The Contest

This article is about the Seinfeld episode. For the Australian game show, see The Con Test. For other uses, see Contest (disambiguation).

"The Contest"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 4 Episode 11
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Larry David
Production code	411
Original air date	November 18, 1992
Guest actors
Jane Leeves as Marla Andrea Parker as a nurse

"The Contest" is the 51st episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. The 11th episode of the fourth season, it aired on November 18, 1992.^[1] In the episode, George tells Jerry, Elaine, and Kramer that his mother caught him masturbating. The conversation results in George, Jerry, Elaine, and Kramer entering into a contest to determine who can go for the longest period of time without masturbating.

The episode was controversial when broadcast because NBC thought that masturbation was not a topic suitable for prime time television. As a result, the word "masturbation" is never used in the episode. Instead, the subject is described using a series of euphemisms, while the meaning of the subject is still made clear to the audience.^[2] The writer of the episode, Larry David, won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Comedy Series for his work on the episode.^[3] One of the euphemisms used in the episode is "master of my domain", said by a character when still in the contest. It has since become a catchphrase in popular culture, although it is not always used in reference to masturbation.^[4]^[5]

The episode was ranked #1 on TV Guide's list of "100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time".^[6]

Background

The fourth season of Seinfeld has a continuous story arc, in which Jerry and George are writing a television pilot for NBC. In the previous episode, "The Virgin", Jerry had started dating Marla (played by Jane Leeves), a woman who is a virgin.

Plot

The episode begins with Jerry, Kramer, and Elaine dining at Monk's Cafe. George enters and says, "My mother caught me." When asked what he was caught doing, he says, "I was alone", and he goes on to imply that his mother caught him masturbating in her house while reading "a Glamour magazine", resulting in her falling over in shock and ending up in the hospital. George says he'll never do "that" again, and when the others express skepticism, Jerry and George make a $100 bet over who can go the longest without masturbating. Kramer then joins the bet, as does Elaine. However, Elaine is persuaded to bet $150, because the men claim that it is harder for men not to masturbate, as it is part of a man's "lifestyle".

Kramer is almost immediately out, due to the presence of a beautiful exhibitionist woman in the apartment across the street who walks around with the curtains open. The others are distracted by various temptations: George is distracted in the hospital his mother is staying at by an attractive nurse giving an even more attractive woman a daily sponge bath; Elaine visits a fitness club which is also patronized by John F. Kennedy, Jr.; Jerry is tempted by the naked woman across the street and frustrated because the woman he's dating won't have sex with him since she wants to remain a virgin. One method he uses to distract himself is by watching wholesome shows like Tiny Toons on Nickelodeon.

The contest affects their sleep, and the remaining contestants suffer insomnia. Only the eliminated Kramer can sleep peacefully. Elaine shares a cab ride with Kennedy, and she tells him that she lives Uptown near Jerry in order to extend the ride. She then learns that Kennedy wants to see her, and says he'll drop by Jerry's apartment. Eventually, the pressure becomes too much for her and she is the second person to be knocked out of the contest.

While making out on the couch, Marla asks Jerry if they can have sex, claiming that she is ready. However, Jerry then tells Marla about the contest, prompting Marla to leave in disgust. Jerry immediately goes to his window to watch the naked woman across the street, implying that he gives in to his temptation. Elaine believes that Kennedy has changed his mind and not bothered to see her. George then tells Elaine that Kennedy did come, but missed her and went with Marla. They then see Kramer with the naked woman across the street. That night, everyone sleeps well—especially Kramer, who is sleeping with the naked woman—but it is not explicitly stated who won. (In the fifth season episode "The Puffy Shirt", George mentions that he "won a contest" when discussing refraining from masturbation with a hand modeling agent. However, in the series finale, he confesses that he cheated.^[7]) Meanwhile, Marla is shown in bed with Kennedy, apparently having finally lost her virginity to him.

Production

The episode was written by Larry David. Kenny Kramer claimed that there actually was a "Contest" in which David and some friends of his took part, although he did not initially want to take part because he thought he could not win it. David won the contest.^[8] When David came up with using the idea for an episode of Seinfeld, he did not talk about it with Seinfeld for a considerable time, because he thought the episode was impossible for him to pitch.^[9] However, Seinfeld thought it was not offensive.^[10] The original script was not revealed until the night before the cast read-through.^[7] The first version written by David was not as clean as the one later broadcast.^[9] The note from the censor claimed that David should not use the word "Masturbate".^[11] Julia Louis-Dreyfus thought that the episode would never go ahead due to the subject matter.^[12] Seinfeld decided it would be better to remove any references to what George actually did.^[9] Seinfeld claimed that what was noteworthy about "The Contest" was the "Dovetailing" of the stories.^[13] He claimed that it probably would have been possible to have used the word "masturbation" in the episode (it is notable that in "The Ticket"—an earlier episode in the same season—George says "you must have a good story otherwise it's just masturbation"^[14]) although it would have probably ended up not being as funny.^[10] Part of the opening scene of the episode contains some of the script that was originally meant to be used in "The Seinfeld Chronicles", the original pilot episode.^[7]

