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Acafellas
Season One, Episode Three

First Aired	September 16, 2009
Episode Guide
previous "Showmance"	next "Preggers"

Acafellas is the third episode of Glee's first season, and the third episode overall. It premiered on September 16, 2009.

The episode sees the Glee club director Will Schuester form an all-male a cappella group, the Acafellas, spending more time building his own confidence while neglecting the club. Will tells his parents that Terri is pregnant, and Rachel hires Dakota Stanley, due to Quinn and Santana's advice and "concern" on their choreography, to help coach them to Nationals. Will is slowly being pulled away from Glee Club as he works with the Acafellas. Meanwhile, Mercedes is bitten by the love bug, but her feelings aren't reciprocated.

The episode was directed by John Scott and written by Ryan Murphy.

Plot

The episode opens with Will telling his parents at dinner that Terri is currently pregnant. They are tickled but Terri is understandably shocked. Will confides in his father that he is scared. Will's father tells him parenthood is all about guts, and he regrets not following through with his dream of being a lawyer.

Later on voicing the concerns of the Cheerios members, Rachel tells Will at practice that their choreography needs work. They want to hire Dakota Stanley, professional choreographer with a Broadway background.

Shop teacher/cough medicine addict Henri St. Pierre is back at school after losing his thumbs in a table saw mishap. "I'll never hitchhike across Europe," he says. Sitting in the teacher's lounge several of the male faculty members swap sob stories about their lives. After a particularly strong rendition of For He's a Jolly Good Fellow, Will decides to form an a cappella group named Acafellas with Ken, Henri and Howard.

At home, Terri has sex with Will more frequently in attempt to actually get pregnant. Will is missing Glee practices to work with Acafellas. Finn is mad at Rachel for pushing Will away with the choreography critique. The members of glee decide to hire Dakota. Rachel and Finn have an argument related to their previous hook-up. She wants to bring in Dakota, even if it means Finn will quit.

The Cheerios update Sue about

their progress taking down Glee from within. Quinn thinks Dakota will be so hard on the Glee kids they will "quit or commit suicide."

Mercedes is wishing she had a boyfriend. After seeing that Kurt and Mercedes are friendly, Quinn and Santana suggests she should try to get with him.

Acafellas perform Poison at a sports bar. After the show Figgins asks Will if they will perform at the next PTA meeting.

A local newspaper prints a glowing review of the Acafellas' performance (except for Howard). Sandy (who hasn't been allowed to join the group) wants in because Josh Groban is scheduled to be at the PTA meeting. Sandy is a hardcore fan of Groban's after Josh Groban accidentally friended him on MySpace, and has heard Josh Groban may be looking for an opening act.

On the way to watching rehearsal of one of Dakota's groups, Vocal Adrenaline, Mercedes asks Kurt on a date. Members of the group including Andrea Cohen warn the Glee kids that Dakota is too hard. Following an outstanding rehearsal by Vocal Adrenaline, Dakota screams for them to "get off my stage." Afterwards Dakota tells the McKinley kids his fee is $8,000, plus a $10,000 bonus if they place 3rd or higher, which they will with his help.

Howard calls Will and tells him he wants to quit the Acafellas. Emma tells Will and Ken that Henri is headed to rehab. Emma convinces Will not to give up on Acafellas. Finn tells Will he wants to quit Glee, that he isn't having fun anymore. Will brings up Acafellas. Mohawked football player and Cougar-chaser Puck asks Ken if he can be in the Acafellas. The new Acafellas lineup works on its dance moves.

Rachel and Tina try and warn Mercedes that Kurt is gay. Mercedes isn't convinced, and tells them she is tired of being lonely.

Sue has the Cheerios help with Glee's choreographer car wash fundraiser. When Mercedes asks Kurt if they can make their relationship "official," he tells her he's in love with someone else. He stares at Finn but tells Mercedes it is Rachel. She throws a rock through the windshield of his truck, leading to a (imagined) performance by Mercedes of Bust Your Windows.

At the first Dakota-run rehearsal, the new choreographer begins by cutting Artie and Mercedes and making fun of everybody. When everyone starts to quit, Rachel

decides they should fire Dakota and celebrate their differences.

Before the Acafellas go on stage, Sandy tells them Josh Groban is in the front row. During their performance of I Wanna Sex You Up, Terri seems to notice how much Emma is enjoying watching Will. Josh Groban comes backstage, congratulating the group and serves Sandy with a restraining order, telling him, "Stop sending me nude photos!"

In the parking lot after the show, Terri tells Will how impressed she was with the performance. We see Josh Groban is all over Will's mother. Will tells his father the Acafellas thing was fun, but he is a teacher at heart. Will's father has decided to pursue his dream and go to law school.

