"Last time, on Total Drama Revenge of the Film Lot..." Chris began the recap, wearing a Santa hat and holding a cup of hot chocolate while it appeared to be snowing on the film lot. "The teams got to spend some time together on a road trip while Chef and I got some time to relax. Things got rocky with leadership though as Delanie and Melissa seemed laser focused on the race part of the challenge than enjoying the trip. The Critics had their own squabble, as Flynn confronted Trixie with his observations. Thanks to Nanashi's playfulness, the Munchers were able to take some fun photos and win the challenge, with Melissa learning the ultimate road trip trope! The Award Winners on the other hand were miserable the whole challenge thanks to Delanie's soccer mom character Winona! Fearing that he would try and take leadership from her, Delanie targeted Esteban and sent him packing despite the attempt to organize a vote against her! Is Delanie truly untouchable? Will Melissa continue to lighten up? Find out right here, on Total, Drama, Reeeeeeevenge of the Film Lot!"
Intro Sequence:
The rock tune of I Wanna Be Famous started up, with high-grade film cameras popping out of different places. First out of the chimney of a trailer, then out the window of a soundstage, a toxic waste barrel after that, and finally a sewer manhole before a movie clapper came in and closed, letting the full shot begin.
Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine, you guys are on my mind
The camera zoomed onto the film lot, passing by Chris in a dingy golf cart being pushed by Irene, Elroy, Oliver, and Ted, while Virgil was stuck to the cart itself. Going past several soundstages, the camera weaved between a few movie backdrops, before going up the large hill that led to the soap opera sets on top. The shot then dove down into a pool of water below where King was swimming inside. He saw Fang swim up behind him, so he turned around and punched him right in the face, sending the mutant shark flying up.
You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see
Flynn was above the water, now in a soundstage, commandeering a pirate ship floating on it while Delanie copied his behavior. Fang landed on their ship though, forcing both of them to dive off of it. Trixie had watched the two jump down, smirking at their misfortune.
I wanna beeeeeee famous!
The shot now panned out of this soundstage, passing up Kahlin running out of one of the dressing booths, with Sasquatchanakwa right behind him. Jack was looking over some outfits on a rack, although Lilac jumped out from behind some of the clothes, showing her teeth and scaring him.
I wanna live close to the sun
Beck was relaxing on a lounge chair on a beach set, his hands behind his head. He winked at the camera, while Flaky and Bonnie were ogling at him from behind a bush.
So pack your bags cuz I've already won
Panning to the right and into the makeup trailer confessional, Kylie was doing her makeup, applying lipstick at the moment. Trina walked inside, carrying a basket of different foundation. Kylie looked them over, then shooed Trina away.
Everything to prove, nothing in my way, I'll get there one day
Klaas and Vergil were in a boxing ring together, both of them glaring at each other. Vergil threw a punch, as did Klaas, with their fists colliding as they did so. Both of them fell back because of this, although Esteban was quick to run in and help them up.
Cuz I wanna beeeeeee famous!
Toby and Luis were in the kitchen with Chef, with Athena preparing some kind of soup. She seemed to be having trouble with it though, so Toby walked over to help her out. Maxine was watching this from a monitor in Chris's office, then pressed a button to try and blow up the kitchen.
Na na na nana, nananana, nananana
This blew up a different set though, where Thomas, Nanashi, and Jim were inside. A bear had taken the brunt of the explosion though, and it let out a roar at the three of them. Jim pointed at the other two and ran off with a guilty look, although Thomas ran away as well, leaving Nanashi to get chased by the bear.
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!
Diamond and Melissa were sitting at the outdoor theater on the benches when Jim and Thomas ran by. They didn't pay much mind to it though, but Freddy popped up from behind them both with a puppet mask on, startling them both. Diamond laughed, while Melissa rolled her eyes.
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!
A flash from the outdoor projector transitioned to the Aftermath studio, where Donna was sitting in between Geoff and Bridgette. Mittens the monkey hopped up from behind the couch, scowling at the aftermath hosts. This confused both, with the shot then zooming out to show the rest of the contestants sitting in the peanut gallery benches, whistling along with the last notes of the intro while the season logo was shown on a TV above.
The episode began in the morning, with Melissa poking her head out of the girls' trailer after waking up to see that it was snowing above the film lot. "What? But it's not even close to winter..." Melissa commented, feeling the snow to see if it was real.
The snow was a bit mushy, but it looked and felt real when Melissa had it in her hand. "Pretty sure it's fake snow Einstein, we're on a film lot." Trixie remarked, looking at the snow falling down.
"Coulda been more cordial with that answer but I guess it's fake." Melissa didn't scold Trixie, instead just agreeing with her observation.
Nanashi heard the two talking and looked out the door, her eyes widening with joy when she saw the flakes. "Oooo! Snow! Must be my lucky day!" Nanashi exclaimed, pushing past the two girls and standing in the open to let the snow fall on her.
Trina stepped out of the trailer, looking up at the snow with a smile. "Oh would you look at that ma'am! Normally it only gets like this around winter, fascinating what global warming has done to the weather." Trina exclaimed, excitedly writing in her notepad.
Delanie stepped out right after Trina, this time having a smile on her face as well. "Well my dear Trina, timing or not, doesn't the snow falling just make you feel ever so festive? Happy Christmas!" Delanie hugged Trina right after that, making the secretary drop her notepad due to how sudden it was.
Trina pulled herself out of the hug though and picked her notepad back up, wiping the snow off of it. "It surely does ma'am. What's the character of the day this time?" Trina asked, clicking her pen to jot down whatever it was.
"You may call me Nicholas! I live for the holiday season honestly. I can't imagine a merrier time!" Delanie introduced herself joyfully.
Bonnie smirked, then looked to Trixie. "Somehow her least annoying one." Bonnie remarked.
"Which just makes you look worse." Trixie shot back, disgusted that Bonnie was even talking to her.
Athena stepped out of the girls' trailer last, looking up at the snow with her usual blank look. "Oh. It's snowing..." was all Athena had to say as she walked forward.
-Confessional: Toxic Film Critics: Athena-
Athena let out a small sigh, rubbing one arm. "My father loved the snow. I don't think anyone else really cared enough to say that to. But uhh... I care."
-Confessional: Victorious Award Winners: Trina-
Trina had a giddy smile as she wrote in her notepad, leaning back a little. "Snowfall always excites me honestly. Whenever it snowed in, our government offices were usually closed, same for school, so I had actual free time! My father of course refused to play, but spending time with my older brother more than made up for it!"
-End Confessionals-
Kahlin was the first guy to step outside of their trailer, letting out a pleased sigh when he saw the snow. "Wow, don't see this kind of weather much in the swamps!" Kahlin exclaimed, putting both hands on his hips.
"It doesn't snow in the swamplands?" Beck asked curiously, having his hands in his pockets.
"Well, not really. We still get some snow in the depths of December, but it's less than pretty much the rest of Canada. I don't mind it though, always good baseball weather and the family bizz isn't messed with." Kahlin replied, not minding his lack of snow.
Klaas stepped outside, raising an eyebrow when he saw the snow. "Okay this is definitely fake snow. Our luck isn't that crazy is it?" Klaas figured, not believing what he was seeing.
Thomas held his hand out, then sniffed the snow that landed in it. "Hmm. It's real. No chemical scents or preservatives to make it last longer. We've gotten snow in July it seems." Thomas stated.
"Argh, weather be crazy sometimes! Almost as much as ye high seas!" Flynn commented with a hearty laugh.
Jim stepped outside of the trailer, then groaned when he saw the snow. "Ugh, today is off to a great start, of course it had to snow. Great." he complained right away.
"Just be glad you're here, can't say the same for Esteban anymore." Kahlin reminded Jim, gesturing to their trailer.
