El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)/References

Trivia

 * The episode was originally pitched by long time writer George Meyer during season 3. The staff felt it was too odd for the show, but showrunners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein decided to use it.
 * This is the second episode to have its English title in another language, the first being "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk".
 * Some of the attractions at the Chili Cook-off were Moe's Chili Bar, Muntz Family Chili; It Takes Weeks to Make Muntz, and Firehouse Ned's 5-Alarm Chili.
 * Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan were the writers' two choices to play the coyote. Bob Dylan had turned the show down many times, so Johnny Cash was given the part.
 * The coyote was intentionally drawn in a more boxy way so that it looked unlike the other Simpsons characters. It was also done that way to resemble the representations of coyotes in American Southwestern art.
 * The emphasis of Nelson's trademark laugh is reversed during Homer's chili hallucination.
 * Most of the chili pepper sequence was animated completely by David Silverman, who wanted it to look just right and didn't want to risk sending it to Korea.
 * The shot of real life clouds is only the second time live-action footage was used in The Simpsons. The first time was in "Treehouse of Horror VI". Afterwards there was also live-action footage in "Treehouse of Horror IX".
 * Some 3D computer animation is used in this episode for the giant butterfly seen during Homer's hallucination. Also, during the same hallucination, Ned Flanders' line ("What can I do-diddily-doodily-diddly-hobbily-hibbily-gobbily-gobbily-gobble-gabba-gabba-hey!") was also treated on an Macintosh computer so that it increased and decreased pitch. A sample of Flanders saying this can be heard on the track "The Nebbish Route" on the album Nothing Lasts...But Nothing Is Lost by Ambient Techno group Shpongle.
 * This episode's commentary on the season 8 DVD set was the first commentary to include children.
 * The FOX censors sent a note to the writers about the part where Homer coats his mouth with hot wax so he can eat Chief Wiggum's super-spicy chili pepper. The actual note reads as follows: "To discourage imitation by young and foolish viewers, when Homer begins to pour hot wax into his mouth, please have him scream in pain so kids will understand that doing this would actually burn their mouths."
 * This episode mentions that Springfield slopes westward to the sea, indicating that it is either on the West Coast or western Florida.
 * Ralph seems to act smarter than usual in this episode, an example being when he tells Homer he will accidentally drink wax.
 * Homer is evidently ignorant of "Personals-ese," as he responds to an ad placed by GBM, not realizing that it stands for "Gay Black Male."

Cultural references

 * There are many similarities in the appearance of the dog guide to the coyote from 's "The Teachings of Don Juan". In the book, after Carlos ingests peyote he plays in the desert with a wild coyote, which may or may not be a hallucination.
 * There are also allusions in the episode to the works of Richard Bach, whose works often focus on the concept of "soulmates" and typically involve quests led by spirit guides. At the end of the episode, the Sea Captain refers directly to Bach's most famous book, by exclaiming, "Arr! Jonathan Livingston Seagull!"
 * During Homer's chili hallucination:
 * Jasper says "Goo goo gajoob?" which is a line from The Beatles song "I Am The Walrus."
 * Ned Flanders' non-sensical talk includes the words "Gabba Gabba Hey" which is a reference to The Ramones.
 * Mrs. Krabappel sounds like Miss Othmar from the screen adaptations of the comic strip Peanuts.
 * When Bart and Lisa see Homer's silhouette projected into the sky, Bart wonders whether it's Homer and Lisa says, "Either that, or Batman's really let himself go," referencing the Bat-Signal as well as Batman himself.
 * Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: Referenced when Marge and Homer are in the lighthouse discussing their differences. Homer says to Marge, "It's like you're from Venus ..." and Marge replies, "And you're from Mars."
 * EARL being a robot rather than a computer is a reference to the episode "".
 * The train heading towards Homer during his vision is a reference to the opening titles of the series.

Music

 * The theme to The Good The Bad And The Ugly by Ennio Morricone is briefly heard as Homer approaches Chief Wiggum at Springfield Chili Cook-Off.
 * "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian plays in the background as Homer walks through the town of Springfield looking for his soulmate after he wakes up from his chili vision.
 * "Short Shorts" by The Royal Teens plays at the end of the episode (and over the credits) after Lenny (while holding a pair of hot pants), yells into the crowd: "Hey, who likes short shorts?"

Goofs

 * When a close-up of E.A.R.L is shown, the rain immediately stops outside. After this the rain continues.