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Ryan Seacrest
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Stavros Halkias
Welcome, everybody, to Stavi's World. 800, 904. 800. Stop. We've been doing so many of these. You think I know by now? Elders, you should know to have the number on the screen, man, don't give me the blank Google screen.
Eldis
We never have it up.
Stavros Halkias
Yes, we do. You always go to the. The. The recording. The voice. See? Watch. All right, look. What's over there?
Eldis
All right.
Stavros Halkias
Yes. Apologize.
Eldis
Sorry. Sorry, Mandel.
Stavros Halkias
All right, I'll let it slide. Even though you were not very. You didn't really mean it. That was not. There's not a hint of sincerity in your voice. We have our boy Mandel back on the program. What's up, dude?
Mandel
Than. Honestly, thank you for having me back.
Stavros Halkias
Absolutely. Looking awesome.
Mandel
This is a big boost, man. Shorts, shorts, high socks.
Stavros Halkias
Yep.
Mandel
Huge fans of the program, man. They love the program. Absolutely. Dude, I. We was talking about it before we started, but like, when I had talked about the. That white dude who's getting beat up, man, they really got upset about that.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, sure.
Mandel
Here's the issue I had with the. With the.
Stavros Halkias
With the outrage. Get right to it, man.
Mandel
It was a bunch of comments like.
Stavros Halkias
And I love the hat, by the way. You're styling on him right now.
Mandel
Dude, man. Hey. Winning. Wrong. When you. When you r. Fashion, you do fashion things.
Stavros Halkias
That's right, dude. New York has gotten to you, bro.
Mandel
Bro, I ain't going to lie. I ain't going to lie. I hate it here, bro.
Stavros Halkias
It's not. It's not a fat friendly city, I'll tell you that, bro. It's not a fat. There's a huge, huge learning curve as a fat man here for sure.
Mandel
And I think that's what it. It's two things that. And. And I am impoverished.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tough. I remember being a fat, poor man here. It sucks, bro.
Mandel
Okay, no joke. So I. I told a friend of mine. I'm like, hey, I need to get a hoodie.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
And I hate people's Answers to questions here, cuz. I'm like, man, you know I can get a hoodie. You ask where I can get a hoodie in New York and then they say something stupid like just go between 1 21st and 7th and go to Flim Flam's fabric shop and order a number three. And it's like, hey, man, he don't got big daddy sizes.
Stavros Halkias
Of course. Where's dxl?
Mandel
I'm like, where the Walmart at?
Stavros Halkias
They like, oh yeah, that's tough.
Mandel
You don't need. I'm like, bro, I'm trying to get.
Stavros Halkias
A. I don't know there. If there is, where's the closest?
Mandel
New Jersey.
Stavros Halkias
Jersey? Yeah, yeah, but they like Long Island.
Mandel
This city not built. Built for big people.
Stavros Halkias
No, cuz there's a dxl, but it's in the middle of, it's in the middle of Manhattan and the prices are outrageous.
Mandel
Come on, man.
Stavros Halkias
That's the richest thing I do is go to DXL and not worry about the tag anymore, bro. You can literally. It is more expensive to be a fat man than to take like a sexy woman shopping. Like, I went and got ready for the phone. I swear to God, the price tag was outrageous, dude.
Mandel
And see, that's the thing.
Stavros Halkias
I bought like four articles of clothing. We're talking about close to like $700 or some.
Mandel
And I think they going China with it. Where like the xls and the two xls are smaller.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
Than the ones back home.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
I, I, I, oh, you mean in.
Stavros Halkias
New York, you think we're dealing with coastal. With coastal sizing, the sizes are smaller, bro. Here, apps. If you don't go to dxl, dxl, I'll give them credit, they might overcharge you. It's the same thing in Tuscaloosa, Alabama as it is as it is in New York City. But yes, absolutely. You go to a regular store here and you get a 2X and you're like, oh wow, I can't believe this like little FR fashion brand for gay guys has two X's. And you try it fits one of your tits maximum.
Mandel
Cuz what in a brain? Extra large means tall. They making fabric longer, not stretching forward.
Stavros Halkias
You know, they don't want you there. That is true. Fashion brands don't want fat people in their store. It's a bad look for them, bro.
Mandel
They let you that. You go to a restaurant, they say, man, it's a little spot over. And they mean literally and figuratively, man. Yeah, they using every crevice restaurant.
Stavros Halkias
Restaurant seating is very tough here. You get very narrow shotgun style, homes. That's like a bistro. It's tough.
Mandel
People be trying to trick you here too. They be like. Cuz the rent so high and then they be like. But you don't understand, man. The culture, it's like, hey bro, I picked mine already.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
I think black people the best.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, sure, I'm cool. It's fun.
Mandel
They'll be like, they'll be like, man, you gotta go try the. This is place with Kazakhstan hot dogs. You like that ain't worth a thousand more dollars, bro. That John sick. Yeah. And I'ma say this, it's real satanic. My bad. Am I talking?
Stavros Halkias
No, no, no. I love this.
Mandel
You're not talking to the real satanic. They got them Ubers on them bicycles. That Uber eats on the bicycle.
Stavros Halkias
Bicycle.
Mandel
Yeah. I'm not, I'm not paying for it.
Stavros Halkias
You want your food coming in a car.
Mandel
Don't get all that wind on my phone.
Stavros Halkias
You want four doors and, and rolled up windows and you're ordering a taquito or something.
Mandel
Trying to cool it off before it get to me. I want to blow on it myself. Don't pre. Cool it off.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah. So what? Even you've, you've had nothing but bad bicycle experiences, bro.
Mandel
I'm just saying, bro, don't cool it off. Don't come in breathing hard.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah. Really? You don't want them breathing hard either.
Mandel
I think they should do it like the Uber shares. Like if you, if I'm, if you know, you bringing a bicycle to me, it's got to be cheap, you know what I'm saying? A little cheaper because it, it went through rocky road.
Stavros Halkias
It has. That's a good point. You're with me because the wind and the cooling, even though I get it, I do think you're using some country logic here because they do have, they do have oven bags to keep it war. Now the bounce though, you're onto something there because the, the roads are not meant for these bicycles. And I have gotten some jumbled food.
Mandel
But you know, the spaghetti go get mixed in before you get to you.
Stavros Halkias
Would you, would you, would you spend extra to get to ensure it's delivered by car.
Mandel
And see, that's the trick of the devil, what you just said. It needs to be cheaper to be on the bike.
Stavros Halkias
Right? You're right.
Mandel
Everywhere else they in the car.
Stavros Halkias
Right, Right, right, right, right.
Mandel
You get what I'm saying?
Stavros Halkias
Sure.
Mandel
So if you go, come in on the bike, I need to be like. They go to discount. Just, like, if I get in the car, if I do the Uber share.
Stavros Halkias
Sure, sure, sure.
Mandel
That's what I think.
Stavros Halkias
Hey, man, that's interesting. I would say the expediency of the bike. I'll take a jumbled. I'll take a jumbled thing because it gets there faster, the traffic, all this other stuff. Yeah.
Mandel
Really?
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. You can. You can zoom through the streets in the bike.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
You know, but I get it.
Mandel
That's the thing, too. Like, I don't know how to get around out here either, man.
Stavros Halkias
It's brutal.
Mandel
That train stuff, that's for. That.
Stavros Halkias
I've gotten lost.
Mandel
That's for the cerebral mind. You get what I'm saying?
Stavros Halkias
Sure.
Mandel
And then that Uber's so expensive.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. It's a lot of walking. It's a lot of long train rides.
Mandel
When you first get here, they say the Uber. You go on uber, it's like three miles. And he talking about $40, man. I'm like, bro, you tricking me.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah. Well, what are you gonna do? He's got you by the balls, you.
Mandel
Know what I'm saying?
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
I'd have been late. So what's your.
Stavros Halkias
What's your ideal location? You're from Atlanta, right?
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
You want to stay in Atlanta now?
Mandel
I'm about to move.
Stavros Halkias
You are gonna move?
Mandel
I'm about to move right now. I'm moving in March.
Stavros Halkias
You move? I'm gonna guess la.
Mandel
I'm going to Las Vegas, man.
Stavros Halkias
It's cars. I'm going like cars. More space. Transition. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
I get into the vehicle, I go to the place, bruh. You know what I'm saying?
Stavros Halkias
You can handle that. Your mind doesn't handle that.
Mandel
I can wrap my mind around that. I can't wrap my mind around ceiling break dancing. And.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
I ain't gonna lie. We was in a spot yesterday, and Peter Guns was in there rapping his version of Uptown of a live band. And I said, this hard.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, there you go. There's a little something for you.
Mandel
That was hard. Yeah, I mean, it's angle. It's cool stuff out here.
Stavros Halkias
Sure.
Mandel
I'm just. I'm just not equipped with the brain powerful.
Stavros Halkias
You think it's the brain power? I think it's more a physical problem.
Mandel
Okay.
Stavros Halkias
Than a mental one. It might be, because I do think. I do think. If you don't love it, being fat as here. Atrocious. Atrocious. And I'm. I've gotten fatter And I still was pretty fat when I moved. I moved here nine years ago. I was probably 50 pounds lighter.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
Still pretty fat. But to be. To be as fat as I am now. No disrespect.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
And be poor. No disrespect. Have to move here now. I'd probably kill myself. Yeah, I'd probably kill myself.
Mandel
But here's the thing. Because. Yeah, because you got the disposable income. But, you know, I'm about to do.
Stavros Halkias
Man, hit me with it.
Mandel
I'm about to. I'm about to let them folk cut me open. Pour that old zip it right in there.
Stavros Halkias
You want it directly in. You want to get marinated like a skirt steak, boy.
Mandel
What?
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm putting.
Mandel
I'm mixing it in the water like crystal light. Shake it up once I.
Stavros Halkias
You're ready to go once you move.
Mandel
To la, man, I'm about. Give me two loads of.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
I want them to measure my junk in loads.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
I come in with that cheetah print on. That's my first step. I get slim on, y'all.
Stavros Halkias
Cheetah printer print, head to toe, all.
Mandel
The way to the ground.
Stavros Halkias
Love that.
Mandel
They go like, boy.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah.
Mandel
He, he. You know what I'm saying? He done. You know what I'm saying?
Stavros Halkias
And you wouldn't be scared that you go from Atlanta to la, get skinny, put cheetah print. You wouldn't be scared of getting the gay Illuminati allegations back home.
Mandel
Okay.
Stavros Halkias
You know, because you would get hit with that immediately.
Mandel
Okay. You know something so funny about that, bro.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, Ye.
Mandel
Has been like, so, you know, this year has been the first year. I probably had, like, a little visibility.
Stavros Halkias
Sure, sure. Yeah, yeah.
Mandel
Like, comics always knew me. But, like, yeah. And so, like, if last Christmas, bro, real conversation from, like, unironic, though, and.
Stavros Halkias
With your family at Christmas, from, like a cousin, a good Christmas dinner. Yeah.
Mandel
Being like, hey, man, like, remember where you came from. Like, don't let them people change your morals and let them people change your morals. Like, I understand you want to get money and do this and that, but remember, like, I remember, like, know who you is, and I just think that's just a funny idea.
Stavros Halkias
And he's purely talking about don't become gay in Hollywood.
Mandel
Absolutely, Absolutely, he is. But I be trying to figure out how they think that work. Like, nigga, like, hey, man, we got a new side character on abc. Yeah, but first a little kiss.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. Give me a smooch, come over and give the producers a Kiss. And also like, like, especially when you're trying to become a funny fat guy. It's like look, they're not trying to us.
Mandel
They're not trying to get, they're not trying to us.
Stavros Halkias
No one's sexing in the like fat neighbor on a sitcom. Yeah, maybe the son, maybe the like the high school quarterback son on that sitcom might have to get sexed in, but it's not gonna be the fat funny guy.
Mandel
Yeah, I don't think so, bro. I, I don't think that nobody gonna be go, go be like hey man, you know what you got to do?
Stavros Halkias
Like I would love to know the did when the Diddy, when the, the equivalent of the diddy flight logs come out. How many fat rappers he tried to. Did he t grizzly? I don't think so. I don't think he tried to him. You know what I mean?
Mandel
So I don't think see Biggie going for that.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, well that's why he killed him, right?
Mandel
That's why.
Stavros Halkias
I mean I do think Diddy, it's clear as a super villain. I do think that's so clear.
Mandel
Now I will say this though, you know, and I'mma sound crazy.
Stavros Halkias
Please, this is what this.
Mandel
I do think that if you look at all the details, some of the conspiracies is right.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
But here's the thing.
Stavros Halkias
Well, yeah, like rich people doing weird up is absolutely right. Cuz what else are they going to do?
Mandel
That's what I'm saying, what else do they have to do?
Stavros Halkias
They're either going to be like Elon Musk nerds who want to be famous. Right. But the one and the ones who want to stay in silence, they either have to have that mental illness which all rich people have to some degree, which is like I'll destroy the whole world of this number on a computer screen goes up, right. Some of them just love money in a fucked up way. That should be seen as a, as a societal ill should see like, should be seen as something you should go to prison for. But then the ones that just get really rich and then have free time and they were, some of them become. Were nerds to get rich.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
And then want to don't understand how it happens. And then I don't know, some that want to be control freaks and you mix all that up and you get weird sex cults.
