KING OF KONG: THE MUSICAL
by Amber Ruffin & Lauren Van Kurin
directed by Brendan Hunt
(eps. 4 & 10 directed by Jaime Robledo)
music by Amber Ruffin, David Schmoll & Zachary Bernstein

"A fistful of quarters... is a fistful of dreams."

12 Episodes
Original Run: 7 Eps, 3/2/13 - 5/11/13
Playoffs Run: 5 Eps, 6/29/13 - 7/27/13
PLAYOFFS CHAMPION!

SUMMARY:  Steve Wiebe dreams of accomplishing something with his life.  Having failed at all else, he decides to go for the Donkey Kong world record high score... earning him the enmity of former champion Billy Mitchell.

SUMMARY:  Steve Wiebe is on top of the world - until Billy Mitchell gets Steve's high score invalidated by having official scorekeeper Walter Day inspect his motherboard.  From now on, videotapes of high scores will no longer be accepted - only scores from live, in-person competitions.  'Cause what Billy Mitchell wants... Billy Mitchell gets.

SUMMARY:  As Billy Mitchell suffers pangs of regret, Steve Wiebe neglects his not-yet-wholly-potty-trained son.  Both events play out in song.  What with this being a musical and all.

SUMMARY:  Steve Wiebe unexpectedly shows up at the FunSpot Arcade, and a worried Billy Mitchell orders that his own high-score videotape be unearthed.

SUMMARY:  Roy Shildt questions why Billy is suddenly willing to use videotapes to establish high scores again and even questions whether Billy's tape is doctored.  Billy doesn't like Roy's tone, and sings a song about his perceived kinship with Donkey Kong himself.

SUMMARY:  The Wiebe family drives out to Hollywood, Florida for the head-to-head competition with Billy Mitchell, and all of them question the wisdom of what Steve's doing... including Steve.  Meanwhile, Billy Mitchell's wife sings of the life Billy promised her, and only sort of delivered on.

SUMMARY:  Steve Wiebe arrives in Hollywood, Florida... but Billy Mitchell is avoiding him, instead focusing on recording a commercial for hit hot sauce with his wife.  Will Billy show up to accept Steve's challenge in person, or will he continue to ask people to "Lick My Sauce"?

SUMMARY:  Steve Wiebe, who is practicing his Donkey Kong skills while his wife and kids hit the beach (Walter Day is glad his priorities are in order) becomes annoyed that people keep pronouncing his last name "Weeb."

SUMMARY:  Walter Day is bullied by Billy Mitchell, who still refuses to play against Steve Wiebe live, and demands that Walter not enter Steve's scores in his record book.  However, Walter meets another Walter Day - the alternate-world Walter Day of a Twin Galaxy - who asserted his authority as a referee by strangling Billy Mitchell with his own mullet.  Encouraged and empowered, our Walter finally steels himself to assert his own status and power as the referee of the Twin Galaxies arcade.

SUMMARY:  Billy Mitchell remembers his younger, still cocky but more idealistic self, who, in the early 1980s, unseats the reigning Donkey Kong champ, who had lied about his high score.  Billy calls him out in a public competition, and easily takes the crown.  Back in the present, Billy wonders what he's become, and begins to realize that he's gong to have to stop running and accept Steve Wiebe's challenge.

SUMMARY:  Billy and Steve's wives meet and bond, while Walter exults in his newfound confidence.  Meanwhile, Steve despairs of Billy ever showing up, but Billy does finally show up - and mops the floor with Steve, taking back the title of Donkey Kong Champ.

SUMMARY:  In a coda to the story, Billy welcomes us to a screening of the documentary, and we get a recap of the story so far.  And we learn that Steve eventually beat Billy's high score... but Billy took it back again... and back and forth... plus somebody else who "doesn't count."  They'll be locked in combat forever... to be the King of Kong.