Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub and Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride: Difference between pages

Latest revision as of 15:59, 30 November 2022

Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/images/south_park/episode_thumbnails/s01e04_720.jpg?width=285

Season	s01
Episode	e04
Written By	Trey Parker
Production Code	0104
Original Air Date	1997-09-03

Episode Chronology

Previous
Volcano
Next
An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig

Story

If you live in Latin America, you cannot see this episode in his original language

When Stan discovers his new dog Sparky is gay, he becomes so confused he loses his will to play in the Homecoming football game against Middle Park.

Description

Stan gets a new dog named Sparky, who turns out to be gay. Frustrated, he wishes out loud for a butch pet. Sparky overhears and runs away.

The distraction couldn't come at a worse time, because Stan quarterbacks the school football team, the South Park Cows, who are about to play the Middle Park Cowboys. Jimbo Kern bets that the boys can beat the game's absurd 72-point spread, and everyone in the town follows suit. They vow to make Jimbo pay if he steers them wrong.

Jimbo and Ned Gerblansky decide to improve the odds. Learning that John Stamos' brother, Richard Stamos, will sing "Lovin' You" at halftime, they wire the opposing team's mascot, a horse named Enrique, with a bomb that's set to explode when Richard hits the song's high F note.

Stan ditches the game to look for Sparky. On the edge of town he meets Big Gay Al, proprietor of Big Gay Al's Big Gay Animal Sanctuary, where Sparky now lives. Big Gay Al takes Stan for a voyage on Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride -- an excursion into the history of gayness. Stan accepts Sparky just as he is, and they return to town together.

Meanwhile, back at the game, South Park is getting pummeled. At halftime Richard Stamos sings, but he fails to hit the fateful high F note and the bomb on Enrique doesn't detonate. Suddenly Stan and Sparky appear. Stan takes the field and lofts the ball to Kyle, who scores a touchdown as the clock runs out. The final score is 73 to 6 -- South Park beats the spread.

Stan leads the townspeople to Big Gay Al's Big Gay Animal Sanctuary, only to find it gone. However the pets are still there, and they joyously reunite with their former owners. Stan finally spots Big Gay Al, who thanks him for helping find homes for his charges. Then he steps into a suitcase, closes it and rockets off into space. Then Enrique finally explodes.

What I Learned Today

"It's OK to be gay! Being gay is just a part of nature and a beautiful thing!"

Memorable Quotes

"Stan's dog's a homo!" (Eric Cartman)
"I'm super, thanks for asking!" (Big Gay Al)
"Oh my! I haven't seen a Jew run like that since Poland, 1938!" (Sports Announcer)
"Football is like making love to a really beautiful women; You can't always score, but when you do it makes all the trying worth while." (Chef)
"We treat star athletes better because they're better people." (Mr. Garrison)
"You know what they say, 'you can't teach a gay dog straight tricks.'" (Chef)

Characters

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/stan-marsh.png?height=98
Stan Marsh

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/kyle-broflovski.png?height=98
Kyle Broflovski

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/eric-cartman.png?height=98
Eric Cartman

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/kenny-mccormick.png?height=98
Kenny McCormick

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/clyde-donovan.png?height=98
Clyde Donovan

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/chef.png?height=98
Jerome "Chef" McElroy

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/mrgarrison.png?height=98
Herbert Garrison

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/ned-gerblanski.png?height=98
Ned Gerblansky

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/jimbo-kern.png?height=98
Jimbo Kern

Character Debuts

Stan's homosexual dog Sparky is introduced along with Big Gay Al. We also meet Bill Allen and Fosse McDonald, the boys' classmates who like to call things gay.

Finally we can see Jesus Christ on his show Jesus and Pals.

Not counting the Unaired Pilot, this is the first time in the series where we hear Pip Pirrup speaking (though he does let out a scream after being lit on fire in Cartman Gets an Anal Probe).

