Distractible – "Squid Game (Even Too-er)"
Date: December 19, 2025
Hosts: Mark Fischbach, Wade Barnes, Bob Muyskens
Episode Overview
In this lively episode, Bob hosts a Distractible twist on the hit series "Squid Game," challenging Mark and Wade to pitch deadly childhood games fit for a Squid Game-style elimination tournament. The trio swaps stories about public attention, viral internet moments, and reminisce about the sometimes brutal world of kids’ games. The episode is packed with banter, playful competitiveness, and signature self-deprecation.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Life Updates & Small Talk
- Mark’s Home Lab Reddit Debacle: Mark shares about being "ripped apart" on the Home Lab subreddit for his janky server setup (04:44). While some applauded the relatability, others questioned his professionalism, sparking a humorous discussion about online criticism.
- Wade’s Tire Pressure Woes: Wade recounts a comical misadventure failing to inflate his car tires correctly, bemoaning unreliable gas station compressors and his struggle with modern car expectations (05:34).
- Quote (Wade, 07:26): “Everyone at the gas station, I did it. Kind of. I kind of like, look around, make sure no one's like...my fingers have the weird little oily nastiness on them because I am putting air in my own tires like a big, strong man, you know?”
- Cinemark and Internet Fanbases: Mark describes overwhelming a Cinemark representative with fan email requests for movie theater screenings, highlighting how online communities can surprise the uninitiated with sheer collective action (10:25).
- Quote (Mark, 11:29): “The guy from Cinemark is like, our team is just...the email is just, can you please calm down, please? I’m just like...”
- Quote (Bob, 13:24): “It's funny when normies have to interface with Internet types, they have no idea what they're getting into.”
2. The Distractible Squid Game: Deadly Childhood Games
- Game Premise: Bob tasks Mark and Wade with "designing" life-or-death versions of their favorite childhood games, Squid Game-style. The games must be inventive, with elimination upon losing.
- Selection & Mechanics:
- Chutes and Ladders (Wade): A life-sized obstacle course where rolling dice moves you and chutes lead to instant doom (19:15).
- Quote (Wade, 19:26): “So if you get to a point where you go down the chute, it's death.”
- Jump Rope (Mark): An electrified, laser jump rope—touch it, and you’re sliced apart (21:00).
- Quote (Mark, 21:28): "The rope is obviously some kind of laser, like, from Kingsman...like a lightsaber, but controllable.”
- Musical Chairs (Wade): Every round, a brutal safety device ensures only the fastest survive; latecomers lose limbs, at best (22:50).
- Dodgeball (Mark): Features explosive balls and potential "neck bombs" for instant elimination, with referees acting as executioners (23:49).
- Quote (Bob, 24:48): "You inject a small explosive into the base of everyone's neck...referees confer...and then they just go, boop."
- Hopscotch (Wade): Hazards are added to the course; missing a square or stumbling brings fatal results (25:53).
- Life-Size Battleship (Mark): Teams of players are “boats”—correct guesses send real missiles or sharks, with survival dependent on teamwork and tactics (27:25).
- Quote (Mark, 28:07): “Maybe it's sharks underneath the water and they come and grab you.”
- Chutes and Ladders (Wade): A life-sized obstacle course where rolling dice moves you and chutes lead to instant doom (19:15).
3. Who Survives the Distractible Squid Games?
- For each game, Bob and the group debate who between Mark and Wade would survive. Their assessments draw on both past sporting ability and their self-deprecating humor about physical prowess.
- Chutes & Ladders: Luck-based; Wade wins a coin flip (29:01).
- Jump Rope: Wade used to train for dunking in basketball—he has the edge in jumping (29:50).
- Musical Chairs: Mark claims the anxiety would spur his performance (31:11).
- Explosive Dodgeball: Both terrible, but Mark is smaller and more nimble; Mark wins (32:55).
- Battleship: Both claim mixed records; Mark confesses to cheating as a kid (34:54), which would get him killed in Squid Game rules.
4. Point Tally & Outcome
- Points are awarded for humor, creativity, and (ironically) accuracy.
- After tallying, Bob declares a tie (eight points each), leading to a “spin-off” for the final winner. Wade clinches the win through the added “worst weather near you” point (38:18).
Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)
- On Internet vs. Real World
- Mark (12:49): “It looks insane, but...there are translations to real life that have tangible effect but it's not always the case. So it's kind of hard to judge where it is.”
- “Schrodinger’s Handshake Deal” (15:05):
- Bob (15:14): "Honestly, I think maybe that should be one of the...it should be for the good of all three hosts. But it's at our discretion..."
- Bob's Hosting Announcement
- Bob (17:07): “Have you guys seen Squid Game?...I want you to pitch me what games from your childhood or our collective childhood would we make the Squid Games games.”
- On Jump Rope Lethality
- Mark (21:04): "You have to jump in the middle there...The rope is obviously some kind of laser, like, from Kingsman, where he had the whip that was just, like, somehow electrically cut things."
- Dodgeball Mechanics
- Bob (24:48): “You inject a small explosive into the base of everyone's neck, and then you have a series of referees watching...then they just go, boop.”
- Life-Size Battleship
- Mark (28:07): “It’s on the water, too. Maybe it’s sharks underneath the water and they come and grab you.”
Final Winner & Speeches
- Wade wins the Distractible Squid Game!
- Wade (38:43): “Fun episode. I'm glad I got to learn everything. That was the squid game...can't wait to not have to compete, but to get to help Bob host one.”
- Mark’s loser speech (39:00): "I went into this one thinking that I would win. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, which is really a surprise. I usually win these things, and the fact that I didn’t kind of makes me suspicious..."
Fun & Memorable Moments
- Running Weather Commentary and Life Updates: Recurring gags about not seeing the sky, bad weather points, and the uselessness of the outdoors for introverts.
- Continual Callbacks to Internet Culture: They joke about "normies," subreddits, and how internet actions translate to real-world bemusement.
- Meta-Jokes on Podcasting & the Listener Experience: The hosts playfully mock their own structure and their listeners ("If you’re a loser, you’re listening...I don’t blame you...it’s just the facts.” - Bob, 03:21).
- Evolving Banter about Handshake Deals & Emergency Rules: "Schrodinger’s handshake," in-air agreements, and imaginary contractual loopholes.
Important Segment Timestamps
- Mark's Home Lab Story: 04:44–05:40
- Wade’s Tire Pressure Saga: 05:34–08:27
- Mark's Cinemark Email Fiasco: 10:25–13:24
- Game Pitch Intro: 17:07
- Chutes and Ladders Pitch: 19:15
- Jump Rope Pitch: 21:00
- Musical Chairs Pitch: 22:50
- Dodgeball Pitch: 23:49
- Hopscotch Pitch: 25:53
- Battleship Pitch: 27:25
- “Who Would Win?” Debates: 29:01–34:41
- Scoring & Winner Announcement: 36:41–39:00
In Summary
"Squid Game (Even Too-er)" is a classic Distractible blend of creative nostalgia, clever game design, inside jokes, and relatable gripes about adulthood and the internet. The trio’s banter is sharp, balancing ridiculous stakes with the childish fun of schoolyard games—dosed with that uniquely Distractible blend of humor and humility. In the spirit of the show, it’s more about the laughs and chaos on the way than the outcome itself. And, as always, the listeners get the last word...on the subreddit.
Winner: Wade
Best Quote:
"You inject a small explosive into the base of everyone's neck, and then you have a series of referees watching...then they just go, boop." – Bob (24:48)