Podcast Summary: I Said No Gifts! — “A Fond Memory: Rachel Dratch Disobeys Bridger”

Host: Bridger Winegar
Guest: Rachel Dratch
Date: November 27, 2025
Network: Exactly Right & iHeartPodcasts

Main Theme

This episode of I Said No Gifts! features a light-hearted, meandering, and remarkably candid conversation between host Bridger Winegar and comedy legend Rachel Dratch. The two dive into topics ranging from childhood athletic ineptitude and genetic ancestry, to the heartbreak of a too-small ice cream cone and the pitfalls of improvised gift-giving. As always, the “no gifts” policy is flagrantly ignored—this time with particularly hilarious and chaotic results.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fond (and Not-So-Fond) Memories: Bridger & Rachel’s First Meeting

• Ski Lodge Encounter:

  • The pair reminisce about first meeting at a “swanky ski lodge” in Park City, Utah, with Bridger admitting his involvement was accidental and motivated by a bathroom break, while Rachel beams about having already been a fan thanks to Twitter.
  • [05:09] Rachel: “I knew your name because I followed you on Twitter … I loved all your quips and comments.”

• Skiing in Massachusetts:

  • Rachel shares charming stories of “janky” childhood ski trips to New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and the uniquely rough, icy conditions:
    • [08:02] Rachel: “Skiing became like this very rich person thing, but back then, it was a little more janky in Massachusetts … it’s very icy and people ski in jeans.”

2. Genetics, Ancestry, and Roast-by-DNA

• The Roasting Power of Ancestry.com:

  • Rachel shares her experience with genetic testing and the sometimes brutal trait read-outs, including, memorably, being informed she has “lower athletic ability.”
    • [09:11] Rachel: “I didn’t need to see that in print because I knew it. I’m a terrible athlete.”

• Surprising Family Revelations:

  • DNA testing reveals her close family friends growing up were actually distant cousins, a surprise discovered only after her father’s passing.
    • [15:10] Rachel: “There’s this guy who’s like my dad’s best buddy … his name is on my Ancestry as a third cousin … none of us knew this.”

• Bridger’s Mormon Upbringing & Family History:

  • Bridger explains the Mormon tradition of genealogy, including the “controversial” practice of posthumous baptism, and how his family history is dealer’s choice for ancestry sleuths.
    • [17:03] Bridger: “It’s because Mormons … baptize dead people into the religion ... they like have just endless lists of names from history.”

• Earwax & Other Genetic Mysteries:

  • The pair bond over the odd and sometimes disgusting “traits” included in modern genetic profiles, such as “wet earwax,” which Rachel finds particularly upsetting.
    • [18:32] Rachel: “They have … if you like cilantro or you have wet earwax. I’m not kidding.”

3. Gift Presentation: The Freezer Fiasco

• Rachel Disobeys the Rules—Spectacularly:

  • Rachel, with barely a day’s notice and stranded in LA without a car, rushes to Larchmont and selects two wildly mismatched gifts: a “mystifying” tester bottle of perfume (Demeter’s “Redhead in Bed”) and two pints of Jenny’s ice cream.
  • [26:13] Bridger (after opening the fragrance): “It’s the Demeter brand … and the name of the fragrance is Redhead in Bed.”
  • [28:26] Rachel: “That’s my explanation of why you have a greasy bottle of redhead in bed.”

• The Perfume Test:

  • Both are baffled—and somewhat appalled—by the fragrance, stating it smells like chemicals and paint thinner rather than anything vaguely seductive or even pleasant.
    • [28:32] Rachel: “It doesn’t even smell that good … it smells very chemical.”
    • [29:01] Bridger: “I don’t know what I was expecting a redhead in bed to smell like, but … paint thinner.”

• Ice Cream as a Peace Offering:

  • To apologize for the oddball perfume, Rachel brings Jenny’s chocolate and wild berry lavender ice creams. The group enjoys tasting and frankly critiquing them, ultimately bonding over a shared love of chocolate and suspicion towards fruit-based desserts.
    • [33:53] Bridger: “It’s a hard one to screw up.”
    • [36:13] Rachel: “I should have assumed a chocolate thing on you.”

4. Ice Cream, Sadness & Solo Treats

• Massachusetts Ice Cream Culture:

  • Rachel laments that other states are not as ice-cream-crazed as Massachusetts, and the unique confusion around regional terminology like “frap” for milkshake.
    • [38:32] Rachel: “A frap? … I thought it was a word that Starbucks had invented.”

• Solo Ice Cream Sorrows:

  • Rachel tells a widely relatable and oddly hilarious story about the emotional low point of getting a solo scoop of (tiny) ice cream at Salt & Straw while alone in LA.
    • [41:27] Rachel: “I just took the ice cream, and I was, like, visibly shaken … it was, like, done in three bites. The experience lasted, like, 40 seconds.”
    • [43:19] Bridger: “Salt & Straw owes you … you owe me a double scoop for free.”

