next day, pointing out that he believes his religion does not need to be factually true, but it still supports good family values and helping the poor. Gary also condemns their bigotry and ignorance in language that is normal for the main characters but extremely surprising and powerful coming from Gary, as he ends his dialogue telling Stan to "suck my balls". He walks away, leaving the boys in utter shock. The episode ends as Cartman, with a new-found respect for Gary, says "Damn, that kid is cool, huh?". Production The episode was written and directed by South Park co-creator Trey Parker. The character of the new Mormon student Gary is voiced by South Park writer Kyle McCulloch, who himself grew up Mormon. Growing up in Colorado, Parker and Stone knew a lot of Mormon people, and Parker's high school ex-girlfriend was a Mormon, whose family he has visited while they held Family Home Evening. Through these experiences, Parker learned a number of things about the religion, and did more research for his film Orgazmo, in which he played the Mormon main character. Reception Cameron Adams of the Herald Sun, a tabloid Australian newspaper, highlighted the episode among "Top Choice" picks in television. Chris Quinn of the San Antonio Express-News placed the episode at number 7 on his list of "Top 10 Most Offensive South Park Episodes and Therefore, Maybe The Best, List". In 2013, fans voted the episode as the best of the 7th season. The episode was used as an exhibit in discussing Mormonism in popular culture by Utah Valley State College religious studies professor Kelli Potter in a presentation titled "The Americanization of Mormonism Reflected in Pop Culture". KUER's Radio West host Doug Fabrizio used the episode as a case study in a discussion about "Mormonism and Popular Culture". See also Criticism of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints First Vision The Book of Mormon (musical) References External links "All About Mormons" Full episode at South Park Studios Criticism of Mormonism Mormonism in fiction Cultural depictions of Joseph Smith Television episodes about Christianity South Park (season 7) episodes