Total Drama Island
Encyclopedia
Total Drama Island is a Canadian animated television series
which lampoons the conventions commonly found in reality shows
. The show and its sequel seasons are collectively referred to as the Total Drama series. It premiered on the Canadian cable television specialty channel Teletoon on July 8, 2007. The show was created by the creators of 6teen
, another Teletoon program. It was the third Cartoon Network
show outside of Adult Swim
and Toonami
to have the U.S. rating
of "TV-PG-D", and a parental-guidance warning after every commercial break and at the beginning of the show (the first two being Sunday Pants
and IGPX; its rating in Canada for most episodes is "G", or else "PG"). On the Cartoon Network
airing in the United States, some content has been removed from the episodes by censors in order to keep the rating open to a younger audience; for example, putting in words instead of long bleeps
, for the episodes "That's Off the Chain" and "Trial by Tri-Armed Triathlon". As of now, reruns are not seen on Cartoon Network. The fourth season, Total Drama: Revenge of the Island
is also shown in the same location except with a new cast.
. The campers participate in competitions to avoid being voted off the island by their fellow campers. At the end of the series, the winning contestant will win C$
100,000. The competition is hosted by Chris McLean, who is assisted by the camp's chef, Chef Hatchet. At the beginning of the season, the twenty-two teen campers are placed into two groups of eleven, the "Screaming Gophers" and the "Killer Bass". In each episode, the teams participate in a challenge, in which one or more campers can win invincibility for their team. The losing team is called to the campfire at night, where they vote one of their members off the island. The camper with the most votes is eliminated from the competition. At this campfire, McLean passes out marshmallows to the campers who have not been voted off, while the one who does not get a marshmallow must walk down the Dock of Shame to the Boat of Losers, which will take them away from the island and they will "never, never, never, ever, ever, ever, come back, ever" according to Chris (this was proved a lie in "No Pain, No Game", when he brought Izzy and Eva back into the game). About halfway through the season, the teams are disbanded, after which the challenges continue; the winner of each challenge then only receives invincibility for him or herself, whereupon a camper without invincibility is voted off the island. This process of elimination continued on until two players remains on the island. These two players, Gwen and Owen, were then subject to a final contest. At the end of the season, Owen wins the competition, while Gwen wins in the alternate ending to the season. Total Drama Island is a parody of the reality show Survivor
. Host Chris McLean is very similar to Survivor host Jeff Probst
.
, studied what teenagers liked and disliked about reality television shows
in the writing process. McGillis says they used a "countrywide online research project" to determine this demographic's likes. Fresh TV Inc. partners McGillis, Pertsch, Elliott and Irving
produced the series. The budget for the series was $8 million. It was animated in Flash
, at Elliott Animation's studio in Toronto. Every cast and crew member on Total Drama Island had to sign a confidentiality agreement not to disclose who the winner was. All the characters were designed by Kauffman. An early name for the series was Camp TV. Voice actors from the FreshTV series 6teen
have lent their voices for Total Drama Island: Christian Potenza
, who played the character Jude on 6teen, played the role of host Chris McLean. Potenza said that the best part of the job was that his character could not be voted off the show. Emilie-Claire Barlow
plays a recurring role as Chrissy on 6teen and plays Courtney on Total Drama Island. Barlow stated that Courtney was her favorite character that she had ever played. Other voice actors from 6teen include Julia Chantrey as Eva; Drew Nelson (Kai) as Duncan; Megan Fahlenbock
(Jen) as Gwen; Adam Reid (Wayne) as Justin; Stephanie Anne Mills (Kirsten) as Lindsay and Katie; and Rachel Wilson
(Melinda Wilson) as Heather.
gave a negative review of the season's last episode, calling the art and design and writing "lamentable." The series was nominated for a Gemini Award for "Best Animated Program or Series", shared by Tom McGillis, Jennifer Pertsch, George Elliott and Brian Irving. As of 2011, Total Drama Island has aired in over 188 countries.
wrote that the character development was compelling and that the parody of reality shows were very funny. Mac McEntire of DVD Verdict
praised the character development as well, but noted that the show sometimes sinks to "lowbrow gross-outs". Both Kauffman and McEntire recommended the series DVD.
