A few days later, at the production tent of Camp Tipiskaw, Kristal and Oliver discussed something before Riya barged in, her face scrunching in disgust.

"Ugh, you guys made the entire second season in this rag? I'm glad Camp Tipiskaw is a one episode locale!"

"Hey, don't say that!" Oliver snapped. "This campground is a sacred place to all fans of the Disventure Camp show!"

Riya rolled her eyes. "Yeah, all TWO of them."

Oliver squinted his eyes while Kristal interfered. "Anyway, Oliver and I were talking a bit, and we wanted your opinion on something."

Riya leaned against a wall on the tent. "Well, I totally agree that a romance arc might help the ratings, but with several established pairings and our format in mind, what ship could we manipulate to get the most views?"

Riya hummed while Oliver and Kristal exchanged looks…

"Oh! I know! How about WE pretend to fall in love?" Riya chirped. "With our natural beauty combined, mostly mine, we'll become the talk of the Internet!"

Kristal lowered her eyelids. "Riya, I'm straight."

"What?! No way! So am I!" Riya put her hands on her cheeks. "We have so much in common!"

"We're not doing a romance arc, I don't think our format would allow it anyway," Kristal clarified. "No, what Oliver and I were talking about was regarding staff members."

"Disventure Camp has always had a very small budget in order to get everything done in case it wasn't successful, or something," Oliver explained. "

Riya smirked. "Ohoho, and here I was worried I got carried away!"

Kristal and Oliver exchanged looks before Riya snapped her fingers, causing a pair of familiar men to walk into the tent, dressed in the green shirt common to DC interns.

"Oliver, Kristal, meet Trevor and Derek. Former hosts of Disventure Camp, and the newest interns of Disventures Across the World!"

"Trevor and Derek? You mean Trevor McGregor and Derek Johnson?! The Season 1 hosts who were arrested for deforestation?!" Kristal gasped. "How did you get them out of prison?!"

"Oh, I paid their bail," Riya explained. "Since none of my connections are willing to do a small gig like this, I thought the next best thing was to bring the original hosts you mentioned sometime ago and have them work for us. It's kinda poetic too, in a way: they went from spearheading the pain of others, to being the ones subjected to pain in order to ensure the challenges can be survival."

Riya eyed Kristal. "And a little word of advice, Kristal? I'd pay attention to their history a little bit more if I were you."

The Bollywood Actress walked towards her co-host, flashing a sadistic smirk as she leaned closer to her face and hissed:

"Because sooner or later, when the time comes for a Host to be demoted into an Intern, you'll be next!"

"As if!" Kristal sternly responded. "You're much more likely to be demoted to intern than me!"

Riya cackled wildly. "In your dreams!"

"Indeed," Kristal squinted her eyes. "I'll dream about that day for the remainder of this season, and as soon as you fall from grace, I'll be right there, sitting in the front row of those who mock you and laugh at you!"

"Get a room, you two!" Derek snapped. "Seriously, I should be enjoying a catfight between two attractive women, how do you make that frustrating?!"

"Wait, now that they mention it!" Kristal looked at her wristwatch. "The contestants should be arriving any second now! We need to go welcome them!"

Kristal grabbed Riya's hand and dragged her out of the tent.

"You two! Work with Oliver to edit and film the episode!"

Kristal and Riya left the tent, leaving the remaining staff alone.

"Ugh, the chubby one's here," Derek groaned. "I wouldn't mind working under a hot lady like Kristal or Riya, but working under four eyes is a bit-"

"Derek, this is our chance!" Trevor gasped. "We can finally apologize to Oliver over the way we treated him back in Season 1 and bury the hatchet!"

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Who's Oliver again?"

Trevor calmly pointed at Oliver.

"He has a name?!"

Trevor grabbed Derek's shoulder and pulled him towards Oliver, who turned to look at them just as he began to check the monitors near him.

"Hello there, Oliver," Trevor greeted awkwardly. "Remember us?"

"Yes, I do," Oliver remarked. "Anyway, you have your orders from Kristal. Get ready to help me edit what the cameras catch."

"Yeah, we'll get to it in a minute," Trevor sighed. "Look, we wanted to tell you something before we begin-"

"We?!" Derek snapped.

"Leave it for later," Oliver replied as he handed some cameras to the duo. "Kristal gets really mad if production is stalled."

