Vault: Listeners Share The Ridiculous Things They Gave Up For Lent

Summary

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The Bert Show: "Vault: Listeners Share The Ridiculous Things They Gave Up For Lent"

Date: March 25, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this lively and humorous episode, The Bert Show team invites listeners to share the truly unusual and sometimes ridiculous things they're giving up for Lent. The hosts discuss their own experiences with giving things up, the challenges that come with it, and the motivations behind these personal sacrifices. The episode blends candid conversation, playful banter, and some memorable listener confessions that go well beyond the usual chocolate or alcohol.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Unusual Lent Commitments Among Listeners

• Alcohol & Coffee Drive-Thrus (00:59–02:05)

  • The team kicks off by noting plenty of people give up things like chocolate or carbs, but "the more unusual ones" are what's interesting.
  • One host shares that his wife is giving up alcohol and all coffee shop drive-thrus, not walk-ins—she can enter the shop but not hit the drive-thru.
    • "She gave up going through the drive-through. So if she's out, if she wants to walk to the Starbucks near her house, that's cool... But as far as going through the drive-through, not gonna do it." – [D], (01:47)

• Giving Up Sex (02:10–02:54)

  • A listener calls in to say she and her boyfriend are abstaining from sex for Lent due to their Catholic faith, but admit they've struggled each year.
    • "We decided it'd be best if we gave it up. But it hasn't worked yet." – [F], (02:28)
    • "Last year? It went two weeks. This year it's been the whole time, so I think it's a week and a half." – [F], (02:45)

• Wearing Underwear (08:10–08:56)

  • Another listener vows to wear underwear for 40 days—as a challenge, since she normally avoids it.
    • "I don't like to wear underwear, so I'm going to wear underwear." – [F], (08:10)
    • The cast jokes about the spiritual significance of this “pilgrimage.”

• Giving Up Trashy Reality TV (09:00–10:42)

  • Chelsea shares she's giving up addictive reality shows, elaborating on how much time she spends watching them—up to 20 evening hours a week.
    • "I just put my mind to it, and I'm giving up those shows, and hopefully when it's finished, I will not have the need to start watching them again." – [F], (10:01)
    • The cast jokes about TV shows finding them rather than the other way around.

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2. Hosts Reflect on Their Own Attempts & Struggles

• Alcohol Moderation vs. Abstinence (03:05–07:57)

  • One host considers giving up alcohol for 30 days, rationalizing that while it coincides with Lent, it’s more about wanting to curb hangovers and unhealthy habits.
    • "I'm giving up drink for the next 30 days, and it just happens to fall during Lent, so. I could call it that." – [C], (03:05)
    • The group discusses whether it's harder to stop drinking entirely or limit oneself to two drinks, and joke about previous failed attempts.
    • “Two drinks a night. That was way cutting back. Do most people just have two drinks a night?” – [C], (04:35)
    • “30 days, I think, is going to be very difficult for you to do.” – [E], (05:50)

• The Challenge of Social Drinking Habits

  • Honest discussion about whether the true feat is abstaining or learning moderation, with different hosts weighing in.
    • “I think the bigger challenge really would be...because I could give up alcohol... but I have to learn how to socially drink.” – [C], (06:50)
    • “You’ve shown your self-discipline with workouts and diets... you’re able to stick to it.” – [G], (07:07)
    • “I think the tougher challenge would be to try to socially drink than it would be to give it up at all.” – [C], (07:51)

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3. Playful Banter & Group Dynamics

• The episode is full of teasing, encouragement, and lighthearted judgment between hosts.

  • “She hates you.” – [C], (05:37)
  • “I know you don’t. I’m asking you for honesty.” – [C], (05:40)
  • The group pokes fun at the idea of self-imposed challenges, noting how small actions like limiting drinks can feel massive in practice.

• The cast gleefully discusses the invented reality show "Tool Academy" and marvels at how such TV concepts get greenlit.

