I Could Make-It-Up & Wouldn't Know

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: Episode Summary - "I Could Make-It Up & Wouldn't Know"

Release Date: March 17, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts
Podcast Title: Armstrong & Getty On Demand
Episode Title: I Could Make-It Up & Wouldn't Know

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Introduction: A High School Airport Anecdote (00:00 - 01:07)

The episode kicks off with Armstrong sharing a humorous and relatable story about his son's recent birthday trip. While navigating airport security with his three 15-year-old boys, one of Armstrong's sons gets singled out for a pat-down due to an alarm in a "little radar" device.

Armstrong (00:09): "I was at the airport the other day... one of his friends gets pulled out of the line because something showed up on the little radar in his crotch area."

The situation becomes even more amusing when Armstrong’s son attributes the extra scrutiny to his own size, leading to laughter among friends.

Armstrong (01:07): "It's because I'm massive."

Getty joins in, reflecting on the universality of such high school humor.

Getty (01:19): "Yes, the universe can continue spinning. Human nature does not change."

The Endless Maze of TV Shows (02:07 - 06:00)

Transitioning from personal anecdotes, the conversation shifts to the overwhelming number of TV shows available across various streaming platforms. Armstrong humorously claims to have fabricated titles of acclaimed series to highlight the saturation of content.

Armstrong (02:43): "I could make up a title and say, oh, you haven't seen that, it's fantastic. And you wouldn't know because there's just so many damn shows out there."

Getty and Katie respond by confirming their unfamiliarity with these made-up titles, underscoring the hosts' point about the sheer volume of available content.

Katie (03:16): "No, I said that was fake."

Spotlight on Popular and Controversial Shows (03:00 - 07:00)

The discussion moves towards actual popular shows like "The Last of Us" and "Andor." Armstrong expresses his distaste for Pedro Pascal, a prominent actor featured in these series, based on a negative perception formed from an interview.

Armstrong (03:19): "...I saw an interview with him where he came off as a dick and I didn't like him. So now I have no interest in watching anything with him because I find him so unpalatable."

Getty mentions Gina Carano’s controversy, adding to the discourse on the intersection of entertainment and personal beliefs.

Getty (03:49): "She got screwed by the Marxists."

Additionally, the hosts touch upon the anticipation surrounding the final season of "Andor" and other noteworthy shows, highlighting their varying interests and tastes.

Deep Dive: Gordon Ramsay and the Culture of "Hell's Kitchen" (06:00 - 12:04)

A substantial portion of the episode delves into Gordon Ramsay's "Hell's Kitchen," exploring his abrasive persona and its impact on both contestants and viewers. Armstrong reflects on his personal experience dining at Ramsay's restaurant and the intense environment that mirrors the show's high-pressure setting.

Armstrong (07:09): "...there are only eight of them in the country. And I ate it. The one in Washington D.C.... the most expensive meal I've ever eaten in my life. ... it's very much like the TV show, really."

Katie recounts memorable moments from the show, such as Ramsay's infamous "idiot sandwich" incident, illustrating his tough-love approach to culinary excellence.

Katie (08:46): "He slammed it on either side of a guy's face and called him an idiot sandwich."

Getty draws parallels between "Hell's Kitchen" and other culinary shows, emphasizing the unique culture within professional kitchens.

Getty (09:20): "Chefs are just mean. It's kind of like a real status. ... it's just a thing."

Armstrong expands on the broader implications of such a culture, questioning its prevalence and sustainability outside the culinary world.

Armstrong (10:18): "I could never work in this circumstance where I'm getting yelled at like that all the time."

Katie contrasts "Hell's Kitchen" with Ramsay’s more congenial show "Kitchen Nightmares," highlighting the varied facets of Ramsay's television presence.

Katie (10:42): "There's a cooking show he does with kids... helps a little girl get a heavy pan off the stove."

The segment concludes with reflections on the dual nature of Ramsay’s persona—combining harsh criticism with moments of genuine support and mentorship.

Armstrong (12:04): "The idiot sandwich is a nice touch. Pretty funny. Well, I guess that's it."

Conclusion: Balancing Critique and Appreciation (12:04)

The episode wraps up with the hosts balancing their critiques of the harshness in "Hell's Kitchen" with an appreciation for the high standards and entertainment value Gordon Ramsay brings to the culinary television landscape.

