"Welcome back to Total Drama Island!" Chris stood at the middle of the dock that would soon fill up with 24 eager young adults, all thirsty to win the grand prize. He flashed a bright white smile for the camera and looked out at the lake. "It's time for you to meet our campers! So, here's the deal. We told them all that they'd be staying at a five star luxury resort, so if they seem a little ticked off, that's probably why."
At the end of the dock was a large boat. It quickly drove off, revealing the first of the campers to be standing at the end, a tall slightly chubby Asian girl. Most noticeable was her rimmed glasses and the braces she wore, as seen from her nervous smile. She wore a maroon jacket over a black and white stripped shirt, green pants, and sneakers the same color as her jacket. Her hair was worn in pigtails, accompanied by maroon bows. She looked around nervously, both at the empty dock and the campground near her.
"Heather," Chris called, startling the nerdy looking girl as she was still looking over the camp. "How ya doing?"
"I'm doing... good," she hesitantly replied as she walked over to the host, a slight lisp to her voice thanks to the braces. "I didn't, uh, think I'd be the first one here."
Heather: The Nerd
"Hey, that means you got off easy," Chris said with a pat on the back before scooting her towards the other end of the dock. "You could have got here near the end and would have had to deal with everyone else staring at you when ya got off the boat, silently judging you and junk."
"Good point." She finally started to relax a bit, giving a small wave to the camera before walking to where Chris wanted her to. Another boat soon arrived, dropping off the first male camper. Any worry Heather previously had was quickly forgotten about when she saw the person that exited the boat.
The boy was practically the personification of beauty. Between his perfectly tanned skin, bright blue eyes, short and yet perfectly messy hair, and chiseled features he seemed to be gifted with it all. Despite his physique, his attire seemed much more modest. Like Heather, he wore a jacket over his green t-shirt, this one white. He also wore a plain pair of jeans and sandals. His bright smile faded only briefly as he looked at the camp behind the host, but it returned when he went to shake his hand.
"Chris, it's a pleasure to actually meet you in person," the gorgeous boy said, his voice making Heather shudder. "I'm a big fan of your movies, dude."
"The pleasure is all mine, Justin," Chris replied. Even he had to be impressed just how unnaturally physically gifted Justin was. Justin, however, seemed none the wiser at the looks Chris and Heather were giving him and gladly took his spot next to Heather at the end of the docks.
"This place looked a lot different on the application form," he mused as he looked out at the camp. Justin then noticed Heather looking at him, though not noticing how red her face was, and put a hand out for her to shake. "Hey, how ya doing? I'm Justin."
Justin: The Sweetheart
"Er, I, uh, y-you, um h-how, s-so..."
Justin raised an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side as he looked at the stammering nerdy girl. "You alright? You seem a little flustered."
"I... uh... I'm..." Heather breathed a sudden sigh of relief when she was interrupted by another boat departing.
The next arrival looked much more curious than the previous two. The first thing the others noticed about the African-Canadian girl was her impressive height. When she reached Chris, she completely towered over him, although this was in part due to the platform heels she wore. Her Gothic style dress was black, with lacey white patterns depicting crosses and the like. A black bow sat atop her long purple hair, and she wore black knee socks along with a scowl pointed right at Chris. Her face was covered in makeup, with black lipstick and eyeliner.
"Hey, Sierra," Chris greeted, taking a step back when the camper narrowed her eyes at him. "Is there a problem?"
"We're staying here? It's a crappy summer camp, this isn't what I signed up for."
"Well for one, I'M not actually staying here, because my place has an AC and a hot tub," Chris corrected with a thumb pointed away from camp, before pulling out a thick stack of papers. "And this actually WAS what you signed up for. Says so right here in your contract. Ya gotta read the fine print, girl. Get comfy, this is where you're spending your summer."
"Yeah, no it isn't," Sierra quickly snapped back, tossing the copy of the contract behind her and into the lake.
Sierra: The Loner
"Come on, I know it looks crappy but it isn't THAT bad," Justin called from the end of the dock. "You don't want to throw away your chance at a hundred grand just because it looks a little crummy, do you?"
Sierra's eyebrows shot up when she got a look at Justin, having to fight hard to keep her composure when he flashed her a smile. Chris chuckled and lightly pushed her towards him and Heather.
"Decided you'll stay with us?"
"... I guess there's WORSE ways I could be spending my summer," she replied before giving Heather a curious glance and taking her place next to Justin.
The three young adults looked out at the lake where another boat was quickly approaching. Unlike the others, however, this boat was blasting loud heavy metal music. At the front on the vessel was a boy with long black hair that nearly covered his face. He played an air guitar while headbanging to the ear blasting music. His attire, like Sierra, was primarily black. He wore a black t-shirt with a picture of a hand making the devil horn sign on the front. His faded gray shorts weren't in the best condition, with a few rips visible. He also wore spiked bracelets that became easily noticeable when he stopped his air guitar to hold his arms up and give out a loud yell. He jumped from the boat to the dock, where the others had covered their ears due to the still deafening volume of the music. The boy continued his headbanging until someone from the boat tossed him his luggage.
"What is UP, everybody," he exclaimed, jogging over to Chris and offering a high five. "I am pumped to be here!"
"I'm sure you are, Trent," Chris replied, returning the high five and giving the new arrival a smirk. "That was quite the entrance."
Trent: The Metalhead
"You know it, man. What's the point of arriving in a big fancy yacht if you ain't gonna do it in style, am I right?"
"Right you are," Chris replied before motioning to the end of the dock. "Go ahead and get familiar with the others."
"Rock on," Trent yelled before quickly making his way over to the three campers. Justin gladly returned a fist bump offered by the new arrival, while Heather opted for a less awkward hand shake. Sierra had paid the loud newcomer no mind.
"Alright campers, meet our next arrival. Eva!"
Gently stepping off the boat was a girl of Eastern European origin and giving the others a warm smile. Her outfit consisted simply of a blue and white cheerleader outfit, gold earrings, and heels. She appeared to hold her appearance in high regard due to how well groomed and well maintained she was, from her eyebrows to her long black hair. Despite the unfortunate mole on her cheek, she was all around attractive, with the boys especially taking notice.
"Welcome to camp, Eva," Chris greeted. "How's it hanging?"
"How is... what hanging?" she asked with a perplexed expression. The others exchanged curious glances while Chris raised an eyebrow.
"I mean what's up," Chris replied, although this only made Eva look at the sky.
"Well, there's some clouds, the sun, I think I see a bi-"
"Yes yes that's all well and good," Chris interrupted, pushing her down to the others. "Now just go stand with the others and don't try to think too hard or anything."
Eva: The Ditz
Eva smiled at the others and gave them a wave. All but Sierra returned it. Trent gave the new girl a smirk and put out his hand. "Well hello there."
"Hi!" Eva grabbed Trent's hand and shook it. Unbeknownst to her, her grip was so powerful that it nearly crushed the metalhead's hand into dust. By the time her grasp had finally let go, Trent fought hard not to howl in pain, clutching his hand and screaming internally to the amusement of the others.
The next boat arrival dropped off a girl that the others could tell meant business considering her pissed off expression. Her appearance was bold to say the least. A white shirt that was clearly not meant to cover much plus a green miniskirt probably as short as TV would allow. She flipped her brown shoulder length hair and surveyed the others. Justin caught her interest almost immediately, although none of the others did the same. Eva was the only one giving the newcomer a smile, while the others watched her cautiously, noting the glare she was giving them behind her glasses.
"Beth, good to have you here," Chris commented, with the new arrival not acknowledging the host as she walked down the dock. Heather gave her a nervous smile and stepped back when she looked at her. Beth smirked.
"This is gonna be easy," she whispered to herself before standing next to Eva.
Beth: The Manipulator
The campers and Chris turned their attention to the next boat which, like Trent's, was blasting music from a speaker near the front. This music was just as loud as Trent's, however it seemed to just be a man screaming nonsensically, rather than the metal guitar and drums that accompanied the rocker. The boy next to the speaker was an odd sight. He had fiery red hair spiked up and piercings covering his face. Two on his lip, one on his eyebrow, one in his nose, and several on both ears. He also curiously wore black makeup around his eyes and baggy purple shorts with an absurd amount of pockets. He wore a long sleeved black shirt with an image of a smirking Satan on the front, and various leather straps over his outfit.
Chris raised an eyebrow as the odd camper jumped from the boat, but smiled nonetheless. "Harold! What's up, dude?"
Harold looked around at his surroundings, narrowing his eyes at the host and cracking his knuckles. "The hell is this?" he asked in a deep raspy voice.
"This," Chris replied, motioning back at Camp Wawanakwa, "Is where you'll be competing for the next eight weeks. Surprise!"
Harold growled, snapping his head around to glare at the other campers watching on curiously. The sudden glare startled both Justin and Heather, though the others were unimpressed.
Harold: The Punk
"Remember, dude, you're here to compete for $100,000!"
Harold glanced over at Chris, thinking this over. Eventually he shrugged and began to smirk. "Eh, why the hell not? I guess I can have some fun with this place."
With that, the odd newcomer joined the others at the end of the dock. He faked out a punch to Justin, making the hunk flinch. Harold chuckled to himself, not noticing the eye rolls he got from Sierra and Trent.
The next boat signaled its arrival by blasting the horn. Chris and the campers looked out and were surprised to see the next young adult hang gliding from the end of the yacht. He was on the shorter side, but seemed to be in good shape. He wore a red Letterman jacket with a C stitched on, as well as blue jeans and white sneakers. He gave the others a wave and grin, revealing a gap in his teeth. When the boat was close, he let go and attempted to land on the dock, but came up short and ended up hitting his face on the end and falling into the water.
"Whoa, brutal wipe out," Trent commented as the others looked on in shock. Thankfully, the boy picked himself out of the water quickly and shook his brown hair dry, looking like the hit hadn't phased him at all.
"You doing alright, Cody?" Chris asked with an eyebrow raised. "That was a pretty sick fall."
"That little thing?" Cody replied with a smirk. "Nah, that was nothing. I feel great, dude! Psyched to be here."
Cody: The Daredevil
"Glad to hear it." Chris exchanged a quick fist bump with Cody before the new camper joined the ranks at the end of the dock and offered high fives to his fellow competitors. Only Sierra, Beth, and Harold seemed unwilling to accept the offer.
The next boat quickly dropped off the next camper and departed, revealing yet another strange looking individual. He wore a bucket hat, a yellow and black Hawaiian shirt, large yellow tinted glasses, white loafers, and white shorts. Chris smiled as the others watched him lumber over to their host.
"Duncan! Welcome to Camp Wawanakwa, dude. How's it going?"
Duncan didn't respond and instead looked around at the camp behind Chris. He spoke in a mumble, just barely loud enough for Chris to hear. "This where we're staying for the summer?"
"Yes," Chris replied, eyeing the new arrival curiously. "This is it."
"Far out." Duncan continued down the dock, ignoring the host's offer for a handshake as he walked over to the others. "Was starting to worry it really would be some lame resort or something."
Duncan: The Weirdo
As Duncan joined the other campers, they noticed the somewhat quirky walk pattern of his, almost as if he struggled to walk in a straight line.
"Dude, are you on something?" Trent jokingly asked with a chuckle, only to go wide eyed when Duncan raised an eyebrow and didn't respond.
Chris narrowed his eyes at the new arrival but eventually shrugged and decided to leave him be. He turned to the other side of the dock where another camper was joining them.
"Our ninth contestant is Geoff!"
As Geoff walked down the dock, the others could see that he was a guy that oozed cool. Like a few before him, his attire was primarily black. He wore a pair of dark shades covering his eyes, a black beret, black turtleneck sweater, black jeans, and black sneakers. He had let his blonde hair grow out a bit, reaching the bottom of his neck, and had grown a goatee. He offered the host a small smile, followed by a fist bump.
"Chris, it's a pleasure to be here." Geoff looked around, first at the many odd campers and at the crummy summer camp near them. "So... this is it?"
Geoff: The Chill Guy
"This is it, my man," Chris confirmed with a chuckle. "Welcome to summer camp."
Geoff shot an eyebrow up but shrugged and kept his cool demeanor. He walked over to the others and stood between Justin and Duncan, giving them a small head nod.
The next boat to arrive carried a pretty red headed girl that wore her hair in a braid. Her outfit was a simple green pair of shorts, and a darker green tank top. She smiled at the others and waved before stepping off the boat and approaching Chris.
"Hey, everybody."
"Hey yourself, Izzy," Chris replied, giving the newest arrival a handshake. "Welcome to the competition."
Izzy looked at the campground with a raised eyebrow but didn't say anything about it. She walked over to the others and gave them a warm smile. "How's everybody doing?"
