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This episode is sponsored by Jack Archer. Do you hate shopping for pants? You're not alone. Jack Archer's Jetsetter tech pants are basically the answer to every guy's closet struggles. With their customizable fit, wrinkle free fabric sourced from Japan and all day comfort, these pants can take you from work to the weekend without missing a beat. Seriously, these might be the only pants you'll ever need. Style them with the Jetsetter tee, legacy button down shirt or the buttery legacy polo sweater and you've got timeless staples to meet your everyday wardrobe needs. Jack Archer is just better for a limited time. Get 15% off using the code getjack@jackarcher.com again that's promo code getjackarcher.com for 15% off your entire order. And thanks to Jack Archer for being a sponsor of the commercial break. This episode is sponsored by five Hour Energy Caffeine. Just got a flavor upgrade with what they call tasty caffeine. 17 bold flavors that actually taste good. You know that midday moment, moment when your brain just stalls out, but you still have a full list of things to do. Well, that's when I reach for a five hour energy shot. Each tiny two ounce shot has about as much caffeine as a 12 ounce premium cup of coffee. But with zero sugar and zero crash. It's big flavor packed into the smallest, easiest bottle. Perfect for tossing in your bag, in your car, really, anywhere. And since it's still fall, they've brought back the ultimate seasonal favorite, pumpkin spice. Ah yes, pumpkin spice. A little cinnamon, a little swagger, sweet, rich and totally cozy without being heavy. Fuel your day with tasty caffeine. Available in store and online at 5hour energy.com or get it delivered by Amazon. Give yourself a caffeine flavor upgrade with 5 hour energy shots. Get yours in store and online 5hourenergy.com or on Amazon today. Felice Navidad. Felice Navidad. Felice Navidad Prospero. Felice Navidad. Felice Navidad. Felice Navidad Prospero. I want to wish you a merry Christmas I wanna wish you a merry Christmas I wanna wish you a merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart. On this episode of the commercial break. But ayakas are not that like offensive because everyone still makes them and everyone still eats them. And why do we eat them? I don't know why we eat them, but we eat them. But so I'm on board with the festive nature of making ayakas. Anytime they start breaking out the Ayakas. I'm like, oh, God. The next episode of the commercial break starts now. Oh, yeah. Cats and kittens, welcome back to the commercial break. I'm Brian Green. This is my dear friend and the co host of this show, Kristen Joy Hoadley. Best to you, Brian. Best of you out there in the podcast universe. How the hell are you? Thanks for joining us on yet another episode of this, the commercial break, the.
B
Only one you'll ever need.
A
Fact, news or fiction. In the first 30 seconds of Lester, your money back guaranteed. Go to TCP podcast.com to collect your earning beans. Still got it. Still got. After all these years, through the tears. Well, the big holiday season is right around the corner, Chrissy. And you know what that means.
B
It's right here. What does that mean? Turkey. Turkey.
A
Gotta figure out a way to get my kids gifts. I gotta figure out a way.
B
Kid gift thing.
A
Yeah, there's turkey. Listen, there's like there's a season. The holiday season is right around the corner. But for those of you that don't live in a Venezuelan household, it's also known as ayaka season. Ayakas. This is a hot topic around this household. A hot topic around this household because I have known Venezuelans 30 years of my life, and I have been familiar with the traditional holiday dish known as an ayaka, which is essentially like the Frankenstein cousin of a tamale I remember you talking about wrapped in a banana leaf. And listen, we can focus on the good things about ayakas. Let's focus on the good things for a second. One of these days, I'm going to wake up and there's going to be gaitos playing in the house. Gaitas is like traditional Venezuelan Christmas music. It's going to be gaitas playing in the house. And I'm going to walk into the kitchen to find a huge card table opened up in the middle of the kitchen, everything else cleared out, banana leafs all over the place. And then Astrid and whatever other Venezuelan happens to be within a 30 mile radius are going to be in my kitchen making an absolute mess, putting whatever edible items are left in the refrigerator, freezer or pantry into this ayaka. Don't call it a tamale. It's not. It's an ayaka. And that could include chicken, pork seasonings, bell peppers, onions, olives, raisins. Raisins. Raisins, yeah. Some people put prunes in them. This is an acquired taste and it is not to my liking. I do not like ayakas. I love almost everything else about the Venezuelan culture. But ayakas is just something I cannot get on board with. And here's the problem.
B
Is it different every time, or is it a specific ingredient list?
A
Every family does it. Different, but.
B
Right. But for. For Astrid, is she. She does something.
A
Yeah, it's. It's pretty specific to. I think. I think it's familia. You. You make it the way your mom made it.
B
Sure.
A
The way your grandma made it. Maybe you put a little twist or a turn in here or there. You're usually making it with family. So everyone's on board with how you're going to make them. I've had them. I've had a number of them. They're made different ways. Some of them a little more spicy, some sweet, some salty. Some just have no flavor, no discernible flavor whatsoever because there are too many ingredients in them. But in any case, I don't like it. I don't like the texture. I usually don't like the taste. I'm not on board with it. I don't like ayakas. And that causes drama in the family. And here's why. It causes drama in the family. Not necessarily because I don't like ayakas, Okay, I don't like ayakas, but because the tradition is that you make 1000 ayakas per person that may or may not be attending your house anytime during the holidays. You give them as gifts, you get them as gifts, and by two days after New Year's, they are all frozen inside of your freezer. You will have thousands of ayakas frozen in your freezer, like every Venezuelan family I'm sure does. We. We went to. This is 2022. So, like, pandemic still kind of like, you know, the glow of the pandemic is still there. And we drive out to wherever the fuck northwest Atlanta to go drop off a box that will eventually, seven months later, get to Venezuela. That's right. It's like a shipping service, and it's a Venezuelan guy. Very nice. We back up into his little, you know, garage in this little, you know, industrial area. We back up into the garage where he's got all these other boxes, and it's a little shipping store.
B
Yeah.
A
So we pull up, back up into his garage, we give him this box that now is being sent down to Venezuela. And in return, he opens up his freezer that was sitting on the floor of this industrial space where there were hundreds of frozen ayakas, and he starts throwing them into a box and giving them to us. And I'M like, you've got to be kidding me. We had these ayakas for years. They were sitting in our freezer for years. I think we just got rid of them like three months ago there. No one eats them because it's holiday and that's typically when you eat it. And then you just don't do anything else with them for the rest of the year.
B
Really.
A
Maybe on occasion I will see Astrid eating an ayaka outside of Thanksgiving.
B
I was going to say, like dinner in a pinch, one night or something, you pull them out.
A
But you gotta like them, first of all. They gotta be something that's edible for you. And like, I know we talked to Joanna Houseman about this. She says the same thing. She goes, it's not my favorite dish in the world, but because it's a festive dish that's made around the holidays, I will have my fair share.
B
Kind of like a fruitcake or something.
A
Yeah. I think maybe not.
B
Not that it tastes like a fruitcake, but, you know, people don't really love fruitcakes, but they're festive.
A
They're festive. And why anybody in the world would think to give a fruitcake anymore, I don't know. You got to be a fruitcake to give a fruitcake. You know what I'm saying? I don't even know if they. They make them. I'm sure they do, but I haven't seen an actual fruitcake in a long time. But when I was a kid, there was a lot of fruitcake going around. And you want barf in the back. That is like instant.
