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Have you ever wondered why songs on the radio are popular? Why do certain movies get made even though the premise seems completely random? Why are concert tickets costing you $3,000 but nobody makes any money touring? Well, on my podcast, Breaking down the Biz, we answer all those questions and more. I'm Seth Schachner. I have over two decades of experience in the entertainment and the music industry. And every week I talk to insiders that lend insight and expertise on the media you know and love, past, present and future. Subscribe now on your favorite podcasting platform or watch us on YouTube so you never miss a beat. Let's make sense of this industry together.
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This is the Players Box.
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Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the Players Box. I'm Desiree Krafczyk alongside Jenny Brady, Madison Keys, and Jess Pagula. As always, a friendly reminder to please give our podcast five stars and subscribe on YouTube. Today, we'll give our thoughts on the Met Gala. Some nostalgic movies, identify true Italian dishes and give out some low stakes advice. But first, we have our unforced errors of the week. Madison.
B
I think it's more of a collective unforced error that I have, but I was talking to Caroline Garcia the other day and, and she said she was listening to the podcast and she cannot believe all of the insane things that happen to us and she thinks it's very abnormal. She was beside herself with the fact that we, at least one of us, has the most obscene thing in the world happening to us consistently every single week. So I'm just gonna say, collectively, I think that's our unforced error.
D
Fair enough. I thought it was normal, so that's concerning.
B
I did too. I was like, oh, this doesn't happen to you. That's crazy.
E
Well, the other day I called a doctor the wrong name. So. So I was messaging the doctor's team on my online patient portal and I said, blah, blah, blah, blah, Dr. Blank not gonna say his name. And then she responded and then I responded again saying the wrong name. And then a couple hours later, the doctor calls me and says, hi, Jennifer, this is Dr. Blank. And I was like, that is not what I called him.
D
And in.
E
On the. On the chat in the online patient portal. So that was. Hopefully he is not aware that I did not say the right name. Um, yeah. So embarrassing.
C
Desiree, My unforced error happened this morning. I was driving to site and it was like rush hour traffic in the morning. And I think my driver thought she was being like the smart one because she saw an empty lane and she's like, oh, why are all these drivers waiting in. In these lanes? Like, there's an open lane. The open lane ended up being oncoming traffic, so. And obviously everyone knows, like, Italy is. They're crazy drivers. And the Vespas and the mopeds, all those stuff are coming at you full speed. So that was a little nerve wracking. But we ended up reversing back. Luckily, people let us in the lane. She was reversing back. And then we see an officer come over to us. And I was like, oh, gosh, another in trouble. Another problem with the law, like, internationally, though, so. But luckily he actually was really nice and I think it helped having the tournament car. So that was Maya for Sarah this morning. Jess.
D
Wow. I actually think that's insane. I actually think, like, I don't really have one. My allergies are really bad right now, so that's been fun. But other than that, I've been, like, I've been okay. Nothing too alarming. So she's winning.
E
Yeah.
D
Yeah.
E
You have a winner.
C
Okay, that's great. Don't always have to have unforced.
D
Caroline will be proud. Carol will be proud that nothing happened to me this week. Yeah, that's a success. So that one's for Caro. Who do we think our winner is? Probably.
C
I feel like I'm winning these unforced errors, too, for a while. It's not.
D
Well, maybe not.
B
You were in oncoming traffic today.
E
Yeah.
B
Yeah.
E
Well, I guess it was technically her driver. You were the passenger that actually. Yeah. Could be worse.
C
It was kind of scary, but, I mean, I guess you had to be ready for anything in Italy.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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Although maybe I feel like in Italy it's also kind of normal.
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Yeah.
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Like, I think they know how to maneuver and, like, figure out, like, oh, little nooks and crannies. If you're like a mo. Like a motorcycle. Or was it Vespa here?
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Yeah.
B
Yeah.
C
So I'll take the. The win, I guess,
D
that you went in. Congratulations. You went into oncoming traffic.
C
Thank you.
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Okay, what is your weekday breakfast routine? Like, with early morning practices, I don't have a ton of time to make a full meal.
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Weddings, tournaments, trips and way more photos. And I realized if you wear glasses, you're wearing them in all of those moments. So if you don't love your frames, you feel it pretty quickly.
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All right, well, we have been talking a lot about the Met Gala, which has happened a few days ago. It was on in the middle of the night for us, but we wake up and get to look at all of the outfits on our phone, which I feel like is always a funny conversation for a couple of days. Thoughts on the looks? Any favorites? Least favorites? What are we thinking? Jenny?
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I have some notes. Bad bunny with the prosthetic age look. I thought that was. At first, I was like, wait, who is that? Beyonce was wearing a $50 million necklace.
