Happy February everyone! It has now been close to a year since I released the first episode of this story. Really happy I've been able to see it through all this time later. And more than anything I'm happy to see how much support this has gotten. I just hope the final act will have this one finish strong. I really enjoyed the selfie challenge for being a perfect blend of new generation trends and natural Total Drama flair. It might've ended on a bit of a stinker where it was kinda obvious Emma was leaving but still a strong challenge.
Colin Miller: Yeah I was playing around with the idea of Emma going further but I just liked the idea of the other five making it another episode just a little bit more. Priya and Harvey did grow close when they were the only ones backing Cassie at her elimination but they have gotten closer with other people since. Priya with Zee and Harvey back with Emma and Bowie, but yeah, can't be a great feeling for her. As for Zee, I just find the idea of him accidentally being good at challenges very funny. Since episode 2 really when he was the last one standing on the ship. With your point about the elimination order, the idol can only be used once. I agree Chase probably gets booted instead if Cassie still has it, but that would leave her or Harvey open to be eliminated in the next episode. There is a chance she wins the hide and seek challenge and helps Harvey find the other immunity idol and Raj still goes home, her sacrificing herself for Harvey at the final 8 and things play out the same from there which I'll admit is a fun alternative. I kept Chase around for a bit longer because he was still needed in a couple plotlines and MK fully entering her Villain role by causing Cassie's elimination I think helped the rest of the season flow really well with her eventual karma.
Fireball88: I did love how this challenge gave us more examples as to how Chase was just this messed up person and each time Emma brings up one of his antics, it makes her just feel worse about herself to the point she was fine with taking him back after mistaking him taking a dive for her. There is a unique parallel with Zee wanting to win the million to help his sister and also giving Priya the money to help her out. The thing with Bowie in Season 1 I found a bit off is that he's mostly talking about Emma as an alliance partner rather than an actual friend and seems to just judge her for whatever Chase drama she's involved with (or making fun of her dancing in Episode 10.) I wanted to start him off like that but to actually grow to care for his friends the way he cared for Raj overtime until the phone was a reminder that he was here to win.
CodeTransformers: Honestly really cool that this is in your top 3, that means a lot to hear. Haven't heard of the other two fics you've mentioned but will definitely try and give them a read during my off time. I have actually been on the lookout for some season 2 stories to try out after I finish this so thanks for the recomendations. I definitely had the Priya and Caleb scene in mind while writing this, I will admit. This might sound like a weird opinion but I always felt like Emma deserved Priya's role in Season 2 and that Priya had inherited a lot of Emma's personality traits after her elimination with how she acted. Especially since she was crushing on Caleb after he was eliminated first, it seemed like a build up that we never saw through.
Anyways, Episode 14 time! Enjoy!
REMAINING PLAYERS.
Bowie
Harvey
Julia
Priya
Zee
EPISODE 14: A SELFIES ACT
"Last time on Total Drama Island! Our final 6 players came face to face with our dreaded Totem Poles of Terror. Players tried to outlast each other in what I guess you could call slow motion pole vaulting, getting tempted by food and other goodies along the way. Emma put her podcast skills to the test by talking everyone's ears off about how much of a horrible person Chase is. When there was pizza on the line, Zee had enough and leaped forward to it, knocking Emma and Julia off their poles in the process and leaving him as the last man standing, winning immunity for the second time in a row! But not everyone walked away empty handed. Bowie got his hands on Julia's confessional washed phone, Harvey got his on ten thousand dollars and Priya got hers on about a dozen bottles of water. At the elimination, Julia shocked everyone by playing her immunity statue, but the shocks didn't end there as yours truly went ahead and aired everyone's dirty laundry including who voted for who, and it was Bowie's deciding vote that stabbed his BFF Emma in the back. It was a horrifying decision that left Harvey heartbroken. Wanna find out who will make a horrifying decision today? I know I am. So let's do it! Right here, right now on Total Drama Island!"
MESS HALL: DAY #27.
Harvey was sitting by himself. Last night's elimination shook him to his core. He already felt bad enough voting for Priya and having that exposed but it turns out it didn't even matter as Emma took the fall instead. The culprit in question entered the Mess Hall as Harvey merely rolled his eyes.
"Hey, can we talk?" Bowie asked him, not feeling as bad about last night but still feeling the need to clear the air.
"Seriously? You still wanna talk?" Harvey couldn't help but force a laugh. "After giving me the confidence to ask Emma out, you make me look like the biggest idiot on international television by voting her out! I'm gonna end up shipped to a mental hospital trying to figure out how much sense that makes. Now I'm the one Priya's gonna be mad at!"
"If Julia or Zee kept winning challenges, we would've eventually had to turn on each other." Bowie explained with an additional eye roll at his former alliance partner's stubbornness. "And I had a feeling, especially after last night, that I was third wheeling the whole time. It's basic strategy!"
"So you were just using me this whole time, huh?" Harvey shook his head, struggling with the many thoughts he was left to process at the moment.
"Okay, you are clearly way too heated to know how not true that is!" Bowie protested, this situation just as awkward as talking to one of his exes again.
"Oh yeah, well how about a quick recap then, huh?" Harvey stood up to fully face Bowie as he took a deep breath. "You talked me in to voting for Caleb over Emma, which obviously now I don't regret but it was still for your benefit. Then I switched my vote from Raj to Wayne since I knew how close you guys were. I joined you guys in booting MK just so we'd be cool with each other and even chose you guys over Priya last night after she was the only one who would still talk to me."
"And did all of those moves not benefit you as well? I mean how else have you made it this far if we didn't work together?" Bowie brought up, still failing to see Harvey's point.
"You were fine ditching me a week ago!" Harvey groaned, annoyed that he had to bring this up. "You were just stringing me along until Emma and I butted heads over me voting for Chase. After that? You took her side and didnt talk to me for two days since it made more sense for you! Otherwise there's no way you woulda stayed quiet since you knew those two getting back together was a bad idea."
"Hey! I was the one that convinced her in to talking to Chase to find out the truth." Bowie revealed, knowing it didn't do him as much good now if he was only just bringing it up.
"You really think I have to trust anything you say after what happened?" Harvey sat back down, a sign that he was done with this back and forth.
"Okay, fine. I'll leave you to wallow." Bowie conceded and walked past him to collect his food and sit relatively far away to give Harvey some space.
CONFESSIONAL: BOWIE
"Does this guy not get that MK was using him too? She carried him through two votes before Julia exposed them. How's that any different from me?" Bowie complained in the small cubiclal as he placed his hand on his face with a sigh. "Still, I do feel a bit awful. Emma really was my friend. But my hands were tied. With Julia and Zee both safe, and all the info I got on Priya, she was my only choice. I just hope I haven't signed my death warrent in this game."
The Mess Hall got as crowded as it can with four people with Julia taking in the silent but deadly tension between Bowie and Harvey. Priya on the other hand just felt weird. She was glad to still be here, but didn't know where to go from here.
"Hey, mind if I join you?" She arrived at Harvey's table with her food.
"Huh? You sure?" Harvey wondered, surprised that she was still talking to him. "I mean you don't have to if you still need some time."
"It's fine, really. I'm over it. It made sense, you guys had an alliance." Priya pointed out to him, not having the energy to feel mad at the moment. "Julia and that statue messed things up horribly."
