Overview of 'The Drew Carey Show' Season 3

Episode 1 - Drew vs. Billboard

Release Date: 1997-09-23

Drew worries that his lack of physical fitness is holding him back after Wick chooses a fit young man named Smith to represent the store at a conference in Hawaii. A man at the Warsaw overhears Drew lamenting his situation. He claims to have lost a lot of weight through a pill that is ingested with beer. He offers to give Drew a free bottle of the pills if he poses for some photos for a ""before and after"" campaign. A few days later, Drew is horrified to see a shirtless photo of himself on a billboard. He becomes the laughingstock of the city, and cannot force Morgan to remove the billboard because he signed a contract. Wick warns that he is embarrassing the store and may be moved to a position that does not require contact with the public. Drew and the gang climb on the billboard at night to tear it down. Morgan shows up to stop them, thanks to a warning from Mimi, but they staple him to the billboard and pull his pants down. Morgan warns that Drew has a suspicious mole. Drew

Episode 2 - Drew and the Singles Union

Release Date: 1997-09-24

A major storm approaches Cleveland. Winfred-Louder employees with families are allowed to leave work early to spend time with their children, but Wick forces the single workers to stay. Drew, Kate, Mimi and other single employees complain about their fate. Drew proposes that they start a union for singles. Mimi agrees, but feels that she should be named president. A tornado approaches, and the group seeks refuge in the store's basement. Wick gets caught in the store when the twister hits. Mimi finds him curled up in a ball on the floor the next day, and takes him to her house. Drew's friends accuse him of starting a singles' union as an excuse to meet women. Larry shows up at Drew's house and warns that the married employees will hurt him if the new union affects their benefits package. Drew appears to be on the verge of winning the union presidency when Mimi suddenly claims that she can get Wick to sign off on new benefits. With their demands now met, the other singles deci

Episode 3 - Strange Bedfellows

Release Date: 1997-10-01

Nicki Fifer, a real-estate agent working with Drew's new neighbors, asks him to allow them to store a dumpster in his yard during construction. He agrees, even though she refuses his request that they not work too early in the morning. Drew realizes that he is a total pushover, and vows to become more assertive. Drew taps into the boardroom with his computer so that he can review footage of his meeting and hear the board's comments about him. Mimi discovers Kate watching the video, but Kate buys her off. Drew and Mimi see Larry and Mrs. Louder having sex in the boardroom. Wick continues to convalesce at Mimi's house, and she convinces him that the store is in ruins. She asks him what to do about Larry, but he has mellowed and doesn't seem upset by the tryst. Mrs. Louder fires Larry, telling him that Wick sent a memo threatening to expose the video of them together. Larry's wife finds out about the affair and throws him out. Drew is promoted to Larry's old job. The guilt-ridd

Episode 4 - Misery Loves Mimi

Release Date: 1997-10-08

When Mr. Wick announces that he feels better and wants to help ""rebuild"" the store, Mimi tricks him into believing that another storm has hit the city. Mimi continues to run the store by issuing memos with Wick's signature. She forces Drew to come in and work on the weekend, just as Nicki was about to agree to a lunch date. Drew becomes suspicious of Wick's disappearance and begins asking questions. Mimi gives him a memo that says he is fired. Kate and Oswald tell Lewis that they are dating. He isn't very happy about it, and warns that Drew will be even more upset. Kate begins to break the news to Drew, but backs down after hearing of his firing. Nicki comes to the Warsaw, and concludes that Drew is a loser after Larry mentions that they are both unemployed. Drew and Lewis go to Mimi's apartment to confront her, and find Mr. Wick. Mimi tries to convince him to stay, but Drew wins him over by pointing out that Wick isn't getting the credit for the store's success. Drew gets h

