Armchair Expert – Armchair Anonymous: Meet Cute III

Release Date: February 13, 2026
Host: Dax Shepard (with Monica Padman)
Theme: Heartwarming “meet-cute” stories from listeners, exploring quirky and moving ways people find love and connection.

Episode Overview

This episode is the third installment of the "Meet Cute" series of Armchair Anonymous. Dax Shepard and Monica Padman welcome listeners who share joyful, serendipitous, and thoroughly sweet stories about how they met their partners. With Dax and Monica’s signature warmth and humor, listeners recount tales of juggling partnerships turned marriages, drive-thru napkin flirtations, European adventures leading to lifelong love, and even a childhood hospital friendship blossoming into a marriage. The stories offer validation, delight, and a celebration of the “messiness of being human”—with plenty of laughter and some tears along the way.

Key Stories & Discussion Points

1. Alison & the Juggling Meet-Cute

[03:14 - 13:40]

• Setting: Philadelphia Folk Festival, childhood passions, accidental electrifying onstage moment.
• Alison’s Background:
  • Baton twirler, juggler, musical theater nerd.
  • Struggled to fit in with her hobbies, considered a teaching career.
• The Moment:
  • At age 24, Alison attends the Philly Folk Festival.
  • Sees the famed “Give and Take Jugglers” troupe, longtime local staple.
  • During a classic vaudeville hat-toss routine, Alison catches the hat perfectly on her head and throws it back—directly onto the juggler’s head.
  • Quote:
    • “I don’t know what came over me or what gave me this confidence, but I stood up and I caught the hat on my head.” (Alison, 08:03)
• Aftermath:
  • Strikes up conversation with the performer, bonding over their shared love of juggling.
  • They juggle together, spend hours talking, and develop a quick, deep connection.
  • Alison abandons her friend at the festival to see him again; he asks her to join his act upon her return from a job in Massachusetts.
  • The two become partners onstage and in life.
• Current Status:
  • Together for 14 years, married with two children, now running the circus troupe.
  • Their kids have begun joining their act onstage.
  • Quote:
    • “When we don’t have a show for a while…it really feels like we need to do a show together to reconnect.” (Alison, 12:50)

2. Jeremy (Cookie Boy) & Chicken Express Romance

[15:10 - 24:57]

• Setting: Chicken Express fast food in Watkinsville, GA; UGA college backdrop.
• How it Started:
  • Jeremy and his friend had a code for signaling “cute girls” at the drive-thru.
  • Sees a girl (Candace) in a BMW, decides to write his name and number on a napkin and slips it in her fried chicken order.
  • Quote:
    • “I think I’m going to put my name and number on a napkin and I’m going to put it in her to go box. We’re just going to see what happens.” (Jeremy, 18:19)
• The Reveal:
  • Candace texts Jeremy that night: “Sneaky, sneaky!”
  • He doesn’t recognize the number at first, thinking it’s a prank.
  • After some playful texting, he realizes who it is and promptly calls her.
• First Date:
  • After phone banter, Candace and Jeremy have an Italian dinner at De Palma’s and ice cream at Marble Slab—even with Jeremy choking on his waffle cone.
• Relationship Development:
  • Their connection grows; Jeremy calls Candace his “first girlfriend.”
  • They marry and have two daughters.
  • Sweet backstory: Candace still has Jeremy’s number saved in her phone as “Jeremy Chicken Boy.”
• Quote:
  • “Sometimes you just gotta put yourself out there. You gotta put your number in the box.” (Monica Padman, 22:33)
  • Surprise:
    • Jeremy plans to reveal his podcast appearance to Candace while en route to Mexico for Valentine’s.

