Animation Survivor- Episode Thirteen

Key
(Stage Directions in parentheses indicate no speech is attached to them. There may be background music or sound though.)
[Stage Directions in brackets show action, with irrelevant speech associated. Screaming and other reactions may be there too.]
Italic speech indicates a one-on-one interview with the character. Shot is of that character alone unless otherwise indicated.

Episode Script:
(Tom is sitting at Tribal Council.)
Tom: Thirty-six days ago, sixteen kids were stranded on this island. Every three days, they selected one to leave. Twelve are gone, and only four remain. They struggled to accommodate their basic daily needs, they lasted through the social onslaught, and they did what they had to do to survive. They each accomplished it in different ways. Some used trickery, forming alliances, carefully selected the people to leave. Some used friendship, making themselves so likeable that nobody would vote for them. Some were able to balance the two, using both when the situation called for it. The original sixteen were divided into tribes, eight from American shows, eight from Japanese shows. Now, two from each remain. They were also representing six different shows. Now, it is down to one person for each of four shows. Now comes the final three days, and one character will be crowned as the ultimate survivor. Will it be Bart from The Simpsons? Will it be Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls? Or maybe Tai from Digimon? Or Pokémon’s Tracey? In three short days, thirty-nine days of build-up will culminate with one of those four taking home the gold.

Day Thirty-Seven

Tai: I suppose I should be happy that I’m still here, and that my vote last night made the difference in removing Lisa, but it’s a pretty shallow victory. I didn’t do anything special for it to happen; it was probably Bubbles that went against her friend. I don’t think I should be happy, or even be glad Bubbles did it. It’s nice that I still have a chance at winning now, especially since nobody really has an advantage. Problem is, if I really was going to make a strong run at winning, I’d have to do the lowest, most devious thing I’ve ever done in my life… associate with Tracey.

(Tai is sitting on the beach, quietly watching the ocean when Tracey arrives. Tracey appears a little more humble. He sits next to Tai, still quiet. Finally, it’s Tai who breaks the silence.)
Tai: Well?

Tracey: Hmm?

Tai: Aren’t you going to go on about how we succeeded in voting Lisa off or something?

Tracey: Nope.

Tai: You aren’t?!

Tracey: Why? I wasn’t at any risk of getting voted off. The next one’s the one I’m worried about. I suppose you could be happy that I helped vote Lisa off though.

Tai: Look, I’m not happy about anything. I’m just going to vote whoever I feel like until I get kicked off. I’m not helping you win!

(Tai gets up and starts walking away.)

Tracey: No offense, Tai, but you are dense sometimes.

(Tai turns around, angry.)

Tracey: I don’t think you realize this, but you have just as much chance to win as anybody else here. You and I have just as much power against Bart and Bubbles, and you have just as much power against me. I’m surprised at you. You haven’t once considered the possibility of winning this yourself.

Tai: Look, I’ve thought about it before. Just not as much as some people apparently. Don’t get me wrong, it would be awesome to win. I’m just not obsessed with it.

Tracey: Ah, good old self-confidence. You know you’re a good guy and don’t need a trophy to prove it.

Tai: Is something wrong with that?

Tracey: No. Not when you’re starting out. This is a great place for a nice little adventure to have fun and stuff. That’s what you’re here for right?

Tai: Yeah.

Tracey: How are you doing?

Tai: (dimly) You’re still here. That answers it pretty well.

(Tracey smiles.)

Tracey: Tai, you’re in the Final Four. Having fun isn’t an option anymore. You’ve been through a hell of a lot. You survived the island, you survived Lisa and the Americans… you’ve even survived me so far. Which is more than I can say about some people I used to date.

Tai: What do you want from me?

Tracey: I want you to take this game seriously. That’s all.

Tai: You want me to help you win… right?

Tracey: Well yeah, but I’d rather have competition from people who care about this.

(Tai walks off, shaking his head. Tracey smiles, then loses his smile and looks to the sea.)

Tracey: You know, I’d hate to admit it, but that stuff that Ash told me yesterday really had an impact on me. I’ve been with him for a little while, and yet as much as I’m turned off by his drive for success, I’m now starting to think that I share that drive. I want to win, I want my win to be heard around the world, and I want to win against the best. Ash is the same way. We have different ways of showing it, and Ash certainly has to do some major re-evaluation of his strategies to succeed, but we’re both cut from the same cloth. We fight hard to get what we want. And not only that, after I vote him off, he’s still right there to cheer from me. He actually accepted me into his group. I haven’t even accepted myself into his group. I’m just humbled a bit by that. I guess I’ve taken Ash for granted over the past couple months. That’s why I have to win this. Not just for me, but for Ash and Misty as well.
 

(Bubbles is sitting at the campfire, alone, looking sad. Bart approaches.)
Bart: Bubbles?

[Bubbles sighs.]

Bart: Is there something we need to talk about?

Bubbles: (sad) I’m sorry.

Bart: That’s it? You vote off my sister, you vote off your friend, and that’s all you have to say? Bubbles, I won’t get mad at you if you just tell me why you did it!

Bubbles: Because I like you too much for you to vote me off.

(Bubbles floats away, leaving Bart confounded.)

Bubbles: (sad) I didn’t want to vote off Tai, but that’s not really the reason I did it. I like Bart and Lisa too much. If we did vote off Tai, and then we did voted off Tracey, then what? Bart and Lisa would’ve voted me off next, and I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. I couldn’t let that happen. Besides, I’m fighting for Blossom and Buttercup too. I can’t let them down.

Bart: I’m just lost when it comes to Bubbles. There has to be a good reason why she turned on Lisa. All three of us were so close, and Bubbles, out of nowhere, votes her off. If she had a problem with Lisa, why didn’t she tell her about it? If we’re doing something she doesn’t want to do, she has to let us know about these things. Voting Lisa off was not the right answer. It’s too late in the game for something like that, and we’re too close to winning. Or at least we were. I don’t know what we’ll do now. But I wish Bubbles would just tell me what’s going on. Otherwise… I don’t know what to think.
 

["Tree-mail." Tai is taking a bag down from it. He looks inside, then heads back.]

[Back at camp, Tai and Tracey are going through the materials, with Bart looking over. Tracey pulls out Ash’s traditional cap.]
Tracey: Hmm. This is Ash’s.

[Tai pulls out a harmonica.]

Tai: Matt’s.

(Tracey pulls out a blue floppy cap, with a red ball on top.)

Bart: That’s Stan’s.

[Tai pulls out Sora’s hat, and quickly screams and drops it.]

Tracey: How do they keep getting that thing?
 

Tribal Council
Tom: Sorry, we edited out the immunity challenge because Tai mentioned a gun and the censors wouldn’t let us show it. Just kidding, we haven’t had it yet. Since this is the last three days, and since we have only four left, we here at Animation Survivor will do the obvious thing with this final episode- waste time remembering the first twelve saps. And with that, we have another trivia style challenge. This time the focus is on the 12 that got voted off, in a game we call "Fallen Comrades."

(The four arrive, and sit down in place.)

Tom: Hello. We’re going to have the immunity challenge first, and then the official Tribal Council. Since the jury has nowhere to wait… we’ll just invite them to attend the challenge.

(Blossom, Izzy, Stan, Sora, and Lisa sit down.)

Izzy: All right, time to watch the final four in action.

Stan: Can we get some popcorn here?

Sora: Let’s do the wave!

(Tom hands each of the finalists a sketchpad and pen, then returns to his spot.)