"Still, I wanna say sorry. At the very least help me clear my conscience." Harvey sighed, wishing he had the hindsight to go back and campaign against Bowie instead if he knew he was plotting the whole time.
"If anything, maybe getting rid of me woulda done you some good." Priya spoke from her point of view, thinking back to the first half of the season. "Everyone I've tried allying with has left. Lauren, Millie, Damien and Cassidy have been gone for what feels like forever. I don't want you to join that list."
"Hey, if I get eliminated, it'll be on me, don't worry." Harvey reassured her with a mostly calm voice, thinking back to the implications of what she said. "So... you're saying you want to team up with me?"
"You cool with that? I mean it's okay if you don't, just thought I'd throw it out there." Priya's social awkwardness yet again resurfacing. "I mean don't get me wrong, having Zee around has been really nice, but it'd be great if I can have someone I can actually talk strategy with."
"Well it's not like any of my allies are still around." Harvey responded, giving it a quick think through as he took Priya's hand, shaking it. "Count me in."
"Priya! Harvey! How's it hanging?" The duo turned to the entrance after their alliance handshake and noticed Zee, the last to arrive for breakfast, soda in his left hand and something else in his right. "I wanted to give you guys something."
"Oh hey Zee, what's up?" Priya greeted the soda drinker before getting handed a bracelet, holding it up with wide eyes and a bit of a smile.
"Are these... friendship bracelets?" Harvey asked as he glanced at his. They were surprisingly well made and color coded.
CONFESSIONAL: ZEE
"My new friends here have been awesome to hang out with, so I made them all friendship bracelets. Priya's tips came in handy and I've gotten the hang of making these." Zee showed a few of his designs to the camera. "At first they were for my soda cans but they look way better on people. I even made one for myself so I don't feel all left out."
"Bowie, Julia, don't worry, I made ones for you too!" Zee headed over to those two and handed them a purple and pink one respectively.
"No way! I woulda been so emotionally damaged if you didn't give me one of your crummy bracelets!" Julia sarcastically responded as she was handed one.
"Oh, wow. I haven't worn one of these since 8th grade." Bowie admired the work and put it on his wrist.
"It's not exactly my color... still better than any of my boyfriend's presents." Julia shrugged and pocketed it before going back to texting.
"Can you help me with my training tomorrow? Gotta make sure I have the best chance at crushing the challenge." Priya asked Harvey as she was making sure to load up on breakfast.
"Uh, I guess. But why? You know you're safe either way." Harvey let her know, his mind likely set on voting Bowie or Julia off.
"I just need 10 more drama dollars to call my parents. I've got 40 saved up so far." Priya stated, knowing she didn't have much time left until she was either voted out or the season would come to a close.
"Sure thing, but..." Harvey glanced over at Zee who was enjoying the gruel. "Hey, can you come with me to the infirmary tomorrow? There's something I gotta show you."
"What is it?" Priya wondered, feeling like Harvey was feeling especially uneasy about this.
"It's better if you see for yourself." Harvey responded as he got back to eating, raising Priya's interests in the process.
CONFESSIONAL: HARVEY
"I'm a bit down now that Emma's gone but I feel even worse that I voted for Priya." Harvey admitted to the camera. "But right now she's the only one I feel like I can trust, so I want to try and help her out however I can. And I've still got a shot at winning this whole thing so I've not lost complete sleep over it. Oh... I hope that doesn't sound bad."
BOYS CABIN: DAY #28.
Bowie and Zee found themselves sitting just outside the Guys cabin after their morning food. The fact that the finale is only in two days is weighing on Bowie's mind more than anything.
"Just another two days..." Bowie spoke, mentally preparing himself for what will probably be a torturous last couple of challenges. He then saw out of the corner of his eye, Julia approaching them.
"Sheesh, if I had known we'd be left with all the boring people, I woulda maybe kept MK around so I could annoy her a lil more." Julia complained, bored out of her mind. "Where is everyone?"
"They've been voted off?" Zee answered, his head starting to race. "Oh no! Have they gone missing?"
"Harvey took Priya in to the forest so she could get some training in." Bowie answered what Julia more likely meant with her question.
"Oh yeah, she needs those drama dollars from the challenge so she can call her parents so they'll let her in to med school." Zee remembered before covering his mouth. "Oops, that was supposed to be kept on the down low."
"Seriously? Wow, she's pathetic." Julia shook her head in disbelief.
"What do you mean? I'd love to call my folks back home." Zee defended Priya's actions.
"Let me tell you something about parents. They think just because they gave birth to you or whatever, you owe them your whole life." Julia tells the two guys while leaning against the side of the cabin.
"That sounds a lot like a you problem." Bowie responds, feeling like he knows Julia all too well at this point.
"Well duh, why else would I be talking about it?" Julia confirms before continuing her rant. "The only reason anyone has children anymore is because they got too old and wrinkly for their dreams and they can have kids to show off like trophies. My Mother had me doing pageants for 3 years."
"How's that much different to what you're doing now?" Bowie laughs, not knowing why she's making a big deal out of this.
"Hey! Being an influencer was hard work. So is pretending to, ugh... care about other people." Julia visibly gagged at the thought. "Priya just reminds me of that one pageant girl I knew who went 2 nights without sleep so she could practice her routine. I hear she's still in therapy after I beat her."
"Why does that sound kinda messed up?" Zee asked Bowie, hoping he could make sense of it.
"I don't see what the big problem is. Why shouldn't Priya be training all the time if it gives her the best shot at a million dollars?" Bowie wondered, not being able to blame Priya for her efforts.
"If her parents are controling what she does, then they'll get control over the million too." Julia answered with near certainty. "I know when I win the million dollars, my dad is gonna want me to spend it on bailing mom out of prison. I just tell him to keep dreaming."
"Pfft, 'when'? That's cute." Bowie mocked her confidence.
"It's gonna be extra cute seeing your face hanging off that ugly drone." Julia walked up to Bowie as the two were locked in a staring match.
"Hey, that bird is pretty cute." Zee pointed towards a small bird pecking at a tree.
CONFESSIONAL: JULIA
"It's kinda funny how hard I was trying so that I'd get more followers, now it feels nice not to care. And I did it all by myself. No Mom or Dad around to hog all the attention or credit. But Priya doing the same for her parents? Maybe I can use that to my advantage." Julia's gears started to turn as she started thinking up a plan.
THE INFIRMARY: DAY #28.
Harvey took the lead on his and Priya's walk, trying to remember where the Infirmary was the last time he visited. He eventually recognised the path and walked along it, leading up to the tent.
"I don't get it. What is it you wanted to show me?" Priya tried asking again, wondering what it was that was taking up valuable training time.
"You remember a few days ago when Zee was talking about his sister's birthday present?" Harvey reminded Priya of their time back in the Mess Hall. After Priya nodded, Harvey opened up the tent. "See for yourself."
Priya hesitantly stepped foot inside the Infirmary, noticing the lack of color in the area which made the Intern still in bedrest and the items on her stand stick out like a sore thumb. She silently stepped forward and picked up the bracelet.
"This is the friendship bracelet I helped Zee make a few days ago." Priya explained. There was no doubt about it, it was a match to her.
"She does look better compared to last time." Harvey stood next to her, glancing at the intern's condition.
