TBTL Episode #4666 "Wing Theory" - Summary

Date: February 18, 2026
Hosts: Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh
Notable Guests (clips): John Moe, Paula Poundstone

Episode Overview

In this lively and meandering Wednesday edition, Luke and Andrew dive into the thorny controversy of boneless chicken wings—are they really wings?—and how the courts have weighed in. Along the way, the hosts touch on everything from mid-'80s film nostalgia, fighting over garbage bins, the latest internet incel crazes, the peculiarities of nut-based coffee creamers, fleeting hard drive supplies due to AI, and the deep oddities of neighborly disputes turned HBO drama.

As always, their banter is full of affectionate ribbing, nostalgic sidetracks, and meta commentary about podcasting itself.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Minions, the Rise of Gru, and “Who Would Have Minions in Real Life?” (00:00–01:19)

• Luke sets a playful tone by reviewing "Minions: Rise of Gru" and spinning off into a philosophical question:

  “Who in our society would have Minions if they were real? And are they real? And where can I find them? And how despicable do I have to be to get some?” (00:06)

  • This is more of an intro for their classic TBTL sense of humor and doesn’t become the main thread.

2. Banter, Guests, and Fan Culture (01:19–02:33)

• Paula Poundstone and John Moe chime in with comedic takes about fan requests and hygiene.
• Andrew makes fun of their fans (“Do I wish they were a little more hip? Yes. Do I wish they were a tad more on top of their hygiene? Absolutely.” 01:46) in classic affectionate TBTL style.

3. Studio Snow, Heaters, and the Fragile Internet (02:33–03:25)

• Luke describes snow flurries outside the "Madrona Hill Studio" and worries about blowing breakers with too many heaters running (“sometimes when I try to heat it up in here, it throws one of the breakers. And then the Internet goes away and then TBTL goes away for a short time.” 02:43).

4. The Main Event: Boneless Chicken Wings—A Legal Debate (03:26–59:13)

a. The Lawsuit and Recent Ruling (44:03–59:13)

• Andrew is eager to get to the “top story”:

  “I have so many opinions on this topic...it has nothing to do with whether or not I like chicken wings or boneless chicken wings." (04:13)

• They discuss a lawsuit where a consumer sued Buffalo Wild Wings for deceptive advertising, claiming “boneless wings” should literally come from wing meat, not breast meat.
• Judge Ruling: The court ruled in favor of Buffalo Wild Wings, saying context clues make it clear wing refers to cooking style, not the chicken body part (44:21).
  • The judge used puns throughout the ruling (“no meat on its bones”, “did not drum up enough factual allegations” 44:16), which both hosts despise:

    Andrew: “I couldn't agree more. Straight to jail. Straight to jail with you, sir. Disbarred.” (45:27)

b. Who’s Right? Logic or Marketing?

• Andrew’s Take:
  • It’s misleading to call breast meat “wings.”
  • “A wing is a wing. I don’t understand why you can call a breast a wing…there’s a million different things you can call these, but don’t call them a part of the chicken that they're not.” (51:35)
  • He draws an analogy to steak cuts for clarity.
• Luke, more amused, sees the logic but notes people also know what boneless wings are by now.
• Notable Quote:

  “I would feel the same way if it was about like some sort of cottage cheese product.” —Andrew (56:58)

• Discussion of similar lawsuits (involving bones in boneless wings, cauliflower “wings,” and city council petitions to rename menu items) follows.
• Conclusion: Andrew is incensed by the linguistic laxity, while Luke is fascinated by the depth of legal wrangling around fried food.

5. Nut Pods, Expired Creamers, and the PETA Connection (05:22–16:44)

• Luke dithers over using expired half and half or a mysterious almond-coconut “nut pod” creamer.
• “I don’t know how this came into my life, but I remember thinking, eh, you know, couldn’t hurt.” (06:46)
• Turns out the nut pods were sent to him by “Wes from PETA” as part of various promotional campaigns (15:07), leading to musings on PR strategies and podcast transcript monitoring by organizations like PETA.

