Hey guys! GoGoGadget831 here, and welcome to my long overdue seasonal review of Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race! This review is going to be split up into the following sections: Teams, Episodes, Comedy/Drama, Continuity, Challenges, Animation/Music, How Realistic The Season Was, and Final Thoughts of the Season. I'm not going to be doing a Character Interactions section since it will be merged with the Teams section. I also created an Animation/Music section because those two are elements of the season that really stuck out to me. Alright, so without further ado, let's take a look at all the teams!
Teams
1. Leonard and Tammy (LARPers): It was pretty obvious that these two were going home, considering what their characters are like and that they were a last minute addition to the show. But for the screentime they had, they were okay I guess. It was pretty funny seeing them bug the goths and the twins at the airport in None Done Eighteen To Go, Part 2 and when they bugged the taxi driver with their dragon coins. And that's all I remember them doing. Overall, very forgettable and obvious fodder. Also, Tammy looks like the lovechild of Staci and Sugar. But it was pretty cool seeing her play an ocarina. And Leonard was less annoying than he was in TDPI.
2. Gerry and Pete (Tennis Rivals): For the limited amount of screentime that they got, I really liked these guys. I love how snarky they are and how they keep on insisting that they're not that old. Also, am I the only one that laughed when they called the Vegans the "veggie heads"? I also liked all their talks about their agents and I also liked that scene in the first episode when they knocked each other off the zipline for a 70s Wimbledon game. Hilarious! I also liked that one fight that Gerry and Don had over getting eliminated. And it was pretty refreshing seeing them act all sarcastic about the finale and make fun of the surfers. Despite being obvious fodder, they were very entertaining for the screentime that they got.
3. Mary and Ellody (Geniuses): Wow. These two are definitely the most forgettable characters of the whole show. Even more forgettable than the LARPers in this season. Aside from Mediterranean Homesick Blues, these two were just....there. The only thing I remember about these two were their designs. Mary looks like Amy from The Big Bang Theory and Ellody looks and sounds EXACTLY like Courtney. The only thing that I remember them doing was the thing with memorizing maps in the taxi. Their downfall was pretty clever actually. After all, geniuses are flawed in some way as they have the potential to overthink stuff! Pretty decent twist. Nothing much else to say here.
4. Laurie and Miles (Vegans): This team was pretty fun to watch. It was nice seeing their love for nature and despite some of the adversity that they faced throughout the game, never give up. Miles was pretty forgettable and the only scenes that I remember of her were when she got attacked by that shark in Mediterranean Homesick Blues and when she told Laurie, "Whatever happens in Iceland STAYS in Iceland." Laurie, on the other hand, was HILARIOUS in Bjorken Telephone, especially when she attacked Don when she had to eat meat in a non-elimination episode. Not to mention her memorable quote to Dwayne, "THE GODDESS OF KARMA WILL GET YOU FOR THIS!!" And then there's a close-up of her face and fire in the background. Her face when she gets attacked by the ants was absolutely horrifying and it's even more horrifying when we get a close-up of her face. I felt really bad for them when they got eliminated, but then again, I wasn't horribly disappointed. Also, we never found out whether or not Laurie likes meat!
5. Tom and Jen (Fashion Bloggers): I ADORE this team! These two are so fetch and so entertaining to watch. Tom is smoking hot (no pun intended) in his outfit and Jen is one of the hottest animated females I've ever seen! They brought a lot of energy to the first few episodes of the show and had a lot of great moments. Their "eee"-ing is much better than Katie and Sadie's tbh and it was really funny when in the first episode, they criticized the janitor's overalls and got the mop. Literally. They also did pretty well during their time on the show, like shopping in Paris and hanging out on a yacht with a prince, and performing well in the challenges. I also liked their brief conflict in A Tisket, A Tasket, I'm Gonna Blow a Gasket. Sure it was a conflict over a fashion blog, which is a very silly matter, but it was very well-written! The conflict was interesting to watch and it kept me wondering whether or not they were going to survive their conflict. And amazingly enough, they do! And they grow even closer as a result. This team was so likeable and I think they got eliminated way too early imo (the adversity twins, stepbrothers, or daters should have gone before them tbh). I HOPE we get to see them again in a future season.
