Normal Gossip Live in Seattle with Josh Gwynn

Summary

Normal Gossip Live in Seattle with Josh Gwynn

Podcast: Normal Gossip
Host: Rachel Hampton
Guest: Josh Gwynn
Date: January 21, 2026

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Episode Overview

This lively episode of Normal Gossip brings listeners into the Moore Theater in Seattle for a live show featuring guest Josh Gwynn, audio producer and podcast host, in front of an enthusiastic crowd. The episode delivers a quintessential “Normal Gossip” story: a sprawling, delightfully absurd tale of a chaotic bachelorette weekend gone awry—including stripper house revelations, bachelorette drama, and a touch of amateur sleuthing—all recounted with the signature wit and warmth of host Rachel Hampton and guest Josh Gwynn.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Live Show Reflections & Guest Introduction

• Rachel and producer Sierra reminisce about their first live tour and why this Seattle stop was especially meaningful for Rachel (02:22).
• Introduction of guest Josh Gwynn, including a rundown of his impressive audio production career and previous connections with the host (03:36).

2. Josh Gwynn’s “Stripper House” Neighborhood Gossip (04:49–12:14)

The Story:

• Josh details moving into an idyllic Atlanta neighborhood with mainly retired neighbors.
• A nearby house falls into disrepair, is temporarily fixed up, but then mysterious new tenants arrive with a U-Haul parked for a month (05:15).
• Neighborhood suspiciously watches as police and parties abound. The climax: The house is dubbed “the stripper house” because every room has a pole, there's a bouncer, and… a taco menu? (09:27).
• The legend grows with revelations of gunshots, parties, and ultimately, neighborhood debates about the economics and etiquette of Atlanta’s apparent “stripper house epidemic” (11:23).
• Memorable Quote:
  Josh Gwynn [09:27]: "I will remember what he responds until the day I die. He goes, Ma'am, I can't tell you whether for sure they were strippers, but I could tell you they were in there working."

Notable Moments:

• Neighbors assume Josh is helping move things into the infamous house, leading to comedic misunderstandings (07:59).
• A mix of Atlanta pride and exasperation over the region’s unique real estate subculture.
• Southern shade:
  Josh Gwynn, quoting neighbor Ms. Clark [11:55]: “But the money they were saving on rent, they could have at least got their hair done. Southern shade. You can’t beat it.”

3. The Bachelorette Party Saga—The Main Gossip (15:06–78:45)

Setting the Scene (15:06–24:53)

• Story centers on Remy, a low-maintenance woman and maid of honor at her high-maintenance best friend’s heavily orchestrated bachelorette party.
• The “bride” is a hyper-organized, former sorority president, now hot librarian, set on controlling every detail—even her own will playlist (21:12).
• Josh and audience reflect on the fairness and economics of bachelorette parties, matched outfits, and “bribery funds” (24:53–32:30).

Bachelorette Party Logistics, “Bribery Fund” & Group Dynamics (24:53–34:29)

• The 12-woman party (the “dirty dozen”) involves the bride, five undergrad sorority sisters, and five grad school librarian friends.
• Price to attend: $800 each plus flight costs, not including alcohol—raising eyebrows and audience debate (27:09–28:48).
• The "bribery fund"—an additional $100 per person set aside to bribe bouncers and club staff so the party never waits in line (30:41–32:10).
  • Memorable Quote:
    Josh Gwynn [32:05]: “Who is this? Olivia Pope? What the hell is going on?”

The Party Begins: Airplane Drama & Room Assignments (34:29–42:10)

• Early tension as Remy debates the logic of paying for pre-selected airplane seats at Jesse's suggestion, only for Peyton to back out last minute, solidifying Peyton’s status as “fucking Peyton” (36:53).
  • Josh Gwynn [36:39]: “You couldn’t have texted me, girl?”
• Airbnb turns out to be a duplex with only one shower per six women, further dividing the sorority girls from the librarians and foreshadowing future chaos (41:36).

Doubling Down on Maid of Honor Duties (42:10–44:00)

• Remy is asked last minute to cook for the group after the private chef cancels, then asked to buy BYOB supplies out of her own pocket (40:44-43:44).
• Increasingly complex dietary restrictions among the guests (gluten-free, raw food, allergy consciousness, hormone-balance diets) create more headaches for Remy (44:05).

Social Interactions, Drinking Songs, and Tensions Mount (45:50–52:07)

• Group divides play out during icebreakers and bonding rituals (47:01–48:23).
  • Josh Gwynn [47:21]: “Somewhere in my reptile brain, I got scared.”
• Sorority sister Jules shines as a charismatic, multi-talented nurse/stripper/beer-shotgunning hero who ultimately becomes critical to both party morale and plot resolution.
• The drinking song “Take a shot!” is introduced to much humor and audience participation (46:09–47:01).

Chaotic Brunches, Party Buses, and the Battle of Nashville (57:34–72:00)

• Day two: The group wears coordinated outfits (Adidas Sambas and pastel shirts) to drag brunch, where messy Jessie vomits in a plant before the show even starts (60:36).
  • Josh Gwynn [61:31]: "Nobody ain't even gotten up yet."
• Tensions escalate between groups, e.g., Peyton’s snarky “Never mind” when finding herself in Remy's Uber (63:22).
• The infamous shower situation: the literal “shower Hunger Games” (64:12–64:39).
• A party bus ride involves hourly shots, a surprise fog machine, and a male stripper (“Benson Bone”) hired by Jules, featuring a fan-favorite moment where he is challenged to dance in Jules’ size 11 pleasers, creating delight and social unity (68:23).

Karaoke Disaster, Group Fracture, and the Vanishing Bribe Money (69:33–74:37)

• The karaoke bar is a madhouse; bribery fails, and most librarians peel away early—especially “fucking Peyton,” who is handed the remaining bribery cash (71:31).
• Messy Jessie rallies, but the group is further split.

Morning After, Amateur Sleuthing & Fallout (73:37–78:45)

• Jules confides in Remy that the $900 remaining bribe fund has vanished, as well as her prized silver pleasers (73:38).
• Fingers point to Peyton, but the twist: The only other woman with size 11 feet, besides Jules, is messy Jessie, who had bonded with Jules and was last seen in those shoes (78:01).
• Resolution: The bride quietly investigates, and while it’s never officially confirmed, all signs point to messy Jessie as the sticky-fingered culprit.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Atlanta’s eccentricities (stripper houses):
  Josh Gwynn [11:23]: "It’s an epidemic. Atlanta’s like the stripper capital of America. Like, bitch, go down to Magic City and have some wings."

• On bachelorette party costs:
  Josh Gwynn [28:48]: "Burn it down."

• On the “bribery fund” plan:
  Josh Gwynn [32:05]: "Who is this? Olivia Pope? What the hell is going on?"

• On karaoke etiquette:
  Josh Gwynn [69:33]: "Karaoke is for the everyday person. I can’t stand when a singing ass bitch goes to karaoke and you just got off a stage. This is for me."

• Audience Participation Highlights:

  • Multiple polling moments with glow sticks re: bachelorette party costs and group sympathies (ever the live show).
  • Heated and humorous debate about the etiquette and hardship of being a modern bridesmaid.

• The Big Reveal:
  Sierra Spragley Ricks [78:01]: "She was also missing her favorite pair of silver pleasers. Her size 11 silver pleasers. Remy told us...there’s only one other bitch on that trip with size 11 feet. Messy Jessie."

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Segment Timestamps

• Live show setup, tour reflections: 01:15–03:36
• Josh’s stripper house gossip: 04:49–12:14
• Introduce bachelorette party story: 15:06
• Cost and “bribery fund” debate: 24:53–32:10
• Plane drama & Peyton intro: 34:29–36:53
• Airbnb division & shower foreshadow: 41:00–42:10
• Maid of honor cooking & dietary restrictions: 42:45–44:05
• Drinking song & group division: 46:09–47:01
• Drag brunch vomiting: 60:36–61:31
• Party bus stripper and pleasers: 67:25–69:01
• Karaoke bust: 69:33–72:00
• Bribery fund vanishes, “whodunit” unraveling: 73:37–78:45

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Tone and Style

The episode is irreverent, gossipy, playful, and fast-paced, with strong storytelling and frequent audience interaction. The live show atmosphere adds enthusiastic energy and plenty of quick asides—especially between Rachel and Josh, whose comedic rapport carries the narrative. Their language is warm, contemporary, and full of pop culture allusions, keeping the mood light even through the pettier aspects of bachelorette- and neighborhood-level drama.

