Ep 12. The Beauty and the Fleeced

Zack and Cody return in The Suite Life On Deck season 2 episode 12 titled "The Beauty and the Fleeced". The episode opens with Bailey, who is working hard on her beauty pageant preparations. Cody seems to have little interest in the pageant as he's been busy feeling homesick lately. Bailey has to remind him that he's on the S.S. Tipton for a while, and should make an effort in enjoying his time.

Meanwhile, the hotel holds a charity auction, which sharpens the competitive edge in Zack. He wants the top prize, which is a limited edition signed guitar. But what he's willing to do for it, raises his brother's eyebrows. To get the money, Zack plans to sell falsified merchandise around the cruise ship, including designer handbags and shoes. Thinking it will be an easy way to score a few bucks, he convinces Cody to go in on the scheme with him.

Little do they know that their plan takes a toll on Bailey, as she finds herself at the center of a counterfeit merchandise ring. Unbeknownst to her, Zack and Cody's merchandise plot has mixed in with the counterfeiters' offerings, making the situation even worse. Bailey, who wants nothing to do with the illegal activity, gets blamed for it all with the culprits thinking she is part of the scheme. Aware of the gravity of the situation and what this could mean for Bailey, Zack and Cody then scheme to save her from further trouble.

As the time for the auction draws near, the boys finally raise enough money and purchase the signed guitar, but are soon caught with fake merchandise by London and the rest of the gang. They all slap a wager that they can't tell a lie for a whole day, and the first person who does has to wear a chicken suit for a week.

Zack agrees to go without deceit, but soon realizes it's harder than it looks. With everyone around him suspicious of lies, he finds himself locked in a sequence of events that could lead to revealing the truth. His pal Woody's (Matthew Timmons) attempt to "help" with his restaurant by lying to customers about gourmet ingredients nearly lands the trio in some dangerous conundrum.

But the biggest challenge comes when Zack accidentally upsets Bailey during her beauty pageant performance. With Cody unable to help his brother because of the no-lie challenge, Zack now has to fix things with Bailey without lying. This culminates in a hilarious series of mishaps that make this a must-watch episode.

"The Beauty and the Fleeced" is a fantastic episode of The Suite Life On Deck, showcasing the misadventures of Zack and Cody as they navigate through the pageant drama and their counterfeit merchandise scheme gone awry. It offers humor, heart and excitement, as we see the twins scheme their way into trouble and back again, in order to save Bailey from being caught up in a dangerous situation. It's an excellent example of the series' comedic sense, and a high watermark for its sophomore season.