"Roomies 3: Digital Frontier," written by Freedom Fighter After an interesting introduction, it's time for Episode 2! Get ready to have some fun! One quick note... I will no longer be doing the 'recap of last week's episode.' Even though I don't have to write new material for recaps, compiling the highlights of previous episodes takes time, even if just 20-30 minutes. But because I'm always so busy, I need every second to write. Hopefully you guys don't mind... all it means is that you get straight to the episode quicker! Disclaimer: I do not own any of the anime series, characters, or locations represented in this fanfic. I also do not own any of the reality show elements presented as well. = = = = = = = = = = Tenchi: (VO) 16 contestants from 12 anime shows. 42 days living by themselves in the wild Digital World. But only one will walk away with a grand prize of one million dollars. (Begin theme song, showing each of the contestants one at a time for 1.5 seconds each) - Amy M., the brainy Sailor Mercury - Amy R., Sonic's admirer from the planet Mobius - Haruka, tea house owner - James, member of Team Rocket - Jet, bounty hunter from the future - Keith, Duel Monsters American champion - Nabiki, money-grubbing middle sister - Rally, gunsmith and bounty hunter - Rini, the princess of Crystal Tokyo - Takuya, leader of the Frontier Digidestined - Tally, government employee - Trowa, pilot of the Gundam Heavyarms - Trunks, young Super Saiyan - Whitney, Goldenrod City gym leader - Yugi, duelist and holder of the Millennium Puzzle - Yusuke, spirit detective (Show scenes of James trying to catch a wild Digimon, Rini putting on a baseball helmet, Yusuke getting pelted by a paintball, and Rally pointing straight at a flag.) Tenchi: (VO) Some of them will become the best of friends. Others will develop grudges against those they hate. But only one will walk away with up to a million dollars or more in cash and prizes. (A log cabin appears in the background.) Tenchi: (VO) These men and women are... Roomies! (End theme song, with a picture of all 16 contestants standing with Flame Terminal behind them in the background.) = = = = = = = = = = Episode 2 - Take Away the Minority (01.21.03) Day Two The sixteen Roomies were gathered at the Challenge Field. Two of them, Jet and Trunks, had been designated team leaders for the first physical challenge. Tenchi was giving them some time to look over their choices before he allowed them to pick. Jet: (CC) I'm looking at the group, trying to figure out which of the women would be more likely to help the team win. And I just noticed that none of them looks that particularly strong. Trunks: (CC) It seems that almost everyone here's a weakling! Well... at least they have me to back them up. Tenchi: Okay guys, it's decision time. Jet, as the oldest of the two captains, you now have a choice. Do you wish to pick first or second? Jet: I'll pick first. Tenchi: Very well then. [Team Assignments: Black - Jet, Keith, Haruka, Rally, James, Amy M., Yugi, Amy R. Purple - Trunks, Trowa, Yusuke, Tally, Whitney, Takuya, Nabiki, Rini] Tenchi: Okay guys, let's strap you in. ====== [Physical Challenge 1: Endure the Stretch] The two teams are strapped into the velcro footholds with the help of Tenchi and a safety crew. Each team selects two people to be the 'distractors.' For the black team, it's Amy Rose and Amy Mizuno. For the purple team, it's Rini and Takuya. The starting height is 42"... which means that it's quite a stretch for team captain Trunks. And teams are position back-to-back. [From Left to Right: Black - Haruka, Keith, Jet, Rally, James, Yugi Purple - Trunks, Yusuke, Trowa, Whitney, Nabiki, Tally] Purple team's pre-challenge preparations... Takuya: I don't get why I have to be down here. Trunks, you're not going to last as long as me! Trunks: I'm the team captain here! I can handle it! Trowa: Takuya's right, you know. You have a big height disadvantage compared to everyone else. Whitney: Should you be taking such a big risk? Trunks: I'm fine! I'll be the last one standing! And that's a fact! Yusuke: Hey Whitney! Weren't you bashing Takuya a few minutes ago? And now you're supporting him? Takuya: So? What's it to you? Whitney: I'm trying to win this challenge! It has nothing to do with liking or hating Takuya! Takuya should be up here with us because he's taller than Trunks is! Tally: Trunks is the team leader! We need to stick by his decision! Whitney: Even if it's the wrong one? Trunks: It's the right one! Now, let's concentrate on winning! As for the black team... Keith: Listen to those babies. Always complaining. Yugi: Now now, we should respect our opponents. Keith: Whatever, squirt. All I know is that we're going to beat them, and beat them bad. James: As long as we win, that's all I care about. Jet: (looking at Rally) Rally, you don't look so good. Something wrong? Everyone on the team looked at Rally, as they immediately noticed her lack of sleep due to the fact that she was struggling to keep her eyes open. Rally: It's nothing. I'm fine. Jet: You sure? Rally nodded, reassuring her teammates that she was okay, even though she clearly