Vault: Embarrassment Free Zone: Listeners Ask Whatever They Want

Summary

The Bert Show: "Vault: Embarrassment Free Zone: Listeners Ask Whatever They Want"

Release Date: May 25, 2026
Theme:
A lively, inviting “embarrassment free zone” where listeners call in with questions they’re too embarrassed to ask anywhere else — from the meaning of odd phrases to decoding pop culture references. The Bert Show cast fields these questions with humor, camaraderie, and genuine curiosity, aiming to create a safe space for learning and laughter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing the Embarrassment Free Zone

• The cast explains the show’s premise: listeners can anonymously ask questions they find too embarrassing to ask friends, like “What is Twitter?” or “Who is Tiger Woods?”

• [00:00-00:48] Bert:

  “There are plenty of people … that have heard us discuss, or heard your friends discuss Twitter, but you really have no idea what it is. But you’re afraid to ask one of your friends, ’cause you know they’re gonna embarrass you… Here’s where you guys call us up. Any question that you’ve ever had…”

  Tone: Playful, empathetic, non-judgmental.

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2. Listener Questions and Cast Answers

What Does "[sic]" Mean?

• [00:48-03:59]
  • Several cast members admit confusion about the term "[sic]" used in quotations. There’s a group debate, then a listener (Misty) calls in and confirms it denotes a verbatim quote, including errors.
    • Notable Quote:

      “It means that…what they wrote in the book is not actually correct … But the book people have to let you know that they weren’t misspelling it, that it was, like, within a quote…” — Misty, Listener [03:09]

    • The group discovers "[sic]" is a Latin word meaning “thus,” pronounced “seek.”

      “It doesn’t stand for anything. It's a Latin word…” — E [03:49]

What Does TMZ Stand For?

• [04:35-05:13]
  • Listener Liz asks about TMZ.
    • Bert:

      “It's 30 Mile Zone, meaning Los Angeles. They cover 30 miles within the county of LA…” [04:50]

    • Appreciative, Liz admits asking others hesitantly.

Who Is Tebow?

• [05:13-05:57]
  • “Tracy had zero idea who Tebow was…” — E [05:19]
    • The cast jokes about SEC football and Tebow being the “best quarterback ever” and a “crybaby that lost the game.” [05:30]
    • Adds humor with a biblical joke:

      “…he needs to change his eye tape to read … 'Jesus wept.'” — E [05:50]

Why Do NBA Players Not Playing Wear Suits?

• [06:10-07:10]
  • A listener wonders why NBA coaches and benched players wear suits.
    • Bert explains it’s because they're not allowed on the court, so no need for uniforms.
    • There’s a quippy historical side note:

      “NFL coaches … used to be in full tuxes.” — F [07:05]

    • Cast reminisces about Bear Bryant always being in a suit [07:09].

Who is “The Lautner Guy” in Twilight?

• [07:14-08:08]
  • Caller asks about "Jason Lautner" from Twilight; cast laughs, corrects it to “Taylor Lautner.”
    • F clarifies:

      “He’s one of the stars on Twilight and he plays the werewolf… He was Shark Boy too.” [07:43, 07:50]

    • Fun fact: Taylor Lautner is rumored to be dating Taylor Swift. [08:09]

What is "M.O." on Crime Shows?

• [08:31-09:39]
  • Listener Wendy asks about “M.O.,” often heard on "Law and Order."
    • Bert and E explain it’s "modus operandi" — a Latin phrase meaning the typical way someone does something, especially a crime.

      “It means his or her typical way of doing a crime.” — E [08:56] “It’s the way of doing things.” — B [09:37]

Who is Chuck Norris?

• [09:42-10:57]
  • Caller Becca is confused by Chuck Norris jokes.
    • The cast explains his background: martial arts actor, TV star (“Walker, Texas Ranger”), and cultural icon.
    • Running joke:

      “When Chuck Norris does a push up, he’s not raising himself up but moving the earth down.” — E [09:50]

    • Fun trivia: Chuck Norris is “like five foot five.” [10:52]

What Does HOV (Lane) Stand For?