Jim rolled his eyes. "Thanks captain obvious. I definitely would prefer to be eliminated than be bothered by the snow." Jim replied sarcastically.
Kahlin chuckled, now pointing at Jim. "Hey you said it, not me. Woah!" Kahlin joked, then leaned back and avoided a swipe from Jim.
"Eh, sarcastic or not, I'd rather be at home than getting snowed in the summer." Beck commented casually.
Jim gave Beck a confused look, surprised he took it seriously. "You've got a weird way to deliver sarcasm, otherwise I'll have to lump you in with the rest of the crazies." Jim told Beck, just in case.
Kahlin shook his head, smirking. "Oh he's not kidding. Didn't you hear? Beck's already made it as an actor, he has a lead role in a zombie flick lined up for him once the show is over. He's just here for fun basically." Kahlin informed Jim.
Jim clenched his fists as he heard this, glaring at Beck. "Seriously dude!? You don't even need the money!?" Jim began to raise his voice upon hearing this.
"Pretty much. It was either this or a camping trip. Why?" Beck asked Jim, staying lax.
"Oh nothing, thanks for being honest dude." Jim responded, then stormed off.
Beck and Kahlin exchanged an awkward look, with the latter just shrugged as he put his hands behind his head. "Don't mind him. He's probably just jealous of you. I mean, I'm a little jealous too, you've got everything made huh?" Kahlin told Beck, chuckling a little.
Beck nodded his head, then looked over at Toby as the puppeteer left the trailer, looking up at the snow with awe. "Yeah. Don't know how he's doing with your team, but I'm doing good here too. We've got fodder to spare, and Delanie likes me more than Trina, so our team can take 2 more losses before I'm in any trouble." Beck explained to Kahlin.
"Maaaan. You've got it made. Try not to fall asleep with that safe game of yours!" Kahlin joked, nudging Beck's arm.
Right after he did this, the loudspeakers blared throughout the film lot. "Good morning cast mates! I need you all to meet me in the craft services tent for a special announcement! Merry Christmas by the way!" Chris called everyone, ending the convos between the boys as they went to regroup with their teams.
-Confessional: Mutant Movie Munchers: Jim-
Jim pounded a fist on the confessional wall angrily, the pointed at the camera. "Beck, you ungrateful brat! While I'm playing my butt off for my family and my acting, this guy has it all made and still came onto this show!? I need to be the one to eliminate him myself!"
-Confessional: Mutant Movie Munchers: Kahlin-
Kahlin had a good laugh, resting both legs on the vanity. "Knew that would get ol' Jimmy riled up! I noticed Esteban was gone, so that put me in a bit of a bad mood. Doesn't do good to walk around with a frown or be in a bad mood though, so I just passed it on to him instead. People are used to him like that anyway. But for real, the merge is coming up, and I just need to make sure I'm not getting targeted. Esteban leaving? Who coulda seen that one? It's not like I want them fighting, but better them than me!"
-End Confessionals-
While they walked to the craft services, Jim marched up to Trina, who was walking a bit behind Delanie while writing in her notepad. "Yo Smellwether, you take notes on everything right?" Jim asked Trina harshly.
Trina winced when she heard that nickname, then unclicked her pun as she stopped and turned to face Jim. "Yes sir, I do. It's the one thing I'm good at." Trina answered, just a bit nervous.
"Cool. Give me everything you have on Beck then." Jim demanded, holding a hand out.
Trina raised an eyebrow, flipping through her notepad. "Hmm? What for sir? Were you hoping to get him a Christmas gift? He's not on your team though." Trina pointed out, guessing what Jim wanted.
"Yep. I need to surprise him. Now hand over those notes before I make you." Jim threatened Trina, clenching a fist.
Trina right away took the cue and ripped out the notes she had flipped too, then handed the papers to Jim. "That's all I have! D-Don't hurt me sir! See you!" Trina told Jim, then scurried away before he could say anything else to her.
Jim watched Trina scurry away, chuckling to himself as he looked through the papers. "Hmph. Spaz." Jim joked to himself.
Bonnie walked up to Jim from behind as he looked through the notes, then poked his shoulder. "Hello partner. What's the move today?" Bonnie greeted Jim.
Jim looked back at Bonnie and put a finger to his lips. "Zip it. Don't need anyone catching on we're working together. I'm focusing on Beck today, we need him gone. Got some notes too and..."
Jim took a long pause, rereading the notes in his hands as a smirk formed on his face. "More than Beck actually. I think I might be able to knock Delanie down a peg with how much is here. Knew scaring her was a good idea." Jim added.
Bonnie peered at the notes, then shrugged her shoulders. "Big deal. Just some hobbies, priority, their relationships, where's Beck's size? I care more about that, gonna be honest." Bonnie questioned Jim on how helpful these would be.
"You really think Trina knows anyone's size? Not like it matters anyway, this info could be huge if we use it right." Jim stated, shoving the notes into his pocket.
"Nice. Don't let Trina find out you're plotting with her notes though, she'll get mad probably." Bonnie advised, then walked ahead.
-Confessional: Mutant Movie Munchers: Bonnie-
Bonnie rubbed her hands together, keeping herself warm. "So my alliance with Jim is something he is gonna keep up huh? I kinda thought he just set it up to expose me later, but he actually sees me as an ally. Even if it's just a vote, being wanted is kind of... nice. I can see he's trying to warm up to Melissa, so I guess I probably have to do the same thing if we want her votes. Oof, no more trying to grope her I guess. Plenty of others here anyway so it's all good."
-End Confessional-
In the craft services tent, Chris was standing next to Chef, who was currently dressed up as Santa, complete with a large white beard. "Good morning castmates! Hope the snow got you into holiday spirits today!" Chris greeted everyone.
Trixie rolled her eyes at this greeting however, giving Chris a deadpan look. "It's the middle of the summer, pretty sure we couldn't be any further from festive right now." Trixie remarked.
"Oho, someone is a grinch today!" Chris joked, nudging Chef's elbow. He didn't find it funny. Chris coughed and then straightened himself up, grabbing a large sack from off one of the tables. "Anyway, if it wasn't obvious, today's movie genre is the classic Christmas special! Y'know, the kind you put on every time the holiday rolls around, they weren't as good as you remember but watch out of tradition, yada yada yada. Those movies!" Chris announced the theme, which seemed to get mostly uncaring responses.
Toby looked excited though, raising his hand. "Oh I do enjoy those movies. When I run the soup kitchen, we play these movies for the homeless just to get them into that merry spirit." Toby explained cheerfully.
"Do you hate them?" Bonnie retorted.
"Of course not? I just think simple things like enjoying a Christmas movie with others would brighten their day." Toby reasoned.
Luis then chimed in. "Nyeah, it ain't 5 paw cinema, but they turn frowns upside down!" Luis added.
"Suuuuuure..." Chris agreed sarcastically, dampening Toby's excitement slightly. "So! Today's challenge is a simple one, we'll be doing a Secret Santa gift exchange! We'll give each of you 20 bucks and drop you off at the mall not far from here, and you have until the end of the day to get your gifts ready! Whichever team collectively picks the best gifts wins today's reward!" Chris explained the challenge.
Beck raised an eyebrow at his wording. "Today's reward?" Beck repeated.
Chris nodded his head. "Yep! While second place will still also be safe, first place gets a major reward! Trust me, you definitely want this reward! Or not, settling for second works too." Chris replied.
"Well team, looks like we'll be snagging a major reward for ourselves today!" Melissa declared confidently, giving them smiles.
"We'll see about that." Trixie snarkily commented, smirking at Melissa.
Chris then held out the brown sack, opening it up with both hands. "First things first, you all need to get your assignments! Reach in here to get your spending money and a slip with your gift recipient's name! No tradesies!" Chris directed everyone.
