"Last time on Total Drama Island," Chris recapped, "The 45 surviving campers were put through Master Chief's brutal boot camp." The scene flashed back to the campers crawling through the mud as axes swung over their heads, then to Jasmine holding Sky back. "Sky tried to casually drop out to check on Trent, but Jasmine was not having it." The scene changed to Keith and Phoebe talking inside the Bear cabin and Keith hugging the crying Phoebe. "Keith and Phoebe opened up on their respective pasts..." The scene changed to Sugar tripping Dave. "Sugar was hellbent on making herself a bigger target by sabotaging her own team..." The scene changed to Carly and Dean talking with Courtney. "And Carly made a very risky deal with Courtney to figure out if Dean could speak." The scene changed to Echo spying on the trio. "Too bad someone else saw it...me. That guy is gonna be working in Chef's kitchen for the rest of the show. Makes cleaning bathrooms look pleasant."
...
The scene changed to Paul sitting in the boathouse. "Paul was the first to be sent to the brig by Major Harshness for disorderly conduct," Chris continued, "Shocker." The scene changed to Ethan entering the boathouse and him and Paul talking. "But what was a surprise was when always-noble by-the-books Ethan smuggled food to P.O.W Paul." The scene changed to the group of Ethan, Dean and Carly sneaking towards the Craft Services tent. "They along with Dean and Carly decided to pull a B&E to steal some PB&J..." The scene changed to Ethan and Paul kissing. "And Paul and Ethan ended up K-I-S-S-I-N-G." The scene changed to Phoebe passing Chef her note. "Phoebe once again won her stripes for the Frogs." The scene changed to Ethan's elimination. "And the Bears smelt something fishy when Ethan was suddenly voted off." The scene changed to Valerie opening the voting booth and swapping the votes. "Confession cams revealed that it was Valerie who tampered with the votes as revenge for Paul's torture, which seems a bit justified."
...
The scene returned to Chris sitting in a lawn chair on the dock. "I mean, hello," he added. "She's the villain. That's what they do." He chomped down on a marshmallow. "Birds gotta fly. Fishes gotta swim."
"And jackasses gotta bellow," Karol remarked as she petted a mutant seagull. The seagull cackled at her remark. Chris frowned before plucking one of the gull's feathers. "Hope he doesn't bite you," he taunted. However, the joke was soon on him as the bird by him on the head, making the host dizzy before falling into the water. "Serves you right," Karol scolded. She noticed the camera. "Oh, you want me to finish? Fine. Will the Frogs keep their winning streak up or crumble from the inside? And will Al finally get his ass kicked or get away with more bullshit? That last one better not happen on this episode of Total Drama Island! Now get that camera out of my face!"
(cue commercial)
It was daybreak at Camp Wawanakwa. Inside the boys' side of the Gopher cabin, Bryan opened his eyes but was stunned to see the room shrouded in darkness. "Huh?" he muttered. "Is it still nighttime?"
"No," Trent moaned as he lied in his bed. "It's morning. I just wanted the curtain closed. Tried opening the window but they were jammed shut."
"Probably because of Chris saving every penny with construction on our housing. But...everything okay? You're so pale, you look like you're glowing."
"Morning!" Owen exclaimed as he stumbled out of bed. "Wow, it's a dark morning! I'll find us the sun again." He stumbled around the darkened cabin, bumping and crashing into things. "Owen, stop," Bryan instructed. "Let me fix things before you break everything running about blindly. Here, I'll open the curtains up for now."
"Bryan, don't-!" Trent warned. As soon as Bryan opened up the curtains and let the fresh sunshine in, Trent hissed out in pain as the light started to burn his skin. Bryan quickly noticed this and shut the curtains back up. "Okay, that's new," he spoke up.
"No more opening the curtains," Trent told him as he hid underneath his covers.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Heather cried out from the other side of the cabin. On the girls' side, Heather was holding up a top of hers, now torn to shreds. "I DEMAND to know who shredded all my clothes!" she angrily shouted.
"Why give us the ugly eye?" Lacey scoffed.
"You, Leshawna and Weird Goth Girl are the prime suspects, and I WILL find out who destroyed my attire!"
"Maybe you can borrow one of my dresses?" Echo offered.
"I am not going out like some marionette doll. Lindsay, start fixing it. Now!"
"Uh, okay," Lindsay replied. "But, uh, I can't fix clothes like this. Lacey?" Lacey grunted but soon pulled out a needle and started sewing Heather's clothing back together.
Confessional: Echo (Screaming Gophers)
"You know, it's really funny how misdirection can work. Everyone is so focused on the clothing being destroyed..." She pulled out some of Heather's intact clothing. "No one notices an outfit getting stolen."
End Confessional
Just outside the spa hotel, Sky took a glance around, then quickly rushed towards the Bear cabin. "Come on," she muttered as she knocked on the door while looking behind her back. "I don't have all day." She soon noticed she was knocking on Dave's face. "Oh, Dave."
"Hey, Sky," Dave nervously greeted. "Long time, no see." He noticed Sky's attention was elsewhere. "So, uh..." he awkwardly spoke as he tried to regain Sky's attention, "You wanna...after last time...maybe..."
"No time," Sky quickly told him. "Carly?"
"Over here," Carly called out as she opened the Rat cabin door up. "Dawn said to talk in here when the others are eating."
"Thanks." Sky rushed over to the Rats' cabin. "And she's gone," Dave breathed out in defeat. "Wonder what has her acting this weird."
"You don't think she was bitten by something like a zombie, right?" Shawn asked with fright.
"I really doubt it's...that. I haven't seen Sky this...reactive since her sister was eliminated."
"Oh, right. Jane. It's been a while since that happened."
"We've been here for over a month, maybe even two. This is the longest I've been away from home. I'm shocked I still have some sanitizer."
"Yeah, I feel similar to you. Sure, my house was a bit rusty and stuff, but aside from the zombie defense, it's pretty."
"Don't tell me you have a house full of traps!"
"What? No...aside from some of the landmines."
"Excuse me?!" Dave asked with a shocked expression.
"I removed them," Shawn defended. "Last thing I need is something other than a squirrel stepping on them by accident, like one of my parents."
"Huh. How are they?"
"Uh, pretty normal. They both work at a strange place making inventory checks and deliveries, although my mom had a degree in something. She homeschooled me ever since I had a panic attack in third grade while I was in the bathroom... Don't ask more. It was ugly." Dave could only cringe at Shawn's words. "How about your family?" Shawn continued.
"Well, my dad is an average office worker," Dave shrugged. "Dedicated but nice. He's been breaking his shoulders trying to get a promotion. Thankfully, I can take care of the house by myself... Well, most of it."
"You did mention a sister, right?"
"Emily. Yeah, she's just..." Dave giggled before continuing. "She's this small and smart but hyperactive little girl. She just loves to run all over the place alongside Mops, pretending she's a superhero, a cheetah or something like XLR8."
"Seems like your sister and your dog are preparing you for the task of parenthood, buddy," Shawn teased.
"Oh, shut up. It's just basically hygiene and a decent knowledge on cooking, and a couple of allergies caused by dust."
"Your mother must be happy to not clean as much." However, Shawn noticed Dave's eyes going wide. "W-well, yeah," the germaphobe quickly said as he slipped back into his nervous attitude. "She definitely appreciate-appreciates the helping hand, heh-heh."
"How was-?" Shawn tried to continue.
"Can we go back to Sky? Please...I want to fix things between us."
"Okay. Did you overhear anything between her and Carly?"
"All I know is that they're talking about something. But I doubt Carly is trying to make her quit. It's not Carly's style, nor would Sky just give up like that. Plus, now Dawn's getting thrown into the mix."
"Morningstar has been acting strange recently. Maybe it has something to do with the demons. It explains Dawn's presence."
"Why would Sky even be focused on that?"
"It's just a theory...and we need evidence. You know what I'm thinking?"
"Call the cops?"
"No. Investigate ourselves."
"Uh, isn't that going a bit...far?"
"It's not like we're gonna watch her undress herself. We're just seeing what's up between Sky and Carly. Come on." Shawn started heading towards the Rat cabin, with Dave following soon after. "Here's the cabin," Shawn whispered. "They closed the curtains. Damn it. But maybe if I-" He put an ear against the wall. "Huh. Can't hear anything, either."
"That should do it," Dawn murmured after tracing a symbol on the cabin wall. "I didn't want to risk someone overhearing and starting to panic."
"Perfectly understandable," Sky assured her. "So, let's go over what we know."
"We know Trent's becoming paler by the day," Carly recalled. "And he's getting a bit snappier. I also overheard him screaming out in pain this morning."
