Why ‘The Contest’, Seinfeld’s Greatest Episode, Wouldn’t Work Today

by

The best Seinfeld episode feels perfectly tied to its time. Everyone has a different favorite, and that’s a testament to the brilliance of the iconic 90s sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld.

If you combined everyone’s favorite episodes and ranked them, the fourth season episode “The Contest” would likely be near the top. In this famously funny episode, George, Jerry, Elaine, and Kramer challenge each other to see who can refrain from masturbation the longest.

The episode was incredibly daring for its time on network television, and it’s still considered one of the show’s funniest. It really highlighted each character’s quirks and weaknesses. Interestingly, while it likely wouldn’t be made now, the reason might surprise you.

Seinfeld’s “The Contest” Is The Show’s Greatest Episode

“The Contest” is a classic Seinfeld episode. It brings together the four main characters and cleverly weaves their separate storylines together. Plus, it introduces the fantastic Estelle Costanza (played by Estelle Harris) and features a plot that’s both absurd and surprisingly familiar.

This episode tackles a sensitive topic with cleverness and avoids being offensive, notably by never explicitly mentioning the act itself. Seinfeld excels at making even difficult subjects funny and ridiculous, and “The Contest” is a prime example. Its enduring impact on popular culture is clear, as it’s been referenced in numerous other shows over the years.

“The Contest” earned David a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, while director Tom Cherones received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing in the same category. Many consider it a perfect introduction to Seinfeld, often shown to people who are new to the show to give them a feel for its humor and style.

Why “The Contest” Would Never Be Made Today

The issue with reviving “The Contest” isn’t that it would be too inappropriate for modern TV – although what’s considered acceptable on television is changing and often seems arbitrary – but rather that the topic of self-pleasure isn’t as shocking as it used to be.

I’ve used a certain word repeatedly in this piece, and it’s unlikely Google will remove it from search results. With shows like Big Mouth, South Park, Euphoria, and Sex Education being so popular recently, it’s clear we’ve reached a point where open discussion of sexuality is much more common.

Much of the humor in “The Contest” comes from the characters’ avoidance of directly mentioning – or even hinting at – the subject matter. While Seinfeld was groundbreaking for its time, that level of indirectness might seem overly cautious by today’s standards. What was once innovative doesn’t always feel fresh over time.

Read More

2026-03-21 20:00