Chapter Text
Sierra always liked to describe herself as determined. Others used more descriptive words like obsessive and neurotic but Sierra found the word determined to be the most applicable. It sounded stronger and more purposeful. She was not obsessed with Total Drama; she was determined to compete and prove her worth. At least that’s how she saw it. Anyone else looking at her hundreds of blogs dedicated to the show and its players would say otherwise. But Sierra knew she’d one day prove them all wrong.
So when Celebrity Manhunt reached out offering to feature her on their show as Total Drama’s number one fan, she saw her opportunity. Accepting immediately, Sierra planned her strategy. If she was going to make it onto Total Drama, she’d have to make a mark on Celebrity Manhunt. So like any good reality tv contestant, she created a persona.
Obviously she’d work the superfan angle to be relatable but also honest. The best lies are ones based in truth. And the most popular topic among the fans were the ships so she had to incorporate that. ‘I’ll need to pick a guy to obsess over so I can work both angles at once and make me seem like less of a threat!’ she thought, 'I need a boy that’s not popular with the fans so they don’t see me as competition.’ Using her wide array of accounts online she discovered the least popular boys were Noah, Izekeiel, and Cody. ‘Well Noah’s out cause I’m definitely not his type and Zeke is just a joke. Whatever, Cody’s not so bad!’
Sierra’s mother accompanied her to the studio as she was underage and couldn’t participate without her mother’s permission. She wasn’t much help though as she spent most of her time on set rambling about Chris and begging to see him. The irony of it all was not lost on Sierra. ‘Oh fuck my persona is literally just a younger version of my mom’ With no time to change her strategy, Sierra leaned fully into it during her interview and was relieved when they asked her to interview the players on the red carpet.
Her excitement very quickly ended after the players fumbled on the red carpet and were ultimately not let into the awards ceremony, having been dumped by Chris for a new cast. Standing amongst her idols and watching them all give up hope, Sierra once again saw an opportunity. ‘If I can get them back on the show, maybe I’ll get on too! That’s how I’ll get my win!’
This kept her going all throughout the bus ride, being chased by the new cast, and being stranded after falling down a cliff. She kept going when everyone but Izzy ignored her. She even kept going when they were rescued and everyone assumed she’d be going home soon. Because Sierra was determined and Chris recognized that, she was accepted for the next season. Years of training and studying had paid off and now she would show everyone her worth.
Several weeks later, Sierra was using a wheelchair and missing most of her hair. People online mocked her endlessly and claimed her lasting so long was luck. Even her mother chastised her for competing. “I mean what did you expect? It’s a very difficult show and much too dangerous for you.” Somehow that was Sierra’s fault instead of Chris’. But none of that mattered to Sierra. ‘Who cares if I’m liked? Heather was the most hated contestant in the game and she won!’
When the next season aired with an all new cast, Sierra studied during her physical therapy. She took notes while learning to attach her hair extensions. Anyone else would have given up but Sierra didn’t. For months she practiced puzzles, regained control of her legs, and never stopped thinking about Total Drama. She was so determined to win that she accepted Chris’ offer to join the All Stars cast instantly.
Her mother drove her to the helipad where a helicopter would fly them to the island. ‘Interesting,’ she thought, ‘Chris must have something planned cause he normally sends a boat’. All of the returning players had brought a family member to say goodbye to and were in the middle of parting. Heather was quietly whispering to her mom, Scott was taking orders from his parents, and Cameron had a very worried looking mother hugging him tightly. The only contestant without anyone was Mike who stood anxiously beside Zoey and her family.
‘That makes sense. DID doesn’t just come from nowhere so I doubt his parents are good at parenting,’ Sierra thought, ‘Still, it’s sad to see him all alone. At least I have my mom’ Sierra turned to face her mother and noticed she was several feet away, bugging Chef by asking repeatedly for an autograph. Rolling her eyes, Sierra approached her mom and gently led her away. “Okay mom, it’s time to board so I’ll see you soon. Wish me luck!” Sierra held out her arms for a hug.
“Could you actually get Chris’ autograph this time? And make sure he writes my name specifically cause all the ones I have now are second-hand and I can’t imagine it’s just for me if the autograph says Gladys!” Sierra’s mother said while looking past her to watch Chef and the players board the helicopter.
Sierra’s eye twitched as she lowered her arms. “I’ll try mom.”
Her mother perked up and properly faced her daughter. “Perfect! Don’t forget to pack it correctly when you leave so it’s not damaged. We won’t get another chance at this! It’s not like they’re going to ask you on again.”
