Total Drama Review Week 13: Brunch of Disgustingness

It’s the merge! Well, kind of. We finally are down to ten contestants, and the whole game changes. I’ll admit, sometimes this show makes glaring errors, and this was one of them. Chris says that they’ll be on the jury in the final episode, a clear reference to Survivor, but this season has no jury: a different season does, but not this one. Errors aside, this is a pretty solid episode. Now the fandom is pretty divided, due to this being a gross out episode, but the highlight here is Bridgette.

Bridgette has always been a good character, but she got some much needed growth in this episode. The way the episode used her to extenuate the two sides of the girls was rather clever, and we even got to see the tape down the middle of the floor. They gave us some great scenes between her and Geoff as well, especially that last shot.  Not many people beyond Bridgette got growth here, but seeing the guys all together was nice. They all get along nicely, and make a fitting team. Now onto the challenge itself.

Gross food challenges are a staple of reality shows, and it was only a matter of time before we got one. I’ll admit though, some of these scenes were hard to watch for me. Not so much the actual eating apart from the soup, but the barfing scenes get me every time. My favorite part though is the battle of the sexes aspect. It’s a very fun episode even if no one goes home. It’s also one of only three episodes this season where someone isn’t eliminated, making it feel almost out of place when watching it for the first time. The reprieve is needed though, as we’re about to hit the merge. Since we are at the merge, I wanted to take this time and briefly give my thoughts on the final ten.

Bridgette: She’s played a great game so far, and really hasn’t made enemies apart from Heather, plus she actually is a real competitor in challenges.

DJ: Same as Bridgette, he’s sweet and played the game pretty low key, even though he’s a physical challenge threat. Nobody’s said a bad word about him, even Heather.

Duncan: It’s not hard to see why people would have an issue with Duncan, but he’s smart, and that’s why he’s still in. He’s not the nicest, but as long as he has Heather around to look worse, he can skate by.

Geoff: He’s been at the forefront of challenges almost as much as Duncan, and as the field narrows he’s really come into his own. His social game is really strong, not just in the game, but people seem to genuinely like the guy. Honestly, looking back he’s my favorite.

Gwen: She’s been on fire since day one, and still seems to be one of the main characters in this cast. People were worried at first she would just be a stereotype, but she’s an all around good character. Don’t worry, we get our stereotypical goth in another season.

Heather: She’s the primary antagonist for a reason. Looking back, it’s amazing not just how sinister she was, but childish. The fact they kept her around this long is astounding from an in universe perspective.

Leshawna: She was mostly in the background in the early episodes, but the more we see from her, the more I like her. She is who she is, and she owns it.

Lindsey: I forgot just how fun Lindsey was to watch in this season. Although season two Lindsey is my favorite, she has some really great moments early on, and I think her little rivalry with Duncan is adorable.

Owen: What can you say, he’s like the face of the show. He’s a lovable oaf, and no one wants to get rid of him. He’s the literal definition of killing them with kindness.

Trent: He was cool at first, but he’s kind of become one note. I forgot just how much they relied on the hints of a relationship with Gwen, and having him constantly get hurt. Beyond that he has no character! At all!

So there we have it, we started with twenty-two, and now we’re down to ten. The merge is finally on the horizon, and we still have a lot of show left. See you next week, for “No Pain, No Game.”

 

Tags: total drama