"Fresh from Canada"
Episode Two
Story Written by Freedom Fighter

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Fresh TV, Inc. The 2010 Winter Olympic Games and all mentioned licensed characters, places, and other related material are the property of the International Olympic Committee. Oh, and this fanfic is not officially endorsed by either the IOC, Fresh TV, or anyone else involved with the Olympics.

Previously...

"I'm done! Allen, Allen, Allen!"

It was a race to the finish in the Qualification Challenge, with Lindsay and Nikki battling for the very last girls' spot. And the winner was...

"Lindsay, congratulations! You're still in the competition!"

"Good luck, guys!" Bridgette said to the remaining competitors as she waved goodbye.

"Yeah..." Nikki started to do likewise, as Jen walked over to hug her.

As Nikki and Bridgette took an early exit from the game, it was the guys' turn to compete...

"Alright, let's do this!" Tyler said aloud.

Again, those with smarts seemed to rise to the top, as Cody surprised everyone by edging out Wyatt for first place...

"And it's Cody with the win on the boys' side!" Allen announced.

"Great job, Cody!" Gwen congratulated him from the sidelines.

And Jonesy finishing eighth, staying alive by the skin of his teeth...

"I'm in, right?" Jonesy asked Allen. "Tell me I'm in!"

"Congratulations, Jonesy, you've finished eighth and are still in the competition!"

Leaving Johnny and Duncan on the outside looking in, to two different reactions...

"It's okay, Johnny. I know you tried your best. It... it just didn't work out for you today."

"Yeah... I guess it didn't."

"Didn't you think about my well-being when you decided to just throw in the towel?"

"Actually, I did," Duncan responded. "And, you know what? I just decided that I don't care about your well-being anymore."

With Courtney upset over losing Duncan, she probably wasn't pleased that Cody beat her out for overall first place, which leaves the sole decision of picking teams in his hands. Will he make the obvious choice for a partner, or will he surprise everyone with it?

Find out tonight on... 'Fresh from Canada!'

Twenty teens
Two weeks
One grand prize

For some, it's another chance at glory
For others, they're newbies on the reality scene

They lived through tons of total drama
They've experienced what it's like to be 6teen
They know how it feels to be stoked

But none of them has had the chance to be an Olympic athlete

Until now

Skiing, snowboarding, hockey, and yes, even curling
That's because they're all from Canada
They'll experience them all
While living like bonafide Olympic athletes
But they're not from all over the world...

They're just... FRESH FROM CANADA!
[presented in HD print where available]

Millennium Water
2010 Olympic and Paralympic Village Vancouver

Following the Qualification Challenge, the 16 remaining competitors made their way to living quarters at 12 Athletes Way. Once inside, they all rode the elevator to the fifth floor. A note, as well as all their luggage, awaited them in the hallway once they arrived there.

"Welcome to the Vancouver Olympic Village," Trent read the note aloud. "Guys are in 501 and 502, gals in 503 and 504. Four people to an apartment, all have roof deck access... and meet downstairs in the lobby at six for dinner. Dress nicely."

"Um, guys... you have GOT to see this!" Jonesy shouted from around the corner.

Everyone ran into the now-open door leading into 501, and were amazed by what they saw inside.

"No way this can be right!" remarked Jen. "This is what they look like?"

"This is incredible!" Reef exclaimed. "I've never been in a place this nice, ever!"

Gwen, Cody, and Jude ran out to the balcony through the sliding door, and gasped at the incredible view. They were overlooking the Community Centre, and not too far beyond that were the boat docks.

"Now this is what I call living!" Cody told Gwen.

"It makes up for Camp Wawanakwa and the movie set trailers, that's for sure!"

"These are the bedrooms?" they heard Tyler ask from inside. "Sweet!"

Glancing at the big window to their left, they saw the bedroom Tyler was in, along with Trent and Wyatt, looked out onto the balcony. Inside, the room was completely furnished, and it included two full size beds.

Over in 503, Lo had found the matching room in that apartment. But what excited her even more was the walk-in closet.

"No way!" she squealed. "I knew I should've brought more clothes!"

"You got the seaview?" Emma wondered as she trotted in. "Awesome! We're so taking this one!"

"But... one problem..."

"There's only two beds in here."

"It's okay," Fin reassured them as she came up behind Emma. "I saw the other bedroom. Sure, it's a little smaller, and it has no view. But hey, it's a nice comfy bed."

"Hey, this whole apartment is still smaller than my room back at the resort," Lo remarked, "but it's nice in a pinch."

Unfortunately, things weren't as easy to resolve in 504.

"I got here first, so it's my room!" Heather yelled.

"We're supposed to share rooms!" Courtney yelled back. "Oh, and I was here first!"

Jen entered 504 and heard all of the bickering. She shook her head as she headed over to resolve the problem.

"Hey, look... it doesn't matter which one of you were first! What matters is that you were the first two here, and that you get to keep the room."

"She's right," Heather said, calming down. "If no one else wants it, then we have it all to ourselves!"

"Agreed," Courtney nodded. "That only leaves one issue."

"And what would that be?"

"I call the bed closest to the window!" screamed Courtney as she bolted for it.

"Hey, no fair! I had first call!"

"You never called it!"

"I'm calling it now! First!"

"You can't do that!"

"Ugh!" Jen threw her hands up in frustration. "You two are so... I'm going to the other apartment!"

