"Welcome back to Total Drama Island: Return to Wawanakwa!" Chris welcomed as the main camera panned on him, "Before the break, the campers won prizes & punishments, ending with Matthew claiming the Golden Marshmallow necklace. With the elimination ceremony slowly approaching, let's see what the campers have planned..."

--------

The cameras first panned in on the communal bathrooms, where Katelyn was getting dressed in her Baywatch swimsuit to serve her punishment. Kiana was also with her, hoping to figure out a plan of action before the vote. At this stage of the game, their best hopes of surviving were to convince the majority alliance to turn on themselves. Although, it was much easier said than done.

"This sucks!" Katelyn exclaimed as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Hey, be lucky that you look hot in that," Kiana insisted.

"Yeah, like I want more boys undressing me with their eyes," Katelyn remarked sarcastically.

"I'm really getting tired of being the scapegoat. If I'm gonna stay, it'll be a bumpy ride for sure, but I'm not gonna give up."- Katelyn

"So, we need a new plan," Katelyn declared, "Any ideas?"

"Well, from what I know about being on the bottom, we need to find the cracks in the majority alliance," Kiana suggested.

"Good point," Katelyn agreed, "I think the card that we need to play is that right now, there's a 5v4 split with girls to guys. If they get rid of one of us, they lose that advantage."

"Well, who should we ask them to target?" Kiana asked.

"We have two options," Katelyn claimed, "We can tell them to vote for Tory to eliminate a physical threat, or we can make a bigger move and try to get Daniel voted out?"

"Why would Daniel being voted out be a bigger move?" Kiana asked, confused, "He's not super good in challenges, and he seems pretty distracted being Amalia's boyfriend."

"He's only strong because he's with Amalia; that's two votes working together," Katelyn explained, "We have to convince the others that splitting up the obvious couple is the way to go."

"Splitting up the couple?" Veronica asked as she appeared in the doorway.

"Ahhh!" Katelyn exclaimed as she ran into the nearest shower stall.

"What's with her?" Veronica asked to Kiana.

"She's insecure," Kiana explained.

"I am not!" Katelyn shouted, still inside the stall, "I just don't like being stared at like this."

"Ah, I get what's going on," Veronica claimed, "Katelyn, take it from a girl who is stared at all the time: you're beautiful."

"I'm starting to feel like I'm the counselor of this camp. Honestly, I don't mind helping others with their problems; hopefully they take this into consideration when they even consider voting me out."- Veronica

"Whatever," Katelyn brushed off, "Easy for you to say when you're a flirty eighteen year-old."

"Here's what I'll say: a person's true character is seen when they are stripped down to nothing," Veronica noted, "This is an opportunity for people to see who you truly are as a person. Sure, we might not like the feeling of being vulnerable, but it gives us a chance to express ourselves for who we really are. Understand?"

"Yeah...I guess so..." Katelyn admitted.

"Well, I'll leave you in there to ponder that thought," Veronica declared as she began walking out of the bathroom.

"Wait up," Kiana ordered as she followed Veronica out the door, "I need to tell you something."

"Alright," Veronica agreed, "What's up?"

"Here's the thing," Kiana whispered as she closed the door to the bathroom, "I know that Katelyn is on her way out. She's not gonna last any longer."

"Obviously," Veronica agreed.

"What I want you to know is that I pledged my loyalty to Katelyn 'till the end, and I will go down with the sinking ship if it comes to that," Kiana revealed, "But if Katelyn goes, I will have no one. Going forward, I can be as loyal to you as I am to Katelyn."

"With Katelyn's popularity slipping by the day, I need to find a way to save myself. Veronica seems to be in a leadership position, so my pitch to her is that I can be her secret ally that she can use to take down the big threats in her alliance."- Kiana

"Well, here's what I'll say: I appreciate that you're willing to do that. Rest assured, your plea did not fall on deaf ears," Veronica assured, "Honestly, I am working to try and get Katelyn out. Can you promise me that you'll vote for Amalia as a sign of trust?"

"You have my word that I will vote for Amalia," Kiana promised.