Toby walked up first, reaching into the sack excitedly. His excitement died instantly when he saw the name, and he then looked at Chris. "Hey Chris, can I grab a diff-"
"Move it puppet boy!" Jim pushed Toby out of the way, then reached in and grabbed his slip of paper, groaning when he saw the name on it. "Of all people..." he muttered to himself.
Bonnie walked up next and reached in, also frowning once she saw the name. "Oh. Guess this one won't be romantic." Bonnie commented, stuffing the slip into her pocket.
Melissa grabbed her slip after Bonnie, and just shrugged. "I can work with this." she said to herself as she already started to brainstorm.
Delanie cheerfully skipped over next, then reached into the sack and beamed when she read the name. "Ooh what joy! They'll for sure have a merry Christmas when they get my gift!" Delanie exclaimed.
Beck reached into the sack and pulled out the name, not having much of a reaction to it. Athena was right after him, and she reacted similarly when she saw the name. "Oh. I'll do what I can." Athena stated, avoiding looking at the person she got.
Trixie went after Athena, rummaging through the sack just in case Chris rigged it. She pulled out a name, then exhaled. "The rigged option might've been better than this..." she grumbled as she walked away.
Jack was right after Trixie, and he just looked confused when he got his name. "What the heck do I do here?" he thought aloud, scratching his head.
Trina stepped up to the sack next and reached in, her eyes lighting up when she saw the name. "Phew! I think I can do this one!" Trina exclaimed, then began to flip through her notes as she walked away from the sack.
Nanashi grabbed her slip next, getting giddy when she saw the name on it. "Ooh! Got pretty lucky this time! Great idea deciding it randomly too Chris, makes it plenty more fun!" Nanashi praised Chris, then hid her slip of paper.
"Why thank you Nanashi, always nice for someone to appreciate my great ideas." Chris accepted the praise while Chef rolled his eyes.
Klaas went after Nanashi, looking content with his recipient. "Hmm, one of the better options I suppose. I was hoping for Kahlin but this is good too." Klaas figured, thinking over what he could have gotten as he stepped away.
Flynn strolled up to the sack next, lightly chuckling when he saw the name. "Oho! Here we be havin' a golden opportunity! Landed me a good catch!" Flynn declared, then shot a smirk at Trixie, although his beard covered it up.
Kahlin walked over next, having waited for the end to get his. "Would you look at that? Tortoise winning the race here!" Kahlin remarked, very satisfied once he read his slip.
Melissa had noted everyone's reactions, and her confidence only grew. "Four out of six of us got fairly ideal pairings, I'm liking our chances." Melissa commented, with Kahlin and Jim both nodding in agreement, before the latter glared at the former.
Thomas was the last person to get their gift recipient, just reaching into the bag and grabbing the final slip of paper. "Aaaaand that's everyone! The bus is where the vans were last challenge, Chef will drop you all off at the mall, so head to the street pronto!" Chris announced, tossing the empty sack aside while Chef led the contestants out of the craft services tent.
-Confessional: Toxic Film Critics: Thomas-
Thomas looked over his slip, then faced the camera. "Trina Bellwether, age 15, Daughter of Gilbert Bellwether, mayor of Halifax, whom is a target of mine. Him, not the pencil pusher of course. But I did take it upon myself to investigate his family just to see how far down the tree his corruption went. He's been able to run incredibly successful smear campaigns and win elections without any virtue of his own, although his PR crew is completely off the grid or non-existent it would seem, which makes him a concerning figure. Although he's a low priority, as he lacks any higher connections from my research and seems only fueled by greed. Point is, I know everything about Trina, and she knows nothing about me. This will be an easy task, despite my lack of experience in gift giving."
-Confessional: Mutant Movie Munchers: Klaas-
Klaas let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his head. "I really like the person I got, just it doesn't help me strategically. I've been playing a lax game since I started hanging out with Nanashi, but can you blame me? We've been on a hot streak, the odds should be in my favor. But I have to step up my game before I'm actually required to. I was hoping for Melissa or Kahlin, as recruiting them as allies would be able to secure a merge placement for Nanashi and I, and getting a Secret Santa gift from me would put me further in their good graces. Nanashi may not like tipping the odds in elimination ceremonies, but I for one don't see a problem with strategizing. I've got a deck of 5 teammates here, and I have to play them to the best of my ability, and that includes Nanashi."
-End Confessionals-
The mall indeed wasn't very far from the studio, and with all the summer sales going on, it was certainly bustling, even if not on the level of a Christmas rush. "Alright, get off my bus! Y'all can walk back to the studio if ya want, but I ain't coming back here until 8, and don't be late if you're gonna get a ride, I ain't gonna wait!" Chef demanded, opening up the bus door once they arrived at the curb.
Everyone hurried off of the bus, except for Athena, who just took her sweet time walking out. "I said git!" Chef yelled at Athena, then pushed her out of the exit.
As soon as Athena stumbled onto the pavement, Chef sped off in his bus, nearly swiping the car that had been parked in front of him. "Jeez, what's got him in such a rush?" Jack wondered, helping Athena get her balance.
"No clue, but hey, we've got all the time we need to grab gifts!" Kahlin replied, folding up his 20 dollar bill.
"I'm heading to Spencers." Bonnie stated right away, then turned on her heels and began to walk to the mall entrance.
Trixie thought for a moment, then shrugged. "For 20 bucks I can probably grab something at Spencer's too. Mall prices suck, so I'll make do with what I can." Trixie commented as she just followed Bonnie.
Kahlin watched them head in, having both hands on his hips. "Guess she'll be babysitting Bonnie instead of us today, how about that?" he joked to the rest of his team.
"Ugh, Trixie will probably be a bad influence somehow." Melissa responded, not a fan.
Kahlin didn't say anything about Melissa's response though, instead just beginning to walk in. "I'll just try to find an arts and crafts store. Make the gift a bit more personal yeah? See you guys in a bit!" Kahlin told the Munchers, then jogged into the mall.
"A crafts store? Count us in, can't wait to get our paws on some supplies!" Luis called to Kahlin, hurrying into the mall after him, with Toby carrying the purple raccoon doll as well.
"Wait for me sir!" Trina called to Toby as she jogged after him as well.
Delanie raised an eyebrow as she watched Trina leave, a little confused. "Well golly gee, guess she doesn't wanna do her Christmas shopping with big brother Nicholas! First time I've seen her do that!" Delanie remarked.
Beck shrugged. "After yesterday, not surprised. Guess that leaves us then?" Beck asked her, reminding her of the road trip challenge.
Delanie nodded, then squeezed Beck in a hug. "Yup! A couple Christmas shopping together? Ain't that the dandiest thing to go with the holidays?" Delanie exclaimed.
Melissa chuckled as Beck tried to break out of the hug, walking past the two of them with Jim. "You two have fun." Melissa told them playfully.
"Heh, I'll try." Beck responded after a deep breath, then pulled himself out of the hug.
Nanashi walked up to Klaas, smiling up at him. "Sooo, do you wanna do our shopping together? Melissa and Jim are doing their own thing it looks like." Nanashi asked him.
Klaas wagged a finger though, chuckling. "Ah ah, this is a Secret Santa exchange remember? I feel like it'd take away a lot of the surprise if we saw what our teammates were getting for each other." Klaas turned Nanashi's suggestion down, then gave a wave as he walked away.
"Oh right! Have fun with that then!" Nanashi waved back, then walked into the mall just a bit after him.
-Confessional: Mutant Movie Munchers: Klaas-
Klaas let out a sigh, tapping his shoulder. "As much as I'd love to spend more time with Nanashi, I think I might be exclusively hanging out with her too much. Might make us look like too much of a couple to the others. A 'we need to get rid of them before they get too strong' kind of couple. Like uhh... Trent and Gwen! Actually, bad example. Point is, I need to take some heat off us. For her and my sake."
