Distractible – "A Harrowing Journey"

Release Date: October 6, 2025
Hosts: Mark Fischbach, Wade Barnes, Bob Muyskens

Episode Overview

In this episode of Distractible, titled “A Harrowing Journey,” the three hosts return to their usual remote setup and dive into tales of recent stressful travels and near-disasters, recounting humorous yet nerve-wracking driving stories. The show then pivots to a thought-provoking "Would You Rather?" session full of philosophical tangents, jokes, and playful banter. The episode mixes personal anecdotes, light-hearted competition, and deeper existential musings, maintaining Distractible’s trademark blend of humor and insight.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Catching Up & The Comfort of Good Meals

• The hosts begin by comparing recent dining experiences, notably discussing the difference between a perfect and slightly-off restaurant meal.
  • Bob shares a transcendent hot pot meal:

    "Every bite was like, oh. Oh, my God. It's the best it's ever been. ... The whole table did. ... Even James...was chilling. He felt the vibes." (03:30)

  • Wade laments a favorite meal falling short due to a tiny recipe tweak:

    "I did that. Something was just slightly off. ... I was like, something's off of my taste buds tonight. Like, this curry is just so slightly not right." (04:17)

2. Mark’s Harrowing Mountain Journey

• Mark recounts a stressful nighttime drive through Colorado’s I-70 mountain pass during a rainstorm:

  "I can't tell you how little I saw of the road. ... It was the most intense 30 minutes of my goddamn life." (09:01)

  • No reflectors, no streetlights, barriers on both sides, heavy rain, high beams from oncoming traffic, fogging windows, and malfunctioning brakes contributed to the ordeal.
  • Bob empathizes:

    "You'd be so fucked if you got in any kind of accident in that situation. Who's gonna come help you? In the blackest of black nights in downpouring rain..." (11:33)

  • In daytime, they realize the lines were entirely eroded—the night drive wasn’t just terrifying, it was objectively dangerous.

3. Disaster Driving Stories

• All three recount dangerous winter storms and treacherous road trips:
  • Wade recalls a blizzard so bad the university closed, leading to a white-knuckle drive home. (13:33)
  • Bob describes a famously disastrous North Carolina snowstorm with viral images of abandoned, burning cars:

    "It was like a battle zone around us. ... There's just a car on fire... those cars are abandoned because people lost control..." (14:27)

4. Human Psychology & Driving

• The group muses on drivers’ overconfidence and “psychopath” behavior behind the wheel, with Mark remarking:

  "People trust their tires... I wish there was a meter ... you are this close to death. That close every time." (19:23)

5. Would You Rather?—Existential & Absurd

A rapid-fire game of philosophical and silly choices, fully in Distractible’s spirit. Notable questions, responses, and comic detours include:

a. Perfect Memory vs. Selective Forgetting (23:10)

• Mark: Prefers forgetting, to re-experience games or media anew.

  "You could forget traumatic experiences... but... we wished we could play again, for the first time." (23:41)

• Bob: Cautions against the dangers of forgetting, picks perfect memory.

  "You would absolutely end up in situations where you just like obliterated a memory... You ran over my dog, what do you mean you don't remember that?" (26:19)

b. Always Understood vs. Always Appreciated (27:31)

• Bob: Chooses understood, envisions superpower-style social chaos for fun.

  "I would just love to have that as a Superpower or just an innate thing, and then just jump into conversations with the most out of pocket... stuff." (27:49)

c. Freaky Friday vs. Groundhog Day (30:54)

• Mark: Chooses Groundhog Day for the chaos and opportunity.

  "The Groundhog Day situation is extraordinary. And you can really go full on do anything and it will reset." (31:45)

• Bob: Opts for Freaky Friday—life in someone else’s shoes is more intriguing.

d. Kindness vs. Intelligence (35:27)

• Bob: Without hesitation, says kindness:

  "I would want it. I would choose kindness. No questions asked." (35:42)

• Mark: Would rather be perceived as intelligent:

  "I'll be that, the intelligent one. But people think I'm really smart." (36:47)

e. Know When vs. How You'll Die (37:04)

• Mark: When, for planning (referencing Unus Annus’ message).
• Bob: How, as knowing when would ruin the experience of life.

f. Past vs. Future Time Travel

• Both pick future for curiosity and self-improvement, while joking about butter advancements.

g. Truth-Telling vs. Liar Detection

• All choose the ability to detect lies, acknowledging the limited value of forced honesty.

h. More Time vs. More Energy (44:35)

• Both choose energy, seeing it as more impactful for productivity and life quality.

i. Unlimited Knowledge vs. Creativity (48:21)

• Both: Knowledge, debating mental capacity and referencing real life examples.

j. Memories vs. Money (50:44)

• Bob & Mark: Give up money rather than a year’s memories.
• Wade: The only one to prefer losing memories for financial gain.

k. Happiest vs. Worst Day Knowledge (52:43)

• Mark: Would rather know happiest.
• Bob & Wade: Prefer to know worst, to set a floor and keep hope alive.

6. Game Mechanics & Points

• Points awarded for stories, answers, jokes, and general engagement.
• Frequent ribbing about who’s winning—Mark tweaks strategy, Bob recounts getting “extorted” by prize wheel software.

7. Ending Antics

• Bob wins the episode, delivering a mock-tearful victory speech about the existential weight of "Would You Rather?" questions.

  "I'm still hung up on some of the questions... I'm gonna go have a good cry after this." (58:55)

• Mark offers a melodramatic loser’s monologue:

  "I wish I had crashed on that highway. I wish I had never had to come home to suffer for this loss." (59:36)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Mark’s vivid terror:

  "It was darkness, pure darkness. And also pure light because light was just blasting into my eyes." (11:43)

• Bob, on North Carolina snow:

  "It's not their fault that nobody knew what to do with snow. ... I was just driving because it was 2 inches of snow and the whole world anyway." (16:35)

• Wade’s dry wit, on Cincinnati’s highways:

  "I75 was a bitch. ... every few seconds you would just hit a puddle that would completely make you feel like you were getting derailed." (17:33)

• Mark, on knowledge and creativity:

  "If I had unlimited creativity, I'd be able to come up with a really funny answer to this." (48:28)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |-------------|-----------------------------------------------| | 02:31 | Catching up; returning to remote recording | | 03:30 | Hot pot dinner highs & lows | | 08:00-12:43 | Mark’s Colorado mountain driving ordeal | | 13:33 | Wade’s winter storm college commute | | 14:27 | Bob’s North Carolina snow disaster story | | 23:10-54:09 | Would You Rather? segment (major highlights) | | 55:06 | Points tallied; wheel-based climax | | 58:55 | Winner/loser speeches; episode wrap-up |

Episode Tone:

Conversational, playful, candidly introspective, sharply self-mocking—classic Distractible.

For New Listeners

“A Harrowing Journey” is a quintessential Distractible episode: a mix of laugh-out-loud storytelling, honest introspection, light philosophy, and escalating absurdity. The personal stories at the top showcase the hosts’ ability to take everyday experiences and mine them for both empathy and humor. The midsection’s "Would You Rather?" game isn’t just a string of hypotheticals—every question unfolds into genuine, surprisingly deep exchanges interspersed with irreverence.

If you missed the episode:

• You’ll get Mark’s mountain terror, Bob’s battle with Southern snow, and Wade’s Midwestern highway curses—all delivered with their signature blend of wit and camaraderie.
• The episode is rich with spontaneous banter, from theoretical time travel to musings on death and memory, making for a thoughtful yet lighthearted listen.