Worst in Show is the fifth episode of season 2 of Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!, and the thirty-first overall.
Premise[]
A ferocious hound attacks an elite dog show, so the gang enter Scooby in an attempt to solve the mystery.
Synopsis[]
Mystery Inc. visits New York City, but finds that the Vander-Grauff Dog Show is suffering because of a houndbeast scaring the contestants away. To gain more access to the building, Fred enters Scooby into the dog show with Daphne as his coach. The group splits up to investigate; Velma and Shaggy immediately encounter the houndbeast on an escalator, and Fred visits the lounge to receive a massage from a masseuse and meet other contestants, including a Estelle Brady and the suspicious Elton Snood, who was previously banned from the competition for cheating.
Meanwhile, Daphne and Scooby sneak into Harriet Vander-Grauff's office, where they find she is in financial trouble. After being kicked out by Vander-Grauff's assistant, they encounter the houndbeast in the hallway. The group reunites with the houndbeast chasing them, escaping the monster by luring it into a taxi which drives around the city. They then return to the competition.
Eventually, Daphne and Scooby enter the arena to be evaluated, but Scooby fails to clear the obstacles correctly. As soon as they walk offstage, they encounter the houndbeast. During the chase, Mystery Inc. breaks the judge's table twice, causing them to be even more disliked. Despite this, Vander-Grauff lets Scooby continue competing as there are very few contestants remaining.
Mystery Inc. decides that in order to capture the monster, Scooby and Daphne have to win the competition. After Brady's dog, Doby, gives a figure-skating performance, Scooby and Daphne give a song-and-dance number, amazing the judges. However, the houndbeast soon appears, overpowering both of them. Suddenly, the other dogs appear at Scooby's aid, scaring the houndbeast away. The houndbeast runs headfirst into the reinforced judges' table and is defeated.
The houndbeast turned out to be Doby, whom Brady placed into the exoskeletal costume to attack the competition. Brady wanted to win the competition, so she used the attacks to scare the other contestants away to win the prize. Despite being handed over to authorities, Brady congratulates Scooby and Daphne for their performance. Vander-Grauff agrees, thanking them for their work and awarding them first prize for their performance.
Characters[]
Main characters:
- Gang
- Scooby-Doo
- Shaggy Rogers
- Fred Jones
- Daphne Blake (main story and flashback)
- Velma Dinkley
Supporting characters:
- Harriet Vander-Grauff (only appearance)
- Henry (only appearance)
- Elton Snood (only appearance)
Villains:
- Houndbeast (only appearance)(no lines)(Doby's disguise)
- Estelle Brady (only appearance)
- Doby (only appearance)(no lines)
Other characters:
- Miscellaneous dog owners (only appearance)(miscellaneous speaking)
- Miscellaneous dogs (only appearance)(no lines)
- Lancelot (only appearance)(no lines)
- Mrs. Blake (mentioned)
- Ms. Chopnick (only appearance)(flashback only)
- Piano player (only appearance)(no lines)
- Masseuse 1 (only appearance)
- Masseuse 2 (only appearance)(no lines)
- Taxi driver (only appearance)
Locations[]
- New York City
- Vander-Grauff Dog Show
- Bryn Hotel (photograph)
- Dan's Diner (photograph)
- Statue of Liberty (photograph)
- Little Miss Wow! Pageant (flashback only)
Objects[]
- Premium Dog Biscuits
- Piano
- Flashlight
- Giant pretzel
- History of Symetrically Looped Bread
- Jackhammer
Vehicles[]
- Mystery Machine
- Taxicab
- Unicycle
Suspects[]
| Suspect | Motive/reason |
|---|---|
| Harriet Vander-Grauff | She had many bills to pay so she couldn't afford the prize money. |
| Henry | Could have helped his boss, Ms. Vander-Grauff. |
| Elton Snood | To win the dog show. This was his first year back after being banned for cheating. |
Culprits[]
| Culprit | Motive/reason |
|---|---|
| Doby as the Houndbeast Estelle Brady |
Doby was following Estelle's orders to win the dog show. |
Cast[]
Continuity[]
- Once again Mystery Inc. jumps on Velma's back when escaping a monster, but this time Velma is riding a unicycle.
Songs[]
| Song | Credits | Performed by | Character performance by |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Toe to Toe" | Music by Matthew Janszen and Jake Monaco Lyrics by J.M. DeMatteis and Jon Colton Barry |
Luca Ellis | Unnamed artist |
Notes/trivia[]
- The title is a play on the phrase "best in show," meaning the best of all breeds in an animal show.
- In the voice credits, the guest characters are all referred to just with their surnames.
- Daphne's coach and the taxi driver are uncredited.
- This is the second time Scooby-Doo has won a dog show. He was awarded "Best in Show" in the What's New, Scooby-Doo? episode Homeward Hound.
Miscellaneous[]
- Disguises: Fred as Fred Fredington III; Shaggy & Velma as tourists.
- Traps: None.
- Clues: None.
- Daphne Du Jour: Complaining about the dog show, thinking it is demeaning.
Cultural references[]
- When Scooby describes the dogs in the Vander-Grauff Dog Show as "the creme de la creme" he means the "best of the best". This phrase originated in nineteenth century France and was popularized, in the English speaking world, in the 1961 novel (and subsequent stage and movie adaptations) The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark.
- The voice Fred uses as Fred Fredington III is very similar to that of Thurston Howell III in the American sitcom Gilligan's Island.
- The Vander-Grauff Dog Show's logo, which looks like a dog's paw, includes a shield with the letters "VG" inscribed on it. This shield also resembles the Warner Bros. logo.
Animation mistakes and/or technical glitches[]
- None known.
Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities[]
- None known.
In other languages[]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Polish | Najgorszy z najlepszych | The Worst from the Best |
| Greek | Ο Χειρότερος Διαγωνιζόμενος | The Worst Contestant |
Quotes[]
Fred: There you are. Where's the Houndbeast? |
Fred: Well there goes our chance to solve the mystery. We'll probably be thrown out of the competition now. I mean we took out the Judges' table. |
Estelle Brady: Doby and I would have finally come in first place if it wasn't for--I gotta say that very impressive song and dance routine, well done. (singing) Dancing toe to toe. (stops singing) Marvellous. Oh, and plus the meddling stuff. |
| Previous episode: | Series: | Next episode: |
| How to Train Your Coward | Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! Season 2 |
Mysteries on the Disorient Express |