I can't help being a bit of a hypochondriac at times – like when I read I had a vague symptom that could mean cancer...but who cares? This is a good episode! Thanks for reviewing, Gage the Hedgehog, Bloodylilcorpse and SuperKitty4789.

Our next challenge began that evening, while Izzy was running around, reminding herself of everything in the camp. The trailer doors were locked.

Chris arrived with a ton of books. "I'm here to prep you lucky dogs for our most awesome challenge yet. These textbooks hold the sum total of eight years of med school, and each one of you gets one, cause tomorrow, we're gonna play doctor!"

I caught Duncan's eye and winked teasingly. Then I went to the confessional to explain. "Playing doctor, huh, Chris? Does he even realize how sketchy that sounds? Most games of doctor involve some lucky sucker stripping while everyone else touches them. Look, I like my team fine, but I'm not going to let any of them do that to me. Okay, so I might let Justin – but only above the waist. And speaking of which, if that's the case and it's one of the other girls stripping, I'm not touching this one. And that goes for Owen, too. It's a reward challenge – I wouldn't do that for a tiny little reward."

But what we had to do was stay up all night and memorize the textbooks, while eating pizza. And the pizza tasted great, so I was happy to eat it. I mean, yeah, I was suspicious at first, but everyone else loved it.

"Hey, Beth, do I squint when I read?" Justin asked.

Beth started blushing. "I don't know. Your shirt's distracting me. Unless you-" She cut herself off when he tossed his shirt aside, and then said "I'll just read the book to you, spare your beautiful eyes."

I gave a sigh and said sweetly, "Justin, should you be eating that pizza? Isn't it going to ruin your looks?" (Surprisingly, that actually came back in a later season, when another contestant refused to risk any food that might ruin his health).

Anyway, my ploy worked. Justin had already eaten two slices, but he looked worried and didn't take any more.

Leshawna was the only one who didn't eat any pizza. She had a dairy intolerance and didn't want to risk it.

I went back to the confessional after reading about half the book. "Okay, how am I supposed to memorize this stuff? Plus, I don't think any of the illnesses in this book are legit. Well, maybe ten percent, but no more! And since when were there hospital movies rather than TV shows, huh?" I gave a sigh. "Maybe I would have more fun playing doctor – if someone else was the patient and I didn't have to touch anything really weird."

While us Grips sat by the trailers, the Gaffers opted to go to the craft tent. But when I went back, Leshawna and Duncan were on their way back to the trailers.

"You guys finished the book already?" I called.

Leshawna shrugged. "I got sick of watching everyone else eat, and I figured that tomorrow's a reward challenge anyway. No one's getting kicked off, so there's no point in trying too hard."

I couldn't help grinning. "You know, you make a good point." I tossed my book aside. "'Night, Grips. Don't worry, I've memorized enough to answer questions."

It was a good thing I'd gotten some sleep. The rest of my team was lethargic from lack of sleep, but I was ready for anything. Duncan and Leshawna were just as energized as I was, unlike the rest of their team.

We all had to wear those headbands that doctors wore, even though our challenge really didn't need them.

All we had to do was answer medical questions, and when we got one right, we'd be dumped into a tank to find a piece of a giant synthetic body. We would assemble it, and then haul it up to the ceiling, where it would be electronically reanimated. Whoever got it done first won.

There was one thing that bothered me. The reward would be for only one team member.

"So if we win, who gets to be the one?" Duncan asked.

Heather folded her arms. "The person who most contributes to the win."

"Meaning someone other than you, Lazy McHairless." I teased. Heather shot a death glare at me.

Chris didn't tell us what the reward was. So we started answering questions. And as I'd predicted, even I had enough knowledge to answer a few questions, which got us ahead. But not enough.

Our team was weaker than their team, so when we were neck and neck, hauling the things, up, up...

"Oh, this is so exciting, I can't take it!" Izzy exclaimed. She chomped on Owen's arm, and then suddenly exclaimed "Eew, what's this icky sore?" She felt his forehead. "Owen, you're burning up, just like my passionate soul."

My lips tingled, and I brushed my hand against them. They began feeling really itchy.

Owen burped, and Izzy passed out. Owen stuck his tongue out. "Ooh, lemony."
"Hold on." frowned Justin. "Red sores, fever, lemony burps? Aren't those symptoms from one of the diseases in the book?"

I didn't remember it, but everyone else did. Owen, according to them, had a fatal disease, which was also contagious. Owen had to be put into a plastic quarantine bubble, and Chris locked us into the set.

We all thought the fatal disease out of nowhere was weird. But we had more important things on our hands, like making sure no one else was infected. Heather gave a little scream. "I see another sore – on DJ!"

We got him in a bubble, too.

"We need to confirm no one else is infected." Harold spoke up. He started listing the symptoms. "Explosive diorrhea..."

