"Welcome back, everyone!" Chris welcomed as the camera focused on him, "Before the break, we saw Rhythm get herself into a perilous position while climbing the tower. With her dangling high above the water, who knows what'll happen next?"

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"HEEEELLLLLPPPP!" Rhythm exclaimed, further feigning helplessness.

"Someone's gotta help her!" Kiana remarked, looking around for assistance.

"This is....bad..." Laila muttered after a period of thought.

"This was not in the plan. I don't know if Rhythm's doing this for real or if  she's just doing it to 'throw' the competition, but this is scary!"- Laila

"Don't worry!" Tory insisted as he ran towards the tower, "I'm comin' up!"

"No you won't!" Chris interrupted, still in the sky, "Only people who are designated climbers can touch the tower, or else your team is disqualified!"

"I've got her, Tory!" Amalia assured whilst climbing down towards Rhythm, "I'm coming!"

"Uh..it's alright!" Rhythm shouted, still hanging, "I don't want to hold you back! I can get back on my own!"

"No one deserves to fall off a tower!" Amalia noted, continuing to descend.

"This totally backfired! I didn't expect her to come and save me! Ugh! Why must throwing a competition be so hard?!"- Rhythm

Rhythm had to think and act quickly in order to keep the Merciless Moose behind the Wild Wolverines. Looking below her, she only saw water, almost certainly filled with sharks. Looking up, Amalia was only ten feet from her. After muttering one more prayer, she subtly unwound the rope around her leg and fell into the water below. After spending a few seconds to make re-balance herself, she resurfaced.

"Damn it!" Rhythm exclaimed, still acting, "I almost had it!"

"Oh well..." Amalia conceded, turning her attention back to climbing.

"Wait..." Rhythm muttered before swimming away from shore, "AAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"What's wrong?" Kiana called out, concerned.

"Just a little shark!" Rhythm explained, "Don't worry! I'll just circle around!"

"There was no shark. But I need to buy as much time as I can! Y'know, for all that I'm sacrificing for the team, I might as well be the leader!"- Rhythm

While Rhythm continued wasting time in the water, Amalia made her way to the top of the tower, where she saw Daniel and Devin locked in separate metal cages. Without hesitation, Amalia ran over, unlocked Daniel's cage and gave him the key ring, allowing him to walk over to the edge of the tower and prepare to dive.

"I can do this..." Daniel muttered to himself, "I can do this..."

"You're gonna be fine!" Amalia insisted whilst hugging him from the side, "I have faith in you."

"Thanks..." Daniel replied, smiling at her, to which she reciprocated by smiling back.

"With all due respect, I'm not interested in seeing you two make out," Devin noted, still in his cage.

"Sorry," Daniel apologized as he moved Amalia off of him and dove into the water below, landing with a mild splash.

Everyone watching waited in fear to see whether or not Daniel survived the dive unscathed. After Daniel didn't resurface within the first fifteen seconds, everyone became concerned. Little did they know, when Daniel dove into the water, his eyes caught sight of a small light underwater. After a few pushes in the water, he was able to further inspect the oddity. It was a waterproof lamp, in front of which was a small box with a phrase etched into it that read: 'If you want power beyond recognition, use one of your keys to unlock the box.'

"For all I know, Chris might've put this box down here as a gag to injure whoever survived the fall. But when push comes to shove, if I pass on this, Devin will probably get it, and I'd rather keep it with me."- Daniel

With little hesitation, Daniel forcefully unlocked the box to reveal a small, golden medallion with Chris' face on it, under which rested a small piece of laminated parchment. Nearly running out of air, he pocketed the medallion and the parchment and swam back to the surface, much to everyone's relief.

"What happened?!" Amalia shouted from atop the tower.

"I dropped the keys, but I've got them now!" Daniel claimed, hoping that everyone would buy his lie.

"Toss 'em, man!" Tory called out.

With a forceful effort, Daniel threw the keys to Tory, allowing the latter to take off towards the puzzle station. With Tory gone and everyone else focusing on the tower, Daniel was free to walk towards the next station slowly, granting him enough time to read the parchment that he recovered from the box.

*reading parchment* "The power that the medallion wields cannot be explained to you at this time. You must pocket the medallion until the end of the challenge, during which Chris will explain the medallion's purpose." *talking to camera* "Well...I guess it's better than nothing."- Daniel

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While Daniel continued to ponder over the purpose of the medallion, Tory managed to reach the puzzle table in short time. Upon reaching the table, he handed off the key ring to Alexander and Matthew, who attempted to unlock the puzzle table. What they didn't count on was the key ring containing over twelve keys. Daniel got lucky; his first choice was the correct key for the box. His fellow teammates weren't so lucky.