  • “My favorite part about those shows is...somebody went into a boardroom and said, 'Here’s my idea: Tool Academy.' And then ten other...at least seven of them had to say, that's a money maker.” – [D], (11:36)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On drive-thru deprivation:

  • "She gave up going through the drive-thru...If she wants to walk...that's cool. But as far as going through the drive-thru, not gonna do it." – [D], (01:47)

• On relationship challenges and Lent:

  • "We gave it up every year, and it hasn’t worked." – [F], (02:36)

• On reality TV confessions:

  • "They just track me down and I find them on the television, and I can't..." – [F], (10:40)
  • "That’s like...It is a hard time job." – [E], (10:40)

• On self-discipline and skepticism:

  • "30 Days is a tough...That's tough for you to do. I'm being honest." – [E], (05:50)
  • "I think that you’ve shown your self discipline...you’re able to stick to it." – [G], (07:07)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Unusual Lent Sacrifices Introduced: (00:59)
• Listener: Giving Up Sex: (02:10)
• Host: Abstaining from Alcohol – Motivation & Struggles: (03:05–07:57)
• Listener: Wearing Underwear for Lent: (08:10)
• Listener: Quitting Trashy Reality TV: (09:00)
• Debate: Are Moderation Goals Harder Than Total Abstinence?: (05:50–07:51)
• Reality TV and Tool Academy Discussion: (10:42–11:51)

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Summary & Takeaways

This episode delivers on the show's promise of authenticity, laughs, and a touch of irreverence. The conversation is a reminder that Lenten sacrifices come in all forms—from the deeply personal to the hilariously trivial—and that support systems (and a sense of humor) can be crucial in seeing any tough commitment through. The hosts and listeners alike acknowledge that sometimes giving something up is less about proving anything to anyone but yourself—and that even the silliest sacrifices can make you think about your habits in a new way.

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Transcript

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[B]

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[C]

The Burt Show. I'm curious what you guys are giving up for Lent, but the more unusual ones, like, we're gonna cover, I think some of the basic ones in this room. But what's more of the unusual stuff that if you told people you were giving it up, they're like, really weird. This is a little strange. We can put you on the voice disguiser if you want. Jeff's wife has given up two major things in her life.

[D]

She's given up alcohol. She's gone 40 days with no booze whatsoever. None. And she's also giving up coffee drive throughs, like going to the drive through at Starbucks because she. I think she just thinks that she was going to Starbucks. We have a really nice. We bought a really nice cool coffee maker for the house like a year ago, two years ago, with the intention of her not going to Starbucks anymore. She would, and it was really expensive, so.

[E]

Worked well, huh?

[D]

Well, it did for a while. And then she just started to get back into the coffee thing, like into driving around mindlessly drinking it and stuff. So she gave up going through the drive through. So if she's out, if she wants to walk to the Starbucks near her house, that's cool. Or if she wants to take her laptop and go sit there and be like one of those coffee house workers and stuff, that's cool. But as far as going through the

[C]

drive thruh, not gonna do it. Not allowed. Maria, good Morning. You're on Q100.

[F]

Hi. Me and my boyfriend, we gave up sex.

[D]

Why?

[F]

Just because we're. I don't know. We're not supposed to do it, so we just gave it up just to see if it works.

[C]

Who says you're not supposed to do it?

[F]

Well, we're both Catholic, so.

[C]

The Bible, so.

[D]

God.

[F]

Yeah. So we're both Catholics, so we decided it'd be best if we gave it up. But it hasn't worked yet.

[C]

So how many days?

[F]

We've given it up every year, and it hasn't worked.

[C]

How many days were you into your promise to God before you gave sex back to you?

[F]

Last year? It went two weeks.

[G]

Okay.

[D]

How long has it gone? This year?

[F]

This year it's been the whole time, so I think it's a week and a half.

[D]

Nice.

[C]

Week and a half.

[G]

All right, that's good.

[C]

Godspeed.

[E]

I love how you talk about this promise to God when you haven't even decided whether you're going to do this or not or give up anything for Lynn, even though it's already started.

[C]

Well, I was. I don't really have deep religious roots or anything like that, but I'm giving up drink for the next 30 days, and it just happens to fall during Lent, so. I could call it that.

[G]

Come on.

[C]

What's spurred it on this weekend? Drinking. I'm just not. I suck.

[G]

Are you sure you don't want to wait till after St. Patrick's Day?

[C]

Yes, I'm positive.

[D]

So what happened this weekend?

[C]

I'm sick of being hungover. I'm sick of not being able to, like, just turn it. I get like this from time to time. It's not the first time we've had this talk. It's like, I don't know how to socially drink. If I'm drinking, I'm in fourth gear, and I don't have a first gear. So, like, Thursday night, I go out to have dinner with my friends. We end up over at the W. I'm hungover. On the air on Friday. Saturday. I knew what was gonna happen Saturday. But, yeah, I just felt like crap on Sunday. And the family comes home and it's a wasted day. And I didn't even feel right on the air yesterday. I just wanted. I've never given up drinking for 30 straight days.

