Bussin' With The Boys: "Childhood Crushes + Favorite Athletes Of All Time | Inside Of The Bus"

Episode 23 | October 24, 2025

Episode Overview

In this "Inside of the Bus" installment, the BUSSIN' crew steers the conversation into nostalgia lane, swapping stories about their childhood celebrity crushes, favorite athletes, core memories with parents, and the TV/cartoons that shaped their youth. Guided by listener-submitted questions (shoutout “Striped Up Official”), Will Compton, Taylor Lewan, and the gang get real about what (and who) made the greatest impressions during their formative years. The whole thing is classic BUSSIN': funny, tangential, and packed with great banter and heart.

1. Punishments, Gym Talk, and Warm-Up Banter (01:34 - 05:11)

• Jack is fulfilling a bet by wearing a wife beater for the rest of the year. The crew jokes about "staying on arm day."
• Gym routines and office workout stories are shared.
• "The gym's like a place where you can kind of go escape and like get away from the noise." – Jack (02:38)
• Shoutouts to the Sorenex workout program and some lighthearted ribbing about thirst-trap videos and awkward squat moments.

2. Childhood Celebrity Crushes (05:11 - 13:08)

Kicked off by listener question: "Who were your childhood celebrity crushes?"

Highlights and Rankings

• Friday Night Lights Cast

  • Garrett: Lila Garrity and Jules (Coach Taylor's daughter) as top picks.
  • "I'm enjoying the show...re-watching it." – Garrett (06:34)
  • The whole cast, including Mrs. Taylor (Connie Britton), Tyra.

• Tear Talk: The All-Jessicas

  • Mitch: Jessica Alba (“OG Fantastic Four”), Megan Good (Stomp the Yard, Waist Deep), Jessica Biel ("I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry")
    • "That's truly where I can identify my sexual awakening...Jessica Biel." – Jack (07:56)
  • Jessica Simpson praised for her "Dukes of Hazard" days, with a playful debate about her "fall-off."

• Other Notable Crushes

  • Jennifer Aniston ("Solely because we share a birthday." – Coop, 09:06)
  • Megan Fox ("Transformers") and Brooklyn Decker ("Just Go With It")
  • Keira Knightley ("Pirates of the Caribbean"), Brandy ("Joe Dirt")
  • Preference for unnamed romcom actresses and Hallmark leads ironically called out.

• Deep Cuts & Group Favorites

  • Cameron Diaz, Kate Beckinsale, Isla Fisher, Natalie Portman ("That's my forever crush." – Matt, 12:13)
  • Honorable mentions: Velma (Linda Cardellini) and Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar) from "Scooby Doo," Isla Fisher in "Scooby Doo," and more.
  • "Flood the comments with your childhood crushes!" (12:23)

3. Favorite Childhood Athletes (13:08 - 21:15)

Prompt: "Who were your favorite athletes growing up?"

Football

• Unanimous #1: Michael Vick

  • "He was in Madden...the most fun player to watch." – Coop (12:35)
  • Multiple crew members had Vick jerseys—often despite not being Falcons fans.

• Titans Legends

  • Chris Johnson, Steve McNair, Eddie George, Javon Kearse
  • "Choppa City Juke, it was awesome." – Jack (13:51)
  • "He would touch the ball and you would stand up because anything could happen." – Matt (13:55)

• Other NFL Stars:

  • Ed Reed ("I always loved Ed Reed, even though he was on the Ravens." – Matt, 14:09)
  • Jamal Charles, Megatron (Calvin Johnson), RG3
  • Larry Fitzgerald, Tom Brady—Mitch notes his transition from childhood to adulthood still watching Brady.
  • Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Hamilton (heartfelt stories about meeting Hamilton at Little League)

Soccer & Others

• European soccer shoutouts: Soloman Kalou, Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba, Arian Robben, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Seedorf, Ronaldinho
• Dwyane Wade, Steve Nash, and LeBron ("Best basketball player of all time"—Coop, 17:00)
• Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Zach Randolph, Jeff Samardzija

Video Games as Gateways

• The influence of playing as certain athletes in video games (Madden, FIFA, MLB 2K8) on sports fandom.

4. Favorite College Players: Personal Team Edition (23:22 - 28:46)

By School:

• Tennessee: Eric Berry ("Such a legend in Tennessee and still is. Cancer, goes back to the NFL..." – Jack, 23:26)
• Ohio State: Beanie Wells, Alex Gonzalez (memorable for his bald head!) – Garrett
• Michigan: Denard Robinson and Trey Burke
  • "That's like a core memory of mine is being at that [Trey Burke buzzer-beater] game." – Mitch (25:55)
• South Carolina: Jasper Brinkley (gave Coop his glove after a Clemson-Carolina game), Sidney Rice
• Bonus: Johnny Manziel’s brief but intense merch phase. "I want it so bad." – Garrett (28:26)

5. Core Memories with Parents (28:50 - 39:32)

Prompt: "What are some of your favorite memories with your parents?"