"Which ones have we tried?" Matthew asked.

"The silver one, the bronze one, the brass one, the rusty one, the golden one, and the one with a Hello Kitty head," Alexander answered, still focusing on the lock.

"Try the one with Chris' face on it," Tory suggested, causing Alexander to use said key, with which he successfully unlocked the box.

"Go figure..." Alexander muttered, embarrassed, "Thanks..."

"I may not be the smartest guy here, but I have logic. You don't find a lot of that nowadays."- Tory

Without hesitation, Alexander tossed off the top to the table and began solving the puzzle with Matthew. The puzzle itself was pretty plain: a 4x4 grid consisting of four 1x1 pieces, three 2x1 pieces, and one large 2x2 piece containing the machete. It looked simple, but one wrong move could lead you to a period of utter confusion. To avoid this, Alexander and Matthew elected to solve the puzzle slowly. While this resulted in the two of them making a fair amount of progress, this also gave Kiana enough time to catch up for the Merciless Moose, which was bad for both teams.

"Here!" Kiana exclaimed, giving the key ring to Katelyn.

"Thanks!" Katelyn replied before turning to Zeyad, "Here, unlock it."

"Alright!" Zeyad agreed, turning to unlock the table.

"So far, so good. She's not yelling at me yet, although that could change soon..."- Zeyad

"I waited more than long enough. Devin even claimed to have 'lost the keys' to waste time. It's not my fault that the Wolverines can't solve a puzzle! It's all up to Katelyn now to throw the challenge. I just hope that she isn't too mad at me!"- Kiana

*eye twitches in anger* "Calm down...calm down..." *breathes deeply*- Katelyn

"What happened?" Katelyn asked, whispering to Kiana, "I told you and Devin to stall for ten minutes after the others left!"

"It has been ten minutes!" Kiana claimed, pointing to Alexander and Matthew, "They're just slow!"

"I heard that, but there's no point in making drama where it shouldn't exist. I'll let it slide."- Matthew

"Got it!" Alexander exclaimed as he slid the largest piece out of the puzzle and handed it to Tory.

"Time to win!" Tory declared as he ripped the machete from the piece and began running towards the pulley section.

"We gotta hurry!" Zeyad noted as he threw the cover off of the puzzle and began to look at it.

"Then move outta the way and let the smart one do this!" Katelyn ordered, shoving Zeyad out of the way.

"Uh...yeah! That's good!" Zeyad agreed, stepping back, "It'll go faster if we only have one person  working on it!"

"This is perfect! Now if we lose, I can tell everyone that Katelyn didn't work fast enough on the puzzle, and everyone will want to vote her off!"- Zeyad

"This is terrible! He was supposed to argue with me, not step back! Although...now if we lose, I can tell everyone that he didn't even try to solve the puzzle, so everyone will think he's useless and vote him off. So I guess it's not so bad."- Katelyn

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While Zeyad and Katelyn pondered the benefits of their current situation, Tory reached the final section and carefully handed off the machete to Callie. Being sure to hold the weapon in a position in which she couldn't hurt herself, Callie stepped onto the wooden platform, allowing Ellie and Cassie to slowly raise her up into the air. The contraption was poorly built: the pulleys were rusty, the ropes were worn out, and the wood had many holes in it. However, by Chris' standards, it was safe enough to use.

"Careful!" Callie screamed, scared.

"You don't want to fall!" Aaron taunted.

"AAAAHHHH!" Callie exclaimed, now almost completely petrified.

"Not gonna lie, I'm scared! I honestly think it's because it's all out of my hands! Knowing that my safety is in the hands of two others is freaking me out!"- Callie

"You want some more?!" Veronica threatened, wanting to defend her teammate.

"No no no no no NO!" Aaron stuttered as he ran away, allowing Veronica to chase him around the beach.

"Callie!" Amalia called out, hoping to get her attention, "Look up! It's less scary that way!"

"Okay!" Callie agreed, turning her focus towards the sky.

"Hold on!" Daniel ordered, "First, level out the platform, then look at each other and mirror each other's actions. This ensures that the platform won't be uneven and tip over on the way to the top."

*swoons* "Wow...he's so hot when he takes charge...WOAH! Calm down, Amalia. That was much! But it's true..." *smiles*- Amalia

"The sooner we win, the sooner we get back to the mini-mansion and the sooner that I get to figure out what power the medallion gives me. Come to think of it, this will also help establish myself as a leader on the team. Never a bad thing."- Daniel

Wanting to be team players, Ellie and Cassie immediately adopted Daniel's advice. Within seconds, the two of them were in complete sync. Using the encouragement from their other team members, Callie came closer and closer to the top of the structure. After confirmation from Daniel that she was at the top, Callie climbed up, walked over to the table, and slammed the blade onto the rope, severing it and simultaneously raising her team's flag.

