"Last time on Total Drama Double Trouble..." Chris began as the cameras focused on him, "Ariton's elimination left the majority alliance in peril. But after several apologies and assurances, the alliance of five agreed to continue working together through the merge."

*Shows shots of Daniel, Amalia, Callie, Alina, & Karlie having a talk, Callie hugging Daniel, and the group smiling*

"Meanwhile, Spencer's game gained some value as he found the first invincibility statue of the season, but back at camp, rumors began going around of him and Annie being in love, leaving them in a love triangle with Tory. These rumours prompted Dallas to suggest throwing the challenge, which no one supported."

*Shows shots of Spencer finding the Chris McLean Head of Invincibility, Veronica, Rhythm, Dallas, Damien, & Kavan talking over breakfast, Dallas raising her hand, and none of her teammates agreeing with her*

"During the immunity challenge, the teams raced to fill cups with Chef Hatchet's Red Passionfruit Tea. In the end, the Multiple Mole-Rats blew away the Observant Owls to win their third immunity challenge of the season."

*Shows shots of the campers racing around the beach with cups of tea, the Multiple Mole-Rats working hard, and the Multiple Mole-Rats celebrating*

"After the challenge, while the Multiple Mole-Rats rejoiced with their newfound chemistry, the Observant Owls were rocked when Dallas told Annie about the 'love triangle' rumours involving her, Tory, and Spencer."

*Shows shots of the Daniel, Amalia, Callie, Alina, & Karlie singing, and of Dallas telling Annie about the rumours*

"Seeing this as a chance to take control of the game, Dallas campaigned to send Tory home, trying to rally Rhythm, Kavan, Spencer, and Damien to do so; but they all were a bit hesitant."

*Shows shots of Dallas talking to Rhythm & Kavan, and then Spencer & Damien*

"Meanwhile, Annie confronted Tory about the rumours. After a heated exchange and a few calming words from Veronica, they made up and their relationship stayed intact."

*Shows shots of Annie confronting Tory, the two of them yelling, Veronica calming them down, and of Annie & Tory kissing*

"Before it was time to vote, Dallas spoke up and openly campaigned for Tory's elimination. But when it came time to vote, the majority of the Observant Owls voted against Dallas, blindsiding her and sending her away from the island."

*Shows shots of Dallas speaking to her whole team, everyone except for Dallas & Rhythm voting for Dallas, and Dallas riding away from the island*

"And after Daniel, Karlie, Rhythm, & Tory supposedly volunteered to go to Boney Island, I threw a wrench in their plans and made them switch teams."

*Shows shots of Daniel, Karlie, Rhythm, & Tory saying goodbye to their teammates before joining their new teams*

"Fourteen campers are left; who will be voted out next? Find out right here, on Total...Drama...Double Trouble!"

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After another crazy elimination ceremony, the Multiple Mole-Rats returned to the mini-mansion, down two members and with two new ones. The cameras first turned their attention to Amalia's room, where Amalia, Callie, Alina, and Rhythm were talking about a potential alliance.

"So Rhythm, how are you feeling?" Callie asked, trying to be nice.

"I'm....a bit rattled, I guess," Rhythm admitted as she sat down on Amalia's bed, "I think I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"Dallas leaving really hurts my game. But I'm not gonna sit here and be a crybaby like Laila last season; I'm gonna try and fight my way back. And I've got to start by making a new alliance. Because I don't know where I stand with Veronica right now, I'm gonna try and side with Amalia, and hope that she can help me out for a few weeks."- Rhythm

"I just want you guys to know that with Dallas gone, I don't really have anyone," Rhythm admitted, "If possible, I want to know what I can do to help you guys out."

"Well, if you want, we'd be more than happy to work with you," Alina insisted, "All four of us together."

"With Karlie and Daniel going to the other team, we lost two of our strongest teammates and alliance members. In order for Callie, Amalia, and I to keep the votes on our side, we need Rhythm to work with us. Hopefully she agrees to an alliance."- Alina

"We'd love it if we could join forces with you," Callie admitted, "We would have a majority with you on our side."

"I'd love to work with you guys because I feel like you guys are loyal, and loyalty is what I need right now," Rhythm explained, "This could really work in our favour."