Mandel
Absolutely. Because I, because when I first got to la, I remember like, you know, they had all the conspiracies and then you get there and you like oh yeah, they Is they is in this party being gay. But. But then. But then you realize, like, that's where it ends.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, right, right. Like you just happen to be invited to a gay guy's party for the first time in your life.
Mandel
But that's what it end is. Like, oh, it's not like. It's not like they not drinking blood and stuff. Or it's like. It's not like, oh, you got to be gay. But it's like, no, these cats is gay.
Stavros Halkias
They just happen to be gay.
Mandel
And. And that's a thing that they do.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
And more power.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
But it's not like a. It's not like bigger than that. Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
You know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah. Absolutely.
Mandel
You see some of these characters. Are you like, no, no, no, they was demonic.
Stavros Halkias
Something's up here.
Mandel
Absolutely.
Stavros Halkias
I also think there's. It's a way of control. Like, I do think there's. Whoever's actually pulling strings knows to get rich dorks who never got in their life, fly them out to a. Fly them out to Epstein's island, videotape them being fucking perverts. And then they have to do whatever the fuck.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
CIA tells them. You know what I mean? Like, that's truly what I believe. Like, I really think a lot of this freaky. And then some of it is just a. Like, because once you have all that monetary power, all that's left is to exploit human beings. To feel, if you're that kind of person. Like Diddy probably was like, it feels. He feels good knowing somebody else. He's breaking somebody else to do his bidding.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
You know what I mean? Like, that's old school evil.
Mandel
I think that people don't. I think in general, bro, you gotta curb the. The hunger for more. In general.
Stavros Halkias
100.
Mandel
Like if you want to be a decent person.
Stavros Halkias
Yes.
Mandel
I think humans go, always want more. Like, you always want more money, more food, more access. And so I think you got to get to a point where you try to figure out how to make your brain be like, this is enough.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
Because if it don't, eventually you go, turn.
Stavros Halkias
You're at the place, you go, you've got it. You're being lit by a candelabra, getting your dick sucked by.
Mandel
You know what I'm saying?
Stavros Halkias
You know, somebody that doesn't want to be there. You're wearing a Phantom of the Opera mask.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
You're drinking. Maybe it's. Maybe it's pig's blood mixed with a little, you know, cabaret.
Mandel
You start There.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
First, first you say, oh, it's a pig. We eat pig. You use like little logic like that. We eat pe. What's the big deal?
Stavros Halkias
They put it in some Vietnamese soup as a thickening agent. What's wrong with mixing it with red wine and pouring it over a night? An 18 year old on the day he turned 18.
Mandel
They do that. Then it go, then it, it slowly escalated. They're like, man, nobody care about this dog.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
They going, put this dog down. I might well take a sip. Then this thing. And then right after that is Candace. Right after that is Candace.
Stavros Halkias
Right, right, right.
Mandel
And you gotta stop it, you gotta stop it. When you get that pig blood desire. Absolutely.
Stavros Halkias
You don't want to, do not want to subject yourself to pig blood thirsts.
Mandel
Nah, man. That's how you get messed up, man.
Stavros Halkias
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Mandel
Yeah, so my, my grandmama is one of 10.
Stavros Halkias
Wow.
Mandel
So like it's just varying ages on cousins. So like. But it's weird. My mama only child. I'm only child. But like all her siblings have a like.
Stavros Halkias
Sure.
Mandel
Various amount of kids.
Stavros Halkias
Sure, sure.
Mandel
So it's just a bunch of folks. So I might have cousins who like, like my grandma, 70 something. So I might have cousins who like 60.
Stavros Halkias
Sure.
Mandel
Or in cousin that are like literally babies. Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
That's nuts. So is it. We're talking big ass family reunions.
Mandel
Totally.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
I mean, but here's the thing. A lot of cats is older man. So it's kind of unfortunate some of them not here no more. But like we like all my family from lagrange, Georgia, which is like an hour outside of like, like an hour 30 maybe outside of Atlanta. So like my family's like real country.
Stavros Halkias
Sure, sure.
Mandel
And like real country. And a lot of them are really tall and handsome.
Stavros Halkias
Oh, really?
Mandel
Yeah, it really. Yeah, I really, I really didn't. Didn't come out like the rest of them.
Stavros Halkias
So you stick out of the family reunion.
Mandel
I'm the family. Like I was always like the, you know, like the weird cousin.
Stavros Halkias
Sure. That's you.
Mandel
Yeah, I'm that guy.
Stavros Halkias
You're like.
Mandel
I'm like the. I got the cape on. You know what I'm saying?
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. You were into anime, bro.
Mandel
Here's the thing. I would, I, I was, I was. But not enough to get put down with the game.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're in, you're in no man's land. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You were too much of a loser for everybody else, but not enough of an anime guy for the anime nerds.
Mandel
Yes I would. I had the lame quality. But I ain't doing enough of the studying.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
You feel what I'm saying? I ain't do that. I ain't doing reading. So I mean, but I'm a fan. But I ain't.
Stavros Halkias
But your hot cousins from lagrange, they wanted nothing to do with you due to your Yuhaka show viewing, bro.
Mandel
My cousin. So. Okay, I got. This is something interesting. So my cousin is this football player named Buster Owens.
Stavros Halkias
Oh wow. Okay.
Mandel
He played with Hines War. He was in the NFL, right?
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
So he went to uga. Him and Hans will graduate together and he was in the NFL for a while. So then when I told my. I was the second person to go to UGA in this case, like maybe this cat. Yeah. He must be like 20 years old.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah.
Mandel
So my family finally I was going to uj, they was like, oh, boy, you about to be partying. And I'm like, no, we got different experiences. Yeah, yeah, because he went as a number one recruit, and I'm just there for marketing, you know what I'm saying? Like, they're like, hey, man. They like, hey, will you. Will you wear your protection? Wait, Be safe. And I'm like, no, man, nobody.
Stavros Halkias
Come on, guys, I appreciate it. I appreciate you pretending to give me this talk, but here's the thing.
Mandel
I tried to play. Like, I tried to play, you know, I don't want to be embarrassed so I could play cool. So I'm like. I'm like, you know, I'm doing what I need to do. Sir. Hey, y'all know y'all ain't ready. No food.
Stavros Halkias
Of course, dude.
Mandel
No, I get away.
Stavros Halkias
How many times I did the same thing. Like, I would go to my cousins. I would go to Greece and my cousins, you know, they were getting. When they were like 11 years old. And I'm just like. I had to just pretend I. For like my whole vacation not to feel like a loser. Yeah. It's brutal when you're just the. The fat. The fat, like, scared person in the family.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
They're all like, you know what I mean? It's like some of that is anxiety. Like, I, you know, my cousin isn't anxious about anything. He just lives. It's a beautiful life.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
That they live. Especially in Greece. It's like economy sucks, everything like that. Like, he's of the generation where everything sucked dick. So all you could do was have a good ass time.
Mandel
Yes.
Stavros Halkias
And I envy that because I just always was a worrier. I was always, like, anxious and like that.
Mandel
Yeah, it was bad, man, because a lot of my family, a lot of they, they like, either. They taught either athletics, athletic dudes are they tough individuals.
Stavros Halkias
Right, right.
Mandel
And I'm neither one of those.
Stavros Halkias
Right, right.
Mandel
All around unenjoyable person.
Stavros Halkias
You know what I'm saying? Yeah. They don't get riffing. Those guys don't understand riffing is a talent. They're like, you either have to be all like, cool or dangerous or both.
Mandel
Because, you know, my. I'm a. My. My sister, you mela. Alternative breast.
Stavros Halkias
Sure.
Mandel
They'll come to shows and they'll be like, you did your thing. Never, Never. I enjoyed it. They were like. The audience laughed.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
At the words you said.
Stavros Halkias
Sure, sure, sure, sure. So, like, yeah, that is so funny.
Mandel
Like, bro, I. I did. When we did. I did the John Millennium thing, you.
Stavros Halkias
Did warm up for the Mulaney show. Yeah, yeah, that's.
Mandel
And then I did the ball with it.
Stavros Halkias
That's where we met.
Mandel
Yeah, we went.
Stavros Halkias
We met. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
And I did the ball with them. Nothing. They like, okay, yeah, Cool, man. Hey, keep going.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
I said one line in a Country Wayne movie. They like, man, I'm glad you kept pushing, man.
Stavros Halkias
They're like, wow, Michael Blackson reposted you on his story, bro. It's starting to happen.
Mandel
That one line on that Country Wayne movie, man, that Christmas was turned. It was death. It was death everywhere. They like, man, hey, hey, I'm proud of you. Stuck. You know what I'm saying?
Stavros Halkias
Yes, of course, dude. They don't get. No, no, no, of course. I mean, it's the same thing with, like, my family. It's like they just kind of knew was going pretty good. Like, they got it cuz I paid for. For them.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
But they didn't know what was. And then I think it's like getting on a TV show or like doing a movie. Even though I love. I have made so much more money podcasts.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
I lost money doing the movie because I was just not on the road.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
They got that. They're like, whoa. And it's like, that's cool. I love it. I'm happy to do it. But it's like, people don't understand what actually matters. That's.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
That's almost nicer than they thought, though. It's like, I also. It's like, that's what family should be.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
You don't want your family plugged into your.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
You want to feel like a little bit of an outcast. You don't want your family knowing, like, you know what's popping in every. You want them to be them. You want them to actually be themselves and not, like, weirdly enveloped. Like, there's nothing weirder than, like, kids whose parents push them to, like, show business. Your parents, if you're an artist, should not be supportive.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
That's how I feel legitimately. That's how I feel.
Mandel
I agree. My mom was like. My mom was supportive in the sense of, like, you know, if I'm in the jam, she might help me financially.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
But she was always, hey, I think it's okay to have a day job.
Stavros Halkias
Right, Right.
Mandel
Like, she was always like, hey, this is cool. I'm not mad at you for doing this.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
But you need to figure something else out on the side. And then they kind of relax. Once I did Start getting some real.
Stavros Halkias
Sure, bro. Well, did they have any like, asp, like, what did your parents want for you?
Mandel
I was supposed to be a lawyer, bro. So what happened was I was smart in high school. I was smart in high school, but then, but then, you know, I went to college and there wasn't like, feared I was gonna get a whooping.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
So then, so then my grades fell apart.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. Pure violence kept you in check.
Mandel
So my grades fell apart. I was supposed to go. I was like. I had some lost scholarship or something and I was working like business jobs, but I'm just. I. I thought I had like ADHD and stuff.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
Like real late.
Stavros Halkias
Sure.
Mandel
So I would just. I was just all bad at all of that stuff.
Stavros Halkias
What was. When you get to college, what's the like. Because I remember being like, oh, I felt like the. I mean, I got kicked off campus. I got caught smoking weed in the dorms immediately. So that sucked for a year. But I do remember getting there that first. Those first few months and being like, I don't have to do. I can get up, I can eat on the dining hall. You swipe in, you eat as much. I got fat as the freshman 15. I literally gained like 80 pounds, bro.
Mandel
At UGA, they had a 24 hour diner.
Stavros Halkias
Oh, man, that's a problem.
Mandel
I'm in there, post it up.
Stavros Halkias
I'm in there, post watch lunch, change to dinner.
Mandel
And I'mma say this, man. Shout out to India, man. Cuz that was the first time I had that Srirachi.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, you. You giving India credit for Sriracha?
Mandel
Where's first?
Stavros Halkias
I believe that's a Vietnamese.
Mandel
Oh, dang creation. Yeah, all the Indian homies was on the Srirachi. They was rocking with the Sriracha out. And bro, I was. That was my first time having that. And they was putting that on the omelets. I said, boy, y'all went crazy. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm in there. That's the first time I got. I started putting garlic on stuff on purpose.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah.
Mandel
You know what I'm saying?
Stavros Halkias
So it sounds like you were having more of a fat awakening than an educational awakening.
Mandel
Yes, yes, yes. Buffalo, Philly cheese. Because people who was like seniors and stuff, they in there, of course, they asking the Dinoha people to remix.
Stavros Halkias
Right, right, right, right, right.
Mandel
So I'm in there doing whatever I need to do, man.
Stavros Halkias
Of course.
Mandel
Yeah, it was great, man.
Stavros Halkias
I think as a fat. They. They literally are more willing to give a fat person what they want in a dining hall situation. That's the one place you get fat. Phobia is flipped. And we command the general respect because they could.
Mandel
They. They know you going through a lot, right? You know what I'm saying?
Stavros Halkias
Yes. Anyone?
Mandel
Top bunk of that. Get on that top bunk of that twin bed. You climbing up that thing you're not getting.
Stavros Halkias
They know it.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
They know this is your one joy the whole day. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
Unless you like the smartest cat in the world and you about to make a million dollars. Hey, man, just give him another burger.
Stavros Halkias
Come on. Who gives a.
Mandel
Have some compassion.
Stavros Halkias
Let. Yes. Just do it. Make the burger with grilled cheese instead of. Make the buns. Two grilled cheese sandwiches. He needs this.
