Total Drama Uncharted

by FreshSqueezedOJ

Taking place in a universe with All-Stars never occurring, the 24 original contestants are brought back in another trip around the world, complete with challenges, relationships, and drama!

8. Who Wants to Lose a Million Dollars?

Total Drama Uncharted

Episode 8: Who Wants to Lose a Million Dollars?

-o0o-o0o-

"Last time on Total Drama Uncharted," began Chis McLean, sitting in the plane's cockpit with his feet up. "The teams took advantage of a popular bungee jumping spot in lovely New Zealand, having to find three keys and use them to race each other in Chef's sexy vehicles. Everyone was kind of mad at the Vipers, especially Courtney, for almost killing the Bears in Alberta, so they teamed up to take the Vipers down. Courtney made up by the end and proved she isn't all that horrible, though. Heather and Alejandro fought a whole lot, while Owen let news of his alliance slip to both Duncan and Harold, which may or may not have been a fatal mistake. Leshawna and Lindsay helped each other out in the challenge, meaning we got an epic race to the finish line where the Bears came out on top, but not without enduring an insane crash that finally gave Ezekiel the ability to speak again. Boy, that's really gonna suck for me. The Vipers had to send someone out of the plane for the first time, and it ended up being the lovable Owen after Duncan, Courtney, and Heather actually put their heads together and managed to convince Tyler to throw his vote away. What will Noah do to Tyler? Who's gonna fight, who's gonna make up, and who's gonna lose it all in another tension-filled episode? Find out on today's episode of - Total! Drama! Uncharted!"

The familiar, run out theme song so commonly associated with the show began its runtime, complete with new visuals to accommodate for the new season and its fresh locales. All 24 original contestants could be seen partaking in their usual antics within the clips, all the way to its fateful end, when it faded to black and allowed the cameras to focus on the game once more.

The sun struck the plane with blistering heat on day twenty-four, with everyone inside doing all they could to ensure their body temperature was comfortable. Many competitors were near the pool for hours at a time, taking swims and drinking beverages complete with a slew of ice cubes.

The only competitor yet to emerge from her room was Heather, and it was apparent why as she strode into the pool area with sunglasses and her bathing suit on, wearing a necklace that hadn't been on her person before. It was rather crudely constructed out of string, but featured a prominent white pearl as its charm.

A few stared at her, noticing the obvious change in appearance, while she took up a chair beside Alejandro and propped open a magazine.

"You look good," said Alejandro, smirking.

"Thanks," Heather replied, lifting her sunglasses up to rest on her forehead as she fingered her necklace. "A clam gave it to me."

"Sounds like a nice clam."

"Yeah, he's not so bad."

"What's his name?" Alejandro asked.

"Al," grinned Heather. "His name is Al."

"Whatever you say, Heather," Alejandro sighed.

On the other side of the pool sat Geoff and Bridgette, who were nestled in the same chair, and Izzy, who was asleep beside them. She woke up with a comical cough and sniffed the air for a moment.

"Aw," Izzy sulked. "I thought I smelled Owen for a sec."

"Owen was fun to be around," Geoff agreed.

"Oh, babe," began Bridgette. "If you got kicked off, I'd probably vote myself out, too."

The couple smiled at one another before proceeding to make out as they usually did, with a nearby Noah scowling at them from a high table, where he sat with Tyler.

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Izzy

"It really sucks that Owen went home," Izzy said through a bittersweet smile, her arms wrapped around her elevated knees. "He was like a big giant ball of energy, and everyone else is kinda mean and backstabby. Oh, well! You live and you learn, I guess."

-o0o-o0o-

"Get a room, already!" Noah shouted in response to Bridgette and Geoff's incessant kissing.

"I know, right?" added Tyler.

Noah neglected to respond, instead opting to turn back around and face Tyler with a monotonic expression, sipping cola through a straw and staring at his accomplice. Tyler squirmed, appearing uncomfortable as he tried to find a position that suited him.

"Do you have something to say?" asked Noah.

"Well-"

"Something that isn't about our alliance?"

Tyler sighed and threw his hands on the table. "I said I was sorry, dude!"

"And I said I forgive you," Noah replied. "But we're done, Tyler."

"That quickly?" Tyler asked. "Come on, man. I thought we were friends."

"We are friends, but friendship and alliances are two different things," Noah explained.

"Okay, fine," folded Tyler, standing up and taking his bottle of water with him as he departed. "We'll talk later."

"Don't sweat it, bro," a seated Duncan advised Tyler as he walked past. Tyler shot a glare back at the delinquent as he wrapped a towel around his waist.

"You talk too much," said Courtney from beside Duncan, wearing shades and staring up at nothing in particular.

"You talk too much."

"I do not talk too much," Courtney retaliated. Duncan didn't respond, merely raising an eyebrow instead. "Ugh!"

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Tyler

"Ever since the Owen vote, Noah's been on my ass!" Tyler exclaimed, leaning forward and cupping his right hand beside his mouth as if trying to block his words from escaping through the door, looking around to ensure he was alone. "I didn't even have to come clean about it. Noah's just too smart! You guys know I'm not great with secrets," he sighed. "If it wasn't for me, Owen would still be here. Sorry, brother."

-o0o-o0o-

DJ, Ezekiel, and Justin didn't let the scorching weather distract them, as they could be seen in the gym. Justin was finishing a bench press with DJ spotting behind him, with the eye candy visibly strained.

"Twelve!" Justin belted out, racking the weight with haste.

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" cheered DJ, high fiving Justin as he stood and rotated his arm around to quell the prevalent soreness.

"Tomorrow, that PR gets broken!"

"Let me have a crack at it, eh?" Ezekiel asked.

"Go ahead," said DJ as Ezekiel lined himself up beneath the weight, lifting it off of the rack, pulling it towards him and pressing it back up without difficulty, proceeding to rack it afterwards.

"Phew!" shouted Ezekiel, shooting upwards and flexing while DJ chuckled and Justin stared. "Good workout!"

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Ezekiel

"I'm totally kickin' it into high gear!" Ezekiel announced, leaning against the wall of the confessional and donning a pair of dark sunglasses. "And I'm gonna play it cool, all nonchalant-like. These guys don't have to know about Zeke's challenge skills just yet."

-o0o-o0o-

As Lindsay and Tyler wasted no time making out by the pool and Harold dived inside with a graceful triple-pirouette, Cody, Trent, and Gwen all sat at a table alone in the dining quarters, late to gather their breakfast.

Trent suddenly winced and nursed his shoulder in the midst of a silence as Cody stifled a laugh and Gwen looked across the table through a sip of coffee.

"Is it still buggin' ya?" Gwen asked.

"If your bungee cord snapped like mine did," Trent began, still rubbing his shoulder. "Would it bug you?"

"Wouldn't know," smirked Gwen after a moment of thought. "I don't lose bets like you do."

"You are mean," Trent replied with a haughty grin.

"Speaking of bets," Cody piped up. "Where do you think we're going today?"

"Hopefully somewhere cool," answered Trent, who was fanning himself with his hand and picking up a glass of iced water.

"I can drink to that," Gwen replied as she bumped glasses with Cody, Trent joining in shortly after.

"So can I," Leshawna intervened as she sat in a vacant spot beside Gwen, holding her own glass of water. "If they put me in charge of picking the challenges-"

"If they let anyone but Chris, you mean," said Cody.

"You already know," Leshawna chuckled, facing Gwen. "How's Duncan treatin' ya?"

"Duncan?" answered Gwen, looking up over Trent's shoulder through a bite of eggs and trailing off as Duncan walked into the dining area alongside DJ, losing her concentration in the process.

She became fixated on the two, both of whom were conversing with exuberance, grasping trays and filling them with their second breakfast of the day before being seated at a table on the other end of the room. Duncan seemed to have shot her a glance, noticing her presence but neglecting to take the time to sit down as he laughed at something DJ had said. Gwen didn't pick up on their words, instead focused on their mannerisms. For a couple more moments, she remained intently immersed in her own world, her eyes glazing over and her face falling into a-

"Gwen?" Trent intervened.

"Oh," said Gwen, snapping back to reality. "He's good. It's just… weird, you know? Being on different teams?"

"I can tell," responded Leshawna, raising an eyebrow. "As long as he ain't messing with you."

"Not at all," Gwen added with a cursory smile, glancing over at Duncan and DJ once more and failing to keep the fading smile on her face as she discerned the fact that her boyfriend couldn't have been more oblivious.

Cody and Leshawna both analyzed Gwen's expression quietly, while Trent mulled his options over, evidently hesitant to cross any perceived boundaries. One conclusion was obvious - something was weighing on the perennially straight-faced goth girl.

"What's this you say about messing with people?" Chris suddenly butted in as he came into view, inserting himself between Leshawna and Gwen. Perfect timing.

