"Last time on Total Drama Island," Chris recapped, "Our 100 contestants were tasked with their first challenge: jumping off a cliff into shark-infested water."
...
The scene flashed back to everyone on the cliff. "And while most took the plunge," Chris narrated as the scene showed many of the campers diving, "Some better than others..." The scene changed to Shane, Brick, Ezekiel, Tyler and Lucas's jumps. "There were some that had to wear the dreaded chicken hat." The scene changed to DJ, Courtney, MK, Valerie, Anne-Maria, 'Smart' Damien and Sky taking the chicken hat.
...
The scene changed to Leonard's spell that turned him, Nichelle and Luna into bears. "Leonard did a magic trick that ended up being very fur-nny," Chris chuckled, "While Owen made the mother of all cannonballs." The scene flashed back to Owen's big splash. "After that," Chris continued, "The teams had to make a hot tub. The Screaming Gophers made great teamwork and won immunity, as well as the night at the luxurious McLean Spa Hotel." The scene changed to show the hotel.
...
"The Confused Bears had the advantage with the mechanic and arts duo of Paul and Destiny," Chris recalled as the scene showed the duo building the hot tub, then it changed to them getting blasted by a hose, "But their victory was trumped by a wild Luna and a hose, which made their hot tub have no H2O." The scene flashed back to Valerie's sabotage. "While the Frogs of Death got a penguin tub courtesy of Valerie. At least Helga enjoyed it." The scene changed to Helga relaxing in the tub while a blue-skinned Rodney was shivering. "And the Toxic Rats drowned, not helped by Scott secretly sabotaging his own team..." The scene changed to the Rats' hot tub exploding as well as Scott's confessional. "And the Rats had to send someone home."
...
"In the end," Chris continued as the scene showed Caleb's reaction to his elimination, "Bowie convinced the team to vote out the apparently very powerful and good-looking Caleb. Hate the game, not the player." The scene went back to Chris at the dock. "Who'll be going home today?" he narrated. "Someone less attractive, that's for sure. Find out now on Total...Drama...Island!"
(cue commercial)
It was about an hour before sunrise. Carly, in yellow pajamas with her initials 'CM' on the left side of her chest, stepped out of her soft bed in the McLean Spa Hotel. "First night away from the mansion," she quietly breathed out. "It feels really weird." She looked at her fellow teammates. Lacey (in her normal outfit but without her vest and her bandana over her eyes) was completely still as she slept, along with Gwen (in black pants and a black shirt), Heather (in a white shirt and pink shorts), Beth (in a green nightgown), Echo (in a black nightgown and blue slippers), Leshawna (in a translucent purple nightgown that exposed her black panties), Rose (in brown pajamas) and Lindsay (in a pink top, pink shorts and a pink headband). Helen (in a large Motorhead shirt and black panties) was hugging her guitar as she slept while Izzy (in a mint-green shirt and green shorts) twitched in her sleep. Sarah (in an oversized graffiti shirt and black pants, along with her cap over her eyes) gave a moan before turning over in her sleep. The only other girl awake was Olivia (in a light-pink nightgown, along with a blindfold with hearts where the eyes should be pulled onto her head), who was busy typing something on her phone. "Good morning, Carly," she greeted.
"Good morning," Carly replied. "What are you doing?"
"I'm writing a page for the TD blog Sierra and I set up. I'm in charge of the shipping page."
"What's a 'ship'?"
"The name given to a couple between two characters. It can be their real names or their nicknames if they have them, like Zee. I'm already seeing a lot of requests. Quite a few people want to see Corey and Laney interact, another group wanna see what caused Chase and Emma to split apart, another chunk of the fandom wants Sky and Dave to come together, and there's even a user who wants Bridgette to hook up with Ezekiel."
"Huh. That's quite a lot from only one challenge."
"Well, the first two do have that advantage of knowing each other beforehand. Hey, maybe there's a post about you!"
"M-Me?" Carly stuttered.
"Yeah," Olivia nodded in reply. "Why don't you grab a snack from the kitchen while I check?"
"Uh, okay." Carly left and headed for the kitchen but stopped when she heard some people murmuring. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" one voice asked the other in the darkness. "You don't know how long you'll be on the island."
"It's cool, man," the other voice calmly replied. "I checked before I got here. I'll be fine for weeks."
"If you're sure..."
"What are they talking about?" Carly murmured. As she stepped forward, she tripped on a thin wire, which made a bucket of pink paint fall onto her head. "Hey!" she cried out. A light was switched on as she removed the bucket from her head. Carly looked up to see Elias (in a black shirt and shorts) and Trent (in dark-green pajamas) staring at her. "I heard something crash," Olivia breathed out as she ran over to join the group. "What happened here?"
"Carly tripped my paint prank," Elias informed her. "But don't worry. I'll clean it up. Just...head back to bed, okay?"
"Okay..." Olivia turned and headed back to the bedrooms. "Uh, maybe I can help," Carly told Elias and Trent. "I was the one that made the mess-"
"How long were you listening to us?" Elias cut off, taking the girl by surprise.
