We don't own Total Drama, only our OC's.
Revolting Raccoons: Fernando, Butch, Lin, Lucille, David, Ilyria, Eddy, Byron, Brittany, Juliette, Dante, and Antonio
Oblivious Owls: Lila, Tracy, Trish, Shauna, Christopher, Spikke, Brad, Dianne, Matthew, Mackenzie, and Tatiana
"Last time on Total Drama Canadian Travels…" Chris began the famous recap, as he stood with Alexis, Jenny, and Chef Hatchet.
"Our two teams faced their first challenge, which was a mix of skee-ball and baseball mixed into one!" Alexis exclaimed.
"The Revolting Raccoons easily dominated the challenge; which meant that the Oblivious Owls had to face elimination; and in a 8-3-1 vote, it was the annoying geek, Adam who got the boot. Good riddance."
"With 23 contestants left, things are only gonna get harder! Will the Revolting Raccoons continue their win streak, or will they be facing elimination? Find out, on this episode of…Total! Drama! CANADIAN TRAVELS!"
Dear Mom and Dad I'm doing fine,
You guys are on my mind.
You asked me what I wanted to be
and now I think the answer is plain to see,
I wanna be famous.
I wanna live close to the sun,
Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won,
Everything to prove, nothing in my way
I'll get there one day.
Cause, I wanna be famous!
Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na!
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous
Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na! (as can be heard in the background)
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous
(Whistling in tune)
Episode 3: Off To The Rodeo
Toronto, Ontario
Oblivious Owls
The Oblivious Owls would be sitting around the lobby of the hotel they were staying in. Everyone would be moving to the location of the next challenge by bus in the morning.
"Well, we've gotten rid of Adam," Dianne sighed. "Now what?"
"Now we make sure to win the next challenge and make sure we don't put ourselves in a position to vote someone else off." Brad replied.
"That's right," Matthew said. "We need to try and figure out what the challenge will be. So, any ideas?"
"The challenge will depend on wherever we go. If it's in a city, it might have to do with any major landmarks or specific locations. If it's in a rural area, expect it to involve a wider space." Tatiana answered, sinking into her seat and crossing her arms.
"I, for one, am hoping for something where we can get our hands dirty a bit. Like maybe a cook-off or something," Christopher said.
"Or what if it's about showing off talents? I would love another talent show," Mackenzie smiled.
"I'm actually hoping it's in the country, like Tatiana said. If it is then I can definitely do a lot more than I did today!" Tracy said with a grin.
"I mean, you did pretty well in the challenge, that's for sure," Spikke smiled at the country girl.
"That's an understatement, you were probably one of the best members of the team today!" Shauna added.
"Aww, you're just trying to butter me up!" Tracy blushed. "But at least out in the country I'll know what I'm doing. I've never been outside of the small town I call home before. This is all new to me."
"I was in a similar situation as you," Spikke said, before telling the rest of the new members of the team what had happened to him while he was growing up. Once he finished, he managed to get Lila to smile for the first time that night.
"I… I know how that feels." She admitted.
"You do?" Spikke asked.
"Well, sort of." Lila continued. "At least the part about being in a place you're not used to."
Revolting Raccoons
Byron yawned as he would go to bed, tired from the challenge. Chris had informed them that they would be changing roommates in each different location. He looked over at Butch. "It'll be sad not being roommates with you, honestly."
"Yeah, well, it's not the end of the world." He shrugged. "Doesn't mean we won't see each other again tomorrow."
"That's true. Who are you hoping to room with next?" Byron asked as he sat on his bed.
"Doesn't matter to me. I mean the only new guys that I don't really know are you and Eddy, so I guess bunking with him gives me a chance to talk to him. Other than that I've at least talked to the other boys. I'd say maybe I wouldn't want to bunk with Fernando, but he hasn't pulled anything shady. At least not yet."
"I heard about last season. Didn't he play with some girl's heart?" Byron asked, taking off his glasses to clean them, so that he didn't have to do it in the morning.
"Yeah, Abbi… er, Abigail. Dante's current girlfriend." Butch began. "I'd say her full name but it's a mouthful. He played with her and it ended up with Joseph slamming him through a table after he got a kick in the nuts. All in all, a fun time. Not sure if he's calmed down and thought about what he did since then, but it's not my problem unless he wants to make it my problem."
"I wouldn't want to be kicked in the nuts," Bryon shivered. "That would be painful, wouldn't it?" he asked.
"Obviously." The brute nodded.
"Did that happen to you?" Byron asked.
"Pretty sure it's happened to most guys at least once. Whether they deserved it or not. Unless you mean the 'getting slammed through a table' part, in which case, no."
"That's not what I meant…" Byron sighed. "Did you get kicked in the nuts?"
"'Course I have! With how many fights I've been in, at least one guy plays dirty or does a cowardly move like that!"
"Oh my goodness," Byron let out, wide-eyed.
"You telling me you haven't?"
"Huh?" Byron raised an eyebrow.
"You've never been kicked in the balls before?"
"No," Byron replied, growing just a bit nervous.
"Hah! You're lucky." Butch laughed. "Anyway, I'm gonna go see who I'm bunking with tonight, later!"
"Alright, see you. I guess I'll do the same." The blogger headed down to the lobby, where the new pairings would be.
"We've decided to switch things up a bit; so some of you might be rooming with someone of the opposite sex," Chris said. "I mean, you're all adults; as long as you're not going to do anything illegal…"
"Speak for yourself," Ilyria grumbled, as she took a look at the list.