-Confessional: Mutant Movie Munchers: Nanashi-
Nanashi let out a sigh, resting her head on her palm. "I guess that was unlucky? I wonder what's up with Klaas. I guess I can take this time to hang out with the rest of the team? Melissa and I haven't gotten along the best, well, I try to be nice, but she doesn't like me for some reason? Bad luck there, but that's okay!"
-End Confessionals-
Inside of the Warnes and Lordly Booksellers, Flynn had already hurried there on his own. "Aye, there gotta be somethin' here for the laddie." Flynn said to himself as he stepped inside.
As Flynn walked in, he passed by the store's café, where some eyes turned his way. "Is that a pirate?" one reader asked.
"I think he might be another cosplayer." another reader guessed, setting down their coffee.
"Maybe one of the performers from the kids fitness center?" a passerby chimed in, looking up from a book they were reading.
Flynn just ignored them though, his eyes scanning the shelves for the right kind of book. "Flynn from Total Drama correct?" a polite voice asked him as he passed by an aisle.
Flynn perked up at this, looking down the aisle to see a redhead in a lime green sweater with a teal skirt and large glasses. "That be me yes, yer gonna pester me like all the other landlubbers?" Flynn questioned her, clearly annoyed.
The nerd shook her head though, currently hugging several books. "Not at all. It just piqued my curiosity to see a contestant from such a reality program out in public like this. The season has yet to even merge, as of broadcast date. Has filming already concluded?" she further asked him.
"Nay, I be in the middle of this 'ere challenge! We're doing a Secret Santa thing, so I gots to get a gift for my giftee. Y'know where the spooky books are?" Flynn explained, continuing to walk now as he looked through the aisles.
The nerd followed him, then pointed to the right. "I see. The horror section is to the east, although many of the young adult novels north of here contain 'spooky' imagery. Do you always behave like this? Was that what made auditioning for the show so easy?" she asked while directing him.
Flynn turned and followed her directions, although her question seemed to confuse him. "Not sure what you mean lassie, I be a man of the seas!" Flynn responded proudly.
The nerd didn't further question him on that, just thinking for a moment as she stepped ahead to lead Flynn to the horror section. "Perhaps a gimmick like that would increase my chances of a successful application. Maybe I could play myself up as an evil mastermind, someone who'd sacrifice lives. I am aware the showrunners prefer ruthless competitors." she now hypothesized.
Flynn let out a hearty laugh, shaking his head. "That doesn't fit a lass like ye. Plus Maxine tried that, didn't end too well since them Award Winners booted her instantly. I say just be yourself!" Flynn advised as they turned down another aisle.
This seemed to strike a chord with the nerd, who giggled briefly. "Ah, how foolish of me to even consider that. If I ever audition, I'll just be myself then. The best advice can be as simple as that. Thank you. From what I can tell, these novels should prove fruitful in your strategic endeavors as well." the nerd took advice wholeheartedly, then gestured to a section on a shelf.
Flynn tipped his pirate hat to her, nodding. "Thank ye lassie. Good luck on yer uhh... endeavors as well." Flynn thanked her as she waved and left him to look at the section on his own.
Over in the Richard's Sporting Goods store near the food court of the mall, Melissa, Jim, and Nanashi stepped together inside, although Nanashi was more tagging along with the duo than actually coming together. "What are you guys coming here for?" Nanashi asked them curiously, looking at all the sporting gear lining the shells.
"Fishing gear. What are you here for? Or are you just trying to get lucky with what you find?" Melissa responded, looking back at Nanashi.
"Sorta? I'm just hoping to find something that my giftee doesn't already have. It'd be lucky if I found it here of course." Nanashi answered, looking at the smaller items on the shelves.
Jim groaned, putting one hand on his hip. "It'd be great if you took this a little more seriously. I know the road trip was about fun, but this isn't. If you know that you're not gonna find a good gift here, just scram and find it somewhere else." Jim told Nanashi coldly.
Nanashi blinked, a little taken back. "Oh, sorry. I just figured it'd be good if we shopped together as a team you know? It could be fun!" Nanashi apologized, giggling awkwardly.
Melissa shook her head though, gesturing to the exit. "No, Jim has a point here. If you have an idea of what to get and it's not here, just look elsewhere." Melissa reiterated for Jim.
"Alllright! I'll see you two in a bit then!" Nanashi just did as they told her, then turned around to head back to the entrance of the store.
Melissa and Jim watched Nanashi leave, then looked at each other. "Sometimes that girl, I swear... she literally said she got lucky yesterday, I doubt winning by having fun will be a win condition again, so that's that. I'm getting fishing gear, what are you getting?" Melissa briefly complained.
"Yeah, wouldn't mind sending her home next time we lose just for how she acts. It'd make things a lot easier for the rest of the team." Jim suggested, agreeing with Melissa.
Melissa thought about the idea for a moment, then just gave one single nod. "I'll consider it. I don't like to just settle on one person far before a ceremony. If she gets her act together or keeps getting lucky with helping us out, I'll definitely be changing my tune." Melissa told Jim, not a fan of the idea.
Jim didn't look bothered by this though, just giving Melissa a thumbs up. "Honorable as always I see. Just give it some more thought. I'm gonna just check out the baseball stuff now. See ya at the register." Jim said back, then walked away from her.
As Nanashi headed back to the entrance, she bumped into Jack as he walked inside. "Oh you're here. Sorry 'bout that! What's up?" Jack apologized, taking a step back after bumping into her.
"Oh no worries!" Nanashi dismissed his apology right away. "I was just heading out to check somewhere else. You think there's a good dice shop around here? I thought a sports store would have some stuff for games but I guess not." Nanashi explained to him.
Jack scratched his chin, and then pointed to his left. "There's a Spicy Subject down that way. They might have some DND dice? That's all I've got. I'm just here to pick up a punching bag and call it a day." Jack answered, shrugging his shoulders.
Nanashi nodded, then stepped past him. "Okay! Thanks Jack, good luck with your gift! I think I've got a guess who it's for!" Nanashi thanked him, then happily skipped away.
-Confessional: Toxic Film Critics: Jack-
Jack shrugged his shoulders, leaning back in the chair. "Sure I coulda thrown her off and sent her the wrong way since she's on the other team, but would that really help? She'd probably find the store anyway, and she's a sweet girl. Plus in most horror flicks, the guy who's sweet to the final girl gets the perk of living to at least second to last kill!"
-Confessional: Mutant Movie Munchers: Jim-
Jim pumped his fist, chuckling to himself. "Heh, that was super satisfying. Not only am I getting Melissa more and more on my side, but I'm alienating Nanashi from her. I can't let those two make up, or else they'll just turn against me. If I keep this up with Melissa, I'll for sure have a majority on my hands."
-End Confessionals-
In the Michelle's Art and Crafts store, Toby and Trina were walking together in one aisle while Kahlin was looking through another. "What are you looking for exactly sir?" Trina asked Toby, following behind him.
Toby was looking through the yarn and fabric at the moment, thinking it over. "I was hoping to find some material to repair this plush I found at the Burger Monarch. I think it deserves to be brought back to tip top shape. Ah! Purple fabric, there we go." Toby answered, grabbing a roll of fabric off the shelf after showing Trina the worn raccoon plush.
"That's sweet sir, I already found my gift, so I was just curious to see what you were getting." Trina told him, while Toby put the fabric in his basket, which was next to a small pack of buttons.
Toby perked up at this, his eyes lighting with eagerness. "You have? If that's the case, could I use the spending money Chris gave you? These repairs might be a little more costly than I was expecting. No worries if you want to use it on yourself of course." Toby requested.
