I've lived my whole life on Normal Street.
There's a lake at one end,
and a forest of shady trees at the other.
But what lies in between
is anything but normal.
If you could see into the future,
what would you do?
Would you try to change it?
What if getting involved
was just playing right into fate's hand?
That seems like a lot of questions...
especially for someone in my predicament.
In this moment, I can't help but ask.
Ranger: That is so cool. How'd you get it?
Diving for a ball.
I slid halfway across the court
and ended up underneath the bench.
But I saved the point.
Nice.
I've missed you guys.
I didn't realize how much of my time
practice was going to take up.
We can't wait to see you play.
We've even been working on a cheer.
No way.
Ready?
Both:Okay.
♪ Just in case ♪
♪ 'Cause Mel's gonna spike it in your face ♪
You guys are the best.
Sorry. We don't have to talk volleyball all day.
What is this I hear about a chili cook-off?
Well, if we win it, my mom says
we can put our chili on the bakery's lunch menu.
Let the excitement build.
And when the market's ready,
jump on franchise opportunities.
We want to make something no one's ever tasted before.
But in a good way.
So we're mixing together
a bunch of different recipes.
But we're still missing that special something.
You know, my grandma's chili recipe
won a lot of awards.
Maybe that could help.
I know I have her recipe book around here somewhere.
What?
A fortune teller?
Yeah. I used to make these things all the time.
It's not one of mine, though. Not my handwriting.
Who's first?
I'm master of my own destiny.
It's just a game.
Pick a number.
5.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Pick a color.
Purple.
P-U-R-P-L-E.
Pick another color.
Green.
"Tonight you'll face the heat.
But will you make it out of the kitchen?"
I predict you will make it out of the kitchen.
You go.
4.
White.
Blue.
"Expect a surprise from the deep."
Sorry to interrupt,
but I'm going to need to steal my sous chef
to help with dinner.
I'll look for the recipe,
but off the top of my head,
I remember my grandma always primed the base.
She got the chili as hot as possible
before letting it cool down to a simmer.
Are all of you going to be in the chili cook-off?
No, the boys are just entering together.
Entering and then winning.
You guys want to join us for dinner?
- What's on the menu? - Lasagna.
Whoa. It was lasagna day at school today.
Do you know how rare a double lasagna day is?
It's pretty much like winning the lottery.
We have a lot of chili work to do.
Right. Focus, Ranger.
- Thanks for the offer, though. - Okay.
Yeah. Thanks.
[sigh] Already had lasagna for lunch, huh?
Yeah. Sorry. I don't have Ranger's constitution.
I doubt if I could do it twice in one day.
Well, what-- Maybe we have the makings for tuna surprise.
Sold.
Hmm.
Surprise from the deep.
So, strange coincidence.
Remember when my fortune said
I should expect a surprise from the deep?
- Uh-huh. - Well, we had tuna surprise for dinner.
Isn't that funny?
Where's Gortimer?
Gortimer: Down here.
Gortimer's fortune came true, too.
Time to prime the base.
Just got to get it a bit hotter.
You don't want to keep a sauce over its boiling point
- for too long. - This isn't a sauce.
Our chili can take it. Just a bit more.
I think you made it angry.
Needless to say, it exploded.
[Gortimer chuckles]
I faced the heat,
but I didn't make it out of the kitchen.
So you've been cleaning since last night?
Well, our experiment led to a recipe
that is sponge-resistant.
Well, maybe we can get you some good news.
Still the master of your own destiny?
I like to make my own messes
rather than letting fate make them for me.
2.
1, 2.
- Orange. - O-R-A-N-G-E.
Black.
"Today you are going to figure out the secret."
That can mean tons of different things.
What are you talking about? That can only mean one thing.
That we're going to win the chili cook-off.
Not unless we find the missing ingredient.
Say, from someone's grandma's award-winning recipe?
Oh, yeah. My grandma sautéed the beans
in a light pistachio oil
before adding them to the chili,
to help bring out their flavor.
I've never heard of that before.
Pistachio like the nut.
Yeah. See, it makes sense to use in cooking
because nut oils have a higher smoke point, and--
Gortimer: Okay, how about we start with the red pepper?
So what do you guys want to do today?
Oh.
I see. Chili.
Ms. Gibbon, where do you keep your pistachio oil?
Ms. Gibbon: If that's a real thing, we don't have any!
Sorry.
Ranger, spice inventory. Go.
Cumin full, chili powder okay, paprika low but not desperate.
I'm going to go.
You have volleyball practice?
Uh, yeah. We've got a big game coming up, so--
Have fun. We'll still be here.
Ground pepper?
We've got ground pepper for days.