• [11:08-11:48]
  • Caller Megan admits not knowing what HOV stands for.
    • Cast explains: “High Occupancy Vehicle.” [11:25]

      “You should be more embarrassed by using the R word than not knowing what HOV is.” — B [11:38]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Social Embarrassment:
  “We really never leave the third grade, you know, like, when it comes to a point in life.” — B [00:39]
• On Admitting Ignorance:
  “Look what you’ve started, Bert.” — E [02:14]
• On Listener Participation:
  “You drive to work with me every morning.” — Liz, Listener [04:35]
• On Judgment-Free Questions:
  “You can’t hold it against her. You still have to be her friend.” — E [05:29]
  “You guys can ask anything you want.” — A [07:14]
• On Not Knowing Pop Culture:
  “I think we all know who Taylor Lautner is. Even the women in here do.” — F [07:32]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00] — Introduction: What is the "Embarrassment Free Zone"?
• [00:48–03:59] — “[sic]” in quotations: what does it really mean?
• [04:35–05:13] — TMZ: Meaning behind the acronym.
• [05:13–05:57] — Who is Tebow?
• [06:10–07:10] — NBA coaches/players in suits: Why?
• [07:14–08:08] — “The Lautner guy” explained.
• [08:31–09:39] — What is M.O. on crime shows?
• [09:42–10:57] — Origins of Chuck Norris jokes.
• [11:08–11:48] — Explanation of HOV lanes.

---

Tone & Style

The episode is fast-paced, humorous, and filled with camaraderie. The Bert Show cast jokes with each other and the callers, readily admits their own ignorance, and shows genuine excitement at learning something new together.

---

Why Listen?

For anyone who’s felt awkward admitting they don’t know something “obvious,” this episode normalizes curiosity and embarrassment, turning it into a shared, entertaining learning moment. It's a feel-good show that mixes real questions with pop culture, legal lingo, and sports trivia — and lets everyone laugh along the way.

Transcript

[A]

The Birch Show. So I've been trying to get to this now for days and days and days. The Birch Shows. Embarrassment free zone. This is when you guys can call up 404-741, Q100, and you can basically ask any question that you want of something going on in your life or around you that you're too embarrassed to ask anybody else. Like, there are plenty of people right now that are listening that have heard us discuss or heard your friends discuss Twitter, but you really have no idea what. What it is. But you're afraid to ask one of your friends. Cause you know that they're gonna embarrass you, and they're gonna laugh at you, and they're gonna inevitably say, I can't believe you don't know what Twitter is.

[B]

We really never leave the third grade, you know, like, when it comes to point in life.

[C]

Ha ha.

[B]

You don't know what Twitter is.

[A]

Come on. How can you not know that?

[B]

You're a dork, right? You know, we're still afraid to ask those questions.

[A]

You know, maybe for the last week, people have been talking about Tiger woods, and you really don't know who Tiger woods is. Like, you don't know why he's a big deal. You couldn't ask your friends because they would give you such a hard time, right? So here's where you guys call us up. Any question that you've ever had, and I'm gonna even gonna start it here. And this has always driven me nuts, and I have never even asked the question, but whenever I'm reading a book and I see that parentheses and then inside of it, it says, S I C. Sick. You know, I just go right over it, but I really have no idea what it means.

[D]

I think I know what it means, but I'm not sure if I'm correct.

[E]

I want to know what the. Because I have done the same thing and what I have always assumed it means. And I think if what happens doesn't apply to this definition I'm about to give, then I just. Oh, my God. Obviously, the book company made a mistake. But I think if. If they use. Can we call it sic? Is that what it stands sic?

[A]

I don't even know.

[E]

I think sic, that means that whatever was preceding that was a verbatim usage of the text. Meaning if there's a misspelling or a grammatical error, it's almost an acknowledgement that that is.

[B]

It wasn't an accident, that it was misspelled or whatever.

[E]

Yeah, that's what I think it means.

[D]

My Perception is different. My thought is that if it has.

[E]

Look what you've started, Bert.

[A]

I know. No one really knows. We just know we say it in our head.

[D]

Well, to me, it means that it was a direct quote from somebody else previously, but there were different things left out of it.

[E]

What do you mean?

[D]

Like, say the quote that they were quoting before the SIC was a really

[E]

long one, so they edited it down,

[D]

but they edited down to a shorter version to extract their own meaning from it. But it's not the full, detailed, original

[B]

quote, because in quotes, they have to acknowledge that.

[D]

They have to acknowledge that they changed it or edited it in some way. That's what I thought it was.

[A]

I was always under the impression that it was like a misspelled word or something like that. But the book people had to let you know that they were. Weren't misspelling it, that it was, like, within a quote or something like that.

[E]

That's what I think it is, but I have no idea what it stands for or if that's even right.

[A]

So if you guys have any questions like that, we're actually gonna get the answer to the SIC question.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

Okay, Then give us a call right now. 404-741-Q100. Hey, Misty. Good morning.

[C]

Hey, Bert. You're right, Bert. That's what it means.

[A]

What is it? Because I don't even know.

[C]

It means that the. That it was what they wrote in the book is not actually correct. That it was. It was. Miss. It was miswritten.

[A]

Okay, so it's not like the book messed something up. They're letting you know that it was miswritten before, and they're putting it in, like Jeff said, verbatim.

