A/N: sithlorde1988 here with another chapter of A Mine Is A Terrible Thing to Waste Redux (rewrite)! I know it's been a bit since I last updated this but I have a lot of stories I'm working on and I have to be able to keep them all going. And if I'm being honest, the fact that this is the third chapter I'm typing up of this and I've yet to see a single review for this fic is a bit disappointing. But it's not a biggie, just means it gets pushed a bit further down the rotation for updates. Not sure yet but I MIGHT (keyword there being MIGHT) do a sequel to this after this that covers an altered version of All-Stars set in this story's 'verse' as it were. We'll see how I feel after I finish typing out this fic. Having said that, usual disclaimers apply. So, without further ado, on to chapter 3!

Chapter 3- Return of the Tri-Armed Triathlon!

(recap narrated by Chris McLean)

"Last time on Total Drama Revenge Of The Island, our campers were given their next challenge: hunt down the feral beast also known as Ezekiel after a certain someone botched their attempt to bag him so we could get him off the island once and for all, and the consequences of his mess-up were nearly disastrous. *clips of Dawn visiting Ezekiel and having some bonding time with him, which abruptly finds itself ended by a net snaring her instead of Ezekiel, followed by clips of Chef and Chris loading a crate onto the Hurl of Shame seemingly containing Ezekiel then clips of aforementioned Ezekiel leaping up to snag said crate off of the Hurl of Shame and rush it back to his lair where he found Mike and Cameron awaiting him and the three breaking the crate open to reveal a figure stuck in a net, which was revealed on Ezekiel shredding the net off to be Dawn plays* Luckily, Mike and Cameron's quick thinking helped Ezekiel to save Dawn from an unintended demise. However, things got very messy very fast after that when the rest of the campers caught up and things became an all-out free-for-all over Ezekiel.

*clips of Ezekiel's embarrassing usage of mouth-to-mouth on Dawn, Dawn and Cameron using themselves as shields for Ezekiel, Jo and Scott getting into a wrestling match, Mike getting shoved aside and smacking his head on a rock as he hit the ground all courtesy of Lightning, and Ann Maria being worried about the unconscious Mike all play* As if that wasn't bad enough, Mike had even worse problems waiting for him in his own head! But that was nothing compared to how the challenge ended up playing out!

*clips play of Mike and his other personalities witnessing the return of the Malevolent One, Lightning sheepishly admitting to shoving Mike over while trying to wrestle Cameron away from Ezekiel to get him for the challenge, Dawn chewing Ann Maria out for not believing that Mike was out cold, Mike inexplicably waking up and tackling Lightning out of the way to snag Ezekiel for himself before booking it out of the mine with the others hot on his heels, a very angry Dawn leading the charge, and finally Mike making it back to the host with Ezekiel only for the host to award the challenge win to the Rats as Mike had left his teammates behind to get Ezekiel back to camp and as a result cost his team the challenge by not making his team follow him, but getting himself individual immunity as a consolation prize*

However, that wasn't the end of the drama by a long shot! Due to Mike knocking Lightning out when he took Ezekiel from him, Lightning was rendered incapable of voting and as such Jo had to cast her vote as if she were also voting on Lightning's behalf. Why is that, you may ask? Because why not! Anyways, even though it was MIKE who cost his team the win, in the end it was in fact Ann Maria who ended up getting sent packing in a 3-2-2 vote over Scott and Cameron.

And the best part? She didn't see it coming at all! Heh heh, blindsides are always the best! But that wasn't ALL the surprises yet! I then told the campers they had merged. So now with teams no more and individual immunities now in play, how will the game shift? Will the final six STAY the final six? Or is there MORE surprises awaiting them? The answers, to all these questions and more, await in this episode of! TOTAL! DRAMA! REVENGE...OF THE ISLAND!"

(End recap, and theme song plays. In case anyone asks, it's the same theme song as the actual Revenge Of The Island because I didn't see a reason to change it)

(On an unidentified part of the island, with Dawn and Ezekiel)

"You here, Ezekiel?" Dawn called out, stepping out of the shadows near an old abandoned boat by one of the docks, waiting for the only semi-feral boy she'd come to spend a lot of time with over the past couple episodes to show up. As if on cue, said semi-feral boy stepped out of the shadows near Dawn.

"Yes Zeke here. Why Dawn ask Zeke to meet her out here near the old Boat of Losers?" Ezekiel asked Dawn, confused but happy to see Dawn once more.

"Because if you remember, we agreed to get you off this island so you could go get help to turn yourself back to normal and try to get your life back in order and hopefully get another chance in the game since you don't deserve to have your only two experiences on Total Drama end in such disastrous ways. Besides, I think deep down you know you're a great guy who just needed to have someone believe in him to be able to reach his full potential. So are you going to get on this boat and get to safety or no?" Dawn asked Ezekiel shrugged.

"Zeke won't say no to another chance, but who's gonna drive the boat? Zeke doubts Chef or Chris is driving." Ezekiel asked. Dawn simply giggled.

