"Finally, there are traps scattered in the woods. That's where you'll be playing. Go to far and you'll fall down a fun crevice called The Chasm. It's pretty large, so if you fall in, I guess we can dedicate this episode to you." He snickered. "Yeah, so stay where the traps are. If you can lead someone else into a trap, they're out, even if you haven't hit them with a paintball." That got a lot of people's attention. "You have five minutes to create a gameplan and scatter before it's game on."

Ethan turned to Chad. "You look like you can handle it the best out of us," he said, tossing the second paintball gun to him. "You should go double. I want to see what you're made of." Chad looked delighted to get the paintball gun, while Norm looked on with interest at that interaction.

Chad gleamed. "Thanks, big hoss, you won't regret it! I'm a killer shot!" His eyes lit up. "Speakin' of hunting, we totally gotta go like wolves, brokis!" Everyone blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what he meant. "I mean hunt in packs, yanno? Split into groups, two at a time!"

Angie was the first to speak up after that. "Um...that's actually a pretty solid plan," she admitted. "You might not be useless. But, since you've got two blasters, you should go on your own." Chad nodded, and bolted off into the woods before Angie could give him any more instructions. "Okay, well, he's gone. Who else wants to group up with someone?"

Norm and Ethan glanced at each other for a second, nodded, and began to head off as well. "I want Juan! I want Juan!" Hannah called out, pleading to Angie. "I know I blew it yesterday but let me try again with him!" Angie waved her hand, sending them off, likely just not wanting to deal with Hannah anymore.

Jonathan peered around. He eventually turned to Madison. "Why don't I go with you?" he offered. "It's a sound strategy since you're really quiet, it could help keep me a bit more hidden, and you can hide behind me if we're under fire." Madison hesitated to say anything, with no words coming out. "Great, that's a deal." He grabbed her arm to move her into the woods. Near the entrance, Ethan and Norm were still watching.

Ethan: He grinned. "Well, Madison was our potential third ally, but we needed to offer something different from what Norm's getting from me, since it's a two person finale." He laughed. "Thanks, Jonathan, getting her away from you is the perfect offer. Between that and convincing Chad he can handle two blasters, I've had a pretty successful day, and the challenge hasn't even started!"

Sarah and Angie watched in extreme discomfort as the hopeless introvert was taken away by Jonathan. The two exchanged a glance before heading into the woods themselves. "We need to do what they're doing," Kayla argued, jabbing a thumb at where the Happy Hens just were. "Hunt in pairs, use the stealth of the woods to take them out one by one. I get Kara, we work best together."

Without any extra discussion, Helio picked up Daniel, and threw him onto his shoulder. Daniel was a bit surprised by being thrown around, but the two looked ready to take some people out stacked on top of each other. "Big player hit harder than two player," Helio explained to them. He went in the woods as Sheldon stared blankly at the whole thing.

"What? That logic doesn't resonate on any plane of-" He was dumbfounded by the lack of reason in Helio's claim. "Whatever, I'll take someone who may be on my level, or at least close." People did not seem to care for his claim there. "Luna, we'll go." The psychic smiled at being selected as Sheldon's best pick, and the two went into the woods as well.

Paul looked a bit agitated by all that. "Well, I was going to take Sheldon today, I wanted to see what that brain of his could do." He looked around at his remaining options. "Flora, why don't we go together?" The pacifist seemed surprised to hear the pessimist pick her, but she happily stepped forward. "I hope you realize having to shoot someone is inevitable."

Flora did not like that idea, but she gripped her blaster tightly anyway as the two left, leaving the only pair left. "I guess it's us then," Randall said to Alexa as they left as well. "We need to get to higher ground, maybe scale part of the mountain to get a good vantage."

Flora: "Paul seems like a nice person," she said with a cheerful smile. "I think he could use someone a bit happier to be with, it hurt to see him argue so quickly with my teammates." She looked down at the blaster. "I really hope I don't have to use this...maybe I'll be taken out early, here's hoping."

"Attention, everyone!" Chris announced, "five minutes have passed, it's time to start blasting each other. Hens are already down one player from yesterday, so they'll need to work extra hard to get through today!" As he finished, he turned to Chef. "This is fun, maybe we'll do more challenges where they shoot each other with stuff." Chef nodded in agreement.