"That would be none of your business, dude," Trent replied.

"Relax! I'm kidding!" said Chris. "I just wanted to let everyone know that we're about to land, and it's not gonna be somewhere cool, unfortunately."

"Why don't you just use the PA?" Cody asked.

"The air conditioning's not the only thing that's busted today," explained Chris. "I'll meet you guys outside," the host finalized, leaving and presumably alerting the remaining campers of the challenge.

"Here we go again," Gwen mumbled as the camera cut forward to depict the plane landing.

The opulent aircraft touched down upon a road running through a barren desert primarily consisting of orange rock and dry vegetation. The sun beamed in the air, shining down upon the campers as they exited from the plane's ramp with understandably unfavorable reaction. Dealing with busted air conditioning and hot weather was one thing, but throwing in a challenge in the desert was another.

There was nothing surrounding the cast aside from the empty road and various natural landscapes, with the odd vulture or two passing above with an unsettling screech. Chef wheeled out a spacious tram-esque vehicle large enough to fit the group of twenty and honked in order to keep the area clear as he made his way onto the road.

"Hop in!" cried Chef, with Chris filing into the passenger seat and the competitors filling up the vehicle behind them.

Chef drove into the desert at a brisk pace, leaving the plane a fair distance behind as Chris began his habitual, episodic monologue to kick off the challenge.

"Welcome to the desert, campers," said Chris, raising his arms in the air as if embracing it. "Anybody wanna guess where we are?"

"Ooh!" Lindsay piped up. "Are we in Egypt again?"

"Nope! Keep going."

"Somewhere in Africa?" asked Geoff.

"Egypt is in Africa," Harold explained, prompting a decent pause from Geoff as his face sank.

"Oh."

"Not Egypt," Chris answered.

"Australia?" inquired Ezekiel.

"We're in Las Vegas!" the host announced. "One of the world's premier gambling cities. Unfortunately, thanks to inconvenient laws and Chef's horrible research, we might have been under the impression that the gambling age here is eighteen, when it's actually twenty-one. That means you guys technically aren't allowed to enter a casino, so production put this together instead!"

As Chef drove off the road and into the wasteland surrounding it, the contestants caught sight of a makeshift challenge site that had "cheap Total Drama production standards" written all over it.

It consisted of a run down stage made of crooked wooden planks that often split and left gaps in the floor. The stage was complete with red curtains that hid nothing in particular, as there was nothing behind them in actuality. There was a flat screen TV perched on an oddly placed slab of concrete, with a blue lever sticking out from the ground next to it. In addition, three sets of bleachers were built equal distances apart in close proximity to the stage.

The contestants began to take their seats, with each set of bleachers dedicated to a specific team, as Chris took the stage. Chef opened a box he was storing in the back of the vehicle, removing a number of blue, ring-shaped objects from it before approaching the competitors and applying the objects to their necks.

"You're telling me," Heather began. "You guys had the budget to build this, but you couldn't just take us to Monte Carlo or, you know, someplace nice?"

"Yes," said Chris. "Yes I am."

"Unrelated question," Lindsay chimed in as Chef finished adorning her neck. "What are these collars for? They don't really go well with my outfit."

"Trust me," Chris answered. "Your outfit will be the last thing you think of when you get a kick out of these babies."

Chef had now reached the Vipers, seated in the set of bleachers farthest from the vehicle, and soon managed to put a collar onto each of them without much fuss.

"This is so not cool," said Harold.

"Why?" Courtney asked in response.

"These aren't just normal collars. These are-"

"Shock collars!" Izzy shrieked. "My cousin once tried to use one on me when I was eleven. It would go off every time I said a naughty word. It went off a lot."

"Okay, TMI," said Chris. "But I guess you'll have some fun today. Pretty much every challenge thus far has tested your physical strength, your quickness, and your ability to fish for keys in shark-infested water, but today, we'll be testing your mental strength! Specifically, how much you know about your fellow competitors. One at a time, you'll be asked a question about somebody in this game. It could be your best friend, your worst enemy, or even someone that you've barely spoken to. If you get the question right, you're safe until your next turn. If you get the question wrong, you're eliminated from the challenge, and you'll get a good shock, courtesy of Chef."

Chef, who was standing next to Chris on the stage, waved at the campers with a chilling grin on his face and a compact black remote in his hand.

"Those collars ain't just for show," said Chef.

"And most of you are gonna learn that the hard way," Chris smirked. "Alright, without further ado, let's begin! This handy dandy TV screen is gonna tell us who goes first. Bears, you're up!"

Chef pressed the power button on his remote in order to turn on the TV, which defaulted to a bank orange screen with a white pattern in the center that resembled an explosion one would see in a comic book.

Following that, Chris grasped the blue lever built into the stage with both hands, cranking it towards him as the TV flashed rapidly changing icons of the six contestants on the Ballistic Bears, shuffling through them before eventually landing on DJ.

"DJ, my man," Chris began, followed by a cursory gulp from DJ. "We'll start off pretty chill. Which contestant once swallowed a cat's hairball in a game of truth or dare and had to get it surgically removed?"

"That's chill?" Bridgette asked to no avail.

DJ appeared to contemplate for a moment, stroking his chin as he asked, "How much time do I get?"

"As much as you need, buddy."

"Uh…" DJ meandered, eyeing the contestants around him, evidently doing his best to hazard a guess. "Tyler?"

Without any confirmation as to whether or not his answer was correct, DJ was thoroughly shocked by the collar around his neck as his teammates gasped. Once the shock wore off and Chris contained his laugh, DJ groaned.

"Sounds kinda overboard, eh?" asked Tyler, leaning forward and locking eyes with DJ.

As Trent visibly squirmed in his seat, Chris chuckled and spoke up with, "Sorry, DJ. The correct answer is Trent. You can take a seat over there."

Chris pointed towards a new set of bleachers that appeared once Chef pressed another button on his remote. It was identical to those the rest of the cast were seated in, except for the fact that there was a large wooden sign pointing to it that read "Losers Only!"

"Trent?" Gwen queried as she slapped Trent on the back with a hearty laugh. Duncan took notice of this from the Vipers' bench, neglecting to speak and instead glaring at the two without anyone noticing his actions.

"Yeah, yeah. Very funny," Trent scoffed. "Where'd you get that, anyway?"

"Sierra," replied Chris.

"No kidding."

Cody tittered as he hugged his own body in self-preservation. "I'm gonna die."

"Probably," Chris joked. "That would be a wicked idea for a challenge, by the way. Eating hairballs! Ha!"

"Noted," said Chef, capping a pen that he'd been using to write something down on a yellow notepad. Once he finished, he took off a pair of reading glasses he had donned while the camera was focused on Chris.

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Trent

"Man, Sierra really does know everything," said Trent, crossing his arms. "I don't know whether to be seriously impressed or seriously creeped out."

-o0o-o0o-

"Let's see who's next up, shall we?" Chris asked rhetorically as he pulled the lever for a second time, with DJ acting as the first casualty of the challenge and sitting in the loser section. "Here's one for the Lions!"

The screen went through the same motions it had in the first round, now featuring icons for the Lions and coming to a standstill on Alejandro.

"Alejandro!" Chris yelled. "Here's another embarrassing secret for you. Which contestant sings to their fish and kisses them when they eat their food?"

"Ugh!" spat Alejandro, squinting his eyes with a wince. "How many fish kissers are there?"

The likes of DJ and Tyler sank their heads, remembering an incident where they had kissed a fish each in Newfoundland as part of a challenge. Izzy, who had done the same in Alberta a couple episodes ago, simply shrugged.

"Too many, dude," said Chris.

Alejandro studied everyone, taking his time, and coming to a conclusion. "Izzy would be a good guess, but I don't think that's quite to her standards. How about…" he continued. "Courtney?"

"Correct!" Chris beamed.

"How in the world?" asked Courtney, hiding her face in her hands as Duncan guffawed mercilessly.

"You realize that makes you a fish kisser, too, right?" Noah asked, raising an eyebrow as Duncan ceased laughing with comedic haste.

Courtney got back at him with a swift elbow jab to his chest, complimented with a sneer, while Gwen took her turn to eye Duncan from a distance.

"I don't know," said Alejandro. "Courtney's a singer. Why not?"

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Courtney

"Okay, so what?" Courtney asked, inching closer to the camera and throwing her arms in the air before crossing them. "Apparently being a responsible pet owner is a bad thing nowadays, and by the way, I do not kiss my fish. A light peck and a kiss are two totally different things, and my fish are clean!"

-o0o-o0o-

"Alright, Alejandro's still in for now," Chris continued, pulling the lever as the screen went through each member of the Vipers in quick succession. "Vipers, maybe one of you won't be."

Chris pulled the lever as the TV shuffled through icons of the Vicious Vipers, rolling through them a couple times before settling on Courtney.

