Follow TV Tropes

Following

Recap / Total Drama: "You Regatta Be Kidding Me"

Go To

The teams are merged and the now solo contestants are sent on a dangerous boat race around the camp. Zoey continues to fret over whether Mike or Mal is the alternate personality, Gwen and Courtney grow even closer, Duncan tries to prove he's a bad boy and Mike escapes his shackles and heads toward the center of his mind.

Tropes:

  • Actually Pretty Funny: Chris over Cameron using Scott as Motivation on a Stick for Fang.
  • Be Careful What You Wish For: Duncan wanted to be seen as a bad boy again. He succeeds by blowing up Chris' cottage... and then gets shuttled off to Jail.
  • Big "WHAT?!": Cameron when told he was unanimously voted off.
  • Call-Back:
    • While it's the first challenge to not have a proper one, ironically this isn't the first boat race the show's had, the first being in Island in "Up The Creek", and a more direct predecessor in "Backstabbers Ahoy!" from Revenge of the Island.
    • We finally see where Chris and Chef live on the island, something only hinted at in previous seasons.
    • Once again, someone gets booted from the competition for blowing up Chris' stuff.
    • Fang returns to torment Scott once again.
    • Zoey makes the Tarot cards she said she was going to last episode.
  • Cassandra Truth: Duncan tries to warn Courtney and Gwen that Mike is a threat. But given Mike has come off to them as The Load, they assume it’s another sign Duncan’s going soft.
  • Character Development: Mike's shown to be far more friendly to his personalities, being genuinely concerned about Chester's state. Chester also shows some, agreeing to help Mike and smiling as he does. Granted he says "it's gonna end badly", but it's clear Mike's really bonded with his personalties over the last year.
  • Cheaters Never Prosper: Mal's cheating, while giving him a huge lead, barely slows down the other competitors thanks to Cameron, and his attempted vote rigging doesn't pan out because of Duncan being booted off the competition.
  • Didn't See That Coming: Alejandro over "Mike" suggesting an alliance.
  • Downer Ending: The conclusion of Duncan's character arc could be considered this, as his arrest and exclusive clip of him in jail is last we have seen of him.
  • Dramatic Irony: While Mal rigged the votes to try to get rid of Cameron, Scott genuinely did vote for him out of spite for being used as shark bait.
    • Gwen is happy about the merger because it means she no longer has to be on the Villainous Vultures, but both teams were pretty balanced morally by that point.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Chef rolls his eyes at Chris laughing too hard over Cameron using Scott as Motivation on a Stick.
  • Evil Laugh:
    • Duncan after blowing up the supposed cottage.
    • In the confessional, Mal over Alejandro agreeing to an alliance.
  • Evil Tower of Ominousness: There's one in Mike's head.
  • Foreshadowing: Chris betting that Cameron will be the one eliminated next while comes true in the following episode.
  • He Knows Too Much: Cameron knows enough about the situation that Mal wants him gone.
  • Hope Spot:
    • When Zoey puts herself in danger as a test and screams for help, Mike briefly regains control. Mal just as quickly snaps back, and his reluctant bit of Pragmatic Villainy in saving Zoey convinces her there's nothing further to worry about.
    • Alejandro's engine stalls out, giving Gwen and Courtney the opportunity to just beat him at the finish line. However, he thinks to get up to the very edge and place his face forward, thus winning literally by a nose.
  • Hyde Plays Jekyll: Deconstructed. While Mal is able to play Mike well enough outside of challenges, his Lack of Empathy nearly blows his cover.
  • Improperly Paranoid: Unaware of who rigged the votes, Cameron thinks everyone is out to get him and starts panicking.
  • I'm Standing Right Here: As Chris closes out the show in front of the confessional, he asks who will be next to be eliminated and then not-so-quietly adds that his money is on Cameron.
    Cameron: [sticking his head out] HEY!
  • Insistent Terminology: The very lavish and now destroyed mansion is referred to as a cottage, much to Courtney's irritation.
  • Ironic Hell: Chester's is selling skateboards, given his hatred of young people and new things.
  • More Teeth than the Osmond Family: After his latest encounter with Fang, a panicked Scott has some advice for viewers while in the confessional.
    Scott: Never ever make enemies with a critter who has more teeth than your whole family combined. Never!
