Total Mingled Action

by Cody Fanatic

(Sequel to Total Mingled Island)- After competing in Total Drama Island for one hundred thousand dollars, fourteen of the past competitors return to compete for one million dollars on an abandoned movie lot. Who will prevail and will the struggles of newfound fame affect the contestants? Find out on Total! Mingled! Action!

1. Monster Cash

Boys: Brick, Chase, Geoff, Justin, Ripper, Scott, Trent

Girls: Anne Maria, Eva, Izzy, Jasmine, Millie, MK, Sky

Episode 1: Monster Cash

The scene faded into a long-distance shot of Wawanakwa Island's southern shore, the sun in the western portion of the sky. "Last season, on Total Drama Island! Geoff and Eva battled it out for one-hundred thousand dollars."

"In the end, Eva, a girl with an anger management problem, won the gigantic check, and she and the others were offered the chance to win One. Million. Big ones!"

"With the million smackeroos stuffed into a briefcase, our twenty-two campers set off on the Race for the Case! Until the case was eaten by an alligator, then a shark. I bet you they didn't see that one coming!"

"Now the fourteen who were the closest to winning have been given the chance to win another million dollars! Actually, it's the same money."

"They've been instructed to report to an old film lot," Chris continued as he walked down a small road running between a large stage light and a single small trailer before a flash took him to the front of a few numbered studios in front of a what looked like a large fake hill, "for a whole new set of challenges."

"Forty-two days," he said over a graphic of a stopwatch with the hands spinning around, a wall calendar with the days getting crossed off, and a desk calendar with the date shown as '42' all flying across the screen in front of an alternating pattern of yellowish sun- and moon-shapes on a darker background. "Fourteen castmates," a strip of film appeared in the center of the screen with portraits of each contestant in the frames – The Jersey Girl, Cadet, Daredevil, Muscle Woman, Party Guy, Wild Child, Outback Girl, Eye Candy, Author, Techno Girl, Bully, Devious Farmer, Athlete, and Guitarist – before ending with frames showing an open treasure chest filled with gold and jewels. "One heck of a lot of cash!"

The film strip melted into another close-up shot of the smiling host, the camera pulling back with each word to show another pair of trailers, a large tent, trees, film equipment, a large amphitheater flanked by golden statues, and the rest of the film lot in front of what appeared to be a canal. "Welcome to, Total! Drama! Action!"

A pair of pale-skinned hands holding a film slate appeared inches in front of the camera. The stick was clapped, and the intro began.

(Theme Song)

[Lights swing up in front of various fake buildings and turn on; a camera pops out of an open manhole with a rat on top of it; another camera bursts out of a tree hollow, sending various pieces of garbage and a startled raccoon flying. A film slate is clapped in front of the camera, and the camera does a fly-over of the film lot; Chris drives the tram cab into its path, grinning and waving a hand to his other side as the camera passes through the cab and the lyrics start.]

Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doin' fine;

[The camera passes through the browning leaves of a birch tree and along the road between the numbered studios, dodging a pair of backdrops that are rolled into its path – a farm and an ocean sunset – before heading through a clothing rack, disturbing the costumes hanging on it.]

You guys are on my mind!

[The camera flies up the artificial pine-covered hill, the sun flaring as it reaches the peak and looks over to see a pool of water far below, then jumps in.]

Ya asked me what I wanted to be,

[A cloud of bubbles disperse from around the camera, revealing Ripper in his swimsuit floating underwater. A short pan to the right shows a giant shark approaching him with its mouth open. He notices it, then glares and punches it hard on the nose. The shark wailed about its bruise in pain, and the camera moved up and out of the water.]

And now I think the answer is plain to see!

[MK is shown on top of a red-and-orange surfboard hooked up to a rigging on the side of the pool. Behind her is a backdrop of a cloudy sky. Seagulls are shooting past her like bullets, causing her to frantically dodge them. It isn't enough, however, as one of the gulls finally knocks her backwards into the pool.]

I wanna be...famous!

[The camera quick-pans to the left, showing Chase manning some sort of seagull gatling gun with a grin on his face while Millie watches with concern. The two pause to look at each other, then begin to make-out as Chase's inadvertent trigger finger fires the remainder of the avian ammunition. They break their kiss, and the camera flies off between them. It pauses just before a large door as the Sasquatchanakwa runs across the path in a pink dress, a feather boa, and a boater. The door opens, and the camera passes into the light.]

I wanna live close to the sun!

[The bright light fades into a shot of the beach set, where Jasmine sits on a chair relaxing, two sharks sitting on both sides of her, and as the camera zooms in on Jasmine, she smiles happily.]

Well pack your bags, 'cause I've already won!

[The camera quick-pans to the right, ending on Justin in the make-up confessional. As he examines himself with a hand mirror, a hand from someone off-screen applies a bit of make-up to his cheek. He turns his head slightly just as another hand appears from the other side and sprays a puff of hair spray, which gets in his eyes. He winces, dropping the mirror onto the counter.]

Everythin' to prove, nothin' in my way;

I'll get there one day.

