‘The Contest’ Picked As Favorite ‘Seinfeld’ Moment
If only one episode of NBC’s “Seinfeld” could reign as the master of its domain and as the king of its castle, it’s no surprise that viewers would pick “The Contest.” The episode, from the popular comedy’s fourth season, topped an AOL member poll of favorite “Seinfeld” moments.
Launched in anticipation of the DVD release of the show’s first three seasons, the AOL poll provided user with 25 possible classic moments from the classic comedy, which went off the air in 1998. That list of 25 was narrowed down to five possible moments and after more than 550,00 votes, “The Contest” came out the rather predictable winner.
“Seinfeld had so many wonderfully imaginative episodes and segments, so it’s fascinating to see which were the favorites among AOL members,” Lexine Wong, executive vice president of marketing for Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, which is releasing the DVD.
Perhaps no “Seinfeld” episode produced as much water cooler discussion at “The Contest,” which premiered on Nov. 18, 1992. In the half-hour, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and George (Jason Alexander) begin a contest of self-denial and the rest of the gang jumps in on the action. Larry David won an Emmy for writing the euphemism-heavy episode, in which the word “masturbation” is never mentioned. Tom Cherones, who directed the episode, was also nominated for an Emmy and the series picked up the trophy for outstanding comedy that year.
The other top moments were less episodes so much as moments or catch phrases. George’s explanation of “shrinkage” received the second most votes, followed by George’s famous encounter with the Soup Nazi. Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) dancing finished fourth beating out the immortal and wildly overused catch phrase “Yada, yada, yada.”
The “Seinfeld” DVD hits shelves today (Tuesday, November 23), while NBC will air a retrospective with the major cast members two nights later on Thursday.
Categories