Total Drama World Tour Deluxe
Chapter 16: Picnic at Hanging Dork
Hello everyone, I'm back! My apologies for the hiatus, the holidays are certainly a handful for me. But now that Christmas is over, I think I can get back to a relatively regular upload schedule. Thank you all for your patience and understanding. Also, I highly appreciate everyone for their sympathy and concern regarding the accident. With that said, let's respond to some reviews.
Guest A: I guess you don't like Eva.
Guest B: 1. I thought people would like it.
2. Not at all.
3. Thank you for your concern.
4. Indeed.
5. Glad you picked up on that.
6. That's understandable.
7. Not particularly.
8. Keep them for what?
9. Nah. "Demonizing" would imply that he was being portrayed as 100% in the wrong, which he was not.
10. Not telling.
xx15: Nobody's perfect.
LaCuevademisgustos: Why thank you.
AnonBrowser: Thank you for your concern. Yes, I was pretty aware of DJ's rotten luck not exactly improving upon moving teams despite it being the most successful team up to that point. But I'm glad I nonetheless improved his run in your eyes. As for Lindsay not grieving for Tyler, it was admittedly something I overlooked. But can you blame me? Like I said, Tyler is one of the least interesting characters to me.
MDReborn: Eva had been contributing heavily to her team, which is quite different from her old team, the Killer Bass. Team Minotaur has more former Screaming Gophers than Bass, and if you think about it, the Gophers were far more practical with their eliminations than the Bass (with some exceptions) and weren't as concerned with social status. But thank you!
SuperSonicHeroes: Yeah, I understand. It can really hurt when your favorite goes. Sorry about that. Glad you liked my portrayals of Lindsay and Trent here.
Spectacular Webhead 11: Keep your fingers crossed.
TotalPizza: Yes, I did make a point to expose DJ's hypocrisy. And yes, I figured the best way to showcase Lindsay's new intelligence is to have her be one of the first to figure out that Gwen is innocent. It always bugged me how much of a thorn in Gwen's side Lindsay was, despite being portrayed as a decent person. Yes, Tattletale Strangler is indeed a Spongebob reference.
Gucci Mane LaFlare: Thank you.
Crosshot: Thanks!
Rockin' D-99: Eh, what episode isn't controversial? Yep, Duncan and DJ made for some drama, huh? Maybe they'll get over it, maybe they won't. As for Gwen, yes I thought I'd make better use of the rather contradictory claims she made at the beginning of All-Stars, and make her look stronger than in canon. And yes, I do agree that Gwen's elimination, regardless of whether or not she deserved it, was idiotic.
lordgemini: Uh, thanks. Not sure, how you think Duncan is turning into a Gary-Stu, as he's a very flawed person who's made several enemies and strategic mistakes.
Joel Connell: The Eva-attacking-Leshawna plot is not over yet.
jasonalcius: Thank you.
theboiishere123: You're very kind. Thank you.
"Last time on Total Drama World Tour!" Chris narrated. "Area Fifty-One! Plucked from space to zap your face! Here, DJ got into a prickly situation! And he wasn't the only one! And that is no dentist chair! Lucky for our contestants, Eva was still in the game, or they probably all would have ended up as livestock on Jupiter. In the end, it was DJ that got the shaft. And Courtney warned Gwen and Duncan to sleep with both eyes open. However, the tide appears to be shifting in the Amazon civil war. Who's going to blunder in the land down under? Find out right here! Right now! On Total… Drama… World Tour!
After the theme song, we cut to First Class. Gwen's continued presence seemed to be an affront to Courtney and Sierra. Gwen sat in a window seat, with Courtney sitting next to her and Sierra across from her. Both tan-skinned girls were watching the goth like a hawk. Gwen barely moved a muscle and limited her breathing. She was afraid that if she did anything, Courtney or Sierra would react violently. Cody sat next to Sierra, munching on a chocolate-chip cookie and ignoring the drama.
"Man, the chocolate chips are still gooey!" Cody exclaimed. "First Class rules!"
"Cookie?" came Heather's voice. Gwen and Courtney looked over their shoulders to find Heather offering the former a cookie. Gwen reached for it but was beaten to it by Courtney, who crushed it to pieces in her hand.
Confessional: Courtney
"I am so ready to be rid of Gwen! We have got to lose the next challenge!"
End Confessional
Heather walked away from the group and headed towards the bar. She passed the second row of seats where Lindsay sat alone.
"What's with you?" Heather asked a rather blue-looking formerly dumb blonde.
"Like you care." Lindsay scoffed.
"Try me." Lindsay looked up. Heather had a rather neutral expression. Lindsay leered at her. "Come on, Lindsay. Have I done anything so reprehensible in the last two seasons to warrant the silent treatment? Did I not suffer enough when I got my hair shaved off?"
Lindsay looked up. She thought hard about what Heather had done in the last season-and-a-half but couldn't come up with anything particularly awful. She sighed in concession.
"They voted off DJ…" she moaned.
"Ah."
"I don't understand the way Team Minotaur's been voting!" Lindsay cried, upset. "I mean, Izzy wasn't that shocking, but Owen's elimination was jaw-dropping!"
"Of course it was." said Heather sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"And Tyler… Well, to be honest, it wasn't shocking either, but it was still upsetting. DJ's was both shocking and upsetting. Seriously! These are some of the nicest guys on the show! Why would they be eliminated so soon?!"
"Well, considering all of the renegades on Team Minotaur, you really shouldn't be so surprised."
"Renegades?" Lindsay repeated, looking up.
"Yes, renegades. Duncan, Eva, Noah, and Alejandro are far more ruthless and strategical than everyone except me. They don't rely on popularity, they use it against others."
"Hm… I guess…" said Lindsay. "Doesn't explain why they kicked off Tyler, though…"
"Who?"
"Not funny, Heather."
Meanwhile, in Economy…
"Ugh. Loser class again. Pathetic." Eva grumped, shaking a rat out of her hair.