[Another quick-pan to the right puts the focus on Scott and Eva, standing on top of what appear to be pillars of rock in front of a dark and craggy backdrop. They each hold a jousting stick, blue cushions on the end of Scott's and orange cushions on the end of Eva's. Scott hits Eva a few times in the chest, and Eva manages to hit her rival in the head, causing his bandana to untie and drop. The camera quickly pans down to show the bandana landing in a large metal pot of some sickly green liquid; Chef picks the pot up by its handles and takes a whiff of its odor.]

'Cause I wanna be...famous!

[Chef looks at the bandana in his pot and shrugs, then turns around, scowls, and places it on a table in the middle of his kitchen. Brick, stirring a pot of rotten potatoes on a stove on the other side of the room, cranes his head to take a look. He grabs a small bottle from his workspace and sprinkles it into the pot the bandana had landed into, then takes a taste with a ladle and smiles. The camera pulls out to show Geoff watching the scene on a monitor in another room. The scene on the monitors changes to a shot of a studio, and Geoff cluelessly presses a button. An explosion happens on the monitor, and he grimaces heavily.]

(Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)

[The camera cuts to the explosion as it fades away, revealing Izzy running across the screen with a slightly charred bear standing behind her. After watching her wave to the camera, the bear roared heavily at Izzy, but she managed to turn the tables by roaring back. The bear, in its now frightened state, runs away from the girl chasing them like she was a bear, and the two zoom off to the right, passing the Lame-o-sine on the way.]

I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)

I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)

[The camera zooms in on the limousine's window, which rolls down to show a smiling Sky. Trent leans forward from the seat next to her and shoots a smile at Sky, then opens the door as the camera flies through. A series of flashes go off, and the camera passes through the hands of journalists, paparazzi, and fans as it flies towards Chris waiting on the amphitheater stage. The host grins and opens an envelope with his thumbs, then looks over with a frown at the dress-wearing Chef Hatchet, holding a tray of Gilded Chris's and scowling. The host purses his lips and shoots a look at the camera, and the shot changes to the view from another television screen. The camera pans down and to the left to show Anne Maria and Topher sitting on a couch about to kiss before they notice the camera on them.

The camera zooms out as the last few whistling notes of the song play, showing that the two were sitting on a set of tiered couches on the left side of what looked like the set of a talk show, and that all twenty-two of the original Total Drama contestants are present and looking at the camera – Ripper, Geoff, and Rodney next to them; Brick, Scott, Millie, Chase, and Gwen on the row below; Izzy, Trent, Sam, Sky, and Eva on the second row of the tiered couches on the opposite side of the stage; Sadie, Katie, Justin, MK and Jasmine on the row below them. And on a couch in the very middle, directly below the large monitor that still showed Chris and Chef, sat Damien and Priya. The camera zoomed out, and the central television screen flickered before the 'Total Drama Action' logo appeared over static.]

The episode began on a close-up of a round sewer grate with steam billowing out of it before the camera panned out and up to show the entrance of the film lot – an opening in a high concrete wall marked by an ornate-yet-broken bronze arch, outer chain-link gates that had already been swung open, and an unattended guardhouse with the boom barriers lowered. A dirty bus drove into the scene and squealed to a halt in front of the entrance, the rear fender falling off just before the camera focused on the opening doors.

"Aw yeah!" Chase whooped as the first person to come into view. "Competing in a city and not on an island? Major improvement!"

He was followed by Millie and then Anne Maria, who in turn was preceded by two people who tried to squeeze through the opening at the same time. On the right was Eva, who's left foot had the cast removed, and on the left was Scott, who still had his orange bandana on his forehead to cover the brand.

"Get off me," Eva growled.

"You let go," Scott growled back. The two pushed against each other in order to exit the bus first, and eventually managed to force themselves through at the same time – they slammed into Anne Maria in the process, nearly knocking her over and causing her to cast a glare behind her.

"Rule number one: don't mess with the tan!!" Anne Maria reprimanded the two on the ground.

The doors of the bus closed and it zoomed off, leaving a cloud of dust and exhaust. When the cloud settled, the shot had pulled out to show all fourteen castmates sitting in front of the entrance with their luggage – Ripper, Izzy, Brick, Trent, Geoff, Sky, Jasmine, MK, Justin, and the five that had already been shown on-camera.

"Where is Chris?" Millie asked.

"Maybe we got off at the wrong stop?" Brick suggested.

"That broken down bus only had one stop," Justin said.

"McLean better be here in the next couple of seconds or I'm bailing," Scott added.

"What about the million dollars?" MK asked with a grin. "It would help you remove your brand on your forehead faster."

"Forget what I just said," Scott replied after a moment.

"Let's face it," Geoff said positively, showing off his implanted golden tooth. "The money's the reason we all put up with Chris!"

"Geoff!" Trent spoke up, "you got a tooth implant! Nice!"

"Thanks man!" Geoff responded to the compliment happily.

"I can see my own reflection in your golden tooth!" Justin told the party guy.

"How'd you get it fixed?" Jasmine questioned.

"I was chilling at the beach back home and saw this gold tooth lying on the ground," Geoff said. "I was getting tired of missing a tooth, so I decided to fill the gap up with the golden piece until my original tooth grows back."

"You should've seen a doctor about what to do, but it's not my problem," Sky commented.