Episode 5 - A Very, Very, Very Fine House

Release Date: 1997-10-15

Drew's lawyer gets all charges dropped by threatening a lawsuit for wrongful arrest. However, the government seizes the house as evidence because Larry used drug money to pay the mortgage. They plan to sell it at auction. Drew stays with Lewis and Oswald in their new apartment above the Warsaw. After Nicki mentions that the price will probably end up far less than the real value of the house, Drew gets an idea. He decides to declare bankruptcy to get out of debt, and have Lewis bid on the house on his behalf. Mimi shows up and begins bidding, hoping to make Drew miserable and get herself a cheap house. Drew's new neighbors outbid her, as they want to expand their property. Drew gets Greg to back off by talking about the importance of his childhood home--and convincing him that their other neighbor will probably die soon. Drew ignores Kate after learning of her relationship with Oswald. He unconvincingly insists that he is happy for her, but snaps at her for laughing after Osw

Episode 6 - Drew vs. the Pig

Release Date: 1997-10-29

Drew is confused when Nicki refuses to eat at the Warsaw's annual ""Bust-a-Gut"" night. She explains that she used to be heavy, but lost 85 pounds. She must watch her diet carefully. Drew volunteers to lose ten pounds to show his support. Mimi overhears this and laughs at Drew. He bets her twenty dollars per pound that he can lose the weight. Mimi convinces Drew that Nicki was never fat, and lied so that she could pressure Drew into a diet because she is unhappy with his appearance. Drew searches for a way to find out if Nicki is telling the truth. The gang discovers why Drew's diet is failing: he is eating in his sleep. Lewis, Oswald and Kate try to think of a good way to promote Buzz Beer at a local expo. They display a giant mug of beer, which springs a leak. After Lewis dives in to plug the hole in the mug, the gang promotes him as ""Beer Boy"" and tries to get customers to pay for photos with him. Nicki runs into a high school classmate, who says that she hasn't changed at

Episode 7 - Batmobile

Release Date: 1997-11-05

Drew wins the Batmobile in a fast-food restaurant contest.

Episode 8 - The Dog and Pony Show

Release Date: 1997-11-12

Mr. Wick reluctantly watches Mrs. Louder's prized dog while she is out of town. It is valued for breeding because of its unique coat. Wick decides to dump the dog off on Drew without consulting him. Kate takes the dog to Drew's house; but has to leave to pick up Oswald, whose delivery truck has broken down at a motel where an old classmate is hitting on him. Drew doesn't find Kate's note, and assumes the dog is a stray. He has it shaved and neutered. Kate finds an ad for a similar dog, but it costs several thousand dollars. Drew must come up with the money or lose his job. Wick also fears that he will be fired. Inspired by The Full Monty, the guys decide to make the money by stripping at the Warsaw. Oswald is a little too excited by the idea. Lewis backs out at the last minute, but Larry is released from jail and steps in as a replacement. The cops stop the guys before they can take it all off because the Warsaw isn't zoned for exotic dancing. Drew and his cohorts take the

Episode 9 - Drew's Brother

Release Date: 1997-11-19

Drew's older brother Steve makes a surprise visit. He reveals that he has recently lost his job and gone through a broken engagement, and asks to stay with Drew for a while. Lewis dislikes Steve because of a prank he once played on him. Kate convinces Drew to hire Steve for the opening in the store's cosmetics department. He reluctantly agrees after they both promise to stay out of trouble. Drew asks Mr. Wick to pretend to fire Steve on his first day. When they go down to the floor to carry out the joke, Drew discovers that Steve is wearing a wig and women's clothing. He reveals that he is a cross-dresser. Wick orders Drew to fire Steve immediately. Drew is shocked by his brother's news, but decides to stand up for him. He feels that the customers won't even realize that Steve is a man, as Wick initially mistook him for a woman. He dresses up four men on the sales floor as women and challenges Wick to find one of them. If he is correct, he can fire Steve and have Drew's poo