6. Kelly and Taylor (Mom & Daughter): These two were pretty fun to watch too, although they were kind of in the background in several of the episodes. Taylor annoyed me a little bit for being rude to her mother and Kelly was okay in the first few episodes. It was pretty funny when Taylor made a rude or snarky comment and Kelly casually shrugged it off and said, "That's my girl!" With that being said though, I thought they were really good parodies of Regina George and her mom and I have to admit that their characters were spot on. However, in Hawaiian Honeyruin, it was definitely a turnaround for them. Taylor actually turned out to be really funny. Plus, the chipotle references, man! It was also funny when Kelly nervously laughs about Taylor's bad swimming skills and then puts her foot down about how she's nothing but a spoiled daddy's girl and hasn't won any awards in her life except for beauty pageants. It was also hilarious when Dwayne called Taylor rotten and then Kelly got really mad and splashed water at him. It was nice seeing Kelly stand up for herself in Hello and Dubai and Taylor starts to respect her mom a bit more, which is nice to see. I really liked the development that they got in Hello and Dubai and while I was a bit sad to see them go, it was the right time for them to go and they were great while it lasted. It was also nice seeing them get a confessional in the finale and it's good to see that they're still in good terms with each other. Their designs are also great and Taylor's is hot af.
7. Mickey and Jay (Adversity Twins): These two......were annoying but not as annoying as I expected them to be. They're definitely my least favorite team in the season. I was pretty annoyed when they were shoved down our throats in the first episode. I rolled my eyes at every scene they had. They reminded me of people suffering from a bad case of "First World Problems" Ooooo, temperature dyslexia! Whoop-de-doo! But seriously though, does temperature dyslexia really exist? Oh yeah, not to mention lactose intolerance, nose bleeds on stairs, stage fright, and hives. Those scenes were annoying, but thankfully, were over fast. But then, in the next few episodes, they didn't have as many scenes focused on them, which was a huge relief. It was nice seeing them overcome some forms of adversity, like succeeding in Romanian gymnastics and getting 3rd in Hello and Dubai. Their fearful reactions to spiders were also very hilarious. I was pretty relieved that they got eliminated because if they made further, they would've been annoying. I think they should've been eliminated earlier. That way, there could've been more room for Tom and Jen!! #robbed
8. Lorenzo and Chet (Stepbrothers): These two were okay imo. They didn't have too many scenes focused on them, but until they went to Australia, all they pretty much did was fight in the confessional and call each other names like "butt spray" and "butt stain". They're so immature for teenagers tbh. Some of their scenes did get a few laughs out of me, like when Chet bragged that he talked to a girl in Hello and Dubai, their selfies in My Way or Zimbabwe, when they both got taken down by the Icelandic local in Bjorken Telephone, and when they kept on getting hit with coconuts in Brazilian Pain Forest. I didn't hate them, as some of their moments could be pretty funny. I like Lorenzo a bit more, mainly because Chet has a pretty annoying voice. I really liked the development that they got when they were in Australia, and while that plotline was pretty obvious, it was still very nicely executed on screen. Their theme song got some good laughs out of me and I was dying of laughter when they kept on getting attacked by the kangaroos in Down and Outback. It was sweet seeing them hug it out and become good friends with the Rockers when they got eliminated. They were an alright team and while repetitive, did have their moments.
9. Rock and Spud (Rockers): Oh......man. These guys REALLY grew on me. I really liked this team a lot. They reminded me very much of Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World. When I saw the first episode, I was thinking, "Ohhhh man. These guys are obvious elimination fodder. They're not going to make it far at all. And the silent guy doesn't give me any hope." However, they managed to last longer than I expected. I didn't like Spud very much in the first five episodes since he was bland and did very little in the challenges, but Rock was pretty cool and I like all the sound effects that he does when talking about things that happened. However, once Brazilian Pain Forest aired, I started to fall in love with Spud. His delayed reactions to pain and danger were REALLY hilarious during his time in the season and I really liked that sugar rush that he had in New Beijinging. He even apologizes for letting the team down, which was nice and redeeming points for his character. They were also fantastic in I Love Ridonc and Roll and that made me like Spud even more. I like how dumb and gullible he is and how he never says no to a dare. It was great seeing him contribute to the challenge and actually win for his team. Oh, and Spud's Seven Stages of Heartbreak song was REALLY hilarious and definitely one of the most memorable moments of the season. I also liked how it took him so long to realize that he and Rock crashed into a mountain in Down and Outback. It was also great seeing him save his best friend from doom and even though they lost, they left on a very good note. Their confessional in the finale was also hilarious. Much like the Fashion Bloggers, this team was another great surprise for me and were a lot of fun to watch.
