The Commercial Break: “Trippin’ With TCB”

Date: January 17, 2025
Hosts: Bryan Green, Krissy Hoadley, (with Christina)
Theme: Improv comedy dives into influencer drama, viral marketing, movie talk, Atlanta snow, LA wildfires, and everyday absurdities—with the usual TCB off-the-rails banter.

Episode Overview

In this episode, Bryan and Krissy (joined by Christina) merge their signature chaotic humor, pop culture commentary, and candid reflections. They riff nostalgically on Oscar movies, influencer marketing excess and backlash (especially Tarte cosmetics), the tricky territory of sponsored endorsements, and the dark humor of natural disasters—while keeping things irreverent and relatable. A recurring focus is on how modern marketing, social media, and consumer culture generate absurd, sometimes infuriating phenomena—like “Tripping with Tarte” or the Honey browser scandal. As always, real-life events—Atlanta’s rare snowstorm and LA’s catastrophic wildfires—anchor the silliness in genuine empathy.

Key Discussion Points & Segments

1. TCB as Pop Culture Snoop & Commentary (00:00–03:16)

• Bryan intros his morning routine of “Googling people” and “Insta snooping” for the latest drama.
• Banter about influencer tiers—if TCB sent people on Great Wolf Lodge “influencer trips,” it’d probably be bunk beds and no goodie bag for the lowest tier.
• Running bit: “Depending on the level of influencer, you might or might not get the roar. Get a discount on the ropes course.” (01:12)

2. Unpacking This Week’s Movies & TV (03:16–12:37)

• Oscars Talk & Movie Recommendations:
  • “Rotten Tomatoes best movies of 2024… don’t know that I’ve seen any of these.” (03:22 - Bryan)
  • Curiosity over the film ‘Anora’ and wild plot summaries for movies like ‘Hundreds of Beavers’ (“a live action cartoon reminiscent of Looney Tunes”).
  • TV riffs: ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ is fine, but overrated—comparisons to Jack Ryan and John Krasinski’s acting growth.
• Bryan’s Genuine Highlight:
  • “Superman: The Christopher Reeve Story” (HBO Max) deeply impacted him:
    • “An ugly cry is coming at least twice in the movie… At the end, it’s just a gut punch.” (11:16 - Bryan)
    • “The irony is the story of Christopher Reeves. He had his new wife, they had young children… And in that moment, he made a choice to stay alive.” (09:52)
    • “He becomes a Superman to many people who desperately needed a Superman.” (10:41)
• Listener tie-in: Krissy highlights Bryan’s prior recommendation ‘Fire of Love’—volcanologists surrounded by lava and obsession, another soul-stirring doc.
  • “I’ve never seen imagery in a movie like this before in my entire life.” (12:48 - Bryan)
  • Who among us finds ‘that one thing’—the wild passion that drives even the greatest risks?

3. “Tripping with Tarte” & The Influencer Marketing Madness (18:12–28:00)

• Bryan recounts the influencer cosmetics trip phenomenon—Tarte flies creators to luxury destinations for product launches and wild gifting.
  • “I want to declare here on The Commercial Break that we are now a makeup influencer podcast. All I’m going to do is allow my daughters to come in here and put Tarte makeup on me…” (19:47)
• Context & Backlash: Christina explains the growing frustration—originally fun, “Tripping with Tarte” became a symbol of excessive, performative influencer culture, sparking consumer resentment.
  • “People are upset about it ... How much do I really need to see this content vacation that you guys put together?” (20:48 - Christina)
• Meta-irony: TCB jokes about launching their own “influencer trips”—sending guests to Great Wolf Lodge, lowest tier: “no roar package”, just bunk beds.
• Marketing Real Talk:
  • “If you have a product, you have to market it. You have to figure a way to get it in people's hands... You have to be better, faster, stronger. This is a symptom of the universe that we live in.” (23:19 - Bryan)

4. The Scandalous Side of Influencer Endorsements (28:00–33:04)

• Krissy questions authenticity: “How can you really trust that this is the best thing ever if they’re being paid?” (27:07)
• Bryan clarifies TCB’s own approach: will only endorse what they’ve genuinely tried and liked.
• SEC crackdown on fake endorsements: Discussing a current case where an influencer touted a product they’d never tried and made people sick.
• The ‘Honey’ Browser Extension Scandal:
  • “They were scrubbing the affiliate code of the influencer and they were dropping in their own code. That is fucked up. It’s a total scam.” (31:57 - Bryan)
  • “Marketing is hard work and it doesn’t always work and you gotta keep going... You might get a little silly with the fucking shit like Tarte is. But Honey took it… just running a scam.” (32:37)
• PayPal’s acquisition of Honey: reflects broader issues with tech giants and questionable practices.

