Heights Hotline | Ohio’s Worst Drivers, College Advice, and Beard Maintenance

Summary

New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce - Episode Summary

Episode: Heights Hotline | Ohio’s Worst Drivers, College Advice, and Beard Maintenance
Date: March 27, 2026
Hosts: Jason Kelce & Travis Kelce
Platform: Wondery

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Overview

This special Heights Hotline bonus episode is all about listener questions and off-season banter. The Kelce brothers tackle Ohio’s “worst drivers” debate, relive University of Cincinnati food memories, dish out campus advice, and reveal their (lack of) beard care routines—all while trading their trademark playful jabs and Ohio pride.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Who Has Ohio’s Worst Drivers?

[02:00 – 08:16]

• Listener Question: Who's got the worst drivers—Cincinnati, Columbus, or Cleveland?
• Jason’s Initial Thoughts:
  • Praises Cleveland drivers for handling extreme weather and poor road maintenance:
    “You kind of have to be a good driver in Cleveland...potholes everywhere.”
  • Columbus drivers get dinged for youth population and risky driving:
    “Typically, youths are not the best drivers. They’re taking chances.”
  • Cincinnati is stereotyped as being “closer to the Mason-Dixon line” with “souped up trucks” and “ATVs going all the way through the city.”
• Travis’ Take: Agrees Columbus might edge out the others, especially due to alcohol and congestion:
  “That's two bad combinations right there.”
• Producer’s Research:
  • Cites actual stats: Dayton tops the list for worst drivers, then Cleveland and Columbus.
  • Criteria: tickets, DUIs, and insurance claims.
  • Best drivers: Mentor, east of Cleveland.
  • “Hang the banner!” Travis jokes about Dayton’s “honor.”
• Fun Facts:
  • Cleveland invented the traffic light.
  • Most accident-prone car: Suzuki; Ram drivers get worst incident rates.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason: “I’ll be completely honest. Kylie [my wife] is a much better driver than me. That was 100% just a joke, don’t be getting your panties in a bunch.” [03:43]
• Jason: “The reason I have a beard is to do less maintenance.” [00:49]

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2. College Food & Life at University of Cincinnati

[08:45 – 16:23]

• Caller Sarah seeks best spots to visit at University of Cincinnati (UC).
• Food & Spots:
  • Adriatico’s Pizza: “Still the same pizza, man. God damn, that shit’s good.” – Travis [09:19]
  • Uncle Woody’s (dive bar): best for 21+, but has changed owners.
  • Steak and Lemonade: Enduring campus classic—fried chicken, cheesesteaks, wild “lemonade” flavors, and milkshake hybrids.
  • Martino’s: Steak salads (“Pittsburgh steak salad”) praised for fries-on-salad setup.
  • Kroger: Upgraded to “super center” status—good for snacks and essentials.
  • Buffalo Wild Wings: Classic hangout.
  • Skyline Chili: Historic Ludlow location; “most people not from Cincinnati do not like Skyline, I would say.” – Jason [14:47]
  • Dining Halls & Food Courts: Humorous confusion over names, but encouraged exploring the main campus food court for a sense of campus life.

Notable Quotes:

• Travis: “You are going to take one bite out of that chicken...it’s just the perfect mixture of fucking deliciousness.” [12:27]
• Jason: “It’s like a straight up fast track to diabetes, but it is so—it’s not...” [12:21]
• Jason: “Kroger’s, like a goddamn...super center now. Dude, over there is crazy.” [13:14]

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3. Beard Maintenance (or Lack Thereof)

[16:40 – 19:39]

• Caller Leo wants to know about beard care routines and favorite products.
• Jason:
  • “The reason I have a beard is to do less maintenance...I’m too lazy to fudgeing shave every day.” [17:52]
  • Admits hiding his chin is “another perk.”
  • “It does look better when I do stuff to it. And by me, I mean when there are wonderful hair and makeup people who put beard oil on set. I’ve never put it in myself.” [18:47]
• Travis:
  • Trims “loose ends” with a trimmer, washes with regular shampoo.
  • Jokes about beard bet: “I think one of the bets we do should end up being, you have to shave.” [18:28]
  • Endorses beard oil’s effects but admits not using it himself.
• Both: Not big on special products—more about convenience than routine.