"Nyeah! Ain't no pressure!" Luis chimed in.
Trina giggled, then pulled out the twenty dollar bill she got and handed it over to Toby. "There you go sir! Good luck by the way! If we lose, I don't think Delanie will let you stay." Trina told him, her voice sounding worried towards the end.
Toby took the dollar bill, then let out an awkward sigh. "Yeah, I kinda figured that was the case when you voted for Esteban. Ah well. I've had this coming." Toby replied, not all that upset.
Trina rubbed one arm, looking upset as Toby should have been. "Well... I'll miss you sir. So please do well with your gift." Trina urged him.
Toby tilted his head, a little confused. "Hmm? Miss me? I never saw it that way. How come?" Toby asked curiously.
"This ol' cat ain't the remarkable type!" Luis joked, which just made Trina frown.
Along with the frown though, Trina's face filled with blushing. "Because I like you... a lot sir. You're the only person who has respected me here, or just in general. After thinking over yesterday more, you've been standing up for me with King and Delanie when I just... can't. It's okay if you don't like me back sir, but I just had to say it before you go!" Trina admitted, then buried her face in her hands.
Toby absorbed her gushing, sharing a look with Luis for a moment before just walking up and hugging her. "Don't worry Trina, I like you too. If you really view me as a companion for a relationship, I'll be there for you. You're a good person, a great one even, you don't give yourself enough credit about that. So, I love you." Toby admitted back as he hugged her.
Trina returned the hug, closing her eyes as they just stood hugging while the cheesy low quality pop music through the crafts store. "Thanks Toby... love you too sir." Trina whispered to him as they hugged.
When Trina opened her eyes, she saw Kahlin standing at the end of the aisle, which made her jolt back to normal. "Aaaah! Sorry! I gotta go check on miss Delanie now! Bye!" Trina hurriedly told Toby before scurrying away.
Toby just waved with a smile as she left, while Kahlin walked up to him. "Landed Trina huh? Good on you man! Didn't think you were a ladies' man!" Kahlin complimented Toby.
Toby shook his head though, while Luis waved to Kahlin. "I wouldn't say that. She needs someone, and we already were good friends, it just made sense. My mom taught me that a strong relationship is where both people in in it appreciate each other." Toby explained.
Kahlin reached over and pat Toby on the shoulder, then gestured to his own basket full of wooden letters. "Good on you then. I've got my letters right here, gonna make the Hollywood sign, so good luck with whatever you're making dude!" Kahlin replied, then walked past Toby to go head to the register.
-Confessional: Mutant Movie Munchers: Kahlin-
Kahlin rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment. "Trina and Toby, that's a couple I should have expected honestly. Good for them, they're a cute meek pair. But if they're both here when the merge comes, I might have to take care of them if Delanie already doesn't. Sorry guys, that's just the way of the game!"
-End Confessional-
In the M&H, Klaas was looking around the department store alone. "Hmm... something simplistic is probably the way to go here?" Klaas thought aloud as he mainly focused on the trinkets.
That was until Delanie came through the entrance of the store pulling Beck by his hand. "Ooh! This place is just wonderful isn't it Beck? They've got so many holiday sales! We could get multiple gifts here!" Delanie exclaimed.
"It's probably a reward challenge, pass. Plus getting multiple gifts would be a waste of money when you only need one." Beck pointed out.
"Reward challenge? What makes you think that?" Klaas questioned Beck, stepping into the conversation.
"Chris said there was a big reward for 1st, so that's all I've got. I just don't feel like getting a gift, gonna be honest." Beck answered.
Delanie made a pouty fate at this, crossing her arms. "Now now, that's no way to do Christmas shopping! It's about finding the best ways to GIVE!" Delanie shouted, slightly disappointed.
"Plus Chris has given first big rewards plenty of times. Like our hot springs trip." Klaas added, much more calmly than Delanie.
"Whatever. Just grab your thing so we can go." Beck didn't actually care, just shoving his other hand in his pocket and following Delanie throughout the store.
Klaas rolled his eyes as they left, now digging through a bin of accessories. "And that's supposed to be our power couple..." Klaas muttered to himself.
Inside of Spencer's, Bonnie seemed to just be shopping for herself while looking around at the crude gifts. It was mostly sleazy t-shirts, phalic or juvenile joke knick-knacks, and even more inappropriate things in the back. A Spicy Subject store for immature people. "What are we doing here, none of this is Christmas themed." Athena asked, having followed Bonnie and Trixie here.
"It's just a Christmas gift, those aren't usually Christmas themed themselves. You ever been Christmas shopping before?" Trixie asked Athena back skeptically.
Athena shrugged, looking at the floor for a moment. "Nope. Once my father passed, my mom stopped doing fun things for us. When Christmas comes we just sort of sit around on her day off." Athena answered, monotone as ever.
Trixie frowned at this, pitying Athene here while Bonnie seemed to have tuned the two of them out. "Heh, this mug is shaped like a dong." Bonnie commented in the background.
Trixie heard Bonnie and rolled her eyes, now walking to the other side of the store with Athena. "So you just don't do anything fun period or is that a Christmas thing? Cuz jeez that's sad." Trixie asked Athena as they walked.
"Period. When my father's mother died, we stopped doing fun things, it just bothered him to do anything like that anymore. And when he was gone, my mother was the same. Fun stuff is rowdy, and it isn't proper. I guess. I don't really get it. So no Christmas shopping." Athena elaborated, her eyes just scanning over the sleazy items on the shelves.
Trixie rubbed the back of her head, trying to think of what to say to that. "Uhh, that sucks. Fun stuff is rowdy? Who's your mom? A librarian? I guess I haven't done much Christmas shopping since I was like 7, but I at least do stuff for the holidays, I just feel bad for you here." Trixie told her awkwardly.
"Don't feel bad. It's proper. I wouldn't be who I am without my mom." Athena dismissed the pity, pointing at herself.
"That's... not a good thing." Trixie remarked, gesturing to all of Athena.
"Oh gee thanks." Athena thanked Trixie, although her expression didn't change at all.
Trixie facepalmed, then put both hands on Athena's shoulders. "Look, if you ever want to talk, you can talk to me okay? I don't need you bottling all this up." Trixie offered.
"Like friends?" Athena asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Like friends, yes." Trixie confirmed with a firm nod.
Athena gave Trixie a thumbs up, then stepped back. "Nice. Guess we're friends. I'll go find a gift for the challenge now, see you." Athena gave a wave to Trixie, then went further into the store.
Trixie waved back to Athena with a smile, then picked one of the t-shirts on the rack. "A non-sleazy one? I'd actually wear this." Trixie joked to herself as she looked at the shirt, which just had two SpongeBob characters throwing up gang signs.
-Confessional: Toxic Film Critics: Trixie-
Trixie snickered, shaking the change from buying her gift in her hand. "Hook, line, and sinker. Athena was easier to befriend than I expected. Did just no one go for her before? Whatever the case, I've got her now. I can definitely deal with Flynn now. Literally everyone but him on the team is an ally of mine now, heh, try digging out of that one pirate."
-End Confessional-
Time passed while the contestants were in the mall, and night time soon fell over Toronto, with Chef coming to pick up everyone who hadn't already walked back to the film lot. When the contestants returned to the trailers though, it was not only still snowing, but it had been heavily decorated with Christmas decorations. There were lights strung about, hung from the two trailers and going across, creating a canopy of lights almost. "Woah... Chris actually did this for us?" Kahlin commented, amazed by how pretty it was.
