Dunsparce519 (ch. 20): Thank you.
Dunsparce519 (ch. 21): Nobody else had a reason to come back. Rest assured, MK will be punished for Jasmine.
acosta perez jose ramiro: It was.
Boys: Ripper, Topher
Girls: Anne Maria, MK
Episode 24: Top Dog
"Last time on Total Drama Action. Some surprise packages from home stirred up all kinds of emotions in the cast. Then they got a taste of life in zero-gravity conditions."
"But all was not well in the universe as they all had to be splattered with each other's barf."
"In the end, MK won the challenge, but lost her cover. Topher won Anne Maria's with his correct suspicions about MK, but lost his chance to ax her. And Brick? He didn't win anything except a limo ride out of the competition, but he did manage to get everybody gunning for MK."
"Will MK manage to avoid the Lame-o-sine yet again? Will Ripper let the guilt of hating Izzy get the best of him? All this and more, on today's out-of-this world episode of Total! Drama! Action!"
(Theme Song)
The episode opened on a shot of the morning sun before panning down to the cast trailers. The camera centered on the girls', then cut inside as MK woke up with a yawn and a stretch of her arms. Sitting up in her bunk, she turned her eyes to the side.
They immediately widened as the camera moved to get all four pairs of beds in the shot – revealing Anne Maria sitting on the top bunk across from MK. "About time you woke up," she told the techno girl in a harsh tone.
"Were you watching me all night?" MK asked immediately as her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Maybe I did and maybe I didn't," Anne Maria answered.
"What's your deal with invading my privacy?" MK scowled.
"I know you have a device under your blanket, MK," Anne Maria said. "And don't even try to fool me. I saw it fall out of your blanket, and Brick told the boys that you're no good. So help me, tell me what that device is for!" she finished threateningly.
MK kept her scowl, but pulled out the remote control. "Have it your way. It's a remote control, and I used it to tamper with the votes in order to ensure that Izzy leaves the game."
Anne Maria let out a gasp. "So you cheated your way through the season with that thing?!"
"I only had to use this thing once, but I kept it in case I had to change the votes in my favor," MK said. "And just to confirm, I'm also behind a couple of the eliminations and I even listened in on some confessionals just to know who leaves that episode."
"How could you do all of this?!" Anne Maria confronted.
"It's simple, Anne Maria," MK sniffed. "I wanted to win, and I did what I had to. And now that we're nearing the finale, I'm going all out."
"Good luck doing that now that everybody knows what you did!" Anne Maria scoffed.
"I don't need your luck," MK rolled her eyes. "I only need immunity, and I can definitely whip that up in the next challenge!"
Confessional: MK
"Thanks to Brick, I can't slip into the final two undetected, so rather than using my brains, I'll have to use my brawn, which is something that I lack in a bit," MK grumbled. "I'm leaving beauty out because I'm not some one-dimensional brainless flirt!"
Confessional: Anne Maria
"Do I hate MK for her attitude?" Anne Maria told the camera. "Yes. But I also hate her for her stunts behind the scenes. I'm no angel, but I do play fair. I can't believe that I chose to ignore voting for her previously just because I thought she wasn't a threat!"
Confessionals End
Just then, the trailer door burst open. The culprit was none other than Chris himself, who promptly and joyfully blew a few notes on a bugle into the room. "Wake up, sleepyheads!" he announced with glee.
"We're already up," MK told him angrily.
Chris blinked, then grinned. "Anywho, breakfast is served! Along with today's movie challenge. You've got ten minutes to get your sorry butts down there!" He promptly backed out of the room.
The scene flashed over to the craft services tent. "Wow Chef!" Topher said in awe as the camera cut to a close-up of his plate as Chef ladled a portion of something that was pale yellow, lumpy, and slightly hairy onto it. "These scrambled eggs actually look edible!"
Chef looked at the fanboy, then burst out into raucous laughter. "Scrambled eggs," he repeated before resuming his laughter and even falling over so that only his feet and legs stuck up above the serving counter.
"Okay then," Topher shot his food a worried look and walked away.