Harold scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh please. Save us the sweet girl act."
"I was just trying to be nice," she replied defensively before scooting away from the punk. "I don't want any trouble."
Izzy: The Pacifist
"Don't pay him any mind," Geoff said, shooting a sideways glare at Harold, who just rolled his eyes again. "Guy is just trying to harsh the mellow. I'm Geoff, by the way."
The two exchanged a handshake with a smile, with Heather also joining in soon after. "I'm Heather! Nice to meet you."
When Trent went to also introduce himself, Sierra began tapping her foot impatiently. "Can we get on with this, or do we all have to introduce ourselves to the ginger?"
As if on cue, another boat drove by and dropped off the next camper. The boy was large, though not in the same way as Justin or Sierra. He was overweight, with long shaggy blonde hair that covered one of his eyes. His shorts, like Izzy's, were green, but his white shirt displayed the text "I don't THINK I'm better than you. I KNOW I am." His expression was bored and he paid Chris little attention as he walked by.
"Our 12th competitor is Owen! Good to have you aboard, my man."
"This is where we're staying?" Owen asked in disgust. "Wow, you really spared no expense on our living conditions, didn't ya?"
Owen: The Smartass
"Who invited the tubby asshole?" Harold asked with a snicker. Owen simply raised an eyebrow and scoffed.
"That's cute, coming from the edgy little tryhard wearing more makeup than any of the girls here," Owen shot back. Harold gritted his teeth and punched his fist into his hand.
"You want some, fatty? We'll throw down right now!"
Justin and Izzy quickly got between the two before things could get out of hand.
"Let's all just chill out," Cody suggested, going to help Justin hold back Harold. "We're all a little on edge because they lied to us about where we'd be staying, but it's no biggie! We can all be friends here."
That last sentence got eye rolls from Beth and Sierra, and a chuckle from Harold. "Whatever. He just better watch what he says."
"I'm absolutely shivering in my boots," Owen sarcastically replied before standing at the end of the line of campers.
The next boat had a confident looking Asian girl standing at the front. She was slightly chubby, but nothing terrible compared to Owen. Her black hair was kept short and she wore no makeup or jewelry. The clothes reflected that of someone who didn't care too much about being fashionable. Her brown pants were ripped and baggy, and she wore a simple purple hoodie.
"What's up, people?" she said with a smirk before approaching Chris and giving him a high five. "Take a good look, because your winner has just arrived."
"Nice to have you with us, Sadie," Chris added while motioning to the others. "Feel free to get settled in."
Sadie: The Tomboy
Sadie nodded and made her way over to the group. She eyed Owen's shirt curiously and giggled. "Nice shirt, dude."
"Thanks," he dryly replied with his arms folded. Sadie was about to strike up a conversation with Heather when Beth chuckled and looked at her deviously.
"Like you're one to talk about fashion. Just look at your outfit. What, were they having a sale at Walmart?"
A few campers gasped, but Sadie simply raised an eyebrow at Beth and smiled. "Did you guys hear that? It sounded like some annoying bitch trying to sass me." She got up in Beth's face and stared her down. "You wanna repeat that again and see what happens?"
For the second time in a row, Justin and Izzy had to get between the two of them and prevent further conflict. Chris watched in amusement.
"Man, you guys can't even wait for the introductions to finish before you stir up the drama." He chuckled and looked at the next approaching boat. "This is gonna be a fun season."
Unlike the other boats, this one dropped off two contestants instead of one. It was quickly apparent why, though, as the two girls were clearly a pair. On the left was a skinny Hispanic girl who wore her hair in cornrows. On the right was an African-Canadian girl, larger than her friend and wearing her hair in an afro. Both wore the same type of clothes, a half zipped jacket over a tank top and black designer jeans. The skinnier girl's jacket was red and tank top was black, while her larger friend's jacket was blue and tank top white. They both wore the same kind of dangling earrings, though the skinnier friend's was gold and the other girl's was silver.
"Courtney and LeShawna," Chris exclaimed. "Welcome!"
LeShawna, the larger of the two, looked at the camp with a raised eyebrow. "Girl, this ain't the place they showed us on the brochure."
"You're right," Courtney replied, frowning a bit. "And I was really looking forward to that five star resort they told us about."
LeShawna yawned and looked at her friend confidently. "It don't matter. We still gonna whoop this competition's behind and win us that prize money, baby!"
"You know it, girl," Courtney added, the two of them doing some sort of secret handshake before picking up their luggage and joining the others on the other end of the dock.
Courtney and LeShawna: The Gal Pals
When they were gone, another boat drove by, quickly dropping off another camper. Like Courtney, he was Hispanic, and like Justin he was fairly attractive thanks to his chiseled physique. It was hard to notice, however, thanks to the large leather trench coat he wore over his red polo and khaki pants. He also wore a fingerless pair of black gloves and a black fedora atop his head. He had grown his brown hair out quite long and had also grown a goatee.
"Alejandro!" Chris shook the new arrival's hand and smiled. "How's it feel to be here, man?"
"It feels fantastic, Chris," he replied with a grin of his own. "I look forward to seeing what this competition holds for me."
The tanned boy walked over to the others, most of whom were trying to get a read on him. Many of the girls were a fan of his face, but the outfit was off putting. Noticing the female attention, he tipped his fedora and smirked. "Ladies."
Alejandro: The "Nice Guy"
As Alejandro tried to get close to Eva, the next camper arrived on his boat. He was tall with short slicked back brown hair and a cocky grin. He wore a blue dress shirt underneath a white jacket with matching white dress pants. There was a golden medallion hanging from his neck and a gold belt buckle around his waist.
"Tyler," Chris greeted, pointing a finger pistol at the newcomer. "The Tylernator! The Big T! Welcome to camp, my man."
Tyler returned the finger pistol and his cocky grin grew. "Chris McLean! I'm stoked to be here. This is gonna be one hell of a good time."
The new arrival wasted no time in looking over the females that had arrived. There was a lot of good eye candy for him. Between the likes of girls such as Izzy, Courtney, LeShawna, and Sierra, it was a hard choice. Eva in particular caught his interest, though, as he made a beeline for the ditzy girl, unknowingly knocking Alejandro out of the way as the Hispanic had been trying and horribly failing at flirting with her.
"I see they didn't hold back on the babe factor with this cast. What's cooking, good looking?"
Tyler: The Sleazeball
Eva raised an eyebrow and looked around. "Uh, I dunno? I don't really smell anything cooking, I don't think we're supposed to eat until later."
Tyler opened his mouth to reply but seemed too confused to get it out properly. "Huh? No, what I meant was-"
"Save your breath, Casanova," Sierra grumbled, shooting Tyler a glare. "I don't think she's interested."
Taking the hint, Tyler quieted down and stood next to Duncan as the others turned to see the next arrival.
The next contestant was a lovely blonde girl that had her hair done up in a bun, but despite her easy on the eyes appearance, the stern expression on her face showed that she wasn't one to be messed with. Her outfit drew a lot of attention from the guys, a red sports bra and yoga pants. Some of the other female campers sent judgmental glares at the boys for their gawking, though she herself seemed irritated by the looks.
"Lindsay," Chris said with a slight nod, telling from the ticked off expression that she wouldn't be up for a high five or handshake. "Good to have ya."
Lindsay said nothing and just decided to carry her luggage over to the other side of the dock with the others. Tyler, picking up his dropped jaw, checked his breath and flashed the gorgeous blonde his best smile. "Well hello there, beautiful. How's about you and I get together sometime and-"
Tyler's sentence was cut short when Lindsay quickly kneed him in the crotch, sending him to the ground in agonizing pain. Some campers gasped and looked on in shock, but Sierra and Beth couldn't help but smirk at seeing him get what they felt he had coming to him.
"Consider that your fair warning as to what will happen if you try to hit on me again," Lindsay barked, tossing her luggage to the pile and standing next to Beth. Tyler simply groaned in response.
Lindsay: The Fitness Junkie
"Yeesh, if that's her warning, I'd hate to see what comes next," Cody whispered to Duncan, who nodded in agreement.
It wasn't long until the next boat came sailing by. Standing at the front was a short Indian guy with a big smile. He wore a maroon and grey stripped toque covering his shaggy brown hair, a white t-shirt over a long sleeved black shirt, and cargo jeans with a chain hanging from a pocket. He was eager to jump from the boat and shake the host's hand.
"Noah, buddy, how ya doing?"
"I'm doing AMAZING, man!" The energetic Indian continued shaking the hand while looking around at his surroundings. "I'm so hyped to be here. And we're staying at a summer camp? That's so cool! I always wanted to go to one of those."
Noah: The Fun Guy
"Yes, yes, it's very exciting," Chris replied, forcing his hand away from Noah and pushing him towards the other young adults. "Now go stand over there while we wait for the last few arrivals."
"You got it, Chris!" Noah happily made his way over to the others, offering a high five to Cody, the first person he came to. The sports fan gladly returned the gesture. "How's everybody doing? You all as excited to be here as I am?"
"Ecstatic," Sierra grumbled in a sarcastic tone. Noah didn't notice the sarcasm and instead put his arm around the goth and hollered.
"That's great! This is gonna be a fun summer."
Chris cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention. Sierra took advantage of the distraction and put some distance between her and Noah.
"Campers, if you'd quiet down, we're nearly done with the introductions. Next up, we have Katie!"
The sound of that name made Sadie gasp. The boat arrived, carrying the girl in question. She was thin, had short black hair, and tanned skin. Tyler had since recovered and especially took interest in the form fitting khakis. Completing her outfit was a black business jacket over a button up grey shirt, heels, and a pearl necklace. She smiled and waved at the others on the dock, stopping only when she heard a loud familiar voice.
"What the hell is SHE doing here?"
Sadie looked absolutely furious, her hands balled into fists, teeth clenched, and a glare pointed at the new arrival. Katie stepped off the boat and pointed a similar glare back at the chubbier girl.
"You invited HER? You've got to be kidding me!"
Katie: The Overachiever
"I take it you two know each other?" Duncan asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I have the displeasure of going to school with this bitch," Sadie grumbled, glare intensifying as Katie approached them. "She has to be the most stuck up, full of herself, power hungry jerk you'll find this side of Toronto."
"Typical Sadie, making up stories and acting out for attention," Katie shot back, now up in the tomboy's face. "I had hoped I wouldn't have to deal with someone like you on the show, but here you are, butting in to where you don't belong yet again."
"Ladies, ladies, simmer down," Noah said, getting between the two arguing girls and giving them a calming smile. "There's no need for fighting at a time like this, we should be getting hyped at the chance to win 100,000 big ones!"
"Yeah, no need to get all bent out of shape," Geoff added. "Whatever beef you girls got, you can just put it behind you. What happened in the past is in the past, ya dig?"
Katie and Sadie shot each other one last glare that told the other that things weren't finished between them, before both turned away with their arms folded.
"Fine," they said simultaneously.
LeShawna and Courtney had been chuckling at the spectacle the girls had put on, but Courtney suddenly elbowed her friend and pointed out to the distance as the sound of another boat approaching could be heard. Their eyes went wide and mouths agape. The large black male standing on the boat was perhaps the most muscular of the bunch yet, even more so than Justin. He wore an open white button up shirt that flowed with the wind, revealing his ripped physique for all to see. He also wore tight grey pants and boots. He gave the girls admiring him a wink, causing Izzy to swoon and even Lindsay's face to grow red.
"I'd like to break me off a piece of that," LeShawna commented, giving the newest camper a flirtatious grin.
"You and me both," Courtney added, shooting him a sultry look of her own. He seemed to be taking the attention he was getting well and struck a pose when he jumped from the boat to the dock. Then another. And another.
"Ladies, your eye candy has arrived," the guy said proudly, basking in the admiration.
Chris smirked and gave the boy a first bump. "Welcome to Total Drama Island, DJ. We're glad to have you."
"I'm sure you are," DJ replied, shooting a grin at Sierra, who wasn't as phased by his looks as badly as she was with Justin, but still had to hide a blush.
DJ: The Narcissist
"He's easy on the eyes," Beth commented, walking closer to the end of the dock as she grew more bored. "But I don't think he's all that."
Sadie nodded in agreement, while DJ made himself comfortable among the others. LeShawna and Courtney wasted no time coming to his side to strike up a conversation. Meanwhile, another boat came and passed, but it curiously didn't drop off a passenger. Chris scratched his head in confusion.
"Weird. That boat was supposed to bring Bridgette. Where is she?"
