Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race (also known as Total Drama: The Ridonculous Race or simply The Ridonculous Race) is a Canadian animatedreality television series which lampoons the conventions commonly found in reality television (specifically The Amazing Race). The show is a spin-off of the original Total Drama series created in 2007 and the second series created as part of the overall franchise. The series is created by Fresh TV Inc. and distributed by Cake Entertainment. The series premiered in the United States on Cartoon Network on September 7, 2015,[1] while in Canada, the series premiered on the Canadian version of Cartoon Network on January 4, 2016.[2] It also aired on ABC3 in Australia, starting December 23, 2019, and CBBC (via BBC iPlayer) in the United Kingdom. The series consists of 26 episodes.[3]
Plot
Racers, divided into teams of two, visit a different country or location in every episode and perform in "legs". Teams must race to the "Chill Zone", the finish line for each leg taking on the form of a gold "Carpet of Completion". The first team to arrive there have the advantage of starting early, while the team finishing last may face elimination. In each of the 26 episodes, each team is required to press a button on any "Don-box" they meet to receive clues that let them decide which challenge they will have to complete.
Each challenge contains a task that teams must complete to advance throughout the leg. Challenges come in four different types: "All-In", which has both members of each team complete a task together; "Botch-or-Watch", which requires one member of each team, usually the team member who did not take on a prior challenge's component, to perform a task; "Either-or", in which teams are given a choice between two different tasks that have to be completed in the same manner as an "All-In"; and "Superteam", in which multiple teams complete together as a team to finish a task.
Characters and cast
Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race has 32 brand new contestants and four contestants from the original Total Drama series. Unlike the original series, contestants compete in teams of two throughout the season, resulting in a total of 18 teams.
Each column shows the results of the leg of the race from that episode of the series.
A red team placement indicates the team was eliminated.
A brown team placement indicates the team withdrew from the race.
An underlined blue team placement indicates the team came in last on a non-elimination leg.
A brown ⊃ or a cyan ⋑ indicates that the team found a Boomerang and could choose a team to repeat the previous task, while a ⊂ or ⋐ indicates the team who received it.
Matching coloured symbols (pink + and teal ^) indicate teams who worked together during the leg as a result of a Superteam twist.
Notes
^ Noah & Owen initially arrived 11th, but were issued a 20-minute penalty for failing to ride their cheese wheel down the river and roll it to the Chill Zone as instructed, since Owen had consumed the whole cheese. Five teams checked in during their penalty time, dropping them to 16th.
^ Dwayne & Junior initially arrived 1st, but were issued a 20-minute penalty as Dwayne read the Travel-Tip before reuniting with Junior during the Botch-or-Watch. Three teams (excluding Tom & Jen) checked in during their penalty time, dropping them to 4th.
^ Tom & Jen initially arrived 2nd, but were issued a 20-minute penalty for arriving at Calanque de Maubois by yacht instead of train as instructed. Two teams checked in during their penalty time, dropping them to 5th (after Dwayne & Junior).
^ Kelly & Taylor initially arrived 7th, but were issued a one-hour penalty as Taylor did not follow Kelly back through the geyser field after incorrectly repeating the Icelandic phrase during the All-In, when she was instructed to do so. Six teams checked in during their penalty time, dropping them to 13th.
^ Laurie & Miles initially arrived 1st, but were issued a 30-minute penalty as Miles made both components of the Brazilian carnival costume during the All-In, when she and Laurie were instructed to make one each. All other teams checked in during their penalty time, dropping them to last and resulting in their elimination.
^ Crimson & Ennui initially arrived 6th, but were issued a 10-minute penalty for switching positions during the All-In. Six teams checked in during their penalty time, dropping them to 12th.
^ Leg 14 was a double-elimination leg, where the last two teams to reach the Chill Zone were eliminated.
^ Jacques & Josee initially arrived 1st, but were issued a 10-minute penalty as they arrived at the Chill Zone on foot, when they were instructed to ride burros there. MacArthur & Sanders checked in during this time, dropping them to 2nd.