He walked past MK, who was sitting at the table closest to the counter, eyeing her food and not eating. "Don't care for today's breakfast?" Topher asked the techno girl smugly.
"Cram it!" MK briefly glanced at him, then back at her food with annoyance.
Confessional: Topher
"MK knows fully well that she's dog meat," Topher told the confessional. "It doesn't matter if she tries to manipulate us or overhear our confessionals. Our votes will still be for her."
Confessional Ends
The scene cut to Ripper approaching the serving counter, only to look confused at the lack of Chef. Soon, the cook lifted his arm up and dropped a ladle of not-eggs onto his tray.
"Eggs," Ripper said as he looked at his plate. "You should've added bacon to this." Chef broke out laughing again behind the counter, causing Ripper to pause mid-step and give him a confused look over his shoulder. Chef managed to sit back up and wipe a tear out of his eye, and the bully walked off while shaking his head.
He sat down next to Topher and Anne Maria. "What's up, Final Three?" Ripper said.
"Final Three?" Topher raised an eyebrow. "This is the Final Four."
"Yeah," Ripper agreed, "but we all know who's getting the boot tonight."
"Starts with an 'M' and ends with a 'K'," Anne Maria said. "Topher, I owe you an apology for not wanting to vote for MK earlier."
"Seriously?" Topher grew curious.
"Yeah, I figured out that MK rigged the votes today and combined that with what Brick told us before he left," Anne Maria admitted. "I was just too focused on gettin' rid of this guy," she shot a look at Ripper.
"Hey," Ripper said in offense. "I'm rough, not a fool."
"I get it," Topher said. "And I accept your apology. Now we just have to focus on getting rid of MK for good."
"Attention, cast!" the sudden voice of Chris said, the camera cutting to him standing on the other side of the tent with a blue-and-yellow macaw perched on his shoulder. It squawked as the four contestants walked up.
"What is that thing?" Topher asked.
"That's my new BFFF!" Chris explained with a grin. "Best Flying Friend Forever. That brings us to today's movie genre: the Animal Buddy flick."
The four teens gave him skeptical looks.
Confessional: Chris
"You try coming up with twenty-two movie genres," Chris said in the confessional. "It was either Animal Buddy, or 'Guy in a Coma' movies."
Confessional Ends
"The hallmark of any good animal buddy flick is the human-animal bonding," Chris explained as his macaw watched his keenly. "First, the human and the animal start out as enemies. Then, through many misadventures, the animal and human grow to care about each other," the camera zoomed in on the macaw as it seemed to be touched by the host's words, "and become fast friends."
The parrot rubbed Chris' chin affectionately with its head, and the host responded by extending a finger to rub the bird. However, the macaw decided to playfully chomp on the finger and squawked laughingly as the human winced in pain.
"You guys...just hang tight for a sec, kay?" Chris told the cast with a very unhappy look on his face. He walked off camera, and the castmates watched in mild horror as he beat up his alleged friend. Feathers flew, squawks were heard, and the host even grunted something like "Let go of my coif!"
He walked back into view moments later, brushing the feathers off his shoulder but ignoring the ones in his now-ruffled hair. "So...where were we...?" he asked idly before smiling in realization. "Right! The first Animal Buddy movie challenge will be to pick an animal and teach it to be just like you," he explained as the camera panned across the wary faces of Anne Maria, Topher, Ripper, and MK. "That shouldn't be hard, since you're all animals." He leaned forward with a delighted and expectant grin on his face as a rimshot played, but none of the cast were amused.
Chris quickly resumed his usual demeanor and exposition. "The cast member whose animal most resembles them at the end, wins the challenge." The contestants were shown again, and Topher in particular was looking pleased.
Confessional: Topher
"I'm great with animals," Topher bragged. "Though that may be because I've only had one pet, which is my cat, Topher Jr." He then turned sad. "Now that I mention it, I'm starting to miss being away from him, even if he does litter all around my room."
