Distractible Podcast: "The Cursed Episode"

Date: October 17, 2025
Hosts: Wade Barnes (host), Mark Fischbach, Bob Muyskens

Episode Overview

On "The Cursed Episode," the Distractible crew—Wade, Mark, and Bob—explores the logic, lore, and language of curses. While the trio starts with banter about recent gaming news and their love for roguelites, the crux of the show revolves around uncanny misfortunes, legendary hexes, and the fine line between spooky folklore and harsh reality. Along the way, the hosts debate teaching methods, roast each other with faux curses, and reel at breaking sports news that feels like a curse in real time.

Key Discussion Points

1. Banter and Small Talk

Timestamps: [03:10] – [15:10]

• Wade opens as the day's host, navigating gentle ribbing from Mark and Bob.

• Discussion on teaching reading in America: Mark brings up phonics vs. whole word instruction, with Bob summarizing a podcast series about the teaching shift and the influence of publishers.

  “The story basically goes, there was a woman who was a teacher, but was not like a researcher and was like, I think I know a better way to teach kids and just sort of came up with her own system. And everybody liked it and everybody got in line behind it." – Bob [05:00]

  "I can't imagine not being able to do that. It's like being robbed of this ability." – Mark [07:45]

• EA’s Massive Sale: Wade introduces breaking news about EA possibly being bought for $55B by a Saudi Arabian consortium. The group debates whether private ownership means better games.

  "If there's anything I've learned in modern society, it's that private capital always fixes the problems that ail businesses." – Bob, sarcastically [11:29]

  “The only scenario I've seen where things go better is when the original group or person reinvests and brings it private.” – Mark [12:09]

• Favorite Video Games:

  • Mark raves about Hades II: "It is so goddamn good... such a tight, fun, specific type of fun..." [15:21]
  • Bob is excited about “megabonk” and buying a riding lawnmower to embrace his inner Midwestern dad. [19:46]
  • Wade considers the time commitment for new roguelites and discusses “Clover Pit,” a spooky gambling game. [21:22]

2. Main Theme: Curses in History, Folklore, and Real Life

Timestamps: [25:11] – [57:32]

What is a Curse?

• Wade introduces famous curses: Tippecanoe, Bambino, Kennedy, and King Tut’s tomb.
• Mark muses about the fungus “curse” theory for Tut's tomb—some practical explanations for superstitions. [26:36]

Sports & City Curses

• Bob details the "Cincinnati curse" and multiple sports-related hexes such as the Curse of the Andrttis—racing legends who can't win the Indy 500. [32:53]
• Wade shares news mid-episode about the Bengals trading for Joe Flacco. The moment is immediately read as being "cursed."

  “I’m going to call it right now. Joe Flacco is leading us to the playoffs… if he can throw one interception or less per game, he’s definitely an improvement over where we are right now.” – Bob [42:54]

Legendary and Folkloric Curses

• Dead Man’s Hand: Mark recounts the origin story from Wild Bill Hickok:

  "If you get aces and eights, all black cards, you’re gonna die or something like that." – Mark [32:28]

• Superstition Mountains & The Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine:

  "...people went out into the Superstition Wilderness...some of them turned up dead, some of them are said to have gone mad hunting endlessly..." – Bob [40:18]

“Real” Environmental Curses

• Coal Fires and Limnic Eruptions: Mark explains the Centralia, PA coal fire that’s burned for 60+ years, as well as the Lake Nyos disaster—a lethal release of CO₂ that killed over 1,700 people, described as "a real curse."

  “There are probably times in history where an entire town just wiped out...CO₂ bubble explosion, real life curse.” – Mark [46:34]

• Mammoth Mountain “Cursed Forest”: Mark recounts a California forest where CO₂ killed entire swathes of trees, creating a scene straight from a haunted RPG. [49:40]

The Hope Diamond and More

• Bob describes the curse of the Hope Diamond, and wonders if America now "owns" its misfortune since it's housed in the Smithsonian. [48:33]

Curses You Can Say to People – Lighter Side

• Mark reads "funny curses" from the internet, like “may all your exes meet over tea and share gossip about you,” lampooning low-grade hexes. [27:46]

Modern Urban Legends

• The Busby Stoop Chair: Anyone who sits in it after Busby’s execution dies soon after.

• The Cursing Stone of Carlisle: Mark describes a real monument etched with 383 words of an ancient curse.

  "Since then, it was placed in a gloomy underpass between Carlisle Castle...there has been a cacophony of misfortune..." – Mark [56:01]

3. Game Mechanics & Recap

Timestamps: [57:32] – End

• Competition & Point Scoring:

  • Wade awards points for curse knowledge, entertaining stories, and gags. The score is close between Mark and Bob, with a spinning “wheel” for bonus points based on arbitrary (and sometimes meta) criteria like “most angry” or “best comeback."

• Closing Thoughts:

  • Bob ekes out a win, riding the curse theme all the way to the end.
  • Memorable “winner’s speech” as Bob laments the Bengals' cursed luck, punctuated by the real-time trade news.
  • Mark’s “loser speech” admits his own curse was showing up, joking, “I blame everybody but myself. And I can’t wait to go with my new nickname to do things with that nickname.” [64:27]

• Wade wraps with:

  “That was, there was a lot. We found a lot of curses there.” [57:35]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I cast. Fuck you.” – Mark, playfully (on curse words) [25:28]
• “May your blade chip and shatter.” – Bob, finding a 'serious' curse [28:17]
• “Earth is cursed.” – Mark, mid-lament on environmental disasters [59:13]
• “Anyone who’s ever played an EA game is now a sleeper agent…and anytime you hear the words 'ultimate team' you’re just like, gotta buy more Madden packs.” – Bob [15:10]
• “Just constantly...I’m excited to cruise around the neighborhood with a beer on my riding lawnmower, so that’ll be pretty cool. I think everyone will respect me more.” – Bob [20:52]

Important Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------|--------------------------| | EA Sale Discussion | [10:51] – [15:20] | | Hades II & Favorite Games | [15:21] – [18:36] | | Roguelites/Mega Bonk/Mower Chat | [19:14] – [21:22] | | The Concept of Curses Introduced | [25:11] | | Famous Curses (Sports, Tut, etc.) | [25:28] – [33:03] | | Real-World “Cursed” Events | [34:42] – [52:33] | | The Hope Diamond | [48:33] – [49:30] | | The Cursing Stone of Carlisle | [54:16] – [57:32] | | Winner & Loser Speeches/Wrap-Up | [63:26] – End |

Tone and Language

The episode is marked by:

• Casual, humorous exchanges and irreverent digressions.
• Occasional deep dives into history, science, and personal anecdotes.
• Mark’s scientific curiosity, Bob’s skeptical but enthusiastic contributions, and Wade’s self-deprecating, sometimes flustered hosting.

For Listeners Who Missed It

• This episode is a classic Distractible blend: broad-ranging, fact-meets-folly, with curse stories that span sports, local legends, and bona fide disasters.
• The banter is tight, the topics unexpectedly educational, and the tone always leans toward “distract the hosts (and each other) as much as possible.”
• Key takeaways: Curses are everywhere—sometimes superstitious, sometimes rooted in history or science, sometimes just the daily indignities of sports fandom or house repairs.

For more Distractible, check out new episodes on Spotify or follow the hosts on their platforms. Next episode: Bob takes over as host to see what new shenanigans await.