Hope you all had a nice Christmas or whatever day it is you're reading this. Kinda surreal that it's coming to the end of another year. Fittingly enough, the start of the second half of this story and where things get shaken up for our final 10 players. I know a lot of this was mixed in with the Boney Island challenge but there was still a lot of good material I had left to work with and some new stuff to throw in to the mix. Should hopefully make for an interesting episode.
CodeTransformers: There is definitely a reason the Frogs were left as they are for 3 straight episodes and had the merge right after MK left, and then have most of the same members together next season aside from Emma. It's a team with near flawless chemistry and I'm glad I was able to showcase some of that here. I love the Ferocious Trout too but the Frogs just have the more engaging characters. Really happy to hear this might be your favorite chapter, as it's definitely up there for me. Thanks a bunch for the reviews so far.
Fireball88: I guess time will tell if it was smart of Chase to get rid of Ripper but is he really the type to make smart decisions? Most of it just came from jealously in that he dropped out of high school to pursue the world record thing with his streams and has been at it for a while with no success and Ripper manages to nail it after a couple weeks. As for the tiebreaker idea, I'm surprised the show hasn't tried it since it seems like it'd make for a tense yet fun moment. Will there be one here? Who knows?
Okay, let's get to it. This one will be a doozy.
REMAINING PLAYERS.
Frogs of Death.
Bowie
Emma
Harvey
Julia
MK
Raj
Ferocious Trout.
Cassidy
Chase
Priya
Zee
EPISODE 9: CLASH OF THE EGGHEADS
"Last time on Total Drama Island! After two weeks of some of the most grueling, deadly challenges ever to be allowed on television, we decided to give the campers a chance to do what they do best, show off while failing miserably at it and embarrass themselves on said television, heh heh. Yup, it was the return of the TDI Talent Contest where each team nominated three of their own to showcase what they consider talents and what Millie would consider a goldmine for her essay. Despite doing well in the previous few challenges, the loss of Wayne had the Frogs struggle to find any talent on their team with Julia taking charge after her reaping of the raptor was leaked online courtesy of MK. Both teams were all tied up, meaning it was once again time for sudden death, but after Ripper blew it after managing to claim one of the under 18 world records which I'm still convinced is made up, it paved the way for Emma to clinch the victory for the Frogs, saving Julia's bossy behind for another episode. After an endless amount of losses, it looked like the guys alliance was set to decide who would go home, but it was Ripper who was finally voted off after him and Chase had a testosterone clash, wittling down the Trout to just 4 players, yikes. What fun house have we whipped up for the players today? Find out now, on Total Drama Island!"
TROUT CABIN: DAY #17.
"Water, check. Training shoes, check. Bag full of rocks, check." Priya listed off inside the cabin as she was prepared to leave. "Alright, time for mountain training!"
"Hey Priya!" She turned around as Cassie entered the cabins and took a moment to look at her weirdly bulky bag before carrying on. "The sun's finally coming out, you wanna relax at the beach with me?"
"Since when do you want to go to the beach?" Priya wondered out of curiousity before noticing something missing from Cassidy. "And where's your MP3 player?"
"Okay fine." Cassidy sighed. "My MP3 player ran out of battery so I'm leaving it to charge. Figured I could use some company to distract me for a while untiil it's completely charged."
"As nice as the beach sounds, I've gotta pass." Priya declined as she picked up the bag to put on her back. "Today's my weekly 8k run with a bag of rocks day. I'll be out for at least an hour."
"Do you seriously have to be training every day?" Cassidy couldn't help but ask, knowinig fully well that Priya was sensitive to this subject.
"Look around, we have cameras on us 24/7." Priya pointed around the cabin which had numerous cameras taped along the walls. "Any of this could be airing back home and if my parents catch me slacking even for one day, they'll totally let me have it."
"Surely you're allowed a break every now and again, right?" Cassie attempted to reason, thinking to herself before coming up with something before Priya could head out. "Just think of it as a different kind of training."
"A different kind? You mean without this totally not heavy bag of rocks?" Priya turned back around from the doorway leading out.
"Listening to music is my kinda training. Helps my mind and my soul. It doesn't all have to be body stuff." Cassidy explained. "And when you're out there, listening to the tunes of those waves, laying in that sand. You'll feel like you're swimming in the air."
"Huh, I guess mind training is just as important." Priya took a moment before walking back in. "Alright, I'm in!"
"Atta girl!" Cassidy cheered, glad to have some company.
"Here, can you empty this for me? Thanks." Without even thinking, Cassidy accepted the bag of rocks, almost making her drop to the ground completely as she struggled against its weight. "See you at the beach!" She heard Priya call out from the outside.
Cassie and Priya were then both seen laying on the sand, relaxing on the beach together while making the most of their day off.
"Wow, you were right. This feels great. I don't even have any cramps on my arms or legs. Just a clear mind." Priya admitted.
"It's sort of like meditating without all of those weird stretches. Just the sounds of the ocean are nice." Cassie took a deep breath to take in the views. "Even something like a sunrise can make your day."
CONFESSIONAL: CASSIDY
"Ever since I've called off the alliance with MK, I've been feeling great!" Cassidy said with her face lit up. "But I've still been feeling bad about hiding stuff from people, so to ease my conscience, I've been recording all of my own confessionals, just in case."
Cassie pulled out her MP3 player and pressed play on one of the recordings with played: "Do hot dogs really count as sandwiches?"
She awkwardly paused it right there. "What? It's a valid question."
MESS HALL: DAY #17.
Zee got his food and went to sit with Chase who was feeling surprisingly smug after last night.
"Did you see Ripper's face last night? He really thought he was staying." Chase continued to laugh about Ripper's elimination.
"I dunno, I thought we were all tight." Zee told him, not feeling great about voting Ripper off when they were supposed to have an alliance.
"Are you kidding? He was paranoid about you being close with the girls. But your boy put him in his place." Chase let him know.
"Oh, thanks man! I woulda felt bad about booting one of them after they did so well." Zee couldn't help but admit.
"Sure, but I know you and me are tight. Having Emma back is nice and all, but you're my guy." Chase pointed out.
"Awesome! I love being your guy!" Zee celebrated as the two fist bumped.