"Hey Eva! I see that you've gotten your cast taken off during the two-week break," Chase told the muscle woman.

"After running for the case back on the island, I decided to just relax for once and let my foot heal completely so things wouldn't get worse and I'm back to my original butt kicking condition," Eva explained.

"Don't get too cocky just cause you won the previous season," Anne Maria said before she and the others heard a pair of honks and an approaching engine.

The camera zoomed out to show Chris arriving behind the wheel of a covered white tram with a single long passenger carriage behind the driver's cart.

"It's about time!" MK grunted as the host came to a stop in front of the entrance.

"Hop on, everyone!" Chris called out as everybody was heading towards the passenger carriage. "Come on, people," he added jovially. "Sheesh! We haven't got all day. This cart's rented by the hour!"

Ripper then noticed that Izzy was not on the tram and looked back, seeing her still standing at the entrance. ''Izzy? What are you doing back there?'' the bully shouted, but Izzy didn't respond on purpose.

''She wants to be called E-Scope now. 'Member?'' Eva pointed out.

''Oh right!'' Ripper facepalmed. ''I mean Kaleidoscope!''

''No one leaves E-Scope behind!'' Izzy bellowed out. She banged on her chest with a yell and ran after the tram, jumping onto the empty seat next to Ripper with her handsprings.

"Welcome to the set of Total Drama Action!" Chris announced as they passed by several sets and trailers. The footage skipped forward to when they were traveling through the numbered studios, and Chris continued his narration. "This season's hottest reality show will be shot here, on an abandoned film lot!"

"Was it inspected before you decided to use it?" Millie asked.

"That's none of your business!" Chris told her, adjusting his rearview mirror to get a better look at the author. "And don't interrupt me!" he demanded, leaning back to point at the girl's face. "Ev-er!"

"Sorry…" Millie muttered under her breath.

"You'll be spending the next six weeks here," Chris continued as they drove through the set of a western, complete with cacti and tumbleweeds along the sandy street, "competing against each other in challenges and for rewards, all for the chance to win some mooonster cash!"

"And the winner is gonna be me!" Ripper announced boisterously. Chris shushed him, and the burly boy rolled his eyes.

"Like last season," Chris continued, "one team will win, and the other team will watch one of their own make their way down the dreaded Walk of Shame, to the Lame-o-sine." He pressed a large red button on his dashboard, and the windows of his section of the tram rolled up just as they passed through the cloud of exhaust fumes produced by a sputtering, run-down limousine, with bull horns on the hood, that was idling at the end of a red carpet.

The fourteen castmates began to hack and cough as they were taken through the smog, leading Trent to ask "Couldn't you have spun for a better ride?"

"No," Chris told him as they cleared the cloud of fumes and he rolled his windows back down. "Now since we don't have the outhouse to dump your deepest, darkest secrets in," his comment caused the contestants to look forward worriedly, "you'll dish the dirt in our new make-up confessional!" As he made the announcement, they passed by the small trailer that Chris had been standing near in the beginning of the episode.

Confessional: Anne Maria

"A trailer full of makeup?!" Anne Maria said excitedly as she looked around the new confessional. The camera seemed to be positioned behind a one-way mirror set up above a dressing table. There were several bits of make-up and associated tools scattered around the table itself, while in the background were a costume rack and a few shelves of hats and helmets. "I could get used to this." The arm of an unseen assistant held up a tube of lipstick to her, prompting the Jersey girl to scoff. ''Do you think I use that brand?!'' The assistant pulled their arm back.

Confessional Ends

"To your left," Chris continued as the tram was shown passing by the tent seen earlier in the episode, "is the craft services tent. Catered, by Chef." He idled in front of the tent just as a crash was heard from inside it and the hulking man ran out with a cleaver in his hand, chasing after a raccoon. While most of the castmates looked shocked or horrified, Geoff took the opportunity to stand-up, pull out a camera, and snap a photograph.

Chris grinned and stomped on the gas pedal, causing the still-standing party boy to fall back into his seat. "If you survive Chef," the host said, "you'll have to make it through our dramatic Award Ceremony!" A triumphant tune unheard of before yet befitting a ceremony played as the tram passed by the large amphitheater flanked by large golden statues of the host himself. "Where all but one loser will receive," the camera focused on one of the statues, which gleamed and glittered in the light, "a Gilded Chris Award!"

Confessional: Scott

"The Gilded Chris?" Scott repeated in disbelief. "How narcissistic is our host?" He paused for a few seconds. "I still want to get one though."

Confessional Ends

"We done now, dude?" Geoff asked in boredom.

"I have an eject button," Chris said matter-of-factly, "and I'll use it!"

"Please, continue," Geoff said with a change of tune.

Chris smirked at the camera as he took the tram through a new set, revealed to be a moon set complete with a UFO set up by a crater when the camera zoomed out.

"This is quite the eye-catcher," Jasmine said as she looked around. "Why was this lot abandoned?"

"I'll explain it to you," Chris answered. "You see, a few months ago, this lot was home to a high-budget monster movie, until the star began experiencing some...ahh...uhhh...difficulties?" he finally said after struggling to find the words.

"Did she have a mental breakdown or something?" Eva replied.

