Podcast Summary: The BOB & TOM Show Free Podcast

Episode: B&T Extra: Letters, a Shatner video, & Dr. Rick's Book
Date: February 18, 2026
Host: The BOB & TOM Show (Bob Kevoian, Tom Griswold, Josh Arnold, Christy, Kelly, Guests)

Episode Overview

This B&T Extra episode delivers a hilarious, meandering bonus segment where the Bob & Tom crew read and riff on fan letters, discuss a viral William Shatner video, and talk about Dr. Rick’s parody “self-help” book from the Progressive commercials. The show’s signature banter covers everything from Super Bowl ads and trivia about Wordle, to memorable “fattest thing I’ve ever done” stories, and nostalgic memories of water sports and diner booths. Expect playful digs, running gags, and that perfectly irreverent Bob & Tom tone.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Musical Parody & Getting Started

• Christy opens with a playful, original moon-themed croon, delighting the hosts and setting a goofy mood.
• Bob: “Bravo. Very nice. Aw, isn't that nice?” (01:53)

2. The William Shatner Cereal Video (03:03–04:22)

• The team chats about a viral image of William Shatner eating cereal in his car at a traffic light.
  • Bob: Shares that a listener’s coworker crashed while eating cereal and driving.
  • Tom: “Yeah, but did the cereal cause the wreck? Probably not.” (03:43)
  • Bob relays rumors it might be footage from a Super Bowl commercial shoot, though Tom points out it seems late in the year to film that.
• Kelly: “Or maybe the picture’s old. We don’t know when it was.” (04:14)
• Consensus: Amusement at the oddity, plus speculation about Super Bowl ad timing.

3. Dr. Rick’s “Unbecoming Your Parents” Book (04:22–05:20)

• Bob happily shares an “advance copy” of the parody self-help book based on the Progressive commercial character, Dr. Rick.
  • “This is a terrific book. I don’t know if this is available yet. This may be an advanced copy… very funny.” (05:07)
• Josh clarifies: Not for sale, just a promo item—making it a collector’s piece.
• Promise to do a reading from the book in the future.

4. Listener Letters: Stadium Antics, Wordle Hacks, and New York Times Games (05:23–07:45)

• Josh reads a letter describing an arena showing “Mamma Mia” clips and getting the whole crowd dancing to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.”
• Listener tip: “A great starting Wordle word is RENTS… five of the six Wheel of Fortune starter letters and ends with S.”
  • The crew debates if plurals are valid Wordle answers (Tom: “They don’t use plurals, I guess.” (06:25))
• Kelly mentions NYT’s new two-player Wordle variant—jokingly called “Divorce.”
• General discussion about how Wordle and NYT Connections have become daily obsessions.
  • Tom: “Wordle has about 2 million players a day. Isn’t that something?” (07:24)

5. Letter Segment: Book Club, Vanity Plates, and Romantic Mishaps

(07:46–10:31)

• Tom reads a letter from “Mike” suggesting a “Bob & Tom Book Club,” voting for “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” as the first read.
  • “Our first book: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. First meeting will be this Sunday at 2:00.” (08:09)
• Another letter: Listener Roland, a retired mortician, has the plate “EMBALMR” (embalmer).
• Two charming, slightly gross listener stories about first dates gone wrong (bird poop at the zoo; water skiing disaster involving cattails).
• Banter about how dangerous (and silly) it can be to hold on to the water skiing rope no matter what.

6. Water Sports Nostalgia: Tubing, Wakeboarding, and Cruise Ship Schemes

(11:10–12:56)

• The hosts reminisce about tubing on lakes and how the technology has evolved (from truck tire tubes to fancy “bullet” tubes with handles).
  • Bob: “The first time I did it, it was a truck tire tube—a big thing that sticks out (the stem), so painful.” (12:02)
• Kelly brings up wake surfing, and the group imagines absurd scenarios, like water-skiing behind a cruise ship.

7. Return of “The Fattest Thing I’ve Ever Done”

(13:38–19:14)

• Tom reads a fan letter urging the return of their beloved segment.
  • Tom shares: He puts whipped cream in his dogs’ food bowls. “They love it. ... It's the pup cup, but in their food bowl.” (14:19)
  • Discussion on types of whipped cream: Ready Whip vs. Cool Whip, and consuming frozen Cool Whip straight from the tub.
    • Tom: “Have you ever eaten a frozen Cool Whip...right out of the tub?” (14:50)
    • Josh: “It was essentially like a scoop of ice cream on my pie.” (14:56)
• Confessions:
  • Tom: Adding more Oreos to cookies 'n' cream ice cream. “A package of Oreos—crush up 3 or 4 and then throw them in on top.” (16:15)
  • Guest: Ate a whole Jet pizza’s all-corners special.
  • Bob: “At Juliettes, I had a Thundercloud, a burger, and some fries. For dessert, another order of fries.” (16:58)
• Playful theme song for the segment (highlights: “All I do I eat and jerk it and jerk it and eat, jerk and eat...Peg me with a pretzel.” (18:48–19:14))
• Banter about home diner booths, jukeboxes, and nostalgia for retro dining.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Bob Kevoian (03:30): “I saw the picture of William Shatner sitting at a light eating cereal. Many years ago, one of my co-workers was driving her car eating cereal and got in a huge wreck.”
• Tom Griswold (03:43): “Yeah, but did the cereal cause the wreck? Probably not.”
• Kelly (06:41): “Did you see where the New York Times has now released a game for two people to play together?” Josh: “It’s called Divorce.” (06:43)
• Tom Griswold (14:19): “I...put whipped cream on the bottom of their food bowl, then put the food in and then put whipped cream on top.”
• Josh Arnold (16:35): “Was it the all corners one?” [regarding Jet’s Pizza] Guest: “Yeah, eight of them.”
• Bob Kevoian (16:58): “At Juliettes in Harbor Springs, I had a Thundercloud, a burger and some fries. And for dessert, I had another order of fries.”
• Song Excerpt (18:48-19:14): “All I do I eat and jerk it and jerk it and eat, jerk and eat...Peg me with a pretzel.”

Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Start Time | |---------------------------------------------|------------| | Playful musical opener | 01:30 | | Shatner cereal video discussion | 03:03 | | Dr. Rick’s book & Progressive commercials | 04:22 | | Stadium stories / Wordle debates | 05:23 | | Book club suggestion & vanity plates | 07:46 | | First date mishaps | 09:14 | | Tubing & wake surfing nostalgia | 11:10 | | “The Fattest Thing I’ve Ever Done” returns | 13:38 | | Fat theme song, diner nostalgia | 18:48 |

Episode Tone & Takeaways

• Playful, irreverent, and nostalgic—the crew builds the show around classic banter.
• Stories from listeners and hosts alike invite laughter through relatable, ordinary absurdities (like eating Cool Whip in the tub, or disastrous water sports dates).
• The “fattest thing” bit is a fan favorite and crowds the show with disarming, indulgent tales.
• Practical advice offered with a wink (e.g., Wordle starter strategies, don’t eat and drive, keep your hands off the boat’s tow rope in cattails).
• Recurring themes: affectionate ribbing, love of retro pop culture, and celebrating fans’ quirks.

For New Listeners

This episode embodies The BOB & TOM Show’s lighthearted, conversational style: nostalgic stories, audience interaction, and comedic sketches without pretense. If you enjoy spirited hosts riffing on life’s little oddities—and don’t mind occasional culinary confessions—this is quintessential Bob & Tom.