Pairings for Next Location: Calgary, Alberta
Revolting Raccoons
Butch and Juliette
David and Lin
Fernando and Antonio
Dante and Lucille
Eddy and Brittany
Ilyria and Byron
Oblivious Owls
Mackenzie and Tatiana
Trish and Dianne
Shauna and Matthew
Brad and Tracy
Lila and Spikke
Christopher-Solo room
"Huh. Interesting room pairings," Ilyria said, looking at the rest of her team.
"I get a room to myself? Cool!" Christopher grinned.
Juliette winked over at Butch, giving him a smile that he returned right back to her.
"Does someone have a crush?" Ilyria grinned at the brawler.
"Ah, shush." Butch replied, playfully pushing the spy.
Ilyria laughed a bit. "Hey, it's the truth!"
Lucille went over to Dante. "I guess we're roommates, huh?"
"I suppose so." Dante smiled.
Brittany would just nod over at Eddy, who silently nodded back.
"Looks like our rooming situation hasn't changed," Antonio looked over at Fernando.
"Apparently so, though I don't think that's truly a problem. We don't have any personal issues against each other." The model shrugged.
"That's true," the soccer player nodded.
Ilyria glanced over at Lin. "Will you be okay with David as your roommate?"
"It'll be interesting having a relative of last season's winner as a roommate, but it should be fine." The shorter girl replied.
"I wish I could room with him," Byron sighed dreamily.
"Someone's a bit eager. Maybe we'll bunk with each other another day." David giggled before turning to Lin. "For now though, I hope you don't mind dorming with a guy."
"As long as you don't try anything funny, you'll be fine." Lin shrugged. "But you don't seem like the type to do that."
Ilyria grinned a bit. "You like him," she said to Byron.
"Huh?" the blogger let out.
"It's so obvious," the spy grinned.
The blogger blushed. "I mean, he is hot…"
"Of course he likes him." Butch interjected. "I mean he wasn't exactly subtle back at the baseball field."
Byron blushed again. "I'm gay, so I don't feel any romantic attraction to women."
"Like I said, not subtle." Butch shrugged. "Now I'm no relationship expert or anything, but I think you should at least talk to him a bit more before you shoot your shot."
"I mean, I can try. I'm a bit of a smooth-talker," Byron smiled.
"Of course you are," Ilyria playfully rolled her eyes.
"Okay people, get to bed!" Chris shouted. "We've got a very early morning; you'll have to wake up by 4AM so we can get the bus by 4:45AM! We'll be going to Calgary, Alberta!"
"Alberta, huh?" Dianne smiled. "That sounds like fun!"
"Well, I need my beauty sleep. Are you coming, Butch?" Juliette glanced over at the brawler.
"Right behind you!" Butch smirked.
Juliette giggled, walking over to the elevators, swaying her hips. Butch followed her, sneaking a peek at her rear.
"It's so obvious Butch likes Juliette," Ilyria grinned at Lin.
"Relax there, Tiger." Lin called at the brute.
"What?!" Butch replied, looking back at the girls with an embarrassed blush. "I wasn't doing nothin'!"
"Sure you weren't," Ilyria grinned. With the elevator now having gone up, Butch grumbled to himself as he took the stairs.
"I know girls typically don't like guys looking at them like that…" Lin began. "But it would be nice to at least get some attention from men."
"Oh?" Ilyria smiled.
"I mean, look at me." Lin continued. "I'm 19 with an A-cup. I don't really have the curves that guys are into."
"Maybe you just have to find the one who just makes you happy," Ilyria said. "Some boys just want a girl based on their personality."
"Maybe." Lin shrugged, looking over at Eddy for a moment before she and Ilyria received a message on the communicator she received after joining HAP.
'Hey, how are things with the show? - Carlos'
'Things are great.' Ilyria messaged back. 'No signs of anything going on.'
'Everything's ok on our end.' Lin added.
'Cool, I'll check in with you if anything happens, or if you two just want to talk.'
'Thanks, Carlos.' Ilyria messaged back. 'We've got an early morning, so we need to get to sleep.'
'Understood, you two have a good night.'
As the two put away their communicators, Lin couldn't help but hum to herself.
"Usually we only get messages from Command." She noted.
"Yes, but sometimes, we also use it to chat with one another," Ilyria said.
"True. I wonder what made Carlos want to reach out to us so suddenly. He hasn't been assigned to anything, at least to my knowledge."
"I think he likes you," Ilyria smiled.
"Oh?" The shorter girl replied, glancing over at Eddy, who was waiting for the elevator. "Well… I, uh, may need to think about that…"
"I mean, Carlos just has his dog, and twin siblings," Ilyria said. "The tattoo he has is in honor of his parents; and if he does have kids; he wants to name them after his parents."
"And that right there is a little thing I like to call 'TMI'..." Lin replied, heading to one of the elevators.
"Oh, come on! Isn't it sweet that he wants to honor his parents?" the spy asked.
"I mean, it is, but I didn't need to know that right now. If anything he could have told me that himself when he felt comfortable enough to tell me. I don't think he appreciates a coworker telling me and the entire viewing world that…"
"Maybe you're right…" Ilyria would head towards the elevators along with Lin.
The next morning, on the way to Calgary, Alberta…
(Eddy and Dianne)
Dianne yawned as she sat on the bus, rubbing her eyes. Both teams sat on one large coach bus.
"Hey, this seat taken?" A voice called out to her, waking her up a bit more.
Dianne looked up, seeing Eddy standing by her. "No, it's free," she replied.
"Cool." He replied, taking the seat. "So, uh, how'd you sleep?"
"The mattress was really hard," Dianne groaned. "I'm used to my soft bed back home."
"Yeah, I get what you mean, my bed back home is way better than the ones at that joint." The short boy huffed.
"I mean, I did have to spend most of my teenage life at the hospital, so that was annoying," Dianne sighed.
