Summary: After an anticlimactic finale in the Philippines, the teams embark on an adventure in one of Total Drama's most beloved destinations: Australia! New alliances are forged, and old relationships are mended. Want to find out who's still in the running? Read it all below!

"In the last episode of Total Drama Final Season..." Chad begins the recap.

Our teams say goodbye to South Korea and embark on a new stage in the Philippines.

The recording shows the teams boarding the planes to their next destination.

The challenge? Find a hidden treasure based on the tips collected along the journey through the islands of the archipelago.

The camera pans to the goths in the spa and the crews digging up the beach.

To no one's surprise, MacArthur's recklessness almost gets someone killed, while Ryan's hard-headedness almost gets him killed.

The scene where McArthur accidentally shoots inside the taxi and Stephanie tries to drown Ryan is shown.

Ultimately, these two duos fought until the end for the desire to continue in the race.

The race to the chill zone is shown, with Ryan hitting MacArthur in the head with the treasure box from a distance.

The divorced team finished last and would have been unceremoniously eliminated without another team's meddling.

The race to the chill zone is shown, with Ryan hitting MacArthur in the head with the treasure box from a distance; the lecture Chad gave the former couple is also seen.

I mean, what the hell? They managed to end any tension! I get embarrassed just thinking about what they did to my program...

Carrie and Devin show up, asking to be excused from the show for family reasons.

Chad appears in the chill zone from the previous episode. "We say goodbye to the Philippines, and I hope we never discuss the last episode again. Australia awaits us and, with it, the possibility of more vibrant emotions. Find out in this week's episode of Total...Drama...Final Season!"

Opening

The opening follows the pattern of the Ricondulous Race. After showing North America via satellite, a hand holding a travel tip appears.

Then, the silhouette of the first 21 teams running appears divided into three parts on the screen in blue, yellow and green. After that, the other 22 teams appear similarly, but now the frames are red, purple and orange.

The world map appears, highlighting the program's target locations with yellow dots. Postcards from different countries are shown in sequence, as well as the various means of transport used: a train, a bus, a plane, a car, a boat and a balloon.

A taxi door opens, revealing a photo montage of the teams following the rhythm of the soundtrack.

After a flash, the name of the program appeared on the screen.

Chad was still in a bad mood due to the outcome of the last episode. "Alright! As team B won the last challenge, they will be the starters of our next round. And please read the tip," The host pointed out, getting a stare from B.

BEEP

Beardo took the tip, "Our favourite continent is back! Embark towards Perth." He read after making a bell sound.

The camera showed a postcard from the city of Perth while Chad narrated it.

"Perth, Australia. This season continues the tradition of paying tribute to our down-under fans. We've already visited the eastern side, so why not see the western portion?" Chad asked rhetorically.

"But Australia isn't a continent, you silly! Australia is a country!" Lindsay spoke with an air of intelligence.

"Actually, there is an Australian continent. And it includes, in addition to Australia, the island of New Guinea and small islands belonging to..." Cameron started to correct the blonde, being soon interrupted by the host.

"I don't care if Australia is a country or a continent. Just book a seat. And remember: first to come, first to serve. Now GO!" Chad commanded them, prompting another mad dash to the airport.

This time the planes had fewer seats, which compromised the teams in the last places.

"Taxi!"

"Taxi!"

"GET BACK HERE, YOU COWARD!"

Each team decided on their strategy to get to the nearest airport. The only team that was struggling was the Police Officers.

"I should have been more careful, right? Now I have to be stuck here for God knows." MacArthur whined, remembering that the show's doctors instructed her to stay in a wheelchair until the injuries on her neck healed. All this to avoid damage that would paralyze her.

"I hope the plane accommodates wheelchair users; otherwise, we're screwed." Sanders thought aloud as she ran holding his partner's wheelchair.

Chad is standing at Perth International Airport. The weather outside was pleasant, and the sky was beautiful.

"The first stage of our adventure starts here: the teams should take the hint and tour Perth's main sights. Each landmark will have a tile for the next location. With weather like this, all six flights should be here in a blink of..." Chad was almost done when I heard a noise from the airport speaker.

DING

"Attention passengers and family members: due to bad weather at sea, all flights to Perth have been re-routed to Darwin. We apologize for the inconvenience." The muffled voice from the airport spoke as if it were a matter of course.

Chad's eyes widened. That would be a disaster. He quickly called the company that chartered the planes, trying to convince them to land in Perth, but nothing was done. A tropical storm in Indonesia caused all direct connecting flights to be redirected or cancelled.

Realizing the cameras were still on, he tried to get around the situation. "Well...you see...we'll be back soon with another super fun episode of Total Drama Final Season! I guarantee!" The contrast between the happy voice and the worried face was evident.

First Flight

Apart from B, who took the trip to sleep, everyone was socializing and talking about their lives after the show.

Three groups formed inside the plane: former participants from Pahkitew, former participants from Wawanakwa and the Ice Dancers.

"You mean you've been locked away all these years? And in solitary? That's harsh," Shawn spoke, still surprised at how harshly Scarlett was treated.

"The Solitary was just for me trying to kill myself, no big deal," Scarlett brushed off, earning looks from Sky, Shawn, Jasmine and Beardo.

"But let's stop talking about me. My days weren't so hectic. Let's talk about you, Sky. Did you manage to be an Olympic competitor?" Scarlett's cordial tone belied the change of subject.

Usually, the Cree woman didn't like to be asked about her professional life, but she decided to open up. "Well...I got silver in the London Games and gold in Rio in rhythmic gymnastics. And I got a sponsorship from Nike! I even saw Kobe play basket once as a VIP guest," Sky boasted.

"I would love to see Kobe, too bad tickets ran out when we returned from Australia," Jasmine lamented.

"And do you do this route often?" Beardo spoke over an aperitif they had served earlier on the plane.

"At least three times a year. Four, when I need to resolve something more serious at home." Shawn complimented. He took off his beanie to fix his hair. All set, he headed for Scarlett and Sky.

"And how are you so far in the race? Is it easy working with Bridgette and Duncan?" The Zombie Hunter asked.

Their reaction was the opposite. While Sky managed a weak smile, Scarlett frowned in displeasure.

Sky sighed before responding, "I won't say that Bridgette is a bad competitor, quite the opposite, but she doesn't have the drive to win. Of course, over 30 teams are competing now, so it's just a disaster for us to be eliminated, but that could complicate things in the future."

"And my problem with Duncan is that he's terrified of me. His lack of trust in his partner is in the TOP 3 of team failure, and I don't know how to get him to stop fearing me" Scarlett crossed her arms.

"Didn't you, like, share the same prison with him?" Jasmine asked, remembering what the redhead told them.

"Just the common areas, and even then, we were distant. We knew who each one was but not what we were doing there." Scarlett explained. "I knew the trouble he caused when he thought an asshole was doing something wrong, and he knew when my rages got a girl hospitalized."

Everyone cringed at the "Scarlett hurting someone" scene.

Further away from the Pahkitew, the Wawanakwa also chatted.

"Sky is a fantastic woman! She's everything she ever wanted to be: beautiful, athletic, Olympic champion, probably doesn't have pregnancy stretch marks..." Bridgette stalled talking about her partner while Duncan listened disinterestedly.

"Oh, what a great partner you have! Why don't you invite her to get a threesome with Geoff?" The punk snapped.

"HEY!" The surfer girl hissed. She didn't like the remark at all.

"While you are with an Olympic gymnast, I am stuck with a psychopath. A real psychopath! And while she competes, I have to watch her; otherwise, I'll go back to prison." Her voice was a little desperate at possibly returning to that hellhole.

"A convict complaining about being near another convict, but what a surprise!" Leshawna's remark was dry.

"We were also detained in Paris. I'm sure the guards cursed us in French." Beth decided to remember her failed trip with Lindsay.

"One of them groped my breasts during the body search!" Lindsay added, a little nervous about the scene she experienced.

"I already told you, Linds, if I were there, I would kill whoever harassed you, even if it was the King of France." Tyler Tyler threatened though everyone knew it was an empty threat.

"I don't think you need to worry, darling. There's been no King of France for quite some time now", Leshawna tried to reassure his running partner.

"What about that guy married to a woman twice his age?" The jock asked without any malice.

"That's the president of France, Tyler, not the king. Dumbass." Duncan answered though he muttered the last word.

"And how did you know about the election if you were in prison?" Bridgette raised an eyebrow at the knowledge of her former Bass teammate

Duncan crossed his arms, "Television, duh. It is not because we are prisoners that we are ignorant. We get news from the outside world, albeit in a well-controlled way."

While they argued, Lindsay took the opportunity to make a paper airplane. She knew how boring long trips were and wanted a distraction. She could make the plane do a stunt before it hit the ground.

Picking up a pamphlet thrown on one of the armchairs, she quickly made a little plane and soon threw it. Luckily for her, it made a loop in the air. Unfortunately for her, the plane hit Jacques' hair squarely.

"What the!" The Quebecois exclaimed, grabbing the paper plane before heading toward the larger group. Accompanied by him was also Josee.

Seeing the victim approaching, Lindsay tried in vain to hide behind Beth.

"Excuse me, but I think one of you lost this paper plane." He showed the plane with a dented nose. "I'm not mad. I just want to return this toy to the owner."

Thinking he was telling the truth, Lindsay quickly introduced herself. "Hello! I own this plane! Thank you for the kindness." Jacques hummed, smiling.

"No problem, let me just return the favour!" He spoke, launching the plane directly at the blonde's forehead. She immediately gasped in pain. "Et la prochaine fois, va frapper un autre idiot, espèce de stupide blonde!" Jacques said, thinking that none of them knew French. Well, all but one woman.

"Elle a plus de cerveau que toi avec cette perruque ridicule." Leshawna snapped loud enough for him to hear. Hearing the insult, he turned around and returned to face the black woman.

"Check out Josee, a civilized girl! She even knows how to use French pronouns!" He taunted, seeing Leshawna's face become dark.

"Where did you learn this? Watch Caillou? Hahahaha" Josee took the opportunity also to mock the opponent.

Leshawna scratched her neck, "C'est pour ça que personne n'aime Montréal, tu sais? Bande d'enfoirés qui devraient savoir qu'ils sont des connards et aller se fourrer dans la chatte de leur mère." The burning effect was immediate. Time to bring these bastards to the ground.

"...You have to have tits to come to insult us in our language. I appreciate this demented courage, but I warn you that you would do well to shut your mouth before you regret it." Josee's gaze intimidated everyone present except Jacques and Leshawna.

"Honey, I have more than tits to insult you. My whole life, I've lived with scumbags like you, who think they're superior because they're white or speak French. Sometimes even both." The sister crossed her legs and watched the ice dancers with a mocking tone.

At that moment, the black woman gets up and comes face to face with Josee. "The question is, can we each return to our little worlds in peace or go to war. What do you prefer, huh?"

The tension was palpable; most were prepared to break up a potential catfight.

"Garce"

"Pouffe"

"Téteux"

"Oh ferme ta gueule"

The exchange of insults only ended when the commander's intercom called, warning everyone that there would be a change of course due to a tropical storm in Indonesia.

"You heard him. Get back to your seat." Leshawna pointed to the seats at the back of the plane, still staring at Josee and Jacques.

"Tch! You may win this time. But watch out for us." Josee splatted before retreating, much to everyone's relief.

Turning back to her companions, Leshawna only now noticed the shocked faces on their faces.

"What was that?" Bridgette babbled.

"What? I thought you guys knew I was from Quebec," Leshawna replied as a matter of fact.

"No, you never told us about it." Duncan deadpanned.

"Maybe because it's not important. What's the point of speaking French in an Anglophone program? They won't bother subtitling." Leshawna now she was sitting up again.

"Can you teach us French? Please?" Lindsay begged with her friend; Beth didn't say anything, but she also had the look she wanted to.

The black woman rolled her eyes playfully. "Why not? But another time, girls. We have a challenge to win."

Second Flight

"There is nothing like comfort! This seat is as comfortable as the one in first class. Only this time without the Goth wreaking havoc, Miss CIT being psychotic, or the uberfan trying to molest Cody." Heather spoke to Alejandro as she relaxed in her chair.

Whether she realized it or not, those mentioned decided to take satisfaction.

"I'm sorry if I had to grab that fat ass of yours and get it out of the drinks section; otherwise, someone would get too drunk to compete." Gwen snarked.

"And I'm sorry if I had to drag you out of the cargo area because someone thought it was a good idea to rub one thinking of a certain Latino before the elimination ceremonies," Courtney replied, angry as always.

"I'm also sorry for going along with your stupid plan because someone was too much of a coward to admit that they wanted to eliminate their crush so they wouldn't have to confess." Sierra rolled her eyes, remembering Drumheller.

"And I'm sorry for...getting in your way during the final? Girls, how does it work?" Cody turned to the three, who stared at him until he decided to keep quiet.

"All I hear are losers crying," Heather mocked them, still relaxed in the chair. "Amor, would you get me a Piña Colada, please? I'm thirsty." She snapped her fingers.

As irritated as he was by her spoiled behaviour, Alejandro knew she wasn't doing it out of malice.

In the distance, Brody was playing his portable video game but could see that Geoff was focused on the larger group's conversation.

