The Simpsons have predicted the future yet again, or rather the future has caught up with the The Simpsons again. After accurately predicting Donald Trump's presidency, Disney's Fox buyout, a car crashing through the upper level of a building, and a very particular Nobel Prize recipient, of course the long-running animated comedy also nailed prophesied the U.S. men's curling team's first Olympic gold at the Winter Games! The Simpsons' executive producer and showrunner Al Jean reminded fans about it on Twitter not long after the Olympic team's big win over Sweden:
The screenshot above came from the 2010 episode "Boy Meets Curl," in which Marge and Homer head to the ice rink to skate, only to find the rink had been reserved for curling. The two quickly pick up the sport, due to Homer's bowling ability and Marge's broom-sweeping skills, and they are recruited by Agnes and Seymour Skinner for a mixed doubles team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The episode ends with Team USA taking the gold medal, and here's the freaky part: Homer and Marge defeated Sweden to make it happen!
The Simpsons predicting Team USA's upset victory over Sweden in men's curling is pretty impressive, but it'd be a lie to say this prediction was exactly on the money. For instance, Marge and Homer participated in the mixed doubles event at their Winter Games, which is an entirely separate event at the Olympics. The Simpsons' episode also had Russia finishing in 3rd place, and while it was technically the 2010 Winter Olympic games in the episode, a true prediction would've also nailed the high-profile doping scandal that barred the country from the 2018 Winter Games. Perhaps there was a smudge or two on The Simpsons writers' crystal ball that's kept in a nearby closet.
Check out a clip from the episode below!
Hilariously enough, the 2010 Winter Olympics featured the worst Olympic performance to date for Team USA's 2018 curling captain John Shuster. After Shuster botched several shots that cost the team some wins eight years ago, Team USA benched him for an alternate. The men's team finished in last place that year, and Shuster's team also did fairly poorly in Sochi in 2014, leading to him getting cut by the team. Of course, it all led to a present-day happy ending, and while Shuster credits his rededicated drive, and not The Simpsons, for his eventual success, its still possible Al Jean and his writers' predictive voodoo played a small part in the Olympic upset.
The Simpsons will return to Fox with new episodes beginning on Sunday, March 11, at 8:00 p.m. ET. For a look at upcoming programming coming to television before, or around that time, head on over to our midseason premiere guide. For some educated guesses as to why the show is consistently spot on with major predictions, read up on what this college professor had to say about the phenomena.