"Actually," Chris corrected slowly, "the star wasn't a her. It was an animatronic monster!" He turned around suddenly as the background music took a few dramatic beats and a few shots of large bite marks in the fake buildings and trees around the lot were shown.

"Um," Sky started to say, "what happened to it?"

Confessional: Sky

"Why did I just ask that question given what this show has to offer?" Sky sighed.

Confessional Ends

Just then, an earth-shaking roar filled the area, forcing Izzy, Chase, and Eva to cringe and cover their ears. Chase then uncovered his ears and scoffed. "Come on. He's obviously pulling our legs!"

Chris just smiled silently, looking back forward as the camera cut to a shot of a radio tower, distinctly mechanical footsteps preceding a scaly green tail with orange-ish spikes that whipped into the building and knocked it over. The host quickly slammed the brakes, and a cry of "Whoa!" from Trent was followed by a "Dude!" from Geoff and a high-pitched scream from Brick as the tram started to skid to a halt and a cloud of dust enveloped the scene.

When everything settled, the camera showed the radio tower sticking upside-down out of the road in front of the tram. The castmates leaned out from either side to look at it nervously as the host continued.

"Since we're on a film lot," he explained as the teens leaned back into the cart, "this season's challenges will be based on movie genres. Today's genre?" he said with a smile as the monster roared in the distance. "The Monster Movie!" He chuckled before adding a mocking "Duh!" The animatronic beast was shown walking in front of the camera; its body was as green and scaly as its tail, and a pair of short, clawed arms suggested it had a classic 'bipedal dinosaur' build.

The castmates gasped, and the camera focused on Brick stuttering and trembling before falling out of his seat and landing on the ground knocked out. Chris got out of the vehicle and poked the cadet's chest with a stick, but he still remained on the floor.

"Down for the count!" Chris said happily as he turned to the others. "For your first challenge, everyone must get from here to the cast trailers while our state-of-the-art monster prevents your every move. Chef has kindly offered to control the beast," he added with a laugh. The camera quick-panned over to show the hulking man inside a dark tent, dressed in a motion capture suit and stomping around in front of a few monitors with a scowl on his face.

"Aaaaand, Action!" the host dramatically announced, only to be met by blank stares and a cricket's chirp from the teens. "Uh, that means go," he told them, and the passenger cart became a flurry of activity as the castmates raced towards the exit.

"Out of my way!" Trent shouted, throwing Scott behind him.

"Coming through!" MK followed, punching the guitarist on the back and making him fall down.

"Excuse me!" Jasmine said as she ran past the techno and jumped out the open side of the cart.

The camera cut back to Chris as he watched the squabble. "This," he winced, "is gonna be a long season!"

The shot moved to a long-distance view of two isolated trailers between the Craft Services Tent and amphitheater, the camera zooming in on them before cutting to a beach set complete with a palm trees, a large umbrella, and even a sand castle in the foreground. The castmates, with the exception of Brick, were shown running and screaming in a group, chased shortly after by the lime green monster. It was shown from another perspective, stomping down on another sand castle near a few surfboards and leaving a large, three-clawed footprint in the sand.

"Now that was awesome!" Ripper cheered as he ran along with Izzy at his side. "I should be destroying things with the monster, not running away from it!"

The focus moved back onto Brick as he was now awake and running to catch up with the cast. "How is that animatronic monster more frightening than the sergeants at boot camp?" he asked himself. "Regardless, I have to keep moving!"

Ripper and Izzy were the focus once more, still running together with the animatronic monster approaching behind them.

"I'd want Eva to be with us considering that we teamed up last season, but she's much faster than the two of us combined," Izzy said.

"You fed the case to a shark, so I could see her being a bit upset over that, but she already has money, so there's no need for her to be angry," Ripper said back.

Izzy then noticed a claw-shaped shadow falling on them and looked back in surprise. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!" she said, quickly shoving her friend forward when he stopped to look back, getting him just out of the way of the monster's hand before the monster roared and grabbed Izzy up.

"IZZY!!" Ripper cried in anguish as his crush was taken away.

The footage flashed to an inflatable castle set up next to a trailer as the monster, its head just out of shot, arrived with the wild child. It roared again and dropped Izzy, the girl giggling as she landed on her back and bounced back up into the air countless times in different poses.

Confessional: Ripper

"I think the monster won't find me in here," Ripper began his confessional. "I love Izzy a lot, and though she saved me from getting snatched up, I wished the roles were reversed." He crossed his arms with a grin. "That way, I would've been her unrequited knight in shining armor rescuing her from a monster's capture."

Confessional Ends

The camera cut to the beach set with Geoff hiding behind a surfboard as Trent and Sky raced past in front. The monster's tail was shown between a few dunes as it stalked through the area, and the two contestants were shown spotting it and skidding to a halt.

"How are we supposed to find the actor's trailers?" Trent asked.

"Follow the good looking people!" Justin answered while running past them in the foreground.

"It wouldn't hurt to try!" Anne Maria said as she followed him, and Sky and Trent resumed their run.

Confessional: Anne Maria

"I'm no algebra expert, but don't go around thinking that I don't have a brain just because I'm choosing to follow Justin," Anne Maria confessed. "A girl just wants to live."