^ Jacques & Josee initially arrived 1st, but were issued a 30-minute penalty for failing to collect a ball from the bottom of the borehole as instructed, since they had instead stolen the ball from Emma & Kitty while suspended on the way down. This did not affect their final placement.
^ Jacques & Josee initially arrived 1st, but were issued a one-hour penalty for disconnecting the trailing carriages of the train that transported them to the Chill Zone. Three teams checked in during this time, dropping them to 4th.
^ In Leg 24, Carrie & Devin checked in the Chill Zone in 3rd place and were declared safe. While they celebrated, trailing team Emma & Kitty accidentally knocked Devin off the cliff where the Chill Zone was located after losing control of their emu from the Botch-or-Watch. Carrie & Devin were forced to withdraw from the race due to Devin's injuries and had to choose a previously eliminated team to replace them. Brody & Geoff were chosen to return to the race.
^ Jacques & Josee were last to arrive at the mid-point Chill Zone in Central Park and were eliminated in the middle part of the Final Leg.
^ The Final Leg has two endings, depending on the location of the audience. Brody & Geoff are the winners in Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Israel, Latin America, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania (Megamax), Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the USA. They are also the winners in the United Kingdom [BBC iPlayer] and Canada [Crave]. MacArthur & Sanders are the runners-up in the USA, but they are the winners in Canada, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Romania, and the USA (Netflix).
Production
Production commenced on January 1, 2014 and concluded on October 30, 2015.[22] It was announced that Alex Ganetakos was producing the show,[23]Terry McGurrin was writing the screenplay,[24] and that Chad Hicks was directing.[25] The new host Don was revealed in a Fresh TV post in October 2014.[26] It was confirmed that 26 episodes would be picked up for the show and that it would air sometime the same year.[27] However, one of the producers, Alex Ganetakos, stated that many Ridonculous Race seasons are possible if the first season is successful.[28] In June 2015, the entire first episode was leaked online, revealing all of the characters three months before Fresh TV could release their designs in their website.
Casting
Even though some of the characters from the main series do make appearances, the spin-off series has a predominantly new cast.[29] In fact, there are only four characters returning from the original series, while the rest are brand new characters.[1]Kristin Fairlie, the voice actor for the character Bridgette from the original series, was cast to voice one of the new contestants, Carrie.[30]Scott McCord (voice of characters Owen and Trent in the original series) as well as Carter Hayden (voice of Noah in the original) were also revealed to be returning to the cast, and were seen in the recording studio together.[31] It was later confirmed that the actors were indeed going to voice the characters Owen and Noah.[32] It was eventually revealed that the first pair is to be the aforementioned character Carrie and her best friend Devin, who is played by Jeff Geddis.[8] In February, the second pair was revealed: Stephanie and Ryan. The two are voiced by Nicki Burke of Dead Rising 2 and Joseph Motiki, from Rescue Heroes.[9] In a new promotion by Cake Entertainment, Geoff was also revealed to be among the returning cast, teamed up with Brody, one of his friends from home.[5] The father-son team of Dwayne and Dwayne Jr. was also revealed.[12]
In June, a pair of goths called Ennui and Crimson, and Mary and Ellody, two close friends who are dubbed the "Geniuses", were revealed with news that returning voice actors Carter Hayden and Emilie-Claire Barlow (voice of Courtney) from the original series would play them.[10][19] A week later, the fourth pair to be released are Emma and Kitty, who are Asian sisters with opposite personalities, referred to as the "Sisters".[7] A week later, another team was confirmed; Chet and Lorenzo, known as "the Stepbrothers".[14] Next to be revealed are twins Mickey and Jay, called "the Adversity Twins", who are plagued with countless phobias, allergies, injuries, disorders, immunities, and ailments.[15] The rest of the teams were all revealed shortly thereafter.
Total Drama returns with a new host Don and 18 teams of two. All 36 characters are then paired off into 18 teams of two. They all start off in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and must race around the world for a chance at $1 million. Their first challenge is to either climb the stairs of the CN Tower or take the elevator and do a sky-walk around the tower (Scares).