Lindsay locked herself in the Port-A-Loo on set.

"Itchy lips..."

I rubbed at mine, while Justin started stratching his own rapidly.

"Sudden hot flushes.."

Beth was suddenly in a pool of sweat, bright red and fanning herself.

"Seasickness..."

Heather went green and looked around frantically for a bucket before finding one and blowing chunks.

"Speaking in tongues..."

Izzy began babbling incoherently.

"And temporary blindness." Harold finished. He looked around. "Anyone? Well, that's a relief." But then he cried out and his eyes went blank. "I'm blind!"

I continued rubbing my lips, but they kept itching insistently. But judging by Justin's puffy lips and insistent stratching, my lips weren't so badly affected.

Duncan and Leshawna, on the other hand, seemed fine. The three of us got everyone on stretchers. Actually, Leshawna suggested I lie on one, too, since I had the illness, but I refused.

Duncan, still wanting to pull a prank, tried to use a rectal thermometer on Harold in the wrong place.

I started to giggle, but then hissed to Duncan "You're gonna annoy his nearly-girlfriend."

Right on cue, Leshawna pushed both of us out of the way. "Both of you, stop!" She tilted Harold's head up and put a cup to his lips. "Here, baby, have a sip of water." Which his body immediately rejected.

I actually made a confessional about that before the challenge was over. "Leshawna thinks she and Harold aren't meant for each other? So that means she defends him all the time, she's okay with calling him pet names, and always looks to him for support? Yeah, she really isn't into him."

Back on set, though, there were more pressing matters at hand. "There was definitely something weird about those textbooks." I commented. "I don't remember that disease, but why would everyone get it with no warning, apart from you two? I mean, I didn't stay up all night either, but I've got one of the symptoms."

"We need to get our hands on one of those textbooks. There's gotta be something these guys missed." Leshawna decided. "Stephanie, can you take care of everyone else while we check it out?"

I shrugged. "My lips are totally killing me, but I'm in good enough shape to look after everyone." So while Duncan and Leshawna used the platform our cadavers had been on to get to a skylight to leave the set, I took care of the ill as best I could.

"Harold?" I said. "Seeing any better?"

"No." Harold answered weakly. "What's happening?"

"Leshawna and Duncan left to find out what's happened. I'm the sucker left to take care of you guys." I rolled my eyes. "Not sure why Gaffers get to be researchers and Grips are nurses, but I'm the only one who can do this."

Lindsay didn't come out of the Port-A-Loo for the next ten minutes. Beth asked Justin if maybe she could kiss his itchy lips before her death. Owen and DJ were getting claustrophobic. Between throwing up, Heather began writing her will.

"To my mother," she said out loud. "I leave you all of my many awards and trophies. To my brothers and sisters-" She broke off for a second. "I leave you...nothing. Earn it yourselves, you lazy slackers!"

I couldn't help giggling. "At least one of us is getting better!" I announced. "Heather isn't feeling sick enough to forget to be mean."

Heather shot one of her death glares at me as she threw up again. "I'll show you mean!" she hissed furiously.

"That is if you survive." I teased. "Or if I survive. Then again, I'm not convinced this is legit."

And as Duncan and Leshawna discovered, it wasn't. According to them, the medical books didn't have a scrap of real information in them.

The sores on DJ and Owen were pepperoni. Mine and Justin's lips, and Lindsay's diorrhea were because of itching powder and laxitives in the pizza (Duncan had to lock himself in there next). Leshawna was fine, because she didn't eat any of the pizza.

"But what about the other symptoms?" Beth asked. "Blindness, speaking in tongues..."

Izzy was able to explain, having stopped speaking in tongues herself. "Oh my gosh, first year med school syndrome! Too much studying and too little sleep can make you think you've got every disease in the book!"

Soon, Heather stopped feeling sick, Beth's temperature went back to normal,and Harold could see again. And because Duncan and Leshawna had won, the Gaffers had won the reward – one person would get a spa night with someone they loved. Chris had a picture of everyone they could spend time with.

"Chris, to torture us, shouldn't you show the rest of us who we'd spend time with?" I asked, curious.

Chris laughed. "Nice, Stephanie. We got your little brother to fly over in case your team won and you got the reward, but he's on the next plane home right now."

Meanwhile, the Gaffers were looking at the choices. "That's my momma!" DJ exclaimed.

"And that's my best cousin!" Leshawna added.

Everyone wanted the reward, of course. Suddenly, Leshawna burst into tears. "I'm sorry, it's just – it's all so stressful...I thought I was gonna lose you...fighting for your lives...it's just all been too much..."

Everyone on the team all agreed to let Leshawna take the reward, even Heather. She left, still in tears.

Right. So we all knew that Leshawna was faking...but they didn't! Let's see what happens next.