Holmberg's Morning Sickness (98KUPD)

Episode: 12-22-25 - BR - MIX - It's Natl Spaghetti Day And Would Bret Try Bottled Gravy - Brady's Gator Bragging

Date: December 22, 2025
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo

Episode Overview

This episode of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness is a blend of food debates, weird news stories, playful banter, and the gang’s signature Arizona humor. Kicking off with National Spaghetti Day, the crew dives into heated discussions about bottled pasta sauces, Italian food snobbery, and whether real Italians can truly tell the difference between “Mama’s gravy” and store-bought sauce. The show later cascades into odd news stories—ranging from vegan strip clubs and gator/crocodile drama in Alaska, to a soap-opera-infatuated poison plot. Signature playful jabs, food talk, and ridiculous “facts” make this a classic “HMS” episode.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Celebrating National Spaghetti Day: Sauce Wars & Italian Pride

(02:10–07:19)

• The Great Sauce Debate:
  The team immediately celebrates National Spaghetti Day by debating bottled gravies (Italian-American for pasta sauce).
  • Rao’s is crowned the “best in a pinch,” and everyone admits to having eaten store-bought sauces.
  • Bret on Italian sauce pride:

    “Most Italians couldn’t tell Mama’s gravy from the Rao’s or the Prego.” (04:18)

  • John’s “Pepsi Challenge” theory:

    “I have a theory… I could open up one of those Chef Boyardee’s and mix it up, you’d be like ‘it’s not as good as this, but…’” (04:34)

• Listener pushback:
  A listener named Taylor claims:

  “Every real Italian can tell the difference between any sauce instantly…noticeable difference in the jarred BS and the real effing guinea stuff.” (06:32)
  The hosts immediately laugh at the idea of an Italian named Taylor.

• Memorable banter:
  • John accuses Brady of not being able to tell the difference between Rao’s, Prego, or “Mama’s Gravy”:

    “You’re not going to know. I could tell you mama made it. You’d be like, ‘oh, not bad.’” (06:07)

  • Jokes about Chef Boyardee “just tasting like watery cat” abound.

2. Food & Diets: Healthy Eating, Fries, and Chick-Fil-A Drama

(07:19–09:44)

• US News & World Report Diet Rankings:
  Mediterranean is ranked healthiest (“too many olives,” John jokes).
• Chick-Fil-A’s Waffle Fry Change:
  Chick-Fil-A fries now include “pea starch.” People online insist they taste different.
  • John dismisses this:

    “You don’t have that strong a palate if you’re eating at Chick fil a in the first place.” (09:19)
    “So Brett’s right. That was power suggestion. ‘I can taste the pea starch.’ No you can’t.” (09:21)

3. Bumble Fetishes & Gen-Z Sexual Trends

(09:44–12:03)

• Bumble Survey’s Fetish Findings:
  Top kinks:
  1. Feet
  2. Outdoor sex (balcony)
  3. Sex while playing video games
  • The crew jokes:

    “That’s just sex outside…That’s not a fetish unless you have to do it every time.” (10:31) “Waking each other up with oral…not a fetish, that’s just a gift from your god.” (10:55)

• Gen-Z gets roasted:
  Cuddling is reportedly their favorite “sexual activity.”

  “Gen Z likes to soak in a tub and look out a window and cuddle. What the hell is this world coming to?” (11:21–11:48)

4. Weird News: Vegan Strip Club DJ Stabbing

(12:03–14:07)

• Oregon DJ stabbed by vegan stripper:
  A DJ at Casa Diablo, “the vegan strip club,” is stabbed in the back mid-set by a stripper (who apparently “needed meat”).
  • John jokes:

    “She needed meat. Needed some meat. Live off the greens.” (12:47)

  • The DJ survives despite lung getting punctured.
• Wild commentary:
  Jests about strippers being “pasty” and lethargic due to veganism:

  “I’m a stripper. I’m pasty. I have no energy. Ah, you stringy weirdos. That’s all we want on our stages.” (16:12)

5. True Crime Absurdity: Soap Opera Star Poison Plot

(16:23–18:16)

• Soap fan tries to poison husband after online scam:
  • 64-year-old Roxanne Doucette was catfished by someone pretending to be Thorsten Kaye (“Ridge Forrester” on The Bold and the Beautiful).
  • The scammer persuaded her to poison her husband.
• Memorable moment:

  “One message from [fake] Thorsten said you have to get rid of your husband, honey, I need you so much.” (17:07)

6. The Alaska Alligator vs. Crocodile Sibling Brawl

(19:47–28:23)

• Brothers argue about anime, throw pets (an alligator and a crocodile) outside in the snow.
  Hilarious escalation between Ricky and Tyler Lowe in Wasilla, Alaska.
• Brady’s questionable animal expertise:
  Brady insists “if they’re the same size,” gators and crocs can have playdates and coexist—leading to a barrage of group skepticism.
  • John:

    “I think they’re in different parts of the world for a reason…They don’t want to be anywhere near each other.” (24:22)

  • The gang invents the “crocogator” and “igloo-building reptiles.”
  • Eventually, internet research shows they can share territory in Florida but “they don’t get along” and are kept apart at zoos for safety.
• Comedy highlight:

  “This, what you’re saying is, in the gator world, eventually, cooler heads must prevail.” (27:38)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• John on Chef Boyardee:

  “I know Chef Boyardee because that just tastes like watery cat…I’d eat it though.” (04:43)

• Listener Taylor’s Email:

  “There’s a noticeable difference in the jarred BS and the real effing guinea stuff.” (06:32)

• Brady’s crocodile/alligator advice:

  “You want to make sure they’re the same size, though. Smaller one, if it’s too small…” (20:47)

  • Immediately roasted by the others for this pseudo-science.
• On Gen-Z sex trends:

  “Gen Z likes to soak in a tub and look out a window and cuddle.” (11:44)

• John sums up the pet drama:

  “Why would they be together is my point…their father a croc—they’re the father of a crocodile?! Is the father of an alligator? I’m not talking…” (27:13)

• On vegan strippers:

  “Ah, you stringy weirdos. That’s all we want on our stages.” (16:12)

Timestamps for Notable Segments

• National Spaghetti Day & Sauce Debate: 02:10–07:19
• Best Diets & Chick-Fil-A Fry Controversy: 07:19–09:44
• Bumble/Fetish Survey & Gen-Z Sex: 09:44–12:03
• Vegan Strip Club Stabbing: 12:03–14:07
• Soap Star Catfishing & Poison Plot: 16:23–18:16
• Crocodile vs. Alligator Sibling Fight: 19:47–28:23

Conclusion

In this episode, the HMS crew blend off-the-rails Arizona-morning-radio flavor with food talk, absurd “news,” and relentless ribbing—particularly at Brady’s expense. Whether it’s sauce snobbery, weird Alaska pet fights, vegan strip clubs, or the threat of “crocogator” hybrids, every story is amped up by jokes, fake science, and the familiar chemistry among the hosts. If you like your news weird and your food opinions loud, this one’s for you.