Vault: She has to do stand up comedy

Summary

The Bert Show — “Vault: She Has to Do Stand Up Comedy”

Date: July 2, 2026
Cast: Bert, Lisa, Jen Hobby, Tracy, Joanna Rodriguez
Episode Theme:
Joanna Rodriguez takes on the challenge of performing original standup comedy as part of a series of hilarious “tasks” assigned to her by The Bert Show team. These tasks are her ticket to earning early VIP access to the legendary Filene’s Basement bridal event. The episode follows her journey, the team’s antics, and the camaraderie that makes these on-air dares so entertaining.

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Episode Overview

The Bert Show delivers their signature blend of real-life banter and genuine laughs as they task one of their own, Joanna Rodriguez, with performing original standup comedy. This is just one of several challenges she must complete to earn early access to a coveted wedding dress sale. Listeners are treated to funny stories about behind-the-scenes show traditions and join in the collective anxiety—and delight—of Joanna’s standup debut.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Ongoing Challenge: Earning Filene’s VIP Access

• Background: Joanna seeks VIP access to Filene’s Basement’s early wedding dress shopping and, in true Bert Show style, must complete daily on-air challenges as a rite of passage.
• Task 1: Taking a photo within 60 seconds of waking up (03:03)
• Task 2: Recounted but not detailed in this episode (03:36)
• Task 3: Stand up comedy—today’s main event

“We each get to pick one thing for you to do every day this week. And if you accomplish those tasks, then you’re in.”
— Lisa (02:36)

The Comedy Gauntlet

• The Task: Joanna must perform three minutes of original standup comedy, echoing a past on-air bet lost by Jen Hobby (04:06).

• Preparation: Joanna, a bartender, used her shifts to test material on customers with mixed results:

  “Did they laugh?”
  “I didn’t make a lot of money yesterday.”
  — Jen Hobby & Joanna (04:27–04:28)

• Supportive Ribbing: The cast pokes fun at her nerves, referencing five minutes as an eternity on stage (04:51), ultimately sticking to a more manageable three minutes.

Joanna’s Standup Act (05:50–08:24)

• Set Content:
  • Clarifies her heritage with playful riffs on cultural misunderstandings:

    “My name is Joanna Rodriguez. I’m from Uruguay…not near Cancun or Cabo, as some people might think.” (05:53)

  • Observes differences between cultures and names:

    “…Maria is a beautiful name, but not for every single daughter. Jesus or Jesus is not a good son name either. That was just so you know.” (06:16)

  • Social media pet peeves:

    "On Facebook...don’t fart on me, don’t poke me, and don’t send me teddy bears. You wouldn’t do that...not in person." (07:09)

  • Observes the randomness of gas station merchandise:

    "Can I get 30 on pump #2, a samurai sword, the snow globe, and two lottery tickets?" (07:44)

• Team Reaction:
  • Laughter and applause as she wraps, with high praise for her originality and execution.
  • Joanna admits she was "so nervous" but credits her girlfriend Jacqueline as a creative partner (08:30, 08:40).

“That was original material. Like, for sure original material. Good for you.”
— Jen Hobby (08:33)

The Next Challenge Revealed (09:18)

• New Task: Joanna’s brothers will pick out her most embarrassing childhood photos to be published for the community.
  • The team relishes the prospect (“they won’t be kind”), and Joanna braces herself with mock dread.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Joanna on her heritage:

  “Uruguay is how we say it from where I’m from, for some of you don’t know where Uruguay is. It’s in South America, not in Mexico. It’s not near Cancun or Cabo, as some people might think.” (05:53)

• Joanna's comic humility:

  "I didn’t make a lot of money yesterday." (04:28)

• The supportive, teasing tone:

  “Saturday Night Live is gonna be calling next.”
  — Tracy (05:25)

• The team on embarrassing photos:

  “We’ve recruited your real family…They get to pick out the most embarrassing photos of Joanna and share them with everyone.”
  — Tracy (09:21)

• Joanna’s on-air sibling dynamic:

  “It’s not half and half, it’s more like 80.” (09:18)
  (joking about loving vs. hating her radio family)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:03 — Discussion of previous daily challenge (wakeup photo)
• 04:06 — Joey’s standup assignment determined
• 05:50 — Joanna begins her stand-up comedy set
• 08:24 — Set ends; team reactions, praise, and girlfriend shout-out
• 09:18 — Introduction of next challenge: embarrassing photos

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Tone & Takeaways

The episode is lighthearted, filled with affectionate jabs among cast members, and celebrates the courage it takes to step outside your comfort zone—in this case, onto a comedic “stage.” Joanna’s earnest, original jokes and the supporting banter provide plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, all underscored by the show’s unique blend of camaraderie and realness.

