I have a lot to say at the end, so I'll save this slot to talk about this episode. I know this is considered the worst episode of season two, but I honestly don't hate it. I'll explain more later, but I will say that, while I do like it, I am going to do some things that are very different from the canon counterpart.
Enjoy!
"Last time on Total Drama Island," Chris narrated. "Our final seven were tasked with finding the biggest things they could, so they could then break them all down into pieces small enough to fit through a tiny hole. MK completely destroyed Chef's car and Damien got kicked by a sheep. After making the bottom two twice in a row, Julia made winning immunity her top priority and came out on top. Axel was eliminated after exposing her "alliance" with Nichelle, but left feeling all kinds of sweet when she received an incredible going away present (a kiss from Nichelle)."
A flash revealed Chris standing near the dock. "I have some surprises in store for these competitors, so lock in because you're in for an extra special, mind-boggling, jaw-dropping, not enough words in the dictionary to describe how epic it'll be, episode of Total…Drama…Island!"
"Wait, wait, wait…you're gay?"
Nichelle nodded.
Raj broke into a big smile. "No way!" He pointed at himself. "I'm gay too!"
The former Hollywood star sighed. "Raj, I already knew that."
The two were chatting at the mess hall. They weren't the only ones there, but they were the only ones talking.
"Right, I know. It's just…I don't know a lot of other gay people."
"What about Bowie?"
Raj gasped. "I know two other gay people." He paused, thinking to himself. "Wait…Axel. Three! I know three-"
"Axel is bi."
"Oh." Raj considered again. "So…two and a half?"
Nichelle chuckled. "Sure, why not?" She then sighed.
Raj immediately figured out what it meant. "You miss Axel?" His former teammate nodded. "Yeah…I miss Bowie too." He started to perk up. "Well, at least now we can miss them together. Maybe that'll make us less sad?"
Nichelle didn't fully understand what that meant but managed to crack a smile.
Confessional (Raj): "I may have lost Bowie and Wayne, but Nichelle is really cool to be around. It's also cool to know someone else who's…like me. I mean, not that I like girls, but that we're…well, you know."
Confessional (Nichelle): "Raj is sweet and…it is pretty nice to know someone like me." She frowned slightly. "I really need an ally right now. With Priya, Damien, and Julia still here, I need to make sure the votes aren't staked against me."
Static
Damien was giving the stink eye to everyone else in the mess hall. To Raj and Nichelle sitting on the other table, to Julia sitting at the far end of that table and to MK sitting at the far end of his table.
Confessional (Damien): "Someone has my immunity idol. That's the only explanation why it's missing. Unless a squirrel stole it. But counting in that the average weight of a squirrel being about a pound, as well as its tiny dexterity and hands, I think it's more likely someone with opposable thumbs took it."
Static
Damien continued his glaring. Julia looked up from her food and saw the neurotic contestant intensely staring at her. She gave a puzzled look, but Damien continued staring.
A loud slam broke him from his focus. He turned to see Priya sitting across from him. She looked annoyed.
"Alright…" She started. "I…might be able to understand where you and Millie have been coming from about my parents. They're…a little different when it comes to raising me."
Damien was surprised and was about to respond, but Priya put a finger up to his lip.
"But…they are not bad people. They've looked out for me and made sure that I'm ready for the world. They know what's good for me."
"Well, how do you know what's good for you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, your parents say they know, but do you know what you want?"
Priya thought for a second. "I want to make my parents happy. That's why I'm here trying to win Total Drama for a second time."
"Because it's something you want to do?"
"Of course. I want to be here because my parents…want…me…" Priya stammered, realizing what she was saying. She looked at Damien, who was giving a look that said see what I'm getting at. Priya tried to say something, but couldn't find the words. Eventually, she stood up angrily and pointed at him. "Damien, you're supposed to smile and agree with me! Stop…doing whatever you're doing!" She grunted and stormed off.
Damien watched her, worried but a little hopeful.
Chris had called the competitors to their next challenge location. They soon arrived in an open field. They were all standing on metal circles. Chris and Chef were standing in front of them. Behind them was a table with chairs and a giant television screen.
"Welcome, Campers." Chris said. "Today's challenge is called…Painful Memories."
The competitors looked nervous.
Chris pulled out a remote. "But, before we get into all that, I have a special surprise."
"It's sharks, isn't it?" Damien figured.
"We're on land, Damien." Chef explained. "How would we be able to do that?"
"Oh, maybe it's the hockey team." Raj butt in.
"Are they gonna beat us up?" Damien asked.
"That would be awesome!" Raj said excitedly.
"Raj and Damien, I like your thinking and we will definitely keep that in mind," Chris said. "But, my surprise isn't painful. At least not…physically. At worst, this'll hurt you emotionally. I went out and got you video messages…from home!"
The other competitors gasped. Priya looked especially excited, as she looked at Damien.
"Up first…Julia! We got…your sister, Megan."
The influencer made a grunt of disgust.
The video soon played, showing a younger girl, with hair a similar color to Julia's. She was wearing a white and blue shirt. She was standing in front of a house. "Hey, big sis." She said, her voice dripping in sarcasm. "Just wanted to let you know what's going back at home." Behind her, men were walking out of the house. They were carrying racks with clothes hanging from them. "So…since you're about to come home with a bunch of money - since you're so good at everything- I figured you wouldn't have enough space in your closet for all the new clothes you're gonna buy…" Julia gasped, realizing what was going on. "...so I decided to donate most of them to the local homeless shelter. I know you love giving away to the less fortunate, so we put this donation in your name." She chuckled and winked. "See you soon…" She mockingly waved at the camera. The TV cut off after that.
Julia gnashed her teeth.
Confessional (Julia): She looked furious. "That little twerp! The one thing I hate more than giving away my clothes is giving away my clothes to people who don't shower for days at a time."
Static
Next to her, someone started laughing. Julia turned to see MK holding her gut, keeling over. "What's so funny?"
The hacker wiped a tear from her eye. "Nothing. I just…I can see the family resemblance. And here I thought you were the only underhanded one in your family."
Julia rolled her eyes and looked away.
Chris continued, pointing at the next competitor. "MK. For you, we got…your parents." He hit a button on the remote and the screen went static.
