Hey worldwide web,
A concern was brought up last chapter about Mike's Multiple Personality Disorder and how it is inaccurate to the experience of real-life individuals with Disassociative Identity Disorder (also called DID). This is just a disclaimer that Mike is not meant to be taken as an accurate portrayal of an individual with DID, hence why I still refer to it as MPD as it is in canon. The canon interpretation of Mike's disorder is not accurate to the real-life disorder either, but I'm working with the canon material and so that is why Mike is characterized the way he is. If you're curious about the real-life disorder, you can seek out those resources yourself.
Tl;dr – Do not take this character in a fanfiction (or his canon counterpart) as an accurate portrayal of any real life disorders.
Now, with that out of the way, let's get to it!
"Last time on Total Drama Revenge of the Action…" Footage of the previous episode began to play as Chris did the recap. "Jo and Lightning formed two teams, the Screaming Foleys and the Killer Riggers. Noah was left the odd man out, while the teams went head-to-head in a series of trashy reality show challenges. In the end, Anne Maria's harsh words won the day for the Killer Riggers, and the Screaming Foleys sent Cameron to the Lame-o-sine for messing with Mike's head, literally! Will Jo recover her team's dignity? How will Mike do on his own? And what dress will Chef wear today? At least one of these questions will be answered on this thrilling episode of Total…Drama…Revenge of the Action!"
*theme song*
Mike brushed his teeth at one of the sinks in trailer. Most of the guys had already gotten up and ready for the day, but Mike had slept in on account of hardly getting any sleep the night before. His mind had been racing from his talk with Zoey and the results of the elimination ceremony, which had ultimately sent his best (and really only) friend home. And it had been all his fault.
Confessional
Mike: I can't believe I voted Cam off! I was just so angry, I-I don't know what came over me. Oh no, was it me who voted him off? Or was it- Wait! Don't record that!
That night, Zoey and Mike had sat down to talk. After what Anne Maria had said to her, Zoey had been very upset. Mike had sat with her, holding her as she cried.
"I know you're not with me to change me," he reassured her. "You're the first person who gave me a chance without a second thought. Even after I spent that time trying to hide myself from you." He rubbed her back as she continued to cry.
"I just…people say stuff like that online, you know?" Zoey said, wiping her eyes. "They talk about us. All of us. I know they're just unhappy and using the Internet to make people miserable, but it's so different hearing it from someone in person."
"I know, I know," Mike said. "Do you think you'll talk to Anne Maria about it?"
"I don't know. Part of me knows she was probably just trying to win the challenge, but you know what she was like last season. How much she liked Vito. It still felt personal. I think if I tried to confront her about it, I might do something I regret." She reached up and gave his shoulder a squeeze.
"You don't know have to talk to her, then," Mike agreed. Zoey smiled and the two of them sat like that for a few seconds. "But uh…I'm sorry Zoey, I have to ask…about your parents-"
Now it was Zoey's turn to reassure him. "I am so so sorry, Mike!" she said, kissing his cheek. "I don't know how Chris get that, but it was totally taken out of context."
Mike relaxed a little bit. He had met Zoey's parents once before this season had started. Her dad was a bit scary, but her mom was very nice.
"They didn't think it was a good idea for me to date someone from the show," Zoey clarified. "Not you specifically, just anyone. And once they met you, they were totally on board. God, I bet they'll feel terrible knowing that information was used to try and come between us."
"Hey, it clearly didn't work," Mike said. "I'm glad we can talk about this sort of stuff. After last season…I'm glad not to have any more secrets." That wasn't true. There were a lot of secrets Mike still had, but none of those would affect the game, right?
"Agreed," Zoey said, "no more secrets." And from the look on her face, she believed him. And they sat like that for a long time before Mike walked her back to the trailers.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Mike said as they got closer.
"Of course," Zoey said, nodding. "Oh, I forgot, the ceremony. Do you think-"
"No, I think most of them are going to vote for Katie," Mike said. He had heard her name get thrown around. Plus, she had taken the lead and therefore the fall for the team's failure. "Although if it were up to me, I'd rather just vote Scott out and get it over with."
Zoey laughed at that. It was good to see her smiling again. "You could always throw a vote his way just for fun," she joked. Mike laughed as well. She gave him one last kiss on the cheek before leaving for her trailer. Mike watched her go and turned to see Cameron waiting for him. As he approached his friend, he felt a dark thought momentarily enter his head. Zoey had a point. If the rest of the team was just going to vote Katie, surely throwing his vote someone's way wouldn't hurt. It would just be a good way to vent his frustrations…
All night, Zoey had been dreading running into Anne Maria. Her talk last night with Mike had made her feel a lot better, but it still stood that she was worried of doing something she'd regret if the two of them had to interact. Scenario after horrible scenario played in her head of what might happen if she and Anne Maria so much as looked at each other. And now…
Now, Anne Maria was acting like nothing had even happened. The girl in question was walking around the trailer, humming to herself as she put on her makeup. She seemed totally unbothered by anything that had happened the night before, the exact opposite of how Zoey was feeling.
Confessional
Zoey: I mean, I guess I'm glad we aren't fighting and yelling at each other, but this almost feels worse somehow…
"Hey, Red!"
Zoey tensed up. This was it. The moment that the two of them would come to blows. She turned to face Anne Maria, taking a deep breath, and squeezing her eyes shut. "Anne Maria, after last night, I don't think I want to speak to you right now. I need time to get over what happened. A-and I would like an apology."
"Uh…" Zoey's eyes opened to see Anne Maria looking at her, very confused. "I was just gonna say that I need to get something in that drawer." She pointed to the drawer that Zoey was currently standing in front of.