Suddenly, the camera perspective switched from the dock to underwater. At the surface the end of the dock could be seen, with Beth standing near the edge. The camera slowly floated to the top, a Jaws like theme playing in the background as it made a beeline for the manipulator. When it reached the top of the water, the perspective switched back to the dock where something suddenly emerged from the lake and pulled Beth in. The other campers were too surprised to react before a girl jumped out of the water, laughing crazily as Beth pulled herself out behind her.
"Get back over here so I can kick your ass for that," Beth tried to threaten before coughing up water and having to catch her breath. The other girl had came to a stop next to Chris and was still laughing. She had long wild blonde hair and blue lipstick. She wore a somewhat revealing bikini top with wave patterns on them, though she strangely seemed to go for a blue pair of swim trunks rather than a matching bikini bottom.
"Did you see that?" she said with a laugh and finger pointed at Beth. "Good stuff, gooood stuff. I totally must have been a shark in a past life, that was too much fun!"
Bridgette: The Nutcase
"Yes, Bridgette, we saw," Chris replied with a pat on the back for the newest arrival. "Welcome to the island, by the way. Go make yourself comfy, we only have two people left."
Bridgette nodded and ran over to the others with a grin. Some gave her a wide birth, though others like Duncan and Trent gladly greeted her, while Sierra and Sadie kept Beth from lunging at her.
"Time to meet the last male of the cast," Chris yelled, motioning to the end of the dock where a boat dropped off the camper in question. "Ezekiel!"
Ezekiel smiled and nodded at the host. He was clean shaven and kept his hair short and neat. His face was plain and his build was average at best, especially compared to some of the other males on the cast, but he certainly dressed to impress. Similar to Katie's attire, he wore a tan jacket over a teal dress shirt and black tie, matching dress pants, and black suede shoes. Chris flashed the boy a grin and shook his hand.
"Ezekiel, buddy, glad you could make it."
"It's a pleasure to be here," he replied, doing well at sounding as professional as he could with his unfortunately thick accent. "And I must say, it's an even bigger honor to have you as our host. If you ask me, you're one of the best actors of our time, eh. That badminton movie of yours? A true cinema classic."
Ezekiel: The Silver Tongue
Chris' eyes lit up and his smile doubled in size. "I'm glad we have someone here who appreciates cinema genius the way I do. I think I'm gonna like you."
Ezekiel smiled and made his way over to the others, many of whom were sizing the well dressed camper up. His eyes scanned the crowd, looking for what his first move should be. He eventually noticed Heather standing a bit away from the rest of the campers and approached her. "Now what's a lovely girl like you doing away from the others, eh?"
"Huh? Oh, I, uh... I-I'm a little shy I guess," she quietly replied due to the grin the new arrival was giving her, unable to hide her sudden blush.
"Well, I hope that changes. I think anyone here would be more than glad to have you in their company."
Satisfied with his work, Ezekiel then turned to see Owen raising an eyebrow at him. "Trying to get a head start on buttering up the girls?"
"Just trying to make a good first impression, eh." Ezekiel gave the sarcastic blonde his best fake smile, making a mental note of how he was already potentially suspicious of him.
"And last but not least," Chris yelled excitedly, "Our final camper is-"
The host was cut off by a loud squee, following by a a green blur nearly knocking him over. The source was the final girl, who had rushed to give Chris a tight hug. Her teal colored hair was done up in various different braids, and she herself was quite pale. In stark contrast to her skin tone was her very colorful attire. She wore a sleeveless jean jacket over a tie dye shirt, tight pink jeans, and cowgirl boots. Chris couldn't get a word out as the vice-like huge was nearly suffocating him.
"I can't believe it. THE Chris McLean, in the flesh! I'm such a huge fan, you have no idea."
"Actually... I think I DO get the idea, Gwen," Chris managed to wheeze out. "Could you please let me go before you end up killing the host?"
Gwen: The Fangirl
When Gwen failed to hear Chris and continued her hug, Lindsay and Katie took it upon themselves to pull her away from the host. When they finally got her to let go of her grasp, it sent her stumbling backwards. She would have fell, had Geoff not barely caught her in time.
"Whoa, that was almost a nasty fall," he commented, before helping Gwen steady herself. He raised his shades up to look her over. "You alright?"
Gwen looked into Geoff's eyes and swooned. She fluttered her eyes and gave him a flirtatious grin. "I am now."
One broken dock later and it was time to sort teams. Chris divided the 24 campers into two teams of 12. They were as follows:
Killer Bass: DJ, Geoff, Duncan, Harold, Ezekiel, Tyler, Eva, Katie, Sadie, Courtney, Bridgette, Sierra
Screaming Gophers: Trent, Cody, Noah, Justin, Owen, Alejandro, Heather, Beth, Lindsay, Leshawna, Gwen, Izzy
Katie and Sadie were of course furious to be teamed together and demanded a swap, but despite Leshawna's offer to switch with one to be with her gal pal, Chris refused. He sensed too much potential drama to allow them being apart. To their credit, Leshawna and Courtney were actually pretty chill being on other teams, more people to socialize with, more cute guys to flirt with. In fact, it wasn't long before an enthusiastic DJ was soaking in Courtney's attention. Tyler's attempts to flirt with Sierra were... less successful to say the least. Ezekiel, seeing potential in keeping the volatile relationship around in case of an emergency, decided to act as peace keeper between Katie and Sadie. Meanwhile Duncan and Bridgette seemed to hit it off as complete weirdos, and Geoff had to stop Harold from messing with Eva.
On the Gophers, the guys are having one big party in their room, with Owen comically killing the vibe as the only one not enthusiastic to bro out. Though Alejandro's rather blunt comments about the "mamasitas" on their team does put off the others. With the girls things are a bit more intense. Beth and Lindsay's alpha personalities immediately intimidate Heather, and Leshawna isn't much more approachable. Meanwhile Gwen recounts everything she knows about Chris McLean to Izzy, who's disturbed at the amount of concerning detail. After also getting introduced to their frightening camp cook, Chef Hatchet, the episode ends with the contestants finding out what their first challenge will be. Jumping from atop an impossibly high cliff.
Episode 2, a direct continuation of the last, sees the campers changed into their swimsuits as Chris details the challenge. Dive, try to hit the safe zone, if you don't you get a chicken hat. The team with less chickens will have an easier time transporting hot tub supplies back to camp, where building their tub decides the team that wins. When asking which team wants to go first, Trent and Cody enthusiastically proclaim that they'll do it and dive off the cliff whooping and hollering the whole way. They land with no issue. Lindsay, Gwen, and Noah also land with little issue. Beth barks at the remaining nervous teammates to jump. Heather wants to but is petrified. Eventually Izzy drums up the courage and offers to jump with her, and they land in the safe zone. Alejandro follows, not wanting the ladies to think less of him. Beth continues trying to boss the stragglers off, but Leshawna is able to swat her away with ease, sending Beth off the cliff instead. Not wanting to get her hair wet, Leshawna accepts the chicken hat, as does a terrified Justin. Owen eyeballs the cliff face nervously, and over with the Bass Ezekiel smirks. He strikes up a conversation, acting as if he's sympathetic to the emo boy's plights and goes in excruciating detail the various ways the jump could go bad, claiming that he himself will take the chicken hat and just hopes his own team will have enough chickens so as to not draw attention on him. Sighing, Owen is unable to muster the courage and accepts his hat.
Of course, Ezekiel follows this up by immediately jumping, much to Owen's anger. One by one the likes of Bridgette, Duncan, Eva, Geoff, and Sierra make their jumps. DJ poses on the way down, falling outside of the safe zone but simply bouncing off the sharks to reach safety. Harold brags about how easy he'll make this look, also falling outside of the safe zone and actually getting chased around by the sharks. Much like her gal pal, Courtney has no intention of jumping, and an opportunistic Tyler tries to comfort her by offering to also sit out in solidarity. She makes him fuck off by saying she'd be more impressed if he jumps. Sadie and Katie have been arguing all this time because the later refuses to jump and the former is using that as an opening to vent her frustrations with her. After pointing out that the other team has three chickens anyway, Katie snarks that there's no reason getting mad anyway so long as Sadie jumps they win the advantage. She does, but not before remarking that Katie won't last long if she's going to be dead weight to the team. To her credit, Katie makes up for her sit out by working hard during the hot tub building portion. And with Ezekiel also leading the charge, they put together a quality product. Meanwhile with the Gophers, their harder journey hauling the supplies has morale low. Gwen leaves at one point to gawk at Geoff, Alejandro strains himself offering to carry too many heavy objects for the girls, many of the boys prove they aren't exactly the brightest bulbs when it comes to construction. Izzy and Heather are the only competent ones when it comes to building, but with their quiet voices going largely ignored the inevitable result is a win for the Bass. Immediately sights are set on those with chicken hats. Justin is seen as an easy scapegoat since his dumbass was equally useless in the tub building, unlike Owen or Leshawna. Though many of the girls were hesitant to vote off his pretty face so soon. Plus, a lurking Ezekiel happened upon two of the Gophers as they were considering a different option.
"Can you believe that bitch had the nerve to push me off and not even jump herself?" Beth vented, still shaking with rage. "Who the hell does she think she is?"
"I can't stand someone who's all bark and no bite," Lindsay agreed. "We should teach her a lesson."
Ezekiel rubbed at his stubble, weighing his options. Losing Leshawna wasn't a horrible option, in a scenario where her and Courtney were able to link up that'd be a guaranteed alliance right there. But he definitely had his preference. Deciding there was no harm in giving his input, he made himself known.
"Ladies, hope I'm not interrupting anything. Couldn't help but overhear your conversation as I was having a stroll."
Both girls leered at the Bass boy. Lindsay stepped forward and jabbed a finger into his chest. "What, come to brag about your team beating us? Because I am so not in the mood, you better choose your words carefully."
He offered an apologetic smile. "On the contrary, I'd rather offer my sympathies. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to watch your comrades throw away a win you'd worked hard to earn. That being said, you two mentioned frustration with those who talk big but don't back up their talk? I have something you may want to hear on the matter."
Lindsay retracted her hand cautiously. "We're listening..."
"While Beth and Leshawna were having their argument, Owen was saying some rather deplorable comments about the both of them." To his credit he wasn't lying. Owen did mumble frustrated snarks about the girls during their catfight. He'd been hanging back far enough to where he figured no one would pay attention while the fight was ongoing, but Zeke did happen to hear. "And of course we all know how HE performed afterwards. He was also rather loudly complaining while you built your hot tub. If you ask me, he's likely to be dead weight going forward as well."
Before her teammate could respond Beth put up an arm and raised an eyebrow at the boy. "If you think Owen is the weaker link, why would you want us knowing this? Wouldn't it be better for you guys if we keep him around?"
Ezekiel chuckled and shrugged innocently. "I'll be honest, my reasons for wanting him gone are mostly selfish. He was rather rude and unpleasant when I tried to have a casual conversation with him earlier, and I'm fairly certain he passed gas around us during breakfast. Unbelievable, eh? What's next, picking your nose in front of everyone?" He shivered. "Even if it would be better for my team if he stays, it'd be preferable for my sanity that he goes."
The girls exchanged a look and mulled over his input. Finally Beth smirked and motioned for Lindsay to follow her. "Well we may be able to help with that. Maybe. We'll have to see what the other idiots on our team thinks."
Ezekiel waved them off, smiling to himself once they were gone.
*** Confessional: Ezekiel ***
"Truth be told, even if he looks useless on the outside, I do believe Owen to be rather observant. Too observant. And he certainly lacks a filter. If he were to become suspicious of anything, he'd have no qualms blabbing about it to anyone curious. That's not someone I want to keep around." He chuckled. "I mean, it's not like I expect the mall rat or dense pretty boy to be mental threats anytime soon."
*** Ceremony ***
And so night came and the Gophers were welcomed to the first elimination ceremony of TDI. After explaining the rules, Chris began passing out the soon to be iconic marshmallows of safety. As to be expected, the 9 campers without a chicken hat received theirs one after the other. The penultimate marshmallow went to Leshawna, who cast a suspicious glare at Beth but said nothing. Finally it was down to two.
"Well boys, looks like one of you chickens are about to cross the road down to Losertown." Chris held up the final symbol of immunity. "Question is, who's it gonna be?"
Justin was shaking like a leaf, chewing on his fingernails nervously. Owen meanwhile looked bored out of his mind, the result already a done deal as far as he was concerned.
"The final marshmallow of the evening... goes to... Justin."
The pretty boy let out a sigh of relief and rushed over to his teammates where he exchanged a high five with Noah. Owen meanwhile gasped in disbelief.
"Seriously? You're keeping this blockhead over me? At least I actually did SOMETHING today, he was useless!"
"Hey, come on man, that's really hurtful." Justin's lip quivered and Leshawna jumped at the opportunity to give him a comforting hug. Many of the others glared at the snarky one. He blew the hair out of his eye and grunted in annoyance.