B
We didn't have it, but I always saw it, like, talked about in movies and maybe at other people's houses. And everybody seemed to not really like it. So I didn't.
A
In the 70s, like, some kind of gelatin slash gelatin related fruit came into fashion. And remember they had like the pink jello.
B
Yes, yes.
A
It wasn't translucent. It was actually pink.
B
My grandmother would make this.
A
My grandmother would make this too. And then there was pink. It was pink.
B
Like Pepto Bismol pink.
A
Yes. And they would put like, other, like, weird fruits in there, like pecans and like pears out of a can. It was like. It was so disgusting and so weird.
B
Like in a ring.
A
Yes.
B
Yeah.
A
Yes. Everybody had that ring. That one ring with the little bumps on top of it. And you'd make whatever. And they make fruitcake in it. And then everyone would like put. Give it to the dog or. I don't know. It was so disgusting. I'M sure they still make it. But ayakas are not that, like, offensive because everyone still makes them and everyone still eats them. And why do we eat them? I don't know why we eat them, but we eat them. But. So I'm on board with the festive nature of making ayakas. Yeah. But anytime they start breaking out the ayakas, I'm like, oh, God. Now, there's another traditional dish called panda jamon. Pan de jamon is essentially a pastry with ham and cheese in the middle. And that can also include raisins. Okay. You can pick them out, right? But you slice it up. It's like a big, long roll that's made. They roll it up into the pastry, the ham and the cheese, and then you slice it up and you have a little slice I can eat 10 of. I will look like bandhamon when this is all said and done, because I will go around the ayaka to get to the bandaj. It is not my thing. But there is another dish that sometimes it's Spanish, but it was introduced to me by Venezuelans, and that is Iberico ham.
B
Oh, God, I love that stuff.
A
So expensive.
B
Speaking of Simon, he. He gets one of those every year.
A
I used to. I got one, like, three years in a row. I had them shipped in from New. Yeah, fantastic. If you've never had Iberico ham, it is like this world bacon on steroids. Literally, these pig. There's pig in the Iberian region of Spain. They can only be certified Iberian if they only eat. Is acorn a certain kind of acorn? Like a certain type of acorn on a hillside in Iberia, underneath the sun with fresh grass. That's right. And they have to be a certain type of. And it's got to include the hoof. If the black hoof is not on the Iberico ham, it comes, like, the whole leg. It's like the whole leg and thigh with the hoof. And then you slice it. It takes a master to learn how to slice it. You slice it a certain way. It is full of fucking fat and grease. And just one slice of Iberico ham and your life will change. I. The first time I ever had it, I showed up in Madrid. I was at a party where, you know, Spanish people, Venezuelans all hanging out. I fly in late at night. I. Yeah, I took a. Like. Yeah, I had a connecting flight in Switzerland, and I ended up missing the first flight, so I had to get to the second one. So I get there late. Astrid's at a Party. They come to the airport, they pick me up. I go to this Christmas party that they're having. It's like the night of Christmas. I go inside and this guy goes, come into the kitchen. You know, I get, I'm going to get you some food. And I'm like, oh, okay. And I go in there and there's a whole fucking hog leg sitting on this piece of equipment, like essentially a stand. And he's got a towel wrapped around it and he unwraps it. And it's like, I'm like, oh, you know, thinking to myself, what is that?
B
Right?
A
And he goes, this is Iberico ham. Yeah, it's gonna change your life. And I was like, oh, okay. And just to not be rude, Listen, I, I've eaten some adventurous stuff in my life.
B
You have.
A
So it's not like I'm, I, I won't go for it, but I just got off a flight. I'm seeing Astrid. You know, her family's there. We're not married yet. The hoof is involved. I can see hair on the feet. Like, I'm like, ah, the skin is still on parts of it. I was like, eh, you know, there's a towel, like a kitchen dish towel wrapped around it. You know, I'm like, the whole thing has just got me a little skeeved out. He cuts me a piece, he gives me some baguette. Put that with that, put that with that. And I go, oh, okay. He's got a little plate. He hands, you know, like a little paper plate. He hands it to me and then he walks off. And I'm in the kitchen standing there and I'm like, do I toss it in the garbage or do I walk into the room and pretend like I'm hanging with the big boys? So I chose the ladder and I went in there. It didn't take me half a minute. And I wanted to go back in that kitchen and get more Iberico hanging half a minute. And then, because I spent the holiday season there from then until, you know. Well, really till, like March. I was there from there. And until March in Europe, you couldn't get me away from the Iberico ham. We were going to stores. I, I, they have them hanging all over the place during the holiday season, any time of the year, really. But during the holiday season, like Iberico's everywhere. It's pre sliced. It comes fall, there's big legs and small legs. You can buy expensive ones or cheaper ones. I mean, they're all expensive, but you know, you can buy the super gold, you know, Iberia, the biggest of the hoggest of the hogs, the. The hammiest of the hams. I don't know, but all of them are everywhere. And I was like a fiend, like a crack addict. I was like, iberico ham. Iberico ham. And then we moved, and then Asher and I moved to Switzerland so she could finish her master's degree. And they had Ibericoham. So you know what I was doing? Asher would shove off to school eight, seven in the morning, minus 17 degrees in Lucerne, Switzerland. And I would walk her to the bus station to go up into the mountain to go to school. I walk her in the bus station and then I'd come back around. I did most mornings, not every single day morning, but man, 90, 70, 80, 90% of the time. And then I would. I was still smoking cigarettes at the time. So I would walk, I would smoke a cigarette and then I would hit that. Hit that Swiss grocery store and I could go straight for the Iberico ham. And I'd buy a pack of pre sliced Iberico ham and a fresh baguette and it'd be gone by the time Astrid came home. I did the entire thing. I loved it so much. God damn, I love Iberico ham. It's my favorite thing in the world. Favorite thing in the world. Now you can't make banda hamon with Iberico ham. You can, but it'd be like a thousand, right, Ben? To Hamon.
B
Yeah.
A
Yeah. You don't give that to your neighbors and friends. You keep that shit for yourself. So maybe you make a special panda hormone with just Iberico ham. But the thing is, you got to cook it. And you don't want to cook Iberico.
B
No, that's the thing. You just want to eat it straight.
A
You just eat it raw. Yeah, it's just. It's cooked. Yeah, it's. It's preserved. It's dried. Yeah, it's dried. It hangs for like, I don't know, two years or something, like.
B
Right.
A
It's like a wine. You hang it for seven years, it gets better because all the fat just starts to coagulate. And it's really quite gross actually, when you think about it. Let's not think about it too much. Iberico ham.
B
Just enjoy it.
A
Just enjoy it. It's one of the best things you'll ever taste. And if you ever have a chance to taste real Iberico ham, like at a restaurant, some restaurants here in Atlanta, Serve it.
B
I was going to say, there's got to be a couple.
A
It used to be when. When we first got back here from Switzerland and Astor had moved here and we got engaged and married. When that happened, it was extraordinarily hard to find any Iberico ham, the Iberian pig. Here in Atlanta, a restaurant while named.
B
That's right.
A
While named, the Iberian pig did not serve real iberico ham. It sold essentially what was prosciutto, which is like a cousin of Iberia. I mean, it's the same thing, but it's different. It's not the Iberian pig. It's not.
