11th Annual Power Hour (w/ Gilli Nissim, Ify Nwadiwe, Oscar Montoya, Betsy Sodaro, Nick Wiger)

Summary

High and Mighty — 11th Annual Power Hour

Host: Jon Gabrus
Guests: Betsy Sodaro, Gilli Nissim, Ify Nwadiwe, Oscar Montoya, Nick Wiger
Date: November 27, 2025

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Episode Overview

The 11th Annual Power Hour is a classic live episode of High and Mighty — chaotic, unfiltered, and deeply rooted in the show's tradition of bringing friends together for an hour of increasingly silly, tipsy camaraderie. This episode is not only a celebration of holiday rituals but also of resilience in the face of the podcasting industry's "death spiral." Gabrus and his panel of frequent collaborators and comedians gather on stage to attempt "60 shots in 60 minutes," swapping beers, chili, and banter while reflecting on friendship, community, and the weirdness of their chosen careers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The State of Podcasting & Holiday Traditions

• Gabrus announces he "doesn't got a podcast anymore" due to the "industry dying," but holds onto the Power Hour as his only holiday tradition (00:46).
  • Memorable quote:

    "This is not a High and Mighty–sanctioned event. I kept the branding for the sake of the posters. But I don’t got a fucking podcast anymore because another industry I chose to be part of is dying." – Jon Gabrus (00:46)

• He emphasizes how much these live shows mean to him and jokes about needing attention and ignoring doctor’s orders for the sake of tradition.
• The annual Power Hour is described as essential, with regular attendees sharing how much they look forward to it each year.

2. Panel Introductions & Group Dynamics

• Gabrus brings out key guests, all recurring figures over the years:

  • Betsy Sodaro (veteran of Power Hours)
  • Gilli Nissim (noted as Betsy's roommate and friend, adding to long-running show "lore")
  • Oscar Montoya (designated sober "spirit guide")
  • Ify Nwadiwe (the threat of painful handshakes and bear hugs as running gags)
  • Nick Wiger (costumed in superhero fashion, always game for a "bit")

  The dynamic immediately establishes a feeling of inside-joke-laden, familial chaos reminiscent of previous years, with recurring bits about rooming, relationship drama, and physical comedy.

3. The Rules & Rituals of the Power Hour

• The group sets the stage: "60 shots of whatever we're drinking over 60 minutes."
• Gabrus jokes about "birthday feelings" and pre-celebration nerves — a combination of real anxiety and exaggerated comic tension about the event’s challenge.
  • "I have, like, legit birthday feelings. Like, I'm like, can't stop shaking. And that's not DTs because I've been drinking. This is just pure excitement of being up here with my friends." (10:58)
• Each cast member brings their own beverage, but Wiger ups the ante by attempting 60 shots of turkey chili in lieu of beer.
  • Memorable quote:

    "This year for the Power Hour, I will be doing 60 shots of turkey chili… I think this is going to be more challenging. So we'll see how my constitution holds up." – Nick Wiger (13:00)

4. Debates & Tangents: Is Chili Soup?

• A side discussion erupts over whether chili qualifies as "soup":
  • “Chili doesn’t count as soup.” – James Guns (13:21)
  • “It needs broth.” – Nessa (13:22)
  • The group jokes about the merits of putting chili on a Dorito as further proof against it being soup, and reminisces about chili cook-offs at fire stations and TV sitcoms (14:19–14:53).

5. Joys and Horrors of Food Festivals

• The conversation turns to food festivals:
  • Gabrus recalls a "gumbo festival in New Orleans" in 110-degree heat and the bodily consequences of all-you-can-eat events (14:54–15:30).
  • Oscar remarks: "Just simultaneously getting heartburn and sunburn at the same time. Burning my insides and out." (15:23)
• There’s a shared, delighted horror at the collective gastrointestinal toll these annual celebrations inflict.