"Ugh, typical. Pretty people get all the special treatment." With that, Owen huffed off and stomped down the dock of shame, the first of many eliminations to come.
Current Standings:
Killer Bass: Duncan, DJ, Geoff, Harold, Tyler, Ezekiel, Katie, Sadie, Eva, Courtney, Bridgette, Sierra
Screaming Gophers: Noah, Cody, Trent, Justin, Alejandro, Beth, Lindsay, Heather, Leshawna, Gwen, Izzy
Eliminated: Owen
Episode 3, let's us see how the teams are doing in the wake of the first elimination. The Gopher boys are taking it pretty well, with the most negative personality gone they can just bro out and party. Though while Noah, Cody and Trent are all high energy and friendly, Justin can't shake the feeling that Alejandro is being particularly cold towards him. And in confessional the Spaniard reveals he had actually voted for Justin in the previous ceremony instead of Owen, annoyed at the attention girls on the team have been giving him. Speaking of, Beth and Lindsay form a sort of mean girls bond and assert themselves as the co-leaders of the team. Izzy doesn't want to make any waves, and Heather wouldn't dare question it, nor does Gwen even care either way. Leshawna is the only one annoyed with their attitudes, but sensing it would be painting an unneeded target on her back to oppose them, she goes along with it. Over with the Bass, Katie and Sadie continue to bicker and point out their lack of help in the cliff jump and hot tub building respectively, and an annoyed Sierra tells them that they both equally contributed so who cares? Courtney attempts to gossip with Eva over how dreamy DJ is, but the cheerleader doesn't prove to be the most mentally stimulating conversationist. Meanwhile Bridgette gushes about how fun it was swimming with sharks in the last challenge and expresses hope that they'll do it again. Over with the boys Harold attempts to ridicule Duncan over his weirdness, but his bullying falls flat since Duncan doesn't seem to register what he's saying or even seems to be on the same plane of existence. Geoff is chilling, DJ is posing, Tyler tries to talk girls with Ezekiel who is slightly creeped out but humors the guy so as to stay on good terms.
For their next challenge the contestants endure a long jog, won by Eva with Noah coming in last. But then they have a feast, and it's revealed both were means to tire the campers out for the actual task, staying awake. With everyone gathered at the bonfire and nothing much to do, this allows various dynamics to get rolling. First things first, Beth has taken notice in the meek Heather and not so kindly convinces her to join the alliance with her and Lindsay. She's clearly put off by the aggressive girls but has no choice but to accept. Gwen keeps gravitating over to Geoff, who vey quickly catches on to her crush. He tries to put her down gently, but when her advances turn more unhinged and invasive as sleep deprivation kicks in he voluntarily bows out to give himself an excuse to leave the area. This doesn't stop Gwen from talking about all the things she finds dreamy about him with her teammates, who aren't amused. Also not making a good impression of himself is Alejandro, who's awkward and chauvinistic attempts at flirting with the likes of Lindsay and Izzy sinks any chances his natural good looks might have earned him. His demeanor does a 180 and he laments about the cruelty and heartlessness of the girls to the party teammates. DJ and Courtney continue to grow flirtatious, and not to be outdone Leshawna tries to make moves on Justin but he's completely oblivious to her interest. Ezekiel begins trying to form a bridge between Katie and Sadie, ensuring both girls that they bring different things to the table and that it's better for the team if they work together. They reluctantly agree but it's clear that they still have it out for each other. Duncan and Bridgette pass the time rambling at each other in what sounds like incoherent gibberish to the others, but they're clearly having fun. Eventually giving up on Eva, Tyler turns his sights to Sierra who is pretty pissed at the guy's rather blunt flirting. As for Harold, he attempts to prank those that fall asleep, but he's thwarted at every turn by other contestants and eventually passes out himself. When it's all said and done it comes down to Trent and Sadie, both of whom claim that they're used to pulling all nighters. But when it's all said and done, Sadie is able to hold out seconds longer, earning the Bass another win.
At the ceremony the bottom two is Alejandro and Gwen, both of whom got into hot water with their off-putting comments. But while one was clearly unpleasant, the other was actively easily distracted. And furthermore, many were legit worried for Geoff over some of the comments she was making. So Gwen is the one tasked with walking the dock of shame, dragged away by Chef when she tries to go and say goodbye before leaving.
Current Standings:
Killer Bass: Duncan, DJ, Geoff, Harold, Tyler, Ezekiel, Katie, Sadie, Eva, Courtney, Bridgette, Sierra
Screaming Gophers: Noah, Cody, Trent, Justin, Alejandro, Beth, Lindsay, Heather, Leshawna, Izzy
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen
Noah takes it upon himself to try and help Alejandro chill out, arguing that he may just be misguided and out of touch. Perhaps with someone to talk to he can learn what is and isn't acceptable. Though it's instantly clear to be a hard task when he continues to push their need to eliminate Justin, having the delusion that he'd have a chance with Leshawna with them out of the way. Izzy notices that Heather is getting more attention from the mean girls lately and asks if she's ok. She isn't, but she lies about it and claims that they're actually being friendly. Similar to Alejandro, Ezekiel lets it be known to Geoff that Tyler might be in need of guidance since he's making the girls uncomfortable. Perhaps someone experienced in keeping it cool could help mellow him out. Meanwhile Harold tried to track down Duncan and Bridgette to harass them, but finds their antics more amusing than anything and soon finds himself getting wrapped up in their ploy to plant stink bomb in Chef's kitchen. Maybe they're not so bad after all.
For their next challenge it's a good old fashioned game of Dodgeball. First team to three wins get immunity. The Bass are forced to bench two players each round to keep things fair and Sadie immediately volunteers since she's still exhausted from the sleep challenge, as is Trent. Unfortunately for her Tyler also sits out, not so subtly trying to woo her, so she threatens that if he doesn't let her get some rest he'll soon have less teeth. The first round is a steamroll, courtesy of Eva who despite her ditzy nature proves to be a beast in athletics. The Gophers agree to target her first in the next round to give themselves a chance, but Ezekiel had anticipated this and successfully uses the cheerleader as a distraction so the rest of them can easily throw out the others. Now looking at a 0-2 deficit, things look bleak for the Gophers. But Cody cheers the team up and devises a new plan. If they're gonna win, they'll have to think outside the box. Play in such a way that they can't predict. First they'll play defensive, focusing on catching and dodging. Then he'd assign everyone a different codename each round and yell out plays that the enemy team won't be able to decipher. The first attempt with this is close, especially when Alejandro freezes on his turn when he's supposed to aim for Katie, but they manage to narrowly win the round. A frustrated Bass team decides to try the Eva steamroll strategy, but the Gophers planned for this and manage to hold their ground. Then with Cody's new directions, they win again. Ezekiel catches on that Cody is calling the shots and lets it be known they need to deal with him first. And perhaps swipe his strategy for themselves. And when it's all said and done, the Bass put a stop to the comeback, winning the final round and their third challenge in a row.
Alejandro gleefully pushes the narrative of Justin leaving since, to his credit the pretty boy WAS the most useless teammate during the games. But it's pointed out that he himself struggled to target the girls on the Bass and had he not been so picky with his targets perhaps they could have won the final round. Alejandro defends himself saying that he was a gentleman and couldn't find it in his heart to potentially harm a lady. But the girls are by now fed up with his attitude, and with Justin also voting against him it's the Spaniard who finds himself walking the dock. He angrily lashes out at the girls before leaving and Noah shakes his head in disappointment.
Current Standings:
Killer Bass: Duncan, DJ, Geoff, Harold, Tyler, Ezekiel, Katie, Sadie, Eva, Courtney, Bridgette, Sierra
Screaming Gophers: Noah, Cody, Trent, Justin, Beth, Lindsay, Heather, Leshawna, Izzy
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro
After three losses in a row Lindsay is fed up and gathers the team to demand that they begin training so they're in shape and ready for the next challenge. Beth is admittedly annoyed at the exercise but ultimately co-signs the idea and thus the Gophers begin a morning workout routine led by Lindsay. The Bass meanwhile are starting to get a bit cocky. Katie and Sadie are almost annoyed at not getting a shot to try and eliminate their rival, while Sierra laments that she wouldn't mind a shot at eliminating the likes of Bridgette, Duncan, or Harold but resigns that a winning streak is nothing to complain about. She also finds someone to vent to with Geoff, who's calming nature helps lower her walls a bit. DJ and Courtney are by now full fledged making out, something Tyler is not so subtly salty about, but Ezekiel assures him that he'll find the girl for him eventually. Eva stumbles upon the Gophers doing their workout and asks to join. Beth and Lindsay obviously object, but the boys argue that there's no harm to it. It's not like she'll be any less of a physical threat either way.
For their next challenge the teams will compete in a talent show, each selecting three reps to do a talent of their choosing. Chef will judge their performances and the team with the best talent wins. Beth immediately demands that she be allowed to sing, and with Lindsay's approval no one seems to object. Trent offers to do an electric guitar solo and once again everyone agrees. For their third act they hold tryouts. Lindsay opts to be a judge since she doesn't anticipate her fitness prowess translating well into a talent performance. Heather is put on the spot and comes up with things like reciting the periodic table or listing off digits of Pi. Pass. Izzy has a fairly basic talent of juggling, also pass. Noah tries a standup comedy routine but is genuinely hurt a bit when it's also a pass. Leshawna's freestyle rap is well received but ultimately loses out to Cody's stunt performance. Over with the Bass things are a little more all over the place. Duncan, Bridgette, and Harold's requests are unanimously shot down as they all could very easily wind up in someone getting hurt. Tyler is shot down by the girls before he can even attempt to list his talent. Sierra reluctantly shows off her acting, a recreation of a scene from one of her favorite animes, but it's a no. Katie and Sadie, as expected, object to each other's talents and call them boring. Eventually the safest bet is agreed to be DJ doing an exhibition, Geoff doing slam poetry, and Eva doing a cheer routine.
Chef is lukewarm to both the poetry and guitar solo, they were good but didn't wow him. Cody's stunt show gets some excited cheers, and Eva's routine gets especially great reactions from all the men, but ultimately things are pretty even. Beth goes on last to sing something she'd whipped up herself. A country-pop hybrid that is quite frankly horrible. However, when the hosts ask in disbelief what that was Noah thinks fast and calls it a comedy routine. Chef admits that it WAS so bad that it was funny, so it gets a decent score. DJ oils up and prepares to flex his stuff, but Duncan and Bridgette's antics wind up getting a spotlight dropped on him to put him out of commission. As the others tend to the hunk, Harold takes it upon himself to take his place by doing a screamo performance. It totally bombs, earning the lowest score of the show. Thus, the Gophers finally get a win.
Ezekiel realizes the votes are scattered, some going to Harold for his dud performance, others to Tyler for just being himself, and of course Katie and Sadie towards each other. With things so scattered, this is the perfect opportunity to have his pick. He gathers votes from the unhinged trio and Tyler and he sets his sights on his target. The final marshmallow of the night goes to Tyler, leaving a shocked gasp from... Courtney. Ezekiel explains in confessional that with DJ and Courtney now basically a couple they were also essentially an alliance. That needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later, and of the two DJ was clearly the easier one to manipulate. Thus, the mall rat gets the target set on her.
Current Standings:
Killer Bass: Duncan, DJ, Geoff, Harold, Tyler, Ezekiel, Katie, Sadie, Eva, Bridgette, Sierra
Screaming Gophers: Noah, Cody, Trent, Justin, Beth, Lindsay, Heather, Leshawna, Izzy
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney
Episode 6 sees Leshawna understandably upset that her BFF somehow got voted out over "that scrawny ginger asshole" when Courtney didn't even compete in the talent show, but Harold taunts her and claims that he's just that much bigger an asset to his team. DJ is also pretty annoyed, but Ezekiel is quick to swoop in and offer to help him find those responsible. Having no reason to suspect the farm boy, DJ agrees. Tyler is also very appreciative of the help in being sparred, though Zeke warns that he really needs to get his act together because it'll only get harder to keep him safe as the numbers dwindle. Sierra compliments Geoff on his poetry, admitting that she's dabbled in it herself which he's excited to hear. Bridgette and Duncan continue their antics while Eva further bonds with the Gopher boys, to which a snarky Lindsay notes that it's like Eva is more of a Gopher than she is Bass. Beth sees this as an opportunity to take advantage of later.