Fighting the urge to strangle her mother, Sierra nodded and watched her mom turn on her heels and walk back to her car. “Call me when you get eliminated!” she shouted over her shoulder.
Sierra boarded the helicopter, thankful that the other players were inside chatting when her mother crushed her spirit, and took several deep breaths. The ride to the island was spent calming down, reviewing her strategy, and ignoring the rabid Zeke who was sedated and strapped into a seat nearby. ‘It’s a good thing I didn’t pick him,’ Sierra thought, ‘That would be a waste of a persona.’
Slowly the island came into view. Feeling the tension in the air, the players went silent as they sized each other up. Having been seated in sections based on their seasons, there was an obvious divide amongst the players. Sierra sat in between Lindsay and a sleeping Zeke with a great view of the uneasy teens.
Now aware of her competition, Sierra ran through the list to narrow down her potential allies. ‘Last season ended any possible alliance with Courtney, Gwen, and Duncan considering how much I annoyed them. Besides, they'll be too busy with that messy love triangle. Heather and Lindsay are still available though!’ After Heather won the previous season, she kept in touch with Sierra. Although their relationship was rocky, it was at least something. ‘Lindsay is the perfect sacrifice and Heather will do anything to win again so she’ll make a great ally!’
The new cast was more of a challenge. Having never met in person before, Sierra carefully studied the teens during their season and had narrowed them down. ‘Obviously, I’ll avoid Lightning, Jo, and Scott because of their slippery attitudes. That leaves Sam, Cameron, Zoey and Mike. Sam is another sacrifice but the other three could be a good team. I mean they made it pretty far in their season and they’re so goody goody that they’ll never see me coming!’
The helicopter came to a stop fifteen feet from the dock, hovering above the water. The cast looked through the windows, spotting Chris on the edge of the dock giving his opening speech beside a humanoid robot. “Are we gonna land or what?!” Heather complained.
Appearing from the cockpit, Chef stomped towards the nearest contestant, Mike. Within seconds he was holding the boy by the collar of his shirt. A producer’s voice rang out from a walkie talkie attached to Chef’s belt. “Alright, we’re ready. Drop em!”
Zoey was unbuckled and on her feet in seconds while Mike struggled in Chef’s grip. “Let him go!” she shouted as Chef dragged the teen to the now open door. Sierra had only a second to worry for his safety before Chef tossed him out the door. Pushing past the grown man, Zoey dove after Mike.
Now panicked, the new cast fumbled for their buckles and desperately tried to avoid Chef. Lightning dove through the door to try and out perform Zoey while Cameron was snatched from his seat and thrown down. Sam, Scott, and Jo followed, each as terrified as the teens before.
The original cast stayed seated with amused smiles on their faces. “What? Have they never been thrown out of a plane before?” Duncan joked which resulted in a few chuckles. The laughter ended when Chef approached Courtney and pulled her up from her seat, tossing her down to the water. Gwen, Duncan, Heather, and Lindsay each fell gracefully with most using their introduction to shout at Chris.
Having been last to board, Sierra was left alone with Chef and Zeke who was quickly waking up and thrashing in his seat. Instead of being grabbed by Chef, Sierra unbuckled and calmly strolled to the door. “So Chef, any chance you could tell me who’s really going to be competing? I know there’s no way Chris is letting Zeke stay so who is his replacement? I mean the teams have to be even, right?” Sierra said to Chef.
The older man smirked and placed his hand on Sierra’s shoulder. “Let’s just say this season’s competition is explosive.” Chef replied. Sierra paused to decode Chef’s vague hint. ‘Surely it’s someone from the original cast, right? It has to be even so who could it be?’
Unfortunately, Sierra ran out of time to ponder this as Chef pushed her out of the doorway. The air hit her face as she began falling straight down and although her vision was blurry, Sierra made out the cameras standing by to capture her introduction. The game had begun and it was time for Sierra to play her part.
“For Codddyyyyy!!!” She shouted as she fell. Pulling her knees to her chest and holding her nose, Sierra cannonballed into the cold water. Waves splashed the other contestants as Sierra went under before quickly pulling herself to the surface.
Treading water with her allies and enemies, Sierra was glad the phone she had snuck in was waterproof. Chris had insisted there be no technology like last season but Sierra couldn’t stand not updating her blogs. Besides, how else would she take notes?
