34: Vault: The War Against the Term "Hotlanta" Begins

Summary

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The Bert Show: Episode 34 Vault: The War Against the Term "Hotlanta" Begins

Date: May 18, 2026

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Overview

In this lively and tongue-in-cheek episode, The Bert Show crew launches a full-on campaign to retire the term "Hotlanta" as a nickname for Atlanta. Hosts share their personal and collective frustrations with the word, trace its dubious origins, and interact with listeners who echo their disdain. The segment combines humor, local pride, and mock-serious activism, inviting listeners to join the crusade against what they see as an outdated and cringe-worthy moniker. Alongside the jokes, they dig into real feelings of city identity and discuss how outsiders latch onto catchphrases that locals have long since abandoned.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Encounters with "Hotlanta"

• [01:30–02:58]
  • The discussion kicks off as a host recounts visiting the Polar Express train in North Carolina and being asked by fellow travelers if he was from "Hotlanta."
  • Laughter and collective groaning from the group sparks the campaign.

2. The Pet Peeve – Why "Hotlanta" Grates Locals

• [02:58–03:55]
  • Hosts share pet peeves:
    • "It just gets under my skin when I hear that word Hotlanta." — [Host, 03:20]
    • Preference for "ATL" or "the A," but not "Hotlanta."
    • The group debates if any nickname is necessary, settling on the idea that "Atlanta" suffices.

3. Origins and Definitions

• [04:12–05:13]
  • A host examines Urban Dictionary and marketing origins:
    • "Possibly the stupidest term used to represent the best city in the world. Nobody from the ATL ever actually uses this term." — [Host reading, 05:07]
    • "The name that idiots who don't even live in Georgia call the city of Atlanta." — [Host reading, 05:09]

4. The Call to Action: End "Hotlanta"

• [05:16–05:46]
  • Unified agreement: Listeners must never use "Hotlanta" and must correct others.
  • "If you're a listener to the show, you never use the term Hotlanta. And I think there's a second tier. You have to correct people." — [Host, 05:18]

5. Listener Experiences

• [05:50–09:06]
  • Samantha, a caller, laments hearing "Hotlanta" in Washington, D.C. and even notes Starbucks mugs with "Hotlanta" in tourist shops.
  • Multiple listeners from other states (Mississippi, etc.) complain about being labeled with the nickname when visiting family or traveling.
  • "It's nails on a chalkboard after a while. Hotlanta is nails on a chalkboard." — [Host, 07:47]

6. Campaigning for Change

• [07:57–08:39]
  • The hosts joke about running ad campaigns, buying a Delta Airlines tagline:
    • "How expensive would it be, do you think, to buy a Delta Airlines tagline for like, one year? It's not Hotlanta, Jen." — [Host, 08:20]
    • Brainstorming: Have celebrities (e.g., Janet Jackson) help spread the word.

7. Cultural and Community Complications

• [09:05–12:53]
  • Discussion about the Phoenix City nickname and the Allman Brothers’ instrumental "Hotlanta."
  • Noting local groups (e.g., gay softball and volleyball leagues) still using "Hotlanta" in their names.
  • "It's disappointing. The gay community has better taste than that." — [Host, 10:19]
  • Playful suggestion for a "big name changing ceremony" among community organizations.

8. Celebrity Power & Next Steps

• [10:36–11:22]
  • Callers report celebrities like Gwen Stefani and Donnie Wahlberg using "Hotlanta" at concerts.
  • The crew vows to correct celebrities directly during interviews.

