Crème Fraiche (South Park)
Encyclopedia
"Crème Fraiche" is the 14th episode and season finale of the 14th season
of American animated series South Park
. It is the 209th episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central
in the United States on November 17, 2010. In the episode, Stan
's life is reduced to shambles both at home and in school due to Randy's new obsession with the Food Network. It is changing everything and even forces Sharon to explore a new interest of her own.
The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker
, and was rated TV-MA L in the United States. In its original American broadcast on November 17, 2010, "Crème Fraiche" was watched by 2.87 million viewers, according to the Nielsen Media Research. It was the highest viewed scripted show. It received a 1.9 rating/5% share among adult viewers between ages 18 and 49.
. Spending whole nights watching these shows inspires him to replicate the recipes and serve them to his family but leave the task of cleaning to them. Sharon becomes fed up with Randy's behavior, and assumes his fetish
for cooking must be because she has become unattractive to him. Encouraged by Sheila Broflovski and TV commercials for the Shake Weight
exercise equipment, she eventually buys one with a digital voice which constantly advises, flatters, and instructs her during exercises. In line with the general parody
of this device seen in United States popular culture since its debut, exercise with the Shake Weight blatantly resembles a handjob
— complete with "release
" of a "cooling fluid
" on the exerciser's face when "done
". Sharon's Shake Weight also dispenses "cab fare" into her palm and goes to "sleep mode" (resembling a flaccid penis) at workout's conclusion. At one point it coaxes Sharon into sticking her finger into a backside receptacle
, ostensibly to take her pulse
, as described on TV.
At South Park Elementary, Randy is discovered to have taken over as cafeteria chef (embracing his predecessor
's mannerisms), having quit his job to do so. Ignoring the planned school lunch menus, Randy cooks a variety of extremely gourmet
food dishes clearly both too complex for, and not to the liking of, the students. Randy then forces Stan, Kyle
, Cartman
and Kenny
to film himself as if he were on his own cooking show. Cartman
attempts to impersonate chef Gordon Ramsay
to try and discourage Randy's passion for cooking, but the plan falls apart when various celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver
and Bobby Flay
arrive in the cafeteria to start a new competitive cooking show, entitled Hell's Kitchen Nightmares Iron Top Chef Cafeteria Throwdown Ultimate Cookoff Challenge.
Sharon is increasingly drawn to her Shake Weight and takes a vacation to a beach resort to exercise with it in private. A short time later however, the cleaning lady in Sharon's hotel room is caught exercising with the Shake Weight, and Sharon is angry and calls the Shake Weight company headquarters to return it.
Back at the cafeteria, where students have waited 12 hours for a meal after the kitchen was taken over by the chefs, Randy eventually leaves for home when he cannot find his key ingredient, crème fraiche
. Sharon coincidentally returns home determined to resolve whatever is wrong with their marriage thanks to Randy's obsession with cooking. When Randy mentions he has not slept for several days, Sharon offers a solution, using her experience handling the Shake Weight to give Randy an "old fashioned"
. Afterwards, Randy becomes tired and falls asleep in bed, having lost all interest in cooking, and promises to get his job back the next day. Later that night, Sharon thanks the Shake Weight, having figured out its true purpose as a marriage saver. Saying that its work is done, the Shake Weight bids farewell and shuts itself off.
. The first cooking show Randy watches (and pleasures himself to) is Guy's Big Bite
, starring Guy Fieri
. Cartman impersonates Gordon Ramsay
, which prompts other TV chefs to appear as well – Jamie Oliver
, Mario Batali
, Bobby Flay
, Masaharu Morimoto
, Alton Brown
, Giada De Laurentiis
, and Paula Deen
. The virally popular "Shake Weight
" commercial is largely referenced. Jamie Oliver's outcry is a reference to both the Channel 4
series broadcast "Jamie's School Dinners
" and the American Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
. The theme song to Randy's cooking show is a parody of the "Trololo" song performed by Eduard Khil
. The scene where Sharon "elopes" with the Shake Weight sitting on beach chairs bears a striking resemblance to a series of Corona
commercials. Terrance and Phillip return in a parody of insurance commercials, referencing Progressive
and Geico
.
, making it the most watched cable television show of the night. The episode received a 1.6 rating/3 share, meaning it was seen by 1.6 percent of the population, and 3% of people watching television at the time of the broadcast. Among male viewers between ages 18 and 34, the episode received a 2.7 rating/9 share. Among adult viewers between ages 18 and 49, "Crème Fraiche" received a 1.4 rating/4 share, falling two tenths in the ratings, however it was one of the only cable television shows that night to receive a rating higher than 1.0 among adults between 18 and 49 years of age (the other shows being Psych
, Meet the Browns
and The Ultimate Fighter
).