wasn't. Rally: (CC) You don't think I could honestly tell my teammates that I can't get a good night's sleep unless I've got a gun under my pillow. Who knows what they'd think of me? Heck, who knows what the other team might think of me! Tenchi: Distractors, please take your places in front of the opposing team. Amy M., Amy R., Takuya, and Rini do as they are told. Tenchi: Two quick things before we begin. Distractors, you are not allowed to touch the competitors at all. And competitors, once you let go, please stay where you are until the game has ended. With that, Tenchi prepared to officially start the challenge. Tenchi: And the challenge begins now! On that mark, the twelve foot-strapped competitors grab onto the rings above them, and almost in perfect unison. Most of the members of both teams, because of their height, have to lean forward in order to avoid hitting their heads on the girder that is still very low. They are unaware that the girder rises a total of 3" every minute, which will quickly make it difficult for the shorter and weaker ones to stay in very long. Amy R.: (in front of Trunks) You call that hanging on! I'm gonna make sure you're the first one down! Trunks: (not the least bit tense) Yeah right. This is a piece of cake! Amy M.: (waving her hands in front of Nabiki) Um... you're going to fall. Nabiki: I think it's going to take more than that, Amy. Rini: (trying to distract Yugi) Let go! Let go! Yugi, let go! Yugi was paying no attention, as he did his best to concentrate. Takuya: (to Keith) Hey budd-y! Why don't you let go so my team can win? Keith: (snickers) In your dreams, kid. Suddenly, Rally loses her grip on both rings and falls to the ground, nearly knocking down Takuya in the process. The safety crew helps her to her feet, but because the girder is still too low, Rally has to squat in her block for the time being. [Time and Height: 0:13, 42.65" (Black 5 - Purple 6)] Jet: (CC) Almost right out of the gate, Rally lets go. I don't know what's wrong with her. I picked her because I thought she was one of the stronger women. So, what happened? Rally: (CC) One lapse of concentration. That's it! I could have caught myself, but I just didn't have any energy to hold on. Rally doesn't even look at her teammates, who are obviously disappointed and a bit upset over her sudden drop-out. ====== [Challenge Fast Forward] For the 11 remaining competitors, they seemed to be pretty relaxed through the first two minutes. The girder raised slowly to and then past the four-foot (4') mark. Takuya and Rini continue to work the last nerves' of everyone on the black team, while Amy M. and Amy R. aren't having much luck throwing the purple team off their game. At around 4'2" (2 minutes, 40 seconds in), Nabiki lapses and almost loses her balance. Her right hand slips out, but she manages to tighten her grip enough on her left hand to stay in the game. Soon after, Trunks visibly begins to strain as the girder begins to pull him to his limit. Yugi gets to the point where he can stand straight under his rings, while the others continue to have to wait. Just 15 seconds later, Yusuke, getting tired of hearing the sugary sweet voices of both Amy R. and Rini (although the former was on his team), was about to unleash his anger out on them. But his lack of focus was enough to get him to release his grip on the rings. Yusuke curses... both verbally and mentally... as he sat down. [3:02, 51.10" (B 5 - P 5)] And then, things turn for the worst when Trunks is forced to let go as he is pulled nearly to the breaking point of his arms. His only recourse is to reluctantly let go. [3:07, 51.35" (B 5 - P 4)] Once Trunks had let go, all of the force he had put on the rings repelled back into the girder, making it shake quite a bit. The people on his end are affected the most, as Haruka and Keith, both not expecting it at all, are shaken free of their rings. Jet and Trowa, the next two closest ones, hold on for dear life. Trowa's right arm begins to slip, but he manages to hang on for the time being. [3:09, 51.45" (B 3 - P 4)] But even on the other side, Trunks' departure was felt. James, Yugi, and Nabiki were all slowly slipping out of their grips, as they desperately tried to hold on for as long as possible. It would take a few more inches, but James was the next to fall. [3:45, 53.25" (B 2 - P 4)] As things stablized, it calmed down slightly. Except for Yugi, who wouldn't have much time to rest before the girder rose beyond his upper reach. The girder was reaching ever closer to the five-foot mark (5'). All of a sudden, Tally, who was trying to carefully lean back as the girder was now inches from clearing her head, lost her balance, and subsequently, her grip. [5:36, 58.80" (B 2 - P 3)] By this point, Nabiki had finally regained her composure, but Yugi wasn't so lucky. As the girder passed 60", his rings slipped out of his hands. [6:01, 60.05" (B 1 - P 3)] Left standing were Jet for the black team and Trowa, Whitney, and Nabiki, all for the purple team. [End Challenge Fast Forward] ====== Takuya and Rini were yelling at Jet in order to distract him long enough to turn his attention