Total Drama Uncharted
Episode 7: Keys to the Kingdom
-o0o-o0o-
"Last time on Total Drama Uncharted," said Chris McLean, racking one of the weights in his opulent plane's gym. "We flew back home to the best country in the entire world when the teams visited Alberta, Canada. They were given first-class tickets to the famous Banff gondola ride, only without the gondola part, which was really funny. Instead, they were forced to zipline and dodge Chef and his apple gun, among some other things. Some succeeded," he continued as the show flashed back to Izzy's winning performance on the zipline. "And some failed," Chris said as the camera switched scenes to depict Tyler's blunders, with Chris belting out a cursory fake cough. "Tyler! Afterwards, the teams raced down the Bridal Veil falls in the most awesome challenge ever! Seriously, these guys really went for it. There were huge brawls, human cannonballs, free-for-all skirmishes, near-death experiences, and did I mention the fighting? Although the Lions looked like they were headed towards an easy exit, the Vipers saved them by sabotaging the Bears and proving that, sometimes, cheaters do win, even if it takes them six episodes to do it. Despite Cody's efforts to save her, it was Sierra who was voted out in a close vote. The competition is just getting better and better! What kind of new alliances, relationships, or otherwise will be affected in this episode? There's only one way to find out - by watching this adrenaline-infused episode of - Total! Drama! Uncharted!"
The familiar, run out theme song so commonly associated with the show began its runtime, complete with new visuals to accommodate for the new season and its fresh locales. All 24 original contestants could be seen partaking in their usual antics within the clips, all the way to its fateful end, when it faded to black and allowed the cameras to focus on the game once more.
The air outside the plane was less optimistic on the twenty-first day of the competition. Most days had been sunny, even if the landscapes below were decorated with snow and water. Clouds usually seem to dictate a sense of dread, but the gray skies of today evoked a sense of odd comfort rather than one of gloom.
The first action of the episode occurred in the common room, where Duncan could be seen putting his switchblade to good use by carving a crude skull into the wooden table. Gwen was leaning into his shoulder, and Heather was seated a couple squares to their right, with Owen and DJ across from the three on the other sofa. DJ was openly glaring at Duncan and Heather.
"What?" Heather scoffed.
"You know what," said DJ, crossing his arms.
"Is this about the knife thing?" asked Duncan, followed by a cursory nod from DJ. "Look, man, I'm sorry. You know it wasn't personal."
"Still," Gwen added. "You should talk to Courtney about it."
"I'm not her babysitter," said Duncan.
"But it was kind of mean," Owen argued.
"You guys whine all you want," said Heather. "It's a challenge, and we won. Get over it."
"You're really not helping," said Gwen, sitting up and facing Heather with a death stare.
"Who said I was trying to help?"
"No one, but an apology would be nice."
"You're not getting one," spat Heather.
"Come on, Heather," Duncan interjected. "Stop being a prick about it."
"I'll stop being a prick the minute I feel bad about it!"
"So, like, never?" Owen murmured.
"We should be past this by now," said DJ.
"Says the dude who keeps talking about it," Duncan retaliated.
Owen sat quietly and eyed the sources of conflict as DJ rose to his feet with authority, looking as if he was going to intervene, but merely walking away in a subdued bout of frustration.
"Wow, poor guy," said Owen.
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Heather
"I don't understand how it's my fault that these people still haven't gotten used to this competition," Heather claimed, holding her chest with both her hands. "I am so done with this team. You try dealing with a sarcastic queen, a fart machine, a legit psycho, an uber nerd, a whiny CIT, an annoying bench warmer, and Leshawna for twenty-four hours a day. And that's just my team. Don't even get me started on weird goth girl."
-o0o-o0o-
In the dining area, Geoff and Justin sat across from each other, soon joined by DJ, who took a seat on Justin's right.
"Still not apologizing, huh?" asked Geoff.
"Eh," said DJ. "I'm just gonna stop trying."
"What a bunch of psychos," Justin added. "I mean, Heather, Duncan, and Courtney on the same team?"
"Yikes," said Geoff.
"Duncan's cool," said DJ. "Dude just doesn't know how to play nice sometimes."
"You can say that again," Justin agreed.
"Whatever, bro," sighed Geoff. "We have enough crap to worry about with our own teams. I say we just forget about it," he continued, squinting to his right out of the corner of his eye, spotting Harold sitting at a nearby table along with Noah.
Ezekiel walked towards the table and sat beside Geoff, appearing noticeably more coordinated since the last episode and looking only slightly less evolved than the average human, with his feral green skin giving way to his customary pale shade.
"Hey!" DJ exclaimed. "You practically look normal again!"
Geoff and Justin applauded and cheered, with a couple competitors in the vicinity, namely Harold, Trent, and Cody, eyeing the situation and joining in brief celebration.
Ezekiel opened his mouth as if to speak as the three boys anxiously awaited in anticipation for his words, but they did not come. With his appearance restoring itself and his beanie back on top of his head, it didn't take a rocket scientist to discern the fact that Ezekiel was well on his way to recovery, if not there already.
"Just remember, man," Justin told him. "No sexism."
Geoff chuckled in agreement as DJ patted Ezekiel on the back, with the latter cutting into a pancake with more ease than ever before. His dexterity had improved.
Gwen strode into the dining area after collecting her own plate, walking past Courtney, who stood up and opened her mouth before being interrupted.
"Save it, Courtney."
Courtney sulked and sank into her seat as Gwen trodded away from her and joined Trent and Cody at a table on the opposite end of the room.
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Courtney
"I know we won, but," said Courtney, both hands in her lap as she leaned forward. "I feel bad about sabotaging the Bears like that. It felt good in the moment - really good - but now that entire team hates me, including Gwen, who's like, the only person that's nice to me these days. This sucks!"
-o0o-o0o-
Bridgette came to Courtney's rescue, placing her plate on the table and taking position across from her fellow competitor, saying nothing and taking a healthy sip of orange juice.
"What now?" Courtney asked.
"Can't I eat breakfast with a friend?"
"Really? You're not mad at me, too?"
"I was," said Bridgette. "But I can tell you feel bad. Just make it right, okay?"
"Thanks," Courtney smiled, lifting her head out of her hand, where it was resting, and eating a spoonful of oatmeal.
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Courtney
"Never mind," grinned Courtney.
-o0o-o0o-
Further down the plane, Tyler stumbled through the dormitories after a morning swim, sticking close to the right side before being beamed directly in the face by a door swinging open. Looking up, Tyler noticed Lindsay's name on it and immediately recognized it as her room, a place he had been before. The blonde peered around it and walked out into the hall, closing the door behind her.
"Aw, sorry, Tyler," Lindsay apologized, helping pick the fallen Tyler up.
"No problem," said Tyler, a palm on his forehead to aid in quelling the pain. "Breakfast?"
"For sure!"
The two paused temporarily, with Lindsay retreating to her room and retrieving an ice pack that she pressed to Tyler's head. He kept it stable with one hand and grasped Lindsay's hand with his other, but the still moment evaporated soon after, with Izzy's cackles becoming audible from down the hall.
She darted past both Lindsay and Tyler and yelled, "Race you there! I could eat a horse!" before falling out of sight.
Elsewhere, Alejandro subjected himself to an intense workout, doing pull-ups and staring out of the window into the cloudy air. Leshawna remained in her private room, admiring her reflection in the bathroom mirror and brushing her teeth. The other competitors were in the process of eating breakfast if they hadn't finished it already.
Chris and Chef sat beside one another in the cockpit, with the former dusting off old Total Drama Island magazines which prominently featured his face, and the latter piloting the plane without distraction.
"We're here," declared Chef, flying over his destination.
"Alright, time to tell the campers." said Chris, standing up and pulling the plane's microphone down to his level before holding down the button and getting ready to speak into it as he was interrupted by Chef.
"You know we're not at a summer camp anymore, right?"
"Obviously," Chris responded, with Chef repeatedly pointing at the distracted host's microphone. "It just has a nice ring to it, don't you think? Like, what am I supposed to say? Passengers? That got old after, like-"
"Chris! The mic!" shouted Chef.
"Oh," said Chris, looking at the mic and realizing his finger had been pressing the button during his entire monologue.
Contestants in the dining area, common room, and various other rooms stared up at the loudspeakers strewn throughout the plane, thoroughly confused as to what Chris was talking about and why he decided to share it with everyone.