IGN
rated this episode 8.0 (Impressive), saying "This episode didn't waste any time with the jokes, as it opens with a dig at Carnival Cruise Lines
and how smelling like poop would actually be an improvement for their ship. That joke is quickly followed by Randy Marsh ignoring his wife's requests to avoid the "no-no" channel, and we soon find that Randy has a case of Sitophilia
(a food fetish) that is only satisfied by the sweet, sweet food love on Food Network."
set and two-disc BD
set in the United States on April 26, 2011.
South Park (season 14)
The fourteenth season of South Park, an American animated television comedy series, originally aired in the United States on Comedy Central between March 17 and November 17, 2010. The season was headed by the series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who served as executive producers along with...
of American animated series South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
. It is the 209th episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
in the United States on November 17, 2010. In the episode, Stan
Stan Marsh
Stanley Randall "Stan" Marsh is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
's life is reduced to shambles both at home and in school due to Randy's new obsession with the Food Network. It is changing everything and even forces Sharon to explore a new interest of her own.
The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker
Trey Parker
Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
, and was rated TV-MA L in the United States. In its original American broadcast on November 17, 2010, "Crème Fraiche" was watched by 2.87 million viewers, according to the Nielsen Media Research. It was the highest viewed scripted show. It received a 1.9 rating/5% share among adult viewers between ages 18 and 49.
Plot
Randy has taken an erotic interest in cooking thanks to TV programs on the Food NetworkFood Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
. Spending whole nights watching these shows inspires him to replicate the recipes and serve them to his family but leave the task of cleaning to them. Sharon becomes fed up with Randy's behavior, and assumes his fetish
Sexual fetishism
Sexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual arousal a person receives from a physical object, or from a specific situation. The object or situation of interest is called the fetish, the person a fetishist who has a fetish for that object/situation. Sexual fetishism may be regarded, e.g...
for cooking must be because she has become unattractive to him. Encouraged by Sheila Broflovski and TV commercials for the Shake Weight
Shake Weight
The Shake Weight is a modified dumbbell that creates a vibrating effect to work out muscles. As a result of the perceived sexually suggestive nature of the product, infomercial clips of the exercise device have gone viral.-Product specifications:...
exercise equipment, she eventually buys one with a digital voice which constantly advises, flatters, and instructs her during exercises. In line with the general parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of this device seen in United States popular culture since its debut, exercise with the Shake Weight blatantly resembles a handjob
Handjob
Handjob is a slang or informal word referring to an act of manual stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner, whether female or male, usually to the point of orgasm and ejaculation. The act is similar to male masturbation, though the latter is performed by a male on himself...
— complete with "release
Ejaculation
Ejaculation is the ejecting of semen from the male reproductory tract, and is usually accompanied by orgasm. It is usually the final stage and natural objective of male sexual stimulation, and an essential component of natural conception. In rare cases ejaculation occurs because of prostatic disease...
" of a "cooling fluid
Semen
Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that may contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
" on the exerciser's face when "done
Orgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
". Sharon's Shake Weight also dispenses "cab fare" into her palm and goes to "sleep mode" (resembling a flaccid penis) at workout's conclusion. At one point it coaxes Sharon into sticking her finger into a backside receptacle
Fingering (sexual act)
Fingering is the manual manipulation of the clitoris, vulva, vagina, or anus for the purpose of sexual arousal and stimulation. It may constitute the entire sexual encounter or it may be part of mutual masturbation, foreplay or other sexual activities. To "finger oneself" is to masturbate in this...
, ostensibly to take her pulse
Pulse
In medicine, one's pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the heartbeat by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed against a bone, such as at the neck , at the wrist , behind the knee , on the inside of the elbow , and near the...
, as described on TV.
At South Park Elementary, Randy is discovered to have taken over as cafeteria chef (embracing his predecessor
Chef (South Park)
Jerome "Chef" McElroy is a fictional character on the Comedy Central series South Park. He was voiced by Isaac Hayes. A cafeteria worker at the local elementary school in the town of South Park, Colorado, Chef was generally portrayed as more level-headed than the other adult residents of the town...
