It features New Directions facing off against Vocal Adrenaline at the Nationals show choir competition in Chicago, and several special guest stars: Whoopi Goldberg as NYADA dean Carmen Tibideaux, Jonathan Groff as Vocal Adrenaline director Jesse St. James, Lindsay Lohan as herself judging the competition and Rex Lee playing a Chicago alderman who is another of the judges.
While reviewers were not impressed with the judging scene and highly critical of the inclusion of Emma and Will's having sex for the first time as part of the post-victory sequence, the overall quality was lauded by many.
The musical numbers were widely praised, and although some critics felt that Vocal Adrenaline gave better performances than New Directions, the three main competition soloists—Rachel (Lea Michele), Finn (Cory Monteith) and Unique (Alex Newell)—were especially singled out for encomiums.
The New Directions glee club is in Chicago for the national show choir competition, but Mercedes (Amber Riley) is sick in her hotel bed with a bad fever and stomach pains, possibly due to food poisoning.
Will (Matthew Morrison) drafts Quinn (Dianna Agron) and Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) into the Troubletones number to add vocal heft with Mercedes sidelined, and Sue (Jane Lynch) starts medical measures to restore her to health.
Jesse tries to hurt her confidence by bringing up her failed NYADA audition before Carmen Tibideaux (Whoopi Goldberg), but she realizes his intent and that his own uncertainty is showing.
Mercedes and Kurt go to the Vocal Adrenaline dressing room to wish lead singer Wade "Unique" Adams (Alex Newell) good luck, but he tells them that he has chosen not to perform because he can no longer take the pressure of his new celebrity status.
Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba) arranges with Finn and Rachel for New Directions to perform the next night at the Teacher of the Year ceremony, which is won by Will.
[10] Special guest stars include Goldberg as NYADA dean Carmen Tibideaux, Groff as Vocal Adrenaline director Jesse St. James,[11] and actress Lindsay Lohan and gossip columnist Perez Hilton as themselves, in the role of celebrity judges for the competition.
[13] Recurring guest stars appearing in the episode include glee club members Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet), Rory Flanagan (Damian McGinty), Joe Hart (Samuel Larsen) and Sugar Motta (Vanessa Lengies), Principal Figgins (Theba), football coach Shannon Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones), cheerleader Becky Jackson (Lauren Potter),[14] synchronized swimming coach Roz Washington (Leakes), retiring teacher Mrs. Hagberg (Mary Gillis) and Vocal Adrenaline transgender lead vocalist Wade "Unique" Adams (Newell).
"[21] Bell wrote that "seeing the judges debate behind-the-scenes kind of takes away the entire title", though she appreciated Lohan's Freaky Friday reference.
[22][26] Reviewers were critical of what Votta called "a really regrettable sequence where Emma leaves a pamphlet about losing her virginity on Schue's desk and then they finally have sex".
[23] Bell characterized it as "weird and uncomfortable, and the reasoning was horrendously misogynistic", and VanDerWerff thought that making it part of the post-Nationals victory montage as "a little too creepy, at best".
[23] Will's being awarded "Teacher of the Year" was called "surprising" by Strecker, who hearkened back to him having "discovered that he wasn't so good" at teaching Spanish "a few months ago".
Chaney gave the song a "C" grade, and said that while it "started strong" the energy level was "lacking", a word that Futterman used to describe the performance as a whole, to which she added "emotionless and rushed".
While a number of reviewers, including Chaney and Dodge, questioned the choice of the song for a variety of reasons, they expressed enthusiasm with the final result.
[21][25] Jyll Saskin of MTV called it a "quirky yet catchy song choice" that "was the episode's standout", and both Slezak and Strecker gave it an "A" grade; the latter said it was the "real group number" of the three and added, "The vocals, choreography and energy were all top-notch.
[22][29] Futterman thought it felt "more subdued than the warp-speed of Minaj's hit" though she added that the "stage acrobatics trump everything anyone else does", and Saskin said it "was fun to watch, but the vocals don't add much to the original version".
[19][22][29] Futterman said that Unique "riffs the hell out the song", but added that "the robot dancers of Vocal Adrenaline make it hard to glean any personality from the performance".
[25][27] Futterman described the performance as "rife with emotion" and added, "It's moments like this that are pure and straight to the show's original appeal", while Strecker complimented the song choice and how "it really showcased the group's harmonies".