Chapter Text
The crew team was coming and going, running out of time. The show was about to start—the Aftermath.
Generally, these types of episodes were easy to handle. On set, no movement. But this one came with a challenge, brought to you by the sadistic boss, Chris McLean. And clearly, it involved wild animals.
Not even the fantastic environment Hawaii offered could make this more relaxing for anyone.
“There are only four hours left,” an intern repeated to himself, holding the leash of a highly dangerous crocodile trying to push him slowly off the shore.
Another group of animals would be joining the peanut gallery—they were meant to land in a couple of minutes. The episode started at six, and Geoff, sitting on a pink couch, was reading the script while getting fixed up by his makeup department.
According to the script, Bridgette should be back from Siberia. Everyone seemed to think this was orchestrated—a complex plan implemented by the producers. How could they let a participant be in the coldest place on Earth without protection? But no. Blaineley had really sent her to the most secluded place.
The rest of the contestants were making their entrance as one of the producers guided them to their assigned seats. Everything had intention in this show. Nothing was accidental.
Especially for that one girl sitting on the upper side, close enough to hear the production crew’s conversations. Her new boyfriend would be arriving in a couple of minutes.
Gwen hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. The sudden fixation had only intensified since her elimination—thinking about all the things she wanted to say to him while recalling their secret meetings. At least she was glad those meetings had stayed secret.
Her fidgeting fingers couldn’t stop moving as the time to go on air got closer.
“You seem kinda nervous,” Leshawna said, breaking Gwen’s train of thought, “You need to stop shaking so much or we’re gonna slip off this couch.”
“Yeah, sorry.”
“No need to apologize. You might want to save those for when that stuck-up, fire-spitting dragon enters the scene. Believe me, she’s definitely going to make herself known. And heard. Especially heard.”
“Yeah.”
Gwen seemed rather absent in the conversation. Ignoring the current situation until now had helped her stay grounded.
Leshawna gave her a side glance. Gwen still had her guard up.
“Gonna be honest, Gwen,” she said with a heavy sigh. “I do not wish to be in your shoes right now. You’ll have to sleep with one eye open from now on... maybe two. She’s definitely sent a defamation lawsuit to your doorstep.”
Gwen made no comment.
Leshawna shook her head. “I hope he’s worth it. I really do. And if he’s not—you know what to do. I’ll send him to the nearest hospital.”
Gwen let out a chuckle.
“I’m not kidding. You may be dumb at choosing men, but that doesn’t mean I’d let them do whatever they please.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got you on speed dial. You’ll be the first to know, I promise.” Gwen knew Leshawna meant well, even if she used her distinctive brand of tough love.
“Good, good.” Now that she had shown more than a frown, Leshawna felt better.
Suddenly, a loud metal noise made them both turn at the same time. It was unusual for crewmembers to mess with the equipment—they knew Chris was watching from every angle. He always ended up knowing everything, and he would make sure you paid for it. But as Leshawna and Gwen could see, it wasn’t the crew.
“You can recognize that green mohawk from a mile away,” Leshawna added as Gwen’s smile began to form.
He appeared to be in a heated argument with what were more likely than not innocent assistant producers.
Gwen’s eyes shifted from him to the floor, where a broken television lay. “So that’s where the loud noise came from.”
“Hm. Those makeup people must be new—don’t know how they dared to touch him.” Leshawna laughed. “Why don’t you go over there before he rips someone’s head off?”
She didn’t need much convincing—just a reason not to look too needy. Gwen was already looking toward the producers, searching for a way over without being noticed.
Luckily, they were more worried about the wild animals than anything else.
And without any pushback, Gwen slipped away, making her way toward Duncan.
There were a lot of people running back and forth as she came closer to the backstage, dodging crew with heavy equipment without making herself known. Gwen also recognized Owen—the tallest one—trying to strike up a conversation with a makeup artist, who looked far more interested in wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“Please, I need to retouch it or I’ll be fired,” shivered the clearly terrified intern, holding a comb and hairspray to his chest.
