Author's Note: That was a short year wasn't it? Jokes aside, this almost didn't come out today, because I did not have a good week. But I hunkered down and got this one out in a single day. It's.. uh not great, but I just couldn't let this one be delayed a single day.
Today's media recommendation is Fire Emblem: Engage. It's got some thought-provoking gameplay and a nice simple plot reminiscent of those old Saturday morning cartoons.
Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama, the shuffled concept or the (most of) the characters.
And to answer some reviews:
Crash x Fusion: All will be explained in this episode. Except the Lindsay alliance, it's not time to go back to the plot yet. There's gonna be a lot of Evzekiel progress these next few challenges. I thought the joke was funny. Though it the chapter was almost late...
Derick Lindsay: I'd like to think I gave Sierra a good exit considering it'll be the last time we see her as a competitor. Oh if I had no other antagonists in World Tour I absolutely would've had her be the villain using that same strategy. Remember, I don't really consider team numbers when sending someone home.
xx15: Thanks! I'll probably rewrite the original Danger Island when I finish with this series. Ranking the OC's from evil to pure... I'd say Rebecca, Matthew, Natasha, Olivia, Terrance, Lily, Britney, Gary, Kitsune, Jaxon, Mitch, Malcolm, Contessa, Angel, Carly, and Victor. And I'll check out your fic once I can watch the new season so as to avoid spoilers.
Gucci Mane LaFlare: Glad you like Evzekiel. I'm glad you liked my version of Sierra. It's such an interesting concept that kinda got tossed to the wayside in canon just to give Cody a stalker. I'm really glad you liked Victor. He's one of my favorites too.
LazloVader9943: Thanks. In all honestly I think Sierra might have actually lasted too long when you consider her season 3 run and Scott and Amy. The payoff won't be until post merge but I needed to set it up then. I should be fine with the episode count. It's real life that's been causing all these delays.
Guest: I don't really look at team numbers when sending people home. I should, but I don't. In a season like this, it just makes sense that everyone's playing more strategically than normal. Well Zeke does seem to have a fanbase of his own, though it's more out of pity due to what happened to him. I kinda wish the randomizer had let Kitsune interact with Izzy or Owen. I feel like it would've been interesting.
LittleMermaid: I'm not really in a position to be upset about late reviews lol. I might take a look at that discord one weekend. It is a challenge, no pun intended, to make the homages seem different from their original counterparts, so I'm glad you liked it. I'm glad people like the Amy and Dakota fight, I was so worried it wouldn't make sense considering she was using Amy as an Olivia stand-in. Dakota's growth is one of my favorite parts of Danger Island, I know I kinda dropped the ball that season so I'm glad someone likes something from it. Sadly Sharly is gonna be on the back burner for a bit while I work with the other couples. So, Rodney's confessional was a mistake. The original scene she didn't deny it, that time it was that he didn't believe her. I just forgot to change the confessional. Still kicking myself for not having Trent last this long. And The voting situation will be explained this chapter. Glad you like the OC fun facts because I have at least fourteen more to go.
Remaining Campers:
Ferrets of Failure: Dakota, Dave, Ella, Ezekiel, Gwen, Harold, Lindsay, Sam, Sky
Llamas of Loserdom: Amy, Cameron, Carly, Eva, Sadie, Scott, Shawn
Don't sleep on this episode
Episode 10: Sleepless in Pahkitew
"Last time, on Total Drama Redemption," Chris opened, the recap beginning with a shot of Dave forming an alliance between Sky and Lindsay. "Dave surprised us all by playing strategically," Eva and Ezekiel were shown crashing into each other, followed by Sierra's confessional, "and Eva revealed a secret crush on the weird prairie kid."
"In an homage to season three's Jamaica challenge," Chris was shown announcing the challenge, "teams were forced to run Chef's brutal bobsled course." A panning shot of the mountainside course was followed by a close-up of Amy and Scott's disastrous run. "And the Llamas of Loserdom were once again forced to kick someone off," The team was shown groaning about their loss. "Too bad for Sierra, that person was her!" The final marshmallow was given to Scott, much to the blogger's shock.
The recap footage ended, and the scene moved to the docks, where Chris was standing with a coffee mug in hand. "The last challenge was rough" he said, taking a sip and sighing contently. "So I've decided to make this one nice and simple." He chuckled and tossed the mug off screen. "Keep those eyes peeled open for today's episode of Total! Drama! Redemption!"