Tom: Okay, in this challenge, I will ask you ten questions related to the twelve castaways that got yanked. Whoever gets the most right wins immunity. We’ll have the Tribal Council immediately after… Tracey, what are you doing?

(Tracey is sketching with the issued pad, with a thumb towards the jury.)

Tracey: Okay, okay, now for this one, everybody close together. Sora, put your arm around Izzy.

Tom: Ahem. Tracey?

Tracey: Okay guys, just hold that pose, I’ll be with you in a second.

Tom: Thank you. Now… on to question one… name the two castaways that were the first ones voted off on each side.
(The four think for a second, then write down their answers, and reveal them to Tom. All but Tracey has "Eric & Matt." Tracey has "Matt & Buttercup.")

Tom: Eric and Matt is correct. Bart, Bubbles, and Tai get a point. Next- Who were the four diggers in the relay immunity challenge?
(All show their answers. Tai and Tracey have the correct answer of "Ash, Tracey, Lisa, and Bubbles." Bart and Bubbles both switched Ash for Izzy.)

Tom: Tai and Tracey are correct. It’s Ash, not Izzy.

Izzy: You’re confusing me with Ash? Should I be concerned?

Stan: Be afraid. Be very afraid.

(Tom hands a red and white sneaker to Tracey. He passes it around.)

Tom: This is not a shoe.

Tracey: Who are you, René Magritte?

Tom: Who are you, Dennis Miller? I’ll remind you to please refrain from using references that go far above the average reader. It’s a question. Whose shoe is it anyway?
(Tai and Bart supply the correct answer of "Misty." Tracey says "Serena." Bubbles says "Sora.")

Tom: Point for Tai and Bart. Next- What American state is Bart and Lisa’s hometown of Springfield located?
(The four write down their answers. We can’t see what they put down.)

Tom: Come on Tai! That’s a gimmee! Question 5- Who was the Japanese representative for the rowing challenge?
(Tai, Tracey, and Bart correctly answer "Izzy." Bubbles says "Ash.")

Tom: Sorry, Bubbles, it’s not Ash. It’s Izzy.

(Shot of the jury, and Izzy looking somewhat nervous. Stan leans over.)

Stan: (mocking) I choose you… Pikachu!

Izzy: I am not Ash!!

Tom: Question 6- Who was the first voted off after the merger?
(Bubbles, Bart and Tai say "Misty." Tracey says "Blossom.")

Tom: It’s Misty, and Bart and Tai stay tied. Number 7- Another prop. Whose is it?
(This time, it’s a green hat, with earflaps. Bart and Bubbles say "Kyle." Tai and Tracey say "Eric.")

Tom: It’s Kyle, giving Bart a 6-5 lead. Next up- Serena fights the forces of evil under what alias?
(The four look tepidly at each other. None provide the correct answer.)

Tom: Okay… none of you have heard of Sailor Moon?

Blossom: She must’ve done a good job of keeping her identity secret!

Tom: I guess. Anyway… who received just one vote in the first council?
(Bart and Bubbles say "Buttercup." Tai says "Bart." Tracey says "Blossom.")

Tom: And the correct answer is Buttercup.

Tai: That doesn’t seem very fair.

Tom: Well, we didn’t plan on it being a clincher. Anyway, we even it out with the last question- Who received only one vote in the fourth council, a Japanese one?
(Tai, Tracey and Bubbles put down "Ash." Bart puts down- you guessed it- "Izzy.")

Tom: The correct answer is Ash.

[Izzy gets up, screams, and runs down the path to the beach. Bart laughs.]

Bart: I did that on purpose. I knew I already won.

Tom: That’s right, Bart. Your 7 beats Tai and Bubbles, who had 6. Tracey had 4. You have won immunity. Heads up.

[Tom sloppily throws the immunity talisman at Bart, who manages to lean past Tai and catch it.]

Tom: Okay. Now that that’s over, let’s cut the chat. We’re already running on five pages here, and we got two more counsels to go. Bubbles… write down your pick. No hole punches to worry about, so you can’t accidentally vote Buchanan!

Lisa: What’s wrong with voting off Buchanan? The sooner he’s gone, the better.

(Bubbles heads to the voting booth, voter’s shot as she writes down "TRACEY")
Bubbles: I don’t like him as much as Bart and Tai. Plus he made me vote off Lisa.

(She leaves. Fade to aerial shot of Tai and Tracey voting. Fade to voter’s shot of Tracey holding "BUBBLES".)
Tracey: As much as Tai probably deserves it, I’m going to grant him a reprieve. This is his last chance to prove himself.

(He leaves. Fade to aerial of Bart voting. He waits a second, then votes.)

(He returns to the site. Tom takes the box.)
Tom: Okay… once the votes are tallied… jury take it away!

Blossom/Stan/Sora/Lisa: The decision is final and the person must leave the island immediately!

Tom: Thanks. Where’d Izzy run off to?

Stan: I think he went to become a Pokémon master.

Tom: Okay. That’ll take him five minutes. Just as long as he’s back for the final.

(Tom reaches in.)

Tom: First vote is for Tracey.
(Tracey looks down, nervous.)

Tom: Second vote for Bubbles.
(Bubbles looks sad for a second.)

Tom: Then… Tracey. And the fourth vote… Bubbles.
[The four look up in some shock. Tom immediately tries to calm them.]

Tom: (easing) Now, now! Don’t panic. We’ve planned for this. It’s not the end of the world.

[A large tree (actually an aluminum fake) collapses, taking out a table in front of the castaways. Everyone except Tom screams.]

Tom: (somewhat worried) Well… it is day 37, this place is starting to fall apart. Anyway, to break this tie, the two tentative finalists have to make a brief argument to the one that voted for them. Then, only those two will vote. Bubbles, why don’t you start with your argument for Tai?

Tai: What? I voted for Tracey!

Tom: You did?

Bart: Yeah, I voted Bubbles.

Tom: Fine, fine, whatever. Bubbles. Present case to Bart.

Bubbles: Oh. Um. Well, we had so much fun together. I know it’s been rough for a little while, but why can’t we go back to the way things were? Before the alliances and stuff, before we started ganging up on our other friends?

(Bubbles stops. Shot of Lisa, looking somewhat sad.)

Tom: Okay. Tracey? This should be good.

Tracey: Well, Tai. This is simply a case of loyalty. You can’t win without me. The question is whether that’s really your goal. And at this point in the game, I think it should be. You know you’re strong enough. I know you’re strong enough. Might as well work towards getting something to back that up. Although saving the world is a good start. Oh, and thanks for doing that by the way, really helped us all out!

Tom: Okay. Bart, Tai. Go do your thing.

(Bart and Tai go over to vote, one by one. Aerial shot of both of them voting. They return, one by one, and Tom takes the box and opens it up.)
Tom: Alright. This should be fun. First vote is for Tracey.

(Tracey shakes his head, somewhat angry.)

Tom: Second vote… Bubbles? Guys… we have to get up really early for the next challenge, and we can’t leave until one of you two switches!

Bart/Tai: I did switch!!

(Tom slaps himself on the forehead.)

Tom: I think I’m going to go join Izzy. Anyway… Bubbs, Trace, make it snappy.

Tracey: Well, Bart, I admire your cunning. You join the alliance at the right moments, and you leave it at the right moments. You’ve definitely earned the right to be this far. The question is whether or not you make the right move tonight to go all the way. I can’t say what it is, but remember that that jury over there, as fair as they are, may vote for the most popular.