B
There's got to be a specialty butcher here.
A
No, the. The problem is, is actually you can't import with the leg with the hoof on it.
B
Oh, right.
A
So therefore, in.
B
Somebody has to go somewhere and bring it.
A
It's semantics. Yeah, it's semantics, but it's, you know, certain types of ham with certain things aren't allowed. You can't have the hoof. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So now there are purveyors where you can buy the Iberico ham directly without the hoof. I would say the quality is not as good as you can get in Spain, but it's so much better than anything that I had a number of years ago. So I found this purveyor, and for a couple years there, I was buying a ham every Christmas, and one year I bought two hams, and they would come with the stand and with a knife. That's how expensive they are. They give you the stand and the knife. And I just went to town and I invite everybody over, and we'd be slicing iberico ham all night. Not this year. No, no, no, no, not this year. We're going to get, like, country crock ham in a bag. You know, the kind you buy at Walmart. Yeah. Cracker barrel. That's right.
B
Country fried ham.
A
That's right. I'm going to go for, you know, ham in a bag. You know the sliced ham in a bag that you get at the deli section. Yes. I'm going to get that and I don't know, paste it on a stand and pretend like. Pretend like I'm slicing it up. Yeah. Real iberico ham is red and purple. This is light pink and translucent. Look how it shines. It's like that subway meat. You get a good London broil. Yeah, London broil. There you go. Pastrami.
C
Yeah.
A
Speaking of food, real quick before we take a break, I'll tell you that I saw you know Katz Deli in New York? Yes, the famous, very world famous Katz Deli in New York, known for their pastrami sandwiches. And pastrami is some cut of meat with special spices. And I don't know, pastrami is okay to me. It's not my favorite thing in the world, but I've had pastrami sandwiches I liked and lots of pastrami sandwiches I didn't like. But they had a video of how they make a pastrami sandwich, like the world famous pastrami sandwich where they actually cut up an entire, like, shoulder and put it on a piece of bread. I mean, it's a piece of meat this big and the guy slices off the fatty parts and then he chops it up and puts it on there. I've never seen something so appetizing in my entire life. On Instagram. I should find it and show you had millions of views already. It was like just this guy, just this, you know, line cook back there just chopping it up, talking to other guys while he's doing it. And it looks so delicious. But I think to myself, how the fuck do you make a buck if you're serving an entire shoulder to each customer that orders one of these and this is what you're fucking known for? I don't know. Somebody in the comments section tell me I have no idea because I've never been to Kat's Deli. So I've been to New York a lot, but I've never. I've walked past it, but I've never been there. I should have stopped at Kat's Deli. Damn it, Brian. Why didn't you stop at Cats? Why didn't you stop at Kat's Deli? You'll walk a mile out of your way in minus 10 degree weather in Lucerne, Switzerland, for fucking.
B
This is why it's going to go out of business.
A
Yes, you. Because I didn't go. That's right. See, we liked Cats and then we didn't pay attention to it.
B
Nice things as well. We can't have nice things.
A
If there's one thing in New York that I don't think is going to go out of business for any reason, it's Katz Deli. Katz Deli's been there for what, 19, 29 or something?
B
I was just reading something this morning on the New York Times that had a whole section about the bodegas in New York and kind of the history of those. It's fascinating.
A
Yeah, bodegas are what you do. I've had. I Have had lunch at a few. I've had a few sandwiches in a bag. I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid of a sandwich in a bag. Used to be a place here in Atlanta, Cool Corners grocery store. Cool Cornish grocery store on the Georgia, near the Georgia Tech campus. Little shitty rundown neighborhood. At least it was until gentrification took over. Thanks, everybody. Yeah, and it was like a brick building, nondescript built, brick building. Bars on the windows, little like, you know, Budweiser sign and, you know, cigarette signs and stuff like that. It was essentially a bodega. Not a gas station, a bodega. You go in there, you buy your sundries. But it's run by a Cuban couple. And that Cuban couple had been here in the United States since they came over on the boat in the 80s. And the guy spoke very little English and the wife spoke pretty good English. And they ran this shop and they made Cuban sandwiches. That's what they did. And the first time that I ever went there, I was working for a guy, like day labor for a guy while I was in Chopper Johnson. And so the bassist had a job like, he was like a fixer upper for renter house rental houses. And we were doing this job, we were digging out stone out of the basement of like a crawl space. So I had to go down, crawl in the crawl space and pull out this stone that was under there because they were going to. I don't know what the fuck they were going to do. So it was really actually pretty hard labor. Right?
B
That sounds.
A
So the guy goes, let me buy you some lunch. And we were in this neighborhood and we walk over to Cool Corners grocery store. And I don't know. I don't know what's on what. It's all in Spanish. I don't know. What do we get? He said, there's only one thing you get. It's the Cuban sandwich, extra mojo. That's all you ask for, just Cuban sandwich, extra mojo. And I got that Cuban sandwich, extra mojo. And they made the mojo sauce. He made the mojo sauce himself. And I am telling you right now, it is still around, actually, but it's not run. The guy has long since passed away. The woman has long since passed away. I think it's run by their nieces or nephews or something like that. Some people still. They still have lines out the door apparently to go to Cool Corners grocery store. But I'm telling you right now, I've never tasted a Cuban sandwich like this before or after, even in Miami. And I've been on the hunt. I've been on the hunt for years.
B
Yeah, once you have that really good one.
A
It was the mojo sauce. I'm convinced it was the homemade mojo. That's what makes a Cuban sandwich. And if it's dry, it's not good. And if the. If the ham isn't made the right way, it's bad. Yeah, it's all the pork. It's not. It's bad. Anyway, I get picky about my Cuban sandwiches.
B
The place in Ponce Market's pretty good.
A
Which one?
B
That guy. I can't remember what his name, what the name is. I'll look it up on the break. But it's really good.
A
I think I've had a Cuban sandwich at that place. Yeah, it's pretty good. But it's not Cool Corners.
B
Well, nothing can be when you have.
A
A Cool Corners first, you can only go down from there, and that's disappointing. And so maybe we should take, like, a little adventure out to Cool Corners one time.
B
Like I said, I'm thinking about going there on the home.
A
Now, what if we just show up with our microphones and do an episode of the commercial break from Cool Corners.
B
Yes.
A
And make those people famous with our three people. Yeah, or maybe they'll make us famous. Exactly. No, no. Look at the other number. 720. That's what it is.
B
Oh, okay.
A
All right, we'll take a break. We'll be back with so much more fun.
C
Hey, it's Rachel, your new voice of God here on tcb. And just like you, I'm wondering just how much longer this pot podcast can continue. Let's all rejoice that another episode has made it to your ears. And I'll rejoice that my check is in the mail. Speaking of mail, get your free TCB sticker in the mail by going to tcbpodcast.com and visiting the contact us page. You can also find the entire commercial break library, audio and video, just in case you want to look at chrissy@tcbpodcast.com Want your voice to be on an episode of the show? Leave us a message at 212-4333, TCB. That's 212-433-3822. Tell us how much you love us and we'll be sure to let the world know on a future episode. Or you could make fun of us. That'd be fine, too. We might not air that, but maybe. Oh, and if you're shy, that's okay. Just send a text. We'll respond now. I'M gonna go check the mailbox for payment while you check out our sponsors and then we'll return to this episode of the Commercial break.
