Last time on Total Drama Island...
Our campers had to avoid being captured in a game of hide-and-seek, with Chef himself as the seeker, or join him to find the rest. Some came up with good hiding spots. Others... yeah, not so much. Ultimately, it was Izzy and Courtney who were able to secure immunity for themselves. But prior to the elimination, Duncan caught wind of a plot by Heather to have Lindsay elminated so that he couldn't side with anyone else.
At the bonfire that night, he agreed to vote alongside Gwen's alliance to get rid of Heather. But what he didn't account for was Bridgette, who was still unhappy about him targeting Harold and expected Courtney and Liam to vote with her against him. They kept their word, and our beloved criminal was the next to ride the Loser Boat. Whose alliance will be the next to crumble? Will any new ones form? Will I be stuck hosting reality TV forever? Find out on this episode of Total... Drama... Island!
At breakfast the next morning, Heather had her alliance seated far away from the others to give them privacy.
"Last night did not go as planned," she whispered. "It was supposed to be Gwen that took the fall, not Duncan."
"And don't forget the part where Duncan said he voted for you instead of with us," Daphne reminded her. "That one caught me off guard."
Izzy hummed. "That's the other thing. Duncan said four people, including himself, voted for Heather. If that's true, that means it had to have been five people that voted for him. Which is impossible, since we all voted for Gwen."
"Exactly," Heather agreed. "If there were three other people that supposedly voted alongside him, it would have been either Courtney's alliance or Gwen and Trent's. If it was Courtney's… I can believe that they double-crossed him like they did before."
Daphne frowned. "Or maybe Gwen and Trent were the ones that did the double-crossing," she suggested. Then she sighed. "Too bad there's not a way to find out besides asking, and I doubt they'd tell us."
Heather paused. "Yeah… Too bad," she said, looking over at the island's latest couple.
To pass the time before the next challenge, the remaining campers had agreed to a game of Frisbee with each other. Well, Bridgette had suggested the game, and most of the others had agreed. The ones sitting out were, not surprisingly, Gwen, Lindsay and Liam.
The last one was lying with his head hanging off the side of the Dock, watching the game upside-down and enjoying the sensation as blood pooled in his head again. About ten feet from him was Gwen, who was writing in what he now knew was her journal. Occasionally, he would catch her looking up at the game. Or more specifically, at Trent. And Lindsay was next to her, swinging a fly swatter.
The blonde had her tongue between her teeth as she aimed. "Just. Stay. Still!" she said, swinging over and over yet missing the fly every time. As it flew over to land on top of Gwen's journal, the goth reached up to brush it away. Only for Lindsay to accidentally smack her hand as she tried.
"Ow!" Gwen yelped, pulling back her hand and glaring at Lindsay.
"Oops. Sorry!" she said, frowning worriedly.
A moment passed, and then Gwen sighed. "Just… be careful with that, okay?" she said, not quite on board with Lindsay having anything that even could be used as a weapon.
"I will, promise!" Lindsay declared confidently. Then she leaned forward. "Whatcha writing about?"
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "The whole point of a private journal is to write down your private thoughts. The ones you don't share with others," she explained.
"Oooh," Lindsay replied. "Like how I never told anyone how unhealthy I think your skin looks, but that it still goes great with your hair?" she said. Then she blinked, realizing what just happened. "Um…"
The goth slowly inhaled through her nose, then exhaled. "...Some things like that, yeah," she sighed. "Which is why I don't let anyone see it," she said.
"Okay, I get it," Lindsay told her. Just then, the fly flew back, and she said "While I give you some privacy…" Then she jumped to her feet and chased after the fly, yelling "Ha! Ya! Nyah!" with each swing of her swatter.
Liam chuckled at the scene before focusing on the game. Daphne tossed the disc at Izzy, who leaped up and caught it with one hand. Then she spun and launched it at Heather, who grunted as she caught it.
"So…" she said, lightly tossing it to Trent. "With Duncan gone, each alliance has an equal number of people. Which means the next elimination could end up being a three-way-tie."
"Maybe so," the guitarist said. After sizing up each target, he eventually threw it to Courtney. "Makes me wonder what Chris would do for a tie-breaker in that case."
The C.I.T. grunted. "That's if he even does a tie-breaker instead of forcing us to re-vote," she pointed out. "I can see him making us go through that multiple times instead of getting off his butt to make a whole new challenge."
That got Bridgette to chuckle. "I can see that, too," she agreed. "Whatever it is, it'll probably have something to do with the next challenge. Think this one will allow multiple winners, too?"
