Basic Straining

'''Someone forces the teams to go through several difficult obstacles designed to make the campers quit at them. One camper goes too far and ends up being sent to the boathouse by starting a conflict with the "Master Chief." There, he hooks up with a camper, who is not quite his opposite as previously thought. A camper is voted off the island under a mysterious circumstances.'''

Plot
The episode opens to an enraged Harold emerging from the guys' cabin and demanding to know who made s'mores out of his underwear. Duncan and Geoff laugh at the question and Courtney recoils in disgust when Harold throws the underwear on the ground near her, believing the underwear to be soiled. Moments later, Chef announces over the PA speakers that he wants all campers at the Dock of Shame at nine promptly.

At the dock, Chef, acting as a tough talking General, tells the teams that their challenge will be difficult and the campers will be slowly eliminated until only one camper remains standing. This camper will win immunity for his or her team. Insisting that the contestants address him as "Master Chief," Chef tells them when someone wants to quit, they will go to the end of the Dock of Shame and ring a bell. Chef goes on to say that the first day will not end until at least one person quits and with that, he orders everybody down to the beach for the first challenge.

On the beach, Chef orders the two teams to hold a canoe over their heads for as long as they can stand to, and if he catches anyone removing their hands from the canoe, they will be eliminated. After noting that lunch will not be served until someone drops out, Chef orders the challenge to begin. With Chef and Chris perched atop each team's canoe, Chef goads the teams at the three hour point. At one point, Geoff uses a fishing line to rip away Harold's underwear, to Harold's consternation. The challenge goes into the night with Chef telling a story about his time in the army and Lindsay declares she cannot hold it up any longer. Owen tries to stop her, but Lindsay informs him that she can no longer feel her arms. Lindsay heads to the end of the dock and rings the bell with her head due to exhaustion to eliminate herself. With that, everyone drops their canoes, the first part of the challenge is ended, and Chef tells the teams to head to the main lodge for food.

At the mess hall, Chef tells the teams that they have ten minutes to eat before night training begins. He tells them the food is the leftover garbage from the morning breakfast and whatever else is in there. Courtney and Heather, for different reasons, balk at eating garbage and Geoff and Duncan give Harold a glass of apple juice, which Harold discovers is actually kitchen grease. Courtney chides them for what they did and hints that she thought Duncan was nice but Duncan flatly denies that is possible, after Courtney leaves telling Geoff that's what Duncan wants him to believe. Duncan gives Geoff a sheepish grin.

Later, with music blaring, Chef leads the campers in a series of dance moves that go on for some time until Duncan unexpectedly turns off the music, and Chef orders him to do twenty push-ups. Gwen requests to use the bathroom and moments later, she is in the bathroom with a mop and a bucket, explaining that this wasn't what she had in mind.

Back at the mess hall, Chef tells the teams that their next challenge will be writing a three hundred word essay about how much they love him and anyone who falls asleep or fails to finish the essay will be eliminated. Two hours later, Chef gathers up the finished essays and sees that Duncan's essay has the word "very" repeating for five pages. Chef is initially upset, but Duncan points out that his essay contains three hundred words exactly. Chef notes Trent and DJ have fallen asleep and he declares them eliminated. Just after Chef tells the campers to go to bed and be ready for a 5 A.M. start, Duncan tries to verbally mock Chef once again and Courtney pulls him aside just as Chef threatens him with fifty laps around the camp.

At 5 A.M., Chef tells the campers that they will run an obstacle course repeatedly until everyone can complete it in less than one minute. The contestants set out and Harold is forced to drop out and is sent to the infirmary by Chef after swallowing too much mud. The campers continue running the course with Leshawna being forced to drop out after getting stuck in the mud. Moments later, Chef gives Duncan twenty more push-ups for his insolence and a muddy Duncan reacts by thanking Chef and kissing him on the nose. A moment or so later, it becomes apparent that Duncan has pushed Chef too far and he orders Duncan to spend the night by himself in the dreaded boathouse. Others gasp in fear, but Duncan says the punishment is not that big a deal, but regrets his words when he is sitting in the boathouse and observes the sharp objects and teeth all around him.