. By registering a free account, the player could play games using a customizable avatar
to earn points for marshmallows. Marshmallows are used as money in the game so the player can buy in-game items. The player who earned the most points had their avatar make a cameo appearance in the season finale. The games were based on the challenges in the show. Total Drama Island Interactive was nominated for an Interactive Emmy Award in 2007.
Cartoon series
A cartoon series is a set of regularly presented animated television programs with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same characters and a basic theme...
which lampoons the conventions commonly found in reality shows
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
. The show and its sequel seasons are collectively referred to as the Total Drama series. It premiered on the Canadian cable television specialty channel Teletoon on July 8, 2007. The show was created by the creators of 6teen
6teen
6teen is a Canadian animated sitcom, which premiered in Canada in 2004 on Teletoon. In the USA, 6teen first premiered on Nickelodeon on December 18, 2005 and was removed from the schedule on May 13, 2006 before being removed completely in 2007 before the series' run could be completed. 6teen was...
, another Teletoon program. It was the third Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
show outside of Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
and Toonami
Toonami
Toonami was a registered trademark of Cartoon Network, used initially for action-oriented programming blocks on Cartoon Network television channels worldwide, mostly showing American cartoons and Japanese anime, originating in the United States on March 17, 1997 and ended on September 20, 2008.The...
to have the U.S. rating
TV Parental Guidelines
The TV Parental Guidelines system was first proposed on December 19, 1996 by the United States Congress, the television industry and the Federal Communications Commission , and went into effect by January 1, 1997 on most major U.S...
of "TV-PG-D", and a parental-guidance warning after every commercial break and at the beginning of the show (the first two being Sunday Pants
Sunday Pants
Sunday Pants is a half-hour long show on Cartoon Network featuring a collection of very short animated productions. Sunday Pants was compared to older Cartoon Network shows like What-A-Cartoon! and World Premiere Toons. The animations come from a wide range of writers and directors, some of them...
and IGPX; its rating in Canada for most episodes is "G", or else "PG"). On the Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
airing in the United States, some content has been removed from the episodes by censors in order to keep the rating open to a younger audience; for example, putting in words instead of long bleeps
Bleep censor
A bleep censor is the replacement of profanity or classified information with a beep sound , in television or radio...
, for the episodes "That's Off the Chain" and "Trial by Tri-Armed Triathlon". As of now, reruns are not seen on Cartoon Network. The fourth season, Total Drama: Revenge of the Island
Total Drama: Revenge of the Island
Total Drama: Revenge of the Island is the fourth season of the Total Drama franchise. The series' extension was commissioned by Teletoon from the producers, Fresh T.V. Inc. This season will take place back at Camp Wawanakwa but this time with an entirely new cast...
is also shown in the same location except with a new cast.
Format
Total Drama Island is a fictional reality show that follows the competition of twenty-two teens at Camp Wawanakwa, a fictional island located in an unspecified area in Muskoka, OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The campers participate in competitions to avoid being voted off the island by their fellow campers. At the end of the series, the winning contestant will win C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
100,000. The competition is hosted by Chris McLean, who is assisted by the camp's chef, Chef Hatchet. At the beginning of the season, the twenty-two teen campers are placed into two groups of eleven, the "Screaming Gophers" and the "Killer Bass". In each episode, the teams participate in a challenge, in which one or more campers can win invincibility for their team. The losing team is called to the campfire at night, where they vote one of their members off the island. The camper with the most votes is eliminated from the competition. At this campfire, McLean passes out marshmallows to the campers who have not been voted off, while the one who does not get a marshmallow must walk down the Dock of Shame to the Boat of Losers, which will take them away from the island and they will "never, never, never, ever, ever, ever, come back, ever" according to Chris (this was proved a lie in "No Pain, No Game", when he brought Izzy and Eva back into the game). About halfway through the season, the teams are disbanded, after which the challenges continue; the winner of each challenge then only receives invincibility for him or herself, whereupon a camper without invincibility is voted off the island. This process of elimination continued on until two players remains on the island. These two players, Gwen and Owen, were then subject to a final contest. At the end of the season, Owen wins the competition, while Gwen wins in the alternate ending to the season. Total Drama Island is a parody of the reality show Survivor
Survivor (TV series)
Survivor is a reality television game show format produced in many countries throughout the world. In the show, contestants are isolated in the wilderness and compete for cash and other prizes. The show uses a system of progressive elimination, allowing the contestants to vote off other tribe...