Out in the woods, Daniel and Helio were the first group to run into someone. "Hey...that's Chad," Daniel said to Helio, still on top of the strongman's shoulders. "We should go after him, but we need to be careful, he's the one with two blasters."

Helio nodded. "Two blast no matter. Still one tiny man." The two leapt out of the woods, and began ambushing the alpha. Chad caught sight of them as soon as they emerged from the bushes they were in. He popped behind a tree, firing shots that were barely missing the double-stacked Bunnies. "He good," Helio admitted with sadness.

Daniel shrugged. "That's fine. I can dodge, I'm not great, but I'm not terrible. Daniel dismounted from Helio's shoulders and the two split up to try and flank Chad. Chad took the first shot at Helio, hitting him square in the chest, while Daniel got to the back side of Chad. "Better make this count!"

The exceptionally average took four shots at once at Chad. Two of them were about to hit, and two missed, but Chad ducked under the two that were about to hit him. "Oh no..." Daniel lamented, as Chad wasted no time and shot him with both blasters at once. "Wow..." Daniel confessed, you're...really good at this."

Chad: "Yeah, no biggie," he boasted, "The Chad went hunting with his dad all the time as a little Chad. I'm, like, a killer shot, brah. Those two were nothin', that's straight fire facts, broskis."

"Daniel and Helio are out!" Chris announced over the speakers, "The score has changed to 9-8, Happy Hens! Great work, Chad!" Ethan and Norm were under deep cover as they heard that announcement, both looking especially upset by that information.

Norm shook his head. "Of course he's actually really good at this. This is bad." Ethan nodded to agree. "If Chad carries us today, even if we win today, the team will remember that and keep him after next challenge too." He gritted his teeth. "It's hard to tell if we should throw the challenge today or not."

"No way," Ethan countered, "I get you don't like Chad, and trust me, I don't like him either. I'd love a night in the cabins where he's gone. But, I like winning more, so that's what we'll do." He smirked. "We just need to make sure that whichever scenario happens, Chad isn't the main source of either. Let's track him down." The two left their cover in pursuit of the alpha.

Further in the woods, Flora and Paul were waiting at the top of a hill for someone to show up. "Out of curiosity," Flora decided to ask the pessimist, "why did you want to go with me? You knew I was apprehensive about shooting people with this weapon of sadness." She sighed. "I don't want to drag you down, but it's odd you chose me over Randall or Alexa."

"Alexa and I aren't on perfect terms right now," Paul reasoned, "and Randall seems kinda odd. He sleeps on top of the cabin because it's higher up. I trust you the most since you seem like a nice person, that's all." Flora looked really flattered to hear that. Paul then caught sight of something. "Is that...Hannah? Just sitting by herself?"

"Juan must have ditched her," Flora, concluded, a bit sad to hear about that. "Can we go see what's up with her? I know she's on the other team but we can make her feel better!" Paul winced at that idea. "Okay, okay, I can tell you don't like that."

Paul shook his head. "Actually, it might just work, here's the new plan." He whispered the plan to Flora. "Follow my lead, and be ready to shoot." Flora's eyes widened at that notion. Paul tossed a small rock down the hill to where Hannah was. This caught the social media freak's attention, and prompted her to look upward where Paul was.

"Hey, hey!" Hannah called out with a wave. "Have you seen Juany-Swanny? He ran off as soon as we left the team without saying a word to me! I hope he's doing okay..." She shrugged. "But if you guys adopted our strategy, why are you alone too?"

The pessimist shrugged as he aimed the blaster at Hannah. "Well, I work better alone," he said bluntly. "I would have asked about Juan's whereabouts after you shot me, like I'm going to do." Hannah panicked, and shot two shots right at Paul. Paul jumped out of the way of the shots, and Flora threw her entire blaster at Hannah, disarming her.

"Woah!" Hannah complained as her blaster fell to the ground, letting Flora run up and take it. "Not cool!" She sulked a bit, but Paul walked up behind her and pulled his trigger right at the back of her head. "Aww, not my hair!" She cried out, the cries echoing through the woods. Paul and Flora realized that she might be alerting others, and ran off.

