Weight Gain 4000

"Weight Gain 4000"
South Park episode
A muscular man on TV with the text "Beefcake" on his shirt, holding a weight supplement titled "Weight Gain 4000"
An advertisement for the bodybuilding supplement "Weight Gain 4000", which serves as a commentary on American consumerism.
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 3
Directed byTrey Parker
Matt Stone
Written byTrey Parker
Matt Stone
Production code102[1]
Original air dateAugust 27, 1997 (1997-08-27)[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Volcano"
Next →
"Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride"
South Park season 1
List of episodes

"Weight Gain 4000" is the third episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 27, 1997. In the episode, the residents of South Park excitedly prepare for a visit by celebrity Kathie Lee Gifford, whom the boys' third-grade teacher Mr. Garrison plans to assassinate because of a childhood grudge. In the meantime, Cartman becomes extremely obese after constantly eating a bodybuilding supplement called Weight Gain 4000.

The episode was written and directed by series co-founders Trey Parker and Matt Stone. After the South Park pilot episode, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", drew poor test audience results, Comedy Central requested a script for one more new episode before deciding whether or not to commit to a full series. The resulting script for "Weight Gain 4000" helped the network decide to pick up the show. It was the first South Park episode created completely using computers instead of construction paper.

Although some reviewers criticized the episode for its profanity and other material deemed offensive at the time of its original broadcast, several others felt "Weight Gain 4000" was a significant improvement over the pilot, particularly for its satirical element regarding American consumerism. The episode introduced such recurring characters as Mayor McDaniels, Bebe Stevens and Clyde Donovan. The show's portrayal of Kathie Lee Gifford was the first time a celebrity was spoofed in South Park.

  1. ^ a b "South Park: no. 102, Weight Gain 4000". United States Copyright Office. August 29, 1997. Archived from the original on 2023-01-11. Retrieved January 11, 2023.