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Conclusion

Normal Gossip Live in Seattle with Josh Gwynn delivers peak entertainment—a blend of neighborhood intrigue, generational bachelorette party excess, and the classic challenge of living, loving, and plotting with strangers-turned-co-conspirators. The saga of Remy, Jules, Peyton, Messy Jessie, and the missing cash and shoes will satisfy both the gossipy and the justice-minded.

Whether drawn by the hilarious banter, the wild plot twists, or the knowing send-up of millennial social rituals, listeners will leave convinced: secondhand gossip really is stranger than fiction.

Transcript

[Rachel Hampton]

Hi Rachel. Here I want to tell you about a brand new show in the Radiotopia family, an exciting partnership with our friends at the Rock and Roll hall of Fame and fellow indie network Talk House. The show is called Music Makes Us and it is hosted by cultural icon, the legendary Kathleen Hanna, the front woman of Bikini Kill in Latigra. She sits down with revolutionary musicians like Chaka Khan, Olivia Rodrigo and Paramore's Hayley Williams to talk about the things artists to talk about, perfect lyrics, unforgettable shows, treasured artifacts, even snacks from the Rock and Roll hall of Fame, Radiotopia and Talk House Music Makes Us Out. Now wherever you listen to podcasts, you can also hear bonus episodes with Rock and Roll hall of Fame curator Shelby Morrison, who will tell us the backstory of an object from their incredible archive, such as Prince's guitar and Kate Pearson in the B52's wig.

[Josh Gwynn]

Foreign.

[Rachel Hampton]

Welcome to Normal Gossip. I'm your host, Rachel Hampton, and in.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Each episode of this podcast, we're going.

[Rachel Hampton]

To bring you an anonymous morsel of.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Gossip from the real world.

[Rachel Hampton]

Today's episode is an extra special one. If y' all can remember all the way back to September of last year. Listen, I know it's hard because the the first three weeks of this year have felt like a decade, but if you can remember all the way back to September of last year, you might.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Recall that Sierra and I went on.

[Rachel Hampton]

Our very first live tour. It was an absolutely incredible experience and we wanted to be able to share it with those of you who couldn't make it out to a show or for those beautiful souls in Austin we had to cancel on because I got sick.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

I'm so sorry, Austin.

[Rachel Hampton]

So to make it up and to give y' all a sneak peek of the next tour we go, we recorded our tour stop in Seattle, which was a real full circle moment for me because I was the guest for Kelsey stop in Seattle all the way back in 2023, back when the thought of hosting this show would have felt like an impossible dream. So I cannot say how surreal it was to be back in the Moore Theater, where in a way, it all.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Kind of started for me.

[Rachel Hampton]

This is also the point in the tour where I started getting comfortable on stage. I don't know if I've said this, my memory is not what it used to be, but I had no stage experience before I started hosting this show. I had done some talkbacks and Q&As, but the new York stop of Normal Gossip at Town hall on Broadway was my first Time being in control of a stage. So shout out to New York and Boston because I was shitting bricks the entire two first nights, but y' all really kept me going. All to say, if you have heard this tour story, it might be fun to hear it again. Not least because my guest for Seattle was none other than Josh Gwynn. You will hear more of Josh's bio on the live show audio. But way back In March of 2023, Josh had me on his incredible show Back Issue to talk about gossip. I know. I honestly forgot that we had talked about that until I went looking for.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

The episode, which is a reflection of.

[Rachel Hampton]

My memory and not how much fun I had with Josh, which y' all will hear in just a second. We will link that Back Issue episode in our show notes, but without further ado, let's jump right in. I hope you enjoy.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Hello, Seattle. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I've been waiting to say that for a long time. I was an OG Owl City fan. If you get that joke, you're too old. Woo. Our guest tonight is an audio producer, host, and creative who has created work for Pineapple Street Media, the New York Times, Netflix, Nike, Higher Ground, and more. Please welcome to the stage Josh Gwyn. Hello, Josh.

[Josh Gwynn]

Hey, how you doing?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Thank you so much for joining me.

[Josh Gwynn]

Hey, Seattle.

[Rachel Hampton]

How y' all doing?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

How are you feeling?

[Rachel Hampton]

Good.

[Josh Gwynn]

I'm here.

[Rachel Hampton]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Josh Gwynn]

I ain't got a job.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Hire Josh. I heard you have some gossip. For me.

[Josh Gwynn]

Neighborhood gossip counts, right?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Oh, certainly.

[Josh Gwynn]

So I live in Atlanta. Shout out to the A. Shout out to the A. And I live in this neighborhood that is idyllic. Like, it's. I live in Decatur, and I love where it's greater. And I love my neighbors. Like, I don't know any of their first names because next to me is Ms. Clark, and Mr. Miller lives across the street. There's someone that's closer to my age, and her name's Tara. She lives to my left. These are all really important to the story. So I move in, and there's a house. All of these neighbors are older and retired, and they have nothing to do but be in your business, which is great because nothing bad happens. So maybe like six months after I move in, there's a house that's like four houses down the road that falls into disrepair. Like, the gutters fall down. And again, everyone is unemployed, including me now. And so they all call code enforcement and they fix it up. New tenants move in, and weirdly, they have a U Haul truck in front of their house for Like, a month. And everyone in the neighborhood's like, that's weird. So one night I'm coming home late and maybe like, 11 or 12. There's cars all up and down the street and blue and red lights coming from inside the house. And I'm like, oh, that's cute. Like, they just moved in. They don't have furniture. They probably had their friend DJ a party. Like, who hasn't done that?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

That's exactly what I think.

[Josh Gwynn]

So I don't think about it maybe like a month later. My mom is extremely handy. Like, she built my crawl space door from hand. Handy Bob the Boss bitch. So I had her come for a month. I was like, there's a bunch of shit I need help with, and we need to put, like, new doors on my patio and that sort of thing. So we need to go to Lowe's. And Ms. Clark, who's my next door neighbor, was like, I want you and Tara to take over. We don't have an hoa, but we have, like, a community association where you pay, like, $25 a year and, like, get to have breakfast at her place. And she makes, like, bacon, egg, and cheeses from scratch with maple syrup, like, sauce. It's amazing.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

That is a phenomenal deal.

[Josh Gwynn]

It's great. And she can cook her butt off. But I couldn't go because I had to make an appointment to get a U Haul. So me and my mom go and get the U Haul, and she couldn't help me lift it. It was really heavy. So she's like, I see a guy over there cutting his grass. I'm gonna go pay him 10 bucks to help you move this door. And I'm like, okay. So she hops out. I pull up to my house, and I see all of these old people coming out of Ms. Clark's house towards the U Haul. And I'm like, what is going on? My neighbor Tara, the one that's closer to my age, runs across her yard, runs up to me and goes, girl, they thought you was moving stuff into the stripper house. I said, bitch, what?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

What?

[Josh Gwynn]

What is a stripper house? And she said, every room in this house has a stripper pole. They have a bouncer. It's a stripper house. I'm like, that is the most Atlanta shit I've ever heard in my life. And at first I'm like, get it how you live it? You know, like, be creative. Yeah, I get it.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

I don't yuck anybody's yum.

[Josh Gwynn]

Whatever. And she was like, no, girl. They were shooting in the stripper house. I said, y' all can't be strudin in the stripper house. I was trying to take your side. So I don't think about it for like another month. But then all of a sudden, the stripper house is turnt. I wake up from a panic dream at three in the morning. It looks like magic city outside. I was like, what the hell is going on?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Waking up from a panic dream to Magic Mike on your front door is a lie. That is a lie, right?

[Josh Gwynn]

So I wake up one morning and Tara texts me. She goes, girl, come outside. They got the strippers. So me and every other person on my block pretends to do yard work at 7am or it's like 9am on a Tuesday. All of us are out there, just.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

A little nail clipper by the lawn.