Notable Quotes:

• Travis: “The one thing I do to my beard consistently is I trim...to keep it a little bit more shaped and get the mustache line down.” [17:24]
• Jason: “If they're putting it on you, you use it.” [19:09]
• Jason: “The people want to know what you’re using—not using anything on the podcast, that's for damn sure.” [19:40]

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Memorable Moments

• Humorous banter around Ohio city stereotypes and who’s actually to blame for bad driving.
• Candid nostalgia and “foodie” discussion on classic Cincinnati college eats—especially the passionate defense of steak and lemonade.
• Admission about beards’ real purpose: “to do less maintenance” rather than for style.
• Self-deprecating humor around their changing bodies, tan levels, and campus knowledge (“we’re not hip to [new spots]...all pre-2013” – Jason).

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Worst Drivers (Ohio): 02:00 – 08:16
• Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati Driving Breakdown: 02:43 – 06:52
• College Advice & UC Food Recs: 08:45 – 16:23
• Steak and Lemonade & Martino’s: 10:45 – 12:43
• Skyline Chili/Ludlow Discussion: 14:30 – 15:34
• Beard Maintenance Q&A: 16:40 – 19:39

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Episode Highlights

• On Cleveland Roads:
  “There’s potholes everywhere. They don’t even fix the roads in Cleveland.” – Jason [02:43]
• On College Eats:
  “It’s just the perfect mixture of fucking deliciousness.” – Travis [12:27]
• On Beards:
  “The reason I have a beard is to do less maintenance.” – Jason [00:49 & 17:52]

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Closing Notes

The Kelce brothers deliver on their reputation for humor, camaraderie, and down-to-earth relatability. Even as their careers soar, their advice and memories remain rooted in Ohio’s quirks and college-life nostalgia. Beard tips? Barely. Food recs? Overflowing. Buckeye driving slander? Unavoidable.

Quote to Remember:
“The reason I have a beard is to do less maintenance.” – Jason Kelce [00:49, 17:52]

Transcript

[A]

Hey, what's up, New Heights listeners? It's Thomas Rhett here. Country music fans and sports fans have so much in common. Bringing everybody together for a big night. And that's what my Soundtrack to Life tour is all about. We're gonna be playing the hits you know and love, plus brand new songs you hadn't even heard yet. So get your family and friends and come on out for a night to remember how good life is. Tickets are on sale [e-mail]

[B]

they say everything happens for a reason, but I suspect everything happens for a Reese's. Like this commercial break. Did you need 15 seconds away from music or 15 seconds to eat a Reese's? Perhaps it's true. Everything happens for a Reese's. The reason I have a beard is to do less maintenance.

[C]

I thought you were, like, hiding your face.

[B]

Well, that's another perk. Is steak and lemonade still there?

[C]

Oh, my God. That is a deep cut right there.

[B]

Dude. ATVs going all the way. The city and youths are not the best drivers. Am I like stereotyping this?

[C]

You are, but I think you might be right here.

[B]

That's a joke. We're just having fun here, right?

[D]

I'm gonna go ahead and put Jason's phone number in the comments of this episode. You call him directly about all those.

[C]

Welcome back to this bonus episode of New Heights, ladies and gentlemen. It's a wondery show if you didn't know where your host. I'm Travis Kelsey. This is my brother Jason Kelsey. And we want to make sure you guys know, subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast. Follow the show on social media at new heights show with 1s. Jason, tell the people what's coming up on this bonus episode of New Heights.

[B]

On today's bonus episode, we are going to be checking the Heights hotline to answer your off topic off season questions. Let's get right into it right now. All righty, Hotline, suggestions?

[E]

Hey, guys.

[B]

Oh, hey.

[E]

Who do you think has the worst drivers here in Ohio? Do you think it's Cincinnati, Columbus, or Cleveland? And feel free to share any experiences you've had driving. All right, have a good day.

[B]

Okay, Brandon, let's do a quick census check on which city has the highest percentage of females.

[C]

The old Ed Kelsey.

[B]

Just hammer and hope stereotypes. All right, we're just kidding, folks.