"I agree." said Alejandro. "Men, we must rise from the ashes of defeat and ignite the fires of victory!"
"I'm all for starting fires!" said Duncan, enthusiastically.
"Later, Pyro." said Trent.
"The Amazons are strong because they have Gwen, Heather, and Courtney." Alejandro spoke. "Next time the Amazons lose, they will likely vote out Gwen, but we need to ensure that Courtney or Heather will follow. Any ideas?"
"I have one!" said Noah, grinning smugly. "Flirt with Heather!"
Duncan and Trent looked at Noah
"What? What'll that do?" said Trent.
"Well, Mister Ladies'-Man here flirted with Bridgette, Leshawna, and Izzy. All shortly before their eliminations. Call me superstitious but I don't think that was a coincidence."
"Bridgette, Leshawna, and Izzy?" Trent repeated, looking shocked. Alejandro cringed and silently cussed Noah out. Duncan gave an impressed whistle.
"And I thought I was gold medalist in the Babe Olympics!" the punk exclaimed.
"Er, yes…" said Alejandro nervously. Noah enjoyed watching the Spaniard squirm. "I was… truly fond of all of them! Sadly, the fates were against us."
"Right…" said Noah, skeptically.
"I suppose I could attempt to seduce Heather… but it goes against the Gentleman's Code!"
"There's a code for that bull?" Duncan scoffed.
"And if I do seduce her, Courtney will remain unaffected. If only we could weaken both at once."
"Easy!" said Duncan. "Heather's kinda into you, right? So seduce Courtney!"
"Of course! If I seduce Courtney, it'll distract both of them from the game at hand and one will surely vote the other off! Brilliant idea, Duncan!"
Confessional: Duncan
"Man, this could not be more perfect! Alejandro fails, it's a reason to vote him off! Guy succeeds and Courtney's a goner! That's some win-win action there!"
Confessional: Alejandro
"We need to win. I have a bad feeling that Duncan will go back on his word that he'll vote with me the next time we lose."
Confessional: Noah
"Honestly, I kinda want to lose the next challenge. Why? Because I have Alejandro cornered. While I don't fully trust Duncan, Eva will vote with me, and I'm certain I can convince Trent to vote with me as well, given that he has a thing for Courtney, for whatever reason. Of course, I'm not going stoop to Courtney's level and outright sabotage our team. Well… maybe as a last resort… and if I can get away with it… On second thought, maybe Courtney's onto something!"
End Confessional
"Uh, guys? Do you even hear yourselves talking?" Trent exclaimed indignantly. "Courtney's going through a lot at the moment. We don't need to screw with her any further! Can't we just focus on winning the next challenge and hope for better luck?"
"NO!" the rest of Team Minotaur yelled at Trent. The musician flinched.
Confessional: Trent
"Man, this losing streak's really doing a number on our team. I mean, I understand, I'm a bit frustrated too, but we don't need to resort to such dirty tactics to win. (Sighs) I wish DJ and Owen were still here."
End Confessional
Meanwhile back in First Class…
Heather walked with a carefree spirit around the cabin and munched on a cookie when she was suddenly seized by the arm and yanked into the restroom.
"Hey!" Heather cried, spitting crumbs by accident. It was pitch black and she couldn't see who had grabbed her.
"Okay, we both vote Gwen next, agreed?" said Courtney.
"Not if you try to throw the challenge again!" Heather warned.
"I did no such thing!" Courtney gasped. Heather felt around in the dark for a few seconds, searching for Courtney's face. Upon finding it, she slapped it.
SMACK!
"OW!" Courtney yelled. "What was that for?!"
"For insulting my intelligence." said Heather. "That is one of the most pathetic lies I've ever been fed."
"Takes one to know one!" Courtney snapped.
"Believe me, I'm not mad that you lied, I'm just disgusted at how much you suck at lying. If you wanna hold office someday, you seriously need to work on your lying skills."
"Ergh…" Courtney growled. "Regardless, I want a guarantee that on the off-chance that our winning streak does end, Pasty McJerkface goes home!"
"Tell you what, Courtney. I'm going to be keeping an eye on you for the next little while. If you put in your best effort to win the challenge and we still fail, then Gwen goes home. But if we lose because you're so (BLEEP) desperate to get revenge, then I'm withdrawing my sympathy."
"You can't do that!"
"Gwen and I will never be friends but at least she's good at challenges. Ugh, never thought I'd hear myself say that…" Heather added under her breath. "And winning is far more important than revenge."
"Surely, you can understand the benefits of losing a challenge to get rid of someone you hate?"
"Not my style. My style is win, win, win. And if you want my support in the next vote, then you need to do things my way."
"Fine…"
As Courtney and Heather talked, so did Sierra and Lindsay whilst sitting at the bar.
"So, Lindsay, what did you wanna talk about?" Sierra asked excitedly.
"Well, I talked to Gwen last night…" said Lindsay. Sierra's excitement instantly turned into annoyance.
"And what did she say?"
"Well, she said she witnessed Duncan dumping her before the kiss took place."
"And you believed that?" Sierra scoffed.
"Gwen's a good person, Sierra. I used to think she wasn't, but I was wrong both times."
"Teehee." Sierra snickered, condescendingly. "Oh Lindsay… foolish gullible Lindsay…"
"Excuse me?" Lindsay said, offended.
"It must be that crayon you stuffed in your brain when you were six." Sierra surmised dismissively.
"You mean this one?" said Lindsay, holding up a magenta crayon. Sierra said nothing. "Sierra, Courtney technically admitted that Gwen was telling the truth while we were in the minefield. She just tried to spin it in order to make it look like Gwen did something wrong."
"You're so cute, Lindsay! Trying to act smart!" said Sierra, pinching Lindsay's nose.
"Hey!" the formerly dumb blonde snapped.
Confessional: Sierra
"I don't give a hoot whether or not Gwen's telling the truth. This scandal is the perfect opportunity to get her eliminated. And once she's gone, Cody will forget all about her and fall in love with me! Just like Heather said!"
