Spencer finds a Pak-Rat video game cabinet in a junkyard and becomes addicted to it, whilst procrastinating on a commissioned Labradoodle sculpture. To curb his addiction, Carly brings Sasha Striker, the top Pak-Rat player in the world, to compete against Spencer to defend her title as the world champion of Pak-Rat. Meanwhile, Freddie experiences a streak of "bad luck" after deleting and not forwarding a chain email, passing it off as a superstition.
Carly hosts her own home-grown web show, iCarly. She lives with her twenty-something brother/guardian Spencer and produces her Web casts from a makeshift third-floor loft studio. Grappling with adolescence, she never aimed to gain fame as a rising star/underground celebrity to kids. As events unfold in the pilot, it all happens by accident when a teacher puts her in charge of the school talent show. She and her sassy best bud Sam turn the audition process into a show, which Carly's tech savvy smitten friend Freddy tapes - including their hilarious banter and great chemistry - and posts on the Web without telling the girls. The on-line audience clamors for more, and a pop phenomenon blooms, with Carly and sidekick Sam's regular Web casts ultimately featuring everything from comedy sketches and talent contests to interviews, recipes, and problem-solving.