"Must've been rough." Eddy said, giving the girl a sympathetic look.
"It was. It was worse not having my parents around, but I had my brother, my aunt, uncle, and my cousin," Dianne let out.
"Good to know that we have something in common then: a brother that's there for you."
"William's really kind," Dianne smiled. "He helped me get through the pain of losing my hair during chemotherapy. He shaved his hair off, and it made me feel better."
"It's definitely not on the same level as that but after my brother got deployed, I figured I'd sign up for this show. I saw it as my own type of 'deployment', y'know since being on this show can be its own type of war."
"I can see, especially since we're on different teams," Dianne nodded.
"Speaking of which, I'm surprised nobody's saying anything about us talking right now." Eddy noted.
"I mean, it should be fine, right?" Dianne smiled a little, running a hand through her hair. "I mean, most of the people on my team are already in relationships."
"Mine too, I guess it helps that a lot of our teammates are friends with each other."
"Do you have your eyes on anyone yet?" Dianne asked, smiling a little.
"Hmm… Nah, I don't think so. Not yet anyway." Eddy shrugged.
"Are you sure?" Dianne continued. "I mean you called Lin cute on the first night."
"Hey, I was drunk!"
"A cute drunk," Dianne giggled, before blushing. "S-sorry…"
"See, now I'm not sure if that was a compliment or if you were making a joke about what I said." Eddy laughed.
"I mean, it can be both," Dianne smiled a little. "Most jokes aren't always mean. They can be nice."
"I guess." Eddy shrugged, smiling at the girl.
(Fernando and Mackenzie)
The YouTuber had her guitar with her, strumming it softly.
"You're quite talented." Fernando commented.
"Is that so?" Mackenzie huffed. "You're not trying to play with my heart, are you?"
"No, no. I have no intentions of doing that. Believe me, I'd rather not have to deal with both you and your brother's bad sides. Getting slammed through a table is enough of a deterrent to doing that."
"Why should I believe you?" Mackenzie asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because I gain nothing from trying to flirt with you." Fernando admitted. "Doing the same strategy I did last time is rather obvious. Even then I blew my own cover and suffered because of it. Nobody trusts me and because of that it wouldn't make sense to do that again. So this time I'm doing it the honest way. Less painful."
Mackenzie sighed. "Fine, I suppose I believe you. Sit."
The model sat down next to her, though kept his distance.
"Can you play the guitar?" Mackenzie asked.
"No, my agent says it's better to not risk damaging my hands by growing calluses."
"Oh," Mackenzie frowned. "I mean, that is true…but don't you have any hobbies?"
"I do play the clarinet in my spare time, and I am quite fond of literature."
Mackenzie snickered a bit. "Let me guess, you like reading 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens, am I right? It suits you."
"Yes, actually." Fernando replied, a hint of a smile growing on his face. "You might find this funny, actually, but in the year between the last season and this one, I spent a bit of time with my uncle. I seem to have picked up his habit of saying the titles of books instead of swearing."
"Oh? Then what book do you think suits me?" Mackenzie raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not quite sure yet. I would have to get to know you more before I decide something like that."
"Well, I do like romance novels," Mackenzie smiled playfully. "If you want to start from there, handsome."
"Hmm, maybe I should." Fernando remarked before the bus rumbled after hitting a nasty pothole. "Great Gatsby!" The model shouted.
Mackenzie laughed a bit.
*Confessionals*
Mackenzie: "Okay, so maybe Fernando isn't so bad after all."
*static*
Fernando: "Perhaps now I won't be a pariah amongst the rest of the cast… Hmm, isn't Lin's last name Paraeah? Paraeah, pariah… Funny."
*End Confessionals*
Byron and David
"Did you sleep well?" the blogger asked the photographer.
"About as well as anyone can sleep on a firm mattress. I heard Dianne complaining about them earlier."
"Yeah, I feel bad for her," Byron sighed. "I mean, my bed at home is a queen size too, so I can't blame her."
"Really? Heh, y'know it's kind of funny when you hear this but, Joseph sleeps on a king size bed."
"It fits, considering he is a king of sorts," Byron laughed.
"I know!" David added, laughing along with him.
"I can't believe someone like you has such a sexy laugh," Byron winked a little. "It's hot, don't you think?"
David frowned, looking down a bit. "Listen, I appreciate the compliments, but… after what we heard last night with my cousin and Lucille, I think we should take things a bit slow…"
"Oh…yeah…" Byron looked down. "I guess you're right…"
"Don't get me wrong, you're a really sweet guy! But with them having their troubles right now and you coming on a tad bit strongly, I'm just a bit overwhelmed. I mean, we just met."
"Yeah, I'm sorry…I'm a bit of a flirt when it comes to meeting a cute boy," Byron frowned, trying not to hide his disappointment. "It's hard trying not to flirt…"
"Oh, you just got excited, that's all!" David assured. "There's nothing wrong with that. For now though, let's just do our best in the challenge!"
Byron nodded, flashing a smile, before reaching into a bag and pulling out an eye mask. "I think I'm gonna snooze a little bit longer…" He removed his glasses, before he lowered the eye mask down on his face, falling asleep.
As Byron began to softly snore, David turned his attention to the window showing the landscape outside. It was moving too quickly to take a good picture, but David certainly took in the scenery. Out of the corner of his eye, however, he caught the reflection of an eye in the glass. As he turned around to look at the seat behind him, David saw Lila, looking out of the window with a forlorn look on her face.
"Hey, are you doing alright?" Lila snapped out of her daze and tried smiling at the photographer.
"Ah, good morning David! Yes, I'm eve-... Y-Yes, I'm fine…"
"You sure? You seem a little… I don't know, lost in thought?"