[D]

I'm gonna go ahead and put Jason's phone number in the comments of this episode. You can call him directly about all those.

[B]

That's a joke. If we're just having fun here right I'll be completely honest. Kylie is a much better driver than me. That was a hundred percent just a joke. Don't be getting your panties in a bunch of. All right, here we go. Where are we going to go with Heights hotline? Okay, so Cleveland, Columbus or Cincinnati? I feel like Cleveland's good. Cleveland's a very good driving town. They got. You're good. You're used to very extreme weather conditions. You're used to terrible roads. So you got to be on your piece. Like, there's potholes everywhere. They don't even fix the roads of Cleveland. I came to Philly, I'm like, why is there so much construction that's like, oh, I went back to Cleveland. I'm like, they actually just fixed the roads in Philadelphia and even in Philly. It's terrible compared to both cities. Cleveland, I mean, I love Cleveland to death. It is. So you got. You kind of like have to be a good driver in Cleveland, Columbus, a lot of youth, a lot of you. And typically youths are not the best drivers. They're taking chances.

[C]

Yeah. The majority of my accidents and dumbass driving happened when I was really younger.

[B]

Yes, yes.

[C]

Especially in my college years.

[B]

And then Cincinnati, you got a bunch of. You're getting closer to that Mason Dixon line where you're getting these guys, which tends to be. You're gonna have your souped up trucks. They got moonshine in the back. You're gonna have. You're going to have your ATVs going all the way through the city and shit. Like. So I'm kind of. I think it's, I think it's definitely between Columbus and Cincinnati. But I'm going to say Columbus just because there's just more young people.

[C]

Yeah, I would say Columbus. Yeah.

[B]

You got young people. You got alcohol all over the place. You got, you know, it's congestion.

[C]

Yeah. There are two bad combinations right there.

[B]

Yeah. So I'll go Columbus.

[C]

Can we look up where or how many accidents are?

[B]

Yeah, is this. Yeah, can we.

[C]

Let's look this up. Let's look this up. Let's see how close we were.

[D]

So what I've got in front of me is the actual city in Ohio for worst drivers is Dayton.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, we got a limited to Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati.

[D]

Yeah, you guys got limited, but Dayton is number one, followed by Cleveland and Columbus. Dayton is actually the second worst city in the country.

[C]

Pretty sure.

[D]

Hang the banner.

[B]

They also invented the traffic light in Cleveland, Ohio. That's a random bit of factoid that I do know for some reason. What, what Are they using to determine the worst drives? Is it percentage per capita? Is it just overall accidents?

[D]

It's tickets, it's DUIs and insurance claims, I believe are the three factors put in there.

[B]

Yeah, but like there's a lot of people in the Cleveland metropolitan area and whatever.

[C]

So people are just filing for insurance claims. I mean, come on, let's not get.

[D]

Let's not go crazy. I mean, some of those are probably legit.

[B]

And listen, I don't know if you've ever been to Dayton, but.

[D]

I have not been to Dayton. Is it nice a lot of drinking?

[B]

You're going to do a lot of drinking if you live in Dayton. You know what I mean? There's not much happening.

[C]

Yeah, just trying to have a good time here.

[B]

So wait, which one is the worst? Yeah, shout out the flyers, baby. Cleveland is the worst. That's what we're saying.

[C]

Amongst those three, Cleveland. Out of.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Cleveland. What is.

[C]

What is the metro biggest city? It's the biggest city. So most of the most people think that's volume.

[B]

Cleveland is actually this.

[D]

Cleveland's a volume shooter.

[B]

Well, this is why you need to know the Mexico. Cleveland's actually the smallest of the three major cities in Ohio. If you are just factoring in the city limits. No, Cleveland has a smaller geographic limit than Columbus and Cincinnati. But if you factor in the metropolitan area of Cleveland, Cleveland is a bigger like metropolitan population. At least it used to be. Columbus. Columbus is the biggest city in Ohio. It has been for some time if you are only including the city limits of Columbus. So in Cincinnati, Cleveland's third.

[C]

There's no north side. That's why, actually.

[B]

Oh, wait, I got, I got you

[D]

some math here, Jason. I got you some math.

[C]

Here's.

