The Biggest Douche in the Universe
Encyclopedia
"The Biggest Douche in the Universe" is the 15th episode of the sixth season of the Comedy Central
animated series South Park
. It was first broadcast on November 27, 2002 and was the last in a mini-arc
depicting Cartman
being occasionally possessed by Kenny
. The episode is centered around psychic John Edward
, who the entire crew of South Park Studios agreed to be "the biggest douche in the universe."
" when he mistook Kenny's ashes for chocolate milk mix. The doctor tells his mother Liane that Cartman is 'running out of time'. Upon hearing of all this, Chef decides to take everyone to the Crossing Over TV Show in New York
and have John Edward
talk to Kenny from beyond the grave
. At the show, Edward merely makes uselessly vague statements about Kenny, and advises Kyle that his grandmother wants him to "look for four white doves".
Disappointed with Edward, Chef takes Cartman to his parents in Scotland
and has them perform an exorcism
. About to fly back to Colorado
, Kyle spots a poster advertising a school
called Jewleeard
, with four white birds as its logo. Convinced, he rushes off to enroll himself. Stan goes to Edward's house, and offends him by forcing him to admit that what he does is not real, and calls him a 'douche
' and 'the biggest douche in the universe'. Before Stan leaves he steals some of Edward's books, to learn more about cold reading
. In an attempt to persuade Kyle that Edward is a fake, Stan demonstrates cold reading on some passers-by as they stand in the street but backfires when the crowd believes that Stan actually has psychic powers, and he is immediately given his own show. This prompts Edward to challenge Stan to a psychic showdown.
Meanwhile, Chef's parents successfully exorcise Kenny's spirit from Cartman, but since Chef has not brought a "victim child" into which to transfer the spirit, it flies around their house before occupying a pot roast
. Cartman returns to his normal self and Chef's parents give him the roast to take back to South Park. Chefs mother then touches Cartman and says "this child is clean" a reference to the medium in the movie Poltergeist. However, Chef, Cartman, and Liane end up forgetting to claim the pot roast at the baggage claim in the airport.
At the psychic showdown, Stan finally convinces Kyle and much of the audience that, although it may be comforting to think of their deceased relatives talking to them, such a fate isn't a particularly desirable one- especially if it means that they have to talk to Edward. A large spacecraft suddenly crashes through the studio roof. The nomination committee for the annual "Biggest Douche in the Universe" award, made up of several different aliens, comes to take Edward to the award ceremony. Once taken there, Edward wins the prize despite throughout the entire episode yelling "I am not a douche!" — beating out a variety of aliens including one that is literally a giant douche
.
Throughout the episode, fictional trailers play for Rob Schneider
's latest comedy vehicles, The Stapler, A Carrot, and Da Derp Dee Derp Da Teetley Derpee Derpee Dumb. Near the end of the episode a trailer is shown wherein Schneider finds the abandoned pot roast and eats it, thus allowing Kenny's spirit to possess him. The resulting movie is titled Kenny and shows him living out Kenny's former life; at least until he is shot and impaled on a flag pole
.
was about to star in The Hot Chick
, and had already starred in The Animal
. The running gag
is that all of the fictional trailers follow the same basic plot: a very successful or unsuccessful man is somehow transformed, whether it be into an animal, a woman, a stapler, or a carrot. This point is furthered in the episode with a trailer clearly showing a plot exactly the same as these, but with almost every word spoken in complete gibberish. The term “derp” that is used in one of the Rob Schneider trailers was invented when South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone
were shooting the movie BASEketball
to describe "a stupid joke that you could see a mile away," commenting on their criticism of Schneider’s movies. Mr. Derp, for example, was the name of Chef’s replacement in “The Succubus
.” Asked about being parodied on South Park, Schneider responded in an About.com interview: "I loved it. That was genius. I thought the only thing, they were too nice to me...When you’re spoofed by the best people in the business, that’s an honor." “The Biggest Douche in the Universe,” a term used to describe the supposed psychic John Edward, was used again by Penn Jillette
in his and Teller
’s show, Penn & Teller: Bullshit!. Penn and Teller are friends of Trey Parker and Matt Stone and have stated that this is their favorite episode. According to the commentary for this episode, Trey Parker described the creation of the episode as being centered on John Edward who the entire crew of South Park Studios agreed was "the biggest douche in the universe." That was until Matt Stone asked the question “Well, what about Rob Schneider?” leading to the fictional trailers.
