My goal for Episode 8 is to have that review done by Thursday the latest. I've already given you guys the speech about how busy college has made my life, I don't need to go through that again. But since I'm a bit rushed I'll just jump right into this episode. Last time believe it or not, Heather, the queen of mean, and some might say the queen of Total Drama (a common title for her American fans since she's the only female winner in the United States, and I'm sure that applies to other parts of the world too that aren't named Canada...) was voted off. Of course Alejandro was to blame. Alejandro, Scott, Gwen, Courtney, and Cameron remain on the Vultures with Sierra, Duncan, Zoey, and Mike on the Hamsters.
The show starts off with Sierra learning in a very unique way that being a teen mom is hard and time consuming. She seemed to have an easier time with it in her first season (Season 3, Episode 22), and with a mutant twoheaded rat, she certainly has her hands and face full, the later which is full of barf. Can't have Total Drama without barf every few episodes, am I right? If that were real and I were on that show, I would be freaking out a lot more with the high frequency of barfing, but as a viewer of an animated cartoon, it doesn't affect me as much. Weird stuff when you take time to think about it. While Scott continues to display his eagerness to eat Chef's crappy food to the rest of his team, Alejandro walks towards the other four vultures and is not greeted warmly. Alejandro tries to play off his legs' "miraculous recovery" but it seems Alejandro's luck in this game might have just run out. Courtney predicts that the teams will be merging soon, if not this episode, and warns Alejandro to watch his back.
What is it with Courtney doing so much to win back the respect she lost from me over the past two seasons? I don't know but I like it. She's sticking it to Al. SHE'S CALLING HIM AL! Courtney was Alejandro's biggest supporter even after she knew of Alejandro's evil and deceiving nature in Total Drama World Tour (Season 3, Episodes 24-26) and then up until this episode, the two haven't really interacted much, but now it's clear Courtney's not on his side anymore. This episode makes me think this might be Courtney's all time best season, even better than her run in Total Drama Island, but a lot can still happen in the episodes that remain. Anyway, Alejandro is still bugged by people calling him Al and tells us that he had a dream about his brother, Jose. I sure wish we could meet Jose someday....Anyway Scott gets defensive about Alejandro not liking the name Al, saying his sister is named Al, short for Albertha, the county hog caller champion or something. Let me just say that the hog Scott attracted with his call is adorable. And Chris interrupts this interesting conversation with the beginning of the next challenge. And Mal definitely left his mark on Boney Island.
Duncan tries to talk to Zoey about Mike saying that he knew him from juvey as Mal. And Zoey's initial reaction of disbelief is expected. I mean it's very difficult to picture Mike in juvey. But it wasn't Mike then, it was Mal. Zoey doesn't know what to believe since it's a lot to process, but at least she's giving Duncan a chance to say what he has to say instead of being defensive for her boyfriend's sake. Duncan suspects that Mike/Mal broke Cameron's classes, Duncan's knife, Sam's game guy, and Sierra's hardly-resembling-a-phone-with-much-intelligence smart phone. Zoey thanks Duncan for the info and calls him thoughtful and considerate, which Duncan quickly denies, and after Sierra's mutant rat messes up an intern's face, we get to the challenge. Oh, and Mike and Mal meet face to face (well it's in Mike's mind so not really, but you get the picture) and we get a bit of background on their connection and Mal has no intention of letting Mike free now that he finally regained control. Cameron is immediately frightened when he sees a boxing ring and writes "his last will", along with revealing his full name in the process. At this rate we'll know all 52 contestants' (counting the 14 new guys in season 6) full names after like 15 seasons, maybe haha. Chef is scared of Mike now, after seemingly getting his ass handed by him (probably not, but the thought of that is hilarious and entertaining). The challenge is a mix of Phobia Factor (Season 1, Episode 7) and No Pain, No Game (Season 1, Episode 9) where if you last a whole round or defeat your opponent, you score for your team. First to three wins immunity. "NOW LET'S GET READY TO PUMMEL!!!!" but not without giving Zoey her reward: a point for the Heroes and exemption from the challenge. Pretty solid reward. And either Cameron is a really good spot or he forgot he's on the Villains team, as he celebrates the point with the other Heroes. Silly Cameron...you're supposed to be the smart one.
Scott goes up first and is up against Fang (oh gee, what a surprise). Scott is too petrified to even shriek as Fang makes quick work of Scott, who can't even "Wake up and smell the gloves hitting you in the face, Scott!" (great line, Courtney! That was excellent advice). But it didn't do Scott any good as he lost his fight. Gwen helps Courtney lift Scott to.....a nearby hospital? Idk where they would take him but nice to see them cooperating. Gwen quickly noticed how Courtney "treated her like a human being" and celebrates such a difficult and rare accomplishment. Courtney thinks it's about time to let Gwen off the hook and is certain that she wouldn't kiss Scott. I think Courtney's right and she doesn't have to worry about that, but just in case, GWEN! WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT KISS SCOTT! Just being sure. Sierra's up next and is forced to fight the mother of her pet. Cameron states that the odds of both Scott and Sierra getting personal opponents is "astronomical" (what a drama queen....there's 8 slots on the wheel, so 1/8 times 1/8 is 1/64. Or if opponents can't be repeated, 1/8 times 1/7 is 1/56. It's definitely not astronomical but it's unlikely. But this doesn't matter. We all know Chris and Chef are rigging this. Why else would they tie the challenge in with Phobia Factor? Sierra gets beat pretty easily and lands on Cameron. Before the match Sierra "broke up" with Cameron due to the stresses of parenthood, but after the mother reclaimed her kid, Sierra rescinded that motion. So close, Cameron. So close. Right when you think the kid gets a break, all he can do is break Sierra's fall after losing the challenge. Alejandro goes up next. Courtney hopes Alejandro gets Heather, and Gwen agrees, but Alejandro would rather face Heather than................JOSE! We finally meet him! This just got a lot more exciting! Jose wastes no time taunting "Al", and Alejandro has a confessional saying how Jose is better at him in school, sports, and even......PERSONAL GROOMING (I know, what an FML moment right there. You almost feel sorry for Al.....NOT! haha) Duncan wonders why they're only going for body shots, but in the Burromuerto family (Alejandro revealed his last name in Season 3, Episode 2), you never go for the face. I guess that's more reasonable than fights in Justin's family, where you don't go for any part of their beautiful bodies and they just....stand there? Maybe they're good at staring contests....no shock Justin wasn't in All Stars.
Alejandro has enough of Jose and goes rage mode. "That's for always calling me Al! That's for hogging the bathroom mirror! And replacing my soap with a urinal cake! (FINISH HIM....haha Mortal Combat reference) And THIS is for calling any aspect of Heather UNATTRACTIVE!!!! (fatality) Of course Jose's not dead. But Alejandro won the match and made the score 1-1. Mike goes next but Cameron explains to everyone that the game is rigged. Sierra, Scott, and Alejandro all got their biggest enemies matched up with them. It's definitely not random. Chris tries to cover his master plan by purposely giving Mike a different opponent: Izzy in a spider costume, provoking Cameron's fear of Izzy (Season 4, Episode 4). Izzy thinks Mike smells weird..."good on the outside, bad on the inside" (what a coincidence). Mike tries to communicate to Izzy but Izzy is confused, but her mentioning Mal's name startles Zoey and Duncan. After plenty of "chitter chatter", Mal takes care of business and Mike earns a point for the Heroes upon defeating Izzy 2-1. Cameron feels slightly more confident now that Spider Izzy can't be his opponent, but he ends up facing four mutant gophers instead and it's definitely enough to defeat Cameron. Too bad he doesn't have his Iron man suit anymore (Season 4, Episode 13). Duncan's up next and he tries to hype himself up to be a "bad boy" as he prepares for his fight, hoping that this challenge can help earn him back some street cred. But he's matched up with the blue bird he met last episode, and Duncan just can't bring himself to fight it so he forfeits the match. Ok Courtney was a little too harsh on Duncan. That would be pretty mean to hurt that bird, even if this was a challenge.
Gwen and Courtney both volunteer to go next and share in some laughs. Chris makes Gwen spin and she gets Courtney, but both initially refuse to fight each other since they're friends. However, Chris uses Sierra's Gwuncan blog videos of Gwen and Duncan kissing as incentive to get the fight going. Courtney loses her cool and starts punching, saying that's what Gwen gets for kissing her boyfriend. Gwen retaliates by saying Duncan wasn't her boyfriend at the time (again Gwen, he was!). Duncan tells Alejandro about how they're fighting over him. That pleases Duncan since girls don't fight over good guys (I don't think girls fought over Alejandro before, oh wait Courtney and Heather maybe sorta did in Season 3) but then the bird shows up and Duncan's soft side is re-exposed. They keep going until Gwen tells Courtney that she only came back to Total Drama to rebuild their friendship and Courtney says she missed Gwen and not Duncan. So in a touching moment, Gwen and Courtney stop fighting and agree to be "totes friends forever" (Courtney's words, not mine, but touching nonetheless). Chris gives both Courtney and Gwen a point to give Villains a 3-2 victory.
At the bonfire ceremony, Duncan tries to get Zoey to vote off Mike, and brings up the possibility of Mike being Mal's alternate personality instead of the other way around. A conflicted Zoey contemplates this information in the confessional. Chris says he has an announcement. Courtney expects a merge and Alejandro claims that he feels he can just power through the merge by winning challenges. I guess sticking it to Jose has given him even more confidence and arrogance. I know, hard to believe. But instead Chris says the Villains get to eliminate a Hero and the Heroes get to send a villain to exile on Boney Island. Eh, it's a new one, I'll give it that. It might alter the course of the game down the road. And the villains deliberate and decide to send Sierra out of the game. Sierra wonders why they chose her, and here comes some BS from Cameron. I bet Cameron did a lot of convincing to get his stalker he inherited from Cody out of the game with this chance. Cameron disguises those obvious intentions by saying Cody needs Sierra. And I'm sure it was enough for Sierra to buy it. Zoey, Duncan, and Mike agree on sending Alejandro to exile. So yeah, Alejandro doesn't seem to be in the best position right now with all guns aimed at him. Duncan says Mal is lucky the Heroes couldn't vote. And maybe he's right. Duncan probably convinced Sierra and if Zoey votes for Mike or Sierra and Mal/Mike votes for Duncan, Mike would've been out. But it could've also been Duncan. But it's Sierra. Everyone besides Alejandro (who is exiled) is there to bid farewell to Sierra. Gwen tells her to say hi to Cody for her and Duncan asks Sierra to keep posting Gwuncan videos (nice one, Duncan). So Sierra is out! I was excited to see Sierra back and I knew it would be different without Cody, but honestly we got what we expected. She kept thinking about Cody and her weirdness was as transparent as ever.
So yeah my predictions didn't go so hot last time considering what happened this episode but it's hard to predict the twist that occurred at the bonfire. So here are my predictions
8.Alejandro
7.Cameron
6.Duncan
5.Gwen
4.Mal(Mike)
3.Courtney
2.Scott
1.Zoey
-I know it's bold for me to predict Alejandro to be the next one to go since it seems too easy for Alejandro to get voted off right now. However with the rise of Mal and with Scott still around, we don't really need him to be a villain for the show this season.
-Mal's gonna start backstabbing and he starts with Cameron.
-Duncan and Mal go head to head but Mal pulls some strings. Also neither Courtney or Gwen like him.
-Gwen is an obvious threat at this point and I bet Mal wins immunity to justify voting Gwen off at that point
-Mike regains control of Mal but at that point no one trusts him and he's next to go.
-Zoey wins the final 3 challenge and thinks Courtney is the bigger threat so she votes her off, and she probably would like to beat Scott in the finale. But interestingly Zoey and Scott haven't been interacting this much this season despite them being enemies.
-I've said this before: Zoey would make sense as the next Total Drama winner. She just fits the bill IMO.
Sorry Scott but you've been more funny than annoying this season so far.
Honestly Courtney, Scott, and Zoey in the finale would be pretty good. I see at least one of those three in the final 3. Also since there needs to be a double elimination episode, maybe Mike and Courtney's eliminations would be in the same episode and after Mike's vote off, they do another quick challenge followed by another quick vote.
Well this season's half over, but I hope it's still entertaining. It's been fun seeing things play out the way they had and hopefully it'll continue. However in a series that lacks female winners, a final 8 consisting of 5 boys and 3 girls is a bit concerning for those that care about that. See you guys for the next episode.
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Twitter: @vaporterra
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
TDAS Episode 6 Review: No One Eggspects the Spanish Opposition
Yeah college and midterms and social life. All the mortal enemies of regularly scheduled blogs. But it's still a good 18 hours or so before the next episode airs so better late than never!
So last episode definitely ended on an interesting note with a big presence of Mike's evil personality "The Malevolent One", Heather successfully duping Alejandro by feigning her being affected by the weird moon, Gwen and Courtney being, you know, themselves, and CAMERON BEING SWITCHED TO THE VILLAINOUS VULTURES! The first team switch made perfect sense. Duncan will deny it all day but he does have some heroic qualities, and I see Courtney mostly as a bossy brat but definitely more as a villain than a hero. But Cameron is not a villain at all. The worst he does is accidentally helping villains by not keeping secrets (Season 2, Episodes 8 and 9), but Owen did that too. I know Cameron was switched because he was supposed to be eliminated, but that elimination was BS as well. Cameron wanted to quit because Sierra was annoying him. Then why couldn't he just ask Zoey and Mike (and why not Duncan? Doubt he'll care) to vote Sierra off? But as illogical and paradox as that all was, it definitely set the stage for an interesting episode with an overused egg pun (ok this is 2013, like 95% of egg puns we've heard before).