[D]

No, I haven't.

[C]

I've given it up. I was doing the two drinks when I went out thing when I was.

[D]

No, there was a time on this

[E]

show that you've completed, that you've had to do it.

[C]

Did I do it? Did I do the 30 days?

[D]

Multiple times you've done it, You've done it more than once where you've gone like, okay, I'm not gonna drink one of them.

[C]

See, it's also robbing me of my memory.

[G]

T shirt. The guy without his shirt. The first picture.

[C]

I didn't give it up entirely. I was allowed to have two drinks a night, which I was good about. Now I'm giving it up entirely.

[D]

And there was one time, because I remember being. It must have been years ago. Cause Vision was open.

[E]

It sounds pretty sad that you could have two drinks a night and you were cutting back.

[C]

Two drinks a night. That was way cutting back. Do most people just have two drinks a night?

[E]

I don'.

[G]

I think that's actually a bigger challenge is what? For you to be able to go out and have one or two drinks.

[C]

Stacy said the exact same thing to me last night. She said giving it up is a compliment.

[G]

Yeah, that's easy for you to do because then you just don't go out. The bigger challenge is the other way around.

[D]

Had the conversation about being at Vision once when you were there, sober, completely. No drinking at all. You hated it.

[C]

I didn't like that.

[D]

Well, I think that has more to do with the people that are around you than you at that point. Because Vision, sober, not pretty.

[C]

No. Most of those places, sober, not pretty. So maybe the real sacrifice is to continue to try to socially drink. Melissa, say what you want to say.

[E]

No, I'm just.

[C]

Don't look at me with those judgmental.

[E]

Just say what you want because it's not going to be.

[C]

I'd rather you be honest with me than judge me with those eyes.

[E]

It's not going to work.

[G]

What's not going to work? Giving it up.

[E]

I care about Burr, but this isn't going to work because we've been down this road.

[G]

But which one wouldn't work? The one where he doesn't drink at all or just the cup?

[D]

Listen to her.

[C]

She hates you.

[E]

I don't hate you. I'm being honest.

[C]

I know you don't. I'm asking you for honesty.

[E]

I'm giving you honesty. 30 Days is a tough. That's tough for you to do. I'm being honest. Nobody else is being honest. Everybody.

[C]

I'm asking you for it.

[E]

I'm being honest.

[C]

Go for it.

[E]

The thing is that 30 days, I think, is going to be very difficult for you to do. Not drink at all, ever. For 30. A whole month. With St. Patrick's Day and with your buddies. After a While just going to be tired of you not going out with them. Then once you go out, you have a hard time just having one or two drinks.

[C]

Yeah. I'm not disagreeing with you. It's going to be very difficult, which is probably the reason why I have to do it. But I don't know what it proves. Like, if I go 30 days and I don't drink, after the 30 days, I'm gonna start drinking again. So what does it prove?

[G]

I think it is.

[D]

Don't bother.

[G]

I think the other way could help you change your social patterns. If you can go for a month and limit yourself to a certain number, one or two, whatever you decide, then maybe that changes your pattern after that 30 days. But I agree with Stacy. It's the cop out. If you just go 30 days without.

[C]

That seems like a way tougher challenge, actually, than not giving it up at all. I mean, than giving it up altogether.

[G]

Give it up altogether or just limit your.

[D]

He's not personally challenging himself. He's trying to fast from alcohol for a period of time.

[G]

Well, he said it doesn't have to do with lent.

[C]

No, it really doesn't.

[D]

Yeah, but I mean, you're trying to. You like, you're.

[C]

No, I think that the end goal would be to learn how to socially drink. Because in all these years, I still haven't learned how to do it in all these years. So I think the bigger challenge really would be because I could give up alcohol. I really do. Even though Melissa is saying that I couldn't. I could for 30 days and I'd be pretty cool about it.

[G]

Because I think that you've shown your self discipline with the workout routines and the diets and all that kind of stuff that you're able to stick to.

[C]

But being around people in power, I

[E]

want to go back to. Because if we've challenged himself before, I am curious to go back to see how successful you were at all the drinking challenges you've given yourself over the time we've been together. And then if it didn't work, figure out why it didn't work.

[D]

I think he's done them like the ones I remember. I don't remember him falling off the wagon. Like, I do remember that you drank one. I do remember the no alcohol one. And I think I would remember if we. If he failed at it, because we'd give him a world of grief. So I think I would remember that. But I'm pretty sure he did them all. Like, I think you just have the mentality that when you put Your mind to something.