"What?" asked Trent, with Cody simply shrugging next to him.
"My bad, campers," Chris followed. "Just wanted to announce that we've arrived at our next destination - New Zealand!"
"Wow," muttered Noah. "Yet another exciting location. You guys have really outdone yourselves."
"I heard that," said Chris over the loudspeaker. "You know what? I was just gonna have Chef land the plane, but thanks to Noah, you guys are gonna have to prepare for a drop!"
"Shit," Noah grumbled.
"I can't believe you would spite New Zealand like that," said Harold.
"Please don't talk about-"
"The Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest cinematic accomplishments of our time," Harold rambled on. "Seriously, I can't imagine the Fellowship setting foot-"
Harold would have kept going if he wasn't suddenly stopped by his own glass of water spilling its contents onto his lap after a fork was thrown at it by Alejandro, who was seated at a table nearby. The camera initially picked up Harold's glass spilling, then zoomed into Alejandro's tired expression.
"Thanks," said Noah.
-o0o-o0o-
The competitors gathered in the elimination room, sans parachute, and stared outside the opened door which usually marked the drop of shame.
Beneath them was a spacious gorge surrounded by rocky hills and vibrant green trees that seemed exceptionally bright in contrast to the cloudy, inexpressive weather of the day. At the bottom of the gorge was a calm river, behaving in the exact opposite way that the Bridal Veil Falls behaved in the previous episode, and connecting the two sides of the gorge was a lengthy red bridge positioned at a height of about 140 feet and littered with safety precautions, with the exception of one open spot that one could discern was for jumping.
The contestants lingered around the open door, prepping themselves to jump into the water below and keeping their eyes on the loudspeaker as the suspense built.
At last, the speakers blared, and Chris exclaimed, "Jump!"
With the plane slowing down and essentially hovering a good distance above the gorge, everyone was shocked to find that the drop of shame wasn't actually their intended method of departure. Instead, the floor opened from beneath them in an elaborate trick, sending the campers plummeting outside of their own volition and prompting sumptuous laughter from Chris and Chef.
The contestants fell through the sky, an occasion they were far too accustomed to, and soon landed in the river underneath the bridge with nineteen splashes following their stunt.
Leshawna surfaced, soaking wet, and spit out a stream of water before growling and saying, "That boy's gone and lost his mind."
"Oh, I know right?" Izzy agreed. "I never saw that coming."
"Where are we?" Lindsay asked, turning to face Harold.
"I don't recognize this place," said Harold.
"Well, there's a bridge above us," Alejandro added.
Duncan scoffed and replied with, "Nice eye, muchacho."
"Maybe it's the Golden Gate Bridge!" Lindsay exclaimed, garnering confused stares from a couple contestants surrounding her, Justin and Alejandro included.
"It's amazing how you get this stuff wrong, Lindsiot," Heather seethed.
"Don't mind her, girl," Leshawna told Lindsay in a near-whisper. "She's just trying to get under your skin."
"Thanks," twinkled Lindsay, who was met by a smile and a nod from Leshawna.
"Anytime."
"Hope you had a good landing!" shouted Chris, using a megaphone as he himself flew smoothly onto the bridge above using a hang glider. "Meet me up here for the challenge briefing, everyone!"
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Lindsay
"My geography skills are a little challenged," said Lindsay, shrugging and smiling her mistake off. "But I think my team is still missing out on the strategical work I can contribute. One time, Courtney told me I had a big head, so that means I must have a lot of room for ideas."
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Courtney
Courtney giggled, sitting cross-legged and containing her laugh before speaking.
"Yeah, she's got a big head, alright," she explained. "Sorry, I can't help it!"
-o0o-o0o-
The camera cut ahead, skipping over scenes of the teams swimming towards a hill on the left side of the bridge and scaling it via a neatly carved out path of gravel. At the bottom of the path were three buzzers, one red, one yellow, and one green, that had yet to be explained. They climbed a steep trail, passing trees and rocks, eventually reaching their destination, which was marked by two stone pillars on either side of the bridge's beginning.
Once everyone had made it up to the bridge, they noticed how high it really was. They also noticed three roofless all-terrain vehicles of a beige color lined up next to each other in tidy fashion, each one large enough to fit a team. Their glossy paint glimmered and seemed to illuminate the concrete material of the bridge as Chef polished them, giving off the impression that they were brand new.
"Welcome to New Zealand, folks," said Chris, gesturing at the bridge he was standing on and the gorge he was standing above. "As Harold already told us, this place is actually pretty wicked. Unfortunately, we don't have time for the gigantic mountains and unnecessarily complex native dancing today, 'cause we're here at the Kawa… Kar… Karawa…" Chris stuttered, turning his head in Chef's direction. "Where is this again?"
"The Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge!" Chef announced.
"What he said," Chris continued. "Anyway, your task today is extremely difficult. One member of each team will jump into the water below in order to search for one of three keys. You'll have exactly five minutes at a time in the water. If, for whatever reason, you wish to tag out before your five minutes is up, that's also an option. Either way, when you're done, walk back up the path you just took and press your team's button. Bears, yours is red, Lions, yours is yellow, and Vipers, you get the green one. When your five minutes are up, or your button is pressed, it'll make a Bear, Lion, or Viper sound, and the next team member can jump. If you happen to find a key, return to this spot and use it to start one of these three vehicles. After that, it's a straight race to the end of the bridge, where one team will win, and one may have to eliminate someone."
"When you say jump," DJ started. "You mean, jump jump?"
"That's correct, DJ," Chris confirmed. "This place is actually a really popular bungee jumping spot, but since our bungees have been accidentally misplaced, you guys are raw doggin' it today."
"Ew," Gwen mumbled.
Cody raised his hand and asked, "What's in the water? Sharks?"
Chris appeared to genuinely think of a response before he answered, "Nah, I don't think so. You might wanna watch out for the eels, though. Oh, and the piranhas! Can't forget about the piranhas!"
"Stupid eels," Tyler complained, Owen nodding at his left.
"Alright," said Chris. "Pick your first jumpers and let's get on with the challenge!"
-o0o-o0o-
Three of the nineteen competitors, Justin for the Bears, Alejandro for the Lions, and Duncan for the Vipers, lined up at the gap in the bridge's wall. Presumably chosen due to their athleticism, they began readying themselves to leap into the stream below and search for their keys. Justin and Duncan grasped the bridge's walls with one hand, while Alejandro was left in the center with nothing to hold onto.
"Ready?" Chris asked, holding up his air horn. In response, a school of piranhas vigorously leapt through the air in circular patterns and aggressively chomped their teeth, signaling a very present threat and a green light for Chris. "Cool. Go!"
Chris' famous air horn blew mere inches behind the campers participating in the challenge, resulting in a few pained grimaces, but ultimately giving them motivation to jump off the bridge.
After a few seconds, all three hit the water and began searching. Duncan swam deeper than anyone else, scouring the edges of the river and trying to find a key that could have been wedged between rocks near the hill. Alejandro followed him, wrenching open a clam's mouth and finding a batch of pearls, one of which he took and pocketed.
Justin had poorer luck. While sifting through a couple of marine plants, he was quickly surrounded by eight or nine piranhas. Hearing noise behind him, he turned around and froze in terror for a moment before screaming, with bubbles rising to the surface as a result.
He leapt out of the water as his legs circled beneath him cartoonishly.
"Piranhas!" Justin bellowed, prompting Chris and Chef to first bump and snicker as they watched from above.
Justin sped off, darting forward and swimming towards dry land as fast as possible, being chased by relentless biting piranhas the entire way until he clambered onto shore.
"Get back in there, Justin!" Trent shouted.
Justin flashed a thumbs up to his team, tapping his chin in thought and whispering to himself, "Gotta find a way to distract them."
Moments later, Duncan and Alejandro both surfaced, coughing due to their prolonged underwater escapades, both of them empty-handed. The piranhas' fins stuck out from in front of them as they, too, yelped in fear and swam further out into the river as quickly as possible, returning to the center once the piranhas began to chase them.
"This is crazy!" Bridgette yelled
"Come on, Duncan!" cheered Courtney.
"You've got this, dude!" Owen added.
Justin eyed his surroundings carefully as he lowered one foot in the water with care, grinning as it appeared he was safe for the time being. The piranhas were still attempting to feast on Duncan and Alejandro a decent distance away.