B
Whoa.
E
Whoa. Yeah. I mean, yeah. Low key flex. I thought Rihanna looked great. She always looks good. But I don't know if anybody saw she had in her hair was these wire curls. So they had 40 wire curls to make it look like. Like a part of her hair, but it was actually made from wire, which was pretty cool.
D
I feel like it always helps when there's, like, a backstory of, like, some of the crazier outfits, because then I'm like, oh, I get it now. That's actually really cool. But sometimes when you just see them, at first glance, you're like, what is going on? And then they explain it, and it makes so much more sense. Des, did you have a favorite?
C
I really liked Eileen Goo's bubbly dress. That was really cool. Where the bubbles, like, came out. Very cool. I liked Celine Dion's dress. Dua Lipa. Sabrina Carpenter's the Sabrina. Was that supposed to be, like, the film? Kind of.
B
It was her dress of film from Sabrina the movie.
C
Yeah. And then Camila Cabellos. Those are really fun.
B
DEZ was, like, half of my list, so we have the same taste. But I also liked. I thought Venus looked incredible. I really loved how it was the Wimbledon trophy folded over. I thought that was really cool.
D
Very cool.
B
Did you say Nicole Kidman? I love Nicole Kidman's dress.
D
I don't think I saw that.
B
Beautiful. It was simple. If you can call any dress at the Met Gala simple. But it was beautiful. And I really liked Naomi's red situation that was under her white.
C
The shedding of the skin.
B
Yeah, that was really.
C
I thought that was really cool.
B
That looked amazing. And then chase infinity.
E
Oh, I. That was on my list.
B
Her hair looked incredible, and it was so good.
E
It was a million different. A million colored sequins. Her dress.
C
Oh, my gosh.
D
Oh, my gosh.
B
Can you imagine?
D
No.
C
That sounds amazing, though.
D
I really liked Kendall's. Did anyone see Kendall Jenner's?
B
She looked really good.
D
She looked unbelievable. And I felt like it was simple. She looks good in literally everything. But it still had, like, a slight nod to the theme, which is what I tend to lean towards. And then I liked Emma Chamberlain. She had, like. It looked like an art, like, painting basically, like, on her with, like, a lot of different colors kind of blended together. But, yeah, a lot of the same ones. You guys said, like, Dua Lipa looked great. If you guys had to design a tennis kit based off of MET Gala themes, what would you do? So, like, what would your theme be? And then what would your outfit be? Des, I feel like you have a lot of ideas.
E
Yeah.
D
Does start us off. She's ready to go.
B
Well, okay.
C
I don't know. Well, I wasn't gonna do it tennis piece, but I guess inspiring of that. It was gonna be more of like, a ball gowny meets, like, Blake Lively's outfit from the 2022 Met Gala. Do you remember that dress where she changed?
D
It's like, very Renaissance.
C
Changed into two different. It like, changed into a different dress when she walked up the stairs. It was really cool, but it had, like, a long train and was really cool. And I think, like, silhouettes of, like, a racket and tennis balls and like, I don't know. It just sounds cooler in my head when I was thinking of it. But then also mixed with a little Taylor Swift with her enchanted dress would be really cool because it's like a ball gowny dress. I don't know. I was just thinking about that. But.
D
So what's the theme? Yeah, what do you mean?
C
Ball gowns, I guess.
D
Tennis balls. It was.
C
Yeah, but it was more like a silhouette. Like a high, low, kind of like long train dress with then on the top of it would be, like, a sheer, like tennis rackets and tennis balls, but, like, so subtle that it's not like, hey, I'm a tennis rack in a tennis ball. Does that make sense? Maybe I'll give it.
B
Your theme is tennis? Well, yeah, Silhouettes.
C
Tennis silhouettes with a little bit of Sleeping Beauty kind of ball gown. Ball gowny dress. I don't really know what to describe it as.
D
I feel like take a shot every.
C
Also. I need to. I also need to. I also need to add a tiara to that. Because why not, you know, Wait.
E
Actually, all I can think of is that Taylor Swift outfits, like, kind of similar to. What's that movie you love with Olaf?
C
Frozen.
E
Frozen? Yeah.
C
It's reminding me of Frozen when Elsa wears it.
E
Elsa? Yes. Is giving Elsa?
C
Yes. That would be my volume.
D
Do you have an idea for a theme in a dress or a tennis kit? Whatever you want.
B
I feel like being inspired by some of the looks we saw the other night at The Devil Wears Prada 2. I would want my theme basically just to be sequins. I love sparkles. And I think I could. If I could figure out a way to have like a sequin hat, dress, shoes, just all things disco ball.