[C]

Verbatim. As to what it is, even though it is incorrect. Yes. Lawyers use that quite a bit.

[E]

If we.

[D]

What does it stand for?

[C]

I'm sorry?

[D]

What does SIC stand for?

[C]

I don't know what it stands for, but that's what. That's why they do that. We do that. I work for an attorney, and we do that quite often.

[E]

I haven't.

[A]

We're halfway home.

[E]

I have it right here. It doesn't stand for anything. It's a Latin word, and it's actually a.

[D]

What's the Latin meaning thus?

[E]

And it's pronounced seek.

[B]

Seek.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

It just means the book publisher wants to say, look, we're not dumb. Yeah, right.

[E]

Can we end our show not.

[B]

My bad.

[E]

Can we end our show every day by saying parentheses, seek in the past

[A]

when we've done this? What other kind of questions have we

[D]

Received a lot of one's about like pop culture stuff that people don't understand

[B]

or maybe or something we do as an inside. You know, to save that or you know, something maybe we do as well.

[A]

I'd rather keep them away from Birch show related stuff, but just general stuff that you know, you should know, but you're just too embarrassed to ask your friends. Hey, Liz. Good morning. You're on Q100.

[C]

Good morning. I'm very excited to be on with you guys this morning. You drive to work with me every morning.

[A]

Thank you for calling. What's up?

[C]

I want to know what TMZ stands for. That program.

[A]

I can handle that one. But Jen, this is your. This is your specialty.

[D]

I don't know what it stands for.

[A]

It's 30 mile zone, meaning Los Angeles. And then there's. They cover 30 miles within the. Is it the county of LA?

[E]

I think it's the. The general perimeter of Los Angeles County.

[C]

That's very. Thank you. I've always wondered. I've asked other people, hesitantly ask other people.

[A]

30 mile zone is what that is.

[C]

Thank you very much.

[A]

You're welcome.

[E]

Here's one that Tracy just IM'd me and Wendy, you're gonna have a problem with this.

[F]

Okay.

[E]

Until Friday, Tracy had zero idea who Tebow was when we would refer to him on the show.

[A]

Oh, you're kidding.

[B]

It's an embarrassment free zone, Wendy.

[D]

You can't come down on it.

[E]

You can't hold it against her.

[C]

You can't stand embarrassment free.

[E]

You still have to be her friend.

[F]

It's only the best quarterback ever.

[A]

And you can't edit like that either.

[E]

But now she knows that he's the crybaby that lost the game on Saturday.

[D]

And he's so loser.

[F]

No, he's the quarterback for Florida.

[A]

This 316 got smudged on Saturday. I'm sorry. That little thing under his eye.

[E]

Somebody sent out a tweet.

[A]

I lost the game.

[E]

Did you see it? I retweeted it. Change. He needs to change his itape to read. And I don't know what the biblical verse is, but it's. Jesus wept.

[F]

I didn't see anybody else's team in the SEC championship.

[B]

Embarrassing.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right.

[D]

That embarrassing. But I. Hawks game on Friday night. Why do NBA coaches and players that aren't playing wear suits? Because it's the only sport where they do. Right.

[A]

I can tell you the reason for that. They are not allowed on the playing field. So if you're a coach, that's Allowed on the field, like a baseball coach. He's allowed to walk on the field and talk to his, like, pitcher. If you're not allowed on the court, then you don't need to wear the team's jersey. You wear street clothes, but they have to wear suits.

[E]

That's probably just an NBA rule.

[A]

I don't know if they have to wear suits if it's a rule.

[D]

That's what my friend said that I went with. He said if they're a player on the team who's not going to be in the game, like they're out injured or whatever, they also wear suits.

[E]

It's probably an NBA standard because hockey. Hockey players do the same thing.

[D]

Yeah, hockey does, too.

[F]

And I know NFL coaches used to back in the day. They don't anymore, so they actually seem dressed down.

[E]

That would be so weird.

[B]

Yeah.

[F]

They used to be in full tuxes.

[A]

Paul. Bear Bryant.

[F]

Bear Bryant used to be in a

[A]

suit back in the day. Hey, Kelly. Good Morning. You're on Q100.

[C]

Hey.

[A]

This is an embarrassment free question zone. You can ask anything you want.

[C]

Great. Okay, So I teach middle school. I can't ask any of my students. You guys have talked about this. I know he's part of Twilight. I don't know who the Lautner guy is. Jason Lautner.

[B]

Taylor Lautner.

[E]

Wendy, you're getting your ass kicked this morning.

[F]

I think we all know who Taylor Lautner is. Even the women in here do. He's one of the stars on Twilight and he plays the werewolf.

[C]

His name is Taylor.

[F]

Taylor Lautner.

[D]

How old is he?

[F]

He's 17 years old.