"Okay, Courtney," said Chris, reading off of a note card that contained the current question. "Which contestant had the nickname 'Porky' up until the tenth grade?"

"I can't say Owen, can I?" Courtney asked flatly, head in her hands.

"The questions are only about people who are still in the game."

"I think I have a good idea," Harold whispered in Courtney's ear.

"Uh, uh, uh!" tutted Chris. "No helping, or I'm gonna have to eliminate you, Harold."

"Fine," replied Harold, crossing his arms and scowling. "Gosh!"

Courtney looked around, appearing to count on her fingers and use the process of elimination by methodically analyzing each contestant and putting a finger down each time she thought they didn't fit the bill. Finally, she got to the end and looked at her own team.

"Heather."

"Correct!"

"What?" Heather yelled.

"Lucky guess," snickered Courtney.

"That is not true."

"Sierra never lies, Porky," said Chris.

"Props for losing the weight, though," Noah chimed in.

"Thank you," Heather replied, staring ahead without looking in Noah's direction.

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Heather

"I refuse to comment."

-o0o-o0o-

Chris, now skipping the introduction, grabbed the lever without a word and yanked it towards him as the Bears prepared for the second round, hoping to move on without losing another member. The screen dictated that Ezekiel would be the next participant.

"Bring it on!" Ezekiel shouted, flexing a fist in front of him.

"Zeke," began Chris. "Which contestant received the longest detention in their school's history?"

"Izzy," Ezekiel responded without a second thought.

"Good guess, but…"

Chef pressed a button on his remote as Ezekiel was shocked by the collar on his neck, sulking with a sigh.

"I would've said the same thing, honestly," added Trent.

"Sorry, Zeke," said Chris. "You can join DJ on the loser bench, cause the answer was actually Geoff."

Geoff guffawed as he slapped his knee, nearly falling out of his seat, with Bridgette smiling as he regained his balance.

"Good times, dude."

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Geoff

"Yeah, that's true," said Geoff, with one hand in his lap and the other on his face. "My friend Brody and I used to get up to some serious shenanigans back in the day." Geoff laughed with vigor as he took his statement into account. "Back in the day? What am I, seventy? If you're watching this, Brody, tell Dr. Carlson I'd do it all over again."

-o0o-o0o-

"Okay, Lions!" said Chris, giving the lever another pull as the screen displayed each member of the Leaping Lions in rapid fashion, with all five members still on the board. Bridgette was the chosen competitor, and she bore a nervous expression as Chris exclaimed, "Here we go!"

"Here goes nothing," Bridgette sighed.

"No pressure," grinned Geoff.

"Bridgette," began Chris. "Which contestant 'accidentally' ended up butt naked in front of their entire school during an assembly about preparing for life as an adult?"

"That's oddly specific," Bridgette replied, scanning the competitors around her. "It's probably a guy…" she trailed off. "I'd say Duncan."

"Ehhhh!" Chris shouted, imitating a buzzer as Bridgette received a shock, which was met with gasps from Geoff and Lindsay. "The Lions lose their first member as Bridgette finds herself out of the game. You can thank Cody for that question."

Everyone in the game proceeded to stare at Cody, mouths agape and throats at a loss for words as he leaned back and fell into a gap behind him. "He said 'accidentally!'"

Most dismissed the boy after figuring he had been the victim of an honest mistake, except for Leshawna, who asked, "And that's better how?"

"It's not my fault the theater program didn't have a change of clothes!"

"Okay, I'm almost scared to ask," Chris snickered. "But how did that happen?"

"Some guy threw tomatoes at me in the middle of a speech," Cody explained, shrugging. "I just went backstage and took off my clothes 'cause I'm allergic to tomatoes, but no one had anything."

"And you went back out there?" DJ interrogated from the loser bench as collective groans of disgust rang out.

"I'd do it again for another twenty points of extra credit."

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Cody

"Okay, maybe I wouldn't," said Cody, chuckling. "But it was either that or a B in public speaking. That's like the easiest class ever. There's no way I'd let people make fun of me for that!"

-o0o-o0o-

As Justin inched farther from Cody, who remained at one end of the Bears' bench, the TV screen was in the midst of another rotation, this time selecting Leshawna of the Vicious Vipers.

"Leshawna," said Chris. "Time for some drama. Which contestant has recently written the following out of context line in their journal?

I feel like it needs to end, but I have no idea how to do it."

"Real helpful," Leshawna answered with her head resting on her arm. "What is 'it?'"

"I said 'out of context' for a reason!"

"I'm thinking… a relationship?" continued Leshawna before eliminating campers out loud. "It can't be Izzy 'cause Owen's not around anymore. Lindsay and Tyler are just… no. Geoff and Bridgette are going on too strong."

"Keep going," Tyler encouraged her with a whisper.

Leshawna had arrived at the last legitimate couple in her mind, secretly locking eyes with a distraught Gwen in the Ballistic Bears' bleachers and sighing.

"Can we skip this one?"

"Are you serious?" Chris replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine," said Leshawna, crossing her arms. "Then that's none of my business, and I ain't answering it."

"Are you sure?" grinned Chris.

"What are you doing?" Heather inquired, glaring at Leshawna. "This isn't a feelings competition. Just spit it out!"

"If there's relationship drama, I'm not gonna be the one to spill it!"

"So you do know the answer!" Duncan shouted.

"Just shut up, already!" interrupted Chef with an authoritative bark, raising his remote and pressing the button on his remote and giving Leshawna a swift shock.

"Great," sighed Courtney.

"I admire the bravery, Leshawna," Chris claimed with a slow clap. "Unfortunately, you didn't say Gwen."

"What?" Duncan blurted out. "Woah, woah, woah! Why didn't you tell me about this?" he continued, looking at Gwen and standing up.

"It's not about our relationship!" Gwen pleaded, sinking deeper into the bleachers instead of standing up to meet Duncan at eye level. The camera closed in on her face as she spoke, going back and forth between the couple as they were with each other, capturing every move.

"And now you're lying?" scathed Duncan. "You know, you could just be honest with me. What am I gonna do? Cry?"

"I was going to, okay! But… It's not… Uh!" Gwen defended herself, this time standing up and facing Chris after her initial response. "You have no business doing that!"

"I can do whatever I want!" Chris smirked. "I'm the host."

"Yikes," said Noah.

"Eat my shorts, McLean," Duncan added.

Gwen sat back down and threw her face in her hands, which rested on her thighs. Trent placed his arm on her shoulder in an effort to comfort her while Leshawna came by on her way to the loser bench and gave Gwen a hug that was reciprocated.

"Sorry, girl."

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Duncan

"Sheesh," Duncan belted out, rubbing the back of his with a slouch. "I guess I can't really blame Gwen if she feels like something's off. It's just - her not telling me anything? It sucks, man. What a way to find that out! The next time I get Chris alone, I'm gonna corner his skinny ass and wring him by the-"

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Chris

"We here at Total Drama do not condone any acts of violence committed or alluded to by our contestants. Any legal action, therefore, must be directed towards parties applicable and not towards the parent network - or me - in any way, shape or form," Chris explained with a nonchalant chuckle and a shrug.

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Gwen

"Why?"

-o0o-o0o-

Leshawna gave Gwen a quick thumbs up from the loser bench as she took up a seat beside DJ and Bridgette, who refused to take their scowling eyes off of Chris. Ezekiel didn't seem to mind too much, simply looking on in amusement at the drama unfolding.

"Embarrassing trivia questions are fun," said Chris. "But this show is called Total Drama! Don't hate the player, hate the game. Time for round three!" the host continued, motioning towards the TV, which had 'accidentally' paused on Gwen's icon.

"Just do your best," said Cody.

"Yeah," Justin agreed. "Don't let Chris being an asshole throw you off your game."

Gwen looked up at Cody and Justin with a smile, then locked eyes with Trent beside her and smiling with the strength she had left. "You're right."

"You've got this," Trent grinned, speaking just loud enough for Gwen to comprehend.

"Okay, Gwen," said Chris. "Which contestant played a total of fifty-two seconds in their junior year basketball season and ended up missing the game winning-"

"Tyler," Gwen answered.

"Wow, that was fast," Chris laughed. "Gwen remains in the game!"

"Nice!" Trent exclaimed. "Way to go."

"Hey!" interjected Tyler. "I got fouled!"

Harold shrugged as he and a wide-eyed Courtney met gazes with disbelief. The Bears were in the midst of a relatively subdued celebration as the four remaining Lions prepared for their next turn.

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe," said Chris.

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Tyler

"Yeah, that was a lie," Tyler explained, leaning forward with his hands on his knees. "I bricked, but Chris didn't talk about how the shot was so powerful that it cracked the backboard, and it didn't even touch the backboard!. Losing was totally worth it!"

