It's a Jersey Thing
Encyclopedia
"It's a Jersey Thing" is the ninth episode of the fourteenth season
of the American animated television series South Park
, and the 204th episode of the series overall. It premiered on Comedy Central
in the United States
on October 13, 2010. In the episode, New Jersey
is rapidly taking over the nation one state at a time and their next stop is South Park. As the Jerseyites spill into Colorado and approach South Park, the town stands strong against the onslaught.
The episode was written by Trey Parker, and was rated TV-MA LV in the United States. In its original American broadcast on October 13, 2010, "It's a Jersey Thing" was watched by 3.253 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. This is the first episode to be announced immediately following another's airing since "The Passion of the Jew
"; all other episodes since Season 9 have been announced on a Friday or a Monday. However, it is not the first to release a preview clip right after the previous episode. The episode "200
" had a preview clip released for it the day after the episode before it, "You Have 0 Friends
", was aired (even though that preview clip was not used in the final episode).
The episode revolves around the invasion
of the Jerseyites, based on characters from the MTV
reality show, Jersey Shore
and from The Real Housewives of New Jersey
on Bravo. It also parodies the show Jerseylicious
in the scenes at the hair salon. Footage from the opening credits of the MTV series is used.
shuns Kyle
from their group, stating that if he is Jersey, he is all bad. Later that night, Kyle, seemingly unable to control his actions, begins to cut and grease his bushy Jewfro into a style similar to Pauly D's hairstyle from Jersey Shore
. He is even more shocked to find Sheila now fully decked out in this fashion, and she reveals that Kyle was in fact conceived in Newark; the Broflovskis moved away two months into the pregnancy. Whenever either of them is around New Jersey influences, she says, they will start to exhibit the same behavior.
Cartman's usual distrust of Kyle grows even stronger, since Kyle is now the "three J's" - "Ginger, Jersey and Jew", although Stan and Kenny do not seem to care and they just help out the other townspeople try to drive the Jerseyites out. At first the invasion doesn't seem too bad, but in a bar, Randy and other men encounter a sex
-crazed and barely human Snooki
. After she escapes, Randy pleads for help from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
, who tells him that the state cannot provide any assistance due to budget problems and general lack of concern (since Utah
and Nevada
stand between California
and the invasion). In desperation, Randy videotapes a request for help from al-Qaeda
and sends it to Osama bin Laden
.
As the townspeople arm themselves and barricade the streets to stave off the invasion, Cartman asks Kyle to meet him at the Sizzler, with the intent of locking him in the meat freezer so he cannot help the Jerseyites. Once Cartman opens the freezer, Snooki springs out and begins to rape
him and Dog Poo. Kyle now fully transforms into a guido
, complete with rings and gold neck chain and calling himself "Kyley-B", and proceeds to insult and hit Snooki, until she flees the restaurant. In the streets, Randy violently interrogates Michael Sorrentino, who can only answer "It's just a Jersey thing, you know, you just gotta be from Jersey to get it." The townspeople hold off the hordes of Jerseyites until their ammunition runs out and their defense seems futile. However, just as the invaders begin to overrun the barricades, a fleet of al-Qaeda suicide pilots fly in and crash their planes into the ground, killing them all. At a town meeting soon after, Randy proudly thanks bin Laden for his help in stopping the invasion. With the Jerseyites defeated, Cartman tells Kyle "You're a monster, but you're my little monster" - and just as bin Laden receives a hero medal, a Special Forces commando comes in and kills him. At first the people are shocked, but then Randy exclaims "We got him!"
"It's a Jersey Thing" was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker
. It first aired on October 13, 2010 in the United States on Comedy Central. Like most South Park episodes, "It's a Jersey Thing" was first conceived by Parker and fellow co-creator Matt Stone
within a week of the episode's broadcast date. Also Kyle's transformation to becoming a Jerseyite is a reference to Teen Wolf
.