Mandel
Yeah, he's.
Stavros Halkias
Look at him. Look how much fatter he is than the last month he was here. They have the before, and now they track you.
Mandel
Absolutely. Yeah, but see, I'd rather be this guy. I'd rather be the fat guy than. Than. Than I'm pull out the gun and ruin everybody life, you know, I think.
Stavros Halkias
I think that's very fair to say.
Mandel
Yeah. I mean, because some people. That's how they deal with it. They say, she won't give me one. You like. That's a big step if you thought you were gonna have no hug before. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, man. I'm sorry.
Stavros Halkias
No, no. I thought that was me. But it's all good.
Mandel
But. But also. Also. I will say this, though. I do. I finally hit the point where I did think. I have to admit that we might be. I might be getting too much privileges as a fat person.
Stavros Halkias
Oh, you think so? I don't know. All right, listen, I'll hear you out. You're on thin ice. Yes, but I'll hear you out. Let me. What do you think?
Mandel
I like to fly Southwest. Also known as the middle class of the stock.
Stavros Halkias
Of course. Of course. Of course.
Mandel
Just like a real American. Not too cheap, not too poor. Right. Where we all need to be just enough.
Stavros Halkias
I agree with you. I. I wish you could pick your seat. I don't like. I don't like the.
Mandel
I'm about to blow your mind.
Stavros Halkias
Give it to me.
Mandel
So most recently had this new change, bro. So, like, I'm about to get on a plane and I'm like, in the back. I'm like C. C. I'm like group C. Yeah. And you know, when you check in, like, you get the last.
Stavros Halkias
Of course, there's nothing more devastating than remembering you never checked in to your southwest.
Mandel
Oh, yeah.
Stavros Halkias
And it's an hour before.
Mandel
Absolutely.
Stavros Halkias
And you're like, you. You've spoiled. You've been spoiled. You've been flying Delta the last three.
Mandel
Yes.
Stavros Halkias
So you forgot about. You didn't set that alarm to. You know what I mean? There's nothing worse than seeing a C. Once you see the sea and then you see a three or a four, you're like, all right, well, I'm gonna have the worst four hours of my life.
Mandel
You'll be in the middle.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
So the lady walk up to me, and she's like, hey, you notice almost a full flight, right? And I said. And I said, yeah. She said, let me see your ticket. And she said, it says C47. And she said, oh, Lord. And then she said, you know, you could go down to the desk. You go down to the desk, you like, hey, I'm fat. They'll give you a second seat.
Stavros Halkias
Wow.
Mandel
For free?
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. Holy.
Mandel
So you go in, you go to the desk. They give you another ticket.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
And you put that ticket over the middle seat.
Stavros Halkias
Love that.
Mandel
For free, bro. And that's just off of just being.
Stavros Halkias
Fat the way they do. You know how they have the little things where they, like, put your luggage here? Will your overhead fit? They have a. They have a hole. Like, can you squeeze through here? No. All right, here's the second.
Mandel
But look. But you brought us something, though.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
How did they dictate if you fat enough?
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
Because she looked at me and said, obviously, I'm over the hill. Right?
Stavros Halkias
Like, still, that's. It is tough to pass the eye test immediately.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
You know what I mean? You want her to hem and haul a little bit. She wanted to, like, look at you and be like. But she said, oh, Lord. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
She was like, for the betterment of this plan, we need to get you an extra seat.
Stavros Halkias
This isn't about you, sir. This is so we can avoid. People are gonna see. People are gonna desperately try and not sit next to you. They're just gonna be a jam as they try and go back up. Yeah. They've passed middle seats thinking, how many times has that happened? Elders, you could hear his laughter where it's like, we're all in the range of. If you're on southwest and there's a seat next to you, people are gonna avoid it at all cost.
Mandel
Yes.
Stavros Halkias
People are gonna. They're gonna. They're gonna. When they walk to the back and they see you and an aisle, a middle seat and another guy, they're like, why didn't I sit next to that old Asian woman?
Mandel
Yes.
Stavros Halkias
Who who the hubris. I had thinking I would get a window or an aisle. And now I'm pit. And now my punishment is sitting next to this fat guy.
Mandel
Well, here's the thing, bro. Like, you know, the. The gut functions almost like a liquid as it takes the form of whatever it's in.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
So whenever I try to get that middle seat cover, I just spread the gut over.
Stavros Halkias
Over both.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
Handrail over both hands. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
I kind of built like an irrigation system over the rail and let it drip down like a waterfall. And once you do that, man.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
A cat would rather stand. But now they got that middle seat thing. But my thing I'm trying to figure out is, let's say if you were. You were just like a chubby. Let's say if you like a Kenan Thompson, it's still uncomfortable for somebody to be in the middle.
Stavros Halkias
Sure.
Mandel
But you didn't make the.
Stavros Halkias
You have now pushed the burden of being obese to the just kind of thing.
Mandel
That's what I'm saying.
Stavros Halkias
That's basically what's happened.
Mandel
Yeah. They're like, hey, man, you not a hashtag Big Bubba. You gotta get the Bubba seat, bro. And so I could see somebody having a ra. Beef with me being able to get a free seat.
Stavros Halkias
I agree with you. I will say, though, it is the most logic. It's like, look, when you're on a road trip, it's like we grew up with a friend of ours who was mad. He was. He was the. He grew up with nothing but fat friends. He never once in his life got shotgun on a. On a long trip. And it's like, buddy, come on. Like, maybe if we were high and going to Wendy's, we'd throw him a bone and give him shotgun. But it's like everyone is fat as.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
It makes no sense. Sorry. You're in the middle your whole life. And he hated it, but it's like, this is for the good of the community.
Mandel
Absolutely.
Stavros Halkias
And you're. And you are sacrificing, and we understand that. But what. We're gonna put three fat jammed back here. No, it's gonna be you and two fat guys.
Mandel
Whenever we get, like, an Uber black somewhere, I know I'm up there with the driver.
Stavros Halkias
You know, you're. You know, you're making small talk the whole time you're doing, man.
Mandel
What. What cut you from? Yeah. Where you from?
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, you know, your mood. Take your. Picking up his little satchel and putting it to the back now, Mandel, who's Sitting right next to me. You're a man with a nice beard. But I. Sometimes you might consider being clean shaven. And if you were to do that, the only products you should use are Harry's. Harry's. Oh, these razors. German engineered blades made in a factory that stay sharper longer. Okay. Customizable delivery options for scheduled refill as low as $2. Half what you pay for other big brands. A nice five blade razor, weighted handle, foaming shave gel and a travel cover for just 3 bucks@Harry's.com Stavi and look, they'll make you nice and smooth. But we over here, we're on record, we're huge. Harry's hair care guys around here. I love the taming cream. You know, I got a little hat on. You know, I might. There might even be some from last night in there. I. I have to get a very specific look when you have, you know, we have two different styles of hair, me and Eldis. And no matter what, no matter. You know, I would say mine's a little finer. That's the only difference. And no matter if you have a nice thick head of Albanian villager hair or if you have a philosopher, Athenian philosopher's haircut type of fine hair. You know, Harry's. I like the, the molding, the shaping. Let me get the exact word of. I do use this. I'm actually, I'm not even kidding with you. I use it literally all the time. Harry's molding, not molding. The molding paste is a little too. That's what you use. Actually, I use Harry's shaping cream. I believe I'm gonna get the exact call here. I just looked it up actually, and I thought Harry's taming cream. They got a tame. I fuck. It's literally in my bathroom. So don't get, get off my. All right. We love it. You're gonna love it too. And we want you to go get, you know, shave, shave your up. Get the shaving products that always deliver. Get Harry's. Get started with a 13. Dial 13 trial set for just 3 bucks at harry's.comstavi that's H-A R R Y-S.com ST a VY for a three dollar trial set. What was the crew like in college? Did you have a little. Who are your friends? Who were you? Who are you hanging out with?
Mandel
I mean, bro, I honestly, you know, I feel like we kind of really just secluded ourselves. Like, honestly, all the black people just hung out with each other.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. But within that, who were the like, you had to have, like, a crew of, like, four main guys. You know, two.
Mandel
Two of my homeboys who I was. I went to college. Two of my best friends in college. One of them, I went to elementary school and middle school and high school with.
Stavros Halkias
That's me and him. We were into kindergarten together. Really? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
I got one homeboy I know since second grade, so I was hanging with him a lot. And then my other homeboy from middle school, and then. I mean, a lot of my. We was. You know, it's weird. So the campus you just admitted to, Too many people.
Stavros Halkias
Oh, wow.
Mandel
So me and a lot of my friends, we stay on. Off on the family housing, which is for, like, professors and it's for students who got kids. So our neighborhood. So it's like almost like a tiny neighborhood where it's a bunch of freshmen and then there's a bunch of people with, like, babies. Like, it'd be like some family from another country and a dude in a doctoral program. Like Teen mom or something.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
Like in this little neighborhood and you.
Stavros Halkias
Guys playing Super Smash Brothers, bro.
Mandel
We would get in so much. I'm talking about just the music being an inch too low.
Stavros Halkias
Oh, my gosh.
Mandel
They was calling us. That's crazy. People on us. They like there a lot. We like. It's like 10 o'clock. This cat got a kid, right?
Stavros Halkias
Got a toddler.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. That's brutal.
Mandel
Yeah, bro. We was over there.
Stavros Halkias
So now do you think. Think some algorithm ran the numbers of who were the biggest lames? Who are we putting into family housing?
Mandel
But you know something, though? My friends was cool.
Stavros Halkias
Oh, your friends were cool?
Mandel
Always. It's weird. I've always been, like, the lame amongst. Cool.
Stavros Halkias
Jester mode. You were always on jester mode.
Mandel
You just did a math that I did not like.
Stavros Halkias
Sorry, man.
Mandel
I just thought they, like, saw something within me. Oh, no, no, no, no. We see you for who you is, man. You like? No, no, no. You're the clown.
Stavros Halkias
Hey, brother, we've all been there. Nothing wrong. That's how you punch your ticket. A lot of places you gotta know what you got, man. Yeah. Oh, so they were cool.
Mandel
Yeah, yeah. But you know. You know, I used to pretend to be a leader, man. I mean, like, in college, like, I was. My school. I was my high school student body president.
Stavros Halkias
Me too. Or maybe president.
Mandel
I was student body president. And I was. I had started, like, my school's newspaper.
Stavros Halkias
Oh, nice.
Mandel
And then I had. I had let. I was like. I had this president. I had this organization At UGA that, like, brought more black dudes to the school.
Stavros Halkias
Nice. It was like, were they hurting for that at UGA?
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
Really? Yeah.
Mandel
It was like, where's UGA's campus? Athens, Georgia.
Stavros Halkias
Okay. For some reason.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
What's the one in Atlanta?
Mandel
That's Georgia Tech. Just Georgia Tech and Georgia State.
Stavros Halkias
Gotcha. Okay. Never mind.
Mandel
Yeah, but it was like point six percent was black dudes.
Stavros Halkias
Really?
Mandel
Most of the black at UGA get the.
Stavros Halkias
I would have never thought that.
Mandel
Yeah, it was like, most of the. Most of it was black women then. Like, only, like a handful of dudes.
Stavros Halkias
Interesting.
Mandel
And so I was like, a part of the program to bring more people there. And let me tell you something, man. Every organization I've ever been in said I was the worst president. I was so bad, bro. My school. My school, the worst president they ever had.
Stavros Halkias
You know, this is coming back to me. I won president, too, as. Because I ran a joke campaign and everybody loved it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
We sleep was the first trumps.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember. I remember when I got elected, all my friends were laughing. They're like, we're not gonna have prom this year. They were like, we're like, why did we. Yeah, we really did. It was Trump style election running, bro.
Mandel
Because I had.
Stavros Halkias
I'd just be like a really smart girl in glass.
Mandel
Yes.
Stavros Halkias
Who was just polite and knew what she was doing and wanted this for a college resume.
Mandel
Absolutely. Like, I had, like, we had, like, videos. We had, like, T shirts. And here's the thing. I'm in the speech, you know, I'm giving it up. I'm. Man, we go get new vending machine man. Man, bring back field trips, man. And everybody. Everybody in my class, not one of them voted for me. But I had freshmen.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
And I won on some, like. Just like he did on some, like. I mean, I'm just promising what's going on, you know, But. But, like, I'm just promising. And they like, yeah, yeah, yeah, man. I got in there, I ain't know how to. I ain't know no Robert's Rules.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
I don't even know that's the word. But I couldn't hold no meeting or nothing. They was like, hey, bro. She was like, bro, you the worst thing that ever happened. And I led, like, two more organizations after that, and I ruined them. Them. Yeah. Oh, I'm just really just good at the talking.
Stavros Halkias
Sure, sure. I'm not really good at the doing anything.
Mandel
Doing anything. Just the talking part. Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
I get interesting. I do think there's a little bit of like the way, the way it used to be with closeted gay guys where they became really good at their jobs or they became really good artists. I think once being gay got more accepted in society and not, I mean it seems like there's a bit of a swing back, but when it became even relatively accepted, I do think being a fat guy who can't get pussy, you kind of go in the same zone because even though it's not society stopping your sexual urges, it's just girls don't want to fuck you. So you pour all your energy into being like, well I don't have time for that anyway. I'm a workaholic. Even though it's not being in the closet to avoid women, the women are avoiding you. The end result is the same because I had a very similar high school experience.
