Total Drama World Tour Deluxe
Chapter 13: I See London…
Review Responses
Guest A: 1. Thank you.
2. We'll see!
3. Maybe, I'll tell ya later. I'm considering rewriting the Ridonculous Race after this, and if people are unaware of who my favorites and least favorites are, it'll make the story less predictable.
4. I don't know. My guess is that they were deadset on having Owen win, but someone was brave enough to act as a voice of reason and point out that many people would actually be rooting for Gwen, which caused them to reluctantly make an ending where she wins.
5. TDI: Gwen and Geoff. TDA: Duncan and Leshawna. TDWT: Not telling, 'cause that might spoil the end of this fic. TDROTI: Again, I won't say because I may rewrite the season in the future. TDAS: I don't know. I guess it's fine as it is. TDPI: Read TDPI Reordered to see.
6. A very tricky question, but I think my preference is for Sky.
7. I know what I'm doing.
8. Ennui lost his kitten. And I've also lost two cats and a dog. It was devastating.
9. You're free to think that.
10. I'd settle for people not treating Gwen's ending as though it's completely irrelevant. I still wouldn't love her, though.
11. The audio was replaced with gentle music because Josh and Blaineley felt the BFFFL's squeals would irritate the audience.
LaCuevademisgustos: Thank you!
Cody Fanatic: Like I said, there's a reason I consider Owen to be the most overrated, and it's not just because he's a popular character that I don't like.
MDReborn: We'll see!
SilentSinger948: Thank you for your faith in me!
SuperSonicHeroes: Thank you!
AnonBrowser: You know, in the first chapter, I said that Katie appeared in the green outfit she wore for the Gemmys. Though I suppose I could have done a better job reminding everyone. Regardless, they could have made a good pair of first boots for TDA, huh? Then again, that would probably get them the "prize" of hosting the Aftermath shows, heaven forbid. Deadass, huh? Never thought of that. You know, Blaineley expressed an attraction to Justin in canon. But she wasn't literally proposing marriage, she was just overwhelmed by Justin's beauty. Ezekiel's fate will soon be made clear. And whether Izzy is lying about having MPD or not is up to you to determine.
Gucci Mane LaFlare: Thank you!
Jameel3: Thank you very much!
Spectacular Webhead 11: Like Heather with social skills and like Justin with a brain! We'll see about Gwuncan.
TotalPizza: Maybe Geoff and Bridgette will reconcile! Maybe Izzy and Owen will as well. We will certainly see!
Rockin' D-99: Leshawna's dancing skills seemed to be something of an informed trait, much like Justin's hotness. Yes, Katie and Sadie do seem like they would do better in RR, and their fight and quick reconciliation here was supposed to be funny. Maybe we'll see how Justin recovered so quickly in a future chapter. Then again, maybe we won't. And don't worry about the typos, man.
lordgemini: Less exciting than the other aftermath, you say? I guess that's fair. I suppose the ending is more enjoyable to those who hate Alejandro, and the absence of the telethon really complicated things. But thanks anyways!
Crosshot: Two TV tropes articles on my work? Holy hell.
"Last time on Total Drama World Tour!" Chris narrated. "We had some mechanical difficulties and ended up in Jamaica! No problem, mon! Nobody was seriously hurt! Unless you count Justin, whose mangled body was a major problem and led to our first official elimination by injury! Temporarily stranded, we were forced to improvise! And the E-Scope alliance was forced to throw Izzy under the bus after her betrayal, following the first-ever elimination ceremony for Team Minotaur! Is this just an unlucky anomaly for them? Or are they are going to lose more members? Find out! On the most exciting episode yet! Of Total… Drama… World Tour!"
After the theme song, we cut to Economy at nighttime. Nobody was asleep, though Alejandro appeared to be resting his eyes. Team Minotaur sat on one side of the plane while DJ and Lindsay sat on the other.
"You think the merge is gonna happen anytime soon?" DJ asked his sole remaining teammate.
"Maybe, but I doubt it would be today." said Lindsay. "It's only been like ten or eleven episodes."
"We should have had an aftermath or two by now." DJ pointed out.
"True… but I still say we have at least three more episodes to go."
Their debate was interrupted by Team Amazon who was filing into Economy with confused and disgruntled expressions. Teams Victory and Minotaur looked surprised as the mostly girl team walked over to DJ and Lindsay.
"Uh, not that I'm complaining, but what are you guys doing back here?" Trent asked. "You won last time!"
"Chris said he needed First Class for a secret special guest!" Sierra explained. "And what Chris needs-"
"Chris takes. From us!" Heather interrupted, clearly the most unhappy of the group. The Amazons sat down with DJ and Lindsay. While doing so, Courtney accidentally sat on Gwen's hand.
"Argh!" the goth cried. "Courtney! Sunburn! Ow! Get off!"
Courtney quickly got up. Gwen held her left hand up. The back of it was as red as a lobster. Teams Victory and Minotaur all looked at Gwen's affliction with sympathy and curiosity. The goth barely noticed. She blew on her hand as though it were on fire.
"Oops. Sorry!" Courtney apologized.
"Hey, pasty! What happened to your paw?" Duncan asked.
"I have no idea!" Gwen whined, panting painfully. Cody tugged nervously at his collar, as did Tyler.
Flashback
Back in Jamaica, Gwen was seen napping under an umbrella in her swimsuit. Tyler and Cody approached her, the former with a camera in his hands.
"Make sure you get the bikini in the shot!" the geek whispered to the jock. He then ran to Gwen and snuggled up to her on her lounge chair.
"Say cheese, bro!" Tyler cried. Cody gave an excited grin and thumbs-up. Tyler took two pictures.
"Hey! What are you guys doing?!" Trent called. Cody panicked and ran off, bumping the umbrella in his take-off. Gwen didn't wake up but the shade was taken off of her left hand and exposed to the sun for several hours.
End Flashback
Trent narrowed his eyes at Cody and then Tyler.
"Uh… Cody knocked the umbrella you were napping under back in Jamaica!" the jock blurted out.
"Tyler!" Cody cried, exasperated. Every eye in the vicinity turned to Cody.
"What?" Gwen asked. "How'd he do that?"
"He had me take pictures of you and him together." Tyler continued.
"While I was sleeping?!"
"Yes."
Gwen turned and glared at Cody, who grinned sheepishly.
"Honestly, Cody, you and Sierra deserve each other." Gwen scoffed.
Cody looked really hurt. Sierra looked delighted. Duncan leered at Tyler.
Confessional: Cody
"What? What's that supposed to mean? Okay, sure, I may have acted a little… invasive towards Gwen in the past but that's nowhere near as bad as how Sierra's treating me!"
Confessional: Tyler
"I'm bad with secrets."
Confessional: Duncan
"So, Tyler's a snitch, huh? Never really thought much of the guy, but now that I know he's a bigmouth, I kinda hate him."
End Confessional
Courtney got up and walked into the dining room. A few minutes later, she came back with a bucket full of white liquid.
"Here. Dunk your hand in this." Courtney told Gwen, a helpful smile on her face. "It'll cool the burn!"
"What is it? Aloe Vera?" Gwen asked.
"Better! It's a special mixture of herbal tea and bird guano."