"This is actually working out for me. All I need to do is get rid of Katelyn this time, and I'll gain Kiana's allegiance. Then next time, I can get everyone to split the votes between Daniel & Amalia and get rid of Daniel. Then the four girls will have a majority and we can just eliminate the boys one by one. Ideally, I'd like Rhythm in the final 2 with me; she's my closest ally, and I'm reasonably convinced that I can beat her."- Veronica

--------

To say that everyone wasn't thinking about the final two would be a lie. Everyone had a gameplan to make it all the way to the end and win. Any plan to make it to the end had to involve drafting up an elimination order. Right now, Daniel joined Rhythm & Amalia in the female's side of the losers' cabin, where they talked about the upcoming vote-offs.

"Obviously the plan is to vote for Katelyn," Daniel rationalized, "After that, what do we do?"

"Honestly, Kiana isn't a threat," Rhythm admitted, "She's not a threat to any of us."

"I'm perfectly fine admitting that I'll turn on the alliance. I mean, it's a dangerous move, but I'm admitting it to people that I trust. Amalia & I have a final three deal, and I feel like Daniel & I have a strong bond because of our talk before Ellie's elimination. I'm hoping that I can trust them to make big moves."- Rhythm

"So that means that Devin, Tory, and Matthew are on your sights after Katelyn," Amalia rationalized.

"Yeah," Rhythm confirmed, "For my game, I would want Tory gone before the other two."

"When I hear that Rhythm wants to target the guys before Veronica, it's clear to me that Rhythm and Veronica have a final two deal. It's a bit assuring that they trust me enough to tell me this, but there's nothing stopping them from kicking me to the curb at the final 5 or 6. I've just got to figure out how to play my cards right."- Daniel

"You're not gonna tell any of them, right?" Rhythm asked to Daniel.

"I mean, I've got bigger connections with you two than I do with any of the guys," Daniel admitted, "I'm willing to run with you two for as long as we can go."

"I'm liking us three right here," Amalia admitted, "This feels good."

"SERVE UP!" Chris exclaimed through the loudspeakers.

"Y'know what also feels good?" Daniel joked as he picked up a badminton racket.

"Let's do it," Amalia remarked with a smile as she stood up.

"This might be an obvious comment, but I never thought that this would happen to me in public." *laughs*- Amalia

"Ah!" Amalia exclaimed as Daniel spanked her, "Y'know...not that bad."

"Well...I was being gentle on that one," Daniel admitted.

"Would you like me to leave?" Rhythm asked jokingly.

"Alright, we'll stop," Daniel assured as he put down the racket.

"Hey," Veronica greeted as she walked into the room, "We need to talk."

"Alright, what's there to talk about?" Amalia asked.

"Well, we need to ensure that Katelyn goes today," Veronica declared, "What I think is: in order to keep the guys from switching things up on us, the four of us have to be the ones to vote for Katelyn."

"Now that I have Kiana ready to prove her allegiance, I have to go to my main alliance and convince them to split the vote. I'm sure that Rhythm & Amalia are with me, but Daniel is the wildcard. I trust him because I trust Amalia, but I know that he's gonna try and get me out eventually. I just need to buy one more elimination day and I'll be in a good spot."- Veronica

"That's fine," Rhythm agreed, "Honestly, I wouldn't mind it if this is the final four."

"It's the perfect alliance," Amalia remarked, "We just need to get out our threats as soon as possible."

"Daniel, have any of the guys talked to you about a big blindside?" Veronica asked.

"Honestly, there has been talk about aligning with Katelyn, but right now, I'm still in the dark about where that stands," Daniel claimed.

"Obviously, I can't tell the girls that there's no plan, because they're smart enough to know that a plan has to exist. The next best thing is to claim that there's a plan with which I'm out of the loop. Hopefully, this shows them that I can be trusted."- Daniel

"As far as I know, they're down for getting rid of Katelyn," Daniel claimed, "But if there is going to be a big hit on someone, I haven't been told."

"SERVE UP!" Chris exclaimed through the loudspeakers again.

