Chris, Topher, and Lindsay stood at the city limits of Drama City.
"Last time, on Total Drama Party with the Stars!" the three began in unison.
"The contestants got acclimated to their new digs, and each other," Chris recapped.
"Everyone had lots of time to get to know each other before they had to compete in a challenge," Lindsay continued.
"We saw new friendships and alliances form and solidify," Topher said. "And some alliances even fell apart already!"
"Yep. Kiki gave Kun a piece of her mind about his feeble leadership, officially leaving his alliance," Chris said. "And while the status of the League of Villains was always questionable, it seemed like everyone who was supposed to be a part of it, other than Hugh, had their own agenda. Shocker!"
"Does this mean the backstabber got backstabbed?" Lindsay giggled.
"I'm not sure I'd go so far as to call it backstabbing, but the Grand Gryphons certainly didn't waste any time blurring the lines between friend and foe," Topher said. "Shadya and Isidora are pretending to be loyal to people they don't want to work with, Bailey and Brittany started keeping an eye out on Ernie and Vladimir to determine which one was actually Vladimir, and Lilith is, well, Lilith."
"You'd think Isidora would learn better after what happened with Warwick last time. Hehaha," Chris chuckled. "Of course, the Fighting Wyverns had their share of goings-on, too. Cyan and Louise, completely independently of each other, formed alliances of three that included each other. Dalit denounced Jean-Marie outright to his face, calling attention to his flirtatious manipulation in the past. And Quentin seems like he isn't having as lucky of a time out here as he had in the past."
"It's because he and Tori broke up! They were always meant for each other!" Lindsay cried.
"Evidently not," Topher chuckled. "The challenge involved the two teams pushing a big wagon across town, and picking up heavy crates to load into the wagon along the way. Both teams struggled to make it, but the Fighting Wyverns just managed to get enough of a lead to declare themselves the victors."
"In a vote amongst them for who did the best and the worst in the challenge, the Fighting Wyverns chose Kiki as the best thanks to her taking initiative and picking up the slack," Chris mentioned. "They chose Quentin as the worst for being the source of most of that slack."
"That means that Kiki gets to stay at the penthouse today!" Lindsay smiled. "But Quentin has to stay at Isolation Park until the next challenge."
"But that wasn't the really fun vote of the night," Topher grinned.
"That's right! The Grand Gryphons headed to the Elimination Station, where they had to discuss what they were to do about the vote," Chris explained. "Shadya threw out Lilith's name almost immediately, calling her a challenge liability and a social outcast. Irving finally made public the suspicion that Vladimir wasn't exactly who he said he was. Lilith called attention to Brittany having already won, and how that could make her a threat. Lots of discourse over everything. Hehaha."
"It was a close vote between Brittany and Lilith, but Lilith had managed to annoy her teammates enough that the majority of them decided to just vote her off," Topher said.
"That girl was creepy," Lindsay shuddered. "But will the Grand Gryphons regret their decision?"
"Will any more conflicts arise on the Fighting Wyverns?" Topher asked.
"All this and more, on Total!" Chris began.
"Drama!" Topher and Lindsay continued.
"Party with the Stars!" the three concluded in unison.
Brittany had invited Irving into her motel room.
"Mm, it's been a while since a fine lass such as yourself has invited me into her room," Irving joked.
"This is serious," Brittany glared. "I want to accept your offer for an alliance."
"Ye were awfully close to being voted out last night," Irving nodded. "But fear not, lass! The Dread Pirate Irving accepts your acceptance of me alliance offer!"
"I'm glad," Brittany said flatly. "Now, you mentioned you were interested in working with Ernie and Isidora, right?"
"They seem easy enough to get along with, and seem willing enough to make scary moves, too," Irving said. "Hugh had roped me and Ernie in for some sort of villains alliances, but with Lilith gone, I can't imagine that's still a thing. Either way, methinks Ernie at least should be willing to work with this."
"He and Isidora seem to be pretty close already," Brittany noted. "Giving them more numbers to work with could probably entice them."
"Ye see? There be a reason we made it as far as we did the last time we both played," Irving grinned. "We both be players."
"I-I don't want to play a dishonest game this time," Brittany insisted. "I'm going to stay true to my allies, and I'm going to win this game doing it."
"Famous last words, those be," Irving told her. "In fact, that be awfully similar to the stance Cyan took when I got her eliminated."
"Oh? And who won Virtual Party, hm?" Brittany challenged. "The girl who went with the flow and didn't care whose back she stabbed, or the boy who stuck by his code of honor, no matter how badly it hurt his game?"
"I only lost that game because those two ganged up on me in the last challenge!" Irving insisted.
"Probably because you were so cutthroat," Brittany pointed out. "Whatever. My point is: I am someone you can genuinely trust and rely on. That's not something you can say about a lot of people, especially on this team."
"Can't argue with that," Irving chuckled. "Don't ye worry, lass. I've no reason to get rid of ye. Not when we've got more obnoxious threats like Shadya or Hugh we could be dealing with."
"Any preference between the two?" Brittany asked.
"Well, I can't imagine Shadya's the type to put up with me general tomfoolery. So, If I had to pick..." Irving suggested.
"Makes sense," Brittany nodded.
Confessional:
Brittany: Am I making a mistake? I feel like this might be a mistake. I mean, I'm already in an alliance with Ernie and Isidora, and with Shadya and Bailey, and maybe/maybe not with Vladimir? I might be stretching myself a bit thin, here. But I do genuinely feel like it'd be in Irving's best interest to work with me, and I think he knows that, too. So I'm going to take the plunge!
Irving: Recall what I said all the way back in Virtual Party: If ye lie too much, then people will start to bank on ye lying, and no one will ever believe ye when ye tell the truth. So I be actually honest to Brittany, here. Besides, I could use me a stable ally or three. At least for now. Keheheh.
Kiki sat in the kitchen in her penthouse room, reading a magazine and snacking on a bag of banana chips.
"Damn, what an incentive to do well in challenges," Kiki told herself contently. "And I wasn't even trying to be the best. I guess I just am."
Kiki's chuckles to herself were interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Yeah, I guess I'd better get that," Kiki told herself as she stood up and opened the door. Joseph was on the other side. "Oh. What do you want?"
"Can we talk?" Joseph asked. "I feel like we need to talk."
Kiki sighed. "Alright. Come on in."
She allowed him into the penthouse. She returned to the kitchen table, and he took a seat across from her.
"Can I have one of these small bags of pretzels?" Joseph asked.
"You may not," Kiki told him. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Oh, well, I've heard from some of the others that you just straight-up don't like me," Joseph frowned. "And you and I haven't really talked that much so far, so it can't be anything I said to you, I don't think. I just wanted to see what was up and if there was anything I can do about it. We can be bros if you give it the chance."
"That's the problem, Joseph," Kiki leered. "Your androcentric view of the world, where everything is about your 'bros' or your 'boys', is harmful and damaging to women!"
"'Bro' is a gender-neutral term, bro," Joseph frowned. "Has been for a long time."
"And what does 'bros before hoes' mean, exactly?" Kiki challenged.
"It means that you gotta stay true to your bros, and not let someone who's trying to mess with your life take over you," Joseph said. "A hoe is just anyone who's trying to manipulate you or get into your head. Lilith's a hoe, and I haven't seen her around this morning, so that's a pretty good sign."
"You know that your language is gendered," Kiki said firmly. "Even if you are making up your own definition for what you're saying, no one else would know what you mean. That's why definitions for words already exist!"
"Look, bro, I promise you, I'm not trying to exclude women from anything!" Joseph insisted. "Like, Cyan and Louise are definitely bros. We'll hang out, we're cool. Irving's a hoe, though. Don't let the pirate shtick fool you: he's out for blood."
"Yeah, try not to act surprised that I don't necessarily believe you," Kiki said flatly. "You clearly hold some sort of internalized misogyny in that big hairdo of yours."
"Oh, and trying to form a girls-only alliance isn't... whatever the sexist word for men is?!" Joseph questioned.
"Not every congregation needs to include a man," Kiki maintained. "Men already dominate the workplace, the media, even casual groups of friends! Women will have a voice, too!"
"Women do have a voice!" Joseph insisted. "And you can't just go calling me sexist while you're the one out here excluding an entire gender from your alliance on purpose!"
"I'm just leveling the playing field after it's been tipped in your favor for, you know, all of recorded history," Kiki claimed. "Now get out of my room. It's clear that your ego is too big to understand what I'm saying."
"Yeah, I'm the one with an ego," Joseph scoffed as he stood up and headed for the door. "Says the girl who acts like being sexist on TV is going to make her some sort of feminist icon."
Joseph left Kiki's room.
"What was he even trying to do there?" Kiki scoffed in amused disbelief.
Confessional:
Kiki: I find it awfully rich that when I'm in an alliance that happens to mostly contain women, I'm being sexist and trying too hard to be a feminist, but when Joseph, Kun, and Jean-Marie are all an alliance, that's just business as usual, nothing to see here. Ugh, I wish I could vote all three of them out right now. The fact that I am aligned with Quentin can stay a secret, by the way. You don't want your enemies to know all your tricks.
Joseph: Well, you can't say I didn't try with her. I'm not crazy, right? She's being unreasonable, right? Well, if nothing else, she should make for an easy target. We've got the Beastie Boys, we've got Cyan and Louise, and I can't imagine Nolan or Quentin will want to side with Kiki, either. Well, it isn't Nolan's choice, I don't think, but either way, there's no way she's getting any kind of majority.
Vladimir had approached Shadya in McLean Park as she did some stretches.
"Vladimir," Shadya acknowledged.
"Shadya, please don't call me that," Vladimir sighed. "I'm not Vladimir."
"Yes you are," Shadya stated. "I understand you want to maintain the illusion to seem like less of a threat, but do not correct me whenever I don't call you Barry. I will not be corrected, because I am always correct."
