Total Drama Athletics

Total Drama Athletics is the sixth story in the main canon. This season features twenty young athletes competing against each other in sports related challengers.

#### Characters

Alexandria
Bubba
Cassie
Doyce
Evan
Fernando
Gabby
Holden
Isabella
Jayden
Kylie
Luke
Madison
Nathan
Polly Ann
Ramona
Skylar
Tony
Vanessa
Zoe

### Chapters

#### Chapter 1 - Sports Authorization

A view of Total Drama Island is shown. Chris walks up wearing a referee's shirt, a headband, a whistle, short shorts, knee socks, and sneakers. He says, "Hello. Welcome to another season of the Total... Drama... series... or whatever. Twenty brand new contestants are soon to arrive to compete for the four million, five hundred thousand dollar grand prize. Only one will win. This season, in order to inspire youth to get more active as urged by the higher ups, will be sports themed. Twenty contestants, notable in some athletic field, will compete in a series of challenges loosely based on sports. I know that most of you have tuned in to see me, but let's begin the introduction of the new contestants. Don't worry, I'll try to make it brief. Let's start with country girl, Polly Ann." Chris saunters over to the Dock of Shame.

A tall, muscular girl steps off of the boat. She looks around at her surroundings, drops her luggage on the dock and approaches Chris Mclean. She says, "Nice to meet ya. I'm Polly Ann." She shakes Chris' hand, and he winces in pain. She lets go, and Chris shakes his hand in an attempt to ease the pain. "This is all so exciting. I never been anywhere before. How does this show work, exactly? Are you and I teammates?"

Chris smiles. He says, "While I'm flattered that you mistook me for a fellow seventeen year old, I'm actually the host of the show, Chris Mclean."

"No foolin'?" Polly Ann asks. Chris nods and smiles. "Well, it's an honor to meet a celebrated person, such as yourself." Polly Ann stares at Chris. "Wait. Aren't you that weird guy from those cheesy prune bran commercials on the TV?"

Chris looks to the side and says, "I knew it was too good to last." Chris looks up and says, "It looks like our second contestant is about to arrive." A muscular, freckled redhead steps off of the boat. "This is Doyce."

Polly Ann says, "That sure is a peculiar name."

Doyce walks up, hands Chris his luggage, and says, "Take good care of this, my good man."

"Actually, I'm..." Chris begins. Doyce hands Chris a dollar. Chris shrugs and accepts the dollar.

Polly Ann says, "Nice to meet ya. My name is Polly Ann."

Doyce shrugs and says, "You'll do. At least you aren't a dude." He takes Polly Ann in his arms and starts making out with her. Chris looks on with raised eyebrows. Doyce lets go of Polly Ann, and she falls onto the dock, looking dazed. Doyce punches at the air. He says, "Yes! First kiss of the season! Tell me, is that a new record for earliest kiss on any season?"

Chris shrugs and says, "I guess so, but I wasn't actually keeping count."

Doyce punches at the air, again, and says, "Alright! Score one for the Doyce man, son!"

Chris raises an eyebrow and says, "Doyce man?" Chris shakes his head and says, "Whatever. Lets move on to our next contestant. I'd like you two to meet Alexandria." A very attractive young woman with her eyes half opened walks up.

Doyce puts his head in his hands and laments, "Oh, man! Why couldn't she have been the first to arrive?"

Alexandria looks at Doyce with a confused expression. "I'll take that as a 'Hello. How are you?'"

Polly Ann stands up, walks up to Alexandria, shakes her hand rapidly, and greets, "My name is Polly Ann. Pleased to meet ya."

"Likewise," Alexandria replies with a smile.

Doyce pushes Polly Ann to the side and says, "The pleasure is all yours. I'm Doyce."

"Is that short for 'Doycebag'?" Alexandria asks, with an eye roll.

Doyce looks confused and says, "I don't get it." Chris whispers an explanation in Doyce's ear. Doyce smiles and says, "Oooh, feisty. I like it!" Alexandria puts her hand on her forehead and sighs.

Chris says, "Looks like the next contestant is here."

A slender, young, Asian man steps off of the boat, carrying an incredibly large suitcase. He sets it down and says, "Hey, everyone. The name's Nathan."

"What is?" Doyce asks.

"Pardon?" Nathan asks.

Chris looks up and says, "Oh, the next contestant is here, already." Chris looks at the overweight teenage girl with her arm in a sling. Chris says, "This is, uh..." He looks at his notes.

"Hi, everybody," the girl says. "I'm..." She struggles to pull her suitcase off of the boat. She slips and falls toward the dock. Nathan quickly tosses his luggage to one arm, and catches the girl in the other. She says, "Uh, thanks. Sorry about that. I can be pretty clumsy, sometimes."

Chris nods and says, "Oh, right. This is Gabby."

The other contestants look at Nathan with wide eyes. Doyce asks, "Do you play a sport, son? You're way stronger than you look."

Alexandria shakes her head and says, "The name of the season is Total Drama Athletics, Chris told us that the cast would be all athletes, and you ask if he plays sports?"

"Excuse me, sweetheart," Doyce says. "I was talking to this guy, over here."

"You did not just call me sweetheart," Alexandria protests.

Doyce blushes and says, "Look, I'm really sorry. I'm no good with remembering names. I didn't mean anything by it. Forgive me?"

Alexandria shrugs and says, "I guess so. No harm done."

"So Nathan," Doyce says. Alexandria blinks. "What sport did you say you played?"

Nathan says, "Oh, I'm actually a cheerleader." Doyce bursts out laughing.

Doyce says, "You're funny, son. I like you." Doyce rapidly puts his arm around Nathan, making him drop his luggage and Gabby.

"Don't worry," Gabby says, from the dock. "I'm okay. I landed on my good arm."

The next person arrives. Chris says, "The big guy, here, is Tony."

"Hello, all," Tony greets. He walks over Gabby. He says, "This dock is pretty lumpy." He looks down and blushes. He steps off of Gabby and extends his hand, helping her up. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to," Tony assures.

Gabby says woozily, "It's okay. I'm used to it."

Tony turns to the contestants. He says, "I know I'm a bit scary on the outside, but I..."

Nathan says, "I didn't bring any valuables. Please, don't hurt me."

"No, I..." Tony says, while blinking.

Doyce holds his letter jacket toward Tony. He says, "Take my jacket, dude."

Tony shakes his head and says, "I don't want your jacket."

Doyce quickly whips off his pants, and says, "Then take my pants. They were really expensive. Just don't harm my body."

Tony puts a hand on his forehead and sighs. He looks at the offered pants and says, "Oh, these are nice." He pauses, and then quietly steps over to an empty spot on the dock. Polly Ann asks, "Didn't you bring any luggage?"

Tony looks down. He says, "I must have forgotten it. My bad." He shrugs.

Chris looks over at the next arriving boat. He says, "Here's Ramona."

A lanky girl of African descent steps off of the boat. She says, "Hi, peoples. What did I miss?" She looks at Doyce holding his pants. "A lot, apparently." Doyce puts his pants back on. She looks at Doyce's face closely. She says, "You have a lot of freckles. Mind if I count them?"

Doyce says, "You're weird."

"I'll take that as a yes," Ramona says. Ramona begins counting, "One, two, three..."

The other contestants look on as Ramona counts Doyce's freckles. Chris says, "This is awkward. Oh, good. Here comes our next contestant, Kylie."

The red haired, eccentrically dressed young woman steps off of the boat holding a duffel bag. She says, "Bonjour! That's French for 'What up?'"

"It is?" Polly Ann asks with a confused look.

"No," Chris answers. "It just means..."

"Whoa!" Kylie says, looking at Chris. "Are you dressed up as a zebra? That's so cool."

"No, I'm dressed like a..." Chris begins with a raised eyebrow.

"Did you know that there are three species of zebra?" Kylie asks. "The plains zebra, the Grévy's zebra, and the mountain zebra."

Gabby is shown writing something into a notebook. Tony asks, "What are you writing?"

Gabby explains, "The zebra stuff. Just in case it comes up on a test, later." Nathan eyes Gabby's black eye and sling. He takes her pen. Gabby protests, "Hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm cutting you off," Nathan explains. "I don't want you to lose an eye with this thing."

"Oh," Gabby says. "Thanks. You're a nice boy."

Chris says, "Here are our next two contestants." One guy in a light blue shirt steps off of the boat, his twin brother hands their luggage to him, then the twin in the light blue shirt helps the twin in the matching red shirt off of the boat.

Ramona looks up from her freckle counting and asks, "Chris? Did you accidentally cast the same person twice?"

One of the twins laughs. He says, "No, we're identical twins."

Ramona shrugs and says, "I lost count. Now I have to start over." She restarts counting the freckles on Doyce's face. Doyce groans.

The other twin nods and says, "We're Holden..."

"And Jayden..." the other twin says. "But in actuality, I'm Holden."

"And I'm Jayden," Jayden introduces.

Alexandria asks, "Is anyone else completely confused, right now?"

"Did you know," Kylie begins, "that of the different possibilities for twins, the least common is two identical male twins?"

"Really?" Holden asks. Kylie nods.

Jayden hugs Holden and says, "Aw, bro! We're rare!"

Chris looks up and sees the next arriving boat. He says, "This should be Cassie."

A tall girl steps off of the boat. She sets down her duffel bag, waves, looks down, and says, "I'm Cassie. It's nice to meet everyone."

Polly Ann smiles and says, "It's nice to meet you, too."

"Thanks," Cassie replies.

Doyce looks at Chris and asks, "She's this season's boring contestant, right?" Cassie blushes.

Alexandria looks at Doyce and says, "You certainly talk a lot."

Doyce smiles and says, "I have a lot worth saying."

"Debatable," Alexandria replies. "Oh, look. The next boat."

Chris asks, "That's my job." He clears his throat and says, "The next boat." He glares at Alexandria and says, "Leave it to the professionals."

Alexandria whispers, "Uh. Does that guy meet the height requirements for the show?"

A really short young man with dyed green hair steps off of the boat. Ramona stops counting Doyce's freckles when she sees him. Doyce gives a sigh of relief. She says, "Hey, bubba."

"How did you know my name was Bubba?" Bubba asks. "I don't know you, I don't think."

"No, just a lucky coincidence," Ramona replies. She says, "Your head looks like asparagus."

"Gee, thanks," Bubba replies sarcastically.

Ramona says, "Don't be offended. It was a compliment." She pinches Bubba's cheeks and says, "You're adorable."

Bubba groans. He says, "Can't I go anywhere without getting my cheeks pinched? I'm seventeen years old. I'm a man, now!"

Chris laughs and says, "Seventeen? You're still just a child." The contestants all glare at Chris.

"Whatever," Bubba says. "I'm going to go stand on a corner." Ramona follows him. "Alone," he adds. Ramona continues following him. "I'm suddenly feeling nauseous."

Doyce's eyes widen. He says, "Oh, I just remembered." He sticks two fingers on his right hand in his mouth.

Tony looks at Doyce with wide eyes. He says, "Uh. What is that guy doing?"

"He's occupied," Alexandria says. "Leave him alone, and he won't bother us." Tony still looks concerned.

Chris says, "Our next contestant has arrived. Guys, this is Madison." A tall, pretty girl steps off of the boat holding a suitcase. The boat that brought her leaves.

Doyce vomits. He shouts, "Yes! That's a record for the earliest vomit on any season, right?"

Chris looks at him with a concerned expression. He says, "Uh, yeah. I think so." The other contestants stare at Doyce with wide eyes.

Nathan says, "Are you okay, dude?"

Doyce punches at the air, accidentally hits Gabby, and says, "Never better, son! Yes!"

Jayden looks over and says, "Whoa, cool. Holden and I aren't the only family members on this season?"

Holden puts his hand on his brother's shoulder. He says, "No, Jayden. 'Son' is an expression, buddy."

"Oooh," Jayden says, still looking confused. "Like when our friends call us 'bro', and they're not our actual brothers, right?"

"Yeah, bro," Holden says with a smile. "It's like that."

"Cool," Jayden says. "Got it..." Jayden smiles wide, points at Holden with both hands and says, "son!"

Chris says, "I think we forgot to properly meet Madison."

Madison looks at the leaving boat. She says, "I forgot my luggage."

Chris says, "Um, excuse me, but what are you holding?"

Madison looks at the luggage in her hand. She looks up at Chris. She says, "You look like my old boyfriend."

Chris smiles and says, "He must have been really good looking."

Madison sniffles. She looks at Tony. She says, "You look like my old boyfriend, too." Chris frowns, and his eyes widen. Madison looks at Bubba and says, "You remind me of him, too." She looks sad.

Gabby sighs and says, "I think she's had her heart broken."

Doyce looks at Madison, then Alexandria, then Cassie. He says, "I'm really liking my options on this season."

Alexandria assures, "You have no options."

Chris says, "Okay, here's our next contestant." A strong looking young man steps off of the boat.

He shakes Chris' hand and says, "The name's Luke. Thank you for letting me on your show, sir. I greatly appreciate this opportunity."

Chris' face turns bright red. He pleads, "Let go, let go!"

Luke blinks. He says, "Sorry, sir. I don't know my own strength, sometimes. No hard feelings?"

Chris nods and says, "Of course not."

Luke smiles wide and says, "Good." He slaps Chris on the back, knocking him off of the dock, and into the water. Luke's eyes widen. He extends a hand to help Chris up. "My apologies, sir." Chris glares at Luke. Holden steps behind Jayden.

Doyce says, "That was awesome. I'm Doyce!" He extends his hand to shake Luke's hand. Luke shakes his hand.

Nathan looks at Luke. He says to him, "Luke, you don't know where that guy's hands have been."

Luke says, "No big deal."

"No, he..." Nathan begins.

Luke blinks. He lets go of Doyce's hand and says, "I just remembered... Just before I came here I had to sift some manure, back on the farm. I didn't have time to wash my hands... I apologize, cousin." Jayden leans over to Holden, and Holden shakes his head.

Doyce's eyes are wide, and he winces. He says, "No problem." Bubba looks at Luke and gives a slight smile.

Madison looks at Luke and says, "He reminds me of my ex-boyfriend..."

A still moist Chris Mclean states, "Looks like Isabella's boat is arriving."

A pretty blond girl with a shirt featuring a cupcake on it arrives, and steps off of the boat. She says, "Hello, everyone. My name is Isabella." She signs as she talks. Doyce and Jayden look at her with confused expressions. She explains as she signs, "I'm deaf, but I can still read lips. I don't think communication will be an issue."

Jayden leans toward Holden and whispers to him, "Her hands are crazy awesome."

"You were looking at her hands?" Holden quietly asks. Jayden looks at him with wide eyes. Holden blushes and says, "Never mind."

Isabella smiles at Holden and says, "I saw what you said." He blushes a deeper shade of red.

Jayden puts his shirt toward Holden's face and says, "We match."

Chris looks up and says, "The next boat is here." A slim young man with long brown hair stands on the boat. Chris says, "Say hello to..."

The young man tosses his duffel bag on the dock and does a back flip. He lands on his feet with his arms in the air. "I'm Skylar," he introduces. The others applaud.

Chris says, "Skylar is circus folk."

Skylar nods and says, "It's really cool to be here. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone. I love meeting new people."

"It appears that someone is already playing the social game," Holden whispers to Jayden.

Skylar says, "I'm sorry, but I heard that. It's no strategy on my part. I assure you."

Jayden says to Holden, "You need to work on your whispering, big bro."

Ramona looks at Jayden and Holden. She says, "You seem approximately the same size."

Jayden explains, "No. Holden is older by a few minutes."

"Oh, I get it," Ramona replies.

Jayden smiles wide. He says, "I explained something, bro!" He hugs Holden.

"Good job, buddy," Holden says. "I'm really proud."

Skylar says, "Well, I'm glad to meet you all, and I..." The next boat arrives. A short haired, young woman arrives with two large suitcases. Skylar says, "Oh. Let me help you with those."

"No," she protests.

"I don't mind, at all," Skylar assures.

Chris says, "This is Vanessa."

Vanessa continues to struggle with her luggage, as Skylar attempts to help her with it. She says, "Did you happen to help any guy with their luggage?"

"No, I..." Skylar begins.

Vanessa rolls her eyes and says, "Typical. I don't need your help, you chauvinist!" Skylar blinks rapidly, letting go of Vanessa's bags. She falls off of the boat, along with her luggage. She stands up quickly, and says, "See?"

Chris pulls out a clipboard and writes something down. Skylar asks, "What are you doing?"

"Changing teams around," Chris explains.

"I hope that doesn't mean what I think it means," Skylar replies.

Doyce says, "That girl is kind of hot, too."

"Did you hear a word she said?" Skylar asks.

Doyce shakes his head, "I tuned out the 'blah, blah'."

Chris says, "Oh, look who it is." The next boat approaches. A good looking Brazilian young man is lying on the boat with his shirt off. The boat gets close to the dock, and he stands up. Several female contestants look at him with wide eyes.

Isabella signs and says, "That's a beautiful man."

Doyce looks down at the dock. He whimpers as he says, "I-I thought I was this season's hot guy."

Chris introduces the young man. He says, "This is Fernando."

"Hey," Fernando says.

Kylie says, "Did anyone ever tell you how pretty you are?"

"Yes," Fernando replies.

Vanessa looks at the drooling female contestants, and shakes her head disapprovingly. She says, "I'm so ashamed of my gender, right now. I bet he didn't even pack a shirt."

Fernando looks down. He says, "Sorry." He pulls his shirt from his back pocket and puts it on, buttoning one button.

Vanessa groans. "If you wear it like that, what's the point of wearing a shirt?"

"I agree with her!" Cassie shouts. "Take it off!" The others look at her with wide eyes. She blushes, and looks down.

Chris says, "Let's move on. I'd like to keep the PG rating, if you don't mind. Here comes Zoe. You were warned."

An energetic girl wearing a lot of pink jumps off of her boat, that has yet to arrive, and swims the rest of the way. She says, "Hello, people! It's like magic to be able to be present, here! I'm Zoe, and this season is so important to me." She puts her arm around Vanessa and says, "You see, I used to look like that person right there." She points at Tony. "But I was inspired to become more fit, and now I feel good about myself."

Bubba points at Tony and asks, "Wait, you looked like him?"

Zoe says, "I'm so honored to be here, in order to inspire youth on a season about athletics. Let's do our best, everyone."

"She scares me," Nathan says.

Bubba states, "Every season needs someone to vote out first."

Vanessa rolls her eyes. She says, "Oh, right. Just because she's female, you automatically assume she'll be the first voted off? That thinking is entirely sexist."

Bubba says, "I didn't mean it that way."

"Sure you didn't," Vanessa says with an eye roll. "I'm sure you'll claim to have been born a liar, and unable to change?"

Bubba leans over to Nathan and says, "I think she's trying to compete for first voted off." Nathan gives a slight laugh.

Vanessa asks, "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Bubba states, folding his arms.

Isabella explains, "He said 'I think she's trying to...'" She looks at Bubba's worried expression. She signs and says, "Never mind."

Chris says, "Well, it's time for our final contestant. He might look familiar to some of you."

"You're bringing back that Tyler guy?" Nathan asks.

Chris shakes his head. He says, "Why, no we're not. Here's Evan." The thin, biracial teen steps off of the boat holding his skateboard.

Evan says, "Hey."

Bubba's jaw drops. Polly Ann asks, "Who is that?"

"I can't believe it," Bubba says. He runs over to Evan and says, "I'm your hugest fan. You inspired me to try different sports, and stuff, and to never give up."

Evan smiles and says, "Cool, bro. It makes me happy when I hear people say stuff like that." Bubba hugs Evan tight. "Er, thanks, bro."

Bubba lets go. He says, "Can you sign my body?" He lifts up his shirt.

"Sure," Evan says with a slightly worried expression. "Oh, I don't have a marker, or anything." Nathan hands him Gabby's pen. "Thanks, I guess," Evan replies.

"Make it out to Bubba," Bubba requests. Evan nods, as he writes on Bubba's chest.

"Guys are so weird," Vanessa says with a sigh.

"Who is Evan?" Polly Ann asks, again.

Kylie answers, "He's a world famous skateboarder, noted for his controversial behavior, like dating two girls at the same time."

"That was my dream way of being introduced," Evan says with a sigh.

"I don't like him," Vanessa says, glaring.

"He's male," Skylar says. "Isn't your not liking him a prerequisite?"

Chris says, "Simmer down, simmer down. Now that everyone is here, we can conclude the episode."

Ramona asks, "Wait, are we competing on Total Drama Island?"

"You noticed that, just now?" Chris asks. Ramona proudly nods.

"You couldn't fit a new place into your budget, huh?" Nathan asks.

Chris says, "Yup." Chris addresses the camera. He says, "Welcome to an all new season of Total Drama, Total... Drama... Athletics. It is likely to be an interesting season. Be sure to tune in next time."

"Who is Chris talking to?" Jayden asks. Holden pats his brother on the shoulder.

#### Chapter 2 - You Say Football, I Say Soccer

Chris Mclean states, "Welcome one and all to an all new episode of Total... Drama... Athletics! Last time, the contestants arrived..." Chris stares blankly at the camera. "That's pretty much it... I guess. Which team will be victorious in the first challenge? Who will join the unforgettable ranks of that... stalker girl... that one guy with nice teeth..." Chris looks contemplative. "That one girl that Dante got mad at... Um... Oh... Um... That other one girl... and that Quincy guy, as the first person eliminated?"

Alexandria says, "I'm touched to see you care."

Chris turns to the contestants. He says, "Alright, I should really begin by announcing the two teams. Alexandria, Bubba..." Bubba smiles at Alexandria.

Isabella smiles, signs, and says, "Aw. You think you have a chance with her." Bubba frowns and looks down. Isabella frowns, signs, and says, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you." She pats Bubba on the back. Bubba looks at Isabella with a smile. She grabs hold of his cheeks and says, "You are kind of cute..."

Chris stares at Isabella and Bubba. He says, "Anyway, the rest of the team is Evan..." Bubba squeals. "Gabby, Holden, Kylie, Luke, Polly Ann, Skylar, and Vanessa. All of you make up the 'Muscleheads'." Holden looks down and over at his identical twin.

Jayden asks, "What's the matter, bro?"

Doyce laughs and says, "You're muscleheads."

Chris explains, "Actually, I got the idea for the name from y..." Doyce looks at Chris with a confused expression. "Never mind. The other team is made up of Cassie, Doyce, Fernando, Isabella, Jayden, Madison, Nathan, Ramona, Tony, and Zoe."

"Of course," Vanessa says. "List a female contestant last. Typical move of a sexist."

Chris blinks. He says, "No, I listed everyone alpha..."

Zoe shouts, "Let's do it team! Let's win! We're made of magic! Let's show the world, and do our best. Go... What's our team name, again?"

"You're the 'Athletic Supporters'," Chris answers.

"Wait, what?" Nathan says with wide eyes.

Doyce says, "Woo! Awesome team name!"

"You don't understand," Nathan says. "It's another name for a jockstrap."

Doyce says, "Awesome, son! Jockstraps rock! They protect your junk, and stuff!"

Vanessa says, "Oh, sure. Choose a team name that applies to the lesser gender."

"And stuff?" Cassie asks.

Chris says, "So with that, let's start our first challenge. Divide into the two teams." The contestants stand in groups with their teams.

Jayden begins to blink rapidly. He says, "Wait... I'm not... on Holden's team?"

"You just noticed that, now?" Vanessa asks. "Typical guy with their slow reaction times."

"I take offense to that," Evan frowns. Bubba hugs Evan. Evan pushes Bubba off of him. "See? My reaction time rocks."

Kylie adds in, "Did you know that slow reaction time is typical to individuals who once experienced severe head trauma?"

Alexandria looks at Jayden and says, "That explains it."

Holden's face turns red. He says, "Jayden never experienced any head trauma."

"What's head trauma, bro?" Jayden asks.

Chris looks on with a worried expression. He says, "Alright, everyone, let's start with the challenge. We all know what the world's most popular sport is..."

"Dressage?" Fernando asks.

Chris shakes his head, and says, "No. Just keep quiet and keep looking hot. That's what you're here for." Fernando shrugs and nods. "The first challenge is based on the ever loved game of soccer."

Tony frowns and says, "I hate soccer. I always have to play as goalie." Vanessa glares at Tony.

"It's probably because you fill the entire net, dude," Doyce says. Tony frowns. Doyce raises his hand and says, "Up top!"

Zoe assures Tony, "Don't worry, Tony. I'll help fix you." Tony looks at Zoe with a raised eyebrow.

Chris says, "I was saying. The challenge is going to be a soccer game..." It suddenly gets dark. Chris looks up. It begins pouring rain. Chris says, "Aw, man. We got rained out. The challenge is canceled."

"What?" Luke asks. "What's wrong with a little rain?" Gabby falls over.

Polly Ann agrees, "Yeah. What are we supposed to do, now?"

Chris answers, "Take your things to your cabins, spend the night, and then we'll resume the challenge, tomorrow." As Chris leaves, he can be heard saying, "I hope mt mascara isn't running..." He runs more quickly. Some of the contestants run over to their cabins holding their things above their heads, if they have luggage. Luke throws his luggage to the side, runs at a puddle of mud, falls, and slides in it.

Skylar laughs and says, "That looks like fun." He removes his shirt.

Vanessa rolls her eyes. She says, "Typical guy. Thinking they're such hot stuff, and always copying stupid stuff that other guys do just to look cool." Polly Ann runs by and slides through the mud. Skylar stares at Vanessa.

An entirely muddy Skylar says in confessional, "What cruel twist of fate decided that I would be on a team with Vanessa?" He shudders. "You know, I'm used to being around all sorts of people. I guess being on a team with Vanessa gives me an opportunity to get to know an... entirely different sort of individual."

Vanessa is shown in confessional. She looks around and sees the muddy confessional. "What did that caveman do in here?" she asks. She looks down. "Typical guy. He left the seat up. So inconsiderate. Anyway, I was hoping to be on an all female team, but at least teams are even in the gender department... Except for the fact that the girls are so superior."

Doyce, Evan, and Bubba are shown looking at the muddy contestants. Doyce says, "That looks like fun, son."

"Haha," Evan says. "That rhymed, bro."

Bubba turns to Evan and asks, "Are you going to give it a shot?"

Evan shakes his head. He says, "I should get indoors before my hair gets wet."

Doyce nods and says, "I can't risk getting my jacket muddy."

Polly Ann walks by, muddy, and says, "Why don't you take it off?"

Doyce smirks and says, "Aren't you frisky? Raow!" Polly Ann stares blankly at him, and walks away.

Bubba looks longingly at the others playing in the mud. Evan puts his hands on Bubba's shoulder. He says, "If you want to go have fun, don't let me stop you."

Bubba smiles and says, "Thanks. Can you hold this?" Bubba hands Evan his clothes, and runs off in his underwear. He jumps in the mud in cannonball mode, splashing some of the others, as they laugh.

Jayden and Holden are shown with their arms around each other. Jayden says, "I dunno what I'm gonna do without you, bro."

"Me..." Holden begins, slightly choked up. "Me neither."

A muddy Luke walks up to the brothers. He asks, "Are you boys, alright?"

Holden says, "Yeah. It's just that... I've never been anywhere without my brother..."

"Besides school," Holden clarifies in confessional. He narrows his eyes and says, "And... uh... the shower..."

Back outside, Jayden nods and says, "Me, neither."

"That's implied, bud," Holden says.

Jayden nods and says, "Oh, right."

Luke puts his hand on Holden's shoulder. He says, "Don't worry. I'll take care of Jayden, here."

"Thanks," Jayden says.

"Uh, I'm Holden," Holden states.

"Oh, right," Jayden says.

"Right," Luke says.

Holden says, "Well, we better get to our cabins before we all catch cold."

"Nice thinking, bro," Jayden says. Jayden walks off, as Holden looks after him.

In the Athletic Supporters cabin, Doyce looks at a partially pixelated Fernando as he gets into his bed. He says, "That guy is naked." Doyce folds up his jacket.

"Thanks for pointing it out," Nathan says with an eye roll.

Jayden says, "I see my brother naked all the time, it's no big deal." The other guys stare at Jayden. Jayden says, "What? It's like looking at a mirror, you know, when I'm naked."

Nathan says, "Wait. Doesn't Fernando here get the record for the contestant to show nudity earliest in any season?"

Doyce's eyes get wide. He shouts, "Dangit! I forgot that one."

Nathan looks at Tony. He nudges Doyce with his elbow. He whispers, "Doesn't Tony look a little old to be seventeen, like the rest of us?"

Doyce stares at Tony. He says, "Yes. Yes, he does."

Tony laughs. He says, "I get that all the time." Tony lifts up his stomach and pulls out a piece of paper. He says, "Here's my birth certificate. I thought it might be a good idea to bring it in case anyone doubted my age." Nathan takes the document and looks it over.

Nathan lets out, "Interesting."

The female Muscleheads are shown in their cabin. Polly Ann is shown in her sleepwear setting aside her muddy clothes. Vanessa says, "I think it would be a great idea for us to team up." Gabby is shown tripping over her own luggage. Vanessa forces a smile and says, "We're all strong, independent women. We should really team up and take out those sexist guys."

Polly Ann says, "Oh, I don't know. Some of them seemed kind of sweet."

"Really?" Vanessa asks. "You fell for it?"

"Fell for what?" Polly Ann asks.

Vanessa states, "Don't let them fool you. Guys should not be trusted."

"Why not?" Alexandria asks. "Not that I care, of course. I'm just wondering why you say that."

Vanessa says, "Well, because."

"Because?" Gabby asks.

Kylie states, "Did you know that Paris, France, hosted the 1900 and 1924 Olympic games?"

The others blankly look at Kylie. Vanessa says, "Uh. See? We're smart, too! That's why we need to stick together."

"I'm going to bed," Alexandria states, as she gets into her bed.

The male team members of the Muscleheads are shown in their cabin. "That sure was fun," Luke says, as he begins removing his muddy overalls.

Bubba puts his arm around Luke and holds him close to himself. He says, "It sure was. You're like the second funnest dude I ever met." He waves at Evan.

Luke removes his muddy shirt and says, "Good thing I packed twenty of these." He digs through his bag. Evan looks at Luke.

Evan says, "Whoa. You have the most abs I've ever seen. Do you work out?"

"Of course he does," Holden says. "You don't get abs like that by sitting around and not working out."

"Actually," Luke says, slightly blushing. "I don't."

"What?" Holden says with wide eyes. "You're kidding."

Luke explains, "I guess I kind of work out. I basically work on the farm in all my free time."

"Wow, that sounds like torture," Skylar says.

"It ain't..." Luke begins. "It isn't really. I really love it. I don't ever want to leave the farm."

"Dude, I gotta get me a farm for abs like that," Evan says.

Bubba assures, "Don't say that, man. You're beautiful the way you are." Bubba shakes the mud off, getting it all over the room.

Evan forces a smile. He says, "Thanks. I, uh..." He looks at Bubba. "I like your tats." Bubba smiles wide and giggles.

Luke puts his arm around Bubba and says, "You, I like." Luke lets out a wheezy laugh.

The other guys burst out laughing. Skylar says, "Nice laugh. You do have a flaw."

Luke chuckles, looks down, and says, "Right."

"Where'd you get that scar, Lukey boy?" Evan asks. "Skydiving, base jumping, or parkour?"

"I don't even know what those are," Luke says. "Besides skydiving. It was actually just from an accident I had at the farm."

"Oh," Evan says, with wide eyes. "Well, at least it looks cool, despite the backstory."

Luke puts his shirt on. He says, "Well, it did end my dream of being a torso model." The other guys laugh, as Luke blushes.

"That Luke kid is alright," Bubba says in confessional. "My team rocks. Except for that... Female activist person." Bubba shudders.

The female members of the Athletic Supporters are shown in their cabin. Madison lets out a heavy sigh. "Is everything alright, sweetie?" Ramona asks.

Madison says, "No. I just broke up with my boyfriend after I found out he was cheating on me with some... some... floozy."

Ramona frowns and says, "Oh, honey. That's awful."

"I'll never love, again," Madison says with a sob.

"Don't give up hope!" Zoe shouts. "If you didn't notice, there are a lot of cute guys here."

"That's true," Madison says. "They remind me of my old boyfriend."

"What?" Ramona says. "Because they're male?"

"Pretty much," Madison says with a frown.

"Well, you need to go out there and try to land yourself a man," Zoe says. "That'll help you forget about that sleazeball!"

Ramona says, "Right. And not every guy is like that."

"Yeah," Cassie adds.

"Thanks, guys," Madison says. "You guys are great."

Isabella is shown in confessional, awkwardly. She says and signs, "I would have liked to have been part of the conversation, last night, but it was pretty dark. I couldn't make out what the other girls were saying. Oh, well..."

In the morning, the guys from the Muscleheads are shown in their cabin. After getting dressed, just before sunrise, Luke takes out a pill box, and begins taking pills from each section. Holden wakes up and groggily says, "Whoa, Luke. You're already awake?"

Luke nods and replies, "Yessir. It's my usual routine."

"Oh, yeah," Holden states. He looks at Luke. "That's a lot of pills... What are they for, man?"

Luke answers, "Uh, I have some really bad allergies."

"Oh, really?" Holden answers. "That must suck with living on a farm, and all."

Luke looks down. He says, "Yeah."

Holden says, "Well, I'm going back to bed." He turns back around.

Later on and outside, the 'Athletic Supporters' are shown gathered around. Zoe says, "Ooh! I'm so excited for our very first challenge. I wonder what it's going to be!"

Tony looks at a set up soccer field, complete with nets. He says, "My guess is still soccer."

"Maybe," Zoe replies.

Nathan is shown looking at his fingernails, with a disinterested expression. Ramona nudges Madison and tells her, "Here's your chance."

Madison asks, "For what?"

"Ask him to be your boy toy," Ramona explains.

Vanessa is shown in her cabin suddenly waking up. She says, "I feel a disturbance..."

Outside, Madison says, "Right." She takes a deep breath. She asks, "Will you be my new boyfriend, Fernando?"

"Sure," Fernando replies, shrugging.

"Ehehe!" Madison giggles.

Ramona's eyes are wide. She says, "I meant Nathan."

Ramona is shown in confessional. She says, "I was hoping that Fernando and I would fall in love while riding a horse in the dessert... Yes... I meant to say dessert."

Nathan nudges Doyce. He says, "That's a new record, dude, for quickest new couple. That Fernando guy's got you tied."

Doyce shouts, "Nooooooooooo!"

Jayden runs up with a pair of sheers. He asks, "I heard someone had someone tied..." Nathan places his hand over his face.

Doyce laughs and says, "It's a play on words."

In the Musclehead guys' cabin, Luke is shown reading a book. He looks over to see that the other guys are dressed. He says, "So, I guess we're ready to go?"

"Yus," Skylar replies.

Luke says, "Wait, guys." Luke lets out a sigh. "Earlier, I told Holden that I had allergies, on account on the large amount of pills I take, but I wasn't telling the truth. I think it's important for you guys to know that I, uh... I have AIDS."

Evan replies, "You're joking, bro."

Luke looks down and shakes his head. He says, "I would never joke about something like that. You've got my word."

"Wow," Holden says, in slight disbelief.

"I assure you guys that it won't hold me back, any," Luke explains. "I just felt you needed to know if I wasn't feelin' one hundred percent at some point, and I felt awful about lying to Holden, here."

Holden says, "I understand... But how did that happen? You seem like such a good guy..." Holden's eyes get wide. "I did not mean that the way it sounded."

"Trust me," Luke says. "I was expecting that kind of reaction, if not worse. That accident I mentioned before, it ended up that the guy that operated on me didn't clean his medical equipment."

"That's awful," Skylar says quietly. "But hey. We're glad to have you on your team. You're one amazing dude. I have no idea how I would be if something like that happened to me."

"Thanks," Luke replies with a slight smile. He stands up from his bed. "Let's try our best out there today. I, uh, hope there isn't any weirdness between us, now."

Evan smiles and says, "Of course not, dudebro. You're the same guy that we met earlier." Evan hugs Luke. He lets go. Luke offers a hug to Bubba. Bubba looks slightly startled. He smiles and extends his hand. Luke hesitates for a moment and shakes Bubba's hand.

The guys go outside, meeting the rest of their team as well as the Athletic Supporters. Chris shows up seconds later. He says, "Oh. Everyone's here." He holds down his megaphone, with a slight pout. He says, "Anyway, as you know, the challenge yesterday was supposed to be soccer related." Madison has her arm around Fernando. Chris looks at them. He says, "Wow. Already? You kids keep working faster and faster every season."

Doyce has his arms folded. He says, "Don't remind me." Vanessa grunts.

"Anyway," Chris goes on. "I've decided to change the challenge entirely."

"But..." Gabby begins. "Why? With the rain... and the postponing... and the soccer field?"

Chris shrugs. He says, "I'm not feeling it, today. The challenge is tackle football inspired, now." He explains further, "Each contestant will be paired up against a contestant from the other team. Each team will choose one contestant to decide the pairings. Ala, one contestant from one team will choose one of their teammates, then the other will choose one of theirs, then we switch. Then there will be a tackle off. Whichever contestant tackles their opponent first wins a point. Then we move on to the next match up. Any questions?"

"Yes," Kylie says. "Why didn't you save the entirely confusing challenge for later in the competition?"

Vanessa states, "This challenge is entirely sexist. It was made for men."

"You're saying girls can't tackle?" Skylar says with a smirk. Vanessa glares at Skylar.

Evan adds, "Trust me, I've met lots of girls that were great at tackling..." He pauses for a moment. "I'll shut up, now."

Doyce is holding a pen. He asks, "Do you remember any of their phone members?" He receives several stares. He insists, "Not like I'm desperate, or anything."

Chris instructs, "Pick your captains, now." The teams quickly huddle together.

From within the huddle, Vanessa protests, "Sexist!"

"We choose Holden," Alexandria states.

"He's smart," Skylar adds.

Holden says, "Aw, thanks. That's nice."

"We chose Zoe," Ramona announces. "Because she's loud."

"That's not a very good reason," Chris states. "But go ahead and begin. Holden, you go first." He nods.

Holden picks, "Bubba." Bubba pounds his fists on his chest.

Zoe says, "Okay, then. Ramona."

"Eep!" Bubba eeps.

The contestants get into position. Chris shouts, "Begin!"

Ramona looks at Bubba. She states, "You're way so cute. I can't tackle you."

Bubba pauses for a moment. He asks, "Aw... Would you mind if I tackled you?"

"It would be my honor," Ramona answers. Bubba winces. He runs toward Ramona, slips in the still present mud, and slides into her. She falls on top of him.

Chris says, "The point goes to the Athletic Supporters. Next match up?"

Zoe chooses, "Jayden."

Holden narrows his eyes as he looks at his team. He says, "I choose Gabby."

"Gabby?" Evan protests. "Dude, seriously?" Holden looks down. Holden and Gabby get into position.

Jayden says, "I feel kind of bad about this... I don't know if I can do it." Gabby slips and falls.

She stands up and says, "Don't worry about it. You didn't choose this match up." She looks at Holden. "That's not you, right. I get confused."

Jayden nods and says, "I guess you're right." They charge at each other. Jayden leaps at Gabby, she puts out her arm that isn't broken and clotheslines Jayden, and he falls to the ground. She then jumps on top of him. Holden winces. Jayden assures, "I'm alright."

Chris blinks as the Muscleheads cheer. Chris states, "That was odd. Anyway, next match."

Holden chooses, "Skylar."

"Fernando," Zoe picks.

"If you hurt him," Madison threatens, "I'll gut you." Skylar has wide eyes. He nervously gets into position, as Fernando removes his shirt. Several contestants swoon, as Madison gives them each the evil eye. Skylar runs at Fernando, who runs toward Skylar. Skylar does a flip and gets behind Fernando. The others applaud. Fernando grabs hold of Skylar and body slams him over his shoulder.

"Wow," Chris says. "He's incredibly good looking, and he can tackle? That's the complete package."

"I've seen his complete..." Doyce begins. Tony grabs his face.

"Next?" Chris asks.

Zoe chooses, "Um... Isabella." Isabella nods.

"Luke," Holden chooses. His team looks at him with wide eyes. He explains, "I, uh... wanted to secure a point." Luke stares at Holden for a few moments, but nods and moves forward.

Luke says, "I'm sorry about this match up, and all, but I'm still gonna give it my all." Isabella nods after reading his lips. Luke runs forward and easily tackles Isabella. He helps her up.

"Good job, Luke," Evan states.

Luke blushes and looks down. "It wasn't the fairest matchup," he states.

Chris shrugs and states, "The score is two to two. Who's next?"

Holden selects, "Vanessa."

Zoe smiles wide with a blank expression. "Tony," she chooses. The others cheer as Vanessa's eyes get wide.

Tony and Vanessa assume their positions. Vanessa insists, "I'm not going to go easy on you. Just because you're a big, dopey guy doesn't mean you can take me down."

Tony looks confused. He states, "Are you trying to intimidate me, or make me mad?"

"Just get on with the match," Chris instructs.

Vanessa runs at Tony screaming, "Die!" Tony's raises an eyebrow, but tackles her when she gets near. The others applaud.

Vanessa protests, "Sure! Cheer for a guy! That's what the media wants!"

Chris shakes his head. He says, "The score is now three to two. The Athletic Supporters are winning... That was such a strange sentence." Chris shakes his head. "Let's move on."

Zoe picks, "Nathan."

Holden looks at his team. He says, "Polly Ann." Polly Ann nods.

Polly Ann says, "I was waiting for this."

Nathan mumbles, "Why do I have to be against such a pretty girl..."

Polly Ann blushes. She asks, "You think I'm pretty?"

"Oh, you heard that?" Nathan says while blushing. Polly Ann giggles. Nathan quickly tackles Polly Ann, but helps her up.

Chris says, "Four to two, with the Athletic Supporters in the lead. They just need one more point to win. Who do you pick next, Nathan?"

Holden frowns. He says, "I pick Kylie."

Doyce shouts, "Put me in, put me in!"

"Doyce," Zoe chooses. Holden puts his hand on his forehead.

Kylie looks at Doyce. She says, "So it's the two redheads against each other. Did you know that about one to two percent of the human population naturally has red hair?"

Doyce looks impressed. He says, "I did not know that." He cracks his neck. Kylie blinks. Doyce removes his jacket and tosses it on Nathan. "You're goin' down, chicky!" Doyce runs at Kylie.

Kylie asks Chris, "Is giving up an option?"

Chris says, "Yes."

Kylie says, "Okay, I forfeit." She runs off the field, as Doyce jumps, misses her, and lands in the mud.

Doyce shouts, "I got my jeans dirty! And I didn't even knock down a girl! My mom's gonna kill me!"

Chris laughs. He says, "Well, with that, the Athletic Supporters are victorious, five to two. The Muscleheads need to vote someone out. Discuss it among yourselves." Chris walks off as the Athletic Supporters celebrate and carry Zoe off.

Evan asks Holden, "What was that? I thought you would choose better. Luke should have been against one of their big guys."

"I'm sorry," Holden states. He holds his head down. "I didn't want him to get hurt."

Luke sighs. He says, "Seriously? I'm not weak, just because of my disease. Is that what you think?"

"Disease?" Polly Ann asks.

"I have AIDS," Luke states. A collective gasp is heard among the female team members.

Polly Ann looks down. She says, "It doesn't matter, does it?"

"It shouldn't," Luke says. "But I know that it makes most people look at me different. I wanted to prove I was just as strong as anyone."

Polly Ann nods. She says, "You are. You didn't get manipulated by a cute Asian with Dustin Beaver hair."

"You know Dustin Beaver?" Alexandria asks.

Polly Ann nods. She says, "But that isn't the point. Luke felt like he could compete with the rest of us, that's why he signed up. I believe in him."

Luke looks down. He says, "Thanks."

At the campfire ceremony, Chris announces, "Your first elimination ceremony. You'll remember it always. I'll hand out these new protein marshmallows. In this game the marshmallow represents your life in this game. You don't get one, you leave the island. Get it?" The contestants mostly roll their eyes and nod. Chris announces, "Evan." Evan catches his marshmallow. Bubba cheers. "Gabby is also safe," Gabby gets hit in the eye with the marshmallow. "Are you okay?" Chris asks with wide eyes. Gabby gives a thumbs up. "Skylar is safe, and so are Alexandria and Polly Ann." The three catch their marshmallows. Chris says, "Bubba, you're safe." Bubba catches his marshmallow and looks to his side. "The next marshmallow goes to... Vanessa." Some of the contestants look surprised as she catches her marshmallow. "Next... Kylie." Kylie catches her marshmallow. Vanessa looks at Luke and Holden.

Vanessa says, "I like this bottom two."

Chris states, "The aforementioned bottom two, Luke and Holden. One of you has been voted out. The one of you to not receive a marshmallow will take the Boat of Losers, and leave this game. That aforementioned marshmallow goes to..."

"Holden." Holden catches the marshmallow with his eyes wide.

Luke slaps his knees and says, "I should have known. Well, I wish I could say it was fun..."

Evan says, "This is ridiculous. Luke is probably our strongest team member."

"That is sexist," Vanessa assures.

Evan glares at her. He says, "I don't even know if I want to be on this team."

Skylar nods and says, "I agree. Luke is so nice, guys. You made a big mistake."

Polly Ann asks, "Who would even vote for him?"

Luke glances at Bubba, as Bubba looks away from him. Luke says, "Well, it happened. I was voted out, I'm supposed to go." He stands. "Bye, everyone." He walks toward the Boat of Losers.

Polly Ann assures, "Luke, you didn't deserve this. This team won't be the same without you."

Luke looks back, smiles, and says, "Thanks. I really appreciate that. You're a good girl." Polly Ann blushes. Luke turns back around and gets onto the Boat of Losers.

On board, Luke sits down. He kicks the floor with his heel.

Most of the Muscleheads are shown looking down at the ground. Chris turns toward the camera and says, "There you have it. The first contestant is out. Was it a wise decision? Be sure to watch the next episode to see which team wins, and who will be voted out next."

#### Chapter 3 - Smells Like Team Spirit

Chris Mclean states, "Welcome to an all new Total... Drama... Athletics! Last time, the teams were asked to play a soccer game... Then we got rained out. The challenge was postponed until the next day. I decided to change the challenge to tackle matches, which everyone enjoyed. Holden and Zoe were in charge of deciding match ups. While things were fishy on Holden's side of things, what with him putting one of his strongest teammates, Luke, against one of other team's..." Chris cautiously looks around for Vanessa, "females, as well as one of his team's presumably weakest, Gabby, against his beloved brother, Jayden... She actually beat him, though. So, with all that, Holden's team, the Muscleheads, lost the challenge. Evan in particular was annoyed that Luke was given an uneven match, when he had a chance to beat one of the other team's stronger contestants. Luke told the female contestants that he has AIDS, which surprised most of them, but left Polly Ann defending him. In the end, Luke was voted out, which greatly offended Evan, Skylar, and Polly Ann. Luke noted that his early friend Bubba felt awkward around him, after it came out that he has a disease. Luke left, and felt generally disappointed." Chris lets out a sigh. "Anyway, what's going to happen next?"

Bubba is shown walking ahead of his team to his cabin. Polly Ann, Skylar, and Evan are still sitting at the campfire ceremony. Evan looks after Bubba. "What's up with him?" Skylar asks. "I thought he was friends with Luke."

"Not if he responded how he did," Polly Ann adds.

Evans looks down at the ground. He says, "Yeah."

Evan is shown in confessional. He says quietly, "I don't understand Bubba's decision. I don't agree with it, either. But... I don't know. Something makes me want to give him the benefit of the doubt. If he's ignorant, than he just needs to be informed, I guess."

Vanessa, Kylie, Alexandria, and Gabby are shown in their cabin. Vanessa says, "Great job, girls. We showed that guy who's boss."

Gabby says, "I don't know. I feel like voting him out was a huge mistake."

Vanessa frowns. She says, "Sure, he probably got favorable editing, typical of any reality show when it comes to male contestants. It makes me sick. But in the long run, we need to take out all of the guys on our team."

"Why, again?" Kylie asks.

Vanessa frowns. She says, "If we don't vote them out, they'll vote us out, first."

"Couldn't we have voted out one of the other guys first?" Alexandria asks. "I feel kind of bad about who we voted for."

Vanessa shakes her head. She explains, "Sam presented a conflict. We don't have the numbers, just yet, so we needed to take advantage of the opportunity to eliminate him."

"Who's Sam?" Kylie asks, while blankly blinking.

Outside, Fernando and Madison are shown lying on the dock. Madison dreamily looks at Fernando. She tells him, "After my last break up, I didn't think it would be possible for me to like someone, again. Then I met you. You're really special, Fernando."

"Thanks," Fernando replies.

"I mean, you're all hot..." Madison begins, "and exotic, and stuff."

"Yeah," Fernando replies. Madison looks at him.

Madison gives a half smile. She asks, "How do you feel about me? Do you... like me back?"

Fernando shrugs. Madison looks concerned. Fernando forces a smile and says, "Sure."

Madison hugs Fernando. She says romantically, "You understand me!"

Polly Ann is shown in confessional. She states, "Luke's elimination really burned my biscuits." She lets out a grunt. "I need to let out some steam, so I'm gonna do what I do back at home when I get mad." She rolls up her sleeves.

Polly Ann is shown in a muddy field. She looks around, stealthily. She leaps into the mud. Doyce walks by. He looks at her with wide eyes. He asks, "What are you doing? Did you lose a contact lens, or something? I'd help you find it, but... Yeah, right."

"I'm catching frogs," Polly Ann answers.

Doyce looks bewildered. He says, "Why?"

"'Cause I'm mad," Polly Ann replies. She dives into the mud. She holds up a frog and says, "Got one!"

Doyce stares at her. He says, "That... actually looks kind of fun." She lets the frog go. He asks, "Mind if I join you?"

Polly Ann shrugs. She says, "I can't stop you." She eyes him. "Actually, I probably could, but I won't."

"Awesome, I..." Doyce begins. He looks down at his clothes. He says, "I'm going to change into my frog catching outfit. Don't go anywhere." Doyce rushes off.

The rest of the Athletic Supporters' guys are shown in their room. Jayden asks, "Has anyone seen my flat iron?" Nathan stares at his fingernails. He shrugs.

Tony says, "I haven't seen it. What does it look like?"

"A flat iron," Jayden replies with a blank expression. "Like for straightening your hair?"

Tony stares at Jayden. He repeats, "What does it look like?"

Jayden narrows his eyes. He says, "It's metal... and... there's a cord?"

Tony shrugs. He says, "I'll help you look for it."

"Thanks!" Jayden replies. He looks at Nathan, who continues looking at his fingernails. "Your fingernails must really be interesting."

"What was that?" Nathan replies with an annoyed expression.

"Nothing," Jayden replies, while blushing.

Tony punches Jayden in the chest, knocking him back a few feet. He says, "Don't worry. I said I'd help you."

Jayden is shown in confessional, rubbing his sore chest. He asks, "Does that classify as assault?"

Tony is shown lifting up a bed. He sets it down, "Not under there." He lifts Nathan's bed, with him in it. He finds the flat iron, bends down, picks it up, and asks, "Is this it?"

Jayden smiles and nods. He excitedly says, "That's it! Karen, I missed you." He takes the flat iron from Tony and puts his lips on it. He looks at Nathan and Tony who stare at him with wide eyes. "What?" Jayden asks.

Nathan requests, "Can you put me down, now?"

Tony says, "Oh, right. Sorry." He sets down Nathan's bed.

Jayden sets down Karen and attempts to lift one of the beds in the room, and fails. He says, "Wow, Tony. You must be really strong."

Tony blushes and says, "Not really."

Nathan looks at Tony with a raised eyebrow. He states, "You must do a lot of weightlifting."

"Well," Tony starts, "I do." Tony looks to the side and says, "I guess I do it a lot in my... free time."

Nathan's eyes get narrow. He says, "Very inter..."

Jayden hops into Tony's arms and says, "Weightlift me!" Tony sighs and does curls while holding Jayden. Doyce walks in, undresses in a few seconds, puts on a Speedo, and walks out. The other guys have wide eyes.

"What just happened?" Nathan asks, still with his eyes wide.

Tony shakes his head, but says, "That guy has more freckles than I've ever seen."

Jayden says, "Who said you could stop?" Tony sighs and continues lifting Jayden up and down. Jayden excitedly says, "Whee! Haha!"