Zoey deflated slightly. "Oh," she said, stepping to the side. Anne Maria opened the drawer and pulled out an eyeliner pencil, taking a seat at the nearby vanity and getting to work. She resumed humming. Zoey's eyes narrowed as she took a step toward the Jersey Shore reject.
"Need something?" Anne Maria asked, not taking her eyes off of her reflection.
"Uh, yeah, actually," Zoey said. "I would like an apology."
"For what?"
"For those horrible things you said to me last night! You had no right to say I'm only with Mike to make myself look good."
Anne Maria was silent for a few seconds, before setting down the eyeliner and spinning around in the chair to face Zoey. "It was just trash talk for the challenge," she told Zoey. "I didn't mean nothing by it. I told you that last night. Get over it!" By now, the other girls in the trailer were listening in.
"I will not just 'get over it'," Zoey said. "Challenge or not, what you said was incredibly hurtful! Now apologize!"
In a flash, Anne Maria was standing nose to nose with Zoey, glaring at her. "I don't apologize for shit I ain't sorry for, period!"
Jo spoke up from the background. "Well, well, well, looks like last night's victory is going-"
"SHUT UP JO!" the two girls shouted in unison, only to immediately resume glaring at one another.
"You want an apology?" Anne Maria asked. "Well, that's too damn bad! It's not my fault you can't let something I said for a challenge go. You're welcome by the way! Because of me, you got to stay for another episode, not that anyone was holding their breath for ya."
Zoey gasped. "I can't believe you!" she said. "I-I thought we were going to be friends."
"Puh-lease! Teammates, sure. But friends? I'd rather be friends with Jo." Jo opened her mouth to say something, but Zoey and Anne Maria glared at her again. Anne Maria wasn't finished yet. "You know what? I may have just been making things up for the challenge, but if it hurts your feelings so much, maybe it's true! Maybe you just-"
SLAP! The back of Zoey's hand connected with the side of Anne Maria's face. It wasn't very hard, but she stumbled back, surprised. Zoey's face had a look of surprise on it as well.
"Anne Maria," Zoey began, "I'm sorry, I-"
"You bitch!" Anne Maria screeched, launching herself at Zoey.
Later, the contestants gathered for breakfast at the Craft Services Tent. Chef was notably absent, having left behind a plate of eggs and bacon at each seat. At the Killer Riggers' table, Zoey and Anne Maria sat at opposite ends. Sierra sat with Zoey, while Sadie and Blaineley sat with Anne Maria. Most of the guys seemed oblivious to the team's tension, but B raised an eyebrow as he sat in the exact middle of the table.
Things were more relaxed at the Screaming Foleys' table, Noah sitting off to the side while everyone else chatted. Mike noticed that Zoey seemed upset, but figured it was just because of how things had gone last night, so he left her alone.
"Hey, can I like, sit here?" Mike looked up to see Katie standing beside him.
"Oh, uh…" Mike looked around. "Sure, but wouldn't you want to sit with Sadie?"
"Well, she's on the other team and she seems…busy," Katie said, looking across the tent at her best friend. Sadie seemed to be in a pretty intense conversation with Anne Maria and Blaineley. "I'm glad she's doing okay without me though, like, seriously." She took the seat next to Mike. "I'm like, really sorry about Cameron. I know he was your friend."
"Yeah," Mike sighed, "I'm sorry too. Uh, no offense, I mean- You would have gone home if it wasn't him, which I would have preferred, but uh- No! Sorry, let me just-" Katie just laughed.
"It's like, okay," she said, taking a bite of her eggs. "I mean, it's totally not cool that all those guys voted for me, but whatever. It happens." She looked over at Mike's plate. "Omg you made your bacon into the number five, that's so fun!"
"What?" Mike said, looking down at his plate. His bacon was indeed in the shape of the number five. "I didn't- huh?" He reached out and grabbed Noah's plate.
"Sure, I wasn't eating that," Noah droned. He had been reading and not actually eating it. Sure enough, his bacon was also in the shape of the number five.
"Is this a clue for the challenge?" Mike asked. "Like maybe we need to find something that has the number five on it? Like studio five?"
"Ooh, ooh," Katie said. "Maybe if we say everything five times, we win!"
"I don't think-"
"Sadie Sadie Sadie Sadie Sadie guess guess guess guess guess what what what what what!" Katie called out. "The the the the the challenge challenge challenge challenge challenge is is is is is to to to to to say say say say say things things things things things five five five five five times times times times times!"
Confessional
Katie: Okay I know everyone says that Sadie's the smart one, but I'm totally smart too!
After the others were able to convince Katie that the challenge wasn't just to say everything five times, it became increasingly clear that something was wrong. Not only was Chef absent, but Chris hadn't bothered to show up either.
"Maybe this is just one of the days we don't have a challenge?" Cody said.
"But then why bother with the weird puzzle breakfast?" Scott asked. "What does the number five have to do with anything?"
"Maybe because this is season five?" Katie suggested. Everyone just ignored her.
"Once, when Cody was five, his mom lost him in the grocery store," Sierra told the others. "And then when the store employees tried to return him to her, she said that she didn't recognize him. Classic Mrs. Anderson." The others exchanged glances as Cody cringed. "And then-" Sierra was cut off by the sound of a gunshot echoing across the film lot.
"What the heck was that?!" Tyler asked.
"It sounded close," Brick said, "come on!" He and a few others dashed off in the direction of the gunshot, while the others quickly followed behind.
"You don't think it was a real gun, do you?" Dawn asked B, clearly horrified. B shrugged. "Some poor animals could have gotten hurt!"
"Or a person," Scott said, falling in line behind the duo.
Dawn pursed her lips and looked away. "So now you care about other people?" she asked, before jogging away from Scott.