There was an inflatable Santa on the girls' trailer, and an inflatable snowman on the guys', a folding table had been set up between the trailers with a red and white tablecloth on it and a card marked "Secret Santa gifts here" on it along with a bunch of cookies, glasses of milk, and other Christmas treats, a cheap bluetooth speaker was playing cheery Christmas music, and in front of the folding table was a 6 foot tall tree that had several ball ornaments on it. "I guess Chris is more festive than we thought, cool." Beck commented, currently eating from a bag of potato chips. He had just used all his spending money on snacks.
Chris and Chef arrived to greet them, and they looked shocked to see the trailers decorated like this as well. "Wait, but we didn't... interns!? Did you do this!?" Chris called to the interns, stunned by the decorations.
Elroy and Irene hurried over, both of them shaking their heads. "No, you asked us to clean the bathrooms remember?" Elroy reminded Chris.
Chris grumbled to himself, before just sighing. "Guess this looks better. Get out of here!" Chris shooed the interns away, and the two left to go resume their job.
Thomas was the last person to show up to the Film Lot, although his glasses were now cracked in one lens and his hair was a little scuffed. "What happened to you dude?" Jack asked Thomas concerningly.
"Tripped and fell on the escalator. Epískt mistakast, as our friends in iceland would say." Thomas replied, laughing it off.
Trixie just gave Thomas a more worried look, while everyone else on the Critics seemed to accept it. "Okay! So you've all got your gifts? Remember, there's a lot at play here!" Chris asked everyone, while Chef walked up behind Chris.
All 14 players present nodded, so Chris clapped his hands. "Great! Let's get started then! Melissa, you're captain of the current champ team, so we'll start with you! Who did you get and what did you get them?" Chris asked the Muncher captain.
Melissa was a little surprised to be put on the spot, but just went along with it and walked over to Flynn. "For a pirate like you, I figured you could use some fish bait! Since y'know, always at sea and stuff." Melissa stated, holding out a large bag of fish bait for him.
"You don't really know how pirates work do ya?" Trixie snidely remarked as Flynn took the fish bait.
"Oh shut it Trixie, the gift isn't for you." Melissa told Trixie, already fed up with her.
Flynn look over the fish bait, just shrugging. "Not to be the bearer of bad news lassie, but we pirates ain't much fisherman. We do more of takers of food than fishin' for it ourselves, ain't worth the time to fish." Flynn explained regrettably, which just got Trixie to snicker more.
"Oooh, swing and a miss from the Muncher's captain!" Chris narrated, getting an eyeroll from her. "Moving on, who got Melissa?" Chris asked for the next person.
Delanie stepped up next, holding a large white bag with the M&H letters on it. "Here you go! I picked it out just for you!" Delanie exclaimed as she held out the bag.
Melissa took the bag from Delanie and looked inside, being pleasantly surprised when she pulled hot pink leg warmers. "Oh! These could actually be pretty nice for my workouts! Not during the competition really, but I'll definitely be using these at home. Thanks a bunch." Melissa thanked Delanie, and the two shared a quick hug.
"You know it, knew you would love something athletic for Christmas, so there you go!" Delanie told her giddily.
Chris took note on his clipboard, then looked at Delanie. "Nice pick, I thought Melissa would be a tough one. Anywho, who had Delanie?"
Trina walked up to Delanie with a small white box with a red ribbon on it, holding it up to take. "Here you go ma'am. I think you'll really appreciate it!" Trina told her as she let Delanie take it.
Delanie took the white box and opened it, and her eyes lit up with excitement when she saw what was inside. "Mittens! Ooh they look lovely, thank you Trina!" Delanie thanked Trina merrily, before scooping the secretary into a hug.
"Eep! I'm glad you like them ma'am! I thought something flashy would be a bit much, it's what's on the inside that counts after all!" Trina let out, gasping for a moment due to how tight Delanie was hugging her.
Delanie let her go when she heard the gasps, then pat Trina on the head. "Well I definitely loved it! These are so cute!" Delanie reiterated, then walked away.
-Confessional: Victorious Award Winners: Delanie-
Delanie set the white box down on the vanity, then made a gagging expression as she took the mittens out and shook them at the camera. "The challenge is to give great gifts, and if I don't act like those sad mittens were amazing, Chris was gonna take points away from us. I really sold it huh? Trina is with me every day and she still didn't know what to get me huh? I swear, these mittens are further from anything I could have wanted. It's like she-" THUD. A wooden statue of Chris's head fell onto the vanity, making Delanie's eyes widen. "She... she found the idol? And... gave it to me? What an idiot! Never mind, this is more useful than any trinket she could have bought at the mall!"
-Confessional: Victorious Award Winners: Trina-
Trina was writing in her notepad, giggling briefly. "I found the immunity idol during the hot springs challenge, thankfully no one saw thanks to the steam. Delanie would make much better use of the idol than I ever could, so I gave it to her as a gift. She's always looking out for me as a friend, so even if I don't have it, I'm sure she'll use it to protect me if she doesn't need it to protect herself first. Miss Delanie knows best!"
-End Confessionals-
Up next was Thomas, having Trina's gift. "Here you go." Thomas told Trina bluntly, handing over a gray box.
Trina politely nodded and took the box, opening it up and finding a green notebook which looked much classier than her current notepad. "Wow... this is amazing sir! I'll transfer all my notes to this one for sure, this is like the notebooks the fancy ladies have back at the office. This was 20 dollars?" Trina thanked Thomas graciously, flipping open the empty notebook and looking over all the pages.
"Correct. I knew you'd like it." Thomas told Trina, then regrouped with his team.
Trina hugged her knew notebook, and Chris gave Thomas a thumbs up. "Didn't think you of all people would know what to get her. But good job. Now, who had Thomas?" Chris asked, looking at the other players.
Bonnie walked over, also having a book. She handed it to Thomas, laughing a little. "What is this exactly?" Thomas asked her, surprised to see a book from her.
"Well since you like to translate stuff, I found this book at Spencer's that has every swear in basically every language. I'd say them if we weren't on TV. But like, boobs is cycki in Polish. Pretty funny huh? Figured you'd get a kick out of it." Bonnie explained, flipping to the page and pointing to where it had 'boobs' in 22 different languages.
Thomas kept a blank look, accepting the book with a nod. "I already know most of these, but I appreciate the thought." Thomas thanked Bonnie politely, although everyone else could tell he wasn't a fan.
Bonnie just walked back to her team without saying anything else, and Chris now looked to her. "Soooo... who had Bonnie?" he asked, feeling the awkward air.
"I did. Aaaand I already know this one is a hit." Trixie declared, stepping forward to give her gift to Bonnie.
Bonnie smirked when she saw it, taking the mug from her. "Heh. It's shaped like a dong." Bonnie chuckled.
"Please just use it for drinks perv." Trixie told her in disgust, then walked right away from her.
"We'll see about that. Thanks." Bonnie thanked Trixie, feeling the mug over and prompting the other 5 Munchers to step away from her.
Chris blinked, then just took note on his clipboard. "That's a good reaction? Man, you kids are weird!" Chris was also disgusted, before just looking over at Trixie with a fed up look. "Who had the dong giver over here?" he tried to joke.
Athena just turned to Trixie after he said that, pulling a t-shirt out of a plastic bag. "Here. You said you would actually wear it, so... here you go." Athena told Trixie as she handed it over.
Trixie chuckled at the shirt, looking at the crass cartoon characters throwing gang signs. "So that's why you followed me huh? Gotta say, I didn't even think for a moment that's what you were doing. Good job." Trixie complimented Athena, patting her on the back.
Chris took note of the reaction, now focused on Athena. "Who had miss expressive here?" Chris asked, gesturing to Athena.
Beck raised his hand, then went back to eating his chips. "I did. Didn't get anything." he replied dismissively.
"Huh? Why not babe?" Delanie asked him, putting her hands on his shoulder from behind.