"What do you know about the other team?" Amalia asked, "Who's leading? And who's in a good spot?"

"Right now, I'm trying to take a page out of Daniel's book; now that Rhythm is alone, I might be able to fish for a bit of information that can help me later in the game."- Amalia

"Veronica is definitely the leader; she has Kavan and Annie wrapped around her fingers," Rhythm answered, "Damien and Spencer were kind of the outsiders before the last vote. If Daniel & Karlie want to survive on that team, it might be best for them to align with Damien and Spencer."

"How about Tory?" Callie asked, joining in on the interrogation, "Was he in a good spot?"

"Honestly, it was chaos with him on that team," Rhythm revealed.

"Was it because of the rumours with Annie & Spencer?" Amalia asked, making an assumption.

"Yep, he got really jealous," Rhythm confirmed, "And honestly, I'm not looking forward to being on the same team as him still."

"Tory being on my team will make things a bit harder going forward. I doubt that he wants to work with me, and I don't want to work with him. So if my alliance with Amalia, Callie, & Alina is real, Tory is just about gone if we lose the next immunity challenge. I mean, what is he gonna do; align with Zeyad & Cole?"- Rhythm

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Unbeknownst to Rhythm, Tory had in fact decided to align with Zeyad & Cole. The three of them had already arranged an alliance between themselves, so with them now being on the same team, they were ready to work together and begin taking control of their own games. As of now, they were in Tory's room, already planning their future in the game.

"That was a close one, wasn't it?" Cole commented.

"No kidding, man," Tory agreed as he paced around the room.

"The last elimination almost made me sh*t myself. Dallas really tried to throw me under the bus and I could've gone home if Spencer & Annie didn't switch it up for me. I'm grateful for them, but now I'm stuck on this team without them. On the bright side, I have Zeyad & Cole, who I've already made an alliance with, so it might not be so bad."- Tory

"The point is that I'm still here, and I'm here to help us all make it farther," Tory declared, "It's us three against the world."

"We're glad that you're here," Zeyad assured, "It's time for us to do well."

"I was really worried that Tory would get voted out tonight, so I'm glad that he's here and ready to help Cole and I survive. We're still on the bottom, but there's hope for us to win."- Zeyad

"I need to know the ins and outs of this team," Tory declared as he took a seat on a chair, "Who's aligned with who?"

"Before the swap, Amalia, Callie, Daniel, Alina, & Karlie had an alliance," Cole revealed, "We managed to turn three of them against Ariton, but I don't know if we can do it again."

"We could try and turn them against Rhythm," Tory suggested, "If she continues to be sad about Dallas' elimination, she'll do bad in the challenge, and we can vote her out."

"How about working with Rhythm to take out the other three girls?" Zeyad suggested.

"Ever since the first season, Rhythm and I have stayed in contact, and I'd like to think that we're friends. We missed out on a chance to work together last season, and I've been wanting to work together ever since I found out that we'd be on the same season together."- Zeyad

"Her and I were going to work together last season, but I was voted out before anything could happen," Zeyad claimed, "I think I can get her to work with us."

"She probably hates my guts now that Dallas is gone," Tory noted, "Besides, who of the other three would we target?"

"My pick would be Amalia," Cole admitted, "She's the biggest threat on the team."

"When he was on this team, Daniel pretty much controlled everyone from the get go. Now that he's gone, I just know that Amalia is gonna try to take his spot, and I don't want to give her that chance. If I can take her out and take control of this team, it's gonna be a good, long stay for Zeyad and I."- Cole

"Don't forget: she won last season," Cole reminded, "If there's anyone who is able to win this season, it's her, because she already has won a season!"

"I'd be down for that too," Tory admitted, "But that's gonna cause a big split."

"How so?" Cole asked, curious, "Once we get Amalia out, we're in control of our game."

"If we get Amalia out, Callie will be after us, Alina will be after us, Karlie will be after us, and Daniel will be after us," Tory reminded, "And knowing Daniel's influence, he could probably get all of us out."

--------

Tory wasn't wrong; Daniel did have a lot of influence around the camp. Whether it was because of his competence in challenges or his kindness, people seemed to want to align with him. And now that he was on a new team, he was eager to align with others as well. As of now, he was in the female's side of the losers' cabin, talking with Veronica, Kavan, Annie, and Karlie. With him and Kavan being friends outside of the show, they immediately wanted to become allies.