Daphne opened her mouth to provide her thoughts on that. However, that was when the intercom came on, as if talking about Chris too much conjured him. They all looked in the direction of it, and the Frisbee clocked her on the side of the head. "Morning, campers!" Chris cheerily called. "Your next challenge awaits you at the arts and crafts center. Be there in one hour!"
Rubbing her temple, the pyromaniac said "Well, that sort-of answers that question. Whatever it is, we're making stuff."
Izzy grinned. "This is gonna be great, then. I can make just about anything with the right tools. Like that bear costume I used; I made that with just a needle, thread and real bear fur!"
Heather looked at her. "For that to happen, you'd have needed to get the fur from a bear…" she began, before trailing off at seeing the orange-haired girl's grin. "Which I can completely believe."
Confessional Stall - Courtney
"I hate saying Heather's right about anything, but she does have a point. Everyone is on even footing right now. And what's more, since she called off our 'non-aggression pact', I can't be certain we'll vote for the same person anymore. Not having a majority makes me nervous."
An hour later, the teens were gathered at a picnic table next to a small shed. Once Chris arrived on his ATV, he said "Welcome to the arts and crafts center!"
Lindsay tilted her head. "It's kind of… small," she observed.
"Yeah. It used to be an outhouse, but now it's where Chef keeps his roadhog," he told her. As he opened it, they were all given a look at said motorcycle, which seemed to sparkle from how clean and waxed it was.
Trent whistled. "Now that's a nice bike," he stated.
Daphne grinned. "I'm loving the red paint and flame decals," she added.
Even Liam slowly nodded. "It certainly looks expensive."
Chris smiled and closed the door. "Now that you've seen what a great bike looks like, I'll tell you today's challenge: building your own wheels," he told them. He waved his hand next to the shed, where they noticed some interns moving over a pile of broken bicycles. "Once you've collected the parts you need, use any props here in the center to trick them out. And to prove I'm a nice guy, I'll even give you all a manual."
He held up the manual before tossing it in their direction, then hopping on his ATV. As the book came back down, Heather caught it and immediately grimaced. "Ew! It's furry!" she exclaimed, tossing it back up. This close, they could see that it was covered in patches of mold, making them all reluctant to catch it.
All of them, that is, except Izzy. She caught it with both hands and said "Ooh, spores. Cool!"
Heather stared at her for a moment, but refrained from commenting for the sake of their alliance. Courtney took one look at the molding manual, then said "I'll be back," before walking back in the direction of camp.
Chris chuckled. "You all have a few hours to put together and customize your bikes. And by the way, it would be to your advantage to both make them look good and for you to perform well," he told them, before driving off.
Heather, seeing her chance, said "Last dibs on the arts and crafts, and first on the parts! I call it!" and immediately headed for the pile of parts. That left the others to start by picking through the shed for decorations and accessories, leaving Chef's motorcycle alone.
Once he got a crack at the parts, Liam frowned as he held up a partially-bent wheel. "Okay, this should be relatively simple. Two wheels, two pedals, two handles, a frame and a chain. No need to get fancy here," he muttered to himself.
Lindsay, on the other hand, almost immediately found a bell. Trying it out, it rang with perfect clarity, making her smile. "I can use this to make my dream bike!" she declared. Turning to Gwen, she explained "Every Christmas, I'd ask Santa for a Sunset Sally Bike, but I'd never get one!"
Gwen glanced over at her. "That's… a bit sad, actually," she admitted. "I just planned on making mine scary-looking."
Behind them, Heather sighed.
Confessional Stall - Heather
"You know, I'm starting to miss the old days where Lindsay was in my alliance. Sure, I had to explain just about everything to her, but having someone at my beck and call was nice," she said, before frowning. "But since Daphne and Izzy are so close, I can't be too pushy to one without the other noticing." She brought a hand to her chin. "I need to think of a way to pull Lindsiot back in."
As she had called final dibs on the arts and crafts center, Heather went inside and closed the door behind her once it was her turn. She took a wrench inside with her. Meanwhile, Gwen loaded the parts for her bike into a box. As she did, Trent came up next to her and said "I've never put a bicycle together before. Have you?"
She shook her head. "No, but I'm gonna learn fast," she said. "I made a promise to Lindsay. And more than that, I want us to make it to the finals now. So I can't afford to quit."
That got to him to smile. "Me neither. Even if it means reading the dirty… moldy… disgusting manual," he said, his grin starting to falter.
Suddenly, they heard Courtney call "I'm back!" When they turned to look at her, they saw that her hands were covered in plastic gloves while she had a respirator mask on her face. Although the mask mostly covered it, they could see the lines around her eyes as she grinned. "It's amazing what Chef keeps in his kitchen if you ask nicely."