Perfect for listeners who love inside jokes, team chemistry, and rooting for the underdog.

Transcript

[Burt]

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[Lisa]

restrictions, visit borhears.com oh, I have had no luck lately. Wait. Lady luck.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

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[Lisa]

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[Burt]

Really?

[Lisa]

Yeah. Her name is Joanna.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

Hi.

[Lisa]

Because Joanna said that, you know, when she got engaged, she said that she would like to take advantage of the VIP access that being a member of the Bird show gives you. And she would like to stroll into Filene's basement hours before anyone else to select her perfect wedding gown at an incredibly cheap, inexpensive price. Like a $9,000 wedding gown you could have for 5, 600 bucks. You know, there's discounts are up to 95% on designer dresses. And I said this the other day. I'm pretty sure that I heard Jason in the background. Saying, who are you calling? As he was proposing. Because she was trying to get a hold of one of us to see how she could make that happen. So we said, you know what? Because we're a loving bunch and we're a family. We take care of each other. We said, joanna, we love you.

[Jen Hobby]

Very dysfunctional.

[Lisa]

We will help you. Yes, we will help you get into Filene's early, no problem. But we each get to pick one thing for you to do every day this week. And if you accomplish those tasks, then you're in.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

I'm mad at myself for not realizing that that was going to happen. That when I asked you if I could, that there wasn't going to be some kind of repercussion.

[Jen Hobby]

And you've been with us how long?

[Joanna Rodriguez]

I know, I know. I'm still learning, I'm still new.

[Tracy]

I'm just catching up this week. Cause it's my first day in this week and feeling better. What did you have to do the first couple days?

[Joanna Rodriguez]

So yesterday I had to post a picture of myself within the first 60 seconds of waking up in the morning

[Tracy]

before, which is really, really funny.

[Jen Hobby]

It's a great picture.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

Sorry, I literally thought I was in a gang.

[Tracy]

You look mad. You look mad like you're in a gang. Like, yo, what's up? Don't mess with me.

[Lisa]

We all looked mad when we woke up and found the camera sitting at our nightstand and remembered why we taking it.

[Tracy]

Yeah, that was a while ago for

[Joanna Rodriguez]

us, but they're still in the Google hemisphere, so shh.

[Tracy]

Don't remind people of that. Wendell so reminded everybody the other day.

[Jen Hobby]

Blame me.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

Why?

[Lisa]

So on Monday we told Joanna that she had to take that picture. On Tuesday, she did it and she came in and it's. It's as good looking as that picture can be.

[Jen Hobby]

Right. And we're only asking her to do things that we've done ourselves, so we're not asking her to do anything that we haven't done. And, and I think that, you know, a caller who still thinks on Wednesday that it is not daylight savings time, I think it's hilarious and it's a great opening act for what you have to do today, which is three minutes, three minutes of original comedy, which is something that I had to do. You know, I lost a bet and

[Tracy]

had to do that.

[Jen Hobby]

So today is your day to shine as a comedian on stage.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

And mind you, I had to go straight to my other job after work yesterday. So I, you know, collaborated with some customers and I figured I'd use that time to kind of use my kind of practice. My standup with customers at work yesterday.

[Tracy]

And you're a bartender?

[Joanna Rodriguez]

Yes, I'm a bartender.

[Jen Hobby]

Did they laugh?

[Joanna Rodriguez]

I didn't make a lot of money yesterday.

[Jen Hobby]

Oh, no. The more they drank, the funnier you were.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

So, like, have another Jaeger Bomb.

[Lisa]

We'll work for jokes. No tips. Just need jokes. All right, so. And here's. I'll tell you this, not to diminish your confidence or anything like that, but when the email first went out, you know, and I. And I said, and then tomorrow, I said, tomorrow, Joanna's gonna do five minutes worth of comedy.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

Five.

[Jen Hobby]

That is three.

[Tracy]

It's the right.

[Lisa]

Tracy and Burt both responded with, I think five's really, really long. Cause I just. I made a mistake, typed the wrong number. Like, yeah, five is. Wait. Nobody will be listening at the end of five.

[Tracy]

That's their confidence in you.

[Lisa]

I don't believe that.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

So can we cut it down to two?

[Lisa]

No, three. All right, so are you ready?

[Joanna Rodriguez]

Yes.

[Jen Hobby]

All right, who's going to do the counter?

[Lisa]

We should have made sure that Jamie at the Punchline was listening. What if he's hiring?

[Jen Hobby]

I'm telling you, Joanna, this could be the start of a new career. This is bad. I have full confidence. You're gonna do great.

[Tracy]

Saturday Night Live is gonna be calling next.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

They already have.

[Lisa]

So, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming out to the bird show this evening. I hope you're enjoying all your drinks and waiters and waitresses. Don't forget to tip them in your opening act. Let's give it up for one more time.