"You're too late on that one," Gwen told her as she walked in. "Lindsay's already called the last bed in 503. That just leaves us..."

Gwen then heard the arguing from Heather and Courtney coming from the other bedroom.

"Heather and Courtney, huh?"

Jen nodded.

"And here I thought I was getting away from the drama," Gwen commented as she opened the door to the other bedroom.

"Are they always like this?"

"Trust me... this is only the tip of the iceberg..."

After things has settled down, Cody started trying to figure out how to set up all of the teams. He already had a pen and a notepad, and was already entertaining suggestions from roommates Trent, Harold, and Tyler.

====== [Confessional Booth] ======

"Picking the pairings it's going to be tough," Cody said. "Everyone has an idea of who they want to be partnered up with, but the thing is, I can't please everyone. Especially if two guys want the same girl, or vice versa."

======= [End Confessionals] ======

"So here's how I see it," Harold suggested. "I think the fairest thing to do would be to figure out we think deserves to win and who doesn't. Then we put all the winners together and the same with the others... and hopefully we'll get them all kicked off first!"

"That's crazy talk!" Tyler cut in. "I say we go by finishing order. The first-place guy and the first-place girl are paired, and so on..."

"Are you suggesting Cody get paired up with Courtney?" Trent rebutted, following Tyler's line of logic.

The three guys turned to Cody to see what he thought.

"Heh heh... no comment."

"No comment?" Trent repeated.

"You gotta say yes or you gotta say no," Tyler added. "You can't fall in the middle."

"I just haven't decided yet!" Cody reiterated.

"I have an idea!" Harold piped in. "Why don't we just stick Courtney with the weakest guy! Then she's sure to be the next to go home!"

"I guess that's you then!" Tyler fired back.

"Hey!"

"But Courtney's not my biggest concern..." Cody stated bluntly. "I'm actually stumped about who to pair with... Gwen."

Trent froze up at the mention of her name, as their break-up was still a touchy subject.

"That is a good point," nodded Harold in agreement. "Who knows if Gwen and Trent will be able to work together without any problems."

"Cody, don't you have history with Gwen?" Tyler asked, which got a reaction out of both Cody and Trent.

"What?" Cody panicked as Trent gave him the eye. "No, not like that!"

"I know it's a little late, Cody, but getting Gwen on the rebound? What kind of guy are you?"

"Look, I know I've had feelings for Gwen before, but I'm not planning to go for it now that she's back on the market..."

====== [Confessional Booth] ======

"I really mean it," Cody reassured himself. "Yes, with first choice I could pick Gwen if I wanted to. But does that mean that I will? Absolutely no... actually, let me think about it..."

======= [End Confessionals] ======

"Tell you what," Cody said to Trent. "Gwen surely has her ideas. When I talk to her later, I'll abide by whomever she chooses."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I think we owe to her to allow her to pick her partner. Whether it be you, me, or someone else. Alright?"

"I can live with that."

"Good. Now, who do you guys all actually want to be with..."

Cody eventually made his way to the other apartments to see whom everyone else wanted... and the answered were pretty varied. And by varied, that actually meant picking their 'dream dates.'

"Oh, put me with Lindsay!" demanded Reef.

"No no no," Jonesy interjected. "If anyone deserves to be with tall, blonde, and gorgeous, it's me!"

"Tyler!" Emma told Cody. "I have to, have to be with Tyler!"

"But I want Tyler!" Lo whined. "Why don't you take Trent instead?"

"Why don't you take him?"

"Now that I think of it," Jude said, "I'm really into that Asian girl..."

"You'd better give me Trent, if you know what's good for you," Heather sternly warned.

But Cody saved the best for last. Gwen, and she was up on the roof deck.

"I really don't have a preference," Gwen said to Cody. "I just want someone I know I can work with."

"Wow... you mean you don't want to work with Trent?"

"Trent? Well... um... I... I'm not quite sure I'm up for that. Nothing against him. I... I just don't think I'm ready to be that close to him again this soon."

"Aw, man," Cody grumbled, looking at his notepad. "And here I thought you'd be the easy one."

Gwen raised an eyebrow in displeasure. "The easy one?"

"Oh, wait, not like that, Gwen! I just... I just hoped that you would actually pick someone no one has already. Almost all the girls want Trent or Tyler, the guys want Lindsay or Heather."

Gwen chuckled as she took the pad from Cody and glanced over his notes.

"Lindsay, I understand. But Heather? Those other guys must have not seen our show. Wait... you haven't picked anyone yet?"

Cody shook his head. "I haven't decided yet... all I know is I don't want Lindsay or Heather."

Gwen smiled as she took a seat on the ledge and beckoned Cody to plop down next to her.

"Why don't I help you out with that?"

Cody flashed a teethy smile of his own, as the two got to work trying to assemble the teams with the sun already starting to go down.

====== [Confessional Booth] ======

"Again, reiterating that I'm NOT easy!" Gwen defended herself. "I'm just helping Cody out of a jam, as a friend. Although I'm a little upset none of the guys want me as a teammate."

"Heh heh," Cody rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "In that brief time I spent with Gwen up on the roof, I realized how ideal a partner she really would be with me! It sure would be great if I could make that wish come true..."

======= [End Confessionals] ======

Dressed in some of their best stunning attire, some more stunning than others, the 16 teenagers were whisked away in two limousines to the Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, one of Vancouver's most prestigious restaurants. They were immediately escorted into the restaurant and to a roped VIP area, where Allen was waiting for them at a 17-head table.