[Josh Gwynn]

She's like, girl, are we on Wisteria Lane? What's going on? They put all they shit out on the front lawn, right? So we're standing at the corner by the mailbox in. My neighbor Tara, she's like this tall. She's like waving at the officer. She's like, sir, sir. And he's like, I see you. You're in the street. I'm coming. So she goes, was it a stripper house? And I will remember what he responds until the day I die. He goes, Ma', am, I can't tell you whether for sure they were strippers, but I could tell you they were in there working. I said, what does that mean? So he's explaining that there's not only stripper poles in each room, there's a menu on the wall with the different food that they're selling. They're making tacos, bitch. I was like, I didn't get a taco.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

I bet their wings are taco fire. I bet they were fire.

[Rachel Hampton]

Yeah.

[Josh Gwynn]

So then he asked my neighbor on a date, and she's like, whatever, and leave me alone. So he calls her back the week after, and he's like, oh, where are we going to dinner? And she's like, we're not going nowhere.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Leave me alone.

[Josh Gwynn]

But also, when are they going to come get their stuff? Because it's still on the front lawn. And he was like, probably never because the lease that they gave us was fic and they had been there for a year just squatting.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Just squatting. In the stripper house?

[Josh Gwynn]

In the stripper house. And the thing is, if they hadn't been turning donuts and turning up so crazy, nobody would have said a word. So I get pissed right Because I'm like, why are y' all taking advantage of, like, you know, like, most of my neighbors are, like, older black folks that have lived there since the 70s. Like, why are y' all doing this? So I just Google Atlanta. Stripper house. It's just an epidemic.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

It's an epidemic.

[Josh Gwynn]

It's an epidemic. There's this woman who lives in, like, the north suburbs of Atlanta that's like the Bougier area. It's past Buckhead. This woman that's deployed, her house is like 3,500 square feet. They turned it into a stripper house. And I'm like, atlanta's like the stripper capital of America. Like, bitch, go down to Magic City and have some wings.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Like, what's.

[Josh Gwynn]

What's really going on?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

The money that they must be saving on rent has to be incredible. This has to be working out some way.

[Josh Gwynn]

In the end, Ms. Clark did say, my other neighbor, she was like, but the money they were saving on rent, they could have at least got their hair done. Southern shade. You can't beat it.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Josh, that was incredible. I'm going to be thinking about. I don't know if they were stripping, but they were certainly working for a long time now.

[Rachel Hampton]

Yeah.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Wow. Thank you so much.

[Josh Gwynn]

Of course.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Also, your story somehow manages to intersect with ours.

[Josh Gwynn]

What?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

I'm not gonna tell you how.

[Josh Gwynn]

Okay.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

But are you ready for some gospel?

[Josh Gwynn]

I'm ready. I'm ready. Are y' all ready?

[Rachel Hampton]

You know, my producer has recently started.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Suggesting that I might have adhd. I get very easily distracted.

[Rachel Hampton]

I have a very busy, even chaotic lifestyle. I might have something called time blindness. Basically, I'm always looking for ways to make my life easier.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

And that's why I'm so excited to.

[Rachel Hampton]

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[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

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[Rachel Hampton]

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[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

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[Rachel Hampton]

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[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Ride or die.

[Rachel Hampton]

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[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

All right, everyone buckle up, because today's story is about a bachelorette party. And not just any bachelorette party. We are talking the bachelorette party. Think mandatory matching silk robes. Think themes every single night. Think dick straws.

[Rachel Hampton]

Yeah.

[Josh Gwynn]

Yeah.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Josh, have you ever seen a bachelorette trip in the wild? You're in Atlanta, so I'm assuming.

[Josh Gwynn]

Yeah.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

How would you describe the vibe?

[Josh Gwynn]

I mean, is it one that's happening at a gay club or is it one that's happening anywhere else?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Let's go in the gay club.

[Josh Gwynn]

Obnoxious. I'm drunk.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

This song is about me.

[Josh Gwynn]

They tend to take up a lot of space, but they seem to be like, you know, good times. I love any sort of thing that goes into, like, the commitment for a themed night. Like, everyone. Especially if you've traveled. Cause, I mean, everyone packed their luggage, like, thinking and committing to the theme. So I appreciate that there is something.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

About committing to the bit that's really. Yeah, our bachelorette trip is definitely committing to a bit because it's a bachelorette weekend in the bachelorette capital of America, Vegas, Nashville.

[Josh Gwynn]

I know. I just know. I just know at some point, they got on one of those bikes where everybody's biking at the same time. Like, I gotta exercise in order to have my drink.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

What the hell, Josh? You might be psychic. And the weekend our bride has chosen for her bachelorette is none other than Memorial Day weekend. Cause everyone has off, you know, how do you feel about spending a holiday weekend at a bachelorette party?

[Josh Gwynn]

Do I like the people? Like, is this like a day one? But if it's like, I'm tangentially related, like, girl, you're not special enough to get My barbecue day.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

It's like somewhere in the middle of.

[Josh Gwynn]

Those two things, then I think it's brave.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

It is. It's a brave choice. I want to hear from y'.

[Josh Gwynn]

All.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

All of y' all have beautiful little glow sticks. I'm gonna ask you a question, and I want you to raise your bracelets in the air, depending on your answer. So if you feel really good about spending your holiday weekend at a bachelorette party, raise your glow stick. I'm seeing, like six. Six glow sticks, max. Okay, now put them down. If you feel bad about spending your holiday weekend at a bachelorette party. Racer. Okay.

[Josh Gwynn]

I'm like a Taylor Swift concert.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Seeing a lot more. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Put them down. Our friend of a friend is low key on the fence about this entire enterprise, even though she is the maid of honor. Tonight's friend of a friend is named Remy. Remy is in her late 20s. Remy is low maintenance. Like, she's the kind of girl who wouldn't even have a bachelorette party or even a wedding. She'd just have, like a big party in her backyard with all of her closest friends and call it a day. Calm takes me down. Yeah. Yeah. Are you like a big wedding proponent or are you just taking your ass to the courthouse?

[Josh Gwynn]

I love other people's weddings. Cause we're eating other people's money. I like for me. Do you remember on Netflix, there was that show where it was like house or the wedding, and they had the.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Couple marriage or mortgage, And I was like, there's only been one season and it's a crime.

[Josh Gwynn]

Yeah.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

How's the question? But then so many people chose marriage. Remy is low maintenance, but her best friend is not. And her best friend is our bride.

[Josh Gwynn]

Okay.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Who will be referred to as the bride. Remy and the bride have been friends since high school. They stayed friends through college and post grad, Remy studied pre law and she's now a lawyer for a non profit. And if we're being totally honest here, her opinions about big weddings are mostly about the fact that she can't afford one. But it's okay. Remy is laboring for love, not for profit. Anyone here have any familiarity with that? Whose retirement plan is climate collapse? But the bride went to a big state school in the South. Her major is not important. What is important is that her freshman year, the bride rushed a sorority. Omega Theta PI.

[Josh Gwynn]

Is that a real sorority?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

No, I'm not catching that kind of smoke.

[Josh Gwynn]

Okay.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

By the time the bride graduated, she was president of her school's chapter, which looked great on her Applications for grad school. Where she studied. Actually, Josh, I want to ask you, what do you think our bride studied? Big state school in the South. President of her sorority chapter. What do you think she's doing for a master's?

[Josh Gwynn]

Nursing.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Communications.

[Josh Gwynn]

Nursing.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Nursing.

[Josh Gwynn]

Yeah.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

That's a popular one.

[Josh Gwynn]

Nursing.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Do y' all have any guesses? Sociology. Okay, I've heard sociology. Communications and poli sci. And nursing, elementary. These are all such good guesses. None of them are correct. Our bride studied library and information science.

[Rachel Hampton]

Wow.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

That's right. She's a hot librarian.

[Josh Gwynn]

I love this.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

You love her?

[Josh Gwynn]

Yeah.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

You're on the bride's side. You like our hot librarian.

[Josh Gwynn]

I just love the idea that you have to like. Like what? Do you have your seminars in, like, the Dewey decimal system? Like, what. What are you learning in grad school?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah.

[Josh Gwynn]

In these classes?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah. The bride had it all planned out. She was gonna take four years to party, and then it's time to buckle down in the library. Yeah. Loki. The bride has her whole life planned out. And not just her life. Like, Remy knows, the bride is the kind of person who has had a draft of her own will ready since she was 23 because she doesn't trust anyone else in her life to plan her funeral. Like, what if they get the playlist wrong?

[Josh Gwynn]

Wait, what is on this? Daughtry. Avril Lavigne.

