Total Drama All-Stars and Pahkitew Island

All-Stars

Total Drama All-Stars is the first part of the season. Christian Potenza first announced the season in an interview with Tom McGillis (the creator of the series), saying that Total Drama All-Stars would be very similar to Total Drama Island and Total Drama: Revenge of the Island, due to the high worldwide ratings of the latter.^[3] Therefore, this part of the season takes place back at Camp Wawanakwa; in a single location once again, unlike Total Drama World Tour. This part is also very similar to the previous season, Total Drama: Revenge of the Island (both being very similar in terms of length, location, features and cameos).

This half is an all-star season which features a return of fourteen contestants from both the first and second generation cast.^[1][12] This is the first season to feature characters from two different generations competing together. The theme for the season is "Heroes vs. Villains", meaning that competitors are separated into teams based on their past performance. Contestants that were relatively kind and good-natured were placed on the "Heroic Hamsters", while contestants that acted antagonistic were placed on the "Villainous Vultures".^[13] Both the season's first title, "All-Stars" and the "Heroes vs. Villains" theme take after respective seasons from Survivor.

Cartoon Network's official synopsis describes the first part, Total Drama All-Stars as:

Total Drama is back, but this time the team at Fresh TV have assembled the best loved and most hated contestants from seasons past to compete – Heroes vs. Villains style!^[13]

Pahkitew Island

Total Drama: Pahkitew Island is the second part of the fifth season. It was first announced on June 11, 2013, as a "sixth" season, even though it is still part of the fifth season.^[14] This part features an entire new cast considered as the third generation of Total Drama characters and takes place at a brand new island, due to Camp Wawanakwa sinking into the ocean in the season finale of All Stars.

Italy was the first country to air Total Drama: Pahkitew Island starting on June 13, 2014; the season aired in North America throughout the second half of 2014.^[15] This is the first season to air a new episode every day in the United States.^[5] This part was story edited by Terry McGurrin, while Dennis Jackson and Melanie Jackson, series creators of Wapos Bay, also helped write and consult the plot for Pahkitew Island.^[16] Total Drama: Pahkitew Island was sponsored by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, who helped with the Cree translations for the team names and various season references.^[16]

A general synopsis from Teletoon describes the second part, Total Drama: Pahkitew Island as:

It's an all-new season in an all-new location: Pahkitew Island. Given that the Cree word for "explode" is Pahkitew, it's no wonder that host Chris McLean chose this new island to put a fresh collection of victims – er, contestants – through the most grueling challenges yet. Once again teen freaks, geeks, egos, and cowards smash, crash, and bash their way through the season with one goal in mind: winning that one million dollar prize. Who will take it home? No one knows until the final episode drops and the pain finally stops.^[17]

Characters

7 characters from Total Drama World Tour and 7 characters from Total Drama: Revenge of the Island returned to compete in Total Drama All-Stars. They all competed together during several "Heroes vs. Villains" themed challenges, which means that all the heroes competed against all the villains.^[62]

Elimination Table

Characters

Total Drama: Pahkitew Island features an entire new cast.^[14] This is the second time the series completely replaces any existing cast with an all new cast. The new characters competing are Amy, Beardo (Barbu in VQ), Dave (David in VQ), Ella (Eleanor in VQ), Jasmine, Leonard, Max, Rodney, Samey, Scarlett, Shawn (Cédric in VQ), Sky (Kristelle in VQ), Sugar, and Topher (Quentin in VQ).

Elimination Table

Total Drama All-Stars

On January 28, 2013, Cartoon Network confirmed that the new season title will be Total Drama All-Stars for Part 1.^[13] Two days later on January 30, both Christian Potenza and Drew Nelson confirmed the title for Episode 4 which is "Food Fright".^[65] Drew Nelson also confirmed that the two new teams for this season are the Heroic Hamsters and the Villainous Vultures.^[66] Rumors started floating in early 2010 about the season being "Heroes vs. Villains" and that both the original and the new cast would compete together,^[67] but it wasn't until December 19, 2012, when Tom McGillis confirmed on ABC3 Australia that the theme for this season will indeed be "Heroes vs. Villains".

On February 1, 2013, Christian Potenza released a new video that contains several new information about Total Drama All-Stars, including season episode titles, new voice actors, and plot information.^[68] That same day, Christian Potenza also released the first lines of the season from Episode 4:

When a Hero's eating time is up, they hear this ... and the Villains get this ... Last time on a very special episode of Total Drama All-Stars: ... Say hello to my metal friend! ... I sincerely doubt it, Al ... next, I'll allow it, his pain was our gain ... Which team will finish their barf-tastic breakfast first? Find out after the break on Total Drama All-Stars!^[68]

On June 11, 2013, it was confirmed that the airdate for the whole season will take place in early 2014; mostly during the winter of 2014.^[14] Tom McGillis later confirmed on Twitter that the Canadian airdate will be in January 2014, while the U.S. airdate will be in September 2013.^[7] On August 19, 2013, Cartoon Network released the first official trailer for Total Drama All-Stars along with a new website that reveals all the characters. Lindsay and Jo's eliminations were leaked via episode scripts and trailers before the season started airing.

Total Drama: Pahkitew Island

As for Total Drama: Pahkitew Island, production was done, and it was released in the United States.^[10] The season was first announced to air on May 27,^[69] but was later delayed to July 7.^[5] This part is under the same production code as the previous part, Total Drama All-Stars.^[22] However, the script for the entire first episode was leaked online about a year before the season's release.^[49] Scarlett's final design along with one second of the fully animated first episode was also leaked on Instagram by her Venezuelan Spanish voice actor.^[70]

On March 21, 2014, the entire cast design was revealed by Fresh TV along with new promotions for the season.^[19] Bryn McAuley who will be voicing the twins, Amy and Samey, was the first confirmed voice actress.^[71] On April 9, 2014, Fresh TV Inc. celebrated the International Day of Pink by making the Pahkitew Island cast all wear pink clothing, symbolizing the support for anti-bullying.^[72] Before the official cast release Sunday Muse was also confirmed to voice Ella,^[73] while Ian Ronningen was set to voice Rodney.^[74] On May 30, 2014, a new teaser trailer was released for Total Drama: Pahkitew Island in Italy, marking the first time fully animated scenes were released to the public.^[75] Several trailers in English were released later on Cake Entertainment's website. On June 16, Cartoon Network posted the Pahkitew Island website, along with the audition tapes for Sugar, Samey, Amy, Leonard, and Max.^[76] Italy was the first country to air full episodes of Pahkitew Island.^[15] On June 23, the audition tapes of Beardo, Rodney, Ella, Topher, and Dave were released. On June 26, the entire cast and the characters they voiced were released via Fresh's re:fresh blog.^[77] On July 1, ABC3 announced that Total Drama: Pahkitew Island will air on July 14, 2014, in Australia.^[78]

Ratings

Total Drama All-Stars was the #1 telecast on Cartoon Network with the highest ratings for the week of the season premiere.^[79] Additionally, it ranked as the #1 telecast on all television among kids 6–11 and 9–14 for Tuesday prime-time airings. It also claimed #1 in its 7 p.m. time period among kids 9–14 and 6–11.^[5]

Critical reaction

Like the previous season, both parts of the fifth season were criticised for their short length in comparison to the first three seasons.^{[citation needed]}