Priya and Cassie continued to take in the morning light in the beach.
"Nothing but peace and quiet..." Priya trailed off before they both got interrupted by Chris's airhorn.
This echoed around the island, causing Julia to mess up her makeup, MK to fall off her bunk and Zee to spit his soda out all over Chase while they were eating breakfast.
"Dude!" Chase yelled at him.
"Oh, my bad." Zee apologized.
"Campers! Come in campers! Meet me at the campfire pit with your team flags, over and out!" Chris announced through the loudspeakers.
CAMPFIRE PIT: DAY #17.
Everyone was initially confused as to why they were gathered at the elimination area during the day. They all took a seat on one of the stumps.
"Welcome everyone and congrats on making it to the top 10." Chris welcomed everyone before prepping his big announcement. "Before we begin, Trout, Frogs, please bring Chef your flags."
Priya and Emma both walked forward, holding the rolled up flags of their respective teams. They both looked at each other in confusion before handing them over to Chef. He then proceeded to dump them in the campfire pit in front of them as they burst in to flags.
"No more Trout! No more Frogs! The teams are now merged!" Chef announced as this caused everyone to give each other the stink eye, knowing this was now free for all.
"And since you're now one team, immunity and challenges are for individuals only and you're all at equal risk of getting the not so pleasant drone of despair ride home." Chris told everyone. Some were happier about this news than others. "And just to up the stakes, the immunity winner will also get 10 drama dollars for each challenge."
CONFESSIONAL: BOWIE
"Sounds good to me, after all, there's only 1 of me." Bowie said, glad that his chances of going home have decreased.
CONFESSIONAL: PRIYA
"I should have expected the merge to happen at some point but I'm still nervous. The Frogs outnumber us and only 1 of us can win immunity?" Priya panicked, noticing that the game has gotten more difficult. "This is not good."
"Awesome!" Chase cheered as him and Emma hugged each other. "Ems! We're finally on the same team!"
"Best day ever!" Emma cheered whilst Harvey watched on, upset. Julia noticed this and grinned, starting to form a plan in her head.
CONFESSIONAL: JULIA
"It's perfect! The more people who can be eliminated, the less likely it's me. And I have a plan to make sure it's not." Julia grinned.
"Now, because there are no more teams, we're gonna shuffle up the cabins again. The girls will be moved to the Frogs of Death cabin, and the guys will be moved to the Ferocious Trout cabin." Chris instructed. "We'll meet back here tomorrow for your first challenge as individuals."
Everyone left the camp grounds where half of them were left having to pack up their stuff.
FROGS CABIN: DAY #17.
Raj, Bowie and Harvey all packed up their things and looked around at the cabin where they were about to leave for the other cabin until Harvey was held up by something missing.
"Ugh, where is it..." Harvey was rummaging through the drawers and under the bed.
"You good, man?" Raj asked him to which Harvey shook his head.
"I can't find my sunglasses anywhere." Harvey explained the situation. "The sun's out and I don't want my eyes to melt."
"You sure you didn't swallow them in your sleep or something?" Raj tried coming up with an explanation.
"How do you swallow sunglasses?" Harvey panicked.
"Wayner does it all the time. One time, he coughed up 3 pucks and a map of northern Saskatchewan." Raj recalled, not even questioning his friend's throat space.
"Okay, let's all take a breather." Bowie stepped in-between the two. "It's pretty clear the thief is still out there."
"I thought it was Ripper for a while but now? I'm not sure." Harvey sighed.
"Well let's just cross that bridge when we come to it." Bowie proposed to which Harvey nodded, falling silent.
"I'm actually kinda gonna miss this place." Harvey couldn't help but admit.
"You're kidding, right?" Bowie laughed at him.
"What? I get sentimental sometimes." Harvey told him. "And anyway I doubt bunking with Chase and Zee will be much of a picnic."
"Ugh, you've got a point there." Bowie sighed yet noticed Raj was missing. "Uh, Raj?"
"Come on guys! Zee, Chase and I are gonna have a soda chugging challenge." Raj called out from outside.
"After Ripper's puke fest last night? Seriously?" Harvey complained.
"Let's go ahead and brave the storm." Bowie told Harvey before they both walked off.
CONFESSIONAL: BOWIE
"Hey, just remember there are different kinds of smart out there. And I'm sure Raj is one of them..." Bowie tried defending Raj's choices.
CONFESSIONAL: RAJ
"I haven't had much of a chance to tell Bowie about the kiss during the catapult challenge." Raj scratched the back of his head. "But I don't really know if he feels the same way. Sure I've been on a couple dates before but actually kissing someone? Not in my sleep? That's a whole new ice rink for me."
Emma was seen waiting for both of her alliance partners outside. "Good luck over there."
"We'll try our best." Bowie groaned, still not looking forward to having new roommates.
"It was really fun getting to work with you guys in the challenges." Emma admitted which made Harvey blush a bit.
"You too. We made a good team." Harvey pointed out.
"Hey, what's with all the emotions? The three of us are still solid." Bowie explained to them. "What do you guys say? Final 3?"
"Final 3." Emma and Harvey high fived Bowie before the latter two headed off to the Trout cabin.
TROUT CABIN: DAY #17.
"So... you know much about the girls over there?" Priya asked as her and Cassie packed their things to move to the Frogs cabin.
"Apparently there's been some sorta thief going around stealing everyone's stuff." Cassie said in response. "So I'm keeping one eye on my MP3 player and another on my charger."
"What would someone want with someone else's stuff?" Priya felt confused.
"That's what I said!" Cassie explained. "I just don't want them thinking one of us did it."
"My parents raised me to be many things, a thief isn't one of them." Priya said. "Though they did want me to shoplift one time. They said it was to 'test my skills'."
Cassidy couldn't help but just stay silent. "Yeah... that's just all kinds of weird."
"I thought so too but it makes sense, right?" Priya tried justifying her parents actions.
"In what world does making your child shoplift for you make sense? People with criminal records do not turn out well. I mean look at Ripper!" Cassie pointed out.
"Hey, I'm sure they had their reasons. My parents always do... I think." Priya started second guessing herself while all Cassie could do was glance at the camera in silence.