[Rachel Hampton]

I can do that.

[Josh Gwynn]

Wow. I was just defending her.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Just defending Daughtry.

[Josh Gwynn]

Daughtry gone to soon. It should have been. It's not over.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Knowing this about the bride. Remy knows what kind of energy the bride is going to be bringing to her bachelorette. And the bride has had a lot of time to think about her bachelorette because she was president of her chapter of Omega Theta PI. By the time she gets married in her late 20s, which is a little late if you ask her sorority sisters. Well, by the time the bride starts planning her wedding, she has already been a bridesmaid in ten weddings. Yeah, ten, one. Zero. The bride does not feel any type of way about that at all.

[Rachel Hampton]

Nuh.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Besides, the extra experience means that by the time the bride's wedding rolls around, she's already prepared. She knows the common pitfalls. She's been on unending email threads about etiquette that mostly come down to who's gonna pay for what. And our bride is a benevolent bitch. She knows some of her friends, like Remy, come from less comfortable backgrounds. So our bride takes it upon herself to plan her own bachelorette party. She books everything herself, and that way she can just divide the cost among the 11 other women invited on this trip.

[Josh Gwynn]

Wait, you said divide the cost?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah.

[Josh Gwynn]

Is that usually how it works?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah.

[Josh Gwynn]

What?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah.

[Josh Gwynn]

Why do I have to pay for your life decisions? I'm single for a reason.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Do you see any problem with this plan besides the general unfairness of bachelorette parties?

[Josh Gwynn]

Well, if that's just, like, generally how it's done, I'm not aware. But, like, if that's generally how it's done. Whatever. I like the fact that if you're a control freak and you know that you're a control freak, then control it, freak. Like, take the initiative. Don't. I can't stand somebody who expects people to read their mind.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

I know. Like, girl, speak up.

[Josh Gwynn]

Yeah. Stand up, girl.

[Rachel Hampton]

Yeah.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

The bride spoke up, and everything is already booked. Here's the invitation that Remy receives. This invitation goes out to 11 other women.

[Josh Gwynn]

Does that say here's the dealio.com?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah, it does. So this bachelorette weekend, including the Bride, will have 12 women total. Is it the dirty dozen? Is it the twelve apostles? Will there be a Judas? We're about to find out. There's Remy the bride, five girls from Remy's undergrad sorority, Omega Theta PI, and then five girls from the bride's graduate cohort who are also aspiring librarians. I have made you a beautiful graphic. Like I'm Tyra Banks and this is America's Next Top Model.

[Josh Gwynn]

Wait, I want. Okay, I want that at my funeral, but of me.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Different photos of you.

[Josh Gwynn]

No. And then I just fade out like on Tyler. America's Next Top Model. And that music plays. That's what I want.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Okay, I'm writing that down for whoever plans your funeral. But first, Sierra, is there anything I've forgotten? Maybe the money? Ooh, you're right.

[Josh Gwynn]

On that invite, it said it's going to be expensive.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

She's speaking up. How much do you think is fair to make someone pay to come to your bachelorette weekend?

[Josh Gwynn]

Thank you.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Someone in the audience said zero dollars.

[Rachel Hampton]

Yeah.

[Josh Gwynn]

Zero. I don't. I. I don't think that's, like, in this economy. Like, I don't.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Inflation.

[Josh Gwynn]

So you're telling me I just didn't know this? So if you are a bridesmaid and you go to the bachelorette party, you have to pay to go to the party.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yes.

[Josh Gwynn]

But you also have to pay for the dress.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yes. And you're dressed for the wedding and a gift. Yeah. And you're dressed for the wedding.

[Josh Gwynn]

How much do you usually. If your friend gets married, how much are you usually thinking like, you're gonna end up like a grin.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Everyone's saying a lot.

[Josh Gwynn]

And what if I don't even like him?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Usually you don't. All right, I want to. I want to ask y'. All. So raise your wrist if you think $100 is fair to ask someone to come to your bachelorette party. Okay, $100. Okay. Yeah, I'm seeing a good. I'd say, like, half. Okay, how about $300? Okay. Still seeing it.

[Josh Gwynn]

But it's also like, what are we doing?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

We'll get to that. Okay, okay, okay. $1,000. Oh, I'm seeing some glow sticks still in the air. Okay, I want to hear from the people who think $1,000 is enough money. I'm so sorry. I have, like, a lot of long distance friends, so I feel like flights kind of just cover and get you up to 1000 and then a bit for, like, a hotel. That's real. That's real. Thank you for being brave to take part in this trip. Each of the 11 women. Because the bride doesn't pay, obviously. It's just proper etiquette. Each of these 11 women must fork over. Drum roll, please. $800 does not include.

[Josh Gwynn]

Burn it down.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Okay, $800 plus one round trip flight to Nashville during Memorial Day weekend.

[Josh Gwynn]

Oh, so it's gonna be even more expensive.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

That's. Does this seem like a normal amount to you?

[Josh Gwynn]

No. It sounds like a scheme that Todd set up.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Does it change anyone's answer to know that $800 does not include any booze? Okay, okay, okay, okay. But, but, but hold on. The $800 does include the Airbnb, which is a duplex condo in downtown Nashville. All the activities for the weekend, which includes, but is not limited to, a drag brunch.

[Josh Gwynn]

See, those are the people that end up in the gay club.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

A pedal pup ride and a party bus.

[Josh Gwynn]

Of course.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

The bride has even booked a private chef for one of the evenings.

[Josh Gwynn]

But can he cook, though?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

That's not important. And the bride has promised that the only things anyone should have to pay for on the trip are a couple of mules out any Ubers. And the booze and the airfare.

[Rachel Hampton]

Do you believe her?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Okay, raise a glow stick if you believe her.

[Josh Gwynn]

Damn, it's dark in here.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Y' all don't believe women in Seattle, huh?

[Josh Gwynn]

Oh, my God.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Well, you're right not to believe this specific woman, because one thing that I would like to draw your attention to that is also not included in that upfront cost is something a little unorthodox, Something this group is calling the bribery fund. What the fuck is right? Our bride is a smart girl. She knows Nashville is a bachelorette battleground on a good day. So instead of just picking a non holiday weekend or, God forbid, a weekday, the bride comes up with the bribery fund. And it is exactly what it sounds like. Every lady, minus the bride obviously, contributes about $100 in cash. I can trust you all to do the math. And this cash will be used to grease any palms that need to be greased, because the bride will not be caught dead waiting outside any clubs. She will not be double fisting drinks to avoid the bar line, and she will not be waiting in a bathroom line. This is the bride's weekend.

[Josh Gwynn]

So wait, just so I understand. They're supposed to pool their money so that if they go to the club, they can slip the bouncer? That's what that's for.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yes.

[Josh Gwynn]

Who is this? Olivia Pope. What the hell is going on?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Do you think the bribery fund will work?

[Josh Gwynn]

Do I think it will work?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah.

[Josh Gwynn]

Yeah. People like money, and things are, you know, like, you're. It's. It's easier to get a table. It's easier to like, you know, Everyone speaks the language. I'm not paying for it, though.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

That's someone else's bride.

[Josh Gwynn]

Right.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Well, it's time to head off to Nashville. You ready?

[Josh Gwynn]

Damn. Yeah.

[Rachel Hampton]

Let's go.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Y' all ready? Day one, Saturday. This is our incredible little schedule. Everyone is arriving at various times on Saturday. Sunday is the all day party. Monday, everyone flies back. So day one and day three are traveling. So everyone's gonna get in, gonna get a little drink, gonna get a little gossip, gonna have a little dinner with the hot chef. What can he cook? We don't know. But then we're gonna go bar hopping. So, as maid of honor, Remy is flying in on the earlier side. And she's flying into Nashville on the same flight as two other girls who live in her city who are also going to this bachelorette party. Both of these girls are from the bride's grad cohort, so they are fellow librarians in training. One is named Jessie, and the other is named Peyton. I'm going to ask you all to be really judgmental. All you know about these women before you board a flight with them is their names. Whose name do you trust more? Raise a glow stick if you're on Jesse's side. This is always shocking to me. Okay, lower your glow sticks. Raise your hands if you're on Peyton's side. Fascinating. I have a question. Do you Have a question, Sierra? Yes. How are these names spelled? That's a great question, sierra. It is peyton with an e, as in p, e, y, t, o, n. Okay. And it's jesse with a y.