Mandel
This is funny. This, you know, this is like, this is like, this is the greatest take.
Stavros Halkias
Thank you. Yeah, I think it's similar because at the end of the day you're sort of like you were denied your true sexuality. One is because of hatefulness and bigotry and the other one is because you're just, you had too many Totino's pizza rolls. But in the same, it ends up with, with you still have a desire to like prove your worth. So. Because it's not going to be through, you know, to express yourself, it's going to be through like trying to be a, A, a high functioning, high powered individual.
Mandel
Yeah. Because I think it's a level of like, I don't have time for that.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly. Yeah.
Mandel
Really?
Stavros Halkias
Like, yeah. Come on, you know, be mature. Guys, I'm trying to get into college. I don't want.
Mandel
Yeah, yeah.
Stavros Halkias
I don't want to get head, I don't want to get head and have go to a party and drink Malibu and finger a girl in my mom's Honda. No, I have to be class president, bro.
Mandel
On some, on some like super side note, bro, I was telling my friend the other day, I got a friend of mine, she me her still cool to this day. I do believe that she saved me. She steered me away from an cell hood, bro.
Stavros Halkias
That's huge.
Mandel
I think, I think you need a level of some lady being nice to you at that age.
Stavros Halkias
Absolutely.
Mandel
Before the Reddit get a hold.
Stavros Halkias
Oh dude, I think about this all the time. Where if I had just met. Because I know, I know kids in high school who just got lucky and an outgoing girl had a crush on them, talk to them, they like Dated. They were not. You know, she was nice to them. Maybe they even in high school. And that guy's just a well adjusted human being. If that had happened to me, if I had found a girl in high school who was just nice to me and like dated me, no chance. I'm doing comedy. I'm just a nice guy in Baltimore right now, bro. Raising his children.
Mandel
Okay. So like, I don't even think it has to go all the way down.
Stavros Halkias
It doesn't have to go. What we're talking about is making a well adjusted person.
Mandel
Yes.
Stavros Halkias
Just a nice woman's friendship can at least steer you away from being an incel.
Mandel
Bro, shout out to Erica, man.
Stavros Halkias
Shout out to Erica. Erica and the many Erica's out there.
Mandel
Yes.
Stavros Halkias
You know you're doing the Lord's work, bro.
Mandel
When Erica came to our high school, bro, I don't know what made her do this. And when I bring this up there, it's so crazy.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
Because she doesn't remember it.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. But she don't realize God was working through her. Well, you are from Georgia. This is a cold cultural difference here.
Mandel
I absolutely from Georgia. And I do think when I don't understand something good or bad, if I don't understand something good or bad, it has something to do with God.
Stavros Halkias
It's God or the devil. Yeah. Either one.
Mandel
I'll decide.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, bro.
Mandel
But she had this one phase, it was like two months where she just decided to tell people that we was together.
Stavros Halkias
Wow.
Mandel
It was a. It was just a bit that she was doing. But after. But after the bit, it changed the.
Stavros Halkias
Ego, the way people looked at you around me.
Mandel
Because like, even though. That. Even though they knew it wasn't it, it was no possible way. Because she's like a really attractive lady.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
But there's no possible way. It still changed the stock of me in general. She would make that choice.
Stavros Halkias
You were just. Yeah. The fact that she chose you as the fake nerd that she was dating made you alpha nerd amongst the rest.
Mandel
Absolutely.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. Yeah.
Mandel
And I moved away from gross to women to.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
I'm just cool on it. I'm just cool.
Stavros Halkias
I'm not actively disgusted. Just not for me.
Mandel
Absolutely.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
Somebody else doing it, but it's not me. But I get what I'm saying.
Mandel
And I think once you hit that level, then it's like, it's. It's chill. You, You're a regular person now.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
You feel what I'm saying?
Stavros Halkias
Yes.
Mandel
Made her do that.
Stavros Halkias
You've been moved up one rung in the high school cast system.
Mandel
That's what I'm.
Stavros Halkias
You're not. You're not an untouchable anymore. You're whatever the lower rank of Indian guy is.
Mandel
Because I was wild property or whatever. I had that bad. I was wild annoying in school.
Stavros Halkias
You were annoying.
Mandel
Yeah, because, you know, like I said, like you were saying earlier, like, I was real. I was big on some, like, because, you know, I feel like when I was younger, I got. I was like bullied a lot.
Stavros Halkias
So like, of course.
Mandel
So when I got to high school, I was like the aggressor. Like, I was. I would say a lot of wild stuff to people.
Stavros Halkias
Interesting.
Mandel
I was just like. I kind of like, realist.
Stavros Halkias
You really were on the route to being a Reddit incel.
Mandel
I realized in like, being unlikable.
Stavros Halkias
Yes. You love troll some. Cause getting some reaction is better than being completely ignored.
Mandel
I think it's some of that. And it's on some, like, it's on some like, I'm gonna attack you for. You attack me.
Stavros Halkias
Right? Right.
Mandel
It's like a fake confidence.
Stavros Halkias
Yes.
Mandel
You trying to cover up some insecure.
Stavros Halkias
Classic insecurity.
Mandel
You know what I'm saying? I was. I was that due to a t. Very unlikable people in school. People in school. The biggest thing I. I be saying is, like, I want to be successful. So then people could be on TV and watch me on TV and be like, man, I beat that dude up, man. You know what I'm saying? They could be real proud of themselves for that.
Stavros Halkias
You were doing it for the community for sure. Yeah.
Mandel
But I was very unlikable in high school. But then when she came around, it flipped, bro. I just became someone cool. People start finding me funny.
Stavros Halkias
And this is. What age did this happen?
Mandel
This had sophomore year. Junior year I had to be 15. Okay, 15. No, I probably at the tail in the 15. Probably 16.
Stavros Halkias
Okay. So probably sophomore. Junior year.
Mandel
Yeah. Like beginning of junior year. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Stavros Halkias
That's good. That's important.
Mandel
Yeah, man. Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
Interesting being on, like. See, I guess I'm lucky because we definitely. I definitely had a little troll in me. Don't get me wrong. But I still. I was pretty. I don't know. I did have like the class clown goofy. I didn't have. I never luckily went all the way to the, like, I definitely bullied. Don't get me wrong. But I'm like, I would. You know, I'm. Which comes from the same place of being, like, being bullied a little bit in middle school. Yeah. And Then it, like, I kind of feel bad for these kids because they bullied me. And then I real. And then it became so clear. I was so good at bullying.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
And I flipped it, and it was like, I was like, what the. I'm letting these little pieces of bully me. And I just. They couldn't have known. And I didn't know that my literal career would go on to be.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
Like, I actually just was insanely talented at that. And so that was my first ever roasting of anyone. And I was. And I would also, like, you know, these were, like, smaller. They were like, little nerd. I went to, like, Baltimore. I went to city public schools, but you would test in. There was like, the way Baltimore worked is. It's kind of up because there was really only three good. They were like, look, yeah, this school system sucks dick. If we can make three good schools where the smart kids can go to college, that's all we're gonna do. So my. And my mom was huge on, you know, education, whatever. She would, like, take me to get, too. She would stay after school for me to get my grades up. Like. Like. And so I would always get into, like, these good schools, and I would get into one of the, like, smarter classes. So it was like I was going to Baltimore City public Schools. But they would, like, Especially middle school, dude. They would, like, cordon us off. They were like, do not put any of these dorks near the, like, the regular kids, essentially, because they will get, like, you know, they'll get up or whatever. And so it was like these little dorks that bullied me in middle school. And then very quickly, I was like. Once I. Once I realized, like, I don't need to take from these. I could literally these kids up, and I'm funnier than them.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
That was the beginning of me just being a terror.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
And then I would. And then I bullied a little. To. To. A little. A little much. And then the insecurity from, like, Then the desire to get. And failing over and over again broke my spirit that I think I wasn't a bully by the end anymore.
Mandel
Well, you know, something interesting about that, bro. Like, I feel like I had this almost a similar path, except, like, you know, when I was in high school, I was, like, real argumentative. Like, I would, like, get into a bunch of spats.
Stavros Halkias
Sure, sure. Yeah.
Mandel
I was just, like, really insecure into.
Stavros Halkias
Of course.
Mandel
I think I kind of wanted attention at the time. Buying process. That's what that was.
Stavros Halkias
Yes.
Mandel
But it wasn't until probably about 26. I say about 25. Where I processed that some of the bullying was my fault.
Stavros Halkias
Was fully deserved.
Mandel
Absolutely. Like, I had this idea from middle school that people just mess with me for no reason. It's like, oh, no. But I was a short, fat dude who was talking too much and I think. And I was. And I wasn't a roaster. I was just. I would just say wild stuff to people that just wasn't nice.
Stavros Halkias
Oh, true.
Mandel
Interesting. I think, like, at that age, nobody can process their emotion other than, yeah, it's time to Donkey Kong.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
So once I realized a lot of stuff was my fault.
Stavros Halkias
And when you say wild stuff that's just shitty. You just mean, like.
Mandel
I mean, I don't even want to.
Stavros Halkias
Say, but like cruel, unnecessarily cruel things.
Mandel
Yes. That was my bag. Yeah, that was my bag. Just unnecessary.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
Really lame stuff, man. And then I got old and I was like, oh, I was. I was kind of like. Like a lot of this was my fault, bro.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. Yeah.
Mandel
And so then now. Now I just be on some. Like now I'm like super like, yo, was I tripping when I say that? You know, not lighting up. Moved all the way to the other.
Stavros Halkias
Well, that's important. It's important to have a little self awareness.
Mandel
Yeah, for sure.
Stavros Halkias
You know, and I wonder what that came from as a kid just behaving that way. I mean, it probably does start by just the original bullying. Must have. I don't think was your fault.
Mandel
No.
Stavros Halkias
No. And then it starts to cycle of. How do I deal with it? Did.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
He's made a bad choice.
Mandel
Absolutely. Well, you. You learn that, you know, evil is a poison, man.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
It's an infection.
Stavros Halkias
I agree.
Mandel
So somebody get it from somewhere other people. And it's yo. And it never. You gotta, like, find a way to subdue it.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
But if you don't, it's gonna. You're gonna spill it out on everybody else.
Stavros Halkias
No, it's true. And it's.
Mandel
I think I would just own that.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, it's. Yeah, the. A great visual metaphor is the venom suit. That's what it's like, dude. You feel powerful calling making fun of somebody who's like, you know, dad died last year when just because they were a little rude to you.
Mandel
Absolutely.
Stavros Halkias
Just hammering you. Just like.
Mandel
Absolutely. Ah.
Stavros Halkias
If you feel like you got the big ass tongue and the teeth like venom.
Mandel
Dang, bro, this guy is hurting me.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. Like me.
Mandel
Then you. Ten years later, you. You running for mayor.
Stavros Halkias
You got.
Mandel
Is this seven people like when you was in high school. You ruined my life. You like? Ah, dang. My bad, bro.
Stavros Halkias
I that up. Ooh. That's a sound of opportunity, my friends. That's the sound of a nice little money. That's a sound of Shopify and Eldest here. This brand new year January, where every now is the time to start a business. You know, a lot of people try to get their disgusting bodies in shape. How about you get your business in shape? How about you start a fucking business, you fucking lazy piece of shit? You've had you have some ideas be about some action. Me and Eldest. It was about two and a two years ago where me and you started this year venture. This exact venture of Stabby's World.
Eldis
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
And where do we sell our merchandise for Stop His World using Shopify? Now's the time to get in there. You're gonna want to look whatever your idea is. Elvis was at one point gonna before I. Before I plucked him out of the muck in the mire Eldis had. He was going to sell soaps. Do you remember that, Elders?
Eldis
Oh, yeah.
Stavros Halkias
In a different world, Elders. If he had known about Shopify, if Eldis was a Stavi's World listener and he heard this ad read, maybe he wouldn't be producing this show. Right now there's a multiverse where Elders signs up for Shopify and Sula's soaps take off like a rocket ship. Okay? This no Shopify makes it so easy to get your store started. They have so many different, easily customizable templates. You don't got to know how to fucking code. All right? Let the dorks do that. You're an entrepreneur. They have social and powerful social media tools that'll connect all your channels and create shoppable posts and help you sell everywhere people scroll. We do that across all our shops. You can buy stuff thanks to Shopify. What happens if you don't act now? You're gonna regret it. What if somebody beat you to the idea? Don't kick yourself in the nuts when you hear this again. Go scroll up. Elders. When you hear in a year because you didn't do anything now. And I just said scroll up. These words were coming from my heart. I didn't need him to do anything. So you know what sign you're going to want to start hearing more of? That's right. Establish in 2025. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Sign up for your $1 per month trial period at shopify.comstavi all lowercase go to shopify.comstavi to start. To start selling with Shopify today. Shopify.comstavey well, we have. Look, man, we could talk all day and you gotta. You know, we got to keep getting. Come back. We'll get further into your. Your background, but we got. We got the people to help here. So let's get some questions going. Anything you want to plug here in the midway point? We don't know when this is coming out, to be completely honest with you.