"I think you might be surprised to see just WHO is driving." Dawn said, smiling as she pointed at the driver's seat, which the camera panned to to show a VERY familiar brunette driving the boat, looking more surprised than anything else to see who she was having to drive off the island. If she was surprised to see Ezekiel, it was NOTHING on Ezekiel's reaction.

"How Dawn get Courtney of all people to drive? Last Zeke checked, Courtney still very pissed at Zeke for being a sexist and feral idiot?" Ezekiel asked Dawn in confusion. Dawn giggled at Ezekiel's confused look while Courtney actually laughed out loud at the question.

"While you're not wrong in your assessment at all, I actually don't hate you or have anger towards you. Granted you were out of line for what you said in season one, but I can tell you're remorseful and sorry for that. And as for last season, I don't condone what you did to try and get back in the game AT ALL. However, I ALSO don't agree with Chef and Chris trying to trick and/or manipulate you like they did. However, you could've handled it better.

If it'd been me, I'd have tried to get them sued once I got back to the place with all the eliminated contestants. So while I am annoyed at you for nearly getting us all killed over money, I sympathize with why you did it. Besides, I didn't know until Dawn explained things to me that you were homeschooled, much less that you had a sheltered upbringing. So you can't be held ENTIRELY at fault for your actions.

That said, I agree with Dawn that you deserve a second chance. So as such I'm willing to forgive all you've said and done, BUT I want you in exchange, once you're better, to apologize to the other contestants for what you did in season 3. I think if you explain things to them, the others will understand, mostly. I doubt you'll get much understanding OR forgiveness from Alejandro, Heather or Duncan, but those three are brats anyways. So, shall we be off Ezekiel?" Courtney said to Ezekiel who was gaping at Courtney's explanation. Dawn, however, giggled at how adorably dumbstruck Ezekiel looked. The moonchild then gave Ezekiel a friendly if playful nudge.

"Yeah Zeke, you getting on the boat or what?" Dawn asked Ezekiel who turned to face her, a smile on his face.

"Zeke not know how to thank Dawn enough! Dawn go above and beyond what she have to do to help Zeke get off island and possibly get help getting back to normal! Zeke definitely going!" Ezekiel said to Dawn, smiling at her. However, before he got on the boat, he surprised himself AND Dawn by gently pulling the petite blonde moonchild into a loving hug and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"There, now Dawn have something to remember Zeke by while Zeke gone. Bye-bye Dawn! Hopefully when next Zeke and Dawn meet, Zeke be back to normal! Either way Zeke know Zeke want to get to know Dawn better!" Ezekiel said as he boarded the Boat of Losers, waving at a wide-eyed and blushing Dawn who was dumbly holding her hand to where Ezekiel had kissed her, not seeing that coming at all. Eventually Dawn recovered enough to smile widely at Ezekiel, waving at him as the Boat of Losers faded from view. Her job done, Dawn made her way back to her team's cabin to get ready for the day before she was missed, but NOT before making a quick detour by the confessional.

Confessional Cam

Dawn- "Do I regret that Ezekiel had to leave? Honestly, yes. But I know it was for the best since he wouldn't have gotten any better remaining here in the state he's in now. Somehow I just get the sense he's much better off getting his old self back to a degree. I do think it'll do him a world of good." Dawn said smiling to the camera, before inexplicably blushing slightly as she let herself think of the kiss Ezekiel gave her as he left, prompting her to do an almost uncharacteristic sigh.

"Who knew Ezekiel was so gentle? Certainly not I, that's for sure. But I do have to admit, that kiss WAS rather nice. Makes me slightly wonder if non-feral Ezekiel is an even better kisser?" Dawn mused, before her eyes widened as she realized in that moment what she'd said aloud on camera. She then crossed her arms.

"I know I can't get the camera out to erase that footage, but I ask that if it's used, that it's at least not blown out of proportion. I realize I'm likely not the first one by a mile to mention a crush on one of these confessionals. Besides, it's uncertain at best whether or not I'll see Ezekiel again now that he's not on the island anymore. So for now all I can do is focus on the rest of the season, and hopefully get close to the end, for Ezekiel's sake if for no other reason." Dawn said pensively, her eyes gazing into the camera until it cut to static ending the confessional.

Courtney- "What? I didn't see a rule saying cameos can't use these. Besides, it seemed like the thing to do. I might not be AS stuck up about rules as I used to be, but that doesn't mean I wasn't a CIT at some point. And that's the only time I intend to bring THAT up. That said, I have to admit I was shocked at first when Dawn told me about Ezekiel and what Chris and Chef were doing to him. I think most of us were too harsh on him. Either way, that boy has a LONG road ahead of him if he's going to make something of himself. But I get a feeling Dawn's going to be a bigger part of that than either she OR Ezekiel realize. Lucky for them both I think they make a cute couple." Courtney said giggling as she gave the camera a knowing look until the confessional ended as she frowned at a text she'd gotten on her PDA.

End Confessional Cam

(Maggots cabin)

"Listen here, Scott. The only reason you didn't go home last ceremony is because I intend to make an example out of your worthless, lying, scummy, self-serving backside! Otherwise it would've been YOU on that hurl instead of Ann Maria. So you best hope you have an immunity run or find another idol, because otherwise your time is up next time you're vulnerable. Do you understand?" Mal said to a wide-eyed and terrified Scott. Scott simply nodded.

