One Flu Over the Cuckoos

**"One Flu Over the Cuckoos"** is the eighth episode of the second season of *Total Drama*.

*“Girl, I cannot believe you've been crying! You never cry, not even Mr. Bunny Rabbit's funeral!"
"You nuts. I was making sure they vote me the heck out of here for the night."
"I'd do it with too fool to be true!"
"Ah, a night away from Total Drama and my behind.”*
―Leshaniqua and Leshawna
The campers take part in a medical-themed challenge. Izzy returns from her elimination. This makes Owen happy. Leshawna tries to make an alliance with Duncan and Harold, who are enemies. Later, a deadly disease breaks out. When Duncan and Leshawna are the only ones left, they rescue the cast, Leshawna fake cries so she can get an award to a spa night with her best friend and cousin.

## Plot

The episode opens with the castmates returning to their trailers from the previous Gilded Chris Ceremony. The Screaming Gaffers are still discussing Gwen's departure, and all of them are still shocked about the deal she made with the other team in the previous episode. The Killer Grips then watch Izzy as she begins to reminisce about the features of the film lot that she recalls. Yawning, Lindsay declares that she is going to sleep, but finds the door of the trailer to be locked. The guys' trailer is also locked, confusing and irritating the castmates. In the midst of their confusion, an unexpected ambulance drives past them. This frightens Izzy, who believes it to be the police. The ambulance leaves behind a stretcher with a body-like shape on it, resting underneath a cloth. The figure reveals itself to be Chris, who tells the castmates to calm down, as they "aren’t dead... yet".
Chris then tells them that he is only present to prepare them for the following day's challenge. He then throws them each a thick textbook, claiming that it is equivalent to "the total of eight years of medical school". The castmates are then told that tomorrow they will be "playing doctor". Duncan is then shown in the confessional, talking about how much he dislikes doctors, but how he enjoys playing doctor, most likely because he gets to stick things into people, and to have control. Harold is shown next, with an intern's arm seen powdering him, talking about how he could be a doctor if he wanted, as he has contracted over three hundred known diseases. When he says this, the intern moves away. The castmates are shown again, where Chris tells them that they should memorize the entire content of the textbooks by morning. Heather then protests that it is already very late, to which Chris just begins to talk about how "no medical school all-nighter is complete without pizza". Chef then brings a large stack of pizzas to the castmates, which they are shocked to find out is actually quite good, although Leshawna is slightly suspicious.

Meanwhile, DJ is shown in the kitchen with Chef Hatchet, worried that his team will wonder where he is. Chef tells him that as long as the others are eating, they won't think twice about where DJ is. Chef then convinces him to continue to make the pizza. Beth and Justin are then shown, along with the rest of the Killer Grips, eating pizza and studying around a fire pit outside of the trailers. Justin asks Beth if he squints when he reads, to which she replies, blushing, that she doesn't know, as his shirt is distracting her from answering. Justin then, before Beth could even complete her sentence, throws off his shirt, flustering her. She then slaps the textbook out of his hands and offers to read it to him (which he intended for her to do), as to "spare his beautiful eyes". She continues to stare at Justin as she begins to read Chapter One, "Anatomy", which makes Beth nervous.

Owen and Izzy are then shown, sitting on the opposite side of the fire from Beth and Justin, also studying and eating. Owen begins to tell Izzy about how he and his brothers had once had a "no-hands-pizza-off", saying that she "should have been there". Izzy then decides to "pretend that she was" there, and crouches on the ground, beginning to tear apart another pizza, still in the box, with her teeth. Due to her getting remains of the pizza everywhere, the other team members begin to become angry as they get covered in the pizza sauce. Izzy is then shown in the confessional, talking about how she is glad to be back on the show. She also claims to have been top of her class in pre-medical school, saying that the challenge will be a snap. Owen is then shown, talking about how great it is to have Izzy back, comparing it to Christmas, but with pizza, portmanteau-ed as "Pizzmas".

