Episode Overview

Podcast: Bellied Up
Episode: #165 – The Strangest Reason to Hate Wisconsin
Release Date: August 28, 2025
Hosts: Myles “You Betcha Guy” and Charlie Berens
Setting: Live at Kegel’s, a historic bar in West Allis, WI
Theme:
Myles and Charlie belly up at a classic Wisconsin bar to riff on Midwest living, swap stories, and take memorable calls from listeners. In this episode, they unravel the bizarre reason a caller's wife refuses to move to Wisconsin and hear a cautionary tale of stripper pole safety.
Tone: Irreverent, playful, and full of classic Midwest charm and banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The Bar and Midwest Banter

• The episode kicks off with Myles and Charlie noticing they're both wearing jeans and green shirts (“That’s wild, Myles. No. Oh my god. Jared too. Wow.” – Charlie, 00:10).
• They riff on holes in jean pockets and Charlie's habit of putting screws in his (00:35).
• The hosts marvel at Kegel’s bar’s age and vivid, sometimes risqué, wall art (“If you get right into the details, well, it’s just as grungy as every other bar and God love them.” – Charlie, 02:21).
• String of jokes about Kegel exercises and pelvic floor health (“Strengthening the pelv wall for ladies and fellas. Actually, I’m doing some right now, Myles.” – Charlie, 03:56).

2. Midwest Medical: Charlie’s “Cheese Curd Incident”

• Charlie describes tweaking his “left cheese curd” while demolishing an old deck, worried about testicular torsion, and eventually rolling with classic male denial (“Classic Midwest guy move…Just ignore it long enough until it goes away.” – Myles, 06:04).
• Conversation veers into humorous euphemisms for private parts, pocket pool, and Midwest masculinity (07:03).
• Myles teases Charlie about being a “Good Catholic boy.”

3. Listener Call #1: Jeff—The Rickshaw Engineer and His Wife’s Wisconsin Grudge

(Starts ~08:37)

Background:

• Jeff, a self-described Youper (from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula), currently living in Fargo, ND, calls in to unpack why his wife stubbornly refuses to move to Wisconsin.
• He shares a winding backstory, from the North Dakota oil boom to running a pedicab (rickshaw) business in Fargo.

Notable Quotes:

• “You got engineering brain, but you got a pedicab ass. That’s the full package.” – Charlie (14:04)
• Myles riffs sarcastically on Fargo tourism: “There’s just nothing sounds better than getting a full tour of the town you’ve lived in for 32 years.” (16:38)

The Core Mystery:

• Jeff reveals that despite vacationing often in northern Wisconsin, his wife insists it's a "hard no" for living there.
  • He first suspects sports allegiances (she’s a Lions fan; he’s a Packers fan).
  • Real culprit: Years of her late mother getting endless speeding tickets in small Wisconsin towns en route to Bible camp soured the whole family (22:14).

Notable Moment:

• The winding, almost thriller-style storytelling is mocked lovingly (“You set it up like this was some sort of, like a thriller… and the whole story is my wife didn’t want to move to Wisconsin because her mom got too many speeding tickets there. Is that the crux of it?” – Charlie, 23:12).
• Hosts express disbelief and amusement: “That is an INSANE, insane reason not to live somewhere!” – Myles (25:32)

Insights:

• Midwest grudges can have deep, random roots—sometimes literally just speeding tickets.
• The hosts suggest Jeff create new, positive Wisconsin memories for his wife (“Take her back to Michigan and just break down in Wisconsin accidentally…and break down at a nice little cabin.” – Charlie, 27:16).

4. Midwest Life: Why Do People Drink Beer in Their Garages?

(Voicemail from Jeff, ~32:14)

The Query:

• Jeff asks: Why do people in Fargo and the Midwest sit in garages, garage door half open, just watching the street and drinking beer, instead of sitting out back?
  • Myles: Most likely because of the perpetual Fargo wind; the garage offers shelter, but you’re still outside (34:19).
  • Charlie shares the nostalgia of his Grandpa Bob, who loved people-watching from the garage (“I used to sit here and count the cows. Now I count the cars.” – 34:24).

Insights:

• Garage-drinking is a weather hack and a social tradition—a way to “see traffic, people, the world,” safely shielded from the elements.

5. Listener Call #2: Jared—How I Gave Myself a Concussion on a Party Bus

(Begins ~39:10)

The Story:

• Jared, an aircraft engineer and wedding participant, relates a harrowing tale:
  • After reading during a cathedral wedding, Jared joins the party bus en route to the reception, attempts a twirl on the onboard stripper pole (“I was looking at this pole…gonna do one little twirl, take a bow, everyone cheers.” – Jared, 41:10).
  • The pole was not fastened properly. His weight cracks it loose: he gets clocked in the forehead, crushes a bridesmaid’s beer, results in a goose-egg and, it turns out, a concussion.
  • “I jump up. My first thought—not that I just got bashed in the head—but, ‘There goes the security deposit!’” (43:57)

Notable Quotes:

