Full Show PT 3: Friday, February 20 [Vault]

Summary

The Bert Show – Full Show PT 3: Friday, February 20 [Vault]

Release Date: February 20, 2026
Hosts: Bert, Kristin, Abby, Cassie, Tommy & the cast
Episode Focus: Learning from first-year teacher challenges, debunking a popular urban legend, and discussing “starting over” stories inspired by real callers.

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Episode Overview

This episode brings listeners into The Bert Show’s signature blend of candid humor and heartfelt advice, focusing on the anxieties of new teachers entering classrooms for the first time. Veteran teachers call in to share authentic guidance, the hosts share memories and discuss the importance of humility and boundaries. Later, the conversation shifts to an intriguing email urban legend, dissected by both hosts and callers. The show finishes with uplifting tales of people reinventing their lives by moving to new cities, inspired by the ongoing chronicle of a fan-favorite listener, “Reno Ben.”

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Key Sections & Highlights

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1. Advice for First-Year Teachers

Timestamps: 01:25 – 11:11

Main Points

• First-week nerves and expectations: Hosts discuss how the first week of teaching is "critical," emphasizing the importance of discipline and setting a strong classroom tone early.

  • “Those kids are wily, man…If you're not a strong teacher, those first couple of days, they will start to take advantage of you, and you will evolve.” – Burt (02:35)

• Veteran teachers' advice:

  • Beth (Kindergarten Teacher, 8 Years): Don’t pretend to know everything; veteran teachers are usually supportive, so ask for help.
    • “Don’t be afraid to admit that you need help and really rely on those teachers that have been there longer because they want to help. Most of them do.” – Beth (04:16)
  • Latifah: Don’t try to be students’ friends—set standards and boundaries immediately.
    • “Set your standards in the beginning of the year, the first day. Don’t go in there trying to be anyone’s friend because kids can sniff out a weakling in a New York second.” – Latifah (06:02)
  • Dana: Be consistent from day one. Apply rules strictly even if it “hurts their feelings” on the first day—it makes a lasting impression.
    • “If you say, all right, go to timeout, they're so shocked by it...it shocks them so they realize, okay, this lady means business.” – Dana (08:28)

• Laughter, Balance, and Perspective:

  • Rachel (2nd Grade, 15 Years): “Laugh. It’s okay. It’s just school. Lighten up a little.” (09:05)

• Book Recommendation:

  • Tanya: Suggests reading The First Days of School by Harry Wong for concrete strategies (09:35).

• Conversation on student and teacher insecurities:

  • “The students are as insecure as you are on that first day, but you’re an adult. You should be able to handle it better than they do.” – Burt (09:57)

Notable Moments

• Comparison between rookie teachers’ attitudes and local band “celebrities”—ego vs. humility (05:03 – 05:57).
• Hosts joke about discipline: “Take off a finger. First day, pick a switch.” – Burt (08:25, tongue-in-cheek humor).

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2. Breaking Down a Wedding Urban Legend

Timestamps: 12:35 – 18:28

Main Storyline

• Listener Email: A soon-to-be groom claims his future mother-in-law invited him to her house, propositioned him, and it was all a “loyalty test” set up by the in-laws.

• Hosts’ skepticism: The group debates if the story is real, Jeff hoping it's true for good radio.

  • “There was a glimmer of hope.” – Jeff (17:23)

• Callers confirm the legend: Multiple listeners call in to say they’ve seen this as a joke/email chain for years, with only minor variations.

  • “That thing’s actually been around for years.” – David (16:57)
  • “That’s an urban legend. It’s on Snopes.com.” – Samantha (17:09)

Memorable Quotes

• “Especially considering I was going to the car to get a condom?” (14:38) – Listener’s punchline, laughed at by the hosts and cited as evidence the story is fiction.
• “If this is an urban legend, this is a new one. Here come the phone calls.” – Jeff (15:31)

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3. Stories of Reinvention: “Reno Ben” and Listeners Who Started Over

Timestamps: 18:28 – 24:32

Main Points

• “Reno Ben” Recap: Listener Ben lost his college scholarship, decided to drive across the country, and landed in Lake Tahoe as a blackjack dealer after car trouble in Vegas.

  • “He got the car fixed, went on to Reno. Didn’t really like it, so went further down the road to Tahoe and actually loved it there.” – David (19:40)

• The Hosts’ Fascination: The panel reflects on the romantic notion of starting over, tying it to broader themes of courage and spontaneous self-reinvention.