The Screaming Gaffers, besides DJ, who is still with Chef, are shown in the dining hall, also studying and eating. Duncan is shown doing more eating than studying, claiming that the pizza is "rad", while Harold questions whether Leshawna is going to have any of the pizza. Leshawna is then shown in the confessional, talking about how she loves pizza, but saying that her digestive system does not cope well with dairy products. The camera then returns to showing the team, while Duncan continues to eat the remains of the pizza. Harold tells him to stop, as DJ might want some. At the mention of their absent teammate's name, Heather suspiciously begins to question where DJ is. DJ overhears their conversation, and quickly slips out of the kitchen and into the dining hall, claiming he was there the entire time and requests a slice of pizza. After receiving one from Duncan, DJ realizes how good it is and compliments himself.

Leshawna then rises from the table, telling her team that she doesn't want to study any longer. She explains that, as the following day's challenge is a reward challenge, they do not need to work so hard. Duncan agrees with her, dropping his book and the pizza, and follows Leshawna out of the dining hall. In the confessional, Heather is then shown talking about how she *could* have forced them to stay, but claimed that they couldn't help the team win unless the challenge was about piercings or plus-sized shopping.

Leshawna and Duncan are then shown walking towards the trailers. Leshawna then stops Duncan, and begins to talk about starting an alliance as, now that Gwen is gone, they need to "watch their backs" around Heather. She suggests that they, along with Harold, should form such an alliance in order to band against her, and gain an advantage in the game. At the mention of involving Harold, Duncan laughs. Leshawna then becomes irritated as Duncan walks away. The following morning, all of the castmates, save Duncan and Leshawna, are exhausted from their all-nighter. While Harold complains over exhaustion and Lindsay claims her "brain is full", Duncan and Leshawna are flaunted their night's sleep, much to the others' annoyance. The castmates are then lead into a studio by Chris, who begins to prepare them for their challenge. He provides them with doctor-like outfits, asking if they are ready for the challenge. Heather claims that some are more ready than others, indicating Leshawna. Leshawna responds by saying that she made had own choice, while Chris grows excited over the tension between them, calling it his "favorite". Chris then explains their challenge, which he titles "Visiting Hours". He tells them that the reward given to the winners can only go to one person, who, when Duncan asks who 'the one' will be, Heather calls "the person who most directly contributes to the win". In the confessional, Heather is shown talking about how she will be the one who will receive the reward.

Harold is then shown, asking Chris what the reward is, to which Chris compliments him on being perceptive, but goes straight into describing the challenge, rather than answering his question. The challenge is to assemble a cadaver, and when Lindsay asks if he means a dead body, Chris replies that he means a giant dead body. Chris then explains that there are two tanks, containing the dismembered parts of a cadaver. Once a player answers a question, whose answer they would have learned from the studying they had done, they will attach themselves to a harness and dive into the tank to hopefully retrieve a part. The part will then need to be snapped into its correct place on the platform. Once the cadaver is completely assembled, the teams will pull them to the roof, where they will be reanimated by a blast of lightning. The first team to do so was to win the challenge.

The challenge then begins when Chris asks the first question, which Beth correctly answers. She is lowered into the tank, but ends up finding an electric eel and get electrocuted, which Chris states he forgot to mention. Chris then tells the castmates that if they get shocked three times by the eels, they will lose the chance to retrieve a body part. Despite, Beth still manages to retrieve a part and the challenge continues. Heather answers the next question correctly and receives a part, which Harold attempts to catch, but he is trampled by Duncan, who catches it instead. The next question is correctly answered by Owen, who gives a correct, but ridiculous-sounding answer, after which, Chris admits to the camera that he had changed some of the terms in the books he had given to the castmates. Owen then attempts to receive a part, but the rope attracted to his harness breaks, dropping him into the tank.

This is followed by a number of clips of castmates answering questions and attempting to receive parts for their cadaver, or "FrankenChris". The first one is of DJ, correctly answering a question, but he appears to fail to receive a part. Lindsay is then shown answering the question and retrieving a part. They then show the two teams assembling their cadavers, as they collect more of the pieces over time. Izzy is then shown answering a question correctly, followed by Owen, but it is not shown whether either of them did or did not receive a part. They then show Duncan, on the harness, attempting to pull out a piece of the cadaver. Harold is then shown, being attacked by eels, but managing to retrieve the head of the FrankenChris, leaving them in need of only one more part, while the Killer Grips still need two.

