Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: We Don't Need This Anymore!
Date: August 26, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong, (Joe Getty on vacation), with Katie and Michelangelo
Producer: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This episode blends classic Armstrong & Getty humor with candid conversation on tough topics—weight loss struggles, border security, summer cookout controversies, and the sobering scope of the drug trade. The episode features an extended, vulnerable discussion about dieting failures and the reality of maintaining weight loss, followed by a fascinating interview with former U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens. The lighthearted segments about summer barbecues and off-brand sodas give way to a serious exploration of migration, cartel power, and America's changing borders, culminating in discussion about historic drug busts and shifting substance use.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Headline Clickbait and “Horse in a Pit” Story

[00:27–01:12]

• Armstrong & Getty riff on a bland headline—“Horse rescued with crane after falling in pit”—and brainstorm more sensational alternatives.
  • “Total stud pulled out of dirty hole.” (B, 00:40)
  • Jack jokes: “Hung like a horse.” (A, 00:47)
• Sets up their irreverent tone for the episode.

2. Weight Loss: The Relentless Struggle

[01:12–13:04]

▸ Americans’ Unfulfilled Summer Weight-Loss Pledges

• Katie shares a CDC study: 49% of Americans hoped to lose 20 pounds before summer. (C, 01:12)
• Hosts note how unrealistic these goals are and the repetitive cycle of self-delusion.
  • “Half of Americans lie to themselves probably every year and say, ‘I'm gonna lose 20 pounds by the time summer starts.’” (B, 01:20)
• CDC suggests shifting goals from summer to holidays, claiming cold weather helps weight loss.
  • Jack: “What a bunch of crap... You’d have to radically change your lifestyle to lose 20 pounds.” (B, 02:53)

▸ Why Real Weight Loss is So Rare

• Only a handful of people lose significant weight and keep it off.
  • “I have known, I think, a total of three people in my entire life that lost a lot of weight and kept it off. Three total.” (B, 03:39)
• Science of “set point”: after weight loss, the brain triggers survival mode, metabolism slows, body prioritizes getting back to the old weight.
  • “It’s damn near impossible to lose weight and keep it off.” (B, 04:28)

▸ Katie’s Personal Story: The Yo-Yo Cycle

• Katie details her weight journey: lost and regained major weight twice. (C, 05:13)
• Her family history: weight struggles on all sides, possible genetics and lifestyle factors.
• At her heaviest: 210 lbs at 5'4". Now maintains 140–145 lbs. (C, 06:02, 06:21)
• Regained weight quickly after abandoning her routine.
  • “I totally dropped my routine. I thought, oh, I’d lost the weight. I’m good, you know... I threw my whole routine out.” (C, 06:30)
• Host echoes: “The body says we need to get back to that weight... It is crucial that we do everything we can to get back to that weight, because that is our survival weight.” (B, 06:48)

▸ Cheat Days, Fad Diets, and Habits

• Jack: “I don’t believe in cheat days. Never works for me. The cheat causes me to gain weight and I just... it’s just not worth it.” (B, 09:18)
• Katie manages strict routines Sunday–Thursday, cheat meals Friday/Saturday.
  • “The cheat meal, it’s only like one meal... It’s not like three meals in the whole day.” (C, 09:29)
• Jack uses intermittent fasting (five-hour eating window), acknowledges he still eats “crap.”
• Reflection on the difficulty of establishing and maintaining good habits.
  • “I hate that it’s so much easier to fall out of a good habit than it is to build one.” (C, 11:28)

▸ Memorable Moments

• “Hold my beer, watch me grow.” (C, 12:16)
• “It is unfair. God, why’d you do this?” (B, 12:23)
• Takeaway: The human body’s evolutionary adaptation to starvation is now counterproductive, but remains an enduring impediment to diet success.

3. Summer Backyard Barbecue Rules & Lighthearted Banter

[13:07–18:11]

▸ The Raisins in Potato Salad Debate & Off-Brand Sodas

• Jack plays clips and riffs on viral “Oh, Hell No” backyard BBQ song: “Raisins in the potato salad? Oh, hell no!” (14:51)
• Consensus: Raisins do not belong in potato salad (C, 14:51).
• Jokes about showing up at a neighborhood BBQ with off-brand sodas and chocolate cola, to general revulsion:

  “We drank something that tasted like Sprite and was in a green can, but it was not Sprite... I would not take [off-brand soda] to some sort of gathering while other people were there.” (B, 15:27)

▸ Bridging Racial & Class Barriers via Ribs

• “When you are black or white, the ribs will have you feeling right. Ribs, ribs, ribs, ribs. Oh, hell yes.” (15:54)
• BBQ food traditions as shared American ground.

4. Interview: Jason Owens, Former U.S. Border Patrol Chief

[18:15–30:43]

▸ History & Evolution of Border Security

• Owens describes the shift from a focus on Mexican migrant labor to a complex situation involving global migrants, cartel control, and drugs.
  • “The border has always been an issue... we didn’t pay as much attention to it. Back in the ‘90s... it was a very different mission because 9/11 hadn’t happened yet.” (A, 19:14)
• Past: mostly single adult Mexican males crossing for work.
• Now: more Central and South Americans, policy complexity, economic and safety factors.