• Gendered perspectives:

  • “Doing it alone is such a guy thing, too...for women, like, we would think, is that safe?” – David (21:41)

Listener Call-In

• Vicki: Moved from Miami to Atlanta at 20 for a change of pace; her family followed her six months later.

  • “I woke up one day and said, I’m done. I packed up my Beetle, drove up to Atlanta, and been here nine years now.” – Vicki (22:42)

• Hosts’ Reflection: Population growth in Atlanta, the city's appeal to people from small towns.

Notable Quotes

• “Atlanta is a good city. That’s comforting to people who are from small towns.” – Jeff (24:15)
• Hosts joke about “pizza day” nostalgia and school cafeteria smells, highlighting warm, funny banter (10:13 – 11:11).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 02:35 | Burt | “Those kids are wily, man...If you're not a strong teacher, those first couple of days, they will start to take advantage of you, and you will evolve.” | | 04:16 | Beth (Caller) | “Don’t be afraid to admit that you need help and really rely on those teachers that have been there longer because they want to help.” | | 06:02 | Latifah (Caller) | “Set your standards in the beginning of the year, the first day. Don’t go in there trying to be anyone’s friend because kids can sniff out a weakling in a New York second.” | | 08:28 | Dana (Caller) | “If you say, all right, go to timeout, they're so shocked by it...it shocks them so they realize, okay, this lady means business.” | | 09:05 | Rachel (Caller) | “Laugh. It’s okay. It’s just school. Lighten up a little.” | | 14:38 | Listener email | “Especially considering I was going to the car to get a condom?” | | 21:41 | David | “Doing it alone is such a guy thing, too...for women, like, we would think, is that safe?” | | 22:42 | Vicki (Caller) | “I woke up one day and said, I’m done. I packed up my Beetle, drove up to Atlanta, and been here nine years now.” | | 24:15 | Jeff | "Atlanta is a good city. That’s comforting to people who are from small towns.” |

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Summary Table of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | Summary | |-------------|----------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:25-11:11 | Teacher Advice & Classroom Management | Veteran teachers share tips for newbies, emphasizing confidence, humility, consistency, and discipline. | | 12:35-18:28 | Urban Legend Segment | Hosts and listeners dissect a racy wedding “test” story—confirmed as an old urban legend. | | 18:28-24:32 | Stories of Reinvention | Hosts revisit “Reno Ben’s” transformative journey and invite listeners to share their own “start over” stories. |

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Tone & Style

The episode features The Bert Show’s hallmark authenticity and humor, blending practical advice, supportive community, and comedic honesty. The hosts leverage listener participation to deepen the discussion, often riffing off one another and maintaining a light conversational flow—even when digging into anxieties, urban myths, or matters of spontaneous life change.

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For New Listeners

Whether you’re a new teacher seeking real-world advice, a skeptic of viral stories, or simply someone who loves tales of personal reinvention, this episode is filled with encouragement, laughter, and moments of insight. The Bert Show cast and their community remind listeners that life’s challenges are best faced with honesty and a willingness to both ask for help and laugh at yourself.

Transcript

[Host Will]

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[Jeff]

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[Burt]

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[Jeff]

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[Burt]

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[Jeff]

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[Burt]

Signature paint exclusions apply. See valsparpro.com for details. The Burt show we got a lot of emails over the last couple of weeks from these are first time teachers now, so this has got to be a little sketchy time.

[David]

It's got to be exciting at the same time. But they just aren't really sure how to set the tone for the classroom or what to expect or maybe you know, how to interact with the administrators, whatever, because it's their first year so they've got to deal with kids, parents and the administrators and they don't know how to do any of it.

[Burt]

And this first week is critical right here. We talked to a couple of teachers and even it was Annie yesterday that said, you know, that first day, that first impression, that's really important stuff right there. So let's just expand it and say the first week is really important. Like you got to take control of that class somehow some way. So I'd love for the veteran teachers to give us a call right now and give the rookie teachers some advice before they go into the classroom today.

[David]

What would you consider veteran?

[Burt]

I Think anything over, what, three years, you think?

[David]

I was gonna say three or five years, yeah. Okay.

[Burt]

Because the second year teachers, while they have more experience, obviously in the first, are still trying to feel their way around, also made some mistakes last year. They're still learning about. So I think three years on is probably what we're looking for.