Julia smirked. "I guess we're gonna find out who to blame for…" She trailed off.
MK wasn't annoyed by Julia's comment. In fact, she looked excited. Giddy, even.
Confessional (Julia): "What teenager is that happy about seeing their parents?"
Static
The screen went static for another moment before finally showing MK's message. Surprisingly, it wasn't two people. It was one woman. She had black hair and was wearing a grey jacket, a red undershirt, and glasses. She looked kinda awkward. Mostly because loud muffled arguing could be heard somewhere in another room.
Julia was surprised and looked towards MK. The hacker's excited demeanor completely disappeared.
"Hello, Mary-Kate…" The woman started, before clearing her throat. "Sorry, MK. Your parents wanted to be there, but they…" She looked to her side. The awkward silence made the arguing even louder. The woman must've realized as she cleared her throat again. "B-But, if they were in here, they'd be saying to do your best and…they're proud of you." She smiled awkwardly and waved. "We're rooting for you, Mary- MK." The feed cut off.
Julia turned again to the hacker. She wasn't staring at the screen anymore. She was looking down. Her fists were balled up and Julia could tell she was upset.
Chris looked to the screen, then to Chef. "Maybe I should've reviewed these before showing them." Chef shrugged. Chris turned to the next contestant. "Damien, I…well, I hope you got a video from your friends."
"Wait, which friends?" Damien asked.
"Don't know." Chris shrugged. "They just said they were your friends." He pushed a button on the remote.
When the people appeared on screen, Damien immediately knew who they were.
It was a guy and a girl. The guy was tall and wearing a red shirt and red trucker cap. The girl was shorter and wearing a white shirt with an orange jacket.
"Hey…Damien." The guy waved nervously. "Look, we know you're still mad at us for…tricking you into joining Total Drama."
"But…" The girl added. "Now that you've been on the show twice, we…we were wondering if you…wanted to be friends again. You know, since you're doing so well on the second try."
"And maybe split the million with us, if you win." The guy grinned.
The girl turned to him. "Doug, we're not supposed to straight up ask him for a cut. He has to want to be friends again first, then we ask for a cut."
Doug sighed. "Sorry. Should we start again?" He walked towards the camera.
The girl pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yeah. Just make sure we delete this take. It would be terrible if Damien saw this." The video cut out.
Damien watched the screen, arms crossed.
Confessional (Damien): He looked stern. "For the record, friends don't trick their other friends into joining a show that has sharks, slides of pain, and Ripper's butt."
Static
"Up next…Nichelle!"
The screen showed a middle-aged man sitting in a chair. He had a few wigs next to him on the floor. He was wearing a pink shirt and green pants. Nichelle was surprised to see who it was.
"Hello, Nichelle…" The man said coldly. "Ever since people realized you were a fake, you put me out of the job. No one wanted a stunt double associated with the girl who tanked on Total Drama."
"Wait…is that your stunt double?" Damien asked. "Jerry?"
Nichelle nodded and waited for Jerry to continue.
"And now, Hollywood wants you back, but they don't want me because you can actually do your own stunts." Jerry stood up and angrily walked towards the camera. "So, to that, I say, thank you…thank you for ruining my life a second time! I hope whatever movie they make with you bombs!" The feed cut.
"Geez…" Raj said. "That was a little mean."
"Yeah," Priya added. "Sorry, Nichelle."
But the former Hollywood star wasn't upset. In fact, she was smiling.
Confessional (Nichelle): "D-Did you hear that? Hollywood…wants me back. They actually want me back!" She jumped up and raised her fist. "Yes! They want me to make another movie! And this time, it'll be as epic as me." She paused. "Oh, and my girlfriend."
Static
"Raj, we got a video from your mom and dad. And this time, let's hope they're both actually there."
MK glared at the host but didn't say anything. Julia noticed.
The TV flashed on. It soon revealed a man and woman sitting on a coach. The man wore a plain shirt, while the woman wore a rainbow-colored one and held a tiny rainbow flag. Behind them was a much bigger rainbow flag, hastily taped to the wall.
"Hello, Rajesh!" They both said.
"We're so proud of you for making it this far." His dad said.
"And for being an amazing gay son!" The mom added, waving her tiny flag enthusiastically.
Raj blushed and smiled.
"When you get home, we'll make a big meal for you." The dad went on.
"Whether you win or lose, you're still our gay son and we love you!" The mom said, waving her flag again.
The father kept smiling but leaned towards his wife. "Honey, you don't need to say he's gay every time."
The mom gasped dramatically. "Is it wrong that I love my gay son?"
"N-No, it's just…" The dad sighed and turned his attention back to the camera. "We'll see you when you get home, Rajesh. We love you, son."
"Oh, and bring your boyfriend over for dinner. He doesn't eat enough!"
"Wow." Nichelle turned to Raj, after the feed cut. "They're really supportive."
"Yeah…" The hockey bro said. "Mom sometimes goes a little overboard, but it's nice that she accepts me."
"Hey, better they love you too much, than not at all." Nichelle held up her fist and Raj gladly gave her a bump.
Priya grinned as she waited for her video to play.
Confessional (Priya): "This is great. Knowing Chris, he probably got my parents. Either that or my grandpa, but he doesn't know how video cameras work. He thinks most of them will try and steal his soul. And if it is my parents, I can rub it in Damien's face how wrong he's been."
Static
Chris pressed the button on his remote and, sure enough, a man and woman appeared sitting on a couch. The woman was wearing a white kurta, while the man was wearing a green shirt and jeans.
Priya smiled, seeing that she was right.
"Hello, Priya." Her mom said. "We are very happy to hear you are doing well in the competition."
Her dad nodded. "The training has clearly been paying off. We're happy to see you've been putting it to good use."
Priya smirked, then smugly looked over at Damien.
"However, despite that, we are still disappointed in your overall performance." Her dad suddenly said.
Priya was confused, then looked up at the screen. "Wha-"
"You haven't won a merge challenge since arriving. And your pre-merge portion has also been lacking."
"Wait, but-"
Her mother chimed in. "You also let that boy manipulate you. And you weren't even responsible for his elimination. We expected better from you."
