TUES PT 2: Lunchbox's ‘The Challenge Mania’ Special

Summary

Episode Summary: "TUES PT 2: Lunchbox's ‘The Challenge Mania’ Special"

Release Date: April 8, 2025 | The Bobby Bones Show by Premiere Networks

In this special episode of The Bobby Bones Show, host Bobby Bones welcomes Lunchbox for an in-depth conversation with members of the Challenge Mania crew. The discussion delves into the dynamics of live podcasting, the unique aspects of Challenge Mania, and insights from notable guests Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler. This episode provides a comprehensive look into the behind-the-scenes workings of one of reality TV’s most engaging platforms.

---

1. Introduction to Challenge Mania

[02:46] Bobby Bones:
“All right, a few things before we get over to Lunchbox's interview with the Challenge Mania crew, and I'll let them set that up.”

Bobby Bones sets the stage for Lunchbox to discuss the Challenge Mania special, expressing initial excitement and curiosity about the upcoming interview.

[08:24] Bobby Bones:
“So we're gonna get to this now with Lunchbox. What's Challenge Mania?”

[08:32] Lunchbox:
“Yeah. So what they do is it's like a live podcast. They take different cast members and they go to different cities, and so every city will have different cast members with them. And they do sort of a Q and A. And they do, like, where you meet the fans and everything.”

Challenge Mania is described as a live podcast event that tours various cities, bringing together cast members from different reality TV shows to engage with fans through Q&A sessions and meet-and-greet opportunities.

---

2. Behind the Scenes: Production and Logistics

[10:10] Lunchbox:
“Mark Long was just the first Road Rules, and he is the one that came up with the Challenge All Stars, which brings back vets...”

Mark Long, referred to as the "Godfather" of Challenge Mania, along with Scott Yeager, organizes the travel and logistics for the live events, ensuring veteran reality TV stars return for shorter, impactful seasons.

[13:04] Lunchbox:
“But when I see that season, I'm like, I wouldn't have been that season wouldn't have been fun to be on. Like, I wouldn't want to be offered that spot.”

Discussing the meticulous planning and execution, Lunchbox highlights the balance between maintaining the show's integrity and ensuring a memorable experience for both cast and fans.

---

3. Guest Experiences and Anecdotes

[20:58] Michael B. Jordan:
“So I want to say welcome to Paulie, Mark, Avery and Adam and then Davies. I didn't know you were coming either.”

Michael B. Jordan welcomes fellow guests, reflecting camaraderie and excitement about the live event.

[31:03] Ryan Coogler:
“They shot him back to back in the same country. They used a lot of the same crew, used a lot of the same equipment, things like that.”

Ryan Coogler provides insights into the fast-paced production schedule, emphasizing the efficiency and teamwork required to manage multiple shows simultaneously.

[38:46] Michael B. Jordan:
“There was a challenge back in the day where they had these single-engine planes and you were tethered...”

Jordan shares memorable moments from past challenges, illustrating the intensity and unpredictability that define Challenge Mania.

[74:00] Lunchbox:
“But you know what? Someone gave this to me. I thought I was a poser. So now Avery and Adam, you guys meet and you have a relationship on the show.”

Anecdotes about personal interactions and relationships formed during the show highlight the lasting bonds and real-life implications of participating in Challenge Mania.

---

4. Comparing Challenge Mania to Other Reality Shows

[41:12] Lunchbox:
“I think in terms of Big Brother and Survivor coming in, I think they're actually equal or better strategic players than the challenge players because the challenge players are more...”

Lunchbox compares Challenge Mania to other reality shows like Big Brother and Survivor, discussing differences in strategy, gameplay, and social dynamics.

[45:28] Ryan Coogler:
“They're like; we see Big Brother players who play more strategic games, whereas Challenge Mania focuses more on physical and social interactions.”

Coogler elaborates on how Challenge Mania emphasizes physical challenges and genuine interactions over purely strategic gameplay.

---

5. Production Challenges and Improvements

[53:07] Austin Hankowitz:
“It was really scary to go into those eliminations and know that it's a coin flip, right?”

Participants discuss the unpredictability and feeling of randomness in eliminations, reflecting on how production decisions impact the contestants' experiences.

[57:25] Ryan Coogler:
“They would rather send someone a check and be like, thanks for the idea. We'd rather you do absolutely nothing than be like, hey, come out here and like just approve everything...”

Coogler critiques the lack of collaboration between cast and production teams, suggesting that more involvement from veteran participants could enhance the show's quality.

[63:00] Michael B. Jordan:
“But when you go into this season 40, where it's supposed to be this huge thing and like some of the things that, like 10 years ago were better, you're just like, man, this is... What did they save the budget on?”

Jordan points out inconsistencies and budget-related compromises in recent seasons, advocating for improvements to maintain the show's legacy.

---

6. Relationship Dynamics and Personal Growth

[75:25] Lunchbox:
“And I need you guys to slow down though, because there's an elephant in the room.”

The conversation shifts to personal relationships among cast members, addressing the authenticity of relationships formed on the show versus those perceived by the audience.

[88:06] Austin Hankowitz:
“We're in the group. He loves you guys.”

Reflection on how frequent interactions and shared experiences foster deep connections among participants, balancing on-screen drama with real-life friendships.

[89:18] Ryan Coogler:
“But now people know the stigma, so they know, like, oh, you know, relationship built on TV...”

Coogler discusses societal perceptions of reality TV relationships, emphasizing the genuine intentions and lasting impact beyond the show.

---

7. Future Endeavors and Promotions

[85:08] Janice Torres:
“We're doing a cruise. We're doing a reality cruise in January. You can still get tickets to showroom. Realitycruise.com.”

Towards the episode's conclusion, Lunchbox and the guests promote upcoming Challenge Mania events, including live cruises and interactive fan experiences, aiming to expand the show's reach and community engagement.

[95:04] Amy Brown:
“So, yeah, I'm gonna be one of the best events. And then we have to bring our friends to Join.”

Final promotional messages encourage listeners to participate in future events, solidifying the show's commitment to fan interaction and live entertainment.

---

Notable Quotes

• Bobby Bones [02:46]:
  “They take a different stance based on the guest they're wanting to bring in.”

• Michael B. Jordan [31:03]:
  “They used a lot of the same crew, used a lot of the same equipment, things like that.”

• Lunchbox [38:46]:
  “It's just how they are. That's exactly how they are. They were genuine. It was so fun.”

• Ryan Coogler [57:25]:
  “They would rather send someone a check and be like, thanks for the idea. We'd rather you do absolutely nothing than be like, hey, come out here and like just approve everything.”

• Janice Torres [45:28]:
  “The challenge experience is so much better. I say this all the time. Big Brother house isn't a house. It's a studio lot.”

---

This episode offers fans a behind-the-scenes look at Challenge Mania, enriched by firsthand accounts from industry veterans. The candid discussions about production challenges, cast dynamics, and future events provide valuable insights into the show's evolution and enduring appeal.

Transcript

[Bobby Bones]

Hey, it's Bobby Bones. Are you a small business owner launching a company or dreaming of starting one? Then check out season three of Mind the Business Small Business Success stories from Ruby Studio and Intuit QuickBooks. Join hosts Austin Hankowitz and Janice Torres as they talk to small business owners about how they've grown and maintain their businesses. You don't want to miss these inspiring stories of small business journeys. Listen to Mind the Business Small business success stories and do it on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts on April 18th.

[Ryan Coogler]

Centers are coming From Oscar nominated filmmaker Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther and Creed, starring Michael B. Jordan, comes the Moshe Picture Event of the year. Twin brothers Smoke and Stack, both played by Michael B. Jordan, return to their hometown for a fresh start only to.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Discover that an unspeakable evil is waiting to welcome them back.

[Ryan Coogler]

Don't miss the genre bending thrill ride shot with IMAX film cameras. Sinners arrive only in theaters on April 18th. Rated R under 17 not admitted without.

[Amy Brown]

Parent hey, it's Amy Brown. Join me in supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for a chance to win a trip to meet Megan Maroney at the 2025 I Heart Country Festival in Austin, Texas on May 3rd. Hosted by Bobby Bones. We're going to hook you up with tickets, flights, hotel, food credits and a meet and greet with Megan Maroney. Take action now to support St. Jude and help cure childhood cancer and you're going to be entered for a chance to win. Visit iheartcountrytrip.com to learn more.

[Bobby Bones]

Bobby Bones here with news on the Top Shelf Country Cruise setting sail February 27 to March 6, 2026 it's not just a cruise, it's a country music experience at sea. An amazing lineup of performers. Well, we're going to be there. The Bobby Bones Show I'm going to be there. Keith Urban lee Bryce, Scotty McCreary Parmalee Leanne Rimes it doesn't end there. We'll also be stopping in stunning destinations along the way. Go to topshelfcountrycruise.com to book any available stateroom. Gotta hurry though, these spots are filling up fast. May is National Pet Month. Love it. It's time to reimagine how you care for the cat that you love. Petivity, powered by Purina, is developed by pet experts. Petivity's Smart litterbox monitor and app tracks your cat's weight and litter box behavior, alerting you to changes you may not notice on your own. So you can act sooner if something is off, shop the Petivity smart litter box monitor during Amazon's Pet Days event in May to save on this game changing technology. Add it to your wish list to get notified when the sale begins.

[Lunchbox]

Get your Bobby Bones on Bobby Bones.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, a few things before we get over to Lunchbox's interview with the Challenge Mania crew, and I'll let them set that up. But our whole studio was Challenge Mania. I thought DJ Pauly D was coming in based on the pictures and stuff. So all that coming up in just a few minutes. But speaking of podcasts, Morgan, do you always do your podcast from your house? Do guests come to your house?

[Lunchbox]

Yeah, that's. The home studio is like, I changed one of the rooms over to be a home studio.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you ever have guys come over to be the guest and they come over by themselves? Oh, that just feels dangerous. Yeah, well.

[Lunchbox]

And it was kind of funny recently. I had a much older gentleman come on, and he was an awesome guest, but he showed up, like, 45 minutes early, and I'm like, what do I.

[Bobby Bones]

Do with your house?

[Lunchbox]

Oh, my.

[Bobby Bones]

That's tough. Because I wonder if he knew it was your home studio or if he was just showing up early to a studio that's a little.

[Amy Brown]

That's 45 minutes.

[Bobby Bones]

That's early. That's uncomfortable. Even me, I would have sat in the car for a while.

[Amy Brown]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

But I wonder if he. Did he know it was your home?

[Lunchbox]

I always make sure when I respond, I'm like, hey, it's a home studio. Here's the address. So they know. But I don't know if his people conveyed that message to him.

[Bobby Bones]

So what did you do?

[Lunchbox]

I.

[Bobby Bones]

They're dating now.

[Lunchbox]

This is the best part. I was literally, like, in my sweats. I hadn't changed. I had just finished, like, cleaning up. Cause I always try and make sure everything's, like, prepared and ready, and changing is, like, the last thing that I do.

[Michael B. Jordan]

So.

[Lunchbox]

So I answer the door, and I'm like, in my sweats. And I'm like, oh, my gosh. And he's like, no, I know. I'm so early. And I just kind of sat him in my podcast studio, and I was like, I'll be here in, like, five seconds. And then I'm, like, running around changing. I felt so.

[Bobby Bones]

That's uncomfortable.

[Ryan Coogler]

That's awkward.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah.

[Lunchbox]

I mean, you're changing when he's there.

[Bobby Bones]

We do the Bobby cast from my house, but it's not even my house, so we have a building now in the back now. We did do up front in my house for a long time. And it got to be weird where people were just in the house. It's just weird after a while I was like, I don't want people just being in my house. And then certain artists, you think they're gonna steal stuff.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah, depending on.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. So for the Bobby cast, for the most part, some we do here, I'm lucky enough that they go to the back. Like, there's basically a trail to the backyard where there's a building where. Where we have built a studio. But I know how uncomfortable that is. But also the dynamic of female, male.

[Amy Brown]

Yeah, that's weird.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I know.

[Lunchbox]

And I'm really thankful to, like, genuinely, when I say older gentlemen, like, much, much older. So, like, I didn't feel uncomfortable, but it still was like, there's a stranger in my home. I am not dressed. And I felt ill prepared for like, this situation where I was like, I should have been dressed an hour ago. And I know I shouldn't have because he came early. It was just. I was so frazzled.

[Amy Brown]

I wonder at what age for men do we start to be like, oh, I'm comfortable now. Cause he's 80. Like, but if he was.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, you mean as a woman.

[Amy Brown]

As a woman, yeah, like. Cause you just said, I felt okay knowing that he was older. So then at what age do men suddenly become like, safe when you can beat them up?

[Bobby Bones]

I think it's a case by case when they're brittle enough that you can beat them up. Wheelchair.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah. Oh, wheelchair for sure.

[Bobby Bones]

Gary Muelldeer, who's a comedian, plays at the Opry a bunch. He's 85. He showed up an hour early, but I have another building, so he just sat in the building.

[Lunchbox]

He's 85.

[Amy Brown]

Yeah, but you don't have to get like, as a woman changing your clothes.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, I had to do nothing. I was lucky enough. I didn't matter. I could have been naked. He still wasn't in my house. He was over in the side. He was over in the side building. What was the. What was the topic? Is that one up yet?

[Lunchbox]

Yeah, yeah, it's enough. His name is Dr. Harry Cohen. He wrote a book called Be the Sun not the Salt. And it was really good. Like, genuinely great guy. It was just awesome.

[Bobby Bones]

I want the doctor to be early, though. You know what? I like that. I like it that it's the doctor that's early. I want my doctor to be early all the time.

[Lunchbox]

And he was very old fashioned. Like, he came dressed in like a suit and tie. So I was very uncomfortable. I was literally in sweats. I was like, I need to put on a dress.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, his wardrobe determined yours changed your wardrobe.

[Lunchbox]

That's so funny.

[Bobby Bones]

That's funny. Amy, yours is in your house.

[Amy Brown]

Mm. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

But do you have guests?

[Amy Brown]

Well, with feeling things. We're not going to do the guest route, but with four things. Yeah, I had plenty of people in and out of my house, like a.

