Camp Wawanakwa is the location for Total Drama Island (2007), Revenge of the Island, and All-Stars, as well as the location for Total Drama Island (2023) and Total Drama Island (2024). It is on an island in Muskoka, Ontario.
Features[]
Two cabins are located in the main camp area, one for each team and divided down the middle for boys and girls. A communal bathroom, an outhouse that primarily serves as a confessional, and the main lodge, where the campers would gather for their daily meals. The campfire pit, located just west of the main camp site, was where the elimination ceremonies were held. The only way onto the island was by boat or plane, which usually arrived at the Dock of Shame.
Landmarks[]
Other additional landmarks included the forest (which became known as The Mutant Forest of Terror in season four), and the cave. Aside from the main camp, most of the island was filled with trees and mountains, one of the most famous being the large one thousand-foot-high mountain. Surrounding the island's location is a large lake known as Lake Wawanakwa. On the other side of the lake is Boney Island.
Arts and Crafts Center[]
A view of the Arts and Crafts Center with Chris's ATV parked outside of it.
The Arts and Crafts Center is a building that has appeared during the course of Total Drama Island. Its main purpose was to store items that could be used for recreational purposes or items for challenges and as a shed for Chef's four-wheeler. Chris also mentions that it was originally used as an outhouse.
Geoff mentions the Arts and Crafts Center in "Up the Creek," saying that he made a present for Bridgette in it; the present was a poorly-glued, heart-shaped loose change bowl with a torn picture of Geoff wrapping his arm around DJ and another torn picture of Bridgette. On the back, it reads, "I hope you think of me whenever you drop loose change into this." Bridgette, Courtney, and DJ all react negatively to it.
The campers and Chris at the Arts and Crafts Center in That's Off the Chain!
It makes its only physical appearance in "That's Off the Chain!" when the campers are building their bikes for the challenge. They used random pieces laying around in the building to build their bikes. The center was where Chef Hatchet stored his four-wheeler; however, Lindsay dismantled the four-wheeler and hooked up its engine to Heather's bike, because of their alliance. The center was also known to be messy, Duncan even joked and called it the "Arts and Craps Center."
The Arts and Crafts Center is last mentioned in "Camp Castaways" when Chris tells the remaining campers to arrive there the next day since it was the only remaining activity left available due to the rain. However, it does not happen due to the flood.
Other locations[]
Other notable locations located on the island included:
- The dodgeball court
- The stage
- A waterfall
- The mudpit
- The Boathouse
- Obstacle Course
- Mt. Looming Tragedy
- A cemetery
- Abandoned Mine
- A swamp
- Mt. Chrismore
- A junkyard
- Chrisiseum
- The rope bridge
- The Moats of Doom
- Honey Mountain
- Cave of Horrors
History[]
An aerial view of the prototype Camp Wawanakwa.
The history of Camp Wawanakwa is unknown, but according to Chris, years ago, he discovered actual treasure on the island and used it to purchase the island for his show, as mentioned in "The Treasure Island of Dr. McLean."
Appearances[]
Total Drama Island (2007)[]
The forest surrounding the camp was home to many of the recurring and particularly dangerous animals on the show, such as the bears and the Sasquatchanakwa. Almost all of the campers despised the campgrounds because the cabins were infested with roaches, the food was disgusting, and the bathrooms were absolutely revolting. In order to get the campers to even arrive on the show, Chris had lied to them by saying it was a five-star resort. Interestingly, as first seen in "Haute Camp-ture," on an island right next to the camp was a fancy resort known as the Playa Des Losers, to which campers would be sent once they were eliminated from the game.
Total Drama Action[]
With the second season taking place at an abandoned film lot, Chris leaves the camp behind. However, in "Beach Blanket Bogus," they return to the beach by bus — which further suggests that Camp Wawanakwa is not on an actual island — for their second and possible tie-breaker. Despite this, none of the regular landmarks of the camp were shown. The cast returns to Camp Wawanakwa once again in "Crouching Courtney, Hidden Owen" for their martial arts based challenges; this time, the forest and one of the landmarks was shown in this episode. The cast returned two episodes later in "Top Dog," when the challenge is to find a way back to the film lot with their animals while avoiding booby traps.
The island's final appearance of the season was in "The Aftermath: IV." Chris and Chef Hatchet were escorted there via Lame-o-sine, due to Chris giving the driver bad directions, after rushing to try to get in the Total Drama Aftermath studio.
