Monster Cash

'''After ending in a fourteen way tie for the million dollars, the contestants are brought to the set of Total Drama Action. Their first challenge will be one of monstrous proportions, and the winner gets to pick the trailer for their gender.'''

Plot
The episode opens by showing the castmates who qualified for season two, Owen, Gwen, Heather, Duncan, Leshawna, Geoff, DJ, Lindsay, Bridgette, Trent, Harold, Beth, Izzy, and Justin, being dropped off by a bus to the set of Total Drama Action after ending in a fourteen-way-tie for the million dollar prize Chris offered in the previous episode. Chris picks them up in a tram and gives them a tour of their temporary new home. It is revealed that the losing castmates will walk the Walk of Shame into the Lame-o-sine.

As they are driving around the set, Chris begins to tell a story about how this was once a set for a monster movie, until the star had some "problems." As it turns out, the star is not an actress, as Lindsay assumes, but rather a mechanical monster resembling a dinosaur. Chef, wearing a motion-sensitive suit, controls the monster, as Chris explains how the first challenge is to race to a set of trailers before the monster can catch them. Everyone, except DJ (who fainted upon seeing the monster), races off the cart and hurries toward the trailers with the monster in hot pursuit. One by one, each castmate is deposited into a moon bounce when the monster catches them in short order. Soon, only Owen is left. When Chef finally locates him, the monster attempts to pick him up to put him in the moon bounce. However, Owen is too heavy to pick up, so the monster breaks down, leaving Owen safe to find the trailers. Ten hours later, Owen finds the other castmates and releases them from the moon bounce by puncturing it with a sharp needle. The contestants, after complaining about him taking so long to free them, move on to the second challenge.

As each castmate enters the new mess hall, Chris explains how the contestants will be divided into teams of boys versus girls. They then see a delicious-looking feast that is set upon some tables. Owen erupts into a feeding frenzy, thinking the food is for an eating contest and eats everything on the table. Chris, amused, explains how the food was made from plastic, foam-core, sawdust and silicone and the challenge was to find the key hidden inside the "food." Then Owen burps up the key, and wins the challenge for his fellow males. Owen is now starting to suffer because of the prop food and is offered medical attention, which he initially refuses. For winning the reward, Owen gets to choose from two trailers where the boys will bunk and where the girls will bunk. As it turns out, one of the trailers had been crushed under the monster's feet during the first challenge, and the guys assume that Owen will choose the unharmed trailer. Instead, Owen chooses the crushed one, as he claims that "it had more character."

The guys begin to yell at Owen until Chef makes the monster (now repaired) crushing the other trailer as well. Later, the trailers are repaired by Chef and the castmates must figure out where they'll bunk. The boys decide with relative ease, with Duncan sharing a bunk with Justin, Harold calling a bunk, Geoff calling the one under his, and Trent and Owen splitting one, leaving DJ alone. No one wants to share a bunk bed with Heather, so the girls draw makeup brushes (since there were no straws) to see who will bunk where. Lindsay and Beth share a bunk, Gwen and Bridgette share, and Leshawna and Izzy share a bunk, leaving Heather with two bunks of her own due to a mathematical error, to which Gwen responds, "Yeah, we really need to work on our math." Later, early in the morning, Chris yells into a megaphone to wake the castmates up, and asks what will be in store for the castmates in the next episode. As the closing line, he says, "McLean out!" Off-screen, the monster roars and Chris asks, "Will someone please put a wrap on that monster?"

Quotes

 * Chris: Forty-two days, fourteen castmates, one heck of a lot of cash, welcome to, Total... Drama... Action!


 * Duncan: Man, I missed the smell of the city.

Gwen: You step off! (both growl at each other)
 * Heather: Step off!

Leshawna: No harm done.
 * Harold: (accidentally bumps into Leshawna) Sorry, Leshawna!

Leshawna: You're going to give up the chance at a million big ones? That's a lot of hair weaves. Heather: (is about to retort until she remembers that she's bald) Guess I can stay for a bit.
 * Heather: I'm not hanging around here.

Beth: (shyly looks away) Justin: Hot as ever. (is actually looking at his reflection in Beth's teeth)
 * Trent: Beth, you got your braces off. Nice!
 * Leshawna: Girl, you look fi-i-ine!


 * Owen: (rubbing his hands together) I'm gonna win me some moolah!

Izzy: (whistles as if not listening) Owen: I mean "Kaleidoscope." Izzy: No one leaves "E-Scope" behind! (does a classic Tarzan yell and hits her chest repeatedly then runs and flips into the cart)
 * Owen: (notices Izzy is being left behind) Izzy! Run!