away from the task at hand. Amy M. and Amy R., meanwhile, seemed to be focused on the two remaining women, Whitney and Nabiki, who were showing signs of fatigue. Trowa seemed to be relaxed, though he knew he had his work cut out if he was going to beat Jet. Sounds of encouragement from their teammates was all the four remaining competitors could hear, though they were trying to shield it out in order to keep their minds focused. Suddenly, Nabiki decided to bow out as she was reaching her breaking point. [7:20, 64.00" (B 1 - P 2)] Whitney looked as if she was close to her limit as well, but she was putting all of her strength into holding on as long as possible. Only now was Trowa's head clearing the bar, and Jet still had around another foot to go before he would be in the same position. Amy M.: Stop! You don't need to hurt yourself! Even though those words had come from a member of the opposing team, Whitney knew that she was right. And with that, Whitney carefully released her grip, making sure not to pull anything as she let go. [7:37, 64.85" (B 1 - P 1)] Takuya and Rini knew they had to get to work. Aware of Jet's humongous height advantage, they needed to get Jet to let go before Trowa was forced to. Amy M. and Amy R. were doing the same to distract Trowa, but he had already zoned it out and put all of his concentration into holding on. The yelling reached a fever-pitch as the girder continued to go up. And up. For several minutes, Jet looked comfortable while Trowa began to show signs of strain and exhaustion. Past the six-foot (6') mark, and things looked very bleak for the purple team as Trowa's right hand began to slip slightly. And then one minute later... Trowa's right hand fell off, followed seconds later by the left. [10:09, 72.45" (B 1 - P 0)] Jet could have honestly stood there for at least a few more minutes, as only now was the bottom of the girder rising above his shoulders. Not wanting to rub it in, he simply opened his hands and let go. [10:16, 72.80"] Takuya and Rini walk away, a bit dejected, as the black team celebrates their come-from-behind victory... once they're unstrapped from their blocks, that is. ====== After getting everyone off of the platform (and once the feeling return to their arms), Tenchi presented them with a makeshift scoreboard. It had all of their names listed from top to bottom, in order by points. Tenchi: Well, first off, great job from all of you today. It took a lot of will power and strength to hang on, but I'm glad you all made it through. All of the members of the winning team are listed first on the scoreboard, each with 10 points. The other team's members are then listed, all with 0s by their names. Tenchi: Behind me is a scoreboard with all your names on it. As you all know, the black team won the challenge... The black team hollers with joy. Tenchi: So every member of that team gets 10 points. 10 points is equal to $100,000, which you were all playing for in this challenge. Basically, all of the members of the black team now have $100,000 in their personal jackpots. Congratulations, guys. Tenchi then looks at the purple team. Tenchi: As for the purple team, nothing yet. But there's still a lot of challenges left on the horizon, and every single one of you will get a chance at earning more money for your personal pots. (to the whole group) But for now, back to camp... where you'll find some rewards to savor. ********** The sixteen Roomies return to camp to find two things waiting for them. A twelve-gallon water tank filled to the brim, and a special note. The latter was addressed to the members of the black team. Jet: (reading the note aloud) To the winning team: please pack all of your belongings and your sleeping bags and follow the map on the reverse side to your reward. Please do not bring anything that was found upon your arrival at camp yesterday. Yugi: You mean we're leaving? Haruka: Seems like it. Maybe we will get that mansion after all. Amy R.: You really think so? (pumping her fist in the air) Alright! Keith: Now this is more like it! (to the others) So long, losers! ====== After gathering their things, Amy M., Amy R., Haruka, James, Jet, Keith, Rally, and Yugi leave the campsite, following the map to what they believe is their new mansion. Amy M.: I didn't think Tenchi was telling the truth about us living in a mansion. Jet: I guess we had to prove that we were worthy of it. Trailing in the back were Yugi and Rally, the latter still looking way out of it. Yugi: How come you don't want to tell me? Rally: Because there's nothing wrong with me! Yugi: Tell that to everyone on the team. Some of them think you could have costed us the win today. Rally: Look, I just had trouble getting adjusted to camping out last night. I'm sure I'll be fine tomorrow. Yugi: If you say so, Rally. ====== Back at the campsite... Trunks: This bites! We have to stay here while they go off to a mansion. Whitney: This wouldn't have happened if you had just listened to me and had Takuya stand up on the platform instead of you! Yusuke: Why do you always have to complain about everything? Whitney: I complain because I care! I care