
Loading summary
Kylie Brakeman
This is exactly right. This is Sophia Bush from Work in Progress with Sophia Bush. Bring the Good With Avocados from Mexico Upgrade your meals, your get togethers, even your everyday life. Give your moments a little glow up. Be the one everyone's glad showed up. Because avocados from Mexico spark the joy with every bite. And by the way, they're good for you too. So elevate your everyday. Bring the good flavor. So rich and craveable. Avocados from Mexico.
Bridger
Always good. This is Bowen Yang from Lost Culture Resource with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy. Taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why Premier protein shakes are my go to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar, and they taste amaz. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness, it's for getting after life. The 30 grams of protein gives you the fuel you need. It's not just for intense gym sessions, it's just for life. With the wide variety of flavors from cafe latte to cake batter, it never feels boring. There's a flavor for everyone. I personally love the peaches and cream, but maybe you're a root beer floater cinnamon roll kind of person. Premier Protein powers me to say yes to more Find your favorite flavor@premierprotein.com that's P R E R E M I-E R protein.com or at Amazon, Walmart and other major retailers. Introducing Home Care Plus, a new subscription service from Lowe's that helps make life
Kylie Brakeman
easier by giving members a hand with home maintenance.
Bridger
Let Lowes tackle the tasks you keep meaning to do, like electric dryer, vent
Kylie Brakeman
cleaning, replacing hard to reach light bulbs, and more. Subscribe to Home Care plus for just
Bridger
$99 a year and consider your to do list done.
Kylie Brakeman
Members get more at Lowe's. Available and select zip codes only.
Bridger
Cancel anytime. Non refundable fee Product purchase required. Terms and service restrictions apply.
Kylie Brakeman
Details@lowe's.com Terms subject to change. When I invited you here, I thought I made myself perfectly clear. When you're a guest in my home, you got it. Come to me empty handed. I said no. Guess your presence is presents enough and I already had too much stuff so how do you dare to survey me?
Bridger
Welcome to I said no Gifts. I'm Preacher Weiniger. We're, you know, exploring my life. We're getting into the details. You know, there's a parade of things I go through daily that I'm Just trying to share these different, exciting things with you. I did come to the studio today, and it was entirely empty and started to feel like, why am I not getting the level of attention I need? Is really what I was thinking. So whatever. I ate my cheese. It's starting to feel a little weird. I spit part of it in the garbage can. What else? I've got my drink here. Two nights ago, I got overcharged for a sandwich at a diner. Didn't speak up for myself. There's no turning back. I don't know. I don't know. That's what's going on. My lawn has been torn out of the backyard. That's a big deal. It's a dirt patch, and the dog refuses to use it as a bathroom. Let's get into the podcast. I love today's guest. I really love her. It's Kylie Brakeman. Kylie, welcome to Icing.
Kylie Brakeman
Hi. Hi. Hello. And I really. There was something really meditative about all the things you just listed, where I'm like, wow, this could have happened to me. This feels like, yeah, I do eat a bit of cheese, and then sometimes it doesn't feel right. You have to spit it out. I'm certainly never speaking up in a service establishment. After all my years serving in restaurants, I wouldn't dare say a word, right?
Bridger
And I was with a friend, and I was like, well, maybe that whatever. The sandwich that she ordered seemed comparable to my sandwich. But I was like, well, maybe hers was, like, $90. And I can't say anything to her about the price of her sandwich.
Kylie Brakeman
And then you simply can't say anything. But sometimes, I mean, these places, you add one extra thing, and they're like, well, a side of Prosciutto is simply $12. So we're gonna add that on.
Bridger
I don't know what.
Kylie Brakeman
You know, it's the last detail.
Bridger
I ordered a Reuben and a Diet Coke. And now look, Reubens can get expensive.
Kylie Brakeman
They can. Of course.
Bridger
They're strangely expensive.
Kylie Brakeman
I'm getting acclimated to the median sandwich price becoming $25. I'm not excited when it's happening, but I'm acclimated. My body temperature is the same.
Bridger
It doesn't. I don't think I ever will. And it feels like the price is, you know, every four years, it would go up a little bit. Now it's probably every month. I'm like, oh, well, it's a new product. We're just doubling it.
Kylie Brakeman
We're just coming up with new numbers all the time.
Bridger
The menus can't keep up.
Kylie Brakeman
No, no, you gotta keep printing them. That's why they're switching to QR codes. So they can switch. There's a new conspiracy no one's talking about.
Bridger
To keep us away from what the prices actually are.
Kylie Brakeman
Yes. To make us slide into that dynamic pricing age much faster.
Bridger
Yeah, I forgot about dynamic pricing. Wendy's was trying to do dynamic.
Kylie Brakeman
I feel like every six months, they're like, dynamic pricing is about to happen. You're about to go to the store and you're gonna make eye contact with the fruit and it's gonna tell you it's $14. It hasn't happened yet, but I'm ready.
Bridger
Everything will be like the gas station.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
They're going to have those big things where they have to take the numbers down on the sign daily, sliding them
Kylie Brakeman
in, sliding them out.
Bridger
That actually doesn't. That's not the worst idea for every business to essentially have a gas station sign where they have to have the employee go take the numbers down every day and let us know what the prices.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. It at least creates a barrier of entry to changing the price. You have to get somebody physically out there to fiddle with the numbers.
Bridger
I was just reading about there's a gas station in downtown LA that is charging like $8.50 a gallon for gas. And they're kind of loving it. They're kind of. They're like, this is us.
Kylie Brakeman
This is our moment in the sun. And what with things being the way they are now we have. Now we can go crazy.
Bridger
I think that they're kind of doing it almost to be like a news item because, you know, like, places side of LA will be like, prices of gas in LA are $8 a gallon. And so they sing. They look at this one gas station. These people are loving the spotlight.
Kylie Brakeman
They are gonna go absolutely gangbusters on ant Facebook. Exactly.
Bridger
It's ant Facebook bait.
Kylie Brakeman
It is like, did you see the prices in LA are $8. You have to be careful over there.
Bridger
I was thinking, well, I don't have a gas car anymore. But I thought, wouldn't that be a fun novelty to go get a gallon of gas for eight? Do. That would be an interesting little experience.
Kylie Brakeman
It's kind of fun. It's like paying for a water bottle at Disneyland. Exactly. It's like, oh, well, this is just a fun treat.
Bridger
That felt bad.
Kylie Brakeman
That felt bad in a novel way.
Bridger
Maybe I could go down and just kind of spray a gallon across the parking lot or something. It's my $8. I can do what I Want any way you want. Right.
Kylie Brakeman
I've never held one of those gas cans in my hand before. That would be a novelty. That's interesting.
Bridger
When you have one of those in your hand, something's usually gone pretty.
Kylie Brakeman
That's true.
Bridger
It's like I've just hiked back from the highway where the car broke down. Yeah.
Kylie Brakeman
You're not taking it as a souvenir or like a fun little.
Bridger
No, but I guess you could just get. Does gas expire? Leave some in the fridge?
Kylie Brakeman
I don't know. Put some in the yard for later
Bridger
or a little treat for later or something. No. I truly haven't pumped gas in such a long time. I wonder if I would be able to do it at this point. I think I would be panicking.
Kylie Brakeman
What would you do when you got to the pump? Do you think you'd.
Bridger
I think I would be able to handle it.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
You know, I think it's a challenge.
Kylie Brakeman
How long have you been off gas?
Bridger
I think 45 years.
Kylie Brakeman
Okay.
Bridger
Five years. I've been caring about what's going on and nobody else does.
Kylie Brakeman
Right, Right.
Bridger
I've been doing my part.
Kylie Brakeman
I don't enjoy caring, and that's the reason why I'm hooked on the stuff, that gasoline.
Bridger
You're absolutely addict.
Kylie Brakeman
Just love the smell. I do have a hybrid, so I'm doing I care a little bit.
Bridger
Right.
Kylie Brakeman
I care a little bit.
Bridger
And you've got the. You don't have what Ant Facebook refers to as range anxiety, which is how far your electric car can go.
Kylie Brakeman
Yes. Yes.
Bridger
This is a big thing that I've never experienced, but people tell me I should feel.
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, they should.
Bridger
I should be worried about how far my car can go.
Kylie Brakeman
You should be constantly budgeting how far your car is going to go.
Bridger
Right.
Kylie Brakeman
I do think my parents have range anxiety. They have an electric car and they are. I do hear them talking about, okay, well, this many miles, and how are we gonna get there? And does this even make any sense? Should we even go? Oh, no.
Bridger
So it sounds like they just don't want to go. This feels like a nice excuse.
Kylie Brakeman
Maybe it's a good excuse.
Bridger
Right. And I'm just careless. And we'll probably end up in a dangerous situation where I didn't budget the miles, and then all of the range anxiety freaks will be laughing at me.
Kylie Brakeman
Their day in the sun will come.
Bridger
I'm sure you were in New York recently. What were you doing?
Kylie Brakeman
I was in new. I went to watch my friend Jeremy on Saturday Night Live. The program snl, snl. As it's vernacularly. No, just go with it. Just go with it.
Bridger
You shouldn't have stopped. Now people know.
Kylie Brakeman
Now they know. You don't know what you're talking about. No. I got to go. Csnl. And then we got to walk around. It's so cold there.
Bridger
It's freezing cold there.
Kylie Brakeman
I'm the first person to say this. It's rather cold.
Bridger
Thank you for exposing.
Kylie Brakeman
It's rather cold there. And then to come back here. We're in the middle of a heat wave in last year.
Bridger
95 degrees.
Kylie Brakeman
95 degrees. That's why I'm doing something I've never done before in my life. I'm podcasting in a dress.
Bridger
This is your first time?
Kylie Brakeman
This is my first time podcasting in a dress because all I could think about was the heat. But normally I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. Let's show respect to the podcasting form. We have to wear pants. But I thought, it's just so hot outside, I might as well.
Bridger
That's right. I podcasted in a dress. Well, a dress, a tunic.
Kylie Brakeman
You've podcasted in a tunic multiple times. Wow.
Bridger
Legs bare.
Kylie Brakeman
And did you feel any hesitation about the cameras and the knees?
Bridger
This is the only thing that I'm feeling the entire time. That didn't. That took up probably 20% of my brain power, of course. Just low key worrying and wondering, what are people seeing regarding my legs?
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. And if I just keep. If I. I'm. Yeah. I'm putting a lot of mental stock in how I'm crossing them and what they. Which parts of the knees.
Bridger
I would say embrace the thrill.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. It is quite thrilling. I was driving over, going, you know what? I think this is gonna be thrilling, actually.
Bridger
What else did you do while you were in New York?
Kylie Brakeman
Okay. We got there, we saw the show Putnam County Spelling Bee.
Bridger
Oh, how was that?
Kylie Brakeman
It was great. It was very funny. And it was guest starring Kevin McHale from Glee, who was great as the. If you're familiar with the show, the guy with the magic foot.
Bridger
Okay, this is getting actually more confusing.
Kylie Brakeman
Okay, then I won't explain any further.
Bridger
The magic foot is someone in Glee or the spelling bee.
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, okay. Yes. So valid question. So this is a stock character in Putnam county spelling bee. The stereotype with Glee, it does not have that.
Bridger
As far as they don't have anyone with a magic foot.
Kylie Brakeman
As far. It's been a minute since I rewatched,
Bridger
and it went for a long time.
Kylie Brakeman
It aired for a long time. And to tell you the truth, I stopped watching after they went to New York. So I don't know what happened after that. It's very possible that somebody had a magic foot.
Bridger
They went to New York.