CONFESSIONAL: CASSIDY
"I know Priya and I are cool with each other now but each day I'm out here only makes me more thankful for not coming from a family of complete nutjobs!" Cassie ranted. "And this whole thief debacle is real confusing. I mean, lipstick? sunglasses? A necklace and beards? I haven't seen that combo since GameCon last year. People are really in to their cosplays."
GIRLS CABIN: DAY #18.
MK and Emma got back to the cabins after breakfast and was shocked to see Julia rummaging through Emma's stuff.
"Um, what do you think you're doing?" Emma yelled, trying to get her attention.
"Searching through all your belongings." Julia responded without even looking up. Emma then snatched her bag away from her. "What? I'm doing you guys a favor! I'm trying to see who's been stealing everyone's stuff."
"Oh please, you only care because you're down a necklace." MK rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, so? And like you're one to talk. You're the only one on the team who hasn't had anything stolen." Julia accused MK.
"Um, guess again. I'm sort of missing a Swiss Army Knife." MK revealed.
"Why do you have a Swiss Army Knife?" Emma turned to MK.
"No reason!" MK yelled awkwardly.
"Can you two get out of here already?" Julia tried pointing to the doorway. "I can't search through people's stuff if you're just standing there."
She then walked over to Cassie's bag which noticably had a lock on it, gaining MK's attention.
"A lock? That's definitely suspicious." She observed as Julia searched the keyhole.
"It's too small for me to pick. Guess I'll have to leave it. But gamer girl is defiinitely on my suspect list." Julia concluded as she left the bag.
"You guys are ridulous." Emma said before leaving the cabins to get away from them.
CONFESSIONAL: EMMA
"Julia is getting under my skin more every single day. Part of me wishes we lost that last challenge so we can get rid of her." Emma admitted, her hair noticably not doing too well. "At the same time, she is trying way too hard to make me think she's the thief. If I don't find out who it is, my hair is gonna end up in such a mess, I might have to... cut it off."
CONFESSIONAL: JULIA
"I did a head count where all my phones were kept and noticed one of them was missing. Someone must have taken it! And that same person must have uploaded that raptor video!" Julia yelled, annoyed. "I don't care what it takes, I will find that phone!"
"You know you coulda just deleted that raptor video, right?" MK brought up, causing Julia to glare at her. "Is that why you're in such a cruddy mood?"
"Do you not get how social media works? Once something's uploaded, it's there! End of story!" Julia began explaining the twisted rules. "Once you try and delete something, that means you have something to hide, that leads to you getting cancelled! And who knows? Maybe I'll get even more support. Who isn't tired of being fake nowadays?."
"If you think that'll make you popular again? Good luck." MK let out a laugh as she walked away, leaving Julia seething at not being able to find that phone.
"Campers! It's challenge time! You know the drill! At the campfire pit in 10 minutes! Over!" Chris announced over the megaphones.
CAMPFIRE PIT: DAY #18.
Everyone gathered in the same spot as the other day, ready to tackle their first individual challenge or for some, hoping to at least survive it.
"Like a lot of you, this challenge is very simple. You will all be split in to pairs at random. Each pair must bring me a cassowary egg." Chris instructed the group.
"A what egg?" Zee raised his hand curiously.
"Cassowary!" Emma answered him but he was still blanking. "It's a bird!"
"A very large bird!" Chef corrected. "Cassowary's can be over 6 feet tall. They have long, powerful legs that can strike a tree to pieces! And their feet are each armed with razor sharp claws that they use to slaughter anyone foolish enough to touch their eggs."
A small montage was shown of the Cassowary kicking a tree to the air and also scaring off a bear for nearing their nest of eggs. This left the group gasping and nervous.
"So given how dangerous Cassowary's are, and seeing as some of you have already gotten acquainted back on Boney Island, with them and each other, you're gonna be split in to pairs. You can either both come back, each with an egg and claim immunity and both be safe, or if only one of you makes it back, only you will be safe. The winner or winners will get 10 drama dollars. You all have 30 minutes to get an egg. After your time is up, You'll meet me here, back at the campfire. Which we are pretty sure is Cassowary proof so you won't have your face pecked in." Chris explained. "Any questions?"
"If I win, can I share immunity with everyone?" Zee asked.
"No. Then it's not immunity." Chris says as he turns to the helmet of names. "And our pairs for today's challenge are..."
"Chase and Zee!" The two former Trout members turned to each other and fist bumped.
"Cassie and Harvey!" These two were happy with this outcome, feeling like they'll work well together.
"Julia and Bowie!" The two Frog members both glared at each other with their arms crossed.
"Emma and Raj!" Chris continued to read off.
"Woohoo! Let's go Emma!" Raj cheered as he crushed Emma in a bear hug.
"Let... go... first..." Emma spoke with her remaining breath.
"Which leaves MK and Priya." Chris finished up as those two looked at each other, unsure how to approach this.
CONFESSIONAL: PRIYA
"I haven't worked with MK before but she seemed pretty handy in helping the Frogs out with their immunity wins." Priya recalled a couple of the last challenges.
"Either way, I got this. My parents taught me how to evade emus and ostriches." Priya pointed to herself before realising how that sounded. "You know... like all good parents do."
Julia peered around a tree and walked up to Harvey before the pairs all left for the challenge. "Look, we're both on the chopping block here."
"What makes you think I am?" Harvey asked her.
"Now that Chase and Emma are in cahoots and the teams have merged, what makes you think he won't take your spot in your three team friendship with Bowie?" Julia brought up which got the overpreparer to think for a moment. "Think about it, there could be a couples alliance brewing between those two, Bowie and Raj. And you're just the outsider."
"Guess I never thought of it that way, at least not yet." Harvey had to admit.
"But I have a plan. At the elimination, vote for Chase." Julia proposed.
"As tempting as that plan is, it'd take more than 2 votes to send Chase packing." Harvey pointed out.
"Oh don't worry. I'll take care of that. You just make sure you get Cassie on the same page, K?" Julia held out a fist bump which Harvey accepted.
CONFESSIONAL: HARVEY
"I don't trust Julia about as far as she flung me in that catapult challenge." Harvey explained. "But she does bring up a good point. If she goes, who's to say I won't be out next if the wrong people are safe? Maybe some time away from Chase will do Emma some good. I've watched enough streams to know he doesn't just change like that."