[Emily]

Right?

[Burt]

Those kids are wily, man. And it's. It's like Darwinism. The strongest will survive for sure. That's true.

[Emily]

The weakest will die off in your classroom.

[Burt]

If you're not a strong teacher, man, those first couple of days, they will start to take advantage of you, and you will evolve.

[Emily]

And then if you're calling up, if you're a veteran teacher, I mean, maybe some, like, specific examples, like, because depending on what grade you teach is how you can get your classroom disciplined or whatever. But I'm curious, you know, because one thing to say, come in and get discipline and teach your kids discipline. But how did you do it? Like, specifically, what exactly did you do or what trick did you do to get your kids to pay attention?

[David]

I would imagine you have to make an example out of what One kid.

[Burt]

I was just gonna say the same thing. My buddy John has been teaching now for probably 15 years out in California, and he said one of the most critical times for him every year is when the bad kid, quote, unquote, you know, the undisciplined kid. I shouldn't say bad. The undisciplined kid.

[David]

You mean the ADHD kid.

[Burt]

Right. The one that his parents are already thinking, we got to get him on Ritalin.

[David]

Right.

[Burt]

The first time he makes a move and disrupts the class is the most important because you got to lay the hammer down on him and let everybody else know, like, this is your future if you get out of line. So that's probably the advice he'd give to you guys today. Good morning. Beth, you're on Q100.

[Caller]

Good morning.

[Jeff]

Good morning.

[Caller]

How are you guys?

[Burt]

Good. How are you today? Where do you teach?

[Caller]

I teach in Cobb county and I teach kindergarten.

[Emily]

Okay, very nice.

[Burt]

And you have been teaching for how long?

[Caller]

Eight years.

[Burt]

Eight years. All right. If you're going to give one piece of advice to a new teacher starting out this week, what would it be?

[Caller]

I would say, I think when I first started, I was really scared to admit that I didn't know everything about what I was doing. And I think I wanted all the other teachers that were older and knew more about things to know just to think that I was doing a great job. And I knew exactly what I was doing. And I would say to any teacher, just don't be afraid to admit that you need help and really rely on those teachers that have been there longer because they want to help. Most of them do. And most of them really want to be there for those new people because we were there once too, and it's really scary and it's really tough. So I would just say really use the resources you have at your school

[Burt]

so the other teachers won't look down on you, down upon you. Just feel free to go ahead and ask questions.

[Caller]

Absolutely.

[Burt]

Great.

[Emily]

Okay.

[Burt]

Thank you. What have we said before about celebrities that walk into the studio?

[Emily]

Yes.

[Burt]

You know, it's the same, it's the same principle here.

[David]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

If you.

[Emily]

The ones with the biggest attitude and the biggest ego is usually the ones that feel like they've got something to prove, which is like not the most popular ones, like the bands, for instance, local bands. A lot of times in my experience have been the ones that I have least enjoyed because sometimes they'll walk in and they feel like they gotta have the inflated egos and the inflated. Because they gotta show like I, I'm already a superstar. But the A list celebrities that are veterans are the most cordial and down to earth. And it's almost like the cream rises to the top. They're the ones that everybody wants to work with and that's why they are where they are. So I guess what you're saying is the same with the teachers. Don't go in there thinking I already know everything because I'm a first year teacher. I gotcha when you might offend. I think veteran teachers that have been there for a long time and it's

[Burt]

all based on insecurity. You're going to walk around there because you're a rookie teacher and you have this attitude and the other teachers are looking like you don't even know yet. You just don't know. Right.

[Emily]

You're so green.

[Burt]

Latifah, good morning. You're on Q100.

[Caller]

Good morning. How are you?

[Jeff]

Good.

[Burt]

How are you?

[Jeff]

Good.

[Caller]

My advice to a first year teacher is, first of all, don't sweat the small stuff. Teaching is one of those type of jobs that you learn something new every year. I would also agree with the last caller. Use your resources around you and set your standards in the beginning of the year, the first day. Don't go in there trying to be anyone's friend because kids can sniff out a weakling in a New York second. They can't, can't they don't see that you're scared and you don't know what you're doing the minute you walk in the door. If you come in there with no confidence or you come in there trying to be somebody's friend. Mm. Mm. I tell my students, day one, look, I'm not your friend. I don't do grandchildren. I'm too old for that. So, yeah, definitely. Set your standards, day one. Let them know you're not one to be played with and go in there and do your job and use your resources.

