AUTHOR'S NOTES

Episode 3: Under pressure problems

Summary: Tick-tock... tick-tock... who will be able to bust out the moves in a tank filled with vicious, bloodthirsty piranhas? There will be tears. There will be pain. There will be drama! And there will be reconciliation. Grab your harness and jump right in!

Notes: This is where the fun really begins. I kicked it up a notch with this episode in terms of creative decisions and it is one of my best written episodes IMO! There is a ton of drama and emotion to unpack.

Chapter 16: A trip for smelly fish

July 1 2024

11:30 pm

MK sat in bed leaning against her pillow propped up on her bedframe. She was wearing a half-amused and half-puzzled expression on her face. Emma and Priya had already gone to bed a few minutes prior but MK was in no mood to sleep. Not when she couldn't stop poring over the most important piece of paper of her life, the paper which would give her the million dollars she so desperately desired.

It was such a huge advantage she felt the producers should just hand her the money already. She had read and re-read everything on her trusty little sheet which listed all of the challenges for this season, albeit it was not in chronological order like Sally had warned her.

She had already crossed out 'escape a tower 100 m tall' and 'dodge the pink balloons' since those had been done already.

Bake 136 cupcakes, outlast everyone in the ice baths, archery, get back to the dock before the killer gets you…. Bake 136 cupcakes, outlast everyone in the ice baths, archery, get back to the dock before the killer gets you… and so on.

MK did her best to list every challenge but every time she reached the one that said 'Tiktok your way out of a piranha tank' she physically recoiled and tended to skip over that one the next time she consulted her list.

It sucks knowing which challenges we're getting but not knowing when they'll happen MK furiously told herself as her brow furrowed under her beanie. I can't prepare for archery today if we're baking cupcakes tomorrow and I can't do everything all at once. Besides, if anyone watches me preparing for future challenges which we're not supposed to know about, I could be suspected of cheating which I'm kind of doing. But I don't want them to know that.

Ever since they lost the previous challenge in which she could not prepare for, she was determined to do everything in her power to make sure she got any advantages from now on, no matter how small.

Just when MK was going over her list for the 4th time that night, desperately thinking of whether or not she should just text Sally for updates, she heard a loud noise outside. Even with heavy rainfall and thunder grumbling overhead, the BANG! followed by a couple of curse words could be heard clearly. MK drew back her curtains and peeked from the corner of her window.

Right away she saw two middle-aged men, one panting heavily on the ground. Evidently, this man had just fallen because he was clutching his knee in pain and next to him laid a rectangular box covered with a thick white sheet. This box appeared to be the source of the sound as it had just hit the cabin wall. Whatever it was, it must be quite heavy MK deduced.

The other man was carrying an identical box also covered in a white sheet and he was dragging it across the ground so that the corners were scraping against the soft earth. "STU! GET UP!" the man dragging the box barked. He also dropped his box on the ground and extended his arm to help the man who had fallen.

Stu, the fallen man, took the hand and used it to help him get back on his feet. "You could have woken them up!" the man growled. MK read a name tag Gary. Gary and Stu. They looked like interns to her. So what were they up to?...

"Shhh, relax they're fine! They should still be asleep…I hope," Stu muttered rubbing the back of his head. Stu had straw-like hair and a thin, pale face. Gary appeared to be a redder-faced version of Stu only his hair was crimson red and tied in a long ponytail. "Well, let's get going," Gary said. "Sooner we get this over with, the more relaxed I'll be."

BANG!

MK instantaneously ducked for cover but recovered quickly to peek back out through the window, just in time to catch something marvelous. Stu was once again on the ground but the box was now rattling and shaking like it was possessed. Almost as if… there was something violent inside of it and it wanted to get out. It was hungry. MK's eyes widened in excitement and lust. She had thought Stu and Gary freaked out over possibly waking up the campers but she was wrong. They were more worried about waking up whatever was in that box…

Stu screamed and grabbed Gary's ankle as a reflex. "GARY! This is crazy man! I don't get paid enough to deal with this!" Stu whimpered as he looked up into Gary's face, rain covering every inch of his panic-stricken face. "Anytime, our hands could be bitten off! Where do these even come from? They sure as heck ain't from around here!"

