Monster Cash! After ending in a twenty-two way tie for the million dollars, twenty-two castmates are brought to the set of an abandoned film lot. Their first challenge has them avoiding a monster that prowls the film lot. The winner of the challenge gets the first pick of the trailers that the castmates will be living in for the remainder of the season.
Plot[]
The conflict between Gwen and Heather continues.
The episode opens by showing the castmates who qualified for season two — Owen, Gwen, Heather, Duncan, Leshawna, Geoff, DJ, Lindsay, Bridgette, Trent, Harold, Courtney, Sadie, Beth, Cody, Izzy (who only answers to her new name, E-Scope), Tyler Katie, Justin, Noah, Eva, Ezekiel — 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.
The castmates' new setting is an abandoned film lot.
While waiting for Chris, the castmates talk with each other, and praise Beth for getting her braces off, saying that she looks more attractive. Chris arrives in a tram to give them a tour of the set, noting that the new confessional will be in a makeup trailer, which excites the girls.
 Lindsay |
“ | Oh, my gosh! A whole trailer full of makeup?! Oh, sorry, I don't use that brand. | ” |
 Beth |
“ | [gasps] Does this mean we can do our makeup? | ” |
Lindsay |
“ | Totally! | ” |
After explaining that, in this season, castmates who are voted off will go down the Walk of Shame into the Lame-o-sine. They pass by the award ceremony theater, where Chris says that a gilded Chris represents safety.
 Gwen |
“ | The Gilded Chris? (scoffs) What a narcissist! Don't get me wrong, I still want one. | ” |
After Chris explains that the Gilded Chris represents safety, Katie and Sadie would talk about it, as they'd both agree with eachother.
 Katie |
“ | Oh my, gosh. It is SO good to be back in the show with my best friend, Sadie! | ” |
 Sadie |
“ | Right? Me and Katie are SO glad to be back here again! | ” |
Katie |
“ | [gasps] What if we meet some really hot guys while we're here! | ” |
Sadie |
“ | That would SO totally be amazing! | ” |
Katie |
“ | Yeah, totally! Ooh! I remember this one time where we saw this really cute guy on the beach! | ” |
Sadie |
“ | Oh my gosh! I totally remember that! | ” |
As they explore the set further, Chris reveals that the place was once a set for a monster movie, until the star had some "problems." Lindsay assumes the star was an actress, but everyone quickly finds out it was a mechanical monster. Gwen asks what happened to it.
Gwen |
“ | (sighs) In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have asked that question. | ” |
With Chef controlling the monster with a motion-sensitive suit, Chris explains that the first challenge is to race to a set of trailers before the monster can catch them. Everyone, except DJ (who faints upon seeing the monster), races off the cart and hurries toward the trailers with the monster in hot pursuit. DJ sits in the ground in fetal position, and Izzy is instantly captured by the monster.
 Owen |
“ | 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'd 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. | ” |
 Noah |
“ | You mean how you can compare with it? | ” |
Owen |
“ | Yeah, maybe, but it's really tall! | ” |
 Eva |
“ | Come on, we can't just stand here! We gotta go! | ” |
Owen |
“ | Oh, yeah, right! I'll do this for you Izzy! | ” |
Gwen asks Trent how are they supposed to find the actors' trailers, and Justin runs by saying that they should follow good-looking people, to which Beth does. When Duncan runs into Bridgette and Geoff kissing, he says he does not think that's the kind of "action" that Chris is referring to.
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Then, Bridgette and Geoff proceed to make out in the confessional together. Meanwhile, Justin is still running when the monster catches him, but Justin's looks seem to captivate Chef, who's controlling the monster, and admits to Chris that the "kid's hot."
 Justin |
“ | 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. And with these three fan-girls under my wing. I can control them and make them do what I want them to do. [laughs] | ” |
The monster then places Justin in the bounce house, as he asks what everybody is looking at. As they answer that they are all looking at him.
Justin |
“ | You see what I mean? I am a walking model of beauty! This season is gonna be mine. [laughs] | ” |
 Tyler |
“ | I don't get it, Lindsay thinks I'm Noah! Noah! Even after season one when we dated! [sighs] How am I gonna get her back? | ” |
One by one, each castmate is captured, and deposited into a bounce house by the monster, eventually leaving Owen as the last person standing. When Chef finally finds him, and attempts to pick him up, Owen's weight makes the monster malfunction, since he's too heavy to pick up.
 Cody |
“ | Ya know, after coming back here to be in another season. I can still motivate Gwen into taking a second shot! But I'm still happy for her and Trent. They've found eachother. And that's what makes her happy. | ” |
Owen |
“ | Boy, am I ever glad I didn't go on that diet! (laughs) Being big can really have its advantages! You know, like, uh, when you're trying not to, uh, be captured by an animatronic monster! For example…that's just at the top of my head. | ” |
Ten hours later, an exhausted Owen finds the other castmates and releases them from the bounce house by puncturing it with a sharp needle he had found.