"Well, I, um, had a bit of a rough night…"
"Hmm, well your team better not hear you say that. They might vote you off if you're like this the whole day." David explained before returning to his seat.
"Right…" Lila sighed.
A couple of hours later…
Calgary, Alberta…
The buses would arrive in Calgary, Alberta, and the teams would leave it. When they stepped off the bus, they found themselves in a rodeo area; where there were horses grazing about; and cowboys doing their things, with a lasso and throwing it around poles. Other riders would be jumping over poles with their horses.
"Welcome to the rodeo!" Chris announced. "Today's challenge will involve you guys tacking up the horses properly and going through an obstacle course."
"We'll have one of the riders show you all the course, but for now, let's head down over to the barn so you can choose the horse you'll be riding for your team!" the host continued.
"Thank goodness Rebekah's not here…she literally freaked out over the horse last season," Brittany smirked a little.
"Really? She was that scared?" Tracy asked, her eyes bright and cheerful at the sight of the rodeo. "How can anyone be so scared of horses, they're great!"
"Apparently she was nearly trampled by one when she was younger," the mob boss shrugged. "She swore a lot when she rode a lap around the beach during the fear factor challenge. But I digress."
Dianne smiled a little, looking over at her team. "We need to get a win. I don't want us to face elimination again."
"Given where we are right now, I have a good idea of what the challenge might include." Tatiana began. "With that being the case, when you look at who's on our team, we might have a good chance."
"Right, with Tracy, she might help lead us to a win," Mackenzie nodded.
Down at the barn, there would be many horses in their stalls, along with people grooming them, using shovels to clean up their poop, and using a hoof pick to clean their hoofs. A member of the barn staff approached them.
"You guys are the show people? Welcome. We have two horses ready; a black stallion named Apollo; and a brown mare named Lily."
"Raccoons, since you won the last challenge, you get to have the pick of which horse you get!" Chris grinned.
Brittany would gather the team in a huddle. "So? Which horse should we go with?"
"We need to pick the one that can help us win the challenge," Ilyria said.
"They're horses, does it really matter?" Eddy asked.
"He's got a point." Butch added with a shrug. "I mean it shouldn't really make a difference."
"I, for one, think we should go with Apollo. It sounds like a really powerful name," Juliette said. "Unless you all want to go with Lily…"
"Let's take a vote." Ilyria said. "If you want to go with Apollo, put your hands up. Keep them down if you don't want to go with Apollo."
Juliette would raise her hand to vote for Apollo.
Brittany would also raise her hand to vote for Apollo and would be joined by most of the others, some of whom shrugged, not really caring which horse they ended up with.
"So, are we in agreement?" Ilyria asked. "David?"
"No complaints here." The photographer shrugged.
"How about you, Lin?" the spy asked.
"I think I'm with the majority here in saying I don't care which horse we get."
"We're going with Apollo," Brittany said.
"Alright! Owls, you get Lily!" Alexis said.
"Apollo requires a gel half-pad, while Lily requires a regular half-pad. I'll show you all to the tack room," the barn staff member said, as she led them over to a room. "Each horse has a different number saddle. Some horses share one saddle. Others don't. It usually depends on the horse. Luckily, with the horses you guys have; none of them have another horse assigned to their saddle. Apollo gets saddle # 6. Lily gets saddle # 8. Each of the saddles have numbers below them, so you can see where they go. All the horses each have their own girth and bridle; labeled with their names."
"What else do we need?" Matthew raised his hand.
"You'll also need a saddle pad, it's like a little blanket that goes before the half-pads," the staff member said.
"You guys will have to watch as another member of staff will show you all how to properly tack up the horse," the same staff member said. "But first before you tack up; you have to groom the horse with the curry comb, and the regular brush, to clean off any dirt from the horse. After that, you have to use the hoof pick to clean their hooves. Once that is done, then you can start tacking up. Does that make sense?"
"Easy!" Tracy nodded.
"She thinks that's easy?!" Trish whispered to Shauna. "That sounds like a lot of work."
"Horses are a lot of work to take care of. They're not like cats and dogs." The dancer whispered back.
"Pay attention, because we are only going to demonstrate this once," the barn staff said, as the teens would look as another staff member began to groom the horse, clean the hooves, and do the whole tack up process. It took around 15 to 20 minutes for the whole process to be complete.
"And that's how it's done. Are you guys ready?" the barn staff member asked.
"I'm ready," Dianne said, looking over at her team, most of them looked ready to start as well.
"And go!" the staff member announced.
Almost immediately, Brittany would grab a curry comb. "Okay, let's all work together," she said. "We need to win again."
"So, where do we start?" Eddy asked.
"Byron, you and David can use the hoof pick to pick Apollo's hooves. The rest of you, grab a comb so we can groom this horse," Brittany said.
"On it!" David assured as he lifted up Apollo's front hoof, getting some resistance from the horse as he did. The photographer glanced up to the horse's face, only to be met with an angry glare and a huff.
"Nice horse…" Byron let out, gently raising the back hoof to clean it. "There we go…"
The beast huffed from its nose again as it sent a sharp glare towards the blogger, but remained still.
"Two hooves down…two more to go," Byron let out.
As the Raccoons continued cleaning Apollo, the Owls were busy cleaning Lily, with Tracy and Lila making quick work of her hooves.
"Oh wow, nice job!" Mackenzie let out, as she was using a curry comb to brush the mare, who was calm the entire time.
"What can I say?" Tracy shrugged. "I did stuff like this all the time back home!"
"That doesn't exactly explain why Lila's so good at this, too." Brad noted, getting the redhead to perk up slightly.
