The camera fades in to reveal Camp Wawanakwa, with the classic Chris Mclean getting ready to recap the events of the last episode.
"Last time, on Total Drama, Logan was sour to his team after Jack was eliminated, and rubbed some people the wrong way, especially Andrea." Chris said.
Flashback to Andrea shoving Logan.
"Felix went looking for the idol, but it was already found! What a loser!" Chris laughed as he recapped.
Flashback to Felix searching the knothole by the waterfall.
"Jade had a tough time deciding on where to put the idol, but she eventually settled on placing it in her jacket pocket, was it the right choice?" Chris asked the viewer.
Flashback to Jade putting the idol in her pockets, and walking out of the cabin.
"The contestants competed in a cook-off challenge, where they had to make a dessert, and serve it to me and Chef. Needless to say, everyone should've lost, as they were all terrible desserts." Chris said, slightly angry. "Although I gave the win to Logan, Starr, and Jade."
Flashback to Andrea's, Bryce's, and Felix's oozing underbaked cake.
"And Zhang made yet another sneaky move, placing Hayden's THC vapes all over Bryce's bed, but Daniel got nosy, and he found himself wound up." The host explained.
Flashback to Daniel dropping the vapes and putting his hands in the air defensively.
"Although there was more than one person in the hot seat during the elimination, Daniel still got the most votes, and was sent packing, although Zhang made a new enemy…"
Flashback to Harmony glaring at Zhang
"Now that there's only 8 people left, and after this episode, there will only be 6, that's right, 6! Who's going to be sent home? Find out on this all new episode of Total, Drama, Island!"
Camera Fades out.
—-
Intro Plays:
—-
Cabin: Boy's Side
Bryce lay awake all night, as he couldn't sleep after the events of yesterday, he merely sat in his bed, eyes open and staring at the ceiling while the others
slept.
He couldn't help but replay what Daniel said through his mind over and over again, "You have to win tomorrow, or else…" Daniel repeated again and again.
"Ughh… I know… shut up…" Bryce groaned sleepily, rubbing his hands through his blonde hair. He knew that he had to win, otherwise one of two things would happen, either Zhang would tell more lies, and everyone would believe him.
Or…
Everyone would vote him out anyway, and then Harmony would be next, as they were alienated from the rest of the contestants.
(Confessional: Bryce)
"All this because I voted for Zhang instead of Hayden…" Bryce said as he picked at his skin, clearly stressed.
"How many weeks ago was this? Four? Five? It's so stupid! It's been me and Daniel versus everyone else for weeks, and it's getting old. Whenever someone is voted out, somebody realizes the truth, tries to speak out, and is targeted, the cycle just keeps continuing!"
(End confessional: Bryce)
Bryce finally closes his eyes, and falls asleep, but it was short lived, about 4 seconds after falling asleep, he's jolted awake by the sound of a door slamming.
He sat upright with bloodshot eyes, and watched as the other boys in the cabin groaned as they woke up. Felix rubbed his eyes as he looked around, and Logan sat upright tiredly, and started tying his shoes.
"Who in the world did that?" Felix asked.
"Who do you think?" Bryce said bitterly as he pointed to Zhang's empty bed. But Logan frowned as he stood up.
"Man, enough with that crap," he told Bryce, "I don't want any of your stupid drama today. Can't you see the trouble it's gotten you into already?"
"I'm not wasting my time talking to you, it's useless." Bryce responded as he got up and exited the cabin.
Felix and Logan looked at each other in confusion, "what's his problem?" Felix asked him.
Logan shook his head, "jerk's will be jerk's." Was all he said.
(Confessional: Logan)
"Do I doubt what Bryce, Daniel, and Harmony have been saying? No, for that many accusations to come around, there must be a reason, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be confronting or targeting anybody."
Logan looked around.
"After all, it's just one guy!"
(End confessional: Logan)
—-
Jade stood inside the cabin, looking at the idol, because Harmony, Starr and Andrea weren't in the cabin with her. She still didn't know the perfect place to put it, but she had decided that morning to give it a better hiding spot, especially since they'd be in their bathing suits for this challenge.
She laid out her bathing suit on her bunk, which was metallica band themed. As for where she would hide the idol? Somewhere near camp, she might bury it underground real quick in the wooded area behind the cabins, at least there it would be easy access to her for when she needed it.
—-
Unfortunately, Zhang was waiting outside the cabin, he had peeked through the windows earlier, and he knew Jade was in there with the idol.
He wanted that idol. And he was going to take it if he had to.
When Jade exited the cabin, Zhang made sure to look away and stop eyeing the door and window, instead leaning over the railing, pretending to watch the sunrise, this startled Jade, and she jumped in surprise.
"Oh, hi Zhang!" She said in surprise, "what're you doing here?"
Zhang turned his eyes to look back at her, but his head remained faced away, "just… observing." He stated coldly.
Jade didn't really know how to respond to such an odd answer. "Uh…" She said, trying to find the right words.
What Zhang said next made her heart skip a beat. He looked down in her hands, she was carrying her everyday clothes, her idol was tucked away inside of them, as well.
"What are you doing with those?" Zhang questioned her as he noticed the clothes in her hand.