10. Dwayne and Junior (Father & Son): I loved this team. These two were so great to watch throughout their run this season. You have the overprotective father Dwayne, who wants to get some father-son time with his son, Dwayne Jr. Junior, despite loving his dad, sometimes gets embarrassed by him and his actions. I find it a really fun and relatable plotline. I love how clumsy Dwayne is, especially when he insults that Icelandic local in Icelandic! Hilarious indeed! Not to mention stealing the Vegans' fossil and forgetting how to count! I love how much he cares for his son and how he's really trying to be a good dad. You really gotta feel for the poor guy. All he wants is his son's respect and yet he acts so clumsy and embarrasses him unintentionally. I also really liked the woman tattoo gag in Maori or Less and Little Bull on the Praire. I wonder how his wife reacted when she found out that he came back as a woman? Junior is also a very likeable character. He's just your normal kid who just wants a bit of space from his dad. Frankly, that's how any kid would react at that age. I really liked his gag in My Way or Zimbabwe when he brags about his chest hair and Dwayne doesn't buy it, but Stephanie buys it and thinks that he's much manlier than Ryan XD. It was also cute how Junior had a thing for Carrie, even though he was too young for her. The two also left on a really good note and I loved the strong connection that they developed in the end. Not too much else to say other than that they were a very enjoyable and likeable team.
11. Owen and Noah (Reality TV Pros): I kind of wished that Izzy would return with Noah instead of Owen, but I guess Owen and Noah pairing up makes sense considering how close Owen is with Noah. But for what they were this season, they were pretty decent. Sure, we have quite a few fart jokes from Owen, but in this season, they seem to be downplayed a bit and he did have some really funny moments. In fact, most of his humor/personality seems to be a bit more mature compared to past seasons. I got a hearty laugh during his encounter with the komodo dragon in Got Venom, eats the entire cheese wheel in French is an Eiffel Language, and accidentally messes up when he straight up tells Emma that Noah liked her. Not to mention his "terrific" driving skills in Little Bull on the Praire. I think Owen is definitely better here than he was in Action and World Tour (imo, he was at his best in Island). I expected a bit more from Noah though. As DipDap1234 mentioned several times in her reviews, he doesn't seem to be as snarky or sarcastic as he was in the past and most of his humor revovled around his crush on Emma. Yes, he does pull a few sarcastic lines about Owen and had a really funny scene in French is an Eiffel Language because of the way that he drew Owen. Despite not having as many funny one-liners, I thought his relationship with Emma was adorable and I loved his face when she dumped her. I wouldn't have been able to keep that face on for an entire episode XD. Their kiss at the end gave me the feels though. RELATIONSHIP GOALS MAN. Overall, these two were a decent team.
12. Crimson and Ennui (Goths): OH MY GOSH. THIS TEAM BLEW ME AWAY. I was very neutral on them in the first two episodes because duh. They didn't speak one word and yet, they managed to accumulate so many fans within days after the first episode was leaked online. And oh man did they exceed my expectations. Their reactions to everything are absolutely hilarious, including their "excitement" of getting first place, Ennui saying "Nooooo" when Loki disappeared, Crimson saying "Ow" after eating a hot pepper, and calling each other dramatic/emotional whenever they are in pain or lost something dear to them (i.e. Loki). We also get to see them SMILE in their goth form in A Tisket, A Tasket, I'm Gonna Blow a Gasket. Their best episode was definitely I Love Ridonc and Roll. We actually got to seem them un-gothed and how upset and embarrassed they felt about being called names like "preppy" and things like that. Their emotions about being afraid of seeing each other un-gothed was also very understandable considering their personalities, but when they do decide to show themselves, we feel the strong connection that they have and how stronger it is gets because of that moment. I swear, that scene had me squealing and in tears. This season has a lot of those emotional moments and I'm very impressed how these moments were all executed. I'm impressed by how many storylines these two characters found this season, despite not having too many words to say. I liked their relationship with Loki and how they literally worshipped him. Loki is a freaking bada** with so many awesome moves and brains. I enjoyed watching his hatred for the ice dancers too. I loved the amount of development that they got throughout this season and I would be more than ecstatic if they were to return again. Every scene with them makes me laugh and squeal and very hard too. They were a pleasure to watch this season and were even better goths than Gwen tbh.
