Podcast Summary
Podcast: Fiasco
Episode: Introducing SNAFU with Ed Helms – history’s greatest screw-ups
Air Date: October 16, 2025
Host: Ed Helms
Guest: Nick Kroll
Overview
This special episode of Fiasco doubles as an introduction to “SNAFU with Ed Helms,” a podcast exploring infamous historical screw-ups with humor and insight. In this installment, Ed Helms and guest Nick Kroll unearth the ill-fated 1914 Antarctic expedition led by Ernest Shackleton—a monumental disaster-turned-triumph that tests the boundaries of endurance, leadership, and survival, all rendered in the duo’s signature witty banter.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Establishing the SNAFU Vibe – Comedic Chemistry (01:05-03:39)
- The episode opens with Helms and Kroll joking about dire hypothetical choices (“If you had to eat a man or a dog first...”) and their long-standing friendship formed on the New York comedy ‘bringer show’ circuit. This sets a warm, irreverent tone.
- Kroll recalls his first standup show and being starstruck by Helms, who was then “flying high” after a Super Bowl commercial (02:07-03:06).
2. Personal Snafus – The Tuna Sandwich Disaster (03:40-05:44)
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Kroll shares a childhood vacation horror story: a deep-sea fishing trip gone awry where everyone in the family, except his physically ill-looking dad, throws up hotel-made tuna sandwiches in rough seas—a lively metaphorical prelude to Shackleton’s travails on the ocean.
“All of us just absolutely ralphed all over this boat. And it was like, happy birthday, Mom.”
— Nick Kroll (05:11)
3. The Shackleton Expedition—Setting the Stage (06:51-10:02)
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Helms introduces Ernest Shackleton, emphasizing his adventurous, stubborn nature and the sheer number of early 1900s Antarctic expeditions.
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Notable banter about badass explorer names:
“Get me Shackleton.”
— Ed Helms (07:05)
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Kroll mentions visiting Ushuaia in Argentina, driving home the daunting proximity to Antarctica (10:02).
4. The Mission & Miseries Begin (11:17-13:56)
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The plan was epic: cross the entire Antarctic continent from sea to sea.
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The 28-man crew (plus 69 dogs and a famous tomcat “Mrs. Chippy”) faced almost immediate adversity when Endurance got stuck in the ice, described evocatively as:
“Frozen like an almond in the middle of a chocolate bar.”
— quoted by Ed Helms from crew member Thomas Ordley (13:56)
5. Survival in Darkness—The Ordeals Deepen (15:29-16:20)
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As they’re trapped overwinter, the sun disappears for four months.
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Kroll jokes about blackout states and navigation woes in polar extremes, engaging their comedic dynamic.
“It just sounds like a nightmare to be in the dark, going across a continent nobody has ever been to…”
— Nick Kroll (15:38) -
Helms quizzes Kroll on his “crisis management”—prompting stories of accidental edible consumption and onstage improv (16:07-17:47).
6. Crushed Hopes—Abandoning Ship (19:38-23:09)
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By October, Endurance is crushed by ice, and Shackleton orders the crew onto the floes, setting up “dogloos” for their canines (20:23).
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The expedition is documented by photographer Frank Hurley.
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To survive, the crew hunts seals and penguins; tough choices are made, including putting down some dogs and Mrs. Chippy.
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When Endurance finally sinks, Helms notes:
“If my one mode of transportation out of certain death is just sinking before my eyes, I'm probably a little upset. I might have a little panic attack.”
— Ed Helms (23:02)
7. The Trek for Survival—Dragging Lifeboats & Diminishing Hopes (23:09-25:44)
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The crew attempts, with agonizing slowness, to traverse the ice hauling lifeboats as sleds (only seven miles in seven days).
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Shackleton orders another hunker—then a stroke of luck: their ice floe drifts toward Elephant Island.
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Despite appalling conditions (seasickness, dysentery), they row for survival.
“Add to that dysentery and now you know that it ain't just seawater sloshing around in those boats at this point.”
— Ed Helms (25:12)
8. Rescue Against Odds—Sailing for Salvation (28:02-31:57)
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Landing on the desolate Elephant Island is a miracle, but escape is far from assured.
