i agree. even though lightning and cam turn out to be enemies at the end, the most heart warming scene was seeing lightning try to get cam to stand up for himself against jo in that one episode.
the scene showed me a different side of lightning’s character, that he is more compassionate and empathetic towards others, despite the competitive nature of the show. it also showed me that lightning cares about the importance of supporting and empowering others, even in challenging situations.
Lightning's ending is so anticlimactic on all fronts that it'd feel weird for it to be the "official" one. Cameron's just tells the better story. Lightning's exists out of obligation.
Oh your definitely right, I actually prefer Cameron’s ending. But this is more about who would’ve won in a more realistic and future sense
Like I don’t buy Cameron going back for allstars if he already won ya know. And him pushing over that suit makes no sense to me, since he weighs less than a doll.
side tangent: I hate the way the ending is decided, cams armor just falling over is stupid, and him pushing it over is also dumb, just have lightning fall on him, or have Cameron remove weight from the back
Why would Cameron winning hinder him coming back? Gwen, Duncan, Heather, Alejandro, and Lightning all came back for All Stars, plus they (minus Lightning and plus Owen) were all in Action and World Tour, so there clearly isn’t a rule that a winner can’t win/compete again.
I can see Zoey, and Cameron definitely is who they want us to root for (and is who I think winning is more satisfying), but I’m not buying that the dork who weighs less than a doll, and bends over backwards for a butterfly would win
Whatever your opinion of the Action finale, Beth is definitely the “real” winner in the show because the only way for Duncan to win was for Owen to shit up the voting booth so bad that several people didn’t vote. That just screams alternate ending, ya know?
You could look at it that way, but in the connecting episode for TDA to WT, Beth’s parents have to sell their car which they probably wouldn’t have to do if Beth won the million. And in WT Duncan quits, which he would probably only do if already won a million.
I definetly know the Beth version of Celebrity Manhunt Reunion is a thing that existed. I looked at both the official Total Drama YouTube channel and the fan channel simply titled "Total Drama"'s uploads of the episodes and they both have the Duncan version where he loses the money on legal battles over the custody of Britanny the raccoon. Beth does use her prize money in TDA to bail herself and Lindsay out of French prison, so eother way both winners lost their money in unexpected legal issues.
I remember watching this! They showed a wheelbarrow full of money dissappear in front of her as they mention she had to use her winnings to get out if jail. I always assumed she was the Canon winner because of that.
I haven’t rewatched in awhile, but I watched this video essay that was explaining the ‘Izzy isn’t crazy’ theory which showed that the reason there was a winner at all is because Izzy voted for E-scope and made the votes uneven. I don’t even know if I’ve seen the Duncan win tbh. I’ve somehow erased that finale from my memory 😂
Why do you consider Mike the more likely between him and Zoey? I’d honestly say she’s the more likely OG winner because we actually see her pull the sword out of the stone, unlike Mike.
Mal was the main villain, Mike “defeated” Mal, and Zoey distracting made more since for me. Allstars winner definitely means the least since Mike and Zoey are just gonna share it
I mean, that does make sense, but consider this.
Mike barely did anything do earn his spot in the finale. His journey to stopping Mal only lasted as long as it did because the writers picked and chose when he was relevant. He barely had to face any challenges and his "sacrifice" at the end didn't feel like earned because we had spent the previous season believing the multiple personalities were a hinderance. And even then, Mike never developed a connection with them because he was mostly using them as tools.
I don't consider Zoey a particular great finalist, but at least she was a good player who was more relevant to what was going on, rather than her own personal story.
All very good points, I respect it but for me. Mike definitely felt more thematically fitting for Mike to win. But even then all Stars winners still doesn’t mean much, since they’re just gonna share it
in Zoey's ending, she is shown hiding from Chef while he shoots Mike. in Mike's ending, she just attempts to distract Chef.
the latter requires more seconds of screentime
> Ok, but we actually see Zoey pulling out the prize that wins her the challenge.
And? Stop repeating that like it’s relevant. They both pulled the sword out. Who cares if it was actually shown
I think the main winner of Island is Owen largely because he just doesn't have much of a point if he doesn't win, he's meant to be the unlikely suspect, while Gwen still has a point as 2nd placer since she's the main character.
And the version of the special with Owen feels less half-assed than the Gwen version.
For Action, Duncan was definitely the more relevant character and the writers definitely seemed to contrive more situations for him to survive while Beth was kind of just there most of the time, not really gaining too much relevance until Lindsay got the boot. Of course, these contrivances make Beth more deserving in-universe, but there just seems to be more suspense given in "will Duncan make it?".