-o0o-o0o-

"Next up!" Chef bellowed with a hefty tug of the blue lever beside him, with Alejandro, Geoff, Izzy, and Lindsay all appearing on the screen before their icons moved with increasing graduality. At last, Lindsay was the contestant selected.

"Lindsay," said Chris, reading from another note card. "Which contestant once planned a date with a woman, forgot about her, and then ran into her on that night with another woman?"

"Hmm…" Lindsay thought out loud. "Alejandro."

"Correct!" announced Chris.

"How did you get that?" Alejandro sighed through his hands before swiftly lifting his head back up to explain. "She was loca. I had to!"

"Amen," said Geoff.

"If there's one thing I know," Lindsay beamed, lifting a finger. "It's girl drama."

"That's nothing!" Izzy spoke up. "One time-"

"Save it for your turn, Izzy!" Chris interrupted her. Izzy merely rolled her eyes and obliged.

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Alejandro

"Chris loves to leave out the details," explained Alejandro, leaning on one hand with an unfazed expression coating his face. "Both of those girls were crazy. That's all I care to say."

-o0o-o0o-

"With that, the Lions live to play another day," said Chris, pulling the lever as the screen flashed through the Vipers, all of whom but Leshawna were fair game.

"Who's it gonna be?" Chef asked with an uncharacteristic enthusiasm.

The icons began to slow down, looking as if Heather's would have been the stopping point, but her face gradually inched away and gave room to Tyler's, engendering a gulp from the boy.

"Tyler," Chris began, clearing his throat. "Which contestant sent multiple people to the hospital after adopting a highly venomous and highly illegal pet snake?"

"Easy," chortled Tyler, not bothering to scan the area like those before him had done. "Illegal can only mean one thing, and that's Iz-!"

Before Tyler could let his words speak for him, Chris and Chef decided to take control through a sudden zap. The buzzing, groaning Tyler swayed in his seat as the hosts exploded in laughter.

In response, Lindsay clasped her hands to her mouth and gasped with a sharp, "Tyler!"

"He'll be fine," Chef reassured her before transitioning to a stark mumble. "As if he didn't have enough brain damage already."

"Not cool," scoffed Tyler.

"Sorry, sorry," Chris gathered himself. "I just… I thought you were gonna get that one."

"Who was it?" inquired Tyler.

"Duncan."

"Yeah, because the illegal part wasn't obvious enough," Courtney butted in, shooting glares at both Tyler, who had disappointed her in the moment, and Duncan, who disappointed her every second he existed.

"Eh, I have no regrets," said Duncan. "He was just as loyal as Scruffy was."

At this, Harold slouched forward a bit, attempting to avoid eye contact with Duncan as much as possible, appearing guilty for the tarantula murder he had committed many moons ago.

Duncan didn't seem to forget, however, kicking Harold in the back and prompting an, "Ow! I said I was sorry!"

"I don't think that's gonna help you," Gwen butted in.

"Just leave me alone," said Duncan. "I don't need more problems right now."

At this, Gwen hid her face in her hands, Duncan still locking his eyes on her. Her hands trembled as she appeared to wipe a nascent tear with one of her fingers, keeping an air of conspicuousness as Trent visibly contemplated giving a helping hand. His eyes darted between the sunken Gwen and the hostile Duncan.

Cody, from behind, supplied Gwen with an honest hand on her shoulder while Duncan's team seemed to be at a loss for words. Most in the game elected to stay quiet, not expecting the competition to take such a drastic turn until Gwen's journal entry was read aloud - not for the first time. That was until Geoff finally decided to interject.

"Harsh, dude," the party boy stated with raised eyebrows, slightly relieving the tension among the bystanders, who began to mingle a little bit more.

"He's right, Duncan," said Courtney in a whisper. "You're acting out. She's not important right now. Just focus on the challenge and yell at her afterwards."

"I am not acting out."

"Yeah, and Justin Bieber is the most talented artist of our generation," said Noah.

"I don't remember asking your opinion, pipsqueak," Duncan lashed out.

"Overreact much, big guy?"

"Well, this just got weird," Tyler intervened, cooling the friction. "Good luck, guys," he added, standing up and sitting beside Leshawna on the sidelines.

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Duncan

"Poor Draco," said Duncan. "At least the little guy doesn't have to deal with this dumpster fire."

-o0o-o0o-

Tyler had taken his seat alongside Leshawna as Chris, Chef, and the contestants prepared for round four. The air was replete with unease as Gwen pulled herself together and Duncan took a mental step back, shrinking into his seat and sighing.

"You guys are blowing this way out of proportion," said Chris, pulling the lever as the television screen shuffled through the remaining three members of the Ballistic Bears who had yet to see their turn.

"That's young love for you," Chef agreed, shrugging as Cody's awkward smile became visible.

"Cody," began Chris. "Which contestant packed over twenty suitcases worth of clothes for a week-long trip?"

"Lindsay," answered Cody with zero hesitation, arms crossed and body resting against the empty wooden seating area behind him.

"Right you are, my friend!" Chris exclaimed.

"What's with chicks and clothes?" Harold inquired.

"Don't ask me," replied Noah from beside him.

"How am I supposed to know if I might have to do an emergency outfit change?" Lindsay asked, shrugging with her bottom lip protruding.

"Big O used to say the same thing!" Izzy added, cackling.

"TMI!" Justin intervened, grimacing.

"Chef," said Chris. "Remind me never to bring her back."

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Lindsay

"That one wasn't even embarrassing!" said Lindsay, smiling with both hands resting on her lap. "This game is actually kind of fun when everyone isn't yelling at each other."

-o0o-o0o-

"Lions, you're up," Chris continued. "Only Geoff and Izzy have yet to go. Let's see who we get!"

The lever was pulled for yet another time, with the screen rapidly switching between Geoff's recognizable hat-adorned head and Izzy's bright red hair, both visible even through incomprehensible speeds that eventually slowed down and brought Geoff up to the plate.

"Let's do this!" Geoff bellowed.

"Alright, Geoff," Chris said, clearing his throat. "Which contestant killed their class' pet hamster in kindergarten?"

"Easy!" chuckled Geoff. "Bridge."

"Yeah…" Chris dragged out. "Probably should've given that one to Izzy, huh? Nice one, dude."

"No doubt," grinned Bridgette, waving her fingers at Geoff, who tipped his hat in response.

"That's not fair," Courtney piped up.

"Everything's not fair, apparently," retorted Chris. "Get over it!"

"But they're dating!"

"So?" Chef asked in retaliation. "Maybe you should find someone you could answer questions about!"

Chris snickered and slung an arm around his co-host while Courtney rolled her eyes and Duncan eyed her from inches away.

"If I can't whine, then neither can you."

Courtney opened her mouth as if to argue, but shut it once she surmised the fact that Duncan had a point. There was no point berating Chris and Chef. They had heard enough of a mouthful over the course of this series.

"Bridgette," Chris picked up. "I gotta know about this."

"It bit me and I threw it out the window on reflex," Bridgette answered. "Got rabies after that."

"You got rabies and you still love animals?" Leshawna queried.

"Of course," smirked Bridgette. "It was just defending itself. I can't hate."

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Bridgette

"I'm really glad Geoff and I have a good relationship," said Bridgette, sitting straight inside the confessional toilet. "It's been kinda weird with the whole Alejandro thing, but they seem to have calmed down a little bit. If anything, today reminded me that it could be a whole lot worse."

-o0o-o0o-

The camera cut past Chris' customary banter and lever-pulling as a close-up of the TV depicted Heather's face settling into view.

"Heather," said Chris. "Which contestant shot their own mother in the gluteus maximus with a bow and arrow?"

"What?" Heather wheezed.

"You heard me correctly."

"Okay…" calculated Heather, eyeing the competitors surrounding her, both in the bleachers and in the loser section for a good while before folding. "Yeah, I'm done."

"Nothing?" Chef asked.

"Duncan?" said Heather as an ephemeral shot in the dark. She regretted her decision when she was met with a shock that left her with no room to think.

Gwen appeared as if she was going to give Duncan something to think about, squinting her eyes in his direction but ultimately electing to keep her mouth closed.

"Ooh, close!" Chris stated. "Zeke was the answer."

"Accident!" Ezekiel immediately belted out, batting his palm onto his chest multiple times and then pointing a finger to the sky.

"Even you aren't that cruel," Heather agreed.

"I'd beg to differ," countered Chris. "The loser bench awaits, Heather!"

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Ezekiel

"You might remember that little accident from my audition tape for Total Drama Island," explained Ezekiel, appearing relaxed as he leaned against the walls of the booth. "I'm a really good shot, you know, most of the time," he added, laughing. "Hey, at least it got me on the show."