"I don't get it. Why didn't Zee tell us? I easily woulda shared my dollars with him." Priya slowly shook her head in confusion.
"You sure about that?" Harvey raised an eyebrow at her statement, causing Priya to fall silent. "I can't blame the guy. Maybe others woulda thought he was cheating by her helping him out and got rid of him earlier."
"Or... he just wanted to respect her wishes." Priya suspected, taking a moment or two to glance at the Intern's... no... Hannah's state. She recalled Zee's words about hoping to maybe use the money help his sister out and help his family reconnect with their busy lives. How much would it do for her? "Harvey?"
"Yeah?" Harvey glanced back at her, almost whispering as to make sure not to wake Hannah up.
"...Nothing." There was so much Priya had wanted to say but couldn't find the words. "Come on, let's try and get some training done while we have the time."
Harvey knew something was up but decided not to say anything as he followed Priya out, taking one last look inside beforehand.
"Attention remaining campers! It's challenge time!" Chris announced over his megaphone. "Meet me at the field in five!"
THE FIELD: DAY #28.
The five campers arrived at the field. There was no set up, no obstacle course, nothing. Just the traditional skeptisism of what their new painful challenge will involve.
"Congratulations on making it to the final 5. I sure wasn't expecting *some* of you to make it." Chris said, looking at Zee in particular who glanced around in confusion. The host was standing in front of a small tv ready to explain the next challenge. "And my condolences for what I'm about to put you through."
Chef then wheeled forward a giant tv on to the scene, identical to the one used at the last elimination where everyone's votes were exposed.
"We've scanned all across social media for the latest trends to decide what would be the best challenge, and we found out that every year, thousands of people get hurt trying to get selfies with wild animals." Chris showed everyone a few pictures he pulled including people getting attacked by a bull, a seal and a snake. This made everyone shudder in fear.
"People should not do this, it's dangerous for them and the animals." Chef butted in, holding a box with phones inside.
"And it's our next challenge!" Chris announced rather ironically.
"Seriously?" Harvey ranted, still finding ways to be surprised by this show's carelessness.
"Did you not just hear-" Bowie's tangeant got cut off by a phone hitting his face.
"The game is called injure yourselfie." Chris told the group as everyone got handed a phone.
"You will each get a phone. On them, you'll find a list of animals and the points they're worth." Chef explained as everyone looked at the list. Predictably, the more dangerous the animal, the more points they're worth. "The player with the most points at the end of the hour, wins immunity and 10 drama dollars. Speaking of which, after tomorrow morning, the vending machine will be off limits for the rest of the season, so you better get spending with whatever you have left."
CONFESSIONAL: PRIYA
"If I don't win this challenge, then I'll never get to call my parents! This is it. Time to go 125% for this one!" Priya panicked, now more focused than ever to pull through.
"Bear? Rhino? Velociraptor?" Priya read off in panic at the seemingly endless list of animals on the phone.
"How do you get so much wildlife on one island?" Harvey questioned the logic.
"We had a bit of help from our friends over at boney island. Hauled them in specifically for this challenge." Chris answered. "Fair warning, some of them have been crammed there for years so they may be eager to, uh, stretch their legs."
"Now these are selfies, so you have to take them yourself, of yourself, and no one else can be in the shot." Chef continued listing the rules, prompting a laugh out of Julia.
"We know! Explaining selfies to teenagers makes you sound 100 years old." Julia rolled her eyes at him, eyeing the phone she received with a gag. "Ugh, no one even uses this brand anymore."
"You only get one phone. Break it? Drop it in the toilet? You're done!" Chef warned everyone as they felt the pressure now.
CONFESSIONAL: BOWIE
"Ugh, a selfie challenge? Julia's for sure gonna win. And if she does, I'm toast." Bowie slapped his forehead in frustration. "I've got to get Harvey back on my side if I have any shot of making it past this next vote. That'll be tough though. There's nothing that says butthurt like booting your crush off the show."
"Just to be nice, I'll give you all a hot tip. There's an easy 10 point animal just beyond that treeline. You have 1 hour starting..." Chris pointed back at the treeline and counted down before airing the airhorn.
Everyone raced out immediately after the airhorn sounded with their phones in hand, hoping to be the first to that 10 point animal.
Priya and Harvey were walking together along the forest, keeping an eye out for the animal.
"I wonder what the animal is." Harvey says, worried that this could be another trick from the host.
"Whatever it is, we'll be the first to find it." Priya tells him confidently. "I believe in us!"
"Yikes, more points than a rhino AND a crocodile?" Harvey started to panic until Priya covered his mouth, pointing at a group of lions laying on the rocks ahead as they hid behind bushes.
"Bingo. Okay, you first!" Priya smiled as they both pulled out their phones to take a quick selfie. Harvey went first and got his while Priya was about to get hers but got distracted by Julia's loud arrival.
"Hey guys." Julia greeted loudly, almost on purpose just to scare off whatever animal they're trying to get a selfie with.
"Julia! Quiet!" Priya warned her, near frustrated with her carelessness.
"Or what?" Julia laughed until Priya pointed out the group of lions making Julia gasp before taking out her phone.
Priya continued with her selfie attempt until Julia got behind her to take hers, the cycle of one trying to cut the other off continued for a while, knowing it wouldn't count if the other was in the shot.
"Priya! Don't move!" Harvey pointed out as Priya now noticed that she was standing on top of the sleeping lion's head.
Bowie was watching from behind the bushes as he pulled out his phone and started texting. "Ugh, they're blocking my shot. Chris sent the animal info in a group text. Time to hit reply all. Hope you set your phones to vibrate."
Harvey was in the middle of helping Priya down until the loud notification hit all of their phones at once, waking the angry lions up and causing them all to chase them off.
"Of course Chris didn't set these to vibrate!" Harvey yelled out, running with surprising speed.
Harvey, Priya and Julia all scrambled up the nearest tree where they were momentarily safe with the lions attempting to leap up and drag them down, giving up after a few seconds.
"Wow, impressive climbing skills." Priya complimented Harvey who was catching his breath rapidly, as if he was recovering from a panic attack.
CONFESSIONAL: HARVEY
"What can I say? The fear of death is a powerful motivator." Harvey said, still shook up from the chase with him visibly shaking.
Bowie meanwhile was about to take his selfie until a lion came from behind and let out a roar, making him flee the scene. "Oh come on!"
"A quick congrats to Harvey and Zee for being the first on the board with 10 points!" Chris updated from the megaphone with Harvey and Zee's icons displaying 10 points.
"What? How did Zee get points? Where has he been this whole time?" Julia groaned before Priya pointed her to where he was rubbing a lion's belly to sleep.
"Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur!" Zee sang to the beast gently as it slowly fell asleep, him rubbing its stomach smoothly. "Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr!"
They glanced around and saw all the lions were put to sleep, endless amounts of confusion shown on their faces.
CONFESSIONAL: ZEE
"Hannah and I were put in charge of singing our little bro to sleep every night. The family was super ticked to hear her crying so much. It kept the whole block awake! So I whipped up a couple lullabies in exchange for soda. It was like having a job, yo!" Zee explained happily, enjoying the fond memories.
"And what's this? Priya and Julia also make the board." Chris commented as Priya and Julia took advantage of the sleeping lions. "All players are tied at 10 points, except Bowie! Who's dead last with 0!"