"I-"
Back to her dad. "It's clear that you've been distracted for a while this season. Your friendship with that girl, Millie, and that other boy whispering nonsense into your ear. He's clearly manipulating you and you're falling for it."
Priya looked over Damien, who was starting to find the situation awkward.
"We trained you to prepare for this, but it's clearly not been enough. Becoming the first-ever two-time winner of Total Drama is a dream for you. We didn't have that opportunity, so we made sure that you did and you're close to squandering it."
Priya had no idea what to say.
Back to her mom. "Therefore, any luxuruies such as stuffed animals and movies are strictly prohibited and have been barred from the household. Unless you can convince us they will aid you in training."
"Wait," Priya thought for a moment. "You got rid of Mr. Snuffles?"
"Priya, it's a recording," Chris said. "They can't actually respond."
But last season's winner didn't hear him. "I-I thought I was doing really well..."
Her dad gave a look to the camera. "Priya. We do this because we know our dream is important to you. We've allowed you to have these silly dreams, like going to med school, because you're our daughter. But, right now, you need to step up your game and make us proud."
Her mom nodded in agreement.
The feed cut after that.
Everyone was left in stunned silence. No one knew how to respond. They tried gauging Priya's reaction, but she remained quiet, looking down at the ground, her jaw going slack.
Chris watched over them, before loudly clapping his hands together. "Alright, now that we got the out of the way, let's get into the challenge!"
Everyone turned to him, except MK, Priya, and Damien, the latter of whom who was looking at his friend with a pitying expression. MK was glaring down at the ground.
Chris continued. "Like we said, this challenge will be painful, but also very memorable, in that you'll have to do a lot of remembering."
"Basically," Chef continued. "It's a memory game."
"Memory game?" Julia chuckled. "I've got this one in the bag." She looked over to her friend, hoping she'd get a response. MK didn't even bother looking at her. Julia pretended like she wasn't concerned.
"You'll to memorize the placement of these losers." Chris pointed at the screen. It revealed a series of repeating squares. All of them had a headshot of the previously ten eliminated contestants.
"Study up," Chef said. "Because they're about to disappear."
Julia, Raj, and Nichelle all focused on the screen. Damien snapped from his focus to look at it too. MK glanced up at it, while Priya was still too stunned to say anything.
Confessional (Julia): "I've held a lot of grudges against a lot of people, so remembering things is like breathing to me. I still haven't forgotten Molly Grimley for stealing my cookie back in the first grade." She narrowed her eyes at the camera. "I know where you live, Molly."
Static
The competitors kept looking, while Chef continued explaining. "Each round a face will appear on the Jumbotron, your job is to remember which square has that camper and then select what you think is the right answer. There are a few of each, so you have a decent shot at picking one."
"How are we going to pick them?" Nichelle asked.
"Using these…" Chef held out a bunch of black squares and tossed them to the campers.
They all caught one. Priya, however, just let hers bounce off her chest. She was shaken from her trance. She shook her head and looked around. "Huh…what's…what's going on?" She picked up her tablet. "What's this for?" She then noticed the Jumbotron with all the faces. "What does that mean?"
"Memory game." Damien answered.
"Oh…ok." She then turned her attention to the screen.
"Are…are you okay?" Her friend asked.
"Can't talk. Focusing."
Damien decided not to say anything after that, but was clearly worried.
"Oh," Chris said. "Almost forgot. See those metal things you're standing on?" Everyone looked down at gray circles that looked suspiciously like trap doors. "You can call those your incentive for finding the right answer. Get a question wrong and those punishment pods will open up."
"What kind of punishments are we talking?" Damien asked nervously.
Chris took a seat at his table. "Damien. For as long as you've known me, what kind of pain do you think is my favorite?"
"The…kind that we don't expect?"
"Bingo!" Chris pointed. "So get ready for some major surprises. And don't even think about stepping off those things. Not only will you be automatically out of the challenge, but your final score will not count."
Julia perked up from hearing this and looked over. "Psst…" She whispered to her alliance member. "MK. I'm really good at this. Drop out for me and I'll…" She stopped.
MK wasn't listening. While she was holding up her tablet and looking at the screen, Julia could tell she was frustrated.
Confessional (Julia): "This is so weird. Since when is MK this moody?"
Static
A few seconds later, the Jumbotron went dark.
"Nooooooo!" Priya yelled. "I needed more time!"
"Too bad." Chef said. "First campers to ten points wins immunity." He pressed a button on a remote, revealing a picture of a former contestant. "First up is Chase. There were six icons up there, so just pick one and you're good."
Everyone carefully thought about which one to pick. Everyone, except Julia, who almost immediately picked a black square. Damien was also looking confident in his decision.
Confessional (Damien): "I'm smart, so a challenge like this is no biggie." He thought about something. "Man, that call really messed Priya. I hope she's ok. We'll talk after the challenge."
Static
Julia looked up at the big screen to see her icon in the square. A second later, Damien's icon appeared in same square.
Julia gasped, then glared at Damien. He was none the wiser. "Oh, hey. We picked the same box."
"Yeah…we did." Julia gnashed her teeth.
Confessional (Julia): "Damien might be my biggest competition, aside from Priya. He's the only other person here to win a merge challenge, so no way am I letting him beat me."
Static
Nichelle soon picked his answer. Raj picked her square as well. He smiled at her.
Confessional (Raj): "Nichelle's super smart. I mean, being a good actor means remembering lines, so she probably has a really good memory. Plus, she's awesome."
Confessional (Nichelle): "That was a total guess. I have no idea why Raj picked the same one as me."
Static
MK gave a dull look at her tablet. "Whatever…" She mumbled, before making her decision.
Priya's eyes darted between the tablet and the giant screen.
"Three seconds left," Chris announced.
Priya yelped and quickly made her decision.
Confessional (Priya): She was currently panicking. "No! I don't think I got that one right!"
Static
An airhorn sounded, signaling the end of the first round.
"Alright, let's see who's getting points and who's getting the punishment!" Chris said. The boxes with MK, as well as Damien and Julia's shared square, flipped over, revealing Chase's face. "MK, Damien, and Julia earn their first points!"
Two of the competitors cheered, but Julia stopped when she saw MK still didn't look happy.
