The Hambone King is the 2nd episode of Season 4 of Victorious and the 49th episode overall.[2] This episode got 2.391 million views on the premiere night. This is the lowest documented audience of an episode in the series.
Robbie posts a video online spotlighting his rhythmic talent of hamboning, and then he must face off against Gerald Arnpeg, a challenger who claims Robbie to be a fake and wants to prove that he is better than him. Robbie and Gerald have a hamboning competition behind Nozu, but Robbie loses when he hurts himself. The gang then brings him to Tori's house to try and comfort him, and this is when they find out Tori's secret; she used to hambone seven years ago on a hamboning team with Gerald. Then, Tori agrees to help Robbie beat Gerald after venting about how she caught Gerald hamboning with another girl. They both do a lot of training, and, with the help of the others, Robbie eventually gets better at hamboning. When Robbie hambones against Gerald a second time, his friend Merl throws a piece of sushi at him, causing him to lose.
Tori calls them out and says they cheated, and then proceeds to hambone against Gerald. Meryl tries to cheat again and throws a piece of sushi at Tori, but she eats it and completes her sequence. When it is Gerald's turn, he messes up and Tori becomes the "Hambone Queen."
Subplot
Cat tap dances everywhere to practice for a role in a musical. Cat tap dances so much to the point where André and Jade put slippers on her feet so it doesn't make so much noise. Cat's tap dancing helps Robbie with his hamboning, however.
Matt Bennett said in an interview that The Hambone King will be a tribute to "Rocky."
There are many references to Rocky III that are seen throughout the episode:
When André and Robbie are running in the corridor, their outfits match the ones worn by Apollo and Rocky during training.
The scene where Robbie is whacking the balloon being held by Tori, is a parody of the exercise that is seen throughout the Rocky series.
When Tori and Robbie are talking on the Vega's patio, the line "I'm afraid! Alright?! Do you want me to hear me say it? Do you want to break me down?", is a reference to when Rocky is talking to his wife Adrian on the beach.
In this episode, 'hamboning' is another term for 'clap dancing.'
This is the second time that the plot is on Tori and Robbie alone. First being Tori Gets Stuck.
This episode was filmed around the beginning of March 2012.
Cat's tap dancing talent, along with Robbie's and Tori's hamboning talent, is revealed in this episode.
Only Cat from the beginning was in the Opening Sequence.
Nozu returns in this episode for the first time in season 4.
When Robbie and Tori talk to each other on the Vega's patio, Robbie comments about the bad script writing, breaking the fourth wall.
This episode marks the second time Cat has kissed Robbie on the cheek, the first being in A Christmas Tori.
There may be a reference to a Victoria Justice movie, Spectactular, when Cat say's "Ta-Do!" and Tori responds "It's Ta-Da" one of her lines in the movie.
Mrs. Lee and Kwakoo appear after a 5-episode disappearance.
This episode marks the first time to show Kwakoo's soft side.
Tori reveals that she used to hambone 7 years ago.
This is the third episode since The Blonde Squad that Rex hasn't made an appearance.
"Yellow Kitty," also the type of purse Tori mentioned, is a parody of Hello Kitty.
Cat wore her tap dancing shoes throughout the whole episode.
Ending Tagline: "How bad do you want this?" - Tori
The brand of Sunflower seeds Andre was eating is Schneider. Like Dan Schneider, the creator of this show.
The episode premiered to a surprisingly and shockingly low 2.39 million viewers, by far the series' lowest audience yet, even lower than The Great Ping Pong Scam.
After this episode aired, a great majority of fans were outraged that the episode ends with Tori winning and Robbie losing. It was the infamous theory, "Tori gets everything."
Goofs
On TheSlap, Gerald's name is spelled with a G, an E, and an A in the beginning, but the captions for this episode spell his name Jarold.
Cat said her brother is allergic to dairy, but however - in Ice Cream for Ke$ha, she says his favorite ice cream flavor is Funky Nut Blast, since ice cream is a dairy product, but she said in this episode that he drank milk, so that explains why he eats ice cream, he eats dairy stuff, even though he is allergic to dairy.
When Gerald threw Robbie's dessert, you can see that it landed, but in the next scene you can see it landing again.
When Tori covered her head with a plate to exit the main door where Gerald was she could have just exited the back door that Sikowitz exited in Tori and Jade's Playdate.
When André pulls Jade by her hand outside Nozu she drops her purse, and she didn't pick it up. Also in the next scene she has her phone in her hand although she didn't take it when she went to the back of Nozu.
Mrs. Lee would have been given a fine if she didn't give Tori the same dessert she gave to Robbie.
Robbie has been claimed to have accidently whacked himself in the groin from hamboning. But, if seen closely, he never hit himself in the groin, he just goes from hamboning normally to painfully clutching it.
If the "Hambone off" video on TheSlap was filmed by Jade, how the video starts way before she starts to film and how she appears on the video?
