The night air at Camp Wawanakwa was thick with more than just the smell of campfire smoke and mosquito repellent. It was heavy with the stench of betrayal and the looming threat of the Dock of Shame.
The Screaming Gophers sat on their respective logs, but the usual chatter was absent. The elimination ceremony felt different tonight; it felt like a reckoning.
Chris McLean stood before them, his teeth glowing unnaturally white in the flickering orange light. He held a plate with eight marshmallows—eight lifelines for nine people.
"Tonight," Chris began, his voice dropping the playful persona for a more theatrical, menacing tone, "someone's journey ends. One of you let your team down. One of you let your fear win. And one of you is going home."
The Secret Ballots
Before the ceremony, the confessional stall had been a revolving door of tension and strategy. The voting had been fractured, reflecting a team that no longer knew who to trust.
Ezekiel sat in the wooden stall, looking unusually thoughtful. "I'm voting for Cody, eh? It's not that he's a bad guy, but we barely talk, and he spent the whole challenge shaking like a leaf over a pile of glitter. If we're gonna survive this island, we need people who can keep their heads on straight." (1 vote: Cody)
Owen followed shortly after, looking guiltier than usual. "Sorry, Cody! You're like a little brother to me, but we need muscle! Big, beefy muscle!" He scribbled Cody's name down with a heavy heart. (2 votes: Cody)
Justin was the next to enter. He didn't look at the camera; instead, he was focused on a small smudge on his handheld mirror. "Trent showed his true colors today. A leader doesn't run from a guy in white face paint while his teammate is six feet under. It's pathetic." He wrote Trent's name in elegant script. (1 vote: Trent)
Heather smirked at the camera, her eyes cold. "Trent is distracted. First by Gwen, then by his own cowardice. He's a liability." (2 votes: Trent)
Lindsay looked at the two photos in front of her. "I'm voting for... the guy with the guitar? Yeah, him. He ran away! That's like, totally not cool." (3 votes: Trent)
Cody bit his lip, staring at the photo of Justin. "The guy didn't even try. He sat there and looked at himself while the rest of us were actually working. Beauty doesn't win challenges." (1 vote: Justin)
Leshawna was even more blunt. "Justin is all looks and zero heart. We can't have a teammate who's more afraid of a pimple than losing the game. He's out." (2 votes: Justin)
Gwen was the final voter. Her face was a mask of stoic disappointment. She thought about the silence on the walkie-talkie. She thought about the fear she felt in that box. "Trent failed me. But Justin... Justin is a waste of a teammate. We need people who contribute." She marked Justin's photo. (3 votes: Justin)
Trent, desperate to stay, cast a lone vote for Lindsay, hoping the others would target her for her failure on the minefield. (1 vote: Lindsay)
The Campfire Ceremony
Back at the fire, Chris began to call the names.
"Leshawna. Heather. Owen." Three marshmallows flew.
"Gwen. Ezekiel."
Gwen caught hers and immediately leaned toward Ezekiel, nodding her head in thanks for earlier. Ezekiel caught his with a proud grin.
"Lindsay."
"Cody."
The final marshmallow sat on the plate. Trent and Justin stood side-by-side. One was the team's former star, the other its most beautiful enigma.
"We have a tie!" Chris shouted, his eyes gleaming. "Three votes for Trent, three votes for Justin. According to the rules of Total Drama, we go to a Sudden Death Tie-Breaker!"
The Alliance of the Outcasts
As the crew set up the tie-breaker arena, the team was given a five-minute break. Justin stood alone by the water, looking at his reflection in the dark lake. He looked shaken. The realization that half his team wanted him gone because they thought he was "just a face" was stinging more than he cared to admit.
Ezekiel walked up to him. He didn't stand as a competitor, but as a peer.
"You're thinking about it, eh?" Zeke asked.
Justin sighed, not looking up. "They think I'm useless, Zeke. Maybe they're right. Maybe I'm just here to look good."
