MBMBaM 805: The Most Forbidden Fritos

Podcast: My Brother, My Brother and Me
Hosts: Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy
Date: March 16, 2026

Episode Overview

In this characteristically chaotic and sharply funny episode, the McElroy brothers tackle wild celebrity interviews, public transit etiquette, janitorial psychology, the animal logic of “The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,” and most notably, they perform an exhaustive, nearly reverent rundown of Taco Bell’s 2026 shock-and-awe menu reveal. It’s a classic installment of absurdist advice, sibling bickering, pop culture riffing, and passionate food commentary.

Main Segment Summaries & Highlights

1. Timothée Chalamet, Vaudeville, and the Lifecycle of Art Forms

[01:28–08:39]

• Chalamet's Comments: Griffin opens by regretfully joking about not guiding Timothée Chalamet through a PR debacle (“I apologize for the sullying of Wonka” – 01:28). The brothers riff on a viral clip where Chalamet bashes opera and ballet, and the missed opportunity for Matt McConaughey to turn it into a teachable moment.
• Old Art Forms: Justin muses about the death of vaudeville:

  “Do you think…someone was, like, in the middle of a vaudeville show and…stood up, like ‘Guys, this is cooked.’” (05:59)

• Juggler Soft Bans: Recurring riff on how the hosts briefly, jokingly tried to make “juggling” uncool, comparing it to the harsher Chalamet take.
• Takeaway: Society phases out art forms without big declarations. If you want to critique a cultural thing, it's smarter to start small ("go after jugglers, not opera" – 05:01).

2. Advice: Waking Up Strangers on Public Transit

[13:06–20:27]

• Listener Question: Should you wake up a stranger who’s sleeping on a train, worried they might miss their stop?
• Brothers’ Takes:
  • Travis: “There is nothing more precious to me than sleeping when I am able to.” (13:45)
  • Griffin: “You don't want to be the thief of that. You also don't want to go, ‘Wakey wakey, num time’ to a stranger.” (14:12)
• Solutions Proposed:
  • Vibrant scenarios about chain reactions and organic train-stop chaos.
  • Suggestions range from a subtle cough to a big fart, with much debate over acceptability.
  • Don’t touch, don’t try too hard; trust that most commuters know their own rhythms (“I'm an adult. I made it this far…without you, nanny stating me” – 19:58).
  • If they miss their stop, at least they get “a long, romantic nighttime train ride through the city.” (20:04)

3. Advice: Seeing the World with ‘Janitor Eyes’

[21:08–24:14]

• Listener Question: How do you “turn off” the urge to compulsively clean everywhere after taking a janitorial job?
• Responses:
  • Justin gives the tongue-in-cheek suggestion: “Clean until people ask you to stop, politely.” (21:54)
  • Griffin acknowledges the mental relief of straightening up, but before interfering with other janitors’ territory, be careful not to disrupt their unseen system: “This is an ecosystem. It's all sustainable.” (23:30)
  • Extended, absurd ecosystem metaphor involving ants, rats, cats, dogs, and cows, all cleaning the mall in a chain of responsibilities.

4. Classic Kids’ Lit, Escalation, and Swallowed Animals

[24:35–29:46]

• The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly:
  • Griffin and Travis marvel at the story’s illogic: “You swallowed a dog to get a cat…then a goat to get the dog is so out of pocket.” (24:41)
  • Justin reads from historical newspaper accounts of live performances that left audiences “convulsed” in laughter at the song’s premise (“Old timey newspaper language is so vaguely threatening. He convulsed the children.” – 27:45)
  • Travis lampoons Victorian copy: “My blackout was so powerful, I was pronounced dead at the scene and buried alive till I rung a bell…”

5. Munch Squad: Taco Bell’s “Live Más Live” Menu Reveal

[36:41–53:14]

This is the true centerpiece of the episode.

The Announcement ([37:09–40:45]):

• Justin declares: “Taco Bell blacked out in the booth, I’m going to tell you about the absolute wildest menu announcement in all of human history.” (37:09)
• Taco Bell announced 20 new menu items for 2026 at their “Live Más Live” event.
• Griffin describes the initial offering, the Flamin’ Hot Mini Taco Salad, as “the world’s most forbidden Fritos” (38:28)—dense with spicy chips and dust: “It's rimmed…with the Flamin’ Hot seasoning around the rim.” (39:01)

Highlights From the Spectacle ([40:05–53:14]):