Fridge huddle.
3.
Blue.
Yellow.
"Egg will have a severe allergic reaction
at the chili cook-off."
What the--
Thanks for getting here so quickly.
Of course. What's going on? You sounded really worried.
I am really worried.
Look.
"Egg will have a severe allergic reaction
at the chili cook-off."
What does that thing have against Egg?
See? This is exactly why I don't like messing with fate.
If Egg's going to have an allergic reaction at the cook-off,
it's got to be because of someone's chili.
No problem. We just tell him not to eat any.
But look at this.
We can't tell Egg not to eat any of the chili
if he's one of the judges.
But don't worry. I've got a plan.
That's why I called you guys.
You ready to be heroes?
Guys, I hear what you're saying,
but I don't think it's that big a deal.
Egg is a partial sponsor of the cook-off
and also a judge.
He's benefiting from an event
the outcome of which
he has a direct influence in determining.
That's a conflict of interest.
It's a teeny-tiny chili cook-off.
And a regional qualifier.
He's not making that up.
There's no need to verify it.
We're just really concerned
that, if the local news picks this up,
there will be a scandal
and people start pointing fingers.
And no one likes that.
See? It's not fun to have fingers pointed at you.
Especially when you could have avoided all the drama
by simply removing one of the judges.
Okay. Fine.
I'll have him removed from the judging committee.
I'll let him know right away.
Wow. You guys must really despise this guy.
Actually, we adore him.
Lifelong friend.
Super-great guy.
That was great. When did you become a legal scholar?
It was all improvised. I don't even know
if it's a conflict of interest.
So what's next?
It's got to be chili all the time
until the cook-off tomorrow.
Right.
So I guess we'll just--
Go do your thing.
We did good today.
Yeah. We did.
Ranger: You know what I'm thinking?
Gortimer: Let me guess. Chili? Paprika? Wasabi?
5.
Blue.
Purple.
"You will lose your closest friends."
Like that would ever happen.
[no audible dialogue]
Ranger: Needless to say, it exploded.
We have ground pepper for days.
[thinking] "Dear diary, when the fortune teller
"predicted that I would lose my closest friends,
"I thought it was impossible.
"Not anymore.
"What if it's already happening?
"What if we're drifting apart?
"Well, not on my watch, diary.
"I saved Egg, and I can save this friendship.
"I'm going to stick to Gortimer and Ranger like glue.
I hereby launch Operation Glue Stick."
Do you want me to take over for a little bit?
I think they're done.
I'm just going to let them rest.
Ohh.
I can help with the tomatoes.
I've got it under control.
Actually, you can deseed those jalapeños.
Sure.
Oh, hey,
congrats on making the volleyball team.
I can't wait to see you play.
I'm going to quit.
I thought you loved being on that team.
I did at first, but I don't like
spending so much time away from you guys.
I mean, we're only young once.
I want to spend all my time with my best friends.
Right? Right?
Sure.
Uh, I think we got the wrong paprika.
We should probably go back to the store.
Mel, uh, honey, why don't you stay and keep me company?
We'll let the boys do that.
Don't take too long. Your dad's going to call
from Sierra Leone in about a half hour.
I thought he was in Papua, New Guinea.
That was last week.
Papua, New Guinea.
Papua.
So what's really going on?
Why are you talking about quitting the volleyball team?
It's like I said. I miss spending time with the boys.
Can I talk to you about something that's completely unrelated?
Well, I don't want to give up on this volleyball thing,
but go ahead.
It's about a... a short story I'm writing.
I'm having problems with the ending.
You're a writer, right?
Well, uh, I'm an editor,
which is a little different,
but I do work on endings a lot
because they're tricky. What do you got?
Well, my story's about this girl
who can see the future.
She has a...crystal ball.
One day she finds out
that he greatest fear is going to come true.
What is her greatest fear?
Oh. Uh...
being eaten by a bear. A grizzly bear.
And this fear coming true, it's all she can think about.
She's doing everything she can to stop it.
She's obsessed to the point that she wishes
she never saw the future in the first place.
But she did see the future.
So what is she going to do about it?
That's where I'm getting stuck.
How do I end it?
Well, she can either do everything in her power
to stop the bear from eating her, or--
She could get rid of the crystal ball.
Hmm. I don't know.
Doesn't she need to try
to stop her worst fear from coming true?
But if she gets rid of the crystal ball,
then the future won't be told,
and her worst fear won't come true.
It's like a clean slate.
Hmm. I'm not sure that's how crystal balls are meant to work.
This has been really helpful.
Oh. Good.
I would love to read your next draft.
Of what?
Of this short story
you're working so tirelessly on.
Right.