  • Motivation on a Stick: Scott is placed on a stick and held up just out of Fang's reach so that the mutant shark pulls the raft Cameron, Zoey, and Duncan are on.
  • Non-Gameplay Elimination: Duncan blows up Chris's mansion and gets arrested and carted off to jail.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Alejandro starts sweating over the prospect of Gwen and Courtney beating him and taking immunity from him.
  • Pet the Dog:
    • Chef consoles Chris after the "cottage" is blown up.
    • Chris rewards everyone for making it to the merge by saying no one has to go to Boney Island tonight, though he's so depressed about his "cottage" that he barely cares.
  • The Power of Friendship: Despite the merge, Gwen and Courtney continue working together. Chris admits this is an interesting development.
  • The Power of Love: Mike's love for Zoey briefly causes him to regain control of his body.
  • Pragmatic Villainy: Zoey puts herself in danger to see which personality is in control, which briefly causes Mike to regain control. After Mal resumes control, he's really content to leave her to die, but he acknowledges how doing so would look suspicious and reluctantly rescues her.
  • Pun-Based Title: The title is a play on the phrase "You gotta be kidding me!".
  • Put on a Prison Bus: Duncan's final fate.
  • Putting the Band Back Together: Mike starts to do this with his personalities, starting with Chester.
  • Rapid-Fire "No!":
    • Unable to keep up with the motorized vehicles, Cameron pushes Scott off the raft and into the lake to attract his animal nemesis Fang. The idea is that they'll use Scott as bait to make Fang push the raft. Scott gets no say in this and when he sees Fang coming for him, all he can do is cry "No!" in rapid succession.
    • Alejandro is guaranteed to win the boat race until his vessel stalls mere inches before the finish line. He himself goes from smug smiling to raising his hands while yelling out a fourfold "No!"
  • Sleeps with Both Eyes Open: Cameron confesses that out of fear for the other Villainous Vultures he's been sleeping with his left eye open. He's been safe so far, but he can no longer blink it.
  • Spanner in the Works: Duncan, whose ejection from the competition saves Cameron from Mal's attempt at vote rigging.
  • Speak in Unison: While at the peak of rekindling their friendship, Gwen and Courtney mutually and concurrently admit that if they don't win the season, they hope the other does.
  • Tarot Troubles: Zoey makes a reading to ensure herself Mike is fine. The first two cards, The Lonely Prisoner and The Evil Leprachaun (she made some up as she couldn't remember all the cards), are only for humor, though they could represent Mike being imprisoned in his own head and Mal, respectively. However the third card, The Tower, represents death and destruction and possibly also the Evil Tower of Ominousness that Mike discovers his mind.
  • Tempting Fate: Just as Chris thinks to ask where Duncan is, a loud explosion is heard off in the distance.
  • This Cannot Be!: Cameron over being unanimously voted off, saying he certainly didn't vote for himself.
  • This Is Gonna Suck:
    • After securing Chester's help, Mike says it's off to "the weird, creepy tower." Chester cheers, but it quickly falls flat as he remarks that this is probably going to end badly.
    • After the challenge, what Chris sounds like when he asks where Duncan is.
  • Troubled Fetal Position: Scott almost gets eaten by Fang, his mutant shark nemesis. In the confessional, Scott's curled up and processing his survival as he imparts the wisdom never to make enemies with a critter whose teeth outnumber those of one's whole family.
  • Wacky Racing: Boat Variant.
  • With Friends Like These...: After Alejandro agrees to an alliance, Mal lampshades this in private.
  • Writers Cannot Do Math: When Chris signs off, he says that eight contestants have been eliminated when only seven had been so far.
  • Wrong Genre Savvy: Lampshaded. After being rescued from the piranhas, Zoey sees it as a romantic rescue by her boyfriend and swoons. Mal, meanwhile, privately mocks her as gullible for not realizing it was Pragmatic Villainy.
  • You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: After landing on the raft, Scott tries to get back at Cameron by shoving him into the water. Fang sniffs Cameron and immediately ignores him, much to Scott's disbelief.

Top

Scott

Scott is in deep crap.

How well does it match the trope?

5 (8 votes)

Example of:

Main / RapidFireNo

Media sources:

Report