Gary wiggled Stu off of him with his feet and looked at him disgusted but equally as terrified. "Straight from the Caribbean. Most vicious of their kind. Chris ordered them two weeks ago. They've sent five interns to the hospital already, so now we have to do this… if it makes you feel better," Gary answered with a slight quiver in his voice although that may not have been due to fear of the creatures in the box but rather because Stu was grabbing onto his ankle once again and uncontrollably shaking.

Stu gave a whimper. "Seriously?" he whispered mortified. Stu, normally pale seemed to have become an even paler shade of chalk-white as he had now blanched in terror. MK watched wide-eyed and quickly scanned her notes. Finally, she had found it. It must be this one. There was no other possibility. The one she had always hated reading.

MK confessional: Most vicious of their kind huh? Let's see here… *scans notes*. That sounds like a candidate for…. TikToking our way out of a piranha tank… ugh… They're really trying to be trendy?! Whatever. I got no time to waste. I think I'll pay a little visit to Julia's closet. *laughs* But first, time to bag some good old fish. The smellier the better!

MK jumped off her bed and scrambled for the door. There was simply no time to waste. If she was correct and this Tiktok challenge was tomorrow, she had approximately 12 hours to sabotage the other team and gain the upper hand.

She was so elated at her first possible victory she tripped over absolutely nothing on her way to the door. "OW!" MK swore, stomping the floor in frustration. "Can you NOT ruin my plans?" She got her dark indigo raincoat so she would stand out less in the dark night sky and headed out.

She sprinted down the cabin steps, onto the grounds, past the marshmallow ceremonies and climbed up the pastures heading towards the kitchens. This distance was only approximately 200m yet she had to stop twice to catch her breath.

"I…hate…running," she complained as she leaned against a tree with a fork in it.

When MK reached the doors to the kitchens, she was about to turn the handle and barge in but at the very last moment she ceased and gasped. There was no mistaking those two silhouettes. Chris and Chef were in the kitchens at this very moment.

MK cursed. There was no other way to enter the kitchens except through this front door. A window would give her away unless she timed her entrance so that she could squeeze through the window when they had their backs turned to her. Too risky. The chimney was a definite no.

MK decided the best thing to do would be to wait them out. Surely they would leave within an hour or two and then she would have all the time in the world to pry open the door with her handy-dandy pickpocket skills, grab some smelly fish and make her way back to the Panthers' cabins.

MK rubbed her head as she took a peek. She could faintly hear Chris and Chef talking through the door so she figured the best way to kill this boring situation would be to eavesdrop on their conversation in case she picked up anything useful.

MK confessional: *shrugs* I highly doubt they would actually be talking about anything besides Chris, Chris, Chris. But oh well. I have nothing better to do.

MK pressed her left ear against the door and positioned her body in a way so that she could hear the conversation as best as she could while simultaneously keeping an eye on Chris and Chef's figures in case they came towards her. Unfortunately they were still angled in a way so that she could not sneak in.

"Piranhas?" Chef asked slightly concerned. "You crazy boy, don't you think that's a little too much?" He took a bite out of the Saskatoon pie he had just finished making, straight out of the oven. Chris cut out a slice and began to help himself to some pie, taking his sweet time before glaring at the hard wooden table confused.

"Relax," Chris replied through a mouthful of pie. "Iz naw like we avent bwot piwanas before." Chris swallowed and dabbled at his mouth with a napkin in a classically pretentious-English gentleman manner. "Besides, we've taken extra measures to make sure this challenge is safe. Fantastic pie by the way, you've outdone yourself Chef!"

"I think that deserves a little pay raise eh?" Chef chuckled, helping himself to some more pie, not even using a knife to break off a slice but instead his meaty army-trained hands.

"Isn't it hot?" Chris asked, impressed.

"Ain't nothing these hands can't handle!" Chef responded, wiggling his fingers proudly. "Get it from my grandma."

