Costume Competition

## Episode navigation

**"Costume Competition"** is the fourth episode of Season Four of *Superstore*, and the fifty-ninth episode of the show overall.

## Summary

*When an employee costume competition is announced, Amy and Mateo aren't afraid to play dirty to win first prize, a paid day off. Meanwhile, Glenn is preoccupied by Cloud 9's new automatic cart collector, and Garrett is tormented by an annoying Halloween novelty song.*

## Plot

In Glenn's Office, Amy is on speaker phone with corporate, unsuccessfully trying to reduce her hours due to her swollen feet from being pregnant. Glenn gets uncomfortable when personal questions are asked and then seeks advice on swallowing a watermelon seed. In the store, Glenn announces that a pilot program for an automatic cart collector is underway and, that a costume competition for a paid vacation day will be held. In a wheelchair due to her feet, Amy laments not dressing up while Mateo, dressed as a baseball player, insults her. Dina boasts how much better her pregnancy is going than Amy's. Various Halloween decorations are shown and Freddy is using the store phone. (♫ Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me ♫)

Wanting to win the paid day off, Amy changes into a Mario costume which she shows Jonah. He tries to get validation for his intelligent costume which Amy doesn't care about. In the parking lot, Sandra is leading the automatic cart collector around using its fob while Dina, Marcus and Isaac watch. It follows her into the cart collection area and pins her there. The virtual Myrtle store greeter advertises a sale on batteries. As Jonah tries to get Garrett interested in his costume, he points out that a Halloween novelty song has been playing over the store's P.A. system constantly. (♫ Rowan and Hastings - Halloween Surfboard ♫) Garrett indicates he's able to block annoying things out and does so to Jonah which offends him. Glenn catches Isaac, Marcus and Sandra playing with the collector, takes the fob and orders them back into the store. Not knowing the collector follows the fob, he puts it in his bag and is confused when it starts following him.

Amy and Mateo eye each other competitively with Mateo now in an elaborate movie character costume. Dina points out Cheyenne's sexy hula dancer outfit which she thinks will easily win the competition. In the garden centre, Amy and Mateo compliment Cheyenne on her costume but seeing her as a threat, they try to discourage her from wearing it. They fake worry that she's being objectified which Cheyenne doesn't care about and, that it might offend Sandra, who's Hawaiian. Garrett rebukes Jonah for pointing out the novelty Halloween song which has started to drive him crazy. Amy and Mateo work on Sandra until they convince her that Cheyenne's costume is offensive to Hawaiians. In the parking lot, Glenn frantically runs around with the collector following him. Calling Jonah to witness, he puts the bag with the fob down beside the collector, runs back and forth and is confused when it doesn't follow him.

Garrett hears the novelty song while with a customer which causes him to exclaim and brings a concerned Dina over. Seeing Cheyenne excluded from the contest and back in her work clothes, Sandra feels guilty but is selfishly supported by Amy and Mateo. Sandra comments that Janet is fine with Marcus' costume even though she's part Jamaican. Seeing an opportunity to knock more competition out of the contest, they convince Janet to take offence. At the store entrance, Jonah brings Glenn his bag with the fob which he forgot in the parking lot. As Glenn walks into the store, the collector follows him inside. (♫ Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells - Pt. I ♫) Flush with success, Amy and Mateo manipulate Sayid, Gary, Paul and Tyler into taking offence to other's costumes.

On the phone with corporate in Glenn's office, Garrett tries to get them to stop playing the novelty song so much. Trying to transfer him, he explodes that he's been transferred many times. He's put on hold and the novelty song plays on the phone speaker. While helping a customer, Glenn sees the collector paralleling his movements in another aisle. He panics, tips over an item holder in its path and runs. Dina tells Amy that she's going to have to take off her costume due to a complaint. In the Break Room, Amy accuses Mateo of complaining to win the competition. Mateo lies that he was genuinely offended so Amy gets Marcus, who is Italian, to sort of say he's OK with her costume. Mateo doesn't agree and as Isaac says people need to stop being so easily offended, he then makes a racist comment. The automatic doors won't open for a customer dressed as a ghost. (♫ Whodini - Freaks Come out at Night ♫)

As Cheyenne and Marcus rue not being able to wear their costumes, they're told it's because the costumes objectify cultures. When Amy justifies being able to dress as Mario, some of the staff take her to mean that dressing up as a specific character from a culture is OK. This confuses some and when Jonah can't explain why it's OK, he turns to Janet for help which she declines. Mateo disagrees and uses an extreme example which causes arguments and leads Dina to threaten to cancel the contest. Faced with this, Mateo retracts his complaint which leads Marcus and Cheyenne to believe that it's OK to wear their costumes as long as they honor the cultures they're from. The contest back on, Cheyenne takes off her jacket to reveal her coconut bra which she thinks Sandra wears all the time.