Kylie Brakeman
They went to New York. Cause they were. And I will say this was brave. This is something brave that Glee was doing that I'm remembering is that they aged the characters exactly year to year. Oh.
Bridger
Kind of real time.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. So if I recall, the first season, there were people in their junior year, and the second season, they would go to their senior year. And then in the third season, they would graduate, which is why they went to New York City.
Bridger
That's why we saw them all die eventually.
Kylie Brakeman
And that's why ultimately we watched them. People age to the grave hit their untimely ends.
Bridger
Okay, I'm sorry. They went to New York. Then you. But you also went to New York.
Kylie Brakeman
I went to New York as well, so. You know who else was in New York? Me. I went to Putnam County Spelling Bee. It was a great show. It was very fun. And I didn't realize it started as a character show. Like, it started as a sketch comedy show as so.
Bridger
Oh, so like multiple people doing spelling bee people.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. And that was the original. It was sort of a UCB adjacent type venture. And then someone. Someone Broadway saw it. The Broadway people listening are.
Bridger
They're so happy.
Kylie Brakeman
I'm sure you'll get some fact checks. But there was a Broadway man interested in putting songs to this. And here we are today.
Bridger
Wow. And you went with our friends Patrick and Angela.
Kylie Brakeman
Yes, yes. Friends of the pod.
Bridger
Patrick McDonald's a very big musical theater person.
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, yes. Yes. And I very much just defaulted to them for any theater. Like, I felt really nervous to send links in the group chat to potential shows we could see.
Bridger
Oh, my God. You could really fall on your face in a massive way.
Kylie Brakeman
I could Egg on my face. Indeed. Because it was just so, like, it's so high pressure to send it to a musical theater person.
Bridger
There's no chance.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
I wouldn't even dare.
Kylie Brakeman
I wouldn't dare. I wouldn't dare. And so I stayed quiet. And they.
Bridger
But that can also read as, like, you're not interested at.
Kylie Brakeman
I know. That's the thing in my head, I was like, should I send a link to death becomes her or is that gonna be so beginner? Is that like, is that. What is that? What is that? What kind of Cause I believe it's a very good show, but I don't know what it indicates to any. I don't know. I just don't know the stereotypes of the musical theater community. I don't know what the hot takes are. I don't know what the news is. I don't know what's going on.
Bridger
So I'm not on Broadway World.
Kylie Brakeman
I'm not on Broadway World, but I do encounter. I don't know if you're on this algorithm or if you're on a TikTok
Bridger
algorithm, but if we can get into mine in a moment. But let's. Let's hear about yours.
Kylie Brakeman
Okay, great. Well, I am. I do every once in a while, get Broadway drama people.
Bridger
Okay.
Kylie Brakeman
And they're always like, sort of ordinary looking people, like, who I don't think are in the industry. I think they're like, adjacent and they're love it and they're fans and they're always walking down the street in New York in a rush and they're like, I just heard this musical is closing.
Bridger
And are they on their way to.
Kylie Brakeman
This is what? I don't know.
Bridger
Follow me into a closing musical.
Kylie Brakeman
They really give off the energy of. They have just come from somewhere important. They are on their way to somewhere important. I have just left a closed musical on my way into a new show. And they say it with. And they're delivering it with such urgency, it feels like a bulletin has just been handed me.
Bridger
Like, that's how you get viewers.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. And so I'm not really familiar with the shows that they're talking about. I haven't, like, seen any clips. I don't, like, know them. But I'm just captivated by the urgency of it.
Bridger
Right. That whole world. My boyfriend's in the Broadway world a lot of the time and he's educated me in some about certain things. One thing I learned about is, have you heard, if you want to watch a Broadway bootleg, somebody filmed it. Do you know what they call it? A slime tutorial.
Kylie Brakeman
Yes, Yes. I just heard this, which is so
Bridger
odd to me because it seems. Slime tutorial, obviously they've been around for a while now, but they still seem so recent that it's weird that that's the keyword for recording Broadway musicals on a camera.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. Like surely we've invented that before.
Bridger
Right. That's at least since the 90s. Right.
Kylie Brakeman
And slime tutorials, I thought were like, kind of pandemic, like very recently.
Bridger
Right. Within the last 10, 15 years, I would say.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
So how did those two worlds collide?
Kylie Brakeman
How did they get together?
Bridger
What little freak decided?
Kylie Brakeman
What little freak decided? I'm gonna combine my two interests today, and I'm gonna start a movement.
Bridger
It's very odd. I mean, there's a whole, like, kind of dark web of getting bootlegs for Broadway musicals. It's a very serious thing, but these people are very serious, and they're rushing to closing shows, I'm sure.
Kylie Brakeman
And is it accepted within the Broadway fan community to. At slime tutorials, or is it sort of frowned upon?
Bridger
I think that there is. It's a fine line that people walk. I think that, well, it's probably bad for Broadway in some way, but I think if you care enough that you're looking those up, you're probably also wanting to see it live.
Kylie Brakeman
It's sort of the, like, zoo predicament where, like, I don't love that there are zoos. They don't make me feel amazing. But also, I guess you need to see an animal to inspire the seed of interest that will then lead you to become a biologist or something.
Bridger
See, when you said zoo predicament, what I was thinking was, well, the zoos cannot leave my brain up there. Are the zoos worried about pictures and videos of animals online?
Kylie Brakeman
We can't leak this zebra footage.
Bridger
We've got to get people to the actual zoo.
Kylie Brakeman
We have to paywall. We have to paywall these lions.
Bridger
Slime tutorial. Wolf. Gotta see this thing.
Kylie Brakeman
Gotta get my eyes on this slime tutorial. Spotted leopard. Don't send this. They're gonna take it down.
Bridger
And to be totally fair, to me, it makes perfect sense. And I do think the zoo is worried about these videos being online.
Kylie Brakeman
It does. Because what. What you say. Do you think the zoo is angry with Animal Planet and Nat Geoff, they're
Bridger
circulating all this footage, all this free footage of the animals I know that people should be seeing in person. That's at least according to the zoo.
Kylie Brakeman
According to the zoo.
Bridger
They probably also don't like shelters. They don't like people going and seeing free animals there.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. Y. The ASPCA and the zoo. Famous enemies.
Bridger
Yeah. I think that there's a lot of things going on at the zoo that they've got some concerns about. Of course, I haven't been to a zoo in. I can't remember the last time I was at the zoo.
Kylie Brakeman
I haven't been in a very long time. I went. I think I've been, like, twice in the past 10 years. And the most memorable time was going in college when I was doing an acting class where you had to pick an animal and be that animal.
Bridger
Oh, no.
Kylie Brakeman
Which is, of course, a wonderful Way to spend your money. It's a wonderful way. It's very educational. It's very helpful. Really. It was good. It was good and necessary. But you had to go to the zoo ten times in a semester.
Bridger
Ten times. Okay, so they're like. They're obviously, they've teamed up with the zoo.
Kylie Brakeman
My professor was in cahoots with the zoo.
Bridger
There's kickbacks from the zoo in that situation.
Kylie Brakeman
Absolutely. Kickbacks. Because you. Cause I picked a goat.
Bridger
Okay.
Kylie Brakeman
I wouldn't say I needed to go more than once. No.
Bridger
And you could also go to the farm for that one.
Kylie Brakeman
Of course.
Bridger
You could go to the mountains.
Kylie Brakeman
Have you. Okay, this is off topic slightly, but I saw a petting zoo recently in a place that I didn't think there
Bridger
should be a petting zoo downtown la.
Kylie Brakeman
It was the Sweet Green on Sunset Boulevard.
Bridger
What was it inside the restaurant?
Kylie Brakeman
It was right outside it.
Bridger
Oh.
Kylie Brakeman
And it was like. It's like busy, but it's a salad restaurant, of course. And they've covered it with like goats and little baby animals.
Bridger
And the restaurant's still functioning?
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah, the restaurant was still going.
Bridger
And the petting zoo is by Sweetgreen.
Kylie Brakeman
It was. It was like. I can't even express how close it was to Sweet. Like it was on the Sweetgreen property for sure.
Bridger
So do we think it was a Sweet Green sponsored petting zoo?
Kylie Brakeman
Absolutely.
Bridger
What sort of animals did they have?
Kylie Brakeman
I remember seeing a goat and a baby, maybe like lamb or something, but definitely like farm animals.
Bridger
Which feels it's not where farm animals should be.
Kylie Brakeman
It feels absolutely not where they should be. And I haven't heard anyone talk about this. So the second. Thank God I have a microphone in front of me. I've been waiting for a platform.
Bridger
Well, I will say, when you said I remember seeing a goat, it sounds like this may not have actually happened. This is some sort of bizarre brain.
Kylie Brakeman
This does sound like a dream I had.
Bridger
It was like three days ago. And you're saying I remember seeing.
Kylie Brakeman
No, this is something I feel like I can't prove. I've looked it up. I can't find any sort of like Sweet Green X petting zoo collab. Come down to Sunset Boulevard this weekend. Like, there's no advertising for it.
Bridger
Fascinating. I wonder what was going on. Were they feeding them salads from the restaurant? That feels like the only reason, the way you would be able to like, kind of justify that.
Kylie Brakeman
The most intuitive version of that collaboration.
Bridger
I mean, I've said this before, but Sweetgreen has the driest kale in the business. So hopefully they refuse to dare you
Kylie Brakeman
to find a drier carrot.
Bridger
Ooh, you're choking on that kale.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah, it's at least not wet.
Bridger
It's not wet. It's certainly not wet.
Kylie Brakeman
I'll give them that. It is not wet, so I don't have to worry on that front.
Bridger
So you went and learned about the goat.
Kylie Brakeman
I went and learned about the goat to absorb. And then the ultimate result of all of this that we were working towards was a two hour performance where you performed kind of like a life. Like you just were that goat for two hours.
Bridger
It was a one woman show with you as a goat.
Kylie Brakeman
Well, it was like a 10 person show.
Bridger
Oh.
Kylie Brakeman
And we were all the animals. There was no structure. There was no like. And I think only a few people came in to watch it at a time because it was just. You would filter in, you'd go into the lobby of the. The and there'd be a bunch of people going like. And then you'd kind of walk out. You'd probably take pictures of your friend and then you'd leave. Oh, no.
Bridger
What an absolute waste of time it was.
Kylie Brakeman
And for like the timing of it all to go through all this and then for the industry to sort of just skyrocket. Yes, yes.
Bridger
Everyone's kind of drowning in money and the opportunities are everywhere you go.
Kylie Brakeman
Yes. Right before the big boom of 2021, the gold rush.
Bridger
The gold rush that we're currently in.
Kylie Brakeman
Yes. It was a good precursor to the absolute riches we find ourselves in now. And to look back and go, that's what the train we certainly. I mean, if they had even taken a moment to teach us how to upload a YouTube video, I'm sure we'd all be in a different place.
Bridger
They must be pivoting to that in some way. Right. These places are like, okay, just turn it to front facing and here's how you upload it.
Kylie Brakeman
Go to the zoo with a selfie stick.
Bridger
You guys. I'm taking you to the zoo. Wow. So you were just. Did you speak as a goat or you were just making goat noises?
Kylie Brakeman
I made like some goat noises. Like, And I tried to do it very demure. Very like, very like. I didn't come in with this. This wasn't my. Like, I want it. I.
Bridger
And did you have to interact with the other animals?
Kylie Brakeman
No.
Bridger
Seems like a missed opportunity.
Kylie Brakeman
That does seem like a missed opportunity because I. I think we were supposed to just kind of pretend that the others weren't there.
Bridger
Okay.
Kylie Brakeman
Because I guess what happens when a goat meets a bear?
