On Thursday night at the Krusty Krab, Mr. Krabs tells SpongeBob that he is off to play poker against Plankton in a card game during closing time. He is shocked that Mr. Krabs would risk losing anything to an unscrupulous character like Plankton. Mr. Krabs confidently explains to SpongeBob that Plankton is the worst card player in Bikini Bottom by losing all the card games every Thursday night for fifteen years.
The next morning, however, Mr. Krabs sadly informs SpongeBob that he lost, and the wager of the card game from the previous night has been SpongeBob's employment, because Mr. Krabs bet his contract. SpongeBob initially thinks that Mr. Krabs is joking, and tries to enter the Krusty Krab, but Mr. Krabs stops him and tells SpongeBob that he no longer works there. A shocked Squidward runs out to confirm the news. A gleeful Plankton arrives to spirit SpongeBob away to the Chum Bucket, all the while laughing and gloating at Krabs' defeat and admitting to deliberately losing the card games in order for Krabs to slip up. At the Chum Bucket, Plankton cruelly orders SpongeBob to make him a Krabby Patty immediately and threatens to remove SpongeBob's brain and put it in a robot version of the sponge if he refuses to obey Plankton's order.
However, SpongeBob finds himself unable to work in the Chum Bucket's cold, laboratory-like kitchen and misses the Krusty Krab as Mr. Krabs sadly regrets to losing the card game with Plankton and betting SpongeBob's contract in the first place. Meanwhile, Plankton notices SpongeBob's sadness and starts considering putting his brain in the robot. Karen warns him said idea never works and suggests to Plankton that he must show SpongeBob compassion and understanding. This way, he will give Plankton what he wants. Plankton takes Karen's advice and goes to great lengths to improve SpongeBob's working conditions, eventually converting the Chum Bucket kitchen into an exact replica of the Krusty Krab kitchen. As time goes on, however, SpongeBob begins to catch on to Plankton's ruse, and decides to pull a trick of his own, turning his humble requests into increasingly selfish demands, eventually refusing Plankton's order altogether.
After being fed up with SpongeBob's attitude and neglecting to control his temper, Plankton takes out SpongeBob's brain and implants it in the robot, confident that this will now have his order fulfilled. The SpongeBob Robot, however, still refuses to make Plankton a Krabby Patty, and Plankton breaks down, finally having enough. Just as Mr. Krabs, still worried about losing SpongeBob because of the card game incident with Plankton, is about to close the Krusty Krab for good, a crying Plankton comes over and begs him to take SpongeBob back, saying that he cannot stand him anymore. Mr. Krabs quickly hides the closed sign and initially refuses, but Plankton begs him and his enemy accepts while asking for money and Plankton gladly complies while admitting that he cheated on the card game anyway. Mr. Krabs then flings a happy-crying Plankton back to his restaurant.
Afterwards, SpongeBob's brain has been restored, and Mr. Krabs, having forgotten about the whole incident that started with Plankton winning the card game, welcomes him back and encourages him to get back to cooking. SpongeBob fools Mr. Krabs that he still does not feel like working, but when SpongeBob is given one tense glare from Mr. Krabs, he quickly changes his tune saying "I mean, I'm working all day for free, my treat!" A satisfied Mr. Krabs finishes the episode replying "That's what I thought you said."
According to the audio commentary, there was originally going to be a scene where Plankton takes out SpongeBob's brain and puts it in the robot. But that got cut in the final episode.[5]
‣Oyster Girls - Robert Alexander White [Title card] ‣Danger Zone - Mike Sunderland ["Plankton?!"] ‣Spanish Ladies (B) - Robin Jeffrey, Tim Laycock ["Plankton is the worst card player in Bikini Bottom."] ‣Botany Bay (b) - Robert Alexander White [Krabs crying the next morning] •Idea Sting - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob laughs] ‣Botany Bay (b) - Robert Alexander White ["I'm afraid you don't work here anymore."] ‣Like Strange - Kenny Graham ["I'm afraid he's not joking."] ‣Finger of Fear - Fredric Bayco [SpongeBob put in a cage] ‣Hercule Poirot - Gerhard Trede [SpongeBob at the Chum Bucket] ◦This Grill is Not a Home - Eban Schletter, Paul Tibbitt ‣Zelle 501 - Gerhard Trede ["All these tears? And the show tunes?"] ‣Dramatic Impact (6) - Ivor Slaney [A patty arm comes out of the oven.] ‣Wooden Bear - Gil Flat, Tony Tape, Florian Voelxen [Plankton moving the grill] ‣The Rake Hornpipe - Robert Alexander White [Replica of Krusty Krab kitchen] ‣Lonely Violin - Dick Stephen Walter [SpongeBob cries] ‣Hawaiian Link (A) - Richard Myhill [Vibrating shoes] ‣Ulk-Fox Nr. 2 - Gerhard Trede [SpongeBob insulting Plankton] ‣Frankenstein's Niece D - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob's brain put in robot] •Steel Licks 40 - Jeremy Wakefield [Plankton freaks out] ‣Paradise Isle - Jan Rap [Plankton begs Krabs to take SpongeBob back] ‣When Daylight Shines / Captain Lenoe's - The Folk Players [Ending]
During production, this episode's working title was "The Big Game." Prior to that, it was known as "The Poker Game."
