The final two face each other with some added assistance on a moat climb to the million. Someone finally gives their all to take down their enemy, but with some well deserved help, they finally go down protecting their union. Ultimately a champion emerges and a sadistic host is well rewarded, even though a long-time home finally meets its cataclysmic end.
Plot
The episode begins with Zoey in the monitor room, watching clips revealing Mike to have been Mal for longer than she had thought. In the confessional she expresses concern, but believes "that doesn't mean Mike’s not in there.” Mal, in the confessional, laughs at Zoey’s devotion in taking him to the finale despite him still being Mal.
Meanwhile, in his subconscious, Mike and his four alternate personalities arrive at the door of the tower, questioning why it is not guarded. Mike argues that since there is a picture of five people on the door and there are five of them, it must be the right way. But as he pulls on the handle, the door falls on top of everyone. Using their combined strength, they are able to push it off and enter the tower, but are met with a dauntingly long, spiraling staircase to reach the top.
Chris announces the challenge to be in the forest clearing over the loudspeaker. Using Mike’s voice, Mal thanks Zoey for bringing him to the finale and begins to reassure her, but she angrily tells him that she did it
Zoey tells Mal to drop the act.
for Mike, not Mal, and tells him to drop the act. Mal then regains his original voice and appearance and tells Zoey that Mike is gone and never coming back. This shocks her, and she again debated whether that is just what Mal wants her to believe or if it is actually true.
In the clearing, Chris starts to announce the challenge, during which he scares Zoey by saying it will be brutal, extremely dangerous, and probably kill them. Behind a curtain, he reveals an array of weapons (including Mr. Coconut) to choose from. Zoey chooses a bow and arrow, while Mal chooses the spaghetti bazooka. Chris then says that they’ll be used to pop balloons floating in the air, each of which contains previously flushed All-Stars and filled by Owen, who sits nearby who is eating double-baked beans. Whoever’s balloon is popped and comes down, he announces, will become their helper for the challenge. Mal initially misses, while Zoey is able to shoot down Cameron, who is in a bubble within the balloon. Mal again misses, and Zoey shoots down Gwen. Chris notes that Mal had better get going, and, annoyed, he shoots Zoey and knocks her down. He is then able to shoot down Alejandro and Heather, just before Chris calls time and sends an intern to go collect the helpers who had not been shot down. However, a gust of wind sends them all blowing away into the distance. Chris’s lawyers call him on his cell phone after this incident, but he chooses to ignore it and leads Mal and Zoey to the next part of the challenge.
Zoey shows in the confessional that she feels bad about bringing Cameron and Gwen into the danger, but tries to see the positive side as well. Mal, on the other hand, says he will bury Alejandro and Heather alive if they get in his way.
On the way to the challenge, Chris reminds the helpers that they are only there as helpers and cannot win despite the dangers they will be put through, expecting this to annoy Alejandro and Heather. As they fail to react, Chris tries to get a reaction out of Heather by emphasizing this rule again, yelling through the megaphone in her face, but she only looks at Alejandro lovingly and says they are fine with that.
In the confessional, Heather sits on Alejandro's lap and reveals they are now officially together and that the money only got in the way of their happiness, and they are about to share a kiss before a disgusted Chris interrupts them.
Mal with his helpers.
The finalists, their helpers, Chris, and an intern drive up to the “Moats of Doom”. Chris announces that each level of the 4-tier moat has a level of safe ground with tools that will help them pass each moat. The bottom level is filled with bubbling toxic waste, the second with lava, and the third with regular swamp water (although Fang is also in here). Once they get there, they must abandon their helpers and complete the challenge alone to the top, where they must fight the “Mad King” and pull the “Sword of Victory” from a stone under The Mad King to win the million dollars.
Zoey with her helpers.
Zoey says they should try not to hurt Mal- since Mike is, she believes, still in there, in this dangerous challenge, and tries to find reassurance from Cameron. However, Cameron only sighs and says that Mike may not only not come back, but that “Mike” may just be an alternate personality to Mal. Although temporarily saddened, this gives Zoey new incentive and strength, and she decides to go all out and “crush Mal” to win the million.
Now about to begin the challenge, Alejandro and Heather continue to cuddle, and Zoey gives up on Mike as he mockingly yells good luck to her, burying the necklace he had given her earlier.
The challenge begins. Faced with the first moat and provided with long sticks, Gwen suggests they use the sticks as stilts, while Mal attempts to throw Heather in and use her as a boat. The sticks burn when they come into contact with the toxic waste when Gwen tests it, so they instead use Cameron’s bubble as a boat and the sticks as oars. They arrive safely, and Cameron’s bubble explodes and he falls into Zoey’s arms. Alejandro stops Mal before he can throw in Heather and suggests that instead they use the sticks to pole vault across, which Mal does, although the force when he arrives nearly throws him back into the moat. Zoey notices and worries for him, feeling relief once he regains balance. Gwen reminds her that he is Mal, not Mike, and advises her to stop worrying before he hurts her.