Lindsay: Wow! A whole trailer full of make-up?! (someone offers Lindsay lipstick, but she rejects it) Lindsay: Sorry, I don't use that brand.
 * (In Confessional)

Lindsay: (gasps) Does this mean we're going to be in the movies? Chris: No, it means you're going to be on TV. And don't interrupt me. Ever! (flicks finger on Lindsay's nose) Lindsay: Oops! Sorry.
 * Chris: Welcome to the set of Total Drama Action! This season's hottest reality show will be shot here on an abandoned film lot.

(Lame-o-sine causes dust to spread on the trolley, everybody chokes and coughs) Trent: Could you have sprung for a better ride? Chris: (rolls down the window) No.
 * Chris: Like last season, one team will win and the other team will watch one of their own make their way down the dreaded Walk of Shame to the Lame-o-sine (rolls up window)


 * Gwen: (in the confessional, about having to receive the Gilded Chris Award) The Gilded Chris? What a narcissist! ... Don't get me wrong, I still want one.

Chris: I have an eject button and I will use it. Geoff: Please... continue.
 * Geoff: You done yet, dude?

Gwen: W-what happened to it...? (cut to Gwen in the confessional) Gwen: (in confessional, sighing) In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have asked that question.
 * Chris: Actually, the star wasn't a her. It was an animatronic MONSTER!

Chris: (pats DJ on the head)
 * DJ: (after having seen the giant animatronic monster) I can almost hear your sweet lullabies, mama... (starts sucking his thumb)

Izzy: (giggles) Goose! (impact of monster slamming hand causes her to fly) WEEE! (lands in a construction lift) Do it again!
 * Owen: (sees the monster is about to grab Izzy) Izzy, duck! Duck!


 * Owen: (in the confessional) Maybe the monster won't look for me in here. I love Izzy. Not like love love, but I think she's amazing. I just wish she would notice me and not that dumb monster. How can I compete with it? Sure, we're both big and we both eat a lot. But it's really tall.

Bridgette: (In confessional) What was I thinking? Duncan is so right. I like Geoff, but hello, I also like a million bucks. Geoff: (in confessional) Duncan's right. Time to get our head in the game. Boo-yah! (Camera switches to Geoff and Bridgette making out in confessional, causing them to fall off the chair)
 * Duncan: (notices Geoff & Bridgette making out) Uh, I don't think this is the kind of action Chris had in mind.

Trent: Maybe it's not in the budget. (a set building explodes, another burns down to reveal an angry bear that chases after them) Gwen, Trent, and Duncan: (scream and run away) Chris: (watching the monitors, chuckling) I thought the bear was tranquilized and returned to its handler. Chef: Had one day left on its contract. Chris: Nice!
 * Gwen: This challenge isn't so bad. What, no explosions? No burning buildings? No bears?


 * Harold: If I wanted to, I can run as fast as a pronghorn antelope! It's the fastest land mammal after the Cheetah!


 * Leshawna: (after getting captured by the monster) Easy now! This booty is breakable!

Leshawna: (angrily) Say what now?
 * Harold: (getting dropped into the jumping castle) I love you!


 * Justin: (in confessional) I'm not just another gorgeous face, and abs, and butt, and shoulders, okay? I'm also a master strategist and this year, I'm in it to win it!

Everyone: You! Justin: Oh. Right.
 * Justin: (sees everyone in the jumping castle staring) What are you all staring at?

Gwen: (in the confessional) That's what makes Trent such a great boyfriend. He's always thinking of others. It's one of the things I love about him. Trent: (to DJ) It's okay, big guy. I got you. (leads everyone into a building, only to find that it's a cardboard cutout) You mean everything around here is fake? Gwen: (in the confessional) That and Trent's exceptional powers of observation. Beth: I'm coming for you Lindsay! (the monster drops them and they fall into the castle)  Trent: (to Gwen) I'm her for you babe!
 * Trent: (to Gwen, DJ, and Beth) Everyone, follow me!
 * (while Gwen, Trent, Beth, and DJ are being carried by the monster)

Chef: Kid really needs to lay off those cheese puffs.
 * Owen: (out of breath) Take... me. I... surr (wheeze) ender.


 * Owen: (in confessional) Boy, am I ever glad I didn't go on that diet! (laughs) Being big can really have its advantages. You know, like, uhh, when you're trying not to, uhh, be captured by an animatronic monster for example. That's just off the top of my head.