. Host Chris McLean is very similar to Survivor host Jeff Probst
Jeff Probst
Jeffrey Lee "Jeff" Probst is an American game show host, executive producer and a reporter. He is best known as the host of the U.S. version of the reality show Survivor.-Biography:...
.
Characters
There are 22 original contestants who competed in Total Drama Island. They are, Beth, Bridgette, Cody, DJ, Duncan, Eva, Ezekiel, Geoff, Gwen, Harold, Heather, Izzy, Katie, Noah, Owen, Sadie, Trent and Tyler. Owen won first place, Gwen second place and Heather in third.Production
Total Drama Island was developed and produced by Fresh TV. The series was animated at Elliott Animation. The series was directed by Todd Kauffman and Mark Thornton of Neptoon Studios. It is primarily targeted at twelve- to eighteen-year-olds, and the creators, Tom McGillis and Jennifer PertschJennifer Pertsch
Jennifer Pertsch is a story editor, writer, series creator, and one of the founding partners of Fresh TV Inc , a Toronto based production studio specializing in teen and family oriented animated series. She began her career as a writer for Nelvana Ltd., before moving to Fresh TV...
, studied what teenagers liked and disliked about reality television shows
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
in the writing process. McGillis says they used a "countrywide online research project" to determine this demographic's likes. Fresh TV Inc. partners McGillis, Pertsch, Elliott and Irving
Brian Irving
Brian Irving is a Canadian screenwriter and film-maker. As a producer his past projects have included Sabrina the Teenage Witch starring Melissa Joan Hart, for Viacom Television....
produced the series. The budget for the series was $8 million. It was animated in Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
, at Elliott Animation's studio in Toronto. Every cast and crew member on Total Drama Island had to sign a confidentiality agreement not to disclose who the winner was. All the characters were designed by Kauffman. An early name for the series was Camp TV. Voice actors from the FreshTV series 6teen
6teen
6teen is a Canadian animated sitcom, which premiered in Canada in 2004 on Teletoon. In the USA, 6teen first premiered on Nickelodeon on December 18, 2005 and was removed from the schedule on May 13, 2006 before being removed completely in 2007 before the series' run could be completed. 6teen was...
have lent their voices for Total Drama Island: Christian Potenza
Christian Potenza
Christian Potenza is a Canadian actor born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.- Biography :He has been in television since 1997, when he first appeared in the television series Riverdale as the character Jimmy....
, who played the character Jude on 6teen, played the role of host Chris McLean. Potenza said that the best part of the job was that his character could not be voted off the show. Emilie-Claire Barlow
Emilie-Claire Barlow
Emilie-Claire Barlow is a Canadian jazz singer and voice actress. Born to parents who were professional musicians, she was encouraged to sing and study several instruments including piano, cello, clarinet and violin. By age seven she had begun her career, singing television and radio...
plays a recurring role as Chrissy on 6teen and plays Courtney on Total Drama Island. Barlow stated that Courtney was her favorite character that she had ever played. Other voice actors from 6teen include Julia Chantrey as Eva; Drew Nelson (Kai) as Duncan; Megan Fahlenbock
Megan Fahlenbock
Megan Fahlenbock is a Canadian actress. She was born on June 30, 1971. Primarily known as a voice actress, she has also had a few film roles.-Career:One of her television roles is 6teen as Jen Masterson...
(Jen) as Gwen; Adam Reid (Wayne) as Justin; Stephanie Anne Mills (Kirsten) as Lindsay and Katie; and Rachel Wilson
Rachel Wilson
Rachel Wilson is a Canadian actress.-Early life:She started acting at age 12, working extensively in Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles....
