The Contest (Seinfeld Episode)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"The Contest" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of the American television
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
'', and the 51st episode overall. Written by
Larry David Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He is known for his dry wit, portrayals of awkward social situations, and brutally honest takes on everyday life. He has received two Prim ...
and directed by
Tom Cherones Thomas Harry Cherones, Jr. ( ; born September 11, 1939) is an American television director, director and Television producer, producer of several TV series. He is best known for his work on ''Seinfeld'', where he directed 81 of the 86 episodes ...
, the episode originally aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
on November 18, 1992. In the episode,
Jerry Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * Jerry (play), a 1914 American play ...
,
George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...
, Elaine, and Kramer hold a contest to determine who can go for the longest time without
masturbating Masturbation is a form of autoeroticism in which a person sexually stimulates their own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. Stimulation may involve the use of hands, everyday objects, sex toys ...
. As NBC executives felt that masturbation was not a topic suitable for
prime time Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
television, the word "masturbation" is never used in the episode, instead replaced by a number of comic
euphemism A euphemism ( ) is when an expression that could offend or imply something unpleasant is replaced with one that is agreeable or inoffensive. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the u ...
s. The term "master of my domain", describing someone who has resisted the urge to masturbate, has since become a popular
catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
. David won a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for the episode. In 2009, "The Contest" was ranked number 1 on ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
''s list of the " 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time".


Plot

At
Monk's Café Monk's Café is a fictional coffee shop from the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld''. The exterior of Tom's Restaurant on the corner of West 112th Street and Broadway, near Columbia University, which first appears in season 1 episode 3, " The Robbery," ...
, George tells Jerry, Elaine, and Kramer that his mother caught him masturbating while reading a Glamour magazine, resulting in her falling over in shock and going to the hospital. George claims that he is "never doing ''that'' again." When the others express skepticism over his ability to follow through, the four make a bet over who can go the longest without masturbating. The men put up $100 each but insist that Elaine put up $150, as they insist that masturbation is not part of a woman's "lifestyle". Kramer fails almost immediately after seeing a naked woman in an apartment across the street from Jerry's; after returning to his apartment to masturbate, he walks back into Jerry's apartment and slams $100 on the kitchen counter, saying "I'm out!". The others meet various temptations of their own; George is distracted while visiting his mother in the hospital by an attractive nurse giving another woman a sponge bath behind a curtain, Elaine imagines a relationship with
John F. Kennedy Jr. John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. (November 25, 1960 – July 16, 1999), often referred to as John-John or JFK Jr., was an American socialite, attorney, magazine publisher, and journalist. He was a son of 35th United States president John F. K ...
, who frequents her fitness club, and Jerry is frustrated because his girlfriend
Marla Marla is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia located in the state's north-west about north-west of the state capital of Adelaide and about south of the town of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. History Marla ...
, a virgin, is hesitant to have sex with him. The remaining contestants become irascible and suffer
insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...
. Elaine is second to drop out of the contest when she succumbs in anticipation of a potential date with Kennedy. While making out on the couch, Marla asks Jerry if they can have sex, claiming that she is ready. When Jerry mentions the contest in passing, Marla leaves in disgust; Jerry then resorts to looking at the naked woman. Elaine believes that Kennedy has stood her up, but George reveals that Kennedy missed her and went with Marla. The three then see Kramer with the naked woman across the street and wave awkwardly to them. That night, everyone sleeps well, but it is not revealed whether Jerry or George won. Marla is in bed with Kennedy, having finally lost her virginity to him; enraptured, she tells him that it was "wonderful".