XXXXX
[The opening theme began similarly to the way it did in season six – a shift into letterbox format for a shot of a rocky forest waterfall, a broken stagelight rotating up from behind some rocks and flickering a bit before the light died. Then a rusty spotlight swings down from the unseen branches of some mossy, mushroom-ridden tree. The shot moves to a pond where a brown bear wearing a scuba mask sits in the water glaring at a frog on a lily pad, both animals looking surprised as the lily pad is suddenly lifted into the air by a duct tape covered security camera rising up from below it. A rabbit sitting on a rock on the beach is pushed away by a panel in the rock slamming down on it, another broken camera emerging from within, and a pair of white-skinned hands clap a film slate in front of the main camera.
As the film slate is pulled away the camera flies forward past the camp facilities, and over the top of the host drinking coffee in a director's chair just as the lyrics start.]
Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doin' fine;
[The camera flies through the trees and up to a cliff, peeking over to see the interns swimming away from Scuba Bear.]
You guys are on my mind!
[The camera dives off the cliff and into an underwater shot; a fully-clothed Cameron gagging.]
Ya asked me what I wanted to be,
And now I think the answer is plain to see!
[Cameron frantically swims up and grabs on to the end of an oar. The camera pans up to reveal Eva as the one rowing the boat; she pulls her oar out of the water and is startled to see Cameron clinging to it, and even more so when something starts pulling him back. But with a fierce yet muted roar, Eva manages to pull the oar away from the the thing...and in doing so, throw Cameron high into the sky.]
I wanna be...famous!
[Cameron hangs in front of the sun for a moment before coming back down into the woods. The camera pans down to Gwen drawing on a stump while surrounded by a guitar playing Trent and a singing Ella. Cameron falls from the sky and knocks Gwen down, startling Trent and Ella. The camera zooms out to show Scott watching the scene and laughing, and then again to show Lindsay crossing her arms and pursing her lips at him.]
I wanna live close to the sun!
[The camera zooms to another part of camp, showing Leonard and Gary surfing down a river.]
Well pack your bags, 'cause I've already won!
[The shot pans forward a bit, showing Harold and Sierra also on surfboards. Leonard and Gary arrive on screen, but while the three boys are busy showing off, Sierra's eyes widen and she ducks. She just barely misses getting hit by a low lying branch that the boys smack into.]
Everythin' to prove, nothin' in my way;
[The camera rapidly pans over to the outhouses. Ezekiel opens the door to one and a thick green cloud comes out of it, causing him to look nauseous and pass out. The camera pans over to the craft service tent.]
I'll get there one day.
[The camera moves in past the window to show a smirking Chef, stirring a large pot of something sickly green. He looks behind him to where Sam is sitting and playing on a handheld game console. Dakota is looking over his shoulder as he plays.]
'Cause I wanna be...famous!
[The camera pans left to show Sky and Dave chatting. Britney comes out of nowhere to separate the two and sit on Dave's lap, glaring at Sky all the while. The camera zooms pans left again to the opening of the tent and flashes to an open field. Amy knocks a bouquet of flowers out of a kneeling Rodney's hands, then pushes over Sadie as the the girl bends down to pick up a shell.]
(Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
[A pan rightward shows Jaxon making a screen gesture with his fingers. He looks from the left to the right and rolls his eyes in irritation.]
I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
[Another pan to the right centers the camera on Anne Maria spraying her hair. She notices the camera on her and glares, spraying it enough that the thick cloud covers the whole screen.]
I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
[The cloud dissipates to reveal Carly and Shawn sitting at a campfire in front of a large full moon. They lean in for a kiss but are interrupted by Chris's sudden appearance between them while wearing a zombie mask, startling them both into running away. As Chris takes off his mask to laugh, the shot zooms out to show the other campers also sitting around the fire - Ella, Trent, Gwen, Sky, Amy, Sam, Dakota, Ezekiel, Gary, Scott, and Rodney with Carly trembling behind them on the left; and Anne Maria, Britney, Dave, Cameron, Sadie, Eva, Leonard, Lindsay, Sierra, and Jaxon with Shawn trembling behind them on the right. The zoom continues even further, showing the signboard over the firepit's entrance which now read 'Total Drama Redemption'.]
XXXXX
The episode proper opened with a shot of the Llama's treehouse. The camera zoomed in for a close-up, then cut to the girl's side. Amy yawned as she woke up, then got out of bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Her eyes widened in recognition, and the camera pulled back to show an already dressed Eva frowning at her.
"What's your problem?" the cheerleader asked.
"I just wanna know why you're so keen on keeping Scott around," she said.
"He's my insurance policy," Amy explained. At Eva's questioning gaze she added, "As long as he's on the team, I know I can avoid elimination."