Back outside, Doyce is shown walking back to Polly Ann. He winks and points at Cassie, Ramona, Zoe, and Isabella as he walks by. Cassie says, "That was odd."

"Wow," Ramona says. "That Doyce guy isn't that bad looking... When he isn't talking... or fully clothed." Zoe and Cassie nod.

Doyce meets up with a muddy Polly Ann. He says, "I'm ready. Let's do this! Um... How do we do this?"

Polly Ann catches another frog. She says, "Try to keep still. Then leap when the frog is least expecting it. Then you..." She looks up at Doyce. Her face turns bright red. She quickly looks down. "Uh... Then just catch them..."

Doyce shouts, "I'm ready for this. Prepare to go down! The champ is about to... catch frogs... or whatever."

Polly Ann says, "This isn't a competition, or anything."

Doyce dives into the mud with a massive belly flop. "Oh, yeah!" he shouts. "Take that, son!" Polly Ann looks at Doyce, then at the frogs as they hurriedly leap away. She lets out a slight laugh. Doyce stands up, and asks, "How did I do?" Polly Ann looks at Doyce, again, his front half covered in mud, and laughs.

Polly Ann says, "Well, I better turn in. Thanks for the laugh." She walks off.

Doyce looks after her with a confused expression. He says, "Oh, yeah. That's that girl I made out with." He laughs. "Score another point for the Doyceman. She so wants me." He looks after her with a slightly dreamy expression.

The next morning, the guys from the Musclehead's team are shown in their cabin. Evan looks over at Bubba, who is lying in his bed with his eyes open. Evan looks over to see that Holden and Skylar are still asleep. Evan says, "Hey, Bubba."

Bubba looks over at him. He quietly says, "Hey."

Evan says, "How are you feeling?" Bubba doesn't reply. Evan sighs. "Look, about yesterday. I know it must have been weird for you to learn that Luke... I mean, it surprised me, too. But that didn't change who he is. He's the same guy we met." Bubba looks over at Evan. "You can't get AIDS just from touching someone infected, or..."

"What?" Bubba asks with wide eyes.

"It's true," Evan states, with a confused expression.

"No, I mean..." Bubba begins.

"You were acting differently when you found out about it," Evan says.

Bubba says, "Yeah... Um..." He looks at Holden and Skylar. "Can we talk outside?"

Evan replies, "Sure." He gets out of bed and walks outside with Bubba. He says, "Look, I don't think you're a bad guy for what you did."

Bubba looks down. He says, "Thanks, but... I feel really guilty about it. I didn't mean to hurt Luke's feelings, I just... I know you can't catch it, like a cold, or anything. I just..."

"Yeah?" Evan asks.

Bubba's eyes get tearful. Evan looks confused. Bubba explains, "I don't have any friends, at home. I really liked Luke. He was the nicest guy I've ever met... Besides you." Evan blushes. "He never mentioned anything about my height, or the fact that I resemble a lizard." Evan stifles a laugh. "I was just... I was afraid of getting close to him, after I found out..." Bubba looks up in an effort to fight back his tears. He says, "I just thought that I don't want to get so close to him that when he... I don't want to say it..."

"Say what?" Evan asks.

Bubba blurts out, "I wanted to keep my distance, because I don't want to lose him as a friend when he dies." Bubba holds his head down as his tears fall to the ground.

Evan's face drops. He puts his arms around Bubba and says, "Oh, Bubba... Luke's not going to die, anytime soon. You saw how strong he was."

"But there isn't a cure," Bubba states.

Evan admits, "There's been a lot of improvements with medicine. There isn't a cure, right now, but the advancements in medicine make it possible for him to have quite a few years, ahead."

"It does?" Bubba asks.

"But even if that wasn't true," Evan begins, "how do you think Luke feels? Do you think he's been faced with people not wanting to be his friend after they find out he has AIDS? Don't you think he has a difficult time dealing with the disease without having to deal with other people's reactions?"

Bubba looks down. He quietly says, "Yeah." Bubba looks up at Evan. He says, "I read your autobiography, man. I felt an instant connection to you, since I didn't grow up with a dad, like you, and everyone always told me I couldn't be great at anything. I never dreamed I'd meet you, but I really didn't think you'd be like this. You're the coolest person I've ever met." Bubba latches onto Evan.

Evan blushes and says, "Thanks."

Bubba asks, "Evan?"

"Yeah?" Evan responds.

Bubba asks, "Do you think Luke can forgive me?"

Evan smiles and says, "Sure, Bubba. I'm fairly..."

Alexandria is shown staring at the guys. She says, "Nice underwear."

Evan and Bubba look down, and quickly let go of each other. Evan says, "Maybe we should go get dressed."

"Good idea," Bubba says. They walk into their cabin with their faces red.

Jayden is shown walking around by himself outside. He sees someone's back and approaches them. He says, "Oh, hey, bro! I wanted to talk to you since we're on different teams now." The person turns around. Jayden's eyes get wide. He says, "You're not Holden. Sorry, from behind you look just like him." Cassie blushes. "Not that that's a bad thing, Holden's a good looking guy." Cassie blushes some more. Jayden's face turns red. He says, "No, I mean... You're obviously a girl, I mean, I'm not confused about that." He holds his head down. "I guess I've been away from my bro for too long. I forgot what he looks like. You guys have similar hairstyles, or whatever... I really like it, though. That's why I have it, too!" Cassie looks at Jayden with a confused expression. Jayden asks, "Um... What was your name, again?"

"Cassie," the tall girl answers, still blushing.

Jayden nods. He says, "I like that name. Is it, like, Japanese, or something?" Cassie blushes. "You don't talk much, do you? I guess I'm doing all the talking. Sorry about that. I never really have anything smart to say. My brother's about the only one who's nice to me about that. I'll, uh, I'll leave you alone, right now. See ya, Cassie." Jayden walks off.

Chris is shown holding his megaphone. He looks back and forth. He smiles and holds up his megaphone. All of the contestants suddenly appear, causing Chris to frown. He mutters, "Challenge time." He walks off and returns with a trunk. He states, "This challenge is about your teams. You'll take these materials," Chris kicks the box open, "and make banners, pennants, headbands, jackets, or whatever, for your team. Whichever team does best will win the challenge and invincibility. The Athletic Supporters need to sit out a team member, however, since you have one extra."

Doyce stares back at Chris with a blank expression. He says, "Where's the sports?"

"This is about teamwork, and such," Chris explains.

Doyce continues to look confused. "Is there, like, a ball to kick?" he asks.

Nathan holds his head down. He says, "We sit out Doyce."

Doyce's eyes widen. He says, "I've never been benched before. I'm a star player!"

Nathan says, "Fine, you can sew a pennant together." Doyce quickly goes to his bench.

Doyce states, "You're not going to see me do something so girly."

"He did not just say that," Alexandria states.

Vanessa nods and says, "You're a fool for not expecting it."

Isabella signs and says, "Wait, they voted out Luke? Wasn't he their strongest player?" Vanessa gives Isabella a death glare.

Chris says, "Alright, you can all begin the challenge. I'm going to go take a nap." He walks off.

"Doesn't he ever supervise challenges, anymore?" Isabella asks as she signs.

"What's to supervise?" Ramona asks. "We're all practically adults."

Nathan looks at Gabby with wide eyes. He takes a pair of scissors from her, and hands her a set of safety scissors. "Thanks," Gabby says.

The Muscleheads look through the supplies. "What color are we going to choose?" Polly Ann asks, looking at the supplies with a confused expression.

"I like blue," Holden states.

"Oh, sure," Vanessa states. "Choose the color synonymous with 'boy'."

Holden sighs and shakes his head. He says, "Fine. We'll go with pink."

Vanessa's eyes get wide. She says, "Are you seriously suggesting the color that society has deemed girly? I can't believe my ears. I knew you were a sexist male amoeba, but this surprises, even me."

"I don't mean to interrupt," Kylie states, "but amoebas don't have genders." Vanessa glares at Kylie.

Holden sighs and says, "Can anyone think of a color that isn't gender specific?"

"Orange?" Skylar suggests.

"Are you okay with that, Vanessa?" Holden asks sarcastically.

"You have no right to be so formal with me," Vanessa states. "The sheer nerve..."

Bubba frowns and says, "I would have picked green." Skylar looks at Bubba, and then looks away.

On the other team, Zoe asks, "What color should we go with?"

"The color of jockstraps!" Doyce shouts from the sidelines.

Alexandria states, from the other side, "I do not want to know what they're talking about."

Jayden looks at Cassie. He says, "How about orange? That color looks nice on Cassie..." Cassie blushes.

Nathan looks at Jayden and then at Cassie. He shrugs and says, "That's as good a color, as any." He walks over, looks at the supplies, and says, "Where's the orange?" He pulls out on small strip of orange. He looks at the other team and says, "Oh. We should go with another color. Any other ideas?"

"Ice blue," Jayden states. "Holden looks great in that color."

"I like purple," Isabella says as she signs.

Ramona has her arm around Bubba. She says, "I choose green."

Bubba looks around. He says, "Where am I? Why am I over here?"

On the other team, Kylie says, "Did you know that the color orange was named after the fruit, as opposed to the fruit being named after the color? The color originally was called ġeolurēad, or 'yellow-red'."

Holden looks at Kylie. He says, "Wow. That's... that's really interesting."

Kylie blushes and says, "I know."

On the Athletic Supporters, Madison says, "I like yellow."

Nathan looks at her with a confused look. He says, "You want us to be the yellow Athletic Supporters?"

"Yeah," Madison says. "What's wrong with that?"

Nathan blinks. He says, "You're serious? I just think it's a bad idea."

Madison glares at Nathan. She says to Fernando, "Did you hear him, Fernando?" Fernando nods. "Are you going to let him talk to me like that?"

"Yes," Fernando says.

Madison's eyes widen. She says, "What?"

"No?" Fernando retries.

Madison nods and says, "That's better. Thanks, sweetie. You tell him."

Fernando looks at Nathan. Nathan looks at Fernando. Fernando says, "Stop."

Nathan rolls his eyes and says, "Oh, you told me. I've seen the error of my ways, and will never question Madison, ever again."

Madison hugs Fernando and says, "Oh, sweetie! You stood up to that bully! You're so brave." Fernando looks at Madison with a raised eyebrow.

"Have we decided on a color, yet?" Isabella asks as she signs.

"I vote for red," Tony states.

"The color of blood?" Nathan asks.

Tony blinks for a moment. He says, "Yeah, I guess."

Zoe states, "Hm, I see what the problem is here. We're not thinking as a team!" She randomly starts crying. "We need to be a team, people!" Tony looks at Nathan with a worried expression. "Instead of choosing separate colors, why not combine all of our favorite colors into one?"

"Wouldn't that just make a really disgusting brown color?" Cassie asks.

Jayden has wide eyes. He says, "No, I think she means like a rainbow." Zoe nods.

Isabella signs and says, "So instead of being one team of one solid conformed color, we'd be a team of various colors to highlight the diversity of our team and the uniqueness of every individual!"

"That is so beautiful," Doyce states from the side.

"What part of 'on the sidelines' don't you understand?" Nathan barks.

A montage is shown of the teams working on their pennants, banners, and other things.

Chris returns. He says, "Time's up. Let's see what you got."

The Muscleheads step forward wearing orange headbands, T-shirts, holding orange pennants labeled with 'MH'. Holden explains, "Our team decided to go with the color orange... Because... it represents our determination to... be a team."

"I thought it was the only color we agreed on," Alexandria whispers.

Evan says, "I thought it was named after an orange."

Chris surveys the team. He says, "Alright, then... Athletic Supporters?" The team steps forward, Chris looks at them with wide eyes.

Zoe states, "I'm sure you have noticed that each of us are wearing a different color. At first glance, one might think that we couldn't agree on a single color, but that is not the case. We realized that each of us was beautiful the way we are..."

Madison looks at Fernando and says, "Some more than others."

Zoe continues, "Like the beautiful rainbow, each of us contribute something different to our team, but together we make up a kaleidoscope of wonder! Go team!" The team cheers.

Chris looks at Fernando. He asks, "Is there a reason he's wearing a pennant as a loincloth?"

"That's all we had of the orange fabric," Ramona explains.

"Ooh," Kylie says. "Does the fact that he's wearing orange mean that he can come over to our team?" Madison glares at Kylie.

Chris looks at Jayden. "And why does his banner say 'GAS!'?"

Jayden explains, "It stands for 'Go Athletic Supporters!'" The team cheers. Holden places his hand on his forehead.

Chris nods and says, "I've reached a decision. The winners of the challenge are... The Athletic Supporters!" The Athletic Supporters cheer.

"Wait, what?" Alexandria asks. "They don't even match. How can you tell they're one team?"

"Plus," Holden says, "Tony and Nathan are wearing black and silver." The guys wave.

"Yeah, and?" Chris asks.

Holden shouts, "What kind of a rainbow includes black and silver?!"

Chris frowns and shakes his head. He says, "You could at least accept your defeat with dignity. The Muscleheads need to vote somebody out, soon. Who will it be?" He walks off.

"I somehow feel he doesn't really care," Skylar states.

Bubba nods and says, "Yeah." Skylar glares at Bubba.

Evan grabs Skylar by the arm and walks off with him. Skylar asks, "What do you want?"

Evan explains, "Look, man. I know Bubba took a lot of the blame for Luke's vote, but I'm begging you, bro, try to give him a second chance."

Skylar shakes his head. He says, "I'm sorry, man. He didn't even give Luke one chance. Why should I give him a second chance?"

Evan shrugs. He says, "Isn't there anyone on the circus, or that you've met otherwise that you felt uncomfortable when you first met them?"

"Well, there was the bearded lady," Skylar recalls.

"Right," Evan states. "And after you got to know her, you realized that you were wrong for feeling that way."

"No," Skylar states. "She didn't like me. She said my hair was too long for a boy."

Evan blinks. He says, "Um, okay. So once she got to know you..."

"We dated briefly," Skylar answers. Evan raises an eyebrow. "Well, I see what you're trying to say..."

"I appreciate it, man," Evan says with a smile. "So, uh... Was the bearded lady hot?"

At the elimination ceremony, Chris says, "So here you are... your second elimination ceremony. Which one of you received the most votes? Well, it wasn't... Evan." Evan catches a marshmallow.

"Oh, right," Vanessa says. "Give the first marshmallow to a male contestant. I'm so shocked."

Chris ignores her and says, "Alexandria, Skylar, Kylie, Gabby, Holden, and... Bubba are safe." He tosses marshmallows to each called contestant, and hits Gabby in the eye with one of them. Chris states, "So that leaves our bottom two, Vanessa and Polly Ann."

"Typical bottom two," Vanessa protests.

Chris shakes his head as he places his hand on his forehead. He says, "The final marshmallow goes to..."

"Vanessa." She catches her marshmallow.

Vanessa says, "That's the lesson you get for not voting with the girls in the last vote."

Polly Ann ignores Vanessa, stands, and hugs Evan, and then Skylar. She says, "Thanks for voting for me."

"You bet," Skylar says, "though I wish you wanted to stay."

"Wait," Bubba says. "You requested to be voted out?"

Polly Ann shrugs and nods. She says, "After being here, I didn't feel like this was the right place for me."

"What is the right place for you?" Bubba asks. Polly Ann blushes.

Polly Ann picks up her belongings and heads to the Dock of Shame. Doyce emerges from the water in his swimsuit. He says, "Hey, mama. Doesn't the way the moonlight glistens against my moist body look ridiculous?"

Polly Ann laughs. She says, "If you say so, Doyce."

"I know so," Doyce says with a wide smile. Polly Ann goes closer to the Boat of Losers. He asks, "Hey, where are you going? I was hoping we could hang out, again."

Polly Ann explains, "Well, I was just voted out."

"What?!" Doyce says with wide eyes. He says, "That's not right. You're totally the strongest one on that loser team."

"It's okay, Doyce," Polly Ann admits. "This is the way I wanted it."

Doyce looks down at the dock. He says, "You're not like other girls I've met. Plus, you're an awesome kisser." He blushes. "I was planning on giving you the honor of being my girlfriend."

Polly Ann laughs. She says, "You're sweet, Doyce." She kisses his cheek. "You make me feel special. I really appreciate that. I never felt beautiful before, and you make me feel that way."

"So will you be my gf?" Doyce asks with a wide smile.

Polly Ann shakes her head. She says, "Maybe if I were to stay here a little longer that might have happened, but the truth is... there's someone else."

"Who is it?" Doyce asks, suspiciously. "I'll pummel... politely talk to them."

"The truth is..." Polly Ann begins. "It's Luke."

"That guy who got voted out first?" Doyce asks with his eyes wide. "But... he got voted out first!"

"Unfairly," Polly Ann adds. "I just know he has to be really depressed, right now. I can't imagine how he feels being by himself, so that's why I wanted to go see him, again. And I don't feel right about being here, when he deserved to stay so much more than me."

Doyce continues looking down. He says, "So I have no shot, huh? I was hoping to meet my first girlfriend, here... I mean... My... uh... first girlfriend that I met on a reality show."

Polly Ann pats Doyce's shoulder. She says, "Don't worry. You'll find someone, Doyce. There's no need to think it has to be here, though. What? There's nine girls here, now?"

"I get what you're saying," Doyce says with a sigh. "I'll miss you, though."

"Thanks, Doyce," Polly Ann says. "I should go." Polly Ann boards the Boat of Losers.

Doyce calls out, "Whenever I catch a frog, I'll remember you." As the boat leaves, Polly Ann smiles and waves at Doyce. He acts like he catches her wave, looks confused, and then waves back. He looks down at the water with a slight frown.

Chris is shown in front of the camera. He says, "So there it is. Another contestant is gone. Who will be next? Who will not be next? Will the Muscleheads ever win a challenge? Tune in next time to see what happens."

#### Chapter 4 - Touching Baseball

Chris Mclean states, "It's that time, again, folks. Time for another Total... Drama... Athletics. On our last episode, the teens were forced... asked to compete in a battle of team colors, and stuff. They made banners and other things to demonstrate the unity of their teams. The Muscleheads chose one solid color, while the Athletic Supporters..." Chris gets choked up. "Excuse me... The Athletic Supporters displayed their unity by embracing each of their beautiful differences with rainbow colors... and black and silver. The Athletics Supporters were the hands down winners of the challenge, while the Muscleheads were asked to vote out Polly Ann at her request so she could be with her friend Luke at a difficult time for him. So what will happen this time?"

The guys from the Muscleheads team are shown in their cabin. "What's going on with our team?" Evan asks.

"Don't say that," Holden states. "We'll get them next time."

Skylar says, "Evan's right. We lost two of our strongest team members, already. Two of our nicest..."

Bubba holds his head down. "Come on, guys," Holden says. "Things will pick up. I mean, there's never been a team that never won a challenge."

"Yet," Evan states.

Bubba says, "Wait. Didn't Team Victory lose every elimination challenge on Total... Drama... World Tour?" Holden looks at Bubba with a blank expression.

Madison and Fernando are shown sitting on the dock in their swimwear. "It's a beautiful night," Madison states.

"Yup," Fernando agrees. Madison looks at him and sighs.

Madison says, "You're so good looking."

Fernando shrugs his shoulders and says, "Thanks."

Madison stares at Fernando. She says, "Is that all you have to say?" Fernando stares blankly at Madison. She lets out a deep sigh. She says, "You've barely said anything since we started dating. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you weren't interested in me, at all." Fernando starts looking around. "Well?" Fernando doesn't reply. Madison says, "For a relationship to work, both parts of that relationship need to give something to it. I barely know anything about you, Fernando, but I'd like to get to know you better, though, Fernando." She puts her hand on top of Fernando's hand. "Tell me about yourself." She smiles sweetly at Fernando.

Fernando looks down at her hand. He says, 'I get what your saying."

Madison continues smiling. She states, "I'm glad. So what..."

"When I was seven," Fernando begins, "I had a pet goldfish named Roberto."

Madison laughs. She says, "See. That wasn't so..."

"I like marbles," Fernando goes on. "One time, I got a big bag of marbles from my papa. My favorite one was clear with blue and green spirals on the inside. I used to carry it everywhere I went."

"That's cute," Madison says, still smiling. "That reminds me of..."

"My pet dog, his name is Roberto, also, is verging on obese," Fernando goes on. "Once, there was this kid in my neighborhood. His name was Bobby. He kind of smelled like cheese, all the time. I never understood why that was. Speaking of cheese, I gave that up a few years ago. I used to sit and eat cheesy puffs for hours. They kind of look like clouds... If clouds were orange. Well, sometimes during a sunset, clouds are orange, sometimes, I guess. Right?"

Madison stares at Fernando with wide eyes. She agrees, "Uh-huh."

"Yeah," Fernando says. "There was this one time I was on a team, and they had me wear an orange pennant. It was comfortable, but a little drafty, too. I wonder what it would like to be a jockey. I think I'm too tall for that, unless there's some kind of breed of giant horse that makes me feel shorter. I wish I was shorter, sometimes. I also wish that I could levitate. That would be pretty different. Of course, then everyone would think I was weird, and that wouldn't be fun." Madison's left eye starts twitching. "Did you ever see a cattail? I wonder where they get their names from. They don't really looks like cat tails... At least, not any I've ever seen. Oh, and another thing..."

Madison is shown in confessional, staring forward with her eyes wide. "Fernando is..." Madison begins, "the most boring person I've ever met. And I've met..." her words are edited out, but her lips obviously say 'Chris Mclean'. "He's hot... Fernando, I mean, but I can't see myself dating a guy like that. I had to break it to him gently that it wasn't going to work between us."

Fernando is shown in the middle of a monologue. "Then he said to me, 'Fernando, a woman is like a fine wine'... I still have no idea what that meant. Maybe it's some kind of haiku. A haiku is like a poem, but it's more Asian, or something. If I had to..."

Madison abruptly stands up. She says, "Fernando, I'm going to put this as nicely as I can. I'm breaking up with you. It was wrong of me to ask you to go out with me, just based on what you look like. I should have found out that you completely lack any sort of personality before making that decision. Um... That came out wrong. Anyway, bye, Fernando. Thanks for... Never mind. I can't think of anything." She walks off. Fernando looks after her.

"Hey, hot dude," Doyce says, as he walks up. He says, "Nice swimsuit, hot dude." He looks after Madison. "You just got broken up with, huh?"

"Yeah," Fernando answers.

Doyce sits down next to Fernando. "I see," Doyce says. "I've never been broken up with."

"Well, it's technically true," Doyce states in confessional. He blows on his fingernails.

Doyce continues talking to Fernando, "We're lucky, hot dude. We've got looks on our side. We'll find a girl who can appreciate us, and our hotness. I mean, two different girls. That would be weird if we started dating the same girl. Am I right?"

"Sure," Fernando answers.

"I mean," Doyce says. "What don't I have? I'm popular, awesome, and I've got, like, a billion freckles. I'm every girl's dream." Doyce sighs. "Now I'm more depressed than ever. I gotta go, man. You're bumming me out." Doyce gets up and walks off. Fernando looks down at the water.

Doyce walks into his cabin. Jayden is licking the back of his hand. Doyce says, "Hey, nerds. I'm going to bed. I had a rough day."

Nathan looks concerned. He says, "Is everything okay, Doyce?"

"Don't talk to me," Doyce commands. "I'm sulking." He buries his face in his pillow.

Nathan says to the confessional camera, "You know... At first, I didn't care for Doyce. But... today, he seemed kind of human between the glimpses of his being a jerk." Nathan looks down. "I hope he's alright." Nathan looks at the camera and insists, "Not that I care. I don't want to actually have to comfort him, or anything. That's why I hope he's alright."

Jayden looks at Tony. He says, "Hey, Tony. Tell me about your life."

Tony shrugs and says, "There's not much to tell."

"Oh, come on," Jayden says. "There's got to be something, Toooony... Tony... What do your friends call you?"

"Friends?" Tony asks. "Well, some of the guys call me 'Baby Blue Eyes'." Tony lets out a chuckle.

Nathan's eyebrow raises. He repeats, "Baby Blue Eyes?" Tony nods. "That's kind of an odd nickname. Who calls you that?"

Tony shrugs. He answers, "Some of the guys. Bobby No Index Fingers, Tommy Eight Ball, Ronnie Pretty Calves Antonelli... You know, the guys."

Jayden says, "Those are some pretty kooky nicknames. What would my nickname be? Give me something cool."

"Jayden No Clue?" Nathan mutters. Jayden shakes his head.

Tony rubs his chin. He suggests, "Jay Gorgeous Hair?"

Jayden's eyes get wide. He says, "That sounds like a doll for preschoolers... I love it!" Fernando sullenly walks into the guys' cabin, removes his Speedo, reveals his pixelation, and gets into his bed.

Tony is shown in confessional. He states, "The guys on my team are a lot different from my... circle of friends. I wonder if any of them would last a minute with... the guys I usually hang with."

The cabin of the female Muscleheads is shown, the next morning. Vanessa smiles and says, "Nice work, girls."

"With what?" Gabby asks.

Vanessa answers, "Voting out Polly Ann. She was working with the enemy."

"Right," Alexandria sarcastically states. "Because boy is the enemy."

"Exactly!" Vanessa states. "I'm so proud that you get where I'm coming from. And you all saw what will happen if you go against our alliance."

Kylie states, "You know, ninety nine percent of all female alliances on reality shows don't work." Vanessa stares at Kylie.

Vanessa says, "That's not true in our case. This alliance will be successful, as long as none of you defect to the dark side."

"Yeah," Alexandria says. "I'd never want to vote with the guys, over this lovable bunch."

Vanessa shakes her head and says, "I'm really touched." She puts her hand over her heart. "To think I found a sister on the same wavelength as me." Alexandria looks at Vanessa with a raised eyebrow.

Gabby is shown sitting in the corner tying together orange friendship bracelets. "What are you up to?" Kylie asks.

Gabby answers, "I'm making friendship bracelets for us."

Vanessa smiles wide. She says, "That's fantastic sisterhood thinking. You girls are so amazing..." She looks at Gabby. "Why are you making eight of them?"

Gabby explains, "One for each member of our..." Kylie nudges Gabby. "Sisterhood... and... a back up for each of us." Vanessa looks touched.

Kylie says, "You know, the majority of friendship bracelets are given to acquaintances."

"All done," Gabby proclaims. She stands up and immediately falls down. She looks done at her feet, tangled in extra material for the friendship bracelets. She says, "Clumsy me."

"Let me help you up, sister," Vanessa insists, as she helps Gabby up.

"Thanks," Gabby says. "Falling is an hobby of mine."

Kylie states, "Builders, electricians, miners, and painters all have a high rate of on the job falling related accidents."

"Thank you for that, Kylie," Alexandria says.

Kylie nods and says, "You're welcome."

Alexandria stares at Kylie. She says, "You know... I'm going to go get some air. Don't follow me." She walks out of the cabin. The others look at each other.

Alexandria is shown walking away from her cabin. She lets out a sigh. She hears some noise in the distance, shrugs, and walks toward it. She sees Evan riding his skateboard on the top of some blacktop, for a set up basketball court. He does some tricks. Alexandria claps and says, "Impressive."

Evan turns around, blushes, and says, "Thanks, but I'm a pro, and all."

"So modest," Alexandria says with an eye roll.

"I didn't know anyone was watching," Evan insists. "I didn't mean to show off, or anything."

"Well, don't stop on my account," Alexandria states as she begins to turn to leave.

Evan says, "Nah. I was about ready for a break, anyway." He sits down on the ground and pats the ground next to him.

Alexandria states, "I'm not looking for a magical, dream romance, bucko."

Evan looks confused. He asks, "Sitting on the ground next to someone has something to do with that?"

"On this show?" Alexandria says. She looks at Evan. "Fine." She sits down next to him.

"So where's the man hater?" Evan asks, as he suspiciously looks around. "Does she know you're in my presence?"

"Probably not, unless she has some weird sort of sixth sense," Alexandria admits. "I wouldn't be surprised if she did." Evan laughs.

"How are things on the female side of the team, anyways?" Evan questions.

Alexandria shrugs. She says, "I'm not a huge fan, no offense to any of them. I'm sure they're nice girls... Except for Vanessa. I'm pretty sure she's evil. But I'm willing to..."

"What's going on here?" Vanessa asks, suddenly appearing.

"We were just talking," Evan says. "Is there some law against it?"

"There should be," Vanessa says. She takes hold of Alexandria's arm and drags her away. She says, "I'll let it slide this time. That guy has girl hair, so I could see how you could be mistaken. I don't want to see you talking to him, or any of the other guys, though."

"Yes, boss," Alexandria states sarcastically.

Vanessa smiles and says, "Great."

Cassie and Ramona are shown talking. Ramona says, "So then I started walking on my hands for the rest of the day. You should have seen some of the looks I was getting." Ramona raises an eyebrow. She explains, "That was one of them." Ramona makes a surprised face. She says, "That's another one of them." She looks over to see Jayden over by the metal pole with the sound speaker at top. She looks back at Cassie who is looking at Jayden and blushing. Ramona then looks in another direction. She says, "I'm going to go over to where that bluebird is." She walks away.

Ramona states in confessional, "I lied. There was no bluebird."

Cassie walks up to Jayden. She says, "Hi. What are you doing over here?"

Jayden says, "Hey." He explains, "You know how your tongue gets stuck when you put it on a metal pole in the wintertime?" Cassie nods. "I'm about to test what happens when you put your tongue on a metal pole in the summertime. I mean, my tongue, not your tongue." He sticks out his tongue and puts it on the pole. He looks confused and says, "Huh. Nothing happened." Cassie lets out a laugh. Jayden looks at her and asks, "Are you making fun of me?"

Cassie shakes her head and says, "No."

Jayden lets out a sigh. He says, "Oh, good. About the only person that doesn't give me a hard time is my bro. Well, him and all the people who don't know me. They don't usually bother me." Cassie nods. Jayden looks at her and blushes. He says, "I'm going to go, but it was nice talking to you. Bye, now." He hurries off.

Isabella is shown walking by herself. She looks back and says to herself, "I think I lost Zoe." She lets out a sigh of relief. She trips and falls on the ground. She looks at what she tripped over, and sees Fernando. She stands up. She says and signs, "I didn't notice you there. What are you doing on the ground?" Fernando doesn't say anything. "Let me help you up." She helps Fernando to his feet. She says and signs, "I heard about your break up with Madison. She didn't want to talk about the reason, but... Sorry about that." He looks down at the ground, sadly. Isabella says, "Don't be sad. You'll find another girl who appreciates you." Fernando smiles. Isabella looks at him. She leans in and they kiss. Isabella smiles wide. She takes Fernando's hand in hers and they smile and walk away together.

Nathan walks by and looks at them. He raises an eyebrow and says, "That's odd. Wasn't he dating..." Nathan shrugs.

Zoe walks up to Nathan and says, "Hey, Nathan! Are you ready to take on the world?" Nathan winces. "Let's take on the day together!" She puts her arm around Nathan, and they begin walking.

Nathan asks, "Don't you have a female teammate to disturb?"

"Funny thing," Zoe says. "I couldn't find any of them. Isn't that weird?"

"So weird," Nathan states sarcastically.

Isabella is shown holding hands with Fernando. She looks at him, as he says, "I saw a street performer, one time, when I was in the city. He was all sparkly like a robot. One time, this guy on my street was flying a kite, and it looked like a happy face. That was pretty cool. Did you ever see a tumbleweed? Everyone tells me that they never did, but I saw one one time. I'm being honest. If I were to pick my favorite animal it would be..."

Isabella lets go of Fernando's hand. She says and signs, "I'm sorry, Fernando. I shouldn't have rushed into this. It was a mistake... I mean, you... I..." Isabella walks off. Fernando looks both confused and sad.

Nathan is shown hiding behind a rock, as Zoe walks by looking for him. He emerges after she passes by. He looks over and sees Cassie walk by Fernando. He hops behind the rock, again. Cassie says, "What's the matter, Fernando?" Fernando looks down at the ground. She pats him on the shoulder and says, "It'll be alright." Fernando smiles at her. She says, confidently, "Sorry, but there's someone else I kind of like. You're hot, and all, so if that doesn't work, I'll get back to you."

Fernando nods and says, "Thanks." The two part ways.

Nathan emerges from behind the rock. He says to himself, "Interesting..."

Chris emerges from under the rock and says, "Hey, Nathan. It's time for the next challenge." Nathan looks at the rock with a confused expression. Chris explains, 'That's the entrance to my secret entrance to my secret base. Don't tell anyone, or I'll be forced to tase you... bro!" Chris starts laughing.

Nathan rolls his eyes and says, "That's like four years old. Hey, it matches your mental age." Chris glares at Nathan.

The contestants are shown gathered around Chris. He explains, "Today's challenge is based on baseball."

"What's that?" Gabby asks.

Chris shrugs and says, "Apparently it used to be big in America. Japan is just catching on to it, though. Anyway, there will be a series of baseball based challenges for each team to perform. One contestant will represent their team in each challenge, and the first team to five points will win a very special prize. The first challenge will be pitching. I'll check the speed of the pitch with this doohicky..." Chris holds up a speed gun. "Pick who you think will be the best for that part of the challenge."

Doyce shouts, "I wanna do it! Let me do it!" His team collectively shrugs.

The Muscleheads huddle together. Bubba emerges from the huddle and says, "I'll do it." Chris nods, and the guys get into position.

Chris aims his speed gun as Doyce pitches his baseball. Chris says, "Seventy two miles per hour. Impressive."

Doyce says, "I know. Top that, shorty." Bubba glares at Doyce, but gives a nervous gulp. He pitches the ball.

Chris says, "Ooh. Only fifty one miles per hour. Nice try. Doyce gets a point for his team." Doyce pumps his fist, as his team applauds him. He gives a genuine smile. Chris says, "Next up is batting. The first to hit a home run will win a point for their team." Chris gets on the pitcher's mound.

The Muscleheads emerge from their huddle and Evan says, "Skylar is going to bat for our team." Vanessa looks to the side and mutters something.

Doyce emerges from his team's huddle and says, "I'm going to do it!"

"That's not what we agreed on," Nathan says in protest.

Chris says, "Besides. You can't do more than one challenge. That's against the rules for the challenge."

"Actually, Chris," Kylie says. "You never said that one person couldn't do more than one challenge."

Chris blinks. He says, "I didn't, did I. I guess it's alright, then. Get in position."

Skylar asks, "Shouldn't we put on some protective gear, or something?"

Chris laughs and says, "Protective gear."

Skylar gets in position and says, "I'm ready." Chris throws the pitch. Skylar hits it, but doesn't get a home run. Doyce tries, and smiles arrogantly. Chris throws the baseball and Doyce hits it beyond the trees. He smiles and drops the bat on the ground.

"You're welcome," Doyce says as he rejoins his team. "I'm awesome, right." Zoe slowly claps.

Zoe says, "Ah, nice work, Doyce."

"I know," Doyce says, smiling widely.

Chris says, "That's two points for the Athletic Supporters. Next up, we'll have the team's pick someone to run around the bases. Whoever does it in the fastest time gets the point for their team." Doyce quickly stands in position to run for his team.

Nathan folds his arms and says, "No one's going to stop him, are they?" The others on the Athletic Supporters look annoyed or disappointed.

Holden steps up for his team. Evan pats his back and says, "You got this, man." Holden smiles and nods. Holden stands next to Doyce and gets ready to run.

Chris shouts, "Go!" The guys start running. Doye pulls ahead of Holden, and makes it back to home base before Holden. "Another point for Doyce... I mean, the Athletic Supporters."

Ramona says, "I would have liked to try that one."

"Sure," Doyce says, "But we want to win, right?" Ramona looks down.

Chris says, "Okay, so next up is catching. Who will..." Doyce puts his arm around Chris, already wearing a catcher's mitt. "Why do I bother?" Chris says.

Vanessa is shown in the field near Doyce. She taunts, "You're going down you... man."

"That's seriously the worst insult she could think of," Alexandria whispers to Evan.

Evan whispers back, "You better not let her catch you talking to me."

The challenge begins as Chris fires baseballs from a baseball firing machine. Doyce pushes Vanessa out of the way as he catches the majority of baseballs. "That was kind of unsportsmanlike," Skylar states. "Not that I mind, or anything, given who's on the receiving end..."

Chris shrugs and says, "No rule against it. Another point for the Athletic Supporters. The next challenge is a spitting contest. Whoever can spit the farthest gets a point."

"What does this have to do with baseball?" Cassie asks.

Nathan says, "You never saw a baseball game, huh? Just be glad that it doesn't involve scratching."

Doyce says, "I got this one!"

"I didn't expect anything less," Nathan mutters.

Jayden says, "Why can't one of us try one of the challenges?"

Doyce looks sympathetic. He says, "Look. I understand. I'm not unreasonable." Jayden smiles. "But do you want to take turns, or do you want to win?" Jayden's expression looks blank. Doyce slaps him on the back and says, "I thought so." Doyce walks over to Chris.

Evan steps up for his team. Chris instructs, "Spit over there." He points to the side. "This could be the point the Athletic Supporters need to win the challenge."

"Don't you mean the 'Athletic Doyces'?" Nathan asks.

"I love that!" Doyce says with wide eyes. Nathan slaps his forehead.

Doyce and Evan get in spitting position and begin hacking. "This is gross," Alexandria insists. The guys spit.

Chris looks on. He says, "We have a clear winner... Though his spit was not clear, ironically. The Athletic Supporters win the challenge!"

"Yeah!" Doyce shouts. "Yes!" His team looks generally disappointed. "We won!"

"Whatever, Doyce," Tony says. "You won. You didn't even give any of us a chance to try."

Doyce rolls his eyes. He says, "Whatever. You should be happy that we won. It was all thanks to me."

Chris states, "So with that, it's time to reveal the special surprise for the winning team. You also need to vote someone out. This is a double elimination. Each team needs to vote out a member."

The Athletic Supporters look at Doyce with wide eyes. Doyce smiles and says, "Well, it won't be me. I did awesome."

Chris says, "He's right. As the MVP for the challenge, Doyce gets individual invincibility."

"Awesome!" Doyce shouts. "Yes!" His team looks disappointed, again.

Doyce is shown in confessional. He says, "You see that, mom and dad? I won the challenge all by myself!" He has a slight, proud smile.

Chris says, "I'll see you all later on. The Muscleheads will vote first, since they lost, and all." Chris walks off.

Later, Gabby asks Vanessa, "So who are we voting for?"

Vanessa looks at the others. She says, "It should be obvious."

On the other team, Tony asks Nathan, "What's our plan?"

Nathan looks over at Fernando. He says, "Did you notice anything weird about Fernando?"

Tony shrugs. He says, "Not really. He's perfect."

"I did notice something," Jayden says. "Hasn't he already had, like, two girlfriends since he started on the show? That's more than I've had, all my life."

"He's a fast worker, alright," Nathan admits.

"And I saw him schmoozing with Cassie, earlier," Tony adds.

"You did?" Jayden asks with wide eyes.

Nathan begins, "Wait a second. They were talking, but..." Nathan has Tony and Jayden's attention. He thinks for a moment. "Never mind."

Jayden looks down at the ground. He says, "I don't have a chance with that guy around."

"What do you mean, chance?" Tony asks. Jayden blushes.

At the Muscleheads' elimination ceremony, Chris says, "I'll make this quick. I have another elimination to get on with. Holden, Evan, Bubba, and Skylar... you're all safe." Chris tosses marshmallows to them.

Vanessa protests, "Oh, sure. Declare all the guys safety, first."

Chris tosses a marshmallow at Vanessa. She catches it and Chris says, "You're safe, regrettably. So is Gabby." Gabby is knocked down after getting hit by the marshmallow. "That means that it's between Alexandria and Kylie... The final marshmallow goes to..."

"Alexandria." She catches her marshmallow.

Kylie blinks. She asks, "What's going on?"

Evan admits, "You did point out that Doyce could compete in every challenge. That's kind of why we lost."

Kylie frowns. Vanessa looks at her team. She says, "Someone voted with those of which I won't refer to by name." She blinks in bewilderment.

Chris says, "Alright, Kylie. Get ready to go. Wait up on the Boat of Losers for the loser from the other team who'll be joining you." Kylie nods and sadly walks to the Boat of Losers.

After the Muscleheads clear out, the Athletic Supporters walk in to the campfire ceremony. They take there seats. Chris tosses a marshmallow to Doyce. "Nice job, Doyce. You've earned your safety."

"You know it, son!" Doyce shouts. Nathan rolls his eyes.

Chris goes on, "The next marshmallow goes to... Ramona." She catches her marshmallow. "Isabella, Jayden, and Tony, you three are safe, too." Chris tosses out three marshmallows. "Cassie and Madison, you two are safe." Madison hugs Cassie . Chris states, "The next marshmallow goes to... Zoe." Zoe smiles wide and catches the marshmallow in her mouth. Chris states, "That leaves Fernando and Nathan." Nathan raises an eyebrow. Chris says, "The last marshmallow goes to..."

"Nathan." Nathan catches his marshmallow.

Ramona says, "Why, Fernando? He's hot."

"That's about all he has going for him," Isabella signs and says. "No offense."

"He's trying to play the female contestants," Jayden states. "It's, like, this strategy thing." Fernando looks confused. He sadly looks down and walks toward the Boat of Losers.

Chris says, "Well, that's all for this elimination ceremony. See you next time on another Total... Drama... Athletics!"

Fernando gets on the Boat of Losers, and sadly sits down next to Kylie. She says, "Fernando? I wasn't expecting you, here. Good looking contestants generally make it far on reality shows out, and get voted out toward the end for not contributing much to anything other than boosting ratings."

"Hm," Fernando says.

"I guess I'm glad that I don't have to leave alone," Kylie says.

"Yeah," Fernando agrees in an halfhearted manner.

Kylie looks at Fernando. She blinks and says, "Hey, did you know that the Japanese have found a way to grow square watermelons?"

"Really? Fernando asks.

Kylie nods and states, "Yeah. Crazy, huh? Did you know that goldfish can be red, orange, black, white, or yellow?"

"No," Fernando answers. "I once had a goldfish named Roberto. I... uh... only opened up about that to one other person."

"That's cool," Kylie says. "Did you know that the symbol for gold, Au, comes from the Latin word for gold, aurum?"

Fernando smiles and shakes his head. He says, "Cake tastes really good, but I can't eat a lot of it. It's not very healthy."

"Black forest cake originated in Germany," Kylie states.

Fernando says, "When I moved from Brazil, it was wintertime in Canada. When I walked out of the airport, I fell on a patch of ice. It was really slippery."

Kylie says, "Um... The reason why ice is slippery has been debated for a long time. It was believed for a while that contact between an object caused a small part of the ice to melt. That explanation is now regarded as false. The explanation gaining acceptance is that ice molecules in contact with air cannot properly bond with the molecules of the mass of ice beneath. These molecules remain in a semi-liquid state, providing lubrication regardless of pressure against the ice exerted by any object﻿. That's why it's slippery." Fernando looks at Kylie. She looks at him. They start making out.

#### Chapter 5 - Think or Swim

"Welcome to an all new episode of Total... Drama... Athletics!" Chris Mclean introduces. "On our last episode, the contestants were handsomely asked to compete in different baseball related challenges. Despite his team's annoyance, Doyce competed in every challenge for his team, after it was noted by Kylie that the rules stated that he could. Doyce ended up winning the challenge for his team, though they weren't too thrilled by the fact that they couldn't have a turn. I revealed a shocking twist, that each team would vote out a contestant, but as the undisputed MVP of the challenge, Doyce received invincibility. Kylie was voted off of the Muscleheads for ultimately causing her team's loss, while Fernando was voted off of the for a rumor spreading that he was trying to manipulate the female contestants, after he dated two of them for a brief period of time. Of course, the truth was that he was mind numbingly boring, and the girls broke up with him, as opposed to the other way around. On the Boat of Losers, a love connection was made between Fernando and Kylie, due to their similar personalities, or lack thereof, and they blissfully rode off together. So with all that out of the way, let's get on with the show."

Nathan is shown in confessional. He says, "I guess now is as good a time as any to let everyone know that I was responsible for Fernando's elimination. I was able to persuade the others into thinking that Fernando was a player, though... Well, he could be. This is a game, so anything is fair. As long as I'm not the one going home, I don't care who it is."

Nathan is shown walking back from confessional in the dark. He trips and falls on top of Jayden. Nathan blushes and quickly stands up. Jayden says, "Oh, hey Nate Dawg. How are you, man?"

Nathan angrily asks, "What are you doing lying on the ground? I could have gotten hurt! Or worse... I could have messed up my hair!"

"Oh," Jayden says. "Sorry, man."

Nathan grunts. He says, "Whatever." He lets out a deep sigh, and regains his composure. "So... What are you doing?"

Jayden points up. He explains, "Looking up at the stars. They're really beautiful. When we were kids, me and my brother used to..."

Nathan nods. He says, "Well, have fun with that." Nathan walks away.

Jayden continues looking up as he lies on the ground. He says to himself, "I will have fun with that."

The rest of the Athletic Supporters are shown. Doyce says, "Wasn't I awesome, earlier? I was awesome."

"Yes, Doyce," Zoe states with a slight smile. "You were awesome." The others roll their eyes.

Doyce says, "I have to go talk about how awesome I am. Be right back."

In confessional, Doyce proudly states, "My team loves me, son. I totally won the challenge for them... Even though we had to vote somebody out. They know that they would never win without me on their team, though. I'm MVP!"

With Doyce in confessional, Tony says, "Is anyone else feeling pretty down at the moment?"

"Yeah," Madison says. "We're all athletes, here. We could have taken on that challenge."

"I agree," Cassie agrees.

Isabella nods, not looking like she knows what's going on. She says, "I'm guessing we're talking about Doyce's 'all about me' routine? Nod if we are." The others nod.

In confessional, Isabella explains, "I can see nodding better than lip reading in the dark. I wish this place had better lighting, but what am I gonna do?"

Nathan walks up to his teammates. Ramona says, "I actually feel kind of bad talking about Doyce behind his back. Somebody should talk with him about how we're feeling. I'm sure he'd try to consider us more if he knew."

"I'll do it," Nathan volunteers.

"You will?" Ramona asks. Nathan nods. "You're a sweet goober."

Nathan raises an eyebrow and says, "Thanks." Ramona tries to touch Nathan's hair. He pushes her hand away and says, "Don't touch."

Nathan is shown in confessional. He says, "I have no intention of talking with Doyce about it. If he continues to act the way he does, he'll shoot himself in the foot. The guy deserves it, anyway. He's such a tool." Nathan glares to the side.

Tony lets out a sigh. He says, "I've been feeling a little uneasy about it, lately."

"You're talking about your weight, aren't you?" Zoe asks, looking sympathetic. "Don't worry, Tony. I'm determined to help you lose the weight. I believe in you." Zoe looks tearful.

Tony raises one of his shaggy eyebrows. He explains, "I was talking about Doyce."

Zoe looks confused. She says, "Doyce isn't overweight." Tony sighs.

Vanessa, Gabby, and Alexandria are shown in their cabin. Vanessa says, "I still don't understand what happened. One of us must have voted with the guys. I know it wasn't me..." She looks at the two other girls. She says to Alexandria, "I know it wasn't you, Alexandria."

"Oh, I would never vote against your alliance, Vanessa," Alexandria says sarcastically.

Vanessa smiles and says, "Thank you, dear. I know I can count you, but that means..." Vanessa glares at Gabby.

Gabby says, "I wasn't paying attention." Vanessa continues glaring at her. "Do I have something in my eye, again?" Gabby asks.

"Oh, you know what you did," Vanessa says. "Don't try to deny it."

Alexandria says, "Vanessa, you don't understand. I voted for Kylie, because she made us lose."

Vanessa looks at Alexandria. She says, "Oh, Alexandria. You and your sarcasm." She bursts out laughing. Alexandria raises her eyebrows. Vanessa stops laughing in order to glare at Gabby, some more. Gabby looks both confused and concerned.

The next morning, in the cabin of the guys from the Muscleheads, Evan looks down. His eyes widen, and he says, "Oh, gross. Who left their underwear out?"

Holden looks down at the floor. His face turns bright red. He says, "Me, sorry." He quickly picks it up, and puts it away.

"That is completely not sanitary," Bubba says. "None of us want to step on that."

Skylar bursts out laughing. He says, "You guys... It's no big deal."

Holden looks over at him and asks, "You have a brother, too, huh?"

"Two," Skylar answers. "We share a room, as it were."

Bubba sighs. He says, "I always wanted a brother. Evan and I are only children."

Evan raises his eyebrow. He says, "How'd you know that, bro?"

"I read your biography, remember?" Bubba says. Evan nods and laughs. "I sleep with it under my pillow." Evan raises his eyebrow. "What? It doesn't hurt. I have the softcover edition."

Evan says, "Uh. So Holden, were you and your brother always so close?"

"Pretty much," Holden says. He says, "Well... not always. When we were younger, Jayden really got on my nerves. I couldn't stand the fact that he never took anything seriously, and he was almost always doing what I did. I used to dress different from him, and I used to leave our room messy, just because he likes to keep things clean."

"You're the messy one?" Bubba asks with wide eyes.

"No," Holden says with a laugh. "There isn't a messy one, I was just acting out."

Evan asks, "So what changed?"

Holden blushes a little. He says, "I, uh... Well... Jayden told me he loved me, and that I was his best friend... I felt like an idiot. Here I was trying to keep my distance from someone who viewed me so highly. I started to view him different, and I realized I had something really special. I had a built in best friend."

Bubba holds his head down. Evan says with a smile, "That's sweet, Holden... You're lucky, bro."

"I know that, now," Holden states. "I am really grateful."

Evan says. "I wish I had a brother, too, but it's a little late for that." He laughs. He then starts coughing.

Bubba asks, "Are you alright, man?"

"I don't know," Evan says with an half smile. He says, "I must be coming down with a cold."

Bubba assures, "You can use my blanket, tonight, man." He hands Evan a jar of pills. "And take my vitamins. We don't want our best player sick for the challenge. Besides, I think I'm coldblooded. It's warm enough, I can deal without the blanket."

"Dude," Skylar says. "You can't be coldblooded. Only lizards and stuff are coldblooded." Bubba shrugs.

The Athletic Supporters are shown outside. "Who's going to win?" Zoe shouts.

"The Athletic Supporters!" the team shouts.

"Who's going to win?" Zoe shouts.

"The Athletic Supporters!" the rest of the team shouts.

"Because I'm on the team!" Doyce adds.

Ramona looks around. She says, "It looks like Chris isn't here, yet. So, uh... What sport is everyone's favorite?"

"I'm good at everything," Doyce insists.

"We know, Doyce," Isabella says and signs. She explains, "I'm on the gymnastics team." She does a back flip. The others applaud.

Jayden says, "I love swimming, almost as much as I love Holden."

"I'm on the track team," Ramona says. "But I do like basketball, too."

"Me, too," Cassie says. "I play basketball."

Nathan states, "Big shock. The freakishly tall girls like basketball." Cassie's face turns red, and she looks down.

Ramona states, "That deserves a hair messing." She reaches toward Nathan's hair.

"Don't touch!" Nathan reprimands. "I take it back." Ramona stops.

Jayden asks, "Come to think of it, Nathan. I don't know what sport you play. What is it?"

Nathan looks flustered. He says, "Uh, you know. A little mixed martial arts... Kickboxing... Some... pole vaulting..."

"Whoa, dude," Jayden says. "Those sports are pretty hardcore."

Doyce adds, "Nathan said he was a cheerleader when he first arrived..."

Nathan says, "Uh... I..."

"Isn't that hilarious?" Doyce asks. "He's such a kidder."

Jayden laughs and says, "Yeah. Cheerleading isn't a sport." Nathan's face turns a little red.

"I know, right?" Doyce says.

"Then what is it?" Ramona asks. She gets blank stares from Jayden and Doyce.

Nathan is shown in confessional. He looks down slightly and says, "I wish I could say I haven't gotten teased before for being a cheerleader. I wish I could be proud about it... It was actually pretty bad when I first started. Some guys would trip me in the hall, hide my clothes when I was in the locker room, duct tape me to the flagpole, or superimpose my head on one of the female cheerleaders bodies and post those pictures around the school... Yeah... That's, uh... That's when I started maneuvering things to start other rumors... I like girls, so I didn't do anything wrong. It wasn't true that I dated every girl on the team, but there was one I really liked.... But anyway, I just needed the bullying to stop. You know?" He holds his head down lower as he wipes his tears away. "I think I'm cool, but I'll be honest, getting bullied day in and day out was hard to deal with. I used to pick on some kids, too, but now I know how it feels. Ironically, when I was at my lowest, the AV kids and theater gee... thespians, as they prefer being called, let me sit by them at their lunch table, and all that. I had to resort to starting those other rumors. I didn't hurt anyone, except this one girl on the squad that was dating some other guy when my rumor started going around... But I digress. Now that I'm popular, again, I know who my real friends... This is getting way too sappy. I'm leaving." Nathan gets up and walks out of confessional.