Bridger
Well, see, that's what I want to see.
Kylie Brakeman
I do want to. I want to see us work it out.
Bridger
I want to see another acting student shred you to pieces.
Kylie Brakeman
I want to get literally eaten by a tech student. Just like hitting their acting one requirement. Don't even want to be here. They just want to be on the band saw.
Bridger
Wow. That's.
Kylie Brakeman
It was crazy. Yeah. And then so. And yeah, it was like a full year of freshman year where we didn't get to do really any scene work.
Bridger
Well, you were at the zoo most of the time.
Kylie Brakeman
I spent all my time at the zoo.
Bridger
Wait, what college was this?
Kylie Brakeman
I was at Occidental College.
Bridger
Okay, so you were going to the LA Zoo?
Kylie Brakeman
I was going to the LA Zoo.
Bridger
Okay. I've never been to the LA Zoo.
Kylie Brakeman
It's like, it's. It's good.
Bridger
Oh, it's good.
Kylie Brakeman
I think. I think it's good.
Bridger
I'm just picturing so much concrete. I don't love zoos.
Kylie Brakeman
It's so much concrete. It's very hot. Yeah, it's very hot. I. Yeah, I. I don't go to a lot of zoos, so I can't tell because of my general discomfort with the whole vibe. But the zoo, what should we do about it? Should we do something?
Bridger
I think it's time to do something about the zoo.
Kylie Brakeman
I think we have to do something about the zoo.
Bridger
The zoo's complicated though, right? Because I feel like the kind of a good zoo, I suppose that's science based, is probably helping keep certain animals going.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
Or, you know, like endangered species.
Kylie Brakeman
How else would the pandas survive? They probably can't, Right?
Bridger
The pandas, they need a lot of help.
Kylie Brakeman
They need a zoo. The zoo is basically a hotel for.
Bridger
That's one animal that probably needs the zoo.
Kylie Brakeman
They probably need the zoo.
Bridger
I think the last time I was at the zoo was at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Kylie Brakeman
I've heard that's a great zoo.
Bridger
Well, that's simply not true. The San Diego Safari park is. I essentially had heat stroke there and all. To see half of an animal.
Kylie Brakeman
Half of an animal.
Bridger
I feel like I saw almost nothing. Maybe a deer. I think I may have seen a deer, but I don't even think it was part of the zoo. I think it may have gotten over the fence. It was so hot that, I mean, literally, I mean, obviously every animal was like, please get me out of this.
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, yeah.
Bridger
So they found their shade and then it's just my sister and I and my brother in law. Let's not erase him from this.
Kylie Brakeman
No, we will not be doing brother in law erasure on this podcast.
Bridger
Mason was there. We wandered around, just. I was wet. My clothes were wet. And not from like a splash zone. They were wet from my body and it was agony. But maybe that's not the experience of the normal person going to this thing. But you're out in some weird valley in San Diego. It's not comfortable.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah, it's really like concrete makes everything difficult. It's so hot and warm. There's something about being really warm on concrete that makes me feel like a six year old and I can't like.
Bridger
I wonder what that is.
Kylie Brakeman
I don't know what that is.
Bridger
I think maybe just a full loss of control and there's nowhere to run. And you just feel like I'm a child and I need help.
Kylie Brakeman
Yes, I'm a child. I need help. I like, smell sunscreen. I'm on my way home from swimming lessons. Maybe it's just like those flash memories.
Bridger
Is it the recess element of it being out for recess? Being. What was your school's playground like?
Kylie Brakeman
Okay. Lot of concrete. It was Southern California. I do remember it being very hot.
Bridger
Yes.
Kylie Brakeman
Okay. All right.
Bridger
I think we found it already.
Kylie Brakeman
We found it already. I think we found it already. I think it's. But yeah, it was like a big spread out. It was a very, like, open, open campus. Everything was outside because we don't have winter, so you just kind of run around. I remember there being something in recess that happened very briefly for a couple weeks where we started to create a sort of trading system. Different kinds of dirt and rocks.
Bridger
Okay, sure.
Kylie Brakeman
And we started to create our own little, like, economy. Yeah, it was an economy. And then the teachers shut it down
Bridger
because it got too powerful.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah, our lobby was too powerful. They just didn't enjoy and we weren't doing anything wrong.
Bridger
That's very odd. Were they worried your hands were getting dirty?
Kylie Brakeman
Maybe.
Bridger
That seems like a very healthy thing for kids to be doing.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. Creating a civilization and a sort of system of government and value and currency.
Bridger
Yeah, that seems very. I wonder. There's a darker element to this that these teachers didn't want it happening.
Kylie Brakeman
They're like, we can't have you guys discover agency in this way.
Bridger
Did you ever get into, like going into the bathroom and playing Bloody Mary or any of these things?
Kylie Brakeman
I feel like I remember doing that at like a sleepover.
Bridger
Maybe this was something that took our playground by storm. Yeah, you go into the Bathroom, turn off the lights, et cetera.
Kylie Brakeman
And was it scary? Did you feel it was scary? Did she ever show up?
Bridger
She showed up every time. So it was a little frightening.
Kylie Brakeman
I had to be polite and ask. I'm sorry. I'm being rude. Did Bloody Mary ever show up?
Bridger
Of course she showed up. That's her thing.
Kylie Brakeman
Right, Right, right, right, right, right.
Bridger
That's her trademark move, is showing up.
Kylie Brakeman
Why would I say it if it wasn't true? Why would we do the chant?
Bridger
She was there, and she was great.
Kylie Brakeman
She was there. She was great.
Bridger
You got it.
Kylie Brakeman
She was great.
Bridger
This gal. I don't remember her ever showing up for me, unfortunately. I do remember the fear.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
I do think it was probably scarier just to go to the bathroom. To go to the bathroom in elementary school because you're like, everyone's. If somebody else comes in here while I'm using the bathroom, they're gonna be rattling the stall or something.
Kylie Brakeman
It's just so uncertain.
Bridger
Terrifying.
Kylie Brakeman
You've had so much less experience with the bathroom up until then, and now
Bridger
I'm kind of a seasoned bathroom.
Kylie Brakeman
Kind of a bathroom vet at this point. There's nothing in there that's gonna surprise me.
Bridger
I'm a hobbyist. I get in there. I have the time of my life.
Kylie Brakeman
I mean, I'm an amateur. I'm not. I'm not doing it professionally, of course. I'm just simply. It's something I practice, but I have a good time.
Bridger
No, but we did play Bloody Mary, and that never got shut down. That never got.
Kylie Brakeman
That's nice that they let you kind
Bridger
of cope with that. Right. We did have one day in fifth grade where my teacher shut class down entirely and told us about the devil.
Kylie Brakeman
Wow.
Bridger
Told us about how Satan can take over, which is. This was in a public school system, and it was.
Kylie Brakeman
This was public. Okay. That was my question.
Bridger
So that's an interesting thing to think about.
Kylie Brakeman
Did you say, she shut the door or did it.
Bridger
She shut the door. She turned off. Did she turn off the lights? That seems like a weird move if you're, like, about to talk about the devil.
Kylie Brakeman
I mean, it adds theater, certainly.
Bridger
I feel like the lights got dimmed, at least.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
And then she told us about, like, don't use Ouija boards. All sorts of things. The devil will come from.
Kylie Brakeman
Whoa.
Bridger
This was in Utah. So that kind of explains a little bit of the. But still, this was a public servant.
Kylie Brakeman
Now, do you know if this was, like, a speech that she did every year? Was it sort of like a. Like. Okay. Now. Now it's time. You know, this is coming. The devil will come to you through Ouija boards. And this and this and this.
Bridger
This is in the syllabus.
Kylie Brakeman
Or did she feel like. Did she feel like it was spur of the moment?
Bridger
I think it felt a little spur of the moment. We got a lot of spur of the moments from this particular teacher about, like, how. I remember her telling us about how her daughter had been stepping out on her son and had gotten an sti. Whoa. Just things like that.
Kylie Brakeman
That's really cool. You can't be telling kids that.
Bridger
She's warning us, don't step out on your guy.
Kylie Brakeman
Don't step out. Don't talk to the devil, and don't step out.
Bridger
So it was an interesting education.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah, it's an interesting education. I'm sure. I don't know if I ever got, like, a devil talk. I think, like. I think there were some parents who were upset about some plays at times.
Bridger
Do you remember what plays they were upset about?
Kylie Brakeman
I think it was actually before I got. It was in high school. It was before I got there, but it, like, did a brief stint on the national. On the national news, there's always a
Bridger
parent mad about the play Bat Boy. Bat Boy. Okay. And that, I assume, is based on the Weekly World News story about Bat Boy. Do you remember the Weekly World News, the black and white tabloid that was like, bat Boy or Hillary Clinton had an alien baby?
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, yeah. I mean, something like that. I'm sure. I'm not familiar with the actual.
Bridger
It was an excellent piece of the play. Right.
Kylie Brakeman
But it had something to do with, I think, parent. The parents were worried about bestiality or something.
Bridger
Oh, interesting.
Kylie Brakeman
And so they got the theater shut down, which we love to shut down theater.
Bridger
Of course, we're doing it all the.
Kylie Brakeman
It's really good. It's really good.
Bridger
Well, look, I think I've been trying to avoid this topic the entire time.
Kylie Brakeman
Of course.
Bridger
There's something I do need to bring up, and I'm not comfortable. Kylie, I was looking forward to having you here today.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah, and so was I.
Bridger
You know I was.
Kylie Brakeman
Of course.
Bridger
The podcast is called I said no Gifts, so I kind of hit the roof when I saw you come into the studio holding an obvious gift from.
Kylie Brakeman
I mean, I've entered your space.
Bridger
You've entered my space.
Kylie Brakeman
I would feel insane not bringing something.
Bridger
Okay, interesting. Well, I don't believe any of that. Should we open it here on the podcast?
Kylie Brakeman
Sure, sure. This is Sophia Bush from Work in Progress with Sophia Bush. Bring the good with avocados from Mexico. Upgrade your meals, your get togethers, even your everyday life.
Bridger
Life.
Kylie Brakeman
Give your moments a little glow up. Be the one everyone's glad showed up. Because avocados from Mexico spark the joy with every bite. And by the way, they're good for you too. So elevate your everyday. Bring the good flavor. So rich and craveable. Avocados from Mexico, always good.
Bridger
This is Bowen Yang from Las Culturistos with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy. Taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why Premier protein shakes are my go to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness, it's for getting after life. Premier protein powers me to say yes to more. Find your favorite flavor@premierprotein.com that's P R E M I E are protein dot com.
Kylie Brakeman
Thank you for calling the Bombas comfort line.
Bridger
Bombas make socks, slippers, tees and underwear
Kylie Brakeman
made with the highest quality materials. Press 1 for comfort, 2 for style, 3 for donation.
Bridger
You chose Style Bombas styles for whatever you enjoy. You can run in Bombas, lounge in Bombas, dress them up, dress them down, but always give back in Bombas because
Kylie Brakeman
with every item purchased, another is donated Bombas comfort. Worth calling for.
Bridger
Go to bobas.comaudio and use code audio
Kylie Brakeman
for 20% off your first purchase. That's B O M-B-A S.com and use code audio. Would you like to. Okay, so this is a interesting. I've wrapped it in sort of a Apple TV FYC bag for the company.
Bridger
Don't forget severance.
Kylie Brakeman
When you vote this for your consideration, consider this severance. Great show.
Bridger
Yeah. This is kind of a, you know, it's like from the world of severance. This is a lumen bag.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
So this is somebody I guess an outie or an innie could use in the world of the show, let's not forget. Yeah.