"So your plan is to keep Scott in game as long as possible so people vote for him instead of you?" Eva asked.
"Duh," Amy scoffed.
Eva gave her a slightly impressed look. "Not a bad idea actually..."
XXX
"I know I told Scott that I wasn't helping him last time," Amy told the confessional. "But I was lying to him. He needs to know that he needs me to stay in the game so I don't get backstabbed like with Alejandro back in season one."
XXX
"I found the Immunity Idol in the water last challenge," Eva explained. "I've been worried about making it to the end when I'm clearly the strongest player here. So the idol gave me some peace of mind. But," she held up a finger, "Amy's idea is pretty good. No one likes her or Scott, so if they stay in the game then that's an even bigger buffer for me. So long as they don't try to get rid of me that is..."
XXX
"Sam, can I talk to you for a sec? Dakota asked the gamer as the camera cut to them, sunglasses hiding her eyes.
"Hmm? Sure thi-" Sam began to tell her before she revealed the horrible bags beneath her eyes. "-GREAT SUNS OF ORION!" the gamer recoiled. "Uh," he recovered. "I meant... everything okay?"
Dakota started to chuckle. "Oh, yeah," Sam gave her a questioning look. "I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Too much on my mind."
"Anything I can do to help?" Sam asked, causing the heiress to blush.
XXX
"I've decided to tell Sam how I feel," Dakota began from the confessional, her smile shifting into a worried grimace with each word. "It's getting pretty hard to hide it, and I'm pretty confident that he won't be too rude when he turns me down. I just hope we can still be friends after..."
XXX
"Campers!" Chris's voice rang through the camp before she could answer. "Meet me on the other side of the island ASAP! Rewards will be handed out to the team that get here first! Starting... Now!"
\
The scene skipped ahead to the middle of the race; the sun was beating hard as the camera panned down to the campers. Eva, Sky, and Shawn were running in the lead; walking behind them were Amy, Sam, and Dakota. The camera focused on the heiress as she muttered to herself. "Sam. I like you," she whispered as Carly and Ezekiel ran past. "I like you, Sam? Hey, let's make out." She blushed. "No not that one..."
The camera panned over to Scott as he ran past a struggling Dave. "So tired..." he groaned. "I wasn't built for this!"
The scene cut back to Sam and Dakota, who had picked up their pace. "Hey, sorry about what I said earlier," Sam said. "I was just, uh, so taken by your, uh, ear lobes!"
XXX
"Ear lobes?" Sam said in the confessional, bewildered by his own words. "Ear lobes?"
XXX
Dakota gave her crush an enamored gaze. "Thanks!" she said brightly as she looked the gamer over, "I like you..." she trailed off, blushing heavily... "too. Yep. I U2. My favorite band. Edge, Bono, those guys are great aren't they? Well I better hurry!" she dashed off, leaving Sam confused and disappointed.
The camera followed Dakota as she ran past Gwen and Ella, both watching with frowns. "At this point it's just painful to watch," the goth commented. Ella nodded in agreement.
\
The scene skipped ahead to the craft tent, where most of the campers – and Chris, happily filing his nails – were waiting for the last few stragglers. The normal team separation seemed to have been temporarily abandoned, as campers were by-and-large too exhausted to care for the division. The camera cut from a shot of the host to the main entrance as a heaving Dave arrived. "I...I made it!" he panted, stumbling the last few feet to the nearest table.
Cameron came in moments after, dripping with sweat. He tried several times to speak, but gave up and flopped to the ground near Sadie and Amy.
Sam and Dakota were the last to arrive. "Why...do games...make running...look so easy?" Sam panted, barely able to walk.
"Are we done yet?" Dakota asked, leaning on the gamer to stay standing.
"Sorry for costing us the reward," Sam apologized.
"Reward?" Sky said, running up to the pair. "Forget that, you two look like you're dying! Sit down already!"
"So what was the reward anyway?" Harold asked.
"Yeah," Scott echoed. "What'd we win?"
"Oh that," Chris perked up as the camera cut to him shaking his head and hands. "There was never a reward!" He walked into the middle of the room and the shot shifted accordingly.
"Excuse me?" Amy said immediately. "What do you mean 'there was no reward'? What was all that effort for then?"
The camera shifted again to Chris as he stepped in front of some purple curtains. "The lawyers are really up my butt about what I feed you guys. Sooo... Who's hungry?" he said as an angelic chorus played in the background; he removed the curtain and a turkey buffet was revealed.
None of the campers moved.
"No one?" the host asked.