The episode opens off with a little interaction between the two former Heroes on the Villains team. Courtney tells Cameron that there's no point fixing his glasses when he's going to be voted off next. Courtney is glad Cameron is on her team so if it comes down to "last hired, first fired", it's not at her expense. Courtney has had their moments in this season but this is why I can't stand her. She's a b**ch just to be a b**ch. Sure Heather and Jo are like that as well, but they go a lot farther and at least they diss people in ways that are more interesting, funny, and less like a 5th grade hall monitor/class president. The boyfriend kisser, I mean the much nicer girl in the C-D-G love triangle (this might be the very last episode I can refer to them that way) helps Cameron fix his glasses and is successful. Heather gets in an insult while Alejandro, a master of the art of insult-compliments, shows Cameron why he's a master with a few words from him. Noticing Cameron and Gwen are getting along, Heather tries to form an alliance with Alejandro, which Alejandro agrees to by kissing her hand. Heather thinks its gross, probably because his lips have touched a lot of other things (such as a wooden effigy, which he frenched in Season 3, Episode 26). And right on queue are confessionals from both sides of this love/hate/strategy relationship saying they don't plan on keeping this alliance in tact. Big shocker. They showed us throughout season 3 that they can't trust each other to save their lives.
Over at the Heroes in the much less impressive cabins, Zoey commends Duncan for accepting an apple from her, noting how Duncan is trusting people more. Duncan is horrified by such an accurate revelation, and wonders if that's why Gwen broke up with him (getting colder, Duncan). His knife breaks, thanks to some tampering from The Malevolent One. In the cabin, Zoey sees Sierra cry about Cameron being switched to the other team, saying she misses Codycam. Zoey corrects Sierra by saying Cameron, but Sierra doesn't take it well and continues to cry, but not after telling Zoey that her ears and face are wrong. Ok Sierra, you're taking this a lot better than I thought. Zoey tries to go after Sierra but Mike shows up, scares her, and then offers her an apple. WHO STICKS A SLICE OF APPLE ON A KNIFE, MIKE?! No wonder you scared the crap out of Zoey. I'm pretty sure people in Canada don't do that shizz. That's just weird. Zoey is wondering about what's gotten into Mike, thinking the real Mike is still there, while Mike is worried about Zoey being around him while he's been all weird. The Malevolent One stops by to hint that his next target may be Zoey.
Chris calls in the contestants for the next challenge, revealing the destination is a place called the "Fun Zone", which Sierra finds amusing. Well seasoned Total Drama veterans Heather and Duncan make some good guesses about what the Fun Zone might actually be, but Chris appeases them by saying his lawyers felt that Chris should cut the teens some slack this time. The boat appears, with Scott in it, who was on Exile Island that night, but everyone's going to Boney Island since that's where the Fun Zone is. As they walk to the challenge, Chris says that he hopes someone finally finds the Invincibility Statue. Scott explains how he had spent so much time looking for it without any results, and assumes there is no statue. Chris replies by saying it's in the Fun Zone, which excites the contestants. Chris seals the gate, trapping them in the Fun Zone. The challenge is to collect the eggs of the mutants from season 4. First team to 6 eggs wins the challenge. And if an egg hatches, they keep the point if they keep what's inside. This challenge is similar to the challenges from Season 3, Episode 22, and Season 3, Episode 6, borrowing the egg collecting and mutant interaction elements. Also, whoever collects the most eggs for the winning team gets a special reward. Scott begins to doze off so Chris yells at him through a megaphone. Duncan laughs as it causes Scott to fall in an attempt to prove he's a villain, but then goes and helps Scott up, prompting Duncan to shout this manly phrase in the confessional: "GOSHIE GOSH POOPY FACE FUZZIE SLIPPER!!!!". Since it's bad for ratings, Chris ditches the ingenuine "good luck" for "I hope some of you get hurt". Sierra asks Cameron if they want to go egg hunting together. Cameron reminds Sierra they're on different teams now. Sierra dgafs and wants some Camody time, but Gwen pulls him away from her. Chris is starting to get freaked out by Sierra. Hahaha...starting.
Courtney wakes Scott up and gets him to go egg searching with her. Zoey gets scared of Mike randomly showing up but Mike apologizes and tries to get close to her, and Zoey eventually warms up to him and goes with him to find eggs. Alejandro skillfully obtains the first egg for the Villains, and Heather comes in just in time to take it from him to score one for herself. Villains lead 1-0 but Alejandro notices that the Heroes could steal eggs and put them in their basket. Because nothing but integrity can stop them. And of course Heather would know enough about "integrity" to know it doesn't mean much in Total Drama (although give your opponents a little credit. They are the Heroes, after all. Stealing eggs isn't very heroic). Mike and Zoey have a little teamwork moment as Zoey encounters Larry once again, who has an egg. They are successful in taking the egg from Larry. Duncan denies Sierra's offer to work together (and let Sierra call him Cody) since he's "evil", and a tentacle throws Duncan against the tree and allows him to obtain an egg. Mike and Zoey's Larry egg hatches into little Larries before it reaches the basket so no point (one of the hatchlings looked uncomfortably a lot like Chris. His love life is so sad). Duncan however puts his egg in the basket and ties it up 1-1. Duncan ends up guarding the basket for the Heroic Hamsters, and it doesn't get more fun when Alejandro says it's like they're two mother hens. Heather tells Courtney and Scott that Alejandro is targeting Scott but that they should vote off Alejando at the next ceremony. Sierra finds the 2nd egg for the Heroic Hamsters but it hatches into a little two headed rat thing. Duncan tells Sierra to guard the eggs while Duncan goes looking for more, to which Sierra happily agrees. And then with an awkward egg pun-heavy transition to the commercial break (so bad that Chris wants to fire whoever wrote it, which is funny because I thought Chris wrote it himself at first), the episode continues.
Courtney wonders how Scott and his cast put up with these mutants, to which Scott replies with a valuable life lesson: "What doesn't horribly maim or devour you only makes you stronger". Scott and Courtney have a "Scourtney" moment before being interrupted by a mutant gopher, and Courtney saves Scott's butt, along with obtaining an egg for the Villains. Heather, Cameron, and Gwen each put an egg in the basket to give the Villains a 4-2 lead. Heather tells Alejandro that she'll watch the basket, allowing him to leave. Heather uses the opportunity to tell Gwen and Cameron that Alejandro wants Cameron out next but she'll help them vote off Alejandro. Cameron doesn't know whether or not to trust Heather, but Heather warns him that it's his funeral, and leaves the "Heroes on the wrong team" (a group I'm sure both Cameron and Gwen identify with) to guard the eggs. After a close encounter with a bat-goat, Heather finds the Invincibility Statue in a cracked egg. Alejandro saw the whole thing and can't believe Heather found it. But he'd find it harder to believe that Heather left it behind, hiding it in between some rocks, which gives Alejandro a chance to steal it from her. Heather brags about finding it to Alejandro and tells him it's not on her, but he doesn't seem to care. Smart on his part to not seem affected by it. But none of Alejandro's poker faces will impress Heather that much. Mike and Zoey discuss what was gone wrong for Mike lately, and try to come up with a solution as they stumble across a nest full of eggs. Meanwhile Duncan scores for the Heroes, reducing the Villains lead to 4-3. Duncan talks big about what it took to get that rather small egg, but Chris replays the footage and Duncan even begins to cry a little when trying to take the egg from a bird. And now it appears Duncan might be invited for a 5th season: Total Drama All Stars Sweethearts vs. Bigger Sweethearts. And Duncan reveals in the confessional that he MIGHT qualify for the Sweethearts team. Hahaha. "Might".
Courtney makes it 5-3 for the villains and Mike and Zoey approach their basket with a lot of eggs. Heather needs to toss her egg in order for them to prevent the heroes from winning. However the egg hatches in midair into a bat-goat that harms Cameron, so it's no good since it never reached the basket. Mike and Zoey dump the eggs into their basket to win the challenge for the Heroes. Tough break for the Villainous Vultures but this should be an interesting elimination. Heather goes back to find her statue but can't find it, and blames Chris for taking it, even though Chris denies being the culprit. Heather is pissed but she feels confident that she secured the votes to send Alejandro home. She promises us, but I don't think she should've done that. She's not good at keeping promises. Meanwhile Mike drops a big boulder on his head in hopes of turning everything back to normal. All it does is seal Mike away in his brain, and now the Malevolent One seems to be in even more control. That can't be good. Will definitely make future episodes interesting, hopefully. On the way to the bonfire ceremony, Gwen pulls Courtney aside and tells her that she broke up with Duncan, wants to keep their friendship strong, and will vote with Courtney no matter what. Also, before the vote, Chris reveals that Zoey won the reward for her performance in today's challenge, which will be revealed at the next challenge.
The Villains vote and for the first time this season, no marshmallows are handed out. But the eliminated player is Alejandro. Heather is obviously the first to celebrate, but a bit premature considering that Alejandro used the Invincibility Statue. The reactions on faces is pretty interesting to watch, especially Scott, who is probably kicking himself for being unable to find it. So Alejandro's votes don't count so he's safe. Good move by him to keep him in the game. Also by standing up, he revealed to everyone left that his legs are working fine. That might've also been a source of shock. Heather is at a loss for words and is raging at Alejandro, but Chris stops the party in time to tell Heather that since she received the only vote that wasn't for Alejandro, she's out. Heather can't believe it and I don't think anyone watching this can. Who would've thought Heather would go out like this at this time. This makes TDAS her worst performance in Total Drama, after 3rd in TDI, 9th in TDA, and 1st(USA)/2nd(Canada) in TDWT. Mike goes to Exile Island but The Malevolent One whistles, which allows Duncan to remember him. Turns out Duncan knows Mike from juve, and back then he ran the place and was known as Mal. And Duncan seems to think Mike is some form of trouble. So maybe some Duncan and Mal drama is in store...
I find it funny that aside from Chris, Alejandro is the only person that came to see Heather leave. Alejandro considers the slate clean after getting revenge for what she did to him in TDWT, but Heather tells Alejandro to get lost by pushing him away before getting flushed. Whenever Heather gets voted off, it's always a big occasion. Like in TDA, her elimination definitely caught us off guard since many predicted she'd get farther. As much as Heather has grown on me in recent seasons (her win in TDWT and her cameo in TDROTI were both boss), I'm not sad she's out. It'll never be something to cry about. I mean she's Heather. She's come a long way from being my 22nd favorite TDI contestant, but she's still herself.
So here are my predictions
9.Duncan
8.Courtney
7.Gwen
6.Cameron
5.Mike
4.Sierra
3.Alejandro
2.Scott
1.Zoey
-Now that Duncan remembers Mal, Mal will probably catch on and eliminate Duncan the first chance he gets to cover his tracks
-Alejandro will notice Scott and Courtney's bonding as well as Gwen and Courtney's, and try to stir something up to get Courtney out and succeeds.
-Gwen is a big threat and she'll probably be shaken up about Courtney's elimination, making her an easy target. I know it sounds unlikely that all three of the former love triangle get eliminated in a row, but that's just how I picture it now.
-I think Alejandro, Mal, and Scott will form a temporary alliance to blindside the brains of the remaining Heroes.
-Mike fights back and conquers Mal but only after being voted off by the rest of the remaining players for scheming too much
-I think Sierra is gonna screw up some how at this point and find herself eliminated
-Remembering that Alejandro screwed Courtney, Scott helps Zoey take down Alejandro
-Being better friends than before but still not 100% besties, Scott and Zoey put on an epic finale with Zoey coming out on top.
So yeah I'm sticking with my prediction that Zoey will win. So far so good since everything's been going well for her, aside from the uncertainties with Mike. And with that I definitely look forward to the next episode of Total Drama All Stars! Episode 7, the midway point of the season
-Vaporterra
So last episode definitely ended on an interesting note with a big presence of Mike's evil personality "The Malevolent One", Heather successfully duping Alejandro by feigning her being affected by the weird moon, Gwen and Courtney being, you know, themselves, and CAMERON BEING SWITCHED TO THE VILLAINOUS VULTURES! The first team switch made perfect sense. Duncan will deny it all day but he does have some heroic qualities, and I see Courtney mostly as a bossy brat but definitely more as a villain than a hero. But Cameron is not a villain at all. The worst he does is accidentally helping villains by not keeping secrets (Season 2, Episodes 8 and 9), but Owen did that too. I know Cameron was switched because he was supposed to be eliminated, but that elimination was BS as well. Cameron wanted to quit because Sierra was annoying him. Then why couldn't he just ask Zoey and Mike (and why not Duncan? Doubt he'll care) to vote Sierra off? But as illogical and paradox as that all was, it definitely set the stage for an interesting episode with an overused egg pun (ok this is 2013, like 95% of egg puns we've heard before).
The episode opens off with a little interaction between the two former Heroes on the Villains team. Courtney tells Cameron that there's no point fixing his glasses when he's going to be voted off next. Courtney is glad Cameron is on her team so if it comes down to "last hired, first fired", it's not at her expense. Courtney has had their moments in this season but this is why I can't stand her. She's a b**ch just to be a b**ch. Sure Heather and Jo are like that as well, but they go a lot farther and at least they diss people in ways that are more interesting, funny, and less like a 5th grade hall monitor/class president. The boyfriend kisser, I mean the much nicer girl in the C-D-G love triangle (this might be the very last episode I can refer to them that way) helps Cameron fix his glasses and is successful. Heather gets in an insult while Alejandro, a master of the art of insult-compliments, shows Cameron why he's a master with a few words from him. Noticing Cameron and Gwen are getting along, Heather tries to form an alliance with Alejandro, which Alejandro agrees to by kissing her hand. Heather thinks its gross, probably because his lips have touched a lot of other things (such as a wooden effigy, which he frenched in Season 3, Episode 26). And right on queue are confessionals from both sides of this love/hate/strategy relationship saying they don't plan on keeping this alliance in tact. Big shocker. They showed us throughout season 3 that they can't trust each other to save their lives.
