Template:Episode/154b
Characters
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Dave
- Debbie Rechid
- Frank (red shirt)
- Gus
- Harold "Bill" Reginald
- Mable-Monica
- Martin
- Sandals
- Shubie
- Nancy Suzy Fish
- Paco
- Mrs. Puff
- Pit Crew (debut)
- Tony Fast (debut)
- Tony Fast Jr. (debut)
- King Neptune (mentioned)
- Mrs. Fast (mentioned)
- Fish in Pictures
- Francis Baconskin Jr. (mentioned)
- Smitty Tailpipe Rotherma (mentioned)
- Fred (blue)
- Street racers (debut)
- Female racer (debut)
- Male racer (debut)
- Muscular racer (debut)
- Lenny
- Norma Rechid
- Thaddeus
- Larry the Lobster
- Green officer
- Officer Rob Johnson
- Radio news anchor (heard only)
- Archie
- Ivy (gray)
- Dennis (citizen)
- Frank the Lifeguard
- Jimmy Gus
- Nathiel Waters
Synopsis
At Mrs. Puff's Boating School, after seeing a lot of students cheering,
"SpongeBob, that warm welcome wasn't for you!"
SpongeBob wonders who it is for. Suddenly, one of the students exclaims that it is for Tony Fast, a former legendary raceboat driver, and for Tony Fast Jr., Tony Fast's son.
Soon, Tony Jr. is on the course. The students are cheering for him (despite being told not to), then he starts driving. Mrs. Puff starts thinking he might be the perfect way to get SpongeBob out of her life. She asks Tony Jr. to help SpongeBob with his driving.
When SpongeBob starts driving, Tony tries to explain that he must relax. After a few explanations, SpongeBob finally "becomes cool" and drives the course perfectly. Sometime during that day, SpongeBob asks Tony Fast Jr. if he can teach him more. Tony says he cannot, but SpongeBob politely says he refuses to take no as an answer. Tony Fast Jr. says he can come to his house later.
SpongeBob comes to Tony Fast Jr.'s house, and after looking at Tony Fasts' vintage speedboat collection, SpongeBob picks his favorite and they start driving it around town.
SpongeBob asks Tony Jr. if he is comfortable with him driving, as he feels a little nervous. Tony says he should not, because it was his nerves that almost made them crash before. SpongeBob starts remembering his nerves, then Tony Jr. tells him to let go, so SpongeBob lets go of the wheel. They stay cool until they get to a red light. Then, suddenly, a fast driver asks for a racing competition. SpongeBob says "yes" and the competition starts.
After a while, the other racer starts to win, then SpongeBob smashes the pedal, causing him to go "Tony Fast". The woman with the other racer notices a parked police car, so the other racer slows down, leaving SpongeBob winning.
Tony Fast and his son
Then, he speeds past the cops and they go into a high-speed chase. After "SpongeBob's" raceboat, a police car, and a helicopter pass Tony Fast's car, Tony Fast starts chasing SpongeBob as well.
Tony Fast Jr. tells SpongeBob to let go and be cool. SpongeBob finally snaps, yelling at Tony Fast Jr., trying to explain that letting go has gotten them into nothing good. Tony says he doesn't notice, but he shows SpongeBob that they are about to crash into Mrs. Puff's Boating School.
After a trip to the hospital, Mrs. Puff tells the class that Tony Fast Jr. will no longer be in her class. Then she says that Tony Jr. taught them a valuable lesson. SpongeBob thinks it's "never argue and drive," but Mrs. Puff says that the lesson is "never let SpongeBob drive."
Production
Music
| ( ‣ ) Production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
‣ Surf Happy Fun - Billy Lincoln [title card]
‣ Vibe Sting - Nicolas Carr [people cheering]
‣ Proud to be a Fish - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [SpongeBob thanking people]
‣ Vibe Q Sting - Nicolas Carr ["It wasn't?"]
‣ Surf Happy Fun - Billy Lincoln [Tony Fast/Tony Jr. introduced]
‣ Horlepiep - Jan Rap ["He will be treated just like the rest of us."]
‣ ? [Tony Jr. driving]
‣ Unknown Track 7 - Mrs. Puff thinking
‣ Surf Happy Fun (Underscore) - Billy Lincoln [SpongeBob behind the wheel]
‣ Dramatic Cue (e) - Ronald Hanmer ["Okay, roll... is there a button for that?"]