Chris went on. "Now for the other three. Raj and Nichelle, let's see who you picked."
Their tile flipped over and revealed Zee's face.
Nichelle gulped, but Raj wasn't deterred. "We got that one right, didn't we?"
Before the Hollywood star could answer, the ground rumbled. Both circles opened and a stream of orange liquid shot out, sending both competitors high into the air. Nichelle screamed, but Raj cheered. It didn't last as the soda stopped and both campers were sent plummeting down to the ground. They landed back on their circles, which had closed up, so they were met with the hard impact of metal.
Chris chuckled. "Now you've got a taste of the punishment pod. Every punishment will be based on the camper that you picked. In this case, Zee's soda. Enjoyable for him, not so much for you two. Oh, by the way, we need to see what Priya got."
Last season's winner shook her head. "B-But I got it right! You should've shown my answer with the people who it correct." She looked up at the screen. Her icon flipped over revealing the camper she picked. "Oh, no." She gulped. It was Ripper.
Like with Nichelle and Raj, the circle opened up. Instead of soda though, she was blasted with a big cloud of farts. The blast was so intense that she was levitating. She didn't have time to block her nostrils and the cloud went right up her nose, making the punishment even worse. It last for a few seconds, before finally closing and dropping her back to the ground.
Confessional (Priya): She was coughing out stink clouds. She looked sadly at the camera. "Mom. Dad. I'm sorry. I promise I won't get any more wrong. I'm getting the win today!" She sniffed, but instantly regretted it. "Oh, that smell's gonna stick for a while."
Static
The next round was about to begin. "Next face to find is…Millie!" Chef said.
Once more, Julia quickly made her pick. She looked at the screen. A second later, Damien's icon appeared in the same box.
"Oh, looks like great minds think alike." Damien said.
Julia didn't respond.
Confessional (Julia): "Ok, Damien's smart. I know that. But there is no way he's better at this than me." She gasped. "Unless he's copying me! Oh, no way am I letting him get away with that!"
Static
Glancing over at Damien, she pretended to yawn. While her arm was stretched, she swiped at his tablet, knocking it out of his hands and causing it to hit the ground. It landed on the screen and caused Damien's icon to move.
"Hey!" The neurotic contestant yelled. "What was that?!"
"Knock-offs get knocked off," Julia responded. "Remember that next time you want to mess with me!"
Almost everyone else made their decision. Raj looked at Nichelle and hesitantly picked a different square.
Confessional (Raj): "I like Nichelle, but I don't want to just copy her the entire time. That, and she also got the first question wrong, so I don't know if I should pick the same thing as her."
Static
Damien scrambled to pick up his tablet, but the airhorn sounded before he could re-pick.
Chris and Chef revealed the correct answers once again. "And it looks like Julia and MK earn their second point. Nichelle is also on the board…as is Raj!"
The hockey bro was surprised. "Wow, I don't think I've gotten a question that wasn't about hockey correct."
"I believe that." Chris said.
Once more, Julia was more concerned with MK's current state.
"Wait!" Priya yelled. "It couldn't have gotten it wrong again!"
"Let's find out." Chris said.
Priya's icon flipped over, revealing Wayne's face.
"Hey, you got my buddy!" Raj smiled.
Priya gulped. A second later, she was encased in a glass dome. Air started blasting out, shooting hockey pucks. They bounced around, striking last season's winner repeatedly.
"Ow! Ouch! Ow!"
Damien gave a pitying look, but it didn't last as he awaited his potential punishment. His icon flipped over, showing Scary Girl's face.
Surprisingly, he just shrugged. "Alright, I can take it. I'm not scared of her, so whatever you have for me, I'm ready." At that moment, a shadow loomed over him.
Everyone else looked up and gasped.
"Damien, don't look up." Nichelle warned.
Damien then proceeded to look up.
Above him was a crane and it was holding a giant cinder block statue. And the statue was in the shape of a skull that looked like Scary Girl, complete with makeup and pigtails. There was a click and the skull dropped down onto Damien. It crushed him to the ground. It raised itself a second later and dropped on him again. And again. And again. And again. And again.
"Damien might not be scared of Scary Girl, but I'm sure Scary Girl-shaped wrecking balls are another story." Chris said.
Finally, the punishment stopped and Damien was left in a mangled mess on his circle. Julia smirked to herself.
Confessional (Priya): She was sweating profusely and not looking good. "Alright, you haven't gotten any questions correct. But, that's okay. I can still come back. All I need to do is stop thinking about Mr. Snuffles in the dump and start…" She paused, thinking about what she just said. "I…Mr. Snuffles is gone and I…I didn't even get to say goodbye-" She quickly shook her head. "Focus!"
Static
The next competitor to pick was Ripper.
Julia made her pick. Priya struggled but quickly made her choice as well. Raj also made his choice. MK stared at her tablet, not pressing anything. A moment later, she started to glare at it. Her hands began shaking. She grunted and made her pick. Once again, Julia looked at her.
In her distraction, Damien jumped at the chance and elbowed her in the back. Her tablet dropped and her icon moved. Damien quickly put his icon in the spot Julia had originally picked. Raj then saw the icon move and picked Julia's new spot.
Confessional (Raj): "Julia's gotten every question right so far. Maybe I should start copying her instead."
Static
The airhorn echoed soon after.
Julia looked up to see what happened. "Oh, it's on…" She said quietly.
"Let's see who got it right and who will pay the painful price." Chris pointed. Some of the squares flipped over. "Looks like Nichelle and Damien earn their second point. Now let's see who Julia landed on."
The tile flipped over, revealing Axel.
Nichelle gasped. "Hey, it's my girlfriend!"
A giant stone boot shot out of the ground, kicking Julia into the air. She screamed as she careened back down to the ground.
Damien laughed. "That's gotta hurt."
Confessional (Nichelle): She sighed. "I miss her…"
Static
"Wait, no!" Priya yelled. "I didn't get another one wrong! There's no way!" Her tile flipped over, showing Caleb.
A buzzing sound was heard. She looked up, just in time to see the Drone of Despair. However, she didn't notice in time to stop it from grabbing her and pulling her high up into the air.