"Most likely from the morning sun. Sunrise and sunset are the most sensitive times for vampires. But him reacting so badly to sunlight is a bad sign, even by those standards."
"Perhaps it is due to a lack of fresh blood," Dawn hypothesized. "After the dance challenge, I saw him tearing up his cabin like he was searching for something. I did hear that there were blood substitutes that vampires use when they can't get any from animals."
"I'm surprised an animal lover can talk like that so easily," Carly noted with a hint of surprise.
"I understand the circle of life and food chains."
"His blood substitutes must've gone missing," Sky reasoned. "But even so, he could've just snuck out at night-"
"What if he wasn't able to?" Carly asked. "I think I remember Lacey complaining on how the windows kept getting jammed shut no matter how many times she fixed them. And recently, Owen's been sticking to Trent like glue. It would make slipping away nearly impossible." Dawn peeked opened the curtain, where she, Sky and Carly saw Trent weakly leaving the cabin with Owen in tow. "Oh, he looks even worse," Carly breathed out as she closed the curtain up.
"You're right, Dawn," Sky noted. "It's because of a lack of blood. If I had to guess how long he's gone without it, I'd say...two weeks."
"That's not too bad, right?"
"Carly, the last time this happened, Trent nearly went after his friend and that was only roughly a week without blood. To most vampires, blood is as essential as water. After about three or four days without it, they tend to go more uncontrolled."
"We must help him," Dawn declared. "Either split him from Owen or find that bag of his. Oh, and we must keep Gwen out of this."
"Keep Gwen out?" Carly thought. "With how things are going, shouldn't we let Gwen know now?"
"Carly, I...I foresaw Gwen screaming and a pair of fangs lunging at her. We can't risk putting her in danger like that. She'll know the truth, but once Trent has returned to a sense of normalcy. Otherwise, she might get spooked and panic."
"And if word gets out of this in the wrong way," Sky added, "We'll have a real mess on our hands. Worse, a villain like Jo or Sugar could take advantage of the situation."
"If they haven't already," Carly told the duo. "I highly doubt that his blood substitute got 'lost'. He wouldn't do something like that. I'll bet the clothes on my back that it was stolen!"
"But how could they have even known? If it was taken, whoever took it may not have realize the significance of that."
"No way! The thief knew exactly what that bag was and what would happen once it was gone!" Carly started storming towards the door. "Uh, what are you doing?" Sky asked with slight concern. "Is there any plan here?"
"I'm gonna gain some help so the bitch behind this scheme doesn't try anything else," Carly explained. "Sky, find that bag. Dawn, make sure no one gets in harm's way in the meantime. Let's do this, girls!" She ran outside, slamming the door open behind her. "Well, it's better than nothing," Sky sighed. "Better get a start before anyone notices I'm gone."
"Be careful," Dawn advised as Sky walked off. She noticed a groaning noise from behind the door, and the moonchild pulled it open to reveal a bruised Dave and Shawn on the ground. Dawn could only let out a long sigh before going back inside and pulling out a necklace with some liquid filled inside it.
Confessional: Dawn (Toxic Rats)
"Today won't be well. I can already feel the negativity. That vision has been getting clearer, meaning the event will happen sooner. Hmm, I saw Gwen on the dock, so maybe if I tell her not to go there, perhaps I can change her fate. Hopefully."
End Confessional
"Is this shirt on backwards?" Bryan muttered as he walked around the campgrounds.
"Bryan!" Carly called out from the campfire area. "I need to talk to you."
"Oh, hi, Carly. Quick question: is my shirt on backwards?"
"No, it's not. Listen, I need your help with something regarding Echo. She, um, took something very important that belonged to my friend, but the thing is, he never exactly told anybody what this thing was. Yet Echo knew stealing the thing would be bad for my friend. Any way she would've found out?"
"If it isn't my two favorite people," Echo chirped as she walked over to the duo. "How are you-"
"Stuff it," Bryan cut off. "You're not fooling anyone with that act."
"And we know you're behind Trent's state," Carly accused. "Only you would do such a sick thing! Not even Heather would resort to that!"
"Oh, you really think that scared me?" Echo taunted as she dropped her innocent act and circled Carly and Bryan like a vulture after carrion. "I mean, I don't mean to make you feel any less than you are, but...you're a rich daddy's girl who barely has any friends on defense and everyone still has doubts about you after Sky mentioned you during the last challenge. And what about you, little Hamlet? You really think a dead fly like you can truly do anything? Sooner or later, everyone will see what that scrawny body covers."
"You..."
"Face it, Morningstar. This isn't a detective show where you can do two random connections and catch the criminal. This is MY game and while I'm the queen moving everyone around, you two are mere pawns, fodder with no power other than waiting for your inevitable fall." Echo turned and started to walk away. "And there's no point in trying any tricks against me," she smugly added. "I'm not some blind idiot like that Luffy clone." She cackled before heading back to the cabins. "That little devil," Carly grumbled. However, Bryan was lost in thought. "Wonder what she meant by that..." he muttered. "Wait. That's it!"
Inside the spa hotel, Phoebe was sitting in the library as she read a stack of books. "Morning," Zee greeted as he walked into the room. "Whoa. That's, like, a lot of books."
"I like reading," Phoebe replied.
"So, uh, get everything done? Breakfast, clothes, hair..."
"Yep. Got some rolls to munch on while I read."
"Aren't you worried Barry might snatch them from you?"
"He's with Coach this morning. We take turns having him with us since he belongs to both of us. At least, I like to think so."
"Aw... I bet he's a very happy puppy." Over by the mess hall, most of the campers were eating a goop resembling food. Barry jumped up on one of the tables and attempted to lick a plate when he was pulled back. "No, Barry," Keith sternly told him. "You'd get sick with that goop. No eating." Barry whimpered a little and looked at Keith with pleading eyes. "Hold still," the boxer instructed as he stood up. "I'm gonna see if I can find you some jerky." He walked off into the kitchen once Chef was out of sight. Barry just kept whimpering in sorrow when an appetizing smell reached his nose. He hopped off the table and followed it outside, when he was suddenly grabbed and tossed into a box. A figure then shut the box and carried it off towards the beach before flinging the trapped Barry into the lake. "Managed to find some liver," Keith breathed out as he stepped back into the mess hall. "That's better than... Barry? Barry?" He turned over the table as he searched for the chupacabra. "Barry?! BARRY?!" He then rushed outside and towards the spa hotel. "PHOEBE!" Keith cried out as he banged on the window.
"Coach?" Phoebe thought as she opened the window. "The hotel is only for first place." She noticed Keith's worried expression. "Is everything okay?"
"It's Barry," Keith explained with tearful emotion. "We were in the dining hall and I was going in the kitchen to get Barry something good to eat. I told Barry to hold still. I only had my back turned for less than a minute. He's ran off! Phoebe, I-" He saw that Phoebe was on the verge of tears. "I swear I'll find him," Keith assured her as she cried on his shoulders. Unknown to the duo, Alejandro watched the scene with a satisfied smirk.
Confessional: Alejandro (Confused Bears)
"Those two are a more powerful duo than anybody realizes. Of course I had to weaken them, and the most effective way is through that monster they dare call a pet. With that thing out of the equation, they'll be weakened and be seen as a liability."
End Confessional
On the Dock of Shame, Paul was lying there, completely emotionless. He then noticed a familiar snake and crow getting near. "Shadow and Strangle," he realized. "Oh, hey. Come to check up on me, huh?"
"They're not the only ones," Mike spoke up as he approached the mechanic. "I heard what happened at the last elimination. How you holding up?"
"Feels like a roller coaster. First I lost my friend Melody, then I lost my friend Destiny, and now Ethan, the guy of my dreams, was kicked off. It fucking sucks!" He kicked at part of the dock, breaking it. "Just be careful, dude," Mike advised. "You don't want your anger to cause you to do something you'll regret."
"Oh, like you're one to preach to me," Paul lashed back. "With how hostile you've been towards Scott-"
"That snake is the reason Zoey's in so much hot water!"
"You're looking at it through rose-tinted glasses! Scott's not completely guilty nor is Zoey completely innocent. She purposely kept this drama from you and Lacey, and guessing by your reaction, I can see why. I'm getting me some breakfast." Paul walked off, with Strangle and Shadow following him. "So, uh, see you later?" Mike awkwardly spoke up.
Confessional: Paul (Confused Bears)
"Zoey's not as flawless as Mike imagines she is. No one is. Even Ethan admitted when I screwed up at times." He sighed. "I really miss him. Whoever caused him to get eliminated will pay dearly."