"Game over! The Wild Wolverines have won the challenge and the mini-mansion!" Chris shouted as he sounded his airhorn, "But before we go any further, I need everyone to come here! Now!"

That last line interrupted any form of celebration from the Wolverines and any form of groaning from the Moose. With the exception of Daniel, none of them knew what Chris was about to say. Come to think of it, even Daniel wasn't certain of the exact details of Chris' planned speech. Little did any of them know, what Chris was about to declare would change the game in a big way.

"Now, I've been informed that one of you picked up a 'mystery item' during the challenge," Chris reported, resulting in a murmur of confusion from the campers, "Whoever did, please take the stairs behind the tower and join me up here."

Without hesitation, Daniel began walking around to the back of the structure, leaving the others surprised. Daniel didn't look at any of them; he didn't want to feel like he lied to everyone because of this. After Daniel joined Chris, and Callie rejoined the group below, Chris continued his speech.

"One more thing," Chris declared before turning to Daniel, "Daniel, I need you to pick one person from the Merciless Moose. Choose wisely, because the person you choose will share this 'honour' with you."

Daniel looked around at the members of the Merciless Moose, thinking hard about who he should choose. To his disappointment, Daniel hadn't had a fair chance to talk with any of the other team's members in a long conversation, so he could only base his choice off of challenge performances, first impressions, perceived attitude, and social placement on the team. He thought for about forty-five seconds before announcing his choice.

"I pick Rhythm!" Daniel declared, resulting in a look of shock from the chosen female.

"Rhythm, please join Daniel and I up here!" Chris ordered.

"I honestly didn't think that Daniel would pick me. I don't think that him and I ever talked up until today. But I won't decline an opportunity like this."- Rhythm

"Rhythm's the only person on the other team that I can't read with extreme accuracy. I don't know if she's outgoing, wild, or introverted, so hopefully by giving her a bit of power, she'll trust me a bit in the future."- Daniel

"Alright. Daniel, would you please tell everyone what you found?" Chris asked, causing Daniel to pull out the object from his pocket.

"It's a medallion with Chris' face on it," Daniel revealed, holding it up in front of him.

The response from the crowd was not what was expected. Instead of 'oohs' and 'ahhs', it was laughter and facepalms. Everyone knew that Chris would take every chance he could get to put his face on a prop, so everyone could only laugh at the obviousness of the prop, leaving Chris mildly upset.

"Anywho...now is the time to tell you all that I lied," Chris revealed, "This was a reward challenge. After today, one member of each team will be gone. And the decision of who will leave tonight will be decided by these two!"

Upon discovering that Daniel and Rhythm had the sole decisions over who would be voted out, the reactions were mixed. The aforementioned duo was shocked, given that they had an extreme amount of power. Amongst the other campers, some were content, while some were scared. This was a time where social interactions could dictate whether someone stayed or went.

"I am so happy that this is Daniel's choice! I know that I'm safe with him! Looks like having a crush on someone can have it's benefits." *chuckles*- Amalia

"It's not that I don't trust Daniel. I mean, he seems like a fair guy, but I haven't had a one-on-one conversation with him yet. For all I know, he could vote me out."- Ellie

"Rhythm's been my right-hand girl this whole time. I know that she'll make the right decision."- Katelyn

"I haven't been the nicest guy here, so I'm pretty worried. Hopefully Rhythm notices the 'bigger problem' in the team."- Aaron

"Daniel, since you picked Rhythm, she will go first," Chris declared, turning to Rhythm, "Rhythm, who will you vote out?"

"I know that Katelyn is so after Zeyad. I am loyal to her, but I've got to start playing for myself. I need to ask myself: Is getting rid of Zeyad really the best thing?"- Rhythm

"I am freaking out! I've literally spent so much time being nice to everyone but Rhythm! This is terrible! If you're watching this: PLEASE don't vote me off!"- Zeyad

"I'm confident that Rhythm won't vote me off. Do I think that she'll vote for Zeyad? Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if she didn't."- Laila

The decision wasn't easy: Rhythm was caught in a bind between being loyal and being assertive. All she could think about was what Zeyad told her on the first day, "Do you want control of your own game? Or are you going to let someone else control it?". She looked around at all of her fellow teammates, each trying to convey a message. Devin looked back and forth at Katelyn and Rhythm, hinting that she should listen to the team leader. Betty had a concerned look, and was silently hoping that she would be spared. It wasn't until Rhythm took a look at Kiana, who discreetly raised her eyebrows, hinting that Rhythm had to make a decision for herself. It was at that moment when she knew what the right move was.

