"Where's Roger Ebert? I've got a score to settle with that guy."
—Nick
The sixth episode of Celebrity Deathmatch, known as Nick Returns. For a good part of the episode, Nick is replaced by Lenny Stanton, the son of the show's executive producer.
This episode consists of three sanctioned fights. The first undercard fight puts Fiona Apple and John Popper in the ring together. The second undercard fight sees Christopher Walken and Gary Oldman battling to see which actor is more psychotic. The third fight and main event features a grudge match between Garth Brooks and Marilyn Manson.
This episode contains examples of:
- 0% Approval Rating: Fiona Apple started off the fight already unpopular with the audience by comparison with her opponent, and when she manages to bring John Popper down despite her broken limbs and teeth, the audience start cheering for her. However, Fiona decides to take this moment to berate the audience for their continual support of the show, causing literally everybody in the audience to start begging John to kill her.
- Apologetic Attacker: John Popper constantly apologizes to Fiona Apple and asks if she's ok, with every time she injures herself when trying to land an attack.
- Berserk Button: Lenny Stanton's claim that he will be permanently taking over from Nick, is exactly what causes Nick to become enraged enough to snap out of his coma.
- Christopher Walken does not like it when someone touches his hair, and Gary Oldman finds this out the hard way.
- Fiona Apple learns the hard way not to criticize the audience for endorsing the violence on the show.
- The Cameo: This episode features appearances from Hanson.
- Chainsaw Good: The Hanson brothers return to seek revenge on Marilyn Manson by trying to cut the lighting rig the same way that he did to them.
- Continuity Nod: Nick's accident from two episodes ago is still referenced.
- Garth Brooks' reason for challenging Marilyn Manson is so that he could avenge the Hanson brothers after Marilyn cuts the lighting rig down on top of them during their fight with the Spice Girls.
- Critical Failure: Fiona Apple ends up breaking both of her arms and legs quite early on in the fight when trying to land an attack on John Popper.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Essentially this is what the fight between John Popper and Fiona Apple amounts to - despite Fiona doing all of the damage (mostly to herself), John manages to win the fight with just one movement.
- Dance Battler: Garth Brooks manages to hypnotize Marilyn Manson by performing a line dance, and incapacitates him for most of the fight until the trance wears off.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Lenny Stanton has one of these, and makes several attempts to have Johnny fired if he doesn't get his way.
- Head Crushing: Christoher Walken kills Gary Oldman by crushing his head between his bare hands.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: While attempting to cut the lighting rig down on Marilyn Manson, the Hanson brothers give the chainsaw to 10-year-old Zac to cut it down...it backfires on the three of them very quickly.
- Human Knot: Christopher Walken manages to tie one of Gary Oldman's legs into a knot.
- Improbably Quick Coma Recovery: Nick immediately wakes up from his coma (after two weeks) upon learning that he may be permanently replaced by Lenny Stanton, and heads straight to the arena.
- Instrument of Murder: Garth Brooks's acoustic guitar ends up killing him while he and Marilyn Manson are fighting over it; while Garth has grabbed the strings and Marilyn has grabbed the main body of the guitar, the two pull back until Marilyn released his grip at Garth's request, causing the guitar to partially decapitate Garth.
- Major Injury Underreaction: Fiona Apple ends up breaking all of her limbs, as well as her teeth, as her fight against John Popper progresses. Despite the multiple injuries she sustains, she continues to carry on fighting, even going as far as having to crawl towards her opponent and bite him on the leg.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Upon winning the fight, Christopher Walken snaps out of his psychotic rage and immediately regrets killing Gary Oldman.
- Nepotism: When asked by Johnny how Lenny Stanton was able to bypass a lot of the competition in order to win the honor of guest corresponding, and whether it has anything to do with him being the show's executive producer's son, Lenny denies this is the case and tells Johnny that if he disagrees, he'll have to answer to his father.
- Nobody Touches the Hair: Gary Oldman deliberately messes up Christopher Walken's hair, despite his request for him not to.
- Reluctant Warrior: John Popper is extremely opposed to fighting Fiona Apple. However, he reluctantly agrees to...and ends up delivering the finishing move.
- Squashed Flat: John Popper wins his fight against Fiona Apple by flattening her when he rolls on top of her.
- Take Care of the Kids: Gary Oldman's final plea to Christopher Walken after the latter wins their fight.
- Too Injured to Save: Gary Oldman's head is crushed and, despite their best efforts to save him, both Christopher Walken and Mills are unable to stop him from dying.
- The Tooth Hurts: Fiona Apple breaks some of her teeth after an attempt to attack John Popper backfires after John blocks her incoming attack, causing Fiona to run face-first into his elbow.
- Trojan Ambulance: Nick hijacks an ambulance upon escaping the hospital.
- Would Hurt a Child: Nick's "permanent" replacement, the son of an executive producer of the show, is knocked out with a headbutt shortly after Nick crashes into the arena in an ambulance.
- Wouldn't Hit a Girl: John Popper is very reluctant to fight Fiona Apple and desperately begs her to stop attacking him.