"Dude, what's up?" Brody asked, noticing a vindictive look in the party boy's eyes.

"It's just...This is the first time I've seen him. I know it's been almost eight years since that happened, but I still can't stop wanting to punch him in the face!" The blonde spoke, frustrated.

Brody gives him a puzzled look. "Why do you want to beat that kid right here?" pointing at Cody.

Geoff groaned, "No! Not him! Him!" He then pointed at the Latino bringing the drink.

Brody's brain connected the link between his friend's frustration and that mysterious brunette. When he finally understood, even the chink sound was heard.

"OHHHHHHHH, THAT HIM!" Brody shouted loud enough to attract looks.

"Yeah, Bro, but keep quiet! I don't want any drama on this plane!" Geoff chastised Brody.

"Pinã Colada para ti, mi amor," Alejandro returned to his girlfriend's embrace.

"I'll regret asking, but how did you get so...romantic? Last I saw, you two were swimming to escape Fang." Gwen decided to break the ice between her old team.

"Love happened. After numerous attempts, we left our competitive side aside and focused on what we had in common. You don't know how cute Heather is when she sheds that bitch facade." Alejandro gushed as if the queen bee were a sweet person. Heather instantly blushed at the comment.

"A-As if! Stop spreading bullshit, and this is regular Heather. Deal with it!" She tries to remain in control.

Out of nowhere, Cody starts laughing. "Oh man, it feels like we're teenagers again. I mean, we're even going to Australia again!" the geek explained.

Soon the girls realized this and began to giggle too.

"Oh no, we gotta sing a song about sheep shearing!" Courtney said in a mocking tone.

"We are shearing sheep, We are shearing sheep" Sierra joined the fun, singing deliberately out of tune.

"Baaaaaa" Gwen and Heather tried to imitate the sheep of that challenge.

The rest laughed their asses at the imitation. The fun was only cut short when the aircraft's captain announced they would land at another airport due to an approaching storm.

"Maybe this time we'll be luckier. And that I don't find eucalyptus trees." Gwen said to Courtney, remembering the elimination tie-break that both participated.

Courtney brushes off, "Don't worry. If I try to eliminate you this time, I'll go to rock bottom too. So no friend fire today."

"This time, nobody's going to throw a Dingo at me, I guess," Cody said hopefully.

"And this time, I'll see if I jump off a cliff in safety gear." Sierra cringed at those memories.

Heather yawned, "Well...this whole conversation was good, but I need to rest. Or rather, we need to rest. Isn't right, Alejandro?" She said giving her boyfriend a suggestive look. Everyone knew what that meant but no one would bring it up.

When the couple passed by the seats, they saw the Surfers asleep. As soon as they were out of sight, Geoff lifted his hat, revealing that he had been listening to their entire conversation.

"Someday... I'll have my revenge," Geoff muttered. "Watch yourself, Al, because Geoffrey Summers will..." The monologue was only interrupted when he felt Brody's drool drip onto his arm.

"Dude, this is gross!" He spoke to his already sleeping friend.

Third Flight

"I still don't understand how we're on this plane. We were one of the first to enter the airport!" Josh whined. Beside him, Don was eating a fruit salad.

"Maybe we shouldn't have stopped for lunch. That natural sandwich took 20 minutes." Don replied as he raised his fork to his mouth.

"In my defence, it looked like a great sandwich. And the wait was worth it. I should have asked what that sauce they put in..." Josh would continue to describe the incredible sandwich when he noticed something odd about Don's fruit salad.

"What is that green thing? Kiwi?" The fame monger pointed at the bowl.

"That? Oh no, it's not Kiwi. It's cucumber." Don answer.

Josh arched his eyebrow, "Cucumber?"

"Yeah? Something is wrong?" Don did not understand his partner's questioning

"In a salad fruit? Riiiiight," Josh rolled his eyes.

Don frowned, "FYI, cucumbers are fruits, not vegetables. Just like the tomato."

"Did you put tomatoes in there too?" Josh, by this point, was in disbelief.

"Why not?" Don shrank back in the armchair.

Josh groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You CAN'T put those in a salad fruit! In a normal salad, okay, but not in a salad fruit."

"Who said that?" Don stared at Josh.

"Common sense, you idiot." Josh snapped in response.

"It was common sense to persecute Jews too." Don tried to make a reasonable counterargument.

"This is even an argument! Okay, give me that bowl now!" Josh walked over to the bowl, getting a hand to his face to push him away.

"No!" Don cried.

"Gimme...that...bowl..." Josh pushes back.

The two wrestled around the bowl until it slipped and fell to the floor. The pottery shards were mixed with the remains of fruits, cucumbers and tomatoes.

"Great! Look at that! Fine china wasted because you can't handle the science!" Don grumbled.

"No amount of science will get me to accept putting cucumber in a fruit salad. And since it was your wonderful idea, it's only fair that YOU clean it all up." Josh crossed his arms.

"Why me if YOU knocked it down? That's not fair!" Don poked Josh's chest.

While The Comic Reliefs argued over spilled cucumbers, The BFFFs gathered all their neurons into a single task.

Interview: The BFFFs

"Since the last challenge, we feel we are no match for the Ice Dancers' mind games." Said Sadie, remembering the comments regarding her weight.

"So we should come up with some strategy to counter them." Katie continued, clapping her fisted hands together for emphasis. "We just need some weakness they have to exploit..."

The two watched the Ridonculous Race season, looking for clues to their rivals' behaviour. They were almost giving up when they got to the Russia episode.

"Right there! Did you see?" Katie said, pointing to Josee's claustrophobia.

"Okay, now we have a weakness to exploit. But how are we going to use it? I admit we are not the smartest of the participants." Sadie questioned with a certain pessimism.

"We don't need to be smart. We just need to be ourselves. We'll know when the time comes in a show with so many challenges." Katie smiled at Sadie, who intertwined his hand with hers.

The sweet scene was interrupted by a slight tremor. That was enough for the entire plane to hear a scream from Owen's mouth.

"Good afternoon, passengers. This is your captain speaking. Due to a tropical storm on our flight path, we will stop in Darwin. I ask everyone to fasten their seat belts to avoid accidents in turbulences. Over."

"Calm down, big guy. It's just a little turbulence. Nothing that will knock us down and make us die an inevitable death." Izzy patted Owen's back. This didn't reassure the blonde, who breathed on a bag to control his anxiety.

"Ooops...My bad!" Izzy spoke with a sly smile. Kitty, who was attending the small get-together, was not amused.

"You cannot do this to him! What if he has a panic attack? We don't have doctors on this plane!" Kitty lectured Izzy, mirroring her sister's mannerisms.

"Pffff, relax! He's dealt with bigger and worse. Besides, I'm with him! Who's a good boy for not having a massive heart attack? It's you, it's You!" Izzy ticked Owen's chin as if he were a dog. Even his leg tapped the floor like a dog's.

"Haha, comfy..." Owen sighed. He stopped when he noticed his partner staring at him with her hand on her waist, "Sorry, Kitty".

The Selfie Sister sighed. "Owen, you need to have better self-esteem. You cannot let your fear overcome you or be easily manipulated by others. Let's try from now on, okay?"

Owen nodded.

"Right. Now I'm going to put this peanut up your nose, and you can't drop or eat it until I tell you to, got it?" She waved the snack in the eyes of the big guy, who once again nodded in agreement with the rules.

"3...2...1...Now!" Like a St. Bernard, Owen stood there, transfixed on peanuts.

Taking advantage of the moment of distraction, Kitty took Izzy by the arm and led her to a place away from Owen.

"What was that!?" Kitty questioned the redhead.

"What?" Izzy responded, confused.

"The way you treat him. I know you guys dated for a long time, but that's no reason to treat him so badly", the Vietnamese girl explained.

Izzy tried to cut the conversation, "I don't know what you're talking about. I've treated him like everyone else has treated him forever."

Kitty rebuked, "Well since I'm not like everyone else, I want to care for my partner's well-being."

The two were silent for a few seconds before the crazy redhead spoke.

"Do you like him?" Izzy asked out of the blue.

Kitty frowned and let out an inaudible What?, incredulous with the question.

"Like, like like. Bugs in your stomach and shit." Izzy took a step to clarify.

Kitty still didn't know how to respond to the woman's bullshit, "First, it's butterflies in the stomach. Second, why do you ask? I see him as a friend and nothing more."

"Right. Friend. Pal. Partner. Companion. You call it, girl..." Izzy curled the end of a lock of hair between her fingers.

"What are you implying?" The other girl shooted diggers at the redhead.

"Nothing! But let me give you a few tips: dating Owen is a fun experience. It's like having a pet, but you can have sex without being called sicko." She scratched her neck while getting weird looks from Kitty, "You just need to give him food and affection. Is he unmotivated to run? Tell them there will be a buffet at the end of the trail. Is he too tired for anything? Offer a thigh rub when the challenge is over. Hell, when we were dating, I even gave him a blowjob to cheer him up during the competition!"

"What I'm saying is: don't be afraid, and go for it! The no you already have, the worst that can happen is he has sex with you thinking about me or some guy." Izzy patted Kitty on the back, trying to reassure her. The amount of information (especially sexual information) left Kitty bewildered.

"Uh...thanks? But I'm not into him, and I don't want to wonder what you guys did before." Kitty pulled away from Izzy slightly.

"No need to thank me! Any time you want more tips, just let me know! Now, if you excuse me, I will go to bed. I'm pooped" With that, Izzy did a backflip, hitting an already sleepy Dave.

When Kitty returned to the section where she and Owen were, her partner still balanced the peanut on his nose.

"May I have it now?"

"Yeah, you've earned it."

Fourth Flight

"I hope it's not so hot or dry in Austria. It's not good for my skin, you know?" Justin commented while reading another magazine with him on the cover.

Trent rolled his eyes before correcting him, "Australia. We're going to Australia."

Justin doesn't get the information, "And? What is the difference?"

"The only thing you need to know is that if you're not careful, any animal can kill you. Also, no ski stations." Trent spoke, lowered his sunglasses and stared at Justin.

Unknown to the two, Taylor approached the armchair of the Drama Brothers.

"Uhhhh...hi!" Taylor awkwardly greeted them.

They didn't say anything, just waiting for the girl to continue.

"Remember me? I'm Taylor. I talked to you in the last challenge on that ferry. Of course, you must remember, what a stupid question, I know!" The brunette tried to keep up a conversation, although the mixed results.

"What I want to say is that you are amazing. For real. So I wondered if you two wanted to make an alliance or something. It would be a great opportunity to get to know each other better...FOR THE GAME, of course."

She quickly corrected her ulterior motives.

"Look...Taylor, right?" Trent replied, receiving a nod of agreement.

The cool man cleared his throat, "Taylor, I get you are a fan of our work. And we appreciate that. However, you must know how serious a commitment like that is in Total Drama. What I mean is that at the moment..."

"We're in!" Justin spoke without thinking twice. Trent gasped with surprise and confusion.

Taylor's eyes grew in size and sparkled, "REALLY?"

"Yeah, cute one. You can rest easy while we discuss the terms of the alliance, okay?" Justin added, already indicating to the fangirl to leave them alone too.

Taylor then hugged Trent and Justin while kissing their cheeks and frantically saying thank you.

As soon as she was gone, Trent frowned angrily at Justin, "What are you up to?"

"Trent, my man, do you know why you and I were eliminated in Action? We didn't use our brains strategically, and we didn't have allies. You left because of your weird freak out-" Justin pointed out.

That memory made Trent quickly defend himself, "OCD. That's a medical condition. And I just freaked out because my medicine had run out."

"-and I got kicked because I tried to win Courtney's heart and her inflated ego. Falling from that height was terrible for my beautiful body!" Justin shivered, remembering the bandages he had to wear.

"I know you hate fans, but if we can use this to our advantage, why not?" The Hawaiian adonis reasoned, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder.

As much as Trent wanted to argue, his partner made a good point. And considering Justin's brain works once a month, it would be good to trust his judgment.

"Deal. But if she tries to harass me, I'll tell her you asked her for a night alone." The Collins wannabe threatened.

"And if she harasses me, I invite you to a threesome," Justin splat.

"When she finds out that you treat her like a rag doll, the outcome will not be good," Crimson spoke loud enough for both of them to hear. She didn't even bother looking at them, preferring to read an article about goths in the Amazon.

The two went to goth, wanting satisfaction for having been eavesdropped.

"I don't know who you are, but you shouldn't interfere with other people's strategies." Justin puffed.

"When you get older, you're just as ugly on the outside as you are on the inside. You know this, right?" Crimson's words pierced Justin's heart like daggers.

Trent opened his mouth to defend his partner, being quickly scolded by Crimson.

"And you should be more considerate of others there. Just because you've had your heart broken on national TV doesn't mean you have to do the same to others. Even more so when she's younger than you." This time she glanced at Trent before turning back to the magazine.

The comment petrified the man to decide to remain silent.

"If I were you, I would return to the seats. The captain said that we will face turbulence." She spoke briefly, ready to dismiss the two.

Ennui, who had gone to the bathroom, came back in time to see the Drama Brothers leaving.

"Did something happen?" He asked.

She closed the magazine and crossed her legs, "Nothing, just a woman's advice to men."

