Total Drama Island/Gwen

Gwen
Total Drama Island
Actors	Megan Fahlenblock (seasons 1–5) Lilly Bartlam (season 6)
First Appearance	1x01 - Not So Happy Campers (1)
Series Billing	Main cast
Episode Count	27 (Total Drama Island) 10 (Total Drama Action) 18 (Total Drama World Tour) 1 (Total Drama: Revenge of the Island) 13 (Total Drama All-Stars) Total: 69
Notable Episodes	Not So Happy Campers, Part 1 Not So Happy Campers, Part 2 The Big Sleep Phobia Factor Who Can You Trust? Basic Straining Hook, Line, and Screamer Wawanakwa Gone Wild! Are We There Yeti? I Triple Dog Dare You! Alien Resurr-eggtion 3:10 to Crazytown

Gwen is a character on Total Drama Island. She is voiced by Megan Fahlenblock in Seasons One through Five and by Lilly Bartlam in Season Six.

Basic Information

Gwen is a member of the Villainous Vultures on Total Drama All-Stars, the first half of the fifth season of TDI. In previous seasons, she first appears as a member of the Screaming Gophers team in the show's first season, she was the original captain of the Screaming Gaffers team on Total Drama Action (the second season), she was a member of Team Amazon in Total Drama World Tour (the third season), and she made a cameo appearance in Total Drama: Revenge of the Island (the fourth season). By her own admission, she is a loner at the school she attends and prefers to be so because she finds the cliques that make up high school society to be phony and shallow. For that same reason (and because she finds some of them irritating), she, at least initially, prefers to avoid most of her fellow contestants on TDI. Artistic by nature, she is sometimes seen sketching in her diary or on a sketch pad when she is off by herself.

Gwen's appearance and fashion style lean toward the Goth subculture. She has pale skin, wears green lipstick and has her hair dyed in shades of green, and her outfit consists of a corset-like black top with blue and green sleeves, a black and green skirt, black nylons, knee-high black boots and a choker necklace. She first auditioned for TDI on a dare from her younger brother, although she was not sure that she would be chosen. As she goes further into the competition, Gwen decides during a session in front of the Confessional Can camera that she'd like to use the $100,000 grand prize to help out her mother.

Personality-wise, Gwen is often sarcastic and cynical toward those of the contestants she can't stand. She is this way in general at the start of TDI, but she does begin to open up and show a softer side with those that she befriends over the course of the competition. She first connects with Trent early in the game after both end up as part of the Gophers team, and the connection soon turns romantic. She also forms friendships with Leshawna and later with Duncan, Geoff and Bridgette. Although she finds Lindsay, Owen and Cody annoying at first, she becomes more tolerant and cordial to them with time. She is also a believer in karma and a higher power, as evidenced in several episodes of TDI ("Who Can You Trust?" and "That's Off the Chain!") and TDA ("The Chefshank Redemption").

The one person on TDI whom Gwen truly hates is Heather, with whom she began feuding after Heather stole her diary and then read passages from it on stage (which exposed Gwen's crush on Trent in the process) during a talent competition in retaliation for Gwen standing up to her earlier. Gwen becomes a target for the jealous and vindictive Heather, who regards the Goth girl as a threat to her in the game, but for each of the cruel pranks Heather pulls on her, Gwen usually gives back as good as she gets, such as when she borrows Harold's red ant farm and empties its contents into Heather's bed as payback for the diary incident. Gwen's vulnerable side is soon exposed as the result of a particularly cruel scheme by Heather when the snobby girl plots to break up the Gwen-Trent relationship by lying to Trent about Gwen and then kissing him as Gwen arrives to see him, which causes a brief rift between the couple. Gwen is emotionally dashed by the incident, but when she and Trent (who was voted out of the game as a result after Heather, the original intended target for elimination because of her evil plot, wins immunity in another challenge) find out about Heather's duplicity, the couple quickly makes up. From that point on, Gwen vows to make Heather pay for her actions.

Gwen, along with Owen, makes it to the Season One championship final when they team up in a Triple Dog Dare challenge to get Heather eliminated, satisfying Gwen's vendetta (and giving all the other eliminated contestants, many of whom had previously been victimized by Heather, a vicarious thrill) when the vain Heather refuses a dare to have her head shaved but ends up partially bald anyway and gets knocked out of the game for her refusal. Despite her best efforts and Trent's support, combined with Heather's attempts at cheating for Owen against her (which earns Heather the wrath of Leshawna afterward) and Owen being placed at a disadvantage by his weight and stamina, Gwen ends up the runner-up in the final showdown when Izzy, who returns with the other eliminated campers to witness the event, uses fresh-baked brownies to give Owen his second wind and enable him to bypass Gwen in the last part of the final challenge and win the game. In the end, Gwen and Trent get back together and get an invitation from Owen to be among his guests at the party he plans to throw with his newly-won $100,000.

