The BOB & TOM Show – March 20, 2026

Overview

In this lively mix of comedy, news, sports, and quick-witted banter, the BOB & TOM Show celebrates the first day of spring (the vernal equinox), dives deep into March Madness, riffs on the sensory realities of American towns, and welcomes regular guest Heywood Banks. The cast covers everything from scented towns and sports brackets to sideburn history, edible nail polish, dumb criminal stories, and who has the best walk-up song. Segments are marked by musical performances, comedic asides, and the collaborative (often chaotic) humor that defines the show.

Main Cast & Guests

• Tom Griswold: Ringmaster, host
• Chick McGee: Sports & banter
• Jess Hooker: News
• Pat Godwin: Music & comedy
• Jeff Oskay: Commentary
• Ace Cosby: One-liners
• Heywood Banks: Comedian/musician, guest

Key Segments & Discussion Points

The Spring Equinox & Opening Chatter (00:16 – 02:00)

• Equinox Bits: Haywood Banks sets the tone with playful equinox wordplay.

  • Chick: “Equinox, it sounds like something online, like eBay or E-Trade. But it’s not.” (00:49)
  • “Spring is sprung.” Show confirms the official start of spring, 10:46 am EST. (01:25)

• Show Roll Call: Studio introductions with their usual ribbing and inside jokes. Chick is “the smartest man alive” for his previous sports picks. (02:02)

March Madness, Brackets & Upsets (02:13 – 03:56, 52:40 – 54:20)

• Upset Central: Wisconsin upset by High Point, breaking most brackets ("27 million brackets, 10,000 remain perfect"). (02:31–02:56)
• Orange Insoles Bracket: Listeners can win a 4K TV even if brackets are busted. (03:15; 34:36; 136:47)
• Brackets Recap: Sports desk updates—TCU, Texas, High Point upsets, etc. (46:40; 52:40; 64:42)

Town Smells & Scented Letters (05:30 – 29:40, 43:07 – 46:00)

• America’s Scents: Listeners write in about their hometowns' iconic smells: food processing, coffee, soybeans, peanut butter, Jolly Rancher factory, Maxwell House, Smithfield bacon, El Monterey burritos.
  • “Your car could be dusted with grape…” (06:12)
  • “The whole town smelling like cherry drink mix. It was great.” - Jess, reading listener Harmony (06:14)
• Comedic Takes: Jokes about cremation plants ("smells like the best pork barbecue”), paper mills ("rough"), and high school olfactory adaptation.

Edible Nail Polish and Fetishes (20:26 – 22:30)

• Strange Products: New flavored toenail polish and edible nail polish spark foot fetish discussions.
  • Jess: “I was like, why on Earth would you have a flavor? … Oh my gosh.”
  • Chick: “For the 50th straight year, foot fetish is the number one fetish in America.” (21:30)

Musical & Comedy Interludes

• Walk-Up Songs: Cast and listeners select their perfect "walk-up" songs, referencing baseball players’ signature at-bats.
  • Tom’s: Intro to “Sweet Jane”
  • Chick’s: “Strawberry Letter 23”
  • Jess’: “Last Resort” by Papa Roach
  • Listener: “Do the Freddie” by Freddie and the Dreamers
  • [30:13–32:18; 45:59–48:10]
• Heywood Banks Robotic Colonoscopy Bit: Heywood jokes about his colonoscopy prep: “They gave me Go Lightly, ironically the name of Audrey Hepburn’s character in Breakfast at Tiffany’s…” (91:08)
• Pat Godwin—Deny Song: Comedic song about how to cheat and “deny, deny, deny.” Sing-along with the group. (40:54–43:06)
• Heywood Banks—Chicken Fried Steak: Comical new song about questionable tattoos. (128:46–131:38)
• Heywood Banks—Trauma to the Groin: Musical ode to "funny video" nut-shots. (145:01–149:01)

Absurd Letters & Listener Interactions

• Listener Letters: The show reads and riffs on mail from fans—puppy pics, town scents, sports picks, shot-out to the Roger Bacon High School Underwater Hockey Team. (47:22–49:40)
• Hubcap Humor: Missing hubcaps, "hillbilly" ashtrays, and the pain of driving around with incomplete wheels. (56:39–59:47)
• Cardigan vs. Sweater Debate: Jess and Chick compare their wardrobe choices; Tom expresses sweater aversion. (77:32–78:09)