"The Contest" is the first episode to feature Estelle Costanza as an on-screen character. Estelle Harris, who played the character, had not seen Seinfeld before she auditioned for the role. The cast and crew commented positively on the similarity in appearance between Harris and Jason Alexander, as it made it more believable that their characters could be related. Alexander's real-life mother looks similar to Harris.^[15]

Rachel Sweet has a cameo role in this episode as George's cousin Shelly. She appears in the scene with George and his mother in the hospital.

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.^[16]

Reception

Seinfeld cast on stage during the 1993 Emmy Awards.

"The Contest" is considered to be one of the best Seinfeld episodes, winning several awards and positive reviews from the critics. David won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Comedy Series for the episode.^[3] He also won a Writers Guild of America Award for his work on the episode.^[7] Director Tom Cherones won a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series for this episode.^[17] He was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing.^[18] TV Guide ranked the episode #1 on its list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time".^[6]

"The Contest" received a Nielsen rating 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 till that point, with a 20.1/30 Nielsen Rating. It also received only 31 complaints from viewers, despite the subject matter.^[7] There were worries from advertisers who did not want to advertise during the episode due to the topics that were being discussed. Most regular advertisers did not broadcast adverts during the show, because the series did not have good ratings at the time.^[19]

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 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."^[20] He also said that "The Contest" was "one of the series' most infamous" episodes.^[21] 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."^[22]

James Plath from DVD Town said, "Estelle Harris, as George's mother, is hilarious."^[23] Although he himself did not appear in the episode, John F. Kennedy Jr. appeared to have had no problem with appearing as a character in the episode, with his role being played by an uncredited actor.^[24]

Cultural references

This is the second Seinfeld episode to feature Elaine's fondness for the Kennedy family, the first being "The Baby Shower".^[7]

Jerry Seinfeld claimed that he had never heard of the song "The Wheels on the Bus" before recording the episode.

The original script featured Jerry watching the TV series Flipper. It was changed due to concerns over music rights.^[7]

"The Contest" is referenced in other Seinfeld episodes, the first being "The Outing", of which the plot is that Jerry and George are mistakenly outed as gay. 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" that George was the winner. However, as the plane is going down in "The Finale", it is revealed that George had actually cheated, therefore making Jerry the true winner. When Jerry asks him why he cheated, George simply replies, "Because I'm a cheater!"^[7]

"The Contest" is referenced in the "Shaq" episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm (S02E08), in which Larry David and Shaquille O'Neal watch "The Contest" together. Shaq also refers to this episode as his favorite.^[25]

In the Family Guy 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 high priestess plays Elaine, but she says "You can't spare one square?", a reference to "The Stall".

