America: 50☆Stars (Vol. 3)

Episode 41: Trick or Treat

"Happy Halloween, everyone! I know it's hard to tell because of this mask, but I appreciate everyone coming to my costume party and wishing me a happy birthday," Nevada addresses the lavish banquet hall from the top of a stage, dressed as the Front Man from Netflix's Squid Game. "With that out of the way, I present the results of the costume contest."

"Ooh! I gotta hear this!" South Dakota and her brother dressed as scarecrows run to the front of the stage.

"I'll start with the ladies." He clears his throat. "Nominees for Best Female Costume are Maine as Bloom from Winx Club, Kansas as Supergirl, Louisiana as a witch doctor, Missouri as Tina Turner the Queen of Rock and Roll, and Texas as Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre." He stops for a drum roll. "Best Female Costume goes to... Louisiana!"

"Booyah!" Louisiana cheers as she goes on stage to accept a $100 gift card as her reward for winning.

"Aw... I worked so hard on my costume..." Maine moans in disappointment.

"I'm sorta jealous," says Kansas. "Louise always looks cool in every costume she wears."

"Except for that time she and Florida wore alligator costumes," Nebraska adds, wearing a naval officer uniform.

"Oh, yeah," she giggles. "They were sorta goofy, weren't they?"

"Moving on to the gentlemen..." Nevada flips to the next notecard.

"Who are you two supposed to be?" Connecticut dressed as a sea captain questions Arkansas's and Tennessee's all-black outfits.

"Johnny Cash, obviously," Arkansas mutters in annoyance.

"Yeah..." Tennessee chuckles awkwardly. "I didn't think anyone had the same idea as me, but I should've known."

"Nominees for Best Male Costume are Kentucky as Colonel Sanders, Massachusetts as a warlock, New York as Batman, Oklahoma as a dinosaur, and West Virginia as Mothman. Best Male Costume goes to... West Virginia!" Nevada and the other states give a round of applause.

"Aw, what? I even bought a bucket of fried chicken to complete the look," Kentucky groans, taking a bite of a drumstick to make himself feel better.

"What a terrifying costume..." Iowa dressed as a farmer awes, watching West Virginia be rewarded on stage.

"Next up are Best Couple Costumes," Nevada announces. "Nominees for Best Couple Costumes are California and New Jersey as Wanda Maximoff and Vision from WandaVision, Illinois and Indiana as Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Wyoming and Montana as a cowboy and a cowgirl, and New Hampshire and Vermont as a dog and a cat."

"Aren't those clothes you normally wear?" Missouri questions Montana and Wyoming. "I hardly see you two wear any other costumes."

"Costumes are expensive," Montana excuses. "For a set of clothes only worn for a specific day of the year, I can buy a bunch of buttoned shirts or a pair of jeans that can be worn year-round."

"Besides, I look silly wearing anything outside my everyday clothes," Wyoming huffs.

"Isn't looking silly the whole point of a costume party?"

"Drum roll, please." Nevada pauses for dramatic effect. "Best Couple Costumes goes to... California and New Jersey!"

"Fuck yeah!" California and New Jersey laugh, giving each other high-fives.

"Aw, man. I thought we had this in the bag," Illinois groaned.

"Can I take off the mask now? It's hard to breathe with it on," Indiana grumbles.