-o0o-o0o-

It was time for the Bears to hazard a guess, and it became increasingly evident the competitors were growing weary. The tattered red curtains behind Chris and Chef fluttered weakly as the heat beamed down, prompting sweat to be wiped from brows. Noah fanned himself in an awkward motion that looked as if he was waving a fly away from his face, while Geoff slumped forward, his hat providing precious little shade from the merciless sun.

Chris pulled the lever yet again, with only Trent and Justin left to answer a question for the Ballistic Bears. The two of them were scarcely focused on the game, instead raising hands to shield their eyes and ineffectively attempting to block out the screeches of vultures.

"Trent!" Chris yelped as the oddly-placed TV settled. "Which contestant blew up a toilet by trying to flush a pack of cigarettes?"

Trent merely sighed and did his best to maintain posture. There were a couple of obvious guesses that he spent larger periods of time staring at, namely Duncan and Izzy.

"I don't know, dude," Trent droned, accepting his fate as he, too, received a shock.

Gwen saw it coming, neglecting to act concerned considering every other contestant had survived, but placing a hand on Trent's shoulder despite the circumstances. "I would've screwed up, too," she said with a slight laugh.

Trent smiled back as he stood up and tapped Gwen on the back, dragging his feet to the bench and settling alongside his teammates DJ and Ezekiel.

"Okay, not gonna lie," Chris continued. "I wouldn't have gotten this one either. The answer was DJ!"

"What?" the entire cast shouted in unison, mouths hanging open.

"It was my Mama's!" DJ swiftly snapped back.

"Phew!" a large portion of the teens sighed in relief, still comically in sync, while others nodded their heads as if questions had been cleared up.

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: DJ

"Smoking is bad, kids. Never a good idea," said DJ, one hand in his lap and one pointing directly at the camera's eye. He then cracked the door open and leaned over, peering outside and asking, "How much do I get paid again?"

"DJ, the camera's still rolling!" Chris' voice sounded from outside as DJ rotated his head and clasped his hand to his mouth in fear.

-o0o-o0o-

"Well," Chris began, leaning on the concrete which kept the TV standing. "You guys are looking pretty beat. What do you say Chef?" he kept going, turning his head to face his co-host. "Should we give them a break?"

"Can't have them die of heatstroke," Chef answered, shrugging.

"Yes! Please?" Lindsay pleaded, clasping her hands together.

"Alright, fine," Chris obliged. "Take five campers! Use it wisely, 'cause there are still plenty more shocks to come."

-o0o-o0o-

The show flashed forward, depicting contestants huddled around various water coolers spaced apart evenly, filling cheap red cups of plastic with ice-cold water. Each sip was more satisfying than one could imagine, as is the case when spending hours in the desert heat without ample protection.

Few words were spoken in the wake of the drama, especially considering the sun and the challenge itself had been tough on the competitors' mental states. Each team quietly replenished themselves around their designated station, with Gwen and Duncan doing their best to avoid eye contact.

The Lions, as well as Tyler, who had joined them, were the only ones partaking in any actual conversation, though they, too, frequently ran out of words to say.

"This heat," Lindsay panted in a dry murmur. "Is totally ruining my hair."

"You still look great," grinned Tyler. "Just don't get shocked. That ruins your hair."

"I don't plan on it," Lindsay giggled, drinking through her cup.

There wasn't much else to say. Everyone wanted to get the challenge over with, as was clear without necessity for explicit explanation. Once everyone had refueled, they took the seats they previously held, with those remaining in the game sitting closer towards the front to account for gaps no longer filled by their fallen teammates.

As the break wound down, Chris and Chef restarted the game, with no need for the screen to automatically select a member of the Leaping Lions, as only one had yet to participate. The two hosts had also decorated the stage with a diverse array of air conditioning units, which the competitors had no access to.

"Okay, the Lions are up," said Chris. "Since all of you but Izzy have already answered, it's gonna be her turn."

"Ooh!" Izzy lit up. "Hit me with it!"

"Izzy," Chris started. "Which contestant has spent six figures on plastic surgery in order to get rid of their freckles?"

"I know this one! It's Ezekiel!"

Without a verbal response from the hosts, Izzy's shock collar went off, prompting gleeful giggles from the ginger girl as electricity coursed through her body. Chris and Chef stared blankly in response, as did other contestants.

"I think she enjoyed that," Chef whispered.

"Hit her again."

Chef pressed his button for a second time as Izzy was shocked once more, nary a difference in her reaction.

"Alright, alright," Izzy sighed. "It's Justin."

"Way to steal my thunder!" barked Chris.

"Do I even need to defend myself?" Justin asked.

"I've heard worse," said Cody.

"Meh," Alejandro agreed. "Freckles aren't model material."

"You guys don't think that's weird?" Courtney intervened.

"I agree with Courtney," added Harold. "Freckles are cool."

Duncan stifled a laugh as Noah stopped himself from speaking up. Bridgette, from the loser section, spoke up.

"Natural is the way to go."

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Justin

Justin ran his fingers through his hair and sighed before speaking, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Not a fun secret to come out," said Justin. "But can you blame me? Freckles on this skin are like… like mold on bread! I don't know, imperfections like that can really screw you over in the modeling industry. It's harder than it looks."

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Izzy

"I totally knew the answer," Izzy proclaimed, ecstatic as always. "I just kinda like the shock."

-o0o-o0o-

The screen shuffled through the three Vipers who hadn't yet competed, scrolling past Harold and Noah to pause on Duncan's stern expression.

"Duncan," said Chris. "Which contestant has a successful YouTube channel where they record themselves going on petty rants?"

"Petty rants," Duncan thought out loud, smirking. "That sounds like a Leshawna thing to do."

"You know, I'm kinda surprised you got that one."

"We've all heard enough of her rants in person," Heather explained. "Makes sense she'd take her talents online."

Leshawna, sitting on the loser bench, did not take it lightly, crossing her arms and snapping back with, "My rants are not petty."

"Yeah!" Harold backed up, standing up. "Leshawna's rants are eloquent and-"

"She doesn't want you, Harold," Courtney interrupted.

"I can't stick up for my friend?"

"That kinda behavior is exactly what pisses me off," said Leshawna. "Thanks, Harold," she continued, blushing.

"What do you even rant about?" Heather interrogated. "Boys?"

"All three of them in her life," mumbled Noah.

"As entertaining as this is," Chris butted in. "We still have a ways to go. Duncan, you're safe for now. Let's see who's next!"

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Leshawna

"Shame is for suckers," Leshawna laughed, clapping her hands together. "Yelling in front of a camera is therapeutic. Sometimes people just get on your last nerve," she added, leaning to the right and placing her weight on one hand. "I don't think that's petty. I think it's justified."

-o0o-o0o-

"Our next victim is…" Chris said, rubbing his hands together maniacally as Chef drew a note card and handed it to the host. "Justin, as the only member of the Bears left to go."

"Not like it could get any worse," Justin sighed.

"Justin, which contestant took four hours to give their class president speech?"

"Easy," Justin said without any room to think. "Courtney never shuts up about that. It's gotta be her."

"Ooh, good guess!" Chris leered. "But not quite."

"What?" gasped Justin. "Who else would talk for that long?"

"Noah would."

"Gee, what a tragedy," Noah replied as he garnered a few stares.

"I didn't think you had that much to say," Courtney said with a slight smile. "I'm actually impressed."

"Did it work?" asked Geoff.

Without change in his inflection, Noah cleared the confusion. "I lost to a guy that promised to replace all the water fountains with soda."

"I would totally vote for that guy," Tyler blurted out before earning a glare from Noah and scrambling to make amends. "I mean-"

"Well, Justin," Chris came in. "Time for you to join Tyler and the other losers. Don't forget your parting gift!"

Chef pressed the button with a sly grin as Justin yelped and twitched, his skin blackening and his hair falling out of place, resulting in the desperate model attempting in vain to straighten his frazzled scalp as he strolled away.

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Noah

"If you think that was bad, you should've seen the last guy," said Noah, crossing his arms. "He promised to give out free pizza for lunch every day. I learned a lot about peoples' priorities that day."

-o0o-o0o-

"The order has been established for the Lions," Chris kicked off. "Alejandro, you haven't gone since round one, so you're up."

"Fair enough."

Chef brandished another note card and handed it over to Chris, who read the question. "Alejandro, which contestant got the cops called on them for keeping a pair of shurikens in their desk and refusing to remove them in case of 'potential danger?'" he finished with air quotes accentuating his sentence.

"Harold," said Alejandro, smiling. "You really should do better!"

Chris sighed and sulked, relishing in the opportunity to shock another contestant before his hopes and dreams visibly deflated. "Correct."

"We are in America," Noah smirked, followed by a few laughs from other contestants.

"But the shurikens," added Leshawna, giggling. "Classic Harold."

"Classic Harold, indeed," Harold agreed. "Danger lurks around every corner."