Next, Heather is shown, retrieving the final piece for the Screaming Gaffers. She tosses it to Duncan, who, before setting it in the platform, takes advantage of a distracted Harold by pulling down his pants. Harold then angrily yells at him, before Leshawna rushes over and tells them to separate. Harold then hops away, while Leshawna tells Duncan to "stop getting up in Harold's grill". Leshawna then tries to comfort Harold, telling him that Duncan was "just playing". Harold then claims that Duncan was lucky that he didn't attempt to use karate on him, and beings to rapidly move his arms, which forces his pants to fall down again. Leshawna then tells Harold that she thinks that they and Duncan would make a great alliance. Harold refuses, calling Leshawna 'nuts,' then hops away, annoying Leshawna. Harold is then shown in the confessional, questioning why Leshawna even talks to Duncan. He insists that Duncan is a "worthless punk" or his name isn't "Harold Norbert Cheever Doris McGrady V". Harold then hurriedly tells the camera person not to tell Duncan about the "Doris" part.

They then show the castmates, who are attempting to complete the challenge. The Screaming Gaffers then attempt to raise their completed cadaver to the ceiling quickly, as the Killer Grips are only shortly behind them. The Killer Grips soon begin to raise their platform too, with Justin, Beth and Lindsay pulling, while Izzy and Owen watch. Izzy, overexcited as she watches the completion of the challenge, bites Owen on the arm only to discover an "icky" sore on his arm. Izzy then observes that he is 'burning up,' right before Owen lets out a "lemony burp". Justin quickly observes those as symptoms of a disease in the book, which Beth says is "Mortatistical Crumples Disease" which she recalls is fatal. Adding to the fear and shock already in place from this news, Heather adds that is it also highly contagious. Chris then quickly removes himself from the room, blocking the 'only' exit. Outside of the door, Chris reveals that there is "more to the disease than either team knows".

Inside of the studio, Duncan expresses his confusion at how Owen could somehow get a deadly illness. Owen then nervously wonders if it is "just the twenty-four-hour kind of fatal". Izzy then worriedly swears to him that she'll find a cure. Harold then declares that they need to quarantine Owen, while Beth has already blown up the quarantine bubble for him, and Duncan, Justin, and Leshawna are already lifting him and carrying him to the bubble. Heather then spots another sore on DJ, who claims that it must be a mistake, but is quarantined all the same. Owen then begins to say he is getting claustrophobic, to which Lindsay wonders if that is another symptom. Owen the beings to roll around in the bubble, claiming he wants to get out. Owen scrambles around the set, like a pinball, leading Heather to call him a "deranged pinball of death", adding him to their quickly growing list of problems.

Next, Harold decides that they need to confirm that no one else has been infected. He begins to list off the symptoms of "Mortatistical Crumples Disease" which are explosive diarrhea (which, once he says it, sends Lindsay running into the port-o-potty inside the studio), itchy lips (after which Justin begins to feel like his lips are on fire, and they become inflamed as he itches them), sudden hot flashes (which Beth is shown currently experiencing), seasickness (which then has Heather throwing up), speaking in tongues (which, after he says such, Izzy is shown speaking in gibberish), and temporary blindness. At first, no one has the last ailment, until Harold crashes into Izzy by accident, causing him to believe that he is suddenly blind. Leshawna is then shown in the confessional, claiming that, although the challenges are meant to be dangerous, she doesn't think they'd actually let one of the castmates die. However, Chris is then shown in a video watching/editing room, saying that, "although you'd think they wouldn't, it would be very good for the show's ratings". The castmates are then shown, and, all, but Duncan and Leshawna think they are fatally ill. Duncan attempts to take a moaning Harold's temperature with a rectal thermometer, to which Harold tells him that he is the sick one. Yet, Duncan continues to attempt to put it inside Harold's mouth until Leshawna intervenes, giving him a glass of water.

