The Bert Show – Full Show PT 1: Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of The Bert Show brings listeners its signature brand of relatable morning energy—a blend of humor, pop culture, and authentic conversation. The main highlight is a candid interview with American Idol contestant Paris Bennett, exploring her journey, family roots, and unique approach to her musical career. The second major segment recaps a fun, embarrassing on-air challenge related to NASCAR trivia and co-host Melissa Carter’s forced stint at standup comedy. The show flows with laughter, playful teasing, and supportive energy, making for a lighthearted yet engaging listen.

Main Segments and Key Discussion Points

1. Interview with Paris Bennett, American Idol Contestant

(01:16 – 12:23)

Introduction and Setting the Scene

• The hosts pivot from their regular programming to a surprise call with Paris Bennett, a rising star on American Idol.
• They marvel at her mature singing style and poise, joking that her voice is too powerful for her age.

Paris on Her Age and Singing Ability

• Mature Voice for a Teenager
  • "We were all convinced that Paris isn't 17 with a voice like that. She's 34 years old and they're gonna find her out." – Radio Host (02:02)
  • Paris confirms, "I am 17 years old." (02:10)
  • On her vocal maturity: "I don't know where that comes from, but it's just a gift from God." (02:18)
• Managing Stereotypes
  • "Everybody's like, she's Mickey Mouse. Or they'll say, she's too young... but you know what? It holds in a big gift. So I don't care." – Paris (03:01)

Life in Los Angeles & Family Support

• Paris is in Los Angeles with her mother, explaining minors on the show must have a guardian present (03:21-03:34).
• On adapting to LA: "The only thing about LA I have to say. They don't have a Waffle House... and they don't have sweet tea!" (03:44, 03:53)

Composure & Handling Nerves

• Host praises her calmness under national TV pressure: "You have been so composed on that show... Are you more nervous than you're letting on?" (04:19)
• Paris replies, relying on her faith: "I'm never nervous. I just put it in God's hands and let him do what it is that he does." (04:38)
• Key quote: “There’s no nervousness and there’s no time for worrying because you’re there now.” (04:39)

Musical Training and Inspirations

• Started singing at age 4 in her great-grandfather's church.
• Sang at the 1996 Olympics (05:18–05:38).
• Influenced and supported by her mother and grandmother, both singers themselves; she picks up vocal techniques from them and "make[s] them my own and change[s] them how I would do things" (05:38–06:28).

Addressing Comparisons to Fantasia (Former Idol Winner)

• Host asks if being compared to Fantasia is a burden.
• Paris embraces the comparison as a compliment, but asserts: “I have something so, so big that can’t be compared to another because it’s from me and it’s from my heart. And this is me every day, non stop." (06:47–07:23)

On Artistic Identity & Spiritual Influence

• Paris emphasizes her individuality and her reliance on faith: “If every chance I get to thank God in a dance, I’m going to do that dance.” (07:55)
• "I thank God each day for my gift and my anointing." (08:26)

Family Legacy in Music & Idol Journey

• Details her family's deep musical history: mother, grandmother, and great-aunt were in "Sounds of Blackness." (09:04)
• Host acknowledges it must help to have "influences...right in your household.” (09:16)
• Randy Jackson knows her grandmother, but she clarifies: “I waited in the line like everyone else...I went in that room by myself and I got judged by myself." (09:59–10:31)

Stardom and Predictions

• The hosts reassure Paris of her talent: “There is nobody that could listen to your performances over the last couple of weeks and say somehow, some way, she squeaked into the finals. I mean, you are head and shoulders above some of those people that are there." (10:44)
• Commentary on “odds makers in Vegas” favoring Paris as a finalist alongside other contestants (11:00–11:14).
• Light teasing about fellow contestant Taylor—joking about his age and comparing him to a chaperone or history teacher, with Paris defending his character as “very, very, very, very sweet... just down to earth.” (11:21–11:41)