about winning! Takuya: So do I, but you don't see me nagging someone else about it! Whitney: Hey! I'm on your side! Anyway, the only person who has the right to complain more than me is Trowa! After all, he's the only one here who lasted longer than me! Yusuke: Who cares? We lost all because you couldn't hold on for another few minutes! Whitney: And who was the first person to drop out on our side? Trowa: Alright all of you, knock it off! Tally: It's just one challenge! You're all making such a fuss over it! Nabiki and Rini nodded in agreement. Trowa: At least there will be more room in the tents now. Whitney: Two people per tent, I believe. Yusuke: I think we're all smart enough to figure that out. Whitney: (glaring at Yusuke) You're really pushing me! Nabiki: (pulling Whitney away) Come on girl. Maybe you should help me cook lunch. Trowa: (approaching Yusuke) You know, yelling at her isn't going to get you anywhere. Yusuke: Well, she started it! ====== Meanwhile, the other 8 Roomies had finally arrived at their destination, as their living quarters came into view. Amy M.: It's a log cabin! James: (shocked) What? No mansion? Keith: We got ripped! Haruka: According to the map, this is the place. No doubt about it. Amy R.: Well, anything's better than sleeping on the ground. James: Good point. It's better than nothing at all. The group went inside the cabin, being led by Haruka. The one-floor cabin wasn't all that large, but there was enough space for a small kitchen, one bathroom, and a giant living room area, which included a fireplace. There were several pieces of furniture, including a futon, two sofas, two loveseats, and a reclining chair, all tan-colored and with wooden bases. There were also two desks, positioned on opposite ends of the room, and each adorned with an overhead lamp. A 20" television was set up close to the room's center, sitting on a cart. Below the TV was a VCR, a DVD, and a set of anime videos and DVDs. Over on the kitchen counter, assorted apples, bananas, and oranges are sitting decoratively in a crystal fruit bowl. There was also a working stove and oven, toaster, and a refridgerator/freezer. The latter, when opened, was found to be filled with all kinds of food. Everyone throws their bags off to the side as they begin wandering around. James: (opening the fridge) We've hit the jackpot! Amy R.: (rubbing her stomach) Yum! Let's eat lunch! Rally: (yawns and lies down on one of the sofas) I need a nap first. Jet: (looking at the VCR and DVD players) Hmmm... Haruka: What's up? Never seen a VCR or DVD player before? Amy M.: (turning the overhead lamp of one of the desks on) At least now I have a place to study! Yugi: (sweatdrops) Amy, we came here to get away from that! ====== An hour later, tempers at the campsite had cooled down, as everyone began going off to do their own thing. Trunks had decided to go off by himself and do some training. It was the only way he could get over losing the challenge. Trunks: (punching and kicking) Hoo hah, ho, hut, oomp, jab! Yusuke: (off-screen) You didn't tell me you were a fighter. Trunks stops and turns around, spotting Yusuke walking towards him. Trunks: What do you want? Yusuke: Impressive for a kid your age. (smirks) But I bet you're not as good as I am. Trunks: (looking Yusuke over, as if he was checking his power level) You're joking, right? Yusuke: You don't know who you're messing with, kid! Trunks: Very well. I guess I could use a sparring partner. Yusuke: Sparring partner? I'm gonna wipe the floor with you! Trunks: Not if I knock you out first! ====== At the cabin, the group there had just finished lunch and were sitting around the TV. Well, all except for Yugi, who was looking through the selection of VCRs and DVDs for something the watch. They had already tried watching normal television... until they realized cable didn't exist in the Digiworld. Yugi: It seems that we have tapes on everyone's show here. Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, Love Hina... hey, there's several down here for Digimon. Jet: That's the show we're in, right? Put one of them in. Keith: We're not watching that, are we? It's boring! Amy R.: (looking at the cover) Those Digimon look cute! Say, anyone know when we'll get to meet any? James: Did anyone notice that they look a lot like Pokémon? Amy R.: I love that show! I never miss an episode! Keith: Only brainless slugs watch that mindless dribble. Haruka: In a way, all of our shows are purely made for entertainment purposes. They are completely uneducational. James: Unedgey-what? Haruka: (shakes her head) Some more than others. Yugi: I think we should watch it! Maybe we can get a heads up on the rest of the competition so that we know what to expect. Keith: (giving in) Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you. ====== Nabiki was wandering away from camp, looking for some peace and quiet. Nabiki: (scratching her head) I thought Tenchi said this world was filled with Digimon. So how come I haven't seen one yet? She then heard some groaning and grunting coming from nearby. Curious, Nabiki walked over to the source... and found Trunks and Yusuke