The episode starts with Don narrating. "Last time on the race around the states, Junior and Sanders were trying to have a private moment, only for Izzy to spy on them." "Then we were in the state of Idaho, the state known for having way too many potatoes." "Everyone was required to build their own potato launcher, and while some failed miserably, others were able to craft launchers that could shoot extremely long distances." "Jay was the one to launch his potato the farthest, and scored his second win of the season." "Brody then returned after having made a full recovery from his broken ribs, meaning that Harold had to say goodbye to his wife Izzy, and he promised to try and win this whole thing." "Now with Brody missing the last dozen challenges, he lost a lot of ground in the point standings, but is still mathematically eligible with only 16 challenges left until the chase." "He sits a whopping 298 points outside the top 10, and 203 points outside the top 20." "Can he make up any lost ground?" "We'll find out on this episode of, the race around the states."

Intro consists of a shorter version of the final countdown.

Officer Chambers paired Jay and MacArthur against each other on that day's self defense class, and not wanting to severely injure MacArthur, Jay elected to fight without his prosthetic hand. Despite fighting with only one hand, he was able to knock MacArthur to the ground, without getting a single blow landed on him. This was a huge deal, as MacArthur was one of the strongest contestants.

(Confession cam- that is really strong)

Sanders- "So I see the two of them walk up to each other, and i'm thinking in the back of my mind, Jay is absolutely going to get flattened." "Then Jay is able to take down MacArthur using only one of his hands, and now i'm thinking, this guy is badass."

*End confessional**

Junior and Sanders were currently on a double date with Brody and MacArthur. "Brody, it's great to have you back" said Sanders. "It's great to be back and be fully healed, my broken ribs were absolutely destroying me" said Brody. "But you're tough, and you were able to fight through it" said MacArthur. "It takes a lot to come back from an injury like that" said Junior. "Which brings up a serious issue that you currently have" said Brody. "You are putting yourself in serious danger, trying to get through this competition with an injury far more serious than what I had." "You have a much better chance at making a full recovery, if you just go home and rest, you need to know your limits." "I'm just going to have to go beyond my limits, I'm not going down without a fight" said Junior. "Well you're pushing this way to far, you can barely keep your eyes open, and we're not even halfway through the competition" said Brody. "We're actually closer to halfway than you think, we're going into the twenty fifth challenge of the season" said Sanders.

(Confession cam- We're almost halfway there)

Brody- "It's no use trying to talk some sense into him, he does doesn't want to take anybody's advice."

Junior- "I won't deny it, the serious pain in my head is getting worse every single day." "But I really don't want to have to leave the competition this way, it's just a really crappy way to go out."

**End confessional**

Jay and Josee were actually on a date in the same restaurant, at a different table. "I know how you feel about not having Mickey here, I also thought of him as a brother" said Josee. "Yeah, throughout all of our health problems, we always stood by each other the whole time" said Jay. "It just feels really weird to be apart from him." The two then hugged each other, and kissed each other on the lips for a good five seconds.

(Room 10- the surfers)

"Brody, considering everything that's happened lately, it's really great to have you back" said Geoff. "Thanks Geoff, and I want to bring something up regarding your situation with Harold" said Brody. "He came to my rescue when I had a severely broken chest, and I am incredibly grateful for his help." "But I still think he's going too far with his lawsuit, and I really do not think you should sign the contract."

(Room 12- Harold and Carrie)

"I thought you were against sharing a bedroom with a woman that wasn't your wife" said Carrie. "We both already have somebody else that we're into, we're not sleeping in the same bed, we're not taking off our clothes, we're not changing in the same room, it's just two friends having a sleepover" said Harold. "Does this mean you're moving back in?" asked Carrie. "I don't see a problem with it, but I can see why you would" said Harold. "I know what you mean, I miss having Devin as a roommate" said Carrie. "I wish I didn't have to join the race under these circumstances, I really hope Devin makes it through this, lung cancer is an incredibly deadly condition" said Harold. As Harold got into his bed, he began feeling a little bit lonely. He was so used Izzy cuddling him as they went to sleep. He knew this wasn't permanent, the race would eventually be over, and he and Izzy would no longer be separated.

Everyone got on the bus the next morning, and they got off in front of a high school. "We are in the state of Massachusetts, the state famous for the Boston Celtics" said Don. "Which means, that we're going to have another basketball related challenge." "But this time, the difficulty is really amped up."

Everyone was then led inside the school, into the gymnasium, and saw that the bleachers were full of students. "Alright, this challenge is going to require a lot of precision" said Don. "You will start at one end of the court, and roll the basketball all the way to the other end." "The contestant that gets it closest to the white line without passing it, will be the winner." "If more than one contestants goes over the line, all of the contestants who overshot it will try again." "We will keep going, until at least 35 of you can get it over the line."