[Bobby Bones]

Guest show up, and you weren't home.

[Amy Brown]

Yeah, well. Yep.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Right.

[Amy Brown]

Yeah, that was. That was acupuncture day. Definitely had a lot going on in my life during that season. Not an excuse, but my in laws were living with us at the time to help with some of the chaos. And I decided to go get acupuncture again because my life is falling apart. And I guess I didn't explain to him. I have a podcast interview in two hours. I didn't know. It was one of my first times to go to this guy. And he's. He lays me face down on the table. And I'm just assuming this is gonna be a less than an hour appointment. Well, I lay down on my stomach, so in my back, he puts a bunch of needles in my head and my back down my leg, like everywhere. So I can't move. I have needles in me also. So relaxing. I fell asleep.

[Bobby Bones]

I think that's it right there. More than all of it.

[Amy Brown]

Like, all of it. It was just bad. I couldn't. I had my phone, you know, you're supposed to be there. It's acupuncture. And then all of a sudden he's like, okay, time to get up, roll over. And I sit up and I'm like, what time is it? And he's like, oh, it's been about two hours. And like, what? So then I look at my phone and I have all these missed calls from my father in law. And he's like, your podcast interview is here. And I was like, mortified. So luckily they understood and I rescheduled.

[Lunchbox]

They came back.

[Amy Brown]

Yeah.

[Lunchbox]

There went that stress. The. The stress reliever. You're.

[Amy Brown]

I know. I was like, whatever you just did to me, now it's undone.

[Ryan Coogler]

That's true.

[Bobby Bones]

It got canceled.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Yeah, cancel.

[Bobby Bones]

Its. So we're gonna get to this now with Lunchbox. What's Challenge Mania? Is it from that show you watch the Challenge?

[Lunchbox]

Yeah. So what they do is it's like a live podcast. They take different cast members and they go to different cities, and so every city will have different cast members with them. And they do sort of a Q and A. And they do, like, where you meet the fans and everything.

[Bobby Bones]

It's all this. That.

[Lunchbox]

That's what they were in town for? Yes.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, they were doing that somewhere else.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah, yeah. It's a paid place. Like, you buy tickets and you go and you get to meet the challenge. People ask them questions, they tell stories. I mean, it's fantastic.

[Bobby Bones]

So Lunchbox was very excited after we left the show. They. I didn't see them because I think they came up at like, 2 or something.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah, 2 o'clock in the afternoon, man. I. I stayed here to work late. That's what I do on the grindstone. That's not what you do.

[Michael B. Jordan]

The first one out.

[Lunchbox]

What is it called? Is it the grind? Hitting the grindstone? Is that what you call it?

[Bobby Bones]

Huh? That's a combination of a couple of them.

[Ryan Coogler]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Like grindstone.

[Lunchbox]

Oh, Nose to the grindstone. You know what I mean? Everybody else is at home. I'm here working away.

[Bobby Bones]

So if I ask you who they are just to set this up, Mark.

[Lunchbox]

Long, he's the OG. He's been doing this for since 1992.

[Bobby Bones]

Is he the guy that's organized the whole travel around to the podcast?

[Lunchbox]

No, that. That guy's name is Scott Yeager. Him and Derek, who was a contestant on Road Rules, they came up with it. Mark Long was just the first Road Rules, and he is the one that came up with the. The challenge All Stars, which brings back vets, like, it's like a shorter season. It's on Paramount. It's amazing. It's like you get all the old school people because they can't be away from their family as long. And he's like, we should do this. They can't give away three months, but they give away three weeks. And that's what has brought back All Stars. Mark Long is known as the Godfather.

[Bobby Bones]

Paulie.

[Lunchbox]

Paulie. Dude, Big Brother.

[Bobby Bones]

Why'd you look at Eddie?

[Lunchbox]

Do you guys not know these people?

[Bobby Bones]

Nothing? This is not Pauly D. Oh, who is Paulie? D's from Jersey Shore.

[Ryan Coogler]

Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. This is just Paulie.

[Lunchbox]

No, Paulie was on Big Brother. Then he came to the challenge, and, dude, he came in like, usually the rookies are like, oh, you know, I'm not going to do anything. He's crazy. He tells Johnny Bananas, I'm going to whoop your. And he tries to whoop it. He's crazy. He's awesome.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, Adam.

[Lunchbox]

Adam was on Road Rules way back when. He's on All Stars now, and he's been on a few Seasonal All Stars. Met his chicken on All Stars. Yeah. He's been around for. He's back in the game now. Recently. Back in the game.

[Bobby Bones]

Any girls in the show?

[Lunchbox]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

On the podcast.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Who?

[Lunchbox]

Avery. Got it from Real World Portland, and then she's also on the challenge.

[Bobby Bones]

When you see someone that was on Real World, is that cool to you? Because you're a massive Real World fan.

[Lunchbox]

If I see him on Real World or Road Rules, they're huge to me. Like, it is like, my dream and my, like, everything I am, I'm like that I am. They got to live what I wanted to be.

[Bobby Bones]

Wow.

[Lunchbox]

Like, they got to do what I wanted to do. Like, Avery's like, one of the last Real Worlds. Almost like that's what's crazy.

[Bobby Bones]

The show's over.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah.

[Lunchbox]

They don't do it anymore.

[Bobby Bones]

When do they quit? What was the last season?

[Lunchbox]

Oh, that's a great question. I mean, they did one in Los Angeles that was really bad. That was the one.

[Bobby Bones]

Scuba was supposed to be on the show, like, as a member.

[Lunchbox]

Scuba was supposed to be on, but he picked a chick over the Real World.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't know about this.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah, you do.

[Michael B. Jordan]

We talked about. It was a long time ago, like five years ago when you first met me. We talked about on the show is they did. It was the first time ever. They did the online auditions.

[Bobby Bones]

Wait, so you were offered the job? You were offered to be on Real.

[Michael B. Jordan]

World and I was dating a chick during that process. I had just met her almost that same weekend, and then I turned it down because I'm like, well, this. This girl basically told me with my ex wife that if I went for this role, then we wouldn't be anything.

[Bobby Bones]

Is this like cars running you off the road, though, where maybe occasionally. Or did you for sure get the alternate?

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah, no. Yeah, it was me and this other guy from Daytona beach, and then he was the alternate, and they went with him because I turned it because of her, which it met her that weekend. Yeah, that whole weekend changed my life. But I think it was a great thing. Cause I turned it down. I saw those guys are nice guys, but I'm glad I didn't go that route.

[Lunchbox]

No, no. That was a terrible season in Real.

[Bobby Bones]

World, I also think, because. Didn't you end up divorcing that girl?

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah, the girl told me not to go on the show. I divorced her.

[Bobby Bones]

Did you caught her cheating on you?

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yes, on Ashley Madison. The same woman.

[Bobby Bones]

I guess my point is, if he'd have taken the show, even if the show had been lame, he would have never gotten married.

[Ryan Coogler]

Right.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Wouldn't have to go through all that. But then I would never would have met my soulmate. I never would have moved to San Francisco or Los Angeles and chased that. Maybe in a different way.

[Lunchbox]

Well, you would have been in Los Angeles because the real world was in Los Angeles, so you would have been.

[Bobby Bones]

In la, met quicker.

[Michael B. Jordan]

But it could also have been a failure and a flop because it was the worst season to be involved in that.

[Lunchbox]

So awful.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Or I could have saved the season or saved the show.

[Bobby Bones]

Never know. I didn't know that he was offered a spot. That's what Lunchbox always wanted.

[Lunchbox]

Oh, man.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Everything he is, but he.

[Bobby Bones]

I mean, everything he is today is based on that show and watching.

[Lunchbox]

But when I see that season, I'm like, I wouldn't have been that season wouldn't have been fun to been on. Like, I wouldn't want to be offered that spot.

[Ryan Coogler]

But like, Scuba saying, you could have changed that.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, like, you could have. One good cast member changes the whole thing.

[Amy Brown]

Secret sauce.

[Bobby Bones]

Yep. So we're about to do and play this whole thing. Was it fun for you? Was it amazing?

[Lunchbox]

Oh, my gosh. I was geeking out. Like, I had a smile from my ear to ear, and scoop was like, hey, man, if you can keep it to 30 minutes. I was like, yeah, yeah, 30 minutes, man. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think we talked for like an hour and a half.

[Bobby Bones]

Were they.

[Lunchbox]

Oh, my gosh.

[Bobby Bones]

Were they getting annoyed that you wouldn't let them go?

[Lunchbox]

Oh, no, I think they loved it.

[Michael B. Jordan]

No, they loved it. I was watching them because I was running the cameras too. And it's fun to see reality stars want and fight for camera time because someone will be talking and they see me zooming on them because they can monitor from the studio. And then they would be talking.

[Lunchbox]

Oh, I got a story, too. I got a story.

[Michael B. Jordan]

And I would change the camera and zoom to them. So for me, it was kind of like fishing a little bit for who wants to talk? But they were talking and talking and talking, and they wouldn't stop. They could have been here for three or four hours. We almost had to cut it off and be like, lunchbox, we got to.

[Bobby Bones]

Go take home with you, Lunchbox. You guys go finish this at home.

[Lunchbox]

Plug their shows.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Let's move on. We got to go, dude.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, so here it is. This is the Lunchbox, the Challenge mania special. Anything else that I haven't said because I don't really know what's going on here?

[Lunchbox]

No, we cursing There is cursing.

[Bobby Bones]

We're going to get the E tag. Huh?

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah. There's so many curse words, it's hard to find every single one of them. But by them or lunchbox. Lunchbox was clean. He was a very professional broadcaster. I would say did a great job.

[Lunchbox]

But they're just reality show that. That's just how they are. That's how they talk on the reality show. That's exactly how they are. They were genuine. It was so fun.

[Bobby Bones]

These artists come in, that's who they are, they curse and they decide if they're on a microphone, they're not going to curse. I don't think it makes them less of who they are if they don't.

[Lunchbox]

Well, I didn't say, hey, there's a podcast. Keep it clean, man. Like, I wanted Paulie to be who he is. I wanted him to talk trash about bananas. I wanted to hear the inside scoop. You hear behind the scenes stuff that. Oh, man, blow your mind.

[Bobby Bones]

So everybody listening. There will be bad words. We will have an E tag, I'm sure next to this. I hate the E tag on our, on our podcast because that's not us. It's explicit. That means explicit.

[Lunchbox]

But it wasn't my fault. So maybe it was because I asked such good questions that we had to get to Etag because it got so fired up.

[Bobby Bones]

This is the Lunchbox Challenge Mania special. Here you go.

[Amy Brown]

At this point in my life, I'm all about streamlining the operation. Between work, kids appointments, random last minute school projects, I don't have time to run out for every little thing that we need. So when I realized that with Walmart subscriptions, I could skip the hassle and have the essentials delivered straight to my door. Total game changer. I'm talking groceries, kids stuff, snacks, vitamins, skincare, shampoo, sunscreen. Literally everything that we go through on repeat. And right now, with spring in the air and that fresh new season energy, Walmart's got some serious deals happening. It's the perfect time to refresh your routine and your cart. The other day I scheduled a delivery with some new sun care products that I've been wanting to try. A couple pantry staples that we were running low on and yeah, a little treat for myself and also a little treat for my daughter, a new fragrance that she has been eyeing. And I love that Walmart has the things that we need and the things that we want. And the best part, with Walmart subscriptions, you can set your schedule, choose when things arrive and if something unexpected comes up, because let's Be real. Something always comes up. You can go in and easily edit the delivery date. No stress. They've got all the big name brands that we love too, but at prices that make it easy to stock up without feeling guilty. So whether I'm browsing in store or shopping online or using the app, Walmart just makes it easy. And that's what I need right now. Less stress, more simplicity, and the ability to stay stocked on all the things that my family actually uses. So if you're looking to stay ahead of the chaos and still enjoy all the good things this season has to offer, Walmart's got your back. Find trending spring beauty at Walmart in stores, online and in the app. Hey, it's Amy Brown. Join me in supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for a chance to win a trip to meet Megan Maroney at the 2025 I Heart Country Festival in Austin, Texas on May 3rd. Hosted by Bobby Bones or going to hook you up with tickets, flights, hotel, food credits and a meet and greet with Megan Maroney. Take action now to support St. Jude and help cure childhood cancer and you're going to be entered for a chance to win. Visit iheartcountrytrip.com to learn more.

[Ryan Coogler]

On April 18th sinners are coming From Oscar nominated filmmaker Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther and Creed, starring Michael B. Jordan, comes the Mosta Picture event of the year. Twin brothers Smoke and Stack, both played by Michael B. Jordan, return to their hometown for a fresh start only to discover that an unspeakable evil is waiting.

[Michael B. Jordan]

To welcome them back.

[Ryan Coogler]

Don't miss the genre bending thrill ride. Shot with IMAX film cameras, Sinners arrive only in theaters on April 18th. Rated R under 17 not admitted without.

[Bobby Bones]

Parent let's talk about sleep for a second. You know I've talked openly about my struggles with sleep and anxiety at night or planning out the next day or a dog barking or whatever it is, right? We all have our issues that we're not able to sleep. But I'm going to tell you right now, if you don't have the right bed, you don't even have a chance. That's why I love my sleep number smart bed. That's why when I'm on the road, I don't sleep near as good. Your sleep is unique to you. Sleep number Smart beds are made to adapt to your changing needs from day to day. It may just be your bed that's throwing you off. You ever think about that? It could be sore muscles. Well, this bed can help. I think. Waking up. Too hot? Yeah. Same. Using the science of your sleep, they effortlessly adjust to optimize your comfort. Whether you need softer or firmer or cooler or warmer, you can enjoy your best sleep because it's just right for you. I love my sleep number smart bed. I love the temperature and that you don't have to have the same temperature as your partner or my wife. Sleep number is awesome. My sleep number setting is 30. My sleep number score last night was an 87. And I chose a sleep number bed because it was awesome for me and for you. Why should you choose a sleep number bed? It's so you can choose your ideal comfort on either side. And now for a limited time, sleep number smart beds start at 849 prices higher in Alaska and Hawaii. Exclusively at a sleep number store near you [e-mail] Bones Bobby Bones here with exciting updates on the top shelf country cruise. The cruise is more amazing than ever. We not only have the best country music but we have the best ports of call parties along the way. It's not just a cruise. It is a country music experience at sea. Let's talk about it. Country superstar Keith Urban will be performing live at the brand new Nassau port amphitheater. It doesn't end there. You'll enjoy nightly performances on board with other country stars like Lee Brice, Scotty McCreary, Parma Lee, Leanne Rimes and more. Plus we'll be stopping at the bustling beach city of Key west and relaxing on the beautiful island of Bimini. We're setting sail February 27th to March 6th, 2026. That's next year. You don't want to miss it. All this brought to you by signature cruise experiences. The gold standard and Charter Cruises since 2001. Go to topshelf countrycruise.com to book any available state room. These spots are filling up fast. This experience will be unforgettable. Topshelfcountrycruise.com and Davis.