Gwen and Trent looked at her, then at each other… and then they also started walking towards camp.
Chuckling, the C.I.T. turned to where Izzy was standing. "Izzy, do you mind if I borrow that manual?" she asked.
"Sure thing!" Izzy replied, tossing it over. "I finished making my bike anyway," she added. She then pulled away a section of brush to reveal a completely finished bike made of wood and struts of metal, with one regular wheel and one wooden one. It also had a second seat in front of the first despite having only one set of pedals. "Hey, Daph, want to try it out with me?" she asked.
Daphne grinned. "Heck yeah!" she replied, running over and hopping in the front seat.
"Awesome! With my leg strength and both our weight, this thing will really be moving! Woo-hoo!" Izzy stated.
"Sounds fun. Let's see how fast this thing can go," the brunette said, leaning forward to grab the handles.
Behind her, Izzy leaned back. "Three, two, one… Banzai!" she called, pushing the pedal down hard. The bike immediately shot forward, making her cackle while Daphne whooped in delight.
The wind whipped past them, and Daphne spotted that they were quickly running out of ground. "Incoming cliff!" she called, before grinning. "Full speed ahead!"
Izzy grinned as well. "Of course!" she called, maintaining their speed as they both went over the edge, all the other campers staring at them as they did.
Confessional Stall - Daphne
"The moment we went over that cliff, my heart was going so fast I thought it was going to explode! This is the kind of rush I joined this show for!" she exclaimed. "I don't even care who gets immunity this time. 'Cause no matter what, I still won today."
Before Bridgette even began to put together her bike, she first made sure she had the right safety equipment. Her luck was bad enough when she was on land and on her feet. Adding wheels into the mix was not something she was excited over. After finding a rock and raising her helmet, she brought it down on the rock several times over. When she held the helmet up and saw barely a scratch, she smiled. "Perfect," she said. Next up was a set of pads for her knees and elbows. Once all that was done, then she could start putting a bike together.
Not far from where Bridgette was testing/making her gear, Liam was still digging through the pile of parts. He had a deep frown on his face, which momentarily switched to a grin as he spotted something. "Aha!" he said, reaching into the parts and pulling out… a broken set of brakes.
His frown immediately returned. "Can I find one set of brakes that aren't busted?" he muttered. He had found a chain drive in serviceable condition, which meant he would be able to at least get his bike to go forward. But at some point he'd like to, you know, stop doing that, preferably without crashing into something.
As Bridgette watched him dive back into the pile, she glanced back at the planks of wood and padding she had been planning to make her guards with. "Maybe I need a bit more…" she muttered.
Meanwhile, as Liam continued searching, he did not fail to notice the sounds of something heavy being moved inside the crafts center. He blinked. 'The only thing in there that large and heavy…' he thought. He looked over to where Courtney was laying all the pieces for her bike out in order on the ground. She caught his gaze and he tilted his head towards the building, before imitating revving a throttle.
Courtney frowned, then nodded and stood up. Once she was in front of the building, she grabbed the door handle and tried to pull it open to no effect. It was locked. Eyes narrowing, she knocked on the door and called "Heather, what's going on in there?"
The noises paused, and then Heather's voice came out from inside. "I'm getting the stuff for my bike, remember? f you want another turn, you can just wait until I'm done," she snapped.
"Uh huh…" Courtney replied. "You do remember that Chris only said we could use props from there, right? I trust that's the only thing you're getting."
At that, the noises paused again, and Heather took a moment longer to reply. "...And what do you plan to do about it if I'm not?"
She smirked. "That depends. How much do you think me not telling Chris is worth?" she asked.
Silence again. Then there was a click and the door unlocked and was swung open. Heather stood there with her arms crossed. Over her shoulder, the C.I.T. could see Chef's bike partially dismantled, confirming her suspicions. Heather gave her a small glare, and shot back "What do you want?"
Grinning, Courtney said "I keep quiet about you using Chef's bike to improve your own… and you vote for Lindsay tonight."
Heather managed to avoid stiffening, only quirking an eyebrow. There was no way she was agreeing to that. But… "Out of curiosity, why her?" she asked.
Courtney tilted her head, debating whether or not to share. After some thought, she shrugged and said "It's because of Gwen and Trent." The look of curiosity on Heather's face grew, and she continued "You told Liam that the three of them are in alliance together. But if Lindsay is eliminated, it will be just the two of them. At that point, even they'll admit that they can't survive without choosing a side."
Heather hummed, connecting the dots. "And you think you can convince them to side with you? Why not with me?" she countered.
Courtney's smirk grew. "Because if I have to, I'll tell them how I helped you get rid of Leshawna," she declared.
