The Competition

The Competition was the seventh episode of Season 1 of The Golden Girls TV series, also the 7th overall series episode. Directed by Jim Drake, and written by series co-executive producer Susan Harris and Barry Fanaro, it originally aired on NBC-TV on November 2, 1985.

Summary
Sophia has an old flame from Sicily visit and she wants to go back to a festival with him but after Dorothy refuses to pay for the ticket, however after Rose and Blanche plan to go against each other Mother and Daughter battle against each other for a prize.

Plot
Sophia is preparing a speical Pasta Sauce for she is inspecting Augustine Bagatelli her ex fiancee. She meets up with him and they rekindle their old romance, meanwhile Blanche and Rose were planning to bowl against the Nielsen twins but Rose being competitive and hearing that Dorothy is better at bowling drops Blanche for her. Blanche reveals that she is now teaming with one of the Nielsen after they fell out over a boyfriend Lars.

Sophia reveals that she wants to go with Augustine to a Sicilian Festival that they met up, Dorothy tells her she's not well enough to travel, Sophia however still wants to only asking Dorothy for the money for an plane ticket which Dorothy refuses, Sophia tells Dorothy that Rose has dumped her for the other Nielsen which Rose admits, Blanche however reveals that the Nielsens are back after Lars has died, Dorothy then joins Blanche and Sophia shows that she's independent enough to go to Sicily by partnering with Rose.

The contest begins, only the four are doing it as the Nielsens are at Lars' funeral, Dorothy and Sophia have a bet if Sophia wins Dorothy pays for the plane, if Dorothy wins Sophia gives her some earrings she never gives her. The match goes well despite Rose and Sophia making fun of Blanche and coaxing Dorothy, Dorothy has one last spare to do but then seeing Augustine and Sophia so happy and in love, Dorothy purposes fails so that she can go. Sophia returns happily and gives Dorothy the earrings knowing that she lost on purpose.

Guest Cast

 * Ralph Manza as Augustine Bagatelli

Quotes
Rose Nylund: [walks into the kitchen while Sophia is cooking] Oh, Sophia, it smells heavenly. Is it Chef Boyardee?

Sophia Petrillo: [holds a Knife in her hand] Stick it in my heart, Rose! It'll hurt less!

Dorothy Petrillo-Zbornak: Honey, aren't you forgetting something? Rose dumped you.

Blanche Devereaux: That's right, she did. I hate being dumped. Just hate it! I haven't been dumped since Wade Hunnicut threw me over for Rebecca Wilkinson, a girl who did not value her reputation.

Dorothy Petrillo-Zbornak: Did you let him get away with it?

Blanche Devereaux: Hell, no.

Dorothy Petrillo-Zbornak: What'd you do?

Blanche Devereaux: Slept with his brother.

Sophia:(to Dorothy) I can't believe you're denying your own mother.

Rose: Denying her what?

Dorothy: Springsteen tickets, Rose.

Episode notes

 * Instead of the usual music played at the start of Part One, we hear Sophia singing a "la-la-la" tune.
 * Sophia's first kiss was with Augustine in Sicily, when she was 15 years old.
 * The background shot in the closing credits shows Dorothy, Rose and Blanche looking at Rose's bowling trophy.

Mistakes/Goofs

 * At the beginning of the episode, Sophia is making her famous "14-hour" sauce. When Dorothy dips the spoon in to sample it, twice she sticks it in and both times it's revealed to have no sauce on it.
 * When Blanche comes home to show off her new bowling ball, you can see 6 or 7 studio lights reflecting on it when she shows it off.
 * In paying close attention to the bowling alley scene, the extras behind the girls are laughing at the witty slams they are saying to each other.
 * When the girls start bowling,Dorothy says they're bowling in Alley 7 but when she makes the last shot, the camera shows it as Alley 1.