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Guys, this new Mormon dating show called the Altar has absolutely taken over my life, and it also has taken over X. And the discourse around it is certifiably insane because apparently, according to commenters, a girl goes skydiving and suddenly she's a hoe who is undateable. Okay, I cannot wait to dive into this story. I have been thinking about it literally for days. Alex and I have even been debating this entire thing. It says so much about our modern dating culture and everything going on between men and women. We're gonna dive into it. But before we dive in, if you want more breakdowns and call outs of insanity just like this, make sure that you follow our podcast page and please rate the show if you are enjoying it. That helps us out so much in the algorithm and it makes sure that you don't miss a single episode. Just like this. We do them Monday and Thursdays. You don't wanna miss it. Here we go. I am so excited about this again because I've literally been thinking about it for days. So the way that I learned about the story was not on X. It got to X later on. It actually first went viral over on Instagram reels, which is unique because on social media, I feel like Instagram reels are like the last place something goes viral. But in this circumstance, I saw it there first. I then went over to YouTube and watched this entire web series. It's this Mormon dating show. Like I said, it's called the Altar. It's a spinoff, I think, of another Mormon dating show. Anyway, I was enamored. I mean, I was lying in bed. I don't even know. It was probably like 10pm and I was like, this is the most riveting thing I've ever seen. And it all came from this one clip that now is viral across social media that I found on Instagram reel. So before we get into it, I need you to have the context. So let's watch the clip that went viral. All right, we can roll it.
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Okay.
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I'm Riley.
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I'm 24, I'm from Houston, Texas, and honestly, I am down for any good adventure. I just got scuba dive certified and I'm planning to go to to Australia this summer. So I'm super excited about that. And then I just picked up skiing like two years ago. And I honestly love any themed party. Like, those are like my favorite things to go to, my favorite things to plan. And I'm looking for someone that wants to be my adventure buddy. And it's someone that I can trust in and is going to be there for me.
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Oh, it gets so upsetting.
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They're nervous.
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Anyone?
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Come on. Hey, Riley, we're gonna have you sit down, but thank you for introducing yourself.
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Okay, all right, we can cut it there. Nobody stands up. So this sweet girl, Riley, she stands up, she introduces herself to these guys. They. Then the guys get to pick, like, you know, if they want to stand up and introduce themselves to the girl. So if they like what they hear, that's the format of the show. If they like what they hear, they'll stand up and go, okay, well, I'll introduce myself and we can get to know each other. Nobody stood up. And I was watching again, it was like 10pm And I was watching this reel on Instagram and I was like, no, she seems so sweet. And I obviously, like, I don't want anybody to feel rejected. And it was pulling at my heartstrings. And all the comments on Instagram were like, oh, this is so sad. She seems so sweet. They were going over, they were watching the videos. Everything was like, nice and sweet. And then it went viral on X. And when something goes viral on X, all hell breaks loose. And I saw the video pop up on my feed and I was like, oh, God. Oh, no. It's like I knew. I could just imagine the types of comments that I was going to see when I opened up the reply section. And I was not disappointed. I should be disappointed, because I hate that these are things that are, you know, popular in our culture and society. But it was to be expected, basically. And these videos now have millions upon millions of views. People are reposting them, they're sharing this video, and everyone has an opinion on why sweet Riley did not get picked. And they genuinely are shocking. Again, not shocking, but still, if you are a normal person, they're shocking. These are the types of things that people were saying. This guy said, we need to talk more about how much of a red flag it is for men. When a girl says, I love to travel, apparently that is a huge red flag. Another person said, the most charitable view of this is that, quote, unquote, travel means shifty, rootless, and a compulsive spender. Another guy said, quote, unquote, I want to get railed by lots of foreign men and then settle down. Another guy said, so many red flags with this one. Way too much crazy with way too little hot, easy pass, guys. Just because she likes to travel, she has way too much going on because she went skydiving, she got scuba certified, she learned how to ski and she's so excited about going to Australia. Oh, my God. Red flag. Shifty, rootless. That is like, I shouldn't be laughing at this comment, but I literally cackled out loud because I was like, what bubble are you living in? Like, in what world did you watch that video of that sweet, innocent girl and go, oh, yeah, shifty, rootless. Like, this comment section should be the only evidence we need that men and women are on completely different tracks right now, that we are completely misunderstanding each other, that there is a genuine dislike and distrust of the sexes. And obviously that has been happening on the female side for years. I'm not just trying to attack men here. Feminists have been doing it to men for years. Talks, masculinity, all of that, but men have responded and have basically done the same thing to women. Anything that a sweet woman says, like, oh, she likes to travel, suddenly she is shifty and rootless. And this conversation was not just happening over this show the altar. It wasn't just happening over this clip because apparently this is something that I've apparently missed. A lot of men think that women who travel are hoes and are just traveling in order to get laid. Actually, on Steiny's podcast from the Nelk boys, Michael Porter Jr. Who plays in the NBA, he went on the podcast and they had a conversation that was very, very similar to this. All of this, like, showed up feed in the same week. But take a listen to this.