Either-Or: Stairs or Scares
Stairs: Adversity Twins, Daters
Scares: Fashion Bloggers, Best Friends, Tennis Rivals, Sisters, Vegans, Reality TV Pros, Rockers, Geniuses, LARPers, Goths, Mother & Daughter
Switch: Father & Son, Surfer Dudes, Police Cadets, Ice Dancers, Stepbrothers (All Scares to Stairs)
All eighteen teams travel to the first destination, Morocco. Their second challenge is to choose 5 spices from a local kiosk then take them across the Sahara Desert on camels and then eat them in a Moroccan stew at a restaurant. LARPers Tammy and Leonard tried to buy the spices with "Dragon Coins", much to the kiosk owner's disbelief. Best friends Carrie and Devin reach the Chill Zone first, while the LARPers come in last place after they tried to use magic on the other teams and thus become the first team eliminated.
All-In: The Spice is Right
Botch or Watch: Just Stew It
Botch or Watch Performers: Sanders, Devin, Josee, Crimson, Ryan, Brody, Mary, Owen, Chet, Spud (Botch or Watch reverses for Rock), Kelly, Jay, Emma, Tom, Pete, Leonard, Miles, and Dwayne
Seventeen remaining teams now travel to Paris, France, where they all go to the Eiffel Tower to draw pictures of their partners, explore the catacombs rowing down the river on giant wheels of Roquefort cheese, and make their way to the Louvre, where the Chill Zone is located. The Police Cadets arrive first, while Tennis Rivals, Gerry and Pete, get last place due to their slow pace and become the second team eliminated, barely saving the Reality TV Pros, Noah and Owen, from elimination despite receiving a time penalty for Owen eating the cheese wheel they were supposed to ride on.
Botch or Watch: Caricature
All-Ins: Catacomb Cheese Hunt, Cheese Rowing
Botch or Watch Performers: Carrie, Jacques, Ellody, Noah, Stephanie, MacArthur, Geoff, Kitty, Taylor, Lorenzo, Mickey, Ennui, Junior, Jen, Rock, Gerry, and Laurie
Sixteen remaining teams now head south to Calanque de Maubois on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Their challenge is to swim with sharks, build sandcastle replica of the Palace of Versailles and then make their way to Iceland on speedboats. The Ice Dancers take first place, while Surfer Dudes Geoff and Brody manage to stay in the race after struggling in the shark challenge. The Geniuses are the third team eliminated from the race for spending too much time on their sand sculpture.
Botch or Watch: Who Wants to Swim With Sharks
All-In: Sandpalace of Versailles
Botch or Watch Performers: Devin, Brody, Sanders, Josee, Dwayne, Chet, Ryan, Tom, Mary, Spud, Crimson, Owen, Emma, Miles, Jay, and Kelly
Fifteen remaining teams are now in Iceland, where they first must run through a geyser field and repeat an Icelandic phrase, after which they must either eat an Icelandic feast or look for fossils in a cave. The Goths are the first team to finish, while the Mother & Daughter team, Kelly and Taylor, receive a one-hour penalty, and the Vegans come in last after reluctantly eating meat. However, it is a non-elimination leg, so they are spared the elimination.
The fifteen remaining teams now travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where they must face a kitchen mitt full of bullet ants and prepare a costume for the Carnival. The Ice Dancers take first place once again. Meanwhile, despite being the first to arrive at the Chill Zone, the Vegans end up with a 30-minute penalty that gets them eliminated from the race.
Botch or Watch: Bullet Ant Mitt
All-Ins: Swing Your Butts to the Coconuts, Carnival Fashion, Hang Gliding
Botch or Watch Performers: Laurie, Lorenzo, Chet, MacArthur, Mickey, Taylor, Rock, Jacques, Geoff, Ennui, Carrie, Stephanie, Jen, Noah, Junior, and Kitty (did not perform)
Fourteen remaining teams now travel to Transylvania, Romania. Their challenge is to transport themselves in coffins and then perform gymnastics. The Ice Dancers came in first once again. During the challenge, Noah develops a crush on competitor Emma. The Goths are penalized so they come in 12th instead. Daters Stephanie and Ryan begin to argue and are second-last to arrive, while Fashion Bloggers, Tom and Jen, are eliminated after reconciling from a fight over their blog.
