New Kids on the Blecch

New Kids on the Blecch is an episode from the twelfth season of The Simpsons. It features the members of the pop music group 'N Sync.

Synopsis
By paralleling Rosie Ruiz's cheating in the 1980 Boston Marathon, Bart wins the Springfield's equivalent. When it is discovered Bart cheated, he finds himself in hot water with fellow competitors & spectators, so he accepts a stranger's offer to help him escape. The stranger reveals that his identity is L.T. Smash. L.T. offers Bart a job in a boy band known as Party Posse. Bart accepts, and becomes Party Posse's 4th member, Caly, joining Krit (Nelson Muntz), P.G. (Ralph Wiggum), and Wowz (Milhouse Van Houten). Party Posse quickly ascend to stardom, albeit using complex voice enhancers built by NASA. No one is aware of the voice enhancer's use, and as such Party Posse's success depends on the voice enhancer.

The band releases a single titled Drop da Bomb!, which contains a suspicious lyric; Yvan Eht Nioj. Lisa's growing suspicion around Party Posse, eventually results in her discovering the line is a subliminal recruiting message to join the Navy, as Yvan Eht Nioj is Join the Navy written backwards. Lisa also discovers that L.T. Smash is, in reality, a lieutenant (named Lieutenant L. T. Smash), who is working for the government to recruit people for the navy.

Lisa points out her discoveries to Homer and Marge, but they dismiss her accusations as jealousy to Bart. The events come to a head when Party Posse perform a concert on an aircraft carrier, which only increases Lisa's suspicion towards the band. During the first song (which also contains subliminal messages), L.T. learns from his superior officer that MAD Magazine's next issue will reveal Party Posse's secrets, which, until then, had been kept secret from the public. Concerned the magazine will end Project Boy Band, L.T.'s superior officer shuts off the band's voice enhancer, exposing the groups's mediocre voices. LT. becomes increasingly aggravated about his Superior Officers's actions, and threatens to send the carrier out to sea. When L.T.'s completes his threat, a terrified audience evacuate the carrier. With only Party Posse, L.T., and Homer on the ship (Homer was unfortunately in the toilet at the time), L.T. sends the ship to New York City in an attempt to attack MAD. Despite 'N Sync's attempt to stop L.T., he destroys the MAD building with the ship's missiles, but L.T.'s actions appear to only reinvigorate the MAD workers. After L.T.'s criminal actions, he is arrested, and the potential of the fraudulent Party Posse remains unfulfilled.

Trivia

 * Contrary to popular belief, 'N Sync did not provide the voices for Party Posse. Two members of another Lou Pearlman boy band Natural provided some of the voices -- Marc Terenzi for Nelson and Michael 'J' Horn for Milhouse.


 * This episode aired seven months before 9/11. During the scene in New York, the World Trade Center is briefly visible.


 * In the episode "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson", Bart visits the office of MAD magazine and Alfred E. Neuman leans out of an office door and demands a progress report on an article named "New Kids on the Blecch," which is the title of this episode. Both episodes involve New York City, MAD magazine, and the phrase "New Kids on the Blecch".


 * A few seconds after L.T. Smash flips the switch on the aircraft carrier from "DE-COMMISSION" to "COMMISSION", the switch is again visible, but instead reads "MUSEUM" instead of "DE-COMMISSION" and "SHIP" instead of "COMMISSION".


 * A similar plot line happened in an issue of the Simpsons comic book. Three major differences are Homer is making the Boy Band, Tod Flanders is part of the band and they are called "Five from Field"

Cultural references

 * While reporting on the marathon, the "6" on Kent Brockman's microphone appears to be the logo of the 6 line of the New York City Subway.
 * The scene of a video-clip in which boys are raising a tetherball pole is a parody of a very famous war photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima by Joe Rosenthal.
 * The title is a pun on "New Kids on the Block" and "blecch", a word of disgust often used in MAD Magazine, which is featured in the episode. This was also heard on "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" when Bart visits the MAD Magazine office in New York.
 * While going over his checklist for the Party Posse, Lt. Smash has three things listed. The third thing says "Boogaloo... Electric". This is a reference to the 1984 film Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, which featured the electric boogaloo dancing style, or the band of the same name that made it famous in 1977.
 * The video for "Drop Da Bomb" is apparently directed by Ang Lee.
 * In Mad Magazine, one man says, "Why don't we call it, Everybody Hates Raymond?" This is a reference to the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond.

Goofs

 * The way 'Yvan eht nioj' is pronounced in this episode would, if played backwards, actually sound like (IPA pronunciation: [ʒɑ.in te nævi] ) and not like "Join the Navy". The characters pronounce the words the way they are spelled backwards, rather than by pronouncing the actual sounds backwards which would yield [ivɪen ʌð nɪoʒd̚]
 * When the singers sing "Yvan eht nioj," they hold the last syllable, "oj." When played backwards, they hold the last syllable of "Join the Navy," "vy."

Quotes
L. T. Smash: They've been getting less frequent, sir.
 * Bart Simpson (deciding whether to get beat up by the angry mob or escape with the stranger): Mob, stranger, mob, stranger... Stranger.
 * Bart Simpson: Who are you? L. T. Smash: Oh, you'll find out, in due time. Bart Simpson: Well it says here your name is L. T. Smash. L. T. Smash: The time has come. I'm L. T. Smash.
 * Bart Simpson: Rock on, Party Posse!
 * Bart Simpson: Hello, Springfield! Now here's a song that your principal Skinner doesn't want us to play! Audience: Boo! Principal Skinner: That's not true! This assembly was my idea. I like your inoffensive brand of pop-rock! Bart Simpson: Screw you man, we're gonna play it anyway!
 * L. T. Smash: Man, they're gonna be big... and you stood in their way! Principal Skinner: No I didn't. I even came in early and made orange drink! L. T. Smash: Orange drink? What, do you live with your mama? Principal Skinner: She lives with me.
 * Ralph Wiggum: I'm wearing a bath robe, and I'm not even sick!
 * Lisa Simpson: What does it mean? Homer Simpson: Ah, It doesn't mean anything. It's like Rama Lama Ding-dong or Give Peace a Chance.
 * L. T. Smash: It's a three-pronged attack. Sub-liminal, liminal and super-liminal. Lisa: Superliminal? L. T. Smash: I'll show you. (Leans out of window) Hey, you! Join the Navy! Carl: Uh, yeah, all right. Lenny: I'm in. L.T. Smash: Now that you know, Lisa, I'm afraid I can't let you leave. (sees Lisa outside, walking away) Oh.
 * Nelson Muntz: They called me Smellson. Ha ha! Homer Simpson: Smellson, that's funny 'cause you smell.
 * Milhouse: The Statue of Liberty? Where are we?!
 * Homer: I'm the jealousy bug! I'm gonna get ya! Gonna get ya! Lisa: Ow. Cut it out! You're a grown man. Homer (sulking): I wanna go home now!
 * Admiral: The Hippy Dream, again?