Vault: Jenn is going to LA for American Idol

Summary

The Bert Show
Episode: Vault: Jenn is going to LA for American Idol
Date: June 30, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into Jenn Hobby's upcoming trip to Los Angeles to cover behind-the-scenes content for American Idol. The team discusses the unique privilege of being the only morning show invited by Fox to participate, but the excitement is paired with concerns: Jenn is fighting off a cold just as she heads west to represent the crew. What follows is a real and humorous conversation about the shared anxieties of traveling sick—especially on planes—complete with relatable stories and pop culture references.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jenn's LA Trip for American Idol

• The Bert Show expresses excitement about Jenn heading to LA to represent their team and provide exclusive behind-the-scenes coverage of American Idol.
• The hosts note the special opportunity, as Fox specifically chose their morning show for this access.

2. Traveling While Sick

• The conversation shifts to the discomfort and guilt associated with flying or being in public when you have a cold.
• Insight: The group highlights the heightened sense of self-consciousness and paranoia in enclosed spaces like planes and trains when sick or surrounded by others who are.

3. Airplane Sneezes: Universal Dread

• The team jokes about how "a sneeze is ever louder when you're on a plane" and the collective fear of germs in enclosed spaces.
• Insight: There's a shared imagery of germs circulating on planes, referencing movies and common anxieties.
• They also discuss the awkwardness of coughing or sneezing in public and everyone looking at you as a potential viral threat.

4. Pop Culture Reference

• A memorable visual from the film Outbreak is mentioned to accentuate the worry of spreading germs in confined settings.
  • "I always envision that scene from the Outbreak movie where they show the germs going up in the vent and passing through the duct and then coming down and into the person's nose." (Co-host, 01:46)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Jenn going to LA:
  "So Jen is going out to LA to do some behind the scenes American Idol stuff and she's got this cold right now."
  — Jason Concepcion (00:51)

• On sneezing on planes:
  "Is a sneeze ever louder to you than when you're on a plane?"
  — Jason Concepcion (00:51)

• On germ anxiety:
  "I always envision that scene from the Outbreak movie where they show the germs going up in the vent and passing through the duct and then coming down and into the person's nose."
  — Co-host (01:46)

• Feeling guilty while sick on a plane:
  "I felt so like, I mean, I was like wrapping up my mouth...because I felt guilty because they're trapped."
  — Co-host (01:46)

• On the public transport challenge:
  "When you're healthy and people are sick around you, you feel like everybody's sneezing around you and nobody's covering their nose...Right. In that train too, on the marta."
  — Jason Concepcion (02:28)

• About being trapped with germs:
  "There's nowhere to go."
  — Greta Johnson (02:43)

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Timestamps – Important Segments

• [00:51] – Jason sets the stage for Jenn’s trip and introduces the dilemma of traveling while under the weather.
• [01:35] – Paranoia about sneezing and coughing on flights, referencing how guilt and discomfort set in.
• [01:46] – “Outbreak” movie reference visualizing airborne germs.
• [02:28] – Comparing airplanes and public transit for germ fears.
• [02:43] – The group agrees on the feeling of being ‘trapped’ with others’ germs.

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Tone and Style

The episode maintains The Bert Show’s signature blend of humor, honesty, and relatability. The hosts poke fun at their own quirks and anxieties, sharing a laugh while still expressing genuine empathy for Jenn’s predicament.

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Summary:
This episode offers a playful yet real conversation about being sick while traveling, bound together by the exciting opportunity for Jenn to represent The Bert Show at American Idol. Listeners are treated to behind-the-curtain camaraderie and confessions that anyone who’s flown recently will find familiar—and funny.

Transcript

[Greta Johnson]

House of the Dragon is back and so is the official podcast. Join hosts Greta Johnson and Jason Concepcion on HBO Max's official House of the Dragon podcast as they break down every episode and speak with the show's writers, cast and crew members. It's an all out war in Westeros and you never know what to expect when battling with dragons. Watch the official Game of Thrones podcast, House of the Dragon on HBO Max or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Jason Concepcion]

Agiliza tus proyectos mientra sigues. Hey, the Bird Show. I was just saying to these guys, I feel bad for Jen Hobby. She's about to get on a plane and go on out to la and she's doing some behind the scenes with American Idol. We're the only morning show that Fox said, hey, you guys want to come on out and hang out? So Jen is going out to LA to do some behind the scenes American Idol stuff and she's got this cold right now. And the timing is just right for this whole conversation because, man, when I was flying back from Costa Rica last week. Is a sneeze ever louder to you than when you're on a plane?

[Co-host or Guest]

Like you don't want the. If you're. Well, then you don't want to be the one.

[Jason Concepcion]

That's what I'm saying.

[Co-host or Guest]

Because you're like, oh my God, I'm getting this in five minutes.

[Jason Concepcion]

And I feel guilty because you're in the plane and the snot has nowhere to go except up everybody's nose. And you can hear a Sneeze in row 32. If you're in row four.

[Co-host or Guest]

I feel guilty because I still had, you know, I had that flu or whatever it was that week after Burt's Big Adventure. And I felt guilty because I still had a bit of a cough on the way back or on the way down to on my vacation. So not a bit of a cough. Like I was coughing. And I felt so like, I mean, I was like wrapping up my mouth. Like, nobody's visiting because I felt guilty because they're trapped. And I always envision that scene from the Outbreak movie where they show the germs going up in the vent and passing through the duct and then coming down and into the person's nose.

And you talk about as soon as I can hear somebody blowing their nose on a plane, you know what I mean? With the same thought, like, God, get me off this plane. And she's on the plane for how, what, three, three, four hours?

[Jason Concepcion]

Four, four and a half hours or something like that. The terminal also, man, like when you're healthy and people are sick around you, you feel like everybody's sneezing around you and nobody's covering their nose. Right. In that train too, on the marta. You mean the train? Gate to gate.

[Greta Johnson]

Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest]

There's nowhere to go.

[Jason Concepcion]

You're like, get away from me. Don't hold on to the pole. Don't touch anything.

[Co-host or Guest]

Yeah.

[Jason Concepcion]

So Jen is on her way out to LA. Thank you very much to American Idol and Fox 5 for choosing us to go on out there and do some behind the scenes stuff for you guys.

[Co-host or Guest]

Yep.

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