"This is something that I think can work," Daniel admitted, "And I hope that the five of us can use this team swap to our advantage and win challenges."

"I may have just been separated from my closest allies, but that's nothing new; that happened last season and I got through it. This season shouldn't be any different; Veronica is probably still the team leader, so I'll use this as a chance to lay back, let her do the big moves, and I'll fly under the radar a bit."- Daniel

"I'd like to thank Kavan for inviting me into this group," Daniel added.

"No problem, man," Kavan replied, "We could really use you on this team."

"I've been waiting to work with Daniel in this game, and there's no better time to start than right now. I know his physical and mental abilities, and I really feel that the Observant Owls' days of losing challenges are now over."- Kavan

"Before we get into anything big, I want to know what the state of the team is like," Daniel declared.

"Well, I've kind of been the leader of the team," Veronica admitted, "And I don't think that I've done a terrible job."

"I'll let you do what you want," Daniel assured, "It's your team and I'm not here to replace you."

"Daniel is and will be a threat going forward, but it's not a good move for me to take him out right now. I still have to get to the merge and Daniel will definitely help me get there. I think him and I can work together for now, but I'm not gonna wait around for him to take me out like last season; I'm gonna get the first strike."- Veronica

"Anyone who says that Veronica isn't a threat is either completely under her trance or is too focused on their own game to realize how dangerous she really is. As much as I want to take her out, it's actually counter-intuitive to do so. Even though she might come after me, she's one of the few people in this game who can be a bigger target than me. As long as she's in the game and controlling the team, people might forget about me."- Daniel

"Well, the five of us need to work together to keep this team afloat," Veronica insisted, "We should be trying to win."

"What about Damien & Spencer?" Karlie asked, wanting to know more, "Are they like, the outsiders on this team?"

"Pretty much," Kavan confirmed, "They would've been gone if Dallas didn't talk too much."

"Really?" Daniel remarked, intrigued, "Was there no one on board with it?"

"No; everyone was on board actually," Veronica corrected, "No one's aligned with them."

"Fair," Annie remarked, wanting to contribute something to the conversation.

"Right now, I'm kinda stuck in between two alliances. I have the majority alliance with Veronica, Kavan, Daniel, & Karlie, and then the minority alliance with Spencer & Damien. Personally, I would love to take control of this team, but I never had the numbers. With this team swap, I might be able to get enough votes to turn this game on its head."- Annie

--------

Last season, the team swap seemed to screw up more people's games than help them. Had the team swap not happened, Callie wouldn't have been blindsided by Katelyn, and Alejandro wouldn't have been blindsided by Daniel & Amalia. Thus, those who were campers last season were willing to make moves to ensure that their games wouldn't be hurt. An example of this occurred the following morning when Tory & Daniel met by the communal washrooms to ensure that those close to them wouldn't be taken out.

"Obviously, neither of us were expecting the team swap, and neither of us should suffer because of it," Daniel rationalized, "We can help each other if we can make a deal."

"Amalia & I have been on different teams in the past, and I've always found ways to protect her. One way I did it last season was to make a deal with Devin so if he protected Amalia, I'd protect Katelyn. This season, Tory & Annie are on different teams, and I doubt that they'd want to be in the game without each other, so I can probably make the same kind of deal."- Daniel

"I don't want Amalia gone, and I'd like to think that you don't want Annie gone," Daniel began, "I'll protect Annie if you promise to protect Amalia."

"Dude, that's a deal that I'd make any day," Tory admitted as he shook Daniel's hand, "You swear to protect Annie, got it?"

"This might be a big mistake, but I'm willing to take a chance. Daniel is known to be a loyal guy, so I'm hoping that he won't screw me over. If he keeps his end of the deal, I'll find a way to keep my end of the deal intact."- Tory

"I don't swear; I'm not Amalia," Daniel joked, "But seriously, I promise to protect Annie as long as you protect Amalia."

"Well, you can count on me dude," Tory assured, "I'm gonna head to the mini-mansion; want anything? Today, there's a fancy chef that takes 'make-your-own-omelette' requests!"