Episode 10 - That Thing You Don't

Release Date: 1997-11-26

The guys decide to get their band back together and enter a battle of the bands contest at the Warsaw. Kate wants to be lead vocalist, but no one thinks that this is a very good idea because she is terrible. She forces Oswald to stand up for her, and he begs Drew and Lewis to change their minds. At a meeting about the contest, the gang runs into Herb, a rival from high school. He is certain that his band will win, as they have played together at the Holiday Inn for twenty years. The guys are determined to best him, but know that they cannot win if they let Kate ""sing."" Oswald refuses to ask her to leave, so Drew tells her that she sucks. She quits, and Oswald follows. Drew and Lewis bring in a guy from high school to play keyboards, and make the finals. Kate pries the truth about her singing from Oswald. She feels they should always be honest with each other, but he disagrees. Mimi tries to knock Drew out of the contest by hitting him with a bathroom door, but mistakenly hur

Episode 11 - Volunteer

Release Date: 1997-12-03

Drew's pastor convinces him to volunteer at a retirement home whose residents have a particularly bad reputation. When Mr. Wick learns of this, he sucks up to Mrs. Louder by suggesting that the store get some good publicity by forcing all employees to ""volunteer"" at retirement homes on the weekend. Gus, one of the residents, convinces Drew to ease the seniors' boredom by taking them along to the store and letting them help with inventory. Gus takes a bunch of photographs and convinces a local TV reporter that Drew is abusing the residents. The home receives an outpouring of gifts from horrified citizens, and the elderly begin picketing Winfred-Louder. Mrs. Louder plans to issue a press release that says Drew is fired, then hide him at another store until he eventually apologizes at a press conference. Drew doesn't want to take the blame for something he didn't do, so she gives him one day to coax a confession from Gus. When he cannot get him to crack, Mrs. Louder shows up and th

Episode 12 - Vacation

Release Date: 1997-12-17

Winfred-Louder holds a contest, offering two tickets to the Bahamas for the employee with the best desk decorations. Mimi tries to impress Wick by re-creating the abbey of his youth and having a children's choir sing insulting songs about Drew. Wick points out that he was regularly beaten by choir boys as a child, and tells her that she lost. Drew creates an entirely edible cubicle, while Kate just dances on the cosmetics counter. Wick names them co-winners and gives them each a ticket. Drew confesses to Lewis that he is worried about being alone with Kate, as he has always dreamed of being stranded with her on a deserted island and doesn't know if he can control himself. He offers the ticket to Oswald, but he has to work. Drew tries to get Kate to give her ticket to Nicki; but she also must work, and thinks that she is too fat to wear a swimsuit because she is now eating all of the time. Lewis accidentally spills the beans about Drew's feelings for Kate to Oswald. An enraged

Episode 13 - Howdy Neighbor

Release Date: 1998-01-07

The Buzz Beer tank explodes, sending beer flying all over the Clemens' yard. Drew has Greg and Janet over for dinner in the hopes of persuading them not to sue. Janet talks Greg into investing in Buzz Beer so that the gang can get a new tank and won't go out of business. Greg insists on calling all of the shots. He promises to double the profits, but forces the gang to work constantly. Greg and Wick divide up Drew's schedule so that they claim all of his time. Greg angers Janet by neglecting her to spend all of his time obsessing over the business. Drew gets Greg drunk in the hopes of getting him to loosen up. They steal a neighbor's leftover Christmas decorations. The tank explodes again, but Greg had insured it. Drew and Janet convince Greg to be less demanding. Lewis begins dating a woman who works as a guinea pig for DrugCo.