“And how is that my problem? Get out of here before I rearrange your face.”
“I-I…”
“Hey, I'll take it from here.” Gwen grabbed the crewmember by the shoulder, giving him the cue to exit the situation with grace. She may have just saved him from a lose-lose situation.
He must have been seriously irritated—he didn’t even notice her coming closer. However, the biggest smile appeared on Duncan’s lips not even a second after his eyes locked on hers.
“Hey!” His eyes were full of light, like a dog that found its owner in a big crowd. As he closed the distance between them, he opened his arms, signaling he was ready for his much-anticipated hug.
The feeling was mutual, undoubtedly.
“Hi. You were abou—OH SHI—!”
Before she could even finish the sentence, Gwen was lifted into the air by her very excited boyfriend.
“Hey, hey, that’s alright.”
Of course, she didn’t like big displays of affection in public. But regardless, this encounter meant they were finally free from the evil scheme of Chris McLean. Now, they could enjoy each other’s company without looking over their shoulders. What a way to start—Hawaii was definitely a great place for a five-star getaway.
As she slowly touched the floor again, they found each other’s eyes. Gwen carefully rested her hands on his chest.
“Hi,” she repeated.
“Hi, long time no see.” Duncan kept his hands wrapped around her waist.
“It’s just been a week.” Her voice had become quiet, like someone was trying to spy on them. Though for Duncan, it only made him pull her closer. Besides the fact that he could barely hear her, the softer voice made the moment feel more intimate.
“Too long,” he hummed against her ear, causing her to shiver.
Gwen’s hand slipped up to the back of his neck, and now they were almost breathing the same air.
“Well, I’m here now.”
“Mhm, yeah I know.”
At this point, they were just whispering gibberish to one another. Naturally, Duncan was the first to give in and capture her lips in a deep but discreet kiss.
“ ACTION! ” the producer-director yelled, cueing the episode to start rolling. And as if it were nothing, one of the assistants appeared behind Duncan and dragged him away by the back of his shirt, pulling him out of the embrace.
Even with the dizziness from the kiss, Gwen unconsciously gripped his shirt. She knew they needed to go. But she couldn’t help breaking more rules when it came to him. Inevitably, she found an excuse to keep him a few seconds longer.
Since their first kiss in London, they’d had the same issue—Gwen's dark blue lipstick. It always left a noticeable mark, and Duncan was no exception.
“Wait, wait.”
Ironically—and without waiting for his permission—Gwen started smearing the lipstick off his lips.
Duncan didn’t seem to mind at all. He was caught between an insistent producer assistant screaming out the other contestants’ names and an adorably demanding girlfriend eager to take care of him. Undoubtedly, the latter would always have his full attention.
“Alright, that’s it.” Gwen’s thumb finished what it started as they exchanged a warm gaze. They were already in trouble for messing up the show schedule.
“Go!” she said, lightly pushing him toward the assistant.
Duncan wouldn’t give up that easily—he just wanted a little bit more. And before getting dragged away, he landed a quick peck that slightly tainted his lips again.
Gwen barely reacted to his move. He was already walking toward the main stage, wiping the lipstick with the back of his wrist. It would be less visible under the sleeve of his shirt.
“Idiot,” she mumbled, the biggest smile on her face.
As Gwen settled once again into her assigned place, Leshawna moved slightly to the left.
“We just started. Sorry about that, I was going to tell you, but you were too entertained with your sugar boy that I didn't want to interfere with the love fest.”
“Yuck, you make it sound like I just committed a felony.” Gwen laughed at the idea of calling Duncan a sugar boy. “I just hope they don't make us do anything too deranged.”
“Hmm, you’re asking for pigs to start flying.”