Kylie Brakeman
I wonder if the outies use the merch of the innies job.
Bridger
Interesting. That's what they should explore in the next season.
Kylie Brakeman
I hope they get into that in season three.
Bridger
That should be the whole thing next season when they Release it in 2037.
Kylie Brakeman
What do you do about the merch? 2037. I can't wait.
Bridger
Countdown. Okay, let me reach in here. Okay, I'm pulling it.
Kylie Brakeman
All right. I will say I actually have you have this.
Bridger
No, no, I've got all kinds of these.
Kylie Brakeman
No way.
Bridger
No. I was going to say I have no idea what it is, but then I kind of saw.
Kylie Brakeman
So it's a present that must be activated. I will say.
Bridger
Let's see.
Kylie Brakeman
It is activated with a button. Yes.
Bridger
Now, listener, if you're just listening, you're missing out on a huge visual right now. Now, it's a tiny one of the car dealership. What do we call these?
Kylie Brakeman
Sort of like a wavy balloon.
Bridger
The Wavy man.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. And he is inflatable by this battery pack. I believe I won this in a Dave and Busters.
Bridger
Wow. This is a good Dave and Busters.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
Listener, can you hear the. We'll probably have to turn this off or I'm gonna get it screamed out. But let's let it run for a moment. It is just low hum for a bit.
Kylie Brakeman
It is quite loud if anyone enjoys, like, lawnmower ASMR stuff like that.
Bridger
Well, this podcast used to be almost entirely recorded in my backyard. So this is kind of a throwback to all of the things you would hear in my backyard.
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, yeah. It's sort of outdoors.
Bridger
Right, Right. So, okay, so you got this at a Dave and Buster's. We'll turn it off for a minute.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. And the thing about this guy and what. What I hoped would happen when I finally found the battery required to activate this was that he would get some air in him and he'd stay up for a while.
Bridger
Sure.
Kylie Brakeman
But he deflates as soon as you turn him off.
Bridger
Oh, yeah, he falls off. Look at that. And then it's just like, what is this thing?
Kylie Brakeman
And then ultimately, what is it?
Bridger
This has to go in a drawer at that point. This can't just be out on your counter.
Kylie Brakeman
And this was my problem.
Bridger
Unless it's on.
Kylie Brakeman
Unless it's on.
Bridger
But then how long does the battery last?
Kylie Brakeman
And I've never run it all the way through.
Bridger
This is interesting. It has a little warning on the back that says, not all batteries are created equal.
Kylie Brakeman
I've never noticed that.
Bridger
Why did they put that on?
Kylie Brakeman
And what does it say about. Is it. Please refer to instruction?
Bridger
No, I guess it's oh, for. It does say they have recommended brands. Oh, that's such a weird. Why do they care?
Kylie Brakeman
Why do they. Maybe they're getting kickbacks.
Bridger
Oh, interesting. This is with Duracell. This is with Energizer.
Kylie Brakeman
It's a classic zoo kickback situation. But with Duracell. Yeah. This is. I don't know if I have the right Battery in there then.
Bridger
Oh, you put a new battery in?
Kylie Brakeman
I had to buy a battery and
Bridger
you had to unscrew it and everything.
Kylie Brakeman
I had to do a lot.
Bridger
This is more than like replacing a battery on an iPhone.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
It's probably more difficult.
Kylie Brakeman
And I think. I think the. Cause I. Yeah, Dave and Busters gave this to me. I believe it's Dave and Busters sans battery.
Bridger
Oh, they didn't give you a battery?
Kylie Brakeman
No, they didn't. And so I had to go. I had it on my. I remember this was years ago. I had it on my list, on my phone forever, like in my, like, house chores list. Buy double D battery or whatever.
Bridger
That's probably not double D. Double D. Yeah. It seems like a crossover.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. I think. I think we're crossing over two worlds.
Bridger
You've got double A. AAA.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. Sort of a 34. A 34, double B.
Bridger
What? I guess there's just a D battery.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. Okay. So I would say it's probably a D battery, but those can run you.
Bridger
Those aren't cheap. $11 because you can't buy those in like a 30 pack. Like with the small ones, they're like, get like a couple solid battery. Is it the one that you can stick to your tongue? Have you ever done this?
Kylie Brakeman
You stick a battery on your tongue?
Bridger
You've never heard about this?
Kylie Brakeman
Wait, is it the little. Like the circular one?
Bridger
No, it's the one with the two little things on the top. I think that's a D battery. And if you touch your tongue, it zaps you.
Kylie Brakeman
Should we take it out?
Bridger
If we had the screwdriver, I would. I absolutely would bust this open.
Kylie Brakeman
No, I didn't know that.
Bridger
What a shame. I could have really zapped myself on camera right now.
Kylie Brakeman
That'll some wonderful engagement that.
Bridger
This is something I would recommend trying at home.
Kylie Brakeman
I might. I mean, with the other battery that I'm sure I have laying around in that pack.
Bridger
Get home and zap yourself.
Kylie Brakeman
So does it matter which way you put it on or you.
Bridger
Because it's the sort of battery that only has one. I don't know what the battery components are. The zapper element that will send the battery juice into the tool. It's like the bottom of it. It's like a square like this. And then at the top are two little.
Kylie Brakeman
And are these the plus signs?
Bridger
No, that's where. I don't know.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah, okay.
Bridger
But they're the only part of it that would have electricity coming out of it. So once that touches to the tongue, you're Getting zapped.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
You're having the time of your life. It's a thrill. Your heart's racing.
Kylie Brakeman
You're dancing. You're dancing. Never felt so alive.
Bridger
That feels like something that you could take to. That should be a new trend of, like, taking those to music festivals and zapping yourself right at the moment.
Kylie Brakeman
You could put a tab of acid in your tongue. You could lick a little bit of battery. Have you ever been to Santa Cruz and licked a banana slug?
Bridger
The first half of that made sense.
Kylie Brakeman
Okay. So this is my friend who grew up in Santa Cruz. This is like, something that the UC Santa Cruz kids do because there's tons of banana slugs there.
Bridger
Okay. And this is an actual slug. Slug.
Kylie Brakeman
This is a literal slug. They're like big, obvious slugs.
Bridger
Okay.
Kylie Brakeman
But yellow, so they're, like, kind of pretty.
Bridger
Okay.
Kylie Brakeman
Like, they don't look like a typical, like, slug you find in the dirt. That's.
Bridger
Are they like ocean slugs?
Kylie Brakeman
They're like forest slugs.
Bridger
Okay. Okay.
Kylie Brakeman
And they're a little bit poisonous, but not so much that it'll make you sick, just so much that it'll numb your tongue in kind of a fun way. So if you touch your tongue to them, they. You get a little, like, buzz.
Bridger
Wow. This makes me feel better about only putting a battery to my tongue.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
Have you done this with the slug?
Kylie Brakeman
I did do it.
Bridger
And how numb did your tongue get?
Kylie Brakeman
Just a tiny bit. I was a little afraid. I didn't go, like, whole. Ha. I also didn't want to invade this animal space.
Bridger
Right.
Kylie Brakeman
So I went for a very respectful sort of like, light tap, light tap of the tongue on the slug, and it was just kind of numb in the. The tip.
Bridger
And for how long?
Kylie Brakeman
For, like, 10 minutes.
Bridger
Fascinating.
Kylie Brakeman
Maybe I'm overestimating. Maybe, like two minutes.
Bridger
So if you were to put your whole tongue to that, there's a chance you would bite your tongue.
Kylie Brakeman
You know, I mean, dentists need to know about this.
Bridger
Yeah. Dentists should be warned.
Kylie Brakeman
Dentists should be warned. Dentists. I'd like to warn dentists.
Bridger
Wow. And did it taste gross?
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. I don't remember what it tasted like, but it, like. I don't think it was, like, good necessarily, but I.
Bridger
It's probably. I would guess my guesses would be salty or, like, kind of funky.
Kylie Brakeman
Funky for sure. Probably. It's not, like, really a. But it also didn't taste like much. It was. The main thing I recall is. Is the sort of slug buzz.
Bridger
Right. And so you went to Santa Cruz and this just happened to be a thing you did, or was this part of the plan?
Kylie Brakeman
This is like, part of the lore that you're supp. And I visited a friend and she's like, this is what we do. This is what we do here. So if you want to do it, you can.
Bridger
Wow. And so then did you have to go to the forest to get it, or did she just have one.
Kylie Brakeman
You had to go through the forest like you. They're. But they're just kind of everywhere in the forest. They're, like, very easy to find. Weirdly interesting. It's very. It's a beautiful forest. It's like a gorgeous forest.
Bridger
Do they have, like, mushrooms growing and you're foraging for things?
Kylie Brakeman
I think it's a big mushroom town, too.
Bridger
See, this is something I would actually like. I've never lived in an environment where. Well, maybe New York, you could probably forage, but you'd have to go outside the city.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
But la. There's no forest that's going to have any real foraging happening, I don't think.
Kylie Brakeman
No, no. Where it's multiple. I mean, every once in a while I'll see like, a big mushroom in a random sort of like dirty X tree stump or something, where you're like, something is awry here. This shouldn't be here. It doesn't look happy here.
Bridger
Exactly.
Kylie Brakeman
Exactly.
Bridger
No. I want to go into the forest, find those. Find various berries. And now there's this slug element.
Kylie Brakeman
And now there's a slug element for you as well.
Bridger
And there was no fear of getting sick?
Kylie Brakeman
I was afraid of that.
Bridger
Okay.
Kylie Brakeman
I definitely had that fear.
Bridger
Somebody must have gotten sick from that at some point. That's a filthy creature.
Kylie Brakeman
There's no way. Nobody has. It certainly felt like a risk.
Bridger
Okay. And in Santa Cruz, where they have the little carnival by the ocean. The little fair or the little amusement park.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
Cause I believe when I went there, they had the roller coaster. And its kind of claim to fame is that it was in the Michelle Pfeiffer film Dangerous Minds.
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, yeah.
Bridger
Did I write it? I can't remember.
Kylie Brakeman
That sounds right. I mean, it feels like kind of a. Yeah, it's kind of like a spooky carnival. Sort of like. Not Coney island entirely, but there's vibes of that.
Bridger
It's. Anytime you have an old kind of amusement park. Park.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
That Michelle Pfeiffer has used as a
Kylie Brakeman
shooting location, of course, where there's carnival, there's Pfeiffer. This is Sophia Bush from work in progress with Sophia Bush. Bring the good with Avocados from Mexico Upgrade your meals, your get togethers, even your everyday life. Give your moments a little glow up. Be the one everyone's glad show showed up because avocados from Mexico spark the joy with every bite. And by the way, they're good for you too. So elevate your everyday. Bring the good flavor. So rich and craveable. Avocados from Mexico.
Bridger
Always good. This is Bowen Yang from Lost Culture Research with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy. Taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why Premier Protein Shakes are my go to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness, it's for getting after life. Premier Protein powers me to say yes to more Find your favorite flavor@premierprotein.com that's P R E M I E R protein.com support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public you can build a multi asset portfolio and of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generate rated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available@public.comDisclosures
Kylie Brakeman
Do you ever get those clips of like fake podcasts that are ads?
Bridger
They're ramping up. Yeah, they're really ramping up a lot of the fake ones and now even faker where they're now AI people. So it's like before it was just like well this is certainly not a clip from a real podcast. It's an Actor or whatever.
Kylie Brakeman
It's like, okay, they're acting it out now. It's just like, have you seen this insurance? Yes, I've seen this insurance. Wait, where do I sign up?