"Caleb just can't couldn't seem to escape being dragged into an elimination," Chris said. "Only seems fair that we use the Drone for his punishment."
The drone's claw opened, dropping Priya back down to the ground. Like Julia, she hit hard to the ground.
Confessional (Priya): She sighed sadly. "I can't believe this. I'm doing terribly. And, of course, the guy who messed with me for half the season is still messing me up."
Static
"And I think MK also got one wrong." Sure enough, her tile flipped over, also revealing Caleb.
The Drone came back to grab her. The hacker's earlier angry state was replaced with fear, as she was brought high into the air, before being dropped. She hit the ground hard.
Julia snickered.
MK lay on the ground for a moment, before pulling herself up. "This is stupid!" She snarled and walked off.
Julia stopped laughing. "Wha-" She watched, as MK straight up left the playing area.
"Oh, and it looks like MK is out." Chef said. "Even with two points, she's ineligible to win."
"Bold strategy, Chef." Chris added. "Let's see if it pays off."
Julia, still stunned by what just happened, couldn't find the words.
Damien also noticed and then looked at Priya. She was tapping her finger against the back of the tablet repeatedly. "Priya, how-"
"Not now." She interrupted. "Need to pay attention."
Confessional (Damien): "I've been neglecting it, but Priya's clearly not doing well. I want to beat Julia, but I also want to help her. One way or another."
Static
The next round soon started and, this time, the competitors were tasked with finding Bowie.
Raj let out an audible gasp and quickly made his pick.
Nichelle noticed his icon and picked in the same spot.
Confessional (Nichelle): "It's cheap, but I need that win. Raj did the same thing to me anyway."
Static
Damien realized what was happening, and did the same. "This one will be easy. Right, Julia?" He teased.
The influencer didn't respond. She seemed to have other things on her mind and was looking off. After a moment, she snapped to her wits. She looked at her tablet and went to tap the other three icons. However, in her haste, she picked the square next to them. She didn't notice immediately.
Priya locked in her answer, picking an entirely different square.
Confessional (Priya): "I…I don't need to take the easy win. Besides, Raj has only gotten one answer correct. That's…" She then realized. "...more than me." She gritted her teeth and let out a frustrated sigh.
Static
Julia realized her mistake, but the air horn sounded before should fix it.
Chris revealed that Raj, Damien and Nichelle earned their second and third point, respectively.
However, Julia wasn't so lucky. The icon flipped over, revealing Emma's face.
Her circle opened up, a giant replica of a battle stick shot out, launching her high above the ground.
"Emma's not even here and that's the second time she's walloped Julia in the face." Chris chuckled.
Julia waved her arms around in a panic from being launched. But, in her steady climb up, she noticed something. Off in the distance, Julia could see MK, sitting on a rock and hugging her knees. She was facing away, so Julia couldn't read her expression. She forgot, for a moment, that she was several feet in the air.
Gravity soon kicked and Julia snapped to her sense. She screamed as she fell to the ground and landed hard on the metal.
Confessional (Julia): "Look, it's not like I'm worried about her, I just…I don't know, it's none of your business."
Static
Priya was shaking her head. "N-No! I did not get it wrong again! I did…not…" Her breathing was becoming more heavy and fast. She dropped her tablet and clutched her chest. Damien noticed.
Her icon flipped over, revealing Caleb's face again.
Once more, the Drone appeared and grabbed Priya by the back of her shirt and pulled her up. She didn't notice, as she was still breathing rapidly.
Damien was now even more worried. He glanced over at Julia, then at his score.
Confessional (Damien): "Nichelle and I are tied and we're both in the lead. Julia's right behind me, so if I could win this." He gave a long pause, contemplating his words and what he was going to do next. "I…could."
Static
The Drone let go of Priya. She careened down to the ground, awaiting the hard slam into metal. However, instead of that, she felt something catch her before she could hit the ground. She opened her eyes and saw she was now being held in another contestant's arms.
"D-Damien?" She questioned. "Wha…What are you…" She suddenly felt her breathing pace increase.
The neurotic contestant frowned. "I'm sorry, Priya." While still carrying her, Damien ran off and out of the challenge.
"Wow!" Chris said. "Not only did Damien walk out of the challenge, costing him his lead, but he also took Priya out of it as well."
"Is that legal?" Chef said.
The host just shrugged. "Never said it wasn't, so I guess."
Damien had run into the woods. He glanced down at Priya, who hadn't realized what was going on.
Confessional (Damien): "I just needed to get her somewhere quiet. Maybe then, I can help her calm down."
Static
Damien kept running. At that moment, Priya suddenly came to her senses. She looked around, then saw her former teammate. "Damien!?" She pushed herself off. She got to her feet and looked at him. "What did you do?!"
"You were not okay!" Damien argued. "You needed help!"
"I don't need help." Priya angrily stepped forward and pushed him to the side. She started heading back to the challenge area.
"Priya, if we step out, we're out of the challenge. You can't go back."
Last season's winner stopped herself, understanding what Damien was getting at it. She turned around and pointed at him. "Why would you do that?!"
"You weren't okay. I was just-"
"Damien!" Priya snapped. "It's not your call to tell me if I'm okay or not. I know what's good for me! My parents know…m-my parents know…they know what…my parents…" The rapid breathing suddenly returned.
The neurotic contestant noticed and put a hand to Priya's shoulder. She didn't respond, but kept breathing. "Priya?" He said. No response.
Damien then took a deep breath and wrapped his arms tightly around Priya.
That seemed to work, as he felt her squirm slightly from the sudden hug. "D-Damien? What are-"
"It's alright," Damien said quietly. "Just focus on me. Focus on your breathing. You're safe and I'm here."
Priya didn't respond. She wanted to find another way out, but also knew she wasn't doing too well. She focused on Damien's tight hug first. Taking in the texture of his coat against her arms. Then she moved her finger and touched the fabric on her pants. Doing this allowed her to focus on her breathing. Slowly, she started to slow it down, taking deeper breaths, but at a much more relaxed pace. It took a moment, but she finally regained her senses.
Damien felt it too and sighed. "Alright, that's good." He slowly pulled out of his hug. "Now let's just-" Suddenly, he felt two arms latch around him.