Mandel
Now I gotta plug. I just like to have fun. I am ready for the last time I was here. I was surprised by this part.
Stavros Halkias
You know what's going on, and I.
Mandel
Know what's going on already. I'm prepared to say something productive.
Stavros Halkias
I love it. Let's go.
Caller 1
Hey, Stav.
Stavros Halkias
How's it going?
Caller 2
Big fan.
Stavros Halkias
Anyways, I just moved to the UK right now to do my master's.
Caller 1
I'm originally from Canada and from Toronto, and. Well, essentially I started sleeping with one of my professors.
Stavros Halkias
Nice.
Caller 1
She's really cool. I'm having a good time, but my issue is not getting the marks I need from her.
Stavros Halkias
Like, she's.
Caller 1
I'm getting horrible grades on my papers.
Stavros Halkias
From her, and I'm just wondering, this lady rules.
Caller 1
I should do. I just.
Stavros Halkias
I thought that, you know, with whatever the fuck we were doing on the side, that that would simultaneously, like. I guess I just believe that I'd be getting great marks and I'm dying.
Caller 1
In her class, and I just don't know what to do. Like, not to say that I'd want.
Stavros Halkias
To blackmail her or anything, but, like, of course not. Yeah, I'm trying to. Yeah, he does. Trying to figure it out. So any.
Caller 1
And so any advice would be great. I don't know what the move is here. I'm just like.
Stavros Halkias
I just thought it was implied that I'd be getting great marks in that course.
Caller 1
You know, we're. We're a lot.
Stavros Halkias
So.
Caller 2
Yeah, let me know.
Caller 1
Love you.
Stavros Halkias
Hit the books, you idiot. Yeah, hit the books. You want N and A plus. Greedy. What were you talking about earlier? Greed is a disease, bro.
Mandel
Yeah, you're infected.
Stavros Halkias
You got.
Mandel
You gotta know when you got enough, bro. And then. I like the word marks.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, He's Canadian.
Mandel
He's using the word marks. But I'm just like, hey, bro, read the book.
Stavros Halkias
In between. Yeah.
Mandel
It need me asking her to help for. Yeah, for some tutorials.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, exactly. How about a little extra help? Instead of sucking me off, how about explain some key concepts? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, first of all, an Incredible salute to this woman. This lady rules. She's breaking down. This is a glass ceiling moment where this is usually how a man behaves.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
And I love to see a woman get a little fresh copy rock and then be like, well, look, pal, sorry, you didn't. You just didn't.
Mandel
She rules.
Stavros Halkias
She rules.
Mandel
I love his logic though, where he just like, he. Because he repeats it like three times in the. But she's supposed to give me good grades. He's like, dude, that's what I would do.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, exactly. That's a great point.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
This clearly betrays that this man would love to sell good grades for if he ever becomes a professor. Yeah, she rules. What a pro, by the way. Separation of church and state. Yeah, she's keeping them separated and I love that about her. And yeah, dude, you're a whining, complaining little. Just study and get. Yeah, I don't want to blackmail her. How dare you even bring up blackmailing this shake? Because we know Mando's absolutely right. You do. That means you want to. But why would you if. If you didn't want to, you wouldn't have even said it it. But it's clear you think you. You're owed something. And the solution here is there's. I don't think. I think this woman is such a pro that no matter how good the dick is, she wouldn't give you good grades. But at the same time, your options are study. That's number one. Or get so good at that this even like this woman breaks her moral code. But you don't have. You don't possess that kind of dick. It's clear.
Mandel
Listen, man. Clear as day it for her separation of church and state, man. Yeah, I don't even know if that makes sense why I just said. But I do think in general. I do think in general. I like the idea that he keep going to a house thinking that one day the grades is gonna change.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. Yeah. If you keep.
Mandel
It's like, you gotta accept the reality and do some work, man.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. You're nothing but a little piece of penis to this lady. And unless you earn your keep, you're not gonna your way to good grades. So stop being greedy and work hard, brother.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, you. This is what. This is what people. This is what people think of Canadians right here. This is what Americans think of Canadians and you're just showing it to be true.
Mandel
I wonder where he go to school at. Did he say that?
Stavros Halkias
He did not.
Mandel
Okay?
Stavros Halkias
He just moved it overseas to get a master's yeah. Somewhere in the uk. So, yeah. And it's some. So, you know, this lady sounds cool. She's smart. Probably has a hot accent.
Mandel
I mean, he probably going through a lot here in the UK eating autumn beans.
Stavros Halkias
The food is not great.
Mandel
Plopping the beans on their plate, for sure.
Stavros Halkias
Food is not great unless you're in London, for sure. But yeah, Come on, man, grow up. Study. Next question, elders. Okay.
Caller 3
Hi, Elvis. First time calling in. So let's see. Over a year ago, I started taking Ozempic.
Mandel
Here we go.
Caller 3
And because I have type 2 diabetes and I've lost almost 60 pounds.
Stavros Halkias
Wow.
Caller 3
Which is really cool. And I've been married for two years. We've been together for 10 years now. And I love him. He's the love of my life.
Stavros Halkias
There we go. Here we go.
Caller 3
Kind of on a weight loss journey, too. We're both big, thick, beautiful people. We decided, you know, to kind of stop eating, like, and definitely stop.
Stavros Halkias
This would be our first woman not exercising.
Caller 3
That was the big thing, is that we both got, you know, comfortable and lazy because that's what you do when you fall in love. Plus, you know, like, the pandemic, we. We really gained some weight, so we're doing good. I feel good about our decision. He does keep joking that he is scared that if I lose enough weight, I'm going to leave him. And part of me at first was like, ha, hilarious. And then part of me kind of got mad because I'm like, is that who he thinks I am as a person? I don't think he does. I think he's just joking. You know, we have a pretty awesome sex life. You know, we're still.
Stavros Halkias
Wow.
Caller 3
Doing it three times a week for a married couple is great. We don't have kids. We just have three dogs. So it's pretty easy for us to keep the spark going. And I love him so much. And I guess my question is, how can I continue to show that I love him and I'm not gonna cheat on him or leave him when I lose weight, besides just not doing that. And, you know, I'm pretty cool in bed. I give really good blow tubs and, you know, there's like, some butt stuff. You know, I'm down for that every once in a while.
Stavros Halkias
Sure. So get that in the mix, I guess.
Caller 3
Yeah. Like, what can I do to prove to him that I'm just not gonna up and leave?
Stavros Halkias
This is incredible.
Caller 3
Take some money. Love your show, religious listener. Thank you. Fight.
Mandel
Can I say something?
Stavros Halkias
Absolutely.
Mandel
I owe this lady apology, man. Yeah, I absolutely thought this was going in the direction of she, like, I don't lost weight. I'm about it here.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah.
Mandel
And she's saying the opposite.
Stavros Halkias
Well, that's what's beautiful, because we, on this show, we get this quite a bit. We've. It's become a bit of a meme on the show where I feel like every four months or every three months, we get one of these calls, which is a dude who's lost weight. Weight, and every time he wants to cheat. And this is just such a show, like, yeah. How much better women are than men. Like, she's lost all this weight, and she's not only think. Not thinking about cheating, she's figuring out how to. She wants to make her fat husband comfortable with her getting hotter.
Mandel
Yeah, yeah.
Stavros Halkias
It's not enough that you lost weight. You have to worry about this.
Mandel
I was just about to say that. I was like, bro, this is what makes this so nice, is that she worried about something that's not even her fault.
Stavros Halkias
No, no.
Mandel
She like. She, like, how do I make him feel? It's like, hey, bro, they ain't got to do with you.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. He's got to be less insecure and.
Mandel
Like, be less insecure.
Stavros Halkias
I mean, it's crazy. You're not doing anything wrong. And, like, you got. He just has. This is his issue to work through. I mean, you can talk to him about it. You could be like, why, why? You know, don't. I don't want you to feel this way. I love you. Whatever. But it's like, like, if you don't change anything, if you keep behaving the same way, you don't really have to go out of your way, cuz.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
And, you know, this might be his insecurity. He. He has to. He should talk to somebody about this.
Mandel
Absolutely.
Stavros Halkias
And, you know, it wouldn't hurt him instead of complaining to just also get healthier. She said they're on a weight loss journey together. Like, you know, she's zed up, so it's easier to lose weight if he's not. But still, maybe this is a good. It's nice. I think the best solution for him would be to just kind of hop on the health journey with you. You guys have a great. No kids. Good. Like, you're still like a couple. That's like, you know, he has the time in theory. If it's just you and him and he's got a job and some dogs to feed every once in a while, like. Yeah. I don't know. What's, you know, what's holding them back. But yeah, you're a very sweet person, but this is not, it's not your issue. Yeah.
Mandel
That's all about to say. I think, I think that, I think that the dude gotta handle that insecurity on his own, man. You can't, he can't make her responsible for losing weight and looking better.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah.
Mandel
He gotta be securing himself. So I think in that situation, she just gotta let it play out. I think he'll, he'll be straight.
Stavros Halkias
And I also think, and this is the cop. Most of the time what boils down on the show is like, like every time like you have a conversation, so it's like he might be doing that weird, pathetic, like haha. Yeah. I mean, you get so hot you might leave me. And she's kind of have to give him like a half hearted chuckle. Instead of the half hearted chuckle, be like, hey, I've noticed you made that joke a couple times. You know, one time maybe you're just joking, but just in case you're not, I want you to understand, like, I would never do that. That's. And you could even be like, like she's even a little offended, right?
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
And that's okay to, to voice that. To be like, not only would I never do that, but it's like I'm not that kind of per. Like that's not me at all. And I want you to be on the same, I want us to be on the same page as this and I'm here to support you, whatever. And then you don't mention it ever again. And he has to just get it through his thick skull. You know, the more sinister view is that like, would he, would somebody who has that insecurity, if he loses weight, would he try and get pussy elsewhere? Yeah, that's an interesting question, but I don't think so. I think probably what you're dealing with is some guy who thought he was in a. You know, he thought he was in a. A. Because this is the flip. This is a little bit of fatphobia too. Right? Thinking almost like she's a, like when his wife is fat, she's not the kind of person that could have cheated on him like that. That would actually offend me a little bit. Because if she's, if I'm her, I'm like, buddy, I could have somebody else fat.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
You know what I mean? Like I could have been. When I'm like, that's not what stopped me from. I would be a little offended there where it's like, you think. This is why you don't think I. You didn't find me valuable enough to cheat before, but now that I lost weight, you know, like, there's a lot of different readings on this situation, but I think ultimately you're probably with a guy who was. Is just worried that it sounds like you guys had a great relationship, and he's worried that something might upset the awesome situation he's in. And if he's just an insecure guy in general, he'll glom on to anything that's been. You know, I've definitely felt that way in the past, but I think one little conversation. If he keeps making that joke again and then let him. Him. Let him deal with it and just go about your business. It's not your job. You can't meet him halfway when you're. When you're already the one who's, like, lost weight.
Mandel
You made the best point that I was thinking about, too. Like, him being, like, his idea of, like, oh, like, when she was bigger, like, we was chilling. We were both just doing our fat thing.
Stavros Halkias
Yes. Yes.
Mandel
Yeah, but now you slim. Not a dynamic off. And it's like, hey, bro. Like, she probably could have been. If she wanted to do something. She could have.
Stavros Halkias
She could have. And also. So it's the best thing in the. I love being. Being the fat guy with a hot girlfriend. One of the best things in the world. You know how mad people are, how jealous people don't even believe it sometimes. They'll be. They'll be so mad a fat guy's with a hot woman, they will pretend it's a conspiracy theory.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
They'll be like, they're not really dating. That's not true.
Mandel
I enjoy when they find out that I'm also broke. Yeah, they like, what? What? What? Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, that's true. That's true.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
And recently it's become like, yeah, they've. A lot of people have stopped believing that I can't date women like hot women. And now they'll be like, well, yeah, he's rich. It's like, okay, but before, it just didn't. Wasn't gonna. They. They love to. They love to deny. They love to just not realize that, like, being a cool person and being a good hang matters so much to women. It's crazy. It's like, unless, you know, they think you have to trick women with fucking and. And, like, borderline treat them like dogs. To really get the love of a woman is you have to kind of like, you know, Train them as you have to be an alpha. Not true. Really?
Mandel
The poison, man.
Stavros Halkias
The poison, dude, the venom suit.
Mandel
Yeah, the venom. The venom suit is perfect.
Stavros Halkias
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't put the venom suit on. Yeah, you might be able to trick a couple insecure women into you, but you'll never find they will be worse off. You will be worse off, and you'll never find an actual connection. But good luck out there. We believe in you and, you know, keep up the good work.
Mandel
Keep. Keep taking that zone. Keep.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, we're right on the way.
Mandel
Yeah, I'm about to get my.
Stavros Halkias
I'm really considering it. For real. Next.
Mandel
Do it.
Stavros Halkias
That would be nice, dude. Yeah.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
The Ozempic diaries.
Eldis
Do a follow up episode in the year.