"Oh, um, my mother showed me how to treat farm animals. She was raised on one herself. It was eve-, I mean it… it was fun…"
Brad and Tatiana both raised an eyebrow at the shorter redhead's rather depressed sounding response.
"Guys, we have to focus," Dianne let out, as she continued brushing Lily's mane.
"I'm surprised this horse is so calm about so many people brushing and cleaning her up like this." Shauna noted. "How are you holding up, Trish?"
The posh princess was carefully brushing Lily's mane with a very distressed and hesitant look before faking a smile and giving her teammate a thumbs up.
*Confessional*
Trish: "Okay, so it's not that I don't like horses or anything, but they can get really dirty, right? Besides, I am definitely not dressed for something like this!"
*End Confessional*
Back with the Raccoons, they had finished grooming Apollo and were about to get started on tacking up the horse.
"So we need to put the saddle pad on first before we put the half-pad on," Brittany muttered.
"I got it." Eddy assured as he tried putting the saddle pad onto Apollo, but the horse's height and stature made it difficult for him to reach, causing him to fall face first onto the barn floor. "Nobody say anything…" He hissed as he dusted himself off.
"Try again," Brittany said gently.
"I got it." Dante said, taking over for Eddy, who sulked to himself as he looked away from his team. He couldn't help but notice both Lin and Ilyria giggling at him before they both turned away when he noticed them.
Once the saddle pad was on the horse, the next step was the half-pad, which Butch and Fernando managed to put on with relative ease, the former keeping a close eye on the latter.
"Okay, the saddle's pretty heavy, but I think we can manage to put it on if we work together," Brittany said. "Who wants to help me?"
"I got it." Antonio replied as he and Juliette helped Brittany secure the saddle. Over on the Owls side, Lila had just finished securing the saddle on her own, much to the surprise of most of her team.
"Where'd you learn to do all of that?" Shauna asked.
"Oh, my mom and dad used to live on a farm in Georgia, over in the U.S.. It was eve-, I mean, It was really nice over there… We eventually had to move over to the big city though…"
"As riveting as I'm sure your story is, let's make sure we finish this first." Brad noted.
"Next up is the girth, which will secure the saddle," Mackenzie remembered from the demonstration. "After that, we need to check the stirrups. If one of us has to ride, we need to make sure they're even."
"And they have to be comfortable too. I hope whoever gets chosen to ride will be able to change into proper riding gear," Dianne let out.
"That should be easy!" Tracy nodded, easily securing the girth. "If we get to choose who'll ride then I can take care of it."
"How long have you been riding, Tracy?" Matthew asked.
"Ever since I was around… six, I want to say? Not quite sure." The country girl shrugged. "I started out with the smaller ponies before riding the adult horses."
"Impressive. Are you able to do tricks while riding?" Christopher asked.
"Heck yeah! I mean, I try not to do it too much so I don't tire out the horses, but I know how to guide them to do tricks that range from simple to maybe middle-of-the-road difficulty."
"I see." Brad nodded. "I guess you'll be our best bet for a jockey then."
"The word you were looking for was 'intermediate', by the way." Tatiana added.
"Right, right," Matthew nodded. "Okay, now that that's done…I guess we should check the stirrups? Then bridle the horse?"
"Sounds like a plan!" Shauna agreed.
"Anything to get this over with…" Trish sighed, brushing some hay off of her.
"Mew!" The team would soon get distracted by one of the barn kitties, who had decided to drop down and roll around nearby.
"Ahh, too cute!" The dancer and posh girl squealed simultaneously.
"Apparently, barn kitties are adorable," Dianne giggled. Once the kitten was satisfied with rolling around on the floor it looked at the Owl team for a moment, sniffing a few of them before making its way over to Lila and brushing up against her ankles.
"Hehe, aww, hi there!" The redhead greeted the cat, softly petting its head.
The kitten would purr at this, though a few of the Owls rolled their eyes.
"Lila, let's focus," Spikke said calmly.
"O-Oh, of course!"
*Confessionals*
Dianne: "I still think that there's a bit of tension, especially with Lila. I wonder what's going on inside her head… I just don't know what it is, but there's just something about her that's too perfect. Some of us talked about her just having this weird… aura around her, I guess."
*static*
Shauna: "I guess even animals like that girl. It's weird, even though she didn't really do all that well in the last challenge, she still somehow made herself look good. Like, she has really nice hair, a nice outfit, and she's pleasant to be around, it's just really weird. But it shouldn't really be an issue for now, right? I mean with this challenge now we have Tracy and she's really pulling her weight here!"
*static*
Tatiana: "Okay, that's the second time I've caught some of our team glaring at that girl. No idea why, but her overall demeanor might be the reason why, she comes across as someone that's likeable… too likeable. Her being way too nice and too social might give the others the wrong idea. That, coupled with her poor performance yesterday, explains why she was in the bottom two and why she's been so down today. Whether or not this becomes a bigger issue remains to be seen."
*static*
Trish: "Okay, I'll admit, seeing a kitty here almost makes this challenge worth it."
*End Confessionals*
Back with the Raccoons, they were just about to bridle the horse. Brittany scowled a little, trying to untangle the reins. "Why does this have to be so damn hard to untangle?"
"Calm down, Brittany!" Lucille let out.
"Sorry," the mob boss huffed.
"Uh, here, let me get that." David said, hurrying over and untangling the knot and easing at least some of Brittany's stress.
"Thanks, David," Brittany said. "I appreciate it."
"'Course! Gotta keep things moving, as Joseph always says!" The photographer smiled. "So, what's left?"