"I guess I can see how that would get annoying if you were sure I was Vladimir," Vladimir conceded. "Can I at least request that you don't call me Vladimir to the others?"
"You can request it. Whether or not I acknowledge said request is up to me," Shadya said.
"Alright, how about this?" Vladimir pleaded. "I really do want to work closely with you. I want to swear my loyalty to you as an ally."
"That was implied when we agreed to work together," Shadya mentioned. "Telling me that you swear loyalty to me is making it sound as if I shouldn't assume that you will be loyal to me otherwise."
"That's the opposite of what I was trying to do," Vladimir sighed. "What can I do to prove myself?"
"Actions speak louder than words," Shadya told him. "Convince me that you truly wish to work with me by making me forget that I ever suspected otherwise."
"Well, do you have any ideas for who we'd vote if we lost again?" Vladimir asked.
"Irving. I'm sure that will suit you well after he threw you under the bus last night," Shadya answered.
"He definitely seems like the type to cause trouble for fun," Vladimir winced. "I'm not sure I can condone that. Causing trouble for fun, that is. I can condone voting for Irving."
"As it should be," Shadya stated.
She ran up to a nearby tree, jumped, grabbed onto one of its arms, and began doing pull-ups.
"Wow," Vladimir said, impressed.
Confessional:
Shadya: The vote count last night was six against Lilith, four against Brittany. On paper, that is not strange, since there are six people in my alliance. But a part of me still feels like something is amiss. Loath as I am to admit it, I still can't quite place why I feel this way. It seems like there should have been more votes against Lilith, and not just because she was the only feasible option. You can't rely on others to be as smart as you. Especially when you're me.
Vladimir: Even if literally everyone in this game thinks I'm Vladimir, I'm still going to keep up the Barry facade, because that's what the real Barry would do in this situation, because it wouldn't be a facade. Besides, even if someone doesn't trust you, you can still get them to listen to you if you act trustworthy enough.
The marquee on the big sign outside Hatchet's Diner read 'Now With 100% Less Skunk'. Kun and Louise ate breakfast together inside.
"I sure, um, hope that the sign outside didn't mean that the food yesterday had skunk," Kun shuddered.
"Could be worse. Maybe it wasn't the food," Louise chuckled.
Kun paled.
"Ah, it's probably just a joke," Louise assured him.
"Well, with that hopefully out of the way for good, I'd like to, um, make a proposal for you," Kun prefaced.
"What's up?" Louise asked.
"An alliance of, um, you, me, Cyan, Joseph, and Jean-Marie," Kun listed. "I've noticed you and Cyan getting along well, and I know, um, Joseph is also friends with Cyan. And Jean-Marie has already been called out by both Dalit and Kiki to my knowledge, so he's looking for, um, any opportunity he can get."
"Yeah, that sounds great!" Louise agreed. "I've actually been getting along with Joseph, too, and obviously you and I've gotten along since Shuffle Party. I don't know JM too well, but we might be able to trust him to stick with us if we're going after Kiki's alliance."
"I believe we can, um, trust him," Kun assured her.
"Well, don't forget that he's the kind of person who'll try to downplay his own threat level," Louise mentioned. "He probably knows that he's got a reputation and is just biding his time until people trust him before he goes taking charge of anything."
"Hm, I hadn't considered that," Kun admitted. "He hasn't given me, um, any reason not to trust him so far, but I'll try to keep a closer eye on him."
"That's a piece of advice Elmer gave me before I set out," Louise said. "Just because someone seems trustworthy doesn't mean that they are. If Wisdom can vote me out, then so can anyone."
"Well, um, I'd prefer not to think too much that way," Kun said. "Mostly because, um, if I did, I wouldn't be able to trust anybody."
"I can't blame you there. This is a cutthroat-as-hell game," Louise mused. "We can trust each other, though, right?"
"I believe so," Kun smiled.
"...So, how's the skunk taste?" Louise joked.
Kun began to cough into his napkin, nearly choking on his food.
Confessional:
Kun: It can be hard to, um, really trust people in this game, especially after being too trusting is what cost me the game last time. But, um, a good leader needs to be able to trust in those he leads, so I'm going to trust Louise and Jean-Marie, and the others, too. At least, I'll try to.
Louise: I think I might actually be in a pretty good position right now. Even if we get to a point where we vote out all of Kiki's alliance, there will still be people who are more on the outs than I am, so, unless people are trying something really funny, I should be pretty safe. I won't rest on my laurels, but I'm actually a lot more optimistic about this than I was about Shuffle Party. It's a pretty good feeling, I'm not going to lie!
Ernie and Isidora sat at the table in front of the motel. Isidora was reading a book, and Ernie simply leaned back in his chair.
"So, like, who'd you vote for last night?" Ernie asked.
"What? Lilith, obviously," Isidora reacted. "Did you not vote for Lilith?"
"If I'm being honest, like, I honestly thought the push against Brittany was going somewhere," Ernie admitted. "Lilith, Lilith, managed to, ya know, convince me for at least a minute that voting Brittany was a good play. Obviously, you and I are allied with Brittany, but, like, if that's where the majority was going, which I thought it was if Lilith convinced me to vote Brittany, then I'd want to say in the majority, ya know?"
"You really don't think much of our teammates, do you?" Isidora asked.
"Can you blame me?" Ernie chuckled. "Do you think people like Hugh or Steve Jenkins are going to think logically?"
"All of us made it to the merge of our season. You can't forget that," Isidora told him. "Everyone managed to avoid elimination for enough rounds so as to get a top half placement. Well, except Bailey, but you of all people should know that she's a smarter player than her shy demeanor would imply. The point is: this is a team of players who are skilled and savvy enough to get by. Don't underestimate anyone."
"I guess," Ernie conceded. "Let's plan for the future, why don't we? Steve Jenkins. I don't like him. I, like, can't imagine you do, either."
"Yeah, I can't say I'm a fan," Isidora agreed. "I think he trusts me for some weird reason, though, so I'm going to avoid voting for him if I have to. You never know when you could use an extra vote."
"He did mention something about you being on his side during the elimination ceremony last night," Ernie recalled. "I can respect using him for his vote, but don't, ya know, expect me to go up to bat for him anytime soon."
"I'm not using him," Isidora leered.
"Sure sounds like it," Ernie shrugged. "Either that or you actually, like, do like spending time with him and just won't admit it."
"Damn it, I really am doing it again," Isidora scolded herself.
"There's nothing wrong with manipulating people into voting with you," Ernie told her. "Sometimes it's, like, necessary to get ahead."
"I just don't want another Warwick incident to happen," Isidora sighed.
"I mean, you've got that rock on your finger. If he doesn't respect that, then that's, ya know, on him," Ernie said.
"I suppose," Isidora hummed.
Confessional:
Ernie: Isidora has absolutely manipulated people into voting with her before. And I'm not just talking about Warwick. It was, like, the main thing that got her as far as she went in Alpha Party. So I'm not sure where this sudden hesitation to, ya know, play the game is coming from.
Isidora: I'm not against playing a tough, cutthroat game. I just don't want to get any more people mad at me than I need to. Perception is everything in this game, and if people perceive me as someone who uses people, then they're not going to want to keep me in the game. I'm just trying to figure out how hard I really need to play before making any huge moves. Making a big target of yourself too early on is never a good idea.
Dalit had dragged Frita into her room and sat her in front of a makeup mirror.
"Dalit, I don't want to do this," Frita frowned.
"Nonsense! Once you see all of the inner beauty inside of you, you will fall in love. With yourself!" Dalit insisted.
"...What?" Frita reacted.
"Have you tried hairstyles that aren't... not a style?" Dalit asked.
"I can't remember the last time I have, no," Frita answered. "It doesn't seem like it's worth the time."
"Nonsense!" Dalit decried. "Your appearance changes how people see you. If your hair is good, people will think you are good!"
"I'm not sure that's true," Frita told her.
"Ephraim didn't even notice me until Bijou gave me a makeover," Dalit maintained. "And I am thinking that your Ephraim is out here in this game somewhere. You just need to learn how to make yourself pretty."
"Plastic surgery sounds expensive," Frita sighed.
"What? No, not that!" Dalit huffed. "Have you ever worn makeup before?"
"My mom makes me wear it when we go to weddings or something," Frita recalled. "She's always done it for me, though, and I've never felt the need to wear it outside of that, so I've never done it myself."
"Hmm... Let us start with something simple! Your nails!" Dalit decided.
"My nails?" Frita asked. "I, I guess?"
"You have never painted your nails before, I assume?" Dalit guessed.
"Not since elementary school. I hate the smell of nail polish," Frita answered.
Dalit sighed. "I will have my work cut out for me."
"You're the one who decided to do this," Frita grumbled.
Confessional:
Dalit: Of course it is effort to be beautiful! That's why people admire beauty so much. Frita can be beautiful if she would just put in the effort. I will teach her to fish so I can feed her for a lifetime. She will want to be pretty once I show her how truly pretty she can be!
Frita: Shouldn't we be focusing on getting the others to not want to vote for us? Because I feel like that's a legitimate concern that... oh, who am I kidding? I was always going to be the first one voted out of this team, no matter how much I try to convince everyone not to. I may as well semi-enjoy this while I can. (She looks unsurely at her now-painted fingernails.)
Hugh caught up to Bailey as she was on her way to Hatchet's Diner.
"Hey, Bailey. Let's talk," Hugh began.
"Oh, um, hello Hugh," Bailey acknowledged. "Dare I ask of what you wish to speak?"
"Why, it sounds like you don't trust me," Hugh played along.
"You've given me no reason why I should," Bailey told him.
"Have I given you any reason why I shouldn't?" Hugh scoffed. "I voted for Lilith last night, you know."
"Is that so?" Bailey doubted.
"Listen, I think we could work well together," Hugh smirked. "I've already talked to Shadya about an alliance, and I'm pretty sure I could get Ernie and Irving on board."