At the mess hall, Courtney decides she is going to check on Duncan, though she denies that she likes him when asked by Geoff. At the boathouse, Courtney and Duncan talk for a bit before Duncan convinces Courtney to break rules and raid Chef's food supply. The two load up on food with Courtney leaving a large bass in the middle of the remaining desserts.

Later, the campers hungrily eat the stolen food and Harold discovers that someone smeared peanut butter on his bed in the shape of a smiley-face. Soon after, it is apparent that Courtney is experiencing an energy rush, as Courtney overeats to the point where she get so filled up, she runs outside to puke. Gwen and Leshawna laugh while she runs. Duncan joins her moments later and Courtney admits that she enjoyed being bad for a change and that it was so much fun she couldn't stop. Duncan told her that kissing him might be bad. She says he isn't her type, and after they both wish themselves good luck with their contrasting lifestyles, Courtney steals a kiss. Geoff congratulates Duncan. Afterward, while Harold, watching from a nearby window, glowers. Seconds later, Chef announces over the speakers that the remaining campers will do their next challenge at seven o'clock the following morning.

The next morning, the six remaining contestants hang upside down from a tree branch and Chef tells them about the various things they will experience as time passes for them. Duncan is the first to drop out and Heather, citing Owen's farting, willingly drops out but Owen falls on her moments later when he falls off. Laughing uncontrollably, Courtney drops out and tells Chef to take a chill pill, to Gwen's, Owen's, and Geoff's surprise. Geoff and Gwen are the last two and with Geoff dropping out, Gwen wins the challenge for the Gophers, who run off in celebration while carrying Gwen.

At the campfire ceremony, Duncan, DJ, Bridgette, and Geoff receive marshmallows. The final marshmallow, with Harold and a smug looking Courtney waiting, goes to Harold. This shocks Courtney, Duncan, DJ, and Geoff. Soon after, Courtney, screaming that she does not concede and threatening to sue, is dragged to the dock and tossed on the Boat of Losers. Duncan argues with Chris, claiming that there were at least three of them who didn't vote her off, while Geoff and DJ nod in agreement, but Chris doesn't change his mind. Before Courtney leaves, Duncan runs down the dock of shame and tosses her a small wooden skull he carved for her and though she thinks it is a little weird and creepy, Courtney says she loves it and will never forget him. Back at the bonfire, Harold recalls how he, with memories of the various torments he had endured from Duncan, had secretly replaced the votes in the confession cam so that Courtney would have the most votes and be voted off as a way of revenge for Duncan's actions against him.

Cast

 * Trent appears, but has no lines. However, he sighs when Lindsay gives up and cheers when Gwen wins.