Beth shows everyone that her braces got removed, and proceeds to gush over Justin.
With everyone now freed, the castmates move on to the second part of the challenge. After entering the new dining area, they are delighted to see a feast set out on the tables. Chris divides the teams into boys versus girls, but before he can explain what the objective is, Owen erupts into a feeding frenzy, thinking the food is for an eating contest. After Owen eats everything, citing how the food was a little dry, an amused Chris reveals that the food was made from foam core, silicone, sawdust, and wax, and that the actual challenge was to find the key hidden inside the food, with the winner getting to choose the trailer that they, and the rest of their gender, get to sleep in. Owen burps up the key, and wins the challenge for the boys, eventually requesting medical attention from the side effects of eating fake food, after initially refusing it.
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As the castmates make their way to the trailers, one trailer is accidentally crushed by the monster, who is bringing E-Scope back from their date. When asked to choose which trailer the guys get, Owen, much to the other guys' anger, chooses the recently crushed one, claiming "it has more character." The girls cheer happily while the guys get mad at Owen, until Chef crushes the other trailer as well.
 E-Scope |
“ | Ha-ha-I am so over that monster! | ” |
After the trailers are repaired by Chef, the castmates make decisions on who to bunk with. The boys decide with relative ease, with Duncan sharing a bunk with Justin, Harold sharing a bunk with Geoff, and Trent and Owen sharing one, leaving DJ alone. The girls run into an issue in deciding bunk placement, since no one wants to share a bunk bed with Heather, so they draw makeup brushes (due to a lack of straws) to see who will bunk with whom. Lindsay and Beth share a bunk, Gwen and Bridgette share, and Leshawna and Izzy share a bunk, leaving Heather happily with a bunk to herself, an unintentional outcome due to the girls' mathematical error.
The 14 castmates at the first-ever Awards Ceremony of Total Drama Action.
Chris says there will be an elimination ceremony where the first person gets kicked off. At the elimination ceremony, the castmates cast their votes with voting devices. The first Gilded Chris Award of the season goes to both Gwen and Trent, while the final one goes to Courtney, leaving Ezekiel getting voted off as the first camper eliminated in Total Drama Action Rewritten, as it cuts to several different castmates in the confessional, talking about their constant making out, and due to it, their general uselessness to any team, being the reason they were voted off. Seemingly unbothered, they continue to make out with one another as he walks to the Lame-o-sine, vowing that he'd come back in the next season, faster, smarter and sharper than all the other 21 campers.
Exclusive clip[]
Justin talks about his new antagonistic persona.
Justin |
“ | Last year I wasn't really a contender, but this year, this year will be different. I may be a pretty boy on the outside, but in here… there's a man filled with rage who's in this thing to win, and mark my words, I will stop at nothing, so no one better stand in my way 'cause I will make sure they don't… uh… stand in my way for long, okay? Ah, perfection. | ” |
Cast[]
| Voice actor | Role(s) |
|---|---|
| Christian Potenza | Chris |
| Sarah Gadon | Beth |
| Kristin Fairlie | Bridgette |
| Clé Bennett | Chef Hatchet/DJ |
| Peter Oldring | Cody/Ezekiel/Tyler |
| Emilie-Claire Barlow | Courtney |
| Drew Nelson | Duncan |
| Julia Chantrey | Eva |
| Dan Petronijevic | Geoff |
| Megan Fahlenbock | Gwen |
| Brian Froud | Harold |
| Rachel Wilson | Heather |
| Katie Crown | Izzy |
| Adam Reid | Justin |
| Novie Edwards | Leshawna |
| Stephanie Anne Mills | Katie/Lindsay |
| Carter Hayden | Noah |
| Scott McCord | Owen/Trent |
| Lauren Lipson | Sadie |
Elimination Ceremony[]
| Elimination Ceremony 1 | |
|---|---|
| Status | Contestant |
| WIN |  Owen |
| IN |                    Cody, Harold, Duncan, E-Scope, Lindsay, Justin, Beth, Owen, Noah, DJ, Tyler, Katie, Sadie, Eva, Bridgette, Geoff, Leshawna Heather |
| LOW |  Courtney |
| OUT |  Ezekiel |
Still in the running[]
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Trivia[]
General[]
- This is the first season in Total Drama Rewritten to not have teams at the very first episode of the season.
- This also is the 2nd time Ezekiel has been eliminated first in any season.
- This is currently the elimination ceremony with the highest attendance, at twenty-two.
- The various mini-teams formed among the castmates in this episode are:
- Geoff and Bridgette.
- Justin, Beth, Katie and Sadie.
