Smash Boom Best: Bermuda Triangle vs. Loch Ness

Podcast: Smash Boom Best
Episode: Bermuda Triangle vs. Loch Ness
Host: Molly Bloom
Debaters: Jed Kim (Bermuda Triangle), Sanden Totten (Loch Ness)
Judge: Isa Camargo
Date: May 17, 2018

Episode Overview

This episode of Smash Boom Best takes young listeners and their families on a globe-trotting adventure, pitting two of the world’s most mysterious and legendary locations against each other—The Bermuda Triangle and Loch Ness. Hosted by Molly Bloom, with guest judge Isa Camargo deciding the winner, debaters Jed Kim (Bermuda Triangle) and Sanden Totten (Loch Ness) use science, lore, and creative arguments to convince everyone that their side is cooler, spookier, and more deserving of fame. The competition unfolds in four rounds: Declaration of Greatness, the Micro Round, Sneak Attack, and the Final Six, with a bonus tiebreaker at the end.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction & The Stakes (00:19–04:22)

• Molly Bloom sets up the debate, introducing the two legendary locales and what makes them suitable opponents: "Which one is cooler, spookier, more mysterious? Today, we'll decide once and for all." (00:50)
• Judge Isa Camargo admits she’s totally new to both locations, making her a perfect, unbiased decision-maker.
• Each team is introduced:
  • Jed Kim for Bermuda Triangle, touting its “lovely weather—you might never want to leave, and there’s a chance you never might.” (02:29)
  • Sanden Totten for Loch Ness—“It’s misty, it’s murky... It’s probably friends with Bigfoot.” (02:51)
• Explanation of the debate format: Declaration of Greatness, Micro Round (creative challenge), Sneak Attack (surprise), Final Six (closing in six words).

2. Declaration of Greatness

Loch Ness by Sanden Totten (04:37–08:40)

• Starts with a 1500-year-old legend of St. Columba confronting the Loch Ness Monster—“This isn’t a scene from a movie... it’s from a book written 1500 years ago...” (05:16)
• Loch Ness claims:
  • Enormous: 22 miles long, deep enough for a 60-story building. (08:00)
  • Ecological marvel: “Scientists have found so many unique species nearby, they've actually dubbed it a lost world.” (07:18)
  • Unique features: radioactive elements from Chernobyl, strawberry spiders, a deep undisturbed “time capsule” of mud.
• The intrigue of Nessie, even if unproven, makes the place magical and legendary.
• Memorable quote: “Monsters and mystery. Loch Ness wins.” (27:35)

Bermuda Triangle by Jed Kim (10:21–14:09)

• Hundreds of ships and planes lost; disappearances from Columbus to modern times.
• Famous cases:
  • 1492: Columbus sees “strange lights” and compass weirdness. (10:53)
  • 1918: USS Cyclops vanishes with 300 crew—no distress call. (11:00)
  • Flight 19: “All planes close up tight. We'll have to ditch unless landfall. They were never seen again.” (11:32)
• Theories: “Disturbances in magnetic field, explosive methane gas, Atlantis, UFOs...”
• Demystifies the triangle: number of accidents is average, but the real scientific draw is the extraordinary deep sea life and climate research.
• “...the Bermuda Triangle has the name Bermuda in it. We're talking about a subtropical paradise here... You can snorkel, you can scuba dive, you can live out the rest of your life without wearing long pants.” (13:38)

3. Rebuttals & Banter

• Jed jabs at Loch Ness for being “a musty old lake in Scotland,” touts paradise and science. (13:38)
• Sanden counters: “Which would you rather see? A mysterious, beautiful lake where you might spot a monster, or a triangle where your keys might disappear?” (15:03)
• Throughout, the debaters keep it playful, roasting each other’s points—“I would also visit the Loch Ness, you know, if I were really, really sad and wanted to be even sadder.” (30:37)