And so, Trevor and Derek exchanged looks before they left, with Trevor taking one last look at Oliver before he sighed sadly, and promptly left.

A little bit later, Kristal and Riya stood at the bus stop to Camp Tipiskaw, ready to welcome the contestants.

"Hello there, dear audience!" Kristal chirped. "We're at the bus stop towards Camp Tipiskaw, where our lucky contestants are about to arrive!"

"Once upon a time, this was the place where dreams of endless riches began for our contestants, and then were tragically SHATTERED for most of them!" Riya gasped as she laid over the bench near the stop. "Because our contestants left the same way they arrived; through the Bus of Losers."

Riya jumped up and raised her arm. "But things will be different this season! For the Bus of Losers shall only be their method of arrival! As for their method of exit… that's a secret…"

"Not only that, since we got 22 contestants this time," Kristal raised a peace sign. "We got TWO buses this time in order to ensure everyone could arrive at the same time!"

"Oh no! It multiplied!" Riya gasped, placing her hands on her cheeks before she smiled. "Let's see which losers are coming back for another chance at the prize money!"

Almost as if on cue, the first bus arrived, looking like the ordinary Bus of Losers but with a purple paint job.

"On the first bus are our returnees from Season 1!"

Slowly but surely, the former contestants of Season 1 left the bus as Kristal called their names.

"Alec! Fiore! Ellie! Gabby! Grett! Dan! Tom! Jake! Drew! Will! And last but not least, the winner of the season herself, Miriam!"

Once everyone was out, the bus doors closed and it drove off as the contestants looked at their surroundings.

"Ah, the smell of nature in the air!" Gabby chirped. "Oh, how I missed this place!"

"Wish I could say the same," Ellie rolled her eyes. "As for the smell, not so good, it smells like something besides animals died in here."

"Which is probably my excitement for this season," Jake folded his arms. "Seriously, Ellie, what are you doing here?!"

"I should be the one asking YOU that," the redhead growled. "Why are you competing again if you have your own Sugar Mama to baby and infantilize you?"

"Sugar GRANDMA if you will," Miriam stated. "And for your information, Jake has changed in the two years

Ellie rolled her eyes. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Meanwhile, Tom walked towards Drew, who was finishing writing something in his notebook.

"Hey there, Drew! Long time no see!" Tom greeted, getting the boy's attention. "How have you been?"

Drew showed his notebook to Tom, which read:

Good. You?

"I've been fine," Tom folded his arms and smiled. "Ever since Gabby helped me get that job as a police officer, life has been good. Kinda agitated and full of danger, but hey, that's the kinda life I used to live as a spy, so no big deal there."

Drew flipped the page and wrote something else:

How are you and Jake?

Tom looked elsewhere nervously before he scratched the back of his head. "Well, the truth is, we haven't really spoken to each other that much since Season 1. We spoke a bit at the beginning, but I was forced to cut things off when I realized Jake was… getting a little clingy."

Drew flipped the page once more and wrote with a raised an eyebrow:

Clingy how?

"He would call me whenever possible, sometimes while I was in the middle of something important," Tom folded his arms. "Eventually, I told him to stop calling me and focus on himself. And I think he did, 'cause we didn't talk again after that."

Drew grew worried, and wrote something else:

Will you and Jake ever become a thing again?

"We promised each other that we'd grow as people before we gave love another shot. And given how Jake can be, I need to see actual proof that he's changed as a person. Changed for the better, to boot," Tom answered with a saddened expression. "If he's become better, I might think about it. But if he hasn't…"

Tom looked away sadly, with Drew staring at him with sympathy.

Meanwhile, a brunette woman approached a certain duo: a tiny devil child known as Fiore, and an older man known as Alec.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here," the brunette smiled. "Looks like the trio of evil of Season 1 is back in session, huh?"

Alec and Fiore exchanged looks. "Do we know you?"

"I was part of your alliance," the woman remarked. "You know, the other cunning mastermind? Grett?"

"Grett?! That's you?!" Alec gasped. "Yikes, I saw pictures online, but seeing you in reality is something else entirely."

"Aw, thanks Alec, you flatter me. Truthfully, I've taken these two years in order to better myself and grow as a person, and I ended up looking better than ever as a result!" Grett frowned. "I wish I could say the same thing for you, though. Everything okay?"