Dina kicks off the competition and introduces Marcus while Brett plays "Monster Mash". He sets the tone for all the contestants by launching into a speech honoring Jamaicans. Glenn sees Garrett making a mess of a pile of sweaters, looking for thick ones to block the store's speakers. Panicking because of the collector, he asks if robots are now sentient and Garrett's reply sends Glenn fleeing. At the competition, Amy honors Italians, Justine cites events and heroes from the Mexican War of Independence and Tyler lauds Transylvania. Mateo names famous white women, Elias discusses several Smurf characters and Cheyenne makes a soap volcano. Chris does an exotic dance to Arabian music and Jonah lectures on gerrymandering. A teenage customer thinks Jonah is Spider-Man.

To stop any music from playing, Garrett makes deranged announcements on the store's P.A. A customer takes her medication from Dougie in a box at the Pharmacy. (♫ Classics IV - Spooky ♫) Waiting for the competition winner to be announced, Amy and Mateo fake nice but when Amy wins, she rubs her victory in his face. She then accepts the award on behalf of Italy. A customer throws his trash into a display cauldron. (♫ Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London ♫) Glenn is seen driving home in his car with the cart collector following him. He calls Jerusha and instructs her to be waiting for him at home with a go-bag and a shotgun to flee. Leaving for the evening, Amy finds out from Jonah that Cheyenne actually won the competition as one of her boobs fell out of her costume. However, Jonah rigged the results which he points out is ironic given that his costume is about gerrymandering.

## Cast

### Main cast

America Ferreraas Amy DubanowskiBen Feldmanas Jonah SimmsMark McKinneyas Glenn SturgisLauren Ashas Dina FoxColton Dunnas Garrett McNeillNichole Bloomas Cheyenne LeeNico Santosas Mateo Liwanag
### Featured

Kaliko Kauahias SandraIrene Whiteas CarolLinda Porteras MyrtleJon Barinholtzas MarcusKelly Schumannas JustineCarla Renataas JanetSteve Ageeas IsaacAmir M. Korangyas SayidJon Miyaharaas BrettDanny Guraas EliasSelisha Shertickas SarahChristopher Riordanas ChrisLisa Longas Midwestern (Salsa) CustomerChristian Pedersonas Warehouse Employee (Paul)Erik Gersovitzas Tyler (Dracula)Jenny Richas Water Chestnut CustomerIvan Leungas Teenage Customer

## Running Gags

* Amy's name tag: Amy wears a different name tag in every episode. Amy wears "Harriet" when in Glenn's Office and "Louise" when in a wheelchair before donning a Mario costume with no name tag for the rest of the episode. She previously wore "Louise" in "Back to Work".
* **Crazy Customers and music**: For all customer interludes and music see Costume Competition (music).
* Glenn's tie: Large cartoon clouds at the episode beginning and then Glenn is dressed as a postal worker for the rest of the episode and wears no tie.

## References

* Many of the staff's costumes are references such as Amy dressed as Mario, Jonah as Gerry Mander (though several people think he is Spider-Man), Garrett as Clark Kent / Superman, Mateo as Melanie Davis from "The Birds", Don as Robin Hood, Tyler as Dracula, Gary as the Big, Bad Wolf, Elias as a Smurf and Chris as Aladdin.
* Mateo wants to see the latest Johnny English movie. Tyler also believes Frank's costume to be Steve Martin.
* Dina's workout mix is only Billy Joel songs including The Longest Time and Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.
* Glenn directs a customer to an aisle where there are sexy Minion costumes.
* Tyler thinks Frank is dressed as Steve Martin.
* Challenged that her costume is offensive, Amy mentions Mario's brother Luigi.
* Marcus mentions the video games Super Mario, Mario Kart and Mario Party.
* Isaac complains that he gets kicked out of cook-outs for singing N.W.A. songs.
* In order to dress as a Rastafarian, Marcus says his costume will honor Bob Marley and later mentions his song "One Love". He also mentions the Jamaican bobsleigh team.
* Mateo touts Eleanor Roosevelt, Marie Curie, Joy Behar and Madonna.
* Justine honors Mexico's war for independence and mentions Dolores, Morelos, Allende and Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez.
* When waiting for the competition results, Mateo asks Amy if she'd like to hold hands like in Miss America.

## Trivia

* Glenn's office, Glenn's monkey puppet, Stratus, the Pharmacy and Glenn's car make an appearance.
* Elias speaks for the second time, his first being in "Olympics".
* Sayid is dressed in the same lederhosen outfit Brett wore in "Sal's Dead".
* Goof: At 21:06, as Amy and Jonah are leaving the store, Heather, who is dressed as a hooded mummy, is about to pass them. At 21:10, Heather is seen again about to pass them.
* Dina first mentions her "jewish bird joke" back in "Shots and Salsa".

## Quotes

“*Let her wear the coconut boobs, you monsters.*”— **Isaac about Cheyenne**

## Video

Cloud 9 Costume Contest - Superstore (Episode Highlight)