Episode 14 - He Harassed Me, He Harassed Me Not

Release Date: 1998-01-14

Mr. Wick finds a memo in which Mrs. Louder discusses plans to ""celebrate [his] firing."" Panicked, he approaches Mimi and suggests a phony sexual harassment scheme. She will claim that he harassed her and file a suit against the store. After she receives her winnings, they will split the money and go off to live on a tropical island. Wick makes a pass at Mimi in front of Drew so that he will serve as their witness. He gets her reassigned to mail room duty to protect her from Wick. Mrs. Louder tries to bribe Drew to get him not to testify. When he refuses, she demotes him to duty on the sales floor (in the fur department). Oswald delivers a suspicious package for Mimi and Wick. Drew opens it and discovers that they are opening a bank account in the Cayman Islands. The gang sneaks around the store at night and sees Wick making out with Joanne, a cafeteria worker. He asks her to come to the islands with him. Drew confronts Mimi and tells her about Joanne. Mimi is heartbroken,

Episode 15 - Mr. Louder's Birthday Party

Release Date: 1998-01-28

When no one else is available, Mrs. Louder asks Drew to make one of the toasts at a birthday party honoring her late husband. The person with the best toast will receive 500 shares of company stock. Drew has trouble figuring out what to say because Mr. Louder was a terrible person. He recruits Oswald and Lewis to run the lights at the event and laugh at his bad jokes. Nicki does not want to accompany Drew to the dinner because she has gained so much weight that her dress no longer fits. She eventually shows up, but wants to hide in the back of the room. Drew hopes to make her feel better by mentioning how pretty she is during the speech and having Oswald and Lewis put the spotlight on her. However, it proves disastrous, as everyone sees her stuffing her face. Drew assures Nicki that there are much worse things than being fat, and that he loves her anyway. She is still determined to lose some weight. Meanwhile, Mr. Wick and the store try desperately to convince Mimi to drop he

Episode 16 - The Salon

Release Date: 1998-02-04

Kate hopes to receive a promotion to wardrobe buyer, but Mrs. Louder doesn't feel she has enough class for the job. Drew tries to help Kate come up with a plan to change Mrs. Louder's mind. They decide to organize a salon at Drew's house and discuss social and political issues. Drew suggests focusing on a few pre-selected topics so that Kate has time to study. Lewis also invites his boss from DrugCo to the event in the hopes of impressing him. Kate and Mrs. Louder get into a heated argument over the issue of Internet censorship. They begin insulting each other, and Mrs. Louder fires her. Kate takes a temporary job with Global Parcel, but Oswald has to fire her the first day after she endangers him and the cargo by getting into an altercation with other drivers. Drew meets Mrs. Louder's idol, Rush Limbaugh, and convinces him to come to the store. He tells Mrs. Louder that he agrees with Kate's opinion that the Internet should allow free speech. Mrs. Louder lets Kate come back

Episode 17 - The Engagement

Release Date: 1998-02-11

Drew and Lewis are shocked when Oswald announces that he is going to move in with Kate. A jealous Drew feels that it is too soon for them to live together. As Oswald moves out of his apartment, he and Kate get into a shouting match. When Oswald returns a moment later and says that ""it's over,"" Drew assumes that he and Kate have broken up and admits that he thought they were totally wrong for each other. Oswald clarifies that he meant the argument was over, not the relationship. He accuses Drew of pining for Kate. Drew keeps accidentally referring to Kate as his girlfriend instead of Nicki. He claims that he isn't after Kate, but still doesn't think she and Oswald are a good couple. Oswald insists that they are more compatible than Drew and Nicki. They decide to test the relationships by slipping questions from a magazine's compatibility test into the conversation during the couples' Valentine's Day dinner. Oswald and Kate do agree on a few things, while Drew and Nicki seem to

Episode 18 - Nicki's Parents

Release Date: 1998-02-25

Drew and Oswald buy engagement rings. Drew plans to present the ring to Nicki at dinner as he meets her parents for the first time. Drew is forced to dine alone with Mr. and Mrs. Fifer after Nicki gets snowed in at her sister's place. When her parents see a recent photo of Nicki, they comment on how much weight she has gained. Although they initially blame Drew, they soon get into an argument about who is responsible for their daughter's problems. They begin screaming at each other and complaining about their sex life. Mrs. Fifer announces that she is moving out. Mr. Fifer convinces Drew to take him out on the town to meet women. Drew's plan to discourage him fails, but Mr. Fifer soon goes running back to his wife after an evening with the gang shows him that single life may not be as exciting as he had imagined. Kate and Oswald go to marriage counseling after she complains that he spends too much time with Lewis.