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/non-human/sparky.png?height=98
Sparky

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/biggayal.png?height=98
Big Gay Al

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/bill-allen.png?height=98
Bill Allen

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/fossie-mcdonald.png?height=98
Fosse McDonald

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/celebrities/jesus.png?height=98
Jesus Christ

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/pip-pirrup.png?height=98
Pip Pirrup

Body Count

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/kenny-mccormick.png?height=98
Kenny McCormick

Locations

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/busstop.jpg
Bus Stop

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/marsh-house.jpg
Marsh Residence

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/publicbuildings-middle-park-elementary-school.png
Middle Park Elementary

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/school.jpg
South Park Elementary

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/sports-book.jpg
Sports Book

Songs

"Lovin' You" by Rudolph / Riperton sang by Jimbo

Original Songs

Gay is Okay!
Love the football
Now You're a Man!

Behind The Scenes

The episode explores and promotes tolerance of homosexuals, pushing the boundaries of conservative attitudes toward homosexuality at the time. Trey and Matt credit this episode and "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" for elevating South Park's credibility early on with their moral themes.

Where Did The Idea Come From

Trey and Matt wanted to write a scenario about a boy trying to convince his dog not to be homosexual. Also a childhood friend of Trey and Matt claimed Big Gay Al is supposedly based on a real life resident in Fairplay, Colorado who cross-dressed and lived out of town. On the contrary, Matt said the character came from the show's producer and writer Pam Brady.

Pop Culture References

Shout Outs

Sparky is voiced by George Clooney.

Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride is a parody of the ride It's a Small World, the popular attraction in several Disneyland theme parks. Both are water rides that feature animatronic dolls of different ethnicities dancing and singing. An animatronic version of Brian Boitano can be seen gaily ice skating.

Big Gay Al's peculiar departure at the end of the episode is an homage to a scene from the movie Seven Faces of Dr. Lao.

Even though the assignment was on "Asian Cultures", Cartman gives a presentation on the 1980's detective show Simon and Simon, saying "And so you see, Simon and Simon weren't brothers in real life. Only on television." He gets a D-.

Stan wishes his dog Sparky would be "a Rin Tin Tin". Rin Tin Tin was a German Shepherd who starred in multiple Hollywood films in the '20s and '30s and gained international fame.

Pwn'd

Full House star John Stamos' older brother, Richard. Though he probably doesn't count, because Matt and Trey made him up.

English actor Hugh Grant. When Pip who isn't equipped with a helmet gets pummeled during the game, one of the announcers says, "I haven't seen an Englishman take a blow like that since Hugh Grant." This is in reference to his 1995 arrest for having public oral sex with Hollywood prostitute Divine Brown.

Bonus Factoids

Award Nominations

This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" was also nominated in the Outstanding TV - Individual Episode category for the 1998 GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Media Awards. Lastly, this episode was submitted when South Park won the CableACE Award for Best Animated Series in 1997, the last year the awards were given out.

Pointless Observations

This is the first episode in South Park that centers around the topic of homosexuality and it certainly isn't the last.
Mr. Garrison is called out for being gay for the first time. Chef mentions how "he, of all people, should be accepting towards gays," sighting his overt gay tendencies. Garrison denies it as he will continue to do until he finally confronts his homosexuality in "Fourth Grade".
A few equations written on Mr. Garrison's chalkboard do not mathematically make sense, such as "πr²=2πr". πr² calculates the area of a circle while 2πr calculates the circumference. They do not equal to one another unless r=0 or r=2.
Two Visitors can be seen in the bleacher crowd as the Middle Park team gets off its bus.