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Alejandro

"Knowing your opponent is key," said Alejandro, hands behind his head and he lay against the wall of the confessional booth. "Their strengths, their weaknesses, their questionable choice in weapons. The more you know, the farther you go, and apparently, the safer you are from being shocked," he concluded, shuddering.

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Harold

"The cops totally overreacted," Harold defended himself, bringing both his hands to his chest. "I have a license to carry ninja weapons. They were safe with me. It's not like I was juggling them in homeroom or anything."

-o0o-o0o-

Chris pulled the lever, which prompted the TV to alternate between Noah and Harold, who were remaining for the Vipers. Noah was the unfortunate participant, leaving Harold to round out the Vipers' first round.

"Noah, you're up," said Chris. "Which contestant started a forest fire by trying to 'show Gordon Ramsay how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey?'"

"Uh," Noah stuttered, head resting on his right hand as he eyed the surrounding contestants. "Izzy?"

"For once, Izzy is the answer!"

Izzy cackled. No one was surprised.

"I didn't know stuffing explosives into a turkey could be so hard," she explained.

"Wait," said Gwen. "You put explosives in the turkey?"

"How else would I get it well-done?"

"Cooking it?"

"That's not as fun!"

"I suppose that one does have Izzy written all over it," Chris stated.

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Izzy

"Can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, huh? I bet the only reason Gordon didn't show up was out of jealousy. He knew that was gonna be a good turkey."

-o0o-o0o-

Now that every contestant had been properly embarrassed and the order had been implemented, the show displayed various rapid-fire cuts of more questions being asked and more participants being shocked, joining the losers in the process. Chris continued to bombard each and every competitor with queries about their peers, increasing the pressure as the heat beat down. In proper Total Drama spirit, the questions were conveyed in full detail.

DJ screamed like a little girl when a moth landed on his math test and sparked a wave of laughter from a number of the less empathetic contestants. Geoff was eliminated as he tried to help Lindsay answer a question about Bridgette losing her swimsuit once she crashed into a bunch of buoys, and Lindsay herself got her tongue pierced and went to the ER after constantly biting down on it, eliminating Harold in the process.

"They didn't tell me you weren't supposed to bite it!" claimed Lindsay, shrugging.

In the next round, Justin was revealed to wear women's t-shirts in order to look more muscular, which he defended by pointing to his flexed bicep and nodding. Alejandro was asked yet another question about Harold, this time about how he's played Super Smash Brothers Brawl for over three thousand hours.

"And I've made more money playing Smash than I have competing here," said Harold.

Meanwhile, Courtney guessed correctly about Tyler faking a broken leg to go to the bathroom in the middle of a game.

"When you've gotta go, you've gotta go!" Tyler exclaimed.

Round 9 disclosed that Heather apparently had her mugshot leaked on the Internet for reasons undisclosed, though many competitors suspected shoplifting, as it seemed in character.

"Ha!" Duncan belted out. "I always thought you went to Juvie."

"What happened?" Cody inquired.

"Nothing you need to know," snapped Heather.

Noah was found to quote books he's never read so that he can sound smarter, while Duncan incorrectly answered a question about Gwen and her bad slam poetry band called "The Iguanas."

"Seriously?" Gwen pressed.

"How am I supposed to know that if you never tell me these things?" asked Duncan.

"There's a reason I don't!"

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"Would you guys shut up, already?" Chef intervened.

"Yeah, I'm getting seriously sick of all the married couple shenanigans," Chris agreed, pulling the lever another time.

In round ten, the contestants found out that Courtney got her head stuck in a locker for three hours before being rescued by a janitor, while Ezekiel's first and only kiss was with a goat and Geoff recorded a viral, Jackass style video where he rollerskates off of a cliff. All three were answered incorrectly by Cody, Alejandro, and Noah, respectively, which left only one person standing from each team.

Geoff chuckled after his past was revealed, rubbing his back as if remembering the incident and the pain it inflicted on his body. Courtney received numerous sympathetic eyes after her ordeal was exposed, presumed to be a result of being at the bottom of the popularity totem pole.

Gwen guessed correctly about Trent in a moment that would have been touching had he not gone through an embarrassing grunge phase where he didn't shower for weeks.

"Almost makes me not wanna talk to you," Gwen kidded.

"We all thought we were Kurt Cobain at some point," Trent shrugged, looking around for approval. His face dropped as he found he wasn't getting any. "Right?"

Cody, meanwhile, accidentally sent a horrendous pickup attempt to all of his followers instead of its intended target, eliminating the final member of the Leaping Lions, Lindsay, who walked away with a supportive thumbs up in Gwen's direction.

"Kick Courtney's butt," she said with a smile.

Izzy had another unsurprising secret revealed as, for reasons that cannot legally be disclosed according to Chris, she had been permanently banned from entering the Middle East.

"I really wish the FBI wasn't so keen on censorship," Izzy stated. "Maybe then I could finally make it as an author and write my autobiography."

"Make it as what?" Ezekiel asked.

"You don't know what an author is?" Justin queried in response.

"I know what an author is," said Ezekiel. "I'm just sayin', yo. I didn't peg her as a book person."

"Neither did I, brother," Chris concurred.

"I would totally buy your book," Lindsay said in a soft voice, leaning forward towards Izzy's ear.

"That means a lot coming from a non-reader like you!"

"How'd you know I don't read?"

"Oh, the great mysteries of life," Chef snickered in front of a dull audience of the two contestants remaining in round twelve; Courtney and Gwen.

"Okay, we're getting down to the wire here," Chris announced, everyone but Courtney and Gwen sitting in the designated loser section, perched on the edge of their seats. "If we get through a round where only one of you answers correctly, you will win the challenge for your team, as well as the reward - a not so legal trip to an actual casino, complete with gambling, fake IDs, and all-you-can-eat buffets."

The Bears and Vipers cheered and whooped in anticipation while the Lions shrunk in disappointment, evidently devoid of a chance at victory.

"This bites," Geoff brooded.

"Not entirely," Chris reassured him. "Today's challenge is for reward only, so you poor suckers live to play another day."

"Alright!" celebrated Bridgette, hugging Geoff as Lindsay and Izzy embraced each other. Alejandro, despite being placed in the heart of the Lions' rejoice, didn't directly interact with anyone, a fact he appeared to take notice of as he wrung his hands together in his seat.

"Gwen, you'll go first," said Chris. "Which contestant showed up to school in their underwear in order to avoid missing the bus and ruining their streak of perfect attendance?"

"It's Leshawna," Gwen grinned, leaning back into the bleachers behind her as a dinging sound rang throughout the desert, followed swiftly by stark encouragement from the Bears.

"Correct!"

"You go, girl!" Leshawna cried. "No shade," she clarified, turning her body to face her scowling teammates.

"That's a huge point for Gwen and the Ballistic Bears," Chris delineated. "Courtney, you need to get this right if you want to force another round. Which contestant once walked in on Chef Hatchet in the shower and ended up violently beaten with a toilet plunger?"

"Crap," Courtney mumbled under her breath, nervously tapping her right foot, a sound made audible by the echo of the desert and the creaky nature of the wood her body rested on.

"Come on, Courtney," said Harold. "Someone's gotta have a tell."

Transparently lacking a concrete answer, Courtney followed her teammate's advice and looked to the crowd in hopes of noticing an outlier, which she eventually located in the form of Alejandro scratching the back of his head and avoiding eye contact, a point he usually excelled in. "Is it Alejandro?"

"Damn!" Alejandro yelped. "I was hoping no one found out."

"You're on TV, man!" snarled Chef. "We know all your secrets."

"Way to make it creepy, dude," said Chris. "But Courtney is correct!" Drowned by jeering from the Vipers, the host soldiered on. "We only have one more question left, so whoever gets it right first will win the challenge for their team."

"Can I top her if she gets it?" asked Courtney.

"I won't reveal the answer until both of you have something on the board," said Chris, receiving nods of approval from each of the two trembling contestants. "Gwen, which contestant ran late and got fired from their job after helping a group of senior citizens cross an intersection?"

"How is that embarrassing?" Gwen inquired.

"Yeah!" Ezekiel concurred, raising one of his hands. "Who cares if someone helped out some old dudes?"

"God, I'm stumped," stumbled Gwen, rubbing beads of sweat on her forehead with her palm as her heavy makeup melted on her face. The unrelenting heat did no favors for her as she, like Courtney before her, looked to the crowd for any reactions, but ultimately, Gwen came up short. Seconds felt like hours as sparse, yet suspenseful music shined a spotlight on her yet unprosperous efforts, all until the host began to step in.

"You've got it, Gwen," DJ encouraged.

"Five," Chris began to count, dust swirling in disjointed clouds behind him.

"You can't just-"

"Four." The sun was setting, though the temperature had yet to settle.

"That isn't-"

"Three."

"Fine! Heather."