13. Stephanie and Ryan (Daters/Haters): Oooooo boy. Let's talk about this team. So, during the first couple of episodes, they were.....weird. All they pretty much did was make out and constantly gush over each other in the confessional. I thought they were kind of forgettable in the first few episodes and their only memorable scene for me was when Ryan and Stephanie ate that intestine "Lady and the Tramp" style in Bjorken Telephone, which made me want to vomit. We also got several instances about how competitive Stephanie really is. Then, in A Tisket, A Tasket, I'm Gonna Blow a Gasket, she actually shows off her competitive side full-force when Ryan keeps messing up on the gymnastics challenge. When I saw all those scenes, I was rolling on the floor laughing and I laughed even more when Stephanie called him a "twelve-year old girl". In Hawaiian Honeyruin and My Way or Zimbabwe, she managed to scrape in some really funny moments, like knocking Ryan off a waterfall and yelling out to Ryan, "YOU ARE THE WORST!!" during the Botch-or-Watch. Honestly, their humor was very hit-or-miss for me. In a few episodes, I thought they were really funny and I laughed hard when Ryan gave Stephanie a bumpy ride in New Beijinging and when he mocked Stephanie in Lord of the Ring Toss. However, as the season progressed, they became really annoying and I was praying for them to go home soon. Rewatching a few of the episodes, most of their development revolved around Ryan trying to do the challenge to the best of his ability with Stephanie pretty much screaming in his ear and our ears as well. Stephanie's screaming got annoying really fast and is pretty grating. I was pretty okay with Ryan though. He's not a very interesting character, but I did like how he dealt with Stephanie in How Deep is Your Love by using his father's psychology. I also really liked his friendship with Carrie. I don't approve of the two of them hooking up, but their friendship is very legitimate and makes sense, considering the amount of trouble they were having with their love lives. However, I was blown away with the amount of development that the hater daters got in Darjeel With It. We have Ryan supporting Stephanie throughout the challenge, which was really sweet to watch. Stephanie also feels bad about how she treated Ryan throughout the season and even apologizes for it, which is great. And despite losing, they managed to leave on a good note (and some innuendo too ;) ) and now have a stronger relationship than ever. Despite being a hit-or-miss team for me, the daters had some great development and had their fair share of good moments. I wish they could've been eliminated earlier to make more room for the fashion bloggers, goths, etc. #robbed
14. Carrie and Devin (Best Friends): Two okay characters with a really annoying plotline that ended up molding into a really cute relationship. For the first half of the season, I thought they were mostly boring. All Devin pretty much did was talk about Shelley while Carrie was gushing over Devin in the confessional. However, I laughed at the caricature of Devin in French is an Eiffel Language. Who knew that Carrie would have those kinds of desires! For the most part, their scenes were forgettable and bland. Then, in Shawshank Ridonction, Shelley FINALLY breaks up with Devin. I swear, if I hear anymore about Shelley, I'll scream. Then Devin goes through the seven stages of break-up, which was pretty annoying to sit through considering all it amounted to was Devin moping, screaming, and crying. Thankfully, it only lasted for 4 episodes and he finally got over his break-up in Got Venom. In Dude Buggies, he actually has feelings for Carrie. FINALLY. And you would've expected him to actually reveal his feelings for her. But no. We get extremely repetitive pain gags and annoying awkward small talk for the next few episodes and I'm just yelling at Devin every time he's on TV, "JUST TELL HER ALREADY! STOP HOLDING IT IN, YOU TURKEY!" Then, in Darjeel With It, Carrie bursts out crying in a very unpleasant manner and Emma and Kitty try to knock some sense into Devin by slapping him silly and cussing him out, which was really hilarious. Then, in the next episode, YET AGAIN, we get more repetitive pain gags revolving around Carrie and by the end, Devin FINALLY reveals his feelings for her. I have to admit that that scene was very emotional and executed really well. I found myself shedding a tear and smiling at their kiss. Why did I cry? Because I'm still single and I really want a relationship like this (but without the pain gags and awkward small talk of course)! They had another emotional scene when Devin gets injured after Kitty's emu knocks him off a cliff. I felt really sorry for the two of them in that scene and I definitely felt the emotion. Carrie then kept on telling Devin that she loves him so much. WHY CAN'T I HAVE A RELATIONSHIP LIKE THIS?! Anyways, back on topic. Overall, a very mediocre team with a very annoying plotline that turned out to be a good and emotional resolution.