[C]

I'll do it.

[D]

You complete it. Unless you get drunk in the, you know, before. Before then.

[C]

I think the tougher challenge would be to try to socially drink than it would be to give it up at all.

[G]

Wonder how you can set limits with your friends? Like, who can. Who can help?

[C]

Here's my problem.

[D]

Well, first you need new friends.

[E]

Yeah.

[C]

Hey, Lindsay. Go ahead. You're on the voice disguiser.

[F]

Good morning.

[C]

Good morning.

[F]

I'm actually giving two things. One basic and the major one is I don't like to wear underwear, so I'm going to wear underwear.

[G]

Forcing yourself to wear underwear for days.

[F]

Nice.

[E]

That's hilarious.

[D]

That's pretty awesome.

[C]

Quite a pilgrimage now in the catholic religion. Do you pray to God and tell him exactly what you're giving up?

[F]

I do. That's why I gave up. I didn't feel right saying, you know.

[C]

Gave up what?

[F]

Wear underwear.

[C]

What was the other one?

[E]

I didn't hear. What did you say? Chocolate.

[C]

Chocolate and not wearing underwear.

[F]

Yeah.

[C]

Okay. All right.

[E]

I have to put on underwear for 40 days. I don't know if I can make it so restrictive.

[D]

Save that.

[C]

Hey, Chelsea, you're on Q100.

[F]

Hey, guys. Good morning. How are you?

[C]

Good. How are you?

[F]

Good. Good. I am actually giving up all of the trashy reality television shows that I have been addicted to lately.

[C]

Wendy is in shock.

[G]

I'm in shock.

[D]

There's no way I would like you to explain to us what a non trashy reality show is. What made the cut that is still viewable.

[F]

Yeah, that's. That's really true. I've actually haven't watched any television other than the news. I haven't watched anything in probably two or three weeks just because I've been really busy. And it's amazing how easy it is just not to turn on the television. But I was addicted to some of these shows. Like what was my favorite? Rock of love. One, two, and however many more there are to come. And I love New York. And then there was the shot at love and they had the bisexual plan. Then there's I love money and I

[E]

love money's getting good.

[F]

And I would watch the shows. And then at the end of the hour, thank God, what a waste of an hour that was. So I just put my mind to it, and I'm giving up those shows, and hopefully when it's finished, I will not have the need to start watching them again.

[C]

If you add up the hours in any given week that you watch reality tv, how many hours are we talking about?

[F]

Let's see, it's typically in the evenings after I put my kids to bed. So probably at least three hours a night. So I would guess like 20 something hours a week.

[E]

Wow,

[F]

that's like.

[E]

It is a hard time job. Yeah.

[F]

They just track me down and I find them on the television and I can't.

[D]

They find me.

[C]

They jump out of the T boat.

[E]

TV changes the channel so that I'm watching it on its own.

[C]

It is hard to avoid. And once you watch the first one, if you get involved in like one character you're in, you're in.

[E]

Oh, I love those shows. I'm all about it.

[G]

Especially if there's like a marathon. Yeah, you gotta watch all of them. I wonder if Wendy, you watch even more than that because all those shows come on. Yeah. I mean, there's Rock A Love on Sundays and then there was Tool Academy after that.

[D]

What is Tool Academy?

[G]

It's where they brought their boyfriends in to be Mr. Awesome. But then they told them they were

[E]

big tools and they had to graduate from the Tool Academy.

[C]

That is what your life is becoming.

[D]

My favorite part about those shows like

[C]

that is if I had a morning show on the Rockstar Tool Academy, it would be the Tool Academy.

[D]

My favorite part about those shows is that like, none of that happened as an individual project. Like, somebody went into a boardroom and said, hey, guys, I know. Here's my idea, Tool academy. And then 10 other, like, there's 10 other people in the room. Like, at least seven of them had to say, that's a money maker.

[C]

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[B]

The Bleacher Report app is your destination for sports right now. The NBA is heating up. March Madness is here, and MLB is almost back. Every day there's a new headline, a new highlight, a new moment you've got to see for yourself. That's why I stay locked in with the Bleacher Report app. For me, it's about staying connected to my sports. I can follow the teams I care about. Get real time scores, breaking news and highlights all in one place. Download the Bleacher Report app today so you never miss a moment.

[C]

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