"Previously on Dramatic Disventurous All Stars, tensions were high on Magenta and Yellow Team. The campers faced an underwater challenge where sharks and eels attempted to get an easy lunch but instead of a shark tearing apart a camper, Riya tore apart Connor's heart as they requested they take time apart. Ouch. But before then, a short-lived alliance between Alec and Alejandro was separated when Owen, Bridgette, and Courtney wanted some revenge from World Tour. A sad goodbye to our favorite reality show villain. Twenty-six remain. Who will be going tonight?"

(After theme song)

We begin today's episode with Tom waiting by a tree when Aiden and Lake walked towards him.

"Hey Tom, you said you wanted to see us?" Lake asked curiously.

"I did. Out of everyone here, I trust you two the most and I need your help to get rid of Ellie." Tom said desperately.

"Not that I exactly trust Ellie but she really hasn't done anything evil lately." Aiden reminded the officer.

"Sure, she hasn't done anything for now, but soon enough, she'll ruin your chances of winning and any hope of happiness you might get from this show if she sticks around. She's like a leech. She sucks the joy out of everything you care about." Tom said angrily, with hot tears streaming down his face which made Lake and Aiden look at each other with worry which Tom noticed and sighed solemnly.

"Sorry, I'm still a little upset with how season one ended for me and I don't want that to happen again." Tom explained miserably.

"I understand. I've been hurt by plenty of villains back in my season so I'm more than willing to help you out with Ellie." Aiden reassured his new friend.

"Same here." Lake smiled but Aiden could sense her nervous tone. Thankfully for her, Tom didn't see it.

"Great. As long as we stick together, Ellie should be gone by our first elimination ceremony. We got this." Tom smiled confidently.

"Um, I was thinking that we should target Duncan first. He IS a criminal after all and a well known villain of his cast. I think it'll be easier to convince Leshawna and Harold to vote him out." Lake pointed out sheepishly.

"That's actually a good point." Aiden added quickly so an argument won't break out, "Leshawna and Harold would probably be more willing to vote with us if we did that and I don't think Gabby would want Ellie gone so soon."

Tom faltered a bit at the mention of Gabby before sighing.

"You make a good point. Alright, I guess we can target Duncan first." Tom admitted sheepishly.

Confessional: Aiden

"Even if I'm happy to be a part of an alliance now, I did see that Lake was a little hesitant about joining us in voting for Ellie. I may have to talk to her about it." Aiden said, clearly concerned for his friend.

Confessional Ends

We then cut to Harold and Leshawna collecting firewood together when Harold begins speaking.

"Y'know, I had my doubts about this team at first but I'm really enjoying the team chemistry we have. This is way better than being a part of the Gaffers or Team Victory." Harold smiled enthusiastically.

"Yeah, but I highly doubt this peace is gonna last. When we get to elimination, we're gonna have to make some tough decisions. Ellie and Tom are clearly on a warpath against each other and Duncan being in the mix is just a recipe for disaster." Leshawna reminded her boyfriend worriedly.

"I'm pretty sure Gabby can keep Ellie and Tom from causing issues." Harold pointed out, "We have to make sure Duncan is eliminated as soon as possible. It's pretty much guaranteed that he will end up targeting us if we don't get rid of him immediately and I'm sure we can get Tom, Aiden, and Lake to vote with us."

"You really think Gabby will be able to get Tom to lay off on Ellie after what she pulled in season one?" Leshawna asked skeptically.

Harold thought about it for a moment before cringing.

"Yeeeeeeeeeeah, we got our work cut out for us." Harold admitted sheepishly.

We then cut back to Magenta Team's campsite where Cody walked out of the tent, shivering as Heather and Fiore sat by the fire.

"Geez, it was cold as hell last night." Cody shivered.

"Ugh, I know. The only positive thing was that it didn't rain." Heather admitted with a playful smirk which made Cody snicker. It seemed like their World Tour friendship was still active.

"Where are the others?" Cody asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Jake, Ashley, and Noah went fishing, Ally and Hunter went to collect berries, and who knows what Gwen's doing." Fiore commented with a blank look on her face.

"She's been in a pretty rough mood recently. Should we be worried?" Cody said in concern.

"Eh, when is Gwen NOT in a rough mood? I'm sure she'll be fine sooner or later." Heather remarked, her tone lacking its usual bite as her words seemed to be genuine.

"I guess you have a point." Cody conceded but he still looked a little worried.

We then cut to Jake, Ashley, and Noah on the fishing boat as they were trying to catch some fish as they sat in silence before Noah spoke up.

"You're real quiet. Everything alright dude?" Noah asked curiously.

"Just trying not to scare the fish, but yeah, I'm good." Jake smiled sadly, "Just getting hit with a wave of nostalgia I guess."

"We'll look at that." Ashley said kindheartedly.

"Yeah, me and Tom went fishing all the time in our season. We spent hours here just talking. Now he doesn't want anything to do with me." Jake sighed miserably.

"Goodness gracious, why would you think that?" Ashley asked in shock.

"Well… after season one, he promised to keep in contact with me but it's been two years and he never called me once." Jake explained before turning towards Ashley, "Anyway, enough about me. I'm curious on what you were going to talk to me and Noah about yesterday about what you felt guilty about."

"Oh… I guess it's my turn to be sad." Ashley smiled solemnly.

"No please. Only if you feel comfortable." Jake reassured her.

"Yeah, we are curious but if it really bothers you, you don't need to share it with us." Noah added.

"It's alright boys. I'll be fine." Ashley reassured them before explaining, "You remember the fear challenge from our season and how I had to face a big barn fire and I talked about how that fear originated?"

"From what I saw, it was because of an incident on your family's ranch? Does the guilt stem from that?" Noah asked cautiously.

"Well it wasn't the full story." Ashley said solemnly, "A few days before it happened, I left home with some of my girlfriends into the city for clubbing and bar hopping. My mama forbade me from doing so but I didn't listen. While I was there, I met a few people… actually it was a lot of people and they said they wanted to give a hoedown at my farm. So I did what any teenage girl would do and waited for my folks to leave for business. As soon as the barn was mine for the night, I invited everyone down."

"Oh god…" Jake said worriedly.

"The party went well, and I was planning to clean up in the morning before my parents found out, but we left a lot of garbage out in the field. The temperatures in Texas get mighty high. Next thing I knew, I woke up to the smell of garbage burning and… the fire consumed everything." Ashley said guiltily.

"Everything?" Noah's eyes widened in horror.

"We lost all the crops, half our house, what hurt the most was the animals… I had grown up with some of those horses… it was like losing family. And it was my fault." Ashley said tearfully, "My family forgave me… though my dad didn't talk to me for a long time… still, the guilt never left. All I want is to repay them for everything we lost. Even if I did, nothing can bring back what we lost."

