Chapter Text
Chris couldn't believe he'd done it. It had been twenty years and finally sixteen teenagers were on their way to a remote island to compete for a million dollars. The good old days were back. He'd be torturing kids in no time! And not just any kids. These contestants were children of previous players. The next generation of Total Drama had arrived!
Standing on the dock, Chris watched the first boat arrive. The cameras were rolling and he had a gaggle of interns doing his bidding. So putting on his classic smirk, Chris began his intro to the camera. "Welcome back to Total! Drama! Island! It's been over twenty years but we're back with the next generation. Sixteen children of past players are here to compete. And here comes our first contestant!"
The boat docked and out came a blonde teenager. His hair was covered by a greenish tan cowboy hat and he wore yellow sweatpants with dolphins on them. His arms were out in his tank top and he flexed slightly as he walked towards Chris and the camera crew. "What up, dude!" He said excitedly.
"What up, yourself! Nice to meet you Andrew. Your parents are Geoff and Bridgette, right?" Chris said in return.
Andrew cracked a confident smile. "It's just Drew, man. And yeah! Just like them, I'm gonna use good vibes to win!"
Chris chuckled to himself. "They didn't win but sure, man, good luck," Chris said before turning to face the edge of the dock, "Here comes another contestant!"
Stepping off the boat was a pale boy. He was lanky but heavy and had strawberry blonde hair which fell over his eyes. He jogged onto the dock and up to Chris. "Oh uh hey." He said with a repetitive laugh.
"And this is Link! That laugh screams Sam and I'm guessing Dakota. How did that happen considering the mutant factor?" Chris asked.
Link narrowed his eyes. "What are you mutant-phobic?"
Chris paled. "Uh, no, of course not!"
The heavy boy nodded slowly and shuffled over to the end of the dock beside Drew. Compared to the tan and muscled boy, Link looked like a small child. Drew glanced down at Link and stood up straighter.
Another boat arrived just in time for Chris to finish explaining to the cameras how pro mutant he was. Jumping onto the dock were two dark skinned girls, both taller than Chris.
They looked down at the host as he greeted them. "Hello Alexis and Rayna! Jasmine and Shawn's lovely daughters! Are you ready to play?"
Alexis patted her flower print skirt and nodded. "Oh we're ready."
Her younger sister laughed nervously and stuffed her hands in her jean pockets. Before she could say anything awkward, Alexis pulled Rayna to the end of the dock. They stood beside Drew who stared at the tall girls and slouched down causing Link to chuckle.
The next boat arrived carrying another set of siblings. Two boys with glasses and brownish red hair made their way up to Chris. "Ethan and Zack," he said cheerfully, "Leshawna and Harold's boys! I'm surprised you guys even exist!"
"So are we." Zack said with a scoff.
Ethan elbowed his brother in the ribs. "Be nice. Hey y'all!" He waved at the contestants as he and Zack joined them. Only Alexis and Drew waved back.
From afar, manic laughter was heard from an approaching boat. As the passengers came into view, they ceased their laughter and smirked at the other players.
The boy brushed his hands through his long brown hair and stepped onto the dock. "There's really no point in trying!"
The girl followed, shooting icy glares with her green eyes. "Cause we're taking home the crown!"
Almost everyone groaned including Chris. "Heather and Alejandro's devil spawn. Veronica and Nico. Welcome." He said sarcastically.
The teens brushed right past the host, sizing up their competition while another boat pulled up to the dock. Stepping off the ship was a blonde girl with freckles covering her frowning face. She was shorter than the others, wearing platform sneakers to give her some height, but her apparent attitude made up for her small stature.
"Here comes Twyla! The daughter of Dawn and Scott. Now how did that happen?" Chris asked the camera.
Twyla stomped over to Chris. "Is this the island?" She glanced at the scenery behind her. "There's a very negative energy here."
"Will that be a problem?" Chris asked with a grin.
Twyla smirked. "Not at all."
Folding her arms, Twyla retreated to the end of the dock beside her fellow contestants. She was glaring up at the Burromuerto kids when a loud shriek was heard.
On an approaching boat was a redheaded girl with bandages wrapped around her hands. "Woooo!" she shouted as the boat pulled up to the dock. "Let's get this party started!"
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Drew yelled back.
The girl jumped down to the dock and raced over to Chris, grabbing his hand and shaking it furiously. "Hiya, Chris! I'm sooo excited to be here! Where are we bunking? Is lunch ready yet? Why do you look so old?"
Chris pulled his hand back and ran his fingers over the wrinkles on his face. "Lottie, everyone. Izzy and Owen's girl."
Her wild red hair waved in the wind as Lottie greeted the others. "Are you guys my new best friends?"
