User blog comment:Owenandheatherfan/Unpopular Opinions Blog/@comment-4618045-20131117004744/@comment-4618045-20131117190450

Although I enjoyed Alejandro's elimination in TDAS, it was very rushed and predictable. On that note, a lot of the eliminations in the more recent seasons are rushed and mean-spirited. To me, TDWT, ROTI, and TDAS tend to pander to the lowest common denominator. I'm sure one would argue that Island and Action also did this and although I do see some instances, it doesn't seem to be as frequent as in the latter three seasons. I have a theory that could explain this: The last three seasons have been jumping the shark on a number of levels.

TDWT: 1) Duncan's return

2) The love triangle

3) The Drop of Shame

4) The songs (although I like 'Come Fly With Us' and 'This Is How We Will End It')

5) Gollum Zeke

ROTI: 1) The island in general

2) Dakotazoid

3) The Hurl of Shame

4) Gollum Zeke still being around

TDAS: 1) The Flush of Shame

2) Dakotazoid still being around

3) Gollum Zeke still being around

4) Mal

The forms of elimination (The Drop, Hurl, and Flush) have been getting sillier and degrading with each season. In fact, it has gotten too far. At this point, the emotional turmoil and drama during the elimination part of the episode has been overshadowed by the cartoony method of elimination. In TDI and TDA, an eliminated character was allowed a final moment to confess, redeem, or do proper justice to him/her self and to their fellow contestants. And the method of elimination (Boat of Losers, Lame-o-sine) made it seem as if justice was done (or at least a sense of dignity). I know it's a cartoon, but I felt a much stronger emotional reaction in the first two seasons when a contestant got eliminated. In WT and ROTI, I was more concerned if they survived the Drop or Hurl than their baggage. In fact, the Hurl presents a new precedence in the series. It seems like the writers are more focused on coming up with "hilarious" ways to get rid of contestants than getting to know the ones the show currently has. At the end of TDWT, a lot of fans were upset to see screen hogs like Owen and Duncan making the merge for a third time while early boots in Island like Noah and Tyler failing to make the merge at all. What was worse was that the new cast made it seem like those characters as well as others like Ezekiel, Eva, Katie, and Sadie would never be given anymore screen time or development. Even the finale to WT with the volcano erupting was intended to be a funny way to "exterminate" the entire original cast. To the writers, the kids wouldn't care about any of these characters; they just want to see explosions, farts, injuries, and pure comedy. And although it is important for any audience to have some light-hearted moments, they also need to have scenes where they learn about the hidden depths of each of these characters. Even kids wouldn't mind some drama and characterization. And that basically made Total Drama for me in the earlier seasons. I was ten when TDI came out and I enjoyed the mix of comedy and drama. TDA stepped it up with an expanded feeling of suspense. My message to the writers at Fresh TV is this: if you're going to get rid of your characters, even if they're coming back in another season, present closure to them. Don't spend all your time milking the children out of a final laugh during the elimination. You could have one, but don't make it the focus. If the character has unfinished business, close it up as much as you can in a tasteful fashion. If you leave something out, save it for the finale or some other time. A good start would be to bring back the Boat of Losers or the Lame-o-sine. DO NOT be afraid to include a joke-free character-building elimination. You might be surprised at how the children would react.