Chris Mclean is shown between the two teams. He says, "It's time for today's challenge. This one is a swimming challenge." Doyce and Jayden hug in their excitement. Holden's eyes get wide. Jayden looks over at Holden with a worried expression. He lets go of Doyce, and holds his his head down. Chris goes on to explain, "Each contestant will swim out to a buoy and then back to shore. When they get back to shore, they'll tag out the next contestant, and it'll be their turn. Also, each team will need to choose one contestant to stay on shore to build a sandcastle," Jayden smiles at Holden, "besides the two contestants that need to sit out from the Athletic Supporters."

"What does that have to do with swimming?" Tony asks.

Chris shrugs. He says, "I like sandcastles. The score of the sandcastles will be subtracted from the swim times, and that contestant won't need to swim. I'll let everyone change into their swimwear... I can see the ratings, now... And then you can let me know who'll be partaking in the extreme sport of sandcastling."

"Now that's not a sport," Nathan states.

After the teams change, they get into a huddle to discuss who will sit out of the challenge. Vanessa says, "Ugh. Men are always walking around with no shirts. I find that offensive and unfair."

"It's a swimming challenge," Skylar reminds.

"Men and their excuses," Vanessa states with an eye roll.

Bubba says, "We're here to discuss who we'll be sitting out, not why guys are sexist slime."

"At least this one admits it," Vanessa says, pointing at Bubba.

"Well, I think the choice is obvious," Alexandria says, looking at Gabby.

"You want her in charge of a delicate structure?" Bubba asks.

Alexandria retorts, "You would apparently prefer her drowning."

"I'm not a bad swimmer," Gabby assures.

Holden looks uneasy, still. He says, "I'm not..."

Evan begins coughing, again. Bubba asks, "Are you okay, Evan? That cold didn't go away, yet?"

"You don't look so good," Gabby says, looking at Evan.

Bubba barks, "He looks awesome! His swimsuit is cool! I'm going to get one when I go home." He looks at Evan. "But you do look a bit under the weather, man. Do you want to do the sandcastle part?"

Evan says, "I guess I should. I mean, if nobody else minds."

"We don't mind," Bubba assures. Holden looks down at the ground.

In the other huddle, Tony says, "So Zoe will be doing the sandcastle. Who'll sit out with Ramona?"

"Doyce," Nathan suggests.

"Good idea," Tony agrees, as most of the team nods.

"Wait, what?" Doyce says. "That's crazy. I'm a great swimmer. Look at my Speedo!" He points at his Speedo. "Only great swimmers wear these things."

"It's decided," Nathan says. "Go sit out."

"Look at it!" Doyce demands.

"I don't want to!" Nathan shouts, looking away from Doyce's Speedo.

Doyce folds his arms and looks annoyed. He says, "You guys are making a big mistake."

"Come on, Doyce," Cassie says. "We all want a chance to shine, too. You're not the only team member with athletic ability."

Doyce says, "We'll see." He walks over to the bench on the side, and looks peeved.

Ramona sits next to him. She says, "Don't be upset, Doyce. Try to think of happy thoughts. What makes you happy?"

"Duh," Doyce says. "Winning."

"Well," Ramona says as she stares at Doyce. "We are serving a purpose, over here."

"We are?" Doyce asks.

"Yeah," Ramona says. "We're keeping the bench warm."

Doyce looks at Ramona. He blinks. "I guess that's true," he says.

Chris says, "Alright, everyone. Let's get things started. Everyone get in position." Jayden jumps on the ground in his swimming pose. Cassie helps him up. Chris says, "Umkay... Go!"

Jayden runs at the water, as well as Vanessa from the other team. He speeds through the water and makes it back to shore quickly. He tags in Cassie. She looks at him, blushes, and gets into the water. She begins swimming. After Cassie makes it a quarter of the way, Vanessa gets back on shore. She looks over at Jayden and says, "You didn't swim faster than me because you're a guy, you know!" Jayden blinks. He looks over at Holden, who is squatting near the ground in the back of the line. Jayden holds his head down.

Bubba says to Vanessa, "Tag me, already."

"Ew, I don't want to touch you, you pervert," Vanessa says. "That's harassment."

Bubba hits himself on the forehead. He says, "It's part of the challenge." Vanessa reluctantly slaps Bubba's hand. He runs toward the water, turns to Evan and says, "Watch this!" Evan looks up from his sandcastle building, and smiles.

Vanessa begins to walk off. "Where are you going?" Alexandria asks.

"To wash my hands," Vanessa answers. "I don't know where that guy's hands have been." Skylar rolls his eyes.

"Go Cassie!" Zoe shouts. "You can do it!"

"Yeah!" Jayden shouts. He looks back over at Holden.

Cassie returns from the water and tags Isabella, who runs to the water. "Go team!" Zoe shouts. Bubba returns and tags in Alexandria. Isabella returns and tags in Tony. Zoe shouts, "Tony! You can do this! There's no reason to be ashamed of your massive stomach. Nobody is looking at you judgmentally!" Tony's face turns bright red as he runs to the water.

"I fear for her safety," Nathan says.

Alexandria returns and tags in Gabby. Gabby winces and says, "That's my bad arm."

Alexandria looks concerned and says, "Sorry." Gabby nods and runs to the water. Gabby speeds through the water.

"How does she do that with one good arm?" Skylar asks with wide eyes.

Gabby gains ground on Tony and emerges from the water just after him. Tony wheezes and tags in Madison, and Gabby tags Skylar. Tony doubles over as he pants. Zoe cries. She shouts, "Tony, I was like that, once, too. There's hope for you yet, sweetheart!" Tony stands far away from Zoe.

Skylar returns from the water ahead of Madison, but not by much. He tags Holden, who runs toward the water. He stops short, and freezes, as Nathan runs ahead for his team. Jayden looks down at the ground. He shouts, "You can do it, Holden! Nothing bad's going to happen."

"What's wrong with him?" Isabella signs and asks.

Jayden looks down at the ground. He says, "A few years ago, there was an accident, and he almost drowned. We used to swim all the time, but after the accident, Holden hasn't been able to swim, again."

"That's terrible," Zoe says. "You can do it, Holden! Don't be scared, just do your best!"

"What are you doing?" Doyce shouts. "Don't cheer for him, he's on the other team!" He looks at Zoe blankly. He asks, "Where's your sandcastle?"

"Oops," Zoe says. "I forgot about it. I was too busy cheering." She gets on the ground in an effort to start a sandcastle.

Evan looks concerned as he looks at Holden. He says, "I didn't know that had happened to him..."

Jayden runs over to Holden. He says, "It's going to be alright, bro. It really is."

"I'm so scared," Holden says. His eyes begin to get teary. "I don't want to do this."

"Nothings going to happen, Holden," Jayden assures. "We're all right here. You're a great swimmer, bro, and..."

"I believe in you Holden!" Zoe shouts. "Face your fear! You can do it!"

"She's right," Jayden assures.

"I don't know," Holden says. Nathan returns from the water.

Chris states, "That's time for the Athletic Supporters."

Jayden says, "Look, bro. If you want, I can swim alongside you. Will that help? I don't want you to let down your team."

Holden looks down. He says, "I don't want to let them down, either." He takes Jayden by the hand and says, "I'm willing to do this.... Just don't leave my side, okay?"

Jayden says, "That's never going to happen." The twins approach the water, let go of each other's hand, and get into the water. Holden swims slowly, and cautiously, while Jayden doesn't go ahead of him. They get back after a little while. Jayden hugs Holden and excitedly says, "You did it, Holden!"

"Thank you," Holden says. "I couldn't have done it without you. I love you, bro." Some of Holden's team goes down to congratulate him. He says, "Sorry, guys. I let you all down."

"Are you kidding?" Bubba says. "That was so inspirational! I'm going to face my fears from now on!"

Zoe also hugs Holden. She says, "That was so beautiful, Holden! You were amazing."

"That really was great," Gabby assures. "It doesn't matter if it cost us the win."

Alexandria says, "What about you, Gabby? I had no idea you could swim so fast." Gabby blushes.

Ramona nudges Doyce and says, "See? We won."

Chris says, "Everyone seems to be forgetting something. There's still the sandcastle judging."

"Well, we beat their time by so much," Nathan reminds. "No offense. Not trying to step on Holden's major breakthrough, or anything."

Chris shrugs. He says, "Let me tally things, anyway." He looks at the nonexistent sandcastle that Zoe was supposed to have done. He says, "Zero points. Some people don't take the art of sandcastle seriously. The Athletic Supporters time remains at 4:57." He walks over to Evan's sandcastle. He says, "Pretty average. I give it a score of five out of ten. That brings their score from 8:23 to... 3:23."

Nathan's eyes widen. He says, "You were subtracting minutes from the score?"

Chris nods. He says, "The Muscleheads win invincibility."

"That's not fair!" Madison protests. Chris shrugs.

Doyce insists, "This wouldn't have happened if you guys didn't sit me out. I'm the star player on this team."

"Really, Doyce?" Tony says with an eye roll.

Chris says, "Don't be late to the elimination ceremony. You know I won't be."

At the elimination ceremony, the contestants sit around waiting for Chris. He arrives and says, "Uh, I'm right on time. Anyway, let's get right on with this elimination. Madison." Chris tosses a marshmallow to Madison. "Isabella, Cassie, and Nathan." Chris tosses marshmallows to the three. "Jayden, Ramona, and Tony." The three catch their marshmallows thrown by Chris. He says, "That leaves Zoe and Doyce. Zoe... You failed to do your part of the challenge, and encouraged your opponent to succeed."

"That's good, right?" Zoe says. "That's sportsmanship."

Chris shakes his head. He says, "Doyce, you... well, you were just Doyce."

"Doyce!" Doyce shouts.

Chris sighs and shakes his head. He says, "The final marshmallow goes to..."

"Doyce."

Doyce catches his marshmallow, throws it to the ground, and shouts, "Doyce!"

Zoe looks disappointed. Ramona frowns and says, "We'll miss your good attitude, Zoe. But when it came down to it, Doyce is really strong."

"Though annoying," Nathan says.

"Aw," Doyce says as he hugs Nathan. "You know you have a mancrush on me, son."

"Never," Nathan assures.

Chris says, "Well, Zoe. It's time for you to go."

Zoe nods. She says, "Do your best, team! I believe in you. I'll continue to be an Athletic Supporter supporter." She grabs Tony's stomach with her hands. "Don't worry, Tony. This will be gone in no time, with a little hard work and dedication... Maybe, a lot of hard work and determination, maybe some plastic surgery..." Tony's face turns red.

"Ooh, he's getting mad," Jayden says.

Zoe says, "Well, goodbye everyone! I'll miss all of you." She skips over to the Boat of Losers, gets on, and rides away.

Nathan looks a little surprised as he says, "I was half expecting her to float off on a rainbow."

Chris states, "Well, another one is out, and will be joined by someone else on the next episode of Total... Drama... Athletics!"

#### Chapter 6 - Hang Gliding With Mr. Hatchet

Chris Mclean appears before the camera and says, "So, here we are, again. I'm here, looking beautiful, and you're here looking to be entertained. Well, you've come to the right place. Last time, the contestants were asked to compete in a grueling challenge involving swimming, and... yes... Canada's own, sandcastles. Zoe cheered on her team as they competed, while she was supposed to be building a sandcastle. Evan wasn't feeling his best, and sat out of the swimming side of the challenge. Jayden did his part in motivating his brother, Holden, to overcome his fear of water for the challenge, even though they aren't exactly on the same team. Holden was successful in facing his fear, and Zoe cheered him on, as well... Instead of building the all important sandcastle. So the Athletic Supporters lost, due to their pathetic sandcastle display. Zoe was voted out, deservedly. So what will happen this time? You'll have to wait and see." Chris looks at his watch. "Okay, here it goes."

The Muscleheads are shown as Bubba, Evan, and Skylar carry Holden. The team, excluding Vanessa, sings, "For he's a jolly good swimmer! He's a jolly good swimmer! For he's a jolly good..."

Holden insists, "You guys. You can put me down, now."

"But you won the challenge for us," Bubba insists.

"You've been singing 'For He's a Jolly Good Hero' for nearly an hour, now," Holden says, as he blushes. " I get it."

Skylar says, "What? It's okay. It's in the public domain."

Vanessa walks up and says, "What's going on, here?" She looks at Alexandria and Gabby. "Why are you singing that guys' praises?"

Alexandria sarcastically states, "Oh, look. Vanessa's back to tell us what to do."

"Where were you?" Gabby asks. "We won the challenge when you were gone."

"I was washing my hands after Bubba..." Vanessa explains. "Tagged me." Her face contorts, showing her disgust. "I still don't think I got all the male off." Bubba groans. "And you never answered my question about this display."

"We were just finishing," Evan says. The guys drop Holden and he lands on Gabby.

Holden stands up. He says, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Gabby assures.

Holden says, "Um. Thanks for breaking my fall. Let me help you up."

Gabby extends her hand and says, "Thanks, I..."

Vanessa dives in front of Holden. She says, "Don't lay a finger on her, you perv."

"Wait, what?" Holden asks with wide eyes.

"Not all guys are perverts," Skylar says, also with wide eyes.

"Lies," Vanessa says as she helps Gabby up.

Skylar puts his hand on his forehead and states, "Vanessa. You are ridiculous. You have no idea what happened after you left, Holden faced his biggest fear, and..."

"Oh, was it sensitivity training?" Vanessa asks.

Skylar sighs. He says, "Guys. Let's get out of here. There's somewhere better to be." He grabs Bubba and Evan by the shoulder and walks off.

Holden looks around and says, "I'm still here, aren't I?" Vanessa glares at him. "I... I'm gonna go." He walks away.

Gabby looks confused. She says, "What was the big deal? Holden was being nice."

Vanessa shakes her head. She says, "You fell for it. He's guy. Guys don't do nice, not without some weird goal in mind, anyway."

Alexandria sighs. "Well, at the moment, we need to be a team," she says. "Can't we at least try to get along?"

"You're one of them," Vanessa says with wide eyes. Alexandria slaps her forehead.

Holden is shown walking away from the girls, keeping an eye on them over his shoulder. He suddenly looks up at the stars and smiles. He stops walking and gets down onto the ground. He smiles as he lies in the grass, looking up. "Hey, bro," Jayden says. "I was wondering when you'd join me."

"Oh, hey," Holden says. "I didn't notice you there."

"Does this remind you of when we were kids?" Jayden asks.

"Yeah," Holden says. "I remember the first time we ever saw the stars like this."

Jayden replies, "It's one of my favorite memories of us. It was when we went to the country for summer camp for the first time."

"Being out of the city does have its charms," Holden says. Holden puts his arm under Jayden. "Thanks for today."

"No problem," Jayden says, slightly blushing. "I'm happy I could help." The brothers stay in silence for a moment. "It's weird being on different teams."

"Yeah," Holden agrees. "I hope nobody thinks too hard about it."

Jayden looks at his brother with a confused expression. He asks, "What do you mean?"

Holden says, "Like, the others could think that we would never vote each other out."

"We wouldn't, right?" Jayden asks. "Right?"

Holden laughs. He says, "Of course not... But they could view that as a problem."

"I guess," Jayden states.

Holden says, "I hate to leave you, bro, but I should get back to the guys before they start worrying that Vanessa maimed me, or something." The guys stand up, and hug. "I'll see you, tomorrow." Jayden nods, and Holden walks away.

Holden is shown walking into his shared cabin. Skylar says, "I've never experienced anything like this. I don't know what any of us have done to deserve treatment like that."

"We're talking about Vanessa, huh?" Holden asks. Bubba nods. Holden says, "Ah. Don't let it get to you, Skylar. Vanessa's pretty much just a bully."

"Oh, yeah," Bubba says. "That's pretty dead on."

Skylar admits, "I've never been bullied, before."

"Wait, really?" Evan asks.

"What, you have?" Skylar asks.

Evan answers, "Well, yeah. I thought everyone was."

Bubba says to Evan, "Give me their names and numbers. I'll take care of them."

Evan laughs and says, "I appreciate that, man, but I'm over it."

"What did you get bullied for, Evan?" Skylar asks.

Evan states, "Because I'm mix raced."

"That's awful," Skylar says. "Why does that matter?"

"It doesn't," Evan replies. "I realize that, now, but it did hurt. I didn't feel like I fit in with any race, really, but I'm comfortable with myself, now. What about you guys?"

Bubba looks down. He says, "My height has been a major problem for me with bullies. It's easy to pick on the little guy."

Evan assures, "That doesn't matter, Bubba. You can't help how tall you are."

"Thanks," Bubba says, slightly blushing.

Holden adds, "Uh, I was bullied, too."

"You?" Evan asks. "What could anyone possibly..."

Holden's face is red, as he admits, "People make a lot of comments based on how close I am with my brother."

"Oh," Evan says with a slight chuckle.

Holden shrugs. He says, "A guy can't be close with another guy without those kinds of comments. But... when I felt embarrassed about it when we first started to get teased, Jayden put his arm around me. That's all he had to do, and I got it. It didn't matter what people thought. We knew that we're each other's best friend, and that's all there is to it. If Jayden didn't care about what others were saying, why should I care?"

Skylar says, "So... you guys don't let it bother you?"

"Not anymore," Evan says.

Skylar says, "Well, I hope to be able to deal with her, like you guys. Thanks for opening up with me."

"You bet," Bubba says. "But It won't be easy to ignore her."

"Yeah," Holden agrees. "But if we can do it, you can, too." Skylar smiles and nods.

Bubba turns to Evan and asks, "Are you feeling any better, man?"

"Yeah, bro," Evan assures. "I feel awesome."

Bubba stares at Evan. He says, "That's funny, because you still look awful."

"Gee, thanks," Evan says. "Well, I don't want to sound all liability-ish. Colds don't go away in a couple hours, dude."

Bubba blushes. He says, "Yeah, sorry. If it makes you feel better, you make looking sick seem cool."

Evan frowns. He says, "That does make me feel better."

Skylar whispers to Holden, "I don't feel like part of this conversation."

"Really?" Holden says. "You want to get between Bubba and Evan?" They look over at Evan and Bubba hugging.

"Touche," Skylar replies.

The next morning, the female Athletic Supporters are shown in their room. "Good morning, team," Isabella says and signs.

Ramona says, "Happy new day to you, too."

"Hey, Isabella," Cassie says. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What is it?" Isabella signs and asks.

"That," Cassie states. "I was wondering why you talk, but sign, too."

Madison says from her bed, "I was wondering that, too."

Isabella signs and says, "Oh, that. The answer is that it's in support of the deaf community. I have to watch everything with closed captions, so it's kind of something I wanted to see, someone keeping the deaf viewers in mind, or whatever."

"I think I get it," Cassie replies. "Thanks for explaining it to me."

"You bet," Isabella says and signs.

Nathan is shown in confessional. He says, "Okay, so... Here's the deal. Doyce has got to go. I can't stand the guy, but that's not the point. The others can't stand him, either. I like to feel safe in this competition, and he should take little to no effort to get people to turn on. I know he's one of our strongest in challenges, but I don't need a numbers advantage at the merge to win. So..."

Someone pounding on the confessional door interrupts Nathan. "Is someone in there?" Doyce shouts.

"Yes, Doyce," Nathan says with an eye roll. "Do you mind?"

"No," Doyce says. "Just get out. I have to talk about how awesome I am, son."

Nathan replies, "Really, Doyce? Did you ever think that maybe... You know, I'll let you go ahead of me. I don't mind, buddy."

Nathan leaves the confessional, is pushed out of the way by Doyce, who says a small, "Thanks." He slams the confessional door shut.

"What a..." Nathan begins. He shifts his eyes back and forth. He presses himself against the confessional with a smirk.

Doyce can be heard from inside, saying, "My team doesn't seem to want to win. They sat me out, of all people. I don't get it. I'm awesome!"

Nathan rubs his chin. He whispers, "I can use this."

Doyce goes on, "It's just... It's... It's just like at home. I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, I just want to win. They're probably all, 'Doyce only cares about himself', 'Doyce isn't awesome', but that's not true. I am awesome, and I... do feel bad sometimes. I know everyone else wants to be the star, but they have parents that actually love them, and not their accomplishments." Doyce gets quiet. "I can't believe I just said that. I know my parents care about me, but they only show it when I'm winning at something. So I don't know what's so bad about that."

Nathan looks slightly conflicted. Doyce steps out of the confessional, and Nathan quickly leaps back from the confessional. Nathan says, "Oh, hey, Doyce. So... You're done in there?"

"Yeah, son," Doyce answers. Doyce begins walking away. He stops, turns around, and asks, "You didn't hear anything I said, did you?"

Nathan says, "Uh, me... No."

"Good," Doyce replies, sounding relieved. "I mean... not that I have anything to hide, or anything." Doyce walks away.

Nathan mutters to himself, "I didn't hear anything, I heard everything. Maybe I'll think of a new target... For now. We could still use Doyce at this point." He begins walking.

Tony shouts, "I got it! I got it!" He runs backwards, knocks Nathan onto the ground, and catches a football. He excitedly says, "Oh, yeah!" He throws the football to the ground, as hard as he can.

"Ow!" Nathan shouts.

Tony's eyes get wide. He looks down and says, "Oops. Are you alright?"

Jayden runs over and says, "Nice catch, Tony Baloney. When you threw the ball to the ground, I swear that it said 'Ow'." Tony helps up Nathan. Jayden asks, "Hey, what are you doing lying on the ground? Didn't you just take a shower, like, twenty minutes ago? You're all dirty, again."

Nathan's eye twitches as he says, "Well... It looks like it's back to the showers for me."

"I'm really sorry," Tony assures. Nathan stomps off. Tony looks at Jayden and says, "I hope he's not mad at me, Jayden."

Jayden scoffs and says, "Please. Call me Jay Gorgeous Hair."

Later, Nathan is shown stepping out of the shower with a towel around his waist. He mumbles to himself, "Stupid Tony. Stupid Jayden. Stupid dirt. Stupid ground. Stupid... stupidness. I'm going to think up some lie to get one of those guys voted out. It should be easy enough..."

"Um, hi, Nathan," Isabella signs and says to Nathan as she walks close to him.

He says, "Oh, hey. I didn't know anyone was over here."

Isabella blushes. She signs and says, "Chris is looking for you, he's here for the challenge, and all that. You should go to your cabin and get dressed."

Nathan nods and says monotonously, "Thanks." He walks toward his cabin to get dressed. He mumbles, "It's not like I wasn't headed over here, anyway."

Nathan joins the others, fully dressed. Chris says, "Oh, there you are. I almost started the challenge without you."

"Wouldn't that disqualify him, or something?" Ramona asks.

Chris shrugs and says, "Not really. It only matters if he missed out on the elimination ceremony and his team lost. The rule is that a contestant doesn't have to be there if their team wins to be safe, or whatever. Oh, and they can also have a representative in the challenge on an individual level. I put that rule in there after the time a raccoon showed up to the challenge instead of Levi."

"I'm pretty sure that never happened," Holden states.

Chris says, "It could have been edited out, you know... Or... a really weird dream when I was put under and had the surgery for my pectoral... Anyway... You're all here for the challenge, aren't you? Well, today's challenge is based on hang gliding."

Bubba says, "Oh, cool! I always wanted to try that."

"Well keep dreaming, Bubba," Chris says. "You won't be doing the hang gliding, you'll be searching for Chef Hatchet. He was hang gliding a couple days ago, and I haven't heard from him since. He keeps trying to contact the radio, but I can't figure out how to check it. It'll be up to all of you to find and rescue Chef Hatchet. Whoever brings him back alive will win invincibility for their team."

"You waited a few days to send out a search party?" Gabby asks. "I wouldn't want to be..." Gabby trips over her own feet. She explains, "Standing still is hazardous for me..." Alexandria helps her up.

Chris states, "Well, get to the challenge. I'm really worried about Chef Hatchet." He looks at the back of his hand. "Did I have this mole before? Anyway, I'll wait around here for your return." He removes his shirt, puts on sunglasses, and sits down on a folding chair.

The teams huddle together, The Athletic Supporters quickly disperse in teams of two. "I guess we should do what they are," Holden suggests.

Alexandria looks at Vanessa and Gabby. She turns to Evan and says, "Let's team up."

"Okay," Evan says. They walk off together.

Bubba says, "Wait. I wanted to go with Evan."

Skylar says, "Sorry, man. I'm sure it was nothing personal, or the fact that she looks a lot better than you do in a bikini."

"Have you seen me in a bikini?" Bubba asks.

Skylar winces. He says, "Please don't give me that mental imagery."

Holden says, "Come on, Bubba. I'll go with you." Gabby walks toward a thorn bush. Holden grabs hold of her and says, "We'll take her, too, for safety reasons. Let's go." The three walk off together.

Skylar's eyebrows raise as he looks at Vanessa. Skylar states, "I guess it's you and me."

"Ew," Vanessa says. "I don't want to know what you're thinking, you guy."

"I'm talking about the challenge," Skylar says. "We have to team up, it looks like, as much as I don't want to..."

Vanessa laughs. She says, "I'm not going to team up with you. I'd rather do this alone."

"Fine," Skylar says. He walks off by himself, looking annoyed.

Vanessa chases after him. She yells, "Don't walk away from me. If anyone is going to walk away from the other one, it's me."

Isabella is shown walking with Cassie. Isabella says and signs, "Any sign of Chef Hatchet?"

"No," Cassie says.

Isabella looks around. She signs and says, "You'll never guess what I saw, earlier."

Cassie asks, "What? Was it challenge related?"

"It was Nathan leaving the shower in a towel," Isabella signs and explains.

"Ooh," Cassie says. "Any sign of Jayden?"

"Huh, what?" Isabella signs and says. Cassie blushes. Isabella signs and says, "But there was something kind of odd..."

Nearby, Nathan is on his hands and knees in the bushes. Doyce grabs him by the back of his underwear, and pulls him up. Nathan's face is contorted to show his pain. Doyce says, "Chef's not back there is he?"

"No," Nathan squeaks.

"Well, what's the point of looking back there?" Doyce asks. "Let's go." Doyce drags Nathan away.

Nathan is shown in confessional, looking concerned. He says, "I overheard Isabella talking. I didn't get to hear what all she had to say, but... it gave me a bad feeling."

Doyce knocks on the confessional door. He asks, "Is Chef in there? If not, hurry up and get out, Bangs." Doyce laughs. "Bangs. I like that."

Nathan repeats, "He has issues. He has issues. He has issues..."

Vanessa follows after Skylar. She demands, "You get back here. I'm not done lecturing you. You think that just because you're a guy that you get whatever you want handed to you, and that everything revolves around you."

Skylar stops walking. He says, "Leave me alone. I'm going over here. Don't follow me." He begins running away from Vanessa, deeper into the woods.

Vanessa stands still for a few seconds. She says, "That'll be the day when I listen to what you tell me. I'm following you." She runs after Skylar.

Evan and Alexandria are shown looking around for Chef Hatchet. Alexandria says, "It's nice to get away from Vanessa for a few minutes. Thanks for getting me away from her. I appreciate it."

"No problem," Evan assures. He looks up. "You think he's up there?"

"No," Alexandria says as she looks up at a tree. "But we should check, anyway."

Evan gets down on the ground. He says, "Stand on my shoulders."

Alexandria nods, and gets on his shoulders. Evan stands up. Alexandria looks around. "No sign of Chef Hatchet," she says.

"Uh oh," Evan says. "I'm losing my..." Evan falls, and Alexandria falls next to him. "Balance," Evan finishes. "Sorry." Evan looks at Alexandria, lying on the ground next to him. He says, "You'd think I was Gabby, or something. Let me help you up."

Alexandria laughs. Evan blushes. She says, "I'm sorry. But seriously?" Alexandria stands up. "This is like one of those cheesy Total Drama moments where contestant A and contestant B fall hopelessly in love after some random moment that doesn't happen in any real situation. If this happened in our every day lives, I'd sue you."

Evan continues blushing. He says, "I do have a question, though."

"What is it?" Alexandria asks. "'Will you be my girlfriend?'"

Evan shakes his head. He asks, "Does my hair look okay?"

Alexandria laughs, again. "It looks fine," she says. "If you're into the mop look."

"And I am," Evan replies.

Gabby, Bubba, and Holden are shown walking together. Bubba looks around. He asks, "Any sight of Chef Hatchet?"

"No," Holden says. "Wait."

"Help me, you punks," can be heard.

"No, nothing," Holden says.

The voice says, "I'm up here!"

Gabby looks up. She says, "Hey, look. There's Chef Hatchet."

Bubba and Holden look up. "Hey, she's right," Holden says.

"How do we get him down?" Gabby asks.

Bubba removes one of his shoes and throws it at Chef Hatchet. "Hey!" Chef shouts. "Stop that!"

"Well, that didn't work," Bubba says.

"I guess one of us has to climb the tree and get him down," Gabby suggests.

Holden suggests, "Or we could use Bubba as a battering ram."

Bubba runs at the tree, and slams into it. He falls to the ground, and Chef Hatchet falls on top of him. Bubba says, "Ouchy."

Holden says, "I wasn't serious, Bubba." He puts his hand on his forehead.

Bubba asks, "Why is this guy on top of me?" Bubba laughs. "Ow. Ooh, the pixies are spinning like 'whee!' Haha. Ow."

Gabby suggests, "I'll carry Chef Hatchet back, you take Bubba." Gabby goes to pick up Chef Hatchet with one arm.

Holden says, "Um, you think you can lift that guy? He's pretty..." Gabby lifts Chef Hatchet over her shoulder and runs off. "Okay, then."

Bubba laughs and says, "You just said that Chef Hatchet was pretty."

Holden grabs hold of Bubba's arm and says, "Let's go, Bubba."

"Are we going to the zoo, momma?" Bubba asks.

Gabby is shown bringing Chef Hatchet to Chris Mclean. She sets him down next to Chris. Chris says, "Oh, there he is." Chris stands up and puts his shirt back on. "I'll go let everyone know the challenge is over." Chris begins walking away.

Gabby looks down at Chef Hatchet. She says, "Are you going to check his pulse, or something? He fell out of a tree, and..." Chris is now out of sight.

Vanessa and Skylar are shown in the middle of the woods. Vanessa asks, "Where are we, don't you know anything about directions?"

"It's your fault we're lost," Skylar asserts.

"Oh," Vanessa says with a roll of her eyes. "So what you're saying is that we're lost because of me, because women don't know how to get anywhere without a man giving them directions."

"I didn't mean anything like that!" Skylar shouts, clearly annoyed. "I don't want to talk to you, anymore. I thought that I could get along with anyone, but you are not cool." Skylar stomps off, further into the woods.

"You get back here!" Vanessa shouts. "Coward!" She chases after Skylar.

Skylar is shown walking ahead. His eyes widen, as he trips and falls. "Look out!" he shouts from down below.

Vanessa says, "Did you not get what I've been saying? No man is going to tell me..." Vanessa trips and falls. She slides down a steep cliff. She falls to ground next to Skylar. She looks around and says, "What is this? Are we in a pit?"

Skylar grimaces. He says, "I fell on my arm. It really hurts."

Vanessa rolls her eyes. She says, "Men and their low threshold for pain. I bet it's not even scratched. Aren't you supposed to be an acrobat? A real acrobat would avoid injury when they fall. It just shows you how weak guys are at everything."

"Whatever," Skylar says. "I'm tired of listening to you." He removes his shirt.

"Help!" Vanessa shouts. "I'm trapped in a pit with an exhibitionist!"

"Save it," Skylar says. He explains, "I'm going to make myself a tourniquet. I cut my arm pretty bad, and then I need to make a sling, of some sort. It might be broken... Why am I even explaining this to you? I have to do it with one arm, and everything. It's like I'm here alone. I'm guessing we'll be stuck down here for a while."

Vanessa insists, "You would worry about something so trivial. I'm sure the challenge is almost over, and the others will come looking for us."

Vanessa and Skylar faintly hear Chris' voice over a loudspeaker, "The challenge is over. The Muscleheads have won invincibility. Report back to the starting area. That is all. I'm the handsome Chris Mclean, and I approve this message."

"Typical guy," Vanessa states. "So full of themselves."

"Not every guy is like that," Skylar states. "Here I am, trying to reason with you." He uses his teeth and good arm to tighten his tourniquet around his injured arm.

Vanessa sits down and says, "They'll see that we're missing and come look for us."

"We don't even know where we are," Skylar states.

"So negative," Vanessa states. "Ugh. Why couldn't I be trapped with someone else, preferably female?" Skylar rolls his eyes.

Chris is shown with the gathered contestants. He says, "The Athletic Supporters need to vote somebody off of their team."

Gabby asks, "Wait. Is someone missing?"

"I don't think so," Chris says. "But if they are, they'll turn up." He walks off. The others shrug.

At the campfire ceremony, Chris states, "Here you are, again, and your team started out so well. One of you has been eliminated, though, and you'll be leaving the competition. The first marshmallow goes to Cassie." Cassie excitedly cheers, and then walks up to get her marshmallow. Chris announces, "Also safe are Doyce, Madison, Ramona, and Nathan." He tosses marshmallows to the contestants. He says, "Next up is... Tony." Tony walks up and takes his marshmallow from Chris. Chris gets ready to throw the next marshmallow. He says, "There's one marshmallow left. One of you has to leave Wawanakwa immediately. Isabella and Jayden... the final marshmallow is for..."

"Jayden."

"What?" Ramona asks.

Jayden explains, "Me and the other guys are in a guy alliance, well, Cassie, too, but that doesn't mean she's a guy. Right, Nathan?"

"Right," Nathan assures. "It was nothing personal, Isabella."

Isabella nods. She signs and says, "I guess I understand. Have fun, I guess. Bye."

Isabella heads to the Boat of Losers. "Bye, Isabella," Jayden shouts. The others look at him with raised eyebrows. "What?" he asks.

Chris says to camera, "There it is. What will happen next time? Who will win the challenge? Who will go home? All that will be answered on the next Total... Drama... Athletics!"

Nathan is shown in confessional. He insists, "I didn't want to vote out Isabella, but... I think she might have read my lips when I said something she wasn't supposed to see... Oh, well. I hope she has no hard feelings, or anything. She's kind of hot."

Isabella is shown on the Boat of Losers. She says and signs, "I'm pretty confused as to why it was me, but I won't let it get to me. I'm not that kind of person. I hope I made someone proud, though, or inspired someone. Not that I'm some giant role model or anything." She thinks for a moment. "He is kind of strange, though. He talks to himself... I wonder what he was saying, though I have to admit... I wasn't focusing on his lips." Isabella blushes. "

#### Chapter 7 - Goal Rush

Chris Mclean screams after realizing that he is now on camera in an avocado face mask. He insists, "I was just... I just had my face in a bowl of guacamole." Chris lets out a sigh. He looks down and says to himself with a smile, "Good save, Chris. Good save." He looks at the camera, again. "Last time on Total... Drama... Athletics, our contestants were asked to locate Chef Hatchet after his alleged hang gliding malfunction." The camera pans over to a pile of hang gliders with Chris Mclean's face and the words 'Mclean Air Act' on them. The camera pans back over to Chris. He goes on, "The Muscleheads were the first to find Chef Hatchet after he... bumped into Bubba... Quite literally. He fell out of a tree and landed Bubba."

"That joke is not funny," the cameraman states.

Chris glares off camera. He says, "I find you having a job to be quite funny." The camera man laughs hysterically. "That's better. Anyway, Gabby, of all people, carried Chef to me, and won the challenge for her team. Her team, however, was not all present. But, in the long run, that didn't matter for them. You know, unless... Tyler... and Vandisa are in actual peril, or something. The Athletic Supporters needed to vote someone out, and Nathan decided on Isabella, after believing that she noticed him talking about his scheme to eliminate someone he didn't like so much. But hey, it's good a reason as any. Now, on with the show. I'm in this next scene." Chris looks excited.

At some point after the previous elimination, the members of the Muscleheads that aren't missing are present along with the remaining members of the Athletic Supporters. Evan asks, "Chris? Aren't you a little concerned about Skylar and... Aren't you a little concerned about Skylar?"

Chris shrugs and says, "Yeah. If we don't find them it might result in a major law... Anyway. But I don't know where to begin looking for them."

"Wait," Gabby says. "Aren't there cameras all over this island? Can't you find them from your control room?"

"Technically..." Chris begins. "Well, you see. Yes. They are all over the island."

"So there has to be a camera that shows you where they are," Holden states. Jayden gives a thumbs up at his brother.

Chris says, "Well, I saw footage of where they are from the control room." The others look hopeful. "But... they're kind of in a pit."

"They're trapped in a pit?" Bubba asks with wide eyes.

"Together?" Alexandria asks.

Chris assures, "Yes, at least they aren't alone."

Alexandria blinks. She says, "I would not want to be Skylar, right now." Some others nod.

"At least we know where they are," Doyce states.

"Wow, Doyce," Nathan says. "You're heart just grew three sizes."

"What does that mean?" Doyce asks. "Wait. Ladies like big hearts, right?"

Nathan slaps his forehead. He explains, "I just meant that you care about someone else."

"Yeah," Doyce says. "I was tired of no one paying attention to me." Nathan blinks for a moment. He hugs Doyce.

Nathan is shown in confessional. He looks teary and says, "That was a cry for help if I've ever heard one."

Doyce is shown pushing Nathan off of him. He blushes, as he says, "Whoa, son. Stop hugging me. I'd mistake you for an actual... male cheerleader, or something."

Tony looks at Doyce and Nathan for a moment. He says, "So, Chris. At least we know where they are. That means we can find them... Right?"

Chris winces. He says, "Weeeeeeeeell... Here's the thing. There are quite a few pits on the island, and... weeeeeeell... with all the cameras... on the island... I mean..." Chris laughs. "You wouldn't expect me, Chris Mclean, to actually set them up myself." Chris laughs, again, nervously.

"So who did set them up?" Bubba asks.

"Yeah, I'm sure whoever set them up knows where they are," Holden states.

Chris' eyes get narrow. He says, "You see... Here's the thing... Ya know... I go through a lot of interns on this show... and the one who was in charge of installing the cameras kind of... Well, it's kind of a funny story when you think about it... I'll just say that some freshwater sharks were involved..."

"So you're saying you have no way of knowing where they're at?" Ramona asks. Everyone stares at Chris.

Chris laughs, nervously. He says, "When you put it that way... Yeah..."

Cassie shakes her head in disapproval. She says, "Shameful."

Jayden looks at Cassie and says, "I know!"

Chris says, "This can't be good for my public image."

"In all honesty," Nathan states, "this goes right along with your public image."

Some of the others nod. Evan says, "He's right."

"Yeah, well, I'm trying to change that," Chris says.

"Really?" Jayden asks.

Chris says, "Yeah. Did you know that woman aren't that fond of guys that subject teenagers to different forms of torture for entertainment purposes?"

"What?" Alexandria asks. "Since when?"

"I couldn't believe it, either," Chris states. "That's why I'm still pushing..." Chris mumbles an age. "And single."

Nathan rolls his eyes and says, "Yeah, that's why."

Alexandria looks at Nathan. She says, "I was about to say that."

Bubba hits Evan in the stomach with his elbow. He says, "Look out, dude. You got some competition for Alexandria's heart."

Evan blushes. He says, "Alexandria and I aren't..."

"Oh, man," Bubba says. "You're in denial. This is bad. Let's hug it out, bro-man." Bubba hugs Evan, who continues blushing.

Doyce points at Bubba and Evan and says to Nathan, "Looks like we got a male cheerleader on our hands."

Nathan's face turns red. He shouts, as he rips off his shirt, "Why does everyone make fun of guys who cheer lead? Why do we need to be ashamed for something we love doing? It's just as physically demanding as any sport. Watch this." Nathan lifts Tony off the ground. "See?"

"Whoa, dude," Tony says with wide eyes. "You're the first person who has ever lifted me off the... Oh, wait. I forgot about Butch." Nathan drops Tony. "The grounds a lot harder than I remember."

Nathan grunts, and breathes in an insane, intimidating manner. He asks, "Does anyone have something to say about how girly and lame cheerleading is?" Several others stare at Nathan with wide eyes.

"I don't know about you all," Evan states. "But I'm going to go look for Skylar."

"Good idea," Alexandria states. They walk off together. Everyone but Nathan walks off.

Nathan blinks his eyes. He says, "I feel a little embarrassed, now."

Doyce walks back, and makes sure no one is looking before he says, "So, uh..."

"You're back?" Nathan asks.

"Yeah," Doyce states. "Uh. I just wanted to say... something about cheerleading..."

Nathan says, "Oh. I don't want to hear you say how much of a wuss you think I am..."

"Maybe I was wrong," Doyce states. "I mean, maybe it can be kind of cool. You have to be pretty strong to be able to lift that meaty dude. So, I, uh... I just wanted to apologize."

"Thanks, Doyce," Nathan says. "That means, a lot. I really do love cheerleading, even if its not the most manly thing. I really shouldn't be so insecure about..."

"Yeah, yeah," Doyce says. "Shut up about that and teach me how to rip my shirt off like you just did. I've been practicing, but I can't get it to look as cool as..."

Nathan walks off and states, "I'm leaving." Doyce looks after him, slightly disappointed.

Skylar and Vanessa are shown, still trapped together. Vanessa assures, "I want you to know that this is all your fault."

"Of course you'd say that," Skylar states.

"Don't talk to me," Vanessa states.

"Gah!" Skylar shouts. "You initiated the conversation!"

"Don't raise your voice at me," Vanessa demands.

Skylar puts his good hand on his forehead. He says, "Look. I'm not going to talk to you for the rest of the time we're here. No matter how long it is."

"The others will find us, soon," Vanessa states. "They wouldn't want me to be stuck down here with you. You guys are always so negative." Skylar rolls his eyes and sits to the side. Vanessa glares at him. "Only a coward would resort to the silent treatment."

Skylar winces. He puts one of his hands over his ear and loudly says, "Lalalalalala!"

"Stop that!" Vanessa shouts. "Stop being so... guy-like, and immature!"

Skylar keeps going "Lalalalalala!"

"Stop it!" Vanessa shouts.

Alexandria and Evan are shown walking together. Evan requests, "Can you slow down for a second?"

Alexandria states, "You're some professional skateboarder, and you can't handle some speed walking?"

"I just need to catch my breath," Evan states. "I have not been feeling so great the last few days." He sits down to rest. He smiles and says, "Don't you find it a little odd that we always end up alone together?"

"Not really," Alexandria states. "I purposely bring you along."

Evan says, "I'm really flattered. I didn't know you liked me so..."

Alexandria further explains, "I don't want to be alone, but I don't want to babysit Gabby or deal with Vanessa's Vanessa-ness. Plus, the other guys are all strong. You're all thin and willowy. I know I can take you out if you start any funny business."

Evan looks concerned. He says, "Gee, thanks."

"Oh, you know what I mean," Alexandria says. Evan now looks confused.

"Never mind that," Evan states. "What time is it?"

Alexandria says, "Late."

"Maybe we should camp out here," Evan suggests. "You know, until morning?"

Alexandria states, "I'm not entirely comfortable with that. We should probably head back to our cabins, and continue searching in the morning."

Evan looks back. He says, "You remember how we got here?"

"Sure," Alexandria states. "I left a trail of cookie crumbs." She turns around and says, "Oh, look. It's gone." Evan lets out a laugh.

Evan sighs. He says, "I'm sorry. I feel like I need to rest. I'm not feeling the best."

"Yes, yes," Alexandria says. "I've heard your complaining."

"If you want to go back to your cabin..." Evan says.

Alexandria sighs. She says, "I'll stand watch." She grabs hold of a stick. "I'll fight off a bear if it tries to wake you, Sleeping Beauty."

Evan laughs. He states, "You're a nightclub act waiting to happen. This feels weird." Alexandria pokes him with the stick. "Ouchie."

"I said no funny business," Alexandria states.

Evan blushes. He says, "What? I just meant that you protecting me, like this. Major role reversal."

"Whatever," Alexandria states. "Just promise me that you'll get checked out by Nurse Hatchet when we get back to camp."

"Uh," Evan says. "I don't know."

Alexandria states, "Look. I understand your reluctance. You just might be more sick than you think. So promise me you'll meet with Nurse Hatchet."

"I..." Evan begins. Alexandria looks at him with wide eyes. "I promise."

"Good," Alexandria states.

She slaps him with her stick. Evan says, "Ow!"

"Go to sleep!" Alexandria demands. Evan smirks, nods, and closes his eyes. Alexandria hits him with the stick, again. "Wipe that smirk off of your face!"

Holden and Jayden are shown walking together. "How are things with your team?" Holden asks.

"That's classified," Jayden states. "Nathan told me not to share too much about our team. No offense."

Holden laughs. He says, "I get it. How are you doing, though? You feeling good?"

"Yeah," Jayden states. "I like my team, and it's all been pretty fun. Except for those missing kids, and not being on your team."

Holden assures, "It'll be alright, man. It's different from what I was expecting. We still get to see each other, and the merge has to be happening, soon."

"Yeah," Jayden states. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

"What is it, bro?" Holden asks. "You know you can tell me anything."

Jayden says, "There's a girl."

"Newsflash," Holden states. "There are lots of girls, buddy."

Jayden blushes, as he says, "No, I mean. I kind of like someone. I'm not sure what to do about it, though."

"Go for it, bro," Holden insists.

"Really?" Jayden asks. "I don't want any weirdness between you and me. If one of us is dating, and the other isn't, then the other might feel excluded, or whatever."

Holden states, "You think too much, sometimes. I'll be fine, man. Go let Cassie know how you feel."

"Thanks, bro," Jayden says with a smile. His smile drops. "Wait. How did you know I liked Cassie?"

Holden explains, "It's only the most obvious attraction since Gwen and Trent on season one, dude."

Jayden blushes. He says, "It's not as obvious as that..."

Gabby and Bubba are shown walking through the woods together. Bubba asks, "Do you think Evan is near here?"

"Aren't we looking for Skylar and Vanessa?" Gabby asks.

"Skylar, anyway," Bubba states. Bubba stops walking.

"What are you doing?" Gabby asks.

Bubba says, "I was just thinking. Do we really need to find them? Aren't we better off without Vanessa around?"

Gabby stares at Bubba. She says, "You're serious? Even if you don't like Vanessa, she's still a person in need of help. Don't let your opinion get in the way." Gabby continues walking.

"You're right," Bubba states. Gabby falls to the ground. "What happened?"

"My shoelaces got in the way," Gabby explains.

Bubba looks down. He says, "Your shoes are tied."

"Weird, isn't it?" Gabby asks.

Tony and Madison are shown walking together. Madison looks at Tony. She says, "How did we end up getting paired together?"

Tony shrugs. He looks around. "Searching for people in the dark is difficult, right?" Tony asks.

"Yes," Madison states. She looks at Tony. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No," Tony says. Tony looks at her. He asks, "Is that a request?"

Madison laughs. She says, "You're not my type. Remotely." She laughs, again.

"I get it," Tony says, blushing.

Ramona and Cassie walk up. "Hey," Ramona says. "Did you find them?"

"Do you see them with us?" Madison asks.

"Yes," Ramona states. "Oh, wait. That's just Tony."

Tony glares to the side. He says, "I think I'm going to leave before I get insulted some more."

"Sorry," Ramona apologizes. "You don't actually look like two people. It was dark, and you are an extremely large guy..."

"Yup," Tony says. "Should have left sooner." He walks off. Cassie looks after him, looking slightly guilty.

Madison says, "It'll probably be a good idea to head back."

"But we haven't found Vanessa and Skylar," Cassie says.

Ramona says, "Well, they aren't exactly on our team." She pauses. "Not that I'm not concerned for them."

"We can help out, tomorrow," Madison assures. "Let's go." Madison and Ramona begin walking back. "Cassie? Are you coming with us?" Cassie nods, and follows the girls. She pauses for a moment to look back and realizes that they're gone.

Holden walks up and says, "Oh, hey Cassie. What are you doing out here, alone?"

"We were looking for your missing team members, and the two I was with headed back," Cassie explains. "Then I stopped to look back, and I was all alone. I'm glad you're here, though, Holden. I didn't want to be out here by myself."

"Okay," Holden says. "Well, I can walk you back to your cabin." Cassie nods, and they begin walking together. Holden asks, "How did you know I was Holden? I'm used to people not being able to tell my brother and I apart." He looks down at his light blue shirt. He says, "Oh, right. We wear different colors to help people out, a little."

Cassie says, "Yeah."

Holden looks around. He says, "I was with Jayden, earlier. He'll probably kill me for doing this, but he really likes you."

"He does?" Cassie asks, while blushing.

"Um, yeah," Holden says. "He just told me. He went back to his cabin for the night, but yeah. You like him, too, right?"

"I don't know," Cassie states with her face red.

Holden looks at her. He says, "Yeah, you like him. You should let him know how you feel. I love him more than anyone, so... I just ask that you don't hurt him. But... What am I saying? I can tell that you're a sweet girl." Cassie blushes, again, after regaining her usual skin tone. "I want him to be as happy as possible. I've kind of been looking out for him, and... He's a good guy." Holden looks up. "We're here. See ya."

"See ya," Cassie states, as Holden walks off.

In the Athletic Supporters' guys' cabin, Jayden, Nathan, and Doyce are sitting around. "Can't we go to bed, yet?" Doyce asks.

"We should wait up for Tony," Jayden says. "It's common courtesy."

Nathan is shown in confessional. He says with a smirk, "Due to Tony's lack of presence, it was time for me to make a move."

"Speaking of Tony," Nathan says. "There's been something that has been bothering me."

"Oh, really?" Jayden asks. "What's that?"

Nathan's expression suddenly seems grim. "We talked about how old he looks, right?" Nathan says.

"Yeah," Doyce says. "But he had his birth certificate with him. We saw that. He's seventeen, like the rest of us."

Nathan nods. He says, "The document certainly said that. But... I've been thinking. It seemed a little convenient for him to have that with him. Why would he bring that with, unless he needed it to actually get on the show?"

"Does it matter why he has it?" Jayden asks. "It proves that he's a teenager, too."

"Yeah, son," Doyce adds.

"Guys," Nathan says. "You know as well as I do that documents like that can be faked. I think that's what we have here."

Jayden says, "Okay. I can see that, but what does it mean if it is?"

Nathan looks down at the floor and quickly shifts his head up, with a concerned look. He states, "Did you notice how he didn't bring any luggage with him, and the only clothes he has are... A little odd?"

"Odd, how?" Doyce asks.

"Do you own orange pants?" Nathan asks. Doyce and Jayden shake their heads. "And the weightlifting? Who do you know that lifts weights without being involved in another sport?" Doyce and Jayden shrug. "And another thing... remember the nicknames? Baby Blue Eyes? Bobby No Pinkies?"

"It was Bobby No Index Fingers," Jayden reminds.

"Whatever," Nathan states. "It doesn't matter. Who do you know that gives nicknames like that?"

Doyce laughs. He says, "They sound like names of guys from a mafia movie."

"Exactly," Nathan states.

"What are you trying to say?" Jayden asks.

Nathan looks Doyce in the eye, and then Jayden. He says, "I think we have an escaped convict among us."

"What?" Jayden says with wide eyes.

"He means someone who escaped from prison," Doyce explains.

"Oh, thanks," Jayden says.

"No problem," Doyce says. "I rock at explaining things. I need to share my gift."

Jayden looks nervous. He says, "But... If Tony escaped from prison, he might hurt us."

"Right," Nathan says. "We need to be extremely careful around him. Don't say or do anything that might make him snap."

"He might snap?" Doyce asks, looking scared. Nathan nods. "But I'm too awesome to die," Doyce adds.

Nathan assures, "Just play it cool. He won't suspect that we know his secret if we..."

Tony walks in. He says, "Hey, fellas." Doyce jumps back, and hops into his bed.

Jayden says, "Hey, T-T-T-T-T-T-Tony... W-w-we weren't t-talking about y-you, or anything."

"Okay," Tony says. "I wouldn't like that anyway. I hate it when people talk about me behind my back. It gives me a really... bad feeling."