As soon as Ashley finished her story, Noah immediately reached out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, same with Jake. Both looked like they were about to cry from hearing that.

"I'm… so sorry Ashley." Jake said sympathetically.

"Yeah… that really sounds like a lot." Noah said solemnly.

"Like I said, guilt is all consuming." Ashley sighed.

We then cut to Gwen putting her hand through the bush with an impatient frown on her face when Duncan walked over.

"Looking for an advantage?" Duncan asked curiously which made Gwen widen her eyes before the punk clarified, "Relax. I have no plans to rat you out, especially since I also came to hunt for idols. I'm not exactly very popular with my team, as if you couldn't tell."

"Yeah… I saw your team lineup. That's gotta be a tough team to be put on." Gwen admitted sheepishly.

"Meh, I'll manage. I didn't make it to merge for all the seasons we competed in for nothing." Duncan smirked playfully before wearing a concerned look on his face, "What about you? Aren't Heather and Fiore good meat shields on your team?"

"They are… but after abandoning them in the water challenge and trying to vote Jake off the challenge before that, I can tell that I'm not exactly the most popular on my team right now." Gwen admitted solemnly.

"Geez. Do you at least have Cody on your side?" Duncan asked sympathetically.

"Sort of. He didn't vote for Jake like I planned to, but I can at least tell he doesn't plan to vote me off." Gwen shrugged.

"What did Jake even do to make you target him? Yeah, he seems overdramatic as all hell but it's not like he's Alejandro or anything." Duncan raised an eyebrow.

"It's… it's stupid. You know how I got a lot of hate for breaking up with Trent in Action and how many people were accusing us of being a thing. I mean, they turned out to be right but the amount of near-slutshaming I got still hurt and seeing Jake argue with James over whether Tom and Aiden were a thing or not… looking back, he was clearly just more concerned than accusatory but I still voted him off over it and yeah, that's why I'm concerned about my social game." Gwen admitted solemnly.

"I see. Well, if you want my input, you may have jumped the gun, but I doubt the team finds you irredeemable because of it. I've seen who your team is composed of and trust me, I doubt they're gonna be spiteful over it. Well except Heather and Fiore but who cares what they think?" Duncan smirked nonchalantly making Gwen chuckle at his remark.

"Yeah… maybe I'm being a bit silly." Gwen smiled lightheartedly, "Thanks Duncan. I didn't expect that to come from you."

"Well, prison did give me a lot of time to reflect on how I went wrong. Speaking of which… I'm really sorry about how the whole Courtney thing went down." Duncan said apologetically.

"Eh, I'm over it by now. I'm just glad we're still okay… uh, we're still okay, right?" Gwen smiled sheepishly.

"Of course." Duncan smirked back before hugging Gwen to which she reciprocated. After they released each other, the two split off to go back to their camps.

We then cut to the beach near the Yellow Team where Riya was laying on the sand in her swimsuit and sunglasses before Bridgette walked over.

"Breakfast is ready. Get it while it's still hot or before Owen eats it all." Bridgette spoke up.

"Bring me a plate. I'm catching some rays." Riya commanded smugly.

"Do I look like a waitress?" Bridgette raised an eyebrow.

"You'd be more useful as one, that's for sure." Riya took off her sunglasses to smugly glance at Bridgette.

"Hilarious." Bridgette rolled her eyes before noticing Connor wasn't here, "Hey where's Connor anyway? Isn't he always near you?"

"We… took some time apart." Riya faltered.

"Guess he got fed up with you sooner than I thought." Bridgette said, a tinge of sympathy in her tone before Riya clarified.

"Actually, I'm the one who broke things off." Riya explained.

"Forgive me for intruding, but that doesn't sound like a good idea." Bridgette admitted skeptically before giving Riya a more sympathetic look, "Why would you push him away like that? He clearly cares about you."

"Well, I don't need him." Riya crossed her arms, trying to mask her hurt.

"Geoff thought he didn't need me when he was going through his own villainous phase and he almost lost me because of that. Thankfully he realized what truly mattered to him in the end." Bridgette recalled from her aftermath tenure in Action.

"I'm nothing like that party boy." Riya said angrily.

"You're right. Geoff at least never actively tried to push me away like what you're doing with Connor." Bridgette crossed her arms before walking off, leaving Riya conflicted.

We then cut to Alec at the campfire with a makeshift breakfast bowl that was in a coconut before Connor woke up and sat near him.

"Hey Connor, Bridgette left you breakfast." Alec informed his friend.

"Thanks…" Connor said solemnly as he grabbed his own coconut bowl and began eating.

"Is something wrong?" Alec asked worriedly.

"You were right. Riya won't change." Connor sighed.

"The sooner you accept that, the easier it'll be." Alec reminded him.

"Yesterday, when you were talking about separating from someone because you didn't want to change, were you talking about your wife?" Connor asked in concern.

"Yeah… I loved Cheryl very much, but once we had Daniel, things began to drift apart. She wanted kids and I didn't. That doesn't mean I resent Daniel for existing, god no, but back then, I wasn't exactly the best with parenting and kids in general. After bonding with Fiore last season I competed in, I began to see a new side of things, but unfortunately, Cheryl had already made up her mind about divorcing me and got full custody. Honestly, I kinda miss Daniel now that I've processed everything but I know I wouldn't be the father he deserved so I left." Alec said sadly.

"I see… I never had any kids myself but I had dreams myself about raising a family." Connor smiled sadly.

"What stopped you?" Alec asked curiously.

"I don't know. I just thought I was too young to settle down in my life. Call it immature and naive but really, I was scared it confirmed that I was getting old, and now I just live with regret." Connor answered with a sigh.

"It's not too late. Trust a guy who's been through the process. The best thing you can do is find someone who wants the same thing as you." Alec smiled softly at Connor who smiled back.

Confessional: Connor

"Even though he comes off a bit mysterious at times. I like Alec. Underneath it all, he seems like a good guy." Connor smiled.

Confessional Ends

We then cut to Magenta Team sitting by the fire and eating fish from a stick at sunset.

"Mmm, this fish is delicious." Cody complimented giddily.

"Yum. Thanks guys." Ally told Jake, Noah, and Ashley happily.

"It's nothing. The fishing gear really came in clutch." Jake smiled sheepishly.

After that exchange, Fiore noticed Alec pop out from a bush behind her teammates, gesturing her to come over to him.

"I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back." Fiore told her teammates before pointing an accusatory finger at Cody, "Don't eat my fish."

As soon as Fiore was far enough away from her team, she walked over to see what Alec wanted.

"What are you doing here?" Fiore whispered fearfully.

"I don't have time to explain, I just need you to bring Heather with you to the lake at dusk. We have to talk, we'll all meet there and explain everything." Alec explained before looking more sympathetic, "Oh… and tell her that Alejandro got blindsided last night. I feel she deserves to know that at least."