"Good. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind and pummel you on principle." Mal said as he tossed Scott to the ground, walking out of the cabin past a wide-eyed, confused Cameron.

Confessional Cam-Maggots

Scott- "What the hell is Mike's damage? I know I caused Zoey's elimination a couple episodes ago, but that was just being strategic! He has no reason to take that personally! And how dare he threaten me? Does that idiot not realize who he's dealing with? I could make his life miserable if I so chose. And given we're at merge, I could probably convince Lightning and possibly Jo to get him out if he's vulnerable. Granted, it would only come to a tie unless I could get bubble boy or Fairy Princess to vote Mike too, but I don't see it happening with how tight they seem to be. Why couldn't Cameron have gone home instead of Ann Maria? Stupid Mike knocking out Lightning." Scott said grumbling as he crossed his arms.

Mike/Mal- "Merge already, huh? Not surprising I got this far. Now to keep playing the part of Mike to gain Dawn and Cameron's trust. If I can manage to get Jo's trust for the majority, all the better. Otherwise, I just have to ensure I don't end up dealing with a tiebreaker. But the Malevolent One doesn't concern himself with such hardships. The Malevolent One just conquers!" Mal said as he laughed evilly while crossing his arms confidently.

Cameron- "Is it me, or does Mike seem to be extra aggressive ever since Lightning shoved him into that rock last challenge? Honestly, it's like that impact woke up some sort of killer instinct inside of Mike, or possibly brought out a much darker side of him. Either way it scares me." Cameron said, wide-eyed as he looked at the camera.

"Because if I'm being honest? I wouldn't put it past Mike as he is now to possibly try to kill Scott if he gets the chance. I don't like it!" Cameron said rocking back and forth in fear.

End Confessional Cam- Maggots

(Rats cabin)

"So, we've reached merge then? About time!" Jo said to Lightning since they had the cabin all to themselves since once again Dawn wasn't there.

"Lightning agrees. Now all that's left is to take things one round at a time until Lightning goes all the way!" Lightning said confidently with a smirk. Jo frowned.

"While I admire your confidence, Jockstrap, has it ever occurred to you that you might be a big target right now for most of the Maggots?" Jo asked Lightning.

"What do you mean?" Lightning asked. Jo facepalmed.

"Do you not remember knocking Mike down into a rock last challenge? I guarantee you at least Mike and possibly Cameron are pissed at you for that! Frankly, I'm surprised at how pissed off Blondie got! She looked ready to throw hands! Luckily she didn't since she didn't want to fight. But still, with it being merge, you might have a target on you from those three if they align together. So, and I cannot believe I'm about to suggest this, what if the two of us stick together to try and make the final 2? I know we can't stand each other for the most part, but who would see it coming? Interested?" Jo said to Lightning who frowned in thought but then smirked.

"Sha-sweet! Lightning likes the way you think, Jo! Lightning says you got a deal!" Lightning said, extending his hand out to Jo, who shook it, sealing the alliance with Lightning. At that moment, Dawn walked into the cabin.

"Ah, look at this. Are you two finally getting along?" Dawn asked hopefully. Jo and Lightning exchanged uneasy looks but shrugged.

"Yeah, sure let's go with that. We're good right Lightning?" Jo asked Lightning. Lightning nodded.

"Yeah, we're cool." Lightning said, as Jo nodded before walking out of the cabin, leaving Dawn and Lightning alone. Lightning shuffled his feet a bit before looking at Dawn.

"Look, Lightning's not the best at the whole apologizing thing, but I am sorry that Mike hit his head on that rock because of me. I feel bad for that. I honestly had no idea he was behind me at that time. I was too busy trying to get Cameron off of me! I hope you don't hate me for that. I know you were pretty upset. You certainly looked ready to beat me up before." Lightning said to Dawn, trying his best to look apologetic as he spoke to her. Dawn frowned a bit, before speaking.

"I didn't expect that apology, but I think it's Mike you should apologize to rather than me. Nevertheless, I forgive you. And honestly I have no ill will towards you, Lightning. You just frustrate me at times. But I honestly have no hate towards you whatsoever. I honestly think if anything you probably can't stand me given how many times you've called me 'creepy girl' or 'weird'." Dawn replied eventually, making Lightning blink.

"I do do that a lot. But I use 'creepy girl' as a term of I think the word is endurment, but I could be mistaken. I meant no offense by it at all. As for calling you weird, to be fair you do act a bit eccentric, what with all your talk of auras and shortcuts and such." Lightning replied. Dawn giggled at Lightning's explanation.

"I think you mean 'endearment' not 'endurment', Lightning. And I apologize if I weird you out with my quirks. That's just the way I am. I'd offer to explain it to you, but I don't know that I wouldn't just frustrate you more with how tough auras and stuff associated thereof can be to understand." Dawn replied in an amused tone as she smiled at Lightning.

"I...see. I won't ask you to explain yourself then. Just...maybe try to tone that back a bit around me if you can, yeah? I'll try to cut back on calling you 'Creepy Girl' and 'weird' where I can. But I tend to do it without thinking at times so bear with me if I still do it somewhat." Lightning replied. Dawn shrugged.