Bridger
Where are they sourcing these fake people outside of the AI realm to be like, you reach out to somebody and you're like, will you do a fake? I mean, I think that not only ads at this point, but people are, like, creating. They'll make a phony little podcast studio just to make clips to post to a TikTok that lead, and they don't ever lead back to an actual podcast.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah, it's sort of this weird circular industry now where it's all just like imitating a thing that isn't real. That is also. But I don't know where you get these fake people. I'm not sure I get these mass emails sometimes because I've posted on TikTok for years. I was doing that. And so I think I've gotten on this some random track, but it'll be random emails that I can't really pronounce the name of. It'll be a company that's like Kiko or a bunch of Q's and X's, and they're like, we're paying creators $300 to do this script, and then they'll sell their family. It's always like ads for mobile games where it's like the exact same script and they want like 500 different people to do it.
Bridger
These mobile games, the money being poured into mobile game ads, it's unbelievable. I've talked about this. Something is afoot. Something's extremely afoot. Because years ago I read that they had the Monopoly goes AD budget was $500 million. That's not an exaggeration. They spent half a billion dollars. Half a billion dollars to advertise Monopoly Go. And I never fall for these games. I know this is pure garbage, but people do. And then I remember a listener reached out and she's like, this is. I'm so ashamed to say my boyfriend found out I had spent $600 on Monopoly Go. So they're bringing. They're. They're hooking people.
Kylie Brakeman
What are you spending the money on? Is it just. Well, I guess. I guess it's a money game. So that actually is kind of tricks.
Bridger
Yeah, it's like the money. It's almost like an exchange rate. My money goes towards Monopoly bucks probably.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
But most of these games, it's just like the game is horrible and unusable until you start spending money on It.
Kylie Brakeman
And it's not even, like, cute.
Bridger
No, none of them are cute. It's like garbage. I mean, it's true garbage.
Kylie Brakeman
The king is stuck in a tube.
Bridger
Can we.
Kylie Brakeman
What's this poor king? What's going on with this king? What is his jurisdiction? What country does he rule over? Who am I in this situation?
Bridger
Why is he drowning in sewage? It's like he puts himself in such precarious situations.
Kylie Brakeman
How does the king get into all this? The king is like Bart Simpson. He is up to no good.
Bridger
I just want to see him on his throne and just kind of looking out for his. Yet sometimes, like, he's near spikes. Things are falling on him.
Kylie Brakeman
I know.
Bridger
And they want me to protect him.
Kylie Brakeman
And you'd think with a king game, like, there's like, king things you could do that would be fun to gamify. Like, okay, we're going to sign a treaty. We're going to, like, start a war. If that's fun for some video gamers.
Bridger
Yeah, they're like, there are certain, like, escapist elements of being a king in a fantasy land. That makes sense. Jewelry, not being trapped in death traps. You know, like, big moments for while.
Kylie Brakeman
God, I wish I were a king. So then I could be stuck in a poop tube. Somebody has to get me out.
Bridger
There's that king that I often get confronted by. And then there's this poor gal. She's got all sorts of, like, blemishes and she's out in the cold. She's kind of like a 19th century peasant in Russia somewhere, but she also has zits. And it's like, help change her life. That's. I think that's like, the game is called, like, basically Change.
Kylie Brakeman
I think I've seen ones like these where it is like, this poor woman is.
Bridger
Look at this loser.
Kylie Brakeman
My God, she's in a situation and we have to do something about this. A lot of times it's like, okay, and should I have a baby or should I marry the poor man or should I marry the rich man? And it just doesn't seem like there's a whole lot to be doing.
Bridger
And then I imagine once you get into the game, it's just candy crushed, but in different colors. Yeah, right. Like, you're not actually helping this gal or this king. You're just matching different colors and then spending your money while your boyfriend doesn't know.
Kylie Brakeman
How does this candy crush get this woman out of this situation?
Bridger
And meanwhile, there's no class, no game about this, about the middle class, you know, we have the king and then we have this peasant out in the cold.
Kylie Brakeman
What about the everyman?
Bridger
The middle class is disappearing even in Mobile.
Kylie Brakeman
The sort of merchant class. The blacksmith. Yes.
Bridger
Somebody with who's like kind of together should also be in life threatening danger.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. And we can get him out of stuff. There's. There's no in between these extremes. We're so divided.
Bridger
It's the world we live in.
Kylie Brakeman
I know.
Bridger
I've been watching a lot of garbage on tv. Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. And the ads I'm serving.
Kylie Brakeman
I love Salt Lake City.
Bridger
We love our gals in Salt Lake City.
Kylie Brakeman
Don't way I'm a little behind. I confess I'm a season behind, but I do love them.
Bridger
There are some big. I think some big changes coming. Yeah, I've heard things. I've heard the things I've heard. Whoa.
Kylie Brakeman
Okay. Anyway, I'm on the edge of my seat.
Bridger
I'm forced to watch this ad for this new thing called Mistplay. Have you heard of Mistplay?
Kylie Brakeman
That sounds so familiar. But I couldn't tell you what it is.
Bridger
This obvious game scam. But they're trying to tell people it's a job. They say you play the game to make money. And it's just like. It's literally like the ad is this woman who's failing at every other area of her life. She's trying to make money. She finally settles on playing a mobile game to make money. I mean, what are they doing to these people? Like, what dark end is happening with this game?
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. We can't. We can't. We've never ever taken the advertising angle of. These are jobs. Yeah.
Bridger
Candy Crush is job.
Kylie Brakeman
But I have heard these, like, AI women being like, I used to have.
Bridger
I, like, I was a peasant in the cold, covered in zits.
Kylie Brakeman
I was a Russian peasant covered in zits. And now I'm a millionaire. It's so crazy. Like, I make $300 a week playing. Oh, it's solitaire. That's the one that I keep getting. I keep getting these women who are playing solitaire for money as a job.
Bridger
Gambling.
Kylie Brakeman
It is gambling.
Bridger
Gambling is a job. That's what they all are, really. They're all essentially just gambling.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. Yeah.
Bridger
Almost every area of American and probably everyone's life at this point is gambling.
Kylie Brakeman
It's all gambling. Do you like gambling? Have you.
Bridger
I hate gambling.
Kylie Brakeman
I know. I went to Vegas one time and I spent a total of. I gambled $80.
Bridger
Okay.
Kylie Brakeman
And I was like, oh, yeah. I'll give myself like $100 to just like gamble away and then like, it doesn't matter what happens to it. But they never gave me an ounce of money back.
Bridger
Like, I never made anything back.
Kylie Brakeman
I never made anything back except for like a dollar here and there. But I never, like, they never hooked me with any amount of money.
Bridger
You want a little hook so you're like, oh, it can work.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
You need to know at least once that like, there will be some coming back to you. So then you'll keep doing it.
Kylie Brakeman
I need like a little bit of an incentive. I need like a 20 or something here and there. But they didn't. They didn't give me any of that. And I was willing to start a gambling problem.
Bridger
The casino industry failed.
Kylie Brakeman
The casino industry failed me. That night. I felt othered and cast aside unwanted.
Bridger
What games were you playing?
Kylie Brakeman
I was playing a lot of slot machines.
Bridger
Okay. See, this is one that's the only one that I can kind of figure out how to play. And apparently that's the worst one for gambling.
Kylie Brakeman
Apparently it's not good for actually making money.
Bridger
Right.
Kylie Brakeman
And then I played blackjack a couple times with like one of those like hot virtual blackjack dealers where she like, hey, big player, you want to put down a card? And I was just mesmerized by her. But I also don't really know blackjack very well. So I didn't have the confidence to like, fully.
Bridger
Right. To show off to the virtual dealer.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. She made me so nervous. No, I. I think I just didn't know how to play. So I didn't make any money. But I. I thought that the slot machines would give me at least something.
Bridger
No, I recently was kind of had to gamble and I did slot machine. And I was just like, I don't think I made a cent. And I was. It wasn't even fun. It's just like. Okay. There's no element of this that I'm enjoying. No.
Kylie Brakeman
I like the free watery drinks, though. That's kind of cool.
Bridger
I didn't even get a free watery drink.
Kylie Brakeman
Nobody brought you a free watery drink.
Bridger
Oh, this was at the Palm Springs Casino. I think it's a little low rent.
Kylie Brakeman
Oh yeah.
Bridger
You know, it's kind of just one medium sized room of sad people. And what I was shocked to learn was I barely knew how to use a slot machine, which feels like there's one step I got to it. I was like, oh my God, this is complicated.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah, like, certainly I should be smart enough to use this Thing because they
Bridger
don't really have the arm as much anymore. It's more the buttons and the touch screens.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. And there's, like, the doubler and the multiplier and, like, the one X. Like, weird.
Bridger
Yeah. All of those little things.
Kylie Brakeman
I. I want to pull a lever.
Bridger
I don't need to read a book on how to use this thing. No, let me pull it. And then, like, three cherries line up and I'm headed to Maui.
Kylie Brakeman
That's what I want. I need something tactile, Right? Exactly. Because if it's just on a screen, this is what I don't really. I don't think I could get addicted to mobile sports betting because I'm like. I feel like I want the theater. I want to be at the racetracks.
Bridger
That's right. Yeah. It all goes away, and then it is just literally taking your money and there's no other thing about it.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
At least in a casino, somebody's breathing smoke down your throat.
Kylie Brakeman
Yes. You're like, where does the exit start and end? How did.
Bridger
I may be here forever.
Kylie Brakeman
How long have I been here? I can't tell where I am.
Bridger
My family doesn't know where I am. I've lost service.
Kylie Brakeman
No one has heard from me. I'm hungry. I'm drunk. There's, like, stuff going on. There's. There's a bit of glamour to that.
Bridger
What casino were you at?
Kylie Brakeman
I couldn't tell you.
Bridger
Oh, wow.
Kylie Brakeman
I mean, they're all. I was in Vegas, and they're all like. They all just kind of blend into each other. It's really hard to tell.
Bridger
Mush.
Kylie Brakeman
But I liked the. The other parts of Vegas. It kind of feels like you're in, like, a weird sort of, like, European Disneyland. Everyone's open, containering, and, like, it's like a strange playground. I saw the Blue Man Group, and they were phenomenal.
Bridger
Are they over now? Did they close it down?
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, I think they've closed down a different theater. I think they're still in Vegas.
Bridger
Oh, yeah. I think maybe they closed the one in maybe New York, the Village or something.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
I feel like I've walked past a closed Blue Man Group.
Kylie Brakeman
You hate to see that. Our nation's Blue Men Group shutting down.
Bridger
Well, so you got to see the Blue Man Group and do anything else.
Kylie Brakeman
I hung out in the flamingo pool for a while.
Bridger
Okay. Very cool. Which.
Kylie Brakeman
Which was yuck. And I couldn't. It was where I wish I could, like, turn off my brain and know less things. But my. My. My friend's dad works in the pool industry.
Bridger
Oh, okay.
Kylie Brakeman
And he says highest levels of poop are in the Vegas pools. Of. Of any pool in the. In the state.
Bridger
I probably could have told you that.
Kylie Brakeman
Not the state, the country.
Bridger
I don't need a pool PhD to tell you that. Those are just full of absolute garbage, I guess.
Kylie Brakeman
This is not a revelation.
Bridger
I mean, I'm sure the poop is probably the least of your wor of those pools.
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, yeah, there's.
Bridger
You probably see just blood in those pools.
Kylie Brakeman
Filth, really. You really can't look down when you're in.
Bridger
Just looking up directly at the sun.
Kylie Brakeman
Straight up at the sun. Get heat stroke, three margaritas in. It really is you. You don't feel well the entire time.
Bridger
That's kind of the Vegas experience, at least. I can't speak for everyone, of course, some people love the Vegas experience.