"How stupid do you think we are?" Shawn protested. "First we run all around the island and now you want us to stuff our faces with turkey?"
Chris rolled his eyes. "Fine," he groaned. "I was telling the truth about the lawyers calling. But I figured I might as well get a challenge out of it."
"Why would any of us eat that food if we know what's coming next?" Cameron asked.
"Because until the challenge is over," the host explained. "No one gets anything else to eat. Do you have any idea how much money it takes to buy sides for a Thanksgiving meal for sixteen people? In June?!"
The camera cut to the Llamas looking at one another, then the Ferrets as Sam's stomach began to growl.
"Stay strong Sam," Harold told him.
"I'm trying..." Sam said, "but that's an S-rank recovery item." His stomach growled again.
"The challenge did last a few days last time..." Gwen spoke up.
The scene cut to Chris with his usual bland smile... until the camera started shaking and he perked up and screamed just in time to be run over by the campers going to the buffet.
\
The scene skipped ahead, panning across the aftermath of the meal. Only a few scraps of food were left, and the groans that played over the shot implied that the bellies of several campers were full to bursting. The shot zoomed out to show Ezekiel, Sky, Harold, Scott, Carly, and Amy gathered around the remains, noticeably bloated. Chris stepped on to the table, noticeably dishelved. "Pretending that didn't happen," he sang to himself as he fixed his appearance, then clapped to gain everyone's attention. "Okay campers! Time for part two of your challenge!"
"Don't worry!" Chris continued, hopping down to the floor. "This is an easy one! Stay awake as long as possible! The team with the last camper standing wins invincibility!"
"This is going to be a long three days," Shawn sighed.
"Not quite," Chris chuckled. "That was mutant turkey you guys just scarfed down. I want this challenge done quick," he explained. "Last time I missed one of my shows and an intern spoiled it for me."
"Ooh, that's not good eh..." Ezekiel told his team, ending with a burp.
"Move! Move! Move!" Chris said into his megaphone, the point-of-view shifting to show all the campers as they reluctantly headed for the door.
"So how long do you think it'll be before everyone's asleep?" Eva asked Amy as the others filed past them.
"It better not be long." Amy told the iron woman. "I need my beauty sleep."
Dakota walked past them, and the camera panned over to see Sam waiting for her. She smiled at him, and the two left the tent together.
\
The sun was shown high into the sky as the scene transitioned to later in the challenge; it was accompanied by a timer at the top of the screen which said six hours had passed.
The shot panned down to show the campers gathered at the campfire pit, separated by teams thanks to some added seating. "We are now six hours in," Chris's voice-over explained softly, "with all sixteen campers still wide awake." The camera panned over the Llamas of Loserdom; all members except Shawn were shown, and all of them had large bags under their eyes.
Scott sighed, and stood up. He stretched his arms and upper body, earning quite a few skeptical glances from the other campers, and began walking around the clearing. He paused to stretch again near the Ferrets. "What?" he asked them, "a guy ain't allowed to stretch to stay awake? Stop bein' so suspicious." He locked eyes with Dakota. "Especially you." He smirked, she glared.
Lindsay glared at the schemer as he began walking again.
XXX
"Man, the Awake-A-Thon was even more brutal than it looked on TV." Sam said, looking surprisingly well-rested in the outhouse. "It was like have Bane cast on you when you were already at disadvantage in Thor's Archway 3."
XXX
The camera cut back to the challenge, focusing on Sam sitting next to a depressed-looking Dakota. The point-of-view shifted to the gamer's perspective, looking at the heiress and seeing her blur and pixellate into a game sprite version of herself. The view shifted back to Sam's front, showing him gasp and shake his head. He looked at the mournful Dakota again and sighed. "You know, Dakota, you weren't to blame for what happened your season."
Dakota slowly turned her head and blinked at the larger boy. "...what? You really think so?" she said once she'd registered the comment and had surprise temporarily overcome exhaustion.
"Yeah, I mean," Sam explained, "A lot of people got tricked into helping villains. Plus you're way too nice to have helped Olivia willingly."
The heiress shot him a tired smile. "Aww, thanks!" She sighed. "It's just so hard when all the forums are badmouthing me. And then Olivia goes and gets a girlfriend the next season and everyone's rooting for her?"
Sam opened his mouth to say something, but Dakota kept talking. "So everything she did on purpose gets erased but what I did on accident is forever?" Her shoulders slumped. "How is that fair?"