End Confessional
Paul entered the mess hall, where he noticed Keith tearing the place apart. "Missing pet," Helen explained.
"Why would anybody bother looking for that monster mongrel?" Austin scoffed. He let out a yellow as a knife landed inches away from his feet. "Keep it up and it'll be your head next!" Keith threatened. "BOTH of them!" Over nearby, Duncan was pouring himself some coffee in a mug. He looked around before pocketing another mug. "I saw that," Scott quietly scolded. "Why'd you steal a mug?"
"Cause it's cool-looking and I don't have one," Duncan explained with a smirk. "Didn't have one, that is." He sat down at an unturned table. "But that'll just get us bigger targets," Scott told him. "That's the last thing we need right now after that dance fiasco. We already have Mike and Lacey to worry about and they could easily use us as toothpicks." He motioned towards Lacey, who easily crushed a mug in her hand. "She'll cool down," Duncan assured Scott. "She's not usually one to hold grudges."
"Hey, Zoey," Sam noted as he saw the indie chick step inside. "What are you doing here?" Before Zoey could get a word out, she was knocked over by a plate of goop thrown by Lacey. "Care to rephrase that, Duncan?" Scott scoffed before walking off.
In the forest, Chris walked over to the camera. "Hi," he softly began to the audience as gentle piano music played in the background. "Chris here. Sometimes teams just don't get along, so the producers and I thought that the best way to work through the group friction would be...to exploit it for laughs. This is gonna be awesome!"
Later, the teens were gathered on the dock. "So," Chris began, "Last week's challenges exposed a few Gopher and Rat issues..." Owen hugged Trent like a teddy bear as Leshawna and Gwen looked at Heather with hatred while Courtney simply shoved Scott into the lake. "And I'm sensing a little funky floating in the Frog and Bear ponds, too..." Zee was trying to comfort a crying Phoebe, Sky and Jasmine glared at each other and the Bears wearily eyed each other. "So," Chris continued, "This week's challenge is gonna be centered around building trust, because all good things begin with a little trust."
Confessional: Lacey (Screaming Gophers)
"I trusted Zoey once. She went behind my back and kissed Duncan, knowing that I liked him!"
Confessional: Greg (Confused Bears)
"Ranking my teammates on how much I trust them? Paul, Dave, Keith, Shawn, Millie, Tyler, Carly, Sugar...basically, anyone but that eel Alejandro."
Confessional: Scott (Toxic Rats)
"Team standing for me is currently in the gutter. Until I'm certain the votes are on my side, I can't risk another loss."
Confessional: Nikki (Frogs of Death)
"Honestly, the only person on my team I fully trust is Helga. Everyone else I'm unsure of after all the chaos over the past few weeks."
End Confessionals
"There will be three major challenges that will have to be completed by two or more members of the team," Chris explained. "Normally, we like to have the campers choose their partners, but not this time. More fun for me!" Later, everyone was gathered at the base of a mountain. "Okay," Chris told them, "So for the first challenge, you'll be doing an extreme freehand rock-climbing adventure. Trent and Gwen will play for the Gophers, DJ and Duncan will play for the Rats, Sugar and Dave for the Bears and Mike and Valerie for the Frogs. Here's your belay and harness." Sugar immediately snatched the harness away from Dave. "What's your damage?" Dave scolded.
"There's no way I'm letting your greasy hands carry me up that cliff," Sugar argued.
"Maybe it's for the best," Alejandro suggested to Dave. "Not even I can hold Miss Butter Donkey up there."
"You won't be holding her up exactly," Chris explained. "One camper pulls the slack through the belay as the partner climbs. If the climber falls, the belay will stop them from crashing. The catch? Both the side and the base of the mountain are rigged with a few minor distractions like rusty nails, slippery oil slicks, mild explosives and a few other surprises."
"Wicked," Harold noted.
"The person on belay must also harness their partner up. It's all about trust, people and remember: never let go of the rope. Your partner's life depends on it."
"Excuse me," Valerie spoke up, "Can I trade partners? I really don't feel like getting dropped on my head today."
"As much as I love your company," Mike sarcastically whipped back, "I'm not gonna throw a challenge just to kill you...yet. Besides, those Rats can't squirm into another win. Now spread 'em."
"Why am I the one climbing? I just had a manicure."
"Because leaving you with the harness is automatically a bad idea."
"Never tried this before," DJ admitted as Duncan prepared the harness. "Have you?"
"Oh, yeah," Duncan shrugged. "They teach you how to climb walls in prison all the time."
"So...any luck with Lacey? She seemed really upset when word got out of the kiss you had with Zoey."
"She'll calm down. She can't stay pissed forever."
"I don't know, man. You can at least try to explain things to her. At least get back on friendlier terms again."
"Are you sure you wanna climb, Gwen?" Trent asked as he prepped her harness. "Looks kinda dangerous."
"It's better me than you," Gwen replied. "With how you've been feeling recently, I don't want the rock climb making things worse for you."
"Aw, how considerate."
"How much longer will this be?" Valerie demanded.
"Keep your pants on," Mike told her. "First time I hooked on a harness. I'll see if Duncan can lend a hand." He walked over to the juvie punk. "Hurry up!" Valerie shouted, unaware of Greg tying a rope onto her pants before running off. "We can't stall any longer!"
"And...that should do it," Mike said as he hooked on her harness.
"What's with the extra rope?"
"Extra rope? Will you stop with all the complaints already? Like you said, we can't stall any longer." Valerie frowned before she walked ahead. "Perfect," Greg whispered as he held one end of the rope and hid behind a rock.
Confessional: Greg (Confused Bears)
"Valerie's the reason why our strength against Sugar and Al are weakened. But saying it directly when she could easily counter gets me nowhere. So I've devised a scheme to show her why she should stay out of the Bears' way. Sometimes I even surprise myself with my genius."
End Confessional
Gwen started climbing the wall, followed by Valerie and DJ. Dave screamed as he was yanked up high before crashing into a ledge. "Sugar!" he shouted. "This isn't how the challenge works!"
"Quit whining!" Sugar yelled back. "I ain't losing cause of you!" She tugged on the line some more, but Dave kept crashing onto the ledge over and over again. An explosion rang out, sending him downward until he crashed onto the ground. "THAT DOES IT!" Dave decided as he yanked the harness off. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH!"
"You can't just back out now!" Tyler argued. "We can't lose again with how things are going!"
"He's also injured," Sky defended. "Go to the medical tent to rest, Dave. No one will fault you for that." Dave limped off. Another explosion boomed, sending Gwen into a free fall. However, the belay stopped her fall. "Don't worry," Trent assured her. "I've got you."
"I promised surprises," Chris announced. "Habanero pepper sauce, anyone?" He sprayed a gushing amount of hot sauce with a water gun towards Trent and Mike, hitting them in the eye. "My eyes!" Trent cried out as he rubbed his eyes. He noticed Gwen falling again and tried to catch her, only for the rope to get tangled with him and the duo were left swinging as they dangled above the ground. "What the hell, Chris?!" Mike complained. As he rubbed his eyes, he accidentally dropped Valerie onto the ground. "OW!" she tried out.
"Muy caliente," Chris teased. He fired the hot sauce at Duncan, who simply wore some shades and swallowed it in one gulp. "Is that the best you can do?" Duncan challenged.
"Is that the best we can do?" Chris whispered to the camera. He then noticed Austin swiping the water gun and pouring the hot sauce straight into his mouth. "Delicious," the ranchhand gushed. "Got any more?" DJ climbed a bit higher, but Valerie quickly regained ground and even passed him. "Keep it up," Mike instructed. "Almost there." He then noticed the second rope. "Huh? A spare rope? But where-?"
"Be careful, Val," Greg told her as he clutched the end of the second rope. "You don't wanna fall behind." He yanked the rope, which tore Valerie's pants off and exposed her frilly blue underwear. "AH!" Valerie shrieked.
"I see London, I see France," Sugar taunted, "Sugar's seeing Val's dirty britches!"
"That isn't how it goes," Sol noted with an eye roll.
"Well," Duncan said as he removed his shades, "You don't see that every day."
"No, you don't, my man," Helen agreed. "No, you don't."
"Quit staring!" Bryan demanded as he covered his eyes. "That isn't your business to look at!" DJ removed the clothing from his eyes and was stunned to see Valerie's underwear. He ended up falling off, with the belay zipping through and the rope getting snagged around Duncan's foot, sending him upward until the duo were left dangling in the air. "This bites," Duncan moaned.
"Big time," DJ agreed.
"Join the club," Gwen scoffed as she and Trent were still dangling from their ropes. Valerie was trying to cover herself. "Oh, screw it," she decided. She kept climbing up until she reached the top. "Looks like the Frogs have won the first challenge," Chris narrated.