All-In: Lay to Rest
Botch or Watch: Gymnastics
Botch or Watch Performers: Josee, Chet, Owen, Kelly, Emma, Dwayne, Crimson, Sanders, Ryan, Jay, Devin, Spud, Tom, and Brody
The thirteen remaining teams travel to Hawaii, where they dive for wedding rings and perform the traditional Hawaiian marriage of walking over hot coal. The Ice Dancers find a lucky charm, while Kelly tells her spoiled daughter off for her attitude. The Surfer Dudes, Geoff and Brody, come in first, while the Daters, now known as the Haters, fight throughout the challenge and come in last. They break up with one another before Don reveals it is another non-elimination leg.
Botch or Watch: Diving for Wedding Rings
All-In: Wedding Walk on Fire (Like the Flain and Krader Murp to go to New York
Botch or Watch Performers: Rock, Jacques, Kitty, Carrie, Geoff, MacArthur, Taylor, Stephanie, Mickey, Noah, Ennui, Junior, and Lorenzo
All-In Grooms: Jacques, Josee, Brody, Devin, MacArthur, Lorenzo, Junior, Mickey, Owen, Kitty, Kelly, Ennui, Spud, and Ryan
All-In Brides: Jacques, Josee, Geoff, Carrie, Sanders, Chet, Dwayne, Jay, Noah, Emma, Taylor, Crimson, Rock, and Stephanie
The thirteen remaining teams travel to the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai to either serve a tennis ball or clean windows (Squeegee). Owen and Noah form an alliance with the Sisters, Emma and Kitty, leading to the latter team finishing first, while Kelly's attempts to discipline her daughter end up getting them eliminated from the race.
The twelve remaining teams now travel to Beijing, China, to see the Beijing National Stadium, eat local delicacies, and finally make their way to the Chill Zone located in the Great Wall. The Haters end up becoming the first team to arrive, coming in first place. The Ice Dancers' bad luck continues, while Noah and Emma grow closer. The Rockers, Rock and Spud, come in last, but are safe because of another non-elimination leg.
All-Ins: Crow's Nest Parachuting, Street Food
Botch or Watch: Rickshaw Pulling
Botch or Watch Performers: Josee, Sanders, Brody, Ryan, Emma, Owen, Spud (supposed to be Rock), Dwayne, Devin, Chet, Crimson, and Jay
The twelve remaining teams now travel to Oulu, Finland, where they first must enter a sauna chamber and then play air guitar on stage. The Rockers manage to bounce into first place, while the Goths, Crimson and Ennui, lose their makeup, Josee finds out her lucky charm is cursed, and Noah nearly comes in last before being motivated by Owen. In the end, the Adversity Twins, Jay and Mickey, come in last after suffering from stage fright and are eliminated.
All-In: Finnish Spa Day
Botch or Watch: Air Out Your Rock-On
Botch or Watch Performers: Noah, Mickey, Kitty, MacArthur, Junior, Ryan (supposed to be Stephanie), Jacques, Ennui, Rock, Carrie, Geoff and Lorenzo
The eleven remaining teams now travel to Zimbabwe to take a selfie of them going over Victoria Falls and with a white rhino. The Ice Dancers travel back to Hawaii to break the curse, while Dwayne and Junior, become separated from each other. The Police Cadets, Sanders and MacArthur, win the leg. In the end, Dwayne reunites with his son, and the Ice Dancers end up coming in last after they arrive in Zimbabwe last. However, they are saved by a non-elimination leg, and they vow to take down the other teams.