The two safely made it to cover. "Thanks for making a plan where I didn't have to shoot anyone with this," the pacifist said, holding her blaster, "you're a nicer person than you give yourself credit for!" The statement nearly shocked Paul, it was clearly something he had never heard before.

Paul: "For the record," the pessimist clarified, "I knew I had no hope of getting her to shoot that gun. This was the best plan that utilized both of us and got us out safe. She's still being super nice to me though, which...I guess is okay."

"The first Hen, Hannah, is down!" Chris announced, "the score is now eight to eight, all tied up! You should all work a bit faster to get rid of some of these people, or they're going to find you instead!"

Norm laughed, "So much for her pulling her weight today, but I guess Juan made it out alive. Good for him." He stopped. "There's Chad, and...he's got company too." The pair watched Chad in combat with Randall and Alexa. Randall was up in trees trying to hit him from above, but Alexa was staying back, taking a shot if she saw an opportunity.

"Not good," Ethan claimed, pointing ahead. "Chad's not trying all the way, there's a net snare there, held by that rope. He's going to catch them all in the trees and get them out by letting a snare catch them." Chad was doing exactly that, dodging instead of shooting, and he was occasionally looking back to see where the net was.

Ethan grimaced. "Okay, new plan. I'm gonna let him do it." The two sat in silence as Chad got them all the way to the point where all three of them were in the net's range, and Chad was about to step back. "Gotcha," the anti-villain said with a smirk. He pulled the trigger at the rope, and the net activated, catching all three of them in the net.

Chad looked disappointed that the net had gotten him, while Alexa and Randall were also upset to be out. "In an explosive event, Chad, Alexa, and Randall are all out, making the score seven to six, Hens still winning!"

Norm looked impressed. "Nice touch, and it's a net gain for us, so we're still winning. Plus, no one saw it, so now we are operating under the assumption that Chad simply lost a combat with them both." Unbeknownst to them, another pair was walking through at that exact moment.

Jonathan: "My hunch was dead on," he said with confidence, "Ethan is who was Angie's opposer last night...he's responsible for Gretchen, and now he's trying to get rid of Chad." He laughed. "He thinks he can run this game? I have Madison on my side, and no doubt I can grab Angie too. Plus, I have one secret weapon he doesn't." He held up the paper from this morning. "Access to both idols once I solve this riddle. He's a goner."

Madison: "...so, I think Jonathan is crushing on me," she concluded. "Well, I know. I don't like it at all. I need someone crafty enough to keep him away from me. Angie's aggressive, and scary. Sarah's sweet, but I don't know if she'll help, I can't communicate with Juan, and Hannah's not very good at this game." She sighed. "I'll have to swallow my fear for one person, but I have to make sure he stays today."

"We both saw that, huh?" Jonathan said, stopping Madison behind a tree. "He's bad news. If we can convince the team to vote him off next time we lose, we'll be unstoppable. He definitely is the reason Gretchen left too. Hannah should be gone and he kept her."

Madison hesitated to respond. "Um..." she responded timidly, "I don't know..." She wanted to scream at him, but literally could not bring herself to do it. She tried to walk away from the brutal lover, but caught sight of Kayla and Kara walking in their direction, and jumped back behind the tree.

Jonathan grabbed her arm and pulled her in. "I'll protect you, don't worry," he told her, gesturing for her to stay back. "I won't let you two get in our way! Our bond is stronger than yours!" He aimed the gun right at Kara, who was dumbfounded by what was going on. "Madison, run!"

Kayla laughed at the boy. "Look, how chivalrous," she sneered, "I'd say more but I feel like I'm about to barf from that, so I'll refrain from doing anything so gross." Kayla wasted no time and shot three shots at Jonathan. "Let's show him what we've got, Kara!" The two began opening fire on Jonathan, who was very out, but now also very covered in paint.

Kara was the first to lower her gun. "Alright, Kayla, that's enough," she said. The brat was unloading her entire paint stock on Jonathan. "Kayla." On the second time, Kayla finally gave up. "We need to figure out where Madison went, we can-" she was stopped mid-line when Kayla was shot by a paintball. Kara looked back to see Madison, who was running at her now. "Crap, shy girl never left!"