Confessional Ends
The footage resumed at a shot of the contestants outside. "Alright cast," Chris announced, "time to meet your future BFFFFFs!" Something large and covered in an orange tarp was stationed between him and Chef. "Best Furry, Feathered, or Finned Friends, Forever!" he explained further, earning an eye roll from the cook as he pulled away the tarp.
The four teens gasped as the four cages were uncovered. The camera focused on each animal one-by-one. First was a lion that roared at the cast, then a smaller cage holding a rather agitated looking dog, then an even smaller cage holding an eagle that tried to flap its wings, and finally the smallest cage holding a rat.
"Pick an animal," Chris told the cast, "and get training. You have three hours."
"I call the rat!" MK said immediately, dashing forward towards the cage before either of the others could react. She knelt down beside it with a smirk, and it looked at her curiously.
Confessional: MK
"Of course I'm taking the rat," MK explained. "I need every advantage I can get at this point, and taking the least harmful animal would be easier."
Confessional Ends
The scene returned to Anne Maria and Ripper. "I think the eagle is the best option for me," the tanned girl said.
"And I'll take the lion," Ripper announced. "It likes to eat meat and attack prey just like me. We should get along fine." The lion nodded its head.
The camera cut to Topher. "Okay," he said as he headed to the dog cage. "I guess that leaves me with the dog."
It barked at him four times.
"Wait a minute," Topher said slowly. "Why does that bark sound so familiar, Chris?"
"One of your neighbors was kind enough to ship off one of their dalmatian dogs," Chris told him with a grin.
"Wait," Topher donned a look of concern. "You don't mean-"
"You can thank the Lavinias' for sending Spotty to us for this challenge," Chris chuckled.
Topher groaned in misery.
Confessional: Topher
"Spotty is the worst Lavinia dog," Topher complained. "She'd always chase me around if I accidentally step on her family's lawn and she likes to scare Topher Jr. with her barks. Bonding with her will be challenging if I want to make the Final Three."
Confessional Ends
"All right," Ripper said as the camera cut to him and the lion in the communal bathroom. "You're already mean and strong like me, so we need to focus on a skill that I'm pretty sure you don't have." The lion cocked its head. "I'm gonna teach you how to juggle. First," he held up some ping-pong balls, "we're gonna start with these balls."
The scene flashed to the space between the trailers. Anne Maria and the eagle were sitting at the picnic table. "If I want to win this challenge," she told it, "then I will need to teach you some moves."
The eagle squinted an eye in annoyance.
"I know you can fly, but I do know some banging moves that you can pull off if I train you," Anne Maria offered.
The eagle thought for a moment, then held its claw out for Anne Maria to shake it.
The camera panned over to show Topher staring down Spotty while she was in her cage. "Listen up, Spotty," he told her. "I know you don't like me, but do know that if you make me lose this challenge, I'll train my cat to attack you every time you're mean to him."
Spotty whimpered at the threat.
"Now that I've got power covered," Topher said, "it's time I teach you how to balance things."
The camera moved to the other picnic table where MK was watching her rat as it sniffed its tail.
"Can we get started anytime soon?" MK asked.
The rat looked up at her, then went back to its tail sniffing.
Confessional: MK
MK facepalmed heavily. "Maybe the rat was a bad idea."
Confessional Ends
A loud bark was heard and the rat glared in the general direction. "I get it. They're intolerable," MK spoke to her pet. Her face lit up in realization, then she smirked. "How about instead of training you, we can mess with the others?"
The rat nodded and walked off. "I'll take that as a yes," MK said before following her companion.
The camera panned back to Topher, who was staring Spotty down as he now held a plate of eggs. "If I let you out and you don't run off," he said, "I'll let you eat these eggs."
The dog barked and gave off a nod.
"Good," Topher said as he opened the cage. The dog immediately proceeded to bolt away, but not without taking the plate from Topher.
"Get back here!" the dirty blonde demanded as he chased after the dog.
MK and the rat walked into the shot. "Looks like there's nothing for us to do there," she told her animal.
The camera flashed back to the bathroom. Ripper was watching as the lion juggled six dodgeballs. The lion finished by allowing the balls to land on its right paw in a tall stack.