"He's been crying like a bitch ever since his wife divorced him and took the kid," Fiore pointed out. "It's been worse for him because he hasn't been able to pay her alimony."

Alec glared at Fiore. "I could've paid it if a certain SOMEONE didn't throw me under the bus near the end of the season!"

Fiore rolled her eyes. "Oh boohoo, if only that certain someone cared."

Grett frowned as she saw the tension between the duo rise.

Finally, a large burly dark-skinned man took a deep breath. "Okay, William, it's another shot at the game! Two years ago, you entered the season as a weak, scaredy cat of a loser. But now, you're gonna show everyone what you're capable of! No more scaredy cat!"

"Hey there, Will."

The man gasped and turned around to see a guy with glasses dressed in purple, Dan, approach him, before he dusted himself and took a deep breath.

"I bet you expected me to get scared, but I didn't!" Will remarked with pride. "I was just surprised. Totally different."

"I know, it's good to see you again, Will," Dan shook hands with the guy. "I heard you've been doing well with Ashley since Season 1?"

"Mhm, she not only helped me overcome most of my fears, but her love and support has done wonders in helping me turn my life around!" Will chirped. "I really am lucky to have her!"

Dan smiled nervously. "That's… good to know."

"But hey, enough about me!" Will gently brushed Dan's shoulder. "How have YOU been?"

Dan rubbed his shoulder before he looked away. "I'd… rather not talk about it."

Will raised an eyebrow, but decided to leave it there.

Regardless, the second bus arrived, looking also similar to the Bus of Losers but with a red paint job.

"And now, in the second bus, we have our Season 2 returnees!"

As if on cue, the bus's doors opened, and the returnees walked out soon after, with Riya being the one to announce their arrivals.

"Ally! Hunter! Tess! Yul! Maggy! Kai! Aiden! Lake!"

Suddenly, Riya's bravado cracked slightly as she saw a certain man with a few wrinkles and grey hair joining the rest of the crew.

"C-Connor…"

Then, it further shattered when she saw a small woman with purple hair walk towards the other returnees.

"R-Rosa… M-Maria…"

Riya's gaze fell upon Connor and Rosa Maria as they talked with each other. Eventually, she had to be returned to reality by Kristal snapping her fingers in her face.

"A-And last, and definitely least, the champion of the season himself, James!"

James walked along to the rest of the contestants, while Riya held a nervous grin and Kristal raised an eyebrow in confusion as the bus drove off.

"Well, another year, another chance at winning the million dollars," Aiden remarked. "Or at least get further than I did before."

"Oh come on, sweetheart, you ranked third last year," James said while he wrapped his arm around Aiden's shoulder. "I find it hard to believe anyone here can get further than you did."

"Well, there's one person that does come to mind: Riya," Aiden clenched his fist. "Ever since she dropped me off that cliff, she's been living the high life when she should be behind bars. I'm going to make sure she pays for everything she did to me!"

James raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't the lawsuit against her for that?"

"The lawsuit was just the beginning," Aiden smirked. "I will get my revenge one way or another!"

James frowned, but before things got more tense, he noticed someone approaching. "Aiden, look, Lake's here too!"

Aiden perked up. "Lake?!"

The duo ran to each other and wrapped in a big hug, smiling with joy as James joined them.

"It's been forever since I last saw you!" Aiden chirped joyfully. "How have you been?"

"I've been doing great; living with Rosa has been a blast, and I even managed to get my passion off the ground and became an author!" Lake put her hands on her hips. "I'm nowhere close to being a millionaire, but I'm having fun. How are you guys doing?"

"Great; my account has been taking off, and James' gotten a surge of attention ever since he won Season 2," Aiden smiled. "We came back to give the game another show."

"And in my case, I'm gonna defend my title!" James added.

Lake giggled, then noticed someone in the distance. "I'll talk to you guys later, I think I see someone very familiar nearby."

The duo waved goodbye as Lake walked towards a duo composed of a buff girl with orange hair, Maggy, and a lankier guy with green hair, Kai.

"So, how do you feel about coming back to the camp, Kai?" Maggy asked.

"I spend more time in the woods than the camp itself, so I'm hoping I get to go further than I did last time," Kai answered. "And of course, if I can help you get further as well, that'd bring me the utmost joy-"

"Maggy!"