The camera gave Sam a close-up. "I guess it is kinda messed up. But if it makes you feel any better-" His words of encouragement were paused when he felt a weight on his arm and shoulder. Looking down and to his right, he saw that Dakota had fallen asleep. He blushed and looked around wildly, utterly unsure of what to do but not willing to disturb his teammate's rest.
A bell sounded, and a scoreboard showing the two team logos and the number of campers still awake appeared on the bottom of the screen. The Ferrets' score rolled down to eight.
XXX
"I'm too dependent on Scott," Amy explained in the confessional. "I need some more allies and soon. It's time to make my move."
XXX
The camera cut to Cameron and Sadie in the middle of a conversation. "Personally," Cameron said, "I think it wouldn't be the same ship. There's nothing left of the original. But at the end of the day it's just a matter of semantics."
Sadie nodded, and the camera cut to a smirking Amy. "Hey! Can I talk to you guys for a minute?" she walked over and asked. Cameron and Sadie shrugged.
\
The shot cut to a close-up of Jo standing a little ways away from the other campers. "I'll make it quick," Amy began. "We're going to need allies if we're gonna stay in the game." The shot zoomed out to show the other two Llamas walking up to her. "What do you say to working together?"
Cameron and Sadie looked to each other, then shrugged. "Why not?" Sadie said.
"Perfect," Amy grinned. "Between Cameron's smarts, Sadie's social invisibility and my everything else, we're guaranteed to make it to the end."
XXX
"It looks like my plan is gonna work after all," Cameron grinned. "Both Scott and Amy are working with me so they shouldn't target me. Now I just have to make sure they don't realize I'm allied to both of them..."
XXX
"I don't really trust Amy," Sadie confessed. "She reminds me too much of Justin and you know what happened there." She shrugged. "But if I'm at her side then I might be able to turn any of her plans against her.
XXX
The scene skipped ahead to night, the on-screen timer marking it as twelve hours since the start of the challenge. The camera zoomed in from a view of the entire island and showed a few shots from around the campfire. Dave was sleeping with Sky nearby and barely holding on; Carly had dozed off as well. A shot of the rest of the Llamas revealed that the other six were still hanging on, and the scoreboard reflected that; a pan over to the Ferrets showed that Dave and Dakota were their only dozers, with the scoreboard showing the other seven still awake.
The only camper who didn't seem to be having trouble was Shawn, who if anything looked more alert than ever. He kept darting and rolling around the clearing, disappearing behind one camper only to reappear somewhere else on-camera. He stopped to nervously chew his nails before the camera stopped following him.
"Congratulations, campers!" Chris announced, the camera switching to his close-up. "You've made it to the twelve hour mark! Time to take things up a notch! What do I mean by that?" He asked the camera. Find out when we return to Total! Drama! Redemption!"
\
(Commercial Break)
\
The episode resumed to a shot of the host standing next to a large object covered in a sheet, as well as Chef. The giant man was carrying a small boombox and smirking deviously.
"We're making things harder this time! Say hello to..." the host said, pulling back the sheet to reveal a pile of books, "Bureaucratic codes!"
"What now?" Scott remarked.
Chris cleared his throat, and the camera switched back to him as Chef pressed the button on his stereo. "To apply for a store permit..." Chris began slowly and softly as Moonlight Sonata played in the background, "please fill out Form 910B..." Chef was shown chuckling at an off-screen groan, and Amy was shown yawning. "...however... on dates that end in an even number... fill out form 103A instead..." Harold was shown trying not to fall asleep, as was Sam who still had Dakota leaning against him.
As the gamer began to close his eyes, the scene rippled to a shot of a piano standing alone on a starlit forest trail. Chris' voice faded and was replaced by the background music as sheep started to enter from stage left. One by one the small pink animals jumped over the harp, but the fifth to jump was in fact Chef. At the height of the man's jump the sound of a fart was played, and the scene abruptly cut back to Sam. The sound of his own gas had jolted him back awake, and he looked around nervously.
The next shot was that of Amy, Cameron, and Sadie sitting together as the 'Greensleeves' began to play. The camera cut to show the full moon, then panned down to show an odd machine rising out of the ground. A lavender smoke began to emanate from it, and the effects of the gas were shown. First was Gwen, Ezekiel, and Harold of the Ferrets, getting enveloped in gas and immediately yawning. The smoke continued, with Llamas Scott and Amy hit next; they yawned just as their opponents had.
Sadie was shown slapping her face to stay awake, but she too was hit by the gas and began to yawn. She quickly fell asleep, and fell to the ground with a heavy thud. A bell sounded and the scoreboard updated – five for the Llamas, seven for the Ferrets.