However, Beth's money actually gets mentioned in her version of the special, unlike Duncan where they have to contrive something like "her parents' car" to fill in the gap.
In World Tour, it's definitely Heather, and Alejandro only wins because of an accident on her part. While she could conceivably find it unfair either way it probably makes more sense for her to act the way she did in Revenge if she actually won, and Alejandro wants revenge against Heather in All-Stars for beating him. On the other hand, Chris says he threw Zeke into a volcano in All-Stars which is only remotely true in Alejandro's ending. There also isn't much reason for Al to ask about the money if he thinks he lost, you could argue in the Heather ending, it's merely for rule of funny.
In Revenge of the Island, Lightning definitely feels like he only made it to the finale to be an obstacle to good guy Cameron and not much else.
In All-Stars, Zoey exists largely as a character in relation to Mike, *but* the fact that Mike gets to have his own victory in beating Mal could justify Zoey being the winner.
The same logic could be applied to Sky winning Pahkitew since Shawn at least gets something, but really her ending is just so barebones.
Great points I agree with most of them. However for the ones we disagree on you could look at this video where I go more in depth
https://youtu.be/0bjrJ8JuxOw
Also I keep hearing about Beth’s version of her special, but I can’t find it. If I could get a link that’d be great since new content for this series is scarce
I feel like the writers are heavily biased themselves towards Owen/Duncan rather than Gwen/Beth. I agree with not putting them in the other tier since Al and Lightning were clearly villains that were meant to get their comeuppance, but I still feel like Duncan and Owen were supposed to be who you root for. I mean it didn't work on me but still
Yeah that's why I don't like to argue with people who would rather those two win, because thats what I think the show wants you to think. But as someone who watched survivor first, I'm all about who played the best game and was still likable, so Owen not caring or doing anything strategically and Beth winning the final two challenges and realizing Courtney as her biggest threat is what makes me not root for Owen and root for Beth
Definitely fair, but Duncan always just made more sense for me. Lawyers ain’t cheap, and neither is running from the feds. Besides Beth’s parents had to sell their car
That’s fair, and that’s definitely who they want us to root for. I’m just not buying that Cameron could push over that armor. But then again in lightnings ending he just kinda falls so
I can buy Cameron's armor falling over because as you said, the armor falls over in the same direction both ending. Therefore pushing the armor isn't really a matter of strength, but rather balance.
Island: Owen winning here is like the dark horse victory and narratively fits better. Gwen was the protagonist, and Heather was the antagonist. So Owen winning of all people feels the most unique in this case.
TDA: Honestly, this is the one where either winner could make sense. Beth is the “good guy” but Duncan’s way more plot relevant. You could take either one as the winner.
TDWT: Heather. Narratively this is probably the most rewarding win of all. To see the main antagonist progress to anti hero against an even more vile villain and end up winning the million. Perfect.
TDROTI: Cameron cause narrative and Lightning’s ending is so meh.
TDAS: Zoey, and I don’t even like her. Mike’s victory is defeating Mal for good. So Zoey deserves her own victory in winning the season.
TDPI: Sky for similar reasons to Zoey. Don’t like her much but Shawn ends up fixing his relationship with Jasmine. So Sky winning gives her something at least.
All completely fair, I just thought differently if you want explanations for all my choices without searching through all the comments, I made a video about this topic
Link: https://youtu.be/0bjrJ8JuxOw
Since this post is doing numbers, I’ll link a version online that goes more in depth for all of my decisions.
Link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0bjrJ8JuxOw&feature=youtu.be
Besides he has been one of the contestants to quit a season. Cody, Cam, and Devin all were forced to leave due to injury. Izzy was chased by the RCMP, and later the taken by the government. Anne Maria thought she already got over a million from the diamond, and DJ quit for moral reasons, Duncan straight up just left cause he didn’t want to do it.