Season 1

e1 Cartman Gets an Anal Probe
e2 Weight Gain 4000
e3 Volcano
e4 Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride
e5 An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig
e6 Death
e7 Pinkeye
e8 Damien
e9 Starvin' Marvin
e10 Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo
e11 Tom's Rhinoplasty
e12 Mecha-Streisand
e13 Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Episode_Infobox
-|Title=Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub
+|Title=Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride
-|Season=03
+|Season=01
-|Episode=08
+|Episode=04
 |Author=Trey Parker
 |Director=Trey Parker
-|Airdate=1999-07-21
+|Airdate=1997-09-03
-|Image=http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/images/shows/south-park/episode-thumbnails/season-3/south-park-s03e08-two-guys-naked-in-a-hot-tub.jpg
+|Image=http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/images/south_park/episode_thumbnails/s01e04_480.jpg
-|Number=39
+|Number=4
-|Prev=[[Cat Orgy]]
+|Guest=George Clooney as Sparky
-|Next=[[Jewbilee]]
+|Prev=[[Volcano]]
+|Next=[[An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig]]
 }}
 ==Story==
-Stan is dragged to Mr. Mackey's meteor shower party and sent down into the basement to play with Pip, Butters and Dougie. Randy and Gerald share an intimate moment in a hot tub.
+If you live in Latin America, you cannot see this episode in his original language
+When Stan discovers his new dog Sparky is gay, he becomes so confused he loses his will to play in the Homecoming football game against Middle Park.
 ===Description===
-Stan is forced by his parents to attend Mr. Mackey's meteor shower party, where he's locked in the basement along with the school's lamest kids or "Melvins": Pip, a first-grader named Dougie, and Butters. Stan tries to escape the basement but the Melvins decide to dress up in women's clothing and play Charlie's Angels. They ask Stan to be Bosley, who plays along and gives them the "mission" of finding a way out.
+[[Stan]] gets a new dog named [[Sparky]], who turns out to be gay. Frustrated, he wishes out loud for a butch pet. Sparky overhears and runs away.
+The distraction couldn't come at a worse time, because Stan quarterbacks the school football team, the South Park Cows, who are about to play the Middle Park Cowboys. [[Jimbo Kern]] bets that the boys can beat the game's absurd 72-point spread, and everyone in the town follows suit. They vow to make Jimbo pay if he steers them wrong.
+Jimbo and [[Ned Gerblansky]] decide to improve the odds. Learning that John Stamos' brother, [[Richard Stamos]], will sing "Lovin' You" at halftime, they wire the opposing team's mascot, a horse named [[Enrique]], with a bomb that's set to explode when Richard hits the song's high F note.
-Meanwhile Stan's dad Randy and Kyle's dad Gerald climb naked into Mr. Mackey's new hot tub and discuss their mutual desire to watch another man masturbate. They promptly fulfill that desire with each other.
+Stan ditches the game to look for Sparky. On the edge of town he meets [[Big Gay Al]], proprietor of Big Gay Al's Big Gay Animal Sanctuary, where Sparky now lives. Big Gay Al takes Stan for a voyage on Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride -- an excursion into the history of gayness. Stan accepts Sparky just as he is, and they return to town together.
-Stan and the Melvins exit the basement via an air duct, locate a TV and discover that agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) have surrounded the house. The ATF believes the party guests are cult members planning to commit suicide.  To counter this crazed cult suicide, the ATF prepares to storm the house and kill everyone.  The boys make a video proving that there's nothing going on in the house, then smuggle it out to the press. Disaster is more-or-less averted.
+Meanwhile, back at the game, South Park is getting pummeled. At halftime Richard Stamos sings, but he fails to hit the fateful high F note and the bomb on Enrique doesn't detonate. Suddenly Stan and Sparky appear. Stan takes the field and lofts the ball to Kyle, who scores a touchdown as the clock runs out. The final score is 73 to 6 -- South Park beats the spread.
-While the life-or-death struggle with the ATF plays out, Randy spends the party moping around, freaked out by the masturbation session in the hot tub. But he feels better when he learns that pretty much every other male at the gathering has done something similar. Is it gay? "Well, maybe a little," Jimbo says. "But we're all a little gay."
+Stan leads the townspeople to Big Gay Al's Big Gay Animal Sanctuary, only to find it gone. However the pets are still there, and they joyously reunite with their former owners. Stan finally spots Big Gay Al, who thanks him for helping find homes for his charges. Then he steps into a suitcase, closes it and rockets off into space. Then Enrique finally explodes.