Fifth Flight

According to their routine, the Cosplayers were dressed as Aussies. Despite the costume not giving any advantage during the challenges, they feel more confident using it.

The two chatted in peace until Max appeared out of nowhere.

"Greetings, my weird comrades. It is a shock to see that I am gracing you with my presence, but I come with a proposal this time."

Tammy and Leonard's eyebrows rose in advance of Max's request.

"See, after my minion's pleas, I've decided two heads are better than four. I mean, four heads are better than two." The Doctor Evil clone went on talking but without inspiring confidence.

"Do you want to ally? That's it?" Leonard asked bluntly.

"Precisely. You must be wondering why you were chosen among so many teams." Max spoke smugly, pointing at the pair.

"Oh God..." Tammy muttered.

Max paced back and forth, "Currently, many teams came to me, but all had severe intelligence or physical strength gaps. You two combine my two requirements: resilience and spirit power."

"He wants us to work for him," Leonard whispered to his friend.

"With that in mind, I've decided to give you both a vote of confidence in proving you're up to the job. So, what do you think? If I succeed, I'll add you and two dependents to the dental plan once I'm rich." The mini man smiled at them.

Before the Cosplayers could decline the invitation, Eva arrived, stomping her foot on the ground.

"There you are, short man. What are you up to these idiots? Actually, doesn't matter. Did you check our bags? I cannot find them anywhere."

Max's blood turned cold. "T-the bags? What bags?"

"Our bags. The one with my weights, clothes and my treasured mp3 player." Eva glared at him menacingly but without a hint of anger.

"Do you still have an mp3?" Tammy spoke without thinking.

"It's none of your business," The brute woman snapped at the female cosplayer.

"Have you checked the luggage racks yet? Maybe it's there!" Max tries to dodge the bullet.

"Every. Single. One." Eva responded coldly.

The camera showed all the luggage racks open and suitcases on the floor. All belonging to other people except Max and Eva.

"Awwww, shoot! Maybe our bags got lost in the Philippines! I never liked those people." The purple-haired boy remarked.

"I have a theory for what happened," The unibrowed girl spoke, closing her eyes. "While in the airport bathroom, I asked someone to watch our bags. When I left, I looked at a certain person and realized the bags were beaten up. As if they had been opened and turned over."

"At the time, I didn't pay attention, but those bags were of a different shade from mine. Prussian blue while mine are navy blue," Eva began to circle Max like a shark at that moment, "So I suspect someone got careless and someone else switched our bags at the airport. And that someone is you, Max."

Max was already shaking with fear when he realized that Eva knew about his little mess.

She approached him still without showing a reaction, "Admit it and I won't kill you. I promise."

Thinking it to be a good idea, he took the bargain, "Okay...this was my fau-"

Eva had him by the collar before he could finish his sentence, snarling in rage, "I KNOW IT'S YOU, YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

"W-wait! You promised not to kill me!" Max futilely tried to wriggle free.

"II SAID I WOULDN'T KILL YOU, NOT THAT I WOULDN'T HURT YOU. NOW BE QUIET AND TAKE IT LIKE A MAN!" Eva replied, ready to beat him like a puppy.

Suddenly, turbulence shook the entire plane, including the four of them. Before she could go on the rampage, she felt hands grabbing her and ropes binding her arms and legs. When she realized what happened, Leonard and Tammy had already subdued her.

"Phew! That was close! Now I know how Steve Irving felt." Leonard sighed in relief, wiping his forehead with his hand.

"LET ME GO, WIZZARD. YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS TOO, WHALE." Eva threatened the two as she struggled to break the bonds

"Can I try something? Works in emus, I don't know if it works in humans." Tammy raised her hand, receiving authorization from Leonard.

The girl approached Eva with a spoon and repeatedly tapped her forehead until the beast woman calmed down and agreed to stop the hostilities.

"Thank you so much for saving me, my friends! As gratitude, I gladly accept you as my official lackeys," said Max, already recovered from the attack, although his neck had purple parts.

"Talk that again, and we'll let her go next time," Leonard spoke sharply.

"Dear friends then, no hierarchies between us from now on!" Max smiled nervously at the prospect of facing Eva's fury helplessly.

...

A mess involving The Ex-Stepbrothers and The Opposing Twins was about to break out on the other side of the plane.

"They weren't kidding when they said the all-you-can-eat food was good on this airline. Have you tried the roast beef yet?" Lorenzo talks to Chet, spitting out bits of food as he speaks. The brown boy got a poke in the ribs from his partner.

"Stop distracting me. I'm very focused on something." Chet spoke while looking at Amy and Sammy discreetly. And by discreetly, he made two holes in a magazine to observe them.

"Are you ogling those girls?" Lorenzo questioned bluntly.

"Yes, but I'm doing it secretly. And if you keep talking, it will stop being secret." Chet stated.

"Can I look at them with you? I like the one on the left." Lorenzo smirked about looking at a hottie while they didn't arrive in Australia.

With a pair of scissors, he could replicate his friend's ruse quickly. The two fail to consider that the twins noticed by miles that they were ogling over them.

"Amy, now there's another one staring at us," Sammy whispered to her sister, who was more concerned with filing her nails.

"Why don't you go ahead and condemn those creeps? As soon I finish painting my nails, I'll go there." Amy dismissed her sister's concerns.

"Also, they are participants in the show. Anything we can beat them during the challenge."

Knowing his sister couldn't give a fuck, Sammy decided to act on his impulse.

"Look! One of them got up! The one with the piercing." Chet talked while the two looked through the holes at her approaching figure, aiming for her breasts, stomach and legs. They only realized that she was in front of them when she did an AHEM, breaking the spell they felt.

They quickly hid the magazines, trying to look cool before Sammy.

"Hello there. How can we help you and your sister, miss?" Lorenzo flexed his arms in a vain attempt to show some muscle.

"Look...Lorenzo. Lorenzo, right?" Sammy asked.

"You can call me Lo if you want..." Lorenzo responded with bedroom eyes.

She scratched her arm before continuing, "Okay...Lorenzo. I noticed that you and your friend were looking at us," The two guys widened their eyes as soon as the blonde said that.

"I know you must like us both, but I also felt embarrassed with you drooling over...could you two just...not do that again? Please?" She chose every word to try and convince the guys, receiving nods as they both blushed in embarrassment at being caught.

"Uhhh...see you later?" Sammy said goodbye to the pair awkwardly.

"Lo? Really?" Chet inquired in disbelief.

"I thought it would be sexier! It's either Lo or Enzo." Lorenzo was seeking to justify himself.

"Both are shit, man. And now we look like a couple of perverts because of you." The white man poked Lorenzo's chest.

"If I remember correctly, the one who started staring at her tits through the magazine was you!" Lorenzo poked Chet in the chest in retaliation.

"Enough of these conclusions. We must fix the situation before they spread the word that we are perverts," Chet was already starting to devise a plan, "I think a direct approach is best."

Lorenzo arched a skeptical brow, "Wait, we go there at two and say sorry? Just that?"

Chet crossed his arms, "Do you have any better ideas? I'm all ears."

The former stepbrother thought momentarily but had to admit that this plan was the most rational one.

After a little rehearsal, the duo put the plan into practice.

"Hello, girls. I apologize for my friend's behaviour just now. I understand that you were uncomfortable seeing your body in a perverted way." Chet pointed at Lorenzo, who managed not to hit the boy for implying he was the culprit.

While Sammy tried to ignore them, Amy stared at them as if she was thinking about something.

"If we can do anything to resolve this misunderstanding, we will gladly do so," Lorenzo spoke, kneeling in front of the twins.

Finally, an idea popped into Amy's head, and she smiled slyly. "Anything?" The Mean Twin asked.

"Anything." The Ex-Stepbrothers replied in unison.

"Well...I don't blame you for staring at us, although looking at my sister's stretch marks is gross. In any case, we accept your apologies on one condition." The blonde continued to talk even though Sammy objected to the remarks about her body.

"You will collaborate with us on the challenges until we are satisfied. If you are good, who knows, maybe we can't forgive and give you two a chance?" She highlighted the last part by lifting the blouse she was wearing a little, showing her bra and the cleavage of her breasts.

The two boys immediately accepted. Any negotiation jumped out of the window when they saw Amy's breasts up close.

When the pair left, Sammy promptly questioned his sister, "Why did you do that!?" The sister shrugged.

"Sammey, Sammey, Sammey...you would let a golden opportunity pass if I had not intervened. They are now in the palm of my hands. If they fail, we tell everyone how perverted they are. If they are victorious, they will carry us as far as possible. It's a win-win situation." Amy explained, grinning evilly at the strategy.

Adjusting her blouse and bra, she continued, "You might not know what it's like, but men can move mountains if they're horny. And those two would do anything to get us to throw them a bone."

Realizing it would be an unbeatable battle to dissuade her, Sammy sighed and decided to listen to music. The Australian challenge will be pretty long by the looks of it.

Sixth flight

DJ has always been a very patient and peaceful boy. He never raised his voice to any adult. He always went to bed early after praying.

For this reason, he cannot understand how, after so much torture faced on the show, listening to Chef and Blaineley talk about their lives can be worse than any poisoning or injury. Does God still punish him for that mummified dog?

"And, like, I told him not to call me before 11 a.m. Guess what he did?"

"I feel you, girl. They don't know how long it takes to look beautiful. Once, it took me 3 hours to do my legs and back."

"You're lucky you never have to shave your crotch. It itches even if you use hot wax."

"Never say never. I've done it, and it's not good. People should accept the hair they were born with."

"Not after that damn surfer exposed me on the international chain. Wherever I went, the people kept talking about my toenails and belly. I spent a fortune to look hot again!" Blaineley spoke angrily, remembering the musical success eternalized in Geoff's voice.

"Can you talk about another subject, please?" DJ crossed his arms, already tired of that conversation.

"Oh, sorry, DJ. I didn't see you there. Did our conversation make you uncomfortable?" Chef turned to the young man, who was nodding in agreement.

"Good. Because you will one day reach the level where the two of us are, don't think your biceps will last forever." The blonde barked, not caring about Brickhouse's opinion.

DJ frowned, "Could you be kinder, you know?"

Blaineley stretched in his chair. That flight is taking so long for her. "Yes, I could. But I don't want to. Deal with it."

"That's what I mean when I say you have to practice more nonviolent communication. You'll leave here quickly if you don't improve your relationships on this show." Chef told the woman, hoping that would sink in.

"What you are? A Therapist?" Blaineley snarled.

"I did a degree in pedagogy, thank you very much." The chef corrected her.

Suddenly, a strong tremor hit the plane. Although no one was hurt, bags escaped from the luggage rack. The intercom was triggered.

"Is this thing on? Good. This is your commander speaking. We are flying over a tropical storm area. Everyone fasten your seat belts and remain in your seats until instructed otherwise. Unfortunately, you won't be able to see the wonderful Banda Sea. Over." The muffled voice soon ceased.

...

Chris, who was in the liquor section, got soaked when he landed with a whiskey bottle on the floor. Grumbling, he tried to go to the bathroom to change his clothes.

That's when his streak of bad luck continued: he faced the Tennis Rivals.

"Look, Pete, I didn't know they let beggars on planes," Gerry nudged his partner over the remark. They laughed.

"I don't think he's a beggar, just a clumsy intern!" Pete joked to Gerry, making them both laugh again.

The former host decided to put it aside. It's just two old folks, nothing worth it. But when he was near the bathroom, he heard something he couldn't ignore.

If he had any dexterity, he would have played tennis and not that fantasy sport.

That made his blood boil. Insult him? It was okay, he was used to it since his fall. But trashing badminton in front of him? Those seniors crossed the line.

Turning around, Chris decided to confront Gerry and Pete.

"I don't know if Grandpa knows, but badminton is an official sport with more players than this sport for fat ladies to watch." Chris barked.

"Look at him, Gerry, he thinks he can tackle us with those skinny little legs and arms that never knew what a real racket is. Have you ever seen a tennis ball in your life? It's bigger than your balls, young man." Pete taunted Chris, knowing of his nephew's short temper.

"I know what you want, Pete and I won't fall for it. You would have a trophy if you were a winner like I was. And guess what? The only achievement you have is the last name McLean." Chris flashed a cocky smile to his uncle, knowing that his weakness was that he had never won a title in his professional life.

The old man got pissed. Even Gerry could tell it got on his nerves.

"YOU BRAT!" Pete tried to grab Chris by the shirt, but another turbulence occurred on the plane, making the three of them unbalanced for not being attached to the seat.

Chris and Pete fell to the floor, groaning in pain. "I should have smacked you when you were a kid. Now you've grown up and become the shit you are today," Pete hissed.

"I always hated you. Mom always thought you were an asshole for ditching Grandpa to go play tennis." Chris snapped back.

"IT WAS NOT JUST ANY GAME. IT WAS THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN, FOR FUCK'S SAKE. YOU'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT IT IS. NOW GET OFF ME!" Pete yelled at him.

The two struggled a bit to disentangle themselves from each other but eventually managed.

"Mark my words, Chris: you will regret turning against me someday. You will pay me everything you owe." Pete pointed at his nephew menacingly.

"If I go to hell, maybe. Otherwise, not much," Chris taunted him again. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to clean up as I reek of old people and whiskey."