Gwen dipped her hand into the bucket, sighing in relief as the burning sensation was soothed. Suddenly her eyes popped open in alarm.
"Wait, guano? Isn't that…?"
"A nicey-nice word for poop?" Heather finished.
"Ew!" Gwen pulled her hand out of the bucket. The burns returned. "Ow!"
"Poop that's full of healing ingredients!" Courtney stated proudly. "I learned how to make it at CIT first-aid weekend! It's gross, but it helps!"
Gwen hesitantly put her hand back in the bucket, sighing in relief again.
"Well, thanks, Courtney." said Gwen warmly. "I'm glad someone on this team cares about me!"
"I care…" Cody moaned miserably. Heather gagged.
"Ugh! Bonding over bird poop? Is there anyone sane around here?" Heather complained. She looked to her left to see Sierra. The fangirl was on her pizza box laptop. "That would be a no."
"Twitter update!" Sierra announced. "'Gwen fully endorses relationship between me and Cody!' …Fifty-three characters, so I have eighty-seven left... What else can I say?"
"I have a suggestion!" said Noah helpfully.
"Yes?" said Sierra, eagerly.
"Considering buying myself a life on Craigslist!" Noah mockingly imitated Sierra's voice as he pretended to type. "But having trouble deciding as they all are major improvements!"
Sierra glared at Noah as the rest of the campers burst into laughter.
"Et tu, Cody?" Sierra grunted bitterly.
SNORT!
Owen was laughing so hard, the milk he was drinking squirted out of his nose, drenching Noah.
"Dude! Gross!" The bookworm snapped.
"Did I get some of my nose milkshake on ya?" the big guy asked.
"No, you got all of it on me!"
"Sorry! It's the only thing that cools off a snoot full of Jamaican scotch bonnet peppers." Noah couldn't stay angry at him. Besides, he had a fangirl to mock.
"Must learn how to make nose-shakes like Owen! That will impress Cody!"
The contestants burst into laughter again. Sierra's face was as red as Gwen's hand. This time, Owen shot a pepper out of his nose. It bounced around the cabin and ended up hitting Alejandro in the face.
"Ow! Owen!" the Spaniard cried. Noah chuckled. Owen beamed.
Confessional: Owen
"Aw! My little buddy Noah is like the funniest guy ever! So making him laugh is awesome! It's like getting an A-plus in comedy! I wanna top his honor roll! …Did that sound gay?"
Confessional: Eva
"Gotta admit. No one really makes me laugh as much as Noah. I guess that brings the number of Total Drama contestants I don't hate up to three!"
Confessional: Noah
"I'm glad to see that Owen's doing fine. For some reason, seeing him in pain was really depressing."
End Confessional
Owen joined Noah in laughter. The big guy loved the feeling of making Noah laugh and wanted to do it again.
"Check it out! I'll shoot a pepper out whichever nostril ya pick! I mean, choose!" Owen offered.
"Yeah, because one nose-shake per day isn't enough."
"Aw, I'm all outta milk!" Owen moaned, tipping the carton upside-down.
"Hey, Gwen! Can we borrow that poop juice?"
Owen laughed again. But there was one contestant on the plane who was enjoying Owen and Noah's shenanigans even less than Sierra. Alejandro got up and stomped out of Economy without saying a word.
Confessional: Alejandro
"I don't believe it. Owen's back to normal already. Can nothing keep this butter donkey down?!"
End Confessional
Alejandro marched straight towards First Class. Whether Chris liked it or not, that was where he going to stay for the rest of the flight. As he approached the door, he heard talking.
"He's an animal!" came Chris's voice. Alejandro paused. "He'll take 'em out like a saber-toothed tiger preying on dodo birds!"
"But what if he… takes them out, takes them out?" Chef asked, sounding nervous. Alejandro cracked the door open to see Chris and Chef standing before a man in a black cloak and top hat. He was holding a dagger with a blade at least ten inches long.
"You have everyone's DNA, right?" Chris asked.
"Yeah…"
"Then we're good! Besides! Think of the ratings! That dip will score major hits on- Did you hear something?"
Alejandro gasped silently. The door had squeaked as he pushed it open to get a better look at the mysterious figure. He quickly retreated and hid in the bathroom. This was a mistake, as he was immediately cornered by the mysterious figure.
An hour later, Chris went on the intercom.
"Attention, helpless competitors!" the host announced. "We've been denied permission to land! So you're gonna have to jump!"
The contestant burst into indignant protests and panicked pleading.
"…And we only have seven parachutes! So you're all going to have to double up!"
"Seriously?!" cried half the contestants.
"Hey, don't blame me! Chef was the one who miscounted parachutes!"
"I'm a cook! Not a math wizard!" Chef defended.
Nevertheless, the contestants fished out the parachutes from under the seats and began to partner up. Cody tried to partner up with Gwen, but the goth had already chosen Courtney. DJ and Lindsay partnered up quite easily. Eva went with Tyler. Trent went with Duncan. Sierra partnered up with Cody.
"Ugh, what did I do to deserve this…?" Cody moaned.
"Isn't it obvious?" Gwen asked, holding up her hand.
"Oh… Right… I'm sorry?" Cody apologized lamely.
The contestants all lined up at the emergency exit. Heather was the only one without a partner, so she went first. She yanked open the door.
WHOOSH!
A huge draft of wind got sucked out of the plain. After a few seconds of regaining her bearings, Heather jumped.
"Ugh! Life, why do you hate me so?!" Noah cried dramatically as he and Owen jumped next. Two by two, the contestants jumped out of the plane. Some deployed their parachutes immediately while others enjoyed the freefall for a few seconds.
After about a minute, all the contestants landed on the Tower Bridge.
"Ooh! London!" Sierra cried. She turned to Cody. "Did you know that Queen Mary the second was only fifteen when she got engaged?"
"Let go of my hand!" Cody snapped. Sierra obeyed fearfully.
A while later, Chris and Chef showed up, driving a double-decker bus. The contestants boarded the bus. Once they were seated, Heather looked around in alarm. The queen bee was the only one who didn't have to share her parachute. At first, she didn't question it as she was pleased she didn't have to share, much like in Total Drama Action where she got a whole bunk bed to herself. But there was something bothering her in the back of her head. And it came to the front when she realized that there were fourteen competitors left. With seven parachutes, everyone would have to double up with no exceptions. Someone was missing.
"Where's Alejandro?" she asked, doing a terrible job of hiding her worry.
"Yes, where is he?" Chris repeated cryptically. "The answer in a second! Gun it, Chef!"
Chef hit the gas pedal and the bus took off.
"Before we get started today, we have some minor business to take care of. Since we're halfway through the season, we figured it's time for a… a sort of mini-merge!"
"Mini-merge?" said Lindsay, alarmed.
"That's right. The lowest-ranking team is going to be broken up and its members will be distributed equally amongst the other two teams."
DJ and Lindsay looked sadly at one another. Teams Amazon and Minotaur looked intrigued.
"DJ, you're going over to Team Minotaur, and Lindsay, you're with the Amazons from now on.
This was met with mixed reception. Some people were disappointed. Others cheered happily.