C
Like the blue dress from the movie
B
or like the sequin jumpsuit that you looked at when you were like, I could never. I was like, I could. I would wear that,
D
Jenny.
E
Something very clean and basic and then something more ball gowny. So like half.
D
Half.
E
So something on the right side.
C
I'd love to see you in a ball gown.
E
Something on the left side, like different. Half leather, half punk and half heavenly bodies. So think petals, split and butterflies
D
personalities. Like, one side's one and the other is a different one.
B
1.
E
The front is heavy.
C
Party in the front or party.
E
And then the back is more punk. Hey, I'd love to see. Don't at me when it happens.
D
I think I'd go with like a masquerade type of theme. Like Phantom of the Opera.
E
Oh, like a mask.
C
I've never seen that. Yeah, that'd be really cool.
D
Phantom of the Opera masquerade theme. That would be really cool.
C
What would your dress be?
E
Yeah, or outfit.
C
Like color scheme.
D
Color scheme for a masquerade? I don't know. I mean, be kind of dark. I feel like when I'm thinking fan of the opera, I'm thinking kind of black reds, dark greens. Like gold? Yeah, kind of dark. Dark vibes. Very mysterious. Dark emo vibes. Yes. Like. Yeah, mysterious. And a mask. A cool mask is always fun. I feel like if you actually. Did they ever have this theme at the Met gala? I feel like they probably did. But I think, like, the designers being able to come up with like, all these insane mask designs would be really cool because a lot of them tend to wear some sort of, like, headpiece situation. So I think that would be really pretty.
C
And they have to be approved before they even step on the red carpet. Right. I think, like, their outfits have to be.
D
Doesn't Anna Wintour have to, like, approve it?
B
I think so.
C
I Think so.
B
Yeah.
C
Yeah. Fun fact. There you go.
D
Okay.
B
Well, I was clearly inspired by the Devil Wears Prada, too. And it kind of made me think about all of our favorite movies growing up. And we are going to rate iconic movies, and we'll be given two movies at a time. You pick your favorite, and then whichever is the winner, it will move on to the next round. Everyone has lists for each other. None of us have seen them. And we're going to start with Jess giving Jenny her movie options.
D
Ooh, fun. All right. Toy Story or Shrek?
E
Shrek.
D
Shrek,
E
yeah. Has to be locked in because. Yeah. Otherwise, I love it. Yeah. No indecisiveness here.
B
Come on.
D
Shrek or Air Bud? Shrek, Shrek or Spy Kids?
E
Wow.
D
That's tough.
E
Wow.
D
I love Spy Kids.
E
Spy Kids.
D
Spy Kids or Finding Nemo.
E
Spy Kids.
B
Oh, really?
E
Why are all of mine animated?
C
You have no heart.
D
I didn't write it.
E
Oh, now I'm second guessing. No, go ahead.
D
Are you still Spy Kids? Right?
E
Yeah.
D
I can't go back. Spy Kids or Stepbrothers?
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You're burying me alive.
E
Okay, wait, is this based on.
B
It's just. Which is your.
D
There's no this is this or that. Jetty. There's no, like.
C
There's no right or wrong answer.
D
Step Brothers, Stepbrothers or Napoleon Dynamite?
E
Oh, Napoleon Dynamite.
C
Pedro.
D
No. Napoleon Dynamite or Ferris Bueller's Day Off? Oh,
E
Bueller. Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
D
Really? You like that movie that much?
E
No, but you're just, like, choosing it right now.
B
Wait, why are you choosing it right now? Okay.
E
No, wait. Take it back. Napoleon Dynamite.
B
Oh, my God.
D
Wait, why did I just change your. Okay, anyways. Napoleon Dynamite or Parent Trap.
B
Oh.
C
Oh.
E
Parent Trap.
D
Parent Trap or the Hangover?
E
Parent Trap.
D
Parent Trap wins.
E
Wow.
D
Wow.
E
That's a. Wow. That was.
C
Are you happy with that answer, Jenny?
B
That was a great list.
D
I wanted to watch all of these movies, like, after we're done filming.
E
That was unexpected with how it started.
D
Yeah. Recap. Jenny, how do you feel?
E
That was an unexpected finish.
D
What did we start with? Yeah. Toy Story or Shrek?
E
Yeah. Why Shrek? Shrek.
B
Shrek is so.
E
Shrek is probably the movie I've seen the most out of all of them. I kind of wish I stayed with Shrek.
D
You do? You kind of stuck with Spy Kids for a while.
E
Yeah. Yeah. I felt like I was a little bit switched. Yeah. Just. It brought more nostalgia. Yeah. But.
B
Okay, that's fair.