Over at the Heroes in the much less impressive cabins, Zoey commends Duncan for accepting an apple from her, noting how Duncan is trusting people more. Duncan is horrified by such an accurate revelation, and wonders if that's why Gwen broke up with him (getting colder, Duncan). His knife breaks, thanks to some tampering from The Malevolent One. In the cabin, Zoey sees Sierra cry about Cameron being switched to the other team, saying she misses Codycam. Zoey corrects Sierra by saying Cameron, but Sierra doesn't take it well and continues to cry, but not after telling Zoey that her ears and face are wrong. Ok Sierra, you're taking this a lot better than I thought. Zoey tries to go after Sierra but Mike shows up, scares her, and then offers her an apple. WHO STICKS A SLICE OF APPLE ON A KNIFE, MIKE?! No wonder you scared the crap out of Zoey. I'm pretty sure people in Canada don't do that shizz. That's just weird. Zoey is wondering about what's gotten into Mike, thinking the real Mike is still there, while Mike is worried about Zoey being around him while he's been all weird. The Malevolent One stops by to hint that his next target may be Zoey.
Chris calls in the contestants for the next challenge, revealing the destination is a place called the "Fun Zone", which Sierra finds amusing. Well seasoned Total Drama veterans Heather and Duncan make some good guesses about what the Fun Zone might actually be, but Chris appeases them by saying his lawyers felt that Chris should cut the teens some slack this time. The boat appears, with Scott in it, who was on Exile Island that night, but everyone's going to Boney Island since that's where the Fun Zone is. As they walk to the challenge, Chris says that he hopes someone finally finds the Invincibility Statue. Scott explains how he had spent so much time looking for it without any results, and assumes there is no statue. Chris replies by saying it's in the Fun Zone, which excites the contestants. Chris seals the gate, trapping them in the Fun Zone. The challenge is to collect the eggs of the mutants from season 4. First team to 6 eggs wins the challenge. And if an egg hatches, they keep the point if they keep what's inside. This challenge is similar to the challenges from Season 3, Episode 22, and Season 3, Episode 6, borrowing the egg collecting and mutant interaction elements. Also, whoever collects the most eggs for the winning team gets a special reward. Scott begins to doze off so Chris yells at him through a megaphone. Duncan laughs as it causes Scott to fall in an attempt to prove he's a villain, but then goes and helps Scott up, prompting Duncan to shout this manly phrase in the confessional: "GOSHIE GOSH POOPY FACE FUZZIE SLIPPER!!!!". Since it's bad for ratings, Chris ditches the ingenuine "good luck" for "I hope some of you get hurt". Sierra asks Cameron if they want to go egg hunting together. Cameron reminds Sierra they're on different teams now. Sierra dgafs and wants some Camody time, but Gwen pulls him away from her. Chris is starting to get freaked out by Sierra. Hahaha...starting.
Courtney wakes Scott up and gets him to go egg searching with her. Zoey gets scared of Mike randomly showing up but Mike apologizes and tries to get close to her, and Zoey eventually warms up to him and goes with him to find eggs. Alejandro skillfully obtains the first egg for the Villains, and Heather comes in just in time to take it from him to score one for herself. Villains lead 1-0 but Alejandro notices that the Heroes could steal eggs and put them in their basket. Because nothing but integrity can stop them. And of course Heather would know enough about "integrity" to know it doesn't mean much in Total Drama (although give your opponents a little credit. They are the Heroes, after all. Stealing eggs isn't very heroic). Mike and Zoey have a little teamwork moment as Zoey encounters Larry once again, who has an egg. They are successful in taking the egg from Larry. Duncan denies Sierra's offer to work together (and let Sierra call him Cody) since he's "evil", and a tentacle throws Duncan against the tree and allows him to obtain an egg. Mike and Zoey's Larry egg hatches into little Larries before it reaches the basket so no point (one of the hatchlings looked uncomfortably a lot like Chris. His love life is so sad). Duncan however puts his egg in the basket and ties it up 1-1. Duncan ends up guarding the basket for the Heroic Hamsters, and it doesn't get more fun when Alejandro says it's like they're two mother hens. Heather tells Courtney and Scott that Alejandro is targeting Scott but that they should vote off Alejando at the next ceremony. Sierra finds the 2nd egg for the Heroic Hamsters but it hatches into a little two headed rat thing. Duncan tells Sierra to guard the eggs while Duncan goes looking for more, to which Sierra happily agrees. And then with an awkward egg pun-heavy transition to the commercial break (so bad that Chris wants to fire whoever wrote it, which is funny because I thought Chris wrote it himself at first), the episode continues.
Courtney wonders how Scott and his cast put up with these mutants, to which Scott replies with a valuable life lesson: "What doesn't horribly maim or devour you only makes you stronger". Scott and Courtney have a "Scourtney" moment before being interrupted by a mutant gopher, and Courtney saves Scott's butt, along with obtaining an egg for the Villains. Heather, Cameron, and Gwen each put an egg in the basket to give the Villains a 4-2 lead. Heather tells Alejandro that she'll watch the basket, allowing him to leave. Heather uses the opportunity to tell Gwen and Cameron that Alejandro wants Cameron out next but she'll help them vote off Alejandro. Cameron doesn't know whether or not to trust Heather, but Heather warns him that it's his funeral, and leaves the "Heroes on the wrong team" (a group I'm sure both Cameron and Gwen identify with) to guard the eggs. After a close encounter with a bat-goat, Heather finds the Invincibility Statue in a cracked egg. Alejandro saw the whole thing and can't believe Heather found it. But he'd find it harder to believe that Heather left it behind, hiding it in between some rocks, which gives Alejandro a chance to steal it from her. Heather brags about finding it to Alejandro and tells him it's not on her, but he doesn't seem to care. Smart on his part to not seem affected by it. But none of Alejandro's poker faces will impress Heather that much. Mike and Zoey discuss what was gone wrong for Mike lately, and try to come up with a solution as they stumble across a nest full of eggs. Meanwhile Duncan scores for the Heroes, reducing the Villains lead to 4-3. Duncan talks big about what it took to get that rather small egg, but Chris replays the footage and Duncan even begins to cry a little when trying to take the egg from a bird. And now it appears Duncan might be invited for a 5th season: Total Drama All Stars Sweethearts vs. Bigger Sweethearts. And Duncan reveals in the confessional that he MIGHT qualify for the Sweethearts team. Hahaha. "Might".
Courtney makes it 5-3 for the villains and Mike and Zoey approach their basket with a lot of eggs. Heather needs to toss her egg in order for them to prevent the heroes from winning. However the egg hatches in midair into a bat-goat that harms Cameron, so it's no good since it never reached the basket. Mike and Zoey dump the eggs into their basket to win the challenge for the Heroes. Tough break for the Villainous Vultures but this should be an interesting elimination. Heather goes back to find her statue but can't find it, and blames Chris for taking it, even though Chris denies being the culprit. Heather is pissed but she feels confident that she secured the votes to send Alejandro home. She promises us, but I don't think she should've done that. She's not good at keeping promises. Meanwhile Mike drops a big boulder on his head in hopes of turning everything back to normal. All it does is seal Mike away in his brain, and now the Malevolent One seems to be in even more control. That can't be good. Will definitely make future episodes interesting, hopefully. On the way to the bonfire ceremony, Gwen pulls Courtney aside and tells her that she broke up with Duncan, wants to keep their friendship strong, and will vote with Courtney no matter what. Also, before the vote, Chris reveals that Zoey won the reward for her performance in today's challenge, which will be revealed at the next challenge.
The Villains vote and for the first time this season, no marshmallows are handed out. But the eliminated player is Alejandro. Heather is obviously the first to celebrate, but a bit premature considering that Alejandro used the Invincibility Statue. The reactions on faces is pretty interesting to watch, especially Scott, who is probably kicking himself for being unable to find it. So Alejandro's votes don't count so he's safe. Good move by him to keep him in the game. Also by standing up, he revealed to everyone left that his legs are working fine. That might've also been a source of shock. Heather is at a loss for words and is raging at Alejandro, but Chris stops the party in time to tell Heather that since she received the only vote that wasn't for Alejandro, she's out. Heather can't believe it and I don't think anyone watching this can. Who would've thought Heather would go out like this at this time. This makes TDAS her worst performance in Total Drama, after 3rd in TDI, 9th in TDA, and 1st(USA)/2nd(Canada) in TDWT. Mike goes to Exile Island but The Malevolent One whistles, which allows Duncan to remember him. Turns out Duncan knows Mike from juve, and back then he ran the place and was known as Mal. And Duncan seems to think Mike is some form of trouble. So maybe some Duncan and Mal drama is in store...
I find it funny that aside from Chris, Alejandro is the only person that came to see Heather leave. Alejandro considers the slate clean after getting revenge for what she did to him in TDWT, but Heather tells Alejandro to get lost by pushing him away before getting flushed. Whenever Heather gets voted off, it's always a big occasion. Like in TDA, her elimination definitely caught us off guard since many predicted she'd get farther. As much as Heather has grown on me in recent seasons (her win in TDWT and her cameo in TDROTI were both boss), I'm not sad she's out. It'll never be something to cry about. I mean she's Heather. She's come a long way from being my 22nd favorite TDI contestant, but she's still herself.
So here are my predictions
9.Duncan
8.Courtney
7.Gwen
6.Cameron
5.Mike
4.Sierra
3.Alejandro
2.Scott
1.Zoey
-Now that Duncan remembers Mal, Mal will probably catch on and eliminate Duncan the first chance he gets to cover his tracks
-Alejandro will notice Scott and Courtney's bonding as well as Gwen and Courtney's, and try to stir something up to get Courtney out and succeeds.
-Gwen is a big threat and she'll probably be shaken up about Courtney's elimination, making her an easy target. I know it sounds unlikely that all three of the former love triangle get eliminated in a row, but that's just how I picture it now.
-I think Alejandro, Mal, and Scott will form a temporary alliance to blindside the brains of the remaining Heroes.
-Mike fights back and conquers Mal but only after being voted off by the rest of the remaining players for scheming too much
-I think Sierra is gonna screw up some how at this point and find herself eliminated
-Remembering that Alejandro screwed Courtney, Scott helps Zoey take down Alejandro
-Being better friends than before but still not 100% besties, Scott and Zoey put on an epic finale with Zoey coming out on top.
So yeah I'm sticking with my prediction that Zoey will win. So far so good since everything's been going well for her, aside from the uncertainties with Mike. And with that I definitely look forward to the next episode of Total Drama All Stars! Episode 7, the midway point of the season
-Vaporterra
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
TDAS Episode 5 Review: Moon Madness
We're down to the final 10. You look at the number of contestants at the start of the season and the number of episodes: 13 episodes with 14 contestants. You think the numbers are just right for one elimination per episode the whole way through. That's what happened to me. But then the way this episode ended changed things. So let's get started.
The episode starts off with the Heroes getting their first taste of losing in a while-literally. And it tastes like Chef's disgusting food. Cameron appears to have tripped and his face landed on the bowl of gruel, but Zoey saw Mike stick his hand out from under the stairs. Zoey wonders why Mike would do that and if he messed with Sam and Sierra's personal items as well. Who would've thought Zoey would be the first one to come this close to solving that mystery. And then Sierra has a funny confessional. "My hand looks so weird without my phone! And if I don't have my phone, do I even exist? And if I can't talk to him, does Cody exist?". I think Sierra just accurately represented the entire current generation of teenage girls when they lose or break their phones. Way to go, super Cody lover! Sierra obnoxiously tries to get Zoey's attention to confirm that Sierra isn't invisible, but Zoey temporarily goes deaf because of it. In the Hotel, we don't know what Gwen is up to (OH I KNOW! Plotting another prank against Courtney! Just kidding...what do I look like, Chris McLean?) but Heather gets annoyed by Alejandro while they eat, which is the beginning of another manipulation session between Heather and Alejandro. Like we didn't have enough of those in season 3. But I guess it wouldn't be the same without one here, either. Courtney feels like she misses something, and it takes a bird that laughs just like Scott to realize she misses him. She then wonders about him at Boney Island. Scott is looking for the Invincibility Statue (which is weird because it's not like there isn't anything else to do there....oh wait) but gets chased by a bear until the helicopter picks him up.
Scott literally gets dropped off by Chef and Courtney is immediately concerned, although Scott is alright. Courtney changes the subject to shift her concern towards being prepared for the challenge, and Scott doesn't mind her bossiness. "Maybe it's because my pappy's in the army and my mama's a waiter, but I just like taking orders". This is interesting considering Scott was the one being manipulative last season. And then Courtney tells us she's only interested in Scott as an ally, and that he's cute in a similar way to an old shack with nice curtains. Um ok, you lost us there, miss CIT. So Chris explains the challenge which has elements from Season 4, Episode 4 and Season 4, Episode 8's challenges. First team to have all their members cross the finish line at the other end of the forest wins immunity. Duncan says the challenge seems easy. But this time Chris doesn't have the Salad Spinner flown in. Chris instead explains the full moon tonight has an unusual effect on the animals of this island. The Villains get a map with the quickest route as their advantage for winning last time. The Heroes get bacon hats and sausage tails. Mike and Cameron think they should follow the Villains to have the quickest route as well. Zoey then tells Cameron that Mike tripped him earlier.