6. Community, Nostalgia & the Power of Gathering

• The group’s camaraderie is palpable — highlighting the show’s core: a crowd of friends, semi-shambolic but bonded by years of traditions.
• Betsy leads a round of gratitude:
  • "I'm thankful for you. I'm thankful for you. I'm thankful for you. Thankful for you." – Betsy Sodaro (17:16)
• Gabrus mocks the listeners, encouraging them to join live streams because “the podcast feed is defunct.” But the jokes read as loving winks to the old-school fans who’ve stuck around.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On career choices:

  "I remember when I was 18 and I sat down with my guidance counselor, and they were like, what do you want to do? I'm like, I want to live stream getting drunk and split the money with a company." – Jon Gabrus (04:11)

• On annual challenges:

  "We're gonna do 60 shots of whatever we're drinking over the course of 60 minutes. Doesn't sound like a lot, but you talk to me at the 33rd, beep how you're feeling before we even start the timer." – Jon Gabrus (11:25)

• On gratitude:

  "I'm thankful for you. I'm thankful for you. I'm thankful for you. Thankful for you." – Betsy Sodaro (17:16)

• On chili, Doritos, and the definition of soup:

  "Another proof that is not soup. If you could put it on a Dorito." – Nessa (14:12)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:46 — Gabrus laments the "death" of the podcasting industry and the importance of Power Hour
• 06:38–09:22 — Panel introductions, banter on roommate lore and guest dynamics
• 10:58 — Gabrus reveals his nerves and excitement, kicking off the emotional core of the show
• 13:00 — Wiger announces his chili challenge (60 shots of turkey chili)
• 13:19–14:53 — Tangent: is chili soup? Chili cook-offs and food festival stories
• 15:23 — Oscar delivers a pointed joke about food festivals’ double burn
• 17:16 — Betsy’s thanksgiving gratitude wraparound

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Final Thoughts

The 11th Annual Power Hour stands as both a comedy marathon and an ode to ritual, with Gabrus and crew embracing absurdity, friendship, and the weird, winding journey of their careers. Even as the future of traditional podcasting is lampooned, High and Mighty proves its cult appeal endures where it matters most: in the laughter, chaos, and community of its annual gathering.

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For the full mayhem, including audience interactions and every shot, the panel invites you to catch the livestream replay — or just keep reliving the glory through these recaps, as long as the feed shall live.

Transcript

[John Gabriel]

Give it up.

[Geno Gabriel]

Come on.

[John Gabriel]

Make some noise for John Gabriel.

[Geno Gabriel]

I'm not going to sing into the. I'm not going to sing into this.

[Betsy Sedaro]

But tonight, I am Anthony Bound. Yeah. What's up, shitheads?

[Geno Gabriel]

This is not a high and mighty sanctioned event. I kept the branding for the sake of the posters. But I don't got a fucking podcast anymore because another industry I chose to be part of is dying. So sick. I hope video games don't go away. Thank you so much for coming out to what is rapidly becoming the only holiday tradition I have. I cannot believe who was here last year for the 10th annual round of applause. How many times did I say that was the final one? Well, guess what happened this year. I was desperate for attention. I was just looking down the barrel.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Of what the rest of 2025 looked like.

[Geno Gabriel]

Dynasty reaches out. Hey, are you going to do this again? I'm like, I don't think so. Two weeks later, I'm like, I need it. I need it so bad. My doctor says no, but my body says yes. So who's playing along? Round of applause. I scream, who's playing along out there? Oh, that's awesome. I am so fucking hyped for tonight. Today is the weirdest day of my life. Every year. Cause I have to do, like, light. Thank God. Yo, shout out Emma, who helps me produce this show. Even though. Even though I don't have a podcast anymore, she's still like, you're gonna need my help, right? I was like, yes, ma'. Am. She hands me a microphone. I'm like, now I can use it. She goes, yes. And I was like, thank you. But today I was producing a podcast. Shopping for beer. Not the ideal day to be running around the grocery stores, I'll tell you that much. People are angry out there, myself included. And also preparing my body for what this is gonna be to me. I had my little brother's wedding last weekend, so it was like a light warmup where I got fucking wasted. But I also did a ton of MDMA for the first time in about 20 years. You know, first time as a grown up. I did it when I was like 20. Like everyone does. Cause some hot girl with a visor on. I mean, I'm older than most of you, but hot chicks used to wear hello Kitty visors. Maybe I'm talking about one specific girl from my high school shout out Nicole, aka hot freak chick. Yeah, that. You know, the 90s were a different time, but so tonight I am MDMA free. Well, now you know, then I knows, bro. The night's a puppy.

[Weger]

But.

