“Race for Your Life, Mac & Bloo” is an episode from the sixth season of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends that premiered on May 22nd, 2008 at 8:30 PM ET/PT on Cartoon Network. The episode is unique as that visitors to the Cartoon Network website helped decide the outcome of a race between the episode’s two main protagonists, Mac and Bloo, in a 30-mile race from an arcade in the home town of Foster’s, The Prize Hive to the house with the ending airing that night, and the runner-up seen on said website shortly thereafter. The voting began on May 19th, 2008 by way of playing the “Big Shot Checkers” game on cartoonnetwork.com, and ran until prior to the airing of the episode.
Plot
Mac beats Bloo at many games at The Prize Hive, so the imaginary friend challenges his creator to a race - thirty miles - from the arcade to Foster’s, and starts off by going alone, whilst Mac decides it’s not worth the bother, but chases him anywho. Mac gets slowed down by the old adage “Step on a crack and break your momma’s back” among other things. Meanwhile, Blooregard needs electrolytes, which he mispronounces “electric lights” including carrying a reindeer akin to those used in Christmas displays for homes. Mac gets lost in the town while Bloo drinks a mega sized drink, but must go to the bathroom...but has to buy something from an inept teenage clerk in order to do so, so the clerk sells a ton of chains for only 25¢ (US).
While all this is going on, Mac thinks Bloo is cheating. He mistakes an emo girl who looks like Hayley Williams(from the band Paramore) wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt for him, then a blue balloon carried on a stroller by a baby and finally a policeman bent over to give a ticket to a parked car and gets chased by all of them. Afterward, he needs something to give him one of those “sugar rushes,” so he buys an caffeinated energy drink, and after a delayed response, goes bananas. Meanwhile, Bloo decides to buy a new running outfit - complete with sneakers, for which he has no feet - and trades in the lights and chains for them. However, both wind up back at the Prize Hive.
In the final act, they decide to take public transportation...but not for long as the race is rerun, and this time, straight to Foster’s. This time, they both aren't distracted by anything, but when Mac begins to lose, he desides to play by Bloo's rules by cheating as well, and steels a bike, which Bloo can't ride on because he has no feet to pedal. However, when Mac sees his shoes are untied, he goes to tie them. When the votes were counted, Mac was the winner when Bloo slammed into a pole when he was about to win, and get his moment in the sun, but not before both go to the hospital for exhaustion, and they again raced in the hospital.
Two winners
In the final sprint across the street to Foster's, Mac and Bloo are neck and neck. Mac trips over his shoelaces.
Mac Ending
Bloo looks back and taunts Mac, but then runs into the gate post. After Mac re-ties his shoes, he leaps forward and bounces off of Bloo's head, finishing as the winner. Bloo staggers over and both fall down from exhaustion. Frankie then comes out and announces that it's "stair testing day" and they need to run up and down every staircase in the house. Mac collapses and wakes up in the hospital.
Bloo tries to downplay the outcome of the race, saying they don't know who one for sure who won. Mac is convinced: "I won, you lost!" After a bit more back-and-forth, they hold a new race in the hospital, with Bloo in a wheelchair and Mac on a cart, using a crutch to push himself along.
Bloo Ending
As Mac trips, Bloo raises his arms in victory. Mac's sneakers fly onto Bloo's hands, and after tripping over Mac, Bloo flips over and begins running with his arms. He finally learns how sneakers work and makes a diving leap through the gate into the yard (same style of leap that Mac made in the other version). Mac walk over, and Bloo celebrates his victory as "the fastest Friend alive". Frankie then comes out and says she needs them to run to the store for her, "and I mean run". Bloo collapses and wakes up in the hospital.
Mac tries to downplay the outcome of the race, saying that Bloo was "so close". Bloo is convinced: "Whaddaya mean? I clearly won, remember? 'Fastest Friend ever'?" and points out he crossed the finish line first. Mac agrees, but points out that his sneakers crossed ahead of Bloo, therefore, he won. After a bit more back-and-forth, they hold a new race in the hospital, with Mac in a wheelchair and Bloo on a cart, using a crutch to push himself along.
Broadcast
The Mac Ending appears to have been the version that was broadcast, with the Bloo Ending available for viewing on the cartoonnetwork.com site from May 30 through June 9, 2008. Both versions are currently available for purchase from iTunes.