Chicks in the Office – ‘DWTS’ Week 3 Recap + Scooter Braun & Sydney Sweeney PDA w/ Justin Sylvester

Date: October 3, 2025
Hosts: Ria (Rhiann), Fran
Special Guest: Justin Sylvester
Producer: Noah
Podcast Theme: Pop culture breakdowns, reality TV recaps, trending topics, and candid celebrity gossip.

Episode Overview

This lively episode brings the classic Chicks in the Office mix: a deep dive into pop culture’s buzziest topics, a spirited recap of Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) Week 3, updates on celebrity gossip (including Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s split and Sydney Sweeney’s highly scrutinized PDA with Scooter Braun), and a candid interview with always-entertaining Justin Sylvester. The crew also checks in on pop star drama, restaurant adventures, the intersection of social media and reality TV, and closes out with a fast-paced round of listener trivia.

Key Episode Segments & Discussion Points

1. Chicks’ Life Updates, Travel, and Pop Culture Teasers

Starts ~02:21

• Tour & Schedule: The Chicks announce an imminent US tour, with the first show in D.C. on October 23. Next week, the team will be off the air traveling in Singapore.

  • “We cannot wait... this is the last episode before then, and I believe it’s a great one.” (Fran, 02:53)

• Taylor Swift Album Hype: Anticipation for the new Taylor Swift album is high – the team muses over lyric speculation and potential references to Travis Kelce.

  • “The thrill of a Taylor Swift album... it’s unlike any other.” (Ria, 03:32)
  • “Do we think Travis’s name will be mentioned?” (Noah, 04:11)
  • “I don’t believe so...” (Fran, 04:20)

• Restaurant Adventures: A detailed, foodie recap of visiting Teresi in NYC: glowing reviews for drinks, desserts ("the apple Danish... I wish I would have taken eight of those home" – Ria, 07:22), and the importance of a restaurant living up to its hype.

• Travel Goofs: Hilarious anecdote about Noah miscalculating the flight time for Singapore.

  • "If Noah... just didn’t realize, he would have missed the flight." (Fran, 10:12)

• Book Chat: Quick take on the popular thriller ‘Verity’ by Colleen Hoover.

  • “It disturbed me... I couldn’t stop.” (Fran, 12:12)

2. Justin Sylvester Joins: Behind the Scenes of Lady World, Drinking Culture, and Live Shows

Starts ~14:53

• Lady World Recap: Justin humorously claims he “blacked out” at Lady World after six margaritas, setting the tone for memories of girls’ weekends and the legendary “red wine mom” energy.

  • “If you saw me on stage at Lady World and have any recollection of me... please let me know in my DMs.” (Justin, 15:05)
  • “Always roll with one friend who... his drunk makes me look sober, and I’m good.” (Justin, 17:01)

• On Live Crowds: Justin and Fran both praise the energy of performing in front of live audiences.

  • “I love a live crowd... we just bring that energy to the stage.” (Justin, 17:32)

• Podcasting Candidness & Celebrity Encounters: Justin shares behind-the-scenes insights about pushback from publicists and the politics of celebrity interviews, including humorous tales of being stonewalled due to "retaliation" over simple interview questions.

  • “At least one celebrity is like ‘hey, can we talk for five seconds?’” (Justin, 19:23)
  • “You always need that friend... his drunk makes me look sober and I’m good.” (Justin, 17:08)
  • "Don’t ask for a video to come down—let him have his moment." (Justin, 19:37)

3. Dancing With the Stars: Week 3 Breakdown

~24:00–41:00

• The TikTok Effect: Discussion on TikTok's impact on voting, the dichotomy between “true beginners” and those with prior dance backgrounds (e.g., Whitney and Mark, Charli D’Amelio, JoJo Siwa).

  • “The show is having such a resurgence... the discourse from this younger generation about what Dancing with the Stars is actually about—’isn’t it about the journey?’” (Ria, 25:57)

• Performer Highlights:

  • Whitney and Mark’s samba called “absolutely incredible” (Fran, 24:39)
  • “Alex Earl is fantastic... she surprised me.” (Justin, 26:13)
  • Elaine Hendricks “crushing it” at 54
  • Robert Irwin as “the best version of vanilla—most wholesome,” and his shirt-ripping moment leading to instant online searches of his age.

• Voting Controversy: Viewers divided over fan favorites versus technical ability; Lauren Jauregui’s exit and the optics of her Fifth Harmony performance.

  • “She danced to her own damn song with all of Fifth Harmony in the audience... that’s a tough way to go.” (Ria, 38:01)
  • Rumor: she danced to a cover to avoid Camila Cabello’s vocals.
  • “I genuinely did not think she was good... there was zero pizzazz.” (Fran, 39:45)

• Andy’s “heartstrings” performances:

  • Ria: “Andy planted the heartstrings... and that’s gonna win votes.”
  • Fran: “He’s not gonna make it far... he probably should’ve gone before Lauren.” (39:10)

• Humor and Memorable Moments:

  • “When Robert Irwin ripped his shirt off, I Googled his age so fast!” (Ria, 27:45)
  • “It’s like hearing David Beckham speak for the first time... not what I had in my head!” (Justin, 29:37)
  • “Only on DWTS could TikTok night be treated like it’s some nonprofit that saves children!” (Ria, 51:03)

• Wheel of Fortune Side Tangent:

  • Fran and Ria react to witnessing a rare million-dollar win live on air. (42:18)
  • “She just won $1 million on Wheel of Fortune. NEVER seen this happen!” (Ria, 42:22)

4. Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban Divorce Rumors

~51:40–59:11

• Breakdown: Justin and the Chicks dissect celebrity "separation" announcements and their coded meanings.

