During the off-season, Nickelodeon advertised and broadcast a competition called "R U All That?: Nickelodeon's Search for the Funniest Kid in America," a nationwide search to find the series a new cast member. The judges happened to be former cast members Amanda Bynes and Nick Cannon; Josh Peck was also a judge. After it ended in early 2003, said competition was broadcast on TV in a four-week special, with the finals airing on July 26, 2003. The contest picked five finalists, and all of them performed a sketch with some of the cast members. The winner was Christina Kirkman, who joined the show in the season opener and replaced Bryan Hearne. Ryan Coleman, the runner up in the contest, joined mid-season.
Ratings-wise, the show was not doing well. In order to raise ratings, the producers brought back old fan favorite sketches, like mous character Ed, as well as putting in Coleman in a test skit. They thought the fit would work, resulting in the revision of the skit.
This would be the final season for Shane Lyons, Giovonnie Samuels, and Jamie Lynn Spears. Shane Lyons revealed in episode 5 of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV that he was let go from the series after producers opted not to renew his contract. Giovonnie Samuels left because she felt was too old to be on All That, similar to original cast member Lori Beth Denberg exiting after Season 4. Jamie Lynn Spears left to star in her own Nickelodeon show Zoey 101, a show also created by Dan Schneider.
The cast of Season 9 continued to do On-Air Dares, akin to the last season. The intro was changed for this season, with the cast being set in the same place and are dancing in a dark room with the All That logo lit up in the back. The cast, however, is now wearing red, unlike the white that was used in Seasons 7 and 8. The "Oh" sign was brought back, and Brummet and Kirkman both held up the sign in the intro, similar to the previous two seasons. The intro was changed to accommodate Coleman's entry onto the show.[2]
This is the first season since Season 3 to have more female cast members than male.
Following this season's conclusion, All That won Favorite TV Show at the 2004 Kids' Choice Awards for the first time in 4 years.[3]
Green Room - Christina Kirkman - The other cast members welcome Christina to the cast, but when the Know Your Stars guy makes fun of her (first saying she was voted the smelliest kid in America), Christina makes fun of him, claiming that the Know Your Stars guy has no friends, likes to drink pimple juice, and his mother is in prison. Her "facts" impress the cast and even the Know Your Stars guy, who offers to work together with Christina to "insult the world", but Christina refuses.
American Idiot
The Punchies
Tilt-A-Hurl
Christina, Shane, and Lisa introduce "Lillix"
Musical Guest: Lillix ("What I Like About You")
Christina Kirkman's first episode as a cast member.
Green Room - The cast meets Totally Kyle (Drake Bell)
American Idiot w/the Rougenecks in a parking lot
Advice From The Old Lady in Shane's Mouth
T R Yell: Lil' Embryo
Know Your Stars - Totally Kyle: The announcer attempts to insult Totally Kyle, but he agrees with every "fact" the announcer says, from having three heads to having his pants filled with spaghetti. The tables are quickly turned as Kyle unknowingly leaves the announcer being annoyed instead.
Green Room - Who's The Real Jack?: Jack gets a guy to play him in the show, because Jack is going to get butt implants. Kyle knocks out the real Jack and they start the show with the conscious Jack (the fake Jack) with Chelsea, Kyle, Lisa, and Jamie.
Trashin Fashion at Porsha's (Chelsea) Sweet Sixteen Party
The Rougenecks: Education
2Gether 4Ever
Know Your Stars - The announcer declares that Giovonnie Samuels loves cheese, is actually a 37-year-old man named Henry, and enjoys drinking out of toilets.
Green Room - Fortune Machine: The cast finds a fortune machine that grants them three wishes.
Sugar and Coffee: Buzz's dad and Kaffy's mom show up with Dr. Floosh
Rowdy Fans in the audience
Ms. Fishtale's Driving School: Percy Flavin
Know Your Stars - Jamie Spears: The announcer declares that Jamie Spears is the president of Mexico despite her not ever being there, and mocks her for apparently "loving" the announcer after she sarcastically calls him cute.
The Old Lady In Shane's Mouth introduces "Fefe Dobson"
Green Room - Jamie Builds Ryan: Jamie reassembles Ryan Coleman (who's formally introduced in this Green Room Scene) and so does the cast help her. After that, the cast welcomes Ryan to the show, and Jack receives one package filled with explosives from his dad.
American Idiot
Thelma Stump: Package Deliverer
Know Your Stars: Ryan Coleman and Jamie Spears (partly)
Jamie and Chelsea introduce a first look at Drake & Josh followed by Josh Peck introducing Drake Bell.
Green Room - Weird Camera: The cast finds this weird camera and whenever they take a picture of someone with the camera, it shows them something bad is about to happen to that person.
Sugar & Coffee: Wilma Jumpawitz/Ivanna Latte
Shane Vs. Things: The Audience
Britney Spears comes to Good Burger
Know Your Stars: Jack DeSena
Jack, Jamie, Christina and Totally Kyle introduce "Nick Cannon". Special Guest: Drake Bell
Green Room - Ryan's Lucky Finger: Ryan loses his lucky finger, so Jack, Giovonnie, Shane and Christina help him find it when his bad luck starts to happen like getting hit with a golf putter and getting robbed until Chelsea found his lucky finger in the elevator and she accepts a bag filled of $1 million dollars that she won.
The Unreal World
Mrs. Bloaf Grief Counselor: When a boy named Jerry (Kyle) learns that he has to repeat the seventh grade, his parents (Shane and Brittany Snow) hire Mrs. Bloaf (Stephanie Matto from "R U All That"), a cynical grief counselor, to help make Jerry feel better about his situation, only for Mrs. Bloaf to cause more grief to Jerry to make him forget about his problem.
Know Your Stars: Jamie Spears
While Shane and Ryan are fighting over who will introduce the musical guest, Brittany Snow introduces "Wakefield"
Green Room - Jamie's Screaming Juice: The cast receives some peanut butter from a fan and eat it, getting the mouths stuck. They drink something to clear it up, but instead they drink Jamie's screaming juice.
American Idiot
The Rougenecks: Politics
2Gether 4Ever
Know Your Stars - While giving out the usual style of "facts" to Chelsea Brummett, from her loving to go hiking in the middle of the night to her having a big booger, the announcer and Chelsea argue over the "fact" that she has no tongue.
Green Room - Better Go Catch It: The cast keeps getting prank phone calls from a guy who's telling them that their refrigerator is running, they don't believe it at first until the refrigerator comes to life and runs away.
Green Room - The Pirate and The Princess Sketch: Jack and Kyle fight over who gets to play the pirate in a sketch, in order to kiss Chelsea, who will be playing the princess. But the whole thing backfires when they realize that Shane is playing the princess.
Bridgett's Slumber Party: Love Potion
Thelma Stump: Escaped Prisoners and Kyle Sullivan (partly)
Good Burger: Five Dime (Kendré Berry from "R U All That") and his crew try to order drinks from Ed.
Know Your Stars: Kyle Sullivan
Jamie, Christina, Jack, and Totally Kyle introduce "Drake Bell"
Musical Guest: Drake Bell ("Everything's Gonna Be OK")
^This figure represents the amount of viewers the episodes got with kids aged 2-11. This episode also received 1.14 million viewers with kids aged 9-14.[4]