"Wh-what? Me? I... Yes, I was listening, but I didn't mean to-"
"I get it," Trent spoke up. "Curiosity got the better of you, didn't it?"
"A little, I suppose."
"Look, it's nothing for you to worry about."
"Yeah," Elias added, "Just a chat between old friends, is all."
"If you insist," Carly nervously replied. "Um, I'm just gonna grab a little snack and leave you two be." She grabbed an apple before walking out of the kitchen. "She seems nice," Trent noted.
"I kinda feel a little bad she fell into that paint prank," Elias commented as he wiped the paint up with a washcloth.
"Yeah." Trent took a glance out towards the halls. "I also feel a little bad for lying to her," he murmured.
"You weren't technically lying," Elias pointed out. "We just left out the nitty-gritty bits. Besides, she wouldn't believe the truth if you told her. I didn't at first."
"I only told you because of...you know."
"Dude, that was a freak accident! Don't beat yourself over something that happened three years ago." Trent let out a breath. "You're right," he told Elias.
"Of course I am!" Elias laughed in reply. "Now come on, buddy. How about we make some breakfast for the others?"
"Dude, you can barely cook toast without making a mess." About an hour later over by the Confused Bears' cabin, Paul (in black shorts and a gray tank top) was dragging a still-asleep Dean (in just red shorts) outside. "Are you sure that's necessary?" Ethan (in a white sleeveless shirt and blue shorts) asked as he poked his head out the window.
"The guy's snoring kept me up all night," Paul groaned once he came back inside. "Maybe now I'll be able to get some shut-eye." He laid on his bed and had just shut his eyes when some music blasted him awake. "What the hell?!" Dave (in teal shorts and a teal shirt) complained as he and most of the other guys jolted awake.
"Something wrong?" Ezekiel (in just brown sweatpants) wondered.
"I bet the big soundbox is causing this," Noah (in gray pants and a red tank top) guessed. Beardo (in black shorts with gray pulse waves and a matching shirt) made a zipper noise as he ran a hand across his mouth. "If it isn't him," Alejandro (in maroon pajamas) thought, "Then who?"
"Please, Desi," Greg (in yellow pants and a white shirt with the chemical symbol for chloroform) mumbled in his sleep. "No 'Sweet Mountain' tunes just yet." He soon rolled out of bed, though still asleep. "Morning, boys!" Destiny (in a purple-and-blue swirled nightgown, a black shirt with a band's name in maroon slipped over it and fuzzy pink slippers) announced as she entered with a strange alarm clock. "We gotta get up bright and early if we wanna beat those Gophers."
"It's not even seven o'clock!" Dave protested.
"Seven percent of 96 is 6.72, Desi," Greg muttered in his sleep.
"Greggy's still in Dreamland?" Destiny wondered in disbelief. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "GET UP, GREGGY!" she shouted.
"I'm awake, Desi!" Greg yelled out as he was startled awake. He noticed everyone staring at him. "What? It's normal to have an alarm clock."
"Not one without some volume control," Paul bitterly pointed out.
"And you guys didn't even get the full blast," Sky (in a plum top and black shorts) added as she, Sugar (in a translucent white nightgown that exposed her blue undies), Ella (in a pink bunny jumpsuit), Eva (in lime-green pajamas) and Lara (in a large My Hero Academia t-shirt over a pair of light-blue underwear) stood near the doorway.
"Where is that little bitch?!" Eva growled out as she tried to storm over, but Sky and Lara strained to hold her back.
"I need my beauty rest!" Sugar spat out.
"I thought the music was nice," Ella chimed in.
"Shut your pie hole, Dressy! I wasn't done ranting!" Ella quickly silenced herself. "Calm down!" Sky ordered. "There's no point fighting about it now."
"Miss Sky is correct," Ethan agreed before turning to Greg and Destiny. "But you two should probably silence that clock of yours, at least for everyone else's sake."
"But-" Destiny protested.
"You'd better quit now, Desi," Greg advised with a yawn. "Well, we might as well get some breakfast. You guys in?"
"No point going back to bed," Dave muttered.
"I'm sure the day will pick up," Sky assured the group, "Hopefully."
"It better," Eva grumbled before storming outside.
Confessional: Sky (Confused Bears)
"This is my team, and if I want any shot at the finale, I need to make sure this team can work together. I was barely able to keep Jo and Blainley out of the boys' side of the cabin." She sighed. "I'm gonna have my hands full, but I have to take charge before things get out of hand."
End Confessional
Soon, it was morning. "Up and at 'em, men," Brick announced after he finished tying his boot.
"Right now?" Topher (in charcoal-gray pajamas) yawned. "Just let me have my beauty sleep." Keith (in black shorts) simply pushed Topher out of his bed. "Quit fooling around," he scolded. "It's idiots like you why we aren't in that spa hotel."
"No need to get nasty about it," Shane (in his normal attire but without his jacket, which had a white shirt with a red double 'S' underneath it) replied.