Later at the post-show party, Gwen, Trent and Leshawna team up in pursuit of the $1,000,000 suitcase Chris Maclean puts into play as a prelude to his announcement of a second season for the show. Despite captaining opposing teams on TDA, she and Trent manage to maintain their romantic relationship, although it once again comes under fire from jealousy (this time from within the relationship) when Gwen chooses Duncan to be on the Screaming Gaffers while Trent picks Lindsay for his team, the Killer Grips. Unfortunately for both of them, the relationship soon crumbles when Gwen finds out that Trent had been throwing challenges for the Grips to enable her to win. This, combined with Trent's obsession with the number 9 and his increasing obsession with her, force a reluctant Gwen, who wants to win under her own merits, to break up with him. When Justin finds this out and he and the rest of the Grips accuse her and Trent of colluding to cheat in the game (along with expressing doubts about whether the breakup is genuine), Gwen proves her word to the Grips by convincing them to vote Trent out of the game.

Even though she is not at fault for Trent's actions, Gwen is later blackmailed by Justin, under threat of revealing her perceived part in the scandalous incident to her Gaffers teammates, into throwing a challenge to benefit Justin and the Grips. As a result, she becomes the fifth player to be voted off of TDA when Heather figures out that Gwen is taking a dive (under coercion from Justin, unknown to her and the other Gaffers at the time), which gives the opportunistic Heather the excuse she needs to get rid of her longtime hated rival by convincing fellow Gaffers Leshawna and Harold to join her in voting her off. Even more surprisingly, Gwen reveals after the Gilded Chris ceremony that she voted herself off as well, which she regards as karmic payback for being forced to convince the Grips to eliminate Trent following their breakup. With Gwen's elimination, her teammate Duncan took over as the Gaffers captain until the merge. Later on, in the second TDA Aftermath special, Gwen is falsely accused by Courtney of trying to steal Duncan from her, even though Gwen makes it clear that she and Duncan are only friends and that he has eyes only for Courtney.

Gwen becomes a contestant in TDWT, where she becomes part of Team Amazon in the season opener. Her rivalry with Heather continues early on and she also continues to be given a hard time by Courtney about Duncan, even as all three girls end up becoming teammates. When Duncan quits the show prior to the teams forming, however, Gwen and Courtney's rivalry subsides and the two become allies in an effort to get rid of common enemy Heather, doing such things as refusing to heed Heather's advice for winning challenges (due to their history) and even getting the chance to gleefully torture Heather during a challenge. Gwen's alliance with Courtney ends up on shaky ground later on when Duncan is found in London during a stopover in England and he is brought back into the game by Chris, which was then inflamed when Duncan put the moves on Gwen and kissed her in the airplane's Lavatory Confessional (which was witnessed by a shocked Tyler).

The Gwen-Courtney alliance soon collapses when, under threat of blackmail by Alejandro during a Greek stopover, Tyler is forced to reveal Duncan's kiss of Gwen, infuriating Courtney and causing her to have a meltdown against Gwen. From that point on, Gwen is targeted by the vindictive Courtney, who deliberately throws challenges in an effort to get her eliminated from the game. Heather, as well as Sierra, also side with Courtney against Gwen - Heather because of their own rivalry, and Sierra because she mistakenly believes Gwen has eyes for Cody, Sierra's unrequited crush. In spite of the antagonism against her by her teammates, Gwen and Duncan officially become a couple, but this does not save her from being the tenth contestant eliminated when, during a stopover in Australia, she falls victim to a tiebreaker showdown against Courtney which is rigged by Chris, who knows that she is allergic to eucalyptus and decides to purposely use eucalyptus in the challenge. Because of Chris' chicanery, Courtney wins and Gwen is eliminated. Later in a TDWT Aftermath segment, Gwen is reunited with Trent, although just as friends.

Gwen is seen briefly in the TDRI season premiere, kissing with Duncan aboard the luxury yacht with the other past contestants before the yacht quickly takes off. She later makes a cameo appearance in "The Treasure Island of Dr. Maclean", where she and new contestant Sam are buried underground in a treasure chest as part of a challenge while the other new contestants have to find and save them. Dakota, who has mutated due to the toxic waste Chris is storing at Camp Wawanakwa, rescues Gwen and Sam from the treasure chest, but simply tosses Gwen aside to get to Sam.