"What's her problem?" Scott asked. B just glared at him and jogged away as well. "What?!
Confessional
Scott: Geez, these guys really need to get over what happened last season. At this rate, I'm going to need to find that invincibility statue soon.
The source of the gunshot seemed to be coming from a desert set. Upon arrival, the contestants were greeted with the sight of Chef in nothing but his underwear and a gun in his hand. He was standing over Chris, who seemed to be bleeding from a hole in his chest. Several screams erupted from the crowd. Chef dropped the gun on the ground and fell to his knees.
"D-does this mean the season's over?" Ezekiel asked. "We're finally free?!"
"I always figured this is how Chris would go out," Eva remarked. "Would have preferred if it was me, though." The others looked at her. "What?"
Behind them all, Blaineley just rolled her eyes.
Confessional
Blaineley: I've been threatened with prop guns by enough spurned lovers to know when I'm being punked. But that doesn't mean I'm going to ruin it for the kids.
"Chris was still a person," Zoey said, stepping forward. "A really, really, awful person, sure, but-"
"Um, rude!" There were several more screams as Chris stood up, unbuttoning his shirt to reveal a broken blood packet attached to his chest. "This was all just setup for the challenge! The eggs, the gun, the desert. It's a crime drama challenge! Did you all figure that out from the clues?" Everyone shook their heads. "Seriously?!"
"I'll told you these kids don't know good TV," Chef grumbled, exiting the set to go find his clothes.
"So, this challenge doesn't have anything to do with the number five?" Mike asked.
"Nope," Chris said. "That was just because it was season five!"
"Hmph," Katie said, folding her arms over her chest. "Told you guys."
"Anyway," Chris continued, leading the contestants out of the desert set and into a dimly lit warehouse set, "today's challenge is all about sneaky criminal enterprises. And what better crime to make a TV show about than the production and distribution of illegal goods!"
Sam raised his hand. "So, like dru-"
"Shhhh," Chris interrupted. "This is daytime TV; we aren't allowed to say the d-word." The contestants snickered. "In this challenge, teams will race to produce enough…er…goodies, to supply a client." He flicked light switch, revealing a set of countertops, ovens, and stand mixers. Also standing by the ovens was former contestant and winner of Total Drama Island, Owen.
"Hey Chris!" Owen called out, running over to the host. "Is this where I get my food?"
"In a moment," Chris replied. Chef entered, still in his underwear, glaring at Chris. "Oh yeah, you need to be in costume for the entire episode." He looked Chef up and down, grinning. "Now, each team will be tasked with supplying Owen with five boxes of Chef's To-Die-For Muffins." He held up pink and yellow striped box containing six muffins. Owen gasped and reached for one.
"Muffins aren't illegal," Jo said.
"Mmm," Owen said, inhaling the muffin in his hand and then the rest of the ones in the box. "They're so good, they should be illegal."
"I love baking," Zoey said excitedly. "We're going to win this one, easy!"
"Not so fast, Zoey," Chris said. "Teams must make Chef's muffins using his own personal recipe." He held up a black book with a skull on it, wrapped in chains. An ominous chord played throughout the warehouse. "The recipe must be followed exactly otherwise- Boom! Disastrous consequences. Much like the substances we're parodying today."
Sadie squealed. "Katie and I are sooooo good at following recipes," she told the others. "Except for that one time, remember Kaite?"
"Omg you know I do," Katie said. "We were grounded from using the kitchen for like, two years."
"Guuuuys, stop interrupting!" Chris whined. "What makes this a challenge is that only one member of each team will have access to Chef's recipe book." The ominous chord played again. "That person is not allowed to touch any of the supplies and must stay over here, calling out instructions to the rest of their team. Once you have a box of six muffins made, deliver it to Owen. The first team to deliver five boxes wins. Teams, decide who will be reading the recipe for your team."
"Obviously me," Jo said, stepping away from the rest of the Screaming Foleys. "I don't bake."
"But I have a lot of experience reading recipes," Katie pointed out.
"Yeah, you also have a lot of experience losing," Jo shot back. "I'm the one reading. End of story."
The Killer Riggers were discussing things a bit more diplomatically. Sadie and Zoey seemed to be the most confident in their ability to read recipes. In the end, it was decided that Sadie had more experience with baking overall and would be best to keep on the production side of the challenge. So, Zoey was sent to stand with Jo.
"There's three main parts to muffin making," Chris explained. "Gathering ingredients, mixing and baking, and then boxing up for delivery. Ingredients can be found at one end of the warehouse, but both teams get access to the same supply. So, play nice. Or don't, preferably. You can use any of the supplies we have here to mix and bake. Then deliver the boxes to Owen." Everyone looked around, unable to see where Owen was. "Oh right, I forgot. Owen is hidden somewhere in the nearby city set. You'll have to find him in order to deliver the goods. But be careful! Chef's out there looking for you with his paintball gun. If any muffins get ruined, you have to remake them. Any questions?"
Scott smirked. "What are the rules on sabotage?" he asked.
"Due to the already dangerous nature of this recipe, the kitchen is a safe zone. Stick to your sides. But the supply cabinet and the city set are fair game. Alright, places everyone!"
"Lightning doesn't want to bake," Lightning told his team. "Someone else do that!"
"I'll definitely bake," Sadie said. "We should split up and have some people stay here and other people go get the ingredients." B gave her a thumbs up.
Ultimately, Sadie would be in charge of baking alongside Blaineley, Anne Maria, and Sam. Eva, Tyler, and B would be running supplies back and forth. That left Lightning and Sierra to take the muffins to Owen once they were made.
The Screaming Foleys were strategizing as well. Katie would take the lead on baking, and the team would try and make as many batches as fast as possible, since they had two ovens total.