"Fair enough, I can be patient. And I appreciate you being willing to explain yourself to me. That means a lot to me. Believe it or not, I'm not that unapproachable even if I do seem off-putting to some with my quirks." Dawn replied sighing. Lightning smirked, gently patting Dawn on the shoulder.

"Neither of us is perfect, you know. But we can just keep trying to get better at what we do. Speaking of getting better, wonder when our first merge challenge will be?" Lightning mused. Dawn shrugged.

"Good question. Could be at anytime really. But before that, are we cool? I know I can be a lot to handle at times but I'd prefer to have as few people hating me as I can. I know it's a lofty goal, but I prefer not to make enemies where it can be avoided." Dawn said shrugging. Lightning laughed.

"You're a bit of an unusual one, Dawn. But Lightning likes that. We're cool." Lightning said chuckling as he extended his hand out for Dawn to shake, which she did with a smile. Of course, right at that moment, Chris decided to make his presence known again.

"All campers to the Mess Hall for a special pre-challenge announcement! Repeat, all campers to the Mess Hall for a special pre-challenge announcement! That is all!" Chris said over the intercom. Eventually all six campers made it to the Mess Hall.

Confessional Cam- Rats

Jo- "So there's only six of us left. AND on top of that I managed to get Jockstrap to align with me. If we can get at least one more person onboard we can force a tiebreaker if need be. Though actually wait, didn't Chris mention a surprise for us this challenge?" Jo said frowning suddenly as she recalled the host mentioning as much at the last elimination.

"What if that surprise is someone coming back into the game? At this point, I'm not putting ANYTHING past Chris. Maybe I should see who returns before making too many strategic decisions." Jo eventually decided with a nod.

Lightning- "Well this day has certainly been sha-interesting already. Not only did Jo formalize an alliance with me, I managed to make nice with cree-I mean Dawn. Hmm, mayhap I should suggest to Jo that we bring Dawn onboard with us for a final 3 alliance. We don't necessarily have to take her to the final 2 or anything but she could be a good third vote for us. Worst case, we can use her to get rid of Bubble Boy or Mike. Either of those two are a big threat to me and Jo making the end." Lightning decided with a frown.

"On the other hand, we could rope Scott in as our third, then dispose of him ourselves at the final 3. Hmm..decisions, decisions." Lightning said contemplatively as he stroked his chin in thought.

Dawn- "Who knew Lightning could be so reasonable? I sure didn't. At the least that's one less person to be annoyed at me. Still, between being a likely minority among the ex-Rats and not having that much interaction with the Maggots, excluding the interactions I had with Mike and Cameron, do I REALLY have any allies? If not, I need to get some fast!" Dawn said, her eyes wide in shock before she realized something.

"Although come to think of it, maybe I can cut a final 3 deal with Cameron and Mike? Or would some see that as a 'friendship finale'?" Dawn wondered out loud. She then shrugged.

"I guess it really doesn't matter. The merge is here so I need to adapt lest I find myself an early boot." Dawn decided, crossing her arms as she blinked at the camera.

End Confessional Cam- Rats

(at the Mess Hall)

"Welcome, final six, to the merge! You all are one step closer to winning the million dollar prize! I bet some of you are wondering about that surprise I mentioned. Well, for the sake of not complicating your next challenge, it will be revealed to you AFTER the challenge. That being said, your next challenge requires you to pair up! HOWEVER! You won't be doing the pairing! Instead I get to pick the pairs!" Chris said to the now terrified final six. Grinning evilly at them, Chris smirked.

"And given all the recent drama I've seen. I think it works best with these pairs: Dawn and Lightning, Jo and Cameron, Mike and Scott. Some quick ground rules: Pairs will be handcuffed together for all tasks. Any of you who might have watched Total Drama Island might remember a little challenge called the Tri-Armed Triathlon. Well guess what? This challenge is a return of that one! However, the tasks will be different, luckily for you. However, what will NOT be different is THIS!" Chris said, holding up a skull shaped key to the campers and the camera.

"Behold, the Wimp Key. Should you all at any point wish to be unchained, you can take this key. BUT! And this is a big BUT, if you do you AND your partner are OUT of the challenge and instantly up for elimination. As you all might guess, the two of you who win the most tasks will both win immunity! So I'd do my best to avoid the Wimp Key if I were you guys. Another thing! I know some of you hate the person I paired you with.

For that reason, NO SABOTAGING EACH OTHER! If I find any evidence ANY of you trying to sabotage your partner so you both lose, BOTH people in that involved pair will automatically be Hurled off the island! If more than one pair is caught, the pair NOT caught will win immunity on the spot! If ALL of you are caught then NO ONE wins immunity AND I get to choose one of you six to send packing! And I don't think you want that!

That said, the pair of you that wins immunity will also win a special bonus too, but again that will be revealed AFTER the challenge! So do your best campers!" Chris said as Chef went around handcuffing each pair together by the arms, starting with Mike and Scott then ending with Dawn and Lightning. After the pairs were chained up, Chris looked at the final six.