References

↑ Kytasaari, Dennis (2007-08-09). "Seinfeld (a Titles & Air Dates Guide)". epguides.com. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
↑ Jason Alexander (2005-06-13). Seinfeld Season 4: The Breakthrough Season (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
1 2 "1992-1993 Emmy Awards". Infoplease. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
↑ Johnson, Jeff (2006-06-05). "Master of My Domain". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-24.
↑ Marin, Rick (2000-07-16). "The Great And Wonderful Wizard of Odds". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-24.
1 2 "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time" TV Guide; June 15, 2009; Pages 34-49
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Seinfeld Season 4: Notes about Nothing - "The Contest" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005-06-13.
↑ Kenny Kramer (2005-06-13). Seinfeld Season 4: Inside Looks - "The Contest" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
1 2 3 Larry David (2005-06-13). Seinfeld Season 4: Inside Looks - "The Contest" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
1 2 Jerry Seinfeld (2005-06-13). Seinfeld Season 4: "The Contest" - Yada Yada Yada (Audio Commentary) (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
↑ Larry David (2005-06-13). Seinfeld Season 4: The Breakthrough Season (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
↑ Julia Louis-Dreyfus (2005-06-13). Seinfeld Season 4: Inside Looks - "The Contest" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
↑ Jerry Seinfeld (2005-06-13). Seinfeld Season 4: Inside Looks - "The Contest" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
↑ "The Ticket". Seinfeld Scripts. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
↑ Estelle Harris (2005-06-13). Seinfeld Season 4: Inside Looks - "The Contest" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
↑ Seinfeld Season 4: In the Vault - "The Contest" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005-06-13.
↑ 1990's Directors Guild Awards official site "dga.org." Retrieved on March 14, 2008
↑ Emmy Awards official site Seinfeld 1992 - 1993 emmys.org. Retrieved on March 14, 2008
↑ Robert Wright (2005-06-13). Seinfeld Season 4: The Breakthrough Season (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
↑ Boudreaux, Jonathan (2005-05-13). "Seinfeld: Season 4 DVD Review". tvdvdreviews.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-15. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
↑ Boudreaux, Jonathan (2005-11-27). "Seinfeld: Season 5 and Seinfeld: Season 6 DVD Review DVD Review". tvdvdreviews.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
↑ Dorsett, Donna (2005-06-03). "Seinfeld, Season 4 (1992 - 1993)". audaud.com. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
↑ Plath, James (2005-05-17). "Jerry Seinfeld: Comedian (The Complete 4th Season)". DVD Town. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
↑ Moos, Jeanne (1999-06-23). "JFK Jr. remembered as legend with sense of humor". CNN. Retrieved 2008-03-24.
↑ Traina, Jimmy (2005-07-20). "Top 10 Athlete TV Cameos: From Seinfeld's Hernandez to The Jefferson's Reggie". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2008-03-24.

External links

The Contest, Seinfeldscripts.com

Seinfeld episodes

Season 1	"The Seinfeld Chronicles" "The Stake Out" "The Robbery" "Male Unbonding" "The Stock Tip"

Season 2	"The Ex-Girlfriend" "The Pony Remark" "The Jacket" "The Phone Message" "The Apartment" "The Statue" "The Revenge" "The Heart Attack" "The Deal" "The Baby Shower" "The Chinese Restaurant" "The Busboy"

Season 3	"The Note" "The Truth" "The Pen" "The Dog" "The Library" "The Parking Garage" "The Cafe" "The Tape" "The Nose Job" "The Stranded" "The Alternate Side" "The Red Dot" "The Subway" "The Pez Dispenser" "The Suicide" "The Fix-Up" "The Boyfriend" "The Limo" "The Good Samaritan" "The Letter" "The Parking Space" "The Keys"

Season 4	"The Trip" "The Pitch" "The Ticket" "The Wallet" "The Watch" "The Bubble Boy" "The Cheever Letters" "The Opera" "The Virgin" "The Contest" "The Airport" "The Pick" "The Movie" "The Visa" "The Shoes" "The Outing" "The Old Man" "The Implant" "The Junior Mint" "The Smelly Car" "The Handicap Spot" "The Pilot"

Season 5	"The Mango" "The Puffy Shirt" "The Glasses" "The Sniffing Accountant" "The Bris" "The Lip Reader" "The Non-Fat Yogurt" "The Barber" "The Masseuse" "The Cigar Store Indian" "The Conversion" "The Stall" "The Dinner Party" "The Marine Biologist" "The Pie" "The Stand In" "The Wife" "The Raincoats" "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite"

Season 6	"The Chaperone" "The Big Salad" "The Pledge Drive" "The Chinese Woman" "The Couch" "The Gymnast" "The Soup" "The Mom & Pop Store" "The Secretary" "The Race" "The Switch" "The Label Maker" "The Scofflaw" "The Highlights of 100" "The Beard" "The Kiss Hello" "The Doorman" "The Jimmy" "The Doodle" "The Fusilli Jerry" "The Diplomat's Club" "The Face Painter" "The Understudy"

Season 7	"The Engagement" "The Postponement" "The Maestro" "The Wink" "The Hot Tub" "The Soup Nazi" "The Secret Code" "The Pool Guy" "The Sponge" "The Gum" "The Rye" "The Caddy" "The Seven" "The Cadillac" "The Shower Head" "The Doll" "The Friar's Club" "The Wig Master" "The Calzone" "The Bottle Deposit" "The Wait Out" "The Invitations"

Season 8	"The Foundation" "The Soul Mate" "The Bizarro Jerry" "The Little Kicks" "The Package" "The Fatigues" "The Checks" "The Chicken Roaster" "The Abstinence" "The Andrea Doria" "The Little Jerry" "The Money" "The Comeback" "The Van Buren Boys" "The Susie" "The Pothole" "The English Patient" "The Nap" "The Yada Yada" "The Millennium" "The Muffin Tops" "The Summer of George"