"How hard can it be?" Katie said, shrugging. "I've made muffins before, I'm sure I won't need that many people helping."
"I'll stay," Mike volunteered.
"Then I can run supplies," Brick added. Ezekiel volunteered to help with that as well. Everyone else would run boxes to Owen.
"Don't wait for them to get done baking," Scott told the rest of the Screaming Foleys. "If we go out there now and find Owen, we won't have to waste time looking for him." The others gave various murmurs of agreement with the plan.
"On your marks…" Chris said, once everyone was situated. "Get set…BAKE!"
Most of the Screaming Foleys dashed off into the city set to start looking for Owen, while the rest of the contestants got to baking.
"Let's see what the recipe is…" Zoey said, opening her copy of Chef's book. The ominous chord played again as she flipped through the pages. "Got it! Chocolate muffins. Okay, the first thing we need flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt!"
There was beat of silence as Zoey looked up from the book, seeing her team standing far away from her, confused.
"What?!" Sadie called out. "We can't hear you!"
Jo laughed behind Zoey. "You gotta be loud. HEY! FLOUR! SALT! SUGAR! BAKING POWDER!" The Screaming Foleys gave Jo and thumbs up and began to run toward the supply pantry. Zoey sighed as she tried to raise her voice.
"We can just listen to Jo, right?" Sam asked. Chris popped up behind him.
"I wouldn't do that. While the recipes are similar, each team's muffins have some unique ingredients and instructions. You get one thing wrong and BOOM!"
"Whatever," Anne Maria said, rolling her eyes. She turned to look at her teammates on supply duty. "Just start grabbing stuff, we can't wait for Zoey to learn how to yell." Eva, Tyler, and B nodded before running off to get some stuff. "Sadie, what can we do while we wait?"
Confessional
Anne Maria: Do I think of myself as the team leader? Nah, Lightning can do all that. But with Zoey coming for my neck, I want to make sure we win this challenge.
Out in the city set, the Screaming Foleys spilt up to look for Owen. The artificial streets and fake buildings made for a difficult maze. To make matters worse, Chef was lurking around.
"Come on Owen, fart or something to make this easier," Cody grumbled as he opened up a fake door, revealing nothing behind it. He sighed and turned around, bumping into someone. "Oh, sorry…" His voice trailed off as he looked up to see Chef glaring at him, paintball gun in hand. "Ah!" Cody ran for cover as paintballs flew at him.
"Yah!" A green and purple blur launched at Chef. Cody looked out from the trash can he had hidden in to see Sierra latched onto Chef, wrestling him for his gun. "Cody! Run!" While it seemed that Chef had been taken by surprise, he was still decently stronger than Sierra. She wouldn't be able to hold him back for long.
"You don't need to tell me twice," Cody said, climbing out of the trash can and booking it for another street. He didn't notice Scott watching the whole thing unfold from behind a lamppost.
"Hmmm," the farm boy said, narrowing his eyes.
Back in the kitchen, the teams were having some mixed results with their recipe.
"Is it tablespoons or teaspoons?!" Anne Maria called out to Zoey as she measured out baking powder.
"Tablespoons! No wait, tea-" Zoey was cut off by an explosion as flour erupted from the bowl Anne Maria had been mixing up. She growled at the redhead as she wiped the white powder from her face.
"Hm, I wonder if that was on purpose or not," Blaineley said, reaching for a teaspoon. She shrugged, but Anne Maria's eyes narrowed as she looked back at Zoey.
Confessional
Blaineley: Personally, I found Anne Maria and Zoey's conflict to be one of the less interesting storylines from last season, but if fanning those flames is what keeps me in, I'll do it.
BOOM! Katie and Mike screamed as their fifth bowl of muffin mix exploded. They dove to the floor to avoid getting covered in batter.
"Ugh, come on!" Jo yelled. She squinted, looking at the page. "Oh, uh, turns out you were supposed to add the chocolate first. Not the milk. My bad."
"Ugh, who cares if she's loud enough if she can't even, like, read the directions the right way?" Katie grumbled. Mike handed her a rag. "Thanks, Mike."
"We still haven't even made one correct batch," Mike said nervously. "And we have to keep starting over."
"Not like, exactly." Katie opened a cabinet to reveal two bowls of batter. "After the third time we messed up, I totally made some backups. I'll make some more; you just, like, listen to the new steps Jo adds." Mike looked at her appreciatively as she turned to make more bowls of backup batter.
Confessional
Mike: I know she gets lumped in with her friend a lot, but Katie's been super nice to me ever since we got put on the same team. She had my back last challenge more than Cameron at least...
"Omg Cody isn't it great that we found each other during the challenge?" Sierra asked as she wiped paint from her face. After Cody had escaped Chef, Sierra had found him almost immediately and hadn't left his side since.
"Yeah, Sierra, it's great," Cody said glumly as he continued his search for Owen. "But uh, you're on the other team. You shouldn't really be helping me."
"And leave you to fend for yourself?! I could never! Besides, with how tiny and bird-like your body is, those paintballs could have really injured you."
"B-bird-like?! How did you-"
"-know that you have hollow bones? I interviewed your pediatrician to know what I could expect for our children. Some girls might be scared-off by the fact you still see a children's doctor, but I'm not afraid Cody." She grabbed his shoulders and stared intensely into his eyes. "I'm not afraid."
Cody sighed and slipped out of her grip and continued walking. "Look, Sierra, I'm really trying to prove myself this season. So, I'd really appreciate if you just let me do things on my own."
Sierra frowned as Cody walked away. "I thought that's what World Tour was all about," she said, confused. "You did prove yourself, Cody. You got to the final three!"