6. Clavicular, Mogging, and Incels of TikTok (08:04–11:41)

• Discussion about the viral internet “look smacking” influencer “clavicular,” and the subculture’s obsession with male jawline/shoulder ratios:

  “It’s all very, very bad and a very, very depressing thing to think about this being popular online.” — Luke (09:27)

• Introduces the concept of “mogging” (standing next to “less handsome” people to make yourself look better on streams).

7. 80s/90s Film & TV Nostalgia: "The 'Burbs", Tom Hanks, the Coreys, and Macaulay Culkin (16:12–28:21)

• Back-and-forth about the movie "The 'Burbs," Tom Hanks, and generational shifts in comedy and pop culture.
• Recap of Corey Feldman’s “near-MJ” music career, Macaulay Culkin’s resurgence, and musings on child-star legacies.
• Notable quote:

  “He just willed it into existence.” —Luke, on Corey Feldman’s musical career (24:57)

8. Dazzling Donors, Listener Messages, and Unsolicited Dolphin Sightings (28:29–34:32)

• Heartfelt messages from listeners Madeline (who moved from NJ to Minnesota with her “three chickens and 13 year old son August”) and Beth (“Beth Wright, not wrong” 37:07).
• Luke sidetracks into an excited blow-by-blow of possibly “black dolphins” in the Columbia River, visible from his window, and the “David Attenborough”-style scene that unfolds (“It’s a friggin David Attenborough film happening out here” 33:13).
• Memorable Moment: Luke’s dolphin sighting, seagull follow-up, and Andrew accusing him of being “stereo opticoned” (43:21).

9. Music Criticism, Pitchfork’s Paywall, and Social Media Reaction Culture (34:59–39:02)

• Brief commentary on how people now experience “music reaction videos” on TikTok rather than rely on traditional album reviews:

  “That’s now more popular than music criticism. It’s music reactionism.” —Luke (36:31)

10. The Australian “Twinnies”: Dropped Requests and R-Nar-Nar (37:49–42:30)

• By donor request, Andrew plays a classic TBTL drop: the “Australian twins” finishing each other’s sentences on the news, and the viral “r-nar-nar” TikTok impression (39:48–41:41).
• Beth’s request: Luke and Andrew respond with their take on the meme, and context provided for the “Twinnies” and their sea-bird rescue work.

11. Media, Streaming, and the Vanishing Hard Drive (75:41–82:39)

• Both hosts discuss the vanishing availability of portable hard drives and blame AI’s hunger for storage (Western Digital is “sold out for 2026” 79:28).
• Leads to laments about fleeting streaming availability, collector tendencies, and the need to “own” digital copies.

  "It has a lot to do with AI and all of companies needing as much..." —Andrew (79:28)

12. HBO’s "The Other Two", "Neighbors", and Thoughts on Streaming Models (59:13–75:41)

• Luke is charmed by “The Other Two,” praising its sharp, non-cliché writing about siblings of a Justin Bieber-type star (“I think it might be one of the funniest, most well-written shows about Internet culture that I can remember.” 71:15).
• Andrew details how streaming services like HBO now flag their movies as “leaving soon,” feeding a sense of digital impermanence (83:00).
• Analysis of the new HBO docuseries “Neighbors,” which chronicles bizarre real-life neighbor disputes (59:13–68:15), and a meditation on how such shows straddle compelling character study and manufactured drama.

13. Film Discovery: "Le Bonheur" and Commercial Break Rage (84:16–90:35)

• Andrew shares how a casual scroll led him to watch the French film “Le Bonheur” (“I can’t get this film out of my head…” 87:40), and how he was jolted by a sudden, loud Howie Mandel Netflix ad mid-movie.

  “She doesn't fade to black between scenes. She fades to red. Sometimes she fades to green. It's really interesting. But ... it'll just be fading. And then all of a sudden, it'll be the most modern yell in your face." (88:20)

• Brief rant on clashing aesthetics: 1960s France followed by testosterone-pumped Howie Mandel.