"And you think I'm cutthroat enough to join your villains' alliance?" Bailey surmised.
"You're definitely cutthroat enough to just lay Vladimir out like that in front of everyone," Hugh pointed out. "I'm just offering a deal for you. We help each other get rid of Vladimir, and maybe have each other's backs further on if you feel so inclined."
"Do you really expect me to believe that you're not making deals with Vladimir, too?" Bailey asked.
"I expect you to take advantage of a strong offer for a majority alliance," Hugh responded. "Let's be real: who's going to work with Vladimir now that he's been publicly outed? Working with him is just going to announce to the world that you feel like you don't trust literally anyone else."
"That wasn't... awfully put," Bailey admitted. "Perhaps I'll talk to some of the others about it. You mentioned Shadya, Ernie, and Irving?"
"That's right," Hugh confirmed. "You and Shadya are the first people I've talked to about this, so take it up with her first, I guess. The other two would probably just get confused."
"And yet, you're so certain that they're going to accept that you've already included them in your pitch," Bailey pointed out.
"Like I said, there's no point in turning down a good majority alliance," Hugh insisted. "If nothing else, it will ensure that the target stays on someone other than you for at least one elimination."
"Was the target on me?" Bailey questioned.
Hugh chuckled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Confessional:
Bailey: I don't know, it sounds to me like that whole pitch would be better suited to someone like Brittany who is very clearly a target. Why would Hugh pick me out of everyone on this team that he could have chosen? It just doesn't make sense to me.
Hugh: Why did I choose Bailey? Because I know for a fact that she'd be on board with a Vladimir vote. She and Irving basically called him out in front of the entire team last night. And hey, maybe working together can build some trust between me and her. If people trust you, they won't be so inclined to vote you out. (He sneers proudly.)
Jean-Marie found Cyan playing Dig Dug at the O'Neal Barcade.
"Come on, come on, come on..." Cyan muttered to herself as she focused intently on the game. "Aw, dang it!"
The character on the screen died, prompting a game over.
"I would not have taken you for the type to play video games," Jean-Marie told her.
"Oh! Jeez, you startled me." Cyan took a second to catch her breath. "I just thought it'd be a fun distraction until the challenge. I never expected to see you here, either, though."
"I've been without a phone for a few years, and it's easy to take for granted how nice it is to kill some time with a phone game," Jean-Marie explained. "I was curious to see what they had here."
"Well, I like this game, because the guy you play as is blue, and the bad guys are red and green," Cyan giggled. "I will destroy the false colors!"
"Je vois, je vois," Jean-Marie nodded. "So how has the game of Total Drama treated you so far? Enjoying yourself?"
"I'd say so," Cyan nodded. "Getting to know everyone was always my favorite part of the game, and since we haven't lost a challenge yet, I haven't had to vote for any of my friends."
"Well, in the event that we do have to vote, I come with an offer," Jean-Marie relayed.
"Oh?" Cyan acknowledged.
"Kun wishes to set up une alliance with you, me, Louise, and Joseph," Jean-Marie explained. "I think this could be an effective alliance, myself."
"Ooh, yeah, that sounds like a good group!" Cyan agreed. "Only five, though? We'd need six for a majority, yeah?"
"This is true," Jean-Marie hummed. "We may be able to get Quentin on board easily enough. We can't rely on Nolan's vote, and the other three are all in an alliance already."
"I can try talking to Nolan anyway, just in case," Cyan offered.
"That would be merveilleuse," Jean-Marie smiled. "Can we trust him, though?"
"He may vote how his dice tell him to, but I don't know if his dice can dictate who he talks to or what he tells them," Cyan said. "It might be best to have him not on our bad side."
"Better safe than sorry, non?" Jean-Marie nodded.
"Right!" Cyan confirmed. She returned her attention to Dig Dug. "By the way, I will be getting the high score in this. If you want a high score here, you'll have to find another game."
"...D'accord," Jean-Marie said awkwardly.
Confessional:
Jean-Marie: Cyan can be... goofy, but I can tell that she has a good head on her shoulders. I think she might actually be a good ally going forward. I, er, I hold a lot of respect for her. Oui.
Cyan: It's concerning that this alliance doesn't include Nolan, who I'm working with, but I think it could be just what I need to get ahead! The last thing I want is for Kiki to run the team because she's just not a fun person. This is a game, and games are supposed to be fun, darn it!
Steve Jenkins followed after Nolan as he made his way through the street.
"Come on, you have to let me into the barcade!" Steve Jenkins pleaded.
"The rules of the game dictate that I do not," Nolan told him flatly. "In fact, they strongly encourage me not to."
"What, don't you remember my March 26th, 2019 vlog?" Steve Jenkins asked. "The Steve Jenkins way is to start your afternoon with an Old Fashioned."
"I don't watch your vlog," Nolan told him.
"AWHAAAAAAA?!" Steve Jenkins gasped.
"Besides, you were fine without an Old Fashioned yesterday," Nolan pointed out.
(Yesterday)
Steve Jenkins was in Hatchet's Diner, bugging Chef.
"Come on, you have to let me into the barcade!" Steve Jenkins insisted.
"I do not!" Chef snapped. "Now get the hell out of here before I refuse to feed you for the rest of the season!"
"You can't do that!" Steve Jenkins snapped. "I know it looks like my body is naturally perfect, but I need to maintain the perfect diet!"
"Heh, then you sure as hell ain't gonna like what's for dinner," Chef snickered to himself.
"What was that?" Steve Jenkins asked.
"None of your business!" Chef barked.
(Present Day)
"Come on, don't be a lamer," Steve Jenkins pressured.
"You can go a couple of days without alcohol," Nolan told him.
"Man, don't say it like that. You make it sound like I've got a problem," Steve Jenkins scolded.
"You've got a problem alright," Nolan muttered.
"What was that?" Steve Jenkins asked.
"Look, if you wanted access to the barcade so badly, you should have won the challenge," Nolan told him.
"It's not my fault the rest of my team isn't on my level!" Steve Jenkins maintained.
"What, your unending fount of charisma couldn't inspire them to do better?" Nolan teased.
"They're all lamers! I did my flawless best, as usual!" Steve Jenkins cried. He noticed Nolan trying to walk ahead of him. "Hey, wait up!"
Confessional:
Nolan: That guy made the merge in his season, while people like Kiki and Jean-Marie didn't? Eh, then again, Erica also made the merge, and all she ever really did was act aggressively tsundere. This truly is a game of luck as much as it is a game of skill. (He smirks.) Just my kind of game.
Steve Jenkins: I hate to admit it, but Nolan's right! What I need to do is inspire my team with my natural Steve Jenkins charm! That'll make sure that we never lose a challenge again. After all, who could possibly let Steve Jenkins down?
Sunlight shone on Quentin's face as he slept on one of the benches in Isolation Park. He grimaced for a second before relenting to the time and waking up.
"Ugh... Not the best night's sleep I've ever had," Quentin commented.
He got up off the bench and started stretching his limbs.
"What I wouldn't give for a cup of coffee right now," Quentin mused. "He said that I have to stay here until the next challenge, right? Geez, when's that going to be? I wish I'd brought a watch."
Quentin began strolling around the park in order to help wake himself up.
"Man, I really hope my team isn't plotting to get me voted out," Quentin fretted. "I know I didn't do great in the challenge, but we still won, right? And I've already been sent here, right? That cancels itself out, right?"
Quentin stopped at one of the running fountains and cupped his hands in order to catch some water to drink. He drank, but his stomach still growled.
"How am I supposed to do better in the next challenge if I don't get a decent night's sleep and have to miss dinner and breakfast?" Quentin sighed. "Am I supposed to eat tree bark? Is that sanitary?"
Quentin continued walking through the park.
"I wish I at least had someone to talk to. Isolation is a lot tougher on me than I would have thought," Quentin lamented. He fished something out of his pocket and looked at it. "At least I can talk to you, right?"
The item in question, a small wooden bust in the likeness of a girl with a bob cut and glasses, obviously did not respond.
"Haha, yeah, I feel you," Quentin chuckled.
Confessional:
Quentin: (He is holding onto the wooden figure.) I found this last night as I was looking around the park. I remembered some people speculating if there could be hidden statues in here, and sure enough, Genesis here was hidden in a secret compartment in one of the walls. (He takes a note from his pocket and reads it.) 'Congratulations, you've found the Genesis Statue! Playing this Statue will allow you to nullify every vote cast for one person of your choosing. You must play the statue after all the votes have been cast, but before they've been revealed.' This could be huge if I play it right.
Brittany and Ernie ate lunch in Hatchet's Diner.
"So, what do you make of Barry really being Vladimir?" Brittany asked.
"As long as he sticks with the alliance, I, like, really don't care," Ernie said.
"But how do we know we can trust him to?" Brittany asked. "He's a sneaky player, Ernie. That's why he feels the need to put on a pleasant front."
"I've played sneaky before, too," Ernie pointed out. "So have you, actually. Are you saying we, ya know, shouldn't trust each other?"
"No, I just..." Brittany sighed. "I don't want my legacy to be as a messy player who people refused to work with because she somehow won."
"So you're doing whatever you can to project a target on Vladimir because you want to reduce the size of the target on your own back?" Ernie deduced.
Brittany gulped.
"I mean, fair enough," Ernie figured. "That's a valid way to play. It got me through House Party."
"I don't want to play a dirty game," Brittany said.
"You kind of have to if you, ya know, want to get ahead," Ernie told her. "Even David backstabbed Kiki."
"Well, if you have another idea for a target, I'd love to hear it," Brittany said.
"I've been pushing for a Steve Jenkins vote all this time," Ernie told her.
"I wouldn't be opposed to that," Brittany figured.
"Hey guys," Bailey greeted as she joined the two.
"Bailey. Steve Jenkins vote. You in?" Ernie asked.
"Um, sure?" Bailey half-agreed.