"Will you look at this place?" Trent said out loud. "Unbelievable!"

"We never got treated like this back on TDI!" stated Gwen.

Once everyone took a seat at the table, Allen officially greeted them.

"Welcome to the Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, everyone! One of the finest restaurants not only in Vancouver, but in all of Canada! I hope you came hungry, because you all are gonna eat well tonight! Let's bring out the food!"

Three waiters came in to the VIP area, each pushing a cart with an assortment of appetizers. Most of them contained food that likely none of them had ever eaten before, but they looked delicious all the same.

"Try the Garlic Prawns," Lo suggested. "They're delicious!"

"Really?" Lindsay wondered as she took a plate. "What's in them?"

"Well," the waiter told them, "there's ratatouille..."

Jonesy, Harold, and Emma, who had both already started eating the Prawns, promptly spat them back out.

"It's made up of rats?" Jonesy asked. "Gross!"

"Don't mind them," Lo told the waiter. "They'll figure it out..."

As the meal continued on with the main course and dessert, everyone started to enjoy not only the food, but each other's company.

"And that is how I survived being attacked by giant mutant beavers," Harold wrapped up his story.

"That's amazing!" Fin exclaimed.

"I am so glad we don't have any of those here!" Reef said with relief.

"Why? Would you freak out if you saw one?"

"Me? Of course not! Giant mutant beavers coming after me ever? Not very likely!"

Elsewhere at the table...

"And I couldn't believe it!" Emma remembered happily. "My first ever surfing contest, and I didn't fall off my board once!"

"That was sick, dudette!" Jude said with a smile. "It feels good to shoot the wave, doesn't it?"

"It's the best!"

"That reminds me... Bridgette said she was a surfer," Gwen told them, "but I've never actually seen her on the water. I'm sure she'd be glad to give you some pointers."

"I didn't know that about her! I knew I felt some kind of special connection between us!"

But, alas, the dinner had to come to an end at some point, because there was business to take care of. Allen stood up at the head of the table and had Cody get up and stand to his left.

"Okay, Cody, the time has come!" Allen said to him. "You've had some time to think about it. Now, it's the moment of truth... which of the ladies are you picking as your teammate and why?"

Cody looked around at the others around the table, and then he gave his answer.

"First off, I'd just like to say the reason I picked this person is that I wanted someone who I could work well together with and that we gave each other the best chance of winning. So that's why I decided to pick... Jen."

"Me?" a perplexed Jen thought out loud while pointing to herself.

"Whoa..." Gwen commented. "Didn't see that coming."

"Jen, if you would please come up here and join Cody..."

Jen did as Allen had ordered and took her place next to her new partner.

"You seem a little surprised," Allen deduced. "You weren't expecting this?"

"Honestly, I didn't. Nothing against you, Cody, but you weren't one of the guys I was hoping to be partnered with. Still, I'm ready to work with him and make sure we win this competition!"

"That's the spirit! For that, you and Cody get this..."

Everyone turned their heads as a waiter wheeled a cart with eight similar shaped boxes. Each of them was a different color: gold, silver, red, white, green, brown, blue, and orange. The cart was stopped in front of Allen, who took the gold-colored box off and threw it at Jen.

"Heads up!"

Jen stuck her hands out and caught it with no problem.

"Would you please open the box and show the contents to everyone?"

"Allow me!" Cody said as he took the lid off the box while Jen held it.

After tossing the lid aside, Cody reached and pulled out two scarves. Gold-colored ones, with the Fresh TV Inc. logo on one end and an embroidered Canadian flag on the other.

"Cody and Jen, for being the first team, you guys are now the Gold Team! You guys are required to wear those when you come to all of the challenges, and you may also be asked to have them on during as well!"

"These aren't half bad!" Jen commented as she put hers on.

"And before anyone starts entertaining thoughts of jealousy, all of you will be getting scarves as well! They all look exactly the same, save for the colors, of course. Now, Gold Team... it's time to decide what the other partnerships will be. Starting with the Silver Team..."

Cody and Jen had a quick discussion before making their decision.

"The Silver Team will be Gwen and Trent," Cody announced.

Gwen and Trent got out of their seats and took their place next to Cody and Jen. They were both smiling, but at the same time, they felt uneasy about being partnered up.

"Next up is the Red Team. Cody and Jen, your picks?"

"This one's easy," Jen noted. "Reef and Fin."

"I have to be with Fin?" Reef objected, jumping out of his seat. "Seriously?"

"Hey, you're no picnic either," Fin said nonchalantly as she walked past him.

Reef relented and joined Fin at the front of the room.

"Next!" Allen called out. "How about... the Blue Team?"

"Don't have me for this, guys, but..." Cody warned, "Lindsay and... Harold."

"WHAT?" all the other guys, minus Harold, yelled aloud.

"I'm with Harold?" Lindsay shouted aloud. "I couldn't have asked for a better partner!"

"Who's the man now?" Harold stated to no one in particular.

As they made their way to the front, Jen whispered an idea for the next team into Cody's ear.

"Okay, the White Team's up. Four guys and four gals left to choose from!"

"For the White Team," Jen said as she stepped forward, "how about Jonesy and... Courtney."

"Me?" Courtney protested, pointing at Jonesy. "With him?"

"Not my first choice, Jen," Jonesy said to his step-sister, "but then again..."

