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"The Hot Dog in the Competition" is episode two of season seven of Bones, the forensic drama television series loosely based on the novels and life of anthropologist Kathy Reichs. In this episode, the body of a woman is found inside a shattered terrarium.
The Body in the Terrarium
The elderly female supervisor of an apartment building is entering the apartment of a tenant who has fallen behind on his rent. Inside the apartment, it's a bit of a mess and the reason the tenant hasn't paid is because they are lying, dead and partially eaten, part inside and part outside a terrarium that contains several rats (not a place that rats are usually kept. Or bodies).
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The Snake in the Body
Only the dead tenant isn't the dead tenant - it's actually a woman. The tenant whose name is on the contract moved out several years ago, and quite a few more tenants have been in since then - apparently the apartment is rent controlled and it made financial sense to do it this way. The vivarium was actually home for a, missing, python. Which has moved out to somewhere warm. Which, when the body is being examined at the Jeffersonian, turns out to be inside said body. Cam is not pleased. It appears she doesn't like snakes.
A Misunderstanding with the Husband
The woman in question was said to be attractive and had been seen in the company of a number of obese men. Leading Booth and Sweets to suppose she was a prostitute. Which leads to an amusing conversation with the woman's husband, when he is found, as what he is saying isn't what they are hearing. The woman was actually a champion competitive eater (seriously, who the heck has competitive eating competitions? Brennan comments on it being popular in wealthy (decadent?) societies as a reflection of their abundance).
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A Competitive Eater
Given her status as a champion competitive eater, it's surprising that the dead woman wasn't massively overweight. Being attractive made her a big draw for the league she was in (a league of competitive eaters? Really?) and she was apparently the main attraction for a TV show they were going to get in Japan, the 'sport' apparently being really 'big' in that country. She was also the headliner for some games that were just coming up - she was a shoe-in to win and there was a $10K prize. Which is a possible motive.
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A New Intern and Personal Matters
There's a new intern who Cam has brought in. He's just turned 18 and is brilliant, but had a record prior to that which resulted in him spending three years in juvie. Caroline is not pleased about someone with a record, even an expunged one, working in the lab. Hodgins seems to take a dislike to the intern's strong southern accent. Until they bond over the python. Brennan keeps arranging things regarding her and Booth's baby without telling him.
Bones - The Hot Dog in the Competition Trailer
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