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Key Takeaways

• Relatability Through Humor: Armstrong's anecdote about his son's airport experience sets a relatable and humorous tone, emphasizing the universality of teenage humor and human nature.

• Navigating Content Overload: The hosts discuss the overwhelming number of TV shows available today, using Armstrong’s fabricated titles to satirize the saturation of the entertainment market.

• Critical Perspectives on Entertainment Figures: A significant focus is placed on Gordon Ramsay, exploring both his demanding persona and moments of kindness, highlighting the complexities of public figures in reality television.

• Culinary Culture Examined: The conversation delves into the high-pressure environment of professional kitchens, questioning the sustainability and impact of such cultures outside the culinary industry.

Notable Quotes

• Armstrong (00:09): "I was at the airport the other day... one of his friends gets pulled out of the line because something showed up on the little radar in his crotch area."

• Getty (01:19): "Yes, the universe can continue spinning. Human nature does not change."

• Armstrong (02:43): "I could make up a title and say, oh, you haven't seen that, it's fantastic. And you wouldn't know because there's just so many damn shows out there."

• Katie (08:46): "He slammed it on either side of a guy's face and called him an idiot sandwich."

• Armstrong (07:09): "...the most expensive meal I've ever eaten in my life.... it's very much like the TV show, really."

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This episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand offers listeners a blend of personal anecdotes, sharp humor, and insightful critiques of contemporary television culture, particularly within the realm of culinary shows. The hosts effectively balance entertaining stories with thoughtful commentary, making it a worthwhile listen for both regular fans and newcomers.

Transcript

[Armstrong]

I could make it up and you wouldn't know. It's one more thing. Armstrong and Getty.

[Getty]

One more thing.

[Armstrong]

Before I get to that, I have to tell this story because it's a little. Well, it's definitely. It's sophomore because it's coming from freshman in high school and I didn't want to tell it on the radio. So I'm at the airport the other day, what a week or so ago, my son's little birthday trip with him and two of his other 15 year old high school boy friends. We're going through security and one of his friends gets pulled out of the line because something showed up on the little radar there thing in his crotch area. And they showed the, they had the screen there. It was like right in his crotch area and they had to feel him up and everything like that. And, and he said because he is a high school boy to his friends when he got away from the line, it's because I'm massive.

[Getty]

Jeez.

[Armstrong]

Which made me laugh. It was just such a I'm a 15 year old boy sort of thing to say.

[Getty]

Yes, yes. That the universe can continue spinning.

[Armstrong]

Right.

[Getty]

Everyone has played their.

[Armstrong]

And I thought there has been somebody roughly that age make that sort of joke since human beings have been able.

[Getty]

To communicate if somebody got an extra pat down entering the Roman Coliseum thousands of years ago, he made the same joke. Yes. And Katie and all the women there at the Coliseum rolled their eyes and thought, what an idiot.

[Armstrong]

Right?

[Getty]

Nothing has changed. Human nature does not change.

[Armstrong]

Oh, geez. Even his friends rolled their eyes.

[Getty]

As they must again. And the dance of the universe continues.

[Armstrong]

I'm not going to go through this list of TV shows. I just thought it was kind of funny that in the Life section of USA Today it mentions the 10 best streaming series on, you know, on all your different streaming, Amazon, Netflix, all the different things.

[Getty]

I am watching, I believe two hot shows right now, so I'm hoping they're on the list.

[Armstrong]

So you would know better than me, but I was, my, my intro was. I could make it up and you wouldn't know a lot of these titles. I feel like I could make up a title and say, oh, you haven't seen that, it's fantastic. And you wouldn't know because there's just so many damn shows out there.

[Getty]

It's like Kentucky Derby horse or.

[Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Getty]

Or what was it? Positive Sean used to do this bit or horror movie or.

[Armstrong]

I can't remember.

[Getty]

Something like that. Yeah.

[Armstrong]

Like are you watching the last anniversary on Sundance?

[Getty]

No, sir.

[Armstrong]

Or Pulse on Netflix?

[Getty]

No, sir.

[Armstrong]

The Bondsman on Amazon Prime.

[Getty]

Never heard of it.

[Armstrong]

Friends and Neighbors on Apple tv. These are the best shows, according to the critic. These are the best shows on all of television, and they probably are. They're probably freaking great.