"For the first part of this challenge, you six will have to compete in a footrace. First pair of you to race from here in the Mess Hall to the bonfire area wins the first part of the challenge. Remember campers, it's first to 2 points wins immunity since there's three tasks in this challenge." Chris said. The final six nodded.

"READY, GO!" Chris said as he and Chef left for the bonfre to await the final six. At that, the group raced out of the Mess Hall, most immediately tripping up due to not being accustomed to being cuffed. However, Dawn and Lightning did not trip, probably because Lightning used his non-chained hand to lift Dawn into his arms as he sprinted off towards the bonfire, leaving behind four gaping campers. If Lightning heard Scott and Mike's simulatenous yell of 'CHEATER!' as he darted off with Dawn, he ignored it. As for Dawn, she blinked at Lightning initially then relaxed when she realized he'd found a work-around for this task. Mike and Scott refused to use Lightning's method, though Jo reluctantly scooped Cameron up bridal-style to sprint off after Lightning and Dawn. Eventually, Mike reluctantly let Scott scoop him up so they could chase after the others. Once at the bonfire, Chris and Chef exchanged smirks at Dawn in Lightning's arms, before outright lauighing at how silly Cameron looked being carried by Jo bridal-style.

"Impressive use of ingenuity by Dawn and Lightning. First point to them!" Chris said as Dawn and Lightning cheered, the former waiting for the latter to set her down, which he eventually did. After everyone was standing again, Chef offered up the Wimp Key, which surprisingly no one took, though Mike looked close to taking it just to spite Scott. After no one took it, Chris looked at the final six.

"Okay you lot, for your second task, follow me." Chris said. The six did as told eventually reaching a trio of two-seat picnic tables with head-shaped statues on each. Dawn raised an eyebrow as she recognized the faces of some of the eliminated players among the stone heads.

"As some of you have figured out, this next part is simple. What you see here are stone heads, one for each player who was eliminated so far. Your task is simple: stack them in the order they were booted off, with the first boot at the bottom and the most recent boot at the top. First team to do so successfully gets a point. If that team is Dawn and Lightning they win immunity. So good luck. And go!" Chris said as the campers got started. Needless to say, Dawn and Lightning had a bit of a leg-up as did Jo given that most of the boots were ex-Rats.

"Pretty sure Staci was the first boot if I recall right." Scott said stacking Staci's head at the bottom with a nod of approval from Mike.

"Hey Lightning, does this look accurate so far?" Dawn asked Lightning, gesturing to what she'd done so far, which was stack Staci on bottom then put Dakota, B, Brick and Zoey on top of Staci. Lightning nodded.

"Pretty sure that seems accurate enough though I do believe Sam was before Zoey if only slightly." Lightning remarked. Dawn frowned.

"No, I'm pretty sure Zoey was voted off BEFORE Sam got disqualified if I recall right." Dawn said gently. Lightning shrugged.

As they debated that, the other two pairs were making good progress. In particular, Jo and Cameron were making great progress with it. Eventually, all three teams were finished. Chris frowned.

"You all appeared to be finished at the same time, and correctly at that. We'll have to go to a slow-mo to figure out who wins this point." Chris decided. After a lengthy slow-mo review, it was determined that Mike and Scott were the first to finish by mere milliseconds over Dawn and Lightning.

"Point to Scott and Mike! Unless this last point goes to Jo and Cameron, next team to score wins!" Chris said as he looked at the final six.

"For this final part of your challenge, we're doing trivia! But not just ANY trivia! This trivia is the kind involving embarrassing tidbits about the original 25 contestants from seasons 1 to 3! Hopefully you all know your trivia fairly well!" Chris said laughing as the final six all gaped not expecting that. Unknown to Chris OR to the final six, at that exact moment if you were close enough to the Playa De Losers you could just hear a collective shout of "WHAT THE *BLEEP*?" from all the aforementioned ex-players at Chris' reveal. Meanwhile, back at camp, Chris smirked at the final six.

"So, here's your first trivia question. And for reference, it's first team to five correct answers gets the point here. So Cameron and Jo really need this point if they want to force a three way tie. Otherwise whichever one of the other teams gets the point wins immunity! That said, first question. Which of the original contestants were in all three seasons but reached the merge in at least 2 of them?" Chris asked. Most of the final six looked perplexed at the question. Surprisingly so, Cameron did not.

"I believe the answer to that would be Duncan, Owen, Lindsay and Heather." Cameron answered.

"Correct! Point to Cameron's team!" Chris said

(Score: J/C-1 M/S-0 D/L-0)

"Next question. Which contestants were eliminated without being voted off?" Chris asked. Surprisingly, Mike buzzed in this time.

"Lindsay, Heather, DJ, Owen, Duncan, Ezekiel, Harold and Alejandro." Mike replied, almost adding Sam's name to the list but remembering Chris said previous seasons.

"Correct! Point to Mike's team!" Chris said.

(Score: J/C-1 M/S-1 D/L-0)

"Next question. Which two contestants were on the same team in seasons 1, 2 and 3?" Chris asked. Cameron buzzed in here.