Chase did some stretching to prepare for the challenge whilst Zee was occupied elsewhere. Julia then came up to him.
"Sup, Julia?" Chase greeted with a flirtatious smile.
Julia rolled her eyes, wanting this conversation over with quickly. "So here's the thing, I've been looking for a partner to take to the final 2. And I think you're the perfect player." She pointed at him.
"Me?" Chase gasped.
"You're the one!" Julia nodded. "You're athletic, popular, not so bright, a fellow influencer. You're my only equal in this game."
Chase couldn't help but smile at her mostly compliments.
CONFESSIONAL: JULIA
"Yeah right, he's like at least 3 levels below me." Julia looked at her nails. "But as long as he's not voting for me, that leaves him wide open."
CONFESSIONAL: CHASE
"When someone insults your intelligence, it means they don't have a problem with the way you look." Chase points to himself and grins. "Sure I've won Emma back but Julia might be more my style. Plus, what's wrong with having two chicks fight over you?"
"You and I deserve everything we want in life, including a 50/50 shot at a million dollars." Julia boasted.
"Wow, I dunno what to say!" Chase laughed.
"Say yes. And I can give you a few tips in the challenge." Julia proposed to him which he instantly agreed to.
"Deal! What do I do?" Chase shook her hand frantically.
"I know you and Zee are friends and all, but look at him. Do you really want that guy slowing you down?" Julia and Chase turned to Zee who ate a butterfly only to spit it out.
"Ew! That tastes nothing like butter!" He cried out, drinking more soda to get the taste out of his mouth.
"If it comes down to it, I'd ditch him." Julia told Chase who seemed unsure but nodded his head.
"Sure, guess you have a point." Chase shrugged. "I'm sure he'll get it."
Everyone was talking about their approaches before Chris used his typical airhorn to signal the start of the challenge. "Now go and get me the unhatched babies of murderous birds!"
Everyone then ran off in to the forest on the hunt for eggs. This challenge was now on.
Bowie was by himself, wondering where Julia ran off to until he ran in to Emma and Raj running in the opposite direction.
"Hey Bowie!" Raj waved with a smile.
"Hey to you too." Bowie winked which got Raj blushing.
"Should I give you a minute?" Emma stepped back while holding thumbs up for the two of them, leaving them by themselves briefly.
"So... I shoulda asked before kissing you back at the slingshot challenge. I was just, um... and I'm sorry if you didn't like it or if it made you feel..." Raj tried explaining before Bowie cut him off.
"Stop. I really liked kissing your face. But, at some point in this competition, in order to win the million dollars, I might have to kick you in the face. So can we hit pause on whatever this thing is?" Bowie explained to him.
"Oh... um... are you sure... I mean we don't have to. I'm just..." Raj stuttered. Bowie then grabbed his hand.
"I'm sure you've heard this in hockey but in this game, you play to win." Bowie continued before trying to cheer him up. "But when the season's over, let's go on a date."
He then kissed him on the cheek which Raj was eager to return until Emma ran past them both. "Move! Move!"
They all turned to see a Cassowary chasing them down. Raj and Emma fled whilst Bowie dived behind a nearby bush.
CONFESSIONAL: EMMA
"Okay, fine. I eavesdropped. And I just so happened to do it standing next to a nest." Emma slapped her forehead. "I think it's great that Bowie and Raj found each other. And right when Chase and I finally worked things out? I can't wait to set up a double date!"
Emma and Raj eventually got seperated through the rush of trying to lose that bird. Emma kept running, sparing just a moment to see if the bird was behind her right beore colliding with Zee as the two fell on to the floor.
"Ow... oh, sorry Zee!" Emma got up and helped him stand. "One of those big birds was on my tail."
"It's no big dealio. I've had a run in with one of those birds. They can get pretty... attached." Zee recalled the Boney Island experience where he practically catfished a bird so he and Ripper can get through.
"Feels like trying to run away from an ex." Emma laughed off, noticing that Zee was by himself. "Where's Chase at? I thought you two were partners."
"He scouted ahead and wanted me to keep a look out over here." Zee explained while glancing up and around at the forest, even looking down at the grass.
"Wow, you're taking this egg hunting thing to heart, huh?" Emma told him as he was searching through a couple bushes.
"Oh I'm not searching for eggs. I'm searching for a present." Zee explained which got Emma even more curious. "It's my lil sis's birthday today so I wanna get her a souvenir from the Island."
"Aw, that is so sweet!" Emma exclaimed. "I wish I had a little sister. It gets kinda lonely at home sometimes."
"My folks are always busy with their jobs so we get the house to ourselves a bunch!" Zee told her. "She gets super bummed out but we still have fun together!"
"Yeah, working can be tough. That's why I'm happy Chase and I are back together. It was way more fun making money from streaming." Emma admitted. "You ever think Chase-"
"Yo Zee! Found some eggs up this way!" Chase ran up and grabbed Zee's arm to run off. "Talk to you later babe!"
Chase's voice echoed as he yelled out those words which attracted the attention of the same bird who was hunting her as she spotted it running towards her.
"Ugh! Why me?" She yelled towards the sky.
Harvey and Cassidy were walking through the forest, not sure where to even begin as far as finding an egg was concerned.
"So... any of the girls gotten on your nerves yet?" Harvey tried making small talk.
"Pfft, yeah. It hasn't even been 24 hours and I'm already spending my time away from the cabin." Cassie ranted. "Especially with Julia looking through everyone's stuff."
"Oh, that's... weird. Has she looked through yours yet?" Harvey wondered.
"Not yet. All my stuff is still in my bag. I've got a special lock and key for it." She explained to him.
"Wow, and I thought I was overprepared." They both shared a laugh.
"Listen, I'm sorry for not booting Chase the other night. We just couldn't stand Ripper anymore and..." Cassidy tried explaining only for Harvey to cut her off.
"It's fine, really. You were in a tough spot." Harvey confirmed to her. "And anyway, we've got a good chance at sending him home tonight. Julia's working on getting votes his way. I just hope I don't lose Emma as a friend over this."
