| “ |
I love the sound of applause, even if I have to buy it. |
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—Sugar Motta, Heart | ||
Sugar Motta is a recurring character on the TV show Glee. She is an alumna of William McKinley High School. Her father, Al Motta, is the wealthy owner of a piano business. Sugar claims to have self-diagnosed Asperger's syndrome, which she mostly uses as an excuse to say whatever she wants. Her father created a new glee club for her after she was rejected by the New Directions. Mercedes, Santana, and Brittany soon join this new club, directed by Shelby Corcoran, and name it The Troubletones.
Sugar then joins the New Directions together with the other Troubletones after they place second at Sectionals. She is a Student Council Treasurer alongside Blaine, Tina and Sam and joined different clubs like The Secret Society of Superheroes Club and the formerly Too Young to Be Bitter Club.
She is portrayed by actress and singer Vanessa Lengies.
Biography[]
Sugar auditions for the New Directions.
Sugar is inspired by New Directions' performance of We Got the Beat to audition for Glee Club. She finds the club after their performance, and bluntly tells them that they were horrible and desperately need the "star power" that she has to offer them. She also states that she has self-diagnosed Asperger's syndrome, "which means that [she] can pretty much say whatever [she] wants." Sugar auditions with Big Spender and is absolutely horrible. Rachel tells Mr. Schuester that allowing Sugar into Glee would hurt their chances at winning Nationals even more. Although he agonizes over the decision, Will eventually realizes she is right and tells Sugar that she doesn't make it into Glee Club, despite the previous everyone-gets-in policy. Sugar doesn't take this well, calling him a "Broadway Wannabe," says nobody cares of what he thinks, and implies that the angry comments were not Asperger's before storming off down the hall.
Sugar convinces her dad, the very wealthy Al Motta, to make a private donation to McKinley so they can afford a second Glee Club, starring Sugar. She also convinces her dad to have Shelby Corcoran tracked down to coach the group, since she's "the best show choir director money can buy." While practicing with Shelby, Sugar rudely tells her that she is a bad singer, and that she has a weird nasally voice that she can only stand for so long, but then hugs Shelby after the insult.
Sugar is glad to see that Brittany and Santana join her Glee Club, believing them to be her new "backup singers." However, Santana soon puts her in her place, telling Sugar that that all she's talented enough for is singing and dancing in the background. Sugar meekly says that she just wanted to be part of the winning team for once, and Mercedes tells her that if she stops trying to be the star and just sings in the background, then she will be. When Shelby announces the name of the club, The Troubletones, Mercedes, Santana, and Brittany are happy and Sugar (who was in the background, struggling to get a look in) said that she liked the name too. She later dances to Candyman with the other members of The Troubletones. At the end of the episode, she rehearses for Sectionals with the group.
Sugar, as well as other members of The Troubletones and New Directions, is called to the auditorium by Will and Shelby. Here, they tell the kids that there will be a competition between the two groups. At a meeting of The Troubletones, Mercedes claims to be the captain of the group and Sugar agrees. Mercedes says the medley of their song will be Adele, and Sugar said she sounds like her. In the competition, The Troubletones sing Rumour Has It/Someone Like You.
Sugar (along with Shelby, Mercedes, Brittany, and Santana) goes to assist New Directions with Finn's assignment of helping out Santana. She sings back-up in I Kissed a Girl with the other girls. During the episode, she is shown to be very friendly with Rory. At the end of the episode, she is surprised when Rachel reveals her suspension.
Sugar sings What in Survivor/I Will Survive
She joins the rest of her all-girls show choir to give the New Directions a post-Sectionals proposition. This includes, that if The Troubletones win, they can vote in any member they think is talented enough to join their club. Will declines, stating how his club is just focusing on winning. Sugar performs Survivor/I Will Survive at Sectionals with the rest of her team, receiving a miniscule solo. Sugar and the other Troubletones are disappointed when they place second and do not advance to Regionals. Afterwards, Sugar is allowed to join New Directions with Mercedes, Santana, and Brittany, and they sing We Are Young in The April Rhodes Civic Pavilion.
