Nominee

Nominee is the tenth episode of Season One. It aired on December 4, 2017.

Synopsis
Homecoming is just one week away and king and queen nominees are out. Both Maddie and Gina are nominated along with Zandra, the surprise of all four girls. Gina accuses her of cheating, leading to a group meeting with Will in his office. He advises Zandra that tampering with the outcome of event-related contests is a big offense. Zandra swears it wasn't her and tries to convince him that Gina is lying. Will ends up banning her from the dance when Gina start crying. After the meeting, Zandra confronts her. Gina says she has no idea what she's talking about and that her job is done.

At the New Directions' next meeting, Zandra gives the club a heads up about her ban. Everyone is infuriated and plan on not attending in solidarity. Zandra insists and tells them to go, especially Maddie because she believes she can win. They agree and promise to keep her in their thoughts as they have the time of their lives. Though she doubts anything will change Will's mind, Kitty tells her she'll see what she can do.

Halfway through the meeting, Brendon calls Kitty and offers to take her out to Breadstix to makeup for the slap. Kitty steps out of the choir room to answer and almost refuses until she realizes he might hurt her if she does. They meet up after school and go over what happened earlier that week. Brendon apologizes for hitting her and promises it won't happen again. Hesitant, Kitty accepts his apology while asking for space. To her surprise, he understands and backs down for a few days.

During their lunch time, Mina walks Zandra to the choir room. Zandra is confused, but it all starts falling into place once Mina picks up her guitar and starts singing to her. After the song, Mina asks her to be her girlfriend. Zandra says yes and kisses her. They return to the cafeteria, hand-in-hand, as Arden's eyes follow them. Arden admits that she's jealous, but reminds herself that she was the one who ended things between her and Zandra and doesn't have the right to be upset. They run into each other while leaving the cafeteria and exchange greetings before heading to class. They take the moment as a step in the right direction.

The next day, the club arrives at McKinley to see Maddie's posters vandalized, some in the garbage cans. They immediately go on the hunt for Gina who they find at her locker. She denies ruining Maddie's campaign posters and walks off with her boyfriend. Zandra feels she's telling the truth and the rest of the club agrees, but they still plan on keeping a close eye on her. That is, until they get to the choir room to see the last of Maddie's posters all over the floor, the words Vocal Adrenaline Rocks written on the wall. Kitty immediately runs to Will's office and notifies him of the incident. He advises her not to worry too much and gives Carmel's principal a call. Kitty returns to the choir room and helps her students clean up as they discuss their routine for regionals in a little over two weeks. Instead of feeling down about what happened, they lift each other's spirits and think positively about the road ahead.