Stavros Halkias
See where you guys are at. Yeah. Oh, hell yeah. I could see you really ODing on it. I guess you really becoming like going Al Sharpton with it, bro.
Mandel
Yeah, Big old head. Yeah, Big old head. Somebody. My favorite weight loss is when somebody got the big head.
Stavros Halkias
Yes, yes, yes. They look like a PEZ dispenser.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
All right, what else we got here? Big Eld.
Caller 2
Hey, stop. How's it going? Quick question for you here. Little dilemma. I am married. I don't have a lot of friends. My wife does. I moved out of state to be with her. So she has friends that she's grown up with. I don't. Can't really make friends at work. They all suck. So she has girlfriends and then they have boyfriends. I've tried to get close to some of their boyfriends. One of them I thought I really clicked with.
Caller 3
We.
Caller 2
You know, when we all hang out as a group, I think we get along. You know, we like football, we like beer and drinking. I think he's a pretty cool guy. The thing is, is I. I've tried to blow him up. I've tried to hang out with them. I've tried to kind of be in his circle.
Caller 1
He.
Caller 2
He's from here, so he has a group of guy friends already that he hangs with. He doesn't invite me to hang out with his bros. He doesn't. You know, he. It's just when we are together with the wives and. And girlfriends and stuff.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. What do I do here?
Caller 2
Do I keep trying to hang out with this.
Mandel
This guy?
Caller 2
Do I let it go and just find my own friends? I mean, I'm gonna. Can't really like, you know, tell the guy off and be like, hey, I'm trying to be your friend. You know, be my friend. But trying to Figure out what to do. Let me know.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
I'm gonna be honest with you, bro. I think this cat alien.
Stavros Halkias
The guy calling on calling.
Mandel
Yeah, I'm trying to bro him up. Yeah. He never let me hang out with his bros.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, dude. Yeah. I mean, what's going on here? It's very simple, buddy.
Mandel
Yes.
Stavros Halkias
The way you think all your work friends suck, but there's probably one guy you have lunch with because no one else is around because he's the best of the guys you don't really like. That's what you are in the girlfriend play date situation, when four girlfriends get together. You, him, and two other guys. He probably thinks the other two guys fucking suck dick and you're okay, and he doesn't mind talking to you. He doesn't even dislike you. He probably has kind of like lightly positive feelings towards you, but he does not like you anywhere near his. He likes his boys, Right? You are the equivalent of a work friend. You're a girlfriend's boyfriend friend. And that happens. We've all been there. There. I. In my. You know, other times when I've. When I've been dating somebody and like, they. We go to, like, one of their friends parties, and it's just a bunch of doofuses. And there's one guy that's like, all right, I could talk about the Ravens with this guy for a half hour, and I won't want to blow my brains out, but I'm never inviting him over to hang one on one. You know, that just happens in life, man. And right now you're sounding like the next. You're sounding like a friend incel right now. You're like, this guy owes me friendship. This guy. I've been nice to him when we've had brunch, and he doesn't even want to drink beer with me, but I like beer, and he told me he likes beer, too. And so it's like, you don't want to be that guy, man. You just have to understand this for what it is.
Mandel
Did they. Did they say they moved to a new city or something?
Stavros Halkias
So this. That's. That explains it a little bit. Where this guy's desperate, right? We've all also been there, but you're. This is the. This is the. Like. Like, it's like this. The analogy of an incel is so true here because he's a. He's. He's friends starved the way other. An incel is starved and there's a desire. You really need friends so bad that. Here's the Other thing, you might not even in a separate situation, this guy might not even be that great. But you just need it a friend so, so bad that you're glomming on to the one guy you made an even sort of connection with. With.
Mandel
And I think you got to make your intentions pure, man. I think you got to be like, up top. Like, I feel like if he went and was like, hey, I just moved to this city trying to make some homies, whatever. I think that you can. He. He might consider that a little bit more. Cuz I think a part of this too is that this dude probably just don't think about him like that.
Stavros Halkias
Sure.
Mandel
Like, this is my girlfriend's.
Stavros Halkias
Totally. We each have our own lives. I'm kind of happy to see him at the barbecue, but I'm never gonna chill with him outside of.
Mandel
Yeah, Yeah. I don't even think it might not even be intentional. He might just be like, hey, bro, this is just some dude.
Stavros Halkias
Totally.
Mandel
And I think if you want to really, you might need to at least just try to ask. And if not, man, if plenty of people like your football team, man, go to the bar when they watching y'all games.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
You'll make some buddies, man.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. That's the other thing. He didn't. He didn't really. You didn't describe a lot of esoteric interests.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
You said football, beer and drinking. I got great news, pal. There's a lot of guys. A lot. Go to a gamble. Go gamble somewhere. Go to. Go to. If your town has a bar stool. Bar. Go there. You'll find a lot of guys like football, beer, and drinking. Yeah, dude. And I think you're right, man. The words like yeah. Be like, hey, man, you know, just moved here, whatever.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
If there's ever something. But you also have to really slow. Slow playing.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
You can't come off needy. And by the way, if your girlfriends are both. Are both, like, if they're truly friends, they're going to see each other a bunch. Don't just slow play. Think of this as the bat. He's a back burner friend. Nail a lot of positive react interactions with this guy. Make it so that he does. You can creep again. Think of this is the rare time where we're using the analogy of courtship. Think of it as you're his again. I'll go back to the work friend analogy. Try and become this guy's work husband. Essentially. Try and be the best guy. Try and be the guy who's. Who's a, you know, A little respite from how lame the other boyfriends are every time you guys are all hanging out. Really show what you have to offer in the friendship department over time, but don't rush this. And absolutely try and find other friends. This guy isn't gonna. This guy's gonna save you. He's not gonna airlift you out of having no social circle. What you want is to be plugged into his. That's not gonna happen. See him as a long term friend project and keep looking for. For other friends.
Mandel
And. And if I can give him two things.
Stavros Halkias
Please.
Mandel
I think you made the best point. Start with the value proposition. You got a great grill. You got a motorcycle. Right.
Stavros Halkias
What are you bringing to his life? You're not that cool otherwise.
Mandel
Yeah. And then I think also too, it's okay to make some friends outside of your wife's friend's boyfriends. You know what I'm saying?
Stavros Halkias
Absolutely.
Mandel
I think he is. Plenty of homies in the sea.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. Yeah.
Mandel
If you got. Find some common ground.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
With somebody, just, you know, explore a little bit.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
I think, I think he. He limited himself. And where he. Where he fishing at.
Stavros Halkias
I agree with that.
Eldis
Yeah. I think, I think he could try casting a wider net too, by putting together like, like, hey, the girls are going out on Sunday. I'm having some guys over, having all the boyfriends over to watch a game. The girls are going to be out Friday. We're gonna do a poker night. Try to entice him with that. That's like, there's gonna be other people.
Stavros Halkias
Why would that guy want to do that though?
Eldis
Because it's. Because that's a setting where you can kind of like come and go as you please. You don't feel obligated to stay the.
Stavros Halkias
Whole one on one. Yeah.
Eldis
You have more buffs.
Stavros Halkias
He doesn't have enough friends to do that. That's part of the issue. He can't host an event. I don't know.
Eldis
He said, he said they got like four couples in the mix. It's like, try inviting those guys over.
Stavros Halkias
Hold on. You would want to hang out with your wife's friend, girlfriend's friends, solo.
Eldis
Maybe if.
Stavros Halkias
No, you wouldn't.
Eldis
If it's something low impact like that I've hung out with them enough time in the couple setting. And it's like, all right, that's also another good example. Let me feel.
Stavros Halkias
You've also been with your girl. Girl so long that you do know these guys over time. Kind of what we're telling this guy to do. You Wouldn't have done that the first year of dating or the second year. You know what I mean?
Mandel
Yeah, maybe.
Eldis
I don't know. I think that just. That's just an idea for, like, don't zero in so hard on this one guy because that's like.
Stavros Halkias
No.
Eldis
Weirdly desperate to, like, chase.
Stavros Halkias
That's a good point.
Mandel
That's what I'm saying.
Stavros Halkias
If you want to be. If you want to. If you want to get him in the fold, you have to offer. Look at it, like, offer something or create a low impact hang that you can invite him to. And maybe you can invite him enough times where eventually, if you guys are boys enough in these situations, be like, ah, you know what? It does sound fun to go to the monster truck rally.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
Or whatever the it is. Which actually does sound pretty sick.
Mandel
But I do agree. I do agree with you. Where, like, I agree with you. Where it's like, hey, bro, if you. The poker is. The poker night is. I want to play poker.
Stavros Halkias
Right?
Caller 1
Yeah.
Mandel
So I might come mess with you on poker just because.
Stavros Halkias
Right.
Mandel
The event that you presented to me. Yeah. And so I feel like that's a better option being like, there's something to.
Eldis
Do at every second. And poker is so, like, you can feel yourself being around dudes and you really, truly need to barely talk, like.
Stavros Halkias
If you don't want to. Right, right, right.
Eldis
That's. Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
No, you're right. I guess I'm only a little skeptical because where is he gonna find the dudes for that? But that's also a good goal, is to be able to host a poker night. Pick the one good guy from your office. Find some guy to like. This is your chance to create a group of friends at a low impact in a low.
Eldis
And that's also a chance to be like, hey, if you want, bring one or your buddies.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, bring whoever. Yeah, bring whoever. Yeah, we're gonna grill some steaks and play poker. Yeah, you're right. I might even. Even if I don't like that that much, I'm like, man, sounds kind of fun.
Mandel
I'll come there with a hang if I want, you know?
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. If you have nothing else going on. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. All right, all right. We feel. I feel good about that.
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Mandel
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Stavros Halkias
Who else we got little elders?
Caller 1
All right Stavi.
Caller 2
I got a little predicament I'm in. Basically my girl won't suck my ball.
Stavros Halkias
Come on.
Caller 2
That's kind of the issue. She's kind of bad at sex in general. But the no sucking balls is a big one. Cuz like I can fuck the starfish. It's just like you gotta do anything, you know.
Stavros Halkias
I don't know what to do. Oh man.
Mandel
Trolling.
Stavros Halkias
He's got talking about it.
Caller 2
He's just like. It's not like it doesn't work. Doesn't like you know, doing certain things.
Stavros Halkias
Things.
Caller 2
And I'm struggling. My ex was a freak and maybe I'm holding on to that too much. But she was also not very loyal.
Mandel
You should say so.
Caller 2
Yeah, that's it.
Mandel
Thank you.
Stavros Halkias
Let me know. Not very loyal. You could say. Wow, this guy sounds like he's writing press reports for the idf. Okay so look the. That is tough going from a freak to somebody that barely does anything. I empathize a little bit here. Sucking balls is hysterical because also a suck. I don't know about you fellas. Suck doesn't feel good to me. It can feel painful. The hard impact suck. Maybe that guy's into this though. The like. You know what I mean?
Eldis
I think, I think he mean. You know when you say sucking dick you don't mean just full on suck. You mean getting your dick.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, but that's a more general thing. Sucking balls I feel like is an actual specific. You know what I mean?
Eldis
Yeah.
Mandel
I mean I'm trying. What I'm trying to figure out is.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
With so okay. So then why is this so like.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah. Yeah.
Mandel
He's so upset about this.
Stavros Halkias
I think. I think probably because he just got off of a situation where the sex was really good and obviously other things were left to be desired. I. E. His girlfriend. Not getting his girlfriend wouldn't stop other guys. Which I think if you had to pick one or the other I would probably pick bad at sex and doesn't other guys behind my back. But that's also. You know, that's also a false equivalency because I think not all hoes are good at sex. And not all loyal women are prudes, right? And look, if you've already talked about it, if you're not on the same wavelength sexually, unfortunately, that might be a deal breaker. What's the rest of the relationship like? Is she great? Is she awesome in every other way? Has she shown any, you know, openness to exploring more? Is this your fault? Are you not doing what you need to do to get her excited about fucking? Are you the kind of guy who's like begging for pussy when she's busy and she's like, all right, I'll just. You can fuck me real quick. Whatever. Are you creating a romantic erotic environment? Are you going out of your way to help her with stuff? Stuff? What's the foreplay like? Are you eating? Put you wanted to suck dick like a freak. Are you eating to your maximum abilities? You know what I mean? Like, let's think about all of this, right? And if you think you've maxed out every reason why she's not behaving in a freaky manner and you just aren't on the same page, that might be a deal breaker. Honestly, at the end of the day.
Mandel
I think he got to count his blessings, man. Listen, man, your last shot, it was doing you dirt. This lady seemed like she loyal, man. You be out, man. You know what I'm saying?
Stavros Halkias
This is the God fearing country, man, right here. This is the difference between a coastal. A coastal elite and a God fearing man from Georgia. I say go for the fruit, find the freak that's also loyal. Coastal elite, yeah, I'm definitely a coastal elite from Baltimore and I live in Astoria. I guess. I guess what I mean is a mid Atlantic. A. A sex pervert from the mid Atlantic is really how I describe myself. But yeah, dude, I mean, at the end of the day, if you don't click sexually, that can be a deal breaker for me. What can I say? Yeah, we see. We see things differently. Mandel, what can I say here? Hit us with another one else. Let's do a couple more here.