Chris introduced the final competitor, Zeke, before revealing the joke and having him blasted away by a cannon. Each of the teens looked relieved but Sierra spotted the suspicion in Heather’s eyes. ‘Heather also keeps track of everything. Of course she’d notice the uneven teams. Another reason to keep her on my side.’
The cast swam to the shore, shouting obscenities at Chris while he laughed maniacally. Heather was the most upset, angrily snapping at anyone within a foot of her. “Aww! Someone misses her hunny-bunny!” Lindsay said while hugging Heather, clearly unaware that Heather was close to losing it.
“Who?! Alejandro?! As if! I’m glad he isn't back! That handsome jerk…..!” Heather mumbled, pushing Lindsay to the ground.
Sierra rushed to help Lindsay to her feet. “Here, lemme help you up!” Lindsay stood and dusted herself off. “Thanks Cindy! I forgot how mean Heather can be!” she said while fixing her hair and joining the others gathered around Chris.
With a snort, Heather crossed her arms. “Trying to steal my minions, Cindy?”
Lowering her voice, Sierra replied, “You can’t win without having some allies. You should know this better than anyone considering who only won last season cause I helped you.”
“You two haven’t talked once before and she called you Cindy. At least my allies know who I am!” Heather shot back.
Sierra giggled. “Lindsay called you Helly for most of season one! Besides, she’s just a sacrifice. My real allies know how to count past ten. Speaking of that, I suggest we continue our alliance from last season?”
Heather cracked a smile. “Sure. Without Alejandro here to mess with me, I’m sure we’ll take this!” She strutted away to join the group while Sierra fought back a laugh. ‘Look at her trying to act like she doesn’t care about him!’ Heather and Sierra had spent a lot of time together between seasons and most of that time was occupied by Heather’s rants about Alejandro. ‘That’s why you keep the game and relationships separate! Only fake love is allowed if you want to win!’
With everyone gathered, Chris launched into his speech. “We’ve got a lot of big changes this season! For one, the island is now toxic waste free!” The teens cheered excluding Sam who had only returned to become a mutant. Chris continued, “On the upside, I’ve upgraded your accommodations. The losers still have to sleep in the old cabin but the winners get to stay in my eco-friendly spa hotel with several luxury amenities!”
Tempted by the new perks, the cast was sorted into teams based on heroes and villains with minimal complaints. Sierra joined the heroes with Mike, Zoey, Cameron, Sam, and Courtney. ‘This is pretty good! I got my potential allies with me and Heather on the other team to knock out the competition!’
While Chris dealt with the aggravated villains, Sierra whipped her phone out. After drying it and checking to see if it still worked, she quickly snapped a selfie with her team. “Cheeessse!!” she said. Courtney glared at the camera while the others gave confused half-smiles.
Putting her phone away, Sierra watched Chris introduce the robot as the final member of the villains. The team complained but a silent Heather caught Sierra’s eye. Standing beside the robot with a tense expression, Heather stared Chris down. ‘This is weird, right? Chris would never waste an opportunity to torture another contestant! So why use the robot? Something is going on here! Does Heather feel it too?’
Chris moved on, explaining that this season’s challenges would be homages to the previous seasons starting with the very first in Total Drama history; diving off a cliff into shark infested waters. Only this time they’d be looking for the spa hotel key in the water. A team member would drive the carriage, gold for the heroes and red for the villains, while the other members went one at a time trying the key in the spa hotel door. With the wave of his hand, Chris ordered the teens to meet him at the bottom of the cliff before hiking to the top.
The walk was uneventful. The heroes caught up with one another, speaking casually, but Sierra could see the villains behind them bickering. She was attempting to eavesdrop when Sam asked her a question. “So Sierra, what brought you back?”
Distracted by Gwen and Duncan in an argument, Sierra replied without thinking. “I want to actually win this time,” she paused and turned back to Sam, noticing his confusion, “For Cody of course! We almost won last time till I blew up the plane! Silly me!”
“Oh right! Well your hair grew back nicely! And I’m sure being away from Cody is rough. I miss my Dakota every second!” Sam said.
Sierra stroked her short ponytail made of mostly extensions. “Thanks. And yeah but sadly it’s too dangerous for him here.” Putting on a fake frown, Sierra pretended not to be grateful for Cody’s absence. ‘I’d never make it to the end if I spent all my time acting like Cody’s number one fan. Hopefully with him gone I can drop the persona a little!’
When the teens reached the bottom of the cliff, Chris instructed them to pick a carriage driver. Sierra rolled her eyes as most of her team was too nice to fight for the position, excluding Courtney. While Sam, Mike, Zoey, and Cameron conversed, Sierra stood beside Lindsay.