"And now I've been told," Daniel joked as he picked up his racket.

"Too perfect timing," Amalia remarked as she stood up.

"Why don't you bend over?" Veronica asked, not joking.

"Isn't that a bit too-AH!" Amalia replied, having been interrupted by the spank, "That one stung a bit!"

"You said the last one wasn't bad!" Daniel reminded, "Per the punishment, I have to turn it up."

"You're really enjoying that, aren't you?" Rhythm asked to Daniel.

"Was that question for me or Amalia?" Daniel joked, causing Amalia to grab him and pull him onto the bed laughing.

"Um...maybe we should just go and talk to the others," Veronica suggested, allowing her and Rhythm to exit the room and shut the door.

--------

As this went on, Tory & Devin joined Matthew in the mini-mansion for a game of billiards. With the immunity challenge having went the way that they wanted, they needed to get together and confirm the plan that they had from the start: blindsiding Veronica.

"Good job on winning immunity, man," Devin congratulated.

"Thanks," Matthew thanked, "One of us had to."

"Okay, we already have our plan, correct?" Tory recalled.

"Veronica has to go today," Devin agreed, "Is Daniel on board with this plan?"

"IT'S DANCING TIME!" Chris shouted over the loudspeakers as disco music began to play.

"Ugh..." Devin groaned as he began disco dancing stereotypically, "Again, is Daniel on board with this plan?"

"Honestly, he was wavering," Tory admitted, "I don't know if he's 100% okay with it."

"I wasn't worried at first, but Daniel might actually be leaning towards sticking with the girls than us guys. I don't know if he knows that he'll be the swing vote tonight, but I hope he realizes it soon."- Tory

"Well, we've got to make sure that he is okay with it; we can't do it without him," Matthew reminded.

"Hey! It's Veronica & Rhythm!" Devin announced as Veronica and Rhythm walked into the room, "Come to dance?"

"Well, I had to announce it somehow. I wasn't going to let them catch us strategizing."- Devin

"We're fine, thanks," Veronica answered, "Now, we need to talk about the gameplan for tonight."

"I feel like I say this is a recurring statement, but Katelyn is the one heading out, right?" Tory asked.

"Yeah, but we need to ensure that the vote goes right this time," Rhythm insisted, "As it stands now, you three are voting for Kiana, while us two and Amaniel are voting for Katelyn. Katelyn is gone."

"Yeah, that's fine," Devin agreed as he continued dancing.

"This is actually pretty good. If everything goes as planned, the guys will flip, the vote will be 4-3-2, and Veronica will leave. Worst case scenario: Kiana votes for Katelyn, forces a 4-4 tie, and then the four guys will vote Veronica out on the revote."- Devin

"Do you know who Katelyn & Kiana are voting for?" Matthew asked out of curiosity.

"They think that Devin is the vote, but that's obviously not the case," Veronica assured, "Katelyn gets the majority, and if she plays an invincibility statue, Kiana goes home instead, and we're still seven people strong."

"Good," Tory agreed, "Are we all on the same page?"

"I'm down," Devin remarked, still dancing.

"Same," Rhythm confirmed.

"Fine by me," Matthew added.

"It's official: Katelyn is going out tonight," Veronica declared.

"Do I trust these boys? Not really. But I don't have to trust them right now: I just have to trust Daniel. As long as he stays loyal to Amalia, Rhythm, and I, Katelyn will be the one going home."- Veronica

"Veronica seems convinced that Katelyn is finally going home, but I wouldn't be too sure. All I need is one more talk with Daniel to get him on my side, and this blindside will be official."- Tory

--------

For the first time in a while, there was one person who everyone knew was the swing vote. Daniel felt an immense amount of pressure with the upcoming elimination ceremony because he was at the forefront of the attention, which is where he desperately did not want to be. He's said on numerous occasions that he wanted to lay low and not appear to be a threat, but this was a scenario in which he wasn't able to do so. He had to pick a side, and that left him stressed.