‣ Grass Skirt Chase - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob starts driving]
‣ Surf Happy Fun - Billy Lincoln ["Be cool..."]
‣ Parting of the Clouds - Nicolas Carr ["It's a miracle!"]
‣ The Achterhoek Dances - Jan Rap ["That went better than I expected."]
‣ Surf Happy Fun - Billy Lincoln [Mrs. Puff kisses Tony Jr.]
‣ Vibe Q Sting - Nicolas Carr ["Eager?"]
‣ Beach Party - Harry Bluestone [SpongeBob visits Tony Jr.]
‣ Saxaboogie - Harry Bluestone [SpongeBob driving]
‣ Rescue - Cecil Milner ["My nerves!"]
‣ Saxaboogie - Harry Bluestone ["Just let go."]
‣ Bad to the Spongebone - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony, Roberto Vergara [another speedboat pulls up]
‣ Monster Wave - Nicolas Carr, Fabian Fernandez, James King [boat race]
‣ Bikini Bottom News Theme - Nicolas Carr [news on radio]
‣ Monster Wave - Nicolas Carr, Fabian Fernandez, James King ["What are we gonna do?"]
‣ Horlepiep - Jan Rap [ending]
Release
- This episode is available on the SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off, Disorder in the Deep, Complete Eighth Season, and Deep-Sea Games DVDs.
Reception
- As of September 30, 2017, The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) gives this episode a rating of 7.3/10 based on 89 ratings by users.[1] TV.com users give this episode a rating of 8.4/10 based on 72 votes.[2]
Trivia
Template:Trivia
- In this episode, it appears that SpongeBob can read Mrs. Puff's mind, as he wants to know what "incorrigible" means and Mrs. Puff thinks that word. This is the second time someone has read another's mind. The first is in "Big Pink Loser" when Patrick reads SpongeBob's mind saying "At least I'm safe inside my mind."
- The male racer is not finished with his sentence when he says "Right here, right now," as he looks surprised when the female racer says "Yeah, what he said!"
- During SpongeBob's race, there is a sign that reads "Click It Or Ticket."
- Running gag: The female racer constantly saying "What he said!"
- As seen in episodes such as "Hall Monitor" and "Doing Time," Mrs. Puff is arrested when SpongeBob gets in trouble with the law, but in this episode, she goes Scot-free.
- This is the second episode where SpongeBob attempts to drive correctly. The first was in "Boating School."
- This is the second episode to feature SpongeBob as the only main character. The first is "No Free Rides."
- This is the third episode where SpongeBob learns from a different person about driving rather than Mrs. Puff. The first is "Boating School," in which Patrick gives him answers from a walkie-talkie. The second is "Mrs. Puff, You're Fired," with Sergeant Sam Roderick teaches after Mrs. Puff gets fired.
- This episode premiered in Canada on John Lurie's 59th birthday.
Cultural references
- The episode's name is a reference to Hotshot, an Autobot from the Transformers franchise.
- The colors of the letters in the title card are similar to the logo for the old 1990s Nickelodeon show Hey Dude (1989–1991).
- Tony Fast's name may be a reference to Fast Tony, a prehistoric armadillo from Ice Age: The Meltdown.
- Tony Jr.'s name is a mixed parody of Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr., two of the most popular NASCAR drivers.
- Tony Fast Jr.'s appearance and voice is similar to the character Johnny Bravo from the Cartoon Network series of the same name.
- At one point, Tony Fast Jr. says "Okay Bro-Jangles! Catch you... on the flipside!" This may be a reference to the real-life chicken restaurant, Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits.
Errors
Red-eyed fish
- When Sandals says, "What'd I do?," his left pupil turns red as the camera pans over to Mrs. Puff.
- Also, in the Albanian version, he says "What'd I do?" in English untranslated.
- When Tony Fast shows up at Mrs. Puff's Boating School, there is a man who catches a fainting lady, but in the next scene, the man is not holding anybody and the girl is awake.
- On the June 2, 2018 airing of this episode after The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, there was no Nickelodeon onscreen bug throughout the whole episode. Also, the 2009-2012 Nick split screen credits played mistakenly after the episode and the Nick onscreen bug suddenly appeared during the split screen credits. Also, the post 2012 credits played at the same time and the on-screen bug went away after the 2009-2017 Nickelodeon logo.