Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: ...And Then The Stabbing Starts

Original Air Date: March 25, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Armstrong & Getty weaves together two main threads: a comically philosophical debate on the increasingly common presence of humanoid robots in society and an incredulous recounting of a bizarre Los Angeles brunch that devolved into a stabbing melee over the restaurant bill. With their trademark blend of sarcasm, wry observation, and banter, Armstrong, Getty, and their co-host (Jack) keep things lively, skeptical, and irreverent throughout.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Rise (and Creep Factor) of Humanoid Robots

[03:36 – 09:18]

• White House “Technology Week” & Melania with a Robot:
  The show kicks off with the hosts riffing on a news clip where Melania Trump is seen walking into the West Wing with a humanoid robot, leading Armstrong & Getty to share their personal encounters with robots.

• Personal Robot Experiences:

  • Jack describes encountering a highly advanced humanoid robot in Las Vegas that could converse with people (“Where are you from?”) in a convincingly natural—even regional—manner, but found it "creep-licious" ([05:26], Host).
  • Armstrong relays a sushi restaurant visit where a robot served his food, noting there was amusingly still a tip line on the receipt ([04:54], Armstrong).
  • Getty comments on local establishments using "tall Roomba" style robots, questioning whether they’re actually labor-saving devices or just gimmicks ([04:36], Host; [04:48], Getty).

• The Uncanny Valley & Why Humanoid Robots Freak Us Out:

  • The group puzzlingly wonders: why do robotics designers insist on making robots so human-looking, especially given the well-documented "uncanny valley" effect that makes almost-human forms unsettling?

    • Quote:
      “If I’m buying a mobile computer that has some mechanical abilities, I don’t automatically need it to look like a human being.” — Getty ([06:04])
    • They contemplate design logic: is it marketing? Is it sci-fi convention? Wouldn't more legs (or wheels) be more practical than two?

  • The hosts joke about the absurdity of robots with human features: faces, breasts, and even speculating on the need for lactating robots ([08:45], Host; [08:57], Getty).

    • Memorable exchange:
      “Or if I throw you some beads, will you lift up your carbon fiber cover and show me those things?” — Host ([09:08])
      “Well, they’ll always be firm, so the robots have that going for them.” — Getty ([09:18])

2. The LA Brunch Brawl: When Splitting the Bill Goes Violent

[12:53 – 19:12]

• Setting the Scene:

  • The hosts revisit a recent story: a Sunday brunch among five well-dressed women in a trendy Los Angeles restaurant erupts into violence when the bill comes.
  • The restaurant, Zaya, prides itself on “southern influences and a high-energy atmosphere.” As Jack quips:
    • Quote:
      “If the high energy atmosphere includes stabbing each other with broken bottles, I guess that’s… then they met that.” — Host ([13:20])

• Details of the Incident:

  • After a dispute over splitting the bill, someone grabs a knife and starts stabbing; another breaks a bottle to join in. Police are called, and two out of the five are booked on felony charges ([14:32], Host).
    • The absurdity is mined for humor:
      • “Hey Jim, you stabbed me with a knife. I slashed you with a bottle. Bill tried to take out John’s eye with a spoon. Can you two shake?” — Getty ([14:44])
      • “Maybe go with cuisine that doesn’t require knives, Jeff. At least for a little while.” — Getty ([15:04])

• Official Restaurant Response & Mockery:

  • The restaurant's Instagram statement claims the “situation was beyond our control.”
    • The hosts ridicule the corporate-speak, imagining prank promotions (“stabstring: get a free dessert today!”) and the impossibility of staff orchestrating the violence ([15:22], Getty and Host).

• Motives and Subcultures:

  • The group debates what prompted the brawl: drunkenness, subcultures prone to violence over trivial disputes, or perhaps "just one nut job." Armstrong notes he saw video footage confirming "they were all in it" ([17:18]).
  • Getty muses:
    • “Are you part of a subculture that routinely settles minor disputes with physical violence?” ([16:50])
    • Host: “I am not.” ([16:56])

• Bystander Reactions & Society’s Phone Habit:

  • Armstrong describes the video: a phone-recorded, chaotic scene. Getty and the host lambaste the modern impulse to film instead of intervene ([17:59], Host).
    • “In this situation, I’m breaking out my phone.” — Getty ([18:29])
    • “Yeah, mutual combat between lunatics, probably drunk biatches screaming things at each other. Yeah, I’m not getting involved in that.” — Host ([18:33])

• Dark Comedy & “Waiter” Jokes:

  • Ending the discussion with levity, the hosts imagine the staff calmly offering water, dessert menus, or dinner specials as the fight raged on ([19:00]–[19:12]).

Notable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Quote & Context | |-----------|----------------| | 05:26 | “It was creepy-licious.” — Host, describing a humanoid robot | | 06:04 | “If I’m buying a mobile computer that has some mechanical abilities, I don’t automatically need it to look like a human being.” — Getty | | 08:45 | “It seems from the way you’re shaped that you have boobs which are generally designed to provide milk to an infant. Are you going to have an infant robot that feeds on your boob-like structures? Do you lactate?” — Host (sarcastic speculation on humanoid robots) | | 13:20 | “If the high energy atmosphere includes stabbing each other with broken bottles, I guess that’s… then they met that.” — Host | | 14:44 | “Hey Jim, you stabbed me with a knife. I slashed you with a bottle. Bill tried to take out John’s eye with a spoon. Can you two shake?” — Getty | | 15:22 | “I love the official statement. Whether it’s government or corporate or this restaurant. Oh, it was not within your control? See, I was thinking that it was, you know, stabstring: get a free dessert or something today!” — Getty | | 16:50 | “Are you part of a subculture that routinely settles minor disputes with physical violence?” — Getty | | 18:33 | “Yeah. Mutual combat between lunatics, probably drunk biatches screaming things at each other. Yeah, I’m not getting involved in that.” — Host |

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:36 – 09:18: Robots in public, design philosophy, and the uncanny valley
• 12:53 – 19:12: Los Angeles brunch stabbing incident retold and roundly mocked

Episode Tone & Style

Relentlessly tongue-in-cheek, Armstrong & Getty maintain a rapid-fire, witty, and skeptical tone, skewering both technological and social absurdities. Their banter makes light of unsettling advances in robotics and the increasingly strange state of public life, showing particular fondness for undermining PR spin and lampooning modern oddities.