"We've barely got out of booting someone yesterday. You morons better do better today or-"
"Or what?" Jane (in a dark-purple nightgown, black pants and her hair tied up) challenged as she stood in the doorway. "Morning, guys. This baboon trying to threaten you?"
"Stay out of this!"
"Chill out, everybody," Zee (in pink pants and a pink tank top) put in.
"Zee makes a point," Shane agreed. "Let's just calm down." Keith just gave a low snort. "You'd both better get some fresh air," Brick advised as he eyed Keith and Jane. "Keith, why don't you and I do some training together? And you could show Shane some of those yoga moves you were talking about earlier, Jane?"
"Good idea," Shane agreed as he led Jane outside. "Let's go, fellow teammate!"
"Whatever," Keith scoffed.
Confessional: Keith (Frogs of Death)
"Remind me how I got stuck on Team Moron again, and with Jane of all people!"
Confessional: Brick (Frogs of Death)
"I hope the next challenge doesn't involve Keith and Jane working together, or we're gonna be in a world of trouble."
End Confessionals
"I have a feeling this is gonna be a long day," Sol sighed once he and the other boys were dressed. He turned to the girls' side of the Frog cabin. "You gals holding up okay?"
"A little better than you dudes," Laney replied, "But that's not saying much. Valerie kept moaning about her beauty sleep while we nearly suffocated from Anne-Maria's hairspray. And that's not even counting Helga threatening to tear their hair out."
"Excuse me," Phoebe spoke up, "But have you seen Axel?"
"I've caught enough for everyone," Axel, with camo paint painted on her face, announced as she walked over with some meat on a stick. "Dig in."
"Uh, 'caught'?" Laney wondered.
...
The scene flashed back to some squirrels eating. Axel jumped out from a bush and gave a yell, frighting the creatures. A moment later, she was roasting the meat over a campfire.
...
"Yeah, caught," Axel repeated. Some meat dropped onto the ground, which was picked up from a hand underneath the porch. "And these are...?" Laney wondered as Zee and Sol came to her side.
"Dead," Axel answered.
"Yes, I meant before that."
"Alive. EAT!"
"Um...okay," Zee shrugged before taking a piece of meat.
"I'll try anything once," Sol decided before taking a piece of meat.
"Hard pass," Laney told Axel.
"I'm not asking!" Axel argued. "I'm telling! A strong team is a winning team! EAT!" Laney just gave her a skeptical stare. "This squirrel isn't half-bad," Sol muffled between bites. "I'd honestly cook it for a bit longer, though."
"You can really taste the nuts, bro," Zee agreed.
"Why don't you see if there's any other takers?" Laney suggested.
"Good idea," Axel replied. "The others will need the strength." She marched off, and Laney let out a breath once she was out of earshot. "It's not that bad, Red," Sol told her.
"Seriously?" Laney scoffed. "Only someone desperate or out of their damn mind would actually enjoy-" She stopped when she heard someone chewing. She, Sol and Zee looked underneath the porch to see Mike munching on the meat, with some of it getting all over his face. "Like I said," Laney repeated.
"Uh, you've got some on your..." Zee pointed out to Mike, who tried to wipe it away. "Yeah, you've got it." Later, most of the Frogs, Bears and Rats were eating their 'breakfast' in the main lodge. "Who was the smart guy that dragged me outside?" Dean demanded as he entered the main lodge.
"Good morning, Mister Snoring," Paul whipped back.
"It wasn't that bad."
"It was a bit loud, eh," Ezekiel spoke up.
"Between you and the jukebox," Jo told Dean as she pointed to Destiny, "We were lucky to get any sleep."
"You guys got lucky," Laney put in from another table. "Most of the guys and a few of the girls on my team are completely nuts."
"It's not that bad," Nikki assured her. "We've got some neat-o teammates. It's just taking a little time to settle in, that's all."
"We literally had to split Jane and Keith apart to keep them from clawing their eyes out," Brick pointed out.
"Kinda like how you guys had to hold back Emma from tackling Chase on the dock?" Bridgette wondered from the Rat table.
"Yeah. Speaking of Emma, where is she?"
"Back at the cabin. Bowie's talking with her."
"Cabins were invented by my great-great-great-great-uncle," Staci rambled on, to most of her teammates' annoyance. "Before him, people had to live in houses made out of stone."
"You come from a family of inventors?" Wayne wondered.
"You must be one of the smartest people here," Raj added, making Staci smile a little.
"You don't seriously believe this crap, do you?" Duncan scoffed.
"Let the miss have this glimmer of glory," Anthony defended. "Besides, how do you know if it's false?"
"Uh, because we're not four year olds," Courtney pointed out.
Confessional: Courtney (Toxic Rats)
"Okay, Staci has seriously got to control that mouth of hers. She kept yabbering about her so-called family accomplishments all morning in the cabins."
Confessional: Anthony (Toxic Rats)
"I know what Staci's telling everyone is nothing but baloney, but at least she's not lying about other people. Plus, did you notice her reaction when Raj complimented her? I think the girl is just a little lonely. Maybe I can lend her a hand."