Sugar, along with the rest of the kids, perform the number Summer Nights in the beginning of the episode. Sugar has a solo line in the performance, and sounded good, indicating that Shelby did help her learn to sing better. Sugar participates in the celebration when Will announces that he is proposing to Emma. Later, Artie asks her if she would like to work on Mr. Schue's assignment with him. Assuming he is asking her out, she turns him down saying that he's not her type, and that people are really mean so they'd both be judged. She later participates in the We Found Love proposal number in the pool.
When Will introduces David Martinez to the New Directions, Sugar, along with Quinn, Kurt, Santana, and Rachel, seems to be attracted to him. She then sings and dances in the background to Sexy and I Know It. Sugar is also present for other performances; when Mercedes sings Don't Wanna Lose You, when Sam sings Bamboleo/Hero, when Santana and David sing La Isla Bonita, and when Will sings A Little Less Conversation in the Auditorium.
Artie and Rory compete for Sugar's love.
Sugar announces to the members of New Directions that her father has organized a party at Breadstix for Valentine's Day and that they're all invited. But, she tells them they must have a date. When Mercedes points out Sugar is single, she replies "not for long." Rory and Artie then begin to compete against each other for Sugar's affection by buying gifts for her. After Artie sings Let Me Love You to Sugar, she chooses him. However, when Rory announces he'll be moving home at the end of the year, she chooses him as her Valentine. On the night of the party, Sugar welcomes all her guests to the "Sugar Shack." During Cherish/Cherish, Sugar dances with Rory and seems upset that he is leaving, even saying her father would buy Ireland for him. She then sings and dances to Love Shack with the rest of New Directions.
When Finn tells the New Directions about Sebastian planning to put a fake nude photo of him online, Sugar announces she'd feel like killing herself if that happened to her. She is then present when Will tries to make the New Directions know their lives are worth living after hearing David Karofsky's suicide attempt, and she says she wants to see Sex and the City, Part Three get released. At Regionals, Sugar is the first to stand when Finn suggests it when the Warblers perform Stand. Sugar performs in Fly/I Believe I Can Fly, Here's to Us, and What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger). She is then present when New Directions are announced the winners. Later on, Sugar is a bridesmaid for Rachel and Finn's wedding and waits with the others for Quinn to arrive.
She participates in Cooper Anderson's acting masterclass and Bootycamp with New Directions. She also goes to Six Flags for Senior Skip Day and is seen sitting next to Kurt on the rollercoaster.
Sugar, Brittany, and Santana in Cell Block Tango.
She is first seen talking with Brittany, Tina, Mercedes, and Santana. She laughs at Santana's joke and gets yelled at by Roz who overhears it. She performs in Cell Block Tango with the rest of the girls (however her solo is not featured) and is present when Beiste admits to being in an abusive relationship. She also sits with Tina, Mercedes, Santana, and Brittany during Shake It Out, but doesn't sing.
When Tina says other people may want solos too, Sugar speaks up saying she wants one although she admits she cannot sing. In Tina's dream, Sugar is seen as Quinn, with Quinn playing Sugar. Later, when Puck walks into the choir room, in a dress, Sugar flirtatiously greets him. Later, Sugar expresses her irritation after being forced to sew the costumes for Nationals, and for being looked down on by the seniors, but Tina tells her that she should be a good team player and that she will shine next year. Sugar is later seen sitting by Rory on the Nationals bus, cheering on Rachel and Tina singing Flashdance... What A Feeling and screaming wildly as they set off to Nationals in Chicago.
Sugar cheers on Puck and Sam's fight.