Alec soon ducked behind the bush again while Fiore looked concerned before walking back to her team.

We then cut to the nighttime sky before we see Ellie looking around the forest before Duncan walked by.

"Hey there." Duncan said blankly before Ellie widened her eyes.

"Gah. You scared me." Ellie said angrily to which Duncan held up his hands in surrender.

"Sorry about that, but I need to talk to you about two things." Duncan explained neutrally.

"About what?" Ellie asked skeptically.

"I'm willing to join your alliance with Gabby and Tess. Don't bother denying it, everyone knows you care a lot for those two." Duncan explained calmly.

"Well I guess an extra alliance member wouldn't hurt… but what's in it for you?" Ellie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I get a free ride to the merge if things go well and you get someone to help you deal with that mall cop's grudge on you. Face it, once I'm gone, you're out next." Duncan reminded the Minimum Wage Worker.

"I guess that makes sense." Ellie admitted, "Alright, you're in the alliance. What was the other thing you wanted to tell me?"

"Your old bookworm friend wanted me to tell you he wants us to meet with him tomorrow morning." Duncan explained nonchalantly.

"Ugh, Alec. What the hell does he want?" Ellie facepalmed.

"No idea, but he said this would mutually benefit all of our games so we may as well hear him out." Duncan advised his new ally.

"Ugh, fine. I'll go talk with him with you." Ellie groaned.

Confessional: Ellie

"Duncan isn't exactly trustworthy but he has a point. I may have Gabby and Tess, but that won't be enough to protect me from being eliminated." Ellie admitted worriedly.

Confessional Ends

We then cut to the morning at Yellow Team's camp. Alec, Riya, Courtney, Grett, and Yul could be seen exiting their team's tent quietly but they clearly weren't quiet enough as Owen poked his head out of the tent with a suspicious gaze.

We then cut to the middle of the lake where Ellie, Duncan, Heather, and Fiore were all waiting for Alec's arrival.

"Did Alec also tell the two of you to meet him here?" Fiore asked Ellie and Duncan curiously.

"Yeah. Any idea why?" Ellie asked the little girl.

"Nope." Fiore shrugged.

Soon enough, Alec had arrived with Riya, Grett, Yul, and Courtney in tow. Both Courtney and Duncan seemed nervous at seeing each other again but Heather thankfully cut the tension short.

"Finally! This has to be quick before someone notices we're missing!" Heather said incredulously.

"Heather, you two could be missing all day and your team wouldn't care." Courtney said with a roll of her eyes.

Heather just glared furiously at the overachiever.

"This better be good. You interrupted by beauty sleep." Yul said indignantly.

"He says as if he has any beauty." Riya rolled her eyes to which Yul growled at Riya for.

"Getting back on topic, you're all probably wondering why I called you here." Alec said sternly.

"Just spit it out already, Alec." Grett said angrily.

"As you know, we're not the most beloved people here." Alec reminded everyone.

"I've figured that out since my first season." Heather rolled her eyes.

"The truth is that not many people here like us and it'll only be a matter of time before they vote us off one by one. That's exactly the reason why Alejandro got eliminated last night." Alec said sternly which made Courtney look away sheepishly which Heather noticed and narrowed her eyes at.

"I… see your point." Grett admitted sheepishly.

"If we form an alliance, we can protect each other." Alec smiled determinedly, "Once we reach the merge, we will be unstoppable."

"Remember the last time we formed an alliance, Alec? That didn't exactly go so well." Ellie glared at the librarian.

"You want me to align with this Bollywood reject after she voted for me? Sorry pal." Yul said angrily.

"Reminder, you targeted me as well and if you're smart, you'd probably jump at the chance to work with us. Wasn't getting eliminated early last time humiliating enough?" Riya asked furiously.

"Yul, I think Riya is right. As I told my followers, teamwork makes the dream work." Grett smiled reassuringly at her boyfriend.

"Thank you Grett. If we can find a way to put our differences aside, it can be very lucrative for everyone. This could be what makes up most of the merge cast." Alec told his fellow villains.

"That's easy for you to say. Five of you are on Yellow Team. The rest of us only have two." Duncan reminded Alec in annoyance.

"He's right." Ellie said unamused.

"Oh calm down you guys. I'm sure we'll find ways to help you." Courtney reassured the two.

"Exactly. Everyone here has a reputation for conflict, why don't we own up to it and get the others to fight each other, all while we slip through safely." Alec suggested with a smirk.

"Divide and conquer. I like it." Riya smirked back.

"Is everyone on board?" Alec asked happily.

"Count me in I guess." Fiore shrugged.

"Same here." Heather rolled her eyes.

"I'm in too." Riya rose her hand happily.

"Here here." Grett did the same.

"I guess it benefits all of us. Might as well." Courtney shrugged, although she looked a bit reluctant.

"This better work." Yul threatened.

"Fine. I guess it's a good idea." Duncan shrugged amicably.

Ellie looked worried for a moment before sighing.

"Not like I have many options." Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Excellent." Alec smiled enthusiastically before adding, "Now everyone, return to your camps, but make sure to take different paths. No one should suspect we were talking. Ellie, I need to borrow you for a moment."

Confessional: Courtney

"An alliance with a bunch of villains isn't exactly… my favorite thing, but I must admit Alec's pitch makes a lot of sense." Courtney sighed solemnly.

Confessional Ends

We then cut back to the lake where everyone but Alec and Ellie were gone at this point.

"What do you want, Alec? I already agreed to your alliance." Ellie crossed her arms in annoyance.

"I know, I know, but I do want to talk to you. You CAN'T tell Gabby about this alliance." Alec explained in concern.

"What?! She's my girlfriend though. Why can't I?!" Ellie asked angrily.

"Look, I understand wanting to protect her. That's why I'm telling you this, telling Gabby about the alliance is a bad idea. She's already friends with Tom and she's a very emotional person, if she finds out about this alliance, I don't even want to know how she'll react. By all means, find the right time to do so, but right now is not a good time. It could easily cause problems. Trust a guy who's been through a divorce before." Alec answered with a sympathetic expression on his face before he walked off, leaving Ellie looking conflicted before she left too.

Little did any of them know was that Owen was hiding behind a rock, wide-eyed at everything he just heard.

Confessional: Owen

"A Villains' Alliance?! Oh god… this is really really bad! That means if we lose, me, Bridgette, and Connor are SCREWED!!!" Owen began panicking before taking a deep breath, "I need to talk to people about this as soon as possible! I can't let this alliance take over the game!"

Confessional Ends

"Attention campers, Kristal and Chef will see you at the beach in ten minutes." Oliver's voice was heard through the loudspeakers.