"Well, that's one way to do it," said Justin, stepping into the shallow end of water with both feet, rocks crumbling beneath the soles of his shoes.
His relief didn't last, however, as he was swiftly dragged underwater by something he couldn't see. Desperately thrusting his arms forward and trying to reach the surface, he turned his head and noticed a shark had been gripping his shoe, pulling him towards the bottom of the river.
"Something's got Justin!" Chef noticed, rubbing his hands together.
"My bad, guys," chuckled Chris, Ezekiel wincing beside him. "I guess there are sharks down there."
Justin grasped a large rock resting near the river bank, using it as leverage and lifting himself forward with all the strength he could muster. The shark however, was tenacious, absolutely refusing to let go of Justin's leg and continuing to pull him in the opposite direction as the boy's hands and arms became scratched and scarred due to the friction between them and the rock he was holding onto.
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Justin
"Shit," said Justin, carefully examining his bloodied hands as he held them in front of him. "I'm never gonna get another hand modeling gig after this! I don't know what I did to that shark, but I'm not gonna forget what he did to me today. Watch out, dude. I'm coming for you."
-o0o-o0o-
Alejandro and Duncan both swam in circles without ceasing, tiring of breath as the piranhas gained on them.
"How do we stop these things?" Alejandro asked, panting.
"What makes you think I know that?" Duncan replied.
"I don't know!" cried Alejandro.
As the two remained stuck in an endless cycle, Justin was running out of oxygen in the midst of his predicament with the shark, forcing him to fight in the absence of an option to swim away.
He raised his free foot and ferociously kicked the shark in its left eye, continuing to harass the animal with what energy he had left. It took four or five kicks to finally phase the shark, with Justin striking it directly in the nose and causing it to nurse it with both its fins, its sharp teeth finally releasing Justin.
Now weak and damaged, Justin surfaced and took the most satisfying breath he had ever taken, coughing violently and gradually crawling out of the water. The Bears gasped.
"Is he okay?" Trent asked, looking at Chris.
"Maybe," the host answered. "I can't really tell."
"Maybe?" Cody reiterated in fear.
Justin reached the buzzers at last, slowly rising to his feet, urgently slamming the red button and collapsing onto the floor with a pained groan. The sound of a growling bear echoed throughout the gorge, easily within earshot of the contestants who remained on the bridge.
"Bears, you're up!" Chris declared.
"Are we sending Zeke?" Gwen asked.
DJ looked at Ezekiel for confirmation, and after a confident thumbs-up from the mostly-human boy, he reached a conclusion.
"We're sending Zeke."
Ezekiel growled an eager growl and leapt head-first into the stream with shocking poise, both his arms extended past his head and clapped as if he was praying. His eyes were closed and his breaths were deep as he landed straight into the group of piranhas swimming after Duncan and Alejandro, causing them to either fly into the air or scatter away.
"Thank you," Alejandro sighed, darting away.
"I could've done that, too, you know," Duncan claimed, pointing to himself with one thumb and finding the collar of his shirt grabbed by Ezekiel.
Duncan yelped as Ezekiel threw him up into the air and began kicking his feet forward in circular patterns like he was riding a bicycle in some kind of obscure upside-down olympic sport. Duncan remained in the air, unable to break free as Ezekiel kicked him with full-force, rocketing him towards the buzzers and ending with a stunned Duncan falling into his team's green buzzer and releasing the sound of a hissing snake.
"Vipers!" Chris shouted.
"Hey!" Duncan argued. "I didn't even tag out!"
"You still pressed the button, bro!"
"What the-" Duncan asked himself. "Stupid game."
Leshawna facepalmed as Heather said, "I'm going."
Her teammates had no time to refute, as Heather dived into the water without hesitation. Duncan was now beginning to tread back up the path and he thoroughly complained the entire way. The Bears rejoiced in their small victory, including Gwen, who giggled secretively on Duncan's behalf.
Heather hit the water with a contained splash and shot back up to the surface, swimming to her right, where Alejandro was searching.
"Come to join me?" he asked, smirking.
"You wish," Heather replied
She dove underwater and dug through the dirt, trying to find out if one of the keys happened to be hidden on the river's floor. Manically digging like her life depended on it, Heather felt her shoulder being tapped twice by something pointy, turning around and being greeted with the menacing grin of the shark that had attacked Justin and deducing the fact that it had prodded her with one of its fins.
Heather dashed forward and let loose a panicked scream from underneath the surface, swimming rapidly away from the shark and closer to the bridge, not finding any luck in shaking the shark.
"Okay, this is ridiculous," said Courtney, watching from above with one hand on her forehead and squinted eyes.
"We need a way to distract the shark," Harold proposed. "If we can somehow steer it away from Heather-"
"Or towards Alejandro!" Courtney interrupted.
"As much as I wanna see him squirm, I do not wanna get involved in any more drama," Leshawna scowled.
"It's a strategic maneuver," replied Courtney, twiddling her fingers in desperate pragmatism.
"Who cares what it is?" Tyler asked. "It's a good idea!"
"I'm with Tyler on this one," Noah agreed. "Sharks smell blood, right? What if we distract the shark with that?"
"Okay…" Owen trailed off. "But who's blood are we gonna use?"
For a brief moment, the team turned their heads towards Harold, looking at him and hoping for him to oblige and put an end to their dilemma.
"Why is it always me?" Harold asked.
Luckily for Harold, an answer didn't come, as Justin and Duncan both came trudging into view, joining their respective teams after their own encounters with various forms of deadly marine wildlife.
"Duncan," Leshawna beckoned. "You bleeding?"
"What?"
"Are you bleeding?" Owen repeated with a louder volume.
"Very elegant, guys," said Courtney, walking up to Duncan and placing her hand on his shoulder. "What they're asking is, we need to distract the shark with someone's blood, and since you've been down there, we thought you might-"
"Oh, I've been down there, alright," Duncan responded, pulling his sleeve up to reveal a couple fresh scratches, courtesy of either Ezekiel or the piranhas. No one could really tell the difference.
As Ezekiel continued to search unhindered through a small underwater crevice, Heather managed to climb up a tree positioned barely in view of the campers on top of the bridge. The shark gnawed at her and leapt out of the water on multiple occasions, nearly taking one or both of her legs off.
Alejandro was currently underwater, remaining in one position and electing to survey his surroundings before committing himself to one particular area. His surveillance was disrupted, however, by a couple red droplets falling into the water in front of him, slowly sinking to his level as he pieced together what they were.
The shark suddenly stopped attacking Heather in favor of sniffing the air spiritedly, with Heather looking down in confusion. The creature immediately made for Alejandro's direction, and Heather let go of the tree, falling onto a patch of dirt with a relieved sigh.
Heather flashed a thumbs up at her team on the bridge, realizing they must have interfered as the shark began to go after Alejandro.
"Yes!" Owen cheered, high fiving Tyler.
"Genius idea, guys!" Tyler exclaimed.
The Vipers rejoiced once Heather resumed competing, while the Lions caught sight of Alejandro swimming in circles for a second time, now distracted by the shark instead of the piranhas.
"Help!" Alejandro cried.
"Tag out, dude!" Geoff advised.
"Yeah, yeah!" added Izzy, jumping up and down giddily. "Let me have a turn!"
"I think he's a little busy," said Lindsay, pointing at the shark.
"It was the Vipers!" DJ shouted, joining the Lions. "I saw it!"
"I knew something was up!" replied Bridgette. "Can Ezekiel take a shark?"
"No clue," DJ shrugged. It appeared he was willing to find out, whistling in order to gain Ezekiel's attention and yelling, "Zeke! Get the shark!"
Ezekiel fulfilled his wish, diving underwater with the speed and style of a professional athlete, going deeper and deeper until he found himself quietly positioned underneath the animal, who had cornered Alejando. He shot himself upwards and tackled the shark, barreling out of the water and holding the beast above his head. Ezekiel threw the shark straight towards Heather, reversing the tides once again.
The Bears and Lions both celebrated in unison, sharing inter-team fist bumps in the process. The Vipers took notice and sulked in their failure to keep the shark's attention on Alejandro.
"Told you they'd have it out for us," Leshawna scolded.
"I guess you were right," Courtney folded.
"What can I say?" Gwen asked, coming into view. "You deserved it."