[Lunchbox]

All right, cool. That's great.

[Ryan Coogler]

All right.

[Lunchbox]

Lunch is good. I'm good. Check, check. Am I on you? Good. Cool.

[Austin Hankowitz]

All right.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I'm rolling over here on video.

[Lunchbox]

Oh, man. Welcome, guys. I'm Lunchbox and this is, I mean my, my super bowl. I love having you guys. I, I met Scott a few years ago. I am a die hard fan. So this is amazing. So I want to say welcome to Paulie, Mark, Avery and Adam and then Davies. I didn't know you were coming either. You know, hey, just random show up. Thank you. So thanks for being here, guys.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Thank you guys, thanks for the hospitality.

[Ryan Coogler]

A couple times ago, we were in Nashville, these guys reached out. I forget it was through me or through Derek when we did a show here. And I think it's. It's rare, but I believe we have a completely new cast with us here today that day, including Derek, who can't be here. He sends his regards. He loves you guys, too. But. But, yeah, that's what's cool about this, is that we're kind of doing our own little, you know, every, you know, show of the Real World Road Rules challenge has its own, like, organic, you know, cast chemistry. And then now you got a whole new slew.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah. Rolling the dice. And this is what you got today, baby.

[Lunchbox]

And then some of you guys don't know each other, but a lot do. So do you guys all know each other? They're here.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah.

[Janice Torres]

Yes.

[Austin Hankowitz]

I mean. I mean, we never met. I haven't seen Mark since Trinidad in 2005. I like Paulie, and I know each other virtually, but, like.

[Janice Torres]

No, no, we met in Orlando.

[Michael B. Jordan]

We also. Listen, we also met in Orlando. He was just very typical. See, in Orlando, he doesn't remember.

[Lunchbox]

I. I do.

[Austin Hankowitz]

You know, when there's alcohol and flights, it's just. It's a recipe for awesomeness.

[Michael B. Jordan]

But we haven't been sober, really caught up in forever, so it's nice to see everyone. Yeah. And Davis I haven't seen since. Oh, forever. Forever. So, yeah.

[Lunchbox]

So, I mean, how did you. Like, how do you guys stay in? Like, how does Davis, if he hadn't been around, how does he get back into the group with you guys? Like, how does this. How does it all tie together?

[Austin Hankowitz]

Think I'm in the group.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I think one of the great things about what we do when we're not shooting is. Is stuff like this. Right. Getting to travel all over different cities doing Challenge manias. And Scott always has a great knack of always interchanging people that haven't seen each other in a while. That makes sense. So the fact that we came here today and they're Carolina. I'm Florida. Paulie's Florida. Now you're here.

[Lunchbox]

I'm in Nashville.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Davis is here. So it made sense. And, you know, not a lot of other shows do what we do in terms of getting back together so frequently. So it just. By just shuffling the deck, man, it's. And we're always. I think we're always still big fans of each other, so that's always good.

[Janice Torres]

Well, these two, I kind of feel like the challenge is almost like comic Con, in a way. Like, when it comes to the fandoms and the people, there's so many of us. Like, I feel like Big Brother can't do these popups or like Survivor can't really do these popups as frequently as you have set it up.

[Ryan Coogler]

There's not the connective tissue of you guys going back and playing with each other and things like that. Whereas, like, cuz these two just played together on the 40th season. Paul.

[Michael B. Jordan]

These three.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah, yeah. These three battle the arrows.

[Ryan Coogler]

We know these two met on All Stars 4. He. I believe you made your MTV debut two or three decades before hers and now they're dating.

[Lunchbox]

No, no.

[Bobby Bones]

That's what I want to talk about.

[Janice Torres]

We're going to get there.

[Lunchbox]

Like, what brings you back after so long?

[Ryan Coogler]

Look at her.

[Lunchbox]

I. I get that we might have.

[Janice Torres]

To pass Adam the girthy mic for this one there.

[Lunchbox]

Knowing that Avery's going to be there. Like, what made you decide to say yes when they call you again?

[Austin Hankowitz]

Okay. You never don't want to say yes. Maybe there are some people, but it is a really amazing family. It's like. But as. As. As soon as you get over the dysfunctional part of it and like, kind of accept that we're all super flawed and. But like, when we get together, we learn so much about each other. We have so much fun. Yes, we have to play a game. But like, I, I've been waiting to get back into the family. You know what I mean? And to have the opportunity to date somebody who actually can, like, get what's going on when I'm away or she's away. We, like, realize that it's not just a vacation. It's because it's like, it's definitely not a vacation.

[Lunchbox]

Right?

[Janice Torres]

You're definitely not a vacation.

[Austin Hankowitz]

You're in a human experiment. And unless you have somebody who's kind of like, been through that trauma with you, we're. We're all trauma bonded. That's. That's why we like to get back together so we can watch our own compare our train wreck of a life.

[Michael B. Jordan]

And I think now with. With All Stars bringing back some. Some of those faces that you grew up with. You know, Adam's a father now. A lot of the women on the show now are moms. Avery's kind of playing a stepmom role. Right. So. And I think having All Stars being so fresh to the audience, I knew it would be popular because when I sent the tweet out on Twitter or X, it went crazy. So the fact that people like Adam or Davis wants to come back. The fact that there's now a platform where if they come back, it's not weird anymore. It's like, oh, this is All Stars. We expect Davis to come back. We expect these Adam. So I think it's nice to have that as a secondary show to the franchise show. And, you know, now they're kind of inter placing each other. There's All Stars on the franchise. Franchise on the All Stars. So it's a good little brother, sister show, I think.

[Lunchbox]

And I need, I need you guys to slow down though, because there's an elephant in the room. I haven't watched this season of All Stars like the Rivals. I haven't. I just finished Battle the Arrows and dissected that whole thing and just was like, man, that was amazing. And it's like the next week, All Stars Rivals, and I'm like, guys, I need a break. I need to decompress, go through, like, who I thought played the best game, what the show was like. How are you guys doing them so fast? Can we slow down a little bit?

[Ryan Coogler]

You're not wrong.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Well, they pumped.

[Lunchbox]

Absolutely not.

[Michael B. Jordan]

They actually slow down.

[Ryan Coogler]

They shot him back to back in the same country. They used a lot of the same crew, used a lot of the same equipment, things like that.

[Michael B. Jordan]

That was more of a timing.

[Ryan Coogler]

Yeah. And they use. To be honest with you, a lot of the same cast members got back on a flight, went right. But you, your Devin, your John A. Had just done 40. They went and filmed all stars Leroy before 40 even aired. So literally they went, they got done, I believe in May with 40, and they had All Stars in the can by the end of July.

[Bobby Bones]

All.

[Ryan Coogler]

All done back to back.

[Lunchbox]

So when you get eliminated, do they fly you home or do you have to go to a hotel like on Survivor because people can't know that you're.

[Ryan Coogler]

Eliminated where they send you.

[Michael B. Jordan]

So I, I'll speak for Paulie and I, we, we, we went together.

[Lunchbox]

I mean, I didn't want to ruin it. So, like, you know, so when we.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Got eliminated in Vietnam, which was literally like 4 o'clock in the morning, remember that?

[Ryan Coogler]

You're so.

[Michael B. Jordan]

So we went to what we thought was going to be this amazing hotel.

[Janice Torres]

Yeah.

[Michael B. Jordan]

We went to a back alley hostel. And I remember going into the lobby and between the desk and the lobby was a huge mountain dirt bike. So there was a motorcycle like in between and no one was there. And it took forever to get our rooms. And I remember I finally got my room and I opened My room, I just want to relax by myself because I hadn't had alone time in forever. And I walk in and there's a Vietnamese couple in the bed and they're like, excuse me. And I'm like, oh, man. So then I blew my top. I was like, if I don't get an effing room in the next five minutes. So anyway, it just, it wasn't as glamorous as I thought it was going.

[Janice Torres]

To be because what they do to us is when we first come in and, you know, it's all the glam of like, everybody, oh my God, you're on. Together they put us in this five star hotel. We're all just like getting treated like royalty. Everybody's kind of hanging out. You get access to the gym, you get food whenever you want. You get whatever you want. You get eliminated. And they're just like, fuck off. And like, we're in this back, back, like this hostel. The power was going out all day. And now, mind you, in Vietnam prime, like summer, 100 degrees, 100 plus humidity, the power goes off. Your room is an instant sweat box. And then all of a sud, it comes back on and you're right in an ice box. You walk out into the hallway, immediately hit by there. Nobody downstairs spoke English. So you're trying to ask them where the best food places are and they're just like staring at you. I mean, you were hoping you were just. Mark never loses his mind. So for Mark to blow his top.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah, you, you just. I guess when you're in a foreign country like that and there's a language barrier and stuff, you're expected to have someone down there just at, you know, on post at all times. It's. We didn't get that. So I remember a lot of us were like, well, when do you think we're leaving? Like, who's going to tell us or come to our door? But it all worked out. But yeah, when you arrive to the, to the show, it's a lot more glamorous, I think, than when you leave.

[Ryan Coogler]

And you guys did so much complaining that when they did bring in these guys for All Stars 5, they had worked out some of those kinks. The conditions were a little better.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Their. Their house, their house, their house. And conditions on All Stars 5 was head and shoulders above season 40. Because if you look at season 40, it looks amazing, right?

[Lunchbox]

The house looks amazing.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Looks amazing.

[Lunchbox]

But.

[Michael B. Jordan]

But what it is.

[Lunchbox]

Well, the kitchen was a little funny. Listen, I didn't really understand that part.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I totally agree with you.

[Lunchbox]

Down to cook. And that was a weird.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Hold on. Let me. Let me speak on that. It looks amazing, right? You walk in, it looks amazing. But it's. It's just a shell of a house. Right? So everything they brought in wasn't so, like, we actually were using the bathroom outside and porta potties and showering outside because it wasn't really a functional house. It looks great. It's like a ca.

[Ryan Coogler]

But they didn't have showers in Kansas, so.

[Michael B. Jordan]

So if you notice the kitchen. Right. The kitchen with the thing, like, Theo couldn't even. I mean, I'm bending down to try to do stuff. So great. It was.

[Ryan Coogler]

For some.

[Michael B. Jordan]

It looks amazing. It looks amazing. And I think, you know, some of the fans were like, you guys were in this castle, but, like, it's not. Unless you've been there. You were there. It wasn't the best.

[Janice Torres]

Mind the house, because I hate bunk beds. So the fact that we each had our individual beds and we had a back room for our closet that had locker rooms for our clothes, because, like, the biggest pain in the ass is when you're in a. And everybody has their suitcases in the room that has bunk beds. You're vying for storage space. This house had. The storage space, had single beds, so people weren't climbing over you. You know, I didn't mind it. The showering in the bathrooms, though, and the food, definitely interesting. But once again, the kitchen was made for somebody my size, so I didn't mind it.

[Ryan Coogler]

And luckily for you, you weren't there very long.

[Janice Torres]

I wasn't there very long at all. I think I spent more time in the hostel hotel, you know, recovering from my concussions than I did in the house, which was another interesting. Interesting thing to have to witness.

[Lunchbox]

So how long are you there before you start shooting? Like, you fly in. Do you start doing, like, physicals?

[Austin Hankowitz]

You.

[Michael B. Jordan]

We were there. We were there for. For. For 40. We were there a good week and a half.

[Amy Brown]

Yeah, I would say week and a half, because we were waiting for other.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Cast members to show up.

[Ryan Coogler]

That's extenuating circumstances.

[Janice Torres]

So a game. A game was being played for a week and a half with cameras not on.

[Ryan Coogler]

Yeah, they don't. They don't like it that. That way. There was one cast member that they really wanted who could only start a little later than everyone else, and that's.

[Janice Torres]

But also, I think.

[Lunchbox]

Wait, wait, wait. Do you want to name names?

[Ryan Coogler]

Well, they show it on the show. He comes at Jordan comes in a little bit later. They all do, like, this welcome party. And then all of a sudden, Jordan kind of shows up at the house, and there's this just crazy tracking shot of, like, behind him with the cowboy hats, and you see this kind of badass and whatnot. And they make it like it's this big, glamorous entrance and finding good. But for that to have happened, you guys are waiting for 10 days for.

[Janice Torres]

And then to win after coming in.

[Ryan Coogler]

Late, you know, the craziest thing was.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I remember waking up and someone saying, jordan's here. I'm like, no way. And, like, yeah, he's here. I'm like, where is he? Like, he's just hanging out down. Like, it wasn't. They made it seem like this huge thing on tv, but they just showed.

[Janice Torres]

Him while we were sleeping.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah. It's like. Just shows up, and I'm like, oh, he is here.

[Janice Torres]

Yeah. I mean, they did do a whole thing where he showed up at the Errors Invitational, was talking to everybody.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah.

[Janice Torres]

And everybody. Everybody's sitting there like, he's the first one going in. Never touches an elimination all season.

[Ryan Coogler]

Guys dropped the ball there, so that's where they.

[Lunchbox]

Okay, so they had people flying in. And what. What was the one before Battle of the Arrows? Was it a battle for a new champion? Right.