We then cut to the Magenta and Cyan teams on their mats standing near a line in their swimsuits while Kristal and Chef stood in front of them.

"Magenta and Cyan Team, you're getting your first look at the Yellow Team. Alejandro voted out at the last elimination." Chef said happily which caused Harold and Leshawna to high-five each other, Noah and Cody to fist bump, and Heather to sigh miserably.

"Well… let's just get right to it shall we?" Kristal smirked, "Today's challenge will be a series of rounds where one camper from each team will dig in marked areas for a sandbag. They will be allowed to use any means necessary to get the sandbag and then bring it back to the starting line. First team to get four points wins invincibility but I must warn you… that team will be the ONLY team winning immunity today since today's challenge is a double elimination."

"What?!" Ellie asked in shock.

"Why are we having one so soon?!" Duncan asked incredulously.

"There are a lot of players this time around. We had to do some double elimination rounds at some point." Kristal smirked.

Confessional: Fiore

"Wow. Another strength challenge? It's like they're TRYING to rig this game against me. How am I supposed to get the bags from these ogres?!" Fiore asked incredulously.

Confessional: Owen

"Oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap." Owen chanted fearfully.

Confessionals End

We then cut to Tom, Grett, and Ally positioned at the starting line as Kristal began speaking.

"For our first round, we have Tom, Grett, and Ally. On your marks, get set, go." Kristal said happily before the three began running to the sand.

"C'mon Tom, you can do it!" Aiden encouraged the police officer.

"Run like the wind, Ally!" Ashley called out.

We then see Ally digging through the sand and then grab the sandbag which Grett noticed which allowed her to run to Ally and tackle her before fighting her over the bag.

"Let go!" Grett cried out furiously.

"No, you!" Ally argued but Grett then decided to grab her glasses and threw them to the distance.

"Hey! My glasses!" Ally cried out, letting go of the sandbag, which allowed Grett to continue running with it but Tom noticed this and smirked before tripping her with his foot. Soon after, he took the sandbag and ran to the finish line.

"Thanks for the sandbag ladies. Haha! Yes!" Tom said happily before running to the starting line.

"Tom scores the first point for the Cyan Team." Chef announced.

"Yes! Woohoo! That's why he's a cop!" Gabby cheered ecstatically.

"Well done boy." Leshawna complimented as she gave the cop a high-five.

"Next up is Gwen from Magenta, taking on Yul from Yellow, and Gabby from Cyan. Go!" Kristal announced before the three aforementioned competitors began running to the sand and began digging for a sandbag. Yul was able to grab the bag first but before he could run off with it, Gabby began to tackle him for it as the two began fighting for it.

"Let go of the bag!" Gabby grunted furiously.

"Get out of my way you lunatic!" Yul cried out indignantly before kicking Gabby in the face, causing her left eyes to start swelling much to everyone's shock but before he could run off with the bag, Gwen stuck a leg out to trip him and grabbed the bag before he could get up and ran to the starting line.

"Karma at its finest." Gwen smirked vindictively.

"And Gwen wins the first point for Magenta Team." Chef said happily.

Soon enough, Gabby walked back to her teammates covering her eye much to the concern of all of Cyan Team.

"Ooh, is your eye okay, Gabby?" Tom asked in concern.

"It's swelling a bit…" Gabby said meekly.

"No need to say more. Kristal! Chef! Can Gabby be excused from the rest of the challenge?! I think she needs medical attention!" Tom told the hosts.

"Of course. Gabby, come with me to the medical tent." Chef nodded sympathetically.

"What?! B-But I need to help my team and-" Gabby said worriedly before Ellie spoke up.

"Gabby, right now you are in no condition to continue playing. Just please go with Chef." Ellie begged in concern.

"Okay…" Gabby sighed solemnly before Chef led her away from the challenge.

"Ha! As she deserves!" Yul smirked mockingly to which all his teammates glared at him but Grett just looked concerned for Gabby.

"Couldn't you have been a little less brutal with her darling?" Grett asked in concern.

"Why the hell do you care?! Didn't she almost eliminate you last season?! She'll be fine, quit being so soft!" Yul dismissed angrily to which Grett just turned away sadly.

"It is still one to one between Cyan and Magenta, Yellow still has nothing." Kristal said happily, "Next round is Aiden versus Connor versus Jake. Ready… go!" Kristal said happily.

The three contestants began running towards the sand and began digging before we see Jake and Aiden digging near the same area. Taking advantage of this, Jake decides to talk to Aiden.

"Hey Aiden, how are you?" Jake asked curiously.

"Not now please." Aiden said hurriedly as he kept digging.

"Uh… how's Tom?" Jake asked desperately.

"He's fine." Aiden smiled back skeptically before adding, "You can ask him yourself."

"Did he ever mention me at all…" Jake asked sadly.

"He hasn't. I'm sorry." Aiden said solemnly before they see Connor running off with the sandbag.

"The bag!" Aiden cried out before he and Jake ran to tackle Connor for the bag, and began fighting for it but it ended up flying in the air.

After seeing that, Aiden and Jake began running after the bag but before Aiden could get his hands on it, Jake shoved him to the ground and grabbed the bag, sprinting to the starting line.

"Jake gets another point for the Magenta Team." Kristal announces with a smirk.

"Killer sprint, Jake." Ashley complimented her friend before Tom walked towards Aiden, glaring at his ex.

"Wow. Real classy Jake." Tom said angrily causing many players like Harold, Leshawna, Ellie, Duncan, Gwen, Cody, Ashley, and Noah to raise some eyebrows.

"Sorry, but I don't know why you're trying to shame our teammate for following the literal rules of the challenge." Noah glared at Tom, causing the officer to look away awkwardly before he walked to help Aiden up, his tone softening up instantly.

"Hey, are you okay, Aiden?" Tom asked softly.

"Yeah, I'll walk it off." Aiden reassured his friend to which Jake noticed and narrowed his eyes before heading back to his teammates.

After Tom and Aiden rejoined the team, Aiden decided to turn towards Tom.

"You didn't have to get so mad at Jake. He was just doing the challenge like we all are. It wasn't like what Yul did to Gabby." Aiden reminded the officer.

"I'm sorry… I just assumed he didn't have the best intentions… especially after what Yul just pulled." Tom apologized.

"It's fine, but just don't cause a scene like that again." Aiden reassured him.

We then cut to Heather, Leshawna, and Bridgette at the starting line.

"Okay, after that interruption, let's get back to it. Ready… go!" Kristal told the three girls.

Before Leshawna even started running, she immediately pushed Heather to the ground with a smirk but before Leshawna could start running herself, Heather immediately grabbed her foot to tackle her, putting the two in one of their classic cat fight but because of that, they didn't bother paying attention to Bridgette who was easily able to reach the starting line with a sandbag in tow.