"Harold and DJ, I believe." Cameron said.

"Correct! Another point for Cameron's team!" Chris said.

(Score: J/C-2 M/S-1 D/L-0)

"Next question. Which four contestants were eliminated without being on a team?" Chris asked. In a close race, Dawn narrowly beat Cameron to the buzzer.

"Unless I'm wrong, that would be Geoff, Bridgette, Duncan and Blaineley." Dawn replied.

"Correct! Dawn and Lightning are finally on the board for this part!" Chris said.

(Score: J/C-2 M/S-1 D/L-1)

"Next question. Which contestant made it to a finale without actually making that season's final 2?" Chris asked. Mike buzzed in here.

"Cody I believe that was." Mike said. Chris nodded.

"Correct. Point to Mike's team!" Chris said.

(Score: J/C-2 M/S-2 D/L-1)

"Next question. Which contestant was labeled 'The Sporto Who Sucks At Sports'?" Chris asked, and practically instantaneously Lightning buzzed in.

"That would be Tyler." Lightning replied confidently to Dawn's surprise. She hadn't expected Lightning to get any of these right.

"Correct! We have a three-way tie for now!" Chris said.

(Score: J/C-2 M/S-2 D/L-2)

"Next question. Which contestant returned in more than one season?" Chris asked. Surpsingly Jo buzzed in for this one.

"Izzy I think that was." Jo replied. Chris nodded.

"Correct! Point to Jo's team!" Chris said.

(Score: J/C-3 M/S-2 D/L-2)

"Next question. Which contestants have been absent from competing on Total Drama since back in season one?" Chris asked, not expecting Dawn and Scott to both buzz in at around the same time. On a replay, it showed that Dawn was first by the slimmest of margins.

"Katie, Sadie and Eva." Dawn replied with a smile, suddenly glad she'd thought to spend time asking Ezekiel about the previous seasons on a whim while they were in the mine together.

"Correct! Point to Dawn and Lightning!" Chris said as the aforementioned duo high-fived, Lightning being careful not to hurt Dawn with the high-five.

(Score: J/C-3 D/L-3 M/S-2)

"Next question. Which contestant went from first in one season to literally being first one off the following season?" Chris asked. Surprisingly Mike buzzed in here.

"Duncan I do believe was the answer to that." Mike replied. Chris nodded.

"Correct! Score one for Mike and Scott!" Chris said.

(Score: J/C-3 D/L-3 M/S-3)

"Next question. Who's girlfriend had at least 2 other guys show interest in her even after she was taken by him?" Chris asked. Surprisingly, Dawn buzzed in first.

"Geoff is the answer to that." Dawn replied, frowning slightly as she recalled a mention of Ezekiel being briefly interested in said party boy's girlfriend back in season one.

"Correctamundo!" Chris said.

(Score: D/L-4 J/C-3 M/S-3)

"If Dawn and Lightning get this next question right they win immunity! Otherwise whoever gets it moves within a point of winning this part! Next question. Which contestant tried flirting with girls on every single team that existed in their single season on the show?" Chris asked. Scott buzzed in deceptively fast.

"Alejandro I believe that would be." Scott said. Chris nodded.

"Correct! Now Scott and Mike are a point from winning!" Chris said.

(Score: D/L-4 M/S-4 J/C-3)

"Next question. Which contestants were interviewed on Total Drama Aftermath in both season 2 AND season 3?" Chris asked, as Cameron buzzed in.

"Harold, Leshawna, Izzy, DJ, Lindsay and Gwen I think." Cameron said. Chris looked it up before nodding.

"Correct! Once again we have a 3-way tie, and this next question decides who wins this part!" Chris said.

(Score: D/L-4 M/S-4 J/C-4)

"Final question. Which original contestants have cameoed so far this season?" Chris asked as Cameron buzzed in once more.

"Owen, Izzy, Bridgette, Lindsay, Ezekiel, Ezekiel again, Ezekiel once more and Courtney." Cameron said. Chris slowly nodded.

"Correct! And with that, Cameron and Jo win part 3! Meaning, we have ourselves a 3-way tie! Wow, what're the odds that would happen twice in a row? Oh well, no one wins immunity! Sorry but them's the breaks!" Chris said, uncuffing everyone as all six campers frowned at that.

"WHAT? What was the sha-point of chaining us up if none of us were getting immunity regardless?" Lightning asked, now pissed off. Chris laughed.

"Because one, we can. Two, our ratings went through the roof when we cuffed you all together in pairs. And three, I haven't tortured you enough today. That being said, since the challenge is now over, I can reveal the other surprise that was attached to the merge. I know in most ceremonies I say that once eliminated, players can never come back and all that. But guess what? I LIED! One of the eliminated players got the chance to return to the show and will be the sole winner of immunity this challenge! And the person coming back in is...THIS GUY!" Chris said, pulling a lever and causing an unfamilar scream to echo briefly, causing Dawn to look around in confusion due to how similar the scream sounded to Ezekiel's. But her confusion would be replaced by a mix of shock and surprise at who the returner was revealed to be. Cameron and Dawn both ran forward to hug the returning player while Scott's jaw about hit the floor and Lightning was confused as was Jo. Mike was merely befuddled at why this person was chosen out of everyone to come back. But their identity wouldn't be a mystery for long.