E
Yeah. Okay, Maddie.
B
Okay, you're up. I have a List for Jess. Miracle or Remember the Titans?
D
Miracle.
B
Miracle or Little Giants?
D
Miracle.
B
Miracle or Cool Runnings?
D
Miracle.
C
Wow.
B
I love Cool Runnings.
D
A great movie.
C
Seen it.
B
But I love Miracle or Jerry Maguire.
D
Oh, that's a good one. I'd still say Miracle for the patriotism. Wow.
B
Okay. Miracle or Freaky Friday.
D
I would still say Miracle.
B
Wow.
D
Have you seen Miracle? Wow. Hockey playoffs right now, guys. USA won the gold. Like I. Yeah.
C
Is that the last run through a wall right now?
B
No. Miracle or 13 going on 30.
D
I. I'm just gonna go with Miracle. I don't know if it's gonna beat Miracle, to be honest. Unless you hit me with, like, a
B
Miracle or Shawshank Redemption.
D
That's one of my favorite movies.
E
That's good.
D
But I'm. I'm still in the hockey.
E
She's in the hockey phase.
B
I feel like it's just, like, a thing now where you're not gonna move off of it. Miracle or Titanic?
D
Miracle.
E
Yeah.
B
Miracle or Happy Gilmore?
D
Okay, that's actually.
C
Oh,
B
she stumped.
D
Stop looking at me, Swan. I think I have to go. Happy Gilmore.
B
Okay, this is the one. I think that it's gonna really go sideways. Happy Gilmore or Lizzie mcguire, the movie.
D
Oh, I actually sing to me. Oh, my God. I just did a Lizzie McGuire thing today. I'm still going to stick with Happy Gilmore. I mean, I've seen the Lizzie McGuire Movie so many times and can recite it, but I don't know.
B
Fair enough.
D
It's not my mood right now. I don't know why. Even though I'm in Rome, it makes no sense, but. Wow.
C
So the final answer was Happy Gilmore.
E
Wow, that's great.
D
I'm happy with that. I'm happy with that. Or Miracle. I haven't seen Miracle in a while, and now I want to go watch it. It's a great movie. Have you guys seen it?
C
I haven't seen in a long time, but now that hockey playoffs is on,
D
it's such a good movie, so.
C
All right, Maddie, are you ready?
B
I'm ready.
E
Here we go.
C
The Notebook or a Cinderella Story?
B
The Notebook.
C
The Notebook. Or how to Lose a guy in 10 days.
B
How to lose a guy in 10 days.
C
Yeah, good answer. How to Lose a guy in 10 days or sweet Home Alabama.
B
Oh, I love Sweet Home Alabama.
D
I think she's gonna.
C
We just talked about this.
B
Sweet Home Alabama, so I can kiss
C
you anytime I want.
B
Oh, it's so good. Okay.
D
Yeah.
C
So hot. Sweet Home Alabama or Pretty Woman.
B
Oh, my God. Pretty Woman is literally my favorite movie. Of all time.
E
My favorite movie?
C
Pretty Woman or When Harry Met Sally?
B
Pretty Woman.
C
Pretty Woman or Xenon girl of the 21st century?
B
Oh, my God, that is a great movie. That.
C
Oh, it's gonna get better.
B
I'm not embarrassed to admit I watched not that long ago, but Pretty Woman,
C
Pretty Woman or Matilda?
D
Oh, I love Matilda.
E
Wow.
B
The chocolate cake scene kind of freaks me out, you know?
E
It scares me.
D
It's so scary. It's so dark when she grabs her by the bridge.
C
Principal. Okay, pretty woman.
D
Mrs. Uckmeyer. Is that the right movie?
B
No, Trundle Ugmire Trunsbowl.
C
I don't know, I don't know. Okay, Pretty Woman or She's the Man.
B
Great movie, but Pretty Woman.
C
What?
E
My favorite scooter?
C
Pretty Woman.
B
I definitely quote this man way more often than anything else.
C
Okay, Pretty Woman or Mrs. Doubtfire?
D
Wow.
B
Such a good movie. This is such a good list.
E
This is great.
B
I mean, Pretty Woman,
C
Pretty Woman, or Clueless?
B
Pretty Woman.
C
Pretty Woman wins.
E
Wow.
B
Yeah, that's my favorite of all time. Wow, that was such a hard list.
C
I love. I love, like, every single one.
E
Fire is so good.
D
Such a good movie. I also love Clueless a lot too. That's a great movie.
C
How to Lose a guy in 10 days is probably my number one.
D
Sweet Home Alabama. Man, I want to watch that. I haven't watched that in a while. Such a good movie.
