Chapter Text
“The rules are a little different this time around,” Chris tells the group as he leans against a tree. “Given that there are more of you this season, there will be an elimination every episode. The cabins weren’t exactly created equal, but there will be no switching cabins, ever.”
“So who gets the better cabin?” Duncan demands.
“The Upgrades, who will here after be known as The Future Flounders,” Chris exclaims, causing some of the Originals to snicker, though they aren’t pleased with their lack of the better cabin.
“What about the old ones?” Sapphire questions, and the group in question lose their smirks.
“What old ones? None of us are old, except maybe Chris,” Lindsay muses innocently, immediately attracting Chris’s glare.
“The Past Pigs,” Chris states promptly, and now it’s the Flounders’ turn to laugh.
“I think we got the better name, as difficult as that is to believe,” Kimber muses, receiving glares from Justin and Heather.
“It’s not because of anything you did,” Heather snipes, folding her arms.
“I don’t really think either group got a better deal in the naming department,” Sabrina sighs.
“At least you got the better cabin,” Noah tells her and she nods.
“True, sorry,” She says sheepishly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
“Meh, you didn’t do anything,” He says dismissively, and she smiles at him.
Chris leads the cast over to the cabins. Each one is divided in half, one room for the girls and one for the guys. However, that’s where the similarities between the two buildings end.
While the Pig’s cabin resembles the shitty cabins of seasons past, the Flounder’s cabin is much nicer. It’s larger, with more comfortable beds, a TV, and even an attached bathroom on both the girl’s side and the guy’s.
“Seriously? They get to stay in there? Like all the time?” Zoey demands.
Confession
Zoey stands in the Confessional, looking a little anxious. She fiddles with her hands as she talks.
“Was that mean? That felt mean,” She frets. “I wasn’t trying to be mean.”
“Yes Zoey, all the time,” Chris deadpans.
“That doesn’t really seem fair,” Karin says tentatively, receiving looks from some of the other Flounders.
“She isn’t wrong,” Tanner admits, and Karin gives him a grateful look.
“Meh,” Aaron responds dismissively, idly playing with a leaf. “They’re used to it.”
Katrina and Sasha snicker at his words, though they also admit that it’s unfair. Of course, Chris ignores all of them, leading the group over to the communal bathrooms, answering Kennedy’s questions about outlets and water pressure the whole time.
“Maybe we could let them hang out sometimes when Chris isn’t around,” Talia mutters to Karin and Brooklyn as they walk, both girls nodding in agreement.
“We can let them know later,” Brooklyn whispers.
“So,” Chris begins, catching everyone’s attention again. “Now that you’ve seen the camp, it’s time to get to the fun stuff, at least, fun for me.”
“Oh no,” Cameron murmurs fearfully, watching Chris break into an evil grin.
“It’s time for your first challenge!” The older man exclaims.
“What are you making us do this time?” Gwen questions.
“Remember the challenges you did the first day of season one and season five?” Chris queries with a smirk.
“How could I forget? You made me wear a chicken hat all day,” DJ complains, making a face.
“I’m glad we never had to do that at least,” Mike comments, and Zoey and Cameron nod in agreement.
“Thanks for the idea dude, but today you’re doing something a little different,” Chris answers.
“What is it?” Victoria asks, her calm features showing slight impatience.
“Follow me and you’ll find out,” Chris replies, setting off again.
The host leads them through the trees and up a slope. Finally, he stops at the edge of a cliff, something that doesn’t surprise the cast at all.
Looking over the edge of the cliff, the cast can see a larger body of water below. However, it seems to be ringed by vertical rock walls. This is the first thing that gives them pause as they wonder how they’re supposed to get out once they jump. However, Chris promptly explains.
“There’s an opening under water. You’ll have just enough room to breathe through a snorkel, and you’ve gotta go fast. There might be a few things down there that’ll think you look like lunch,” Chris explains with a grin. “Oh, and you’ll be using straws for snorkels.”
The cast exchange looks. Some shrug, others roll their eyes, but none of them, not even the new contestant’s, look surprised.
“Sounds about right,” Katrina chirps, summing up their thoughts perfectly before calmly and confidently striding toward the edge.
Chris stares at the redhead in disbelief. Rolling her eyes, she holds out a hand for a straw. Gabrielle hands her one, and she promptly turns and dives off the cliff.
“You new ones have guts,” Chris states, watching Katrina swim quickly through the water, disappearing underwater and slipping into the opening.
“What happens if we can’t jump?” DJ asks tentatively.
“Don’t think your team’ll let you get away with that,” Chris responds.
“Nope,” Heather agrees, folding her arms.
“Besides,” Noah adds. “Didn’t you get better with heights during World Tour?”
“It’s been a few years,” DJ says, looking down.
“Well, we’ll see if it stuck,” Courtney sighs, watching Alex dive over the cliff.