9. Wrapping Up the Movement

• [13:10–13:27]
  • Acknowledgement that the fight won’t be easy or quick:
    • "Look, we knew this was gonna be a big fight. It wasn't gonna be won in one day." — [Host, 13:21]
    • “We must kill it together... You have to win the war in your neighborhoods before you can win it nationally, people.” — [Host, 13:24 & 13:27]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Did you tell them?" [Host, 03:01]
  – Highlighting the inner battle between social politeness and city pride.
• "Nobody from here says Hotlanta." [Host, 05:13]
• "You have to win the war in your neighborhoods before you can win it nationally, people. So it starts in your own neighborhood." [Host, 13:27]
• "It's dying today." [Host, 06:38]
• "We need to take this thing national." [Host, 07:17 & 07:57]
• "We need one nickname. I think ATL is okay." [Host, 12:21]

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Key Timestamps

• 01:30–02:58: “Hotlanta” incident on the Polar Express trip
• 03:20: Hosts share the emotional resonance of the term
• 04:12–05:13: Dissection of “Hotlanta’s” origin and Urban Dictionary definitions
• 05:50–06:36: Listener Samantha’s frustration in D.C. and Starbucks Hotlanta mugs
• 07:23–07:55: Another out-of-state listener expresses distaste for the nickname
• 09:08–09:48: The Phoenix City debate and its confusing symbolism
• 10:36–11:22: Celebrities using "Hotlanta" and plans to educate them
• 13:21–13:27: Final rallying cries for the campaign

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Tone

Warm, humorous, slightly exasperated, and full of friendly local pride. Hosts volley jokes and playful sarcasm but remain united in a serious (yet tongue-in-cheek) mission: to eliminate the use of “Hotlanta” both locally and nationally, one friendly correction at a time.

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Conclusion

This episode is a dynamic call-to-action for Atlanta residents and fans of the show, blending community spirit with wit. Through laughter, anecdotes, and listener participation, The Bert Show crew shows how a shared annoyance can fuel a lighthearted movement—all in the name of local authenticity and a bit of civic fun.

Transcript

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[Radio Host 2]

The bird show. So you guys, it happened to me this weekend and it made me think of something that we have talked about in our post show meeting now for weeks and I had forgotten about it. So this weekend we took our kids, we have a seven year old and a two year old, up to Bryson City, North Carolina to ride the Polar Express. There is a train up there that is very much like the book and very much like the movie where you bring your kids up here and it's a big old train. I mean it's a full railroad train, man. And it looks like it has like 20 different cars on it, right? And it is decorated just like the Polar Express, right? And you go up there and they encourage all the kids to dress in their pajamas like they do in the movie in the book also. So you pull up to like the their station and there are all these like little kids, man, like from 2 to 8 years old.

[Radio Host 1]

All in their jammies.

[Radio Host 2]

All in their jammies. And some of their parents get into it also. And they just. In their jammies also.

[Radio Host 3]

How holiday esque Stacy is. What were you wearing?

[Radio Host 2]

I refused to put PJs on, but it was requested. Stacy didn't wear hers either, but a lot of parents were.

[Radio Host 1]

It's cute.

[Radio Host 2]

So we get into the Polar Express and we spent the night up there. But we get into the Polar Express and you just start naturally talking to some of the people around you. Right? And you know, the first question is, where are you from? And I asked the couple right next to us and they said they were from Kentucky and they drove in just for the night, just to be on this Polar Express. And then they asked me where am I from? And I said Atlanta. And they said the words Hotlanta.

[Radio Host 3]

Huh?

[Radio Host 1]

No.

[Radio Host 2]

And I forgot. Did you tell them? I didn't tell them. But it was a perfect opportunity to start our campaign against Hotlanta.

[Radio Host 1]

We have to have the death of Hotlanta because there's the death of Auto Tune. And we've got to have the death of Hotlanta because it's not a cool word anymore. But people outside of our city still use it all the time.

[Radio Host 2]

I forgot how much of a pet peeve it was for me. It just gets under my skin when I hear that word Hotlanta.

[Radio Host 3]

And why it's hot because I'm okay with atl. Yeah, the A seems a little gimmicky to me. Like if people refer to it as the A. But I can tolerate it. But Hotlanta seems cheesy.

[Radio Host 1]

So cheesy.

[Radio Host 3]

Because it's not hot here. Like if we were.