“Please welcome Owen, Courtney, aaand Duncan!” Geoff announced the recent losers of the show. And as they were called, they were thrown with malicious force toward the center. Owen and Courtney landed on their feet, but Duncan completely missed the floor.
“Why did I get an intro with Owen and jerkface?” Courtney demanded.
Gwen asked herself the same thing. This season, the introduction of all the players had been awfully rushed. And for Total Drama standards, there was plenty of drama to squeeze out of the ex-contestants. But that didn’t seem to be the goal for this season at all.
She still remembered hers in Total Drama Action. That Aftermath was pure chaos. Gwen had felt terribly exploited for people’s entertainment. She even recalled how the public came with fire torches, expecting her to beg on her knees for forgiveness. She let out a tiny, sorrowful laugh. Now, they were definitely preparing to set her on fire with no trial.
“Hello again, stranger. Is this seat taken?” Duncan’s voice snapped her out of her awful memories.
“You know it’s yours.” She patted the empty spot. “C’mon here, dumbass.”
“Hm, that’s what I like to hear.”
He hopped to her side. Duncan’s desire to be close to her was clear—he’d have settled for just putting his hand behind her on the back of the couch, no contact, just enough to shield her from the sun. But no—production rules. No shows of affection during these types of episodes. They even went as far as deducting money from the final paycheck. It was mostly to avoid disgusting mouth sounds in the middle of recording.
Of course, those two brainless lovers—Lindsay and Tyler—broke that rule constantly. Lucky them, Duncan thought. Sometimes stupidity plays in your favor.
“First, I’ve got one more ex-contestant to add to the mix,” Geoff said.
From Gwen’s side, she saw them bring Blaineley out on a warehouse trolley. She was covered in bandages from head to toe, including her earrings.
Production played the clip of her crashing into a rooftop in China. Like most participants, the health aid ended the moment you were thrown from the plane, as Chris's rules dictated—so you’d better hope you landed somewhere soft.
But she didn’t. Blaineley had assumed her assistants were going to place a mattress made of duck feathers for her perfect landing.
Neither Gwen nor Duncan felt bad for her—nor did any of the contestants. Blaineley was the main reason Bridgette had been forced to leave. She was clearly persona non grata.
Speaking of Bridgette—she came surfing in, getting closer to the shore. As she greeted everyone, a big, terrifying gray bear emerged behind her.
‘There’s no way she brought that animal all the way from Siberia,’ Gwen thought.
“This gotta be a joke,” Duncan whispered in her ear. He must’ve thought the same thing when he saw the bear.
It wasn’t. The bear straight-up punched Geoff in the face just for daring to touch Bridgette.
“Oh wow, that’s some serious Stockholm syndrome. Poor Geoff, he thought he’d get his girlfriend’s time back, and now he’s sharing it with a wild bear,” Leshawna laughed at the absurdity of such a dangerous situation.
“Well, it doesn’t seem too wild from here.” Duncan laughed too, picturing Geoff fighting to split bills with a bear. “What a loser.”
“No, Bruno! Bad bear!” Bridgette scolded her fluffy pet. “Aw, he’s gotten so possessive since I fixed his paw—but he’s perfectly sweet and safe as long as no one gets within three feet of me.”
“Alright… I said that jokingly. What the hell happened in Siberia?” Leshawna whispered.
“Like you heard. Just don’t get close to Bridgette at all or you’ll lose your head.” Gwen laughed—but honestly, it could happen at any moment this episode. Just like Russian roulette. Who’s gonna be the lucky one?
The introductions have been made, now the next section is about the three finalists. Heather, Alejandro and Cody. They are already in a sticky situation, being in a desert. None of them expects Chris to land a hand, he is there just to film the struggle of the journey. Drumheller to Hawaii is around 14 hours by just taking the plane, but for the finalists they are going to need to double it. Legitimately, a nightmare.
For the rest, here in Hawaii meant only one thing, more time for vacation. Once in a while, being a loser is great.