Kylie Brakeman
Of course.
Bridger
They love the glitz and glam and poop and pools and losing the. And all of those other things for me. Not a place I really need to return to.
Kylie Brakeman
No. I think I experienced it, and I'm so grateful for that time.
Bridger
I'm slowly starting to feel the pull of the sphere to experience whatever's going on in their wants, probably. And I'll probably hate it, but I would like to see what's happening.
Kylie Brakeman
I am all also feeling the pull
Bridger
of the sphere right before they close it down and go to a mall or something.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah, everyone. I feel like the online narrative of the sphere is like, this is bad. We don't want to go to the sphere. But I keep seeing it.
Bridger
I think you get in there and you're having a good time. I'm sure you know. Have you seen the mini sphere here in Burbank?
Kylie Brakeman
No.
Bridger
They have a sphere.
Kylie Brakeman
We have a sphere.
Bridger
It's not public. This is a private sphere.
Kylie Brakeman
This is a private, private sphere. Who owns the sphere?
Bridger
This is the testing sphere. This is, I believe, the sphere.
Kylie Brakeman
This is the beta company.
Bridger
The Beta Sphere. Enter the Beta Sphere.
Kylie Brakeman
Enter the Beta sphere.
Bridger
Wow, that does feel like kind of. That's. You want to graduate from that into the manosphere. It's probably.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. You start in the beta sphere.
Bridger
You want to be part of the beta sphere. That's a sad situation.
Kylie Brakeman
You got to get out of there so you could be a big, big, big man who eats protein all day.
Bridger
The more I say sphere, the more disoriented I become.
Kylie Brakeman
Sphere. It's like ask. It feels very future.
Bridger
Yeah. This feels like we're touching something that has not been touched before in the
Kylie Brakeman
21st century right now. Like, there is a two in front of all those numbers. Hard two.
Bridger
We're not talking about a cubes or blocks or even pyramids.
Kylie Brakeman
This is ancient history. This is industrial revolution stuff. The sphere is the future.
Bridger
And there is a Beta sphere. And I believe they go in there and they try out the things in there.
Kylie Brakeman
Whoa. So it's like a NASA sphere.
Bridger
Reach out. I guess it's kind of a NASA gravity. You know, I guess it's gravity sort
Kylie Brakeman
of simulators, but for. Right. Oh, my gosh. Do you think. So it's not open to the public?
Bridger
No, not open to the public. Can't buy tickets.
Kylie Brakeman
Okay.
Bridger
I have to assume that they could give us a private tour.
Kylie Brakeman
Sphere, reach out sphere. Sphere, reach out sphere. If the AI for the sphere is scanning podcasts, listen to the phrase, I want to go to the sphere.
Bridger
I want to try beta sphere.
Kylie Brakeman
I would like to try beta sphere
Bridger
before graduating to Alpha sphere. And that's the classic Vegas sphere. I wonder. They're probably gonna build a sphere elsewhere, I'm sure.
Kylie Brakeman
I mean, if I'm the sphere, I'm putting the sphere in everywhere I can go, every country I can find. I'm putting spheres anywhere they'll let me.
Bridger
You're gonna see the sphere. Next time you go to the Burbank Airport or something, keep your eye out for a sphere.
Kylie Brakeman
And right next to that Guy Fieri restaurant. And the. Is it an Earth Cafe?
Bridger
Oh, do you know what? I hate Earth Cafe.
Kylie Brakeman
Wow. I've never had something good from there.
Bridger
Not in a million years. I've had a lot of wilted spinach and sunflower seeds and very bad taste in coffee. But it still kind of has maintained some sort of sceneiness to it.
Kylie Brakeman
I think it, like, has some. There's something. There's like, a value to the brand. Like, they've got, like, a good name. Everyone. I think it's one of those things that everybody assumes is good.
Bridger
Right. Because it's. You are.
Kylie Brakeman
But I've been going there since I was like. It was like a place you'd go.
Bridger
It's been around for a while, right?
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
And it feels very entourage to me. It feels like the guys would head down to Earth Cafe and yell at a woman or something.
Kylie Brakeman
You gotta be. It's a great spot to yell at women. Lots of women there.
Bridger
My entire assumption about what Entourage is is guys driving around yelling at women.
Kylie Brakeman
If you'd said, what restaurant are the Entourage guys going to? I don't know if I'd say Earth Cafe.
Bridger
First, they probably make fun. Within that time period, they probably make fun of somebody going to the Earth Cafe.
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, totally.
Bridger
A guy goes to the Earth Cafe and they say, what's going on with him?
Kylie Brakeman
What's going on here?
Bridger
And then they call him a metrosexual.
Kylie Brakeman
Lavender latte. Metrosexual.
Bridger
We need to get back to calling people metrosexuals.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
What a time period that was.
Kylie Brakeman
What a time period. And I remember using the word. I remember using the word in a very nasty way. Yes. And I said it derogatorily.
Bridger
Yeah, of course.
Kylie Brakeman
Metrosexual, sexual. And it's just guys with scarves.
Bridger
Yeah, it was guys with scarves that had more than one ingredient in their coffee. Yeah, you were suddenly you were metro. You were sexual.
Kylie Brakeman
You were metro. And boy, were you sexual.
Bridger
You were down at what I guess you would go to Forever 21 or what's the other one?
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, yeah, Forever 21.
Bridger
There's like other cheap.
Kylie Brakeman
Not H and M. No, there's the
Bridger
one that's kind of like. It feels like this is where you would go for a cheap New Year's Eve outfit.
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, my God.
Bridger
Forever 21.
Kylie Brakeman
Charlotte Russe.
Bridger
No, it's for boys and girls.
Kylie Brakeman
Boys and girls. Express.
Bridger
Express is what I'm looking for.
Kylie Brakeman
Express.
Bridger
That feels like you would go for a cheap New Year's Eve outfit. Right.
Kylie Brakeman
If I'm a metrosexual in 2010 and it's new Year's Eve, there's only one place I'm going.
Bridger
I've just done finished painting my nails. People are wondering. But the answer is I'm Metro.
Kylie Brakeman
I'm Metro. And the New York Times is banging down my door to write a think piece about me and several other men who look like me. We're all straight, there's not much to say. We wear cardigans.
Bridger
Does anyone in the world identify as a metrosexual at this point?
Kylie Brakeman
Metrosexuals, we want to hear from you. The Sphere, we want to hear from you.
Bridger
The Sphere is overrun with metrosexuals.
Kylie Brakeman
It's metrosexual night at the Sphere. Come on down.
Bridger
Experience metrosexuals like you never have before.
Kylie Brakeman
The Sphere is plastered with them.
Bridger
I'm gonna ring in the New Year at the Sphere with other metrosexuals.
Kylie Brakeman
Me and a bunch of like minded guys.
Bridger
Now, a woman could never be a metrosexual.
Kylie Brakeman
No. And that's the tragic thing. That's the tragic thing, because car cardigans, I would say, come from Women in general.
Bridger
Interesting. I think women need to break that mold.
Kylie Brakeman
That's okay to say.
Bridger
No, it's not.
Kylie Brakeman
You can't say anything anymore.
Bridger
No, you can't. Except for on this podcast.
Kylie Brakeman
This is. Thank you for providing me a microphone. Thank God I have this.
Bridger
Is there anything left to say about this?
Kylie Brakeman
I. I mean, it's such a thing to be enjoyed when the noise is going. And maybe perhaps there's other noises happening in the background to mask it.
Bridger
It's kind of a white noise machine.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. I bet you could sleep to it.
Bridger
Oh, that would be nice. And then wake up and scream when you see this.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. If you're okay with encountering a monster.
Bridger
Right.
Kylie Brakeman
This sort of sleep paralysis demon.
Bridger
Do you remember what game you played to win this?
Kylie Brakeman
I don't know, but if I. I mean, when I go to Dave and Buster's, I'm heading straight for the Deal or no Deal game almost every time.
Bridger
Interesting.
Kylie Brakeman
I really like the Deal or no Deal game. I mean, it is kind of like one of those only virtual things.
Bridger
And what are you doing? You're just picking which briefcase?
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. You're just picking ladies. And you're going like, okay, number 12. And then she opens it up and then she eats. Either goes like, ooh. Or she goes like, yay. And it's really good. I love those girls.
Bridger
Did they ever have bad things come out of the suitcases in the show? Like.
Kylie Brakeman
Like bad number. That's such a missed opportunity.
Bridger
Time to reboot.
Kylie Brakeman
Because it's a suitcase, there should be
Bridger
all sorts of horrible things that come out of this.
Kylie Brakeman
It shouldn't all be money.
Bridger
No.
Kylie Brakeman
And then the banker should have to make a calculation with like, okay, well, that one's rats. We know that there's still worms, a million dollars, and $12 left. So I'm gonna go ahead and offer you $10,000.
Bridger
That feels like a real new version of the show.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
One of those could have a person who's running out of oxygen.
Kylie Brakeman
Yes.
Bridger
Just all kinds of things inside the briefcases.
Kylie Brakeman
They could have activated it so much. Well, there was, and I didn't watch it all the way through. Dealer no Deal Island. I don't know if you're familiar.
Bridger
Oh, I thought you were going to say dealer no Deal the movie. No, but I hope another unexplored area.
Kylie Brakeman
Fingers crossed.
Bridger
There was an island.
Kylie Brakeman
Deal or no Deal Island.
Bridger
And what happened there?
Kylie Brakeman
Okay, so from the pilot episode that I watched, most of you didn't even
Bridger
make it through the.
Kylie Brakeman
I couldn't follow it. I confess. I couldn't follow it. But they're all on this island. There are models of all genders now. So we're. There's no problem anymore with just pretty ladies holding.
Bridger
Right? They're pretty objectifying everybody.
Kylie Brakeman
There's pretty guys, pretty cows, ugly guys.
Bridger
Ugly cows, of course.
Kylie Brakeman
Well, we're not there yet. Everybody's still hot. And they, like, you would have to go running around the island with your team to like, find briefcases. The briefcase. It kind of became more of a like Survivor esque kind of thing. But it's interesting to watch.
Bridger
Right? It feels like maybe there were just one too many ingredients.
Kylie Brakeman
I'd say there's many ideas.
Bridger
Right.
Kylie Brakeman
This was an idea for Deal or no Deal Island.
Bridger
Interesting. Well, wow.
Kylie Brakeman
And I might go. I might tap back in.
Bridger
Yeah, I know. I'm like, now what? Where do I finish that Deal or no Deal Island?
Kylie Brakeman
Because I just start. Do you watch Survivor? Are you a Survivor?
Bridger
On occasion. I've watched a decent chunk of it, especially during the pandemic. I watched a lot of it.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. I just started. I had never been on it, but because it's 50, I'm like, I'm swept up in the fervor.
Bridger
And so season 50 is happening.
Kylie Brakeman
Season 50 is happening. It's like a big event.
Bridger
Dearest, congratulations, and forgive me, I've been rude.
Kylie Brakeman
Congratulations are in order to Survivor on 50 incredible seasons. But they have all these like, celebrities popping in. There's like the Billie Eilish boomerang idol is being hidden all over the island.
Bridger
And then she's like, with the boomerang,
Kylie Brakeman
she is nowhere to be found. Oh, but she left a note on the Idol And I'm still like getting used to Survivor culture. I kind of thought that Billie Eilish would show up. I in my TV literacy, like, expectation, I saw them unwrap the Billie Eilish boomerang Idol. Read the little note, being like, hi, I'm Billie Eilish and this is the Boomerang Idol. And I'm like, okay, cool. So at the end of the episode she'll show up.
