Story Warz Episode 065: "Darkness" (October 31, 2025)
Big Jay Oakerson and Luis J. Gomez face off at The Stand Comedy Club for a Halloween special with guests Sal Vulcano, Mike Recine, and Hormoz Rashidi.
Main Theme & Purpose
Episode Focus:
Players compete in "Story Warz: A Game of Deceptive Storytelling," where each panelist submits stories based on the theme "Darkness"—from personal pranks to literal dark moments—and must guess who wrote each story. The game centers on bluffing, deduction, comedic ribbing, and, above all, funny, often self-deprecating stories about shame, adolescence, and weirdness.
Objective:
Fool the panel to score points and claim the episode’s prize: the book How to Love a Black Man by Dr. Ron Elmore.
Panelists
- Big Jay Oakerson (Co-host)
- Luis J. Gomez (Co-host)
- Sal Vulcano (Impractical Jokers, guest)
- Mike Recine (Comedian, guest)
- Hormoz Rashidi (Comedian, guest)
Game Rules (brief)
- Each panelist submits 3-5 stories on the episode’s theme.
- Producer Alex reads the stories anonymously.
- The goal: Guess who wrote it; authors bluff to avoid detection.
- Points: 2 for correct guesses; 1 for each person fooled.
- Later rounds have double points to swing the game.
Key Discussion Points, Round-by-Round
[02:19] - [07:42] Introduction & Panel Setup
- Classic Story Warz banter and quick catch-up.
- Halloween and theme “Darkness” announced.
- Tonight’s prize: How to Love a Black Man
- “I see a few gals in the crowd who look like they really want that book.” – Luis [08:43]
[09:20] Story #1
Story: After a friend's death, I told a mutual friend he was still alive. Had to call back later and explain he’d died.
- Panel guesses: Jay, Sal, or Lewis. Hormoz ribbed about his Iranian heritage and losing friends in wars.
- Notable moment: Hormoz does deadpan misdirection, makes light of the suspicion:
“No, that does sound like it could be me. I have lost so many people in wars. But no, it’s not me for sure.” – Hormoz [10:17] - Reveal: It was Hormoz! [16:52]
- Hormoz explains: He thought it’d be a funny prank but immediately regretted it after calling back about the real death.
“And then I had to call him back and be like, hey, you know how I said Jeff’s alive? He’s dead.” [18:26]
[20:53] Story #2
Story: I dressed as The Crow and stood still in a deli parking lot in the rain to freak out my friend. He called the police.
- Wild speculation: Jay and Luis both accused of goth/alt tendencies.
- Recine on goth culture: “If you had a dad, you wouldn’t do this.” [22:45]
- Sal denies ever having a duster coat or being a goth, but Big Jay and Luis needle him hard.
- Theorizing about race and goth aesthetics, referencing the crows from Dumbo, Miss Doubtfire, etc.
- Reveal: It was Sal! [29:11]
- “I stood in the parking lot like a good 20 feet away... at first he laughed, and then... he started to get nervous, because I didn’t move... and then he called the police.” – Sal [30:06]
[33:18] Story #3
Story: Girl I was dating went home with a famous comedian. Afterward, I stood in front of the East River to see if I could kill myself.
- Immediate groupthink that this is Recine; everyone piles on about career frustration.
- “This is dramatically all me. But this never happened to me.” – Jay [34:43]
- Classic Story Warz misdirection: “It’s never the person you think it is.” – Recine [39:00]
- Reveal: It was Mike Recine! [40:04]
- Story about working at Caroline’s Comedy Club; girlfriend went home with Daniel Tosh.
“Let me see if I want to do this, you know, and the thought would be to jump in [the river].” [41:39]
[47:22] Story #4
Story: I quit Boy Scouts after being abandoned in the woods at night by my troop.
- Spirited debate about Cub Scouts, Weeblos, and childhood trauma. Humorous side stories about Pinewood Derby and not having fathers.
- Jay insists: “I never made it to weblos. I was out before We Blows because...” [47:56]
- Sal second guesses, Jay gaslights him (“If that’s your vote, go with it!”), leading to an in-game betrayal.
- Reveal: It was Big Jay! [55:48]
- “The guys started jogging to the girls' camp, and eventually I stopped hearing their footsteps... No flashlight, no idea where the camp is. Sad, trying not to cry.” [59:59]
- Sal is emotionally wounded by Jay’s game (comedic highlight):
“You crossed a boundary. This is new waters for us.” – Sal [56:33]
[68:03] Story #5 (Double Points)
Story: Sometimes when I’m driving on the freeway late at night, I close my eyes to see how long I can go.
- The word “freeway” becomes the clue; suspicion falls on Hormoz (West Coast) but he quickly deflects.
- “Lewis put the word freeway in as a way to deflect on the west coast guy because he plays hard.” – Hormoz [70:22]
- Mike gamely plays the depressed Italian card: “I don’t do it with my kids in the car.” [73:03]
- Reveal: It was Mike Recine! [72:21]
[77:00] Story #6
Story: I fingered a girl in my high school photography darkroom after she modeled for me.
- Heated debate over who had photography classes; Sal says he's never fingered a girl:
“I’ve never fingered anyone in my life. It’s gross.” – Sal [78:50] - Comedic skirmish over hygiene and adolescent sex.