Bubbles: That wasn’t snappy!! Anyway, Tai, I hope you don’t let Tracey get to you. Buttercup used to be really demanding like that, but I got over her. It’s possible to enjoy yourself and try to win. I’ve been having fun since I got here, and I’m also really close to winning. Just vote for what’s in your heart.

Tom: Oh. Touching. Kamiya? Simpson? Time for votesies!

(Again, Bart and Tai vote one at a time. Again, aerial shot, although both take a little longer. They return and Tom takes the box.)

Tom: Tribal Council- Act 13, Take 3- First vote is for Bubbles. The second vote… and if it’s Tracey I’m borrowing Manny’s gun.

Blossom: Hey! No gun references! Remember what those censors said!

Tom: (reading the card, happy) Yes! It’s Bubbles!! I’m free! (serious) Get your torch.

[Bubbles sadly takes her torch over to Tom, who has a snuffer. He calms down.]
Tom: Anyway… even though it went into double overtime… the tribe has spoken.

(He snuffs her torch.)
Tom: It’s time to go.

(Bubbles floats down the path to the beach. Stay on that shot.)

Izzy: (excited, off screen) Yes! I got Shoe!!

Tom: Don’t worry. We have medicine for that. You can head back to camp. As I said, I’ll be getting you up early tomorrow. Or rather… Barb will! I’m sleeping in.

(Shot of Bart, Tai, and Tracey heading back to camp. Follow them, Bubbles speaks.)

Confessional
Bubbles: I’m still not sure whether or not I made a mistake voting for Lisa and Tracey. I don’t like alliances, but it’s strange that as soon as I leave one, I get voted off. I don’t hold anything against Bart for voting me off, I could understand that he’d get a bit angry for voting his sister off. But it’ll be good seeing Blossom and Buttercup again, and I’m still on the jury, so it’ll be okay.
 

Day Thirty-Eight

[Very early morning. The sun has barely risen when Barb invades the camp. She first goes over to Tracey, sleeping outside as usual. She kicks him in the stomach. He wakes up!]
Tracey: (mumbling) Escargo Express, can I help you?

Barb: Yes, Tracey, you have to help me wake up the others.

[Tracey wakes up and looks at Barb, a bit groggy.]

Tracey: How?

Barb: With style!

[Inside the shelter, Bart and Tai are sleeping peacefully. Barb and Tracey walk in, and pelt them with coconuts until they wake up and complain.]
Bart: What was that for?

Tracey: That’s Barb’s idea of waking you up with style.

(Tracey is pelted with a coconut by Tai. It hits his head and breaks open. Tracey catches one part of it.)

Tracey: Thanks Tai, I was a bit hungry.

[Barb grabs all three of them and leads them away. Tracey drops the coconut.]

Barb: Oh, you’re in trouble then.
 

[Sand spit. The setup is quite elaborate, I’ll explain each part as we get there. The sun has just come up. Manny is on the island, yawning in between sips of coffee. Barb arrives with the three. Manny greets them… and yawns again.]

Manny: Hoo… welcome to the final immunity challenge. Obviously, this has a huge impact on who wins the game yadda yadda yadda… anyone want a sip of this?

Tai/Tracey/Bart: Yes!

[They all approach and each have a swig of the coffee. It helps a little.]

Barb: Manny, are you sure you should be doing that? Tom said…

Manny: We got all these kooky ritual doohickys today, Barb, we’ll just say this is the ceremonial coffee sip of… spirituality.

Barb: Right. Anyway… Tom said all this crap about ceremonies and how you three are the gold, silver, and bronze medal winners here. I didn’t remember most of it, so the first thing we do is walk past these natives holding ferns for no good reason.

[Nearby, there are natives (or as most people would call them, cameramen), swinging palm branches up and down. The five walk through them, to an area where thirteen extinguished torches are scattered out. Manny yawns.]

Manny: Okay, next on the tour is the graveyard. These thirteen torches represent the thirteen castaways that were already voted off. You can tell, because it has their names on them. Just take some time to remember all of the people that got yanked.

[The castaways do so, as Manny yawns, then looks at his coffee.]

Manny: God, what is this, decaf?

(Because it is a deserving tribute to the thirteen prior, we’ll go through this part. Cue nostalgic music. First, shot of a torch, with the name Eric written on it.)

(Dissolve to a shot of Eric, getting mad at Bart. All the other American castaways, are laughing, including Bart himself.)

(Next, shot of Matt’s torch. Shot of Matt playing the harmonica on the beach, overlooking the sunrise.)

(Shot of Buttercup’s torch. Shot of Buttercup flying to the rescue against the Arbok.)

(Shot of Serena’s torch. Shot of Serena helping out Izzy and Sora in piecing together a part of the "Rescue Signal" reward challenge.)

(Shot of Ash’s torch. Shot of Ash giving his big pep talk in Episode Three, concluding with him putting his fist in the circle for the rest of the group to follow suit.)

(Shot of Kyle’s torch. Shot of Kyle walking the beach with Lisa, in his emotional last-ditch effort to get the alliance to change their minds about Stan.)

(Shot of Misty’s torch. Shot of Misty relaxing with Bart in lawn chairs, with a glass of tea and sunglasses. They say something and toast glasses.)

(Shot of Blossom’s torch. Closeup of Blossom, quietly admiring the sunrise with Lisa.)

(Shot of Izzy’s torch. Shot of Izzy in the rowing immunity challenge, working hard and helping Sora board the canoe.)

(Shot of Stan’s torch. Shot of Stan, arriving on the beach with Tracey and a dumpload of fish, smiling.)

(Shot of Sora’s torch. Shot of Sora, comforting a somewhat distraught Tai in the hot spring. She smiles, and puts a hand on his shoulder.)

(Shot of Lisa’s torch. Shot of Lisa, talking very frankly with Bart on the beach. She appears emotional, feeling strongly about her opinion)

(Shot of Bubbles’s torch. Close-up of Bubbles, goofing off on the beach with Bart, Lisa, and Stan, having a perfectly content time.)

(The three still alive now stand in front of a pit of hot coals, Barb and Manny surround them.)

Tai: Let me guess…

Barb/Manny: Yep.

Bart: So what’s this one for?

Manny: Don’t have a clue.

Barb: We just like to torture you guys!

(Tracey, Bart, and Tai look a bit disgruntled, then walk across quickly with no hassle. Next, they see the original immunity idol up high on a pedestal. Surrounding it are three lower pedestals.)

Manny: Naturally, the final immunity challenge is the easiest to figure out, but the toughest to win. Each of you, stand on one of the lower pedestals and put a hand on the idol.

(They do so.)

Manny: Last one to keep a hand on it wins. Simple as that.

Tai: That’s it?

Manny: Yep.

(They all stand there, quiet for a few moments.)

Bart: Hey, Tai, bet you can’t…

Tai: Don’t even think about it!
 

[Way later. Almost 10:00. Tom arrives on the scene, with a tray with six bowls of gelato.]
Tom: Hey, guys. Hanging in there I see. Barb? Manny?

[Shot of Barb and Manny, asleep on two lower pedestals around the perimeter. Tom looks annoyed, then puts one of the bowls upside down on Manny’s head.]

Manny: What the? Hey!

Tom: So kids, who wants gelato?

(The kids start drooling over it.)

Tom: Great…

(Once Manny moves, he puts a bowl on one pedestal, then a bowl the other two pedestals. He gives one bowl and the tray to Barb, who thankfully has woken up, and he takes the last bowl and tortures the castaways, eating it right in front of them.]

Tom: Oh man… gelato de resort. The stuff dreams are made of. Anyway… how are you three doing?

