South Park Is Gay!

Plot

Kyle refuses to conform and is beaten up by Craig, Token, Jason, and Tweek at school, then abandoned by his friends. The town's gay couple, Mr. Garrison and Mr. Slave, initially welcome the trend but turn against it when they realize metrosexuals are straight men imitating gay culture, which Garrison sees as insulting. The women of the town enjoy their husbands' improved hygiene at first but soon tire of their self-absorption; when they complain, Randy accuses them of being "metrophobic," and the men become even more feminine.

Kyle, Mr. Garrison, and Mr. Slave travel to New York to kill the Fab Five, the hosts of Queer Eye. Their mission fails, and the Fab Five decline to press charges. Mr. Garrison tries to persuade the hosts not to sell out gay culture for ratings, but they ignore him. He then realizes the five are not actually gay: their human bodies burst open, revealing them as an ancient race of "Crab People.

The Crab People capture the trio and force them to become Crab People as part of a plan to rule Earth by turning men into metrosexuals. The women of South Park attack and kill the Fab Five, explaining that masculinity makes males attractive. The Queer Eye producers discover the hosts were not human and note the Crab People tried this before with The Jeffersons; they decide to bring back the Latin fad, which the townspeople adopt.

Production

Parker and Stone have criticized the third-act twist of "crab people" and consider the episode one of their worst. After deleting an initial subplot involving Mr. Garrison leading other gay people to compete with the metrosexuals, they brainstormed for hours but could not improve the episode beyond the crab people idea. Executive producer Anne Garefino called the concept "stupid." Parker later noted that crab people became a thing in the writers' room, acknowledging that while something better likely existed, they had to go with it. In the DVD commentary, Stone called the Crab People "the worst idea we've ever had." Despite this, the Crab People have become fairly popular villains with fans of the show.

Did You Know?

• The Crab People are mentioned at the end of the Season 9 episode "Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow," where they are blamed for destroying the Beaverton dam.
• The Crab People also appear in the video games The Stick of Truth and The Fractured but Whole.