"Look, Gwen," said Courtney, sighing. "I hope you didn't take what I did last week as a personal attack or something. It was wrong. I'm sorry. " she finished, scratching the hair on the back of her head.
"Don't worry about it," Gwen smiled. "You guys did a bad thing, but at least you have a conscience about it, unlike some people."
"Good. Are we cool?" asked Courtney, extending an open hand.
"Yeah," said Gwen, committing to the handshake. "We're cool."
Forced back up the tree in order to avoid the shark for the second time around, Heather stared at Alejandro and sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Another day, another shark attack."
With the competitors still searching, the sound of a fierce lion roaring could be heard throughout the gorge, though no one had touched the yellow button dedicated to the Leaping Lions.
"Alejandro, your five minutes are up!" Chris announced through the megaphone, lowering it and addressing the Lions next to him. "You guys can get in there once he gets to the shore."
"Sweet," said Geoff.
Alejandro swam back towards the hill at a pace that was somewhere between leisurely and hurried, passing Heather on his way. He stopped for a moment to look at her as she dodged yet another chomp, contemplating helping, but ultimately resorting to abstinence.
"Don't just stand there!" Heather demanded. "Help me!"
"I'd love to!" claimed Alejandro. "But I'm afraid I'm done here."
"Please?" she asked, looking him in the eyes with a genuine expression of vulnerability, one that Alejandro had yet to see.
He paused once more, as if he had found himself lost in deep consideration, aggressively shaking his head back and forth to snap back to reality. "I… I can't."
Alejandro swam back to shore, leaving Heather alone in her endeavors. She bore a vicious scowl and called after him.
"Come back!" Heather screamed. Alejandro didn't look back, but sighed as he inched closer to dry land, bearing a barely-visible frown. "If you don't help me, I'll tell everyone about that deal you made!"
"It's okay, Alejandro!" said Bridgette. "Just keep moving!"
"No! No!" Geoff cried. "Help her!"
"Geoff!" Bridgette hissed.
"What? I need to save my ass, too!"
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Alejandro
"Heather just doesn't know how to play this game without making things as hard as possible for me," Alejandro explained, with one arm resting on the windowsill beside him and the other gripping the toilet. "I don't see how my deal with Geoff really affects her, but I can't trust her with any of my secrets. She has a tendency to… exaggerate things."
-o0o-o0o-
Back down in the water, Heather repeated herself. "I know you heard me! I'll tell everyone about your deal!" she followed, dragging out the word "deal" in a sing-song voice, fully aware of the fact that she was stepping foot in territory she didn't belong in.
"My what?" Alejandro snapped back, turning around and looking at Heather in the distance, stomping through the shallow water and punching a diving piranha in the face as it lunged at him.
Heather leered devilishly, jumping off of the tree she climbed and jabbing her foot into the shark's left eye, causing it to retreat with a wince and nurse its injury, effectively neutering the threat for the time being and allowing Heather to tread water at her own pace.
"I knew you'd come to your senses."
Discerning the fact that Heather had dealt with the shark without his help, Alejandro scoffed. "You are pure evil."
"Thank you!" Heather laughed.
"Stay out of mybusiness, Heather," said Alejandro, pointing at himself.
"We're all playing the same game, aren't we?" Heather inquired. "The alliances you make are everyone's business."
"How is that relevant right now?"
"It's not," Heather smiled.
Alejandro snarled, touching his back pocket and finding that the pearl he took from one of the clams was still in its place. He appeared to ponder for a moment, though it was unclear what was on his mind, and he resolved to merely stare at Heather.
"Let me make you a deal," Alejandro proposed. "Keep quiet, and I'll… I'll…"
"You what?"
"I don't know!" Alejandro answered in a rare moment of uncertainty.
"You're funny, you know," said Heather. "Acting all big and tough, but the second someone gives you a taste of your own medicine, you-"
The two continued to bicker as the camera transitioned to the scenes occurring on the bridge itself. Chris positioned himself next to the Lions, who were half angry at Alejandro's delays and half bewildered at the fact that Chris had said nothing.
"So…" began Lindsay. "Can we go?"
"Sorry," said Chris. "Only one team member can look for the key at a time, remember?"
"He's doing everything but that," Bridgette stated.
"True," replied Chris, analyzing the situation. Alejandro and Heather were still thoroughly arguing. "I guess you can go ahead," he finalized, grinning.
"Yeah!" Izzy cackled, proceeding to cannonball into the water, maniacally laughing during the entirety of her descent and hitting the water with a pronounced splash.
Meanwhile, the sound of a growling Bear rang throughout the gorge for a second time, signaling the end of Ezekiel's run. The boy poked his head out of a hole in the dirt and swam towards the surface, quickly making his way to the shore without the same delays Alejandro had taken part in. He walked up the hill with pace, intent on rejoining his team, this time without a wobble in his step.
"Bears," said Chris. "Who's it gonna be?"
"I've got this," Cody replied, high fiving Trent and Gwen and jumping off the bridge with his arms straightened behind his body.
"What do you think?" Trent asked.
"He's got as good of a chance as anyone," said Gwen.
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Cody
"Sierra isn't here to carry me anymore," said Cody, grinning. "If I'm gonna make it, I've gotta prove my worth to the team, and the best way to do that is to put myself in harm's way!"
-o0o-o0o-
As Cody landed in the water, the Vipers made their way towards Chris, who was standing equidistantly between the Bears and Lions, listening to their myriad of cheers and chants.
"Hey, Chris," Tyler kicked off. "Since Heather's still fighting, can we keep going, too?"
"Sorry," said Chris. "Her time's not up yet."
"It was worth a shot," Noah claimed as he and Tyler faced each other, breaking off from the main group along with Owen.
Cody was busy fighting off a piranha that had latched onto his collared shirt, while Izzy reached her hand into a small cave and pulled an electric eel out, starting at it for a second or two before being thoroughly shocked and floating up to the surface, puffing out a miniscule cloud of smoke. All the while, Heather and Alejandro kept up their shenanigans.
"And somehow it's my fault that you can't keep any friends?" Alejandro seethed, pointing at Heather with a vigorous index finger.
"I never said that!" Heather responded. "You know what? I'm done arguing with you."
As if fate had magically listened in on their conversation, a hissing Viper sound reverberated through the area.
"Well, there's your cue!" Alejandro quipped.
"Fine!" Heather finalized, swimming back at last and being closely followed by her adversary, who had spotted Izzy in the water.
"Let me go!" Courtney pleaded to her team back on the bridge, with Duncan, Leshawna, and Harold in her vicinity.
"Why don't I go again?" Duncan asked.
"Yeah, 'cause that worked so well last time," said Harold.
"Screw it," Leshawna butted in, leaping into the water for herself with a horrified holler.
"We haven't come to a decision yet!" Courtney yelled after her falling teammate with a cupped hand over her mouth, with Alejandro and Heather beginning to arrive at the bridge,
"Wow," Owen said, outside of earshot of the rest of his team and convening with Noah and Tyler in private. "They sure fight a lot."
"At least we're cool," Tyler added.
"If I were them," Noah began. "I would've volunteered to jump off the bridge, just so I could get away."
"For real," Tyler agreed.
"So, are we gonna tell anyone about our alliance?" Owen asked.
"No way," answered Noah.
"Why not?" Tyler replied. "What about Harold?"
"Meh," Noah mumbled. "I'd rather just keep it a secret. He's just gonna tell Leshawna, and you know where that goes."
"I trust Leshawna," said Owen.
"I don't."
"Doesn't matter, anyway," claimed Tyler. "Everyone on this team hates each other."
"I just hope we're not on the list," Owen brought up.
"I doubt it," said Noah. "We're usually not the problem."
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Owen
"I'm not good with secrets," Owen said, nervously playing with his fingers as he hunched forward. "But if it's for the good of our alliance, then I'll sure do my best to keep this one!" he continued, shooting one finger up towards the ceiling before being caught in two minds. "Oh, who am I kidding?"
-o0o-o0o-
Ezekiel returned to his team at the bridge, while Cody, Izzy, and Leshawna remained in the water, searching tirelessly for the keys to victory. With Cody and Leshawna relatively unbothered and Izzy successfully scaring off a school of piranhas with a mere scowl, Chris and Chef began to get antsy.
"You know what, Chef?" Chris asked. "I think this is getting a little too easy."