E
Okay, Ted, so your turn. Lizzie McGuire Movie or legally Blonde?
C
Legally Blonde, yeah.
E
Legally Blonde or Mean Girls?
B
Oh, What?
D
Wow.
C
Damn, this is the second time. Okay, Mean Girls, you go, Glen Coco.
E
Mean Girls.
C
Stop trying to make fetch happen, Gretchen. Sorry, what?
E
Mean Girls or the Princess Diaries?
C
Oh, God, these girly movies, I love them all. Princess Diaries.
E
Princess Diaries or Bring It On. Wow.
C
Bring It On. Wait, it depends which one. The first one. Yeah, Bring It On.
E
Yeah. Oh, Bring it on or John Tucker Must Die.
C
These are all, like, my favorite movies I love watching multiple times.
D
Yes.
E
Tess is gonna change again.
B
I'm. I'm sweating.
C
Bring It On,
E
Bring It On. Or the Holiday.
D
Love that movie.
C
Those are so different movie, but Bring It On.
E
Yeah, great movie. Bring it on or 27 dresses?
D
Oh, my God, I just watched that recently. It's so good.
B
I love that part.
E
Benny and the Jets.
D
Great part.
E
Bring It On, Bring it on or Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants? Love that movie.
C
Great movie. Bring It On,
E
Bring it on or A Walk to Remember.
D
Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Bald in that movie Every time.
B
Have you guys seen the Tick Tocks where it's like, the woman is like, I've never seen this movie, but I'm getting ready to watch it. And then at the end, she's like, it's so sad. It's so sad.
C
Oh, my God. Well, I don't want to cry, so bring it on, please.
E
All right, that's your winner.
C
I'm sexy.
B
I'm cute.
C
I can literally quote that whole movie
D
does, actually, now that I think about it, like, if you were to describe, like, Des is a movie, bring it on is pretty odd.
E
Yeah.
B
Yeah.
E
Should have been a cheerleader.
C
I tried. Wasn't allowed too short of a skirts for my dad. Didn't like it. But I guess tennis, you wear skirts too. It just didn't matter.
E
Those Sophie shorts, you'd roll them as soon as you step foot outside the house.
C
Exactly.
D
Two rolls, baby, double roll. Too long. I think we should bring those shorts back. We should start a trend. The Sophie shorts.
E
Yeah.
C
To practice.
D
I feel like Gen Z would love it. They would also.
C
I used to go to Big five all the time and get every single color. You've heard us talk about one skin before. And honestly, whether you're the kind of person who's constantly trying every new skincare thing that drops or you've been loyal to the same two products for years, I feel like everyone hits that point where you look in the mirror and you're like, wait, my skin's just not doing what it used to do. That's really what one skin changed for me. It wasn't just like, oh, this is a nice moisturizer. It actually works differently than anything else I've tried.
E
Because what's interesting is, as we age, some of our skin cells basically stop functioning the way they should. Scientists actually call them zombie cells, which is unsettling, but also kind of makes sense. And those are what drive a lot of the stuff. We start noticing fine lines, loss of firmness, that dullness that kind of sneaks up on you.
D
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C
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E
I even got my friend to try it and now they're fully on board too, which kind of says everything. And it's not just me. One Skin has four peer reviewed clinical studies, over 10,000 five star reviews and they've even been recognized by Bloomberg as a leader in skin longevity.
D
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E
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B
Refresh your everyday with luxury you'll actually use. Head to quince.com players box for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q U I n c e.com players box for free shipping and 360 day returns. Quint.com players box let's get back to the show now. Thank you Quint for sponsoring this next segment.
C
Well, we've obviously all been to Italy many times, so let's see if we know what's a real dish or a fake dish in Italy. And if any of you guys have tried it, let us know.
D
Are you gonna be pronouncing these?
E
Okay
C
guys, I apologize in advance for my pronunciation.
D
This word is insane.
B
It's a lot of what is Just
C
a lot of S's and A's in this one.
B
Okay.
D
It's a lot of S's.
B
Spaghetti. Is that right?
E
I'm gonna go with that.
B
Can't be real. I think that's.
C
There's no way. That's a lot of ass.
D
It's so much ass. What?
B
Oh, my gosh. It's real.
E
What?
C
Okay, it is a real dish, and it's basically a burnt cream, crispy, spicy spaghetti from Bari.
E
Wow, that sounds incredible.
C
That sounds great. But did not think that was a real. Okay. Polo.
E
Oh, my God.
D
Don't say Polo.
E
I know. I was like, there's no way she's going to say Polo.
B
There's no poco.
E
Does you go to El Pollo Loco?
B
Since when?
C
Wait, okay.
E
By your house.