DJ: That's just sad, man. (Owen pulls a pin out of nowhere and uses it to pop the bounce house) Duncan: How come no one thought of doing that last night? (everyone groans) Leshawna: (after getting freed from the jumping castle) Wait! Where's Izzy? (the monster returns and drops off Izzy, stepping on a trailer in the process) Izzy: Thanks for the date, baby! Don't ever leave me, cause I'd find you! Owen: (glares with jealousy) Duncan: How did you manage to escape? Izzy: Monster and I had a romantic date. He doesn't take no for an answer. Mm-hmm. Pretty crazy, can't even tell you guys.
 * Trent: (to Owen, who finally arrives at the cast trailers) It took you ten and a half hours to walk three city blocks?


 * Owen: (in confessional) My mom says I eat when I'm upset. And happy. And tired. Not to mention bored, gassy, morose, joyous, comatose, semi-conscious, (suddenly grows a moustache) avuncular... (giggles) Avuncular.

Owen: The turkey was a bit-- (burps) --dry. Chris: Not surprising, since the food was fake. Owen: Fake? Chris: Yep! Just props made from foamcore, silicone, sawdust and wax. It wasn't a speed eating contest. It was a contest to find the key. Owen: What key? (burps out a key) Oh! You mean this key? Chris: That'd be the one. Owen: Does this mean I win? Chris: Yes. Yes, it does. Owen: Alright!
 * Chris: (to Owen, after watching him eat everything in the craft services tent) Owen, the man of many appetites. How was it?

Duncan: (laughing) Did you see that? The dude ate foamcore and wax! Full props for that, man. (continues laughing) Geoff: Way to find the key, dude! I used to think Owen was just some party dude, but he's really a stand up guy. Party on! Harold: I could have done that, you know. I just wasn't hungry. Owen: No, wait, wait, wait, wait! There's still one more! (burps very loudly) Leshawna: You know what that boy has? Guts! Guts full of foamcore and rubber. But guts still the same.
 * (in the confessional)


 * Owen: (still lying on the table after gorging down faux foods. Sees Chef about to give him a dissolvable indigestion stimulator) Oh, don't worry. I'm good. (laughs) My mom says I got a gut like a goat's. (bowel movement noise) Nope, call 911.

Girls: (cheer) (The monster squashes their trailer) Awww.
 * Owen: (while choosing the trailer) I choose... the squashed one! (all the boys argue) What? It has more character!


 * Izzy: (in the confessional, about the monster stepping on the girls trailer) I am so over that monster!

Leshawna: That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard! We're in Toronto. We're nowhere near the ocean. Heather: Then maybe I don't want to lay my pretty head near this big-butted, loud-mouth, mall-shopping- Leshawna: (cutting off Heather's sentence) And maybe I don't want to sleep near a two-faced bossy little string bean of a prom queen!
 * Heather: (in girls' trailer) I need to sleep on the east side so that my head will be closer to the ocean.

Leshawna: Who's got straws?! Lindsay: We could use makeup brushes instead! Gwen: That's actually a good idea. Beth: Longest ones get the top bunks...shortest ones the bottom. Shortest of all gets to sleep with Heather!
 * Bridgette: Fine, we'll draw straws.

Gwen: Yeah, we really need to work on our math... Heather: (snickers) Losers! (then chuckles)
 * Heather: You mean I get two beds?! All to myself? Yes!

(Castmates groan) I'm only kidding. You can sleep... for now. (Boys sigh. Chris then blows air horn and Owen farts continually for about six seconds, creating an off-screen, loud explosion.)
 * Chris: (outside cabins) Shhh! They're sleeping... (takes out bullhorn) This is your FIVE AM wake up call!