"Looking good," Ripper said and the lion smiled and dropped the dodgeballs. "Now let's take five and have a bathroom break before we wet ourselves with excitement."
As the lion and Ripper went into separate stalls, the camera panned right to show MK entering the bathroom with her rat and sneaking towards the balls on the floor. MK allowed the rat to use its fingernail in order to pop a tiny hole into each ball. Once their job was complete, the two snuck out grinning to each other.
Confessional: MK
"This challenge is so mine," MK bragged in the confessional. "Upgraded home technology and a luxurious house, here I come!"
Confessional Ends
The scene skipped ahead to Anne Maria kicking a leg as the eagle watched her. "Now, repeat that," she instructed.
Before the animal could, Topher's dog could be heard barking. Shortly after, Topher was heard yelling "Get back here and give back the eggs you don't deserve!"
Both Anne Maria and the eagle had to jump out of the way to avoid being trampled by the dog and Topher and when they left the shot, the eagle scowled and made a gesture with their wing that was censored.
"That was a pose I did not instruct you to do," Anne Maria chided, and the eagle smiled sheepishly.
Confessional: Anne Maria
"I want to win the money so I can start a hairspray company," Anne Maria confessed. "I'm still pondering on the name though."
Confessional Ends
A flash took the scene to a stock shot of the film lot before another cut took it to Chris and Chef sitting at a judge's table, the contestants and their animal buddies waiting around in front of it. "Alright cast," Chris announced, "time to judge the animal buddies."
"What happened to your eggs?" Ripper asked Topher.
"Ask Spotty," Topher replied while pointing to the dog next to him.
"Topher!" Chris called, earning the attention of the fanboy and his partner. "You and your dog are up first!"
"About that," Topher started. "I didn't really get to teach her much of anything. Spotty was-" the dog suddenly started coughing. "Uh, Spotty?"
Spotty spat out the scrambled eggs from earlier up into the sky and began to stand on one leg while balancing the eggs on her hind legs, nose, and head.
"So you hid the eggs inside your mouth this whole time?" Topher asked.
Spotty responded with her usual bark and swallowed the eggs again.
"You know you could've saved me all that chasing you," Topher remarked.
Chris and Chef looked at each other and held up two signs with numbers on it. "Seven!" Chris announced with a smile.
Topher gave a surprised look that turned into a pleased smirk.
"Alright eagle," Chris said next, "give us your best Anne Maria impression."
"Show 'em what you got," Anne Maria encouraged her pet.
The eagle flew onto the judges' table, brushed its head with its wing, kicked both legs up, did a spinning move, and flew back away.
The two judges gave Anne Maria a five and she slumped over in disappointment.
Next, MK was shown frowning at the judges, then snapped her fingers in an instant. The rat, who was on her shoulder, sprung forward towards the table, snatched the cups of water on the table and sprung back onto MK's shoulder.
"Me and the rat actually have a lot in common!" MK quipped. "Snatchin' and grabbin' is how we roll!"
Chris smiled and gave them an eight, making MK grin at her opponents smugly.
"Ripper," Chris told the remaining contestant. "Time to see what your lion's cooked up."
The lion stepped up, and after Ripper tossed the dodgeballs to the animal, it began its juggling act. The lion was doing well and was feeling proud until he saw the balls losing air thanks to the holes pierced into them.
"That doesn't look good," Ripper gulped.
Much to his and everybody's surprise, the lion sped up his juggling despite the pierced balls. One by one, he hurled them into the air, lifted his paw up, and allowed for the dodgeballs to lay on it in a stacked position.
"The deflating dodgeballs are something I didn't see coming," Chris critiqued. "But unless it wasn't part of the act, I'll give it a ten."
"Trust me. It was all planned," Ripper ribbed, then shared a fist bump with the lion while MK rolled her eyes.
Confessional: MK
"Ripper may be a lot of things, but he's surprisingly a good lion tamer," MK mused.
Confessional: Ripper
"Obviously I don't know how the dodgeballs deflated, but I earned ten points, and I'd have to be dumb to tell the truth," Ripper snorted.
