Template:Episode/39b
Character
- Realistic Fish Head
- Harold "Bill" Reginald
- Fred
- Evelyn
- Anchovies
- Charlie
- Cara
- Female Fry Cook Games Competitor (debut)
- Medley Fishbowl (normal; gray)
- Male Fry Cook Games Competitor (debut)
- Gus
- Eugene H. Krabs
- Sheldon J. Plankton
- Norma Rechid
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Henry-Bart
- Patrick Star
- Nat Peterson
- Nazz-Mimi
- Shubie
- Nancy Suzy Fish
- Frank
- Dennis
- Buddy
- Tom
- Martin
- Mable-Monica
- Huge Guy (debut)
- Francis
- Taylor Fishbowl
- Archie
- Billy
- Lou
Synopsis
At Bikini Bottom's Fast Food Coliseum, the 21st annual Fry Cook Games are underway. The top contenders for the gold medal have traditionally been Mr. Krabs and Plankton. This year, however, SpongeBob has been chosen to represent the Krusty Krab and is diligently warming up to compete. Patrick wanders by and also wants to play in the games, but is shut down by SpongeBob as only fry cooks may enter. Patrick scoffs at this, considering fry cooking to be no great feat. After a heated argument, Patrick storms off while SpongeBob intensifies his workout.
Plankton soon enters the stadium and engages in verbal fisticuffs with Mr. Krabs. Plankton reveals he has also recruited a contender to represent the Chum Bucket and calls forth a colossal giant. Strapped to his back is Patrick, who turns out to be the new fry cook Plankton hired five minutes prior. Now standing on equal ground, SpongeBob and Patrick each vow to defeat the other, despite feeling more hurt than angry. Mr. Krabs and Plankton fan the flames of their charges’ rivalry, inciting them to show no mercy in the games.
"I've been working for the Chum Bucket for almost five minutes."
In their first event, the "Deep Fry Pole Vault," SpongeBob pulls off a nearly perfect jump, while Patrick only manages to scald the audience into fish sticks. Next, during the "Chocolate High-Dive," SpongeBob also does well, but Patrick is able to out-perform him with his concentration and impeccable form. The events continue, the two combatants maintaining an even score all the way to the final challenge: "Bun Wrestling."
As the bell sounds for the fight to begin, SpongeBob and Patrick rip off their robes to reveal muscularly toned bodies before leaping up and colliding with each other midair. They go at each other in fury, their grudges driving them more than their loyalty to their restaurants. They pull off increasingly dirty moves, practically torturing one another. They eventually end up in a grapple, each straining to bring the other one down, until the strain finally proves too much for their pants to take. They tear away to reveal that all along, SpongeBob and Patrick each wore underwear in the color of his best friend.
Moved to tears, the two friends reconcile and agree never to fight each other again, walking side by side out of the arena. This doesn't sit well with Mr. Krabs and Plankton, their pride and blood-lust remaining unsatisfied. As SpongeBob and Patrick leave, Patrick notes that his underwear were originally white.
Production
Music
| ( ‣ ) Production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
‣ Up She Rises - Sam Spence [title card]
‣ ? - opening
‣ Age of Discovery - Sam Spence [lighting the torch]
‣ Bonnie Blue Gal - Sam Spence [announcer talks about the rivalry between Krabs and Plankton]
‣ ? - drum roll
‣ Vibe Sting - Nicolas Carr [after drum roll]
‣ Heavenly Voices (b) - David Farnon [choir]
‣ Andy Anorak - Chris Marshall [SpongeBob and Patrick arguing]
‣ ? - Nicolas Carr ["What's that smell in the air?"]
‣ Six Powerful Cues (d) - Wilfred William Burns ["I smell Plankton!"]
‣ Superquick (b) - Daniel Janin [Krabs and Plankton approach each other]
‣ Iron and Steel Fanfare - John Epping ["Are you ready to do or die, Krabs?"]
‣ Monster Bug (a) - Gregor F. Narholz [Plankton introducing his competitor]
‣ Royal Gala - Dick Stephen Walter ["...Patrick Star!"]
‣ Steel Licks (c) - Jeremy Wakefield ["I can't believe it, Mr. Krabs."]
‣ Big Ed's March - Sam Spence [Plankton and Krabs' pep talks]
‣ Caesar's Entry - Gregor F. Narholz [deep fry pole vault]
‣ The Equalizer - Sam Spence ["For the Krusty Krab!"]
‣ A Chilling Championship - Sam Spence [chocolate high dive]
‣ Who's This (d) - Sammy Burdson, John Charles Fiddy [drum roll]
‣ Tightrope (e) - Sammy Burdson, John Charles Fiddy [drum roll]
‣ And Now (a) - Dick Stephen Walter ["And just look at that even coating!"]