Jonesy raised his eyes suggestively at Courtney. The overachiever responded... by reaching over the table and emptying the leftover contents of her salad bowl on Jonesy's hair.

"I'm here to win, not to flirt!" Courtney warned him. "Got it?"

Courtney then walked over to the front of the room. Jonesy joined her a few seconds later, after shaking off the salad and shooting a displeased look at Jen as he walked past her.

"You owe me one..."

"I know," Jen groaned, already regretting her decision.

"Wow!" Allen exclaimed. "Great pairing so far, guys! Can you keep it up with the Green Team!"

"Alright, then..." Cody began, "let's put together Emma and..."

Before Cody could state who Emma's partner was, Jen cupped his mouth with her right hand.

"Emma will be with Tyler," finished Jen.

"Really!" Emma squealed excitedly, getting out of her seat and giving Jen a hug.

As Emma celebrated, Tyler took the decision in stride as he smoothly walked up to the others.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Cody whispered in Jen's ear.

"Trust me," Jen whispered back.

"That leaves just two teams to choose... the Orange Team and the Brown Team. Who's your next pick, Gold Team?"

Jen and Cody conversed for a couple of seconds, and then Cody told everyone of their decision.

"For the Orange Team, we're going to put Jude and Heather together."

"Awesome!" Jude nodded his head. "Thanks, Jen!"

Heather sighed. "Well... it's better than nothing..."

Jude and Heather got up, which left at the table...

"And by default," Allen told the final two, "Wyatt and Lo, you two will be the Brown Team."

"But brown clashes with all of my outfits!" complained Lo.

"Sorry, but all decisions are final," Allen told her while tossing her the brown box.

Allen then gave the other teams their boxes, allowing the competitors to adorn themselves in their respective team colors.

"Whether you like your partner or not," Allen told the eight teams, "you'd better learn to work with them fast. First challenge is tomorrow... and one team's going to be sent home afterwards! Have a good night!"

With that, the teams left the restaurant, heading back to the Olympic Village to get acquainted, rest up, and prepare for tomorrow...

The following morning, Wyatt emerged from his apartment to see a gift basket with fruit, a loaf of bread, and a tub of cream cheese in it.

"Must be breakfast," Wyatt noted, before spotting an iPhone amongst the fruit.

Wyatt picked it up, and saw a post-it on the screen that said 'Turn on, read mail now.' He grabbed the basket with one hand and turned on the iPhone with the other as headed back inside.

"Dude, is that breakfast?" Jude greeted, emerging from the bedroom stretching his arms out.

"About time!" Jonesy shouted from the dining room. "I'm starving!"

Jude took the basket and ran over to Jonesy. Wyatt paid no mind as the iPhone turned on and he tried to search for the mail inbox.

"Bread and fruit? I want eggs and bacon! Man, I thought they were supposed to be treating us like celebrities!"

"Well, Jonesy," Wyatt said, "it looks like it's time for the real competition to begin. It says here the bus to the challenge leaves at nine, and to dress warmly with tights, if you have them."

"Tights? What are we doing, anyway?"

Wyatt shrugged his shoulders. "I guess we'll find out when we get there."

Fast forward to nine o'clock, where the eight teams were seen boarding a bus to the challenge. All of them were wearing their team color scarves, and the partnerships as chosen by Cody and Jen were starting to take hold.

Interactions within teams and with other teams was limited, as the focus seemed to be on the upcoming first team challenge. And even those were short and to the point, as it was only a short trip to their first Olympic venue... the Pacific Coliseum.

Once inside, the eight teams made their way down from the concourse to the arena floor, which was set up as a rink. A rink that had an oval-shaped arrangement of cone-shaped course markers near the center.

"Good morning, athletes!" Allen greeted them. "Welcome to the Pacific Coliseum! Today, your Olympic journey hits full speed! And what better way to signify that by assigning you your first Olympic challenge. This... is Short Track Speed Skating!"

"Short Track Speed Skating?" Lindsay repeated. "What's that?"

"Simply put, tonight, as pairs, you'll be racing against each other on skates down there. You've got one simple goal... win the race. Because of the small track, you'll be split into two heats at random. Top two finishers of each heat go to the final, and the winner of the final wins the challenge.

"You'll want to win for two reasons. First off... there's a prize involved. The winning team gets their own Apple iPhone, courtesy of us... and it includes us paying for your first year of service, free of charge to you."

The group applauded and cheered upon hearing that.

"Second, and more importantly if you want to get one step closer to the grand prize, is that the winning team will have a hand in deciding which team is kicked out of the competition."

====== [Confessional Booth] ======

"Speed skating?" Emma cried out. "I don't even know how to skate regularly!"

"Skating?" Cody chuckled nervously. "Shouldn't be... too... hard..."

"Learning how to skate shouldn't be too hard, right?" remarked a confident Reef. "It's just like surfing..."

======= [End Confessionals] ======

Minutes later, we see most of the competitors stepping onto the ice for the first time... and may with disastrous results! Emma was seen falling on her butt after only getting just one skate on the ice; Reef actually managed to keep his balance until he actually tried to move at speed; Cody struggled just to keep upright as he clung to the wall; Heather was okay until she tried to turn around... and promptly tripped over her own legs.

"Anyone think we should've been offered lessons?" Harold thought out loud, still in the process of putting his skates on.