"We were just talking about Vladimir, too," Brittany informed her. "What do you think of how we should tackle him?"
"I'm... not sure," Bailey admitted. "Steve Jenkins should be an easy person to rally votes against, though, so why don't we focus on him for now?"
"Mm," Ernie nodded.
Confessional:
Ernie: She isn't sure? She's the one who practically, like, unmasked Vladimir in front of everyone. I mean, yeah, we're supposed to be in an alliance with him, but if she's going to take a stance, she can't, ya know, flake on that.
Bailey: Oh no... I panicked a little once I was confronted about wanting to vote for Vladimir. After Hugh brought up the idea to work together to vote him out, now I'm just associating the idea of a Vladimir vote with working with Hugh in my mind. Thus, my immediate reaction was as if they had asked me if I was working with Hugh. (She takes a deep breath.) I can figure this out. I just need a little time to digest it.
Brittany: Steve Jenkins, Vladimir, me... How can one team have so many potential targets out there at once? I kind of miss the smaller teams of Explore Party. It was a lot easier to keep track of everyone. I'm definitely going to need to start turning heads away from me and towards Steve Jenkins, though. Or Vladimir. Or Shadya, like I discussed with Irving. Whoever we decide on. (She sighs.)
Kiki had gathered Dalit and Frita into the penthouse.
"This place is a good one to live in," Dalit smiled as she admired the decor. "I think I will buy one for me and Ephraim when I win."
"What if you don't win?" Frita asked.
"That kind of thinking is why you were voted out so early before!" Dalit scolded.
"You got last place in your season," Frita mumbled.
"Ladies! We need to focus," Kiki told them. "We need to settle on a target."
"The votes will just fall on me anyway," Frita sighed. "Don't put yourself in an inescapable minority for my sake."
"Oh my-" Kiki cut herself off in order to take a breath. "Do you think we can get a majority going against Kun or Jean-Marie?"
"I should hope we can get votes against Jean-Marie," Dalit said. "He is not a person who is to be trusted! We can remind everyone of that."
"I like to think that we can get that to happen, but I'm skeptical," Kiki admitted. "Who do you think we can get to turn against him?"
"Not Quentin," Frita mentioned. "I actually threw Jean-Marie's name out to him yesterday, and Quentin said he didn't want to do it."
"We might still be able to get Quentin," Kiki said. "I also spoke to him yesterday, and he seemed at least a little interested in working with us. We just need to be more convincing."
"What do we do? Threaten to beat him silly unless he votes with us?" Dalit suggested.
"No. What? No! What?" Kiki reacted. "We just need to highlight to him that there are already other alliances on this team who aren't going to have him as any sort of high priority. And, yeah, remind him that Jean-Marie is a manipulative man who can't be trusted and is already in an alliance. I'll try reconnecting with Cyan and Louise, as well. We can get through this!"
Silence.
"By the way, you have not yet complimented Frita's nails yet!" Dalit pointed out. "That is rude because I worked very hard on them!"
"She did spend an inordinate amount of time choosing a color," Frita corroborated.
Kiki groaned in frustration.
Confessional:
Kiki: Am I the only one taking this game seriously?! Ugh, they should have put me on the Gryphons and Bailey on the Wyverns. The Gryphons are full of people that actually want to play this game. Not spending half an hour choosing a color to paint each other's nails!
Frita: I want to help Kiki out, but I just don't have any kind of social skills to get people to want to vote with us. I'd just make it worse, and remind people how annoying I am, and they'd just vote me out instead, and that won't be helpful for me or Kiki or Dalit. So I'm... helping by not helping? I don't know, I'm not good at this.
Dalit: I can do Kiki's nails, too! She could really use it, and maybe a bit of blush, because her complexion is not inviting at all, and that might be why nobody else wants to vote for Jean-Marie with her!
Hugh met up with Irving over by the garage with the Grand Gryphons' logo painted on the door.
"Alright, good news, artard, the League of Villains isn't dead," Hugh sneered.
"I thought ye said that ye had good news," Irving remarked.
"You're hilarious. Will you be here all week?" Hugh asked flatly.
"I sure hope so! I got this pirate hat custom-made, I did. Be a shame if that went to waste," Irving laughed.
"Listen, I managed to talk Shadya into working with me," Hugh explained. "And I've pitched the idea to Bailey, as well."
"Hold up!" Irving picked his ear and then flicked the refuse away. "I thought ye said ye talked to Bailey."
"I did, artard," Hugh scowled.
Irving burst into hearty laughter. "Are ye daft, lad?! Why would sweet, shy little Bailey join a villains alliance?!"
"Well, I didn't outright call it that to her face. Give me some credit," Hugh scoffed. "Besides, she's someone that we know will be willing to vote for Vladimir if it comes down to it."
"And ye won't just work over Vladimir because...?" Irving asked.
"Because nobody else will," Hugh explained. "If I tried saving Vladimir, nobody else would want to work with me. We need to think long-term, here. And Vladimir is not necessary long-term."
"I have to admit, I didn't expect a move like that from ye," Irving told him.
"Underestimating me cost lots of people the game back in Alpha Party. I suggest you don't let it happen to you, too," Hugh snickered.
"Or else what? Ye'll vote me out? I thought ye were thinking long-term," Irving challenged.
"I never said I'd vote you out right away," Hugh threatened. "But anyway, if we can successfully band the team against Vladimir, it'll put us in a much better position than if we tried to help his obvious ass. After that, maybe we can keep steering the target off of us. I'll fill Ernie in on this later, too. As long as we have at least five votes, we should be good."
"If ye say so," Irving figured. "What do ye reckon Vladimir will try to do to save himself? He certainly not be the type to just lay down and die."
"Who cares? As long as we have the majority, he could throw me under the bus for all I care," Hugh dismissed. "What's important is that nobody trusts him, and we can use that to gain trust with the others."
"I'll see what I can do," Irving chuckled.
Confessional:
Hugh: Tch. I'd think Irving would be way more on board with this, considering he was the other person throwing ol' Vlad under the bus last night. He probably just refuses to hurt his ego in acting like I came up with a better plan than he did. But again, so long as we can get the votes against Vladimir, then we can establish ourselves as people that others will want to trust and work with.
Irving: Maybe I can talk to Brittany about it all. I know she'd appreciate hearing a name that isn't her own being thrown out there. She and I discussed voting Shadya, but perhaps that can wait until later. Hate to admit it, but Hugh may actually be onto something here with the whole "establishing trust" thing. Of course, anyone would be a fool to trust the Dread Pirate Irving too closely, but if folks don't expect me to pull some funny business, then that be on them! (He laughs mirthfully.)
Kun invited Jean-Marie and Joseph into his apartment room.
"Well, I spoke with, um, Louise, and it sounds like she's willing to work with us," Kun relayed.
"And I, with fair Cyan," Jean-Marie mentioned. "I believe she is also on our side, although she was strangely insistent on trying to work Nolan over as well."
"She may, um, already be working with Nolan," Kun surmised.
"I mean, there's no reason not to go with it, right?" Joseph figured. "The more allies, the better."
"It is not as if Nolan can choose to go against us," Jean-Marie thought aloud. "But it is also not as if he can choose to go with us."
"Nolan is very much a wildcard," Kun nodded. "But I'd rather, um, have a wildcard on this team than someone who I know is actively against us."
"Kiki's our first mark, yeah?" Joseph inquired. "Because I tried talking to her, and she still hates my guts just because I'm not an active feminist or something."
"Dalit has expressed similar disdain towards moi," Jean-Marie pointed out.
"Between the two, I think, um, Kiki is a bigger threat," Kun stated. "I see her as, um, more of a priority target. Without her, I don't imagine Dalit or Frita upending the, um, dynamics of the team or anything."
"This makes sense," Jean-Marie conceded. "I'll admit, I'd likely make a similar call were I in your position."
"Well alright! We've got this in the bag, bros!" Joseph beamed.
Kun looked to be deep in thought.
"Is something troubling you?" Jean-Marie asked him.
"I'm just, um, hung up on something," Kun admitted. "I'll bring it up if I ultimately feel it's worth bringing up. It, um, might just be me overthinking things."
"Best not to overthink things, my man," Joseph assured him. "We've got a target, and we've got people who are willing to vote for her. No reason to rock the boat before it's even left the dock."
"That is... one way to put it," Jean-Marie commented.
Confessional:
Kun: I'm just, um, wondering if keeping Nolan around is a mistake. If Cyan and Louise really are already working with him, then, um, once we get rid of Kiki's alliance, he might be more of a priority to keep around than me or Jean-Marie or Joseph in their eyes. And it's not as if we can guarantee his vote on our side. I still think getting rid of Kiki now is our best play, but, um, I'm still not sure about Nolan.
Jean-Marie: If Nolan is always going to cast stray votes, then I cannot foresee him proving too much of an obstacle, especially if we already have a majority. It would be best to focus our efforts on eliminating those who actively oppose us, non?
Joseph: I'm just glad that I've got my bros on my side out here. Kiki isn't the first person to call me a misogynist, and when that happens, people are going to want to turn against you because they don't want to be called misogynists either. Kun and JM are hella smart, though, so they know better. That's why they're bros.
Isidora read a book in McLean Park as Shadya had just finished running laps around the perimeter.
"I still insist that working out at least a little can make a difference," Shadya told Isidora.
"And I still insist that my daily quantity of energy is painfully limited and I want to be of at least some use in the challenge," Isidora responded.
"That's just an excuse and you know it," Shadya told her.
"Sure is," Isidora agreed.
"Anyway, what do you think of voting out Irving if we lose again?" Shadya asked.
"You want to respond to us losing a challenge... by voting out someone who's good at challenges?" Isidora restated.
"I want to respond to Irving not being someone I can work with by voting out someone I can't work with," Shadya glared. "He isn't just good at challenges. He's good at the strategic game, too. We can't forget that."