Cameron asks Mike about what happened earlier and what Zoey told him. Mike apologizes and explains things have been weird for him lately since his other personalities are nowhere to be found and he thinks he might be breaking things by accident. Cameron forgives him and offers to help him. Cameron runs into a tree but Sierra picks him up, and offers to be his eyes, ears, and "however many nostrils you need me to be". That last part was weird but funny. Oh and she calls him Cody again. Yeah, I bet you knew that. Ok moving on...Sierra points out the moon which fascinates the Heroic Hamsters. The Blue Harvest Moon takes effect and the nice animals become vicious and the vicious animals become nice. The moon also activates The Malevolent One. "How fortuitous". This voice is just perfect for evil Mike. I just....I just can't...oh and The Malevolent One's Mike impression was great. "Hi. I'm a bug-eyed weirdo and everybody loves me". Gosh he might be my favorite villain in this series. I don't know. But he's been interesting so far. The Villainous Vultures notice a friendly alligator. Notice how close Scott and Courtney are to each other. Scourtney fans, anyone? Alejandro explains the effect of the moon and Heather turns out to have become nicer as well, freaking everyone out, especially Al.
Now the animals start attacking the contestants. Sierra fights off birds as Cameron flees from her. Gwen and Courtney run away from the bunnies but Scott isn't afraid, at least until he gets his, as Owen would say, "gass" handed to him by those bunnies. Zoey and Duncan are dealing with animal issues while Mike encourages Cameron to take the opportunity to distance himself from Sierra. Sierra's bacon hat keeps the animals busy but then Zoey and Sierra realize that all the guys are gone. After Heather finishes cuddling with the alligator, she leads her team down the correct path. Courtney and Gwen make fun of how Heather is being affected by the Blue Harvest Moon like the other animals, but then Courtney quickly remembers she doesn't like Gwen. Cameron tells Mike that he lost access to his personalities after the beach challenge when Scott hit him in the head with a shovel, and then The Malevolent One flings Cameron to make him fall down the hill and Cameron gets separated from everyone on his team. Cameron is about to get attacked by bunnies but Sierra saves the day. Sierra carries Cameron around with a weaved backpack, similar to how she carried Cody around once (Season 3, Episode 21). If I were Cameron, I'd be like "oh yeah, free ride, let's do this Sierra!", but of course he's not enjoying that situation for what it is.
The Villainous Vultures encounter a rope bridge. Suspecting a trap, Gwen goes around, which annoys Courtney but disappoints nice Heather. "Everyone who's ever seen a movie knows that the rope bridge always breaks! Also I'm pretty sure Heather has rabies". This has been Gwen with her mad reasoning skills. Meanwhile Duncan recognizes The Malevolent One's voice and swears he recognizes Mike from somewhere. Mike then uses a bird to attack Duncan. "(evil laugh) Toodles". I don't know why that line is so funny, it just is! Scott demonstrates how people from his home run across these bridges: while flailing their arms in panic and screaming. Like a boss, bro. Scott gets attacked by a beaver and cuts down one side of the bridge, making it more difficult for Courtney, Heather, and Alejandro to cross. Heather slips and almost falls but Alejandro saves her, to which Heather wittily replies with "I knew you still cared about me". Ooh plot twist! Heather faked the whole Blue Moon thing to mess with Alejandro. You got served, Al! Al says he should've let her fall, but what do you expect dude? You saved her from being stuck in a hole (Season 3, Episode 23) so you wouldn't do that. Courtney takes the beaver from Scott to cut the rest of the bridge which proves to be a double-edged sword because neither the Heroic Hamsters or Gwen can benefit from it. As Duncan gets chased by a bird and Gwen gets chased by chipmunks, Duncan saves them both with his sausage tail. Duncan immediately asks Gwen if Courtney talked about him, which pisses Gwen off like DJ's Mama gets pissed when people (and I people, I mean Beth) pukes in her bus (Season 2 special). Gwen has every reason to be mad since Duncan can't stop thinking about Courtney, but Duncan can't see why Gwen is upset. And Duncan is always quick to diss guys Courtney flirts with, like Tyler (Season 3, Episode 15). Notice Duncan twitching at the end of his confessional. So sad, Duncan, so sad...
The Heroes notice the bridge is out and Mike tries to explain his absence by being chased by a bear, even though bears under this moon would be nice. Sierra tries to use a vine to get her team across and it just barely works. Zoey knows Mike is lying and is wondering what's up with him. Courtney is mad that Gwen still hasn't crossed the finish line yet and gets attacked by a deer. Gwen comes to her rescue, saying Courtney would do the same for her (we, including Courtney, all know that's not true at all, but sure, keep telling yourself that, Gwen). Sierra, Mike, Cameron, and Zoey reconnect with Duncan and head towards the finish line. The moon reverts to normal so the deer isn't violent but Mike is himself again and forgets why he's there. This lapse of concentration allows Courtney and Gwen to beat Mike to the finish line and the Villainous Vultures win immunity. And Blalejandro is relieved that Heather is being mean to him again. Gwen wishes she was on the Heroes team but Duncan tries to comfort her and then solicit information about Courtney. Gwen is over Duncan's Courtney obsession and breaks up with him. Once again being on a different team than her boyfriend proves not to work out. But this was on Duncan, not on Gwen. Gwen had every right to be upset. "When he kissed me on the plane after the London challenge, I felt fireworks. This time, it was like being kissed by a shoe". Ouch. Sucks to be you, Duncan.
Scott volunteers as tribute for Exile Island! Haha I had to take the chance for a Hunger Games reference. Courtney is concerned but Scott tells her he needs to find the Invincibility Statue. Cameron then quits because he's tired of Sierra annoying him. However Chris decides that the eliminated Hamster would be a new Vulture. So Cameron is now on the Villainous Vultures! And I must say, that's just a crazy idea. Cameron a villain? That makes no sense! They should've made Mike switch. But hopefully this has some plot opportunity. Cameron tells Mike he'll try to help him as best as he can, even if he's on the other team. And Cameron gets an awkward welcome from his new teammates. Also it was funny how Sierra tried to remedy the situation with Cameron. "Are you allergic to tall grass? I can get chains instead". Yeah Sierra, that would be an improvement.
So the Villains have a 6-4 lead. With Gwen and Duncan breaking up, Zoey suspicious of Mike, Cameron on a new team, Heather and Alejandro's rivalry heating up, Scott and Courtney growing on each other, the rise of The Malevolent One, and Sierra being cuckoo for Codypuffs, I'm excited for next episode. Also I'm wondering when the double elimination could be. Anyway here are my predictions
10th: Cameron
9th: Mike
8th: Gwen
7th: Sierra
6th: Duncan
5th: Heather
4th: Alejandro
3rd: Courtney
2nd: Scott
1st: Zoey
The Malevolent One's confessional seems to be foreshadowing potentially getting Cameron eliminated IMO. Then I think both teams will be forced to vote someone off. Mike gets voted off because Zoey convinces Sierra and Duncan that he's being sneaky now, and then Gwen gets voted off because Courtney convinces Scott to vote Gwen off and Gwen, Heather, and Alejandro's votes are scattered. Then in the merge Sierra gets voted off either for being strong or for being annoying. Then I feel Courtney will get back at Duncan. And from there I think that would be a good order for the remaining Villains to fall as my pick to win Zoey finishes in 1st, hopefully.
That's my review. I'm sorry it took forever to post but I've been busy with school. I'll try to have the episode 6 review up by Thursday or Friday though.
The episode starts off with the Heroes getting their first taste of losing in a while-literally. And it tastes like Chef's disgusting food. Cameron appears to have tripped and his face landed on the bowl of gruel, but Zoey saw Mike stick his hand out from under the stairs. Zoey wonders why Mike would do that and if he messed with Sam and Sierra's personal items as well. Who would've thought Zoey would be the first one to come this close to solving that mystery. And then Sierra has a funny confessional. "My hand looks so weird without my phone! And if I don't have my phone, do I even exist? And if I can't talk to him, does Cody exist?". I think Sierra just accurately represented the entire current generation of teenage girls when they lose or break their phones. Way to go, super Cody lover! Sierra obnoxiously tries to get Zoey's attention to confirm that Sierra isn't invisible, but Zoey temporarily goes deaf because of it. In the Hotel, we don't know what Gwen is up to (OH I KNOW! Plotting another prank against Courtney! Just kidding...what do I look like, Chris McLean?) but Heather gets annoyed by Alejandro while they eat, which is the beginning of another manipulation session between Heather and Alejandro. Like we didn't have enough of those in season 3. But I guess it wouldn't be the same without one here, either. Courtney feels like she misses something, and it takes a bird that laughs just like Scott to realize she misses him. She then wonders about him at Boney Island. Scott is looking for the Invincibility Statue (which is weird because it's not like there isn't anything else to do there....oh wait) but gets chased by a bear until the helicopter picks him up.
Scott literally gets dropped off by Chef and Courtney is immediately concerned, although Scott is alright. Courtney changes the subject to shift her concern towards being prepared for the challenge, and Scott doesn't mind her bossiness. "Maybe it's because my pappy's in the army and my mama's a waiter, but I just like taking orders". This is interesting considering Scott was the one being manipulative last season. And then Courtney tells us she's only interested in Scott as an ally, and that he's cute in a similar way to an old shack with nice curtains. Um ok, you lost us there, miss CIT. So Chris explains the challenge which has elements from Season 4, Episode 4 and Season 4, Episode 8's challenges. First team to have all their members cross the finish line at the other end of the forest wins immunity. Duncan says the challenge seems easy. But this time Chris doesn't have the Salad Spinner flown in. Chris instead explains the full moon tonight has an unusual effect on the animals of this island. The Villains get a map with the quickest route as their advantage for winning last time. The Heroes get bacon hats and sausage tails. Mike and Cameron think they should follow the Villains to have the quickest route as well. Zoey then tells Cameron that Mike tripped him earlier.
Cameron asks Mike about what happened earlier and what Zoey told him. Mike apologizes and explains things have been weird for him lately since his other personalities are nowhere to be found and he thinks he might be breaking things by accident. Cameron forgives him and offers to help him. Cameron runs into a tree but Sierra picks him up, and offers to be his eyes, ears, and "however many nostrils you need me to be". That last part was weird but funny. Oh and she calls him Cody again. Yeah, I bet you knew that. Ok moving on...Sierra points out the moon which fascinates the Heroic Hamsters. The Blue Harvest Moon takes effect and the nice animals become vicious and the vicious animals become nice. The moon also activates The Malevolent One. "How fortuitous". This voice is just perfect for evil Mike. I just....I just can't...oh and The Malevolent One's Mike impression was great. "Hi. I'm a bug-eyed weirdo and everybody loves me". Gosh he might be my favorite villain in this series. I don't know. But he's been interesting so far. The Villainous Vultures notice a friendly alligator. Notice how close Scott and Courtney are to each other. Scourtney fans, anyone? Alejandro explains the effect of the moon and Heather turns out to have become nicer as well, freaking everyone out, especially Al.
Now the animals start attacking the contestants. Sierra fights off birds as Cameron flees from her. Gwen and Courtney run away from the bunnies but Scott isn't afraid, at least until he gets his, as Owen would say, "gass" handed to him by those bunnies. Zoey and Duncan are dealing with animal issues while Mike encourages Cameron to take the opportunity to distance himself from Sierra. Sierra's bacon hat keeps the animals busy but then Zoey and Sierra realize that all the guys are gone. After Heather finishes cuddling with the alligator, she leads her team down the correct path. Courtney and Gwen make fun of how Heather is being affected by the Blue Harvest Moon like the other animals, but then Courtney quickly remembers she doesn't like Gwen. Cameron tells Mike that he lost access to his personalities after the beach challenge when Scott hit him in the head with a shovel, and then The Malevolent One flings Cameron to make him fall down the hill and Cameron gets separated from everyone on his team. Cameron is about to get attacked by bunnies but Sierra saves the day. Sierra carries Cameron around with a weaved backpack, similar to how she carried Cody around once (Season 3, Episode 21). If I were Cameron, I'd be like "oh yeah, free ride, let's do this Sierra!", but of course he's not enjoying that situation for what it is.
The Villainous Vultures encounter a rope bridge. Suspecting a trap, Gwen goes around, which annoys Courtney but disappoints nice Heather. "Everyone who's ever seen a movie knows that the rope bridge always breaks! Also I'm pretty sure Heather has rabies". This has been Gwen with her mad reasoning skills. Meanwhile Duncan recognizes The Malevolent One's voice and swears he recognizes Mike from somewhere. Mike then uses a bird to attack Duncan. "(evil laugh) Toodles". I don't know why that line is so funny, it just is! Scott demonstrates how people from his home run across these bridges: while flailing their arms in panic and screaming. Like a boss, bro. Scott gets attacked by a beaver and cuts down one side of the bridge, making it more difficult for Courtney, Heather, and Alejandro to cross. Heather slips and almost falls but Alejandro saves her, to which Heather wittily replies with "I knew you still cared about me". Ooh plot twist! Heather faked the whole Blue Moon thing to mess with Alejandro. You got served, Al! Al says he should've let her fall, but what do you expect dude? You saved her from being stuck in a hole (Season 3, Episode 23) so you wouldn't do that. Courtney takes the beaver from Scott to cut the rest of the bridge which proves to be a double-edged sword because neither the Heroic Hamsters or Gwen can benefit from it. As Duncan gets chased by a bird and Gwen gets chased by chipmunks, Duncan saves them both with his sausage tail. Duncan immediately asks Gwen if Courtney talked about him, which pisses Gwen off like DJ's Mama gets pissed when people (and I people, I mean Beth) pukes in her bus (Season 2 special). Gwen has every reason to be mad since Duncan can't stop thinking about Courtney, but Duncan can't see why Gwen is upset. And Duncan is always quick to diss guys Courtney flirts with, like Tyler (Season 3, Episode 15). Notice Duncan twitching at the end of his confessional. So sad, Duncan, so sad...