Alejandro and Heather still have not gotten across, and Mal says he is not there to help them, but that they are there to help him, and does not help them get across. As Mal, Gwen, Cameron, and Zoey climb up to the second level, everyone has reached the top of the tower in Mike’s subconscious to find a red button. Chester realizes that it is a reset button just as Mike is about to press it; one that will make Mike just himself again. Vito then realizes that this will destroy himself and all the other alternates, causing Mike to appear worried now as he gazes at the button.
Back in the challenge, Mal throws Cameron to the first moat level, and he lands on his back in the safe spot. Zoey uses a ladder laid out horizontally to pass the moat, and runs across quickly as it burns. Gwen tries to slap Mal for this action, but he grabs her hand and throws her down on top of Cameron, while Alejandro and Heather use the log boat and sticks provided to cross the toxic waste. Zoey climbs up the ladder to the third tier, and Mal uses the pogo stick provided to bounce up high and crash down on top of Zoey, the force knocking them both into the swamp water. The four helpers start to climb their way back up.
In Mike’s subconscious, Mal suddenly falls back into Mike’s empty mind, questioning where his tower went. Mike, who is also there, announces that it is gone for good. A flashback shows that Mike could not bring himself to press the button, since it would get rid of all his personalities. But, after everyone encourages him that they will still be a part of him in a way and that it is necessary to stop Mal, everyone puts their hands together and presses the button, effectively destroying the tower, and presumably all of the personalities.
"NO! You can't do this to me!!! this is MY TIME!!! MY TIME!" - Mal's last words.
Infuriated, Mal charges toward Mike, but Mike is able to stop him and knock him backwards with a shield. As Mike bids Mal farewell for good, Mal slowly vanishes into nothingness and Mike walks away.
In the challenge, Fang is about to attack Zoey , but Mike punches Fang, grabbing a tooth that falls. He then reassures that Zoey that he is Mike all the time and for good. Still a bit unsure, Zoey wants to believe him, and finally does when Mike asks where the necklace is that he had given her, showing that he remembers this as Mike. Overjoyed, Zoey leans in and kisses Mike , and the two share their first mutual kiss. Cameron and Gwen give each other a high-five, and Alejandro and Heather hold each other. Chris expresses frustration at everyone’s congeniality and the lack of fighting in the finale, and as Alejandro and Heather share a kiss, Mike and Zoey kiss again, and Gwen even kisses Cameron on the cheek, he becomes further enraged and announces that now, he allows anyone, including the helpers, to get the sword and win the money. At this, Alejandro drops Heather and runs forth, although she grabs his boot and stops him. Zoey and Mike playfully tease each other that they will win the money and go separate ways to do so.
Alejandro and Heather continue to fight , with Cameron interjecting that he will fight for Zoey. Mike then jumps and lands perfectly on Alejandro’s shoulders, showing that he has acquired Svetlana’s gymnastic prowess. He leaves Alejandro with the tooth from Fang, who then chases him away. Gwen hits Heather on the head with a stick, slowing down and ruining Heather’s chances of getting ahead, as well. Zoey and Mike climb up the ladder and arrive at nearly the same time, and are targeted by Chef’s spaghetti bazooka. Chris insults his skills, which earns him a shot all his own. At this point, either Mike or Zoey will respond to Chris's comment. Who does depends on the ending.
The network calls Chris on his cell phone, and Chris announces that they are so happy, they want to go straight into another season with an all-new cast. Just then air begins to shoot out of the rock where the sword had been, and the ground begins to rumble. Cameron warily asks Chef how he made the moats, and Chef reveals he used a fracking machine. Terrified, Cameron explains that using the machine on a small island is dangerous. Suddenly, the earth begin to shake and water start pouring out of the hole. Everyone begin to panic as Cameron further explain that the island is going to sink.
Everywhere on the island, water started to pour out; the Flush of Shame, the confession booth, the mines, the cabins and the main lodge, until the entire island completely sink. As Alejandro tries to console Heather, who is disappointed for losing a chance to get the million dollars again, Fang appears and started chasing the couple. Meanwhile, Mike, floating on a roof with his friends, tells them that they "should do this again sometime," to which everyone angrily respond "No!"
Floating off on what's left of the outhouse confession with the million dollar case, Chris bids farewell to the viewers and tell them to tune in for the next season which will feature a new cast and a new island. Before the episode ends, the Boat of Losers, filled with the animals of the island, sails off with Owen water-skiing behind it before falling into the water, only to resurface, laugh, and proclaim "That, was AWESOME!"
Mike's ending
Chris declared Mike as the winner of the fifth season.
In both endings, Zoey hides behind a rock to avoid the shots, while Mike uses Svetlana’s skills again to jump and avoid them. Zoey tells Chris not to be too hard on Chef. Chef thanks her and proceeds to try to hit Zoey. Her distraction gives Mike the chance to arrive first to the rock, pull out the sword, and win Total Drama All-Stars. Mike cheers happily and Zoey claps, proud of him. Cameron and Gwen also congratulate him.
Zoey's ending
Zoey is declared the winner in her ending.