The magazine that Robot-SpongeBob is reading has a SpongeBob comic strip in it, featuring SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward.
During its time being unaired in the United States, a screenshot from the episode was released from a Korean article on October 25, 2001.[6] Despite that, the article was actually promoting the premiere of "Artist Unknown."
This is the first episode for a few things:
The first episode in production order to premiere in 2002.
This also would have been the first episode to use the track "Hercule Poirot," but this track played in the musically edited DVD version of "Employee of the Month."
This is the second episode to have computerized picture-shaking effects. They occur whenever Plankton moves the grill. The first episode to use these effects was "Neptune's Spatula."
The PlayStation version of SuperSponge shows clips of this episode in the portions of the opening that introduce Mr. Krabs and Plankton, respectively.
Despite footage being used in the opening, SuperSponge released months before the episode premiered in the United States
According to the audio commentary, the man who appears in the "SCIENCE!" calendar was originally meant to be Finbarr O'Riordan, who worked in Human Resources at Nickelodeon. Finbarr was "insulted" that the crew thought he would make a believable science geek, and even after a second offer made by friend and Animation Director Andrew Overtoom, turned down the opportunity. Thaddeus Paul Couldron[3] is seen instead.
SpongeBob does not remember being in the Chum Bucket, despite already being there in the episode "Plankton!"
On the March 7, 2013[9] airing, after Plankton saying "To get to the SpongeBob, I'll show him compassion and understanding" it was interrupted by Nick Studio 10 (which ran from March to mid-June) for 30 seconds by showing a walrus roaring, and cut back SpongeBob working at the kitchen.[10]
The scene where Plankton says "And I want you to make me a Krabby Patty!" Has become a meme on Tiktok as of July 2025.
Dub facts
The scene where SpongeBob and Krabs singing as they missed each other are only occasionally shown in Indonesia. This was done due to time constraints as its airings were paired with ads.
Most dubs translate the episode similarily to its English title.
This is the first episode that Luis Miguel Pérez voiced Plankton in the Latín American dub, in replacement of Oscar Zuloaga. He would continue voicing the character until Season 8 and the first half of Season 9 episode "Squirrel Record."
Cultural references
At the beginning of the episode, right when Plankton appears, there is a bottle cap laying on the ground. The logo on this bottle cap is a variation of the Pepsi logo emblem.
File:Welcome to the Chum Bucket 056.pngThe Chum Bucket with different doors.The Chum Bucket doors in this episode are dark blue instead of their usual brown. The double doors also have gray bottoms and silver handles.
At some point during the "This Grill is Not a Home" song, the Chum Bucket logo is on the side of the building instead of above the doors where it usually sits.
When SpongeBob is bathing, his sleeves are shown. This error also occurs in "Gary Takes a Bath."
Also during the transition to this scene, the bubble transition sounds can be heard, but none of the bubbles actually appear, implying that there was meant to be a bubble transition between those scenes. This error also occurs in "Mid-Life Crustacean."
Before Plankton activates RobotBob, his lip gets overlapped on his eye for a split second.
On the unremastered version (present on DVD releases and original television airings on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons), throughout the entire scene where Plankton moves SpongeBob's grill, there is a light blue border. This was fixed in the 2019 remastered version (used on streaming services and current Nicktoon airings as of 2019) by cropping out the borders.
![This painting was done by Andy Clark.[4]](/index.php?title=Special:Upload&wpDestFile=The_chum_bucket_in_sb167.jpeg){kind=link}