The Heroes notice the bridge is out and Mike tries to explain his absence by being chased by a bear, even though bears under this moon would be nice. Sierra tries to use a vine to get her team across and it just barely works. Zoey knows Mike is lying and is wondering what's up with him. Courtney is mad that Gwen still hasn't crossed the finish line yet and gets attacked by a deer. Gwen comes to her rescue, saying Courtney would do the same for her (we, including Courtney, all know that's not true at all, but sure, keep telling yourself that, Gwen). Sierra, Mike, Cameron, and Zoey reconnect with Duncan and head towards the finish line. The moon reverts to normal so the deer isn't violent but Mike is himself again and forgets why he's there. This lapse of concentration allows Courtney and Gwen to beat Mike to the finish line and the Villainous Vultures win immunity. And Blalejandro is relieved that Heather is being mean to him again. Gwen wishes she was on the Heroes team but Duncan tries to comfort her and then solicit information about Courtney. Gwen is over Duncan's Courtney obsession and breaks up with him. Once again being on a different team than her boyfriend proves not to work out. But this was on Duncan, not on Gwen. Gwen had every right to be upset. "When he kissed me on the plane after the London challenge, I felt fireworks. This time, it was like being kissed by a shoe". Ouch. Sucks to be you, Duncan.
Scott volunteers as tribute for Exile Island! Haha I had to take the chance for a Hunger Games reference. Courtney is concerned but Scott tells her he needs to find the Invincibility Statue. Cameron then quits because he's tired of Sierra annoying him. However Chris decides that the eliminated Hamster would be a new Vulture. So Cameron is now on the Villainous Vultures! And I must say, that's just a crazy idea. Cameron a villain? That makes no sense! They should've made Mike switch. But hopefully this has some plot opportunity. Cameron tells Mike he'll try to help him as best as he can, even if he's on the other team. And Cameron gets an awkward welcome from his new teammates. Also it was funny how Sierra tried to remedy the situation with Cameron. "Are you allergic to tall grass? I can get chains instead". Yeah Sierra, that would be an improvement.
So the Villains have a 6-4 lead. With Gwen and Duncan breaking up, Zoey suspicious of Mike, Cameron on a new team, Heather and Alejandro's rivalry heating up, Scott and Courtney growing on each other, the rise of The Malevolent One, and Sierra being cuckoo for Codypuffs, I'm excited for next episode. Also I'm wondering when the double elimination could be. Anyway here are my predictions
10th: Cameron
9th: Mike
8th: Gwen
7th: Sierra
6th: Duncan
5th: Heather
4th: Alejandro
3rd: Courtney
2nd: Scott
1st: Zoey
The Malevolent One's confessional seems to be foreshadowing potentially getting Cameron eliminated IMO. Then I think both teams will be forced to vote someone off. Mike gets voted off because Zoey convinces Sierra and Duncan that he's being sneaky now, and then Gwen gets voted off because Courtney convinces Scott to vote Gwen off and Gwen, Heather, and Alejandro's votes are scattered. Then in the merge Sierra gets voted off either for being strong or for being annoying. Then I feel Courtney will get back at Duncan. And from there I think that would be a good order for the remaining Villains to fall as my pick to win Zoey finishes in 1st, hopefully.
That's my review. I'm sorry it took forever to post but I've been busy with school. I'll try to have the episode 6 review up by Thursday or Friday though.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
TDAS Episode 4 Review: Food Fright
We're at Episode 4 of this season where surprisingly the Heroes have the upper hand numbers wise. Nice to see Total Drama isn't mimicking Survivor by having Villains dominate early on. But with Duncan and Courtney switching teams, that should cause for some interesting developments. I bet Duncan would be more pleased than Courtney since he got switched into the team that won the last challenge so no pain all gain for him. Plus as much as Duncan doesn't like that many people with upbeat personalities like what you have on the Heroic Hamsters, I'm sure he'd take that group any day as opposed to Courtney's welcome crew of Scott, Alejandro, and Heather. Oh and Gwen. I guess being on a different team than his girlfriend will be tough but all we can do is that Gwen handles it better than she did with Trent.
So it starts raining, something I don't remember happening for a while at Camp Wawanakwa. Chef surprises Alejandro and Scott with powdered gruel, which turns out to be Scott's favorite food. However none of the other Vultures are enjoying their breakfast, especially not Courtney, who would prefer to starve. I've never had gruel before but since it looks weird and rhymes with cruel, maybe Courtney's reactions are justified. Scott pays the girls a visit and asks them if they're gonna finish their gruel, but as if he has to ask. You're the only one um.....I'm not sure whether to say ratchet, rednecked, or country, but I think any of those words work....what was I saying? Oh yeah, you're the only one that would actually eat that shizz. And he eats some of the gruel off of Courtney's hair that Heather once wanted to cut off (Season 2, Episode 14), and compliments her. Courtney considers forming an alliance with Scott. Imagine that. Courtney and Scott are probably even more different than Courtney and Duncan. It might sound crazy to some people, but that's the way I see them. And them teaming up would be interesting to say the least.
At the hotel, Mike, Zoey, Sierra, and Sam welcome Duncan to their team with a party and cake. And then comes one of my favorite confessionals of the series and probably my favorite confessional of the season so far: "To all my peeps at home and in juve, I am not a hero. It's probably a trap to gain my trust and then BAM they vote me off. Fat chance of that, but I can't let them know that I know, so yeah, I ate the cake....IT WAS LIKE EATING THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE!". That last part was just great. Never gets old! So while Sierra grabs her phone for the photo op and Sam offers to sing the welcome song (an offer Duncan can, will, and did refuse), Sierra is horrified to see her phone destroyed. I guess that's what you get for using that crappy phone instead of an iPhone or Galaxy like everyone else. Sierra is flipping out (like she normally does) and Mike awkwardly looks on as he wonders if it was him that broke it. Yes it was him, as The Malevolent One, and then Malevolent Guy makes a trip to evil laugh like a boss. Funny how someone on the Heroic Hamsters has the best evil laugh. Sierra is not happy about this situation since it had a lot of pictures of Cody on it (which if she cherished her love for Cody she would have them backed up or something) and Sam suggests Sierra imagining those pictures of Cody. NO SAM! WHAT DID YOU SAY THAT FOR! Immediately Sierra hallucinates and sees Sam, Duncan, Zoey, and Mike's bodies with Cody's heads attached to them and that was a bit disturbing. Thanks Sam. Thanks a lot. Now on a more serious note, Gwen is sad because she came back to make things right with Courtney but things have only been getting worse. Courtney manages to over hear and wonders if Gwen really meant it. She's not entirely sure. Maybe this might be the breakthrough for Gwen and Courtney to be friends again. I hope so because if Courtney and Gwen do become friends, I think it gives the producers more of a green light to eliminate Courtney sooner.
The weather cleared up so it's challenge time. But first Cameron rejoins the group. Shockingly Cameron made it out better than either Sam or Lightning did (well Lightning wasn't really injured but his night on Boney Island drained what very little remained of his brain power) but he smelled worse than they did. Cameron explains that to survive, he tricked a bear into peeing on him so all the other animals would back off. It was an effective strategy and I knew Cameron would figure something out, but the other contestants didn't appreciate his smell. However, Sierra was impressed, thinking that's exactly what Cody would do. No Cody would pee himself way before any animal had the chance to do that to him. His history with bears isn't great and it's the reason he got voted off in Total Drama Island. But despite knowing just about everything about Total Drama and its contestants, I don't think Sierra likes to focus too much about the negative aspects of Cody's Total Drama career.
Trying to forget about Cameron's horrific revelation, Chris explains the challenge. They have to eat as much of a stack of giant pancakes as possible (possible references to Season 1, Episode 14, Season 1 Episode 21, and Season 2, Episode 1) before their eating time is up (which is marked by either an angelic sound for the Heroes or a donkey, I think, sound for the Villains) and they must make their way through the mad skills obstacle course (Season 4, Episode 2) and once they do that, the next person goes. But they can't throw up or they're out of the challenge. McKayla Maroney, I mean Scott, isn't impressed, so Chris adds the "Salad Spinner" to the obstacle course to make things more interesting. Courtney is upset with Scott for forcing Chris's hand, but Scott replies with "You're pretty when you're mad", which grosses Heather out. Haha Scott flirting with Courtney, there's something about that that's just right. Also, Alejandro and Courtney have had no interactions really during this season, which is strange because they seemed like they'd be good friends after the Total Drama World Tour finale.
The challenge starts and Sierra leads off for the Heroic Hamsters. Alejandro volunteers Heather to be Team Captain (*coughs* butt-kisser, which is weird because last season Alejandro was more of a face kisser). Alejandro is chosen to go first for the Villainous Vultures. He's the first to discover one of the many booby traps and surprises in the pancakes, getting attacked by rats. Sierra finds some "blueberries", which turned out to be fish eyes, and pukes, taking her out of the challenge. Cameron takes her spot eating pancakes. Meanwhile Duncan asks himself a pretty good question, "Since when do I blow kisses?". Maybe since you turned out to be a hero, Duncan. Haha. Chris making a right call for a change. Maybe he'll realize Gwen isn't a villain too. Nah, I wouldn't hold my breath. So Alejandro is done eating and he flies through the obstacle course and manages to avoid barfing. "Tastes so nice, he ate it twice". Chris rubbing some salt in the wounds for Alejandro and Al is not happy. Also, finally someone calls him Al. I bet if Owen was back, Alejandro would quit if Owen didn't get voted off at the Heroic Hamsters' first bonfire.
Scott's up next despite him not feeling so well after eating all that gruel. Heather tries to nag him to do the challenge, but it's Courtney's nagging that does the trick. Cameron finds a raccoon when eating but Cameron's stench causes it to flee and barf. Cameron's time is up and he struggles with the Obstacle Course. After being "stuffed like a thanksgiving pigeon", Scott's time is up as well. Meanwhile Heather and Courtney argue about who's going next, which means Gwen steps up. Cameron takes the kick not so well and he flies past the salad spinner and falls down a tree, surprisingly being heavy enough to break several branches. Sierra caught it all on camera and congratulates Cody for her efforts (thinking Cameron is Cody). Next up is Duncan for the Heroic Hamsters. Scott's gruel and pancake weight almost breaks a few of the obstacles but he manages to clear the course. Duncan's lips get a taste of a mousetrap right before he finishes eating. Gwen finishes eating after getting pinched by crabs. Courtney fears that if she goes next, Gwen will set up a booby trap for her, but Heather doesn't think that's likely. Courtney agrees to go next if Heather promises to vote off Gwen. Heather agrees to it but crosses her fingers (you'd think Courtney would learn from Season 3, Episode 16, but nope). Gwen has an easier time past the bouncing butts than Duncan, and as Duncan comments that Gwen doesn't look so good, turns out his lips didn't handle the mousetrap too well and he had thick lady lips. That was just hilarious. As much as Duncan gets a lot of screen time in this series, a lot of the time he's worth it. "It's like two worms having a street fight down there". Just too funny. But probably disturbing for some small kids, as if Duncan wasn't disturbing enough under normal conditions. On the rolling pins, Gwen makes Duncan experience her own version of the "hurl of shame", which disgusts Duncan and takes Gwen out of the challenge.
Duncan finishes the course and Mike goes up to eat pancakes next. Mike notes that access to his personalities wouldn't have benefited him much in this situation. Good to know. I wonder what's going on with them. Green jelly splatters all over Courtney, causing her to relive her fear (Season 1, Episode 7). A dynamite blast from TNT hidden in the pancakes gives Mike a boost straight into the salad spinner. When Mike gets out, The Malevolent One "can't resist a little chaos" and tampers with the controls of the salad spinner. At least Mike's dark side is doing something more than just break people's personal property. Courtney gets in the salad spinner next and it goes out of control and hurls Courtney far away. Alejandro taunts the heroes, which makes Sam want to step up. Sam switches places with Zoey in the challenge, and Alejandro convinces Heather to do the same. Sam goes into total game mode and makes up for lost ground. Sam gets hinders by bees and Alejandro encounters some fire ants, but Sam finishes the pancakes first. Heather tells him that Alejandro obviously can't do it, which motivates him to finish the Vultures' pancakes. Alejandro takes the lead on the rolling pin, calling Sam a "game child". But Sam isn't a game child...he's a game man! Sam strikes back and they both enter the salad spinner at the same time. Sam escapes first but Alejandro catches him by his underwear. A bee manages to sting Alejandro, loosening his grip and allowing Sam to win it for the Heroic Hamsters. But not after letting loose a burp that would make Owen and Geoff jealous. Heather scolds Alejandro and Scott wonders where Courtney is, and she's stuck in a tree. At the bonfire ceremony, Alejandro tries to reason with Heather (many try, most fail) but Heather tells him that despite his efforts, he still lost. Sam mocks Alejandro back as it seems like Alejandro has a good chance of being voted off. Chris announces that Gwen went the whole day without hurting Courtney but also that the Heroic Hamsters DIDN'T WIN!