The redhead looked around and immediately ran towards Lake, who waved at her with a wide smile. This left behind a saddened Kai, who sulked in place…

"Yo, Kai!"

Kai looked up to see none other than Connor approaching him, sporting a friendly smile. "Nice to see you here again."

"Same, but I'm also surprised," Kai raised an eyebrow. "Are you having another middle age crisis again?"

Connor laughed nervously. "No, I've long accepted that I'm an old man and that's okay. No, I came back to have another shot at the game and for a slight change of scenery. The life of a married man is a lot more hectic than I imagined."

"Whoa, hold it right there, you're married?!" Kai smiled. "That's amazing! What's her name?! Or his? Are you a married to a man or a woman?"

Connor laughed out loud and put his hand on Kai's shoulder. "Come with me and I'll tell you all about her…"

As for Maggy, she wrapped Lake in a bear hug, the duo laughing before Maggy eventually let her go.

"I haven't seen you since Season 2!" Lake chirped. "How have you been?"

"Good! I've learned some very valuable survival lessons from Kai since the season ended!" Maggy said as she put Lake down. "But how about you? You've been living with Rosa since then, right? How's she doing?"

"I'm doing great!"

The pair turned around to see none other than Rosa Maria run towards them, which prompted Maggy to grab her in a big hug as well.

"Rosa! I can't believe you're here!" Maggy squealed in delight. "I thought you weren't gonna come since you have a daughter and everything."

"I was, but then my sister caught wind of the competition and told me she was gonna look after Sofia while I was in the game!" Rosa explained. "Anyway, if you and Lake are here, then that means the alliance is back together! Nothing's gonna get us down!"

"Yeah!" Lake and Maggy shouted in unison, raising their fists.

And that wasn't the only friendly trio present, as the trio of Hunter, Tess, and Ally decided to run straight past the entrance, having a little race of sorts.

"First place!" Hunter shouted.

"Second place!" Tess added.

Ally lagged behind them, eventually stopping to catch her breath. "Third… place…"

Tess frowned. "Are you okay, Ally?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ally giggled. "I probably shouldn't have played that exercising game before heading to the bus!"

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better," Hunter walked to Ally. "Third place gets a consolation prize."

"Hohoho, really?" Ally played with a bit of Hunter's hair. "What's the prize, if I may ask?"

Hunter and Ally paused for a second, then shared a deep, passionate kiss, which prompted Tess to quip:

"Hey, I got second place! Where's MY consolation prize?"

The trio began to laugh out loud, with Tess' laughter eventually dying down earlier before she looked away, slightly upset.

"Ugh, nothing but idiots all around here."

The familiar voice sent a shiver down the trio's spine, and when they turned around, they saw a certain Koren Dancer known as Yul looking around the camp with utter disgust.

"Then again, what else was I expecting when I was asked to return to this show?" Yul rolled his eyes. "I just hope those detestable idiots like Connor and Riya aren't here too."

"Yul," Hunter, Ally, and Tess groaned in unison.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Two Stooges, featuring Tess," Yul folded his arms with a cocky smile. "I don't know what's more surprising, that you were invited back, or that you dragged your third wheel into this mess."

"Hey, Tess is more than just a third wheel!" Ally snapped. "She's an important player in our triple team!"

Yul smirked. "Heh, that's not what the internet says."

Before things could continue, Kristal took out a megaphone and shouted:

"Okay, now that everyone's here, please head to the amphitheater in order to begin your stay in the camp proper!"

Everybody stood still for a moment, until Kristal yelled:

"NOW!"

Everyone ran to the amphiteather, where Riya and Kristal stood alongside Trevor, Derek, and Oliver with something hidden beneath a white bedsheet at their side.

"Hello, dear contestants!" Riya paused. "And James and Aiden."

The duo angrily stared at Riya.

"Welcome to a brand new season of Disventure Camp, also known as Disventure Camp Presents: Disventures Across the World!"

"Ooh, snazzy!" James folded his arms. "I like it."

"Kind of a mouthful, though," Aiden scratched his chin. "You could just say "Disventures Across the World" and be done with it. Anyway, what's Riya doing with the staff?"

"Yeah, I thought she was gonna compete?" Connor remarked. "Isn't this supposed to be Disventure Camp All Stars after all?"