"No." Half the cast said in unison.
Lottie squealed again and pulled Twyla in for a tight hug. Twyla cringed as her face turned red and her bones cracked. "Put me down!"
Releasing the blonde girl, Lottie clapped her hands and turned her attention to the following boat.
Another pair of siblings approached on the ship. The boy wore a brown vest with a deep teal shirt. His brown skin shined in the sunlight as he fidgeted with his vest. His sister was dressed in a long grey skirt and a hoodie. Her bangs covered most of her face but her nervous smile could be seen underneath.
"Welcome Daniel and Madison! A spitting image of your parents, Mike and Zoey!" Chris announced.
Dan raised his hand awkwardly. "Are there still monsters here?"
"I guess you'll have to wait and see." Chris said with a cheeky wink.
Maddie grabbed her brother's arm. "Let's go before it gets dangerous."
But their boat had already left. With a groan, the siblings shuffled to the end of the dock. Standing in the middle of the group, Maddie began to shake with nervousness. Dan placed his hand on her shoulder, calming her. As he looked up he spotted Rayna, smiling down at him before her eyes shifted to the next boat.
"Here comes Kevin! Lindsay and Tyler's boy!" Chris said to the cameras.
Kevin wore a jean jacket and a frightened expression. His spiky dirty blonde hair complimented his designer outfit. He took his time getting off the boat, slowly stepping onto the dock and taking a good look around.
Chris patted Kevin on the back causing the boy to flinch. "What are you so worried about?" Chris asked with a laugh.
"Literally everything here." Kevin replied.
Rayna snorted. "Same."
Kevin joined the others as the next boat sailed up to the dock. Standing on the edge was a girl with grey dyed hair and an all black outfit. She shuffled up to Chris in her big black boots. "Hey."
"Hello Lithium," Chris said before turning to face the cameras, "Lithium really? Only Crimson and Ennui would name their kid something so ridonculous. Get it? Like the race?"
Lithium scowled. "My name comes from a very important mood stabilizer. Which I'll probably need after this show."
She walked to the edge of the dock and stood beside Kevin, glancing at the boy as he took a step back.
"Alloo!" a voice shouted from the next boat. A boy with a beaming smile and brown hair posed on the ship. His pinkish purple jacket was glittery and the reflection of the sun shined in the players' eyes. He took a graceful jump and landed on the dock with his hands in the air. "A perfect ten!"
The boy strutted up to Chris. "Welcome Jonas. Your parents were on The Ridonculous Race too, right? Jacques and Josee?"
"That is correct!" Jonas said, never once dropping his bright smile.
Chris laughed bitterly. "I was supposed to host that show but my prison time interfered with my schedule."
Jonas paid him no mind, keeping his hands above his head as he posed for the cameras.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's get on with the show," Chris said while shoving the teen away, "I'm the star here."
The host's posing for the cameras came to an end when the final boat arrived. On board was a girl (?) with short blue hair and a nose piercing. Her brown skin was almost completely covered with a baggy green dress. She sighed and approached Chris. "Did your lawyers get my contract?"
"Ah, Jackie! Now you're an interesting participant. You have three former players as your parents." Chris announced while ignoring Jackie's question.
The group whispered amongst themselves as they eyed Jackie.
With a roll of her eyes, the girl explained. "First of all, it's Jack. Secondly, yes my parents are technically Courtney and Duncan but they broke up when I was two. Gwen and Courtney are my parents. Duncan is the guy I see every other weekend."
The whispering continued.
"Dark!" Chris replied, "Well everybody gather at the end of the dock for this season's group photo!"
The teens hustled into position, some posing while others glared at Chris. "Everybody say Wawanakwa!"
"Wawanakwa!" The group yelled over the click of the camera.
And with that, the next generation of Total Drama had begun.
Chris quickly herded the teens to the campfire at the edge of the island. "This where we will have our campfire ceremonies where one by one you will be eliminated. Now, let's get you all sorted into teams!"
Everyone looked around at the group, remembering their last moments before the game would truly begin.
"By random draw we have Link, Alexis, Drew, Twyla, Rayna, Jonas, Lottie, and Dan. You guys will be The Slimy Tadpoles!" Chris said while tossing a green team flag towards Rayna's face. She ducked just as Dan jumped forward, catching the flag and unraveling it. On the green tapestry was a crudly drawn tadpole.
"And then we have Zack, Kevin, Lithium, Veronica, Madison, Ethan, Jack, and Nico. You all will be The Flying Chicks!" Chris announced, tossing a yellow team flag at Jack. She let it fall to the ground causing Ethan to quickly pick it up and unfurl it, revealing a sloppy looking chick.
The teens eyes each other, wondering who on their team they could really trust.
