South Park’s Halloween Episode Tackles South America’s Beef Crisis
WHO:
The Guardian - Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Randy are among the “South Park” characters involved in the episode’s beef-shortage storyline.
The Guardian - Randy is Stan’s father and remains in a miniaturized child’s body after a Sephora looksmaxxing mishap from the preceding episode.
The Guardian - Ruth Chris is the steakhouse owner in the episode; the article notes that the real founder of the Ruth’s Chris Steak House chain was Ruth Fertel.
The Guardian - The Sizzler is run by “fake cowboys” who take the town’s cows.
Video Games Chronicle - The steakhouse owner shows the boys the game footage; the article says the footage was presumably provided to the show’s creators by Rockstar.
Video Games Chronicle - GTA 6 protagonist Jason appears in the footage.
WHAT:
The Guardian - “Guinea Pig on a Stick” is an episode of “South Park” Season 29. Cartman expects sloppy joes at school but is served cuy, or guinea pig on a stick, instead.
Variety - In Season 29’s fourth episode, “Guinea Pig on a Stick,” Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Randy try to keep local beef from being taken away from their mountain town.
The Guardian - The episode depicts South Park beef becoming highly sought after elsewhere in the country, leaving local residents unable to get reasonably priced meat.
The Guardian - The Sizzler takes the town’s cows, including some associated with a cattle farm’s “champagne room.”
The Guardian - The children rebrand guinea pig on a stick as a patriotic delicacy. Steakhouse customers accept it as a substitute for beef when it is prepared with rich butter.
The Guardian - The episode shows diners experiencing explosive diarrhea after eating the beef and the rebranded guinea pig dish.
Video Games Chronicle - GTA 6 footage shows Jason on a beach, where a dog owner lets a dog defecate on the sand and picks up the waste with a bag. Jason throws an object at the owner, fights him, then hits him on the head with the bag of dog poo.
Video Games Chronicle - The episode’s steakhouse owner calls the footage “next-level” graphics and says, “That is what is coming in November.”
WHERE:
The Guardian - The fictional town is presented as “South America” and is described as a mountain town where beef is produced.
The Guardian - The episode includes scenes at the school cafeteria, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, and the Sizzler.
Video Games Chronicle - The GTA 6 gameplay sequence takes place on a beach.
WHY:
The Guardian - The article connects the episode’s beef shortage to an actual U.S. beef shortage and to increased demand for beef tallow associated with the MAHA movement.
Video Games Chronicle - The steakhouse owner says people care about the country, not the cows, and that they are anxious about what is coming in November.
HOW:
The Guardian - The episode’s characters resolve the shortage by giving guinea pig on a stick patriotic branding and preparing it with butter to resemble the effects of beef.
Video Games Chronicle - The steakhouse owner presents the GTA 6 footage on a television, calling it something that “a lot of good Americans died to smuggle to us.”
(UPDATED October 29, 2026 16:05 UTC)
“South Park” centers its Season 29 episode “Guinea Pig on a Stick” on a beef shortage, as Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Randy try to keep local cattle from being taken by the Sizzler’s “fake cowboys.” With beef too expensive for residents, the children rebrand guinea pig on a stick as a patriotic delicacy and serve it with rich butter, though diners later suffer explosive diarrhea. The episode also features GTA 6 protagonist Jason in beach footage shown by a steakhouse owner, where Jason fights a dog owner and hits him with a bag of dog waste; the owner calls the graphics “next-level” and says, “That is what is coming in November.”