“You know,” Sierra whispered, “Your hair totally matches our golden carriage! Maybe it’s a sign you should drive!”
Lindsay brightened and raced for the carriage. “I’ll drive!” she shouted. Only Courtney objected, being the only other member of the heroes who knew how unreliable Lindsay was in challenges.
With a seemingly innocent smile, Sierra followed her team up the mountain to the cliff with Courtney pointing out the obvious. “Lindsay is the worst person to count on! We’ll never win with her!’ Sierra agreed but kept it to herself. ‘The only person lower on the totem pole in our team than me is Lindsay. If I can use her as a safety net, we can lose this challenge and I’ll be safe! Besides, I need the villains overconfident later so they can go ahead and win the battle now. I’ll win the war anyway.’
At the top of the cliff, the challenge began with Courtney and Lightning. They both made the journey in and out of the water with a key but Sierra could see Lindsay slowing them down. Jo had been picked to drive for the villains and was much faster (as well as smarter) than Lindsay.
With that sabotage in motion, Sierra looked to the remaining cast members. Spotting Gwen and Duncan in another heated argument, Sierra approached to add fuel to the fire. “You know, a lot of my followers were mad about you guys hooking up. Especially since you cheated on Courtney and all. But I get it! Love is love! And now you two have a built in alliance!” Sierra said as loudly as possible. The villains turned to glare at the couple, unhappy with their advantage while Gwen and Duncan dropped their eyes in shame. Only Heather noticed Sierra’s wild grin, giving her a wink in return.
Lindsay returned with Courtney just after Jo and Lightning. Next in line, Sierra made her way to the edge, held her nose shut, and jumped. “For Codddyyyyy!!!” she screamed as she fell into the water. Opening her eyes, she examined all the keys placed in the sand. Instantly, she saw a key molded into the shape of Cody’s head. Within seconds she knew that this was the wrong key. ‘Chris is trying to trick me. He thinks I’ll pick the Cody key just because of my obsession so of course it’s not the right key! And that makes it the perfect key to throw this challenge with!’
Grabbing the silver key, Sierra swam to the shore. Lindsay stood beside the carriage with Courtney angrily climbing out. Seeing an opportunity to slow her team down even more, Sierra jumped atop Courntey, pretending to not notice the CIT underneath her. Lindsay hadn’t been paying attention and attributed the extra weight to Sierra’s frame.
Slowly, the girls made their way to the spa hotel. Knowing her key wouldn’t work, Sierra was out and back in the carriage within seconds to keep Courtney from climbing out. Using this free time to scribble notes down in her phone, Sierra felt she was exactly where she needed to be. ‘Everything is going perfectly! Our team will lose, Lindsay will go home, and I’ll be one step closer to the million!’
Arriving back at the cliff, Sierra climbed out, finally letting Courtney escape. “Oops!” she said innocently as Courtney fell to the sand and Mike awkwardly climbed in. Helping an incapacitated Courtney back up the cliff, Sierra reached her team and explained the situation. Or at least her version of it. “Lindsay totally messed up! She got Courtney hurt and now we’re behind!”
Zoey, Cameron, and Sam rushed to Courtney’s aid. “Why would she do that?” Zoey questioned.
“She wasn’t thinking! If we don’t win, it’ll be all her fault.” Sierra replied.
Sam bit his lip. “I guess we’d have to vote for her? If she made us lose and stuff.”
“I don’t know,” Cameron said, “I’d rather eliminate someone outright mean than someone uneducated.” His eyes darted down to Courtney’s angry expression.
‘Hmm. I’m not sure if I can get all the votes. Maybe I’ll have to convince Lindsay to vote for herself! But how?’ Sierra wondered.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a commotion on the villain's team. Scott was refusing to jump and the others were trying to push him over the edge. In the kerfuffle, the robot was knocked down the cliff into the water. A dozen sharks attacked as it sank below the surface. Everyone watched silently, except for Heather who cheered, finally away from the source of her uneasiness.
Then, a rumble from beneath the water. Waves shot into the air along with the shadow of a boy. Sierra saw him first, grabbing her phone from her pocket to record this miracle. ‘So this is what Chef meant by explosive!’ He landed on the beach with a key as Heather shouted, “You have got to be kidding me!”
Sitting in the sand was Alejandro who had been missing for an entire year after being scorched by an exploding volcano. While his legs no longer worked, his brain did. Walking along his hands, he made it to Jo and the carriage and they sped off, leaving the rest of the cast utterly confused.