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Shackleton and a small team set out in a tiny boat for South Georgia—800 treacherous miles away.
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After 16 days at sea, they land but on the wrong side of the island, and must climb a mountain to reach help.
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Eventually, against astronomical odds, they save the entire crew; not a single human life lost.
“Every single member of the crew survived.”
— Ed Helms (31:43) -
Brief but black-humored aside about whether the dogs had been eaten, revisiting their earlier “who would you eat first?” banter (31:58-32:33).
9. SNAFU Reflections—Failure or Triumph? (32:45-35:05)
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Helms frames the event as both a grand fiasco and heroic achievement.
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Kroll reflects philosophically:
“...to have every one of them survive is a triumph of organization and leadership and adaptability.”
— Nick Kroll (34:09) -
They note the exploratory bravado of the British “tradition of ego-driven explorers” versus the real necessity of boundary-pushers.
10. The Endurance Rediscovery & Finale (35:12-39:23)
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Helms recounts the astonishing 2022 discovery of the intact Endurance shipwreck using Shackleton’s team’s astronomical logs. Even 100-year-old Scotch bottles were found preserved.
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Ernest Shackleton died at 47, possibly from a heart defect—his last words:
"You always want me to give up something. What do you want me to give up now?”
— Ernest Shackleton, as reporting by Ed Helms (38:17)
11. Takeaways—Humor, Humanity, and Hope (39:23-40:51)
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Kroll’s tongue-in-cheek lessons: “Don’t go to Antarctica... Dogs are delicious...”
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Helms concludes:
“It makes me hopeful for human potential... All the things that we can do and deal with. And that, unfortunately, TikTok and Instagram is slowly sapping out of us.”
— Ed Helms (40:05) -
Closing mutual appreciation and Kroll’s upcoming projects (41:04-41:48).
Notable Quotes
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On enduring hardship:
"It just sounds like a nightmare to be in the dark, going across a continent nobody has ever been to...”
— Nick Kroll (15:38) -
On the SNAFU spirit:
“This is a crazy story and it’s an interesting one in the SNAFU category because it obviously it’s a failed mission... yet it then kind of takes this positive turn in the end.”
— Ed Helms (32:45) -
On Shackleton’s leadership:
“...to have every one of them survive is a triumph of organization and leadership and adaptability.”
— Nick Kroll (34:09) -
On the point of historical survivor tales:
“If he could do that, it makes me hopeful for human potential. Like, all the things that we can do and deal with.”
— Ed Helms (40:05) -
Shackleton’s supposed last words:
“You always want me to give up something. What do you want me to give up now?”
— Ed Helms quoting Shackleton (38:17)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Opening Banter & Friendship: 01:05-03:39
- Personal Snafu (Tuna Sandwich Story): 03:40-05:44
- Shackleton Introduction: 06:51-10:02
- Setting Sail & Early Disaster: 11:17-13:56
- Winter Darkness & Survival: 15:29-16:20
- Ship Destroyed, Forced to the Ice: 19:38-23:09
- Deck to Lifeboat – Survival Trek: 23:09-25:44
- Elephant Island & Escape Attempt: 28:02-31:57
- SNAFU Reflection: 32:45-35:05
- Endurance Rediscovery: 35:12-39:23
- Final Takeaways and Wrap-up: 39:23-41:48
Tone & Style
- The episode is rich in comedic asides, self-deprecating humor, and warm mutual ribbing, all underscored by genuine awe at Shackleton’s resilience and leadership.
- The banter renders the grim survival tale accessible, while the historical narrative is clear, engaging, and factually sound.
Conclusion
This Fiasco/SNAFU crossover achieves a perfect blend of historical education and comedic storytelling. Ed Helms and Nick Kroll bring the calamitous but heroic saga of Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition roaring back to life, making hard history entertaining and humane, with an undercurrent of respect for human grit—and a sharp eye on the absurd.
Whether you know the Shackleton saga or not, this episode distills its harrowing details, heroic moments, and lingering mysteries into an engaging, hilarious, and strangely uplifting adventure in survival and storytelling.