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Both of the hosts smirked deviously as Leshawna could be seen above the surface wrestling Cody for the first look inside a hole that had yet to be explored. They stopped in their tracks, however, as they heard the distinct sound of a heavy object falling from a great height, looking up to find a monumental purple cube hurtling towards the water, hitting it right side up with a noisy splash. It was decorated with golden constellation patterns and a silver handle on its side, able to be rotated in either direction.
Knowing better than to trust the cube, Leshawna and Cody continued grappling, with Leshawna winning the upper hand as Cody became distracted by Izzy darting towards the newly introduced element of the challenge.
"Ooh, a jack-in-the-box!" Izzy shouted, diving a small amount to touch the top of the cube before being launched into the air unexpectedly by a giant boxing glove, knocking her out of the water and onto the path leading up to the bridge. Afterwards, she shrugged and stood back up, tapping the yellow button and releasing the sound of a roaring lion.
"I love the dark web," said Chef.
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Izzy
"Okay, okay," Izzy began, zanily changing position more times than she could count. "I probably shouldn't have fallen for that, but did you see the decorations? That was one nice jack-in-the-box. It's way better than the one I have. Mine only launches you like, half the distance! I gotta ask Chris and Chef where they got that thing, 'cause I can think of a few people I'd like to use it on," she chortled. "Don't tell them, though. Ruins the element of surprise!"
-o0o-o0o-
"Wish me luck, dudes!" Geoff cried, slinging his arms around both Bridgette and Alejandro before jumping off the bridge with a stark "Woohoo!"
"Yeah, Geoff!" Bridgette cheered, clapping.
Before he could make his mark on the challenge however, he noticed a fin poking out of the water directly underneath him, gasping as the shark reappeared and donned an impish smirk.
"Shark!" Geoff yelped, plummeting faster and faster above the beast. "No! No! No! No! No!" he stuttered.
The shark dived underwater, sticking its long tail out of the water and swatting Geoff with impeccable timing, causing him to fly towards the trail leading up to the bridge and land squarely onto the yellow buzzer.
"And Geoff's done!" Chris declared. "That was fast."
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Geoff
"How does that keep happening?" Geoff asked himself, shrugging and adjusting his hat.
-o0o-o0o-
"Who's going?" Bridgette inquired.
"Rock, paper, scissors?" replied Lindsay, one hand in a fist and the other in a flattened position.
Bridgette obliged, and the camera comically cut forward to depict Lindsay midway through her jump, implying she had lost the game. She was holding her bent arms in front of her for protection and screaming as she fell, eventually landing at last.
With Courtney and Heather watching intently, and Tyler and Noah conversing amongst themselves, Owen managed to find both Duncan and Harold on the bridge, both of whom were standing still and evidently bored of the challenge.
"So…" Owen began. "Any new… alliances?" Duncan and Harold merely stared, with the former raising an eyebrow. "Or something?"
"Do you have something to say, man?" Duncan asked.
"I have a secret," said Owen. "But you guys have to promise not to tell any of the girls."
"I can live with that."
"Okay," Owen sighed. "I may have created an alliance with-"
"Don't finish that sentence, Owen," Harold advised. "I wouldn't trust him with any secrets."
"Bullshit," Duncan snapped.
"You're just gonna-"
"I made an alliance with Noah and Tyler!" Owen butted in, gasping and forcibly shutting his mouth with his hands after realizing he had divulged his information.
"That's it?" Duncan asked.
"Yeah, you guys were close anyway," added Harold. "That's not so crazy."
"Thanks, guys," said Owen. "It's like, as soon as I know something important, I just have to tell someone!"
"No harm done," Duncan replied, with Harold eyeing him questionably.
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Harold
"Whatever Duncan's up to, I don't like it," said Harold, not gesturing in any particular manner. "In fact, I don't like anything Duncan does. That guy really grinds my gears."
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Duncan
"Well," began Duncan, smirking and leaning against the ride side of the booth. "I don't know when that's gonna come in useful, but the more information the better. At this point, I'll take whatever I can get to keep myself in the game."
-o0o-o0o-
The teams had been searching for quite some time, with each competitor becoming increasingly nervous, anxiously waiting for their designated teammate to break good news.
Cody was holding his breath and hiding behind a rock, peeking over it to keep tabs on the shark, who tracked his scent maliciously. Leshawna was relatively unbothered, simply sifting through a few rocks on the floor, while Lindsay surfaced with a deep breath, now involved in the challenge as well.
"Go, Lindsay!" Tyler cheered with a thumbs up.
Lindsay responded with a fleeting smile before enduring a shock in the form of a large number of piranhas leaping out of the water, aiming for her head. One of them latched onto her hair and pulled it, luckily failing to inflict any serious damage due to the plentiful array of hair products Lindsay had used that morning.
Regardless, she was dragged underneath the water by more fish than she could count, with her screaming muffled as bubbles floated to the surface, much to the concern of the Leaping Lions. Seconds past, and seconds nearly turned into minutes as Lindsay struggled to escape, losing air in the process and her team watched on in horror.
Somehow, she was rescued as she felt a hand grasp her own, yanking her away from the ravenous piranhas, who all fled as a result of the sudden movement. Swiveling her head as she was pulled to safety, Lindsay noticed Leshawna had been the one to help her. The two didn't say a word to each other in the following seconds, with both understanding that they were under a strict time limit, though Lindsay did pay her thanks by smiling and making a heart shape with her hands.
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Leshawna
Leshawna leaned onto the left side of the booth, using her arm's weight to support the rest of her body before speaking. "I know she ain't on my team, but I couldn't just sit there and watch those piranhas kill her, and I know she would've done the same if she could figure out how. If it was Heather, you already know we'd be having a different conversation."
-o0o-o0o-
At last, someone had managed to find success. Cody took interest in a hole in the river's wall, reaching into it with the length of his arm before suddenly receiving an electric shock, recovering his breath as an eel swam out of the hole and past him.
He didn't give up, however, giving the opening one more try as he thoroughly felt it with his hand, gripping rocks in the process and finally pulling out an object that he thought was distinctly key-shaped. Cody was correct, examining the key he had found with a radiant smile on his face, kicking the floor with force and rocketing back to the surface.
"Woohoo!"
"Please tell me you got the key!" Gwen shouted down at him.
"I got the key!" a thrilled Cody announced, hoisting the object above water for all to see.
The Bears celebrated uproariously as Trent said, "You're the man, Cody! Get up here and let's go!"
Leshawna and Lindsay both surfaced together, witnessing Cody swimming past them and sprinting up the path. Their respective teams reacted in different manners, with the Vipers rebuking Leshawna for not meeting their standards and the Lions cheering on Lindsay in an effort to keep her head in the game, all just as the two competitors surmised what had happened.
"He has a key!" Leshawna exclaimed.
She and Lindsay wasted no time diving back underwater in an effort to clinch second place, knowing that Cody was adding to his lead with each passing second. Lindsay, however, stumbled upon a beacon of hope at a moment that seemed all too convenient.
Noticing the shark lurking and instinctively swimming backwards with her hands held in front of her, Lindsay bumped into a clam which opened on impact. Upon turning around, she noticed, hidden amongst the numerous pearls and clam guts was a key - two keys. Lindsay swiped at both of them after an ephemeral instant of contemplation and surfaced.
"Found them!" Lindsay beamed, prompting a nearby Leshawna to pop up beside her.
"Them?" asked Leshawna.
"There were two in the clam," said Lindsay, handing Leshawna one of the keys. "Thanks for the help."
"No problem, girlfriend," responded Leshawna, with the two hugging and making for the bridge with haste, receiving very different reactions from their supporters.
"Yeah!" Izzy cheered.
"Go, Lindsay!" Bridgette joined in.
Heather, meanwhile, was less encouraging, berating her teammate with, "Hurry up, Leshawna!"
"We're in last place!" shouted Courtney.
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Chris
"Seriously?" Chris dragged out, crossing his arms. "I thought that putting two keys in the same place would be a super neat trick, but no! These contestants are way too nice to each other, and honestly, it's getting on my nerves."
-o0o-o0o-
As the teams filed into their vehicles, Chris and Chef mounted an oddly shaped, stationary white gun on the back of each one, engendering much confusion from everyone watching, especially when a squid poked its head out of one of the guns' nozzles.
"Cool!" Harold proclaimed.