The eleven remaining teams head for Australia, where they must first enter Geelong Prison and then escape by using various methods possible. Both the Ice Dancers and the Police Cadets get a Boomerang (which sends back a team to repeat the previous challenge) and use it on each other. The Stepbrothers finally begin to get along, while Carrie tries to reveal her feelings for Devin, who later finds out his girlfriend has broken up with him. In the end, the Ice Dancers beat out the Cadets for last place, but another non-elimination round saves them.
The eleven remaining teams stay in Australia for a bunny hunt challenge. The Ice Dancers paint a bunny to fool the Police Cadets. They then fly their own gliders to New Zealand. The Goths adopt a bunny, which they name "Loki", for themselves. The Ice Dancers finally come back on top, while both the Stepbrothers and the Rockers end up in a double elimination and are thus cut from the race.
The nine remaining teams start off in New Zealand and they all catch a train to either jump down (off) the Kawarau Bridge to catch a fish or jump around doing a Māoriwar dance. The Ice Dancers swiftly zoom into first place, while Emma and Noah become too distracted by each other, causing the Reality TV Pros to lose the game. Emma breaks off her relationship with Noah, much to the latter's shock. However, it was another non-elimination leg so they are still in the race.
The nine remaining teams travel to Alberta, Canada, to consume a pot of pork and beans and then ride a mechanical bull. The Cadets delay the Ice Dancers, Stephanie slows Ryan down due to her hatred of beans, and Brody is unable to stay on the mechanical bull. In the end, The Surfer Dudes win the leg, while Dwayne and Junior are last to arrive and are eliminated.
All-In: Tip Your Hat, Spill Your Beans, and Eat Like a Cowboy by All Means
Botch or Watch: Mechanical Bull Riding
Botch or Watch Performers: Brody, Devin, Crimson, Stephanie, MacArthur, Kitty, Noah, Jacques, and Dwayne
The eight remaining teams now travel to the Arctic Circle, where they must play ring toss on narwhal horns and then build an igloo. The Surfer Dudes overcome the Ice Dancers' mind games and come in first once again, while Ryan and Stephanie come in last once again after using a Boomerang on themselves. It is revealed to be another non-elimination leg, so they stay in the race.
Botch or Watch: Narwhal Ring Toss
All-In: Igloo Building
Botch or Watch Performers: Geoff, Ryan, Carrie, Sanders, Ennui, Owen, Josee, Emma, and Stephanie
The eight remaining teams now travel to Flores, Indonesia, where they must all collect Komodo dragon venom and then find a quilt with the series logo on it. The Goths come in first, while Noah is buried under a pile of rugs and Owen spends too long trying to find him. As a result, Noah and Owen are eliminated. Emma kisses Noah before their departure.[53]
All-Ins: How to Milk Your Dragon, Prepare to Meet Your Loom
The seven remaining teams now travel to Las Vegas, Nevada, where they must either ride dune buggies in a bonanza and collect three flags or do a magic show (perform a magic trick) right in front of a magician. The Surfer Dudes struggle to complete the challenge, while the Goths come in first once again, angering the Ice Dancers. After the five stages of heartbreak, Devin suddenly realizes he likes Carrie, but almost at the same time she stops liking him. However, they are saved because of another non-elimination leg.[55]
The seven remaining teams drive a bus to Acapulco, Mexico, where they must eat spicy peppers in order to determine which height they will jump from on a cliff to get the next travel tip. They then must ride their burros to the chill zone. Devin is unable to eat the pepper and is blinded when he rubs pepper juice in his eyes. The Cadets win the leg, while the Goths are eliminated after the Ice Dancers kidnapped Loki.
All-Ins: Who Loves Pepper and Who Loves Dip?, Burrowed Alive
The six remaining teams now travel to Cần Thơ, Vietnam, and are being merged into two temporary super-teams to go noodling for Mekong Giant Catfish. The team consisting of the Ice Dancers, the Police Cadets, and the Haters, called the Axis of Evil, win the leg, while the other team gets separated again. In the end, the Surfer Dudes are eliminated after sacrificing their win for Carrie and Devin.