Tracey: Guys, this is the deal. Whoever loses first kills Tom.

Bart/Tai: Deal.

Barb: Then why would you want to win?

Tom: It’s all part of the challenge, Barb. You give them tons of temptation in an effort to get them to leave. Makes the game much more interesting. Wait until lunch rolls around, I bet one of them breaks into tears.

Tracey: The hell with this!

[Tracey steps down, goes over to a pedestal, grabs a bowl and starts digging in.]

Tracey: Mm… bet you didn’t see that one coming Tom.

Tom: (dry) Tracey. I think there were people on Saturn that saw that one coming.

[Tracey finishes up his gelato, pleased.]

Tracey: Wow, that was good. Got any more?

[Tom glances at the other two, still on the pedestal, somewhat shocked.]

Tom: Eat Tai’s.

Tai: What??!!

[Tracey does so.]

Bart: So Tracey’s out of the challenge?

Tom: Yep. Now you and Tai get to suffer for the rest of the day.

Tracey: (OS) Does that mean I can eat Bart’s too?

Tom: (to Tracey) Yeah sure. (to Bart) And believe me… it’s all guys here, so we have a lot more down the line for temptation.

Tracey: (OS, excited) Woohoo!!
 

[It’s about 12:00. Several Polynesian women (with traditional clothing) are standing over Tracey, laying down on a very soft recliner, fanning him with palm leaves. Tracey is looking through a menu, then hands it to Manny.]
Tracey: Filet mignon, please.

Manny: Sure.

(Manny coughs, and holds out his hand. Tracey slips some money into his hands.)

Tom: Tracey, you didn’t need to tip him.

Manny: (cheery) Yes he did!

(Manny walks away. Shot of Tai and Bart, still on the pedestal.)

Tai: Tracey, you realize that whoever wins between Bart and I are going to vote you off for sure now?

Tracey: Hmm… I suppose you’re right.

Tom: That’s kinda the point of this Tracey… it shows that giving in to temptation isn’t…

Tracey: If that’s the case, better make the most of it. Can you get Sora over here?

Tai: What??!!

Tom: Uh… I’ll see what I can do.

Bart: Trace, you mean with all you did to try to win, you don’t care if you go out now?

Tracey: Oh, of course I care. It means the world to me. But Manny was right, this is the toughest challenge we’ve had so far. And I know my limits. I can’t win this. Remember that balancing thing? That was like the same challenge, without the gelato. I was the first one knocked off of that. Throw the gelato in there, and it goes way past my abilities. I figure take myself out now, and simply make it a two-way race for immunity. Meanwhile, Tai was telling us all about trying to enjoy himself on this island trip. He’s right. Might as well live in the lapse of luxury after a month of eating rats. Where’s Sora?

Tom: Barb says she can’t come. Sequestered jury. But if those two are going to be at it long enough, I can get Mimi.

Tracey: Eww, no thanks. But just for the sake of annoying Tai… how about Kari?

[Tom smiles and looks at Tai. Tai looks hostile for a second, then lightens up and almost breaks into laughter.]

Tai: (to Tracey) You don’t know when to quit.

Tracey: Correction Tai…

(he holds up a glass of lemonade, with parasol)

Tracey: I do know when to quit!
 

[It’s almost two now. Bart and Tai are seated on the pedestals, with one hand each still on the idol. Bart is feeling his chin with his free hand.]
Bart: I’m only ten and I think I’m getting a five o’clock shadow.

Tai: But it’s only two.

Bart: Two? That means we’ve been here for…

Tai: Almost nine hours I think. No food… no water…

Bart: Yeah, and having us rotate pedestals wasn’t much for movement.

Tai: Yeah… and one of us didn’t let go while doing it either.

Bart: Bummer.

Tai: Man, I’d kill for a drink.

[Tai is hit by a spray of water. He barely hangs on.]

Tai: What the? Tracey??

[Tracey is seen with a high-powered squirt gun, shooting at Tai.]

Tai: Little higher!

[Tracey shoots the water straight into Tai’s mouth. Then Bart’s mouth.]

Manny: (to Tracey) You know, you aren’t supposed to directly interfere like that. But that was a pretty good shot so I’ll allow it.

Tracey: Thanks. I thought they needed some refreshment.

Manny: (sly) Right… that’s ocean water, right?

Tracey: Um. No.

(Manny takes away the squirt gun.)

Manny: You’re no fun.

Bart: Hey, where did Tom go?

Manny: He took a break. Torturing you two is hard work.

Tai: He probably ate too much.

Manny: Probably. Tell you what, we’ll make this interesting. We’ll play "red light/green light." I’ll turn my back, go "green light" and you can take your hand off. But when I say "red light," you have to go back. If I catch you, you’re out. Ready… Green Light!

(Manny turns his back for about five seconds, then turns again.)

Manny: Red light!

(Bart and Tai have their hands on the idol.)

Manny: Wow, you two are good.

Tracey: They didn’t do anything.

Manny: Impressive.

[Nearing 3:00. Tom returns, with more stuff. He looks at Tai and Bart, then drops the stuff, shocked.]
Tom: What the??

[Tai and Bart have picked up the idol, and are moving around the area, picking up random temptations, while still keeping hands on it at all times. Tracey is laughing.]
Tom: Okay, okay, very funny, back to the spot.

[Bart and Tai grudgingly bring the idol back to the spot and get on the pedestal. While dropping it back in the slot, it falls through, and it looks as though Bart’s hand may have let go for a second.]

Tai: Hey, did he…?

Tom: Um… I don’t know. That’s too close to call.

(Tracey gets up and starts walking away.)

Tracey: I’ll get the lawyers.

[Some time has passed, and Tom is in the area, looking through an NFL-style replay booth, complete with shading and headphones. Tai and Bart are watching, still with a hand on the idol. Tom finally comes out, and takes the headphones.]
Tom: Okay, after looking at it very closely, I’ve decided that it wasn’t conclusive enough for Bart’s hand to leave. So with that, the challenge continues.

(Closeup of a relieved Bart as he wipes his forehead with his hand. Unfortunately, zoom out to show that it was the wrong hand. Bart looks at the hand. Tom sadly nods. Bart sighs, then takes a deep breath…)

[On the resort on the other side of the island (which no one was supposed to know about, unless you read the ATC series), Lisa is playing on the beach with Bubbles, when she hears a severely echoed Bart yelling "D’oh!!!!" It reverberates for a few seconds. Lisa calls inside.]
Lisa: (calling) Izzy!! Looks like Tai won immunity!

Izzy: (OS, calling back) Wha? Er, I mean… prodigious!

Tracey: I’d hate to say it at this point, but it would be much better for me if Bart had won that game. Bart knows what he’s doing, he always has, and he knows… or he thinks he knows… that Tai would be more likely to get the jury’s votes than I would. Since the immunity winner, in essence, picks who goes, I have no doubt that Tai would be eliminated if Bart had won. But now that Tai has it, it’s a tough call. He’s unpredictable. Any other person would vote Bart off in that situation, but Tai isn’t any other person. If he was smart, and if he was playing to win, he’d realize that there are four other Americans on that jury, and that his odds are greatly increased against a fellow Japanese. But this is Tai we’re talking about here… and that scares me. I’m trying to decide whether or not to try to talk some sense into him tonight, but I’m worried that he would see that as a further attempt to annoy him. I’ve presented my full argument, it’s up to him now.
 

Tribal Council

(We mercifully cut the crap, to show Blossom, Izzy, Stan, Sora, Lisa, and Bubbles sitting down in the jury spot. Tom turns to the three remaining.)