4. Micro Round: “Vacation Commercials” (17:45–21:26)

• Loch Ness Commercial:
  • Urquhart Castle, record-breaking swims, mythic cruises, Nessie photo ops.
  • “If you want to make your vacation disappear, go to Bermuda. But if you want your boredom to disappear, come to lovely Loch Ness.”
• Bermuda Triangle Commercial:
  • “Sometimes you just really need to disappear...no better place to get lost than in the beautiful, sunny Bermuda Triangle.”
  • “Let your troubles crash land into our crystal clear waters. You'll never see them again.” (21:07)
  • Ends with: “It's probably fine here.”

5. Sneak Attack: Spelling Bee (22:08–26:55)

• Debaters stump each other with words from their respective sides:
  • Barbados, geomagnetism, wing-footed snail, Chernobyl, plesiosaur, peat.
• Lots of playful tension: “You have been depeated.” (26:34)

6. The Final Six (27:24–27:39)

• Each side gets six words to convince the judge:
  • Jed (Bermuda Triangle): “Enjoy Loch Ness. That mud hole.” (27:24)
  • Sanden (Loch Ness): “Monsters and mystery. Loch Ness wins.” (27:35)

7. Tiebreaker: Best Place for a Party (28:16–29:52)

• Loch Ness: “...party at Loch Ness in the castle where you're overlooking the lake...maybe the monster itself will come visit your party and show some sick dance moves...” (28:24)
• Bermuda Triangle: “...blue ocean, sandy beaches...the perfect weather...you can invite everyone. You can invite that kid you don't like, and maybe that kid will disappear.” (29:02)

8. Decision & Closing (29:52–30:45)

• Isa chooses Loch Ness as the winner after a tiebreaker: “It's a tie.” (27:57), followed by, “Okay, the winner is... Loch Ness.” (29:52)
• Lighthearted wrap-up with both sides conceding merits in the other's argument.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Jed Kim (Bermuda Triangle):

  • “The weather here is so lovely, you will never want to leave, and there’s a chance that you never might.” (02:29)
  • “Let your troubles crash land into our crystal clear waters. You'll never see them again.” (21:07)
  • “You can invite that kid you don’t like, and maybe that kid will disappear.” (29:28)

• Sanden Totten (Loch Ness):

  • “It’s misty, it’s murky...It’s probably friends with Bigfoot.” (02:51)
  • “Monsters and mystery. Loch Ness wins.” (27:35)
  • “Party at Loch Ness...maybe the monster itself will...show some sick dance moves...” (28:24)

• Isa Camargo (Judge):

  • “I'm so scared.” (08:47)
  • “Okay, the winner is... Loch Ness.” (29:52)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:19 — Host, Judge, and Debaters Intro; setting the stage
• 04:22 — Rules and format explanation
• 04:37 — Declaration of Greatness: Loch Ness
• 10:21 — Declaration of Greatness: Bermuda Triangle
• 17:45 — Micro Round (Vacation Commercials)
• 22:08 — Sneak Attack: Spelling Bee
• 27:24 — The Final Six (six-word closing arguments)
• 27:57 — Declared Tie, moving to Sudden Death
• 28:16 — Tiebreaker: Best party location arguments
• 29:52 — Decision: Loch Ness wins

Episode Tone & Style

The debate is playful, humorous, and punctuated by both real facts and fanciful legends. Friendly banter, puns (“Enjoy Loch Ness. That mud hole.”), and sound effects maintain a fun, accessible tone for family listening. The show exemplifies critical thinking with rebuttals and logical fallacy hunts (the “State of Debate” segment, omitted in this summary for brevity).

Summary Verdict

Loch Ness emerges as the winner in a super-close match that highlights the depth of both myth and science at either locale. Listeners are encouraged to cast their own vote at smashboom.org, continuing the debate beyond the episode.

Judge Isa Camargo’s final word: "Okay, the winner is... Loch Ness." (29:52)