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Side Hustle - Chemistry Hustle (S1E9)
Mr. Prusko is such a boring teacher that students can't even stay awake in class, so Lex and Presley make a deal to make him cooler in exchange for good grades, but Mr. Prusko becomes too cool and is now known as Mr. P.
| Runtime (min) | 23 |
|---|---|
| Air Date | 2021-02-06 |
| Genres | Comedy |
| TV Rating | TV-G |
| Network(s) | Nickelodeon |
Storyline
When Mr. Prusko's chemistry class becomes so monotonous that students literally fall asleep at their desks, Lex and Presley see an opportunity. They approach their teacher with a proposition: if he lets them help make him cooler and more engaging, they'll earn good grades in return. Mr. Prusko, desperate to connect with his students, agrees to the deal.
The plan works better than anyone expected. With Lex and Presley's guidance, Mr. Prusko transforms from a dull lecturer into "Mr. P," a charismatic teacher who captivates the entire class. However, the makeover goes too far. Mr. P becomes so cool and popular that he loses sight of actually teaching chemistry, and the classroom dynamic shifts in unexpected ways. Lex and Presley must figure out how to dial back their creation and restore some balance before their teacher's newfound coolness completely derails the educational purpose of the class.
What kids learn
This episode explores the consequences of taking shortcuts and making deals that prioritize personal gain over genuine effort. Lex and Presley's agreement with Mr. Prusko teaches viewers that trading favors for grades undermines the real purpose of education. When they focus on making their teacher cool rather than helping him become a better educator, they create a problem that affects everyone in the class.
The story also illustrates the importance of balance and moderation. Mr. Prusko's transformation from boring to overly cool demonstrates that extremes in either direction can be problematic. Being engaging is valuable, but not at the expense of substance and responsibility. Children learn that authenticity matters more than image, and that trying too hard to be something you're not often backfires.
Additionally, the episode reinforces accountability and problem-solving. When Lex and Presley's plan spirals out of control, they must take responsibility for the situation they created and work to fix it, showing young viewers that owning your mistakes and correcting course is part of growing up.
Parents' top 5 questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is it okay that the girls make a deal for good grades? | The episode presents this deal as problematic rather than acceptable. While Lex and Presley initially see it as a win-win arrangement, the consequences of their shortcut become clear as the story unfolds. The narrative structure suggests that earning grades through actual learning is the right approach, and the complications that arise from their deal serve as natural consequences that drive home this lesson. |
| What does this episode teach about respecting teachers? | The episode shows that while teachers can improve their methods, students should approach them respectfully rather than treating them as projects to manipulate. Mr. Prusko's willingness to change demonstrates that good teachers care about connecting with students, but Lex and Presley's makeover approach lacks the respect that genuine collaboration requires. The story ultimately values authentic teacher-student relationships over superficial popularity. |
| Does Mr. Prusko stay too cool at the end? | The episode's resolution involves finding a middle ground where Mr. Prusko becomes more engaging without abandoning his teaching responsibilities. The narrative arc suggests that he learns to incorporate some energy and connection into his teaching style while maintaining the educational substance his class needs. This balanced outcome reinforces that improvement doesn't require complete transformation. |
| What age is this episode appropriate for? | This episode is suitable for the show's target audience of tweens and young teens, typically ages eight to fourteen. The humor revolves around relatable school situations, and the ethical questions about grades and teacher relationships are age-appropriate for children beginning to navigate academic responsibility. The twenty-three-minute runtime and sitcom format keep the content accessible and entertaining for this demographic. |
| Are there any academic dishonesty concerns to discuss? | This episode provides an excellent opportunity to discuss academic integrity with children. The premise of trading a makeover for grades raises questions about earning achievements honestly versus taking shortcuts. Parents can use the episode's complications as a starting point for conversations about why doing your own work matters, how grades should reflect actual learning, and the long-term value of genuine effort over quick fixes. |
Writing
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Directing
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| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | After accidentally setting their principal's boat on fire, best friends Lex, Presley, and Munchy create an app to get jobs to pay off their debt. They'll do whatever it takes - no matter how embarrassing - including working as human mannequins. |
