Life Wide Open with CboysTV

Episode: Answering YOUR Questions With Our Best Advice

Date: December 19, 2023

Episode Overview

This episode of Life Wide Open dives into a wide range of listener-submitted questions, offering candid, entertaining advice from all six CboysTV members: CJ, Ben, Ryan, Ken, Evan, and Micah. The conversation flows from hilarious, everyday mishaps to real talk about relationships, mental well-being, work, friendship, small-town fame, and the nuances of being a YouTuber. The guys share their perspectives in their characteristically raw, irreverent, but earnest style.

Highlights & Key Discussion Points

1. Kicking Things Off: Memes, Weather, and Vikings Football (00:00–09:20)

• Seasonal Jokes & Weather: The guys joke about Minnesota's winter (or lack thereof) and the potential to go surfing on Christmas instead of ice fishing.
  • CJ: "I don't know what's happening this winter. There is no winter. I feel like Cindy Lou Who in The Grinch." (01:33)
• The Vikings Losing: As usual, the Vikings lost again. The team’s spirits remain high.
• Tony's Story: They reminisce about Two Turn Tony sending them a pallet of drinks, joking about their (now skunked and over-fermented) final can.

2. Year in Memes & Pop Culture Flashbacks (04:30–13:10)

• Meme Calendar Nostalgia: The group recaps the year's biggest memes (OceanGate, Bud Light, WWE folding chair) and laughs about the absurdity of viral moments.
  • "Each year somebody does a meme calendar and you can keep track... It takes you back." – Mike (04:50)
• Cringey Old Guy Jokes: Ben finds an odd, outdated funeral cartoon in his grandpa's old glove box.
• Jokes about Evolution vs Revolution:
  • CJ: "Pretty evolutionary."
  • Mike: "No."
  • Ryan: "Revolutionary, kind of." (13:19)

3. Behind-the-Scenes: Life Updates and Random Stories (13:10–24:22)

• Snowplow and Car Insurance Drama: Ben shares about crashing into a utility box and getting a surprise $800 bill:
  • "You're lucky to be alive. That box could've hurt you. It destroyed your car! You should send them a bill." – CJ (10:38)
• Selling the SEMA Truck: They sold a CboysTV vehicle to a superfan from Florida, with contrasting fan reactions.
• Ken’s Mom, Subarus, and Family Boundaries: Ken shares about his mom's conspiracy theories about AI in her new Subaru and the running gag about building a wall between his house and his family:
  • Ken: "No, I can build a wall."
  • CJ: "Ken's gonna build a wall so he separates his family." (16:13)

4. The Therapeutics of Manual Labor & Cleaning (18:19–24:24)

• Farm Remodel and Manual Labor:
  • CJ and Ryan discuss the satisfaction and therapy of working with their hands, be it farm work or just cleaning up the shop.
  • "It's one of the most therapeutic things to do is clean, but it's also on, like, the same token, draining." – CJ (20:23)
• Simple Pleasures: From cleaning garages and breaking down boxes to working out and sauna sessions, the crew talks about their favorite ways to decompress.
  • "Dude, that's me in my sauna. Like, it's the absolute best thing ever." – Mike (23:35)

5. The Phone Conundrum: Technology, Presence, & Group Dynamics (24:24–29:04)

• Phones Killing Vibes: The guys bemoan how phones ruin group conversations or movie nights—everyone’s guilty of it.
  • "If one person pulls out the phone for just a little bit, it's a ripple effect..." – CJ (24:46)
• “Stacking Phones” Game: When dining out, they sometimes pile their phones to encourage real conversation—with penalties for the weak-willed.

6. Fitness, Gamification, and Wearables (29:04–34:29)

• Wearables and Gamifying Health:
  • Debating whether gadgets like Whoop or Apple Watch are helpful or just another distraction; most agree they motivate healthier habits.
  • "It gamifies trying to be healthier, which is good for you. It's like when you play Call of Duty at the end of the round, you watch your ranking go up." – Ryan (28:00)
• Treadmill Mishaps: Light roasting over treadmill recalls and the dangers of home gym equipment.

7. DIY Moves & Friendship Boundaries (34:29–36:51)

• Moving Stuff & Friendship Guilt:
  • They discuss the awkwardness of asking friends to help move heavy objects repeatedly.
  • Mike: "It's because I ask so much of you guys every single day. I feel like you don't owe me like, one more thing." (32:27)

8. Apocalypse Scenarios & Doomsday Prep (36:51–41:59)

• Zombie Apocalypse and Yellowstone:
  • A classic CboysTV tangent on whether they'd fight to survive or check out early if the world ended.
  • CJ: "I'm not trying to live in a bunker my whole life and I'm sorry if that's a hot take..." (41:21)
• Morality, Prepping, and Social Collapse:
  • Debating ethics in a “Purge” scenario and whether prepping is wise or paranoid.

9. Crowdsourced Questions & CboysTV Advice (45:09–59:21)

Tough Calls with Dad’s Sled (45:21)

• Weston's Question: He crashed his dad’s new sled—repair and confess, or hide it?
  • CJ: "In any situation like that, you've got to come clean. You're not getting anywhere by trying to lie or hide your way out of it." (46:23)

Dealing with Haters in a Small Town (46:54)

• Dylan’s Question: How do you handle other people’s opinions, especially when getting attention in a small town?
  • Ryan: "You just can't care. That's probably the bottom line on it."
  • Mike: "The only people hating are people that are below you. Nobody's ever hating on someone lower than them." (49:40)

Feeling Lost After School (50:33)

• Anonymous Question: "I don't know what the f*** I'm doing"—working hard, considering military, no relationship.
  • Ryan: "99% of the world doesn't know what they're doing."
  • Mike: "Keep working, but also start doing YouTube on the side... Just start."
  • CJ: "...It's not as glamorous as you'd think. The grass isn't always greener." (53:38)

Best Friend's Ex Situation (55:37)

• Anonymous Question: "My best friend's ex... and I haven't told him."
  • Ryan: "...The best move is to come clean before someone else does. It'll come out eventually and it's always worse if you hide it." (56:42)

Met Parents Too Early & Relationship Uncertainty (58:08)

• Another Listener: Met her parents after a week, not sure about the relationship.
  • CJ: "One week is nothing in the grand scheme of things."
  • Ryan: "See where it plays out, man. Don't take it too serious and see where it goes." (59:21)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Manual Labor:
  • "Just feels good. It's rewarding when you get done. And it's also just good for you." – Ryan (19:10)
• On Phones & Presence:
  • "It’s a ripple effect... before you know it, everyone’s on their phone." – CJ (24:46)

Advice Corner Timestamps

• Crashed Dad's Sled: 45:21–46:52
• Small Town Haters: 46:54–50:14
• Lost After High School: 50:33–54:43
• Friend’s Ex Drama: 55:37–57:04
• Relationship Question: 58:08–59:21

Tone & Style

• Laid-back, honest, self-deprecating, and supportive—never taking themselves too seriously but always giving practical, lived-in advice.
• Plenty of humorous jabs, tangents, and real talk about the less-glamorous aspects of content creation and small-town fame.

Listener Takeaway

If you’ve ever felt lost, faced criticism chasing your dreams, or just wanted a group of friends to laugh with about the absurdities of life, you’ll feel right at home with this episode. From practical advice to “just start” to the catharsis found in a clean garage or a solid break-down-session with friends, the Life Wide Open crew keeps it real—always.

Next Episode Teaser:
Send in your questions via Instagram voice memos—serious, silly, or spicy—for the crew’s take in future episodes.
And don’t forget to help them hit 200K on YouTube!