"I wouldn't sweat over it. Maybe she'll find it nice that you're looking out for her. You can count on me to help with getting rid of him." Cassie agreed as the two shook on it. "Now let's go net ourselves a couple eggs."
"Aye aye!" Harvey joked as he followed her along, keeping an eye out for any unoccupied nests.
Chase and Zee were walking along with Chase trying to remember the spot he found those eggs. And of course only one thing was on Chase's mind.
"Things are great between me and Emma. I'm still not sure how I won her back, but I guess she just couldn't resist that candy bar." Chase laughed to himself whilst Zee felt awkward about this.
"You do like her though, right?" Zee wondered.
"Shhh, check it out!" Chase shushed him as they came across the eggs that Chase found earlier. "And there's no giant bird around."
"Aw, sweet!" Zee cheered before they felt a presence behind them. The Cassowary let out a roar which caused them to flee. "Wow, must have been a short bathroom break."
"Nice bird! Nice bird!" Chase yelled as they continued to run away with the Cassowary right behind them with its eyes noticably locked on to Zee for some reason.
Bowie then emerged from the bushes after waiting for a few moments and checked both ways. He found Julia walking towards him.
"Ugh, there you are!" Julia said, feeling annoyed.
"Where have you been?" Bowie wondered, feeling suspicious.
"Oh you know, just taking care of business." Julia checked her nails. "I saw an abandoned nest with two eggs in it. And I'll show you where so we can get immunity."
"Why do I get the feeling you want something out of this?" Bowie questioned her.
"I'll show you where they are and you get first dibs if you promise to vote for Chase tonight." Julia proposed.
"Hm... lead the way!" Bowie nodded. "Between you and I, I cannot stand those two together."
"Literally same." Julia agreed as he followed her to the nest.
CONFESSIONAL: JULIA
"It'll take 6 votes to get rid of Chase. Me, Harvey, Bowie. That's 3. Harvey can tell Cassie who can tell Priya, 5. And if Chase follows my advice and ditches Zee, he for sure votes for him. 6." Julia counted with her fingers. "Boom! Chase is gone."
"Normally birds like to keep their eggs in a tree for extra security but for bigger ones, they end up hiding within bushes so we should keep an eye out." Priya kept going about her bird knowledge while MK was doing her best to listen but quickly losing interest.
"So... I hear you're the reason Millie and Damien went home." MK started which got Priya's anxiety up and running. "That can't have been easy to watch."
"I don't want to get in to it. Those guys were acting like they owned the whole team." Priya stated. "I only got a lucky break after Ripper's horrible perfomance."
"You think they're still gonna come after you after this?" MK continued to ask.
"Probably. That's why I'm going all in today." Priya kept up her search for any eggs.
"I think I can help you out. Talk the Frogs in to voting someone else off." MK proposed, hoping to strike a deal before getting shushed by Priya.
"You hear that?" Priya asked, putting her hand behind her ear.
"Hear what? The sound of your mind going bonkers?" MK answered as Priya caught something on the floor.
"Cassowary tracks! They're the perfect size." Priya looked both ways, wondering if the bird was walking to or from their nest, then noticed the collection of bushes that the tracks lead towards. "Follow me!"
"Wow, that is both impressive and sad." MK said to herself as she slowly followed Priya.
Chase and Zee continued to flee from the bird until Zee turned around and recognized it. "Hey! I know that bird!"
"What are you doing?" Chase cried out as Zee stopped, prompting the bird in front of him to stand there, growling at him.
"What's up man? How you been?" Zee greeted the bird he met on Boney Island. "Listen, no hard feelings about me dressing up as a bird. But it's what's on the inside that counts, right?"
"Uh... I don't think you're getting anywhere." Chase pointed as the bird tried chomping at his arm, only just missing. The two continued running.
They leapt across a couple rocks and Zee's prosthetic got stuck in-between two rocks, tripping him up in the process.
"Dude come on!" Chase tried rushing him as he struggled to free his leg from the rocks.
"My leg is stuck! Help!" Zee cried out.
Chase ran back, thinking about helping him but stopped as the bird was right behind him.
"Ooh, uh, sorry man! You're on your own!" Chase told him bluntly before running away.
"Dude! I gave you my soda!" Zee called out unsuccessfully before going back to screaming when the raptor started to gain on him.
CONFESSIONAL: CHASE
"It's not that I don't care about other people, It's just that I care about me the most." Chase defended as honestly as he could've.
Cassie and Harvey kept walking, keeping their eyes out for any stray nests.
"So was there something you wanted to tell me the other day?" Harvey asked her, remembering their conversation before the talent show.
"Oh yeah... that." Cassidy laughed nervously. "It's not exactly something I'm proud of."
"I promise I won't judge you for it." Harvey held his hand on his heart.
However before they could say something, they heard someone crying for help.
"Do you hear screaming?" Harvey asked as they followed the voice and found Zee stuck with the giant bird inching closer to him.
"Zee! Hang on!" Cassie called out as she ran over to help him free his leg.
"Cassie look out!" Harvey warned her as the bird was now right behind them.
Within the last few seconds, she held a firm grip and freed the leg, using it to whack the bird on the head, knocking it out cold. "Phew."
"Yikes, pretty sure that's animal abuse." Harvey pointed out as she handed Zee his leg back.
"Like it wasn't gonna do any worse to us." Cassidy defended her actions.
"Close call..." Zee sighed in relief. "Thanks Cassie. I guess that bird was mad I gave her a fake phone number."
"I'm not even gonna ask how that works." Harvey raised an eyebrow at the confusing relationship.
"What happened to Chase? Aren't you two partners?" She wondered as he put his leg back on.
"He kept running after I got my leg stuck." Zee explained, not wanting to make it seem like Chase's fault. "It was my bad, I was slowing us down."
"Seriously? He just left you there? What type of person does that?" Harvey exclaimed, feeling at a loss for words.
"Nah guys, it's cool, really." Zee tried playing off but Cassie wasn't buying it.
"That's it. I don't care what Emma thinks, Chase is gone tonight!" Harvey decided.
"Agreed. Sorry Zee but we can't let this fly." Cassie nodded as the three of them walked off together.
CONFESSIONAL: ZEE
"What have I done? Chase is gonna get voted out and it's all my fault!" Zee panicked.