The challenge is to survive a night in the woods and be the first team back to camp in the morning. A simple challenge on paper but soon proves to be easier said than done as many campers struggle to thrive in the elements. Katie steps up when it comes to foraging while Sadie excels at building a shelter, forcing both to begrudgingly admit the other had been surprisingly helpful. Harold tries and fails to capture some animals for them to eat, though Bridgette brings back plenty of fish. This is in stark contrast to the Gophers who are struggling. Izzy and Heather attempt to use what camping knowledge they have to help the team, but the larger personalities get in the way. Too much whooping from the boys, and a loud argument between Beth and Leshawna eventually attracts a bear, and Justin's terrified crying doesn't lower any stress levels as they're all forced to climb a tree. Cody takes a risk to try and lure the bear away, but even once it's gone the heavy rain makes it hard to find his way back. This is also the case for DJ, who wandered off in the middle of the night to get some water. He goes on a complicated trip, eventually finding himself in a cave occupied by a sasquatch. The two have a pose off and eventual battle, which DJ comes out on top of. Not that it matters, since Cody is eventually able to meet his team at the finish line long before DJ finally stumbles out of the woods. The Bass lose, and despite Ezekiel's desire to have him as an easy pawn, he knows when to pick his battles and DJ is handedly voted off for losing them the challenge. At least he has Courtney waiting for him.
Current Standings:
Killer Bass: Duncan, Geoff, Harold, Tyler, Ezekiel, Katie, Sadie, Eva, Bridgette, Sierra
Screaming Gophers: Noah, Cody, Trent, Justin, Beth, Lindsay, Heather, Leshawna, Izzy
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ
Sometime after DJ's elimination the Gophers wander over and meet up with the Bass. Something about finding a pile of dead fish in their cabin and needing it to air out, which Duncan and Bridgette admit to being behind. Justin vents about how terrifying the last challenge was, prompting everyone to begin sharing what they find scary. Some are pretty common fears, spiders for Noah, clowns for Izzy, heights for Sierra, snakes for Ezekiel. But then others are more unorthodox like Duncan being afraid of the government, Trent being scared of aliens, Lindsay's aversion to door-to-door salesmen, or Bridgette being petrified of unicorns. Others are downright laughable, like Leshawna fearing being seen in mismatched outfits, Eva hating cherries, or Justin citing lambs as the most prominent of his many fears, claiming he was once bit by a blind lamb as a child which traumatized him.
Unsurprisingly the challenge afterwards is a task for everyone to face their fears. The team with the most successes wins immunity. The Gophers are already at a disadvantage being down an extra person, so Beth demands everyone pull their weight or risk being voted off, conquering her fear of evil robots to set an example. Meanwhile the Bass takes a more supportive approach, with the likes of Ezekiel and Geoff trying to comfort the others as they tackle their tasks. Sierra is especially helped by Geoff's calming encouragement and passes. Ultimately Duncan, Eva, and Tyler fail to conquer their fears. Katie and Sadie are the last Bass members to do theirs, cockroaches and needles respectively, but spite to outdo the other fuels them to pass. The Gophers can only afford to have two people fail to at best force a tie. After Noah and, surprisingly, Lindsay fail to complete their tasks, all eyes are on Justin with everyone else passing. The lads yell out words of encouragement, as do Izzy and Heather. Beth and Lindsay are less tactful. Ultimately Justin is too much of a scaredy cat and fails, giving the Gophers another loss. Beth has had enough of him being a coward screwing them over, nor does she want her loyal ally leaving right now. They're able to wrangle votes from Heather and Izzy, but know that Leshawna will likely vote to save Justin since she's attracted to him. And so Beth corners Noah, threatening that the girls are planning to vote him off if he doesn't vote with her. He considers Justin a friend and doesn't want to go through with it, but with her praying on his insecurities he ultimately folds and Lindsay survives the bottom two.
Current Standings:
Killer Bass: Duncan, Geoff, Harold, Tyler, Ezekiel, Katie, Sadie, Eva, Bridgette, Sierra
Screaming Gophers: Noah, Cody, Trent, Beth, Lindsay, Heather, Leshawna, Izzy
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin
The Gopher guys begin to worry that they may be in trouble now that the girls outnumber them. Noah obviously feels especially guilty but is too ashamed to admit what he did to Trent and Cody. Instead he suggests they try to get in good with Heather, Leshawna, and Izzy. Obviously Beth and Lindsay were trouble, but if they could sway at least one of them they'd even things up. For what it's worth Izzy is starting to get exhausted with how overbearing the mean girl duo is and Heather desperately wants to retaliate against their smack talk, but Beth is able to recognize when to pump the brakes and pretend to be nice so as to keep the nerd under them. Leshawna meanwhile is pretty bummed out with the eye candy gone and not really having anyone to bond with left. She doesn't like the mean girls, Heather is too nerdy, and Izzy too boring. Over with the Bass Geoff and Sierra continue to deepen their bond and the others are starting to suspect something is there, though both claim that they're just friends. Also platonic is the chaotic Duncan and Bridgette duo, who by now have been terrorizing Chef on a daily basis, and Harold has taken to sometimes joining in, noticeably less hostile than he had been at the start of the season. Tyler is still the same though, and both Katie and Sadie actually bond venting about their frustrations with him. Finally, Ezekiel tests the waters with Eva to see how susceptible she may be as a pawn, but there isn't much promise.
The challenge is a canoe race to the nearby cursed Boney Island, where taking an artifact from the island is rumored to bring bad luck. Beth was in the bathroom and missed this detail... but it's fine because Lindsay just fills her in afterwards. They then must build a sufficient SOS fire and finally paddle back to camp. The canoe partners are as follows: Beth and Heather, Lindsay and Izzy, Cody and Trent, Noah and Leshawna, Duncan and Bridgette, Ezekiel and Tyler, Geoff and Sierra, Katie and Eva, Sadie and Harold. Of note is Noah trying to bond with Leshawna to earn her favor, though she thinks he's coming on too strong and interprets it as flirting which he has to deny. Ezekiel continues to stress the importance of Tyler leaving the girls alone and he admits to having a bit of a problem. Katie quickly grows annoyed with Eva's babbling and finds herself wishing she had actually gone with Sadie instead. Speaking of which, Sadie is surprised that having to row with Harold actually isn't that bad. When she teases him over going soft, he quickly objects and claims to be as rotten as ever.
After some shenanigans with Izzy getting stuck in quicksand and Duncan almost blowing up the island with his fire-starting, plus Ezekiel spotting a tiki idol that he secretly pockets for later, the race is on to return to camp. Or at least it would be, but in her excitement Eva jumps into their canoe full force and winds up breaking through the bottom. Her and Katie are forced to swim and despite Bridgette's solid efforts to drag them along it isn't enough to catch up with the Gophers. The question for some on the Bass is whether to target the person most responsible for them losing or the guy they continue to dislike. But with Ezekiel's coaching, Tyler actually approaches the girls to apologize for his behavior, doing his best to sound sincere. Not all are convinced, but it's enough to tip the scales in his favor, thus Eva is sent packing.
Current Standings:
Killer Bass: Duncan, Geoff, Harold, Tyler, Ezekiel, Katie, Sadie, Bridgette, Sierra
Screaming Gophers: Noah, Cody, Trent, Beth, Lindsay, Heather, Leshawna, Izzy
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva
Episode 9 is here and Harold has taken Sadie's teasing as a call to action. He returns to his hazing ways, now targeting those on the enemy team such as Heather and Izzy, but finds himself feeling a tinge of guilt when he sees their reactions as less funny and more pitiful. He's also chased off by Leshawna who just kinda hates the dude. Beth proposes that her and Lindsay should start recruiting one of the boys as a pawn, just in case Heather or Izzy get any funny ideas. She suggests Noah, the clear easiest to manipulate of the trio. But Lindsay views him as too useless. Heather at least brings brains to the table and Izzy is discreet enough to not draw attention. Noah is loud and relatively unathletic. She thinks Cody or Trent would be a better pawn and this causes the first major disagreement between the two. A curious Sierra decides to dig into why Katie and Sadie have such beef, being told opposing sides of the same story, two very different High School cliques that clashed and this somehow continuing into college. Laying low around the more sane girls, Tyler decides to take a risk by flirting up a crazy chick, but Bridgette nearly drowns him for his trouble. Geoff also tries to see what makes Duncan tick, the two tripping out together while the hosts aren't looking.
Speaking of which, the newest challenge is paintball. Teams are broken up into hunters and deer, with the objective to hunt down the enemy deer within the time limit. Cody, Beth, Leshawna, and Noah wind up as deer while Trent, Lindsay, Heather, and Izzy are hunters. For the Bass it's Geoff, Katie, Sadie, and Duncan on deer duty while Ezekiel, Harold, Tyler, Sierra, and Bridgette hunt. Duncan and Geoff go off to do aforementioned chilling, though Katie and Saide have old frustrations boil over and they clash while searching for a place to hide. Cody runs into a bear but manages to get atop its back and ride around on it, making for a pretty good deterrent to keep hunters away. Beth meanwhile spends the challenge trying to sweet talk Noah into an alliance, though he hasn't forgotten her shakedown from earlier. Meanwhile Lindsay uses her charms on Trent, who is admittedly susceptible. Izzy and Heather meanwhile make for very awkward hunters. Nonetheless, Katie and Sadie's bickering attracts one of the hunters... Bridgette. Who gleefully continues firing at them even after realizing they're teammates. The ensuing yelling attracts the Gopher hunters, who also cover the rivals in paint. And then when Geoff and Duncan come to investigate, they get coated too. Even though Harold managed to hunt down and ink Leshawna, it's a clear win for the Gophers.
Ezekiel facilitates a truce between Katie and Sadie, who's rage towards each other gets redirected at Bridgette and the two admit it feels good to be on the same page. With Tyler and Sierra also on board, it's an easy vote and one of the unhinged wackjobs finally gets sent packing. Though Bridgette opts to skip the Boat of Losers and just swims away instead.
Current Standings:
Killer Bass: Duncan, Geoff, Harold, Tyler, Ezekiel, Katie, Sadie, Sierra
Screaming Gophers: Noah, Cody, Trent, Beth, Lindsay, Heather, Leshawna, Izzy
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva, Bridgette
Episode 10 and the teams are once again evenly matched. With Sierra very much still annoyed with Duncan and Harold, and the likes of Tyler and the rivals now on good terms with him, Ezekiel is feeling like he's in a great position. Speaking of, Harold actually approaches a now lone Duncan and offers to hang out, by now actually warmed up to the weirdo. After all, making Chef miserable is too fun to pass up. Sierra admits in the confessional that she thinks she's catching feelings for Geoff, but is going to ignore them as she doesn't feel comfortable making herself vulnerable enough for a relationship, not to mention how much of a threat it'll make them. Katie and Sadie meanwhile agree that it was nice teaming up and come to terms that they should start truly acting as teammates. Over with the Gophers Lindsay is also working her charms on Cody, equally effective, though Beth is very annoyed that she's going forward with this without discussing it with her. Noah meanwhile takes another crack at winning over Leshawna, who's still put off by his uncanny enthusiasm. As for Trent, he attempts to lighten up Izzy with some rocking, but she's comically lame trying to sing or play guitar.
The challenge is preparing a three course meal to be judged by Chris. A head chef must be appointed with Ezekiel and Lindsay being selected. Zeke leads the Bass in preparing a country cooking themed meal, while Lindsay has the Gophers doing a healthy feast designed for people staying in shape. Beth notes that the theme might not go over well for points, but the guys come to Lindsay's defense. Teams divide up the work assigning Duncan/Harold and Izzy/Noah to appetizers, Katie/Sadie/Tyler and Cody/Trent/Beth to entrees, and finally Geoff/Sierra and Leshawna/Heather to desserts. Many shenanigans later, the Bass present a meal of hashbrown casserole, chicken and dumplings, and apple pie. Meanwhile the gophers present hummus, macaroni salad, and a parfait. The Bass appetizer is mediocre, likely due to Duncan and Harold getting sidetracked throughout the challenge, but overall Chris loves the meal. In stark contrast to the Gophers, which he finds boring and unfulfilling. Easy choice. Ezekiel overhears Cody and Trent discussing a desire to vote off Beth, who's annoyance with them during the cooking rubbed them the wrong way. So he decides to act, approaching Beth and slipping her the tiki idol from Boney Island, advising her to use it wisely. She actually strongly considers using it against Lindsay, but comes to her senses and instead plants it on Leshawna in such a way that the rest of the team sees. Beth and Lindsay put her on blast and while she tries to defend herself, enough on the team are superstitious or paranoid enough to want any potential curse gone. But Leshawna is at least reunited with Courtney once eliminated.