Bowie was hiding in a bush away from the Lion, having no choice but to flee the scene. "Ugh, I gotta get on the board!" He groaned before going back in to hiding after spotting Harvey and Priya pass him.
"We should probably go for some of the less dangerous animals next." Priya suggested whilst checking her phone. "They're less points but less painful."
"I'm down with that. Let's see. Rhino... nope. Snake... over my dead body. Aha! Racoons!" Harvey pointed out a picture of them which were only worth 3 points. "Where would they be?"
"Let's check the dumpsters behind the kitchen. They're the only species who willingly eat Chef's cooking." Priya ran off with Harvey behind. Bowie re-emerged and smirked to himself, having a fair idea of how vicious raccoons are.
CONFESSIONAL: BOWIE
"Why do all the hard work myself when I can use others as bait?" Bowie thought to himself deviously, settling on a new strategy.
The trio all arrived at the dumpster with Bowie remaining hidden from the two, waiting for his moment to strike and score points.
"Perfect!" Priya said as she started to run towards and climb in the giant bin, causing Harvey to grow worried.
"Uh... you're getting inside that thing?" Harvey asked nervously, unsure if that was a smart idea.
"It'll take hours for them to leave. Might as well go all in!" Priya answered as she closed the lid. "Now just to wait for them to get here and... uh... hello? Someone else here? I hear feet."
Harvey watched from outside, waiting for Priya. "Priya? You still there? Scream if you're okay!"
His question was left with silence for a couple seconds then answered with loud, piercing screams from the dumpster. "I'm not okay!"
"Yeah... she's not okay. Hang on!" Harvey ran towards the lid and opened it, only to get the racoons attack him instead. He screamed in pain before taking a selfie inbetween his beatings as he was taking on all sorts of new bruises.
"The perfect shot." Bowie held up his phone to take a picture only for Harvey to collide with him, landing on top of him as the racoons eventually fled, with one giving Bowie the stink eye. "Ow... seriously?"
"Bowie? Were you trying to steal our shot?" Harvey brushed himself off, standing up and glared at his former alliance.
"Of course not! I guess we just wound up here at the same time. Lucky us, right?" Bowie excused, not wanting to cause anymore distrust between the two.
"Oh I wouldn't be so sure. I've got 13 points and you've got squat." Harvey bragged before walking off, frustrating Bowie who has still yet to score.
"Look, can we let bygones be bygones about the whole Emma thing?" Bowie tried reasoning with him while he had the chance. "We can still make this work and get to the final 3. All we have to do is get rid of Julia and Zee."
"That would make sense. But oh wait! I just remembered something." Harvey sarcastically acted out. "You're a first rate backstabber and a second rate schemer. I think I'll take my chances with Priya."
CONFESSIONAL: BOWIE
"Ugh, is he for real? I may be a lot of things but my schemes are not second rate!" Bowie defended, feeling proud of his game so far.
"And how's that new alliance going?" Bowie asked as Priya stumbled out of the bin and on to the floor, looking more beat up and cramped from the dumpster.
"Priya! You okay?" Harvey ran over to check on her only to be met with a shaky thumbs up. He helped her up as they went on their way. "Awesome! Let's move. Julia and Zee are probably out of that Lion's den by now."
"Okay, can I at least stick by you two? There's no way I'll take the lead if we're all taking selfies of the same animals." Bowie proposed as a last resort.
"If you're so desperate, fine." Harvey reluctantly nodded as the trio all headed back in to the forest to see what else they could find.
Julia and Zee were walking away from the sleeping Lions with Julia trying to talk to Zee about a similar topic. "I mean think about Harvey and Priya. They're an alliance. That's a threat. The two of us plus Bowie team up, vote one of them off. Boom, no more alliance."
"I dunno, that sounds way too complicated." Zee scratched his head, clearly not being able to follow Julia's break down of the game.
"Oh come on! You've been doing it for the last 4 weeks!" Julia yelled, slapping her forehead. "Just vote one of the nerds out and you have a shot at making it to the finale."
"That'd go against my strategy. Bowie's first on the alphabet last time I checked. I'm trying to get back on track." Zee tried explaining, causing Julia to pause right before they were both out of earshot of the lions.
"Wait a minute... you've been voting for people alphabetically this entire time? That's been your strategy? Are you kidding me?" Julia continued yelling which alerted the Lions from their sleep, glaring at the two from a distance, running towards them like prey. "Okay less talking, more screaming!"
Julia and Zee began running again, the lion stopping before the forest as if to warn them to stay out.
CONFESSIONAL: JULIA
"Ugh, with Zee not playing ball, I guess I'll have to go with my other plan. Winning immunity and getting him the drone! Like I've tried doing twice now..." Julia just realized and started to get worried about her odds.
Priya, Bowie and Harvey all kept moving through the fields as they heard something snoring in the distance. Harvey emerged from the bushes to get a good look and saw a goose sleeping in its nest all by itself. Not an animal in sight.
"There! A goose! Totally harmless!" Harvey told Priya whilst Bowie checked his phone for the point value.
"Then why is it worth 12 points? That's more than a Lion!" Bowie asked, feeling as though something was off.
"Uh, guys? That's not just a goose. That's a Canadian goose!" Priya gasped as she got a better look at it. "They sound like polite ducks, but those things are vicious! Do you really want to go near that thing?"
"Whatever, you guys can hang back, I'm grabbing a selfie!" Bowie pointed to himself before getting closer.
"Come on! We can't let him score." Harvey told Priya as the two followed Bowie to the sleeping bird. Unbeknownst to them, the goose started to pick up their scent and was now fully awake.
"Ha! Too easy!" Bowie got up, turned around and pulled up the camera only for him to notice it's missing from the screen reflection. "Hey, where'd it go?"
"Ugh, come on. We need to keep up. I cannot lose this." Priya groaned as she started to look all over for the missing animal.
"Okay why does it matter so much that you call your parents?" Harvey turned to her with his eyebrow raised, questionning her sudden pushiness.
"Because I want to see if my letter for med school came in. I applied before I left to come here." Priya explained to him, feeling like he deserves the full truth.
"Wait, that's why you've been asking people about those?" Harvey asked, thinking back to after the pole challenge where he overheard Zee giving Priya all of his money. "You know you'll see them again in a few days, right?"
"If I end up winning the show, then that'll just convince them more that I need to be on other reality shows. And if I get eliminated? They'll be so disappointed, I'll end up spending the next couple years of my life training for some other show to get back on my feet. This is my only shot." Priya continued as the two were now distracted enough not to notice Bowie getting attacked by the goose. Before Harvey could respond to Priya's ridiculous situation with her parents, Bowie regained their attention.
"Gah! A little help here?" The two of them turned back around, alerted by his screams as Bowie was trying to get the violent bird off him as it shot a threatening glare at Priya and Harvey to stay away.
"Uh... let's get out of here." Priya suggested with a gulp. Harvey nodded, putting his phone away as they fled the scene, hoping to find some other, hopfully less blood thirsty creatures.
"Uh, guys? What the heck?" Bowie raised his arms in annoyance, getting punched many times over by the goose before it took its leave, leaving the damaged teen on the floor in a daze.
Zee was walking through the woods all alone and eventually found himself at back at the main campgrounds.