GASP! Say what? I was wondering what this meant. I thought the Hamsters were going to be disqualified since Mike's evil personality messed with the Salad Spinner. Well I was right about the disqualification but wrong about the reason. Sam saved some of the pancake in case he would be sent to Boney Island. Aw come on Sam! You had it! You won! That was a stupid move. So anyway the Villains celebrate luckily obtaining immunity, and Scott and Courtney do a little celebrating together. How cute. The Heroes vote and there's really only two options. Sam for not complete the challenge and Sierra for being weird and for not lasting long in the challenge. The final marshmallow goes to Sierra and as much as it sucks to see Sam leave, I agree with this decision. Sam was the only reason the Heroes had to vote tonight. And plus, Sierra or Duncan probably had a better chance of getting exiled than Sam since Sam did win the challenge. I would also like to add that someone had always volunteered themselves to go. It's never been a team decision as of yet. So Sam pretty much screwed himself. It's a shame because Sam's chances of winning were looking better and better (I predicted he'd last until the final fricking 3 last time! I look so stupid now....dang it) and this reminds me when Sierra screwed up and saved Alejandro from elimination (Season 3, Episode 23). But what's done is done. Oh and Scott volunteers for exile duty. Big shocker. After a few episodes of being a laughing stock, pain magnet, and Courtney admirer, old Scott reveals himself and he still wants that invincibility statue. Chris denies Sam final words and flushes him. However Chef has to use a plunger on him. So that'll do it for this episode. That makes Sam the third TDROTI contestant and Toxic Rat to be eliminated in a row. The only TDROTI contestants left finished as Mutant Maggots.
So we have the final 10 and due to a shocking twist, we're even once again at five on each team. Duncan's situation on his new team doesn't look good and he better hopes his team starts winning again. Also with Alejandro avoiding elimination and Scott getting his head in the game (and his heart towards Courtney), things will be totally complicated on the Villains side as well. And will Mike's evil persona continue to be silent but deadly? This was a pretty well rounded episode with a lot of stuff going on and it has me interested as to what will happen next. Here are my predictions.
10.Duncan
9.Gwen
8.Scott
7.Cameron
6.Sierra
5.Mike
4.Alejandro
3.Heather
2.Courtney
1.Zoey
-Chances Look Dimmer: Like I said, Duncan is the outsider on his team. It'll take a miracle for him to survive the next Heroic Hamsters vote.
-Not Much Change: This sounds pretty crazy and unlikely but I think Alejandro will try to get Scott out but Scott plays his invincibility statue he found on Boney Island and helps Courtney get rid of Gwen.
-Not Much Change: A lot of people won't be happy with Scott and will probably get rid of him around this point.
-Worse than before: Maybe Cameron will be targeted by the villains and backstabbed by evil Mike.
-Improvement: Sierra will not be happy with Cameron's elimination and will be an easy out
-Slight improvement: Mike gets a little farther than I predicted before but ends up eliminated due to his evil personality.
-Not Much Change: I think this is a logical point for Alejandro to get eliminated. I know he'll get far but he won't win.
-Slight Improvement: An all female final three seems unlikely but Heather vs. Courtney vs. Zoey would be pretty intense and I see Heather as the least likely of the three to win.
-Same as before. I still think Courtney and Zoey will be getting far in this game and it would be cool if it came down to them. Rooting for Zoey to win. Too bad Zoey didn't get any lines this episode though.
Seriously. There were only 13 characters (11 contestants plus Chris and Chef) so why couldn't Zoey get lines? Oh well. On to next episode! This season has had everything. Complicated interactions and relationships, plot twists, and a lot of laughs. There have been some question marks as to some of their inclusions in this season but they fade away for me as each episode passes.
Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below!
So it starts raining, something I don't remember happening for a while at Camp Wawanakwa. Chef surprises Alejandro and Scott with powdered gruel, which turns out to be Scott's favorite food. However none of the other Vultures are enjoying their breakfast, especially not Courtney, who would prefer to starve. I've never had gruel before but since it looks weird and rhymes with cruel, maybe Courtney's reactions are justified. Scott pays the girls a visit and asks them if they're gonna finish their gruel, but as if he has to ask. You're the only one um.....I'm not sure whether to say ratchet, rednecked, or country, but I think any of those words work....what was I saying? Oh yeah, you're the only one that would actually eat that shizz. And he eats some of the gruel off of Courtney's hair that Heather once wanted to cut off (Season 2, Episode 14), and compliments her. Courtney considers forming an alliance with Scott. Imagine that. Courtney and Scott are probably even more different than Courtney and Duncan. It might sound crazy to some people, but that's the way I see them. And them teaming up would be interesting to say the least.
At the hotel, Mike, Zoey, Sierra, and Sam welcome Duncan to their team with a party and cake. And then comes one of my favorite confessionals of the series and probably my favorite confessional of the season so far: "To all my peeps at home and in juve, I am not a hero. It's probably a trap to gain my trust and then BAM they vote me off. Fat chance of that, but I can't let them know that I know, so yeah, I ate the cake....IT WAS LIKE EATING THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE!". That last part was just great. Never gets old! So while Sierra grabs her phone for the photo op and Sam offers to sing the welcome song (an offer Duncan can, will, and did refuse), Sierra is horrified to see her phone destroyed. I guess that's what you get for using that crappy phone instead of an iPhone or Galaxy like everyone else. Sierra is flipping out (like she normally does) and Mike awkwardly looks on as he wonders if it was him that broke it. Yes it was him, as The Malevolent One, and then Malevolent Guy makes a trip to evil laugh like a boss. Funny how someone on the Heroic Hamsters has the best evil laugh. Sierra is not happy about this situation since it had a lot of pictures of Cody on it (which if she cherished her love for Cody she would have them backed up or something) and Sam suggests Sierra imagining those pictures of Cody. NO SAM! WHAT DID YOU SAY THAT FOR! Immediately Sierra hallucinates and sees Sam, Duncan, Zoey, and Mike's bodies with Cody's heads attached to them and that was a bit disturbing. Thanks Sam. Thanks a lot. Now on a more serious note, Gwen is sad because she came back to make things right with Courtney but things have only been getting worse. Courtney manages to over hear and wonders if Gwen really meant it. She's not entirely sure. Maybe this might be the breakthrough for Gwen and Courtney to be friends again. I hope so because if Courtney and Gwen do become friends, I think it gives the producers more of a green light to eliminate Courtney sooner.
The weather cleared up so it's challenge time. But first Cameron rejoins the group. Shockingly Cameron made it out better than either Sam or Lightning did (well Lightning wasn't really injured but his night on Boney Island drained what very little remained of his brain power) but he smelled worse than they did. Cameron explains that to survive, he tricked a bear into peeing on him so all the other animals would back off. It was an effective strategy and I knew Cameron would figure something out, but the other contestants didn't appreciate his smell. However, Sierra was impressed, thinking that's exactly what Cody would do. No Cody would pee himself way before any animal had the chance to do that to him. His history with bears isn't great and it's the reason he got voted off in Total Drama Island. But despite knowing just about everything about Total Drama and its contestants, I don't think Sierra likes to focus too much about the negative aspects of Cody's Total Drama career.
Trying to forget about Cameron's horrific revelation, Chris explains the challenge. They have to eat as much of a stack of giant pancakes as possible (possible references to Season 1, Episode 14, Season 1 Episode 21, and Season 2, Episode 1) before their eating time is up (which is marked by either an angelic sound for the Heroes or a donkey, I think, sound for the Villains) and they must make their way through the mad skills obstacle course (Season 4, Episode 2) and once they do that, the next person goes. But they can't throw up or they're out of the challenge. McKayla Maroney, I mean Scott, isn't impressed, so Chris adds the "Salad Spinner" to the obstacle course to make things more interesting. Courtney is upset with Scott for forcing Chris's hand, but Scott replies with "You're pretty when you're mad", which grosses Heather out. Haha Scott flirting with Courtney, there's something about that that's just right. Also, Alejandro and Courtney have had no interactions really during this season, which is strange because they seemed like they'd be good friends after the Total Drama World Tour finale.
The challenge starts and Sierra leads off for the Heroic Hamsters. Alejandro volunteers Heather to be Team Captain (*coughs* butt-kisser, which is weird because last season Alejandro was more of a face kisser). Alejandro is chosen to go first for the Villainous Vultures. He's the first to discover one of the many booby traps and surprises in the pancakes, getting attacked by rats. Sierra finds some "blueberries", which turned out to be fish eyes, and pukes, taking her out of the challenge. Cameron takes her spot eating pancakes. Meanwhile Duncan asks himself a pretty good question, "Since when do I blow kisses?". Maybe since you turned out to be a hero, Duncan. Haha. Chris making a right call for a change. Maybe he'll realize Gwen isn't a villain too. Nah, I wouldn't hold my breath. So Alejandro is done eating and he flies through the obstacle course and manages to avoid barfing. "Tastes so nice, he ate it twice". Chris rubbing some salt in the wounds for Alejandro and Al is not happy. Also, finally someone calls him Al. I bet if Owen was back, Alejandro would quit if Owen didn't get voted off at the Heroic Hamsters' first bonfire.
Scott's up next despite him not feeling so well after eating all that gruel. Heather tries to nag him to do the challenge, but it's Courtney's nagging that does the trick. Cameron finds a raccoon when eating but Cameron's stench causes it to flee and barf. Cameron's time is up and he struggles with the Obstacle Course. After being "stuffed like a thanksgiving pigeon", Scott's time is up as well. Meanwhile Heather and Courtney argue about who's going next, which means Gwen steps up. Cameron takes the kick not so well and he flies past the salad spinner and falls down a tree, surprisingly being heavy enough to break several branches. Sierra caught it all on camera and congratulates Cody for her efforts (thinking Cameron is Cody). Next up is Duncan for the Heroic Hamsters. Scott's gruel and pancake weight almost breaks a few of the obstacles but he manages to clear the course. Duncan's lips get a taste of a mousetrap right before he finishes eating. Gwen finishes eating after getting pinched by crabs. Courtney fears that if she goes next, Gwen will set up a booby trap for her, but Heather doesn't think that's likely. Courtney agrees to go next if Heather promises to vote off Gwen. Heather agrees to it but crosses her fingers (you'd think Courtney would learn from Season 3, Episode 16, but nope). Gwen has an easier time past the bouncing butts than Duncan, and as Duncan comments that Gwen doesn't look so good, turns out his lips didn't handle the mousetrap too well and he had thick lady lips. That was just hilarious. As much as Duncan gets a lot of screen time in this series, a lot of the time he's worth it. "It's like two worms having a street fight down there". Just too funny. But probably disturbing for some small kids, as if Duncan wasn't disturbing enough under normal conditions. On the rolling pins, Gwen makes Duncan experience her own version of the "hurl of shame", which disgusts Duncan and takes Gwen out of the challenge.
Duncan finishes the course and Mike goes up to eat pancakes next. Mike notes that access to his personalities wouldn't have benefited him much in this situation. Good to know. I wonder what's going on with them. Green jelly splatters all over Courtney, causing her to relive her fear (Season 1, Episode 7). A dynamite blast from TNT hidden in the pancakes gives Mike a boost straight into the salad spinner. When Mike gets out, The Malevolent One "can't resist a little chaos" and tampers with the controls of the salad spinner. At least Mike's dark side is doing something more than just break people's personal property. Courtney gets in the salad spinner next and it goes out of control and hurls Courtney far away. Alejandro taunts the heroes, which makes Sam want to step up. Sam switches places with Zoey in the challenge, and Alejandro convinces Heather to do the same. Sam goes into total game mode and makes up for lost ground. Sam gets hinders by bees and Alejandro encounters some fire ants, but Sam finishes the pancakes first. Heather tells him that Alejandro obviously can't do it, which motivates him to finish the Vultures' pancakes. Alejandro takes the lead on the rolling pin, calling Sam a "game child". But Sam isn't a game child...he's a game man! Sam strikes back and they both enter the salad spinner at the same time. Sam escapes first but Alejandro catches him by his underwear. A bee manages to sting Alejandro, loosening his grip and allowing Sam to win it for the Heroic Hamsters. But not after letting loose a burp that would make Owen and Geoff jealous. Heather scolds Alejandro and Scott wonders where Courtney is, and she's stuck in a tree. At the bonfire ceremony, Alejandro tries to reason with Heather (many try, most fail) but Heather tells him that despite his efforts, he still lost. Sam mocks Alejandro back as it seems like Alejandro has a good chance of being voted off. Chris announces that Gwen went the whole day without hurting Courtney but also that the Heroic Hamsters DIDN'T WIN!
GASP! Say what? I was wondering what this meant. I thought the Hamsters were going to be disqualified since Mike's evil personality messed with the Salad Spinner. Well I was right about the disqualification but wrong about the reason. Sam saved some of the pancake in case he would be sent to Boney Island. Aw come on Sam! You had it! You won! That was a stupid move. So anyway the Villains celebrate luckily obtaining immunity, and Scott and Courtney do a little celebrating together. How cute. The Heroes vote and there's really only two options. Sam for not complete the challenge and Sierra for being weird and for not lasting long in the challenge. The final marshmallow goes to Sierra and as much as it sucks to see Sam leave, I agree with this decision. Sam was the only reason the Heroes had to vote tonight. And plus, Sierra or Duncan probably had a better chance of getting exiled than Sam since Sam did win the challenge. I would also like to add that someone had always volunteered themselves to go. It's never been a team decision as of yet. So Sam pretty much screwed himself. It's a shame because Sam's chances of winning were looking better and better (I predicted he'd last until the final fricking 3 last time! I look so stupid now....dang it) and this reminds me when Sierra screwed up and saved Alejandro from elimination (Season 3, Episode 23). But what's done is done. Oh and Scott volunteers for exile duty. Big shocker. After a few episodes of being a laughing stock, pain magnet, and Courtney admirer, old Scott reveals himself and he still wants that invincibility statue. Chris denies Sam final words and flushes him. However Chef has to use a plunger on him. So that'll do it for this episode. That makes Sam the third TDROTI contestant and Toxic Rat to be eliminated in a row. The only TDROTI contestants left finished as Mutant Maggots.