Current Standings:
Killer Bass: Duncan, Geoff, Harold, Tyler, Ezekiel, Katie, Sadie, Sierra
Screaming Gophers: Noah, Cody, Trent, Beth, Lindsay, Heather, Izzy
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva, Bridgette, Leshawna
Episode 11, and Lindsay is finally starting to notice that Beth is getting annoyed with her. She angrily points out that they're supposed to be partners and to just let her do what needs to be done, and Beth pretends to burry the hatchet. With Leshawna gone, Noah now turns to Heather and Izzy to sway them against the mean girls. And while the later is similarly overwhelmed by his almost suffocating personality, the nerd actually manages to relate well to him, enjoying their talks. As for Cody and Trent, they're partying like usual, though both boys are making comments about their attraction to Lindsay, which makes them weary to the other. Over with the Bass, Sierra checks to see if the Katie/Sadie beef is squashed and they claim to be cordial with each other now. Tyler is growing increasingly annoyed with Geoff's much more successful girl wooing, and Ezekiel tries to keep Duncan and Harold focused as they're practically in their own little world right now.
The next challenge is all about trust. Completing tasks like preparing a blowfish, catching each other on a trapeze, or shooting arrows of the other's head with apples. After some stumbles like Trent nearly poisoning Lindsay, or Harold dropping Ezekiel into the piranhas, the challenge comes down to a blindfolded bobsled race. Katie and Sadie vs Heather and Noah. Despite their earlier insistences, the added pressure brings the mistrust between the former rivals to the forefront and Katie hesitates. The Gophers take the win. Expecting Sadie to rightfully call out her screwup and seal her fate, Katie is shocked when Sadie accepts a share of the blame. Instead she proposes that they work together to keep each other safe. And so they do, looping in Sierra and Geoff with ease. They then approach Ezekiel, who is inwardly shocked at their plan but in the end figures trying to save their target would be more trouble than it's worth. Tyler is blindsided with the news of his elimination, and he angrily cusses out the girls who threw him under the bus despite playing nice for sometime now.
Current Standings:
Killer Bass: Duncan, Geoff, Harold, Ezekiel, Katie, Sadie, Sierra
Screaming Gophers: Noah, Cody, Trent, Beth, Lindsay, Heather, Izzy
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva, Bridgette, Leshawna, Tyler
Despite failing in the trust challenge, the teamwork to finally oust the chauvinistic pig has bonded Katie and Sadie and the two agree to leave their problems with each other in the past. They make much better partners than enemies and strive to work together going forward. Now worried about potentially going down the team's pecking order, Ezekiel stirs the pot a bit with Geoff and Sierra, pretending to naively put the cool guy on the spot about his feelings, with his subdued reaction annoying the goth with a crush. Over with the Gophers, Beth takes notice that Heather is starting to talk more and more with Noah, potentially making recruiting him as an ally easier. Though Lindsay is still working over the party boys, which a concerned Izzy takes notice of.
Chris takes a break from hosting, leaving Chef in charge of the next challenge. It comes in the form of a brutal multi day bootcamp, where only the strongest will survive. Harold and Duncan are especially targeted by the big man's ire after their continued annoyances throughout the season. One by one contestants begin to drop out, until only Geoff, Sierra, Sadie, Lindsay and Cody remain. The final task is hanging upside down from a tree. Geoff drops, then Sadie, and afterwards Lindsay. With his daredevil nature and urged on by Lindsay, Cody holds strong and outlasts Sierra, netting another win for the Gophers. Though Trent took notice of the attention Lindsay was giving him. When it's time for a vote the two big contenders are obvious. By now good friends, Harold and Duncan can't vote for each other. But their team can, and they ultimately choose to oust Duncan since Harold is comparatively more sane and cooperative.
Current Standings:
Killer Bass: Geoff, Harold, Ezekiel, Katie, Sadie, Sierra
Screaming Gophers: Noah, Cody, Trent, Beth, Lindsay, Heather, Izzy
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva, Bridgette, Leshawna, Tyler, Duncan
Not that they know it, but the final Bass vs Gophers challenge is here. Despite their many recent losses, the Bass are actually doing pretty good. Katie and Sadie are bonding, even both teasing Sierra over the Geoff situation. Ezekiel attempts to scoop up the now lone wolf Harold as a potential ally going forward. But things are more tense with the Gophers. Cody and Trent are now actively butting heads over Lindsay's attention, something Noah struggles to diffuse. And with the girls, Beth and Lindsay's former partnership now feels like a ticking time bomb. Heather and Izzy are chilling tho.
Their challenge is a series of "extreme sports" tasks which Cody is hyped for. Lucky him then he gets to do the first part, skydiving, which he succeeds at whereas Harold fails. Next up is staying atop a mad moose, this time won by Sierra while Izzy loses. Finally is a mud pit seado course where one person captures flags while an opposing team member tries to steer them off. Lindsay and Beth jump to do their bits for the team, while Katie and Sadie offer for the Bass. The girls are driven since an extra incentive for the winning team is a luxury shower. In the end Katie comes in clutch, capturing more flags than Lindsay, due in part to Sadie's expert driving compared to Beth's sucky performance. For the vote Lindsay wants to eliminate Noah, while Beth insists it should be Trent. Neither girl is going to waver, so Lindsay finally suggests a compromise to just vote out Heather instead. Beth agrees... to her face. But in reality she's fed up with her supposed ally throwing her weight around. So instead she "admits" to Cody and Trent how Lindsay's been bragging about playing the boys against each other, which is actually backed up by Izzy. At the ceremony Beth takes great pleasure watching as the blindsided furious Lindsay is dragged away by Chef.
Current Standings:
Killer Bass: Geoff, Harold, Ezekiel, Katie, Sadie, Sierra
Screaming Gophers: Noah, Cody, Trent, Beth, Heather, Izzy
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva, Bridgette, Leshawna, Tyler, Duncan, Lindsay
Cody and Trent reconcile, apologetic to each other over someone getting in the way of them being bros. Noah's ecstatic to see the lads back in action. Beth meanwhile earns some respect from Izzy over calling out Lindsay's manipulations, pretending she'd done it for a just cause. She's back to being in the best position she'd ever been in between that and still having a good hold over Heather. Be a shame if suddenly the teams dissolved. And as it turns out, they are! Chris confirms that the new teams for today will be a classic battle of the sexes. The winning team earns a luxury cruise over the weekend, while the losing teams sends someone packing. Things are pretty chill with the guys as Ezekiel and Geoff integrate well with the party trio, though Harold's abrasive personality sticks out despite his earlier bond with Duncan chilling him out. Over with the girls Beth is pretty pissed that she now has to deal with three more people but is hopeful she can drive a wedge back through Katie and Sadie, who are meanwhile bonding with Heather and Izzy. Sierra is cautious of all the newcomers.
The challenge turns out to be a gross out eating gauntlet, where the campers must stomach a series of disgusting dishes head to head. While the alure of the cruise does motivate the girls who would otherwise struggle such as Heather and Katie, it's ultimately not even close. None of the guys have any big reservations to pushing through and in the end they win pretty handedly. Beth's attempts to get Katie and Sadie to butt heads throughout the challenge are thwarted at every turn, and seeing that Sierra has no intention to vote against her former teammates she has to choose self preservation. Beth throws Izzy under the bus for performing the worst in the challenge. It's not like the pacifist will be doing any campaigning of her own.
Current Standings:
Boys: Geoff, Harold, Ezekiel, Noah, Cody, Trent
Girls: Katie, Sadie, Sierra, Beth, Heather
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva, Bridgette, Leshawna, Tyler, Duncan, Lindsay, Izzy
Once the boys are back from their cruise, rested and rejuvenated, they regroup with the girls and are told by Chris that the teams are no more. The merge is here! But it won't be a final 11, it'll actually be a final 13. Chris says that by popular demand returning to the competition is... Eva! No one's particularly surprised. But they ARE shocked to see the other person he's bringing back... Tyler. Katie, Sadie, and Sierra are particularly annoyed. Which Beth takes note of. Ezekiel takes the opportunity to link back up with Beth, using his assistance in helping her survive the cooking challenge as a means to facilitate an alliance. She brings Heather with her, who eases up around Zeke but is confused why a seemingly nice guy like him would want to work with an asshole like Beth. She asks if Noah can join their alliance, which they decline. With Ezekiel on their side, Beth no longer sees a need in bringing in the friendly boy. Cody meanwhile hits it off with Eva and the two seem to enjoy resuming their workouts despite Lindsay no longer being around to force them. Katie and Sadie are also growing closer by the day, something Harold taunts them over jokingly, though perhaps he's not too far off on his accusations?
For their first merge challenge the campers are given random tasks they must endure within a time limit. If they succeed they move on, but failure puts them in stocks and out of the running for immunity. They can also pass the challenges on to someone else but risk getting out if the other person succeeds. Everyone gives it their all, but it's clear that Cody and Eva shine the most since they thrive with tough/dangerous tasks like this. Eva winds up winning immunity in the final log roll with a bear task, also netting her a private trailer with shower. The first one out of the challenge was Harold, failing to take on a hockey match with snapping turtles, so he spent the challenge heckling and name calling the others to keep himself entertained. This winds up majorly backfiring because enough people use this as an excuse to vote him off, tired of his attitude. Chris even shows off the voting confessionals to really add insult to injury. He's pissed, but eventually blows it off as for the best since he was getting bored ever since Duncan and Bridgette left.
Current Standings:
Merge: Cody, Ezekiel, Geoff, Noah, Trent, Tyler, Beth, Eva, Heather, Katie, Sadie, Sierra
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva (1), Bridgette, Leshawna, Tyler (1), Duncan, Lindsay, Izzy, Harold
Now once again a final 12, the mergers continue to deepen their bonds while Ezekiel and Beth plot their next target. Sierra and Geoff are pointed out as a threat, especially with their flirting ramping up, though Katie and Sadie can't be slept on. Ezekiel also points out how desperate for romantic attention Tyler was, and Beth decides to employee her old "friend's" strategy by turning the flirting on to woo Tyler to their side. Eva invites Cody to hang out in her private trailer and the two narrowly avoid getting struck by a cannonball when Chris announces the next challenge. A treasure hunt, with keys to various chests being hidden in everywhere from skunk burrows, to Chef's kitchen, to even a bear cave.
It's during this challenge that Geoff and Sierra share a moment, and even a brief kiss, but the later is instantly regretful, admitting to him that she's had a bad track record with relationships so it's hard to trust someone. But he's understanding and says they can take things as slow as she wants. In general it proves to be a ship heavy episode with the likes of Katie and Sadie, plus Cody and Eva also developing on their dynamics and showing clear attraction to one another. In the end though immunity is snagged by Tyler, with help from Beth who's been swapping spit with him. When it comes down to who they get rid of, Beth vents her frustrations with Heather to Ezekiel, and he makes a suggestion. After getting enough people on board the one going home is... Noah. Their reasoning being that he's too nice and that'll be a problem with the jury vote they think the season will end in. Heather is understandably upset over her friend being voted off without her knowledge and refuses to accept Beth's reasoning.
Current Standings:
Merge: Cody, Ezekiel, Geoff, Trent, Tyler, Beth, Eva, Heather, Katie, Sadie, Sierra
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva (1), Bridgette, Leshawna, Tyler (1), Duncan, Lindsay, Izzy, Harold, Noah
Trent and Cody pour one out for their fallen bro, also coming to a realization that the girls now outnumber them which could become an issue. They bring up the idea of a guy's alliance to the other boys, and while all agree they each admit in confessional that they're unsure how loyal they can be since they have someone from the girls they don't want leaving anytime soon. Even Cody has that problem, with Trent urging him to keep his mind on the money and his bro first. Beth is trying to buddy up with Eva to earn another vote, not realizing that Heather is taking Noah's elimination worse than she expected. Sierra catches on to what she's doing and consults with Katie and Sadie on how they should proceed. They COULD keep voting the guys off, but maybe they'll need their help sooner rather than later...
For their next challenge it's hide and seek time. Chef hunts the campers down, and they win immunity if they can stay hidden long enough, or if they make it to the safe zone before he shoots them with water. They can also reveal a fellow contestant's hiding spot for immunity, something Beth utilizes via convincing Tyler to give her immunity. This is a lucky break, because Trent and Cody actually propose her as a target, noting that even some of the girls wanted her gone. Ezekiel passing this on winds up spooking her, so when it's time for a vote and some of their easy targets like Geoff and Sierra wind up immune, Beth decides to throw Tyler under the bus to some of the girls to earn their sympathy, claiming he'd been perving on her. This makes it an easy vote off for him yet again, and he's just as dumbfounded as you'd expect.
