"Extreme Spots" is the first episode of the ninth season and the 179th overall episode of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. The episode originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on July 21, 2012. The series follows the adventures and endeavors of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. In this episode, SpongeBob and Patrick try to do their best to join extreme sports team the Drasticals, no matter how extreme, dangerous, or ludicrous it gets. It will see the duo try their hand at sand motor biking, hang gliding, seashell surfing and even extreme bubble blowing.
The episode was written by Luke Brookshier, Marc Ceccarelli, and Derek Iversen, and was directed by Tom Yasumi. The episode features the guest appearance of Johnny Knoxville as the voice of Johnny Krill. Upon release, the episode drew 3.7 million viewers, and was met with positive reviews.
Plot summary
SpongeBob and Patrick are at the Sand Mountain where they see the Drasticals, doing extreme sports. A British fancy fish tells them about the Drasticals, and because he spoke in lisp, they have mistaken for "extreme spots". Covered with jellyfish sting "spots", SpongeBob and Patrick stand in front of the team, wanting the Drasticals to join them because of their "extreme spots". Johnny Krill, the leader of the Drasticals, corrects them for "sports" and lets them try to be Drasticals. Johnny gives SpongeBob and Patrick tasks to do to pass, including motorbiking and surfing, but they ended up to be terrible at it. Johnny decides that his team's activities are too "extreme" for SpongeBob and Patrick. Eventually, SpongeBob tells Johnny various activities they can do that are "extreme".
SpongeBob and Patrick do ordinary activities, then the Drasticals make it "extreme" because Johnny was unimpressed. Johnny asks if SpongeBob and Patrick can do other activities and SpongeBob says there is one sportâ€"jellyfishing. And while they are doing it, the Drasticals catch jellyfish extremely. Later, the team got injured and are covered in jellyfish stings saying that the "spots" are way "extreme".
Production
"Extreme Spots" was written by Luke Brookshier, Marc Ceccarelli, and Derek Iversen, and was directed by Tom Yasumi. Brookshier and Ceccarelli also functioned as storyboard directors. The episode was the first regular-length episode to be produced in high-definition. It originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on July 21, 2013, with a TV-Y7 parental rating. It was a part of the network's "The Super Spongy Square Games" marathon which debuted sports-themed episodes of the series.
In addition to the regular cast, American stunt performer and Jackass actor Johnny Knoxville guest starred in the episode as the voice of Johnny Krill, the leader of an extreme sports team called the Drasticals and a champion of undersea extreme sports. The writing staff wrote the episode specifically for Knoxville. Executive producer Paul Tibbitt said "[Nickelodeon] wanted to do a show about extreme sports and the first thing that came to mind was Johnny Knoxville, because there are few humans living that are as extreme as him." Knoxville accepted the role because he is a fan of the show. Knoxville said "I got a lot of street cred in the office for doing SpongeBob. Everyone is psyched[...] As soon as I was done recording this episode, I started begging them to let me come back and record another one." Knoxville asked if he needed to come up with a funny voice for his character. However, the producers said "No, we want [your voice]." Knoxville claimed that "it's not easy" providing a vocal cameo. He added "It's a different kind of work."
Aside from providing vocal cameo, Knoxville also did a photo shoot with a SpongeBob plush toy for the episode. Knoxville said "They loaded me up with a bunch of schwag! Every toy they ever madeâ€"skateboards, wristbands, all kinds of great stuff. They just don't quit with the perks." He added "They [the crews] let me do my own stunts for this episode. It was amazing."
On January 15, 2013, "Extreme Spots" became available on the DVD compilation SpongeBob SquarePants: Extreme Kah-Rah-Tay along with fellow eighth and ninth season episodes "Squid Defense", "The Way of the Sponge", "House Sittin' For Sandy", "The Krabby Patty That Ate Bikini Bottom", "Squirrel Record", "Face Freeze", and "Demolition Doofus".
Reception
The premiere of "Extreme Spots" on July 21, 2012 as part of "The Super Spongy Square Games" marathon scored 3.7 million total viewers, ranking as the most watched kids program among total viewers for the entire week. The episode, alongside "Squirrel Record", "Demolition Doofus", and "Face Freeze!", posted a double-digit increase with kid demographic, averaging 5.57 million Kids 2-11 (+50%) from 2011.
"Extreme Spots" received positive reviews from critics. Paul Mavis of DVD Talk enjoyed the episode and said "'Extreme Spots' gets big laughs from some very funny bits." He added that the "stereotypical Britisher fish, complete with monocle and bad teeth, is a scream." In his review for the Inside Pulse, Joe Corey said that the episode is "equally dangerous" with the remaining episodes of the Extreme Kah-Rah-Tay DVD.
References
External links
- "Extreme Spots" at the Internet Movie Database
- "Extreme Spots" at TV.com