in the middle of an intense battle. Well, not exactly. You see, they had both worn themselves out after several minutes of avoiding and blocking punches and kicks. They were both about to go to their last resort attacks. Trunks: (putting the inside of his wrists together) Ka-me-ha-me... Yusuke: (clasping his hands together as if they were parts of a gun) Ready? Trunks: HA! Yusuke: SPIRIT GUN! Trunks's Kamehameha Wave and Yusuke's Spirit Gun attacks barrelled towards each other with tremendous speed. The attacks met halfway, resulting in a blinding flash of blue light, in which all in the area (Trunks, Yusuke, Nabiki, and the cameraman) had to turn away and shield their eyes. It took fifteen seconds before anyone could see again. Trunks and Yusuke were totally exhausted, as they were using all of their strength just to keep standing. Nabiki's mouth was hanging wide open, not believing what she had just seen. Yusuke: (shouting in Nabiki's direction) I know you're there! Yusuke's voice had jolted Nabiki back to her senses. She stepped out so that he and Trunks could see her. Trunks: What are you doing here? Yusuke: How long have you been watching us? Nabiki: Look, I won't say anything! It'll be our little secret! Yusuke: (looking away) Like I care anyway. I was bound to be found out eventually. Trunks: I was supposed to keep my powers a secret! Now everyone's gonna focus their attention on me! Nabiki: It won't be all that bad. I mean, your strength would be an asset, right? Trunks: (shrugs his shoulders) I guess. Yusuke: (walking past Nabiki) It's too bad that you do know. But there's nothing I can do. After all, there are plenty of other ways I can win. Yusuke headed back to camp. Nabiki turned to follow, but she noticed that Trunks wasn't moving. Trunks: I want to train some more alone. Nabiki nodded, then left the scene. ====== Night Two Just as night was falling in the Digiworld, there was a knock at the door. Yugi went to answer it, and found no one there. But just to his right was the mailbox, which he hadn't noticed before. And the flag was up. Yugi opened the lid, pulled out a two-page note, and brought it inside, closing the door behind him. Yugi: We've got mail, guys. Amy M.: For what? Yugi: (reading the first page aloud) Attached is a 'Wish List.' If there's anything that you want, we will try our best to get it for you... provided it's within our budget and within the rules. Please fill out the list and place it in the mailbox by 8 a.m. Rally: (sitting up) That's the best news I've heard all day! Give me that list! Yugi seperates the two stapled pages and hands Rally the back page. Rally: Anybody have a pen? Jet: Gee, you seem excited. Where was all that energy at the challenge? Rally saw one up on the counter. Grabbing it, she listed one thing... which Jet, who had gotten out of his seat to see what she liked so much. Jet: A CZ-75? Rally: (smiling) My favorite gun! Don't go bounty hunting without it. Jet: But we aren't allowed to have weapons. Rally: (sighs) I know. I've got to figure out someway around it. You see, I can't sleep without a gun under my pillow. Keith: (walking up) Ah, the insecure type, eh? Rally: Anything but! I just like the smell of gun powder. It soothes me to sleep. Jet: (sweatdrops) Gee... are all bounty hunters in Chicago like you? Rally: They wish they were like me. I'm the best! Haruka: I guess we all have our guilty pleasures. Haruka takes the pen from Rally and adds something to the list. Jet: (noticing Haruka's selection) You smoke, Haruka? Haruka: When I need to get my mind off things, yes. Jet: What a coincidence! So do I! Amy M.: (joining the group) How about something that we can all use? Rally hands Amy the pen, who uses it to jot down the titles of a few good novels. Haruka: I've never known someone so dedicated to learning. Amy M.: (bowing) Thank you, Haruka. You're right... we do all have our own personal pleasures. Rally: As long as there's a novel that has fast cars and lots of gunfire in it, I'm in! Jet: (to the others) Anyone else want to try and put something normal on the list? Seriously! ********** Day Three The following morning, all is well at the campsite. Tally had just come out of her tent when she spotted a note... actually, two notes... taped to their water tank. Tally: (rolls her eyes) Is there ever a day we don't get a message? The first note is the 'Wish List,' which the group at the house had already filled out. The second was information regarding the next challenge. Tally: (reading the second note) We've stretched you to your physical limits these first two days. Now, it's the first test of your mental capabilities. Arrive at the challenge field at ten, and hope your 'roommate' is up to the task. Tally walked back over to her tent and shouted inside. Tally: Whitney, read this! Whitney stuck her head out, forgetting that her hair is still a mess, and took the note from Tally to look at. Whitney: (after reading it) Must be some type of puzzle challenge. With roommates, it seems. Tally: But we haven't chosen roommates yet, have we? Whitney: We shared this tent last night. Doesn't that make us roommates? Tally: I guess. Maybe we should wake the others up and let them know. ====== Over at the cabin, Amy M., Haruka, and James were all out and about. Amy M. was in the bathroom, Haruka was fixing breakfast, and James was heading out the door for a morning stroll. Until he spotted the mailbox's flag sticking up. James: (running back in with a note in hand) Look what I have! Keith: (waking up) Do you have to be so loud? James then remembered that spread across the room were all of their sleeping bags, and that he had nearly tripped over Keith's in the process. Jet: (also getting up) What's all the racket? James: (reading the note) We've stretched you to your physical limits these first two days. Now, it's the first test of your mental capabilities. Arrive at the challenge field at ten, and hope your 'roommate' is up to the task. Haruka: A mental challenge, huh? Sounds interesting. Jet: We'd better start getting ready then. ====== At the challenge field, the Roomies found a pleasant surprise waiting for them... 14 former cast members, almost all secondary characters, were there to greet them. Present were Richie, Duplica Imite, and Tracey Sketchit of Pokémon, Jun Motimiya, Davis Motimiya, and Jeri Katou of Digimon, Chelsea, Nikki, and Rita of Cardcaptors, Sasami of Tenchi Muyo!, Chi-Chi Sonn of Dragonball Z, Joey Wheeler of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Mondo Ooya of Mon Colle Knights, and Keitaro Urashima of Love Hina. As some of the more familiar faces reunited with each other, Tenchi appeared, holding a top hat filled with poker chips. Tenchi: Good morning everyone, and welcome to your third challenge in three days! I promise, we'll give you a break after today, but luckily this challenge isn't all that difficult. Tenchi points to a circular ring behind him, marked off by yellow rope that's lying on the ground. Tenchi: Today, you'll be competing in your first roommate challenge. The 15 of us, including myself, will be standing in that circle. The goal is to have the other team left with just me in the circle. Teams will alternate turns, picking one, two, or three of us to come out with them. He then directs the group's attention to the portable scoreboard, which is off to the side. Tenchi: As this is a roommate challenge, where you finish determines how many points are added to your score. And if you remember what I said yesterday, every point is worth $10,000. Tenchi glances at Jet for a second. Tenchi: Jet, enjoy staying at the cabin last night? Jet: It was kinda primitive by my standards, but yeah, it's good enough. Tenchi: (smiles) I hope those of you who were in it last night had a good time, because there is no guarantee you'll be going back there tonight. You see, another one of our new quirks this season is that in the challenges, you are not only competing to add money to your personal jackpot. You are also competing for the right to get into or remain in the log cabin. Gasps can be heard all around. Tenchi: To stay in the cabin, you must place in the top half of the field in each challenge. And that's every challenge, guys. Those of you who lived on the campsite now have the opportunity to kick someone out of the cabin and take their place. Those who were in the cabin, well, you need to make sure that doesn't happen. Finally, Tenchi grabs the top hat, which is filled with eight different colors of poker chips. Tenchi: Before we begin, we, of course, have to choose roommates. Since there are no individual rooms this season, roommates will be decided by random drawing. Decisions are final, and only under extreme circumstances will roommate pairs be allowed to change. So, let's get on with it. ====== [Roommate Challenge 1: 15 Roomie Take-Away] [Team Assignments: Red - James and Jet Blue - Nabiki and Whitney Yellow - Takuya and Trowa Green - Haruka and Yusuke Orange - Amy M. and Rally Violet - Trunks and Yugi Black - Keith and Rini White - Amy R. and Tally] [Match 1: Red (James and Jet) vs. Blue (Nabiki and Whitney)] Tenchi: (preparing to flip a quarter) Red, call it in the air! James: (as the coin is flipped) Heads! The quarter lands on the ground heads-side up. Tenchi: Red, do you wish to go first or second? Jet: (smiles) Ladies first. Tenchi: Very well then. (to the ex-Roomies) Okay, everyone in the circle! (to Nabiki and Whitney) Whenever you're ready, the game begins. The other teams watch patiently as they try to catch onto the game. Nabiki and Whitney are discussing amongst themselves what move to make. Whitney then steps forward. Whitney: We'll take three. The three Pokémon trainers. Whitney heads back, with Richie, Duplica, and Tracey following her. James snaps his fingers. James: Why does she always do this to me? Jet: (walking up) Will you chill out? (to the group) Two please. Jet points to Chi-Chi and Keitaro, who walk out of the circle with him. Nabiki: I'll take three as well. (points to the 'Cardcaptors' girls) You girls, please. It's James's turn, as there are now seven people left, including Tenchi. James: Um... let's see. I'll take three. Jet slaps himself against the forehead as James selects the Digimon cast members to