"Good luck, Lindsay." The gentle giant hugged Lindsay goodbye and went over to Team Minotaur's side of the bus.
"Alright! We got DJ!" Trent exclaimed.
"Woohoo! Yes! We got the man!" Owen cheered.
"Thanks, guys!" said DJ. He went around and gave high-fives to his new teammates. Eva forced a smile onto her face and shook DJ's hand.
"Hey, Tyler, don't leave me hanging!" said DJ.
"I wanted Lindsay!" Tyler whined.
"Well, sorry! Wasn't my choice." said DJ, slightly miffed. He went over to Duncan.
"Hey there, D! Gimme five!" DJ cried. Duncan folded his arms and frowned at DJ. "What?"
Duncan silently frowned at DJ for a few more seconds, greatly increasing his anxiety.
"Duncan, what's wrong? Did I do something?" Finally, Duncan smiled.
"Oh, I'm just messing with ya!" Duncan cried, punching DJ in the arm. "Welcome aboard, buddy!"
DJ sighed in relief.
"Whew! Had me goin' there man! Thought you were mad at me!"
"Now who could get mad at you?"
Gwen raised an eyebrow at the scene.
Confessional: Duncan
"Yeah, why would I be mad at DJ? I mean, the only thing he did was contribute to my last-minute defeat in Total Drama Action! And all it cost me was a million (BLEEP) dollars! Seriously! I was counting on DJ for his vote in the tiebreaker! But no! He votes for Beth because she's more 'gentle!' instead of voting for his friend! Believe me! I'm not mad at him for costing me a million dollars! That would be petty!"
Confessional: DJ
"Sucks to have to leave Lindsay. But I'm sure the real merge is coming soon. And besides, it's nice to have a full team again!"
End Confessional
Meanwhile, Lindsay greeted her new team.
"Hey, Gwen! Hey, Cody! Hey, Sarah! I mean, Sierra!" she greeted sweetly. "Courtney. Heather." she greeted with a cold frown.
"The feeling is mutual." said Heather.
"Looks like we have another vote on our side." Gwen whispered to Courtney, who grinned evilly.
Chris took out a microphone.
"London!" he announced. "Home to loads of wicked stuff! Big Ben, the London Eye, and the sandwich stuffed with french fries known as the Chip Buddy!"
"Yes, please!" Owen called, excitedly.
"London's also home to Scotland Yard, the world's biggest crime-busting outfit! But there was one case that not even they could crack: Jack the Ripper!"
The members of Team Amazon gasped in fright.
"The wacko serial killer who terrorized Victorian London!" Chris held a portrait of a man in a black cloak and top hat. His head was shadowed, but his eyes seemed to glow white, and he appeared to have long hair. He was holding up a long dagger, his hands in white gloves. "Today, you'll be tracking that bad boy down! But be careful! Jack's also hunting you! And that's why Team Minotaur is now short-handed!"
"The ripper got Al?!" Owen cried. "Not Al!"
"Yes, what a tragedy." said Noah sarcastically.
"Next stop: the Tower of London!" Chris announced. He turned around and walked to the front of the bus.
"Do you think he's okay?" Heather worriedly asked her team. Gwen and Courtney raised an eyebrow. Lindsay gasped.
Confessional: Lindsay
"Ooh! Somebody's got a crush on the new guy!"
End Confessional
"Um, because, wow! Big advantage for us!" Heather added, trying to hide her worry. Her team wasn't fooled but they didn't care.
"Yeah." said Gwen. "Can I just say? I know tons about the Ripper! I did a speech on him in sixth grade!"
"That's useful!" said Courtney.
"The librarian said my fascination was 'morbid and offensive!'" Gwen bragged, a sinister grin on her face.
"Shouldn't we look for Alejandro?" Heather interrupted. "You know… Just in case this is a dirty scheme of his?"
"Let them look!" Courtney grunted apathetically. "Get this! My sixth grade speech: the Tower of London!"
"Wow. What are the odds?" Gwen exclaimed. Over on the Minotaurs' side, Trent smiled at the two.
"Nice to see Gwen and Courtney getting along, right Duncan?" the musician asked the punk.
"Whatever. It's only a matter of time before Courtney ruins it." Duncan grumbled bitterly. Trent frowned.
Finally, the contestant arrived at the Tower of London.
"Why do they call it a tower when it's really a castle?" DJ asked as the contestants filed off the bus.
"Well, maybe when it was built, the standards for what qualified as a tower were much lower than what they are in modern day." Trent suggested.
Chris guided the contestants through the complex and over to the White Tower. At the entrance stood two elderly guards, each with a handsome white mustache. They were as still as statues, as though they had been turned to stone. Chris stood between the two guards.
"Your challenge is to follow a series of clues throughout the tower complex all the way to the Ripper's secret lair." Chris explained. He then held up two sacks large enough to stuff a body into. "Bag the criminal mastermind before he gets you, and you win! Your first clue will be found during the changing of the guard. Literally. Your clue is hidden in his uniform. So you'll have to strip him down to his gitch until you find it!"
Chris grinned evilly. The contestants recoiled.
"Strip a dude?!" Tyler cried. "I'm out!"
"Up to you, bro!" Chris shrugged. "Million bucks… That's all I'm sayin'..."
HONK!
Owen was the first to approach his team's guard.
"Wow, he's so still, it's creepy!" the big guy exclaimed. "How do they do that?"
"Hell if I know." said Duncan. The punk took out his lighter and ignited the guard's pants. "Hey, freeze-frame! Your knee's on fire!"
The guard acted as though nothing was wrong for ten whole seconds. Impressed, Duncan snuffed out the flames.
"This guy's good…" Duncan turned to his team. "I'll give somebody fifty bucks if they can get this guy to crack!"
The faces of Tyler and Owen lit up with greed. Tyler made funny faces at the guard.
"Reeeeed Robin!" Owen sang. The guard remained motionless. Duncan rolled his eyes.
"Not that this isn't a waste of time," said Noah. "But shouldn't we be focusing on the challenge?"
"Agreed." said Trent. "Who's gonna be the hero here and strip the guard?"
"I'll do it." said DJ.
Confessional: DJ
"Gotta get in good with the team. I am still technically the new guy!"
End Confessional
Team Amazon wasn't goofing off, but they were wasting time coming up with pathetic excuses not to strip down their guard.
"I can't strip him!" Courtney protested. "Duncan's here!"
"Yeah, and I'm uh… allergic to uniforms!" said Heather.
"Weak!" Gwen snapped, rolling her eyes.
"Then you do it!"
"Um, hello?! Cody turned my hand into a fried chicken wing!" Gwen snapped holding up her burnt hand.
"Um, my psychologist said that I'm only allowed to undress Cody!" said Sierra.
"Yeah right." said Gwen.
"What about you, Cody?" said Lindsay.
Cody didn't respond. He stood away from his team his back, moping. Duncan frowned in pity at Cody. Then he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Trent.
"What's up, Elvis?"
"We need to talk. Man-to-man. Minotaur-to-Minotaur."
"Alright then."
Trent led Duncan away from the group.
"What's going on?" the punk asked.
"I just can't help but notice that you seem a little… resentful of Courtney." the musician answered.
"Now what would give you that idea?" Duncan scoffed sarcastically.