3. Claire’s European “Fuck Bus” Adventure

[25:08 - 37:44]

• Setting: University of Utah student, longing for adventure, group bus tour across Europe.
• Origin:
  • At 19, Claire faces a solo summer after her friend bails on their European plans.
  • She joins an 18–35-year-old tour, clueless that it’s mischievously called “the fuck bus.”
• The Adventure:
  • Claire, the only American girl among mostly New Zealanders and Aussies, decides to lean into stereotypes, falsely claiming cheerleader status, and pushing for group skinny-dipping.
  • One night, only the alluring New Zealander (eventual husband) and another man take up her offer.
  • Post-skinny-dip, Claire and the New Zealander share a moonlit, cinematic first kiss.
• After the Summer:
  • The flirtation becomes love; he moves to Salt Lake for a year, then she to New Zealand, then Australia.
  • They marry and have three children.
• Quote:
  • “We are just here to skinny dip. I’m a skinny dipping purist.” (Claire, 34:46)
  • Notable Moment:
    • At episode’s end, Claire’s New Zealand husband joins the call, playfully still searching for the “cheerleader uniform.”
• Shoutout:
  • Claire gives thanks to her best friend Hill (“She would have killed me if she didn’t get some sort of mention.”)

4. Emily & the Hospital-Connection Romance

[37:49 - 46:26]

• Setting: Canton, OH; Appleton & Kaukauna, WI; Children’s Hospital in Baltimore; rare medical journey.
• Unique Beginning:
  • Both Emily and future-husband Cameron are born with bladder exstrophy; as children, both spend eight weeks immobilized after significant surgery.
  • Their mothers connect at Johns Hopkins’ waiting area; the kids’ first meeting is at 4 years old.
• Reconnection:
  • Years later, age 12–13, Emily finds Cameron’s family in a community directory for those with the condition.
  • Their mothers reconnect; soon, Emily and Cameron are emailing and IMing, then meet again in person as teens.
  • Begin dating after their first meeting post-reunion; she calls herself “a cougar” as she’s a grade ahead.
• Long-Term Love:
  • Together since 2006, married in 2015, two daughters (neither impacted by the condition).
  • Quote:
    • “That’s part of who I am, but it’s not who I am.” (Emily, 45:02)
• Memorable Photo Reveal:
  • Dax and Monica see wedding and childhood medical photos—Dax gets teary.
• Notable Reaction:
  • “This is the heart warmer of the century.” (Monica Padman, 45:50)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “You threw a hat on my head. What a great moment that was.” (Alison, 08:30)
• “When we don’t have a show for a while… like for the pandemic, it really felt like something was missing in our relationship. Like, this essential part of who we are as a couple and how we bond.” (Alison, 12:50)
• “I'm still in her phone as Jeremy Chicken Boy.” (Jeremy, 23:09)
• “Cut to the Fuck Bus.” (Dan Sheppard, 28:47)
• "He just dives into the ocean...I saw a flash. I said, okay, you can see a flash." (Claire, 34:00 & 34:17)
• “No one your age has known their husband...it’s just a really rare [story].” (Dan Sheppard, 46:02)
• “I don’t care for that. I think it’s just so important to live your life. And that’s part of who I am, but it’s not who I am.” (Emily, 45:02)

Dax & Monica’s Reactions & Running Commentary

• Both are repeatedly moved to tears by the warmth and vulnerability of the stories.
  • “I don't know if I can do this show anymore because I'm just crying so regularly.” (Dax, 46:43)
• Take frequent detours to joke about circus acts, “commedia dell’arte,” and nostalgic college rituals.
• Monica’s love for the prompt shines:
  • “I love this prompt. It’s a very sweet prompt.” (Monica, 00:08)
• Dax encourages listeners to seek connection:
  • “You gotta put yourself out there, both of you.” (Dan Sheppard, 24:23)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:14] Alison’s meet-cute at the Philadelphia Folk Festival
• [15:10] Jeremy (“Cookie Boy”) shares his Chicken Express napkin story
• [25:08] Claire’s European trip and the infamous “fuck bus”
• [37:49] Emily recounts meeting her husband in a hospital at age 4, and reconnecting years later

Overall Tone and Takeaways

• The episode is light, heartfelt, and brimming with optimism.
• Dax and Monica’s empathy and humor keep the stories both grounded and entertaining.
• Listeners learn that love truly comes in all forms—sometimes in a circus ring, a drive-thru window, a moonlit European beach, or after a shared struggle.

Final Thoughts

“Meet Cute III” beautifully reinforces the podcast’s core: a celebration of “the messiness of being human” and the deeply individual ways we forge connection. Unapologetically sweet, sometimes quirky, and always sincere, each story offers a little hope and a big reminder that the magic of love can appear in the most unexpected places.