[Getty]

Katie, Friends and Neighbors. You know that one?

[Katie]

No, I said that was fake.

[Armstrong]

The Last of Us I've heard of. That's got Pedro Pascal, who was the Mandalorian, who is now in everything all the time. I saw an interview with him where he came off as a dick and I didn't like him. So now I have no interest in watching anything with him because I find him so unpalatable.

[Getty]

And that poor gal, what's her name, who got fired for expressing even slight sympathy toward not far left communism. What was her name? Gina.

[Armstrong]

Carano. Carano.

[Getty]

Yeah. Yeah, we'll. We'll correct that if it's not right. But yeah, God bless her. Man, did she get screwed by the Marxists.

[Armstrong]

Anyway, a bunch of other shows on here that you've never heard of that I'm. That are. I'm sure are. Actually.

[Getty]

You got to keep going. You got to keep going. I got to see if my shows are on there.

[Armstrong]

Okay. I'm sure they're actually fantastic. Do you watch what Makes a Good Friend?

[Getty]

No, Never heard of it.

[Armstrong]

Andor.

[Getty]

Oh, wait a minute.

[Armstrong]

Andor. Season two of Andor. It's. It's a Star wars series. You.

[Getty]

It's supposed to be horrible.

[Armstrong]

You is on its final season.

[Getty]

I actually watched some of that final season. U Y O U. Yeah, he's a.

[Armstrong]

Serial killer nut job. And as a pretty good show, I watched like the first season or so. I don't know if you saw that.

[Katie]

Yes, I saw that first season.

[Armstrong]

Oh, it was troubling, but it didn't keep me around. Poker face, overcompensating.

[Getty]

That's on Making all of these up. You liar.

[Armstrong]

Sirens on Netflix.

[Getty]

I've heard of that one.

[Armstrong]

Also premiering this spring, Wolf hall, which I never read the book, so I wouldn't mind watching the series just because I'm really into the old timey English stuff. Handsmaid Tail, final season on Hulu in April, Hacks on Cinemax, Doctor who, which is a reboot, I guess. Is that what's going on there?

[Getty]

It reboots every few years. And Murder James Bond.

[Armstrong]

So none of your shows were on the. None of your shows. So what are your shows that you're watching?

[Getty]

I'm way too late to the party to get on the hipster list. I think Judy And I are watching the. Exactly, exactly. Saved by the Bell we're watching, I think. Is it the fabulous gemstones, the wonderful gemstones, the something or other gemstones? It's on Max. John Goodman as the head of a televangelist family that are all crooks and pervs and hypocrites. It is so entertaining.

[Armstrong]

Yeah, that's a good premise. And most of these shows I mentioned here have giant stars in them, like really big stars.

[Getty]

And then I'm watching a solo because Judy kind of lost interest. It wasn't her vibe. Severance, which is the weird, eerie, science fictiony, you know, high tech company that makes you put a chip in your brain so your outside self is totally unaware of your inside self and vice versa.

[Armstrong]

And you know what show I just got into, and I am, I think, 15 years behind or a decade behind or something like that. Henry got onto it and now he wants me to watch episodes with him because he really, really likes it. Hell's Kitchen with Gordon Ramsay. You ever watch any of that?

[Katie]

Every single one of the promos.

[Armstrong]

It's pretty, Pretty well put together. Yeah. I mean, even with all my cynicism about those kind of shows, it's pretty good.

[Katie]

I have a T shirt with Gordon Ramsay and it just says, where's the lamb sauce?

[Armstrong]

When he gets. So he's a. Do you know much about this, Joe?

[Getty]

It's enough to. Yeah.

[Armstrong]

Very famous chef. He was. He was voted best chef in England nine years in a row. I mean, he's a really big deal chef. And he opened the English famously.

[Getty]

Don't know how to cook. Back to you.