"Damn it. Damn it. Damn it," Daniel repeated as he continuously banged his head on a mirror in the communal bathrooms.

"Man...I'm in a bad spot. On one hand, the girls actually trust me, and I know that any move against them will lose that trust. On the other hand, I feel like Veronica will blindside me at some point. I'm just not sure if now is the right time to take her out."- Daniel

"Hey man," Tory greeted as he burst into the communal bathrooms.

"What's up?" Daniel asked out of courtesy.

"Well, the plan is set for Veronica's blindside," Tory answered, "All we need is your vote."

"Look, are you sure that getting rid of Veronica is necessary right now?" Daniel asked, looking for a way out.

"Dude, we have to do it now," Tory insisted, "There is literally no better opportunity to do it than now."

"Honestly man, I'm just scared," Daniel admitted, "I mean...you have to understand where I'm coming from. Out of all the guys, I'm the one who has the most to lose by blindsiding Veronica. This could ruin my game."

"I'm gonna lay down the facts: if you don't get rid of Veronica right now, she will get you out next time," Tory explained, "Not only does she have Rhythm & Amalia; she has Kiana and Katelyn too. She told them to vote for Devin and they listened. She is the most powerful person in this game and by not voting for her now, she's going to make it to the end and win."

"It's clear that Daniel just needs a bit of encouragement. I remember being that guy in school who was afraid to try new things because I was scared of what everyone around me would think. If I can get Daniel to just say 'f**k it' and make the move, I know that he's going to feel much better."- Tory

"This is the move that's going to jumpstart all of our games. Once we take out the leader, we can finally make a run to the final four," Tory insisted, "And honestly man, you are someone who I would not mind being with in the final two. You and I can take control and we'll run this game 'till the end. What do ya' say?"

"Attention campers!" Chris called out from the loudspeakers, "It's time for the elimination ceremony! Please make your way to the campfire area now!"

"I'm not letting us leave until you you say yes," Tory declared as he blocked the door, "C'mon man, grow some balls and do it!"

"I haven't been more scared than I have been right now. This is the moment that I could look back on and say that it's the moment that propelled me to victory, or it's the moment that caused me to lose. The problem is that it's not a matter of trust; it's a matter of the repercussions that can come from it. I need to make a decision."- Daniel

--------

Within a few minutes, the remaining nine campers filed into the campfire area, waiting patiently for Chris to allow them to vote. Even with all the plans in place, no one was certain that their plan would go through. With the exception of Matthew, no one felt safe. It was well understood: with all of the blindsides as of lately, everyone had a reason to be voted out, whether they liked it or not.

"It's elimination time, campers!" Chris declared, "You know what to do: go in, X-out the picture with your vote, I'll check & tally them, and then I'll hand out marshmallows to those who are safe. Whoever doesn't receive a marshmallow will be forced to walk down the Dock of Shame and leave the island on the Submarine of Losers. And before you vote: 'SERVE UP!"

"Now?!" Amalia asked, surprised.

"Can't fight the punishment," Daniel rationalized as Chris tossed him a badminton racket.

"Fine," Amalia agreed, laughing before Daniel spanked her, "Okay, that one was fine."

"Good," Daniel remarked, "Now I have a gauge."

"Anywho...you may now vote!" Chris declared.

--------

"Thank you for bringing me into the alliance, but now I need to take you out." *disco music begins playing* "Damn..." *dances as he walks out of the Confession Can*- Devin

"Honestly, you're lucky that you've survived this long. But your time has come...I hope..."- Veronica

"I knew that I was going to do this one day, I just hope that it works."- Tory

"I don't hate you, but I've got to do this to earn Veronica's trust. Sorry!"- Kiana

"You and I have had our differences, and I think it's time that we settle this."- Amalia

"I'm only going off of what Kiana told me to do."- Katelyn

"I don't know how many times I'm gonna have to do this. Hopefully this is the last time."- Rhythm

"It's time to play the game. Sorry, but it's what I have to do."- Matthew

"I just want to say that I respect you as a player, and that making it this far is an accomplishment on its own. But at the end of the day, I believe that my life in this game will be far less stressful with you gone. Sorry that this didn't work out."- Daniel

--------

"Alright, I've checked and tallied the votes, and the following people are safe," Chris began as he picked up his marshmallows, "Matthew, Kiana, Rhythm, Daniel, Devin, and Tory are safe."