5. Shifts to Real-world Events & Direct Observations (35:19–44:00)

• Local Atlanta Snowstorm:
  • Sledding hijinks, power outages, improvising with baking sheets and tubes due to “no sleds sold in Atlanta.”
    • “People skiing around the streets and sledding down…” (37:30 - Bryan)
    • Fail video: Christina watches her neighbors try (and fail) to drive away with computer monitors in fresh snow; “I am cackling. I was like, idiots, you clearly haven’t lived here.” (38:53 - Christina)
• Contrasting LA Wildfire Disaster:
  • Profound empathy for friends affected. Bryan bemoans the usual cycle—land grabs and insurance companies potentially screwing over those who lose everything.
  • “I just really hope that these people in California, they see some justice… you can’t pull the insurance retroactively. That should be at least illegal under any circumstance.” (42:21 - Bryan)
  • Information on Airbnb.org and 211 for housing—TCB pledges to put up links for those affected.

6. Oddball Wrap-Ups, Recurring Bits, and Quotables (44:00–end)

• Anti-Douching PSA:
  • “The big douche is the reason why we’re all in this together. Big bras and big douche, that’s why we’re all in this together.” (35:19 - Bryan)
  • Christina: “It’s not good for you. My sister’s an OB gyn, so I’m informed.” (45:18)
  • Bryan riffing on OB-GYN vs. ‘OB gyn’: “Is that how they refer to themselves as OB gyn? I say OB-GYN, but then I’m a man who doesn’t want to get that part wrong.” (45:32)
• Self-aware TCB Calls-to-Action:
  • “Brian and Chrissy’s new podcast, five days a week, available on the Odyssey app for free or wherever you get your podcasts.” (17:11)
  • “If you could get us like a small dinky… we don’t even need a plane. Get us an Uber to the local Hojo and give us some free breakfast and we’ll trip with Tarte all day long.” (25:04 - Bryan)
• End-of-episode throwdowns:
  • Upcoming Venezuela vs. United States sports banter (47:06)
  • Final best wishes, reminders for aid links, Roy Wood Jr.’s comedy special promo, and TCB’s usual, “Best to you!”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Influencer Drama:
  • “Sending people with 30,000 followers on elaborate expensive vacations so that they can specifically stick their head directly up the ass of a very brand…” (23:25 - Bryan)
• On the Farces of Online Marketing:
  • “You might get a little silly with the fucking shit like Tarte is. But Honey took it… just running a scam.” (32:37 - Bryan)
• On Finding Life’s Purpose:
  • “I hope we all find that one thing… you keep going back to because it feels like the thing you were here to do. You have to keep exploring it… Even though it’s beating you upside the head.” (14:20 - Bryan, talking about the volcanologists)
• On Sincerity in Recommendations:
  • “Generally, if someone asks us for a personal endorsement, I will not do it unless I try it. I know it and I like it. That should be the general premise upon all personal endorsements. But it’s not.” (27:24 - Bryan)
• On Community and Disaster:
  • “If you had a fire insurance policy, you should be paid out… you can’t pull the insurance retroactively. That should be at least illegal under any circumstance.” (42:26 - Bryan)
• On Comic Self-awareness:
  • “We’re documenting the silly stuff we talk about, like other people’s television shows and movies.” (17:03 - Bryan)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:00–01:25 – Bryan’s “Google Gossip” routine & classic TCB intro banter
• 03:16–12:37 – Movie/TV talk, Superman/Christopher Reeve doc, ‘Fire of Love’ doc
• 18:12–24:52 – Tripping with Tarte explained & influencer excess
• 27:08–32:37 – Trust in endorsements, SEC, Honey browser extension scam
• 35:19–38:17 – Atlanta snowstorm stories, local news, neighbor mishaps
• 41:07–44:12 – LA wildfires, disaster capitalism, social aid resources

Tone & Language

• Loose, irreverent, and self-deprecating.
• Playful jabs at pop culture, but honest and personal when it matters (e.g., natural disaster empathy, documentary finds).
• Meta jokes about their own “just fine” show status and brand.

Summary for Newcomers

This episode is a quintessential taste of TCB: it’s rapid-fire, unfiltered, sometimes unexpectedly deep, but mostly gleefully off-the-wall. If you’re after sharply observational, sometimes self-mocking comedy, skewering all things pop culture while still finding space for heartfelt empathy and a touch of real-life absurdity, “Trippin’ With TCB” is your perfect low-stakes, highly entertaining escape.