"Because you carried me, often literally! I'm really grateful that you saved me all those times, granted most of the reasons I got into danger were directly because of you, but still. I need to prove I can make it far on my own. That means you and I can't work together."
Sierra was silent for a moment as she took this all in. Then her eyes widened. "Ohhhh, I understand. We 'can't' work together because we're not on the same team." She did air-quotes around the word "can't" as she spoke. "But once the merge hits, we're a shoo-in for the final two! Of course, Cody, you're so smart!"
"Uh, that's not really what I meant-"
"Say no more! From here on out, we'll just be allies, on the down low. Hehehe, I guess you could say we're each other's dirty little secrets." With a disturbing giggle, Sierra darted off into the rest of the city set. Cody shook his head and kept walking, as Scott observed all of this from a distance.
Confessional
Scott: Hmm, an inter-team alliance, eh? Not really anything that affects my game right now, but it could be trouble down the road…
"Okay," Jo said, reading the last step in the book. "The final step is to top the muffins with chocolate sprinkles! Go!"
"I found them, eh," Ezekiel said, grabbing a jar of chocolate sprinkles. He started to run back to his team.
Eva growled as she grabbed her own jar of sprinkles and a bag of flour. With a grunt, she lobbed the bag straight at the homeschooler. He let out a cry of pain as he fell to the ground, the jar of sprinkles spilling all over the floor.
"Nice!" Tyler said, high-fiving Eva and then wincing at how hard she had hit his hand.
Brick ran over to Ezekiel, pulling the bag off of him. "Are you alright, soldier?" he asked. Ezekiel just growled, standing up on all fours. He turned to look at Eva and lunged forward, but Brick grabbed onto him. "Stand down! Stand down! Focus, private! Focus!"
With some effort, he managed to stop Ezekiel from struggling. Ezekiel took a couple of deep breaths and shook his head. "Sorry, eh," he said sheepishly. "I still get a little riled up. Thanks for holding me back." Brick let him go and gave him a salute. Together they picked up the sprinkles and put them back in the jar.
"Is it okay to use these?" Brick asked.
Ezekiel shrugged. "We're not eating them, eh," he said. Brick nodded and helped carry the flour back to their team's station.
"Ah!" Anne Maria cried as the mixing bowl exploded, spewing batter all over her. "What the hell, Red?!"
"Sorry!" Zoey called out. "It says stir eleven times, not seven!"
"Well speak up!" Anne Maria grabbed a new bowl and started remaking the muffins. "Why I oughta…" Blaineley made a 'tsk tsk' noise. "What do you want, old lady?"
Blaineley gave a fake gasp of offense. "Hey, I'm on your side," she said. "I think it's very uncool of Zoey to volunteer for this position in the challenge and then totally…er…what do you guys say?"
"Ooh, ooh," Sadie chimed in, "she's like, totally in her flop era."
"Yes, exactly. Her flop era. That's what she's in right now."
Anne Maria rolled her eyes. "Well, this is like the millionth time we've had to start over, so she better unflop right now."
Blaineley shrugged. "You'd think by now that she'd have changed up her strategy. Unless of course, she's…losing on purpose." Sadie gasped, and Anne Maria glared over at the redhead. "I mean, that's just a theory but…"
"Oh my gosh, it totally makes sense," Sadie said. "After you totally destroyed her in the last challenge, she must be losing on purpose so we can vote you out. That's why she wanted to read the directions!"
"That's a brilliant and totally-original-not-planted-in-your-head-idea, Sadie," Blaineley agreed. "I mean, think about it: aside from us, everyone else on the team would totally believe her nice girl act. Look at how sad and pathetic some of them are!"
The three girls looked over at Sam, who was just sadly wiping up the mess that the explosion had made. He hadn't really talked much to anyone since Dakota had been eliminated.
"See what I mean?" Blaineley said, folding her arms over her chest. "Anne Maria, you need to be careful." Anne Maria didn't say anything, but she looked over at Zoey.
Confessional
Anne Maria: I don't know, Red and I may not be on good terms right now, but she's not some psycho mastermind. On the other hand, I've got more batter in my hair than I do hairspray. So maybe Blaineley's onto something…
Cody peered out from behind a corner, making sure Chef wasn't waiting for him with a paintball gun. He had searched all over the city set and still no sign of Owen. "Geez, you'd think a guy as big as him wouldn't be hard to miss," he remarked, leaning against a streetlamp. "Or at least I'd be able to smell him…" His voice trailed off as he realized what he had just said. He sniffed the air, scrunching his nose up at the odor that seemed to be coming from a sewer grate.
Confessional
Cody: Well, it's either Owen or raw sewage. Not sure which one is less hazardous overall.
Cody grunted as he tried to move the cover to the sewer, but it wasn't budging. "Ugh, stupid bird-like bones," he grumbled. He turned to look for something to help pry the cover off and was immediately face to face with Sierra.
"Whatcha doin?" she asked as Cody let out a surprised scream. "Shhhh, Cody, you're going to give up our location to Chef."
"Sierra, I thought we agreed not to stick together during the challenge. You're supposed to stay away!"
"But Cody, I did stay away. 50 feet at all times, to be exact. Well, except for that time you bent over to tie your shoe. Then I was only 12 feet away. But can you blame me? You wear really tight jeans…" Cody rolled his eyes. "So, what are you doing?"
"I think Owen's down here, but I can't move the cover. If-" Sierra bent down and grabbed the metal cover, lifting it with ease and tossing it over her shoulder. Cody sighed. "That works." He leaned down the hole. "Owen?! You down there?"
A groan came from the hole. "What was in those muffins?" said a voice that could be none other than Owen's.