Jade stammered yet again, not knowing how to respond exactly, "guh… I'm… letting them dry." She came up with.
Zhang pretended to believe her. "You're letting them… dry?" He reiterated, staring at her. Jade nodded, "yes, I spilled something on them a few minutes ago, now I really need to go, so if you could just… move?" She asked him.
Zhang stepped out of the way, and beckoned for her to pass, once she did, he pretended to walk away, just enough so she could see him while she went to the woods behind the cabin.
Zhang peeked his head out from the side of the cabin as he watched her bury the idol behind some rocks, and just before she was done, he snuck off to the mess hall, as to not get caught.
—-
(Confessional: Jade)
"Is it just me, or is Zhang really nosy today? I know that he knows about the idol, but he never bothered me like that!"
(End confessional: Jade)
Logan was entering the mess hall, where he met Starr sitting down, eating some gruel. He playfully frowned as he sat next to her, grabbing a bowl of gruel for himself.
"You deserve better," he playfully teased as he sat down. Staring at Starr, "a lady shouldn't be made to eat this slop."
Logan smiled as he said this, causing Starr to laugh as well. "Nobody should." She responded back.
The two exchanged a laugh.
(Confessional: Starr)
"Yep, he definitely likes me." Starr said as she smiled. "I do trust him, and he seems to trust me, I don't really know about… dating though…" Starr continued as her face fell slightly, but it quickly perked up again after a second or two.
"At least, not yet!"
(End confessional: Starr)
The camera moved away from Starr and Logan, and towards another table, where Harmony, Bryce, and Andrea sat at, none of them were talking to each other for a few moments, but Harmony eventually broke the silence.
"Okay, we can't just sit here idly and not do anything!" She shouted at the table, although quiet enough for the others to not hear.
Bryce looked over at her with a defeated look, he looked like he was pitying her. Andrea on the other hand raised an eyebrow. "About what?" She asked her.
Right on cue, Zhang walked into the mess hall, grabbed a bowl of gruel, and sat at Starr's, Logan's, and Felix's table, as Jade was still absent.
Andrea facepalmed, "oh my god, not again with this!" She started yelling, but Harmony put a hand on her wrist, and Andrea was promptly quieted down, mostly by surprise. "Wha-" she began to stutter.
"Me and you are in an alliance, remember?" Harmony told Andrea, "remember when you asked me to vote for Jack instead of Felix? I did, and now Jack's gone."
Andrea looked unimpressed.
"If I hadn't obliged, because we were in an alliance," Harmony began, "then Jack would still be here, and we all know how much you'd hate that."
Andrea couldn't help but agree. She folded her arms and looked the other way, "I guess that makes sense…" She agreed.
"It's your turn now." Harmony told Andrea, who initially looked upset and annoyed, but she slowly softened her face. "Fine." Andrea said, "but now I feel like part of the problem."
"Well, you're not." Bryce interjected, causing both girls to turn to him.
"Excuse me, who invited you into this conversation?" Andrea grilled him, but Bryce merely looked at her annoyed.
"I did." He told her matter-of-factly. "It's been him vs me for weeks now, it's only fair you include me in this little group."
"Deal." Harmony immediately agreed, causing Andrea to stare at her in agitated confusion.
"Umm, no. You can't just add people to this alliance, not without my permission, at least." Andrea lectured her, but Harmony shushed her.
Andrea was not used to being dismissed in such a manner, or at all really, so instead of chastising her, or yelling at her, she decided it would be best to just look away and say nothing at all.
—-
Eventually, Jade stepped into the mess hall, everyone was slightly surprised to see her so late to breakfast. She sat down at Starr and Logan's table.
"Where were you at?" Felix questioned her. "I haven't seen you all day."
Jade looked at Felix as she grabbed a bowl of gruel, "I was going to the bathroom." She explained monotony. She didn't want to draw unwanted attention to herself, as that might make people suspicious.
"I thought you were drying your clothes." Zhang retorted in a slightly mocking tone, although nobody seemed to notice.
"I did that, too." Jade responded, and it looked like that would be the end of the discussion, until Chris barged into the Mess Hall, startling many of the contestants that were still eating.
"Oh great… here we go again…" Bryce drawled from his table.
"Morning campers!" Chris said enthusiastically as he entered the mess hall, his hands were held up in the air dramatically, as he always does when explaining challenges. Everyone was now paying attention to him.
"Today's challenge will be in two parts," Chris began to say, "and this one's gonna be a little bit different from the others."
Everyone glanced at each other nervously, as that could mean anything, good or bad, most likely bad.
"For part one of the challenge, I'll need everyone to follow me outside the mess hall…" Chris said.
Everyone sighed, but reluctantly got up, and followed the host out of the room.
—-
All the contestants were standing next to a large, checkered starting line, with some flag hanging from the trees, the path from the starting line headed deep into the woods, and wrapped around some trees.
"You'll be split up into pairs for the remainder of the challenge," Chris started to explain once they arrived. "Since there's eight of you, that means we'll have 4 pairs of 2. You'll work on racing on the other side of the island, here's a map to show you where you need to go."
Chris held out a basket of 4 maps.
"Once you arrive, you'll find a smaller version of the dock of shame, it's gonna be lined with boats, now listen carefully, as this is important. Some boats are better than others, so the pairs that get there first will have a distinct advantage in part two, which I'll explain later."