"Hm... I'm starting to idea here. Woah, I idea'd!" Zee then raised his phone and proceeded to take pictures, not of animals, but instead of the campgrounds he's been living at for the last 4 weeks, knowing the season was only a couple days away to being finished.
CONFESSIONAL: ZEE
"I wanna show my peeps at home the awesome place I've been at so I'm starting a little photo thing for my room." Zee explained, scrolling through the images he's collected so far. "The empty soda can tower and the mini fridge could use some company."
CONFESSIONAL: BOWIE
"I have no points, no alliance, my only ally is now my biggest enemy and I just got my butt kicked by a goose!" Bowie listed off this bottomless hole he's found himself in. "How am I gonna turn this around?"
Bowie brushed off his bruises and heard some rustling coming from his left. He walked further and came across a trio of large animals hanging out.
"Rhino? Bull? Moose with a unibrow? I didn't know you all hung out!" Bowie gasped as he quickly got out his phone. "These are all high scoring animals. I can win this challenge with one selfie! Boom! Bowie's back baby! Bowie is back!"
His cheering gained the attention of the herd as they all stared him down with the bull flaring it's nostrils and the rhino preparing to charge.
"Okay, no need for all that. I'm just gonna get a quick pic and leave you all to your grazing party." Bowie turned around and attempted to get all of them in the shot.
That was when they all fled the scene in whimpers and fear. Bowie turned around and slapped his forehead, missing out on yet another selfie.
"Wait! No! Come back! I need this!" He cried out in pure desperation. "What coulda scared them off?"
He then heard snarling coming from behind him and didn't even need to turn around to know that the goose had came back for round two.
"Clever girl..." He muttered before the goose jumped him and they got in to a fist fight with Bowie screaming, showing who was winning so far.
Harvey and Priya both watched as the swampy water in front of them started to bubble. They managed to escape the goose but was still trying to stay ahead, with this being their next stop.
"What is that?" Harvey asked as him and Priya tried to make out the underwater creature.
"I can't tell. The water's too muddy. But something's in there!" Priya then took a couple steps back to scroll through all the underwater creatures as Harvey kept watch. "Let's see... there's a few fish on here, worth 1 point. Maybe it's an Otter, those are worth two points. Or maybe it's a..."
"Crocodile!" Harvey screamed as one leapt out of the ocean, causing him to jump back and throw his phone behind him, on a rock as it went off. He screamed as the creature's mouth grabbed him by the friendship bracelet he was wearing and dragged him back in to the swampy water.
"Harvey! Hang on!" Priya tossed her phone aside and dove in to the water, strangling the crocodile and taking off her bracelet to tie its mouth shut as she managed to scare it away, releasing Harvey who scrambled out of the water and sitting against the rock. "That doesn't mean we're friends, croc!"
"You... you saved me. Thanks!" Harvey gasped as he took deep breaths from the panic he experienced earlier.
"Sure did!" Priya walked over to pick hers and Harvey's phones up. "And check it out! You got a selfie! 8 points!"
"No way! I'm never this lucky with challenges." Harvey laughed with disbelief, thinking there was actually a shot of him winning.
"And Harvey takes the lead with 21 points!" Chris updated everyone. He then got some notifications from the group chat and took a second to scroll through them. They were pictures of the Mess Hall, cabins, dock and now the boat house. "Okay who keeps sending random pictures of the island in to the group chat?"
Zee then finished adding another photo to his collection, this time being one of the campfire. "Not quite as dramatic during the day. Oh well, still an awesome place to be at."
CONFESSIONAL: ZEE
"If this is my last day here, I've at least done what I wanted to. But there's still someone that I need to make things right with." Zee thought to himself, wanting to make sure to do this last thing before the challenge is over with.
Priya and Harvey continued their search, this time coming across a brown, bushy tail sticking out of the bushes.
"Hmm... don't know what that one is either." Priya said as Harvey scrolled through the list again.
"It might be a bunny. Only worth one point, but it's still a point." Harvey shrugged, he looked back at Priya only to find out she was missing. "Uh... Priya?"
"Okay bunny, come to mama..." Priya snuck up on the tail and dove towards it, trying to yank it out the bush but was struggling. "Ugh... this is one heavy bunny. Maybe it put on a few pounds"
"Uh, Priya? That's not a bunny!" Harvey gulped, looking at the phone one more time to confirm and followed her to the scene as the bush disassembled to reveal a bear looking behind, growling. "Oh boy..."
"It's okay. Surviving a bear encounter is easy!" Priya whispered to him as they started stepping back. "They don't want any trouble, just walk away, no contact, everything's fine..."
"He's not going away!" Harvey screamed as the bear dragged him by his feet lifting and tossing him around like a ragdoll.
"Someone do something!" Priya called out in panic as Julia showed up on queue with her phone.
"On it!" She responded as she used her head and hand to block Priya and Harvey out of the shot completely but still getting the bear.
"No way! Julia's spot on timing gets her another 8 points!" Chris updated the scoreboard as Harvey and Julia were the clear frontrunners so far.
"So... are we gonna help them?" Chef asked as he continued watching Harvey getting thrown around, hitting the floor repeatedly.
"With what?" Chris looked back at the screen and back at Chef again as Chef slapped his forehead.
"Hey bear! Let him go!" Priya yelled at the bear, getting its attention and dropping Harvey completely, his groans muffled with his face in the grass. "Wow, that actually worked."
The bear launched at Priya with its mouth wide open with Priya wasting no time in shoving her phone in its mouth to block its attack, making it stuck and distracting it with enough time for Priya to lift Harvey up and carry him away from the scene. The bear eventually chewed the phone in to bits with it pursuing the duo, running past the bush they were hiding in.
"That was a close one." Priya muttered to herself as she then proceeded to check up on Harvey. "You okay?"
"Ugh... that's now two you owe me." Harvey smiled as he rubbed his new black eye. "But wait, your phone! Didn't you want to win?"
"Forget about it, I wasn't about to let you get chewed up back there!" Priya reassured him, feeling like there were things more important than her current situation.
"And Priya's now out of the challenge! Sacrificing her phone to save her friend. Adorable! Stupid, but adorable!" Chris updated everyone publically. Since Priya doesn't have the lead, she had no shot at immunity.
CONFESSIONAL: PRIYA
"My Dad always told me that challenges came before friends, to not trust anyone. But that's just not me. Hopefully he forgives me?" She questioned nervously, feeling weird about straying from her parent's advice.
"Uh, how's your phone doing?" Priya asked nervously, not knowing if it survived that bear. To Harvey's relief, outside of a couple cracks, the phone was still in tact.
"It fell out of my pocket after the first couple throws. I guess loose pockets can be good sometimes." Harvey chucked, still in pain but glad he was still in the running. "I'll go on ahead. If I win, I promise the drama dollars are yours."
"Oh, you really don't have to-" Priya started, not wanting Harvey to help her out of pity or anything.
"Hey, you saved me twice now, don't let me be too much in your debt." Harvey reassured her as he left the scene in search for any last minute animals.
Julia was busy climbing a tree, keeping an eye out for any airborn creatures until she spotted an eagle on the next tree over. She leapt over to the same branch, waking it up but getting a picture. "Boom! Eagle! 3 points!"
The eagle screeched and pushed her off the branch, sending her flying to the ground.
"And Julia ties the score at 21! Wait, where's Zee?" Chris looked around, noticing that Zee hasn't posted in a while.