[Radio Host 2]

It is hot here in the summertime.

[Radio Host 3]

In the summer. Well, it's hot everywhere in the summertime. I don't live in Hoticutes.

[Radio Host 2]

It's not Havana, right? But it is hot here in the summer. But yeah, it's not hot year round.

[Radio Host 3]

It's not gonna be hot today. It's gonna be 73. So it's. What is today? Warm Lanta with a nice breeze.

[Radio Host 1]

Cold Lanta soon.

[Radio Host 3]

Yeah, it's chilly Lanta.

[Radio Host 1]

It's rainy Lanta.

[Radio Host 2]

Is it meant to refer to our city like as. It's just a hot place to be. It's smoking hot. It's hot. It's Hotlanta.

[Radio Host 1]

I don't know, but it's so stupid. It doesn't even sound cool coming out of your mouth.

[Radio Host 2]

So I get home and I search Hotlanta Right. And there are 438,000 pages with the word hot Lana. Oh, God. Hotlanta. Urban Dictionary has a few different definitions for it, says it's a common nickname for Atlanta, popularized throughout the United States and abroad for over two decades by the marketing efforts of the Atlanta Convention Bureau and various trade and tourist organizations. So this is something we created for ourselves.

[Radio Host 1]

Items started it here.

[Radio Host 3]

I don't know if I believe that

[Radio Host 1]

it would be smart on their part, though, because I think it's a cool trend. It was a cool trending word, and now it's just not a cool trending word.

[Radio Host 2]

The other definitions from Urban Dictionary, and I swear these are true. It says, refers to Atlanta, Georgia, Possibly the stupidest term used to represent the best city in the world. Nobody from the ATL ever actually uses

[Radio Host 1]

this term, so that's good.

[Radio Host 2]

And the third one, the name that idiots who don't even live in Georgia call the city of Atlanta.

[Radio Host 3]

Yeah.

[Radio Host 2]

Because nobody from here says hot Lana.

[Radio Host 1]

Nobody says it.

[Radio Host 2]

So I think we all have to be in agreement on this, that we. If you're a listener to the show, you never use the term Hotlanta. And I think there's a second tier. You have to correct people.

[Radio Host 1]

Yes. You have to correct people that do. Tell them it's the ATL or the A, but not Hotlanta.

[Radio Host 3]

Or how about Atlanta?

[Radio Host 1]

That's true.

[Radio Host 3]

Like, when they're like, oh, you're from Hotlanta. Go. Well, to be honest with you, nobody from there calls it Hotlanta. You can call it Atlanta, or if you want to Atlanta.

[Radio Host 2]

But Atlanta's great. But not Hotlanta. Samantha.

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

Yes.

[Radio Host 3]

Good morning, Hot Antha.

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

Good morning.

[Radio Host 3]

What's going on, Hot Antha?

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

This weekend I'm visiting Washington, D.C. having a great time, and everywhere I go, everyone's like, oh, my God, you're from Hotlanta. Hotlanta. Hotlanta. I'm like, no. I was like, if only the Burton show is with me. It is not Hotlanta. Can't stand it.

[Radio Host 2]

Can we make this agreement, Samantha? The next time somebody says that to you, you politely just correct them and say, I just want to let you know. Nobody use that term, and nobody has used it in Atlanta in 20 years.

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

Yeah, Starbucks even has coffee mugs that say Hotlanta.

[Radio Host 1]

No. No, they don't. Please say no. Local Starbucks people need to contact their corporate office and be like, you guys are tools for printing that.

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

I love you guys. And no Hotlanta.

[Radio Host 2]

Agreed. Thank you.

[Radio Host 1]

It's dying today.

[Radio Host 3]

We have a Big undertaking. Like, you know, There's a website. Hotlanta.com?

[Radio Host 2]

no, dude.

[Radio Host 3]

Atlanta's largest nightlife community. It's kind of a cheesy looking site, but it just looks like a directory of stuff. There's a Hotlanta events calendar.