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These girls I've been, like, talking to, I. I just don't like to see them on that first class lie, flat seat, you know, some rich guys flying them out to Europe. I don't know why, but that's such a red, flat trips are red flag.
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If girl going on trips, you know for a fact they're not paying for it. But you know they're not paying for it and you know, the dude is paying for it. He's probably going to be expecting something. I, yeah, that's why, like, bro, like, I, like, if you want to take a girl seriously, like, I feel like it's so much more attractive if she has some innocence left. Like, she hasn't done everything where she hasn't been to Ibiza, Mykonos and in Saint Tropez. Every summer she's in Europe for three. Like, somebody's paying for that.
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Like, that's why you can tell. Okay, we can cut it there, Max. This entire conversation just cracked me up. Literally in there. Yeah. Oh, if a girl's traveling, it's such a red flag. If she's in a lay flat seat. If she's just traveling, even not in first class, we know who's paying for it and we know what is expected of her when we get there. We want her to have some innocence left. Okay, does innocence mean that she hasn't seen the world? Like one of my closest friends in the entire world, she was a bridesmaid of mine. I've told her story many times because I think that it is just so great. And she's such, she's not even an anomaly, but she's just so. I just love her to death. But she is a devout Catholic. She is very traditional, very conservative and she has always loved traveling. She's always been enamored by Europe. She loves art, she loves great food and culture. She traveled a lot as a kid with her family. She studied abroad. She is super, super interested in literature and understanding the great works and wants to go see where things were written and see art in person. And so she's traveled a ton. She's traveled way more than most people our age and she pays for it all herself. And she also like, is one of the sweetest, most, I would say innocent in a way, people that I know. She's not having men fly her out to the uk, she is saving up. She is moving back home with her parents, saving up money so that she can go spend six weeks in Europe and traveling to all of the places that she wants to go to. She spent months working on trying to get a visa, trying to get a job over in the UK so that she could fulfill her lifelong dream of moving there. And she was not going around sleeping with a bunch of men. She was not being flown out to any of these places. Now she met an incredible guy there. They're in a serious relationship. She is head over heels in love with this sweet European guy. And that, I'm sorry, I think is more normal than girls getting flown out in lay flat seats to Mykonos or whatever it is. And girls wanting to travel just being, you know, a code for I want to go hook up with a bunch of foreign guys. Like, I'm sorry, Like if you look at all of the comments under Steiny's posts on TikTok, it was a bunch of women saying no. I paid for my own travel. I wanted to see the world. I saved up, I worked extra jobs. People that were commenting and reposting the people talking about Riley and this and this video, they were also saying like, no, that's not all. Women, like most of us funded it ourselves. Like Maybe we went on family vacations and our dads paid for it, but that's the only man other than our husband that has paid for us to go on vacation. So it just seems like there's a lot of outrage. There is a lot of cope that I really do not think is applicable. Oh, my God. I just completely butchered that word. I do not think this is applicable to Riley's situation right here. Anyway, back to the reactions to Riley and the dating show. A lot of people also took issue with her looking for a travel buddy or an adventure buddy. So they moved on from her being an alleged hoe and they went on to this. So one guy said, no straight, honest male with good intentions is looking for a travel buddy. Guys are looking for relationships and predictability. Can it be both? Can you have a relationship with predictability and love and also have a travel partner? Okay, whatever. Like, it is not mutually exclusive. Travel girls are unreliable and usually self absorbed in a whole different kind of way. And they usually don't want to start a family. Where are you getting that from? All right, another Guy said in 2025, the fact that women are still advertising for a quote travel buddy is shocking. No, men do not want to foot the bill for your travel. And yes, a woman having traveled extensively correlates with a high body count and a likelihood of vd. Ladies, will you ever learn? I'm sorry, traveling is correlated with a high body count. What women are like, genuinely, what women are you spending time with? Like, who is giving you that impression? I would urge you to go meet other women who are normal, who are not being flown out to Mykonos by rich dudes who want to sleep with them. Like, that is not normal. Anyway, something that this guy said, it takes me to the next issue, which people said was the expense, which is kind of like taking you through everybody's rationale of why she didn't get picked. So somebody else said it was the expense. This person said, if this was a pitch for a friend, I would think that she is very expensive to hang out