Confessionals End
"And with that, the points have been tallied," Chris announced. "The winner of the first challenge is Ripper!"
"Finally I won a challenge again!" Ripper cheered.
"And yet, you're still a loser," Chris commented jokingly before turning to look at the camera. "And we'll be right back," he said with a wink.
(Commercial Break)
The scene faded back in to a shot of a dirt road running through some unidentified forest just as a bus pulled up. Its door opened with a hiss, and Chris stepped off. "Here we are gang! Don't you just loooove field trips?"
Following him off the bus were Anne Maria and the eagle, then Topher and Spotty, then Ripper who had to pull his lion through by the paw, and finally MK and the rat.
"The woods again?" Ripper asked.
"Your next challenge is to find your way back to the finish line at the film lot," Chris told them as an angled shot of some trees nearby was shown. "A ten mile hike through these woods." The camera panned back to the castmates. "Using only your animal buddies to guide you," the host added and the shot moved over to the eagle, dog, lion, and rat as they shrugged in ignorance.
"But be careful," Chris warned. "Several vicious and life-threatening traps have been set up along the way."
"Courtesy of Chris McLean?" Anne Maria asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You know it!" Chris confirmed. "First one back wins invincibility from tonight's vote, and Ripper gets to shave thirty minutes off his final time for winning the first challenge. Everyone ready?"
None of the castmates said anything.
"In that case, I'll see you all back at the film lot," he told them as he took a step onto the bus, "and good luck." He chuckled as he boarded the bus, and moments later the door slid shut and it sped off in a cloud of dust.
The four teens lingered in the area for a moment, then slowly split up. Topher and Spotty went left, Ripper, Anne Maria, and their animals went right, and MK and the rat stood still the longest.
"I think I know which way to go," MK told her companion, who ignored her for a bit before looking up at her with enough disinterest to make her frown.
Confessional: MK
"Even though me and the rat have some common ground, it can still annoy me," MK complained. "How many times do I have to convince it to help me?"
Confessional Ends
Anne Maria and Ripper were shown wandering through the woods and searching around. The animals were following not far behind them.
"I thought Topher was right behind us," Ripper commented.
"He must've found a path he liked better," Anne Maria said.
The lion was shown sniffing the air, then grunted at Ripper and stood up on its hind legs. Poking him with its paw, the lion pointed off-screen once it had Ripper's attention. The eagle was then shown poking Anne Maria's leg with its leg and pointing to a different direction once it had her attention.
"Seems like this is where we go our separate ways," Anne Maria said.
The camera flashed to Topher walking through the woods. "Hey," he said to his companion. "How about scouting ahead and getting us a much clearer view?" Spotty nodded and sprinted off. A moment or two later, a bark was heard and he followed in the general direction.
The camera moved to show him stepping on a string hidden behind a small shrub. It snapped, and a rock was launched out of a nearby bush by what looked like a small catapult. It hit Topher in the crotch, causing him to keel over.
The viewpoint shifted to a top down view of him on his belly groaning in pain, which turned to a scowl when he heard the dog's loud laughter.
The scene flashed back to Ripper and the lion he was following. It paused to sniff the air, then ran off-screen, Ripper quickly running after it. With a quick-panning to the right, the camera cut on a patch of berry bushes as the lion came up to them, then sat down and started eating.
"So you brought us here because you were hungry," Ripper said as he caught up. "You'll get us back to the film lot after you eat though, right?"
The lion looked back at him and nodded, its mouth covered in dark blue berry juice before it began to eat again.
Confessional: Ripper
"You know, I never once had to yell at the lion or whip him to do what I want," Ripper told the confessional. "It's like it understood me, so I was able to understand it. We practically got a half-hour head start, so there shouldn't be too much trouble if the lion wants to take a food break."
Confessional Ends
The lion handed Ripper a berry, and he popped it into his mouth.
The camera cut to Anne Maria as she followed the eagle. "Are you sure that you know where we are going?" she asked.
The eagle made a 'so-so' gesture with its head, then expressed various things while Anne Maria watched in astonishment.