[D]

According to fox.com Beaver Creek, located east of Dayton was the city with the worst drivers in the state with 28.8 incidents per 1000 drivers.

[B]

Shout out to Derek Wolf. That is a no brainer.

[D]

The city with the second worst was Delaware per thousand hours. And then Lakewood, Hamilton and Dublin.

[B]

Lakewood. Okay. Hamilton and Dublin. I mean, we're really just looking for Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus.

[D]

Okay. In the city with the best. The city with the best drivers in Ohio was Mentor, located east of Cleveland.

[B]

Makes a lot of sense.

[C]

They're following rules out there. Yeah.

[D]

So the losers here at Dayton.

[B]

Yeah. All righty.

[C]

Disciplined football team right there. They're following the rules.

[D]

The most reported car was Suzuki's.

[B]

I don't know what the are y'

[C]

all doing in Ohio.

[D]

They haven't made those in like 20 years. What are you doing?

[B]

Ohio's a bit behind the times for the most part. Yeah, I mean, it's. I wouldn't say it's like, like, it's

[C]

just, you know, sounds like an affordable, affordable car.

[D]

And Ram drivers had the worst incident rates among vehicle makes on Ohio roads, for sure. The more you know, the more you know. That's inc.

[B]

I don't know that I saw many Rams in Cleveland growing up.

[C]

No, Dodge Caravans. Not Dodge Rams.

[B]

Alrighty. Are we doing another one? I don't. That was.

[D]

Yes, do. Let's do. Let's do a couple more. Since we got to cut the one that was. Guys, if you're watching this, there was a phone call that was cut that was too dark for the show. And I'll let you guys just play around your mind with what that was.

[C]

Didn't like it.

[D]

Sorry.

[C]

Let's do some UC recommendations.

[D]

UC recommendations. Let me find that real quick.

[E]

Hi, guys. My name is Sarah and I will be attending University of Cincinnati in the fall.

[C]

Go cats.

[E]

I am heading there with my best friend for a college visit for a few days and I was wondering what spot to recommend I go to while I'm there. Thanks a lot, guys. Go, chief.

[B]

Man, it's so hard because it's changed so much.

[C]

Yeah, but what one thing hasn't changed, and that's Adriatico's.

[B]

Great point. I thought you were gonna say Uncle Woody's, which has.

[C]

Well, yeah, it kind of has changed. It's changed from the original Adriatico's, but

[B]

it is now still the same pizza.

[C]

It's delicious in a nicer establishment, but it's still the same pizza, man. God damn, that shit's good. So you can always go to Adriatico's. It's on campus. Get some pizza, get a good feel of the campus. You get to see Clifton, which has like a ridiculous amount of shit on it compared to when we were there. And yeah, get some good food. I would say if you're going there in the summer or you're going, that means you're probably not 21. Not going to recommend any bars, but Woody's is probably the best dive bar that you could. You could hit up there. What do you think, Jason?

[B]

Did she say how old she was? I missed the front end of that. Did she say.

[C]

I just assumed. I just assumed. She said she's going there in the fall.

[B]

She sounded like it was like a grad school. She sounded older, right? She didn't sound like an 18 year old. Am I like Stereotyping this.

[C]

No, you are, but I think you might be. She definitely. She sounded older, but what she said was, so I just assumed that she was younger.

[B]

Undergrad. Fair enough. Either way, if you're going bars. We were Big Uncle Woody's people. It's not owned by a different group. Like, I don't know who owns it now. It's not Lori anymore. Lori and John. I don't. Is steak and lemonade still there? I. I kind of like, would love to go get some steak and lemonade.

[C]

Oh, my God. Oh, it's. Please. Steak and lemonade. Please be there if it's. I'm looking it up right now. It has to bro.

[B]

That. That place.

[C]

Fucking crust.

[B]

Short vine has changed so much. But, like, Martinos, steak and lemonade.

[C]

Oh, Martino.

[B]

Go get you some Sparky Wings at Martinos. Or the.

[C]

One of the best steak salads, dude.

[B]

Pittsburgh steak salad. They put French fries on it. Very, very good establishment. Good family. Good family that owns it, too. I. I don't. For some reason, I feel like steak and lemonade isn't there anymore. I think, dude, they've all got pushed out because there's been so much development.

