Sibling Rivalry – "The One About The Trolley Problem"

Podcast: Sibling Rivalry
Hosts: Bob the Drag Queen & Monét X Change
Release Date: December 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives into classic moral dilemmas, most notably the Trolley Problem, exploring their own moral compasses, the boundaries of loyalty, and communal decision-making. It’s filled with hilarious banter, confessionals, wild hypotheticals, personal stories, and the special combo of shade and warmth that only Bob and Monét can deliver. The episode also weaves in playful debates about onions, pets, and cosmetic choices, plus group participation in a game-inspired survival scenario.

Key Discussion Points & Segments

Podcast Opening / Listener Acknowledgments

[03:04 – 03:42]

• Bob begins with tongue-in-cheek gratitude for the show's longevity:

  “I would like to start this episode out by thanking me for doing this show with you after all these years. No matter what you’ve done, I still return because I care about you guys as a fan.” — Bob [03:04]

• Shout-out to Patreon supporters with Monét layering on the adjectives:

  “Lovely, beautiful, smart, intelligent, kind, freaky, sexy...hot patrons...” — Monét X Change [03:17]

Monét’s (Failed) Culinary Inventions

[07:07 – 08:24]

• Monét shares her new protein gimmick:

  "I put protein powder in my air conditioner. Then I just stand by and take deep breaths...it's a way to eat something that I love but a very healthy way." — Monét X Change [07:18]

• She describes a real onion ring hack: oven-baked red onions with a parmesan crust. Bob confesses onion love, but only raw or super crispy.

Onions, Wigs, and Lip Filler (Classic SR Tangents)

[04:18 – 06:32]

• Monét reminisces about her "big wigs" Drag Race era.

• Vivid shade about queens and cosmetic procedures:

  "We know some of the queens out here who pretend like they got big lips. You know, they be getting them rakakao. Some of the black queens.” — Bob [05:32]

• Debate over onion preferences leads to jabs:

  "We know you like everything white.” — Bob [09:10]
  “I like white onions too.” — Monét X Change [09:08]

Life in St. Lucia & Growing Up: Houses, Trees, and Class

[10:50 – 13:32]

• Monét explains the prevalence of fruit trees in St. Lucia and the varied living situations ("wooden houses or shacks").

• Bob describes his family’s move to a nicer house post-Drag Race win, pushing back on Monét’s depiction of the hood versus suburbia, Atlanta style.

  "A four-bedroom, multi-story house is acting like it was the projects. It was the hood." — Monét X Change [13:14]

• Heated exchange about having maids/cleaning ladies/nannies:

  “No, she was not my nanny. She was not taking care of you. She never took care of you?" — Bob [14:23] “She never took care of me.” — Monét [14:25]

Geography, History, and Bob’s (Alleged) Personality Fractions

[20:38 – 24:04]

• Joking about where Panama fits into North, Central, or South America.
• Quick history quiz on the Alamo and Mexican-American relations.
• Debate over what percentage of Bob’s personality is occupied by boyfriends, cats, gaming, and hair transplants:

  "Right now half my personality is my hair transplant." — Bob [23:51]

Airquotes and Drag Queen Impressions

[26:28 – 28:21]

• Bob and Monét squabble on the correct use of air quotes, citing everything from RuPaul to Martin Luther King.
• Bob tries to teach Monét how to use air quotes for long quotes, adding, "No girl, you’re on Lonely Island when you say that." [26:42]

The Trolley Problem & Morality Scenarios

[28:31 – 54:26]

Classic Trolley Dilemma — Save Five or Save One?

[45:40 – 46:49]

• Jacob (producer) presents the classic trolley scenario:

  “A runaway trolley is speeding down the main track toward five workers...you can divert it and only one (Andy) gets killed. What do you do?”

• Bob is quick:

  “I’m saving Andy.” — Bob [46:11]
  “Yes, I’m saving Andy. Andy’s my partner.” — Bob [46:18]

• Monét probes with deeper “employee swap” scenarios, to comic effect.

Footbridge Variant — Pushing a Stranger

[51:06 – 52:54]

• New scenario: Would you actively push a bystander to stop the trolley and save five?
• Both draw the line at direct action:

  “I’m not doing it. Cause now I’m interfering with death and I’m fucking with fate.” — Bob [51:24]
  “I’m not gonna sacrifice this person to save those five people. That’s crazy.” — Bob [51:53]

The Survival Boat Dilemma

[59:41 – 66:49]

• Lifeboat can only hold 10, but 12 survive. Who gets thrown off?