Sugar is seen helping and comforting Mercedes when she falls ill with food poisoning. Later, while Puck and Sam are fighting, she is chanting 'Fight!' relishing in the drama going on. She also complains in the background, saying she misses Mercedes. Before they go onto stage, Finn tells Will they want to win Nationals for him, something Sugar vocally agrees with. Sugar is later delighted to know that Mercedes is well enough to perform. Sugar performs in all 3 Nationals numbers, singing and dancing backup in Edge of Glory and Paradise by the Dashboard Light, and singing backup during Rachel's solo of It's All Coming Back to Me Now along with Blaine, Mike, Quinn, Rory, and Tina. While awaiting the Nationals results, Sugar is nervously holding Sam and Puck's hands, and she vibrantly celebrates when they win. While celebrating their win at McKinley, Sugar is seen pouring out Sparkling Cider excitedly and spraying out the contents onto Rory happily. Finally, at the Teacher of the Year awards, Sugar performs We Are The Champions with the rest of New Directions and she happily hugs Will, showing her opinion of him since The Purple Piano Project has changed greatly.
Sugar with the Non-graduating New Directions members.
Sugar is first seen with the current New Directions members in the choir room, where Wade "Unique" Adams is introduced to the group. She is later present when Jake Puckerman auditions for the club, calling him sexy. Later, Sugar asks new member, Marley, about her sweater, wondering where she got it. However, when Marley tells her it is a J-Crew sweater, she seems confused. Sugar is next shown is the lunchroom, where she joins Kitty in making fun of the new lunch-lady. She is then surprised to find out that the lunch-lady is Marley's mother, and apologizes to her with the other New Directions members. She later sings Chasing Pavements with the group.
Throughout the episode, Sugar is frequently seen with Artie, starting in the choir room when he announces his candidacy for student vice-president. Sugar later attends the debate, where she is noticeably the only person who claps for Artie after his speech. After Blaine wins the election, Sugar is seen at his victory party. Here, it is revealed that Sugar asked Artie on a date of going horseback riding, which he agrees to.
The Role You Were Born to Play
Sugar is cast as Frenchy for the musical.
At some point in time, Sugar auditioned for the school's adaption of the musical Grease. She eventually gets the role of the character Frenchy, which seems to please her. Sugar was also seen in the audience during Born to Hand Jive and joins in with the rest of the song at the end.
Sugar is particularly outraged when Mr. Schuester announces that Finn will take over Glee club, mainly being concerned that there won't be anyone to drive the bus to sectionals. Later on, Sugar defends Marley against Kitty by insinuating that she had quit the play. She is invited to Kitty's slumber party, along with the rest of the New Directions' girls. There, Sugar joins in with the performance of Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee. Sugar also plays the part of Frenchy in the performance of Beauty School Drop Out and dances in You're the One That I Want.
Sugar is present at The Secret Society of Superheroes Club's meeting, where she is introduced as her alter-ego Sweet and Spicy, claiming her superpower is "money." Sugar is also present with the rest of the New Directions when Finn announces their new recruits and later on, the theme of the week. Sugar seemed to be enjoying Jake and Ryder's performance of Superman, until the boys start brawling with each other. Sugar, along with some of the other girls, begins screaming and asks Finn to break them apart. She is later shocked to learn that Blaine has possibly transferred back to the Dalton Academy in order to re-join the Warblers. She also joins the New Directions in painting over a graffiti-covered wall during Heroes, kissing Artie and having a good time. She dances with the New Directions in Some Nights and provides backup vocals.
Sugar is first seen practicing for sectionals with the other New Directions while being observed by Marley. Later, Sugar watches the Unholy Trinity sing Come See About Me and seemed to enjoy the performance. At sectionals, Sugar participates in Gangnam Style with the other New Directions members.
Sugar is mentioned to have quit the New Directions shortly after losing Sectionals.
Sugar doing dancing and vocals during Locked Out Of Heaven.