Raj then emerged from the bushes and found a couple eggs.
"Sweet! egg for Emma, egg for me. That's game." Raj commented as he scooped up two eggs. He then turned around, hearing some growling and trees getting knocked down. "That you, Emma?"
He kept standing there, frozen in place until the Cassowary returned and the chase was back on. "Ah! You're not Emma!"
MK and Priya meanwhile were hiding behind a bush with a Cassowary sleeping on top of it.
"How are we supposed to get those eggs?" Priya whispered, unsure how to proceed.
"Leave it to me. You distract it while I nab the eggs." MK suggested to which Priya seemed skeptical.
"How do I know I can trust you?" Priya asked, knowing MK could just ditch her to claim immunity for herself.
"Fine, I'll vote for whoever you want to at the next elimination, deal?" MK extended her hand to which Priya shook it.
"Deal. But we vote for Chase. Agreed?" Priya glanced at her before leaving.
"Consider it done." MK tried reassuring her, even though the thief had different thoughts on the upcoming elimination.
CONFESSIONAL: MK
"Everyone wants Chase gone next, but that's not gonna fly with me. Cassie knows I've been smuggling confessionals and now that we're not in an alliance anymore, she could easily call me out for that!" MK concluded as she seemed deep in thought. "I need to make sure she's not gonna be around so she can't rat me out. And I think I know just how to do that!"
Priya went to the other side and snapped a branch to wake the bird up. It worked and the bird slowly left its nest to look around. This left MK time to swipe the eggs up and sneak away, only to accidentally step on another fragile branch, making it snap.
"Oh shoot!" She cursed to herself. She slowly turned around and saw the Cassowary growling at her as she fled the scene in a hurry.
CONFESSIONAL: MK
"Usually when I steal food or other things from people, I can outrun them easily! But I'm never that hungry to steal a bird egg for crying out loud!" MK ranted. "And it's not like I know the forest like I know the streets."
MK kept up trying to escape until she ran in to a dead end with a giant rock blocking her way.
"Come any closer and you can say goodbye to your babies!" MK tried threatening the bird but to no success.
Priya then sprinted to the scene, holding her dueling stick as she hurried towards MK. "Oh heck no!"
CONFESSIONAL: PRIYA
"My extensive emu and ostrich training has taught me that the only thing that can stop an angry bird from attacking, is an angrier bird!" Priya answered with ease, holding up her dueling stick. "I was keeping this for when Millie and I got to spar for one of our lessons. But this works too! It's a bit of a gamble but if I don't try, MK and those eggs are done for and I can kiss immunity goodbye!"
Priya then leapt up on to MK's shoulders and pointed the stick at the bird, trying to scare it off and making screeching noises.
"What in the New Jersey are you doing?" MK asked her, thinking she was out of her mind.
"Trying to save your life." Priya whispered back as she continued making bird noises whilst MK watched her, clearly puzzled. The bird eventually walked off as Priya spun her stick around in a circle. "That's right! Get outta here!"
"Uh, thanks, I guess?" MK scratched her head and remained confused as to how that worked. She passed Priya one of the eggs as they now had one each to bring back to Chris.
"Now come on! Before it comes back!" Priya said as the two of them ran off.
Julia and Bowie were at the nest where thankfully the Cassowary guarding it was occupied. Likely chasing down someone else.
"What happens if we both get separated?" Bowie asked her as they both collected eggs. "Should we race to see who gets back first?"
"Good idea." Julia grinned as she shoved him to the ground, causing him to fall in to a tree with Julia running off, egg in hand. Bowie watched as his egg broke and turned in to a baby which ran off.
"That's not fair!" Bowie yelled, annoyed she got the jump on him.
"Alright campers! Time is up! Time to meet back at the campfire. As for those of you with an egg, you better hurry up. Only the first ones back will get immunity! Go! Go! Go!" Chris updated everyone through one of the loudspeakers as Raj, Julia, MK and Priya all started to race back with their eggs.
Chris was awaiting everyone back at the campfire and Emma was the first to return, empty handed.
"Looks like Emma's back. I don't see an egg." Chris observed as Emma was catching her breath.
"Forget the eggs! I was almost bird soup back there!" Emma pointed back, annoyed yet relieved that the challenge was over and done with.
A few seconds later, Chase ran back, glad to have lost the bird. "Phew... aw man, does this mean I lost?"
"It sure does." Chris confirmed. "So... were you traveling alone, Chase?"
But as Chris finished, Chase broke down and hugged the host's feet in despair. "I was with Zee, but... I left him behind!"
"Aw, it's okay. I'm sure Zee's fine!" Emma tried comforting her boyfriend.
"Okay, you can stop getting your nose sauce on my stylish sneakers." Chris tried shaking him off. "Oh look, more losers!"
"Sup?" Zee greeted, arriving back with Harvey and Cassidy, both glaring at Chase.
"Zee?" Chase looked up from where he was and got up to pull Zee in a tight hug. "Oh man, I'm so sorry! I've never been more sorry about anything in my life! I've never put someone in that much danger before!"
Cassie and Harvey looked at each other confused as the sobbing continued.
CONFESSIONAL: CASSIDY
"Ditching someone to get attacked by a bird or cutting someone's brakes who crashed in to a pet shop?" Cassie phrased this as if it were a Would you Rather type question. "Honestly, I'm not sure which I'd be more sorry for but that is weird, right?"
CONFESSIONAL: EMMA
"See? Chase has changed. He even apologised to Zee for ditching him." Emma smiled. "Isn't he the best?"
"You know what?" Zee started after Chase's spiel. "I probably woulda done the same thing, bro."
"Haha, you almost had me worried for a sec." Chase laughed as the two fist bumped again. Harvey couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"And here comes some more bird bait!" Chris watched as Julia saw everyone else back empty handed, causing her face to light up.
"Does this mean I win? Woohoo! Yeah!" Julia cheered but then saw her egg start to crack open. "What the- Ew! Ick! Get it off!"
"Yeah... sorry. I wanted an egg, that's a baby!" Chris pointed out as the egg fully hatched in to a baby bird. "Win, denied."
"What? Are you blind?" Julia said angrily. "That was an egg like 3 seconds ago!"