While everyone stood silently in shock, Heather was stomping her foot and shouting at the top of her lungs. “No! This isn’t fair! He shouldn’t be allowed to compete!”
Over the loudspeakers, the teens heard a chime and Chris’ voice. “The door is open! The villains win!”
Hearing the news of their win, Heather calmed and tossed her hair. “On the other hand, he can stay for now. I’ll have him eliminated soon anyways.”
The villains celebrated while the heroes groaned and patted each other on the back. Chris announced that the elimination ceremony would occur in an hour after they all recorded their confessionals. The contestants made their way to the camp grounds, some more excited than others, and split off into groups.
Sierra found her team discussing the vote on the steps of the loser’s cabin. Only Courtney and Lindsay were missing. “I’m just saying!” Mike said, “Courtney is more likely to play dirty! At least Lindsay isn’t going to trick us.” Cameron nodded while Zoey and Sam seemed unconvinced.
'Hmm. Perhaps Mike is smarter than I thought?' Doing the math in her head, Sierra walked by and began looking for Lindsay. ‘I’m not sure I’ll have the numbers to get her out so let’s see if I can get her to vote for herself! It’s not like she can outthink me so no problem.’ She found Lindsay just before the blonde entered the confessional.
“Hey! Lindsay!” Sierra yelled while jogging to catch up, “Why did you come back this season? I’m just curious since I didn’t find anything online about it and you didn’t do very well last season.”
Not noticing Sierra’s subtle insult, Lindsay explained. “I only came back cause my fav lip gloss color is being discontinued! I need the money so I can get the last ones.”
“Wow. You’re so brave, Lindsay. But is lip gloss really worth all this? I mean, the cast is so mean to you and I’m sure any color you wear looks good!” Sierra said, batting her eyelashes with a sweet smile.
Lindsay furrowed her brows and tilted her head. “Now that you mention it, I totally don’t need this! But I can’t just quit!”
“Of course not! But if you were voted out then you could go home! All you have to do is vote for yourself and tell everyone else to as well!” Sierra said. Lindsay perked up, thanked Sierra, and entered the confessional.
Proud of her work, Sierra joined the others by the campfire, ready for the elimination. The teens slowly made their way to their seats as Chris introduced some new rules. “This season, the winners will get to watch the elimination in their own seats! So say hello to the peanut gallery!”
Neither team acknowledged the other so Chris continued. “Before we start, I need a winner to volunteer for a special reward.” Lightning was up and in Chris’ face before he even finished speaking. As a reward, Lightning earned exile on Boney Island with only the promise of an invincibility statue hidden on the island to comfort him.
'Right! I totally forgot last season introduced invincibility! I’ll have to keep an eye on that. Maybe I can steal it from someone who returns? At least until I have a chance to look.’ Sierra thought.
“Now,” Chris said, “You all voted by drawing a red X on a photo of one of your teammates. So who is gonna be? Chef! The votes please!” Chef handed Chris the dark green metal box containing the votes. While Chris read off names, Chef handed out marshmallows, marking those who are safe.
Sierra was second to receive her marshmallow, meaning it was likely nobody voted for her. ‘Perfect! I’m staying under the radar! Now let’s see how my plan worked out!’
Cameron, Zoey, Mike, and Sam received safety, making Courtney and Lindsay the bottom two. Sierra chewed on her nails as Chris dragged out the reveal. “And the loser is………Lindsay!!” With a relieved sigh, Lindsay stood to her feet. “Bye guys! I’ll text you later! Wait, Chris? Do I have to ride the scary catapult thing?”
Grinning like a madman, Chris shook his head and led Lindsay to the dock. Sierra and her team followed only to find a giant toilet fixed to the edge of the dock. “This year we have a new elimination method! Behold the flush of shame!” While Sierra and the others wondered how safe a giant toilet could be, Lindsay climbed inside and was flushed down without a word of where she’d end up. Chef joined Chris and the two men cackled like witches.
Beside Sierra, Mike took Zoey’s hand. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, “We won’t be flushed since we’re making it to the end.” Zoey smiled and the couple retreated with Cameron and Sam in tow.
‘That’s what you think,’ Sierra thought to herself, ‘Keep wearing your heart on your sleeve and see how far that takes you! When I win and get the million, you’ll all regret overlooking me! Everyone will see how smart I really am! I was simply just playing pretend!’ Turning on her heels, Sierra strolled back to the loser’s cabin, preparing for the performance ahead of her.