Caller 3
So I've been really interested in getting into the idea of threesomes. And I more so want to fuck the girlfriends in like an established couple and less want to fuck the men. But I don't really know if there's a way to proposition this without being hurtful. And I was wondering if you had any advice.
Caller 1
Thanks.
Stavros Halkias
Interesting.
Mandel
Why she don't just date the ladies?
Stavros Halkias
I think there's probably something she wants to essentially the man while he's there. Is that what you're saying?
Eldis
Feels extreme for the tone I'm picking up?
Stavros Halkias
I don't think so at all. Because she's. Because you're right.
Mandel
She.
Stavros Halkias
It's like she's talking about it in the context of a threesome. So she wants the guy sort of involved, but she doesn't want to the guy. But does she want the girl to like the guy while she's there? I don't get it. It. Or does she want the guy to watch her, his girlfriend? That's how I'm. That's what I'm thinking.
Mandel
Yeah. I. It seemed. It seemed like she want to be with women who got a boyfriend.
Stavros Halkias
Right?
Eldis
Yeah.
Mandel
So something about the boyfriend. Her. The lady having a boyfriend is attractive there.
Stavros Halkias
Exactly. That. That adds a little something to it for her.
Eldis
But who knows? Maybe she also likes the thought of being in there while, like, the couple is too.
Stavros Halkias
Sure, sure, sure.
Eldis
So.
Stavros Halkias
So maybe a mix. A little voyeuristic plus a little cocking.
Eldis
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
Light. You know, she wants to be the. The bull in this scenario.
Eldis
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
And here's the thing. It is a finer needle to thread than a regular threesome. But I think there's probably guys out there that would be down for this. I per. I can say, personally, I don't mind the idea of a woman watching me. A girl. I think that's awesome. Now, would I like to also the other girl if she's there? Yeah, in a perfect world. But if she's. If I'm. If I'm a hot girl and a different hot girl's like, sucking on her titties and then she. Her. Am I gonna really complain about that? Probably not. But there's a very. The. The amount of people that are going to be that. It's a small group. I would say.
Mandel
I'm about to say, I think if. Because she is a lady talking about a lady in her. I think this is not a hard conversation for her to have.
Stavros Halkias
I agree.
Mandel
Like, I think you could present this to people.
Stavros Halkias
You could present this at a bar.
Mandel
Yeah, I think people would.
Stavros Halkias
And even if they're saying no, if a hot one. If I'm there somewhere with my girlfriend and a hot girl's like, I want to your girlfriend while you watch. And I'm not into it, I'd be like, on some level, I'd be flattered. And on some level I'd even. I would think about it. Then I'd be like, oh, thanks, but we're good. Yeah. It's not like a guy coming up with me, like, I want to your girl, then I'd have to him up.
Mandel
You know what I mean?
Stavros Halkias
Like, or more realistically, try and him up and get my ass kicked. But either way, I would have. It would piss me off.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
You know what I mean?
Mandel
I don't. I don't think that this. Her approaching this conversation. Nobody's gonna walk away like.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, and let's also think she said, you said you're more into the idea of the girl. Would you give the guy a little head? I mean, just a little something to prime the pump. I think, you know, I think you're already close the fucking guy a boat, suck his dick for a little bit and then fuck his wife. Is that so much to ask? He's letting you fuck his wife. I mean, I think that's a fair trade. You don't have to suck him off that long. You don't even let him have to. He doesn't even have to to you. But if you suck him off, I think you're. I think you're totally in the clear. I think if a girl did. Oh, if somebody did that proposition and she was like, if we started it, hey, can I. Your wife. I'm like, ah, you know, that's all right. She's like, all right, how about this? I'll suck your dick a little bit. I'll be like, you're negotiating? You got a deal. Put her there. So it's. We'll see you in room 428. Wait, here's the extra key.
Eldis
It's a contract negotiation.
Stavros Halkias
It's a negotiation.
Eldis
Everyone has to give up a little something.
Stavros Halkias
That's exactly right. The mark of a good compromise is nobody's happy.
Mandel
I just like. I just like that this idea. I just like that this idea happening like Shark Tank, you know what I'm saying? I would like to present to you sitting there with a suit on.
Stavros Halkias
Interesting. I'm willing to offer you $45 for a 1% stake in your. All right, so good luck out there. But I think. I think you're, you know, just be prepared for a little rejection from time to time. But if you pick some freaks who are into threesomes and you try and negotiate them down to I your girl while you jack off in the. Yeah, I think some people might be into it because of homophobia. Way more people will be into it than. Than a guy. Like, I still. Even though I know and it is homophobic, sometimes I think I would let my girl a woman because I think it's hot, because I'm stupid. Even though, you know, it's probably a huge mistake that could cost me a relay. But I think I find that, what do you want from me? I'm a idiot. And that. That sounds cool to me. All right, what do we got? Another. Let's do another one here. Eldis.
Eldis
Yeah, and this kind of a longer one, but we could wrap it. We have a couple really short options.
Stavros Halkias
Short ones after this, if we don't like. All right, if we don't like this one.
Caller 1
Howdy, Stavi. My name's Chris. I'm from Virginia. I just had some questions related to some best friend drama here. Been best friends with this guy for 10 years. Best friends for high school. Basically, his girlfriend won't let him hang out with me anymore. A little context there, you know, around December time, we got a little bit of a couple roads. So it was deep. Had a little bit of a double couple action, a little foursome situation happen. Him and his girlfriend and me and my then girlfriend. And it wasn't too crazy. But the issue was, I guess after that is I continue to one on one sleep with his girlfriend.
Stavros Halkias
What.
Caller 1
Which I could see would be a problem.
Stavros Halkias
This guy's joking, so this can't be.
Caller 1
Real confusing than that. But now I haven't talked to this guy since January. It's been. It's October now. I finally pulled the crazy girlfriend move. Showed up to his location on his phone and just confronted him about it.
Stavros Halkias
Hold on, hold on. Am I getting this right?
Mandel
Yeah, bring.
Stavros Halkias
Let's. Let's just make sure I'm understanding this because. Yeah, if I'm understanding it, this is insane. Him. So the. Our caller and his ex girlfriend had a foursome with the guy. I'm so. Okay. The question he said is my best friend's girlfriend won't let me hang out with him anymore.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
And our caller and this, our caller and his girlfriend and the couple he's calling about all had a foursome. Yeah, the caller, the girl he says isn't letting him see his friend anymore.
Eldis
Yeah, they. One on one for a bit.
Stavros Halkias
He. His best friend's girlfriend. One on one for a while. And now. And that's in. This guy is the one who is confronting his friend about why he's not hanging out with him. Yes, that's what I'm to believe here.
Mandel
And then he. I'd like the idea that he think it's the girlfriend keeping him away.
Stavros Halkias
And he. I'm sure he's saying there's more context. Maybe they're in Some kind of poly thing. But it's like, dude, it doesn't matter.
Mandel
It doesn't matter.
Stavros Halkias
You, no matter how open and cool they are, you, your friend's girl, one on one for a little bit afterwards. Unless he's like being like. Unless he's a turbo cuck who loves that. That's weird on its own, but whatever. If that's what you guys are into, that's what you're. And you have. Have very clear communication. But you're a lunatic so far. So anyway, I just want to make sure I got this right because it was. I was like, what the is he talking about? So, okay, we have all that.
Eldis
He said he's basically not seen the guy since January. This was in October.
Stavros Halkias
Okay.
Eldis
Like went. Showed up to. Pulled up to this guy's work, I.
Stavros Halkias
Guess insanity location on his phone and.
Caller 1
Just confronted him about it and pulled up to him at a zero substitute. His family, his family's happy to see me. And he was fine too. We got to talk. And basically he said, yeah, I just haven't been able to talk to you. My girlfriend doesn't like me hanging out with you. She thinks you're bad influence the girl he fucked. She's worried that if I hang out with you, I'm gonna cheat on her is what he said. So. Which is crazy, but you know, we have gotten up to a couple, you know, couple problems here and there, but everything else, girlfriend, you know, and that, you know, there was that one situation, but I feel like that one situation.
Stavros Halkias
You fucked this girlfriend? Are you kidding me? That one situation. What the. I mean, this is insane. This is the most gas lit call. This guy even believes in himself. He's talking about it like he forgot to. He was house sitting and he forgot to change the kitty litter and smelled like cat when he came back. That's what he's talking about, his girlfriend for a couple months. Okay, keep going. I mean, I'm losing my mind here.
Mandel
No, no, no. I'm trying to gather out of that before I make my point.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, of course. Let's finish up. But I just. This, this guy is. We have to fact check him at every fucking angle. Keep going.
Caller 1
Sleeping with your girlfriend. If we got past that, how is there another boundary that's worse than that? In my mind, the worst boundary be me sleeping with your girlfriend. But yeah, she tracks him on everything. She has his iPad, so she can see everything he has on his iPhone. She has his logins through social media, has his life360 and they're moved in together. I tried to reach out to her, you know. You know, like, apologize, I guess. I don't know. But she just won't have it. So I don't know where to go from here because it's. I got him on like a fake Snapchat. I haven't used Snapchat in four years because I'm an adult. And now I gotta talk to him like we're having an affair already. So it's like, what's the difference?
Stavros Halkias
Had an affair with this girlfriend. Yeah.
Caller 1
I just want my best friend back. But you his girlfriend being controlled by this girl who you. He doesn't really like that much. But he has this problem where if he thinks he's gonna break up with somebody, he freaks out because he doesn't think he's ever gonna find love again. But, you know, I don't know if this is even love, so. Yeah, but I just want my best friend back. I just didn't know if you had any advice for that. You know, there's a lot more context, but you know that take a couple hours.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, okay. There's no context.
Caller 1
Appreciate any advice you can give me, man. Miss my buddy. Love your show. Bye. Bye, bud.
Mandel
All right.
Caller 1
Right.
Stavros Halkias
This is insane.
Mandel
I got.
Stavros Halkias
Go ahead, Mandel. Go ahead.
Mandel
I got two things. So I think the first thing that this dude. I think that this lady might like this dude.
Stavros Halkias
Very possible.
Mandel
I think the girlfriend is trying to keep this dude as far away from them because I think she like being involved with him.
Stavros Halkias
That's very possible.
Mandel
Or.
Stavros Halkias
But I got.
Mandel
I got caveat to you. My second thing is this. I think also his homie is not over the fact.
Stavros Halkias
Of course not.
Mandel
That he did something with his girl.
Stavros Halkias
Of course. And here's the other thing.
Mandel
So I think he put. Yes. He putting the blame on the girlfriend.
Stavros Halkias
Sure.
Mandel
I think he in general don't want to be friends with this dude no more.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
Because he know what happened between you and his girl.
Stavros Halkias
Of course. Of course. You know what I'm saying? Here's the. Here's truly what's going on here. Your friend is a coward. You the. You the way you think a woman is running his life. Life. And he's not standing up for himself in those relationships. He's absolutely doing the same with you. You his girl, man. You want to know how to get your friend back? It's. Oh, you've committed a truly. Like that's an unforgivable sin. That's it. Dude. He's still with her. He. Whatever you want to Say he chose her over you. They. You. This girl and. And they are still together. And yeah, you think they shouldn't be together because you want to hang out with them. You want to clear your conscience. You. Your life up and maybe their life up too. You're a piece of. You're a selfish piece of. Whatever context there is, it's. Whatever. It's the mental gymnastics. The context you claim. I already know it. It's some. That you've convinced yourself you're in the right. You're a. There's no. And listen, call in. I'd love to actually talk to you. You. I'd love to call on a live call and get to the bottom of this. You up. You should now. Again, unless we said there's some kind of turbo cuck situation, but that's not what's going on here. You're incredibly selfish. You committed a very selfish act and you want your life to go back to what it was. It's never going to go back to what it was.
Mandel
Yeah, he. I think it's two things. I think the couple in. In like you said, in tandem wants to get rid of him. So he's a part of their past and he want the homeboy to get rid of the girl. So the girls are part. Like.
Stavros Halkias
Of course. Yeah.
Mandel
In order for any of these three people to work, somebody has to leave and they don't exist no more.
Stavros Halkias
And the real answer is this guy should leave both of you behind. Yeah, you're both pieces of she, you. You, her and think you're entitled to something. And now you're trying to make her the villain. You're a. Yeah, I feel bad for this guy, but he's also. He's clearly a. He's clearly a coward who doesn't want to stir the pot with either one. You think he really was happy to see you. You think this woman, like, he's just. He. He hates confrontation and you've taken advantage of that your whole relationship. You probably miss having a Steve. He's probably your Stevie and you think you're Kenny Powers. Guess what? You're both Stevie, you're not here. Stevie, he's just a little. He's just a little sadder than you. You're not a cool guy. You're a. You. Your best friend's girl.
Eldis
He's got like a very cold like serial killer gaslighting logic. He's like, dude, we moved past the whole I. Your girlfriend thing.
Stavros Halkias
Why can't we hang out? You move past it. Do you really think he's past it. No, you're. Yeah. I honestly, I hate you. I think you're a. Because here's the other thing. You weren't even honest with us.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
You weren't even like, dude, I made the biggest mistake of my life. I'm an idiot. I. My best friend's girl and I'm so desperately trying to like make up for it.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
I don't know what I can do. I'm racked with guilt. He doesn't even sound guilty. You're right, Elder. She's like, we moved past it. You shouldn't have moved past it.