Pete gritted his teeth as Gerry convinced him otherwise of continuing the fight.

...

As soon as he ran to the bathroom, Chris passed by the Police Officers, Soldiers and the Divorcees, who were talking by the window. While the first two pairs were calm, the last one was tense.

"I'm surprised you didn't have any injuries to your vertebrae. You really could have been paralyzed." Brick told MacArthur as he ate a snack.

"I'm a lucky girl. You would be shocked at how many shots I've taken without a bulletproof vest." The woman in the wheelchair puffed his chest as she showed the scars she had on her stomach.

"Are you going to tell them that one was because you intentionally shot yourself?" Sanders snarked at her partner's act of courage.

"It was a prop gun. I thought it was safer." MacArthur defended himself while Sanders rolled his eyes.

"I've seen that you two are very dedicated to your career," Jo commented, earning a smile from both women, "What would you do if someone tried to commit a crime in front of you?"

"Nothing/I'd beat the shit out of the person," the cops replied simultaneously. Except the answers were different.

"For the tenth time, we have no enforcement powers outside the US! Do you want to be arrested and stay in a tiny cell waiting for diplomacy to save you?" Sanders poked MacArthur's forehead.

"You're a coward, and I respect that. But I'm completely zero tolerance towards crime. Regardless of where it occurs." MacArthur barked.

"Girls, please! There's no reason to fight. Right, Stephanie?" Brick called the fitness instructor, trying to lighten the mood.

Stephanie blinked several times before realizing the military fashionista was calling her name. She wasn't the only one to snap out of her trance.

Interview: The Divorcees

Stephanie and Ryan were sitting side by side in the bathroom. It was tight, but it fit.

"We have a long talk after the challenge. Devin and Carrie's words stuck in our heads." Ryan had a melancholy expression while speaking.

"We released all the resentment we had against each other. I'll admit my mood swings are due to me going off my bipolar medication. I was diagnosed shortly before participating in the Ridonculous Race but decided not to continue the treatment because the side effects were too strong. The result you all saw," Stephanie explained, "my breakouts got worse and worse until the divorce. That was rock bottom for me."

Ryan also opened up, "And instead of encouraging her to continue the treatment, I ignored it, thinking that these were weak-minded people. I thought her outbreaks would end if she focused on competition or work. Not only did our marriage fall apart, our daughter was caught up in it."

Looking at the camera, the two were now on the verge of tears.

"Hannah, we're so sorry."

It was a torturous sun in the city of Darwin. The light breeze that was making couldn't oppose the thermal sensation similar to the devil's ass. The first flight teams quickly disembarked, finding a distressing Chad in the hall.

"Hello, competitors! Welcome to Darwin, the capital city of the Northern Territory. As you can see, we are not in Perth," Chad pointed out the obvious.

"To deal with this unforeseen, we redid today's challenges! Guys, can you do the honours, please?" The host then had the victors from the Philippines be the first to press the tip box.

BEEP

"From the World Tour with love: a bird race," Beardo read the card while the players found the phrase strange. The one who knew what was coming was Duncan.

"Your first task is to ride an cassowary as a pair, and take the Stuart Highway, also known as The Track. You will know the next directions when you get close to Alice Springs." Chad detailed the challenge.

At that moment, the Olympic girls raised their hands.

"Any questions, Sky and Bridgette?" the host looked at the team.

"Where do we find the cassowary?" The blonde surfer asked.

"And how will we sit us two on this animal?" Sky asked next.

"Excellent questions! I'll start with you, Sky: cassowaries are powerful birds. They can support up to 200 kilos on their backs and run 40 kilometres per hour. And they are also very skittish animals. One kick from them is enough to tear your guts out." He liked the young Cree's question.

He then addressed the blonde, "As for your question, Bridgette, it's simple: they're after you."

SQUEAK

The teams slowly turned, looking at the group of cassowaries facing them. It was possible to feel those birds were looking for blood, not flowers.

"And one last instruction: the team that arrives at the designated location without their bird will receive a 30-minute warning. Good luck!" Chad sounded the horn, which led to the cassowaries chasing all the competitors. "I leave my thanks to the Northern Territory Chief Minister for making this possible. Now this show has begun!"

...

"Pay attention to what I'm going to say, mates," Jasmine addressed the teams looking for a way to ride cassowaries, "I have basic techniques to prevent something bad from happening."

"Can you remind me why you're helping us?" Duncan asked, skeptical of the tall Aborigine.

"Because as much as we're competing against each other, I don't want to see anyone get hurt. We've already been kicked by one, which hurt like hell." Jasmine explained, showing the scar on her thigh. "If you are not careful, this animal can kill you. Even more so running down an Outback road."

"To demonstrate, my sweet Shawn will help me tame a cassowary." At his girlfriend's signal, the survival expert approached a cassowary. The bird was pecking at a road sign.

"First, always maintain eye contact while another person approaches from behind." The teams looked at the duo doing what they were talking about.

"While one maintains eye contact, the other must hold the cassowary's legs. Never the body! They will try to kick you if you don't hold their legs."

Shawn quickly grabbed the cassowary's legs and placed them firmly on the ground. The bird began to get agitated and to quell.

"With your legs securely held, approach the cassowary and grab it by the neck. Be careful with the beak as it can peck or bite you. Don't even try to hold the beak!" Jasmine continued the guide, firmly holding the animal's neck, not so strong that it suffocates and not so light that it doesn't rebel.

"With the beast under control, whoever holds the neck can mount it. Once you're on the cassowary, the second can release her legs and mount." As if by magic, the Survivors were already mounted and ready to go.

"One last tip: always hold the cassowary's neck to make it run in your desired direction. Well, that's all, see you!" As soon as Jasmine said that, the pair ran towards the highway. That bird is speedy!

...

"Do you think they managed to ride the cassowary with our handbook?" Shawn asked as he hugged Jasmine. It was about as romantic as when they'd ridden a horse together chasing a dingo.

The black woman shrugged, "Frankly, no. This animal is a bitch to tame, but I think they found their way."

They were already leaving the city of Darwin, ready to face a red desert.

...

Even though the instructions were clear, the other teams struggled to apply them. And since the instructor had run away, they and God were at work.

Beardo tried to make cassowary sounds to reassure the animal, while B made an improvised strap to put on the animal's beak. The only problem was that he made female sounds and the cassowary was male, which motivated the bird to try to mate with him.

Sky decided to land directly on the beast, trying to subdue it by surprise. The complication of this technique is that the animal ran in different directions until Sky had control of it so that Bridgette could climb aboard.

The Convicts and the Team Action followed Jasmine's strategy with mixed results; while Leshawna and Scarlett successfully grabbed the cassowary's legs and neck (respectively), Tyler had his hand bitten off, and Duncan was punched in the eyebrow.

The Ice Dancers had no problems after Josee threatened to break the cassowary's legs and neck after he roared at them.

And the Airheads somehow managed to convince a cassowary by offering him a mango.

With everyone mounted on the animal, it was time to face The Track, too.

"Cassowaries? Really?" Courtney asked in disbelief. Riding emus was hard enough, now they're going to have to ride an even more violent animal?

"I afraid so," Chad spoke tersely.

"This shouldn't be that hard, Lightning will get it right. Check it out." The black jock approached the bird and slapped it across the face. Promptly, the animal responded by kicking him in the chest.

"Ohhhhhhhhh, that sha-HURTS" Lightning groaned as he tried to get up off the ground.

"Cassowaries are very violent animals, Lightning. You can't beat them with brute force. We need a strategy." Cameron spoke as he tried to help his partner.

More concerned about his unknown rival, Geoff comes up with an idea to tarnish Alejandro's image.

"Yo! Al! Don't you have a magic with animals? What if you try to calm them down for us?" The blonde spoke with a hint of malice.

Alejandro's eye twitched at the mention of the forbidden nickname, but he chose to ignore it. "Indeed I have, amigo, but I don't want to die again because of this show."

"Stop being a pussy, go there, Alejandro. If you don't make it, there's no hope for us," Heather scolded him. He sighed and addressed the cassowaries, who began to snarl at him.

Concentrating all his charm, Alejandro took off his shirt. That worked once, right? Quickly, the cassowaries dropped any hostility and allowed competitors to climb on them.

"Gracias, Geoff. Thanks to your idea, we'll be able to catch up with the first flight teams in no time." The Latino winked at the party boy, who then gritted his teeth.

Interview: Alejandro

"Do I know if Geoff still hasn't forgiven me for manipulating his wife? Absolutely." Alejandro chucked, remembering Yukon. He quickly put the tank top back on and tied the red coat around his waist. "If he thinks he's going to get revenge on me, he's sorely mistaken. And I don't want any ploys, at least not yet. Manipulation is only efficient with a small number of people. Either I can manipulate everyone for a short time or some for a long time. Manipulating everyone all the time is tiresome and impractical."

Interview: Geoff

"I still can't forgive what he did to Brid! This dude will pay..." He spoke as he mounted the cassowary.

"Easy, big bird, easy..." Sam was talking as he tried to climb into the cassowary. To his bad luck, the bird was skittish and threw him on the ground.

When he realized what was happening, he saw the bird run towards him with a bloodthirsty look.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH," The gamer screamed, preparing to be torn apart. A second passed. Another five seconds passed. He slowly opened his eyes.

Dakota had a firm hand on the bird's neck, which was gasping for air. The girl's gaze shook with rage. "DON'T. DARE. HURT. MY. SAM." You could see her tail twitching, her fangs growing, and her hair changing to a greenish hue.

Realizing his girlfriend was about to mutate, Sam intervened, "Dakota! Babe! I fine! I know you're angry, but we need him for the race."

She looked at him and sighed in relief. The transformations ceased but the strength did not, "Okay Mister Cassowary, I'll tell you just once: we ride you, and in return, you stay alive. Deal?"

The bird had no option but to accept. Nobody wants to be fried chicken.

The Stuart Highway was non-existent in Central Australia. The only indication of that route is a faded asphalt trail between red sands. The sun was relentless.

Prepared for the arid climate, the Survivors quickened their pace to reach the next stage as quickly as possible. The cassowary, though irritated, showed no signs of fatigue.

Their prayers were answered when they saw a sign written Either/Or: Left or Right?

"Is this the sign Chad was talking about?" Shawn rubbed his chin trying to understand the riddle.

"Considering they put it in the middle of the road and still with the name Either/Or I think it's safe to trust," Jasmine analyzed the situation. After a bit of discussion, they decided to go right.

...

The first teams covered the route without any navigation instrument. Although they had cell phones available, their GPS was horrible with the signal they received.

"Almost...almost...Got it!" Beth celebrated the internet signal she got, enough for them not to get lost in the desert.

"Where do we go then?" Lindsay asked, struggling to balance in the cassowary. The bird didn't mind her pressing his neck against her breasts, thinking it was two mangoes as a reward if he got to her destination faster.

"Let's go left. Left!" Beth commanded, and Lindsay complied, giving a slight wiggle to the left. Soon, they were facing the Either/Or sign.

"Like, is the right right? Or it's better if we left for the left?" Lindsay thought with her friend between the two options.

"The phone said to go left. We'd better keep going there." Beth pondered. Before they left, the Ice Dancers and Team Action approached.

"Where are you going to?" Leshawna asked the two girls.

"We go left. I got some internet, and the GPS said it's over there." Beth pointed out over the horizon to where the sign indicated left.

"We go left too. Do you hear, Tyler?" The black diva aimed for her injured companion. Though Tyler didn't break his hand, the bite marks still bled.

"If those two idiots go left, what better way than we go right?" Josee spoke to Jacques loud enough to be heard by the black woman.

"Hey! Knock off man!" Tyler protested the ballerina's treatment of his partner. His hand was still bleeding when he swung it against Josee a few drops spilled out, causing her to scream and run to the right.

"That's my Tyler, a gentleman!" Lindsay puffs her chest, proud of her husband.

The dressage round began for flight three and four teams. At the moment, most were being dominated by the cassowaries rather than the opposite.

"STOP EATING MY HAIR, FOR GOD'S SAKE, AHHHHHH," Josh screamed as Don tried to pull his partner out of the bird's beak. The animal spat Josh, who was covered in drool, and his hair was destroyed.

"Come here, little bird. I won't hurt you..." Owen ran after the cassowary, which sought to escape the responsibility of carrying a person and Owen on its back.

Izzy bit at the same rate as the cassowary bit her; Dave sighed as he tried to convince Izzy to stop hurting the bird.

"Do not be afraid," Crimson soothed, trying to chase the beast frightened by the Goths' look.

The few fine teams were the Animal Lovers, the Rockers, the Genusies, and the Sweethearts.

Seeing four teams had already departed, Justin decided to implement his plan. He whispered something to Trent, who made a stunned face.

The Drama Brothers approached Taylor, who was helping Kelly to mount the bird.

"Hi, Taylor. Do you have a minute? We want to discuss matters." Justin smiled at her, who promptly accepted the invitation.

"Just stand still, Mom!" Taylor spoke as she left the older woman's company. Realizing that only one climbed, the cassowary resolved to knock her down at all costs.

"How can I help you guys?" Taylor was nervous about being with her idols alone again.