15. Emma and Kitty (Sisters): I loved this team so much. I love Kitty. Kitty is bae. I would marry Kitty and have 20 babies with her. But let's talk about this team. I loved Kitty's selfie gag throughout the series, including her Mickey selfie, her Geoff and Brody selfie, her many selfies with Emma, her selfie with Black Clucky, her emu selfie, and pretty much all of her selfies! Man, I would follow her on Instagram if she had one. She was so much better than Emma imo. Despite being voiced by Lindsay's character, she's actually really smart about stuff. She knows when love is in the air, she actually tries knocking some sense into Devin when he reveals his feelings for Carrie, and actually corrects Emma in a number of instances. She performed really well in the challenges, considering the number of botches that she had to do, and she has that "never give up" mentality along with Emma that I really admire. She's a very likeable character and very much like me when I was in high school. In fact, her personality is very realistic considering what teens are like these days. I love her design and the amount of positivity, humor, and memorable moments she brought to the table. Okay, I've gushed over Kitty a lot. Now, let's talk about Emma. In the first few episodes, I didn't really like her because of how much she talked Kitty down. She was so snarky and rude to her own sister, which was pretty irritating to see. Then, she starts developing feelings for Noah, which was really nice to see. I love how much Kitty makes fun of her for it. Sadly, once the Noah and Emma plotline started, Kitty felt like she was more in the background. I wished that she could have interacted more with Owen and both of them would play more major roles in getting the two together. They played a pretty minor one in Hello and Dubai, but that was about it. One thing I did find clever was how Emma kept on getting distracted by Noah, but Kitty took on Emma's personality by getting her to focus more on the game. In the middle of the season, they seemed to get less focus while the others had more screentime. However, once Noah and Owen got eliminated, the sisters had more focus, which was great to see. I really liked Kitty and MacArthur's brief rivalry in Dude Buggies, the sisters' friendship with the best friends, and their rivalry with the ice dancers. They seemed to have gotten closer during the last half of the season and Emma was actually proud of her sister for accomplishing so much in the race. It's hard to believe that the two of them went to prom together! I have to say that Emma's best moment was cussing Devin out! I really liked the connection that developed between the sisters and I was really upset to see them get eliminated in yet another scene that had me bawling. They need to return for another season, especially Kitty!
16. Jacques and Josee (Ice Dancers): I found these two really annoying in the first seven episodes of the season because of them constantly winning and breezing through the challenges. However, once they had that curse plotline going on for them, I began to like them a lot more. And I began to like them even more when they became evil and started sabotaging the other contestants. I have to say that I prefer Jacques, because he's such a lovable and charismatic guy. I like how he embraces his feminine side by putting on that dress in Dude Buggies. And his pink speedo though <3 <3. I love how clumsy, weird, and dramatic he can be, like twisting his ankle in New Beijinging or screaming on the radioactive bull in Little Bull on the Prairie. His hairstyle was also great in Last Tango in Buenos Aires. He has a very dreamy accent and he brings a lot of energy and humor to the table. Josee also has some very memorable moments, like throwing tantrums whenever things don't go her way as well as her evil ways of sabotaging the other contestants. They were very interesting and effective antagonists, getting the goths eliminated, and indirectly, the best friends. Also, they are in their 20s and apparently, they've been partners for 14 years? Wonder how Jacques managed to put up with all of that? XD. Their rivalry with the cadets was also very entertaining to watch. Their best moment was in Shawshank Ridonction when they boomeranged each other in a very dramatic scene, had to work together to get out of jail free, and then sabotaged the cadets in the end. They did the same thing in Bananarama. I thought their conflict was executed really well and I thought their downfall at the end was well-deserving and nothing over-the-top, like being put in a robot suit or a body cast. The Ice Dancers were very entertaining in this season and brought a lot of excitement and drama to the table. They remind me very much of Team Rocket and other over-the-top cartoony villains, like Ezma from the Emperor's New Groove and to some extent, Max. I hope to see them again in another season.
