Acafellas

When Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) questions director Will Schuester's choreography skills during a glee club rehearsal, he forms an all-male a cappella group, the Acafellas, to build his confidence. The group originally consists of Will, football coach Ken Tanaka (Patrick Gallagher), woodshop teacher Henri St. Pierre (John Lloyd Young) and Howard Bamboo (Kent Avenido), a co-worker of Will's wife Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig). After their first performance however, Henri and Howard drop out and Will replaces them with glee club member Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith), who was considering quitting glee club, and his fellow football player Puck (Mark Salling). Former glee club director Sandy Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky) also joins the group, having arranged for singer Josh Groban to be at their next performance. Although the star compliments their rendition of "I Wanna Sex You Up", he reveals that he only attended to make sure Sandy stopped stalking him.

In Will's absence, the glee club hires Dakota Stanley (Whit Hertford), the choreographer of a rival club, Vocal Adrenaline, to help coach them to a Nationals championship. Cheerleaders Quinn (Dianna Agron), Santana (Naya Rivera) and Brittany (Heather Morris) hope that the notoriously harsh Stanley will prompt some members of the club to quit, furthering their plan to sabotage the club. Although Stanley is heavily critical of most of the group, Rachel convinces the members that their differences give them a unique edge, and fires the choreographer. The cheerleaders also lead Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley) to believe that fellow club member Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) has feelings for her, despite Rachel and Tina Cohen-Chang’s efforts to inform Mercedes that Kurt is obviously gay. Mercedes is hurt when Kurt rejects her advances. He misleads her into believing he has feelings for Rachel, which angers Mercedes, and she breaks the windshield of his car and sings "Bust Your Windows". Kurt later comes out as gay to her—the first time he has said it to anyone—and the two make up.

Cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) is angry that the club is now stronger than ever, and punishes Quinn and Santana. Quinn retaliates by thanking Sue for helping her realize that believing in herself negates the need to bring other people down. Will realizes that his passion is teaching, not performing, and resolves to recommit to the glee club.

Recurring cast members who appear in "Acafellas" are Stephen Tobolowsky as former glee club director Sandy Ryerson, Patrick Gallagher as football coach Ken Tanaka, Iqbal Theba as Principal Figgins, Kent Avenido as Sheets and Things employee Howard Bamboo, and Naya Rivera and Heather Morris as glee club members Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce. Whit Hertford guest-starred as choreographer Dakota Stanley.^[2] Cheyenne Jackson was originally supposed to play Dakota Stanley, but when he arrived in California he learned that he had the flu.^[3] John Lloyd Young played Henri, "a retired wood shop teacher with an excellent singing voice",^[4] and Victor Garber and Debra Monk played Will's parents.^[5] Morrison was "thrilled" by Garber's casting, having been a longstanding fan of his.^[6] Josh Groban received special guest star billing, playing, in Colfer's words, "himself as this ignorant asshole".^[7] Morrison's rapping in the episode was an already acquired skill, with Gilsig commenting: "He can do it. It didn't look like a joke, it actually looked totally authentic, and he was fantastic. I think he has just an amazing musical range. People like that who have been singing their whole lives, they have such a command of that."^[8] Riley deemed Kurt's coming out in the episode "very emotional" and "one of [her] favorite scenes". Colfer described the scene as "very respectful and very touching ... very, very real and serious."^[9]

The episode features cover versions of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow", "This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan, "Poison" by Bell Biv DeVoe,^[10] "Mercy" by Duffy,^[11] "Bust Your Windows" by Jazmine Sullivan,^[12] "I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd and an instrumental performance of "La Camisa Negra" by Juanes.^[13] Studio recordings of "Bust Your Windows" and "Mercy" were released as singles, available for digital download. "Bust Your Windows" is also featured on the soundtrack album Glee: The Music, Volume 1, with a studio recording of "I Wanna Sex You Up" included as a bonus track on discs purchased from Target.^[14]