The Commercial Break — TCB Infomercial with Rachel Feinstein
Release Date: May 21, 2024
Hosts: Bryan Green & Krissy Hoadley
Guest: Rachel Feinstein, comedian

Episode Overview

This energetic and laugh-filled episode of The Commercial Break features acclaimed stand-up comedian Rachel Feinstein, coinciding with the release of her new Netflix special, Big Guy. Hosts Bryan and Krissy riff with Rachel about everything from shower routines to dangerous travel stories, dissecting the chaotic backstage reality of stand-up comedy and life on the road. True to TCB’s improvisational style, the conversation covers parenting mishaps, firehouse life, crowd work gone off the rails, and the joys and tribulations of touring as a comic mom. Rachel’s Aunt Lois makes a surprise cameo, amplifying the episode’s warm but zany energy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Shower Habits, Leg Washing & Personal Hygiene

00:49 – 04:37, 17:24 – 18:40

• The hosts and Rachel bond over their lackadaisical leg-washing habits, joking about the “trickle down theory” of letting water do the work.
  • “You don't need to wash your sticks… Trickle down theory. This is it.” — Rachel Feinstein (17:52)
• Rachel prefers “lazy showers” and embraces wet wipes, especially when flying, calling a quick pit wipe on the plane a “French whore shower.”

2. Crowd Work, Viral Instagram Reel & Authenticity in Stand-Up

04:01 – 05:55, 19:25 – 26:45

• Bryan introduces Rachel’s viral Instagram video featuring a glaring, scarf-wearing older woman who gives Rachel a double middle finger from the front row.
• Many online viewers claim the exchange was staged (“a plant”), prompting Bryan’s curiosity.
• Rachel vehemently denies using plants in her audience, emphasizing the reality and randomness of disruptive crowd members.
  • Notable Quote:
    “Do you know how expensive it is? Like where I'm hurling my body around the country? Like, I don't have a car service, much less a plant.” — Rachel (19:56)
• Rachel expresses ongoing curiosity as to why the woman attended her show and describes her as resembling “the lady in Home Alone that's always working with chickens.”
• The incident is partly attributed to mismatched expectations—sometimes people mistakenly see a comedy show expecting “a play about Virginia Woolf.”

3. Family, Parenting & Potty Training Saga

29:30 – 34:15

• Rachel shares hilarious parenting struggles, especially with her daughter’s inventive negotiation to get potty trained by demanding a “tree troll costume.”
  • “She finally stopped going in her pants if I gave her a tree troll costume… She just would go to bed every night, dressed as a tree troll.” — Rachel (31:53)
• Brian and Rachel compare potty training mishaps, commiserating about well-meaning but sometimes condescending preschool notes from teachers.

4. The Comedy Life: Hotels, Touring, and Danger on the Road

34:32 – 40:34

• Rachel reminisces about early stand-up days: budget hotels, dangerous situations, and the vulnerability of being a woman comic on the road.
  • Example: A drunken man from the audience stalks her hotel room after the club publishes the comics’ lodging location.
  • In Vegas, a maintenance worker uses his key to attempt entering her room in the middle of the night, allegedly “answering a call.”
  • On reporting such incidents, Rachel notes the casual or dismissive reactions from club or hotel staff.

5. Marriage to a Firefighter & The Material Behind “Big Guy”

40:48 – 46:03

• Rachel dives into her marriage to a New York firefighter—a rich source of humor.
  • She explains how firehouse groupthink brings home bizarre habits (e.g., eating sardines out of a can in a hotel room).
  • Rachel jokes about the “firehouse effect”: “They get braver and dumber.”
  • They bought their house with Bitcoin, and hands-on renovations by her husband and his fire crew often led to household chaos (e.g., unsafe wiring making lights flicker).
• She discusses being dubbed a “Badge Banger” or “Fire Twat” by other fire spouses.
  • Notable Quote:
    “Imagine if your husband was just... spending the night with 12 guys for half your marriage. It's not a good idea.” — Rachel (41:49)

6. Touring with Family, Organization Woes & Aunt Lois

46:03 – 50:48

• Rachel plans to bring her husband and daughter on tour—in part because she relies on a “team” of followers and family, like Aunt Lois and fans on Instagram, to stay organized.
  • “I rely on people that follow me. Like, I have full relationships with them… Ted likes hiking is always pacing my dates.” — Rachel (47:00)
• Aunt Lois, her California realtor aunt, joins for a comedic cameo, berating Rachel for her lack of organization and vowing to negotiate her next Netflix contract.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being called “Big Guy” by her husband:
  “No woman wants to be called Big Guy. That’s what you call a union trucker.” (00:00, Rachel Feinstein)

• On dangerous hotels for comedians:
  “You can get a cocktail of diseases for $46.”
  (35:14, Rachel Feinstein)

• Aunt Lois’ tough love:
  “You can't live like this anymore… We have to whip her into shape.”
  (17:02/50:17, Aunt Lois via Rachel Feinstein)

• On crowd work and dealing with hecklers:
  “I tend to try to, even when I’m doing crowd work, come from some place of empathy. So I invited her scarf shopping...let’s squash our beef.”
  (26:42, Rachel Feinstein)

• True chaos of the comedic grind (Bryan): “I am just a mess. Everything you say is totally relatable to me… I also am just a hot mess. Anything I touch turns to shit… the only thing I've ever been good at is talking behind a microphone.”
  (47:48, Bryan Green)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description |
|-----------|--------------------|
| 00:00 | Rachel on being called "Big Guy" by her husband (opening joke) | | 04:01 | Bryan introduces viral Instagram crowd work reel | | 14:36 | Rachel joins the conversation | | 17:52 | Rachel discusses "trickle down theory" of showering | | 19:25 | Deep dive into crowd work incident—was it a plant? (vivid breakdown) | | 24:54 | Rachel on the “double flick-off” and its liberating impact | | 29:30 | Parenting: Potty training with a tree troll bribe | | 34:32 | Scary travel/hotel stories from Rachel's early career | | 40:48 | Netflix special, marriage to a firefighter, and firehouse stories | | 46:03 | Touring with family and being disorganized—fan “assistants” help | | 49:44 | Aunt Lois makes an appearance and critiques Rachel’s life skills |

Tone & Style Highlights

• Irreverent, fast-paced, and intimately conversational with a blend of self-deprecation and sharp, observational wit.
• Heavy use of playful insults, personal anecdotes, and inside-comic references.
• Rachel’s self-awareness and quick improvisation mesh perfectly with the podcast’s “unpolished, chaotic” vibe.

Summary for Non-Listeners

If you missed this episode, you missed an hour packed with candid behind-the-scenes stories from the comedy circuit and the realities of parenting, marriage, and staying sane on the road. Rachel Feinstein’s blend of humility, edge, and quick-fire storytelling offers a vibrant look at what fuels her stand-up—not only inspiration for her Netflix special, but the real-life wildness of comic and family life. The conversation is unscripted, frequently hilarious, and leaves you wanting more from both Rachel and the TCB crew.

Where to Find More:

• Rachel Feinstein on Instagram: @rachelfeinstein_
• Tour dates & info: rachel-feinstein.com
• Watch “Big Guy” now on Netflix!