17. Sanders and MacArthur (Cadets): And tied with the Surfers as my favorite team this season are the cadets! I absolutely adore this team! Everything about this team works so well! I thought the idea of a good cop and bad cop duo was absolutely brilliant and this pairing worked so well this season. What else can I say about MacArthur that hasn't already been said about her? She is easily one of the best characters of the whole series. I love how she never took nonsense from anyone and the way she yells at people whenever they tell her to let it go is gut-bustingly hilarious! I love all the jokes about her glutes and how she always teases Sanders about being weak. The "Gangnam Style" dance she did in My Way or Zimbabwe was one of her most memorable moments and the way she teased the hater daters was hilarious! Let's not forget her twerking skills that are way superior to Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj! I always love when she goes into bad cop mode and hijacks vehicles and is always on the attack. Not to mention that "Jennifer Masterson" reference and her real name being Valentina Escobar! While I wasn't a big fan of some of the toilet humor she had, every scene of hers made me laugh and made me laugh HARD. Her bad cop ways, her temper, her fierceness, her moves, everything! And another thing I really love about her is that she has a good heart deep down inside. She cares a lot about Sanders, which is shown by the number of times she saved her, and she was really upset and guilty when Sanders broke her arm. That was another very emotional moment in the season that had me in tears. I really like how MacArthur began to respect Sanders more and began seeing herself in a "sidekick" position and Sanders in a "leader" position. That is some really great development there. MacArthur even had the guts to save her mortal enemy, Josee! It just shows that under all that rock solid toughness is a big softie! I hope I get to see MacArthur again in the future! And now, let's move on to Sanders. So, obviously, Sanders is the "good cop" of the duo. She started off as kind of...."there". She was always the voice of reason to MacArthur's ways, just like how Jacques was to Josee. And then as the season went on, she proved to be one of the toughest contestants in the whole series. Despite breaking her arm, she still had the guts to continue on in the competition and the way she took over as leader of the team was great! She had really great character development and even helped get her and MacArthur to the final two by risking her broken arm to get the travel tip. She always managed to push through no matter what and she also had some funny moments and lines once in a while. Both of their designs and voices and personalities were really fantastic. Overall, this is a really fantastic duo and I'd better see them again for a future Total Drama season (perhaps a Ridonculous Race All-Stars season ;) ).
18. Geoff and Brody (Surfer Dudes): Now, here's my other favorite team as well as the winners of the season: the surfer dudes! Oh man, I didn't expect these guys to make it so far into the game and win. I was so happy to see Geoff back after not competing for over 6 years O__O. I was also really worried that he and Brody were going to be one of the first teams eliminated considering how they were one of the last ones to finish the first challenge. But they went way further than I thought they would and I really loved their friendship. These guys make up one of the best television bromances I've ever seen. In fact, I think Geoff might love Brody more than Bridgette :o. But needless to say, their bromance was great and it started a trending ship on Tumblr! I love how they're always willing to stick up for each other and support each other no matter what. Their friendship is portrayed really well in Little Bull on the Prairie and Lord of the Ring Toss. They didn't let any obstacles defeat their chances of clearing the challenge or winning the million. Despite not being the smartest of teams, they did really well, winning 5 challenges for themselves (or 4 if you consider the cadets as the real winners of the season). They also didn't let the Ice Dancers mess with their brains, which made for a pretty entertaining plotline in that episode. They got eliminated in probably the saddest elimination I've ever seen. After so many episodes of playing fairly and being kind to the other teams, they sacrificed themselves for the best friends, which was one of their shining moments and proves what great guys they were. They left on a good note that time, but then got even better news when they find out that they will be returning to compete. They make it to the finals and hilariously mess up a challenge, but do really well in their comeback. While I think that the cadets deserved to win more than the surfers, I was pretty happy with the surfers winning as well. They had a very positive mindset that made them such likeable characters. They were kind to all their teammates, they had a blast, and played fairly through and through. In fact, I actually might like the surfers' ending a little bit better because of that adorable Brody x MacArthur moment. While Brody x MacArthur isn't my favorite ship, I think they go pretty well together and I did find it pretty funny the way Brody fawned over MacArthur. And it's pretty great to see that MacArthur might have a thing for Brody. Overall, this team was really amazing and a pleasure to watch this season.