 ===What I Learned Today===
-"I used to call you guys Melvins. But you're just kids like me. We separate you in school because you talk different and study too hard, and you've proven tonight that we can all get along."
+"It's OK to be gay!  Being gay is just a part of nature and a beautiful thing!"
 ===Memorable Quotes===
-* "All right, let's get ready to kick some religious fanatic ass." - ([[ATF Commander]])
+* "Stan's dog's a homo!" ([[Eric Cartman]])
-* "You can't just hang out with your buddy Kyle all the time.  People will think you're you know funny."  ([[Randy Marsh]])
+* "I'm super, thanks for asking!" ([[Big Gay Al]])
-* "This sounds as fun as Wickershams and Decklers!" ([[Pip Pirrup]])
+* "Oh my! I haven't seen a Jew run like that since Poland, 1938!" (Sports Announcer)
-* "Well, it is a night for experimenting." ([[Randy Marsh]])
+* "Football is like making love to a really beautiful women; You can't always score, but when you do it makes all the trying worth while."  ([[Chef]])
-* "Those sick cult-fanatic bastards!"  (Newscaster)
+* "We treat star athletes better because they're better people."  ([[Mr. Garrison]])
-* "Did I do a nice job, really?" ([[Pip Pirrup]])
+* "You know what they say, 'you can't teach a gay dog straight tricks.'" ([[Chef]])
-* "Well, it's not like you're the only guy who's ever watched another guy masturbate."  ([[Mr. Mackey]])
 ==Characters==
 {{Character list
 | Name = Stan Marsh
@@ Line 46: / Line 53: @@
 }}
 {{Character list
-| Name = Pip Pirrup
+| Name = Eric Cartman
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/pip-pirrup.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/eric-cartman.png
 }}
 {{Character list
-| Name = Mr. Mackey
+| Name = Kenny McCormick
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/mackey.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/kenny-mccormick.png
 }}
 {{Character list
-| Name = Juanita
+| Name = Clyde Donovan
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/adults-townsfolk-juanita.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/clyde-donovan.png
 }}
 {{Character list
-| Name = Randy Marsh
+| Name = Jerome "Chef" McElroy
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/randy-marsh.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/chef.png
 }}
 {{Character list
-| Name = Sharon Marsh
+| Name = Herbert Garrison
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/sharon-marsh.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/mrgarrison.png
 }}
 {{Character list
-| Name = Gerald Broflovski
+| Name = Ned Gerblansky
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/gerald-broflovski.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/ned-gerblanski.png
 }}
 {{Character list
-| Name = Sheila Broflovski
+| Name = Jimbo Kern
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/sheila-broflovski.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/jimbo-kern.png
 }}
+<char name="Richard Stamos" image="http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/richard-stamos.png"/>
+<char name="Sylvester" image="http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/groups/groups-special-education-sylvester.png"/>
+===Character Debuts===
+Stan's homosexual dog [[Sparky]] is introduced along with [[Big Gay Al]]. We also meet [[Bill Allen]] and [[Fosse McDonald]], the boys' classmates who like to call things gay.
+Finally we can see [[Jesus Christ]] on his show <i>Jesus and Pals</i>.
+Not counting the Unaired Pilot, this is the first time in the series where we hear [[Pip Pirrup]] speaking (though he does let out a scream after being lit on fire in [[Cartman Gets an Anal Probe]]).
 {{Character list
-| Name = Herbert Garrison
+| Name = Sparky
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/mrgarrison.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/non-human/sparky.png
 }}
 {{Character list
-| Name = Mr. Hat
+| Name = Big Gay Al
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/alter-egos/mr-hat.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/biggayal.png
 }}
 {{Character list
-| Name = ATF Agents
+| Name = Bill Allen
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/adults-federal-government-military-atf-agents.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/bill-allen.png
 }}
 {{Character list
-| Name = ATF Commander Danny Ganz
+| Name = Fosse McDonald
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/adults-federal-government-military-atf-commander-danny-ganz.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/fossie-mcdonald.png
 }}
 {{Character list
-| Name = Officer Barbrady
+| Name = Jesus Christ
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/officer-barbrady.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/celebrities/jesus.png
 }}
 {{Character list
-| Name = Derek Smalls
+| Name = Pip Pirrup
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/derek-smalls.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/pip-pirrup.png