"These are authentic McLean squid launchers," explained Chris, leaning onto one of the guns. "Feel free to use them to your advantage once your teammates arrive," he continued, just as Cody showed up for the Ballistic Bears. "Perfect timing!"
Cody ran towards his team and entered one of the vehicle's back seats before giving the key to Ezekiel and yelling, "Punch it!"
Ezekiel started the engine and sped off into the distance, pulling away from the other teams as the Bears found themselves in a comfortable lead, with Lindsay and Leshawna appearing at the bridge shortly afterwards.
"Took you long enough," said Duncan, who was sitting in the driver's seat.
"Just put the damn key in," Leshawna snapped.
The boy shrugged off the encounter and started the vehicle around the same time as the Lions, who had Geoff driving. Both teams began their race and found themselves neck and neck, not intending to keep the odds even.
"How are you with squid launchers?" Izzy asked Alejandro, who manned the cannon.
"Good enough, I suppose," replied Alejandro, swiveling the gun around and pointing it at the Vipers beside them, who delegated Courtney to the role of squid saboteur.
Duncan, however, was speeding too quickly for Courtney to effectively aim her weapon, meaning the Lions managed to get the first shot off. Alejandro smirked and instinctively pointed his team's gun at Heather's face, shooting a squid directly at it and chuckling as it stuck the landing.
"Ugh!" Heather groaned.
"Here, let me get that for you," proposed Owen, raising an arm in assistance.
"I've got it, Owen."
Heather grabbed the squid and pulled its relatively weak suction off of her face, throwing it full force at Alejandro, who gave a hearty laugh after he was hit by the creature's head. Heather herself found joy in the occasion, giggling before coming to her senses and remembering that he was on the opposing team. He blew a kiss at her, only to find it swatted out of the air.
"Duncan, slow down!" Courtney commanded, wildly aiming the gun. "I'm trying to hit Geoff!"
The delinquent sighed and eased the pressure he put on the gas, slowing the vehicle down and finding himself at the same speed as the Lions, who were playing it with more caution.
Courtney curled her tongue and pressed it against her upper lip, closing one eye and pulling the trigger as she watched a squid latch onto Geoff's face, causing him to lose control of the vehicle and slam into the Vipers.
Duncan realized the danger they were in and veered to the left, battling the Lions, with each team sweeping the others' vehicle in either direction and trading hits. Bridgette reached over from the passenger seat and did her best to steer, while Lindsay and Izzy worked together with Geoff to get the squid, who seemed to have a personal vendetta against the boy, off of his face.
Team members in each vehicle were thrashed around without mercy, likely due to the intentional lack of safety measures residing in them. Noah was depicted lurching forward and bumping his large head against the back of Tyler's passenger seat. Gwen, meanwhile, was nearly thrown out of the Bears' vehicle entirely before her hand was grabbed reactively by Trent, who pulled her back inside.
The squid had finally loosened its grip on Geoff's face, promptly picked up by Izzy, who petted it reassuringly before doing a little dance and comically hurling it behind the team with both hands over her head as a soccer player would do during a throw-in.
The Lions decided to employ the same strategy their rivals had used, that being to take out the driver. Alejandro aimed the gun and landed a squid onto the back of Duncan's head, causing him to take both hands off the wheel and clutch his head in pain, trying to pull the squid off.
His teammates, less forgiving as always, didn't do much to help. Owen was the only one who attempted to rid Duncan of the squid, while Tyler's steering didn't do the team many favors and spun the vehicle aimlessly. Everyone else was preoccupied with staying alive, tightly gripping the edges of the vehicle, and each other, in order to avoid falling out and sustaining serious injury.
This blunder allowed the Lions to pull ahead as Alejandro snickered and Geoff and Bridgette high fived, the former doing so with one hand and an eye on the road so as to keep the team in the competition.
"Fire at the Bears!" Bridgette barked at Alejandro, pointing ahead, where the leading team found their advantage slowly thinning.
"Did you hear that?" DJ asked, standing with the gun next to him, though it was pointed forward instead of at the other teams, and he didn't have a finger on it at the moment.
Ezekiel adjusted the rearview mirror and noticed Alejandro aiming at the team's vehicle, growling and pointing at the glass to alert his comrades.
"They're shooting at us!" shouted Trent.
DJ put his hands on the gun's handles and turned it swiftly around, with Gwen ducking underneath it in the process, seeing as she stood up in the back seat to get a better view of the events unfolding.
Alejandro didn't expect DJ to shoot as quickly as he did, and the boy's mark was just high enough to escape hitting the other seated members, instead nailing Alejandro in the face. He tightened his body as a result, inadvertently squeezing the trigger in pain before successfully attending to the squid on his own body.
He didn't hit the ideal target, however, as the gun was pointed downwards and hit Lindsay on the back of her head.
"Ow!" Lindsay screamed, yanking at the squid, which wouldn't come off. "You're supposed to hit them, not me!"
Alejandro, who pulled the squid free and tossed it behind him replied, "This is harder than it looks!"
"Let me do it! I'm really good at shooting people with squids!" Izzy cried, jumping up to Alejandro's position and being met with a shrug as the Spaniard stepped down.
"How exactly-" Geoff began to ask before being interrupted.
"Don't ask," whispered Bridgette.
"Open sesame!" Izzy bellowed, shooting before the Bears could even comprehend that there was a new contestant shooting at them. A squid flew through the air and found a home on the side of Justin's head.
"Ahh!" Justin yelped. "Salmonella! Get it off!"
Gwen and Cody helped to pull the squid off with one uniform tug, throwing it behind them without much thought as to where it would land.
Meanwhile, the Vipers managed to pull beside the Lions once more thanks to Duncan's less than safe driving tactics, and the Bears caught sight of the checkered flag that marked the coveted finish line, celebrating along the way.
Ezekiel braked some distance away, slowly bringing the vehicle to a halt just past the flag above and parking the Ballistic Bears mere feet from an exuberant Chris and Chef. The end of the bridge was nearby and walled off by the hosts.
"Nice job, Bears," said Chris, addressing a group of antsy, energetic winners. "From last place to first, you guys are today's champions!"
The team cheered as they exited the vehicle, with DJ and Ezekiel high fiving. Cody and Justin leapt out and gave each other low fives in between them, excitedly clapping hands and then withdrawing before repeating the maneuver four or five times. Gwen and Trent hugged as well, smiling in the glow of their victory.
The race was now between the Leaping Lions and the Vicious Vipers, who were still deadlocked and nearing the finish line. The two teams stared at one another while Geoff and Duncan, their respective drivers, jokingly smirked at one another and pressed their gas pedals against the vehicles' floor.
They began clashing with each other, with the vehicles once again taking turns bumping into the other. Alejandro and Courtney quit trying to use squids to their advantage, as they believed it would prove no use. Instead, as the race became increasingly frantic, everyone strapped themselves in (figuratively, considering the lack of seatbelts) and prayed they would be the first to cross the finish line.
"Geoff!" Alejandro called, noticing something in front of the Lions' car. The camera zoomed in on it, and the object appeared to be the squid that once had Justin as its target before being thrown onto the road by Gwen and Cody.
The party boy quit harassing the Vipers for the moment and heeded Alejandro's word, looking forward and gasping. Geoff slammed on the brakes, causing the Lions' vehicle to hit an abrupt stop that nearly launched them out of its boundaries.
This happened to occur at the exact same time that Duncan would attempt to sideswipe the Lions, which the two teams had been doing during their entire scuffle, but this time, there was no team to collide into. The Lions had braked and ended up behind the Vipers, meaning they swerved to the left and lost control, crashing straight into the bridge's railings and allowing the Lions to take the lead.
"Yeah!" Geoff cheered, looking at the incapacitated Vipers before turning back around to discern the fact that the Lions were about to cross the finish line and still traveling at full speed. "Holy crap!"
"Lions, you're-" said Chris, unable to adequately tell the Lions about their safety.
The team had sped past him, with it being physically impossible for Geoff to brake properly given the speed with which they were traveling, as well as their short distance from the finish.
The Lions screamed in fear as they whizzed past the hosts and crashed directly into the Bears' vehicle, with all of their members inside, as they had decided the seats were more comfortable than the concrete of the bridge.
Both teams were catapulted into the wall that Chris and Chef had put up, and they found themselves painfully buried underneath their vehicles, as well as a hefty amount of debris. The hosts winced as the sounds of falling rocks and crashing cars rang in their ears, with the camera opting to focus on their reactions instead of the grisly accident.