So we have the final 10 and due to a shocking twist, we're even once again at five on each team. Duncan's situation on his new team doesn't look good and he better hopes his team starts winning again. Also with Alejandro avoiding elimination and Scott getting his head in the game (and his heart towards Courtney), things will be totally complicated on the Villains side as well. And will Mike's evil persona continue to be silent but deadly? This was a pretty well rounded episode with a lot of stuff going on and it has me interested as to what will happen next. Here are my predictions.
10.Duncan
9.Gwen
8.Scott
7.Cameron
6.Sierra
5.Mike
4.Alejandro
3.Heather
2.Courtney
1.Zoey
-Chances Look Dimmer: Like I said, Duncan is the outsider on his team. It'll take a miracle for him to survive the next Heroic Hamsters vote.
-Not Much Change: This sounds pretty crazy and unlikely but I think Alejandro will try to get Scott out but Scott plays his invincibility statue he found on Boney Island and helps Courtney get rid of Gwen.
-Not Much Change: A lot of people won't be happy with Scott and will probably get rid of him around this point.
-Worse than before: Maybe Cameron will be targeted by the villains and backstabbed by evil Mike.
-Improvement: Sierra will not be happy with Cameron's elimination and will be an easy out
-Slight improvement: Mike gets a little farther than I predicted before but ends up eliminated due to his evil personality.
-Not Much Change: I think this is a logical point for Alejandro to get eliminated. I know he'll get far but he won't win.
-Slight Improvement: An all female final three seems unlikely but Heather vs. Courtney vs. Zoey would be pretty intense and I see Heather as the least likely of the three to win.
-Same as before. I still think Courtney and Zoey will be getting far in this game and it would be cool if it came down to them. Rooting for Zoey to win. Too bad Zoey didn't get any lines this episode though.
Seriously. There were only 13 characters (11 contestants plus Chris and Chef) so why couldn't Zoey get lines? Oh well. On to next episode! This season has had everything. Complicated interactions and relationships, plot twists, and a lot of laughs. There have been some question marks as to some of their inclusions in this season but they fade away for me as each episode passes.
Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below!
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
TDAS Episode 3 Review: Saving Private Leechball
I know this review is way late but it's been a crazy week. I promise you I haven't seen Episode 4 yet so I'm still doing this as if I only just watched Episode 3.
So last episode we got a look at cabin life for the Heroes and luxurious hotel life for the Villains, except for Lightning who was exiled to Boney Island. And then we had a challenge that really came down to the wire but the Heroes managed to interrupt what many people, including me, predicted would be a Villainous winning streak by winning the immunity challenge. Sam went to Exile and Gwen still is unable to make amends with Courtney. And then Jo finally got her greatest wish: Lightning's elimination. But Jo will learn that in the future, be careful what you wish for.
The episode starts out with the male Villainous Vultures not enjoying the regular cabins. Farm boy Scott's expectations were risen so high after a stay at the McLean Spa Hotel and now even he can't appreciate life's simple aspects. Duncan thinks Scott is just a total dweeb, and in a way he is. Scott's in the big leagues now. Also Alejandro has to sleep in a sleeping bag since he can't sleep being spread out, one of the effects of being in a robot for so long. Jo and Heather are arguing about the challenge and who was more responsible for the loss, when Gwen tells them both to shut the firetruck up and that both of them were at fault. That's how it's done Gwen! Yeah! But then she asks the confessional if that was villainous. Definitely not. In my opinion, Gwen let Jo and Heather off easy. The Heroic Hamsters then make themselves comfortable at the hotel; Sierra making herself a bit too comfortable for Courtney's stuck up taste. As Mike and Cameron enjoy the good life, they take a moment to think about how Sam's doing on Boney Island. Sam manages to narrowly escape the bears but a squirrel throws an acorn at him to make him fall off the tree he's hiding in and he becomes bear bait. At night, The Malevolent One makes a well anticipated appearance and breaks Sam's game guy. Mike pops in just in time to see that it's broken and he decides to just put it away and go to sleep. The Heroes enjoy breakfast. Everyone except Courtney decides to take some food for later while Courtney is complaining about her orange juice. Then it turns out to be perfect. Looks like her expectations CAN be met. But I wouldn't get used to that feeling if I were the butler.
As the contestants walk towards their next challenge, Heather and Jo both apologize to Gwen and agree with her about teamwork being important. Gwen accepts each of their apologies. If this was two seasons ago, there would be no way Gwen would fall for that crap from Heather, but this works out for her because Gwen knows she's being played but she'll enjoy being the player both Jo and Heather rely on. And to add icing to the strategic cake, Alejandro compliments her after Courtney glares at her and Duncan doesn't help Gwen out. Alejandro is not going to let Heather and Jo get a free alliance when he's around. Yeah, that's Alejandro alright. Sam returns from Exile Island pretty exhausted and weakened (kind of like last episode. Gee wonder when Sam can catch a break? Considering Mike, I mean, the Malevolent One, ruined his game guy, probably not soon) but Mike, Sierra, Cameron, and Zoey brought him breakfast. Courtney looks pretty awkward not taking part in this team-bonding act of selflessness. Chris explains the challenge. There are two crates in the forest. A big one with paintball machinery and a little one with second-rate paintball weapons. Once they have their weapons, they have to shoot the other team until one team is left standing. Duncan complains that they already did a paintball challenge (despite Chris telling them that all challenges would be throwbacks to previous seasons. Come on, Duncan. Get your head in the game) but Chris explains that due to the rules of his parole, they must use leeches instead of paintballs. Heather is definitely not happy about the leeches. You'd think nothing would really bother Heather that much anymore since she's gone through more crap than anyone else with the longest amount of time competing in Total Drama, but she's still just a spoiled teenage girl. The Heroes get a 1 minute head start as winners of the last challenge. The challenge begins and Heather tells Jo that Lightning would be able to outrun the other team even with a head start. Jo reminds Heather that she wasn't the only one that voted him off (which is a valid point. It takes more than one vote, except in certain rare situations). Alejandro points out that Sam is slowing his team down, forcing Mike and Sierra to help him. Their teamwork moves Gwen. Heather compliments Gwen on the way she's "evil" towards Courtney, and of course Gwen is naturally defensive and insists it was all accidental, but Heather's having none of it. It's so weird that after 3 seasons of hating each other that their relationship has come down to this. I think it's funny that Heather, the original queen of mean, thinks Gwen is meaner than her. But if I were Gwen, I would just be happy that Heather is with her rather than against her. The Villains get started after Scott is now shot with two leeches. For someone who's from the farm, Scott has tons of bad luck with animals. He reminds me of Owen (season 1) and DJ (season 3) in the animal #1 enemy sense.
Courtney urges her team to run faster, which scares Mike but intrigues The Malevolent One. Zoey uses her mad athletic skills to jump on trees to lead her team in the right direction. Of course Courtney would start to get jealous of Zoey's abilities and try to target her, but I'd like to see her pull that off (I actually don't want to see that happen, since Zoey is way cooler than Courtney). Gwen comes up with a plan to cut off the Heroes, and Heather quickly supports it, as does the rest of the team. Meanwhile Sam continues to struggle and miss Dakota. In the confessional, Cameron points out that Sierra and him have a lot in common in terms of smarts and personality (not to mention they're both black but who needs to list EVERY similarity?) Gwen's plan works as they managed to prevent the Heroic Hamsters from getting the good crate. Sierra doesn't seem to mind as somehow the leeches remind her of Cody. I guess it's possible to be so in love (or OBSESSED) with someone that ANYTHING will remind you about that person. Scott, Duncan, Heather, and Jo fight over the cannon while Alejandro sides with Gwen and tells them they use it as a team. Both Heather and Jo agree to that. Duncan notices how they are all focusing on Gwen and wonders why they aren't looking for his vote. I guess that's what you get for not being that great of a boyfriend. Ok Duncan hasn't been bad but Gwen certainly hasn't enjoyed his company as much as we would've expected so far. Anyway the now unified Vultures take a shot at the cannon, but Scott hits an intern instead. Awkward....
Courtney is doubting her team's chances of winning but Cameron and Sierra remain optimistic. Courtney isn't fond of their "nerd love", to which Cameron responds by saying Sierra and him are just friends. However, Sierra starts imagining Cameron is Cody. (Of everyone that could be confused with Cody by Sierra, at least it's Cameron since it makes sense). Zoey takes her team to a cave so Sam can rest. Courtney offers to guard him to make up for not giving him some breakfast. Zoey is impressed by Courtney's selflessness but then Courtney expectedly reveals she had a selfish motive to let her teammates do the work for her. Mike tries to summon Svetlana to help him with the challenge, but to no avail. Mike is a bit concerned that none of his personalities have been around lately. The Vultures decide to split up and everyone wants to go with Gwen. As Jo, Heather, and Alejandro argue, Zoey draws first blood (it's funnier because they're using leeches) by shooting Alejandro, and then she apologizes (Ok Zoey is sweet, but maybe a little too sweet). Scott, Heather, Gwen, and Duncan use their guns while Jo fires the cannon, only to shoot Scott with a whole barrage of leeches. That was hilarious. In your face, Scott! (well those leeches were actually on his back side but still...ok maybe it's a bit dangerous, but oh well). The score is 2-0 and the Villains glare at Jo for costing them a point, but Jo defends herself by saying Scott was in the way. Heather then gets shot by Mike to make it 3-0. It's up to Jo, Duncan, and Gwen to make up for lost ground.
Duncan tries to motivate Gwen by telling her to think Mike is Courtney, which upsets Gwen because she knows she didn't do anything to Courtney on purpose and not even her own boyfriend agrees with her. Sierra tries to shoot Gwen but shoots herself to give the Villains a point. Cameron uses his physics skills to get a perfect shot intended for Gwen but Duncan takes the hit for her, which impresses a grateful Gwen. Gwen then retaliates by shooting Cameron when he was distracted by Sierra calling him Cody. But before Gwen could thank Duncan, Mike shoots Gwen, making Jo the only Villain left in the challenge. Jo then rants about how she's stronger than the rest of her team combined (Old Heather, Ale-hand walker, Count Gwenula, Stunkan, and Sharkbait...you gotta love Jo's nicknames for her friends. Can't you just feel the love?) She admits maybe it was too early to get rid of Lightning and then Lightning's pre-recorded messages butts in to rub it in her face. Priceless! Sha-Lightning!
Jo detects Sam since she smells the sweat and bacon. Courtney tries to attack but misses. Courtney uses Sam as a human shield to defend against Jo's leeches and when Sam gets shot, it becomes 5-3. Zoey attempts to shoot Jo but misses. Jo's gun gets jammed so she hurls the container of leeches at Zoey. In a scene reminiscent to Harold's dramatic dodgeball dodge from season 1, Zoey avoids the leeches but takes one for her own to shoot Jo and win the challenge for the Heroic Hamsters. However, Chris points out that Courtney didn't act heroically by using Sam to protect herself. Courtney defends herself by saying it was just her survival instinct, but no one's buying it.
At the elimination ceremony, Chris rubs some salt in the wounds of the Vultures for losing two challenges in a row. Meanwhile Sam is upset because his video game system was broken. Mike is now very nervous because he previously thought that was just a weird dream. Sierra and Cameron predict Jo will be voted off unless she successfully convinces them to vote off Heather. Sierra then goes all "Cody, we so think alike!", forcing Cameron to remind her than he isn't Cody. Sierra starts giving him a foot rub which freaks him out since he doesn't like being touched. Cameron then offers to go to Boney Island, thinking Sierra and him just needs time apart. Chris is shocked, thinking Courtney deserved exile more. But Cameron was eager, although Mike and Zoey appeared to be worried for his safety. Gwen, Alejandro, Duncan, and Scott get marshmallows, and the final one goes to Heather. Jo is voted off for being bossy and for shooting Scott with leeches. However before Jo gets flushed, Chris forces Duncan and Courtney to switch teams since Duncan acted heroically and Courtney acted villainous in today's challenge. Both parties are reluctant but Chris makes them switch. Duncan says bye to Gwen and tells Courtney that she has to acknowledge his existence. Courtney does but she definitely makes Duncan acknowledge her too. Smooth, Duncan. Smooth... Gwen welcomes Courtney to the team by kicking a bucket of leeches on Courtney. Yeah, sucks to be you Gwen. I think a friendship between you and Courtney just isn't meant to be. Jo gets flushed and Chris says she won't miss her. And honestly I won't either. Jo is just not that great. And she should've known that the tactics that worked for a while in TDROTI weren't gonna work this time against more fearsome opposition.
