Story

Description

The boys are watching an episode of Maury Povich on which several children with bodily defects are shown. A girl born with no midsection wins a gift certificate, so Kyle, Stan, Cartman, and Butters decide to try to get on the show with a faked deformity to win a prize. The group decide that Butters should be the one to go on the show with a scrotum on his chin. Butters then agrees, and the town's two sci-fi geeks make fake balls to put on Butters.

Butters then flies alone to New York to appear on the show. In the green room, he meets other variously deformed people, who welcome Butters to their union, which ensures that US TV talk shows interview their members regularly.

On the show, Maury introduces Butters as "Napoleon Bonaparte from South Park." Butters wins a trip to the largest miniature golf course in the world. Stan, Kyle, and Cartman are watching the show at home and become angry that Butters got "their" prize. Cartman calls Maury and tries to get himself on the show. The operator tells him they aren't currently interviewing people with deformities, but are trying to find "out of control kids" for a future episode. Cartman convinces his mom to take him on that show and lie that he's out of control.

Butters is grounded by his parents. The freaks strike in protest of Maury's decision to stop interviewing people with deformities, and head to Butters' house to recruit him. Fear of being discovered as a faker leads him to reluctantly agree, and he goes on strike with the group.

Cartman and his mom go on Maury. Seeing a teenage girl's "out of control" behavior, Cartman dresses up as a slutty girl to try to win the prize. The deformed people's union hijacks the TV studio's video screen and broadcasts a plea to the audience. They state that they are the "true" freaks and they should not lose their means of employment to people who are only freaks because they are "stupid trailer trash from the South".The union members present a music video about looking for the "True Freak Label" on talk shows, and most of the audience agrees and leave the studio. Maury agrees to negotiate with the deformed people. Cartman is irate that Butters once again ruined his chance to win a prize. He rips the fake balls off of Butters' chin. Butters fears he will be found out, but the union chases Cartman, who believe he was physically harming Butters. Butters' parents arrive in a taxi, and he knows he is in trouble again.

What I Learned Today

"A lot of decent hard-working freaks in America are losing their talk show jobs to freaks of a different nature. Sure, everyone in this great country of ours is a freak. But true physically deformed freaks must be recognized. For it's these real freaks that make you all feel better about yourselves for not being one. So next time you're watching television, make sure it's a show with "freak" freaks, and not just with people that are freaks because they're stupid trailer trash from the South. That's what we mean when we say, 'Look for the True Freak label.'"

Memorable Quotes

• "God, I wish Kenny was still alive. He'd put balls on his chin. He was such an awesome friend." Cartman
• "When we look at you, we don't even see the testicles on your chin. We see the testicles in your heart." (Man with Terrible Skin Condition)
• "Wha-eva! It's my hot body and I'll do what I want!" Cartman
• "Can you tell the audience how miserable your life is?" (Maury)
• "But fellas, if I go on Maury Povich with balls on my chin, my parents are gonna be really mad!" Butters
• "Oh Jesus, see me through this." Butters
• "When I'm walking, they'll say 'Hey, there goes Chinballs!'" Butters
• "I do crack and potpourri and gweezies." Cartman
• "Now, now, now - I'm not telling you people that your union doesn't matter, I'm just telling you that you're not really people." (Cop)

Characters

Stan Marsh

Kyle Broflovski

Eric Cartman

Butters Stotch

Linda Stotch

Stephen Stotch

Liane Cartman

Joline

Chantal

Vanessa

Vanity

Character Debuts

We meet a whole bunch of freaks: Man With Foot on Head, Girl With Rapid Aging Disease, Disfigured Country Singer, and Man With No Face.

Man With Foot On Head

Girl with Rapid Aging Disease

Man With No Face

Disfigured Country Singer

Body Count

Lobster boy, a "fake" freak who turned out to be a real lobster. When the other "performers" on the talk show circuit found out, they killed him by dumping him in a vat of boiling water.

Locations

Denver International Airport

Original Songs

Butters and his union of freaks all get together to perform "Look for the True Freak Label."

Behind The Scenes

Where Did The Idea Come From

Matt and Trey invented the concept during a period when The Maury Povich Show ran an endless assortment of "inspirational" stories about hideously disfigured people. Of course it was really just an excuse to stare at them.

Pop Culture References

Shout Outs

A plea by the hideously deformed talk show guests for viewers to "look for the True Freak label" is a parody of the 1970s "look for the union label" TV commercials. Matt and Trey have seen the ad repeatedly because it's "immortalized" on their bootleg tape of the Star Wars Christmas Special.

As payment for putting fake balls on Butters chin, Kyle gives the Star Trek Geeks the original AVID cut of Star Wars: Episode 1. "AVID" is video editing software often used to cut feature films. Kyle goes on to say, "Why the hell would they want that anyway? Episode One sucked balls."

Also, one of the "out of control" things Cartman says he did was to "digitally put Jabba the Hutt back into the original Star Wars movie." This is not the first time Hutt has been mentioned in an episode.

In addition to The Maury Povich Show, the freaks mention a number of other daytime talk shows as part of their "circuit": Jenny Jones, Oprah, and Sally Jesse.

Pwn'd

Maury Povich, who's portrayed as a parasite living off the pain and suffering of others. Also, Liza Minnelli. She's portrayed as a member of the freak union, right alongside Woman with Crablike Body, Incredibly Obese Black Person, and Man with Brains Outside of Head.

Bonus Factoids

Pointless Observations

The geeks who fit Butters with chin-balls are the same guys who turned Timmy's wheelchair into a time machine in "Fourth Grade." Also, the ass-faced couple from "How to Eat with Your Butt" and Nurse Gollum from "Conjoined Fetus Lady" make brief cameos.

This is the first real episode where Butters takes over as the replacement friend for Kenny, who was killed off for good in "Kenny Dies." The boys even call Butters "Kenny" and make him wear Kenny's orange jacket.

Season 6

e1 Freak Strike

e2 Jared Has Aides

e3 Asspen

e4 The New Terrance and Phillip Movie Trailer

e5 Fun with Veal

e6 Professor Chaos (episode)

e7 The Simpsons Already Did It

e8 Red Hot Catholic Love

e9 Free Hat

e10 Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society

e11 Child Abduction is Not Funny

e12 A Ladder to Heaven

e13 The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers

e14 The Death Camp of Tolerance

e15 The Biggest Douche in the Universe

e16 My Future Self 'n' Me

e17 Red Sleigh Down