"Phew, that was less brutal than I thought!" Bridgette sighed in relief.

"In a less than close match, Bridgette scores the first point for Yellow Team." Kristal said happily which caused Leshawna and Heather to glare at each other.

After that, we cut to Hunter, Harold, and Courtney at the starting line before immediately running to the sand to start digging for the sandbag.

We then see Hunter find a sandbag where he was digging but before he could get far, Harold karate chopped him by the shoulder.

"Sneak attack! Yes!" Harold cheered excitedly but before he could grab the bag, Courtney pushed him out of her way and brought the sandbag back to the starting line.

"Maybe next time don't announce when you're doing a sneak attack." Courtney smirked at Harold.

"And with that, Courtney ties up Magenta and Yellow Team with a second point for Yellow Team. Cyan Team is in last with only one point." Kristal said happily.

"Nice going Doris." Duncan snarked as Harold sadly walked back to his teammates.

"Watch it Duncan. He almost had it." Leshawna glared at the punk.

"Oh I agree, but he still screwed things up by being all dramatic and you weren't exactly any better by riling up Heather. Watch and see how I actually get a point for us." Duncan said with a roll of his eyes before heading to the starting line where Ashley and Owen were waiting.

"Alright. For this round we have Ashley, Duncan, and Owen. Ready… go!" Kristal announced before the three began running to start digging in the sand.

Duncan and Owen were digging near each other but Owen couldn't help himself from speaking to Duncan.

"Hey Duncan, have you been doing okay lately?" Owen whispered to him worriedly.

"Yeah Owen, I'm fine, don't worry. Why do you ask?" Duncan said with a guilty grin on his face.

"Well… I know I shouldn't be telling you this but I saw you and the other villains talking. Why are you forming an alliance with them? You know how Courtney, Riya, and Yul are." Owen explained in concern.

Duncan's eyes widened at this information.

Confessional: Duncan

"Of course Owen of all people had to find out about the alliance. Ugh, this bites." Duncan facepalmed before sighing, "That being said, it doesn't feel right to throw him under the bus but I do need to make sure he doesn't squeal."

Confessional Ends

"Look Owen, I don't plan on working with those guys long term but turning down an alliance of eight other people is a really dumb idea and for your own safety, don't tell anyone you know about this alliance." Duncan instructed the big guy who nodded solemnly.

While they were talking, the two of them didn't notice Ashley with the sandbag running back over to her team until she cheered.

"Yee-haw!" Ashley said happily.

"Ashley scores the third point for Magenta Team. One more point and they win the challenge." Kristal said enthusiastically.

Duncan then trudged back to his teammates with a bitter look on his face which was an all too pleasing sight for Leshawna and Harold.

"Sorry. Did you say you were going to show us how it's done? You literally got distracted by Owen." Harold snickered mockingly.

"Oh shut up." Duncan rolled his eyes before standing back next to Ellie.

"What were you and Owen talking about?" Ellie asked the punk curiously.

"Just catching up on stuff. I'd rather not bore you with any details." Duncan shrugged but Ellie could see the worry in his eyes.

We then cut to Cody, Lake, and Riya standing at the starting line.

"From what could be our last round, we have Cody, Lake, and Riya." Kristal announced.

"C'mon Cody, we need this point or otherwise we have to send Noah and Fiore in and I don't like our odds with that." Hunter called out which made Noah and Fiore glare at him while Ally bumped Hunter's side with her elbow to shut him up.

"Ready… go!" Kristal called out to which Cody, Lake, and Riya began digging in the sand and while Cody focused on digging in a separate area, Lake and Riya dug nearby each other. The air between them was awkward to say the least.

"Lake." Riya said formally.

"Riya." Lake replied quickly, deciding to focus more on digging.

"H-How is Rosa doing? I only ask because she saved my life last time we met." Riya asked bluntly but Lake could tell that wasn't the only reason Riya asked this question.

"Rosa's doing fine. The money James gave her helped her a lot with raising Sofia and with taking me in." Lake answered formally to which Riya's eyes widened in concern.

"Wait… took you in?" Riya asked in confusion.

"My parents practically disowned me last season, remember? I don't need your pity though, Rosa has been a great sister figure to me." Lake explained, clearly a bit hurt by what her parents did to her.

Riya noticed this but for once opted to keep quiet. That is until they noticed Cody running away with the sandbag.

"Oh no you don't." Riya said angrily before tackling Cody to the ground but before she could grab the sandbag, Lake promptly picked it up and brought it back to the starting line.

"Oooh. And with that, Lake wins the second point for Cyan Team. It really is anyone's game now." Kristal smirked.

"Well we're doomed." Hunter sighed miserably.

"Hunter, have some faith. Noah and Fiore could still win this for us." Ally said angrily.

"Well I don't exactly have a lot of hope for that." Hunter rolled his eyes, "Noah's not exactly a physical competitor, and Fiore is literally a-"

"Ugh! I'm going next!" Fiore glared hatefully at Hunter to which everyone gasped at the child's sudden boldness.

"A-Are you sure? Alec's up next for Yellow and while I doubt he'd try to hurt you, you don't have the best history." Gwen said worriedly.

"I'll manage!" Fiore narrowed her eyes before walking up to the starting line along with Tess and Alec who looked shocked that she was here.

"Do you need me to throw?" Alec whispered to the little girl who wiped tears from her eyes before glaring back at him.

"No. I can handle myself." Fiore declined, reassuring herself more than trying to reassure Alec.

"Okay… next up we have Fiore, Tess, and Alec. Ready… go!" Kristal smirked before all three of them began running towards the sand and began digging through it.

Alec was the first to get a bag but before he could run off, Fiore immediately tackled his leg in a desperate attempt to stall him.

"Get off me." Alec lightly commanded the girl who just gave Alec an emotionally charged glare.

"No! That bag is mine!" Fiore cried out furiously and desperately which made Alec look conflicted. He could easily throw now, but it could easily make everyone else suspicious.

Luckily for him, he didn't have time to contemplate this further as Tess stole the sandbag from Alec while he was distracted and brought it back to the starting line.

"Tess ties up Cyan and the Magenta Team by getting the third point for her team. Really looks like the Yellow Team might be losing today." Kristal taunted the Yellow Team.

After that, Alec immediately trudged back to his team before getting yelled at by Yul.

"What the hell was that?!" Yul asked incredulously.

"She caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting that." Alec admitted, clearly shocked yet concerned about what Fiore just did.

As for the Magenta Team, things were much more dysfunctional as the majority of the team was glaring at Hunter for his actions. The only ones not glaring at him were Ashley and Cody.

"Way to rile her up, Hunter! You just cost us a potential point!" Noah glared at Hunter furiously.

"Not like she would've won for us anyway." Hunter said defensively.