[Rachel Hampton]

Wow.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Does anyone want to change their answer? Well, Jesse with a Y had suggested picking seats in the same row, which meant paying extra to select their seats. And Remy hates paying extra to pick seats. But as maid of honor, Remy's entire vibe this weekend is not just team player, it is coach, it is counselor, it is confidant. Okay, so Remy's like, sure, whatever. Sounds great. Jesse picks a window seat in aisle 17, and Remy pays an extra $100 to get an aisle seat in the same row. Remy's rationale for this is that Jesse and Peyton know each other from school, so they probably want to sit next to each other, right?

[Josh Gwynn]

No.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

So this doesn't seem like good logic to you?

[Josh Gwynn]

No. We're about to be in Nashville for, like, let me get my aisle seat because I'm claustrophobic on the plane to begin with and let me sit where I'm going to sit. I'm not paying no extra money so I can sit next to you. Insert whoever into you.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

No, me specifically. Remy gets to the airport where she meets Jesse and Peyton for the first time in person. And unfortunately for Remy, both Jessie and Peyton are nondescript brunettes wearing slicked back buns and tiny tasteful gold hoops and ALU leggings. It's not until they're boarding the airplane that one of the nondescript brunettes walks right past aisle 17 and the other one is like, wait, I thought we were sitting together. Remy assumes this is Jesse, which means that it's Peyton who's like, yeah, I'm not sitting. I'm not paying extra to sit in a middle seat. I'll see you guys when we land.

[Josh Gwynn]

Thank you. Stand up.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Okay, as objective observers, we're all on Peyton's side, But if you were Remy, how would you feel?

[Josh Gwynn]

You couldn't have texted me, girl?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

You couldn't have let me know beforehand?

[Josh Gwynn]

Just let me know.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Just let me know.

[Rachel Hampton]

Yeah.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Remy is immediately annoyed by Peyton, who from this point on, we will be referring to as fucking Peyton.

[Josh Gwynn]

Peyton.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

You can maybe guess why. You'll definitely know by the end of the story. Remy can tell Jesse is also annoyed by fucking Peyton. Like, Jesse even offers her window seat to a stranger so that she and Remy can sit next to each other. They've just taken off when Jesse says, I'm sorry about Peyton, and then she sort of glances around before continuing, and Jesse is like, Honestly, I'm not surprised, though. One of the other girls told me she paid for her plane ticket with Afterpay.

[Josh Gwynn]

Oh, wait, can you do that?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah, you can buy anything on Afterpay, girl. Are you familiar with Afterpay?

[Josh Gwynn]

Klarna?

[Rachel Hampton]

All of them.

[Josh Gwynn]

I've never used them, but I just think it's interesting that you can, like, you know, anything online. You're just like, let me put it in an installment plan. It's so weird. So she's gossiping about the fact that she had to put it on layaway.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

She had to buy her plane ticket on layaway? Yeah. Yeah. For those who are unfamiliar, Afterpay is layaway. It's a buy now, pay later service. Except now instead of your Christmas presents, you can use it for Sephora. Remy, Jesse is a messy bitch, as I assume most of us are here. So she says something like, it's so easy to get caught up in that buy now, pay later stuff. Which is all it takes for Jesse to start dishing. Not just about Peyton's financial situation, but about all the other librarians, including the bride. Jesse tells Remy about all the times in grad school when they would be trying to plan, like, a cheap weekend getaway and the bride would suggest, like, Aspen or Tulum. By the time they land, Remy has mentally started referring to her seatmate as Messy Jessie. And she's also also made a mental note to not reveal any sensitive information this weekend. And Remy is also already facing her first crisis as maid of honor. You remember the private chef that the bride booked? Well, as soon as Remy lands and turns off airplane mode on her phone, she gets a series of increasingly panicked texts from the bride. The private chef has canceled. Apparently, Jojo Siwa came into town and offered a lot of money. But that's not what raises Remy's cortisol levels. In that very last text, the bride's like, I've been telling all the girls what a great chef you are. Maybe you could cook for us. To Remy, no pressure at all. You think this is a fair request to make of a maid of honor? No, I gotta pay Anne cross Cook for 12 people. No, short notice.

[Josh Gwynn]

No, y' all better. We better hit up Waffle House. Absolutely not.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Can you imagine this bride fighting in waffle house?

[Josh Gwynn]

Call JoJo Siwa. Karma's a bitch.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

You should have known better. Remy's eye starts twitching. Oh, yeah, and she hasn't even seen the Airbnb yet. Remember how I said the bride had Booked the Airbnb. She had really wanted it to be a surprise. So this is the first time all the ladies are seeing where they're staying for the weekend.

[Josh Gwynn]

Wait, didn't. So there was no group chat.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

There was an email saying everything's booked.

[Josh Gwynn]

So they're walking in sight unseen.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah. So the bride did say it was a duplex condo that she rented both sides of for the weekend, which is true.

[Josh Gwynn]

Okay.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Half the ladies will be staying on one side and half on the other. On the right side of the duplex are Remy, the bride, and all of the bride's Omega Theta PI sisters. On the left side of the duplex are messy Jessie fucking Peyton and the rest of the librarian ladies. What the bride has failed to mention is that while each side has two bathrooms, only one of those bathrooms has a shower. Do you see a problem with this layout?

[Josh Gwynn]

A couple.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah. Tell me, what problems do you see?

[Josh Gwynn]

Literally every Real Housewives Bravo trip that's ever existed on Bravo. Like, first of all, I'm kind of uncomfortable with the way that it's segregated.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

You don't like them being split up.

[Josh Gwynn]

I just think it fosters the wrong culture.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

That's real. You should be supporting integration.

[Josh Gwynn]

But, like, you know when you go to weddings and they, like, have the, like, forethought to, like, mix the tables with people that they want to meet?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

That's a good wedding.

[Josh Gwynn]

It's just like, why are you going on this trip to not talk to people? I don't know.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah, that's real. Remy also sees some problems with this layout. She's like, it's not really a question of if the one shower per six women is gonna become a problem. It's more a question of when. But that's a problem for future Remy. Cause current Remy has gotta get dinner started.

[Josh Gwynn]

Current Remy ain't gotta do shit.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Remy gets her bag situated in the room she's sharing with the bride. Someone had thankfully gotten the bride a glass of wine, so she's mellowed out. So they hug. Remy takes one of the rental cars to the nearest Whole Foods. And it's as she's walking out the door that the bride is like, wait, Remy, I thought of one more thing. The bride's like, you know how the party bus tomorrow is byob. The party bus is byob. Remy is like, no, right? And the bride's like, it would be so great if you could pick up some alcohol too. And she's like, save your seat. We can settle up later.

[Josh Gwynn]

So you know how you got. I'm like, I'm Remy. You know how you got that bribe fund?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Mm, no, you're right. Remy should have been like, let's use that.

[Josh Gwynn]

Yeah, it's now an emergency.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

The thing is, I haven't even mentioned the dietary restrictions.

[Josh Gwynn]

Oh, my God.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

When Remy had asked the group chat about any food allergies on her way to Whole Foods, she expected, like, a nut allergy, maybe a dairy intolerance, and they're definitely those. But there are also three people who are gluten free.

[Josh Gwynn]

Yeah, expected.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

One who is currently only eating raw.

[Rachel Hampton]

Food.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

One who isn't eating garlic or onions, and another one who just sends Remy a TikTok about who hormone balancing foods with a text. Like, I'm easy though.

[Josh Gwynn]

What's hormone balancing foods?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

With all of these restrictions, Remy somehow manages to come up with a Mediterranean inspired menu for the night because she knows the bride has just returned from her pre honeymoon honeymoon to ibita that.

[Josh Gwynn]

She had the money to go in.

[Rachel Hampton]

Mm.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Well, she's not paying for her bachelorette trip.

[Josh Gwynn]

Oh, yeah.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

With the help of some of the other bridesmaids, Remy manages to get this Mediterranean dinner on the table by 6.30pm let's clap for Remy.

[Josh Gwynn]

I don't know if I want to clap for Remy. I feel like an enabler. Like, girl, stand up.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah. One of the Omega Theta PI sisters does manage to slice her hand open on a vegetable peeler, of course. But luckily another sister did go to nursing school, so they stopped the bleeding pretty quickly. And Remy is like, you know what? One injury in the first six hours and we didn't have to go to the hospital. A win is a win.