Total Drama: Revenge of the Island[]
This season also takes place at Camp Wawanakwa, except with an entirely new cast. The camp was abandoned after Total Drama Island ended, and then transformed into a toxic waste dump full of genetic-altering toxic waste. The grass and trees have taken on a yellow hue and the dock is rickety. Many mutated creatures now roam the island, displaying strange abilities.
At the end of the season, in "Brain vs. Brawn: The Ultimate Showdown," the EPA and several bio-hazard experts arrive to seize control of Camp Wawanakwa after the campers have left with Chef, and it is placed under quarantine by the government because of the severe environmental damage the disposal of the waste caused.
Total Drama All-Stars[]
A year after the previous season, the island is finally cleared of toxic waste and is safe to be used for another season. After being bailed out of prison, Chris brings several of the most beloved contestants from both casts and puts them in yet another season to fight for one million dollars. In "The Final Wreck-ening," the island sinks after Chef uses a land drill for the final challenge, disappearing from the face of the Earth.
Total Drama: Pahkitew Island[]
Chris makes a brief recap of the previous season in "So, Uh, This Is My Team?" where he mentions how Camp Wawanakwa sunk, necessitating its replacement by Pahkitew Island.
Total Drama Island (2023)[]
Through methods unexplained, Camp Wawanakwa returns as the setting of this season. The island is noticeably never referred to by name throughout the season, and the Camp Wawanakwa sign is no longer present at the dock. However, Chris confirms it is the same island as he mentions that it is where the show began fifteen years ago.
Total Drama Island also marks an expansion of both the island's locations and creatures, as well as an upgrade of its ecosystem alike. For the first time, viewers encounter terrifying raptors, several cassowary birds, the Honey Mountain, the foreboding Cave of Horrors, and even the fiery presence of lava in the final episode.
Possibility of an artificial island[]
While many hints have been given that the island was fake, there is still some debate as to what the true nature of the island was. However, there has been a full aerial view of the island (most prominently in "X-Treme Torture"), and it clearly depicts it as an island with nothing more than a few smaller islands around it and no mainland nearby. However, as it is a TV show in the Total Drama universe as well, the editors may have edited out any mainland from the shots. The issue is further confused by the fact that the island sinks in "The Final Wreck-ening", and is somehow brought back in Total Drama Island.
Total Drama Island[]
In "Total Drama, Drama, Drama, Drama Island," Courtney accidentally runs into a large backdrop wall of a forest, with a burger joint on the outside of the wall. Believing the island is fake, she scales the wall and discovers that the "island" had been close to civilization and the entire camp was a set made to fool the campers into thinking it was a real island.
Total Drama Action[]
In "Beach Blanket Bogus," Chris takes the contestants to the beach by bus. More evidence that the island was false is that in Top Dog, the cast arrived at the island by bus and that the challenge is to find a way back to the film lot, which would be impossible since the film lot was not on the island.
Finally, in "The Aftermath: IV," Chef and Chris accidentally drove to Camp Wawanakwa. However, this may have been a joke to exaggerate Chris's poor navigation skills.
Trivia[]
- This is the first location that the contestants were introduced to in Total Drama.
- This is currently the only location that is the main setting of two or more seasons.
- Camp Wawanakwa could be inspired by Wawanaissa Island, set exactly in Muskoka Lake, Ontario.
- Total Drama World Tour and Pahkitew Island are the only seasons in which Camp Wawanakwa is not visited.
- However, it is briefly seen in two never-before-seen clips: in "Aftermath: Bridgette Over Troubled Water," seen in Harold's footage; and "Aftermath: Revenge of the Telethon," seen in DJ's footage.
- It also makes a brief appearance in the beginning of "So, Uh, This Is My Team?" during the recap.
- Disregarding the third generation contestants, Blaineley is the only contestant to never set foot on the island.
- If one counts her cameo in A Hole Lot of Trouble, Jasmine is the only contestant from the third generation cast to visit the island.
- However, it's noted that this was a product of Izzy's imagination, on top of taking place in an entirely separate continuity altogether.
- Although the promotion of Total Drama Island (2023) refers to the island as Camp Wawanakwa, Terry McGurrin has stated that the island in that season and its next isn't actually Wawanakwa, affirming that it sunk in "The Final Wreck-ening", which makes sense as the island is never referred as Wawanakwa within the show; McGurrin also assured that this nameless island isn't Pahkitew Island.
- Despite this, Chris says in "Meet the Victims" that they are back to where the show began.
Map[]
Gallery[]
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