• Jack’s Story: Attending Titans-Patriots 2019 Playoff Game with Dad (Brady’s last game as a Patriot)—true father-son sports moment.
  • "That moment...was such a huge moment, not only as a fan but for me and my dad." – Jack (30:18)
• Mitch: Annual family ski trips to Colorado, school lunch visits, and the joy of being picked to sit with your mom at the “special table.”
• Garrett: Touring Charlotte apartments with his mom before his first move, and attending a Penn State-Ohio State whiteout with his dad.
• Coop: Body surfing with his dad (slapstick moment of both trying to throw each other into a huge wave), and a late-night giggle fit in a hotel with his mom in Chicago after his dad traveled for work.
• Matt: Hosting his dad for the Iron Bowl in the Alabama student section, running around Bridgestone Arena as a kid while his mom worked there—memories of music, sports, and random encounters.
• Jack: Humbling tennis match loss to his mom—"She beat me 6061, just placing everywhere I’m not." – Jack (38:00)
• Group Takeaway: It's not the big events. “It’s all truly just being there, which is crazy. That’s what sticks with you.” – Coop (39:05)

6. Favorite Childhood TV Shows & Cartoons (39:36 - 53:47)

Prompt: "Favorite cartoons and TV shows growing up?"

Cartoons/Animated Shows

• Scooby Doo (multiple affirmations)
• Transformers: Animated Series (Garrett)
• Danny Phantom (Mitch, "He was the coolest" – Coop, 40:23)
• Jimmy Neutron, Fairly Odd Parents, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ed Edd n Eddy, Rocket Power, Hey Arnold, Dexter’s Laboratory
• Kim Possible, Ben 10, Rugrats, The Backyardigans, Oswald, Invader Zim, Chalk Zone
• Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Ninja Turtles

Sitcoms & Live Action

• Nickelodeon/Disney/Beyond:
  • Sweet Life of Zack and Cody (& On Deck)
  • iCarly, Victorious, Wizards of Waverly Place, That's So Raven, Cory in the House
  • Boy Meets World, Full House, Ned’s Declassified, Zoey 101 ("I wanted to go to school there")
  • Hannah Montana ("Rico was a king" – Coop)
  • Drake and Josh, George Lopez, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Others:

• MythBusters, Dirty Jobs, Animal Planet (Untamed & Uncut)
• Power Rangers (both animated and live-action)
• Phineas and Ferb

Reflections on TV Now vs. Then

• General consensus: nostalgia for a "golden era" of children's/teen TV.
  • "TV was so fun to watch back then...now it's just woke media." – Coop (43:17), tongue-in-cheek
  • "Now it’s so formula-based..." – Jack (43:27)
  • Appreciation for creative, non-formulaic series like Game of Thrones as rare exceptions in adult TV.

7. How the Crew Has Changed Working at Bussin' (54:03 - 67:47)

Prompt: "What about your personality has changed since working for Bussin' With The Boys?"

• Ownership and Maturity:
  • Jack: "It’s not just something I have to do...what I put in here will directly affect tomorrow, next week..."
  • Matt: Sense of ownership in the show’s growth, more maturity, but still keeps his sense of humor and fun—“you walk in and you feel like you can stay the same person.”
• Communication & Confidence:
  • Garrett: More outgoing now, better at talking to strangers and initiating conversations—“Before, I’d just stick to my friends...now I’m more open.”
• Independence:
  • Mitch: Moving away from home and Texas; “I feel like coming here, it got real...having to manage a ton of stuff...I think I've definitely grown in that way a lot.”
• On-Camera Growth:
  • "I knew what I signed up for, not good on mic or in front of cameras...but being forced on the camera has been good." – Mitch (61:35)
• Dreaming Big & Direction:
  • Coop: “Increase in confidence and going after my dreams, like, bigger than this job.”
• Validation & Work-Life Reflection:
  • Matt: “It is a validating thing when you work somewhere like this...this is really cool, we’re pretty good at it – what now?”
• Realities of Creative Jobs:
  • "Monday to Friday, it’s a grind factory here...there’s some football thrown, but we’re getting programming out every day." – Jack (67:13)

8. Closing & Shoutouts (68:12 - End)

• "Shoutout Striped Up Official for all the questions—please send more for future episodes!" – Mitch (68:13)
• Upcoming topics hinted; the next episode will be the "Kobe episode."
• Plans discussed for the crew’s travels to South Carolina and coverage at various events.
• Listener engagement encouraged: "More questions for episode 24, please drop in the comments." – Mitch (68:15)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "That's truly where I can identify my sexual awakening as a young, prepubescent teenage boy..." – Jack, on Jessica Biel (07:56)
• "The gym's like a place where you can kind of go escape..." – Jack (02:38)
• "You know, it's funny, none of these [parent stories] were about big things they did for us. It's all truly just being there..." – Coop (39:05)
• “Before, I’d just stick to my friends…now I’m more open.” – Garrett (60:25)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Main episode starts, gym banter | 01:34 | | Childhood celebrity crushes | 05:11–13:08 | | Favorite athletes growing up | 13:08–21:15 | | Favorite college players (by team) | 23:22–28:46 | | Best memories with parents | 28:50–39:32 | | Favorite childhood TV/cartoons | 39:36–53:47 | | How working at Bussin’ changed the crew | 54:03–67:47 | | Closing, shoutouts, listener engagement | 68:12–end |

Tone and Language

• The episode was laid-back, rife with friendly ball-busting, lots of nostalgia, and a few sentimental turns, especially in the parent memories segment. The group's chemistry and mutual respect are felt throughout, and there's a lot of humor balanced with earnest reflection.

For New Listeners:

This episode is perfect to get to know the BUSSIN' crew on a personal level—who they admired, who they crushed on, what made them laugh, and how their journey in this unique job has shaped them.

Feel-good takeaway: It’s the little, real moments that matter—childhood heroes, TV shows, parent time, and the grind with your crew.