with. The implication that he would have to pay for him and her might be what's making making them nervous. And I saw a lot of comments about that. Like, she's just too expensive. She's high maintenance. Which again, is just laughable because people say that girls who are into, you know, shopping and fashion and doing makeup are high maintenance because you're gonna have to pay for their nails. It's like, which one do you want? Like, everybody has hobbies and interests. You have to pay for them. Like, that's just a normal thing. I'm not saying you men have to pay for them. I'm just saying people have interests. In 2025, in this economy, it costs money. Everything's a bit more expensive. But this does not make her a bad person. Now, there were also a ton of comments about her voice and about her looks and her demeanor. Those are comments that I am not gonna pull because they were very hateful and they were very bitter. There were people that were commenting on her sweater, and they were saying she was wearing this crocheted vest that was very grandmotherly. So because of that, in defense of her, I wore my favorite thrift store sweater in honor of Riley. I love this sweater. I have a lot of, like, knitted vests, actually. So I feel like a very. I feel a pull to Riley here to defend her. So I'm wearing this in support of her. But anyway, the thing is, that video that everybody saw that went viral on social media does not paint the entire picture. It is actually missing a ton of context. And all of those comments ripping into her appearance and everything about her, from her travel habits to the shirt that she was wearing, they were missing a huge, huge aspect of the show, and that was that the men did not even see her. She was introducing herself behind a curtain. And that clip that you guys watch had cut that part out. Like it was a blind dating experience. It is like BYU Mormon love is blind. That is what was happening. The guys did not see her. So let's just pull up. This was the full screen that people on X did not post and did not see. She is introducing herself from behind a curtain. They did not see her jeans. They did not see her absolutely fantastic knitted sweater that I would 100% buy. And she is not seeing any of them. This is just her. So we can go on. We can close that out. Now. This was not about her outfit or her posture or her demeanor or whatever. It was people, you know, whatever people were picking apart about her appearance online, it was purely about what she was choosing to share about her personality and her interests, which, to be honest, did probably put her at a disadvantage. The fact that these guys could not see her, as this man pointed out. This is a longer comment, but I think he had some really interesting insight. And he said by doing the blind date thing, they removed one of the primary relational axes of how men and women are attracted to each other, even while describing her desire to travel rather than her desire to stay home, cook, and have babies. Apparently if she could have spoken, smiled at them, maybe offered a shy, nervous little laugh or something, one of those dorks would have gone out with her instead. With the attraction mechanism that God designed removed from them, they only consider a sterile list of ideal feminine characteristics and are unwilling to take a chance. All they heard was her talking about her scuba diving, her skiing, whatever. They couldn't see her personality, her face light up as she's talking about these things. They saw nothing. They approach getting to know women as they approach choosing a new gaming PC. This is the exact same dynamic in play with young men online. It's like, you ain't the perfect catch either, buddy. Stop making excuses and get to know some women. Which is a great way to just end that comment. Now, my take on this entire situation, now that you have gotten the entire picture, you know what people are saying? My take, unlike the angry Men online, is that no, this girl is not a ho. Like, literally, what universe are you living in if you think that this sweet young Mormon girl from BYU is some hoe that is wanting to be flown out to Mykonos on your credit card on your dime? That is not what is happening here. She's not trying to take your money. And no, I do not believe that that is why those men did not stand up. Like, every comment, like I said on Steiny's post, was women saying, we pay for this ourselves. This is not normal. This idea that all women who travel are hoes. I'm sorry, that is just not real. Maybe it's just the girls that you are going out with that you are choosing to spend time with that are the hoes. And if so, that seems like it's a you problem, not a women problem. Just saying. Anyway, my take is something that involves some additional context that was also not shown in that clip, which is the fact that she was behind a curtain. And also she went first. She launched the entire web series like nobody else. She got up, she introduced herself, Everybody was awkward, everybody was fidgeting. She already had the deck stacked against her because the ice had not been broken and she had to do that job. Guys were looking around with each other, trying to gauge interest. So like, do we do this? Do we stand up? They were like laughing and giggling. Like everybody just seemed awkward and uncomfortable, like they were trying to. I don't know, it seemed more like peer pressure and like the guys cared more about what the guys were thinking than