Plot

George's mother throws her back out when she falls down after catching George performing a personal act; the gang partakes in a contest of self-denial.

After George's mother catches him alone in a somewhat embarrassing situation, Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer stage a contest to see who can last the longest without any sexual gratification. Temptation quickly sets in for everyone. Kramer is the first to fall after ogling the woman across the street who walks around her apartment naked. George is next after he visits his mother in hospital and her roommate gets a sponge bath across from the curtain separating them. Elaine signs up for a fitness class where none other than JFK Jr. is enrolled. Her fantasizing does the rest. Finally, Jerry's new girlfriend Marla decides it's time to lose her virginity but Jerry has to explain the contest.—garykmcd

Jerry challenges George, Kramer and Elaine to pool their money in a contest of self-denial. Meanwhile, an excited Elaine looks forward to her date with hunky John Kennedy Jr., and a guilt-ridden George gets an eyeful when he visits his whining mother in the hospital.—Jwelch5742

After George is caught masturbating by his mother, the four main characters devise a contest to see who can go the longest without pleasuring him/herself. Marla, Jerry's girlfriend, with whom he has yet to have sex, learns of the contest and is disgusted.—Anonymous

The episode begins with Jerry, Kramer, and Elaine dining at Monk's Cafe. George enters and says, "My mother caught me." When asked what he was caught doing, he says, "I was alone". He had gone to return their car at their house and found that they were not at home. He goes on to imply that his mother Estelle (Estelle Harris) caught him masturbating in her house while reading "a Glamour magazine", resulting in her falling over in shock and ending up in the hospital. She threw her back out and has to spend a few days at the hospital. George says he'll never do "that" again, and when the others express skepticism, Jerry and George make a $100 bet over who can go the longest without masturbating. Kramer then joins the bet, as does Elaine. However, Elaine is persuaded to bet $150, because the men claim that it is harder for men not to masturbate, as it is part of a man's "lifestyle". Monitoring is based on the honor system.

Kramer is almost immediately out, due to the presence of a beautiful exhibitionist woman in the apartment across the street who walks around with the curtains open. The others are distracted by various temptations: George is distracted in the hospital his mother is staying at by an attractive nurse (Andrea Parker) giving an even more attractive woman a daily sponge bath. Elaine visits a fitness club which is also patronized by John F. Kennedy, Jr. Jerry is tempted by the naked woman across the street and frustrated because the woman Marla (Jane Leeves) he's dating won't have sex with him since she wants to remain a virgin. One method he uses to distract himself is by watching wholesome shows like Tiny Toons on Nickelodeon.

The contest affects their sleep, and the remaining contestants suffer insomnia. Only the eliminated Kramer can sleep peacefully. Elaine shares a cab ride with Kennedy, and she tells him that she lives Uptown near Jerry in order to extend the ride. She then learns that Kennedy wants to see her, and says he'll drop by Jerry's apartment (because he thinks Elaine lives near there). Eventually, the pressure becomes too much for her and she is the second person to be knocked out of the contest.

While making out on the couch, Marla asks Jerry if they can have sex, claiming that she is ready. However, Jerry then tells Marla about the contest, prompting Marla to leave in disgust. Jerry immediately goes to his window to watch the naked woman across the street, implying that he gives in to his temptation. Elaine was waiting outside Jerry's building waiting for John to show up. She believes that Kennedy has changed his mind and not bothered to see her. George then tells Elaine in Jerry's apartment that Kennedy did come but missed her and went with Marla. They then see Kramer with the naked woman across the street.

That night, everyone sleeps well-especially Kramer, who is sleeping with the naked woman-but it is not explicitly stated who won. (In the fifth season episode "The Puffy Shirt", George mentions that he "won a contest" when discussing refraining from masturbation with a hand modeling agent. However, in the series finale, he confesses that he cheated) Meanwhile, Marla is shown in bed with Kennedy, apparently having finally lost her virginity to him.