Gwen returns as a contestant in TDAS. Despite being a heroic character, however, she is deliberately placed on the wrong team to stir things up on the show when Chris sends her to the Villainous Vultures while archrival Courtney, herself a villainous character since the events of the post-Season One special, is also put on the wrong team when Chris places her with the Heroic Hamsters. Notably, Gwen also appears to be having a falling-out with Vultures teammate Duncan, as she refuses to kiss him while he is annoyed about her not being happy about being on the Vultures and complaining about being put on the wrong team. As well, Courtney continues to harbor a grudge against her for the events of the previous season involving Duncan, and despite Gwen's sincere attempts to patch things up between them, a petulant Courtney brushes them off and even falsely and hypocritically calls Gwen a "villain".

In an ironic twist later on, Gwen and Duncan are split up and she and Courtney end up becoming reluctant teammates when Duncan is sent to the Heroic Hamsters for sacrificing himself to save Gwen during a challenge, while Courtney gets sent to the proper team with the Villainous Vultures for committing a selfish act when she uses then-Hamsters teammate Sam as a human shield in the same challenge. Gwen subsequently breaks up with Duncan when he selfishly and arrogantly tries to use Gwen in order to make Courtney jealous. As Courtney finds out about Duncan and Gwen's break-up, Gwen eventually befriends Courtney, only to turn her back on her again (as did the other remaining contestants) following the team merge after finding out from Mike (as his evil alter ego Mal) that Courtney intended to double-cross and eliminate her prior to the semi-finals. She becomes the tenth contestant eliminated in the competition when a vindictive Chris decides to get rid of her from the game for accidentally ruining a painting of his that she found in the ruins of his cottage as part of a challenge. She reappears in the championship final between Mike and Zoey, where Zoey picks Gwen as a helper in the final challenge and is also befriended by the Goth girl.

Gwen does not appear at all in the second half of TDI's fifth season, Total Drama: Pahkitew Island, which features an all-new cast of contestants.

Character History

Season One

Main article: Total Drama Island/Gwen/Season One

Season Two

Main article: Total Drama Island/Gwen/Season Two

Season Three

Main article: Total Drama Island/Gwen/Season Three

Season Four

Main article: Total Drama Island/Gwen/Season Four

Season Five

Main article: Total Drama Island/Gwen/Season Five

Season Six

Main article: Total Drama Island/Gwen/Season Six

Trivia

• Gwen's name in the show's French-language version, L'île des Défis Extrêmes, is Joëlle
• In the original demo reel and early promotional material for TDI, Gwen's appearance, while mostly physically similar to how she appears on the show, differs greatly in that she has red hair and green eyes, wears a brown top and blue jeans, has a normal skin color and has smaller, pointier breasts [1] [2]
• Gwen is one of the only two TDI characters (along with Owen) whose audition tape does not appear on the show or on its related website
• Gwen is one of just three characters (along with Heather and Owen) who appear in all 26 regular episodes of TDI's first season
• As voiced by Megan Fahlenblock, Gwen's voice sounds exactly the same as that of 6teen character Jen Masterson, right down to becoming squeaky when excited or angry
• Gwen wins over Owen in the final showdown in an alternate ending of "The Very Last Episode, Really!" aired in Norway, Romania, Poland and Sweden. In that version, Izzy's attempt to lure Owen across the finish line with brownies backfires when Owen plows into Izzy before reaching the finish line, enabling Gwen (with motivation from Trent) to bypass Owen, cross the finish line and claim the $100,000 grand prize [3]
  • In the related alternate beginning to "Total Drama, Drama, Drama, Drama Island" following the alternate Season One ending where Gwen wins, she originally refuses to take part in the million-dollar prize hunt, but Chris orders Chef Hatchet to take Gwen's prize away to coerce her into taking part anyway

Quotes

• Gwen (to Chris Maclean, as she arrives at the dock): You mean, we're staying here?!
  Chris (grinning): No, you're staying here! My crib is an airstream with AC–thataway!
  Gwen (getting in Chris' face): I did not sign up for this!
  Chris (pulling out legal documents): Actually, you did. (Gwen then seizes the legal papers and tears them up)
  Chris (getting out a second set of papers): The great thing about lawyers is, they make lots of copies!
  Gwen (grabbing her luggage and turning around): I am not staying here!
  Chris: Cool. I hope you can swim though, because your ride...(motioning to the departing boat that brought Gwen to the camp)...just left.
  Gwen (to Chris, frustrated): Jerk!