Running Gags
Cat tap dancing.
Robbie hamboning.
Tori getting annoyed at everyone talking about Robbie hamboning
People saying it's weird that other people are paying attention to Robbie.
Quotes
Beck: Ooh, sunflower seeds.
Andre: I guess I'm sharing today.
Robbie trying to impress girls
Tori:(comes up) Hey, why are those kids paying attention to Robbie?
Beck: They love the video he posted on TheSlap.
Tori: What video did he post on the...?
Cat: Hi! (comes tap-dancing) Don't worry there's nothing wrong with me. I'm doing this on purpose. (finishes her tapping) Too-doo!
Tori: It's ta-da.
Cat: Ta-da!
Beck: Why are you tap-dancing?
Cat: 'Cause I'm auditioning for a new musical and I have to tap dance.
Beck: Ah.
Cat: Hey, people are talking to Robbie, that's so weird!
Andre: They're all excited about the video on TheSlap.
Tori: What is this video?
Beck: Show her.
Andre: Alright.
Robbie: And I can also do it with this fist. (demonstrates, then laughs with the other teens)
Andre: What did he call the video again?
Beck: 'The Hambone King'.
Tori: Hambone?? Did you say 'The Hambone King'?
Andre: Wait till you see this.
Cat: What's hambone mean?
Tori: (uneasy)Who cares?
Andre: Look.
Tori:(feeling uneasy) I uh, I got to get to Sikowitz's class. Cat: We don't have Sikowitz today. Tori: It's a different Sikowitz! (leaves) Andre: What's her deal? Beck: Not sure. You know my problem with these sunflower seeds? Andre: So, first you're going to steal my seeds, and now you're going to criticize? Beck: Yes. It's too much trouble to open. Cat: I'll open them! (Pours seeds on floor, to Andre's chagrin, and starts tap dancing on them) Beck: Um...Cat? Cat: What? Andre: Baby, no one wants to eat sunflower seeds that have been tap danced on the floor. Sinjin: Ooh! Pre-cracked sunflower seeds! Don't mind if I do! (starts eating them off the floor like a bird)
Robbie: Okay, so tell me; how do girls put on skirts? Do you do it one leg at a time, like pants, or do you jump right in? Tori: One leg at a time. Cat: I jump right in.
Andre and Jade eating sushi at Nozu
Tori: Why'd you stop? Robbie: I.... I need to get some air. (heads for the patio) Cat: There's air in here! Robbie: I DON'T WANT YOUR AIR!! (shuts the door) Tori:(follows him outside in confusion) Cat: What's wrong with my air?
Robbie: This whole conversation just sounds like bad writing!
Cat: Good luck Robbie. (kisses Robbie's cheek)
Everyone: Fight, fight, fight, fight! Andre: Woah, woah, woah, woah, hold up! If you boys wanna fight Robbie, you gotta fight me too. Robbie: Ummm, would it be okay if they fight just you? 'Cause- Meryl: Hey idiots! Robbie: Yes? Andre: Sup?
Jade: Robbie. Andre: Come on man, it's- (Jade and Andre looks at Cat, who is still tap dancing, in annoyance) Andre: Come on Rob, it's not so bad. Jade: Okay, big deal you lost a hambone competition. Robbie: (Squeaks) Jade: It's over. And it's not like the whole world saw it. Cat: Uh-huh. It's all over the internet.
Cat: This Hambone battle is really scary. Jade: We're about to watch two nerds compete by slapping themselves. I think we'll be okay.
Jade: We'll get you some ice for your, uh . . . injuries.
Beck: (Walks in) Hey. Jade: Why are you here? Beck: Andre texted me and said Robbie got hurt, so, I brought a watermelon. (smiles, pats watermelon) Andre: Why? Beck: Robbie loves watermelons. (hands Robbie the watermelon) Robbie:(sadly) Wawa. (takes watermelon)
Tori: Hey! I'll take on the Hambone King. Cat: But Tori, you haven't ham boned in years! Tori: Well now I have a reason.
Andre: Man Robbie is loving all that attention! Beck: I know right! Andre: I bet he does his signature flirt move. Beck: Flirt move? Andre: You know the gigglechin. Andre: It's where he giggles and then he puts his fist up to his chin. Beck: I don't think I've ever seen Robbie do... Beck and Andre: Aw alright! Yes... well played.
Cat: Hey! Hey, hey! Merl: What? what? (Cat blows in his face) Cat: Blowback! (Runs away laughing)
Tori: Hey, idiots! You wanna talk, or hambone?! Gerald: Tori Vega. Tori: What up, Gerald? Gerald: Still mad about me and Suzy Mecallen? Tori: You still pick your nose, and eat it? Merl: Don't waste your breath on her, king. Tori: Oh hey Merl! I see you're still sniffing Gerald's butt! Merl: Hey, that was a dare!
Gallery
Click here to see the photo gallery for The Hambone King.
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