"YES!" Valerie cheered. She noticed she was still in her underwear. "Fuck."
"Looking good, Val!" Greg teased with a laugh. Valerie simply scowled in response.
Confessional: Valerie (Frogs of Death)
"I will make that twerp pay for the stunt he pulled. I've got a doctorate in revenge and humiliation."
End Confessional
Some bright lights flashed inside the main lodge. The pairs of Helen and Lindsay, Courtney and Austin, Millie and Keith and Nikki and Helga faced each other. Stan flipped over into the podium, and Chris rose up with a smirk. "And now round two," the host announced, "Extreme...cooking...challenge!" The teens saw Stan crawl off, wincing at the splinters in his hands. "Each team must choose who cooks and who eats."
"Helga cooks," Helga decided. "That work, Nikki?"
"Sure," Nikki shrugged.
"I'll cook," Austin and Courtney said. "No, I'LL cook!"
"Uh, I could do it," Millie volunteered. "Since you're, uh..." Keith was looking around, still searching for Barry. "Just don't knock over the table and we'll be okay," Millie suggested.
"I'll be the cook, Melon," Lindsay spoke up.
Confessional: Helen (Screaming Gophers)
"We both suck at cooking the dessert from the last challenge, but that was just one time. She couldn't screw it up again."
End Confessional
"Today you'll be preparing fugu sashimi, the traditional Japanese poisonous blowfish," Chris announced. A gong rang out, with Lindsay clapping and Helen staring in shock. "The fugu blowfish contains enough lethal toxin to kill thirty people," Chris explained. Chef tapped on the fish tank, making the blowfish puff up. "Fishies, meet your maker!" he declared as he tossed the blowfish onto the cutting boards. Helen had a concerned look while Helga was more neutral. "They must be sliced very carefully to cut around the poisonous organs," Chris added. "The poison paralyzes the nerves and there is no antidote! So no worries."
"You have taken biology, right?" Helen asked Lindsay, who nodded her head yes. "Phew."
"Begin." Lindsay poked at the blowfish with her knife, making it fly off like a recently-deflated balloon before crashing through the window. "Poisonous organs?" Nikki gulped with worry. "Uh, maybe we should-" She let out a cry as Helga slammed a cleaver down, decapitating the blowfish. "What are you doing?!"
"Preparing fish," Helga explained as she sliced the tail of the fish off with her cleaver. "Cut head, cut tail, slice down middle and take out bones. It's how everyone fixes fish back home."
"Well, has anyone had fugu sashimi before?"
"Not sure, but no one has gotten sick from eating fish before. And people with fish allergy don't eat things made with fish. Separate utensils and everything."
"Uh, okay..." Millie was readying the knife when she noticed Keith searching under the tables. "Um, maybe you can search a bit outside while I prepare the fish?" she recommended. "You're kinda bumping into everything."
"I've got to find Barry," Keith muttered. "There has to be some clue here."
"Well, I'll fix up some brain food to think with. Just give me a second." A moment later, Millie finished preparing the fish, looking very sophisticated. Helga finished hers, which looked like a filet with an off color. Lindsay's was a fishy mush as she awkwardly held up a bottle of ketchup. Meanwhile, Courtney and Austin were wrestling over the knife. "I should cook!" Austin demanded. "I've got experience!"
"I've got seniority!" Courtney argued. Both were scared off after Helga slammed her cleaver between them. "BOTH OF YOU LEAVE!" she shouted. "NOW!"
"Uh, Helga?" Nikki spoke up. "I don't think fish is supposed to bubble like that." Some green bubbles were foaming from the filet Helga prepared. "Hmm..." the Siberian thought. "Maybe you should not eat that."
"Lunch," Millie announced. "Keith, maybe this will-" Keith blindly ate a piece of her fish, then took the plate. "This might lure Barry back home," he reasoned. "Good work, Millie."
"Ta-da!" Lindsay exclaimed as she slid her fish to Helen. It now had a ketchup smile smothered on it. Helen sighed before taking a bite and swallowing it. She flinched a moment, punched herself in the face and screamed. The rocker then laughed it off, only to pass out a second earlier. "I thought you said you passed biology," Helen gurgled out as her face turned blue.
"I said I took biology," Lindsay corrected. Helen fell onto the floor and got violently sick. "Helen!" Nikki gasped as she, Helga, Millie and Lindsay surrounded her.
"It's cool," Chris assured the group. "Giver her 24 hours and she'll be up walking and breathing as good as new."
"Isn't anybody gonna help her?" Millie asked with worry. Chef, now dressed in a nurse's outfit, stood over Helen and prepared to give her CPR, much to her horror.
(cue commercial)
"Still no sign of that bag," Sky grumbled as she searched the Gopher cabin. "Damn it. Where could it be?"
"Come on, Owen," Trent complained as Owen held him tight and walked around. "You're choking me here."
"I'm just looking out for my little buddy here," Owen told him.
"Hi, boys," Heather, now with a black head wrap and black shades, greeted as she walked over. "Everything okay over here?"
"Not exactly," Trent groaned.
"Hmm, maybe some fresh air is what you need. Why not head down the dock? Sea air helps any queasiness. And as an added bonus, I think I can get Gwen there to meet you."
"Sounds like a great idea!" Owen cheered. "Let's go!" He ran off, though Trent wasn't very comfortable on the ride. "Yes," the girl cackled as she slid down her sunglasses, revealing piercing-blue eyes. "Go straight to your utter demise." She walked ahead when she suddenly found herself tripping over a large branch, which flung her phone into a bush. "Damn it," she grumbled as she tucked her neon-blue hair back into the head wrap. "Too close." She noticed her phone nestled in the foliage and pocketed it again before heading off. Unknown to her, Bryan was smiling as he hid in the foliage. "Sucker," he chuckled as he held another phone in his hand.
"Any news about how to stop Echo?" Carly asked Dean as the duo walked through the woods.
"Unfortunately, no," Dean groaned. "I tried talking with Leshawna earlier, but she was dead-set on voting off Heather next time the Gophers lost. Honestly, I'm not sure about this. If the others are so dead-set on Heather leaving, we may never get Echo out."
"And when we do try to vote out Heather, something always seems to conveniently save her butt and get someone else out. Corey, Cody, Beth, Rose, Max, Sarah, Lucas..."
"That's nearly half the team. What's to say she won't try it again? Set someone else other than Heather up for failure."
"You don't mean-? Trent! We have to warn him!" The duo noticed Dawn and Sky panting as they ran up to them. "Still can't find that bag of his," Sky explained. "It's like it's completely vanished."
"Have either of you spotted Gwen recently?" Dawn asked. "I can't locate her after the rock-climb challenge."
"Why are you searching for Gwen again?" Dean wondered. "I thought Trent and Echo were the issue."
"Echo?" Sky thought. "Uh, never mind. Long story short, Dawn said she saw something bad happening to Gwen."
"I wanted to warn her not to approach the dock where I saw the vision," Dawn explained. "If we can keep her from that area, it might prevent that."
"Maybe check out the dock just to be safe?" Carly suggested. "It's our only viable option since everything else isn't panning out."
"I suppose," Sky sighed. "Let's go." Inside the medical tent, Helen was still writhing in pain as Chef stood over her. "This won't hurt a bit," Chef assured her as he pulled out a needle. "It'll hurt a whole lot." He was suddenly knocked out by a punch to the head. "We have better solution to fugu poison," Helga assured the rocker as she and Nikki approached her. "Magic Man still has plenty of this potion left over. A few sips should heal you up. Drink." She poured some of the liquid down Helen's throat, ad she started to breathe normally as color returned to her face. "Blast fer Nelly," Helen gurgled.
"Maybe don't talk," Nikki suggested. "Rest up."
"Good call," Helga whispered to her with a wink. On the dock, Owen was holding Trent up. "Ah, doesn't that sunshine and sea air feel good?" Owen happily told him.
"What is this, The Lion King?" Gwen teased as she approached the duo.
"Gwen," Trent gasped in surprise. "Uh, what are you-? Heh-heh. Owen, put me down."
"Aw, my little buddy-wuddy found his dream girl," Owen gushed as he hugged Trent tightly.
"Owen..." Gwen advised.
"You two would be so sweet together."
"Owen..." Trent growled out, his patience wearing a thin.
"Just imagine you two in a cozy house with twins and a pet dog..."
"OWEN! LEAVE!" Owen got a hurt look before dropping Trent. "He means we want some time to ourselves," Gwen informed him. "You mind?"