"I believe someone's already doing the offering," Lo noted slyly, pointing out at Trent and Gwen.

The two former lovebirds and now partners were trying to prop each other up, albeit at arm's length, as they got accustomed to moving on the ice.

"They look cute together... why did they break up again?"

"It's too long of a story to explain, Lo," her own teammate, Wyatt, told her. "You need help?"

"No thanks! I learned how to skate when I was five. But I've never done speed skating, though..."

Meanwhile, Jen, Jonesy, Jude, Courtney, and Lindsay were already showing off their experience, flying around the rink.

====== [Confessional Booth] ======

"Ha!" Courtney laughed. "If all of the competitions are like this, then you might as well give me the gold medal right now. I'm serious... give it to me right now!"

======= [End Confessionals] ======

With some help from some of the more experienced skaters, everyone was starting to get more comfortable on the ice. But the other part of the deal was learning how to speed skate - short track style!

And for that, the group had two teachers to learn from.

"Okay, there's not much to learning how to speed skate," one of them told the group, "but getting good at it is another thing."

"We're going to give you a quick crash course in the discipline," the other remarked. "We'll be moving fast, so try and keep up!"

"First off... learning how to move on the track!"

"You need to keep your center of gravity low to reduce drag! Squat down slightly, but not so much as to impede your legs from moving. Then, lean forward until your body is parallel to ice from the waist up!"

The teachers demonstrated the proper form and everyone attempted to follow... with mostly good results.

"Not bad, guys! Now... let's try it while moving!"

Doing it while moving, however, was a different story, with nearly all of the inexperienced skaters having balance issues.

"Next is learning how to turn at speed..."

"Make sure you're leaning left just enough for your left hand to touch the ice!" one teacher told the group as the other demonstrated. "Just enough of the fingertips to guide you through the turn. If you do it right, you'll be able to turn right along the inner edge of the track!"

Minutes later, everyone was hard at work practicing turning. Once they had perfected doing it at a slow speed, they then tried it at normal race speed.

"And the last two parts are racing in a pack and passing. Most likely for the first few laps, it's typical for one person to take the lead and everyone to follow right behind. Then, towards the end, the ones that are trailing will have to make a move to get past the person in front of them..."

"That's it, guys, you've got it!"

Jonesy, Jude, Tyler, and Trent had, after a few tries, successfully managed to form a park, albeit at a low, controlled speed, and were switching positions in line with relative ease.

"I think you're all ready!" the teachers declared.

The competitors were then shown the way to the locker rooms, where they were greeted with their own competition-worthy speed suits. Each was tailored to each individual's specific body shapes. A pair of gloves and leggings were also provided, for their comfort.

"I don't know about you guys," Reef said to the other boys, "but I suddenly feel the need! The need... for speed!"

Minutes later, the guys were all back on the ice, all decked out in their skin-tight suits. Almost all of them seemed pleased. That is, with the exception of Harold...

"Can we hurry up?" he asked Allen. "This thing really chafes!"

"Impressive," Allen noted. "Let's see if the girls are just as much!"

The girls came out onto the ice, and sure enough, their suits fit them really well... if the whistles from some of the boys were any indication.

"Whoa!" Jude gasped.

"I think I've died and gone to heaven!" Jonesy said with glee.

But it went both ways, as Emma and Lo were seen eyeing up a few of the guys.

"It's like being at the beach, only the bodies are rock hard!" Lo babbled.

"Alright, enough ogling!" Allen said to all of them. "Silver, Orange, White, and Brown teams... you're up first! Everyone else is in the second heat! Let's get to it!"

Gwen, Lindsay, Courtney, and Lo were lined up just a few feet from the starting line from inside to outside, respectively, while their partners, Trent, Harold, Jonesy, and Wyatt waited on the inside. Everyone else was sitting in the first row of seats in front of the starting line, ready to watch the action.

Allen stood a few feet in front of the line, just to the inside of the cones, with a starting gun being held in his right hand.

"Here are the rules of the race," he began to explain. "The girls will make five-and-a-half circuits around the track. They will then tag their partners, who will make five-and-a-half circuits themselves, in order to finish the race. Note that it is the responsibility of the teammate not on the track to keep track of their partner's progress! Remember, only the first two teams to cross the finish line will move on to the finals! Understand?"

After receiving a round of nods from the competitors, Allen turned his attention to the girls.

"Ladies, there will be two starting signals. I will say 'Ready,' and then you all step up to the line and hold in a ready position. I will then fire the gun, at which point the race begins! There is one and only one 'community' false start. In other words, if someone jumps the gun, everyone is charged with a false start and we'll try again. Anyone who jumps on the second and any other further attempts is disqualified and is out of the race, no questions asked. Okay?"

Upon getting another affirmatory nod from the ladies, Allen got into position.

"Ready..." Allen said, raising his pistol into the air.

The girls moved up to the line, and then...

BANG!

The four competitors raced for the first turn, and Courtney got there first. Lindsay was right behind her, with Lo immediately on her outside, and Gwen hanging back, bringing up the rear. They could hear the cheers from the other competitors as they reached the backstretch and towards the second turn. Courtney was going at a fast pace, trying to leave behind the others, while Lo had settled in behind Lindsay as the two kept up.

As for Gwen...

"C'mon, Gwen!" Trent shouted encouragingly. "Catch up!"

Gwen heard Trent, but didn't respond as she was too focused on keeping a steady pace... even if she was going a little slower than the others.