[Radio Host 1]

Is there anybody from Atlanta that runs hotlanta.com?

[Radio Host 2]

that may be the first call we have to make is to hotlanta.com. it's very misleading.

[Radio Host 3]

Let's see. Copyright 2009 Advanced Internet Systems. Yeah, we'll have to do some research and find out who owns this, because if they're local, we gotta call.

[Radio Host 2]

We gotta make a call today or

[Radio Host 3]

they're gonna have to move to Valdosta.

[Radio Host 1]

We need to take this thing national.

[Radio Host 2]

Hot Dosta. Good morning, Emily. Hi.

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

Hi. I was gonna completely agree with y'. All. I'm from Mississippi, and every time I go home to visit my family, to my hometown, everybody's like, oh, you going back to Hotlanta? And I'm like, oh, my gosh. We don't call it that. It drives me insane. And I completely agree. I. Some people still call it atl, but the Hotlanta thing is so cheesy and dumb.

[Radio Host 2]

It's nails on a chalkboard after a while. Hot Lana is nails on a chalkboard.

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

I agree. I completely agree. Thank you for doing the campaign. Thank you.

[Radio Host 1]

We need to take this thing national because locally, we all know not to use it, but we need to get, like, these states involved, like Mississippi.

[Radio Host 2]

That's what she's saying is when she goes home. That's where it starts. This grassroots doesn't start in Atlanta because we don't refer to ourselves as that. It's when you go home and they refer to you. You're in an airport and someone says, oh, you're from Hotlanta. You have to politely. Because you're still representing the city. You politely correct them and say, nobody calls it hot.

[Radio Host 1]

How expensive would it be, do you think, to buy a Delta Airlines tagline for like, one year? It's not Hotlanta, Jen.

[Radio Host 3]

We can't even get coffee filters.

[Radio Host 1]

I'm just wondering, because that would help because Delta goes everywhere. They would spread the word.

[Radio Host 2]

They need to have a plane, the Notlanta plane.

[Radio Host 3]

Notlanta. There's Allman Brothers song called Hotlanta. It's an instrumental one. It's only on one record, so I don't think we have to stop playing it.

[Radio Host 1]

I think they all did.

[Radio Host 3]

I don't think we have to. Oh, my God. No, don't say that, Aren't they?

[Radio Host 1]

No, most of them are.

[Radio Host 2]

Well, I don't know. I think at this point it's probably cousins and brothers and. Hey, Katherine. Good Morning. You're on Q100. Hi.

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

How's it going?

[Radio Host 2]

It's great here in Hotlanta, isn't it?

[Radio Host 3]

Wow.

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

Stunning. Hotlanta. I love it. I was actually in Chattanooga this weekend talking with a friend of mine about this whole hotel phenomenon. He informed me, and we looked it up, that the nickname for Atlanta is the Phoenix City.

[Radio Host 2]

That's gonna be confusing.

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

No, when I looked it up, it was saying the history of it is that there's a phoenix symbol on the state flag and the state seal.

[Radio Host 3]

And I'm officially. You know what? I'm officially declaring that stupid.

[Radio Host 1]

But it's like rising from the ashes because we were burned.

[Radio Host 2]

Yeah, I see.

[Radio Host 1]

Sherman burned Atlanta to the ground in Phoenix City because it came back.

[Radio Host 2]

Well, good. Then Phoenix can call themselves Hotlanta. Then.

[Radio Host 1]

We just need to change our flag.

[Radio Host 3]

Here's another problem. And this one's going down. And this one. This one just wrapped up yesterday at Frog's Cantina.

[Radio Host 1]

What?

[Radio Host 3]

The Hotlanta softball league?

[Radio Host 2]

Come on, come on.

[Radio Host 1]

Yeah, it's the Not Hot softball league.

[Radio Host 3]

It's on Google. Here. It's Atlanta Gay Softball. It's a gay and lesbian softball league. And they had their final game of the season and then they had a party, it looks like, at Frogs.

