text: boy meets curl " boy meets curl " is the twelfth episode of the simpsons ' twenty - first season . it aired on the fox network in the united states on february 14 , 2010 . in this episode , homer and marge simpson form a mixed curling team with agnes and seymour skinner , which is chosen to play in the 2010 winter olympics in vancouver . meanwhile , lisa begins collecting pins shaped like olympic mascots , but her obsession soon turns to desperation . with the winter olympics being held in canada , the writers wanted an olympic - themed episode that could air during the games . the script was written by rob lazebnik , who considered having the plot revolve around homer competing in four - man bobsled . however , he decided a curling episode would allow for the plot to revolve around homer and marge . in order to try to make the depiction of curling in the episode accurate , the writers visited a curling club and tried the sport themselves . they also consulted with a number of curlers . the episode was directed by chuck sheetz , while sportscaster bob costas guest - starred in the episode . airing during the olympics , the episode was watched by 5 . 87 million viewers and had a nielsen rating of 2 . 6 . the episode received positive reviews from critics , and ctv olympics reported that olympic curlers largely enjoyed the episode . plot marge and homer 's plans for a romantic date night fall through when homer is forced to stay longer than expected at the springfield nuclear power plant to fix a leak in one of the plant 's nuclear processing pipes . looking for a romantic activity after walking out of a movie starring ben affleck , they find an ice rink and decide to do some skating . however , they are unable to rent skates because it is curling night . they decide to try it and discover their innate talent for the sport — particularly marge , who has years of experience sweeping floors . agnes and seymour skinner notice and invite marge and homer to join their mixed - doubles team . it is announced that mixed - doubles has been added to the winter olympics as a demonstration sport , and the skinner - simpson team qualifies for the united states curling trials . agnes cautions marge not to let emotions get in the way of winning , relating how a fetal kick by an unborn seymour foiled her chances at winning gold in pole vault at the 1952 summer olympics in helsinki . at the trials , marge 's talented sweeping earns the team a win and a trip to the winter olympics in vancouver . meanwhile , at the trials , lisa is given an olympic mascot pin . lisa puts it on her shirt and decides it " looks lonely " and buys another , but her interest in them quickly spirals out of control . the simpsons arrive in vancouver , where agnes insists that homer be cut from the team . marge insists she can compensate for his weak throws , but she injures her right shoulder while sweeping to secure a win in the semifinals . she is told that she will never curl again and that the american team must forfeit the gold - medal match to sweden . lisa 's pin collection grows , and when she runs out of money , she trades her pearl necklace to a vendor in exchange for a pin from the 1924 winter olympics in chamonix , france . bart discovers lisa busking on a street corner , having relinquished her dress in favour of wearing her pins at all times , and offers to help her kick her pin - collecting addiction . cutting the lower portion of homer 's face from his driver 's license and making it into a pin , bart creates " " , a phony mascot for the 2014 winter olympics in sochi , russia . he trades the pin to the vendor in exchange for lisa 's necklace . as marge prepares to leave vancouver , she reveals to homer that she is left - handed , but has always used her right hand to avoid seeming unusual ( due to years of using her right hand , it renders her cross - dominant ) . she has enough dexterity to change maggie 's diaper and dress her one - handed . they return to the rink just in time to stop seymour from forfeiting the match and go on to defeat sweden for the gold . agnes softens her attitude of unyielding contempt toward her son after he breaks his broom and has to drop out , and marge and homer agree that they had a great date night . production with the 2010 winter olympics occurring in vancouver , the writers wanted an olympics - themed episode that could air during the games . the script was written by rob lazebnik — his fourth writing credit — , who originally considered having the plot revolve around homer competing in four - man bobsled . however , he decided a curling episode would allow for the plot to revolve around homer and marge and explore the issues of spouses competing together . the writers used some artistic license , because although curling is an olympic sport , mixed - doubles , which is featured in the episode , is not an olympic event . however , in the episode , it is explained that the event is being held as a demonstration sport . curling had previously been shown in the season 13 episode " the bart wants what it wants " , when the family visits toronto . in order to try to make the depiction of curling in the episode accurate , the writers visited a curling club and tried the sport themselves . they also consulted with four - time american mixed curling champions brady and cristin clark , as well as rick patzke , the chief operating officer of the united states curling association , who felt that the writers took a " genuine interest " in the sport . on the issue of whether competitive curlers would be offended by the episode , lazebnik said " when you hear the simpsons is going to do their take on your sport , you naturally get a little alarmed , but we ended up being respectful i would say , even , surprisingly respectful . both homer and marge take it seriously . " some curlers , including the clarks and patzke , felt that the exposure the sport received was beneficial . cristin clark said " although homer simpson probably isn 't the ideal athlete i would want to see representing our sport , i just think it 's great exposure . " canadian curler randy ferbey , a four - time world champion , said " i 'm sure they 're going to somehow make a mockery of it like they do every other thing , but i think you need to take it with a grain of salt . it brings attention to our sport and i think it 's wonderful . the more curling on tv , whether it 's in an animated form or real form , the better . " sportscaster bob costas guest - starred in the episode as a caricature of himself . cultural references homer 's speech before he and marge begin curling is a parody of the st crispin 's day speech from kenneth branagh 's version of henry v. across the street from the olympic curling trials are the " national curly trials " , in reference to curly howard from the three stooges . the medicine woman who appeared in the simpsons movie appears in the streets of vancouver , and homer refers to her as his former therapist . the opening ceremonies in the episode are directed by ivan reitman , described by announcer bob costas as canada 's " most famous director " . during the parade of athletes , nations are called to the tune of the theme song from ghostbusters , which was directed by reitman . reception in its original american broadcast , " boy meets curl " was viewed by 5 . 87 million viewers and got a nielsen rating of 2 . 6 , with a 7 % share of the audience . the episode came in third in its timeslot , but was the second - most viewed show on the animation domination lineup after family guy . the episode received positive reviews . robert canning of ign gave the episode an 8 . 4 / 10 saying it was " impressive " and " with or without the timeliness of the story and setting , ' boy meets curl ' was a fast and funny episode certain to be a highlight of the season " . todd vanderwerff of the a.v. club gave the episode an a , the best grade of the night , saying " simpsons was one of their best episodes in a long time , and it continues a season that 's had some pretty good episodes overall . i wouldn 't put this on the simpsons ' top tier , but i think it 's definitely on that next tier down , episodes that maybe don 't have the most original plots but do have solid jokes throughout . even the bart and lisa b - plot , involving lisa getting a sudden addiction to olympic pin collecting , starts out kind of bland and gets better and better as lisa 's grows . " jason hughes of the tv squad gave the episode a positive review as well saying " all in all , it was a weird time out of springfield this week , with some highlight moments sprinkled throughout " . steve tilley of the toronto sun wrote " sure , the episode was probably funnier for canadians and curlers ( and maybe harry potter fans ) than anyone else , but it did prove homer has got a bit of meteorological , psychic in him : ' pack your winter coat , we 're going to canada 's warmest city ! ' " bob costas received praise for his appearance , particularly for his line " this is the sort of bittersweet melodrama olympic coverage feeds on . i admit , we 're vampires who suck on shattered dreams . " jason hughes of tv squad called the line " about as accurate a description [ of olympic broadcasters ] as i 've ever seen . " ctv olympics reported that olympic curlers largely enjoyed the episode . american men 's team coach phill said " the team watched it together and we gave it two thumbs up , they did a great job and it was reaching out to a new audience for our sport , so that 's always great for us too . " american team alternate chris said " they didn 't make a mockery of the sport , which is nice . curling catches a lot of abuse . "