Pod Meets World – "Guess Our DCOM Ratings"
Podcast: Pod Meets World (iHeartPodcasts)
Original Air Date: December 23, 2025
Hosts: Will and Sabrina
Special Guest: Producer Tara
Episode Overview
In this lively anniversary episode, Will and Sabrina celebrate two years of their DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movies) rewatch podcast. Instead of reviewing a new DCOM, they play a memory-testing game, trying to recall the ratings they originally gave to ten different Disney Channel classics. With help from Producer Tara, they reflect on their rankings, challenge each other's memories, and share behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the last two years of their podcast journey.
The episode is filled with nostalgia, humor, and friendly bickering, offering a fun recap for loyal listeners and newcomers alike.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Concept: DCOM Ratings Recall
- The game: Given a movie they've previously reviewed, Will and Sabrina must guess what rating they originally gave it (on each episode's unique “scale”).
- Criteria: Ratings were often based on personal enjoyment rather than direct comparison; exceptions were made for sequels.
- Will: “I watch the movie and I just give it whatever score I have in my head. I’m not trying to compare it to anything else.” (05:39)
- Producer Tara keeps score and reads their original quotes for each movie.
Segment 1: Best DCOMs Revisited
[06:36]
- Will and Sabrina attempt to remember and agree on their favorite DCOMs.
- Will: “I think I have mine. I think it’s still Miracle in Lane Two. I still thought was the best. It was just such a good movie, honestly.” (07:24)
- Sabrina: “I’m honestly gonna go with that first Descendants movie... It really did. That song! Talk about a catchy song. That sticks with you.” (07:33–07:56)
Segment 2: Ratings Guessing Game
Cheetah Girls [08:22]
- Unique scale: Bichon frises (the dog from the film).
- Sabrina guesses she gave it an 8; Will guesses similar.
- Actual: Will gave 8.5, Sabrina 7.
- Memorable moment: Sabrina underestimated her own movie, prompting laughter.
- Will: “Sabrina’s bashing her own film. All right. I love it. It’s literally your movie.” (09:32)
Luck of the Irish [10:05]
- Scale: Potato chip security guards.
- Both recall liking its comedy but not the ending.
- Actual: Will gave 5, Sabrina 5.5.
- Producer Tara: “Will, you gave it a five. You said it wasn’t your favorite... Sabrina said 5.5, quote, ‘It ended terribly.’” (11:16–11:36)
Brink! [11:46]
- Scale: Unfastened helmets.
- Sabrina recalls loving it, Will less so.
- Actual: Will gave a 5, Sabrina an 8.
- Will: “I did not... I stand by it.” (12:31)
- Sabrina: “That’s a good one.” (12:49)
Lemonade Mouth [17:19]
- Scale: Lemonade shots.
- Both recall strong music, but get their ratings wrong.
- Actual: Will 7.5, Sabrina 8.5.
- Producer Tara: “The music drove this movie and the acting was great. I loved it.” (18:38)
Johnny Tsunami [19:23]
- Scale: Hijacked military planes.
- Both recall fondly; Sabrina gives a 9, Will an 8.
- Will: “I really like this movie.” (19:59)
Minutemen [20:06]
- Scale: Principals from community.
- Both guess higher than they actually rated it.
- Actual: Both gave it a 6.
- Will: “Love the cast, but hated some of the characters.” (21:19)
- Sabrina: “It wasn’t horrible. Love the actors. Had some plot holes.” (21:19)
Cowbells [21:37]
- Scale: Expired yogurts.
- The hosts acknowledge they scored it lower than they told Allie & AJ when the actresses appeared on the podcast.
- Actual: Will 4.5, Sabrina 6.
- Will: “Too much wrong with the story. Too weird for me, but great actors.” (23:23)
- Sabrina: “Needed a little bit more. But those girls were so beyond talented.” (23:23)
Double Teamed [28:22]
- Scale: Triple Ds.
- Both critique the casting (“playing them as identical twins when they were... two completely different [people]”).
- Will gives it 5.5, Sabrina 6.
- Will: “This was not a great movie.” (30:04)
- Sabrina: “Not a great movie. This didn’t do it for me, though I remember loving it at the time. Now I want Disney to make it again.” (30:11)
Fuzzbucket [30:54]
- Scale: Tickle fits.
- They laugh about the absurdity; both give very low scores.
- Actual: Will 3.5, Sabrina 2.5.
- Producer Tara: “There is no story. It’s bad.” (31:52)
- Sabrina: “There were no answers to anything.” (32:01)
- Will: “The movie is... just an acid trip. I mean, it’s like you’re on ayahuasca.” (31:08)
Quint [33:00]
- Scale: Don Knotts cameos.
- Both disliked it, but agree Kimberly (the lead) was great and broke the fourth wall well.
- Both gave it 5.5.
- Will: “Kimberly saved this movie because she was so good. These parents were such bad parents.” (33:34)
- Sabrina: “Kimberly was great. It was so confusing. I didn’t like the freeze frames.” (33:34)
Notable Quotes & Moments
- On selective memory:
- Will: “This is why we’re doing this game. We’re remembering them to be better than they were.” (11:36)
- Sabrina: “It’s the middle ones. It’s the middle ones. Hard.” (21:37)
- On their judging process:
- Will: “I never think to myself, like, well, I gave this one a seven, so I better give this one... I watch the movie and I just give it a number.” (05:39)
- Sabrina: “Even when you’re discussing musicals... you can’t compare apples and oranges.” (06:25)
- On fuzzy DCOM logic:
- Will: “The movie is... just an acid trip. I mean, it’s like you’re on ayahuasca.” (31:08)
Timestamps by Segment
| Segment | Start Time | |----------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Intro & Recap of DCOM Anniversary | 03:21 | | Best DCOMs Discussion | 06:36 | | Cheetah Girls | 08:22 | | Luck of the Irish | 10:05 | | Brink! | 11:46 | | Lemonade Mouth | 17:19 | | Johnny Tsunami | 19:23 | | Minutemen | 20:06 | | Cowbells | 21:37 | | Double Teamed | 28:22 | | Fuzzbucket | 30:54 | | Quint | 33:00 | | Closing Thoughts and Outro | 34:06 |
Tone & Language
- Playful banter dominates as the hosts challenge each other's memories and good-naturedly argue about ratings.
- Nostalgia and self-deprecation run throughout: “I have trouble remembering my wife’s name. It’s Susan, I think.” (04:35)
- Occasional behind-the-scenes tidbits (e.g., run-ins with Disney actors, rating mishaps with celebrity guests).
Episode Conclusion
Will and Sabrina find more amusement than humiliation in their forgetful guesses, and Producer Tara’s clarifications lead to plenty of laughs. The reflection on almost 100 DCOM reviews leaves both grateful and slightly dazed by the sheer volume of quirky Disney fare they've consumed. They vow to revisit this format in the future.
“That was fun. By the way, I don't want to ask anybody out there to rate Magical Rewind on a scale of 1 to 10. I don't want to know!” – Will (33:51)
Next up: Another year, more DCOMs, and starting off with another look at "The Cheetah Girls."
For longtime fans and newcomers, this episode highlights the hosts’ honest, fun-loving approach to DCOMs, the unpredictability of nostalgia, and the endlessly debatable “correct” way to rate beloved childhood movies.