"Oh," Owen realized. "Uh, sorry. I'll just..." He started to run off. "I wasn't too harsh on him, was I?" Trent asked Gwen.
"Not really," Gwen shrugged. "Sometimes you need to shout it to get something through some people's heads."
"Yeah. It's just that, I haven't been feeling like...myself recently."
"I've noticed. Everything okay?" A distance away, Echo had on an evil smile and Heather's attire as she readied a crossbow.
Confessional: Echo (Screaming Gophers)
"Those crossbow lessons from Zoey are definitely gonna be useful. All I have to do is shoot an arrow at Gwen. Doesn't have to be fatal but enough to make her bleed. Trent will go berserk and expose himself, leading to Gwen getting pissed and rallying us Gophers against him. And just in case that goody-goody Morningstar tries to gather troops to catch me in the act...well, the Heather disguise serves that purpose. Everybody already hates her, so it's a failsafe in case things go south for me. Just need to hide my hair and eyes and I can pass off as her twin. But really, everything should play out just as I expect it to."
End Confessional
Echo fired an arrow towards Gwen. "Look out!" Gwen shouted as she pushed Trent away. The arrow grazed Gwen's arm, making her bleed heavily. "Crap, that stings!" she cried out.
"That sounded like Gwen!" Dawn gasped as she, Carly, Sky and Dean ran ahead. "Oh, no!"
"I'm the fastest," Sky reasoned as she picked up a ranch. "I'll go ahead." She dashed off in a burst of speed. "Hope they've got spare bandages," Gwen thought as she clutched her bleeding arm. "Are you okay, Trent?" Trent just heaved, his back turned to Gwen. "Trent?" Gwen repeated with concern. Trent stood up and slowly turned his head towards her. Gwen could only gasp as she saw his eyes glowing like rubies as they burned with an almost-feral passion. He let out a threatening hiss as he opened his jaws, revealing a pair of pearly-white fangs. Gwen could only step back as she saw her friend with this unnatural look. She let out a shriek as Trent lunged at her with her fangs...only for him to be narrowly stopped by Sky's branch. "That was too close for comfort," Sky breathed out as she held onto the branch. "Gwen, I know you've got a bunch of questions, but right now, you've gotta make a break for it. Carly and Dawn will help get Trent calmed down again."
"Calm down?" Gwen choked out. "But-" Another arrow was shot, scraping Gwen's calf and making her bleed. Trent could only growl as drool dripped from his mouth. "Someone's firing at us!" Sky shouted. She looked up to find a figure on the hill. "Heather! That BITCH!" She let out a pained cry as Trent struggled. "Gwen, hurry!" Echo prepared to shoot another arrow when she was tackled by Dean and Carly. "Got her," Dean declared. "Huh. Honestly expected it to be Echo, not Heather."
"Wait a minute," Carly realized as she noticed a tuff of neon-blue hair underneath the headscarf. "This is Echo!" She yanked out the headscarf and glasses. Echo scowled at the duo before tossing a handful of dirt at their faces, blinding them. She then tripped them with her legs and darted off until she was out of sight. "Ugh, that woman!" Dean groaned. He noticed Gwen wobbling over to him before collapsing. "Gwen," Dawn panted as she finally reached the group. "We're too late."
"I'll get her medical help," Dean told the girls as he carried Gwen over his shoulders. "You two go help Sky. She can't hold off Trent forever." Back on the dock, Sky was still holding Trent back when the branch started to splinter. Without a second to think, she yanked Trent and herself into the water just as the branch broke. The duo wrestled for a moment until a strange chest knocked into them, taking their breath away. Dawn dove into the water and used the chest to carry the unconscious Trent and Sky back to the surface. "You've got them!" Carly cheered as they returned to shore.
"Good thing I saved these three souls before they took on more water," Dawn breathed.
"Three?" Dawn opened up the chest, and Barry burst out and scurried off as he barked up a storm. "So that's where Phoebe and Keith's pet ran off to," Carly thought. "But right now, we've got to take Trent back to one of the empty cabins so we can get him under control again. Come on, Dawn." She and Dawn carried Trent and Sky off.
"Uh, Gwen?" Dean asked as he bandaged Gwen's wounds up in the medical tent. "How are you...holding up?" However, Gwen simply had an upset expression. "Pissed at Trent?" Dean guessed.
"You think?" Gwen scoffed. "And to think I liked him, only to learn the fact that he's a bloodthirsty monster!"
"I'm sure there's more to it than things let on. Doesn't help that bitch Echo was shooting arrows at you."
"Echo? Not this again."
"Carly and I caught her red-handed with the crossbow in her hands. She even went as far to pose as Heather to frame her. I could even show you the video evidence if you need further convincing."
"I don't want to! Just leave me alone." Gwen pulled the cover over herself. "Damn," Dean muttered. Back inside the Rat cabin, Trent was slowly opening his eyes up. "You're finally awake," Carly breathed out.
"What happened?" Trent groaned as he rubbed his head. He then noticed the chains on his arms. "Sorry about the restraints," Sky apologized. "We just had to be careful. You went after Gwen on the dock not too long ago."
"What?! D-did I-?"
"You didn't injure her," Carly assured him. "Just the arrows Echo was firing struck her on the arm and leg. Dean's fixing her up now."
"But we must be sure this does not happen again," Dawn told Trent.
"Right. Sky, keep searching for Trent's bag. I'll make sure Echo doesn't try any more tricks. Dawn, keep an eye on Trent."
"On it," Sky agreed. She rushed out of the cabin, followed by Carly. "I still can't believe this," Trent sighed.
"Trent," Dawn softly said as she pulled down her sweater collar down, "We may not have time to rely on Sky."
"Wait, you're not seriously suggesting-"
"I'm afraid I am. Time is not on our side and I don't want you leaving because of someone else's schemes."
"But-but-but I can't. With you and- I might take too much... And what if you-?"
"I'll be okay. This isn't the first time I donated blood for a vampire. And I trust you. The fact you're so concerned despite practically starving shows your humanity. Trent, I wouldn't offer if there was an alternative solution." Trent simply had a conflicted look.
Back with the teens, Chris prepared the next challenge. "Good news," the host announced. "The third round involves three more challenges. It's the Three Blind challenges. It begins with the blind William Tell, followed by the blind trapeze and culminating in the treacherous blind toboggan."
"Please tell me you've found Barry," Phoebe begged to Keith.
"I'm looking," Keith assured her. "I want him found as much as you do. Tried luring him with that fish Millie made, but not even a bite. I don't know what else to do." Phoebe could only whimper. "He'll show up," Zee said. "Maybe he's just, uh, peeing." Chris put an arrow on top of DJ's head. "Like legendary marksman William Tell," Chris explained, "You'll be knocking arrows off your partner's head with crab apples."
"Wasn't it the other way around?" Zoey corrected.
"Shush. Also, the shooter will be blindfolded." DJ gasped as the Rats inched away from him. "The player who knocks off the arrow first wins," Chris finished. He blindly shot an apple, nailing DJ in the crotch. "Ooh!" DJ groaned in pain.
"Aw, nuts," Chris said after removing his blindfold. "Leshawna and Lacey, you'll be one team. Scott and Geoff, Shawn and Paul and Jasmine and Zoey will be the others."
"I'll shoot," Zoey volunteered. "I'm a great shot."
"You'd better be," Jasmine warned her.
"I call shooting shotgun!" Geoff called out.
"Oh, great," Scott sarcastically muttered. "I always wanted to be hit by crab apples."
"Can you shoot blindfolded?" Paul asked Shawn.
"Been practicing on it," Shawn replied with confidence.
"I can endure more hits," Lacey told Leshawna. "You can shoot."
"Okay, let's rock and roll!" Chris announced. Jasmine, Paul, Scott and Lacey stood with an arrow on their heads. Leshawna fired an apple, hitting Lacey in the stomach. Geoff fired apples left and right, hitting Scott repeatedly. "Don't worry, Jasmine," Zoey assured her as she kept firing apples. "I won't hit you...even if you deserve it for all the crap you put Sky and her love through." The apples flew right over Jasmine, missing her completely. "You're a horrible archer! the Australian complained.
"Am not," Zoey protested. "I got the highest average in my archery club."
"A club of what, one?" Zoey was about to say something when an apple knocked her to the ground. "I hit something!" Shawn cheered.
"Wrong target, Zombie Boy," Paul corrected. Sugar lifted Zoey back up. "Thanks, Sky," she said, unaware of the true culprit. "Now to win this challenge."