Sugar is revealed to be the Student Council treasurer and also seems to have rejoined New Directions. Additionally, she is shown to be a member of Tina's Too Young to Be Bitter Club. She is seen with the other New Direction members in the locker room when Tina presents her solo I Don't Know How to Love Him. After the performance, despite the obvious awkwardness, Sugar is heard cheering loudly for Tina and is later seen in the science room, participating in Tell Him with the other girls. Sugar goes to the Sadie Hawkins dance alone and sits with Lauren, Dottie, and the rest of the girls who have either been rejected or have been too nervous to ask someone. Coach Beiste encourages them to invite the boys to dance with them, and Sugar tells Lauren that she will do it if she does. The two then shake hands, and Sugar rushes over to Artie and asks him to dance with her, an offer he happily accepts. Later, Sugar sings Locked Out of Heaven with the other girls. She is last seen at the disbanding of Tina's club, but this time all the girls are happy, celebrating their success at the dance and their newfound confidence.
Sugar starts off in the Choir room with the other Glee club members, having recovered from being sick with the Asian Bird Flu. She cheers with the others when Will announces that they will be doing songs from various movies and is happy when he also says that they will be doing mashups, even suggesting that they do "The Artist" so they don't have to sing. Later, Sugar is in the library with Unique when the other members come in and both of them join in singing and dancing to the song Shout. Shortly after, Sugar and the other girls sit themselves down in the choir room to watch the guys perform their mashup of Old Time Rock and Roll/Danger Zone. During the song, Sugar is seen smacking Jake's butt. Right before leaving to get ready for her mashup, she mocks the guys and tells them to wait for it, referring to their performance. She then joins the other Glee club girls in singing Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend/Material Girl. After finding out Emma's location thanks to Finn, Sugar and the other New Direction members go with Will to where she is staying and help sing the song In Your Eyes to her. When Will announces that there is no winner of the contest, she is shown to be the most upset and almost in tears, saying "What you're saying is we're all losers!" while being comforted by Brittany. Her mood quickly changes however, when it is said by Artie that everyone gets to be in the movie he's making. She is last seen doing back-ups and dancing during Footloose with the other members of the New Directions.
Sugar is only mentioned by Ryder as not being the one, along with Tina, who is crushing on him as she wasn't in the choir room; meaning she could possibly be in another part of the school during the chaos.
Sugar makes a triumphant return, along with Joe, to prepare for Regionals and is quickly involved in preparing the competition. She also seems concerned when Ryder demands to know who Katie is. She hugs Brittany during her leaving speech and seems visibly upset at her departure. She then performs throughout Regionals enjoying all the performances, especially I Love It. She is seen cheering when the New Directions win the competition and also when Will and Emma announce their surprise wedding. She is Emma's flower girl and leads her down the aisle and celebrates the marriage with the rest of the New Directions and four of the alumni as the season ends. After this, Sugar is not seen again inexplicably.
Sugar had a brief mention by Kitty while riding with Artie on his wheelchair down the hallway after glee club as she makes a joke by saying how no wonder why Tina, Brittany, Sugar, and Betty broke up with Artie due to how he describes the chemistry between him and Kitty.
When Will is talking with Sam in the choir room, Sue comes and talk about how some Glee Club members come and go for weeks without an explanation, and how the school has an abysmal attending record, referring to Sugar and Joe.
Sue says Artie and Tina have a very good school attendance unlike other Glee Club members who disappear for months without an explanation, referring to Sugar and Joe.
With Sugar, Brittany, and Joe being absent from the team, Sam has recruited three Cheerios to replace them at Nationals.
Sue reveals that she transferred all the remaining New Directions members, however it is unknown if she transferred Sugar and Joe due to their former involvement with the group during that same year.
Sugar had a brief mention by Tina while Santana, Quinn, and Brittany introduce Mason and Madison to the rest of the team. She says even though the new members should be good singers, Sugar got in and was tone deaf. Artie retorts by saying she was hot.
Sugar dancing in "I'm So Excited"
Sugar makes another triumphant return and is first seen at the wedding taking a picture of Blaine and Kurt, in the style of "American Gothic" with Kurt holding a pitchfork. She cries during the ceremony and later dances with the others in Hey Ya!. Maribel then introduces the rest of the moms, with special guests, the Troubletones and they sing I'm So Excited. At the end of the night the newlyweds sing Our Day Will Come and request everyone grabs a partner. Sugar invites people to dance and ends up happily dancing with herself.