You'll be the first one to see it. I promise.
Thanks for the talk, Ms. Gibbon.
Any time.
Just destroy it, Mel.
Egg.
Hey, Mel.
What happened?
Carelessness, greed, hubris.
Take your pick.
Mr. Chada had a severe allergic reaction
to a nut oil that was in one of the chilis.
Why were you eating chili if you weren't a judge?
I couldn't help myself.
Oh, Egg.
Chili is my one weakness. I love it.
That's why I sponsored the cook-off
and why I jumped at the opportunity to be a judge.
Some busybody lodged a trumped-up
conflict of interest complaint against me.
so my judging duties were revoked.
The irony.
What's he talking about? What irony?
If I'd been a judge,
I would have gotten a list of ingredients
for all of the entries, and I would have seen
that Gortimer and Ranger used pistachio oil,
and I never would have tasted it.
I have a sensitivity to tree nuts. It's hereditary.
Thanks, Dad.
So if you were a judge,
none of this would have happened.
We really do have to get him to the hospital.
Everything's going to be fine.
We just want to observe him overnight.
Think good thoughts for me, Mel. Good thoughts.
Who puts nut oil in a chili anyway?
Mel, you should have seen the judges' faces. They loved it.
So did Egg before the allergic reaction kicked in.
But I thought we saved him.
He's going to be fine.
I need to tell you something.
I used the fortune teller
a couple of more times without you guys.
Firstly, it said I was going to lose my closest friends,
- which is why I've been-- - Whoa, whoa, whoa.
We're your closest friends.
How could you ever think that you would lose us?
Because the fortune teller told me I would.
See? This is why I'm master of my own destiny.
The other fortunes came true, didn't they?
I was just so worried about losing you guys,
I started acting strangely.
If I kept it up, I can guarantee
you guys would have gotten frustrated with me
and started pulling away.
It's like I was making the fortune come true
by getting involved.
You don't know that.
No. It's true.
Take Egg's fortune, for example.
If I had left it alone, he would have been fine.
And if I hadn't told you guys about my grandma's recipe,
then your chili wouldn't have exploded.
And if I hadn't whined
about eating lasagna twice that day,
there wouldn't have been a tuna surprise from the deep.
Face it. I had a hand in making all of this come true.
Oh, no.
I don't like that oh, no.
I was trying to find you guys
because I got another fortune.
Gortimer will break his neck
after he wins the chili cook-off.
Uh, what?
Don't panic. We'll just drop out of the competition.
That way, we can't win, and you won't break your neck.
And the results are in.
The winners of this year's Normal Street Chili Cook-off
are Ranger Bowen and Gortimer Gibbon.
You've got to do something.
- Join me on stage for the trophy ceremony. - Give me a second.
So the other fortunes came true
because I did something to try and stop them.
So if I don't want this fortune to come true,
then I shouldn't do anything to try and stop it.
Winners, to the stage, please.
Just to be clear, you're saying if we do nothing,
then I won't break my neck?
Come on, guys.
Mel?
I think that's right.
It should work. Just go with it.
And our first place winners:
Ranger Bowen
and his co-chili chef Gortimer Gibbon.
Let's hear it for all of our participants.
Ah, well, this event would not have been possible
without the generous sponsorship
from Hill Mini Market,
owned and operated by Eggerton Chada.
As you may have heard,
Mr. Chada suffered from an unfortunate allergic reaction.
How about that?
I already told you I can't feel anything.
I can't believe you broke your arm before I did.
And those bruises that greenish-yellowish color.
You guys get all the good stuff.
You got your chili on the bakery menu.
Oh, yeah. I'm awesome.
And your neck is fine?
Completely.
Well, the trophy isn't so lucky.
I found him under the stage
after they carted you off.
He broke his neck.
That would have been me
if I hadn't landed on all that bubble wrap.
What's that?
What?
That.
It's just my face.
No, it is not just your face.
Spill.
Let's hear it for all of our participants.
Ah, well, this event would not have been possible
without the generous sponsorship
from Hill Mini Market, owned and operated by Eggerton Chada.
[bubble wrap popping]
But I thought that you said
if you got involved that the fortune would come true.
One of my best friends was in danger.
What was I supposed to do, nothing?
No. I had to keep trying.
Thank you.
Are you guys going to my game tomorrow?
I thought you were going to quit.
I think our friendship can survive my practice schedule.
You'll be there, right?
Wouldn't miss it.
Ready? Okay.
♪ It's all right ♪
♪ It's okay ♪
♪ Because Mel's going to block your serve today ♪
Tomorrow. But don't worry.
It'll make more sense day of.
How about now?
Nope.
[sighs] t now?