TBTL #4582: “Well, Well, Well”

Date: October 23, 2025
Hosts: Luke Burbank & Andrew Walsh

Episode Overview

This episode of TBTL is a classic slice of Luke and Andrew’s friendship, filled with tangents, gentle roasting, nostalgia, and granular discussions of everyday life. The main threads wove from a surprisingly intense Olive Garden review, through generational slang panic, well water phobia, and the disappointment of missed sports fandoms. Along the way: new crabs, mysterious phone contacts, and more Wordle drama.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Olive Garden and the Nature of Chain Restaurant Reviews

[00:00–02:14]

• Andrew and guests open with an old-school TV-style review of Olive Garden’s first Minnesota location.
  • “Which is called the Olive Garden. It’s a new Italian restaurant. And it’s so popular...” (Steve, 00:00)
• Observations on the decor, the bottomless breadsticks and salad, and the “Tour of Italy” platter.
• Critical but gentle:
  • “For food, I gave it two and a half... Some things were really good. ... The fettuccine Alfredo was good. And another night, it was just so-so.” (Steve, 01:47)

2. Luke’s Pastoral Morning & The Well Saga

[03:08–04:33; 24:00–41:32]

• Luke reports from his Madrona Hill studio, reflecting on seeing neighborhood deer growing up.
  • “To say that I would literally die for these deer would be kind of an understatement.” (Luke, 03:24)
• He jokes about trying to get the deer to donate to TBTL.
• The episode’s namesake: Luke’s anxiety over the mystery of his property’s well.
  • “Another thing I did yesterday... I opened this cover of where the well is... Something I had never done before.” (Luke, 04:33)
• Later, he narrates the whole investigation:
  • Apprehension about what might be under the lid.
  • Relief and disappointment when it’s “just some insulation and I guess the top of the well... not a chasm into the earth!” (Luke, 38:52)
  • “It was like, I was afraid it was going to be a view down into the deep depths of the earth, but then I was also very disappointed that it was just like, scrubby, gross insulation.” (Luke, 39:03)

3. Breaking News: Australia’s New Mangrove Crab

[05:20–07:13]

• Andrew and Amber have fun with a story on scientists discovering a new species of crab in Western Australia.
  • “It isn’t giant. Unfortunately, it’s the only non giant crab in Australia, which makes it unique in its own way.” (Amber, 05:36)
  • “Miss me with mangrove.” (Luke, 06:51)
• Playful confusion about Gen Z slang and whether “miss me with mangrove” is a thing.

4. Generational Slang: “Six Seven”

[07:22–13:02]

• Discussion about the viral “6, 7” TikTok catchphrase, hand motions, and its inscrutable meaning.
  • “The whole point is it doesn’t mean anything... Part of what the fun of it is is that it does not have any kind of actual meaning in the world.” (Luke, 10:13)
• Connection to viral kids’ energy, the nostalgia of Pee Wee’s Playhouse, and how adult brains absorb fleeting trends.
• Comedic anecdote about Becca’s joke at a kids’ party:
  • “Why is six afraid of seven? Because seven, eight, nine.” (Becca via Luke, 13:02)

5. Wordle: Streaks, Stumbles, and Spoofs

[13:03–21:00]

• Friendly competition and heartbreak over Wordle streaks. Becca’s frustration with ambiguous answers (“the ones where it could be like 20 different things”).
  • “There’s a filtration system in the door of the refrigerator for just that reason. And he [Dad] knows about it, because he ran the water line… But doesn’t use it.” (Luke, 29:26)
• Andrew recounts the tension of being down to one guess (“Like… those guys who have a billion dollars of bitcoin on a thumb drive… and on the fifth [try], it’s going to lock down.” Luke, 16:45)
• The show’s signature “spoof” drop leads to comedic technical failure and mutual ribbing.

6. The Mystery of Old Contacts

[21:02–23:54]

• Andrew and Luke commiserate about having inexplicable numbers and Venmo contacts.
  • “Hey, my name’s Andrew. Why do I know you?” (Andrew, 21:48)
• Hilarious accidental texts, triggered memories, and the emotional landmines of digital address books.

7. Survivalism, Septic Tanks, and DIY Realities

[24:00–33:03]

• Expanding on survivalist fantasies: both hosts debate if they’re suited for off-grid living.
  • “The problem… That’s the main way I learned things [YouTube]. And now I don’t have that.” (Luke, 26:29)
• Septic tanks and maintenance fears in an apocalyptic scenario.
• The fantasy of being Nick Offerman’s character in “The Last of Us”—but with fewer booby traps and more house problems.