Riya paused, then shot a glare at Kristal. "You didn't tell them?"

Kristal pointed at Oliver. "I ordered Oliver to tell them!"

Oliver eyed Derek and Trevor. "I asked the new interns to tell them!"

Derek flatly pointed at Trevor. "I told Trevor to tell them."

Trevor awkwardly touched his index fingers. "I asked Riya to tell them!"

"And you expected me to tell them!?" Riya snapped, arms folded across her chest.

Trevor smiled nervously. "Yeah, that's on me. Sorry."

"Can someone explain what's going on already?!" Fiore snapped.

"Well, this WAS supposed to be Disventure Camp All Stars," Riya explained. "However, because All-Star seasons in general aren't well known for their quality, and just generally tend to suck-"

"Facts!" Grett stated while Yul nodded in agreement.

"I managed to convince Kristal to convince her bosses to try out a different format for the next season of Disventure Camp!" Riya chirped. "Unfortunately, I was one of the LAST people to be asked about joining the season, and since clearly the staff is filled with nothing but incompetent idiots-"

"HEY!" Kristal shouted.

"You weren't told about the change in thematic until it was far too late," Riya folded her arms. "But don't worry: now you know what to expect, and soon enough, we'll tell you all you need to know about how this game will work moving forward!"

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you would join the staff at all," Aiden pointed out. "I thought you were gonna be a contestant!"

"Well, now it makes sense as to why someone like Dan is here," Miriam stated, folding her arms as Dan glared at her. "I think I speak for all of us when I say he's simply NOT All-Stars material."

"Ugh, rude!" Dan adjusted his glasses. "I'd like a second opinion!"

Gabby walked close to Miriam's side. "You're not All-Star material!"

Gabby and Miriam exchanged a high-five, all while Tom and Ellie exchanged worried expressions in the background.

This prompted them to head to a confessional together, sitting on a pair of rocks as they talked to the camera:

"Dan has some… heated history with Miriam," Tom explained. "He was her closest "ally" during her early "grumpy old lady" days, and she only became nicer once Dan was eliminated. I don't think they ever managed to bury the hatchet properly, so I'm worried it might get to her head."

"It's the same thing with Gabby; the two used to get along decently, but ever since Dan voted for her during… I think it was episode 3, she's held a massive grudge against the guy," Ellie folded her arms. "She thinks about his betrayal even to this day. Sometimes, she even tries to convince me to make a voodoo doll of him so she can get revenge."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Those things don't work, though?"

"That doesn't stop her," Ellie shook her head. "Nothing ever stops her."

Back with the casts, Lake was the first to notice a discrepancy.

"Wait a minute, neither cast is completely present! There are some key players missing!"

"Yeah, we unfortunately couldn't bring everyone back from both seasons," Kristal explained while she scratched the back of her head. "In the case of Season 2, well, Oliver's working as a staff and he's a very big help, so we couldn't bring him back without our staff taking a big hit. As for Karol, she got banished to the shadow realm for being whiny."

"Wait, she was what?" Yul asked.

"Don't think about it, it's for the best," Riya waved her hand. "As for the Season 1 cast, Ashley, Lill, and Nick didn't want to return, plain and simple. But don't worry, you may end up seeing them later down the line!"

Jake perked up. "Oh, are we gonna pay them a visit for a challenge?!"

"We're not allowed to disclose that information right now," Kristal said before she grabbed the white sheet. "But what we CAN disclose is what's right here!"

Riya and Kristal pulled the sheet, and unveiled a pair of machines with levers attached to them, looking similar to those you'd find in a casino.

.

.

.

"These are the Team Randomizers! A brand new set of technology that easily creates teams for you!" Kristal chirped. "We just have to insert the names of the competitors and pull the lever, and then they'll randomly be paired up with another competitor!"

"And how are the rest of the team gonna be selected?" Jake asked.

"That's the best part, they won't!" Riya chirped. "We're not doing teams this season, we're doing duos! But not just any normal duos…"

Aiden frowned. "I don't like where this is going…"

"The duos are gonna be divided between one contestant from Season 1, and one contestant from Season 2!"

"What?!" everyone gasped.

"Why?!" Gabby asked while she hugged Ellie. "Why do you want to tear us apart?!"