Heather went stiff, eyes widening. "You wouldn't dare. Gwen will be just as mad at you for that as she would at me," she shot back.
"I don't think so," the C.I.T. replied. "See, Leshawna and I openly disliked each other. If Gwen finds out that I voted for her, that'll come as no surprise. But if she finds out that you also did, well…"
The two of them stared at each other, neither breaking their gazes. Heather's stare was angered, while Courtney's was smug.
Almost a full minute passed before one of them spoke. "So…" Heather began. "Just so the terms are clear: you tell no one about me voting for Leshawna or dismantling Chef's bike. In exchange, my alliance and I vote for Lindsay."
Courtney paused for a split-second. The promise to not mention Leshawna wasn't in her initial offer. Nor was including Izzy and Daphne's votes, but it was a reasonable enough trade that she wasn't surprised by it. That kind of negotiation made her respect for Heather rise just a tad. "That's right. Deal?" she said, extending her hand.
Heather grunted and reluctantly shook it. "Deal. Now get out of here before someone comes back!" she said, before slamming the door in her face.
Courtney just smiled and walked back to where her parts were. Things were going great.
A while later, Chris called over the loudspeaker for them to gather and present their assembled bikes. First up was Heather's bike, to which he gave a nod of approval. The entire frame was made of wood and had very little accessories save for a pillow seat and a green bag suspended above the drivetrain. "Very aerodynamic, Heather," he complimented.
She grinned. "And it only weighs two pounds!" she added proudly.
Courtney resisted the urge to glare at her, glancing down at the bag, then at a red button Heather had between her handle bars. But immunity wouldn't matter tonight… assuming she kept her word.
Then Chris walked over to her bike. Her's appeared plain but completely functional, painted a simple red and making him hum. "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think you pulled this thing straight out of the manual," he said.
"Well, I did follow it word-for-word," she admitted.
The host shrugged. "Suppose I can't argue with that, even if it means your bike has no character," he replied, moving on and ignoring her frown. As he came to Gwen, he smiled. "This, on the other hand, is a bike with style ." Gwen's bike, like Izzy's, had one wooden wheel and one normal one. The front fork had been made with a prop bone, while a ram skull was placed between the handlebars. And attached to the back were two large bat wings made of canvas. "This spooky beauty got a name?" Chris asked.
Gwen crossed her arms, considering. "How about… Wings of Night?" she said, before nodding in confirmation.
Chris grinned. "Nice," he said, getting her to smile before he moved to the next bike: Bridgette's. Once he got a good look at it, be paused. "Um… is there a reason I see two sets of brakes on this thing?" he inquired. Not only that, but there was a spare wheel hanging from the back, all the wheels were all-terrain, and Bridgette herself was wearing a helmet, elbow and knee pads and a padded vest.
Rubbing her arm nervously, she said "Well, I built mine with safety in mind first. The extra brakes are in case the first ones fail, the wheel is in case one of them is damaged. And all this…" She waved at hand at herself. "Is for when I probably wipe out."
After a moment, Chris nodded. "Guess I can understand all that. Lame, but understandable," he concluded. Giving her bike a pass, he arrived at Lindsay's. That one had a prop purple horse head on the front as well as a broom sticking out the back as a 'tail' and purple tassels hanging from the handles.
Giving Chris an excited smile, she said "Go ahead, ring the bell!" Somewhat amused, Chris did just that and was rewarded with a satisfying ring. "If this were the real Sunset Sally, it would have also gone 'neeiggh'!" she explained.
"Hmm. Creative and functional. I approve," Chris said. With that, he moved on to the penultimate bike, Liam's. What greeted him was a bike… that looked almost identical to Courtney's, except that it didn't even have the red paint coating. "You just followed the manual too, huh?" he asked flatly.
Liam shrugged. "If it's not broken, don't fix it," he said.
Chris shook his head and moved on, reaching the last bike. This one made him smile. It had decals of musical notes and crudely painted waves on its frame, while the seat had deep cushions and a back for leaning on. There was also a guitar-shaped basket mounted on the back, though Trent had not put his guitar at risk by bringing it. "Pretty chill ride, my dude. I like it a lot."
Trent pumped his fist. "Awesome, man," he said, giving the seat a rub. "I can't wait to ride it."
Chris grinned. "Well, you'll have to wait a moment for that, because…" he started, before trailing off. "Hold on. Where are Izzy and Daphne?" he asked.
After sticking the landing off a cliff, Izzy kept their bike going while Daphne steered it. As they went down a steep hill, the latter howled in delight while the former cackled.