▸ Cartel Control and Human Smuggling

• “Make no mistake about it, the cartels control everything that’s coming across illicitly across our borders. And that’s whether that’s people, illicit substances, whether that’s money, you name it.” (A, 22:18)
• Cartels have pivoted to fentanyl and human trafficking due to profitability and lower risk than drugs.

▸ Staggering Profits from Human Smuggling

• In just the Del Rio, TX sector, upwards of $30–35 million per week from human smuggling alone—over $1.5 billion annually in one sector. (A, 25:20)

  “You’re talking about an adversary that is well funded, unlimited resources, and nothing but time to figure out how to defeat whatever security measures we have in place.” (A, 25:21)

▸ Why the Mexican Government Struggles

• Owens describes the life-risking danger for honest officials: “The life we’re living down here is very different... at times, gun battles in the streets, people being murdered, dismembered. There are legitimate threats to their families.” (A, 26:15)

▸ The Canadian Border: Our Next Blind Spot?

• America’s northern (Canadian) border is twice as long as the southern, but receives a fraction of resources.
  • “There’s about 2,000 miles between us and Mexico, but there’s 4,000 miles of border between us and Canada... Actually, we share a coastal border with Russia because of Alaska.” (A, 27:22)
  • “Typically about 90% of our workforce is deployed on the southwest border.” (A, 28:36)
• Significant stretches have little surveillance or enforcement, creating concern about drugs, terrorism, and future vulnerabilities.

▸ The Unknowns in Border Security

• “There’s so much of the border that we don’t have persistent surveillance. We don’t know what’s coming across...” (A, 29:24)
• Owens leaves listeners with awareness that gaps in national awareness and physical security remain significant.

5. Drug Busts, Fentanyl Fears & Shifting Vices

[32:13–34:09]

• Coast Guard’s historic drug haul: 61,000+ lbs of cocaine, 23 million potentially lethal doses—enough to “fatally overdose the entire population of Florida.” (B, 33:13)
• Declining national drinking rates at a 90-year low, but unclear if this translates to less overall drug use.
• Katie observes some acquaintances have replaced drinking with marijuana.
  • “So that was a trade, one for the other?” (B, 33:35)
• Jack echoes concern from The Atlantic: “There’s no safe recreational drug use anymore... there’s so much money to be made by putting fentanyl in it.” (B, 34:09)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jack Armstrong: "You'd have to radically change your lifestyle to lose 20 pounds. People don't want to do that. That's just...The CDC needs to stop funding it." (02:53)

• Katie: "The way I gained it all back was I totally dropped my routine. I thought, oh, I'd lost the weight. I'm good, you know, I don't have to keep working out every day..." (06:30)

• Jack Armstrong: "It is unfair. God, why'd you do this?" (12:23)

• Jason Owens: "The cartels control everything that's coming across illicitly across our borders... theirs is a business, and they're looking at, how can I make money?" (22:18)

• Jason Owens: “In one sector... we estimated the cartels were pocketing upwards of $30, $35 million a week...That’s over $1.5 billion a year.” (25:20)

• Jack Armstrong: “Once you lose [your culture of low corruption], it's tough to turn it around.” (26:58)

• Jason Owens: "There's so much of the border that we don't have persistent surveillance. We don't know what's coming across..." (29:24)

• Jack Armstrong: "If a couple of guys with a backpack come across and set off a dirty nuke somewhere...all of a sudden the days of kind of having a porous border will be over." (31:16)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:27–01:12] Headline clickbait & “horse in a pit” riff
• [01:12–13:04] Weight loss discussion: CDC stats, science, personal stories
• [13:07–18:11] Summer BBQ rules, raisins in potato salad, off-brand sodas
• [18:15–30:43] Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens interview: border history, cartels, northern border
• [32:13–34:09] Coast Guard drug bust, fentanyl dangers, recreational drug risk
• [35:13–36:12] Final thoughts: Yo-yo dieting takeaways and drinking's effect on weight
• [36:21-end] Closing banter, show wrap

Tone and Style

The episode blends light comedic banter with sobering analysis, maintaining an approachable, conversational feel while delivering insight into American self-delusion (about health), the intractable challenges of border enforcement, and the dark realities of the drug trade.

For New Listeners

This episode is a perfect Armstrong & Getty experience: irreverent, honest, and wide-ranging. Listeners will find empathy for dieting struggles, rare behind-the-scenes border insight, and the kind of deadpan wit that’s made the show a staple for years.

Skip to These If Short on Time

• Weight loss science and personal stories: 04:28–09:29
• Barbecue rules riff: 13:47–17:44
• Jason Owens interview (borders, cartels): 18:15–30:43
• Drug bust news and drug use reflections: 32:13–34:09