Quotes
Harold: No, wait! It wasn't me! Idiots! Duncan: (grins) Told you she wanted me.
 * Chris: Last time on Total Drama Island, the teams were given three challenges that tested their trust in their teammates. The rock-climbing challenge revealed more then Heather's grudge against Gwen. DJ trusted Geoff with his pet, Bunny, huge mistake, by the way.
 * Courtney: (after Harold tosses his s'mored underwear in front of her) Aah!! (angrily) Harold! You are so totally gross!
 * Chef: (over loudspeaker) Listen up, you little cockroaches! I want all campers to report to the Dock of Shame at 09:00 hours! (brief pause) That means now, soldiers, NOW!
 * Gwen: (in the confessional) Okay. Whoever's sick, twisted, idea this was to put (referring to Chef) him in charge of this challenge, I have to say... I'm a little bit impressed.
 * Chef: Twenty-five of us went to the jungle that night... only five came back out. Gwen: (yawns) What war were you in, anyway? Chef: Did I ask you to speak?! Because I don't remember asking you to speak! Gwen: (rolls eyes and mutters so Chef can't hear her) Whatever. He so wasn't in a war.
 * Chef: (to Lindsay after she quits the challenge) Listen here, you have nothing to be ashamed of... (yells into megaphone) Except being a little baby who let your team down!!
 * Duncan: Hey, Harold. We felt really bad about the whole underwear-fishing incident thing. So, here, we found you some apple juice. Harold: Thanks. (he drinks it and then spits it out) That's not juice! Duncan: Oh, my mistake, dude! We must've confused it with the kitchen grease. Courtney: You guys are so immature. I hope you're proud of yourselves. Duncan: (laughs) Okay, look. I know you like me. He (referring to Geoff) knows you like me; (zooms in on Courtney) everyone knows it. So here's a tip: if you wanna kiss me, I might let you. Courtney: And to think I actually thought you were nice! Duncan: (looks around nervously) Shhh! Me, nice? (laughs) Yeah, right. Geoff: Why'd you think that? Courtney: Never mind. I was wrong. He's just as gross and annoying as he wants you to believe. Enjoy your GARBAGE!
 * Chef: Anyone else got anything they want to say? Gwen: (to Chef) Uh, yeah, can I go to the bathroom? (Gwen is shown in the bathroom with a mop and bucket) Gwen: Not exactly what I had in mind.
 * Chef: This is just one sentence with five pages of "very"s in between! Duncan: It's three hundred words exactly. You can count them if you want.
 * Chef: (to Duncan) BOY! Do you wanna run fifty laps around this camp right now?! Courtney: (pulls Duncan away from Chef) No, thanks. He's going straight to bed. (glares at Duncan) Aren't you?! (at the other side of the kitchen) Courtney: What are you trying to do? Get eliminated?! Duncan: I didn't know you cared. Courtney: I don't! I just don't wanna lose this challenge. So stop being such a screw-up, and do what you're told for once, okay? (after Courtney walks away) Duncan: She wants me. Geoff: No doubt.
 * (after Harold falls over the wall) Harold: Ahhh! (he lands in mud and throws up) Duncan: Uhh, General Crazy, we've got a situation here. Harold: Too... much... (coughs) mud. Chef: Ring the bell and report to the infirmary. Your tour of duty is finished. (after Harold leaves) Duncan: Wow, poor guy. Chef: Back on the course, soldiers. NOW! One false move and I'll be on you like stink on a poop wagon! Duncan: I look forward to it, sir!
 * Duncan: (as Leshawna sinks in the mud) Fallen soldier, I salute you! Chef: You just bought yourself twenty more push-ups! Duncan: Thank you! (kisses Chef's nose; Chef becomes enraged) Geoff: I think you may have pushed him over the edge, bro! Duncan: I think you're right... Chef: (in a quiet and ominous tone) One night solitary confinement... in the boathouse. (everyone except Duncan gasps) Duncan: Big deal. How scary can it be? (scene cuts to Duncan now in a building full of canoes, harpoons, and shark jaws) Duncan: I should've kept my big mouth shut...