Zhang frowned, as he wasn't a fast runner. But his eyes quickly lit up again, as if he'd realized something.
"As for the pairs, they've been decided by me!" Chris said happily, clapping his hands together. "If I call your name's, please stand by each other, and line up at the starting line."
The contestants waited to discover who they'd be partnered with, Zhang looked at Bryce and Harmony with a scowl, while Logan and Starr looked at each other hopefully.
"I hope we can be partners!" Starr told Logan, and he nodded. "Yeah, that'd be the best case scenario."
The two exchanged a fist bump. But Chris shushed them rudely, and Logan and Starr glared at Chris.
"Shush it!" He hollered at the two, "I'm about to announce the pairs!"
"Okay, sorry." Logan apologized, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "geez."
"Okay, now that the rude interruption is over, the pairs are: Felix and Bryce! Andrea and Logan! Zhang and Jade! And Harmony and Starr!"
Zhang frowned furiously at being partnered up with Jade. But he hid it decently well, Logan and Starr immediately became sad, and disappointed. Especially Logan, because now he had to deal with Andrea.
Felix walked over to Bryce, and eyed him charily. Bryce sighed, but the two did partner up, and Harmony and Starr seemed OK with being a pair, and everyone got into a semi-running position at the starting line. "When you find a boat, wait there until I announce the second part of the challenge, DO NOT start the boat until I say. Got it?" The host added, and everyone nodded.
"Okay," Chris said, "here's your maps, you should find it pretty easily if you stay on track." The host tossed a map to Felix, Andrea, Jade, and Harmony.
Everyone opened their map cautiously, and noticed the big boat symbol on the opposite side of the island.
Chris held a red blow horn in the air, signaling the start of the race, "go go go!" He announced, and the contestants were off, they raced into the woods as fast as they could go.
—-
Andrea and Logan took an early lead, darting far ahead of everyone else behind them, Bryce and Felix were in 2nd place early on, but they were still far behind Andrea and Logan.
Felix was in shape, so he was able to run quite fast despite his stocky build, Bryce on the other hand, could run extremely fast, but had incredibly low stamina, and he quickly started panting and fell behind, allowing Starr and Harmony to pass him.
Felix frowned and rolled his eyes as he skidded to a stop, and turned around to face Bryce, who was hands on his knees, and gasping for air.
"Hold on…" He heaved, "let me… catch… my breath-" He tried to explain, but Felix had walked over and shoved him forward.
"Gah! What are you doing!?" Bryce yelled at Felix as he continued to shove him along the path.
"Sorry, but I can't let you drag us down," Felix explained. "I don't have time for this! Come on!" Felix shoved Bryce down the path as he regained his energy.
The camera panned far behind the other pairs, where Zhang and Jade were slowly jogging to their destination, Jade was handling the map, while Zhang tried to keep up.
Jade thought it'd be helpful to inform Zhang of what was ahead. "Okay, so there's a fork in the road coming up, and one path leads down a ravine the other-" she began to explain as she ran, but Zhang interrupted her with sharp cries of pain.
"Ah! Ah! Ow!" Zhang yelled as he bent over, clutching his left leg. Jade looked at him in a mixture of surprise and confusion, and she let her arms fall to her side.
"Uhh," Jade began, looking at Zhang concerningly. "Are you okay? Are you… crying?" This only confused her more.
"Ack! Charley horse!" Zhang explained through heaved breaths, "I'm not the best runner, I can't… Ow! ...Over exert myself."
Zhang continued clutching his leg, and started hopping about on one leg forward. Jade folded her arms in confusion. "We're falling behind!" She exclaimed as she looked at Zhang in worry.
"It's alright… you go ahead!" Zhang said encouragingly, "don't let me… OW! Slow you down!" He was still clutching his leg, and Jade looked nervously at the crowd that was slowly but surely getting farther and farther away.
"Okay, fine, but please be quick with… whatever this is!" She told Zhang as she sped off, trying to not come in last place. She quickly moved out of view.
When Jade was out of sight, Zhang let go of his leg, and his look of pain and surprise immediately switched to malevolence. He looked around, and then turned the opposite way, and ran back towards camp.
—-
Bryce was still being shoved and dragged by Felix, and while Bryce was regaining his energy and stamina, Felix was slowly losing his. He wheezed as he pushed Bryce again for the umpteenth time, but he finally collapsed on the ground.
Bryce stepped out of the way as Felix fell and looked at him in pity and disamusement. Felix merely groaned as Bryce watched him.
"You done yet, chap?" Bryce drawled as Felix weakly got to his feet, and the two got back to running.
Harmony and Starr were making good progress, they were already about halfway to the finish line, and were in second place overall. They could see Andrea and Logan far in front of them, but they knew they wouldn't catch them, at least not on their own.
The camera shifted to Andrea and Logan, and although Andrea seemed to be doing just peachy running at full speed, Logan seemed to be exhausted, he was beat reddish purple, and he was slouching as he fell behind Andrea, who immediately noticed his slipping pace.
"Not on my watch!" Andrea yelled as she stopped and lifted Logan over her shoulder, effectively carrying him to the finish line. "Whoa!" Logan exclaimed as he was lifted over her shoulder, "what are you doing!?"
