Zac Amico's Morning Zoo – Episode 0088

Guests: Dave Temple & Ryan Foster
Date: February 15, 2026
Network: GaS Digital

Episode Overview

This episode of Zac Amico's Morning Zoo is a wild, irreverent romp through bizarre news stories, unhinged social commentary, and lived experience from the New York comedy and working class world. Joined by comedians Dave Temple and Ryan Foster (Workforce Titans), Zac and crew riff on everything from sketchy carnival rides to viral social media racism, sketchy New York characters, animal invasions, and the grotesque side of blue-collar work. It’s an episode packed with crude humor, playful race banter, and pure comedic chaos.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Carnival Ride Disasters & Skankfest Tales

[01:56 – 04:44]

• Zac kicks off with a story about a carnival joyride collapsing at a state fair, prompting rants about the unsafe, travel-carny culture of American fairs.
• Ryan: “Traveling meth heads. Dude.” (02:26)
• They muse about dangerous fair rides, comparing them to Skankfest events (comedy festival known for its wildness).
• The discussion shifts to how everyone’s filming accidents now, and reminiscences about rough party weekends in New Orleans and Skankfest.
• Memorable: Dave recalls finding fellow comedian Josh Adam Meyers wasted on a balcony at 6am and knowing, “Oh, shit. This got bad.” (04:16)

2. Indian Stereotypes, Social Media Skits, & AI Fakes

[04:49 – 08:40]

• They riff on the shifting perceptions of Indian communities in the media, connecting the fall of “Apu” from The Simpsons to the rise of Indian dudes spamming Instagram with bizarre comments and marriage proposals on AI women.
• Zac: “There is nothing funnier on earth than a painting of a woman that Indian guys think is a real woman.” (06:12)
• The crew bemoans the proliferation of AI-generated viral videos and acknowledge getting “got” by fakes, then joke about devices and apps meant to curb social media addiction.

3. Loud Music, Construction Life & Volume Warnings

[08:01 – 09:04]

• Laughter about modern phones warning users if they’re blasting music too loud versus old-school construction workers who had to blast music to be heard.
• Zac ribs Dave: “The world's most conscientious black guy, by the way—still not playing it at the speaker. Jesus.” (08:52)

4. Body Cam Fails, Cops & NYC Crime

[09:04 – 13:01]

• Dave notes the new “disconnection” between young black folks and classic black etiquette, as seen in viral bodycam videos—no ID, no plan, no tact.
• Ryan recounts cops “playing SWAT” on body cam crime shows, running into each other on balconies and generally looking foolish on tape.
• The crew discusses a recent bystander-filmed NYC subway shooting—watching the city “get its edge back,” with certain neighborhoods getting “dodgy” again.
• Dave: “Kudos to still making New York real like that.” (11:45)
• Times Square mascots and aggressive street performers become a metaphor for urban decay: “It’s like Mexico out there now.” (12:36)

5. Viral “Subway Queen” Racist Video

[13:01 – 24:00]

• The viral video of a woman on a NYC subway hurling a racial slur as the train doors close (“she hits a buzzer beater”) becomes a comedic case study in viral infamy.
• Memorable banter:
  • Zac: “She hits the R, then she goes, ooh… She gives like, oh, I did that, didn't I?” (17:57)
  • Ryan: “Usually racists are assless. Tight old ladies.” (14:33)
  • Dave: “I hate when I come across a thick racist woman… this is confusing.” (14:38)
• The crew jokes about “slur credits” and compares subway slur usage to the plot of the sci-fi film “In Time”: “You got three N credits…” (23:49)
• Dave: “I don’t think that word necessarily lives in her heart. It lived in her brain… she just nailed the timing.” (24:15)

6. Subway Social Order & White Guilt

[25:03 – 28:41]

• The gang muses on the subway as “black dominant territory” and how white riders are “there for the experience.”
• Dave describes observing a “Captain Save-a-Hoe” scenario: a hipster white girl comforting a junkie on the train, clueless to “subway creature” culture.
• Zac shares a story of stepping in to de-escalate a misunderstanding between a disabled teen and an accusatory woman on the train.