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
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 was first broadcast on November 27, 2002 and was the last in a mini-arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
depicting 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...
being occasionally possessed by 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...
. The episode is centered around psychic John Edward
John Edward
John Edward McGee, Jr. is an American television personality and professional psychic medium. He is best known for his TV shows Crossing Over with John Edward and John Edward Cross Country....
, who the entire crew of South Park Studios agreed to be "the biggest douche in the universe."
Plot
Cartman is rushed to the hospital after again being possessed by Kenny, the first occurrence of which was in the episode "A Ladder to HeavenA Ladder to Heaven
"A Ladder to Heaven" is episode 91 of the Comedy Central series South Park. It was originally broadcast on November 6, 2002.- Plot :Stan, Kyle and Cartman have won an all-you-can-grab candy prize but cannot claim it without the stub of the ticket they bought. After thinking hard, they remember that...
" when he mistook Kenny's ashes for chocolate milk mix. The doctor tells his mother Liane that Cartman is 'running out of time'. Upon hearing of all this, Chef decides to take everyone to the Crossing Over TV Show in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and have John Edward
John Edward
John Edward McGee, Jr. is an American television personality and professional psychic medium. He is best known for his TV shows Crossing Over with John Edward and John Edward Cross Country....
talk to Kenny from beyond the grave
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
. At the show, Edward merely makes uselessly vague statements about Kenny, and advises Kyle that his grandmother wants him to "look for four white doves".
Disappointed with Edward, Chef takes Cartman to his parents in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and has them perform an exorcism
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
. About to fly back to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Kyle spots a poster advertising a school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
called Jewleeard
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
, with four white birds as its logo. Convinced, he rushes off to enroll himself. Stan goes to Edward's house, and offends him by forcing him to admit that what he does is not real, and calls him a 'douche
Douche
A douche is a device used to introduce a stream of water into the body for medical or hygienic reasons, or the stream of water itself.Douche usually refers to vaginal irrigation, the rinsing of the vagina, but it can also refer to the rinsing of any body cavity. A douche bag is a piece of...
' and 'the biggest douche in the universe'. Before Stan leaves he steals some of Edward's books, to learn more about cold reading
Cold reading
Cold reading is a series of techniques used by mentalists, psychics, fortune-tellers, illusionists, and con artists to determine or express details about another person, often in order to convince them that the reader knows much more about a subject than they actually do...
. In an attempt to persuade Kyle that Edward is a fake, Stan demonstrates cold reading on some passers-by as they stand in the street but backfires when the crowd believes that Stan actually has psychic powers, and he is immediately given his own show. This prompts Edward to challenge Stan to a psychic showdown.
Meanwhile, Chef's parents successfully exorcise Kenny's spirit from Cartman, but since Chef has not brought a "victim child" into which to transfer the spirit, it flies around their house before occupying a pot roast
Pot roast (beef)
Pot roast is a braised beef dish. Pot roast is typically made by browning a roast-sized piece of beef to induce a Maillard reaction, then slow-cooking in or over liquid in a covered dish....
. Cartman returns to his normal self and Chef's parents give him the roast to take back to South Park. Chefs mother then touches Cartman and says "this child is clean" a reference to the medium in the movie Poltergeist. However, Chef, Cartman, and Liane end up forgetting to claim the pot roast at the baggage claim in the airport.
Douche
A douche is a device used to introduce a stream of water into the body for medical or hygienic reasons, or the stream of water itself.Douche usually refers to vaginal irrigation, the rinsing of the vagina, but it can also refer to the rinsing of any body cavity. A douche bag is a piece of...
.
Throughout the episode, fictional trailers play for Rob Schneider
Rob Schneider
Robert Michael "Rob" Schneider is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director. A stand-up comic and veteran of the NBC sketch-comedy series Saturday Night Live, Schneider has gone on to a successful career in feature films, including starring roles in the comedy films Deuce Bigalow:...