"Cody, you were right!" Sierra said excitedly, clapping her hands before throwing her arms around him. "Now we can go get our team's muffins and bring them here. We're the best alliance ever!" Cody just groaned, but still smiled, pleased that he had been the one to locate Owen at least.
A few meters away, out of sight of the two, Scott's eyes narrowed as he watched this all unfold. "Hmmm, I didn't realize Sierra was so strong," he remarked. "Too bad I got stuck with her weaker half. Heh, weaker half. That's a good one." Scott felt a sudden gust of warm air on the back of his neck. He looked up to see Chef glaring down at him, cocking his paintball gun.
"AHHHH!"
"These sprinkles don't look right," Katie said, holding up the jar that Brick and Ezekiel had given them. Mike leaned forward to inspect them. They were chocolate sprinkles, but they also seemed to be covered in dirt and grime.
"Maybe they'll be okay since we already baked everything," Mike suggested, shrugging.
Katie reached into the jar and pulled a handful of sprinkles out. "This should be, like, the finishing touch. They actually look pretty good for something Chef made."
Confessional
Chef: Hmph…
Katie tossed the sprinkles onto the muffins and looked at Mike, smiling. "Well, that's it -" The muffins exploded, sending her flying across the warehouse.
"Katie!" Mike cried, coughing as smoke filled the area. He ran over to her, Sadie already by her side.
Katie groaned, clearly in pain, but she seemed to have no permanent injuries.
"Looks like Katie's out of the challenge," Chris declared. "Geez, this is taking you guys so long. Okay, new rule. Whoever can deliver one box of muffins wins. Just hurry up!"
Mike looked down at Katie. There was no way she'd been in any shape to continue baking. And if they lost again, it was pretty obvious she was low on the totem pole for their team. He got up and ran back to the kitchen. He opened up a cover, letting out a sigh of relief as he saw what was inside. "There's still one set of Katie's backups," he told Ezekiel and Brick. "We can do this! Hurry!" The other two quickly ran to get the rest of the ingredients.
Across the room, Lightning was waiting impatiently for his team to finish making their muffins. The Screaming Foleys' mishap meant his team was much further ahead now. "Come on, we have to win again!" he yelled at them. "Right, Phone Girl?" He looked over to where he thought Sierra had been. "Phone Girl?" He looked around, confused, before turning back to his team.
"Done!" Sadie said triumphantly, holding up a completed batch of chocolate muffins. She handed them off to Blaineley to be boxed up as she went to pull the next batch out of the oven. Blaineley handed the box off to Lightning.
"Lightning's gonna find Owen no sha-problem," Lightning said triumphantly, tucking the muffin box under his arm like a football and sprinting into the city set right as Sierra and Cody arrived.
"Done!" Mike called out, tossing a box of muffins to Cody just as Blaineley handed a box to Sierra. "Go!"
Cody and Sierra both turned to run to Owen, just as Scott came back.
"Hmmm, those two sure came back at a convenient time," he said to nobody in particular, but loud enough that anyone nearby could hear him. Brick tossed him a box. "Wait, where's everyone else on our team?" The others shrugged. They hadn't seen most of the others in a while. "Great…now watch me be the one getting voted out just because they're all lazy."
Out in the city set, Lightning had immediately gotten lost. Since he hadn't bothered trying to find Owen prior to being handed the muffins, he didn't have the slightest idea where he was going.
"Aw, sha-what?" he complained when he hit a dead end. "This is gonna take forever!"
Sierra and Cody were having much better luck. Remembering where they had smelled and then heard Owen, they made a beeline for the sewer cover.
"We're almost there, Cody!" Sierra said excitedly. They got closer and closer, until a large shape came into view.
"Surprise, suckers!" Chef yelled, standing between the two and their path to victory. He raised his paintball gun, pointing it at Cody. He slowly pulled the trigger. Cody closed his eyes and braced for impact. The gun rattled as paintballs spewed out from the barrel. But Cody didn't feel a thing. He opened his eyes, confused.
Sierra stood in front of him, arms outstretched to protect him from the paintballs. Her entire front seemed covered in paint. "I…will always protect you…Cody…" With a pained groaned, she slumped to the ground, landing on her box of muffins.
Chef and Cody stared at each other. "I…I won!" Cody said triumphantly. He held up his box of muffins. "Ha! Take that Chef, I- AHH!" Chef spun the chamber of his gun and immediately began firing a steady stream of paintballs at the tech geek. Cody screamed and ran, and Chef gave chase. Cody's box of muffins remained crushed and covered in paint on the ground.
Chris watched the whole thing unfold. "Ugh, looks like it's back to square on everybody," he told the others who hadn't gone to deliver muffins. "Get to baking." They all groaned as they went back to their stations. Then Chris saw something on his monitor. "Huh?"
Scott peeked out from behind a lamp post, having been following Sierra and Cody the entire time. He had escaped Chef earlier, although he had several paint marks to prove it. Once he was sure the area was safe, and Chef was still off tormenting Cody, he slipped the cover off of the sewer grate and tossed a box of muffins down the hole.
"Ow!" Owen cried. "Hey, free muffins! God, is that you?"
"No," Scott said flatly, rolling his eyes. "Hey Chris! Does this mean I win?!"
"That's correct," Chris said. "Everyone! The Screaming Foleys have delivered a box of muffins. That means they win! Everyone, meet back at the warehouse." The Screaming Foleys cheered, and the Killer Riggers groaned at the news.
Eventually, everyone gathered back at the warehouse so Chris could debrief them on the challenge results.
"Props to Scott for remaining unseen," Chris said. "Seriously dude, that was a clutch move on your part."
"Couldn't let my team down," Scott replied. He glared at his teammates. "And where were all of you guys?" The others who had been sent to look for Owen shrugged.