"Okay, let's head to the cabins to get settled. Then we'll get our confessionals in and meet in the cafeteria where I'll explain your first challenge!" Chris said while turning on his heels and strutting away.
Inside the Tadpoles' cabin, Drew was attempting to rally his teammates. "C'mon guys! This is the experience of a lifetime! Why aren't you psyched?"
Link stuffed his suitcase under his bed. "I'm pretty psyched." His laugh echoed across the room.
"Then let's prove it. Group five! C'mon, bring it in!" Drew shouted.
Dan and Link reluctantly went in for a messy group five. Across the room, Jonas was fighting to keep a smile on his face.
On the other side of the Tadpoles' cabin, the girls were even more friendly.
"It's nice we get to be on the same team," Alexis said to her sister, "Competing against you would have been pointless."
Rayna jumped up onto the top bunk above her sister. "Cause I would have won, right?"
"Uh, right!" Alexis said before turning to face Lottie on the bottom bunk. "So, you excited for our first challenge?"
Lottie stood up, knocking her head against the top bunk. "Yup," she said with an unfazed smile, "I've been training my whole life for this!"
Twyla scoffed. "You can't train for this game. It's about adaptability and my spiritual energy allows me to adapt to any obstacle."
The girls stared at her.
"Plus, I'm really good at scrapping." Twyla said with a sly smile.
Rayna shuddered.
In the Chicks' cabin, Ethan was nagging his brother. "Dude, you can't just leave your stuff on the floor! Use the drawers."
Zack was having none of it. "I won't be here long anyway. This camp is totally not favorable to my skills."
"This is why we don't share a room." Ethan said as he laid down on the top bunk. On the other side of the room, Kevin timidly set his stuff down on the bottom bunk.
The boys settled into a comfortable silence until the door burst open. Nico strutted inside, throwing his bag atop the bottom bunk and pushing Kevin's stuff off. "I have to be on the bottom."
Kevin collected his things from the floor. "No problem."
"Um, yes problem," Ethan piped up, "He was there first."
Nico glared at Ethan then flashed Kevin a warm smile. "Hey, you do me this favor and I'll owe you one, my friend." He extended his hand out to the blonde, lifting him up.
"Thanks, yeah, like I said no problem." Kevin said.
Ethan groaned and covered his face with a pillow.
On the girls' side, Veronica was making a distinct impression. "So, on these types of shows, the girls always turn on each other. Why don't we make a girls alliance now and skip all the misogyny?"
Maddie perked up. "That's a great idea!"
Veronica smirked. "So goth girls, you in?"
Lithium and Jack looked at each other. With a shrug, they both agreed.
"Perfect! Now, I have a great idea for our first mission." Veronica said while lightly sitting on the bottom bunk.
The girls listened in, with Jack off to the side, tuning her out.
After the teens had unpacked and unloaded in the confessional, they made their way down to the cafeteria. Inside was a run down couple of tables and chairs with a moldy yellow wallpaper stuck to the walls.
The most alarming part was Chef in the kitchen window. He looked as if he hadn't aged a day causing a few teens to wonder how old he actually was. "Come get your slop, maggots!"
One by one, the group got their trays filled and sat down. Few teens risked eye contact with Chef. Lottie tried and was rewarded with extra slop which she didn't seem to mind. Besides Lottie, the teens were growing anxious. There was an uneasy silence as everyone waited for the challenge.
Finally, Chris arrived. "Look at you all! It gives my heart such joy to see the next generation of twerps ready to suffer. I bet you're wondering what your first challenge will be?"
He paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "Well this season I wanted to pay homage to the seasons of the past. And what better way to start you off than a Total Drama classic? That's right, you're going cliff diving!"
The teens groaned. "Get in your suits and meet me at the top of the cliff!" Chris said cheerfully.
An hour later, the group was scared and winded. Having hiked up the mountain, they now faced the most terrifying way down.
Chris sat at the top, sipping a fruity little drink. "About time! Now, get jumping! You don't wanna be a chicken, do you?" He began bawking at the teens.
Once again, silence filled the air.
Eyes dropped to the ground, shoulders slumped forward, and heads ducked all in an effort to avoid standing out. Nobody made a sound.
Except Chris who was giggling, celebrating the fact that this would make a great cliffhanger for the first episode. "Our teens face their first challenge! Will they take the leap or chicken out? Find out next time on Total! Drama! Island!" he yelled as the camera man panned out.
Chris held his pose for the camera as the teens scowled in the background, realizing how bleak the future was. They were stuck on the same journey their parents had been on twenty years ago. A rough path with little light along the way.
But at the end of the road was a million dollars and international fame.
All that was left to do was jump.