Yeah it's interesting how Jo really didn't last long after succeeding in getting rid of Lightning, her main enemy. I guess that goes to show how important knowing the real enemy is in this game. And that's something Jo failed to do and she dug her own grave. My predictions
11.Sierra
10.Gwen
9.Scott
8.Duncan
7.Mike
6.Heather
5.Cameron
4.Alejandro
3.Sam
2.Courtney
1.Zoey
-Big Decline: I think Sierra's Cameron-Cody hallucinations will only get worse to the extent of Cameron successfully getting her voted off. I could be wrong though.
-Life Just Got Harder: Courtney's now on the same team as Gwen. I think Gwen could finally see herself exit the game, but since both Heather and Alejandro seemed keen on working with her, there's still a chance.
-Not Much Change: I just don't see Scott as a main stay, but if he sticks around for a few more episodes to have a few more unfortunate moments, fine by me.
-Not Much Change: Duncan's plot opportunities seem to be running dry, but what do you expect from a 3 times final five finisher?
-Slight Improvement: I think the way things are going, Mike will probably get reasonably far but not too far.
-Not Much Change: Heather's doing well but I just don't see her cracking the top three.
-Not Much Change: Cameron is in a good position and will likely stick around for a while but ultimately something will happen to stop him in his tracks
-Not Much Change: Alejandro will likely finish around this point based on how well he's playing.
-Big Improvement: Sam appears to be in a good spot right now, especially with Duncan on the Heroic Hamsters and Sierra's crazy levels going higher. And if he makes the merge, he can definitely do well.
-Same Position: Courtney will likely make it far but I hope her downfall is a good one.
-Sam Position: I'm still predicting Zoey will win this. I have faith in her.
For the first time the Villainous Vultures are trailing the heroes. I wonder what's in store for next episode!
So last episode we got a look at cabin life for the Heroes and luxurious hotel life for the Villains, except for Lightning who was exiled to Boney Island. And then we had a challenge that really came down to the wire but the Heroes managed to interrupt what many people, including me, predicted would be a Villainous winning streak by winning the immunity challenge. Sam went to Exile and Gwen still is unable to make amends with Courtney. And then Jo finally got her greatest wish: Lightning's elimination. But Jo will learn that in the future, be careful what you wish for.
The episode starts out with the male Villainous Vultures not enjoying the regular cabins. Farm boy Scott's expectations were risen so high after a stay at the McLean Spa Hotel and now even he can't appreciate life's simple aspects. Duncan thinks Scott is just a total dweeb, and in a way he is. Scott's in the big leagues now. Also Alejandro has to sleep in a sleeping bag since he can't sleep being spread out, one of the effects of being in a robot for so long. Jo and Heather are arguing about the challenge and who was more responsible for the loss, when Gwen tells them both to shut the firetruck up and that both of them were at fault. That's how it's done Gwen! Yeah! But then she asks the confessional if that was villainous. Definitely not. In my opinion, Gwen let Jo and Heather off easy. The Heroic Hamsters then make themselves comfortable at the hotel; Sierra making herself a bit too comfortable for Courtney's stuck up taste. As Mike and Cameron enjoy the good life, they take a moment to think about how Sam's doing on Boney Island. Sam manages to narrowly escape the bears but a squirrel throws an acorn at him to make him fall off the tree he's hiding in and he becomes bear bait. At night, The Malevolent One makes a well anticipated appearance and breaks Sam's game guy. Mike pops in just in time to see that it's broken and he decides to just put it away and go to sleep. The Heroes enjoy breakfast. Everyone except Courtney decides to take some food for later while Courtney is complaining about her orange juice. Then it turns out to be perfect. Looks like her expectations CAN be met. But I wouldn't get used to that feeling if I were the butler.
As the contestants walk towards their next challenge, Heather and Jo both apologize to Gwen and agree with her about teamwork being important. Gwen accepts each of their apologies. If this was two seasons ago, there would be no way Gwen would fall for that crap from Heather, but this works out for her because Gwen knows she's being played but she'll enjoy being the player both Jo and Heather rely on. And to add icing to the strategic cake, Alejandro compliments her after Courtney glares at her and Duncan doesn't help Gwen out. Alejandro is not going to let Heather and Jo get a free alliance when he's around. Yeah, that's Alejandro alright. Sam returns from Exile Island pretty exhausted and weakened (kind of like last episode. Gee wonder when Sam can catch a break? Considering Mike, I mean, the Malevolent One, ruined his game guy, probably not soon) but Mike, Sierra, Cameron, and Zoey brought him breakfast. Courtney looks pretty awkward not taking part in this team-bonding act of selflessness. Chris explains the challenge. There are two crates in the forest. A big one with paintball machinery and a little one with second-rate paintball weapons. Once they have their weapons, they have to shoot the other team until one team is left standing. Duncan complains that they already did a paintball challenge (despite Chris telling them that all challenges would be throwbacks to previous seasons. Come on, Duncan. Get your head in the game) but Chris explains that due to the rules of his parole, they must use leeches instead of paintballs. Heather is definitely not happy about the leeches. You'd think nothing would really bother Heather that much anymore since she's gone through more crap than anyone else with the longest amount of time competing in Total Drama, but she's still just a spoiled teenage girl. The Heroes get a 1 minute head start as winners of the last challenge. The challenge begins and Heather tells Jo that Lightning would be able to outrun the other team even with a head start. Jo reminds Heather that she wasn't the only one that voted him off (which is a valid point. It takes more than one vote, except in certain rare situations). Alejandro points out that Sam is slowing his team down, forcing Mike and Sierra to help him. Their teamwork moves Gwen. Heather compliments Gwen on the way she's "evil" towards Courtney, and of course Gwen is naturally defensive and insists it was all accidental, but Heather's having none of it. It's so weird that after 3 seasons of hating each other that their relationship has come down to this. I think it's funny that Heather, the original queen of mean, thinks Gwen is meaner than her. But if I were Gwen, I would just be happy that Heather is with her rather than against her. The Villains get started after Scott is now shot with two leeches. For someone who's from the farm, Scott has tons of bad luck with animals. He reminds me of Owen (season 1) and DJ (season 3) in the animal #1 enemy sense.
Courtney urges her team to run faster, which scares Mike but intrigues The Malevolent One. Zoey uses her mad athletic skills to jump on trees to lead her team in the right direction. Of course Courtney would start to get jealous of Zoey's abilities and try to target her, but I'd like to see her pull that off (I actually don't want to see that happen, since Zoey is way cooler than Courtney). Gwen comes up with a plan to cut off the Heroes, and Heather quickly supports it, as does the rest of the team. Meanwhile Sam continues to struggle and miss Dakota. In the confessional, Cameron points out that Sierra and him have a lot in common in terms of smarts and personality (not to mention they're both black but who needs to list EVERY similarity?) Gwen's plan works as they managed to prevent the Heroic Hamsters from getting the good crate. Sierra doesn't seem to mind as somehow the leeches remind her of Cody. I guess it's possible to be so in love (or OBSESSED) with someone that ANYTHING will remind you about that person. Scott, Duncan, Heather, and Jo fight over the cannon while Alejandro sides with Gwen and tells them they use it as a team. Both Heather and Jo agree to that. Duncan notices how they are all focusing on Gwen and wonders why they aren't looking for his vote. I guess that's what you get for not being that great of a boyfriend. Ok Duncan hasn't been bad but Gwen certainly hasn't enjoyed his company as much as we would've expected so far. Anyway the now unified Vultures take a shot at the cannon, but Scott hits an intern instead. Awkward....
Courtney is doubting her team's chances of winning but Cameron and Sierra remain optimistic. Courtney isn't fond of their "nerd love", to which Cameron responds by saying Sierra and him are just friends. However, Sierra starts imagining Cameron is Cody. (Of everyone that could be confused with Cody by Sierra, at least it's Cameron since it makes sense). Zoey takes her team to a cave so Sam can rest. Courtney offers to guard him to make up for not giving him some breakfast. Zoey is impressed by Courtney's selflessness but then Courtney expectedly reveals she had a selfish motive to let her teammates do the work for her. Mike tries to summon Svetlana to help him with the challenge, but to no avail. Mike is a bit concerned that none of his personalities have been around lately. The Vultures decide to split up and everyone wants to go with Gwen. As Jo, Heather, and Alejandro argue, Zoey draws first blood (it's funnier because they're using leeches) by shooting Alejandro, and then she apologizes (Ok Zoey is sweet, but maybe a little too sweet). Scott, Heather, Gwen, and Duncan use their guns while Jo fires the cannon, only to shoot Scott with a whole barrage of leeches. That was hilarious. In your face, Scott! (well those leeches were actually on his back side but still...ok maybe it's a bit dangerous, but oh well). The score is 2-0 and the Villains glare at Jo for costing them a point, but Jo defends herself by saying Scott was in the way. Heather then gets shot by Mike to make it 3-0. It's up to Jo, Duncan, and Gwen to make up for lost ground.
Duncan tries to motivate Gwen by telling her to think Mike is Courtney, which upsets Gwen because she knows she didn't do anything to Courtney on purpose and not even her own boyfriend agrees with her. Sierra tries to shoot Gwen but shoots herself to give the Villains a point. Cameron uses his physics skills to get a perfect shot intended for Gwen but Duncan takes the hit for her, which impresses a grateful Gwen. Gwen then retaliates by shooting Cameron when he was distracted by Sierra calling him Cody. But before Gwen could thank Duncan, Mike shoots Gwen, making Jo the only Villain left in the challenge. Jo then rants about how she's stronger than the rest of her team combined (Old Heather, Ale-hand walker, Count Gwenula, Stunkan, and Sharkbait...you gotta love Jo's nicknames for her friends. Can't you just feel the love?) She admits maybe it was too early to get rid of Lightning and then Lightning's pre-recorded messages butts in to rub it in her face. Priceless! Sha-Lightning!
Jo detects Sam since she smells the sweat and bacon. Courtney tries to attack but misses. Courtney uses Sam as a human shield to defend against Jo's leeches and when Sam gets shot, it becomes 5-3. Zoey attempts to shoot Jo but misses. Jo's gun gets jammed so she hurls the container of leeches at Zoey. In a scene reminiscent to Harold's dramatic dodgeball dodge from season 1, Zoey avoids the leeches but takes one for her own to shoot Jo and win the challenge for the Heroic Hamsters. However, Chris points out that Courtney didn't act heroically by using Sam to protect herself. Courtney defends herself by saying it was just her survival instinct, but no one's buying it.
At the elimination ceremony, Chris rubs some salt in the wounds of the Vultures for losing two challenges in a row. Meanwhile Sam is upset because his video game system was broken. Mike is now very nervous because he previously thought that was just a weird dream. Sierra and Cameron predict Jo will be voted off unless she successfully convinces them to vote off Heather. Sierra then goes all "Cody, we so think alike!", forcing Cameron to remind her than he isn't Cody. Sierra starts giving him a foot rub which freaks him out since he doesn't like being touched. Cameron then offers to go to Boney Island, thinking Sierra and him just needs time apart. Chris is shocked, thinking Courtney deserved exile more. But Cameron was eager, although Mike and Zoey appeared to be worried for his safety. Gwen, Alejandro, Duncan, and Scott get marshmallows, and the final one goes to Heather. Jo is voted off for being bossy and for shooting Scott with leeches. However before Jo gets flushed, Chris forces Duncan and Courtney to switch teams since Duncan acted heroically and Courtney acted villainous in today's challenge. Both parties are reluctant but Chris makes them switch. Duncan says bye to Gwen and tells Courtney that she has to acknowledge his existence. Courtney does but she definitely makes Duncan acknowledge her too. Smooth, Duncan. Smooth... Gwen welcomes Courtney to the team by kicking a bucket of leeches on Courtney. Yeah, sucks to be you Gwen. I think a friendship between you and Courtney just isn't meant to be. Jo gets flushed and Chris says she won't miss her. And honestly I won't either. Jo is just not that great. And she should've known that the tactics that worked for a while in TDROTI weren't gonna work this time against more fearsome opposition.
Yeah it's interesting how Jo really didn't last long after succeeding in getting rid of Lightning, her main enemy. I guess that goes to show how important knowing the real enemy is in this game. And that's something Jo failed to do and she dug her own grave. My predictions
11.Sierra
10.Gwen
9.Scott
8.Duncan
7.Mike
6.Heather
5.Cameron
4.Alejandro
3.Sam
2.Courtney
1.Zoey
-Big Decline: I think Sierra's Cameron-Cody hallucinations will only get worse to the extent of Cameron successfully getting her voted off. I could be wrong though.
-Life Just Got Harder: Courtney's now on the same team as Gwen. I think Gwen could finally see herself exit the game, but since both Heather and Alejandro seemed keen on working with her, there's still a chance.
-Not Much Change: I just don't see Scott as a main stay, but if he sticks around for a few more episodes to have a few more unfortunate moments, fine by me.
-Not Much Change: Duncan's plot opportunities seem to be running dry, but what do you expect from a 3 times final five finisher?
-Slight Improvement: I think the way things are going, Mike will probably get reasonably far but not too far.
-Not Much Change: Heather's doing well but I just don't see her cracking the top three.
-Not Much Change: Cameron is in a good position and will likely stick around for a while but ultimately something will happen to stop him in his tracks
-Not Much Change: Alejandro will likely finish around this point based on how well he's playing.
-Big Improvement: Sam appears to be in a good spot right now, especially with Duncan on the Heroic Hamsters and Sierra's crazy levels going higher. And if he makes the merge, he can definitely do well.
-Same Position: Courtney will likely make it far but I hope her downfall is a good one.
-Sam Position: I'm still predicting Zoey will win this. I have faith in her.
For the first time the Villainous Vultures are trailing the heroes. I wonder what's in store for next episode!
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