Confessional Ends

"With that hiding spot, you're making yourself an easy target for the monster," Eva told Geoff as she met up with him behind the surfboard.

"I was going to bury myself in the sand, but I decided against it," Geoff said as he got away from the surfboard and started running with Eva. "Sand sticks to you like hot glue, even if it's less likely to burn you."

Confessional: Eva

"Geoff is still the same fun-loving and jovial guy from the first season," Eva told the camera with a smile, "and I'm not gonna complain about that at all. He went from obnoxious to bearable in my book, and there's only so many people I can tolerate in my life."

Confessional: Geoff

"I'm glad to have Eva as part of my friend group," Geoff spoke next. "She's different from my other friends given that she's nowhere near as chill and stress free, but friends come in different shapes and sizes."

Confessionals End

The footage skipped ahead to show Jasmine, Brick, and MK next to each other as they ran into a city set filled with storefronts and other buildings.

"This challenge is pretty easy with no explosions, burning buildings, or even bears," Jasmine told the two behind her.

"I guess it's not in the budget," Brick chuckled.

The sound of a sudden fire being lit caught their attention, and the camera cut to a house exploding, another burning to a crisp, and the now-seared bear that had been inside it roaring and charging at them.

As the trio ran screaming from the bear, the shot pulled out and transitioned to the feed on a television screen, the host laughing just out of sight. "I thought the bear was tranquilized and returned to its handler," Chris asked Chef, who was still in the motion-capture suit.

"Had one day left on its contract," Chef explained.

"Nice!" Chris said with a smile.

The footage cut to Sky and Trent as a mechanical footstep shook them to a halt. "Oh no," Sky said with a nervous explosion, "it's the monster!" As soon as they turned around, the animatronic beast grabbed them with one hand.

"This was a disappointing capture, but we're still together," Trent said from the monster's hand as it carried its two captives through the air.

The hand finally stopped and released them, Sky looking at Trent and smiling. "I love you!" she exclaimed.

"I love you too!" Trent delivered back as he and Sky were shown landing in the bouncy castle, the shadow of Izzy visible in the center window. After a second bounce, the couple stayed inside the castle.

The focus moved to Chase and Millie running at the beach set. "We've ruled out umbrellas as hiding spots, so it's best we just do what the others are doing and take our chances in the city!" Millie said.

"I can outrun the others in my sleep!" Chase bragged. "I'm part of the track team back home, and running from a monster is just like running from three rabid dogs."

"Those dogs wouldn't have ran after you if you didn't take their dog houses for a prank," Millie added.

A sudden roar in front of them knocked both contestants deep into the sand, body shapes of them making holes. The monster's hand grabbed the couple out of the sand and started to carry them.

"If you're gonna drop me," Chase told the monster, "make sure I don't land on my face!"

They were then dropped into the castle. "The monster didn't listen to you sadly," Millie told Chase on the bounce back up.

Brick and Jasmine were shown running through the beach, only to turn around from the monster's tail as it slammed down onto the sand and ran away from it.

Justin, who was also running through the beach, oversaw Jasmine and Brick running the opposite direction, though he paid them no mind and carried on until he was then swiped by the monster's hand.

The monster proceeded to carry Justin through the city, and after bringing the eye candy close to its large red eye, the contestant greeted it with a wave and a "Yo!".

The monster's pupil grew wide as the scene cut to Chris and an admiring Chef in the control tent, a trio of monitors showing the captured boy from in front, behind, and up close. "What can I say? Kid's hot," the cook said to the host.

Confessional: Justin

"I'm not just another gorgeous face, and abs, and butt, and shoulders, okay?" Justin said proudly. "I'm also a master strategist. And this year, I'm in it," he places his feet on the table and smirks at the camera, "to win it."

Confessional Ends

Justin was shown being lowered gently into the castle by the giant animatronic hand, and after giving a thumbs up to the monster, the model noticed that everyone that's been captured before him were gazing at him admiringly.

"What are you all staring at?" Justin asked.

"You," they responded in unison.

"Oh. Right," Justin smiled.

The camera flashed to Scott running through the downtown street set. The monster roared and he held his bandana to keep it from flying off and ran off-screen.

MK peeked out from a nearby bush. "If you're going to take someone, have it be him, not me!" The monster grabbed her, then grabbed Scott.

"Really?" Scott shot a look at his fellow captive while they were being taken to the castle.

"It was worth a try," MK defended herself.

They were then dropped into the bounce house, though Scott was missing his bandana, exposing the S.U.C.K.E.R. on his forehead. "Hey!" Scott yelled up. "Give me my bandana back!" The bandana landed next to him and he put it on. "Much appreciated!"

The scene cut to Ripper, Anne Maria, Jasmine, and Brick running down the streets, all four screaming as the monster stomped along close behind them. It caught up to them at an intersection, and they all were stricken with fear.

"Everyone follow me!" Jasmine took charge of the situation.

Confessional: Jasmine

"I had to take control of the situation," Jasmine told the confessional camera. "I don't even want to know what that monster could even do to the lot of us."

Confessional Ends

Jasmine led them towards one of the storefronts and quickly opened the door. Unfortunately, it was another facade leading to nowhere – there was a noticeboard and water cooler on the opposite side of the wall, and what appeared to be an alarm of some sort above the door.