"Winning. I'm not losing this because of you!" Andrea shouted as she strained to run under Logan's body weight. Although the two were still in first place, and were far ahead of Starr and Harmony.
—-
The camera shifted back to Zhang, who was now sprinting toward the cabins, he moved quickly and hastily, at least as fast as he could go… which nonetheless contrasted sharply with the "Charley horse" act he'd just put on.
He reached the back of the cabins and glanced around cautiously, making sure no one was nearby. His lips curled into a devious smile as he dropped to his knees and began digging in the loose dirt with his hands, throwing the rocks to the side. He very quickly found the wooden Chris Head, and he stuffed it into his swimming trunks pocket.
He soothed the dirt back over the spot to cover any trace of his thievery, then he stood up and brushed himself off and straightened his golden tie, which he still wore despite his swimsuit. He then entered the mess hall for a moment, but he exited quickly, and glanced around to confirm he was still alone, then he slipped back into the woods, idol in hand.
Or in this case… pocket.
—-
Back far into the race, Logan and Andrea were still in first place, and they could see the small dock in the distance, which was lined with boats, although it was still a way off. Andrea was still carrying Logan over her shoulder, bolting her way down the final stretch of the race towards the dock.
Logan went wide eyed at just how fast she was running despite carrying him, as if she was an Olympic god. Eventually they reached the dock, and Andrea let Logan drop off of her shoulders as she collapsed to the ground.
Logan landed on his back while Andrea landed on her knees. "Ow!" Logan yelped as he hit the ground. He sat upright and rubbed his head in annoyance. "What was that for?!"
Andrea was too tired to speak however, and she panted as she leaned on one of the wood poles holding the dock up from the ground near the water.
Logan recovered though, and he stood up straight, smiling from ear to ear. "Andrea, you're a beast!" He complimented her.
"Don't… mention… it." Andrea strained as she finally straightened her back.
(Confessional: Andrea)
Andrea breathes heavy breaths as she stares into the confessional, her sweaty covered face is all red.
"It's called… adrenaline!"
(End confessional: Andrea)
Andrea walked down the dock, looking at the boats, Logan joined her, and the two quickly decided on which one was the best one: a sleek, fast motorboat—was waiting right at the end of the dock, gleaming under the sunlight.
Andrea got into the driver's seat of the boat, and tapped on the leather seats. "First place. This is ours." She victoriously said. "You got that right!" Logan agreed.
And with that, they waited…
—-
Surprisingly in second place right now were Starr and Harmony, who were relatively quiet right now, not wanting to waste any potential energy on conversation. Although Starr seemed to hold a bit of a lead in contrast to her partner, who was clearly very tired.
"Come on, Harmony! You can do it!" Starr said in encouragement.
"I'm trying!" Harmony huffed, wiping sweat from her forehead as she picked up her pace, her legs feeling like lead.
Starr slowed down just a little to match Harmony's speed, though she was still ahead by a few steps. "We're almost there! We just need to keep this up a little longer. Second place is still great!"
Harmony nodded, her face flushed from the effort. "I just…need a second wind," she panted, but Starr's constant encouragement kept her moving forward.
As they neared the dock, Starr's face lit up. "Look, there it is! We've got this!" She pointed toward the lineup of boats.
Harmony's eyes widened at the sight, and with one last burst of energy, she sprinted the last few yards. Together, they made it to the dock, securing the second-best boat, a smaller but still swift motorboat. They stopped running, relief washing over them both as they caught their breath.
"Second place!" Starr cheered, giving Harmony a quick high-five. "You did it!"
Andrea and Logan watched from their boat, and while Logan smiled and gave Starr a thumbs up, Andrea rolled her eyes and laughed. "
Logan frowned angrily and looked at Andrea, and she looked around, noticing Starr's disappointed face and Harmony's annoyed face.
Logan's smile faded, his brows furrowing as he turned to Andrea. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Andrea shrugged, still smirking. "Come on, Logan. She's all 'rah-rah, cheerleader, when in reality, second place is only the first loser!"
Andrea laughed again, but nobody laughed with her. "That's not fair, Andrea. She's doing her best, and Starr's my friend, y'know, so maybe know your victim before you bully somebody."
Andrea raised an eyebrow, finally noticing how upset Logan was. But instead of apologizing, she simply chuckled. "Well, whatever. If you want to coddle her, that's your choice. Just don't let it drag us down-"
Logan didn't care.
"-Just ignore her, okay?" Logan interrupted Andrea, "she's not important right now. Don't let her drag you down!"
Starr and Harmony smiled at Logan, and they went to find the second best boat. Andrea rolled her eyes. "Whatever, non-team-player." She told Logan.
Harmony hopped into the driver's seat, which was made from sun faded leather, she gripped the steering wheel, noticing it was slightly stiff to turn. "Let's hope we can not lose whatever the second part of the challenge is." She told Starr.
Starr nodded as she looked at Logan from her seat, not saying a word. Harmony took note of this, and smirked as she came to the realization.
"Mmmm, I smell a little love in the air, eh?" She teased Starr, who snapped her neck at Harmony to protest. "What?" Starr asked her, "no, I don't like Logan! Well, Yes, I like him, wait, no! We're just friends! I swear!"
