Work Text:
It has been a frustrating year for Total Drama Production. Although the public have been ecstatic about the show finally being revived after the Ridonculous race seven years ago, the ratings have not matched the hype. They actually were lower than intended. They were high during the first episode and then dropped after a few episodes. What the hell was going on? Were people actually forgetting about the show?
Chris McLean was having none of it. He's been running this show for more than 15 years, and to watch his precious show slowly decline and does not appeal to newer generations brought him to a new level of anger. He busted through the door of one of the work rooms, the door slamming so loudly it almost broke. It gave the only intern there a strong startle, and since they were the only one there, they would have to face Chris's wrath alone.
"Hey, intern!" Chris started, slapping some statistics papers down on the table beside the other as his eyes furrowed angrily. "Why the hell are our ratings going down? We've been bringing in new meat for the reboot seasons!"
The intern gulped, a bead of sweat rushing down their forehead as they quickly needed to figure out how to explain this the best way possible.
"Well, Mr. McClain, it seems we have some, um… competition..."
"What competition?" McLean asked pryingly, cocking an eyebrow. The intern continued.
"There's this competition reality show that's emerging with popularity. Something called Ad... Disventure Camp? What kind of word is that-"
"Get to the point, intern!" He raised his voice at the intern who feared for their life.
"A-Anyway! They kinda follow the same structure we do with challenges and eliminations, though their challenges are less risky. They didn't start getting popularity until season 2, and they just finished their All Stars season. A lot of people are tuned into that, which would explain our viewership dropping."
At that moment, a blood vessel was visible on the side of McLean's neck as well as an eye twitch. He was nearly seething as he deeply inhaled through his nose.
"Those conniving little... Hohohoho, no one... NO ONE steals my show idea and gets away with it. That is MY show formula. I want it ERASED!"
His voice came off as mad and unhinged, and he was practically yelling as he couldn't hide his disdain for the show. It felt like a personal attack on him. The existence of the show and how it affected Total Drama boiled his blood. He wanted it gone. He wanted to sue the hell of it, the creators, and the production until they were penniless for stealing the spotlight. And he would like this to be an example so no one else ever dared to copy Total Drama ever again.
But then the intern spoke up,
"Well, um, legally, we can't really... sue them for copyright, sir... suing them for a concept wouldn't really hold up in court."
That brought the host back down to reality a little bit. It was frustrating to hear, but logic never fails. It would be a losing game. He took another deep breath before he tapped his chin and brainstormed other ways to deal with the show. Ignore them? Do a crossover between shows? Maybe observe what Disventure Camp's doing right, improve themselves, and make better seasons to put Total Drama back on top?
That's when he got it. His eyes initially widened in finalization, before lips curved into a deeply sinister, sadistic grin.
"Alright, fine. I can think of something better. They're all adults, right?"
The intern nodded, "Most of them, yes. Why?"
Chris put his arms behind his back, playing fake innocence as he delivered his new idea in a cooing fashion.
"Well, if we can't get rid of the show through court, what's a competition show if it doesn't have its star competitors around to participate~?"
The intern couldn't see what their boss was saying at first. It took a little bit of processing, as their eyes looked towards the ground. Then it finally hit them what Chris was insinuating, making their eyes widen as they were left speechless.
"Sir, a-are you suggesting- No. No, that's a terrible idea! You seriously aren't resorting to mur--"
"ZIP IT, intern!"
Chris hollered again, slamming his hand against the table which shut the other back up. He pointed a finger right in their face as he looked them in the eye with squinted eyes.
"You don't have the place to tell me what is and isn't right. Be grateful I pay you."
"Wh- You don't pay me at all! Or my medical bills!"
"Whatever. Get me the names and addresses of those all-stars participants and prepare to send letters."
That's when he finally laid off the other and gathered back up the papers he brought in, including some research about Disventure Camp. He proceeded to walk out of the room, eyeing the name of the show with a truly merciless smile.
"I think it's time to show 'em a real challenge~..."