"Don't worry, Gabby, we assure you it's nothing personal," Riya remarked.

"In this kind of show, socialization and interactions are a lot more important than everyone gives them credit for," Kristal explained. "In fact, one of the biggest criticisms of Season 2 was the fact that everyone pretty much stuck to their cliques and didn't try to interact with people outside of them."

"Well, I have to disagree!" Aiden stated, putting his hands on his waist. "I think everyone in Season 2 did a decent job interacting not only with their groups but with the other contestants!"

"Really now?" Yul blurted before she pointed at Maggy. "What's HER name, then?"

"... Billy?"

Yul folded his arms. "I rest my case."

"You know, when you think about it, this might actually be a decent format," Tess remarked. "Like, we all have friends and people we get along with-"

"And some we don't like at all," Jake blurted while glaring at Ellie, prompting Gabby to blow a raspberry at him.

"But it never hurts to expand our horizons," Tess clasped her hands together. "I, for one, would love to get to know anybody from the first season better, if I get a chance."

"Sadly, that won't be up for you to decide, Tess," Kristal pointed out.

"Okay, time to pull the levers and see what we come up with!" Riya stated before she pulled one of the levers. "And the first Season 1 character selected is…"

The images on the machine next to Riya went past several faces, before it slowed down and landed on…

"Will!"

The burly dark-skinned man gulped as all eyes landed on him, right before Kristal her lever.

"And the first Season 2 character selected, as well as Will's partner for the race is…"

The same thing repeated for the other machine, until it landed on…

"Maggy!"

The redhead flinched as all eyes landed on her.

"That's one duo down!" Kristal chirped. "Please head to the podiums and wait for the rest of the teams to be made."

"What podiums?" Connor asked.

Oliver pointed to the side. "The ones over there!"

Everyone turned around to see eleven podiums on a stage nearby, just enough for all the duos that would eventually be made.

"How did we not see those until now?" Grett pondered out loud.

Regardless, Will and Maggy walked to one of the podiums, just as their faces were removed from both machines.

"And after being selected, the characters will be automatically removed from the wheel in order to ensure we don't get any repeats. And now, time for the next Season 2 character to be selected!"

Riya pulled the lever down, and the machine showed multiple faces before it began to slow down…

"And we got… James!"

All eyes fell on the Brazillian influencer, with Aiden in particular looking worried.

"Oh no…"

"Don't worry, about me, sweetheart," James said as he wrapped his arm around his boyfriend's shoulder. "Riya as a host or not, I got this in the bag!"

"That really depends on how well you and your partner get along," Kristal scoffed. "Speaking of which, let's see which Season 1 contestant will be his partner!"

Kristal pulled the lever, and it eventually landed on…

"And we have… Grett!"

Grett blinked twice, before she turned to look at James, who joined her at the podiums as their images vanished from the screens.

"Two duos down, nine more to go!" Riya chirped. "Next Season 2 character selected is…"

Riya pulled the lever and the result was…

"Aiden!"

Aiden gasped and mouthed "fuck my life" as all eyes fell on him and Riya giggled.

"Wow, would you look at that; not only third place in Season 2, but now the third S2 contestant picked in Disventures Across the World! I heard about third time's the charm, but this is ridiculous!"

"Oh, cram it and tell me who my partner is already!"

"That's my job, Aiden," Kristal pointed out. "But sure, if you're so eager to see who you're paired with."

Kristal pulled the lever…

"Fiore!"

Aiden slowly turned to look at the Tiny girl, and his face gained a notably concerned expression as he and Fiore walked to the other duos.

"Okay, third duo down, eight more to go," Kristal yawned. "Man, this became boring a lot more quickly than I expected. What do you think, Riya?"

Riya pretended to fall asleep, leaning against the lever with just enough strength to cause it to be pulled by accident.

"RIYA!"

The Bollywood actress snapped awake and looked around as she wiped some drool off her lips. "What? What happened? Are we still picking teams? If so, then this is gonna take ages at this rate!"

"You know what? I agree with you," Kristal smirked. "So how about we do a lighting round to get the teams out of the way already?"

"You just read my mind!" Riya grabbed her lever. "And now, quickly, the remaining duos for Disventure Across the World will be…!"

And so, using all their strength, the women pulled their levers at the same time and got a row of pairings, including…

"Hunter and Tom!"