  • “When a celebrity says they’re separating, that’s never amicable. Someone’s stepping out.” (Justin, 51:41)

• Power Imbalance in Hollywood Marriages: Nicole’s career outpacing Keith Urban’s possibly fueling the rift.

  • “At some point... she hit it harder than she ever did before and the iron stayed hot. That causes stress.” (Justin, 53:29)

• Nicole Kidman In Person:

  • “Feels like you’re meeting someone from the ‘50s... Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo—she has that thing when she walks in a room, everyone shuts up.” (Justin, 55:17)
  • “She loves playing a white woman in distress who has a little bit of money and a controlling husband.” (Justin, 55:44)
  • “She always has secrets... drugs on the side of the bed.” (Fran & Justin, 55:54)

• Predictions for Nicole’s Future:

  • “She’s going to date a hot 40-something who’s tall—she wants to wear heels now.” (Ria & Justin, 56:42-57:06)

5. Sydney Sweeney & Scooter Braun PDA

~60:01–64:52

• What’s the Appeal?: Justin weighs in on Sydney Sweeney’s “type,” connecting her new rumored relationship with her past dating pattern.

  • “There’s always that girl who’s hot and always wants an older, frumpier boyfriend—Sydney’s on brand.” (Justin, 60:33)
  • “Why Scooter?” (Fran, 61:24)
  • Justin: “When you have $375 million, you’re kinda cute.” (61:31)

• Open Hollywood Gossip:

  • Rumors that Tom Brady was “like a dog in heat” pursuing Sweeney at a wedding. (Justin, 61:16)
  • “Nobu Malibu is where celebs go to be seen—if you’re there, you want to be papped.” (Justin, 62:37)

• Sydney’s Talent:

  • “She’s mesmerizing on Euphoria. That Oklahoma scene...” (Justin, 64:10)
  • “She’s the second coming of Cameron Diaz... why not play the bombshell?” (Justin, 64:31)

6. Mariah Carey & J.Lo: The “I Don’t Know Her” Feud

~66:18–69:09

• Mariah's Iconic Shade: Chicks and Justin react to Mariah Carey again claiming on WWHL that she “doesn’t know” Jennifer Lopez.

  • “Only Mariah Carey can act this way and get away with it. And we let her.” (Justin & Fran, 67:21)

• Andy Cohen’s Interview Style:

  • “Andy is an evil genius... he knows how to poke for the answer. He has zero fear.” (Justin, 66:52)
  • “He’ll just say, ‘Okay, moving on’—that was borderline rude, but that’s his shtick!” (Fran, 67:24)

7. Reality TV Deep Dive: Housewives, Confessionals & Production

~69:13–73:17

• Behind the Scenes: Justin details the intensity of Housewives confessionals and reunions, especially being present for Kyle Richards’ sessions in her house.
  • “Confessional rooms have at least seven people—no one told Lisa Barlow she had one smoky eye?” (Justin, 69:46)
  • “The reunion is one of the hardest things in television—you’ve lived it, watched it, read reactions, and then must recount it for 16 hours.” (Justin, 71:28-72:13)

8. Listener Trivia Game

~74:34 to end

• Format: Listeners Maddie and Alexandra face off against Ria and Fran in pop culture trivia—covering Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift/John Mayer, Lady Gaga, Real Housewives, National Treasure, Harry Potter, SNL, and more.

• Winning Moment:

  • “You don’t want to be a part of the ‘Zero Club’ ... that’s not a club you want to be in!” (Fran, 94:57)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The thrill of a Taylor Swift album... unlike any other.”—Ria, 03:32
• “Always roll with one friend whose drunk makes me look sober and I’m good.”—Justin, 17:01
• “She danced to her own damn song with all of Fifth Harmony in the audience—tough way to go.”—Ria, 38:01
• “When Robert Irwin ripped his shirt off, I Googled his age so fast!”—Ria, 27:45
• “When a celebrity says ‘separating’? That’s never amicable.”—Justin, 51:41
• “She’s going to date a hot 40-something... tall, so she can wear heels!”—Justin & Ria, 56:46
• “There’s always that girl... always wants an older, frumpier boyfriend—Sydney’s on brand.”—Justin, 60:33
• “Only Mariah Carey can act that way, and we let her.”—Justin, 67:26

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 02:21 – Main show start, tour news, Taylor Swift anticipation
• 06:11 – NYC food adventures
• 12:00 – Book talk: Verity by Colleen Hoover
• 14:53 – Guest Justin Sylvester joins, Lady World recap
• 24:00–41:00 – DWTS Week 3 Recap and analysis
• 42:18 – Side tangent on Wheel of Fortune $1 million win
• 51:40 – Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban divorce rumors
• 60:01 – Sydney Sweeney & Scooter Braun PDA, Hollywood typecasting
• 66:18 – Mariah Carey vs. J.Lo, Andy Cohen’s interview style
• 69:13 – Housewives and confessionals behind-the-scenes
• 74:34 – Trivia Game with listeners

Overall Tone and Style

Lively, self-deprecating, fast-paced, and filled with inside jokes and candid observations that fans of pop culture will appreciate. Fran and Ria strike a balance between hard-hitting recaps, genuine excitement about their fave topics, and a breezy, relatable banter style.

Useful For:

• Fans of DWTS, Housewives, or those following the latest celebrity relationships and scandals.
• Listeners wanting behind-the-scenes stories from the worlds of TV, podcasting, and celebrity interviews.
• Pop culture junkies and trivia buffs.