Very quickly, the laps went by. One. Two. Three and four. Then four-and-a-half. One lap to go, and although Courtney was still just in front of Lindsay and Lo, their pace had slowed from their frantic start. Gwen was still at the back, but was gaining some ground. The guys got onto the track to prepare for the tag.

And then, coming out of their second-to-last turn, Lindsay went a bit wide on exit. That allowed Lo to get by. Lindsay's loss of momentum was also enough for Gwen to come up on her inside as they headed for the final turn.

Just ahead, Courtney and Lo were about to reach their partners. But while Wyatt started to slowly move forward, Jonesy remained stationary. By the time Jonesy realized his mistake, Courtney was almost into his back. Somehow, she slammed on the brakes and got slowed down enough to bowl him over. But the screwed-up exchange allowed Lo to tag Wyatt without incident, and the Brown Team took the lead.

"Go, go!" Courtney yelled at Jonesy.

Trent and Harold had seen enough to quick realize not to make the same mistake, and they received their tags from Gwen and Lindsay, respectively, without any problems.

But up front, Wyatt had jumped out to a huge lead as he crossed the start/finish line, signifying five laps to go. Jonesy had managed to not fall further than second, but Trent was now right behind him. Harold was a couple strides behind those two, desperately trying to make up time.

Exhausted from their skating, Courtney, Lo, Gwen, and Lindsay got to the center and caught their collective breaths as they tried to keep track of the race going around them on the outside.

Jonesy was going at a torrid pace, but Trent kept with him as the two started to close the gap on Wyatt. Two laps later, with three to go, they were only a stride-and-a-half back.

"C'mon, Wyatt!" Lo shouted. "You can do it!"

Despite Lo's cheering, Jonesy and Trent were now right on Wyatt's tail, and it was a three-team race as they came up on the two-to-go mark. Jonesy moved to the outside as they entered the turn, going to pass Wyatt. He managed to pull alongside as they reached the backstretch, with Trent deciding to stay behind Wyatt instead of following Jonesy.

They stayed that way through the next turn, and then it all broke loose as Allen rung a handheld bell, signifying the start of the final lap. Trent sprung wide to the outside and beat Jonesy to the turn, while Wyatt picked it up as he continued to stay to the inside. But Trent had already gathered too much speed, and he took the lead heading down the backstretch. Jonesy got back alongside Wyatt, who was starting to fade. The two remained side-by-side, but neither were able to mount a final charge to catch Trent.

Trent crossed the finish first, and Jonesy leaned in just enough to beat Wyatt at the line for the second and final transfer spot. Harold was a distant fourth, crossing more than two seconds later.

"Silver and White Teams, moving on to the finals!" Allen announced.

"Time for heat two! Everyone ready?"

The girls in the second heat were lined up, from inside to outside, Emma, Jen, Fin, and Heather. Their teammates, Tyler, Cody, Reef, and Jude, respectively, waited on the inside of the track.

"Ready!"

The four of them moved to the line and prepared for the gun...

BANG!

They skated out for the first turn, and Jen immediately got to the front of the line. Fin and Heather filed in directly behind her. As for Emma, she slipped going into the first turn and, though she stayed on her feet, ended up making a wider turn.

The leading trio seemed content to just ride along as they started to make laps around the rink. Emma, meanwhile, struggled to make tight enough turns to keep pace, and was quickly falling out of contention.

"Dig in, Emma!" Lo called out. "You can still catch up!"

But Emma's partner, Tyler, was already getting worried.

"Emma, come on! Lean into those turns!"

Tentatively, Emma leaned more into the ice with her left hand. But she ended up going a little too far while trying to put her palm down. What little traction on her skates she had gave out, and her whole body fell to the ice, left side first. She slid all the way to the far corner of the turn, where she collided with the padded walls.

At this point, she was already more than half a lap back, so Fin saw Emma's tumble as she exited the far turn.

"Emma!"

Fin skated out of the racing line, allowing Heather to take second, as she went over to help her fallen friend up from the ice.

"Fin, what are you doing?" Reef shouted. "What about the race?"

"Are you okay?" Fin asked her friend as she came to a stop.

"A little sore," Emma winced, "but I'm fine."

"Fin!" Reef yelled even louder.

"Don't worry about me," Emma said to Fin. "Get back in the race."

"No! Not until I know you'll be okay."

Fin helped Emma to her feet and started guiding her to the rink exit, staying on the far outside to not impede Jen or Heather, both of whom were almost finished and were at this point a lap away from tagging their respective teammates.

Once they were off the ice, the two girls were met by paramedics, who took over and began examining Emma, checking for any injuries.

"I can't believe you gave up the race for me!"

"Don't worry, Emma. There'll be plenty of other races."

Back on the track, Jen tagged Cody, about half a second ahead of Heather's tag of Jude.

"Just take your time, Cody!" Jen shouted.

Cody heeded his partner's advice and methodically made his way around the track. But Jude was going at a faster speed, and he got ahead of Cody without any fight.

A few laps later, Jude comfortably finished ahead of Cody... but both of their teams would be moving onto the finals.

Off the ice, Emma's check-up had been completed.

"Nothing broken, thankfully," Emma reported to the nearest camera. "My left arm's a little sore because I landed on it, but I should be fine. I'm more worried about how I let my teammate down. I hope Tyler isn't upset."

Speaking of which, he had just stepped off the ice and was coming over to check on her.