A
This episode is sponsored in part by Rula. You know, there was a time when I really needed therapy, but I could not find a therapist who took my insurance. I can remember feeling so stuck, like I had to choose between getting help and staying on budget. That's why I think what Rula is doing is so very important. Rula makes therapy accessible and affordable by partnering with over 100 insurance plans. The average copay is around $15 per session and depending on your benefits, it could even be less. They also take the time to find the right therapist for you, someone who understands your goals, your preferences and your background. There's no waiting weeks or months for an appointment. You can start as soon as tomorrow and Rula stays with you along the way, checking in, supporting your progress and helping you feel seen and cared for. Thousands of people are already using Rula to get affordable, high quality therapy that's actually covered by Insurance. Visit rula.com commercial to get started and after you sign up, you'll be asked how you heard about them. Please support the commercial break and let them know we sent you. That's r u l a.com, you deserve mental health care that works with you, not against your budget. This is Free Range with Von Miller, the podcast where I step outside the lines and I take you with me. Each week we're talking everything from the biggest stories around the league to the biggest stories off the field. This isn't your average sports podcast. This is game meets culture, locker room meets living room. And no topic is off limits. So if you're in the good conversations that ruffle a few feathers, join me every Wednesday and follow Free Range with Vaughn Miller everywhere you get your podcast. This episode is sponsored by our longtime sponsor, Squarespace. I am working on a new project Information tbd. It's very secretive. It's very hush hush around here because you know, podcast secrets are a thing. Anywho, there is only one all in one website tool that's designed to help my new project stand out and be successful. And that one tool is Squarespace. Squarespace can help me through every step of the process. The launch, the scaling, the branding and the growth. No matter what part of the journey I am on. Squarespace is an all in one website platform so it'll cater to my needs every step of the way. There are so many benefits, services and tools built into Squarespace. I would need a 10 minute commercial to name them all. Cutting edge design, search engine optimization tools, domain management, analytics, email campaigns, the ability to host videos, and most importantly, the ability to get paid. So if you've been thinking about building or upgrading your website, now's the time to head to squarespace.com commercial for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, make sure to use the offer code commercial to save 10 off your first purchase of a website or a domain. That's squarespace.com commercial then be sure to use the code commercial when you're ready to launch. Squarespace has been with the commercial break for a long time. And we have been with Squarespace for even longer. This is a company we trust. It's a product we use. And there's one overarching reason why it makes my life easier. Go build yourself a beautiful website, squarespace.com commercial and thank you to Squarespace for being a sponsor of the commercial break. All right, so Cool Corner is still there. This is the old Cool Corner. Now they're in a new building. They've since like, you know, they've regent. They've done. The whole neighborhood has become explosion. But this is the old store. Look at that.
B
This one says it's in Alabama. Why does it say that?
A
No, it's not in Alabama. It's right. It's right down there.
B
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
A
It's just. You gotta go. You gotta go, Chrissy, go get yourself a cool corn. Tell me how. Bring me back a Cuban sandwich. I'd love to see it. Oh, yeah, you're. Oh, this one's in Alabama.
B
Yeah.
A
Oh, is Cool Corner not. Not open here in Atlanta? Okay, I don't. I know you're bored. I don't want to bore everybody with this. Okay, whatever.
B
We'll investigate Cool Corner.
A
Just remember that name. If you ever see a Cool Corner Cuban sandwich in Atlanta at a specific place and go get yourself one and tell me how it is. All right? Okay. Wicked. Right around the corner. Holiday season is here. Here come all the big movies. Avatar. Way of the Water, Fire and Earth, Ice and Sky, whatever the fuck that shit is called. I don't know. I didn't see the second Avatar, did you? I just didn't care about the first one enough to see the second one. And so therefore, I certainly don't care enough to see the third one. And I know they made a billion dollars, but I just didn't find Avatar 1 as fascinating as so many other people did. I watched it. I gave it a good try. I gave it my Full attention. But it was long. I didn't think it was that interesting. I thought the special effects were great, but it wasn't like I was wooed by it. I wasn't like, oh, wow, you know, so. But that's coming. Fire and Ice. Land of Fire and Ice or whatever is coming out. Here comes. What? What other big movies are coming out?
B
I mean, Wicked's the only one I see around.
A
Yeah, Wicked. There you go. Wicked Chew. Coming out. Wicked's Stranger Things.
B
But that's on Netflix.
A
That's on Netflix. Strangers.
B
They're going to take over the whole holidays too, right? They're going to do things.
A
Yeah, they're doing Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and then New Year's Eve and then New Year's Day. So they're doing, like a whole thing. So get ready. Get ready for that. A lot of controversy going on with that. Yeah, Stranger Things. And then, like, Millie Bobby Brown and the guy who plays the. The old sheriff or her dad or her adopted dad or whatever. And now they pissing and moaning at each other. But then they showed up to a red carpet event, like, holding hands and hugging and kissing. I don't know. Listen, if you're on, if this is it, if this is the end, just muddle through somehow. Unless there's, like, serious, like, assault going on or some serious deviant behavior. But her showing up with him and, like, hugging and kissing and all this stuff doesn't indicate to me. That indicates to me that this might have been a little blown up. Plus, you work with somebody for 10 years, you're gonna get irritated at some point.
B
Well, right. And she went from being, what, 10 or 11 to now 21. Yeah, right.
A
I guess 20. I don't know what she was. Yeah, she was a kid. Now she's an adult. She's selling bras. I saw that the other day. She came up on my Instagram and it was like, I love this bra.
B
Isn't she married to Bon Jovi's son? I think so.
A
You give love a bad name. I don't know, don't care. Billy Barbara Brown. Nice girl. I'm sure she is. But don't know, don't care. You look up that while I tell you about Wicked's. Wicked's, which is.
B
I've been watching some stuff about that.
A
Wicked's, which is part two of Wicked, following the trend of putting an S on the end of it and just calling it the C chord.
B
Yes. Jake Bongiovi.
A
Jake Bongiovi. Hey, Jakey Boniovi, you lucky bastard.
B
Back to Wicked.
A
Back to Wicked. So Wicked's coming out. It's gonna be the monster hit of the year. It's gonna make a billion dollars the first weekend. We all know it. Wicked one was an excellent movie. An excellent movie. A technical accomplishment, A feat of artistic beauty and grace. I saw it. I liked it very much.
B
Me, too.
A
I didn't expect me to say that because I hate musicals. I hate them.
B
But, yeah, I'm not a huge fan either.
A
There are a few I have been a fan of, and this was one of them. And so I walked out very. And I knew Wicked existed. I knew it. I had heard about the Broadway show for decades. We all have, right? It took the world by storm when it came out. And I thought to myself, oh, that's fucking silly. A movie about the Wicked Witch of the West. Like who? Or the Broadway show? Who cares about that? And then six months before the big promotional tour started for Wicked 1, I caught the original Elphaba, who is also happens to be Elsa and Frozen, singing the song that we now all, you know, have in our heads that's synonymous with this movie.
B
Gravity Song.
