The Basement Yard – Ep. #517: "Welcome To Flavortown" (August 25, 2025)

Hosts: Joe Santagato, Frank Alvarez
Guest: Joey
Studio: Santagato Studios

Overview

In this episode, Joe and Frank, joined by Joey, dive into the joy and chaos of quirky stadium foods (including a tiramisu served in a Yankees helmet), the outsized persona of Guy Fieri and “Flavortown,” Italian heritage and food, the evolution of tipping etiquette, odd news about adult pacifiers, and a surprisingly heartfelt dialogue about social media, public attention, and mental well-being. As always, their banter is sharp, irreverent, and self-aware, mixing crude jokes with genuine observations about modern life.

Episode Highlights & Discussion Points

1. Opening Jokes & Gooning Lingo

• The show starts with riffing on Joey’s shirt (“Sorry I missed church today. I was at the Rainforest Cafe, gooning.”)
• The trio gets caught up in a string of euphemisms for masturbation ("cranking your dank," "choking your chicken," "tickling your feather," etc.), playfully educating each other on terms the “youth” are using now.
  • Memorable quote:
    • Frank: “That means jerking off.” (00:28)
    • Joe: “Tugging your boat. That’s a better one.” (01:08)
• They rib Joey for possibly making the intro about indecent exposure via his shirt, segueing into a lighter vibe.

2. Stadium Tiramisu Yankees Helmet Taste Test

• Joey brings in stadium-inspired tiramisu desserts made by his cousin at Fortunato’s Bakery. This unpacks a thread of jokes about Italian heritage, family, and authenticity of stadium food.
  • Frank, incredulously: “Your cousin is The Fortunato bakery?” (01:46)
  • Joe: “Your cousin tastes amazing. You got a good tasting cousin.” (04:01)
• They try the tiramisu, comment on the “dusty” quality, and riff on whether the Yankees or Mets serve better stadium eats.
  • Joe: “Oh my god, these are dusty whores, these.” (03:03)
• This spirals into Italian food banter, the origins of pasta, and how Italy “stole” it from China.

3. Richie Rich, McDonalds at Home, and Food Fantasies

• The group reminisces about the movie “Richie Rich” and fantasizes about the “press a button, get any food" concept.
  • Frank: “Colossal king crab legs. What’s funny about that?” (08:17)
  • Joe: “Welcome to flavor town” (10:44)
• They get into what dish they’d want on demand, before breaking into Guy Fieri impressions.

4. Guy Fieri & "Flavortown" Riff

• Joe and Frank adopt over-the-top Guy Fieri-isms (“donkey kicking good,” “finger-licking donkey fucking sauce"), exaggerating his flair and discussing the appeal of his restaurants and TV shows.
  • Joe: "This fucking hot dog is gangster… he put a little bit of donkey fuck sauce on it." (13:36)
  • Frank: “He loves to do that…it's an animal and a body part.” (15:20)
• They hilariously unpack the confusion Joe had over “Guy’s Grocery Games” (thinking it was a show for men, not Guy Fieri's namesake).
• Joey interjects with trivia—Guy Fieri apparently hates eggs—leading to weirdly detailed discussion about where eggs come from.

5. Eggs: Misconceptions and Petting Zoo Anecdotes

• Confusion abounds over whether store eggs are “aborted” or simply unfertilized, leading to back and forth on animal biology.
  • Frank: “I was always under the assumption that they were just like, aborted eggs.” (16:31)
• Joe describes being attacked by chickens and goats at a petting zoo, sparking debate about animal behavior.
  • Joe: “Goats would…run from across the pen right into my shins…am I gonna have to kick one of these goats?” (19:03)

6. Adult Pacifiers for Anxiety: Cultural Trends and Stigma

• Joe brings up a news story: adults in China using pacifiers to relax. Frank is incredulous but contemplates the idea.
  • Frank: “We're not beating the whiny crybaby millennial allegation.” (20:45)
  • Joe: “That's because society has put parameters on what you can and cannot do.” (21:43)
• They debate whether there's a universal soothing effect to a pacifier, but weigh the issue of adults seeking "childish" comforts.

7. Tip and Change Etiquette: Delivery Days & Language

• The trio discusses confusing phrases around tipping (“keep five”), working life as pizza delivery guys, and how tipping norms have shifted.
  • Joe: “So many people were like, 'give me the dollar back.' And I'm like, I'm delivering pizzas here, bro.” (37:30)
  • Frank: “Now these apps will be like, oh, ten, fifteen percent of your order is the tip. Like, yo, don’t make me the bad guy here.” (38:47)
• They recall early jobs, cash tips, and sentimental stories about cute older customers tipping in quarters.

