The Basement Yard #524 – Rhett & Link Are Here!

Release Date: October 13, 2025
Hosts: Joe Santagato & Frank Alvarez
Guests: Rhett McLaughlin & Link Neal (of Good Mythical Morning)

Episode Overview

In this lively and nostalgia-fueled episode, Joe and Frank welcome internet legends Rhett and Link to The Basement Yard. The foursome riff on everything from childhood lies and parental love to elaborate cereal rankings and the pitfalls of YouTube stardom. With trademark irreverence and camaraderie, the conversation spirals through hilarious anecdotes about wet hands, peeing beds as adults, ethical bug-eating, and the absurd evolution of YouTube thumbnails. Along the way, they tackle philosophical questions about the nature of hot dogs, cereal, and heroism in child-rearing, all rooted in their shared love of food and absurdity.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introductions and Dynamic Setup

• The hosts joke about having to sit close together due to the guests, launching into playful banter about personal space and the quirks of facing guests rather than each other.
  • "This is gonna be an interesting dynamic because you guys are now not looking at each other." — Rhett (01:01)
• Riff on Link’s lack of peripheral vision and how it affects podcast dynamics.
  • "He doesn't have peripheral vision because of his glasses." — Rhett (01:07)
  • "He doesn't know when other people are talking ... So he'll just start talking." — Rhett (01:20)

2. Sweaty Hands, Dads, and Parenting Theories

• Rhett shares a story about his dad buying him prescription Drysol for his sweaty hands in high school.
  • "My dad got me a prescription ... He was like, we got to put something on your hands because of basketball." — Rhett (02:41)
• Frank flips it into a running bit about correlation between fatherly love and hand moisture.
  • "The more your dad actively loves you, the wetter your hands get." — Link (04:20)
• The panel jokes about the impacts of paternal affection (or absence) as measured by dermatological oddities.

3. Vivid Family & Dream Confessions

• Link details an unsettling dream about failing to save his grandma, Mama Nell, from choking—prompting cast-wide dream analysis.
  • "I had to give her the Heimlich ... She died ... I couldn't solve it." — Link (05:24–06:02)
  • Discussion devolves into memories of real family choking incidents, dentures in whiskey, and silver linings in dream guilt.
• The group collectively interprets the dream, drawing on real-life anecdotes and gallows humor.
  • "Is it like a powder?" — Joe (03:38)

4. Parental Lies, The Poop Monster, and Raising Kids

• The crew debates the art of lying to children (“parental folklore”) for discipline or fun.
  • "It is a foundational part of being a parent is you need to lie to them." — Joe (19:55)
  • "Toothpicks used to be 12 inches." — Link (20:12) (As an example of a silly lie)
• Joe’s vivid example: convincing his daughter a “poop monster” will eat her butt to aid potty training.
  • "The best one that we got going right now is a monster will eat your butt ... if you don't let us change your diaper." — Joe (21:00)
• Rhett and Link reveal their own childhood and parenting lies, discussing the cyclical nature of lying as both parent and child.
  • "At a certain point, the tables turn and they start lying." — Link (27:53)
  • "Do you get mad at those lies, or are you just like, nice try, but Daddy knows best?" — Joe (28:01)

5. Confessions: Wet Dreams, Peeing Beds as Grown Men

• Multiple admissions of adult sleep accidents, usually due to dreaming about peeing.
  • "Within the last 365 days, I have peed my pants once in the middle ... I was in bed and I was having a dream that I was peeing." — Joe (32:08)
  • Link shares his own hotel- and mom’s house-based mishaps.
• Group discovers 75% of present men have peed their beds as adults, sparking further camaraderie and embarrassment.
  • "Have you peed the bed as adult men?" — Joe (32:07)

6. YouTube Culture: Thumbnails, Clickbait, and Career Longevity

• Reflect on Rhett & Link's long-standing status in YouTube — since 2006, parallel lives, Good Mythical Morning’s 13-year run.
  • "We feel like we've lived a couple of YouTube lifetimes." — Rhett (40:28)
• Delve into the evolution of video thumbnails, the artifice of exaggerated faces, and audience resistance to format changes.
  • "It's part of our process. We shoot an episode, and then just, like, stand in front of a screen making faces." — Link (64:34)
  • Live demo: Rhett and Link coach Joe and Frank through a sequence of exaggerated thumbnail faces.
    • "Let's go with really ecstatically happy, but then also terrified ..." — Link (65:41)
• Discussion about not alienating core fans with over-sensationalism, gradual changes, and balancing relatability vs. quality.
  • "Anytime you change anything, there is going to be a little dance." — Joe (70:22)

7. Food Fundamentals: Hot Dogs, Olives, & Weird Eating Habits

• Lighthearted debate over hot dogs, with hot takes: mustard vs. ketchup, childhood trauma, and partner's refusal to eat hot dogs.
  • "My wife has never eaten a hot dog." — Link (15:30)
  • "Divorce her." — Joe, joking (15:32)
• Rapid-fire round: Foods they refuse (olives, tomatoes, tuna), odd in-flight beverage choices.
• Philosophical musings on what defines good parenting via food—hot dog safety for kids (cutting techniques), responsible adulthood, and V8 on planes.