"The bigger they are," Scott said snidely, stifling another yawn.
\
The footage skipped ahead to the timer's twenty-hour mark. The shot was taken from behind the campers so that most of them could only be made out by their silhouettes; most distinctive was Lindsay jogging in place by the fire.
XXX
"A bit of light exercise helped me stay awake," she explained. "Too much activity and I'd tire out faster.
XXX
The point-of-view changed back to in front of the campers, and the Llamas were shown to only have five campers left standing – Scott, Cameron, and Eva with their team's main group, with Amy and Shawn revealed as the camera panned left. On the Ferret side, the non-sleeping campers included Harold, Gwen, Ezekiel, Sky, Ella, and a still jogging Lindsay.
The camera focused on the trio of non moving girls as the singer slumped forward and the bell signaled her fall. "She always was the first to go to sleep when we had sleepovers..." Gwen chuckled weakly. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to she Sky peering at her.
"So..." the gymnast started slowly. "What do you think our chances are at winning this?"
"The challenge or the game?" Gwen asked, still looking at her sleeping cousin. "'Cause I remember losing to Shawn last time I did this."
"In that case we should think of who to vote out if we lose," Sky said.
As they whispered among themselves, the camera panned over to Ezekiel sitting on a log and starting to doze. He perked up when Eva sat next to him. "This might be the toughest challenge we've ever done," she groaned.
"It is kinda boring eh," Ezekiel responded. "It reminds me of home though."
XXX
"I'm kinda glad Eva's talkin' to me so much," Ezekiel confessed with a smile. "It means people have mostly forgiven me for all that stuff I thought when I was here last time."
XXX
The scene cut to Shawn and Lindsay, as the survivalist darted around the ditz. "Are you okay?" Lindsay asked out of idle curiosity.
"Yep!" Shawn replied immediately. "Just gotta stay alert and on-guard if I have to stay on the ground tonight. Never know when a zombie might lurch out of the darkness!"
Lindsay looked at the camera and circled a finger around her ear. "If you say so."
\
The scene flashed back to the full view of the moonlit isle; the timer read twenty-five hours and thirty minutes. A zoom-cut showed a sleeping Dave, but he blinked awake when he heard Harold, Gwen, and Sky talking nearby.
"We have a problem," the dweeb whispered to the girls. The girls leaned in obligingly. "I don't think anyone of us are beating Shawn," the point-of-view rotated behind her so that the three Llamas still awake could be seen.
"Eva and Scott are also doing pretty well too," Sky pointed out.
"We've already come to that conclusion," Gwen replied. "That's why we're talking about who to vote out. We were thinking either Dave, Dakota, or Sam. They're nice, but they don't bring a lot to the table."
Harold blinked and stood up. "I get it. In any case, I've reached my limit, so good night." He took a step forward and laid down on the ground. He was out in moments.
As the scoreboard dinged again, the camera panned up to the night sky. The timer sped up alongside a time-lapse of the sky; it finally rested on forty hours as the sun rose for a second time. A few clips of the campers waking up were shown; first was Scott cackling as he whittled a block of wood, then Cameron and Sadie waking up next to each other, and lastly was a close-up of Ezekiel's head in Eva's lap – both looked alarmed at how he'd been sleeping, and Eva appeared to be frozen in place with a blush.
\
The scene flashed again, focusing on the remaining trio of Llamas – Scott hunched over, Eva still frozen upright, Shawn still jittery. "Oh man, this is startin' to get to me!" Shawn said as the camera focused on him.
"What is the matter with you people?" Chris said, coffee in hand and looking good. He took a sip. "Come on, fall asleep already!"
"You are a sick and evil little man" Gwen spat, eying the host's steaming drink.
Chris just smiled and continued. "Thanks. You five stay with me," the shot zoomed out to show the last five standing – Eva, Shawn, Gwen, Sky, and Scott – approaching the host, "the rest of you can get outta here. You're cluttering the shot."
A shot of Lindsay, Ella, Harold, Dave, and Ezekiel was shown. "Got it, eh!" the homeschooler said before walking away, not noticing Eva sag slightly in disappointment.
Chris took another sip of coffee, and the music turned ominous. "I read tax codes," he said, the camera slowly zooming in on his face. "I poured sleeping gas through the camp. I even played classical music for you guys! And nothing! So I racked my brain to do the one thing I know will knock you kids out."
XXX
"Please, I can take whatever he dishes out!" Eva bragged. "I mean, how hard can it be?"