Harmony merely rolled her eyes playfully, and went back to studying the boat.
(Confessional: Harmony)
"I used to date somebody, his name was Tim. Quote-unquote "The hottest dude in school."'
Harmony's expression turned into one of annoyance and scorn.
"Turns out not everyone's as sweet on the inside as they are on the outside. I learned that the hard way. By the time I broke it off, he was dating 3 girls simultaneously"
(End confessional: Harmony)
—-
Back in the woods, Felix and Bryce were tiredly racing to the finish line, Bryce staggered behind him while Felix loosely held the map in his hands, taking deep, exhausted breaths as they ran.
Felix looked over his shoulder, and he could see Jade trailing behind the two, and she looked quite tired as well.
Unfortunately for Felix, he was too busy looking over his shoulder to see the large tree in his way. Bryce tried to warn him, but it was too late. And he connected with the tree with a crash.
He collapsed onto his belly, and laid on the ground, groaning in pain and frustration, even his baseball cap had come loose off of his head, and was laying on the ground next to him, Bryce went over and helped him up, but by that point, Jade had passed the two.
Jade reached the docks, and jumped for joy at the revelation of not being last. "Yes! Yes! Not last!" She cheered, but her celebration was short-lived.
Chris came out of the woods on a four wheeler, holding a megaphone in on hand and steering with the other. "Actually, that's not true, the rules of the challenge state that both members of your pair must cross the finish line for it to count. Jade, looks like you're missing a pair member."
Felix and Bryce limped over the finish line, but they were both smiling weakly, while Jade's face turned to one of confusion, and later anger.
"So actually, Felix and Bryce take third place!" Chris announced, "AKA, not last. That title goes to Jade and Zhang."
Jade clenched her fists as she realized Zhang still wasn't back from his "Charley horse."
Jade's face was red with fury, her fists trembling at her sides. She stomped back and forth on the dock, her teeth gritted as she muttered to herself. "Stupid... no-good... Charley horse..."
Chris, still on his four-wheeler, was clearly enjoying her frustration. "Ooooh, someone's not happy. Hey, where's your partner anyway?"
Right on cue, Zhang came jogging out of the woods, his limp completely gone and his smirk fully intact. "Ah, sorry, I had to take it easy for a bit. But here I am!" He approached the dock, scanning the boats, noticing that there was only one left, which was a leaky rowboat. He gasped, and then rubbed his neck in pretend shame.
"Ohhh dear! We're last? I'm so sorry, Jade!" He said in a sad tone, although Bryce and Harmony saw through it, Jade merely looked at him in frustration and anger.
"Where have you been? You cost us the challenge!" she yelled, her voice filled with frustration as she marched up to Zhang, pushing a finger into his chest, wrinkling his tie once again.
Zhang was now angry, but he hid it the best he could. "I told you, Charley horse." He said in a low voice.
Jade ignored him. "We were almost not last! You—UGH!" She yelled, making everybody(except for Zhang) flinch, as they were not used to seeing this usually quiet person so angry.
Chris interrupted, raising his megaphone again. "Well, too bad, Jade! The rules are the rules, and you and Zhang are officially in last place!" He made sure to shout the last few words, as if to intentionally piss Jade off more.
Jade then marched over to Chris, and shouted in his ear, "YEAH! I HEARD YOU THE FIRST FLIPPING TIME!" Causing the host to wince and rub his ear as Jade stormed over to the rowboat.
"Well… After that series of… interesting events, it's time for the second part of the challenge!" Chris said as he recovered from Jade's voice. "Everyone. Get in your boats if you're not in them already so I can explain."
Zhang took a seat in the rowboat next to a frowning Jade.
(Confessional: Jade)
"Normally I don't get so angry at such stupid things, I'm more or less worried about my idol. What if Zhang was lying to me and he went back to take it?"
Jade gasped at her own thoughts, not liking the sound of it at all.
"Oh god, he's the only other person who knew I had it, I have to get back there as soon as the challenge is over to check on it."
Jade nervously chewed on her nails.
"No way the accusations are right… RIGHT?"
(End confessional: Jade)
Everyone was now inside of their respective boats, Andrea and Logan in their luxury motorboat, Starr and Harmony in their normal motorboat, Felix and Bryce in a rusted, beat up motorboat, and Jade and Zhang in an old, leaky rowboat. Chris stood on the docks carrying his megaphone, ready to explain the second part of the challenge.
Andrea was beginning to become quite impatient, tapping her foot on the motorboat floor rhythmically.
"Alright, campers, this challenge is going to be very interesting, and also very difficult, given the stakes, which I'll explain in a minute." Chris said. "The 2nd part of the challenge will be a boat race to the main dock of shame, where the Drone of Despair is up and alert."
The campers gasped in surprise and worry.
"Ummm, what?" Bryce said in confusion. "What do you mean the Drone of Despair is "up and alert?"'
"The pair who reaches the dock of shame last is automatically eliminated from the game." Chris explained.
Cue another gasp. Everyone started murmuring to their partner in worry, causing the host to smile devilishly, he was clearly proud of instilling fear into his campers.
"And yes, I said pair. Meaning that we'll be losing two tonight!"