8. Social Media Usage, Screen Time, and Phone Detoxes

• Conversation turns to their own daily screen time: TikTok dominates for all, with some racking up 3-9 hours/day.
  • Joey: “My total screen time daily average is nine hours.” (50:55)
  • Frank: “If you were to ask most people, they would say they spend too much time on social media.” (50:44)
• Joe describes an attempted phone detox: buying a flip phone and ditching his smartphone for two months.
  • Joe: “I bought a flip phone…that lasted one month or two months, maybe.” (55:44)
• They discuss why it’s hard to not constantly check your phone ("muscle memory"), and the addictive pull of scrolling.

9. Unpacking Fame: Public Recognition and Its Psychological Toll

• In a surprisingly candid turn, Frank and Joe discuss how increased recognition affects their sense of self and daily behavior.
  • Frank: “Sometimes when I open my phone, I feel like I need to be a character…like, even if I'm not around anyone.” (60:07)
  • Joe: “Now I have to be somebody because people here are expecting exactly what I just said. Like, I have to…like, I don’t know.’” (63:08)
• Frank shares stories about being recognized in public with his family, feeling pressure to “perform” or act like the on-camera version of himself, and negotiating boundaries with fans.
  • Frank: “You're gonna ask me for a picture, I have to keep my eyes on this child… I always ask…as long as the kids are not in the picture.” (71:01)
• Joe expresses his discomfort at the “who are you?” questions from strangers after others ask for photos, but ultimately feels grateful:
  • Joe: “My life doesn’t feel that important… I don’t understand people having a reaction to seeing me…” (74:07)

10. The Double-Edged Sword of Virality and Privacy

• They reflect on the precariousness of Internet fame: how anyone can go viral overnight, have their privacy upended, and be subject to judgment (“You signed up for it…”).
  • Joe: “Everyone should be under the assumption that if you’re getting in front of any sort of camera, you are one second from having to live with whatever you’re saying.” (66:58)
• Frank argues for more empathy and privacy for creators, even those benefitting from a viral moment.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Guy Fieri:

  • Joe: “This burger’s donkey… finger donkey fucking delicious sauce.” (11:03)
  • Frank: “Have you ever had a pig fucker? Well, look at this fucking hamburger right here.” (12:18)

• On Adult Pacifiers:

  • Frank: “If your therapist told you tomorrow… ‘I think you should suck on a pacifier,’ are you doing it?” (21:48)

• On Social Media:

  • Joe: “When I get into the modes where I’m aware of phone usage, I have to be like, this is where I’m going to earn some of my life back.” (58:13)

• On Recognition:

  • Frank: “Sometimes I just want to go and grab something…and just go home with complete anonymity.” (71:42)
  • Joe: “The part that makes me uncomfortable is when…other people around are looking like, who the fuck is that?’” (74:23)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00]–[01:21] – Opening banter, Joey’s shirt, “gooning” definitions
• [01:29]–[04:08] – Tiramisu Yankees helmet taste test
• [07:01]–[08:09] – Richie Rich, food fantasies, button-to-food hypothetical
• [10:44]–[13:44] – Guy Fieri, Flavortown impressions
• [16:02]–[17:08] – What eggs really are (biology breakdown)
• [19:03]–[20:19] – Petting zoo stories, animal attacks
• [20:27]–[22:37] – Adult pacifier news, cultural attitudes
• [33:45]–[38:47] – Tipping and change etiquette, delivery days
• [48:40]–[51:03] – Social media screen time confessions & breakdown
• [55:34]–[56:01] – Joe’s flip phone detox
• [60:07]–[63:08] – Frank & Joe get personal: pressure, fame, and being “on”
• [66:58]–[67:47] – Risks & realities of sudden Internet fame
• [71:01]–[76:27] – Family, boundaries, and uncomfortable fan encounters

Takeaways

• Humor as Therapy: Even the densest banter is used as a pressure valve for the challenges of living as public figures.
• Modern Food Culture: Stadium snacks, over-the-top food TV hosts, and the fantasy of endless gourmet abundance are a backdrop for discussing nostalgia and class.
• Technology & Attention: The trio grapple openly with screen time, the allure and consequences of constant connection, and trying to find balance.
• Fame & Privacy: As the show (and its hosts) becomes better known, they reckon with shifting boundaries—and the need for occasional anonymity and normalcy.
• Societal Shifts: The episode touches on changes in etiquette (from tipping to adult comfort items), generational divides, and the oddities of viral fame.

Episode in a Sentence

A wild, funny, and sneakily thoughtful ride from tiramisu in plastic helmets and "donkey-fucking sauce" to the growing pains of digital fame—The Basement Yard lays bare what happens when the goofiest friends you know start wrestling with the very real costs of being always online and always “on.”

(End of Summary)