"I'm sorry I let you down," Emma said despondently.

"I'm just glad you're okay," Tyler replied.

Onto the finals! Jen, Gwen, Heather, and Courtney were at the line ready to take off. All they were waiting for was the...

BANG!

The race began with Jen and Courtney side-by-side going into the first turn, with Heather and Gwen right behind. Courtney skated as hard as she could to get to the head of the pack, and she did so with little resistance from Jen, who settled into second.

Courtney continued to push the pace as they rounded the far turn and completed the first lap. Jen matched her stride-for-stride, and Heather and Gwen did all they could to try and keep up.

The pace stayed that way until the last lap-and-a-half of their run. Courtney found herself unable to stay at her accelerated pace, which allowed Jen, in somewhat better shape, to get on the outside and eventually take over the lead. In fact, before she knew it, Courtney had fallen back into Heather's clutches. Heather got alongside and Courtney mustered the last of her strength to stay in second.

Ahead, Jen had opened up a three-stride lead as she reached in front of her and gave Cody a tagging push.

"Go, Cody, Go!"

Cody took off around the turn, as Jonesy and Jude received their tags and went in pursuit. Gwen was the last to tag her teammate, and Trent found himself well more than a second back.

Cody skated around the track as fast as he could muster, but Jonesy and Jude were working together and they closed the gap within a lap. The two of them then went around Cody, passing him on the outside. Cody picked up the pace and was managing to stay with them.

But now he had to worry about Trent, who was now catching up to him.

At the front, Jude attempted to make a move for the lead. But Jonesy fought off the challenge and remained in front.

"Pick it up!" Courtney exclaimed. "Trent's catching up to you!"

Jonesy quickly glanced back and saw that Trent was in the process of passing Cody and was right behind him and Jude. Trent remained on the outside as he claimed third and the racers got the three to go call. Slowly but surely, Trent got alongside Jude as the pace intensified, leaving Cody behind in the dust.

Two to go... Trent was still on the outside, but had edged ahead of Jude to get to second place.

And then came the final lap...

At the sound of bell, Jonesy blasted off at full speed, and Trent and Jude followed suit. Trent went as hard as possible to try and pull up to Jonesy's outside. But as they emerged from the final turn, he learned he was out of time. Jonesy crossed the finish line first, sending Courtney into a celebratory tizzy. Trent was a close second, with Jude back in third, and Cody a distant fourth.

"Did I ever say how awesome you are?" Courtney squealed as she gave Jonesy a hug.

"I'm beginning to like this partnership more and more," Jonesy said with a smile.

"Nice, dude!" Jude acknowledged, before being pulled away by an angry Heather.

"No congratulating the enemy," she growled.

"Enemy? It's just Jonesy!"

"Congratulations to the White Team!" Allen said as he presented Courtney and Jonesy with imitation gold medals. "You guys have won today's challenge!"

"It was a piece of cake," Jonesy admitted.

"Cake? It was as easy as pie!" corrected Courtney.

"You each win an iPhone, courtesy of Apple. But, even more importantly, you now get to send two teams into the Elimination Challenge."

"The Elimination Challenge?" reiterated Trent.

"Yes. Courtney and Jonesy, you will pick two teams to go back onto the ice and compete for the right to stay in the game. The team that loses the challenge... will be sent home and is out of the running!"

"That's how eliminations will go?"

"Yes, Heather. Now, Courtney and Jonesy, you have thirty seconds to decide which two teams you're putting into the Elimination Challenge."

"What? Only thirty seconds? That's not enough time!" complained Jonesy.

"No need," Courtney cut in. "I've already made my decision for us."

"You have?"

Courtney nodded. "Emma and Tyler, and Harold and Lindsay!"

"You're sending us in?" Lindsay questioned.

"Figures," Harold scowled. "She still holds grudges against both of us."

"And what about us?" Tyler wondered. "What did we do to upset you?"

"We never finished the challenge," Emma reminded him.

"That's right. You're obviously not worthy enough to be here."

"Isn't that a bit harsh?" Jonesy asked Courtney.

"I'm just telling the truth."

"Courtney's reasons are her reasons alone," Allen stated, "no matter your opinion on them. She's selected the Green Team and the Blue Team. If you guys would step over here by me."

The two teams made their way over to Allen.

"Now, it's time to describe today's Elimination Challenge. It's called the 'Speed Skate Chase.' The two teams will start on opposite ends of the track. Your goal is, simply, to catch and pass the other team on the track. The team that 'chases down' the other team remains in the competition. The other team is sent home.

"Do you guys understand the rules?"

The Blue and Green Teams nodded.

"Very well. You four get back on the ice. The rest of you, up into the stands to watch the fun unfold!"

The 12 competitors guaranteed to compete in the next challenge looked on anxiously from their front-row seats. Down on the ice, Emma and Tyler stood ready at the start/finish line, while Harold and Lindsay were set up on the other side.

"Both teams will take off at the sound of the gun," Allen shouted to the four of them. "Are you guys ready?"

"Ready!"

"Then let's get this Elimination Challenge started!"

BANG!

Harold and Lindsay took off in tandem, while Tyler sprinted out ahead of Emma. The 12 others in the stand cheered for who they wanted to win, though most seemed to be in Emma and Tyler's corner.

Tyler was using his athletic prowess, which he didn't get to show off in the challenge, to start closing the gap on the Blue Team. But Harold and Lindsay were working together to chase down Emma, who was very tentative as she made her way around the track.