(Melinda Wilson) as Heather.
Episodes
This is a list of episodes for Total Drama Island, a Canadian animated television series which premiered on July 8, 2007, on the Teletoon channel. This season has 27 episodes, each 22 minutes in duration.Airdates
| Season | Episodes | Country | First Airdate | Last Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 |  |
July 8, 2007 | November 29, 2008 |
 |
June 5, 2008 | December 18, 2008 | ||
 |
April 1, 2009 | May 6, 2009 |
Titles
| # | Title | Original Airdate | Prod. Code |
|---|
Reception
Total Drama Island has received positive reviews. Carole Bonneau, the Vice President of programming of Teletoon Canada stated that Total Drama Island, along with FreshTV's 6TEEN were "consistently top performers" for audiences of ages 6-11, and also helped to bring in older viewers as well. When Total Drama Island aired on the American Cartoon Network, it performed very well; The Toronto Star reported that, "in some ages groups [Total Drama Island showed] a 500 per cent ratings increase in [its] time slot." On December 11, 2008, Total Drama Island garnered 3.5 million viewers. That year, the series was the top "regularly scheduled Thursday night program at 9 p.m. on all television throughout third quarter among boys 2-11, 6-11 and 9-14," according to the Animation World Network. On Memorial Day weekend of 2009, a marathon of Total Drama Island increased viewership in age groups 2-11, 6-11, and 9-14, each by 20% or more compared to the same week in 2008. Commonsense Media gave the show 4 out of 5 stars, calling it a "[c]lever cartoon reality show spoof OK for older tweens". Not all reviews have been positive. Debi Enker of The AgeThe Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
gave a negative review of the season's last episode, calling the art and design and writing "lamentable." The series was nominated for a Gemini Award for "Best Animated Program or Series", shared by Tom McGillis, Jennifer Pertsch, George Elliott and Brian Irving. As of 2011, Total Drama Island has aired in over 188 countries.
DVD releases
A DVD was released by Cartoon Network on August 18, 2009 in the United States. It contains all of the 27 episodes (including TDI Rundown) of season one of this series in a 4 disc set, being 594 minutes long. In addition, its bonus features (entitled as X-tras) are the audition tapes of twenty campers, as well as Izzy's second audition tape and her exclusive interview with Chris. In Australia, Total Drama Island is on Region 4 DVD as separate volumes. This series of discs contains the widescreen version with uncut scenes and original dialogue, as seen on Teletoon. In reviewing the DVD for season, Matthew Price of The Oklahoman wrote that while the show started out "unbelievably slowly," the series became more interesting as campers began getting voted off. Price also praised the parody of reality shows. In another review of the DVD, Jeffrey Kauffman of DVD TalkDVD Talk
DVD Talk is a website for DVD enthusiasts founded in January 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman when DVDs and DVD players were first beginning to hit the market.The site started as an online forum, an email newsletter, and a page of DVD news and reviews...
wrote that the character development was compelling and that the parody of reality shows were very funny. Mac McEntire of DVD Verdict
DVD Verdict
DVD Verdict is a judicial themed website for DVD reviews. The site was founded in 1999. Current editor in chief is Michael Stailey, who also reviews for Rotten Tomatoes...
praised the character development as well, but noted that the show sometimes sinks to "lowbrow gross-outs". Both Kauffman and McEntire recommended the series DVD.
Total Drama Island Interactive
Total Drama Island Interactive was an online game marketed in conjunction with the television series. It is produced by Xenophile MediaXenophile Media
Xenophile Media is a Toronto-based cross-platform production company founded in 2002 by Patrick Crowe and Thomas Wallner. They are best known for creating alternate reality games linked to television series such as the ReGenesis Extended Reality game produced in association with Shaftesbury Films...
. By registering a free account, the player could play games using a customizable avatar
Avatar (computing)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
to earn points for marshmallows. Marshmallows are used as money in the game so the player can buy in-game items. The player who earned the most points had their avatar make a cameo appearance in the season finale. The games were based on the challenges in the show. Total Drama Island Interactive was nominated for an Interactive Emmy Award in 2007.