| 1 | 2 | After testing a vitamin that makes kids like vegetables, Lex and Presley book a job as birthday party princesses. Once there, they realize the vitamin worked, they now love veggies, and they'll be playing princess next to an amazing vegetable garden. |
| 1 | 3 | Needing money for this week's payment, the kids throw a yard sale. It's a success, but a miscommunication causes the toy that Lex stores their KidDING! money in to be sold. The kids have to find the buyer before Tedward comes to collect his payment. |
| 1 | 4 | Lex is excited when her cousin Ruby comes to visit, but Ruby is more interested in spending time with Fisher. The kids are sent out on a suspicious KidDING. job at the dump, which quickly turns into much more than they'd bargained for. |
| 1 | 5 | Every year Lex and Presley celebrate their Friendiversary by giving each other a thoughtful gift, but this year a blizzard threatens to derail their tradition. |
| 1 | 6 | Lex, Presley and Munchy resolve to end the latter's boastful older brother Jaget's reign as champion of MicroMooery's annual Milkshake Suckdown competition. |
| 1 | 7 | The "Dance Dance Altoonisburg" competition is coming up and Lex, Presley, and Munchy are excited to take part when an old friend from Lex and Presley's past hires them for a Kidding, their dance crew and friendship are put to the test. |
| 1 | 8 | The girls find a treasure map they made as kids which leads them to their first friendship bracelets inside a time capsule. It turns out that Presley never buried her bracelet and now she must distract Lex and find a replacement before she finds out. |
| 1 | 9 | Mr. Prusko is such a boring teacher that students can't even stay awake in class, so Lex and Presley make a deal to make him cooler in exchange for good grades, but Mr. Prusko becomes too cool and is now known as Mr. P. |
| 1 | 10 | There's trouble at the MicroMooery, where someone breaks in and milks Cash the cow at night, so Spenders hires the kids to solve the mystery of the Night Milker. |
| 1 | 11 | Presley, Lex and Munchy are excited when they buy a karaoke machine from the "Karaoke Kickoff" show; when the machine breaks, the kids head to the studio to get their money back. |
| 1 | 12 | Lex loves dogs and weddings, so she's very excited to be a dog wedding planner. But when Presley doesn't think they're right for each other, drama ensues. |
| 1 | 13 | Munchy's Uncle Nedward is visiting. He's a coach and great at inspiring people. But when a KidDING job goes bad and a beloved hawk's eggs are left unattended, Nedward's inspiration goes too far. |
| 1 | 14 | Tedward KidDINGs the kids to enroll in Jaget's new martial arts class, Jag-Jitsu. While Lex, Presley and Munchy don't feel like they've actually learned anything, Jaget still signs them up to take on a rival martial arts class. |
| 1 | 15 | The kids are excited when they're hired to film a commercial for "Hot Tubby's Hot Tub Giveaway Contest." But after the store's owner refuses to pay them, the kids decide to get back at him by pulling off a heist and winning the contest. |
| 1 | 16 | Lex, Presley and Munchy's favorite hangout, the MicroMooery, is set to close for the weekend, so the kids offer to run it and keep it open. What seemed like a fun, easy gig turns out to be much more than they bargained for. |
| 1 | 17 | The kids are hired by Make-A-Mutt, a store that allows kids to create the stuffed animal of their dreams. But they soon discover that the store is in trouble and they'll have to work together to save the business and keep the magic alive. |
| 1 | 18 | When Jaget gets a girlfriend, everyone fears the pairing means a new meanness is on the horizon, but dating softens Jaget; when the kids learn the pair might break up, they scramble to keep them together. |
| 1 | 19 | Lex, Presley, and Munchy get hired by a fancy French restaurant to be off-the-books rat exterminators. There's a party for the Mayor at the restaurant that's set to start and the kids must quickly and quietly catch a rat. |
| 1 | 20 | Lex, Presley and Munchy discover that Fisher is a big-time player in the underground robot fight club scene in Altoonisburg; having not lost a robot fight yet, the kids decide to bet their KidDING money on a Fisher win. |
| 1 | 21 | Munchy is trying out to be the new school mascot, Luna the Tuna! When the girls' former friend Crunchy enrolls in their school, they question his true intentions towards Munchy. |
| 1 | 22 | Munchy gets a catchy tune stuck in his head, and the kids form a band and turn it into a song. |
| 1 | 23 | Fisher turns to “Love Sensei” Jaget for help in getting a date with Lex. |
| 1 | 24 | It's Halloween and the kids open a haunted house; they recruit Mad Scientist Fisher to use unorthodox technology to bring a stuffed bear to life. |
| 1 | 25 | When Lex and Presley discover that Munchy doesn't have his own room but Jaget has two, they go to drastic lengths to make Jaget give up one of his rooms. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Lex, Presley and Munchy get hired as models during the town’s big fashion week. Assuming that they were hired to be in the fashion show itself, they soon learn that the job is actually to be toy model builders and not the runway models like they thought. Disappointed by the job they were hired to do, the kids must figure out a way to get into the real fashion show. |
