Corbin Bleu and Channing make a surprise appearance at Camp Shallow Lake in the middle of the night. They wake Ricky, E.J., Carlos, and Jet up out of the blue (and very loudly) to announce that it’s time for Color War. When Kourtney shows up at the cabin, she declares, “I’m calling it: Corbin Bleu has officially lost his mind.”
At The Barn, Maddox helps Gina prepare for Color War. They have a talk about their brothers, and Maddox begins to open up a little bit to Gina. Gina is an incredibly good sounding board for Maddox.
Suddenly, E.J. walks in and wants to talk to Gina. He wants to start over. E.J. reveals he’s made a call to make sure that the show is “perfect’ so he doesn’t get shipped off to St. Louis. “Why don’t we not talk about the future for a sec? Let’s make today amazing,” Gina says to E.J. They make up and share a sweet kiss.
Ricky Tries To Undo FootageGate
Before Color War gets underway, Ricky goes to Corbin and pleads with him to delete the “embarrassing” footage of him. Corbin refuses. “Unless you praise Nickelodeon. It’s going in the doc,” Corbin clarifies. Ricky doesn’t put up too much of a fight about FootageGate. That’s all I’m saying.
Every camper has to participate in a few Color War challenges. Ricky, Ashlyn, on Gina are on EJ’s team. Maddox’s team has Kourtney, Carlos, and Jet. “Just so y’all know. I’m scrappy. I fight dirty, and I will cheat,” Kourtney stresses. The winning team will get back their phones.
Val has a letter for Ashlyn from Big Red. Ashlyn remains on edge when she’s around Val. Val thinks that Ashlyn is “maybe compensating for something.” She calls Ashlyn a “beautiful puzzle,” and Ashlyn admits that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to her.
Jet talks to Ricky about the Maddox situation. He admits that he thought those Maddox texts he showed his parents were from a guy. Jet thought Maddox was getting to date and he wasn’t. Ricky doesn’t judge Jet for any of his past actions. He just listens and gives advice.
Miss Jenn Arrives At Camp Shallow Lake
E.J.’s secret call brings Miss Jenn to Camp Shallow Lake. She is ready to teach him everything in Jennifer’s Guide To Directing Children in the Modern Era. She goes rule by rule. When she mentions getting an assistant and E.J. brings up Carlos, Miss Jenn snaps, “Don’t use Carlos. Carlos is mommy’s.”
Meanwhile, Gina and Ricky are prepping for the Color War challenges. Gina asks Corbin for help on the court. She ends up getting hit in the head with a basketball and passes out. This leads to an epic musical number from Corbin and Gina that helps get Gina’s head in the game.
Carlos slaps Gina awake and tells her that she’s been “mumble-singing.” Her dream musical number with Corbin works because the Blue Team wins the challenge. Gina instantly hugs Ricky after her big win for the Blue Team. (Yeah, I caught that.)
After a game of Dewey Says, it’s off to the climbing wall. E.J. accidentally leaks that Miss Jenn is at Camp Shallow Lake. They all have a splendid reunion. Miss Jenn finally gives Ashlyn the words she’s been waiting to hear. “A musical is a beautiful body, and the ensemble is its sturdy backbone,” Miss Jenn says. She is the best.
Kourtney and Gina have to attempt the climbing wall first. Kourtney is terribly afraid of heights. Val tries to push Kourtney to climb the wall, but it’s not happening. Miss Jenn cuts in just time. Kourtney will climb the wall when she’s ready. Before she leaves, Miss Jen tells EJ he has everything he needs to lead.
The Color War is tied. Val picks “It’s On” from Camp Rock 2 as the final battle. Jet really shows off his performance skills, which helps the Yellow Team win the Color War. Jet tries to make small talk with Maddox. It’s a step in the right direction. Maddox admits to Ricky that she’s still worried about getting hurt again. She doesn’t want to let her guard down.
Ashlyn Makes A Realization About Val
Gina asks Ricky for help, but it’s definitely not what he had in mind. Gina plans a date for E.J. with Ricky’s help. Ricky’s longing looks at Gina are out in full force in this scene. “You’re the best,” Gina says to Ricky. Oh, my Rina-loving heart…
During their date, Gina goes for a Hail Mary. She asks him to be her date to Camp Prom. E.J. has to reveal the news that there are no dates allowed at Camp Prom. He mentions there are supposed to be fireworks at the end of Color War. Nothing happens, which could be a hint about their relationship.
Ashlyn apologizes to Val for snapping at her. She doesn’t know why she’s acting this way. Val gives her a sweet hug, and the fireworks finally go off. “Oh, that’s why,” Ashlyn says, confirming she has feelings for Val.
Jet finds Ricky crying in his bed. Ricky’s dad got him a moonrock for his birthday, which will help Ricky mark another thing off his bucket list. “I just can’t believe I let Color War slip through my fingers,” Ricky says, who is absolutely not talking about Color War. Jet replies, “You mean Gina?”
The subject of Camp Prom comes up, and Ricky is not looking forward to it. Jet mentions that Maddox and Madison broke up at Camp Prom last year. Ricky suddenly rises from his bunk. “You just gave me a big idea,” Ricky says.