7. Jolly Cat & NYC’s Real-Life Oddballs

[29:03 – 33:49]

• The “Jolly Cat,” a notorious NYC oddball trying (and failing) at comedy, is recounted with horror, humor, and a healthy dose of social distance.
• Dave: “He represents a level of failure in comedy that I’m scared to even engage with…” (32:42)
• Multiple stories illustrate the city’s dangerous, delightfully weird subway characters.

8. Presidential Racism & Secret Codewords?

[35:13 – 39:06]

• Zac brings up a rumor about Donald Trump allegedly referring to black women as “boogers” in emails linked to Epstein parties.
• Turns out to be fake (“No such email. God damn it, Jorge.” 35:56) but triggers a rundown of racist codewords through history (e.g., “Mondays,” “Deer”).
• The crew relishes the invention and evolution of racial slurs with gallows humor.

9. Filthy Jobs & Plumbing Nightmares

[40:32 – 43:56]

• Zac brings a viral video of a maintenance worker unclogging a toilet that’s been unused for 3 months—cue detailed, gagworthy commentary.
• Dave shares the experience of helping his hoarder mother with messy home repairs and how insurance adjusters might react.

10. Carpets in Bathrooms & Cleaning Culture

[44:51 – 46:26]

• Gross-out nostalgia for old-school home decor (carpeted bathrooms, fuzzy toilet seat covers, and the “dirty house smell”), and a salute to obsessive cleaning in Latino households—complete with “Fabuloso” stories.

11. The “White Monster” Energy Drink Stereotype

[46:26 – 47:47]

• The “White Monster” (sugar-free Monster energy drink) is crowned as “white trash champagne”—the mark of true working men and “monster drinkers.”
• Zac: “If you see a guy walk out of a gas station with two white monsters in one hand…”
• Dave: “Can I start using that as the derogatory term for white people? Monster drinkers.” (69:41)

12. Halftime Show “Segregation” & Performer Flake Stories

[48:36 – 51:07]

• Dave shares a story about a “black homecoming” at University of Pittsburgh after a perceived racial slight, ending with the rapper Memphis Bleek failing to show.
• The group reflects on the “dysfunction and confidence” (or both) of performers who don’t show up for paid gigs.

13. Celebrity Encounters & Signing Etiquette

[51:07 – 55:10]

• Tales of celebrities refusing to sign autographs and the etiquette of pestering famous people in public.
• Zac highlights wrestlers’ tolerance for overzealous fans and recounts a heartwarming story of wrestler Mr. Kennedy making time for a kid with Down syndrome despite the cold.

14. Parenting, Autistic Kids & Marital Strain

[55:10 – 57:04]

• The strain of raising special-needs kids leading to higher divorce rates, referenced by both personal stories and statistics.
• Dave: “Me and my wife adopted a dog… we took it back. Nothing wrong. It was just like, we don’t want to give this level of focus…” (55:54)

15. Which Dog Breeds Get an “N-Word Pass?”

[57:22 – 61:46]

• In classic Morning Zoo fashion, the group pulls up a chart of dog breeds and, with comedic irreverence, debates which breeds would (jokingly) be “allowed to say the N-word” for their cultural, racial, or personality parallels.
• Dave: “Pit bull, Rottweiler… pretty much our dogs now at this point.” (58:10)
• Ryan: “Chihuahua—racist Mexican, guaranteed.” (60:19)
• Zac: “Golden Retriever? No way.” (58:40)

16. The Great Florida Iguana Crisis & “Chicken of the Trees”

[62:20 – 67:52]

• Zac describes “cold snaps” in Florida causing invasive iguanas to freeze and fall from trees. Locals capitalize by collecting them for bounties—and making iguana tacos (described in detail).
• Shock over how matter-of-fact Floridians (and YouTube influencer cooks) are about preparing and eating the lizards.
• Zac: “They’re not dead—they’re just stunned. And people are picking up 50 at a time!”
• Dave: “I can’t believe such an articulate person is just handling a lizard like this and he’s just gonna eat lizard tacos.” (65:41)
• Ryan: “He strikes me as too gay to be eating lizards out of a tree. I want a twang in your voice…” (65:49)
• Later, they contrast “articulate influencer” iguana tacos with the more “authentic” swamp rat cookers—complete with paper plates and beer.