End Confessionals
Meanwhile, Julia was straightening up the girls' side of the Rats' cabin while MK sat on a nearby bed. "So much more aesthetic now," Julia said as she fixed a flower pot. "Flowers always make me feel happy."
"Yeah," MK muttered as she subtly swiped a phone and necklace from Julia's pocket, "I'm much happier now."
"So, your ex," Bowie began as he and a grumpy Emma sat on one of the top bunks. "What's up with that?"
"I cannot believe Chase is here!" Emma protested. "This is my competition!"
"Let it out. What did he do to you? Tell me everything."
"I don't wanna get into it." Emma let out a groan. "When I win the million," she decided, "I'm donating half of it to an animal hospital."
"Aw," Bowie gushed, "That is something I would never do."
Confessional: Bowie (Toxic Rats)
"An alliance starts with two people. I like Emma's vibe. She's athletic and a little spicy. That's who I'm after. I'm considering Courtney, but I'd have to see a bit more of her in action first."
End Confessional
"Campers!" Chris announced over the intercoms. "It's challenge time!" Later, everyone was gathered at the beach. "Screaming Gophers, Toxic Rats, Confused Bears and Frogs of Death," Chris greeted as he and Chef joined them, "Welcome to your second challenge."
"This challenge is about learning to communicate and trust your teammates," Chef explained. "Five pairs of teammates will be tied together at the waist and navigate through this course to collect ten buckets of disgusting fish chum, then return to the towers and place the buckets on their platform."
"Nice," Zee chuckled, "This sounds super easy."
"Zee's right," Chris cut in, "It does sound easy. That's why the course is loaded with booby traps." Wayne and Raj struggled to hold back their laughter. "He said boobies!" Wayne stifled out.
"Shh, the coach is talking," Raj advised.
"Grow up, you two," Courtney scoffed.
"Randomly scattered posts," Chris listed off, "Lobster traps, messy mud puddles, nests of murder hornets, a pit filled with hot coals and more. These would all be easy to avoid if you weren't blindfolded, which all bucket carriers will be."
"Blindfolds," Ripper noted, "Makes it hard to see."
"We know that, genius," Keith argued.
"Both of you shut up!" Axel snapped at the boys. "Unless you want to go home next! Maybe you'd be in a better mood if you had eaten the squirrels."
"Sorry, eaten a what?!"
"Wow," Millie quietly said before scribbling something in her notebook.
Confessional: Millie (Confused Bears)
"Anytime someone from my generation says or does something dumb, I make note of it for my research. Ugh, my hand is already cramping."
End Confessional
"Each blindfolded duo will rely on the voices of five teammates who, from the top of these towers, will help get them to the buckets and back again safely," Chef explained. "Once the buckets are on the platform, the remaining teammates will carefully raise them to the top of the tower using these pulleys. If they aren't careful, one side will raise higher than the other, their buckets will fall and they will lose the challenge."
"The team that gets all ten buckets up first will dine on pizza and wings in the spa hotel tonight," Chris continued. "While the last-place team will be sending someone home. Teams, decide who's doing what. We start in two minutes. Rats, since you're one short, you'll only have four guides instead of five."
Later, everyone was at their positions. For the Gophers, the duos were Chase and Alan, Lucas and 'Dumb' Damien, Corey and Helen, Lindsay and Beth and Izzy and Rose, while Heather, Lacey, Max, Carly and Sarah were at the top of the tower. For the Rats, the duos were Wayne and Nichelle, Sam and Dakota, Staci and Anthony, Scott and Luna and Lightning and Austin, while Bowie, Emma, Courtney and Bridgette were at the top of the tower. For the Bears, the duos were Sky and Dave, Destiny and Lara, Tyler and Eva, Katie and Sadie and Melody and Paul, while Jo, Greg, Millie, Noah and Blainley were at the top of the tower. Finally, for the Frogs, the duos were Ripper and Rodney, Brick and Phoebe, Shane and Jane, Nikki and Laney and Mike and Sol while 'Smart' Damien, Jasmine, Helga, Cameron and Scarlett were at the top of the tower. "Campers," Chris announced. "Ready...set...go!" The duos started to run the course. "Straight ahead, then go right," Emma told Wayne and Nichelle.
"Straight, straight," Millie told Katie and Sadie. "Good!"
"Faster!" Jo barked out. "You need to go faster!"
"We're trying!" Dave panted as he struggled to keep up with Sky. "We're not all stuck-up jocks like yourself!"
"Calm down," Sky told him. "We'll get there."
"Yeah," Lara, now cosplaying as Uravity from My Hero Academia, agreed. "Just keep moving ahead. Go beyond! Plus Ultra!"
"Ra-Ra's right," Destiny added. "We've got this! Hey, Greggy, we're counting on you guys to guide us! Where to?"
"Desi's counting on me," Greg gushed as he got a lovestruck look.
"FOCUS!" Jo yelled out.
"Oh, right, right. Desi, you and Lara turn to your right to avoid the posts."
"Thanks, Greggy!" Destiny replied.
"Left!" Helga ordered Ripper and Rodney.