Current Standings:
Merge: Cody, Ezekiel, Geoff, Trent, Beth, Eva, Heather, Katie, Sadie, Sierra
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva (1), Bridgette, Leshawna, Tyler (1), Duncan, Lindsay, Izzy, Harold, Noah, Tyler (2)
Now down to four guys against the girl's six, Cody and Trent once again try to solidify something with Ezekiel and Geoff, begging for them to see to reason. When Ezekiel points out how clearly into Eva one of them is, Cody assures him that he'd be willing to vote how he needs to if it's her or the money. For now Trent once again floats the idea of voting off Beth if she's not immune, or perhaps Katie or Sadie since they're on the verge of becoming a couple. Heather, by now fully plotting to get rid of the mean country girl, strikes up a deal with the former Bass girls and spills that despite Tyler's nature he actually was innocent when it came to Beth and she was just trying to save herself. They had an agreement to target her, but could they make it happen?
Well the challenge certainly wouldn't help, because it was time for the bike race! The likes of Ezekiel, Cody, Heather, and Sadie make high quality bikes worthy of praise, while others such as Eva, Beth, and Trent make shoddy piles of crap. When round 1 is over, half of the field advances to part two: Beth, Heather, Katie, Geoff, and Cody. But in a twist it's confirmed that rather than a vote off, the last to cross the finish line will be auto eliminated. After Katie, Geoff, and finally Cody all wipe out, Beth crosses the finish line seconds before Heather. Due to the technicality of being the last to cross since only those two finished, Heather is out. Beth tries to act apologetic, but the normally meek nerd finally snaps and tells off Beth for her rotten attitude and wishes for her downfall. Just when Ezekiel feels comfortable at the easy scapegoat this is creating, Heather ALSO calls out his partnership with the mean girl, putting him on blast of likely not being the gentlemen he makes himself out to be. For once, he has people raising an eyebrow at him. Not good.
Current Standings:
Merge: Cody, Ezekiel, Geoff, Trent, Beth, Eva, Katie, Sadie, Sierra
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva (1), Bridgette, Leshawna, Tyler (1), Duncan, Lindsay, Izzy, Harold, Noah, Tyler (2), Heather
When the next episode begins it's nighttime, with the final 9 gathered around a projector to watch a slasher movie. Trent, Sadie, and Sierra are loving it, Eva turns out to be surprisingly susceptible to the scares and Cody gladly takes the opportunity to hold her tight, Katie is critical of the mindless gore. Beth eventually wonders where Chris is and the gang discovers him and Chef fleeing the island, leaving behind a newspaper alleging that an escaped psycho killer was on the loose. Probably a challenge and there was nothing to be afraid of... right? Sadie proves to be a horror movie buff and lays out the rules for their survival. Rules that most of the cast ignore, with only Katie following her advice to a T. One by one Chef in the psycho killer outfit begins to take out contestants. Trent wandering off to take a whizz, Geoff making a run to the cabin for supplies, Sierra when she goes to search for him. Even Cody and Eva are caught in the middle of making out, and while Cody tries to heroically fend the killer off Eva still freaks out and gives Chef a black eye before running off screaming.
Eventually it's whittled down to just Sadie and Katie left standing. While Chef is still recovering from Eva's assault, the two move to the Mess Hall to be better equipped. It's there that they run into the real psycho killer. Everyone rushes to warn them, making it just in time to confirm the trouble they're in. He revs up the chainsaw but the girls think fast and dish out a two on one assault that leaves the killer unconscious. Adrenaline still pumping, they the proceed to make out. Which is all well and good, but someone still needs to be eliminated. Chris confirms that it'll be Eva, getting auto eliminated for getting the most scared by Chef. Cody tries to point out how they didn't even hold a vote, but Chris says them's the brakes.
Current Standings:
Merge: Cody, Ezekiel, Geoff, Trent, Beth, Katie, Sadie, Sierra
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva (1), Bridgette, Leshawna, Tyler (1), Duncan, Lindsay, Izzy, Harold, Noah, Tyler (2), Heather, Eva (2)
Cody's pretty bummed at Eva's elimination, but Trent tells his bro to chin up and keep his head in the game. Meanwhile Ezekiel and Beth meet up to discuss the developments between Katie and Sadie. Now that the two are officially a couple it makes them the biggest threat in the game. Sure there's also Geoff and Sierra, but Katie was likely their biggest mental threat and Sadie was up there in physical threats. Question is, could they get the votes to take them out? This would certainly be their chance to try, because Chris confirms the reward for their next challenge won't be immunity, but instead a feast of the winner's choosing. Their task? Animal trapping, with their critter decided by random draw.
Many shenanigans are had but in the end Sadie manages to win with Katie's help and she opts to share the feast with her now girlfriend. Meanwhile Ezekiel comes in last, having got the unlucky draw of a bear. But he has more important things to worry about. He hits up the boys and tries to reignite the idea of a guy's alliance, pointing out the threat that the power duo poise. But Katie and Sadie have Sierra on their side to follow through on Heather's desire to eliminate Beth. Geoff ultimately has the deciding vote and sides with Sierra, making it a 4-4 tie. In anticipation of this possibility, Ezekiel and Beth chose Katie to be the one they voted for, figuring she'd be easier to beat in a tie breaker. And indeed she is, Beth able to trounce her in a sudden death round of grabbing a greased pig to put in the animal cage. Katie and Sadie share an emotional goodbye, amused at how different their relationship was now compared to when the season started.
Current Standings:
Merge: Cody, Ezekiel, Geoff, Trent, Beth, Sadie, Sierra
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva (1), Bridgette, Leshawna, Tyler (1), Duncan, Lindsay, Izzy, Harold, Noah, Tyler (2), Heather, Eva (2), Katie
Because a certain challenge requires an even number of contestants, up next is a special episode checking in on the eliminated contestants at Playa des Losers. Owen is grouchy as ever, full of "I told you so's" about Ezekiel. Gwen has grown to hate Sierra for stealing "her man." Alejandro has apparently swung and missed with pretty much all the eliminated girls. Courtney and DJ are making out, Leshawna is trying to get Justin to find his confidence. Bridgette, Duncan, and Harold are causing chaos, Tyler is salty about how things ended with Beth but low key seems willing to give her another chance. Eva dominates Lindsay in a game of volleyball, Izzy is just chilling with Heather and Noah. And finally there's the newest arrival, Katie getting teased by many over her new relationship and how things progressed.
The overall consensus is that Ezekiel and Beth can kick rocks for their shady business. The others all have their supporters, but Geoff seems to be the most well liked. This turns out to somehow work against him, because Chris announces that the losers have a chance to vote someone off. A gleeful Gwen jumps at the opportunity to get Geoff there, which sets off a chain reaction where others accidently say his name, even a random parrot. When it's all said and done, Geoff racks up enough votes before it can be switched to Beth or Zeke, and he's stunned when Chef hauls him off down the dock.
Current Standings:
Merge: Cody, Ezekiel, Trent, Beth, Sadie, Sierra
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva (1), Bridgette, Leshawna, Tyler (1), Duncan, Lindsay, Izzy, Harold, Noah, Tyler (2), Heather, Eva (2), Katie, Geoff
Needless to say Sierra is absolutely livid at Geoff not only being eliminated but also in as BS a way possible. On the flip side, Ezekiel and Beth are delighted that the final duo in need of breaking up has taken a hit. Or at least, the last romantic one. Cody and Trent were clearly tight knit which could be a problem, but Ezekiel was confident he could control them. Sadie meanwhile bonds with Sierra and the two begin to solidify their friendship. When the challenge rolls around Chris declares it'll be a three part affair played in teams. Everyone gets handcuffed to a fellow player, the duo with the most wins being immune tonight. The pairs are as follows: Sadie/Ezekiel, Beth/Trent, and Sierra/Cody.
Beth and Trent prove to be the most volatile group, his loudness getting on her nerves while her bad vibes harshes his good time. Sadie and Ezekiel also clash, while he tries to keep up the facade she notes that it's obvious he's two faced and doesn't plan to trust him anytime soon. As for Sierra and Cody, while she has her reservations they actually wind up gelling quite well, forming an unlikely friendship throughout the challenge. Cody's able to scarf down the food in part 1, while Ezekiel and Sadie win the navigating in part 2. The final part requires assembling a tower of the eliminated contestants, and the ability to get along gives Cody and Sierra the win and immunity. With Sierra immune, Beth figures that Sadie is the one they should vote out by default. But her constant clashing with Trent in the challenge has him adamant to want her gone. Ezekiel figures it's time to cut his losses, pinning all the shady business throughout the season on her and joining the guy's alliance in voting her out, Sierra and Sadie gladly doing so too. She cusses up a storm and goes kicking and screaming.
Current Standings:
Merge: Cody, Ezekiel, Trent, Sadie, Sierra
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva (1), Bridgette, Leshawna, Tyler (1), Duncan, Lindsay, Izzy, Harold, Noah, Tyler (2), Heather, Eva (2), Katie, Geoff, Beth
While Ezekiel has bought himself time, Sadie still warns that he's not off the hook and she still intends to get him out too. Both try to convince Cody and Trent that they're on their side and the other needs to go next. Sierra decides to lay low and watch the fireworks, but will obviously have Sadie's back in the feud. Overnight a flood washes over camp, even stranding Cody in the confessional after he passed out inside. Soon enough the campers wash up on an unknown beach, seemingly stranded. While the other four are together for now, Cody is separated and begins to go stir crazy from the isolation. Ezekiel speculates that they'll be rescued soon, though Sadie worries they'll be abandoned while Sierra assumes this is all just a challenge. Trent tries to keep everyone together, but they eventually wander off with each encountering some sort of obstacle like a giant python.
Eventually Cody finds the others, shaken to his senses just in time before some sort of giant pterodactyl devours him. The gang assembles in a treehouse where the daredevil urges them to confess their sins after all the time he'd spent in the confessional. With nothing better to do, they share. Ezekiel's true nature comes out, the other four now all seeing him for the threat he is. But that's something to worry about later. For now they had to get off this island. Ever the show off, Cody volunteers to face off with the pterodactyl, fashioning a spear and a contraption to launch him into the sky. The good news is it works and he's able to impale the beast. The bad news is it's an animatronic, and he winds up causing an explosion. He's blasted out of the sky and lands violently in the foliage just as Chris and Chef arrive to finally end things. While this wasn't necessarily meant to be a true challenge, Cody's been roughed up enough to the point where he can't continue, so he's medically evacuated much to Trent's dismay.
Current Standings:
Merge: Ezekiel, Trent, Sadie, Sierra
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva (1), Bridgette, Leshawna, Tyler (1), Duncan, Lindsay, Izzy, Harold, Noah, Tyler (2), Heather, Eva (2), Katie, Geoff, Beth, Cody
With only four contestants left, it's time for Chef to take over hosting duties once again. Kidnapping the campers in their sleep, he drops them off in the forest with a simple task. First duo to make it back to camp is safe. He assigns the boys and girls to compete against each other, and warns that he'll have a say in who goes home. Sadie and Sierra are pretty pumped to be tackling this with someone they trust, whereas Ezekiel is nervous since Trent's loud oblivious nature might not make winning this easy. Still, he tries his best to whip the rocker into shape and uses his own outdoors knowledge from the farm to give them an edge.
After many shenanigans, sabotage, and encounters with the dreaded Sasquatchanakwa, it comes down to a mad dash to the finish line. Ezekiel plays dirty and throws sand into the girls eyes when things get neck and neck, stalling them long enough for him and Trent to win. After revealing that he'd pillaged their personal belongings, Chef makes his decision. He decides to eliminate... Sierra. Noting that Sadie had done more for their team and was crucial in dealing with Sasquatchanakwa, whereas Sierra was clearly much more out of her element. She's pissed to be eliminated so close to the finale, but resigns to cheering on her friend to beat the boys.
Current Standings:
Merge: Ezekiel, Trent, Sadie
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva (1), Bridgette, Leshawna, Tyler (1), Duncan, Lindsay, Izzy, Harold, Noah, Tyler (2), Heather, Eva (2), Katie, Geoff, Beth, Cody, Sierra
The penultimate episode is upon us! Sadie and Ezekiel are by now at each other's throat, hungry to eliminate the other to make their path to the finale easier. Which means Trent is about as chill as can be, both of his fellow semifinalists intending to bring him to the finale. With the end in sight, all three are prepared to do what it takes to secure the bag. But the past has come to haunt them, with eliminated contestants providing dares for them to endure the ultimate game of "triple dog dare." Stakes are high, refusal to accept a dare without a freebie will result in automatic elimination.