Zee was walking through a familiar part of the jungle, hoping to find what he was looking for.
"Aha! There you are!" Zee spotted the nest where a familiar Cassowary was resting.
CONFESSIONAL: ZEE
"I still feel bad for tricking that Cassowary all the way back on Boney Island, so I wanted to make things right while I had the chance." Zee explained, hoping that enough time had passed for the big bird to forgive him.
"I thought that Cassowary was sent back to Boney Island?" Chris turned to Chef, confused.
"For some reason, it just really likes it here. So the interns just gave up." Chef stated, not wanting to bring up how much hastle and pain that cost the interns.
"Oh this is gonna be good." Chris rubbed his hands together gleefully, looking forward to this exchange.
"Hey man, how've you been?" Zee greeted the sleeping bird who got woken up with wide eyes.
The Cassowary knew that voice from anywhere, instantly launching up from the nest to glare at Zee and slowly walking towards him.
"Okay, still mad, that's cool." Zee held up his hands in defense. "Look, it probably sucks that you didn't find that special someone, and I was way out of line for pretending to be that."
Zee stepped back nervously as the bird stepped closer, with it shooting daggers at him and picturing all the ways it was about to tear him in to pieces.
"But you gotta understand, I'm not ready for anything serious. I'd rather make the good times last before settling down, you know." Zee continued trying to explain himself. "But you'll find someone eventually, even if you think it's not gonna happen. Any other big bird out there would be lucky to have you as a partner."
The Cassowary slowed down, it's glaring eyes turning back to normal as it slowly took in what Zee was saying.
"So what do you say? Wanna just be friends?" Zee asked with his arms open.
The bird stopped what it was doing and tears started streaming down from its face as it started crying.
"There there. It's okay, man." Zee hugged the giant bird who returned it, almost forgetting the challenge entirely.
"Aw, now that's cute." Chef commented, feeling heart warmed by the scene as Zee and the Cassowary parted ways.
"How is he not dead?" Was the only question Chris had, almost annoyed that all the build up went out the window.
Julia kept walking along the forest and came across a bunny and a stray fish. "Aw, too cute."
She took a selfie with both of them in a shot, bagging three more points, continuing to fight Harvey for the lead.
"Ooh, an otter too? The beauty of the water." She spotted a stray otter sitting by itself taking a peaceful nap. That was 2 more points, getting her up to 26.
"I don't know why people think this is hard." She laughed as she spotted a cave in the distance. "Ooh, a cave. Animals live in caves."
CONFESSIONAL: JULIA
"Apparently people used to live in caves too." Julia gagged at the thought. "If I'd been alive back then, I'd be like 'no thanks, going to a hotel."
"Ew, it smells like a sad frat house in here." Julia covered her nose and walked past the empty cans and leftover food and came across a Velociraptor passed out on the stolen couch. "Oh hi..."
The creature lifted one eye open and one glance at Julia was enough to wake him up completely, growling at her.
"I hope you're not still mad about all that stuff about you I said online, which I will say, I didn't know was filmed and uploaded. You can thank MK for that." Julia attempted to justify herself only to be met with a roar, blowing her hair back. "Anyway, you look amazing! You need a picture. Oh wait, how about we both get one! Together! Say besties!"
Julia took the picture before running out of the cave screaming with the dinosaur hot on her tail. "GAH! GET AWAY FROM ME!"
CONFESSIONAL: JULIA
"Wow, talk about holding a grudge!" She ranted, feeling like 2 weeks was more than enough for a raptor to get over being torn apart on international TV.
As Julia ran through the campgrounds screaming, Bowie made it back to the cabins, almost out of breath from running from that goose. He spotted the guys cabin out the corner of his eye and ran towards it, running inside and closing the door with a deep breath.
"There, geese aren't indoor creatures." He stated confidently before hearing a hissing sound from behind him. "Nevermind, the internet lied to me again."
The goose got closer, knowing that Bowie had nowhere else to run away to. He took his phone out as a desperate call.
"Please, before you pummel me, can I at least get a selfie? I don't wanna go down without a single point!" Bowie begged before the goose took his phone, tossed it in the air and swallowed it whole, sealing Bowie's fate in the challenge. "Noooooooo!"
"With all those teeth, you'd think it would chew..." Chef observed, cringing at how easily the goose ate the phone.
"Bowie is out of the challenge! With a grand total of 0 points!" Chris announced as Bowie groaned, annoyed that a competitor like himself got dead last.
"Bowie's out? Awesome!" Harvey cheered from outside the cabins as he heard Bowie scream, getting launched out the window as the goose stood on the window ledge screaming. Harvey took the chance and grabbed a selfie, bagging him 12 points and catching up with Julia at the last second.
CONFESSIONAL: HARVEY
"This is it! I'm so close to winning my first challenge! And once I do, Bowie is so outta here!" Harvey stated, feeling more determined than ever.
"And time's up! And we have a tie for first! Harvey and Julia both with 33 points! I was hoping this would happen. Time for another sudden death round!" Chris announced as Chef looked confused at the adding up of the scores.
"Hang on, I thought the raptor was worth more." He asked Chris, knowing fully well it was one of the more dangerous creatures they had.
"Uh, have you seen the state of that thing? Doesn't want to attack anyone other than Julia. 7 points was already being generous." Chris explained as the raptor was already living in a cave filled with stolen snacks and drinks from the Mess Hall. Chris then went back to announcing. "To win immunity, all you have to do is get a turtle selfie, we only have one turtle on the Island and it's worth 15 points, the most out of any animal. Right now it's on the far side of the pond."
The screen was split between Julia and Harvey as they both heard the announcement. They both ran to the far side of the pond on seperate ends and eyed each other down with the turtle standing in the middle, munching on a leaf. They shot glares back and forth.
"If you let me win, I'll help you vote Bowie off." Julia spoke up as she had her phone ready, looking forward to taking him down.
"Pfft, yeah right. I know you had just as much to do with Emma going as he did. You're going down!" Harvey threatened, also having his phone out, not going down without a fight.
They both glared at each other one last time before running at each other, charging with their phones as they both launched in to each other, ending up on the floor as the turtle backflipped in to its shell, bouncing off of both their heads before landing on its feet right in front of them.
"Oh yeah. In case you were wondering, that's not just any turtle. It's a trained Jumuan Fighting Turtle." Chris whispered to the camera, wanting to keep Harvey and Julia in the dark.
Julia was the first to get up and attempted to get a picture only for the turtle to pull out a Y shaped twig, flinging it at her arm, trapping her and her phone against a tree with the stick. "Okay, you are so not normal!"
Harvey tried to get his while it seemed distracted. The turtle caught on quickly and leapt in the air, coming back down with a branch of apples, throwing them all at Harvey. "Ow! Ow! Oof! What the..."
He then whacked the phone out of Harvey's hand with a branch, causing it to go flying all the way to the top of a bush sticking out the end of a tree branch. The turtle continued beating him up with the branch, ending with it tripping him up on to the floor.
Julia laughed at the sight before getting her arm and phone free from the tree. She attempted another picture, only for the turtle to pole vault with the stick, striking her with its shell.
As this was happening, Harvey managed his climb to the top of the tree, using the adrenaline he had from the rest of the challenge to reach the branch as he slowly inched his way to his phone. The branch started to bend, almost tripping him up but luckily caught his phone in time.