"Yes, ma'am," Rodney replied. However, Ripper started to head right. "Hey, she said left!" Rodney pointed out.
"Her left is our right!" Ripper argued.
"Your other right!" Scarlett corrected. However, Ripper and Rodney continued to argue until they accidentally crashed into the lobster traps. "Oh!" 'Smart' Damien cried out while Cameron and Jasmine winced at the sight. "That looked like it hurt!"
"Keep moving!" Helga ordered. Rodney and Ripper tried to shake the lobsters off of them. "Ow!" Ripper cried out. "No pinchie!" He took a lobster off his shorts, though he accidentally tore part of the fabric off, exposing his bare butt. "Ugh, gross!" Millie gagged as she covered her eyes.
"AHH!" Greg screamed out. "MY EYES!"
"Bum!" Zee chuckled.
"Oh, brother," Lacey sighed.
"Keep going, guys!" Sarah advised the Gophers on the course. "Just ignore Ripper's sideshow!"
"Based on what I've heard," Rose guessed as Izzy hopped across, dragging the scout across the sand, "I'm glad I have a blindfold on. And Izzy, could you slow down a bit? You're not even letting me walk."
"I command you to go forward, minions!" Max ordered.
"Just who are you calling a minion, Short Shit?" 'Dumb' Damien demanded in a threatening tone. "I should come over there and knock out that smart-ass mouth of yours!"
"Focus, cowboy!" Lucas argued as he tugged on 'Dumb' Damien's arm. "Have you forgotten about the challenge?"
"Let go of my arm!"
"Entonces deja de ser un idiota tan testarudo!"
"What the hell are you even saying?!"
"QUIET!" Lacey suddenly shouted. "We're getting nowhere with this! Let's get one pair to the buckets at a time. That way, there's less bickering like toddlers!"
"Excuse me?" Heather questioned. "You're not-" She and Max gave a gasp as Lacey eyed them. "You've got a better idea?" Lacey questioned.
"It sounds like a good plan," Sarah reasoned.
"Yeah," Carly agreed. "Do it. I-I mean, let's do it."
Confessional: Carly (Screaming Gophers)
She gave a nervous laugh. "Great start." She then buried her head in her hands.
Confessional: Lacey (Screaming Gophers)
"This is gonna be a long competition."
End Confessionals
(cue commercial)
The Confused Bears kept moving ahead, though at a slightly slower pace than the rest of the teams. "Go faster!" Blainley ordered. "I want that spa hotel!"
"She makes a point, Melody," Paul commented. "We need to hurry if we're gonna win."
"I sense the friction lingering with someone will spell out their team's defeat," Melody simply explained, to the confusion of her fellow teammates.
"Okay..." Lara slowly replied.
"And my third cousin Jack knows many tips about bare-handed tree-climbing," Staci told Anthony as they walked. "He's a lumberjack, you know, and he competed in these, like, lumberjack games that had ax-throwing and log-rolling and-"
"That's interesting, Staci," Anthony cut off as the two paused their pace, "But why don't you tell me about yourself?" However, Staci went unusually silent.
Confessional: Anthony (Toxic Rats)
"Wow. I doubt she was this quiet even when she slept. It's...kinda unnerving."
End Confessional
"You're awfully quiet," Anthony noted.
"You know my great-great-great aunt Jen invented silence," Staci fibbed. "Before her, people would ramble on without breaks and exhaust themselves."
"And you know you don't have to make up stories to impress people."
"Guys?" Bridgette spoke up from the top of the tower.
"Wh-what?" Staci stammered. "But I'm not making it up. I've done research."
"Guys," Emma repeated.
"I'm not gonna waste time questioning that," Anthony told Staci, "But...how should I word it? The people here aren't interested in your tales about your family. But if you showed people what you yourself can accomplish, I'm sure they'll be impressed."
"You think so?" Staci wondered.
"Aye, I believe so."
"HEY!" Courtney shouted, catching the duo off-guard. "We've been yelling at you to get a move on for five minutes now! The other teams are halfway across already! MOVE!"
"The challenge!" Anthony gasped. "Let's heave-ho it!" He and Staci ran ahead. "Looks like the Rats are finally getting into gear," Chris narrated. "Oh? But what's this over with the Gophers?" Rose, now slightly tattered, was already at the end and collecting two chum buckets. "Let's head back now," she told Izzy, "But be careful. We can't afford to spill these."
"I'll be your shield!" Izzy exclaimed as she hopped onto Rose's shoulders. "Let's ride!"
"Um, okay." Rose ran off, with Izzy twirling her arms around. "Bye-bye!" Izzy giggled as she slapped Brick's face, knocking him and Phoebe down.
"Rose and Izzy are back," Sarah reported to Lacey.
"Corey and Helen, go!" Lacey ordered.
"Rock 'n' roll!" Helen and Corey exclaimed as they raced off.
"Come on, Ripper!" Jasmine called out.
"Hang on," Ripper replied. "I think my shoe's untied." He bend down, exposing his bare butt. "AHHH!" 'Smart' Damien, Jasmine, Millie, Carly and Greg cried out as they diverted their eyes.
