- "I'm not a painted up doll, I'm a kid!"
- ―Spinelli
"The Beauty Contest" is the twenty-fifth and final episode of the second season of Recess, which was first broadcast on February 27th, 1999.
Plot[]
Summary[]
Spinelli is entered into a beauty contest by the Ashleys as a joke. With the help and encouragement of the rest of the gang, Spinelli decides to beat the girls at their own game.
Main Story[]
At the Ashleys' Clubhouse, Ashley A handed form for the Kiddie Cosmetics "Little Miss Blush Beauty Contest" for The Ashleys where they know another Ashley will win. Just then Spinelli dropped a big bag of dirt bomb into their clubhouse and laughed while leaving. Angry at Spinelli, The Ashley tried to figure out a way to get back at her, until Ashley A came up with a plan; to sign Spinelli up to the pageant and when she entered, she will be humiliated for being pick.
The next day at Miss Grotke Class, a man name Guy McMan, a Reprehensive of the Sponsor of the Kiddie Cosmetics and the "Little Miss Blush Beauty Contest", arrived to announce the chosen girls to compete and while Ashley A, B, Q and T are chosen, the final girl to be chosen would be Ashley Spinelli, which resulted in her not only be shocked by also being laughed at by her class. Later at Recess, Spinelli wanted to know who was the one who signed her up for the contest and Gretchen discovered that it was The Ashley's who did it (since they are the only ones who dot their 'I's with hearts) as payback for what she did to them the other day. Furious Spinelli decide to think of a better way to get back at them beside using a dirt bomb. Vince then convinced her that instead of beating them up, she should beat them at the Little Miss Blush Beauty Contest as a way to pay them back. At first Spinelli refused to compete until Gretchen mention she has great bone structure, making Spinelli having second thoughts about it but tries to refuse until she realizes that if she wins, she can rub it to the Ashley's face. Vince then told Spinelli that he will train her to make sure she wins the pageant.
The next day, Vince explains that he has watched the last few "Little Miss Blush Beauty Contest" of Seven years ago and teach her the way to lesson to win. The first was for her to walk in heels, which didn't go so well since she usually wears boots. Next was her talent and while she wanted to do her armpit musical talent, Gretchen instead insists she does spin plates on a stick trick, which she manages at first, only to drop it. Next was to have her hair done to make it more presentable, which Gus poured some green stuff on it. Next was the Question-and-Answer lesson where Vince told Spinelli about the five major answers in any pageant: World Peace, Happiness, Hair, Community and Teaching others to read. However, Spinelli botched it when she mentions her favorite things. Later we cut to the hallway where Vince and the other boys are waiting outside the girl's room where Spinelli is trying out a dress that Gus made from his dad's old parachute, However the dress is shown to be horrible until Gretchen looked Spinelli and the dress and after getting a magazine, manage to change it and Spinelli into a real Pageant girl (with Vince scream "I'm gonna win" three times). Just then the Ashley shown up and insulted Spinelli and caused her to return to her normal self until Vince stopped her and told her to wait until the contest.
On the day of the Kiddie Cosmetics "Little Miss Blush Beauty Contest", The Recess Gang tries to spot Spinelli with other girls but couldn't be due to them all looking almost the same, until they manage to find her when Ashley Q tripped her, and Spinelli gave out a knuckle sandwich. After the introduction The Ashleys gang up on Spinelli as they can't believe that she is actually competing, and Spinelli told them that she in it to make sure she wins. During a short montage Spinelli was shown to easily impressed the judges while Ashley B and T failed their acts. After a short song of the girls who didn't make it to the finals, Guy announced the three finalists in the contest, which Ashley A and Q being the obvious chooses, the third is revealed to be Spinelli, causing both Ashley B and T to cry that they lost, with the Recess Gang cheering about her winning. During a performance, Spinelli couldn't believe that she made it to the finals, just then Vince appeared and told her she's a shoe in since one of the judges had a tale and that she has to remember the five things she needs to save to win. Just then Ashley A appeared and congratulated Spinelli into making it and told her that she proves she's just like an Ashley.
During the Questions and Answers segment, Ashley A and Q gave their answer of World Peace, Happiness, Hair, Community and Teaching others to read. When it was Spinelli's turn, she was about to give the same answer but stopped herself as she told everyone that this isn't who she is as she revealed her true self, even putting on her beanie and decide to quit the contest. As Guy was about to continue with Ashley A and Q remaining, the judges stopped the contest and revealed that they have already chosen a winner; Ashley Spinelli since he represented what a four-grader girl should be; Herself. As Ashley A and Q cried that they lost, Spinelli was given a tiara and sash and as she walks down the runway, she did a karate kick, which surprised everyone as she told they what did they expect her to do, cry after winning? Which ended the episode as the kids all cheer for her.
Timeline[]
- Spring 1998
- After "First Name Ashley"
Goofs[]
- Animation/dialogue error: During the end of one of the scenes, Gus says, "And speaking of run, Spinelli, take off your stockings." However, she is not shown wearing stockings in any scene at that time.
- Animation error: When Vince is reading the fifth step on the book, Spinelli's bangs are flopped up. However, when she says "Ok, got it", her bangs are flopped down.
Trivia[]
Regular[]
- The surnames of the Ashleys are revealed in this episode: Armbruster, Boulet, Quinlan, and Tomassian.
- Irony: Ashley A. was confident that an Ashley would win the beauty competition. While she was right, it just wasn't one of them.
Continuity[]
- This is the first time that the Ashleys are seen in their formal clothes; they wear their formal outfits again in "One Stayed Clean" and in Recess: School's Out.
- This is the first episode where Spinelli is shown with red lipstick on; the second and final being "Prickly Is Leaving", when she helped T.J. prevent Principal Prickly from leaving Third Street School by pretending to be a boy-crazy, magazine reading teenage girl.
Broadcast History[]
- This is the final episode of the second season going by ABC and Disney's packaging order, being paired with "Principal for a Day"; its ABC premiere, international broadcasts and Disney+ retain this pairing.
- Said pairing was also aired once in syndication by ABC in 2004.
- For UPN syndication, this episode was paired second to "The Break-Up"; ABC syndication (from 2001-2003) retained this pairing.
International Information[]
- In the French dub, when Spinelli's musical armpits are brought up, she offers to do "Au Clair de la Lune" instead of "Swanee River".
Cast[]
- T.J. Detweiler - Andrew Lawrence
- Vince LaSalle - Rickey D'Shon Collins
- Ashley Spinelli - Pamela Segall-Adlon
- Gretchen Grundler - Ashley Johnson
- Mikey Blumberg - Jason Davis
- Gus Griswold - Courtland Mead
- Miss Grotke - Allyce Beasley
- Ashley Armbruster/Girl #1 - Anndi McAfee
- Ashley Boulet/Girl #2 - Francesca Smith
- Ashley Quinlan/Girl #3 - Rachel Crane
- Guy McMan - David Leisure
- Additional Dialogue - Etan Cohen
Gallery[]
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