"Well, we weren't doing that," Doyce assures. He takes a heavy gulp. "Definitely not talking about you behind your back." Doyce begins shaking.

Tony raises one of his large eyebrows. He asks, "Is something wrong? You guys are acting mighty suspicious."

"S-s-s-s-suspicious?" Jayden asks. "Us?"

Nathan states, "Don't mind them. They're a couple of duncebags. I told them a story about a hatchet killer, or whatever. It's my fault."

"You use hatchets to kill people, Tony?" Doyce asks.

Tony asks, "What?"

Doyce hides under his covers. Nathan says, "He's been accusing everyone of that since I told him the story. Pay him no mind."

"Oh," Tony says. "Okay. I'm feeling wiped out. I should get to sleep." Jayden begins laughing nervously.

Nathan closes his eyes. His eyes shoot open when he realizes that he's not in his bed alone. Jayden whispers, "Let me sleep here, tonight. I'm so scared." He grabs tight hold of Nathan.

Nathan rolls his eyes and forces a smile. He says, "I understand, man. It's alright... I guess." Nathan's eyes widen as he feels Doyce on his other side.

Doyce says, "Bros, I can't sleep alone, tonight. This isn't awkward, right?'

"Not at all," Nathan says sarcastically.

"You don't mind, do you Nathan?" Doyce asks.

"Of course he doesn't," Jayden assures.

"What are you guys doing?" Tony calls over.

Doyce says, "We're cold."

"O-Okay," Tony replies with raised eyebrows. "I guess it's a little chilly, tonight."

"Don't join us!" Jayden shouts. "There's no room for murder!"

"What?" Tony asks.

Nathan assures, "He means there's no room for you."

"Good save," Doyce whispers loudly.

"Um..." Tony says. "Well... Goodnight, I guess?"

"Goodnight!" Jayden shouts. "I look forward to being alive in the morning!"

Nathan is shown in confessional with his hand on his forehead. He says, "Those guys are hopeless. But... at least they're scared of Tony. That's exactly what I wanted." Nathan moves. "Ow, my back." He moves his neck. "Ow, my neck." He lets out a heavy sigh. "These beds are meant to hold one, if that. But... It'll be worth it."

Alexandria is shown leaning against a tree, holding her stick, while sleeping. Evan calls out, "Are you awake?"

Alexandria wakes up. She looks around and says, "It's morning."

"Congratulations," Evan says. "You know what morning looks like." Evan stands up and stretches. He says, "Thanks for staying out here with me. I know it was a weird circumstance, but I appreciate it."

"Are you feeling any better?" Alexandria asks.

Evan shrugs. He says, "Yup. Never felt better..." He begins coughing.

"Wow," Alexandria says. "I'd hate to see you on a bad day." She stands up, without the trees support, and wobbles. "Whoa. I'm a little dizzy." She stumbles and knocks into Evan. He falls to the ground. She apologizes, "I'm so sorry. Let me help you up." She takes Evan by the hand and pulls him up.

"Thanks," Evan states. Alexandria looks at Evan with her eyes wide. He asks, "What is it?"

She says, "What... Evan... Where's..."

Evan looks confused. He puts his hand to his head. His eyes get wide. He says, "Oh, no." He looks at the ground, and Alexandria looks with him. He sees his wig, quickly bends down, and picks it up, and places it over his sparse, thin hair. He looks extremely worried.

Alexandria asks, "Evan... You're... bald?"

Evan's face is red. He says, "You weren't supposed to see me like that... I... uh..."

Alexandria's expression looks blank. She says, "I don't understand." Evan holds his head down.

Evan states, "Uh... I have cancer."

Alexandria looks shocked. She says, "What? That can't be." Evan nods.

"I've been receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments, but none of that has been making any difference," Evan explains.

"But you shouldn't be here, if that's the case," Alexandria states.

Evan explains, "I need to be here. Me and my mom have been going around the world trying to find something that'll work for me. I say that it's for skateboard competitions, or whatever, and that's part of it, but its just a cover... The appearances I've been making I've been doing for barely any money, and... Every dollar I've made is almost gone... The treatments have been expensive, and... I'm here for the money. I need to win this. I can't leave my mom alone... I'm here to fight for my life."

Alexandria is tearful. She says, "I can't believe Chris agreed to let you compete like this."

Evan looks down at the ground. He says, "He doesn't know. Nobody knows accept for me, my mom, and the doctors we've seen..."

"Your mom agreed for you to appear?" Alexandria asks.

Evan says, "Of course. I wouldn't be here without her permission."

Alexandria says, "I just find that a little surprising, with you in this... condition."

Evan looks at Alexandria. He looks down at the ground. He says, "I forged her signature on the contract. She doesn't know I'm here."

"Didn't Chris have to be present when our parents signed our contracts?" Alexandria asks.

Evan explains, "I... uh... told him she couldn't make it. I said she signed the papers he sent me. He didn't think twice about it, he was just excited to have a 'big name celebrity' agree to appear."

"This is all hard to take in," Alexandria admits. "Evan, this isn't where you need to be. You need to get treatment."

"But I told you," Evan says. "I can't afford it, anymore. I need to be here."

Chris' voice comes on over the loudspeaker. "Muscleheads and Athletic Supporters. Please meet me for your next challenge."

"I guess we have to go," Alexandria says. She begins walking back toward the campground.

Evan takes hold of her arm and says, "You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone. Please. I'm asking this as your friend."

Alexandria hesitates. She says, "I promise."

Evan lets out a sigh of relief. He says, "Let's go. Wait. Is my signature hairstyle on straight?" Alexandria glances at Evan. She nods.

After the contestants, excluding Skylar and Vanessa, are gathered, Chris, dressed in a referee shirt, states, "Remember when we postponed that soccer match? Well, we're going to finally have it."

"I can't contain my excitement," Nathan sarcastically states.

Chris goes on, "So here's how it will work. Each team will make up a team... a soccer team. Try to get the most goals in the next fifteen minutes. Let's see who kicks the ball, first." Chris flips a coin. He says, "Tails. Athletic Supporters will kick first. So if everyone's ready, we'll let the festivities..."

"Wait, Chris," Gabby says. "Our team is down two people, since we still haven't found Skylar and Vanessa."

Chris puts his hand to his chin. He says, "That's right. Two Athletic Supporters will need to sit out... Wait. I have a better idea. Why don't the two that would sit out act as the referees for this challenge?"

"I don't like that idea," Ramona states.

Chris says, "Well, too bad. I decide these things."

"I guess I'm feeling kind of sore," Nathan states. He looks at some others. "I don't want to get into details."

"We shared a bed, last night," Jayden clarifies, as Nathan winces.

"Cassie will be our other referee," Madison states. Cassie looks at her with a worried expression. Madison says, "What? This will help you be more social."

Chris says, "We've got our referees. Everyone get in position." Chris hands Cassie a spare referee shirt, and whistle. He looks at Nathan. Chris removes his own striped referee shirt and hands it to Nathan. Nathan's eye twitches as he looks at it.

Chris is shown on the sidelines, lying on a lounging chair, in sunglasses. He says, "Let the games begin!" He takes a sip from a straw sticking out of a coconut.

Jayden kicks a soccer ball and it sails by members of the other team. Holden hugs Jayden and says, "Nice kick, bro!"

"Thanks," Jayden states. They separate and run off. Bubba attempts to pick up the ball, serving as his team's goalie, but Jayden appears in front of him, in front of the goalie box, and kicks the ball into the goal.

Bubba looks at Jayden, and then at the ball. Bubba says, "But you... then the... But you were over there?"

Holden catches up to Jayden and puts his arm around him. He says, "That's my brother."

"Aw, thanks, bro," Jayden states.

"Right," Bubba says. "You guys do realize that you're on opposite teams?"

Holden and Jayden run back to their sides. Evan prepares to kick the soccer ball. Nathan blows into his whistle. He shouts, "Off sides!"

"Who's off sides?" Evan asks.

Nathan says, "You attempted to kick the ball when it wasn't completely centered."

"It looks fine to me," Jayden states.

Nathan says, "Cassie will back me up on this."

"Well, I..." Cassie begins.

"She agrees with me," Nathan states. "Evan gets a red card. He's out of the game."

"Wait, what?" Evan asks. "Chris, this isn't fair!"

Chris says from the sidelines, "I'll allow it. What the referee says goes." Chris turns around to lie on his stomach and tan his back.

Evan stomps off of the field. Cassie blows her whistle. Gabby kicks the ball forward. She passes it to Alexandria. Alexandria looks gloomy. "Pass the ball to me!" Holden calls.

"Okay," Alexandria states. She passes the ball to Gabby.

Nathan blows his whistle. He says, "Penalty! Alexandria said she was going to pass the ball to Holden. She clearly did not, so she's out of the game."

"That is ridiculous!' Evan shouts from the sidelines.

"What I say goes," Nathan states. "Cassie agrees with me." Cassie looks confused.

Alexandria folds her arms and stands next to Evan. "This is dumb," Evan states.

"You can say that, again," Alexandria says.

"This is dumb," Evan states.

Alexandria says, "Okay, now this is dumb." Evan laughs. Alexandria looks at him, and then down at the ground.

Nathan blows his whistle. He says, "You can proceed."

Holden kicks the ball forward. Doyce runs at him, attempts to kick the ball, misses, and hits Holden in the crotch. "Whoops," Doyce says.

"Now that's a penalty," Gabby says.

Nathan says, "It was an accident on Doyce's part. Holden intentionally placed his unmentionables in front of Doyce's foot in order to incur a penalty for the other team." Nathan blows the whistle. "Holden's out of the game."

Tears stream down Jayden's face as he carries his brother to the sidelines. He says, "It'll be okay, bro."

"Ouchy," Holden says, as his left eye twitches.

Nathan blows his whistle. Jayden drops Holden on he side lines, runs back to the soccer field, and says, "Gotta go."

Alexandria and Evan watch from the sidelines. "Gabby is certainly giving it all she's got," Alexandria states.

"Yeah," Evan states. "She's giving them some competition. Oh... Another goal for them. Wait, is their goalie sleeping?"

"I see the light," Holden says, squeakily. "It's so beautiful..."

Chris Mclean calls out, "That's time. The game is over. The Athletic Supporters won the game." Nathan blows on his fingernails.

Evan says, "Chris! This is entirely not fair. Nathan totally abused his position of authority." Nathan blows his whistle.

Chris says, "Well..." Nathan smirks. "He did, didn't he? It's time I told you the truth about the challenge. I'm not huge into this soccer mumbo-jumbo, and I do like twists. The winners were decided by the coin toss. The Athletic Supporters won that. All they had to do is referee fairly to win the challenge... They failed. The Muscleheads win invincibility!"

"What?!" Nathan shouts. "But we won the game!"

"But not the challenge," Chris states. "Didn't I explain that to you?"

Tony walks up and asks, "That was a nice nap... Did my team win the challenge?"

Doyce answers, "No, Big Tony... Ah. I can call you that, right? It doesn't make you violently angry, does it?"

Tony looks confused. He says, "I'm not mad. I guess."

Later, Jayden and Doyce are shown talking. Jayden says, "I think Holden is okay, now. Try not to kick him, again, please."

"Sorry," Doyce says. "Sports just make me go into a different zone. Hey, I have a question. They say that twins can feel what the other feels, sometimes. So when I kicked Holden in the..."

"Oh, there you guys are," Tony says, as he walks up.

"H-h-h-h-h-hey, Tony," Jayden says.

Tony sighs. He says, "You guys have been acting weird around me, lately. Everything is cool between us, right?"

"Yes!" Doyce shouts. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Tony lets out a sigh of relief. He says, "That's a relief to hear. I was just getting a weird vibe from you guys." He sighs, again. As Doyce and Jayden shake. "I really want to stay, tonight." He looks down. He says, "If I were eliminated... I don't know what I'd do." Jayden and Doyce glance at each other.

At the elimination ceremony, Chris states, "Lets get on with it. Jayden, Ramona, Madison, and Doyce are safe." Jayden hugs Doyce tight, as Chris throws the four their marshmallows. "Cassie is also safe," Chris says, as he tosses a marshmallow to her. "That means that tonight's bottom two is Nathan and Tony. The final marshmallow goes to..."

"Tony." Tony catches his marshmallow.

Nathan smirks. He looks at his open hands and then at Tony's marshmallow. His eyes get wide and he says, "B-b-but... Wh-what happened? M-my scheme was foolproof." Doyce and Jayden simultaneous have one of their fingers in the others ears. "I'm not supposed to be eliminated. I'm supposed to win this..."

Chris blinks. He says, "You kind of lost the challenge for your team."

Nathan says, "That doesn't matter. I did everything perfectly. It wasn't supposed to be me, tonight."

Chris says, "Well, it's time for you to go, whether it was supposed to be you or not."

Nathan looks down. He says, "I didn't pack my things... I was..."

"We get it," Chris says. "You're surprised. Are you going to leave, or do you need to be escorted?" Nathan shakes his head. He walks toward the Boat of Losers, and gets on.

On board, Nathan says, "What did I do wrong? I was one of the best players this game has seen." He holds his head down.

Chris says to the camera, "There goes another disillusioned individual. Thanks for watching another Total... Drama... Athletics, and tune in next time to see who wins the next challenge, who goes home. Oh, and maybe we'll find Skynessa and Valar. Maybe." Chris shrugs.

#### Chapter 8 - A Thrown Stones Away

"Welcome to an all-new, soon to be rerun, episode of Total... Drama... Athletics!" Chris Mclean states. "I'm your host, Chris Mclean. On the last episode, Vanessa and Skylar continued to be lost. In other news, the contestants were asked to play a soccer game. The Athletic Supporters won the coin toss, and due to uneven teams Nathan and Cassie were put in charge of refereeing the game. Nathan abused his position of authority to give his team an advantage. Even though his team won the game, Nathan was evaluated for his performance, which was what the challenge was really about. Needless to say, that he cost his team the win, and he was eliminated, despite his best effort to make Tony appear to be an escaped convict. Which... I should really get someone to look in to..." Chris shrugs it off. "What will happen on this episode?"

Jayden and Doyce are shown walking close together. Jayden whispers, "Is Tony still behind us?"

Doyce looks back. He answers, "Yeah, son."

Tony asks, "Um, are you guys talking about me?"

"I told you not to make eye contact!" Jayden shouts. "It'll only make him angry." Tony looks down at the ground.

Tony is shown in confessional. He looks around. He says, "It's pretty cramped in here." Tony looks down and lets out a deep sigh. "Things are starting to get like they are back home. People don't want to talk to me, for whatever reason. It's not the best feeling. It almost makes me wish that it was me that got voted out at the campfire ceremony."

Ramona, Cassie, and Madison are shown in their cabin. Madison says, "Too bad about Nathan."

"Why's that?" Ramona asks.

Madison states, "You know, he's datable."

"Well, there must be someone else," Ramona says.

Madison narrows her eyes and says, "Who do we have left on our team? Doyce... No way. Tony?" Madison begins laughing. Madison's eyes widen. "There's always Jayden. He's really cute. You don't mind, right Cassie?"

Cassie's eyes get wide. She says, "Um... Actually..."

Madison states, "Wait, why am I asking permission from you? You don't own Jayden. Goodnight, girls. I'll have to make my move in the morning." Cassie's eyes are wide as she lies in her bed.

Evan and Alexandria are shown outside together in the morning. Evan asks, "Did you happen to see who was eliminated from the other team?" Alexandria shakes her head. "I wonder who they voted out. That was quite a twist with the challenge."

"Yeah," Alexandria states.

"My guess is that Nathan is out, with the way he lost the challenge," Evan says. "Although, he seems like a player, so he could easily manipulate things to..." Evan looks at Alexandria. He says, "You're being pretty quiet."

"Um, yeah," Alexandria states. "I just found out that you have cancer, and you're acting like everything is normal."

Evan explains, "I've been dealing with it for some time, now. I know how to hide how I'm feeling, now."

"But I haven't," Alexandria states.

Evan looks at Alexandria. He says, "I understand. You have to be kind of shocked, I mean. I get that."

Alexandria sighs. She says, "Yes. It was definitely shocking. But I've been thinking... Maybe you should let somebody else know. Like Bubba, or someone?"

"Bubba?" Evan asks, his face kind of red. "I can't tell Bubba."

"I thought the two of you were friends?" Alexandria says.

Evan holds his head down. He says, "Yeah, well... I don't think he'd handle it well. Besides, it kind of defeats the purpose of not letting anyone know."

"Right," Alexandria states.

Bubba walks up. He says, "Hey, there you two are."

"Oh," Evan says. "Hey, bro."

"I was just leaving," Alexandria states. She walks off.

Bubba looks after Alexandria as she goes. He turns to Evan and nudges him with his elbow. He says, "Things are getting pretty hot and heavy with you and Alexandria?"

"Alexandria and me?" Evan says, while blinking.

"Ooh," Bubba says. "No need to act so coy, bro."

"Coy, huh?" Evan says with a laugh. "That's a pretty big word."

Bubba looks confused. He says, "It's three letters."

"No, I just meant that it was a sign of a nice vocabulary," Evan says.

Bubba laughs. He says, "I may not look like a reader, but I read. I do a little writing, too."

"Oh, really?" Evan says. "Cool. I'd like to read something of yours, sometime."

Bubba blushes. He says, "I don't know. It's kind of a personal thing. No one has ever read what I've written."

Evan says, "Aw, bro. If you change your mind, let me..."

Bubba pulls a notebook from his pants and hands it to Evan. He says, "You convinced me, man."

Evan flips through the notebook. He says, "Wait, did you just pull this out from your..."

"Tell me what you think," Bubba says. "I can take whatever criticism you have to offer. Just... don't be too harsh. That would crush me."

Evan reads a few lines. He says, "Bubba, this is awesome, bro. I had no idea you could write like this."

Bubba blushes. He says, "Thanks, man. It means a lot coming from you." Bubba hugs Evan tight. Bubba lets go. He says, "But... Don't sugarcoat it. I really can take the criticism."

"I'm being honest, brotato," Evan assures.

Bubba says, "Thanks." He says, "I'm glad to have met you, man. You're like the brother I always wanted. I feel like I can talk to you about anything."

Evan's face turns red. He says, "Oh, man. I appreciate it, but..." Bubba interrupts Evan by hugging him.

Bubba says, "I don't know what I'd do without you." Evan suddenly looks a little conflicted. While hugging Evan, Bubba sniffs his own armpit. He says, "Whoa! I smell like raw sewage. Sorry, man." He lets go of Evan. "Time to hit the showers." He slaps Evan's butt before walking away. Evan sits down on the ground and looks down.

Holden, Gabby and Chris are shown in Chris' control room. "As you can see," Chris says. "Skylar and Vanessa can be seen on this feed here." Gabby and Holden look at the screen featuring their missing teammates arguing. "But that's all the information I have."

"At least we know they're alright," Gabby states.

"How are they doing without any food?" Holden asks.

Chris states, "Skylar had a granola bar that he actually shared with Vanessa."

"Wow," Holden says. "He's a good man."

Chris states, "Vanessa scolded him for assuming that she didn't want to eat a T-bone steak just because she was a girl."

"Was a girl?" Gabby asks with wide eyes.

Chris looks at Gabby with a confused expression. He says, "She still is. I was using past tense."

Gabby looks around. She says, "There certainly are a lot of cameras in here."

Chris states, "Yup."

"And lots of buttons," Gabby states.

"Yes," Chris says. "Plenty of buttons. Now if you kids would leave..."

"Whoa," Gabby says as she loses her footing, and lands on a control panel. "Oops, sorry." She looks up at the screens to realize that Bubba in the shower is now on the majority of screens. Gabby blushes. Bubba looks up at the camera, and his eyes get wide, as he covers himself with is hands.

Chris quickly pushes Gabby to the ground, and presses buttons to change what the screens are showing. He says, "Sorry you had to see that."

Holden has wide eyes. He says, "There are certain things in life you wish you could unsee."

"Yes, yes," Chris says. "This is what you get for insisting on coming in here to see where Vanessa and Skylar are."

"I've come to regret the decision," Holden assures.

Vanessa and Skylar are shown, still stranded in the pit. Skylar is shown banging his head on one of the steep sides as Vanessa states, "Here you are, assuming that sharing your food will make me think that the male side of the species is giving and not selfish. I have never not met an unselfish male. You men emerge from the womb that way. Any hint of kindness is always done with ulterior motives."

"Can I interrupt you for a moment?" Skylar asks, after taking a pause from hitting his head against a rock.

Vanessa's eyes get wide. "The nerve you have to say..."

"Of course, not," Skylar says. "But I'm going to talk, anyway. Don't you have any men in your life you care about?"

"I have my father, stepfather, brothers, and stepbrothers," Vanessa states. "All scum, every last one of them."

Skylar says, "Those poor, sorry individuals."

"They should be honored to ever have been even able to be in my presence, or any other woman," Vanessa states. "They're scum because they fail to realize that women are so much superior to men."

"I didn't ask for an explanation," Skylar states.

"Well, you got one," Vanessa states. "Despite your not deserving it." Vanessa glances at Skylar's arm.

He looks down at it, and shifts his makeshift bandage to cover it better, looking embarrassed. He says, "There's nothing wrong with my arm. I know it looks like it's bad, and my wound kind of looks like it got infected, but..."

"I didn't ask for your life story," Vanessa states. "I could care less about your arm."

"Gee, thanks," Skylar says. "I'm not your biggest fan, either, but I wouldn't wish harm on you."

"So why do I have to be near you?" Vanessa asks.

Skylar looks at her. He says, "If you'll excuse me. I have a rock I need to hit my head against." Skylar goes back to the rock.

"Knock yourself out," Vanessa states. She smirks. "I mean that literally."

Skylar says, "I think I've discovered something far worse than solitary confinement." He hits his head on the rock.

Jayden and Doyce are shown hiding in the bushes outside of the cafeteria. Doyce's stomach growls. He says, "Do we really have to keep waiting out here, son? I'm wasting away to nothing, over here."

Jayden says, "We can't go in there, man. Tony's in there."

"Right," Doyce states.

"Would you prefer whatever way Tony would implement your death to starving to death?" Jayden asks. Doyce looks at him. Jayden says, "I'm not dumb, or anything. I know big words. Holden's done his best to tutor me. For free, too!"

"That would be pretty messed up if he charged you," Doyce states. The door to the cafeteria opens. "Shhh!" Doyce loudly says. He grabs hold of Jayden's face. He let's go and says, "Never mind, it's just Madison."

Madison looks around. She looks at the bushes. She says, "Is someone in the bushes? Is it some perv, or something?"

"Yeah, it's Doyce," Jayden whispers with a laugh. Doyce frowns and pushes Jayden.

Tony next emerges from the cafeteria, holding a large knife. "Ack!" Doyce shouts. "Tony's holding a weapon! Someone needs to rescue that hot chick!" Tony and Madison stare at the bushes, as Jayden is tossed out of them. He stumbles toward, Madison, grabs her hand and runs off. Tony looks at them with wide eyes. Doyce stands up and shouts, "Booya! You're not going to get all stabby on that hot girl, son!"

"Stabby?" Tony asks.

Doyce's eyes get wide. He says, "I'm not hiding from you, anymore, am I?" Doyce gulps. "Please, don't hurt me." He begins unbuttoning his pants. "I can offer you my pants, again, but they might be a little moist."

"I don't want your pants," Tony says with an eye roll.

"Well, I'll give you whatever you want," Doyce assures. "Nothing weird, though. Just the clothes off my back, or maybe my loofah collection?"

Tony says, "Look, Doyce. I don't want anything." Tony thinks. "Wait a second. There is something I want to know."

"Anything!" Doyce shouts. "When I was five, I took a cookie from my teacher's desk when I was alone in there! My goldfish died when I tried to give it a bath in the bathtub with my exotic soaps! How was I supposed to know he was allergic to soap?"

Tony says, "Doyce... I didn't need to know any of that. I just want to know why you and Jayden are acting so weird around me."

Doyce states, "I'll never say it. I wouldn't put myself... or Jayden, in danger like that!" Tony holds up the knife and looks at it. Doyce shouts, "Okay, okay! We found out that you escaped from prison, and you're hiding out on the show. Please don't do me bodily harm. Do what you want with Jayden, though, he was the one who found out!"

Tony's eyes are wide. He says, "Prison? What are you talking about?"

Doyce explains, "Dude. You're wearing prison garb."

"What?" Tony asks. "Prison garb?"

"Orange pants, dude," Doyce states. "How do you explain those?"

Tony looks down. He says, "I like hunting. You wear these so other hunters notice you."

Doyce blinks. He says, "But, you don't have any other luggage, like you didn't have time to take anything as you were escaping, or whatever."

Tony says, "I really just forgot. I don't have the best memory."

"And weightlifting?" Doyce asks. "All they do is weightlifting in prison... Sounds kind of cool, actually..."

"I just like weightlifting," Tony says with a shrug. "I was pretty chunky, but I started weightlifting, and I liked it. It doesn't have anything to do with prison."

"Then..." Doyce says. "How do you explain your nickname, huh? Baby Blue Eyes? That's totally something you'd hear from a mobster movie."

Doyce blinks, some more. He says, "My eyes are baby blue, if you haven't noticed."

"But what about your friends?" Doyce states. "You seemed reluctant to call them that. Plus, they had even crazier nicknames."

Tony sits down on the ground. He says, "That's because they're not my friends. I mean, they are my friends, but... They're my brother, and some of my cousins. They love their mafia movies... I don't have any friends that actually have the choice of hanging out with me."

Doyce sits down next to Tony. He asks, "You're saying you don't have friends?"

Tony continues looking down. He says, "Other people act like you and Jayden were. Everyone's always so scared of me. I know I look kind of gruff, but I don't bite."

"Or stab?" Doyce asks.

Tony looks at the knife he's holding. He puts it down on the ground and says, "Or stab. I just wanted this for whittling. I like to whittle."

"Oh," Doyce says. "That's kind of different... Wait... Don't prisoners whittle?" Tony glares at Doyce. "Never mind."

"I don't know where such a crazy rumor came from," Tony says.

"Sorry, man," Doyce says. "Hey, I mean, I already have, like, a thousand friends, but I can add one more, you know?"

Tony says with a smile, "I'd like that."

Doyce nods. Doyce says, "'Cause that Alexandria girl is so hot. I'd prefer to be more than friends with her, but I'll settle for..." Tony glares at Doyce. Doyce insists, "Hey, man. I'm joking."

"You better be," Tony states, as he cracks his neck. Doyce gulps. "It would make me really sad if you said something like that for real." Doyce nods.

Cassie and Ramona are shown talking outside, though Ramona is doing most of the talking. "So I wondered to myself, do chickens have feelings, too?" Ramona asks. Jayden and Madison run by, holding hands. Cassie looks at them with wide eyes. Ramona says, "I wonder what's going on there? Wait, are they doing a challenge we didn't hear about, maybe?"

"I hope so," Cassie says. She looks worried, and looks down at the ground.

Bubba, Evan, and Alexandria are shown in the woods. "Any sight of Skylar?" Evan asks Bubba, who is in a tree, scouting the area.

Bubba answers, "Nope." Bubba climbs down. He says, "Don't go anywhere, you two. I have to go urinate."

"That's a weird way to put it," Evan says with a raised eyebrow.

"There's a lady present," Bubba states, pointing at Alexandria. Bubba walks away.

"Can you believe that guy?" Evan asks, with a small laugh.

"I am a lady," Alexandria insists, with a raised eyebrow.

Evan laughs. He says, "I didn't mean that."

Alexandria nods. She says, "Say, did you tell him about... you know..."

"I can't," Evan insists. "It would crush him. I know it would. Look... You aren't thinking of telling anyone, right?"

Alexandria sighs. She says, "No."

"Good," Evan says, "because you made me a promise."

"Yeah," Alexandria says. "I remember. But I think that you should really tell someone."

Evan lets out a sigh. He says, "I can't do that."

Bubba walks up and asks, "Can't do what?"

Alexandria folds her arms. Evan says, "Um. I can't rub my stomach and pat my head at the same time."

Bubba says, "Oh. That's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'll teach you how." Bubba starts rubbing Evan's stomach with his hand. Evan's eyes widen. "Then you do this," Bubba says. He rubs Evan's head. Evan slaps his hand away.

"It's time for the next challenge," Chris states.

"Time to go back," Evan states.

Bubba nods and says, "You're so smart, man."

In Skylar and Vanessa's entrapment, Vanessa says, "We're within earshot of one of the speaker phones... I can't believe Chris is going on with the competition, with us still here." Vanessa pauses. She says, "Never mind. Chris is a guy. Since when have they cared about others?"

"I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of a response," Skylar states. Skylar's stomach growls. He groans. "I don't know what's worse. Lack of food, or lack of water."

"Mm hm," Vanessa says.

"Did you just agree with something I said?" He looks at Vanessa, who is not facing him. He says, "Wait a second. Are you eating something?"

Vanessa turns around. Skylar realizes that she's holding a canteen. Skylar's eyes get wide. He sees that she also has a small bag of dried foods. "No?" Vanessa answers.

Skylar says, "I can't believe this. Why do you have that stuff?"

Vanessa explains, "I was smart enough to bring some preparations."

Skylar looks at a backpack next to a skeleton. "Was that here all along?" Skylar asks as he points. "You found it without telling me?"

"Why should I tell you?" Vanessa asks. "You would just take it all for yourself."

"How is that different from what you're doing?" Skylar asks. "I can't believe..." Skylar stumbles. He puts his hand to his head. He says, "Never mind." He sits down.

Vanessa says, "Please. I'm not about to fall for your act to make me feel sorry for you. What I found is mine." Skylar doesn't retort, he only nods. He holds his head in his hands.

The other contestants are shown with Chris. He says, "Still no sign of Vanessa and Skylar?"

"Nope," Alexandria replies. "Maybe if you gave us enough time to search for them."

"There's a schedule to keep," Chris insists. "But enough about that. Let me explain the challenge. It's curling! Canada's past time."

Doyce pumps his fist. "Alright, I rock at curling!"

"Each team will choose two stone throwers and sweepers," Chris explains. "Whichever team gets their three stones closest to the bull's eye on the target."

Gabby says, "I have no idea what that means."

Holden explains, "The stone is what the thingy with the handle is called. The sweepers sweep in front of it, after it's thrown to make it go slightly faster, or to slightly curve the direction it's going."

"Wait, how are we going to do this without ice?" Doyce asks.

Chris explains, "I put wheels on the curling stones."

"So what's the point of sweeping?" Holden asks.

"I put some rocks and stuff on the course," Chris says with a shrug. "Lets get started."

Jayden is shown sliding the first curling stone. Ramona and Cassie sweep in front of it as it reaches the center of the target. "Nice shot, bro," Holden assures.

"It's not over, yet," Jayden states. Holden nods. Holden goes for his team, as Alexandria and Bubba sweep in front of the curling stone. Holden's curling stone gently hits Jayden's curling stone, and they touch each other. Jayden hugs his brother and says, "Aw, our stones are touching!"

Tony says, "Is anyone else entirely disturbed by that statement?"

Doyce goes for his team, as Madison and Tony sweep in front of the stone. It hits Holden's stone, and knocks it away from the center, but it remains near the target. Jayden's curling stone goes off of the target completely. Doyce pumps his fist and says, "Doyce!"

"You knocked my curling stone away," Jayden sadly says.

Holden hugs his brother. "He'll never knock us apart," Holden states.

Gabby says, "Oh. This is just like shuffleboard."

Chris' eyes get wide. He says, "Never say that, again."

Gabby shrugs. She throws her curling stone, as Evan and Bubba sweep in front of it, and it hits Doyce's stone slightly away from the target. Hers remains in the center. "Foul!" Doyce shouts.

Chris says, "There was no foul. Jayden, you're up." Jayden nods. He angles his throw, and knocks Gabby's curling stone away from the center, and off of the target, leaving his and Doyce's curling stones closest to the center.

"Nice work, Jayden," Ramona says. "Right, Cassie?" Cassie nods.

Holden goes for his team, as Alexandria and Bubba sweep, but his curling stone is close to the edge of the target. Chris says, "And with that. The Athletic Supporters win the challenge, and invincibility. That does not bode well for Skylar and Vanessa. I'll see the Muscleheads at the campfire ceremony, anyway, for formalities sake, anyway."

The Athletic Supporters are shown cheering for Jayden. Ramona shouts, "Great job, Jayden! Huzzah!"

"That's my bro," Holden says, looking proud. Bubba drags him off by his ear.

Doyce folds his arms and looks to the side. He says, "I was awesome, too, guys. In case you didn't notice." Doyce is ignored, as his other team members continue to cheer for Jayden, and throw him up in the air. Doyce says, "Psht. Oh, I get it. You're only doing this, because Jayden is so much lighter than me. I get it, but I wouldn't mind if you tried to throw me up." His team continues to ignore him.

Gabby laughs and says, "You just said you wanted your team to try and throw you up." Doyce looks at her, with a peeved expression. Gabby says, "Alright, alright. I'm going." She begins walking, and then falls over. "I'm okay."

At the campfire ceremony, the team looks sad, in general. Chris says, "It's too bad that we haven't found Skylar and Vanessa, but the rules dictate what has to happen." Chris sets a tray of marshmallows to the side. He says, "No need to pass out marshmallows. I'll get on with it..."

"It's come to my attention that Evan has broken the rules," Chris states.

"What?" Bubba asks. Evan's eyes are wide. He looks at Alexandria. She holds down her head.

Chris says, "He breached the part of his contract that says that he needed permission from his parent or guardian. He signed his mother's name without her knowledge. I informed her of that, and Evan will be sent home, right away."

"I don't understand," Bubba says. "What's going on? Why wouldn't his mom let him compete."

Chris looks at Evan. Evan holds his head down. He says, "I'm sick, Bubba. I have cancer."

Bubba's eyes get wide. He says, "No... I can't believe it."

"It's true," Evan says. He removes his wig. The others gasp at the sight of him without hair. He begins to cry. He says, "This was my only chance... I ran out of my money, I needed something to pay for treatments, or to find something that might work for me. I had to forge my mom's signature to appear... I had to do it. Chris, you have to understand."

Chris assures, "I'm sorry, Evan. As much as you feel you need to be here, you still broke a rule. You need to leave. I'm sorry."

"I understand," Evan says. He looks at Alexandria. "You told him?"

"I had to, Evan," Alexandria says. "This is about your safety."

Evan says, "I don't think I can ever forgive you." Alexandria looks down at the ground. Gabby puts her good arm around her. Evan begins walking toward the Boat of Losers.

Bubba chases him and hugs him. He says, "Evan... I..."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Bubba," Evan says. "But I couldn't. If you never want to talk to me, I'd understand."

"I couldn't do that and be able to live with myself," Bubba says. "You're going to be fine, Evan. You're going to get better."

Evan looks sad. He says, "Thanks for that. I'm not so confident, though..."

Bubba begins to cry. He says, "You can't say that. You're going to be okay." He holds Evan tight.

Evan says, "I... I'm going to be alright." Bubba continues to hug his friend. "I thought you'd want nothing to do with me, after what happened with Luke."

Bubba assures, "You're the one who taught me I was wrong, Evan. I've learned from it, I'd like to think. But I'm not even going to think about you not beating this. I'm going to be there for you. I won't leave your side, ever, when this competition is done."

Evan says, "Uh, can I at least go to the bathroom by myself?" Bubba laughs and nods. Evan says, "Thanks, Bubba. You're a true friend. I wish I could stay, but meeting you was worth my time out here." Bubba lets go of Evan. Evan says, "I have to go. Thanks, man." He hands Bubba his wig. He says, "You can keep this."

Bubba says, "Uh, don't you need this?"

Evan answers, "I've got a bunch just like it, so keep it." Bubba squeals.

"Can I have your shirt, too, or is that off limits?" Bubba asks. Evan laughs.

"Thanks," Evan says. "I needed a laugh, right now. I'll see you later, Bubba." Bubba nods. Evan walks onto the Boat of Losers.

"I guess that was a no on the shirt," Bubba says. He looks at the Boat of Losers, and then down at the water.

At the campfire ceremony, Gabby asks, "So what does this mean for Skylar and Vanessa?"

"They get a free pass," Chris says. "Another one. We'll amp up our efforts to find them, tomorrow, But for now, that wraps up another episode of Total... Drama... Athletics!"

Vanessa and Skylar are shown. Vanessa says, "I forbid you from not arguing with me."

Skylar says, "I'm tired. Just leave me alone for tonight." He looks weak. He says, "I know you won't care, but I'm not feeling the best. I think it's my arm..."

Vanessa looks at him. She says, "I get it. You want me to feel sorry for you and share my water. You can quit the act."

Skylar says, "I'm not..." He begins coughing. He looks weak. He eyes flutter. He says, "I just... need to rest." He closes his eyes.

Vanessa says, "Skylar? This isn't funny." Skylar groans in pain. "Skylar... You're alright, right?" She feels for his pulse, and gives a slight sigh of relief. Skylar looks at Vanessa, but then closes his eyes, again. She says, "I don't actually care, or anything." Skylar falls asleep. Vanessa looks at him for a moment. She unwraps the bandage around his arm. She looks at his wound with wide eyes, and wraps it, again. She stands up and calls out, "Help! Is anyone up there?!" She looks down at Skylar. She looks back up and calls, "Someone?!"

#### Chapter 9 - Croquet Pasa?

Chris Mclean says to the camera, with his usual smile, "Hello, and welcome to another Total... Drama... Athletics! Last time, our contestants were faced with another challenge, curling. Jayden did well and won the challenge for his team. The Muscleheads had to face a campfire ceremony for the first time since Vanessa and Skylar went missing, and while that would have meant their elimination in a perfect world, it came to my attention that Evan had broken a rule involving not having a parent or guardian's permission to appear. I do wish the best for the kid, though... Anyway, because of that, while Skylar and Vanessa are not present, they are still technically part of the competition. With all the twists this season has had, already, what will be in store for our viewers this episode?"

Vanessa and Skylar are shown in their pit. Vanessa looks up. She says, "No one is coming, are they?" She looks down at Skylar, who is asleep. "Why do you have to be all hurt? You want me to feel bad for you, don't you?" She looks at him. "I suppose you're not that annoying when you're unconscious. I guess I've been kind of selfish... I shouldn't have withheld water from you, after you shared your granola bar with me." She looks at Skylar, again. "I don't wish actual harm to you, or anything, I just don't want to have to deal with you, and I wish your anatomy was different." Vanessa's face turns bright red. "Not that you aren't an attractive man... You're just..." Vanessa's face is still red. "I'm attracted to a corpse..." Vanessa's face turns more red. "I'm going to stop talking, now." Vanessa looks over at the rock that Skylar hit his head against, earlier. She says, "I see the appeal." She approaches it and hits her head against it.

Alexandria and Gabby are shown in their cabin. Alexandria says, "Are you positive we shouldn't go out and look for Skylar?"

"And Vanessa?" Gabby asks.

"Right," Alexandria says, as she looks to the side.

Gabby says, "Well, it's all dark. I'd go with you, I mean, I want to find those two, but I don't want to get lost."

"And I don't want to go out there alone," Alexandria states.

Gabby says, "I've noticed that. For such an independent woman, you sure don't like being by yourself. Is there a reason, or..."

Alexandria says, "Look, I know this is Total Drama, but not every detail about a person has a traumatic backstory behind it. I realize that the unwashed masses are unaware of that."

"Okay," Gabby replies. "I was just wondering. Sorry."

Alexandria lets out a sigh. She says, "No, don't be. I don't really think you're completely unwashed."

Gabby replies with, "Thanks." She pauses for a moment to look at Alexandria. "Are you upset about what happened with Evan?"

Alexandria looks down. She says, "Yeah. I guess. I knew about his disease, but I did the right thing, didn't I? I just wanted him to be able to get treatment."

Gabby answers, "I can't really answer that. Personally, I think you did the right thing. I mean, even if you didn't tell Chris, and Evan won the competition, the fact that he lied about having permission to appear would have eventually come out and that would have disqualified him from getting the prize money."

"I guess that's true," Alexandria states. "Thanks." Alexandria sighs. "I just hate that Evan is mad at me."

"Because you like him?" Gabby asks.

Alexandria glares at Gabby. "Can't a female Total Drama contestant be friends with a male Total Drama contestant? Is that so wrong? Does a relationship have to be inevitable?"

Gabby says, "Sorry. This is the Total Drama series we're talking about. If a romantic relationship isn't canon, it might as well be. On Total Drama Reality, Ruth winked at Angelo once. It was only a split second, and some people debate that she was just blinking, but these subtle nuances are put in the show to be read into." Gabby smiles wide.

Alexandria stares at Gabby. She says, "You're a hopeless romantic."

Gabby blushes. She says, "Yeah, maybe. It was a dream of mine to be on the show to meet my dream guy, but... Well, I guess you're right about my being a hopeless romantic. It's not going to happen. Not to me, anyway."

Alexandria sighs. She says, "Don't say that. I didn't mean anything by it. I just think people put a lot of emphasis on romance, while things don't happen like that in real life. But... hey, if that's what you want to happen to you, more power to you."

"Thanks," Gabby replies.

"Hey," Alexandria says. "You haven't fallen over, in a long time. That must be a record for you."

"Oh, you're right," Gabby says. "I didn't even notice. I mean, I'm not getting injured, all of the..." Gabby begins to tip over. "Oh, here it goes." She falls onto the floor.

Alexandria states, "I'll help you up if you help me search for Skylar in the morning."

"And Vanessa?" Gabby asks.

Alexandria says, "And Vanessa. I keep forgetting about her."

Gabby replies, "Deal." Alexandria helps Gabby to her feet.

Jayden and Ramona are shown walking together in the woods. "How did we end up together?" Ramona asks.

Jayden shrugs. He says, "You're the only one who agreed to look for those missing two with me."

"Oh, that's right," Ramona states. "I was wondering why Madison didn't want to go with you... Something about freshening up."

"Huh?" Jayden asks. "Why?"

"No reason," Ramona answers. "So, what do you like doing in your free time, when you're not searching for missing persons?"

Jayden stops walking, and thinks. He says, "I don't always search for missing persons... Is there a program for that?"

"I'm not sure," Ramona answers.

"So," Jayden says. "Back to the question on the coffee table." The two begin walking, again. "I like spending time with my brother, hanging out with my brother, swimming while my brother watches, doing track with my brother..."

"You do track and field?" Ramona asks. "Me, too!"

"Really?" Jayden says. "That's cool."

Ramona states, "I guess it shouldn't surprise us, too much. Since the season is full of..."

"Hey," Jayden says. "We should race!"

"What?" Ramona asks. Jayden runs off. "Okay. Now I'm alone in the woods. This is just like that movie, with that guy with the chainsaw..."

"Hey," Madison says. Ramona screams. "Thanks for that."

Ramona replies, "I thought you were a guy with a chainsaw."

Madison stares at Ramona. She says, "I'll take that as a compliment." Madison looks around. "Wasn't Jayden with you? Where is he, now?" She grabs Ramona by the shoulders. "What did you do with him?"

Ramona insists, "Relax. He randomly ran off. If you try, you can still find him." Madison walks off. "And I'm alone, again." She looks around, shrugs, and heads back toward her cabin.

Madison is shown looking around in the woods. "Jayden? Are you out here? Yoohoo? Jayden?"

"Oh, hi," Jayden states. "I'm down here."

Madison looks down at the ground. She says, "Oh. What are you doing down there? Let me help you up." She helps Jayden to his feet. Jayden lies on the ground, again.

Jayden says, "That's okay. I..." Madison helps Jayden up, again. Jayden lies back down.

"Okay," Madison says. "What are you doing? You actually want be on the dirty ground?"

"Sure," Jayden says. "My brother and I used to look at the stars when we went to camp. It's cool to lay out here. You should give it a try."

Madison shrugs. She says, "If that's what you're into." She lies on the ground. "You're right. This is kind of pretty." She puts her arm around Jayden.

Jayden says, "Um. My brother and I don't cuddle, usually."

"I'm not your brother," Madison reminds.

"Right," Jayden replies. "But I'm not really sure who you are..."

Madison frowns. She takes her arm off of Jayden. She says, "Sorry. I didn't mean to come off so strong. I was just hoping to meet my dream man on this show, and you're about the only attractive option left."

"There's more to life than dating," Jayden replies.

Madison admits, "I recently broke up with my boyfriend. We started dating when we were twelve. I thought he was the one, but I just found out he was cheating on me."

"Oh, wow," Jayden says. "I'm sorry to hear about that. You started dating when you were twelve?"

Madison admits, "Yeah."

"Huh," Jayden says. "That seems so young, I mean. When I was twelve I picked my nose, and only cared about cartoons... and Holden. How could you, like, even provide anything to a relationship?" Madison stares at Jayden. "I'm sorry. I can be kind of blunt, sometimes. Anyway, you shouldn't be trying to force a romance to happen, I mean, it should happen naturally, right? Like erosion?" Jayden continues looking up at the stars.

Madison stands up. She says, "I didn't come out here for a lecture."

"I'm sorry," Jayden says, while blushing. "I really didn't mean to offend you."

Madison sighs. She says, "No, it's okay. I'll have to find someone else. By the way, looking at the stars is boring." Madison walks off.

"Aw," Jayden frowns and says. "I don't think you guys are boring."

The next morning, Doyce and Tony are shown getting dressed in their cabin. Doyce puts on his school jacket. Jayden walks in, with a twig in his hair, and looking all around disheveled. Tony looks at him and says, "Whoa. What happened to you?"

"I kind of fell asleep outside," Jayden replies.

Tony says, "Well, I was wondering about you. We wouldn't want our star player to go missing. That seems to be a trend, lately."

"Star player?" Doyce asks, flinching a little.

"Yeah," Tony says. "He won that last challenge for us."

Jayden states, "It wasn't that big of a deal."

"I know," Doyce states. "I totally would have won it if I got to go last." Doyce folds his arms, and glares to the side.

Ramona can be heard outside saying, "Hey, Cassie! Wait outside for me, for a minute."

Jayden states, "Hey. I'm, uh, going to go back outside, for whatever reason." He walks back outside.

Doyce states, "That guy is such a show off."

"Who are you talking about?" Tony asks, with one of his hefty eyebrows raised.

Jayden approaches Cassie. He says, "Hey. What's up? Besides clouds and stuff..."

"Nothing much," Cassie states. "I'm just standing here." She blushes.

Jayden says, "I was talking to Madison, yesterday."

"Oh, really?" Cassie asks with worried expression.

"Oh," Jayden says. "Don't worry. She's not my type."

Doyce suddenly appears and places his arm around Jayden and Cassie. He asks, "What is your type, man?"

Jayden's face turns bright red. He says, "Uh, you know... Blonde... Pretty..."

"You just described Holden," Doyce states. He laughs.

Jayden's face turns even more red. He says, "I didn't mean..."

Madison suddenly appears. She says, "Wait. You're saying I'm not pretty?"

"No, I didn't say that," Jayden says. "You're gorgeous." Cassie frowns and holds her head down. "No, I didn't mean..."

"Hey," Madison adds. "I thought you weren't into forcing romance. That's what this looks like to me."

Jayden blushes. He says, "I wasn't trying to... I'm just going to..." Jayden runs off.

Doyce raises his arm. He says, "Up top." Madison looks at him. He says, "You're supposed to high five me, son... Daughter?" Madison rolls her eyes and walks off. Doyce shrugs. He says, "She wants me. Am I right?"

Cassie looks at Doyce. She asks, "Can I go, now?"

Bubba and Holden are shown in their cabin. Bubba sits in his bed, holding his head down. Holden asks, "Hey, man. Are you okay?"

"I don't know," Bubba says. "I couldn't sleep."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Holden asks. "Finding that out about Evan must have been... I mean, it was a shock."

Bubba says, "Yeah." Holden looks at Bubba, and sighs.

A knock is heard at their door. Jayden calls, "Holden, are you there? I need to talk."

Holden says, "I got to take this. Are you going to be alright?"

Bubba assures, "Yeah. Go ahead." Holden nods. He answers the door. Jayden immediately hugs him. He looks over at Bubba.

Jayden asks, "Can we go somewhere a little more private?" Holden nods. They walk outside together. Bubba looks at the four empty beds. He has a disappointed look.

Outside, Jayden says, "Hey, what's up?"

Holden reminds, "Uh, you wanted to talk to me... Not that I don't want to talk to you."

Jayden nods. He says, "I was going to talk to... you know..."

"Cassie?" Holden asks.

"Yeah," Jayden replies. "I said something stupid in front of her... Now she would never like me back... I hurt Madison's feelings, because I said something stupid, that I shouldn't have... And Doyce... I actually don't know why he was mad at me, but I'm sure it was from something stupid I did..."

Holden hugs Jayden close to himself. He says, "Jayden... You're not stupid. Stop beating yourself up over everything. I'm sure the others aren't upset with you, and if they are, they're missing out on the greatest guy there is."

Jayden smiles a little. He says, "You're so nice to me."

Holden assures, "Of course. I always will be there for you, buddy."

Jayden nods. He says, "Me, too. I mean, I'll be there for you, not myself." Jayden pauses for a moment. He asks, "Holden?"

"Yeah?" Holden asks.

Jayden says, "If we weren't related... Do you think we'd even be friends? I'd say we probably wouldn't, since we're so different from..."

Holden states, "Jayden? What's the point of thinking about that? We are brothers, and there's no changing it."

"Yeah," Jayden says, looking down.

Holden assures, "If it makes you feel better, we'd still be best friends. I know it."

"You mean that?" Jayden asks. Holden smiles and nods.

Over the loudspeaker, Chris states, "It's challenge time. You know the drill."

"I guess we have to go," Jayden says.

Holden says, "Yup. See? You are smart."

Jayden blushes and says, "Nah... You really think so?" Holden lets out a laugh. He rubs his fist on the top of Jayden's head.

Gabby and Alexandria emerge from the woods. Holden says, "Hello, girls. Any sight of Skylar and Vanessa?"

Alexandria looks to both sides. She says, "They were here a second ago. I guess they got lost, again."

Gabby nudges Alexandria. She says, "That was my bad arm... Ow... Anyway, be nice."

"Were you being mean to my brother?" Jayden asks with wide eyes.

Holden says, "Relax. It's okay." Jayden nods. "Let's get over to the challenge, shall we?" The others nod, and they begin walking toward Chris.

Alexandria says, "I apologize for my comment."

"No need," Holden assures. The group reaches Chris Mclean.

Chris says, "There you guys are. I thought I was going to have to send out another search party."

"Have you even sent out one search party?" Alexandria asks.

Chris says, "Moving on. Today's challenge is... Croquet!"

"Croquet?" Ramona asks. "Isn't that just lawn decorations?"

"No," Chris says. "It's a real sport... Like cheerleading." Chris lets out a laugh. "So, each team will be in charge of one croquet ball. You'll alternate who hits the ball for each turn. Whichever team hits their croquet ball through all the hoops, and hits the wicket will win invincibility. Does everyone understand?"

Doyce shouts, "Let's do this! I rock at... What is this called, again?"

"Croquet," Chris answers.

"I rock at croquet!" Doyce shouts.

Chris raises an eyebrow. He says, "As I was saying. Let's get on with the challenge. The Muscleheads will go first." Chris hands a croquet mallet to Jayden and Gabby.

Doyce glares at him. He tries to tug the mallet away from him. He says, "Let me go first. I'm awesome."

"Now, now, Doyce," Chris says. "Let Jayden go first. I did hand him the croquet mallet, and all." Doyce frowns. He attempts to take Gabby's mallet from her. Chris shouts, "Doyce!" Doyce frowns, stops trying to take Gabby's croquet mallet, and kicks at the ground. "Okay, let's begin." Gabby goes for her team and gets the ball through the first two hoops. She hits the ball, again, and it doesn't go through the next one. Jayden goes for his team. He hits the ball through the first two hoops. He proceeds to hit again, earning another turn for hitting the ball through the hoops. He hits the ball, again, and makes it through the next hoop. He goes, again, and hits it through the next hoop.

Tony shouts, "Way to go, Jayden!"

"Yeah, bro," Holden says with a smile.

"When is it Doyce's turn?" Doyce protests.

"Once Jayden misses," Chris answers.

Jayden nods. He attempts to hit the ball, again. Doyce shouts, "Miss! Miss! Miss!" Jayden winces, hits the ball, and misses the next hoop. "Yes!"

"He's on our team, Doyce," Madison says with her hand on her head.