Confessional: 'Smart' Damien (Frogs of Death)
"No! No, no, no! You CANNOT put that on TV!"
Confessional: Valerie (Frogs of Death)
"Hasn't that Ripper idiot ever heard of common decency?"
Confessional: Greg (Confused Bears)
He was washing his eyes with a wet cloth.
End Confessionals
"Screaming Gophers have the lead with two buckets," Chris announced, "But the Toxic Rats aren't far behind."
"Stop!" Emma warned Wayne, Nichelle, Scott and Luna. "There's a hornet's nest right above you!"
"Murder hornets. Don't forget the murder part. It upsets them."
"Let's go nice and slow," Scott advised Luna, "So we don't get stung."
"Or we could just do this," Luna giggled as she pulled a nest off. "Hey, Solstice! Catch the honey pinata!" She tossed the nest behind her, which broke and released a swarm of murder hornets right by Sol and Mike's feet. "OW!" Sol cried out as the hornets stung his arms and face. "Keep away from me!" He ran off, dragging Mike behind him. "Hey!" Mike protested. "Wait! STOP!" He dug his feet into the sand and tugged on the chain, pulling Sol back and knocking the boys over. "Ow," Sol moaned.
"Just stay low and keep moving," Bowie advised Wayne and Nichelle.
"If I get stung," Nichelle thought, "Can you make sure it's not on my face?"
"Um, no?" Chris replied with some confusion. A hornet stung Wayne's finger, making him jump up in pain and get his head stuck in one of the hornet's nests. "Ow!" he cried out. "These things got sharp teeth!"
"The rockers are back!" Sarah reported as Corey and Helen came back to the tower.
"You're up, girls," Lacey told Beth and Lindsay.
"Okay, Tracey," Lindsay replied.
"It's Lacey!"
"Rodney and Ripper," Cameron instructed, "Move forward at a forty-five degree angle."
"I don't speak Nerd!" Ripper shouted.
"I think he means this way," Rodney told him. "Come on!" Ripper started to run but he accidentally ran into a rake, making him fall over and expose his bare butt again. "Ew!" Courtney and Bridgette gagged as they diverted their eyes.
"Ooh!" Bowie moaned while his sunglasses shattered at the sight. He quickly covered Emma's eyes. "Do NOT look at Ripper right now!" Emma moved his hand away but quickly regretted it. "Ew!" she moaned. "Turn around!"
"Aren't we supposed to get the buckets?" Nichelle wondered as the Rats stopped their running.
"Not you!" Bowie told them. "She was talking to Ripper. He tore the back of his pants and there is a full moon out there!"
"I wonder if he has a tattoo there," Luna put in. "I've got an awesome one! Look!" She lifted her dress up, exposing her bare butt. "Gross!" Millie gagged in disgust.
"As if Ripper wasn't bad enough," Noah snarked. A THUD caught his attention, and he turned to see that Greg had fainted. "Man down!" Luna giggled as she waved her bare butt in the air. "Hey, guys, lookie lookie!"
"Ugh!" Heather groaned as she turned her head away.
"Luna, put your dress down!" Sol ordered. He and Mike soon reached the buckets. "It smells like fish," Mike noted as he leaned over.
"Do not even think it!" Sol sternly told him.
"We've got our buckets!" Jane told them as she, Shane, Nikki, Laney, Brick and Phoebe each held up a bucket. "Let's head back!"
"Ripper and Rodney, you boys coming or what?" Laney asked.
"Hold on, short stuff," Ripper told her as she and Nikki headed back, "I'm the boss of me." Laney just kicked some sand in his face, making him cough.
Confessional: Laney (Frogs of Death)
"Short?! NO ONE taunts me because of my height!"
Confessional: Millie (Confused Bears)
"Wow!" She wrote something in her notebook.
End Confessionals
"Things are evening up as the Frogs and Gophers have all but two buckets on the platform," Chris narrated. "But the Bears and Rats are closing in."
"Pick up the pace!" Jo barked out. "You're falling behind those loser Rats!"
"Slow and steady wins the race," Melody advised. "Wait. Paul, stop here."
"What?" Paul wondered as he skid to a stop. "Why?"
"Whoa!" Nichelle cried out as she struggled to keep up with Wayne. He ended up crashing into a rake. "I'm guessing that's why," Eva grumbled as she jogged past, dragging a battered Tyler behind her.
"Easy does it," Melody said as she and the other Bears maneuvered around the poles.
"Go faster!" Courtney ordered. "Faster!"
"You've got it," Wayne replied. He ended up crashing into a pole, which hit him in the groin. "Oh!" Bowie moaned as he winced at the sight.
"Ouch," Chris commented.
"It's all good," Wayne assured them. "Wearing a cup."
"There's a mud puddle," Carly told Chase and Alan. "Maybe you should go around."
"A mud puddle?" Chase scoffed as the duo went ahead. "I think we'll be f-" They sunk into the mud. "Uh-oh," Chris narrated, "Unlike Julia's social media posts, that was deep."