A
Yeah. Defying Gravity. I saw her singing it on David Letterman, which had happened years earlier, but I just got served it up. And then I kept replaying it because I was like, wow, that's pretty good. That song's pretty good. Yeah, that can. That took me to the soundtrack. Then that took me to playing the soundtrack for my girls. And then it just. Everybody got hooked. We're all hooked on everything, right? And we're like, oh, this is a good soundtrack. We should go see that movie. Astrid and I go see it. We determined that it's okay for the kids to watch, except for the flying monkeys. Could be a little scary, but the kids loved it. Then.
B
What was that?
A
I don't know what that was. Yeah, that was an alarm. That was bloody murder if that was an alarm. So that led us to then watching the Wicked special that came out just a couple of weeks ago with Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, the original two, who played Elphaba and Glinda.
B
Is that the one with Jeff Goldblums in it, too? And they kind of have talked to everybody.
A
Yeah, it was like a whole thing by NBC. They did a whole. I saw that one on the stage, off the stage, you know, making jokes. Listen, it was a little cheesy, a little hammy. The PR machine is in full roar right now. Of course they have to. That's what it is. It was filmed at the same time by the way 1 and 2 were filmed at the exact same time. So that's why it's. That's why it's coming out so quickly. It was just last year the Wicked came out and now here we are, we're doing Wicked too, and. Or Wicked's as I like to call it, which is not the real name.
B
Of the second part of the story.
A
That's right. So Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are again on this never ending promotional tour going on every single podcast television show. Daytime, nighttime, they're doing everything. And some people are taking notice to maybe the strange nature of the relationship between these two women in these interviews. And I'm starting to agree.
B
Strange nature.
A
I will let you watch this news piece about this and then you can listen to it. If you're listening on the show. I will let you listen to this, watch it, and you tell me what you think. Is this just two girls who are essentially really in love with each other, like, not romantically, but like two really good girlfriends?
B
Yeah.
A
Is it two people experiencing something that no other two women on earth could possibly experience in this explosion of fame and wealth and status and all this other stuff? Or is this taking on a little bit of a weird tone to it? Okay. All right, let's roll the tape.
B
Roll it.
A
Okay, Jason, now to the peculiar behavior. Jason, roll the tape. I like to pretend there's someone there helping us because that makes us sound a lot more important.
B
That's true.
A
Jason's my pointer finger of Ariana Grande. What's that?
B
Your mouse.
A
My mouse. That's right.
C
Okay, Cynthia Erivo, during their latest Wicked promotional tour, do you have a message.
A
For the queer fans who are watching this? We love you. We love you. We love you.
C
We love you. We love you. We has always been a queer place, a safe place. It is for every different color of the rainbow, for everybody. Read the L. Frank Baum books. It's the truth. You're safe with us. We love you so much.
A
That part. The gayer the better.
B
The gayer the better.
C
Okay, and watch this reaction when Mark Platt enthusiastically shakes Ariana's hand during an interview. The Carry on is too much popular.
A
Can you believe that we're doing popular today? It's gonna be so great. That joy he wanted to infuse in every frame so that when you've experienced the film with all the tears and everything else, you feel the joy. Okay, so what you're not seeing if you're listening to this is that there's a man that went to go Shake Ariana Grande's hand. And he shook it like. Like.
B
So probably anything.
A
Does this look. Can I. I do not want to speculate on someone else's appearance. I don't want to be that guy. I'm going to ask a legitimate question. Do these two look healthy to you?
B
Yeah. I mean, yeah, exactly. I don't want to speculate, but that's. I mean, she's always been like that.
A
But I'm not the only one asking that question. Right?
B
Very, very thin.
A
So, yeah.
B
Yeah, the guy was really shaking her hand. Hard.
A
Pretty hard. And so when he let. Let's go.
B
Mimed, like, oh, my God.
A
Yeah. Cynthia, like, jumps over her lap and is, like, grabbing her arm and kissing it. And it's a little much, but they're actresses, so boy. In every single frame. So I wanted to say that on his.
C
Too much. And look at this.
A
Who is this chatty Patty on Sky News who can't stand herself?
C
This clip went viral in recent days, but it's actually from last year. Let me tell you one thing. That necklace did not need to be adjusted. A beautiful sister ship that continues to grow and grow, even through this pressed. Or something's bothering her.
B
She's gonna fix something.
C
I know she's getting the fixing itch.
A
That Cynthia Erivo gets there. Oh, thank you.
C
Yeah.
A
Because the thing is, biggest pinch me moment for each of you on the set. Was it a day you arrived on the set or some special moment that happened?
B
That necklace? I mean, I think she was just trying to fix her necklace, but that went on.
A
Yeah. Did her necklace need fixing?
B
Well, you can't tell.
A
Okay.
B
I have one of those necklaces where.
A
Well, the, like, the bracket is in the front and you have to, like. Okay, yeah.
B
Because it'll come up a little bit.
A
This is why I'm doing this with you. I'm trying to decide whether or not I'm going a little too judgmental on this whole thing. By the way, I've watched a lot of these interviews, and they're always, like, doting over each other and flying on top of each other and kissing each other's hands and grabbing each other's hair. And I'm wondering if this is just what two girls who are really just enjoying the moment.
B
I think so. I think they're really intense experience together so that they're connected now.
A
Or are these two girls who are getting extremely harshly judged by, you know, a very bitchy Sky News reporter.
B
Blace did not need fixing.
A
You know, the only good thing about.
C
Their bizarro antics are all the parodies it has inspired.
A
And I've got to say, this is.
C
One of my faves.
A
But we chose to do with the.
B
Role, which is always something that I.
C
Think that should be studied.
A
Yeah.
C
Where are you from?
B
Dayton, Ohio.
A
Oh. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
C
Daytona.
B
Hi.
C
Did I say something wrong? It has been an honor to stand by Cynthia during this hard time. I mean, her battling cancer. Oh, no, I'm just bald.
A
I'm actually.
B
I'm a little hungry.
A
Oh, she's hungry. This is.
B
Running me now.
C
He's comedian.
A
I mean, it does go on. Like, there have been a lot of parodies, and I've seen that one in particular. It is actually pretty funny.
C
In and host of Mind of Stein, Alex Stein.
B
Alex. They're pretty dramatic.
A
You know, Alex Stein has to say, who's that guy?
B
I think they're pretty dramatic. And, you know, the way that they're expressing themselves during these interviews. But, you know, maybe it's just a thing they. That's. That's the way that they're on. They're on.
A
Yeah, they are on. And they are on each other, and it is just. They're on top of each other. They're kissing each other, they're hugging each other, grabbing each other during interviews. Ariana's holding Cynthia's hand. Cynthia is holding Ariana's hand. And, you know, listen, I don't know. That's not how I act with Raphael. But not to say someday we won't be in a huge movie version of a Broadway musical, and the two of us won't be doting over each other like that also. Right. Also. They might just be going through something together. That's what I think that is unique to them, definitely, and that no one else can experience. And they are trying to keep each other in some universe that feels normal to them because they're the ones experiencing it. So there's a lot of judgment online going. Going on about this, and I don't want to add to the noise because I just don't know. And maybe I don't care. Really. Why did I even bring it up if I don't care? I don't know. I just thought that I should get Chrissy's opinion on this, because that's it. I will.
B
I think it's a little too much. And again, you can always take certain things and dissect them like little pieces, of course, of something.
