Trial by Tri-Armed Triathlon

'''The six remaining campers are split into three pairs and must compete in various challenges using teamwork. Some groups have trouble working together, while another become friends with each other. Once the triathlon is finished and none of the teams win, it is revealed that nobody is safe. In the end, it turns out to be one of the nicest campers voted off the island.'''

Plot
The episode opens with a sleeping Owen, who is having a pleasant dream about being naked in a world of floating cheese and "doughnut-copters." Just as he reaches the highlight of his dream, he is awoken by Leshawna screaming at a passing helicopter, saying to keep it down. Owen thinks that he hears the doughnut-copter from his dream, much to the confusion of his fellow campers. Chris then appears in a plane, and when he lands, he announces that the next challenge will be the "Tri-Armed Triathlon." This is a series of three challenges that will be performed by the campers in pairs, handcuffed together, similar to a three-legged race. The winning pair will earn invincibility. Chris also mentions the wimp key, a key that can open the handcuffs and is offered at several points during the challenges. Any team that uses the key is eliminated from the contest and thus cannot win invincibility, but they are excused from competing in the challenges. In the confessional, we find that Gwen is really irritated about the whole show, but mostly by Geoff's cheery attitude. Geoff is bummed out because most of the other campers are becoming so serious with the end of the season coming up, and Duncan says that Leshawna has been warming up to him.

In the main lodge, Leshawna and Duncan, Owen and Heather, and Gwen and Geoff are handcuffed together for the first challenge: an eat-off, with one team member force feeding the other. The eater must keep both arms behind their back, which leaves the feeder with only one arm to use. Leshawna and Duncan immediately start fighting over who feeds who, Geoff's easy going attitude continues to annoy Gwen, and Heather realizes that her arms are almost too short to reach the table when Owen puts his arms behind his back. The seemingly normal food is brought out, prompting Heather to note that the chicken is oddly green.

In an attempt to win the challenge, Leshawna stuffs Duncan's face, who, in between gulps, asks for her to slow down, but she ignores his plea. Gwen tries to get Geoff in a rhythm to speed up his eating, but he keeps stopping to comment on how good the food is. Owen's mouth is wide open, and Heather keeps dumping spoonfuls of food in, but he tells her to go faster. Eventually, Heather ditches the spoon and decides to play the game to Owen's strengths by picking up the whole tray, and slamming it into his face. Heather and Owen win the first challenge, and Heather commends Owen on great teamwork, until he reveals he needs to go to the bathroom, and is seen racing towards the washroom, farting up a storm, with Heather in tow. Before starting the next stage, the campers are given the option of using the wimp key. Duncan and Leshawna dare each other to take it, and Owen suggests that he and Heather use it since they don't really like each other, however, Heather shoots that idea down.

The next challenge is to go to the beach, take a canoe and paddle back to Boney Island, where they will find a package waiting for them. Duncan and Leshawna are still fighting, Heather keeps cheering on Owen as he pushes the boat into the water and Geoff further irritates Gwen by telling her a story about how he and his buddy Jay dug up their friend's lawn and planted it in their school's foyer. While on the water, Leshawna keeps pressing Duncan about him being a softy underneath, mentioning Courtney told her about DJ and Bunny. Duncan confesses his good deed and reveals that his dog, Petey, ran away when he was a kid, and he didn't want DJ to feel the same way. Owen is then seen talking about how no one listens to him, and Heather interrupts to say she doesn't care. She then sees the shoreline and the package.

Getting on shore first, Heather and Owen find a backpack and open it. Inside, they find the pieces of the tiki idol that Beth took from Boney Island in Up the Creek. Chris reveals that Beth never returned the doll, and instead broke it into pieces and flushed it down the septic tank, disgusting them that they used a bathroom that had the cursed idol in it. The next challenge is to take one of the pieces and return it to the Cave of Treacherous Terror as fast as possible, because the longer you hold onto the doll, the more you get cursed. As a final twist, the campers have to go piggyback.