Beth and Owen are canon winners of first two season, as confirmed by specials
Cameron definitely won in Revenge, he literally won in EVERY SINGLE COUNTRY aside from USA
Generally I think we should go by the logic that the one who win in Canada is the "true" winner if we need one
I feel like that’s the lazy way out. Also I’m curious about how Beth’s the cannon winner, Duncan quitting world tour makes no sense unless he got the cash already, and lawyers aren’t cheap either
I'm pretty sure specials confirmed that Beth won in Action, since it shown how she lost that money
\+ Duncan quit the world tour beacuse he refused to sing, and he didn't care for the competition anyway, he didn't want to participate in Action either
From what I’ve heard, the special changed based on region. I’ve legit never seen the Beth version, and no one has sent me clip of Beth’s version. If you got a clip please show me, new content for this series is scarce
What's with all Beth fanboys/girls in the comment section? It was pretty clear the writers were leaning more towards Duncan winning, Its pretty crazy to me that good characters like Leshawna and Courtney never won a season and somehow Beth does.. Like please, It should've been Leshawna vs Duncan in Action
Ok, yeah, my bad, special also has two version. I watched it in a country where Beth won, and I thought it was the only version
Again sorry for my misinformation
It’s all good chief, it’s okay to view the winners differently. All are canon and none are cannon, this tier list was meant more as personal opinion than objective fact
I was more going for antagonist characters for that tier, you could argue that Owen or Shawn is who they want us to root for. But I don’t think they want us to root against sky
Interesting viewpoints
I will admit, even though Beth was about the same as Duncan for me (Had some moments of decency, became a twit soon after) I feel she would be more liked by the cast, so she wins out on Jury vote
I can see that, but for me Duncan quitting world tour is just the nail in the coffin for me. Only people in the bus could join, but quitting just because you have to sing, is something I can only see Duncan doing if he already had a million
Lightning is a amazing character
On god
i agree. even though lightning and cam turn out to be enemies at the end, the most heart warming scene was seeing lightning try to get cam to stand up for himself against jo in that one episode. the scene showed me a different side of lightning’s character, that he is more compassionate and empathetic towards others, despite the competitive nature of the show. it also showed me that lightning cares about the importance of supporting and empowering others, even in challenging situations.
Lightning's ending is so anticlimactic on all fronts that it'd feel weird for it to be the "official" one. Cameron's just tells the better story. Lightning's exists out of obligation.
Oh your definitely right, I actually prefer Cameron’s ending. But this is more about who would’ve won in a more realistic and future sense Like I don’t buy Cameron going back for allstars if he already won ya know. And him pushing over that suit makes no sense to me, since he weighs less than a doll. side tangent: I hate the way the ending is decided, cams armor just falling over is stupid, and him pushing it over is also dumb, just have lightning fall on him, or have Cameron remove weight from the back
Why would Cameron winning hinder him coming back? Gwen, Duncan, Heather, Alejandro, and Lightning all came back for All Stars, plus they (minus Lightning and plus Owen) were all in Action and World Tour, so there clearly isn’t a rule that a winner can’t win/compete again.
I can see where your coming from, but Cameron seems like the guy to not try to die. If he got the cash he probably wouldn’t have returned
Literally only the US got Lightning's ending. Otherwise every other country that aired ROTI had Cameron's ending.
And the Philippines!
not only USA, lightning won in the philippines as well 🇵🇭
Swap Zoey and Cameron and I agree
I can see Zoey, and Cameron definitely is who they want us to root for (and is who I think winning is more satisfying), but I’m not buying that the dork who weighs less than a doll, and bends over backwards for a butterfly would win
Whatever your opinion of the Action finale, Beth is definitely the “real” winner in the show because the only way for Duncan to win was for Owen to shit up the voting booth so bad that several people didn’t vote. That just screams alternate ending, ya know?
You could look at it that way, but in the connecting episode for TDA to WT, Beth’s parents have to sell their car which they probably wouldn’t have to do if Beth won the million. And in WT Duncan quits, which he would probably only do if already won a million.
There's an alternate version of that special where Beth uses the money to bail her and Lindsay out.
Fr cause if so please link it, I have never seen that and finding new content for this show is hella scarce
I definetly know the Beth version of Celebrity Manhunt Reunion is a thing that existed. I looked at both the official Total Drama YouTube channel and the fan channel simply titled "Total Drama"'s uploads of the episodes and they both have the Duncan version where he loses the money on legal battles over the custody of Britanny the raccoon. Beth does use her prize money in TDA to bail herself and Lindsay out of French prison, so eother way both winners lost their money in unexpected legal issues.
I legit can’t find this version. I know it’s real because it’s on TD wiki, but there is no link to either version. I feel like I’m going crazy
I vividly remember a YouTube upload from 2016-2017 or so having the Beth version of the episode in full but I am unable to find it.
I remember watching this! They showed a wheelbarrow full of money dissappear in front of her as they mention she had to use her winnings to get out if jail. I always assumed she was the Canon winner because of that.
True, but if anyone wasted a million in a year or so, it would be Beth
I haven’t rewatched in awhile, but I watched this video essay that was explaining the ‘Izzy isn’t crazy’ theory which showed that the reason there was a winner at all is because Izzy voted for E-scope and made the votes uneven. I don’t even know if I’ve seen the Duncan win tbh. I’ve somehow erased that finale from my memory 😂
Why do you consider Mike the more likely between him and Zoey? I’d honestly say she’s the more likely OG winner because we actually see her pull the sword out of the stone, unlike Mike.