End Confessional
Cody conversed with Gwen.
"Okay, so I got Lindsay on my side last night. If I can convince Heather to join us, the four of us can vote Courtney off!"
"If anyone goes, it's Sierra!" said Cody.
"Believe me, Sierra will go. After Courtney." said Gwen.
"She's acting like a creepy stalker again."
"Well, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." Gwen muttered sarcastically.
"Come on, Gwen! You honestly can't believe that I'm as bad as Sierra!"
"I don't, but it doesn't give you the right to act like a creepy stalker!"
"But to say that I deserve Sierra?! I never forced myself upon you! And I didn't throw a tantrum when you rejected me!"
"It still took a while for you to take 'no' for an answer."
"But I did! And I set you up with Trent afterwards, didn't I?"
"Yes, and I admired the gesture. But that was all the way back in Season One, and you've gone back to trying to win me over by annoying me."
"So I deserve to be with a potential rapist?!"
"Look, I was mad when I said that. I'm sorry."
"Thank you. Still, it doesn't change the fact that Sierra now thinks I'm fair game for stalking again, thanks to you!"
"Then give her another good smack! That was pretty badass of you!"
"Like that'll do any good. And while we're on the subject, I really did not appreciate being stuck with Sierra back in Paris! I told you, leaving her behind in the Amazon was an accident!"
"I wasn't punishing you, Cody. I just thought that you were the only one who could do anything about her behavior! And I was right, wasn't I?"
"Yeah, yeah... I see..."
"I promise, Cody. Vote Courtney off, and I guarantee that Sierra will go right after her."
Cody looked down in contemplation for a few moments.
"Alright. Deal." said Cody.
"Thank you, Cody." said Gwen gratefully.
"ALL COMPETITORS, PLEASE MOVE TO THE COMMON AREA TO PREP FOR LANDING!" Chris commanded over the intercom.
The contestants all obeyed. For the first time in the season, Team Minotaur was not the team with the most members, and Heather seemed quite pleased with that. She gave Alejandro a gloating smirk. Alejandro briefly acknowledged her before walking over to Courtney. He grabbed her arm.
"Courtney, we need to talk." he said with the seriousness of one about break up with their partner.
"Uh, whatever Duncan said about me is a lie!" said Courtney, pulling her arm away.
"Believe me, I didn't believe a word he said. In fact, I tried to vote him off!" he whispered.
"Really?" said Courtney.
"Any man who cannot perceive your true worth is a fool!" the Spaniard declared passionately. "What I wouldn't give for- No! I've said too much! Forgive me!"
Alejandro placed his arm over his forehead dramatically. He walked away, with Courtney looking stunned.
"You feeling okay?" Heather asked Courtney.
"Never better!" Courtney swooned, not taking her eyes off Alejandro.
Confessional: Duncan
"Hook, line, and sinker!"
Confessional: Heather
"Al and Courtney? (Scoffs) No chance! He's up to something!" (Becomes visibly worried)
End Confessional
The plane landed and the contestants exited the plane and found themselves in a vast, sparse, red scrubland. Chris exited the plane wearing a Steve Irwin hat.
"G'day, mates! And welcome to Australia!" Chris greeted with an accent. "I call today's challenge The Marathon of Death! Part one is an emu race into the Blue Mountain. I'm not saying it's gonna be dangerous or anything, but with some of the deadliest snakes, spiders, and scorpions in the world, along with the very real possibility of sunstroke, I hope you have your affairs in order! Whoever reaches the majestic Hanging Rock first gets a major advantage in the second half of the challenge! And yes! I said 'emu!' Bring 'em in, boys!"
Four interns, who looked like two different sets of identical twins, came towards the group, pulling a dozen emus by their reins, all four of them looking incredibly disgruntled. And it was a mystery to no one why. An emu at the front of the pack gave the leading intern a hard peck on the noggin.
"Nice!" Cody called.
Confessional: Cody
"Emus are my favorite animal! When I was a kid, I used to sleep with a stuffed emu. Of course, I stopped when I was about… uh… six or seven!"
End Confessional
"Do we get saddles?" Lindsay asked.
"Of course not! It's supposed to be a challenge!" Chris answered. "Which is also why you're going to have to catch and tame one of these mother-lovers before you mount it!"
"Oh great. More running around like idiots." said Noah.
"Exactly!" said Chris. "GO!"
The interns released the emus and scampered back to the plane.
The contestants started chasing the large birds around. Naturally, the first one to catch and commandeer one was Eva, who took about twenty seconds to catch one without hurting it. Duncan was the second, employing tactics he had used on the camel back in Egypt. Everyone else was visibly struggling. Noah looked like he wasn't even trying.
"Oh drat." the bookworm said lazily. He reach out for an emu that was ten feet away from. "Aw, son of a gun. This is tough."
Alejandro leered at Noah.
Confessional: Alejandro
"Useless, lazy, disrespectful, ratty thorn-in-my-side!"
End Confessional
Eva rode by Noah, snatched him up by the back of his shirt, and placed him on the back of another emu.
"There ya are, shrimp." said Eva.
"Gee, thanks…" said Noah sarcastically.
"What?" Eva demanded.
"Look, we've got Alejandro cornered. If there was ever a time to lose another challenge it'd be now."
"Yeah, no. I prefer winning challenges."
"An overrated strategy. Especially if the biggest threat is on your team."
"If the biggest threat is on our side, then I don't see the problem."
"The problem is that he won't be on our side forever. When the merge comes, it'll be every man and woman for themselves."
"Man, you really took Owen's elimination personally, didn't ya?"
Noah said nothing.
"Get moving!" Eva snapped, whipping the flank of Noah's emu. And the two remaining members of the E-Scope alliance were off.
Meanwhile, Courtney was struggling to obtain an emu. Shaken by Heather's threats and accusations, Courtney was indeed trying her hardest to complete the challenge. But for some reason, none of the emus seemed interested in being ridden.