"You're, like, really funny," Julia sarcastically replied.
"Keep moving!" Lacey ordered. "The Frogs are almost back!"
"They could've drowned!" 'Smart' Damien protested.
"No worries," Alan coughed out once he and Chase reemerged from the mud. "I've swam in mud before for one of my videos. The pigs weren't too happy I invaded their space, though."
"You've got this!" Emma shouted. "Straight forward."
"Thanks for the help, babe!" Chase told her.
"I wasn't talking to you. You are doing horrible, and you don't get to call me 'babe' anymore!"
"Why are you so mad at me?"
"Yeah, what gives?" Alan wondered.
"ARE YOU KIDDING?!" Emma angrily spat out as some flames brewed in the background.
Confessional: Bowie (Toxic Rats)
"Ooh! Here's where we find out what he did! I bet he kissed another girl one hundred percent! Straight couples, am I right?"
Confessional: Jane (Frogs of Death)
"Please. I doubt whatever Chase did couldn't be anything worse that what Keith did."
End Confessionals
"YOU CUT THE BRAKES ON MY CAR!" Emma angrily shouted.
Confessional: Jane (Frogs of Death)
"Then again..."
Confessional: Bowie (Toxic Rats)
"Straight couples are messed up!"
End Confessionals
"You're still mad about that?" Chase asked in confusion.
"Of course I am!" Emma argued. "You made me crash into a pet store!"
"You what now?" Bowie wondered.
"Steer right!" Millie ordered.
"That's why I'm donating twenty-five percent of the million to an animal hospital," Emma decided.
"Wait, wait, wait," MK pointed out, "I thought it was half."
"'I thought it was half'."
"WHOO-HOO!" Jasmine exclaimed after she, Helga, 'Smart' Damien and Scarlett saw the Frogs' buckets come up to them. "We've won!"
"The Frogs of Death got their buckets up first," Chris announced, "But I wouldn't say they've won."
"No, we won," Helga argued. "Buckets are here and full."
"Hold on," 'Smart' Damien noticed, "One of these is completely empty."
"How did that happen?"
"I think somebody got a case of the munchies," Sol accused as he grabbed Mike by the cuff of his shirt.
"He seriously didn't-" Jane gagged.
"Do not make such big fuss," Helga scoffed. "I have eaten worse things than fish bait."
"You better be praying we don't come in last place," Sol warned Mike.
"Last bucket coming your way!" Alan told the Gophers after he and Chase arrived at the tower.
"Start pulling them up!" Lacey ordered.
"We're back, guys," Sky told the Bears as she, Dave, Paul, Melody, Lara, Destiny, Katie, Sadie, Eva and Tyler came back. "Fish chum and all."
"Blech!" Dave gagged.
"Less gag and more pull, Bears," Alejandro said. "We might be able to beat the Gophers this time around."
"Lightning has arrived!" Lightning announced as he and Austin came back with their buckets.
"Made it," Sam panted as he, Dakota, Staci and Anthony arrived with their buckets.
"Nichelle!" Bowie shouted. "Wayne! Scott! Luna! Run!"
"Run?" Nichelle wondered. "Are you crazy?"
"Give me your bucket and get on my back," Wayne told her. "Do it! I'm a piggyback champ!"
"Seriously?" MK questioned.
"It's true," Raj replied. "Wayner's won the Prince Albert piggyback tournament three years straight."
"Pull..." Priya strained as the Bears' buckets went up.
"Hoot-hoot!" Wayne rallied as he carried Nichelle and the buckets.
"Giddy-up!" Luna giggled to Scott as she traveled on his back.
"Pull..." Leshawna told the rest of the Gophers.
"They're heading for the hot coals!" Bridgette realized. "Guys, wait!"
"No, keep running!" Emma shouted. "I'll tell you when to jump!"
"What?!" Nichelle and Scott cried out.
"Pull!" Leshawna rallied.
"JUMP!" Emma shouted. Wayne and Scott jumped right before they reached the hot coals, though they landed in another pit of coals. The boys screamed as they jumped up in pain, causing them to spill their buckets. "Aw, wait up!" Luna pouted as she chased after them. Nichelle groaned as a bucket landed on her head, and she soon followed the others. "We've got it!" Sarah cheered as she, Carly, Lacey, Max and Heather collected the buckets.
"The Screaming Gophers have won the challenge," Chris announced, "With the Confused Bears snugly in second place." The two teams cheered at their placements. Wayne, Scott, Luna and Nichelle soon blindly ran into the mud pit. "Frogs of Death," Chris announced, "You're in not-winner-but-not-complete-loser territory again."
"Oh, come on!" Keith protested.
"I'll take it," Mike breathed out in relief.
"And Toxic Rats," Chris finished, "Meet me by the campfire tonight. One of you is going home."
"It's game over, boys," Wayne sighed, "It's game over."
"What the heck?" Scott wondered as he pulled a piece of clothing out of the mud. He went wide-eyed when he noticed Luna swimming in the mud, wearing nothing but mud and a smile on her face. "AHH!" he screamed as he dropped the garment.
