Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Bert Show
Episode: Full Show PT 3: Friday, January 9 [Vault]
Date: January 9, 2026
Host: The Bert Show Cast (Bert, Kristin, Abby, Cassie, Tommy, and more)

Episode Overview

This energetic episode of The Bert Show brings the familiar mix of morning laughter, real talk, and listener engagement, focusing heavily on the chaos of college finals week. The show takes a humorous yet relatable dive into memories and advice for pulling all-nighters, confessions about “creative” ways to pass exams, and finishes with a wide-ranging, lively interview with music mogul Jermaine Dupri about his work, lifestyle, and the evolving culture in Atlanta.

Main Segments & Key Discussion Points

1. Surviving Finals: The “Idiot’s Guide” to Pulling an All-Nighter

Timestamps: 01:49–17:15

• Finals Week Flashbacks (01:49–03:13)
  The hosts reminisce about the stress of college finals, cramming, and the familiar lies students tell themselves each term about doing better next time.

  "By the time finals fry you say, screw it, I'll... Whatever’s on the paper is all I can do." – Jen (02:23)

• Strategies (and Disasters) of All-Nighters (03:28–06:40)
  Both hosts and callers share their best—and sometimes worst—tips:

  • Pacing out cramming sessions by test dates
  • Getting up at 2am to try to "absorb more"
  • The dangers of caffeine or drastic changes to routines

    “Don’t drastically alter your eating, drinking, whatever habits. If you have to stay up all night, do it…as status quo as possible.” – Jeff (05:58)

• Listener Tips: Real & Ridiculous (06:40–17:15)

  • Making and listening to “tape recordings” of notes (07:05)
  • All-nighter pros: Never lie down, or you’ll sleep through the exam (07:47)
  • Memorizing essays by reciting and rewriting, knowing it will all vanish after the test (09:06)
  • Flashcards and visual aids, sometimes decorated with glitter for effect (09:51)
  • Full-throttle energy drinks and the fantasy of a Red Bull Ice Cream Truck on campus (10:39)
  • Night study sessions at IHOP, emphasizing eating with caffeine (11:42)
  • Focusing on key concepts, not every detail (12:24)
  • Adderall/Ritalin and the ethics (or lack thereof) of prescription sharing (13:54–15:39)
  • Knowing your final’s location and carrying study objects to aid memory recall (16:12)
  • Securing the “right” study group: “Smart friends” are clutch. (17:01)

  “The only thing that’s missing from the winning combination of Waffle House and Adderall is a study group with the smart person who’s actually been going to all the classes.” – Becky, Caller (16:50)

Memorable Moment:
One caller’s ultimate all-nighter method:
“Adderall, Waffle House and coffee…Just don’t overdo it, because you’ll get the shakes.” – Laura, Caller (15:09)

2. Creative (and Questionable) Ways to Pass Finals

Timestamps: 17:31–25:55

• Shortcuts & Schemes:
  • Swapping majors en masse just to recycle the same assignments and keep the party going (18:42)
  • Charming or flirting with professors for better grades

    “Why don’t you just give me a hug and I’ll give you an A.” – Tino, Caller, recalling a professor anecdote (19:24)

  • Crying (sometimes theatrically) to sway professors

    “I pulled the girl card out and went to my professor, who was an older man, and sat in his office and cried. I was going to get a D, and I got a B.” – Beth, Caller (21:10)

  • Doing "errands" for extra credit (with one caller recounting being asked to clean a professor’s house in a cheerleading uniform—for an Ethics class.) (23:51–25:51)

Notable Quote:
“What class was it? Funny enough, it was ethics.” – Anonymous Caller (25:28)

Hosts’ Reaction:
“You couldn't write that better. You really couldn't.” – Host (25:41)

3. Live Guest: Jermaine Dupri – Atlanta, Music, and Lifestyle

Timestamps: 26:00–44:41

• Night Owl Habits & Work Ethic (26:01–27:22)

  • Jermaine speaks on working late, sometimes “two days in a row,” how his routines have evolved, and why he used to be even more nocturnal.