The final five remaining teams now travel to Siberia, Russia, where they must traverse down the Kola Borehole, the deepest hole in the world to collect a ball. The Ice Dancers cheat for the lead, and even with a major penalty, they still win the leg. MacArthur accidentally breaks Sanders' arm and they come in last, but they are saved by the non-elimination after Sanders decides to keep going.
All-Ins: Ice Yachting in Swimsuits, Who’s Ready to Go Deep
The final five remaining teams now travel to Darjeeling, India to harvest tea crops and then ride a train. The Ice Dancers once again cheat their way to first by derailing the train, only to receive a one-hour penalty for that. All other teams take advantage of the penalty, and Emma and Kitty win the leg. The Ice Dancers finish fourth and are still in the race, while Ryan and Stephanie stop before the Chill Zone to declare that they have now made up for each other and become Daters again, eliminating both of them from the race.
The final four remaining teams now travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina, for a tango dancing challenge. The Ice Dancers apply legal sabotage to help them win the leg. Later on, the Best Friends, Carrie and Devin, finally confess their true feelings for each other, but it all does not end so well as Devin is accidentally pushed off a cliff by the Sisters' emu, resulting in serious injury and the Best Friends forced to withdraw from the race. However, they get to choose one of the previously eliminated teams to come back to the race, so they choose the Surfer Dudes to take their place.
All-In: Tango Takedown
Botch or Watch: Ride 'Em Gaucho
Botch or Watch Performers: Jacques, Kitty, MacArthur, and Devin
The final four remaining teams now travel to the Bahamas, where they first find a secret map that leads to an underwater treasure. Josee's claustrophobia makes her run out of oxygen really fast, forcing MacArthur to reluctantly rescue her. Meanwhile, the Sisters, Emma and Kitty, are delayed when Kitty gets stuck in a rock. The returning team, the Surfer Dudes, come in first. Once the rest of the teams escape, it's a close race to the finish. In the end, Emma and Kitty end up coming in last, so they are the last team eliminated from the race. The final three teams are being headed for the finale in New York City.
All-In: Arrr, Matey! This Way be Treasure Maps
Botch or Watch: Dive to Survive
Botch or Watch Performers: Kitty, Brody, Josee, and MacArthur
26
"A Million Ways to Lose a Million Dollars" (Part 2) [70]
The final three teams are now in New York City and are getting ready for the finale. Their first challenge is to go to the Empire State Building and climb up all the way to the top in order to grab a case and then take the case to Central Park. The Surfer Dudes are forced to take the subway after their taxi was sabotaged by the Ice Dancers' taxi, and end up in a huge lead, so they reach Central Park first with the case. The Police Cadets reach the Chill Zone first by a few seconds, while the Ice Dancers are finally eliminated from the race. The final challenge is to take the case to the lake and then try to figure out the combination that is being written on one of several buoys, and then open the case that will reveal a map that leads to the finish line. The Surfers are delayed due to a misunderstanding, and both teams search at the same time. The Cadets are the first to open up their briefcase, but MacArthur accidentally puts a hole in their boat, forcing her to row as fast as she can to shore, tiring her out.
Notes: This episode has two different endings.
After reminiscing about how great the race was, MacArthur tells Brody to keep in touch. Subsequently, the last scene of the season is edited to depict the Surfers holding the million dollar prize, while the Cadets are standing out with the rest of the teams in the peanut gallery.
All-Ins: Who’s Ready to Face the Traffic, Buoys Will be Buoys
Media
A video game has been released that allows players to choose any of the series' 36 main characters and race them in short endless runner games.[72] The game, titled "Donculous Dash", was released on January 4, 2016, in Canada only. The game can be downloaded from the Canadian app store[73] and a demo version is also available on their Cartoon Network website.[74]
Availability
The Ridonculous Race is seldom released on any home media, not even Region 4 DVD nor digital download. The only availability of the spinoff is the entirety of the series released as one video on YouTube, as well as the episodic structure on Netflix,[citation needed] but erroneously as season 7 of Total Drama. In the United Kingdom, the season is available on BBC iPlayer as of April 4, 2022.[75]