[D]

And what does he look like? Really hot.

[C]

Is he Jacob or Edward?

[F]

Jacob.

[B]

He is Jacob. And your kid's. Probably because he was Shark Boy too. So he was a character called Shark Boy. So they may have grown up with him.

[C]

Okay. Because I haven't bothered to ask them. I just hear them going on and on, but I haven't asked, which is.

[A]

Yeah, you would be very, very uncool. So I'm glad you asked us rather than them. Yes.

[C]

All right, great. Thank you.

[E]

And you can really wow him because he's currently dating Taylor Swift, right? Supposedly. Rumor.

[B]

Yes, Rumor.

[A]

Good morning, Laura. You are on the Burt Show.

[B]

Turn down your radio, Laura.

[C]

Oh, turn down.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yep. There you go.

[B]

Hey,

[E]

and now talk to us.

[B]

Yeah, Laura.

[A]

Okay, we're gonna go.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Good morning, Wendy. You're on Q100. Hi.

[C]

Hey. Good morning. I am embarrassed. Even though this is an embarrassment free zone. I watch those Law and Order. All of those Shows with my husband, and they're always asked, they're always saying what it. This was his movie. What is MO? Is that his motive? I don't know what mo refers to.

[A]

Modus operandi.

[E]

That's a Latin phrase, and it means his or her typical way of doing a crime.

[C]

Oh, okay.

[E]

All right.

[C]

Now all those shows seem to make sense now.

[D]

Wouldn't it be your typical way of doing anything? Like, you can say that about any person. It's like, oh, well, that's their M.O.

[E]

oh, that's her. Like if Jen.

[B]

Typical behavior.

[E]

If Jen always walked out at right after her six o' clock entertainment clothes.

[D]

Let's say I'm always, you know, I'm always running five to ten minutes late. It's like, oh, that's her M.O. she's a little missed. Ten minutes late.

[C]

Oh, my M.O. is to sit on 285 for four hours.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

See, now, I always thought the M.O. was the intention of something, so I guess I was wrong. Okay.

[B]

Yeah. It's the way of doing things.

[A]

Here is Becca. Good Morning. You're on Q100.

[C]

Hey, I want to know who Chuck Norris is.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Who is what? Because you've heard all the Chuck Norris jokes and you're wondering.

[C]

Yeah. And I don't know what's so great about him.

[E]

When Chuck Norris does a push up, he's not raising himself up, but moving the earth down.

[B]

I'm with her.

[F]

I have no idea, really. So you'll. I've heard the name, but I mean, I've seen the costumes, but I don't know what he's done.

[A]

Well, at first, Chuck Norris was a martial arts actor, and then he evolved into having a TV show which was.

[C]

Oh, God.

[A]

He played a sheriff.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

On this tv.

[B]

Because every time I go to Nashville, my family would watch the same.

[C]

Walker, Texas Rangers.

[A]

There it is.

[B]

Walker, Texas Ranger. That's right. That's right. Yeah, he's just. Yeah, he was he. In a time of martial arts, he was like the most popular white martial arts actor. So. And he had a huge following. So.

[A]

And he just became known as this real studly kind of tough guy. All right, okay, thank you.

[E]

And I will still laugh consistently at Chuck Norris jokes.

[D]

Right.

[E]

If you have $5 and Chuck Norris has $5, Chuck Norris has more money than you.

[D]

But Chuck, the tennis shoes, the sneakers, Chuck Taylor's are not Chuck Norris'. They're Chuck Taylor's.

[A]

And you know that Chuck Norris is like five foot five.

[D]

No, seriously, he's a little.

[A]

Little. He's like, my size.

[E]

Chuck Norris is your size, and you're your size. Chuck Norris is still taller than you.

[A]

Absolutely. Hey, Megan. Good Morning. You're on Q100.

[C]

Good morning.

[A]

Hi.

[C]

Hi. I love you guys, by the way. I love you every morning on my way to work.

[A]

Thank you.

[C]

Okay, you guys can't laugh at me. I'm really not a retard.

[A]

It's okay. It's an embarrassment. Freezer.

[C]

The HOV lane on the highway. I know what the rules are. I have no idea what it stands for.

[D]

It's High Occupancy Vehicle.

[C]

And see that? That would make sense.

[A]

Okay, so there's more than, like, one person would be. High Occupancy Vehicle.

[E]

Thanks. Community.

[B]

Yeah. Now you should be community.

[D]

That's who we should call.

[B]

You should be more embarrassed by using the R word than not knowing what HIV is.

[D]

Yeah, I kind of flinched when she

[A]

said, at least we got you covered on the HOV thing.

[D]

Yes.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

You're welcome.

[E]

Get it?

[A]

The bird show.