B
I don't go there.
C
Across the street.
B
I think you should. I think we should switch it and just do the most American terrible accent.
C
Okay. Yeah.
E
Like trying to pronounce it.
D
We should do a segment trying to pronounce Italian things. But we'll save that for next week.
B
Here we are.
E
Yeah, we should.
C
Olo.
B
Okay, but poo.
C
Parana Alfredo.
E
Fake.
C
Fake, Fake. Fake. It just seems too real or. Yeah, okay. Italian. American chaos. Lasagna al chocolato.
B
Oh, that could be real.
D
No, real chocolate. I think it's real.
B
I think I've heard of.
C
With some, like, ricotta cheese in the middle of it.
D
Like a chocolate chip.
E
What? Fake.
C
Okay.
B
I think you've heard of it.
C
It's Midwestern chocolate lasagna. Sounds Midwestern, not Italian. Okay.
D
It does exist in the Midwest.
B
I'm surprised we don't call it lasagna pasta or what? Lasagna. Lasagna salad.
C
Okay, next one. Pasta a la norcina.
D
Sure, why not?
E
I'm gonna go with real.
B
Fake. I'm gonna say real.
C
Oh, it's a sausage and truffle creamy pasta with umbria from Umbrea. Oh, from.
B
Oh, my God. It's a region.
C
Sorry. From Umbria. Wow.
D
I love that.
B
You should watch. You should watch.
E
Yeah.
B
Stanley Tucci.
C
I need to watch. Stanley Tucci takes Italy. What did I call it before Tucci tastes.
D
Tucci taste of sushi. I was like that. It doesn't sound right. It sounds good. It could go, though really wrong as well.
B
Okay.
C
Mozzarella in carosa.
E
I'm gonna go with fake. I don't even know what she's saying.
C
I don't know what's real anymore. Fake.
E
Real.
C
It's real. It's a fried mozzarella sandwich.
D
It's like I feel like I have maybe seen that before at, like, the sandwich shops.
C
Ravioli a la Nutella.
E
Fake.
C
That could be real.
B
Yeah, that's probably another Midwestern one.
E
Fake.
D
But I feel like they're trying to trick us. And it's real.
C
But I think it's real.
D
Fake.
C
I'm gonna say real. Most.
D
Most.
C
So it's a little bit of real. Mostly fake.
D
Okay.
C
I will probably consume this because it's a tourist dessert version, I guess, but not a real.
D
Order it.
C
Yeah, I would for sure go around and try it.
B
Okay.
C
Torta de la nona.
E
Oh, that sounds real.
D
Real.
C
It sounds really good and real.
E
Come on.
D
I was going to say grandma is nona. It's got to be something. Grandma makes.
C
Grandma's tart Pizza con patatine.
E
Is that potato with something
C
that can't be real?
D
Sure.
C
I'm gonna go real crime here.
B
I feel like I want to say real.
D
I don't know if it's potato.
E
Do we? I don't know if it's potato.
C
I'm just. I'm just thinking in my head that
E
I feel like that would be potato. Translated.
D
Real Pizza with French fries.
C
Wow. Potatoes. French fries. Same thing.
B
Right?
C
Linguine a la discoteca.
B
That one's fake. Fake.
C
Fake.
D
Yeah. So fake.
C
Fake.
D
It was fake. Yes.
B
Fake.
C
Bombalone baloney.
D
Real.
E
No, I'm going to go real. Fake. I'm going to go fake.
D
Let me go real.
E
Really?
C
Italian. It's real. And it's an Italian filled donut. Stracciatella.
E
Real.
D
Real.
C
Real.
D
Or as Francis likes to call it, chocolate chip.
B
Chocolate chip.
E
Yeah.
B
Isn't it also a type of cheese?
D
Yes, I think so. Yeah. Yes.
E
Yeah.
C
It's both the gelato and cheese.
E
Good job.
C
Well done, everyone. Okay, last one. Pasta a lazona.
E
Fake.
D
Fake pasta zone.
C
Fake pasta.
D
Fake. Fake.
E
Real.
C
Oh, it's real. It means dirty pasta.
E
Does you need to order that next time?
B
What is that?
C
No, I'm not doing it.
D
Do we know what's in dirty pasta?
C
Combining elements of car.
B
Oh, no, no.
C
Carbonara. Amat. Amat.
B
I can't
C
get out. It's combining elements of carbonara, amatriciana and cacio e pepe.
E
Huh?
C
How'd I do?
D
How do we say it?
E
I think so.
B
The.
C
The tr. Really like that?
B
It's a heart.
D
I don't know.
C
I'm not saying it right.
E
I'm a trichiana.