Tom: Okay. It’s now time to find out which one of you three will be joining those six. Now we have a special situation here. Tai has won immunity. Therefore, Bart, Tracey, you can’t vote for Tai, and you can’t vote for yourself, which means that your votes cancel each other out. The ball is in Tai’s court, and he gets to choose which basket case to dunk. Any last words? Bart? Tracey?

Tracey: I have a ton of stuff I could say, but I think I’ve already presented my full argument to Tai. I’ve said a lot to him, and I any more would be overload. I hope he knows what his vote means, and I just hope he makes the right decision, and one that goes in my favor.

Tom: Okay. Tai? This is the last time you’ll have to do this, I promise. You’re going to go down there, and you’re going to write down a "T" on the paper. The pressing question is whether it’s at the beginning or the end of the paper. Have at it.

(Tai goes to vote. Aerial shot of him voting, taking a long time to decide. Of course we can’t see it. He returns with the box. Tom takes it.)

Tom: Okay. Whoever’s name is in the box will be out of the game, becoming the seventh member of the jury that will decide between the final two tomorrow night. And that person is…

(Tom opens the box, takes out the slip of paper, and reads it.)

Tom: Tracey.

(Shot of Bart, Tai, and Tracey. Bart sighs in a sad relief. Tai remains neutral, as does Tracey. Tracey stays still for sometime, sad, then quietly grabs his torch and brings it to Tom.)

Tom: Tracey. The Tai has spoken.

(He snuffs Tracey’s torch.)

Tom: It’s time for you to go.

(Tracey walks down the lonely path.)

Tom: Tai? Bart? Tomorrow is the judgment day, when one of you two worthy gentleman will be crowned the winner. The jury will get one last chance to ask you questions, and you will have one last chance to present your cases. Whoever gets the most votes is the winner. You can head back to camp.

(Bart and Tai take their torches and walk back to the camp. As they walk back, the confessional is heard.)
 

Confessional
Tracey: I don’t know what to say. I’d hate to be pinned as a sore loser, but I just wish I could discover where exactly my flaw was in the game plan. Perhaps it was working Tai a little too hard. Perhaps I worked to give my alliance a win when I should have just cut my losses and allow Tai to be voted off. Perhaps I should’ve fought it out in that immunity challenge. Yes, I understand that getting this far was enough of a challenge and that many deserving people didn’t do it. And yes, I will respect and congratulate the winner, whether it be Tai or Bart. But I was shooting for the gold, and it’s quite disappointing to be struck down here, when I was almost had a hand on it.
 

Day Thirty-Nine

Bart: What am I supposed to think? Between the whole thing with Bubbles and letting go of that idol, I pretty much did everything I possibly could to choke and not make it in the finals. Still, here I am. It’s a little strange. If I’d won that challenge, I would’ve voted Tai off in a second. He’s got more friends in the jury. But it’s strange, Tai wins immunity, and he chooses Tracey instead of me. I’ve got way more friends than Tracey does. It’s like Tai to let his emotions get the best of him, and now, despite my mistakes, I have a good chance to win because of it. It’s not exactly the most glamorous way to claim victory.

Tai: It was probably the toughest decision I’ve had to make here, and strategically it’s probably the stupidest thing I’ve done, but I’d just feel a lot better going against Bart than against Tracey. I can’t stand the thought of Tracey winning this, and even if it means that I might not win now, it’s worth it.

[Shot of Tai and Bart cleaning up everything, taking down the canopy and what not. They have a somewhat large bonfire, and are pretty much toasting everything in sight.]
Bart: Kinda sad to see it all go.

Tai: Yeah. It sure feels like home now.

Bart: Especially for you, you were here longer than I was.

Tai: Yeah.

[They continue for a while, then sit down by the fire for one last chat.]
Tai: You know Bart, it’s a lot easier for me to have you as an opponent than Tracey. That’s kinda why I voted him off.

Bart: Yeah?

Tai: I couldn’t stand thinking of him winning. Now, it’s just a nice clean battle between the two tribes, and the two coolest kids on the island.

Bart: That’s right. You know, and now that you mention it, it probably wouldn’t have been as great to go against Lisa like we were planning.

Tai: Why?

Bart: We were going to just have the jury decide between us, but man, can you imagine what she’d have over me if she won? Sure, there’s that family loyalty, but can you see her parading that trophy around school?

Tai: I’ll bet. Although there’s one thing I’ve been wondering… what do we actually get for winning?

Bart: Uh, um… I don’t know. Something tells me we aren’t getting a million dollars though. Tom and the others seem too cheap for that.

Tai: Darn. But whatever we get, it’ll be a good showdown. Good luck Bart.

(Tai extends his hand to Bart, who smiles and shakes it.)

Bart: You too Tai.

[They release it, then pause for a second.]

Bart: (mock cockiness) You’re going down though.

Tai: (same tone) No chance, Simpson, this one’s in the bag.

(Shot of Bart and Tai making the hike to Tribal Council. Overhead are the jury members, giving their take on the situation.)
Blossom: This is it, this is what makes the game so unique. No matter what you do on the island, it comes back to haunt you. If you turn around and stab somebody in the back, they can do the same to you in the jury.

Izzy: Mr. Wallace said that we are to vote for those we feel are the most deserving of the award, but there’s no doubt that many will vote simply based on who they like better, or as an effort to gain a measure of revenge against those who voted them off. Lisa and I are attempting to be objective in our votes, but when the candidates are her brother and one of my best friends, I’m afraid that it may not be the case.

Stan: Between Bart and Tai, it’s a tough call. Bart voted me off, but Tai left our alliance. Both are pretty cool guys, so it’s definitely going to come down to these final hearings.

Sora: I don’t really think these final hearings mean anything at all. Most of us are pretty sure as to who we’re voting for. I know who I’m voting for, and I think a lot of the others do too. We didn’t really do much serious talk as a jury, so it’s just going be a matter of who most people picked rather than deliberation.

Lisa: I think it’s a great honor to be on this jury. I’m helping decide who wins a game that I’ve already played and lost. It’s a chance for redemption, whether it’s helping push your vote through, or finding holes in the case for the one you don’t choose. Of course, from what Izzy said about staying objective, I think I’ll let the others find the holes. I respect both of the finalists, and not just because one’s my brother… or should I say I respect both finalists, even though one is my brother? They both kind of apply here.

Bubbles: It’s certainly a tough game. Ever since Buttercup got voted off, I was voting along with Blossom. Then we she got voted off, I was following Bart and Lisa. But for the last couple of times, I went on my own. And that’s really the hardest part, knowing that what you decide makes such a difference. It’s tough deciding on something on your own like that.

Tracey: As the last person to be "nominated" for the jury, I’m a little behind the others, since I only had one day to really look at the whole situation from the outside. But now that I’m out of the picture, I can look at that picture more closely. Now we have the chance to give our feedback. And believe me… there’s things that I haven’t realized before. And those two left in the picture are going to hear about them.
 

Tribal Council

[Tai and Bart arrive at the council. Tom, as well as the seven jury members are present.]
Tom: Bart. Tai. Long time no see, huh? Have a seat and we’ll get started.

(Bart and Tai sit down.)

Tom: This is it. Thirty-nine days and fourteen hellish councils all add up to this. And it really couldn’t be more diverse. Two finalists from two different shows… and two different tribes. Two different networks would be nice, but what are you gonna do? We’ll let Rupert Murdoch have his ego boost for this one. Anyway… you two are damn good, I’ll give you that. Now… you remember the jury, right?