Priya pulled herself forward, burying her face into his shoulder and wrapping him in another hug.
Damien was worried for a second, but soon understood what was happening. He slowly put his hands back, giving a light hug to Priya, and allowed her to sob into his jacket.
"Alright, looks like we're starting the next round with half the remaining contestants." Chris shrugged. "Eh, not my problem. Nichelle holds the lead with three, while Raj and Julia are at two."
The competitors were soon presented with their contestant to find. It was Scary Girl. Raj punched in his guess.
Nichelle thought for a moment. "I saw Damien pick her…somewhere around here." She carefully made her pick.
Julia was taking longer than the other two. She was staring at the tablet, but wasn't actually focused on it.
"Julia better pick one. She only has three seconds."
"Wait, what?!" The influencer broke away from distraction. She hastily picked a square.
The icons were soon revealed. Nichelle had earned her a fourth point.
Raj, however, ended up picking Bowie.
"Hey, it's my boyfriend!" He pointed.
The metal circle opened up. A canadian goose flew out. Almost immediately, it started pecking at Raj and biting him all over. He screamed and tried to fend it off with the tablet, but it didn't work.
Confessional (Raj): The goose was still peppering him with bites, but Raj was still managing a smile. "Miss you, babe."
Static.
"Let's see who Julia picked," Chris said. Her icon flipped over, showing Emma again. "Wow, two in a row."
Once more, the floor opened up and Julia was shot into the air. She braced herself, knowing the fall was going to hurt. She glanced to her side. Like before, she saw MK, sitting by herself on the rock. Julia couldn't help but keep staring at her.
Confessional (Julia): "Look, I'm not saying I feel bad for her, but…I'm kinda curious why she's acting like this. Friends don't-" She shook her head. "S-She shouldn't be acting…weirder than usual. She owes me an explanation."
Static
Her thoughts were broken when she fell to the ground.
"Oh, looks like Julia has some catching up to do," Chris said. "Will she be able to come back and beat Nichelle?"
The influencer lay down for a moment. She soon got back up, dropped her tablet and walked off.
"Huh," Chef noted. "Looks like Julia's following MK's strategy of eliminating herself from the game. This is a shocking development."
"I feel shocked." Chris added.
Raj and Nichelle were left alone in awkward silence.
"So…" Raj said, turing to Nichelle. "Who was your gay awakening? Mine was…okay, mine was my boyfriend, which I'm pretty sure you already knew. But, was it a celebrity? Honestly, even before I knew I was gay, I thought Emmanuel Savary was pretty hot. He's an ice skater." He paused. "Is it weird that I didn't pick a hockey player. I don't know, they wear masks, so it's hard to tell who's hot."
MK was alone, sulking and hugging her knees, on a lone rock. She didn't look like she was in the mood to talk. She barely reacted when Julia appeared from behind her and sat down next to her.
"Go away." Came the blunt reply
Julia ignored her. She took out her phone and began typing into it.
"What are you doing here?" MK asked.
"I thought you wanted me to go away."
"I do, but I also know you don't care about anyone other than yourself, so if you're going to tell me everything will be alright, I'm-"
Julia scoffed. "Oh, I don't care about that. I just thought the challenge was stupid and boring." Throughout saying this, she had not turned her attention away from her phone.
MK was surprised, but tried to act like she wasn't. "Whatever…" She went back to sulking. The two sat in silence.
Well, not exactly.
The only sound that could be heard was Julia's loud taps into her phone and she continued typing something. MK tried tuning it out, but it was becoming annoying. She twitched her eye as the clicks kept going. Finally, she threw her arms down and turned. "What are you doing!?"
Julia smirked. "Looking for that woman you had a tantrum over."
The hacker's mouth dropped. She was absolutely not expecting that response. Finally, she found her voice. "W-What? Why?"
"Oh, I'm looking for her so I can sic my followers on her. Maybe force her to make an apology video, make her account go private or just make her delete it entirely."
"Why?"
"I don't know, her fashion choice? Why would you care? Not like you were happy to see her."
MK was stunned. She stammered a response. "Uh…um…y-you…wha-" She then shook her head. It took a moment for her to process what Julia just said.
Then, she found herself smiling.
Only for a brief moment, before Julia could even notice. She turned around. "Umm…you don't need to do that."
The typing abruptly stopped. Julia raised an eyebrow and looked at her friend for the first time since arriving. "What? You don't want me to do that? You, of all people, don't want to see someone get their-"
"I know what you're doing, but…trust me, as hard as it is to say, that woman is…not someone who deserves it."
Julia stared for a while. Then she shrugged and went back to typing.
The two continued sitting, without saying a word to each other.
Eventually, though, MK broke it. "Can you please put that thing on silent?!"
"Nope."
Raj fell to the ground again.
"And for the fourth consecutive time, Raj got a question wrong." Chris sighed. He looked at the scoreboard. "Nichelle is now at eight points and our resident hockey fanatic is at…two." The host rested his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his palms. "Right now, with four contestants gone, and Raj being my only source of entertainment, this challenge has been kinda boring."
"Speak for yourself!" Raj got back up. "This is fun! I feel like I'm back on the rink. Only I'm being thrown up into the air more often, but getting hit by hockey pucks is pretty much the same." Nichelle couldn't help but smirk.
Confessional (Nichelle): "I'll give it to Raj. He's tough. I could really use someone like him going forward."
Confessional (Raj): "Maybe I should've gone back to copying Nichelle, but then I wouldn't be having so much fun."
Static
"Well," Chris said. "I don't really see the point of us continuing. I think it's time that we declare Nichelle the-"
"Wait!" Raj put up his hands. "I can still do this. I might be down, but I'm not out. The Snow Owls came back from an eight to two loss once, and I can do it here. Just let me go until I get one wrong."
Chris stared, then turned to Nichelle. The former Hollywood Star shrugged. Chef did the same. "Alright, if Nichelle's allowing it. Let's see if you get this one right. You have to find…Emma."
Raj closed his eyes and thought. He pictured the icon board when it showed all the contestants. He knew where it was. He opened his eyes and pressed one of the squares.
His icon appeared and flipped over.
It was Millie.
"Oh." Raj said. "Right, I was looking for Emma."