A
There is a guy who, over the last couple of years, and I'm not even to give his name. I know it, but I'm not going to give it. He is on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, and he is making. He has made a name for himself. He has made a name for himself and for no one else by running up on stage with Katy Perry with the weekend. And then over this last weekend, he ran, jumped over a fence during a premiere of Wicked in Shanghai and grabbed Ariana Grande and tried to wrap his arm around her as if they were taking a picture together. Now he does the same thing every time. He's also run out onto football pitches. He's done it on cricket matches. He's. This is his thing. He runs out and it looks like he's gonna hurt the person. And then all. It seems like all he wants to do is just give them a side hug so he can get a picture of them. Well, he did this to Ariana over the weekend and Cynthia immediately came to her rescue by physically pushing him out of her sphere. And then the security jumped on top of him and all this other stuff. Now he's a shithead. I think he's been banned from TikTok. He's probably getting banned from Instagram. He's just trying to. Yeah, he's dumb. I mean, it's a. Dumb antics and who cares? You're not important. No one cares. He does this on trains. He'll like, make stupid dances or silly noises. There's this whole flavor of Instagram buffoonery that's going on right now with teenagers who would, like, run into a Walmart and they'll scream at the top of their lungs as if something terrible is happening and then, you know, walk away like nothing happened. When everyone's like, what? What? It's. Why? What? I mean, I get it. You're a teenager, you get a lot of extra energy. But I never felt the need to call that kind of attention to myself. I didn't feel that need until I got into my 40s. That's right.
B
On the show.
A
That's right. But Cynthia came to Ariana's defense. And so then yesterday it was announced that Cynthia has some kind of cold or something, and so she's going to suspend the press tour, at least for the next couple of days. And then Ariana said in solidarity with Cynthia for her cold, I am going to also suspend my.
B
They probably just need a break.
A
I think they need.
B
They really are everywhere.
A
I think they need a break. I think they need to go on a nice long vacation.
B
It's not going to stop I mean, they need a break right now.
A
Yeah. Away from each other. Right. Like you go with your people, I'll go with my people. We'll meet in six months and we'll see how we're feeling after all of this.
B
Dies. Engaged to one of the guys from Wicked.
A
Yeah.
B
And he was married.
A
Yeah. And he. It was not the guy in Wicked you would have thought he would have been engaged to. No, it's not the handsome mansome Sexiest man alive dude. Astrid knows his name. I don't know. Sexiest man alive dude who, who has a husband or something like that. He's gay, but he has a husband. But it was the other dude, like the, the red haired guy, redhead, you know, not that guy. Not that guy with Ariana Grande. But they apparently fell in love on set and he's married and. Not anymore.
B
Not anymore.
A
I don't even know if they're still together. I don't know. I don't know. But if I'm. If I'm her husband, I'm like, wow, you two are really into each. You two are really into each other. And hey, listen. What? What the heart wants. The heart. The heart wants what the heart want. What do you want me to do? I don't know. I'm in Wicked and Wicked's. What do you want me to do?
B
I'm gonna look that up.
A
I'm excited to see what happens in Wicked's because, you know, are they gonna have a smash hit like they did before?
B
Oh, yeah.
A
It doesn't. I don't know because don't you think that would have already kind of hit the scene? It would have hit the scene beforehand, like Defying Gravity. You knew that song was going to be in there nine months before Wicked came on the scene. But here we are going into the second one and still we're just listening to Defying Gravity. We're still listening to Defying Gravity. So is there a hit song in Wicked 2 or are they just going to replay some of the songs from Wicked one, do it over again? Is Defying Gravity? Essentially, Is there going to be like, you know, a remix or a revise or a revisit of Defying Gravity? It's me. Yeah, I don't know. We'll see. And we're gonna go see it. The kids, kids want to see it. Everyone wants to see it.
B
I was telling you, I watched that one on Peacock too. That thing just came out and it was from. It told the story of the original wizard of Oz, how he wrote that. And that was A huge hit at the time, too. That was a huge hit. And many books spun off of that.
A
Yeah.
B
And, yeah. So anyways, it tells his story in the wizard of Oz and then how the guy wrote Wicked and then how that got turned into Broadway, which is different than the book.
A
Yes, a whole thing. I mean, God bless America. Only in America.
B
The land of Oz.
A
It is the land of the Oz. It's the land of the Oz. And there's always a man behind the curtain.
B
Yep.
A
And this time it's Phil Mickelson.
B
What?
A
Okay, let's talk about him when we get back. Let's talk about what kind of buffoonery. Phil's up here.
B
Damn.
A
God damn.
B
It has fallen. I know.
A
God God damn it, Phil. I rooted for you. Oh, we rooted for you. We rooted for you together. The 2013 Masters, I think it was. And Chrissy and I were on the edge of our seats as he takes out that, you know, seven iron and swings it around that tree and lands it perfectly on the 11th or whatever. I think it'll be 11. I mean, just like masterful golf. A guy at the top of his game, everyone rooting for him. The whole world's behind him and he can't keep his dick in his pants, his wallet away from, you know, insider trading, gambling and betting and everybody over.
B
Saudis.
A
Yeah, the Saudis. He's up to it again. I'll tell you more about it when. When we get back.
C
Let me do something Brian has never done.
A
Be brief.
C
Follow us on Instagram at the commercial break, text or call us 212-4333, tcb. That's 212-433-822. Visit our website tcbpodcast.com for all the audio, video and your free sticker. Then watch all the videos@YouTube.com and finally share the show. It's the best gift you could give a few aging podcasters. See, Brian, that really wasn't that difficult, now, was it? You're welcome. If you're an experienced pet owner, you already know that having a pet is 25% belly rubs, 25% yelling drop it. And 50% groaning at the bill from every pet visit. Which is why Lemonade pet insurance is tailor made for your pet and can save you up to 90% on vet bills. It can help cover checkups, emergencies, diagnostics, basically all the stuff that makes your bank account get nervous. Claims are filed super easily through the Lemonade app and half get settled instantly. Get a'@lemonade.com pet and they'll help cover the vet bill for whatever your pet swallowed after you yelled, drop it.
A
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B
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A
Fit, it's a feeling.
B
When you step into Maurices, our stylists.
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Are dedicated to helping you find the perfect outfit.
C
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A
What was his name? In real life? What was his name?
B
Ethan. Hold on, let me see. Ethan Slater.
A
Ethan Slater. Okay.
B
But I guess they're putting on a little bit of a front to try and squash any rumors, but it seems like they've split up.
A
Damn. Sorry, Ethan. That was your one shot, bud. You divorced somebody to go after. Ariana Grante.
B
I know she doesn't have the best track record.
A
Gosh, no, she doesn't. But, you know, either did Pete Davidson until all of a sudden he had a baby and settled down. For now. Yeah. Pete's gonna realize as he gets older, it's not gonna get easier. So he's. He might be back on the market, too. We'll see. Listen, Phil Mickelson, okay, he. He's a professional golfer. For those of you that don't know he's a professional golfer, he's gonna be in the hall of Fame. He's. He's in the hall of Fame. He's in the Pro Golf hall of Fame. He's won, like, I don't know, 75 tournaments or something. What's Phil's? Phil's. It doesn't matter to you. You don't care. No one cares. And I don't care that you don't.
B
He's won a lot.