"I guess," Isidora conceded. "I'm still not sure voting him out right away is the best move, though."
"It is. I came up with it," Shadya insisted. "If eight other people can't win a challenge just because Irving isn't there, then that group of people deserves to keep losing. Especially with me being one of those eight. Everyone else would really have to be weighing me down."
"It's true, literally nothing has ever once been your fault," Isidora responded.
"Stop that," Shadya instructed. "Irving is not only expendable but a detriment. I will not repeat myself."
"I'm not saying I'm against an Irving vote, I just don't grasp your logic at all," Isidora said bluntly. "You think we could drop our deals with Hugh and Steve Jenkins and drop one of them instead?"
"If I thought that was the optimal play, then I would have pitched it to you instead of what I did pitch," Shadya stated.
"If you say so," Isidora said.
Confessional:
Shadya: Of course, I will continue to do everything in my power to make sure my team does not lose, because the very idea of me having any challenge losses churns my stomach, but I would be foolish not to assume that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Thus, Irving had best be doing his best to win challenges as well, because otherwise, it will be his head.
Isidora: It's not that I trust Irving necessarily, but I'm incredibly skeptical of the idea that Hugh or Steve Jenkins will be of much help to us if we keep them around. Irving's at least a semi-reasonable human being. If we lose another immunity, I think getting rid of one of them would be more beneficial than getting rid of Irving. Plus, on a personal level, I really don't want Steve Jenkins to get too attached to me. I might make a push, I might not. We'll see how I'm feeling.
Cyan, Louise, and Nolan all played a tabletop card game in the barcade, each with a light beer.
"Why is there only one stack of blue cards?" Cyan frowned.
"Because that's the only type of reaction card that came with this set? I don't know," Nolan told her.
"Laaaaaaame," Cyan complained.
"At least her strategy will be easy to figure out," Louise whispered to Nolan.
"True, true," Nolan chuckled.
"I heard that!" Cyan accused. "You only win when you spend gold on the green cards, right? Obviously, I want to win."
"You know, my wife would insist that cyan and blue are two different colors," Nolan mentioned.
"Well, your wife is wrong," Cyan said.
"No, she actually explained this one to me," Nolan continued. "What are the primary colors of light?"
"Red, green, and blue. Everyone knows that," Cyan answered. "Hey, wait a minute, are you trying to give me the old 'cyan is just blue and green light at the same time' thing? Because that still means it's a shade of blue, just with some green!"
"Okay then, what are the primary colors of pigment?" Nolan asked.
"Red, blue, and yellow," Louise answered.
"Wrong, actually," Nolan corrected proudly. "Cyan, magenta, and yellow. Why do you think those are the colors of printer ink? Mixing those colors will produce any color on the spectrum. Mixing red, blue, and yellow gets you some muddy looking colors and that's it."
"Okay, then blue pigment is just a combination of cyan and magenta or whatever. Blue and cyan are still the same thing!" Cyan insisted.
"By that logic, magenta is also a shade of blue," Nolan told her.
"Wait, how does mixing blue and yellow paint make green then?" Louise asked.
"I don't remember," Nolan admitted. "But yeah, blue and cyan are the same thing just as much as green and cyan are the same thing."
"Well, fine! Then I'll just buy all the green cards and win the entire game!" Cyan proclaimed passionately. "...That felt so wrong to say. Your wife is wrong. Cyan is a shade of blue. I'm sorry, I don't make the rules."
"It sounds like you don't even follow the rules," Nolan muttered.
Confessional:
Cyan: Nolan didn't have to tell me that. What a jerk!
Nolan: Heh, one light beer and we're getting heated about what colors count as what. I guess that is a passion of Cyan's, but I was curious to know if she'd heard that take on how cyan and blue are technically two different colors. Ah, it was all in good fun. I don't think she's actually mad at me.
Louise: Cyan did end up buying most of the blue cards in the end. To her credit, those ones are really strong and not worth a lot of gold, so she ended up getting 2nd place in that game. Go figure.
Steve Jenkins found Vladimir eating by himself at Hatchet's Diner. He took his own plate of food and sat across from him.
"What's up, Vlad my man?" Steve Jenkins grinned.
"I preferred 'Baz', to be honest," Vladimir told him.
"Look, you might have everyone else fooled, but the all-seeing eyes of Steve Jenkins can't be so easily deceived," Steve Jenkins claimed. "But don't you worry. I've got your back."
"How do you mean?" Vladimir asked.
"Brittany totally should have gone home last night," Steve Jenkins said. "Not that Lilith was, like, remotely tolerable to be around, but she was also no threat to us! Brittany knows how to play this game. Brittany knows how to win this game! Are we just going to sit back and let her do that again?"
"Brittany is an awfully competent player," Vladimir agreed. "And I would like to get her out, especially if I'm the alternative."
"Honestly? You might be," Steve Jenkins told him honestly. "But listen, I've got Isidora and Shady in my corner. Now that Lilith is gone, Shady's going to need a new target, and who better than someone who's going to challenge her 'must-win-everything' ego by having already won? I know, I know, hold your applause."
"There were four votes against Brittany last night, right?" Vladimir recalled. "I was one of them, and I assume you were, too?"
"That's right," Steve Jenkins confirmed.
"Lilith was probably one of them, and if Shadya voted for Lilith, which I can't imagine she didn't, that would mean Isidora was the fourth vote, yeah?" Vladimir put together. "We'll need at least one more vote if we want a majority, though."
"That shouldn't be difficult. I'm sure Hugh or Ernie or someone would be willing to listen to reason," Steve Jenkins figured.
"Ernie and Isidora do seem to hang out quite a bit. You may be onto something here," Vladimir smiled.
"Tch. Was there ever any doubt?" Steve Jenkins boasted as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm easily one of, if not the smartest person on this team."
"You're definitely proving yourself to be smarter than I'd assumed," Vladimir told him.
"See? Even with my amazing reputation as Steve Jenkins, I'm still able to surpass people's expectations," Steve Jenkins self-praised. "Are you sure you're not willing to start worshipping me?"
"Pretty sure, but I am willing to work with you in the game," Vladimir said.
"Baby steps, I guess," Steve Jenkins shrugged smugly.
Confessional:
Vladimir: Not a lot of people have approached me today. I spoke with Shadya about maybe voting out Irving, and he's also someone I wouldn't mind getting out. I can start discussing it with the others. What's important here is that I'm not necessarily doomed, even with the reputation that I've managed to amass in such a short time. I guess that's on me for underestimating how quick people would be to catch on to my disguise. Regardless, I had a reputation as a sneaky player last time, and I still managed to get 5th. I can do so again.
Steve Jenkins: This town ain't big enough for two sexy genius blondes, and Ernie certainly isn't putting his hat in that ring. Getting rid of Brittany would be a massive move, no two ways about it. A lesser man might end up with a bigger target on his back for making such a big move and being a big threat, but I'm Steve Jenkins, so all I need to do is give a smile and a wink, and I'll have everyone forgetting what a scary player I am. (He smiles and winks at the camera.)
Quentin sat on a bench, practicing his bird calls. Two finches flew up next to him.
"Hey, guys," Quentin smiled. "How's the game been treating you?" He paused. "Wait, you're birds, you're not playing the game."
One of the finches flew away. Quentin frowned. He redirected his attention to the other finch.
"So, eat any good berries lately?" Quentin asked. "Any... Any you might be willing to share with me? Please? I'm very hungry."
The finch looked at Quentin. It did not respond.
"I'll settle for worms. Please," Quentin groaned as he clutched onto his stomach.
The finch flew off. Quentin sighed.
"Attention, everyone!" Topher's voice rang through the city-wide PA system. "It is now time for the challenge! Meet us at McLean Park within twenty minutes! Quentin, the door to Isolation Park is unlocked!"
"Yes... finally...Quentin mustered with a sigh of relief.
He stood up, went towards the door back out to the city, and walked through. The click of a lock sounded behind him when the door closed on his way out.
"Time to do everything in my power to not go back in there," Quentin told himself.
Confessional:
Quentin: Isolation Park sucked. It might actually be the worst experience I've had in my life. Nobody to talk to, nothing to do, no food, no shelter... Is this what it's like to be homeless? Dang, this is all putting my life into perspective.
The teams met up with Chris, Topher, and Lindsay at McLean Park.
"How was Isolation Park?" Nolan asked Quentin.
"The worst," Quentin said.
"Take your L as an incentive to do better next time, bro," Joseph encouraged.
"Thanks, I will," Quentin smiled weakly.
"Now that everyone's here, it's time to get this one explained," Chris began. "You guys remember the big crates you guys ferried across the entire city?"
"No," Isidora responded.
Chris gave her an annoyed look before continuing. "Well, I'm sure you were wondering what was inside all those crates."
"That's what today's challenge is all about!" Topher continued. "And here to help explain it all is a good buddy of mine. You know him from Explore Party: it's Ethan!"
A tall, muscular man ran into view from behind a building and joined the others.
"What is up, party people?!" Ethan greeted.
Joseph and Steve Jenkins both cheered, and high-fived each other in the heat of the moment.
"I like these two!" Ethan grinned. "Anyway, those crates you hauled from the last challenge are going to be hella important to this one."
"You don't have to bring them back anywhere, don't worry," Lindsay assured everyone.
"Naw, this challenge is way doper than that," Ethan said. "What's in those boxes is a bunch of neat shit so you can turn the lame-ass garages you left them in into the sickest hangout spots in the city! What whaaaaaaaat!"
"That's right, Ethan," Topher corroborated. "You guys' challenge today is to house-flip your designated garage into somewhere that people will feasibly want to spend time in. The big crates are full of tools, furniture, decor, what have you. Feel free to use it to your heart's content."
"You'll have three hours from the word 'go'," Chris added. "After the time is up, the four of us will judge your work on aesthetics, cleanliness, and fun factor. The team that gets the best overall score will win reward!"
"Reward? Not Invincibility?" Louise asked.