"No big deal, we'd like you to help us mount our animal. You know, killer animals are hard to handle without a few scratches and you know how we must protect our beautiful bodies." Justin pointed out by pulling off his shirt, earning gasps from the girl and an eye roll from Trent.

"C-Can I touch?" Taylor blurts out, earning a look from the adonis.

Justin leaned towards her, whispering, "If you help us, I'll let you touch my twelve-pack abs."

The girl's face flushed instantly, "A cassowary! My makeup kit for a cassowary!" she exclaimed as she fetched a bird for the boys.

"Do you think this will work for a long time?" Trent whispered to Justin.

"Don't spoil her moment. We're not doing too much. Just strategery." Justin spoke facetiously.

"You spell strategy wrong," Trent deadpanned.

"Do I? Or it was strategery?" Justin wriggled his eyebrows, earning a groan from the other man.

In the background, Kelly could be seen fighting the cassowary and winning.

"Everything is alright? Wonderful! So, let's go to phase 2," Chad was talking on the phone when he realized the camera was rolling. He quickly put his cell phone in his pocket and continued his narration.

"With the first teams deciding and heading to the second challenge, the last flights have already landed. In this way, all teams are already on Australian soil."

On the horizon, two teams approached: the Airheads and Team Action.

"Congratulations, Airheads and Team Action, you are the first teams to reach the second stage." The host instructed them to get down from the cassowaries. The birds quickly fled into the wild.

Teams looked worriedly at the beasts running across the desert, prompting the old host to reassure them, "Don't worry, they are natural species. Anyway, I'll ask you to wait because the next challenge requires one more pair."

It was the cue for the Olympic Girls to appear with a runaway bird. The Cassowary crashed into a wall, knocking Bridgette and Sky off their feet.

Chad's smile widened at the sight of the team, "And now we are complete. Come here, darlings; it's time for some real work."

Lindsay took the tip and read it aloud, "Superteam! You and two other teams must catch fifteen bunnies and deliver them to a local villager. But be careful: among the bunnies, there is an albino rabbit that exempts the three teams from catching any other bunny."

"Looks like we're in this together, girl." Leshawna smiled at Bridgette, while Tyler was happy to compete alongside his wife.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take care of the other side of the challenge. Oh, and don't cheat!" with that, Chad left the superteam in a rented car.

...

Those who took the path to the right were led into a gorge. Jasmine looked from above and saw a small rectangle with white things moving.

"That was a trap, right? Knew we should have gone left!" Josee stomped her feet in circles. Jacques thought about saying that it was her idea to go right, but he knew it was counterproductive.

"I don't think so, look!" Shawn pointed at a dirty car on the horizon approaching. Inside was the host.

"Apologies for the delay. You know, it's hard to drive when all you see is red sand." Chad slammed the car door and headed for the edge of the canyon.

"Can you do the honours, Jasmine?" He offered a tip envelope, soon opened and read by the tall Aboriginal.

"Superteam. You and two other teams must shear six sheep at the bottom of this cliff. You must use the rope tied to one of the rocks to get them and do a bundle jump. And attention: if they find the rare black sheep among them, the super team will be exempt from shearing the rest." The woman read the card while three other teams arrived.

"First the cassowaries, now this World Tour copycat challenge? Unbelievable!" Courtney whined again, dismounting from the animal that, when running, ended up jumping off the cliff. Like a Looney Tunes character, the animal only noticed when he looked down.

Ignoring the poor cassowary, Chad continued, "And since we have six teams here, you should already know who will be paired with whom. Survivors, Ice Dancers, and Team B will make SuperTeam 1; Antagonists, Stockholm Alliance and Frenemies, you will be Superteam 2. It's a great time to socialize or reminisce about open wounds."

"Hang on! And how are we going to shear the sheep? With the hands?" Heather questioned.

"Electric shavers, of course. Nobody would finish this challenge if I gave you scissors like Chris did." Chad deadpanned.

"And how do we know which sheep is the black sheep? From up here, it looks like they're all white." Gwen held up her hand to clear the doubt.

"You will know when you see the black sheep." The host spoke mysteriously.

Three interns are seen grabbing black sheeps and throwing white powder over them, getting covered in the substance as well.

"As I know this is a special moment, considering that it is a reunion of the Team Amazon sans Alejandro, I decided to present you with one more memento," Chad smirked as the bell rang, indicating that a musical number was to come.

"Look. We're tired, we're way older than those stupid teenagers who did everything, and we don't even know what to sing about! Why not forget about it?" Heather bargained with Chad while Superteam 1 looked on without speaking.

"If that's the problem, I can fix it. Do you remember Shear The Sheep?" The memory of that out-of-tune song made the Asian woman's eyes bulge.

"S-Shear the Sheep? Not a clue about that song at all! C'mon guys, did you remember any Shear the Sheep?" The queen bee stressed the words menacely, asking everyone to collaborate.

Suddenly, a cluster of Yeah, True, I don't even remember Cody without a shirt on emerged. But more was needed to convince the show's runner.

Chad scratched his hair, "Since you all don't remember, I don't think I have anything else to do but give up..."

Superteam 2 soon sighed with relief.

"...and make you sing this song! If your memory is so weak, it's better to refresh it a little, isn't it?" he completed.

A collective groan broke out.

"And since this is a REMIX, I hope the six of you will contribute vocally. I'll be nice and even correct original music that was out of tune." Chad then turned to the other three teams, "Superteam 1, if you want to watch them sing, no problem, but don't forget you need to shear those sheep too."

"Can we get this over with before more teams arrive?" Cody asked, worried about the crowd of sheep and people on this cliff.

"Your wish is an order, Cody. In your positions, begin!" The curtains close at the host's command, triggering another song.

Song: Shear The Sheep REMIX

A stage lights up. In it are Alejandro (bass), Heather (primary mic), Courtney (guitar), Sierra (secondary mic), Gwen (drums) and Cody (bass). Everyone wore Aussie and cork hats. The girls wore a blouse with the Australian flag twisted around their stomachs, while the boys were shirtless.

Cody and Alejandro start with a bass solo similar to Back in Black. After warming up, the music begins properly.

Heather: Shearing sheep, don't be a creep,

It's the only way to continue this.

Win the game, don't be so lame,

Try to fuck this and your face I'll maim!

The scene is reminiscent of the original song, with Heather accusing Courtney of slacking off.

Courtney: Shear the sheep, then, with a smile,

Make yourself a giant woolly, woolly, woolly pi-ile!

That was past, don't want to let anyone down,

So don't give me any cranky frowns!

The type A-girl maintained the same posture as seven years ago, but now referring to his current life and not a crush on Alejandro.

Courtney, Gwen and Heather: We are shearing sheep!

Alejandro, Sierra, Cody: We are shearing sheep!

Courtney, Gwen and Heather: We are shearing sheep!

Alejandro, Sierra, Cody: We are shearing sheeeeep!

This time, however, Cody wasn't grabbed by Sierra, and he followed up with another bass solo.

Courtney, Gwen and Heather: We are shearing sheep!

Alejandro, Sierra, Cody: We are shearing sheep!

Courtney, Gwen and Heather: We are shearing sheep!

Alejandro, Sierra, Cody: We are shearing sheeeeep!

This time, the superteam decided to improvise, adding a second chorus.

Sierra: Shearing sheep instead of you,

Only cause you don't have any, a-tattoos!

This time, Sierra sings, showing off the razor tattoo that was initially Heather's.

Sierra: A black sheeep, we gonna sheeear!

And we'll be here, until the bitter end!

Sierra is shown shearing a white sheep with some wool in her hair.

Courtney, Gwen and Heather: We are shearing sheep!

Alejandro, Sierra, Cody: We are shearing sheep!

Courtney, Gwen and Heather: We are shearing...

Everybody: Yeaaahhhhh!

Alejandro does one last solo before the song ends with a cannon-dropping wool.

"They can sing, huh? I didn't hear any playback," Jacques commented while holding a sheep just caught by Shawn.

"Focus, we've only been able to catch one sheep since they started singing," Josee spoke as she took the bag made available to collect the wool.

"How are B and Beardo doing?" Shawn requested, unable to see the duo from where it was.

The ice dancer shrugged, "They're trying to do something to speed up the sheep supply; don't ask me what."

...

"Do you think this will work?" Beardo asked, being hoisted by a metal cable over the cliff.

"From what I've seen, it's pretty safe. If we put this machine to work, we'll speed up this wool collection." Jasmine reassured the soundmaker while B gave a thumbs up.

"Okay...here goes nothing!" Beardo held his breath as B pressed the button. Slowly, the cable supporting him went down. "Twenty meters to go, and so far, so good, guys. Guys?" The bearded boy spoke, but none of the two above heard him due to his height.

B was satisfied with his new invention until the lever that assisted the descent/ascent jammed. In an attempt to unlock it, B accidentally broke it, causing the cable to fall out of control.

Hearing Beardo's panicked screams, Jasmine grabbed the hilt while B braked the machine to prevent another sudden fall.

"Thank god I'm alive," Beardo muttered, still scared shitless. Seeing that he was close to the sheep area, he quickly grabbed a smaller one nearby.

"Ready?" Jasmine looked at B, who instructed her to let go of the hilt. It's time to make the mate go up.

"WHOAAAAA"

The cable's force on the ascent was more potent than expected, throwing Beardo and the sheep into the air. The boy fell backwards, making a crack due to the impact.

Jasmine and B approached Beardo, who was still moaning in pain. "Hello, Beardo? Are you alive?" The woman waved her fingers in front of the boy's face, who responded by making cuckoo noises.

Jasmine looked at B as she put the rope on her foot to jump, "Better we do it the traditional way then." B did not object, knowing that his invention had failed.

...

In SuperTeam 2, the shearing was up to Cody, Sierra, and Heather. Alejandro and Courtney took turns to catch the sheep, and Gwen collected the wool.

"This is so nostalgic, don't you think?" Alejandro tried to break the ice with your temporary partner.

"To get better only if I killed myself..." Courtney replied dryly.

"Guys, we need more sheep!" Gwen yelled, making the two stand ready.

Courtney jumped first, aiming for a fat sheep but coming back empty-handed. Alejandro followed, targeting the same sheep.

"Come here, beautie..." He spoke while fetching the sheep. To his surprise, the rope seemed longer than the last time. Before he knew it, his face was crashing to the ground. Ignoring the pain in his nose, he caught the sheep by the legs before the rope tossed him up again.

The Latino handed the sheep to Gwen, his nose bleeding from the beating, "Here you go, oveja estúpida!" The tank top he wore now was streaked with red splatters. He took off his white T-shirt and used it to stop the bleeding. A fine shirt, wasted.

Courtney was curious to see Don Juan hurt. Approaching, she decided to examine him to know the severity of the beat. Even after all these years, those pecs and abs were still as sexy as ever.

"Looks like you didn't have a concussion or a broken nose. Talk about lucky," she spoke after examining Alejandro's head.

"It's more like bad luck," he uttered while holding his nose.

"More sheep, please!" Gwen yelled again.

"You'll have to jump. If I do that, then I'll get a concussion." Alejandro looked at Courtney, who took the message.

In the background, Heather complained about her boyfriend to the bored Sierra and Cody. They might be your close friends, but even they couldn't stand the same arguments over and over again three hundred times.

"Can you believe this? I was so frustrated that I locked myself in the dressing room." Heather made small talk as she sheared the newly captured sheep.

"Yeah, unbelievable, I know," Cody and Sierra rolled their eyes. They questioned whether falling off a cliff or being attacked by a dingo would be as bad as hearing their friend whimper.

"And that's not all. I'm still waiting for him to propose. We're going to do almost seven years of dating and nothing!" The alpha bitch of the show threw her hands in the air to emphasize.

Their friendship with her may seem strange, but it makes sense: they were the only ones to keep in touch with her in the hiatus between World Tour and All-Stars. There were sleepless nights crying, blaming herself for Alejandro's presumed death in Hawaii, relieved by calls and messages to the geek and the uber fan.

The most counterintuitive part is the fact that it was Heather who wanted to be friends. These days, she chatters about her television career and her relationship with the Latino.

And this was the first time in years that Cody and Sierra had seen each other. And she wasn't looking lusty at the boy, saying inappropriate things, or touching him without his consent. In fact, it's like she's trying to stay away from her childhood crush.

Interview: Sierra

"The last few weeks have been difficult. A part of me wants to apologize to Cody about everything, but another part is afraid to even look at him. I've already talked to Heather, but she tells me to stop being a pussy," the Italian woman crossed her arms, frowning.

In the background, Cody and Heather could be seen shearing the fat sheep.

Interview: Cody

"It's been approximately two weeks, 54 hours and 34 minutes since Sierra and I have been on the same team, and she hasn't tried to harass me. I even left a burglary detector in my bags, and nothing! Sometimes, when we're not in the challenge, she looks at me and hides it. I don't know what happened, but I'm afraid to find out. What's worse is that when I bring this up to Heather, she tells me to stop being a pussy and confront Sierra." The geek man crossed his arms, frowning.

In the background, Sierra and Heather could be seen shearing the fat sheep.

Interview: Heather

"The two pussies are afraid to know what each one thinks of the other. It's so simple! Sierra has changed a lot since she was a teenager, and so has Cody! They look blind and afraid. Luckily for them, they count on me to help them." The queen bee crossed her arms, smiling.