"Putting this on, of course. We need to remove the cross ties to put the reins over the head, remove the halter, and make sure the horse has the bit in its mouth," Brittany said. "We cannot fasten the throat latch too tightly, so we should leave about 4 inches of slack. For the noseband, we should at least be able to fit two fingers in." When the team looked at her in shock, the mob boss shrugged. "What? I've ridden a horse a couple of times; even with my step sisters."
"Fascinating," Lucille smiled.
"Thank you, Lucille," the mob boss responded. She would quickly bridle Apollo, making sure to do it correctly. "There. That should be good."
"So, who's doing the obstacle course again?" Butch asked.
"Well, if Brittany wants to do it, I've got no problem with it," Ilyria said.
"Let's see if anyone else is interested first," the mob boss responded.
"I don't know if anyone else is really even qualified for riding a horse." Fernando noted. "At least I'm certainly not."
"Lin?" Brittany looked over at the shorter girl.
"I mean, I can ride one, but I'm not good at making them do tricks. Besides, this one's about four times my size. One slip up and I'm dead."
"I think the course might involve lots of weaving through pylons, and jumping over hurdles. At least, that's what I've seen in some barn arenas," Juliette said. "Otherwise, it could be a race around the arena. We'll just have to wait and see what it entails."
On the opposite side of the barn, the Owls were also wrapping up their preparations.
"So, that should just about do it." Shauna began. "Who's going to ride the-"
"Tracy." Most of the team replied instantly.
"Wait, what? Me?!" The country girl asked.
"Of course. You said it yourself earlier, you're able to ride it well. It'll help our team out, and maybe even get us a win," Dianne smiled.
"I mean, I'm clearly not the only person on the team with experience." Tracy said, looking over to Lila.
"N-no, it's fine." The redhead assured.
"Well, I suppose that settles it then." Trish smiled. "Good luck out there, Trace!"
"Attention teams! Please have your chosen riders get ready for the obstacle course! We'll see you very soon!" Chris announced on the loudspeakers.
Barn Arena (Both Teams)
Brittany had agreed to ride the horse, and was currently tightening up her helmet, after changing into the proper riding gear. She held carefully onto Apollo as she looked out at the arena. There were pylons, and hurdles, along with multiple standees with wooden owl statues and wooden raccoon statues. At the very end of the arena, there would be two buckets, one for the Raccoons, and one for the Owls.
"Alrighty!" Chris grinned. "Riders, your goal is to collect as many of your team's statues as you can and drop them into your team's bucket in a certain amount of time. You'll go one at a time, so it won't be too crazy out there. The team who has the most statues in their team's bucket will be the winner."
"Oh boy, that's gonna be difficult," Juliette winced a little. "Especially when you have to hold onto the horse's reins while riding!"
"The riders will also get a basket to hold the statues they collect as they ride," Alexis said. "Since the Raccoons won the last challenge, their rider will go first."
"And that's me," Brittany said, as she brought Apollo into the arena. She would tighten the girth and check her stirrups. After determining that they were even, she would go over to the mounting block, and get on her horse, grabbing the reins carefully. Alexis would pass her the basket.
"You'll have two minutes," Chris said.
"Should be easy enough," Brittany nodded.
"Yeah, we'll keep things relatively simple… For now…" Chris chuckled. Brittany glared at the host as he prepared the timer. "Ready?"
Brittany nodded. "I am."
"Then you can begin… Now!"
Brittany immediately took off riding, and grabbed the statues for her team. She was pretty good, as she went over hurdles, and weaved through the pylons. Apollo's speed and larger size made it a bit difficult for the mob boss to maneuver him, but she managed. When the two minutes were up, Brittany would put the statues she collected into her team's bucket. Chris would take a moment to count them. "The Raccoons have collected 13 statues. Not too bad. Team Owl, let's see if you can do better."
"You've got this Tracy," Dianne said. With an affirmative nod from the blonde horse rider, Tracy got into position to start her run.
"Your two minutes start…now!" Chris announced.
Just as Brittany did, Tracy immediately took off. As soon as she started, she sat up just a bit and leaned forward, urging her horse to move quicker as she did. Her positioning made the duo more aerodynamic, boosting their speed while still grabbing all the statues that were in front of her.
"Go, Tracy!" Mackenzie cheered.
With Lily's smaller size, she and Tracy easily bobbed and weaved around the pylons, leaped gracefully over the hurdles and quickly made their way back over to Chris, where he would count the statues in the bucket. "And the Owls….have 23! We have our winners!"
"Yes!" Matthew cheered happily. "We did it!"
"Woohoo, today didn't completely suck!" Trish added, high-fiving Shauna.
Brittany grumbled in annoyance. "This stinks."
"It's gonna be a long ride back…" Dante sighed.
"The eliminations aren't all taking place in Toronto," Alexis said. "Everyone, untack your horses, and Raccoons, take some time to think about who's going home. Meet back here tonight."
"Well, let's go and get this over with," Brittany sighed. "Come on team."
The Raccoons would be sitting around the barn after untacking Apollo and putting him away. The barn kitten would be nearby, purring, as it noticed the sadness between the team. "So. We need to choose someone to eliminate," Lucille sighed. "This is always so difficult."
"Is it?" Butch asked, pointing to Fernando. "I mean we've basically got an easy choice right here."
"He's learnt his lesson," Antonio crossed his arms. "Haven't you, Fernando?"
"Well I can certainly say I won't do what I did last season, whether any of you choose to believe me or not is your own prerogative. Still, I can't say I blame Butch for trying to vote me off."
Brittany was about to open her mouth to speak, when Antonio's phone rang. He apologized, and answered it. His eyes widened in shock as happy tears were seen in his eyes before ending the call. "Good news, everyone! You guys are not gonna believe this!"