Doyce says, "Yeah, well I need a turn." He takes the mallet from Jayden, and gets ready to swing it.

Chris says, "Uh, Doyce. You need to wait for the other team to go."

"But you promised!" Doyce whines.

Chris sighs. He says, "Well, I meant that you had to wait for the other team to go."

"Well, get on with it," Doyce says as he takes Gabby's mallet and hands it to Holden. "Come on. We don't have all day." Holden hits the ball, and it goes through one of the hoops. Doyce folds his arms and says, "Aw, man." Holden looks at Doyce with a raised eyebrow. He hits the ball, again, and misses. Doyce shouts, "Yes!" He pushes Holden out of the way and swings his mallet back. He says, "Get ready to see the best... croqueting of your lives, son!" He hits the ball as hard as he can. It soars through the air and hits Holden in the eye. The croquet ball falls to the ground.

Holden screams, "Ooooow!" He holds his hands to his face. "Ow. Ow..."

The others surround Holden. Jayden puts his arm around Holden. "Bro!" he says. "Speak to me! Are you alright, bro? Do you need me to give you mouth to mouth?"

"It was his eye, dude," Tony states.

Madison asks, "Are you alright, Holden?"

"Yeah, yeah," Doyce says. "He got hit in the eye by a heavy round thing. Did you see me hit that thing? It was awesome, wasn't it?" The others momentarily look at Doyce with concerned expressions.

The look back at Holden. Gabby says, "Let me take a look at it. I have a lot of experience with injury befalling my face."

"It hurts," Holden states. "If I take my hand away, the air will make it worse."

"That's silly," Gabby says. She pulls Holden's hand back, revealing a black ring around his eye. She assures, "You'll be alright. You'll just... Have a black eye for a little while. It'll go away."

Jayden cries and hugs Holden. Holden says, "I'll be alright. You heard what Gabby said. Though... I may never play croquet, again, do to now being traumatized."

"I know you'll be fine, bro," Jayden says. "I just don't like seeing you get hurt."

"Don't worry, bro," Holden says. "Just knowing I have someone who cares..."

Doyce states, "Oh, come on! Can we get on with the challenge?" The others glare at Doyce. "Wait. I can get a redo, right? There was an interference. That guys face got in the way."

In the pit she shares with Skylar, Vanessa sighs. Sitting on the ground, she looks up, and says, "Where is everyone? They should have found us by now."

"Maybe they don't know we're missing," Skylar weakly states.

Vanessa says, "Skylar! What are you doing awake? You should give me at least five minutes notice when you're going to wake up. Of course, I shouldn't expect courtesy from a..."

"Could we please not argue?" Skylar weakly asks.

Vanessa says, "Whatever. I wouldn't want to argue with the likes of you, anyway." Vanessa pauses for a moment. "Um. Not that I'm concerned, but... how are you feeling?"

"I've been better," Skylar replies, still lying down. "And I've been moister. Uh... Is there any water left? I don't know why I bother asking..."

"There's some," Vanessa says, eying her canteen. "If you really need it... I guess you can have some. Not that it would do either of us, any good."

"I can't believe it," Skylar replies. "I thought the answer would be 'no'."

Vanessa says "Do you want it, or not? Because I could easily..."

"No," Skylar states. "I would like it."

"Here," Vanessa states, as she tosses the canteen to Skylar.

"Ow," he says, as it hits him. He attempts to lift his head up, but plops it back down onto the ground. He says, "I guess it would be out of the question for you to help me out, a little?"

Vanessa glares at him. Vanessa says, "Men. So incompetent, and demanding, too." She walks over to Skylar.

"Don't hurt me," Skylar pleads. Vanessa rolls her eyes, kneels next to Skylar, picks up the canteen, props up Skylar's head with her hand and pours some of the water into his mouth. He swallows and says, "Thanks. Sorry to be a bother."

"No," Vanessa assures. "It was the least I could do for how I've been treating you."

"What was that?" Skylar asks, with his eyebrows slightly raised.

Vanessa replies with, "Nothing."

Back at the challenge, Chris states, "The Athletic Supporters are a hit away from winning the challenge. Will Jayden blow it?"

"Blow it!" Doyce shouts. "Blow it!" Jayden misses. Doyce shouts, "Yes! He blew it!" Jayden glares at Doyce, as the others shake their heads at him. Holden goes for his team. He hits the other team's ball with his. "Foul!" Doyce shouts. "What happens now?"

Chris says, "That's not a foul. Holden gets to put his foot on his team's ball and knock yours away in whatever direction he chooses."

"Not fair!" Doyce protests.

"Thems the rules," Chris states. "Go ahead, Holden." Holden nods and smirks. He hits the ball away, and it rolls a short distance. "Okay, you can go now, Doyce." Doyce nods rapidly. He approaches his team's ball, as Holden covers his face with his hands. Doyce hits the ball, and it hits the other team's ball.

"Doyce!" Doyce shouts.

Chris says, "That means that you can..."

"I know what it means," Doyce replies. He gets ready to hit the other team's ball away. He swings his mallet as hard as he can and the Muscleheads' ball becomes airborne and sails through the air and into the woods. "Yeah!"

"I have to admit," Ramona says. "That was a pretty good hit." Doyce smiles wide. "So... What happens now, Chris?"

Chris looks into his croquet rulebook. He says, "The Muscleheads' ball is out of bounds. They have fifteen minutes to retrieve it before becoming disqualified from the challenge, and earning The Athletic Supporters the victory. They can only send out one person to search for it, though." The team huddles together.

"We pick Holden because no one else feels like it," Alexandria states. "And he wants to get a safe distance away from Doyce." Holden nods.

"Alright, then," Chris says. "Get to it." Holden runs toward the woods.

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Cassie asks.

Chris refers to the rulebook. He says, "It doesn't say... I think we should just stand still until the fifteen minutes are over." Everyone stands in place.

Holden is shown in the woods. He looks through a bush. He lets out a sigh. He says, "This is like finding a needle in a haystack... A round needle..." Hayden walks through the bush and falls downward. He slides down a steep surface.

Skylar says, "Don't look, now, but it's raining men."

"My worst nightmare," Vanessa states. "How did you get here? Is there a search party behind you?"

Holden shakes his head. He explains, "I was looking for a croquet ball that got knocked into the woods. I couldn't find it, but here you two are... I'd say that's a good thing."

"So are the others right behind you?" Skylar asks.

"Um," Holden says. "Not exactly."

Vanessa says, "Oh, great. Leave it to a blond to get trapped with us." Holden's eyes are wide, as are Skylar's. "What?"

Holden states, "You didn't say something sexist, for once. However, my... uh... feelings are still hurt." He looks down at the ground.

"Maybe with Holden missing," Skylar states, "the others will put more of an effort into finding us."

Holden says, "Maybe..." He looks at Skylar. "Man, are you okay? You don't look so good."

"Yeah," Skylar says. "I'm not so good. But what happened to your eye?"

Holden says, "Dude, don't worry about that. And I assure you that the others are going to find us." Skylar forces a smile.

Back at the challenge, Chris states, "Okay, Holden's time is up. The Muscleheads have officially lost the challenge."

Most of the Athletic Supporters cheer. Doyce shouts, "Yes! I disqualified them! Tell me how awesome I am!"

Jayden looks uneasy. He says, "Something is wrong. Holden should be back by now."

"Yeah," Chris says. "And?"

Jayden says, "I'm going to go look for him." He runs toward the woods. Cassie follows after him, as do Tony, and some members of the Muscleheads. Doyce stares toward the woods. He frowns.

In the woods, Jayden calls out, "Holden! Are you over here? Holden?"

Cassie says, "No answer?"

Jayden shakes his head. He moves ahead and calls, "Holden?"

"Jayden?" Holden calls out. "Is that you?"

"Yeah!" Jayden says. "Where are you?"

"Underground!" Holden shouts. "Don't step passed the bush. The first step is a doozy. Skylar and Vanessa are down here, too. Go get help."

Jayden looks into the pit and waves. He says, "I'll get you guys out of here in no time. Hang tight."

Later, Tony and Jayden are shown pulling Holden out of the pit with a rope. Jayden hugs Holden tight when he gets onto the ground. "That's the last of them," Tony states. "Way to go Jayden. You're a real hero."

Cassie agrees, "Yeah."

"Three cheers for Jayden," Ramona says. Most of the others cheer.

Doyce frowns. He holds up a croquet ball. He says, "I found the other team's croquet ball." He goes ignored.

Vanessa says, "I hate to interrupt everyone's cheering."

"I wasn't cheering," Doyce states, glaring to the side.

"Skylar needs some medical help," Vanessa states. "He got really hurt."

"It's not that bad," Skylar insists, being held up by Bubba. He sighs. "It is that bad."

Chris says, "Vanessa and Skylar will both get checked out by Nurse Hatchet, but I'm thrilled you guys were found alive."

"He's more worried about you not filing lawsuits," Alexandria assures.

Chris states, "That's not true... But you two aren't going to sue me, are you?" He pulls something out of his pocket. "Here's a sports drink for you, on the house."

"How about we talk less and move more?" Alexandria suggests. Chris nods, and everyone follows after him.

At the campfire ceremony, Chris states, "I bet you guys are wondering about Skylar and Vanessa. Vanessa is alright, she just needs to get hydrated."

"That's good," Gabby says.

"What about Skylar?" Bubba asks.

Chris says, "Well... I'm not sure..."

Vanessa walks up. She says, "Hey, everyone."

Holden asks, "Is Skylar alright?"

"Glad to see you, too," Vanessa states. "Nurse Hatchet says that Skylar will be fine... But he needs to leave the competition to get medical treatment from someone that actually has a medical degree."

"That's good," Gabby says, "and awful, too. It's too bad he has to leave like this."

"Yeah," Vanessa agrees, slightly frowning.

Bubba looks at Vanessa with a raised eyebrow. He says, "Your showing concern for him?"

Holden asks, "So no elimination?"

"Yeah," Chris says. "Just Skylar. He won't be able to compete."

"That sucks," Bubba says with a sigh.

"Would it be alright if we said goodbye to him?" Holden asks.

Chris shrugs. He says, "That will be alright, I guess."

The team walks over to the medical tent. Nurse Hatchet pushes Skylar out on a gurney. Chef looks at the team and says, "Ish... Young people." He turns around and goes back into his medical tent.

Skylar says, "So I have to go, huh?"

"Yeah," Chris says. "Sorry, Skylar."

"Yeah," Skylar replies. "I wish I actually had a chance to play the game, but I really have to go and get some decent medical treatment."

"I heard that!" Chef shouts from inside the medical tent.

Skylar assures, "I'm going to miss you guys." Skylar gets hugs from Holden, Bubba, Alexandria, and Gabby. Vanessa walks up to him. "Sorry you had to be trapped with me for the last few days."

"It's alright," Vanessa states. "It wasn't all that bad."

Skylar weakly laughs. He says, "I agree. Is a hug a possibility?" Vanessa looks down at the ground. She leans in to hug Skylar, and he puts his not hurt arm around her. The others look at them with wide eyes.

"She's letting him touch her?" Bubba says.

Alexandria asks, "What happened in that pit? Wait, I don't want to know."

Skylar whispers to Vanessa, "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone that you're attracted to corpses." Vanessa's eyes get wide. Skylar looks up at an approaching helicopter. He says, "Ooh, my ride's here. First class." The paramedics emerge from the helicopter and swarm around Skylar. They bring him toward the helicopter. He shouts, "Bye, guys! Wait... Where's Evan?! I thought he'd make it way further!"

"What?!" Gabby shouts.

"What?!" Skylar shouts back. He gets loaded onto the helicopter and carried off as it flies away.

Chris says, "Well, that concludes another episode of Total... Drama... Athletics. What will happen next time, now that we're not missing contestants, anymore? Who knows, but I hope it's just as exciting..."

#### Chapter 10 - Viewership-wreck

Chris Mclean states, "Hey all. On our last episode, the contestants were asked to compete in Canada's pastime... Oh, wait... That was the curling challenge from two episodes ago... Last time, the contestants played croquet. It was actually more exciting than it should have been, due to Doyce's behavior. We even got a black eye out of it!" Chris clears his throat. "Doyce also knocked the other team's croquet ball into the forest. After Holden went into the woods to look for his team's ball, he got trapped with the missing Vanessa and Skylar. Sensing something was wrong, Holden's brother, Jayden, went out to search for him. Due to Jayden's efforts the three were rescued. After a trip to the medical tent, it was determined that Vanessa could stay in the competition, while Skylar's injured arm needed... better medical attention."

Chef Hatchet is heard calling out, "That hurts, coming from you!"

Chris shouts back, "Get over it!" Chris rolls his eyes. He goes on, "Skylar was evacuated, and eliminated from the competition. What's in store for us, this time?"

Gabby has her arm around Vanessa, after the elimination. She states, "I'm happy to have you back."

"You are?" Vanessa asks. Gabby nods. "Thanks. I'm glad to be back." She eyes Holden and Bubba. "Especially with the girls having the numbers advantage."

Bubba's eyes are wide. He says, "I actually thought I was happy to see you back, assuming you'd changed. Guess not." He walks off. Vanessa looks after him.

"Real nice," Alexandria states.

"It actually wasn't very nice," Gabby replies.

Alexandria says, "I know. I wasn't being..."

"For he's a jolly good Jayden!" The Athletic Supporters can be heard singing from a distance. "For he's a jolly good Jayden!"

Vanessa shakes her head. She says, "More guy praise. It disgusts me how..."

"Uh, he kind of rescued you," Gabby reminds.

"Please," Vanessa states. "It was just dumb luck. That guy is not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, like any other guy."

Holden abruptly stands up. He says, "That's my brother you're talking about. I won't stand for it."

Alexandria states, "Um. You kind of already are standing..."

Holden continues, "I felt bad that you were missing, and all that. But maybe we should have left you there." Holden stomps off.

"What's his problem?" Vanessa asks.

"He is kind of right," Gabby says. "No offense."

"Well, I didn't mean anything by it," Vanessa replies. She looks down. "I was just speaking my opinion."

Alexandria says, "Well, you can't say whatever comes to your mind without hurting people's feelings. I should know."

"But," Vanessa begins, "men have been so awful throughout history."

"There isn't any guy you've ever liked?" Alexandria asks. "Daddy issues?"

Vanessa says, "Well, there's Sky..." Vanessa's face turns red. "Above us."

Gabby raises an eyebrow. She says, "That's very true... Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Anyway, I don't see anything wrong with expressing my views," Vanessa states.

"Even if it hurts people?" Gabby asks. "I should know... I get hurt a lot."

Vanessa looks at Gabby. She says, "I feel strong about women's rights, but... How do I express my views without hurting people's feelings?"

Alexandria puts her arm around Vanessa. She says, "It will take a lot of effort. But we should get back to our cabin." Vanessa nods.

Gabby says, "Hey, do you think Chris minded that I kept this croquet mallet? He didn't say anything at the campfire ceremony." She swings her mallet and hits herself in the face. Vanessa and Alexandria hit themselves in the face with their hands. "Maybe it's not a great idea to keep this..." Gabby throws the croquet mallet into the dying campfire. The fire begins to blaze and shoot out embers. Gabby screams and runs off. Alexandria and Vanessa run off, as well.

Bubba is shown in confessional. He fails to look into the camera. He says, "This is just like at home. I feel like I need to talk to someone, but..."

Bubba is shown in his cabin, by himself. He looks particularly sad, sitting in his bed, with no one else in the room. He gets into his bed, and wraps himself in his blanket.

Holden is shown walking by Doyce, who is sitting on the stairs of his cabin. He calls out to Holden, "Hey, man. Sorry about your eye. I didn't mean to do that."

"Sure," Holden replies, as he continues to walk by. "No hard feelings." Doyce nods, and then holds his head down, as Holden leaves.

Holden reaches the other Athletic Supporters. He says, "Hey, guys."

"Hey," Madison says. "It's our hero's twin."

Jayden blushes. He says, "Don't call him that."

"It's fine," Holden assures.

Jayden says, "Hey, can I talk to Holden alone? I've been wanting to talk to him."

"Aw, come on," Ramona says. "We aren't done cheering for you, yet."

Tony states, "It's alright. We need to respect our hero's wishes." The others nod.

"Thanks, team," Jayden replies. Cassie looks after the twins as they walk off together.

"Jayden, is pretty remarkable," Madison states. "Too bad his personality isn't that great. My ex-boyfriend was such a sweetheart." Madison sighs.

"You mean the one that cheated on you?" Ramona asks with wide eyes.

Cassie's face is red. She says, "Um... Don't talk about... um..."

"What are you trying to say?" Madison asks, with a raised eyebrow.

"You know..." Cassie replies.

Madison shrugs. She says, "I'm off to bed. See you two in the morning." She walks off.

"I guess that's not a bad idea," Ramona says. She looks at Cassie. "You're not upset about what Madison said about Jayden, are you?"

Cassie holds her head down and says, "Kind of."

Ramona puts her hand on Cassie's shoulder. She says, "It's okay. But... you know... You should really let him know how you feel. Neither of you have made a move... I'm not saying you have to start randomly making out, or anything, but you should tell him how you feel."

Cassie says, "Maybe you're right..."

"Maybe," Ramona says. "And maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he'll think you're too aggressive and never want to see you, again."

"Wait, what?" Cassie asks, with wide eyes.

Ramona blinks. She says, "Never mind. Go out there!" She pushes Cassie toward the woods. "Tell him how you feel."

Holden and Jayden are shown talking together, lying next to each other on the ground. Jayden says, "So you think the merge is coming real soon?"

"Uh," Holden begins. "Yeah."

Jayden side hugs Holden. He says, "I'm so excited. We're so close to being able to compete together."

Holden nods. He says, "I'm a little worried, though."

"About what?" Jayden asks.

"Well, Jayden," Holden begins. "It's just that..."

Jayden looks up. He says, "Oh. Hey, Cassie."

"Hey," Cassie replies. "I don't want to interrupt you guys."

Holden quickly stands up. He says, "I was just leaving."

"You were?" Jayden asks with a frown.

Holden winks at Jayden. He whispers, "I won't be too far. I'll keep an eye on you." Jayden nods. Holden stretches and says, "I'm tired." Holden yawns. "Better get back to my bed. You know? Sleep?"

Jayden assures, "Holden's really tired." Holden nods rapidly.

"Okay?" Cassie says. Holden runs off and hops into the bushes.

Jayden says, "So... What did you want?"

"I don't know," Cassie replies, blushing.

"Oh," Jayden replies. "Um... Want to look at the stars with me?" He thinks for a moment. "Never mind, I know it's really boring for everyone else... You can go back to..."

Cassie lies down on the ground next to Jayden. She says, "This is really beautiful."

"It is?" Jayden asks.

"Yeah," Cassie asks. She blushes. "Why? You don't think so?"

Jayden says, "No, I do. I've come out here almost every night since we got here. It's because me and Holden used to look at the stars together when we were little... Pretty dorky, right?"

"I don't think so," Cassie assures. "It's pretty sweet, actually."

"You think so?" Jayden asks, turned toward Cassie.

Cassie blushes, some more. She says, "Yeah." Jayden smiles. Cassie says, "Jayden?"

"Yeah?" Jayden asks.

Cassie says, "Well... I really like you, Jayden."

"You do?" Jayden says. "Holden was right... Um. I really like you, too."

"Really?" Cassie asks, looking toward the ground.

"Like it wasn't entirely obvious," Holden says from the bushes.

Cassie looks back at Jayden. She asks, "What did you say?"

Jayden blushes and says, "Nothing." Holden is shown in the bushes covering his mouth. Jayden says, "I was wondering... When we get home, maybe after I'm done with school... do you want to, maybe, go out with me?"

"Yes," Cassie replies.

Jayden blinks. He says, "You don't mind waiting that long?"

Cassie shakes her head. She says, "I understand, and you're worth it." She blushes and looks down.

Jayden blushes. He asks, "I am?"

"Of course you are, buddy," Holden says from the bushes.

"Did you just answer your own question?" Cassie asks.

Jayden blushes and says, "Uh... no?"

Cassie laughs. She says, "I should get back, I guess. It was fun just looking at the stars with you."

"It was?" Jayden says. "Cool."

Cassie blushes and nods. She says, "Goodnight, Jayden." She begins walking. "Goodnight, Holden."

Holden hops out of the bushes and says, "I was just leaving." He runs out of the woods.

Holden is shown running in front of Doyce, still sitting on the steps of his cabin. He says, "Hey, Doyce." Doyce doesn't reply. Holden passes him. Holden stops running. He turns around and walks back in front of Doyce. He says, "Hey, man. Is everything alright?" Doyce pouts. "Uh, isn't Tony around to talk to you?"

"He walked right by me," Doyce replies. "After he asked if something was wrong and I told him there wasn't. What a jerk."

Holden has a raised eyebrow. He says, "So something is wrong?"

"No," Doyce answers.

"Um, okay..." Holden says. "Are you sure?"

"Stop bothering me," Doyce states. Holden shakes his head, with a smirk. "Don't smirk at me."

He sits next to Doyce and says, "You remind me of someone. Doyce, you don't have to be embarrassed to talk about how your feeling."

"That's false," Doyce insists.

Holden winces as he says, "Girls like guys that can openly articulate about their emotions."

"That's stupid," Doyce replies. His eyes get wide. He says, "They do?" Holden shrugs. "That's good enough for me. I'm upset about your brother."

"My brother?" Holden asks. "What could he have done to you? He's the nicest..." Holden's eyes get wide. "You're jealous of him?"

Doyce holds his head down. He says, "No. Why would I be jealous?"

"Well, what's bothering you?" Holden asks. "I'll listen."

Doyce says, "Well... I'm used to being the best at everything. Nobody was ever better than me, until I met Jayden... He's stinkin' perfect! He's good at everything he tries, and his hair is awesome. How does he do it?"

"He taught me how to style my hair," Holden replies. "But he's sworn me to secrecy..." Doyce glares at Holden. Holden puts his hand on Doyce's shoulder. Doyce looks at his hand. Holden says, "Doyce, you're talking to the guy who's struggled with the same feelings you're having."

"You?" Doyce asks. "But you're just like him, except for your black eye. You have, like, the same DNA."

Holden shakes his head. He says, "Jayden has always been better than me at sports. It was hard to deal with at first, I just wanted to quit. It's hard to not be able to excel at something you enjoy doing... But he never means harm by it. He's a really good guy."

"I know," Doyce says, quietly. "He's the closest thing to a friend I've ever had... But I'm not used to not being the best. Not only that, Jayden is so popular..."

Holden looks at Doyce with concern. He says, "You don't have friends?"

"Of course I do," Doyce says. "Uh... I'm awesome."

"Doyce," Holden replies.

Doyce holds his head down. He says, "No. I don't know why. I'm cool, and good at sports, and good looking, and I've got a lot of freckles."

"Yeah, Doyce..." Holden says. "Um, that might be your problem."

Doyce's eyes are wide. He says, "People don't like guys with freckles?"

Holden laughs. Doyce cracks a smile. Holden states, "I just mean that the way you talk about yourself could... I don't know... Push people away?"

"What do you mean, son?" Doyce says. "People like honesty, don't they?"

Holden says, "Well, yeah, but they don't like bragging."

"Whoa," Doyce states, with his hands up. "I don't brag. I'm confident."

Holden looks at Doyce. He says, "Uh... Okay, Doyce. If you say so. I should get going. Wouldn't want anyone to think I'm trying to get all BFF with the other team." Holden gets up.

Doyce grabs hold of Holden's wrist. He says, "Wait a second, son."

"Yeah?" Holden says.

"How do I get attention without alienating people?" Doyce asks.

"Attention?" Holden asks. "Who mentioned attention?" Doyce looks down and lets go of Holden. Holden sits back down next to Doyce. He asks, "Is there something going on at home that you need to talk about?"

Doyce continues to look down. He says, "I... uh... I don't think my parents love me... They only show it when I do good at sports." Holden looks at Doyce with concern on his face. He puts his hand back on Doyce's shoulder.

"Doyce, I'm sorry to hear you say that," Holden states.

"Thanks," Doyce says quietly. "I'm sure you think I'm a... l... l... lo... loser..."

Holden says, "Doyce, I don't think you're a loser, at all. You think that makes you a loser?" Doyce nods, a little. "Doyce, come on, man. Everyone struggles with something. You know who had the same issue as you?"

"You?" Doyce asks.

"What?" Holden asks. "No."

"Chris Mclean?" Doyce asks.

Holden says, "I can see that, but no."

"The prime minister?" Doyce asks.

"Maybe you should stop guessing," Holden says. "I was talking about Jayden."

"Jayden?" Doyce asks with wide eyes. "I don't belive you."

Holden says, "It's true. He hid it well, but he thought our parents loved me more than him, because I do better at school."

Doyce says, "Wait... He was jealous of you."

Holden shrugs and says, "I don't know. Maybe. The point is, the guy you're jealous of has had feelings like yours."

"So we're not all that different?" Doyce asks. Holden nods.

"And?" Holden asks.

Doyce says, "And... I should be... happy for him for being... better than me?"

Holden shrugs, again. He says, "If that's the lesson you get out of our conversation, yes."

Doyce says, "Cool. You're cool, son. Are we, uh, friends, then?"

"Sure," Holden says. "Yeah." Holden stands up. "I should get going, man, like I..." Doyce interrupts Holden with a hug. "Um?"

"Whoa!" Doyce says. "Hugs are magic!" Holden blushes.

Holden says, "Stop that, before someone sees us."

"Right," Doyce says, letting go of Holden. "I always wanted my own twin, so I'd have someone to talk to... But maybe that would be too much awesome for the world. Not that I think I'm awesome... Is that good?" Holden lets out a laugh, which causes Doyce to smile, again.

Holden rubs his fist on the top of Doyce's head. He says, "Take care, big guy. If you need to talk, I'll be there."

Doyce nods and waves as Holden walks away. Doyce puts his hand to his chin. "So this is what having a friend is like," he says to himself. He smiles and goes into his cabin.

Tony can be heard shouting from inside, "What are you doing? Giving me a noogie?! I was sleeping! Are you some kind of psycho?! St-stop hugging me! If I had a violent disposition, you'd be sorry!"

Jayden walks up with a raised eyebrow. He says, "Maybe I'll sleep out here for the night." He rests his head on a stair.

The next morning, Jayden stands up and cracks his neck. He says, "Maybe that wasn't the best idea..."

Doyce walks out of the cabin. He pulls up his pants and says, "Hey! Jayden! That's you, right? Just a second, I have to zip my pants... I need to concentrate." Doyce takes a deep breath and zips up his pants. "There we go. Okay, so I'm dressed. Do you need to talk about your feelings, and childhood, and stuff?"

"What?" Jayden asks with wide eyes.

"Do you?" Doyce asks.

Jayden says, "I don't think so." Madison walks up. "Oh. Hi, Madison."

Madison says, "Don't 'hi, Madison' me. What's with you and Cassie?" Jayden blushes. "Don't blush at me."

Jayden continues blushing. He says, "I'm sorry. I didn't know I was blushing."

"Yeah, well," Madison says. "It's not nice to lead a girl on, and then agree to go out with another girl."

"What?" Jayden asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Whoa, dude," Doyce says. "I didn't know you were a two timer. I'll have to retract my friendship... Can someone do that?"

Jayden says, "I never liked Madison."

"Dude," Doyce says. "That doesn't make things better."

Madison walks off. She says, "I don't have to stand around for this." She walks off.

Jayden says, "I wonder if she was always this crazy..."

Doyce asks, "Name calling?" Doyce pauses. "Do we hug now? I'm new to this..." Jayden walks off.

Jayden asks in confessional, "Why is everyone acting so weird? By everyone, I mean... two people, specifically."

The contestants are shown gathered around Chris. He explains, "So today's challenge has to do with spectating."

"Spectating?" Jayden asks.

Holden says, "You know, bud. It's when the audience watches the people playing the sport, instead of actually participating."

"How can that be a challenge?" Alexandria asks.

Chris says, "Each team will watch a game take place. Whichever team spectates best, as judged by me, will win invincibility. Everyone can get ready," Chris points to a box of supplies, "then we'll get started."

The contestants are shown in the bleachers. Bubba has on a green afro wig on as well as a foam finger. Holden has his face painted. Gabby and Alexandria each have a pom pom. Vanessa has a plastic megaphone. On the Athletic Supporters, Ramona has a wig similar to Bubba's and an orange pennant, Cassie has a hat that looks like a wedge of Swiss cheese, Madison has her arms folded, and Doyce, Tony, and Jayden are shirtless with a 'G', 'O', and '!' painted on their torsos. Tony asks, "Why do I have to be the 'O'?"

Doyce laughs and says, "Because your body is the roundest, bro-baby."

"Bro-baby?" Tony asks with raised eyebrows.

Doyce begins shifting his torso. He says, "Watch me make my 'G' dance." Tony places his face in his hand.

Chris says, "Let's let the games begin."

"What sport are we watching, anyway?" Ramona asks.

"Beach volleyball," Chris answers.

"Why are we not by the beach?" Holden asks.

Chris explains, "Too much sand. Oh, here come the players."

Three attractive women in bikinis walk out. Vanessa's eyes widen. She says, "This is what we have to cheer for?" She places her megaphone to her mouth. "This is an entirely sexist display."

"Wait," Madison says. "There should be at least one more player."

Chris nods. He says, "I only had three girls audition."

Vanessa shouts, "This makes me disgusted. You wouldn't think to have men parade around in bikinis."

"Actually, I..." Chris begins.

Chef Hatchet walks out in a bikini. He says, "Let's get this over with."

Vanessa's eye twitches. She says, "Disregard my comment about the guys in bikinis..."

The volleyball match begins. Doyce shouts, "Go hot chicks, go!" He blushes and sits down. "It feels weird having to stare at hot chicks in bikinis." He looks down.

Jayden looks at Cassie and says, "I only have eyes for one girl." Cassie blushes and giggles.

"Wait," Bubba says. "You don't find it weird looking at Chef?"

Doyce looks at Chef Hatchet. He shudders. "If traumatized is linked to weird... Then yeah."

Holden shouts, "Go... Wait. Who are we cheering for?"

"We call dibs on the team Chef isn't on," Tony states. Doyce high fives Tony.

"Ugh," Holden says.

"Why didn't you call dibs on that?" Alexandria asks. "Now we have to cheer for Chef."

Bubba begins, "Go... I can't do it."

"Me, neither," Gabby says. "It feels wrong."

Tony nudges Doyce with his elbow. He says, "We got this."

Doyce nods. He shouts, "Go team with two hot chicks!" He looks at them and blinks. He blushes and looks down.

Tony says, "Dude, don't think of them like that. Think of them like a woman you respect. Like your mom, or something."

Doyce's eyes get wide. He looks at the volleyball players. He stands up and says, "I have to go vomit." He rushes off. The other Athletic Supporters shrug, but then continue cheering for their team.

Tony sits down to take a drink of root beer. He says, "I must say this. The provided snacks are phenomenal."

"If that means they're good, I agree, man," Jayden says. "These carrot sticks are awesome."

Tony looks at Jayden. He raises an eyebrow and says, "Whatever. These nachos are..." Tony is hit by a rogue volleyball. He spills his drink on Vanessa. "Oops. Here it comes." He shields himself with his hands.

Vanessa's eye twitches. She says, "You big, stupid..." She looks at Tony. She takes a deep breath and says, "It was a mistake, right? No worries."

Tony holds down his hands. He says, "Wait, what?"

"And that's the game," Chris announces. "Chef and Bambi are the winners." Chef goes to hug Bambi but she runs off, looking disturbed. Chef holds his head down. Chris says, "The Athletic Supporters lose the challenge. Congrats, Muscleheads!"

"But we actually cheered for our team!" Ramona protests.

Chris says, "Yeah, but they lost. That's all that matters in the end."

"We painted 'GO!' on our bodies," Tony reminds.

Chris looks at him and Jayden. "So why do I see 'O!'?" Chris asks. Tony looks at where Doyce is supposed to be standing. He hits his face with his palm. "See you at the elimination ceremony. Bye." Chris walks off.

"This stinks," Cassie says.

"I know," Madison says. "We had to watch that whole match for nothing." She folds her arms and glares to the side. "Chef's form was awful."

"I'll say," Ramona replies.

"No, I meant..." Madison begins.

Jayden lets out a sigh. He says, "We're close to the merge, right?"

"Yeah," Tony says. "We should be."

Jayden smiles. He says, "I'm so excited to be on the same team as Holden."

"Well, when we merge, we're not technically teams, anymore," Tony states.

"Wait," Madison says. "You plan to vote with your brother?"

"Yup," Jayden quickly replies. "He's smart, so I'd vote however he wants me to."

Tony says, "But what about the rest of us?"

Jayden blinks and says, "What do you mean? Oh, there's Holden. I'm going to go say hi to him." He walks over to the other team.

Madison looks at her team. She says, "We need to vote out Jayden."

"Jayden?" Cassie says.

"You're just mad, because he doesn't want to make out with you," Ramona says to Madison. Madison glares at Ramona.

Madison says, "No. I mean, he's obviously going to vote against us when the time comes, so we can't let that happen." Cassie stomps off. "And he's also really good at challenges. This might be the only chance we have to vote him out."

"You make a lot of sense," Tony says. "But I like the guy."

Madison says, "Well, we don't have an unlimited supply of Nathan's and Zoe's to vote out. Nice people need to be voted out, too... Just think about it."

Tony says, "I guess."

At the campfire ceremony, Chris states, "Only six of you left, soon to be five. One of you will not receive a marshmallow, and will have to leave the competition. The first one goes to Ramona." Ramona catches her marshmallow. "Cassie." Cassie catches her marshmallow. "Doyce," Chris says as he tosses a marshmallow. Doyce smiles, stands, and catches his marshmallow.

He says, "Yes! Doyce! I'm awe... I mean... I accept this marshmallow in behalf of the people." He sits back down.

"Quiet down, Doyce," Chris reprimands. "As I was saying... Tony, you're safe." Tony catches his marshmallow and quickly swallows it. Chris says, "So, it's down to Jayden and Madison... With one marshmallow to go... The final marshmallow goes to..."

"Madison." Chris tosses a marshmallow to Madison.

Jayden's eyes widen. He says, "Huh? What does that mean? I get to stay, right?"

Chris says, "Sorry, Jayden. That means you were voted out."

Jayden holds his head down. He says, "This means... I won't be able to compete with Holden?"

"Looks like it," Chris replies.

Tony says, "Jayden, I'm sorry. Maybe you shouldn't have mentioned that you planned to vote with your brother."

"Oh," Jayden says. "I... I was excited, I guess." He lifts up his shirt to reveal the exclamation point on his torso. He puts his shirt back down.

"You didn't wash yours off?" Tony asks.

Madison says, "Apparently not."

Chris says, "It's time to go, Jayden." Jayden hugs Cassie, who is frowning.

Jayden says, "Yeah. Wait... Can I go say goodbye to Holden?"

Chris shakes his head. He says, "Sorry, but nope. You have to go, like anyone else." Jayden looks disappointed and nods.

Jayden says, "Bye, everyone. Time to go, I guess." He waves at Cassie, and goes toward the Boat of Losers. He looks back with a disappointed expression, and turns back around and boards the Boat of Losers.

On the Boat of Losers, Jayden says, "I blew it, didn't I." He lets out a sigh, and puts his head in his hands.

Back on the island, Chris states, "Well, there's another episode. I hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to check out the next episode of Total... Drama... Athletics!"

#### Chapter 11 - Interview Master

Chris Mclean, wearing a safari outfit and hiding behind a bush, says to the camera in an English accent, "'Ello. Chris Mclean 'ere." He shuffles in his bush. "I'm on the remote Isle des Losers, to study the elusive eliminated contestants. It's important to go absolutely undetected in order not to set off..."

"Chris?" Zoe asks, standing by the bush. "Is that you?"

Chris nervously says, "My hiding spot has been compromised."

"What're you doing?" Zoe asks. "And why are talking in a bad British accent?"

Chris clears his throat and begins talking normal, "It's not that bad. Anyway, if you need an explanation, I'm here to observe the losers in their natural habitat."

Zoe frowns and says, "We prefer winning impaired."

"Oh yeah," Chris says. "I forgot that losers are sensitive."

"Okay," Zoe says. "Well, have fun with..." Zoe pauses. She then excitedly squeals. "I have an idea! Why don't you just interview the eliminated contestants?! That'll be exciting!"

Chris glares to the side. He says, "If by exciting, you mean completely boring. I prefer stealth. If the contestants don't even know I'm here, I can..."

Luke walks by in his swimsuit. He says, "Hey, Chris. Nice outfit, I guess." He walks off.

Chris sighs. He says, "Interviewing it is."

"Yay, Chris!" Zoe says. "You can do it! I believe in you! You're an inspir..." Chris walks away. Zoe narrows her eyes and says, "Jerk."

Chris walks up to the swimming pool. He sees Isabella and Polly Ann sitting on chairs on the side of the pool. "Hi, Chris," Polly Ann states.

Chris says, "What're you girls up to?

Isabella signs as she explains, "Just enjoying the view."

Chris looks behind him to see Luke in the pool. Chris laughs and says, "You girls and your..." He turns around to see Polly Ann strangling Isabella. Chris looks shocked. "What are you doing?!"

Polly Ann lets go, blushing. Isabella says and signs, "Don't worry. She just gets this way whenever anyone looks at her boyfriend."

Polly Ann keeps blushing. She says, "He's not my boyfriend."

"Oh, really?" Chris says with a smirk.

"I mean it," Polly Ann insists. "Can we change the topic?"

Luke emerges from the pool. He says, "Hey, y'all. What'cha talkin' about?" Luke looks down. He blushes and says, "Oh, shoot. Coming out of the pool almost yanked my shorts clear off." He pulls his shorts up.

Polly Ann and Isabella's faces are bright red. Chris laughs. He says, "We were just talking about you and Polly Ann's relationship."

Luke nods. He says, "Yeah, we're good friends."

"Is that all?" Chris asks, with a large smile.

"Yessir," Luke says. "Polly Ann is a great girl, and all, but I don't feel like I have anything to offer a girl... in my condition." Luke looks down.

"It doesn't matter to me," Polly Ann assures.

Luke says, "Let's talk about something else."

Chris says, "Alriiight." He lets out a disappointed sigh. "How are you all handling your eliminations?"

Isabella shrugs. She signs and says, "I'm still not clear on it."

"Nathan didn't explain it to you?" Chris asks.

Isabella narrows her eyes. She signs and says, "Aw... You haven't seen Nathan lately have you?"

Polly Ann says, "It was my decision to leave, so I don't hold any hard feelings."

Luke admits, "Polly Ann was a big help for me. I was really confused and depressed, but having Polly Ann to lean on so early on in the process was a big comfort, you know?"

Chris says, "Not really."

"That's sad," Isabella signs and says.

Chris clears his throat. He says, "Moving on. How are you feeling about your elimination, now?"

Luke says, "I try not to think about it. I've been enjoying myself. This place is beautiful. I never get to just relax like this on the farm, but I'm getting a little antsy. I can't wait to go back home."

Chris says, "Thanks for your answers, people. I'm going to move on."

"I have a question," Luke says. "That is, if you don't mind, sir."

"Go ahead," Chris says, looking flattered.

"How is Evan doing?" Luke asks, looking down.

"Oh," Chris says. "You know about him." Luke nods.

"He stayed here for a night before going home," Isabella explains and signs.

"We had a good long talk," Luke says. "He's a good kid. Scared, though. He wanted to know how I'm able to manage..."

Chris says, "I've kept in touch, or tried to. He's on treatment, again. I helped him get insurance to cover most of his expenses. He's still not happy with me for my hand in eliminating him, but I can't make exceptions to rules. Anyway, I'm not the one being interviewed. I need to move on."

"Alright," Polly Ann says. The three wave at Chris as he leaves. Luke looks behind him. He runs and does a cannonball into the swimming pool.

Chris turns a corner at a corridor. He trips, and falls to the ground. He looks back, and realizes he tripped over Skylar. Chris says, "Watch where your sitting!" Chris blinks. "Why are you here, anyway? Why aren't you at the pool, or..."

"Shhh!" Skylar says. "Don't mention it. The doctors said I couldn't use the pool. The thing is so gorgeous, I can't look at it without wanting to jump in."

"That's tragic," Chris says.

"I know, right?" Skylar replies. "So what are you doing here?"

Chris explains, "I'm here to interview eliminated contestants."

"I see," Skylar says.

Chris asks, "Do you know where someone interesting is?"

"Hurtful," Skylar says, while frowning.

"Fine," Chris says. "What have you been up to?"

Skylar stands up. He explains, "I've been practicing my one hand hand stand." Skylar suddenly stands on one arm. "See?" He does a flip and lands on his feet. "I've also been practicing flips with using my arms." Skylar does some flips. "Check it out." He continues doing flips.

"Fascinating," Chris says dryly. "Are you feeling bitter about anything?"

"Not really," Skylar states. "I had to go, I guess. The doctor says I'll be all healed up in a matter of days. Any chance I can return?"

Chris laughs. He says, "Are you kidding? I don't want to mess with the elimination chart." Skylar sighs. "Oh, yeah. I've thought of something interesting to ask you. Do you miss Vanessa?"

"Vanessa?" Skylar says. "Not really..." He looks to the side briefly and back at Chris. "Why? Has she been talking about me?"

Chris laughs, again. He says, "So you do have feelings for her."

"I wouldn't say that," Skylar says, while blushing. "I just realize that she isn't quite as bad as I thought, I guess."

Chris says, "Alright. That wraps up this interview. Have you seen Jayden, Nathan, Kylie, or Fernando?"

Skylar rubs his chin. He says, "I keep finding Fernlie in random places... Or was it Kylando? Nathan... I don't want to talk about it. Jayden went straight to his room after he got here. He hasn't come out since." Jayden walks by. "Okay, I stand corrected."

Chris says, "I'm going to move on. I'm glad you're doing better."

"Thanks," Skylar replies with a smile. "I like to think that I..." Chris walks off. "Okay... I guess I'm done talking."

Chris is shown walking down the corridor. He hears Kylie say, "You know that infectious mononucleosis is called the kissing disease because of it being transmitted orally." Chris winces.

Fernando says, "I was in this male beauty pageant, once. I won the swimsuit competition, but the question and answer round was too hard." Chris catches up with the teens. "I don't really have opinions."

"That's why I love you," Kylie states. She and Fernando start making out.

Chris says, "Get a room. Wait, don't. I don't want to encourage teen pregnancy."

Kylie and Fernando take a break from their kissing session. Kylie says, "Did you know that among countries that are part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, the United States and United Kingdom have the highest rate of teenage pregnancy, while Japan and South Korea have the lowest?"

"I did know that," Chris says.

Kylie has wide eyes. She says, "Really?"

Chris says, "No, not really."

Fernando says, "I didn't start wearing deodorant until I was fifteen. I didn't understand the point, until I ran a couple miles one day, and spent the whole day at school wondering what smelled so weird. I realized it was me when I smelled myself."

Kylie says, "Fernando is amazing." The two start making out, again.

Chris has a raised eyebrow. Jayden walks by carrying armfuls of food. Chris says, "Thank goodness. Someone interesting." Chris follows after Jayden, while Kylie and Fernando don't seem to mind as they continue kissing.

Chris says, "Hey, Jayden. Where are you headed?"

"Back to my room," Jayden says. "Oh, hey Chris!"

"Hi," Chris says. "You seem less upset about your elimination."

Jayden nods. He says, "Yeah. I was bummed out about it, but then I got here and saw how awesome it was. Did you know every room has it's own bathroom and mini-fridge? I never have to leave my room! Plus, there's cable here! Though the naughty channels are fuzzy." Jayden shrugs. "I don't mind, though, since I like the Sports Channel. I could watch it all day." The guys reach Jayden's room. "If you don't mind, there's a senior citizen tennis match on right now, and I don't want to miss a thing." Jayden attempts to open his door with his card key, but fails.

"Let me help you," Chris insists. "I know it's out of my character, but..."

Jayden insists, "No, I got it, I... Whoops!" Jayden trips and falls hard toward his door, and hits his face against the doorknob. "Ow!" He falls to the ground, drops the food he was carrying, and covers his face with his hands. "Ow! Ow! That hurts!"

Chris has wide eyes. He says, "Are you okay? You're not thinking about suing, I hope, because this was your fault."

Jayden pulls his hands down, revealing his black eye. "Is it bad?" Jayden asks.

Chris says, "Whoa. Maybe you should get it checked out. You've got a black eye... like Holden."

Jayden's good eye gets wide. He says, "I do?"

"What are the chances of that?" Chris asks. Chris laughs.

Jayden says, "I guess it's pretty weird."

Chris continues laughing and says, "It must be one of those twin things."

Jayden asks, "Can you help me up?"

Chris holds his hands up. He says, "No way. I'm not about to get my fingerprints on the scene."

"Huh?" Jayden asks.

Chris says, "Nothing." He slowly backs away. "Hey, do you know where Nathan's room is?"

"Three down from me," Jayden replies, as he picks up his food. "I thought his room was mine. I walked in on him... I don't want to talk about it." Jayden shudders. He places an ice cream bar over his eye, and struggles to open his door, again.

Chris is shown knocking on Nathan's room door. He gets no reply. "Nathan?" Chris asks.

Zoe appears next to Chris. She asks, "How are your interviews going? Are you giving it your all?"

"Whatever," Chris replies.

"I'm ready for my interview if you want," Zoe states with a smile.

Chris says, "Hey, have you seen Nathan around?"

"Hm," Zoe says. "Not that I recall. He's been acting really weird since he got here."

Chris says, "I guess I'll look around for him, then. Bye."

"I'm ready when you are," Zoe calls out after Chris as he walks off.

Chris is shown in front of Jayden's door. Jayden can be heard shouting, "Television is awesome! It's like my brain is on fire! I wonder why my parents don't let me watch it... Oh, look! There's that talking duck!" Jayden laughs wildly. "Ducks don't talk in nature!"

Chris puts his hand on his forehead. He slips on a pudding cup and falls on his back. He stands up and looks down at the ground at the puddle of chocolate pudding. "I guess Jayden forgot that... I better clean this up before I get sued." He walks over to a broom closet and searches for a mop. He screams. "A body!" Nathan looks up with dark circles around his eyes, from inside the broom closet. He looks back at a pad of paper that he had been writing on. Chris asks, "What are you doing in here?"

Nathan ignores Chris and mutters, "Maybe if I'd targeted Jayden, pointing out that he and Holden would team up, then my plan wouldn't have backfired." He continues writing. "Maybe if I'd tried to befriend Cassie, Madison, and... that one girl, they would have voted with me. That's right. But maybe they would have thought I was a creep and voted me out earlier. Maybe I should have kept Fernando around and he would have done what I said. Maybe I shouldn't have come out as a cheerleader. Yeah, that's what this is about... Maybe I should have... No, that's not right."

Chris shuts the broom closet door. He says, "Maybe he thinks this is his room... They look kind of similar from the outside." Chris opens the door and says, "Nathan, maybe you should get back to your room."

"M-maybe I should have volunteered to switch teams with Holden so he and Jayden could be on the same team," Nathan goes on. "I could have done better on the other team with their constant disqualifications..."

Chris says, "I just needed a mop." Chris takes a mop from the closet. "I'm just going to... go."

Nathan continues, "But if that happened, who knows if I'd survive those first three eliminations... assuming that the variables wouldn't effect the outcome of events. Maybe I should have pretended to have a man crush on Doyce... His unhealthy need for approval and attention would have made him loyal to anyone that..." Chris slowly shuts the door with wide eyes. He shudders and backs away from the broom closet.

Chris looks down at Zoe, who is unconscious on the ground next to the pudding spill with a track of pudding under her foot. He nonchalantly whistles as he mops up the pudding residue. He walks off and meets with Kylie and Fernando, again. Kylie says, "Hey, Chris." She looks down at the seat of his pants, which are covered with chocolate pudding. "Uh... Did you have an accident?" Chris blushes.

Fernando states, "When I was a little kid in school, I accidentally wet myself in class. I told the teacher that I spilled my milk pouch on my pants... It was my first lie."

Kylie says, "You are so sexy." They begin making out, again. Chris slowly backs away.

Chris is shown back on his expensive sports boat. He says, "Well, there you have it. You wondered what the eliminated contestants of Total... Drama... Athletics were up to... And I bet you're sorry. Tune in next time, for an all new episode!"

#### Chapter 12 - Dodge-Podge

Chris Mclean states, "Hello and welcome. It's time for a real episode of Total... Drama... Athletics! Unlike last time... Anyway, last time, before that loser episode, our contestants were asked to... watch a volleyball match... Wow. That challenge was lame, now that I think about it. Well, despite that, the Athletic Supporters lost the challenge, and after Jayden told his team how excited he was to team up with his brother Holden, a member of the other team, Madison persuaded them to vote for Jayden. With the merge looming, what's going to happen next?"

Cassie is shown in confessional. She looks down with a sad expression. She quietly says, "I'm going to miss Jayden."

Cassie is shown in her cabin with Ramona and Madison. Cassie still looks particularly sad. Ramona frowns as she looks at her. She says, "It's going to be alright. I'm sorry for voting out Jayden, but we didn't have a choice."

"That's right," Madison states. "He was about to turn on us. There's no reason for you to be upset."

"But I liked him, Cassie states. "Of course I'm not going to be happy about it."

Madison rolls her eyes. She says, "I'm sorry, but Jayden is a total goober. About all he has going for him are his looks." Cassie looks offended. She turns around in her bed and hugs her pillow. "Oh, please. Don't be offended. I was being honest about him."

Ramona looks over at Madison. She says, "Um. I'm curious about something."

"What's that?" Madison asks, looking slightly annoyed.

"What exactly happened with your ex-boyfriend?" Ramona asks.

Madison states, "I found out he was cheating on me." Madison sighs. "We were perfect for each other. We did everything together. He was my first love." She puts her hand to her heart. "Then that floozy took him from me." Madison looks down.

"Right," Ramona replies with a raised eyebrow. "Um... Why are you so against Jayden and Cassie? Isn't kind of the same thing you're doing to them, as that happened to you?"

Madison says, "Excuse me?"

"And another thing," Ramona states. "Are you against other people's happiness, or something?"

"Wait, what?" Madison asks.

Ramona blinks. She says, "Sorry. Disregard my previous statements. But I have one more question."

"I'm so excited for it," Madison states with another eye roll.

"What were you like before you started dating?" Ramona asks. Madison blinks. "You don't have to answer it. That wasn't necessarily one of those questions that needs a reply, or whatever. I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight." Madison looks at Ramona as she gets into her bed.

Madison is shown in confessional. She says, "Who does she think she is?" Madison looks to the side. "I guess I was a little different. I was still young, yet... Maybe I cared more about other people, besides myself and my boyfriend..." She looks to the side. "Maybe not."

Bubba and Holden are shown in their cabin. Bubba says, "How are you feeling, man?"

"Kind of excited, I guess," Holden states. "Kind of anxious. I wonder who was voted out on the other team. I hope it wasn't Jayden."

Bubba replies with a half smile, "I don't think you need to worry about that. Jayden seems really popular, and all that. I'm sure he'll be fine."

Holden nods and smiles. He says, "Thanks. I'm sure you're right."

Bubba says, "Uh. This might seem kind of awkward, but I have something I want to talk about."

Holden replies, "You bet, man."

Bubba nods and smiles. He says, "I've been..." A knock is heard at the door. Holden continues to look at Bubba. "Aren't you going to get that?"

"Okay," Holden says. "Wait right there." Holden answers the door. He says, "Oh, hey Doyce." Doyce is at the door, looking down.

"I've got bad news," Doyce states.

Holden looks down. He says, "It was Jayden, wasn't it?"

Doyce continues to look down, but nods. He says, "I'm sorry. I didn't vote for him, though... I didn't know he was in trouble. I just thought you'd want to know." He begins to turn around.

Holden says, "Thanks, man." He grabs hold of Doyce's arm. Doyce stops walking away. He looks back. "I need to talk." Doyce nods and Holden follows him outside.

Bubba lets out a small laugh. "I'm used to it," he says to himself.

Doyce and Holden are shown on the outside steps. Holden says, "I'm scared, man."

"You are?" Doyce asks. "Dude, I don't think the Boogey Man is real..."

Holden states, "I mean about Jayden."

"Oh," Doyce says. "Is he okay?"

Holden blinks. He says, "I just mean, I've never been somewhere without him."

"Oh, really?" Doyce says.

