7.5/10187 votes#1 - First Day of School
Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 9/24/2004
Knowing that Kerry is dragging her feet over breaking up with Kyle, Bridget takes it upon herself to do it for her sister. Meanwhile, Cate is offered the position of school nurse and Rory's first day of high school proves embarrassing when he has to hit the showers after gym class.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Kathy Ann Stumpe
7.3/1095 votes#2 - Changes
Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 10/1/2004
The kids question Cate's motives when they return from their summer getaways and discover that she has bought a new bed and changed her hairstyle. Meanwhile, after traveling through Europe over the summer, Kerry met and had a fling with a boy - which leaves Bridget jealous and Kerry wondering what to do about boyfriend Kyle; new high school Student Body President Bridget is convinced even further that life is a popularity contest after taking a trip to Washington, DC over the summer; and after a depressed Jim fails to win back the affections of his wife in Florida, Rory attempts to help him quit smoking -- which is complicated by Jim's discovery that C.J. was responsible for their irreconciliation.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Seth Kurland
7.3/10143 votes#3 - School Nurse
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 10/8/2004
After Cate accepts the position of school nurse, Bridget and Kerry are convinced that she only took the job to spy on them. Rory is ecstatic that his mom might be able to protect him from a school bully.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Rob Hanning
7.2/10102 votes#4 - Out of the Box
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 10/15/2004
Kerry is livid when Bridget unintentionally makes a mockery out of her art project at the mall. But she forgets about Bridget when a fellow artist asks her out on a date. While C.J. finds himself striking out at speed dating, Jim discovers that he's a hit with the ladies.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Martin Weiss
7.5/1091 votes#5 - Car Trouble
Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 10/22/2004
Kate gives Bridget and Kerry the keys to the minivan, provided they drive Rory wherever he needs to go. But when the girls repeatedly fail to drive him, he attempts to drive himself, wrecking the car in the process.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Hayes Jackson
7.3/10163 votes#6 - Halloween
Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 10/29/2004
Kerry doubts Bridget's ability to put together the school's Halloween party as part of her Student Body President duties. C.J. is hired as the party's security guard and sets his sights on catching Rory pulling off a prank. Jim finds himself under attack by the neighborhood kids when he refuses to hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters.
Director: Lynn M. McCracken
Writer: Steve Baldikoski, Bryan Behar
7.5/1093 votes#7 - Coach
Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 11/5/2004
Bridget is psyched to join the high school tennis team when she develops a crush on Coach Scott. But her infatuation soon turns to disgust when she learns that Scott has a crush on Cate. Meanwhile, Kerry and Rory begin to question the authenticity of Jim's war stories while rummaging through his war chest.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Laurie Gelman
8.5/10182 votes#8 - Secrets
Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 11/12/2004
Everyone fears the ringing of the phone when they all keep secrets from each other. Rory refuses to divulge the identity of the student responsible for beating him up at school. Bridget and Kerry use fake IDs to get into a club, where Bridget gives her phone number to guy, unaware that he's a police officer. Cate doesn't want the family to know that Coach Scott tries to get her to go out with him. C.J. is distracted and forgets to pick up Rory's pain medication.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Bonnie Kallman
7.3/1096 votes#9 - Thanksgiving
Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 11/26/2004
While the family prepares Thanksgiving dinner for Cate to give her some much needed time off, she's left with nothing to do until she brings home an unexpected guest while on an errand. While C.J. deep-fries the turkey, Bridget and Kerry spar over pie recipes. Jim disassembles the TV in an attempt to repair it.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Rob Hanning, Seth Kurland
7.3/1094 votes#10 - Vanity Unfair
Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 12/3/2004
After Bridget is turned down for a role in a sports car commercial, Jim discovers that the head of the modeling agency who rejected her is an old flame. When he tries to persuade her to reconsider his granddaughter, Jim soon finds himself reminiscing over old times. Kerry and Rory discover a secret about C.J.'s past modeling experiences.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Paul F. Ciancarelli, David DiPietro
7.6/1090 votes#11 - Princetown Girl
Season 3 Episode 11 - Aired 12/10/2004
Bridget is ecstatic when she learns that tennis scouts from Princeton are coming to her school to watch her play for a possible scholarship. But when Bridget's school forbids her to play because of a poor grade, Cate has to decide whether to use her clout as school nurse to help her daughter out. Meanwhile, Jim promises a nervous C.J. that he'll give up his room if he can spend one night alone in the attic.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Tamiko K. Brooks
7.2/1097 votes#12 - A Very C.J. Christmas
Season 3 Episode 12 - Aired 12/17/2004
To keep C.J. from spending Christmas alone in Las Vegas, the Hennessy household bends over backwards to recreate one of Cate's first holiday memories to entice him to stay. Meanwhile, Rory decides to break up with his wealthy girlfriend when he fears that he won't be able to buy her a Christmas gift worthy of her upper class status.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Kathy Ann Stumpe