As Chris passed out the marshmallows, that left Veronica, Katelyn, & Amalia marshmallow-less. Veronica realized that a blindside was in the works, and she could only pray that Daniel voted with her. Katelyn wasn't surprised; at this point, it would be a surprise for her to not get a vote. Amalia was shocked, seeing no reason for her to receive votes.

"The next marshmallow goes to...Amalia," Chris announced as he tossed her a marshmallow, "And the final marshmallow goes to....Katelyn. Sorry Veronica, but you've been voted out."

That announcement left half of the group shocked. Katelyn was surprised, but felt relieved that she received another life. Kiana and Amalia were mainly disappointed, knowing that they just lost a crucial ally. Rhythm was furious, as she had just let a blindside happen, and she couldn't do anything about it. Veronica was upset, mostly with herself for putting her trust in someone that she shouldn't have trusted.

"Y'know what, whatever," Veronica declared as she stood up and faced her fellow campers, "Just remember: I may be gone, but there is one person here who has just put a major target on their back. Make sure that they follow me out next time."

"I'm sorry, but it's time to go," Chris declared as he ushered Veronica towards the Dock of Shame.

--------

"Wait!" Daniel exclaimed as he ran down the Dock of Shame.

"I don't want to talk to you, backstabber!" Veronica retorted.

"Then don't talk, just listen," Daniel demanded as he got in front of Veronica, "Sure, you can hate me, badmouth me, call me the biggest a-hole in the world, but you can't deny that you would've done the same. You're too smart and too powerful to make that kind of mistake. So even though I lied to your face, take some responsibility for your elimination, because you believed me."

"At the end of the day, it came down to who I could trust to not come after me. Even though I've just voted out one of her closest allies, my relationship with Amalia is much stronger than this game. We're still...infatuated with each other, and a blindside can't change that. I will still do anything to protect her in this game, and I will continue to do that until we reach the final two."- Daniel

"Remember! Be careful with who you trust!" Veronica warned as she stepped into the Submarine of Losers, allowing it to drive her away.

"You did a good thing, man," Tory insisted as he tapped Daniel on the shoulder, "Don't feel bad."

"To all of you that were hurt by this, I'm sorry, but Veronica was a strong player, and the last challenge proved it," Daniel insisted, "I had to do it."

"Don't worry, it was a game move and we can't blame you for it," Rhythm assured.

"I can't blame him, but I can sure as hell be mad at him for it. It looks like Daniel thinks that he can backstab my closest ally. Let's just say he better watch his own back, before I stab him in it."- Rhythm

"Now, Matthew still has the power to pick one person to join him in the mini-mansion and to send one person to Boney Island," Chris reminded, "Who will they be?"

"I'll send..." Matthew began as he saw Daniel point to Devin & Tory, "...Devin to Boney Island and Tory can join me."

"Alright then; Devin, you know where the boat is, and the rest of you can return to your rooms for the night," Chris allowed as the campers departed.

As Chris watched all of the campers leave, he thought about the future of the season. He knew that one of the best players left in the game was just voted out, leaving the game with one less strategist. He didn't fret though; he knew that this blindside was the one to spark the birth of a new strategist, and no one was more excited than him.

"Well then, that was one big move made tonight," Chris remarked, talking to the main camera, "What will Rhythm and Amalia do now that their leader is gone? Will Daniel be able to get himself out of this jam? And who will be voted out next? Find out next time, right here, on Total...Drama...Island:...Return to Wawanakwa!"

--------

Votes:

Devin: Veronica 

Veronica: Katelyn 

Tory: Veronica 

Kiana: Amalia

Amalia: Katelyn 

Katelyn: Amalia

Rhythm: Katelyn

Matthew: Veronica 

Daniel: Veronica