At school the next day Kurt tells Mercedes he is gay. He also reveals that she is the first person he has ever told. Mercedes tells him he shouldn't be ashamed of who he is. Kurt tells her he isn't confident enough to be himself. Glee is back to work on a new number and Sue is furious the Cheerios failed at bringing down the club: "I'm going to need you to smell your armpits. That's the smell of failure." Quinn tells Sue what she taught her "When you really believe in yourself you don't have to bring other people down." The episode ends with Rachel praising Mr. Schue's choreography and the club laughing and working on their new number.

Songs

Song Title	Original Artist	Performer(s)
For He's a Jolly Good Fellow †	Traditional	Acafellas
This Is How We Do It †	Montell Jordan
Poison †	Bell Biv DeVoe
Mercy	Duffy	Vocal Adrenaline
Bust Your Windows	Jazmine Sullivan	Mercedes Jones with the Cheerios
I Wanna Sex You Up	Color Me Badd	Acafellas

† denotes an unreleased song.

Background Songs

La Camisa Negra by Juanes. Sung by Puck.

Guest Stars

Special Guest Star

Josh Groban as himself

Guest Cast

Co-Stars

Kent Avenido as Howard Bamboo
Marie Caldare as Mrs Holloway
Maxine English as Mrs Robinson
Gregory Hinton as Flex, the Bodyguard
Brooke Newton as Leggy Blonde
Vivian Nixon as Andrea Cohen
Shelby Rabara as Shoshandra

Trivia

Acafellas is a fairly common name for a male a cappella group, both at the professional and student level - there are Acafellas in Daytona Beach, Ottawa, Loyola University, Muhlenberg College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Alfred University and more - and most of these groups pre-date Glee by at least five years.
When talking to Will about famous people Emma mentions John Stamos, this could be taken as foreshadowing because John Stamos would later join Glee as Dentist Carl Howell, who dates Emma in season two.
The first (and so far only) appearance of Will's parents and Henri St. Pierre.
Santana breaks up with Puck in this episode.
This episode was watched by 6.642 million viewers
The first time we see Santana cry.
This is the first episode where Rachel doesn't sing a solo.
Rachel talks about how Barbra Streisand refused to get a nose job when she was younger and the rest of the club decides not to quit even though they do not fit a certain mold that Dakota wanted. Rachel, however, struggles with self-acceptance about her nose later on in Born This Way.
This is the first episode where Puck's singing voice/talent was heard/discovered.
Josh Groban was the first major special guest star to appear on the show.
Cheyenne Jackson was originally cast as Dakota Stanley, but he had to pull out due to sickness. He would later play another associate of Vocal Adrenaline, Dustin Goolsby, in season Two.
Dakota Stanley calls Finn "Frankenteen" in this episode, a nickname that would cling on him. Santana has called him that several times in Season Two and Three, too.
A Lady Gaga dancer appears as a Vocal Adrenaline dancer, Jeremy Hudson, during Mercy. He's friends with Heather Morris.
Subverted in this episode when it turns out Sandy's "friendship" with Josh Groban was just him being a Stalker with a Crush, and Groban just came to the concert to give Sandy a restraining order.
Emma references John Stamos as an example of celebrities who became famous with certainty over talent. Stamos would later guest star on the series as a love interest for Emma

Errors

When singing with Acafellas, Henri (the man who lost his thumbs) can be seen holding a microphone where his thumb is clearly visible.
You can briefly see Lea Michele's tattoo when she raises her hand during the voting for whether or not they hire Dakota.
Just before the "Bust Your Windows" segment Mercedes throws a rock at the windshield of Kurt's Escalade. The rock goes right through the glass into the car. The windshields of all contemporary cars (like Kurt's) would not behave that way. These windshields are made of laminated glass that cracks but does not break so easily, and would not allow a rock thrown from a few feet away to penetrate it.

Gallery

Quotes

“	Mr. Schuester: We just sold all 17 copies of your CD! Mrs. Schuester: I didn't even have to show any of them my bosoms!	”
—Mr. Schuester and Mrs. Schuester

“	Dude, my bowels have better moves than you.	”
—Puck

“	This is what we call a total disaster ladies. I'm going to ask you to smell your armpits. That's the smell of failure and it's stinking up my office. I'm revoking your tanning privileges for the rest of the semester.	”
—Sue Sylvester

“	Do you see anyone else in here with a plate of "I'm Sorry" cookies? I don't. Just you.	”
—Finn

“	I need those parents happy! They found out we've been serving the children prison food.	”
—Principal Figgins

“	Josh Groban: Now you might be thinking why would a pop star like me come over here and talk to you? Well, let me tell you something, throngs of screaming teenagers don't do it for Josh Groban. No. Josh Groban loves a blousy alcoholic. Mrs. Schuester: belches You have to forgive me, ma'am, I'm a little bit drunk and I'm afraid I'm not making good choices right now.	”
—Josh Groban and Mrs. Schuester

“	Dakota Stanley: Artie you're cut. You're not trying hard enough. Artie Abrams: At what? Dakota Stanley: At walking.	”
—Dakota Stanley and Artie Abrams