"Phew, that was a close one." Harvey wiped the sweat off his forehead before coming face to face with the turtle who managed to leap all the way up on to the branch in the span of a few seconds. "Okay seriously, how did you get up here?"
It started jumping up and down on the branch, causing Harvey to lose his balance and almost fall off, clinging on with one hand as he used the other to lift his phone up. He almost had the turtle in shot before it stomped on his fingers one at a time.
"Wait! No!" Harvey tried to warn but the turtle didn't listen as it stomped the last of his fingers, forcing Harvey to let go and fall while also getting catapulted in the air thanks to the branch. It ended up screaming through the air as one more picture came in, coming from Julia as she managed to get it in the shot at the last second.
"And with a final score of 48 points, Julia has won immunity!" Chris announced with a blow of the airhorn, concluding the challenge. "I'm sure the turtle's okay."
CONFESSIONAL: JULIA
"Yes! Yes! Yes! I really needed to win today, and now that I have, I get to sit back and boot another one of these losers off." Julia bragged, already enjoying her second win. "There's no way Harvey and Bowie work together again after what went down at the last elimination, so I need them both to stick around."
BOYS CABIN: DAY #28.
Harvey, still feeling defeated from coming so close to winning, went back in to the cabin and was surprised to see it in such a mess with Bowie laying on his bed in even more of a mess.
"Woah! What happened in here?" He wondered in shock, feeling like there was a whole breaking and entering involved.
"Don't ask." Bowie gasped, laying down on the bed feeling completely drained. "Are you still planning to vote for me?"
"I dunno, looking at how bad you did today, maybe it's good for me to keep you around." Harvey laughed as he made his way out of the cabin, feeling confident enough to mock Bowie's spot.
MESS HALL: DAY #28.
It was just an hour before the elimination would trim the group down to just four people. Harvey took his evening meal and sat down with Priya, feeling as though he let her down.
"Sorry I blew it." He started off by saying, knowing how much those drama dollars meant to Priya.
"It's okay. I guess I can spend the rest of the money I saved up on last minute snacks." Priya chuckled, still feeling sad that she had blown her chance at getting to talk to her parents.
Harvey nodded, not quite rid of his guilt but glad that Priya wasn't completely torn up over it.
"Who do we vote for?" Priya asked him, wanting to be on the same page for tonight so they can make the best decision possible.
"Well you know how much I wanna get even with Bowie." Harvey stated, knowing their options were between Bowie and Zee. "Then again, Zee has done really well in the last couple challenges. And he hasn't made any enemies. I'm sure everyone who's been voted off is gonna want him to win."
"I don't feel good about voting out Zee, not after he gave me all his drama dollars!" Priya explained, feeling the weight of this decision feel like it was pinning her to the floor.
"I still wish I could help you out there. But Bowie, Emma and I spent the last of ours on snacks before the canoe challenge." Harvey let her know. "Sorry."
"It's cool. I just need some more time to think." Priya had her head on her hands in stress.
"Well I still owe you for saving my skin twice, so whoever you want out, just let me know." Harvey promised her as he finished up his food before leaving, wanting to get some last minute air before the big decision.
As Priya exited the Mess Hall soon after, Julia was awaiting her, on her phone. "Oh hey, Priya! Looking forward to tonight?"
"Ugh, what do you want?" Priya turned to her, not feeling in the mood for whatever Julia has to say.
"Wow, harsh much? Wouldn't want your parents to hear you talking to them like that, huh?" Julia folded her arms, letting Priya know that she knew everything.
"Wha... how did you...?" Priya questioned, surprised Julia found out.
"Overheard your little chatter in the confessional a couple days ago and Zee sorta spilled the beans earlier. So, you need 10 more drama dollars, right?" Julia approached her, pulling out her winnings from today's challenge. "I'd be willing to spare a few to help you out, if you vote for Zee tonight."
"Pfft, no way. You're lying!" Priya dismissed, though couldn't ignore the thoughts in the back of her mind that were telling her that this was a tempting offer.
"Fine, don't believe me?" Julia pulled out 5 drama dollars and handed them to her on the spot. "Bowie and I are voting Zee, so your vote wll decide it. I'll give you the other five if he leaves."
"Is that what this is about? You think bribing me with money is gonna get me to turn on one of my closest friends?" Priya tried to shake off any lingering doubts, knowing that there was always an ulterior motive with Julia.
"If you want me to be honest, I think it makes sense for you to want that phone call, I get it." Julia responded, but before Priya could ask the obvious question about how, she explained further. "Before I became an influencer, my dad wanted me to take over his bakery. But I had a good idea that if I went there, I'd be stuck there until I grew old and pruny. But I decided to be selfish and made a name for myself. Maybe it's time you be selfish too and put your parents in their place."
"So what? You're saying I need to think for myself? That my parents are just horrible people?" Priya gathered from Julia's short story, her anger flaring with assumptions.
"Hey, if you don't believe me, you can call them to find out for yourself. I'm just giving you one last chance, and if I were you, I'd be stupid not to take it." Julia shrugged, leaving Priya with more to think about than she wanted to as Julia headed off back to her cabin. "See you at the campfire!"
Julia's smile grew as she crossed paths with Zee who was on his way to the Mess Hall. He then noticed Priya looking as if she was on the verge of a mental breakdown, he approached her and offered up an extra soda.
"Here, sorry you didn't win today." Zee said to her. Priya looked up and took a few seconds before accepting the soda, feeling as though she might need it. "Hey, maybe we can hang out later tonight if you're still feeling down."
"Thanks, that sounds nice..." Priya responded. She watched him head in to the Mess Hall, still as upbeat as ever which Priya grew slightly envious about, almost wishing she was in his shoes and could be that happy right now.
Her mind went towards many memories. Her and Zee making that friendship bracelet, their hike up the mountain, their ride back down, and her and Harvey when they went to the infirmary to see what turned out to be his sister.
She took a deep breath and glanced at the soda, noticing something off about it. There was a friendship bracelet wrapped around it, identical to the one he gave her yesterday. She held it up and placed it around her wrist.
CONFESSIONAL: PRIYA
"Zee has been one of my best friends out here. If I don't win, I'd love to see him go all the way and win the money. But I have a real shot to turn everything around for myself." Priya's voice shook with sadness as she spoke, hating that she was the one deciding not only who went home, but how her life could potentially turn out because of it. "And will my parents even listen to me? I... I don't know."
CAMPFIRE CEREMONY 14: NIGHT #28.
Everyone was all scratched up and beat up after the challenge, and while some wounds healed, their nerves remained the same. All except for Julia who was enjoying how uncomfortable everyone else was feeling going in to tonight. They even passed the gravestone of the turtle during the tiebreaker which got flung across the jungle with Harvey feeling slightly guilty over it.
"Wow, turtle killer much?" Julia shook her head at him in mock sadness as they all sat down.
"Okay you and I both know that turtle wasn't normal." Harvey tried telling the group. "It was like some sorta ninja turtle!"
"A ninja turtle?" Zee scratched his head. "Who would come up with that?"
"I didn't do it on purpose! Do I look like someone who can throw a turtle that far?" Harvey pointed to his lack of muscle on his arm which was more scratched up after today. "I can't even throw a bowling ball without getting cramps!"