"Yul and Jake!"

"Tess and Drew!"

"Lake and Alec!"

"Connor and Ellie!"

"Kai and Gabby!"

"Rosa Maria and Dan!"

"And last and DEFINITELY LEAST," Kristal smirked with a wink to the camera. "Ally and Miriam!"

Everyone headed to the podiums shortly after, with their images vanishing until the machines basically turned off, allowing the staff to walk to the duos.

"Now that we have our duos, it's time to explain how the season will work!" Kristal stated, rubbing her hands with excitement. "I suggest paying attention, 'cause there's a lot to keep track of."

A screen showed a simplified map of Camp Tipiskaw.

"You've all been divided into duos which will be your team, so to speak, for the remainder of the season. If anything happens to one member of the duo, It'll be an immediate disqualification for them, and they'll be removed from the race."

"Ugh, so I can't throw Aiden off a cliff and go solo?!" Fiore whined.

"No."

Fiore groaned loudly.

"You wouldn't be able to do it anyway," Aiden folded his arms and glared at Riya. "Riya would sue you for copyright infringement."

Riya rolled her eyes. "Moving on."

Back at the screen, mugshots of all the duos appeared at the starting point.

"All duos will start in a designated starting spot depending on the location we visit, known as the Starting Line."

A big red "X" appeared at the other side of the map.

"Your duo's goal is to reach the Finish Line located at the other end of the map. The last team to reach the Finish Line is officially out of the race."

"Sounds simple enough," Hunter remarked.

"A little too simple, in fact," Tom spoke.

Back at the screen, three smaller "x" appeared spread across the map.

"To make things a bit more exciting, you'll have to do mini-challenges across the race that also act as gateways in order to make the trek a bit more difficult. For the purpose of getting you all up to speed, you'll deal with three out of the four mini-challenge types right away, but moving forward, you'll only have to deal with two, or even more rarely, one!"

"Wait, you said three out of four," Aiden remarked. "If those three are the standard, what's the fourth type?"

"Glad you ask, Aiden."

All but two of the duos were moved to the Finish Line, with two staying behind.

"The fourth type of mini-challenge Is a Sudden Death challenge! This challenge will only be used if two duos either spend too much time being dead last, or are so far away from the Finish Line that it's more convenient to speed things up."

The bottom two were placed inside a red circle, before one of them vanished.

"In a Sudden Death challenge, the bottom two duos will have to duke it out in a locale-specific challenge. Whichever team loses the Sudden Death challenge, is officially out of the race."

"So we have to be careful not to take too long in reaching the Finish Line," Dan scratched his chin in thought. "This might be more complicated than we thought."

Riya smiled. "We figured you'd say that."

The screen wiped, and then showed a luxurious hotel, before switching to the typical motel used by DC staff.

"So, at the end of every episode, you'll head to a hotel/motel in order to regain your strengths. Not only that-"

A big bold "Free Day" was plastered across the hotel.

"But you'll also have a Free Day!"

Ellie raised an eyebrow. "What's a Free Day?"

"Just like the name implies, it's a break from the competition, allowing all the contestants who remain in the race to rest, have some fun, maybe talk to other teams about strategy or something else, just try and enjoy

"And we suggest you take advantage of the Free Day," Kristal added. "Because the competition WILL resume the next day, so you better be prepared for it!"

"Wait, I just realized!" Gabby gasped. "You mentioned "last team's out of the race" multiple times! Does that mean-?!"

"Indeed, for this season, we're switching things up in terms of elimination!" Kristal exclaimed. "Instead of a contestant vote, we'll do a purge every episode!"

Everyone gasped.

"Now you KNOW they're not playing around!" Alec stated.

"Now, we'll give you a few minutes to get to know each other better, and think of duo names," Riya said as the screen left. "In the meantime, we'll finish setting everything up for the first few challenges of the season!"

"Seriously?" Yul groaned. "First you stuck us to a random nobody instead of people we actually want to play with, and now you want us to make the team names ourselves?"

"Hey, we're already doing a lot, it's only fair you guys pull your own weight as well," Kristal stated. "Anyway, see you in a few minutes!"

And so, the staff and hostesses left the duos alone, with Fiore being the one to speak for everyone:

"This season's gonna be a disaster."