"Oh come on!" she yelled, attempting to tackle one, but the bird's agility ended up making her tackle the ground. "Ugh! This is impossible!"
"Allow me!" said Alejandro, coming up to the CIT with two emus following him like lost puppies. He then lifted Courtney up onto the seat of one like a gentleman. Courtney frowned at him. "Oh. Forgive me. I know you don't need my help. You need no one!"
The CIT's expression softened.
"Well… I wouldn't say that…" she said, grabbing his shoulder.
"Really? Then I hope I can be of further assistance!"
A few yards away, Trent was struggling to hold an emu down.
"Looking good, Trent!" Heather flirted from the seat of her emu.
"What?" Shocked, Trent's grip slipped and the emu got away. "Hey, get back here!"
Alejandro noticed the flirting, a puzzled and concerned expression crossing his face.
Confessional: Alejandro
"Heather's a worthy adversary for sure, but she hasn't flirted with anyone this season. Then again, she did flirt with Trent back in Season One, so that couldn't have been true passion in her eyes. Could it?"
End Confessional
"What's with Heather?" Gwen asked her ex. "She's acting like she just realized you exist."
"Hell if I know." Trent shrugged. "She's probably just plotting my murder. Either that or just trying to make someone jealous. Don't know which is worse."
Meanwhile, Cody had seized an emu by the reins and had pulled its face into his.
"Listen, buddy! You're gonna take me to Hanging Rock and you're not gonna give me any trouble, got it?" Cody commanded sternly. The emu pecked him in the face in response. "OW!"
Duncan watched in pity as Cody's emu ran off.
"Yo, Code-meister!" the punk called. "Havin' trouble?"
"No shit, Sherlock!" Cody snapped.
"You gotta be way more assertive than that!" said Duncan critically. "Most animals can sense fear, and you are not doing a good job at masking yours. You need to make it clear that you are in charge! Make it think you'll kick its butt!"
"Easy for you to say!" Cody grumped. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but Duncan was more physically imposing than him. In fact, in the early stages of Season One, before people everyone had really gotten to know each other, almost everyone was afraid of Duncan.
"Hey, I may look more like a badass than you, but that doesn't mean you don't got what it takes. Go on! There's another one right there!"
The punk pointed to a fairly stationary emu. Cody apprehensively approached it.
"Come on, pal! You got this!" Duncan called encouragingly. Cody nodded. He grabbed the large bird by the reins and tried again.
"Listen, you oversized quail!" Cody snapped threateningly. "You're gonna take me to Hanging Rock and you are not gonna give me any trouble! Got it?!"
The emu shook its head in fright. It bent down and allowed the geek to mount it. Duncan gave a thumbs-up.
"Good boy! I'm gonna call you Jerry!" said Cody. He turned to the punk. "Thanks, Duncan!" he called.
"No prob!"
Eventually, everyone managed to get themselves an emu and were on their way to Hanging Rock. Eva was in the lead followed by Alejandro and Lindsay. Duncan followed behind in fourth place as did Gwen in a close fifth. Trent, Cody, Sierra, and Heather were bunched up behind them. Trailing behind the pack were both Noah and Courtney, both of whom seemed determined to lose the challenge. Unfortunately for Courtney, Heather noticed her.
"Come on! Pick up the pace!" the queen bee snapped.
Grumbling bitterly, Courtney reluctantly urged her emu to go faster. Noah smirked.
"Hola, Courtney!" Alejandro greeted, slowing down to ride beside the CIT. "Your emu is the luckiest creature on Earth! It has the privilege of carrying you! See you at the top!"
Alejandro sped off. Courtney beamed. Heather sneered.
"You think Duncan saw that?" Courtney asked.
"He's the only one who didn't! Now come on!" Heather snapped.
About an hour went by when Courtney rode up beside Alejandro.
"Hey. Alejandro?" she called shyly.
"Aw, Courtney! How may I be of assistance?" the Spaniard asked charmingly.
"I just want Gwen to pay. But things are becoming more and more complicated."
"How so?" Alejandro asked.
"Sierra would vote with me to get rid of Gwen, but for some reason, Cody can't see the evil oozing from Gwen's poorly moisturized skin, the effing simp. And Heather is holding her vote hostage."
"Keeping you on a leash, is she?"
"In a way…"
"What about Lindsay?"
"Sierra told me Lindsay's now on Gwen's side."
"Unbelievable!"
"I know, right? I'd throw the challenge so I could get rid of Gwen but at best, all I could get is a tie! If only we could turn Lindsay back to my side…"
Ahead of them, Gwen and Duncan were riding side-by-side. Cody trailed behind them a respectable distance, albeit with a depressed and envious expression. Behind them, Sierra was writing in a diary that looked suspiciously similar to Gwen's, a naughty look on her face.
"I have a better idea…" said the Spaniard.
Confessional: Alejandro
"Cody has certainly had a hard time this season. Being sexually harassed by Sierra, shown no respect from his team, and was once again friendzoned by the girl he loves. His grief is just tragic. And his vulnerability is delicious!" (Grins wickedly)
End Confessional
Alejandro rode over to Sierra.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
Sierra jumped and hid the book behind her back.
"Nothing…" she said, doing a good imitation of a small child caught with her hand in a jar of cookies.
"Hand it over, Sierra or I will tell Gwen." Alejandro demanded.
Sierra bitterly handed the book and the pen over to Alejandro. The Spaniard rode away before opening the book. Sure enough, it was filled with journal entries detailing Gwen's thoughts over the years. With the exception of the last entry, which was clearly written by Sierra:
"Dear Diary, I am Gwen. I'm so sad because I pooped in my diaper today. I don't have any friends because I'm a slut and a whore and pure evil and I poop in diapers. I have to be on a team with Cody and that makes me sad because I don't deserve him. I'm a moron for letting Trent go and for kissing Courtney's boyfriend and my armpits stink like my poopy diaper. I'm as ugly as Ezekiel's butt. I'm going to kill myself but not before I poop my diaper again."