, making it the most watched cable television show of the night. The episode received a 2.1 rating/4 share, meaning it was seen by 2.1 percent of the population, and 4 percent of people watching television at the time of its broadcast. Among adult viewers between ages 18 and 49, the episode received a 1.9 rating/5 share, rising one tenth in the ratings resulting in approximately 100, 000 more viewers than the previous episode
. Among male viewers between ages 18 and 34, the episode received a 3.9 rating/13 share.
, referred to the revelation of Snooki as the best moment of the episode. Ramsey Isler of IGN
rated the episode with a 7.5/10 saying "the fact that the majority of the story was just a half-hearted satire of Jersey shows that Robot Chicken
could've done better, is a sign that something's amiss." Brad Trechak of AOL
's TV Squad stated in his review "As a New Jersey native, I should have been really offended by tonight's episode of 'South Park.' Sadly, I was laughing too hard to notice." He also felt the show "walks a line between humor and bad taste". Sean O'Neal of The A.V. Club
rated the episode with a B. He compared the episode to "South Park is Gay" and "Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset
" although he stated "“It's A Jersey Thing” may not prove to have the lasting appeal of the aforementioned" episodes.
wrote on Twitter
, "Snooki want smoosh smoosh. [I'm] going to have nightmares tonight lmao!!! [We've] officially made it...". Jersey Shore star Angelina posted a picture of Snooki as depicted in the episode and commented "Haaaaa wat a jokee. Lil gremlin.". DJ Pauly D posted a shot of the Jersey-fied Kyle after a fan said they were "like twins", while Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino
posted a link to the episode while commenting "Southpark Situation! Hilarious!". Castmate Vinny Guadagnino commented "...my face was on South Park
, im good now".
Teresa Giudice, star of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, initially claimed to have not watched the episode, but later claimed she was "honored to be mocked by them," especially in light of the other mockeries. Former co-star Danielle Staub
was pleasantly surprised that "...it wasn't just me being made fun of for a change. You realize you're something else when you're being made into a cartoon. It's pretty funny."
set and two-disc Blu-Ray
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 the American animated television 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...
, and the 204th episode of the series overall. It premiered 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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on October 13, 2010. In the episode, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
is rapidly taking over the nation one state at a time and their next stop is South Park. As the Jerseyites spill into Colorado and approach South Park, the town stands strong against the onslaught.
The episode was written by Trey Parker, and was rated TV-MA LV in the United States. In its original American broadcast on October 13, 2010, "It's a Jersey Thing" was watched by 3.253 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. This is the first episode to be announced immediately following another's airing since "The Passion of the Jew
The Passion of the Jew
"The Passion of the Jew" is episode 114 of the Comedy Central series South Park and was originally broadcast on March 31, 2004. The episode is a satire of the movie The Passion of the Christ, which was released in 2004.- Plot :...
"; all other episodes since Season 9 have been announced on a Friday or a Monday. However, it is not the first to release a preview clip right after the previous episode. The episode "200
200 (South Park)
"200" is the fifth episode of the fourteenth season of South Park, and the 200th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 14, 2010...
" had a preview clip released for it the day after the episode before it, "You Have 0 Friends
You Have 0 Friends
"You Have 0 Friends" is the fourth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 199th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 7, 2010...
", was aired (even though that preview clip was not used in the final episode).
The episode revolves around the invasion
Invasion
An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all, or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of either conquering, liberating or re-establishing control or authority over a...
of the Jerseyites, based on characters from the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reality show, Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore (TV series)
Jersey Shore is an American reality television series that premiered on MTV on December 3, 2009 in the United States. The series follows the lives of eight housemates spending their summer at the Jersey Shore in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Season 2 followed the cast escaping the cold northeast...
and from The Real Housewives of New Jersey
The Real Housewives of New Jersey
The Real Housewives of New Jersey is a reality television program on the Bravo network which originally followed the lives of five women in and around several upscale communities in Northern New Jersey...
on Bravo. It also parodies the show Jerseylicious
Jerseylicious
Jerseylicious is an American docusoap airing on the Style Network that follows employees of the newly renovated Gatsby Salon, taking place in Green Brook, NJ. The Gatsby Salon relaunched with a multimillion dollar renovation and began hiring new employees in 2009 which included series cast members...
in the scenes at the hair salon. Footage from the opening credits of the MTV series is used.