[Geno Gabriel]

We already started late because. And no diss against you guys. I was like, wow, we're starting late. They're like, the bar line is insane. So that's fucking awesome. That's what I want to be known about my. I'm hesitant to call you guys fans, but the people who. The audience. That's what you are. You're an audience. You don't have to be a fan if you paid for a ticket. I don't give a fuck if you actually like me. I'm so stoked you guys are all here. I have some prizes to give away.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Yeah.

[Geno Gabriel]

I don't know how I'm gonna do this. I can't throw these out. These are the Gino Lombardo mixtape that I made with 30. I was just, like, looking around my house, grabbing shit. Oh, yeah, why don't you do it? Sick. See, this is what I'm talking about. Emma is who.

[Weger]

Yeah.

[Geno Gabriel]

Oh, man. What a great time to be sitting.

[Betsy Sedaro]

On the aisle, huh?

[Geno Gabriel]

Fuck yeah. Sorry, center. This rules for the view, but the aisle is just easy for grabbing merch. Enjoy. That's all 30 episodes of the Geno and Bar show. If you didn't get one, you can go to geno.gabriel.com to buy one. Okay, enough other plugs. It's time to get down to the fucking brass tacks. Holy shit. I'm so winded. There's so much time left and I'm so winded. Okay. Oh, boy. Sorry that I should have done this previously, but, you know, I'm not doing a pre pro guy. We're gonna bring out my guests in a short bit. I'm sure you know who it is. Cause I've been fucking Instagram storying these poor people all week long. But like I said, all the industries are dying, and all that's left is splitting YouTube money with Dynasty typewriter. I remember when I was 18 and I sat down with my guidance counselor, and they were like, what do you want to do? I'm like, I want to live stream getting drunk and split the money with a company.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Ah.

[John Gabriel]

We paid our half of the light bill.

[Geno Gabriel]

I believe based on the reduction you take out of the livestream sales. I also paid the light bill.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Yeah, buddy.

[Geno Gabriel]

We're burning all the bridges tonight. I am so fucking hyped. My heart is racing. I'm not on mdma, but I'm on coke. It's the new Ozempic. I actually am prescribed Zepbound, but I'm not gonna start it until after Thanksgiving. I told my doctor, I'm like, can I start on Friday? They were like, why? And I was like, uh, I have to do 60 shots of beers with friends, and I'm talking about you. All right, without further ado, I'm gonna announce my guest shortly. But first, I gotta chug a little beer to kick this off.

[John Gabriel]

Why?

[Geno Gabriel]

I don't fucking know.

[Weger]

Whoa.

[Geno Gabriel]

I did not finish that. That was cold. I think I need to go to the dentist based on how much my teeth hurt.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Holy shit. All right, you ready to meet your guests and your fellow power hourers? Hell, yeah. Let's kick it off with the person.

[Geno Gabriel]

Who I think has done the most.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Power hours, second to only me, Betsy Sedaro.

[Geno Gabriel]

Wherever you want. Weiger's gonna sit on that end, so. Oh, spoiler alert.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Also joining me, from Betsy's roommate and my good friend Gilly.

[Geno Gabriel]

Nessa.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Gilly.

[Geno Gabriel]

Wherever you want, babe, as always. Recently, we had to bring in a designated driver. We had to bring in a sober spirit guide.

[Betsy Sedaro]

So put your hands together for Oscar Mondoya. Yeah. Do the do, baby. Doing the do.

[Geno Gabriel]

Grab your mic if you want to scream too.

[Nessa]

A guy Betsy took in prom class with. Betsy's roommate.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Well, I think it's very funny that.

[Geno Gabriel]

You guys are roommates. It's like the coolest place in the world that you guys live together. That rips. I feel like people know that for the lore.

[Weger]

We like it.

[Geno Gabriel]

We like it.

[Betsy Sedaro]

We like it.

[Geno Gabriel]

Pretty fun.

[James Guns]

The lore of what?

[Geno Gabriel]

The lore of this show. These two.

[James Guns]

All right, the Wikipedia entry is going to go off tonight.

[Geno Gabriel]

Okay, look, I've had buzz balls once in my life. I've had Mountain Dew, hard seltzer once in my life. Guess where they were?

[John Gabriel]

Their house. Woo.

[Geno Gabriel]

I kissed Wilma once and it was at their. And not once more.