"Wait, Zoey," Paul warned, "It's the wrong-" He was cut off as another apple was launched by Shawn, with him catching it in his mouth. Zoey kept firing, though her aim was now directed towards someone else. "Hey!" Lacey complained as she attempted to block the apples from Zoey and Leshawna. "I wasn't planning a double assault!" Shawn fired another apple, knocking the arrow off of Paul's head. "Got it!" Paul cheered after removing the apple from his mouth.
"Point for the Confused Bears," Chris announced.
"Aw, bummer," Lacey groaned. A few more apples clonked her in the head, sending her into a dazed state. "Whoa!" Scott shouted as he ducked Zoey's apples. Her apples hit a bear, a seagull and even Sasquatchanakwa. "It's over, Zoey!" Paul yelled out as he shook Zoey back to her senses. "Knock off the shooting!"
"Oh," Zoey replied as she removed her blindfold. "But no damage to Jasmine. Told you I wouldn't hurt you."
"But your aim wasn't at Jasmine." Paul pointed to Lacey. "Red's going down..." she slurred before passing out.
"Oh, God, no!" Zoey gasped. "I-I-I didn't mean to..." Paul shot a glare at Sugar, who simply had an innocent smile. "Great aim," Scott grumbled as he took the arrow off his head.
"I was blindfolded, dude," Geoff shrugged. "No reason to get testy." He was hit in the head with an apple soon after. "Scott, don't," Bowie warned him as he held him back from throwing another apple. "We have to focus. If we don't win at least one of the blind challenges, we're toast. Can you go find Dawn? We'll need all hands on deck."
"Fine," Scott gave in. "But something has to be done about Party Boy soon. He'll be the death of me." A short time later, he was walking towards the Rat cabin. "Where is that aura seeker?" he muttered. Scott then gagged as he held his nose. "Oh, it smells like that chicken slaughtering place my uncle owns. And...coming from our cabin?" He peeked inside the window and his eyes widened in shock at the sight that befell him: Dawn lying on the bed as she bled from her neck while Trent was hunched over her with blood staining his mouth. Scott muffled himself to keep from screaming before dashing off in a panic. "Hmm?" Dawn tiredly thought as she sat up and cleaned the wound. "Was someone there?"
"Dawn..." Trent choked out as his tears started dripping to the floor, "I'm...I'm so sorry." Dawn just patted his back as he wept with regret. "It'll be okay," she quietly assured him.
"And now," Chris announced, "The blind trapeze. To avoid serious injury, the trapeze has been set up over this pond...which is full of jellyfish."
"Pelagia noctiluca!" Cameron gasped. "Their strings are said to feel like electric volts!" He, Bowie, Greg and Heather were passed a blindfold. "You four will stand blindfolded on the platform until your partners tell you when to jump," Chris explained.
"And then?" Heather asked.
"Then hopefully they'll catch you or that's gonna be one heck of a painful swim. Okay, hut-hut!" Harold was swinging on the trapeze first. "Still no sign of Barry?" Phoebe whimpered.
"He'll be back," Zee assured her.
"But he's been gone so long. Did me and Coach do something wrong?"
"No," Keith calmly replied. "You didn't. It's on me, if anything. I shouldn't have left him out of my sight. I'm sorry, Phoebe." Duncan glanced over at the duo before subtly walking off. "You ready, Bowie?" Harold asked him.
"I...I think so," Bowie breathed out. "But the jellyfish worry me."
"I'll catch you. Just trust me. Jump now!" Bowie jumped off the platform and Harold managed to catch him. "Alright!" DJ cheered. "You did it!"
"We're up next, amigo," Alejandro told Greg. "Are you ready to jump?"
"Only because it's for the challenge," Greg informed him. "And I swear if you miss, I'll make your life a living hell here."
"Duly noted. Almost...and jump!" Greg jumped off the platform, but Alejandro yanked his hands away at the last second, making Greg fall into the water. "Oh, dear," the Spaniard feigned. "Greg, why did you flinch up like that? I had you." Greg could only scream in pain as the jellyfish shocked him. "Are you ready for me yet, Scarlett?" Cameron asked from his platform.
"I'm still perfecting the calculations to avoid the hazardous obstacle," Scarlett answered. "Taking into account inertia and current velocity-"
"Velocity this!" Sugar shouted as she threw a large rock. It managed to hit Scarlett, making her slip off the trapeze and dangle above the water. "Yes!" Sugar cheered. "Uh, I mean, shoot. I was aiming for the jellyfish."
"Scarlett!" Cameron cried out as he removed his blindfold and saw the sight. "Hold still!" He climbed down the platform. Scarlett started losing her grip on the trapeze. "Don't worry," Sierra told her. "Help's on the way." Cameron struggled to slide a mattress over towards the tank. "Cameron?" Scarlett thought. "You're supposed to be on the platform! I did not instruct you to get off."
"I'm also trying to save you from paralysis," Cameron countered. "Just jump on this."
"But there's not-"
"Just trust me, Scarlett. Please." Scarlett's grip loosened just as she jumped off, bouncing off the mattress and crashing on top of Cameron. "There goes my pelvis," Cameron groaned. "You okay?"
"In optimal condition," Scarlett stated as she adjusted her glasses. "Thank you, Cameron." The duo looked at each other and gave a small smile. "Okay," Owen told Heather as he swung from the trapeze. "One...two...three...j-jump. No! Wait! Not yet!" However, Heather had already jumped and she landed right into the pond. "AHHHH!" she cried out.
"And that's a point for the Toxic Rats," Chris decided.
"Ah, poo," Sugar complained. "We were doing good." She was suddenly hit by a jellyfish flung at her face, electrocuting her.
Confessional: Cameron (Frogs of Death)
"Normally, I'd say that was too far, but Sugar nearly knocked off Scarlett so she'd fall. She deserves a taste of her own medicine that time."
End Confessional
"I can't believe I trusted that little-" Heather complained as she, Sugar and Greg walked to the medical tent. The trio were zapped by the jellyfish. "Fricking stinging jellyfish," Sugar complained.
"Guess you shouldn't have agitated Scarlett, huh?" Greg blandly told her as they sat on some cots. "Huh. Place is much bigger now."
"Thank Stan for that," Dean told the group as he re-bandaged Dave's wounds. "With ow you guys are so danger-prone, he figured expanding would help the place up."
"Where am I?" Lacey moaned as she sat up.
"You're in the infirmary," Heather informed her. "Got anything for removing jellyfish?" She, Greg and Sugar were zapped again. "We will get to you," Helga sighed as she slipped on a pair of surgical gloves. "Keep feeding Mohawk Girl that soup, Nikki. And tell her not to try to talk."
"Yes, Nurse Helga," Nikki replied with a salute.
"Thank you," Greg breathed out before the jellyfish group laid down. Lacey looked around to see Gwen with a bandaged arm and leg, Dave with bandages over his body, Nikki feeding soup to Helen, and oddly enough, Duncan outside as he lured Barry over with some sausage links. "What's Duncan doing with that mitt?" the biker quietly thought.
"Scott?" Sam thought as he saw the dirt farmer panting as he returned. "Where have you been?" Scott could only babble in his worried state. "Scott, deep breath in," Zoey calmly instructed. "Now, what has you so worried?"
"A ghoul's running loose!" Scott cried out as he flailed his arms. "He got Dawn all bloody and-"
"Scott?" Dawn spoke up as she silently joined the group.
"AHH! Dawn's ghost came back to haunt us!" Scott soon fainted. "The idea of an ectoplasmic apparition appearing before us has scientifically proven to be a figment of the subconscious' desire to avoid the idea of the end of the life cycle," Scarlett informed the group. "In other words, there's no such thing as ghosts!"
"Does the ghost know that?" Sam asked. He noticed Dawn bumping into him. "What are you doing?"
"Proving I'm not a ghost," Dawn replied. "If I was, I'd pass through you."
"Huh. Makes sense. But, uh, what about the ghoul stuff Scott mentioned? It isn't Resident Evil levels of bad? Or Luna bad?"
"There are no ghouls," Sol told him. "I'd know if there were."
"Indeed," Bryan agreed. "If anyone was a ghoul, they'd be pale and clammy and...sensitive to the sun and..." He gulped as the realization hit him. "Please tell me no one else is thinking of the same name as I."
"You mean...Trent?" Echo thought with a slight smirk.
"Th-that can't be," Owen stammered. "He isn't..."
"But it would explain some things," Alejandro reasoned. "To think he concealed this from us..."
"Most likely because of how you would react," Dawn cut off. "Things are getting handled with him."
"I doubt it if Scott said you got all bloody," Valerie argued. "The nerve!"
"And now the final leg," Chris announced to the campers, "The blind toboggan race."
"The what?" Tyler gulped.