"Maybe she would've had a better chance if you weren't constantly pushing her to her limit." Heather told Hunter bitterly, "Now we just gotta hope Noah can get us the last point."

"Alright then. Noah and Ellie are up next but someone from Yellow must go twice." Kristal announced.

"Okay, I'm going up next. We need another point." Courtney told her teammates sternly. No one bothered to disagree with her as she joined the starting line with Noah and Ellie.

"Alrighty then… ready, go!" Kristal said happily.

Courtney and Ellie immediately started digging nearby each other while Noah dug in a separate area.

"Courtney, remember we have an alliance. Are you willing to help me out here?" Ellie whispered discreetly.

"We said we COULD help you, but not right now." Courtney said competitively as she grabbed the bag from the hole she was digging in.

Ellie tried to tackle Courtney but she was quick to evade it, and while Noah also tried to tackle Courtney, she also dodged his attempt and made it to the finish line.

"Yes! Two in a row!" Courtney cheered enthusiastically.

"Incredible. It's now a three-way tie between all our teams. This round is going to be our last so you better pick your players carefully. Magenta and Cyan, all your members have gone, who's up?" Kristal taunted.

"You got this Tom?" Leshawna asked the officer.

"Yes ma'am." Tom saluted cheerfully.

"I'll go again. I need to make up for the last round." Alec informed his teammates.

"Alright Mr. Cool, Popular, and Good At Challenges, since you care so much about physical performance, why don't you take the lead for this challenge." Heather shoved Hunter near the starting line.

"Fine." Hunter scoffed indignantly, "At least we'll win."

"Alright, for our dramatic final round we have Hunter, Tom, and Alec. Ready… go!" Kristal announced before all three males began running to dig for a sandbag.

Neither of the challenge beasts said a word to each other as they dug but soon enough, Hunter grabbed the sandbag.

"The sandbag!" Alec called out dramatically before tackling Hunter for it in which Tom joined the brawl which caused a dust cloud to form thanks to the sand.

Everyone looked on worriedly as the three men fought, Jake, Ally, Tess, and Fiore most of all but soon enough, one of them emerged from the dust and immediately ran over to the starting line with a huff and that person was…

Alec.

"Alec wins the fourth and final point for Yellow Team meaning they win today's challenge." Kristal announced happily, "And for winning this challenge, you will receive sleeping bags as your reward."

The Yellow Team immediately cheered at the prospect of their first victory as Owen breathed a sigh of relief.

"Magenta and Cyan Team, today was not your day. I'll see your butts at elimination." Kristal smirked vindictively as people like Aiden and Lake glanced at each other worriedly while Hunter and Fiore glared at each other.

We then cut back to Magenta Team's camp where all of them looked very annoyed by their loss when Hunter decided to speak up.

"This loss was a wake up call. Hopefully you all finally realize who needs to go and I'll give you a hint, it's not Noah. At least he's a team player" Hunter said angrily.

"What the hell is your problem with me?!" Fiore asked angrily, "I literally participated in today's challenge the best I could!"

"Isn't it obvious? You're a weak link and you're blatantly untrustworthy. Why would we keep you in?!" Hunter argued bitterly.

"Oh don't give me the 'I'm untrustworthy' bullshit. I saw your season, you literally allied with Yul to get rid of that hippy dude last time you played." Fiore said angrily.

"I only worked with Yul for the sake of using him as a meat shield and obviously I'm not proud of doing so nowadays after rewatching last season. I am NOT about to make the same mistake with you." Hunter argued in annoyance.

"Oh trust me. You're making plenty of different mistakes on your own by how pathetic you're acting." Fiore rolled her eyes dismissively.

"At least I didn't burn bridges with everyone in my season." Hunter pointed out harshly before Ally stepped in between the two.

"Hunter enough! You're a grown man fighting with a child!" Ally glared furiously at her boyfriend before grabbing him by the arm and dragging him away from the group, with Hunter looking guilty.

"I'm done with this bullshit. I'm going to find something to eat!" Fiore cried out angrily before walking off.

As soon as Fiore, Ally, and Hunter left, Heather immediately stood in front of the group so she could address her teammates.

"See what I said about Hunter's issues causing problems?! It's clear that the longer that idiot sticks around, the more he's just going to cause more discourse within our team." Heather said angrily, causing the remaining five team members to look at each other worriedly.

Confessional: Ashley

"As much as I disapprove of how Hunter's been acting recently, I know I can't waste the opportunity to take revenge on Fiore while I can. As dirty as this feels, I'm sticking to my guns here." Ashley said sternly.

Confessional: Cody

"Fuck my liiiiiiiiiife!" Cody groaned dramatically before adding on, "Fiore may be untrustworthy and not much help in challenges, but Hunter totally dropped the ball today. I do enjoy Hunter's company and all, but is it really worth keeping him around if he's just going to cause issues? Either way, it looks like I'm gonna have to make a tough choice… again…"

Confessionals End

We then cut to Ellie, Gabby, Tess, and Duncan having an alliance meeting by the lake with Gabby wearing an eyepatch before Ellie spoke up.

"Alright, I was able to get Duncan to join our alliance." Ellie informed Gabby and Tess, "The four of us need to plan out how we're gonna survive this elimination since the five of them make the majority."

Duncan put a finger to his chin in thought before smirking.

"I have an idea but I'm gonna need you all to let me handle this" Duncan spoke up.

"If you say so, I guess we can let you take the lead. Just be careful." Ellie said in concern

Duncan nodded confidently before walking away from the girls before Tess stood up as well.

"I'm gonna go check up on Ally and Hunter. After what happened during the challenge, I'm a little concerned." Tess admitted worriedly.

"That's fair. I won't stop you." Ellie said sheepishly before Tess walked off too, leaving Gabby and Ellie alone.

"How's your eye, Gabs?" Ellie asked in concern.

"It's fine. It'll heal by the next challenge. I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help today." Gabby said sadly.

"Gabby, don't worry, the team understands the situation. I doubt you're on anyone's minds tonight." Ellie reassured her girlfriend before Gabby randomly decided to hug her, making Ellie blush, "Not that I'm complaining but what's this for?"

"For being a good girlfriend." Gabby smiled softly as she hugged Ellie who returned the embrace but she secretly wore a look of guilt behind Gabby's back.

Meanwhile things were less than perfect back with Hunter and Ally as the latter brought the former to the lake by their campsite.

"What the hell was that back there?!" Ally asked furiously.

"I was just trying to think of what's best for our team. Fiore's clearly untrustworthy and the weakest link so she needs to go home." Hunter said defensively.

"Hunter, I understand why you'd think that, but there are better ways to go about it than bullying a little girl for her physical limitations." Ally explained angrily, making Hunter look guilty.