"Alright, Gwen votes for Heather," said Chris. "Courtney, what's your answer?"

"That question can only be directed at one person," Courtney smirked, leaning forward with her hands on her knees. "Duncan."

"One of you is correct," stated Chris. "And that contestant is…" he continued, squinting at his note card to add dramatic tension despite knowing full well who prevailed. Gwen and Courtney sat as far forward as they could without physically falling out of their seats, while the audience fidgeted, heart rates rising as the temperature cooled marginally.

"Courtney!" Chef declared.

"Yes!" Courtney screamed, standing up and throwing her arms in the air to uproarious celebration from her team, except Duncan, who didn't care for his softer side to be divulged.

He and Gwen caught each other's eyes from a fair distance away, though the dissent had dissipated. Duncan scratched the back of his head and looked to the floor with pursed lips

"Alright!" Tyler joined in, barreling past the frame as the Vipers stampeded towards Courtney to lift her up in a crowd surfing motion. Other teams filed towards the plane, bitter in defeat and grimacing at the sight of such pronounced triumph.

"And that's that" said Chris after a considerable pause, the competitors exiting the frame and leaving the silent space to be filled by the empty desert ambience. "The Vipers are off to enjoy their reward, and everyone else probably hates their own guts right about now. Who will be embarrassed next time? Is Alejandro screwed? What's gonna happen between Duncan and Gwen? Truthfully, I have no idea. I'm not a mind reader. The only way to find out is to stick with us and tune in for the next episode of - Total! Drama! Uncharted!"

-o0o-o0o-

Geoff, still pouring sweat in the sun with his arm around Bridgette, walked towards the plane as Alejandro caught up, forced to speed up and walk at a pace quicker than his usual calculated steps.

"Next time, huh?" Alejandro asked, falling to Geoff's right.

"Thank God it's a reward," Geoff guffawed, his laugh soon deflating with intent. "Yeah, we'd be screwed."

"Not entirely," said Alejandro, placing his hand on Geoff's shoulder with an oddly reassuring smirk. "We still have our alliance, don't we?"

"We do," Geoff answered. "But you're way too worried about this," he contended. "Let's just see how it-"

"You keep saying that," Bridgette interjected, her face growing increasingly stale. "Can you just, like, decide on something?"

"She makes a good point," said Alejandro.

"Okay, fine," Geoff breathed, raising both hands up so that his palms faced him, then quickly releasing tension and dropping his arms by his side. "Truth is, I don't know what to do."

"I figured," Alejandro grinned, looking Geoff in the eyes and slinging his entire arm around his teammate's shoulders. "Believe me, I'm not excited about strategy talk either."

"Neither am I," said Bridgette, massaging her temples with her fingers. "You two flip-floppers are giving me headaches."

"No one's flip-flopping," claimed Geoff, raising his voice a bit. "It's just… Alliances are too mean. I like these people!"

"I do, too!" Alejandro concurred. "But you and me, amigo? We're threats. And what happens when people realize that?"

"They respect our manliness and keep us around?"

"They vote you off," Bridgette answered for her boyfriend.

"Since when are you in on this?"

"I'm not," said Bridgette. "But I would rather you just pick a side so you can throw me a bone."

"That wouldn't be very smart of us," Alejandro smiled. "But I respect that."

"Okay, here," said Geoff, stopping and raising his hands in front of him. "Bridgette, you do whatever the heck you wanna do. Alejandro, you and I will vote together one more time. After that, it's every dude for himself!"

"You've got a deal," replied Alejandro, extending his hand and being met with a firm, almost seething handshake from a dead-eyed Geoff.

"See, guys?" Bridgette added, grinning wholeheartedly, placing her hands in her hoodie's pockets. "It's not so hard to get along."

"How can you even wear that?" Geoff asked, staring Bridgette through the corner of his eye with crossed arms. "It's like, a million degrees."

"Tone it down a notch, huh?" Alejandro murmured.

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Geoff

"Okay, yeah. The heat's messing with me a little bit," Geoff began as he stood on top of the toilet, gripping a wrench and desperately whacking the air conditioning unit inside the ceiling, which had a tile ripped out of it. After a sonorous revving sound reminiscent of a sports car's engine came out of it, Geoff leapt back down and sat.

"Honestly, though, I'm not really a fan of that Alejandro guy. We'd be tight outside the competish, but he's gotten too strategy-heavy for me to really trust him, and if we're gonna have an alliance, we've gotta have trust. Bridgette comes first. Not him."

-o0o-o0o-

Alejandro cleared his throat as tension hung still in the air, the last conversation's undertones still prevalent and palpable. "We just lost the challenge. Maybe we should try and unwind a little bit?"

"What did you have in mind?" asked Bridgette.

The tension diffused as Izzy popped into view before a response could come to fruition, wearing a grin and bouncing on her toes to gain traction. "Ooh, how about a heist?"

"A heist?" Lindsay inquired, stumbling into the team conversation and almost tripping on her high heels in the process. "You mean, like, breaking into the Vipers' casino trip?"

"You know," said Bridgette as the team climbed the plane's ramp and sunk into the common room sofas. "That's actually a really fun idea. You're not the only one who still smells like toilet, by the way," Bridgette stated, looking at Alejandro as she nestled into Geoff's reach, motioning towards him with her thumb.

"Out of pocket," Geoff responded, half grumbling and half snickering in an improbable combination of expressions.

"Maybe one of you could tell Tyler to change his socks," Lindsay suggested, wincing as she plugged her nose with her thumb and index finger.

"Tell him to get better at basketball, then," said Geoff. "We made some bets."

"Too many," Bridgette mumbled. "You're gonna go broke!" she added, hissing through her teeth and pointing at Geoff.

"I don't have any money, anyway!" Geoff exclaimed, prompting Bridgette to roll her eyes and turn her head away.

"Well, that's what the casino is for!" exclaimed Izzy. "Want me to go find some blueprints?"

"Blueprints?" Lindsay queried. "Can't we just sneak in through the back door?"

"I think Izzy has something a little more… elaborate in mind," claimed Alejandro.

"Explosives, smoke bombs, shock collars…" Izzy trailed off, counting on her fingers.

"We're trying to break into a casino," said Bridgette. "Not Area 51."

"I actually have broken into Area 51 before. It was totally-"

"Guys, I hate to be the square, but like," Geoff began, scratching his head and glancing at the others for approval. "What if we get disqualified?"

At the perfect moment, Chris walked behind the sofa on his way to his private quarters, shirt off and towel wrapped around his waist.

"Meh," Chris said. "I don't really like those guys, anyway."

Just as quickly as he had arrived, the host fell out of frame and entered the main hallway, out of sight but not out of mind.

"So are we crashing this party or what?" Izzy asked in a soft voice, eyes darting around to confirm their plans would not be exposed.

"Crash the party?" Lindsay inquired in response, shrugging. "The party doesn't start without us!"

"I like the way you think," Alejandro said as he put his flat palm on the table between the two sofas. The other four Lions followed suit and clasped hands, lifting them on the count of three with a silent chant.

-o0o-o0o-

Confessional: Alejandro

"I hope I'm just exaggerating," said Alejandro, one arm tucked underneath the opposite armpit and the other arm being used to stroke his chin in thought. "But this team is getting tighter and tighter, which is not good for me. Please, Chris!" he continued, clapping his hands together as if praying and then interlocking their respective fingers. "Geoff and Bridgette are already tight, but the other two? Why are they such nice people?" he asked as he sighed and placed his hands flat on the toilet beside him.

-o0o-o0o-

Gwen sat alone with her notepad, perched on top of a large wooden crate in the cargo hold. She scribbled something unseen by the camera as her face flashed a frown for an ephemeral moment, followed by a quick scratch of the pen and Gwen ripping her page out, crumpling it and leaping off the crate before she threw it to be lost in the endless maze of abandoned luggage.

She took her position back as Trent meandered into the vast, cavernous room with a guitar on his back and a brown, textured capo in his hand.

"Hey," said Gwen as Trent took up a seat on a rickety stool across from her, gradually tuning his guitar string by string.

"Hey."

"Come here to pity me?"

"Nope," replied Trent. "I just figured you could use a distraction."

"Did you bring alcohol?" Gwen asked, smiling with her mouth but without her eyes, placing her hands on the crate behind her and leaning back. Her expression faded quickly despite her efforts to maintain it.

"I wish," Trent continued to tune his guitar, finally finishing and strumming a G major chord that rang out with perfect tonality, its harmony creating a crisp echo in the resonant room.

"That sounds beautiful," said Gwen, lifting her arms and placing them in her lap, crossing her legs.

"It's just the room. The acoustics here are killer."

"You come here often?"

"Every day," Trent answered, grinning as he placed his capo on his guitar's second fret. "You just happened to be here this time."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"What do you do when you're stressed?" Gwen asked, head resting on her hands. "Like, let's say you had a really shitty day and you just need to relax. What do you do?"

