Basic Straining
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| Basic Straining | |
| Season 1, Episode 12 | |
 | |
| First Aired (CAN) | September 16, 2007 |
| First Aired (USA) | August 21, 2008 |
| Challenge | Boot Camp |
| Winner(s) | Screaming Gophers |
| Eliminated | Courtney |
| Episode Guide | |
| previous "Who Can You Trust?" | next "X-Treme Torture" |
Someone makes the teams go through several difficult obstacles designed to make people quit. One camper goes too far and ends up being sent to the boat house by starting a conflict with Chef. There, he hooks up with a camper who is not quite his opposite as previously thought. A camper is voted off the island under mysterious circumstances.
[edit] Recap
Harold emerges from the guys' cabin and demands to know who made s'mores with his underwear. Duncan and Geoff laugh in glee at this question and Courtney recoils in disgust when Harold throws the underwear near where she is standing, implying that she got annoyed. Moments later, Chef announces over the PA speakers that he wants all campers at the Dock of Shame at nine AM promptly.
At the dock, Chef, acting as a tough talking Marine, tells the teams that the challenge will be difficult and the campers will drop out until the last remaining wins 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.
On the beach, Chef orders the two teams to hold a canoe over their heads 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 can't go any longer. Lindsay heads to the end of the dock and rings the bell to eliminate herself. With that, that 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 they have ten minutes to eat before night training begins and says the food is the leftover garbage from the morning breakfast. Courtney and Heather, for different reasons, balk at eating garbage and Geoff and Duncan give Harold a glass of apple juice that 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.
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 bucket.
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 like Chef 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 and Duncan says it is three hundred 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 AM start, Duncan tries to verbally goad Chef once again and Courtney pulls him aside just as Chef threatens him with fifty laps around the camp.
At 5 AM, Chef tells the campers 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 after swallowing too much mud and Chef sends him to the infirmary. The campers continue running the course with LeShawna being forced to drop out. Moments later, Chef gives Duncan twenty more push-ups for his insolence and Duncan reacts by thanking Chef and kissing him on the nose. A moment or so later, it becomes apparent that Chef has been pushed too far and he orders Duncan to spend the night by himself in the boathouse. Duncan says the punishment is not that big a deal but regrets his words when he is sitting in the boathouse and observes the eerie surroundings.
At the mess hall, Courtney decides she is going to check on Duncan but 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 finds a happy face made of peanut butter smeared in his bed. Courtney overeats to the point that she has to run outside and throw up. 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 the 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 remain 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.
At the campfire ceremony, Duncan, DJ, Bridgette and Geoff get marshmallows. The final marshmallow, with Harold and a smug looking Courtney waiting, goes to Harold. 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 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, had secretly replaced the votes so Courtney would be voted off as a way of paying back Duncan for his actions.
[edit] Elimination Chart of Challenges
[edit] Canoe Challenge
The campers had to hold a canoe over their heads until someone quit the challenge. The person eliminated was:
- Lindsay: Her arms gave out and she had to ring the bell.
- Harold and Geoff should have been eliminated, as they both let go of the canoe, but they were not caught, and therefore were not eliminated.
[edit] Writing Challenge
The campers had to write a 300-word essay on how much they love Chef Hatchet. The people who were eliminated in this challenge were:
- DJ: He fell asleep during the challenge, which was prohibited.
- Trent: He also fell asleep during the challenge.
- Bridgette: Unknown reason; was not present in the following challenges. Possibly failed to write 300 words, as she was not shown at all as Chef was collecting the essays.
[edit] Obstacle Course
The campers had to run an obstacle course (consisting of high walls, hanging tires, swinging blades, and a rope swing) multiple times until they were able to complete it in under one minute. The people eliminated in this challenge were:
- Harold: He fell face-first on a puddle of mud, regurgitating some of it back up, and had to go to the infirmary.
- LeShawna: She sank into a mud puddle and became immobilized, therefore unable to continue on.
[edit] Tree Challenge
The campers had to hang upside-down from a tree until only one was left standing. The people eliminated in this challenge were:
- Duncan: Became disoriented and fell out of the tree.
- Heather: Gives up after Owen farts nearby and jumps out of the tree.
- Owen: Falls out of the tree and lands on Heather.
- Courtney: Gets caught up in a giggle fit and falls out of the tree.
- Geoff: Faints and slips off of the tree branch.