In the background, Sierra and Cody could be seen shearing the fat sheep.

"So...how's the team doing? You must have had a lot to talk about." Heather began to speak, seeking their attention. That proved a failure as soon as the two looked at each other and shivered.

The woman frowned, "Okay, I'm going to stop being nice, just spill it."

Cody smiled nervously, "I-I don't know what you are implying."

Sierra adjusted the collar of her blouse, "Y-Yeah! We're great, I mean, like in the World Tour!"

The mention of the season made Cody shudder. Heather scrutinized them, feeling they were lying and very badly.

"I wouldn't say like the World Tour, but we're good." Cody was breaking out in a cold sweat. "I haven't had my things violated once," he exclaimed.

The sentence didn't escape Sierra's ears, her eyes widening.

"So you still think I would invade your privacy!" She shrieked.

"That's not what I said, not with that intention!" He got up, dropping the sheep to Heather.

"No, no. I understand. You must still think I would do these things, right?" Sierra spoke, waiting for an answer from the geek.

"I..." Cody started to speak but chose not to. At the same time, Gwen brought more sheep for them to shear.

Remembering that they were in the middle of a challenge, the three decided to ditch the discussion and focus.

On the side of the path on the left, hunting rabbits was as tiring as in Ridonculous Race. Currently, Superteams 1 (Airheads, Team Action and Olympic Gals) and 2 (Brains and Brawl, Fashion Vloggers and Gamers) were chasing the animals while looking for the rare albino bunny.

"How many have we got?" Bridgette panted, wiping the sweat from his forehead on his shirt, hoping the fifteen rabbits' criteria would be beaten.

"With what I just caught, six," Leshawna spoke as she counted the rabbits in the bag provided for them to keep.

Tyler and Lindsay were more concerned about having an outdoor picnic, as these bunnies are so cute, and I'm almost three weeks without being near my wife. What's worse is that Bridgette and Leshawna agree they should stay out of the challenge to avoid getting in the way.

Beth and Sky, on the other hand, concentrated on finding the special bunnies, as it was better to focus on that one than spending time with 15 rabbits.

"None of them seem to have red eyes." The nerd woman pointed out, being dismissed by the Cree gymnast. "Keep looking. I'm not leaving here without finding this albino rabbit," Sky's voice was as authoritative as his posture.

...

"Here, little bunny, little bunny..." Jen spoke while holding a large lettuce. Since she had a rabbit, she knew what they liked. Tom did the same, but the rabbits avoided him for some reason.

Cameron created a rabbit trap and spread it around the area. Although this method was efficient, it took a lot of work to explain how it worked to Lightning.

Sam used his knowledge in Stardew Valley to get the upper hand on the mammals. Dakota helped him as he realized it was easier in the game than in real life.

Those teams were looking for the albino rabbit, too, but they were unsuccessful.

"Done!" Sky shouted, showing the bag full of rabbits to the local man. The Superteam took the hint and raced towards the next challenge.

"Done!" Both cliff teams screamed. Shearing sheep on demand was more work than they expected or remembered. Leaving the bags of wool behind, they took the hint and headed to a large mine in Western Australia.

...

Carts were parked at the entrance to the mine, along with helmets and geolocators. The distance to the surface exceeded more than 100 meters. The way down was circular and steep.

Chad was waiting for the contestants dressed as a miner.

"I see that you managed to complete your tasks. Did you enjoy catching rabbits and sheep?" He greeted the three starting superteams, receiving looks of anger and disdain in return.

The old man ignored the stares as he went on, "Great! Let's move on to today's next challenge: this gold mine is one of the biggest in the world. They call it Super Pit because of its size."

He was now pointing towards the entrance to the mine, "Your task will be to get into this cart and navigate through the complete tunnel system to the other end. For this, you will have a geolocator with a map of the entire network buried under the ground."

"This cart looks too small for two people..." Shawn interrupted the explanation.

"That's why we will make this task for only one person, Botch or Watch style. Anyone who hasn't danced in South Korea will navigate the gold mine with the help of these walk-talks; the one who danced will be in charge of guiding the partner from here on the surface." Chad continues, doing a clumsy dance to symbolize the challenge, as mentioned earlier.

The pairs looked at each other, remembering who did what in Korea.

"And since we only have five carts available, you'll have to wait for your mates to finish the challenge to participate," the host finished the explanation.

As soon as the host spoke, the teams fought to get into the carts. In the end, the first to participate were Cody, Gwen, Alejandro, Beth and Leshawna; In the backup were Sierra, Courtney, Heather, Lindsay and Tyler.

...

"My god, it's pitch black here," Gwen spoke softly into the walkie-talkie. The only light was from her helmet. Inside the cart were two levers, one for turning left and one for turning right.

"Don't worry, just follow my instructions. I feel like we can win this round!" Courtney spoke excitedly. For the first time, they were among the first teams.

"Do you know where we're going?" Gwen requested.

"Turn left in 30 meters, then right," Courtney replied with instructions.

The mine was gigantic. By the bumps, Gwen felt she was going up and down like a roller coaster.

At a certain point, the tracks joined, leading to more participants meeting each other.

"Lindsay, I think we're going in circles! I've seen Gwen twice!" Beth spoke over the radio.

"I told you to turn to your right, not my right." The blonde bombshell sought to justify.

"Ugh! We need to get out of this mine, or we will be left behind! And no kissing your husband while I'm still here!" The wannabe shouted, sensing that her friend had more eyes on Tyler than her.

"I see a detour ahead. Go straight." Tyler warned his partner. While there was a detour, he did not expect the path to be blocked.

"You! Are! Fucking! Kidding! With! Me! I'M GOING TO STRANG YOU, YOU STUPID JOCK," Leshawna screamed at the top of her lungs after being hit by signs and other signs attached to the tracks. In the end, the ways stopped without continuation.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA," She screamed when the cart flew and landed on other tracks located further down.

"I'm alive? I'm alive! Alive!" The ebony woman cheered when she realized she had survived the impact.

"And with confirmation that Leshawna is alive, let's see how the other superteams are doing." Chad narrated.

The camera followed Geoff, Rock and Josh's efforts to hunt an albino rabbit. The animal was terrified and ran like crazy. The three tried to pounce simultaneously in a scene reminiscent of the Three Stooges. They hit each other's heads. Spud and Brody were trying to catch the rabbits but were too distracted to see them hopping around.

Ella and Dawn sang to attract the rabbits, appearing in droves. Anne Maria, Zoey and Mike took as many bunnies as possible, while Dawn chose one of the albino rabbits; Spud caught the scared albino rabbit after his reflexes kicked.

Owen went to jump, but the rope couldn't support his weight. When he fell, he crushed a sheep, raising a dust of white powder. Realizing this was the hidden black sheep, Katie, Sadie, Kitty, and Izzy cheered; Dave felt sorry for that sheep.

Taylor decided to catch all the sheep, refusing to take turns with his mother or Emma. Noah and Trent eyed Justin suspiciously. Eventually, she got the black sheep (and the possibility of touching the model's abdomen).

The BFFFs quickly arrived at the mine, finding the Ice Dancers there.

"How difficult it is to get out of the mines! Just follow the map, dammit!" Josee stomped her feet, already impatient for still being unable to board the cart. Of the first teams, only she and Jasmine remained.

Seeing the opportunity, Katie and Sadie put the Destabilizing Josee plan into action.

BEEP

The tip box opened, and Katie quickly read the instructions for the task.

Then, the acting began.

"OMG Sadie, did you read this? You'll need to get into a rusty cart in that dark mine." Said the tanned friend with a false sense of concern.

Sadie continued the play, "Serious? You know I don't like tight, dark places. What if the cart breaks down, and I'm stuck there alone?"

"True, that would be very bad. You lose outside communication and have to navigate a dark maze with pits." Katie emphasized, seeing Josee's eyes widen.

"Yeah, I wouldn't last a minute if the cart stuck me in a narrow exit. Until rescue arrived, I would asphyxiate. Imagine me fighting for air while calling you in my last moments of life." Sadie made choking sounds. Josee responded by loosening her collar as if worried about that possibility.

Katie crossed her arms and smiled, "Over my lifeless body!"

"You betcha!", Sadie winked at her friend.

The two laughed, seeing that the dialogue made Josee a nervous wreck. They also didn't count that the same effect was generated in Jasmine. Sweat had formed on the Aboriginal woman's clothing, and her eyes were petrified. "Not again, not again, not again..." she kept repeating it like a mantra.

"Survivors! Ice Dancers! You are next. Get your helmet and enjoy the ride!" Chad appeared to announce the next ones to take part in the task.

"Oh, I forgot to mention: at the trail's end, there is a note with the next tip. Everyone must take it. Otherwise, there will be a penalty," He warned.

"Why did you just say that now?" Jacques inquired.

"Because there are too many details to worry about, so who went first took a 30-minute break," Chad explained with a neutral expression.

On the other side of the mine, the five teams were pissed off at the arbitrary punishment.

"If we are eliminated, we can file a group lawsuit. Don't worry; I've never lost a case professionally." Courtney venomously spoke.

"This guy isn't as bad as Chris. We're going to win this with our hands tied," Heather spoke, mocking the words Alejandro had said to her at the beginning of the competition.

Alejandro grunted as he tapped his foot on the floor.

Cody decided to ease the tension between everyone, "Look on the bright side. Nobody's out with that ticket yet."

Bridgette and B ran out of the mine with the tip as if on cue. This made everyone glare at the geek, who recoiled in embarrassment.

"What are you doing standing there?" The blonde surfer said, approaching the group and removing her helmet.

"You know, the usual bullshit rules," The former C.I.T. replied.

"Hope you get a good position. Even you two, Heather and Alejandro." Bridgette narrowed her eyes when talking about the Antagonists before leaving.

"Okay, what was that!? I haven't spoken to her in years, and she has the nerve to diss me?" Heather snapped.

"You've always been a bad egg from day one of this show." Leshawna butted in on the conversation.

"The conversation hasn't made it to the losers section yet." The Asian woman retorted.

"One more of those comments, and you'll need another Zing Zing to get a new tooth," The black diva threatened. Reflexively, Heather covered her mouth.

Josee, Jasmine and Sadie were ready to enter the mine. Apart from the last one, the others were shaking.

"Good luck, sweetie." Shawn kissed his girlfriend on the lips. Tt momentarily eased the anxiety she felt.

"If you feel anything, just let me know by radio," Jacques spoke to Josee more formally. She shook her head.

Katie blinked at her partner, knowing what she was supposed to do.

The three teams pushed the carts towards the darkness.

...

Jasmine?

Jasmine.

Jasmine!

JASMINE!

The girl woke up from the trance, still adjusting her eyes to the helmet's brightness. "Shawn?" She asked, still unsure of what she felt.

"You've already missed two exits. I need you to turn right when I say so," Shawn ordered, looking at her trajectory and the mine map.

Jasmine looked at the lever, waiting for Shawn's command. She was stiff, waiting for the moment to pull the gear.

"RIGHT!"

The endless delay ended in microseconds, with the Amazon instinctively pulling the right lever. The entire cart quickly went another way, deviating from the original path.

"Great job, sugar! Now we don't have to worry until close to the exit." Shawn congratulated her, knowing how difficult it was for her to be in a cramped space.

She smiled as she listened to the words of encouragement.

...

"Josee, I need you to stop yelling and listen to me once and for all!" Jacques yelled into the communicator, ignoring his partner's panic attack.

"EASY FOR YOU TO SAY, IT'S NOT YOU WHO'S HERE," The ballerina screamed her lungs out, hyperventilating.

Jacques then sent the exact instructions as Shawn, "GO RIGHT, YOU NEED GO RIGHT, RIGHT NOW!"

Panic made her disoriented. The helmet light illuminated all sides, but she couldn't see the lever. In an action of desperation, she decided to pull the left lever.

"I GOT IT!" She was exhausted from that place and just wanted to leave it as soon as possible.

"Understood. Now all we have to worry about is when we get to..." the blonde's reasoning was interrupted when he noticed two red dots approaching.

"What were you going to say, Jacques? Jacques!?" Josee asked what increased her fear when she thought something wrong was happening.

The red dots got closer.

"Shawn, I'm seeing a light. Are we close to the exit?" Jasmine strained her eyes to understand what that glow was.

"We're halfway through yet, why?" The boy replied, still not noticing the red dots.

"It's so bright it's blinding me!" Josee complained to Jacques.

The red dots were closer than ever. Shawn and Jacques' eyes widened as they realized what was happening. "Oh no..." both whispered.

The points were separated by 30 meters.

"Doesn't this thing have a dimmer?" The two in the carts spoke. Simultaneously, they managed to reach the button that controlled the intensity of the emitted light.

With 10 meters to go, they saw each other's faces. The fright was so much that none of them reacted.

"...Shit/Merde."

The two red dots met.

Rock and Spud were going to the Super Pit after their team caught the albino bunny. They decided to adopt the animal, which chose to live in Spud's hair.

Interview: The Rockers

"I present to you the new mascot, Blondie Hammett!" Rock pointed to Spud's hair, where the albino bunny appeared. He blinked a few times at the camera, returning to hiding in the rocker's hair.

