Peggy's Pageant Fever is the forty-first episode of King of the Hill. It was first aired on November 10, 1998. The episode was written by Norm Hiscock, and directed by Tricia Garcia.
Synopsis
Peggy learns that Nancy Gribble has been selected as a celebrity judge for the "Mrs. Heimlich County" beauty pageant. At first, Peggy wonders aloud if any mature women would really participate in such an event, but her skepticism evaporates when she realizes that the grand prize is a one year lease on a brand new Chevy Silverado pickup truck with a 5.3 liter V8 engine.
That night, Peggy asks Hank if he thinks she could win the beauty contest. Hank delicately explains that he doesn't think his wife is the "pageant type." Peggy, however, is not to be dissuaded, and she fills out the entry form, believing that she will easily outclass the "bimbos" who compete in these contests.
The next morning, Luanne screams with delight when Peggy asks her to be her stylist. The pair travel to the Hotel Arlen, where contestants mingle with their competition, many of whom have more education, professional success, or family life than Peggy. It doesn't take long for her to realize that she is the one who is outclassed. Peggy approaches Nancy and compliments her on her looks, but digs herself a hole when she states that women should be judged by their brain size, not their bra size, and snarks that the judges always pick the same kind of woman as winners. Nancy takes this as an insult ("You mean women like me.") and walks off.
The next morning, Peggy and Luanne visit Mr. Strickland in hopes of convincing him to sponsor Peggy in the contest. Strickland, believing that Luanne is the contestant, quickly agrees to write a check for $2000. By the time Strickland realizes his mistake, the check has already been drafted. Later, Peggy tells Luanne she would like some highlights in her hair. Luanne is hesitant, as she missed both parts of the highlights class. They forge ahead nonetheless. When Peggy emerges from the house the next morning, her hair sports hideous orange tiger stripes, and Minh openly mocks her, comparing her to Bozo the Clown.
That night, Peggy tells Hank that her relations with Nancy have hit an all-time low, but Hank is undeterred. The next day, he reluctantly brings Dale a plate full of brownies in hopes of influencing the contest, but his bribe fails when Dale obnoxiously demands that Hank give up his ratchet set as well.
As the contest draws near, Peggy out of desperation hires Marci, a professional stylist (much to Luanne's crushing disappointment). Peggy arrives home sporting a complete makeover, and is barely even recognizable. Hank and Bobby stare at the results, their mouths agape. Ladybird does not recognize Peggy and begins barking at her. Hank dislikes his wife's new appearance, but is careful not to say anything that might offend her. Afterward, Bill too stops dead in his tracks at the sight of the new Peggy.
Later, Peggy is interviewed by three contest judges: Nancy, an uptight older woman, and a Spanish man. The latter reads Peggy's application, noting that she speaks fluent Spanish. Speaking in Spanish, he asks her a complex question regarding the information superhighway. After a long pause, Peggy responds unintelligently by saying "si", further hurting her chance in the contest.
The day of the pagent arrives. As Peggy prepares to join her fellow contestants, she suddenly worries about her rear end looking too big. With some help from Marci and Mr. Strickland, Peggy uses duct tape to fix the problem. As a stage manager directs the contestants to cross a street, however, the duct tape gives way, causing Peggy's buttocks to droop one at a time. A furious Peggy curses Strickland for purchasing cheap tape, and awkwardly appeals to one of the other contestants for help... only to be told that she forgot her shoes, too. (Her large feet are fully visible and unattractively covered in tape.)
At that bleak moment, Hank pulls up in a sparkling white truck. He tells Peggy that since she entered the contest to win a truck, he thought he would save her the trouble. As they leave the contest altogether, she learns that the vehicle is actually just his old truck, now sporting a new paint job.
The episode closes with Luanne botching a new hairdo for Peggy, leaving her hair resembling that of a troll doll. Luanne plays dumb, but as she walks away, her smile reveals that the botch was deliberate, as she is feeling vengeful for being replaced as Peggy's stylist.
Characters
- Hank Hill
- Peggy Hill
- Bobby Hill
- Luanne Platter
- Dale Gribble
- Nancy Gribble
- Jeff Boomhauer
- Bill Dauterive
- Buck Strickland
- Minh Souphanousinphone
- Marci (cameo)
- Sylvia (cameo)
- Angela (cameo)
- Helen Paul (cameo)
- Stuart Dooley
- Unnamed Man (cameo) (voiced by Maurice LaMarche)
- Mexican Judge (cameo)
Non Speaking Character
Trivia
- Bill sings along to "Taking Care of Business" while washing his car
- Luanne hums "My Favorite Things" (from The Sound of Music) as she prepares to destroy Peggy's glasses.
- Luanne's hair was burnt in the Mega Lo Mart explosion, but in this episode it is the normal length.
- The actor voicing the man who interviews Peggy in Spanish is Eric Estrada.
- The music playing as Peggy and the other contestants rehearse a dance routine in tennis outfits is ''Wannabe'' by the Spice Girls.
- The paint job seems to be short lived, as in the next episode, Hank's truck is red again.
- In the opening scene of the episode, a topless picture of John Redcorn is on a stand next to a family portrait of Nancy, Dale, and Joseph.