"Did they just die?" Chris asked.
"I don't know," responded Chef, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping.
After the dust settled and silence blanketed the area once more, contestants began poking their heads out of the wreckage, appearing to be hurt but alive. Others were never buried to begin with, merely tumbling down the pile of endless metal, rock, and leather seats.
Geoff fell flat on his face and muttered, "Dude…" with a strained whisper.
"What just happened?" Lindsay asked from beside him.
"Yeah!" screeched Izzy, leaping out of the debris. "That was, like, the second best car crash I've ever been in!"
"I'm really not in the mood for this right now," Gwen snapped, climbing her way to safety.
In the coming seconds, almost all of the remaining competitors escaped the crash site and waddled towards the open bridge. It was around this time that the Vipers, dejected, pushed their vehicle past the finish line, panting heavily.
"Vipers," said Chris. "First of all, you missed an awesome crash. Second, it looks like you're gonna have to lose your very first member tonight. I'll see you at the elimination ceremony!"
As the Vipers groaned and stared at the floor, Cody scanned the surroundings, finding one teammate to be missing.
"Hey, where's Ezekiel?" Cody inquired.
Ezekiel seemed to have overhead, as he popped his head out of the wreckage, rubbing it slowly as if nursing it.
"Ow…"
Everyone gasped.
"What the *censored?*" Duncan interjected in the midst of a stark silence.
"I can talk?" Ezekiel asked himself, patting his body in various places and adjusting his beanie. "I can talk! Alright!"
"My man!" DJ exclaimed, clapping Ezekiel forcefully on the back, prompting an excited chuckle.
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: DJ
"Yeah!" DJ shouted, pumping his fist in the air hard enough that he almost fell off the toilet. "Seeing him talk and all? That was awesome. I don't really know how to explain it. I guess I'm just happy for the guy."
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Ezekiel
"Check it!" cried Ezekiel, waving both hands in front of him. "Now that I'm talking again, the Z-man is officially back in the house, yo, and you already know I'm in it to win it!"
-o0o-o0o-
Back on the bridge, DJ remained indubitably ecstatic, while other competitors reacquainted themselves with Ezekiel, who was now, in his own words, "back in the house." Most other contestants stared at his zany celebrations, which were still ongoing even as everyone else calmed down.
"Okay, this is awkward," said Chris.
"Sorry, eh?" Ezekiel replied, regaining composure. "I can't help myself."
"Good to have you back," Trent chuckled, giving Ezekiel a thumbs up, which was returned without hesitation.
"Man, this is crazy!"
"Kinda forgot how annoying you are," Chris butted in. "Welcome back, Zeke. You and the rest of the Bears will get tonight's reward - a visit to this bridge, where you can indulge in actual bungee jumping and a five star meal, if you're so inclined."
"Now that's what I'm talking about," Gwen said in the middle of her team's celebration.
"As for you guys," Chris continued, facing the Vipers. "Well, I think you know what you've gotta do. We'll see what happens tonight."
-o0o-o0o-
That night, the Bears vacated the plane as early as they were able, and the Lions weren't up to much in particular, simply thankful for safety in their small numbers. The Vipers were frantic.
Passing through the dormitories on the way to her room, Heather was nearly hit in the face by an aggressively opened door. She growled and became visibly angrier when Courtney stepped out.
"What?"
"Oh, I was just looking for you," Courtney sighed.
"I'm in."
"I didn't even say-"
"I don't care," Heather reassured her. "No one else is gonna vote with me, and you're obviously here to target someone. Spill it."
"Okay, fine," scoffed Courtney, looking around to ensure they were alone. "I want Owen gone. He slows us down, and he's kind of gross and annoying anyway."
"I agree," Heather grinned. "I'll vote with you if you let me pick the next boot, and if you pick someone else up. Owen, Noah, and Tyler are practically sharing the same brain. We need a third."
"Deal," Courtney obliged, shaking Heather's hand.
Meanwhile, in the dining area, the aforementioned trio were enjoying dinner before they had to make the most difficult decision of the competition thus far, at least for a team who had yet to lose. Harold joined them with his own tray, not adorned with much except for rice and well-seasoned grilled chicken.
"So," Noah began. "Courtney's our vote?"
"For sure," Tyler agreed.
"I don't know if I can stand another day with her here," added Owen.
"Leshawna and I were gonna vote off Duncan," said Harold.
"Duncan?" Owen asked. "Courtney's way more annoying."
"I hate that guy," Harold explained. "I would rather just send him out."
"But if you and Leshawna join us," said Noah. "That would be a majority."
"No, thank you. Either way, I don't think Heather or Courtney or Duncan are actually gonna vote with each other."
"True that," said Tyler. "Those guys argue like they're fighting for a championship ring."
"Meh," Noah grumbled. "I guess."
"Consider it, though," advised Harold. "Duncan's a real jerk. We could do without him."
"Whatever happens," said Noah. "They're not gonna see it coming."
The three scarfed down their food without much more talking, which wasn't customary for them. Harold was the first to finish, cleaning up and meeting with Leshawna before heading through the main hallway and towards the common room.
Courtney approached them in a slow stride, nodding in their direction and beginning the conversation.
"Have you guys figured out who you're voting for?" Courtney asked.
"Duncan," said Harold.
"Who are you voting for?" Leshawna asked in return.
"Heather and I are gonna vote for Owen," explained Courtney. "If we could get your vote-"
"Is this 'cause you know you're a target?" Leshawna interrogated.
"So what if I'm a target?"
"We're not voting for Owen," claimed Harold. "You're lucky we're not just piling our votes onto the majority and voting for you."
"Wait, they're actually voting for me?" Courtney asked, mouth agape.
"Don't be so shocked," Leshawna scoffed. "For what it's worth, girl, I don't think you're that bad."
"Thanks."
"Good luck, okay?"
"You might need it," Harold intervened.
"I'm gonna go talk to Duncan," said Courtney, leaving the two behind.
-o0o-o0o-
"Owen?" Duncan sneered, sitting in the common room with Courtney. "Why would I vote for Owen?"
"Please?" Courtney pleaded, positioned beside Duncan with both of her knees on the sofa and her hands clasped together. "If you don't vote with us, I'm going home!"
"Well," Duncan said, rubbing his head. "I'm not a fan of voting Owen off, but I can try something," he continued. "I guess."
"Okay," exhaled Courtney, placing a hand on Duncan's thigh. "Don't let me down."
"I'm not making any promises."
The final strategic conversation that transpired on night twenty-one was between Duncan and Tyler, who was the lone straggler in finishing his food. Everyone else had been preparing for the elimination. The delinquent hovered over the chair across from Tyler.
"Can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Sure, dude," said Tyler.
Duncan sat down and kicked the interaction off with, "I know you're trying to vote Courtney off, and that's cool with me, but you've gotta listen. Heather's the biggest threat here, and she's a royal pain in the butt. Vote with me tonight, and I promise not to vote you off for the entire game."
"For the entire game?" Tyler asked. "Sounds good, but… I don't know if I can trust you."
"You can," assured Duncan. "Because if you vote with me, I won't tell anyone about your alliance."
Tyler nearly spit out his food, managing not to choke and swallow what he had left before speaking up. "How do you know about that?"
"Owen told me. Let Owen and Noah vote for Courtney if they want to. Just vote with me, and you'llbe safe for a long time."
"Okay," Tyler gulped.
"Good," said Duncan, excusing himself and patting Tyler on the right shoulder once he departed.
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Tyler
"I don't know, man," Tyler thought to himself, stroking his chin with his arms crossed. "Do I trust him? I feel like he was being legit, but at the same time, he could be lying, and I don't like liars."
-o0o-o0o-
Heather walked into her unlocked room prior to the ceremony, stepping into the bathroom in order to brush her already straight hair, failing to notice something that had been placed on her bed. The camera depicted her turning on the water and washing her face, with the object still visible in the background through the open bathroom door.
When finished drying her face with a towel, Heather entered the main sector of her room, slipping her feet into her wedges that lay on the floor next to her bed. Turning around, she finally caught sight of the object on her bed and eyed it for a moment.
The camera zoomed out to reveal a white pearl in one of her hands and a small wad of paper in the other, which read:
A clam wanted me to give you this.
Good luck,
Alejandro.