"That's right! This is not an elimination round," Topher told the contestants. "In these early rounds of the game, you guys will get a couple of these non-elims, to give you stars a chance to shine a little longer."
"Oh, that's neat," Vladimir smiled.
"What be the booty, then?" Irving asked.
"The reward?" Lindsay asked unsurely. "The reward for winning this challenge is that you guys will get a TV and a Playstation for your new hangout spot!"
"The Playstation can not only play games, but has Netflix, Hulu, and Spotify capabilities, too," Ethan added. "Definitely not something you guys are going to want to miss out on."
"Hulu would be a godsend," Brittany admitted.
"Oh, and before I forget, someone from the Fighting Wyverns has to sit out to keep the teams even," Chris added.
"I'd rather not," Quentin told his team. "I want to redeem myself from last time."
"You look hella tired, bro," Joseph told him.
"I can sit out," Frita sighed.
"You're an artist. You'd be really helpful in this one," Nolan told her.
"I wouldn't know what to do if I was in this one. I can hit the bench," Louise volunteered.
Nobody objected to this.
"Alright. Hosts! I'm sitting out!" Louise announced.
"Okie dokie," Topher acknowledged. "By the way, if the Fighting Wyverns win this challenge, Louise will not participate in the Best/Worst vote."
"Is that a thing?" Isidora asked.
"It's probably how they determined who would go to Isolation Park," Bailey figured.
Vladimir appeared pensive.
"If there are no further questions...?" Chris began. "...Go!"
The teams both ran for the garages.
Confessional:
Shadya: A round where you don't have to vote anyone off? What a horrible idea. Losing a reward challenge has drastically reduced stakes, which will make everyone less motivated to do their best. Why bother having a challenge at all if it's not going to matter to the game?
Cyan: OMG, I love interior designing so much! Of course, usually, I just make all the walls, furniture, and decor blue whenever I'm coming up with ideas. That's probably not in the cards for this one, but I'll still do whatever I can to keep the room cool!
Ernie: (He yawns.) I don't know, this all seems kind of, like, redundant. Do we not already have an entire city we could hang out in? I guess having music and video games wouldn't hurt, but if I have free time, I'd rather just, ya know, take a nap.
Quentin: Alright, good, this one doesn't seem like a super intense challenge. I should still be able to contribute to this one. Spending the night at Isolation Park is making me want to avoid going there again by any means necessary. I'll put in extra effort to make sure I'm not the weakest link.
The two teams arrived at their respective garages at about the same time. The Grand Gryphons entered their garage, which was understandably barren and dusty.
Steve Jenkins coughed overdramatically. "Alright, Jenkinettes! We need to really kick this one in the ass! Follow my lead, and we'll win this one no issue!"
"Are we going to dignify any of what he just said by responding to him?" Isidora asked Brittany.
"I wasn't planning to," Brittany responded.
"Yeah, it might just be best to let us ignoring him speak for itself," Isidora agreed.
"I converted an old garage into a youth group center a few years ago," Vladimir offered. "I think I can-"
"Ye did no such thing," Irving interrupted.
Vladimir sighed. "Yes, for Edmonton Community Church. The garage itself wasn't too far from the main church building."
"That's a cool story, but, uh, I don't remember asking," Hugh said snidely. "Anyone here actually know what the hell they're doing?"
"Who do you think you're talking to?" Shadya scoffed. "I designed and built the house I currently live in. Renovating a garage should be an easy win for the Grand Gryphons."
"Yeah, yeah, you chopped down the trees to get the wood and everything, we get it," Steve Jenkins said with a roll of his eyes.
"No, that would have taken too long," Shadya denied. "I saved so much time just buying the wood. Time I spent learning how to cook fugu safely. But I digress. Let's get these boxes open."
"They're nailed shut, by the way," Ernie pointed out.
"Then put your back into it," Shadya told him.
Ernie sighed and began pulling on the lid of the nearest crate.
"What ideas do you have for what we should do?" Bailey asked Shadya.
"I'm glad you asked!" Steve Jenkins butted in. "You see, if we can find a printer, we can photocopy pictures of my face to put all over the walls."
"Just because this be a reward challenge doesn't mean ye shouldn't be actually trying to win," Irving remarked.
"Well, I'm not photocopying pictures of my ass to put on the wall!" Steve Jenkins insisted.
Confessional:
Steve Jenkins: I don't know what's wrong with everyone. I'm doing whatever it takes to encourage them with my Steve Jenkins brand of leadership, but they're not listening! Ugh, it's because Shady keeps talking over me, isn't it? If I talk too loud, I'll strain my vocal cords, and nobody wants that!
Isidora: This actually seems like a challenge I could contribute to. Shame it's not for Invincibility, but either way, this type of hangout place seems like somewhere I'll keep going to. I'll do what I can to make sure it doesn't suck.
The Fighting Wyverns had just gotten their crates open and were emptying the contents to see what they could use.
"Looks like we have all sorts of paints, wallpapers, and wall decor in this one," Quentin relayed to his teammates.
"This one looks to have disassembled furniture," Jean-Marie informed.
"This one is filled with tools and things that are also like tools," Dalit said.
"Tools? How'd Steve Jenkins get in that box?" Nolan chuckled.
"Is there any, um, blueprint paper anywhere?" Kun asked.
Joseph started emptying the box of tools as quickly as he could, getting stuff all over the place.
"Hey, watch it!" Kiki snapped after a screwdriver nearly hit her in the forehead.
"Just be glad it wasn't a Phillips. A Phillips is more likely to gouge into your skull if thrown haphazardly," Frita mentioned ominously.
"I found blueprint paper!" Joseph announced as he held the large, rolled-up sheet of blue paper aloft.
"And I found Benjamin Moore's Stained Glass paint!" Cyan cheered as she emerged from the first crate, holding a bucket. "A wonderful shade of blue to paint a room if you ask me."
"Hm, that is a nice color," Kun said as he inspected the bucket. "Any objections to painting the walls this color?"
"I trust Cyan to know which color we should paint the walls," Joseph grinned.
"I don't think it will go with my complexion," Dalit griped.
"No, teal would suit you better, but I can fix your wardrobe later. We have to focus on the challenge," Cyan told her.
"My wardrobe is perfect, you intolerant bitch!" Dalit snapped.
"Hey, that's, um, really not necessary," Kun tried to defuse.
"If you guys need me, I'll get to work on actually building the furniture. That might be important," Kiki mentioned.
"G-Good call. Me too!" Quentin backed up.
Confessional:
Dalit: I will not allow anyone to speak bad about my outfit! It is by Teddy Fresh! Go look them up and buy their clothes right now! You can do that on your computers or phones!
Nolan: It's fascinating how our team was able to synergize during an active challenge, yet a more laidback challenge like this has everyone arguing. We do have some people who know what they're doing, though, so I think we can still pull this off if we can focus.
The Grand Gryphons gathered around the blueprint paper as Shadya drew up plans.
"Putting that lamp there is bad feng shui," Ernie claimed monotonously.
"And will feng shui affect our chances of winning?" Shadya asked impatiently.
"I mean, it might," Ernie figured. "It kind of sounds like, ya know, something Topher might get into."
"Why do you know so much about feng shui?" Isidora asked.
"I fell into a Wikipedia rabbit hole after doing research for an essay about homicides," Ernie claimed.
"Who cares about some outdated zen bullshit? Will the lamp look good there, or not?" Hugh interrupted.
"Yes," Shadya said.
"Good, then we're putting it there," Hugh decided.
"Now, hold on!" Steve Jenkins butted in.
"Any possible input you can give is irrelevant and unnecessary," Shadya said.
"Did you stop to think about what color the lamp is?" Steve Jenkins accused. "What if the color completely clashes with the rest of the surrounding furniture? Are you trying to cost us this challenge? It's a good thing Steve Jenkins was here to lead his team on the path of victory!"
"The... The lamp is black," Bailey said. She had been holding the lamp the entire time.
"Yes, and what if... uh... What color doesn't go with black?" Steve Jenkins asked.
"None," Brittany answered.
"Exactly, what if the surrounding furniture has none colors?!" Steve Jenkins questioned.
"Monochrome wouldn't be an awful look, actually," Vladimir thought aloud.
"Don't encourage him," Isidora remarked.
"We be losing focus!" Irving shouted. "Steve Jenkins, why don't ye go check outside to see if there's anything we could bring in that the other team wouldn't think to?"
"That's actually not an awful idea," Steve Jenkins conceded. "I mean, obviously it isn't, because I came up with it first. I just felt that the lamp was more of a priority to worry about, which is why I didn't bring it up sooner. Anywho, Steve Jenkins will be right back. Try not to miss me too much!"
Steve Jenkins ran out of the garage.
"I deserve Invincibility for that alone," Irving bragged.
Confessional:
Shadya: I'm becoming increasingly skeptical that keeping Steve Jenkins around is a remotely worthwhile endeavor.
Ernie: I'm just saying, like, feng shui needs to have come from somewhere. It had to have made enough sense to enough people for it to catch on. There's no reason not to, ya know, make sure the houseplant is put in the southeast if it means there might be an increased chance of money. I don't know.
The Fighting Wyverns had split into two factions: people who were putting the furniture together, and people who were painting the room.
"So hey, was there anything of note in Isolation Park?" Kiki asked Quentin quietly as they put a cabinet together.
"I did find a few varied thrushes. Beautiful creatures," Quentin smiled.
"Anything game-related?" Kiki clarified flatly.
"Oh, uh, I might have," Quentin admitted. "We can talk more later."
"No, you guys, you're not applying enough paint," Cyan told Dalit and Frita. "The color is going to look completely off! And as much as I embrace having as many shades of blue as possible in any given area, the hosts are just going to see an uneven mess!"
"I've never painted anything in my life," Frita sighed. "I only make pencil sketches..."
"I will not allow you to yell at us as if we are your slaves!" Dalit snapped back at Cyan.