Holden nods. He lets out a deep sigh. He says, "I don't know what I am without him. It's always Holden and Jayden... or Jayden and Holden in some circles. We're never thought of as separate. I guess I've become so used to it... I..."

Doyce assures, "You'll be okay." He smiles and says, "You got me, now."

"Thanks, Doyce," Holden says. "At least I'm not alone."

"We can be Doylden..." Doyce says. "Or Hoyce... Maybe... Doycden..."

Holden assures, while wincing, "We don't really need a name for... us."

"Us?" Doyce repeats. "I love it!"

Holden states, "Uh, I guess I do, too? I should go back inside, but I'll see you tomorrow?" Doyce and Holden stand up.

"Sure," Doyce says. Holden awkwardly extends his hand. Doyce looks at it. He shakes Holden's hand. He pauses, puts his arm around Holden, and lifts him in the air.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Holden protests.

"We need a secret bro-hug, son," Doyce explains. Doyce folds Holden's leg, hitting him in the face with his own leg. "There. I like that one." He sets Holden down, whose face is red. "See ya, bro." Doyce walks off with a huge smile.

Holden grabs a banister in order to keep his balance. He says, "What a weird guy..." He lets out a slight laugh. He walks back into his cabin to find Bubba asleep. He shrugs and gets into his own bed.

Doyce is shown in his room with Tony. Tony asks, "Where have you been?"

"Why?" Doyce asks.

Tony shrugs. He says, "I worry."

Doyce says, "I was hanging out with my first friend ever, Holden."

Tony blinks. He stares at Doyce. He says, "I thought you told me that you had about a thousand friends."

"I did? Um, well," Doyce says. "I might have been exaggerating, a little."

"By how much?" Tony asks.

Doyce narrows his eyes. He answers, "About a thousand?"

Tony says, "So... That would make me your first friend."

Doyce shrugs. "That doesn't count. I still thought you might maim me if I didn't agree to be friends with you. You can be my second friend if you want." Tony places his hand under his chin. "What are you thinking about?"

"Just whether or not I want to maim you," Tony says.

Doyce says in confessional, "Son, I was awesome. I handled the situation with Holden like a champ. I'm so proud of myself... But don't tell anyone how proud I am. I'm sure you're wondering how I did it. I, uh... I just thought about how I would comfort myself, you know? That's what geniuses do. Plus, now I've got the twin I always wanted." Doyce smiles. "And Tony... Um... I don't want to talk about that." He looks to the side nervously.

The moon is shown going down outside, as the sun comes up.

Gabby, Vanessa, and Alexandria are shown outside. Alexandria says, "I hope the merge is coming soon. I want to hang out with some of the cool people."

Vanessa states, "Wait. That was not very nice."

"I think she was joking," Gabby assures. She turns to Alexandria and says, "You were joking, right?"

Tony walks up from the beach in his boxers. The girls look at him with wide eyes. He looks down and says, "I slept down on the beach last night. It was a nice night, and all."

"That still isn't very intelligent," Vanessa states. "And not so nice to look at. I shouldn't expect much from a..." Gabby nudges Vanessa with her elbow.

Gabby whispers, "This is your chance to be nice to a guy. Don't miss your opportunity."

Vanessa looks at Tony, as he scratches his boxers, and yawns. Vanessa's eye twitches as she says, "You're so charming."

Tony blushes. He says, "No reason to be so sarcastic with me."

"No," Vanessa says. "I was trying to be..."

Tony goes on, "I wasn't planning on seeing all of you out here."

"I know sarcasm," Alexandria says. "And I don't think Vanessa was being..."

"Look, I know you don't think I have feelings and all," Tony says, "since I'm a guy, and everything. But that's just..."

Doyce walks out of his cabin. He says, "There you are Tony. I was wondering where you went."

"I told you I was going to sleep out on the beach," Tony replies.

Doyce says, "You know what I told you about me and listening." Doyce looks at Tony, and then at the female contestants by him. Doyce blushes and says, "Dude! What are you doing talking to these girls with your boobs all exposed?! Don't you have any decency, son?"

Tony's face quickly turns red. He says, "I don't have boobs."

Gabby also looks embarrassed. She says, "Is this whole scenario awkward or is it just me?" She backs up, trips over a rock that becomes airborne, and falls on her.

"I'd say it was a combination of both," Alexandria states.

Tony looks down at Gabby. He says, "Is she going to be okay?"

"Not if she has to stare at you all day," Doyce states. Doyce runs down, hoists Tony over his shoulder, and carries him back into their shared cabin. "You have to have, like, so much sand in your shorts, man."

"Doyce!" Tony shouts.

"Doyce!" Doyce shouts.

Alexandria says, "That was all quite weird." She looks at Vanessa, who is looking annoyed. "Don't be upset. You tried to be nice... or playful. Whatever that was supposed to be."

"It's no use trying to be nice to that... gender," Vanessa states.

Gabby states from the ground, "You can't expect every people to expect you to change after you've been acting a certain way." Gabby laughs randomly.

"Oh, good," Alexandria says, as she looks down at Gabby. "She's still breathing." Alexandria helps Gabby up.

Doyce and Tony are shown in their cabin. Tony has his face in his hands, as he sits on his bed. Doyce says, "Hey, man." Tony keeps quiet. "Man? Son? Uh... Baby Blue Eyes?"

"Don't call me that," Tony says.

"Um..." Doyce says. "I know this... You're mad, right?"

"Yeah, I'm mad," Tony states.

Doyce pumps his fist and says, "Yes! I got it right!" Doyce looks contemplative for a moment. "Um... What are you mad at?"

"You," Tony states. "You embarrassed me in front of everyone."

"I did?" Doyce asks. "It wasn't everyone. You're being a little dramatic." Doyce pauses, and looks at Tony. "That was the wrong thing to say..." Doyce pauses. "I'm... um... sorry? Is that the right thing to say?"

"Doyce, just leave me alone, right now," Tony requests. Doyce nods. He begins walking to the door.

"Wait," Doyce says. "You wanna arm wrestle, or..." Tony glares at Doyce. Doyce walks out of the cabin looking dejected.

"Having friends is hard," Doyce states in confessional with his arms folded. "I'm going to go hang out with Holden. He's way cooler than Tony, anyway." Doyce thinks. "Is badmouthing friends wrong?" Doyce sighs. "Life is so complicated." Doyce walks out of confessional. He looks up and says, "Oh, Holden! Just who I was looking for."

"Hey," Holden says with a smile. "How are you doing?"

Doyce says, "Conflicted." He furrows his eyebrows. "Like... what do you do when you make someone mad?"

Holden says, "You apologize."

"I did get that one right!" Doyce excitedly says. "But, like, what happens when that doesn't work and they tell you to leave them alone?"

"Maybe they just need some time to cool off, buddy," Holden says. "Wait, who are we talking about?"

"Tony," Doyce states. Holden nods. "Apparently he's sensitive when people talk about his boobs and sand in his shorts." Doyce scoffs. "Some people are way too sensitive."

Holden suggests, "Try not to be judgmental, man. How would you like it if someone talked about your boobs?"

"I don't have boobs," Doyce says, with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I..." Holden begins. "Just try to be slightly more sensitive."

"Got it!" Doyce says. He nods rapidly. "Thanks, man. You're the best." He hugs Holden. "Let's get back to base. Chris might start the challenge soon."

"I'll join you in a minute," Holden says. "I was hoping to use the confessional." Doyce nods and runs off.

Holden is shown inside the confessional. He says, "I guess having Doyce around has been kind of a relief... Kind of... Vaguely. But I have to admit that I really still miss Jayden." He holds his head down. "I hope he's okay... And I hope the resort, assuming it's a resort, doesn't have cable television." Holden thinks to himself. "I guess I'll never stop worrying about him, or looking out for him..."

Chris is heard over the loudspeaker. "It's almost time for the next challenge. Don't be a Vanessa or Skylar, and actually show up."

"Gotta go, I guess," Holden states. He exits the confessional. He reenters and says, "I forgot. Got to conserve energy." He turns off the confessional cam.

The contestants are gathered around Chris. He states, "Welcome to your challenge. Standing on platforms above the water. The last one of you who doesn't fall off of your platform and into the lake will get invincibility."

"Fall into the lake?" Holden repeats with wide eyes.

Alexandria says, "Wait. How is this remotely sports related?"

Chris shrugs. "High dive?" he suggests. "Oh, by the way. You're merged."

The contestants hug each other, except for Bubba who stands off to the side.

Bubba says in confessional, "I'm not so great in group situations. I never merged before, so I didn't know what to do." Bubba shrugs. "It was really kind of awkward."

Ramona is shown tugging on Bubba's cheeks. Chris says, "If all of you are ready to get onto your platforms..."

"We have to swim out there?" Holden asks.

Chris nods. He says, "Unless you want to lose the challenge."

Ramona takes a break from pinching Bubba's cheeks. He rubs his cheeks and walks to the opposite side of the group. Ramona says, "Isn't there a jetski, or something he can ride out there?" Ramona looks around. "Where my li'l Bubba?"

Chris sighs, "I guess. I don't know why I have to go through all the trouble..." Holden looks down. "D-don't cry. It's not good for my image. I'll get you a life jacket and a lollipop, too, if you want. Just don't cry."

Doyce assures, "If you want, I'll help you get over your little baby fears and junk, or whatever. You can ride out on my back, or whatever."

Holden looks at Doyce with a raised eyebrow. "Thanks?" he says.

"What are friends for?" Doyce asks with a smile.

Chris says, "Well, since you all didn't wear your swimwear, you can go get changed and come back."

"Why can't we wear our regular clothes?" Ramona asks.

"Ratings," Chris states.

"He's talking about me," Doyce says, while winking at Madison.

The contestants are shown on their platforms in their swimsuits, Holden in a life jacket. Holden looks down as the guy on the jetski leaves. Holden says, "How do I get down? I didn't think this through. And I didn't get that lollipop." Holden puts his hands on his head.

Chris looks to the side and says, "I was joking about that." He licks a lollipop. "This lollipop is a coincidence."

Tony's stomach is shown rumbling. He says, "I was so annoyed with Doyce this morning that I forgot to eat breakfast... I'm sorry I was mad at you Doyce. I know deep down that you didn't mean any harm. Being mad at you wasn't worth the hunger." Doyce smiles and looks at Holden. Holden gives him a thumbs up. He then attempts to regain his balance on his platform, looking nervous. Tony's stomach growls, again. "Chris, could I get some peanut butter and chocolate if I drop trou?" He puts his hands on his pants. "I'm entirely willing."

Chris says, "Ugh, no." He cringes. "I'll consider it if you keep your shorts on."

Tony is quickly standing next to Chris. He says, "Hand it over."

"I said I'd considered it," Chris states. "The answer is no." Tony glares at Chris.

"Give me that lollipop!" Tony states, as he grabs at Chris' lollipop.

"No, it's mine!" Chris says. "I love it!"

"Is this challenge almost done?" Madison protests. "I'm bored."

Chris smiles and says, "I totally forgot." Chris runs off, dropping his lollipop in the sand.

Tony looks at it and says, "Aw, man." He drops to his knees and shouts, "Why?!"

Chris returns with a large sack. "Did Christmas come early?" Ramona asks.

Chris says, "For me." He pulls a dodge ball out of the sack. "Let's make this a little more interesting."

"So that's the sport," Bubba says.

Chris throws the dodge ball toward the contestants. It falls far short, and lands in the water. The contestants laugh at Chris. He says, "I've decided that contestants eliminated from the challenge can help throw dodge balls."

"That's incentive," Tony says. "Not that I'm looking to harm, anyone." He throws a dodge ball at Doyce, but narrowly misses him.

Doyce shouts, "Hey! I thought you weren't mad at me, anymore."

"It's complicated," Tony states.

Chris says, "If you get hit by a dodge ball, or if you fall off your platform, you're out of the challenge." Holden puts his hands on his head and begins shaking.

Tony throws a dodge ball and hits Vanessa, knocking her off of her platform. "I wasn't even doing anything!" she shouts as she falls to the water. She gets on shore, picks up a dodge ball and throws it at Tony. Tony grabs one and throws it back at her.

Chris says, "Children! Quit it! You're supposed to throw these at the competitors." Vanessa throws a dodge ball at Chris. Tony throws a dodge ball at Madison and hits her. She climbs down her platform and swims back to shore.

Vanessa says, "So typical. Go after a girl."

"She's the one who reminded Chris about the dodge balls," Tony states.

"I guess that's true," Vanessa throws a dodge ball at Madison.

"I'm already out of the challenge!" Madison states. She takes a dodge ball and throws it at Vanessa.

Chris says, "I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea..."

Vanessa throws a dodge ball at Bubba. He leans in to catch it, but loses his balance, and falls into the water. Ramona dives into the water and says, "I'm coming for you, Bubba!" Bubba attempts to swim away from Ramona.

Madison throws a dodge ball at Holden. He dodges it, looking particularly worried. "That's just cold," Bubba states.

"What?" Madison says. "He looks like Jayden."

"That's true," Vanessa agrees.

Tony says, "Oh, so now all guys look alike? Not to mention you threw a dodge ball at poor Bubba, here."

As Ramona holds him tight, Bubba asks, "Can someone help me?"

Alexandria puts her hand on her forehead. She loses her balance and falls into the water. Vanessa says, "I'm not sexist. I'll prove it to you." She throws a dodge ball at Cassie, hitting her into the water.

Cassie walks up with a bloody nose. She says, "Am I okay?" Vanessa gets several glares.

Doyce says to Holden, "Hey, man. It's you, me, and..." Doyce looks over at Gabby. "Gabby?!"

"Hey, guys," Gabby says, with a wave.

Holden says, "Don't talk to me. I don't want to lose my concentration and fall."

Doyce looks down. He says, "It'll be okay, son. Nothing bad is going to happen with all of us here. So you can just jump into the water."

"Thanks, Doyce," Holden says. "It means a lot that you're... Wait. You're trying to trick me." Doyce folds his arms and glares to the side.

Gabby dodges several dodge balls. She says, "Guys. Don't fight."

"How are you still in this challenge?" Doyce asks, dodging some soaring dodge balls.

"I bowl," Gabby states with a shrug.

Doyce says, "Oh, I see. Wait, that doesn't make any..." A dodge ball whizzes toward Doyce, but he catches it. He says, "I caught it! Um, what does that mean?"

Chris says, "You're still in the challenge, but you can throw the dodge ball at one of your competitors."

"Sweet," Doyce states. He gets ready to throw the dodge ball at Holden. Holden continues looking nervous. Doyce's brow furrows. He throws the dodge ball at Gabby, knocking her off of her platform. Doyce shouts, "Yes! Did you see that fake out?!" Another dodge ball flies at Doyce, he dodges it, but loses his balance. He falls hard on his butt on the platform, and then falls backwards into the water. Doyce stands up in the water and hits the water with his hand.

Chris announces, "Holden gets invincibility."

Doyce says, "Not fair! I'm a meatier target than Holden! All muscle, though..."

Holden says, "I won?"

Cassie calls out in a voice slightly louder than her usual voice, "Nice job, Holden. Good job facing your fear." Some of the others cheer.

Holden blushes and says, "Thanks everyone... How do I get down?"

Doyce says, "The water is, like, waist deep... I... I guess I'll carry you back to shore if you climb down."

"You'd do that?" Holden asks.

Doyce nods and mumbles, "Yeah, whatever. I guess. Nothing better to do..." Holden climbs down and Doyce carries him back to shore over his shoulder. Doyce quietly says, "Congrats, or whatever."

"Thank you," Holden says, beaming.

Back on shore, Chris states, "You're all able to get voted out, but Holden. Meet me at the elimination ceremony."

Later, Doyce is shown sitting on the beach with his head in his hands. Tony walks up to him and says, "Are you alright, man?"

Doyce says, "I don't know. I really wanted to win that challenge."

"You can't be the best all the time," Tony states.

Doyce says reluctantly, "I know. You know, I was sad to see Jayden go, but in a way I was glad. I thought his being gone would give me a chance to shine, you know?" Tony shrugs and nods. "I should have figured that Holden would be a threat, since he's related to Jayden."

"The guy who quivered his way into victory?" Tony says.

"Yeah, him," Doyce states.

Tony laughs. He says, "He's nothing to worry about in challenges, man. All us dodge ball throwers felt guilty about targeting him. You'll get 'em next time."

Doyce says, "You promise?"

"Well, I can't promise that," Tony says. Doyce looks disappointed. "No, really. I can't promise it."

"Okay," Doyce says with a sigh. "You still mad at me? I really am sorry about embarrassing you. I wouldn't want to get embarrassed like that, that is, if I had boobs like yours." Tony glares at Doyce.

Tony says, "I'm not mad. I'm sure I'm scaring everyone off, again, but I just wasn't having the best day, because of..." Doyce looks at Tony with wide eyes. Tony sighs. "Circumstances. Everything's good." Doyce hugs Tony. "It's about time to vote someone out. We better get going." Doyce nods.

At the elimination ceremony, Chris states, "It's time for your first ever merged elimination ceremony."

"Woo," Alexandria sarcastically says. "Is it much different from the earlier eliminations?"

Chris says, "Yes. Now you people will respect me." Several contestants laugh. "Ahem. Let's get on with it. Holden, you get marshmallow #1. It has your name on it."

"It does?" Bubba asks.

Holden catches the marshmallow and says, "Of course not. It's an expression. He just..." Holden looks at the marshmallow closely. "Oh, look. It actually did have my name on it. Weird."

Chris says, "And they say our art department is a waste of budget. Let's go on. Gabby, Alexandria, Cassie, Bubba, Ramona, and Tony are safe."

Ramona hugs Bubba and says, "Sweetie boo, he said my name next to yours." Bubba tries to push Ramona off of him.

Chris says, "The next marshmallow is for... Doyce." Doyce catches his marshmallow and licks it. "That leaves Vanessa and Madison, and one marshmallow. That marshmallow goes to..."

"Vanessa." Vanessa catches her marshmallow.

Vanessa says, "See! I'm not sexist. I voted for a girl."

"Gee, thanks," Madison states.

"I didn't say it was you," Vanessa says with an eye roll.

Madison says, "Whatever. I don't need to be here, anyway... I guess." Madison picks up her stuff and walks toward the Boat of Losers. Ramona waves at her as she leaves.

On the Boat of Losers, Madison states, "I guess targeting Jayden was a bad idea. It probably got around to Holden and the rest of Jayden's fan club that it was my idea to vote for him, and Vanessa was still bitter because Chris remembered the dodge balls because of me. I can't help it that I reminded him. It was involuntary. But... I have been thinking about what Ramona said to me, about what I was like before I dated my ex... I wasn't constantly talking about getting a boyfriend, or defined by a guy, even after we started dating. I just want some to be happy with... I never forced it before, so I shouldn't start now. I'll pick up the pieces and then decide if I want to date... And another thing... Oh... I'm here." Madison gets off of the Boat of Losers. "Nice place."

Chris says to the camera, "So that wraps up this episode. What will happen next time? There's only one way to find out... Watch the next episode of Total... Drama... Athletics! Do I have to spell it out for you?"

#### Chapter 13 - Figure Skate It Out

Chris Mclean states, "It is I! Welcome to a brand new episode of Total... Drama... Athletics! On our previous episode, the contestants were asked to stand on this platform thing while they got dodge balls thrown at them. I forgot about the dodge ball part until Madison reminded me by saying the challenge was boring. In the end, Holden won the challenge, partly because he was afraid to fall in the water, and partly because the other contestants pitied him. Madison was voted out for her role in the challenge, and probably her personality in general, though she had a change of heart on the Boat of Losers or blah blah. What's going to happen this time?"

Vanessa, Alexandria, Gabby, Ramona, Cassie, and Tony are shown standing in a group. "What does everyone think the next challenge will be?" Alexandria asks.

"I don't know about you all," Tony states, "but I'm hoping for a weightlifting challenge."

"A typical guy answer," Vanessa states. The others glare at Vanessa. "Which... I love!"

Tony's eyes are wide. He says, "Really?" He looks generally uncomfortable.

Tony states in confessional, "I... uh... think Vanessa likes me... Can't say I blame her."

Alexandria looks at Vanessa and says, "You don't mind Tony being present in this group?"

"Mind?" Vanessa says. "Why would I mind?" Vanessa laughs nervously.

"Yup," Tony says in confessional. "She wants me."

Ramona says to Cassie, "You seem quieter than usual."

Alexandria says, "That shocks me."

"Oh, you know," Cassie says, while blushing. "I don't love groups." Cassie blushes some more. "Not that this group isn't amazing."

Gabby states, "I get what you mean. I can't speak for everyone, but..." Gabby trips and says, "Oh, here we go." She slams into a tree.

"Is she always like this?" Tony asks with wide eyes.

"Yeah," Alexandria states. "Don't pay her any mind." Tony stares at Gabby with a concerned expression.

Ramona asks, "Where's the Bubster?"

Tony shrugs and says, "I'm not sure. He might be over at our cabin."

"I'mma find him," Ramona states. She walks off as the others look after her.

Holden and Doyce are shown sitting on the ground in the woods. Doyce says, "Uh... Congratulations on the challenge earlier."

"Thanks," Holden says with a slight smile. "I wasn't too much of a spazz, right? I'm semi-embarrassed."

"No," Doyce says. "You did good, son." Doyce sighs. "I wanted to win the challenge really bad, but to be honest I was happy for you."

"You were?" Holden asks.

Doyce says, "Sure, man. I mean, I never thought I'd be happy for someone that made me lose... But this means a lot to you, too, right?"

"Yeah," Holden says quietly. "It's tough to always be in someone's shadow... Not that I don't love Jayden. I'm always proud of him... But I want to feel special, too, sometimes."

Doyce puts his hand on Holden's shoulder and says, "You are special, son." The guys look at each other for a moment. They burst out laughing.

Bubba is shown sitting on his cabin's steps. He has his chin in his hands. Ramona walks up and says, "Hey, Bubs."

Bubba glares at her and says, "It's Bubba."

"No, I'm Ramona," Ramona states with a confused expression. She looks at him and says, "Why so glum?" She pinches Bubba's cheeks and lifts them to make it look like he's smiling.

Doyce and Holden walk up. Bubba says to Ramona, "Would you stop bothering me?" He pushes her hands away. Doyce and Holden look at each other and walk passed Bubba and Ramona and go inside their cabin.

"I guess," Ramona replies. She pinches Bubba's cheek, again.

He says, "Would you quit it?"

Ramona says. "Oh... Sorry. I didn't realize that that was what was bothering you."

"Could you go?" Bubba requests.

Ramona says, "I can do that, if that's what you want."

Bubba replies, "Yes. That's what I want."

Ramona says, "I just thought that you were a little... I don't know. Lonely? I never see you hanging out with the other guys, so I wanted to cheer you up. I guess I'll get going." Ramona begins walking away.

Bubba says, "Wait." Ramona turns around. "Um... Would you mind if I talked with you, a little? Don't touch me, or anything."

"I'll try," Ramona says. She sits down next to Bubba. "What did you want to talk about?"

Bubba asks, "Do you know about Evan?"

"Evan?" Ramona says. "Yeah I know about him. He's kind of cute."

"Yeah," Bubba says. "Wait, no... I mean, that's not what I was talking about. When he was eliminated it was because he lied about having permission to compete, and he has cancer."

Ramona looks surprised. She says, "I had no idea, Bubba. That's horrible."

"Yeah," Bubba says. "I haven't been able to talk with anyone about it. I want to be there for him, but not knowing how he's doing is the worst feeling. I want him to be okay, so bad."

Ramona puts her hand on Bubba's shoulder. She assures, "He'll be okay, Bubba."

"How can you be so sure?" Bubba says. "I assured him of the same thing, but I was saying it to make him feel better. I didn't want him to know how much it scared me... But why is it my problem?"

Ramona hugs Bubba and says, "It's because you care about him. Of course it's your problem... It's not wrong to feel scared and to support him. Just don't be so scared that you'll lose him that you fail to be there for him when he needs you."

Bubba holds Ramona closer to him. He says, "Thanks for talking to me. I really needed to hear that. I'm sorry if I was a jerk to you."

Ramona shrugs and says, "I wasn't going to give up on my little Bubba."

Bubba laughs and nods. He lets go of Ramona, wipes his eyes, and smiles at her. He says, "I feel a lot better. I just really needed someone to talk to... I guess I found the right person." Bubba blushes and says, "I better get to bed." He heads to the door and says, "Thanks, again."

"Sure," Ramona says. She smiles, stands up, and walks away.

The next day, Doyce is shown standing on a rock with one leg in his swimwear. Alexandria walks by. Her eyes get wide. SHe says, "Uh, what are you doing? I already regret asking."

Doyce answers, "I'm practicing yesterday's challenge, you know, in case it comes up, again."

"You do realize that challenges are rarely to never repeated, right?" Alexandria asks.

Doyce states, "A champ is prepared for anything, son."

Alexandria says, "Can't argue with logic like that." She begins walking off.

"Hey," Doyce says. "Would you mind throwing rocks, or something, at me? I need help with the dodge ball aspect."

"As tempting as it is," Alexandria says, "I'll have to pass. Don't want to get disqualified for injuring someone, or anything." She walks off.

Doyce calls out, "You're not a team player!"

Tony walks up and says, "I hear you want someone to throw rocks at you."

"Sweet!" Doyce says. "You're going to do it?"

Tony grabs Doyce by the arm and says, "No, I'm not going to do it. Let's bring you inside, before someone takes you up on the offer."

Vanessa walks up and says, "Hey, Alexandria says that Doyce needs someone to..."

Tony drags Doyce away. He says, "Let's go."

Vanessa looks slightly disappointed. She says, "I only wanted to help."

The contestants are shown standing by Chris. He says, "Today's challenge is figure skating."

"It's the middle of summer," Tony states. "Where are you going to get ice to..." A group of interns drag a large block of ice in front of the contestants. "Never mind, then."

Chris says, "You'll all be asked to figure skate. Whoever does the best routine will win the challenge. Here are your costumes."

Doyce says, "Yes, I have a question."

Chris says, "Doyce?"

"Yes," Doyce says. "Isn't this for girls?" Vanessa's eye twitches.

Bubba states, "Lots of guys figure skate."

Alexandria says, "Bubba is right. Lots of guys figure skate. They're all total dorks, but there are lots of them."

"That's not very nice," Tony says. "My big brother figure skates... If he gets beat up for me revealing that I apologize. The point is that he's not a dork, he's got a smoking hot girlfriend, and... Bro, don't be mad at calling her hot, man. You know she is. I choose to stop talking."

The contestants leave their cabins after changing into their sequined costumes. Laughter can be heard from the guys' cabin.

Doyce pokes his head out of the doorway and says, "Chris. I have decided to pass on the challenge."

"What?" Chris says. "Doyce! Get out here!"

Doyce says, "But all the girls are going to see my... you know what. This leotard is tight, bro."

Chris says, "Well, if you don't come out, you risk getting voted out." Doyce sighs. He reenters his cabin. "Looks like Doyce is choosing to sit out."

"Wait, Chris," Doyce runs out with a pair of briefs over his costume. "You never said we couldn't make adjustments to our costumes." The others laugh.

Bubba stops laughing. He says, "Wait, is that my underwear." His eyes are wide.

Chris says, "Alright. Everyone will get on the ice and perform. After a little while I'll choose who is doing the worst and eliminate them from the challenge. Everyone else will continue spinning and jumping, or whatever, until there's only one person standing."

The contestants get on the ice. Doyce says, "This is weird."

Chris says, "Everyone, you can get started."

Most of the contestants begin skating. Doyce stays still. He says, "What are we supposed to do, again?"

"You can't ice skate, Doyce?" Holden asks.

Doyce blushes and says, "No! I'm awesome at it. I play hockey."

"Well, this is just like hockey," Tony states, struggling to stop wobbling.

"It is?" Doyce asks. He begins skating, and does a jump.

"See, Doyce?" Holden says. "You're a natural."

Doyce begins skating really fast and slams Alexandria with his shoulder. She falls off of the ice with a thud. She says, "Ow."

Doyce shouts, "Doyce!"

Chris says, "Alexandria is out of the challenge."

"Lucky me," Alexandria states.

"And Doyce, you're out for unsportsmanlike conduct," Chris states.

Doyce calls out, "No fair! Tony said it was just like hockey! I was only doing hockey stuff."

Chris nods. He says, "Tony is out of the challenge, too, for his suggestion."

"Now that is bogus," Tony states as he wobbles off of the ice.

"If it's any consolation," Alexandria says, "you had no chance of winning."

Tony looks to the side and says, "I looked good up there."

Doyce laughs and says, "That sense of humor kills me, son." Tony glares at Doyce.

Tony says, "You're heart is in the right place, I guess."

Doyce puts his hand over the right side of his chest and says, "Yeah, it's right here, son." Tony raises an eyebrow.

The competitors eliminated from the challenge watch the other contestants. "Gabby is really good at this," Tony says with surprise.

"Vanessa, not so much," Alexandria says. "Well, at least she's proving the stereotype that this is a woman's sport wrong."

Chris says, "Vanessa is out of the challenge for being the worst still on the ice." He glances at Tony.

Vanessa skates onto the sidelines. The eliminated contestants look up at the remaining contestants. Alexandria says, "Bubba is surprisingly good."

Doyce says, "Yeah. For a short, stocky guy, he's amazingly light on his blades. Plus his costume has pants with a fly, and everything. So not fair."

Tony says, "Yeah... Uh... It's too bad that fly is down..."

Bubba's face turns red, he stop skating, zips his fly, loses his balance, and falls to the ice. Doyce shouts, "Weak!"

Bubba stands back up and continues skating. Chris says, "Bubba is out."

"But I only stopped skating for a second," Bubba protests.

Chris says, "Yes, but I clearly said that the last contestant standing would win. You clearly fell, so you were not standing."

"It's true," Cassie says. "He did say that." Bubba mumbles as he goes to the sidelines.

"Technically," Ramona says, "none of us are standing, since we're all moving."

Chris looks to the side and says, "Ha ha."

Ramona skates off of the ice and onto the ground. She says, "I'm not on the ice, anymore, am I? I guess concentrating is important. That's why ice skaters aren't usually talking during their performances."

Chris eyes Cassie, Gabby, and Holden. He says, "The next eliminated contestant is H..." Holden does a triple lutz. "Whoa! I change my mind. Cassie is out." Cassie nods and leaves the ice.

Holden says, "Sorry about that."

"It's okay," Cassie assures.

Bubba says, "So it's between Gabby and Holden. Who do you all think is going to win?"

"Gabby is pretty good at this," Ramona says. "My money is on her."

"Me, too," Bubba says. "No offense to Holden, though he's not so bad." Ramona picks Bubba's cheek, again.

"Ramona!" Bubba protests.

Ramona says, "Sorry. I can't resist those cheeks of yours." Bubba blushes, a little.

Vanessa says, "I think Holden is going to win." The others look at her with wide eyes.

Tony says, "I just find it kind of weird that Gabby is so good at this, when she can barely stand on her own two feet."

Gabby begins losing her balance. She tries to catch herself as she skates toward the sidelines. "Everyone, run!" Ramona shouts.

The contestants run as Gabby flies at them blades first. "Sorry!" she shouts. Everyone manages to get out of the way.

Chris says, "So there we have it. Holden wins the challenge by default."

Holden says, "I'll take it." He skates off of the ice.

"Good job, man," Doyce says. He folds his arms to the side. "Even if it was a sissy, girly challenge." Vanessa grinds her teeth.

"Thanks?" Holden says while blinking.

Doyce assures, "Don't worry. I'm just insulting the challenge to make me feel better about losing it."

Chris frowns and says, "Challenges have feelings, too."

Vanessa says, "I called it. Pay up."

"How did you know to pick Holden?" Tony asks. "I didn't think you liked guys?"

"I always go for the long shot," Vanessa explains.

The campfire ceremony site is shown, with Chris standing with his tray of marshmallows. He states, "The one of you with the most votes will be leaving the contest immediately. The first marshmallow goes to Holden." Holden smiles as he catches his marshmallow. Doyce pats him on the back and makes him drop his marshmallow. Chris states, "Cassie, Gabby, and Tony are all safe, too." The three catch their marshmallows. "Next safe is... Alexandria. Doyce is also safe." Doyce and Alexandria catch their marshmallows. "Vanessa is also safe." Vanessa catches a marshmallow. "The bottom two is Bubba and Ramona." The two look at each other with wide eyes. "The last marshmallow goes to..."

"Bubba." Bubba catches his marshmallow, looking somewhat surprised.

Doyce puts his hand on Bubba's shoulder. He says, "Don't worry, man. We saw the way Ramona treats you. You won't have to worry about her touching your cheeks, anymore." Doyce pinches Bubba's cheek. "Wow, they are pinchable."

Bubba stands up. He shouts, "But I want Ramona to pinch my cheeks." The others look at him with wide eyes. He sits down with his face red.

Ramona says, "It's alright, Bubba."

Bubba whispers to himself, "I'm going to be alone, again."

Ramona kneels in front of Bubba and whispers, "Take the initiative, Bubba." She rubs his hair with her hand, and heads toward the Dock of Shame.

"That's enough harassment for the day," Tony states. Ramona blinks as she looks at Tony.

Ramona says, "Um, okay. I guess I should go." She continues walking to the Boat of Losers and gets on.

Bubba sits on his stool. He stands up and says, "I can't let it end like this. I have something to say." Bubba runs down to the Dock of Shame. With Ramona on board, he says, "Ramona, thanks for everything. I was hoping you'd agree to go out with me when the show is over."

"I'm not sure," Ramona says, while frowning.

"You're..." Bubba starts. "You're not sure?"

Ramona kneels on the boat and kisses Bubba. His eyes get wide. The boat floats away, taking Ramona with it. She says, "Alright. You kiss good. I'll go out with you."

Bubba's face is red. He says, "Thank you."

As Ramona drifts away, she calls out, "Oh, and your fly is down!" The others, hearing Ramona, laugh.

Bubba's face turns red. He says, "Shoot." He tries to zip up his fly, struggles to, and falls into the water.

Chris says as he watches from the campfire ceremony site, "That kid sure has a difficult time with zipping up his pants. Stay tuned as we see who gets eliminated next on the next installment of Total... Drama... Athletics!"

#### Chapter 14 - Run Republic

Chris Mclean states, wearing a figure skating costume, "Welcome to an all-new episode of Total... Drama... Athletics! Last time, as you can tell by my costume, which I wore to spice up the recap, the challenge was a figure skating challenge to the death... Okay, maybe it wasn't as dramatic as I'd like to remember... Holden and Gabby ended up being the final two in the challenge, until Gabby randomly flew at the contestants eliminated from the challenge. Ramona was eliminated after it was perceived that she was bothering Bubba. The truth was that Bubba and Ramona became friends, and then... Bum chicka bow wow... They agreed to go out with each other, after Ramona encouraged Bubba to try to befriend the others better. So with that out of the way, what's going to happen next?" Chris blankly stares at the camera for a moment. "Okay, I lied. I'm wearing this because the rest of my clothes are in the laundry. I'm so ashamed."

Bubba is shown in confessional. He says, "I'm really going to miss Ramona." He pauses. "But I'm not going to do something stupid, like request to be voted out to see her, or anything. Not that I don't want to see her. I just want to win this so that I can provide something for when we get married." Bubba's eyes get wide. "Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. I think I'm gonna go take Ramona's advice and try to bond with the next person I see."

Bubba walks out of the confessional and sees Vanessa. He quickly walks passed her and whispers to himself, "Second person I see." Vanessa looks after him with a raised eyebrow.

Vanessa states in confessional, "Guys are so weird... But I'm still working at trying to be nicer... I just feel like none of the guys have even noticed my efforts." Vanessa sighs. "Stupid guys..." Vanessa's eyes get wide. "I don't mean that as an all encompassing thing. I just mean..." Vanessa's sighs, again. "What's the point?"

Vanessa is shown walking back from the confessional. She sees Tony sniffing his own armpit. He says, "Oh. Vanessa. I didn't see you there." He slowly lowers his arm. "Go on. Tell me how much of a caveman I am."

Vanessa winces. She says, "I wasn't going to insult you, or..."

Tony rolls his eyes and says, "Sure, sure. Look, I've got a lot on my mind..." He looks at Vanessa and says, "I'll save you from saying 'There's a first'. I'm not even sure why I'm talking to you." Tony walks off.

Vanessa is shown in confessional. She stares at the camera for a short while and says, "This is so much harder than I expected."

Tony is shown walking up to Bubba, who is rummaging through a bush. Tony states, "Hey, Bubba. What are you looking for?"

"Someone to talk to," Bubba answers.

"In a bush?" Tony asks, with one of his large eyebrows raised.

Bubba says, "I can explain. I thought I saw Holden go this way. I missed him, though."

Tony says, "Well?"

"Well what?" Bubba asks.

Tony says, "You said you wanted to talk to someone."

Bubba says, "Right." Tony stares at Bubba. Bubba's eyes get wide. He says, "Oh! You mean you. I get it."

"So what did you want to talk about?" Tony asks.

Bubba nods. He asks, "How are you?"

Tony raises an eyebrow. He says, "Uh, fine? Is that what you wanted to talk about?" Bubba nods rapidly. "Okay, then."

Bubba says, "Sorry. I just realized that I could try harder to be friends with some of the other people here, instead of sitting around by myself."

Tony smiles slightly and says, "Oh, I understand." Tony puts his hand on Bubba's shoulder. "That's cool, Bubba."

"Thanks," Bubba says. "Would you mind calling me something cool like 'bro', 'man', or, like, 'Nabroleon Bronaparte'?"

"Yes, I would mind," Tony replies.

"That's cool," Bubba assures. "Anything you need to talk about, man? Can I call you that?"

"Sure," Tony says.

Bubba asks, "Sure to needing to talk, or sure that I can call you 'man'?"

Tony laughs. He says, "Something's been on my mind, lately. Do you feel comfortable giving me advice?"

Bubba smiles and says, "Sure! Wait, this doesn't have to do with a love confession or anything?"

Tony shakes his head. He says, "It's just... I've noticed something weird... about one of the other contestants. I'm not sure if I should confront them on it, or if it's none of my business."

"Well, let me think," Bubba states. He puts his hand under his chin. "Wait, this isn't about me is it?"

Tony laughs, but looks concerned. He says, "No."

Bubba says, "Well, I guess you shouldn't say anything, unless it's something serious, like, it has to do something with someone getting hurt, I guess."

Tony nods. He says, "Maybe you're right. Thanks, Bubba."

"No problem," Bubba says with a smile.

Doyce is shown at his cabin. He say, "Oh, there you are, Holden." Holden walks up. "Where were you?"

"Nature called," Holden states.

Doyce nods and says, "Oh. Um. What did nature say?"

"What?" Holden asks with a raised eyebrow.

Doyce says, "Uh. An attempt at humor."

Holden laughs and says, "Oh. Good one."

Doyce is shown in confessional. He looks down and says, "I still don't know what he meant."

Doyce and Holden are shown in their cabin. Doyce says, "And then you are all skating on the ice. Then you leaped. I didn't even know someone could do that. It was awesome, son!"

"Thanks," Holden says with a laugh. "But I was there."

"I know," Doyce says. "Oh, and then you were all... Well, you didn't do much else, but what you did do was awesome. Maybe you can show me how to skate like that, sometime. I mean, I'm already an awesome skater, but I can always learn how to be more awesomer."

Holden laughs. He says, "Sure, Doyce."

"Sweet!" Doyce shouts. "I wonder what I'll be like when I'm more awesome." Doyce looks off dreamily.

Holden laughs and says, "You're messed up." Holden looks down. "But to be honest... I'm glad I won those challenges, but it didn't feel as satisfying as I expected."

Doyce says, "Oh. You mean because the challenges were so lame?"

Holden says, "Maybe that's it."

"Aw, don't be down, man," Doyce assures. "You were amazing. And even if those challenges really were lame and pointless, and required zero skill, a wins a win."

Holden smiles. He says, "Thanks, Doyce. I guess, in your own special way, those words were meant to be..."

Tony and Bubba walk into the cabin. Doyce says, "Shh, Holden. We're not alone, anymore." Tony and Bubba look at each other with concerned expressions. Holden slaps himself on the forehead.

The next morning, the female contestants are shown together. Vanessa sighs and says, "I've decided to hate men, again."

"Wait, what?" Alexandria asks.

"Trying to be nice to them isn't worth it, and any effort I make is going entirely unnoticed," Vanessa explains.

Gabby insists, "Vanessa, don't give up, now. It'll take time for some people to realize that you're trying to better yourself, but it'll be worth it in the long run."

Cassie says, "Gabby is right."

Vanessa folds her arms and says, "I know."

Gabby says, "I am? Cool!"

"So..." Alexandria says. Alexandria grabs Cassie and Vanessa by the arm. She says, "Let's go outside. It has to be way more interesting than what's going on in here." The three girls walk outside.

Gabby says, "Um. Am I invited to, or am I supposed to stay here?" Gabby sits by herself for a few minutes. She stands up and heads outside. She sees the other girls in the distance, and steps off the stairs, tripping. She falls until she is caught by Tony. She says, "Oh. Tony... Thanks for catching me."

Tony says, "Yeah. No problem." He sets Gabby down. He sits down on the stairs.

Gabby says, "Well, I'm going to go catch up with the... Is something wrong?"

Tony says, "I guess. I wanted to talk to a particular someone about something, but I'm still not sure what to do."

"Oh," Gabby replies. "Well, if it helps, you can talk to me about it."

Tony shrugs his shoulders. He says, "I don't know. I already talked with Bubba about it."

"Alright," Gabby says. "Did you see where the other girls went?"

Tony says, "Maybe we could just talk. I don't know you all that well."

Gabby says, "Okay. Sure." She sits down next to him. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know..." Tony says. "What's your life like at home?"

"My life?" Gabby says. "It's fine. I've got some friends... I like to bowl."

"That's good," Tony says. "I've got an older brother and cousins... They like to look out for me, I guess. They're the ones who got me into sports. They were worried about my health, and stuff."

Gabby says, "They sound nice."

"They're good guys," Tony assures. "What's your family like?"

Gabby says, "My family? They're nice, too. My younger sister is a model, and my older sister is a famous actress. You may have heard of her."

"Oh, yeah?" Tony says. "What movies was she in?"

"No," Gabby corrects. "She's a theater actress."

"Okay," Tony says. "I haven't heard of her." Gabby laughs. "It must be pretty tough to have sisters like that."

Gabby says, "I guess so. I realized when I was a little younger that I didn't get as noticed as them. I guess I was kind of afraid that my parents didn't care about me as much."

Tony asks, "When did you decide to start hurting yourself to get attention?"

Gabby's eyes get wide. She says, "What?"

Tony's face turns red. He says, "I really shouldn't have blurted it out like that. I just noticed that you're only clumsy when you're not in challenges, except that last one when people started to mention it." Gabby looks down. "One would think that the challenges would be more difficult for you." Tony looks down. He says, "I know I don't know you all that well, but it doesn't mean that I'm not worried about you."

"I don't know what to say," Gabby says.

Tony says, "Just tell me you won't hurt yourself, anymore."

Gabby says, "No one will ever notice me if I don't."

Tony hugs Gabby close to him. He says, "You have to promise me."

Gabby says, "I... I promise." Tony continues to hug Gabby. She puts her hand on his back.

Doyce and Bubba are shown in their cabin. Doyce is shirtless as he brushes his teeth. Doyce asks, "Where is Holden?"

"I think he went to confessional," Bubba answers.

Doyce explains, "I don't want to get toothpaste on my shirt or jacket."

"I didn't ask for an explanation," Bubba states.

"Rude," Doyce says.

Bubba says, "I'm sorry. Hey, Doyce. I was just thinking that I wanted to get to know you better. What do you like talking about?"

"Me," Doyce replies. "Wait. Is that self centered? Let me think of something else... I know. I like to talk about my body." He flexes. "Isn't it awesome?"

"Yeah," Bubba replies. "I mean... I don't know what I mean."

Doyce flexes an arm. He says, "Feel how hard my bicep is."

Bubba says, "Uh... Okay." He walks over to Doyce and feels his bicep. He says, "Wow. That is hard."

Alexandria says from the doorway, "I regret not knocking."

"It's not what it looks like!" Bubba shouts.

Alexandria asks, "What does it look like? Don't answer that. It's time for the next challenge."

Bubba says in confessional with his face red, "Is male bonding always this awkward?"

The contestants are gathered around Chris. He says, "This challenge will be a race."

"Sweet!" Doyce says. "This isn't a girly challenge. I can win this one!"

Vanessa grimaces as she says, "Not to be rude, but girls run, too."

Doyce's eyes are wide. He says, "They do? You just blew my mind wide open."

Chris says, "This is simple. Run from the start to the finish." He points at the starting point and the finish line. "That's it. Whoever makes it to the finish line first will win the challenge and invincibility. So if everyone is ready, we can begin." The contestants get in position. Chris shouts, "Go!"

The contestants begin to run. Alexandria says, "Wait!" The others stop running.

Chris says, "What's going on?"

Alexandria explains, "When would Chris ever orchestrate such a simple race? The Chris we all know wouldn't."

"There's a Chris we don't know?" Tony asks, with a raised eyebrow.

"I bet that there's a series of unexpected obstacles and booby traps waiting for us," Alexandria goes on. The others look at Chris.

Doyce says, "I bet she's right."

Chris innocently says, "There are no obstacles. I promise." The contestants continue looking at Chris.

"I'm still not convinced," Gabby states.

Chris sighs. He says, "I try to be honest for one moment, and no one believes me."

"That's what happens when you build your reputation as a liar," Vanessa states.

Holden says, "I think you guys are being ridiculous. Even if there are booby traps, how bad can it be?" He runs onto the track.

Doyce shouts, "Holden! No!" The other contestants turn around and shield their eyes. "Does anyone hear a land mine going off or a giant buzz saw?"

Chris says, "And Holden wins invincibility."

The others turn around. Alexandria says, "I guess it really was that simple."

Holden walks up. Bubba says, "Congratulations, man."

Holden says, "Thanks."

"How did you know it was safe?" Tony asks.

Holden says, "I really wanted to win, and just counted on being able to pass any obstacle if there were any. Plus, doesn't Chris normally boast about how dangerous his dangerous challenges are before the contestants do them?"

"You're smart," Tony says with a frown. Holden blushes.

Chris says, "If it's any consolation, I definitely would have incorporated traps if I'd thought of it. Elimination in ten minutes. Hurry up and get your votes in." Holden runs off to confessional.

Doyce chases after him and shouts, "Wait for me!"

At the elimination ceremony, Chris states, "I appreciate all of you getting your votes in on time... Except Doyce."

Doyce has his arms folded. He complains, "I got lost. It wasn't my fault. The confessional should be easier to find."

"Moving on," Chris says. "I have a date to go on."

"Your mom is visiting?" Alexandria asks. The others laugh. Chris looks to the side. "Oh my gosh. It's true? I'm sorry Chris, I didn't..."

"Moving on," Chris states strongly. "Holden is safe for the invincibility win." Holden catches his marshmallow. Doyce pats him on the back, and makes him drop his marshmallow.

Doyce points at the marshmallow and says, "Oh, no. Does that mean he's disqualified?"

Chris ignores Doyce and says, "Doyce, Gabby, Tony, Cassie, and Vanessa are safe. I do have a note for Cassie."

"Yes?" Cassie asks.

"Talk more," Chris states. Cassie blushes. "Now, on with the elimination. Bubba and Alexandria... The two of you are in danger. One of you will not receive a marshmallow, and you'll have to leave immediately. The final marshmallow goes to..."

"Alexandria." Chris tosses Alexandria a marshmallow.

Bubba says, "Aw, man!"

"It's okay, Bubba," Tony states. "Let it all out. We misunderstood about you and Ramona, and we're really sorry we voted for her."

"We know you miss her," Cassie says.

Doyce puts his hand on Bubba's shoulder and says, "Yeah. We also realize that you tried to forget your feelings and tried to befriend some of the guys, but we knew what you really wanted."

Gabby holds her hands together and says, "To be with your one true love."

Bubba blinks his eyes. He says, "Are you people serious?" The others nod. Bubba places his hand on his face.

Alexandria says, "Wait, so you didn't miss her?"

"No," Bubba says. "I did miss her, but..."

"You missed her butt?" Doyce asks with a concerned expression.

Bubba blushes. He says, "No. I was trying to say..."

Chris says, "Enough of this. Go be with your one true love and be happy, and all that garbage, while I remain alone and imagine what happiness feels like."

"This is getting depressing," Bubba says. "I'm leaving. Oh, sure. Now no one interrupts m..."

"Bye, Bubba!" Vanessa says. "You're a nice... g-g-g-guy."

Vanessa is shown in confessional saying, "It's not an oxymoron. It's not an oxymoron. It's not an..."

Bubba is shown on the Boat of Losers. He frowns as he looks back at the other contestants. He shrugs his shoulders, sits down, and smiles.

"Chris had to go," Tony states. "He put me in charge of saying 'Thanks for watching, and tune in to the next episode of Total... Drama... Athletics!'"

"No he didn't," Alexandria states.

Tony shouts, "This is my moment!" He looks over at Gabby, smiles, and looks down. She puts her hand on his back.

Doyce leans toward Holden, points at Tony and Gabby, and whispers, "What happened there?"

Holden says, "I'm not sure."

#### Chapter 15 - Pole Volt

Chris Mclean smiles and states, "It's me, again, dear viewer. Your life is officially better. Last time, the contestants were asked to run to a finish line. And... they didn't. For whatever crazy reason, they thought that I was going to randomly sabotage the challenge... and I totally should have. Holden was the only one who actually tried at the challenge, and he was victorious since nothing or no one stood in his way. Even though Bubba missed his previously voted off girlfriend, he didn't desire to join her at the loser lodge. That was misinterpreted by the other contestants and they sent him to be with her. So with all that out of the way, what's in store for us, this time?"

"I really feel sorry for Bubba," Holden states. He and Doyce are shown sitting outside of their cabin. "I'm glad he started to open up to us, but it made it hard to vote for him."

Doyce agrees, "Yeah. But now he's in a better place."

"That's true," Holden says with a smile.

Doyce furrows his brow and looks like he's concentrating. He finally says, "How are you holding up without Jayden around?"

"What were you thinking about?" Holden asks with wide eyes.

Doyce answers, "It took me a while to put that sentence together."

"You're one silly dude," Holden says with a laugh.

"Hey," Doyce says. "I'm not dumb, or anything. I just realize that I need to work harder at showing concern for people that are less awesome than I am."

Holden says, "Gee, thanks."

Doyce looks down. He says, "You're only marginally less awesome."

Holden places his hand on Doyce's back, laughs, and says, "It's okay, man. I know you don't mean any harm."

"So about my question?" Doyce states.

"Oh, right," Holden replies. "I thought I would miss him a lot more, but it's almost like he's right next to me." He looks at Doyce. "I mean, figuratively, of course."

Doyce says, "I guess that's kind of cool. I'm pretty happy he was voted off, though."

Holden raises an eyebrow and asks, "Why's that?"

Doyce replies, "If he was still here, I might not have bonded with you like this. That's all I meant, son."

Holden states, "Well, when you put it that way, I guess I'm glad he was voted out, too."

Doyce jumps up, points at Holden, and shouts, "I knew it! You think I'm awesome!" Holden bursts out laughing, which causes Doyce to break a slight smile.

Gabby, Vanessa, Alexandria, and Cassie are shown standing around each other. "So then he was all, this is a weird looking coconut," Alexandria says. "Then I had to say, 'Dad... That's obviously a pineapple'. For some reason, I got grounded for a week."

Tony walks up and says, "Hey."

Vanessa produces a forced smile. She says, "Look who decided to join us."

"Um," Tony says. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Don't worry about it," Vanessa replies. "You can't help your oafishness."

"Excuse me?" Tony asks, with a raised eyebrow.

Alexandria grabs Vanessa by the arm, and says, "Let's go someplace else." She drags Vanessa off.

Tony says, "That was rude."

Gabby insists, "Vanessa is really trying to be nicer to you."

"She has a funny way of showing it," Tony states. "It's obvious that she's still a man hater."

Gabby grabs Tony by the arm. She says, "You were able to see passed my little facade, Tony. So why is it that you can't give Vanessa the same benefit of the doubt?"

"I guess I can try," Tony insists. "But I have a feeling that I'm right. By the way, how are you feeling?"

Gabby shrugs. She says, "Kind of relieved."