about whether they were interested in Riley. Maybe that's just me projecting, I don't know. But the fact that she went first. Definitely put her at a disadvantage. And also, I do think it's important to point out that her hobbies definitely might not interest everyone. And that's okay. Like, are the things that she enjoys doing a bit more masculine? Yes. Yes. Like skiing and scuba diving and snowboarding and all of the things. Not every guy will be into that or want a girl who is into those things. They might think that she's a bit too much because she likes doing those things. But I genuinely do not understand how that correlates to slut. I don't know how we got from point A to point Z here. Unless you are just living in the bubble that is X and you are not outside touching grass and meeting real women and talking to them, which is what I'm encouraging you all to do after watching this episode. Like, genuinely, this girl seems so sweet. She honestly sounds a little bit nerdy from behind the curtain and kind of dorky and wonderful. Maybe that could be part of it because they just heard her voice and they weren't able to see her face and how excited she was talking about all of these things. She is definitely a tomboyish, adventurous girl who is not some slutty, hot, overly sexual being. And you could probably hear that from her voice. But again, I don't know if that's not why. I don't know if that's why they did not choose to pick her. But she is certainly not boring, which I feel like should be a green flag to guys. As this guy pointed out in the comments. This one said, when I was single, the hardest part of dating was how boring women were. No passions, no hobbies. And getting them to take an interest in anything at all was like pulling teeth. Someone who took it upon herself to get scuba certified and learn to ski would have been heaven sent. I mean, it's like the bare minimum. You want the person that you are going to be spending time with, spending your life with, to have interests, to have hobbies, to have things that inspire them and make them excited. Like the way that I feel every single time I eat a Paleo Valley meat stick. And I know you might think I'm crazy for saying that that is a hobby, but that is just how good these snacks are. These are not the meat sticks that you grew up with. Paleo Valley makes theirs with 100% grass fed beef from small regenerative American farms. So you can feel good about what you are eating and what you are supporting. They have stripped out all of the junk. No preservatives, no Gluten, no soy, no sugar, no dairy, no GMOs, just clean nutrient dense fue that is made the way food was meant to be made. Now whether you are road tripping, working late, just running around like crazy like I am scuba diving like Riley, these beef sticks give you high protein energy without the crash so that you can keep going with all of your hobbies. Or maybe like me, just eating these meat sticks is a hobby in and of itself because they are so good. Keto, paleo, carnivore, whatever your vibe is, Paleo Valley fits right in. They come in five bold flavors. Original jalapeno summer sausage, garlic summer sausage which is my personal favorite, and teriyaki. So there is truly something for everyone. With over 55 million sold and a 60 day money back guarantee, Paleo Valley is the real deal. Get 15% off your first order@paleovalley.com Brett with code Brett at checkout Again they are so good. If you go on a dating show you will want to talk about Paleo Valley. That will be your number one hobby. Anyway, back to this comment here. This is apparently how a lot of men feel like what I was saying about having a woman who has interests and has hobbies. When you, when you leave the X comment section and you touch some grass and you go into the real world, shocking. Men enjoy women who have hobbies. Now I'm gonna go over to another cesspool, which is Reddit. But I did want to give just some kind of comparison here because I went over to the Reddit sub, thread. Oh my God, I can't even speak. I went over to the Reddit subreddit, ask Men and there was an entire thread about men talking about women's hobbies, basically saying like, what are the most attractive hobbies that a woman can have? I'm really interested in going out with this girl. Like, what are you guys into? What do you think is attractive as you guys are starting to date? And most of the men just said we just want her to have some kind of hobby and be passionate about something. Like it doesn't matter what she's into if it makes her happy, if her eyes light up when she's telling me about it, if I get to go do something with her that she really loves, like that is all that matters to me. And that just restored my faith in humanity a little bit because these guys just seemed so genuine and so precious. Like there was one guy who was like, listen, my wife is super into crocheting. I don't give a crap about crocheting, but she loves it so much, and she gets so happy when she tells me about it. Like, that's all that matters, is that she loves something. And I think that that also speaks to the fact that it really is about, like, you lighting up when you talk about the thing that you love and what you're interested in doing. And the fact that the guys could not see that with Riley behind the curtain. So they just heard her talking about these really intense, like, and activities that they were gonna have to jump into and join. And maybe they were like, oh, I don't really