"Wish I could care enough to take your complaint seriously, now skedaddle." Chris pointed back to the others at the campfire pit that she sat down with.
"What's that? Is karma knocking?" Bowie asked rhetorically, laughing at this as he joined the others.
CONFESSIONAL: BOWIE
"If Julia thinks I was ever going along with her plan to vote out Chase, think again. I need this alliance with Emma. Voting him out would just ruin it." Bowie said. "And after today? Julia's so outta here."
"And here come our last three players! Who's gonna make it back first?" Chris and everyone else saw MK and Priya racing against Raj to get the eggs back to Chris.
It was close but Raj was pulling ahead. "Raj lines up the winning puck, he shoots and...!" Raj monologued before tripping over a rock, causing the eggs to go flying and land on top of his head, allowing the two girls to catch up.
"MK and Priya win immunity!" Chris announced as MK and Priya passed Raj to give their eggs to Chris. They both let out cheers at being safe tonight.
"Raj? Are you okay?" Bowie walked towards his boyfriend who seemed very dazed and confused.
"No eggs... eggs shutout bro..." Raj got up as Bowie guided him back with the others.
"Don't feel bad Raj, you weren't the only failure today." Chris patted him on the back. "MK and Priya are safe tonight. Everyone else is up for elimination. So think about who you currently hate the most, and we'll see you tonight!"
BOYS CABIN: DAY #18.
"You shoulda seen me out there!" Chatter came from the cabin as Raj was sitting opposite bucket Wayne, telling it all about the challenge. "That bird's feet were twice as big and it still couldn't catch me!"
"Who are you talking to?" Harvey asked from the top bunk, only just waking up from his nap.
"I'm just telling bucket Wayner here about that epic chase with the bird." Raj told him as he continued with his story. "I felt like I was rescuing puppies! But that stupid rock? Totally out of left field!"
"You sure those eggs didn't scramble your mind?" Harvey wondered, this being the first time he's seen Raj talk to objects like people.
"Ha! Good pun!" Raj responded. "It's nothing. I'm just missing Wayne, that's all. But I promise you bucket Wayne, I will win that next challenge!"
"What if it also involves eggs?" Harvey couldn't help but ask.
"Hm, what would Wayne do? I guess getting some practice in wouldn't hurt..." Raj scratched his chin for a few seconds. "I know! I should practice with my own baby! I'm gonna try and lay an egg!"
"Please don't try and lay an egg..." Harvey cringed as Raj ran out towards the washrooms, passing Bowie on the way. "Hi Bowie!"
"He's a keeper, right?" Bowie joked as Harvey joined in.
"You know, as cool as the million would be, you can't put a price on someone special. That's for sure." Harvey said, feeling happy for Bowie and Raj while also causing Bowie to think on those words.
"I guess you can't..." Bowie thought to himself.
The two eventually left their cabin to join the rest of the guys, passing by the girls cabins on the way.
GIRLS CABIN: DAY #18.
Julia, Cassie and Priya were all sitting on their beds with Julia texting and Cassie listening to music as usual. Emma then came in to the cabin, asking "Hey, does anyone have a hairbrush I can borrow? I still can't find mine."
"Yeah, so not happening." Julia responded with half an effort.
"You can borrow mine." Cassidy offered as she brought up her bag. "Wow, since when did this thing get so heavy?"
She opened it and to save time, poured everything on to her bed. What she emptied though shocked everyone as they could see a lot of familiar items.
"Where did you get all of those?" Priya asked, not being as familiar with the items until the others spoke up.
"Hey! That's my hairbrush!" Emma pointed out. "And Bowie's lip balm!"
"It was you!" Julia pointed a finger at Cassie. "You stole our stuff!"
"Wha-what? I swear I have no clue how that all got in there!" Cassie frantically tried defending herself but to no avail.
MESS HALL: DAY #18.
Raj went back to the Mess hall with the guys and MK as they were all out eating their dinner before elimination until Julia stormed in followed by the rest of the girls.
"Guys! I found the thief. It was Cassidy! She stole all our stuff!" Julia revealed as she dumped all the stolen stuff on to the table. "The beards, the lip balm, the hairbrush, the sunglasses, the Swiss Knife, they're all there! Except for my necklace, ugh!"
"Are you kidding me?" MK stood up, acting completely shocked.
"Wait, how do we know it came from her?" Harvey questioned.
"We were all there when she emptied her bag, and it had all that inside!" Emma explained with an annoyed tone in her voice.
"And her bag has a lock on it so she's the only one who could've opened it!" Julia added. "I knew something was off about you the second I saw that blue hair."
"Not cool, Cass." Raj shook his head as he took back the beards.
"You guys gotta believe me! I'd never steal!" Cassie spoke up, feeling everyone's daggers shooting at her.
"Sounds like something a thief would say." Bowie admitted, picking up his lip balm.
"So wait, was this what you were wanting to tell me about?" Harvey asked her, trying to look for some sort of clarity.
"Wait, did you know about this?" Emma turned to Harvey who instantly turned to panic.
"No! Of course I didn't! I got stolen from too!" Harvey held his hands up.
"Don't you guys think you're blowing this outta proportion?" Priya asked, trying to defuse the situation.
"No way! I could've lost my hair because of you!" Emma stressed out, glad that she finally got her hairbrush back. "You're gonna pay for that!"
"Yeah! No one messes with my girlfriend except for a hillarious prank!" Chase attempted backing her up but even this got him some looks from a couple of the others. "What?"
"It's clear you were jealous because we were kicking your butts at the challenges! Not even I'm that petty." Julia rolled her eyes.
"Woah guys, chill. Let's not fight. I'm sure Cassie didn't mean to steal your stuff to try and get ahead in the game." Zee attempted to break things up but failing with his wording.
"Really not helping, Zee." Priya whispered to him as everyone only seemed more mad at the gamer.
"It's fine, we'll deal with you tonight." Julia pointed a finger at her as Cassidy just fell silent, unable to process everything at once.
Julia and Emma both stormed off followed by most of the others. Harvey shot an apologetic glance towards her as he left too, unsure of what to believe anymore.
