Ryan has to deal with Rachel staying in Boston and later breaking up with him. Liz is bothered by Maria and Katie constantly comparing her to Rachel.

The Bayside girls swim team is undefeated thanks to nationally ranked team captain Liz and new recruit Katie, but the boys team featuring Nicky and team captain Ryan is sinking fast. Eric has his eye on Shauna Elliot, a member of the girls team. After losing a meet against Westwood, The boys think they have no chance of beating Valley. So Eric decides to switch places with Maria so both can cover the swim teams for the school radio station. With the state finals coming up, Liz asks Screech for extra time in the pool. Screech tells the boys that their practice time will be cut to give the girls have a better chance of beating Valley. Katie has an idea on how to solve this conflict and Screech presents it to the girls team.

At the other end, Maria is covering the boys team while Eric covers the girls. Ryan and Nicky play a phone prank on the girls, pretending that NBC Sports is doing a story on the girls. The prank ends up with Liz and the rest of the girls getting detention while th

Football season is coming up and Eric has been training hard to become the starting wide receiver. Coach Wagner stresses to the team to the importance of keeping their grades up. Eric is proud and happy when the coach tells him he's starting against Central High. But when Coach Wagner finds out Eric is taking a physics course he tells him to play it safe and drop that class. Eric is ready to quit the class when he has a conversation with his teammate Perkins who tells him the coach hasn't said a thing to him about dropping physics. Eric feels that the coach assumes that because he's black, he will have more trouble with a tough academic course than a white player would. He later tells Coach Wagner that he thinks his attitude toward black players is unfair, and he complains to his friends Ryan and Nicky too.

During the game against Central, Coach Wagner talks to Eric about respect, but Eric doesn't respond and he sits out the rest of the game. The next day Eric goes to see Screech abo

Maria starts smoking marijuana and Screech is fearing for his job as Eric fills in for him while he's sick. Maria and Nicky are looking at the end of their relationship.

Katie and Eric begin taking all-natural herbal stimulants to help them keep up with the long hours they've been working, but after offering the herbs to a customer who passes out from over-exhaustion, they quickly learn about the little-known side effects of the drugs. Meanwhile, Maria becomes jealous when her ex-boyfriend Nicky starts dating Courtney, But she goes too far when convinces mall security guard Screech that Courtney is the thief that Screech has been looking for.

Eric and Maria invent a spray that will help restore the life in shirts. Eric decides to sell it without testing for side effects that the spray causes.

Eric wins an Open Mic Night at the Teen Machine and a record company executive, Teddy Edwards, offers him a contract. Edwards decides to change Eric's image and lyrics and turns his client into Thug Dawg Little. Eric does a rap about giving up on school and life that stuns everybody. Eric decides that he doesn't want the contract if it means telling people to give up.

Katie is troubled by Bayside High School's plans to honor her scholarly sister, Robin.

Maria will do anything to help her younger brother Tino find a job at the mall, and gets him work with her at the Teen Machine. But when his irresponsible behavior causes both of them to lose their jobs she has to stop making excuses for his actions. Meanwhile, Screech finds it difficult to hold down two jobs--mall security guard and assistant to Mr. Belding--and is forced to give up one. Also, Ryan and Eric enter a contest to win a jet ski, but realize the only way for them to win is by cheating.

Nicky ends up doing all the work for a fundraiser fair. After Liz convinces the others to help out, Nicky starts to have feelings for her, which doesn't sit well with Ryan who als is attracted to Liz.

A producer from the tabloid TV show ""Cool TV"" is coming to Bayside to see the next filming of Maria's talk show. Screech tells Maria that Mr. Belding will be her guest on the next show. Maria meets the producer Shannon Stewart, who wants her to change her format to an exploitation-type show where she finds out secrets from the rest of the gang to air on the next episode. Screech is concerned about the direction Maria's show is going in.

The next day, Ryan and Liz are being interviewed on the show when secrets about their dating get revealed, causing Nicky to get in on the action. Shannon and her boss love the new show and think Maria is terrific. But the gang are all mad at her for airing their private business, and when Mr. Belding find out what Maria has been doing, he cancels the show. At ""Cool TV,"" vice-president Brian Blair tells Maria about the plans they have for her and signs her to do a weekly show on their channel. Shannon and Brian suggested that Maria should do her first pr

Ryan and Nicky still don't know which of them will wind up as Liz's boyfriend. When Ryan brings Liz lunch, Nicky interrupts them, and when Nicky takes ballet lessons with Liz, Ryan does the same thing. The stepbrothers continue to fight it out and Liz still can't decide between the two. Meanwhile, Katie and Eric plan to throw Maria a surprise birthday party for Maria, but the surprise is blown when Maria finds out that Screech and Mr. Belding are going.

Eric gets dragged to the Bayside Formal by Maria and Katie as the date for both of them. Meanwhile, the step-brothers await Liz's reply after both of them ask her to the Formal.

Liz's team has won the state championship and her father wants her to train harder for the Olympic tryouts. To do this, she has to see less of Ryan.

Screech develops a crush on a beautiful substitute teacher who is working in the music department. But Maria suspects she has a hidden agenda: she's using Screech to get a permanent job and doesn't care about his feelings or how he may get hurt.

Ryan and Liz get into a fight before their anniversary and it takes getting trapped in an elevator to save the relationship.

The gang goes to France for three weeks. Eric is homesick and Maria, Ryan and Katie almost get the class sent back home after walking out on a bill. They did not intend to do it, but they received fake money from a man.

As the gang continues to help with Habitat For Humanity, Ryan , Eric and Nicky neglect their duties to see a football game.

Eric gets over being homesick after meeting the class's tour guide, Danielle. But when he fakes showing a interest in the culture of France to impress Danielle, he almost jeopardizes the relationship. Liz is worried that Ryan is becoming attracted to a female photographer. To get back at Ryan, she goes out with another guy. When the guy attempts to overly flirt with Liz, Ryan arrives to stop it.

The gang help with Habitat For Humanity to build a house for a local family. Maria is interested in one person there and discovers the house is being built for Mike and his family.

During the gang's last days in Paris, Eric decides to stay so he can work and be with Danielle. But when her parents disapprove, he must end their romance. Meanwhile Katie, Liz and Ryan buy a fake Picasso sketch from a con artist.

Katie tries out for the school's ROTC program and is eightballed by the all-male team. She tries to turn to Eric for help, but he is stuck between supporting her or fitting in with the guys.

The gang goes drinking at the beach.

After a river rafting trip, Nicky and Katie develop feelings for each other. Katie develops a fear of losing him that alters her behavior.

Screech is left behind on the gang's return home and he begins to think about the various times that he has helped his friends.