The two shot at each other multiple times, but in the end, Madison got the final hit, putting Kara out of the game. The hopeless introvert instantly ran off into the woods away from all of it. "Well, that was something," Chris's voice sounded over the speakers. "Jonathan, Kayla, and Kara are all out! That makes it now six Hens and four Bunnies. The Hens are growing their lead!

Kayla: "That's embarrassing," she admitted. "Alexa and I are out, Paul's still in. Didn't think it'd come to this, but I'm really hoping that gloom sack can get us a win with his flowery bubbly partner." She laughed. "No offense to Luna, but Pencil isn't going to be of any help to her, I'd count her out."

"Well, well, well, look at us, picking up another stowaway," Angie snarked as they ran into Madison. Her and Sarah were also with Juan now. "Jonathan took the blow for you?" Madison nodded nervously. "Sorry to hear that, dude thinks he's a hero now I bet." She sighed. "We're winning, feel free to hang with us. A group of four beats two."

Sarah ran a bit ahead. "All that's left is Paul, Flora, Sheldon, and Luna. Paul and Luna will be tough, but I think we can win if all of us go against each other. Plus, Ethan and Norm are out there still, they can do something." She seemed very optimistic about their chances. "Hope that we deal with annoyingly attached people soon, Juan's here because of Hannah."

Up above them, on a hill, Sheldon and Luna were watching the group of four move. "Your intellect is underutilized," Luna complimented the nerd. "There's a trap up ahead, we can totally catch them in a ring of fire." She grinned, excited to do something. "Allow my psychic powers to divine us a perfect shot."

"Very well, since you were so kind about it, I'll permit you to set off this trap," Sheldon boasted. "That should give us a giant advantage in the challenge, and we'll show them how great we are." He nodded. "Okay, let them have it. I'll go and track down the other two. Catch up when you're done here." Luna nodded, ready to act as Sheldon ventured into the woods.

The group of four was moving carefully until they saw fire erupt in front of them. "What the-" Angie complained as the flame started circling around them. She started looking around for the source. "That trap had to have been activated from someone on the Bunnies. See if you see one of those pesky rodents anywhere!"

All of them began looking as their time in the game was ending quicker and quicker. Eventually, Sarah caught sight of them. "It's Luna, up there!" She called out. Juan and Sarah both aimed and fired at the psychic. "Don't let her get away!" Luna dodged Sarah's shot, but Juan's got her in the back as she was running off, just before the flame closed the four off.

Sheldon was running as fast as he could away from the chaos. He paused for a second when Chris's voice came on over the speakers again. "What a twist! Angie, Sarah, Juan, Madison, and Luna are all out! That brings it down to two Hens and three Bunnies. This is a close game again!" Sheldon knew what he had to do, and kept running.

Luna: "It's about time I got to do something," she said, satisfied. "Did you see the fire that circled around them! Talk about showmanship! Too bad I was hit too, but I have faith in Sheldon to get us the win from here."

In the middle of the woods, Paul and Flora found themselves in a clearing. "Only Ethan and Norm left," Paul said, "but they're harder to beat than Hannah. I doubt we can run the same strategy again. If it comes down to it, we should find Sheldon, or Pencil, as Kayla calls him, and team up." He readied his blaster. "If we get into a scuffle, you may need to shoot, I hope that's okay."

Flora smiled at the pessimist. "Even earlier today you said that much more bluntly, you were much nicer this time!" she told him. Paul winced at that reaction as Flora sighed. "I...I don't know if I can do it." Suddenly, they heard a rustling from the bushes behind them. "Someone's behind us!" Flora warned as the two turned around.

Ethan and Norm emerged, and now all four of them were aiming their paint guns at each other. "Flora," Paul said calmly as they backed further into the clearing, "can you take the shot?" Flora looked extremely nervous about the whole endeavor. "If you don't, we may lose..."

"Well, we won't waste any time," Norm shot back, "let's do it!" Ethan and Norm let their shots fly, and Paul instantly did in response as well. Since they all had so much time to aim, all the shots hit. Norm hit Flora, and Paul and Ethan had hit each other. Flora on the other hand, had not shot anything. "That's sweet," Norm boasted, "pleasure getting a victory from you."