"What is it?" Juliette asked.
"Christina's pregnant!" Antonio exclaimed. "I'm gonna be a father!"
If Butch and Eddy were drinking anything, they would have done a spit take at the sudden revelation. Lin and David's eyes widened in shock while Dante's jaw dropped.
"Oh my God! Congratulations!" Ilyria let out.
"But wait…" Lucille spoke up. "How? I mean, you're here…"
Antonio laughed gently. "We did a lot of you-know-what after our marriage, and before I got the call to come back."
"That's a little T-M-I, for my taste. But hey, you do you." Lin shrugged.
"Which is why I'll be quitting the show. I have to be by my wife's side throughout her pregnancy," Antonio said.
"We're gonna miss you," Juliette said.
"I'm gonna miss you all too," Antonio responded.
"Please promise you'll show pictures of your baby when they're born!" Lucille pleaded.
"If you all really want me to," Antonio looked at his teammates.
"Yeah, they'd be really cool to see!" Dante added.
Alexis would soon come into the room. "Okay, Raccoons. It's time for you to go to the ceremony."
"I have to talk to you and Chris," Antonio said.
"Fine. You can talk to us at the ceremony," the young chef responded.
Elimination Ceremony (Revolting Raccoons)
The team would be sitting on little benches in the horse arena, which had been cleared of the hurdles and standees. Alexis and Antonio went over to Chris, and the three went off to the side for a moment to talk. Then, Chris turned to the remaining Raccoons.
"Antonio has just told me the news, and with that, he will be leaving the competition. Raccoons, please take some time to say your goodbyes to Antonio before he boards the Bus of Losers."
"Well you definitely know how to make an exit." Eddy chuckled, giving Antonio a fist bump.
"Thanks," Antonio smiled as he returned the fist bump.
"Not the way I expected someone to be taken out of the game." Lin noted. "But I'm happy for you, congrats to you and Christina."
"Thanks," Antonio responded. "I can't wait."
"I bet," Juliette said. "It must be exciting."
Antonio nodded. "Well, I guess I'd better grab my stuff from the coach bus."
The pro soccer player would go to grab his luggage from the coach bus, which would be waiting for both teams to climb aboard to get to their accommodations for the night. Once he did, he would get onto the Bus of Losers, and waved as it drove off.
"Raccoons, you're dismissed," Chris said. As the contestants disbanded, a rather annoyed look formed on Chris's face, it only deepened when he noticed a familiar green Jeep driving towards the barn.
"Chris?" Alexis looked confused. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just annoyed at these two for leaving for the whole day!" Chris replied, glaring at Jenny and Chef as they exited the Jeep.
"Chris, chill man." The larger man raised his hands in defense.
"Yeah, we got a call from Johan back in the city. He asked us to be part of his photo shoot for his band's upcoming albums."
"Yeah, great story, doesn't mean you can just ditch us." The host said, impatiently tapping his foot.
"Did we mention he also wanted you two to be part of the cover art, too?" The blonde woman remarked, instantly, Chris's smile returned.
"Well why didn't you say so? I'll meet him in the morning once the challenge gets underway, you three can handle it, right?"
"Of course his mood lifts when he gets some sort of spotlight…" Alexis sighed.
"That's Chris for you." Chef chuckled. "Anyway, I better get everyone to the next hotel."
"The next stop will be Niagara Falls! It'll be a talent show!"
"That should be fun!" Alexis smiled.
"Will the Owls be able to gain some momentum now that they've won a challenge? Or is this just a fluke?" Chris began. "Are we going to start getting some actual drama, or is everyone going to keep acting all buddy-buddy? And what should I wear to this photo shoot?!"
"Chris, that has nothing to do with-" Alexis began to say, before she was cut off rudely.
"Find out on the next exciting episode of…"
"Total
Drama
CANADIAN TRAVELS!" the host let out.
Fernando and Mackenzie
The YouTuber noticed the male model sitting alone on the bus again. "I'm surprised you're still here." She greeted, joining him.
"Quite honestly, so am I."
"What happened at the elimination ceremony?" the YouTuber asked.
"Antonio left. His wife called and told him that she's pregnant. He decided to quit in order to take care of her."
"Awww, that's so sweet," Mackenzie gushed. "You two were friends, so aren't you gonna miss seeing him around?"
"Of course I will. He was one of the few people on my team that appeared to actually tolerate me being around."
"Oh yeah…after what happened last season…" Mackenzie remembered. "I still can't believe some of your team still thinks you might do the same thing…" She looked away for a moment.
"Believe me, when you've been a model for as long as I have, you learn that the way people see you and think of you is always difficult to change. I expected my career to tank after that season, but it just continued on as normal. In fact, there were even more opportunities for me to go on other reality shows and act just like how I did before. But… I can't do that again. What happened last season was because I got greedy, I paid the price for it. I can't just pretend like that's how I truly am as a person."
"I see…" Mackenzie looked back at him. "I mean, you are pretty sexy." She blushed deeply. "Oh my God, I'm SO sorry."
"Oh, honey, I hear that on an hourly basis, there's no need for an apology."
Mackenzie tried not to swoon at his voice, her cheeks turning pink. The sound of the bus' engine turning off caught everyone's attention.
"Well, it looks like we've arrived. Let's see who we're bunking with this time."
"Sounds like a plan," Mackenzie nodded. The two would get off the bus with the others, and go into the lobby, where a sign would be waiting for them.
Pairings for Next Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario
Revolting Raccoons
Byron and Fernando
Lin and Lucille
Dante and Butch
Juliette and Ilyria
Brittany and David
Oblivious Owls
Mackenzie and Matthew
Trish and Shauna
Christopher and Spikke
Tatiana and Lila
Tracy and Dianne
Brad-Solo room
Byron looked over at the male model. "This should be interesting."