[Ryan Coogler]

Yeah.

[Lunchbox]

So is that filmed in the same spot, too? Because I felt like everybody that came in and battled was on Battle of the Eras. Like, I felt like it was a precursor.

[Janice Torres]

Like, a team was in Croatia, wasn't it? Battle for a new champion was in Croatia.

[Ryan Coogler]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because they flew into Italy or something like that.

[Bobby Bones]

Right.

[Michael B. Jordan]

And then they always picked international spot just for insurance, and it's a lot way cheaper now.

[Lunchbox]

Are there any, like, stuff we don't see on camera? When you guys go out to these bars and you have the bar to yourself? Awkward as crap. Like, I mean, because you're already with the same people you're in the house with. I like it back in the day when you go to the club and there was random people at the club that are like, who are the hell these people?

[Michael B. Jordan]

That was my time.

[Lunchbox]

Yes, exactly. But now they make it where you have the bar to yourself. Is there any shadiness? Like, where you're like, whoa, I don't think we should be, like, in these countries.

[Michael B. Jordan]

No.

[Amy Brown]

I think that they protect us pretty well.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Like, we're always surrounded by security almost to the point.

[Lunchbox]

Like, it's like, if you didn't want people to notice that we were there.

[Amy Brown]

Well, with them, you're gonna notice that we're There like it's almost like a production just going into a place.

[Lunchbox]

Like they stop.

[Michael B. Jordan]

They like like basically make a human wall.

[Lunchbox]

They like shush everybody in and then close the door.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Like they.

[Amy Brown]

They're very like. We're definitely little ducklings I would say.

[Lunchbox]

And then like filming wise this is behind the curtain. I want to know a little bit. When you're like walking out to the challenge or walking back into the house, do they make you refilm that 10 times?

[Michael B. Jordan]

100%. Oh yeah.

[Austin Hankowitz]

You need at least two shots.

[Ryan Coogler]

And I don't drone shot.

[Janice Torres]

I don't understand why.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Yeah. You knew well.

[Janice Torres]

And I don't know what it.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Use him.

[Janice Torres]

Yeah.

[Lunchbox]

See, this is what I'm talking about.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Amazing parties they have us bring. They're like get us to bring 80s stuff or like gold for the gold party. And we have what we think is the best time, probably one of the best events. And then you don't even see it on like the episode. You realize just how little time there is for them to get in. Every single bit of storyline.

[Janice Torres]

Mark. I don't know how it was back in the day when you were mingling with the locals. But like was there any trouble that happened?

[Michael B. Jordan]

Oh yeah.

[Janice Torres]

Because CT did exist.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I mean back in. I remember in Jamaica was shady. Trinidad Tobago was shady because we didn't clear the bars. We just kind of went in as ourselves and there was. There was people getting in arguments or fights. I think one of the times a girl kissed a random local at the bar. But it was. It wasn't as safe back then for sure. 100 now. Now it's like we know when we're going out but we know what it's going to be. And a lot of the times we're like, let's just all drink here.

[Lunchbox]

It's like, why are we going. Why are we going to a bar? Because they have to change the location.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yes. Tv a million percent. So we're.

[Bobby Bones]

We're all tired.

[Michael B. Jordan]

We're like, can't we just have bars at the. At the. I mean beers at the bar here.

[Lunchbox]

And Adam, you answer my.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Get to the bar too. It's like three hours later.

[Lunchbox]

No one wants to go out.

[Amy Brown]

It's because by the time they actually do all the exiting and entrance shots.

[Michael B. Jordan]

And then you go out to the bar, it's probably.

[Ryan Coogler]

Is there music playing or they have to keep it. No music.

[Austin Hankowitz]

And then there's some types of like, people aren't allowed certain drinks. So you'll go into a bar and it's like, all right, no brown liquor.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah.

[Austin Hankowitz]

And, like, and then I'll show that. And then certain people will leave. And then, like, you're coming to the same bar the next week. It's like, can we. You guys could drink whatever you want. All right. So people are just.

[Janice Torres]

You mean, like when Tony leaves. So many liabilities, the house, everybody's like, all right, guys, you could drink whatever you want.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Now they actually. It's funny, because back in the day, they would just. You could have. Dude, it was like, you could have whatever you want. But now they, like, they'll dye the vodka bottles so blue. Stashing them. Yeah. So, like, they were put. I remember people pouring vodka bottles and water bottles back then, but now, like, they'll dye the vodka blue so you could see what they're actually drinking. It's just. It was the wild west back in the. I remember on our days off in Trinidad Tobago, on my day off, Robin and I left the set, went and rented a hotel away from everyone for two days, and then showed back up. So, like, it was like that.

[Janice Torres]

So Mark has kids in Trinidad.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Got little ones running around in Trinidad.

[Lunchbox]

Wait, so, Adam, you kind of answered my question. I thought when I watched the parties, the theme parties, I thought, okay, they either had to tell you beforehand or they tell you, okay, in two days, we're going to have this party. What do you want? And they go to the store and buy it for you.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Yeah, they'll put together a little liquor list, but, like, a lot of this stuff, sometimes they won't even tell you. Be like. I mean, some, like, Derek will decide that we're just gonna have a palm tree party, right? Yeah. Or toga part. Yeah, that toga party from the. From Mexico. From Hurricane Julia. That was. That was where that whole thing started.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah, they'll give you a heads up, like, hey, guys, bring some 70s gear, and you know what it's for. But I mean, a lot of the times, like. Like Adam was saying, it's like, you know, you just show up, and people are like, hey, tonight we're gonna do a, you know, a bikini thing or this, or bring your. Your trim swim trunks.

[Lunchbox]

How. How hard is it to stay enthused the whole day when you're at these challenges? Because on TV, it looks like it takes an hour, 30 minutes, and you're obviously there for eight hours because it's sunlight and it is dark. So, like, how do you guys.

[Janice Torres]

I wanted to ask Mark and Adam this back in the day, how early would they be able to finish the Challenges and wrap them. Because I remember on my first three seasons, we were done by, like, 3 or 4pm which gave you time to get back to the house, chill, relax, do deliberations, then go out. And then in this newer time period, you're, like, on set from 8am until like, 10pm you get home at midnight, and they're like, all right, guys, have enough energy to change, shower, and go the fuck out to the bar, like, 1 2pm and I'm like, is there a way to finish these faster during the day? Do we need every single shot? Like, are you getting all of our bulges with every shot here?

[Michael B. Jordan]

Like, I will say, the more recent challenges takes because there's so much more technology, takes so much longer to film. Like, you said, we're up sometimes on. On a bus for two hours. Do the thing, do all the stuff, come back, It's. It's past dinner, and then they want you to shower and go out real quick. But I remember one of the greatest things was battle of the sexes too. We're in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We, the boys had a house and the girls had a house on the. On the set. We didn't really leave the set. The set at all to do challenges because they were so kind of basic. So, like, we would just be, like, walk out to our challenge. We would do it two hours later, be back in our house. It was. Sun was still out. We could bullshit around. So it was. It was definitely less technical back in there. I mean, we did eventually go to, like, the big height stuff and the big car crashes, but back then, it was like, okay, guys, you're gonna walk through this. This maze of. Of snakes and pick up these coins. So that was like. You don't really need to go anywhere for that.

[Lunchbox]

Are the challenges better now, or were they better back then?

[Michael B. Jordan]

Because, like, they're more fun back then. They're better now.

[Lunchbox]

Okay. Because, like, on battle or battle, the eras. When they're doing the car off the cliff and TJ is selling it like, it is the coolest challenge ever as a viewer. It was stupid. It was so stupid, because they literally didn't do anything. The bungee cord pulls them out, and the car goes over the cliff, and then you just drop in the water. It was nothing. And they acted like it was. I'm like, can we just get back to the.

[Ryan Coogler]

Could have been an email.

[Janice Torres]

Almost. Almost cool. If you're doing it right, wait.

[Austin Hankowitz]

When you're doing it, you're doing it for the win, and the win is awesome.

[Lunchbox]

Yes. No, I get that.

[Austin Hankowitz]

So like so not hard at all to get yourself amped up. Not, not even a little bit hard to get yourself amped up. But like you kind of look, it's like somebody was like, what's your favorite challenge? And I'm like, the eliminations were actually my favorite, My favorite part like that some of the challenges you do are like, I don't know. In the old days we had dog. Remember dog fighting and Telluride and skydive. I mean there's pictures of people jumping out of fucking airplanes with parachutes. Single parachuting, landing on their own. And they've never taken a parachuting class. You get like, find me one insurance company who will insure like a. There was a skydiver with zero jump.

[Michael B. Jordan]

There was a challenge back in the day where they had these, these single engine planes and you, you were, you were tethered but you still danger. You had to get out of your seat, climb on top of the plane, hook yourself in to this thing and then the plane would do a 360 with you standing on it. Like in terms of like insanity, like who checks that? You know what I mean? Like we did talking about crazy shit.

[Ryan Coogler]

They kind of want to have their cake and eat it too since everything's so much safer now. They want to have like the explosions or the thing falling off a cliff, but they know that they can't do anything half as unsafe as they used to do it. So what they do is they'll have like an explosion go off, but it'll have nothing to do with what they actually did. Like they solve a puzzle and then there's an explosion or a car goes a cliff and then they have to do a spelling be. And you're like specifically told us not.

[Austin Hankowitz]

To do what Bessie did. Jumping through the paper when it was lit on fire. I wanted to do that too. I was like, can I do like every second counts, right TJ can we jump through when he's like, absolutely not.

[Janice Torres]

That was the most fessy thing to.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Do right through it.

[Janice Torres]

I wasn't shocked that he was the one that did that.

[Austin Hankowitz]

No.

[Lunchbox]

So Paulie, when you come from big brother.

[Janice Torres]

Yeah.

[Lunchbox]

Like is it hard to acclimate? Is it like everybody automatically like, oh, you're big brother, you don't know how to do this crap. Like you're, you're, you're an outsider. How does that work and how does it in your guys eyes when you have Big brother Survivor, you got Michelle, you got all them. Is it like man, you guys are just posers, I think.

[Michael B. Jordan]

And then I'll let. Paul, you can finish this. But I think in terms of Big Brother and Survivor coming in, I think they're actually equal or better strategic players than. Than the challenge players because the challenge players are more. I think just back in the day at least, were very physical and in party, but. But their shows, like Big Brother, you have to be very strategic. And same with Survivor.

[Janice Torres]

Yeah. I mean, I think when I came on, I adapted to the MTV style of playing because I just personally liked it better because in Big Brother and Survivor, you kind of have to be nice and you almost have to, like, play a strategic game because it's a voting thing.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah.

[Janice Torres]

Whereas, like, in the challenge, you could kind of sit there and be like, well, I'll do whatever I want because you got to throw me in to go home. And it wasn't too hard to adapt. I mean, especially when you're watching people like Johnny and CT and Wes for years, you're like, all right, they're doing the exact same thing that they've always done. There's not really much changing from their strategy. I do think that challengers are a little bit better in terms of exchanging social currency because they understand that this is a game where you do come back, whereas, like, Big Brother players and Survivor players will go in and kind of do it. I would like to think that when I was on in the beginning, we didn't play like Big Brother Survivor players, but I feel like the Big Brother and Survivor players that have come in after definitely have changed the game to be a little bit more snakey, playing in the shadows, you know, saying you're working with somebody but then also working with their enemy and trying to keep yourself in that, like, on the fence position. And I don't really like that. The only reason why I even stand up for my CBS people now is because I feel like they're pussies and they. They just get shit on online and they're just like, we're not going to tweet back and they get shit on in the house and they're like, we're not going to argue back. And I'm like, I hate that you guys are so soft and you don't have a backbone and stand up for yourselves. So I guess I'll be the asshole that is always, you know, doing dumb shit and, like, getting in trouble on social media and everything.

[Ryan Coogler]

But, like, I'll drink, you know, of you, Paulie.

[Janice Torres]

I only do that because. I only do that because they're literally getting shit on and not doing anything.

[Ryan Coogler]

Oh, they survive.

[Janice Torres]

They wouldn't. I paved the way for.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Remember when he debuted, though?

[Ryan Coogler]

Clearly, chip on his shoulder.

[Lunchbox]

This is what I was going to say. Most rookies come in and play like little. Yeah, Paulie, you came in like you were going to set the house on fire. Like, you came in like, look, mother, I'm here. And you acted like a vet. Like you had big balls. Where most rookies are like, yeah, I'm a rookie. I guess I'm going to go in. You know what I mean? Like, that's. They won't vote for a veteran. You, on the other hand, like, why, why, why are more rookies like that?

[Janice Torres]

I don't know. I mean, I think that. Listen, that dives into, like what my childhood was like and what it was.

[Ryan Coogler]

Like, sports, all that stuff.

[Janice Torres]

Italian, you know, all these things. But I also think I came in a little bit later. My frontal lobe was a little developed. So when these guys tried to use their usual tactics of gaslighting and narcissism, I was like, you guys are fucking dumb. And I think I can outsmart you guys for the most part. And I think that's what it was. Like, I remember walking into a room and then kind of be like, you know, I think it was you that said this poll. And I was like, all right, here's what we're not gonna do is lie, but if you guys want to throw me in, just say you want to throw me in, but don't do this whole fucking bullshit of like, oh, you would do it. Like, no, I didn't say that. You guys need a reason to throw somebody in. You're fucking pussy. And that is what it is. You know what I mean? And. And also, like, I feel like rookies, they. They bend the knee. So it's like I was pissed that I got ganged up on. I'd go to this stupid ass redemption house and, you know, I have the opportunity to send people's girlfriends home, and I fucking did. And they were like, why did you do that? That was kind of like a stupid move. And I was like, is it stupid? I was like, you pissed me off. I said, so why wouldn't I send your girlfriends home and tell you that they were banging people in the redemption house to fuck with your head? Like, what am I gonna do? You sent me into the redemption house. I'm supposed to come back, be like, yes, Mr. Vet, let me get on my knees and suck your dick. No, thank you.

[Ryan Coogler]

Not happening.

[Lunchbox]

Sorry.