[Josh Gwynn]

A win is a win.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Josh, are you someone who cares about your friends being friends?

[Josh Gwynn]

I like that. I think that's fun. Then I don't have to, like, think about who's going where. Like, you know what I mean? It's like less mental math, I guess.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The bride is kind of like this. So she suggests some icebreakers while they pre game for their night of bar.

[Josh Gwynn]

Hopping in order to get them to be friends. I don't agree with that.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Well, the brides already have three glasses of wine, which Remy knows means that the bride is at that stage where she's just looking at her friends with tears in her eyes because friendship is so beautiful. So first, the bride makes the Omega Theta PI sisters teach the librarians and Remy the Omega Theta PI drinking song. Sierra, can you teach them the song? Take a shot, Take a shot. No one drinks like omegas. Take A shot. That feels easy, right? Do y' all have it? All right, take a shot. Take a shot. Take a. Take a sea shot.

[Josh Gwynn]

There you go. I knew they had it when I heard someone say, it's not melody, it's rhythm. I'm proud of y'.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

All. Congratulations. You have been initiated into Omega Theta PI. How'd that make you feel? That little drinking song?

[Josh Gwynn]

Somewhere in my reptile brain, I got scared.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

But that's the exact vibe we wanted after learning this song. The librarians are low key, like, so y' all were in a cult. We read about that. But before this can start an argument, the bride decides to start, basically going down that list of 36 questions to fall in love with a few extra added in, like, how did you lose your virginity? Do you still think about the first person you fell in love with? What's your biggest insecurity? Things of that nature traps. Basically, it's that last question. What's your biggest insecurity that sets things off? Messy Jessie clears her throat before admitting that her biggest insecurity is her feet.

[Josh Gwynn]

I would have been like, my biggest insecurity is my likeliness to beat a bitch's ass that I don't like.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Well, you see, despite being five' five, messy Jessie has size 11ft.

[Josh Gwynn]

That's okay.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

It's her biggest lot in life. It is so hard to shop for shoes. Mean girls in high school called her sasquatch.

[Josh Gwynn]

Aw.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Messy Jessie actually starts tearing up as she recounts the trauma of once access leaving a hookup in the guy's sneakers, which look like hers and fit her perfectly.

[Josh Gwynn]

Would that mean. Did he? There's a chance he never found out.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

She's certainly not going back.

[Josh Gwynn]

How tall is she?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

5. 5. How much sympathy is welling up in your chest right now? Do you have sympathy?

[Josh Gwynn]

She should have got a soccer scholarship or something.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Use those feet for something. Our girl Remy is less than impressed. She's like, if your biggest worry in life is having size, love, and feet, I don't have too much sympathy for you. Wisely. Remy decides not to say this, but one of the bride's Omega Theta PI sisters does not speak up. Her name is Jules, and Jules is objectively Remy's favorite of the bride's other friends. She can shotgun a beer in under a minute. She's in school to be a cardiac ICU nurse. And she's a stripper.

[Josh Gwynn]

What up, neighborhood? We call that we contain multitudes.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Jules is a sorority sister that Remy put in charge of the bride fund because if the money doesn't work, then Jules almost certainly will.

[Josh Gwynn]

I know that's right.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Jules is like, I have had size 11ft since I was 12. And then she's like, I love it. Jules is like, I feel like a big, beautiful horse.

[Josh Gwynn]

Not Jules the stallion. What is going on?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Like a stallion, even.

[Josh Gwynn]

That was good.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Remy is straight, but at this moment, she's no better than a man. Okay, like it's giving a Awooga.

[Josh Gwynn]

Wait, you say it again.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Awooga.

[Josh Gwynn]

I love being where the accent is.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Remy's like, you know what? Hell yeah. But messy. Jesse goes quiet. And this is when the bride decides to say, okay, pregame's over. The bride keeps everyone up bar hopping until 2am and Remy is honestly kind of a impressed by how smoothly that first night goes. Like, by the time they get back, Remy is like, should I have bribe fun for my personal life? Because despite hitting up five bars in four hours, our ladies don't have to wait for anything. Everyone's in a great mood, everyone's laughing, and as she's dripping off to sleep that night, Remy's like, maybe there won't be any disasters this trip. Maybe it'll even be fun. Are you also feeling optimistic?

[Josh Gwynn]

No, not at all.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Sorry, hate to interrupt, but we will.

[Rachel Hampton]

Be back with more details of this.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Deranged bachelorette weekend right after the break.

[Jenna Fisher]

I'm Jenna Fisher. And I'm Angela Kinsey, and together we have the podcast Office Ladies. Just because we finished rewatching the Office does not mean we're going anywhere. Every Wednesday, we'll be sharing even more exclusive stories from the Office and our friendship with brand new guests. Plus, you can revisit all the Office Ladies rewatch episodes every Monday with new bonus tidbits before every episode. So follow and listen to Office Ladies on the free Odysee app and wherever you get your podcasts.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

One of my New Year's goals is.

[Rachel Hampton]

To spend less time thinking about my finances, and I know that actually requires me to put in some work upfront, which is why I am so excited to be partnering with Rocket Money. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so that you can grow your savings. Rocket Money can track your subscriptions, and it has the ability to cancel within the app with a few taps, which is incredible for me because I know that if something is not easy, I simply won't do it. And Rocket Money makes things so easy. Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. [e-mail] Gossip that's RocketMoney.com Gossip RocketMoney.com Gossip I hear this is the time of year where people are making resolutions. I personally do not believe in resolutions. They scare me. They feel like a lot of pressure and I do that to myself enough. I usually make goals or I guess intentions. And one of my goals, slash intentions this year is to finally finish moving into my apartment. Yes, I did move in over a year and a half ago, but moving in New York is expensive, which means that I moved in and was like, okay, cool. Furniture is for later and later is now. Which is why I am so excited to be partnering with Wayfair. That is the website I go to as soon as I start looking at a little corner of my apartment and thinking that needs to be upgraded. I actually just put together this beautiful, beautiful wooden bathroom organizer. It has these magnetic doors that open and close. It looks so good in my space. And every time I go into my bathroom I get happy because all of my things are put away. Get organized, refreshed and back on track this new year for way less head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. That's W A y f a ir.com wayfair every style every Home I didn't realize how much a mattress could change my nights until I switched to my Leesa.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

I got the Sapira Chill Hybrid.

[Rachel Hampton]

It has this incredibly soft, upscale feel that genuinely makes me look forward to bedtime every day. I'm thinking about the hour that I get to return to my bed.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

I love her so much.

[Rachel Hampton]

I actually recently messed up my back.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Doing Lord knows what.

[Rachel Hampton]

Being old, I guess, and I think the Leesa is what helped me recover so fast. Leesa has a lineup of beautifully crafted mattresses tailored to how you sleep. Each mattress is designed with specific sleep positions and feel preferences in mind. Leesa has been tested and awarded best hybrid mattress by New York Times Wirecutter and exclusively featured by West Elm as their Go to mattress partner. Go to leesa.com for 25% off mattresses plus get an extra doll Code Gossip exclusive for my listeners. That's L EE E S a.com promo code gossip for 25% off mattresses plus an extra $50 off support our show and let them know we sent you after checkout Lisa.com promo code gossip y', all, I have to tell you about these leggings I have that I absolutely love. We all know the worst thing about leggings is when they slide down your legs as you're moving and you're just stuck pulling them up all day long. Nothing drives me crazier, which is why I love the leggings I got from Quint's. They don't ride down, they are very thick, they are very flattering and they come in so many different colors. I got this really gorgeous midnight blue that I am obsessed with, so much.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

So that I feel like I need.

[Rachel Hampton]

To buy more in that exact same color. Quint's has all the staples covered from soft Mongolian cashmere sweaters that feel like designer pieces without the markup to 100% silk tops and skirts for easy dressing up to perfectly cut denim for everyday wear. Their wardrobe essentials are crafted to last season after season. Refresh your wardrobe with Quint's. Don't wait. Go to quints.com gossip for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too, that is Q-U-I-N-C-E.com gossip to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quints.com gossip.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Day two Sunday how do you feel about matching outfits?

[Josh Gwynn]

Are you providing them?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

There's a link to buy them.