Concluding the Interview

• Show ends the segment with encouragements: “Paris, good talking to you. Represent Georgia.” – Host (12:15)
• Paris thanks the hosts and listeners: “Thank you, guys.” (12:20)

2. Recap and Playback: NASCAR Trivia Challenge and Stand-Up Comedy Punishment

(14:04 – 23:53)

Recap: The Challenge Setup

• The previous week, co-host Melissa Carter had to do four minutes of stand-up comedy as a punishment after her girlfriend Katie Jo scored poorly on a NASCAR trivia quiz.
• Melissa openly shares her dread: “I am not...there is no part of me that has ever even thought about being a standup comedian. And so four minutes was brutal.” (14:10)

Listeners Hear the Stand-Up Replay

• The hosts prepare to replay Melissa’s anxiety-inducing set; she jokes about wanting to “just run out of the room” to escape her punishment (15:05).
• They lightly roast her preparation and the agony of waiting for her segment.

Melissa Carter’s Stand-Up Highlights

• Opens with jokes about NASCAR and religious stereotypes:
  • “If you put a Scientologist in the race, how exactly would a religious NASCAR circuit look like?...the Scientology driver...think that positive thinking and vitamins is the only thing they need to make their car run."
  • “Baptist drivers think that everyone else races wrong except for them. Catholics feel guilty... Methodists have a minibar installed in their car...” (19:46–20:57)
  • "Mormon drivers...have more than one car on the track. The atheist drivers don't believe there are any other cars or even that the track exists." (21:05)
• Jokes about new motorcycle airbags "to protect a man's package," and the equivalent for women: “It’s called the helmet.” (21:18)
• Roasts a listener story about “Sorry Sarah” and her dating prospects.
• Finishes with a court case joke: "If his client don't fit, the jury must acquit." (22:47)
• “If you order more drinks, the jokes get funnier.” (23:14)
• Absurd story of a woman attacking a breeder with a dead Chihuahua: “...the attacker now could face assault charges. But since the dog was already dead, police can deport him for illegal immigration. Yeah, that’s a bad one, I know.” (23:32)

Hosts’ Reactions

• The show closes the bit with encouragement and gentle ribbing:
  • “I thought you were fantastic.” – Interviewer (23:58)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Paris Bennett’s composure:
  "I just put it in God's hands and let him do what it is that he does." – Paris Bennett (04:38)
• On her uniqueness:
  “I have something so, so big that can't be compared to another because it's from me and it's from my heart.” – Paris Bennett (07:07)
• Defending her Idol journey:
  “I waited in the line like everyone else...I went in that room by myself and I got judged by myself.” – Paris Bennett (09:59)
• Melissa Carter on stand-up nerves:
  “This is not that kind of nervousness. This is one of those that in the back of your mind, it's like when you're a kid, and you have to do a book report on a book you didn't read, which happened to me a lot.” – Melissa Carter (15:15)
• On making it through a punishment:
  “If you order more drinks, the jokes get funnier.” – Melissa Carter (23:14)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:16 – 12:23: Paris Bennett Interview (American Idol, music, family, faith)
• 14:04 – 15:15: Setup and Nervousness about the Stand-up Challenge
• 15:15 – 23:53: Stand-Up Comedy Playback, Jokes, and Show Reactions

Tone and Style

The conversation is warm, humorous, and grounded in genuine camaraderie. The tone oscillates from supportive and uplifting during Paris Bennett's segment, to playful self-deprecation and comic relief during the NASCAR trivia and stand-up punishment. Listeners get both entertainment and an uplifting sense of connection with the personalities.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode is a quintessential Bert Show blend: listeners are treated to an intimate and inspiring peek into a young pop singer’s meteoric rise, all told through her own words, with faith, humor, and humility as guiding themes. The second half of the show flips to the team’s creative antics, complete with self-roasting and real, awkward laughs as a co-host fumbles through live comedy in good-natured penance. For both longtime fans and new listeners, the episode showcases why The Bert Show keeps mornings real, relatable, and genuinely fun.