"I found a butterfly," Dawn said.
"Got distracted by my book," Noah remarked, rolling his eyes.
"My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather invented muffins!" Staci exclaimed.
"You guys are so lucky we won today," Scott growled.
"Anyways," Chris cut in, "I'll be seeing the Killer Riggers at tonight's Gilded Chris Ceremony. You have a couple hours to discuss the vote. Now, be gone!" He shooed them all away and went to go find Chef.
"So, who are we going to vote for?" Sadie asked as the Killer Riggers sat around outside the trailers. "Because like, a lot of people did really bad."
"I say we vote for the person who made us mess up so many times because she doesn't know how to yell," Anne Maria suggested, glaring at Zoey.
"Well I say we vote for the person who couldn't hear me," Zoey shot back.
"Hey, I could be hard of hearing, ya ableist bitch!"
Zoey's eyes widened, her expression becoming one of concern. "Oh my gosh, really? I'm so sorry!"
"No, 'course not! Although with how annoying your voice is I wish I was hard of hearing…"
Blaineley cleared her throat. "This really isn't getting us anywhere," she said, "maybe we should vote for one of the people who was supposed to be delivering." She nodded her head in Lighting's direction as he looked over to Sierra.
Confessional
Blaineley: I feel pretty good about the vote, honestly. There's no reason to target me today, and if we can't figure out who to make our scapegoat, I'll just get Anne Maria to double down on her anti-Zoey crusade. Either way, I'm making it to the next episode.
"Ooh, what if we all agree not to vote and just let Chris choose someone?" Sadie suggested. Nobody responded because that was a terrible idea.
"If you ask me," Scott said, strolling up to the team, "I know exactly who you should vote out."
"Funny, because nobody asked you," Zoey said, narrowing her eyes.
"Okay, ouch, but I get it. But all I'm saying is…it's a little strange you guys lost. Especially when Sierra and Cody were neck and neck the whole time…" The others exchanged glances. Scott looked at them, confused. "Hey, where is Sierra, anyway?"
"She's still recovering from the challenge," Sadie replied. "Chris said she'd be fine by the ceremony though."
"I see," Scott said, rubbing his chin, "Well, like I said. Cody and Sierra were neck and neck. And then Chef came along and Sierra just…let him shoot her? To protect Cody? Seems fishy to me."
"Sierra's just like that," Zoey said, shaking her head. "She really cares about him. Not that you'd know anything about that."
Scott rolled his eyes, saying, "Fine, be that way. But Sierra had an easy win, and she chose not to take it. Plus, she spent the whole challenge with Cody. Kind of sounds like an alliance to me."
"We're not worried about that," Blaineley scoffed. "Cody wouldn't become allies with her in a million years. You're wasting your time with us."
Behind them, Cody walked toward the trailers and waved at the team. Scott smirked. "Oh really? Let's find out…"
The lights turned on in the music played in the amphitheater as the Killer Riggers were gathered for their first Gilded Chris Ceremony. Chris appeared in his usual blue suit and Chef was still wearing his underwear since it was his costume for the day.
"Welcome, Killer Riggers, to your first elimination of the season," Chris said. "Under your seats, you'll find your voting devices. Cast your vote for who you would like to be eliminated." Everyone reached under their seats to vote.
Confessional
Sierra: My team's been really quiet today since we lost the challenge… I guess maybe it's my fault, but I also know that Anne Maria and Zoey have been totally feuding. I'm #TeamZoey though, especially after how popular my Zoke blog has been recently.
Once the votes were cast, the results were printed out and handed off to Chris. He looked through them, nodding. "This is gonna be a fun one," he remarked. "Alright, you know the drill. Ten of you, and only nine statues. Whoever doesn't get one must take the Walk of Shame to the Lame-o-sine. Where you can never come back. Ever. The first statue goes to…Sadie."
"Eeeee!" Sadie squealed, catching her statue.
"Also safe tonight is Tyler…Eva…and B." The three team members had all been on supply duty and had done their job well. "Blaineley! Somehow, nobody voted for you. Not sure why, but here we are."
Blaineley rolled her eyes, catching the statue. "Whatever."
"Lightning…you totally flopped today, but your team must not have noticed, you're safe too. Ladies, one of you three has spent their last day on the film lot." Zoey, Anne Maria, and Sierra all looked at each other, and then at Chris. "That person is not…
…
…
…
…
…
…Anne Maria."
"Oh thank gawd," Anne Maria said, sighing and catching the statue. She smirked at Zoey, who leaned forward anxiously.
"Sierra. You cost your team the win. Zoey. I really don't know why you're in the bottom two, but I also don't really care. One of you is safe. The other is not. The final Gilded Chris goes to…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…Zoey."
Anne Maria groaned as Zoey jumped up to catch the Gilded Chris. Sierra's mouth hung open in shock as she looked at the rest of her team.
"O…m…g," the stalker said. Her teammates looked at each other nervously. "This is amazing!" She jumped up and down excitedly.
"What," Chris said flatly. "Sierra, you more than anyone should know how this show works. You got the most votes. You're eliminated. Aren't you mad?"
"Oh totally," Sierra admitted. "This is a complete shock and I feel very hurt that I got eliminated so early. But now I can say I've made the merge and been eliminated in the pre-merge! This means I have a wider range of appeal to the audience, since I'm not too OP for making the merge in all of the seasons I've been in. Ooh that means I have a shot at being a winner in fanfictions!"
"I have no idea what she's saying," Blaineley murmured. Anne Maria nodded in agreement. The rest of the Killer Riggers watched awkwardly as Sierra continued to celebrate being eliminated.
Chris sighed, annoyed. "Well, I won't lie, I was hoping for a little bit more shock and betrayal," he said. "Oh well, at least you can't come back this time. Now, the Lame-o-sine awaits!"