[Josh Gwynn]

Girl, do I like it? Like is it cute? I prefer. I prefer you to tell me a color and me bring what I'm going to think, tell you that green is giving and then all of us can look like a Solange picture. You know what I mean?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

I like that in our own individual way. Yeah, well if there's anything I know about a reformed sorority girl is that they love a matching outfit. Remy is like honestly, librarians aren't wrong. It is low key giving cult. But it's the bride's weekend. So Remy puts on her denim shorts and her pastel pink T shirt that says the Bride's Last ride and her Adidas Sambas. Because yes, the bride did specifically request they all purchase Adidas Sambas if they didn't already own them. Everyone looks like middle schoolers except for Jules. Remember, Remy is straight mostly, but she can't help noticing that even in the dumb matching outfit, Jules somehow manages to look like a 90s era video vixen. Oh, Jules also has a special job that morning. She has been tasked with handing out $10 in singles to everyone to tip the queens at the drag brunch. So that morning she is running around with not just one but two envelopes of cash. Actually appreciate that, the singles and the bribery fund. Luckily the bribery fund is not necessary for drag brunch because the bride booked the reservation a whole 10 months ago. So as soon as they show up, they're shown to the best table in the house, which is right in front of the stage. They sit down, and the bride immediately demands that everyone take a shot, which, of course, means they gotta sing the song. Sisters, are you ready? Take a shot. Take shot. If you were at a drag brunch and you heard that, how would you react?

[Josh Gwynn]

They found us. Yikes. So, wait, so they're like, among the people?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah.

[Josh Gwynn]

That's homophobic.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah. I have a feeling the drag performers are wishing for the sweet release of death at this point, not least because our girls are only about a pitcher and a half of mimosas in. And this. This brunch is bottomless. Right? As the first drag queen takes to the stage, Messy Jessie gets up from the table. Josh, if you have to describe how someone's face looks right before they vomit, how would you.

[Josh Gwynn]

Actually, kind of funny, you know, they get that look where it's like, I don't know what's happening, Girl, we all know what's happening. Go to the bathroom.

[Rachel Hampton]

Yeah.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

You just described Messy Jessie's face. Apparently, Messy Jessie had been in an Uber with some of the bride's Omega Theta PI sisters, who wanted to make sure that she felt welcome in their car. They had all heard about her foot trauma the night before, and they were like, this girl clearly needs sisterhood. So they shared. They flossed her with her. What they had not accounted for was the fact that Messy Jessie has spent most of her evenings over the past few years learning about the Dewey Decimal system, not how to hold her shots. So before the first drag queen even takes to the stage, Messy Jessie wobbles away from the table and throws up right into a potted plant right by the stage.

[Josh Gwynn]

Nobody ain't even gotten up yet.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Okay, drag brunch has not even started, and we're already down one librarian and. And a monstera plant. What do you do?

[Josh Gwynn]

What do I do?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

What do you do? Someone has said, take a shot.

[Josh Gwynn]

I do.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah.

[Josh Gwynn]

Two of them need to take one of them back home, put them in bed, and come back.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah. Jules, a baddie with a heart of gold, immediately gets up to help hustle Jesse to the bathroom. Meanwhile, literally none of Jesse's grad school friends even get up from their seats like Remy's. Honestly, pretty sure she even saw fucking Peyton. Rolling her eyes, the manager of the restaurant tells Remy that for health reasons, Jesse cannot stay for the show. Which means Jules and Jesse missed the drag show. But a little vomit Never stopped the party. Immediately after drag brunch, our girls have to run across town to catch their pedal puff. Exercising and drinking at the same time does not sound like my jam. This is also the moment in our story when the divide between the groups really starts to come out. Remy ends up in the very backseat of an Uber XL with a bunch of little librarians. This car includes Bucking Peyton. When they get in a car, Bucking Peyton says, oh, good, all the cool people are in this car. But then she turns and sees Remy way in the back. And before Remy can even say anything, fucking Peyton rolls her eyes and says, never mind. Oh, never mind. How would you react to this.

[Josh Gwynn]

If I were Remy?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

If you were Remy?

[Josh Gwynn]

I don't know. It's hard for me to put myself inside a room. Cause that bitch cooked everybody dinner. I know she probably just stood there and acted like she couldn't hear.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Remy does decide that the Ian Peyton stands for enemy.

[Josh Gwynn]

Okay?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

But Remy is also like, this weekend isn't the last time I'm gonna see any of these women. And she's like, I just want to make sure the bride is having the best weekend possible. So I'm just gonna kind of like grit my teeth and bear it. So they hang out on Broadway. They head back to the Airbnb to start getting ready for evening activities. And this is the moment Remy remembers the shower situation, which, if you will recall, is one shower per six women in this house. The shower. Hunger Games.

[Josh Gwynn]

Yeah.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Have begun. At this point, Remy is thinking about her own beautiful home, the way soldiers at war think of their wives. But Remy's not just any soldier in this war. She's a general. She's got to rally the troops. It's the bride's last ride. Goddammit. And so Remy rallies beautifully. She listens to Rachel Platten's fight song in the humid bathroom.

[Josh Gwynn]

This is my fight song. Yeah.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

She gets dressed. The nice theme is disco. Remy, along with the bride and her sorority sisters, go all out. Everyone is wearing bright sparkly outfits and shiny mirror.

[Josh Gwynn]

You mean all out. You mean bought something new?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yes.

[Josh Gwynn]

Okay. I'm not doing that, though.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah, yeah. Jules even has on these incredible silver pleasers that make her look 10ft tall. And for those who are unfamiliar, these are pleasers.

[Josh Gwynn]

I didn't see that one coming. That was dope.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

It's my favorite part of the show. Jewelry walks in her pleasers like they're Adidas sambas, which Remy, a well known bisexual, can't help but notice. Remy also can't help but notice that half the librarians do the absolute minimum. Like, fucking Peyton is wearing a silver belt on a black dress. And honestly, the belt is kind of ugly. But fucking Peyton's ugly belt is overshadowed by the return of messy Jessie. She's rallied and she's wearing the sparkliest pair of pants Remy has ever seen in her entire life. She's also really bonded with Jules in the interim. Like before they get onto the party bus, Remy sees messy Jessie teetering around in Jules size 11 pleasers. She looks like a freshly born giraffe, but she's also clearly having the time of her life. Sisterhood.

[Rachel Hampton]

Mm.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

What are your opinions on party buses?

[Josh Gwynn]

In the right context, it could be fun.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah.

[Josh Gwynn]

And they've provided for some of the best reality television.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Our ladies have the party bus for two whole hours. Every half hour, everyone is required to take a shot.

[Josh Gwynn]

I don't think we're at that point point right now, bro. I think we need to calm down.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

What that means is that by 9pm the party bus driver has already heard the drinking song twice. And there is a whole hour left. But before vehicular manslaughter can be committed, the bus stops in a random part of Nashville.

[Josh Gwynn]

Is the FBI coming?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

The lights on the bus turn down low. The bride is looking around like, what the fuck? As are half the ladies. One of the omegas squeals. Jules grins. And this is the moment when everyone finds out the party bus has a fog machine. The door to the bus opens. Sierra, can I get some music? Onto the bus walks the hottest man Remy has ever seen. His chaps are certainly the most assless she has ever seen. I heard someone's taking their last ride tonight. He says his name is Benson Bone.

[Josh Gwynn]

Oh, God.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

And he's ready to get this rodeo started. Some of you might have guessed this is Jewel's doing. She is the only one on this trip qualified to hire a stripper. Vincent Bone takes after his namesake. He's flippin'. Our ladies are tippin'. Our man is a professional. Though no brides are harmed in the course the of of his show. He does his routine and then Jules is like, now try that in my shoes.

[Josh Gwynn]

The pleasers.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

The pleasers.

[Josh Gwynn]

Oh, because she wears a big size shoe.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Benson Bowen is not one to turn down a challenge. So our ladies get two shows for the price of one. When it's time to say goodbye, Benson returns the silver pleasers. But he leaves with some new tricks. And Jules number Remy isn't jealous at all. Josh, how seriously do you take Karaoke.

[Josh Gwynn]

Karaoke is for the layman. Karaoke is for the everyday person. I can't stand when a singing ass bitch goes to karaoke and you just got off a stage. If you know like, if you know like the harmony and like, this is not for you. No, this is for me.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Yeah. This is for the tone deaf bitches in the road.