Plot
Sharon invites a Jersey family into their home for dinner. The tacky Jersey woman becomes very obnoxious very quickly, and starts to insult Sharon and her friends, leading Sharon to insult her calmly. The woman goes crazy and smashes the table and chairs, but eventually calms down. Soon after, many people from New Jersey move into South Park and everyone starts to get annoyed with them. Randy calls a meeting at the Park County Community Center, where he reveals that New Jersey is trying to take over the country and already has everything east of the Rocky Mountains, with all of Colorado in danger of becoming "West Jersey". Meanwhile, Sheila reveals that she is originally from New Jersey, and that she was once a notorious party girl nicknamed "S-Woww Tittybang". When the other families find out, CartmanEric 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...
shuns 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...
from their group, stating that if he is Jersey, he is all bad. Later that night, Kyle, seemingly unable to control his actions, begins to cut and grease his bushy Jewfro into a style similar to Pauly D's hairstyle from Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore is a term used to refer to both the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the adjacent resort and residential communities. . The New Jersey State Department of Tourism considers the Shore Region, Greater Atlantic City, and the Southern Shore to be distinct, each having...
. He is even more shocked to find Sheila now fully decked out in this fashion, and she reveals that Kyle was in fact conceived in Newark; the Broflovskis moved away two months into the pregnancy. Whenever either of them is around New Jersey influences, she says, they will start to exhibit the same behavior.
Cartman's usual distrust of Kyle grows even stronger, since Kyle is now the "three J's" - "Ginger, Jersey and Jew", although Stan and Kenny do not seem to care and they just help out the other townspeople try to drive the Jerseyites out. At first the invasion doesn't seem too bad, but in a bar, Randy and other men encounter a sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
-crazed and barely human Snooki
Nicole Polizzi
Nicole Elizabeth "Snooki" Polizzi is an American reality television personality who appeared on the MTV reality show Jersey Shore starting in 2009.- Early life :Polizzi was born in Santiago, Chile...
. After she escapes, Randy pleads for help from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
, who tells him that the state cannot provide any assistance due to budget problems and general lack of concern (since Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
stand between California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and the invasion). In desperation, Randy videotapes a request for help from al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
and sends it to Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
.
As the townspeople arm themselves and barricade the streets to stave off the invasion, Cartman asks Kyle to meet him at the Sizzler, with the intent of locking him in the meat freezer so he cannot help the Jerseyites. Once Cartman opens the freezer, Snooki springs out and begins to rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
him and Dog Poo. Kyle now fully transforms into a guido
Guido (slang)
Guido is a slang term for a lower-class or working-class urban Italian-American. The guido stereotype is multi-faceted. Originally, it was used as a demeaning term for Italian-Americans in general. More recently, it has come to refer to Italians who conduct themselves as thugs with an overtly...
, complete with rings and gold neck chain and calling himself "Kyley-B", and proceeds to insult and hit Snooki, until she flees the restaurant. In the streets, Randy violently interrogates Michael Sorrentino, who can only answer "It's just a Jersey thing, you know, you just gotta be from Jersey to get it." The townspeople hold off the hordes of Jerseyites until their ammunition runs out and their defense seems futile. However, just as the invaders begin to overrun the barricades, a fleet of al-Qaeda suicide pilots fly in and crash their planes into the ground, killing them all. At a town meeting soon after, Randy proudly thanks bin Laden for his help in stopping the invasion. With the Jerseyites defeated, Cartman tells Kyle "You're a monster, but you're my little monster" - and just as bin Laden receives a hero medal, a Special Forces commando comes in and kills him. At first the people are shocked, but then Randy exclaims "We got him!"