"That's good," Tony states.

"But I also feel like no one is going to pay attention to me, anymore," Gabby adds.

Tony leans down and kisses Gabby on the forehead. He says, "That's nonsense." Gabby blushes.

Cassie says, "Should I still be standing here, or did I just make this a really awkward moment?" Tony and Gabby look at Cassie with wide eyes.

Tony is shown in confessional with his hand on the back of his head. He states, "I seriously did not even notice her there."

"I really don't want to interrupt you, or anything," Cassie says from behind Tony, "but you're kind of sitting on me." Tony screams and looks behind himself. He screams, again, after seeing Cassie.

The next morning, Tony is shown sleeping in his bed. Doyce nudges Holden with his arm, and points to Tony's shirt and pants. Holden laughs and nods. Holden shouts, "Hey, Tony! Doyce is stealing your clothes!"

Tony's eyes shoot open. He jumps out of bed and chases after Doyce. He groggily says, "Get back here, crazy rass-a-ma-frass..." Doyce runs outside, and Tony chases after him. Once outside, in his boxer shorts, Tony says, "You didn't think I'd be so alert..." He looks around. "Where did you go?" He looks in front of his cabin and sees Vanessa looking at him with wide eyes. His face turns bright red. He says, "I apologize. I got tricked into running out here..."

Vanessa's eye twitches as she says, "Yes, and like most guys, you have no problem with being seen in public in the least amount of possible clothing. How charming."

Tony looks at Vanessa for a moment. He puts his hands over his boxer shorts in an attempt to cover himself and says, "If you'll excuse me, I should really get back inside." He turns around and tries the doorknob. He pulls at it, but the door remains closed. He begins pounding on the door. He shouts, "Holden!" Holden can be heard laughing from inside the cabin. Doyce can be heard laughing from a nearby bush. Tony stops trying to open the door and says, "There you are, Doyce." Tony cracks his knuckles and neck as he leaps onto the round and approaches the bush.

Doyce stands up and laughs. He says, "Hey, son." He tosses Tony's clothing to him. "Just a little fun, man." Doyce looks nervous as Tony continues approaching him. "Uh... What are you planning to do to me?"

Tony answers, "I don't know. I might actually end up as a prisoner, however." Doyce runs off, and Tony chases him.

Alexandria watches them. She says, "So this is what romance looks like."

Holden walks up to Alexandria, and he bends over laughing. He says, "Oh, man. This is good."

"You had a part in that, didn't you?" Alexandria asks Holden.

"Yeah," Holden says, as he continues laughing.

Alexandria says, "I just don't take you as a prankster type."

Holden explains, "Well, when you have an identical twin brother, it's kind of mandatory."

"Don't I know it," Alexandria says.

Holden says, "Wait, you have an identical twin brother?" He slaps his forehead and says, "Never mind."

"I thought you were the smart twin," Alexandria says.

Holden states, "Well, I am blond."

Chris Mclean walks up and says, "Oh, good. Everyone is gathered."

Alexandria and Holden look at each other. Alexandria says, "Uh, Chris. Only two of us are here."

Chris sighs and says, "Leave me alone, I had a rough night."

"Oh, that's right," Holden says. "You had to go hang out with your mother..."

Chris says, "I guess I have to go to the sound speaker and..."

Holden volunteers, "I'll go find everyone. I don't mind."

"Thanks," Chris says. "That would be great." Holden runs off. "I always liked that guy."

"What about me?" Alexandria asks.

Chris looks at her and says, "When's the last time you did something nice for me?"

"Well, I..." Alexandria begins.

"That's what I thought," Chris says, as he glares to the side.

The contestants are shown gathered around Chris. He explains, "Today's challenge is pole vaulting." He hands poles to the contestants. He points at large pillows. He says, "Make it over those to move on."

"That sounds easy enough," Alexandria states.

Chris says, "It does doesn't enough? There are three rounds. You'll be judged for the distance you get and the best from each round will move on." Chris goes on, "I had this challenge planned for a while, now. But then I thought, when I was at dinner with my mother last night, why am I the only one suffering?" He pulls back one of the pillows. The contestants look inside a hole that the pillow was covering.

"Is that a pool of live jellyfish?" Alexandria asks with wide eyes.

Chris nods and says, "Yup. If you miss, you'll get a jolt of electricity. That's always fun to watch. Everyone can get started."

Tony says, "Uh, Chris. Is participation mandatory?"

Chris shakes his head and says, "No, but if you don't compete, you'll instantly be disqualified. But invincibility is very important at this..."

"I'm not doing it," Tony says. The other contestants shrug and step forward. Tony puts his hand on Gabby's shoulder.

Gabby says, "What is it?"

Tony says, "I don't want you to compete in this."

"I'll be fine," Gabby assures.

Tony holds his head down. He says, "I know there's only a chance that you might get hurt, but if it happened... I don't know if I could forgive myself if you did get hurt."

Gabby looks at Tony. She says, "Chris, I don't feel comfortable doing this challenge."

Chris shrugs and says, "Suit yourself." He turns to the other contestants. "If everyone is ready we can get started."

Alexandria says to Vanessa, "I'm kind of surprised that you agreed to do this. It's pretty risky."

"I can do this," Vanessa confidently says. "Besides, Chris wouldn't actually make us do something so dangerous." Alexandria raises an eyebrow.

"Vanessa, you're up," Chris states. Vanessa nods, attempts to pole vault, placing the pole into the pool of jelly fish. The pole stands straight up and Vanessa slowly starts to slide down the pole with her eyes wide. The others watch as she gets electrocuted by the jellyfish.

Tony leans toward Gabby and asks, "Are you sure she isn't evil? That's the kind of thing that would happen to a villain." Gabby glares at Tony. He sighs, and walks over to the pit, reaches in, gets a jolt, and pulls out Vanessa.

The medical team is shown putting Vanessa on a cart and carrying her off. Chris asks with a smile, "So Tony, you're sure you don't need medical attention?"

Tony says, "I'm fine." He begins walking away.

"Where are you going?" Chris asks.

Tony explains, "Confessional. I want to get there before I say something I forget... I mean, regret." Gabby follows after him.

Holden says, "Uh. Should they be going off in the middle of a challenge?"

Chris shrugs and says, "It doesn't matter to me. They've already been eliminated from it. Now enough stalling. Next!"

Holden nods and pole vaults across the hole, with a shaky landing. The others applaud. Doyce says, "If you all thought that was awesome. Check this out." He walks up to the pit, looks down, and walks back. He removes his clothes, revealing his swimwear underneath. He runs at the pit and pole vaults across. He bends over with his hands over his eyes. He says, "I made it across? I mean... I knew I would! I knew I would be awesome!" Alexandria goes next and flies far over the pit before landing. Cassie goes next, and also clears the pit.

Chris says, "Cassie made the least amount of distance. The other three will move on. Now on to round two." Holden, Doyce, and Alexandria pole vault across the second pit, Holden making it the furthest this time. Chris says, "Alexandria is out. It's down to Doyce and Holden." The guys pole vault across the final pit. Chris watches closely, nods, and says, "Holden wins invincibility for the fourth time in a row."

The blond teen looks at Doyce and says, "Sorry, man."

"What are you sorry for?" Doyce asks. "You were awesome! I can't believe how good you did!" Doyce hugs his friend.

Chris looks up and says, "Oh. Here comes Gabby and Tony... and..."

Tony is dragging someone by the arm, who is holding his head down. Alexandria's eyes are wide, as Cassie holds her head down. Alexandria asks, "Is that... Holden?"

Tony says, "Look who I found in confessional."

"Two Holdens?" Doyce says with wide eyes.

"One of them has to be Jayden," Tony states.

"But which one?" Chris says.

Alexandria looks at the boy next to Doyce. She says, "My bet is on the one who's been winning challenges."

Jayden says, "Yeah. It's me."

"What's going on?" Doyce asks.

Tony states, "Holden here has been skipping out on challenges, while his brother has been competing for him in them."

"Is that true?" Doyce asks. "No. Holden would never do anything like that."

Jayden continues to hold his head down. He says, "It is true, but it wasn't Holden's idea." He looks up. "I told him what I planned to do, that I tricked everyone into eliminating me, I pretended to lock myself in my room at the loser place, and then I swam over to this island and he gave me one of his shirts... But it wasn't his idea. Its all my fault."

"No," Holden says. "I agreed to it. It's just as much my fault, if not more."

"Why would you two do this?" Chris asks. "Even I had no idea..."

"That's because we never were in front of cameras at the same time," Jayden explains, "and we shut off the confessional cam when Holden was hiding there. If anyone saw me, I was to pretend to be Holden."

"You didn't answer my question," Chris goes on, with his arms folded.

Jayden looks down, again. He says, "Holden has always been looking out for me. I've felt guilty for so long... I provide nothing to us... I wanted to make it up to him."

Holden calls out, "Jayden, that's not true."

"So why did you agree to do this?" Gabby asks Holden.

Holden holds his head down, again. Jayden answers, "I'm always outshining him... I wanted to make up for that, too. I wanted him to feel like the hero he is to me. The hero he is." Jayden gets tearful. "I'm so sorry I let you down, man. I'm sorry I let you get caught."

Holden assures, "You could never let me down, Jayden. None of this is your fault."

Chris says, "Well, no matter who's fault it is, Holden cheated. That means that he'll have to be disqualified."

Jayden's eyes get wide. He says, "No."

"No?" Chris repeats.

Jayden states, "You said earlier in the competition that someone could have a representative in challenges when the game got onto an individual level."

Chris' eyebrows get really high on his face. Alexandria says, "That's right. You mentioned a hallucination about a raccoon taking someone's place in a challenge."

Chris holds his head down. He says, "Oh, yeah. I guess Holden didn't actually break any rules. I guess that Holden is still in the competition, and he has invincibility." The others look away from him.

Jayden says, "Please, guys. Don't be mad at Holden."

"You're going to have to go, Jayden," Chris says. Jayden nods. "Everyone else will have to meet me at the next campfire ceremony. And don't be too upset. At least, this should be good for ratings." Chris begins walking off with Jayden.

Jayden gets close to Cassie. He quietly says, "I guess you're never going to want to see me, again."

Cassie says, "To be honest, Jayden... I knew it was you the whole time."

"What?" Jayden says. "How could you possibly know that? We're identical."

Cassie explains, "You look almost exactly alike, but your faces are slightly different. I guess anyone else wouldn't notice that, but... I did."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Chris asks. Cassie blushes and looks down. Chris keeps walking.

Jayden asks, "Can I say goodbye to my brother, please?"

Chris says, "Fine. But no more crazy switcheroo business." Jayden nods.

Jayden runs over to Holden and hugs him. He says, "I'm so sorry. I didn't think about something like this happening, I just wanted to do something to make you happy for once. I hope you forgive me..."

Holden says, "I love you, Jayden. I will never be mad at you for anything." Jayden looks at his brother and starts crying. He hugs Holden tighter.

Jayden says, "I'm so sorry I did this to you. I didn't mean for it to look like you're a cheater, or anything."

"It's not your fault, Jayden," Holden assures.

Chris pulls Jayden off of Holden. He says, "Time to go." Jayden waves at his brother as he gets dragged away.

At the elimination ceremony, where Vanessa is on a stretcher, Chrs states, "Holden is safe for reasons that we all know." Chris tosses a marshmallow to Holden, but Holden sits on his stump with his head down. Chris says, "The next person safe is Tony, as well as Gabby." Chris tosses out two marshmallows. Tony catches both of them and hands one to Gabby. "Alexandria and Doyce, you're both safe." The two catch their marshmallows. "So that leaves Cassie and Vanessa. With one marshmallow left to distribute, and to represent someone's life in this competition, it gos to..."

"Vanessa." Chris throws a marshmallow at Vanessa's upright stretcher. It knocks her to the ground.

Vanessa says, "Ow."

Alexandria explains, "This isn't really anything personal, but you should have told us what Jayden and Holden were doing if you knew. So... I guess it's kind of personal."

"I understand," Cassie says.

Chris says, "So that means you have to leave the show. Sorry, Cassie." Cassie nods. She takes her belongings and heads toward the Boat of Losers.

Cassie steps onto the boat, and sees Jayden sitting on the boat without a shirt on. He looks up and says, "Oh... It's you... I guess that's my fault, too... I did it for Holden... I don't mean to do good at sports to outdo him, or anything, but I know it has to hurt his feelings." He looks down at himself. He says, "And Chris took my shirt so he could tell us apart." Jayden sighs. "I understand if you don't want to date someone like me, anymore. I did something so bad."

"But you did it for someone you loved," Cassie says. "Not that that makes it any better, but I know you're not a bad guy, Jayden. You just made a mistake." Jayden looks at Cassie. He hugs her.

Chris states to the camera, "Well. That wraps up another episode of Total... Drama... Athletics. What will happen next time? Who will win invincibility? Who will be eliminated? Will anyone help up Vanessa? What will the fallout be for Holden? I'm pretty sure there will be some... I'm not sure what's going to happen with that Vanessa thing, though."

#### Chapter 16 - Marching Bandits

"Welcome to an all-new Total... Drama... Athletics!" Chris Mclean states. "If you missed our last episode... Where have you been? How can you live with yourself? Anyway, during the pole vaulting challenge, Holden was doing exceptionally, which seemed to be the pattern. However, Tony and Gabby revealed that the real Holden had been hiding out while his brother Jayden had been doing challenges for him. Jayden even went as far as to give himself a black eye, just so he would match his brother. Jayden was escorted away, while Holden still technically didn't break any rules, and he still technically had invincibility and couldn't be voted off. Cassie admitted to knowing that it wasn't Holden competing in the challenges, and the others voted her out. She still frogave Jayden for what he and his brother had done. I don't know why... It must be his smooth complexion, and gorgeous smile." Chris blinks. "So I'm sure you're all wondering what will happen on this episode."

At the campfire ceremony site, Holden still sits on his stump, holding his head down. Tony walks near him and says, "I hope you're proud of yourself, right now." Holden remains silent.

Vanessa adds, no longer on her gurney, "And it's not like we wanted to vote out Cassie, but you weren't an option." Vanessa pauses. "And that wasn't based on your gender. It was because you cheated."

Vanessa says in confessional, "Now that we're it's a new episode... I suddenly feel entirely better. It's funny how that works."

Alexandria says, "It wasn't technically cheating, with that rule and..." Alexandria receives several glares. "I'll be quiet, now."

"I'm really sorry," Holden states. "If I could take it back, I would." Tony sighs. He walks away. Most of the others follow after him. Doyce looks over at Holden. He stands up, and begins walking away. "Doyce, I'm sorry if what I did hurt you. I mean, I know it"

Doyce stops walking. He asks, "Are you going back to the cabin, anytime soon?"

Holden sighs. He says, "I think it would be a good idea for me to stay out here for the night. I wouldn't want to give Tony an actual excuse to go to prison... Jayden filled me in on that. Besides, it's a nice night." It begins to rain. Holden sighs, again. He puts his head in his hands. "I'm so mad at myself. I'm going to look like a complete tool. Everyone is going to hate me."

Doyce sits back down on an empty stump. He puts his hand on Holden's back. He says, "I don't hate you."

Holden looks up. He asks, "You don't? I thought that of everyone, you'd be the most upset with me. I know how much winning these challenges means to you, and I took that from you..."

Doyce shrugs. He says, "They do mean a lot to me, I guess. But... it must have meant a lot to you, too, if you went that far to win. I mean, like, I used sports in an effort to get my parents to appreciate me, so we're not that different. Though, I wouldn't have done what you did..."

"Thanks, Doyce," Holden states. "I'm really glad that you're not upset."

Doyce admits, "I'm a little upset, son, but I'm not about to ruin our friendship. That means more to me, you know? What kind of friend would I be if I didn't forgive you?"

"I would understand, though," Holden admits.

"So," Doyce begins. "Uh... Would you say I was being an awesome friend, right now?"

Holden begins laughing hard. Doyce cracks a smile. Holden answers, "Yes." Holden finishes laughing. He asks, "What do we do, now?"

Doyce states, "First, we get back to the cabin. Then, we figure out how to keep you in this game."

"Doyce," Holden says. "That's not going to be possible. Everyone else hates me. Everyone but you, I mean."

"I'm going to figure out a way," Doyce assures. Doyce looks up, as it continues raining. He says, "We better go." Holden nods.

The girls are shown in their cabin. Vanessa says, "I wish I could I was surprised by what Holden did, but the truth is that he is a..."

"Can we talk about something else?" Gabby requests.

Alexandria smirks. She says, "Okay, let's talk about how hunky Tony is." Gabby's face turns red. "Right, Gabby?" Vanessa raises an eyebrow.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Gabby insists.

Alexandria says, "You totally are crushing on that guy."

"You are?" Vanessa asks, with wide eyes. "I mean, I'm not one to judge..."

"Since when?" Alexandria asks with a shocked expression. "So, about Tony. What exactly is it that you like about him? Is it the way his belly jiggles when he walks?" Gabby blushes some more.

"Let's go back to talking about what Holden did," Gabby states, bashfully.

Alexandria whispers to Vanessa, "It's totally his belly." Vanessa's expression shows her concern.

The next morning, Holden is shown sitting up in his bed. Tony glares at him from across the room. Holden looks uncomfortable and walks outside. Doyce says, "Come on, son. Holden's a good kid. He just did a bad thing. Try to give him a chance."

Tony says, "That may be easy for you... Wait... Why aren't you mad at him?"

Doyce says, "That's not important."

"Is it his hair?" Tony asks.

"Anyway, son," Doyce states. "Haven't you ever done anything you've regretted? I don't know... like, manslaughter... arson... armed robbery?"

Tony has a raised eyebrow. He says, "Wait. You remember that I'm not actually a convict, right?"

"That's not important, either," Doyce states.

Tony says, "Uh, I'd say my reputation was pretty important."

Doyce states, "I don't know. I just don't want everyone to be mad at Holden... Plus, the three of us were originally on the Athletic Supporters, together."

"Um, that was Jayden," Tony states.

"Was it?" Doyce asks with a confused expression. "I don't think so..."

Tony lets out a sigh. He says, "I'll have to think about it, Doyce."

Doyce smiles. He says, "Thanks. That's all I'm asking for... Are you done thinking about it?" Tony glares at Doyce.

Outside of their cabin, Doyce steps out and sees Holden sitting on the steps. Doyce says, "I'd say that went pretty well."

"It did?" Holden asks. Doyce nods and smiles. "I don't know. I still don't think I'm going to make it past this next vote."

Doyce says, "Didn't you want to prove that you could win challenges, or whatever? With Holden gone... I mean, Jayden, it's your chance to prove that you're not pathetic at challenges, or whatever."

Holden states, "But I am. Jayden has always been better than me at stuff like that."

"What's with all this negativity?" Doyce asks. "Try to be more positive! Tell me how awesome you are!"

"I don't feel very awesome," Holden replies.

Doyce shakes his head. He says, "To be awesome, you have to think awesome."

Holden laughs. He says, "You're making no sense."

Doyce puts his hands on Holden's shoulders. He says, "Tell me how awesome you are!"

Holden winces as he says, "I'm so awesome."

Tears come to Doyce's eyes. He says, "You've made a breakthrough. I'm so proud." Doyce cries into Holden's shoulder. Holden has a concerned expression, as he pats Doyce on the shoulder.

"I don't know what I would do without you here," Holden admits. "I'd probably silently sit in a corner and wait for my elimination..."

"We hug, now, right?" Doyce asks.

Holden shrugs. He says, "Hugs don't usually go with a formal announcement." Doyce nods and hugs Holden.

The girls are shown in their cabin. Gabby is arm wrestling Vanessa. Gabby says, "So then I said to him, I don't care if you're the world wrestling champion. That was my first arm wrestling win." Vanessa sweats as she looks to be struggling. Gabby wins the match. "Sorry. These would go faster if I concentrated."

"You surprise me, all the time," Alexandria states. "Sometimes, I forget how clumsy you are."

"Come to think of it," Vanessa says, as she rubs her sore arm. "You haven't done anything that clumsy in a few days."

Alexandria has a look of realization. She states, "I didn't even notice, but yeah. Now that I think of it, you haven't been much of a klutz." Gabby's face is red. "Oh, I get it. It must be Tony. He adds stability to your life."

"Um," Gabby replies.

"That's totally it," Alexandria states.

Doyce walks into the girl's cabin. He says, "Hey."

"Have you ever heard of knocking?" Vanessa asks with wide eyes.

Doyce places his hand under his chin. He answers, "I've heard of it. So anyway, I was hoping you three would, like, forgive Holden."

"What, why?" Alexandria asks with wide eyes.

Doyce looks down. He says, "He's really sorry. He wasn't trying to cheat. He just has some weird mental issues, where he doesn't always want to be in his brother's shadow, or whatever."

"Wow," Alexandria says. "I'm entirely convinced."

"You are?" Doyce asks with wide eyes. He looks to the side. "That was a lot easier than I expected."

Gabby looks at Alexandria. Gabby states, "I'm pretty sure she was being sarcastic."

Doyce looks disappointed. He says, "Oh, man."

Gabby says, "Alexandria. You hurt his feelings. Shameful."

Alexandria blushes. She says, "I'm sorry. I didn't do it on purpose."

Doyce puts his forearm to his eyes. He says, "Here I was trying to do something nice for the little guy..." Doyce lets out a heavy sigh. "I should go." He exits the cabin.

"Good going," Vanessa states, as she and Gabby glare at Alexandria.

Alexandria looks at Vanessa. She says, "Now you're talking, now that Doyce is gone?"

Vanessa looks down at the crowbar she's holding. She sets it down, and explains, "He makes me nervous."

Chris is shown outside, with the contestants gathered around him. He is wearing a bandleader outfit. Chris states, as he holds up a baton, "Today's challenge is based on the marching band."

"Oh," Alexandria states. "I thought it was a mud wrestling challenge."

"I'm making a note of that," Chris states as he writes something in a notebook. Alexandria winces. "Everyone will get into costume, and then we'll aimlessly wander while you'll all carry a tuba until you collapse from exhaustion."

Gabby looks at the pile of instruments. She says, "Actually, these are sousaphones."

"No difference," Chris states with a shrug.

Gabby says, "Actually, a sousaphone was specifically designed to..."

"As I was saying," Chris says. "The one of you that makes it through the challenge without falling, or dropping out will get invincibility. Now into costume with you."

The contestants return from getting changed. Doyce isn't wearing the accompanying jacket. Gabby looks at shirtless Doyce, and says, "Uh. Doyce? I think you forgot part of the outfit."

Doyce says, "I know. Did you guys see yourselves in that thing? I didn't want to look stupid."

"Yes," Alexandria says. "Because you don't look remotely stupid."

"Thanks," Doyce says with a wide smile. "Wait... Were you being sarcastic, again?" His eyes are wide. Alexandria rests her hand on her forehead. Doyce is crying. "Why would she say that?" Holden consolingly pats Doyce on the back.

Chris looks at his watch. He says, "Okay. That's enough wallowing. Let's move on with the challenge." The contestants each pick up one of the sousaphones.

"This isn't that bad, at all," Vanessa states.

Tony says, "Uh... Is this thing supposed to go past my neck?" He tries to pull it off. "Um... It's stuck... I think the circulation to my head is being cut off." Tony looks woozy and falls to the ground.

"Uh," Gabby says. "Tony will be okay, right?"

"Ooh!" Chris says. "I can sense the romance." Gabby blushes.

"Seriously," Alexandria states. "He looks like he needs medical help." Chris sighs and claps his hands. Eight interns run forward and carry Tony off, with great difficulty.

"Okay," Chris says. "Back to the challenge." The contestants march around.

"This is easy," Alexandria says. "If not entirely boring."

"I know," Vanessa says. "I could do this..." She collapses.

"Vanessa is out of the challenge," Chris states.

"That's kind of obvious, Chris," Alexandria states.

Chris says, "That's enough out of you, Miss Sassy Mouth."

Alexandria asks, "How did you know my nickname?" Chris glares at Alexandria.

Holden looks particularly sweaty. Doyce asks him, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay," Holden answers. "This is just much harder than I was expecting."

"You can always drop out if it's too hard," Doyce suggests, "for you, I mean. For me, this is pie... Since it's easy... Like, pie... Now that I think of it... Is pie all that easy? I tried to make one, one time. It didn't turn out."

Holden looks back and forth. He says, "So, anyway. I can't give up. I need to prove that I can do this myself." Doyce smiles and nods. "What kind of pie was it?"

Alexandria says, "Okay. I can't do this, anymore. I drop out." Chris looks at her blankly. "What? You think I'm being sarcastic? I'm serious." She removes her sousaphone.

"Oh, wow," Chris says. "She was serious."

"For once," Vanessa glares at Vanessa.

Holden, Doyce, and Gabby continue to march around. Holden drags his feet as he tries his hardest to stay in the competition. Holden breathes heavily and says, "I'm pretty sure this thing is heavier than Jayden. I can't go on." He falls to the ground, where he lies motionless.

"Holden!" Doyce shouts. He kneels next to him. "Speak to me, buddy!" He holds Holden's head up.

Holden says weakly, "Doyce... Thanks for being my friend. I'm sorry I couldn't finish the challenge. You'll have to go on without me."

"Don't say that!" Doyce pleads.

Holden weakly laughs. He says, "Don't worry about me. You have to move on."

"Okay," Doyce says, as he leaves Holden on the ground.

Holden shouts, "I didn't think it would be that easy!"

Doyce and Gabby continue to march. Doyce points to himself and says, "I'm a stallion. I could do this all day, you know."

"Oh," Gabby answers.

"You weren't listening to me?" Doyce asks. "I said I was a stallion."

Gabby apologizes, "Sorry. I was just thinking about Tony. I hope he's alright."

Doyce assures, "He'll be alright. I mean, Vanessa recovered in a matter of minutes."

"I guess that's true," Gabby states.

"Of course it's true," Doyce states. "Weren't you paying attention to what..." Doyce trips and falls to the ground. He shouts, "Nooooooooooooo!"

Chris wakes up from his nap. He looks around and says, "Gabby wins invincibility!" Doyce has his head in his hands.

"How could this happen?" Doyce asks.

"I won?" Gabby asks.

"Don't remind me," Doyce states. He glares to the side.

Doyce says in confessional, "I thought that with Jayden gone, I'd actually have a chance at winning... Well, there's always next time." Doyce puts his head in his hands, again.

Later, Gabby is shown in the medical tent. Tony rubs his neck. Gabby says, "I'm really glad that you're okay."

Tony admits, "It's going to take more than an overgrown tuba to take me out. Hey, what happened in the challenge?"

"I won it," Gabby bashfully says.

"Oh, cool," Tony says. "Who came in second and third?"

"Doyce was in second, then Holden," Gabby explains.

Tony says, "Hm. Alright."

"How are you feeling about Holden?" Gabby asks.

Tony shrugs. He states, "I'm still not a big fan of what he did."

"Yeah," Gabby says. "Oh, yeah. Chris sent me over to tell you that you need to go submit a vote, or else it won't count."

"You could have mentioned that up front," Tony states. He runs out of the tent, still in a medical gown with an open back. Gabby blushes.

At the campfire ceremony, Chris states, "After this elimination, we'll be down to five. Let's get on with the results. The first marshmallow goes to Gabby. I remember when you first showed up here. I thought you'd be an early out, but look at you, now... Look at you, now."

Gabby asks, "Um... Sir? Can I have my marshmallow, please?"

Chris glares at Gabby. He tosses a marshmallow at her. Chris says, "Safety also belongs to... Vanessa, Tony, and... Alexandria." Chris tosses marshmallows to those three.

"That means..." Doyce begins.

Chris nods. He says, "The bottom two is Holden and Doyce." Holden holds his head down. "The one of you who does not receive a marshmallow will need to leave the competition, immediately. The final marshmallow goes to..."

"Doyce." Doyce catches his marshmallow but frowns.

Doyce says, "I failed you, buddy." He holds his head down.

"Are you kidding me?" Holden says. "You're the only one who was willing to give me another chance."

"But now you have to leave," Doyce states. "And you didn't even get a chance to prove yourself..."

Holden shrugs. He says, "I knew it would happen. I mean, I do deserve it. But I really appreciate what you did for me, Doyce. I really do."

"Aw," Doyce says, with a slight smile. "It was nothing." Holden hugs Doyce.

"I should get going," Holden says. "But... I feel better now than I did the whole time I was 'winning' challenges, because I'm leaving here with an awesome friend."

"You mean me, right?" Doyce asks.

Holden laughs and says, "I'll see you, later." Doyce gives a slight smile and nods. Holden heads to the Boat of Losers, as Doyce waves.

Chris says, "Well, there's another episode of Total... Drama... Athletics. Tune in next time to find out what will happen next."

#### Chapter 17 - Mud About You

"Welcome to this week's Total... Drama... Athletics!" Chris announces. "On our last episode, the contestant's were to endure marching around with tuba thingies around their necks, like the ancient ritual known as 'marching band'. Holden wanted to prove that he could win a challenge by himself, but he failed to. The challenge ended up being between Doyce and Gabby. Gabby won, which meant that Doyce lost the challenge, and was thoroughly disappointed. Despite Doyce's attempts at saving his friend from elimination, Holden was voted out. With five contestants remaining, this season is winding down. Who will miss being in the final four? ... Who will be in the final four? What's going to happen, next?"

Doyce is shown in his cabin hugging his pillow. Tony looks over at him. Tony asks, "You're upset, huh?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Doyce replies. He lets out a dramatic sigh.

Tony says, "Look, Doyce. I'm sorry it happened."

Doyce replies, "You don't understand... Nobody understands."

Tony sighs. He says, "Doyce, Holden cheated... Kind of. He had to go, though."

"Um," Doyce begins, with a confused expression. "I'm upset about losing another challenge. Durr. Get it right."

"Okay?" Tony says with his eyebrows up.

Doyce moves around in his bed and sits in an upright position. He says, "I mean, don't get me wrong... I'm not happy that Holden got voted off. He was really nice to me, you know? I know he did something wrong, but he seemed like he was really sorry. What he did seemed like something that would hurt me more than it did, but I was able to forgive him. I know it goes to show how awesome I can be, but... I at least hope that you can forgive him, at some point."

"Hm," Tony says with a slight smirk. "You're a good friend, Doyce."

"Correction," Doyce says. "I'm an awesome friend."

Tony bursts out laughing. Doyce smiles, a little. Tony says, "Fine, you're an awesome friend."

"That's all I'm sayin', son!" Doyce states. Doyce lifts his legs up. "Now massage my feet."

Tony raises an eyebrow. He says, "How did we transition to..."

"Come on, man," Doyce pleads. Tony sighs, walks over, gets on his knees, and starts massaging Doyce's feet. "Oh, yeah..."

Tony asks, "Why am I doing this, Doyce?"

"Because, this is what friends do," Doyce explains. "And could you call me 'champ'?"

"Um, okay?" Tony says. Doyce glares at Tony. "Champ?" Doyce gives a wide smile and looks to the side.

Tony is shown in confessional. He lets out a slight sigh. "This is going to sound like it's coming out of left field, but there are times that I feel like a doormat... you know... stepped all over? My brother and cousins are good fellas, but they kind of boss me around. I don't know why I never stick up for myself... I don't usually talk about this." He gets up, and steps out of confessional.

Doyce is shown in confessional. He says, "This is going to sound weird, but the truth is that Tony kind of reminds me of my dad. I mean, my dad manscapes, he doesn't have boobs, and he's got a six pack. Where do you think I get it from?" Doyce lifts up his shirt in order to show off his abs. He puts it back down. "I love my dad, and all. I do. But I wish he... I don't know... treated me like the dad on that old 'Leave it to Bieber' show... That's what I used to dream that my family was like... I'd stay up and watch it at night when I couldn't sleep, and my 'rents weren't home. Man, that show was really old. I think it was, like, from the Nineties? It was all black and white... But when it comes to my dad, I'll take what I can get, and just role play with Tony."

The girls are shown in their cabin. "So, girls," Alexandria starts. "We made it this far. "We're the three original Muscleheads." Alexandria pauses and thinks for a second. "That could sound better." She punches Vanessa on the arm and says, "We're beating the guys. That should make you happy."

"I still am all about women succeeding," Vanessa admits. "But part of me doesn't really care that the guys have done so pathetically this season."

"Um," Alexandria states. "That's good, I guess."

"That's progress," Gabby assures.

Vanessa smiles slightly. She says, "I don't know what this feeling is. I used to feel that how I felt was right, and that's all there was to it. I just feel enlightened, I guess." Vanessa sighs. "I really want to see my dad, again. I gave him such a hard time, but he was doing the best he could. He's been through so much. My brothers... they're just a bunch of neanderthals, though."

"But that's..." Alexandria begins.

Gabby puts her hand on Alexandria's shoulder. She says, "Let her make one step at a time. Don't expect any miracles."

"I guess," Alexandria says with a shrug.

"Hey," Gabby says. "I just thought of something. Isn't it about that time when contestants for the next season start getting announced? I hope it's an All-Star season."

"You want to be on?" Alexandria asks.

Gabby replies, "I'm not sure. I consider myself a secondary type. I'd love to see Blair get on, though."

"Blair?" Alexandria states. "Isn't that the..."

"Yes," Gabby answers.

Alexandria says, "I never knew you were a masochist, but now it all makes sense."

"Who do you want to see return?" Gabby asks.

"Priscilla," Vanessa answers.

"That's so surprising," Alexandria dryly states. "I'd want to see... Beau return."

"But he was already on Total Drama: The All-Stars," Gabby states.

Alexandria drools a little and says, "Beau..." Gabby shakes her head.

Vanessa says, "I never took you for a girl that drooled over the males of the species."

Alexandria shrugs. She says, "I don't think I'm ready to date, yet, but I can still drool over hot guys. Oh, I just remembered. Yancy was pretty hot, too."

Gabby shrugs and says, "Yancy? I never got it."

"Yeah, because Tony is a total beefcake," Alexandria states. Gabby blushes. "You know, now that I think about it. Yancy and Tony are the closest thing to exact opposites as you can get."

"Really?" Gabby says. "I thought Vanessa and Dirk are pretty opposite."

"No," Alexandria says. "They're generally the same, just opposite genders." Vanessa's looks furious. "Uh... Ahahaha! I was totally joking!" Alexandria pauses. "Uh... Haha!" Vanessa continues to glare at Alexandria.

The next day, Gabby is shown skipping rocks by the water. Tony walks up to her and sits down. He says, "What'cha doin?"

Gabby explains, "Just skipping rocks. There's not much to do between challenges, anyway. You want to give it a try?" Gabby holds a rock out to Tony.

He says, "I'll have to pass. Rocks and water remind me of my biggest fear. I grew up watching all of these mobster movies... A pair of cement shoes and a riverbed..." Tony shudders.

Gabby sets down the rock she's holding. She says, "Sorry."

"So," Tony says, "how are you doing? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," Gabby answers. "Everything's fine." She looks down. "It's a little hard, though... I don't feel like anyone is noticing me, anymore." Tony takes Gabby's head in his hands and kisses her. He lets go, as both of them blush.

Tony says, "I notice you... You don't have to worry about that."

Gabby's face remains red. She says, "Thanks. I wish I didn't feel this way, though."

"Just remember that I'm always thinking about you," Tony says, with his face red. "I mean..." The two look at each other. They kiss, again.

Doyce walks up with his eyes wide. He says, "Gah! My eyes! Kissing is only for hot people."

Tony grabs a rock and throws it in Doyce's direction. Tony yells, "Get out of here, Doyce!" Doyce runs off. Tony turns to Gabby and says, "Sorry you had to see that side of me... It doesn't happen very often, but Doyce brings it out of me."

Gabby insists, "I'll admit... I kind of liked it." Gabby blushes.

"Really?" Tony says, in a surprised manner. Tony looks at Gabby. He leans toward Gabby, and says, "So where were we?"

Chris' voice comes on over the loudspeaker. He says, "It's time for your challenge. Bring your swimsuits!"

"You want to skip it, or..." Tony begins. Gabby walks away in order to get ready for the challenge. Tony shrugs, stands up, kicks off his shoes, removes his shirt, and rolls up his pant legs. He says, "I'm ready." He walks toward the designated challenge area.

Chris explains, after the contestants gather around him in their swimwear, "You owe this challenge to Alexandria, here."

"They do?" Alexandria asks. "I hope it's a good one."

Chris nods rapidly. He says, "It is. It's mud wrestling, like Alexandria suggested at the last challenge." The other contestants glare at Alexandria.

"Chris, it was sarcasm," Alexandria states. "It wasn't a suggestion."

Chris removes a tarp from a mud pit. He says, "We'll have matches of two people at a time. Gabby gets an instant spot in the final match, as the winner of the last challenge."

"No fair," Doyce whines.

"So, if everyone is ready," Chris begins. He holds up his own video camera.

Vanessa says, "This challenge disgusts me. I'm not about to degrade myself by taking part in something so blatantly sexist."

"Chris, I'll have to agree with Vanessa on this one," Gabby states. "I'm going to sit this one out."

Doyce looks at Alexandria. He says, "Please compete, please compete, please compete."

Alexandria looks uncomfortable. She says, "I'm going to sit out, too. This kind of stuff is just weird."

"Aw, man!" Doyce shouts.

Chris says, "So, nobody's going to compete? You all have some moral reservations, or something dumb like that?"

Doyce shrugs and says, "I don't really mind doing it."

"Me, neither," Tony says with a shrug.

"This was exactly what I was afraid of," Chris says with a sigh. "You guys can start whenever you're ready. Tell me when one of you wins." Chris leaves the area.

"You're going down!" Doyce taunts. "I'm the captain of my school's wrestling team."

Tony thinks for a moment. He says, "I once knocked out a guy bigger than you with a salami."

"Really?" Doyce asks with wide eyes.

Tony says, "What? It was the last one at the grocery store..."

"You really are a monster," Doyce says, as he nervously bites his fingernails.

"It was an accident," Tony assures. "At least, that's what you say if anyone asks you. So... You ready?" Doyce gulps. Doyce runs at Tony and slides under his legs. Tony looks under his legs. Doyce jumps on Tony's shoulders and puts his arms around Tony's neck. "What the..." Tony falls into the mud.

Doyce stands up. He says, "Done!"

Tony states, "I don't think so, son."

"Hey," Doyce protests. "That's my line..." Doyce pouts. Tony grabs Doyce by the ankles, causing him to fall forward. The mud splatters as he lands in it.

"This is strange," Gabby states.

"Yeah, I can't take my eyes off of it," Alexandria admits, as Tony and Doyce roll around in the mud.

Tony is sitting on Doyce's back, bending Doyce's leg backwards. Tony asks, "So you give up?"

"Never!" Doyce shouts. "Ow. Okay, I give! I give!" Tony gets off of Doyce. Doyce leaps at Tony and knocks him back into the mud.

"What is that?" Tony asks. "You gave up!"

"I had my fingers crossed," Doyce says with a smirk.

Tony says, "Okay, that does not count." He stands up.

"Yeah, it does," Doyce insists.

Gabby says, "I have to agree with Tony, Doyce."

"Me, too," Alexandria says. "Crossing your fingers to void an agreement only works when you're five. What do you say, Vanessa?"

Vanessa stares at Doyce and Tony. She asks, "Were you talking to me?"

Chris returns, sipping from a straw sticking out of a skull. He asks, "So who won?"

"Tony," Gabby answers.

Chris shrugs and says, "That's good enough for me. You can all vote out anyone but Tony. See you at the elimination. Peace." Chris walks off.

Doyce turns to Tony and asks, "That whole thing about knocking that guy out with a salami was just a way to get me off of my A game, wasn't it?" Tony smirks. Doyce lets out a disappointed sigh. "I rock at wrestling. I would have won if you didn't get into my head... I'm awesome at every sort of sport there is."

Alexandria asks, "Have you ever heard the phrase 'a jack of all trades is a master of none'?"

"No," Doyce says. "What, is that Latin, or something?" Alexandria puts her hand on her forehead. "Besides. My name is Doyce." Alexandria lets out a heavy sigh.

At the campfire ceremony, Chris says, "So all of you know the deal by now. Everyone gets a marshmallow except for the eliminated contestant, who needs to leave immediately. Tony, as the winner of the challenge, you get the first marshmallow. I dipped it in chocolate as a bonus."

"Sweet!" Tony shouts. Doyce looks down in a disappointed manner. Tony catches his marshmallow and licks it. He says, "Wait a minute... This tastes familiar... This is the mud from the challenge."

"I'll choose to ignore that," Chris states. "The next marshmallow goes to Gabby." Gabby catches her marshmallow, and then gets hugged by Tony. "Alexandria is safe." She catches her marshmallow. "That leaves one marshmallow, and just Vanessa and Doyce. The final marshmallow goes to..."

"Doyce." Doyce catches his marshmallow. He looks at it in a disappointed manner.

Doyce asks, "Can mine be dipped in chocolate like Tony's?"

"Dude," Tony says. "It's mud."

Doyce holds his head down. He says, "But it's special..."

Alexandria looks at Vanessa. She says, "Guys, I don't understand. Vanessa has been making some serious progress. Plus, the girls had the majority." She looks at Gabby.

"I'm really sorry," Gabby assures. "It was nothing personal. I really like you, Vanessa."

Doyce points a thumb at Tony, and says, "But she likes Tony, more."

"Tony was invincible," Alexandria reminds.

Gabby explains, "But if Doyce was eliminated, it would be obvious that Tony would be next. It really was nothing personal."

Vanessa shrugs and says, "I guess I kind of understand, though I can't say that I'm not disappointed."

"You've come a long way," Alexandria assures Vanessa.

"We're all really proud of you," Gabby says. She elbows Tony in the stomach.

Tony says, "Yeah. Proud."

"And you are pretty hot," Doyce admits. "Not Alexandria hot, but you're up there."

Vanessa winces. She says, "Okay, that kind of offends me. But I appreciate what you've all done for me... Though I need to admit that Doyce has done little to nothing to help my growth. I'll miss you." She hugs Alexandria and Gabby. Tony holds out his arms to receive a hug. "Too soon," Vanessa admits. She goes to board the Boat of Losers.

"So there we have it," Chris Mclean states.

"You're still here?" Alexandria asks.

"I have to do the outro," Chris explains. "We're down to the final four. See what will happen on our next episode of Total... Drama... Athletics!"

#### Chapter 18 - The Dog Days of Sumo

Chris Mclean is shown frowning in front of the camera. "Time to put my game face on," he says. He smiles and says, "Welcome to an all-new episode of Total Drama... Athletics! Wait. I did that wrong. Let me start again. A brand new Total... Drama... Athletics! On the last episode, the contestants were asked to mud wrestle. The hot ones refused to, and we were left with Tony and Doyce." Chris lets out a sigh. "So, in the end, Vanessa was voted out for some reason that I don't quite remember. Now we're down to four. Stay tuned to see what's going to happen this time."

"Final four, son!" Doyce shouts, the camera zoomed in to him.

The camera zooms out to reveal the other three contestants, still at the campfire ceremony. Alexandria winces a little and says, "That's right, Doyce. There were five of us. Now there are four."

Tony puts his arm around Gabby, smiles, and says, "I'm really glad to be here with you, still." Tony blushes. "Ahem!" He moves his arm off of Gabby. "I didn't mean to get all public with our displays of affection."

"It's okay," Gabby says. She takes hold of Tony's arm, and puts it around her, again.

Alexandria looks at the pair and says, "It's so sweet."

"We can totally be doing that right now, if you want," Doyce states to Alexandria. Alexandria looks at Doyce with a concerned expression. Doyce has his arm out. "Don't leave me hanging." Alexandria stands up and walks off. Doyce calls out, "You're going to go change into something more comfortable? I'll wait here."

Tony and Gabby look over at Doyce. "Dude," Tony says. "She's not coming back."

"You don't know that," Doyce replies.

"So, Doyce," Gabby says. "Tony and I were thinking that you, me, and him could be in the final three together. Thanks for voting with us last time, and all."

"We thought," Tony says, "why fix something that's not broken. You know what I mean?"

"So you want me to break something?" Doyce asks.

Tony puts his head in his hand. He says, "No, Doyce. You want to vote with us, or not?"

"Sure," Doyce says. "And... I was kidding..."

"Oh," Tony says. He blushes and says, "Sorry about that. Thanks, Doyce. You just sealed your spot in the final three."

"Unless Alexandria gets invincibility," Gabby points out.

"What's that?" Doyce asks.

Tony makes the international 'don't say it' symbol by moving his hand across his throat. Gabby says, "Uh. Final three!"

Doyce throws his arms in the air and shouts, "Final three, son!"

Gabby says, "Right... I think I should probably get to bed. See you guys, later." She looks at Tony, and they lean in to kiss. Doyce stands behind them with his eyes wide.

"Um," Tony says. "What are you doing?"

"Don't mind me," Doyce says. "Just observing. I'm always looking for ways to improve my game. You know what's up?" He lifts his hand for a high five. As Tony and Gabby just stare at him, he puts his hand into a fist. "Uh. Would you guys prefer a fist bump?"

"I should really go," Gabby says as she walks off. Tony looks after her.

Doyce puts his arm around Tony. He says, "She totally digs you, son."

Tony blushes and says, "You think so?"

"Um, yeah," Doyce says with a confused look. "She was actually willing to put her lips on you. She must be pretty desperate." Tony glares at Doyce. "I'm totally jealous."

Tony lets out a laugh. Doyce smiles. Tony says, "Don't ever change, man."

Tony states in confessional, "Doyce is quite the guy. Even though he can seem pretty annoying at times, he doesn't mean any harm by it." Tony pauses. "Why am I in here talking about Doyce? I should be talking about Gabby." Tony lets out a sigh, as he gives a wide smile.

The next morning, Gabby and Alexandria are shown in their cabin. Alexandria stretches as she sits upright in her bed. Gabby says, "Good morning."

"Right back at ya," Alexandria replies.

Gabby asks, "Are you ready for whatever today has in store for us?"

Alexandria replies, "Yeah." She looks down. "I was wondering if I could vote with you and Tony." Gabby pauses for a minute. "Um?"

Gabby replies, "I'll get back to you... You know, after I talk to Tony."

"Okay," Alexandria states. "I mean, Doyce may not seem like much. But he's all muscular... That must count for something. I mean... Doesn't that make him, like, a threat or something?"

"I guess it should, but if you haven't noticed," Gabby says. "He hasn't exactly won any challenges, since we've been on an individual level. He only seems to win team sports... Which is kind of ironic since he isn't a team player."

"So..." Alexandria states.

Gabby says, "Um... I'll talk to Tony."

"Thanks, I guess," Alexandria replies.

Chris is heard over the loudspeaker, "It's time for the next challenge. Come on, people."

"This is a little early for Chris," Alexandria states. Gabby nods. Alexandria dresses and hurries outside.

She meets up with Tony. He says, "Hey, Tony."

"Oh," Tony says. "Hi."

"What's up?" Alexandria asks.

Tony shrugs. He says, "Just thinking about pudding... I like pudding."

Alexandria's eye twitches. She says, "Alrighty." She slowly backs away.

The contestants are shown gathered around Chris. Doyce is still in his pajama bottoms, but no shirt, like he usually wears. Chris looks at Doyce. He says, "You could have gotten changed."

"I thought it was an emergency," Doyce replies.

"Go get dressed," Chris demands. Doyce sighs, nods, and goes to his cabin. Everyone waits around for him.

"So, what's new, Chris?" Tony asks.

Chris holds up his hand and says, "Shh. Doyce is gone. Let's enjoy the silence." Tony nods.

Doyce returns briefly after and says, "I'm back! You know it!" Chris winces in pain.

"So what's the challenge, Mr. Chris?" Gabby asks.

Chris says, "Mr. Chris? I like that. It's the sort of respect I deserve around here. Anyway, today's challenge is the beloved sport, passed on down from Croatia... That's right. It's sumo wrestling."

"Uh," Gabby says. "I'm pretty sure that sumo wrestling comes from Japan. Doesn't it?"

Chris shrugs and says, "Whatever. They're both in Asia. It's all the same thing."

Doyce has a confused look. He says, "Isn't Croatia in..."

"Nothing is ever good enough for you, is it?" Chris randomly says.

Doyce turns toward Tony and asks, "Is Chris mad at me for some reason?"

Chris goes on, "I brought official sumo diapers for all of you. The girls can wear shirts, or whatever, though."

"Wait didn't we just do a wrestling challenge?" Tony asks. Chris glares at him. "I'll be quiet."

"Wait," Doyce says. "So you had me change into my clothes, just so I could change, again? Isn't that a little scum-like?"

"Well, sometimes life isn't fair!" Chris shouts. Doyce looks confused.

Alexandria stares at Chris with wide eyes. She asks, "Is everything alright?"

Chris sighs. He looks down. "I found my first grey hair," Chris replies.

"Some young dudes get grey hairs, sometimes," Tony attempts to assure.

Chris puts his face on his arm, "It was on my back."

"Ew," Alexandria replies, while wincing.

Doyce nods and says, "I get it. Chris was jealous of the smoothness of my body."

"Doyce," Alexandria says. "That's ridiculous. Not everything is about you." Chris glares to the side. Alexandria's eyes widen. "You mean, it's true?"

Chris clears his throat. He says, "Go get changed." The contestants grab hold of a sumo wrestling costume and go toward their cabins.

The contestants return. Doyce points to Tony and says, "Tony looks so natural in that diaper."

Tony blushes and says, "Thanks..."

Alexandria states, "You must not get too many compliments." Tony looks down and sighs.

Chris states, "The first match up will be Alexandria and Gabby."

"Wouldn't Tony and Gabby be a better match up?" Alexandria asks with a gulp.

"Oh, I get it," Doyce says, with a sly smile. "If you want to wrestle with me, all you have to do is ask." Alexandria looks around her. "Uh, what are you looking for?"

"I think I left my pepper spray in the cabin," Alexandria laments. Doyce looks at her with wide eyes.

Chris says, "Can we get started?" Gabby and Alexandria nod and get into the ring. "Whoever forces their opponent out of the ring will move on to the next match. If you're ready..."

"Actually, I..." Alexandria begins.

Chris shouts, "Go!"

Gabby runs toward Alexandria and quickly pushes her out of the ring. Alexandria says from the ground, "That was... What happened?"

"Okay," Chris says. "Gabby moves on, so let's get on with Doyce and Tony."

Tony and Doyce stand in the ring. Doyce taunts, "You're going down, son!"

Chris says, "Go!"

Doyce shouts, "Flying squirrel attack!" Doyce runs at Tony, leaps in the air, and sails over Tony, after Tony ducks. Doyce lands and rolls out of the ring.

Chris blinks. He says, "Tony wins this match. Meaning that the last match up will be between him and Gabby."

Tony blushes and says, "Me and Gabby?"

"No," Alexandria says. "I think it's 'Gabby and I'."

Gabby and Tony get into the ring. Chris says, "Alright, let's get on with this. I have a waxing appointment to get to."

"TMI," Alexandria assures.

Tony looks across at Gabby. He blushes. Gabby says, "You look really good in that... diaper thing."

"You think so?" Tony asks while blushing, still.

Chris says, "Okay, enough with the love fest. Go!"

Tony says, "I was thinking..."

"Me, too," Gabby answers.

"I think we should hold back," Tony says.

At the same time, Gabby says, "I don't think we should hold back." Gabby runs at Tony.

Tony's eyes get wide. He says, "Wait... What?" Gabby jumps and lands on Tony. She picks Tony up and spins him around, with her good arm. She tosses Tony out of the ring. The others watch with their eyes wide.

Chris looks at Tony, with his head cocked sideways. He says, "Did he just land on his head? He's going to need medical attention, again."

Gabby's eyes are wide. She rushes to Tony's side and says, "Are you alright? I'm sorry, Tony. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's okay," Tony assures. "I'll be just fine." Tony smiles. He winces in pain. "That hurts..."

Eight guys from the medical tent arrive to bring Tony to the medical tent. They grunt as they carry him off. Tony waves to the other contestants. Doyce asks, "Is anyone experiencing deja vu, right now?"

"He seems to get injured, a lot," Alexandria adds. "I hope he's okay."

Alexandria is shown in confessional. She says, "I'm having a bad feeling about the next vote. I guess I'll have to do the unthinkable... Strike up an alliance with Doyce."

Alexandria knocks on Doyce's cabin door. Doyce shouts from inside, "I'm in my underwear!"

Alexandria blushes. She says, "I'll wait out..."