Chris gave the duo a total of five minutes to show up. When they didn't, he said "Well, if they want to not by the time the race starts, that puts them out of the running for invincibility this time." The rest of them all smiled at that, pleased at having a narrower playing field. "Now for the fun part: We're going to race these babies!"
Trent raised his hand. "Then what do you mean about me waiting?" he asked.
"That, Trent, is because this first part of the race has a surprise twist. Each of you will be riding each other's bikes!" he declared. "So bring them down to the beach!"
A few minutes later, the participating campers and their bicycle were standing in front of a starting line Chris had set up in the sand by the coast. He held up a helmet, saying "Alright, each of you pull a name from the hat. That will be the person whose wheels you'll be riding. And only by crossing the finish line with that bike will you get the chance to ride your own in the round for invincibility."
Each teen reached into the helmet one at a time, pulling out a slip of paper. Once they read the name on them, they moved to where that bike was smirked as she took her place next to Liam's bike, given that it was almost identical to her own. Likewise, the fact it was built by the book made Trent relieved as he got her bicycle. Lindsay, upon reading her paper slip, gasped. "I got the second prettiest bike here! Yay!" she cheered, before running over to Trent's bike.
"Um… thanks?" Trent said uncertainly. Gwen, as she got on Bridgette's bike, chuckled at his expression over having his 'chill' bike described as pretty.
Liam took one look at Lindsay's Sunset Sally bike and shrugged. "At least I can use the tail to slow down if I have to," he thought aloud.
Heather, on the other hand, grimaced as she was forced to ride on Gwen's bike instead of her own. Looking over at Bridgette, she said "Just be careful with that. And don't touch the red button!"
Bridgette, who had been leaning towards said button in curiosity, stiffened and said "Sure! Okay!"
"Now, before we begin, has anyone seen Daphne or Izzy?" Chris asked.
With how fast Izzy was pedaling her bike, it skated across the surface of the river. Both girls were covered with water and mud, yet that didn't dampen either of their spirits.
Chris shrugged. "Their loss, I suppose. Now racers, on your marks…" he began, and all of the campers presented tensed. He raised an arm. "Get set…" Then he looked behind him towards camp. "Paramedics on standby…" He looked back towards them. "And… go!"
The moment he brought his hand down, all seven of them shot forward, pedaling as hard as they were able. Everyone, that is, except Gwen, who had to disengage the first set of brakes before Bridgette's bike would even move. "Ugh, come on!" she shouted, unlatching the brakes and taking off.
As Liam pedaled as fast as he could, he noticed the lead he had on the other campers increasing. Looking down at the horse head, he said "Okay, I take back what I said. This thing is fast."
Behind him, he heard Lindsay call "I know, right?!"
Then, from his left, he saw Bridgette was actually catching up and overtaking him. "Wh-Whoa, easy!" she called, doing her best to drive as carefully as possibly on such a lightweight vehicle. "I… I think I got this!" she said, the beginnings of a smile appearing on her face.
What neither she nor the redhead failed to notice was the large sand cloud Lindsay's bike was kicking up behind it. That reduced visibility made it harder for others to maintain their course, namely Heather and Trent. Soon enough, as Trent tried his best to see through the cloud, he felt Courtney's bike hit a rock and begin to wobble.
"Oh, crap! Look out!" he yelled. That warning was enough for Heather to steer away from the direction of his voice. And not a moment too soon, as the guitarist fell sideways and skidded along the ground, feeling his ride come apart beneath him and hit Heather from the side. Gwen's bike got away with losing its left wing as Heather continued swerving away from him. And rather than stop to check on him, she kept going.
Courtney, who had been riding behind the cloud, called "My bike!" and turned to drive around the crash zone.
Lindsay was likewise able to go around the sudden roadblock, as was Gwen a moment later. Though the latter did slow down as she passed by."You okay?" she asked worriedly.
Rubbing his head from where he landed in the sand, Trent smiled at her. "I think so! Keep going!" he called.
Gwen nodded and picked up the pace, catching up with Lindsay. A short distance down the beach stood Chef, who was reading a book and distractedly waving a flag next to the finish line. Bridgette was the first to pass him, followed by Liam, then Heather, Courtney, Gwen and Lindsay.
As Courtney passed the finish line she saw the edge of the rock wall coming up fast. She gripped the brakes to come to a stop… and nothing happened. Her eyes widened, and she had just enough time to yell "Oh, crap!" before she crashed into the wall. Despite the failing brakes, the rest of the bike was put together well enough that it didn't break into several pieces on impact. As it was, Courtney moaned in pain before slipping off the bike and falling to the ground.