know. I can't see this girl. I have no idea what's going on. But we as the viewers could see how excited she was about all of this. And apparently that goes a long way with guys. And also, to be fair, to clear things up with the men on X, a lot of the guys in this thread, and this had thousands and thousands of comments, it was a huge thread in the subreddit, were saying that they wanted a woman who would be an adventure buddy. Those were terms they used. Men on X. They were actually saying that. They were saying, I want somebody who will be able to go travel with me. Guys were saying, I would love it if she's interested in my hobbies, like techie things or working on cars, being outdoorsy, going hiking, rock climbing, whatever it is. Like. So the point is, I do not think that having masculine hobbies means that you are, you know, undateable. That you were kicked out of the dating pool. You enjoying traveling as a woman does not mean that you are a slut. And I guarantee you, men out there who are offline, I do not think that that is what they assume. I feel like this was just not the best setup for Riley. Like, she probably would have had a better chance of meeting somebody if she was on a show like Survivor or Amazing Race. If she was gonna go on reality tv, maybe she could go to the BYU rock climbing club and meet somebody there or the ski team. Like, I remember being at ucla and I was on the ski snowboard team, the club team. And so many people started dating within that group because all of the men and women had similar interests. And it was a bunch of who were like Riley, who were outdoorsy and cool and really, really smart. Most of them were, like, STEM majors at ucla, were really, really smart, super outdoorsy, really strong. And they met these amazing guys on the ski team, and that's how they started dating. So your person will be out there, the person who shares your hobbies will be out there. And also, just because. I can't believe I have to say this, but just because somebody enjoys things that you don't particularly enjoy or you don't understand, just because they have traits that you don't have or you don't really like does not make them objectively bad or unattractive to other people. It simply just means they are not your cup of tea. So you can move on. Like, it is normal for everyone to have preferences and to have things that they are maybe not attracted to, but that does not make the sweet young girl a slut. That does not make her a bad person. Like, for example, to flip it back on men and women, I just saw this study that came out a few weeks ago about the least attractive male hobbies. The top 15 least attractive hobbies to women. The top comic books, cosplay, debating, drinking, there's gambling, arguing, online crypto, whatever it is. Makeup, which is really funny. Anyway, but the point is, the reason why I'm bringing this up is because guess what? There are plenty of girls out there who are into comic books, that are into cosplaying, that are into video games, that like cigars. There is a myriad of women who are interested in those types of things. Just because these are considered the least attractive hobbies to some people does not mean that you should be insecure, that you should change who you are, or that you are some kind of bad person. Unless, of course, porn was on this. Unless porn is your number one hobby, then I think we have an issue, and maybe we should fix that and you should move on from that. But that hobby aside, for the most part, regardless of what your hobbies are, you men, I'm speaking to you now, there will still be women out there who will find you attractive, that will share those hobbies, or they won't care because they love you and they love the fact that you are interested in something. And the same goes for men dating women. Everybody just needs to move along and realize you're not gonna be everybody's cup of tea. And that is okay. So I'm going to end this story by saying that it was simply just the wrong format and the wrong group of guys for her. And I think that she was kind of set up for failure by going first, but that was really brave and bold of her to do so. She knew what she was getting into. She did a little interview after she got rejected by everybody, and she was like, you know, that's okay. You know, it's kind of uncomfortable. And that's Hard. But I went first. And that's okay. Like, she is so sweet. She's going to be fine. Go to the rock climbing club, join a run club, a hiking club. I promise you we'll meet somebody. Riley, do not be discouraged. And it just makes me sad to see everybody on X. All of these bitter men turn it into some nasty mess, unfortunately. Just like they are doing with another Riley. Just like they're doing with my friend Riley Gaines. Which is what we're talking about next. Because guys, what we are not going to do today is attack Riley Gaines for having advertisers. And that is literally what is happening on X right now. And I am so thankful for my advertisers, as you guys know that before we get into this story, I want to take a moment to tell you about them. Now, first of all guys, if you have never heard of tallow before, it is simply rendered beef fat. And yes, I absolutely slather beef fat on my face. And the best place to buy that beef fat is from tallow. Now tallow might sound strange, but this has made a huge difference in my skin. 