• Gwen (inside the Confessional Can early on in the show): Um, okay...so far this sucks.

• Geoff (while paddling his and Gwen's canoe to Boney Island): We put a cup and flag on it and actually putted a few rounds before getting caught! The principal gave us the longest detention in school history.
  Gwen (getting fed up): Will you please SHUT UP!
  Geoff (taken aback): Whoa, harshness!
  Gwen (sarcastically): Oh, I know! I'm the harsh, weird, scary Goth girl who's being all mean and snappish as usual!

• Geoff (after Gwen throws his camera into the water): What's going on with you? Are you okay?
  Gwen: Look, you don't have to pretend to be friends with me, okay? I'm fine, so just leave me alone!
  Geoff: I wasn't pretending—I really like you.
  Gwen (seeming skeptical): Riiight—and if we went to the same high school, you'd probably invite me to all your wild parties, too.
  Geoff (matter-of-factly): I totally would! But...I didn't think you'd wanna go.
  Gwen: Why not? I'm not cool enough?
  Geoff: No, you just seem like...I don't know, it's not your thing, you know? You probably think parties are pretty stupid anyway.
  Gwen: Well, I wouldn't know...I've never been to one.
  Geoff (taken by surprise): Oh, snap! You've never been to a party?
  Gwen: No, okay? Sometimes I wish I had been—then for one day, I could be one of those happy vapid girls who gets along with everyone, and is all excited to eat massive amounts of sugar, and do karaoke and cheerleading and ponytails! I just don't think it's in my DNA.

• Gwen (while sketching in the Confessional Can): So I actually made it to the final three...just goes to show you how far a bad attitude can get you!

• Gwen (in the Confessional Makeup Trailer, talking about Chris and the Gilded Chris Award): The Gilded Chris? What a narcissist! (pausing a moment, then considering) Don't get me wrong, I still want one.

• Chris: Actually, the star wasn't a her. It was an animatronic MONSTER!
  Gwen: W-what happened to it...?
  (cut to Gwen in the Makeup Trailer)
  Gwen (in the Makeup Trailer, sighing): In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have asked that question.

• Trent (to Gwen, DJ and Beth): Everyone, follow me!
  Gwen (in the Makeup Trailer): That's what makes Trent such a great boyfriend. He's always thinking of others. It's one of the things I love about him.
  Trent (to DJ): It's okay, big guy. I got you. (leads everyone inside a building, only to discover that it's a cardboard cutout) You mean everything around here is fake?
  Gwen (in the Makeup Trailer, wryly): That, and Trent's exceptional powers of observation.

• Trent: Duncan's performance made me realize some stuff. Like, I've loved. Lost. But what I miss most is my sweet little goat, Gwen.
  Gwen (touched by Trent's words): Mm, Baaah. (giggles)
  Trent: You guys are just friends, right?
  Gwen: Worry not. The guy has a secret photo of Courtney under his pillow. And really, he's no Trent.
  Trent: I'm sorry I called you a wannabe.
  Gwen: Ah, whatever. All I know is, I don't wanna be you right now.
  Trent: (worried) Because you're gonna dump me?
  Gwen: No chance! More like because you have to go vote someone off.
  Trent (relieved): Ah, whatever. As long as you're still here, I'm good.

• Gwen (concerned about the audience): They're going to skewer me out there, DJ. They're going to make me into a Gwen-kabob.
  DJ: I'd tell you it will be okay, but I'm not going to lie. My mom said I would never fib again, so yeah, you're probably dead. Hi Mama! (waves to camera; an intern pushes his mother sitting on a tall chair and she smiles and waves back to him)
  Gwen: That thing's on?! Hey everyone, I'm Gwen and....I'm a nice person. (the audience, manipulated by Geoff beforehand, boos Gwen and so does Courtney)

• Gwen (to Duncan, in pre-taped video footage on a bridge during the second TDA Aftermath): Is it just me, or does that constellation look like Harold's pancake butt, with his spaghetti legs attached? See? (scoffs as Duncan fails to notice) I just gave you the perfect setup for a dig, and you leave me hanging? What's your damage?
  Duncan (wistfully, looking up at the night sky): You think Courtney might be looking at the stars now?
  Gwen (laughs): Wow, who knew you were such a sucker for the A-Type?
  Duncan: Whoa, you wanna make something of it? (hits Gwen on the arm lightly)
  Gwen: You can do better that. (Duncan and Gwen wrestle each other to the ground)
  Duncan (as he lands on top of Gwen): Ooh.