• The group (including the production team) votes — with secret ballots, alliances, and betrayed friendships.

  "Taylor, you're not gonna make it. Mary." — Bob [62:58]

• Monét on the vote:

  "We gotta perpetuate the species. We gotta advance the black folks." — Monét X Change [63:26]

• Taylor calls out Monét's shifting logic; Bob exposes the "real" social machinations:

  “I just really didn’t put that much thought into it.” — Monét X Change [65:14]
  “You just were going to kill Taylor without even thinking about it? Yeah. That’s crazy. I want to revote.” — Bob [65:20]

The Prisoner’s Dilemma (Violet Chachki’s Crown Edition)

[54:05 – 54:55]

• Jacob asks them to play the classic game theory scenario—do you snitch on your co-host to reduce your own sentence?
• Both choose loyalty, at least while the other is (supposedly) not looking.

  “I would have to. I would like to know...we did it together.” — Bob [55:40]

White Collar Crime and the Value of a Life Sentence

[56:19 – 58:44]

• Discussion of Bernie Madoff, the ethics of time served vs. the scale of the crime, and whether cushy prisons are worth the gamble.

  “If you were told that you could get $65 billion and do 10 years in jail...” — Bob

Rapid-Fire: Scenarios, Impressions, and Word Play

[53:18 – 59:21]

• Who does the best AOC impression (neither, they decide).
• Bob tries impressions from Whoopi to Joy Behar to Gilbert Gottfried.
• Stephen King's career and the breadth of his writing.
• The definition of "farce" as applied to film.

Notable Quotes

• On the Trolley Problem:

  "I'm saving Andy." — Bob [46:11]

  "I'm saving myself, bitch. What the fuck?" — Bob [47:34]

• On Friendship & Decision-Making:

  “You just were gonna kill Taylor without even thinking about it? Yeah. That’s crazy." — Bob [65:20]

• On Onions and Preferences:

  "We know you like everything white." — Bob [09:10]

• On Petty Crime Careers:

  "If I'm going to be...I want Grant Larceny. If I'm going to be—" — Monét [39:25]

• On Moral Paradox:

  “Pulling a lever is different than being, like, oops, oopsie made a poopsie.” — Bob [51:45]

• On Loyalty in Crime:

  "I'll be like, crown, we did it together." — Bob [55:43]

Timestamps of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------| | 03:04 | Bob thanks himself and the fans for the show’s longevity | | 07:07 | Monét’s protein powder “air conditioner” bit | | 10:50 | House, tree, and class debate about St. Lucia vs. Atlanta | | 20:38 | Bite-size geography/historical shade session | | 26:28 | The Airquote Debate | | 28:31 | Intro to moral dilemma talk (“How is your moral compass?”) | | 45:40 | Classic trolley dilemma scenario starts | | 51:06 | Footbridge variant—pushing a bystander | | 54:05 | Prisoner’s Dilemma (Violet’s Crown scenario) | | 59:41 | Lifeboat/fire-the-group scenario (who gets voted off?) | | 66:49 | Lotion ingredients shade-off, closing banter |

Memorable Moments

• Bob expertly roasting Monét’s shifting loyalties and catching her on inconsistencies in the lifeboat vote.
• The "protein air" and “onion ring” invention, equal parts absurd and delicious.
• The impromptu vote-out with friends and crew, leading to forced, funny rationalizations.
• Spirited debate about when it’s OK to act (pull a lever, push a person) to save lives.
• Drag-adjacent impersonations, off-topic but on-brand.
• Candor about partnerships, personal histories, and how personal relationships would totally compromise their abilities to make tough moral choices.

Tone & Flow

• Humorous, irreverent, and unfiltered—blending comedic hypotheticals, shade, confessions, and sincere moral exploration.
• Relentless back-and-forth; hosts finish each other’s sentences and jabs comfortably.
• Important scenarios are both taken seriously and hilariously undermined by personal anecdotes and comic riffing.

Conclusion

This episode of Sibling Rivalry is a chaotic, quotable journey into the gray areas of ethics, loyalty, and friendship, spiced up with the signature wit and chemistry of Bob and Monét. Whether discussing the fate of five strangers or the best onion ring recipe, the pair make every hypothetical scenario both philosophical and sidesplitting—a treat for fans who want both laughs and food for thought.