 * Courtney: (talking about Duncan) I'm going to go check on him. Geoff: You like him. Courtney: I do not like him. Geoff: Yes you do! Courtney: Not only do I not like him, I can't stand him. He's rude, he's rebellious, and he's totally annoying... and I'm gonna go check on him. (walks away) Geoff: (in the confessional) She likes him.
 * Courtney: (Courtney opens the door of the boathouse) Hello...? Duncan? Duncan: (whistling while sweeping, stopping once he sees Courtney) Princess! Courtney: (rolls eyes) I wish you'd stop calling me that. Duncan: So, come to claim that kiss? Courtney: (offering a bowl of food to Duncan) Even pigs deserve a meal. Duncan: Mmm, no thanks. I'll stick with the bait. Courtney: (sits on a crate next to Duncan) Yeah, well, that's all Chef would serve us after our pathetic performance today. (they look at the bowl and notice that the food is stuck to it) Why do you egg Chef on like that? You know you're going to get in trouble. Duncan: Why are you so uptight all the time? Courtney: (she stands up) I am not uptight! Duncan: (he stands up too, scoffing) You always follow the rules! Courtney: Well, you always have to BREAK them! Duncan: Only the ones I want to. (winks at Courtney) Courtney: Okay, so maybe I do follow the rules. I guess that makes me a big uptight loser in your books, right? Duncan: (teasingly) Maybe. Courtney: ARGH! Duncan: So then, why do you follow them? Courtney: Because not following them gets you thrown into a fish cabin! Duncan: But I'm in the fish cabin with you, aren't I? (Courtney smiles shyly at him)
 * Owen: I think I have jungle rot from that obstacle course. (brings his foot up to Lindsay's face) Lindsay: Ew, Owen! We're eating here!
 * Bridgette: (to Courtney, laughing) Okay, I think you've had enough. (reaches her hand out to stop her) Courtney: (knocks Bridgette's hand away with a greedy look on her face) No! No! Just one more! (shoves another ice cream sandwich in her mouth, chews noisily, gives an almighty belch, sways on the spot, gives a moan) Ohhhh... yeah... yeah, that one was a mistake... (she runs off and pukes, as the other campers laugh)
 * Duncan: (after watching her puke, grinning) So the princess has a dark side. Courtney: Okay... that was so gross. But it was like... once I did something bad, it was so much fun, I just wanted more! Duncan: Well, you could always give me that kiss. That'd be pretty bad. Courtney: (ruffles his hair and smiles) You're still not my type. Duncan: Fine. Enjoy a peanut butter-less life. Courtney: Fine. Enjoy prison. Duncan: I will. (they kiss)
 * Geoff: (after catching Duncan and Courtney kiss) Yes, dude! (places arm around Duncan's shoulder and grins, flashing him a thumbs-up)
 * Chef: (Over loudspeaker) Attention remaining boot camp recruits: the next evolution of your training begins tomorrow morning at 07:00 hours. And if I catch the sucker that took my dessert, your butt is mine!
 * Courtney: Master Chief? I just have one thing to say to you. Chef: And what might that be? Courtney: You really need to take a chill pill. (Chef steams as she laughs hysterically, with everyone else except Duncan stunned at her)
 * Chef: (to Gwen) Congratulations, soldier. I'd go to war with you anytime. Gwen: (nervously) I'll keep that in mind when choosing my career... Chef: You do that, soldier. (gets teary-eyed) You do that.
 * Courtney: (being dragged to Boat of Losers) I do not concede! I do not concede! Duncan: Awww man, this sucks! Courtney: (to the remaining Killer Bass) I was your only hope! I was a Counselor in Training! (to Chef Hatchet and Chris, who are dragging her) Let GO of me! (they "let go" of her by throwing her into the Boat of Losers) You are going to hear from my attorney! Duncan: (after Courtney sets sail) Courtney, wait! I made this for you! (throws her a small object) Courtney: Duncan! (sees that it's a wooden skull) Okay, this is really weird and creepy, but I love it! (she waves goodbye to Duncan) I'll never forget you!
 * Harold: (while switching the votes) You guys think you're so funny. Let's see how you like it when someone messes with your love life.
 * Harold: (after eliminating Courtney, with a sinister grin) Yes!