"Charming." Alejandro commented sarcastically. He tore Sierra's entry out of the book and stuffed it in his pocket.
Meanwhile, the heat was getting to Cody. He felt as though he was about to fall off of his emu when Duncan rode by.
"Hey, Codester! Need some water?" he offered, holding his water bottle out. If not for earlier, Cody would have suspected a prank.
"Thanks." said Cody, taking the bottle.
"Just don't finish it, dude."
Cody took the bottle and drank from it, becoming rehydrated without suffering any side effects that would have made Duncan laugh.
Confessional: Cody
"Damn it, Duncan. Why do you have to keep depriving me of reasons to hate you?"
End Confessional
Two hours later…
Chris and Chef sat at the top of Hanging Rock. The latter had been carving a didgeridoo as they waited for the contestants to arrive.
"Think the scorpions got 'em?" Chris asked.
"Five to one, it's dingoes." Chef shrugged.
"Ahem!" came an annoyed voice. The two men turned around to see that Alejandro was the first to make it to the top of the precipice. He was drenched in sweat.
"Oh! Finally!" Chris called.
Eva, Heather, Lindsay, and Courtney arrived shortly after, each of them panting heavily.
"I knew the view would be beautiful!" Alejandro flirted as Courtney rode by.
"Ooooh… You're good!" the CIT swooned.
A kangaroo arrived up the mountain. She reached into her pouch and pulled Trent out, tossing him onto the ground. He was covered in milk.
"Ugh! Sick!" the musician groaned. Heather immediately ran up to him and helped him to his feet.
"Are you okay, Trent?" she asked sweetly.
"Yeah, fine." said Trent. "Just need a shower."
A worried expression crossed Alejandro's face, but Heather didn't have time to savor it, as Trent walked away just in time for Gwen, Duncan, and Cody to arrive.
"What happened to you, Elvis?" Duncan asked.
"I don't wanna talk about it." said Trent dismissively.
Sierra was the next to arrive. She was currently being abused by her emu, which was violently pecking away at her scalp.
"Team Amazon takes the lead!" Chris announced.
"Ugh!" Alejandro cried in frustration. "Where is that rat?!"
"Uh, he should be here any minute…" said Eva, nervously.
Noah was the only one who had yet to arrive at the precipice. And he was in no hurry. He had his emu walking casually and steadily towards Hanging Rock, while he read a book.
"Don't even think about going back for him!" Chris warned the Minotaurs. "You'll just have to sit tight and wait for him to arrive! Team Amazon, get ready to take a long walk off a short cliff!" Chris turned to the camera. "What exactly are they jumping into? Find out when we boomerang back! On Total… Drama… World Tour!"
After the commercial break, we cut back to Hanging Rock. Chris and the contestants, minus the absent Noah, were standing near the edge of the cliff.
"Okay, kids! Get ready to look death in the face and live to tell the tale! …Or not!" said Chris. The campers had heard it a million times before that the challenge could result in losing their life, but Chris's increasing sociopathy insured that they always took him seriously.
"The Challenge: Part Two! Players must take turns bungee-jumping off Hanging Rock and plummeting to the bottom… far, far, far below!" The teams dared to look over the edge. The cliff was at least as high as the one at Camp Wawanakwa. At the very bottom was an enclosed pen containing about forty sheep. "…To try and grab one of Australia's finest sheep! Three of those sheep have Team Minotaur logos tattooed somewhere under their wool. Another three have Team Amazon logos. The first team to catch and shear one of their own sheep wins First Class tickets to Nextville! As the last to arrive, the manly Minotaurs get a pair of gardening shears!"
Chef came up to Alejandro and handed him a shabby pair of hedge clippers. The wooden handles were coarse and dirty. The blades were rusty and bent.
"And as the first team to arrive, the Amazons get this advantage: battery-operated sheep shearers!"
Chef handed what looked like an oversized electric razor to Lindsay. The Amazons all cheered, save for Courtney, who grunted in frustration.
"Minotaurs, you'll have to wait until Noah arrives before you can start jumping. Until then, it's all you, Amazons!" Chef handed out ankle harnesses to the Amazons.
"Courtney, since you're so determined not to lose, why don't you go first?" Heather snarked as they strapped the harnesses around their ankles. The CIT leered at the queen bee, but didn't offer a rebuttal. Reluctantly, she walked over to the stalagmite the bungee cord was tied around and started hooking herself up.
Gwen went over to Heather.
"So, Heather. I was wondering…" Gwen started.
"I'm not into Trent." Heather interrupted.
"Well, that's reassuring…" said Gwen, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, Cody, Lindsay, and I were thinking of voting off Courtney next, then-"
"I'm in." said Heather.
"Uh… Good talk!" said Gwen.
Confessional: Gwen
"I've got Cody, Lindsay, and Heather! Courtney is toast!"
End Confessional
"You see Noah anywhere?" Duncan asked, looking down the hill.
"Nope!" said Trent.
"C'mon, Noah!" Eva grunted nervously.
"Well, I think we know who to vote off if we lose again." said Alejandro. Trent and Eva glared at Alejandro. Duncan smirked.
"Here goes!" said Courtney nervously. She inched over to the edge and jumped. She let out a terrible yell as she descended upon the sheep. As she approached the sheep, the cord pulled tautly. She was within arm's length of grabbing one but was too shaken from the fall to grab one before she bounced back up.
BOING!
She screamed again as she was hurled up to the top. She landed back on the cliff on her rear. The contestants cringed. She shuddered for a few seconds.
"That is so wrong!" she exclaimed. Chris and Chef laughed. Lindsay volunteered to go next.
"Here I go…" Lindsay closed her eyes and hopped off. She opened them mid-fall and screamed. Like Courtney, she was too overstimulated to concentrate on grabbing a sheep and scooped up a cactus instead.
"ARGH!" she screamed when she landed back on top. "OW! OW! OW!"
Chris and Chef laughed even harder as the formerly dumb blonde painfully pulled needles out of her skin.