- Harold and Leshawna.
- Lindsay and Tyler.
- Owen, Noah, Duncan and Eva.
- Cody, DJ, Trent, and Gwen.
- Courtney, Ezekiel, Heather and Izzy are all by themselves.
- Originally, Duncan is partnered with Trent, Gwen and Cody. However, he eventually teams up with Owen, Noah and Eva while Trent, Gwen and Cody join DJ.
- Izzy is seen with Owen, Noah and Eva, moments before getting captured, but isn't really working with him.
- The once-intended 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.
- The sleeping arrangement for the girls' trailer is as follows:
- 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 by the monster, the guy would say something as they were falling into the bounce house, with the girl responding. In Harold and Leshawna's case, Harold declared his love as they fell, and when they bounced again, Leshawna responded negatively.
- 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 season premiere in which the teams are not formed and is instead a free-for-all challenge.
- This is the only premiere episode of a season to begin with a recap of the previous season.
- Excluding The Ridonculous Race, this is the second and final season premiere where no one gets eliminated on the first episode.
Continuity[]
- The first three cast members that were taken by the monster are to be the first three eliminated, excluding Ezekiel.
- This episode features two people in the confessional for the first time in the season.
- This is the first time this season, and fifth time overall, that Chris has mentioned the episode's title.
- The others are in "Phobia Factor," "Brunch of Disgustingness," "No Pain, No Game," and "I Triple Dog Dare You!"
- Gwen confessed that the Gilded Chris Award was so narcissist coming for Chris but that she still wanted one. Coincidentally, she did receive only one, when she was safe during the first Award Ceremony, as she did not get another when was eliminated during her second Award Ceremony.
References[]
- This episode's title parodies the hit song "Monster Mash" by Boris Pickett and his Crypt Kickers.
- When Chris says "42 days, 14 castmates, one heck of a lot of cash," it is a direct reference to one of the opening lines that Jeff Probst says in Survivor, “39 days, 18 people, 1 Survivor!”
- However, instead of the title of the winner at the end, Chris mentions the cash prize.
- When Izzy returns from her date with the monster, she says, "Thanks for the date, baby! Don't ever leave me. 'Cause I'd find you!" This is a quote from the movie The Wedding Crashers.
- Coincidentally, the character who says this quote in the movie resembles Izzy, both in terms of personality and appearance.
- The monster is a reference to the long-running Godzilla movies.
- This is the third time Izzy does a Tarzan call. The other times being in "No Pain, No Game" and "Total Drama, Drama, Drama, Drama Island."
Goofs[]
- In the Netflix release, Chris says that Gwen is the winner of the previous season during the recap.
- There were multiple instances in this episode in which Heather is seen with highlights in her solid-colored wig, which denote a goof of 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 is sleeping in the holding pin, Heather's hair is 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.
Heather is seen with highlights in her wig in this scene. In addition, her eyebrows are missing.
- When Heather gets off the bus, she is missing her eyebrows.
Lindsay's hair.
- For a brief second, when Lindsay falls after Chris floors on the gas pedal, the top of her hair is not shown.
- When the monster is dropping Justin into the bounce house, 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 bounce 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.
- 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 "0" on Owen's back is missing.
- In the preview for Total Drama Action, DJ is seen running with the other castmates at the beach. However, in this episode, DJ is never seen running with them.
- Izzy is seen sitting on her luggage when the bus pulls away, but when Owen tells her to get on the trailer, and the scene cuts to a whistling Izzy, the luggage is nowhere to be seen.
- 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.
- When Harold and Leshawna are captured by the monster, Gwen and Trent's outlines are seen instead of Geoff's and Bridgette's.
Gallery[]
- Duncan
"Had one day left on its contract."
"Nice!"
- Chris and Chef
.png "TDA Ep. 1 (Hotness).png (956 KB)")
See also[]
- "Monster Cash"
- "Alien Resurr-eggtion"
- "Riot on Set"
- "Beach Blanket Bogus"
- "3:10 to Crazytown"
- "The Aftermath: I"
- "The Chefshank Redemption"
- "One Flu Over the Cuckoos"
- "The Sand Witch Project"
- "Masters of Disasters"
- "Full Metal Drama"
- "The Aftermath: II"
- "Ocean's Eight—or Nine"
- "One Million Bucks, B.C."
- "Million Dollar Babies"
- "Dial M for Merger"
- "Super Hero-ld"
- "The Aftermath: III"
- "The Princess Pride"
- "Get a Clue"
- "Rock n' Rule"
- "Crouching Courtney, Hidden Owen"
- "2008: A Space Owen"
- "Top Dog"
- "Mutiny on the Soundstage"
- "The Aftermath: IV"
- "Celebrity Manhunt's Total Drama Action Reunion Special"