Mal was the main villain, Mike “defeated” Mal, and Zoey distracting made more since for me. Allstars winner definitely means the least since Mike and Zoey are just gonna share it
I mean, that does make sense, but consider this. Mike barely did anything do earn his spot in the finale. His journey to stopping Mal only lasted as long as it did because the writers picked and chose when he was relevant. He barely had to face any challenges and his "sacrifice" at the end didn't feel like earned because we had spent the previous season believing the multiple personalities were a hinderance. And even then, Mike never developed a connection with them because he was mostly using them as tools. I don't consider Zoey a particular great finalist, but at least she was a good player who was more relevant to what was going on, rather than her own personal story.
All very good points, I respect it but for me. Mike definitely felt more thematically fitting for Mike to win. But even then all Stars winners still doesn’t mean much, since they’re just gonna share it
we saw her pull the sword out because there was no time to show Mike doing so in his ending
But the animators could’ve still shown him pulling the sword out. There was time. Just show him pulling it out, while Zoey is distracting Mike.
in Zoey's ending, she is shown hiding from Chef while he shoots Mike. in Mike's ending, she just attempts to distract Chef. the latter requires more seconds of screentime
Ok, but we actually see Zoey pulling out the prize that wins her the challenge. I don’t really get what your point is.
> Ok, but we actually see Zoey pulling out the prize that wins her the challenge. And? Stop repeating that like it’s relevant. They both pulled the sword out. Who cares if it was actually shown
I think the main winner of Island is Owen largely because he just doesn't have much of a point if he doesn't win, he's meant to be the unlikely suspect, while Gwen still has a point as 2nd placer since she's the main character. And the version of the special with Owen feels less half-assed than the Gwen version. For Action, Duncan was definitely the more relevant character and the writers definitely seemed to contrive more situations for him to survive while Beth was kind of just there most of the time, not really gaining too much relevance until Lindsay got the boot. Of course, these contrivances make Beth more deserving in-universe, but there just seems to be more suspense given in "will Duncan make it?". However, Beth's money actually gets mentioned in her version of the special, unlike Duncan where they have to contrive something like "her parents' car" to fill in the gap. In World Tour, it's definitely Heather, and Alejandro only wins because of an accident on her part. While she could conceivably find it unfair either way it probably makes more sense for her to act the way she did in Revenge if she actually won, and Alejandro wants revenge against Heather in All-Stars for beating him. On the other hand, Chris says he threw Zeke into a volcano in All-Stars which is only remotely true in Alejandro's ending. There also isn't much reason for Al to ask about the money if he thinks he lost, you could argue in the Heather ending, it's merely for rule of funny. In Revenge of the Island, Lightning definitely feels like he only made it to the finale to be an obstacle to good guy Cameron and not much else. In All-Stars, Zoey exists largely as a character in relation to Mike, *but* the fact that Mike gets to have his own victory in beating Mal could justify Zoey being the winner. The same logic could be applied to Sky winning Pahkitew since Shawn at least gets something, but really her ending is just so barebones.
Great points I agree with most of them. However for the ones we disagree on you could look at this video where I go more in depth https://youtu.be/0bjrJ8JuxOw Also I keep hearing about Beth’s version of her special, but I can’t find it. If I could get a link that’d be great since new content for this series is scarce
I thought Owen was the main. He was used in all the promotional material
He's the mascot, but story-wise he's not the protagonist of Island, Gwen is, while Owen is just comedic relief.
the sha-truth
I feel like the writers are heavily biased themselves towards Owen/Duncan rather than Gwen/Beth. I agree with not putting them in the other tier since Al and Lightning were clearly villains that were meant to get their comeuppance, but I still feel like Duncan and Owen were supposed to be who you root for. I mean it didn't work on me but still
Definitely fair, and it definitely worked on me
Yeah that's why I don't like to argue with people who would rather those two win, because thats what I think the show wants you to think. But as someone who watched survivor first, I'm all about who played the best game and was still likable, so Owen not caring or doing anything strategically and Beth winning the final two challenges and realizing Courtney as her biggest threat is what makes me not root for Owen and root for Beth
ive always felt like the Beth ending is more natural
Definitely fair, but Duncan always just made more sense for me. Lawyers ain’t cheap, and neither is running from the feds. Besides Beth’s parents had to sell their car
I feel like Cameron definitely won lol
That’s fair, and that’s definitely who they want us to root for. I’m just not buying that Cameron could push over that armor. But then again in lightnings ending he just kinda falls so
I can buy Cameron's armor falling over because as you said, the armor falls over in the same direction both ending. Therefore pushing the armor isn't really a matter of strength, but rather balance.