8. Home Maintenance, Old Houses, and Generational Craftsmanship

[41:01–43:35]

• The saga of home repairs and the philosophy of “cut every corner” past owners.
  • “There’s so many things… taking this house apart… constantly finding out that somebody, generations before me did the absolute minimum.” (Luke, 41:04)
• Nostalgia for bygone craftsmanship, contrasted with shoddy 1980s work—using cassette tape durability as analogy.
  • “The tape from the 70s and early 80s was much better quality as far as holding up over time than the stuff… from the mid to late 80s...” (Amber [Andrew], 42:46)

9. Fandom Flops: Blazers, Kraken, and the Curse of Luke

[48:38–53:16]

• Luke attempts to become a Portland Trailblazers fan after a long Mariners season.
  • “Can I have one sport thing where a guy is not doing a thing on my home field and then taunting us?” (Luke, 49:16)
• News breaks: Blazers coach Chauncey Billups is busted for participating in a mafia-run poker ring.
• Luke, feeling jinxed, ponders switching to the hockey team Kraken:
  • “I may have to become a Kraken guy… At least their coach hasn’t been arrested yet.” (Luke, 52:09)

10. Listener Community & Donor Acknowledgments

[44:04–48:35]

• Heartfelt and humorous recognition of donors from across the U.S. and Canada, with improvised bits about their hometowns.
• Special shoutouts to friends and relations of the show, including a “quasi sister-in-law.”

11. Life’s Small Mysteries and Modern Tech

• Amusing stories about smart glasses (Meta Ray-Bans), accidental “Hey Dummies” video attempts, and the perennial challenge of deleting the wrong audio clip.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “To say that I would literally die for these deer would be kind of an understatement. And yet we have not gotten them over the line on donating to TBTL yet. They’re freeloading, and it’s getting on my nerves.” — Luke ([03:24])
• “Miss me with mangrove.” — Luke ([06:51])
• “The whole point is it doesn’t mean anything... that’s what the fun is. It does not have any kind of actual meaning in the world.” — Luke, explaining the “Six Seven” meme ([10:13])
• “If you get on camera, make sure you throw six, seven in there.” — Andrew, re: kids and viral trends ([09:54])
• “That was going to both be somewhat nasty but also very, very satisfying.” — Andrew, on the allure of rescuing gross home appliances ([40:46])
• “I say, call Genevieve Haas or text Genevieve Haas, because that’s how my car hears it. I have to change Genevieve’s name for the computers, which doesn’t seem right.” — Andrew ([47:25])
• “Can I have one sport thing where a guy is not like doing a thing on my home field and then taunting us?” — Luke, on Blazers fandom heartbreak ([49:16])
• “Who’s going to look out for the well-meaning rich guys?” — Luke, on Blazers coach gambling scandal ([52:09])
• “That was a pretty good spoof.” — Show drop (Zach Galifianakis), used throughout ([18:37])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00–02:14] Olive Garden review & chain restaurant ratings
• [03:08–04:33; 24:00–41:32] Luke’s deer report, well saga, and survivalist musing
• [05:20–07:13] Breaking news: New mangrove crab in Australia
• [07:22–13:02] Generational slang (“six seven”), viral hand motions
• [13:03–21:00] Wordle streak anxiety, “spoof” audio drop drama
• [21:02–23:54] Contact and Venmo mystery stories
• [24:00–33:03] More off-grid/survival talk & home repair
• [41:01–43:35] Maintenance, craftsmanship, and cassette tape nostalgia
• [44:04–48:35] Listener donor thank-yous and community updates
• [48:38–53:16] Sports fandom section — Blazers, Kraken, and Luke’s curse
• [54:18–57:12] Blursday messages, audience birthdays/shoutouts

Tone and Chemistry

The episode is full of gentle ribbing, self-deprecation, and the earnest quirks that characterize TBTL. Luke and Andrew (with “Amber” joining in as the drop-voice) move seamlessly from trivia and nostalgia to personal anecdotes. Their rapport is playful and digressive, often diverting for inside jokes, but always looping back for the listener. The recurring audience engagement (Blursdays, donor callouts) underscores the sense of conversational community.

In Summary

For TBTL fans looking for relatable life tangents, careful documentation of the mundane, and elaborate digressions about everything from Gen Z memes to the protocols of home plumbing, “Well, Well, Well” delivers classic comfort. The well-cover saga, in particular, is a signature moment—transforming ordinary home maintenance into existential curiosity, a little bit of fear, and lots of laughter.