Production

"The Contest" was written by ''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
'' co-creator
Larry David Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He is known for his dry wit, portrayals of awkward social situations, and brutally honest takes on everyday life. He has received two Prim ...
.
Kenny Kramer Kenny Kramer (born May 1943) is an American former stand-up comedian, who was the inspiration for the character of Cosmo Kramer from the television sitcom ''Seinfeld''. Early life Kramer grew up in New York City, in the Tremont section of th ...
claimed that there actually was a contest which David and some friends of his held, although Kramer did not take part because he thought he could not win. David won the contest, which lasted three weeks. When David considered using the idea for an episode of ''Seinfeld'', he did not talk about it with
Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. As a stand-up comedian, Seinfeld specializes in observational comedy. Seinfeld gained stardom playing a semi-fictionalized version ...
for a considerable time, because he thought the episode was impossible for him to pitch. However, Seinfeld thought it was not offensive. The original script was not revealed until the night before the cast read-through. The first version written by David was not as clean as the one later broadcast. The note from the censor claimed that David should not use the word "masturbate". Seinfeld decided it would be better to remove any references to what George actually did. Seinfeld claimed that what was noteworthy about "The Contest" was the "dovetailing" of the stories. He claimed that it probably would have been possible to have used the word "masturbation" in the episode (in " The Ticket"—an earlier episode in the same season—George says "you must have a good story; otherwise, it's just masturbation") but that this would not have been as humorous. Part of the opening scene was originally written for " The Seinfeld Chronicles", the series' pilot episode. "The Contest" is the first episode to feature
Estelle Costanza This is a list of characters who appeared on ''Seinfeld''. This list features only characters who appeared in main roles or multiple episodes; those that appeared in only one are not included here. Overview ;Overview : = Main cast (credited) : = ...
, George's mother, as an on-screen character.
Estelle Harris Estelle Harris (; April 22, 1928 – April 2, 2022) was an American actress and comedian, known for her exaggeratedly shrill, grating voice. She was best known for her role as Estelle Costanza on ''Seinfeld''. Her other roles included the voice ...
, who played the character, had not seen ''Seinfeld'' before she auditioned; her son told her about the audition. The cast and crew commented positively on the similarity in appearance between Harris and
Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian. Over the course of his career he has received an Emmy Award and a Tony Award as well as nominations for four Golden Globe ...
, as it made it more believable that their characters could be related.
Rachel Sweet Rachel Sweet (born July 28, 1962) is an American singer, television writer and actress. Early life and education Rachel Sweet was born in Akron, Ohio.Campbell, Mary (1979)Rachel Sweet: Busy Singer at 16, Made Debut at 5, Lewiston ''Daily Sun ...
has a cameo role in this episode as George's cousin Shelly. There are two deleted scenes in "The Contest". One features Joyce—the teacher of Elaine's fitness class—in the opening scene talking to Elaine, Jerry, and Kramer. The second features George and Estelle Costanza in the hospital, where the female patient has been moved to the room next door after Estelle complained about her nakedness.


Reception

"The Contest" received critical acclaim and is considered one of the best ''Seinfeld'' episodes, winning several awards and positive reviews from critics. David won a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for the episode. He also won a
Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...
for his work on the episode. Director
Tom Cherones Thomas Harry Cherones, Jr. ( ; born September 11, 1939) is an American television director, director and Television producer, producer of several TV series. He is best known for his work on ''Seinfeld'', where he directed 81 of the 86 episodes ...
won a
Directors Guild of America Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Cate ...
for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series for this episode. He was also nominated for a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.Emmy Awards official site
Seinfeld 1992 – 1993 ''emmys.org''. Retrieved on March 14, 2008
''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
'' ranked the episode #1 on its list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time"."TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time" ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
''; June 15, 2009; Pages 34–49
"The Contest" received a
Nielsen rating Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the #Nielsen TV ...
of 13/19, meaning that the episode was watched by an average of 13% of households and 19% of all televisions were tuned to the episode when it was broadcast. Approximately 18.5 million people watched the episode then. The first repeat of the episode gave ''Seinfeld'' its highest ratings up until that point, with a 20.1/30 Nielsen Rating. It also received only 31 complaints from viewers, despite the subject matter. There were worries from sponsors who did not want to advertise during the episode due to the topics that were being discussed. Most regular advertisers did not broadcast during the show, because the series did not have good ratings at the time. The episode is considered by most reviewers as a success for being able to cover a controversial subject in an inoffensive manner. Jonathan Boudreaux for tvdvdreviews.com said: "The Emmy-winning script by
Larry David Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He is known for his dry wit, portrayals of awkward social situations, and brutally honest takes on everyday life. He has received two Prim ...
introduced the brilliant euphemism 'master of my domain' to our lexicon and helped the series to truly become must-see TV. We know what the episode is about, but the script never explicitly says it. "The Contest" effortlessly takes a potentially incendiary subject and renders it utterly inoffensive yet hilarious." He also said that "The Contest" was "one of the series' most infamous" episodes. Donna Dorsett from audaud.com commented on the refusal to use the word "masturbation," saying: "If the word had been used, even once, the show would not have been nearly as hilarious. The episode was totally inoffensive." James Plath from DVD Town said: "Estelle Harris, as George's mother, is hilarious."


Cultural references

This is the second ''Seinfeld'' episode to feature Elaine's fondness for the
Kennedy family The Kennedy family () is an American political family that has long been prominent in American politics, public service, entertainment, and business. In 1884, 35 years after the family's arrival from County Wexford, Ireland, Patrick Joseph "P ...
, the first being " The Baby Shower". The original script featured Jerry watching the TV series ''
Flipper Flipper may refer to: Common meanings *Flipper (anatomy), a forelimb of an aquatic animal, useful for steering and/or propulsion in water *Swimfins, footwear that boosts human swimming efficiency, also known as flippers * Flipper (cricket), a typ ...
''. It was changed to ''
Tiny Toon Adventures ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It originally aired from September 14, 1990 to December 6, 1992, airing in syndication before eventually settling a ...
'' due to concerns over
music rights Music licensing is the licensed use of copyrighted music. Music licensing is intended to ensure that the owners of copyrights on musical works are compensated for certain uses of their work. A purchaser has limited rights to use the work without a ...
. The episode of ''Tiny Toons'' that Jerry was watching included the song "
The Wheels on the Bus "The Wheels on the Bus" is an American folk song written by Verna Hills (1898–1990). The earliest known publishing of the lyrics is the December 1937 issue of '' American Childhood'', originally called "The Bus", with the lyrics being "The whe ...
". However, ''Tiny Toons'' never used that song in any actual episode. The joke was under the assumption that the show was aimed at preschoolers, but in reality it is not. Seinfeld himself claimed that he had never heard of the song "The Wheels on the Bus" before recording the episode.