"I have no idea what you just said," Anne Maria told it. The eagle facepalmed.
"Ugh," Topher growled as he stormed through the woods. "Where is Spotty?!" He stopped walking and turned his head from side to side. "Great! Now I'm going to be eliminated because of that dog!" He looked up at the sky. "I hope you're enjoying this!"
A bark of laughter was heard, and Topher narrowed his eyes and ran off. The camera followed him to show that he was rapidly approaching a large patch of ground with a suspiciously large number of sticks and branches on it. As soon as he stepped onto the odd patch of ground, the branches snapped and he fell with a holler into the pit that had been hidden.
His landing kicked up a large cloud of dust, and the camera cut to the bottom to show Topher lying in a corner with a scowl on his face that intensified as the dog was heard laughing again.
Confessional: Topher
"All of this is why I'm a cat person," Topher muttered. "I'm never going to host my own show if Spotty's going to rob me."
Confessional Ends
Ripper wiped the berry juice off his mouth, then smiled. "Y'know," he told his companion who also had a juice-stained mouth, "that was pretty juicy. Ready to head back?" The camera cut to a close-up of the lion as it nodded and got up on all fours.
"Cool," Ripper said and the two took off. The camera followed them as they came across a pile of leaves. As soon as they hit it, a net seemed to appear in the leaves under their feet and dragged them up in a suspended bundle.
"This isn't good," the bully commented. The lion nodded its head.
The camera flashed to Anne Maria and the eagle outside a small cave. "I am not sure there is time for a break," she told her companion. The eagle nodded vigorously and flew into the cave. "Well, I trust you."
Inside the cave was the eagle's surprisingly luxurious den. There was a reading corner, a kitchen, a ping-pong table, and even a big screen TV.
"Oh wow," Anne Maria said in astonishment upon seeing the den. "I didn't know that you eagles had a well-off lifestyle." An eagle walked by and offered her a sandwich from a tray. "Thank you," she said as she accepted one.
The eagle, holding a paddle, chirped at her from the ping-pong table. "But what about-" All the eagles in the den growled. "How can I say no?" she finished in a slightly fearful tone.
Another flash took the scene to a close-up of MK and the rat as they walked along, then came to a stop. The techno girl smirked and the camera pulled back to reveal that they'd come upon a river. "Would you look at that? We can swim back to the film lot." She looked at her buddy. The rat looked at the river, then turned to the right and started walking away.
"Fine," MK said. "I'll make it back without you." She jumped into the river and started floating with the current. Her eyes widened and the camera panned ahead to show that she was headed for a waterfall.
She screamed and the camera cut to the rat who stopped in its tracks, grabbed a nearby fallen branch, and walked back toward its companion.
"Okay," Topher told himself as the camera cut back to him in thought. "I can probably make a rope combining my belt with something else. But what should that something to tie it to be?"
A familiar bark was heard and the camera panned out to show Spotty holding onto a long wooden log with its teeth and reaching out towards Topher.
"Spotty, you came back!" Topher smiled for a second before scowling. "I'd scold you, but if you're going to save me, I'll save it for later. I can tie my belt to that log and you can pull me up."
"How are we supposed to get out of here?" Ripper asked his partner, the lion trapped in the net with him. "Do you have any ideas?"
The lion started to shake its head, then lit up in realization. It pulled a familiar sledgehammer from somewhere and handed it to Ripper. "My sledgehammer!" Ripper cried happily and took it in his hands. "How did you find it?"
The lion looked sheepish. "You know what? I don't wanna know. But we have our way out now," Ripper said as he began to rub the hammer at the net.
The scene skipped ahead to a shot of the afternoon sun high in the sky, the camera panning down and to the right to show Chris standing alone by the cast trailers. A little ways to the left was a meager finish line flanked by tall red flags.
"For the past several hours," he narrated, "our Final Four have been navigating through a ten mile stretch of woods with the help of their animal buddies in a race to this location. And a few moments ago," a smile formed as the camera cut in for a close-up, "I received word that the first team is about to arrive. May I present to you the first member of our Final Three," the camera slowly pulled back, "Ripper!"