[Burt]

Okay, so here's what I'm hearing when it comes to attitude that don't fake it with the teachers, but fake it with your students.

[Emily]

Fake ground rules with your students.

[David]

You know, just don't let them push you around. Set your boundaries right off the bat.

[Burt]

She said that they will take advantage if you're feeling insecure or they can see that lack of confidence. So lie during your class, just not to the other teachers.

[David]

Well, that's why they're like dogs that can sniff out fear.

[Emily]

Yeah. Because, I mean, we always took advantage of substitute teachers for that very reason. They didn't belong there. They weren't, you know, they didn't discipline you too badly. They were just filling in. So, of course, you. You behaved worse that way. And I think with teachers, same way, if you come in and you're the young teacher and you're smiling and friendly and sweet, all this will be easy.

[Burt]

Hey, Dana, you're on Q100.

[Caller]

Hey, good morning.

[Burt]

Good morning.

[Caller]

I was just going to call in. I had two things to say. Number one, you have to be consistent from day one with your rules, because a lot of teachers don't want to get on to anybody on the first day of school. But if you say on day one, if you talk while I'm talking, you're going to get in trouble. And you do it from day one. They're going to follow the rules the whole year.

[Burt]

All right, so consistency and just be. I mean, you sort of got to be a badass that very first day, right?

[Caller]

Yeah, definitely. I look very young, and so my first year of teaching was a nightmare because I tried, you know, I didn't want to get anybody in trouble, so I had to be, like you said, a badass and just, you know, be really strict.

[David]

What is a good punishment for if a kid's talking while you're talking?

[Burt]

Take off a finger. First day, pick a switch.

[Caller]

I mean, it hurts their feelings kind of on the first day because they think you're going to be really nice. If you say, all right, go to timeout. They're so shocked by it that you would do it on the first day of school that it really works. You know what I mean? It shocks them so they realize, okay, this lady means business.

[David]

Okay, so no warning. Just on the first time they talk.

[Burt]

That's it, man. Lay the hammer down. All right. That discipline.

[David]

I think I would. I would try to be nice. I would be like, if you talk one more time, then you're gonna. You know what I mean it.

[Burt]

Eat you up. Eat you up. Rachel has been teaching for 15 years. Hey, Rachel.

[Caller]

Hey. Morning. How are you guys?

[Burt]

Good morning. All right, advice for first time teachers.

[Caller]

Well, they've taken a lot of good ones already, but, you know, laugh. It's okay. It's just school. Especially if you teach elementary school. Come on, it's just school. Laugh at some stuff.

[Burt]

It's just education.

[Caller]

Yeah. You know, I mean, you just have to lighten up a little that you're at work. And honestly, they're at work too. And you just gotta make the best of the day. It's a long day. And I teach second graders, so they're seven years old. Lighten up.

[David]

Okay.

[Jeff]

Good morning, Tanya.

[Burt]

You're on Q100.

[Caller]

Yes, I was calling. I've been a teacher for four years and I was gonna say to read the book the First Days of school by Harry Wong. And it gives all the same advice that we're given, plus more specific.

[Burt]

Okay, so is that a big old book or is that just like a couple of page type deal or. You're gonna spend some time on that.

[Caller]

It's not real thick. You could probably read it within a couple of days.

[Burt]

Okay, the thing I think you gotta remember is that the students are as insecure as you are on that first day.

[David]

Oh, that's true.

[Burt]

Yeah, they're totally insecure, you know, but you're an adult. You should be able to handle it better than they do.

[David]

They want you to lead the way.

[Jeff]

They do, they do.

[David]

Again, back to that dog mentality. They need a pack leader.

[Emily]

You know what's weird? And speaking of dogs, like Pavlov dog, because every time we talk, when you talk about second grade in elementary school, I imagine the smell of milk in the cafeteria. I don't know if you all have certain ideas or memories of school, but I just remember our big. We had these big wooden doors that you had to push open to get in the cafeteria. And there was a waft of air conditioning and milk. Gross, milky air conditioning.

[David]

I always think of those pencil shaving smell. You know, the pencil sharpener on the wall. You could sort of smell the wood and the lead.

[Burt]

Yep.

[David]

Yeah.

[Burt]

For me it was always like always waiting for pizza day, man. For whatever reason. And looking back at it, that's the worst pizza I ever had in my life.

