As part of our efforts to clean up the SpongeBob SquarePants page, here are a list of controversial, divisive, or disliked episodes that could attract complaining so their recap pages can be taken care of more quickly.
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Season 2
- Grandma's Kisses: Divisive episode for its portrayal of Patrick and mean plot.
- I'm With Stupid: Divisive episode due to Patrick's treatment of SpongeBob, which he gets away with.
Season 3
- Party Pooper Pants: Divisive episode due to SpongeBob's behavior, and perceived Padding.
- The Great Snail Race: Divisive episode due to SpongeBob's harsh treatment of Gary.
Season 4
- Fear of a Krabby Patty: While this episode isn't controversial or disliked on its own, it is the first post-movie episode, and thus could attract complaints about being the start of the show's Seasonal Rot.
- Good Neighbors: Disliked episode due to Squidward's Designated Monkey treatment, which would worsen as the show went on.
- All That Glitters: Somewhat divisive episode due to accusations of Wangst and Idiot Plot.
- Best Day Ever: Infamous for Nickelodeon's oversaturated promotion of the episode.
Season 5
- Fungus Among Us: Largely disliked episode due to large amounts of Squick and Nausea Fuel.
- To Love a Patty / Breath of Fresh Squidward: Two disliked episodes paired together; the first is disliked due to SpongeBob's romance with a Krabby Patty reaching creepy levels, while the latter is disliked for SpongeBob's Jerkass Ball moments and hypocrisy.
- Atlantis SquarePantis: Double-length episode infamous for Hype Backlash, They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot, and Padding.
Season 6
- House Fancy: Extremely infamous episode due to a scene where Squidward's toenail is graphically ripped off.
- Nautical Novice: Somewhat divisive episode due to its Ass Pull Yank the Dog's Chain ending.
- The Splinter: Extremely infamous episode due to heavy amounts of Squick and Nausea Fuel.
- Plankton's Regular: Largely disliked episode where Plankton is a Designated Villain, with a Yank the Dog's Chain ending.
- Boating Buddies: Somewhat divisive episode where Squidward gets the Designated Monkey treatment.
- Choir Boys: Another episode with Squidward as a Designated Monkey and SpongeBob coming out on top.
- The Card: Mostly infamous due to a review by The Mysterious Mr. Enter and a throwaway line from Patrick that implies he's Obfuscating Stupidity.
- Cephalopod Lodge: Somewhat controversial episode for Squidward yet again getting the Designated Monkey treatment and a Yank the Dog's Chain ending.
- Squid's Visit / To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants: Another pair of disliked episodes, the first for its unintentionally creepy premise and the latter for Hype Backlash and an Idiot Plot.
- No Hat for Pat: Somewhat divisive episode for Mr. Krabs' treatment of Patrick.
- Truth or Square: 10th anniversary special infamous for the same reasons as Atlantis SquarePantis - namely, Hype Backlash, They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot, and Padding from the live-action segments.
- The Clash of Triton: Another special that fell to Hype Backlash.
Season 7
- Tentacle-Vision: Another episode with Squidward as a Designated Monkey and a Yank the Dog's Chain ending.
- Stuck in the Wringer: Infamous episode due to an Idiot Plot and Patrick's behavior.
- A Pal for Gary: Extremely infamous episode for SpongeBob's Idiot Ball mistreatment of Gary.
- Yours, Mine, and Mine: Somewhat disliked episode, mainly for Patrick's Jerkass behavior.
- SpongeBob's Last Stand: Somewhat divisive episode due to Hype Backlash, an Anvilicious Green Aesop, and getting Sandy's last name wrong.
- A Day Without Tears: An episode centered around SpongeBob crying, which many find to be annoying.
- One Coarse Meal: Extremely infamous and controversial episode for Mr. Krabs' behavior towards Plankton (which he gets away with), and Plankton nearly being Driven to Suicide over it.
- Legends of Bikini Bottom: A miniseries that got hit with Hype Backlash.
- You Don't Know Sponge: Largely disliked episode, due to an Idiot Plot and minor Hype Backlash.
- Big Sister Sam: Disliked episode featuring Patrick's sister Sam, who is considered by many fans to be The Scrappy.
Season 8
- Pet Sitter Pat: Somewhat infamous episode due to Patrick's treatment of Gary. To a lesser extent, it is also known for being the subject of a controversial review from The Mysterious Mr. Enter that indirectly led to the writer of the episode being harassed on Twitter.
- Are You Happy Now: Controversial episode due to two Bait-and-Switch gags referencing suicide.
- Face Freeze: Infamous episode containing multiple NightmareFaces.
- Demolition Doofus: Infamous episode where Mrs. Puff tries to get SpongeBob killed.
Season 9
- Squid Baby: Highly disliked episode due to its creepy premise. And Mr. Krabs being an over-the-top Jerkass to his employees
- Little Yellow Book: Infamous episode where Squidward is handed the Jerkass Ball, attracting many cries of Too Bleak, Stopped Caring.
- SpongeBob, You're Fired: Another special with Hype Backlash, along with being subject to controversy due to jokes about food stamps and welfare.
Season 11
- Ink Lemonade: Infamous episode where Squidward is a Designated Monkey and Patrick gets handed the Jerkass Ball, though not quite to the extent of similar controversial episodes due to being produced during Stephen Hillenburg's return to the series.
Other media
- Kamp Koral: Extremely contentious spinoff, mostly due to conflicting accounts regarding the series' late creator Stephen Hillenburg's approval and involvement with the spinoff.
- To a lesser extent, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, which Kamp Koral is based on, along with being a Contested Sequel to the first two movies and some dubious information regarding Hillenburg's involvement with the final product.