Bridger
But really stupid of you, I know, to think that a celebrity's name would lead to the celebrity being on the show.
Kylie Brakeman
I know, I feel led, but maybe we're saving him for the finale.
Bridger
I don't trust sitting. She's circling the island in a helicopter.
Kylie Brakeman
She's waiting for just the right time, just for the stakes to get high enough and then she'll drop down. But Survivor's very. It's a very interesting show. So it's sparked kind of a like, okay, maybe I'll go back to Deal or no Deal Island.
Bridger
Right. My problem with Survivor is there are no briefcases. So this is kind of the perfect solve for that.
Kylie Brakeman
If these two shows would just talk to each other, get some sort of
Bridger
luggage or something you could take to the office.
Kylie Brakeman
What are you gonna do with all those totems when you go home? How are you gonna get them there? Give these people a briefcase.
Bridger
It's an easy solution to an obvious problem.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
Well, I think we should play a game.
Kylie Brakeman
Okay.
Bridger
Deal or no Deal's got me in the mood.
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, yeah.
Bridger
Well, we're going to play a game called Gift or a Curse. I need a number between one and 10 from you.
Kylie Brakeman
Seven.
Bridger
Okay. I have to do some light calculating to get our game pieces. So right now you can recommend, promote. Do whatever you want. I'll be right back.
Kylie Brakeman
Okay. Hi, everybody. Hello, listeners. This is Kylie. I am the person who's been on this podcast since then. I have a podcast as well that Bridger's been on that is called Artists on Artists on Artists on Artists. It's an improvised Hollywood roundtable podcast where we play different characters every time. And then I also have a live show at the Elysian that I don't remember the date of, but you can follow me on Instagram and I will provide that information willingly. And when I have it, in terms of other things I can recommend, I am watching season 10 of Love is Blind, although I now realize I am a few weeks behind.
Bridger
Ohio.
Kylie Brakeman
Ohio.
Bridger
It's the only season I've ever watched.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah, I mean, they're all kind of like this.
Bridger
Okay.
Kylie Brakeman
They all hit the same, like, decibel.
Bridger
Okay.
Kylie Brakeman
I'd say every city, like, they are different from each other, but it's like. It's all kind of the same size of city and, like, type of person.
Bridger
Right.
Kylie Brakeman
Everybody looks similar.
Bridger
That makes sense.
Kylie Brakeman
But I'm. I'm still gobbling it up.
Bridger
I had an excellent time watching it. Where are you in the show?
Kylie Brakeman
I think I'm only. I haven't gotten to. We haven't gone to Mexico yet.
Bridger
Oh, okay.
Kylie Brakeman
So I'm still early.
Bridger
Got a lot, a lot ahead of you.
Kylie Brakeman
There's a lot to go.
Bridger
Yeah. There's some revelations, there's some behavior. So just brace yourself.
Kylie Brakeman
Okay. I'm getting ready.
Bridger
Brace yourself. In the reunion, I mean, I've never seen a reunion special like this. This felt like they really. It was really. I mean, the culture has become entirely Jerry Springer at this Point.
Kylie Brakeman
Yes. Yes, yes.
Bridger
Maybe beyond Jerry Springer.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
So crazy.
Kylie Brakeman
Jerry Springer planted a seed that we
Bridger
are now seeing harvesting over and over.
Kylie Brakeman
We continue to harvest. Yes.
Bridger
Everyone. Yes. Go find everything that Kiley is involved with. It's all wonderful and wonderful. Let's play the game. This is how we play. I'm going to name three things. You'll tell me if they're a gift or a curse and why. Then I'll tell you if you're right or wrong. There are correct answers. You can fail. You can win big. You can get an in between, I suppose. All right. These are all suggestions from our Patreon listeners today. This first one is from Rick. Gift or a curse? Referring to your personal life as behind the scenes.
Kylie Brakeman
Okay. This is. Okay. That. And. And would I like to receive this as a gift?
Bridger
No. It. The concept. Do you think it is okay? Yeah.
Kylie Brakeman
Is that. I think that's a gift. I think that provides sort of like a theatricality to your life that enables you to continue making big, bold choices in your life. If you feel you are the star of a show, you might act accordingly. If you feel there's some stakes and some drama to it.
Bridger
Correct. Gift. Oh, that's a gift. That's a little taste of Hollywood.
Kylie Brakeman
Of course.
Bridger
Have the self respect to think that you are the protagonist.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
That everybody's watching you and they want to know what's happening behind the scenes.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
They want that BTS footage.
Kylie Brakeman
You have to live as though you are the star. Yes. And not the star's accountant or whatnot.
Bridger
Everyone at the office should be hearing about your behind the scenes.
Kylie Brakeman
Yes. I need to tell you about my behind the scenes.
Bridger
I keep that behind the scenes. So that's a gift. That's a gift you can give yourself and everyone else in your life. Okay. This next one is from Lorraine. Gift or a curse? Bruises.
Kylie Brakeman
Bruises.
Bridger
Bruises.
Kylie Brakeman
Curse.
Bridger
Why?
Kylie Brakeman
I always hit my leg in the dang night, and I don't know how it's happening, but I wake up. I have. And you might even be able to see it because I'm podcasting in a
Bridger
dress, for God's sake.
Kylie Brakeman
For God's sake. But I feel like I'm constantly covered in bruises. I feel like this is nothing but a curse.
Bridger
Mm.
Kylie Brakeman
Am I wrong?
Bridger
Wrong? No. This is a gift.
Kylie Brakeman
Okay.
Bridger
This is a color that we don't see often. This is a little thing that you get to just kind of. Your body gets to explore a new color for a period. And it's a reminder of the mistakes you make.
Kylie Brakeman
So true. I forgot about art. The blue period.
Bridger
Yes, exactly. And it's like, well, you caused it.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
You're to blame for the bruise. And so why not live with it for a few days? Put a dress on, go out, let people know I kicked something in the night. I can't be trusted to sleep in a bit.
Kylie Brakeman
I can't be trusted.
Bridger
Bruise is. It's a badge of honor that nature provides. And it's a lesson. It's ultimately a lesson. So you got that wrong. Now, finally. This is from a listener named Grace. Gift or a curse? Garbage. Garbage day.
Kylie Brakeman
Garbage day is. I mean, I think it's a gift. Yeah, that's a gift. Society takes away the garbage for you, and I think that's nice. It's nice that someone comes along and relieves you of your mess. It's nice, and it's the mark of a civilized society. I think. So I would say. I would say gift.
Bridger
Well, you're wrong. That's a curse.
Kylie Brakeman
I knew I would be.
Bridger
Garbage day is a curse. They're taking away my things. They're taking my things. And it's noisy. What's good about any of that? I think that's bad. Garbage day is a curse.
Kylie Brakeman
Your things.
Bridger
My things are being cursed.
Kylie Brakeman
Your wrappers. Your precious wrappers and boxes.
Bridger
Not my things.
Kylie Brakeman
Not my things.
Bridger
Stop taking my things.
Kylie Brakeman
You're taking my things.
Bridger
He took my things. Chasing the garbage truck.
Kylie Brakeman
Hey, you took my things.
Bridger
Do they let garbage trucks on the freeway? That feels like. That shouldn't be able to go that fast.
Kylie Brakeman
I think I saw one on the freeway recently, and it was going quite slow.
Bridger
Oh, interesting. Yeah, because it shouldn't.
Kylie Brakeman
It doesn't feel like an intuitive spot for them to be.
Bridger
Like, a garbage truck should not be going 85. No. That feels bad.
Kylie Brakeman
Garbage truck. Shouldn't be gunning it.
Bridger
What a feeling. What a feeling that would be to
Kylie Brakeman
just race into the dump.
Bridger
Gotta get to the top.
Kylie Brakeman
100 miles an hour. Flying down the carpool lane. I gotta get to the dump. Where do you gotta be? Where on earth do you have to be so bad?
Bridger
Looking at your watch.
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, my God. I'm late for the dump. Guys at the dump are gonna be furious.
Bridger
If I'm late to the dump one more time.
Kylie Brakeman
They're not gonna let me pick up any more trash.
Bridger
It's just rude. It's just rude. Yeah, you gotta get to the dump on time. Well, you got one out of three.
Kylie Brakeman
Hey, that's. If this was a baseball stat, that'd be a. That'd be A bad batting average of.333.
Bridger
Is that good?
Kylie Brakeman
Which is good.
Bridger
How does that, how does that math.
Kylie Brakeman
Can you believe that? That's good.
Bridger
One out of three.
Kylie Brakeman
That's actually an incredible batting average because
Bridger
it's usually like point.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. You hit like one out of every eight, six or.
Bridger
Okay, so you're never one out of three. Yeah. Big chunk of the pie.
Kylie Brakeman
It's a big chunk of the pie.
Bridger
And they're that bad at hitting the ball. Wow. Interesting.
Kylie Brakeman
It's really a pitcher's game.
Bridger
Interesting. Batters have got to get better at the game.
Kylie Brakeman
They do.
Bridger
I've never hit a baseball. You've never hit a baseball once in my life.
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, my gosh.
Bridger
And I think I've tried to get you out there. Not hard. But you know, as a child you're exposed to baseball.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
My batting average is. It's not too.
Kylie Brakeman
I played good softball for 10 years. But all through the child part before you become like, it becomes actually competitive.
Bridger
Oh, okay, sure.
Kylie Brakeman
And I barely ever hit the ball. It's very, very difficult.
Bridger
Well, it's scary difficult.
Kylie Brakeman
And it's scary. It's coming at you very fast.
Bridger
I don't like that feeling.
Kylie Brakeman
No.
Bridger
I shouldn't have to hit things away from me.
Kylie Brakeman
No. And I always hit very defensively. Like scream. No.
Bridger
Okay, well, let's answer a listener question. People are writing into I saidnogiftsmail.com or they're sending voice notes at. Will you help me answer one of these?
Kylie Brakeman
Of course.
Bridger
It says, dear Bridger and Guest. That's very cold.
Kylie Brakeman
Okay.
Bridger
I want to give a present to my 58. Oh, I want to give a present to my 58 year old sugar daddy. He basically funds my life and I'd love to show him my appreciation,
Kylie Brakeman
but
Bridger
I don't know if it would be weird. Basically using his own money to buy him a gift. He loves dogs, cooking, travel and spending money, money and spending money on young women. And that's from Sabrina. Sabrina. I'm sorry, my apologies. I'm trying to show this email the respect it deserves.
Kylie Brakeman
Of course.
Bridger
This is serious. This is real. What does Sabrina get her Sugar Daddy? He's 58. Wow. He,
Kylie Brakeman
he loves. So what does he love again? He loves, I mean, I heard other than the obvious, spending money on young women.
Bridger
He loves dogs cooking, travel.
Kylie Brakeman
Dogs cooking, travel.
Bridger
Yes.
Kylie Brakeman
Okay. Wow. This is sort of a like I cut off my hair to buy you jewels, but you got a comb.
Bridger
The gift of the Magi.
Kylie Brakeman
The gift of the Magi.
Bridger
This is a classic Gift of the mag.
Kylie Brakeman
Classic Gift of the magi. Because the thing he wants most of all is to spend money on you.
Bridger
Right. But if she spends it all on him, he won't be able to spend it on her.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
There's math here and I'm playing a dangerous game.
Kylie Brakeman
This is a dangerous game. Oh, my gosh. I mean, okay, but he loves that
Bridger
she's spending the money or that his money's being spent.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. So I guess you could buy yourself like an expensive piece of jewelry.
Bridger
Oh, that's nice.