[Emily]

I think that was plastic on the top of it, but it did. It pulled off the cheese.

[David]

Yeah. Pizza day. Wrong square pizza.

[Host Will]

Where can you find square pizza besides in school?

[Burt]

It's terrible though, man. It was all. It was this thick a dough and it barely had any sauce on it at all.

[David]

So good.

[Emily]

Nasty pizza, dude.

[Burt]

The Birch show

[Host Will]

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[David]

you need to hear.

[Jeff]

Billions. That's the amount of money and refunds the IRS has flagged for possible identity fraud. Now here's another big number. 100 million. That's how many data points LifeLock monitors every second. If your identity is stolen, we'll fix it. Guaranteed. One last big number. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com specialoffer for the threats you can't control. Terms apply. I want to ask you guys about a story that may or this is not a local Snopes. This might just be a full on urban legend. Okay, so I'll tell you the story. I'm trying to find the exact version. Here it is so I can read this verbatim. But this is an email from a listener. The listener emailed us like a week ago. We wrote them back and said, hey, can you come on with this? And we never heard back from them. So who knows, Maybe they're on vacation or whatever. I contend that it's urban legend. Bert's on the fence. The email basically says I've been engaged for almost a year and I'm getting married next month. My fiance's mother is not only very attractive, but really great and understanding. She's putting the entire wedding together. Invited me to her place to go over the invitation list because it had grown a bit beyond what was expected. Have you heard this before?

[David]

Mm.

[Emily]

Mm.

[Jeff]

Okay. When I got to her place, we reviewed the list and trimmed it down to just under 100 people where we wanted it to be. Or trimmed my side down to just under a hundred people where we needed it to be. And then she floored me. She said in a month I would be a married man. And before that happened, she wanted to have sex with me.

[David]

This is the bride's mother?

[Burt]

Yes, the future mother and all.

[Emily]

Yeah.

[David]

No way.

[Jeff]

She stood up and walked to her bedroom and on her way said that I knew where the front door was if I wanted to leave. I knew where the bedroom was if I wanted to take the other option. I stood there for about five minutes and then finally decided I knew exactly how to deal with the situation. I headed straight for the door. And outside, leaning against my car, was her husband, my future father in law. Smiling, he explained that that was a test and they wanted to make sure I was a good kid and will be true to their little girl.

[David]

No.

[Jeff]

I shook his hand and he congratulated me on passing the test. Should I tell my fiance what her parents did and that I thought their little test was asinine and insulting to me? Or should I keep the whole thing to myself? Especially considering I was going to the car to get a condom?

[David]

Oh, no, that's totally made up.

[Emily]

Crap. Crap.

[Jeff]

Have you ever heard it before?

[David]

No.

[Emily]

Like you've heard it sounds something like a guy would make up and you know some story he's telling.

[David]

A storyteller story doesn't has a twist and then it has another twist at the end.

[Emily]

And at the end, because I was

[Jeff]

gonna get my condom, but the thought Would be. Yeah. Or the reason it wouldn't be an urban legend is because everyone you've heard before, like the bathtub full of ice with a note written on the mirror, call 911. She don't have any kidneys right now. Right like that. Everybody's heard.

[David]

Everybody's heard of.

[Jeff]

If this is an urban legend, this is a new one. Here come the phone calls, too. So what do you think? What happened to me before we even pick these up? Do you think it's going to be that happened to my cousin, or do you think it's going to be. I've heard that for 20 years.

[Emily]

I think it's going to be it happened to my cousin because people like to call up to say it's a personal story.

[David]

It was a friend of a friend of mine that this totally happened to. I still think it's urban legend.

[Jeff]

Yeah, it has to be my roommate's brother back in. When I went to college in Pensacola, my roommate's brother's girlfriend's mom, sister's dad, this happened to her.

[Emily]

I can't believe y' all are talking about this right now.

[Jeff]

Hey. Yeah. Cause it happened to me.

[Emily]

Oh, my God. It's my story.

[Jeff]

Hey, Jim.

[Caller]

Yes.

[Jeff]

How are you?

[Caller]

I'm pretty good. How are you?

[Jeff]

Good. You know the story behind this? Yeah, actually, it was a joke that

[Caller]

was sitting around my office.

[Jeff]

I actually got just that same thing. Okay, hold on, hold on. So he says urban legend, you say urban legend. Hey, Stephanie. Stephanie.

[Caller]

Yes.

[Jeff]

How are you?