"...However it goes down, who does the peanut gallery think will win?" Geoff said to the camera before the first song starts playing.
Another thing that they are glad that is over, the singing. While some are excited for it, neither Duncan or Gwen were happy by the idea of starting randomly singing at the sound of a bell.
“Would you be mad at me if I was more happy for not singing anymore than seeing you again?”
“Yes, I would.” Gwen knows he is joking, he wouldn’t have greeted that piece of clothing that wore in the Sweden episode like he did with her an hour ago. Still, this is the perfect artillery to mess up with him for at least a month. “Hm, now that I think about it, you weren’t so against wearing that green sparkle bodysuit”
“Fuck.” he let out a sigh, Duncan is already thinking in vain in how getting rid of that clip. It must have been jet fuel fumes that made him wear that stupid piece. Or, well the idea of winning the cash. That always motivates him.
“Why are you worried?” She laughs at his expense “It matched perfectly with your crunchy hair” And caresses his dried up mohawk. Gwen notices his roots are showing “You need a retouch urgently” and continues to chuckle. Why do you have a boyfriend if you can not piss him off?
He shifted to the grumpy face that is so familiar to her. Gwen loves winning the teasing game, and of course she will expect retaliation later.
The song is still playing, a silly melody changes to an irritable rap. Who is singing? And if they can stop at this very right moment?, they both think. “Gwen’s a boyfriend stealer, Duncan is a dead man.” Suddenly, the screeching voice snapped them from the conversation. The dragon let everyone know that she has a microphone in her hands.
Leshawna let out a loud laugh “What did I tell you, Gwenny?” notch Gwen with the elbow “Is it too late to buy a pair of ear plugs?”
Gwen let out an outworn sigh.
“Pay no mind, wait until the episode ends and we will open bottles and eat Hawaiian sushi in no time.” Duncan reassured her girlfriend with a promise of a much-anticipated peaceful time.
As the song comes to an abrupt ending thanks to Harold and Courtney hijacking the musical segment, Geoff decides that it is enough and takes the microphones off. He gets rewarded with a kiss from his girlfriend, although he seems to have forgotten that 7 feet tall grizzly bear that acts like Bridgette’s bodyguard. Geoff gets hit by the beast and flies across the stage, for better or worse he lands face down on the sea.
"Geoff! Bad Bruno! Geoff is my boyfriend" Bridgette screams, worried about her lover, the human one.
The scolded bear suddenly moves towards the left side where Leshawna, Gwen , Duncan and other contestants are.
Fear overwhelms everyone as the wild animal comes closer and analyzes which human will be their chew toy for the day.
“Shit, he is coming toward us!” Duncan quickly picked up the danger and jumped to the side, followed by the rest except Beth who already accepted her fate of being eaten by an angry bear.
Meanwhile, the rest hid behind Blaineley's metal trolley. Who knew she would make a great shield? Despite the fact that there is not a place for everyone. Harold, Gwen, Duncan and Leshawna are barely holding on the metal bars.
Gwen may be tiny than him, but he seems rather secure clinging around her waist. “She must have a ton of core power. What type of sport is she doing to gain this strength? Maybe it is her concert trips, at least I’m aware of those.” Duncan thinks to himself, while the production behind the scene ponders on what to do with Bridgette’s wild pet. They can’t keep going if the peanut gallery fears for their deaths.
“Can we calm him down with something?” Courtney said.
Harold recommends giving him a thousand-year-old recipe tea, we all hoping it suppresses hunger for flesh.
An hour and a half into the episode—but it felt like an eternity. Gwen was already picking at the seams of her sleeves to calm her uneasiness. The hosts introduced Cody’s journey, and it was painfully obvious he was only there because of Sierra.
Bridgette read out loud from her card while a compilation of Cody played on the screen.
“Cody’s on his own for the first time—plus you can’t count his killer right hook out. Cody is the one who delivered the biggest punch of the season!”