7.4/1088 votes#13 - The Sub
Season 3 Episode 13 - Aired 1/7/2005
Cate is shocked to discover that Principal Gibb has hired C.J. as a substitute teacher. When C.J. catches Rory cheating on a test, he is torn about reporting it as Cate tries to persuade him to look the other way. Meanwhile, when Bridget breaks her leg because of Kerry's blunder, she makes her little sister's life a living nightmare.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Steve Baldikoski, Bryan Behar
7.5/1096 votes#14 - C.J.'s Temptation
Season 3 Episode 14 - Aired 1/7/2005
While Cate finds herself becoming jealous of Principal Ed Gibb's new girlfriend, C.J. is asked by Ed to help tutor Cheryl for her GEDs -- and finds himself unwittingly being hit on by her. Meanwhile, Rory feels awkward after Cate accidentally interrupts him during a private moment.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Steve Baldikoski, Bryan Behar
8.0/10122 votes#15 - Old Flame
Season 3 Episode 15 - Aired 1/14/2005
After sending an email to former college flame Matt to see how he's been doing over the years, Cate becomes fed up with the unreasonable demands of her family and locks herself in her room for some alone time. But she's shocked when Matt shows up at her window and whisks her off to re-live some adventurous, old times.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Judd Pillot, John Peaslee
7.7/1098 votes#16 - Closure
Season 3 Episode 16 - Aired 1/21/2005
When Cate and C.J. discover that Kerry has been e-mailing Bruno, they secretly try to snoop in her computer to find out what the two have been up to. Unbeknownst to them, Bruno is hiding in the attic, while Bridget tries her best to talk Kerry out of doing something she may regret. Meanwhile, Jim discovers Rory's clandestine poker game and decides to deal himself in to teach Rory and his friends a lesson.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Seth Kurland
7.1/1091 votes#17 - Volleybrawl
Season 3 Episode 17 - Aired 1/28/2005
Cate's alleged antics at Kerry's volleyball game threaten to make her team forfeit the match. Meanwhile, C.J. has a crush on Kerry's volleyball coach and Bridget becomes upset when one of her friends begins dating her ex-boyfriend.
Director: Barnet Kellman
Writer: Hayes Jackson
7.1/10104 votes#18 - Freaky Friday
Season 3 Episode 18 - Aired 2/4/2005
After falling asleep while watching Freaky Friday, Cate awakens to find that she and Bridget have switched bodies. C.J. and Jim have also trade places as well as Rory and his hamster. Only Kerry is spared and enjoys their predicament.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: W. Bruce Cameron
7.3/1091 votes#19 - Torn Between Two Lovers
Season 3 Episode 19 - Aired 2/11/2005
Valentine's Day finds C.J. in a predicament when he commits to two different Valentine's Day dates. Meanwhile, Bridget's excitement over being elected to the court of the Valentine's Day dance quickly turns to shock when she discovers that Cheryl is also in the running.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Steve Baldikoski, Bryan Behar
7.1/10106 votes#20 - C.J.'s Real Dad
Season 3 Episode 20 - Aired 2/18/2005
C.J. is shocked and delighted when he meets his biological father for the first time. But Jim doesn't trust the man and thinks he may have ulterior motives for the visit.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Rob Hanning
7.6/10116 votes#21 - The After Party
Season 3 Episode 21 - Aired 3/4/2005
After turning down Bridget's request to throw an after-prom party in a hotel room, Cate decides to throw a school- sanctioned party at the house which totally embarrasses her kids. Meanwhile, Kerry tries to make a political statement by inviting a girl to the prom, and Rory is overjoyed when a hot senior asks him to the dance.
Director: Pat Fischer-Doak
Writer: Grant Nieporte, Robert Spina
6.9/1097 votes#22 - The Teachers Lounge
Season 3 Episode 22 - Aired 4/1/2005
Officially a full-time teacher, C.J. is overjoyed to finally get access to the teachers' lounge. But he soon finds himself being bullied out of the room by the school's overzealous Home Ec instructor. Rory wants to impress a girl, so Bridget and Kerry take it upon themselves to give him a full-fledged makeover.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Paul F. Ciancarelli, David DiPietro
7.3/1096 votes#23 - The Sleepover
Season 3 Episode 23 - Aired 4/8/2005
After Principal Gibb and Cate fall asleep at the house while watching a movie, the family catches them and falsely assumes that the two are having a relationship. Bridget, Kerry, Rory and C.J. are forced to go ice-fishing with Jim in order to spend quality time with their grandfather. But Jim would much rather be left alone and is forced to keep up a happy façade.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Judd Pillot, John Peaslee
7.1/10126 votes#24 - Ditch Day
Season 3 Episode 24 - Aired 4/15/2005
After C.J. discovers that Cate may be starting a relationship with Principal Gibb, he blabs it to Bridget. An angry Cate has Gibb put C.J. in charge of the student detention on Ditch Day, and C.J. gets even by detaining Bridget. Because she is stuck in detention and can't complete the Ditch Day prank herself, Bridget convinces Kerry and Rory to steal the rival school's mascot.
Director: James Widdoes
Writer: Jeremiah Leibowitz
The Best Episodes of 8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter Season 3
Every episode of 8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter Season 3 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of 8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter Season 3!
8 Simple Rules is an American sitcom television series originally starring John Ritter and Katey Sagal as middle-class parents Paul and Cate Hennessy, raising their...
Genres:ComedyDrama
Network:ABC
Season 3 Ratings Summary
"First Day of School" is the best rated episode of "8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter" season 3. It scored 7.5/10 based on 187 votes. Directed by James Widdoes and written by Kathy Ann Stumpe, it aired on 9/24/2004. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "Changes".