| “ | It is all gravy, baby. Sorry I said that. | ” |
"Don't Stop Be-cheesin'" is the fifth episode in Season 15, being the two-hundred-and-eighty-first episode overall.
Plot[]
Louise trains Tina to be the last student standing during an all-out cheese throwing battle against the other eighth graders. Meanwhile, Bob and Teddy teach Linda how to successfully eavesdrop on customers' conversations without getting caught.
Full story[]
The Belchers have breakfast, and Tina dreads the Cheese Royale, the eighth-grader cheese-throwing competition happening today after Louise brings it up. Louise explains that teams of eighth-graders eliminate each other by throwing cheese—except for at Wagstaff and anyone's home. Tina points out she's not eager because of her poor practice at throwing cheese, adding that she plans to team up with Susmita, assuming that she doesn't care about the game either.
During lunch at school, Tina asks Susmita about teaming up, but Susmita points out she already has a team, surprising her again by displaying her enthusiasm for the game. Angry, Tina immediately gets a passing by Jimmy Jr. to put her on his team. He discreetly tells her that they'll be meeting at Michael Carlish's house to plan for the competition.
At the restaurant, Linda tries to eavesdrop on a conversation between two customers, an arguing couple planning to break up. Linda gets closer to hear their conversation, but she makes it evident that she's trying to listen to them, and the customers decide to leave. Bob tells his wife she's terrible at eavesdropping, and Gene, Louise, and Teddy agree. They all point out the obvious signs of her attempt but decide they can help her learn how to eavesdrop better.
In Michael Carlish's backyard, Tina, Jimmy Jr., Zeke, Michael Carlish, and Kelly meet, talking about their strategy for the Cheese Royale. They start practicing throwing cheese after Tina goes to the bathroom inside, feeling confident about their throws. However, the four almost instantly get eliminated after a hidden force hits them with cheese. When Tina returns, they try to explain their elimination, though they are still overwhelmed by what happened. At once, they shield Tina to prevent her from getting eliminated, inching back to Michael's house to get her to safety. Jimmy Jr. warns Tina that she's now their team's only hope, and she attempts to play it cool.
At Tina's locker, Tina's team explains to other students about everyone on their team but Tina's elimination. Tammy tries to profile the threat, assuming that the person who eliminated them plays baseball or basketball. Tina's attitude makes her team unconfident about their success, so Gene and Louise pull their sister aside in an effort to boost her confidence.
Bob and Teddy give Linda tips on how to eavesdrop at the restaurant and try her skills. They pretend to talk about something interesting while Linda tries to figure out what they're saying. Linda puts up cups as a cover, but she still makes her eavesdropping obvious. Teddy tells her she has to move further away to avoid suspicion.
Tina, Gene, and Louise walk around the school together. Louise explains her detailed plan to help Tina win, telling her she needs to take cover and be hidden for as long as possible while waiting for other eighth-graders to eliminate each other.
Following Louise's plan, for multiple days, Tina does any afterschool activity to remain at school, leaving school from a new exit each time in disguise after taking shelter anywhere until 6 PM, when people stop throwing cheese, before heading home using a different route. As Tina remains safe each day, multiple eighth-graders get eliminated by the mysterious player, who becomes named the "Big Cheese."
During lunch, Jimmy Jr. and Zeke are talking about notable kids that the Big Cheese eliminated, though they are more confident in Tina's ability. Louise tries to figure out who the mysterious player is, deducing that it could be Will, Chelsea, Henry, Tammy, Sam, or Susmita. Tina suggests she would want to win to taunt Susmita. With fewer players, Louise gets Tina to change her strategy. Instead of hiding, she should be eliminating other players, getting other players to lower their defense to hit them with cheese. Tina defeats Tammy like this.
Having dinner with her family, Tina is more passionate about the Cheese Royale. Louise informs Tina about the remaining students left in the game, and Tina begins eliminating multiple.
At school for lunch, Louise informs Tina that the only other students left are Susmita, Sam, Henry, Chelsea, and Will. Henry Haber walks by and gives Tina a note, which tells Tina that all the remaining eighth-graders will meet at the abandoned Mr. Gravy Paws after school to reveal the Big Cheese. Tina and her siblings are suspicious but decide she must go to end the game and win.
After school, Gene and Louise express their worry about Tina at the restaurant. Teddy discovers that the arguing couple Linda tried to eavesdrop on are talking outside the restaurant. Bob doesn't know why they'd return, but he, his family, and Teddy put up a front as they enter to eat.
Tina arrives at the abandoned dog food factory wearing a disguise with multiple cheese slices. She and the other students are all hidden from each other, but they answer that they're here to make sure everyone remaining in the Cheese Royale is present. Henry then states that the Big Cheese is Susmita, which Susmita denies. In spite of this, Henry explains that the other purpose for their meeting here is to eliminate the Big Cheese, which he still believes is Susmita, so anyone else has a chance at winning. She accuses him of being it instead.
As they continue to blame each other, Will gets hit with cheese. Will explains that he doesn't know who eliminated him and that he isn't the Big Cheese as he distances himself from the battlefield to watch the rest of the game. The kids continue to accuse each other as they move around the factory. Henry tries to bring Susmita out from hiding by luring her with gum, but Chelsea eliminates him, and as Chelsea tries to maneuver away, Susmita also eliminates her. Henry and Chelsea both state they're not the Big Cheese as they go to where Will is to watch Tina, Susmita, and Sam.
All curious, Bob, Linda, Gene, Louise, and Teddy fail to eavesdrop on the couple's conversation at a distance. Linda decides to move in closer, using the tactics that her husband and Teddy taught her.
Susmita expresses her regret for not teaming up with Tina, not knowing how good she was at the game, complimenting her skills, but she tells Tina she doesn't have to be good to enjoy the competition. Getting back to the game, Tina and Susmita have a head-to-head battle, each moving swiftly to get closer to one another. Tina manages to eliminate Susmita, which annoys her, but Susmita still praises her friend. Susmita goes to the other eighth-graders and points out that she's not the Big Cheese, which makes Sam reveal that he is. Being the only other person left, Tina becomes nervous about the Cheese Royale again. Tina goes to retake cover, and Sam, believing he pinpointed her after seeing her hat from a hole, goes to eliminate her. However, the hat wasn't on Tina—it was on a crate—and Tina defeats Will by getting him. The defeated players congratulate Tina. Tina states she wanted to make Sam believe she was hiding, though she was actually hunting for him.
At dinner, Linda tells Tina about the conversation between the arguing couple and that they're back together. Bob adds that Linda successfully eavesdropped without making it obvious. Louise is more interested in how Tina won the competition, deciding she should try to teach Tina how to do other things she's not confident about.
Videos[]
External links[]
- "Don't Stop Be-cheesin'" on IMDb
- "Don't Stop Be-cheesin'" press release via The Futon Critic
- "Don't Stop Be-cheesin'" script via Springfield! Springfield!
| Season 15 Episode Navigation | v • t • e | |
|---|---|---|
| The Tina Table: The Tables Have Tina-ed • Saving Favorite Drive-In • Colon-ly the Dronely • For Whom the Doll Toes • Don't Stop Be-cheesin' • Hope N' Mic Night • Boogie Days • They Slug Horses, Don't They? • Dog Christmas Day After Afternoon • Advice Things Are Ad-Nice • Mr. Fischoeder's Opus • Like a Candle in the Gym • Snackface • The Place Beyond the Pinecones | ||
| ← Season 14 | See also: Episode Guide | Unknown season → |