"I vote off Betty!" Rhythm declared, leading to a rouse of shock from the Merciless Moose.

"What?! Why?!" Betty asked, taken aback.

"Yeah, why?!" Katelyn asked, shocked that Rhythm went against the plan.

"She hasn't pulled her weight!" Rhythm claimed, trying to think of a logical explanation, "She chose the easiest portion of the course!"

"But Zeyad didn't even help me with the puzzle!" Katelyn pointed out, hoping to convince Rhythm otherwise.

"At least he volunteered for a difficult section!" Rhythm retorted, "Sorry Betty, but you're out."

"And that's final!" Chris declared, "Betty, please follow Chef that way, and he will take you to the Dock of Shame!"

"But-" Katelyn began before being interrupted.

"Hey! You heard Chris, Rhythm's decision is final!" Zeyad repeated, elated that he was safe.

"YEEEEEESSSSSS! Thank you, Rhythm! I will not let this deed go unpaid. I promise you that!"- Zeyad

As Betty ran off in anger towards the Dock of Shame, all eyes turned to Daniel, who still had a tough decision to make. Unlike Rhythm, Daniel had no set plan to follow. He hadn't discussed with his team of what to do in the case that they had to vote someone out. It was daunting: he spent most of his time at camp trying to be the dependable guy, and he was concerned that this decision would ruin his image.

"I know I'm safe with Daniel, but that doesn't make me any less nervous. He's capable of making any decision he wants. I wouldn't put it past him to make a big move."- Matthew

"Last that I checked, I'm in the 'boys squad' with Daniel. I hope that he makes the right decision and keeps me here."- Alexander

"I'm not 'afraid' to make a big move, but I do take into account how people will react to my decision. I've just got to ensure that I don't show my true goals too early."- Daniel

"I just want to say that this decision is what I feel is best for my team going forward," Daniel claimed before revealing his vote, "I've decided to eliminate Cassie."

The reactions from the Wild Wolverines were mixed. Matthew, Tory, and Alexander were relieved, happy that Daniel didn't eliminate another guy. Ellie was shocked, but turned her focus to consoling Cassie, who was now crying. Amalia was surprised at first, but understood Daniel's choice and accepted it fully. Veronica wasn't surprised, but was unsure if she should be angry or not.

"I'm sorry Cassie, but we need to keep the team in a spot to win. Honestly, if it weren't for me helping you out with the final part, we might not have won so quickly," Daniel commented, "I want what's best for the team, and sadly, this is what has to be done..."

"Ellie...win this for us..." Cassie muttered in between sniffles.

"I will...I will..." Ellie assured, patting her friend on the back.

"I knew it would happen eventually, but I never thought that it'd be this early! I guess I just have to accept it. Mom, I'm coming home!"- Cassie

"Daniel made a mistake. If he thinks that he can send home my closest ally and get away with it, he's so mistaken. Mark my words: he is going down!"- Ellie

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With the unprecedented vote, Betty and Cassie walked across the the Dock of Shame with their bags being dragged behind them. Cassie was too caught up in her own disappointment to say anything. All she could do was wave goodbye to the remaining campers and flash one final smile before entering the Submarine of Losers. Betty on the other hand was furious, and she made it known.

"You're making a mistake!" Betty claimed, "Zeyad is the problem in the team! He will bring the team down with him! And once he's gone, you bet your a** that you're next, Rhythm!"

"Just get in there!" Rhythm exclaimed, forcing Betty to enter the submarine and close the hatch, allowing the Submarine to fall lower into the water and out of sight.

"That's over with!" Chris remarked as he turned to face the remaining sixteen campers, "That's it for now, campers. You may head back to your cabins!"

"Wait!" Alexander shouted, wanting to say something, "Who gets to go to Boney Island?"

"In the spirit of having sent two of you home, no one will have to suffer on Boney Island today," Chris revealed, resulting in a round of applause and cheer from the campers, "Again, you may head back to your cabins!"

Wanting a chance to rest, the remaining campers ran back to their respective lodges. While they all wanted to take in the twist that was shown to them that day, Chris knew well that there was another twist planned in the near future, but that was for another day.

"Well, two campers showed their true colours by openly voting out two of their own," Chris recalled, talking to the camera, "Who will be voted out next? And what twist will the campers be forced to face next time? Find out all of that next time, here, on Total...Drama...Island:... Return to Wawanakwa!"