Chris was quick to ride up on his ATV. "Awesome! Six winners and two wipeouts by Courtney and Trent!" he announced. "Since your bike was totaled, Courtney, you'll ride Trent's in the race for invincibility."
Rising to her feet, Courtney staggered for a moment. Liam stopped his bike and quickly walked over. "Are you hurt?" he asked, appearing wide-awake as he placed a hand on her shoulder and looked her over.
She slowly shook her head. "I'll… be fine," she insisted, pulling his hand off her shoulder. She didn't let go of it, however. Looking over at Chris, she said "That's fine with me."
"Great. Then, everyone except Trent, make your way to the TDI motorcross for the real race," he told them, before driving off.
Once he was gone, Trent walked forward while dusting himself off. "Sorry about your bike," he said to Courtney, looking back at the mangled remains of her ride.
The C.I.T. sighed before smiling. "It's… it's alright. I'm sure yours will do me just fine," she said.
Trent smiled back at that, relieved there were no hard feelings.
Confessional Stall - Courtney
"That idiot's lucky I already decided to target Lindsay this round. Otherwise, I'd make him pay for crashing something I worked so hard on," she stated, bringing her fist down into her palm.
As they continued their joyride across the island, Izzy and Daphne came across a wall of called "Take the reins!" and stood up in her seat. While Izzy leaned forward to grab the handlebars, the brunette pulled out her lighter and hairspray. "Taste fire !" she shouted, letting loose a stream of flames that incinerated the thorns before the duo even passed through them. Neither was injured when they came out the other side, though a smoking chipmunk was hanging from Izzy's hair for dear life.
While Trent watched from the sidelines above, the other six campers sat on their bikes at the starting line. Chris drove up to them, saying "Campers, welcome to the… Motor. Cross. Challenge!" Each word was given an echo post-edit for dramatic effect. He continued "Using your own bikes—for most of you—you'll race this next course and try to avoid the pitfalls."
Liam hummed. "If I ask 'what pitfalls', are you going to tell us?" he asked.
Chris chuckled. "You know what, sure. There's dodging the land mines…" he said, waving his hand towards a rising and falling section of the course. On cue, an explosion went off from the ground atop one of the hills. "Then there's navigating the oil slick…" Past that was a flat stretch of land that was completely covered in motor oil. "And finally, jumping the piranhas!" Just before the finish line was a long, rectangular pool. A large ham was lowered into it on a rope, only for the rope to come back up frayed and minus the entire ham.
That last one made the teens stare in a mixture of fear and horror.
Confessional Stall - Gwen
"If I didn't hear him mention paramedics, I'd seriously think Chris is trying to get us killed."
"First person to cross the finish line this time wins invincibility! Now, take your positions!" Chris said. Although still more than worried about the death traps, one look at each other showed that none of the campers were willing to quit without trying. They all braced themselves, leaning forward and gripping the handles of their various bicycles. "Ready… and… go!"
The contestants pedaled furiously, making it to the first hill. Despite having the fastest bike, Heather hung back and let Lindsay pull ahead of her. Sure enough, once the blonde reached the top of the hill and started cycling down, the ground behind her exploded. "Whoa, that was–!" she began, before another explosion went off right beneath her. "AAAAAH!" she screamed, both her and her bike seat flying through the air.
Her bike landed in front of the oil slick while she landed in it. Her eyes shot back open at the sensation, and when she looked down at herself she gasped. "This… this was my favorite top!" she cried out in dismay, nearly in tears.
That scene got all of the others to slow down, studying the terrain for any irregularities before moving through it rather than rely on luck. Gwen was the first to make it through safely, and the rest followed her path through the minefield. Bridgette, moving slower than the others, just managed to clear one mine before it went off behind her. Her grip on the handles of her ride tightened enough that her knuckles turned white.
Once she made it through, Gwen doubled her efforts and pedaled faster, becoming the first to reach the oil slick. Her bike went almost out of control immediately, making her grit her teeth. "Stay… straight!" she said, before her bike tilted to the right. The remaining wing touched the ground and oil quickly soaked into the canvas, unbalancing it further.
As her bike continued to tilt, Gwen realized what was about to happen. "Screw this!" she called and let go of her bike to dive out of the seat before it fell over completely. The bike skidded for several feet through the oil before coming to a stop. Gwen, meanwhile, landed and rolled into the sand just outside the slick, completely clean.
