Keith Dudemeister

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Dr. Keith Dudemeister, played by Travis Schuldt, is a fictional character in the American sitcom Scrubs.

Profile

Keith is introduced as an intern at Sacred Heart Hospital. He first appears in "My Intern's Eyes" as very timid, with only one item on the to-do list he carried around: "Find courage to talk." In the first episode with Keith, he is never actually seen, but the camera shows his point-of-view multiple times throughout the episode, in which he only speaks one time, at the very end. With series protagonist J.D.'s encouragement, he quickly grows more confident in his abilities. J.D. soon comes to dislike Keith, partly because, as revealed in My Rite of Passage he (like the other interns) only pretends to like his jokes as J.D. has a position of authority over him. The true reason for J.D.'s dislike of Keith was jealousy at how quickly he adapts to hospital responsibilities and his popularity. J.D.'s distaste for Keith is further exacerbated when J.D.'s ex-girlfriend Elliot Reid makes Keith her "booty call." In one instance he gives all his other interns nicknames to make Keith feel left out, spawning the gag that may have been the sole purpose for Keith's rarely-referenced surname in the series:

Keith: How come I don't get a nickname?
J.D.: Not everyone's last name lends itself to a nickname, Keith.
Keith: My last name is "Dudemeister!"
J.D.: And what am I supposed to do with that, okay? I'm not a magician!

J.D. tries to get Keith fired, but the plan backfires and results in the dismissal of J.D.'s favorite intern, Cabbage. Even Dr. Perry Cox admits that 'Keith is the best intern we've got'. Ultimately, when Keith and Elliot's relationship becomes romantic as well as sexual, J.D. decides that since Elliot likes Keith so much, he has no choice but to like him too. J.D. even stands up for Keith's genuine skills under the scorn of many other interns.

A year after Keith starts dating Elliot, he and J.D. are on good terms. At one point, J.D. suggests that if Elliot had never come to Sacred Heart, the absence of sexual tension between himself and her would probably have allowed him and Keith to become best friends.

In the episode "My Best Friend's Baby's Baby and My Baby's Baby" he admits that Elliot sometimes makes him wear diapers because she loves babies.

Keith is in his third year at Sacred Heart, so he is now a resident. His last name is confirmed by Elliot to be German for "Master of Dudes," though the word "Dude" does not exist in the German language. Their relationship is strengthened in "His Story IV" when they find out that they are both Republicans:

(Elliot and Keith are making out in the supply closet after they discover each other's party affiliation)
Keith: President Reagan should be on the one dollar bill.
Elliot: Oh God, that's hot!
(Elliot and Keith continue to make out) Elliot: What do you think about Hillary?
Keith: I hate that bitch.

In "My Therapeutic Month" Keith moves in with Elliot; in "My Words of Wisdom", Elliot finally admits that she loves him.

Keith has a sister, Denise, whom he made out with in the sixth grade, according to "My Bright Idea."

Keith proposes to Elliot at the end of "My Turf War," and she says yes in the following episode . They go on to begin planning the wedding and are due to be married in the third weekend of July, which may take place at the beginning of Season 7. In "My Conventional Wisdom", Elliot begins having doubts about the wedding and this continues into the Season 6 finale "My Point of No Return", when Elliot spends a night discussing her doubts about Keith with J.D. They then discuss their past relationships together and realize that they have each "passed the point of no return" in their relationships and need to do something major to escape from them. They then lean in for a kiss as the episode ends. In the season 7 premiere, My Own Worst Enemy, Elliot tells Keith she doesn't love him and breaks off the engagement. Their relationship remains strained because of this, with Keith claiming that Elliot "Ruined his life". Since then, he has remained largely unseen on screen.

References

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Last updated on Friday February 29, 2008 at 10:47:58 PST (GMT -0800)
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