Cody was the next to try. While it was certainly a terrifying drop, the geek was able to retain enough of his faculties to grab a sheep.
"The Code-man delivers! You can call me the wolf!" Cody cried after landing with a female sheep, AKA a ewe.
"Quick! Start shearing!" Heather commanded. Lindsay and Gwen held the ewe down while the queen bee began shaving it.
"Well done, Cody." said Alejandro.
"What? Oh, thanks, Alejandro." said the geek.
"Come with me." Alejandro commanded. He led a confused Cody back behind a nearby tree. "How have you been doing since London?"
"London? Well… not so hot, I suppose."
"Are you disappointed that Gwen chose Duncan over you?"
"To say the least. I thought being a Drama Brother would make her think I was hot stuff. But then Tyler snitches on me and she gets mad and then Duncan just swoops in and takes her for himself. The jerk."
"All's fair in love and war, my friend. You mustn't blame Duncan."
"(Sighs) …I guess not."
"No, you must blame Gwen."
"What?"
"Gwen is such a shallow girl. She should consider herself honored that out of all the girls on the show, you chose her. Turning down such a dedicated and talented guy. Ha! What foolishness!"
"I know…"
"Besides, she's treated you like garbage. Seriously, 'You and Sierra deserve each other'? That was just cold-blooded!"
"Yeah… But she apologized, so we're good now. And she promised to vote with me next time."
"Hm, I see. In that case, you might want to return this to her."
The Spaniard handed Cody Gwen's diary.
"What the heck? Where'd you get this?"
"Sierra had it, and I confiscated it."
"Okay…"
Alejandro walked back to his team. Cody moved from behind the tree to return Gwen's property but his nerves and curiosity got the better of him. He moved back behind the tree, telling himself that he was only doing this to make sure Gwen really was on his side. He opened the book up to its last entry and was shocked at what was written:
"Dear Diary, today was a good day. I'm with Duncan now and couldn't be happier. Also, I managed to get Lindsay on my side. Which means I have enough votes to get rid of Courtney. Don't get me wrong, I have no love or respect for Cody. The boy is a perverted dweeb with hopeless delusions of being cool. His pathetic attempts to paint himself as a chick magnet make me want to laugh my ass off and puke my guts out at the same time. But since he's a simp, it's easy enough to take advantage of him. Of course, he's no less disgusting than Sierra, so I'll only keep him around for as long as necessary. Which will be right after Courtney goes, make no mistake. Maybe I'll get lucky and Cody and Sierra will be eliminated together in a double-elimination."
This was only a third of what was written but Cody couldn't read anymore.
Meanwhile, Noah arrived.
"Alright, Noah!" Alejandro cheered.
"Back in the game." said Eva.
"Chris, we need some harnesses over here!" Duncan called.
Meanwhile, with the Amazons…
Heather had shaved every inch of the ewe until it resembled an oversized naked mole rat. One without a tattoo.
"Ugh! No logo!" Heather grunted in frustration.
"This one's for Cody!" Sierra called, running to the cliff and jumping off. It was only after she did so that the Amazons realized that she had forgotten to clip the bungee cord to her ankle. They heard a terrified scream, followed by an impact and the cries of startled sheep. Sierra did not return to the top. Chris and the Amazons looked down and saw at the bottom a crater shaped like the president of Cody's fan club. They all cringed.
"Medic!" Chris called.
Meanwhile, with the Minotaurs…
"Now's our time!" Alejandro called to his team. "Rise up, men! No surrender! No defeat! Go, Eva!"
The big girl saluted before jumping off the cliff.
"Look out below!" she cried fearlessly as she descended. As she reached the bottom she grabbed two sheep, a ram and a ewe. She came back up and landed on her feet.
"Two for the price of one!" Eva gloated.
"Alright, Eva!" Trent cheered. He ran towards the ewe and began clipping her manually. Duncan assisted with his pocket knife. Eva tossed the bungee cord to Gwen and began ripping wool right off the ram, causing him to bleat in discomfort.
"Dude! Be gentle!" a disturbed Trent scolded.
"Hey, you wanna win or not?" Eva retorted.
"What took you so long, Noah?" Alejandro demanded of the bookworm.
"Hm? Oh, sorry. I saw the trip as an opportunity to catch up on my reading." said Noah, holding up a book. The Spaniard snatched out of his hands.
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?" Alejandro read. "Don't you think this book is a little advanced for you?"
"Why?" said Noah, offended.
"Well, given your fondness for Owen, I would think that something from the Captain Underpants series would be far more suitable for someone of your maturity and intellect."
"Hey, the Captain Underpants books are far better written than anyone gives them credit for, in spite of the whacky premise." said Noah.
"Wait, you actually read them?"
"Owen introduced them to me."
"I rest my case."
Trent and Duncan had just finished shearing the ewe.
"Ugh! No logo on this side." the musician reported.
"None on my side, either." said the punk. "Any luck, Eva?"
Eva had just ripped the lasted clump of wool off the ram. It bleated in pain. But there, on the ram's shoulder was a circular mark.
"Yes! I found it!" Eva cheered. She then got a better look at it and saw that it was a female gender symbol and not the head of a bull. "Oh no, wait. It's one of theirs. False alarm."
The Minotaurs groaned, save for Noah. The ram turned around and launched his horns into Eva's face,
BAM!
…sending her to the ground. He then ran off. The Minotaurs cringed.
"Ugh!" Eva grunted, rubbing her forehead. Then, to the Minotaur's astonishment, she said this: "I guess I deserved that…"
Gwen came back up with another ewe and gave the bungee cord to Trent. As the Amazons sheared their next sheep, Trent came back up empty-handed and gave the cord to Duncan. The punk came up with another ram.
"No logo!" Gwen cried. Heather growled in frustration.
"I guess it's my turn." the queen bee growled. She retrieved the bungee cord from Duncan and jumped off. As she descended, Courtney walked over to the line and gave it a massive jerk.
TWANG!