[Caller]

Hi. I'm good.

[Burt]

How are you?

[Jeff]

Good. Same email?

[Caller]

Yes, I got the exact same email, except it was the attractive older sister instead of the mother.

[David]

Oh, see, now that almost would be more believable.

[Jeff]

Did you believe yours or am I just really gullible?

[Caller]

No, I didn't believe it. It was just one of those that got email. So you believed it, Jeff, around the office?

[Jeff]

I was kind of hoping. Cause what a great Bircho story that would be. Hey, David.

[Caller]

Yes, sir.

[Jeff]

How are you?

[Caller]

I'm good, and you?

[Jeff]

Good. My phone's being ruined.

[Caller]

That thing's actually been around for years.

[Emily]

Oh, really?

[Caller]

It was the mother in law that I heard as well.

[Jeff]

Okay, thank you.

[Emily]

Oh, Jeff is disappointed.

[Jeff]

Hey, Samantha.

[Caller]

Hey. That's an urban Legend. It's on Snopes.com.

[David]

jeff wants it to be true so badly. Could you just pretend for him that it's true?

[Host Will]

Sure.

[Caller]

It's true.

[Jeff]

And that was your mother in law who did that? Yeah. I didn't even think to check Snopes because it was so because everyone that I've gotten, you know, the call, some certain code from your cell phone, if you're being followed by the police and all those. I just felt like I got those so much that I got this one. There was a glimmer of hope.

[David]

Not so much.

[Jeff]

Tricia. Hey.

[Caller]

I just. It's a joke about the. The mistress. That was a joke.

[David]

Joke.

[Jeff]

Okay.

[Caller]

Four years ago.

[Jeff]

What's that?

[Caller]

People are calling about that word, but that when it sent in and say it. A joke.

[Emily]

Yeah. It's not real, Jeff.

[David]

Four years ago, she got that. Lisa, where have you been?

[Jeff]

She said that.

[Caller]

I'm sorry.

[Jeff]

Hey, Lisa.

[Caller]

Hey.

[Jeff]

How are you?

[Caller]

Good. How are you?

[Jeff]

Good.

[Caller]

I got that joke. I get jokes every day through Comedy Central, and it came out a couple weeks ago, that same one.

[Jeff]

Gotcha. All right. Comedy Central, huh? That's pretty mainstream. Okay, well, thank you very much.

[Caller]

Thank you.

[Jeff]

Appreciate it.

[Emily]

I'm sorry, Jeff. Aw, is that gonna ruin your day?

[Jeff]

No, it's cool. Hey, the Birch Show.

[David]

Reno Ben is what we call him because he called us on a day. It was like, Friday afternoon, and we were saying, we were just like, who's running from their life right now? And he was actually in the car. A car that had over 200,000 miles on it.

[Jeff]

I forgot about that part.

[David]

Yeah, his old car. And he had said that he had lost his scholarship for school because he didn't do so well the last semester. And he was just, you know, kind of feeling down and out. And he had just decided, you know what? I'm starting over, and I'm leaving Atlanta. So he was actually on his way to his girlfriend's house to tell her that he was leaving. And then he was driving across the country to Reno to become a blackjack dealer. And so we followed him across the country, and his car broke down in Vegas, which he said if he could afford to fix the car, it was at the shop. And he said if he could afford to fix it, he was moving on to Reno. If he couldn't, he was staying in Vegas. Well, it wasn't that bad.

[Jeff]

I don't even know if it was afford. I remember he said, if my. If the shop, there's enough room on the credit card.

[David]

I think you're right.

[Jeff]

Pay for the car, then I'll get it out of the shop. And if the car's declined, I'm gonna have to get a job in Vegas until I can pay off the bill.

[David]

So as luck would have it, in Vegas, he got the car fixed, he went on to Reno. Didn't really like it, so went further down the road to Tahoe and actually loved it there. And so then found a job as a blackjack dealer in Tahoe and found a roommate, started living with a guy, and basically started his whole new life. So we've been kind of following him as far as how it's been going.

[Emily]

He's even grown a mustache.

[Jeff]

Did he really?

[David]

Yeah, he told us the other day.

[Jeff]

So he's doing that right now in Tahoe. And that got us to thinking that there might be somebody in Atlanta right now doing the same exact thing.

[David]

Like they came from Tahoe and did the reverse path or came from wherever.