"This isn't a real building?" Jasmine said in disappointment as she realized where she'd led them.

Confessional: Jasmine

"How was I to know that everything around here was fake?" Jasmine continued in the confessional.

Confessional Ends

A roar from the monster alerted all four of the castmates before they all were scooped up into the monster's claws. "Thanks for getting us all captured, Long Legs," Ripper said dryly as he and the others were taken away.

"Everyone tuck yourselves!" Brick said as the four fell into the castle, the cadet holding his legs towards his body even after bouncing.

The scene cut back to the building, showing Eva and Geoff sticking their heads out from behind a cardboard cutout of a small red car.

"Looks like it's down to the two of us," Eva told her companion.

"Seems that way," Geoff said. "Now let's go find another hiding spot."

Before they could move, a large claw tapped Eva on the shoulder. She and Geoff turned around, and the camera shifted to show the monster crouching down behind them. Its face was shown for the first time, with fin-like crests on the top and either side; a nose that was little more than a pair of vertical slits, and a mouth full of sharp yellowed teeth.

The monster roared, and the duo were shown ducking back into the cutout as the hand of the monster reached out for them.

(Commercial Break)

Eva was shown to be crouching in order to avoid the monster, and after a few seconds, she stepped out from behind the prop to find no sight of Geoff. "Seems the monster forgot to take me alongside Geoff," she mused to herself. "All I have to do now is find the trailers." She ran out of the facade and stopped in her tracks. "Where are they anyway?"

The bodybuilder ran through the sidewalk before the shadow of the monster fell on her. "Not you again!!" she grunted and turned around, but the monster caught up quickly, and grabbed Eva in one hand. However, something unusual happened when it went to lift her up – a surge of electricity ran along its arm, and it froze in place.

Confessional: Eva

"I have two reasons as to why the monster couldn't pick me up," Eva said in the confessional. "Either I'm too heavy and body built for the monster to pick up or lifting so many people had an after effect on their ability to lift." She scratched her unibrow as she was thinking. "It's obviously the second one. My weight is much less than four people combined."

Confessional Ends

"Come on," Chef grunted in the control tent as he tried to lift the arm corresponding to the one Eva had been caught by. "Come on!" Another stream of electricity surged up his body, and the scene cut back to the girl in the animatronic monster's grip. The mechanical arm shorted out again and the claw opened, dropping the last castmate to the ground.

"I knew that monster would shorten out eventually!" Eva said in victory. "Looks like I won!"

"Not yet," Chris interrupted, walking up to the unibrow girl with a grin on his face. "Eva, you still have to find the trailers."

"Ugh! You just had to remind me!" Eva moaned grumpily and started to walk away from the host.

The footage skipped ahead to show Eva approaching the bouncy castle from the left. She seemed to be breathing heavily, and she slowed down as she walked past the inflatable prison, unaware that she was being watched.

"It's about time you arrived!" Scott shouted through the dark window. "We've been waiting for like an hour!"

"Don't listen to this bozo!" Anne Maria said. "You did alright!"

"I appreciate it," Eva replied as she stood by the corner of the castle and wiped the sweat off her face. "That was the longest three blocks I've ever run."

"Now that you're here," Millie said, "can you help us get out of this castle?"

"Sure thing," Eva shrugged and round kicked the corner of the castle and it quickly began to deflate, with everyone still inside it.

"How'd you master that roundhouse kick, Eva?" Ripper asked as he and Izzy got out of the plastic and walked up to Eva, the other castmates struggling to get free.

"It's a natural gift of mine ever since I was born," Eva explained. "Even before I started to build my body up."

"You've had that move all this time and you never told me?!" Izzy pouted at first, but smiled again. "Letdown!"

Confessional: Izzy

"Waiting inside the bounce house was fun at first, but once more people started filing in, I couldn't perform any of my magnificent flips that I usually do in my bed anymore," Izzy talked to the viewers while playing with a strand of her hair. "Luckily, I managed to have faith that somebody would rescue us eventually."

Confessional Ends

"Whoa," Chris said as he opened the door of the nearest trailer and looked around. "That was much shorter than I expected. Also," he added after walking over to the collapsed castle to reveal that the teens had already gotten out safely, "it looks like you all made it! Guess I lose the bet."

The camera panned across the campers as the host continued to speak – Izzy, Ripper, Eva, Justin, Jasmine, Brick, Millie, Trent, MK, Scott, Anne Maria, Geoff, Sky, and Chase.

"That was just a warm-up," Chris told them. "Good news is, your next challenge is a reward!" The sounds of cheering teens filled the air. "It will be the boys against the girls," the host continued, "with the winner getting first pick of the trailers, where you'll be living for the next forty-two days!"

It was then that the foot of the monster came crashing down on the trailer furthest away from the group, prompting a gasp from the contestants and a wince from Chris. "Looks like Chef's got the monster working again," he said quickly, resuming his grin. "Continuing where I left off, you will have your choice of Trailer A," he looked at the trailer he was standing in front of, "or Trailer...Beeesh...," he looked at the one that had just been crushed.

"Off to the craft services tent!" Chris said after recovering quickly.