's mannerisms), having quit his job to do so. Ignoring the planned school lunch menus, Randy cooks a variety of extremely gourmet
Gourmet
Gourmet is a cultural ideal associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterised by elaborate preparations and presentations of large meals of small, often quite rich courses...
food dishes clearly both too complex for, and not to the liking of, the students. Randy then forces Stan, Kyle
Kyle Broflovski
Kyle Broflovski is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
, Cartman
Eric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman is a fictional character in the American animated television series South Park. One of four main characters, along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, he is generally referred to within the series by his last name...
and Kenny
Kenny McCormick
Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is one of the four central characters along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman. His oft-muffled and indiscernible speech—the result of his parka hood covering his...
to film himself as if he were on his own cooking show. Cartman
Eric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman is a fictional character in the American animated television series South Park. One of four main characters, along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, he is generally referred to within the series by his last name...
attempts to impersonate chef Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
to try and discourage Randy's passion for cooking, but the plan falls apart when various celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver
James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
and Bobby Flay
Bobby Flay
Robert William "Bobby" Flay is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur and reality television personality. He is the owner and executive chef of 12 restaurants: Mesa Grill in Las Vegas, New York City, and the Bahamas ; Bar Americain in New York City and Uncasville, Connecticut; Bobby Flay Steak...
arrive in the cafeteria to start a new competitive cooking show, entitled Hell's Kitchen Nightmares Iron Top Chef Cafeteria Throwdown Ultimate Cookoff Challenge.
Sharon is increasingly drawn to her Shake Weight and takes a vacation to a beach resort to exercise with it in private. A short time later however, the cleaning lady in Sharon's hotel room is caught exercising with the Shake Weight, and Sharon is angry and calls the Shake Weight company headquarters to return it.
Back at the cafeteria, where students have waited 12 hours for a meal after the kitchen was taken over by the chefs, Randy eventually leaves for home when he cannot find his key ingredient, crème fraiche
Crème fraîche
Crème fraîche is a soured cream containing about 28% butterfat and with a pH of around 4.5. It is soured with bacterial culture, but is less sour than sour cream. It has a comparatively high viscosity and a higher fat content....
. Sharon coincidentally returns home determined to resolve whatever is wrong with their marriage thanks to Randy's obsession with cooking. When Randy mentions he has not slept for several days, Sharon offers a solution, using her experience handling the Shake Weight to give Randy an "old fashioned"
Handjob
Handjob is a slang or informal word referring to an act of manual stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner, whether female or male, usually to the point of orgasm and ejaculation. The act is similar to male masturbation, though the latter is performed by a male on himself...
. Afterwards, Randy becomes tired and falls asleep in bed, having lost all interest in cooking, and promises to get his job back the next day. Later that night, Sharon thanks the Shake Weight, having figured out its true purpose as a marriage saver. Saying that its work is done, the Shake Weight bids farewell and shuts itself off.
Cultural references
The episode lampoons the recent rise in popularity of cooking shows on the Food NetworkFood Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
. The first cooking show Randy watches (and pleasures himself to) is Guy's Big Bite
Guy's Big Bite
Guy's Big Bite is a Food Network show starring Guy Fieri, winner of the second season of The Next Food Network Star. The inaugural six-episode season premiered on June 25, 2006 in the 10:00 am/EST timeslot. Currently Guy's Big Bite airs Sundays at 11am EST/PST.Food Network renewed the series after...
, starring Guy Fieri
Guy Fieri
Guy Fieri is an American restaurateur, author, television personality, and game show host. He co-owns five restaurants in California and is widely known for his television series on the Food Network....
. Cartman impersonates Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
, which prompts other TV chefs to appear as well – Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver
James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
, Mario Batali
Mario Batali
Mario Batali is an American chef, writer, restaurateur and media personality. In addition to his classical culinary training, he is an expert on the history and culture of Italian cuisine, including regional and local variations. Batali co-owns restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles,...
, Bobby Flay
Bobby Flay
Robert William "Bobby" Flay is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur and reality television personality. He is the owner and executive chef of 12 restaurants: Mesa Grill in Las Vegas, New York City, and the Bahamas ; Bar Americain in New York City and Uncasville, Connecticut; Bobby Flay Steak...
, Masaharu Morimoto
Masaharu Morimoto
is a well-known Japanese chef, best known as the third Iron Chef on the Japanese TV cooking show Iron Chef, and an Iron Chef on its spinoff, Iron Chef America. He is also known for his unique style of presenting food....
, Alton Brown
Alton Brown
Alton Crawford Brown is an American television personality, author, actor, and cinematographer. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show Good Eats and the mini-series Feasting on Asphalt and Feasting on Waves, and he is the host and main commentator on Iron Chef America...