[C]

No, it hasn't. It is still up and running, baby.

[B]

Dude, we're definitely. We're over hyping it. We're over h it. I know we're not, but it's delicious.

[C]

Everybody's gonna go over there and be like, what the did they just send us to? But you are going to take one bite out of that chicken. You like fried chick, regular steak.

[B]

Oh, man.

[C]

Everything. It's got.

[B]

It's got all fried chicken, cheese, steaks, the. The you they have. But the real treat, the reason everybody went there is for that. They call them lemonades, but it's. It's basically like Kool Aid. Basically. Like, they have, like, the traditional lemonade, but they have all these different flavors.

[C]

Oh, dude. So good. I fucking love this damn place.

[B]

They have these milkshakes where they mix these, like, flavors of the lemonades in with, like, the milkshake. Do you remember this, Travis? I mean, it's unreal. It'd be like a swirl going down this milkshake.

[C]

Of course I remember this shit. I would go and get this every goddamn day.

[B]

It's. It's like a straight up fast track to diabetes, but it is. So it's not.

[C]

This is not, not what a college athlete should be eating, but it is exactly what a college athlete should be eating. It's like, it's just the perfect mixture of fucking deliciousness.

[B]

Viral fruit. Oh, that's new. Fruitcakes. I don't remember that. Do they not have the milkshakes anymore?

[C]

I've never seen those. Now they. I don't know if they.

[B]

Yeah, there they are. Dude. I used to get the strawberry. Like, they had all these flavors, but it wasn't like, a standard, like, strawberry milkshake. It, like, had, like, a swirl in it. It was whatever. The lemonades, though. Oh, the slushies.

[C]

Crack. Still crack. Can't beat it, man. So steak and lemonade for making it through.

[B]

This is hidden gem. There's also a lot of other very good brokers.

[C]

Kroger's like a goddamn. It's like, super center now. Dude, over there is crazy.

[B]

Make sure you hit up the Kroger right there on campus.

[C]

It's real nice now. It's real nice now.

[B]

Kroger has stepped up their game. You can also get some garage beers while you're at.

[C]

Anyways, what's Martino's Steak and Lemon Adriatico's. All three bangers.

[B]

The Buffalo Wild Wings. We would always go to bdubs. I'm trying to relate the specific spots. Go ahead. Sorry.

[C]

No, I can't remember what the. The hall was. The dining hall.

[B]

Oh, you're talking about stadium view. Stadium view dining hall.

[C]

No, the one that was up the hill with the cat with the chick fil a in it.

[B]

They had a chick fil A in a dining hall? Yeah. I don't remember that.

[C]

I mean, it's like the main dining hall for everybody in campus.

[B]

Oh, you're talking about. That was like, a food court. That wasn't a dining hall. It wasn't like a cafeteria. Yeah. Where the fuck was that?

[C]

Oh, it was right there in the middle of campus.

[B]

It wasn't in the building that the subway was in.

[C]

I can't remember the hall.

[B]

There was another spot that I was thinking of too.

[C]

Yeah, you can hit that subway right there in the middle of the campus, across the walkways. The cafeteria, where you can get chick fil A and stuff. You just get a good feel of the campus right there in the middle of it by the stadium.

[B]

I would recommend going down. What's that skyline called right there? I'm trying to remember. Right on campus. It's like. Right. You go down Clifton. Oh, my gosh.

[C]

The cliff started with an M. So you're talking about the street.

[B]

But there was, like, a specific name for that skyline. It was the first one ever. It's an iconic thing in Cincinnati. You'll probably hate it, to be honest with you. Like, I mean, I love skyline, but most people not from Cincinnati do not like skyline, I would say. Is it the Ludlow? The Ludlow skyline?

[C]

No, it's. What is this little area? It's still Clifton for sure. Jefferson Ave. It is.

[B]

It's Ludlow. That's. What is the Ludlow skyline for sure. That's like the first, I believe, the first skyline ever. It's like, kind of feels like you're in a diner. Like, very old school vibe. If you are 21 and you're at the bars, it's a great late hours, you know? Definitely tastes good at that point

[C]

if you're 21.

