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: Tennis Rivals, Sisters, Vegans, Reality TV Pros, Rockers, Geniuses, LARPers, Goths, Mother & Daughter

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 & Leonard tried to buy the spices with "Dragon Coins", much to the kiosk owner's disbelief. Best friends Carrie & 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

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 & Pete, get last place due to their slow pace and become the second team eliminated, barely saving Noah and Owen from a 20-minute penalty after Owen stupidly ate the cheese wheel they rode on.

Botch or Watch: Caricature

All-Ins: Catacomb Cheese Hunt, Cheese Rowing

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 with their sand sculpture.

Botch or Watch: Who Wants to Swim With Sharks

All-In: Sandpalace of Versailles

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.

All-In: Broken Icelandic Telephone

Either-Or: Feast or Fossil

Feast: Goths, Surfer Dudes, Rockers, Mother & Daughter, Daters, Reality TV Pros

Fossil: Ice Dancers, Sisters, Fashion Bloggers, Police Cadets, Best Friends, Adversity Twins, Father & Son, Stepbrothers

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 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

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

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

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.

Either-Or: Serve or Squeegee

Serve: Surfer Dudes, Best Friends, Stepbrothers, Goths, Daters/Haters, Adversity Twins, Rockers, Police Cadets

Squeegee: Reality TV Pros, Sisters

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

All-In Cooks: Ennui, Ryan, Mickey, Geoff, Chet, Josee, Emma, Owen, Spud, Junior, and Devin

All-In Eaters: Crimson, Stephanie, Jay, Brody, Lorenzo, Jacques, Kitty, Noah, Rock, Dwayne, and Carrie

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

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 Māori war dance. The Ice Dancers swiftly zoom into first place, while Emma and Noah become too distracted by each other, making the reality TV pros lose the game. Emma breaks off their relationship with Noah, much to Noah's shock. However, it was another non-elimination leg so they are still in the race.

Either-Or: Jump Down or Jump Around

Jump Down: Daters/Haters, Goths, Police Cadets, Sisters, Reality TV Pros, Surfer Dudes

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

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

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.^[54]

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.^[56]

Either-Or: Dune Buggy Bonanza or Magic Show

Dune Buggy Bonanza: Surfer Dudes, Police Cadets, Sisters

Magic Show: Daters/Haters, Goths

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.

Superteam: Catfish Noodling

All-In: Get Lost and Found Underground

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.

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

The final four remaining teams now travel to the Bahamas where they first must 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

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