Season 9	"The Butter Shave" "The Voice" "The Serenity Now" "The Blood" "The Junk Mail" "The Merv Griffin Show" "The Slicer" "The Betrayal" "The Apology" "The Strike" "The Dealership" "The Reverse Peephole" "The Cartoon" "The Strong Box" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle" "The Finale"

Indicates two-part episode

Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series

1971-1989	John Rich for "All in the Family" (1971) Gene Reynolds for "Pilot" (MASH) (1972) Gene Reynolds for "Deal Me Out" (1973) Hy Averback for "Alcoholics Unanimous" (1974) Hy Averback for "Bombed" (1975) Alan Alda for "Dear Sigmund" (1976) Paul Bogart for "Edith's 50th Birthday" (1977) Paul Bogart for "California, Here We Are" (1978) Paul Bogart for "Too Good Edith" (1979) Noam Pitlik for "Fog" (1980) Alan Alda for "The Life You Save" (1981) Alan Alda for "Where There's a Will, There's a War" (1982) James Burrows for "Showdown: Part II" (1983) Jay Sandrich for "Pilot" (The Cosby Show) (1984) Jay Sandrich for "Pilot" (The Golden Girls) (1985) Terry Hughes for "Isn't It Romantic?" (1986) Will Mackenzie for "'A,' My Name is Alex" (1987) Steve Miner for "Pilot" (The Wonder Years*) (1988) Barnet Kellman for "Brown Like Me" (1989)

1990-2009	James Burrows for "Woody Interruptus" (1990) Peter Bonerz for "Uh Oh: Part II" (1991) Tom Cherones for "The Contest" (1992) James Burrows for "The Good Son" (1993) David Lee for "The Matchmaker" (1994) Gordon Hunt for "The Alan Brady Show" (1995) Andy Ackerman for "The Rye" (1996) Andy Ackerman for "The Betrayal" (1997) Thomas Schlamme for "Pilot" (Sports Night) (1998) Thomas Schlamme for "Small Town" (1999) James Burrows for "Lows in the Mid-Eighties" (2000) Todd Holland for "Bowling" (2001) Bryan Gordon for "Special Section" (2002) Tim Van Patten for "Boy Interrupted" (2003) Tim Van Patten for "An American Girl in Paris: Part Deux" (2004) Marc Buckland for "Pilot" (My Name Is Earl) (2005) Richard Shepard for "Pilot" (Ugly Betty) (2006) Barry Sonnenfeld for "Pie-lette" (2007) Paul Feig for "Dinner Party" (2008) Jason Winer for "Pilot" (Modern Family) (2009)

2010-2029	Michael Spiller for "Halloween" (2010) Robert B. Weide for "Palestinian Chicken" (2011) Lena Dunham for "Pilot" (Girls) (2012) Beth McCarthy-Miller for "Hogcock!" / "Last Lunch" (2013) Jill Soloway for "Best New Girl" (2014) Chris Addison for "Election Night" (2015)

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (1990–1999)

Bob Brush for "Good-bye" (1990) Gary Dontzig & Steven Peterman for "Jingle Hell, Jingle Hell, Jingle All the Way" (1991) Elaine Pope & Larry Charles for "The Fix-Up" (1992) Larry David for "The Contest" (1993) David Angell & Peter Casey & David Lee for "The Good Son" (1994) Chuck Ranberg & Anne Flett-Giordano for "An Affair to Forget" (1995) Joe Keenan & Christopher Lloyd & Rob Greenberg & Jack Burditt & Chuck Ranberg & Anne Flett-Giordano & Linda Morris & Vic Rauseo for "Moon Dance" (1996) Ellen DeGeneres & Mark Driscoll & Dava Savel & Tracy Newman & Jonathan Stark for "The Puppy Episode" (1997) Peter Tolan & Garry Shandling for "Flip" (1998) Jay Kogen for "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz" (1999)

Complete list (1955–1959) (1960–1969) (1970–1979) (1980–1989) (1990–1999) (2000–2009) (2010–present)

Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Comedy (1990–1999)

Diane English for "Brown Like Me" (1990) David Isaacs & Ken Levine for "Rat Girl" (1991) Diane English & Korby Siamis for "Uh-Oh: Part II" (1992) Larry David for "The Contest" (1993) Larry David & Lawrence H. Levy for "The Mango" (1994) Joe Keenan for "The Matchmaker" (1995) David Mandel for "The Pool Guy" (1996) Gregg Kavet & Andy Robin for "The Fatigues" (1997) Rob Greenberg for "Frasier's Imaginary Friend" (1998) Jay Kogen for "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz" (1999)

Complete list 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s

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