Kylie Brakeman
I'm sure he would like to know, know that that's happening. Or you could buy. I wonder if he has multiple. I, I, I don't know if this is a monogamous sugar daddy situation or if he has lots of.
Bridger
Sugar daddy of six.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah, he's a sugar daddy of six.
Bridger
Sugar father.
Kylie Brakeman
A sugar father. You know, he has to put food on the table. There's six beautiful women who all need a bag.
Bridger
I have six beautiful 22 year olds who depend on me.
Kylie Brakeman
Oh, my girls, my girls, my girls need me. Yeah. I'm like, would you get a. Okay. He loves spending money on young women. But, but it is his money.
Bridger
It is.
Kylie Brakeman
This is a brain puzzle. Because I'm like, oh, maybe she could give him some money to spend on another sugar baby. But I don't, I don't know if that's the point. Maybe this is a one on one sugar daddy relationship.
Bridger
I can only assume that it is.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah. This is an sat. This is a logic problem. It's his money. So maybe you have to give him something that money can't buy.
Bridger
Oh, see, but I think that's going to make him mad. He's going to be so mad that his money didn't fucking craft. You make this.
Kylie Brakeman
But then, you know, maybe he has a community of sugar daddies that he can like, bring. Okay. Yeah. My sugar baby made me this friendship bracelet. She made me this mug that might be kind of nice.
Bridger
Right, Right. So maybe that's a. And maybe their relationship's getting boring. It's a little like. Yeah, I know. You're spending your money on me. You love doing it. I'm bringing in a free element. I made this with crap I found around the house. It's a picture of us.
Kylie Brakeman
To show my appreciation, I made you a macaroni frame.
Bridger
Right.
Kylie Brakeman
Of us at Nobu. I can only assume. Yeah. I mean, okay, okay. If he is just giving. If it is, maybe I'll just show him something nice. Maybe you buy a trip. It depends on how much money he's giving you.
Bridger
Right.
Kylie Brakeman
But if you buy. For the two of you to take on together.
Bridger
Right.
Kylie Brakeman
Well, that feels like something he should be doing.
Bridger
Right. That's what he loves.
Kylie Brakeman
Okay, so maybe you can get him, like, a gift from the airport.
Bridger
Maybe something that would make him happy, which would be free for her, is to get really demanding. Even more demanding and screaming and wanting, you know, even more than she already may be because he wants to give
Kylie Brakeman
me more money for this.
Bridger
Right. Start making demands. Threats. Maybe there aren't enough threats in the relationship. Yes, I'll leave.
Kylie Brakeman
Give me money where I walk.
Bridger
I'll tell your wife.
Kylie Brakeman
I'll tell your wife.
Bridger
I'll crash your car.
Kylie Brakeman
I'll crash your car. I'll twist your watch up.
Bridger
I'll. I'll break glass in the pool. Yeah, that's a tough one. That's a tough one.
Kylie Brakeman
That's a good threat.
Bridger
It's a big threat that you could do to a sugar daddy.
Kylie Brakeman
It could be a big problem for him. Yes, big problem. Huge.
Bridger
And it's gonna cost him a. Yeah,
Kylie Brakeman
well, is there a night? I assume. I assume the appeal of having a sugar baby is like, I'm stepping out on the town. I'm 58. She's 22. Here we go. Look at me. I'm. Here I am, you know, sort of arriving. Sort of like he's a. This is his version of being a debutante.
Bridger
Totally.
Kylie Brakeman
So maybe it's like a concert or something that he might enjoy that other men might be around so that he can go, look at me. Look at this. Can you believe this? What a. What a gal.
Bridger
A trip to the sphere.
Kylie Brakeman
A trip to the Sphere.
Bridger
A trip to the sphere.
Kylie Brakeman
A trip to the sphere for some
Bridger
sugar daddy daughter.
Kylie Brakeman
Grateful Dead.
Bridger
Oh, that's perfect.
Kylie Brakeman
Something of that nature. 58. Somewhere around there.
Bridger
Probably leaning fish at this point.
Kylie Brakeman
Fish. Oh, sugar daddy's love dad is. I assume. I assume, take him to the Sphere.
Bridger
Or if he's got the bucks and the access, take him to the Beta Sphere.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah, yeah.
Bridger
A private evening at the Beta Sphere.
Kylie Brakeman
What could be better? A private evening at the Betasphere with my sugar daddy and his six beautiful sugar babies. My sugar sisters, if you will.
Bridger
I think we answered the question perfectly.
Kylie Brakeman
I think so.
Bridger
Don't write back in. Go enjoy the Beta sphere and your sugar daddy. They're probably listening to the podcast now out on the boat.
Kylie Brakeman
Yeah.
Bridger
He's wondering, what is this?
Kylie Brakeman
What is all this?
Bridger
You're turning to a podcast for help?
Kylie Brakeman
You keep me young is what he's saying.
Bridger
Gen Z. Oh, Gen Z. You kids.
Kylie Brakeman
You kids today.
Bridger
Well, we answered the question perfectly. I now have my tool.
Kylie Brakeman
This is a tool. Yes. It's a tool for sleeping. It's a tool for whimsy.
Bridger
Whimsy. It's a tool to sell cars.
Kylie Brakeman
Yes. You can sell tiny cars with it. You could create a whole little car dealership. If anyone ever gives you Hot Wheels, you can have like a full setup.
Bridger
If this was like a path to. Towards something that's wrong with me. I've had such a wonderful time, Kylie. Thank you.
Kylie Brakeman
Had a lovely time. I'm sorry for disobeying you.
Bridger
Thank you. That's kind of what I've been fishing for this entire time.
Kylie Brakeman
Well, you got it.
Bridger
I got it.
Kylie Brakeman
You got it.
Bridger
I get what I want, listener. The podcast is over. We're leaving the noise on. But the. You're gonna have to get your own white noise very soon because the audio will end and then you're gonna freak out. So start preparing. I love you. Goodbye. I said no Gifts is an exactly right production. Our senior producer is Ellis Nelson and our episodes are beautifully mixed by Ben Tolliday. The theme song is by miracle worker Amy Mann. And we couldn't do it without our booker, Patrick Cotner. You must follow the show on Instagram at I said no gifts. That's where you're going to see pictures of all these wonderful gifts I'm getting. And don't you want to see the gifts?
Kylie Brakeman
When I invited you here, I thought I made myself perfectly clear. When you're a guest in my home, you gotta come to me empty handed. I said no. Guess your presence is presence enough. And I already had too much stuff. So how do you dare disobey me? We have all been duped by the so called better for you ice cream options. They claim to be just as delicious as regular ice cream, but it's really
Bridger
more like a mouthful of chalk.
Kylie Brakeman
But don't despair.
Bridger
I have good news.
Kylie Brakeman
Yasso is the real deal.
Bridger
They took everything you crave about ice
Kylie Brakeman
cream and upgraded it with creamy frozen Greek yogurt. Their new spoonables are around 400 calories per container, 19 grams of protein and five ridiculous flavors.
Bridger
And because they know how many of
Kylie Brakeman
us have been burned by better for you I ice cream Yaso is giving away 40,001 spoonables. Visit yaso.com iheart to enter and upgrade your freezer. That's yaso.com iheart to enter and find full giveaway details, rules and regulations. This is Sophia Bush from Work in Progress with Sophia Bush. Bring the Good with Avocados from Mexico Upgrade your meals, your get togethers, even your everyday life. Give your moments a little glow up. Be the one everyone's glad showed up because avocados from Mexico spark the joy with every bite. And by the way, they're good for you too. So elevate your everyday. Bring the good flavor. So rich and craveable. Avocados from Mexico, Always good.
Bridger
This is Bowen Yang from Lost Culture Resource with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy. Taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why Premier Protein shakes are my go to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar, and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness, it's for getting after life. Premier Protein powers me to say yes to more. Find your favorite flavor@premereprotein.com that's P R E M I E R protein.com.
Date: April 9, 2026
Guest: Kylie Brakeman
Podcast Network: Exactly Right & iHeartPodcasts
In this lighthearted and absurdly funny episode, comedian Bridger Winegar welcomes performer/writer Kylie Brakeman. As always, Bridger insists on his famous house rule: guests must not bring gifts—yet, as always, the rule is gleefully disobeyed. The pair dive into tangents about modern life, LA and New York adventures, zoo ethics, fake podcast ads, mobile game scams, and metrosexuals, before unveiling Kylie's delightfully weird gift and playing a signature game. Expect comedic chemistry, nostalgia, and unexpected wisdom as two comics riff on life’s absurdities.
Time: 02:55 – 06:31
Time: 04:48 – 07:59
Time: 09:00 – 09:48
Time: 09:50 – 16:47
Time: 18:00 – 27:43
Time: 27:56 – 33:54
Time: 36:26 – 44:22
Time: 48:45 – 53:59
Time: 59:33 – 62:01
Time: 61:37 – 64:11
Time: 64:27 – 68:08
Time: 68:38 – 70:18
Time: 71:30 – 75:32
On QR code menus:
“That’s why they're switching to QR codes. There’s a new conspiracy no one's talking about.” (Kylie, 05:30)
On Broadway bootlegs:
“A slime tutorial. Yes, I just heard this, which is so...” (Kylie, 16:47)
“What little freak decided to combine my two interests today and start a movement?” (Kylie, 17:21)
On LA Zoo acting assignments:
“My professor was in cahoots with the zoo.” (Kylie, 20:05)
On Sweetgreen’s drier-than-dry kale:
"Sweetgreen has the driest kale in the business. I dare you to find a drier carrot." (Bridger / Kylie, 22:16–22:23)
On grade school trading societies:
"Our lobby was too powerful. The teachers just didn't enjoy it." (Kylie, 29:02)
On Vegas pool water:
"Highest levels of poop are in the Vegas pools. Of any pool in the country." (Kylie, 60:40)
On spheres & the future:
"The sphere is the future." (Kylie, 63:19)
Time: 73:22 – 80:47
Time: 82:14 – 88:47
| Section | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------|--------------| | Daily mishaps & relatable whining | 02:55–06:31 | | Price rants, gas, QR codes | 04:48–07:59 | | Electric cars & NY trip | 09:00–10:21 | | SNL, musical theater, slime tutorials | 10:09–17:17 | | Zoos, acting class, petting zoos | 18:00–27:43 | | Playground economies & urban legends | 27:56–33:54 | | The gift (wavy tube man) reveal | 36:26–44:22 | | Fake podcast ads & gaming scams | 48:45–53:59 | | Gambling, Vegas, Blue Man Group | 56:00–62:01 | | Sphere talk (Las Vegas & Burbank) | 62:01–64:11 | | Metrosexuals, Earth Café nostalgia | 64:27–68:08 | | Deal or No Deal games (arcade/game show) | 68:38–70:18 | | Reality TV, Survivor, Love Is Blind | 71:30–75:32 | | Gift or a Curse (game segment) | 73:22–80:47 | | Listener mail: Sugar daddy dilemma | 82:14–88:47 |
Bridger:
“I get what I want, listener. The podcast is over. We’re leaving the noise on…But…the audio will end and then you’re gonna freak out. So start preparing. I love you. Goodbye.” (89:41)
This episode delivers warm, weird, and whip-smart riffs on personal insecurity, pop culture minutia, and the daily indignities of adulthood. Kylie Brakeman is a playful and game guest, bringing both surreal humor and relatable anecdotes. The recurring joke of breaking Bridger’s “no gifts” rule grounds the show’s offbeat premise and spotlights the duo’s chemistry. An excellent listen for fans of silly, honest, and digressive conversational comedy.
Recommended for: Listeners who enjoy absurdist, detail-rich banter on the strange rituals and consumer traps of modern life.