"I wasn't trying to bully her…" Hunter said awkwardly but Ally interrupted.

"Well, you did. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to talk to Cody and Gwen about voting for Fiore tonight and hope that you didn't just ruin your chances of staying." Ally critiqued tearfully before wiping her eyes.

"Ally, I'm so…" Hunter began before Ally looked away tiredly.

"Just… leave me be, Hunter. I love you, I swear. I'm just really overwhelmed right now." Ally sighed miserably before walking off, leaving Hunter to look down solemnly.

After Ally left, Tess was seen walking by before putting a comforting hand on Hunter's shoulder.

"Hey, I couldn't help but overhear. Are you okay?" Tess asked in concern.

"I'll be fine, I'm just worried about Ally. I feel like I've been adding onto her stress lately." Hunter said sadly.

"Is it about the haters? I was worried they were getting to her." Tess guessed.

"Yeah, that's why Ally and I came back. She wanted to prove that her haters were wrong about her. I'm trying to support her but it's really difficult considering how it feels like she's catering to people who don't care about her." Hunter explained sadly, "That being said, it doesn't excuse how I've been acting towards Fiore recently."

"Yeah, I know she's not a good kid whatsoever but you could've gone easier on her. Just try to talk to Ally when you can. I'm sure that'll help." Tess advised her friend who smiled thankfully at her.

We then cut to Tom, Aiden, and Lake talking with Harold and Leshawna by their team's campfire.

"So you're with us 100%?" Leshawna asked skeptically.

"Yeah. As much as I want Ellie gone, it's very clear that Duncan's the main problem on our team." Tom admitted with a nervous smile.

"Well, at least we can agree on that. Glad you're on our side." Harold smirked enthusiastically before turning to Leshawna, "C'mon babe, we should probably get some more firewood."

"If you say so." Leshawna shrugged before deciding to walk with Harold.

"That went well." Tom smiled enthusiastically towards his allies, "I'm gonna go get some traps set for tomorrow. See you guys at the vote."

"You too, Tom." Aiden waved happily at Tom before noticing Lake's uncomfortable look.

"Hey Lake, I didn't wanna say anything at first but I noticed you seemed pretty reluctant at voting Ellie off. Mind explaining why?" Aiden asked in concern.

"I just feel bad for her. I watched the first season. Ellie never seemed like a bad person but her desire to get out of poverty seemed to really weigh on her. I can't imagine what it would be like for me and Rosa had James not helped us out." Lake admitted sadly which made Aiden look sympathetic towards his friend.

"I get what you're saying Lake, but that doesn't excuse all the shit she did to Tom and Jake though." Aiden reminded the rebel.

"I know… it's just that I remember how it is to feel like you're stuck in a rut you can't get yourself out of. Remember what happened to me after season two ended?" Lake explained softly.

"How could I not? Your good for nothing parents literally had the audacity to contact you and shame you as if you were a failure." Aiden recalled bitterly.

"Well… you would also know how I got more angry and emotionally unstable after that call as well. It's obviously a different situation for Ellie, but she probably is suffering the same emotions I had due to her poverty." Lake added solemnly, "Ultimately, I feel like most people deserve a chance to right their wrongs. James proved that to us when we first met him after all."

Aiden looked on in thought at Lake's words.

Soon enough, we cut to Leshawna and Harold walking together and holding the firewood before Duncan ran towards them.

"Guys, I need to talk to you." Duncan panted.

"What do you want, Duncan?" Leshawna asked unamused.

"Come to make your final desperate plea before we eliminate you?" Harold asked smugly but Leshawna's annoyed glare made Harold shut up.

"Look, I know you guys don't like me, but think about what you're doing by getting me eliminated. You'll be forced to deal with three tightly knit trios who are unlikely to side with you long term." Duncan reminded his two rivals who raised an eyebrow at Duncan's plea.

"Go on." Leshawna crossed her arms in consideration.

"I was able to convince Ellie, Gabby, and Tess to vote with me tonight so we can weaken Tom's stronghold. If we vote with them, this could easily benefit our games." Duncan explained seriously.

"Why do we need to vote with them though? We could easily work with Tom, Aiden, and Lake just as effectively to boot Ellie off." Harold asked skeptically.

"Won't work. Gabby will just flip to Tom's side later on due to their friendship and no doubt Tess will follow. Besides, have you seen Tom, Aiden, and Lake? A lot of people like those guys and they're clearly very good at this game. If they reach the merge, they could easily take over. At least with Ellie, she's not exactly the most popular person around, even with Gabby and Tess." Duncan answered stoically which made Leshawna and Harold widen their eyes but they couldn't disagree with Duncan's argument.

"To prove that I'm serious about this, I'll even vote your guys' way." Duncan offered to which Leshawna and Harold looked at each other before smirking.

"Well then, I guess we can work something out." Harold shook Duncan's hand smugly.

Confessional: Harold

"Yeah. It's kinda scummy to make a deal with Duncan when we already agreed to vote with Tom but it's not every day I get to see Duncan do as I say for once in his life." Harold chuckled giddily.

Confessional Ends

We then cut to Gwen, Cody, and Noah near the woods when Gwen decided to speak up.

"So, did Ally talk to you guys too?" Gwen asked curiously.

"Yeah, she wants Fiore gone. I don't blame her but I'm a little concerned what'll happen if we keep Hunter." Cody admitted sheepishly.

"Jake and Ashley also told me that they want Fiore gone too. Seems like we're the swing votes." Noah said with a sigh.

"So it seems. I guess we have a lot to consider." Gwen rubbed her chin, "I don't know about you guys, but I think Fiore needs to go. As awful as Hunter acted, he had a point about Fiore being untrustworthy."

"Yeah, well Hunter isn't exactly the pinnacle of trust himself. Once Fiore's gone, he might end up targeting me next due to how obsessed he is with challenge performance." Noah crossed his arms.

"You make a good point. What do you think Cody?" Gwen asked the geek who began to sweat before answering.

"I… think I know who needs to go." Cody said meekly.

We then cut to Cyan Team and Magenta Team at the elimination ceremony where Kristal and Chef were standing in front of them.

"Well well, quite the turnout we've got tonight." Kristal smirked, "I'm sure you all know how this works, get voting."

Voting: Ally

"I'm sorry Fiore, but despite how Hunter acted, I have to stand by him." Ally said solemnly as she held up a vote for Fiore.

Voting: Fiore

Fiore held up her vote for Hunter before giving a middle finger to the camera but it was thankfully censored.

Voting: Cody

Cody bit his lip but made his vote with a reluctant frown.

Voting: Tom

Tom smirked smugly as he made his vote.

Voting: Tess

Tess looked reluctant but wrote her vote down solemnly.

Voting: Duncan

Duncan wrote his vote down with a serious look on his face.