19. Don: I don't really have too much to say about Don. He was a pretty decent host. Sure he didn't have the same energy as Chris did, but he was still pretty good. He was a very fair host and actually seemed at least somewhat concerned for the contestants' lives, UNLIKE A CERTAIN SOMEONE WHO I WILL BE TALKING ABOUT IN MY NEXT TOTAL DRAMA THEORY. He was a little mean to the Vegans, especially when he penalized them and rudely said goodbye to them, but he was just messing with them. So, didn't really mind it. It was pretty funny seeing him taunt the Ice Dancers in the last few episodes when he penalized them and cut them from the competition and also be the third wheel to Geoff and Brody's bromance. Not much else to say. He was a solid host who was fair, humorous sometimes, and seemed to be a realistic parody of a reality TV host.
Overall, most of the teams were great. At best, they were truly fantastic with great character development, likeable characters, and many shining moments from them. At worst, they were mediocre: either hit-or-miss or okay but annoying sometimes. I find that to be really impressive and a huge step-up from the past Total Drama seasons. Alright, onto the episodes!
Episodes
1. None Down, Eighteen to Go, Part 1: GOOD
2. None Down, Eighteen to Go, Part 2: GREAT
3. French is an Eiffel Language: GREAT
4. Mediterranean Homesick Blues: GOOD
5. Bjorken Telephone: GREAT
6. Brazilian Pain Forest: GOOD
7. A Tisket, A Tasket, I'm Gonna Blow a Gasket: GREAT
8. Hawaiian Honeyruin: GREAT (#5 on Top 5)
9. Hello and Dubai: GOOD
10. New Beijinging: GOOD
11. I Love Ridonc and Roll: GREAT (#3 on Top 5)
12. My Way Or Zimbabwe: GREAT (#2 on Top 5)
13. Shawshank Ridonction: GREAT
14. Down and Outback: GOOD
15. Maori or Less: GOOD (a bit close to meh)
16. Little Bull on the Praire: GREAT
17. Lord of the Ring Toss: GOOD
18. Got Venom: GOOD
19. Dude Buggies: GOOD
20. El Bunny Supremo: GOOD
21. Ca-Noodling: GREAT
22. How Deep Is Your Love: GOOD (close to meh)
23. Darjeel With It: GREAT
24. Last Tango in Buenos Aires: GREAT (#4 on Top 5)
25. Bahamarama: MEH
26. A Million Ways To Lose A Million Dollars: GREAT (#1 on Top 5)
Overall, there were 25 GOOD episodes, 1 MEH episode, and no bad episodes at all! That is really impressive. In addition to that, most of the episodes that were good were amazing. There were a lot of really fantastic episodes this season and I had a really hard time coming up with my top 5 favorite episodes. Nothing much else to say. Now, let's talk about the comedy and drama.
Comedy/Drama
WOW. If there's one major aspect of the season I was blown away by, it was the drama. I was really surprised at how many dramatic moments this season had. This included the rivalry of the Ice Dancers and Cadets in the Shawshank Ridonc-tion and the dramatic way that they both boomeranged each other. And the way that the Ice Dancers sabotaged the Cadets into last place was very dramatic indeed and executed really well. I found some of the eliminations to be very dramatic and emotional. The Rockers' and Stepbrothers' double elimination was a huge shocker and I sobbed at the goths', surfers', and sisters' eliminations. They were all emotional and executed very well. This season had quite a lot of tear jerkers. Another major tear jerker was the scene when Sanders broke her arm. MacArthur not only feels bad about it. But she actually SOBS about it. I'm just thinking, "No, MacArthur. Don't cry. You were always the strong one. Don't cry. No, no, don't...NOOOO There's no hope for humanity!" That was one of the most perfectly executed scenes of the show and it really knew how to bring emotions from the audience. I really connected with it and that was a good sign. Carrie and Devin's disqualification at the end was also pretty emotional for me. I felt horrible for Devin because of the way he got injured. Surviving those kinds of accidents isn't easy and I felt really bad for him in his state. But the romance between him and Carrie was very adorable and well done and the way they hooked up gave me the feels. Other than the drama and emotional moments, the comedy was also very fantastic. There were so many great lines, memorable moments, and gut-bustingly hilarious moments in every episode this season. The episodes also manage to keep me invested the whole time and keep me guessing what's going to happen next. These episodes were jam-packed with jokes, excitement, and emotional and dramatic moments every second that made it a very fun ride. I mean wow. Compared to Island, it is such a huge step up from it. Alright, now onto the continuity.