Heather giggled at the cheesy nature of the gift, but underneath her apathetic demeanor was a visible smile of genuine sincerity. She put the pearl and the piece of paper on the wardrobe beneath her large flat screen TV, the same location where pictures of herself and people she cared about were displayed. Afterwards, she left her room and closed the door behind her, heading towards the very back of the plane as the show cut forward.
-o0o-o0o-
It was the elimination ceremony, complete with Chris standing behind his podium and Chef behind the cart of pretzels, already wheeled in. Tyler, the last contestant to cast a vote, trudged out of the confessional and back into his seat in the bleachers, handing his vote to Chris.
"Okay, you guys have all cast your votes and made your decisions," said Chris. "There are seven bags of pretzels on this cart. The contestant who does not receive one of these tokens of immunity will be subject to the drop of shame, so let's get to it! Could be anyone today! Heather, you're mean for the sake of being mean. Courtney, no comment."
"No comment?" Courtney asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Duncan, you're a bully," Chris rambled on. "Harold, you're a nerd. Leshawna, you got beat out by Cody and Lindsay in the same challenge. You're lucky one of them was nice enough to give you a fair chance."
"I get it!" Leshawna barked.
"Just for fun, I'm gonna read each individual vote," announced Chris, waving eight stamped passports in his hands like a deck of cards and putting one at a time onto the pedestal in front of him in accordance with his reading, which was slow and methodical. "One vote for Courtney, one for Heather, one for Owen, and one for Duncan. That's one vote each for Courtney, Heather, Owen, and Duncan."
"Four votes left," Chef added, with the competitors now on the edge of their seats.
"We have another one for Duncan, another one for Owen, and another for Courtney," said Chris, with one more passport left in his hand. "Only one vote left, ladies and gentlemen. Will it be for Heather and cause a tie, or will one of our three frontrunners be eliminated here?"
"Ooh, boy!" Chef cried, seated on a stool, cross-legged and throwing popcorn into his mouth.
"The final vote is for…" Chris dragged on, building suspense as the camera zoomed in on the faces of the four at-risk contestants, in addition to an intrigued Harold, and Noah, who bore his usual stoic expression. The classic elimination music swelled as Chris finally settled. "Owen."
Tyler and Noah both gasped as Leshawna and Harold traded glances. Duncan and Heather smirked at one another, with Courtney joining in as well, although her expressions were less pronounced.
"Wow!" Owen laughed. "I did not see that coming!"
Suddenly, Izzy fell from the ceiling along with a piece of metal she had evidently been standing on, hitting the floor with a crash.
"Sorry, guys. Just spying, you know?" Izzy cackled, brushing herself off and turning to face the crowd. "I'll miss you, Owen."
"How did she get there?" Chef asked no one in particular. No one really questioned Izzy anymore.
Owen wrapped her in a bear hug as he stood, while Noah and Tyler were still busy trying to pick their jaws up off the floor. "I'll miss you, too, Izz."
"See you soon, dude," said Duncan, fist bumping his teammate.
"See you, Duncan," Owen replied. "I'll see you guys, too," he claimed as he lodged himself in between both Tyler and Noah, who couldn't help but grin and give him a playful push.
"Alright, big guy," Noah chuckled. "See you around."
Owen gave himself space and marched forward towards the exit, using his feet to pivot around and salute his accomplices. "I will miss you all dearly," he finalized with a hand on his chest.
"And I'm sure they will, too," said Chris, throwing a parachute into Owen's hands, which he subsequently strapped on.
"I'll save some food for you, okay?" proposed Izzy, ruffling Owen's hair.
"They just don't make girlfriends like that, huh?" Owen asked, looking up at Chris and Chef and slinging an arm around Izzy.
"Who cares, dude?" answered Chris. "Just get out of the plane already."
Owen shrugged and approached the exit, wind blowing his hair back as he gave one more cursory wave to those in the room, an action reciprocated by everyone, including Chris and Chef. After the proceedings were over, Owen jumped out of the plane, unleashing screams that seemed to be half-filled with terror and half with excitement.
"This sucks," Noah whispered, leaning closer to Tyler.
"Big time."
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Tyler
"Aw, man!" Tyler screamed, holding his ears with both hands and lurching forward. "Noah's gonna kill me! If I just voted for Courtney, Owen would still be here!"
-o0o-o0o-
Confessional: Noah
"Assuming everything else went to plan, the only way Owen could've gone home without a tiebreaker is if Tyler didn't vote with us," Noah explicated, crossing his arms and wrinkling his forehead with furrowed brows. "I'm gonna find out exactly what he did."
-o0o-o0o-
"Well," Chris McLean carried on, now seated in the cockpit beside an inflatable Chef. "So ends the most dramatic episode yet! What will happen now that a prominent alliance has been broken up? Will Heather forgive Alejandro after that corny pearl thing, and most importantly, how long is it gonna take for the real Ezekiel to get eliminated? Probably sooner rather than later, but maybe later rather than sooner. Anything can happen, so be sure to tune in next time on - Total! Drama! Uncharted!"
-o0o-o0o-
The Vipers returned to their rooms to sleep off the tension as the Bears remained at the bridge, unaware of who went home and blissfully stuck in a state of mind the competition usually didn't allow for.
The entire team was seated around a table for six, adorned with a white table cloth and three chairs beside each of the longer sides. There were candles lit, their flames swaying in the benevolent wind as the competitors helped themselves to a private dinner with food even better than that of the dining hall.
"Good win, huh?" Trent asked through a bite of steak.
"Every win is a good win," said DJ, cutting up his own variety. "Just glad those cheaters got what was coming."
"Oh, yeah," Gwen piped up as she swallowed. "Courtney said she was sorry, by the way."
"They all come around eventually," DJ acknowledged. "Except maybe Heather."
"I don't get why you guys are so hung up on that," said Cody. "Me? I just wanna keep winning these rewards."
"Winning isn't everything," Trent retorted, flashing a noticeable look in Gwen's direction.
"But it is a lot, eh?" Ezekiel intervened.
"I like the new Zeke," joked Cody.
The team chuckled as they ate, conversing freely and taking solace in the quiet environment as opposed to the always-crowded quarters of the plane. The water was rolling gently beneath them, and a bird or two squawked in the distance. The opening where the teams jumped during the challenge was still present, this time complete with a bungee cord. While it contained the proper safety precautions, no one was there to monitor the teens in case they decided to use it.
DJ caught Ezekiel eyeing the attraction and spoke up. "You gonna go for it, dude?"
"I'm gonna go for it," Ezekiel claimed, standing up with a clean plate in front of him.
"No way," snickered Gwen, putting her knife down and resting her head in her hand, which remained on the table.
"Watch me!"
Ezekiel strode towards the bungee cord with a strut in his step and attached the necessary equipment to his body while the team heeded his word and watched intently. He stretched before he jumped, preparing to impress his teammates as best as possible.
"So," Trent began, addressing Gwen, who was closest to him. "How much do you bet he doesn't come back up?"
"Everything you have," replied Gwen.
"Got nothing."
"How about…" Gwen pondered. "If he flops, you have to join him."
"Sheesh," said Trent. "Okay, fine. I bet he won't fall."
"It's on."
Ezekiel touched his toes one last time before giving an impromptu two-fingered salute to the team and awaiting their approval.
"Go, dude!" DJ shouted.
The boy sighed before leaping into the water. Oddly enough, he took longer to jump with the safety on than without, as demonstrated by his effective performance in the challenge earlier that day. He did eventually lift his feet off the ground and find himself in the air.
"Woo!" Ezekiel roared, plunging towards the water head-first, with the team gathered at the opening, cheering him on. Gwen and Trent neglected to offer their own celebration, instead focused on whether or not the cord would snap.
Before Ezekiel could extend the bungee to its full length, the worst happened. It snapped, and he fell into the water with a yelp, surfacing after a couple of seconds and letting the team know he was alright with a hearty thumbs up.
Gwen, who was holding onto one of the edges of the opening, looked up at Trent with an intentional smirk. Trent sighed, painfully aware of his fate. So it goes.
-o0o-o0o-
Eliminated
Katie and Sadie
Beth
Eva
Sierra
Owen
Voting Chart
Courtney: Noah and Owen (2)
Duncan: Harold and Leshawna (2)
Heather: Tyler (1)
Owen: Courtney, Duncan, and Heather (3)