Voting Ends

"Since Cyan Team was closer to losing, we'll read their votes out first. Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person with the most votes must leave camp immediately." Kristal told the contestants before reading the first vote.

"First vote: Duncan."

Duncan didn't react to receiving a vote.

"Duncan."

Duncan crossed his arms, not caring whatsoever.

"Duncan."

Duncan just rolled his eyes.

"Lake."

Lake rose an eyebrow at this choice.

"Lake."

Aiden gave Lake a worried gaze.

"Lake."

"That's three votes Duncan, three votes Lake." Kristal informed everyone as Lake began to look concerned while Tom glared at Duncan and Ellie. The former smirked while the latter didn't bother reacting.

"Lake."

Aiden began trembling in his seat while Lake looked even more concerned at why she got so many votes.

"Third person eliminated from Dramatic Disventurous All Stars is… Lake." Kristal spoke solemnly as she revealed the last vote, "Unfortunately five votes are enough. It's time for you to go."

"What the- you two seriously flipped?!" Aiden asked incredulously, making Leshawna and Harold look away in guilt.

"Sorry guys, but we had to do what was best for our game." Leshawna said apologetically.

"How is this good for any of us?" Tom asked angrily.

"We can't really answer that." Harold said guiltily.

Gwen and Cody both stared at the scene in shock before giving one another concerned glances.

"I'm sorry Lake. I was caught in a rough patch and couldn't save you." Tess apologized remorsefully towards her friend.

"Don't worry Tess, I understand your position." Lake smiled reassuringly at Tess.

"No, Lake! First James, now you?" Aiden asked in despair.

"It's alright Aiden. Be strong, I don't regret anything. Just remember what we talked about." Lake spoke encouragingly.

"Sure thing." Aiden smiled softly before embracing Lake. After letting go, Lake ultimately started walking towards the Bus Of Losers.

"Cyan Team, you may go. Magenta Team, it's time to read out your votes." Chef said sternly.

The members of Cyan Team immediately began leaving but as they did so, Tess went towards Hunter and Ally's side.

"Good luck with the vote." Tess whispered encouragingly.

"Thanks Tess." Ally whispered with a soft smile before Tess walked off to follow her team.

"Alrighty then. Magenta Team, you have cast your votes and blah blah blah, you know how this goes so let's read them." Chef rolled his eyes before reaching into Magenta Team's urn.

"First vote… Fiore."

Fiore glared at Hunter.

"Fiore."

Fiore crossed her arms and pouted at this vote.

"Hunter."

Hunter's eyes widened in worry.

"Hunter. That is two votes Hunter, two votes Fiore."

Hunter and Fiore both looked concerned by this knowledge while Ally looked towards Hunter in worry.

"Fiore."

Fiore's eyes began to widen at this moment.

"Fiore. That is four votes for Fiore, two votes for Hunter, three votes left." Chef said sternly as Fiore looked like she was bottling up tears while Cody, Gwen, and Noah all looked at each other in concern.

"Hunter."

Hunter's eyes widened at this.

"Hunter."

Hunter and Ally looked at each other, even more worried now.

"Fourth person voted off Dramatic Disventurous All Stars is…"

Ally softly grabbed Hunter's hand worriedly, Heather looked concerned for Fiore, and Jake and Ashley looked worried about if they voted right.

"Hunter. That's five votes, you must go." Chef told the player sternly.

"Game over." Ally spoke despondently.

"Sorry Hunter, but you're too hyper focused on challenge ability and it was screwing us over." Gwen apologized, clearly feeling bad about this vote.

"No, don't apologize. I understand." Hunter sighed solemnly, "I haven't really been a team player lately so I understand why you voted for me."

Hunter then turned to Fiore with an apologetic frown on his face.

"In all honesty, I still don't trust you, but you didn't deserve what I put you through. I'm sorry Fiore." Hunter said remorsefully much to Fiore's shock but she said nothing.

"C'mon Hunter, I'll walk you out." Ally offered with a smile, causing Hunter to smile too.

Soon enough, Hunter and Ally found themselves at the bus stop where Lake was waiting for the bus as well.

"Which one of you got out?" Lake asked curiously.

"It was me." Hunter clarified before turning to Ally, "Ally, I'm sorry I've been screwing things up lately. I just noticed how stressed you were and was worried about Fiore so things ended up escalating."

"It's okay Hunter. As upset as I am about today, I do appreciate you owning up to things." Ally smiled appreciatively, "I'll win this for you."

"Say hi to Tess for me, tell her I miss her, and… talk to her." Hunter smiled softly before he and Ally shared a hug which Lake smiled at.

Soon enough, the Bus Of Losers arrived to pick both Lake and Hunter up who both went inside the bus without a word, and after that, the bus drove off, leaving Ally saddened.

Confessional: Leshawna and Harold

Leshawna was sitting on the rock formation while Harold was sitting on her lap.

"Ultimately, we decided to listen to Duncan and vote with him and Ellie. As annoying as that punk is, he did have a point about having to deal with two trios." Harold admitted.

"We ended up choosing to eliminate Lake because out of everyone, she had the most potential to win the whole thing if we didn't take care of her now." Leshawna explained with a remorseful frown, "I definitely feel bad about this, but this is how the game is played. Now that we have Duncan on our side, we can basically control the next vote so we can decide whether to side with Tom and Aiden next time or vote with Ellie, Gabby, and Tess again."

"Duncan may be annoying, but the guy does know how to play this game and most of the time, he is pretty straightforward. I just hope we didn't make a huge mistake." Harold spoke in concern.

Confessional: Cody

"I like Hunter, I really do, but shockingly, he was more unpredictable than Heather and Fiore. At least with those two you have a good idea on what to expect. Hunter was having problems with Ally and Fiore since Day 1 and it was only getting worse as time went on. Still… I feel really bad for blindsiding Ally like this. Hopefully she's okay." Cody spoke remorsefully.

Confessionals End

Author's Note: Funny how fate works. Lake lasts an extra episode while Hunter gets eliminated an episode earlier, oh the delicious irony.

I'll discuss Lake first. Originally I was going to eliminate her last episode, but without the Girls' Alliance plot, I needed to give Lake some relevance another way and since I already needed Alejandro gone, I eliminated him instead. I wanted to do something with Lake's confession to Aiden in the canon All Stars about how her parents treated her post-season two so I decided to connect it to how she feels about Ellie and Tom's conflict which WILL be relevant in how Aiden treats Ellie later on.

As for Hunter, he was always on limited time the moment I put James on that Bus Of Losers and since I wanted this round to be a double elimination, I realized now was his time to go. I do feel worried about if I amplified his worst traits too much but I hope his conversations with Tess and Ally, as well as his apology to Fiore helped make it clear I had no intentions of demonizing him.