"I can't wait to show him at the concerts of our band, Massacration[1]. The ladies will love it!" Spud replied, taking off his headphones to speak before putting them back on.

"Spud, I'll go into the mine. Can you give me directions? If not, we can be punished. No problem for me through." Rock suggested to his friend. While a 30-minute punishment is bad, it's better than getting lost in the mine due to the teammate's reaction delay.

The brown-haired rocker set out to reassure the other, "Relax man, I've got it under control."

The blonde rocker decided to confirm his best friend's intentions, "True? Are you sure?"

Spud nodded his head, confident that he could help his teammate.

Smiling, they did a high five and a belly flop.

...

Spud looked at the red dot indicating Rock's location. For now, everything is good. So far, Spud has given no instructions, saying the path is clear.

His attention was fixed on the two red dots in the middle of the trail. He only stopped looking when Rock turned on the communicator.

"Dude, do I have to turn around? Looks like there's no way to go straight anymore." Rock spoke while dimming his helmet lights

"Oh! Yeah, The curve! Take the first left you have and go straight." Spud spoke without looking at the map, looking at the red dots scrambled around the mine.

Rock did as asked, even though he doubted he'd make it to the end unscathed. Pulling the left lever, the cart turned into an open underground field. Below it, a hole about 20 meters deep. In the background, he could see a blinking light, but he didn't know what it could be.

...

To his surprise, the path was simple indeed. In 20 minutes, he managed to get out of the mine, taking the ticket stuck in the cave's ceiling. By walk-talk, he announced that he had left and Spud could meet him at the exit.

...

Jasmine didn't know if what was running down her leg was blood, piss or oil. All she knew was that she had hit another cart and fallen 20 meters to the ground. Her visor was broken, and her communicator was destroyed.

Beside her, Josee was in the fetal position while mumbling the word mommy in French. Even though she knew the contestant was a bitch, she couldn't leave her in that state.

"Can you get up? C'me here, let me help you." The tall girl took the dancer by the arm until she stabilized on her feet.

"We're going to die, we're going to die, we're going to die..." Josee repeated like a crazy mantra while his gaze was far away.

"We are not going to die here. We must escape this hole and run to the surface quickly." Jasmine spoke, adrenaline rushing through her veins. She knew her body's response wouldn't last long and needed to take advantage of it before she passed out from shock.

The fall caused the two to have bruises in different parts of the body, although no broken bones or sprains. His clothes were dirty with dust and, in some places, torn. Jasmine's hat and Josee's shoe were nowhere to be seen.

The aboriginal woman tried to climb, carrying Josee, who was not responding to her calls.

Chad is standing in front of a dirt road with a Welcome to Perth sign, "And here we are in Perth, where we originally would have done the challenge if unforeseen weather hadn't stopped us."

"Today's chill zone is located here, on the city's outskirts. As usual, the first team to arrive will be the big winner of the leg, while the last one will have the bitter taste of losing 10 million dollars. And it looks like we've got a herd closing in!" The presenter pointed to the horizon, where seven teams ran for safety.

"We're going to need VAR again. It's going to be a foot-to-foot ending!" He spoke as the teams made their way to the Chill zone.

...

"Well, I already have the results for you. To cheer you up, I'll start from worst to best." Chad held a white paper as all the contestants rolled their eyes at the host.

"Come on, we don't have all day!" Heather whined.

"In fact, we have all day. You were the first to arrive, remember? Now sit still while I do my job," Chad shushed the mean girl, who grumbled in a chair.

Cody and Sierra, you were the last of the group to reach the chill zone. So I give you eighth place!

The two were happy and almost hugged, stopping quickly when they realized what they were doing.

"Seventh place goes to...the Airheads!"

The announcement made Beth and Lindsay cheer. It wasn't a podium, but the Top 10 is excellent.

"Olympic Girls, sixth place! B Team, fifth!"

Both teams celebrated the placement as well.

"Frenemies, you finished fourth. Better luck next time."

The podium would be nice, but Gwen and Courtney sighed in relief that nothing terrible had happened in Australia.

The Rockers, Team Action and Antagonists looked at each other. They knew they were in the top 3, but not in what order.

Chad patted Rock on the back, "I must say that I am surprised that you two, Rock and Spud, are there. Maybe Blondie Hammett got you guys lucky."

The two fist bumps each other. The albino rabbit jumped out of Spud's hair, surprising everyone.

"Team Action and Antagonists. You are in the place where I expect you to fight every episode, not slacking off in mid-table." Chad spoke to the four, earning frowns.

"Let's find out who won this amazing stage in Australia...now!" The host then looked at the paper again.

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Alejandro tightened his bull collar while Tyler hugged Leshawna, and Rock caressed Blondie.

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"I can't believe what I'm about to say, but this week's big winners are...the Rockers! Rock, Spud, you were brilliant at taking that shortcut! Congratulations on second place, Leshawna and Tyler." Chad announced excitedly.

Interview: The Rockers

"I don't believe! We were a long way from the front! One minute we were awwwwwwww and the next we were whooooosh!" Rock was ecstatic for the pair's first win since Finland.

Spud bought a small headphone so Blondie could listen to rock music with them too. Bunny and man started shaking their heads.

Interview: Team Action

"Staying in the race is good. Being on the podium is even better. But finishing in front of the miss bitch and her scoundrel boyfriend? That's priceless." Leshawna smiled like a child receiving Christmas presents. As much as each race was unique, the memories of Australia will stay with her for a long time to come.

"Linds, I finished second! This is better than when I was almost nominated for the Oscar for best stuntman! Yeah!" Tyler pumped his fists in the air, excited about the placement.

Interview: the Antagonists

Heather crossed her arms with a poker face, "While third place isn't bad considering there are 40 teams, falling behind Leshawna is a personal humiliation. This will not happen again. Ever." She gritted her teeth, glaring at Alejandro.

"¿Qué?" The Latino asked, not understanding why she was staring at him.

"And now that we have our top 8 complete, it's time to follow the fight to the bottom. Looks like the last superteams are finishing the first challenge yet."

Bunny Farm

Jo was grabbing several rabbits by the ears. Even though she looked cruel (and certainly is), it kept them from running away. Brick tried to hunt more bunnies but without success.

"Ugh! Can't you guys do anything right? All I see the four of you do is whine or fail miserably." The tough girl barked at them, causing Staci, Rodyney, and twins Mickey and Jay to shake.

"We are trying! But it's hard to concentrate, you know?" Rodney tried to defend himself, preferring to glance at one of the local female farmers rather than Jo.

"I wish my great-great-great-uncle Wilkins had never introduced rabbits into this country. He enjoyed hunting them before he was arrested and sent here when Australia was a prison colony." Staci rumbled to nobody.

"Was your great-great-great-uncle a criminal?" Brick asked out of curiosity (big mistake).

"Great that you asked! Let's see... the story begins around 1806 when Napoleon instituted the continental blockade against the United Kingdom..." The chatter's momentum increased, much to Jo's anger.

"Don't care about your uncle Wilkins! And you two, why aren't you chasing rabbits?" The "leader" of the superteam inquired.

"Mickey cannot touch rabbits. He has a severe allergy to rodent fur. And my skin is susceptible to the sun. If I stay under it for a long time, I could develop skin cancer." Jay argued while the two were under an umbrella, far from the test site. That didn't stop a rabbit from climbing into Mickey's lap, causing the boy to bloat due to allergies.

Jo closed her eyes and deeply breathed, "We're fucked."

...

On the other side, the last superteam there was stuck, too. Mary and Ellody were partnered with Chet and Lorenzo and Amy and Sammy.

"I don't understand why this pheromone we developed isn't working. That should be driving rabbits within a two-mile radius crazy." Ellody scratched his head. They could start over from scratch, but they knew they didn't have much time available and no adjacent resources.

They looked at the other two teams, seeing Sammy trying to help Chet and Lorenzo while Amy got tanned, changing out of her casual outfit for a bikini.

"Maybe the ground isn't the best conductor, and if we put it in some living target..." Mary thought out loud as Ellody got the message.

Approaching the mean sister, the genius duo spilled some of the pheromone on her legs. Since they didn't know how potent it would be, they wouldn't want Amy to be covered in furry animals wanting to mate.

"What the fuck are you doing? What did you throw at my legs?" Amy quickly got up and went to take satisfaction for being used as a guinea pig.

"If our calculations are correct, this is the key to winning this task," Ellody spoke cryptically.

"What if they're wrong?" The sister crossed her arms.

"You'll get a great sun tan!" Mary intervened.

It didn't take long for it to take effect. Several rabbits came out of their holes and approached Amy. Not knowing what to do, she tried to push them away by lifting and swinging her leg, causing the pheromone to propagate even more through the air.

"You mad scientists will pay me for this!" She yelled while rabbits began to mate with her legs. She probably would have fallen because of the weight if she hadn't been sitting down.

"Don't worry! This pheromone lasts only 10 minutes. Enough for us to collect all the rabbits we need." Mary spoke as Ellody called Sammy and the boys to help pull the rabbits out and put them in the sack.

Interview: The Geniuses

"We know that when it comes to human testing, it is important to follow all bioethics checklists," Ellody stated, staring at the camera.

Mary opened a book in half as she began to speak, "However, section K.156 of the Canadian Association of Canadian Scientists' bioethical code states, and I quote, that pheromone tests do not require prior authorization as the human body does not respond to them." She closed the book with a resounding BAM.

"Come here, bunnies, come...OUCH!" Chet groaned in pain when he realized one of them had bitten him.

"You idiot, you must take them by the paws. Otherwise, they bite you." Lorenzo demonstrated his technique, only to have another rabbit bite him.

"Samey, make these two assholes take these pests off my legs!" Amy's eyes shook with anger at the uncomfortable situation.

"Assholes?" The boys replied, raising their eyebrows.

"I'm mean, these two hotties. Who knows if they can get these beasts off me if I don't ask one of them to put sunscreen on me while I tan my back?" She quickly corrected herself, applying a deceptively sensual edge to her voice.

The effect was immediate. The former stepbrothers ignored the pain of the bites and removed the rabbits one by one.

"Thirteen...fourteen...fifteen! We have fifteen rabbits!" Ellody spoke as she celebrated the count.

"I call dibs!" Chet pushed Lorenzo away and walked over to Amy. Mistaking the vial containing the rest of the pheromone for the lotion, he rubbed it on the twin's back, thighs and buttocks.

While Amy would surely throw one of them a bone (to motivate them to continue like dogs on a leash), she was surprised when she began moaning on her own from the "lotion" application. A little ran down the front, reaching her most sensitive regions.

"Hmmmmm~what~is~happening~" She tried to speak as the pleasure built. She picked up the vial Chet was using and sniffed it. That wasn't her lotion, but that crazy thing that the crazy genies invented!

Interview: The Opposite Twins

Amy was flushed. Her arms were tucked tightly to her sides, and her legs were crossed, as if trying to avoid as much friction as possible. Sammy covered his mouth to stop the laughter that was trying to escape.

"Those...girls...will...pay~" Amy clenched her teeth in rage while her face was red with lust.

Interview: The Geniuses

"We recommend that the Canadian Association of Canadian Scientists repeal section K.156 of the biotic code in light of discoveries made by Mary Callaghan and Ellody Kaur." The two spoke at the same time.

Sheep Cliff

"Why do we have to be apart? I prefer working with the Chef and the DJ than those oldies or the misfit couple." Chris whined, shearing a sheep with his partner.

"We would have kept them if you weren't afraid of the cassowary." Blaineley pointed out.

"That beast nearly ripped my forehead off! I may have many flaws, but I would never put such an animal in my show-OUCH!" He complained, forgetting to see where he was clipping. The razor ended up scraping one of his fingers.

"I see you two are working hard for the first time in your life." Pete taunted them.

"If you don't remember, that fluff is wool, not those industrialized things you buy at the mall," Gerry added, causing the Tennis Rivals to chuckle.

"Forget those idiots, we still need them." The blonde held Chris' hands so he wouldn't try to shear the two men.

"Where are the other sheep? We still need two." Chris asked as he glared at the two angrily.

"Ryan and Stephanie are responsible for that," Pete replied neutrally.

"I don't believe we are responsible for this," Ryan huffed as he held the rope that held his ex-wife. One of the ropes was broken due to the fall of the Owen, forcing whoever came later to have to lift and lower the partner manually.

"A little more Ryan, I'm close!" Stephanie shouted. Unlike the other times, this scream had no overtones of anger. She approached the ground and saw a sheep sneezing and releasing a white powder. It was the black sheep!

She tried to stretch out her arms to pick it up and even tried to sway a bit to get it. "It's no use..." she thought as she searched for a way to accomplish the feat. One way would be to use all her strength to reach that sheep, making it difficult for Ryan to lift her.

Looking up, she sighed. The Stephanie of two weeks ago would do that without considering her partner, but she had a deal with him and didn't want to tear it up. Not again.

Resigned, she picked up a sheep and tugged on the rope, indicating him to lift her.

...

"Fast soldier, FAST!" Chef yelled at DJ, who was solely responsible for the shearing.

"Can you stop screaming? I'm on your side and striving for two!" DJ groaned.