[Jen Hobby]

Join.

[Lisa]

Ladies, give it up for Lisa, who doesn't know when the time changes. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, taking the stage right now, it's Joanna Rodriguez, all the way from Southern Mexico.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

So how's everybody doing today? I hope you're all doing well. Well, in case you didn't know, my name is Joanna Rodriguez. I'm from Uruguay. Uruguay is how we say it from where I'm from, for some of you don't know where Uruguay is. It's in South America, not in Mexico. It's not near Cancun or Cabo, as some people might think. Keep heading south. You might hit it eventually. Well, I grew up in Atlanta, even though my family is from South America. And it wasn't too bad living down here. And I don't look Hispanic. If you look at me, I don't look Spanish, which is great for me, because I get a little insider as to what white people are saying about Hispanics right So I want to educate my Hispanic people out there, mis amigos, and let you know what white people are saying about you. First off, let's take the country flag off the back of your car. Cause it's not car decoration, so let's go ahead and take it down. Secondly, Maria is a beautiful name, but not for every single daughter. Jesus or Jesus is not a good son name either. That was just so you know. And most importantly, Mommy and Papi is not a nickname for all of your family members. But in all seriousness, I loved growing up down here, and I love being able to reconnect with all my friends that I went to school with on Facebook. Facebook is awesome. I love finding out who's gotten married, who had kids, who went to jail. I just love catching up. However, I would appreciate it if you didn't do to me on Facebook things that you wouldn't normally do to me in person, right? So don't fart on me, don't poke me, and don't send me teddy bears. You wouldn't do that. You would. Not in person. Okay? So. And speaking of good friends, my best friend sent me a picture, a text pic, right? And it was a picture of a bunch of plastic alligator heads. And I was like, where are you? How do you have pictures of plastic alligators or heads? Are you an alligator farm? She says, no, I'm at the gas station. So I'm realizing, have you noticed the random stuff that they sell in gas stations? When was the last time you went up to the gas attendant and said, can I get 30 on pump number two? A samurai sword, the snow globe, and two lottery ticket. Is it three minutes?

[Lisa]

Good job, Joanna. You did r. I. That was good.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

That was really good.

[Jen Hobby]

That was.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

I was so nervous.

[Lisa]

Look at you.

[Jen Hobby]

And that was like. That was. That was original material. Like, for sure original material. Good for you.

[Burt]

Well, I did.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

My girlfriend did help me out some. She was. She's really funny. I love her. Her name's Jacqueline. I'm gonna give her a little shout out.

[Lisa]

Nicely done.

[Tracy]

Good, Joanne.

[Lisa]

Good job.

[Tracy]

Great job.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

Thanks.

[Tracy]

You're working your way into Filene's early, girl. You are working your way in.

[Lisa]

All right, Your mission number three will be assigned by Jen Hobby only because we don't know if she'll be with us tomorrow.

[Tracy]

That's true. Like living, having a heartbeat.

[Jen Hobby]

What if her lungs is on the floor? Please don't step on it.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

Exactly.

[Tracy]

Well, we all.

[Lisa]

Hey, Joanna's the comedian.

[Jen Hobby]

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

[Tracy]

I'm the funny One, we all are your Bircho family. You know, we treat you like a sibling. You know, half the time you love us and half the time you hate us. And that's just how it goes with family.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

It's not half and half. It's more like 80.

[Tracy]

Right. Well, we've recruited your real family to help us with this next challenge. You ready for this? Okay. You have two brothers.

[Jen Hobby]

Yes.

[Tracy]

And your two brothers get to select two childhood photos of you that we get to share with the entire Burt show community.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

Are you serious?

[Tracy]

Yes. So you gotta call your brothers today, have them go through your mom's old photo albums of you as a kid, and they get to pick out the most embarrassing photos of Joanna and share them with everyone.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

Oh, no. This is gonna be terrible.

[Tracy]

And we solicited your siblings because we know your brothers. We've talked to them on the air before and we know that they won't be kind.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

No, they won't.

[Lisa]

So.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Lisa]

So you know those pictures that mom always likes to break out and show to, like your boyfriends when they come over you at age 2 taking a bath in the kitchen sink or something like that? Yeah, yeah, that, that stuff like you're

[Jen Hobby]

cheeky Halloween costume or something when you

[Tracy]

find the worst picture ever of you from high school. Yeah.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

Oh, great. Yeah. Awesome.

[Lisa]

So cool.

[Joanna Rodriguez]

I can't wait to start getting easier. No. Oh, thanks.

[Lisa]

But that's. You know what, that's three or four. You've only got one more after that, so.

[Burt]

Good job.

[Lisa]

You're on the Birch show.

[Bluff]

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[Lisa]

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