The ground suddenly opened up and Raj fell in. He was soon met with a series of spinning gears, which crushed him and bounced him around.
"And it's the gears the Millie fell into in the slide challenge!" Chris said. "That means a bone-crushing defeat for Raj and a sweet victory for Nichelle, as well as immunity."
"Yes!" The former Hollywood Star cheered. However, it didn't last as she remembered Raj.
Next to the hole he fell in, appeared a wooden basketball hoop. Raj was soon shot out of the hole and fell right through the hoop. Raj's face hit the ground and he lay in a heap.
Nichelle went over to him. "Raj, you okay?"
All she got was a muffled groan.
She thought to herself. "Um…my awakening was Stephanie Beatriz." She chuckled. "With who I'm dating now, that actually makes a lot of sense."
Raj picked his head up and gave a mangled smile. "That's…nice." His face then fell back onto the ground.
Julia and MK were still alone. The influencer was still on her phone.
MK was currently thinking to herself. She briefly glanced back at Julia. "She's…my step-mom."
Julia didn't say anything, but kept typing.
The hacker went on. "The woman. In the video. She's my step-mom. When Chris said he got my parents, I thought he meant my actually folks. I mean, it seems like he wanted them, but they clearly had more important thing to do."
Still no response.
"I mean, maybe it's just wishful thinking. After all, they've never been in the same room together without yelling each other's heads off for the past seven years." She was starting to sound agitated. "Maybe I was asking for too much when I wanted one moment where I didn't have to see both my parents arguing over…something stupid or whatever."
Again, Julia was fully focused on the phone.
MK sighed. "But…my step-mom…." She sighed. "Alright, I still don't really like her that much because she's a constant reminder that things can't go back to the way they were before, but…she's trying, at least." She waited for Julia to say something, but heard nothing. She glanced back and saw her still on her phone. "Wha- Where you even listening to a thing I was saying!?" Julia didn't even look up. MK grunted. "Wow. Here I am, actually opening up to someone and you don't care. Why am I surprised? You're still a-"
A phone suddenly appeared in front of her face. She looked at it. It showed the profile of a woman that MK immediately recognized.
"This her?" Julia asked.
"Wha-" The hacker took the phone, shocked. "How did you-"
"I have my sources." Julia grinned.
But MK wasn't impressed. "I thought told you not to-"
"Relax." Julia interrupted. "I'm not going to send my followers after her. I wanted to send her a message. An anonymous one."
MK raised an eyebrow. "What message?"
"I don't know. I was thinking of giving her some advice on how to dress better, but I might also remind her that she…needs to take care of some people." She held herself back from sounding too sappy. "That…she's lucky. Especially to have a goblin-like step-daughter who doesn't hate her. And even if she is disgusting, gross, and, very unpleasant to be around, that…doesn't mean she…deserves to be unhappy all the time." Julia was desperately hoping MK wouldn't say anything.
Thankfully, for her, MK didn't. Julia was facing away from her, so she didn't see MK give a grateful smile.
Damien and Priya were now sitting in the same spot where Priya had spent the better part of an hour bawling her eyes out. By this point, she was out of tears and didn't have the energy for anything else. She just hugged her knees and blankly stared forward.
Her friend sat next to her, mostly keeping quiet, but occasionally checking to see how her friend was holding up.
"I think the challenge is over by now." Damien finally said.
Priya didn't respond or even acknowledge he was talking.
"Umm…" The neurotic contestant tried to think of something. "Who…who do you think we should vote for? I mean, I guess the answer is-"
"You know what I just realized." Priya interrupted, still staring forward. "I don't think I've ever really been allowed to make my own decisions. I mean, I spent my entire life thinking that what my parents wanted was the most important thing in the world. They made me put aside my own goals so I could live theirs. I wasn't allowed to have friends or go to certain places. My parents only got me stuffed animals because I asked for someone to talk to who wasn't related to me." She sighed. "I'm such an idiot."
"I don't think so." Damien said. "You were just made to believe that your parent's tendencies were acceptable. You valued their perspective and thought going against it was bad." Priya stayed silent, as she contemplated what Damien said. He noticed and decided to continue. "And if it makes you feel any better, you did kinda go against them when you made friends with Millie."
Last season's winner perked up slightly. Then she let out a light chuckle. "Huh. I guess you're right." She laughed again. "Total Drama was my first chance to really get away from my parents and I guess my conscience didn't want to take any chances and forced me to make friends."
Damien smiled too. But it faltered after a moment. "So, what are you going to do now?"
Priya pondered. "I don't know." She frowned. "I guess it doesn't really matter, since I wasted my life trying to live through someone else's dreams."
Damien raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think it doesn't matter? If anything, this is the perfect chance to do something you want."
His friend turned to him. "Well, how do I know what that is?"
"I guess that's up to you to figure it out."
Priya turned away, going back to thinking. Damien didn't say anything, as he allowed her to process a potentially life-changing moment.
Night fell and Chris had soon called the contestant over.
"Well, well, well," Chris started. "This is pretty interesting. I'd say just about that isn't named Nichelle seriously messed up today. Chef, let's do this."
Chef nodded and pointed at the first contestant. "Raj, you played horribly. You only got two points, despite two-thirds of the competition walking out."
Confessional (Raj): "You know what? The Snow Owls never came back from an eight to two victory. In fact, we were losing so badly, the other team's goalie walked off the rink and we still didn't score a single point."
Static
"Speaking of…" Chef turned. "MK. You-"
"You gonna repeat yourself three more times?" Julia butt in. "We get it. Most of us left the challenge."
Confessional (Julia): "For the record, I love nothing more than kicking people while they're down, but only when I'm the one who gets to do it. No one gets to do that to my…" She considered what she was going to say. "Um…N-No one gets to do that to her except me!"
Static
While she wasn't about to tell her, MK was still grateful and trying her best to hide it.
"As for you, Julia, you also potentially set yourself up for elimination by walking out. You still have enemies in the competition, so by not winning immunity, you're taking a major risk."
The influencer rolled her eyes.
"Damien." Chef continued. "You took yourself and Priya out of the competition. It was a risky move, but it means you aren't safe either."