This challenge was really easier said than done, as it had a lot to do with physics. The problem with trying to get a basketball to stop where you want it to, is the force keeps it rolling, and sometimes it bounces when you don't want it to. It took a long time for 35 contestants to get it to stop before the white line, with Tammy finishing in last by default, being the only contestant who couldn't get it to stop. A lot of slow motion replay, and a lot of measurements had to be used to figure out where everyone finished. By the time the sun had finally gone down, Noah was ultimately declared the winner, with Kelly finishing in second, Chet third, Ryan fourth, Leonard fifth, Ennui sixth, Harold seventh, Chris eighth, Crimson ninth, Geoff tenth, Taylor eleventh, Owen twelfth, Laurie thirteenth, Jen fourteenth, Kitty fifteenth, Junior sixteenth, Lorenzo seventeenth, Emma eighteenth, Jacques nineteenth, MacArthur twentieth, Pete twenty first, Rock twenty second, Jay twenty third, Tom twenty fourth, Gerry twenty fifth, Stephanie twenty sixth, Spud twenty seventh, Miles twenty eighth, Carrie twenty ninth, Josee thirtieth, Dwayne thirty first, Mary thirty second, Ellody thirty third, Brody thirty fourth, Sanders thirty fifth, and Tammy last by default.

(Confession cam- Physics are complicated)

Chet- "And Just like that, I have taken over the point lead."

Noah- "Alright, second win of the season, with a possible 3 extra chase points." "Everything is going quite smoothly, and I have now increased my shot at winning this whole thing."

Crimson- "I don't really think i'm 12 points above the cutoff because of my skill, it's really thanks to Tammy's last place finish."

Tammy- "Wow, I just fell off a cliff, i'm an entire 25 points outside the top 10." "I'm gonna have to start jinxing my fellow contestants."

**End confessional**

The podium ceremony was now happening. Chet was on the third place pedestal, Kelly was on the second place pedestal, and Noah was on the winners pedestal. "Awesome job Noah, you were able to perfectly calculate where the ball was going to stop" said Don. "And, you have just got yourself a brand new laptop, complete with a copy of roller coaster tycoon." The principal of the high school then went up to Noah. "You and Emma are my favorite reality show couple, and I was hoping you two could sign my new pair of shoes" said the principal. "Oh yes, of course" said Noah. Emma then walked over, and the couple began signing their names on the shoes. "We have now finished up in state 25 out of 50, meaning we have now reached the halfway point of the competition" said Don. "All 36 contestants that are currently competing, are still eligible for a spot in the chase." "At the same time, nobody has locked themself into the chase, so it's still anybody's game." "How desperate are these guys going to get during the second half?" "To find out, you have to keep watching, the race around the states."

Point standings

First place: Chet, 659 points

Second place: Emma, 653 points, 1 win

Third place: Ryan, 651 points, 1 win

Fourth place: Noah, 642 points, 2 wins

Fifth place: Leonard, 605 points

Sixth place: Kelly, 601 points, 1 win

Seventh place: Harold, 585 points, 11 wins

Eighth place: Kitty, 578 points

Ninth place: Taylor, 574 points

Tenth place: Crimson, 571 points

Eleventh place: Owen, 559 points

Twelfth place: Tammy, 546 points

Thirteenth place: Ennui, 546 points

Fourteenth place: Sanders, 537 points

Fifteenth place: Laurie, 533 points, 1 win

Sixteenth place: Geoff, 515 points

Seventeenth place: Jen, 505 points

Eighteenth place: Lorenzo, 494 points

Nineteenth place: Jay, 478 points, 2 wins

Twentieth place: Junior, 471 points, 2 wins

Twenty first place: Stephanie, 438 points

Twenty second place: Mary, 419 points

Twenty third place: MacArthur, 415 points

Twenty fourth place: Jacques, 400 points, 1 win

Twenty fifth place: Miles, 386 points

Twenty sixth place: Pete, 350 points

Twenty seventh place: Rock, 335 points

Twenty eighth place: Spud 287 points

Twenty ninth place: Izzy, 272 points, 1 win

Thirtieth place: Brody, 250 points, 2 wins

Thirty first place: Ellody, 221 points

Thirty second place: Tom, 216 points

Thirty third place: Chris, 207 points

Thirty fourth place: Gerry, 193 points

Thirty fifth place: Leshawna, 171 points

Thirty sixth place: Carrie, 169 points

Thirty seventh place: Mickey, 139 points

Thirty eighth place: Josee, 139 points

Thirty ninth place: Dwayne, 122 points

Fortieth place: Devin, 114 points

Forty first place, Dawn, 81 points

Forty second place, Lindsay, 18 points

Authors note: Normally total drama challenges are not recommended to be attempted at home, but this is one I think you should try. Go to the basketball court closest to your home, and try and roll a basketball so that it stops just before the white line. I will warn you, it is very difficult.

It took us awhile to get here, but we are now halfway through the race. With how long it took to write the first half, this just hows how long of a story this is.

As always, if you have an idea for a challenge in an upcoming state or a prize for a future challenge winner, feel free to let me know in a review.

Thank you for reading and please have a great day.