[B]

That's right, that's right, that's right, that's right. There's another good spot right down there in that Clifton area. And I'm trying to think of it. What was the. Oh, man, we're really being put to the test on our. There's also so many other spots that have popped up now that we're just not even hip to.

[C]

No, we're not hip. We're not hip to. This is all pre 2013.

[B]

Like, we're on the one side of campus forever. So it was always like, hey, it's either McDonald's, Domino's, Martino's, steak and lemonade. That was kind of what we subsisted on for

[C]

seriously three years. And then I got food stamps and

[B]

I went to crowd 5$. That's right. Well, there's our recommendations. Hope you enjoy.

[C]

Can't go wrong. Just make sure you keep your whereabouts.

[B]

Well, no, it's good now. It's good now. It's completely changed.

[C]

Yeah. All right, good call.

[B]

All right, where are we at here?

[D]

Last one. I know, it's quick. I know, I know. This one's quick. We get this one all the time, though.

[E]

Hi, this is Leo, and I was just wondering what kind of products you guys use for your beards. They are so spectacular.

[B]

Wow.

[E]

And they always seem so nicely groomed. And you guys look very nice all the time. Just wondering if y' all use anything special. Jojoba oil, shea butter, the works. Like, what's going on?

[B]

Did Leo say hubba oil? Hobo oil?

[C]

I've never heard of that.

[B]

All right, well, I don't. Trav, do you want to go? I don't.

[C]

I don't. I mean, the one thing I do to my beard consistently is I trim. I'd use the trimmer to, like, catch all the, like, the pieces that are, like, sticking out. Yeah, the Loose ends. I do that to kind of keep it a little bit more shaped and then to make sure I get the mustache line down, up top.

[B]

Love it. Love it. Yeah.

[C]

I mean, but in terms of, like, washing it and stuff, I'll just wash it with the shampoo.

[B]

I don't. The reason I have a beard is to do less maintenance. Like, I don't have a beard. You know what I mean? I didn't get a beard to be like, hey, let me tack on more shit to do to my face. Like, the reason I have this, just because I'm too lazy to fudgeing shave every day. Like, I'm not then going to go do all this other fucking shit.

[C]

Like, I thought you were, like, hiding your face. You said one time you hide.

[B]

Well, that's another perk. That's another perk for sure. I don't have to see my chin. But I think. I think it's more because I don't want to have to do anything. Like, the thought of having to shave every day is. Would drive me fucking crazy.

[C]

Yeah, dude, I'm right there with you. I think one of the bets that we do should end up being you have to shave.

[B]

Okay, well, we can do that at a later. Let me lose a little bit more weight before we do that. But I will condone that we gotta

[C]

wait on Jason to lose weight.

[B]

Let me get a little bit more tan. Let me get a little more tan. Well, it's not going to be that much. I can do that in like two weeks.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

I will say, though, it does look better when I do do stuff to it. And by me, I mean when there are wonderful hair and makeup people on set or like at the games that will put, like, beard oil.

[C]

Oh, dude. So do you know. Oh, while you use beard oil, I was wondering why you look so nice on this.

[B]

I don't.

[C]

Oh, you do.

[B]

If.

[C]

If they're putting it on you, you use it.

[B]

No, they use it. I'm a vehicle for them using it. I don't use it. I've never. I've never put it in. But they will in sometimes. I mean, some of them don't have it, but when some of them do have it, I'm like, it actually looked pretty good.

[C]

That's too funny. Well, there you go. We gotta. We gotta get that beard oil because your. Your beard is shining on tv.

[B]

There we go. Well, the problem is I will not put it in because I'm not going to take the time to do it.

[C]

But the people want to know what

[B]

you're using not using anything on the podcast for that's for damn sure. I'm assuming they're talking about this. And that wraps up another edition of the Heights Hotline. We have some more bonus content for you all in April, so stay tuned to what that might be.

[C]

Once again, New Heights is a wondry show, if you didn't know, follow the show on all social media. New Height show with one us for fun clips throughout the week, I'm sure we'll have just a few from this week's episode. And thanks to our production and crew for always looking out for us and making our job easier. And thank you to the 92 percenters for always doing tuning in, even on a special edition of High Time. See you guys.