A
He's won a lot. He's won a number of majors. He's won the Masters. And the only one that he doesn't have, I think, is the US Open. But all the other ones he's won, and he's an exciting golfer to watch. And why is Phil Mickelson an exciting golfer to watch? Because he takes chances. He's a betting man. He takes out the club. You don't expect him to take out. He hits the shot, you don't expect him to hit. And 50% of the time it does, he loses.
B
Yeah, it goes.
A
It goes in the water. Yeah.
B
I've seen it so many times out of the other ones.
A
And the 50% of the time he hits it, you are super excited to see that Phil took a chance and it worked out. And then 50%, he gambles. He's a gambler. He bets in his head. He goes, I bet I can make this. And if I do, I'm a superstar. And if I don't, at least I tried. Where most golfers. Most golfers play on the little bit more conservative side, and they try and work their way around the course. He's always been known for that forever and ever. Amen. But Phil's also been known for a couple of other things, like maybe a little bit of philandering. But that's not been mains. That's not been Phil's main point.
B
That wasn't the main thing.
A
No, his main thing is gambling. Like, actual gambling. Taking large amounts of cash and losing it to the point where early on in his career, I would say in the first 10 or 12 years when he was making millions and millions of dollars, him and Tiger were. Were competing against each other head to head a lot. They were both raising the stakes for professional golf. He and Tiger were pulling the game up monetarily by bringing in these huge endorsements, the eyeballs on tv. And part of the reason why we'd like to watch, even though Tiger was winning 90% of the time, part of the reason why we'd like to watch Phil is because he was taking these crazy chances and he was an exciting golfer to watch. It brought eyeballs to the tv. It brought money into the pga, and he knew it and Tiger knew it, and they were getting paid well for what they did. But on the weekends, Phil was going and, you know, dropping a million and a half dollars on one hand of poker or some shit, which I didn't.
B
Really realize at the time because I remember he looked like such a great guy. His. His wife had breast cancer. Remember that? And, yeah, she beat that. And he seemed to be right there by her side, and I guess he was.
A
I. I think he was right. Yeah.
B
I mean, just had a gambling problem.
A
Listen, you can be two things. You can be a dick and not a dick at the same time, I guess. You know, I was telling my kids, good people do bad things, bad people do good things. It's complicated. It's not easy. I know that's not what I should be Telling the kid it should be, you know, be good, black and white, you know, good. But it's not that way. It's never going to be that way. And so it's not that way with Phil either.
B
But just say, don't be a dick.
A
Yeah, don't be a dick. Hey, kids, don't be a dick. That's life wisdom from your dad. Don't be a dick. But Phil, when it comes to business and it comes to money, he is an ultra complicated human being who is always trying to get the inside track and take crazy chances like he does on the course. He got into a lot of debt, apparently with bookies and casinos in Las Vegas early on in his career. And kmpg, who was a longtime sponsor of his, apparently came in and saved his hide to like the tune of $22 million or something like that. And he had to be forever their. He was their sponsor forever. Phil has done many, many endorsement deals. You see him on commercials still to this day for psoriasis and this and that. Yeah, he's got. He's made hundreds of millions of dollars on lucrative endorsement deals. And then the first chance he got to take a $500 million payout from the Saudi government, he did it. He was the first one over that. That live golf. Well, now Pablo Torre, who has this podcast called Pablo Torre finds out, which is a fantastic podcast, really centers mostly on sports and investigative journalism around sports. But if you ever get a chance, listen to it because it's really good. Or follow him on Instagram. But he has been following another Phil story, which is that Phil, not only when he was playing, he was getting these offers from live golf. He was also trying to make a deal with the pga, but he was taking the information he was getting from the PGA and he was giving it to live golf. And then he was taking the information from live golf and he was giving it to his third contender to start a new professional league that he had a bigger stake in. And then he was doing it to a fourth person. He was playing four sides of the table at the same time. He was trying to screw everybody over and figure out. He was trying to.
B
How he can make the most money.
A
He could take and eat it too. Right. He was trying to figure out how he had the most money back. During the pandemic, Phil avoided jail time and he had to give a million dollars back to investors after he got busted doing insider trading on a company. He was exchanging information before it became public. And then he was trading on that. Well, it's happening Again, Phil got caught in a bunch of WhatsApp group messages in inside of a group, trying to. It's always WhatsApp. I know it's the most secure messaging platform in the world. Is the least secure messaging platform in the world, just to let you know. But apparently they had this group going on about this offshore oil company in California, and the offshore oil company in California is doing poorly because Gavin Newsom signed some law, and now they can't ship their oil straight to California. They got to go somewhere else and whatever. So what do they do? They get Phil involved. Phil starts trading on the information, and Phil decides he's going to set up some golf time with his old buddy. Who, Donald Trump. That's right. Or the administer people in the administration, and he's going to wine and dine them and golf them, you know, into submission. So essentially, they can write some federal law that's going to allow this company, his company that he's invested in, to run oil through a different methodology that's going to get him.
B
I mean, it's not a bad strategy. Seems to be working with a lot of other.
A
Of course, go bend the knee, suck the nut, and then you get what you want financially. That's how it works. You know, suck the nut, give them a piece of your company, hand them $100 million check. You get what you want, you get out of jail, whatever it is. That's the way it is. It's transactional at the very top. Well, but then they're trading on this information, then they're moving the markets on this information. So it seems like Phil has been involved in yet another insider trading scandal that, you know, he could, or he probably won't get in trouble because you know who's at the top? The guy he's playing golf with. So I don't imagine anything will happen there. But Phil turned out to be kind of la douche, kind of a dick.
B
It's disappointing.
A
It is disappointing. And I don't understand it. You know, you got. It's just like this whole Epstein thing, if I'm being real honest, you know, you're at the top of the world. You got everything at your disposal. You could literally get hundreds or thousands of girls or guys above the age of 18 years old to sit in your pool, to hang out at your Jacuzzi, to come to your wine cellar, to give you a blowy on the bed, whatever it is. Right. Give you a blowy on the boat. I don't know what you're thinking. Whatever it is, you're into, and they can be 21 years old, 24 years old. You know, I don't. I don't know, whatever the. Whatever the law requires them to be, but you have to take it to a place that's absolutely illegal, disgusting, and abusive. Because why? I guess because you can. I don't really know the answer to that. But when you have that much at your disposal, when you are literally at the top of the world and everyone else below you is, you know, it, just clawing to get there, and you've got it. You made it. You did it. Why?
B
Well, it's like you're above the law.
A
Yeah. And so it's like Phil just got a $500 million fucking check from the Saudi Arabian government. As if that wasn't bad enough, as if I don't have my, you know, problems with that in and of itself, he decides that he needs to make a couple extra bucks golfing with, you know, the great orange deity in the sky. I mean, come on. Old French fry Fisher Filet dude. I mean, let's get it together, guys. Phil, I was really rooting for you. I thought you might have been one of the guys. We could all say, I root for Phil. But when you went to live golf, I decided I can't root for Phil anymore. And by the way, has anybody ever watched a round of live golf? Let's be honest, I have not. No.
B
I've known people that have watched it. They said, it's okay.
A
It's too complicated.
B
They got things going on.