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When you start a new subscription, you're just gonna be surrounded in beef from the tallow to the steak from Good Ranchers, which is all just incredible. Anyway, thank you to my sponsors. I adore them, I love doing advertising for them. But people on X are very unhappy about people doing advertisements. Okay, so the brief overview of what happened here is that Riley, who has a podcast and has a social media presence, she often works with advertisers and sometimes those advertisers will buy something on her social media. Like, you'll often see me post a good rancher's reel or a story, whatever it is that is very normal in the digital space in 2025. Well, she did an ad for a company that she works with and she did it on her ex. And so she posted this video with her link, all of the things. It blew up like crazy. It got over 5 million views. Not because people were so excited about what she was selling, but because they were so angry that she was doing an ad in the first place. Literally, they were losing their damn minds. And it Was truly like yesterday morning, guys. I don't know if it is the testosterone from growing a baby boy right now. I turned into the Incredible Hulk. I was like, how dare you people say these things. Now, granted, I should be honest. I'm a good friend of Riley's. I was literally at her baby shower yesterday before or after all of this stuff started. But I woke up and I saw these tweets, People ripping into her in the most nasty, disgusting ways. And I was like, you will not do this. And so I responded. I posted in defense of her. And basically what I said is, God forbid, a girl who has dedicated years of her life standing up for women, supporting the next generation, putting her safety, her reputation, her life on the line, literally getting legislation passed at both the federal and the state level. God forbid she takes a brand deal, like basically every creator on the Internet does every single day. And yet people were ripping into her. This was one of the, quote, tweets I saw. This guy said, this is why I like the Daniel Penny just quietly continued his life and didn't become a right wing grifter. They were literally calling her a grifter because she did an ad like she does every single day on her podcast. And also, her and Daniel Penny, their stories are nowhere near similar. Their careers now are not at all. That is a very, very false equivalency in my opinion. But like, okay, obviously I am Riley's friend. Obviously I'm going to defend her. I do not want to see my friends ripped into online. I think that a lot of the accusations are baseless, especially because I know her and I know her heart. But I do think that there is a broader issue at hand here. And I just want to say, like, a few years ago, people on the right literally couldn't get advertisers. There wasn't a way to make money in this space, especially on social media. Like the whole Jeremy's Razors thing at Daily Wire, that started because of Harry's Razors pulling out and attacking the Daily Wire audience and attacking Daily Wire, attacking Michael Knowles values, all of that, like that was real. People didn't wanna advertise with us. There was no way to make money. But now, a few years later, the tides have started to turn and there is a lot of money in advertising for conservative creators and people on the Internet and the digital space. And now you're pissed because she does have an advertiser. This is something that we should be excited about. The fact that she has a way to make money. The people like her People doing incredible work have a way to supplement their income so that they can go out and do incredible things, like Riley has been doing for the last three years. But that fact has not stopped people in the slightest. And this was probably the craziest tweet that I saw about this. Somebody replied to a post and said, riley Gaines is one of the more influential people on the right. She could be in dentistry school right now. So her opportunity cost is that she needs to make good money to keep doing this fight. Exactly what I'm saying. Otherwise she can just leave the spotlight, which she probably will once the baby is here. And somebody responded and said she should do something meaningful with her life. Rescue puppies, volunteer at a senior sitter, start a taco truck, set up a mango stand, whatever, something, anything. Just not this. And that comment came because she did an ad that came across your feed on X. Do something meaningful with your life. And you are saying that to Riley freaking Gaines. Again, like this commenter said, one of the most influential people on the right. You are seriously telling me that her starting a taco truck, setting up a mango stand would be more meaningful than the work that she is doing? And you might not think that doing an ad is meaningful, but that supplements her income. That gives her the opportunity to keep doing what she has been doing. And honestly, I don't care. Like, genuinely, even if she was making a ton of money doing all of these different things, let her make more. She's done so much for young men, for our country, for this movement, for this fight, whatever you want to call it. Like, I genuinely do not care. And also now, on top of people calling her a grifter because she was just doing an ad in and of itself, there were a lot of people that were complaining that the ad that she was doing was for a pharma drug. She was doing an ad for a company that sells Ivermectin. And so that also had people clutching their pearls. Like, this