MK gave a heavy sigh. Nothing useful so far. Just a brief mention about piranhas which she already knew about. How much longer could she take this? She checked the clock on the wall. Although she couldn't read the numbers exactly, she could make out the hands which showed 11:45.

A few more dull minutes passed as Chris and Chef continued to eat their pie. MK's eyes were becoming very drowsy and she was not paying to the conversation as intensely as before although she briefly heard "Vietnam" and "25 of us went into the jungle that night. Only 5 came back out."

Finally, a clatter of forks and they appeared to be finished with their late night snack. But the night's surprises were not over just yet. MK began to stand up before Chris burst out once again. "Ahh!" Chris wiped his mouth. "What do you say we go for one more round?"

"Amen brotha," Chef fist-bumped Chris.

Seriously? How much pie are they going to eat, ANIMALS, absolute ANIMALS MK thought bitterly. Her emotions went from resentment to panic real fast as she realized Chef was walking closer to her.

MK slipped underneath a bush next to her and watched fearfully. Had Chef seen her hiding spot? Or was he just going to get more flour from the cabinets? The answer was neither. Chef reached into a cupboard and took out a tripod? And a ring light?

MK's shoulders which had previously been tensed now relaxed. She took another peek. Chef appeared to be setting up a filming booth. The tables had been cleared and now there was a tripod which mounted a phone as well as a ring light to provide a source of light on the main subject… Chris.

"What the New Jersey are they doing?" MK asked stunned.

"And ACTION!" Chef directed signalling the starting of their recording with a wave of his hand. Chris cleared his throat loudly. "Alright everyone, today I will be showing you a simple stir fry recipe you can try at home!" Chris boomed a little too aggressively so that Chef had to usher him to lower his voice. "Don't forget to buy the Mclean white rice brand for extra flavour."

"You doing too much Chris man, it's just white rice. That extra flavour is probably just yo dandruff," Chef wheezed behind the camera.

"CUT!" Chris ordered, irritated. "CHEF! Take this SERIOUSLY! Or else nobody else will! I really think we can make it big with this video. Maybe we'll finally hit 10 followers. Good thing nobody knows about our alt account being a complete failure. We've been stuck at 9 followers for 2 weeks! 2 weeks! Julia and Nichelle get 9 followers every 10 seconds. Like… our people not interested in my stir fry recipes?" Chris threw his hands up in a very defeated manner but quickly recovered. "Sooo anyways… record me cutting the meat off this bone now. We're gonna add some protein!"

Chef rolled his eyes and began the recording once more.

"So you wrap it around and just CUT like this. OW! CUT!" Chris jumped up and down shaking his finger which had just received a minor cut along his pinky. "OK, maybe we should just go to bed. Try this tomorrow night," he said, looking down glumly at his cooking atrocity.

MK smirked. "I couldn't agree more Chris," she said devilishly rubbing her hands together. It was go time. Soon she would have the entire kitchen to herself. MK dived into the bush as the doors opened. Chris and Chef stepped out in their raincoats, each holding a flashlight.

Chef locked the door behind him and the two set off for their beds.

Once the back view of their heads had disappeared, MK sprang out and began working on the door. It was opened within the next 25 seconds.

"20.5 seconds. Not bad. A new personal record," MK gloated. "Probably could've gotten it to 15 seconds if my hands weren't so wet and slippery but…whatever."

MK decided to keep the kitchen lights off in case anybody was passing by. Instead, she took a flashlight next to the entrance and started searching the kitchen for fish. She began with the fridge. A quick scan made her realize there was no fish to be found here. The cupboards lining the walls only seemed to have kitchen utensils and cake mix so she made her way to the burners at the back where Chef usually made his awful, much-too-burnt pancakes. And there it was. A door leading to –

"The freezer," MK said in awe. "Of course. But… why are there fist marks on it?" she wondered, staring in awe at the deep, vicious marks on the door… almost as if somebody had punched it in frustration. She turned the handle and a whoosh of icy air enshrouded her.