[Janice Torres]

Rachel, we'll be right back.

[Lunchbox]

So let's compare the big brother house to a challenge house.

[Janice Torres]

Yeah.

[Lunchbox]

Like, I watch. I just started watching big brother during COVID because I never watched it, and I am like, that has to be the most boring house in the world because you really have nothing to do. At least on the challenge and on real world, you can go swim in the pool. Like, is it just, like, night and day?

[Janice Torres]

The challenge has so much better. The challenge experience is so much better. I say this all the time. Big brother house isn't a house. It's a studio lot. And the backyard is shut off for four days out of the week. So you're getting deprived sunlight. You don't have windows. It's mirrors with cameras behind them. It's a very small house. Like, the house is, like, a little bit bigger than, like, maybe just this section. And then you have, like, that. You have 16 people, two bathrooms. It's disgusting. There's ant infestations. You have people over the loudspeakers constantly, like, playing these mental games with you. Like, scott, please stop singing. Scott, please don't do movie quotes. And, like, they're doing it to, like, mentally make you break. So I hate it. Challenge house is, like, night and day different. Like, I'm on vacation when I'm in the challenge house.

[Lunchbox]

Okay, see, you said vacation. They said work. So.

[Janice Torres]

Yeah.

[Lunchbox]

How much enjoyment? Like, is it a little bit? Like, there's times in the house where you're just relaxing and you're not doing game, or is it always you're stressed about the game?

[Michael B. Jordan]

What I found interesting, especially on 40, because, listen, I came from the very, very beginning, and it was.

[Lunchbox]

And it used to be just party, party.

[Michael B. Jordan]

It was. It was party, party. No, but it was, dude. There was no. They didn't have a gym for us back then. There was no gym. They had endless booze, but no gym. But it back then, it was like, party, party, party. Oh, we have a challenge to do in six hours. Okay, let's maybe go to bed now. Like, now, what I noticed in 40, especially Era 3 and Era 4, was I would walk over to, and they'd be, like, doing puzzles and studying and all this. Almost like doing homework, right?

[Austin Hankowitz]

And all stars, we go in there nowadays, and. And I'm like. We referred to, like, all these new people, the new era, and definitely everybody's new era.

[Lunchbox]

Like, let's listen.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Lunchbox]

Like, but they're like.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Or maybe she's not. She's right on the cusp because she already shared at least 10 weeks of her life on Real World. And once you know somebody that deep, it's tough for them to go on a game when you haven't already, like, divulged your, like, utmost vulnerabilities to the entire world. And they already know you're like, how many brothers, sisters, where I grew up, all that type of stuff. It's so much easier for them to, like, use against me when. And, like. And I don't even realize that they're playing a game and constantly doing. I mean, I'm gonna start changing things up now because, you know, coming out of the nursing home, they don't. They don't. They don't let us out multiple times in a row unless we come back, like, you know, with a good story.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I did notice that some of those younger players are very into studying during, like, when you're not shooting. Whereas back in the day, it was. It was either challenge or what are we doing to have a good time. There was never, like, let's do Sudoku or let's do this puzzle games back. Like, I think Kyle, Kylan, Kyland, especially Kylan, had a book and was doing stuff every minute of the day. And, like, I'm super smart guy, and he's very strategic, but I'm like, like, dude, are you having fun? No.

[Lunchbox]

No. He, like.

[Janice Torres]

I'm like, you guys are too nice to them, though. Like, you just let them study and stuff. Like, if you walked in and was like, nerd, like, quit your study and you loser. And, like, start around them, too.

[Lunchbox]

I'd say, like, in the last, like, what, four years, five years, people started.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Like, really amping up on, like, the puzzles. Yeah. Like, three or four years.

[Janice Torres]

Yeah.

[Michael B. Jordan]

And the trivia and, like, you know what I hate? I told them in the car. I told. I told them in the car. If I watch the challenge now, it's like, 80 puzzles, and I'm like, what the. I'm like, let's go back to where it was just fun, goofy stuff. It doesn't have to be all, like, a marathon.

[Lunchbox]

Let's do the rubbing of this.

[Janice Torres]

Right?

[Michael B. Jordan]

But, like, this. It's like, let's do that. It's like, come on, you guys.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah, let's go.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah, but now it's like, you have five pentagons in front of you. This is all.

[Ryan Coogler]

It's like.

[Michael B. Jordan]

It's like, enough. It's like, especially as a viewer, like. Like, why am I gonna watch them do a puzzle when they could be in speedos melting ice with their bodies?

[Janice Torres]

We're just Switching up every now and then. Everything has a puzzle component, but it's.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Always a puzzle now. And I'm like, jesus, enough with the puzzle.

[Lunchbox]

Okay. What about the eating? Is the eating stupid?

[Austin Hankowitz]

I love the eating.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I don't mind the eating because I don't mind it. But, like, they don't do that. All like, that is. That's used sporadically at a perfect time. And I think in the games, usually finals and whatnot. But, like, it's not like it's. Every challenge is an eating challenge. But the puzzle thing, man. Holy shit.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Yeah. The eating challenge. At least like, on. On our season. Not the one that just, like, the normal one. Wasn't that crazy? Like, sometimes it's fun. It could be a little bit of an equalizer when it is, like, really crazy.

[Ryan Coogler]

Now they're super sensitive to dietary restrictions, which is, like, counterintuitive to the whole thing.

[Lunchbox]

Yes.

[Ryan Coogler]

Like, they'll be like, all right, so you guys are gonna have to eat these fish balls.

[Lunchbox]

Except for you, Tory.

[Janice Torres]

Here's this tofu with garlic on it.

[Ryan Coogler]

Me and my Maya. You can eat this shoelace. Haha. We got you. We dipped it in mud first.

[Austin Hankowitz]

They thought they had me. They were like, this is a vegan shake. I was like, yeah, but is it keto?

[Michael B. Jordan]

Oh, did you have a dietary.

[Janice Torres]

I'm really glad we got a diet joke.

[Ryan Coogler]

But I love how, like, the point of these is to torture. But then they're like, but we're going to do it, like, you know, in an inclusive way. We're going to torture.

[Michael B. Jordan]

But you get the peanut butter.

[Ryan Coogler]

I never make you eat nuts. Come on.

[Janice Torres]

You know, like, I just don't get it because everybody. I remember everybody made fun of Final reckoning so badly for just how soft it had gotten. And then Booth literally murdered us for War of the Worlds 1 and War the Worlds 2. And then it kind of went back to. Wait, don't. Don't kill him that much. Let's. Let's give people options. You know when they cast Jose knowing he couldn't swim, and he jumped in a pool without a life jacket on like an idiot and almost sunk to.

[Lunchbox]

The bottom and drowned.

[Janice Torres]

Like, can we go back to, like, not caring about our health?

[Lunchbox]

Like, just a little bit like, the battle of the Arrows, the final, Was it the stupidest, most unfair final in the history of the challenge? So much swimming.

[Janice Torres]

Well, if people needed Jordan beforehand, no, I heard pretty equal. But Jordan's the best swimmer.

[Lunchbox]

I. I get that.

[Michael B. Jordan]

But again, you have to. It. You know, the problem is too is. And Paulie, we've had this conversation before is a lot of the top tier executives don't come from a competitive, like a real physical, competitive background. So when you see stuff like that, you're, you're just like, man, this just doesn't make sense. Like, this is, this is not evening the playing field by, by any means. If anything, it's skewing it the furthest. So I don't know. I, I, I love some of the challenges that they do. I think they're great, but some of them, I scratch my head, I'm like, why, why this? You know, even the elimination he just did where they're like, they saved. Like, it's the spoiler alert. It's the biggest elimination, right? It's the biggest one. Who goes to the final and toughest team. Yeah. And the elimination was just so, like, subpar. It was like a guessing chance game. And, like, everyone was like, man, I would rather them, like, balance this and then pull this or this, this and then do it, like. But it was just that to have that as the last one seemed a little out of place.

[Ryan Coogler]

You, you haven't watched it. But for instance, like, this season of All Stars, and I think even the last one, there's, there's no hall brawl, there's no pole wrestle, there's no balls in a lot of the quintessential challenge eliminations that are pretty low fi and easy to. And I would, I would argue even at, like, you know, like, you guys on All Stars were doing them, you and Lateri and things like that. So you can't even really say that. Like, you know, when you're getting up there in age, it's less safe. But for whatever reason, they've kind of stripped All Stars of those completely and replaced it with. You were literally guessing whether Nani had something in a box. That was the elimination.

[Austin Hankowitz]

It was really, it was really scary to go into those eliminations and know that it's a coin flip, right?

[Janice Torres]

Yeah.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Because initially I want to, I want, like, Steve and I kind of had something to prove as soon as you guys, as soon as they were like, oh, it's all male teams have such an advantage. I was like, let's just take everybody out. Everyone. They're gonna do this to us. Let's just destroy every single person. And Steve's like, look at these, man. He's like, another team goes into that first one. Like, Beth and John A could have beat us. Like, there's the one is crazy one. One little thing. And so you wonder, you're like, are they planning these? Do they. How much time do they have before the day? Could they change it up? Like, so basically that call your bluff and then the, the chopstick carry, Was that set up or did they do that for Turbo and not against Steven? I like to even, you know, I want to know.

[Janice Torres]

You want to be crazy. And I don't know if the Godfather can do this. I mean, he can almost walk on water at this point with what he's done with All Stars, but he won't reveal it. Do I feel like. I feel like there, we're almost at a time where there could be a panel of the more sage veteran people to be able to work hand in hand with Buna Murray and MTV in order to almost make it the ultimate show.

[Ryan Coogler]

Right?

[Janice Torres]

Because you guys have done enough where you guys could have those conversations with the higher up executives and be like, hey, we're going to have a Mark Long. He's not competing on this season, but he's going to be in that back room with the TVs and he's going to be listening in on the conversations and he's going to be doing these things right? Like, is there a transition for these people who have been there for so long, put so much blood, sweat and tears in where, yeah, they could go and compete on an All Stars or a flagship, or they could be behind the scenes and they're the executives. I know it's a no, no, because it's like, oh, once you're behind the scenes, you can't go in because then you know too much and then you know this and that. But is there not room for a panel where maybe if they're not on the shows behind the scenes, they could at least meet once a quarter with Buna Marion, MTV and be like, here's what we're thinking, guys, and this is what we think could make the show better. And they almost act like a board of executives for the challenge.

[Ryan Coogler]

That's literally how every other industry sport, like players become coaches and executives and general managers, actors become directors and producers. The only industry that doesn't work that way is reality tv, because then it would somehow let the cat out of the bag that it's really not that hard to do this stuff and they have to pretend. They have to pretend that like, like, oh, no, you guys are good at being on the show, but like the years of experience I had getting coffee that then turned into coming up with what people were gonna wear in an interview chair, and then who should Swing from what? Vine and ooh, what kind of car are we gonna throw off that mountain? That's too much for you, Mark. I don't think you'd be good at helping with that. Well, some of us are.

[Janice Torres]

Like what Mark said, like Mark and a lot of people come from physical backgrounds. Whether you played sports or not. Do we really want the theater kids being like, yeah, you know, I think this is safe if they jump from that to that because they thought it up and wrot in like their diary in high school.

[Michael B. Jordan]

One of the things that I noticed is for instance, like the elimination. I don't know if you've seen this, but when Derek and Harassio were doing the pegs.

[Lunchbox]

Yes.

[Michael B. Jordan]

And they stopped them before the thing and they said to Derek and Horacio, guys, the pegs are going to fall out. Just ignore that and keep going. Once you have it in, if it falls out, it's like. But to me it's like, why is it even an option that the pegs are fucking going to fall out if that's going to be in the pre production. No, drill a hole so they stick through. Like do some just small stuff like that. I'm like, why leave it so that now the audience sees this. It's a big fucking huge deal online that did Horacio get screwed to Derek cheat did this. It's like simple as that. It's like those kind of like eliminations or those kind of choices that they make in terms of production to me is so simple to fix and what Paulie was saying, I would love to craft some of these eliminations or some of these challenges, but there's such a hard line between cast and production. It's almost impossible because like Scott said, they don't want to cross that line because they like to have 100% of the power and I think 100% of the reward for doing the show. So it is what it is. I mean, I'm lucky I got all stars off the ground, to be honest with you.

[Ryan Coogler]

They would rather, and I'm not even talking about present company included, they would rather just send someone a check and be like, thanks for the idea. We'd rather you do absolutely nothing than be like, hey, come out here and like just approve everything, make sure everything's good, up to stuff. How about you try this? Let's see what a 230 pound challenger does doing this. Instead of. No, we'll have like an intern try it. And then when Corey does it, wow, he is a lot faster than Josh. We probably should have had someone else do that.

[Janice Torres]

Or like, they're like, we. We test all of these dailies. It's like, yeah, you test it for fun, as if you're at, like, a birthday party. We're doing it full speed, competing for money.

[Michael B. Jordan]

102 different.

[Janice Torres]

It's like. Like it's the difference between touch football and tackle football in the NFL. Almost like it's that night and day. And it's also just so crazy to me that, like, I think they just don't want to see the. The gaps of inefficiencies, because I know that the talent coordinators don't talk to the lighting coordinators, who don't talk to the sound coordinators. And you would think that everybody would be on the same page to be like, all right, guys, so is sound and lighting ready? Are the cameras ready? Okay, great. Now, we could bring the cast in to get this going right away. But what ha. What happens is the talent coordinator gets told we need the caster at 6am and fucking lighting and sounding and video haven't even coordinated yet whether they're fucking set up.

[Lunchbox]

So it's like standing around.

[Janice Torres]

So then we're standing around for four hours with our dicks in our hands or, you know, tits in our hands. And. And I don't think they want us to see that because, I mean, Mark's a smart guy. Adam, smart guy. Avery, smart girl. Scott, smart guy. I'm not that smart. Davis over here, keeping it chill. Like. Like, it wouldn't be too hard to be like, all right, guys, what if we had one line of communication for everybody to only communicate how far away you are from being ready to. To roll.