"Well, I did watch Total Drama Action."
"Well, there ya go!"
"Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't dumped her for good."
Duncan said nothing.
"Easier said than done?"
"Been wearing a jock strap all season just in case I do something imperfect."
"Why did you two get back together anyway?"
Duncan hesitated for a few seconds.
"Pressure from the fans." he answered. "Everyone kept telling me to suck it up and take her back."
"Hm… I see… And you can't forgive her for all the abuse she's put you through?"
"Not like she ever apologized for it. I mean, look at Eva! She beat the crap outta Owen with a shovel. Next day, she apologizes and gives him pancakes. Now it's like it never happened. Courtney never did anything like that."
"Hm." Trent hummed thoughtfully. "You've never dumped her before, right? It was always her?"
"Yeah…"
"Well then, I think it's your turn."
"What's with the sudden concern for me? You wanna snatch Courtney up for yourself?"
"Well, she does have a killer singing voice. Not to mention, she plays a mean violin." Trent admitted, jokingly. "But seriously, dude. If you're not happy with her, and there's someone else you're interested in, you have to break up with her."
"I'd rather hug Celine Dion." Duncan moaned, looking quite daunted.
"I think Gwen would be quite happy to have you."
"How about I break up with Courtney by just never talking to her again and then hook up with Gwen?" Duncan reasoned desperately.
"Yeah, no." said Trent. "That would be cheating."
"Er, so what?! She'd deserve it!"
Trent narrowed his eyes at Duncan. He thought back to his elimination in Total Drama Island. He had been eliminated because almost everyone thought that he was cheating on Gwen, including the punk. He found it somewhat hypocritical that Duncan was actually considering cheating.
"Even if that's true… I don't want the most badass contestant in Total Drama to go down in history as a cheater and a coward! More importantly, I don't want Gwen to be caught up in the fallout of such a scandal!"
Duncan looked at the ground, his face wrought with great conflict.
"Did you hear that?" Trent asked looking around in alarm.
"What?" Duncan asked.
"Look!" Trent pointed behind Duncan. The punk turned his head and caught a brief glimpse of a shadowy figure darting behind the building.
"It's the Ripper!" said Duncan. He pulled out his pocket knife and dashed in towards the figure. Trent chuckled.
Confessional: Trent
"Dude can wrestle a yowie and charge a serial killer but he can't break up with Courtney. That's hilarious."
End Confessional
As soon as Duncan turned the corner he was surprised to see that the figure had vanished. He scratched his head for a moment before he heard Trent yelp.
"Hey! Hey back off, dude! AUGH!" he called.
Duncan turned around to find the Ripper standing in Trent's place, holding an enormous sack over his shoulder. Jack quickly caught sight of Duncan and charged him. The punk screamed.
Meanwhile, back at the White Tower, things seemed to go better for Team Minotaur than for Team Amazon. DJ removed the guard's garments while the rest of the team searched them.
Lindsay, similarly to DJ, had volunteered to strip her team's guard to get in their good graces but was not making much progress. It took her twice as long as DJ to remove the garments. Not helping were her teammates, who refused to search the clothes.
Currently, the formerly dumb blonde was pulling off the guard's left boot. She gagged and moaned as though she were changing a diaper. Luckily for her, this was turned out be where their clue was hidden. An envelope fell out of the boot and Courtney snatched it up.
"Full tot atop a southern spire." she read. She then gasped. "Quick! Follow me!"
Courtney took off. The rest of Team Amazon followed her. After a couple minutes of running, the girls ended up in what looked like a torture chamber.
"Whoa! This is the very same room that Anne Boleyn lived in before Henry the Eighth beheaded her!" Courtney exclaimed.
"Yikes!" Lindsay exclaimed.
"What's with the creepy desk?" Heather asked.
"It's a medieval torture rack!" said Chef, appearing in the other side of the room. The big man had taken off his shirt, apron, and toque, replacing them with an executioner's hood. He carried an oversized battle-axe. "The clue's inside."
"How do we get it out?" Heather asked warily.
"Simple." said Chef, softly but maliciously. "Tie someone on and stretch 'em 'til the secret compartment opens up!" Chef snickered.
"I nominate Heather!" Gwen proclaimed immediately.
"I second that motion!" said Courtney.
"I third it!" said Lindsay.
"Hey!" Heather cried indignantly.
"Who'd like to carry the motion? Cody? Sierra?" Gwen asked. "Um, where'd they go?"
Sierra was currently blocking Cody from climbing the stairs to the torture room, as she was more interested in other things.
"Sierra, what are you doing?" Cody asked impatiently.
"This is just like in the olden days!" Sierra exclaimed excitedly. "When ladies and lords would sneak off together to kiss! And then get arrested for falling in love!"
"We don't have time for this!" said Cody, trying to push past the fangirl.
"Come on, Cody! Just one kiss!" Sierra pleaded. "You know… in the name of historical accuracy?"
A shadow fell over the two. They turned to the side to find Jack the Ripper charging them, knife raised. The two screamed.
In the next scene, Jack was seen exiting the White Tower with an oversized sack over his shoulder.
"And then there were ten!" Chris narrated. "Will anybody survive the Ripper? Come back after the break to find out!"
After the commercial break, we cut to Team Minotaur still searching their guard. At this point, the guard was wearing nothing but a pair of gloves and Union Jack boxers. The Minotaurs were turning every piece of clothing they could inside out.
"Ugh! Hey, Duncan! Why don't you and Trent-!" Tyler started angrily, only to find that neither of them were present. "What happened to Trent and Duncan?"
The Minotaurs stopped cold and looked around.
"You don't think the Ripper got 'em?" DJ asked nervously.
"I dunno. I thought I saw 'em go over there!" said Tyler.
"We gotta find 'em!" said DJ urgently. The gentle giant grabbed Tyler and took off to find their missing comrades.
"Hey!" Eva cried.
"Let 'em go, Eva." said Noah.
"Hey, Noah! Check this out!" called Owen. The big guy had donned the guard's hat and proceeded to imitate an elderly British woman. "I say! I'm the queen! Oh heavens! I daresay I ate too many royal beans at the royal luncheon!"
Owen then turned around and farted loudly.
TOOT!
"Cute, Owen." said Noah, rolling his eyes.
"Argh! Forget this!" Eva shouted. "A pen in his pocket and lint in his socks! That's it! No clue! And no way am I searching his underwear!"
"We could find another guard to strip!" Owen suggested, taking the hat off. In doing so, he found an envelope taped to the inside. "Hey look! There's a clue in there!"
Owen expected praise, but his allies leered at him impatiently.
"Teehee! Funny, right?" he chuckled. Noah and Eva rolled their eyes. "I say… pip-pip…"
"YAAAAAAAAARGGGH!" came the cries of Tyler and DJ. The Ripper had taken them. The E-Scope alliance jumped, startled. Noah ripped the clue open and quickly read it.
"Come on! This way!" he commanded urgently.
"What about Tyler and DJ?" Owen asked.
"They're gone! Let's go!"