XXX
The footage cut back to a smiling Chris, the camera rapidly zooming out to show him holding a large hardcover book. "1001 Odd Animal Facts," he announced in a dull tone, "Pop-up Edition, Number One." He opened the book, and an image of a beaver and a few birch logs popped out. "The Beaver. Beavers hate the sound of running water and will instinctively build dams when they hear it." He narrated as the last five campers, now sitting in a single row of stumps, groaned.
\
The camera flashed to Sam as he walked back to the Ferrets' bunker. He was carrying Dakota bridal style, and the sounds of movement around her finally caused her to stir.
"Unnnhhh...where am I? She moaned sleepily.
"Oh, good morning Dakota!" Sam said, looking down at her and smiling. "Chris said we could go back to the cabins, but I didn't want to disturb your beauty sleep, so I figured I'd just carry you back." She smiled and blushed, then took a deep breath.
"Sam," she said seriously, causing the gamer to stop. "I like you."
Sam stared blankly. "You what?"
"I have a crush on you," she repeated. "I've liked you for a while and was building up the courage to tell you. That's why I've been so weird lately."
Sam sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness! I thought you were TO'd about me checking you out."
"Checking me out?" she asked. "You like me too?"
"Yeah," Sam said hesitantly. "I thought you knew. I wasn't exactly hiding it."
"Okay, I think we need to exchange phone numbers," Dakota smiled, "and maybe have a little chat about how to show interest."
"Do...," Sam started. "Do you want me to keep carrying you or?"
"If you don't mind, this feels really nice," Dakota answered with a blush.
\
The timer had reached forty-three hours and Chris was still droning on. "...and the platypus will glow if exposed to ultraviolet light," both Sky and Eva were shown to have fallen asleep, "however biologists can find no reason for this phenomenon."
The scoreboard updated to show 2-1 in favor of the Llamas of Loserdom as the focus shifted to those two campers. Shawn raised his eyebrows as Scott finally toppled forward. "Well no one can accuse him of throwing this challenge." he told the camera as his teammate landed with a thud and the scoreboard updated once again.
"That was a lot of talking!" Chris said as the scene flashed back to Chris smiling behind his oil-drum-podium. "Time for a some warm milk!" he announced. "Any takers?"
Gwen looked around at the three sleeping campers and still-wide-awake Shawn. "You're kidding right?" the goth asked.
"Uh, no thanks." Shawn answered, looking slightly suspicious.
"Suit yourself." Chris shrugged. Still, let's take a five minute break."
The shot cut back to Shawn. "You can do this, just a little bit more," he told himself. "This is something you've trained for."
"By the way," Chris smirked. "Remember when I said there wasn't a reward for winning the race?"
"Oh no," Gwen moaned in horror.
"I lied about lying!" He announced. "So Shawn," he said to the survivalist, "as the last member of your team awake, you can choose one opposing camper to shoot with a tranq-"
Gwen groaned and fell to the ground, asleep.
Chris's eyebrow shot up in surprise. "Never mind!" the host announced to triumphant music, reaching down and holding the remaining boy's hand up. "The Llamas of Loserdom finally win!" The Llama's scoreboard flashed and dinged, signaling the end of the challenge.
\
Footage cut over to the front of the Ferrets if Failure's bunker, where most of the team had gathered. "I can't believe we lost." Harold lamented. "Gosh!"
"There wasn't a lot we could've done," Sky said through bleary eyes. "At least against Shawn."
"I guess we need to figure out who to vote for now," Dave spoke up. "I think we should either vote for the first to sleep... or the last..."
The group's gaze turned to Gwen. "Whoa! Didn't we just say it wasn't anyone's fault?" she quickly defended.
"Well, we still gotta figure out who to vote off eh," Ezekiel interjected.
"What about Dakota?" Dave proposed solemnly. "She was the first to fall asleep after all."
"Now hold on," Sam said with a hint of anger. "Sure, she was the first to fall asleep, but think about the sword challenge. Can we really get rid of people for making a single mistake?"
Dave sighed. "That's a good point."
Sky frowned. "That just puts us back to square one," she said. "How about we just vote for who we think and let the chips fall where they may?"
The team's attention was pulled to the door to the girls' side as it slammed open. Dakota emerged, smiling at the camera. She started to look upset when she turned to the other Ferrets. "Hey everyone! I'm sorry I wasn't much use this time. But I promise next time I'll-" she paused, sadness immediately giving way to curiosity and concern. "What's wrong?"
\
The scene skipped ahead to the next night, and the elimination ceremony. Chris was shown walking towards the Ferrets of Failure with a plate of marshmallows, the camera zooming in to Sam and Dakota sitting on the end.