Doyce answers the door, still in his underwear. He says, "Oh, hey. What's going on?" Alexandria looks away from Doyce.

Alexandria says, "I just wanted to talk."

"I will so date you," Doyce blurts out. "I was just waiting for you to ask."

"What?" Alexandria says. "I guess I need to be straightforward with you." Doyce squeals. Alexandria sighs. "I just want to vote with you."

"Oh," Doyce says. "Sorry. I have prior arrangements to vote you out."

"I thought so," Alexandria says. "You have a deal with Tony and Gabby?"

"I'm sworn to secrecy," Doyce replies.

Alexandria blinks and says, "Okay. I was just thinking that those two might vote for you."

"Why?" Doyce asks. "Have they said something?"

"Something?" Alexandria repeats. "Yes, they have said something."

Doyce's eyes widen. "Whoa," he says. "But I should have known. I was wondering why they didn't tell me they'd vote for me. I mean, I'm the total package." He points at his underwear. "Pardon the pun." Alexandria's face turns red, again. "I figured that people would line up to vote me out. You know, on account of my awesomeness."

"Right," Alexandria says. "So we vote out Tony?"

"I guess," Doyce says. "I can't believe those guys are betraying me... But... like... Won't we just force a tie?"

"I'll try to figure something out," Alexandria assures.

"Thanks for looking out for me," Doyce says. "I always thought you were way out of my league, but I guess you do have the hots for me."

Alexandria blushes, a little more. She says, "Doyce, you're not a bad looking guy." Doyce looks down and blushes.

Doyce stretches out his arms and says, "So are we going to have an alliance hug, or..." Alexandria holds up her can of pepper spray. "I see that you found your pepper spray." Doyce holds up his hands. "I don't want any trouble." He slowly backs away and shuts his door. Alexandria nods and walks away.

Alexandria goes to her cabin and sees Gabby sitting on her bed. Alexandria asks, "Are you okay?" Gabby looks up.

Gabby says, "I feel really guilty about what happened with Tony."

"He'll be okay," Alexandria assures. "I saw him right before the challenge. He said..."

"Did he say anything about voting out Doyce?" Gabby asks. "I didn't get the chance to talk to him about that."

"Um," Alexandria says.

"I've thought about what you said," Gabby says. "I think voting out Doyce would be the best choice. Maybe he's building up kinetic energy for the last challenge, or something..."

"Okay?" Alexandria says. "So, yeah... Tony is going to vote out Doyce."

Gabby lets out a sigh of relief. She says, "Alright. So Doyce it is." Alexandria nods, but then suddenly looks conflicted.

At the elimination ceremony, Gabby hugs Tony, who is wearing a neck brace. He smiles, flinches and assures, "I told you I'd be alright."

Chris states, looking sore from his waxing appointment, "Please. You think you know pain." Chris winces. "Gabby gets the first marshmallow for whoopsy-doo." Chris tosses a marshmallow to Gabby.

"Um, thanks?" Gabby replies.

Chris goes on, "Alexandria is also safe."

Tony raises an eyebrow, and flinches. "Ow," he says.

Chris states, "So that leaves Doyce and Tony." The guys look at each other, nervously. Chris states, "The final marshmallow goes to..."

"Doyce." Doyce catches his marshmallow, and punches Tony on the arm. Tony rubs his arm.

Chris says, "That means that Tony has been eliminated."

"What?" Gabby asks. "That can't be right."

"I'm as shocked as you are," Tony assures. "Weren't we voting for Alexandria?"

"I thought you switched to wanting to vote out Doyce?" Gabby replies.

"What?" Tony says. "I never changed my mind. Where did you get that idea?" Gabby looks at Alexandria, who proceeds to hide behind Doyce.

Gabby says, "I'm sorry, Tony."

Tony sighs. He says, "It's not your fault... I think. It doesn't matter. I got you, and that was more than the prize money... Which was how much, again?"

"Four million, five hundred thousand," Chris answers.

Tony winces. He leans toward Gabby and kisses her on the forehead. "It's been fun, guys," Tony says. "You got me." He walks toward the Boat of Losers.

Doyce shouts after him, "I'mma bring it home for you, son!" Tony attempts to turn his neck to glare at Doyce, but flinches in pain at his attempt. Tony continues onto the Boat of Losers.

Alexandria pats Gabby on the back as Chris states, "So that wraps up yet another episode. We're down to our final three, and next time it'll be narrowed down to the final two. Who's going to make it passed the next stage of the competition? Tune in next time to find out."

#### Chapter 19 - Goodminton

Chris Mclean is shown in front of the camera. He states, "Welcome to an all-new episode of Total... Drama... Athletics. It's down to the final three with one episode standing in front of the exciting season finale. Last time, the contestants competed in a sumo wrestling match, or three. The lovebirds, Tony and Gabby, were in the final match together, and Gabby spun Tony around and tossed him out of the ring, winning the match, yet sending Tony to the infirmary. Fearing she might be eliminated, Alexandria got Doyce to vote with her, and made Gabby think that Tony had changed his vote to Doyce, causing Tony's elimination. With all that out of the way, who will win the challenge, and who will make up the final two? That will all be answered on this episode of Total... Drama... Athletics!" Chris pumps his fist. "Yes! I got in two dramatically paused season titles in one show opening. I love myself even more than before." Chris lets out a sigh.

Gabby and Alexandria are shown in their cabin. Gabby lets out a sigh. Alexandria has a slightly guilty look on her face. She says, "I know you must miss Tony. I'm really sorry about what happened. It was my only choice, though, to stay in the game."

"You could have voted for Doyce, though," Gabby replies.

"Truuuuuuue," Alexandria replies. Gabby stares at Alexandria. "So what else is new?" Gabby continues to stare at Alexandria.

Alexandria says in confessional, "I think Gabby is mad at me... I guess I can't really blame her. If I was dating Tony, and someone voted him out, I would be..." Alexandria pauses and blinks. "What am I talking about?"

Alexandria is shown walking back from confessional. She hears something splashing in the water. She shrugs and walks toward the sound. She sees Doyce from the bushes throwing rocks into the water. Doyce says, without turning around, "Hey, Alexandria."

"Uh," Alexandria says. "Hey. How did you know... I'm not sure I want to know the answer to that."

"Care to join me?" Doyce asks.

Alexandria says, "But my pepper spray is back at the cabin."

"Gee, thanks," Doyce replies. "You don't have to come near me, if you don't want."

Alexandria laughs and says, "What, are you crazy? I was totally... kidding!" Doyce throws another rock into the water. Alexandria walks next to Doyce. "Is there something wrong, Doyce? You're not acting like your normal," Alexandria attempts to choose her words carefully, "awesome self."

Doyce throws another rock into the water. He sighs, "I was never any good at skipping stones."

Alexandria laughs and says, "This is the first time I ever heard you admit you weren't awesome at something."

"Yeah," Doyce says. He drops his shoulders down. "It's my one flaw." Alexandria laughs, again. Doyce looks at her and says, "You know, it's not nice to laugh at someone's faults."

Alexandria clears her throat. She says, "Sorry. But... that can't be the only thing bothering you."

Doyce looks to the side. He says, "I guess... The cabin feels pretty empty, right now. I don't really like being by myself." Doyce smiles and turns to Alexandria and asks, "Hey! Do you think it would be okay for me to bunk with you and Gabby?"

Alexandria looks at Doyce with a raised eyebrow. She says, "No."

Doyce sighs and says, "Yeah. I didn't think so."

Alexandria says, "But I can say that you won't have to worry about it for very long. Before you know it, we'll see all the other contestants, again, then you'll be home with your loved ones." Doyce looks down. Alexandria says, apologetically, "Sorry. It was wrong of me to assume you have loved ones."

"Thanks," Doyce replies, with a smile. "That made me feel better."

"No problem," Alexandria says. "Wait, it did?"

Doyce nods and says, "You know it! I need some sleep if I'm gonna be awesome, tomorrow!" Doyce runs off. "Yes!"

"What a weird guy," Alexandria states, staring after Doyce. "I better go get going, too. You never know what kind of weirdos wander around at night."

Doyce runs by in the distance yelling, "Dooooooooooooyce!" Alexandria shudders.

The moon is shown going down, as the sun comes up.

Gabby is shown in confessional, saying, "I feel really lost without Tony here. I wonder what he's doing, right now." Gabby looks off to the side, obviously thinking about Tony.

Chris is shown standing next to Gabby and Alexandria. He asks, "Where's Doyce?"

"I think he's still in his cabin," Gabby answers.

"Well, someone has to go get him," Chris states.

Alexandria says, "Can't you just use your loudspeaker, or something?"

"Like I'm going to use all the energy involved in walking to my secret loudspeaker base, just for Doyce," Chris says.

"Well, you could at least go get him," Alexandria says.

Chris says, "Right. Like I'm going to waste all that energy to walk to his cabin, open the door..."

Gabby says, "It looks like one of us is going to have to get him."

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Alexandria asks. The girls play a game of rock, paper, scissors. Alexandria chooses rock, Gabby chooses scissors. Alexandria cheers.

Gabby frowns and says, "I lost... I guess that means I have to go get him." Alexandria and Chris nod. Gabby nervously approaches Doyce's door and knocks.

Doyce doesn't answer the door, but can be heard shouting, "Doyce! Doyce! Doyce!"

Gabby gulps, and says to herself, "You can do this." She covers her eyes, and opens the door. Doyce is doing pullups on the door frame. He hits Gabby with his legs as he does a pullup and she falls backwards. Doyce jumps down and looks at Gabby with wide eyes.

Chris gestures toward Gabby and says, "There's the Gabby I cast."

The contestants are shown gathered around Chris. Doyce insists to Gabby, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to get in the way of my awesome."

Chris states, "Accidents are perfectly okay on this show." A firework whizzes passed Chris' head. He looks around and says, "What was that?" He shrugs and says, "So, now it's time for the greatest sport in the history of sports... dom."

"Wasn't that curling?" Alexandria asks.

Chris shakes his head. He says, "That's just Canada's pastime. The greatest sport in the history of sportsdom is... That's right. It's badminton."

Alexandria whispers to Gabby, "Looks like someone has a sequel to promote."

Chris states, "A prequel, actually. I need to get into costume." Chris pulls off his trademark outfit, as Gabby, Alexandria, and Doyce shield their eyes. They look at him and realize that he was wearing his badminton gear under his clothes.

Alexandria points at Chris' headband and asks, "Where did that come from?"

"The magic of television," Chris answers. He states, "I will also be competing in this challenge. If I win, I get invincibility."

"You mean, we could have been voting for you all this time?" Doyce asks with his eyes wide.

Chris shakes his head and says, "I always have invincibility." He sticks out his tongue. "If I win, all of you are eligible to be voted out. Be warned, I have years of training so that when I hit zombies with my badminton... racket thingie, it looks entirely natural. We'll have three matches, with the winners from the first two matches competing for invincibility. If everyone is ready, we'll get started with me versus Doyce."

"Doyce!" Doyce shouts.

"That's what I said," Chris says with a frown.

Doyce stands on the side opposite from Chris and shouts, "You're going down, son!"

Chris smirks and says, "We'll see who will be the one to go down." He tosses a shuttlecock into the air and hits it his his racket. The shuttlecock falls straight to the ground. Chris blushes and says, "I call a redo." He serves, again, and the shuttlecock sails to the other side. Doyce hits the shuttlecock and spikes it to Chris' side. Chris frowns. Doyce serves, and in a montage, Chris fails to return any of Doyce's hits.

Chris has his arms folded, he mumbles, "That little birdie is way harder to hit than zombies."

"I disagree," Gabby says. "Since zombies are imaginary."

Chris glares at Gabby. He says, "Are you trying to destroy my movie legacy?"

"It's hard to destroy something that doesn't exist," Alexandria states.

Chris' eyes get wide, and his face turns red in anger. Gabby looks at Alexandria and says, "Now you've done it."

Chris shouts, "Alexandria is disqualified!"

"What?" Alexandria replies. "On what grounds?"

"It's in the rules," Chris states. "A contestant is disqualified from the challenge if he blasphemes Chris Mclean's film career."

Gabby rubs her chin and says, "I don't recall that being in the rules."

Chris says, "It is. I have that one tattooed on the small of my back, if you all want to see it." Chris begins to pull up his shirt.

Alexandria walks to the provided bench and says, "I'll take your word for it." She sits down on the bench.

Chris says, "So our final match is between Doyce and Gabby."

"I got this, son!" Doyce shouts.

Alexandria whispers to Chris, "Does he realize that Gabby has been dominating the challenges?"

"Don't talk to me," Chris requests of Alexandria.

"You're doing me a favor," Alexandria replies.

Gabby and Doyce's match is underway. They repeatedly hit the birdie to each other, as Alexandria and Chris look back and forth at the match. "This is intense," Alexandria states.

"I know," Chris says, with his eyes as wide as they get.

"I was being sarcastic," Alexandria assures.

Gabby hits the birdie, and Doyce fails to return it. He falls to his knees and shouts, "Nooooooooo!"

Chris states, "Gabby wins invincibility! She gets the sole deciding vote in who will join her in the finals." Alexandria and Doyce look at each other with worried expressions.

Alexandria smiles and says, "Congratulations, Gabby!"

"I agree," Doyce says, with a clearly fake smile. "Though I totally should have won."

Chris looks at Doyce and Alexandria. He says, "Gabby has a difficult decision in front of her. I'll see you guys at the campfire ceremony."

Gabby looks at Alexandria and Doyce, as well. She says, "If you'll excuse me, guys. I have to go think about my decision."

Doyce says, "That's totally cool. Can I come with?"

"I'd like to be alone," Gabby assures.

"Okay," Doyce replies. Gabby walks off, as Alexandria waves.

Doyce puts his hand on Alexandria's shoulder, and Alexandria looks at his hand with a raised eyebrow. Doyce says, "It was nice knowing you."

"Me?" Alexandria says. "Oh, I get it. You mean, since you're going to get voted out."

Doyce says, "What? No. I'm not getting voted out. I'm awesome."

"Exactly," Alexandria replies. "Don't you think Gabby would vote out 'the most awesome' person?"

Doyce's eyes get wide. He says, "Yeah, well you voted out her boyfriend."

"So did you," Alexandria reminds.

"Yeah," Doyce states. "But I'm not Gabby's friend. I'd say we're casual acquaintances. It was way more hurtful when you voted out Tony, than when I did."

Alexandria looks to the side and says, "You may have a point."

Doyce shakes his head and says, "I had that removed when I was a kid."

"Wait, what?" Alexandria asks.

Doyce blushes and says, "Nothing."

At the campfire ceremony, Chris states, "This is the time where I leave the whole elimination ceremony in the hands of the challenge winner. That was Gabby."

"We know, Chris," Alexandria says. "We were there."

Gabby says, "Hey, guys. Sorry that I have to make this decision. It was harder than I thought it would be. I started to think about the way that Alexandria voted for Tony."

"But he did, too," Alexandria nervously says as she points at Doyce.

Gabby nods and says, "I realized that, but the way you deceived me hurt more. But you only did what you did in trying to save yourself." Alexandria smiles. "But what you did still hurts." Alexandria frowns. "As for Doyce... He's awesome."

Doyce puts some of his fingernails in his mouth. He says, "She noticed."

Gabby admits, "Well, you do tell us pretty often. Plus, you did really well in challenges... Before the merge, anyway."

Doyce nods rapidly. He says, "That was great, wasn't it?"

"When considering these reasons," Gabby says, "I reached my decision. I decided to vote out..."

"Alexandria. I'm sorry."

Alexandria looks down. She says, "I'm sorry about what I did."

"I know you are," Gabby states. "This was my decision, though, and I've decided that I might have more of a chance to win against Doyce." Doyce hugs Gabby tight.

Alexandria says, "Uh, Doyce. She is kind of insulting you."

"I'll take it," Doyce says. "I'm in the finals! I'm going to win! Oh, yeah!" Doyce begins hitting his head against a stump, as the others look at him with concerned expressions.

Gabby turns to Alexandria and says, "I realize that you're vote last time was for you, and we're still friends, but this time I had to choose who I thought I had a better chance to win against. I mean, Doyce hasn't exactly won a challenge... I still consider you and me friends, though."

Alexandria shrugs. She says, "I do, too." The girls hug. "I'll see you at the big finale." Gabby nods. Alexandria heads to the Boat of Losers.

Chris states, "So there you have another episode of Total... Drama... Athletics. Doyce or Gabby. Who will be the winner? Be sure to find out in the exciting season finale next time on Total... Drama... Athletics!"

#### Chapter 20 - The Long and Winning Road

Chris Mclean states, "Hello, and welcome to the sure to be exciting, grand finale of Total... Drama... Wilderness!" Chris squints at his cue card. "I mean, Total... Drama... Athletics! Last time, the final three was whittled down to two when Gabby won the badminton challenge... I was robbed." Chris feels his pocket. His eyes widen, and he says, "Where's my wallet?" Chris shakes his head. "I'll blame someone for that, later. Gabby decided to vote out Alexandria, and took Doyce into the final two with her. I'm sure you're all wanting to know what's going to happen, so let's get this thing started!"

Gabby is shown sitting alone in her cabin. She breathes heavily and says to herself, "This is no big deal. People are in the final two all the time. I can win this thing!"

Gabby is shown in confessional. She says, "I really can't believe I made it this far into the competition. I really feel like I owe it to Tony, though. He's so special to me..." Gabby gets teary eyed. "Excuse me." Gabby puts her arm in front of her face.

Doyce is shown sitting on his bed fully dressed. He excitedly shakes. "Woo! Doyce!"

Doyce is shown in confessional, saying, "Final two! Oh, yeah! I can't wait to win this thing! I've never been so excited! I didn't even sleep, last night. I was way too excited. I'm so ready to do this thing! Let's get it done, son!"

Gabby and Doyce are shown next to Chris, as well as two sections of bleachers with their faces on them. Chris announces, "It's time for your final challenge of the season."

"That's what's up!" Doyce excitedly says.

"Yeah, yeah," Chris says. "Quiet down. We know you want to win this more than Gabby."

Gabby says, "What? I want to win, too."

"Whatever you say," Chris replies. "You know how we normally have the eliminated contestants come in and sit in the support section of the finalist that they want to win?"

"Yeah," Gabby replies.

"Well," Chris says, "This time we're going to change it up. The eliminated contendors are going to come and sit in the support section of the character they'd prefer to win."

Doyce blinks. He says, "Um, that sounds exactly the same as usual."

Chris glares to the side. He says, "Well, this time, they'll be wearing sports themed cheering paraphenalia."

"That's it?" Gabby asks in disbelief.

Doyce fishes through a box of provided cheer wear. He puts a sling on his arm that says 'Go Gabby!' He says, "This is pretty sweet! Can I wear this during the challenge? I mean, I don't want Gabby to be at some major disadvantage. I should probably duct tape my legs together, too."

Chris asks, "Um, Doyce? You do know that the sling says 'Go Gabby' on it?"

Doyce looks at it. He says, "So it does. Is that like the brand name, or something? I'm all about name brand, son!"

Chris puts his hand on his forehead. Gabby states, "I'm going to beat you without an advantage, Doyce. Bring it!"

"Ooh!" Doyce says, as he excitedly puts down his 'Go Gabby' sling. "You're feisty! I can see what Tony digs about you, so much. Meow!"

Gabby blushes and says, "Uh, when is the challenge going to start?"

Chris says, "Alright, let's bring on the first..."

Doyce holds up a finger and says, "Just a second." He lets out a yawn. He yawns for about twenty seconds.

"Um, are you alright?" Chris asks.

Doyce states, "Yeah, son. I guess my adreneline is finally wearing off. But I'm still going to win this... Hold on." Doyce yawns, again.

Chris sighs. He says, "We're not going to wait around for you to finish yawning, every time you..."

"Give me a second," Doyce says, as he yawns.

Chris rolls his eyes and says, "First up is Luke." Chris looks ahead. Luke walks up.

Doyce's eyes are wide. He says, "Who's the stud?"

Luke blushes. He kicks the ground. He says, "Aw, I'm not that good-lookin'."

Chris has a raised eyebrow, "You're all flattered by a compliment from Doyce? You trust his judgment? He had a crush on Polly Ann." Luke and Doyce both glare at Chris. Chris bluses and looks down.

Luke says, "Anyway, I was voted out first, because some of my team... Ah, you don't want to hear all of that."

Doyce blinks. He asks, "Were you on this season?"

"Just choose who you want to support," Chris demands.

Luke looks through a box of cheering supplies. He pulls out some body paint, pulls down the top of his overalls, and removes his shirt he begins painting Gabby's name on his chest, as Gabby and Doyce look at him with wide eyes. Doyce asks, "Dude. How'd you get abs like that?"

Luke blushes. He says, "Oh, I don't know. Just working on the farm, I guess."

Doyce is taking notes. He looks up and asks, "How many reps?"

Chris rolls his eyes. He says, "Let's bring out Polly Ann."

Luke blushes. He says, "Polly Ann is here?"

Doyce spits in his hand and slides it over his hair. Polly Ann walks up and says, "Hey, everyone."

"Hi," Gabby says. "How've you been?"

Polly Ann answers, "Fine."

Chris says, "Go ahead and pick who you want to support."

"Doyce has been such a sweetheart to me," Polly Ann admits.

Doyce blushes and says, "Well, you know."

"So it would be really mean of me to not support..." Polly Ann looks at Luke. She says, "You're cheering for Gabby?" Luke nods. "Uh, me, too!" She grabs a foam finger with Gabby's face on it, and sits next to Luke. Doyce blinks.

Kylie says, "Did you know that the male platypus has a spur on their ankles that are poisonous?"

"Huh," Chris says. "No, I... Wait, a minute. When did you get here?"

Kylie shrugs. She says, "A couple seconds ago."

"Well, pick who you want to support," Chris instructs.

Kylie nods and says, "Did you know that the selection process reveals far more than personal preference? It shows the inner feelings of a person, like their insecurities, interests, and deepest fears." She looks through the box of supplies. She picks out a cap with Doyce's face on it.

"Why'd you pick Doyce?" Chris asks.

"We both have red hair," Kylie answers.

"That's deep," Chris says. He sees Fernando approaching, and says, "Here's Fernando."

Fernando says, "This reminds me of the time that I was at school, and I had to pick who I wanted to be class president, and I chose the boy that promised me a pudding cup. It was a really good pudding cup. I think it was chocolate, but, like, double chocolate."

Chris yawns. He says, "Just pick who you want to support."

Fernando nods. He says, "Gabby reminds me of my first grade teacher who used to put a gold star on my assignments. She was nice. Gold stars are good. But Doyce reminds me that Kylie is sitting in his section." Fernando holds up a Doyce pennant and sits in his section. "Kylie's my girlfriend. I've had a lot of girlfriends, but none as good as her. She likes it when I talk. I talk, a lot." Kylie looks at Fernando and gives a breathy sigh.

Doyce nudges Gabby with his elbow and says, "I saw him naked." Gabby's face turns bright red.

Chris clears his throat and says, "Let's move on." He puts earplugs in his ears.

Zoe walks up and does a series of cartwheels. She says, "I'm so proud of both members of the final two! I really am! Gabby has proven herself as a strong independent woman, and Doyce has gotten over feeling like he's the only person that matters!"

"I know!" Doyce shouts. "I'm the awesomest guy on the planet!"

Zoe says, "I'll support Doyce. We Athletic Supporters need to stick together." Zoe removes her headband, revealing a headband with Doyce's face on it underneath. She sits on Doyce's bleachers.

Kylie gets tearful and says, "That's so beautiful." Fernando hands her his shirt, and Kylie blows her nose on it.

Chris remove his earplugs and says, "Next, let's welcome Isabella." The gathered teens applaud.

She reminds them, as she signs, as well, "Um, I'm deaf." The others stop clapping. "I'm not sure who I want to support. I tend to root for the dark horse, and by that I mean Gabby. Plus, she looks like she's been through, a lot. Specifically, a train wreck. As for Doyce, I imagine him having a really pleasant speaking voice."

"Doyce!" Doyce shouts. The people who can hear him cringe.

Isabella says, as she signs, "But I choose to support Gabby." She puts on a cap with Gabby's face on it.

Nathan walks up, slowly, slouching as he does. Chris looks at him, and says, "Nathan? You didn't wait for your cue. Don't you..."

Nathan ignores Chris and says, "I was expecting to be here competing... What did I do wrong?" He looks at Gabby and Doyce. "I can't believe that these two are here, and I'm not. I know that I'm way smarter than these two." Gabby and Doyce glare at Nathan. Nathan sits down in Doyce's cheering section and puts his head in his hands.

Chris says, "Well, I should tell you all that Evan was unable to appear, today."

"Is he alright?" Luke asks.

Chris shrugs. He says, "I think he's doing as well as can be expected, but he's still kind of upset about what happened on the show. So... let's move on to Skylar."

Skylar does a flip without the use of one of his arms, which is in a sling. Most of the others applaud. Doyce folds his arms and says, "I could have done that."

Skylar says, "It's good to be back." He looks at Chris and asks, "Is there any chance that I could join the competition, again, on account of the way I was..." Chris shakes his head. Skylar sighs, and says, "It was worth a shot." He looks at Gabby and Doyce. "Well, from one injured person to another..." Doyce looks hopeful. "I'm going to support Gabby." Doyce frowns, as Skylar sits down in Gabby's section.

Chris says, "Alright. Whatever floats your boat. Here comes Jayden."

Jayden has his head held down as he walks up. He sits down in Doyce's section without saying anything. Doyce shouts, "Woo! Another body to fill a seat!" He gets some glares from his supporters. "I mean, I appreciate each of you, as a friend... because you all know how awesome I am."

Madison walks up. She says, "What, no introduction?"

Chris explains, "We're on a budget."

Madison rolls her eyes. She says, "Well, I'm supporting Gabby." Madison picks up a Gabby pennant and sits in her section.

"Wow," Kylie says. "I was expecting you to sit in someone's section that reminded you of your ex-boyfriend."

"Well," Madison says. "Gabby does kind of..." Gabby's eyes get wide. "Never mind."

Chris says, "Next is Ramona."

Ramona walks up and says, "This is a tough decision, but I have to go with Doyce." She turns to Doyce and says, "I know we shared some good times, like when we sat on that bench, and I told you that you had to give other people a chance to shine, but... I'm sorry. My heart belongs to Bubba."

"Do I know you?" Doyce asks, with a confused expression.

Chris says, "Speaking of Bubba..."

Bubba walks up, wearing a shirt like Evan's but a few sizes larger. Bubba says, "I spent some time with Gabby, but I plan to make this decision maturely." Bubba sits on Ramona's lap.

"Sweet!" Doyce says.

Cassie walks up and sits next to Jayden in Doyce's section. She puts her hand on Jayden's back. Jayden looks at Cassie with a smile. Doyce excitedly throws his fist in the air. Gabby says, "Do you actually get satisfaction from people supporting you just becasue their love interest does, too?" Doyce looks at Gabby with wide eyes. Gabby says, "Oh, gosh! Was that mean? I'm so sorry." Gabby blushes.

Doyce shrugs and says, "I'll take whatever I can take."

Chris announces, "Here's you know who."

Holden walks up and says, "Hey, all. I know that the majority of you don't like me, too much, and I feel like I deserve it for what I did. But there was one person that supported me, throughout."

Jayden smiles and says, "Aw, bro. It was nothing."

Holden pauses. He says, "Okay, maybe there were two people. Doyce, our friendship means a lot to me, and I'm glad to have the opportunity to support you here." Holden picks up a Doyce foam finger and sits on his bleacher.

Chris looks at Vanessa. He says, "Vanessa's turn."

Vanessa goes over to Gabby's section and sits down. She gets up and says, "I'm supporting Gabby, not because she's female, but because she's my friend." She sits back down, with her face slightly red.

Chris says, "Next up is Tony."

Tony walks up, he sees Gabby and smiles. He runs at her with his arms extended. Doyce gets in the way and hugs Tony. Doyce says, "I missed you, too, big guy."

Tony pushes Doyce away from himself and says, "Uh, it's good to see you, too, Doyce, but I really missed Gabby these last few days." Tony hugs Gabby. "I'm supporting you all the way, babe." He sits down on Gabby's side. Doyce looks down sadly. Tony says, "Aw, come on, Doyce."

Chris states, "Alrighty. Last up is Alexandria."

Alexandria walks up. She says, "I'd like to think that by the end of the contest, I was friends with both of you. That makes this decision particularly difficult." Alexandria looks in the box of cheering supplies. She pulls out a headband with Gabby's face on it, and sits in her section.

Gabby smiles and says, "Your support means, a lot, Alexandria. I'm glad you've forgiven me."

Alexandria smiles and nods. She leans over to Vanessa and whispers, "Should I tell her that I'm only over here, because Doyce is out of cheering apparel, or is it too soon?"

Chris says, "Alright. That's everyone. I'd count how many people are supporting each of our contestants, but, this time it doesn't really matter. You can cheer all you want, but you can't help your chosen contestant in any way. Now on with the challenge. You each will be put to the test. There's a series of sport themed challenges for you each to complete. For starters, there's a rock climbing wall. Next, you'll look at a chalkboard with a football play depicted on it. You'll be given a book to look through, and when you identify the name of the play, shout it out. If you're right, you can move on. Then, you'll each get on a spinning bike. Once you make the top light turn green by riding the spinning bike, you can move on to the next part. You'll have to throw basketballs until you make three shots in a row. Then you can move on to the finish line, which is after a 100 meter track."

Doyce wipes his eyes. He says, "Can we get on with it, now?"

"Somebody's cranky," Alexandria states.

Doyce sighs. He says, "I'm admittedly less awesome when I haven't gotten a good night's rest. I mean, you can barely tell the difference, or anything."

"Of course," Alexandria replies.

Chris states, "Okay, so on my mark, get set, go!"

Doyce and Gabby run to the first obstacle. Doyce shouts, "You're going down!"

Gabby replies, "I know you are, but what am I?"

Bubba says, "I'm surprised that Gabby stooped to Doyce's level."

Gabby is shown struggling with the rock climb, only able to use one arm. Doyce points at her and says, "Ha ha!" Doyce loses his grip and falls a few feet, before grabbing back on to the wall. "Mommy! I love you!" The cheering sections break out laughing, while Doyce blushes. The sections continue cheering for the most part.

Gabby reaches the top of the first obstacle before Doyce, but he catches up, soon after. They both climb down the other side, and get to the second obstacle at about the same time. Doyce looks at the chalkboard. He smirks and says, "That's easy. I don't even need to look at the playbook. That's the 'Quarterback Scramble'."

Chris nods and says, "That's right."

Doyce says, "Yes! I'm the perfect combination of brains, brawn, and beauty. I bet you didn't..."

Gabby says, "Uh, is mine the 'Quarterback Scramble', too?"

Chris nods. He says, "Yup. You both can move on."

Gabby smiles and says, "Oh, cool. I'm so glad you didn't think to give us two different plays." Gabby rushes to her spinning bike. Doyce runs after her.

Doyce begins peddling as fast as he can. He pauses and shouts, "Ow! This thing hurts!" The lights connected to Gabby's spinning bike continue to go up, so Doyce begins peddling fast, again. Doyce finishes before Gabby, but looks pretty sweaty. He tosses up a basketball and misses. He says, "That one doesn't count."

Gabby catches up to Doyce, and starts throwing basketballs. She sinks her first shot. She says, "Yeah! I did it."

Doyce looks at her, and tries his second shot with one hand. Doyce makes the shot. Gabby throws her second shot. Doyce says, "You'll never make it..." Gabby makes the shot. Doyce looks down. He picks up another basketball and throws it into the hoop. He throws his arms in the air and says, "Doyce! I'm one shot away from..." Doyce yawns, again. He then collapses on the ground, and breathes heavily as he sleeps.

"Gosh. Is he okay?" Luke asks.

Chris shrugs and says, "He'll be fine."

Gabby makes her third shot. She jumps up in delight. She looks at Doyce, still sleeping and says, "Well, this is a little anticlimactic."

Tony shouts, "Go, Gabby! You've got this!" Gabby nods. She runs at the finish line, with a big smile on her face. Ten feet from the finish line she says, "I can't believe this! I can't believe I..."

Doyce runs passed Gabby and crosses the finish line, first. He throws his arms in the air and falls to his knees. He says, "I did it! I... I won!" Gabby crosses the finish line.

Gabby says, "How did Doyce get here?"

Doyce assures, "I just needed a power nap." He smiles wide. "That gave me the boost of energy I needed. Done!"

Gabby asks, "And he got the last basketball in before he..."

Chris nods. "Yup," Chris states. "Doyce won. That's all there is to it."

"Huh," Gabby says. She smiles and says, "Congrats, Doyce. You did a really good job, today."

Doyce looks down. He continues to smile. He says, "Thanks, Gabby. You were an awesome competitor. The way you threw those basketballs... That was awesome."

Tony appears and puts his arm around Gabby, and says, "Back off. She's mine." Tony kisses Gabby. "You did great."

"I know!" Doyce shouts. Tony glares at Doyce.

Holden runs up and jumps on Doyce's back. He says, "Doyce, you were great!"

"Thanks," Doyce replies, unable to keep the smile off of his face.

Vanessa agrees, "It was a pretty close challenge. You did do great, Doyce, even though I feel like a woman should have won this season..."

Some of the others pat Doyce on the back. He looks down. He says, "Thanks, guys." He wipes his eyes on his arm. "This moment feels really good. I know I haven't treated all of you the best, but it meant a lot that you guys could look passed that, and still support me."

"I was supporting Gabby, actually," Skylar says.

Doyce puts his arm around Skylar and laughs, "Oh, Joel. You always were the kidder."

Skylar looks at Doyce with a raised eyebrow. He asks, "Who does he think I am?"

Doyce smiles and says, "I'm glad to say that I consider all of you my friends."

"Doyce, that's nice," Madison says. Some of the contestants put their arms around Doyce.

Chris asks, "Were you including me in that 'friend' thing?"

Doyce says, "Actually, Chris I consider you a..." Chris looks at Doyce with sad eyes. "Uh... Yeah, Chris. You, too, son."

Chris smiles, turns to the camera, and says, "Well, that wraps up another season." Chris pauses. "Any last words, Doyce?"

Doyce looks contemplative. He smiles, puts his arm in the air, and shouts, "Doyce!"

#### Chapter 21 - Reunited State

Chris Mclean states, "Hello and welcome to another Total... Drama... reunion, this time for Total... Drama... Athletics. It's been a year. What have the contestants been up to? Well, that's what we're here to find out." Chris looks over his shoulder. He smiles and says, "Let's move on. The first contestant we're going to talk to is Luke. Luke was well liked by his team, then it was discovered that he had AIDS. It made some teammates uncomfortable enough to vote him out." Chris turns to Luke, who now has an uncomfortable smile. Chris asks, "So Luke, what has the reaction been since you returned home?"

"It's been alright," Luke answers. "Pretty good, actually. There's been some people I knew who didn't know I had the disease, and I've noticed that they've been treating me a little different, but overall it's been good. I've been in contact with some AIDS organizations that seem pretty interested in my story."

Chris asks, "Have you dealt with hate or fear from people, now that your disease has become public knowledge?"

Luke looks down. He says, "Well, I guess I have to say 'yeah'." Luke looks back up at Chris. "Even though I've been frank about how it happened, some people accuse me of being 'immoral' or a 'drug addict'. It's been tough to deal with, even though it mostly comes from complete strangers."

"I'm sorry to hear about that," Chris assures. "I have another question. Have you kept up your healthy lifestyle, or has your condition deteriorated you too much?"

Luke answers, "Yes. I try my best to stay active, eat right, and I take my pills. I admit that there are days where I need to take it easy, but overall, I feel pretty much the same as I did a year ago."

Chris says, "Thanks for answering the questions." Luke nods.

Ramona whispers to Bubba, "Chris is being unusually nice, today."

Chris goes on, "Alright, now it's time to talk with the losers."

"I guess I was wrong," Ramona states to Bubba.

Chris says, "So Polly Ann. You were eliminated after you felt that you needed to be there for Luke through his difficult time. Has any relationship developed between the two of you?"

Polly Ann blushes. She insists, "We're still just friends. Really. Luke's a good guy. We hang out, sometimes, though."

"Polly Ann, here, has taught me some good frog catching methods," Luke states.

Chris has a raised eyebrow. He says, "That's... cool? So, do you regret leaving the competition for Luke?"

Polly Ann shakes her head. Luke says, "Gosh. Polly Ann was a huge help to me. After I was feeling pretty low for how I was eliminated, it made me feel lots better to know that someone looked passed my disease, and realized I was a person with feelings, and everything."

"How is your relationship with your pageant queen sister?" Chris asks.

Polly Ann answers, "Daisy and I are a lot different from each other, but I recognize that. I don't dislike her for being different from me. We actually have a pretty good relationship. She doesn't make me parade in gowns, and I don't make her run through the woods barefoot."

Chris says, "Now, on to Kylie. Kylie was voted out for... being Kylie." Chris looks down at an index card. He says, "This question comes from 'a yellow dog lover'. He asks, you and Fernando still together?"

Kylie answers, "Yes." She looks at Fernando, and he puts his hand on hers. "Yes, we are."

"How do you know so much random trivia?" Chris asks.

Kylie replies, "When I was younger, my cousin was already in high school, so we didn't hang out, too much. I used to entertain myself by reading the answers to trivia board games. That reminds me. Did you know that 'Trivia Chase' was created in 1979 in Quebec?"

Chris ignores Kylie and says, "Moving on to Fernando. Fernando was good looking, and... That's about all there is to him. He was voted out when people mistakenly thought he had a personality."

Fernando states, "I do have a heart, you know. That reminds me. When I was a junior in high school, I had to disect a..."

Chris states, "Sorry. I'm not really interested. Let's start with a question from 'the guy outside your window'." Chris and the former contestants look to the side of their location, at the Wawanakwa campfire ceremony location. "There's no window here... Anyway, the question is 'What made you fall for Kylie?'"

Fernando states, "She was the first person who didn't treat me like a complete bore. I feel like she's helped me open up more... I used to feel pretty shy, when it came to talking to people. I felt like when I talked too much, people would get annoyed. I remember when I was..."

Chris interrupts with, "That's nice. What makes you so comfortable with your body?"

Fernando shrugs. "I don't really pay attention to what I look like," he admits. "Back in Brazil it would get so hot that I would wear whatever was comfortable, and that was when I was overweight. I was never ashamed of what I looked like. I don't think it matters."

Chris looks drowsy. He says, "I'm choosing to move on before I fall asleep. Zoe was voted out after she caused her team to lose a challenge. Zoe, are you still into health?" Chris looks at Zoe, who is out of her chair doing jumping jacks. Chris looks down at his list of questions, and crosses that one off. He asks, "A few viewers wondered about your brother. Have you been able to succeed in helping him get healthy, again?"

Zoe frowns. She replies, "I haven't been able to reach him, unfortunately. He still thinks that everyone is far too shallow, and that there's no point in being healthy if he can't have friends who like him for who he is. I tell him that I like him for who he is, but he doesn't think my opinion matters. I also assure him that being healthy is about being healthy. It shouldn't matter how people treat him, but I can't make up his mind for him. You know?"

Chris says, "I suddenly feel like Fernando is far more interesting by comparison. Time to move on. Isabella was eliminated after Nathan persuaded the others to vote her out, after he thought that she knew about his scheme to start rumors about some other contestants. So Isabella have any deaf viewers responded to your appearance on our little show?"

Isabella nods, says, and signs, "I have gotten some good responses, even though I was elimnated and for no reason." A sulking Nathan looks down and sighs. "A lot of people appreciated that I used sign language throughout the season, and that I could highlight some of the tiny difficulties that deaf people face that most people might overlook."

Chris nods. He says, "On to Nathan, perhaps the least liked contestant in the history of Total Drama..." Nathan lets out a sigh. "Nathan was eliminated when his scheme to eliminate Tony backfired." Nathan sighs, again. "Are you still ridiculed for being a male cheerleader?"

Nathan explains, "I was forced off the team after it came to light that I'd been manipluating some of the girls on the team..."

"Oh," Chris replies with his eyes wide. "Anyway, next question. Uh... Have you gotten over your elimination?"

Nathan puts his head in his hands and says, "I could have won this. Why did I fail?" Nathan sobs loudly.

Chris looks at Nathan with wide eyes. He tries to ignore Nathan's sobbing. Chris says, "I'm sure the majority of you, the ones not wallowing in self pity, noticed that Evan is not with us, today." Some of the others gasp. Chris assures, "He's alive, he's alive. He was just unable to make it. I guess Bubba has an update on his condition."

Bubba nods. He looks down. He says, "I've been in touch with Evan. He's... he's taken a turn for the worse. I'm not sure if he's going to make it."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Chris states, with a frown. "I hope he recovers."

"Me, too," Bubba replies. "Me, too." Ramona puts her hand on Bubba's back.

"Our love goes out to Evan and his family," Chris says. "This has to be a hard time for everyone involved."

Bubba says, "Thanks, Chris. I'm sure Evan will appreciate that."

Chris nods. He says, "It's the least I can do. I have to move on, though. Skylar was eliminated after he needed to get medical attention for an injury to his arm. How's your arm, Skylar?"

Skylar answers, "I've recovered nicely. I'm really grateful that I got treated in time, though it did suck that I had to leave the competition."

"How do you think you would have done if you hadn't gotten injured?" Chris asks.

Skylar answers, "I think I would have gotten seventh place... Are you kidding? What self respecting athlete wouldn't say they would win?"

Chris asks, "A viewer who wishes to remain anonymous... Him, again? Anyway, he asks, has the time you were trapped with Vanessa changed your outlook any?"

Skylar nods. He says, "Vanessa was the first person I've met that I couldn't get along with, and it really bothered me. I know now that not everyone is going to like me... But, when we were trapped together, that taught me that even if two people don't like each other they can still overcome their differences if they try hard enough."

Chris says, "So next up is Jayden. He was eliminated after he purposely made himself a target. He then switched places with his twin brother to make him feel good about winning individual challenges. Jayden, do you regret what you did?"

"I do," Jayden answers. He looks down at his feet. "I should have had faith in Holden. He could have handled things himself, but... I wanted him to feel as special as I know he is. I felt it was something I could do for him, after all he's done for me."

"This next question comes from Lulu. How did it feel when you two were finally separated?" Chris asks.

Jayden replies, "It was difficult. Especially because of the position that my idea put him in. I felt really guilty, and I was worried for him."

Chris states, "Madison's turn. Madison, did the competition help you to get over your exboyfriend?"

Madison says, "Who?"

Chris replies with a raised eyebrow, "The one that cheated on you, and ultimately broke your heart?"

"I was joking," Madison replies. She rolls her eyes. "I was acting like I didn't even know who you meant. I'm over him."

Chris nods. He says, "Have you learned any major life lessons?"

"That there's more to life than dating?" Madison asks. "This past year, I've tried to enjoy my last year in high school. It only happens once, you know."

"Unless you are forced to repeat it," Chris says, bitterly.

"What?" Madison asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Next on the list is Ramona," Chris explains. "Ramona got voted out when the others thought she was harassing Bubba." Ramona grabs hold of Bubba's cheeks. "Are you and the Bubs still together?"

Ramona nods rapidly. She says, "Me and my little Bubba are still an item, if that's what you're asking."

"Um," Chris says. "That's exactly what I asked. Do you feel bad about how you were eliminated?"

Ramona answers, "Not really, but I do wish that I could have explained to the others that I was just trying to cheer Bubba up."

"That brings us to Bubba," Chris says. "Bubba was eliminated after the others realized that he and Ramona liked each other, and assumed that he wanted to be with her at the loser resort. Bubba, first off, do you regret your reaction to Luke's disease?"

Bubba admits, "Well, yeah. Luke is a nice person. I guess I should have thought about his feelings more. It can't be easy to deal with having AIDS, but he handles his situation with a lot of dignity. I'm glad to say that he forgave me and we're friends."

"I'm glad to hear that," Chris replies. "Has your experience with Evan helped you in any way?"

"I don't know," Bubba answers. "I think so. I mean, he helped me with the situation with Luke, you know, how he said that Luke needed support, and that I should consider his feelings. I've been able to use that in dealing with Evan. I've tried my best to be there for him."

"You mentioned this season that you enjoy writing," Chris recalls. "Has that led to anything?"

Bubba shrugs. He says, "Not really, I... Actually... Evan has been considering writing another book about dealing with his disease, but he's been feeling pretty weak, and hasn't felt that he could type it himself. He asked me to type out what he tells me while he dictates it to me, but... I'm not sure what I should do. I don't want him to feel like he's not going to beat this, but that's his mentality right now, and why he wants to write this book."

"You should do it, Bubba," Chris assures.

Luke insists, "I agree with Chris on this one."

"You really think I should?" Bubba asks. The majority of the gathered Total Drama Athletics participants nod. Bubba nods. "Maybe I will."

"Good," Chris says, while smiling. "Okay, we need to move on to Cassie. She was voted out after she admitted to knowing that Jayden and Holden had switched places. Cassie, the hopeless romantic wonders how you and Jayden are doing?"

Cassie replies, "Fine." She smiles and blushes at the same time.

"So, you're still shy..." Chris observes. "Has Jayden helped you break out of your shell, at all?"

"Wait," Jayden says. "You have a shell? Are you part turtle, or something? I mean, I'm totally fine with that if you are." Cassie laughs, a little.

Chris shakes his head. "I have the feeling I should just move on," Chris says. "Next is Holden, the aforementioned twin of Jayden that was voted out after it was revealed that he and Jayden switched places for challenges. Holden, I guess I should ask if you regret agreeing to go along with Jayden's plan?"

Holden says, "Yeah, I think I've mentioned that I regretted it, but I don't blame Jayden for anything."

"Do you feel that you've gotten over your fear of water?" Chris asks.

Holden shrugs. He says, "I've been going to the community pool, lately, as long as I have a floatation device. I don't feel that I'll ever get over my near death experience, but whenever Jayden is with me I feel safe." Jayden smiles.

Chris yawns and says, "That's sweet, really. On to Vanessa. How do you feel about the way you used to treat men, now?"

Vanessa admits, "I realize that I shouldn't have been so harsh. I still feel that women have been treated poorly, even in modern times, but approaching it in a nicer way would attract more people to my cause."

"Are you still even the slightest bit sexist?" Chris asks.

Vanessa admits, "I'd like to think of it as an uphill battle."

"One more question," Chris says. "Still have the hots for Skylar?" Skylar smirks.

Vanessa glares at Chris. She says, "That's the kind of thoughtlessness that made me hate... Excuse me." Vanessa begins taking in deep breaths, and exhaling. She says, "This might take a while. You might want to move on."

Chris says, "No one tells me to move on." Chris pauses for a brief moment. "Moving on to Tony. He was voted out after Gabby failed to consult with him on who they were voting for..."

"I was in intensive care," Tony highlights.

"Right," Cris says. "If I had a nickel for every girl that used that as an excuse to get out of a date with me... Anyway." The teens look at Chris with wide eyes. Chris clears his throat. "What was it like to be confused for an escaped convict?"

"Not great," Tony frankly replies. "How would you like it if people thought you escaped from the authorities?"

Chris looks back and forth, and laughs nervously. He says, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Tony raises one of his large eyebrows. "Anyway, have people been less afraid of you since your time on the show?"

Tony admits, "Yeah. I guess people got to see the real me, a little bit... Well, not the ones that stopped watching after the episode where it was proposed that I was a convict... Hey, did you know that there's a group of guys that are feared for their appearance that are really nice guys on the inside? I joined their organization." Tony smiles.

Chris says, "Next we'll speak with Alexandria, who was eliminated after Gabby felt that she betrayed their friendship." Chris looks through his cards. "Marriage proposal... Do you realize how hot you are... Another marriage proposal..." Alexandria looks at Chris with her eyes wide. Chris throws the index cards behind his back. He says, "I'll have to wing this one. How does it feel to be a fan favorite?"

Alexandria answers, "Pretty surreal. I don't try to be anyone I'm not, so it was a little surprising to find out how popular I was, though... My fan base seems to mostly be made up of creepers and boys that just hit puberty. But that's okay. I've become the spokesperson for a leading pepper spray company."

"I can think of someone who didn't like you," Chris says. "Have Evan forgiven you?"

"Yes, actually," Alexandria replies. "We've spoken, and he's forgiven me. That means a lot to me. He said that he doesn't want to resent anyone, and he now understands that I was looking after his best interest. Plus, I had to point out that he wouldn't have won if he wasn't even cleared to compete. He understood."

"I'm glad to hear that," Chris admits. "Next, Gabby. Gabby made it to the final two, but ultimately lost the season to Doyce. You had a pretty serious storyline, involving your injuring yourself for intention. Has that continued?"

"No," Gabby admits. "I have Tony to thank for that. I know he really cares about me."

"How has your relationship with your family been since it was revealed?" Chris asks.

"Better," Gabby admits. "They never knew that I felt that they ignored me, so they've been trying their best to fix things."

Chris asks, "I have to ask. How did it feel to lose to Doyce?"

Gabby answers, "Doyce really deserved the win. He's a good guy, though he has trouble showing it. There's no hard feelings there."

"What about with you and Alexandria?" Chris asks.

Gabby nods. She says, "We're fine. It was a gameplay decision. I realize that."

Chris says, "Finally, we've come to Doyce." Doyce smiles. "Oh, look at that. We've run out of time." Doyce frowns. "Just kidding. If we do, we'll just edit out Fernando, or something. How did it feel to be the big winner?"

"Awesome, son," Doyce answers.

Chris says, "Yes! I had a bet with Chef that you'd answer that question that way." Doyce frowns. "Okay, next question. This comes from Ivan." Chris looks suspicious. "Anyway. What's your single best quality?"

"Aw, man," Doyce says. "I can only pick one?" Chris nods. "I guess it would have to be my friends."

"That's nice, Doyce," Alexandria assures.

"It's either that or my butt," Doyce says. "I get a lot of compliments on it." Doyce winks.

Chris says, "One last question. Several viewers have wondered how your relationship with your parents has been?"

Doyce answers, "Better. They try to make time for me, which I really appreciate. I didn't mean to come across as needy, or anything. But feeling loved is something everyone needs."

"That's nice..." Gabby starts.

Alexandria puts her hand on Gabby's shoulder and says, "Wait for it."

Doyce says, "And if there are any hot, single ladies out there, call me." Doyce gestures by putting his fingers into a gesture signifying a telephone.

"There it is," Alexandria says.

Chris says, "And there it is. The end of the reunion, I mean. But before that, I have something to announce. That is Total Drama: Best of the Best. An all-new season featuring some of the most memorable contestants in the show's history. Alexandria, Doyce, and Vanessa are already set to return, with Bubba's involvement pending."

"Chris?" Bubba says. Chris looks at Bubba. "I have an answer for you. I've decided not to return for the next season. I know it might sound crazy, but Evan needs me, now. I can't abandon him."

Chris nods and says, "I think that that's a pretty mature decision. Chris crosses out Bubba's name on his list. Luke?"

"Aw, gosh," Luke replies. "We've got a pretty big bumper crop this season on the farm. I can't leave that to my family, or nothin'... I hope you understand. Maybe next time?"

Chris says, with a confused look, "I completely understand? Um, Jayden?"

"Sure!" Jayden replies.

"Good, I..." Chris starts.

Jayden asks, "Is Holden going to be there?"

Chris answers, "No."

"Oh," Jayden says. "I didn't know that. I guess I'll have to decline."

Chris sighs. "Um, Holden?"

Holden looks at Jayden. He says, "I'll have to decline, as well."

Chris says, "What about you, Tony?"

Tony looks at Gabby. He says, "Chris, I can't leave Gabby alone like that. She means more to me than the competition."

"That leaves..." Chris says. "Skylar?"

"I can't Chris," Skylar admits. "I can't get out of my contract with the circus. You should have asked me earlier."

Chris says, "I guess we'll have to go this season with uneven genders."

"Um," Nathan says. "I'm free. I have no obligations... And I don't have anyone that would miss me..."

Chris stares at Nathan. He says, "I did point out that you're the least popular contestant in the history of the series, right?"

"Yeah," Nathan replies. "The wound still stings."

Chris sighs, "Well, I guess I have no choice." Chris tosses a contract to Nathan. Nathan slowly signs it. "Oh, well. I guess every contestant can't be a winner. Well, Tsuyoshi and Doyce are the only technical winners returning... So, we'll see you next season. Thanks for watching Total... Drama... Athletics!"