"Guys wait, can we at least talk about this? Guys!" Cassidy tried calling out to them but they all ignored her. The only ones left behind were her and Priya.
"I'm really sorry about all this." Priya tried comforting her. "If it means anything to you, I don't think you're a thief at all."
"Thanks. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I've still got a plan." Cassie explained to her, remembering she had one more thing that could save her.
CAMPFIRE CEREMONY 9: NIGHT #18.
The 10 newly merged players all walked towards the campfire, some noticeably more beat up than others from the events of the challenge which only tells Chris that it was another successful one.
"Campers, it's time you all cast your votes for the first time as individuals. To recap, MK and Priya have immunity and are the only campers who cannot be voted for." Chris reminded the group as the two girls were shown to be relieved.
"Julia, you found eggs at the same time as your partner, Bowie. And then you shoved him to the ground and in to a tree." Chef cringed at that event, still not used to this new Julia.
"Uh, yeah? Cause I wanted to win." Julia pointed out as Bowie rolled his eyes.
CONFESSIONAL: JULIA.
"Hey, don't hate the player. Hate the game." Julia brushed off. "And the player, I don't really care."
"Zee. You wanted to share immunity with everyone else. Now that's just ridiculous." Chef continued as Zee's eyebrows raised.
"Worth a shot, right?" Zee asked to no one in particular.
"Chase, you abandoned Zee after his leg got stuck in the rocks. And not a lot of people are too pleased about it." Chef told Chase who merely gulped in response.
CONFESSIONAL: CHASE
"Even Zee forgave me for that!" Chase defended himself frantically.
CONFESSIONAL: ZEE
"I did not expect to see that Cassowary again, talk about an awkward reunion." Zee explained. "Who knew relationships could be this scary?"
CONFESSIONAL: HARVEY
"My gut's telling me that Cassie didn't steal our stuff. There's just no way she's that kinda person! And I made a promise to boot Chase and hopefully help Emma." Harvey thought. "Who knew this game could get so scary?"
"And Cassidy." Chef called out as she just sighed.
"Just get it over with, I've had enough of a bad day already." Cassidy pleaded, almost sounding defeated.
"There's been a lot going around about you being outed as a thief for stealing everyone's stuff. Long story short, a lotta people have a good reason to send you packing." Chef summarized.
"Wait. Before we go any further." Cassidy stood up and rummaged through her pockets as she then pulled out... a small log. "What the- this isn't it! I swear I had it somewhere..."
"Wow. A thief got thieved. Sweet irony." Julia laughed at her as Cassidy continued rumaging around in her baggy pockets, she gave up and sat back down, her face burried in her hands.
CONFESSIONAL: CASSIDY
"Crap! That statue was the only thing that coulda saved me. Someone must've taken it." Cassidy tried thinking before gasping to herself. "MK! Ugh! I shoulda known!"
"Welp, all has been said and all votes have been cast. MK, Priya, you're both safe." Chris took the first two marshmallows and tossed them to the challenge winners as they caught them in their mouths.
"Also still in the competition is..."
"Bowie."
"Raj."
"Emma."
"Zee."
"Julia."
"And... Harvey!"
Harvey caught the second to last marshmallow as he looked over at Cassidy, feeling awful for her position while Chase looked slightly uneasy in being at the bottom again.
"The bottom two. One of you got 3 votes, and the other got 7. The last person safe is..."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Chase."
"Phew. Another close call." Chase sighed in relief as he and Emma smiled at each other.
"Sorry Cassidy, you know the drill." Chris declared as the gamer nodded and got up, trying to hold back tears.
"I just want to say, I'm leaving this game with my conscience intact, I know who I am, I'm not a thief. Maybe some of you could learn a thing or two from that. Good luck sleeping tonight." Cassidy scowled as she took her leave but not before tossing Harvey her MP3 player.
CONFESSIONAL: MK
"If Cassie thinks I'm gonna have a hard time sleeping, she should think again." MK paused as she reached in to her pocket and revealed a familiar looking statue. "I'll be sleeping just fine for the next 3 days."
"Well, I did my best, even if it landed me all the way in 10th place." Cassidy reflected as she walked down towards the dock. "Guess this is karma for the confessional stuff. But still, I made some friends and some people I hope to never see again. Maybe this just isn't my kinda game. I'm just excited to go back to my couch and finish off my first person shooters. That'll for sure blow off some steam."
Cassidy then stopped, turning back to the campfire area one last time, sighing to herself before the drone comes in and snatches her by the hood, taking her by surprise as it carries her off. "Hey! Not cool!"
"And so ends our first episode of the merge. What will next week bring? For me, hopefully more ratings and another ridiculously large paycheck. Will MK get outed as the true culprit? Will Harvey continue to say what we're all thinking about Emma and Chase? And how many more hearts will Zee break during the rest of his time here? Tune in next time to find out, on Total! Drama! Island!
VOTES.
Bowie - Cassidy
Chase - Cassidy
Emma - Cassidy
Julia - Cassidy
MK - Cassidy
Raj - Cassidy
Zee - Cassidy
Cassidy - Chase
Harvey - Chase
Priya - Chase
18TH - CALEB
17TH - AXEL
16TH - NICHELLE
15TH - LAUREN
14TH - MILLIE
13TH - DAMIEN
12TH - WAYNE
11TH - RIPPER
10TH - CASSIDY
Well this might come as a shock, and a tragic shock at that. Sorry to all the Cassidy fans but it was her time to go here. There were definitely scenarios where she could have gone further but it all came down to her ending MK's alliance, her knowing too much and being an unseen threat which all came back to bite her. Interested to hear how people will feel about this one as she was one of my favorites to write with someone who had an introverts alliance and a gamer's mentality, gaining info which she felt guilty about after actually getting to know a couple people on a personal level.
As for the challenge, it's another nitpick I had with the original where they had everyone split off in to pairs only for one person to be able to have immunity which just felt weird, especially when they kept going even after Millie had already won. So I had another couple tweaks to it with the pair twist. Might've been a bit all over the place which doesn't make me as high with this episode as the previous few as a whole.
Also with no double elimination unlike in canon, it's looking like another classic challenge will be making its return next week to fill in that gap. What'll it be? You'll see next week.
Until next time, see you whenever and a Happy New Year!