C
Oh, wait, that actually sounds right.
B
But it's like a hard t. I'm a Treatiana.
D
And he was like, eh, you have. Anyway, do you want to read the rest of what it is?
C
It features rigatoni tossed with crispy guanciale sausage, tomato sauce, pecorino romano and egg yolks for a creamy rich flavor.
D
So it's literally a mix of all of those three pastas. The carbonara, the caccio pepe, the monte.
C
Do you think that would be like frowned upon ordering that at a restaurant? I mean they'd have to have it.
B
I mean if it's on the menu. If you just. No, like if go in and say
C
if it wasn't on the menu and you're like, I kind of. I want to try this dirty pasta, can you make it for me? What if you're gonna be like, I don't know.
B
But I feel like last night when you asked for it to go box,
C
it was no, he was totally fine. I think he just didn't understand what I was saying. But apparently people have said it's okay. Like it's not frowned upon in Italy because now they have takeaway services like Ubereats and Glovo and all those. So it's more acceptable.
B
Normalized.
C
Normalized, yes. Yeah.
D
All right. Well that was, that was funny. A lot of new words. That was a lot of words for the. Who am I? I will reveal again my three clues. Nobody really got it. Jenny, did you try?
E
Yeah, I'm the one who got it.
C
I tried. Yeah, Jenny got it right. She texted me.
D
Oh yeah, you got it right away.
B
I see. I literally was going through the list with just. I was like every single player whose dad played tennis, this person, this person, this person, this person.
C
So I got it wrong the first time.
D
I am currently at my career high. My father also played on the ATP tour. I may like to indulge in in a postmatch beer. Those are my three clues. And it was Flavio Caboli and I did it cuz he's an Italian player. Ciao Flavio. And he is Italian and he's at his career high and he did the post match beer thing in Madrid.
E
Yep.
C
On the bike.
D
Right. Congrats. Yeah. Which is really funny. And then he like saw the camera in the gym and he's like, yeah, that was so fun with the camera and his coach. It was pretty funny. So yeah. Maddie, I believe you are up next.
B
Okay, my three clues are 1. NCAA's known for COBRA, like big forehand, currently at a career high.
E
Okay, so we're going to keep it rolling with the low stakes advice and we're going to keep these anonymous so that no one gets caught. Okay. First one, A guy told me he had the best time on a first date and then never contacted me to go out again. What do I do?
D
I'm afraid there's not much you can do.
B
I don't think you want to go like chasing after someone who's clearly not interested in taking the initiative.
E
Yeah.
D
If he had a great time, he would have. He would have followed up.
C
Or maybe they're playing the. The hard game and wanting you to reach out to them and no one
B
has time for that.
E
Yeah.
D
What the heck.
E
No. Yeah. Too old for games.
B
No games.
E
Yeah.
B
Not interested.
D
I say you just carry on. It wasn't meant to carry on.
C
There's plenty of fish in the sea.
E
Yeah. Go swimming. I've recently been called a lot.
D
I've never heard that as a follow up.
B
It's kind of amaz funny.
E
I don't know, I don't. As I said it, I don't think it really made sense, but I meant to say go.
C
It did.
E
But I've recently been called a lot for Irish goodbyeing at parties. Is it rude or not that deep? I think.
B
Oh, they've been called out for Irish goodbye.
E
Yeah. It's not that deep. Come on. It depends.
B
I feel like. I feel like you have to be Irish goodbye a lot if people are calling you out.
E
Yeah. I was just about to say depends how many times you've done it and also how many people are at the party. If it's like the party. Yeah. If it's a small party and you don't say bye, that's really bad. But if it's like over a hundred people.
D
Yeah. And you slip out, it's not that big of a deal.
C
I mean, There were about 12 people last night and Jess was like, I'm Irish goodbye. And then you just didn't see her again. So
D
Emma wanted to Irish. She was literally.
C
She leaving full on.
B
Yes.
D
And then Tommy like followed and we're all staying at the same place. We were all leaving together and so I was like, hi, bye, guys, we're Irish goodbye. And said bye.
E
Yeah.
D
She was ready to split.
B
Yeah. Emma was committing to the Irish goodbye. Just announced the Irish goodbye. Yes.
C
Because I was like, where's Emma? And then Jess was like, nope, over here. Kind of sort of bye.
D
Yeah. Yeah.
C
I don't know.
B
I feel like I need more context,
C
but I don't think it's that. It's not that deep.
B
I guess if people are Calling you out for it. I feel like you've maybe abused it a little.
D
Yeah much. That is true. You can't abuse.
B
And you need to balance.