Right as Heather was about to grab a ewe, the backlash kicked in and Heather started swinging around uncontrollably. She bounced up and down, left and right, back and forth, all the while screaming in terror. Noah and Courtney laughed. Alejandro looked very concerned. In spite of it, she managed to snag a ram before she landed back on the cliff.
"Okay! Who did that?!" Heather demanded. Courtney and Gwen pointed to each other. Heather growled but made no indication of who she believed.
"Nothing!" Trent reported after he finished shearing his team's ram.
"Then I shall go!" Alejandro volunteered. He jumped off the cliff gracefully. Surprisingly, he also came back empty-handed.
"Nothing?" said Duncan.
"There was dingo down there!" Alejandro defended.
"Great job, Al!" said Noah sarcastically.
The Spaniard shuddered, growled, and tossed the cable into Noah's face.
"Ow!" the bookworm exclaimed.
"Your turn, Noah. Now is your chance to redeem yourself for sticking us with these useless shears." Alejandro snapped.
Noah looked at Trent, Duncan, and Eva, all of whom frowned neutrally at him.
Confessional: Trent
"I'm not sure whether I like Noah or Alejandro less."
End Confessional
Reluctantly, Noah attached the bungee cord to his ankle and jumped off the cliff.
"There it is!" Gwen cried, finding a logo on the ram they were shearing. Unfortunately, it was the head of a bull and not a female gender symbol. "Aw shit, it's one of theirs!"
"You gotta be kidding me!" Heather cried in frustration.
Noah came back up with a ewe. Duncan and Trent quickly began shearing it. About twenty seconds in, Trent uncovered the symbol of a bull's head on the ewe's shoulder.
"Found it! I found it!" the musician cried. The Minotaurs crowded around to ensure it was the right one.
"Victory at last! Behold!" Alejandro declared, holding the ewe over his head for Chris to see.
"Team Minotaur wins!" Chris declared. The Amazons, sans Courtney, groaned.
Trent and Eva high-fived. Alejandro held the winning sheep over his head in glory. Noah pretended he was happy. Duncan looked nervously over at the Amazons. Courtney pointed to Gwen and then made a throat-slashing motion across her neck. Duncan responded in kind.
Elimination Ceremony: Team Amazon
The Amazons were gathered outside the plane, waiting for Chris. Lindsay was covered in Band-Aids. Sierra had returned, her forehead bandaged, her left arm in a sling, her eye blackened, and her left leg in a cast. The Minotaurs were also present, each having an interest as to whether Gwen or Courtney would be booted.
"So…" Courtney whispered to Heather.
"Definitely!" Heather responded quickly, nodding her head.
"You know what I'm talking about, right?"
"Yes. Voting off Gwen. Definitely!"
"Just checking!"
Courtney looked over to Alejandro, who winked at her. Chris came out with the Amazons' passports.
"It's been a tough day for you all, but one of you is about to have the worst day of all!" said Chris. "Let the voting begin! Cody, you're up, first!"
Cody went into the booth and took almost a full minute to make his vote. Courtney went second and came out in less than ten seconds. Then Gwen went.
"Uh, Chris?" she called from the booth. "Can we get another sheet of stickers in here? They're all gone."
"What?" said Chris, confused. He opened Courtney's passport and then rolled his eyes. "You know, Courtney, placing an entire sheet of stickers on someone's picture does not equate to extra votes."
Courtney said nothing. Chris pulled out another sheet of Australian flag stickers, went over to the voting booth, and passed them to Gwen. The goth came out shortly after and handed her passport to Chris. Heather voted next, then Lindsay, and finally, Sierra.
"Alright! We have plane tickets for Heather, Cody, Lindsay, and Sierra!" said Chris. The four mentioned Amazons stood up and retrieved their boarding passes. "So, it's finally come down to this. Gwen versus Courtney. Two former gal pals torn apart by guy troubles. Let's do things a little differently tonight, shall we? We're gonna count votes out loud, one by one!"
Chris picked up a passport.
"This first vote goes to Courtney!"
Gwen smirked and Courtney scowled.
"This next vote is for Gwen!"
Courtney grinned wickedly and Gwen rolled her eyes.
"Another for Gwen."
Nervousness crept onto Gwen's face.
"Another for Courtney…"
Gwen sighed in relief. Courtney glared at Chris as though trying to intimidate him into reading a verdict that favored her, regardless of whether or not it was true.
"And these last two votes go to…" Gwen pumped her fists in anticipation. Courtney never took her eyes off of her former friend. Duncan glared at Courtney. Trent had a sorrowful look on his face, knowing he would be upset no matter which way the vote went. Alejandro also looked quite invested.
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"Courtney and Gwen! We have a tie!" Chris announced.
"What?!" cried Gwen. Lindsay and Heather looked shocked as well. Cody remained silent. Courtney had a neutral expression on her face. The goth whipped around and gave the queen bee an interrogative glare.
"Don't look at me! I voted for Courtney." Heather defended.
"What?" cried Courtney, confused.
"Then, who voted for me?! I had four votes on my side!" Gwen exclaimed.
"Courtney, Sierra, and Cody voted for you." Chris reported happily.
Cody cringed. Gwen, Lindsay, Heather, Trent, and Duncan popped their eyes. Sierra squealed in delight. Courtney and Alejandro smirked. Noah and Eva both raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Cody! I thought we had a deal!" Gwen snapped.
"So did I!" Cody snapped angrily. He took Gwen's diary out and threw it into Gwen's chest.
"What the hell?! Where did you get this?!" Gwen demanded.
"Alejandro confiscated it from Sierra." said Cody. Gwen looked at Sierra, who grinned sheepishly.
"Wait… You read my diary?!" Gwen asked the geek in shock.
"What about it?" said Cody defiantly. "I'm just a perverted dweeb with hopeless delusions of being cool!"
While Gwen did not fully disagree with that statement, she did not recall ever writing it down or saying it out loud.
"What in the nine levels of Hell are you talking about?!" Gwen sputtered.
"That last entry in there!" Cody cried, exasperated.