[edit] Winner
- Gwen: She lasted throughout all of the challenges and was the last camper on the tree, making her the winner.
[edit] Notes
- Apparently there was a Dancing Challenge for all of the campers, even those who had already dropped out; how this is related to the military is unknown, but no one was eliminated, although they were allowed to stop after Duncan turned off the music. The only explanation for the dancing would be they'd have to follow directions, like they should follow direction in a boot camp, but this is never proven.
[edit] Cast
Trent appears, but has no main lines, but Trent sighs when Lindsay gives up.
[edit] Quotes
- Courtney: Aah!! (angrily) Harold! You are so totally gross!
Harold: No, wait! It wasn't me! Idiots!
- 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 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 to herself) 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 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 perfomance on the obstacle course. (they look at the bowl and notice that the food is stuck) 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.
Courtney: No, no, just one more! (shoves another ice cream sandwich in her mouth, burps, and gets a little queasy) Ohhhh... yeah... yeah, that one was a mistake... (she runs off and pukes)
- 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: Thanks. 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)
Duncan: (grins) Told you she wanted me.
- 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.
- (after getting revenge on Duncan)
Harold: (with a sinister grin) Yes!
[edit] Trivia
- Title Reference: This episode title is referenced to the phrase and activity, Basic Training.
- Unedited, the episode is rated TV-PG D.
- All dialog edits of this episode can be found on the Edits page.
- The final marshmallow is received by Harold for the second consecutive time and the third time overall.
- The campers in the Confessional stall for this episode were Gwen, Geoff, and Harold.
- 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.
- When Chris is doing the 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 (though it's mostly off-screen). This may imply that Ezekiel's family wouldn't let him go to Total Drama Island, so he ran away to get on. It could also imply that his parents didn't know he went to Playa des Losers after he got booted and reported him missing. However, this is more likely to be a simple visual gag.
- 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).
- Trent and DJ have no lines in this episode. Ironically, they were both eliminated at the writing challenge for the same reason; They both fell asleep.
- Strangely, Trent was third in the Awake-A-Thon, but is one of the two falling asleep from the essay.
- Running Gags: Duncan and Geoff pulling pranks on Harold; Duncan agitating Chef Hatchet.
- 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 pillow.
- Harold was probably supposed to be the camper voted off before rigging the votes. Duncan, DJ and Geoff most likely voted for him since they have been pranking him consistently; Courtney looked at him in a sinister way during the elimination, so she probably voted for him. It is not clear whether or not Bridgette voted for Harold, seeing as she was the only one not looking shocked when Harold received the final marshmallow.
- The campers address Chef as Master Chief, possibly a reference to the Halo video game series (it most likely relates to Chef having once been in the Navy; Master Chief Petty Officer is a United States military rank).
- The music during the dancing challenge where no one was eliminated was very similar to Michael Jackson's Thriller. The dance moves Chef and the campers were doing also mimicked the dancing style of Thriller's music video.
- It is odd that Harold rigged the votes and chose to get rid of Courtney, even though he could have gotten rid of Duncan, the one who had tormented him for weeks (though he may have just wanted to make Duncan suffer rather than get him eliminated).
- Chef Hatchet is revealed to have an anchor tattoo on his left arm.
- Though Chef is the one who drives the Boat of Losers in most episodes, he is seen walking away from the boat as it departs from the dock after throwing Courtney into it.
- 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.
- The only Screaming Gophers that gasped when Duncan was sent to the Boathouse were Gwen, Owen and Heather, who were coincidentally the final three.
- 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.
[edit] Goofs
- When Chef slips on Owen's drool, he flings Duncan's essay into the air, it is never seen coming back down. However, it is just possible that it flew off screen.
- After Chef slips on Owen's drool, everyone's eyes do not have rings under them.
- When the Screaming Gophers are lifting Gwen after her victory, Lindsay is in the same outfit she wore in Up the Creek.
- Throughout the episode (and the series) Duncan's head is the same size as Courtney's, however, in this episode during a close up in the Fish House Duncan's head is much larger than Courtney's.
- In this episode Duncan gives Harold grease and says it's apple juice, and Harold unknowingly accepts to drink it. However, in Who Can You Trust?, Harold claims 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 on. However, she was not officially eliminated in any of the preceding challenges on-screen.
- Lindsay is seen dancing on the dock with the other campers during the second part of the challenge. However, she was eliminated in the first challenge.
[edit] Gallery
 Chef does the thriller dance. |