(Shot of the jury, sitting there, bored.)

Tom: Well, they did such a horrible job of feeding me with good ad libs that they’re actually going to be a jury now. But before we do… let’s bring out our surprise that’s bound to screw everybody up. I notice that there may be a slight show loyalty upsetting the objectivity factor here. For example… Lisa… you’re voting for Bart right?

Lisa: Well, not necessarily. I have a lot of respect for Tai and depending on how he and Bart present their arguments, that’s how I’ll vote.

(Izzy smiles and nods.)

Tom: I’ll take that as a yes. So to introduce some level of fairness, here are the final two jury members.

(Barb and Manny enter the council area, and sit down.)

Barb: Scoot, Bubbs.

Bart: Hey! You didn’t say anything about this!

Tai: Yeah, they aren’t even cartoon characters!

Barb: What? Sure I am!! I’m… uh… Barbara, the long-lost Powerpuff Girl. The original DOS-based version, that didn’t have the superpowers.

Manny: Yeah… and I’m Manny Showron, descendent of… eh, however that whole back story goes. I think we changed most of it in the dub anyway.

Blossom: What back story?

Manny: You know… Li Showron from "Cardcaptors."

Stan: Dude, Li Showron’s totally gay.

Manny: Not in the dubbed version!!

Barb: You can do that? Why didn’t you do that with James then?

Manny: James isn’t gay, he’s just in touch with his feminine side.

Tracey: Had me fooled.

Tom: Okay… that was totally uncalled for. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Anyway… Taichi, Bartchi, here’s how we do it- Each of the jurors, except for those two weirdos I have to work with, will either ask you both a question or make a comment in an effort to influence other jurors. At the end, we hear your final testimony, and the nine will vote. Whoever gets the most, wins. Simple as that. Now, the seven kids picked numbers to see what order they’d go in, ensuring the maximum dramatic effect. First up… Lisa Simpson.

(Lisa smiles and takes Tom’s spot. Tom sits down elsewhere.)
Lisa: Thank you. I’d just like to say to Tai that I do have a lot of respect for him. I know that you’ve heard that I’ve been gunning for you since the merger, and it’s true. But it’s only because of the threat me and Blossom perceived you as. You have what it takes. That’s why we wanted to remove you. (smiles) It obviously didn’t work. (normal) Now, Bart- I’m absolutely shocked that you’ve gotten this far. Yes, I definitely wanted to be in there, but I’m really glad to see that you’ve come around somewhat. That you’ve been able to play the game seriously and have a good time while you’re at it. It’s good to know that although I didn’t make it, at least one Simpson got in there. Congratulations.

(Lisa takes her seat.)

Tom: Next up, Stan Marsh.

(Stan takes the podium)
Stan: Well, I’m not the kind of guy to make some big speech. Since both of you kinda screwed me over, I have to look past that for my vote. It’s tough, you two are pretty close as far as actual skill goes. I think that you’ve both been cool on the island, we all got along good, and uh… I could probably go for either one of you.

(Stan takes his seat.)

Tom: Well… they can’t all be Shakespeare. Sora… have the floor.

(Sora takes the podium)
Sora: Thanks. I’d just like to make a comment…

Tom: Come on, doesn’t somebody have a question?

Sora: Well. It has to be a great feeling to get this far. If it isn’t, then there’s obviously something wrong with you. I know that getting this far and possibly winning is probably the last thing on your minds when you first got here… unless you’re Tracey… but I hope that it’s sunk in how far you’ve both gotten. I mean you look at everybody on this jury, and then remember the others, Serena, Matt, Misty, all of them, it’s really amazing to see that you’ve gotten this far. I’d just like to say that you should both be really proud of yourselves and good luck.

[Sora takes her seat. Shot of Tom… asleep and snoring.]

Manny: Hey, Tom… wakey wakey.

(Tom gets up, startled.)

Tom: Right… right… uh… Izzy’s next. And you damn well better have a question!

(Izzy’s at the podium)
Izzy: Let me put your fears to rest. Yes, I have a question for Tai and Bart. I’m curious- if you and your opponent weren’t in this position, which two castaways would you want to be the finalists?

Tai: Ooh, good one. Call me crazy, but one would be Matt. I think that he had what it took to go a long ways, but he just didn’t get off to the right start. Just goes to show you- don’t piss off Misty. The other one would be Ash. I’ve done a lot of thinking, and it probably wasn’t right for me to vote him off like that. He really had the right attitude for this game. He had the spirit and the drive, and wanted to get the team motivated and winning, but he was also friendly. Tad annoying sure, but he really tried to become friends with everybody too. He probably deserves to be here too.

Izzy: (smiling) Okay, Bart?

Bart: One would be Lisa. She wanted to be here way more than I did, and although we were arguing a lot about who to vote off, I think it’s a real credit that we didn’t break up the alliance because of that. Next would be Blossom, simply because she had the guts to admit defeat after that whole Buttercup-gate thing. We became friends, she started the alliance, and there’s no way in hell I’d be here if it weren’t for her.

(As Izzy steps down, Tai leans over to Bart, off-the-record, but everyone can still hear.)

Tai: Not to mention they’re both on the jury.

Bart: Who did you want me to pick, Cartman??

Tai: No, pretty smart move actually.

Tom: Okay… Blossom.

(Blossom steps up.)
Blossom: Mr. Wallace I’m pleased to inform you that I also have a question.

Tom: (somewhat bored) Woo.

Blossom: My question is- How the heck did you two get here? What do you think you have that put you above everyone else and into a position to win?

Bart: Ooh, good question. I’m starting to think that people took one of two different ways to play. One was like just being friends with everybody, and laying low and making themselves so close with everyone that no one would vote them off. I think Misty tried that. It didn’t quite work when we merged though. The other strategy is developing alliances and stuff, getting supporters to vote alongside you. Buttercup didn’t quite pull that off. Me, I think I did a little of both. I stayed friendly, and did my part in the alliances.

Tai: Uh, as for me… I stayed sane. A lot of stuff got thrown at me here, and I could’ve gone nuts at any time. I almost did. Heck, I probably did once or twice. But I bounced back, won immunity at the right times, and stayed level.

(Blossom steps down.)

Tom: Speaking of which… Tracey. You’re next.

(Tracey comes up, and sighs.)
Tracey: Sorry, Bart, but I don’t really have much to say to you. You played a great game and you deserve to be here. But other than that, I got nothing. Tai?

Tai: (expecting the worst) Buddy?

Tracey: No. Not by a long shot. Now I don’t want to sound like a sore loser, but I am going to openly admit that any respect I had for you, and believe me, I had a lot at the beginning, completely vanished when you voted me off last night. I was right to be worried when you won immunity. By voting me off, you basically showed three major weaknesses. You lack pride. Instead of going proudly into the finals with your worthy adversary, you decide to take your jollies yesterday, and take me out of the picture. You also lack loyalty. You could have wiped out the other tribe. In a battle between two very different styles of animation, you sacrificed a guaranteed victory to take me out. I hope you realize that every anime fan in the world is totally pissed at you right now.

Manny: Boy, do I know that feeling! Attacku of the otaku.

Tracey: And finally, you lack intelligence. There’s four Americans over on that jury, not counting Barb and Manny. And I can’t see many of them ditching Bart to vote for you. Meanwhile, I know for a fact that most of the jury likes you better than me. It would’ve been an easy win. But you had to take me out of the picture. And because of that, what’s going to happen tonight is definitely going to have a lasting impact on you.