Jade gritted her teeth and craned her neck in fury at Zhang, who pretended to be scared.
(Confessional: Zhang)
"I'm not worried, if we happen to get last, I'll just use the immunity totem, and save myself. At least I think I can do that, it's an immunity totem! Besides, we won't get last."
Zhang pulled out a kitchen knife from his swimming trunks, he stroked the blade gently, staring into the camera with a grin.
"I'll make sure of it."
(End confessional: Zhang)
—-
All the boats were lined up in a straight line just beyond the dock, as if it were a makeshift starting line. Chris and Chef stood on the dock, Chef held out a red flag, while Chef held a smoke gun, and he pointed it in the air.
"Alright, on the count of three… two… one… GO!" Chris announced, he fired the gun into the air, and Chef changed the flag to green. Everyone started(or began paddling) their boats, and Andrea and Logan took off flying, while Zhang and Jade paddled at a meager pace.
The camera focused on Andrea and Logan's boat, where Andrea was steering and Logan was maining the motor.
Andrea wobbled the wheel, "this thing is hard to control, every time I-"
The boat hit a large patch of air coming off of a wave, and the boat landed onto the ground, causing Andrea to lose control, the boat veered to the left, and then the right.
"Andrea!" Logan shouted from the back of the boat. "What the heck is going on up there!"
"I'm sorry!" Andrea shouted over the motor's roar. "I can't control this thing well!" The boat was still veering right, almost hitting a stray rock, causing Andrea to snap the boat to the left violently, and the boat rolled over, Logan went flying into the water, while Andrea held on as best as she could, but was still kicked and the boat came to a stop.
As soon as Logan bobbed back up, he clutched the side of the boat. "Quick! Turn it right side up! Or else the gas'll leak!"
As the two worked to right the boat again, Starr and Harmony flew past them, Starr looked behind her to see Logan and Andrea struggle to heave the boat upright again.
"Maybe we should help them?" Starr asked Harmony, but she ignored her. "No. We need to focus on us, they'll fix it."
"Are you sure?" Starr asked her reassuringly. To which Harmony nodded.
—-
A few hundred feet back, Felix and Bryce were having a hard time keeping up with the other two pairs, their rusted motorboat moved barely faster than a running human, and the motor was spewing black smoke. Bryce went to get a better look, but Felix shouted at him to divert his attention.
"Don't do that!" Felix told him. "It could make you pass out, those fumes are incredibly toxic."
Bryce rolled his eyes, "of course you'd know that." He spat at Felix.
Felix sighed loudly from the driver's seat. "What is your problem with me? I've been nothing but nice and you've always been rude."
Bryce crossed his arms as he walked back to the passenger seat. "It's not you, it's the fact that you, Logan, Starr, and especially Jade won't believe me about Zhang."
Felix groaned, "it's not that I don't believe you, it's that it doesn't matter right now! We need to focus on this! Ahead! Not back there, at him!"
Felix jabbed his thumb in the opposite direction, he was pointing at Zhang, who was behind them. "I mean, Jesus!" Felix continued. "You're acting like it's personal or something."
Bryce gritted his teeth in frustration. "It is!" He shouted at Felix, "it is personal-"
He was cut off by the sputtering of the engine, and the boat came to an abrupt stop, although the momentum from before caused Felix and Bryce to be slightly thrown from their seats, slamming into the windshield.
"UGH!" Both Bryce and Felix grunted at the same time as they slammed into the windshield, and then the back of their seats.
Bryce recovered first, and pointed toward the engine. "You're smart, right? Restart that, now!"
Felix moaned as he stood up and straightened his back with a crack. He then walked over to the engine, he grimaced as he walked to the back of the boat where the engine sat, spewing black smoke. He wiped his face with his sleeve and opened the engine cover, revealing a mess of rusted parts and tangled wires. Bryce impatiently crossed his arms, glaring at Felix as if expecting a miracle.
"Give me a second, will you?" Felix muttered, fidgeting with the tools in his pocket and examining the mess. "This thing looks like it hasn't been serviced in years. No wonder it's on its last legs."
Bryce rolled his eyes. "Just fix it!"
Felix ignored him, grabbing a wrench from his toolbelt and adjusting a few parts inside the engine. He then gave the pull cord a firm yank, trying to restart it. The engine coughed, sputtered, and then fell silent again.
Bryce let out a frustrated groan, running a hand through his hair. "Are you kidding me? What now, Einstein?"
Felix gritted his teeth and took out his toolbelt, "hey, Richie Rich, you should really sit down. And shut the heck up." He instructed Bryce.
He yanked the cord again, and the engine sputtered once more but refused to catch. "Looks like the carburetor's gummed up," Felix muttered under his breath, half to himself, half to Bryce.
"You don't say," Bryce retorted sarcastically, pacing around the boat. "We're going to lose this stupid race because you can't fix a basic engine!"
Felix shot him a look, irritation clear on his face. "Well, unless you have a genius idea to magically fix this, we're stuck here until I figure it out."
Bryce started arguing with Felix once again, annoying him as he worked on the engine, and both were too busy to notice Zhang come up from being the two in his rowboat, knife in hand, Jade widened her eyes as he pulled the knife out, and she wanted to say something, but sputtered as Zhang thrusted the knife into the boat's hull below the waterline, and began to drag the knife through the rusty metal, creating a Titanic-style jagged cut along the hull.