Courtney was the next to reach the oil, and as she came closer she spotted the remains of Lindsay's bike. She quickly smirked and said "Alright!" before holding the handlebars with one hand while she extended the other to her side. As she passed by the wreck, she grabbed the 'tail' and ripped the broom off. She then leaned forward and held it in front of her wheels, wiping a path through the slick. "Yes" she called, elated at having the lead. As the piranhas came within sight, however, she noticed that there wasn't even a ramp to help them jump over the pool. And she seriously doubted someone even could tread that far across the surface. "Not alright, not alright!" she said, gripping her brakes and even driving her feet into the sand.
Behind her, Heather, Liam and Bridgette pushed harder, trying to be the first to make it through the path Courtney had made. Bridgette made it in first, with Heather on her heels. She glared at the surfer chick, before glancing down at her bike. Specifically, the red button on it. Looking back up, she said "Any second now…" Once they made it past the oil, that was when they saw Courtney quickly to a stop a short distance from the piranhas. She grinned. "Here we go!" she declared, and pressed down on the button.
The bag attached to her drive chain immediately began revving, and she shot forward like a cork out of a bottle. Right in Bridgette's direction. Hearing the noise quickly approaching from behind her, Bridgette instinctively swerved her bike to the left and out of the way before looking behind her. Heather and her bike passed by her with barely a foot to spare, quickly reaching the water. Both she and Liam watched with wide eyes as Heather's bike practically glided across the surface, beefore she shot past a flag-waving Chef.
Chris called "And we have a winner: Heather!"
The queen bee came to a stop and looked back at the others, smirking triumphantly. Courtney gritted her teeth. "If I hadn't been concerned about being eaten by piranhas…! Ugh!" she said angrily, getting off her bike and kicking it.
Liam brought his bike to a stop next to her. "You choose survival over victory, nothing wrong with that," he stated. "And you got us a deal that will protect us tonight anyway," he reminded her.
While Courtney crossed her and began to reluctantly nod. However, she stopped when a sound reached her ears. "Is that… screaming?" she said, tilting her head in the direction it was coming from.
Liam looked in that direction. A moment later, the sounds reached his ears just as none other than Daphne and Izzy burst out of the treeline.
"YEEEE-HAW!" Izzy shouted, while Daphne yelled "YEEEAAH!" Their bike landed on the sand and shot across the beach, going into the water and submerging them both
All of the campers, plus Chris and Chef, stared at what just happened. Eventually, Chris said "Has she been pedaling that bike that fast—with both of them on it—all day?"What kind of stamina freak was this girl?
He shook his head, shelving the thought for later and facing the other campers. "Alright, I'll see all of you tonight at the elimination ceremony. One of you besides Heather is definitely going home," he told them.
Once the sun had set and a dinner of badly-cooked grits was served, the teens gathered in front of the bonfire once more. Each alliance sat only with each other, making the 'party lines' clearly visible.
"After tonight, we'll be down to eight campers. So if you hear your name, you're one of the lucky few that outlasted two-thirds of the competition," Chris told them. That got some of them to smile, relieved at having made it this far. "First marshmallow goes to Gwen…"
She stood up and walked over to get her marshmallow. But not before giving Trent a kiss on the cheek in view of everyone. "Aww…" Lindsay said. "You two are being romantic in front of other people now!" she gushed.
Chris rolled his eyes, but held back on the sarcasm since it was good footage. "Yes, very romantic. Anyway, next one's for Liam…" he said, and the slacker came over to claim it.
"Izzy…" She jumped to her feet and dashed over to snatch the marshmallow off the plate.
"Heather…" Though she was much more calm, the queen bee grinned as she nonetheless had a taste of sugary victory.
"Bridgette…" She claimed her marshmallow with a sigh. Another challenge over, and she hadn't gotten herself hurt. Things were looking up.
"Daphne…" The brunette grabbed and chewed her marshmallow with a grin. Ditching the whole challenge for a fun time and not getting eliminated for it? Best day ever.
Once those six campers were behind him, Chris said "And now, we get to the juicy bit. Because each of you received three votes apiece. Which means we have another tie!"
Courtney sat straighter. "What?! How can that–?" she started, before realizing the answer to her own question. She quickly threw a venomous glare at Heather, who only looked more satisfied.
Confessional Stall - Heather
"If Chris didn't penalize Courtney when she openly tricked Lindsay that one time, he's not going to eliminate me for cheating after the fact. As for our deal, let her tell the others I voted for Leshawna. Even without Duncan, I still have everything I need to win," she claimed. Her smile dimmed. "But there is one thing I still need to check…"
Chris continued "So Courtney, Trent, Lindsay, you three are the ones on the chopping block. However, there will not be a tie-breaker challenge."
Lindsay blinked. "Wait. But then… how do we decide who loses?"
"Oh, that's already been decided, Lindsay. Or do none of you remember my advice from this morning?" he asked.