Gwen opened the book and popped her eyes.
"I… I didn't write this!" Gwen exclaimed.
"Really?" said Cody skeptically.
"No! You think I would start my entries with something as lame as 'Dear Diary'?! Someone else wrote this! I'm being framed!"
"Yeah, right."
Alejandro smirked.
Confessional: Alejandro
"Nothing like a little forgery to spice up the day! My uncle Eduardo is a human photocopier and he taught me well!"
End Confessional
"You know, Cody, I saw that Sierra was writing in that book before I took it from her." the Spaniard spoke up.
"Eep!" Sierra squealed, startled.
"What?" said Cody. He and Gwen both turned and looked at Sierra, who started sputtering nervously.
"Well… I… a-heh… Technically… Well… I didn't write… well I did… It's complicated!"
"Oh my goodness…" Cody gasped.
Gwen's face twisted with rage. She shut her eyes as tightly as possible and ground her teeth.
"Gwen, I'm sorry! I thought it really was-"
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Gwen screeched. Everyone was silent for ten seconds afterwards.
"Okay…" said Chris. "Looks like it's time for a tiebreaker!"
"Can't we do a revote?" Cody cried desperately.
"Nope! We're gonna have Gwen and Courtney battle it out in a one-on-one duel challenge!"
"Bring it on!" Courtney shouted.
"You know what? No!" Gwen declared. She stood up and began stomping over to Chris. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" When she reached Chris, she stood on her toes and towered over the host. "Two-and-a-half seasons worth of being antagonized, slandered, and backstabbed, and you want me to do more?! Forget it!"
"Brah, you're on the chopping block." Chris pointed out.
"Eat it, McLean! I am not interested in doing a tiebreaker, so I'll save you the trouble! I'm out! I'm done! I quit!"
Everyone, whether ally or enemy to the goth, was stunned.
"You can't quit! I need to destroy you!" Courtney shouted.
"All the more reason!" said Gwen, not wanting to give Courtney any satisfaction.
"Fine! Whatever! Ruin my fun!" Chris grumped. "Later, quitter!"
The contestants began filing onto the plane with only the two newcomers sporting positive expressions. Cody was the first one in, as he ran up the steps, too overcome with guilt to look at Gwen.
"Not worth it, eh?" Duncan asked, coming up to Gwen.
"No. Sorry, babe. You win for me, alright?" Gwen responded.
"Consider it done." said Duncan. "Be sure to murder Tyler and Harold for me, okay?"
"I'll put them on the list."
"You have a hit list?"
"Yeah, a long one. And it starts with my brother."
Duncan let out a brief and bittersweet laugh. The two hugged and kissed each other goodbye. After pulling away, Gwen caught Courtney seething in jealous rage.
"Suck it, Courtney!" the goth spat, flipping the CIT off. Courtney ran towards the goth with the intent to strangle her but was held back and thrown onto the plane by Chef. Duncan boarded and gave Gwen a pained look before disappearing through the door. The plane took off.
Confessional: Alejandro
"Duncan has himself to thank for Gwen's departure. He'll be much less of a problem in the merge without his girlfriend, and Courtney will be far more useful to me for the next few challenges. Buh-bye, Gwen! Nothing personal. (Snickers)"
End Confessional
Chris closed out the episode from the cockpit.
"If you think that was fun, you're gonna love what I do to these guys next! Next time! Right here! On Total… Drama… World Tour!"
Votes
Cody: Gwen
Courtney: Gwen
Gwen: Courtney
Heather: Courtney
Lindsay: Courtney
Sierra: Gwen
Results
Gwen: 3 votes (Quit)
Courtney: 3 votes
Rankings
11. Gwen
12. DJ
13. Tyler
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: Believe me when I say this is one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. Now, this is my least favorite episode of the season, and not just for the elimination. Putting aside whether or not Gwen deserved it, how her elimination played out in canon was one of the laziest copouts ever, and for Total Drama, that's saying something. Originally, I had Gwen making it past this episode (big shocker, I know) and that would have been so easy, especially with a smarter Lindsay and a more mature Cody. But I figured, that if the writers were deadest on eliminating Gwen here, then I might as well show 'em how it's done.
In canon, Cody accidentally voted for Sierra due to being dizzy (WTF?), which caused a tie. I figured Alejandro could manipulate him into voting for Gwen, thus eliminating the need for a tiebreaker. Unfortunately, Lindsay being in the mix canceled that out. The tiebreaker itself was idiotic, given that Gwen just so happened to be allergic to a plant that only appears in Australia, and Gwen lampshades this in the exclusive clip. It was a very undignified way to go. So what to do, other than to have Gwen quit the show out of frustration?
Let me tell you something surprising. Duncan quitting TDWT at the beginning was a great character moment for him. It showed that he had a limit to how much BS he would take, that Chris couldn't dangle the cash prize in front of him for just anything and that he wanted to keep his dignity intact. Make no mistake, I was still sad that he wouldn't be in the season, which is why I took it out of my version. And in doing so, it allowed me to have another character make use of it.
Now let's talk about Cody. For the majority of TDWT, he was a rather sympathetic character. This episode was an exception. No, it was not a good episode for him. It was really out-of-character seeing him behave like a petty vindictive brat towards Duncan. It goes against his development in TDI, where he backs off like a gentleman. I know one writer who was inspired to use Cody as a villain in his fic as a result of his behavior in this episode. If you plan to defend him by saying he was mad at Duncan for cheating on Courtney, keep in mind that that would make him look like a hypocritical simp. Cody was just mad that Duncan succeeded in wooing Gwen. True, Duncan isn't as nice as Trent, and he was disappointed that he struck out with her again but if he cared at all about the infidelity he would be angry at Gwen as well. Anyway, I changed his behavior by having him and Duncan build a relationship throughout the season. Here, while still jealous, he respects Duncan enough to leave him alone and is manipulated by Alejandro into deliberately voting for Gwen. So many instances of bad characterization can be fixed by letting the villain pull the strings.