[Jeff]

And it could be as simple as Ben's story where you weren't doing well in school and you weren't proud of it, and maybe you were in school for something you didn't like, so you. You bailed on whatever you're doing there and you came here and you started a whole new life. And maybe you're back in school doing a completely different major. You know, it could be after a terrible breakup.

[Emily]

Right.

[Jeff]

You could have been dating some girl and she broke your heart, and your friends were her friends, and your worlds were just so meshed that you're like, I can't do this.

[David]

Maybe you were on your way to Birmingham and just stopped here.

[Jeff]

Yeah. You know, that could have been it too. Maybe you got. I got a cousin in Birmingham. I'm gonna stay with him for a while. But for whatever reason, you fell in love with Atlanta and you're still here.

[Emily]

Or your car literally broke down here and you couldn't afford the repairs and here you are.

[David]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

And it may be a situation where we get zero phone calls, because I think with Ben, the situation was completely. I mean, that was so lucky. And it might just be unique, it might be a guy thing, but Burt and I are both way into that story.

[David]

Just to have the courage to actually follow through with a thought like that.

[Jeff]

Well, and just like the whole guy blazing a trail across the country, like driving the beat up car from Atlanta over to, you know, in the Vegas thing, I think it's just such a guy thing, like, oh, stop it in Vegas. And.

[David]

Well, and I think doing it alone is such a guy thing too. Cause I think for women, like, we would think, is that safe? Can we actually do that? You know, I don't think you'd do it with a girlfriend.

[Jeff]

Sure. You need somebody to talk to. You can't be in the car alone.

[David]

Yeah.

[Emily]

Oh, we'll touch ourselves. Whatever.

[Jeff]

Just Sing along with the radio. Change your plan to unlimited minutes so you can always make a phone call on the way.

[David]

No, but that's true. Who would you talk to? That would be a long trip. A lot of phone calls.

[Emily]

You'd unload on the person at the diner that you stop at for lunch.

[David]

Yeah, the waitress at the diner would become your best friend. So you just have to tell somebody about every little bit of the road trip.

[Jeff]

You're begging for a hitchhiker. Please let me see a hitchhiker. I don't care if he's got an ax over his shoulder.

[Emily]

I couldn't get her to pay the bill quick enough and get her out of here. She wouldn't stop talking.

[Jeff]

I will pick up a hitchhiker just so I have somebody to chat with. But, yeah, I think. I mean, it's kind of cool in a romantic, you know, way, but it's. You know, it's. It's. I think that that might be a guy thing, too. Hey, Vicki.

[Caller]

Hey, guys. Good morning.

[Emily]

Good morning.

[Caller]

I've actually done the same thing. I lived in Miami my entire life, and I was about 20 years old, woke up one day and said, I'm done. I packed up my Beetle, drove up to Atlanta, and been here nine years now.

[David]

All right, that's cool. Why'd you pick Atlanta?

[Caller]

I had cousins here that I would come to visit, and I basically hated it and figured I needed a break because I was tired of the party scene going out every night, and now I basically love it for everything I used to hate it for. It's just more laid back. I had an opportunity being bilingual to just start fresh and had better opportunities here. And I've been here nine years and six and a half months. After I moved up here, my family followed me, and they've been here as well.

[Emily]

Fantastic.

[David]

That's cool.

[Jeff]

Did you leave any deep, dark secrets in Miami, like something that's down there, and we should have picked you up on the Voice Disguiser and giving you a fake name to get the true answer so you don't have to tell us what the secret is if you don't want to, but was there anything that got left in Miami that you were like, nobody in Atlanta is going to know? Blank?

[Caller]

Unfortunately not. I probably wish I would have. Would have made it more exciting, but no, I just. I got bored and decided to come here.

[Emily]

Very nice. Well, welcome to Atlanta. Nine years later Nine years later Nine years later.

[Jeff]

You know, I bet there are people who made their way here from the Olympics, like, don't you think people who showed up for the, for the Olympics would have just come stay, you know, to work the Olympics or volunteer at the Olympics, maybe?

[Emily]

I think a lot of people saw it because the population in Atlanta has grown tremendously just since the Olympics.

[Jeff]

And it just decided, hey, this is a cooler town than wherever I'm from. Especially because I think Atlanta is a good city. That's comforting to people who are from small towns.

[Emily]

Yeah, I mean, it's still a small town feel, but at least you're in a big city and can do more things and meet more people, you know,

[Jeff]

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