[Michael B. Jordan]

We've never. We've never. And you guys know this. You'd never roll into a challenge without waiting at least an hour and a half, two hours.

[Lunchbox]

Really?

[Austin Hankowitz]

Yeah.

[Michael B. Jordan]

100. Ever.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Don't you guys hurry up and wait?

[Amy Brown]

Yeah.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Doesn't your boss make you hurry up and wait?

[Lunchbox]

No, no, Never ever.

[Michael B. Jordan]

The best is. The best is right where we. Up.

[Ryan Coogler]

We got in this room, and we were recording with three minutes.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Radio is almost live all the time.

[Ryan Coogler]

Yeah.

[Michael B. Jordan]

So it versus, like, I lived in Hollywood and worked for Dr. Phil for a while, and that was like a hurry up and wait scenario. And like, the same kind of thing where it's like, you wait for someone's coffee to come, they're not starting to get their coffee, and so they're waiting on a guest come from Rancho Cucamonga.

[Ryan Coogler]

They're taking forever.

[Michael B. Jordan]

There's traffic on the five. It's this like whole day shoot for a 45 minute production, which is unbelievable. But here it's like boom, boom, boom.

[Ryan Coogler]

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Like, holy shit, how much do we do today? It just goes so much faster in radio versus television.

[Janice Torres]

But it's also like they come from mtv. Like I came from cbs where every day you knew when the, when the HOH competition was, when the veto competition was and exactly what part of the day it was happening and when it was going to end and it was ran so efficiently. It's like the, the curtain opens up, you're lined up at the door, you go out big energy. You do the competition, you come back in, you wait. And it was just. And everything was just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

[Ryan Coogler]

Now granted, they're on a studio, but you're also shooting live to tape. Some of it's airing actually live. Other episodes are being cut and aired three days later.

[Michael B. Jordan]

So you can't be it.

[Ryan Coogler]

You can't be that.

[Janice Torres]

You can't be. You can't be inefficient. We have the live feeds going non stop and we have three episodes a week being edited in real time based off of what is being seen and shown.

[Austin Hankowitz]

I would create some live feeds and we had a road rules that we almost did live. And then I feel like there's a lot of people that want to watch more stuff afterwards. Like, why don't they make the show for like, make the show right? Yeah, but then why not show the entire.

[Ryan Coogler]

Follow the big brother Twitter. They're rabid. Like, they will be like, rabid. They'll be like, did you see when she walked out of the room, the way he kind of looked at her? That was a microaggression. He's racist. Let's get him. He's in real estate. Found his relationship.

[Janice Torres]

Might have not even been able to get off the ground. Would have been like, do you see the way Adam stares at Avery's ass? Like he's totally a predator dude.

[Lunchbox]

No, no, no. Like, seriously, like, there's a big brother guy. I don't even know who the guy is. I, I like, my wife got me watching Big Brother. Like I said during COVID that live tweets, the whole. And I'm like, does he have people that work for him or does he stay up the entire time and do it? Like, how do the people do? Right, right.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Whatever it's called.

[Janice Torres]

Yeah, whatever they are, they're, you know.

[Michael B. Jordan]

You know, it was, you know, when I knew we were in for it on season 40, this was like the best. Is the very first challenge. No, the very first morning when we woke up in the castle, we went down and there was. Granted, there was 40 cast members.

[Lunchbox]

Oh, that's a lot of people.

[Michael B. Jordan]

So instead of having like three instant coffee machines, right? Because everyone wants coffee when they wake up. They had a one espresso machine and you had to grind your own beans to do your coffee. And I'm like, if you want us ready in 30 minutes, you're thinking, 40 people are going to grind their own beans. Like, you're instantly setting people in the worst pissed off mood ever. And I remember blowing a gasket. I'm like, it. I'm like, how simple is it? Again, we'll puzzle. They should have a cast member walk through that house a week before and be like, this isn't gonna work. We need more of this. Could you guys do that? The girls aren't gonna change with the wide open areas, which they had to fix in two days because it was. Girls were changing wide open in front of everyone. So, like, just basic stuff like that that you would think would be such an easy fix. Like, the very first morning, we didn't even have eggs or any American breakfast. It was all Vietnamese stuff. And everyone laughed. Or like, this is. I think we had like Frog Lane. Yeah.

[Lunchbox]

Oh, really?

[Michael B. Jordan]

100.

[Lunchbox]

And that explains why Tony wanted to leave.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Tina. Tina. The first night.

[Janice Torres]

Tina.

[Michael B. Jordan]

The first night was like, I'm not staying here. I'm. She's like, I am not saying, get me. Get me the most top producer on the phone. I'm like, I'm not staying here. He talked her back down off the ledge. But like, it was not that we're being prima donnas. It's just like, dude, we're. We are talent.

[Ryan Coogler]

Right?

[Lunchbox]

Right.

[Michael B. Jordan]

We just want to be normal. Like, give us a coffee machine. Give us some American breakfast. You know, it's like, it's very simple stuff. And I. And look, if. If the. The show was. They're roughing it and we're gonna get.

[Lunchbox]

They're gonna.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah, like, that's different. But when you go into this one coffee maker. Yeah. But when you go into this season 40, where it's supposed to be this huge thing and like some of the things that, like 10 years ago were better, you're just like, man, this is.

[Lunchbox]

This is.

[Michael B. Jordan]

What did they save the budget on?

[Bobby Bones]

You know what I mean?

[Amy Brown]

At this point in my life, I'm all about streamlining the operation. Between work, kids, appointments, random last minute school projects. I don't have time to run out for every little thing that we need. So when I realized that with Walmart subscriptions, I could skip the hassle and have the essentials delivered straight to my door. Total game changer. I'm talking groceries, kids stuff, snacks, vitamin skincare, shampoo, sunscreen, literally everything that we go through on repeat. And right now, with spring in the air and that fresh new season energy, Walmart's got some serious deals happening. It's the perfect time to refresh your routine and your cart. The other day I scheduled a delivery with some new sun care products that I've been wanting to try, a couple pantry staples that we were running low on and yeah, a little treat for myself and also a little treat for my daughter, a new fragrance that she has been eyeing. And I love that Walmart has the things that we need and the things that we want. And the best part, with Walmart subscriptions, you can set your schedule, choose when things arrive and if something unexpected comes up, because let's be real, something always comes up, you can go in and easily edit the delivery date. No stress. They've got all the big name brands that we love too, but at prices that make it easy to stock up without feeling guilty. So whether I'm browsing in store or shopping online or using the app, Walmart just makes it easy. And that's what I need right now. Less stress, more simplicity, and the ability to stay stocked on all the things that my family actually uses. So if you're looking to stay ahead of the chaos and still enjoy all the good things this season has to offer, Walmart's got your back. Find trending spring beauty at Walmart in stores, online and in the app. Hey, it's Amy Brown. Join me in supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for a chance to win a trip to meet Megan Maroney at the 2020 I Heart Country Festival in Austin, Texas on May 3rd. Hosted by Bobby Bones. We're going to hook you up with tickets, flights, hotel, food credits and a meet and greet with Megan Maroney. Take action now to support St. Jude and help cure childhood cancer. And you're going to be entered for a chance to win. Visit iheartcountrytrip.com to learn more on April 18th.

[Ryan Coogler]

Centers are coming. From Oscar nominated filmmaker Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther and Creed, starring Michael B. Jordan, comes the motion picture event of the year. Twin brothers Smoke and Stack, both played by Michael B. Jordan, return to their hometown for a fresh start, only to discover that an unspeakable evil is waiting.

[Michael B. Jordan]

To welcome them back.

[Ryan Coogler]

Don't miss the genre bending thrill ride. Shot with IMAX film cameras, Sinners arrive only in theaters on April 18th. Rated R under 17 not admitted without.

[Bobby Bones]

Parent let's talk about sleep for a second. You know I've talked openly about my struggles with sleep and anxiety at night or planning out the next day or a dog barking or whatever it is, right? We all have our issues that we're not able to sleep. But I'm going to tell you right now, if you don't have the right bed, you don't even have a chance. That's why I love my sleep number smart bed. That's why when I'm on the road, I don't sleep near as good. Your sleep is unique to you. Sleep number smart beds are made to adapt to your changing needs from day to day. It may just be your bed that's throwing you off. You ever think about that? It could be sore muscles. Well, this bed can help I think. Waking up too hot? Yeah, same. Using the science of your sleep, they effortlessly adjust to optimize your comfort. Whether you need softer or firmer or cooler or warmer, you can enjoy your best sleep because it's just right for you. I love my sleep number smart bed. I love the temperature and that you don't have to have the same temperature as your partner or my wife. Sleep number is awesome. My sleep number setting is 30. My sleep number score last night was an 87 and I chose a sleep number bed because it was awesome for me and for you. Why should you choose a sleep number bed? It's so you can choose your ideal comfort on either side. And now for a limited time, Sleep number smart beds start at 8:49. Price is higher in Alaska and Hawaii. Exclusively at a sleep number store near you [e-mail] Bones Bobby Bones here with exciting updates on the Top Shelf Country Cruise. The cruise is more amazing than ever. We not only have the best country music, but we have the best ports of call parties along the way. It's not just a cruise, it is a country music experience at sea. Let's talk about it. Country superstar Keith Urban will be performing live at the brand new Nassau Port Amphitheater. It doesn't end there. You'll enjoy nightly performances on board with other country stars like Lee Brice, Scotty McCreary, Parmalee, LeAnn Rimes and more. Plus, we'll be stopping at the bustling beach city of Key west and relaxing on the beautiful island of Bimini we're setting sail February 27th to March 6th, 2026. That's next year. You don't want to miss it. All this brought to you by Signature cruise experiences, the gold standard in Charter Cruises since 2001. Go to topshelfcountrycruise.com to book any available stateroom. These spots are filling up fast. This experience will be unforgettable. Topshelfcountrycruise.com I know you.

[Austin Hankowitz]

I said it was work, but I felt like I was at a. Like a wellness resort. I mean, All Stars is a completely different thing. So I've got a. I mean, we had, like.

[Janice Torres]

But who has a major hand in All Stars?

[Lunchbox]

Well, but they also treat you better because you're older, right?

[Austin Hankowitz]

Is that.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah, right.

[Lunchbox]

I think that's what it is. I mean, they.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Here's the deal. They have to be in a better house. They have to be taken care of because there's no. I mean, the incentive for them to leave their families. You know, Adam has two girls. Like, the incentive has to be more than just, you know, I'm gonna be away for three months and hopefully I'll win a million dollars. Like, you know, some of the younger kids who don't have families yet, that's. That's a. Like, hell, yeah, I'm doing that. But in terms of, like, Johnny's who have kids, you know, Adam, even Avery now being in a step mom figure. So it's like you have to make it nice. So some of these people that haven't done it in 15 years are like, yeah, that sounds like a really good time. I'm gonna go do that.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah. That's how you bring the jodies back. That's how you get them involved.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Exactly.

[Lunchbox]

So when. When Tony, everybody thinks he wanted to leave, he was there for the paycheck. How. How. Avery, you can speak on that, but.

[Janice Torres]

How often does this happen for Tony, Pretty often.

[Michael B. Jordan]

There's a lot of cast members that go and collect the check.

[Janice Torres]

I think 100%. They go there. It's vacation. They get it. But that's. That could be. That could be regulated 100%.

[Lunchbox]

But I don't understand crazy guarantees. They're like, you're guaranteed for eight weeks.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I'm like, so two.

[Lunchbox]

Two months. This person is guaranteed two months of.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Money when I have to slave away in.

[Lunchbox]

Okay.

[Janice Torres]

And that's my qualm with people showing up out of shape who get giant guarantees like the Veronica's and like the Anisa's. It's like, you make so Much money. You could fucking hire a personal trainer and a dietitian in the months that you have off. You know, you're. Anissa knows she's going back at least once a year. So does Veronica. You know what I mean? And it's like they get six figures. Oh, we're not allowed to talk about what people get, but they talk about it in terms of what it is. You can hire a personal trainer and put together a 10 week program and get yourself in decent shape. Aneesa looks great now. You know what I mean?

[Lunchbox]

Haven't seen her, so I don't know.

[Janice Torres]

She looks phenomenal. She's put in a lot of work. She finally listened. But some other people, it's like, what are you doing? And then it's like, you do have people that come back after a long time who look good. Like, look at Adam, very good looking elderly man. Mark, very good looking elderly man. Avery.

[Ryan Coogler]

Avery.

[Janice Torres]

Absolute smoke show, right? That's what people want to see when people are.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Scott, great leather jacket.

[Janice Torres]

There's more.

[Ryan Coogler]

But here's the thing. Here's the thing about your, your fitness program and everything like that. On a season like All Stars 5, though, I would, I would play devil's advocate and say that not necessarily the best use of your time and money. Not to say you shouldn't just be healthy regardless, but because that show was designed, as you mentioned, when it comes down to the eliminations, the dailies, the fact that coming in last didn't even penalize you at all. The people who just played a good social game and actually were less of physical threats on paper, when you look across the field, they don't look like they're going to kick your ass tomorrow. Those are the people that had the easier road to the end. Now we have our teams for the finals. I'm not saying that, like some of them or a lot of them aren't in very good shape, but they didn't have to necessarily prove it to get there along the way, other than Adam and Steve, who had to win five eliminations. But, you know, I digress.

[Lunchbox]

But I agree. I mean, you got to be in some kind of shape because the first season of All Stars, the first episode when they all almost drowned, I mean, I was like, we got to stop this guy. It's like, I, I'm a huge challenge fan, but I was, like getting nervous.

[Ryan Coogler]

Doing the tough challenges, not the, like, you know, I mean, they almost.

[Michael B. Jordan]

That was, you know, that was so funny. I was there. It was just hilarious. Orissa, was that, like Just. Oh, my God. It was just funny.

[Janice Torres]

No, it's great. But at the end of the day, it is.

[Michael B. Jordan]

But I will say this.

[Lunchbox]

Yes.

[Janice Torres]

You know, you know, violent is getting tons of views. You know, who shows up, shows getting tons of views, hot people on you.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Who shows up out of shape and. And starts working out the first day he gets there. Ct. Ct. Now, I will.