"Each team will have a driver and a navigator. The drier steers while the navigator shouts directions. Oh, yeah, and the driver will be blindfolded." Most of the campers gasped. "Not many of you left, huh?" Chris thought. "Keep losing you guys. Oh, well, uh, Bryan and Echo, Dawn and Sam, Tyler and Carly and Zee and Phoebe." Up on the hill, the pairs were gathered up. "I know you're behind that stunt with Trent," Carly scolded as she approached Echo. "I'm not gonna let you get away with it."
"Whatever do you mean?" Echo sweetly asked.
"Don't play coy! Stealing Trent's bag, causing him to go haywire, injuring Gwen-"
"Carly, please," Bryan advised as he pulled her back. "This will get us nowhere. Until we figure things out, we can't risk the Gophers losing. They might vote out Trent if we do lose. Just keep your cool for now, okay?"
"Phoebe," Zee told her, "I know you're, like, totally bummed about your dog, but we, like, gotta keep focus. It's a matter of life or serious injury, man." The duo looked over to see Chef painting the sleds with grease. "Just lubing them up," he said. "Give them a little more speed going."
"I just don't know," Phoebe sighed. "I just don't." Later, the sleds were ready, with Bryan, Sam, Tyler and Phoebe wearing the blindfolds. "On your marks," Chris announced, "Get set..." He blew his air horn as the four pairs were pushed down the steep mountain. "Right," Dawn instructed to Sam. "Go right."
"Go right?" Phoebe asked.
"But I didn't say anything," Zee told her. "Dawn did. Uh, which way is port?" Phoebe steered her sled to the left. "Yeah!" Zee cheered. "We've got it now!"
"Left!" Echo shouted. However, Bryan steered his sled right and slid past a boulder. "I said left!" Echo shouted.
"Like you would say that," Bryan argued.
"Watch out for the tree!" Carly cried out. Tyler narrowly dodged a tree. Sam and Dawn hit a rock, sending them flying into the air. "Whee!" Sam cheered. "This is fun! Hey, did someone leave the sink running?"
"Oh, sweet Mother Earth!" Dawn screamed as she saw the waterfall. "We're not ready to die yet!" They fell off and got flung back by a branch. "You're doing great, Tyler," Carly assured him. They were knocked back by Bryan and Echo. "Hey! What gives?!"
"I'm not letting you win," Echo told her. "Right, Bryan." Bryan steered left, bumping into Carly and Tyler's sled. "Oh, that's it!" Carly shouted. "I'm gonna get you!" She swiped her hand towards Echo, but she grabbed Bryan's blindfold by mistake. "Go left!" Echo ordered. Bryan turned right, yanking the blindfold off his eyes. "NO!" Carly cried out.
"Uh, where do I go now?" Tyler asked with confusion. Carly took hold of the sled and tried to stop it, it the duo ended up spinning before they collided with a tree. "Wipeout," Carly moaned. "Yippee."
"Come on, Phoebe!" Zee rallied. "We need you to steer! Please!"
"Hey, Phoebe," Duncan called out, "Look who I found." He stepped forward, revealing Barry in his hands. "That's your dog!" Zee exclaimed. "He found him!"
"Is this a joke?" Phoebe asked. "You know I can't see."
"Just trust me, dudette. When we're done, Barry will be waiting for you."
"Uh...okay. Let's do this."
"Go starboard. Port. Port again. We're leading!"
"Not anymore!" Bryan shouted as he and Echo passed their sled.
"Are we still alive?" Dawn gulped as she clung onto Sam. "We are? A tree! Left, Sam!"
"Starboard," Zee instructed to Phoebe. "Starboard." BOOM! "What was that?!" Phoebe cried out as Zee clung to her in fright. Chris pushed a trigger device. "We had a few explosives leftover and I just hate to waste," he smugly informed the camera. More explosions rang out as the campers kept sliding down. One explosive was set off right over Bryan and Echo, sending them flying. The Frogs started to cheer as Phoebe and Zee got towards the finish line. They then noticed Echo and Bryan's sled landing right on the finish line. "We won!" Owen cheered. "WHOO-HOO!"
"Open your eyes, Phoebe," Keith told her with excitement. "Look!" Phoebe removed her blindfold. "BARRY!" she squealed as she rushed over and hugged the chupacabra. "Oh, I've missed you so much! Thank you, Coach!"
"Don't thank me," Keith said. "Thank Duncan. He got him back."
"Whatever, man," Duncan scoffed. "It's just a stupid mutt."
"I can't believe you brought them back their pet," Lacey told him as she walked over to him. You're a pretty good guy."
"What? No, I'm not."
"You are. You're actually...nice."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I saw you do it, Duncan."
"Whatever. He wouldn't leave me alone. Weird mutt." Duncan noticed Lacey's skeptical look. "Okay, fine," he whispered, "I did it. Are you happy now? Listen, don't tell anybody, okay? I don't want them to think I'm soft or anything."
"Secret is safe with me," Lacey replied as she walked off, "But I'd still like a word with you later." Duncan only had a surprised look.
Confessional: Duncan (Toxic Rats)
"I'm not nice, okay? Just to set the record straight."
End Confessional
"Oh, Barry," Phoebe sighed as she snuggled him.
"Looks like your friend is doing okay," Dawn noted. "I was worried that that cramp chest might've hurt him."
"Chest?" Keith asked.
"I saw it wash on-shore and Barry jumped out after I opened it. How he got inside..."
"An accident?" Phoebe thought.
"It wouldn't be drifting in the water if it was," Keith reasoned. "Barry didn't run off; he was dognapped! If I catch the sucker who did this..." He noticed Barry growling and hissing as Alejandro stepped closer. "Ah, you found your pet again," the Spaniard began. "What a stroke of luck." He backed up as Barry's snarling intensified. "Easy there, buddy. Easy." Barry lunged out of Phoebe's arms and started attacking Alejandro. "Eek!" she cried out. "Coach, do something!" Keith simply covered Phoebe's eyes with his hand, all while he watched the scene with a smirk.
Confessional: Keith (Confused Bears)
He sighed with content. "Sometimes, the universe just gives you a freebie." He gave a thumbs up as he looked upward.
End Confessional
"And the Gophers win the toboggan race," Chris announced.
"Yeah!" Bryan cheered. "We got a win, guys!"
"Unfortunately, I said that these were blind challenges. By taking off the blindfold, Bryan, you broke the number one rule, which makes the Frogs the true winners of the race, and they and the Bears are today's big winners!"
"Aw, crap!" Heather complained as bandages covered her face. "We lost?! Way to go, Bryan!"
"But-but the blindfold was yanked off," Bryan defended. "I didn't take it off."
"He's right," Echo defended. "But why not ask...Carly?" The Gophers noticed Carly wobbling towards them, blindfold in her hand. "Did we win, Bryan?" she asked.
"The nerve of you!" Lacey scolded. "You just sabotaged our victory!"
"What?! No! You guys losing is the last thing I wanted!"
"Oh, sure. Sounds pretty two-faced from where I see things."
"No! If anything, blame Echo! She caused all of this!"
"M-me?" Echo stammered.
"Yes, you! You caused all the chaos on this camp for your own slick pleasure, like with Elias and-and Priya and now Trent!"
"Carly, not now," Bryan quietly warned.
"Why would you accuse me of such heartless stuff?" Echo pleaded as tears started to dot her eyes.
"Because you ARE heartless!" Carly scolded. "You are a sociopathic MONSTER!" Echo gasped in shock. "Carly..." she sobbed, "I've been trying to help you guys since I arrived at camp, trying so hard to earn your friendship, even at my own expense, because I admired you. I looked up to you, Carly. And now...to see your true self like this...I...I..." She started to cry into Bryan's arms. "I guess Lacey was right about you," she wept. "Why should we be friendly to a heartless jerk like you?"
"Uh, there, there," Bryan awkwardly assured Echo. He gave Carly a sympathetic look.
Confessional: Bryan (Screaming Gophers)
"She tied my hands. If I comforted her, Carly would see me as untrustworthy. But if I didn't, the Gophers would paint me as the heartless one." He sighed, but soon a sly smile formed on his face. "Well, guess what? The joke's on Echo." He pulled out the stolen phone. "I grabbed the phone of confessionals back! I knew she had it once she mentioned Anthony's blind eye, something he kept under tight wraps in here. And the phone she grabbed? A fake. Now to sway the Gophers to reason, and I know just how to do it."
End Confessional
"Whew," Helen sighed as she rested in her cabin. "Glad that fugu nightmare is over. Really gotta thank Nikki and Helga for nursing me back to health."