's latest comedy vehicles, The Stapler, A Carrot, and Da Derp Dee Derp Da Teetley Derpee Derpee Dumb. Near the end of the episode a trailer is shown wherein Schneider finds the abandoned pot roast and eats it, thus allowing Kenny's spirit to possess him. The resulting movie is titled Kenny and shows him living out Kenny's former life; at least until he is shot and impaled on a flag pole
Weight Gain 4000
"Weight Gain 4000" is the second episode of the first season of the animated television series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 20, 1997. In the episode, the residents of South Park excitedly prepare for a visit by celebrity Kathie Lee Gifford, whom the...
.
Production
At the time of this episode’s original broadcast, Rob SchneiderRob Schneider
Robert Michael "Rob" Schneider is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director. A stand-up comic and veteran of the NBC sketch-comedy series Saturday Night Live, Schneider has gone on to a successful career in feature films, including starring roles in the comedy films Deuce Bigalow:...
was about to star in The Hot Chick
The Hot Chick
The Hot Chick is a 2002 American comedy film about a teenage girl whose body is magically swapped with that of a 30-year-old criminal. It was directed by Tom Brady and produced by Guy Riedel for Happy Madison and Touchstone Pictures, from a screenplay by Tom Brady and Rob Schneider...
, and had already starred in The Animal
The Animal
The Animal is a 2001 comedy film, directed by Luke Greenfield. It stars Rob Schneider, Colleen Haskell, Edward Asner, and John C. McGinley....
. The running gag
Running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
is that all of the fictional trailers follow the same basic plot: a very successful or unsuccessful man is somehow transformed, whether it be into an animal, a woman, a stapler, or a carrot. This point is furthered in the episode with a trailer clearly showing a plot exactly the same as these, but with almost every word spoken in complete gibberish. The term “derp” that is used in one of the Rob Schneider trailers was invented when South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone
Matt Stone
Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker....
were shooting the movie BASEketball
BASEketball
BASEketball is a 1998 American David Zucker comedy starring South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Dian Bachar, Robert Vaughn, Ernest Borgnine, Yasmine Bleeth, and Jenny McCarthy...
to describe "a stupid joke that you could see a mile away," commenting on their criticism of Schneider’s movies. Mr. Derp, for example, was the name of Chef’s replacement in “The Succubus
The Succubus
"The Succubus" is the 34th episode of Comedy Central's animated series South Park. It originally aired on April 21, 1999.-Plot:Eric Cartman must go to the local eye doctor, whom he hates because the doctor always makes fun of his obesity by referring to him as "Piggy"...
.” Asked about being parodied on South Park, Schneider responded in an About.com interview: "I loved it. That was genius. I thought the only thing, they were too nice to me...When you’re spoofed by the best people in the business, that’s an honor." “The Biggest Douche in the Universe,” a term used to describe the supposed psychic John Edward, was used again by Penn Jillette
Penn Jillette
Penn Fraser Jillette is an American magician, comedian, illusionist, juggler, bassist and a best-selling author known for his work with fellow illusionist Teller in the team Penn & Teller, and advocacy of atheism, libertarian philosophy, free-market economics, and scientific skepticism.-Early...
in his and Teller
Teller (magician)
Teller is an American magician, illusionist, comedian, writer, and the frequently silent half of the comedy magic duo Penn & Teller, along with Penn Jillette. He legally changed his name from "Raymond Joseph Teller" to just "Teller"...
’s show, Penn & Teller: Bullshit!. Penn and Teller are friends of Trey Parker and Matt Stone and have stated that this is their favorite episode. According to the commentary for this episode, Trey Parker described the creation of the episode as being centered on John Edward who the entire crew of South Park Studios agreed was "the biggest douche in the universe." That was until Matt Stone asked the question “Well, what about Rob Schneider?” leading to the fictional trailers.
External links
- The Biggest Douche In The Universe Full episode at South Park Studios
- The Biggest Douche In The Universe Episode guide at South Park Studios