In both endings, Zoey hides behind a rock to avoid the shots, but Mike uses Svetlana’s skills again to jump and avoid them. Mike agrees with Chris, which causes Chef to become focused on him. This buys Zoey enough time to pull the sword from the rock and win, while Mike, Cameron and Gwen congratulate her.
Cast
| Voice actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Christian Potenza | Chris |
| Clé Bennett | Chef Hatchet |
| Alex House | Alejandro |
| Kevin Duhaney | Cameron |
| Megan Fahlenbock | Gwen |
| Rachel Wilson | Heather |
| Scott McCord | Owen |
| Cory Doran | Mike |
| Barbara Mamabolo | Zoey |
- Lindsay, Lightning, Jo, Sam, Sierra, Duncan, Courtney, and Scott were heard screaming from inside the balloons, but had no dialogue.
- "Screams" were heard on Chris's phone; however, it is currently unknown who voiced those screams.
- A butler and several interns appear but have no lines.
Trivia
General
- This is the first season finale to not include all of the eliminated contestants. Although, their screams can be heard as their balloons fly off and several of their silhouettes can be seen as they float towards the sun.
- This marks the last time that Camp Wawanakwa is featured, as it sinks to the bottom of the lake in the conclusion.
- Every contestant that was shown in this episode is or was a finalist.
- In this episode, Mike is finally cured of his multiple personality disorder.
- This episode featured the most kisses between different pairs of contestants, having four kisses in total.
- Mike and Zoey shared two.
- Alejandro and Heather shared one.
- Gwen gave Cameron a friendly kiss on the cheek.
- Coincidently, they are all finalists.
- The only contestants to appear in this episode that debuted in Total Drama Island were also the final three of that season.
- All four helpers were members of the Villainous Vultures.
- Although, Cameron was a member of the Heroic Hamsters before being switched.
- The four moats used for the challenge could be a reference to four previous seasons:
- The swamp water represents the condition of Camp Wawanakwa prior to its pollution in Total Drama Island.
- Chef as the "Mad King" could be a reference to the various movie challenges from Total Drama Action.
- The lava represents the setting of the finale of Total Drama World Tour.
- The toxic waste represents the condition of the island in Total Drama: Revenge of the Island.
- As of this episode, all of the winners in Canada have been males.
- This finale is the first since Total Drama Action in which the season winner is the same in Canada and the United States.
- This is the first time ever that Australia and New Zealand have had a different winner.
- This is the second season in which the winner in Latin America is different than the winner in Canada or the United States.
- In New Zealand, the first time the episode aired, Mike won, the following times it aired, Zoey won.
Continuity
- One of the weapons that Chris unveils is the Mannequin-leg with spikes that Lightning made as his weapon in Brain vs. Brawn: The Ultimate Showdown.
- Zoey's weapon of choice is a bow and arrow, which she previously used with proficiency in Eat, Puke and Be Wary.
- Cameron is shown to have his left arm in a cast, indicating his injuries haven't fully healed since Zeek And Ye Shall Find.
- Zoey uses Mike asking where her necklace is as validation that he has returned. This is throwback to the the previous episode, in which Mal incorrectly says that she was given a bracelet.
- The way Fang is chasing Alejandro to reclaim his loose tooth is similar to the way he chased Scott throughout much of Total Drama: Revenge of the Island.
- Not counting the specials, this is the first finale to not feature Chris receiving his karma for the season, as well as the contestants reveling in it.
- Gwen calling Heather "Old Heather" is a reference to the nickname "New Heather" given to Gwen herself in The EX-Files.
Reference
- As Camp Wawanakwa sinks, the music plays is a portion of the requiem of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, specifically the well-known Dies Irae portion.
- The butler playing the violin as the island sank is a reference to the musicians during the Titanic disaster.
- The final part of the challenge is a reference to legend of King Arthur pulling Excalibur out of the stone to become King of Britain.
Goofs
Mal has no gap between his teeth.
- When Heather and Alejandro are on the top of the moats, Heather's hair has two ponytails.
- When Zoey is rewatching the DVD footage, Mal's hair is flipped down when he messes with the boats. Although this is consistent with the actual episode, it's inconsistent with the footage shown in the previous episode.
- On Cartoon Network and Teletoon, this episode is spelled "The Final Wrech-ening."
- Through multiple occasions in this episode Mal has no gap between his teeth.
- When Mike and his other personalities reach the top of Mal's tower, Manitoba is suddenly carrying a backpack, and he was never seen with it before or after.
- When Gwen and Cameron high-five, Gwen is standing normally, even though she had sprained her ankle earlier in the episode.
Gallery
| Total Drama All-Stars Episodes | |
|---|---|
| Team Phase | "Heroes vs. Villains" | "Evil Dread" | "Saving Private Leechball" | "Food Fright" | "Moon Madness" | "No One Eggspects the Spanish Opposition" | "Suckers Punched" |
| Individual Phase | "You Regatta Be Kidding Me" | "Zeek and Ye Shall Find" | "The Obsta-Kill Kourse" | "Sundae Muddy Sundae" | "The Bold and the Booty-ful" | "The Final Wreck-ening" |