Meanwhile, with Team Amazon…
Gwen, Courtney, and Lindsay were having a blast torturing Heather. It was a dream come true for the three girls as they had all suffered at the queen bee's hands. Heather was cuffed at her wrists and ankles. Gwen was at the wheel, violently yanking and pulling Heather's ankles. Her arms and legs stretched to uncomfortable lengths, causing her to scream in agony.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!" she screamed. Lindsay and Courtney laughed. "Ow! You did that on purpose you (BLEEP)!"
"Every cloud has a silver lining!" Courtney pointed out. Gwen and Lindsay giggled.
"Oh yeah?! What's this one?!"
"You're getting your karma over with!" said Lindsay. Courtney and Gwen snickered.
"Speaking of getting things over with, why don't you hurry it up?!" Heather demanded.
"Oh, we're in no hurry!" said Gwen mischievously. "After all we're still ahead!"
Gwen was correct, but just barely. Eva, Noah, and Owen had just arrived in another torture chamber, with Chef once again explaining how to get their next clue.
"We're not gonna have to play Rock-Paper-Scissors to see who's getting stretched, are we?" Noah droned.
"I'll do it." said Eva. "You'd probably snap in half. And Owen would snap the table in half."
"Atta girl, Eva!" Owen cheered. "Alejandro's gonna be proud of you!"
Noah and Eva stared at Owen in surprise.
"Did you just say 'Alejandro' instead of 'Al'?" Noah asked.
"Sure! That's his name isn't it?"
"I thought you thought it was Avocado or Alfredo or something."
"Nah, I just like teasing the guy!"
"Oh, he's gonna love to hear that." Noah drawled sarcastically.
"You gotta admit, it's a pretty ridiculous name!"
Noah shrugged.
"Alla-hand-bro! Jalla-rando! Alla-baloosko! Aleeeeeeeeeee-handero! Aaaaaaaaaaal-ebangro!"
"Come on! We're behind!" Eva called, sitting on the rack. Owen came over and cuffed her wrists and ankles. Noah grabbed the wheel and began turning. Eva started to stretch.
"Ergh! Errrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" she grunted as the ropes pulled her legs. She then sighed in contentment. "Aw! You know, this actually feels kinda good!"
Meanwhile, with Team Amazon…
"ARGH! THIS IS THE WORST PAIN EVER!" Heather screamed. Gwen, Courtney, and Lindsay burst into schadenfreude. "STOP ENJOYING THIS, YOU (BLEEP)!"
"Sorry!" said Gwen in between guffaws. "Sorry! But come on! You wouldn't do the same?" Gwen spun the wheel another 720 degrees.
"ARRRGH!" Heather screamed. "That is not the point!"
THUNK!
A wooden compartment over the rack opened up, revealing the next clue.
"There it is!" Courtney called. Gwen snatched up the envelope and opened it.
"'If your teammate can still use her feet, bring her down for something to eat!'" she read.
"The Banquet Hall!" Courtney gasped. "Back downstairs off the courtyard!"
Meanwhile, Lindsay helped Heather out of her restraints. The queen bee stood on her toes and held her arms above her head.
"You okay?" Lindsay asked, only half-concerned.
"Please. I'm fine!" Heather insisted.
CRACK!
Gwen, Courtney, and Lindsay giggled as Heather cricked her back.
"You look taller now, Heather!" Lindsay teased.
"Yeah, you could be a runway model!" Courtney added.
"That's a stretch!" Gwen joked.
Heather fumed as she followed her team. A little while later, the four Amazons found the building they were looking for. They didn't enter it right away and instead peered through the windows out of caution. Inside, they saw an extravagant dining room with a table that could have sat twenty people.
"There's some kind of jewelry case on the table." Courtney observed. "I… I guess we go in and get it!"
"Can it be that easy?" Lindsay asked cautiously.
"You three go ahead." said Heather. "I'll… guard the door."
Gwen, Courtney, and Lindsay frowned at her.
"How is that fair?" the CIT demanded.
"I'll show you fair!" Heather snapped venomously. "Have you even seen the rack marks on my ankles?!"
The rest of the Amazons saw no point in fighting Heather and entered the building without her.
Meanwhile, with Team Minotaur…
"Ooh! Oooooooooooh!" Eva groaned as her arms and legs were stretched.
"You look like you're having an orgasm, Eva!" Owen commented.
"Shut up." Eva snapped.
THUNK!
"The clue!" Noah cried as the compartment opened up. He hastily snatched up the clue and read it. "Come on!"
Owen and Noah ran out of the torture room towards the banquet hall.
"Hey, Noah! You know what's hilarious?" Owen asked.
"We forgot Eva!" Noah cried, stopping cold in his tracks.
"How is that hilarious?"
"NOAH!" Eva screamed. Owen and Noah turned around and returned to the torture room.
"Sorry, Eve!" Noah apologized, opening the door. "But you were enjoying yourself too much and-"
Noah stopped cold. The rack was empty and Eva was nowhere to be found.
"NO!" Noah and Owen screamed. "EVA!"
Confessional: Noah
"Okay. The Ripper got Eva. I'm officially scared now."
End Confessional
Meanwhile back at the Banquet Hall, Courtney was rummaging through the jewelry box that had the Team Amazon logo on it.
"Come on! Where's the clue?!" she griped. "Silver toothpick? Emerald-studded toothbrush? What is with these royals and their dentistry?!"
"Hey, who doesn't like shiny things?" Lindsay reasoned.
"Yeah, but look at this!" said Gwen, holding up a saltshaker that appeared to contain gold flakes.
"Okay, yeah, that's a little much…" Lindsay admitted.
"GGGRRRRRRRRR!"
The girls looked toward the entrance and saw half a dozen corgis snarling at the intruders. Slightly intimidated, the girls backed up as the dogs approached them menacingly.
"Hey, is there anything round in there?" Gwen asked. Courtney handed Gwen a jeweled egg. The goth held it up like a tennis ball. The dogs stopped growling and started panting excitedly. "That's it… follow the shiny ball…" Gwen slowly passed the egg from one hand to the other a few times. The dogs watched the ball as though under a trance. "Now sit!" The dogs sat.
"Oh! So cute!" Lindsay gushed.
"How did you do that?" Courtney asked, amazed.
"I taught my lizards obedience!" Gwen explained, twirling the egg on her finger like a basketball. "I guess corgis are just as trainable."
CLICK!
Gwen stopped twirling the egg, causing it to pop open like a plastic Easter egg.
"Oh, the clue!" Courtney cried. The girls snatched up the clue and ran out to join Heather.
"Heather! We found the-! Oh no!" Gwen gasped. Heather was not where they had left her. Lindsay bent down and picked up Heather's nail file.
"Three teammates gone…" Courtney uttered, frightened.
"Read the clue." said Gwen. Courtney obliged.
"'The Ripper's most natural place has two levels that make up its space. Go use your sack, to bring the guy back, at the red starting line to the race!'" Courtney read. The girls started thinking hard.
"Think! Think!" Courtney grunted to herself.
"Two levels…" Lindsay muttered. "Starting line… (Gasp!) It's a double-decker bus!"
Gwen and Courtney looked at Lindsay in astonishment.
"What?" Courtney asked.
"A double-decker bus! The one that brought us here!" Lindsay exclaimed.
"Wow! So, there is a brain in there!" Gwen exclaimed, impressed. "You've been holding out on us!"