Owen and Geoff pick up Heather and Gwen respectively, while Duncan and Leshawna get into a fight over Leshawna's weight. After a while, Geoff and Gwen stop when she thinks they're lost; while Gwen tries to gain her bearings, Geoff starts taking pictures of the surrounding woods. This pushes Gwen over the edge, and she grabs the camera and throws it into a nearby pond, then starts demanding Geoff to take things more seriously, and to stop pretending to be her friend. Geoff counters saying that he wasn't pretending, and that he genuinely wanted to be her friend and that if they went to the same school, he'd certainly invite her to his parties, except that he thought she'd never want to go. Gwen reveals that there were times she wishes she was a bubbly popular girl that went to parties, but in the end, just doesn't think she has partying in her DNA. Geoff tells her that there's no party DNA, as partying is a state of mind, and invites her to a party when they both leave the island.

At the cave, Owen and Heather are the first to arrive, but there is a large spider in the entrance, and when it lands on Owen's face, he panics and runs away, taking Heather with him. Leshawna, carrying Duncan, arrives to see Owen and Heather hightailing it out of there. When they get to the cave, they have their own encounter with the carnivorous beavers and also run away. Geoff and Gwen arrive last, and Gwen thinks they've already lost; but Geoff thinks they're still in it and throws the tiki piece into the cave, winning the challenge.

The campers regroup around three picnic tables, and Chris updates the score, one point for Heather and Owen, one point of Geoff and Gwen, and nothing for Duncan and Leshawna. Chris then goes to one of the tables and lifts off the cover, revealing wooden heads of the losers, frightening Owen. The last challenge is to build a totem pole out of the heads in the order that the campers were voted off, which Chris listed at the beginning of the episode, with Ezekiel on bottom, and Izzy on top. Since Eva and Izzy were voted off twice, there are two Eva and Izzy heads.

Heather badmouths the losers as she picks up their heads, starting with Lindsay and Beth by calling them traitors, while Owen makes more statements about how hot Justin looks. Geoff and Gwen are trying to put the totem together, but have trouble telling the difference between Katie and Sadie. Chris checks in on Duncan and Leshawna and sees that Duncan has carved "D+C" in a big heart on the back of the Courtney head; Chris pokes fun at Duncan until Leshawna nails him with a Sadie head in Duncan's defense. Heather continues to disparage the losers and picks up one of the Izzy heads; her taunting clearly drives Owen crazy, as he still has a huge crush on the girl, and eventually drives him over the edge. Dragging Heather along, Owen calls for the wimp key, but it doesn't matter, Duncan and Leshawna have completed their totem pole and ended the challenge. With all three teams tied, none of the campers gets invincibility.

At the campfire ceremony, Chris hands out marshmallows to Leshawna, Duncan, Heather, and Owen. With Geoff and Gwen left, Gwen believes her time is up and concedes defeat, but Chris tells her to sit down, and then gives her the last marshmallow. Gwen is shocked that Geoff is voted off, as he is the nicest guy there, but Duncan, Owen, and Heather reveal that's exactly why he has to go. Being popular with the others, if Geoff made it to the finale, their lack of popularity would help Geoff win, so he has to go. Geoff accepts his fate, and heads for the Dock of Shame.

On the way, Gwen stops him and gives him back his camera, which she fished out of the pond on Boney Island. Gwen is about to say goodbye when Geoff grabs her and takes a picture of them, complete with a small fish and water in the image.

Cast

 * Chef Hatchet appeared, but he had no lines.

Quotes

 * Chris: Will Heather avoid the Boat of Losers yet again? And, who will be voted off this week in the most dramatic campfire ceremony yet? Find out tonight, on Total Drama Island!


 * Chris: We strove to come up with the best way to help the campers de-stress, then decided it would be way more fun to handcuff them together and see if we couldn't push them over the edge. Heather: Did Duncan's parole officer send a care package?


 * Gwen: (in confessional) The person who's creasing me the most? Geoff. The guy is in a permanently good mood. No one is always in a good mood. And if he says "dude" or "cool" or eats with his mouth open one more time, I think I'm going to seriously damage him.