"I can't believe you got to return, B! I half-expected either Ann Maria or Staci to get brought back when Chris mentioned torturing us." Dawn said with a shudder, smiling at B. B for his part gave Dawn a respectful nod and did finger guns at her, clicking his tongue.

"Yep, B's back in the game! AND he's immune from being voted off this round! So anyone else is fair game, just not B! So go cast your votes and I'll see the seven of you at the bonfire!" Chris said, causing Jo and Lightning to swear softly under their breaths. The final seven walked off to ponder their votes.

Confessional Cam-Merged Group

B- *holds up sign that says 'Glad to be back but kinda surprised that certain people are still here', then holds up different sign that says 'I could talk if I really wanted to but why should I? Playing the silent guy is fun!', then one more sign saying 'Though I will admit I missed some of these guys, specifically Dawn and Brick. Shame Brick got voted out.' before walking out of the confessional after holding up a sign with Scott's face and a 'do not' sign over it*

Dawn- "Out of everyone I had figured could return, B was never on that list because I didn't think Chris would bring a silent player back. But looks like there's a first time for everything. Speaking of firsts, I wonder if Ezekiel made it to wherever he was going safely..." Dawn said wistfully before trailing off to gaze at the camera while thinking about Ezekiel, not saying anything further.

Lightning- "Dang, Lightning wasn't expecting Silent B to return. But this is cool since Lightning has no beef with that guy. Maybe we can recruit him to vote with us on this vote?" Lightning said shrugging before frowning.

"Wait, wouldn't it be easier to rope in Scott to vote with us instead? Sha-frick, this is confusing." Lightning said.

Scott- "Seriously? How hard is it to keep that fool out of this game? Is that guy part-cockroach? Ugh! And he's immune too! I guess best I can hope for is to keep the target off my back this vote." Scott said grumbling under his breath. "Oh well, guess I have some strategizing to do." Scott decided.

Jo- "Did I seriously see the big guy return just now? Because if so that's either gonna be a big boost for me and Lightning or one of our downfalls. Never underestimate the quiet ones." Jo said crossing her arms, a worried look on her face. "Too bad it's likely not just as simple as rallying votes against Scott and hoping enough people still hate him." Jo said sighing.

Mike/Mal- "I didn't remember B was in the game. Just as well he's immune since he's of no concern to me for the moment. I think this time, Lightning needs to go sha-bye bye since he's one of the likeliest allies Scott has left. And I want that guy to squirm at my feet before I end his pitiful existence. He will regret the day he crossed The Malevolent One!" Mal said with a sneer. He then shrugged.

"Well, at this point all I can do is tell Cameron to vote Lightning and hope things work out for the best." Mal said.

Cameron- "Wow, no one won immunity, except B who returned. This vote is gonna be a nail-biter. I know Mal probably will go after Lightning or Scott, but I have my reasons to be worried about him. But I suppose I should just go along with him for now. After all, there's a right time for everything." Cameron said contemplatively.

"But then again, maybe I can get Dawn to vote with us, along with B. We do that and whoever we vote is as good as out." Cameron decided.

End Confessional Cam- Merged Group

(Campfire Ceremony)

"Final seven, welcome to your first post-merge elimination ceremony. As before, I have six regular marshmallows here and one toxic one. And you do NOT want the toxic one. That said, safe at no votes are B, Dawn, Jo and Cameron." Chris said as he tossed four of the final seven people regular marshmallows. He then turned to Scott, Mike and Lightning.

"You three each picked up votes. But, Mike only picked up one vote so he's safe." Chris said, tossing one of the two remaining normal marshmallows at a confused Mike, who was unsure where he picked up a vote. Meanwhile Scott and Lightning were both exchanging wide-eyed looks of horror as they realized that they both had 3 votes and thus were tied.

"As for you two, each of you picked up 3 votes so we have a tie vote. So as such, we will have a re-vote, where everyone that ISN'T Scott or Lightning will go back into the confessional and re-vote for either Scott or Lightning to be eliminated. Whoever gets more votes on the re-vote is out. IF somehow that re-vote is still a tie, then it's deadlocked. Pray we don't have to come to that since I'm not sure what I'll do if that happens." Chris said. One by one, the five players not named Lightning and Scott went to re-vote. After a bit, Chris looked at Scott and Lightning.

"Well, this time wasn't a tie. One of you two is safe at 2 votes and the other is out at 3. The final marshmallow, at least the final NORMAL marshmallow, goes to...

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*camera pans from a wide-eyed, horrified Scott, to a confused, worried Lightning, then to a grinning Chris holding the final marshmallow*

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...Scott, somehow you lucked out and are safe at 2 votes! Lightning, sorry to say it but someone better stick a fork in you cause you're sha-donezo! You're out with 3 votes!" Chris said as he tossed a relieved Scott the final marshmallow, ignoring the wide-eyed looks of Jo and Lightning as well as Cameron and Mike who were all confused as to how Scott survived the vote. Chris then tossed the Toxic Marshmallow at Lightning which hit his hair, but unlike Ann Maria, Lightning's hair was unaffected by the marshmallow save for inexplicably turning white on contact with the Toxic Marshmallow. Chef then grabbed a shocked Lightning and loaded him into the Hurl of Shame.