Mandel
I feel bad.
Stavros Halkias
I would never move past. Absolutely. I feel bad because he.
Mandel
I hate that he think that he can't find love again. I, he, he think that he got to stick with a lady.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
Who would deal with his best friend like.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah.
Mandel
You can sit in there. You see like a solid dude.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
And.
Stavros Halkias
And here's the all we're. This is classic. The most unreliable narrator of all time. Absolutely. So we don't even know what happened. And he claims there's more context. I'm very dubious about the context. He claims there is. And the context is probably he people like this will force like non confrontational people to agree to things that they don't actually believe. So it's like you know, know he thinks the world works like you know. Well, technically he said it was okay after he like badgered him about it or something. Life isn't like, like a court of law. It's no technicalities based on emotions and how you actually treated people. You have to start understanding that. And honestly, you don't deserve your. If you. This guy's girlfriend, even if it was in some messy. Oh, I, I pressured them into a foursome. Like I'd love to know whose idea the foursome was. Now was it your friend's idea and he opened Pandora's box and, and then maybe you and his girlfriend pressured him into pretend like if you did that behind his back in any way. I don't need any more context.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
None whatsoever. Whatever.
Mandel
And he got it. And he got to accept that if your friend really want to be your friend, he'll help you. Like showing up to his. His waist. Shut up to his job or something.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mandel
All of that. It's like hey man, if this dude want to be homies with you, he'll. He'll reach out to you.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
If the relationship supposed to be there, it'll be there. But you can't force something after you Done did something wrong to somebody. You know what I'm saying?
Stavros Halkias
You have to, you have to pay for your sins. Yeah.
Mandel
Accept your consequences.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, exactly. Accept your consequences. Wow, what a it is.
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Stavros Halkias
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Stavros Halkias
All right, El, you got something fun for us to go out on here?
Caller 1
Longtime listener, I've called a couple times. You know, I had a resurgence in just not feeling great about myself. How, how do you love yourself? You seem like a guy that is confident and honestly you've taught me so much ever since BSW solves your problem days about being the fat little rascal myself about being confident and there's a market for people like us being a fun hang easy, things like that. But now I'm trying to go to the next level, I guess. How do you love yourself? How do you become more confident as a fat little rascal? And, and you know, it's, it's just something that I've been struggling with. All right, love ya.
Stavros Halkias
Bye.
Mandel
I want to know the answer to this too, man. I have nothing to contribute.
Stavros Halkias
Well, I mean, that's not true. Come on, you're doing great, buddy. You're, you're doing a great job of it. You're you, you've actually a great example of finding your thing and finding your zone and, and I would say, I would say one thing to tell this, to tell our friend here and you know, other people who are in the plus size community and especially you know, non getting fat guys. Like first of all, don't think of it as a market. We're not products. You're a guy. Right. And by the way, my thing is I'm the best hang in the world. I'm awesome to hang out with and I'm, you know, I'm good at riffing, making you feel comfortable. I'm curious about people. Like I have certain skills, but also that doesn't have to be you.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
The reality is you find who you are. The I what to Take away from it is that no matter who you are, no matter how you look, no matter how you behave, there are a significant amount of people in the world that want that kind of person in their life. That's the lesson, man, is to realize, yeah, maybe I'm not for everyone. Maybe the way the world works a lot the majority of people aren't interested in hanging out with me or me. Right. But more people in the world want to you than you could ever. Even if you're a no matter who you are. And that goes double. If you take little steps to improve yourself just to make yourself feel better, that number will go up. And so that's the real lesson, dude, is realizing that like, you don't have to be something else.
Mandel
You don't have to.
Stavros Halkias
Don't try and be who I am. Don't try and be who mandle. You know what I mean? Don't, don't. And look, you can take, you can be inspired by and, and incorporate certain parts of the things that we do. Maybe some fashion sense, maybe go unk mode. You've been a great, You've been. That's sort of your version to sort of your spin on what I do. I got my thing, right. I come from the east coast. I, I like fat guys in Hawaiians and tracksuits. You got your, your, you know, your 60 year old cousins coming in with the kangals. You know what I'm saying? Like, you're crushing it. And it's like, find your version of what you feel comfortable in, who you want to be, and then go out and figure out who you want to be, who you are, and then figure out what the better version of yourself is not of somebody else. Don't mold yourself into somebody else. Mold yourself into the best version of you. And then you go out and find the people that would like that. And they're out there, bro. So don't worry about, you know, know, we all go through that, right? Not feeling good about yourself no matter who you are. Everybody feels that way. As long as you're just more often than not trying to be better and trying to be true to who you are. That's the secret, dude. I mean, I feel that I've gotten more secure in myself every year by just figuring out what I actually like and not trying to, you know, go fit into people's expectations and just being more and more me. And that's all it is, dude. So don't, don't get caught up in like having to recreate any kind of archetype Figure out who you are and then go for that. And if you're not, if you don't have to be like a big fat party animal, life of the party guy, you could be whoever you want. It's fun to be that guy. I like it. But if that's not you, don't stress over that. Figure out who you are, are, and then be the best version of you, no matter what it is.
Mandel
I think that was phenomenal advice, bro.
Stavros Halkias
Thanks.
Mandel
And I want. I want to add one thing too. I do think that. I do think that. I think you just got to be kind to yourself, man.
Stavros Halkias
Absolutely.
Mandel
And I think that you got to practice kindness on others to develop it within, you know, just how people is.
Stavros Halkias
Kindness is huge. Kindness is absolutely huge.
Mandel
You do you. You just how people was mean to you and you start to feel bad about yourself. I think you got to practice being kind of others and it'll come on to yourself as well. And also just really dive into the things that you like and accept the people who also like those things.
Stavros Halkias
That's who you are. Yes. Those are your contemporaries.
Mandel
And don't worry about the people who don't. You know, if you like Hot Wheels or whatever, you gonna have to get the Hot Wheel shy.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what I'm saying?
Mandel
And that's what it is.
Stavros Halkias
But the good news is there are. That there's more than ever, I feel like women who are into these weird. Like the Internet has showed us.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
There's a ton of like. And it goes back to the, the, the perpetual example is the anime kids growing up.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
You know what I mean? Like, they were better off because they had their own little get. And now the whole world is. It loves anime, which is crazy. But they're, they're. Those guys are. Those guys are really feasting right now. But.
Mandel
But you could apply that to anything, though.
Stavros Halkias
Absolutely. No, that's what I'm saying. It's like, that's, that's, that's like whatever it is. Be that. And the kindness thing is a huge note. Something I think we should start hitting on the show is like, it's never a mistake to be a little kinder than you think you need.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
You will never regret that. You will never regret being nicer to someone. You will never regret tipping a little more than you. You have to or whatever. You will never regret just helping somebody out just a little more. Right. If you have the time or the money or the resources or whatever. It's always, when in doubt, be a Little kinder. You will be shocked how much that improves your life.
Mandel
It does also. No, because in that moment, no matter what happens, you could always rely on being like, hey, at least I'm a good person.
Stavros Halkias
Totally.
Mandel
And that's the thing that matters the most, bro.
Stavros Halkias
Yeah.
Mandel
And I think things are fleeting. Like you could lose weight a game way, have more money or less money, but if you're just a solid individual, I feel like that, that, that kind of stitch with you in my. Makes you feel good about yourself and.
Stavros Halkias
That, that's the, the key to everything. It's like, like that's something I think about. You know, my shit's been going really good the last couple years, but it doesn't change who you actually are. And like success, all this, as cliche as it is, even if you start, you know, having a bunch of go your way, that doesn't necessarily mean you're going to feel great about yourself. It's a fundamental, it's a fundamental thing about you having to actually work on it. And, and it will help. It will help everything is kind of the point I'm making. So go out there, find yourself, find, you know, find the, find the gals that are into the guys that you are and they're out there. And then just, you know, little by little, my friend. And the, it's. Remember, life does suck and is hard. So it's like find the little joys where you can, but you're doing great. And be good. Exactly. Kind to yourself. Give yourself a little space. Sometimes you're gonna feel like that's okay. Everybody has those days.
Mandel
Yeah.
Stavros Halkias
But we believe in you.
Mandel
Absolutely.
Stavros Halkias
Call back when shit's going good or bad. If we were wrong and we gave you bad advice so we can change what we say, I think that's gonna do it for us today. Mando. Thank you, brother.
Mandel
Thank you for having me.
Stavros Halkias
Come back whenever you're. Whenever in New York. Or maybe we'll have you on another LA episode if you move out.
Mandel
Absolutely.
Stavros Halkias
And we will talk to you guys next time. Time. Bye. Bye.
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Episode #112: Mandal Release Date: January 20, 2025
Overview In episode #112 of Stavvy's World, host Stavros Halkias engages in a candid and humorous conversation with his longtime friend Mandel, delving deep into the multifaceted challenges of being overweight in New York City. From the struggles of finding fashionable clothing to navigating complex social dynamics, Stav and Mandel offer insightful commentary peppered with relatable anecdotes and sharp wit. The episode also features engaging caller segments where listeners seek advice on personal issues, receiving straightforward and often hilariously blunt guidance from Stav and Mandel.
Clothing Challenges Stav and Mandel kick off the conversation by discussing the difficulties of finding fashionable and appropriately sized clothing in New York City. Stav humorously laments the repetitive nature of sharing his advice hotline number, emphasizing the frustration with elderly callers who don't follow through.
Mandel echoes these sentiments, highlighting the scarcity and exorbitant prices of stores like DXL, which cater specifically to larger sizes. They joke about the impracticality of finding affordable and stylish hoodies, leading to a broader conversation about the financial strain of maintaining a wardrobe in big sizes.
Transportation Woes The discussion shifts to transportation, where Stav and Mandel debate the pros and cons of relying on services like Uber in a city that seems ill-equipped for larger individuals. They touch upon the inefficiencies of bicycle deliveries and the high costs associated with getting around.
Stav humorously compares navigating the city as an overweight person to being on a "venom suit," highlighting the physical and psychological barriers faced daily.
Mandel shares anecdotes about his large extended family from LaGrange, Georgia, painting a picture of sprawling family reunions with cousins spanning various age groups. He humorously identifies himself as the "weird cousin," an outsider attempt to fit into a tightly-knit family structure.
Stav adds to the banter by reminiscing about his own family experiences, emphasizing the universal struggle of balancing personal identity within large family expectations.
A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to discussions about mental health, insecurities, and the societal pressures that exacerbate feelings of inadequacy among overweight individuals.
Mandel opens up about his feelings of being "impoverished" and the emotional toll of living in a city that isn't accommodating to his needs. The conversation touches on the broader implications of societal standards on self-esteem and personal well-being.
Stav and Mandel delve into more controversial territory by discussing conspiracy theories surrounding wealthy individuals. They explore the idea that extreme wealth can lead to eccentric behaviors and potentially dangerous social constructs like sex cults.
Mandel speculates on the darker side of wealth, pondering the motivations and mental states of extremely rich individuals, and how their search for control can manifest in harmful ways.
The episode navigates the complexities of dating as an overweight individual, tackling themes of acceptance, self-worth, and societal expectations.
Mandel and Stav discuss the portrayal of overweight men in media and Hollywood, questioning why there are fewer positive representations and exploring the internal and external barriers to forming meaningful romantic relationships.
Throughout the episode, listeners call in with personal dilemmas, seeking advice on friendships, relationships, and self-confidence. Stav and Mandel respond with their trademark blend of honesty and humor, offering pragmatic solutions while occasionally crossing into irreverent territory.
Caller 1: Navigating Cheating and Academic Pressure A Canadian student reveals he's been romantically involved with his professor and is struggling with poor grades, seeking advice on balancing his personal relationship with academic integrity.
Caller 2: Struggling with Friendship After a Foursome A caller grapples with the fallout of involving his best friend and the friend's girlfriend in a foursome, leading to broken friendships and trust issues.
Caller 3: Maintaining Love and Confidence A married listener seeks advice on maintaining love and preventing infidelity fears as he and his wife embark on a weight loss journey together.
Caller 4: Exploring Threesomes Respectfully Another listener inquires about proposing a threesome without causing hurt, leading to a lively discussion on communication and consent.
In response to listener inquiries about self-love and confidence, Stav and Mandel emphasize the importance of self-acceptance and kindness, both towards oneself and others.
Mandel adds that practicing kindness can lead to increased self-esteem and better relationships.
The episode wraps up with Stav and Mandel reiterating key takeaways: embrace your true self, practice kindness, and understand that personal growth is a continual journey. They encourage listeners to reach out for further advice and remind them of the importance of self-worth beyond societal standards.
Final Thoughts Episode #112 of Stavvy's World offers a blend of humor, honesty, and heartfelt advice, making it a relatable listen for anyone grappling with self-acceptance, societal pressures, and the quest for meaningful relationships. Through their frank discussions and engaging caller interactions, Stav and Mandel provide a comforting space for listeners to reflect on their own experiences and find encouragement to embrace their true selves.