Continuity
Aside from that weird thing of Kitty doing two straight botches without being penalized for it, I have to admit that the writing/continuity this season was really well done. Existence of past episodes is acknowledged and we even get a whole bunch of character/episode references from past seasons to prove that the show has not lost its continuity and acknowledges that every past season existed. The writing was great, every plot was developed well, and characters were developed great too without any off-putting or out of character moments. Not much else to say. Alright, onto the challenges!
Challenges
I really liked many of the challenges this season. While there were a few challenges that weren't that interesting, like the New Zealand one and the Bahamas one, there were still a handful of challenges that were entertaining in their own way. I liked the caricature challenge in France, the gymnastics/coffin one in Transylvania, the rock and roll one in Finland, the selfie safari in Zimbabwe, and the fast-paced New York challenge. Most of the challenges portrayed their respective location really well and several of them were very exciting and unpredictable. I really liked the diversity of them and how they were all incorporated into the Amazing Race reality show theme. They weren't too over-the-top in terms of danger, they were realistic, and didn't feel repetitious. Overall, great. Onto the animation/music.
Animation/Music
I decided to make a subsection for the animation and music of this season because I really feel the need to talk about it. The animation this season is probably the best I've ever seen in this series. It was fast-paced, didn't feel very choppy, no grotesque or weird images, no noticeable animation mistakes, and was very beautiful and clear. I really love all the background visuals of the areas of the world, especially the mountainous areas of Argentina and Alberta, the islands of Hawaii, the forests of India, and especially Vietnam. The last chill zone at Vietnam was located at a place that reminded me very much of King Louie's hideout in the Jungle Book. The animation seemed like high-definition animation to me and the backgrounds were beautifully done. Not to mention the great use of 3-D animation in the finale! Another thing that I really loved was the background music. This was especially used well in the last few episodes of the season. There was such an epic feel to all the music tracks, especially when the contestants were competing in the last stretch of the challenges. I loved all the build-up and atmosphere that they provided and the music did such a great job in establishing clear tones for the seasons. The heartfelt music used for the goths and the best friends was also used very well and sounded beautiful. I also really liked the "wah-wah-wah" music and the other tracks that played whenever something comedic happened. I swear I've heard some of those comedic tracks on the show The Middle. If you see an episode of The Middle and then listen to the background tracks of TDRR when something comedic happens, they sound pretty alike. I'm actually taking a video game music class right now, so I'm doing a pretty good job at analyzing some of the different music tracks that the season had to offer. Overall, the animation and music was the best I've seen and listened to in the series.
How Realistic the Season Was
I am so impressed with the realistic tone that this season established. No radioactive islands, no artificial islands, no robots, no mutant animals, nothing! This season feels like a proper reality show to me and is exactly what future seasons should strive to be like. We still had some animals expressing human emotion (ex. the emu in Last Tango in Buenos Aires and a few of the animals from Little Bull on the Praire) but it was nothing over-the-top and it was played for laughs, which really worked. I like how the season manages to be funny, dramatic, and investing without any of the unrealistic elements from the last couple of seasons.
Final Thoughts of the Season
Do I even need to say that this season was awesome? I was absolutely enamored with this season! It could not have been better. The character development was fantastic, the episodes were amazing at best and "okay" at worst, the animation and music was out of this world, the comedy, drama, and emotional moments were really fantastic and pulled you in for more, the season managed to maintain its realistic tone, the writing and continuity was great, the challenges were great, and I think the season did a perfect job in parodying the Amazing Race genre of reality shows. Honestly, not only is this season as good as Island, but it surpasses it in each and every way. I was blown away by how good this season was. So many of my expectations were exceeded and the makers of this season put so much effort into it. I don't even know what else to say about it. It's just so good. I hope that Total Drama continues getting better like this, because this season was just amazing.
With that said, thank you all for watching this season with me and I'll see you all soon! GoGoGadget831, out!