‣ Zelle 501 - Gerhard Trede ["Almonds?! Curse him, that's good."]
‣ Zelle 504 - Gerhard Trede [Patrick on the high dive]
‣ ? [drum roll]
‣ Ta-Ra (c) - Sammy Burdson, John Charles Fiddy [live-action ice cream cone]
‣ Jungle Baby - Hans Ehrlinger [montage of events]
‣ Skills 2 Make Mills - David Robidoux [bun wrestling]
‣ Puka A - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [ending]
Release
- This episode is available on the Seascape Capers, The Best of Nickelodeon: Summer Adventures, Absorbing Favorites, Complete 2nd Season, First 100 Episodes, and Deep-Sea Games DVDs.
Reception
- As of August 9, 2016, The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) gives this episode a rating of 9.1/10 based on 262 ratings by users.[1] TV.com users give this episode a rating of 8.9/10 based on 143 votes.[2]
- "The Fry Cook Games" was ranked #59 during the Best Day Ever event from November 9–10, 2006.
Trivia
Template:Trivia
- In some airings, SpongeBob and Patrick are shown holding each other's shoulders instead of each other's hands.
- For the crowd sequences, only six character models are used, repeated many times over in different spots in the bleachers.
- The "PLEASE STAND BY" screen after the failed attempt of the torch is also seen on the ending of "Shanghaied," after Patchy attempts to make the viewers to walk the plank. A similar one is seen in "Ugh," when Patchy loses his balance while riding a fake dinosaur.
- The scene where Patrick yells, "MY NAME'S NOT RICK!" has became a famous internet meme.
- Throwing a big straw in cola is a reference to the javelin throw.
- In this episode, SpongeBob is able to do push-ups. However, in "MuscleBob BuffPants" during Sandy's workout, he hurts his arms after attempting to do just one. This may be because he was determined to win in this episode.
- In this episode, SpongeBob is also stronger than usual and having a muscular body, but he was shown to be very weak physically in "MuscleBob BuffPants" to the point that he wear a pair of inflatable fake arms to look strong, only for the arms to burst while he's struggling to throw a heavy anchor.
- Plankton says that the square is "the shape of evil."
- This is the second time SpongeBob is shown muscular. The first time is in "MuscleBob BuffPants" when SpongeBob orders fake arms, the third time is in "Blackened Sponge" when SpongeBob was dreaming.
- The music played when Patrick said, "BECAUSE YOU TOLD ME TO!" was also the opening music to the Nick GAS sketch, "Heroes of the Game."
- On current reruns, the title card is edited out.
- This episode reveals that SpongeBob polishes his fingernails.
- SpongeBob says that Patrick doesn't have fingernails, but SpongeBob is seen polishing his toenails in "The Battle of Bikini Bottom."
- Patrick may just have toenails because SpongeBob is seen polishing only Patrick's toenails.
- Technically, a fish eating a fish stick would be cannibalism. But it might have just been put in as a joke.
- In the episode "Ditchin'," eating fish-shaped candies, such as gummy fish is considered illegal.
- In Indonesia, the scene when SpongeBob yells "For ice cream!" is used as a commercial for some SpongeBob-themed ice cream products.
- SpongeBob's muscular design would later be used on Reef Rumble's title screen.
Cultural references
- The Fry Cook Games is a spoof of the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
- The huge guy carrying Patrick on his back is a reference to a scene in "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls."
- In the montage, there was a scene where Patrick and SpongeBob wear dresses and a fruit hat. This is a reference to Carmen Miranda.
Errors
- The closed-captions refer to the 21st Annual Fry Cook Games as the 12th Annual Fry Cook Games.
- When SpongeBob and Patrick are leaving, Patrick is on SpongeBob's right, but moments later, he is on the left. They could have decided to change sides when walking out.
- When the fish holding Patrick arrives he breaks the wall. But when he screams after Patrick and SpongeBob scream, the wall is put back together.
- When Patrick was holding SpongeBob's foot, his sock was the same length as the other. But when Patrick was licking it, it was longer than the other.
- When Patrick took off SpongeBob's right shoe the toes on his right foot are switched around making it look like he has two left feet.
- SpongeBob's foot normally has four toes. But when Patrick was licking it, his foot had five toes.
- When Plankton says "Almonds?," his mouth doesn't move.
- After SpongeBob does the "Deep Fry Pole Vault," one of the audience members has a deformed face.
- In one of the challenges in the montage scene, Patrick doesn't have his white shirt on.