 * Duncan: (in confessional) This place is torture, man. At least in Juvie, we had a half-hour of television a day and they kept the lunatics locked up separately. I mean, this outhouse, this is the only place I can go for peace and quiet. Oh, and you do not want to come in here after Owen. (sniffs and gets grossed out) Oh, man. And I don't know what Courtney said to Leshawna, but all of a sudden, she thinks I'm a nice guy or something and she wants to be my friend. I don't have friends. Got that?!


 * Chris: Sucks to be you... (flashbacks) Ezekiel, Eva, Noah, Justin, Katie, Tyler, Izzy, Cody, Beth, Sadie, Courtney, Harold, Eva again, Trent, Bridgette, Lindsay, DJ, and Izzy again!


 * Owen: This is like a dream I had once. Heather: The doughnut copter dream? Owen: You've had it too?


 * Geoff: We don't need to fight or anything, eh? We're a team, babe! Gwen: Fine, you be the eater then. Geoff: Cool. Gwen: No... wait, I'll be the eater. Geoff: Cool. Gwen: Wait... Leshawna: No way! I don't think so, skinny boy! Duncan: Arm wrestle you for it, then.


 * Heather: I don't think chicken is green in nature. Owen: Maybe it's lemon-lime chicken!


 * Gwen: (to Geoff) You can be the eater. Geoff: Cool.


 * Owen: Go faster! Heather: They won't count if we drop it!


 * Heather: What a team! Owen: None taken.


 * Owen: Look, since you and I aren't really seeing eye to eye on this challenge, maybe we should... Heather: Shut up, Owen. You're not getting out that easy. Owen: (in the confessional) It was worth a try. Heather scares me.


 * Leshawna: Why don't you just let little Leshawna sit in the front so I can steer? Duncan: Little? Are you kidding me? You're... Leshawna: Oh no, no, no, no, no. You do not want to finish that sentence.


 * Geoff: This one time, we had this massive pool party and my buddy Jay and I decided to take my buddy's lawn and replant it in the school foyer. Gwen: I don't care. Geoff: No, no, but it was like so awesome. We put a cup and flag on it and actually putted a few rounds before getting caught. The principal gave us the longest detention in school history! Gwen: Will you please shut up?! Geoff: Whoa, harshness. Gwen: Oh, I know. I'm the harsh weird scary goth girl who's being all mean and snappish as usual! Geoff: Chill; I didn't say that.


 * Duncan: C'mon, paddle. I'm doing all the work here and I know my half of the canoe isn't the heavier half. Leshawna: Oh! You're about to get my paddle up somewhere you don't want it to be! Duncan: Well, I'm about to get up in your face and if I do, you are not gonna like it!


 * Duncan: (referring to the fact that either he or Leshawna has to carry one another) Well, a guy's got his limits and mine's about three hundred-(Leshawna pushes him to ground)


 * Gwen: Whoo-hoo!


 * Gwen: (in the Confessional) Okay, don't think I'm some mindless party animal just because I let loose with Geoff. That guy just brings out the party in people.


 * Chris: And that's a point for the Gwen and Geoff Dream Team! Gwen: (referring to Geoff) Yes! That's my partner! High five!


 * (Chris lifts the covers revealing wooden heads of the other campers, and Owen screams) Heather: Relax, it's just Eva. Ew, two Evas; that is upsetting.


 * Gwen: OK, I think Katie was voted off fifth. Geoff: No! It was Sadie! Gwen: Wasn't it Katie? I can never remember! Geoff: Katie was the one who was afraid of bad haircuts...or was that Sadie? Gwen: AH!


 * Chris: (referring to Duncan carving his and Courtney's initials) Most guys kiss girls they like; dude carves her head. Mr. Tough ain't so tough! (Leshawna throws wooden Sadie head at Chris and knocks him over) Leshawna: (to Duncan) Who said we gotta be tough all the time, huh?


 * Owen: Okay, that's it! Where's the wimp key?!