"That's bull," Ezekiel said firmly. "I saw you today. You were terrified, but you stood there. You didn't run. Trent ran. You've got more spine than that guitar player ever will. Don't let them be right about you. Go in there and show 'em you're more than just a pretty face."
Justin finally looked at the homeschooler. He saw a kid who had been mocked and ignored, yet was still standing tall. "Why are you helping me, Zeke?"
"Because," Ezekiel shrugged, "on this island, everyone's an outcast eventually. Might as well have a friend when it happens, eh?"
Justin smiled—a real, genuine smile that wasn't for the cameras. "Thanks, Zeke. I won't forget this."
The Sudden Death: Justin vs. Trent
The arena was divided. On one side, the Mime stood on a white stage, his eyes fixed on Trent. On the other, the "Room of Perfection" stood—a chamber of mirrors designed to distort and uglify even the most handsome features.
"Trent," Chris announced. "Stay on the stage. If you run, you lose. Justin, enter the room. Stay for three minutes without looking away from the distorted mirrors. If you turn away, you lose."
The challenge began. The Mime immediately started his routine. He mimicked Trent's trembling. He 'built a wall' around him, inching closer and closer. Then, the Mime performed the 'invisible windstorm,' leaning his body weight directly into Trent's space, his white-painted face inches from Trent's.
Trent's breathing became shallow. "No... get him away... I can't... I can't!"
On the other side, Justin stepped into the mirror room. The lights were blinding. He looked into the first mirror and saw himself with a crooked nose, sagging skin, and bloodshot eyes. He gasped, his hand instinctively reaching for his face. He wanted to scream and bolt for the door.
But then he heard a whistle from outside. He glanced through the glass and saw Ezekiel giving him a thumbs-up.
Justin closed his eyes for a second, centered himself, and then stared directly into the distorted image. He stopped seeing the "ugliness" and started seeing it as a test. He stood like a statue, defying the mirrors to break him.
Back on the stage, the Mime made a sudden movement, pretending to 'fall' onto Trent.
"STAY THERE, TRENT!" Gwen yelled from the sidelines.
But it was too much. Trent let out a panicked yelp, jumped off the stage, and sprinted back into the woods, disappearing into the darkness for the third time that day.
BZZZZZZZZT!
"Trent is out! Justin wins the tie-breaker!" Chris shouted.
Justin stepped out of the room, his hair a mess and his face pale, but he had a look of triumph that no mirror could capture. Ezekiel was the first one to reach him, clapping him on the back.
The Dock of Shame
The Gophers stood on the dock as the Boat of Losers arrived. Trent stood with his suitcase, looking small and defeated.
"Gwen, I..." Trent started.
Gwen looked at him, then at Justin—who was still standing by Ezekiel—and then back at Trent. "You should have stayed, Trent. I needed you to stay. Zeke was the one who actually talked me through it. I think... I think we're done."
Trent looked like he wanted to argue, but the boat's engine roared, and the intern pulled him away. The "Golden Boy" of the Gophers was gone.
As the boat faded into the distance, Justin turned to Ezekiel.
"He's gone," Justin noted.
"Yeah," Zeke replied. "And we're still here, eh?"
Justin reached out and gave Ezekiel a firm handshake. It wasn't a PR move or a play for the cameras. It was a bond between a guy who had just found his courage and the kid who had helped him find it.
It was a strange sight for the rest of the Gophers: the most beautiful man on the island and the social outcast, forming a solid wall of friendship.
Gwen watched them, a small, genuine smile touching her lips. She looked at Ezekiel, who was now blushing because she hadn't let go of his hand yet.
"Hey, Zeke?" Gwen whispered as they walked.
"Yeah, Gwen?"
"Thank you. For everything today. For the radio... and for being braver than the 'cool' guys."
She leaned in and, for the second time that day, gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. Ezekiel's brain practically melted, and he nearly tripped over a tree root, making Gwen laugh softly.
The Screaming Gophers had lost their lead musician, but as they walked back into the camp, they were stronger than ever. The popular hierarchy had crumbled, replaced by a bond between a Goth girl, a model with a new backbone, and a homeschool kid who was finally finding his place in the world.