A photo of Sugar as Frenchy from Glease is seen besides the trophies. Also she's seen via flashback from the 2012 Sectionals, Regionals and Nationals.
Sugar appears at the end of the episode. She performs backing vocals for I Lived with the rest of the Glee Cast at the re-dedication of McKinley High's auditorium in Finn Hudson's honor.Personality[]
Sugar has self-diagnosed Asperger's Syndrome, stating that she can "pretty much say whatever she wants." Her condition gives her an excuse for the constant insults she hands out. She initially believes she is talented and better than everyone in the Glee Club despite her clear lack of musical ability. However, after a while she seems to have mellowed, becoming a generally nicer person; in I Kissed a Girl she not only performs with the New Directions' girls to help Santana but also seems to be talking in a friendly way with New Directions members throughout the episode. In Props, she appears to have acknowledged her lack of singing talent, saying she wants a solo even though she "can't sing."
She also is seen enjoying the performances of Perfect, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, and Constant Craving, and her singing seems to have improved to the point that she can sing backing vocals as she sings along in the background to I Kissed A Girl, as well as her backing vocals in Troubletones performances. In Yes/No, she gets a solo line in Summer Nights. In Choke, she sings and dances in Cell Block Tango as one of the six merry murderesses, and sang the 'Six' story - although her part is not featured in the episode.
Sugar tends to be rather quirky, making exaggerated gestures and odd faces in the background. While she is usually self-centered, she does show concern for others, like in Sadie Hawkins, when she invited Tina to dance with her and Artie after her date left her.
Relationships[]
- Main article: Artie-Sugar Relationship (Sugartie/Abramotta)
In Makeover, Artie states that Sugar had invited him to go horseback riding for a date. In Dynamic Duets, the two are seen making out during the paint fight.
In Sadie Hawkins, Sugar gains the courage to ask Artie to dance with her thanks to Coach Beiste. He says yes, and the two are then seen dancing and hanging out with each other for the rest of the dance.
- Main article: Rory-Sugar Relationship (Sugory/Flamotta)
Songs[]
Total - 9
- Solos (In a Group Number)
| Season Three | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Song | Episode | Solos with | |
| Candyman | Pot o' Gold | Brittany, Mercedes, and Santana | |
| Survivor/I Will Survive | Hold on to Sixteen | ||
| Summer Nights | Yes/No | Finn, Kurt, Mercedes, Puck, Rory, Sam, Santana, and Tina | |
| Love Shack | Heart | Blaine, Brittany, Kurt, Mercedes, and Rachel | |
| Cell Block Tango | Choke | Brittany, Mercedes, Santana, and Tina | |
| In My Life | Goodbye | Artie, Blaine, Joe, Rory, Sam, and Tina | |
- Back-up singing
| Season Three | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Song | Episode | Sung by | Backup with |
| It's All Coming Back to Me Now | Nationals | Rachel | Blaine, Mike, Quinn, Rory, and Tina |
- Unreleased Songs
- Big Spender from Sweet Charity (The Purple Piano Project)
- I Am a Shining Star by Glee (with Shelby Corcoran) (I Am Unicorn)
Appearances[]
| Glee: Season 3 | |||||||||||
| "The Purple Piano Project" Appears |
"I Am Unicorn" Appears |
"Asian F" Absent |
"Pot o' Gold" Appears |
"The First Time" Absent |
"Mash Off" Appears |
"I Kissed a Girl" Appears |
"Hold on to Sixteen" Appears |
"Extraordinary Merry Christmas" Absent |