17. America’s Real Redneck Survivalists as Revolutionary Heroes

[68:10 – 69:53]

• Zac discusses how small-game hunting rednecks who ate squirrel were America’s secret weapon in the Revolution, providing the first “snipers” against the British.
• Dave coins: “Monster drinkers”—the new racial epithet for poor white rednecks. (69:45)

18. Swamp Rats (Nutria): The Last Stand of Southern Cuisine

[71:02 – 74:37]

• The show ends connecting iguana taco talk to Southern swamp rat recipes (nutria).
• On YouTube, they find a “real” redneck explaining swamp rat cooking methods, further highlighting regional food weirdness and the joy of local identities.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Carnival rides:

  • Zac: “It’s one they built with a wrench that morning.” [02:22]

• Indian Influencer Jokes:

  • Zac: “Every once in a while you’ll see a photo that’s a classical painting, and it’s just fucking Indian dudes proposing.” [06:12]

• NYC Crime:

  • Dave: “Kudos to still making New York real like that…” [11:45]

• Viral Subway Racist Woman:

  • Zac: “She hits the R, then she goes ‘ooh!’ She gives like, oh, I did that, didn't I?” [17:57]
  • Dave: “I hate when I come across a thick racist woman. This is confusing.” [14:38]

• Dog Breed Race Passes:

  • Dave: “Pit bull, rottweiler…pretty much our dogs now at this point.” [58:10]
  • Zac: “Golden retriever? No way.” [58:40]
  • Ryan: “Chihuahua—racist Mexican, guaranteed, right?” [60:19]

• Florida Iguanas:

  • Zac: “If you gave them an iguana, you got a pie. Venison, bacon, and iguana…” [64:53]
  • Dave: “I just can’t believe such an articulate person is just handling a lizard like this and eats it.” [65:41]
  • Ryan: “He strikes me as too gay to be eating lizards out of a tree. I want a twang in your voice.” [65:49]

• On Redneck History:

  • Dave: “Can I start using that as the derogatory term for white people? Monster drinkers.” [69:41]

Key Timestamps

• 01:56 – Carnival ride collapse introduction
• 04:49 – Indian stereotypes, social media, AI video pranks
• 09:04 – Modern-day body cam fails, NYC crime
• 13:01 – Discussion of viral subway racism video
• 24:03 – “Slur credit” jokes
• 29:03 – Jolly Cat and New York subway tales
• 35:13 – Rumor about Trump’s “boogers” codeword
• 40:32 – Viral plumbing disaster
• 46:26 – “White Monster” as white working-class symbol
• 55:10 – Parenting and divorce when raising autistic kids
• 57:22 – Hilarious “which dogs get an N-word pass?” segment
• 62:20 – Florida’s iguana invasion and the “chicken of the trees”
• 68:10 – Redneck snipers and the American Revolution
• 71:02 – Swamp rat/Nutria cooking lore
• 75:08 – Plugs & sign off

Tone & Style

The episode is raucous, crude, and relentlessly playful, always running right up to the edge of taboo (and sometimes gleefully leaping over it). The banter is fast, loaded with inside jokes, wild analogies, and lived-in references from the guests’ backgrounds—blue-collar work, urban comedy, and social media absurdity. Underneath the shock humor, there’s genuine affection, old-school New York grit, and satirical intelligence.

For Listeners Who Missed It

If you want an episode that combines wild news, real New York stories, off-the-rails race humor, and honest blue-collar insights—all peppered with viral video commentary and a dose of animal chaos—this edition of Morning Zoo is unfiltered, vital chaos. The “dog N-word pass” debate, live subway race-bait analysis, iguana and swamp rat cookouts, and the ever-harrowing NYC subway makes it a must-listen for fans of boundary-pushing comedy.