"Yeah… Sorry about that!" Lindsay apologized. "I stuck a crayon in my brain when I was six. Only got it out back in Germany."
"That recent, huh?" said Gwen. "Well, that explains a lot."
The girls took off just as soon as Owen and Noah arrived in the dining room. It didn't take Noah too long to find his team's clue in another jewelry box.
"Aha! Got it!" Noah called. "I got the clue!"
"You call that an attack?!" cried Owen. The corgis had latched onto him. He had two biting his face, two on his arms, and two on his thighs, yet he didn't seem to be in any pain. "Hey, Noah! Check it out! It's a fur coat for animal lovers!"
Noah rolled his eyes as he opened the clue.
"'The Ripper's most natural place has two levels that make up its space.'" he read. He then scoffed. "Sure. Easy-peasy. The bus. Come on, Owen! We got a Ripper to catch."
Owen shook the corgis off of him and ran outside with Noah. The dogs followed the two remaining Minotaurs out the door. As they ran to the entrance, a flash of light briefly penetrated Owen's peripheral vision. Turning to his left, Owen saw that the light had been reflected off the blade of a knife being held by a shadowy figure darting behind a nearby building.
"Noah! There he is!" Owen called quietly. Noah looked in the direction Owen was pointing just in time to see him disappear behind the building.
"Good eye, big guy!" Noah complimented. "Let's go!
The two changed course and ran to the building they saw the Ripper dart behind. As they turned a corner, they saw their man. He was at the other end of the building, peering around the corner.
"Oh no." said Noah, as the corgis caught up to them. "Go! Shoo! Get! Scram!"
The dogs ignored Noah and instead chomped down on Owen again.
"Oh! Hey guys!" Owen greeted.
"Owen! Get rid of them! They're gonna blow our cover!"
"Sorry! I smuggled some wieners off the plane and now they won't leave me alone." said Owen, pulling a sausage out of his pocket.
"Wieners?" Noah asked, as the gears in his head started to turn. He then grinned. "Owen! You just gave me an idea!"
"What's that?"
Noah whispered some instructions into Owen's ear. The big guy nodded and handed Noah a wiener. The two crept closer and closer to the Ripper until he was within striking distance.
"Hey, Jack!" Noah called, tossing the wiener at him. The Ripper turned around and caught the wiener.
"Royal beasts, sic him!" Owen commanded in his queen voice.
The corgis charged the confused criminal, tackled him to the ground, and started mauling him. Owen approached him, bag in hand.
"Gotcha!" he declared victoriously, throwing the sack over Jack.
"Alright, Owen!" Noah cheered. The Ripper struggled and grunted as he attempted to break free. Owen sat on Jack's face and let loose a dirty fart.
TOOT!
Jack's body went limp.
"Ha-ha!" Owen cried. "Who's Jack the Ripper, now?!"
Noah laughed, making Owen the happiest boy in London.
Meanwhile, with Team Amazon…
Gwen, Courtney, and Lindsay approached the bus they arrived in.
"Well… this is it." said Courtney, apprehensively. "The Ripper's hideout."
The Amazons nervously crept into the bus. The lights were on, but the girls couldn't see anyone at first. They couldn't remember the bus looking so creepy. The seats were shabby and the grayish-brown wall was covered in graffiti.
"Jack? You home?" Gwen called.
"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Lindsay called.
"Three beautiful, helpless, young girls here! Ripe for the plucking!" Courtney called. Nothing happened.
"You don't think the boys already got him, do you?" Gwen asked Courtney.
"Maybe… but I don't wanna go back empty-handed." said Courtney holding up the bag.
"Ow!" Lindsay cried. The girls quickly turned around to see a shadowy figure race up the stairs to the second level.
"That was him!" Courtney cried.
"Are you okay, Lindsay?" Gwen asked.
"I'm okay…" said Lindsay. There was a large horizontal cut on her right shoulder. "Actually, I'm feeling a little…"
Lindsay fell over and passed out.
"Lindsay? Lindsay, wake up!" said Gwen, kneeling down and lightly slapping her face. The formerly dumb blonde didn't stir.
"Gwen, let's go! He's cornered up there!" Courtney urged. Gwen didn't wanna leave Lindsay behind, but the danger was at an all-time high. The two remaining Amazons reluctantly left their new teammate behind and climbed to the top level. They couldn't see him immediately. They looked upwards and checked the ceiling. Nothing. But when they brought their heads back down, Jack was standing right in front of them, brandishing his dagger.
The girls screamed.
Jack lunged.
Gwen kicked the dagger out of his hand.
Courtney launched her foot into Jack's crotch.
Jack doubled over in pain.
Gwen caught the dagger.
Courtney threw the bag over Jack's head.
Gwen poked him with the dagger.
Jack's body went limp.
Courtney tied the knot quickly.
"We did it!" Gwen cried.
"We kicked his butt!" Courtney exclaimed.
"Lindsay!" Gwen gasped. She ran downstairs to check on their teammate. Lindsay was still unconscious but was breathing normally. "Okay, she's just sleeping." Gwen sighed in relief.
"How'd that happen?" Courtney asked.
"His dagger must be laced with some kind of fast-acting sedative." Gwen surmised. She slung the formerly dumb blonde over her shoulder while Courtney dragged Jack off the bus.
Later…
Gwen and Courtney arrived at the plane at the same time as Noah and Owen. They met up in First Class, where Chris, Chef, and all the contestants Jack captured were waiting for them, alive and unharmed.
"Sweet!" Owen cried. "Everybody's okay!"
"Yup! Everyone's fine!" said Heather, an embarrassed smile on her face. "You guys were so stupid to be worried!"
Nearly everyone leered at Heather.
"Whoa! What happened to the TV?!" Gwen asked, dropping Lindsay to the floor. The large television screen had a huge hole in the center with cracks spreading to the edges. It was as though someone really strong had launched their fist through it.
"Well, we were watching your progress on the tube!" said Chris. "At least until somebody had a little temper tantrum!" Owen, Noah, Gwen, and Courtney looked accusingly at Eva.
"Hey, don't look at me!" said Eva, defensively. "It was like that when I woke up!"
"Then who-?" Owen asked looking around, instantly getting his answer. Alejandro's face was redder than Gwen's hand. He was glaring at Owen with undisguised rage and contempt. The other contestants were giving him a wide berth, as though he was about to burst into flames. Owen and Noah flinched.
"Al? What's wrong?" Owen asked bravely.
"All-lay-hand-row!" the Spaniard growled. "Say it, Owen! I know you can!"
"Wait. You saw-?" Owen asked. Alejandro nodded. "Awkward…"
"'You gotta admit, it's a pretty… ridiculous name!'" Alejandro quoted venomously. Owen's face turned white. He then chuckled nervously.
"Come on, dude! I was just kiddin'!" said Owen weakly. Alejandro rolled his eyes and folded his arms.
Lindsay yawned and woke up.
"Did we win?" she asked cutely.
"Sorry, Lindsay!" said Noah smugly. "But Owen and I caught the Ripper!"
"What? No you didn't! We did!" said Courtney, Gwen holding up the Ripper's dagger in support.