"So Lightning, any last words before you leave the game?" Chris asked Lightning.

"Yes, actually. First of all, to whoever voted me, RUDE! Secondly, y'all just haters! Lastly, any of you who voted me can kiss the thiccest, firmest part of my black a-" Lightning said but his rant was cut off abruptly by Chris launching the Hurl of Shame before Lightning could finish his profane statement and possibly get Chris and Chef into trouble with the FCC or some similar group. Chris then turned to the new final six.

"As for the rest of you, consider yourselves lucky. You're all still in the game, for now. But there's only a few challenges left. Any of you could be gone, at ANY time. So be on your guard. And rest fast, because you never know when we'll spring the next challenge, heheh." Chris said as he walked off leaving a very confused final six. After he walked a ways, he turned to the camera.

"And there you have it! In a shocking turn of events, Lightning got the old heave-ho! I half-expected Scott's number to be up myself. Oh well, it is what it is. Who will go home next? Will it be another blindside? Have we finally seen the last of Ezekiel? And YES I know he left the island via the Boat of Losers. Despite what people here think, I do have my ways of knowing things. Nice try though, Dawn. That said, stay tuned for more Total! Drama! REVENGE...OF THE ISLAND!" Chris said as he signed off the episode.

End of chapter

A/N: Wow, another average-length chapter. Not as long as I'd like, but with only a few characters left to work with, there's only so much content I can squeeze out of each chapter and not seem to derail from the plot too badly. And yeah I axed Lightning here. Almost didn't, but then I remembered he was a finalist in canon and I'm trying not to use anything canon more than I have to in this rewrite so yeah it was bye-bye for Lightning. As for Cameron, don't worry I have plans for him. I more or less have the rest of the elimination order planned out from here. I will say here that I might (keyword MIGHT) do a sequel to this that involves an alternate cast for All-Stars and a very different take on that season. How different? You'll have to wait for the story to see!

And to my decision to bring B back, it was either gonna be him or Brick and honestly I feel like there's only so many times the same gag can be played before it gets stale and bland. And for Brick that seems to be offering himself up as a sacrifice. He served his purpose in that role for Dawn's sake already. So yeah B got it by default since I knew I wasn't bringing back Staci, Zoey, Ann Maria or Sam.

And Dakota was the 'returner' (IF you want to call her that) in canon so again not reusing elements from canon TDROTI. Granted I couild've probably brought back Zoey but given I already established Mal's presence, I feel like bringing her back would be counter-intuitive to my plans for Mal. Without going into TOO many spoilers, let's just say he has use to me beyond just this version of TDROTI and leave it at that.

As for the subject of DawnxEzekiel, let's just say their time wasn't in THIS story. But again can't say more than that without spoilers for the sequel if I do it. But let's just say I have some crazy plot twists lined up for it if I do it. But let's get this story done first I think.

On a different note, for those who read my other stories, I recently uploaded another chapter of Shuffled Journeys along with Hacker's Memory- The Amasawa Files if anyone wants to read them! And I plan to do more updates in the nearish future. Not sure which ones, but most likely either Data Squad Redux (rewrite) or possibly even Frozen II might see updates. After whichever one of those gets updated (not yet sure which one), ideally I'll aim for another chapter of Hacker's Memory then more Shuffled Journeys unless I get a lot of requests for the latter to be updated sooner. Basically I go by what the readers ask for mostly.

And speaking of Shuffled Journeys, I still have no votes on my current poll! That poll will remain up until the 24th (it's currently April 20th the day I type this funnily enough) so there's still time for anyone who wants to do so to vote on it! That said, until next update, sithlorde1988 out!

Votes (Initial Vote)

Dawn-Scott

Scott-Mike

Jo-Scott

Lightning-Scott

Cameron-Lightning

B-Lightning

Mike-Lightning

Votes (Re-Vote)

Jo-Scott

Dawn- Lightning *1*

Cameron- Lightning

B-Scott

Mike-Lightning

Boot Order

1st out/13th place- Staci (Toxic Rats)

2nd out/12th place- Dakota (Toxic Rats)

3rd out/returned- B (Toxic Rats)

4th out/11th place- Brick (Mutant Maggots)

5th out/10th place- Zoey (Mutant Maggots)

6th disqualified/9th place - Sam (Toxic Rats)

7th out/8th place- Ann Maria (Mutant Maggots)

*B returns and teams merge*

8th out/7th place- Lightning (Toxic Rats/Merged Group)

Final 6: B, Cameron, Dawn, Jo, Mike and Scott

Notes:

*1*- Dawn meant to vote for Scott on the re-vote but due to letting herself be distracted by thinking about Ezekiel (at arugably the WORST possible time) she accidentally wrote down Lightning's name instead of Scott's basically pulling a Lindsay but without getting herself booted out in the process. Hopefully this is the only such mistake she makes, for her sake. ;)