 }}
+<char name="Enrique the horse" image="http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/non-human/animals-enrique.png"/>
+===Body Count===
 {{Character list
-| Name = Jimbo Kern
+| Name = Kenny McCormick
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/jimbo-kern.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/kenny-mccormick.png
 }}
-{{Character list
-| Name = Ned Gerblansky
+==Locations==
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/ned-gerblanski.png
+{{Location list
+| Name = Bus Stop
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/busstop.jpg
 }}
-{{Character list
+{{Location list
-| Name = The Melvins
+| Name = Marsh Residence
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/alter-egos/the-melvins.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/marsh-house.jpg
 }}
+{{Location list
-===Character Debuts===
+| Name = Middle Park Elementary
-[[Butters Stotch]] plays his first major role in this episode, having more than a few lines than his speaking debut in "[[Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods]]". Though not fully developed in this episode yet, Butters' shy, stuttering Southern accent was modeled after ''South Park'''s Director of Animation Eric Stough.
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/publicbuildings-middle-park-elementary-school.png
-Introduced as a first-grader, [[Dougie]] makes his first appearance who would surface again three seasons later as Professor Chaos' sidekick General Disarray in the episode "[[Professor Chaos]]".
-Finally we see Cameron, the big burly guy that is friends and have masturbated with Jimbo.
-{{Character list
-| Name = Butters Stotch
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/butters-stotch.png
 }}
-{{Character list
+{{Location list
-| Name = Dougie
+| Name = South Park Elementary
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/dougie.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/school.jpg
 }}
-{{Character list
+{{Location list
-| Name = Cameron
+| Name = Sports Book
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/cameron.png
+| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/sports-book.jpg
 }}
-===Body Count===
+==Songs==
-Eight partygoers gunned down by the ATF as they try to leave Mr. Mackey's house. Four homes are blown up.
+* "Lovin' You" by Rudolph / Riperton sang by Jimbo
-==Locations==
+===Original Songs===
-{{Location list
+* [http://southpark.cc.com/clips/149822/big-gay-boat-ride Gay is Okay!]
-| Name = Mr. Mackey Residence
+* [http://southpark.cc.com/clips/149741/love-the-football Love the football]
-| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/residential-mr-mackey-child-residence.png
+* Now You're a Man!
-}}
 ==Behind The Scenes==
+The episode explores and promotes tolerance of homosexuals, pushing the boundaries of conservative attitudes toward homosexuality at the time. Trey and Matt credit this episode and "[[Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo]]" for elevating <i>South Park</i>'s credibility early on with their moral themes.
 ===Where Did The Idea Come From===
-"Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub" is the second of three different stories that all take place on the same night, also known as the Meteor Shower Trilogy. This episode revolves around Stan.
+Trey and Matt wanted to write a scenario about a boy trying to convince his dog not to be homosexual. Also a childhood friend of Trey and Matt claimed Big Gay Al is supposedly based on a real life resident in Fairplay, Colorado who cross-dressed and lived out of town. On the contrary, Matt said the character came from the show's producer and writer Pam Brady.
-The episode was a satire of the Waco Seige, a 51-day blockade initiated by the ATF then the FBI against the Branch Davidians religious group in Waco, Texas. A final attack was launched when the FBI voiced concerns of potential child sexual abuse and mass suicide inside the cult's compound. The siege ended when the compound burned down, killing most of the Branch Davidian members. They allegedly started the fire themselves to commit suicide, however the origin of the fire remains highly disputed.
+==Pop Culture References==
-==Pop Culture References==
 ===Shout Outs===
-The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is a department that regulates the listed controlled substances and weapons in the United States. In 2001 they were renamed The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
+Sparky is voiced by George Clooney.
-The ATF hold a siege outside of Mr. Mackey's party, believing inside is actually a cult planning to commit suicide during the meteor shower. This is a reference to a religious cult called Heaven's Gate that committed suicide during the passing of Comet Hale–Bopp in 1997.
+Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride is a parody of the ride It's a Small World, the popular attraction in several Disneyland theme parks. Both are water rides that feature animatronic dolls of different ethnicities dancing and singing. An animatronic version of Brian Boitano can be seen gaily ice skating.
-Reporter Derek Smalls (named Kevin McCarty in "[[Sexual Harassment Panda (episode)|Sexual Harassment Panda]]") is named after the character from 1984 music mockumentary ''This Is Spinal Tap''. Derek Smalls was the bassist for the parody heavy metal band Spinal Tap.
+Big Gay Al's peculiar departure at the end of the episode is an homage to a scene from the movie <i>Seven Faces of Dr. Lao</i>.
-After finding women's clothes, the Melvins immediately decide they should play Charlie's Angels, inspired by the television series of the same name.  Butters and Pip both want to be Jacquelin Smith, who plays the character Kelly Garrett. Eventually Butters wins, leaving Pip to play Sabrina Duncan, who is played by actress Kate Jackson.
+Even though the assignment was on "Asian Cultures", Cartman gives a presentation on the 1980's detective show <i>Simon and Simon</i>, saying "And so you see, Simon and Simon weren't brothers in real life.  Only on television." He gets a D-.
-Randy freaks out when he overhears two party guests gossiping about who they heard was gay. They were talking about Ricky Martin, whose song "Livin' la Vida Loca" was popular at the time this episode aired. ''South Park'' jokingly anticipated Ricky Martin's sexual orientation; on March 29, 2010, he officially stated that he was gay on his own website.
+Stan wishes his dog Sparky would be "a Rin Tin Tin". Rin Tin Tin was a German Shepherd who starred in multiple Hollywood films in the '20s and '30s and gained international fame.
-There is a painting of ''The Scream'' above the bed in Mr. Mackey's bedroom.
+===Pwn'd===
+<i>Full House</i> star John Stamos' older brother, Richard. Though he probably doesn't count, because Matt and Trey made him up.
-===Pwn'd===
+English actor Hugh Grant. When Pip who isn't equipped with a helmet gets pummeled during the game, one of the announcers says, "I haven't seen an Englishman take a blow like that since Hugh Grant." This is in reference to his 1995 arrest for having public oral sex with Hollywood prostitute Divine Brown.
-Cher, whose new album is used by the ATF in front of Mr. Mackey's house. "This is what we did in Waco: play really bad music really loud until it drives them nuts and makes them want to come out." The song they play is a parody of Cher's 1998 hit song "Believe", impersonated by ''South Park'' former writer Pam Brady. Ironically Mr. Mackey's party guests love the song.
 ==Bonus Factoids==
+===Award Nominations===
+This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" was also nominated in the Outstanding TV - Individual Episode category for the 1998 GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Media Awards. Lastly, this episode was submitted when <i>South Park</i> won the CableACE Award for Best Animated Series in 1997, the last year the awards were given out.
 ===Pointless Observations===
-* In an early scene Cartman's mom is shown at the party talking on the phone to her son, a direct reference to events in the first installment of the Meteor Shower Trilogy, "[[Cat Orgy]]".
+* This is the first episode in <i>South Park</i> that centers around the topic of homosexuality and it certainly isn't the last.
-* The instrumental version of "Wild Wild West Rap" from "[[Cat Orgy]]" can be heard playing in the background of the party during the scene where Dougie is taping his report. Later, an instrumental version of "Stinky Britches" from "[[Chef Aid]]" plays.
+* Mr. Garrison is called out for being gay for the first time. Chef mentions how "he, of all people, should be accepting towards gays," sighting his overt gay tendencies.  Garrison denies it as he will continue to do until he finally confronts his homosexuality in "[[Fourth Grade]]".
-* [[Christophe "The Mole"]] from ''South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut'' appears on the ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' talk show while Stan is channel surfing on Mr. Mackey's T.V.
+* A few equations written on Mr. Garrison's chalkboard do not mathematically make sense, such as "πr<sup>2</sup>=2πr". πr<sup>2</sup> calculates the area of a circle while 2πr calculates the circumference. They do not equal to one another unless r=0 or r=2.
-* Negotiators are people who try to find compromise in dangerous situations. Here, "The Negotiator" is just a large cannon which the ATF points directly at Mackey's house.
+* Two Visitors can be seen in the bleacher crowd as the Middle Park team gets off its bus.
-* Pip was apparently an Archery-class esquire at Staffordshire, a county in the West Midlands region of England.
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