"There were two Rippers?" Owen asked, confused.
"No, there was only one Ripper." Chris clarified. "We don't know who caught the real Ripper because the TV's busted. But that's okay! We'll just have you reveal it right here. Ladies, you first."
Courtney untied the sack and dumped their Ripper out. He was dressed the exact same way he was in the painting. Gwen removed the top hat. The ripper's face was still concealed by a ski mask. The goth grabbed the mask excitedly, feeling as though she were in a Scooby-Doo cartoon. She ripped the mask off to reveal…
"EZEKIEL?!" everyone exclaimed in shock.
"Fuuuuuuuuuudge!" the homeschooler wailed.
"I found him stowin' away in the cargo hold!" Chef explained.
"I was going to let him back in the game if he could avoid being captured, but since he could not, he will be joining tonight's loser on the plane ride back home!" said Chris.
"I hate all of you!" Ezekiel jeered bitterly. Chef seized the homeschooler and carried him out of First Class.
"And make absolute certain that he does not get back on the plane!" Chris called after his assistant.
"So who did Owen and Noah catch?" Heather asked.
Everyone looked over at Owen and Noah, both of whom looked very stunned. The smallest Minotaur turned to the biggest.
"Owen, I need you to think hard." said Noah seriously.
"Thinking's always hard." Owen responded.
"If Gwen and Courtney caught the real Ripper, then who do we have?"
Owen's face went blank for a moment. Instead of answering, the big guy opened his sack and dumped out his captor. The Minotaurs gasped. The Amazons burst into laughter, with Gwen being the only one to try and control it.
"You idiot!" Duncan yelled, getting to his feet. "Do I look like Jack the Ripper?!"
"Um… Maybe with a hat?" Owen joked. Duncan leered at him. He wasn't furious like Alejandro, but was still dangerously ticked off. The punk had to restrain himself from slugging the big guy.
Duncan had not actually been captured by Ezekiel. When the homeschooler attacked the punk with his poisoned dagger, Duncan was able to fend him off with a few fancy moves of his own. After Ezekiel ran off, Duncan spent the entire episode trying to track him down on his own, all the while staying out of sight. Unfortunately, his plan was foiled when a bit of light reflected off of his pocket knife and caught Owen's attention.
"Oh, look at that! We caught a criminal too!" said Noah nervously.
"Yes, but not the right one." said Chris. "And that's why Team Amazon wins today's competish!"
The girls (and Cody) cheered. The guys (and Eva) groaned.
"Head on outside for the elimination ceremony, guys! First Class goes to the ladies!"
Alejandro's enraged frown twisted into a diabolical smirk. Owen and Noah just about soiled their pants.
Elimination Ceremony: Team Minotaur
The Minotaurs sat silently outside the plane and waited for Chris.
"Welcome, manly Minotaurs, to your second elimination!" Chris greeted. "Just to refresh your memory, I have your passports here! You're gonna take it into voting booth and place a Union Jack sticker on the person you wanna eliminate. Alejandro?"
The Spaniard went first. He was barely in the booth for five seconds before he came out. DJ voted next and took a little while to vote. Duncan voted faster than DJ, though not as fast as Alejandro. Eva went in next, followed by Owen, then Noah, then Trent, and Tyler voted last.
Chris looked peculiarly grim as he read the votes.
"Interesting… Really…? Wow... Who'd've thought…?" he muttered heavily. "Okay! We have boarding passes for…"
"DJ!"
"Trent!"
"Noah!"
"Eva!"
"Tyler!"
"And Duncan!"
The first six Minotaurs grabbed their tickets silently. Duncan was the only one to board the plane.
"That leaves… Owen… and Alejandro." said Chris heavily. "Oh my… Alejandro, you were absent for the entirety of the challenge. And Owen, you spent the entire challenge trying to make Noah laugh. Anyway… the final boarding pass… of the night… goes to…"
Alejandro glared impatiently at Chris. Owen just sat worriedly. Chris delayed the verdict, the faces of Alejandro and Owen growing ever more impatient and nervous, respectively. At this point, the Spaniard barely cared whether it was him or Owen going home. Either way, he would be free of his hated enemy soon enough.
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"Alejandro."
Owen gasped. Noah moaned, depressed. Alejandro smirked wickedly.
"What? Me?" Owen uttered, looking heartbroken.
"Owen, the gang has spoken." said Chris solemnly.
Trent, Tyler, and DJ boarded the plane without looking at Owen. Eva was conflicted on Owen's elimination. She wasn't going to miss him badly but his elimination was another blow to her alliance. She waited for Noah to say goodbye.
"I'll miss ya, little buddy!" said Owen.
"Yeah… whatevs… smell ya later… chubby buddy!" said Noah, trying not to get choked up. He couldn't understand why he was upset. Owen was supposed to be no more than his ally. He wanted to feel the way Eva was feeling, in that Owen's elimination should have caused him to feel no worse than inconvenienced, yet he was experiencing a noticeable level of grief.
"You win for me, okay?"
"That's the plan."
After a big bear hug, Noah boarded the plane with Eva at his side. Alejandro was the last to board the plane. Right before he went through the entrance, he turned around and flipped the big guy off with both hands, grinning maniacally. Owen gasped. His suspicions that Alejandro didn't like him were confirmed.
The Spaniard disappeared into the plane. Chef came to the door and threw Owen's luggage, half of which was snack food. After that, he tossed Ezekiel out of the plane. The homeschooler had been bound in yards of rope, ensuring he'd be unable to stow away again. He looked like a brown mummy.
The door closed for good and the plane took off.
Confessional: Alejandro
"I did it. I managed to convince the team to vote off Owen. Let me tell you, it was not easy! It took loads of patience dealing with Trent, Tyler, and DJ's fondness for that buffoon, as well as pretending that it wasn't personal. I had to point out how his popularity makes him a threat and that he hasn't pulled his weight this season. Still, I don't think they were convinced until Owen captured Duncan by mistake. But Owen is gone! I'd say that deserves an evil laugh, but I'm above that! Maybe a snicker though." (Snickers naughtily) "Tee-hee-hee-hee-hee! (Laughs evilly) "Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Aw, to Hell with it! I deserve it!" (Guffaws maniacally) "BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAAA!"
Confessional: Noah
"Wow. I don't believe it. Owen just got booted. Through an actual majority vote. My mind is blown. I mean, I suspected that Alejandro was a threat, but to be cunning enough to convince everyone to vote him off? And to be evil enough to want it in the first place?! Ugh! Why am I so upset?! I came into this alliance just to take advantage of Owen's popularity! I didn't expect to warm up to him! (Takes a deep breath) I don't know how you did it, Ale-draggo, but this means war!"
End Confessional
Noah and Eva sat on one side of Economy, while the rest of the team sat on the other. Alejandro smirked smugly at Noah while the bookworm leered threateningly at the Spaniard.
"Duncan! Trent!" cried Courtney, coming in. "You guys wanna come up to First Class with us?"
Trent and Duncan looked at each other. The former gave the latter a stern look. The punk sighed and nodded.
"I'm good." Trent answered Courtney. "Thanks for the offer, though!"
"Suit yourself. Duncan?"