- Hormoz, Jay, and Luis all play up bluff/double-bluff, targeting each other and causing Sal existential distress.
- Reveal: It was Luis! [87:41]
- “I really always wanted to be some sort of creepy director... I was like, ‘Come after school, I’ll take some photos of you.’ Then I finger-banged her in the darkroom. I think it was consensual, but honestly, it was too dark.” – Luis [88:36–88:55]
[90:51] Story #7
Story: As a kid, a woman convinced us she decapitated our friend, then showed his “head” in the window.
- Guesses split between Sal and Recine.
- Sal describes a Halloween memory in Staten Island apartments:
“She pulled his head up from the window... It was pretty fucked up. We were screaming, like, get the authorities!” [96:04] - Reveal: Sal again! [95:08]
[99:59] Story #8
Story: At a festival, a guy claimed to be the brother of Justin Hawkins (of the band The Darkness). I didn’t care.
- Jay’s history with musical acts comes under scrutiny.
- The on-the-nose “Darkness” tie as tonight’s theme.
- Reveal: Big Jay! [106:01]
- “Cape Town Comedy Festival... his big claim to fame: ‘Yeah, my brother’s Justin Hawkins, the lead singer of Darkness’... everyone was like, who gives a shit?” [106:05]
Final Round: Overtime ("Jeopardy" Style)
- Tiebreaker between Luis and Mike Recine:
Players wagered points on the identity of one more mystery story.
Story #9: My ex-girlfriend would run through the pitch-black woods to meet me. I would not have done the same for her; I’m afraid of woods and the dark.
- Reveal: Big Jay again!
- “She would climb out of the window of her parents’ trailer... walk through the woods... I would not have done that same thing for her.” [113:13]
Final Results & Winner
- Big Jay Okerson: 11 points (last place, but with most overtime stories)
- Hormoz Rashidi: 14 points
- Mike Recine & Sal Vulcano: 15 points (tied for 2nd)
- Luis J. Gomez: 32 points (WINNER)
- “He’s bored of winning. Look at his face. Zero emotion. He’s like, another book.” — Jay, [115:09]
Notable Quotes & Comedic Highlights
- Sal: “As soon as I heard Crow, I know one of you guys dressed like the Crow. You love delis.” [21:32]
- Hormoz: “No, that does sound like it could be me. I have lost so many people in wars.” [10:17]
- Jay to Sal (after betrayal): “You look me right in the eyes... We’ve never just looked and lied.” [56:39]
- Mike Recine: “This game is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done in my life.” [33:02]
- Luis: “Who hasn’t done this? It’s a fun game at night. Once in a while, you got to play the game.” (re: driving with eyes closed) [69:01]
- Sal (defending not fingering girls): “Even washing my hands. Taking a risk doing that.” [79:27]
- Jay (on his ex’s visits): “She would just emerge from the woods in her Charlotte Hornet starter jacket, and then I would just release her back into the wood.” [113:13]
Timestamps to Key Moments
- [05:16] Guest intros and story theme announced
- [09:20] First story and immediate Iranian jokes/deflection
- [16:52] First big reversal—Hormoz’s story reveals the game's deception is working
- [29:11] Crow story revealed – Sal’s most theatrical moment
- [34:43–43:00] Story about heartbreak and suicide at the East River, featuring Mike Recine’s low-key style
- [56:10] Dramatic game betrayal; discussion about broken trust
- [68:03–73:24] Double points round—stakes are raised, Recine surprises with the “driving” story
- [87:41] Luis’ photography class confession—panels’ disgust over finger-banging
- [106:01] Jay’s “Darkness” band story, classic misdirection
- [113:13] Jay’s romantic confessions—trailer shenanigans
Tone & Atmosphere
- Raucous, irreverent, and self-effacing; constant ribbing ("You in the Boy Scouts? They have those in Iran?" "That's the most Mexican-sounding Iranian name I’ve ever heard." [09:49])
- Vulnerable moments (heartbreak, not having fathers, teenage humiliations) are undercut and elevated with absurdity and sharp wit.
- Strong camaraderie and real moments of genuine emotion, even as the competition and deception escalate.
- Even betrayals are spun into running gags that escalate the comedy and game tension.
Memorable Moments
- Sal’s theatricality: From standing as The Crow to retelling a childhood prank so dark it borders on horror.
- Mike Recine surprising the panel with a dark driving game and a very real heartbreak.
- Jay and Sal’s mock-dramatic spat over “trust” during game betrayal.
- Hormoz’s persistent Middle East jokes, and uncanny ability to convince the room (twice) it “couldn’t possibly be” him.
Conclusion
This episode showcases the best of "Story Warz": wickedly funny stories, personal darkness turned into communal comedy, psychological warfare among friends, and heartfelt vulnerability disguised as jokes. Luis J. Gomez reclaims his title as the ultimate “story warrior,” but not before every panelist stabs and is stabbed (in jest and occasionally in trust), making this one of the most closely fought—and hysterical—episodes of the series.
Next Episode: Promised further chaos, more betrayals, and (as always) more merch plugs, live shows, and inside references.