[Weger]

Fuck it.

[Geno Gabriel]

Let's get the rest of the guests out here. I can't believe he made it here on time.

[Betsy Sedaro]

It's Ify Waterwood.

[Geno Gabriel]

I'm so scared to dap him because he's dislocated my shoulder six or seven times in our friendship.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Yeah, he just slide that one for wife.

[Geno Gabriel]

Yeah, he thought he was gonna crack Betsy in half. He gave Betsy. Gave Betsy such a hug. She landed and was like a foot and a half taller. Ladies and gentlemen. He's been around from the jump. Reveals way more dark shit than anyone else. I can't believe he agreed to do it again.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Put your hands together for Nick. Tiger Wa. Oh, that's muscles.

[Geno Gabriel]

I like it. Has the fake muscles like iffy Shirt.

[James Guns]

Weger is James Guns. Superman.

[Geno Gabriel]

Woke Superman. I didn't watch it. I like the one that did another 911 to Metropolis.

[Oscar Mondoya]

That joke implies that Metropolis has a.

[Geno Gabriel]

9112911 and a 911 2. Electric boogaloo. Holy shit, guys. Thank you. Holy shit. Deus. Panel friends, thank you so much for coming out for another Power Hour. I can't believe you guys are doing this.

[Weger]

I need it.

[John Gabriel]

What a hoot.

[Weger]

I need it bad.

[Geno Gabriel]

You need it.

[Weger]

I need it. We all need it.

[Geno Gabriel]

We all need it.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Yeah, we all need it.

[Geno Gabriel]

I feel like Betsy and I text a lot, but, like, once every three days for, like, the last four weeks. She's like, I'm so pumped for Power Hour. I was like, we can just get together and drink if you want.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Well, I was.

[Weger]

If this wasn't going to happen, I was going to be like, well, we're doing it at our house, like, in front of Wilma.

[Geno Gabriel]

Don't bring up that you're roommates. Too much drama.

[Nessa]

I don't want everyone to know their address is.

[Geno Gabriel]

Whoops. I just poured beer directly on the table.

[James Guns]

Shot wash. Miss.

[Geno Gabriel]

I'm a little shaky because I'm a little worked up. My blood sugar is through the roof. I think I gave a vampire diabetes.

[Nessa]

Do you have, like, birthday feelings?

[Geno Gabriel]

I have, like, legit birthday feelings. Like, I'm like, look. I'm like, can't stop shaking. And that's not DTs because I've been drinking. This is just pure excitement of being up here with my friends. It's like one part excitement, one part fear. Ooh, I've got a bit of a fear as I'm 43 years old and about to drink more than I've drank all year long.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Yes.

[Geno Gabriel]

Yeah, that's a lie.

[Weger]

Yes.

[Geno Gabriel]

So here's how it works. We're gonna do 60 shots of whatever we're drinking over the course of 60 minutes. Doesn't sound like a lot, but you talk to me at the 33rd, beep how you're feeling before we even start the timer. Let's just do one for practice. So if everyone. So we're gonna do today because it's the. It's the last one I will see.

[Weger]

When this year comes on and what happens. And we'll be like, can we do it, like, a couple of times this year?

[Geno Gabriel]

You know what's also a big holiday is Halloween, and so is Arbor Day. So this one is just for fun in the house. If you guys want to join in for this shot, this is just to get it kicked off. So if I could just quote the great movie Jaws, here's to swimmin with bow legged women. And then in case, you know, we need to be gender inclusive, here's to swimming with people whose legs are shaped differently than others.

[Weger]

Yeah.

[Geno Gabriel]

Okay. How's everyone feeling?

[Weger]

Good. Great. Ready?

[John Gabriel]

You know. You know, I'm always just a ball of stress in advance of this gauntlet that I subject myself to voluntarily, every year. And for some reason, on occasion, I decided to torment myself even further. And this is one of these years, because you can tell by my costume that I am Superman. But you may not have known the other layer to this gimmick, which is I am Superman. That's right.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Oh, my God.

[John Gabriel]

This year for the Power Hour, I will be doing 60 shots of turkey chili.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Wow.

[John Gabriel]

Now, I've done mushroom gravy before. I think this is going to be more challenging. So we'll see. We'll see how my constitution holds up.

[James Guns]

Wait, Turk. What? That's not soup. That's chili.