"You've all cast your votes and made your decision," Chris said holding the plate in both hands. "There are only eight marshmallows on this plate." The camera got a close-up of the marshmallows before switching back to the host. "When I call your name, come up and claim your marshmallow." The scene panned over the nine teens, most still visibly tired. "The camper who does not receive a marshmallow, will report to the Boot of Shame and kicked off the island." The camera zoomed out to show the whole group. "Literally."
"The first marshmallow goes to Sky!" Chris said, the gymnast getting a close-up before her hand was shown picking a marshmallow off the plate. "Ella!" the singer stood up and went to grab her treat as well. "Harold!" the host announced next.
"Yes!" the dweeb cheered, dashing forward.
"Ezekiel!" Chris continued as the homeschooler was shown wiping the sweat off his brow. "Lindsay!" the host shot a grin at the young woman as she donned a smirk of her own. "Dave!" the germaphobe was shown walking off-screen, returning quickly and tossing his marshmallow into his mouth. "Dakota!" Chris looked up to see the girl already reaching for her prize.
"Campers, this is the final marshmallow of the evening!" Chris announced, pointing at the sole remaining bit of white on the plate.
"What?!" Dakota gasped as she filed her nails. She looked over at Sam, who gulped.
Shots began to alternate between the two nervous campers, the smiling host, and the final marshmallow as the music began to build.
"Gwen!" the host finally announced, raising his hand to the goth.
"NOOO!" Dakota shouted. "This has to be a mistake!" Gwen looked sheepishly between the marshmallow Chris was now offering him and the devastated blonde. "I just asked him out! He even said yes!"
The Ferrets all smiled and congratulated the newest couple. Dave could even be heard saying 'It's about time."
"Too bad!" Chris told her. "The Boot of Shame awaits!"
Sam sighed and stood up. "At least I wasn't cut first this time," he said with a smile. He started to say something else, but was cut off when Dakota grabbed his shirt and pulled him into a kiss.
"You better call when the season's over okay?" she said to the gamer, who nodded.
\
The shot cut back to Sam loaded into the Boot of Shame.
"Good luck guys!" He told his now former team, most watching sadly. "I hope one of you WIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNS!"
Chris chuckled as the gamer was kicked into the night. "No more continues for that guy," he said with a thumb over his shoulder. "Wanna know what else I have in store? Find out next time on Total! Drama! Redemption!"
\
(Roll the Credits)
\
\
(Bonus Clip)
The clip opened with the orb containing Sam landing on the ground and bouncing a couple of times before rolling a bit and stopping. A small hatch in the side of the orb popped out and he climbed out of the hole. "Talk about an upgrade."
"A nice consolation prize for losing if you ask me," a familiar voice responded. Sam perked up and turned to see Natasha with crossed arms and a smirk on his face.
"Natasha?" Sam aske din confusion. "What are you doing here?"
"It's my turn to welcome a loser to the resort," the mastermind explained. "No offence."
"None taken," Sam chuckled. "I'm just glad to not have gone first again."
"I assume you'll be heading to the game room?"
"Probably," Sam admitted with a shrug. "I should also keep a phone nearby in case my new girlfriend manages to call."
Natasha stopped in his tracks. "Wait. What? You got a girlfriend?"
Author's Note Post Script: Farewell to Sam. He was fun to write but I need to start pruning some romance plots and of all the campers invested in them, he had the least to bring to the table.
There's not a lot to talk about other than Samkota finally getting together, like I said, I had very little writing time this week and needed to bang a chapter out quickly.
OC Fun Fact #3: Malcolm also had not changed much from his first design. One of my fic idea was Total Drama Worldwide, a world tour featuring contestants from all over the world. Malcolm was from South Africa, and absolutely nothing about his personality or gimmick has changed. That said he wasn't supposed to be in Danger Island at first. But when I realized that the Warriors would've had 6 mergers to the Dragons' 3 I added him in knowing that I could just eliminate him due to injury and make things seem more fair. Odd how a last minute addition would up becoming one of my favorite characters to write.
And as always I'm sure I'm forgetting to mention something.
I hope you all enjoyed the episode, or some part of it.
And I'd also like to remind you guys that a TVTropes page for this series does exist and needs you guys adding to it.
With that I'm signing off
-TotalDramaFan14
RDR ELIMINATION TABLE:
24th Place: Gary
23rd Place: Anne Maria
22nd Place: Leonard
21st Place: Trent
20th Place: Jaxon
19th Place: Britney
18th Place: Rodney
17th Place: Sierra
16th Place: Sam