person said, there's grifting and then there's grifting. $600 ivermectin for back to school. Damn, this is a weird flex. Somebody else said, why would I ever need Ivermectin? From finishing in fifth place in a swimming competition to selling Ivermectin. Classic maga underachiever. And these comments were not just coming from people on the left. These were coming from the right as well. I just want to say, like, seriously, people, have you never watched a conservative show or conservative podcast? Like, somebody talking about Ivermectin is not new. I guarantee this is not the first time that you have seen this happen. This is not a grift. And again, I think that this speaks to a broader issue because the political right, just like we didn't have advertisers for many years, we have a smaller pool of advertisers than say, left wing activists or normal apolitical influencers because influencers with followings half the size of Riley's across TikTok X, YouTube, whatever it is, podcasting, they get brand deals with huge, huge mainstream brands that are terrified to touch conservatives, even though conservatives make up half the population. And obviously we buy their products, we consume what they're selling, we are interested in their brands, but they don't want to touch us because of values misalignment. That is what Harry's said to Daily Wire back in the day. So do not be mad at Riley for offering people a way to buy medicine for their families. A medicine that a lot of people on the right are interested in and learned about during COVID A medicine that, I'm sorry, won a Nobel Prize for being the multipurposeful wonder drug. That is literally what they called it. Ivermectin won the Nobel Prize in 2015, I believe it was. It was called the wonder drug. And if you still think of it as horse dewormer, if you know $600 is too expensive for you, if you are not in the market, if that is not something that you want to invest in for your family, if your family is not gonna use it, guess what? You can keep scrolling like we do every single day on social media. Because I guarantee we all come across ads. We see them on our Instagram stories, we see them on Instagram reels and the Explore page, we see them on TikTok. Wherever we are, there are advertisements. That is the name of the game in the digital age. If you don't like it, you just keep scrolling. That is what we do. You don't need to stop and rip into this young woman who has done so many amazing things for this world, for this culture, for this country, because you don't like the fact that she's either doing an ad or you don't like what she is selling. Like this is nothing to get into some right wing civil war over. If you want to be mad at something, you should get angrier at the brands who in 2025 are still afraid to work with people that the left disagrees with. If you want to unite over something, if you want to get angry, get angry. Over that, because that still is a huge, huge issue that all of us come up against all the time. Now I feel like. I also wanna say, I feel like I've called out the right a lot recently. Like, if you scroll back on my videos, there's a lot of, like, conservatives who need to stop doing this. And that isn't because my values are shifting or I'm angry at people or whatever, but it's simply because a lot of what the right is fighting over right now is truly ridiculous. And I know that we can and we should be better. Like, that is the only way that we keep winning and we keep succeeding. Like, arguing over stupid BS like Riley Gaines and her advertisements helps nobody but the left, because we're just sowing division in our own circles and calling sweet nerdy girls who just like to travel. Calling her a slut is just turning off women and is also not helping our case in the slightest. So everybody just needs to, like, take a deep breath, calm down, keep scrolling. If you don't like something, just keep on scrolling and touch some grass and try to have some nuance. Because I guarantee there is often context that you are missing. There are things you might not agree with that does not make people bad or objectively wrong or sluts or whatever. Take a deep breath, touch some grass, kick some fricking rocks and move on. That is my message for you today on this lovely Monday.
Title: Why Did Every Guy Reject This Girl?
Date: August 18, 2025
Host: Brett Cooper
This episode dives into a viral controversy from a Mormon dating show called The Altar, where a contestant named Riley was rejected by all the men after giving what many saw as a wholesome introduction. Brett explores the cultural discourse surrounding the event—particularly the backlash online that interpreted Riley’s love for travel and adventure as "red flags" or indicators of promiscuity—unpacking what this reaction says about modern dating, generational insecurities, and growing divides between men and women. Brett contextualizes the uproar with examples from other online discussions and adds thoughtful commentary on how digital discourse distorts reality and amplifies toxic narratives.
"She seems so sweet. And I obviously… I don't want anybody to feel rejected. And it was pulling at my heartstrings." – Brett [02:46]
[02:46–04:20] The conversation migrates from supportive Instagram comments to a brutal, judgmental discourse on X (formerly Twitter).
A barrage of comments paint Riley’s adventurous spirit as a "red flag," with several suggesting that travel means promiscuity or that she must be high-maintenance.