"I-I'm not yelling!" Cyan yelled. "I'm just very passionate about this!"
"Bro, it's alright," Joseph consoled. "If it turns out to be too big of an issue, we can always fix it later."
Cyan took a deep breath. "You're right." She turned to Dalit and Frita. "Sorry for losing it."
"Don't do it again," Dalit glared.
Cyan winced.
"Ignore the hoes," Joseph told her as they walked away from the scene.
"No, I overreacted. They had every right to talk back," Cyan admitted. "It's still super embarrassing, though."
"Well, you apologized. If they're still mad after that, that's on them," Joseph said. He suddenly wore a look of discomfort.
"What's up?" Cyan asked.
"Nothing. Personal business," Joseph told her.
"Ugh, I should have stepped in," Kun said to Jean-Marie and Nolan as they put a coffee table together.
"Mais non, being overbearing won't do you any good," Jean-Marie assured him. "It may have been better that you didn't."
"It's a leader's duty to make sure things are running smoothly. I neglected that duty," Kun said.
"Do things seem like they're running smoothly right now?" Nolan asked.
"Right now, yeah, but..." Kun began.
"Then there's nothing to worry about," Nolan figured. "If things heat up again, then you should probably step in, but for now, you might as well let sleeping dogs lie."
"Maybe," Kun conceded.
Confessional:
Cyan: Dalit comparing me to a slave owner was definitely not warranted, on so many levels, but Joseph's right. I need to take the high road here. At least, if things continue to go badly, it probably won't be too hard to get the votes against her.
Joseph: Damn, I never apologized to Kiki for upsetting her, did I? I mean, I'm not the one in the wrong between us, but still, if I do, then she becomes the bad guy, full-stop, right? Still, I don't think I could bear to apologize to her when she started it. I did enough of that with my shitty ex-girlfriend all those years ago. It's not a healthy mindset to be in, bros.
The Grand Gryphons had made considerable progress in house-flipping their garage, with furniture and decor having been placed all around the area.
"Should we have painted the walls before putting everything in place?" Isidora questioned.
"If we weren't on such a limited timeframe, then maybe," Shadya admitted. "But we only have so much time to make this place look good, and painting it would have been a massive time sink."
"I still think it looks good," Bailey smiled.
"Exactly," Shadya nodded. "It's about optimizing results with the restrictions placed upon us."
"Wow, you really do surpass expectations, Shadya," Hugh complimented. "I did not know it was possible to be this much of a fucking nerd, but, as always, you continue to blow us all away."
Shadya rolled her eyes.
"...So, Steve Jenkins has been gone for a while. Do you think something happened to him?" Vladimir fretted.
"I hope so," Irving chuckled.
"That's not necessary," Brittany reprimanded. "I'm going to go check on him."
Brittany left the garage.
"So, like, how much time do we have left?" Ernie asked.
"Twenty minutes," Isidora answered as she checked her watch.
"Is there anything else we could fix up in that time?" Ernie wondered.
"I found him," Brittany announced as she and Steve Jenkins returned.
"Did ye find anything?" Irving asked Steve Jenkins.
"Did I?!" Steve Jenkins boasted. He took an orange out of his pocket and placed it on the coffee table. "I was going to get more, but I realized that I only had so much space in my pockets. I actually picked two, but I got hungry on the way back."
"Game-changing addition," Isidora commented.
"I didn't know this city had orange trees," Bailey mentioned.
"Me neither, but what Steve Jenkins needs, Steve Jenkins gets," Steve Jenkins claimed.
"I'm taking that as permission to kick him in the nuts whenever I want," Hugh snickered quietly.
Confessional:
Brittany: I think we've done a good job with our garage. I don't know what the other team is looking like at the moment, but I could easily see us winning this one. I hope we win. That reward is sounding better and better.
Vladimir: I am concerned about the fact that we didn't paint the garage's walls, because I'm almost certain that Cyan would have made her team paint their wall blue, and that could make the difference. We'll just have to wait and see. Anything can happen.
Over in the nearby building where the hosts had previously waited for the challenge to end, Chris, Topher, Lindsay, Ethan, and Louise hung out. Chris stood in the corner with a cup of coffee, Topher was giving Lindsay a manicure, and Ethan and Louise were locked in an arm-wrestling match.
"I'm so glad we get to do this kind of thing together!" Lindsay told Topher excitedly. "Chris would never."
"Eh, doing things for others out of the kindness of my heart has never really appealed to me," Chris mentioned. "Mostly because there isn't a whole lot of kindness in my heart."
"And that's why you soured on fans so quickly," Topher mentioned. "It's a good thing they finally brought me on board."
"Because you're such a bleeding heart," Chris quipped.
"As a fan-turned-contestant-turned-host-turned-host/producer, I understand every necessary point of view that can make the show perfect," Topher claimed. "I'm a valuable treasure."
"Cool, maybe I can bury you somewhere," Chris grumbled quietly.
"I'll do your nails next, alright?" Lindsay said.
"I would appreciate that," Chris complied.
"Oh, I was talking to Topher," Lindsay admitted.
Chris angrily sipped his coffee.
"Yes! Tie broken!" Ethan announced as he slammed Louise's hand against the table.
"You're tough," Louise smirked.
"And you're definitely the strongest chick I've ever met," Ethan told her.
"I get that a lot," Louise mentioned proudly. "Sports are pretty great. It's a shame that kids are getting more into TV and YouTube now that that stuff is getting so much easier to get a hold of. People need to stay active in order to be healthy! That's why I'm doing what I can to be a fun and engaging coach!"
"That's what's up," Ethan nodded.
An alarm on Chris's phone went off.
"That's the challenge!" Chris announced. "Let's go break the news to everyone."
The group made their way out of the building.
Confessional:
Louise: I strongly believe that exercising at least a little every day can make a huge positive difference in your life. Even if you're just taking a walk, that's keeping you way more active than if you just sat at home all day. Take care of yourselves, folks!
The contestants all met up with the hosts and Ethan outside their garages.
"Alright, in just a minute, the four of us are going to look at you guys' hangout spots," Chris explained. "We're going to give your efforts a ranking on a scale of 1 to 10. Whichever team has the highest point total will win the challenge!"
"In order to keep things at least a little fairer, Ethan and I will go to the Fighting Wyverns first, and Chris and Lindsay will go to the Grand Gryphons first," Topher continued. "This way, we won't all have the same first impression compared to the one we go to second."
"Good luck, you guys!" Lindsay chirped.
"I'm hella stoked to see what you guys did," Ethan told the contestants. "I expect some tight shit from y'all."
"Everyone, wait out here. Once we have the results ready, we'll let you know," Chris instructed.
The judges each went into their first garages.
Confessional:
Jean-Marie: I do hope that my old friend Ethan can throw my team a bone, here. He likely won't, and I would not blame him, but I think that I, more than anyone, really want this reward. J'espère que nous avons dépassé l'autre équipe.
Bailey: I believe that winning this challenge could result in a large spike in morale for whichever team pulls it off. Having an entertainment system will make it easier for anyone with access to it to unwind, and possibly bond with others over experiencing entertainment together. My fingers are crossed that we emerge victoriously.
The judges posted their ultimate verdicts on the garage doors. The contestants took notice, and all flocked to their team's respective paper.
"Chris said: 'This is about what I would expect. It looks nice enough, but it lacks the wow factor that I had hoped for. Plus, the walls aren't even painted. 4/10'," Isidora read. "He absolutely could not have done better."
"Topher said: 'Excellent use of feng shui. What a creative use of the tools given to you guys. My only complaint is that the room lacks color. 6/10'," Vladimir read.
Ernie grinned smugly at Shadya.
"Lindsay said: 'I can tell you guys worked really hard on this! I would totally hang out here if I could. I hope you guys continue to enjoy it throughout the season! 10/10'," Shadya read. "See, at least Lindsay has taste."
"Ethan said: 'I can't explain it, but there's something about this room that speaks to me, even if you guys never actually opened a single can of paint. I think it's because it smelled like oranges. I like the smell of oranges way more than the smell of paint. Clever move. 7/10'," Brittany read.
"Don't all kiss my feet at once," Steve Jenkins said proudly.
"We won't," the entire rest of his team responded at once.
"That's a 27/40," Ernie added together. "Not something I'm, like, super confident in."
"We'll just have to see what happens," Irving said. "I think we can do it!"
The Fighting Wyverns, meanwhile, read their paper at the same time.
"Chris said: 'This feels like a real room that someone would want to spend time in, not just a garage with furniture. I can tell you guys knew what you were doing. 8/10'," Cyan read. "Alright!"
"Topher said: 'You know how they say that, if you're doing something right, it's not going to stand out as much as if you did something wrong? I think that's how I feel about this room. It's nice, but nothing stands out to me about it. 6/10'," Kiki read. "What the hell does that even mean?"
"Lindsay said: 'I can tell you guys worked really hard on this! I would totally hang out here if I could. I hope you guys continue to enjoy it throughout the season! 10/10'," Quentin read. "Well, that's nice."
"Ethan said: 'I dig the shade of blue you guys used to paint the walls. I'm going to be real, though, the paint fumes are making my stomach sick. Never huff paint fumes, kids. It'll ruin you. 4/10'," Kun read. "Well, that, um, hardly seems fair, being penalized for making the place look better because of something he did in the past."
"We'll just have to run with it," Joseph said.
"It sounds like everyone has read their reviews!" Chris announced. "And, with just one point ahead in their favor..."
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
"The Fighting Wyverns win!"
The Fighting Wyverns cheered.
"Man, come on, it took me like an hour to find oranges!" Steve Jenkins objected. "Absolute lamers, the lot of you."
"Grand Gryphons, we've got nothing for you. You won't be voting anyone out, but you're still going to stay at the motel, and won't get to go to the barcade. You're all dismissed," Topher told them.
The Grand Gryphons all left the scene.