[Radio Host 2]

It's disappointing. The gay community has better taste than that.

[Radio Host 1]

They're way cooler. They're on, like, the front edge of coolness.

[Radio Host 3]

What if they are so cool that they've come completely back around?

[Radio Host 2]

No, it hasn't died out yet.

[Radio Host 1]

To be cool, I have to die first.

[Radio Host 2]

Hey, Vanessa. Good morning. Your IQ, 100.

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

Hi, guys.

[Radio Host 2]

You have to help us spread the word and kill Hotlanta.

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

Oh, yes, but celebrities use it.

[Radio Host 1]

No.

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

Yes. If you go to concerts. Like last year, I went to the no Doubt reunion tour. I kind of excused Gwen Stefani. She hadn't been around in a while. She didn't know. But I went to the Green Day show last year and the New Kids on the Block and Donnie Wahlberg used it.

[Radio Host 1]

No, no, no.

[Radio Host 3]

We'll fix that.

[Radio Host 1]

Yeah, we got the direct line of Donnie Wahlberg. Tracy's got his number, so we'll have to school him.

[Radio Host 2]

He's going to be in here at the end of the.

[Radio Host 3]

You know what we can do also?

[Radio Host 2]

That's where it starts. Wendy, can you remember that? I gotta bring that up.

[Radio Host 1]

Definitely will.

[Radio Host 3]

We can Also bring it up when we talk to Janet Jackson because she has. I don't know what the status of her relationship is, but she will always have atlantized because she was with Jermaine Dupri for so long.

[Radio Host 2]

She'll be on the show tomorrow, so

[Radio Host 3]

we could correct her. I'm seeing a pattern here though, with Frogs Cantina. They have a party next Saturday from 1 to 5. The Hotlanta Soccer beer bus.

[Radio Host 2]

Can't do that.

[Radio Host 3]

Now.

[Radio Host 2]

We can excuse it at this point because we haven't started the campaign. But from this day forward, and I think we have to endorse, like we have to get Janet. She has to be sort of the pioneer among celebrities that when someone from Access Hollywood says, how was Hotlanta? Janet has to say, we don't really call it Hotlanta anymore. Because if she does it, then it becomes cool.

[Radio Host 1]

Yeah.

[Radio Host 2]

Good morning, ron. You're on Q101.

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

Quick comment. ATL and a suck. Also, I gotta be honest, they're all marketing pictures. Let's stop trying to be all cool and hip hop. You know, it's like Cape Cod. Cape Cod is Cape Cod. It's not the cape. Let's just stick with Atlanta.

[Radio Host 2]

I think we gotta. I think we gotta sort of crawl before we can walk.

[Radio Host 1]

Well, we need one nickname. I think ETL is okay.

[Radio Host 3]

Yeah. And I. Cape Cod was the cape when I was growing up.

[Radio Host 2]

It was. Good morning, Tracy, you're on Q100.

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

Hey, Bert. I got one. Hotlanta Volleyball Association. It is ran. It is a gay Volleyball association. It's national with. There's a National Volleyball association and HVA is a part of that. And it is. It is completely, almost 100% nothing but gay volleyball.

[Radio Host 2]

Okay, so we're starting to sense a pattern here. So we need the gay community at this point to.

[Caller/Listener Samantha]

That's what we've got to do. I have a bunch of friends that play volleyball with this association.

[Radio Host 1]

They need to renounce their name. That's what we need is a big name changing ceremony for them and give

[Radio Host 2]

it something entirely different. But no more Hotlanta. No more Hotlanta.

[Radio Host 3]

Just find a whole website of I love Hotlanta T shirts,

[Radio Host 1]

merchandising.

[Radio Host 2]

Look, we knew this was gonna be a big fight. It wasn't gonna be one in one day.

[Radio Host 1]

No. We must kill it. We must kill it together.

[Radio Host 2]

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