Episode 19 - Two Weddings and a Funeral for a Refrigerator

Release Date: 1998-03-04

Drew and the gang are depressed when his refrigerator breaks. Drew sees a beautiful new refrigerator in a Winfred-Louder ad, and convinces Mr. Wick to make it the grand prize in the annual employee games. Mimi teams up with Larry in the hopes of continuing her unbeaten streak at the event. Drew worries that he and Nicki won't be able to win the competition. Kate and Oswald and Lewis and Pinky also enter, promising to give Drew the fridge if they win. Unfortunately, Pinky has been involved in a DrugCo experiment that encourages competitive behavior. She takes out Drew, leaving him on crutches with his arm in a sling. After Mimi wins the final tug-of-war to take the contest, the injured Drew challenges her to a grudge match. She sends him flying headfirst into a refrigerator. Drew's friends chip in to buy him the dented model, and tell him that he got it as a consolation prize.

Episode 20 - The Bachelor Party

Release Date: 1998-03-11

Drew and Nicki plan to videotape themselves having sex. Drew's parents come to town to celebrate his engagement, and arrive very early in the morning. After Nicki leaves, Drew tries to tell his mom about a problem involving the couple's relationship. Before he can finish, Kate, Oswald and Lewis stop by to share details of Drew and Oswald's bachelor party. Drew finally tells Beulah that he has called off the wedding. She pleads with him to go through with the bachelor party and let her break the bad news to George, as he has been depressed recently. Steve shows up in a dress, and Drew and Beulah plead with him not to tell George that he is a cross-dresser. Oswald nearly screens the video of Drew and Nicki at the bachelor party. After the guys try to give Drew a bunch of money as a wedding present, Drew breaks down and tells his father that he isn't getting married. Steve pops out of the cake in a dress. George and Beulah leave, but he seems to take Steve's news better than exp

Episode 21 - The Sex Drug

Release Date: 1998-03-18

Lewis confiscates a sex drug being tested at DrugCo after fighting off an attack by the monkeys who had used it. He nearly dumps it into the green dye that Oswald has prepared for Buzz Beer's St. Patrick's Day batch. Lewis throws the bag into Drew's trash, but Speedy retrieves it. A raven then snatches the drug, and spills it into the dye as Oswald carries it to the garage. Drew prepares to testify on Mr. Wick's behalf in Mimi's sexual harassment case. He is the only witness. Mrs. Louder warns him that he will be fired if he screws up. Everyone at the Warsaw inadvertently drinks beer tainted with the sex drug. Drew has a bottle before going to court, and cannot concentrate because he is hitting on every woman in sight (including the judge). The judge has him removed from the courtroom and dismisses the suit because there are no witnesses. Wick apologizes to Mimi and asks her to return to work as his secretary.

Episode 22 - What's Wrong with This Episode?

Release Date: 1998-04-01

When an employee accidentally shoots Wick with a crossbow, Drew is left in charge of the store, so he implements a new policy in which nobody can be fired.

Episode 23 - The Rebound

Release Date: 1998-04-08

An attractive handywoman named Sharon comes to the house after the gang breaks several appliances during a drunken celebration honoring Drew's last payment on the engagement ring. She seems to get along well with Drew, so Oswald and Lewis push him to ask her out. Kate feels that Drew is on the rebound and will only get hurt. Drew makes up an excuse to see Sharon again. He asks her out, but insists that he only wants to be friends. He tries to cheer her up after a date stands her up, only to have her leave when the guy gets out of his work commitment. A lonely Drew interrupts Sharon's date by calling her for help with a plumbing problem, then intentionally breaks a pipe. He accidentally floods the entire basement. Drew tries to get Sharon's attention by riding through the flood waters in a raft and playing his accordion for her. She says that she is just not interested in dating him. Kate cheers up Drew by telling him how sweet and romantic he is.