"Niagara Falls! OMG, the Femme Fatales are gonna be there too!" Juliette cheered. "I'll be able to introduce you all to the rest of the group!"
"Sounds exciting," Ilyria said, as she looked over at the French girl.
"Oh, oui! I can't wait to show off my musical skills!" Juliette dramatically flicked her hair, winking at Butch, who quickly nudged Lin in order to distract himself.
"I bet it'll be nice to see Rebekah again, huh?" He asked.
"Yeah, it's been a while since we've talked." Lin replied. "But, for now, I'm gonna go to bed."
"Me too," Dianne said.
"I hear ya'." Eddy added with a yawn. "Who knew cleaning up horses was this tiring?"
Tatiana, Lila and Brad
As the two roommates began to settle in for the night, the taller of the two red haired girls stopped and crossed her arms when she noticed Lila's forlorn expression.
"Ok, spill it." Tatiana said sternly.
"Hm?"
"You've been moping around all day and trying not to say your verbal tic. Something's going on and I want you to tell me what it is."
"N-Nothing's going on." Lila tried to assure, but Tatiana's stern gaze remained firm. Eye contact between the two was only broken by a knock at their room's door, which Lila was eager to answer.
"Oh, hello Brad, is there something we can help you with?"
"Yeah, actually, there is. You mind if I come in?" The young man asked.
"Oh, um, I suppose it wouldn't be much of a problem. S-So long as you don't try anything funny!"
"Believe me, I have no intention of doing something like that." Brad said, entering the room and sitting down on one of the chairs. "I was actually wondering what was up with you today."
"That makes two of us." Tatiana piped up. The little hope that Lila had that this conversation would stray away from her had deflated as both of the most serious looking contestants had their full attention back on her.
"I guess I can't really hide it." Lila sighed. "You see, I've heard a lot of the others, both on our team and on the Raccoons, whispering and jeering at me about me supposedly being 'perfect'. I… I just don't get it! I don't try to act like some perfect little princess, but everyone just keeps saying it, both to my face and behind my back!"
"It's because, in a way, you're similar to Joseph." Brad replied.
"Huh? I… I don't think I have any qualities that really make me a leader."
"That's not what he meant." Tatiana replied. "Joseph just has an inherent energy about him that makes people see him as an authority figure. He's used that to get where he is now, both as an athlete and as someone who won this game before."
"So, what does that mean for me?" Lila asked, sitting down on her bed and looking at the two with a mix of bewilderment and intrigue.
"What it means is that you shouldn't need to worry about what other people say." Tatiana continued. "What you need to do is just one thing: build yourself a bridge and get over it!"
"She's right." Brad nodded. "If they want to dislike you, then that's on them. But having you mope around like a sad little puppy won't help anyone. Not the team, and most certainly not yourself. So Tatiana and I talked a bit after the challenge ended…"
"We've decided that we're going to start an alliance and we want you to join it." The taller girl said bluntly.
"M-Me?! But why?"
"Because it'll help you in multiple ways." Brad explained, holding up three fingers. "Firstly, it'll give the three of us some leverage on this team in terms of votes. Second, doing so will show the others that no matter what they say to you or about you, you'll have people watching your back. Third, and quite honestly it's rather embarrassing for me to say this about the two of us, but… Despite how much we've talked about this and thought it through with each other, we're not exactly the most… social of players in this game."
"He's right." Tatiana shrugged. "Brad here isn't much of a people person and while I couldn't care less what people think of me, I do tend to be rather blunt, which people can find off-putting. When you're not a mopey little sh*t, you actually talk to people just fine."
"B-But, I'm not exactly the best talker."
"That's fine. What we're getting at is pretty simple in hindsight; between the three of us, Brad is the most analytic, so he'll be our primary planner. I'm no slouch when it comes to brains and brawn, but me being blunt towards people means I can give it to them straight and explain things to the team. As for you, even though Tracy had the most experience with horses, you were no slouch either, so you know your way around getting hard work done. The three of us together could be one hell of a team, what do you say?"
Lila played with her fishtail braid as she contemplated everything her teammates were telling her, it all sounded so… shady. But then she remembered the looks and glares she had gotten from some of the others, of course the cameras didn't pick them up. Then there were the ones back home who would do the same.
"Will she ever-so-stop with that wording? It makes me ever-so sick…" She remembered Brittany grumble.
"Deal…" Lila nodded.
"Great, so that settles that then." Brad replied, standing up from his seat. "Both of you better get some sleep, we don't know what to expect for the next challenge tomorrow."
As Brad left the room and Tatiana headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed, Lila walked over to the window and looked out into the city streets below.
'This isn't anything like I thought it would be…' She thought to herself. 'Oh mom, what would you do?'
No votes held.
24th: Adam (The Die-Hard Star Wars Fan) {Oblivious Owls}
23rd: Antonio (The Pro Soccer Player) {Revolting Raccoons} *withdraws from competition after finding out about his wife's pregnancy*
Revolting Racoons: Fernando, Butch, Lin, Lucille, David, Ilyria, Eddy, Byron, Brittany, Juliette, and Dante
Oblivious Owls: Lila, Tracy, Trish, Shauna, Christopher, Spikke, Brad, Dianne, Matthew, Mackenzie, and Tatiana
LaViolaViolaRosa: And scene! Both teams are down a player!
Allureon: And we've got some more character interactions! The last scene was especially spicy and fun to write, you're definitely going to want to stay tuned for what we have planned for those three!
LaViolaViolaRosa: We'll see you all in the next update!