[Armstrong]

He opened some hell a. Hell's Kitchen. I don't remember where the first one was in the United States, I think in la. And there. There are only eight of them in the country. And I ate it. The one in Washington D.C. when I was there with my kids because it was the only place I could find a reservation. Also the most expensive meal I've ever eaten in my life. But it was very, very good. With lots of yelling going on in the kitchen. It's kind of like the TV show, really. But he, he, he had a reputation for very, very high quality and a gazillion Michelin stars and all this sort of stuff. And he wants each restaurant to be. To live up to his standard. He doesn't want it to be, you know, just the name and, but not as good a quality. And so he's really, really hard on these people. And all the. One of the reasons it makes this seem like it could be some. The prize is so big. The. At least the first season, we are watching the prizes. It you get the restaurant, you're going to run this restaurant if you win the competition. Because otherwise you would think the way he yells at everybody and treats them, you just think he'd say, f you and walk out of there. I'm not going to listen to you. But if you're going to end up with, you know, a very, very famous restaurant that you're running and you want to be a chef for your whole life, you might put up quite a bit of crap from Gordon Ramsey.

[Katie]

One guy did. One guy did lose it on him. I can't remember what season, but he takes his chef coat off and he gets two inches away from Gordon's face and is like, you want to go outside? He's from Boston. Well, take this outside.

[Armstrong]

I can see getting there because he's such a dick to these people. Yeah, you are, you are. That's what your problem is. You are. He'll say that's he took a piece.

[Katie]

Of bread in each hand and he slammed it on either side of a guy's face and called him an idiot sandwich.

[Getty]

Wow. So a couple of thoughts. First of all, it's very much like the premise of the Bear. That, that the, the guy, the main guy in that came out of a kitchen like that just messed with his head and he doesn't know how to deal with people in a normal way now. But Jack, I know you hate that sort of coaching style or leadership style. Is it tough to take or what? Or is it so over the top? It's entertaining. I've.

[Armstrong]

So I had a friend who went to culinary school to be a chef years ago, and that was where I was introduced to the idea that chefs are so mean. I don't know how that ended up as a culture, but it's the culture. Chefs are just mean. And it's kind of like a. A real status. This. It comes with the job. You're a chef, so you get to be a real jerk to people. Other industries aren't like that. I mean, they talk about it, you know, fast moving and high pressure. Well, I'm sure. But so are lots of industries and it's not like well known that if you're the head air traffic controller, you get to call everybody in a hole or stuff like that, start around and treat them poorly no matter what. And they have to put up with it. For some reason in the restaurant business, it's just a thing. And if you're A lower level. You just get belittled constantly. So it's. It's. It's, you know, fairly accurate from that standpoint. I would. I could never work in this circumstance where I'm getting yelled at like that all the time.

[Katie]

Another great Gordon. Oh, yeah. Another great Gordon Ramsay series is Hell's Kitchen. Or not Hell's Kitchen. I'm sorry, Kitchen Nightmares, where he actually, he goes around to restaurants in the country and that are awful, and he goes through revamps their menu, redecorates their restaurant and all that. But when he's discovering how bad they are, it's hysterically funny. He's, like, sitting at the table. He's just spitting into a trash can. This is garbage.

[Armstrong]

I could. I could see liking that because he's. He's a. He's an entertaining personality.

[Katie]

Yeah.

[Armstrong]

But when he. When he tries people's food there at the restaurant, and then he just takes a plate and he shoves it in their chest and their white tunic or whatever.

[Getty]

Yeah, I. We may have to try that. I don't know. We prefer the more mellow and kind vibe of Beat Bobby Flay.

[Armstrong]

God, Henry was last.

[Getty]

We went to our cooking show, period. But it's been a long time.

[Armstrong]

Yeah. Yeah. I. It is kind of interesting, though, those. Those super expensive restaurants, how they get everything out of the kitchen at a really high quality and hot and like, in less than, you know, an hour later or something is quite amazing. But I guess that's why they charge so much for it. It's just. It's a lot like American Idol. You get down to you got two teams competing against each other, and then you get to the end and one team has to eliminate somebody and, you know, the whole thing.

[Katie]

But what is charming is there's a. Also a cooking show he does with kids, and there's been YouTube videos where it's a. It's a contrast between Gordon Ramsay with adult and Gordon Ramsay with kids. And it just goes from him cussing somebody out to, like, helping a little girl get a heavy pan off the stove.

[Getty]

He's.

[Katie]

I love that guy.

[Armstrong]

You're just a giant lump of uselessness. Why are you even in here?

[Getty]

The idiot sandwich is a nice touch.

[Armstrong]

Pretty funny. Well, I guess that's it.