• Self-Judgment and Treats:

  • The conversation shifts to the cultural weirdness—and shame—around treating oneself when alone, with both agreeing that everyone deserves ice cream, regardless of company or lack thereof.

5. Moviegoing, Preferences, and Opt-Outs

• Solo Movies & Selective Viewing:
  • Both recount fond memories of going to movies alone and discuss the trend of skipping long, Oscar-bait or heavy films in favor of enjoying comedy or less “homework-like” movies.
    • [49:09] Bridger: “If the movie’s three hours long, I only go to an hour and a half of it. … It feels incredible … like you broke out of jail.”
    • [50:33] Rachel: “I don’t make myself watch Oscar movies anymore. … I don’t like Action Hero … I’ll not see war movies.”

6. Games & Listener Advice

• Game: Gift or a Curse

  • Rachel eagerly plays the recurring game where she rates random items as “gift” or “curse,” including dog leashes worn around waists (curse), yellow popsicles (curse), and rat tail hairstyles (controversial, but Bridger calls it a gift for the spectacle).
  • [56:43] Rachel: (on leash belts) “I guess I’m going to say curse because I don’t get why you’re not just holding it with your hand.”
  • [60:18] Bridger: (on rat tails) “It’s a gift. I don’t know that it’s ever been in style, but it’s always been interesting to look at.”

• Email Advice: The Discount Debacle

  • Listener Bo writes in, guilt-stricken over leaving a sale sticker on a birthday gift for his sister-in-law. Rachel and Bridger stress the basics: rip the tag off, include a gift receipt, and don’t feel bad about shopping sales—everyone does it!
  • [64:14] Rachel: “You can rip the price tag off and get, like, some sort of gift receipt.”
  • [66:54] Bridger: “Never pay retail. That’s what I say.”

7. Promotion: Rachel Dratch’s Podcast

• Rachel plugs her own new show, “Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch,” about ghostly, unexplained, and psychic phenomena, gently mocking herself for being a “not full-tilt” believer but an enthusiastic collector of spooky stories.
  • [53:34] Rachel: “It’s called Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch. … It could be ghost stories, psychic phenomena, weird, eerie things … I’m not a truly Woo Woo person but every so often I hear a ghost story and I’m like, oh wow.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the ancestral DNA report: “Now they just roast you.” — Bridger Winegar [09:29]
• On discovering real family via DNA: “These kids I grew up as family friends are actually like my fourth cousins or something.” — Rachel Dratch [15:36]
• On solo ice cream heartbreak: “I just took the ice cream, and I was, like, visibly shaken. … The experience lasted, like, 40 seconds.” — Rachel Dratch [41:27]
• On questionable gifts: “That’s my explanation of why you have a greasy bottle of Redhead in Bed.” — Rachel Dratch [28:26]
• On dessert loyalties: “When someone says they don’t like chocolate they drop in my esteem completely.” — Rachel Dratch [36:22]

Important Timestamps

• 03:00 — Bridger introduces Rachel, initial banter about LA and their first meeting
• 05:00-08:00 — Rachel describes her background with skiing and sporting “jankiness”
• 09:00-11:00 — Genetic testing, trait “roasting,” and DNA surprises
• 14:54-18:14 — Rachel’s secret relatives, Bridger’s Mormon genealogy primer
• 26:06 — Rachel presents her “gifts”
• 28:26 — Explanation & reaction to the “Redhead in Bed” perfume
• 33:36-36:38 — Jenny’s ice cream tasting, chocolate vs. fruit debate
• 41:06-44:12 — Rachel’s solo ice cream cone disaster at Salt & Straw
• 49:09-51:05 — Moviegoing philosophy: “watch half and leave” & Oscar movie opt-out
• 53:34 — Rachel introduces her podcast, “Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch”
• 55:32-61:57 — “Gift or a Curse” Game
• 62:31-68:10 — Listener advice: gifting etiquette, shopping sales, and the tester bottle fiasco

Tone & Style

This episode is peppered with good-natured self-deprecation, dry humor, and comedic detours. Both Bridger and Rachel volley witty observations and warmly roast their own quirks, making for an episode that is both deeply relatable and riotously funny.

Final Thoughts

• Rachel’s combination gift (old perfume tester + trendy ice cream) unintentionally encapsulates the spirit of the show: well-intentioned, a little odd, but always sincere—and a little bit improvisational.
• The episode is an ode to everyday awkwardness, the solace of comedy in mundane mishaps, and, inevitably, the joy of breaking the “no gift” rule in new and creative ways.

Recommended For: Listeners who love long, winding, comedic conversations about nothing and everything, especially fans of cringe, odd gifts, and sharp, observational humor.