The Sue Sylvester Shuffle

**The Sue Sylvester Shuffle** is the eleventh episode of *Glee's* second season and the thirty-third episode overall. It premiered on February 6, 2011.

When Coach Beiste recommends the members of the Football Team to join Glee Club and prepare for a performance during half time in their final championship game, but things turn out pretty bad. Coach Beiste and Will also have hopes that the two groups can end their rivalry. Sue asks her Cheerios in Glee Club to choose whether to attend their Cheerleading Regional Championships or perform at half-time, while old lovers begin a new spark.

The episode was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Brad Falchuk, and followed *The Super Bowl XLV* on February 6, 2011. This episode was the Super Bowl episode.

## Plot

The episode starts with the Cheerios performing *California Gurls*. Sue grows disillusioned with cheerleading, and in an effort to recapture her love for it, she plans to fire Brittany from a cannon during their next competitive routine. Meanwhile, Shannon Beiste has the school football players join the glee club, in order to end the rivalry between the Glee kids and the team. As revenge for opposition to her cannon plan, Sue has the cheerleading Regionals competition moved to the same night as the football championship game, so her cheerleaders are unavailable for the halftime show.

Will announces that the glee club, including the football players, will perform the halftime routine, planning a mash-up of Michael Jackson's *Thriller* with *Heads Will Roll* by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, inspired by the Phillippine dancing inmates' *Thriller*.

Elsewhere, Carole tells Ash that she and Burt can't adopt Ash unless they have her mother's consent, which would mean getting in contact with her. Ash refuses, saying she never wants to see her mother again and storms out of the house. In Glee Club, Rachel gets Puck to sing *Need You Now* with her to make Finn jealous. Finn notices and encourages the talent of Karofsky. Puck talks Ash into agreeing to get in touch with her mom. Quinn, Santana and Brittany discuss which club they are going to choose before Sue convinces them to choose the Cheerios and they quit Glee Club.

The McKinley Titans perform *She's Not There* as a warm up number and are slushied by the hockey team afterwards, where Karofsky encourages them to quit the halftime show, resulting in Coach Beiste telling them that if they don't perform the halftime show then they don't get to compete at the Championship game. Mad at the football players quitting the team Ash imagines herself performing *Broken Heels* with the glee girls before they all decide to join the football team.

The game begins badly for the McKinley side, and when Tina is injured during a play, Finn takes control of the situation. He has Puck convince the former football players to return, and convinces Quinn, Santana and Brittany to quit the Cheerios, rejoin Glee Club and perform at the halftime show. Only Karofsky refuses to participate, but when he sees the positive reaction the crowd has to the routine, he eventually joins in. Beiste welcomes the football players back and they all go on to win the game by intimidating the opposing side, still dressed as zombies from the halftime show.

Sue's Cheerios lose at Regionals for the first time in seven years, and she is named "Loser of the Year" in a televised interview with Katie Couric. Furthering her ire, the cheerleading budget is slashed in favour of the New Directions. Karfosky refutes Finn's suggestion that he joins the glee club permanently, reaffirming the animosity between them. In the hallway, Quinn kisses Finn, telling him that his actions that week had reminded her of why she loved him.

## Guest Stars

* Iqbal Theba as Principal Figgins
* Dot-Marie Jones as Shannon Beiste
* Romy Rosement as Carole Hudson-Hummel
* Harry Shum Jr. as Mike Chang
* Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans
* Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson
* Telly Leung as Wes
* Max Adler as Dave Karofsky
* James Earl III as Azimio Adams
* Scott Lincoln as Cannonball Guy

## Co-Stars

* Lauren Potter as Becky Jackson
* Kody Batchelor as Christopher Strando
* D.C. Cody as Scott Cooper
* Chris Delfrosse as Tattooist
* Riker Lynch as Jeff
* Titus Makin Jr. as David
* Eddy Martin as Thad
* Curt Mega as Nick

## Trivia

* The Sue Sylvester Shuffle was the 2nd most expensive episode at $5 million, behind New York which cost $6 million. Reasons for the cost were:
	+ The professional fire breathers, BMX bikers and jugglers
	+ The USC marching band
	+ Katie Couric guest starring
	+ Pyrotechnics
	+ Elaborate costumes and special effects makeup for the *Thriller/Heads Will Roll* dance number
	+ An on-set cannon
	+ Over 500 extras were recruited for the half-time performance
* The music featured as Sue demonstrates the cannon is taken from the 1995 Japanese monster movie *"Godzilla vs. Destoroyah."*
* The scene where the referee signals the final touchdown that wins the game for the Titans is taken from Preggers when Kurt kicks the game winning extra point.
* Rachel's helmet for the football game has three golden stars on it, showing that Rachel personalized it herself.
* Puck mentions singing *Tik Tok*by Kesha, which New Directions perform several episodes later in Blame it on the Alcohol.
* It was rumoured that Sunshine would return and perform *Meet Me Halfway* by The Black Eyed Peas, however it is unknown if the song was ever recorded or even planned to be in the episode.
* This is the first time since Audition that Quinn's seen wearing normal clothes.
* This is the final episode of the season in which Quinn, Santana and Brittany are seen in their Cheerios uniform.

## Navigation

**Season Two**Audition • Britney/Brittany • Grilled Cheesus • Duets • The Rocky Horror Glee Show • Never Been Kissed • The Substitute • Furt • Special Education • A Very Glee Christmas • **The Sue Sylvester Shuffle** • Silly Love Songs • Comeback • Blame It on the Alcohol • Sexy • Original Song • A Night of Neglect • Born This Way • Rumours • Prom Queen • Funeral • New York
**Season Three**The Purple Piano Project • I Am Unicorn • Asian F • Pot o' Gold • The First Time • Mash Off • I Kissed a Girl • Hold on to Sixteen • Extraordinary Merry Christmas • Yes/No • Michael • The Spanish Teacher • Heart • On My Way • Big Brother • Saturday Night Glee-ver • Dance with Somebody • Choke • Prom-asaurus • Props • Nationals • Goodbye
**Season Four**The New Rachel • Britney 2.0 • Makeover • The Break-Up • The Role You Were Born to Play • Glease • Dynamic Duets • Thanksgiving • Swan Song • Glee, Actually • Sadie Hawkins • Naked • Diva • I Do • Girls (and Boys) on Film • Feud • Guilty Pleasures • Shooting Star • Sweet Dreams • Lights Out • Wonder-ful • All or Nothing
**Season Five**Love, Love, Love • Tina in the Sky with Diamonds • The Quarterback • A Katy or A Gaga • The End of Twerk • Movin' Out • Puppet Master • Previously Unaired Christmas • Frenemies • Trio • City of Angels • 100 • New Directions • New New York • Bash • Tested • Opening Night • The Back-Up Plan • Old Dog, New Tricks • The Untitled Rachel Berry Project
**Season Six**Loser Like Me • Homecoming • Jagged Little Tapestry • The Hurt Locker, Part One • The Hurt Locker, Part Two • What the World Needs Now • Transitioning • A Wedding • Child Star • The Rise and Fall of Sue Sylvester • We Built This Glee Club • 2009 • Dreams Come True