, Giada De Laurentiis
Giada De Laurentiis
Giada Pamela De Laurentiis is an Italian American chef, writer, television personality, and the host of the current Food Network program Giada at Home. She also appears regularly as a contributor and guest co-host on NBC's Today...
, and Paula Deen
Paula Deen
Paula Deen American cook, cooking show host, restaurateur, author, actress and Emmy Award-winning television personality.Deen resides in Savannah, Georgia, where she owns and operates...
. The virally popular "Shake Weight
Shake Weight
The Shake Weight is a modified dumbbell that creates a vibrating effect to work out muscles. As a result of the perceived sexually suggestive nature of the product, infomercial clips of the exercise device have gone viral.-Product specifications:...
" commercial is largely referenced. Jamie Oliver's outcry is a reference to both the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
series broadcast "Jamie's School Dinners
Jamie's School Dinners
Jamie's School Dinners is a landmark four-episode documentary series broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK from 23 February to 16 March 2005. The series was recorded between Spring to Winter 2004, in which it featured TV chef Jamie Oliver attempting to improve the quality and nutritional value of school...
" and the American Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is a television series which premiered on ABC on March 21, 2010...
. The theme song to Randy's cooking show is a parody of the "Trololo" song performed by Eduard Khil
Eduard Khil
Eduard Anatolyevich Khil , sometimes anglicised as Edward Hill, is a Russian baritone singer and a recipient of the People's Artist Award of the RSFSR.- Early life :...
. The scene where Sharon "elopes" with the Shake Weight sitting on beach chairs bears a striking resemblance to a series of Corona
Corona (beer)
Corona Extra, better known as Corona and labeled as Coronita in Spain, is a brand of pale lager owned and produced by Cerveceria Modelo at a number of breweries in Mexico. It is one of the best-selling beers in Mexico and is one of the top-selling beers worldwide...
commercials. Terrance and Phillip return in a parody of insurance commercials, referencing Progressive
Progressive Corporation
The Progressive Corporation , known as the Progressive Casualty Insurance Company through its subsidiaries, provides personal automobile insurance, and other specialty property-casualty insurance and related services in the United States....
and Geico
GEICO
The Government Employees Insurance Company is an auto insurance company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway that as of 2007 provided coverage for more than 10 million motor vehicles owned by more than 9 million policy holders. GEICO writes private passenger automobile insurance...
.
Reception
In its original American broadcast on November 17, 2010, "Crème Fraiche" was watched by 2.487 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, making it the most watched cable television show of the night. The episode received a 1.6 rating/3 share, meaning it was seen by 1.6 percent of the population, and 3% of people watching television at the time of the broadcast. Among male viewers between ages 18 and 34, the episode received a 2.7 rating/9 share. Among adult viewers between ages 18 and 49, "Crème Fraiche" received a 1.4 rating/4 share, falling two tenths in the ratings, however it was one of the only cable television shows that night to receive a rating higher than 1.0 among adults between 18 and 49 years of age (the other shows being Psych
Psych
Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
, Meet the Browns
Meet the Browns (TV series)
Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns is an American sitcom created and produced by playwright, director, and producer Tyler Perry. The show revolves around a senior family living under one roof in Decatur, Georgia led by patriarch Mr. Brown and his daughter Cora Simmons. The show premiered on Wednesday,...
and The Ultimate Fighter
The Ultimate Fighter
The Ultimate Fighter is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts competition produced by Spike TV and the Ultimate Fighting Championship , and soon to be shown on FX. The show features unknown, professional MMA fighters living together in Las Vegas, Nevada, and follows them as...
).
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
rated this episode 8.0 (Impressive), saying "This episode didn't waste any time with the jokes, as it opens with a dig at Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...
and how smelling like poop would actually be an improvement for their ship. That joke is quickly followed by Randy Marsh ignoring his wife's requests to avoid the "no-no" channel, and we soon find that Randy has a case of Sitophilia
Food play
Food play can have sexual or non-sexual connotations. It often refers to Sitophilia, a form of sexual fetishism in which participants are aroused by erotic situations involving food. The phrase is also used to refer to non-sexual play with food, such as playful and decorative food displays,...
(a food fetish) that is only satisfied by the sweet, sweet food love on Food Network."
Home release
"Crème Fraiche", along with the 13 other episodes from South Park 14th season, were released on a three-disc DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
set and two-disc BD
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
set in the United States on April 26, 2011.
External links
- "Crème Fraiche" Episode guide at South Park Studios
- "Crème Fraiche" Full episode at South Park Studios