"I'll be fine; don't let me slow you down," Daniel insisted, allowing Tory to run back to the mini-mansion, "Well...that was a bit easier than expected."

With that remark, Daniel climbed the stairs and entered the communal washrooms to brush his teeth, having just finished breakfast before leaving to talk to Tory. He expected to be alone, so he was surprised when he saw Annie, Damien, & Spencer talking. Part of him wanted to continue his business and act like nothing was wrong, but the moral side of him thought otherwise.

"Should I leave?" Daniel asked to the group.

"Actually, come here; we could use a talk with you right now," Annie welcomed, allowing Daniel to join them, "So, I hear that you and Spencer have been talking, huh?"

"We've had a few talks," Daniel confirmed, "Any particular reason for asking this?"

"I want to take advantage of the situation," Annie began, "Them two are on the bottom, and this is your first day on the new team; we need to get power if we're going to survive."

"Daniel's a pretty smart guy; he's gonna be pretty useful going forward. He's also a much bigger target than I am; if the alliance somehow gets exposed later in the game, people will focus on getting rid of Daniel before they get rid of me."- Annie

"If us four vote the same way, we should be able to take control of this team without any problems," Annie noted.

"Honestly, I'm tired of being on the bottom," Damien admitted, "I hope that we can trust each other and work well together."

"I haven't felt power in this game in a while, and I'd like to get a taste of how it feels. With this alliance, I could get myself into a really good spot."- Damien

"I really hope so," Spencer agreed as he turned to face Daniel, "You in?"

"This alliance doesn't suit me at all. I'd pretty much be going against Karlie, Kavan, and Veronica, all of whom I don't want to go against. I'll agree to it, but I'm not gonna pick a side just yet."- Daniel

"Absolutely," Daniel agreed as he put on a face of trust, "Any opportunity to take control of the game is good."

"Attention campers!" Chris called out via the loudspeakers, "It's time for the next immunity challenge! Please make your way to the main camp area now!"

"Let's go!" Damien declared as the group followed him towards the door.

"Wait..." Daniel muttered as he shut the door to the washroom, leaving Annie alone with him in the room, "Just to let you know, Tory made me promise to protect you, and I will, as long as he protects Amalia."

"Oh," Annie remarked, surprised, "Well....thanks!"

"Don't mention it," Daniel assured as he opened the door, allowing him and Annie to follow the campers to the main camp area.

--------

After about one minute, they all managed to make their way to the main camp area, where they were astonished with the sight of the next challenge. But it wasn't because the setup was elaborate; in fact, it was the opposite of elaborate. All that was in the area was a small, rectangular table. Looking closer, there were four padded blocks on the table; each screwed onto a different side of the table top, and two handles; which were on opposite corners from each other. Some people recognized the contraption, and some didn't, leaving mixed feelings as to how the challenge would play out.

"Greetings, campers!" Chris welcomed as the two teams assembled with each other, "Today's challenge is simple, yet eventful. It's called: The Armwrestl-athon!"

"Armwrestling was a very popular activity back in my day. I never competed, but I'm sure that I would've won. Kids would get together at lunch and challenge each other, and those watching sometimes bet on the matches. If it was entertaining for people back then, it might be popular now. And plus, it hardly cost anything to make the table! More money for me."- Chris

"There will be a maximum of seven rounds. In each round, one camper from each team will come up to the table and armwrestle each other," Chris explained, "The winner of each round scores a point for their team. The first team to four points wins immunity."

"I've armwrestled many guys and girls in the past, and I've won more often than not, so I'm feeling pretty good about this."- Veronica

"Luck isn't on my side with these challenges. I just hope that I'm up against someone weak."- Zeyad

"This is a pure strength challenge, but that doesn't mean that I can't use any brains. I'll find a way to make it work."- Daniel

"Now, before the challenge begins, you need to figure out the order that your teammates will compete in. You have five minutes to rank your team from strongest to weakest," Chris declared before turning to face the main camera, "Only a few minutes left before the campers fight in 'hand-to-hand' combat. Get it? Heh, which team will muscle their way through the challenge? And who will wish that they went to the gym before coming here? Find out after the break, right here, on Total...Drama...Double Trouble!"