"Cuz it's probably a reward challenge. So yeah. Merry Christmas or whatever, it's summer time anyway." Beck answered, leaving Athena to just sigh, although her expression didn't change at all.
Since he was next, Kahlin stepped up right away and brought his gift over to Beck. "Hey, I made something for you actually. Figured you could buy everything you wanted already, so I made something! Making toys and stuff is kinda my thing." Kahlin told him, handing a plastic bag over to Beck.
Beck pulled out a metal stand with wooden letters on it, replicating the Hollywood sign. "Oh neat. Looks cool." Beck commented on it.
Kahlin just stood in silence for a moment, letting Beck look over it. "Yeah, it's cool huh? I put a lot of time into arranging it like this, the Hollywood sign letters have their own little font that's hard to replicate with wood." Kahlin elaborated, chuckling lightly afterward.
"Yeah. Looks cool man. Thanks." Beck told Kahlin, then put it back in the plastic bag.
Chris just shrugged and wrote down the reaction, turning his attention to Kahlin. "Okay! With Beck done, who had Kahlin?" Chris asked, hoping for more spice.
Jim stepped forward, and Chris grinned at this dynamic. "I had him. Just take it." Jim told Kahlin begrudgingly, holding out a plastic bag as well.
Kahlin reached in, smiling when he pulled out a Toronto Blue Jays baseball cap. "Oh hey! The Blue Jays! I have caps from plenty of teams back home, this'll fit right there with them! Thanks a lot pal! Pretty thoughtful of you huh Jim?" Kahlin thanked Jim, winking at him.
"Shut up..." Jim muttered, stepping away while Kahlin took off his current hat and tried on the new one. He had to adjust it a bit, but it fit him.
Wanting to ease his mood, Jack now walked over to Jim with his gift. "Here's your gift dude! You're a bit of an angry guy, so I figured you could use one of these here!" Jack told Jim with a small laugh.
Jim opened up the bag from Jack, actually looking pleased when he saw what was inside. "An attachable punching bag? Man, I actually could use one of these. Where would I put this though?" Jim asked Jack, giving it a squeeze to see how tough it was.
"On the wall next to your bed? Or anywhere else in the trailer really. It's pretty good to relieve stress. It'll be stressful enough when the aliens come down and start taking their captives, so last thing you need is anger stress clouding your judgement!" Jack explained, making Chris facepalm.
"You had it in the first half Jack. I don't think any other human being has a fear about aliens and stress like that bro." Chris told Jack.
"You'll see I'm right, just trying to help you all!" Jack defended himself, walking back over to his team.
Once Jack was with his team, Flynn handed over his gift to him. "Here you go matie! Figured ye would enjoy this!" Flynn told him as he passed the bag.
Jack reached into the bag, gasping when he saw what was inside. "No way! Thinner! I love this book! I have a paperback copy at home, but a hard copy? Yeah this one's a keeper." Jack exclaimed, checking the foreword in it.
"Thinner? What's that one about? I feel like I've heard of it." Thomas asked curiously.
Jack showed the cover to Thomas, pointing to the name of the author. "It's by Richard Bachman, which is actually Stephen King's pseudonym. The main character kills a Romani lady with his car and gets out of it because he's got some buddies in the court. So the leader of the Gypsy group the lady belong to place a curse on him that makes him get thinner each day. It's got a lot of twists and turns I won't spoil, you gotta read it!" Jack went over the synopsis, talking at a mile a minute.
"You really like this one huh laddie? Well I knew you were into horror stuff, so I just went and picked the one right 'ere for ya, good catch eh?" Flynn remarked happily.
Chris noted the response on his clipboard, now turning to Klaas. "Man, we almost had a perfect loop here. Klaas, who did you get?" Chris asked Klaas.
Klaas pulled out an M&H bag, then held it out for Nanashi to take. "Nanashi of course. What are the odds of that? Just got lucky I guess." Klaas responded, making Nanashi giggle.
Nanashi reached into the bag, then pulled out a necklace with a green charm in the center. "Ooh, shiny! What is it?" Nanashi asked, already putting it on.
"It's a good luck charm. You're all about luck, so why not get you something pretty and ties into that? You deserve it after all." Klaas answered, which just made Nanashi's smile grow.
"Oh I love it! That's so sweet! I mean, it already looked pretty, but it's a good luck charm too? You're so awesome Klaas!" Nanashi thanked him, giving him a hug afterwards.
The hug didn't last too long though, as she stepped back and pulled out her gift. "Plus, I got you too! So I hope you enjoy this!" Nanashi added, holding a Spicy Subject black bag.
Klaas took the bag and reached in, chuckling when pulled out a set of six dice in various medieval patterns. "Heh, fancy dice. You know me too well. Thanks Nanashi." Klaas thanked her, then pulled her in for another hug.
Chris clapped at this, then tossed the clipboard away. "Well, that was everyone! I think it's safe to say who the winner is! It's-"
"HO HO HO!" a voice bellowed from above, catching everyone's attention.
On top of the trailers was Santa, although he looked much thinner now. Must have been a good diet this year. "I've brought good tidings and gifts for all good boys and girls, as I do every Christmas every year! And after seeing you all give gifts, it warms my heart to see such Christmas spirit!" Santa called to them, standing on the roof of the guys' trailer.
Santa jumped down, carrying a large sack full of things. As they got closer, it became much more apparent what was going on here. "Toby? You did all this?" Beck asked, recognizing him up close even with the beard, suit, and large hat.
Santa ignored the comment though, instead pulling out a CD of The Who for Beck and handing it to him. "Here you go! Gifts for all of you! You've all worked so hard and been such great castmates, so you all made the nice list!" Santa exclaimed, then made his way one by one to each person.
Trina got a glowing elf pencil, which she stuck in the front page of her new notebook and closed it.
Melissa got a pink sweat headband.
Kahlin got a large bouncy ball that looks like a baseball.
Nanashi got a pack of fortune cookies.
Klaas got a deck of Santa themed playing cards.
Jim got a small bag of cookies from "Mama's Merry Bakery".
Bonnie got a mirror in the shape of a heart.
Delanie got a lump of coal.
Jack got a bunch of chewy candy shaped like skulls.
Trixie got 6 pack of candy canes.
Flynn got a red and white striped eyepatch.
and Thomas got a travel dictionary.
When he was done handing out gifts, Athena raised her hand. "Um. I didn't get anything. Or was that because Beck didn't get me anything either." Athena pointed out.
Santa gave Beck a disappointed look, before just walking over to Athena. "Oh for you, I'm sorry you didn't get anything for your secret Santa, but I got something extra special for you!" Santa told her, then reached into the sack.
Athena raised an eyebrow curiously, until Santa pulled out a purple racoon puppet that looked as good as new. The other leg had been removed and the dirty stuffing had been removed, with the plush now usable as a puppet. "A puppet just for you! You can use it to express things you haven't quite been able to on your own. I- a friend of yours is in a similar boat, so when you want to, give it a try! Merry Christmas Athena, and Merry Christmas Everyone! Have a good night!" Santa explained to her, then waved to everyone else as he ran off with his empty sack.
Athena looked over the raccoon puppet,
Many were confused, although most seemed to be enjoying their gifts. Chris was just as confused as them, looking over the results on his clipboard. "Well... Toby pulled his own name, and gave gifts to literally everyone except himself. So, that doesn't count. The winner of today's challenge is easily the Toxic Film Critics!" Chris announced, making them all cheer except for Athena.
"What? But we all got gifts for each other, how did they win and not us?" Melissa protested, crossing her arms.
"Because... they did it way better than you guys. I mean, fishing bait for a pirate, a crude swear book for Thomas, and the Hollywood sign barely got a smile out of Beck. Only the lovebirds and Jim actually did well here. You guys get a solid second place as usual." Chris informed them.