Duncan silently got up and followed his girlfriend to the First Class cabin. As they walked through the empty dining room, Duncan stopped halfway. He took a deep breath and made sure his jock strap was properly fastened.
"You know what? No." he said.
"What?" said Courtney, turning around.
"We need to talk, princess."
"We can talk in First Class." said Courtney cluelessly.
"I don't wanna go to First Class."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't wanna go anywhere with you ever again."
"Duncan, what are you saying?" Courtney asked.
"I'm saying that I can't pretend that things are cool between us anymore. We're done. It's over. I'm sorry, but I'm breaking up with you!"
Courtney gasped, looking shocked and heartbroken. Duncan held his hands over his crotch protectively, waiting for the fallout. Surprisingly, it didn't come. Courtney's expression, instead of going volcanic as Duncan feared, twisted into mild annoyance.
"Okay… I can tell that you're still a little grumpy after your little accident with Owen. We'll talk about this tomorrow, once you've had time to cool down."
"There's nothing to talk about." Duncan scoffed, but Courtney had already turned her back and headed back to First Class. Duncan was stunned. And also very sweaty.
Confessional: Duncan
"Well, that coulda gone way worse. (Sniffs armpit) Phew! I need a shower!"
End Confessional
Little did Courtney realize that somebody was eavesdropping on their conversation. Gwen was waiting at the door for Courtney to return with her two favorite guys. She saw through the window what Duncan was doing and then cracked the door open silently in time to hear the most important part.
"What are you doing?" Courtney demanded.
"Uh, I was wondering what was taking so long." said Gwen.
"Duncan's in a bad mood." said Courtney dismissively. "And Trent wants to be with the boys."
"Oh well." Gwen shrugged, pretending to be oblivious. She sat back down, feeling very buzzy, as though she drank too much coffee.
After Total Drama Action, many of Gwen's fans told her that she and Duncan would make a great couple and that she deserved him more than Courtney. The goth, while flattered, shut it all down. Duncan had a girlfriend and Gwen respected that. However, when she heard about Duncan and Courtney breaking up over the school year, she was charged with overwhelming excitement. She knew she wanted Duncan then, but didn't pounce on him right away, as she didn't want to look like she was waiting in the wings for Duncan and Courtney to break up. This, however, seemed to be a mistake, as they ended up getting back together during the TDA reunion special, and Gwen's tiny window of opportunity had passed.
After an hour of wondering what to do, Gwen decided that she wasn't going to make the same mistake again. Making sure everyone, particularly Courtney, was asleep, she crept out of First Class.
Most of the Minotaurs were asleep. Noah seemed to be sleeping with one eye open. Alejandro had a content smile on his face. Duncan wasn't around. Gwen was about to wake Trent to ask where Duncan had gone when the punk entered Economy drying his hair with a towel.
"Pasty?"
Gwen smiled and beckoned him to follow her. She led him to the bathroom.
"Lock the door." she commanded once they were both in. Duncan obliged but struggled.
"Ugh. Lock's busted." he muttered, rattling the knob.
"Oh, whatever. Everyone's asleep."
"So what's up?"
"Well… I saw some tension towards DJ."
"That was just a joke."
"You liar. I can tell you're angry at him."
"Why would I be angry at DJ?"
"Because you thought you had his support in the finale? Only for him to support your opponent?"
Duncan sighed.
"How'd ya know?"
"Because I can relate."
"Who betrayed-?"
"Bridgette."
"Ah."
"It was mostly inconsequential, but it still hurt."
"I bet. You voted for me to win, right?"
"Of course I did. You're like my best friend here."
"Best friend, eh?" said Duncan, taking Gwen's injured hand. He then began stroking it. Gwen smiled tenderly. "Does this feel better?"
"It's… actually pretty painful." said Gwen.
"You want me to stop?"
"…No."
Duncan grasped Gwen's other hand.
SMOOCH!
As Gwen and Duncan shared their first kiss, the door came open. Tyler's eyes popped and his jaw dropped. He silently withdrew, with Gwen and Duncan seemingly none the wiser.
Finally, Chris closed out the episode from the cockpit.
"Whoa! Now that's how you get some drama started!" he narrated. "Wait 'til Courtney hears about this one! Will Tyler tattle on his teammate? Will Noah avenge Owen? Find out next time! On Total… Drama… World Tour!"
Votes
Alejandro: Owen
DJ: Owen
Duncan: Owen
Eva: Alejandro
Noah: Alejandro
Owen: Alejandro
Trent: Owen
Tyler: Owen
Results
Owen: 5 votes (Eliminated)
Alejandro: 3 votes
Rankings
14. Owen
15. Izzy
16. Justin
17. Katie
18. Ezekiel
19. Sadie
20. Leshawna
21. Geoff
22. Bridgette
23. Harold
24. Beth
Author's note: Whew! I did it. I completed the most infamous episode of the season.
Anyway, plenty to talk about. The first thing is that Cody got exposed for his mischievous behavior in Jamaica. This will be essential to his development. Second, DJ and Lindsay have been separated much to their sadness, but I was kinda stuck on how to alter this challenge to make it suitable for three teams. Thirdly, in case it wasn't made clear, Ezekiel will not be stowing away anymore. He won't be going feral either. He will make his next appearance at the next aftermath.
You might have noticed that Gwen and Courtney have gradually become friendlier with each other over the course of the season, and this allowed me to take out those stupid confessionals where they go "Wow! I don't hate Gwen/Courtney anymore!" Kinda makes it seem like the friendship between the two girls was a last-minute addition to create more drama following the kiss.
As in canon, Team Minotaur loses this challenge, but this time, it's legitimate, as they caught Duncan and Team Amazon caught Ezekiel instead of the other way around. I hope the final part of the challenge was too confusing or misleading.
Owen has hit the end of his world tour, thanks to Alejandro. Not gonna lie, I somewhat relate to Alejandro getting frustrated with Owen calling him Al. I also had an older sibling who liked to tease me with nicknames I disliked as a kid. We're on good terms as adults, but when I was a kid, I really did not like it. To be fair to Owen, in canon, Alejandro never told him that the name was bothering him, but in my version, he has no such excuse. When I first started this fic, I had intended to have Noah be eliminated here, but then be saved by Owen sacrificing himself to keep Noah in the game. I remember reading a fic that had Owen do just that, and I felt a rare surge of respect for the big guy. Then I realized I'd be a copycat if I did that. So I had to settle for him actually getting eliminated for screwing up a challenge, a true rarity in the series.
I will admit, Owen was slightly more tolerable TDWT than in the previous two seasons. He paid for his mistakes, he had an actual friendship with Noah instead of a bunch of ass-kissers, he didn't act like a selfish coward during the horror movie challenge, and there was someone who genuinely hated him, giving those who don't like him some representation. Still, it was too little and too late for me.
And finally, the next major development in the love triangle, in that Duncan, with a little push from Trent, mustered up the courage to break up with Courtney before having his first kiss with Gwen. I said I didn't resent Duncan for cheating on Courtney, but I wasn't stupid enough to have it actually happen again. Unlike Team Victory's losing streak, Gwen and Duncan's affair was something the fans made crystal clear that they disapproved of. That made it a priority for a bit of editing.
What do ya'll think?