Duncan then observes that he and Leshawna are the only two who are not sick, yet they are also the only two who hadn't studied all night. Leshawna agrees that she is starting to question the disease also, and says that they need to see the textbooks, as there must have been a detail that the others missed. Duncan then reminds her that the only exit is sealed, but Leshawna then finds another exit by lifting themselves up on the platforms. Duncan complains that he is not a fan of heights when Leshawna tells him to come along, and Leshawna reasons with him, stating that she is not a fan of dying. Duncan, who believes Leshawna has a point, decides to go along with her. Once they are outside of the studio, they split up, Duncan going to get a textbook, while Leshawna goes to the kitchen. Leshawna is then shown in the confessional talking about how she takes a practical approach to both Total Drama Action and life. She explains her thoughts; she says that if someone is too nice to you, then there must be a reason why, and it will not be pretty.

Meanwhile, the sick castmates are starting to reach their breaking point. Owen, still in the bubble, is crying, DJ, also still trapped in the bubble, desperately needs to go to the bathroom, Justin is complaining about how horrible his lips look, as Beth is offers to kiss Justin before they both die. Meanwhile, Heather is writing her will, leaving all her awards and recognitions to her mother, having to vomit frequently. She continues her will, leaving nothing for her siblings, telling them to earn it themselves, referring to them as "lazy slackers". Amidst all of the chaos, Duncan and Leshawna reenter the studio, bringing the truth about the "disease". Duncan, through his extensive knowledge of forgery and faking, can tell that the textbooks the castmates were provided with are fake. He rips off the covers, revealing that they are cereal boxes. However, at that moment, Duncan also experiences diarrhea, and runs into the bathroom.
Harold then tells Leshawna that it can't be all fake, as none of them are pretending to be sick. Leshawna then tells them that the cheese in the pizza was full of itching powder and laxatives, which explains most of the symptoms, such as the explosive diarrhea that Duncan and Lindsay suffered from. Leshawna pops DJ's bubble, and peels off the sore on DJ's arm – revealing it to be nothing more than a slice of pepperoni. Leshawna tells DJ he needs to shower, but DJ says that he needs to use the bathroom first, and rushes off into the port-a-potty. Owen, however, is still trapped inside, only to be let out by Izzy, who unfortunately had timed letting him out right after he had farted. This greatly disturbs the other castmates, especially Justin who complains about the stale and smelly air. The other symptoms, such as temporary blindness, are questioned until Izzy diagnosed them as "first year medical school condition", saying that their over-studying and lack of sleep had made them believe they had the disease.

Chris then comes down on a platform, announcing that the Screaming Gaffers had won, due to Duncan and Leshawna. He tries to mention their reward, but then remembers he had forgotten it, and leaves for a brief moment. During that time, Leshawna mentions the potential alliance to Duncan and Harold, saying that she just wanted it to "get Heather out of her face". This time, she takes a firmer approach than she did last time. Duncan then reveals that he knows of Harold's middle name being "Doris" by teasing him, and says that he is not sure if he can work with "Doris". This is followed by Harold in the confessional, accusing the camera person of telling Duncan. He says that he won't reveal any more secrets of his, but ends up accidentally revealing them anyway. He reveals that he has a teapot collection back home, and wears a wizard's robe when he plays Solitaire. Harold is then shown refusing to be in an alliance with Duncan, though he says he would have accepted wholeheartedly if it were just Leshawna. Leshawna then angrily exclaims that they are both fools.

At this point, Chris returns, telling them that their reward is to spend time with their best friend. The team begins to argue over who will receive the award, until Leshawna begins to cry, telling them that she was so afraid of losing them. A shocked Heather admits that Leshawna "does have a heart", while Duncan admits that she had contributed the most to the challenge. She is then voted unanimously by the team to receive the reward, to which she tells them that they are all beautiful people. She then leaves the studio, crying, and gets into the lame-o-sine to greet her best cousin Leshaniqua. Her cousin expresses shock that she had been crying, saying that she never cries. Leshawna, redoing her makeup, said that she had just faked it in order to win the reward. She then expresses how glad she is to be away from "Total Drama Pain-in-my-behind" for a short while. Chris responds to her negative attitude towards the show by saying that he hopes her morals and attitude will improve at the spa. He then signs off the show.

