Episode Overview

Title: Is Pumpkin Spice Latte Fever The Cause For Another Reverend Predicting The End Of The World In The Coming Weeks
Podcast: Holmberg’s Morning Sickness – Arizona
Date: September 10, 2025
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo

This episode dives into the annual emergence of both pumpkin spice latte mania and high-profile apocalyptic predictions—often occurring together in September. The hosts riff on the absurdity and ritual of seasonal foods, the cyclical nature of end-of-the-world forecasts, and the social oddities of coffee culture—all interwoven with their trademark irreverence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pumpkin Spice Latte Season and Its Peculiar Power

• The Pumpkin Effect: John links the return of pumpkin-spice-flavored goods each fall to a rise in “end times” predictions, humorously implying causation (00:50–03:14).
  • "Pumpkin spice rolls around and then all of a sudden somebody starts predicting the end of the world. ... I don't know why that is. I don't drink it." – John (01:18)
  • The hosts compare pumpkin spice lattes to other seasonal “novelties” (peeps, fruitcake, tamales), questioning why foods that only appear once a year are beloved.
• Seasonal Rituals: The group jokes about the annual rush when pumpkin spice drops (“You don't get excited when it rolls out in August?” – Brady, 01:18), and John notes the oddity that these cult foods and wild predictions always hit as fall approaches.

2. Apocalyptic Predictions: Why Now and Why September?

• Pattern Recognition: The hosts discuss the comical frequency of doomsday predictions coinciding with pumpkin spice season, referencing past figures like Harold Camping and the 2012 Maya calendar hysteria (02:16–03:14).
• Latest Prophecy: John details a new prophecy, this time from a South African pastor, Jeremiah Malakala, who claims to have seen Jesus in visions proclaiming a return on September 23–24, 2025 (03:16–04:00).
  • "It's 14 days. It's a fortnight to the return of the Jesus.... Every year for like eight years [Harold Camping] predicted that October would be the end of the world." – John (02:16–02:34)
• Community Buy-in: The hosts note that even a rabbi has echoed the prediction, to which John quips about the oddity of Jewish leaders dreaming of Christ (06:02–06:23).

3. Satire: How to "Do" Doomsday Predictions Right

• Satirical Solutions: John offers tongue-in-cheek advice to would-be prophets on how to save face: write predictions down privately and unveil them after events occur, “like a Criss Angel trick.” (06:26–07:32)
  • "If you're gonna predict the end of the world, don't do it out loud because you look like an idiot when it doesn't happen." – John (06:26)
• Bar Trick Analogy: The hosts recall a classic mind-reading bar trick as a way to “predict” the future without risk of looking foolish (07:32–08:11).

4. Coffee Culture Gets Roasted

• The Madness of the Line: John recounts driving past a Dutch Bros with a massive queue for pumpkin spice at 5:30 PM, incredulous at how much time people waste waiting for seasonal coffee drinks (08:11–09:19).
  • “If you’re in line more than a minute for coffee, you’re wasting your life.” – John (08:35)
• Economic Ironies: The hosts jab at people complaining about money yet waiting ages and paying high prices for lattes (“$18 for two drinks?” – Brady, 10:43), playfully connecting it back to modern “end times” anxieties (09:45–11:22).
  • "You had a milkshake for $8 and it took you half an hour. What are you doing with yourself?" – John (10:43)

5. End of the World: Joke or Genuine Worry?

• Absurdity of Fears: The crew cap off the segment by circling back to whether all this is just “pumpkin spice talking,” with John half-jokingly hoping the reverend’s prophecy comes true, given the state of coffee culture and the economy (09:37–11:17).
  • "If you see a line of more than three cars at the coffee place, you're wasting your life. And in that case, I hope that Reverend John B. is correct and the world does come to an end on the 23rd because I can't take it anymore." – John (09:37)

Notable Quotes and Moments (With Timestamps)

• 01:18 – John on pumpkin spice:
  “Pumpkin spice rolls around and then all of a sudden somebody starts predicting the end of the world.... I don't know why that is. I don't drink it.”
• 02:16 – On frequency of predictions:
  "It's 14 days. It's a fortnight to the return of the Jesus.... [Harold Camping] predicted that October would be the end of the world."
• 03:29 – On Jesus as festival host:
  "He's just one man, right? I mean, Jesus could do it in a second, but he's going to stick around Saturday, maybe hit the beach… you got one more day, guys."
• 06:26 – Apocalyptic advice:
  "If you're gonna predict the end of the world, don't do it out loud because you look like an idiot when it doesn't happen. Write it down and keep it in."
• 08:35 – Coffee lines:
  "If you’re in line more than a minute for coffee, you’re wasting your Life."
• 10:43 – Economic priorities:
  "You had a milkshake for $8 and it took you half an hour. What are you doing with yourself?"

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:50–03:14 – Pumpkin spice flavor mania and seasonal foods
• 03:16–04:00 – Announcement of South African pastor’s apocalypse prophecy
• 06:00–07:32 – Ridiculing prophecy culture; “safe” predictions & magic tricks
• 08:11–09:19 – Observations on coffee shop lines and consumer habits
• 09:37–11:17 – Critiques of economic complaints vs. lifestyle choices

Tone & Style

The episode is marked by humorous, sarcastic banter laced with local observations, pop-culture references, and mock-earnest advice. The hosts maintain a conversational, irreverent tone—swinging between light roasting and sharp cultural critique, all while keeping the mood playful.

Final Thoughts

Whether riffing on the cycle of pumpkin-spiced consumerism or the equally predictable cycle of apocalyptic prophecy, Holmberg and crew deliver a raucous but insightful commentary on seasonal trends, human credulity, and first-world priorities. The message: maybe the end isn't near, but irrational fad-following just might be.