[Lunchbox]

I will say that, okay, CT does not care.

[Michael B. Jordan]

He gets there. Well, right when he gets there, it's like, I'm going into boot camp. He likes the smoking goes down. He starts working out, and you're like, oh, this is the guy's strategy. He just comes in out of shape, but then leaves like, you know, jacked up.

[Lunchbox]

No, no, because. So he went in, he got beat. I don't know what season was. He got beat by Jay or someone or.

[Ryan Coogler]

It was Jay.

[Lunchbox]

Yes. In.

[Michael B. Jordan]

And the hanging thing, too, right?

[Lunchbox]

Yes. And he was like, wow, dude. And he came back the next season, he won it. He was still out of shape. And he's like, you know what? What if I get in shape now and he gets in shape and wins back to back? And I'm like, damn. But then when he shows up for battle the eras, I'm like, ct, what have you been doing, dude? Like, what? You are. You're. You're fat ct. We don't need fat CT on tv. We need in shape ct.

[Austin Hankowitz]

He's like, Elvis.

[Michael B. Jordan]

This, like.

[Lunchbox]

It's like, unbelievable. I'm like, dude, you go, I just.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Hope CT doesn't die on the tour.

[Ryan Coogler]

It does remind me physically of it. There's been. I've seen pictures of Elvis and where I go, this guy does look like ct. Yeah, yeah.

[Michael B. Jordan]

CT is actually. He's a very different animal because, believe it or not, at that weight, he's still just as agile, which is crazy. Yeah, he's still just. I mean, he might get out of breath.

[Ryan Coogler]

He's like Zion Williamson.

[Lunchbox]

Okay, yeah, yeah, perfect.

[Michael B. Jordan]

He's. He's just. But, you know, I saw some clips earlier of him, really young ct, and he was like. He was so, like, leading man, strapping, handsome, you know, in shape, thin. Like, I'm like, man, that. That guy compared to this guy. Two totally different people in terms of body style.

[Ryan Coogler]

But did you see him on Traders?

[Lunchbox]

I did watch Traders.

[Ryan Coogler]

So he shows up to that show with a bunch of, you know, housewives and Survivor greats and gods and this and that and. And outsmar out. You know, Spoiler alert. Well, yeah, yeah. You know, two years now, the statute of limitations But. So, okay. But I will. Okay, we'll say. But I'll say he won the hearts of literally not just everyone on the show, but you had people who had never even heard of the challenge. Googling. Who is Christopher Tamborello and what is.

[Lunchbox]

Because he's a schmoozer. He's very good at. He can. He can adapt to whoever's around him and. Which makes him phenomenal.

[Ryan Coogler]

Yeah, he.

[Lunchbox]

He can talk to the women. He can. You know what I mean? Like, he can do everything. Everything.

[Janice Torres]

Very charming.

[Lunchbox]

Yes.

[Janice Torres]

Like, all the clips of him being serious. He's extremely charming.

[Austin Hankowitz]

I've never met Johnny Banana. Like all the greats of our show. I came so far before them and wasn't involved like Mark, that I've never met any of them.

[Lunchbox]

CT punched me in the face.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Oh, yeah.

[Ryan Coogler]

Oh, yeah.

[Lunchbox]

No, no, I remember he punched Adam in the face. I don't remember Davis.

[Ryan Coogler]

He got kicked off a show for hitting Davis.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Michael B. Jordan]

And then first night. Right on the show.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah, first night. Animals on the show when he punched Adam. And I was thinking, like, he's doing this again.

[Michael B. Jordan]

This is liability, I believe.

[Ryan Coogler]

Got brought in as his replacement on the season where CT got kicked off for. Yeah.

[Michael B. Jordan]

All of a sudden, Davis has got a big shiner on his cheek. He was like, he just punched me.

[Lunchbox]

Wow. Okay, now, when people come up to you in public, is it weird? Are people awkward? What do they yell at you? Like, how does it work?

[Michael B. Jordan]

No, they. Now it's so fun. I was in the Orlando Airport and they come up like, desk. They almost whispering, hey, I know. So they'll come up, like, a lot. Like, really? They're just like, hey, I know you from Da da da da da. Can I do a picture real quick? And of course, I'm, you know me. I'm just like, yeah, let's do it. I'm very loud, but, like, I have people coming up to me. Like, they're, like, nervous to, like, make a scene about it, which is weird to me. I'm like, just like, come on up.

[Ryan Coogler]

Because even Mark gets it a lot because he's very big. He's large. He gets. The people notice him without even knowing who he is. And they start to try to figure out who he is. He's an athlete. Who is he? An actor. I know him from somewhere. I can't place it.

[Michael B. Jordan]

People.

[Ryan Coogler]

Someone thought you were on the Shield or something. Once there's an actor, he kind of looks like. But, like, you know, we travel quite a bit together and we go to arenas and. And he couldn't be nicer to every single person. But it's so funny because it's everyone from.

[Michael B. Jordan]

For.

[Ryan Coogler]

For Mark, especially from age 6 to literally. I'm not kidding, like, age 86 will come up to him and they have something to say and they want a photo, and it's great.

[Michael B. Jordan]

So there's a guy at the Orlando airport, a TSA guy that to this day still thinks I'm on the CBS show swat.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Yeah.

[Michael B. Jordan]

And he gives me the royal treatment when I come.

[Ryan Coogler]

The guy. Yeah, he was on the shield.

[Michael B. Jordan]

His name, the actor's name is Kenny Johnson, if you want to look that up. I've met Kenny Johnson and Kenny Johnson has gotten me before.

[Amy Brown]

Yeah.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah.

[Michael B. Jordan]

So I met him at a golf tournament.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah. Because, like, I didn't know if you have any geek out stories, because there was one time I was in Austin and that's where I grew up. And I'm at a bar and I'm hammered, and my buddy Forrest is like, dude, Bananas is here. I'm like, there is no way Bananas is at this bar, dude. We just got done with this charity event. Like, you're drunk. We're drunk. He goes, he was walking in the bathroom when I was walking out. I'm gonna go find him. We're doing shots with Bananas. And I mean, this bar is packed. And he comes back 30 minutes, he's like, I found Bananas. Let's go. Let's go. And so we tried to take a tray of shots to Bananas.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Was it him?

[Lunchbox]

It was him.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Okay.

[Lunchbox]

Okay. And I mean, I am sitting there going, johnny freaking Bananas. He's just like, what is this idiot doing? Like, and he took the shot with me, and I think I scared him half to death. And I don't ever want to see Johnny Bananas again. But I do want to see Johnny Bananas again because it was just like, man, it was. I was at my worst, but I was at my best at the same time, and it was amazing. So the fact that you've never met Bananas shocks me.

[Austin Hankowitz]

When I mean Bananas, I'm gonna make them do a lunchbox. A lunchbox shot with me.

[Ryan Coogler]

No, but that. What you did. I know you feel lame about having done that. That's literally what every single person does. Literally. At our shows, we will be on stage during a show and someone in the mid, they will ask the waitress, they'll act like they're ordering for themselves to be like, yeah, can I have six shots? Whatever. And then when the waitress brings it to them, they go, no, no, no.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Bring it to them.

[Ryan Coogler]

And then, like, in the middle of our show, we get interrupted with this very nice offering of whatever. And then it's kind of like, well, you know, dribble. And you got to be like, I guess this is what they do on tv, so we're, you know, throwing shots back or whatever. But that is literally what everyone wants to do with these people, is drink. It's like Steph Curry everyone wants to dribble with.

[Michael B. Jordan]

If. If Johnny was drinking that night, he would have been way more approachable. I will say that. I. I've been with, like, when he's sober, like, really nice.

[Lunchbox]

Don't get it wrong. It was nice. I just think I guy came on a little strong.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Well, listen, we do a charity thing every year. You guys are coming, obviously, right? Paulie's gonna be back.

[Janice Torres]

Be there.

[Michael B. Jordan]

We'll bring Davis.

[Lunchbox]

Where's this?

[Michael B. Jordan]

Tell me about in Orlando.

[Lunchbox]

But he's let me mark sober.

[Michael B. Jordan]

It's. It's in December. December 5th.

[Lunchbox]

I'm open if you.

[Michael B. Jordan]

And trust me, it's like 150 reality stars. It's insane.

[Lunchbox]

That's my.

[Michael B. Jordan]

So. But, like, he was like, you know, he was sober most of the time, and, like, the fans stay at the same hotel, so there's a lot of interaction. And after that whole weekend, he's like, man, I can't come back to this. He's like, I just. He's like, I can't deal with this. So, like, he just. He's on another level of not being. Not embracing it, I guess. Like, we do. But again, like, if he's boozed up and you want to do, he's like, let's, you know. You know, party, Party.

[Ryan Coogler]

He's.

[Michael B. Jordan]

He's all about it, but when he's, like, in that kind of wants to be by himself phase, he doesn't want to be bothered.

[Ryan Coogler]

The cool one is the celebrities Suki got for these guys.

[Lunchbox]

That's what I was going to wonder. What celebrities like. Dude, I watch you on the challenge. Oh, my God.

[Ryan Coogler]

So y. Yanis Antetokounmpo from the Bucks. Huge challenge fan.

[Lunchbox]

Really?

[Ryan Coogler]

And this is years ago.

[Lunchbox]

I went.

[Ryan Coogler]

When I found out he was a challenge fan, I went down to when they were playing the Wizards. I brought him this, like, care package of our swag, and I was explaining to him who I am, and he goes, you know, Johnny Bananas, you know, and he's like, thanas, come here. These guys was Johnny Bananas. And I'm like. I'm like, you just won the mvp. And you care that I know Johnny Bananas? And I'm like. And also, my business partner and co host, Derek, he goes, yeah, but he hasn't been on the show in a long time. This is like before. Before All Stars, everything like that. We actually just got back from Milwaukee a couple weeks ago, and there was Challenge Mania Night at the Pfizer Forum, and we did a bunch of stuff on the court. Paulie was there, too. We did red light, green light, throwing T shirts into the crowd and things like that.

[Michael B. Jordan]

So my best story ever, which is awesome. First of all, just side note, the Friends cast used to watch Road Rolls back in the day repeats in their makeup thing. So, like, legit. Matthew Perry, bless his heart. He was a. I met him a bunch of times. He was a big fan. But I was at the Playboy Mansion.

[Janice Torres]

How was that?

[Ryan Coogler]

Tell me more.

[Michael B. Jordan]

So I'm at the bar. I'm at the bar. And this is probably late 90s. And gotta remember, when my Road Rules first came out, they hadn't picked up the second season 30 years ago. Yeah, it's black and white. No, so they. They hadn't picked up the second season yet. So they played the entire first season, and then they played the entire first season. It was on for, like, a year and a half and, like, eight times a week. So I was at the bar at the Playboy Mansion, and I was getting a drink, and so I just hear this voice, and I hear in the background, it goes, road Rules. And I turned around, and guess who it was.

[Janice Torres]

Emilio Estevez.

[Ryan Coogler]

The mighty Jack Nicholson.

[Michael B. Jordan]

No.

[Lunchbox]

No. Well, Jeff Goldblum.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Oh, remember Jeff from Jurassic Park?

[Lunchbox]

Wow.

[Michael B. Jordan]

He does Road Rules.

[Ryan Coogler]

I was like, I can imagine.

[Lunchbox]

What's up?

[Michael B. Jordan]

That was like, my weirdest kind of thing. Kobe Bryant was a huge MTV fan when we did it. We. He came and did a challenge with us. Him and Reggie Miller. He was. Kobe was a huge MTV fan. Kidding. Reggie Miller could care less. But Kobe stayed out after us signed all of our stuff. He was like. Because he was a kid.

[Bobby Bones]

Then Kanye west mentioned Svetlana in a song.

[Lunchbox]

Do you remember that? Yeah, there's a Kanye song that mentioned. Mention.

[Ryan Coogler]

What's he been up to lately?

[Janice Torres]

I don't know if you saw his latest wardrobe.

[Lunchbox]

My God.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Sigh is in Eminem's video about Svadlana.

[Michael B. Jordan]

But had Cyrus in one of his videos. It's.

[Lunchbox]

It's funny because it's crazy how it crosses over.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Well, you know that culture back then, like, TRL was like, the thing, right? She knows in there. MTV and TRL and, like, watching people like the Backstreet Boys and then they'd have Limp Bizkit come on and then Eminem. Like, it was just, just. It was a cool era. I always say I lived through a really cool era. I wish my nieces could live through that now. But it's totally different. But it's just. It was really fun. It wasn't so social media driven. Like, we didn't have our phones all the time, so we didn't have phones half the time. But it was just such a cool era. And, like, I remember sitting at the movie awards next to what's her name from the. From the Voice. Blake Shelton. Oh, Gwen Stefani was next to me in pink hair, and she's like. Knows the show. Like, it was just cool.

[Janice Torres]

Did you host spring break ever?

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah. Hosted spring break. Yeah. Eric and I did.

[Lunchbox]

Oh, my God.

[Ryan Coogler]

Big Easy. Still host break somehow.

[Lunchbox]

Easy does.

[Ryan Coogler]

That's literally his job, I believe. I don't know if it's his only job, but one of his main jobs is for. I believe. It's not even just like, spring break a week. There's this. Some town in Texas or something. It's like Galveston or something. I don't know where it is, but, but, but, but it's six. He hosts, like, a recurring spring break party for six weeks. And I don't know if it's just.

[Michael B. Jordan]

That he's South Padre. That's what it is.

[Janice Torres]

Okay.

[Lunchbox]

That's legit. That's a legit place.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Brownsville is, like, crappy part of right.

[Lunchbox]

Next to it, and that's where you get shot by the cartel.

[Austin Hankowitz]

I used to host that spring break.

