The Bert Show: Full Show PT 1 – Friday, February 20, 2026 [Vault]

Theme Overview

This episode of The Bert Show is a classic example of the team’s signature mix of humor, honesty, and relatable life stories. The show kicks off with a revealing segment on career assessments with Dr. Rick Van Haveren from CareerNavigator.net, where each team member learns what careers best suit their personalities—sometimes uncomfortably so. The episode then dives into the hidden dramas of professional nannies, featuring raw, anonymous testimonials about the challenges and awkward situations they face in family homes.

Career Assessment Reveal with Dr. Rick Van Haveren

[01:00 – 16:52]

Segment Purpose

• The cast took personality and reasoning tests off-air.
• Dr. Rick Van Haveren interprets their results live, sparking playful banter and honest reflection on personal strengths and career fit.

Key Insights & Cast Reactions

Wendy’s Results

• Strengths: Warm, attentive, lively, spontaneous, likes the familiar.
• Best-fit Careers: Office practices (bank manager, insurance agent, restaurant manager), development roles (childcare worker, special education teacher).
• Quote:
  • "I'm gonna be like a forklift operator who doesn't get emails." – Wendy [01:43]
  • “Not hearing a lot of stuff in there that indicates entertainer.” – Bert [02:25]
• Weaknesses: Low fit for science, architecture, math-heavy or research careers.
• Moment: Realizes her score for broadcasting is lowest among the team.
• Notable Banter: The team jokes about her being better “behind a desk” and tease her about alternative careers ("What if you're supposed to be a stripper?") [01:48].

Bert’s Results

• Strengths: Imaginative, open to change, risk-taking, highest anxiety among the team.
• Best-fit Careers: Artistic roles (photography, writing, performing arts).
• Quote:
  • “Whatever you do, as long as it's a form of self-expression would be a good fit.” – Dr. Rick Van Haveren [05:00]
  • "I just want to be. I want to be led. Somebody leave me." – Bert [07:05]
• Weaknesses: Poor fit for administrative, cubicle-based jobs.
• Moment: Confesses insecurity about his role and leadership aversion.
• Notable Banter: Cast jokes about being more interested in following than leading.

Melissa’s Results

• Strengths: Introverted, reserved, highly cooperative, prefers deferring to others, serious, risk-averse.
• Best-fit Careers: Writing, librarian, liberal arts professor, biology, math.
• Quote:
  • "Entertainer really didn't." – Dr. Rick Van Haveren, when asked if entertainment was a top match for Melissa [08:54]
  • “Her calling is something bigger than radio. Like it's in philanthropy or it's in…I just kind of feel like she's bigger.” – Bert [09:30]
• Weaknesses: Not suited for business management, sales, or high-level administrative roles.

Jen’s Results

• Strengths: Extroverted, warm, socially bold, top leadership skills.
• Best-fit Careers: Advertising, marketing, corporate trainer, media executive, artistic roles, helping professions (therapist, counselor).
• Quote:
  • “You had the best leadership skills.” – Dr. Rick Van Haveren [10:33]
• Unique Note: High emotional stability, low anxiety scores—prompting skeptical jokes from the team.

Jeff’s Results

• Strengths: Extremely introverted, imaginative, risk-taker, highly authoritarian leadership style.
• Best-fit Careers: Law, CEO, investment manager, physicist, analytical roles.
• Quote:
  • “If he was in a leadership position, probably be a my-way-or-the-highway.” – Dr. Rick Van Haveren [13:03]

Group Dynamics and Reflections

• Overall Group Finding: Slightly higher-than-average anxiety as a group, reflecting perhaps the nature of radio/media.
• Quote:
  • "I think the industry sort of attracts that. Like, there's just a bubbling anxiety to people that get on the radio." – Bert [15:28]
• Team Compatibility: Dr. Van Haveren notes the team’s personality diversity is likely why they work so well together and fill each other’s gaps.

Nanny Confessions: Hidden Realities of the Job

[18:10 – 28:04]

Segment Purpose

• Amanda, a professional nanny (voice disguised), and other callers share unfiltered experiences dealing with inappropriate behavior in employers’ homes, false accusations, exploitative demands, and the high-stakes world of “nanny poaching.”

Key Insights & Stories

Amanda's Experience

• Years of Experience: Nearly a decade in various homes.
• Recurring Issue: Inappropriate advances, especially from fathers; being forced into secrecy or threatened with job loss.
• Quote:
  • “I caught one father with his hand in the cookie jar, I mean, red handed. And later he approached me and told me if I breathed a word of it to his wife, I would be fired on the spot with no severance pay.” – Amanda [20:15]
• Emotional Toll: The hardest part is maintaining relationships with the kids after trust with the parents is broken.

Stories from Callers

• Caller Amanda (Not disguised): Accused of an affair with a single dad by his ex-wife, resulting in a court case and lost income during custody hearings [23:01].
• International Experience: New Zealand nanny describes being misled about job conditions, forced to do excessive housework instead of childcare, and treated poorly (“I felt like I was imprisoned.”) [24:28].

Systemic Patterns

• Job Mismatch: Nannies frequently promised one thing during interviews, experience something different on the job (overwork, lack of promised amenities, invasions of privacy).
• “Nanny Poaching”: Other parents (especially at places like community pools) will try to entice good nannies away, making loyalty transactional.
• Quote:
  • "No matter how much your nanny tells you that she loves you and she loves your children, at the end of the day, it's a job. And… a lot of them can be bought." – Amanda [26:19]
• Compensation: Atlanta nannies can earn $40,000–$50,000/year plus room, board, and potentially travel.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Some of the questions are really tough because you know how you want to answer because you know how some people see you…” – Bert, on personality tests [07:33]
• “If there was more money in just following, I would do it, I swear.” – Bert, on his aversion to leadership [07:13]
• “He was the only guy in radio that really just doesn’t like people.” – Bert, on Jeff’s introversion [12:32]
• “Thank you for the call, Amanda. Good luck fighting off the horny husbands.” – Sean, closing out nanny segment [27:54]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Career Assessments & Cast Reactions: 01:00 – 16:52
• Nanny Confessions (with anonymous Amanda): 18:10 – 28:04
• Top Moments Per Person:
  • Wendy’s career diagnosis: 01:39 – 04:07
  • Bert’s analysis: 04:44 – 07:21
  • Melissa’s profile: 07:54 – 09:59
  • Jen’s feedback: 10:15 – 11:21
  • Jeff’s evaluation: 12:15 – 14:13
  • Amanda’s nanny story: 18:10 – 22:32
  • Caller Amanda and “nanny poaching:” 23:01 – 27:07

Tone & Atmosphere

• Warm, Playful & Candid: The team uses their trademark humor even when discussing uncomfortable findings.
• Supportive & Genuine: Offering each other encouragement and space to respond to difficult revelations.
• Unfiltered Reality: Nanny segment moves into more serious, confessional territory but stays grounded in the team’s real-talk style.

Listening to this episode gives you a behind-the-scenes look at both the personal vulnerabilities of the cast and the raw realities behind the seemingly simple job of being a nanny. It’s revealing, funny, at times a bit dark, and always real—perfect for fans who love The Bert Show’s blend of candor and comedy.