### Exclusive clip

Leshaniqua talks in the confessional about not understanding its point. She then tries to impress a guy from TV by telling him to call her. Lastly, she says that Leshawna is cool, but she might be a lot more popular if she comes home with a million dollars.

## Characters

"Beth

* Chef Hatchet
* Chris
* DJ
* DJ's mother (*picture frame; debut; no lines*)
* Duncan
* Duncan's parole officer (*picture frame; debut; no lines*)
* Harold
* Heather
* Heather's mother (*picture frame; debut; no lines*)
* Heather's brother (Damien) (*mentioned*)
* Heather's sister (*mentioned*)
* Izzy
* Justin
* Leshaniqua (*Leshawna's cousin, debut*)
* Leshawna
* Owen
* Philonius (*picture frame; debut; no lines*)

## Trivia

### General

* Pictures of everyone whom the Screaming Gaffers are close to are shown:
	+ Duncan's parole officer (who is patterned after Tyler's original design from Camp TV)
	+ DJ's mother
	+ Heather's mother
	+ A male in a wizard cape who Brian Froud, Harold's voice actor, has named "Philonius". It is unknown if he is a relative or friend of Harold's.
		- He resembles Harvey, an aftermath guest, only with red hair, no glasses and paler skin.
	+ Leshawna's favorite cousin, Leshaniqua, appears. (her design is the same as Leshawna's original design for Camp TV, but with a slightly different wardrobe color)
* When Izzy hears the sirens in the beginning of the episode, she screams out "Cops!", and hides in a nearby bush, pointing out that she may still be on the run from the RCMP.
* The symptoms that the castmates experienced were:
	+ Owen has a sore on his arm, a 'lemony burp' and a fever.
	+ DJ also has a sore on his arm.
	+ Justin's lips are inflamed.
	+ Harold has temporary blindness.
	+ Beth is having hot flashes.
	+ Heather is sea sick.
	+ Lindsay (and eventually Duncan) have explosive diarrhea.
	+ Izzy is speaking in tongues.
* It is revealed that Heather has a sister, in addition to her little brother, Damien. Like her brother, Heather also detests her sister.
* This is the first episode in the series where Gwen does not appear. Although, she is mentioned by her team at the beginning of the episode.
* Harold reveals that his full name is "**Harold Norbert Cheever Doris McGrady V**".

### References

* This episode's title and content are parodied from the 1962 novel and 1975 film, "*One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest*".
* This challenge is mainly based on the doctor/medical movie genre. It does, however, contain other movie genre elements, such as the horror genre with the Frankenstein-like setting and horror music in the beginning of the episode.
* The challenge to construct a "FrankenChris" is a reference to the famous novel *Frankenstein*, by *Mary Shelley*.

### Goofs

* When the Screaming Gaffers were putting the last hand onto their 'FrankenChris', it was thrown to Duncan who then got distracted with pantsing Harold with it, and never put it on the platform. Then, several seconds later, Duncan was thrown the last arm, with another hand connected to it.
* Both Heather and Harold were shocked three times by the eels, but were not disqualified, although Chris might have meant three attempts, in all of which you were shocked.
* Before the challenge, the castmates had to wear uniforms. However, after the break, when they all suspect Owen of being contagious, their uniforms are missing and they don't return anywhere later on.
* When Izzy bites Owen's arm and spots the red sore (pepperoni), it is on the inside of his arm near the armpit, but when he puts his arm down, it is on the outside of the arm where Izzy bit him.
* The information on a digital television says that the title of this episode is 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo' instead of 'One *Flu* Over The Cuckoo*s*.
* After Chris explained the challenge's reward was for one person, the Screaming Gaffers were fussing over why it was for one person only. At this time, Duncan turns, and his nose piercing is on the wrong side.
* When everyone is sick except Duncan and Leshawna, Leshawna tells Duncan to climb up the chain, and he says he's not a big fan of heights. Yet, in the previous season and episodes, there was no sign of this fear from him whatsoever.
* Leshawna states that she never cries, yet she is seen crying over Duncan's acting in Riot On Set.