Jade gasped as water began pouring into Felix and Bryce's boat. She stammered, trying to find the courage to speak as water immediately began pouring into their boat.
Suddenly, a loud scraping noise pierced the air. Felix's head shot up, and Bryce froze mid-rant. They both turned toward the side of the boat where Zhang had quietly rowed up, knife in hand, dragging it deliberately along the hull below the waterline. Felix's eyes widened, and Bryce's jaw dropped.
"Zhang!" Felix shouted, finally comprehending the full extent of Bryce's warnings.
Zhang shrugged, and dropped the knife below the waves. Jade shook her head in surprise and disgust as Zhang took an oar and began rowing away.
"What the—!" Bryce leapt to his feet, staring in disbelief as water gushed in faster. "He cut the boat! Felix, he—"
"I know what he did!" Felix shouted in confusion.
Bryce yelled in frustration and punched the motor full force, and miraculously that caused it to start up again and it roared to life, shooting out black and brown plumes, although it was going at a much, much slower pace than before, almost being dragged along the water. The boat creaked and groaned under the added weight of the water pouring in through the cut Zhang had made, listing heavily to one side.
Felix looked at Bryce in stunned disbelief. "I can't believe that actually worked," he muttered, trying to keep the water from filling the boat faster than they were moving.
"I'll drive, you scoop the water out so we don't sink!" Bryce ordered Felix as he tried to move the throttle back as far as it could go, Felix rolled his eyes, but obliged by scooping the water out even faster. "Aye-Aye, captain." He sarcastically said.
—-
Andrea and Logan had finally righted their boat, and were now able to start it up again and get back in the race, as they were now in second place. Andrea attempted to get in the driver's seat, but Logan got in her way.
"Not so fast." Logan halted her, putting a hand out to create a barrier between her and the driver's seat. "Remember what happened last time? Never again."
Andrea scowled, but didn't protest, she got in the passenger's seat next to Logan, and he started the engine again, and the two were off.
Up ahead, Starr and Harmony could see the dock of shame in the distance, although it was still incredibly small, they could just make out Chris and Chef on the dock.
"Come on! We're almost there!" Starr told Harmony, who grinned widely, as first place seemed completely certain.
As the finish line drew nearer and nearer, a loud roar could be heard getting closer and closer to Harmony and Starr's boat, Starr turned around just in time to see Logan wave at the two as he passed them and over the finish line. Harmony frowned, while Starr blushed.
Logan and Andrea stopped the boat once they crossed the finish line, cheering in the divulgence that they were safe.
"Looks like Andrea and Logan are the first ones to cross the finish line, meaning that they're safe from elimination!" Chris announced, Starr and Harmony crossed a few seconds later, and once their boat came to a stop, Logan and Starr exchanged a fist bump.
"Glad you're safe." Logan told Starr, who smiled. "You too." She replied.
Chris checked his watch, "well, that leaves Felix, Bryce, Zhang, and Jade up for elimination," Chris noted, "who will be going home? Find out after the break!"
(Camera fades to black)
—-
(Camera fades back in)
In the time since we last saw Felix and Bryce, they had managed to pass Zhang and Jade in the race, but just barely, Zhang's rowboat was side to side with Felix's motorboat, but the motorboat was longer.
Jade looked very upset as she and Zhang paddled as hard as they could to the finish line, almost as if she didn't even want to win.
The contestants who had already finished the race looked on eagerly, they wanted to know who the people eliminated would be.
Felix and Bryce began to pull ahead slightly, with Zhang falling behind even more. Jade's expression turned to fear and anguish, while Zhang turned red in annoyance.
Felix looked behind him and saw Zhang and Jade trailing behind, and he grinned widely. "Ha!" He exclaimed, pointing at the two, "that's what you get! Cheater's never win!"
"Huh?" Logan said in confusion from the dock. "Who's cheating?"
Harmony was quick to roll her eyes. "Let me guess…" Was all she replied, which happened to confuse Logan even more.
Suddenly, the motor on Bryce and Felix's boat began sputtering, Felix widened his eyes mid-taunt.
"No!" He cried, running over to the motor to see what was happening. "You can't do this now! Not now!"
Then, the motor exploded right in Felix's face, covering it with a layer of thick, black goo, and ash. He coughed up some smoke, before falling on the ground.
Everyone gasped, while Zhang snickered as he and Jade paddled past the two and over the finish line, coming in 3rd place respectively.
Chris raised an eyebrow in bewilderment at the scene, but shrugged it off. "Well, it looks like Zhang and Jade snag third place, meaning that Felix and Bryce have been eliminated!"
Felix moaned as he tried wiping the soot and tar off of his face, but it only resulted in a sad glob of it becoming stuck to his hand.
Bryce shouted and banged his fists on the steering wheel of the boat in anger, and as the boat came to a complete stop, the two got out of the boat, and swam up to the dock of shame, the boat started sinking.
"Uhhhh, what?" Andrea quizzically asked. And everybody watched as the boat sunk deeper and deeper below the water, eventually disappearing from view.