• Gwen (to her computer camera, as she begins her video blog): Hey. Today I want to talk about going green. Basically, the world is going to die if we don't do something about it!
  Sadie: Katie! Remember when we went green?!
  Gwen: Guys...
  Katie: Oh my gosh, Sadie! When you helped paint my bedroom green, and we got into that paint fight, it was so fun!
  Sadie: I know! And just because we got into one little paint fight, doesn't mean we're not BFF's!
  Gwen (to Katie and Sadie, exasperated with the interruption): GUYS! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!

• Gwen (on her video blog): Did you know that Heather couldn't get a date for her semi-formal? That's right, the most famous girl at White Pines High was turned down by every guy in school.

• Heather (on the set of Celebrity Manhunt with Gwen, being interviewed): It's just that, you see Josh, Gwen is a gigantic loser.
  Gwen (slight laugh): And Heather's breath reeks like cat butt! (the two cross their arms for a few seconds, then Gwen tackles Heather to the ground and beats her up)

• Gwen (on her video blog, talking about the Duncan-Courtney breakup): Courtney is totally nuts, letting Duncan get away from her like that. He's the best thing that's ever happened to her! I mean, look at the guy, he's hot! I mean...uh...he's okay...for her...

• Gwen (during a confessional, talking about making the cut for TDWT): You know what they say, third time lucky. (points at self and grins) This could be my season!

• Courtney (to Gwen, as they and Duncan climb up the pyramid): And your form is appalling!
  Gwen (sarcastically): Gee, thanks Courtney, I was just wondering about that!
  Courtney: You know, you're only here because I'm feeling nice today.
  Gwen: Wow, this is you being nice? (to Duncan) My sympathies!
  Courtney: Are you hearing this, Duncan?! You're not gonna let her get away with that!
  (Duncan glares back at the two girls and lets out a frustrated sigh)

• Gwen (to Sierra): Uh... what'cha doing?
  Sierra: I'm on the Internet! You can check your e-mail when I'm done writing my blog if you want.
  Gwen: Uhh, yeah. That'd be... (Gwen notices Sierra's laptop is fake) No, no. No, I'm good, actually, yeah, no.

• Gwen (to Heather): Your parents must love this show. It gets you out of the house!
  (Heather blows a raspberry at Gwen as she walks off)

• Cody (to Gwen): Hey. Thanks for taking my EpiPen. You know how to use it, right?
  Gwen: Not a clue.
  Cody: I get bit, (whispers) you jam the needle into my naked butt cheek.
  Gwen (disgusted, gives the EpiPen back to him): Yeah... good luck with that.

• Gwen (in the Lavatory Confessional): You know, Heather really shouldn't let her obvious crush on Alejandro get her away from the game. Having a relationship with Duncan really screwed things up for me last season - Trent! I meant Trent! Just a slip of the tongue... (static) I want that tape back! Give me the tape!! How do you open this thing?!

• Gwen (in the Lavatory Confessional; sighs): I don't know how everybody else can sleep, especially Courtney. I'm still fuzzy, like I drank too much coffee, you know? (remembers she's on camera) Uh, because... we won! And Duncan is back and... he missed... us. (Duncan enters) Oh my gosh! I didn't lock the door?
  Duncan: The lock's busted. (taking notice of Gwen's sunburned hand) What happened to your paw?
  Gwen: This is so stupid, but I have no idea. And I'm so glad that you're here to mock me about it.
  Duncan (comes closer grabbing her hand): Me too.
  Gwen: Ow! (smiles a bit) Hey. (Gwen and Duncan stare at each other and then kiss; Tyler pops in shocked, looks at the camera, and leaves unnoticed)

• Gwen (hitting her head against the treasure chest): Uh! What the...?! (realizing she is buried alive) Oh no! I'm buried alive?! AGAIN?!! CHRIIIIISSS!!! (bangs her fist against the treasure chest)
  Mike (to Chris): Burying someone alive is seriously dangerous. Even by your standards!

• Gwen: Where's my... (pulls out her cell phone and calls Chris) Ugh! Lousy Chris with his stupid game on his crummy show! (Chris' cell phone rings)
  Chris (answering the phone): Hello-oooh?
  Gwen: You've gone too far this time, Maclean! You can't... (Sam passes gas)
  Chris (in disgust): Ewww-ugh!
  Gwen: That wasn't me! This guy won't stop farting...ugh! I can't breathe... (passes out due to Sam's flatulence)
  Chris (non-chalantly): Eh, I'm sure she's fine.