• “Wow, this is going great…About 120 degrees around the pole, something terrible happened.” – Jared, 41:46 (Myles: “This is the most engineer way to describe this story.”)
• “Sorry for trying to be a fun engineer for once.” – Jared, 43:04
• When asked if alcohol was involved: “No alcohol at all. I don’t drink!” (48:01)
  • Charlie: “Let me tell you something about these sober people, Myles…when you take alcohol out…they just get high on life and see a stripper pole and attack.” (48:14)

Aftermath:

• Jared continues to the reception, develops headache and confusion days later, misses work, and is ultimately diagnosed with a concussion.
• Shares video of the incident with the hosts.
• Hosts riff: “Maybe you could do charity, raise stripper pole structural integrity awareness…” (54:56)
• Charlie launches into a passionate PSA about anchoring stripper poles: “Don’t be going using drywall anchors in the bus!” (58:46)

Memorable Moments:

• Jared’s parents are both doctors, and he jokes about their pride: “You have one child getting married and both are doctors…and then you have a son.”
• Charlie confesses his own ‘stripper experience’—he once played a Scotsman stripper, in a kilt, for MTV’s The Hard Times of RJ Berger (58:13).
• Myles and Charlie burst out laughing repeatedly at the absurdity and humility in Jared’s story.

6. Lightning Round & Fun Voicemails

• One caller leaves the message: “Charlie is better looking than Miles. Goodbye.” (66:25)
  • This triggers a running joke about their respective looks and Midwest ‘hotness’ rankings (“I’m like a Fargo 7.” “You’re like a Fargo 9, man.” – 67:50)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• (02:21) “If you get right into the details, it’s just as grungy as every other bar, and God love them.” – Charlie
• (08:09) “Good Catholic boy.” – Myles
• (14:04) “You got engineering brain, but you got a pedicab ass. That’s what makes you, like, the full package.” – Charlie
• (23:12) “You set it up like this was…a thriller…and the whole story was…my wife didn’t want to move to Wisconsin because her mom got too many speeding tickets there. Is that the crux of it?” – Charlie
• (25:32) “That is an insane, insane reason not to live somewhere!” – Myles
• (34:24) “I used to sit here and count the cows. Now I count the cars.” – Charlie (recalling Grandpa Bob)
• (41:46) “I’m at 120 degrees…something’s terribly wrong.” – Jared
• (48:14) “Let me tell you something about these sober people, Myles…They just get high on life and see a stripper pole and attack.” – Charlie
• (58:46) “Don’t be going using drywall anchors in the bus. I told you once, I told you before, when you’re putting a stripper pole in the bus, you don’t use the gosh dang drywall anchors.” – Charlie

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:00–04:08 — Hosts riff on jeans, green shirts, and the bar’s ancient (and risqué) décor.
• 04:08–08:09 — Charlie’s “cheese curd” injury and Midwest attitudes toward doctors.
• 08:37–29:47 — Caller Jeff: Why his wife hates Wisconsin (hint: her mom’s speeding tickets); the rickshaw business; Fargo “insider” tour jokes.
• 32:14–36:02 — Garage drinking in the Midwest: why it’s a thing.
• 39:10–65:24 — Caller Jared: Concussion from a stripper pole at a wedding; ensuing workplace woes; hosts egging him on to send the video; larger discussion about sober fun and mechanical failure; Charlie’s own “stripper” acting story.
• 66:25–68:50 — Fun voicemails, joking about who’s better looking, “Midwest hotness scale,” closing banter.

Summary Table: Segments & Takeaways

| Timestamp | Segment | Takeaway/Highlight | |-------------|-------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–04:08 | Bar banter, outfits, décor | Midwest quirks, light ribbing, Kegel jokes | | 04:08–08:09 | Charlie’s “cheese curd” injury | Midwest men ignore medical issues, euphemism-laden humor | | 08:37–29:47 | Jeff’s call: anti-Wisconsin wife | Absurd family grudges (speeding tickets!), regional rivalries | | 32:14–36:02 | Jeff’s voicemail: garage drinking | Practical Midwest lifestyle explanation | | 39:10–65:24 | Jared’s stripper pole concussion | Cautionary tale, humility, joy in absurdity, PSA about bus safety | | 66:25–68:50 | Voicemails, looks jokes, “Fargo 7” riff | Goodnatured self-deprecation, camaraderie, classic Midwest charm |

Final Thoughts

This episode exemplifies the heart of Bellied Up: offbeat Midwest stories, deep dives into the logic (or lack thereof) behind rural traditions, and finding hilarity in everyday setbacks and family lore. The hosts turn slow storytelling, listener foibles, and even minor injuries into comedic gold, always circling back to the themes of community, resilience, and regional pride.

Memorable Moments:

• Jeff’s slalom-like journey to revealing his wife’s “Wisconsin hate” origin story.
• Jared, the sober engineer, ironically failing a basic safety test and creating his own PSA moment.
• The warm mockery between Myles and Charlie—about fashion, beauty, and everything in between.

Everyone’s welcome at the Bellied Up bar—just don’t expect the stories (or the party bus poles) to be secure.

For New Listeners

If you enjoy regional comedy, vivid small-town stories, and authentic Midwest camaraderie, this is an exemplary episode of the series. Take it as a reminder: sometimes, the silliest reasons have the biggest impacts—and that’s what makes the Midwest (and this show) so unique.