"And by the way, it would be to your advantage to both make them look good and for you to perform well," he told them, before driving off.
As the trio's expressions showed them remembering, Chris said "And the critiques I gave to your bikes after you made them? That wasn't just for show; I was grading them."
The host held up a clipboard. "That, combined with how well you did in the challenge itself, is what decided your fate." Taking a look at what was written on it, he began "Courtney, your bike was among the lamest in the entire lineup, and that bike wiped out in the first race. However, even without your own ride, you did well in the first race and cleared all but one obstacle in the second, which helped you earn some points back."
Courtney bit her lip, saving any relief she might have felt.
"Trent, I thought you had the most stylin' wheels of them all, giving you a huge leg-up. But you wiped out in the first race, which prevented you from competing at all in the second."
The guitarist gulped.
"And Lindsay. Your bike was fast, pretty and personalized, all of which earned you points. And while your bike was blown to pieces—not a good look—one of those pieces was vital to Courtney doing as well as she did."
Lindsay said nothing, gripping her knees nervously.
"With all of that, tallying the points, we have but one loser. The camper going home tonight is…"
…
…
…
"Trent."
Trent slumped sadly, hanging his head. But he looked back up when Gwen said "No!" and ran over to him. "You can't leave now! We just decided to go out in public!"
He nodded, before sighing. "I don't like it either," he stated. Then he gave her a smile and grabbed both of her hands with his. "But this doesn't mean we can't still be together after the show. And until then, I'll be cheering for you."
Gwen looked down at their hands. "...Even though I won't be able to hear it if you're back home?" she asked.
"It's not whether you can hear it, it's whether you deserve it. And you deserve that prize and all the cheering I can do," he told her. That got her to smile, and he said "So I need you to be strong for me. Strong enough to show everyone how great I know you are. Can you do that?"
Now it was Gwen that nodded. "Yeah, I can do that," she said. The two of them locked eyes, not letting go of each other's hands. They began leaning closer to each other, causing Lindsay to gasp in the background while Courtney and Heather rolled their eyes. They moved closer, then closer still… and their lips met.
The kiss lasted for a good thirty seconds, all of which Chris made sure to have captured by one of the cameramen. "This is good stuff!" he whispered, taking a spare marshmallow and snacking on it.
When the two of them finally pulled apart, Trent said "If they bring us back for the finale, I'll see you then."
Gwen grinned. "Count on it," she said.
That got him to smile one more time, and he gave them all a wave as he walked down the Dock of Shame. Once he boarded the Boat of Losers, his luggage having already been loaded, the other campers stood at the end of the Dock and waved back.
Later that night, once she was sure the rest of the girls' cabin was asleep, Heather carefully moved to her feet. Having already determined which spots on the floor were the loudest, she gently tip-toed from one side of the room to the other.
Once she was next to Gwen's bed, she slowly and gingerly slid the top drawer of her dresser open. Reaching in, she then extracted a familiar gray book. The moonlight gave her just enough light to read by. As she began to skim through the most recent entries, her gaze narrowed. If what was in here was true…
She needed to be smart about this.
As you can see, I heavily revised the rules for this challenge. It struck me as odd that, in canon, there was no reward for who had the best bicycle design despite Chris claiming 'best design wins'. Then there was how the contestants for the invincibility race were determined by which bikes finished the first race, not which people. (Which would incentivize people to try to lose that race.) And then how the final race resulted in instant elimination for whoever crossed the finish line last, whether or not someone else wiped out. (Which both provides an incentive to deliberately crash yourself if you're falling behind and renders the 'invincibility' prize rather moot.) So I changed all three of these rules, resulting in what we see here. Oh yeah, and here are the votes in case it wasn't obvious:
Izzy, Heather and Daphne → Trent
Bridgette, Liam and Courtney → Lindsay
Gwen, Trent and Lindsay → Courtney
Eliminated:
1. Beth, the Wannabe
2. Noah, the Know-It-All
3. Duncan, the Delinquent
4. Eva, the Female Bully
5. Sadie, the Sweet Girl's Friend
6. Geoff, the Party Guy
Teams are reorganized.
7. Katie, the Sweet Girl
8. Izzy, the Psycho Hose Beast
9. Ezekiel, the Home-Schooled Guy
10. Cody, the Geek
11. Tyler, the Jock
12. DJ, the Brickhouse with Heart
13. Justin, the Eye Candy
14. Leshawna, the Sister with 'Tude
Teams are dissolved, Duncan and Izzy return.
15. Harold, the Dweeb
16. Owen, the Fun-Loving Dude
17. Duncan, the Delinquent
18. Trent, the Cool Musician