follow him out. Whitney smiles and high-fives Nabiki before walking up to the circle. Whitney: We'll take three, leaving just one for them! Everyone left except for Tenchi, follow me! Sasami, Joey, and Mondo go out, leaving Jet and James with just Tenchi. Tenchi: With that, the Red team is forced to take me, which means Blue team advances to the semifinals. As for the Red team, you still have a chance to earn one point later on, so stick around! ====== [Challenge Fast Forward - First Round (continued)] [Match 2: Yellow (Takuya and Trowa) vs. Green (Haruka and Yusuke)] Haruka and Yusuke win the toss and elect to go first. Haruka leads off by taking only one. Trowa repeats the move. Then, Yusuke takes two, which Takuya follows up by also taking two. After some debating, Haruka takes only one again. Trowa elects to take two. Yusuke thinks ahead and takes one. With five left, it's Takuya's turn. It's then that he realizes that it's over, as any move he makes won't help their cause. He reluctantly takes three, meaning Haruka only has to sweep in and take one, leaving Tenchi in the ring. [Match 3: Orange (Amy M. and Rally) vs. Violet (Trunks and Yugi)] The toss is won by Violet, who decide to let Orange go first. Rally takes three to begin with, which Yugi matches by also taking three. Amy M. smartly takes only one, but with help from Yugi, Yusuke takes three. Rally then gathers two, leaving Yugi with only two to pick up. Yugi does so and wins for his team, as his puzzle smarts were enough to beat Amy M.'s overall smarts. [Match 4: Black (Keith and Rini) vs. White (Amy R. and Tally)] White wins the toss, but after some debate, they decide to let Black go first. Keith selects two of the characters to come with him. Tally follows by picking three. Rini and Amy R. take their turns and each comes out with two more. Keith takes three on the next turn, leaving Tally with two other characters and Tenchi. Keith kicks himself for missing the mark as his teammate Rini is left to get Tenchi. ====== [Challenge Fast Forward - Losers' Bracket and Semifinal Round] [Match 5: Red (James and Jet) vs. Yellow (Takuya and Trowa)] The first of the two losers' bracket matches, with the winners of each given a chance at fifth place (worth one money point) gets underway with Yellow winning the toss and electing to lead off. This time, Takuya plots his path carefully, taking two on his turn. James takes three, followed by Trowa, who takes one, and Jet, who takes three also. Takuya smiles and rejoices as he takes one, leaving five in the ring (including Tenchi). Jet curses again as James takes two before realizing that they've been screwed over yet again, leaving Trowa to take the last one and get him and Takuya to the fifth place match. [Match 6: Orange (Amy M. and Rally) vs. Black (Keith and Rini)] Keith and Rini win the toss and start the game with Rini drawing three. Rally goes next, taking three on her turn. Keith takes only one, and then Amy M. picks three. Rini takes one, allowing Rally to take the next three, which left Tenchi with Keith. [Match 7: Blue (Nabiki and Whitney) vs. Green (Haruka and Yusuke)] The semifinals kick off with Green winning the toss, but allowing Blue to start. Whitney takes one, but Yusuke is a little bolder as he takes three. Nabiki follows by picking out one as well. Haruka takes three. Whitney then decides to take three on her next turn. But as Yusuke steps forward, Whitney catches her mistake all too late. Yusuke takes three, leaving Nabiki with Tenchi. [Match 8: Violet (Trunks and Yugi) vs. White (Amy R. and Tally)] The toss in the second semifinal is won by Violet. Yugi elects to go first, taking two on his first turn. Amy R. takes three on her turn. Trunks then takes one, followed by Tally, who tries to counter by picking one. Yugi takes the next three, leaving five. Amy R. selects two, which means Trunks picks two more and leaves Tenchi for Tally to pick up. ====== [Challenge Fast Forward - Medal Round and Championship Match] [Match 9: Yellow (Takuya and Trowa) vs. Orange (Amy M. and Rally) - 5th place] Yellow wins the toss, but decides to let Orange go first. A big mistake with Amy M. playing, who starts off by taking two. Trowa takes three. Rally then takes only one. Takuya, already seeing the end, just takes one for himself. Amy M. takes three with her. Trowa, wanting to get it over with, just takes three again. That left Rally with one to take and Takuya with having to take Tenchi out. [Match 10: Blue (Nabiki and Whitney) vs. White (Amy R. and Tally) - 3rd place] Tally takes charge in the third place match, as her team wins the toss and gets to go first, by her call. She starts off with two. Nabiki gets two as well. Amy R. also takes two, but Whitney changes the pattern by taking three. Tally smiles as she takes one, leaving Nabiki to choose between five. Nabiki takes only one, Amy R. takes three, and Whitney is stuck with Tenchi. [End Challenge Fast Forward] ====== [Championship: Green (Haruka and Yusuke) vs. Violet (Trunks and Yugi)] The final match was about to begin, as the Roomies watched the all-important coin toss take place. Tenchi: Green, call