[John Gabriel]

Chili doesn't count as soup.

[James Guns]

I don't think chili is soup.

[Nessa]

It needs broth.

[Geno Gabriel]

I think you. I think if you eat it out of a bowl. All right, I'm not getting into a double discussion.

[John Gabriel]

I was worried about this, but then I thought bone broth would be too easy. Yeah, yeah.

[Geno Gabriel]

No, you're right.

[John Gabriel]

I was like, I would. And I was like, I think bone.

[Geno Gabriel]

Broth would be too easy. I do 60 shots of bone broth all the time.

[Nessa]

It was definitely the funnier option. And we salute you for that.

[Weger]

Super.

[Geno Gabriel]

Yeah. I appreciate your soup.

[James Guns]

It's not even warmed up. It's straight from the couch.

[John Gabriel]

Straight from the couch.

[Weger]

I got it.

[John Gabriel]

Like Rorschach and Watchmen.

[Geno Gabriel]

It's like, that's practically dog food that you're gonna be eating.

[John Gabriel]

100%.

[Weger]

May I say, it'll be fun to put on a chip.

[Geno Gabriel]

It will be fun to put on a chip. I'm gonna eat 60 Doritos.

[Nessa]

Another proof that is not soup. If you could put it on a Dorito.

[Oscar Mondoya]

I feel like there's some flexibility with chili, because sometimes it's chili dog chili. Then it's like the chili they make in the TV shows when there's a chili cook off, you know?

[Geno Gabriel]

Yeah. The only time everyone ever cooks chili is on a TV show. Right?

[Oscar Mondoya]

Have y' all been to a chili cook off? Is that.

[Weger]

Yeah.

[Geno Gabriel]

Cause that's something.

[Oscar Mondoya]

Growing up, I was like, oh, that must be a white people thing, you know, Like.

[Geno Gabriel]

Yeah, like a chili. It happens at Fire departments.

[Weger]

I feel like I went to one in Crested Butte where you got a beer glass and a chili glass and you just walked to the beer line and then you just walked to chili line and it was awesome.

[John Gabriel]

How fun is that?

[Geno Gabriel]

I went to a gumbo festival in New Orleans and It was like 110 degrees outside and we paid like 50 bucks for all you can eat gumbo. And every time I had one, I was like, oh, I felt like such shit. There's so much roo and moody.

[Nessa]

I'm just imagining the plumbers in these respective towns.

[Geno Gabriel]

Oh, yeah, this is their Christmas. Cohen. We're pressure testing the plumbing here at Dynasty Typewriter.

[Oscar Mondoya]

Just simultaneously getting heartburn and sunburn at the same time. Burning my insides and out.

[Geno Gabriel]

I like fainted with sausage in my. You know what? Let's. We got. Here's how it works. Every beep we do a shot. We could do one now if we'd like, but we're gonna do it on the beefs also.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Yeah, we'll start it right.

[Geno Gabriel]

So what we want. You wanna open your chili if you thought it smelled bad in here already.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Not a scoop. It's a scoop. You have a spoon.

[Weger]

Just not soup.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Just not soup.

[Geno Gabriel]

Do not fill it to the top every time.

[John Gabriel]

Do.

[Geno Gabriel]

I'm already stressed.

[James Guns]

We are looking out for you.

[John Gabriel]

Milk's taken.

[Geno Gabriel]

I love this. We're all drinking something different. We'll talk about that. But let's get this first one going. If we could start the clock, fam.

[Weger]

7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Woo. Happy? May all acquaintance be forgotten.

[Geno Gabriel]

Emma, drop this in the middle. I can't believe you're listening to this on a podcast, you fucking losers.

[John Gabriel]

What podcast?

[Geno Gabriel]

Don't you want to watch it on a live stream? Go to gabris power or powerhour.gabris.com and watch it there. Why are you fucking listening to it? This is a defunct podcast feed. I can't believe you still are subscribed to it. Good marketing on that.

[Weger]

And then put on Sandstorm by Darud.

[Betsy Sedaro]

Hey, I got good news, baby. Thank you so much.

[Geno Gabriel]

Happy Thanksgiving.

[Betsy Sedaro]

I'm thankful for you. I'm thankful for you. I'm thankful for you. Thankful for you.

[Weger]

It.