 * Chris: (dizzy) (voice high and shaky) We haaaave a WIENER!! LeDonca....and Shewanenan.....TAKE IT! That means aaaaanybody can get voted off ta-niiiight! (faints)


 * Owen: Mom always said "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all"... in which case, Heather would say nothing, ever! She is the meanest, the nastiest, the (beep) (beep) in all of Kalamazoo! (to Heather) Uh, no offense. Heather: Wow, none taken. I sorta respect you for it... (angrily) never do it again!


 * Leshawna: (in the confessional, referring to who's about to get voted out) I ain't gonna front. I knew if it came down to a popularity contest, I was gonna lose big time.  I had to vote off Heather.


 * Duncan: (in confessional, referring to Geoff not voting for Bridgette a few weeks back) You made a big mistake a few weeks ago, and I have a long memory.


 * Heather: (in confessional) I'd have to be an idiot to vote anyone else off at this point. No hard feelings; it's just strategy.

General

 * At the beginning of this episode, Chris mentions the names of all the campers who have been voted off thus far, followed by a brief appearance in a flashback.
 * It is revealed that Beth lied about bringing back the idol she took from Boney Island.
 * It is revealed that Courtney told Leshawna about DJ's bunny. This means that at some point, they spent some time talking and were apparently good friends. It is unknown when Courtney ever had the chance to talk to Leshawna, as they were on opposite teams, and Courtney was eliminated before the merge.
 * In this episode Duncan states that he can lift up to about three hundred pounds, and although it's possible that he was simply being sarcastic for a joke at the expense of Leshawna, it may be true, as in Hide and Be Sneaky, he is able to hold a two hundred and ninety-six pound Owen.
 * As of Geoff's elimination, Duncan is the only Killer Bass member left.
 * As of Geoff's elimination, all of the remaining contestants qualified for the next two seasons.
 * No one wins invincibility in this episode, as each team won one round in the competition.
 * This is the only episode in Total Drama Island where this occurs.

Continuity

 * This is the second time during the recap that Chris doesn't actually say who was kicked off in the previous episode (though he does show Izzy vanishing in a puff of smoke). The first time being Basic Straining where Chris completely neglects to mention Sadie's elimination.
 * This is the third time Chris has mentioned an actual episode's title during an episode. The first time was in Phobia Factor, and the second was when he mentioned No Pain, No Game during the recap in Search and Do Not Destroy.
 * This is the second time that someone swears at Heather. In this case, Owen swore at her in the confessional. The first time being Lindsay in That's Off the Chain!.

Goofs

 * There are several goofs that show some campers' heads twice during the challenge involving the totem pole, such as when Geoff and Gwen are trying to remember whether Katie or Sadie were voted off fifth and there are two Sadie and DJ heads on their table. Also, when Chris is taunting Duncan during the Totem Pole challenge, there are two Lindsay heads on Geoff and Gwen's table. A possible explanation for this might be that Chris switched the heads they had to confuse them.
 * Owen is supposed to be handcuffed to Heather by his right arm to her left arm; but while pushing the canoe, he's chained by his left arm, though Heather is still chained on the left arm.
 * The two are also shown to be unattached when Heather blows into an airbag in her confessional.
 * At the beginning of the episode, when Chris wakes up all the campers, they are all in their pajamas. However, after Chris lists the eliminated campers, they are all in their regular outfits.
 * There is a scene where Geoff and Gwen are arguing after Gwen admits she's never been to a party, when Geoff puts his hand behind his back, the cuff link is missing, but Gwen's hand is sticking out anyway. A split second later, it returns.
 * When Owen says, "Place at the table", the closed captioning says that he said, "Play some victory ball."
 * When Chris announces the winner of the final challenge, on Geoff and Gwen's table, DJ's wooden head is neither on the totem pole nor on the table. However, in the next shot, his head is to the right of the totem pole.
 * When Heather and Owen are in their canoe together, the canoe is level to the water, but in Up the Creek, when they shared a canoe, Owen's side was heavier than Heather's.