(Tracey sits down. Shot of Tai, with a mix of anger, but definitely emotionally affected by his words.)

Tom: And finally, Bubbles.

Bart: (quietly to Tai) Jeez… hope she doesn’t hold as much of a grudge as Tracey.

Bubbles: (meakly) I heard a story once about a snake and a rat…

[Bart screams]

Bubbles: (bright) Just kidding! Snakes and rats are icky. Um, I want to say that it’s really great that you two are in the finals. Sora said that she doesn’t like alliances, and I don’t like them either. But I see you two there, and I can tell that you don’t like them either. I know that Tai doesn’t like them, but I don’t think Bart does either. Sure, you voted a lot of people off, like Misty and Izzy and Stan, but you always had some guilt about it, like it was something you didn’t really want to do, but had to. And that it was because you did something when you didn’t want to that got you here. Meanwhile, when I didn’t want to vote for Tai, I didn’t vote for Tai, and then I got voted off after that. And a couple of people did want to vote for certain people, and they got voted off too, like Buttercup. And it works for Tai too, that he got here even though way back before when Misty got voted off, he said he didn’t mind if he was next to go. But he held on and survived. It’s tough to decide who to vote for, because you both already did so much, and beat like 14 others, which is really hard to do. So I hope that whoever wins, and even the one who doesn’t, really be happy, because it was so hard to do this, but you did it anyway. Um. I’m done.

(Bubbles quietly sits down. Tom looks at her a bit oddly and takes her spot.)
Tom: Okay. That was a bit odd. Final arguments. Tai?

Tai: Thanks. I just want to say that it’s just amazing that I got this far. I know a lot of people wanted this more than I did. But hearing all of your comments, even Tracey’s, has made me realize exactly what this is. It’s amazing. To be able to win against so many great people. I didn’t think I was going to make it, and it’s just good to know that I have. And yes Tracey, tonight is going to have a lasting impact on me. It already has. So deal with it.

Tom: Okay… Bart.

Bart: Aw, I don’t have anybody pissed at me, this isn’t gonna be any fun. I share most of what Tai said. It’s quite an honor to be here. It’s been a blast with you guys, you all have something special that makes you so cool. Blossom, Bubbles, Stan… heck, Sora, Izzy, Trace, all the rest, you know who you are! This is a big decision you have, I mean me and Tai rule. But I don’t want to go on too long. I’m happy I got here… but I want to get this over with- I want to find out what happens!

Tom: Okay, I suppose. Jury, you’ve heard everything, now’s the time to weigh it all and make your decision. Who should win? You’ll go down to your happy place, and write down who you want to win. Got that? Want to win? Not voting off this time, want to win. Please repeat.

Entire Jury: Vote for who we want to win.

Tom: Okay, good. Barb, please begin.

(Barb heads to the voting booth, voter’s shot as she writes down "TAI")
Barb: I am going to vote for Tai. I think he has gone through a lot, contributed heavily in making the place hospitable for living, and has played the game quite well. Whenever somebody targets him, he finds a way to stay alive, whether it’s the way he votes or winning immunity. He’s done a lot, and deserves to win.

(She leaves. Fade to aerial shot of Manny voting. Fade to voter’s shot of Manny holding "BART".)
Manny: Bart is definitely the better person here. He established himself in an alliance, and did a good job keeping friends at the same time. Tai wasn’t really sneaky enough to earn the win. He was the one being hunted, and I think it’s time Bart tags this buck.

(He leaves. Fade to aerial of Izzy and Blossom voting. Fade to voter’s shot of Blossom holding "BART")
Blossom: Back when Buttercup was here, I never saw this happening. I saw Bart as a goof-off who couldn’t care less about this game. But he changed. He took this game seriously, and in my absence put himself in the best position to win. All I can say is that I’m really impressed, and that he should win.

(She leaves. Fade to aerial of Sora voting. Fade to voter’s shot of Sora holding "TAI")
Sora: How can you not be impressed by what Tai went through here? He fought hard, he kept going, he survived. The way he made it through everything that was thrown at him makes him the best choice to win.

(She leaves. Fade to aerial of Bubbles voting, then Stan voting. Fade to voter’s shot of Stan, holding "TAI.")
Stan: As far as I’m concerned, they both voted me off. So what it comes down to is who didn’t give up as much to win. And that’s Tai. Bart was cool when we started out, but eventually gave up everything to win. That one day Kyle got voted off, Bart actually tried to vote off Blossom. Now he’s just trying to pick up where she left off. Sure I like Tracey, but Tai didn’t want to take any of Tracey’s s**t, and he didn’t. So that’s why I’m voting for him.

(He leaves. Voter’s shot of Lisa, holding "BART.")
Lisa: I know I told Bart once that I wouldn’t vote for him no matter what. But I think we’ll make an exception here. I looked at everything, and quite simply… Bart’s done a better job. Simple as that.

(She leaves. Aerial shot of Tracey, as he looks at the card for a few seconds, then writes down an answer, which we can’t see.)

(He leaves. Tom takes the box, and puts it on his podium.)
Tom: Once the votes are tallied the decision is final and the once selected must leave the… oh, wait. Never mind. Let’s get this over with…

(Tom opens the box.)

Tom: Ready Manny?

(Shot of Manny, sitting with a control panel next to a large electronic scoreboard hanging on a tree, with labels reading "Bart: 0, Tai: 0" in standard basketball board format. Back to Tom.)

Tom: Finally got that in today. I was wondering where when they’d ship it. Anyway, here we go. First vote is for… Bart. Then… Tai.

(Shot of Tai and Bart as the next vote is read.)

Tom: Tai.

(Shot of Izzy, who nods.)

Tom: And again, Tai.

(Back to Tom.)

Tom: Bart. And Bart.

(Shot of Bubbles, who smiles.)

Tom: And… Bart. Jeez, talk about repetitive…

(Shot of Manny, and the scoreboard reading Bart: 7, Tai: 0. Manny looks at the scoreboard.)

Manny: Whoops.
(Manny uses one finger and slowly corrects the score, to show Bart: 4, Tai: 3)

Tom: Next vote… is for Tai. And that’s exactly what we have right now… a tie. There’s an ad lib for ya.

Barb: (dry sarcasm) We’re all proud of you Tom.

Tom: Okay. And the final vote, deciding the winner and recipient of some major bragging rights, is…

Tai: Hold on a second!!

(Shot of Tai and Bart)

Tai: Bragging rights?!

Tom: Well yeah, not only you but your show. Defeating all the other worthy competitors, it’s quite a feat, and definitely something you can take with you for the rest of your life.

Bart: That’s fine, if this was a game of Monopoly.

Tai: You had us starving here for a month for bragging rights?!

Bart: We were expecting some money out of this!

Tom: Guys, we’re not the most financially secure company, did you see how much we lost with "Titan A.E?" We can’t just shell out a million dollars for stuff like this. We got the winner a nice pretty trophy. Two feet tall too.

(Bart and Tai are obviously not sold.)

Tom: Okay, tell you what… this show’s half Japanese… the winner gets a million yen. The yen’s in the toilet, shouldn’t be hard to pay. How much is that American, Manny?

(Shot of Manny, computing the figures with a calculator.)

Manny: Let’s see… that would be about…

(He types the figure in the spot of the scoreboard where the time is displayed… the number is shown as 91:74.)

Manny: Nine-thousand dollars (to the scoreboard) I love this thing.

Tai: That works.

Bart: I ain’t picky.