it in the air! Yusuke: Tails! The coin lands on tails. Yusuke: (cheering) Alright! We're definitely going first! Trunks: (to Yugi) Now what? Yugi: We just have to trust in our moves. The 15 ex-Roomies gather in the circle one last time. Haruka steps forward, as she will be the first to draw. Haruka: (pointing at Sasami and Davis) You two. After being whispered something by Yugi, Trunks takes his turn. Trunks: Let's see. (looking at Chi-Chi) You can come with me. As Trunks and Chi-Chi walk off, it's Yusuke's turn. Yusuke: (thinks for a minute) Okay, I'll take two. Yusuke points at Duplica and Jun. The trio departs, giving way to Yugi. Yugi: I'll take one this time. Joey? Best friends reunite while Haruka is up once again. She lifts up two fingers and then points to Jeri and Chelsea. Keitaro pleads to be taken, but his aunt just leaves him there. Trunks is up now... Trunks: (to himself) How many was I supposed to take now? In his mind, Trunks counts off six people... even though he's neglected an obvious seventh. Trunks: One. (points to Mondo) You. As Mondo steps out, Yugi shouts at Trunks. Yugi: Trunks, you need two! Two! Yusuke: (stepping forward) Too late! I'll take one! He points at Rita, who immediately walks to Yusuke's side. Yugi steps forward as he reluctantly makes his decision. Yugi: (VO) I wish there were some other way, but I now have no choice. (aloud) I'll take three with me this time. Yugi selects Richie, Tracey, and Keitaro. This leaves only Nikki and Tenchi in the ring. Haruka: (to Nikki) It's your turn to go. Come on. Nikki follows Haruka to their side as Trunks stomps his way to center, left to take Tenchi. Tenchi: (stepping out) With the Violet team taking me out, the Green team has won the challenge! Yusuke: (pointing at Yugi and Trunks) Ha! In your face! Yusuke starts doing a victory dance, which Haruka promptly puts to an end by hitting him squarely on the top of his head with her fist. Yusuke: (holding his head) What'd you do that for? Haruka: Let's not get overzealous, okay? ====== Tenchi: First of all, thanks to all of the ex-Roomies who dropped by to help us out in this challenge. The current cast gives the 'old timers' a round of applause. Tenchi: The scoreboard is now updated with the results of today's challenge added in. And as promised, the top half finishers in today's competition get to stay in the cabin. That'll be Haruka and Yusuke, Trunks and Yugi, Amy Rose and Tally, and Nabiki and Whitney. Those of you required to move must do so immediately upon returning to camp. And with that, your day with me is over. Rest up, 'cause you never know when the next challenge will be. Until then. The 16 Roomies head back, half to the campsite and half to the cabin. Things have just gotten a whole lot more complicated... Takuya: (CC) Back to the campsite I go. Man, this sucks! Trunks: (CC) I can't believe Yugi and I didn't win. Still, at least I get to live in the cabin now, so maybe things will get better. Amy M.: (CC) I just don't know where Rally and I went wrong. Now both of us have to leave the cabin and go back to the campsite after just one night. I don't know how we're going to deal with it. ========================= End Episode Two ========================== Tenchi: (VO) On the next episode of Roomies... James: It's like watching the highlights and low-lites of my career. Keith: You know, I heard that makes him sound gay. Tenchi: (VO) Secrets revealed aplenty... Yugi: You don't even look a day over 21. Yusuke: What are you talking about? The old bat's probably like in her 40s. Whitney: (CC) That's one reason guys never understand girls. They just don't get it! Rini: (running away) Stay away from me! Takuya: Here goes nothing! Tenchi: (VO) New friendships are forming... Trunks: We can take everyone else out, no sweat! Nabiki: Take it or leave it! Otherwise, no deal! Tenchi: (VO) Battlelines are being drawn... Amy R.: (CC) I'll show you all that I'm not a pushover! Jet: Will you listen to reason for once? Takuya: I don't need you telling me what I can and can't do! Tenchi: (VO) Oh, and the obligatory challenge we must have every episode... Amy M.: Just one more! Trowa: (crawling through the grass) Why can't I find it? Tenchi: It's all in our next episode... Additional Author's Notes: Does the roommate challenge sound familiar? It should if you are a reality show fan. A similar version, using flags, was done as an immunity challenge during "Survivor: Thailand." In that version, 21 flags were used. A closer facsimile can be found on an episode entitled "Problem Solving in Shangri-La," part of the PBS Kids' animated series "Cyberchase." That version involves 15 dragons (14 green, 1 red) in the main game, along with a similar group of action figure-sized soldiers as part of a practice game. Also, by now all but one of this season's rule changes have been revealed. Well, actually, it is easy to figure out if you think about what's different this season from last season. Just for reference, there were 5, mostly made just for this season. Have you figured them out? Next Tuesday, it's Episode 3... which means more surprises to unravel! 'Til then...