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Not wanting to make the same mistake again, Shawn mans up and comes to her aid. In Hurl and Go Seek, Shawn sees Jasmine being chased by a group of ill contestants led by Sugar, and mistakes them for a horde of zombies. Jasmine kisses Shawn on the cheek, beginning their relationship.
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When Dave proves completely useless during the challenge, Shawn tries to motivate him by telling him that he could win Sky back if he showed her how strong he was. During this time, Shawn tries to counsel Dave over his girl trouble. At the end of the episode Chris forces Sky to change teams with Max, leaving Dave distraught. He is approached by Sugar in This Is The Pits!, who offers to form an alliance against Dave and Sky, but he declines. Jasmine continues to give Shawn the cold shoulder for several epis odes, as well as ignoring his numerous attempts to apologize to her. Shawn does so and scores a point for his team, at the cost of straining his relationship with Jasmine, who is worried about him throughout the entire challenge. Once he is brought to the challenge site, Dave tricks him into thinking that Jasmine is a zombie and persuades him to attack her without hesitation.
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When he is found, Shawn immediately runs away from Chef, believing that he is a zombie too, but he is captured regardless. As a result of missing the challenge, Chef is sent to retrieve him. In addition, his paranoia causes him to believe that Jasmine has also fallen victim to the zombies and thinking only for his own safety, Shawn abandons his team and covers himself in garbage in order to hide his scent while he locates a safe spot. In A Blast from the Past, Shawn sees a creature that comes out of the lake, in which he mistakes to be a zombie, causing him to panic. Shawn also manages to find a friend in Dave, which strengthens over subsequent episodes. However, he tries to distance himself, due to being afraid of the possibility of her turning into a zombie, and such an attachment lowering his chance of surviving. Shawn develops a bond with Jasmine from the opposing team after they first met, which develops into an attraction. He demonstrates many survival skills and knowledge that's essential for his team in challenges, which earns their respect. Despite this, he still helps his team to secure a shelter, after their previous has been destroyed, and forages for food for them. From the very beginning, he distances himself from his teammates, believing that if he gets too close to them, it will let his guard down and he will likewise turn into a zombie. Shawn joins Total Drama in order to prepare himself for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.
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Jasmine and Shawn bond early in the season. He is eventually able to put his friendships in front of his fear of zombies come the finale. While his caring personality allows him to get along with most others, his fear of the undead can cause him to distance himself from potential friends. Shawn is happy to share his survival expertise with those in need. He is so athletically talented that he can hop from tree to tree with little difficulty, single-handedly destroy an army of robots, and even stealthily swipe a crystal without his teammates noticing. He is otherwise remarkably loyal to them, contributing to the best of his ability. However, it can also doom his team, as he will abandon them in favor of protecting himself. His survivalist mentality is constantly active, which can come in handy during challenges. His fear is so intense that he will become nervous the very moment one seems to be around, sometimes retreat without investigating fully, and even neglect to think about his own feelings, or those of others. Shawn has spent his entire life training and preparing for a zombie apocalypse.
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