General

 * Every cast member used the Confessional (except DJ, Trent, Beth, and Heather).
 * The various mini-teams formed among the contestants in this episode were:
 * Geoff and Bridgette.
 * Harold and Leshawna.
 * Owen and Duncan.
 * Beth, DJ, Trent, and Gwen.
 * Heather, Izzy, Justin, and Lindsay were all by themselves.
 * Originally, one team was Trent, Duncan, and Gwen. However, Duncan eventually joined up with Owen, while Trent and Gwen joined DJ and Beth.
 * The eating part is set up similar to the Brunch of Disgustingness, as it has boys versus girls, and Owen winning it for the boys (it also features the same montage song).
 * According to the Total Drama Production Blog, while on the table Owen was originally supposed to tell everyone he's fine. However, Scott McCord (who voices Owen and Trent) improvised the line, "Nope. Call 911." The production crew found it so funny that they kept it for the episode.
 * This episode first premiered on Teletoon's website on January 8, 2009. It was available to everyone, even those outside of Canada. However, on the next day, Teletoon blocked all non-Canadians from watching any videos on their website.
 * Izzy is never seen on-screen with the other cast members in the holding pen. However, a silhouette of her can be seen when Geoff and Bridgette are dropped in, and again when Leshawna and Harold are dropped in. It can also be partially seen when Justin is dropped in, but it is in front of another silhouette, so it is hard to make out.
 * Though Owen wins the challenge because the monster could not pick him up, the monster had picked up Beth, DJ, Gwen, and Trent together in one hand without a problem. These castmates' (particularly DJ's) combined weight would certainly outweigh Owen's 296 pounds. However, it could be possible that Owen had gained more pounds prior to this episode or that lifting so many people had a cumulative effect on the monster's ability to lift.
 * In the Girls' trailer, the girls sleep in the bunks sharing with somebody:
 * Beth and Lindsay (Beth on the bottom and Lindsay on the top)
 * Bridgette and Gwen (Bridgette on the bottom and Gwen on the top)
 * Leshawna and Izzy (Leshawna on the bottom and Izzy on the top)
 * Heather alone
 * Interestingly enough, when the couples were captured, the guy would say something before falling. If both the girl and the boy said something, the boy would say something right before the drop, except in Harold and Leshawna's case when they bounced again and Leshawna responded to Harold's declaration of love.
 * The first three cast members that were taken by the monster were to be the first three eliminated.
 * This is the only episode (aside from the aftermaths, and Super Hero-ld) of Total Drama Action not to have its title be a spoof of a movie's.
 * This is currently the only first episode of a season in which the teams are not formed, as it is instead a free-for-all challenge.
 * This is the first time the winner of the previous season wins the first challenge of the next one.
 * This is the only premiere episode of a season to begin with a recap of the previous season.

Continuity

 * This is the first episode of the season that featured two people in the confessional.
 * This is the third time Izzy has yelled like Tarzan. The other times being in No Pain, No Game and Total Drama, Drama, Drama, Drama Island.
 * This is the first time this season, but fifth time overall, that Chris has mentioned an episode's title. The others being in Phobia Factor, Brunch of Disgustingness, No Pain, No Game, and I Triple Dog Dare You!.
 * This is the first premiere episode of a season that is not the first part of a two-part episode. The second being Bigger! Badder! Brutal-er!.

Goofs

 * There were multiple instances in this episode where Heather was seen with highlights in her solid colored wig, which denote a goof as her still having her real hair. These instances occur:
 * When Heather tries getting off the bus and collides with Gwen.
 * When Chef is chasing the raccoon out of the tent.
 * When Trent throws Heather out of his way, it also appears to look like her real hair.
 * When everyone was sleeping in the holding pin, Heather's hair was seen. However, it changes back to her regular wig after she wakes up.
 * During the eating challenge when the screen goes from Owen and Chef Hatchet to all the other cast members.
 * When Heather gets off the bus, she is missing her eyebrows.
 * When the monster is dropping Justin into the "cage," the shapes of Gwen and Trent are visible on the right side, but it is supposed to be Bridgette and Geoff there, as shown in the next shot, where everyone is staring at Justin. This also happens when Harold and Leshawna are put in.
 * In the blow-up house while everyone is asleep waiting for Owen, Trent is not seen until he confronts Owen about his slowness later on.
 * When the monster looks at Justin, its eyes are clearly red, but when it is seen with Owen, and Duncan its eyes are black.
 * When the castmates wake up in the bounce house after waiting for Owen, the iconic skull logo on Duncan's shirt is missing.
 * And even before they woke up, Heather had her real hair instead of the wig.
 * During the zoom-out of the cart, Harold is seen going left instead of right.
 * When the monster appears, Duncan is standing next to Bridgette. In the next scene, Geoff is standing between Duncan and Bridgette.
 * Several times, the number zero on Owen's back is missing.
 * This happens when Owen is about to pop the holding pin.
 * This happens again when he is lying on the table after the eating challenge.
 * The closed captioning says that Bridgette said the line "Oooh... can I star?," however, it happened to be Lindsay who said it. Also, it said that Bridgette was in confessional when it was really Izzy.
 * In the preview for Total Drama Action, DJ is seen running with the other castmates at the beach, however, in this episode, DJ was never seen running with them.
 * In this episode, Owen seems to be slowed down by his massive weight (as it takes him over ten hours just to walk three blocks), though he seemed to be able to move perfectly fine on the island and his weight was never an issue for him (though he may have been fatigued due to excessive running from the monster).
 * Izzy is seen sitting on her luggage when the bus pulls away, but when Owen tells her to get on the trailer (and she is seen whistling), the luggage is nowhere to be seen. She may have tossed it on off-screen and simply did not board the trailer.