Chris's voice came on the speakers again to update everyone. "In a final standoff, two Bunnies and one Hen go down. It is now all tied up again, at one to go for each team. Who will win it?"

Norm raised an eyebrow. "One to one? Who's left?" He ran through the Bunnies' team to figure it out and realized, "Sheldon." He snickered. "I suppose it's up to me to get a win and-" the antisocial genius stopped as paint made it onto his shirt, coming from the edge of the clearing, where Sheldon was standing with his most arrogant smirk yet. "Oh...that's not good."

"That's it!" Chris announced. "Thanks to Sheldon, the Bouncing Bunnies have taken victory for the second time!" Flora let out a giant sigh of relief. Paul high-fived the nerd before heading over to Flora to comfort her. Meanwhile, Norm looked nervous about the loss, and he and Ethan left the winner Bunnies to go meet up with the rest of their team.

Norm: "Things did not pan out the way I planned," he admitted. "That's the last time I underestimate Sheldon. Now I'm at risk of being eliminated tonight." He sighed. "I hope this Chad gambit goes really well, because I need to do way better tonight than I did today."

The Hens were all together now, waiting for everyone to come back. "I know, I know," Norm opened up with as he met up with the rest of his team, "that's on me, won't happen again. Hopefully you let me stick around." His pleas looked like they were going to fall on deaf ears, but people seemed to have other targets for the day.

"So do you mind sharing how the trap hit you?" Jonathan instigated, a dark smirk on the lover boy's face as he asked Chad that question. "I saw you nearby but I was shocked someone as skilled as you was caught in such a basic trap that was easily avoidable." Chad hung his head in shame. "No, no, I'm not blaming you," Jonathan clarified. "I'm led to believe the trap was activated by someone else." Ethan looked towards him in shock when he heard that.

Angie shook her head. "Okay, yeah, that makes no sense," the hothead countered. "If all three of them were caught in the same trap like you claimed, then neither of them would shoot it, it'd be a net loss, even if it was taking out a skilled player." She raised an eyebrow. "Are you insinuating that Chad set off the trap himself to turn the tide a bit? Because that's a good trade, making your point dumber."

Jonathan laughed. "Well, the trade is nice, but I have visual proof that Ethan launched the trap on Chad on purpose!" He pointed at the anti-villain, who feigned confusion. No one else particularly reacted. "Come on, guys, you have to believe me." He turned to his game partner. "Madison, please tell them what you saw at the site Chad got out."

Madison was mortified at being put on the spot like that. She couldn't meet anybody's eyes, but now the whole team wanted to hear what she had to say. "I..." she started, before pausing for a long time again. She lifted her head to see Jonathan staring her down, Ethan pretending not to care, and Sarah trying to encourage her. "I didn't see...anything like that," she eventually let out.

"There you have it," Ethan finally spoke up. "Didn't want to speak my piece until that got cleared up." He stared down Jonathan. "I'm pretty mad that you'd accuse me like that," he said, "but, I'll forgive you. My vote is for the person who dual-wielded and didn't carry the weight he said he would. Regardless of what happened at the trap, Chad didn't do what we wanted him to do."

"Didn't you tell him he could handle it?" Jonathan accused Ethan. "That sounds like your problem and not his. My vote's decided," he said with a smirk. "Come on Madison, let's go." Madison didn't react, she looked frozen in fear. Everyone watched awkwardly as he tried a few more times. "Fine, I'll see you all at dinner then." Jonathan left without continuing the argument.

Ethan sighed. "Impressive, he was right, getting the last word in is a big persuader." He waited for everyone else to leave before approaching Madison. "I didn't realize you two saw my little action plan today," he admitted. "Meet me after the vote tonight. I want to make a deal with you that I think you'll appreciate." The hopeless introvert looked threatened by that notion. "Or don't, I really don't care." Ethan walked off to join the team while leaving Madison there, confused.