A
Points and, you know, this score here and do this match and do that match. It's on a channel you can't find. It's on the wb. And I don't think the WB is actually on cable television. I think you actually do have to have antenna ears to get the wb. So it's on wb, and then I see people there at the events, but I don't think they charge people to get in the events. I think they say, hey, what are you doing Saturday? You want to come?
B
Where do they hold these events?
A
Trump Trump golf courses. It's true. It's absolutely true. It's a sham. It's not. But they got the money to keep doing it forever and ever. And now we are seeing the first defectors back to the pga.
B
Oh, really?
A
From Liv Golf? That's right.
B
Who is that?
A
Somebody you don't know. But essentially, he left the he to live. He went back to the DP World Tour, which is like the Corn Fairy League, and he gained his car. It's a league. It's where you. Corn Ferry tournament. Where you go. Or. Or. Yeah, league. It's like the. It's like double A baseball. The minor leagues.
B
Okay.
A
You go there and you can earn one of whatever it is, 20 tour cards by winning a tournament or, you know, having the best swing. I don't know. I don't know. Something. Yeah.
B
Let's say the minor leagues of golf.
A
The minor leagues of golf. You can get into the. You can get in. If you can do things that are good and do stuff.
B
You gotta build back up.
A
Build back better. If you don't mind. Build back better. Whatever happened to that tagline? I thought that was.
B
What was that?
A
Oh, that was Melania.
B
Hers was the best.
A
It was B best, but then it was build back better. Oh, no, I think that was Biden, actually, that said build back better, which is just as dumb, let's be honest. Okay. All right. Build back better. Who's working at the White House in the last 12 years? Where's Obama when you. Bill.
B
Bill Clinton?
A
I don't know. Somebody. I mean, George Bush Jr. I feel like. I don't know. I'm not saying we should invite the guy back, but I'm saying if he came back, I probably wouldn't be super happy about it, but I'd be like, well, at least we know what we're getting.
B
Yeah.
A
Yeah. We're not getting the guy Talking to the McDonald's franchise people on a random Tuesday. What are you doing? McDonald's people. Ah, the McDonald's people. Franchisees of McDonald's. All right. Anyway, Phil, stop being a dick. Stop it. Yeah. You're like 58 years old.
B
Yeah.
A
You've got a couple more years to turn things around here. Let's get on, do some charity work, Come back to the pga. Go on the. Go on the Senior pga. You know, put some eyeballs there. We're neat and they need it. Once Tiger hits that Senior pga, and he will at some point. Once he does, we're going to be watching every Senior PGA tournament. Everybody is.
B
So he just needs to stay healthy. God.
A
Yeah, I know. He had his 44th back surgery the other day. Jeez. It's not even news anymore. You have to, like, find it. It's like you have to dig deep in the news catalog to find it. But Tigers, David dating, like, one of the Trumps, too. Everyone's dating Trump.
B
It's the ex wife.
A
Yeah. Of Kai Trump's. Kai Trump? Yeah. Don Jr's ex wife's girlfriend or something like that. They're all up there, connected. Democrat, Republican, it doesn't matter. They're all up there connected, connected. They're all laughing. They're all gonna laugh at you. They're all laughing at us. All right, 212-4333. TCB at the commercial break on Instagram. TCB podcast on Tick Tock now streaming on Twitch, which is also at TCB Podcast and YouTube. The commercial break slash the commercial break. Okay. All right, Chrissy, that's all I can do for today.
B
I think.
A
So I'll tell you that I love.
B
You and I love you.
A
Best to you. Best to you and best to you out there in the podcast universe. Until next time, Chrissy and I will say we do say, and we must say goodbye. Hey, Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a very happy half off holiday because right now Mint Mobile is offering you the gift of 50% off unlimited. To be clear, that's half price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So that needs a half day.
B
Yeah.
A
Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for three month plan equivalent to 15 per month.
C
Required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of networks busy. Taxes and fees extra.
A
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A
Head over to get started.TikTok.com TikTokads come.
C
To DSW for the shoes, Stay for the fun. Because let's be honest, if shoe shopping isn't fun, are you even doing it right?
A
So go ahead, try something new. Try something different, good different.
C
Try something that feels like you, you.
B
Know, the real you.
C
And then definitely brag about it later. Because at dsw, you've got unlimited freedom to play. Find the shoes that get you at prices that get your budget at DSW stores or@dsw.com let us surprise.
A
Save Dominic. As a raider scavenging a derelict world, you settle into an underground settlement. But now you must return to the surface where arc machines roam. If you're brave enough, who knows what you might find. Arc Raiders of Mine, multiplayer extraction adventure video game. Buy now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC rated T for teen. Doug. Here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug. Uh, Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us? Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you need@libertymutual.com Liberty, Liberty. Liberty. Liberty Savings. Very underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates. Excludes Massachusetts.
Episode: The Very Bad Horrible Hallacas!
Date: November 20, 2025
Hosts: Bryan Green and Krissy Hoadley
In this festive, food-fueled episode, Bryan and Krissy dive into the chaotic traditions of the holiday season, spotlighting the Venezuelan dish "hallacas" (ayakas). They riff on cross-cultural culinary customs, swap stories of holiday meals gone awry, and side-eye both fruitcake and celebrity press tours. The episode meanders through the world of holiday foods, the pop culture buzz around “Wicked,” odd celebrity pairing speculation, and finishes with an irreverent takedown of disgraced golfer Phil Mickelson and the drama of Liv Golf. Expect plenty of the duo’s signature tangents, ragged banter, and comedic commentary on everything from deli sandwiches to Broadway musicals.
[03:50 - 08:10]
[09:18 - 10:45]
[10:46 - 15:46]
[18:17 - 22:51]
[28:24 - 33:49]
[33:49 - 40:48]
[43:36 - 44:32]
[46:12 - 58:15]
[58:40 - 61:47]
On holiday culinary strains:
“The tradition is that you make 1000 ayakas per person that may or may not be attending your house anytime during the holidays.” (Bryan, 06:06)
On fruitcakes and festive foods:
“You gotta be a fruitcake to give a fruitcake. You know what I'm saying?” (Bryan, 08:36)
On Iberico ham addiction:
“You couldn't get me away from the Iberico ham. … I was like a fiend, like a crack addict.” (Bryan, 13:13)
On pop culture marketing fatigue:
“The PR machine is in full roar right now. Of course they have to. That's what it is.” (Bryan, 33:18)
On the ancient deli sandwich quest:
“I'm not afraid of a sandwich in a bag. Used to be a place here in Atlanta, Cool Corners grocery store.” (Bryan, 20:11)
On the “Wicked” press tour dynamic:
“They are on each other, and it is just… They're on top of each other…” (Bryan, 39:45)
Mickelson takedown:
“Phil, stop being a dick. Stop it. … You've got a couple more years to turn things around here.” (Bryan, 61:04)
Irreverent, rapid-fire, tangential, and infused with self-aware humor. The banter is rooted in decades-old friendship and is as much about teasing each other as dissecting cultural oddities. No sacred cows (or hams) here—the tone is proudly unfiltered and endearingly “just fine.”
This episode is a must-listen for anyone who loves the messy side of holiday traditions, has strong sandwich opinions, or relishes the spectacle of pop and sports culture melodrama. As always, expect the journey to be as off-course as a Phil Mickelson approach shot, but twice as fun.