Episode 24 - The Dating Consultant

Release Date: 1998-04-22

Drew meets a woman at the Warsaw who recommends that he sign up for her dating advice service (for $250). He is reluctant, but finally agrees. She embarrasses him by taking hidden video of his date and using it as a ""teaching aid"" for the class. Drew becomes the laughingstock of the class, despite the fact that most of the students are dorks and losers who have never had sex. Drew seeks the help of the Better Business Bureau to have the service shut down. However, he ends up enlisting tips from the class to get a date with the Better Business Bureau employee. He quickly scares her off with his overeager behavior, and ends up back in the class. Lewis interviews potential new roommates, but Oswald keeps driving them all away. Lewis enjoys the freedom of having the place to himself. Mr. Wick bribes Lewis into letting him use the extra bedroom for a one-night stand. Mimi messes with Oswald's head by trying to convince him that Kate really loves Drew.

Episode 25 - Drew's Cousin

Release Date: 1998-04-29

Drew hosts the family barbecue for all of the Carey cousins. Kristen, his 18-year-old cousin, comes to the event while looking at colleges. She plans to attend Cleveland State, and asks to stay with Drew until she can get a place at the dorm. He also gets her a temporary job at the store. Drew is horrified to discover that Kristen and Mr. Wick are secretly dating. He worries that the relationship will cause him problems with his family and at work. Kristen and Wick point out that they are both adults and are free to date whomever they choose. Wick confesses that he is in love with Kristen. Drew reluctantly agrees not to stand in their way, but is more than a little disgusted to find a pantsless Wick in his house the next morning. Wick overreacts when Kristen makes plans with two guys from Cleveland State. She becomes freaked out by his possessive behavior and dumps him. He tries to win her back by standing on Drew's pool table and playing Foreigner's ""I Wanna Know What Love

Episode 26 - From the Earth to the Moon

Release Date: 1998-05-06

As Drew's carpool arrives at Winfred-Louder, Mrs. Louder calls and tells him that he has been chosen to coordinate hiring for the corporation's new stores in Europe. He must make it to the boardroom quickly to hold onto the promotion. Drew falls in an oil slick in the parking garage and has to buy a new shirt. The replacement shirt gets torn as he intervenes in a dispute between Kate and an irate customer. The clerk charges him several thousand dollars for the shirt, and panics when Drew asks him to correct the mistake. Mrs. Louder repeatedly admonishes Drew over the loudspeaker for not showing up in the boardroom. Larry and Drew get stuck in the elevator at a time when both badly need to use the bathroom. Lewis and Oswald then detain Drew and make him listen to a ridiculous story about a ""recovered memory"" of Lewis's. Mrs. Louder warns Drew that he will lose the promotion unless he shows up in ten minutes. A bunch of workers block the stairs with a giant toy castle and go on

Episode 27 - The Wedding Dress

Release Date: 1998-05-13

Greg and Janet try to talk Drew into selling his house so that they can convert it into a barn for their horse. Kate and Oswald plan their wedding, but realize that they will not be able to afford many frills. Kate is upset that she will not be able to afford her dream wedding dress (the same one worn by her Barbie doll). The gang discovers that a bridal shop is having a sale and tries to find the dress. Mimi, visiting the store in search of her costume for a music video, helps Kate fight through the throngs of bloodthirsty bargain hunters. Kate finds that the dress she wants is a designer gown that costs 5000 dollars. Drew sees how disappointed Kate is and desperately wants to make her dream come true. He lets Greg and Janet store the horse in his backyard, and uses the rent money to buy the dress. He plans to surprise Kate at her shower. Mimi learns that Oswald has bought Kate a cheap knock-off of the dress. Mimi tries to warn him about Drew's actions, but thinks better of

Episode 28 - My Best Friend's Wedding

Release Date: 1998-05-20

Oswald plans a surprise for his and Kate's wedding, while she's thinking about breaking up with him.