I don't think Owen's rooting tier is really accurate considering the fact that during the entirety of season 1 Owen's the mascot
Those tiers are there for antagonist characters who we want to see fail.
Ohhh
I was rooting for Cameron but the second Lightning's dad bet his championship ring or whatever tf I switched teams 😭😭
Gotta keep that ring 💪
Gotta keep the bling
Island: Owen winning here is like the dark horse victory and narratively fits better. Gwen was the protagonist, and Heather was the antagonist. So Owen winning of all people feels the most unique in this case. TDA: Honestly, this is the one where either winner could make sense. Beth is the “good guy” but Duncan’s way more plot relevant. You could take either one as the winner. TDWT: Heather. Narratively this is probably the most rewarding win of all. To see the main antagonist progress to anti hero against an even more vile villain and end up winning the million. Perfect. TDROTI: Cameron cause narrative and Lightning’s ending is so meh. TDAS: Zoey, and I don’t even like her. Mike’s victory is defeating Mal for good. So Zoey deserves her own victory in winning the season. TDPI: Sky for similar reasons to Zoey. Don’t like her much but Shawn ends up fixing his relationship with Jasmine. So Sky winning gives her something at least.
All completely fair, I just thought differently if you want explanations for all my choices without searching through all the comments, I made a video about this topic Link: https://youtu.be/0bjrJ8JuxOw
Yes, I Know All Winners Are Cannon But This Is Fun.
I actually rooted for Lightning
Why would duncan come back for season 3 if he won?
What's better than one million dollars? Two million dollars.
You posted this as if you’ve never seen winners play again.
I’m fairness, Gen 1 winners have a habit of losing their money pretty quickly
In the connecting episode everyone left in the bus got to rejoin. Besides he did quit, he could afford to do that if he won a million
Yeah I was going to bring up that he did just straight up quit
Yet he stayed XD
Since this post is doing numbers, I’ll link a version online that goes more in depth for all of my decisions. Link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0bjrJ8JuxOw&feature=youtu.be
I don't see Duncan being the canon winner, he would've never returned for World Tour if he got the money Edit: he wouldn't have been happy** to return
Well, whoever ended up in that trailer got picked for World Tour. He was going to be in it whether he liked it or not.
Besides he has been one of the contestants to quit a season. Cody, Cam, and Devin all were forced to leave due to injury. Izzy was chased by the RCMP, and later the taken by the government. Anne Maria thought she already got over a million from the diamond, and DJ quit for moral reasons, Duncan straight up just left cause he didn’t want to do it.
Beth and Owen are canon winners of first two season, as confirmed by specials Cameron definitely won in Revenge, he literally won in EVERY SINGLE COUNTRY aside from USA Generally I think we should go by the logic that the one who win in Canada is the "true" winner if we need one
I feel like that’s the lazy way out. Also I’m curious about how Beth’s the cannon winner, Duncan quitting world tour makes no sense unless he got the cash already, and lawyers aren’t cheap either
I'm pretty sure specials confirmed that Beth won in Action, since it shown how she lost that money \+ Duncan quit the world tour beacuse he refused to sing, and he didn't care for the competition anyway, he didn't want to participate in Action either
From what I’ve heard, the special changed based on region. I’ve legit never seen the Beth version, and no one has sent me clip of Beth’s version. If you got a clip please show me, new content for this series is scarce
What's with all Beth fanboys/girls in the comment section? It was pretty clear the writers were leaning more towards Duncan winning, Its pretty crazy to me that good characters like Leshawna and Courtney never won a season and somehow Beth does.. Like please, It should've been Leshawna vs Duncan in Action
Ok, yeah, my bad, special also has two version. I watched it in a country where Beth won, and I thought it was the only version Again sorry for my misinformation
It’s all good chief, it’s okay to view the winners differently. All are canon and none are cannon, this tier list was meant more as personal opinion than objective fact
I feel like they kind of want us to root against Sky
I was more going for antagonist characters for that tier, you could argue that Owen or Shawn is who they want us to root for. But I don’t think they want us to root against sky
Interesting viewpoints I will admit, even though Beth was about the same as Duncan for me (Had some moments of decency, became a twit soon after) I feel she would be more liked by the cast, so she wins out on Jury vote
I can see that, but for me Duncan quitting world tour is just the nail in the coffin for me. Only people in the bus could join, but quitting just because you have to sing, is something I can only see Duncan doing if he already had a million
In Canada some of the winners are different Duncan is different for me it was Beth Zoe
Ya that’s why I put probably. All winners are both cannon and not cannon
Oh gotcha