14. Podcast Funding, Supplements, and the TBTL Model (92:41–96:19)

• Luke observes the proliferation of dubious supplement/pseudoscience podcast ads—even on otherwise serious/stoic shows.

  “It's wild to me how many podcasts that I really like and respect also do ads for, like, just kooky, kooky medical [stuff].” (92:42)

• Andrew explains why the TBTL, listener-funded with no ads, is unique and precious.

  “This is the only way TBTL works 100%.” (96:19)

15. Paula Poundstone’s Worm Farm, Guest Appearances, and Outro (97:25–end)

• Recollections of Paula Poundstone’s “worm farming” enterprise, selling her fans literal worm castings (“the how the heck does she do it package,” 98:37). Andrew proposes having her back on the pod for more worm talk, and Luke agrees.
• Classic TBTL outro: “No mountain too tall, and good luck to all.” (101:06)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "Who in our society would have Minions if they were real?...Where can I find them? And how despicable do I have to be to get some?" —Luke (00:06)
• “Do I wish our fans were a little more hip? Yes. Do I wish they were a tad more on top of their hygiene? Absolutely.” —Andrew (01:46)
• “I have so many opinions on this topic, and it’s not even coming from a place of ... whether or not I like chicken wings.” —Andrew (04:13)
• "I don't like it when judges take part in wordplay, however trivial the issue." —Luke (45:27)
• "A wing is a wing. I don’t understand why you can call a breast a wing." —Andrew (51:35)
• “He just willed it into existence.” —Luke on Corey Feldman’s music career (24:57)
• "That's now more popular than music criticism. It's music reactionism." —Luke (36:31)
• "I can't get this film out of my head, and I can't exactly even tell you why." —Andrew on Le Bonheur (87:40)
• “There is literally ... nobody has the funding model that we have, which is ... listener supported and in a way that can ... support a daily full time podcast.” —Andrew (95:56)
• “People think I'm kidding when I say that I'm a worm farmer. I’m not kidding.” —Paula Poundstone (98:23)

Important Timestamps

• Boneless wings lawsuit main segment: (44:03–59:13)
• Nut pods, PETA, and expired coffee creams: (05:22–16:44)
• Dolphin sighting interlude: (32:07–34:32)
• Australian “Twinnies”/R-Nar-Nar drops: (37:49–42:30)
• HBO’s ‘The Other Two’ review: (69:35–75:41)
• Hard drive/AI shortage: (79:28)
• 'Le Bonheur' and commercial break outrage: (84:16–90:35)
• Paula Poundstone worm farm: (97:25–99:37)
• Outro theme: (101:06)

Tone & Style

• The tone throughout is rambling yet warm—a mix of serious pop culture critique and improvisational absurdity.
• The episode is self-aware, poking fun at its own digressions and the TBTL style (“We are going to get to Nuggets Talk here in a minute. Don’t you worry.” 18:37).
• Banter is affectionate and packed with inside jokes, while genuine thanks are given to listeners during "Dazzling Donors" (Madeline’s NJ-to-MN move with three chickens and a son in tow: “...during the stressful process of selling, buying and moving homes. You especially helped me get through the days of driving our three dogs, three chickens and our 13 year old son August...” 31:15).

Memorable Moments

• Luke’s excited sighting of a pod of “black dolphins” mid-show and his David Attenborough-style commentary.
• Andrew’s impassioned legal argument against calling anything but actual wings “wings.”
• Paula Poundstone’s worm farming reveal (and worm-calling demonstration video).
• The “r-nar-nar” Australian twins reenactment and how it echoes in all Andrew’s "oh no’s."
• Andrew yelling at a Howie Mandel Netflix ad in the middle of a meditative French film.

The episode offers a quintessential TBTL experience: tangents that loop back on themselves, idiosyncratic listener shout-outs, and a deep-dive into the absurdities of both pop culture and real life that manages to feel cozy and essential. The boneless wing debate, in all its seriousness-flavored-with-silliness, is the perfect encapsulation of the pod’s world view.