| 2 | 2 | When Lex and Presley have to head to Shady Pete’s Carnival to replace a toy Lex destroyed, they get more than they bargained for when they have to beat him at his own game. |
| 2 | 3 | Lex, Presley, and Munchy missed a Tedward payment and are desperate when they get KidDING'd by the worst girl in school to organize a dance-posal for a boy that Lex likes. The kids must decide whether love or money will win out. |
| 2 | 4 | It’s Halloween and the Side Hustle kids open a haunted house. They recruit Mad Scientist Fisher to use unorthodox technology to bring a stuffed bear to life. When the evil creature escapes the kids must work together to stop it before it’s too late. |
| 2 | 5 | Celebrity chef, Dude Calzone is in town and he wants to sample some local Altoonisburg flavor; but when the Calzone family steals Munchy's family's secret stew recipe, the kids must make something dangerously delicious to get it back. |
| 2 | 6 | The cow police come to take Cash the cow to the Cow Pound. Lex, Presley and Munchy must save the cow. When they save Cash they also accidentally save a cow-chasing Jaget too. They must convince Jaget that Cash is worth saving and still save Cash. |
| 2 | 7 | When an overworked Lex goes to the martial arts dark side, Presley and Munchy must use their top-secret best friend knowledge to take her down and get their friend back? |
| 2 | 8 | Tasked with getting Mouth Nosie back together by the new town billionaire, the kids must put on an epic holiday concert. But when a sensitive hearing group bans all music in town, the kids will have to find a way to save Christmas and their concert. |
| 2 | 9 | Uncle Nedward is back and coming in like a wrecking ball… well, he's on a wrecking ball and his nephew Munchy is right alongside with him. The town wants to demolish Ol' Cliffy and the kids are determined to put a stop to it! |
| 2 | 10 | Alan’s out of town and Presley’s in charge, so she decides to make some easy money by renting out Fisher’s room through a home sharing app. When Fisher is forced out, he goes rogue to get back at Presley by renting out every room in the house. |
| 2 | 11 | Munchy crushes on a cute clown at the Mooery, but she leaves in a rush dropping her clown shoe. Munchy, Presley, and Lex must now disguise themselves as clowns to find her and help Lex overcome her fear of clowns. |
| 2 | 12 | Worlds collide when Swellview villain Frankini tracks a powerful mind-controlling device to Altoonisburg, with the hopes of using it to force everyone in earshot to uncontrollably dance. When he gets his hands on it, the stars of Side Hustle, Danger Force, That Girl Lay Lay, Warped! and Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan must work together to defeat him or be doomed to dance forever. |
| 2 | 13 | Lex, Presley and Munchy are excited to be in Jaget’s entourage for a big Hollywood movie premiere, but dueling outfits, a snake named Jake, and a race against the clock might keep our kids off the red carpet and away from their big night. |
| 2 | 14 | One, two, three, four - a thumb wrestling competition is coming to Altoonisburg and a boat is the prize! Can the kids finally pay off Tedward’s boat with a new one or will an old thumb rival squash their chances and their thumbs?! |
| 2 | 15 | Lex, anxious to work as a dog groomer by her crush Luke, enlists in Presley and Munchy’s advice to become “chill-Lex” to impress him. Her chill attitude is put to the test when the job turns disastrous causing the real Lex to come out. |
| 2 | 16 | A determined Lex is out to win the Sandcastle Building competition this year by teaming up with Fisher. When Presley misunderstands that she’s no longer on Lex’s team, she’ll have to give up her beach day to prove that she can take things seriously. |
| 2 | 17 | After Jaget gets control of their KidDING app and starts accepting jobs for them, the kids are forced to butler a dinner party full of jerks hosted by their old nemesis Crunchy. |
| 2 | 18 | When Jaget tricks Lex, Presley and Munchy into his prank war against Ty, they vow to get him back with the ultimate revenge prank. But they soon find themselves over their heads when their prank goes airborne taking Munchy along for the ride. |
| 2 | 19 | It’s Possum Day! A celebrated holiday where the town possum, Altoonisburg Al decides, if kids get another six weeks of summer or if it’s back to school on Monday. When Al is accidentally released the kids must find him before the town finds out. |
| 2 | 20 | When Lex and Presley are hired to call a night of high-stakes Bingo, the girls accidentally turn Presley’s Grandma and her best friend against each other. Can Lex and Presley turn these enemies back into friends or is this friendship Bing-over? |
| 2 | 21 | Lex, Presley, and Munchy breakout of Jaget’s lockdown to celebrate Yesley Day! Presley’s day of fun stops when they get stuck at Coaster World. Can the kids make it home before Jaget makes his rounds or will they receive further sentencing? |
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