Notable online quotes:
"‘I want to get railed by lots of foreign men and then settle down.’" – Anonymous commenter [03:29]
"Travel means shifty, rootless, and a compulsive spender." – Anonymous commenter [03:06]
Brett’s response:
"I shouldn't be laughing at this comment, but I literally cackled out loud because…in what world did you watch that video of that sweet, innocent girl and go, oh yeah, shifty, rootless." – Brett [03:45]
[06:22–07:01] Brett plays a clip from Steiny’s podcast (Nelk Boys) echoing the sentiment that travel (especially funded travel) is suspicious in women, leading men to assume a lack of innocence.
Notable quotes from the podcast:
"I just don't like to see them on that first class lie-flat seat, you know, some rich guys flying them out to Europe… trips are red flag." – Michael Porter Jr. on Steiny’s podcast [06:22]
"We want her to have some innocence left." – Guest on Steiny’s podcast [06:51]
Brett counters with a personal story of a devout Catholic friend who loves travel, funds her own trips, and represents the vast majority of travel-loving women—contradicting the online stereotype [07:20].
"It's more normal than girls getting flown out in lay-flat seats to Mykonos… Girls wanting to travel just being, you know, a code for I want to go hook up with a bunch of foreign guys—I'm sorry, that is just not real." – Brett [07:48]
Online critics label Riley as "expensive," "high maintenance," and unreliable simply for liking adventure-based hobbies.
"If this was a pitch for a friend, I would think that she is very expensive to hang out with." – Anonymous commenter [09:43]
Brett dissects these accusations, noting their contradictions:
"People say that girls who are into shopping and fashion and doing make up are high maintenance… Which one do you want?" – Brett [10:10]
Online scrutiny further targets her clothing and demeanor, with commenters attacking what she wore—despite the fact that Riley was behind a curtain and not visible to the men, a key detail omitted from most viral clips.
"They did not even see her... It was a blind dating experience… So, this was not about her outfit or her posture or her demeanor…" – Brett [11:59]
The show's format placed Riley at a disadvantage:
"[She] went first. She launched the entire web series... Everybody was awkward, everybody was fidgeting." – Brett [15:25]
Brett argues that shared hobbies are critical to real-world relationships, and having masculine or adventurous interests should not be stigmatized.
"Just because somebody enjoys things that you don't particularly enjoy...does not make them objectively bad or unattractive to other people." – Brett [19:34]
Brett references threads from Reddit’s r/AskMen, where the majority of men say the most attractive thing is simply that a woman has a hobby or passion, regardless of what it is.
"Most of the men just said we just want her to have some kind of hobby and be passionate about something…that restored my faith in humanity a little bit." – Brett [18:07]
Rejection is not an indictment of worth; just a mismatch in interests or context.
Brett returns to the lesson: Social media amplifies fringe negativity that doesn’t represent real-world experience or the majority of people.
"You enjoying traveling as a woman does not mean that you are a slut. And I guarantee you, men out there who are offline, I do not think that that is what they assume." – Brett [17:53]
Advice to listeners:
"Take a deep breath, touch some grass, kick some fricking rocks and move on." – Brett [25:29]
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 03:06 | Commenter | “Travel means shifty, rootless, and a compulsive spender.” | | 03:29 | Commenter | “I want to get railed by lots of foreign men and then settle down.” | | 06:22 | Guest (Steiny’s podcast) | “Trips are red flag.” | | 06:51 | Guest | "We want her to have some innocence left." | | 07:48 | Brett | "Girls wanting to travel just being, you know, a code for I want to go hook up with a bunch of foreign guys—I'm sorry, that is just not real." | | 15:25 | Brett | "[She] went first. She launched the entire web series... Everybody was awkward, everybody was fidgeting." | | 17:53 | Brett | "You enjoying traveling as a woman does not mean that you are a slut." | | 18:07 | Brett | “Most of the men just said we just want her to have some kind of hobby and be passionate about something…that restored my faith in humanity a little bit.” | | 19:34 | Brett | “Just because somebody enjoys things that you don’t particularly enjoy...does not make them objectively bad or unattractive to other people.” | | 25:29 | Brett | “Take a deep breath, touch some grass, kick some fricking rocks and move on.” |
Brett’s tone is conversational, wry, and occasionally indignant, marked by exasperation with online toxicity but compassion toward those unfairly judged. She weaves humor, personal anecdotes, and direct addresses to both men and women, aiming for realism and nuance over ideological purity or clickbait outrage.
End summary.