[Michael B. Jordan]

But do you remember. Do you remember those, like, the MTV Beach House and all that stuff? Like, I'll tell you a great story. The. The same day that Road Rules premiered was July 19, 1995. It was the same day that they released the premiere of Clueless. So I got to go to the Clueless premiere on the beach in Malibu, and it was. This is when I felt like I was like. I never felt like I still never feel like a celebrity, but I felt like, cool, because I went to this premiere and it was all the 90210 cast, all the people from Clueless, Elisa Donovan, who now is one of my best friends from a Worst Cook show we did. But, like, I was on the beach and Jenny McCarthy was there and Chris Hardwick, and I was like, like, man, this is just cool. But they don't do stuff like that anymore, and I hate it. We do you do, but. We do.

[Janice Torres]

But is there a way to bring it back for.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah.

[Janice Torres]

To bring it back where? I mean, I think you're doing a great job with just these and you incorporate the comedy into it. Who's to say that we can't pitch Panama City to have Challenge Mania Live as their host of the next spring?

[Michael B. Jordan]

I think it's just finding the right person that we actually came on the.

[Ryan Coogler]

Show to announce.

[Austin Hankowitz]

We are going to be inviting fans and everybody on. No, I'm just kidding.

[Janice Torres]

There's like, there's a cruise that everybody's doing in November.

[Michael B. Jordan]

We are doing a cruise. We are doing a reality cruise in January.

[Janice Torres]

Yeah, November and January.

[Ryan Coogler]

There's one in November that's sold out, but there is one in January. You can still get tickets to showroom. Realitycruise.com Mark will be on it. These guys want to be on it. They might be on it.

[Janice Torres]

West.

[Ryan Coogler]

Bergman. Weston. Bergman. Jordan Weisley will be there. Rachel, Tina, Devin.

[Austin Hankowitz]

This guy who looks like Brad. But it's Brad.

[Ryan Coogler]

It's Brad. He shaves the beard.

[Janice Torres]

He kind of looks like Pitbull.

[Ryan Coogler]

Guys, I don't know what it is.

[Michael B. Jordan]

But whenever I go to the airport.

[Ryan Coogler]

With that beard, they search me pretty extensively if we're gonna be going to the bottom.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Have you seen him without the beard?

[Lunchbox]

I haven't seen him without the beer. Bigger and bigger and bigger. And then I was looking at pictures online. I was talking to our promotions girl a minute ago, and she. She's like, oh, I watched Real World San Diego and I pulled up and I'm like, look at how Bradley. Oh, my God. It was just so wild. And so a couple more questions before you go. So you guys earn gear when you're on the show, right? So someone sent this to me, and I want to know if I'm a poser, if I wear this crap.

[Michael B. Jordan]

No, of course not.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Oh, my God, I'm jealous.

[Ryan Coogler]

First of all, you have that they do not have.

[Janice Torres]

They don't let us keep it anymore.

[Austin Hankowitz]

That is amazing.

[Ryan Coogler]

How lame, that.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah, here's a never before. So when we leave, you got to put that back. They take back your uniform, your socks, your shoes. They take back everything.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Michael B. Jordan]

They have a check. Never to be seen again. Everything. Who knows?

[Janice Torres]

Because they don't want us to put together really cool home offices.

[Ryan Coogler]

Pretty much further.

[Janice Torres]

So.

[Ryan Coogler]

So last year, we got Derek and CT both in the Allen and Ginter tops line, right? And this isn't one of them, but Derek, back when they did let you take your Jerseys for some of his cars, he sent in two of his jerseys. So you can actually get a Derek card that has a picture piece of his dirty 30 jersey where he came in second on it. How cool is that? He wouldn't be able to do that if they didn't have the jerseys. You know what I mean? So. And rumors are there might be some more challengers in this year's line of tops. Allen and Ginter. Who knows?

[Janice Torres]

Who knows?

[Michael B. Jordan]

I had to send them sitting here. I had to send them challenge worn bandanas.

[Bobby Bones]

There you go.

[Janice Torres]

And this. This goes back to what we were talking about earlier, because I have gone to them being like, hey, I have, like, companies that would. Would give us free all of the jerseys, all of the supplements. Most of the people pack half their bags with supplements. They would give every person individual supplement stacks jerseys. We'd be able to keep it. And they put up the winnings money, and they're just like, yeah, no, that sounds great. Off.

[Lunchbox]

Interesting.

[Michael B. Jordan]

No, no. You're actually in the elite.

[Ryan Coogler]

Can you buy some for us?

[Janice Torres]

We want some that have our names.

[Lunchbox]

I love it because. Because I'm a die hard. Like, I've watched it my whole life, and I thought this. That was my career path when I was in college, and people are like, hey, what do you. You know, what jobs are you applying for? I was like, no, I'm gonna be on the Real World. Like, I'm not applying for jobs. Like, that's not my life. Like, I'm not gonna have a real job. Like, I'm gonna be on tv. But someone gave this to me. I thought I was a poser. So now Avery and Adam, you guys meet and you have a relationship on the show. Paulie, you've been in this situation. Mark, I don't remember if you ever fell in love on the challenge or not, but how do you know that this is a real relationship? Like, it's a TV show. None of these relationships work.

[Austin Hankowitz]

We didn't get to have our relationship on four until we came back and just kind of, like, kept on, like, getting to know each other deeper and deeper. So our relationship happened.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Wouldn't leave me alone.

[Janice Torres]

It just wouldn't leave me alone.

[Amy Brown]

He's always checking up on me, making.

[Lunchbox]

Sure I'm all right in Arizona.

[Amy Brown]

I'm like, I'm fine, man.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah, I guess I'm just like.

[Lunchbox]

I was like, what is with this guy?

[Ryan Coogler]

And then I just dadded her to death.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah. And then all of a sudden.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah, his hipster.

[Austin Hankowitz]

All of a sudden, I left And I was like, hey, are you gonna be all right without me? She's like, you can barely tie your shoes without me. I put your sunscreen on for you. What do you mean, am I gonna be okay?

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah.

[Austin Hankowitz]

And no, it's just. It was just magical. Like, it just developed. So, like.

[Lunchbox]

Well, it was one of your daughters, his youngest daughter.

[Michael B. Jordan]

We were talking on the phone one day, and she stole the phone, and.

[Amy Brown]

Then she was like.

[Lunchbox]

Took me aside, and she's like, do you want to know a secret?

[Amy Brown]

And I'm like, well, yeah.

[Lunchbox]

Like, who doesn't want to know a secret?

[Amy Brown]

And then she was like, okay, my dad has a crush on you. No, that's what I said.

[Bobby Bones]

I go, no.

[Ryan Coogler]

Avery's like, most people have a crush on me, honey.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Take a number.

[Lunchbox]

Again, like, no, I'm just kidding. Yeah, I just. Because I always wonder. I watch it, and it's like, you know, Theo's hooking up with Olivia. Olivia. And I'm like, there's no way that's going to last. And it's like, they're still lady. It's like, what? How?

[Ryan Coogler]

Well, she got his name tattooed on the back of her neck.

[Amy Brown]

Yeah, don't worry. I don't have any tattoos with Adam's name.

[Lunchbox]

You know what I mean? Like, I just always think.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I think.

[Lunchbox]

I think flashing the pants.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I will say this.

[Lunchbox]

Locked in the house.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I think there was a lot more showmances back in the day because it was so party atmosphere, so you'd hook up, and when you went back, it kind of fizzled, but I guess. Not that the. The. The people have evolved and got more mature. But, I mean, Adam, you know, isn't 21 anymore, and Avery isn't 21 anymore, I hope, right? No, but I'm saying I think it's. I think it's a different time now because I want to say there was even more hookups, like on Big Brother back in the day than there is now. I think people are more cognizant to it because there's so many. So much social media. And Devin and Michelle are going. Yeah, Devin and Michelle are going strong.

[Ryan Coogler]

Actually, everything you just said, I do feel like now people know the stigma, so they know, like, oh, you know, relationship built on tv. How long is this gonna last? And they're sort of like, if you're gonna enter, you got to give it at least eight months just to prove everybody wrong. And I think to go a step further with them, you know, they had the Johnny Bananas of the world, like, from Jump Street. Telling them, oh, you know, he's just in it for the game. You guys aren't a real couple. And I do think that did kind of, you know, fuel them to give each other their best. And they're still together, very happy.

[Janice Torres]

Well, I mean, it was, it wasn't even that. It was just what you find out about challengers is a lot of the things they say publicly is projection. Most of them have to go to therapy if we're being honest, and that's totally fine. But when, you know, like when Cara and I first got together in Bananas and they're being like, he's using you for game. He's using for game. I'm like, yeah, dude. Cuz that's what you fucking do. Like, you're how old, you need a young chick to hook up with? Like, he put a picture of him and Natalie in Us Weekly. Like that was his publicist that did it. He's like, we're gonna set up this date where we're getting coffee, so we're gonna take a picture and I'm gonna put it in there. So he was just a little bit upset that I was actually, you know, dating somebody from the Bachelor at the time. And my hookup was actually newsworthy, you know, when me and Carr got together. So I think he just wanted a little bit of like the I told you so thing if anything did happen. I mean, but Johnny and I were on good terms now. But I do got to give him a little shift.

[Ryan Coogler]

But anyway.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah, and how often, like outside of the show, like the anger feelings on the show, they carry over to real life.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I had this conversation with him at the hotel just now. I said, I said, it's a shame, shame. It's a shame when people really extend the enemy hatred months after the show because it is a TV show, right? We're all, there's only one winner usually or two winners. So he was talking about him and.

[Austin Hankowitz]

Frank made my life miserable.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Yeah, but, but, but he's like, Adam's like, you know, I've, I've, you know, I've now grown to move beyond being an enemy. I could, you could probably hang out with Frank now and have a great time.

[Ryan Coogler]

But now you guys have reasons. You know, back in the day, it used to be that especially you and Frank, people have like completely different lives and careers that if you went on All Stars 5, decided you hate each other, there's really no reason for you guys to ever interact. Unless you come to one of these or you see each other on the touring Circuit or you go and do another season together. So it is easy to get swept up in the oh, yeah, I should hate this guy of it all if you don't get to see each other. But the fact that we do so many of these and, you know, unless people request, hey, I don't want to do one with Paulie or whatever, like, you know, you do kind of know, hey, I might see this guy in the future. He might, you know, maybe we mend fences a little sooner. Maybe we don't put things out there on social media that we can't, you know, ask for forgiveness for later, you.

[Amy Brown]

Know, So I think a lot of.

[Michael B. Jordan]

People don't realize, too, like, when we.

[Lunchbox]

Film these shows, like, they're a year past. Like.

[Amy Brown]

Like, by the time that they're aired, that's. That's it.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Last year, like, that we.

[Lunchbox]

It's so weird. Yeah.

[Amy Brown]

So for me, I'm like, okay, it's been a year.

[Lunchbox]

Like, what can I really like Polly.

[Amy Brown]

We have nothing against each other, but, like, let's say Paulie pissed me off.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Like, is it really that serious that in a year, like, did he really.

[Amy Brown]

Take my pillow one night?

[Lunchbox]

And I'm like, I hate you, ball. I wish you die.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Like, you know, and, like, really, like, hold on to that for, like, a year.

[Lunchbox]

That, like, sometimes, like, I know that.

[Michael B. Jordan]

We have, like, really.

[Lunchbox]

There's our castmates that have real serious.

[Amy Brown]

Problems with each other. Totally different, you know, like, okay, you personally don't like this person.

[Lunchbox]

Get it? Like, yeah, I get it. I understand why no one likes Laurel.

[Amy Brown]

Yeah, I totally understand something, like, gameplay related. It's like, it's a game at the.

[Lunchbox]

End of the day, like, it's a game.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Like, we're playing a game, you know, hold a grudge.

[Janice Torres]

Amanda.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Johnny.

[Janice Torres]

Oh, Johnny.

[Lunchbox]

Yeah.

[Janice Torres]

Oh, Johnny.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I love Johnny. He's one of my best friends. But if that. If you've crossed him in his mind and somewhere in the past, he will hold that to his grave. Yeah.

[Janice Torres]

Even if he gets you back. Yes.

[Lunchbox]

Yes, he's allowed to cross people. But once someone crosses him, it's like, oh, you just scorched the earth. How dare you? But he is the king of crossing. Crossing. Like, he crosses all the time. And that's why people love him, though, right?

[Janice Torres]

I mean, that's.

[Lunchbox]

I mean. But yeah. But yeah. Thank you guys so much for coming in. And, hey, if you guys are anywhere, Challenge Mania Live, May 4 in New York. May 25 in Chicago. June 7 in St. Louis. June 28 in Pittsburgh. June 13 or July 13 in Atlanta, September 7 in Phoenix, and in July 13, bananas will be in Atlanta.

[Ryan Coogler]

And I just want to tell you also at three of those, we're also throwing out the first pitch with the major League baseball team. So in St. Louis, we're doing the Cardinals when they play the Dodgers, in Pittsburgh when the Pirates play the Mets. And then in Phoenix, we did it last year, Mark threw it out in Phoenix. Tory is going to be throwing out the first pitch when they play the Red Sox.

[Michael B. Jordan]

So I want a lot of cool.

[Ryan Coogler]

Stuff like that with the sports team.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I will also be doing batting practice before she throws the first pitch.

[Ryan Coogler]

He almost legit, dude. He literally almost crushed one out of the park last September.

[Janice Torres]

That would be epic.

[Michael B. Jordan]

I will get it done this, this time.

[Ryan Coogler]

But thank you guys for having us. And thanks for the plugs so much.

[Michael B. Jordan]

So much fun, guys.

[Janice Torres]

So this is Guy Fanny. Don't listen to Lunchbox because he gets.

[Bobby Bones]

My name wrong every time.

[Lunchbox]

But you know what?

[Bobby Bones]

I'm listening to the Bobby Bones show now.

[Michael B. Jordan]

Come on, Lunchbox, y'all.

[Bobby Bones]

Too much fun.

[Janice Torres]

I love Bob Bones family.

[Amy Brown]

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[Bobby Bones]

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[Amy Brown]

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[Michael B. Jordan]

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[Amy Brown]

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[Lunchbox]

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[Michael B. Jordan]

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[Amy Brown]

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[Michael B. Jordan]

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[Amy Brown]

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[Michael B. Jordan]

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[Ryan Coogler]

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[Bobby Bones]

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