The Eds, Kevin, Jonny and Rolf make a bet to see who of them can go put off their biggest habit the longest over the course of the school day. The losers each have to give the winner 25 cents, and Eddy's determined to win the bet.
Tropes from this episode include:
- Berserk Button: It turns out that Ed, Edd, Kevin, Rolf and Jonny all have one when not allowed to do their habits. Eddy mashes their buttons into oblivion to speed up the bet.
- Big Eater: Ed on gravy and Rolf on meat.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: When the Eds on the bus start arguing over who has the most annoying habit, Ed turns to the camera and says, "Don't touch that dial, kids!" with a big smile.
- The Bully: Eddy becomes an even bigger one in this episode than he usually is in order to drive all the other boys in the bet off their edge and give in to their temptations. Firing spitballs at Kevin, eating meat in front of Rolf, vandalizing a dictionary in front of Edd...
- Character Catchphrase:
- Kevin has to give up his trademark "DORKS!" It doesn't last long.
- Ed says "gravy" even more frequently than before.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: During the bet, Eddy starts trolling the other boys so he can win the money, it becomes all for naught as he blows it at the last second for checking and Ed takes it all.
- Continuity Nod: Eddy has a hard time pronouncing/reading the word unconscious just like back in "Eds or Tails".
- The Ditherer: Jonny is so indecisive without Plank he can't even decide what to have for lunch.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The result of Ed dropping his gravy mix into the pool is rather similar to someone going number two in a swimming pool.
- Evil Gloating: Eddy should have verified it was gravy Ed landed in before screaming triumphantly about winning the bet.
- Extreme Doormat: Jonny starts doing Jimmy's math homework and cleaning Eddy's socks in an attempt to ignore Plank. It doesn't work.
- Failed a Spot Check:
- Rolf said he'd give up mammal flesh for the wager as in beef, pork and lamb. He instead treats the wager like he had to give up all meat including poultry and seafood. For even more irony, he was eating a turkey leg when he made his wager.
- None of the Eds notice that the vat of "gravy" being served for lunch is actually butterscotch pudding until Ed has already jumped in and Eddy, thinking Ed is swimming in gravy, starts shouting again. It isn't until Ed realizes what he's neck-deep in and Edd finds the sign saying it's "Butterscotch Pudding Tuesday" that Eddy realizes he unwittingly lost the bet.
- Foreshadowing: At lunch, Jimmy and Sarah happily indulge in what appear to be bowls of gravy, which is pretty uncharacteristic as they had never been that into gravy before. We find out later that they were actually eating butterscotch pudding, so Ed was safe to eat it without losing the bet.
- Going Cold Turkey: Ed (who's dependent on gravy) and Rolf (who's dependent on meat) go through this. Rolf becomes weak and frail while Ed uncontrollably suffers and goes berserk.
- Grub Tub: Ed drops his box of instant gravy mix in the community swimming pool, turning the water into gravy.
- Idiot Ball: Butterscotch pudding would smell nothing like gravy, yet Ed and Eddy assumed it was gravy just because it looked like it and was set next to the meat table. Granted, this IS Ed we're talking about here, but what's Eddy's excuse?
- Being too impatient to win the bet to even bother checking the pot's contents in addition to stupidly taking Ed's word that it is gravy.
- Irony:
- Eddy, a person who complains about Ed’s eating habits, is the one who gets detention because of that.
- What does Ed plan to do with his winnings? Buy more gravy, of course. Referenced by Edd:Edd: Irony, Eddy. Look that up in the dictionary.
- Jabba Table Manners: Sarah is shown eating like a pig chugging the bowl down straight into her mouth instead of using her spoon. Perhaps her big brother is an influence?
- Jerkass Has a Point: Obnoxious about it though he may be, Eddy turned out to be absolutely right when he claimed he'd have a much easier time not yelling than Ed and Double D would at giving up gravy and using complex words respectively.
- Manipulative Bastard: Eddy knows exactly which buttons to press to make everyone crack, including pestering Kevin, eating meat in front of Rolf, pretending he can hear Plank, scribbling out words in a dictionary in front of Edd, and stuffing Ed's face into mashed potatoes (without gravy).
- Misplaced Retribution: After Ed spills his gravy mix into the pool, the faculty punish Eddy instead of Ed with detention for Ed's failure to comply with school policy.Eddy: Great, so I end up with a detention because of your stupid eating habits!
- No Indoor Voice: Eddy's bet is that he has to stop screaming for a day, so he spends most of the episode speaking in a loud whisper...up until the end.Eddy: Am I loud enough for ya now, Double D? HOW 'BOUT NOW?! NO?! HOW 'BOUT NOW?!!
- And Sarah, when Eddy crashes into her and she yells at him.
- Oh, Crap!: Edd and Eddy have this reaction when they both realize they lost the bet.
- Only Sane Man: Nazz is the only one of the cul-de-sac kids (besides Jimmy and Sarah, who weren't on the bus at the time) to stay out of the bet. Most likely cause being a Nice Girl she doesn't have any known bad habits that annoy others.
- For those taking the bet, Eddy and Kevin handle it the best. Edd visibly struggles to come up with single-syllable usage for his sentences, Ed goes through gravy withdrawal, Rolf becomes weak and emaciated, and Jonny falls apart without Plank, begging others to boss him around. Eddy comes close to slipping twice, but catches himself both times and reacts only with annoyance, while Kevin only gives in when Eddy deliberately pushes him into caving.
- Player Elimination: In-universe. Six characters make a bet to see who can hold off on their vices the longest, with players being disqualified once they cave in.
- Plot Allergy: Ed is apparently allergic to butterscotch pudding, which helps clue the characters in on what the pot's contents really are.
- Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: Kevin, Jonny and Rolf's reasons for dropping out of the bet.
- Series Continuity Error: The beginning shows that Edd is invigorated about the morning's exercise. Yet in "Tag Yer Ed" he's not used to exercise and even outright dislikes it.
- Sore Loser: After losing the bet, granted via a technicality, Eddy tries to take Ed's, who won the bet, money and then upon finding out what Ed is going to do with the money which spend it on gravy, Eddy gives chase to Ed with a pot of butterscotch pudding since the latter is allergic to it.
- Suddenly Shouting: When Eddy starts ripping up a dictionary just to piss Double D off, he responds with this trope and Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness, thus knocking him out of the bet.
- Waking Non Sequitur: Sort of. Eddy falls asleep in the middle of a swimming pool and screams nautical-related nonsense when he starts to sink.Eddy: THE DAM'S BURST! MAN THE LIFEBOATS! WOMEN AND ME FIRST!