8. Gross-Out Challenges: Bug-Eating, Fear Factor, YouTube Trends

• Rhett & Link discuss their legacy of eating weird things on Good Mythical Morning and how YouTube policy has changed.
  • "It might have been for over five years. It doesn't work anymore. You can't eat GROSS Shit on YouTube anymore." — Link (52:02)
  • "We were actually, at one point ... developing a party game ... Will you eat the bug?" — Link (53:05)
• Confessions about the ethics and regrets of eating live insects on camera for entertainment.
  • "The rhino beetle ... that's my deepest regret of you. I'm proud of you." — Rhett (54:33)

9. The Great Cereal Draft: Nostalgia, Rankings, and Marketing Mania

• Extended, passionate debate about the best and worst cereals, with faux currency “spend $8” rules.
• Top picks include Cinnamon Toast Crunch (CTC), Oops All Berries, Mini Wheats, Raisin Nut Bran, Apple Jacks. Deep dives into the psychology of cereal advertising (“K-leg” in Special K ads), the cereal-masturbation connection (Kellogg’s Corn Flakes), and taste vs. nostalgia.
  • "Cinnamon Toast Crunch ... the best cereal. It is the number one." — Rhett (74:00)
  • "Raisin Nut Bran ... It has raisins that have been candied, rolled in nuts." — Link (74:39)
• Hilarious tangent: inventing a “jerk-off cereal” for marketing purposes.
  • "If you were to create a cereal and it would be a cereal to promote self sexual love, what would it be?" — Joe (88:28)
  • "Boob loops." — Frank (89:40)

10. Audience, Nostalgia, and Self-Referential Humor

• Callback moments: The "K-leg" Special K ad debate resolved live on YouTube.
  • "This is what happens to us. We say, like, yeah, we remember this, and then it never happened." — Joe (86:52)
• Audience engagement discussed: how referencing old props (e.g., a phone Joe used to use as an editing cue) connects old and new fans.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On comparing generational trajectories:
  "So you think that we are older future yous." — Rhett (13:50)
• On lying to children:
  "The best one that we got going right now is a monster will eat your butt." — Joe (21:00)
• Re: YouTube thumbnail shame:
  "We just, like, stand in front of a screen and, like, make some faces ... there's some shame but not full shame." — Link (64:54)
• About eating bugs on camera:
  "It was like eating, like, an elderly person's toenails." — Rhett (54:56)
• Philosophy of cereal choices:
  "It's a smart man. I am more afraid of not having Lucky Charms." — Joe (81:01)
• On Special K advertising mythology:
  "There was a woman who wants to be fit ... her leg would come out and her leg would make the logo." — Link (84:22)
• On cereal and self-control:
  "Kellogg's actually said that the early version of Corn Flakes could help suppress sexual desires, prevent self pollution. Because it was so bland." — Joe (87:59)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:35 | Show introduction & special guest hype | | 01:07 | Link’s lack of peripheral vision and podcast setup jokes | | 02:41 | Sweaty hands, Drysol, and basketball story | | 05:08 | Link’s dream about failing to save grandma | | 10:12 | LifeVac anti-choking device, hot dog safety tips for kids | | 15:30 | Link’s confession: his wife has never eaten a hot dog | | 27:53 | Rhett & Link on lying to their kids; children lying back | | 32:08 | Grown men admit to bedwetting stories | | 40:28 | Rhett & Link share early YouTube/parallel life stories | | 52:02 | YouTube’s changing gross-out policies, eating bugs on GMM | | 63:14 | Discussion on YouTube thumbnails, making faces, and authenticity | | 71:39 | DIY cereal draft and passionate food debate | | 88:28 | Cereal marketed for "self love" brainstormed |

Conclusion & Where To Find Rhett & Link

• Rhett & Link plug their show Wonderhole, now in its second season on their original YouTube channel, youtube.com/rhettandlink (91:58).
• The hosts wrap things up with gratitude and playful references to cereal mascots and mythological advertising.

Tone & Style

True to form, this episode is rowdy, affectionate, irreverent, and deeply niche—in the best possible way. It's equal parts confession booth, food tournament, and therapy session, balancing gross-out humor with genuine warmth and tongue-in-cheek wisdom from veteran content creators.

Perfect For: Fans of internet history, food debates, behind-the-scenes YouTube talk, silly vulnerability, and anyone who’s ever wondered what it would be like if their childhood best friends grew up (but not too much).