Chris blinked in confusion, peering his head over the dock to try and see the boat, but it was gone. He then looked at Bryce and Felix in annoyance.
"That was an old, special boat of mine!" Chris said angrily at the two, "it was Jerd's old boat, why'd you have to do that to it!?"
Bryce shook his head vigorously, "it wasn't us!" He exclaimed.
Felix coughed before croaking out an explanation. "Yeaaah, it… waaas them!" He rasped, pointing at Jade and Zhang.
Jade pointed to herself. "Me? I didn't do it! It was all Zhang's doing!"
Now everybody was just as confused as Andrea. Logan rubbed his forehead in disbelief as Starr looked to him for guidance in what to say.
"He cut their boat!" Jade cried as she pointed at Zhang, "him! He sabotaged them, I mean, I'm relieved that he did that-"
"You're relieved?" Felix angrily spat at Jade.
"I would've been going home otherwise, and I'm sorry that all of this happened! I really am!" Jade continued, but everybody didn't look too forgiving. Zhang merely stood silently at the end of the dock. Waiting patiently for them to finish.
"I didn't do anything." Zhang simply said, he scanned everyone's faces, but was let down when he saw no signs of anybody being convinced.
"I'd love to believe you," Logan said slowly, "but there's just been too many accusations, dude! One person, maybe! But…"
He began to count on his fingers the number of people who'd accused him by now.
"Four… five… six… seven!?" He counted, and even he looked surprised by the number. Zhang narrowed his eyes, and he decided that the jig was up for him, no point in hiding it now…
"You're right." He finally said calmly, although his face expressed sick pleasure. "I did do that, congrats on finally figuring out that I've been playing you all for weeks!"
Zhang began a slow, sarcastic clap to everybody on the dock, Logan didn't want to look at Zhang in sheer embarrassment, wondering why he couldnt've fingered it out sooner. Starr looked at Zhang in sadness, feeling betrayed, while Andrea stared wide-eyed at the rippling area of bubbling water where the boat sank.
"That's right, I was the one who stole Hayden's drugs," Zhang began to recap as he slowly paced the length of the dock, he spoke low and professional, "I was the one who destroyed the food crate to frame Tiffany," he added. "I framed Daniel, I pitted everybody against Bryce, and I sank Felix's boat!"
Zhang started giggling, slowly at first, but then louder and louder, before emerging in a long, loud cackle.
"And you all still didn't believe them! You're all a bunch of fools!" Zhang taunted the group, and he finally settled down, resuming his slow clap.
"Bravo, bravo to you all." Zhang applauded the group, although he grinned maliciously. He then walked over to Jade.
"Missing something, Jade?" Zhang asked her in fake playfulness, he waved his hands about dramatically, before pointing at a lump in his swimming trunk pocket.
He then pulled out Jade's stolen idol, and presented it to her, everybody gasped.
"I believe this… was yours? No?" Zhang said as he flashed the idol in front of her face. Jade went white as a ghost, realizing her worst fears were true.
Zhang had indeed stolen her idol.
"THAT'S MINE!" Jade screamed at Zhang as she tried to pry the idol from his hands, but Zhang was much stronger than her, and he shoved her off.
This caused an uproar from almost everyone, and they yelled and screamed at Zhang in unison, but he merely yawned in disinterest.
Chris had had enough of the noise, and he brought out his megaphone once again, and shouted into it.
"Enough! Everyone quiet down! I'm sick of the bickering!" He announced, and everyone piped down.
"Bryce and Felix," Chris started, "you have a date with the Drone of Despair, which is right over… there!" Chris pointed at the green drone hovering over the air. "You may leave now."
"Together?" Felix asked, "I thought we were going one at a time."
"We don't have enough time thanks to all of… this!" Chris annoyingly explained. "You two have five seconds to get on the Drone of Despair before I have Chef escort you out!"
"Alright! Alright! we're going!" Bryce said as he speedwalked with Felix to the Drone of Despair. Bryce ended up being the one to get clipped by the drone, while Felix grabbed onto his legs, and the two were carried over the sunny horizon. Felix could be heard coughing as the two disappeared out of view.
"Now…" Chris said as he turned to face everybody. "What the heck's the problem?"
Camera fades out.
—-
Editor's note:
I really enjoyed writing this episode, the challenge felt special to me for some reason, as for the eliminations of Bryce and Felix, I felt that their development and relationships were complete, Bryce had a shattered relationship with Jade, and Felix had a shattered relationship with Andrea, and speaking of Jade, her idol didn't survive in her possession for long. And now everybody is completely aware of who Zhang really is, and that'll be interesting. And now that more than half of the contestants have been eliminated, we're nearing the finale… Episode 10 should be out soon.
Stay tuned!
Contestants: Andrea, Zhang, Harmony, Starr, Logan, Jade,
Placements:
14th - Ace - "The Midshipwoman"
13th - Hayden - "The Burnout"
12th - Tiffany - "The Melancholic Girl"
11th - Olivia - "The Fashionista"
10th - Jack - "The Bro"
9th - Daniel - "The Lucid Dreamer"
8th/7th - Bryce - "The Jaded Horse"
8th/7th - Felix - "The Greasemonkey"
Votes:
None(Automatic Elimination Round)