"Emma's not faring too well," Lo observed.

"You can do it, Emma!" Fin yelled. "Give it everything you got!"

Hearing Fin's cries of encouragement, Emma gritted her teeth and tried to concentrate on her form. It worked, as Harold and Lindsay suddenly found themselves unable to get closer than about a quarter-lap.

But then the worst happened...

On the other side of the track, Tyler had lost his footing going into the turn, causing him to fall onto the ice and slide all the way to the wall. As he tried to scramble back to his feet, he saw Emma coming into the turn, and Harold and Lindsay not too far behind. Tyler was up and getting back on track, but Harold and Lindsay flew past him as he was getting up to speed.

"Tyler, you're out!"

With Tyler out, Lindsay rocketed past her partner Harold and went to chase down Emma. Hearing that her partner had been passed, Emma started losing focus again and her form didn't hold up as she went through the turns.

Eventually, Lindsay saw her chance. When Emma slid a little outside and left a big enough hole for Lindsay to squeeze by inside, she took advantage of it. Lindsay passed Emma as they came out of the turn, and that brought an end to the challenge.

"It's over!" Allen called out. "The race is over! The Blue Team wins!"

"Hurray!" Lindsay shouted.

"Ha!" Harold pumped his fist, then pointed at Courtney. "Take that!"

Courtney just rolled her eyes, unimpressed by Harold's gesture.

====== [Confessional Booth] ======

"That ought to show Courtney that she'd better watch her back!" Harold said. "Lindsay and I refuse to go unless she's gone first!"

"This isn't Total Drama Action anymore, Courtney!" Lindsay said with a smile. "It's a whole new ballgame, and I intend to win!"

"I guess... I guess this is it," Emma sighed with disappointment. "I never thought it would be over this soon."

"I can't believe I fell!" Tyler exclaimed. "To go out like this? Man, what kind of jock am I?"

======= [End Confessionals] ======

At center ice, it was time for Allen to formally announce the winners of the Elimination Challenge.

"Well, Blue Team, you got it done today. You have survived the Elimination Challenge and are still in the running for our Olympic-sized grand prize! Congratulations!"

Most of the other competitors (in other words, everyone except for Courtney) applauded their efforts. Harold and Lindsay rose their arms into the air in triumph as Allen turned his attention to Tyler and Emma.

"Unfortunately, we do have to say goodbye to a team today. It's the Green Team. Tyler and Emma, you took a couple of bad falls today. It's the way it goes sometimes, but... the competition is over. It's time for you two to go."

Fin and Lo ran over and gave their friend Emma a consoling hug. Tyler glanced over at Lindsay, hoping she'd show some equivalent farewell sign. Alas, all he got was a wave goodbye and...

"See you later, alligator!" Lindsay shouted out to him.

Tyler's shoulders drooped, and he turned about and started to walk towards the exit. Emma said her final goodbyes and followed him out.

====== [Confessional Booth] ======

"I suppose that's it for me," Tyler admitted. "If it wasn't going to happen this time, it's not happening ever. All I wanted to know is... why didn't she tell me that she had move on to someone else?"

"Things didn't turn out the way I wanted them to," Emma stated honestly, "but I think all that matters is that I had fun. I got to spend time with Lo, Fin, Reef, and Johnny again, and I can't wait to see them again when summer comes around. Until then... good luck, guys! Win one for me!"

======= [End Confessionals] ======

"And with that, we're down to 14," Allen said, addressing the remaining competitors. "Courtney and Jonesy, congratulations on winning the challenge once again. But don't get too cocky... a new one starts tomorrow, and another team will be put up on the chopping block.

"Until then... have a good night!"

With that, the seven remaining teams headed out of the arena, to change back into their regular clothes and go back to their apartments to relax until tomorrow...

To be continued...

(On the next episode of 'Fresh from Canada'...)

"We've got to seriously consider how to get Courtney off the show," Harold said aloud.

"Well," Lindsay responded, "we could just win the challenge and put her up for elimination..."

(The plotting and scheming starts to take place...)

====== [Confessional Booth] ======

Heather crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it at the camera lens.

"I hate Lindsay, I hate Courtney, and I especially hate Gwen! And I'll do whatever I have to do to get them all eliminated!"

======= [End Confessionals] ======

(But who's trying to out who?)

"Let me get this straight," Lo thought aloud. "You want me to tell Fin to tell Jen to tell Cody to tell Gwen to tell Trent to vote YOUR TEAM out?"

Lindsay scratched her head. "Well, it did make a whole lot of sense when I wrote it down!"

(But you can't out anyone unless you win the challenge...)

"Oh, no! There's NO way you're getting me to wear THAT thing!" Fin exclaimed.

"I don't see the problem," Reef said to her. "It actually accentuates what little figure you have."

(And that requires a little bit of 'dress for success'...)

Gwen was the last to emerge out onto the ice, and all the boys were astonished at how beautiful she looked in an all-silver dress with cream-colored Cinderella-style skates.

"Is that Gwen?" Cody did a double take.

"She's not wearing any black!" Heather exclaimed. "The world must be coming to an end!"

(And a little bit of faith...)

"You want me to do a triple?" Cody repeated. "I'm not even sure I can do a single!"

(To survive the next 'Fresh from Canada,' tomorrow night at 8 pm EST!)