"Just take it easy," Lacey advised as she, Helen, Owen, Leshawna and Gwen sat on the beds. "Don't wanna spin back progress. Now, who we gonna vote off? Trent or Heather?"
"We gotta boot Heather," Leshawna told them. "She's the one that injured Gwen and been a pain in our necks."
"Yeah, but Trent's a dangerous ghoul," Owen spoke up.
"Ghoul?" Helen thought. "I thought he was your little buddy."
"How you still holding up, girl?" Leshawna asked Gwen. Gwen silently walked out of the cabin. "Poor kid," Leshawna sighed. "I'll look after her. You girls keep an eye out for those two ghouls." She walked outside just as Bryan and Dean walked inside. "I assume you were talking about the votes?" Bryan guessed.
"Deciding between Heather and Trent," Lacey explained. "Wanna throw in your two cents?"
"Sure. We vote off Echo tonight."
"What?!" Lacey, Helen and Owen gasped.
"But Echo didn't screw up in the challenge or is a bad person," Helen defended.
"She IS a very bad person," Dean argued. "She's been the headache you guys had on your team, not Heather."
"I don't buy it," Lacey scoffed.
"But it's the truth," Bryan countered. "She's the one who coerced me into kissing Trent. She's the third Gopher villain on the team." He got closer to Lacey and Helen. "And she's the reason your friends Sarah and Lucas got kicked off over Heather. Who else could talk Nikki into vengeance or slip the food into Sarah's pocket?"
"And if Echo's as sweet as you guys claim," Dean added, "Then why would Chris prevent me from speaking ill about her?"
"That is weird," Lacey admitted. "Chris wouldn't bend the rules like that except to exploit drama."
"But what about Trent?" Owen pointed out. "What he did to Gwen and Dawn..."
"He's been here for well over a month or two," Bryan explained. "And he never gone berserk before. Something must've been triggered to push him to that point...like the theft of this." He pulled out a black bag. "Sky found it buried just a few minutes ago and asked that I return it to Trent. My guess is that whatever was in here was vital to Trent like insulin to a diabetic. He turned the guys' side over like a tornado when he realized it was gone."
"And if you guys want further proof..." Dean told them as he pulled out a tablet, "Then watch this." He pressed 'Play', and Lacey, Helen and Owen gasped as they saw a figure hop out of the spa hotel with the bag, and a second later, the figure revealed herself as Echo. "That's enough," Lacey sternly told Dean. "Our minds are made up. Gophers, let's cut the snake off at the head."
That night, the Screaming Gophers were at the campfire ceremony. Trent, Echo, Heather, Lindsay, Owen and Lacey were in the back row while Bryan, Helen, Leshawna and Gwen were in the front row. "Who wants a treat?" Chris began as he held up a plate of marshmallows. "A tasty goodie that represents exemption, security, peace of mind-"
"Just get on with it," Heather cut off.
"And if you don't get a marshmallow, you have to walk the Dock of Shame and you can never come back...ever," Chris quickly said before continuing as normal. "Let's see...one for Leshawna, one for Lacey, one for Helen and one for Gwen." Leshawna, Helen and Lacey caught their marshmallows while Gwen's marshmallow bounced off of her. "Owen, Lindsay and Bryan," Chris added. "Well done, my brothers. Now it's down to three. Next one goes to..." Heather blinked with worry while Trent looked down onto the ground and Echo simply smirked. "...Heather." Heather smiled as she caught her marshmallow. "Looks like we only have one left," Chris announced.
"Come on already," Heather complained.
"Don't rush me! The audience eats up this kind of dramatic conclusion." Heather sighed before eating her marshmallow. "..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Trent."
"What?" Trent and Echo gasped. Trent was stunned when he caught the final marshmallow. "I'm afraid you've made a mistake, Chris," Echo sweetly told him as she walked over to him. "I shouldn't be eliminated. It was Trent, remember?"
"Oh, no," Lacey sternly told her. "There's no mistake. We voted you off, you little viper."
"Yeah!" Helen rallied. "We know every awful thing you pulled, like getting Nikki all upset and framing Sarah and Elias and Bridgette and Trent!"
"Excuse me?" Echo argued. "What birdie told you that?"
"Tweet-tweet," Dean taunted as he slid next to her, much to her shock. "Guess my word's more reliable than you thought."
"Yeah, right. Carly obviously got into your head and warped it."
"Really?" Bryan thought. "I recall you saying it was the other way around."
"Oh, no, no, no. Your word isn't good, either. And unlike you, I have proof. Just watch." Echo pulled out her phone and looked through it. "Huh?" she thought. "Where is it? It was here!" She looked over to Bryan, and there she saw he had a subtle smirk on his face and her eyes widened when she realized that she, Echo herself, had been outplayed. "YOU BASTARD!" Echo angrily yelled out. She lunged at Bryan and started to attack him. "Man, that girl is crazy!" Leshawna cried out.
"Chris, aren't you gonna do something?" Helen pleaded. Chef yanked Echo off of Bryan. "This isn't over!" Echo spat out. "I'm not done! I'll get my revenge!" A moment later, she was tied in a straight-jacket as the Boat of Losers took her. "I'm not done with you! Oh, and Bryan lied! I'm not the saboteur! It was-"
"Wow, she was seriously psycho, huh?" Bryan thought as he rubbed his bruises. "But she's gone now. No more worries from her. Let's celebrate!" He, Owen, Lacey, Helen and Lacey cheered as they walked back to the cabin while Heather, Leshawna and Gwen were more neutral. Dean was about to join them when he noticed Trent all alone at the campfire. He saw Trent looking down at the marshmallow before he angrily threw it into the fire. The musician could only let out a choked sob as he buried his head in his hands.
Votes:
Voted for Echo: Lacey, Owen, Helen, Bryan
Voted for Trent: Heather, Echo, Lindsay
Voted for Heather: Gwen, Leshawna, Trent
Eliminated: Echo (4-3-3)
100) Caleb (Toxic Rats)
99) Staci (Toxic Rats)
98) B (Toxic Rats)
97) Axel (Frogs of Death)
96) Elias (Screaming Gophers)
95) Eva (Confused Bears)
94) Olivia (Screaming Gophers)
93/92) Katie/Sadie (Confused Bears)
91) Noah (Confused Bears)
90) Justin (Screaming Gophers)
89) Nichelle (Toxic Rats)
88) Lauren (Confused Bears)
87) Dean (Confused Bears)
86) Alan (Screaming Gophers)
85) Leonard (Toxic Rats)
84) 'Dumb' Damien (Screaming Gophers)
83/82) Corey (Screaming Gophers)/Laney (Frogs of Death)
81) Jane (Frogs of Death)
80) 'Smart' Damien (Frogs of Death)
79) MK (Toxic Rats)
78/77) Wayne/Raj (Toxic Rats)
76) Dakota (Toxic Rats)
75) Lara (Confused Bears)
74) Beardo (Confused Bears)
73) Amy (Frogs of Death)
72) Ripper (Frogs of Death)
71) Chase (Screaming Gophers)
70) Emma (Toxic Rats)
69) Izzy (Screaming Gophers)
68) Cody (Screaming Gophers)
67) Beth (Screaming Gophers)
66) Rose (Screaming Gophers)
65) Ezekiel (Confused Bears)
64) Anthony (Toxic Rats)
63) Luna (Toxic Rats)
62/61) Brick (Frogs of Death)/Melody (Confused Bears)
60) Max (Screaming Gophers)
59) Rodney (Confused Bears)
58) Sarah (Screaming Gophers)
57) Bridgette (Toxic Rats)
56) Lucas (Screaming Gophers)
55) Samey (Frogs of Death)
54/53) Shane (Frogs of Death)/Ella (Confused Bears)
52) Anne-Maria (Frogs of Death)
51/50) Topher (Frogs of Death)/Blainley (Confused Bears)
49) Julia (Toxic Rats)
48) Priya (Confused Bears)
47) Lightning (Toxic Rats)
46) Destiny (Confused Bears)
45) Ethan (Confused Bears)
44) Echo (Screaming Gophers)
Episode 51 is here, and man, was it a ride! So, I bet nobody expected that elimination, huh? Echo had everything set up for Trent to take the fall, but Bryan managed to turn the tables on her and get her cut instead. Definitely an interesting clash of the brains, evil versus evil... But Trent is far from safe now. Not when everything about him got exposed. How will he do now?
We also had some interesting pairings that I think worked pretty well, such as Mike/Valerie, Greg/Alejandro, Scarlett/Cameron, Phoebe/Zee... Which one was your favorite?
Next episode will have the teens traversing down a deep... What's that squealing noise? Weirdest gopher I ever saw. Until next time, enjoy and have a good day.