As if he were cued, the bully came running into view with his lion alongside him. They came to a stop in front of the host, and Ripper looked around then turned back to Chris. "Where's everybody else?" he asked in confusion.
"Still in the woods I'm guessing," Chris answered with a shrug. "You and the lion are the first ones back."
Confessional: Ripper
"I can't believe that I'm going to the Final Three," Ripper told the confessional. "And it's all thanks to that lion. If it wasn't for them giving me my sledgehammer," he pulled the aforementioned object out, "I would have been stuck in that trap all day. I sincerely owe everything to them."
He began to widen his eyes in realization. "I've never felt this touched about anything in my life before. This feels…unnatural."
Confessional Ends
"So," Ripper asked the host, both watching the woods along with the lion, "how long do you think it'll be before everyone else gets back?"
"Sure they'll be here any minute," Chris answered while looking at his watch.
The camera panned to the sun as it set, then the moon rose, then the moon set and the sun rose. The shot panned back to the three waiting for the remaining contestants, with Chris having grown a large and bushy beard, and the lion asleep.
"Any... minute... now," Chris said weakly, still looking at his watch.
"It's been a couple of days," Ripper pointed out. "I think you should send out a search party. They could be seriously lost or hurt."
"Didn't expect you to be so caring. And here they come now!" Chris announced brightly before speeding off screen. The camera pulled back to show Anne Maria and her eagle and a soaking wet and bruised up MK and her rat walking up to the burly boy.
"Are you guys okay?" Ripper asked. "What took you so long?"
"I lost track of time enjoying myself with my eagle," Anne Maria said.
"And I wound up taking the wrong river," MK explained through chattering teeth.
"How are you so bruised?" Ripper asked.
"I ran into some sharks in the river," MK explained with a twitching eye. "They tried to take my phones and we got into a scuffle. In the end," she took out her destroyed phones, "I lost the fight and my phones are damaged and wet!"
"Serves you right for everything you did," Anne Maria snorted.
A familiar pant caught their attention and they turned to see Topher and his dog running into the film lot. "I'm here!" Topher said loudly. "I'm finally back!"
"Welcome back cast," said a clean shaven Chris. "Better late than never. Ripper and his lion buddy easily won the challenge, which means invincibility. Ripper gets a free pass into the Final Three."
"As long as it's not MK," Topher said.
"The question is, who will join him in the Final Three?" Chris asked. "And who will be the next one out of here? The answer will be revealed on the most exciting Gilded Chris ceremony ever!"
Anne Maria walked over to Topher and kissed him on the lips. "Anne Maria?!" Topher said after she pulled away.
"Hopefully that makes you feel better after what that dog put you through all day," Anne Maria told him.
"You know what, it does," Topher smiled back.
Confessional: Topher
"I still don't like Spotty, but she came through for me in the end," Topher said. "Hopefully when she's shipped back home, her owners could teach her how to manage her aggression and not frighten my cat."
Confessional Ends
The final Gilded Chris Award Ceremony began with all the same fanfare as its predecessors, and once the fireworks ended over the giant golden statue, the scene cut straight to the host himself at his podium. "This is the biggest night yet, cast!" Chris told the cast as the usual tense music played. "Ripper's safe from elimination, which means the rest of you are fair game. So sharpen those claws and cast your votes. Someone is going home for the last time."
The shot cut to the four in the stands. Anne Maria and Topher were sitting above Ripper and MK and they all held their voting devices. "And as an added bonus, Ripper will get to choose who he wants to take to the finale after the votes are tallied tonight!" Chris said, making them all gasp. "Now get voting!"
"This is a shock to no one," Ripper scoffed. He made his vote, and the screen shrunk into the top-left of the screen.
Anne Maria smirked as she made her vote. "See you never." She shrank into the top-right.
"I don't see myself voting anybody else," Topher said as he made his vote. He shrunk into the bottom-left.
"Like it matters now," MK spat bitterly as she made her vote. She shrank into the bottom-right.
A close-up of Chris grew from the center of the screen and stopped just before it overlapped with any of the castmates' faces.