Sadie struggles with embarrassing dares while the physically demanding ones take a toll on Ezekiel. Trent though is able to thrive, easily taking on whatever the losers throw at them and racking up a pile of freebies. Helps that if Zeke or Sadie get a dare they don't want to do they only pass it to each other. As they're worn down, they eventually start appealing to Trent for his help. Sadie points out how underhanded he's been and how many eliminations he played a part in, while Ezekiel reminds him of the guy's alliance that was his idea and claims they can have a bro final two. After much deliberation the rocker makes his choice. He sides with Sadie, getting better vibes from her and pointing out that she's basically one of the bros anyway. With the tide turned to a 2vs1, Ezekiel isn't able to last. With a deciding dare eventually coming from Beth, he fails to complete a tussle with a grizzly bear and thus is disqualified. But not without some light mauling for his troubles. Too beaten up to object, he merely groans in defeat before getting hauled off, the final elimination of the season.
Current Standings:
Finalists: Trent and Sadie
Eliminated: Owen, Gwen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Justin, Eva (1), Bridgette, Leshawna, Tyler (1), Duncan, Lindsay, Izzy, Harold, Noah, Tyler (2), Heather, Eva (2), Katie, Geoff, Beth, Cody, Sierra, Ezekiel
After a long summer of drama, hookups, grueling challenges, and more, we have our final two. Sadie, the take-no-shit tough girl who'd beasted her way throughout the contest, overcoming a fierce rivalry that eventually became something more, and proving that this spunky outcast was no slouch. Then there was Trent, maybe not the biggest mental threat or even that physically gifted, but he more than made up for it with his lovable attitude and phenomenal social game. The guy was practically never in danger of elimination, and now he had the chance to rock on all the way to a cool grand. Chris brings back the 22 fallen contestants to show their support.
Trent's Supporters: Gwen, Justin, Eva, Bridgette, Tyler, Duncan, Harold, Noah, Geoff, Cody, Ezekiel
Sadie's Supporters: Owen, Alejandro, Courtney, DJ, Leshawna, Lindsay, Izzy, Heather, Katie, Beth, Sierra
The final challenge is a hodgepodge of random challenges. Climbing a pole to retrieve a flag, crossing a ravine on a narrow plank, and finally a mad dash to the end. Both support groups cheer on their potential champion, Ezekiel and Beth even clashing as they try to sabotage the other's finalist of choice, but in the end one of them manages to cross the finish line first. As for which it is, I'll leave that for you to decide.
Final Standings:
24th: Owen, 23rd: Gwen, 22nd: Alejandro, 21st: Courtney, 20th: DJ, 19th: Justin, Eliminated: Eva, 18th: Bridgette, 17th: Leshawna, Eliminated: Tyler, 16th: Duncan 15th: Lindsay 14th: Izzy, *Merge, Eva and Tyler return* 13th: Harold, 12th: Noah, 11th: Tyler, 10th: Heather, 9th: Eva, 8th: Katie 7th: Geoff, 6th: Beth, 5th: Cody (medical evac), 4th: Sierra, 3rd: Ezekiel, Winner/Runner Up: Trent and Sadie
This one has a weird background, so lemme explain. Back in the early 2010s when I was still in my edgelord phase on the internet I pretty frequently browsed a few 4chan boards, most relevantly the cartoons and comics one. Naturally if I ever saw a Total Drama thread I'd check it out and I became something of a known regular in there despite the anonymous nature. I even vividly remember someone calling me a member of the "Autistic Five" that would keep those threads alive. I don't remember who the others were besides some guy that was REALLY obsessed with Eva and Cody (guess who led to me writing "The Codemeister Charm"). Anyway, at some point fan art was posted of Heather and Beth with designs if they'd swapped personalities. It sparked a lot of discussion on what other swaps would be like. People figured it would make for a good fic, so as the resident writer in those threads I was encouraged to try expanding on it. The plan was to start work when I finished Underdogs, but then my dreadful update pace kicked in, Underdogs took way longer to finish than it should have, and by the time it finally did any motivation I had to do ANOTHER TDI AU was gone. I actually wrote the whole contestants being introduced at the dock segment way back when in a pastebin for the anons to read, over a decade ago. I intended to just leave it here unedited, but there was some cringe inducing fan servicey descriptions of the girls I put in for the anon audience that I couldn't leave in without being embarrassed. This is more or less the elimination order we'd decided on and I included what little I had of notes from the discussions as far as storylines went. As for the swaps, in case some of them aren't so obvious or you're wondering why they were done, here's a rundown:
Heather and Beth: The fanart that inspired the discussions was of this. I'm pretty sure their descriptions were even like how they look in the OG art. I found out after the fact that the artist did more personality swap arts, but Heather/Beth was the only one I directly borrowed (though I think they did Sadie and Leshawna specifically which I find really funny because it's not an obvious swap to do). The thinking was that due to her more upper class judgmental upbringing a nerdy Heather would probably be more self conscious and introverted compared to how bubbly canon Beth is. Meanwhile manipulator Beth would kinda just be Sugar, a mean self absorbed country girl always looking down on people despite not being the sharpest tool in the shed herself. But this idea came before PI was out so it wasn't just ripping off an existing character yet. It was decided in the threads that the contestants would be young adults in this AU rather than teens and someone suggested Beth would be willing to seduce boys to get her way, but obviously in this rundown I simplified that to just the usual making out kinda deal with her and Tyler.
Duncan and Harold: Well if you're gonna do one alpha personality bully that mistreats a nerd, ya may as well do the other one yeah? For Harold we figured the joke would be how not intimidating he would be with Duncan's personality, an over the top edgelord ultimately mellowing out a bit over time with his outfit becoming less ridiculous with each step. Whereas with the D man the route was suggested of him being a weirdo in the vain of a gonzo journalist type ala Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. So I... basically just designed him after the main character from that.
Eva and Lindsay: This was an insistent suggestion from the Eva/Cody guy I'm pretty sure. But I do see the merit in swapping personalities from the most aggressive. not conventionally feminine girl with basically the polar opposite. Again, this brainstorming predates PI, so changing someone into a cheerleader wasn't out of the question. Seemed logical enough for someone athletic getting a ditzy personality. Meanwhile this version of Lindsay was pretty similar to what Stephanie would later become, the base idea being a sorta Karen fitness girl type with a short fuse.
Owen and Noah: Seeing as they're so different and were a memorable dynamic from World Tour, this was another given. For Owen the basic idea was a sort of redditor edgelord, just the type of guy who's always miserable and being a contrarian. "Erm aschtually" personified. Noah meanwhile wound up perhaps a bit bland. The idea was to retain Owen's positivity and friendliness without all his gross quirks since they wouldn't make sense on him. But how do you make that interesting? The idea being settled on that this Noah is one of those guys who's pleasant to be around, but is perhaps a bit TOO friendly and thus kinda comes across as desperate for friends/being liked.
Gwen and Sierra: Cody's crush swapped with his stalker, that's the joke. I think the proposal was that if this Sierra was still terminally online she'd probably be a weeb, hence why the brand of goth that she goes for is a gothic lolita style. And that's kinda what I ran with, like canon Gwen she isn't really a true broody goth ala Crimson and Ennui, but rather a sorta angsty rebel who likes anime and doesn't trust people. As for this version of Gwen that was a bit trickier. I think what I wound up going for was a sorta hyperactive type that doesn't stop talking with the dash of stalker energy. Which is pretty similar to canon Sierra but I knew she'd be an early boot pretty much immediately so I guess we didn't invest too much into how we make her unique.
Cody and Tyler: Speaking of the Codester, this was another thread consensus. I think the idea was switching a nerd with a jock, but the problem is that canon Tyler is by no means your typical gigachad jock ala Lightning. This wound up probably being my least favorite swap because the canon characters aren't really all that different. They're both sorta dorks, ya know? For Tyler we decided to focus on the ladies loving sleaze factor that, admit it, Cody tends to have from time to time. Focusing on that spiraled until he wound up becoming a slimy misogynistic type, with the design inspiration coming from Leisure Suit Larry no less. As for Cody, since he's pretty scrawny and making him buff would be cursed, I decided to focus on him being more of a daredevil sports fanatic type rather than a typical jock. Though in retrospect I kinda think I should have made him a skater or something.
Izzy and Bridgette: The most chill/sane girl from Gen 1 swapped with the most unhinged. To retain Bridgette's love of the water we decided she'd kinda be in her element there, doing Jaws type stuff and thinking that she's a mermaid. But most of the season would require her to be on land and ideas for what to do with her without just making her blonde Izzy was tricky. In the end I kinda just figured she'd be more tone downed and an attempt to be more realistically crazy, but eh. As for making sure this version of Izzy wasn't just ginger Bridgette... also tricky, honestly. Ultimately she just sorta became the straight man, someone so incredibly normal and approachable that putting them in crazy scenarios or with huge personalities would lead to fun bewildered reactions.
Ezekiel and Alejandro: At this point locking down the swaps got tricky for those in the thread and they just sorta left it up to me to decide the rest. So, first order of business, why not swap the biggest gigachad of Gen 1 with its biggest loser? But once I actually gave it some thought, perhaps it wasn't too hard a sale. Alejandro's dad is a diplomat so he likely travels a lot. In canon this can explain why he kinda has that world traveled culturally enriched vibe going on. But what if in this timeline it actually worked to his detriment and caused him to never form any meaningful connections, leading to him being out of touch with the real world ala Ezekiel? For his depiction we decided on yet another redditor archetype (it was 4chan, what do you expect), this time the fedora tipping "nice guy." Tries to give off a friendly facade but in reality is entitled and isn't self aware at how off-putting they can be. As for Zeke, supplemental material like the website profiles claim that he's actually quite intelligent, even being fluent in multiple languages. It's just that he has 0 social skills to speak of. For him we asked, what happens when someone with Alejandro's charisma and intelligence doesn't have his looks? Can he still realistically dominate? So he became our schemer and ultimately easiest main villain choice since we didn't want to just use who got Heather's personality. Yes, I know using who got Alejandro isn't exactly less derivative but I probably found it fun irony to write a story where Ezekiel is the main villain coming off the heels of one I wrote where he's the main protagonist.
Katie and Courtney, Sadie and Leshawna: The big question with the planning back then was how to handle Katie and Sadie since they by all means have the exact same personality, plus know each other irl prior to the game. Ultimately we just sorta decided two girls were gonna get unlucky and get the same swaps. Picking two of the most popular girls to receive that treatment is a choice, but I quite liked the idea of giving their personalities to the former BFFFLs. Basically we retained that Katie and Sadie would know each other, but be butting heads. For Sadie she got Leshawna's take-no-shit toughness with us settling on a sorta tomboy misfit vibe for her. Meanwhile Katie stays pretty close to TDI Courtney's attitude, very much a stuck up prep kid. And then naturally we also make them the main couple of the season in an enemies to lovers type joint. This interpretation of Sadie proved popular and she was the consensus to be the Gwen-esque finalist with more plot. As for Leshawna and Courtney, they were meant to be a more cool version of the gal pal dynamic. Less valley girl and more girlboss. We decided they would have met by chance in a mall, having them both live in a big city like Montreal or Toronto, and instantly hit it off. From there they became so close that they started coordinating outfits and spending most of their free time together.
Trent and Geoff: This was one of the last swaps we locked down, but Trent actually wound up being one of my favorite ideas. I think he's one of the best examples of making a personality swap feel fitting for them specifically and avoiding it just feeling like Geoff 2. There's no reason why he still wouldn't like guitar, but once he inherits Geoff's boisterous fun loving personality he wouldn't be doing the whole broody pretty boy with a guitar thing. What'd make sense is him being an air guitar playing metalhead. That was an archetype I'd really wanted to see from TD at the time (Rock and Spud obviously didn't exist yet), so I rolled with it. It's no small wonder that I eventually slotted him in as the Owen-esque finalist. As for Geoff, turning him chill and cool we decided to go with a beatnik interpretation. Not quite as fun a revamp as Trent's, but I do like the visual of him with that design.
DJ and Justin: And here we have the final swap, these were the last stragglers so they got each other by default. But DJ is very friendly and compassionate whereas Justin is selfish and uncaring, so it's not a bad swap to wind up with. For DJ it was suggested he basically do JoJo poses a bunch, be a very hammy showboat, much more in your face with his fanservice than canon Justin. Basically a potentially very silly yet memorable cannon fodder. As for Justin, with him having no reason to lose his looks it made turning him into a good person potentially very boring because like, where's the flaws? We ultimately figured he'd be comedically naive, having no idea that people find him attractive and generally kinda being a low key dumbass. Plus some emphasis on prominent DJ downsides like his cowardice.
... that was much longer than I expected it to be. I'll wrap things up by saying the next of these "Scrapped Fic Rundowns" type chapters will likely be on the long defunct sequel to my old story Total Drama Survival, but I'm sure I'll do a few butterfly effect chapters between now and then. Plus another niche meta idea ala the original All Stars cast one, which may be up next. So look forward to that!