"I'll stop screaming when we're resting in a hotel after a cold shower and a decent dinner! MOVE THAT SHEEP THERE UNTIL SHE IS SKINLESS." The big man stomped his foot. The Brickhouse never got used to the cook's outbursts.

"Everything okay there?" MacArthur had a sack of wool in his lap. She was still in a wheelchair.

"Everything clean here, chief. By the way, How long will you be in this wheelchair?" Chef asked the officer, curious as to how long she would last.

"The doctors said I'm almost ready. They need to run a few more tests, and I'll be brand new for duty!" The policewoman exclaimed excitedly. Having to leave everything up to Sanders was unfair and annoying, too.

"Chef! DJ! Come here!" Sanders shouted to them.

"Look down there." The black policewoman pointed to the floor, showing Scott and Sugar unconscious.

"What the hell happened?" DJ asked. He knew they were alive because he saw they were spasming.

"Well..." Sanders started scratching her neck.

Flashback: 5 minutes before the accident

"Give me that rope! Whale!"

"Faw my dead body, city rat."

The rednecks were fighting over who would jump again. Seeing the stir, Sanders decided to intervene.

"Why are you fighting?" She asked innocently, earning glares from both of them and swallowing hard.

"If y'all wan-ta know so awful bad, officer, this here youngun says that there ayy awful strong, beautiful woman who could carry ayy nascar car on huurr bak like me is nahwt darn good enough ta catch ayy malnourished sheep." Sugar explained the situation, but her accent became more confusing to Sanders than clarifying.

Scott soon began his defence, "See, I just said that we need someone with better hand-eye coordination to catch a sheep. And she's not as good as my genetics." The farmer man puffed his chest smugly.

"Ya ken't guarantee you one-on-one with me. Awful red haered coward," Sugar belittled his partner.

Seeing that nothing productive would come of it, Sanders had an idea. "Why don't you two go together? The rope is long enough for both of you to jump." The black cop suggested.

Both loved the idea. Quickly tying the rope around their legs, the two jumped towards the sheep.

"Phew! Martha Sanders, once again, you save the day...!" She was relieved until she realized the rope the rednecks tied together wasn't attached to the rock but to the other's rope. As they fell, the rope stretched until it slipped and fell with them.

Sanders looked down to see the two of them lying in the hole Owen had made, "Oh..."

"I thought you were smarter than that," MacArthur pointed out. Chef and DJ had no choice but to agree.

"A-Anyway! See that sheep over there? She's the black sheep; we'll catch her and won't have to shear anymore." Sanders points to a sheep trying to chew on Sugar's hair.

"And how are we going to jump? We don't have any rope." Chef lamented.

DJ looked at the wool bag and thought. After a while, an idea popped into his mind.

"Chef, do you have your sewing kit there?" The Brickhouse smiled at the black man.

"And do I look like I carry a sewing kit around?" Chef glared at him before handing over the sewing kit he kept in his apron pocket.

...

"I don't know if this will work, but it's our last option." Said DJ as he was lowered down a woven wool cable.

"Take the sheep and then the two idiots," Chef ordered.

The rope managed to hold DJ's weight better than expected, just hoping to put to the test of strength with the sheep and the rednecks.

"Lower...Lower...Lower..." Sanders spoke as Chef carefully loosened inches of rope.

"Finally! Come here, little sheep!" DJ was excited that his plan was working! Now, it was time to catch the black sheep.

He grabbed her tightly but without losing his gentleness. His face was soon covered in a white powder, and he decided to lick.

"Flour? Seriously?" DJ questioned the production's decision. Satisfied, he pulled the rope to haul it back up.

"Higher...Higher...Higher..." Sanders was now pulling the rope with Chef to lift DJ back over the cliff. With a tug, he and the sheep appeared.

"Son, your crazy plan worked. Now we just have to hoist those idiots up and..." Chef's reasoning was interrupted when they realized the two got up, all hurt. Disoriented, they ran in any direction.

"Welp, now they're dingoes' problems." Chef joked. In addition to no one laughing, DJ and Sanders glared at him.

"Fine! Let's go after them! Y'all can't take even a little bit of black humour anyway." He rolled his eyes.

The Super Pit

"We are close. Hold on a little longer, okay?" Jasmine eased Josee, who was still in a catatonic state.

The two were close to getting out of the hole. A few more meters, and it was over. The helmets were more of a hindrance than a help, so the girls decided to leave them behind and go up in the dark.

...

Jasmine's hands were severely bruised, and her stamina was at its limit when they finally reached the correct path. They sat down to catch their breath.

Slowly, Josee came to her senses, "We're alive! We're alive!" She jumped with joy and ran to hug Jasmine.

"That's nothing mate! This country is dangerous enough with cooperation, never mind without." The aborigine spoke exhausted. Looking to the side, she saw an abandoned cart.

...

Jacques and Shawn were waiting outside Mina, worried. It's been almost an hour since they entered, and no sign of them.

"If I had known it would end like this, I would have enjoyed my time with her more!" Shawn was close to tears, sobbing with fear and terror at losing his only girlfriend.

"If I had known it would have ended like this, I would have dedicated myself to swimming and not ice dancing!" Jacques wept, seeing that his career was ruined.

As soon as they cried, Jasmine and Josee left the mine in the abandoned cart. Because it was broken, they couldn't brake in time, being thrown against their partners.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

CRASH

The four smiled joyfully, hugging and kissing deeply (in the case of the Survivors). When they noticed that teams were still leaving the mine, they took the tip and ran together.

...

"You know, I owe you my life. I would die in that cave if it were up to me." Josee whispered to Jasmine as they ran.

"You know, when I joined this race, many warned me that you were an ungrateful woman and a bitch. But from my point of view, you are a good person, Josee." Jasmine spoke, happy to discover a face no one knew about the ice dancer.

Josee smiled at Jasmine, who smiled back. Maybe this was the beginning of a new friendship and (who knows) an alliance?

"I felt bad when I saw you hurt so much for me. That's why I think you two should be eliminated this time." Josee still spoke with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, it was hard enough carrying you and-WHAT?" Jasmine was bewildered by what she just heard.

At Josee's whistle, she and Jacques tripped the Survivors to the ground.

"I'm sorry Jasmine, but friends friends, business aside." She cackled and waved as she walked away.

Interview: The Survivors

"I can't believe I risked my life for that cunt!" Jasmine was furious. Physically and emotionally hurt.

"Maybe the tale of the frog and the scorpion is real." Shawn complimented.

"And our journey is ending with the arrival of the last teams!" Chad spoke while, in the background, several teams huddled in the chill zone. "Let's quickly go through the classification so far:"

Rockers, 1st place

Team Action, 2nd place

Antagonists, 3th place

Frenemies, 4th place

B Team, 5th place

Olympic Girls, 6th place

Airheads, 7th place

Stockholm Alliance, 8th place

Surfers, 9th place

Convicts, 10th place

Ghouls, 11th place

Goths, 12th place

Animal Lovers, 13th place

Brains and Brawl, 14th place

Comic Reliefs, 15nd place

Matchmakers, 16h place

Drama Brothers, 17th place

Mother and Daughter, 18th place

Nutjobs, 19th place

Sweethearts, 20th place

Fashion Vloggers, 21th place

Bride and Gloom, 22th place

Cosplayers, 23th place

Evil and Grim, 24th place

Stoners, 25th place

Ex-Hosts, 26th place

Soldiers, 27th place

BFFFs, 28th place

Scammers, 29th place

Adversity Twin, 30th place

Ex-Stepbrothers, 31th place

Genusies, 32th place

Gamers, 33th place

Ex-Hosts, 34th place

Tennis Rivals, 35th place

Opposite Twins, 36th place

The Chefs, 37th place

The Police Officers, 38th place

Rednecks, 39th place

"With three teams vying for the two last spots in the competition, I'm curious about what happened to the Divorced team. I mean, they didn't get stuck anywhere. Or did they?" Chad raised his eyebrows before the camera shifted.

The divorcees were exhausted.

They make the biggest mistake for someone who does a lot of physical exercise: they forget the need to replenish nutrients. As a result, they were much slower than usual. Where they could run, now they could only jog.

"Stephanie...we won't...make it...in time!" Ryan wheezed, his lungs burning.

"Just a little more...just a little more," Stephanie repeated breathlessly. They finally understood each other and made peace. Not even the author of this story would be cruel enough for their fight to end so soon.

Shawn looked back, seeing a team approaching. "Uhhhh, Jasmine..."

"Yes?" She was also out of adrenaline.

"Do you think you can tame a cassowary again?"

The Amazon's eyes widened as she saw the cassowary that had fallen off the cliff, scratching the ground near them.

...

With little effort (since the animal was still groggy), the pair mounted the bird and continued to run. At that point, Ryan and Stephanie were ahead of them.

...

"That was close, huh? Ice Dancers, fortieth place!" Chad congratulated the duo. It was only when they reached the chill zone that Josee collapsed from exhaustion.

"Looks like our plan almost worked," Sadie whispered to Katie.

"Don't worry, we'll have more opportunities in the next leg," Katie whispered too.

...

The cassowary was slower than initially, but it was enough to cut the gap between the Survivors and the Divorced duo.

"C'mon, c'mon!" Jasmine gritted her teeth, forcing the bird to accelerate more.

"I can see the finish line!" Shawn screamed.

The bird got closer, and the two pairs were side by side.

Ryan and Stephanie rushed, seeking their energy to stay in the race.

Fifty meters separated them between victory and defeat.

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Thirty meters, the divorcees began to feel a slight shock in their legs.

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Ten meters, the cassowary showed it would collapse at any moment.

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...

Both teams couldn't stand it and fell to the ground: Shawn and Jasmine due to the cassowary and Ryand and Stephanie due to leg cramps.

Chad was satisfied with the presented dispute, "That was an electrifying battle. But only one team made it to the chill zone. And it was you..."

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"...The Survivors!" the host exclaimed.

Getting up off the ground, Jasmine and Shawn hugged each other and cried in happiness. Stephanie was crying too, but for having lost by so little.

"After all we've done! Everything! We still lost!" The fitness woman was crying, seeing that her efforts were ultimately useless.

"Not all was lost. We made up, we played well, thinking about doing our best for our daughter." Ryan tried to comfort her even though the outcome also saddened him.

Chad approached the former couple, "Ryan. Stephanie. In the last episode, I told you not to waste the golden chance you won with the Lovers giving up. I want you to know that I am deeply and relentlessly..."

The two looked at the ground, upset and embarrassed.

"...glad you understood each other. It took a long time, but common sense finally reached both of you's thick heads." Chad crouched down and gave them both a hug. The three smiled.

He got up and prepared to end the show, "And with that, we say goodbye to our old friend Australia, going towards new directions. Who will win our next leg? Who will say goodbye? Be prepared for the next episode of Total...Drama..."

"Final Season!" Those eliminated spoke simultaneously, but it didn't anger the host this time.

"Did their plan almost work? Hmm, it looks like these two are hiding something." One mysterious person was talking to another. They had overheard Katie and Sadie's little conversation.

"Getting involved in that wouldn't be good for us." The second person was apprehensive, thinking it best to abort the idea.

"Nonsense! We need to use everything we have available, not to be eliminated. Always remember: survival of the fittest. Survival of the fittest." The first figure spoke, heading towards the hotel where everyone stayed for the day.

...

Josee was sitting on the couch in her hotel room, exhausted from the day's challenge. On television, it showed the first episode of the season when the doorbell rang. "Jacques, can you open the door, please?"

No response from her blonde partner.

"Jacques, the door!" She repeated louder, trying to ignore whoever was at the door.

Again, there was no response.

"Ugh!" Josee bristled and threw the remote away, going to answer the door herself.

Josee opened the door violently, looking at the two who were standing in front of her. "What do you fucking want...Oh, I know you two. What brings you here?"

"Forgive the insistence, but we have information that may interest you. For a fair price, of course." The mysterious person spoke.

"I'm not a bargaining person." Said the ice dancer skeptically, closing the door

The still person put his foot on the door to prevent it from closing, "Me neither. But we will reach a common denominator if you let us in."

Josee sighed as she saw their insistence. "Let it be quick. And no, Rodney, don't even think about hitting on me."

The camera then revealed the docile red-haired farmer accompanied by his partner.

"I can guarantee you he won't, right Rodney?" The chatterbox poked him in the ribs, making him jump a little.

He gulped, "Right, Staci."

Josee just nodded, directing them to enter. With that, the Scammers got some alone time with the Ice Dancers.

And we're done with another chapter! Australia is one of my favorite Total Drama destinations. It is much more fun than France (which also received more challenges). And now some considerations:

1. The elimination of the divorcees was something I had planned from the beginning. Wanted them out but also had a happy resolution.

2. Shear the Sheep is a good song, albeit out of sync. The MachemRodez channel corrected the song's beat, making it excellent, Check it out!

3. Which new alliance do you think will be most successful? Which interaction was your favorite?

4. I already warn that the next episode will have another musical as well. Spoiler: It will be a Tally Hall song.

Until the next adventure! And don't forget to tune in to my other Total Drama fanfic: The Drama Podcast!

Footnotes

[1] Massacration is a Brazillian heavy metal band. But the band really just makes crazy music like parrots and milkshake.