Madison: "Oh...now I've gone and done it," she admitted, "I got myself involved in team drama, I don't want to be in that." She took a few deep breaths. "But, Ethan seemed to appreciate me sticking up for him. Whatever deal he wants, I'll ask him to keep Jonathan away as payment." She smiled. "And I can ask Sarah to help me get some of the girls against him too!" She smiled. "Jonathan being gone would be such a saving grace, I'd give a public speech to do it!"

ELIMINATION II, HAPPY HENS

The nine remaining Happy Hens approached the campfire with tension, people were not happy with each other today. Up front, Ethan was sitting next to Norm, with Angie and Chad also up in the front, while the back row was Madison, Sarah, Hannah, Juan, and Jonathan. Chris approached the team, only eight marshmallows on his plate tonight. "You all lost to who the Bouncing Bunnies have been calling Pencil," Chris reminded them. "Well, to be specific, Norm lost." The genius let out a huff.

"That's on me," Norm admitted again, "but I can't imagine anyone else would do something different." He turned to Chris. "As a reminder, we found out in our discussion after that some people are definitely way more to blame than me today, let's remember that." He smirked. "Can you just give me my marshmallow now?"

Chris shook his head. "Not quite yet," the host said, which shocked Norm a bit. "Some other people are much safer than you, specifically, Juan, Sarah, and Angie." The three all grabbed their marshmallows with happiness, knowing they'd get to continue. "Also safe...Madison and Hannah." Madison let a small relieved sigh out while Hannah was very excited to not be in the bottom two this time.

There were only three marshmallows left. Ethan and Jonathan glared at each other, while Norm and Chad simply looked nervous. "Lotta failure here," Chris told them. "Chad, you thought you could dual-wield. Ethan, you told him he could, and Jonathan, Madison didn't vouch for you like you thought. What does that mean?" Jonathan scoffed. "Norm, you blew it in the funniest way possible today."

Chris held up a marshmallow. The four boys looked at it with desperation. "Norm!" Chris shouted first, tossing the genius his marshmallow. Norm sighed in relief, realizing he had gotten too cocky today. Only two marshmallows were left. "...Ethan." Chris said next, tossing the anti-villain his marshmallow. Ethan sighed in relief, while Jonathan looked even more nervous. "Only one to go," Chris said. "You both messed up bad today, but tonight's loser is...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Chad." Jonathan sighed in relief as he caught the final safety symbol. "Jonathan, you survived today. Chad, it's time to take your broski to the Launch of Shame!" Jonathan watched Chad as he guiltily ate his marshmallow.

Chad got up and waved to the team. "Sorry, everyone," he said in a much calmer and normal tone. Everyone looked shocked at that reveal. "Huh? Oh, yeah...sorry, it was all just an elaborate act to keep people in high spirits." He chuckled. "Guess it didn't totally work out and it got on some nerves. Whoops, sorry again."

Angie shook her head in disappointment. "Well, you should have told us something," she told him. "You were decent at challenges. Team might have kept you around." She shrugged. "Well, you dug your own grave. See you around I guess." Chad went to the Launch of Shame and got ready to leave. "Actually," Angie added, "you were in the net. Do you know what happened?"

"Not a clue," Chad admitted, "I was engaged in killer combat, so my mind was elsewhere. Sorry. See ya, broskis!" Chad ended, pointing finger guns at his former team. With that, Chris pressed the button, launching Chad off into the sky. The last thing they heard from him was a loud "Wooooooo! Yeah!"

Everyone began heading back, but Ethan made a left into the woods. Shortly after, Madison followed, once she was certain everyone else was gone. They both stopped in the clearing from earlier, with the stars shining brightly over it now. "Wanna tell me how it happened?" Ethan asked first. Madison looked very confused. "The vote, I mean," he clarified. "Why wasn't I in the bottom two?"

Madison laughed nervously. "Um...well...I..." she started, taking a few deep breaths. "I asked some people to vote Jonathan tonight. I...I am really scared of him." She shuddered. "Sorry if I almost messed up your plans..."

Ethan nodded. "Well, interesting. Actually, your move split the vote enough where it only took a few votes to eliminate Chad. That's what I wanted today." He sighed. "Alright, deal time, as promised. Obviously Jonathan is a giant problem for you. I'm willing to help you with that." Madison looked excited by that proposal. "All you need to give me is your loyalty, and your vote. Not the same as mine all the time, but normally the same."