References in other works

"The Contest" is referenced in other ''Seinfeld'' episodes, the first being "
The Outing "The Outing" is the 57th episode of the sitcom ''Seinfeld''. First aired on February 11, 1993 on NBC, it is the 17th episode of the fourth season. In this episode, a reporter publicly "outs" Jerry and George as a gay couple, and they struggl ...
", in which Jerry and George are mistakenly outed as
gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...
. During the episode, when George visits his mother, there is a male patient in the hospital, who receives daily sponge baths from a male nurse. Although the winner of the contest is not mentioned, it is implied in "
The Puffy Shirt "The Puffy Shirt" is the second episode of the fifth season of the American NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld''. It was the 66th episode and originally aired on September 23, 1993. The episode centers on Jerry having to wear an ostentatious "puffy" shir ...
" that George was the winner. However, as the plane is going down in " The Finale", George says he cheated, and Jerry declares himself the true winner. When Jerry asks why he cheated, George simply replies, "Because I'm a cheater!" In the "Shaq" episode of ''
Curb Your Enthusiasm ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', also known colloquially simply as ''Curb'', is an American television comedy of manners created by Larry David that premiered on HBO with an hour-long special in October 17, 1999, followed by 12 seasons broadcast from Oc ...
'', Larry David and
Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...
watch "The Contest" together. O'Neal referred to this episode of ''Seinfeld'' as his favorite. "The Contest" is referenced in the ''
Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated Animated sitcom, sitcom created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, Stupi ...
'' book ''This Book Sucks'' as an excuse to get out of finishing a homework assignment. In the ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...
'' episode " Jungle Love", Peter pays the people of a South American village to re-enact "The Contest" as one of them hums the ''Seinfeld'' scene-changing music. A
shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
plays Elaine, but she says "You can't spare one square?", in reference to " The Stall". In the ''
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'', also known colloquially simply as ''Always Sunny'', is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and co-developed by Glenn Howerton for FX (TV channel), FX. It premiered on August 4, 2005, and stars Charl ...
'' episode " The Gang Does a Clip Show", the gang misremembers this episode as one of their schemes with
Dennis Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is some ...
and
Mac Mac or MAC may refer to: Common meanings * Mac (computer), a line of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * Mac, a prefix to surnames derived from Gaelic languages * McIntosh (apple), a Canadi ...
both playing Jerry, Frank playing George, Charlie playing Kramer and
Dee Dee or DEE may refer to: People Surname * Dee, an alternate spelling of the Welsh surname Day * Dee, a romanization of several Chinese surnames, including: ** Those listed at Di (surname) ** Some Hokkien pronunciations of the surname Li () ...
playing Elaine, in the scene where Kramer announces he's out. In the ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...
'' episode riffing on ''
The Beast of Hollow Mountain ''The Beast of Hollow Mountain'' is a 1956 weird west horror film about an American rancher living in Mexico who discovers that his missing cattle are being preyed upon by a dinosaur. Plot In southern Mexico at the turn of the 20th century, t ...
'', Crow delivers a short summary of the episode. The following episode would feature a cameo appearance by Seinfeld. "The Contest" was the main source of inspiration for
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
's 2020 reality television dating show '' Too Hot to Handle'', in which formerly promiscuous contestants are forced to abstain from sexual practices including masturbation as they try to form meaningful relationships with each other. The season 5 premiere of '' Big Mouth'', titled "
No Nut November No Nut November, also known as and abbreviated to NNN, is an annual internet challenge of sexual abstinence and not masturbating during the month of November. It originated in 2011 and grew in popularity among male users of social media during a ...
", directly parodies the episode. The main characters agree to abstain from masturbation in an animated version of
Monk's Café Monk's Café is a fictional coffee shop from the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld''. The exterior of Tom's Restaurant on the corner of West 112th Street and Broadway, near Columbia University, which first appears in season 1 episode 3, " The Robbery," ...
.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Contest, The 1992 American television episodes Emmy Award–winning episodes Emmy Award–winning programs Fiction about masturbation Seinfeld season 4 episodes Television episodes written by Larry David