Confessional: Chase

"Sleeping outdoors is something that I normally do not do unless it's a dare," Chase told the confessional camera. "Why would you want to get away from your air conditioned room just to spend the night with some trees?"

Confessional Ends

The footage focused on the craft services tent before cutting inside and panning across a buffet table loaded with all sorts of picturesque food.

"Wow," Anne Maria gushed as she and a few of the other castmates were shown in admiration along with Chef Hatchet. "This is a really banging meal."

"Dude," Geoff added. "This chow looks like something out of a commercial!"

"That makes sense," Chris told them with a broad grin, "considering that all of this food is fake." The camera lingered on his close-up as groans and whines were heard from the castmates. "It's just a bunch of props made from foam core, silicone, sawdust, and wax," he explained as the camera panned over to Chef, standing in front of a few bags and boxes of supplies, holding a saw and a jar of what looked like paste.

"Your challenge," Chris explained as the focus snapped back to him, "is to find the key hidden somewhere in this fake buffet. Boys get one side of the table," he continued as the teens filed into the positions he put them in, "girls get the other. Whoever wins gets to pick their team's trailer."

The footage cut away from Chris's close-up to show the fourteen campers all lined up, the guys on the left side and the girls on the right. "Ready…set…devour!" Chris said enthusiastically.

At his word, a wordless rock tune reminiscent of the song used for the original food-based challenge in the previous season began, and the table became a flurry of movement as fake food was grabbed and ripped apart. The camera panned across the the guys from left to right, showing Brick rip open a pie, Scott staring at a pineapple, Ripper lifting a steak up, Geoff looking through some sandwiches, Trent looking at the food observantly, Justin feeling disgusted at the bits of fake food flying around, and Chase putting his hands in a large prop cake.

The perspective switched to the other side of the table, and the camera panned back to the right across the faces of the girls, also hard at work. Anne Maria dumped out a bowl of salad, Jasmine looked back and forth across the table, Millie pulled apart a pile of fake sticky buns, Sky held up a pitcher of ice water uncertainly, MK shoved her left arm up to the elbow into a fake roast turkey, Eva squeezed the continents of some fake mashed potatoes out, and Izzy started scooping out a prop watermelon with her hand.

"How long will it take those rodents to find the key?" Chef whispered impatiently as he and Chris were shown again.

"Just give them a few minutes," Chris replied.

The camera cut to Geoff at his last sandwich, and after deciding to take out one of the slices and the ham, he smiled brightly at what he saw.

"I found the key!" he announced, making Chris and Chef raise their eyebrows in surprise. The camera cut back to Geoff, who was holding the key above his head and receiving surprised looks from those around him.

Confessional: Geoff

"I wasn't even expecting that key to be inside of a sandwich but it looks like us guys got lucky," Geoff explained with a smile in the confessional trailer. "Booyah!"

Confessional: Sky

"The food looked so real, but it's a good thing we were warned about what it was really made of or we would've had stomach problems," Sky said.

Confessional: Chase

"Way to find the key, Geoff!" Chase cheered as he began his confessional. "There were lots of places it could have been in, but a sandwich? Didn't see that coming."

Confessional: Scott

"I do feel a little bit bad for the girls given that they're going to be stuck with a messed up trailer," Scott said next, "but it's a blessing that the boys won this round and will be sleeping more comfortably."

Confessional: Anne Maria

"That boy isn't all that bright, but if he was able to make it to the final two last season and win the better-looking trailer, I gotta give him some appreciation," Anne Maria considered.

Confessionals End

"And with that," Chris started to say, "Geoff is the winner!" The boys began to cheer and Trent gave Geoff a celebratory high-five.

"In your faces," Ripper gloated. "Enjoy that flattened trailer, girls!"

The seven girls frowned at the prospect. "You're not really going to make us sleep in there, are you?" Millie asked worryingly.

Chris chuckled. "That's up to Geoff, not me," he answered. "He found the key, so he decides who gets which trailer," the host finished with a smile.

The scene cut to the cast standing in front of the trailers, the one on the right still flattened. Geoff was in the middle, the boys stood to his right, and the girls were to his left.

"I'm going to choose…" Geoff said as he looked from one trailer to the other, then to the girls, "Trailer A." He pointed to his choice before continuing. "Sorry girls, but even I know that sleeping in a smushed trailer isn't groovy."

The guys cheered again, but their celebration rapidly turned to disappointment when the monster's foot suddenly stomped down on their own trailer, crushing it just as much as the girls'.

Chris chuckled as he watched the scene in the control tent, Chef Hatchet beside him in the motion capture suit with a foot in the air and a grin on his face.

Confessional: Izzy

Izzy laughed inside the trailer. "That monster sure has a mean stomp!"

Confessional Ends

It was now night, and Chef was shown hammering away on top of a rebuilt trailer. "Okay everyone," Chris announced as the camera zoomed out to show him driving past the guys in the main tram cart, "get a good night's sleep because you've got a seriously early wake-up call." He crossed over to the girls standing outside their own rebuilt trailer, saying "Call time is 6 a.m.! Sleep quickly!" before driving off.

The camera cut to the inside of the girls' trailer, a set of bunk beds visible on the left edge of the screen with a sink, cabinets, and sofa further right; the seven girls were standing in the middle of the shot. Both the sheets on the beds and the other seats were colored a dark orange.