"And five shall soon become four as we say farewell to one more!" Chris interrupted their chatter to get the ball rolling. "It's been a rough day. But when I look at your bruised faces, I think it was all worth it. Chef?"
"Priya, Zee worked real hard on that friendship bracelet, and you gave it away to a crocodile?" Chef started off with her as she rolled her eyes.
"Yeah? To save Harvey from being in its stomach!" Priya reminded him as Harvey smiled weakly at her act.
"Meh, that's all I had on you today." Chef shrugged as he moved on with his shortlist. "Bowie, you caught a lot of eyes last time we were here by voting off your BFF. Forget what Harvey did, now THAT's the biggest backstabber that ever stabbed a back."
CONFESSIONAL: BOWIE
"Okay, do I regret how that turned out? Yes. Would I do it again if I knew it was the right decision? Also yes." Bowie nodded, not completely regretting his decision to turn on the alliance. "Doesn't make me any less nervous about tonight..."
"Zee, you spent almost the whole challenge taking pictures of random stuff around the Island And sending them in the group chat! You even spent 10 minutes hugging a Cassowary that wasn't even on the list!" Chef called on Zee for more of his seemingly random antics during the entire hour.
CONFESSIONAL: ZEE
"I never knew how great I was at taking pictures. I even got one of me and that Cassowary after the challenge!" Zee showed a picture of the two hugging it out on the phone that he still had.
"And Harvey. You killed a baby turtle!" Chef wrapped up as Harvey once again let out a deep sigh over this, knowing this was purposefully being blown out of proportion.
CONFESSIONAL: HARVEY
"Whatever! It had it coming. And what's the point of you having a shell protecting your body if you can't even survive falling out of a tree!" Harvey ranted, hoping to not actually get voted out because of this.
"Alright campers, a marshmallow takes you to the final 4. No marshmallow means you're droning on home!" Chris took the plate containing three marshmallows as Harvey, Bowie, Priya and Zee all watched on with nervous expressions.
"Priya."
"Harvey."
"You're both safe." Harvey shot his fists in the air as Priya looked at him with a thumbs up, marshmallow already in her mouth. Meanwhile the remaining two were awaiting the final result "Bowie and Zee, for one of you, the million dollar journey ends tonight. And the last marshmallow goes to..."
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"Bowie!"
Bowie let out a sigh as he snagged the last marshmallow, shocked that he actually scraped by. Zee's face fell in comparison, not believing it was finally over for him.
"Zee, it's time to go!" Chris informed the soda drinker before getting met with a hug from him.
"Don't cry, Chris!" Zee did his best to comfort the host who clearly didn't need it.
"Wasn't going to." Chris responded in deadpan, waiting for his personal space to be returned.
"That's because you're very strong." Zee released him as Chris let out a laugh, thinking that Zee was trying to make a joke.
"Nope, it's because I care very little about people. Come on!" Chris walked off as Zee turned to the surviving players.
"Well, I'll miss you guys. Bring it in!" Zee held out his arms. Priya let out a tearful smile and a shrug as her and Harvey got up to give him one last hug. Not even Bowie and Julia could deny that they'll miss him as they went and joined in.
After their group hug, Zee brought out the same phone from the challenge and grabbed one last photo with everyone, each with their own unique pose.
"Oh yeah, we're gonna need that back." Chris advised as Zee gave the phone back to Chef as Chris lead him out. Harvey and Bowie both headed back to the cabins with mixed emotions while Julia walked up to Priya.
"Pleasure doing business with you. Here you go." Julia handed over the remaining 5 drama dollars Priya needed for the phone call. Priya could only watch as Zee was being lead out, feeling absolutely horrible, but knowing there was no turning back now.
CONFESSIONAL: ZEE
"Not gonna lie, I lasted a lot longer than I thought I would. What a wild ride! Got to fly through an electrical storm, drink disgusting cow liquid, won a challenge by doing nothing, and even had a brief relationship with a large bird!" Zee recapped, remembering all of his favorite moments while he was here.
"Yup, I didn't win the million bucks but uh, I wouldn't change a thing!" He finished before looking around, appearing surprised. "Wait, how did I get in here? Wasn't I just on the dock?"
Zee was then grabbed by the back of his shirt by the drone that carried him off as Chris bid him farewell. "They say nice guys finish last, but sometimes they're the 14th person to get carried off by a drone."
"The turtle's not actually dead, is it?" Chef appeared and asked Chris, wanting to make sure there wasn't going to be any problems with the media.
"Pfft, of course not. I had one of the interns fish him out of the sea earlier, he's perfectly fine." Chris reassures Chef with his traditional smile.
The scene briefly cuts to an intern all beat up, laying on the ground with a fish net tangled around him. The turtle stood opposite him, giving away the stink eye as he slowly walked off.
"With only one challenge left before our big finale but plenty of drama left to come, who will make our final 3? How will Priya's phone call with her parents go? What will Bowie do with Millie's notebook and the rest of these loaded confessionals? And will Harvey continue to be this season's punching bag? That one should be a no brainer. Regardless, keep finding out, next time, on Total! Drama! Island!"
Before the episode could close off, Bowie made sure he was alone at the cabins as Harvey was brushing his teeth and Priya and Julia were hanging back at the campfire. Once he knew the coast was clear, he entered the girls side of what used to be the Trout cabin and approached Millie's old bed.
"Come on... I know it's here somewhere..." He talked to himself as he lifted the pillow and searched under the bed. He then lifted the mattress and his eyes lit up as he held the notebook in his hands. "Bingo..."
VOTES.
Bowie - Zee
Harvey - Zee
Julia - Zee
Priya - Zee
Zee - Bowie
18TH - CALEB
17TH - AXEL
16TH - NICHELLE
15TH - LAUREN
14TH - MILLIE
13TH - DAMIEN
12TH - WAYNE
11TH - RIPPER
10TH - CASSIDY
9TH - RAJ
8TH - CHASE
7TH - MK
6TH - EMMA
5TH - ZEE
Kinda surprised at how long this ended up being, I was expecting this to be one of my shorter ones lol. I did originally have Harvey win this challenge, having his lack of challenge skills at the start of the season come full circle and repaying his debt to Priya and the two were just convinced to vote Zee for being the bigger threat, but that just didn't sit well enough for me, and plus I remembered Julia's only had 1 immunity win this whole season so far so wanted to give that a bit of a boost.
And so after a couple challenge wins, we officially lose Zee here. Many of you probably saw this happening coming in to the episode, especially with Priya's conflict near the end. I initially didn't have much of an idea of what to do with him and as such he was planned to go earlier, either in Episodes 6 or 10 and have Damien or Raj make it further instead, but I wanted to give his character more of a chance this time around since while a lot of people do like him, he's always just thrown in to the early boot fodder category in a lot of Season 2 or Season 3 stories since they don't know what to actually do with his character story wise. And I wasn't sure what to do with him either until I realised how well he bounced off of so many characters and actually made them more enjoyable, especially Ripper and Chase. And as such, probably the character I've improved the most here outside of MK.
Now the only question I'm left with to ask after this episode, did Priya make the right choice?
Just two episodes left now. Gonna be so weird when this is actually finished but also exciting because it means I can take a break from thinking about this story until I decide to start work on Season 2.
Until next time, see you whenever!