"Usually just music," said Trent. "Playing guitar. Listening works, too. Put on some Radiohead or something."

"You listen to Radiohead?" Gwen followed up, shifting positions once more and donning a real smile, one where her eyes narrowed and her cheeks expanded. "When did you fix your music taste?"

"My music taste was always good. How do you get your mind off things, though?"

"Drawing, I guess," said Gwen. "It helps to sketch your feelings out. Does that make sense?"

Trent nodded as he picked out a melody on his guitar, Gwen continuing to listen. "Maybe I'll see some if I'm lucky."

"If."

"You've always been a tough nut to crack, you know that?"

"It's called being mysterious," said Gwen.

"It's called being boring."

"You think I'm boring?" Gwen giggled. "You're like, the stock guitar guy."

"I think you don't mind the stock guitar guy so much," said Trent, looking up with a smirk.

"Not at all," Gwen responded as Trent continued to play quietly, evidently paying more mind to the company. "This is nice. I needed this."

"I'd imagine," Trent continued. "Sometimes you just need a break."

"Yeah, and it's just… I can't have these kinds of convos with Duncan. It's always more stress with him."

"I really can't speak for you guys," began Trent. "But that sucks. Big time."

"It does suck," said Gwen, sighing. "And it's driving me crazy. Can we shut up for a while?"

Trent laughed as he played another chord, arching his right arm over his guitar's body and muting the strings with it. "Sure thing."

Gwen leaned forward as Trent's stool creaked. He gripped his pick and strummed a resonant, calm chord progression, following it up with a melody in the key of B major. Gwen listened silently as Trent played, neglecting to sing and instead playing standalone fingerstyle patterns, displaying his talent without saying a word.

All the while, the rest of the Bears ate dinner silently, unable to get words out in the wake of the heat and the drama unfolding. Any time they did speak, it was in relation to the suffering Total Drama forced them to endure, but most of the conversations simply involved brief glances being exchanged and sticking shirts being tugged at. The air conditioning had yet to restart, though Chef was visible in the background with a comically unnecessary welding mask and torch, working on restoring comfortable temperature conditions.

The Vipers prepared for their night out, spending time in their private bathrooms and changing into sleeker, casino-worthy attire. Courtney, applying eyeliner, picked at a face which usually remained natural. Duncan buttoned up a blue shirt, while Harold adjusted a tie and a full suit. Heather brushed her hair, which complimented a purple dress. Leshawna wrapped up by donning a pair of golden hoop earrings. Tyler combed his hair before flexing in the mirror and leaving the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Finally, Noah, underdressed compared to the others, simply wore a white t-shirt and jeans.

-o0o-o0o-

In accordance with his appearance, Noah was the last to show up, walking in without expression on his face as he recognized the casino was packed with people, in stark contrast to the previous, private rewards.

The carpet was a bright red, and the spacious room was dimly lit by low-hanging silver chandeliers. Tables were strewn through the area, inhabited by gamblers of all ages engaging in a number of games, blackjack, poker, and roulette tables included. Waiters wandered around holding platinum trays of wine glasses, wearing elaborate suits and dresses. The sound of chips clinking, murmuring, and soft music came together in a jumble of noise. Noah raised an eyebrow as he strolled past a man in a fedora pushing a pile of chips towards the center of the table, gaining a glimpse of his cards in the process and recognizing an obvious bluff.

At last, Noah found the designated table near the opposite end of the casino, where his six teammates sat with cards in hand. Leshawna, who was facing him, was the first to take notice, setting her drink on the table and beckoning him over with a wave.

"Sit!" Leshawna greeted Noah, standing up and grabbing a nearby chair, handing it to the boy, who sat in between her and Harold.

"I've never been somewhere this boujee before," said Noah.

"White people know how to do it," Leshawna replied, drinking her beverage, with Noah unsure as to whether or not it was entirely legal to consume at their age.

"Are you gonna fold or not?" Courtney asked from the other end of the table, sitting beside Duncan.

"Relax!" cried Leshawna. "I'm thinking about it."

"Lighten up, princess," said Duncan, leaning back into his chair with his cards flat on the table in front of him.

"The faster I win, the happier I'll be," Courtney responded.

"It's all good. What happens in the casino stays in the casino."

"Not when there are cameras everywhere," Heather came in, pointing directly at the camera focusing in on her and glancing in other directions.

"Meh," Duncan shrugged. "She doesn't have a very good poker face anyway."

At this, Courtney scrunched her eyebrows and leaned onto the table with folded arms, fidgeting with her thumbs as she tried in vain to maintain a blank expression.

With Leshawna folding, Harold, who anointed himself the dealer, spoke up. "I agree with Duncan. She's bluffing."

"Damn it!" Courtney exclaimed, slapping her cards and standing up once Harold revealed his own. No one else was in for the round, meaning Harold comfortably snatched Courtney's earnings with a sweep of his arm while Duncan openly laughed at Courtney, visibly frustrating her as she kept hostile words in her mouth and glared at him.

"That's what you get for messing with a two-time U20 poker champion," Harold continued with a sly smirk, providing everybody with new hands. At the moment, he was leading by a considerable margin, body almost blocked by a towering pile of blue chips in front of him.

"Guys!" Tyler cried. "I think I've got a good hand!"

"You're not supposed to say that," Heather scolded him.

"Reshuffle?" Harold asked.

"Don't even ask," said Noah. "Put me in, too."

"But what if he's-" Courtney began.

"Who cares?" Leshawna intervened. "Dude needs to learn to keep his mouth shut."

Harold shuffled the cards another time as Tyler looked down towards the hand being placed in front of him, raising his arms in front of him as if admitting guilt. Before he could pick up his cards, however, Tyler heard the distinct noise of a door being kicked open with force, followed by the collision between the door and the wall.

Tyler looked behind him and grinned at the sight beholding him, which wasn't immediately shown by the camera, as the priority was given to Courtney and Duncan turning their heads around, mouths gaping.

"What the-" said Noah.

The camera turned around and depicted the Lions creeping up on the Vipers' table, walking in through the casino's back door, which had not only been forced open, but knocked off its hinges entirely. Izzy led the charge, walking on her toes and skulking, constantly leaping behind tables to maintain cover and keeping her head on a swivel. Geoff and Bridgette strolled through not far behind, arm-in-arm as they made a feeble attempt at nonchalant. Alejandro was wearing a suit he had presumably packed with him and kept his poker face on, appearing as if he belonged. Lindsay stumbled at the rear as the only one other than Alejandro to dress up, fixing her high heels as she nearly knocked over a roulette wheel and fell into Tyler's arms.

"This place is awesome!" Lindsay twinkled.

"Who invited you guys?" asked Tyler, curious but not complaining, exemplified through the smile on his face.

"No one," Izzy answered with a curt response, still standing, but placing her arms around both Harold and Leshawna. "We just wanted to join you guys!"

"Bring us in, too," Bridgette added as she and Geoff pulled up chairs, looking like fish out of water in their casual surfer clothes.

"Well, well, well," said Duncan. "Looks like things just got interesting."

"How did you guys get in here?" Heather asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Let's just say we have our ways," said Alejandro, sliding into an empty seat beside Heather, movements perfectly syncopated. "Now, who's ready for a friendly game of poker?"

Harold chuckled as he said, "Friendly? I give it five minutes before someone flips a table."

"That's generous," Noah replied.

"Bullshit," said Geoff. "We're gonna just forget about everything and have some fun. Is that a deal?"

"Fine," Leshawna sighed. "Might as well make the most of you guys stealing our reward."

"It's not that bad," said Tyler, kissing Lindsay on the cheek as she blushed.

"What if Chris finds out about this?" Courtney inquired, keeping her cards close to her and scowling.

"Chris knows," grinned Bridgette. "He practically gave us his blessing."

The Vipers all exchanged glances and analyzed the Lions' faces, some of them wearing amused smirks and others with their heads at a tilt, deep in thought.

"Alright, then," Harold broke the silence. "May the best shark win."

Harold shuffled the cards as everyone settled into their seats, with all twelve teenagers, seven Vipers and five Lions, awaiting their hands. Tyler had his arm around Lindsay, while Heather tried to sneak a peek of Lindsay's newly acquired cards, unbeknownst to her. Duncan and Alejandro shared simpers with one another, and Izzy and Leshawna snickered to themselves as Geoff sneezed, dropping his cards in the process and revealing his cards, which slid across the table face up.

"Are you serious?" Geoff asked to himself, gripping his hat from both sides with his jaw wide open, others either gasping or erupting into exuberant laughter.

He had a royal flush. So it goes.

-o0o-o0o-

Eliminated

Katie and Sadie

Beth

Eva

Sierra

Owen