Production and cultural references
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...
. It first aired on October 13, 2010 in the United States on Comedy Central. Like most South Park episodes, "It's a Jersey Thing" was first conceived by Parker and fellow co-creator 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....
within a week of the episode's broadcast date. Also Kyle's transformation to becoming a Jerseyite is a reference to Teen Wolf
Teen Wolf
Teen Wolf is a 1985 American fantasy comedy film released by Atlantic Releasing Corporation starring Michael J. Fox as Scott Howard, a high school student who discovers that his family has an unusual pedigree when he finds himself transforming into a werewolf...
.
Ratings
In its original American broadcast on October 13, 2010, “It's a Jersey Thing” was watched by 3.253 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 2.1 rating/4 share, meaning it was seen by 2.1 percent of the population, and 4 percent of people watching television at the time of its broadcast. Among adult viewers between ages 18 and 49, the episode received a 1.9 rating/5 share, rising one tenth in the ratings resulting in approximately 100, 000 more viewers than the previous episode
Poor and Stupid
"Poor and Stupid" is the eighth episode and mid-season premiere of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 203rd overall episode of the series. It aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 6, 2010...
. Among male viewers between ages 18 and 34, the episode received a 3.9 rating/13 share.
Critical reception
The episode received largely positive reviews. Katla McGlynn of The Huffington PostThe Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
, referred to the revelation of Snooki as the best moment of the episode. Ramsey Isler of 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 the episode with a 7.5/10 saying "the fact that the majority of the story was just a half-hearted satire of Jersey shows that Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
could've done better, is a sign that something's amiss." Brad Trechak of AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's TV Squad stated in his review "As a New Jersey native, I should have been really offended by tonight's episode of 'South Park.' Sadly, I was laughing too hard to notice." He also felt the show "walks a line between humor and bad taste". Sean O'Neal of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
rated the episode with a B. He compared the episode to "South Park is Gay" and "Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset
Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset
"Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset" is episode 123 of the Comedy Central animated series South Park. It was originally broadcast on December 1, 2004...
" although he stated "“It's A Jersey Thing” may not prove to have the lasting appeal of the aforementioned" episodes.
Reaction from those spoofed
Despite being ridiculed and spoofed by the show, the reactions from the stars who were spoofed were mostly positive. Nicole "Snooki" PolizziNicole Polizzi
Nicole Elizabeth "Snooki" Polizzi is an American reality television personality who appeared on the MTV reality show Jersey Shore starting in 2009.- Early life :Polizzi was born in Santiago, Chile...
wrote on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, "Snooki want smoosh smoosh. [I'm] going to have nightmares tonight lmao!!! [We've] officially made it...". Jersey Shore star Angelina posted a picture of Snooki as depicted in the episode and commented "Haaaaa wat a jokee. Lil gremlin.". DJ Pauly D posted a shot of the Jersey-fied Kyle after a fan said they were "like twins", while Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino
Michael Sorrentino
Michael Sorrentino , publicly known by his nickname The Situation, is an Italian American television personality. He has appeared on the MTV reality show Jersey Shore since its premiere in 2009.-Early life:...
posted a link to the episode while commenting "Southpark Situation! Hilarious!". Castmate Vinny Guadagnino commented "...my face was on 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...
, im good now".
Teresa Giudice, star of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, initially claimed to have not watched the episode, but later claimed she was "honored to be mocked by them," especially in light of the other mockeries. Former co-star Danielle Staub
Danielle Staub
Danielle Staub is an American television personality, author, singer, and adult performer best known for her appearance on the Bravo reality series Real Housewives of New Jersey....
was pleasantly surprised that "...it wasn't just me being made fun of for a change. You realize you're something else when you're being made into a cartoon. It's pretty funny."
Home release
"It's a Jersey Thing", along with the thirteen other episodes from South Parks fourteenth 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 Blu-Ray
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
- It's A Jersey Thing Full episode at South Park Studios
- It's A Jersey Thing Episode guide at South Park Studios