[Rachel Hampton]

Me.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Correct. The bride takes karaoke really fucking seriously. She can't sing, but she does take it really fucking seriously.

[Josh Gwynn]

That's fair.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

She has scouted out the most famous karaoke bar in Nashville. She has made everyone learn choreo to single ladies. And by choreo, I mean like a shoulder shimmy. Except there's just one little problem at this bar. The emcee sings a song between everyone else's. So if the line is 10 people deep, it's actually more like 20. And the karaoke bar is packed because it is Sunday on Memorial Day weekend and no one has work tomorrow. Jules is deployed from the bus, but when she comes back, she does not look victorious. She tells him that the emcee is a dictator. He will not be bribed, he will not be skipping any of his songs, and he will be singing Celine Dion's It's All Coming Back to Me now at least twice, even though it is eight minutes long. He tells Jules that there are 30 people ahead of the bride's party. Around one in the morning, fucking Peyton finally gets fed up. Fucking Peyton is like, I'm sorry, but I have an early flight tomorrow. And the librarians start like, mummering in agreement. And in the end, all of the librarians, except messy Jesse, decide to leave and go back to the Airbnb. Remy's honestly pretty relieved because the girls who are leaving are objectively the ones who suck the most. And Jules gets fucking Peyton the remaining bribery fund to take home since they no longer need it. And Remy could tell Jules was getting a little stressed about having hundreds of dollars on her person at 1 in the morning. Because Remy actually finds it really easy to pick up on Jules emotion. Because they're so similar, you know, they're gonna be really good friends after this. Remy just knows it. But when fucking Peyton leaves, the bride turns to Remy and she has the drunk watery eyes of a girl in a club bathroom. And she's like, should we call it? Finally, half an hour before the bar closes, our girls are called up to sing. It's 2:30 in the morning, but our ladies bring the house down okay. Their performance as single ladies is so good that the bartender even gives Them free tequila shots for the road. And this is when Jessie pukes again. Yeah, poor, messy Jessie. But now it's day three. Monday. Half the girls have already left Nashville on early flights by the time Remy wakes up. Which is great, because someone threw up in the shower on the librarian's side. Who could it be? We could never guess. So now they're down to one shower total. And for the whole morning, the librarians are coming in and out of both sides of the duplex. Jules and Remy are cleaning up their half of the Airbnb while the bride takes a shower. The Airbnb owner has asked the girls to run the dishwasher, sweep the kitchen, strip the used beds of all the sheets, start a load of laundry, take out the trash and recycling, and leave a tip for the housekeeper. But honestly, Remy is just thrilled to get some time alone with Jules, who looks incredible in the morning by the way. They're chatting about the weekend when Jules sort of looks around to make sure they're alone. And then she's like, remy, you seem really cool. Can I ask you for some advice?

[Josh Gwynn]

Okay.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Remy is like, what advice could Jules possibly need? She's perfect. Remy's like, yeah, of course. You can ask me anything. Jules takes a deep breath. And then she's like, I think someone stole the bribe money. Jules is like, I'm not sure whether to tell the bride or not. And Jules is also like, I'm also not entirely sure when the money went missing. Like, she is pretty sure she had seen it on top of her makeup bag when they got back to the Airbnb after karaoke.

[Josh Gwynn]

You said somebody stole it. You're saying right now what you're describing is you losing it. That's different.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Remy's like, how much was left in the envelope? And this is when Jules admits that besides that first night out bar hopping, she actually hadn't spent a whole lot of the bribery fund. Cause the bride had done such a good job of booking everything. So the Envelope had about $900 in it.

[Josh Gwynn]

That's why I don't carry cash.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Remy immediately goes investigation mode. She would do anything for Jules, right? Remy's like, did any of the Omega Theta PI sisters see it? And Jules is like, I already asked my sisters. She's like, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't steal from me. Or at least like, they tell me if they did, one of them has a skirt from, like, three years ago that I'm still trying to get back, but whatever. And this is when Jules is like, I don't want to be messed up, messy, but the librarians were using our bathroom this morning because their shower was clogged. And the last time I saw was on my makeup bag when I got back from karaoke. We're almost at the end of our story. Who do you think stole the money? Hearing a lot of fucking painting. Is that your answer?

[Josh Gwynn]

My brain, like, the pattern matching. Like, I'm thinking it's Peyton. I feel bad for thinking it's Peyton because the evidence is from someone like a source that I don't like.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Remy is like, do not tell the bride yet. She's like, remember?

[Josh Gwynn]

It seems like she'd be annoying if she knew. No.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

And also, they still have a whole wedding to get through with this group of women. And so this is what Jules does, which means Remy doesn't hear anything about the money for months. Like, the bridal shower comes and goes nothing. Wedding comes and goes nothing. The wedding actually goes surprisingly smoothly. Like, Remy learns that one of the librarians started a book club with some of the Omega Theta PI ladies where they all read Monster Smut. But it's not until almost a whole year later that Remy finally learns more about the theft. Y' all can buy these books, by the way. They are real.

[Josh Gwynn]

We know. She said we know.

[Rachel Hampton]

We know.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Well, Josh, do you want to know what happened?

[Josh Gwynn]

Yeah.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Do y' all wanna know what happened? Remy visits the bride for a long weekend. It's actually Memorial Day weekend, so it's. So it's literally been exactly a year since the Nashville trip. Yeah. Yeah. They're catching up. They're chatting about the last year, the wedding, the honeymoon, the pre honeymoon honeymoon. When finally, the conversation turns to the bachelorette trip. At this point, Remy does not even know whether or not the bride knows about the missing money. And so she's like. I think the easiest way to bring this up is to be like, man, Jules was a lifesaver on that trip. It was such a good idea to put her in charge of the bribery fund. Jules is so good at everything.

[Josh Gwynn]

Smooth.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

And this is when the bride is like, yeah, except for keeping a secret. Jules apparently had not been able to live with the idea of the bride having a thief in her wedding party. And so she had told the bride about the missing money. A few weeks before the wedding, the bride says that she asked everyone on the trip about the money, just to be fair. And the Omega Theta PI sister told the bride the exact same thing they told Jules. Meanwhile, the librarians are all like, yeah, we saw Jules give the money to Peyton when she left karaoke. Remy's like, fucking Peyton. The bride's like, yeah, I thought it was her too until Jules told me about the pleasers.

[Josh Gwynn]

What about the pleasers?

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Remy's like, the pleasers, Jules pleasers. The bride's like, yeah. Apparently when Jules got home from the trip and unpacked her stuff, it wasn't just the bribery fund that was missing. She was also missing her favorite pair of silver pleasers. Her size 11 silver pleasers. Remy told us, while it has never officially been confirmed who took the money and the shoes, I clearly have my assumptions because there's only one other bitch on that trip with size 11ft. Messy. Jesse. Thank you for listening to Normal Gossip. If you have a gossip story to.

[Rachel Hampton]

Share with us, email us@normal gossip defector.com or you can leave us a voicemail at 2679-gossip. If you love this podcast and want to support us, become a friend or a friend of a [e-mail] you can follow the show on Instagram and TikTok. Normalgossip. You can follow me on all social media. Eydanae H E Y Y D N A E this podcast was produced by.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Sierra Spragley Ricks and Jay Tolviera.

[Rachel Hampton]

Our audio engineer is Samantha Gatzic. The co creators and dowager queens of Normal gossip are Kelsey McKinney and defector.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Supervising producer Alex Sujong Laughlin.

[Rachel Hampton]

Justin Ellis is Defectors projects editor Jasper Wang and Sean Kuhn our defectors business disguise. Tom Le is our editor in chief. Dan McQuaid runs our merch store which you can find at normalgossip store. Tara Jacoby designed our show art. Thank you to Brandi Jensen, David Ra, Katherine Shue, Serena Embler, Chris Thompson, Dave McKenna, Patrick Redford and Ray Rato for.

[Sierra Spragley Ricks]

Your help on this season. Thank you to the rest of the Defector staff.

[Rachel Hampton]

Defector Media is a collectively owned subscriber based media company. Normal Gossip is a proud member of Radiotopia. I'm your host Rachel Hampton and remember you didn't hear this from me.

[Josh Gwynn]

Radiotopia.

[Rachel Hampton]

From PRX.