"Luna!" Sol shouted off-screen. "Dress on! Now!" Later that evening, the Toxic Rats were seated at the campfire. Julia, Duncan, Bridgette, Courtney, Lightning, Bowie, Dakota, Scott, MK, Anthony and Nichelle were in the back row while DJ, Dawn, Leonard, Wayne, Raj, Luna, Geoff, B, Harold, Staci, Emma and Sam were in the front row. "Toxic Rats," Chris began as Chef held a tray with some marshmallows on it, "I only have twenty-three marshmallows on this plate. I'm sorry to say one of you won't be receiving one and will have to head down the Dock of Shame. Which one? Don't know."
"Emma," Chef said, "You let your emotions get in the way and it cost your team the lead."
Confessional: Emma (Toxic Rats)
"Okay, I messed up because of Chase! But from now on, my focus is on helping my team win."
End Confessional
"Luna," Chef continued, "You decided to waste precious time by showing your butt...literally!"
"I heard it knocked that nerd kid out of commission," Luna replied. "And did anyone see my tattoo? Here, I'll show you."
"No, no!" Chris protested. "We've seen enough butts today."
"Aw..."
"Staci," Chef continued, "You could've strengthened your lead, but instead, you decided to run your mouth instead of your feet." Staci winced at his words while Anthony gave her a look of sympathy.
Confessional: Anthony (Toxic Rats)
"Like anyone would vote for Staci when it was Emma that cost us the challenge. Since when is talking a crime?"
End Confessional
"Nichelle," Chef continued, "Wayne risked everything to try and win it but you slowed him down because you were concerned about your looks."
Confessional: Nichelle (Toxic Rats)
"Um, yeah! And don't play like I wasn't trying to win. My bum caught fire!"
End Confessional
"You've all cast your votes and made your decision," Chris announced. "If you get a marshmallow, you're safe. If you do not, you must immediately head for the Dock of Shame to catch the Boat of Losers. That means you're out of the contest, and you can't come back...ever. The first marshmallow goes to...Bridgette." Bridgette got up and collected her marshmallow. "Nichelle," Chris continued, "Lightning, DJ, Austin, Dawn, MK, Harold, Duncan, Dakota, Scott, B, Courtney, Bowie, Sam, Anthony, Julia, Leonard, Geoff, Wayne and Raj, Luna. You are all safe." Soon, only one marshmallow remained. Emma and Staci both had a worried look. "There's only one marshmallow remaining," Chris announced. "The last one goes to..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Emma."
"Yes!" Emma cheered as she collected the last marshmallow. "In your face!"
"Aw," Staci moaned, "But I was doing so good!"
"Why'd you boot her?" Anthony protested. "Emma lost it for us! The worst thing Staci did was talk."
"Um, yeah," Courtney pointed out. "Constantly!"
"Staci," Chris instructed, "It's Dock of Shame time."
"Can I at least help her there?" Anthony offered.
"Hey, don't sue me if you become deaf." Chris chuckled until a boot was tossed at his face. "Come on, laddie," Anthony told Staci after getting his boot back. Soon, the duo were at the Dock of Shame. "It's a crying shame that you were the second one kicked off!" Anthony complained.
"So, you didn't vote me off?" Staci wondered.
"Of course not! Why would I vote off a friend?" Anthony was taken off-guard by Staci's hug. "No one's ever called me a friend before," Staci quietly told him. "Thank you."
"No problem," Anthony replied as he returned the hug. The duo pulled apart after the Boat of Losers came up to the dock. "Do your best, Anthony!" Staci cheered after boarding the boat.
"Aye-aye!" Anthony replied with a salute as the Boat of Losers drove off.
"That was more eventful than I imagined," Chris commented from another section of the Dock of Shame. "Will Anthony do well now that the chatterbox is gone?"
"Screw that parrot beak, McLean!"
"And what's in store for challenge number three? That's for me to know and for you to find out next time on Total...Drama...Island!"
Votes:
Voted for Staci: Duncan, Courtney, Harold, B, Scott, Emma, Lightning, Dawn, Geoff, Sam, Dakota, MK, Austin, Bridgette, DJ, Bowie, Leonard, Julia, Wayne, Raj, Luna
Voted for Emma: Staci, Anthony
Eliminated: Staci (22-2)
100) Caleb (Toxic Rats)
99) Staci (Toxic Rats)
Episode 3 of Mega Island, everyone! So, to very little surprise, Staci is the next boot. But what was surprising was her interactions with fellow teammate Anthony, who even considers her a friend now. (The TD fandom page on Staci doesn't even show her having one friend, which is kinda sad.)
So, I think there's quite a few advancements. Lacey's showing her dominance, Carly's trying to fit in with her teammates, the conflict with Keith and Jane still lingers, 'Dumb' Damien and Lucas seem to be starting a rivalry and many more I'm sure I forgot to mention.
The next episode will be kind of like a scavenger hunt. For what, might you ask? Hmm, how about the whole campsite? Until next time, enjoy and have a good day.