"Yes/No" Appears |
"Michael" Absent | |
| "The Spanish Teacher" Appears |
"Heart" Appears |
"On My Way" Appears |
"Big Brother" Appears |
"Saturday Night Glee-ver" Absent |
"Dance With Somebody" Absent |
"Choke" Appears |
"Prom-asaurus" Absent |
"Props" Appears |
"Nationals" Appears |
"Goodbye" Appears | |
| Glee: Season 4 | |||||||||||
| "The New Rachel" Appears |
"Britney 2.0" Absent |
"Makeover" Appears |
"The Break-Up" Absent |
"The Role You Were Born to Play" Appears |
"Glease" Appears |
"Dynamic Duets" Appears |
"Thanksgiving" Appears |
"Swan Song" Absent |
"Glee, Actually" Absent |
"Sadie Hawkins" Appears | |
| "Naked" Absent |
"Diva" Absent |
"I Do" Absent |
"Girls (and Boys) on Film" Appears |
"Feud" Absent |
"Guilty Pleasures" Absent |
"Shooting Star" Absent |
"Sweet Dreams" Absent |
"Lights Out" Absent |
"Wonder-ful" Absent |
"All or Nothing" Appears | |
| Glee: Season 6 | |||||||||||
| "Loser Like Me" Absent |
"Homecoming" Absent |
"Jagged Little Tapestry" Absent |
"The Hurt Locker, Part One" Absent |
"The Hurt Locker, Part Two" Absent |
"What the World Needs Now" Absent | ||||||
| "Transitioning" Absent |
"A Wedding" Appears |
"Child Star" Absent |
"The Rise and Fall of Sue Sylvester" Absent |
"We Built This Glee Club" Absent |
"2009" Absent |
"Dreams Come True" Appears | |||||
Trivia[]
- Her name may be a reference to the song, and perhaps the band as well, Sugar Water by Cibo Matto, which was played in the final episode of Nip/Tuck, a show created by Glee show runner Ryan Murphy.
- She is one of seven New Directions that has not been slushied on screen. The other six being Brittany Pierce, Lauren Zizes, Matt Rutherford, Joe Hart, Kitty Wilde, and Ryder Lynn.
- Although she admits she can't sing in Props, Sugar demonstrates some vocal talent in several group numbers. Her singing improved later on in the fourth season and mostly she usually sings in the background.
- Sugar and Joe did not appear in the fifth season with no explanation. However, they both returned for the sixth and final season.
- Sugar was the only member in the New Directions to not sing a solo at Regionals. (All or Nothing).
- Sugar and Matt are the only former New Directions members to never appear in any Christmas or prom episodes.
- She was only supposed to appear in The Purple Piano Project, but the writers liked her character and decided to write her into more episodes.
- She's the only character that managed to be in the New Directions for a long time despite not having the ability to sing (she is tone-deaf).
- She was meant to sing Sugar, Sugar by The Archies in Pot o' Gold and Mr. Saxobeat by Alexandra Stan in The Spanish Teacher.
Gallery[]
Quotes[]
- Main article: Sugar's Quotations
[]
| New Directions | ||
| Directors | Emma Pillsbury • Finn Hudson • Holly Holliday • Kurt Hummel • Rachel Berry • Sam Evans • Will Schuester | |
| Members | Alistair • Jane Hayward • Madison McCarthy • Mason McCarthy • Myron Muskovitz • Spencer Porter | |
| Alumni | Artie Abrams • Blaine Anderson • Brittany Pierce • Quinn Fabray • Finn Hudson • Kitty Wilde • Kurt Hummel • Mercedes Jones • Mike Chang • Noah Puckerman • Rachel Berry • Roderick Meeks • Sam Evans • Santana Lopez • Skylar • Tina Cohen-Chang • Unique Adams | |
| Former Members | April Rhodes • Joe Hart • Jesse St. James • Lauren Zizes • Matt Rutherford • Rory Flanagan • Sugar Motta • Sunshine Corazon • Marley Rose • Jake Puckerman • Ryder Lynn | |
| Related | New Directions Boys • New Directions Girls • Dalton Academy Warblers • Sue Sylvester • Dakota Stanley • Bassist • Drummer | |