Kahlin shrugged his shoulders, patting Melissa's shoulder. "Hey, we're still not sending someone home. We just got unlucky this wasn't an athletic challenge again, we'll get it next time for sure." Kahlin told her confidently.
"Not you too with the luck stuff. I'm tired of hearing that word." Melissa responded, letting out a sigh.
Chris moved on from them and walked up to the three Award Winners, clapping his hands. "Well, you'll have to let Toby know that you guys lost today! Only two of you gave actual gifts, while the other two just ignored the challenge entirely, Beck." Chris told them, making Delanie sigh in disappointment.
"We're sending someone home again? That's not how I wanted to spend Christmas, not very merry for the season." Delanie complained, rubbing one arm.
Chris laughed, although was still giving Beck a dirty look. "Yeah, about that, Beck here caught on that there was no elimination today! Yup! This was a reward challenge! And the Critics get to have that reward to themselves!" Chris announced, relieving Delanie and especially Trina, while Beck just seemed apathetic to it.
Chef brought over a large red gift box, although it seemed pretty light for how he was carrying it. "What's our reward then? Something that'll actually help us going forward?" Trixie asked snidely, looking at the box skeptically.
Chris nodded his head, then tossed a pair of scissors to Jack. "Eh... the more I think about it, probably not, but it's a good buffer at least. Captain, you can do the honors!" Chris replied, less sure now.
Jack tossed the scissors back to Chris though, then pulled his own out of his pocket. "I do cutting with my own scissors, thank you. This is an actual prop from The Scissoring, one of the greatest horror flicks of all time!" Jack proclaimed, holding up his sparkly red scissors.
"Heh, scissoring." Bonnie quipped.
Jack walked up to the box and cut the white ribbon, then removed the lid, just to be shocked when a familiar dandruff ridden girl popped up, covered only with red ribbons wrapped around her. "T-Ta da! Which team w-won me?" Flaky greeted them, blushing in embarrassment.
Bonnie snickered, happy to see Flaky while the others were just confused. "Uh, we did. Is there a coat in there or something? Why aren't you wearing anything in the cold?" Jack asked her, more focused on the snow coming down.
"T-That was his idea... not m-mine..." Flaky replied, making sure the ribbons were covering her as much as possible.
Chris groaned, gesturing to the girls' trailer. "We already packed your stuff in the girls' trailer. Feel free to get changed, or not, I like this too." Chris told her, before receiving a smack upside the head from Chef.
Flaky nodded and hopped out of the gift box, before scampering through the snow to get to the trailer. "Great... Flaky is on our team then?" Trixie asked, watching her humiliated plight back to the trailer.
Chris nodded his head. "Now that we eliminated 10 people, the fans picked their favorite to return, and it was her by a landslide... for some reason. I would have picked Lilac honestly. But Flaky is all yours now! Boot her instantly, let her help in challenges, up to you!" Chris explained while Chef took the empty box away.
Chris then turned to the other two teams. "So yeah, you guys don't get any reward, but none of you go home either! I would say you can rest now, but seeing as how Santa decked this place out for you guys, enjoy the festivities! You've all earned it sorta!" Chris told them, then grabbed a glass of milk from the table and raised it.
-Confessional: Mutant Movie Munchers: Melissa-
Melissa let out a sigh, rubbing the back of her head. "So Flaky is back. I think this might be bad for us. Not only are the Critics even with us again, but they have a bunch of intel now. Flaky has probably seen some things behind the scenes while she was gone, and she was already an intern, so she knows more than people give her credit before. I was against booting her the first time, and now it's coming back to bite the team. Great."
-Confessional: Toxic Film Critics: Flaky-
Flaky was now dressed normally in her oversized red hoodie, giggling awkwardly. "It's umm... g-great to be back. I don't think I'll l-last very long though. The M-Munchers voted me out right a-away, they didn't want me. F-Freddy isn't in the game anymore e-either. I t-thought he was c-cool, maybe we c-could have been friends. I g-got a second chance though, I c-can't waste it, so w-watch out M-Munchers!"
-End Confessionals-
With Flaky and Toby now back in their normal outfits, the now 16 contestants were partying with their Christmas set up, along with Chris, Chef, and the interns. Bonnie was currently walking around with the mistletoe, and everyone without a partner was staying far away from her.
Nanashi and Klaas were chatting together by the snack table when Bonnie walked by, smirking when she held it above them. "It's the mistletoe, you know what that means." Bonnie told them cheekily.
Nanashi blushed, and so did Klaas as this situation was forced on them. "Y'know, we've been really good friends. But we never really made it official did we?" Klaas asked Nanashi.
"Make what official?" Nanashi asked him back.
"That... we're going out." Klaas answered, his blush deepening.
Nanashi's blush deepened as well, looking away for a moment. "What are the odds the mistletoe gets hung above us like this? Haha... well, are we going out?" Nanashi deflected slightly.
Klaas took a deep breath and sip of milk, then gained his composure. "Okay, let me reword that. Will you go out with me? Am I your lucky guy?" Klaas asked her out.
Nanashi took a breath and sip of milk as well, before nodding happily. "Of course! Now let's do this so Bonnie can go!" Nanashi accepted, and the two then leaned in and kissed.
Bonnie pumped a fist in the air as they did so, then happily walked away with her mistletoe. "Y'know, out of all the kooky people here, you and your luck obsession is pretty normal to me." Klaas told Nanashi after pulling away from the kiss.
"Same to you. Guess that's why we're going out now huh? Couldn't pick a better person~" Nanashi agreed with him, and two kissed once more.
Bonnie walked over to Trina and Toby next, and the two just hugged as soon as she did so. "Not now ma'am, it's Christmas, not Valentine's Day." Trina told Bonnie.
Toby nodded in agreement with her. "Nyuh huh! Today's about Christmas! Not makin' kittens!" Luis joked, which was enough to get Bonnie to leave them alone.
Bonnie moved on to Beck and Delanie next, although Beck just swatted the mistletoe away as soon as she got close, which Bonnie took the clue and left them alone as well.
Since no one else was letting her bring the mistletoe over, Bonnie now moved on to Flaky last, who was standing off on her own with a cookie. "Heyyyy, welcome back!" Bonnie greeted Flaky.
"H-Hey... we're not on the s-same team... h-how come you're talking to m-me?" Flaky asked Bonnie, looking up at her.
Bonnie jingled the mistletoe, and Flaky's eyes widened as she realized what Bonnie wanted. "Oh n-no, Bonnie I just g-got he-MMMMFF!" Flaky didn't get to finish as Bonnie gave her a long kiss on the lips.
Chris laughed as he watched the two, taking a sip of his milk before turning and facing the camera. "So Flaky is back! Now that she's on other team, will things work out for her? Or will they go just as badly? Who will actually leave next time now that everyone is getting closer? And will they ever have fun like this again? Find out these and more next time, on Total, Drama, Reeeeeeeevenge of the Film Lot!"
Teams Remaining:
Mutant Movie Munchers: Melissa, Nanashi, Kahlin, Bonnie, Klaas, Jim
Victorious Award Winners: Delanie, Beck, Trina, Toby
Toxic Film Critics: Jack, Trixie, Thomas, Athena, Flynn, Flaky
Placements:
17th: Esteban
18th: Kylie
19th: King
20th: Freddy
21st: Lilac
22nd: Vergil
23rd: Diamond
24th: Maxine
25th: Donna
Author's Note:
No elimination this time! Yes, it's the holiday season so I decided now would be a good time to have the non-elimination episode. And it seemed like the right time to bring someone bag, and based on the Discord votes (invite on profile), that was Flaky! I didn't picture her being the most requested to return, but the people have spoken! I don't have a ton more to say since no one left, but I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!