MK coughed and began to shiver. Even with the raincoat it was still extremely chilly and offered little protection against the icy blasts she was receiving. She tiptoed around and finally found what she was looking for: 3 oily, rotten-looking pieces of Mahi-mahi hanging on the wall by rusty nails.

"I don't think these are edible," MK said nervously, pinching her nose. She shrugged. "Even BETTER!" Her fists shook with glee at the thought of what she was going to do and how she was going to screw Julia for today's challenge now that she had what she needed.

Her hands trembled as she placed the fish into a paper bag. MK walked out of the freezer with the bag slung over her shoulder. It was now 12:35. She had to get back quickly to continue the next phase of her plan. MK took a peek both directions before closing the main door and leaving the cabin for good.

When MK made her way back to the teams' cabins she fumbled for her bobby pin to pick at the Panthers' door but she stopped. There was no need for any of that. Not when the door was staring at her wide-open waiting for her to enter.

"What kind of idiot didn't close the door?" MK laughed, too shocked at what she had just witnessed. How could an open door just be waiting for her like this? What were the chances? MK skipped joyfully through the door and looked for the closet. It was a little trickier than expected. MK did not want to turn on the flashlight in case she woke the others up. Although… they must've all been in deep sleep because they were sleeping just fine despite an open door with thunder and rain booming outside. But still... She did not want to risk anything.

MK narrowed her eyes until they were almost insect-like, using the blue moonlight dropping from the windows to assist her in locating the closet handle. Finally she found it. A twist and a turn and her jaw dropped to the floor. Instantly, she knew she had found Julia's closet.

If she had to guess, Julia probably had a whole closet to herself while the other three girls shared the other closet. Staring back at MK was piles of Mandy Belleville dresses, crop-tops, oversized shirts, ripped jeans, what must've been at least a dozen jean short-shorts each a different colour, gym sets, leggings, popcorn socks? and cardigans.

"How many clothes did this girl bring? Bet they were all bought with Daddy's credit card," MK fiercely said through gritted teeth. She had always wanted to have clothes like these but where she came from, these would be considered a luxury.

"Anyways. Swimsuit, swimsuit. AH HA!"

MK confessional: Pro tip. If you don't know which swimsuit to slobber with disgusting fish, do all of them. *rubs hands hungrily*

MK grabbed the fish by the tail and whacked it all over Julia's swimsuits repeatedly, each hit being more personal than the last. The memory of Julia staring her down victoriously last season when she was eliminated was still fresh in her mind. The way Julia's eyes had bulged viciously as she said, "Oh wait… No it's NOT!" still haunted MK to this day. How Julia had weaseled out of that elimination still made MK furious.

Finally, after five minutes of intense swimsuit beating, MK carelessly sprayed some last-minute cologne on the swimsuits to mask the fish smell. Hopefully, Julia would not smell her bathing suit too carefully.

MK panted as she laid down on the hard wooden floor. She had done it. She laughed maniacally inside of her head but it could not be contained. MK laughed uncontrollably using the roaring thunder outside to mask the insane noise coming out of her.

You messed with me last season so I'll make your life a living hell she thought to herself triumphantly.

She lay in this pose for a few more minutes, buried in happy thoughts of seeing Julia being eaten by piranhas before getting up, closing the closet door, exiting the cabins and walking to the beach to throw out the fish back to the ocean. She couldn't bring them back to the kitchens to be cooked now that she had the opportunity to set them free.

Finally, at 1:00 she made her way back to the showers to wash the smell of fish off of her and by 1:30 she was back in her own cabin.

MK opened the door and did not think twice. She took off her raincoat and crashed into her bed. Unluckily for her, she had been seen by two people who sat frozen in fear.

Priya had her hand over Millie's mouth, both of them looked at each other, appalled at why MK came back at these hours.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

If you recall the MIPCOM flyer which released in late 2022, there was a Tiktok challenge originally proposed. Terry McGurrin later confirmed that this was scrapped. I wanted to challenge myself by making this cringey-sounding idea work somehow and I think I was able to do it.