"The Gilded Chris goes to..." the host announced. "Anne Maria! And Topher!" The screen cut to Chris at the podium. "MK, since you were the only one who didn't vote for you, it's time for your ride home."
"Finally!" Ripper cheered.
MK rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I know when I'm beat. I've been caught, my phones have been destroyed, and I'm in serious pain right now."
"All of which you deserve," Topher teased.
"And with that out of the way, Ripper, it's time for you to pick who you want to go up against!" Chris announced.
Confessional: Ripper
"This is a tough one," Ripper said. "Topher's easier to beat in the finale, but Anne Maria's been in the game all season. Either way, I'm splitting this couple up."
Confessional Ends
Ripper stood up. "After thinking about it carefully, I've decided to keep..." Anne Maria and Topher were both looking at him with worry on their faces as Ripper held onto his pause. "Anne Maria!"
"Yeah!!" Anne Maria raised her fists in victory, only to realize what this meant. "Oh wait! Topher's out!"
She sadly faced Topher, who appeared to be shocked. "Not that I'm furious with you Ripper, but why did you decide to boot me?" he wondered.
"You've joined the game mid-season," Ripper said. "And while I'd like to go for an easier win, Anne Maria didn't have to debut like you did, and voting her off would be unfair."
"That seems reasonably fair, even if I am a bit upset," Topher said.
"Don't be feeling down," Anne Maria told her boyfriend and hugged him. "You played a pretty stellar game, and I'll split the money with you when I win. Not "if". "When!""
Topher hugged his girlfriend back. "You're really selfless, Anne Maria. And you can trust that I'll support you in the finale."
Topher proceeded to kiss Anne Maria, and Ripper smiled at this sight. "I may not be able to have this relationship with Izzy, but I can be comfortable with their happiness."
"So can I, but I want to leave now before it gets too much," MK mentioned.
"MK, Topher," Chris interrupted, "the Lame-o-sine awaits the both of you!"
The scene flashed ahead to Topher and MK getting escorted to the Lame-o-sine by Chef. "I hope you win, Anne Maria!" Topher yelled back at her.
"Ripper, we're still enemies, but whoop her butt!" MK called out.
The two got in the limo, and Chef slammed the door shut. It sped off in a cloud of dust, and the shot cut back to the start of the red carpet where Chris stood flanked by the two finalists. "Anne Maria! Ripper!" he announced, putting his arms around their shoulders. The two smiled brightly at the camera. "The Final Two! One of you will become a millionaire! And the other...will not!"
The host knocked the two down afterwards. "Tune in to our most controversial episode ever, of, Total! Drama! Action!"
(Roll the Credits)
(Bonus Clip)
MK and Topher both sat in the limo in an awkward silence feeling bored.
"So," Topher started.
"Don't talk to me," MK warned.
"Excuse me for wanting to make things less awkward," Topher replied. "I just wanted to know why you wanted Ripper, your arch-rival, to win over Anne Maria."
"I don't like both of them, but Ripper's played a better game than your tan-obsessed girlfriend," MK responded. "And as far as I'm concerned, brawn and brains are better than beauty."
"Don't insult my girlfriend and me like that," Topher retorted. "She managed to beat you and me, so you're in no position to put her down."
"I prefer us giving each other the silent treatment for the rest of the ride if we're just going to squabble like this," MK suggested and they both looked away from each other.
Eva - 15th
Geoff - 15th
Izzy - RETURNED
Trent - 13th
Sky - 12th
Brick - RETURNED
Scott - 11th
Izzy - 10th
Millie - 9th
MERGE
Chase - 8th
Justin - 7th
Jasmine - 6th
Brick - 5th
MK - 4th
Topher - 3rd
Boys: Ripper
Girls: Anne Maria
Author's Note: We added the twist to the immunity win to make up for the extra competitior still in the game who's not a mole. MK had to be eliminated as she pretty much cheated her way to the top and she pretty much got the karma she deserved so now there's no need to keep her. As for Topher... well, I think it would be unfair for the guy to make it to the finale after being absent for so long.