"I call top bunk," Izzy said as she moved to the left.

"I got bottom," Eva followed behind.

"I'll take this one," Millie pointed to the bottom bunk nearest to them. "Do you want the bottom?" she asked Sky.

"Of course," Sky nodded before the two walked over to their new beds.

"Are you going to be sleeping with us, Jas?" MK asked the Australian woman.

"I'm used to sleeping outdoors like last season," Jasmine said. "The beds are all yours."

MK shrugged as Jasmine turned and left. "I'll take the top bunk over here," she said, walking past Millie and Sky to an empty set of bunks in the corner, the roof having an emergency hatch.

"And with no other options, I'll take the bottom," Anne Maria said right behind her.

The scene cut back outside, the lights now out in the trailer as sounds of rest and relaxation came from within. Jasmine was shown as well, yawning as she walked around the trailer to the trees behind it. The camera then panned over to the boys' trailer, the lights still on inside.

"So there are eight bunks," Trent was heard saying just before the shot cut inside the boys' trailer, "and seven of us. We have to decide who's getting which bunk without getting into a fight."

As with the girls, the seven guys were standing in the middle of the room. The layout was nearly identical to the girls' trailer, save the use of green in place of orange. "I'm fine with sharing a bunk," Brick spoke up. "I shared a couple back in cadet training."

"Well I'm not!" Scott objected. "Besides, I know none of you would want to bunk with me."

"I'm with the bandana boy on this," Ripper said. "I like my space."

"I'm not used to sleeping with other people before I came to the show," Justin confessed.

"Thanks for your inputs," Brick said with uncertainty before turning to the other three boys. "Are the rest of you onboard with sharing?"

"Sure!" Geoff nodded his head. "I'll be on the bottom. Trent?"

"I'll be above you," Trent bumped fists with Geoff.

"I can be your bunk mate," Chase told Brick, "but only if I can sleep on the top."

"I accept your decision," Brick told him.

Geoff focused on the remaining guys. "As for you guys, I know how to settle who's crashing where. Justin, get out three of your make-up brushes, but make sure one of them is shorter."

"Sure thing," Justin said as he dug through his bag and took out what he was asked for.

"Thanks, man," Geoff told him. "You three will take out one brush, and the shortest one will bunk alone. Cool?"

Justin and Ripper nodded while Scott shrugged, and the three young men drew their brushes. The camera focused on their hands as they opened them together, revealing that Scott had drawn the shortest brush.

"Jackpot!!!" Scott said with a cocky smirk. "You two have to share a bunk."

Ripper groaned at the brush on his hand. "Fine, but I get bottom," he told Justin.

"That's okay with me," Justin accepted.

"Now that that's all settled, we better hit the hay before Chris wakes us up for a surprise challenge," Scott said before the camera rotated to show all eight beds and he walked past the other groups and claimed the bottom bunk in the front-right corner. Justin and Ripper took the front-left, Geoff and Trent took up the back-left, and Brick and Chase were on the back-right. As with the girls, their roof had an emergency hatch.

The camera cut back outside as the boys were heard getting to sleep, and Chris poked his head out from behind their trailer. He shushed the audience as the shot came in for a close-up. "They're sleeping!" He immediately took out a red megaphone-air horn combo and switched it on with a high-pitched whine.

"THIS IS YOUR 5 A.M. WAKE-UP CALL!" he yelled, startling the guys awake. He jumped out into the open and laughed a bit before adding in his normal voice "I'm only kidding. You can sleep...," he took his megaphone back out and pointed it at the girls' trailer, "for now!" The girls inside groaned and he sounded the horn, prompting a sudden, startled scream from the trees in the background, followed by a thud that made the host wince.

"That's a wrap on Day One," he said, turning to face the camera with a grin. "How will Jasmine fare now that she's back in civilization? What will tomorrow hold for Sky and Trent? Who knows what drama is in store for our cast? Well I do," he let his face fall into a scowl, "but I ain't tellin'." He smiled again. "See you next time, for another thrilling episode," he said as the camera started pulling out, "of Total! Drama! Ac-tion! McLean, out," he finished as the scene faded to black.

He laughed, and the animatronic monster roared. "Can someone please put a wrap on that monster?!" he exclaimed angrily.

(Roll the Credits)

(Bonus Clip)

"Last year, I wasn't really a contender," Justin told the camera in a relaxed position before getting serious. "But this year? This year will be different. I may be a pretty boy on the outside, but in here," he banged on his chest and flexed his arms, "there's a man filled with rage who's in this thing to win," he then slammed his fist on the table, "and mark my words, I will stop at nothing. So no one better stand in my way 'cause I will make sure they don't... uh, stand in my way for long! M'kay?" An arm gave the handsome boy a yellow mirror and he took it. "Ah. Perfection."

Boys: Brick, Chase, Geoff, Justin, Ripper, Scott, Trent

Girls: Anne Maria, Eva, Izzy, Jasmine, Millie, MK, Sky

Author's Note: And so our journey begins. Hope you enjoyed the cast so far, limited as it may be. We're also including bonus clips because we liked having them around.