D
Yeah. It's got to keep it like, pick your battles because clearly people are noticing that you're gone. I think in Irish goodbye. Also, like, you have to be like. It has to not be noticeable.
C
It has to be subtle.
D
Like, just as for it to be good.
C
Leave with like four other people.
D
Oh, where'd they go? Oh, I think they went home. Okay, cool. Like, whatever.
E
Yeah.
D
If it's like, yeah, you're getting called out, you're. I don't know if you're that good at it. And then like, I think you have to be really.
B
You have to mix in some legitimate. Goodbye, everyone. I hope you had a great time. Like, I did too. Bye.
D
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
B
Okay.
D
You got to balance that out.
E
I'm mid-30s, female. Is it okay to use Gen Z slash Gen Alpha phrasing? If it comes out naturally, yes. Or to unk.
B
Oh, I don't like the unk at the end.
E
Yeah. I don't. Yeah. So maybe drop the unk.
B
Drop the unk. I feel like it depends on the words.
C
Also.
B
What are Gen Alpha slang words?
E
I don't know. I was just kind of let that one go over. I didn't.
D
It sounds like maybe you shouldn't be using them.
E
Yeah.
B
If you're in your mid-30s.
E
Mid-30s.
D
I feel like it's okay if they get popular to where you like, but if they're hear them words that. Yeah. That nobody really uses besides like Gen Z, then it's like a little. Kind of just added like you're trying to fit in. Yeah. Trying too hard. But if it's something like, I don't know, what's one that's really common now that everyone uses that? Was Gen Z like.
C
Like Riz and Gibbity.
D
Yeah.
C
Mid.
E
Mid is a good one.
D
Yeah. Mid. Everyone uses mid.
E
Yeah.
B
Is mid still like Gen Z?
D
Yeah, it is.
C
That's crazy.
D
See, it's like so popular.
B
Maybe use Gen Z, but not Gen Alpha.
E
Yes, agreed.
D
I like this. Crazy. Yeah.
C
Yeah.
E
I don't even know what the words are.
D
Yeah, we don't.
E
They're not in the dictionary, I'll tell you that.
C
Yeah, just. Just don't use it.
E
I just started seeing a laid back, unemotional guy. How do I act nonchalant when I am, when I 100% am not?
C
You say bye bye.
E
Yeah.
B
Yeah.
E
I think you don't force it.
C
Sayonara.
B
Don't pretend to be chill. If you're not chill, you will explode. If you're shalant, then be shalant.
E
Yeah. Don't try to be nonchalant.
D
Yeah.
B
It's like a year later be so be yourself.
E
Channel that type a girl.
D
That's such a funny question.
B
No, don't change yourself.
D
How do I act? Nudge lot when I'm on?
C
No, you just don't. You just say I.
B
Because imagine you pretend to be something that you're not and then you get in a relationship with this person and then like, you have to keep that up forever. Or then do you have to let your real self out and then they don't even know who you are.
D
Yeah, you gotta let that neurotic type a person just let it out.
E
Maybe he'll love it.
C
Fun.
D
Yeah. You guys are opposites, it seems like, so maybe it's actually better.
E
Yeah.
C
All right, that's our advice.
E
Yeah, that's low stakes advice. Thanks everyone for submitting your low stakes advice questions and please leave us a rating and review. It helps people find out about the podcast and don't forget to watch us on the players box YouTube page and send us fan questions or low stakes advice to our email or DM us on Instagram. Thanks everyone and see you next week. Ciao.
Date: May 12, 2026
Hosts: Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Jennifer Brady, Desirae Krawczyk
This week, the team takes listeners behind the scenes of tennis life while in Italy, diving into wild travel mishaps, fresh pop culture opinions, and exchanging plenty of laughs. Highlights include a Met Gala fashion breakdown, a rapid-fire “iconic movie” battle, a real-or-fake Italian food quiz, and relatable low-stakes life advice. If you want a candid window into life off the tennis court, filled with nostalgia, friendly teasing, and lively debate, this episode is a quintessential Players Box hangout.
([01:15]–[05:50])
([09:18]–[18:16])
([18:16]–[30:00])
In a bracket-style showdown, the hosts battle through childhood/teen favorites, often with passionate, lightning-fast decisions.
([34:11]–[41:42])
([42:30]–[44:00])
([44:02]–[50:18])
Conversational, irreverent, and candid—a group of friends riffing on tennis, pop culture, and daily mishaps. Expect plenty of inside jokes, light teasing, and honest advice. The energy is upbeat, personal, and highly relatable; there’s always room for laughter (and a little friendly chaos).
This episode is a lively blend of tennis travel confessions, nostalgia hits, and hilarious opinions—perfect for fans who love tennis talk but stay for the personalities.