General

 * Running Gags: Duncan and Geoff pulling pranks on Harold; Duncan agitating Chef Hatchet.
 * The final marshmallow is received by Harold for the second consecutive time, and the third time overall.
 * The people who used the confessional stall for this episode were Gwen, Geoff, and Harold.
 * Gwen is the only Screaming Gopher to use the confessional.
 * When Chris does this episode's recap, he oddly never mentions that Sadie was voted off.
 * When Courtney and Duncan are stealing food from the fridge, Ezekiel's picture is seen on a milk carton.
 * Strangely, Chef wouldn't let Duncan quit when he wanted to, even though the rule was anyone can drop out when they want (though he may have not allowed it because he knew Duncan was just being lazy).
 * The final three of Total Drama Island were all dancing to the song on the left side.
 * Oddly enough, they are also in the order in which they placed in the competition. Heather came in third place and is in the back, Gwen came in second and is in the middle, and Owen came in first and is in the front.
 * Geoff and Duncan pulled several pranks on Harold in this episode:
 * They made s'mores out of his underwear.
 * They gave him a wedgie with a fishing pole.
 * They gave him a glass of kitchen grease and told him it was apple juice.
 * They made a smiley face out of peanut butter on his bed.
 * Chef Hatchet is revealed to have an anchor tattoo on his left arm.
 * The three Screaming Gopher members that move on to the final challenge happen to be the ones who make it to the final three in the competition; Owen, Gwen, and Heather. Duncan also made it to this challenge, and he ultimately made it to the final four. Heather was also the first Gopher to be eliminated in this challenge, leaving Gwen and Owen up in the tree, parallel to her coming in third place in the competition. Interestingly, Owen crushes Heather soon after. In the final three, it was Owen's decision to help Gwen that led to Heather's downfall.
 * The only Screaming Gophers that gasped when Duncan was sent to the Boathouse were Gwen, Owen and Heather, who were coincidentally the final three of the competition.
 * On the Total Drama Island website, the weekly game for this episode was the dancing challenge. Ironically, Courtney, the one who was voted off in this episode, was the character who danced.
 * It is hinted that Harold would've been voted off if he hadn't switch the votes, as Duncan, Geoff, and DJ had been pranking him and Courtney's look when it came down to the bottom two hinted that she voted for him, too.
 * With Courtney's elimination, Bridgette is the last remaining female Killer Bass on the team, until Eva's return in No Pain, No Game.

Continuity

 * This marks the sixth loss for the Killer Bass team overall and their third instance of a second consecutive loss (they also lost in the previous episode, Who Can You Trust?). Their first string of consecutive losses occurred in Not So Happy Campers - Part 2 and The Big Sleep. Their second string of consecutive losses occurred in The Sucky Outdoors and Phobia Factor.
 * This episode marks the only time in the entire series in which Courtney is not eliminated via double elimination.
 * This is the second episode Gwen is the last person standing on her team and is be able to outlast the last Killer Bass member still standing. The first is The Big Sleep.

Goofs

 * During the recap, Chris said that there were only three challenges during the last episode. There were actually five, however.
 * When Duncan smiles at Geoff after making Harold's underpants into s'mores, his nose piercing is on the wrong side of his face.
 * At first, when the teams are holding up the canoes, and Chef starts to talk, Chris and Chef are not seen on the canoes. However, when Chris talks, they are.
 * After Chef slips on Owen's drool, everyone's eyes do not have rings under them.
 * In this episode, Duncan gives Harold grease and says it's apple juice, and Harold unknowingly accepts the drink. However, in Who Can You Trust?, Harold claims that he is allergic to apples (though this may have been to get out of the challenge).
 * Bridgette is not seen with the other campers during the obstacle course challenge. However, she was not officially eliminated in any of the preceding challenges on-screen.
 * Lindsay is seen dancing on the beach with the other campers during the second part of the challenge. However, she was eliminated in the first challenge.
 * Heather and Owen are seen becoming stuck during the obstacle course challenge. However, they are still seen competing in the final challenge.
 * When Owen opens his mouth for the garbage he has to eat, his tongue is red, as opposed to pink.
 * When all of the Screaming Gophers are carrying Gwen on their shoulders after they win the challenge, Lindsay can be seen in the outfit that she wore in Up the Creek, even though she was wearing her regular outfit for most of the episode.
 * After Courtney is thrown into the Boat of Losers, it starts to head off while Chef is still on the dock.