"Congrats, guys, y'all get a sweet PlayStation!" Ethan told the Fighting Wyverns.
"But that's not all. It's time for another Best/Worst vote," Chris said.
Lindsay and Topher handed slips of paper and pens to each of the Fighting Wyverns, sans Louise.
Confessional:
Cyan: I don't know if my team will hold my insistence on painting the room against me or not, since it caused Ethan to give us a low score. I think the other three liked it, though? I don't know.
Quentin: I hope I managed to avoid doing the worst this time around. Even if it means another potential shot at a hidden statue, it's not worth sleeping outside with no food.
The team had turned in their votes for who they thought did the best and worst in the challenge.
"Your votes have been counted, and the results are in!" Topher announced.
"The person who got the most votes as the best is..." Chris began.
...
...
...
...
...
"Cyan!"
"Oh, yay!" Cyan clapped. "Thanks so much, guys!"
"You definitely knew what you were doing more than the rest of us," Nolan told her. "We couldn't have done it without you."
"Enjoy your stay at the penthouse," Topher smiled.
"And for who got the most votes as the worst..." Chris began.
"I hate this part," Lindsay frowned.
...
...
...
...
...
"Dalit!" Chris announced.
"I beg your pardon?!" Dalit snapped. "I have not done anything wrong!"
"Vous criez trop, pour une chose," Jean-Marie murmured.
"This means that Dalit will not be able to celebrate her team's win, and will be headed to Isolation Park!" Topher confirmed.
"That's not fair!" Dalit shouted.
"That's the game, brah," Chris shrugged.
"Let's go, Dalit," Lindsay coaxed as she headed for Isolation Park. "It won't be for very long, promise."
Dalit angrily complied.
"I brought coke!" Ethan announced as he re-joined the scene.
"Please tell me you don't mean-" Chris began.
"Nah, just kidding, I brought Pepsi," Ethan chuckled as he held up a box of sodas. "Enjoy a movie tonight or something, dudes. You earned it!"
Votes:
Best:
Cyan - Jean-Marie, Joseph, Kiki, Kun, Quentin
Kiki - Dalit, Frita
Joseph - Cyan
Quentin - Nolan
Worst:
Dalit - Cyan, Jean-Marie, Joseph, Kun, Quentin
Cyan - Dalit, Frita, Nolan
Kun - Kiki
The Grand Gryphons all went to eat dinner at Hatchet's Diner.
"These two losses are irrelevant in the grand scheme of this game!" Shadya told her team. "We are strong, we are brilliant, and we are tenacious! The other team has only won through sheer luck! Today's challenge? Quantified entirely subjectively. Not an accurate measure of skill whatsoever. We will carve our paths to victory henceforth!"
Silence.
"Neat. Can I eat my mashed potatoes now?" Hugh asked snidely.
"To her credit, that's the most positive I've ever seen her," Isidora commented.
"Just remember, everyone: every loss we take, Steve Jenkins gets just a little bit disappointed in you," Steve Jenkins told everyone solemnly. "Repent now, and win every challenge!"
"Well, I know I'm jazzed to go win, now," Ernie remarked.
"At least we don't have to vote for anyone tonight," Bailey offered.
"We did miss a hell of a reward, though," Irving grumbled.
"I'm with Bailey. We should look on the positive side of things," Vladimir agreed. "We're all still in the game, and that's something to be glad about."
"That is true," Brittany said. "Come on, guys, we may have lost, but, until you're voted out, you still have a chance to win this game."
"You of all people would know that," Hugh conceded.
"Was that an insult?" Brittany asked Isidora quietly.
"Probably," Isidora told her.
"I see it as more of a symbol of your perseverance," Vladimir said. "You still won, even when things worked against you. So did every winner in this game, now that I think about it. I guess that's what it means to win a game. It sounds kind of obvious when I say it out loud."
"You tried," Brittany giggled.
"I still have faith in us," Bailey smiled. "Two losses don't mean anything."
"Here be to victory for the crew of the Grand Gryphons!" Irving announced as he held his glass of water aloft.
"Here!" Bailey, Brittany, Hugh, Steve Jenkins, and Vladimir all played along.
Confessional:
Shadya: Having a 100% loss ratio is something that I simply cannot abide by. Part of me wishes that this was an elimination round so I can continue to trim the fat. Thankfully, the rest of the team seems to share my sentiment that we must win from here on out. It will happen.
Hugh: I'm not about to let a bunch of jokers who couldn't even make it to the merge the first time one-up us! We've got legacies to uphold, damn it! Especially me! I'm the baddest boy Total Drama has ever known! I need to keep that going! Of course, I wasn't going to stroke Shadya's ego by agreeing with her back there. I need to make sure she knows that she doesn't call all the shots out here.
The Fighting Wyverns, sans Dalit, stayed in their new garage as Kun looked for a movie to watch.
"I'm hard vetoing anything that doesn't pass the Bechdel Test," Kiki told Kun.
"Do you, um, know every movie that passes it?" Kun asked.
"I'll be able to tell at a glance which ones don't," Kiki claimed.
"Okay, but, um, once I've- we've chosen a movie, we're not changing midway if you suspect that it doesn't pass," Kun established.
"Ugh, I guess that's reasonable," Kiki conceded. "It's not like this will be our only time hanging out here."
"Exactly," Kun smiled.
"...It will be nice having the opportunity to be a team, and not constantly arguing with each other," Kiki said.
"That's what I'm hoping for," Kun agreed.
"I'm still not sure I should be here," Louise admitted as she sat on a couch with Cyan and Nolan. "I didn't earn any of this."
"Nonsense! Someone had to sit out, and you didn't think you'd be able to contribute to the challenge," Cyan assured her. "You're still a part of the team."
"Believe me, I definitely don't want to miss out," Louise beamed. "I can tell this is going to be a hell of a night."
"The inaugural Netflix and Chill of the game," Nolan agreed.
"...You know what that means, right?" Louise asked.
"I do," Nolan chuckled. "Relax, I'm just joking. Although, I wouldn't be horribly shocked if that did end up happening at some point."
"Between who?!" Cyan gasped.
"What about those two?" Nolan asked as he gestured his head towards Frita and Quentin, who were talking in the corner.
"Oh yeah, by the way, I found a hidden statue over in Isolation Park," Quentin told Frita.
"Really?" Frita asked.
"Yeah. It lets me nullify all votes against one person, but I have to play it before the votes are revealed," Quentin explained. "Maybe Dalit will find one, too."
"Maybe we'd actually stand a chance," Frita said. "...No, I'd still find a way to mess it up."
"How would you mess it up?" Quentin asked.
"I don't know, but I'd end up doing it somehow," Frita sighed.
"Frita, would you call yourself an unlucky person?" Quentin asked.
"I guess?" Frita answered.
"People call me a lucky person sometimes," Quentin told her.
"So we balance each other out?" Frita asked.
"No, what I'm trying to say is that there's no such thing as being a lucky or unlucky person," Quentin told her. "It's just a matter of your outlook. On if you focus on the good things that happen, or the bad things."
"Good things don't happen to me," Frita claimed.
Meanwhile, Jean-Marie and Joseph drank their sodas in another corner.
"So I'm thinking that, if I apologize to her, then she becomes the bad guy for not accepting it and still beefing with me," Joseph said. "But at the same time, apologizing to her would be an admission of defeat, and I didn't even do anything wrong. What do you think I should do?"
"It sounds as if, if you apologized, it would be for the wrong reasons," Jean-Marie told him.
"What do you mean?" Joseph asked.
"One should only apologize if he truly means it," Jean-Marie told him. "If you aren't sorry, then don't apologize. Otherwise, it seems like you're being juvenile."
"Juvenile? How?" Joseph doubted.
"Apologizing solely so you can feel like you're the good guy in a conflict? That sounds so... catty," Jean-Marie told him.
"Damn, you think?" Joseph pondered. "Bro, I just don't know what to do. She refuses to hear me out."
"And we will vote her out in due time, ne t'inquiètes pas," Jean-Marie assured him.
"I guess that's true," Joseph grinned.
Confessional:
Kun: As the team leader, I must be able to get along with everyone in my team, even if I know they don't want to work with me. Kiki's not an unreasonable person, despite her apparent disdain for men.
Frita: Everyone always thinks that I'm just overexaggerating how bad my luck is, but that's because they aren't me. They aren't there to witness it firsthand.
Chris, Topher, and Lindsay all stood in front of the city limits of Drama City.
"Nobody went home tonight, but the tension is still, er, getting tenser," Chris said.
"How tense will things get before they snap?" Topher asked.
"Knowing this show, it's not going to take a lot," Lindsay mentioned.
"You got that right!" Chris laughed. "Will the Fighting Wyverns' new PlayStation be the difference between them getting along or not?"
"Will the Grand Gryphons make good use of their own new hangout spot?" Topher asked.
"How much will hidden statues play into things?" Lindsay asked.
"You'll just have to find out what happens next time, on Total!" Chris began.
"Drama!" Topher and Lindsay continued.
"Party with the Stars!" the three concluded in unison.
Grand Gryphons:
Bailey - The Pragmatic Poet
Brittany - The Loyal Bombshell
Ernie - The Lazy Law Student
Hugh - The Head Villain
Irving - The Chaotic Pirate
Isidora - The Asocial Bookworm
Shadya - The Genius Athlete
Steve Jenkins - The Vlog Icon
Vladimir - The Untrustworthy Impostor
20th: Lilith - The Harbinger of Unrest
Fighting Wyverns:
Cyan - The Sweet Madame Blue
Dalit - The Social Media Model
Frita - The Morbid Artist
Jean-Marie - The Homeless Frenchman
Joseph - The True Bro
Kiki - The Strategic Hipster
Kun - The Awkward Team Leader
Louise - The Friendly PE Teacher
Nolan - The Wildcard Gambler
Quentin - The Lucky Ornithologist