• Diablo Dusted Chicken Nuggets
• Mountain Dew Baja Midnight (Zero Sugar): “The Vanilla Baja Midnight makes me go fucking crazy. It makes me go so fast.” (39:41–39:42)
• Permanent Nacho Fries & Flamin’ Hot Nacho Fries
• Cheesy G Sliders (“little Cheesy Gordita Crunch sliders…could have 15 of.” – 41:29)
  • Running joke: Taco Bell “hasn’t lost the plot, they’re writing Ulysses.” (48:04)
  • Griffin proclaims: “If they don’t bring cheesy GS out to the store, that will be my next Taco Bell meal. So it's the balls in your fucking court, Taco Bell.” (53:00)
  • Justin: “If they ever take cheesy cheese off the menu, I’m gonna divorce my wife.” (53:14)
• Dessert Innovations:
  • Baja Midnight Pie (“That’s some Wonderland ass looking shit right here. You’re getting that in Wonderland. You’re getting it in Neverland.” – 42:31)
  • Creme Brulee Crunchwrap Sliders (“one appears to be getting sucked up by some sort of brilliant white light…a desiccated husk” – 44:04)
  • Mexican Pizza Empanadas
• Strawberry & Cream “Pizza Bites” and existential questioning:
  • “Why is it called pizza? Circle? Is that what it’s saying?” (47:07)
• Fire Queso Sauce Edible Packet:
  • “The fire queso sauce packet is an edible sauce packet.” (47:49)
  • “Not a gusher. It‘s the world’s worst gusher.” (48:34, 48:36)
• Cool Ranch Doritos Chicken Nuggets, Firecracker Burrito (with cayenne Pop Rocks):
  • “Cayenne Pop Rocks. That’s what they’re doing over there, these scientists at Taco Bell.” (51:06)
• Salt & Straw Taco-latte Chiller, Strawberry Horchata Refresca
  • “Every fast food place is like, ‘and come to us for your morning Joe.’ That’s not what I use you for.” (52:08)

Meta-commentary and Audience Reaction:

• The brothers hysterically imagine employees having to unveil these items with WWE-level gravitas.
• If these are just PR stunts and not real products, they threaten an (obviously fake) Taco Bell boycott.

6. Endgame Tangents: Throwing Objects, Ending Rituals

[56:13–57:42]

• Signature Bit: Debating what object to throw as their closing bit: “Throw the big boy. Throw a heater for the big boy.” (57:13)
• Justin, after throwing a Big Boy bank figurine, discovers mysterious dust.

Notable Quotes

• “If you’re going to go after an art form, you gotta start smaller—like, jugglers.” – Griffin (05:01)
• “This show isn’t for kids, which I mention only so the babies out there will know how cool they are for listening. What’s up, you cool baby?” – Griffin (00:00)
• “I promise. You do. Okay, here's my thing, guys. I love one of [opera or ballet], and I fucking hate the other one, but I'll never say which one.” – Griffin (04:38)
• “I know what you are saying. Certainly there's some things to preserve, but I'm here to tell you, there's so much racism in vaudeville, we couldn't save it. Unredeemable.” – Justin (07:03)
• “There’s got to be janitors. …Go find a janitor and just janitor to janitor, be like, I was looking with my janitor eyes. And they’ll be like, yeah, yeah, yeah.” – Travis (22:49)
• “She swallowed a dog to get a cat…then a goat to get the dog is so out of fucking pocket.” – Griffin (24:41)
• “These fucking guys. …They take a Mexican pizza and then they put another fucking one on top of it. They double deckered it. I love it.” – Justin (42:50)
• “Not a gusher. It is the world’s worst gusher.” – Griffin (48:34)
• “If they ever take cheesy cheese off the menu, I'm gonna divorce my wife. Whoa. That's out.” – Justin (53:14)

Key Timestamps

| Time | Segment | |--------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:28 | Opening: Timothée Chalamet, Opera & Ballet | | 05:34 | The Death of Vaudeville & The “Juggler Ban” | | 13:06 | Advice: Waking Up Commuters on the Train | | 21:08 | Advice: Janitor Eyes & Compulsive Cleaning | | 24:35 | The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly: Animal Chain Logic | | 36:41 | Munch Squad: Taco Bell’s Massive 2026 Menu Reveal Begins | | 38:28 | Flamin' Hot Mini Taco Salad – “Forbidden Fritos” | | 40:05 | Cheesy G Sliders and Cheesy Gordita Crunch Mania | | 42:31 | Baja Midnight Pie and the Wonderland of Taco Bell Desserts | | 47:49 | Edible Fire Queso Sauce Packet (“worst gusher”) | | 50:34 | Firecracker Burrito, Cayenne Pop Rocks, more Taco Bell Surrealism| | 53:00 | “Cheesy G” Boycotts, Taco Bell Ultimatum | | 56:26 | Finale: Big Boy Throw, Closing Rituals & Bickering |

Episode Tone

• High-energy banter, sibling teasing, and surreal comedic logic.
• Obsessive, nearly scholarly fast food analysis.
• Playful irreverence about culture, food, and the futility of giving “advice.”

Useful For

• Fans who missed the episode but want all the Taco Bell scoop and the McElroys’ latest riffs.
• Listeners who appreciate the intersection of nostalgia, food, and gentle mockery.
• Anyone wanting high-volume laughs, choice quotes, or actual advice (hidden in comedy).
• Context on Taco Bell’s 2026 menu for fast food trend-watchers.

TL;DR:
The McElroys meditate on cancelled art forms and etiquette, gently roast Timothée Chalamet, outline “janitor vision,” analyze children’s literature for logic crimes, and lose their minds over Taco Bell’s gonzo 2026 menu innovations — especially those “forbidden Fritos.” If you’re here for Munch Squad, this is a must-listen.