Trending News & Social Commentaries

• Buried Skeletons at Playground (Dijon, France): Children find a skeleton seated upright, part of a mysterious pattern of ancient Gaulish burials facing west. (100:44–104:44)
  • Tom: “What a cool thing to come home from school! Pierre, what did you do today? ‘We found a skeleton!’” (101:06)
• Sideburn History: Origin of “sideburns” (General Burnside), 1800s fake whiskers, and even women drawing on sideburns. (39:00, 83:31–86:13)
• Dick Van Dyke Turns 100: Discussion of the legendary comedian’s longevity (“never getting angry”) and the legacy of the Dick Van Dyke show. (80:05–83:18)
• Screen Time and Sex: Survey says more time on screens correlates with more sex, but also that people believe less screen time would help intimacy. (109:48–111:49)
• Robots Gone Wild: San Jose robot waiter malfunctions at a hot pot restaurant; Tom shares sushi robot experience. (151:11–153:40)

Fun Facts, Games & References

• Walk-up Music & Car Tech: The cast dreams of approaching their cars to custom “walk-up” music, just like MLB players. (30:04–32:00)
• Silent Walking Trend: TikTok's "silent walking" is really just a device-free walk—Tom: “Or as we used to call it, walking.” (105:52–107:28)
• Hippo & Zoo Trespassers: Reiteration of “Not Every Zoo is a Petting Zoo” after a man trespasses into a hippo enclosure. Imaginary song by Pat about the neutered Escobar hippos. (156:12–159:42)

Timestamps for Notable Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------------------------|--------------| | Vernal Equinox Comedy | 00:16–01:44 | | March Madness Bracket Bust | 02:13–03:56 | | Flavored Town Letters | 05:39–06:14 | | Edible Nail Polish & Fetish Chat | 20:26–21:59 | | Walk-Up Songs | 30:04–32:27 | | Deny Song (Godwin) | 40:54–43:06 | | Trauma to the Groin (Banks) | 145:01–149:01| | Skeletons at School Playground | 100:44–104:44| | Sideburn History Special | 83:31–86:13 | | Robots Malfunction in Restaurant | 151:11–153:40| | Silent Walking Trend | 105:52–107:28| | Dick Van Dyke Turns 100 | 80:05–83:18 |

Notable Quotes

• Chick (re: March Madness brackets):

  • “Out of 27 million brackets on ESPN, 10,000 remain that are still perfect. That’s after 16 games yesterday.” (02:31)

• Tom Griswold (on walk-up music):

  • “Wouldn't it be cool if there was a way to have your car play music as you walked up? Like Major League Baseball walk-up music…” (30:04)

• Jess Hooker (on edible nail polish):

  • "Why on earth would you have a flavor? And then I was like, oh my gosh ... foot fetish guy." (21:17)

• Chick (on foot fetishes):

  • “For the 50th straight year, foot fetish is the number one fetish in America, I believe.” (21:30)

• Pat Godwin (singing):

  • "If you want to be a cheater, go out of state to meet her..." (from the "Deny" song) (40:54)

• Heywood Banks (on colonoscopy prep):

  • “They gave me this jug of stuff, ‘Go Lightly,’ which is ironically the name of Audrey Hepburn’s character in Breakfast at Tiffany’s…” (91:08)

• Tom (on the skeleton find):

  • “What a cool thing to come home from school! Pierre, what did you do today? ‘We found a skeleton!’” (101:06)

• Chick (on the forbidden glizzy at Costco):

  • “You stuff the hot dog into the chicken bake… it’s a thing.” (140:39)

Tone & Style

The show motors forward in its signature style—irreverent, rapid-fire, a blend of PG-13 banter, musical parodies, and comedic riffing on everything from the news of the weird to inside jokes about walk-up music and life’s sensory oddities. Listeners are invited into the ongoing camaraderie, with playful jabs, occasional double entendres, and the extended BOB & TOM family dynamic. The presence of Haywood Banks adds fresh comedy music and self-deprecating wit.

Additional Highlights

• Charity Tie-ins: Special baseball-themed T-shirts benefit Brave Gowns, supporting kids in hospitals. (11:27–12:32; 78:23)
• Listener Interactivity: Emails and letters about hometowns' unique smells, sports, and more; encouragement to reach out via email and app.
• Heywood Banks’ Tour: On the road in Kentucky and Cincinnati, with mentions throughout (IDs, songs).

Summary

If you missed this episode, you missed insightful and wild March Madness recaps; a deep dive into America’s best and worst-smelling towns; news-of-the-weird stories (seated skeletons at a playground! a malfunctioning robot waiter!); hilarious musical interludes; and the BOB & TOM team's take on everything from walk-up music to why old bikes have that brutal top bar. While always loose and full of inside jokes, the show is also surprisingly informative, energetically paced, and always geared for laughs.