Oh yeah. How could she have forgotten? The Greece episode. Gwen didn’t even remember the punch. So that’s why Duncan was so frantic about getting a strike back.
He still seemed bitter about it—as the clip rolled, Duncan crossed his arms sulkily.
“I took a dive so he’d feel better,” he tried to defend his ego as best he could. But he was going to have to admit defeat on this one.
When the cameras weren’t on them, she reached over and placed a hand on his knee. “Maybe you need those Hawaiian sushi rolls more than I do.”
Next up was Alejandro.
“He’s in the final three only because Sierra blew up the plane and got kicked out—otherwise he’d have been gone,” Harold remarked.
“Exactly. Dude's got a horseshoe up his butt the size of Texas,” Geoff added. Both of them clearly had grievances with Alejandro’s influence on their respective girlfriends.
“Can you at least try to be impartial?” Courtney tried defending her one-sided alliance.
It was strange, seeing such a strong competitor like her stick by the side of a con artist. Even Leshawna was ashamed of falling for Alejandro’s tricks—but at least she’d snapped out of his spell. She’d rather die than root for him now.
“As for Heather this season,” Bridgette continued, “she’s managed to outwit and outlast albino alligators, baby birds, and all the haters on her team—and that’s a lot of hate! Nothing seems to stop her… except maybe losing a tooth. Once again—Leshawna, nice work!”
“My pleasure, honey,” Leshawna replied. She only wished she were in Heather’s place. The irony of the situation stung—her arch enemy might win the big prize. And if she did, Heather would definitely brag about it.
Gwen also reflected on her own journey with Heather. This season, Heather had played it low-key—always skating just above the chopping block. It was smart. Besides, it helped that Alejandro, a more ruthless version of her, was also in the game. It was practically a race to see who was the bigger scammer.
“It’s time to vote for your favorite!” Bridgette introduced the next segment. Leshawna, Gwen, and Duncan backed Cody. Even though Duncan would’ve preferred for every finalist to choke and watch the money disappear into thin air, he stuck with Gwen's pick.
Behind the scenes, production began rearranging participants by whom they were supporting. Gwen was now placed beside Trent—her caring ex-boyfriend. Everyone knew that wasn’t an accident. The Gwent fans would eat it up. Just having them close was enough to keep people guessing, even if things between them were strictly friendly now.
Duncan, not thrilled, stayed standing to keep a clear escape route—just in case Bridgette’s bear decided he’d make a fine toothpick. Though, for now, the beast was content munching on crew food.
“Figures you’re a Heather fan—you’re like a matching pair,” Duncan said, tossing Blaineley a Heather flag. At least someone had a worse team than him.
As the episode rolled on, the gallery kept debating who deserved to win. Harold defended his nerdy friend, highlighting Cody’s kindness throughout the season. But aside from Harold and Beth, the rest of Cody’s team couldn’t care less. Vacation awaited once this mess wrapped up.
“Alejandro blew all of you off the map. He’s the best player the game’s ever had,” Courtney insisted, voice full of conviction.
Leshawna shook her head. It was almost scary how Courtney could still defend someone who’d made her a complete clown this season. Her rage had made her unstable—and a perfect target for a charlatan. Flirting with Tyler? Falling for superficial compliments? For Alejandro, it was as easy as stealing candy from a baby.
She might need to have a serious talk with Courtney. Just girl-to-girl. Try to help a sister out before she gave up her pride for a guy. But Courtney didn’t seem like the type to accept help—especially if it meant admitting she'd been scammed. That would definitely cost her some beauty sleep.
“Our peanut gallery will face off in an exciting and death-defying surf challenge—for a chance to win a huge advantage for the contestant they’re backing!” Bridgette announced.
“All that and more when we return to Total Drama Aftermath!” Geoff wrapped up the mid-episode break.
‘Thank heavens,’ Gwen thought. That meant they were almost done.