Tom: Okay. Swell. Anyway… the final vote, and winner of $9,174…

Manny: Oh, and six cents.

Tom: …and six cents is… oh, before we’re done, I think we owe a big thanks to Barb and Manny. They’ve helped out a lot, and went way beyond the call of duty, especially since they aren’t getting paid for this.

Barb/Manny: (angry shock) We aren’t??!!!!

Tom: Not if we’re forking over nine grand to the winner.

Tai/Bart: Get on with it!!

Tom: Alright!! Ready?

(Bart and Tai nod, then calm down. The shot is from behind them. Both are sitting very seriously, watching Tom with some trepidation.)

Tom: And the winner of Animation Survivor… is…

(Nothing happens, just adding suspense by taking this down a couple more lines.)

Tom: Tai.

[Shot of Tai and Bart. Neither have any noticeable reaction, both are in somewhat stunned silence. Both blink a lot. Finally, Bart turns to Tai and shakes his hand. Bart smiles, Tai is still shocked.]

Bart: Good job.

(Tom walks up to Tai. Both Tai and Bart stand up.)

Tom: Taichi Kamiya… the tribe has spoken…

(Tom shakes Tai’s hand.)

Tom: Congratulations.

[Tai is still in shock. Bart smiles, then wanders over to the jury, who has already stood up to congratulate them. In order, Stan, Izzy, and Tracey shake his hand and continue to Tai. Barb congratulates Bart and continues, leaving Blossom, Bubbles, and Lisa. Bart and Blossom nod and shake hands, smiling a bit. There are brief words of encouragement from Blossom. Bart looks at Bubbles with absolutely no harm.]

Bubbles: I did vote for you! Don’t look at me that way!

(Bart pats Bubbles on the head.)

Bart: You are still too cute.

Lisa: Ya did good, Bart.

Bart: Thanks. You know…

Lisa: (calling to Tai’s area) Hey Izzy! Wait up!

(Lisa runs off, leaving Bart with Bubbles and Blossom. Bubbles tilts her head.)

Bubbles: I think maybe we should’ve voted Tai off before Izzy and Stan.

Blossom: You think?

[Blossom and Bart shrug their shoulders.]

Blossom/Bart: Oh well!

[They go down to meet Tai. Over in Tai’s area, Tai’s still a bit overwhelmed as he receives a handshake from Stan, who passes quickly. Izzy and Lisa show up.]

Lisa: Good job Tai.

Izzy: Yes. Definitely a strong finish.

(Izzy and Lisa step aside while Tai shakes with Barb and Manny, and Blossom.)

Izzy: You know, I’m really impressed with you, Lisa.

Lisa: Why? You know, I voted for Bart. I looked at all…

Izzy: Yeah. Most people in your situation would vote Tai just to say they were being fair.

Lisa: You mean you were trying to get me to vote for Tai?

Izzy: Just because I’m objective in who I vote for doesn’t mean I can’t play favorites elsewhere. I wanted Tai to win.

[Lisa laughs, and puts a hand on his shoulder.]

(Back up to Tai, where Tracey reaches him. As soon as Tracey arrives, Tai cracks a half-smile.)

Tai: Well, Tracey, I won. Is that enough of a lasting impact for you?

Tracey: Yeah… that’s why I voted for you.

Tai: (losing the smile really fast) Y… you did?

Tracey: After all that I said about you lacking loyalty, did you think I was going to help the other tribe out? I figured I might as well cover your butt and get a team win. It’s enough for me to actually remain loyal and have my side win and let you live with the fact that you won even you tried to do yourself and your tribe in. Congratulations.

[Tracey leaves Tai, who is trying not to let that sink in. It isn’t working, as he slowly begins to walk away towards the exit. When he sees Sora. Tai looks down, almost in tears, when Sora walks up to him.]

Tai: Sora… I…

[Sora takes him into a strong embrace. She’s almost in tears too.]

Sora: You earned this. No matter what anyone says, you earned this for yourself, and I don’t think I’ve ever been quite as proud as you.

[Closeup of Tai, obviously moved. He finally smiles, and receives the embrace.]

Tai: You’re right. I did it. I earned this. Thanks.

[Still in the embrace, Izzy and Lisa approach them, as does Bart. They decide not to interrupt the scene, and instead just smile and watch.]

[From an aerial view of Tai and Sora, zoom out, keeping them in the center but getting everybody else in the shot, simply mingling. Keep zooming out through Tai’s confessional, eventually ending on a shot of the whole island, including sandspit.]

Confessional
Tai: I did it. It’s a little hard to believe it, that after everything, I’m the one that comes out on top. It’s a fantastic feeling. And I didn’t get it by being devious, and I didn’t get it by being sneaky. The bad guy didn’t win this, although it was impossible for the bad guy to win with Bart as an opponent. But I know that I survived. I survived the guilt when Matt got voted off. I survived Misty when Ash got voted off. When Misty got voted off, I survived the grief. I survived the feeling that I let Izzy down when he got voted off. And when Sora got voted off… I survived to get payback. No matter what Tracey said or did, I pulled through it. It made me stronger. And I beat him. I’ll give him the damn tribe win. The big reward is what I won. And what Sora, Izzy, and even Matt won as a result. The money doesn’t matter, it’s the fact that I pulled through it all. And then there's Sora. What she said after I won, she was right. She’s always right like that. She was probably the biggest help to me, and I know that she deserves this win as much as I do. Whenever I was down, she was there for me. What else can I say other than- I love her.

The End
 

Author’s Notes:
Hoo boy! That sure was fun! That sure was long too. Three Tribal Councils. And what the hell… let’s post results for all of them.

First thing’s first- hope you liked it. Despite all the analysis that could have (and has) been drawn from this series, in the end, Tai gets the win for one reason- plot. It seemed to be the best plot arc, having all this crap thrown at Tai, and having him overcome to pull the victory. And I think that scene in the end with Sora is just the best way to end it. Even though I’m not a fan of trite Taiora (or any other pairing) just for the sake of having romance, I felt that plot-wise, this was the best way to go. Also, considering Sora’s win in the original Anime Survivor, it’s kind of nice to see the two champions locked in a passionate embrace like that. And for those paying extreme detail- the castaways get to leave immediately, and therefore don’t actually see Tai’s last confessional. That is… until the reunion, when they all watch the series one last time before the conference. So Tai saying "I love her" will be heard by Sora eventually. Of course, if anybody noticed, Ash said, directly, "I love Misty" in his confessional back in Ep 5. That should keep the AAML people off my back.

The whole thing with Barb and Manny introduced as jury members was intended simply to scare people. I thought it did seem a little unfair having the tribes divided like that, so Barb and Manny could sway the balance if it became a factor. Naturally, they cancelled each other out, letting the kids decide like proper.

For all you "Cardcaptors" fans, I wasn’t kidding about that whole gay thing. In the Japanese version (I’ve already seen the movie- subtitled!), they frequently joke about Li being gay and having a crush on Julian (I can’t remember his Jap name at the moment). Same thing applies to Madison having a crush on Sakura. Why do you think she keeps giving her gaudy costumes :)? I’ve also heard that the Japanese version of Digimon tends to support Taito a little more than in the English version, but haven’t seen any evidence. As for James… your guess is as good as mine. There definitely are some suggestive lines which probably shouldn’t have survived the censors.

For other general references include Izzy’s remarks of "I got Shoe," which is actually the name of a Chinpokomon from South Park. Also, the conversion from yen to dollars is accurate as of the time this fic was completed. Well… the thing said it was 5.9 cents instead of 6. So sue me.