The neurotic contestant looked worried but was more concerned with the person sitting next to him. He hadn't talked to Priya since her breakdown. Her expression was blank and her posture gave no indication of how she was feeling.
Chef pointed at her. "And finally, Pri-"
"Chef." Last season's winner stood up. "I'll make this easy for you." She walked towards him. Chris and his co-host glanced at each other. Damien was worried too. Priya moved a few more paces, before turning around. She gave no signs of what was going on in her head.
The remaining competitors watched, completely at a loss for what was going on.
"Everyone," Priya took a deep breath. Damien looked closely.
He noticed a slight curve on Priya's lip.
"I quit."
Her response was met with confused looks and dead silence. Priya looked at them, as she felt her smile beginning to grow. She let out a huge sigh.
"Wait…what?!" Julia cried.
"You're quitting?" Raj asked.
Priya nodded. A small tear escaped her eye.
She looked at Damien, who was smiling back at her. He stood up. "Well, congratu-" He felt something bump into him. Before he had a chance to react, Priya had run forward and locked him in a tight hug. This time, as a way of showing her thanks. Damien gladly returned it.
The other watched, now ever more puzzled.
"Wait, so Axel got eliminated and she kissed Nichelle," Raj said. "Now, Priya's eliminated and she's hugging Damien. Is there a new rule that we have to hug or kiss the person who gets eliminated?"
His question went unanswered, as MK spoke next. "Wait, why are you quitting? If you wanted to leave, why didn't you just get everyone to vote for you? Now you owe the show a million bucks."
Priya and Damien's eyes shot open. They released the hug and stared at each other.
Confessional (Damien): "I…forgot about that."
Static
Damien was about to apologize but was cut off when Priya put her hand up. "It's fine." She said quietly. She then turned around and walked to Chris and Chef. "I won a million dollars, so since I'm quitting, I have to give it back."
Chef shrugged. "Well, we really only did that so Damien-"
Chris pushed his hand in front of his co-host's mouth. "You are correct, Priya! You owe us a million bucks and we'll gladly take it back." He shot a glare at Chef, effectively silencing him.
Priya closed her eyes for a moment, before sighing again. She glanced back at Damien. He nodded at her.
Last season's winner took a brief moment to think about what she was doing. Maybe, for a brief moment, she felt regret. But almost instantly, the feeling was gone. She faced the Dock and made her way towards it, with a confident smile.
Damien watched her, feeling proud.
"So…how did you convince her to give up the million?" Nichelle asked him.
Damien was surprised. "I didn't convince her to give it up, it was-"
"Dude, that was cold." MK added. "You could've just gotten everyone to eliminate her and save her all that money."
"There's things in life more important than-"
"Damien, I never thought I'd say this," Julia spoke. "But you might be more evil than me."
The neurotic contestant groaned and covered his face with his hands.
Raj leaned towards him. "Damien," He whispered. "If you get eliminated, are you fine if I just hug you? I have a boyfriend and I don't know how good of a kisser you are."
Damien didn't respond to this.
Priya strolled down the dock. Despite being eliminated, she didn't look disappointed in the slightest.
Chris noticed. "I don't think I've ever seen someone look so happy despite giving up a million bucks."
He only got a shrug as a response.
"Well, I won't lose sleep over it. Enjoy the non-millionaire life you were probably already living in."
Again, Priya stayed quiet.
"Really, nothing?"
She nodded.
"Alright, if you say so. Or…don't say so."
The Drone arrived and grabbed Priya by the back of her shirt. It took her away and off the island. She was still smiling.
Chris watched on. "Wow…that was…wow." He looked to the camera. "Our first season's winner is out and down a million bucks. This season has been an absolute roller-coaster. Join us next time to see how our final five fairs out with arguably their biggest competition gone, right here…on Total…Drama…Island!"
This is the chapter that I deviated the most from when you compare it to the canon episode. With what I did with Priya, finding ways to fit jokes that would kill any tension is hard. And while I'm happy with the final product, a part of me doesn't like that it doesn't always feel like an episode that could actually happen.
As I said, I like this episode. I love Damien and Julia's rivalry and the challenge is fun. I like the references to the eliminated contestants. That being said, while I think Damien's elimination made sense and it was a smart move by Julia, this is the episode that Priya should've been eliminated. The Prileb drama was played out by this point and could've ended right here. But still, I do enjoy this episode.
Let's talk about some of the big things. The messages from home segment is based on Hell's Kitchen. Near the end of the season, they would have surprise appearances from loved ones of the remaining contestants. They were always sweet moments and I loved whenever they happened. It was also the only way I could think of to properly confront the issue of Priya's parents, but I'll discuss that in a second.
As for MK, as she specified, her parents are divorced. I did that to both a) partly explain why she acts the way she does and b) give MK and Julia a nice moment to cement their friendship.
Now, let's talk about Priya. First, my overall thoughts on her. I like how she's different than the other 'nice girl' characters the show has given us (mainly Sky and Zoey). Her awkwardness and character flaws are more apparent and really sets her apart from the others. I also adore her friendship with Millie. The fact that both of them are open about the issues they have with the other. It's unique compared to the other friendships on the show and makes nicer moments when the two actually do bond. That, and they have good chemistry.
And I think that's a good segue into the biggest issue I have with her. I don't like Priya as a finalist. Simply put, I think it kinda justifies all the terrible things her parents put her through. I wouldn't have an issue with this, if the show actually addressed it (which is what I hoped season two would do), but it never happens. And it's hard to pass it off as jokes because, with Millie constantly questioning it. It felt like something that was going to be brought up, but never is. So while I don't hate her character, I find it hard to enjoy her overall. Especially the way she acts in season two.
I'll leave you with a question that I probably should've asked last chapter: what happened to the idol? Is Damien right? Did someone take it? If so, who did it? Or did something else happen to it that Damien would never see coming? Let me know what you think.
See you in the next one.
Merge: Damien, MK, Raj, Julia, Nichelle
Priya: Quit
Elimination order:
16th: Ripper
15th: Chase
14th: Scary Girl
13th: Zee
12th: Wayne
11th: Millie
10th: Bowie
9th: Caleb
8th: Emma
7th: Axel
6th: Priya (quit)