  "I used to go, like, two days in a row, like, all night. ... Now, I'm getting a little older, so I can't do it like that." – Jermaine Dupri (26:45)

• Breaking into Jermaine’s World: Collaboration, Fame, and Atlanta’s Rise (27:21–31:19)

  • Process for working with him: “Go to the bank.”
  • Projects come to him now; gives a shout to Jessica Simpson for reaching out.
  • Discussion of celebrity, privacy, and how some keep things under wraps vs. the tabloid spectacle.

  “If you never come out and publicly say it…when you do, then it becomes everybody's face.” – Jeff (30:54)

• Relationship with Janet Jackson (31:19–33:22)

  • Friendship blossoming into romance
  • Never had an argument (“if we have a fight, it’s over”)

• Industry Events Stories (33:23–34:32)

  • Kentucky Derby, celebrity run-ins (Usher, Michael Jordan)
  • Playful ribbing about rental cars and “Grand Ams”

• Producer Role and Upcoming Projects (35:54–37:43)

  • Midtown Music Festival—Jermaine running the Urban Stage, featuring acts like Game, Sierra, Bobby Valentino, Black Eyed Peas, and more.

• On Mariah Carey’s Comeback

  • Collaboration on her new album, including a vocal appearance (37:13)

• Entrepreneurship: Cafe Dupree (38:04–41:54)

  • Opening a health-focused café in Atlanta for those who want to “eat cleaner.” (38:10)
  • Contrasts nightlife stereotypes and discusses how health changes have affected his energy and work.

  “If you eating bad like that and having to get up and do what you have to do...it just don’t work right. You just crash.” – Jermaine Dupri (39:32)

• Atlanta’s Music Scene and Civic Pride (42:03–44:32)

  • Creating “Welcome to Atlanta,” desire to see it used as the city’s anthem.
  • Advocacy for Atlanta’s music industry to be seen as the “new Motown.”

  “Atlanta's too vibrant not to have a theme song…It should be played at every event.” – Jermaine Dupri (42:10)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On All-Nighter Success:

  “Because you wouldn’t have anything left at all. I mean, the minute it leaves your brain and gets down to the paper, like, oh yeah, I remember that…gone.” – Jeff (03:33)

• On Caffeine-Induced Mishaps:

  “Not only did it keep me up, but I practically crapped my pants at my history pre-1812 final.” – Jeff (05:08)

• On Memorization Techniques:

  “I would read my notes out loud and tape record them, then play them over and over again all night.” – Caller (06:48)

• On “Creative” Extra Credit:

  “But next thing I know, he has a cheerleading uniform out for me to wear while I’m cleaning.” – Caller (24:03)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:49 – Finals week intro and nostalgia
• 03:28 – Cramming and study techniques
• 05:58 – Dangers of caffeine and changing habits
• 06:48 – Callers’ all-nighter advice begins
• 13:54 – Discussion of Adderall, “study drugs”
• 17:31 – Confessions: Creative ways to boost grades
• 26:00 – Jermaine Dupri Joins the Show
• 35:54 – Midtown Music Festival projects
• 38:04 – Cafe Dupree and health talk
• 42:03 – “Welcome to Atlanta,” city pride
• 44:41 – Wrap up with Jermaine Dupri

Tone and Style

The tone is conversational, witty, irreverent, and self-deprecating, consistent with The Bert Show’s “real and funny” ethos. There’s lots of lively banter, playful teasing, and a willingness to discuss embarrassing or taboo student behaviors with humor and honesty.

Conclusion

This episode is a classic mix of frantic finals nostalgia, offbeat “study” advice, and candid listener confessions, capped by a revealing, breezy conversation with Jermaine Dupri about work habits, Atlanta’s culture, and the music business. It’s a perfect “study break” for anyone needing to laugh at the absurdity of college life—or reminisce about their own exam-week disasters.

For more tips, confessions, or to share your own story, check out The Bert Show online or listen to future episodes!