"I-I can do that," the hopeless introvert assured him, "anything to keep him away from me. I really don't like how clingy he gets to me..." She looked up at him. "I'll accept that offer," she eventually told Ethan. Ethan went to stick his hand out for a deal, but Madison misread the notion and went in for a hug instead, shocking Ethan. "Oh my gosh..." she cried out, embarrassed. "I'm so sorry, I-"

"Hey, it's fine," Ethan said, cutting her off, also a bit red himself. "Your vote will be essential the next few times we vote, I'm sure. Hopefully this deal doesn't last long, I'm okay getting rid of Jonathan quickly." He grinned. "It's a deal then. You will act as my second vote, and in exchange, I will protect you, no matter what." He laughed. "And also, I won't ever make you vote for yourself. That would be stupid for both of us." They both laughed at that remark.

Ethan: "And just like that, a third vote is secured," he said with a grin. "One extra on the team is a majority until the merge. All it took was cutting a deal with the most desperate and terrified person." His happy expression dropped. "Yeah, probably not my best moment."

"Look at that," Chris said from an odd location, some sort of metallic room. "Ethan has a conscience. Will their plan actually work? Can the Hens win something? Do people appreciate Sheldon yet? And how much longer will it be before all the quirky people go away?" He laughed. "Probably not much longer. But someone goes next time, find out who it will be next time on Total! Drama! Karon Island!

Vote Confessionals:

Angie: "Today was very awkward with him around, and I think the team will function better without him. I'm voting Jonathan."

Chad: "Huh, I think I might be a gone Chad. Well, I'll vote Jonathan, heard some girlies are gonna go for 'em."

Ethan: "This will be tough...I hope I didn't send myself home. Game over emotion...I'm picking Chad."

Hannah: "Madison actually spoke up today, that's respectable. I want Jonathan gone too I think."

Jonathan: "Crap...I think that if I vote Ethan, I'll lose this vote. I have to save myself and pick Chad."

Juan: "Chad, para mis orejas."

Madison: "I was going to pick Jonathan...but I'll vote Chad, I think."

Norm: "Chad has got to go. This is a personal vote. Sorry, Angie, again."

Sarah: "Madison was really respectable today. I'm voting for Jonathan."

Total: Chad (5), Jonathan, (4)

Eliminated: Chad

Team Standings:

Bouncing Bunnies: Alexa, Daniel, Flora, Helio, Kara, Kayla, Luna, Paul, Randall, Sheldon

Happy Hens: Angie, Ethan, Hannah, Jonathan, Juan, Madison, Norm, Sarah

Eliminated: Gretchen, Chad

So, this was the longest chapter in the original Karon Island, and I bet it'll be that way again. Lots of plot goes on here, but let's talk about what's new and different, because there's a lot:

- Chad is taken out by the net trap still, but instead of Norm getting Randall and Alexa out off-screen, they now all go out here. This is to change from the fact that Norm and Ethan are trying to win the challenge from the start now.

- Jonathan is in the bottom two now. Madison is more timid and didn't burst out at the group this time, so she couldn't properly vouch for Jonathan. This is going to be a plot point in this version that will meet up with an old one at a later time. Jonathan is also forced to vote for Chad this time to save himself.

- Actual pacifist Flora! Flora takes out like three Hens in the original challenge, so this time she actually doesn't want to fight. We'll see what the rest of her game looks like. It's also helping make Flora/Paul feel more authentic.

- The idol riddles. Instead of everyone finding out, now only Paul and Jonathan know. Just keeps things more interesting.

- Finally, Luna is a tiny bit more villainous in this episode and thrives on showmanship of her trap she sets off. This is setup for the far future.

Overall, I tackled a lot of plot holes this episode. The funniest one for sure I found when removing a conversation between Ethan and Chris in the old version. The whole point is that it was a 6-3 vote and not 5-4, but it's actually a 5-3-1 (and noted as a 6-3-1 which by the way, doesn't add up to 9). Anyway, let me know what you thought of this episode! I'm pretty happy with the improvements. See you next time!