Here we are at last, witnesses to the final five becoming the fortunate four. I feel like it was just yesterday that Alejandro was walking around on his feet like a goofball, and not screaming about how “it’s in the art” as he made his way down a gigantic toilet bowl. Alas, those were simpler times without a terrifyingly malevolent alter-ego competing.
THE CHALLENGE
Chris McLean forgot to feed his sad, skinny interns this week, so this challenge involves the contestants putting together ice cream sundaes for good ol’ whatshisname and whozits. The catch, of course, being that the ingredients are located in the most dangerous areas of the island:
- ice cream – the top of the diving cliff
- maraschino cherries – perched on a rock deep in the swamp
- crushed peanuts – the old cafeteria in the Main Lodge
- chocolate sauce – in a pool surrounding a recently planted mutant fire flower
Scott races up the mountain first, but his speed causes him to slip on the ice, which results in him playing catch-up for most of the challenge. Gwen and Mal/Mike are neck and neck when it comes to every other ingredient, braving the various obstacles Chris has set up to stop them (Snappy the alligator, the newly rebuilt Total Drama Machine).
Both reach the chocolate sauce first, but Mal/Mike waits behind for Zoey and then lets her go ahead, needing her to win so that she can invite him to the Spa Hotel. He blows up the fire flower, sabotaging the chocolate sauce for the final two contestants Courtney and Scott.
With Courtney far in the rear, there’s a very tight race, with Gwen closely followed by Zoey, Scott, and Mal/Mike. No one wants her to win, but Courtney somehow manages to find a shortcut and beat them to the finish line. She victoriously presents her sundae to the interns, BUT WAIT-
Chris changes the rules and says that each contestant must eat their own sundae (sorry, whatshisname and whozits!) Courtney refuses to eat hers, mostly because she sprinkled chocolate coal on top and a bird barfed on it. The rest chow down hard but Zoey powers through.
Zoey wins. Again.
THE ELIMINATION CEREMONY
Zoey finds out that from now on the victor is no longer allowed to invite anyone back to the Spa Hotel, which makes Mal/Mike visibly upset. When it comes down to voting it’s both Scott and Courtney on the chopping block, with the former having no allies and the latter being kind of a backstabber (more on that later). It turns out that one pulls a lot more votes than the other.
Courtney is eliminated.
THE DRAMA
Mal really wants to find that DVD that Alejandro hid, since it’s evidence that he’s taken over Mike’s body. His plan to make it back into the Spa Hotel and locate it ultimately backfires, too. He’s still out to crush his opponents but Zoey’s very, very suspicious.
She’s begun to take Alejandro’s warnings to heart that “a greater evil is lurking!” Mal has also been letting his guise slip, laughing out loud at other people’s pain, something Mike would never do. As she spends the night in the Spa Hotel she remembers Al’s words that “it’s in the art.”
Deep in his own head Mike, Chester, and Svetlana come across Vito. Mal possesses the ventriloquist dummy that the shirtless personality is using and says they’ll never defeat him. Mike grabs it and smashes Vito’s chains, leaving only Manitoba left to be rescued. Mal is aware that they’re loose and it does not make him happy.
The real drama happens after Courtney makes a chart indicating who needs to be voted out and in what order for her to win the game; she reveals this after promising Gwen “it’s you and me right to the end.” Things go south fast when Mal/Mike reveals this chart to the rest of the contestants.
With everyone against her, Scott included, “Chart-ney” begs Gwen to help her out. Gwen agrees to swing the vote against Scott, but only if Courtney votes for herself. It’s never revealed what exactly happens, but we all know who ends up going home.