Sierra got up and started to walk down the Walk of Shame. "Oh wait, what about my Cody-kins?! Has he come to see me off?"
"Uh…nope," Chris replied, looking around. "Guess not."
Sierra's smile faltered for a second. "Oh…okay. Well, bye everyone!" She opened the door to the Lame-o-sine and took a seat. She waved as the limo pulled out of the Abandoned Film Lot.
"Killer Riggers," Chris said, "you are dismissed. Now the Screaming Foleys have a number advantage on you, so you better watch your backs this next challenge, hehe." The Killer Riggers grumbled and dispersed, eager to be done with the ceremony.
After the amphitheater had been cleared out, Cody walked into the area, looking sadly down the Walk of Shame. Behind him, in the shadows, Scott smirked again, thinking back to the conversation they had just been having before the ceremony.
"We're not worried about that," Blaineley scoffed. "Cody wouldn't ally himself with her in a million years. You're wasting your time with us."
Behind them, Cody walked toward the trailers and waved at the team. Scott smirked. "Oh really? Let's find out… Hey, Cody!"
"What's up?" Cody asked, turning and walking up to Scott and the team. Scott took a few steps forward so the others couldn't hear him.
"I was just telling the Killer Riggers here about your and Sierra's little alliance," Scott explained. Cody's eyes widened. "Yeah, they're not too happy with her throwing the challenge for you. Not that it mattered because you messed it up anyway."
"Y-you've got it all wrong," Cody stammered. "She's just always there, it's not like I told her we were in an alliance. She just assumes and…" His voice trailed off. "Wait. Are they considering voting for her?"
Scott grinned. "That depends on how you answer the question," he replied, before moving back to the team. "Alright, you don't believe me, but ask Cody yourselves." Cody looked at them nervously.
"Are you and Sierra like, in an alliance?" Sadie asked. "Oh my gosh, is that why she threw the challenge for you?"
Cody was silent for a moment as the gears turned in head. Eventually, he sighed. "Yeah," he lied, "we made a plan to make it to the final two together. I'm sorry guys, I didn't know she'd throw a challenge for it. We were just going to try and make the merge together. But you guys know how she is…she takes things too far. If you vote her out tonight, well…I understand."
Scott clapped his hand hard onto Cody's shoulder. "Bet it feels good to get that off your chest," he said. "Well folks, that's all I have to say. Enjoy your elimination ceremony." The Killer Riggers rolled their eyes as he dragged Cody toward the trailer. "And our team will deal with you later…
Cody swallowed nervously.
Confessional
Scott: Well well well, got the Killer Riggers to vote out one of their stronger members and we've got Cody as a scapegoat if we lose the next challenge. Might not be the strategy I like to use, but it's working!
Cody: I know I shouldn't have lied, but I just thought…well, if she kept pushing for us to be in an alliance, then it's only fair to show her the consequences. And now Scott's got dirt on me, and it's not even real dirt! Ugh, why did I go along with this? I'm not a bad person, right?
"I don't know Cody," Chris remarked from his little booth, "you kind of betrayed the only person who's ever cared about you. That's cold, and that's coming from me. But it won't be as cold as our next episode, so stayed tuned. Will Scott continue to mess with Cody's head? Will Anne Maria and Zoey keep fighting? And will more than half the cast speak next time? Hopefully, because they're not doing our ratings any favors. Find out next time on another betrayal-filled episode of Total…Drama…Revenge of the Action!"
VOTES
Anne Maria: Zoey can choke, that's all I gotta say.
B: *presses the Sierra button and shrugs*
Blaineley: Maybe Sierra and Cody have an alliance, maybe they don't. But I'm voting Zoey, because even if she stays in, it'll stir the pot just enough to keep up our team's tension.
Eva: So Sierra threw the challenge, huh?! She's DEAD! You hear me? DEAD!
Lightning: Man, Lightning knew that it wasn't his fault the team lost. Sorry Phone Girl, but you're Sha-outta here!
Sadie: I actually think it was super sweet of Sierra to protect Cody like that. I hope Trent and/or Justin would do that for me, eee! But yeah, sorry Zoey. Anne Maria's my friend, so I have to vote for you.
Sam: Huh? Oh, yeah...the vote. Uh, Sierra threw the challenge, right? I'll vote her, I guess...
Sierra: #TeamZoey, so I'm voting for Anne Maria!
Tyler: Not gonna lie, Sierra always freaked me out, so I don't mind voting for her.
Zoey: Bye-bye, Anne Maria. This is a lesson in being nice to people.
Sierra (5 - B, Eva, Lightning, Sam, Tyler), Zoey (3 - Anne Maria, Blaineley, Sadie), Anne Maria (2 - Sierra, Zoey)
Killer Riggers: Anne Maria, B, Blaineley, Eva, Lightning, Sadie, Sam, Tyler, Zoey
Screaming Foleys: Brick, Cody, Dawn, Ezekiel, Jo, Katie, Mike, Noah, Scott, Staci
Eliminated: Dakota, Cameron, Sierra
Another one down, a lot more to go! I really enjoyed writing Sierra, but I knew that I wanted Cody to get a plotline that wasn't related to her, and when push came to shove, I decided that this would be a good time for her to go. While it might have seemed a little malicious for Cody, I think if he had the chance to get rid of Sierra for a legitimate reason he would take it. Plus, Scott's always looking for those opportunities to mess with the others, just sayin'~
This challenge was one I wanted to do from the start, a nice spin on the blind obstacle course challenge you see in Survivor. Plus the Breaking Bad references wrote themselves for this one.
What show/genre do you think will be parodied next episode? And who do you think is going next?