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It's the final chapter of the College Football Playoff comes down to this. Miami's unmatched grit and tenacity through the postseason has led them home. The national title. Now within reach, they are confident they are battle tested. Undefeated Indiana, led by Chris Signetti and Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, have the chance to take home their first title and claim college football immortality.
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The most remarkable turnaround in the history of college football.
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The College Football Playoff national championship. Presented by AT&T Monday at 7:30pm Eastern on ESPN and the ESPN app.
C
So stranger Things is based off of something called the Montauk Project.
A
But is that something that happened or is that just a theory?
C
MK Ultra is real.
A
Whoa.
C
Yeah.
B
Colorado has a bunch of weird government stuff there.
D
That's what I'm saying. We need to go on a two spirit. Do we want to go on investigation?
A
Hey, welcome back to whatever the hell this is. New year, who dis edition. Yikes.
D
Who dis?
A
Who dis?
C
You know what I mean? I like that. That's better than the whole New Year, New Me.
A
No, it's New Year. Who the fuck is that? Which I thought yesterday when I looked in the mirror, I was like, whoa, I've been in an editing cave for like three weeks. And then I looked up and I was like, oh, God. Oh, God, my hair is gray.
C
You've given yourself to the art.
A
Thank you.
C
As we say, which is beautiful.
A
I really threw my health, my. My mental health. I threw everything out the window. And I said, let's go, B baby. But we're back. Wow. I'm so excited to be here. It has been so long. We haven't filmed in this room in, like a month. Maybe a month and a half, I think.
B
Yeah. Yeah, at least a month.
E
And normally everything's set up. We leave it set up. But because of the show and everything going on, nothing was where it normally is. And I was like, oh, I don't remember where anything goes. Oh, no.
B
Like, I was like, I know.
A
There was cake rotting everywhere. Where. We have so much to talk about. We have a lot planned for today. We have games planned. We have conspiracies planned. We have a lot going on. But I don't know how much we're actually gonna get to that because I feel like the girls have a lot to chat about.
E
Honestly.
D
You missed most of it at lunch.
A
Really? What were you guys talking about?
D
Oh, we covered all bases. I don't even know if I can give the headlines Chris was spewing.
B
That's a common problem with this Podcast is Rylan just wants to chat before we do it.
A
Yeah, stop doing that.
D
Sorry, I haven't seen everyone in a while. I wanted to know what was going on.
A
I will say it's hard to look at Rylan cause his ears are blinding me.
D
You wanna compliment yourself?
A
New Year, New ears edition. Yes. Also let say this. So it was Christmas, right? And I was like, okay, I. I really did not do great this Christmas because of the pilot. Like, there was no time. It took up all of our December and November.
D
Pre production took all of November and then filming took all of December.
A
So I only got Rylan a few gifts, but one of them was a banger. And I knew it was like, I'm just going to give him this and then I'm not going to do all the knickknacks and all the crap cuz he's going to throw it all away anyways. So I only got him one, you know, major gift, which was earrings. And I was going to give him the earrings before we shot the pilot because, you know, he's in the pilot, he plays the gay assistant Dylan. And I was just like, oh, maybe he could wear on the pilot. When I told you that, you were just like, dylan couldn't afford these.
D
I already had to pare down my rings for my character. I was like, my character wouldn't have this.
A
I will say. I mean, listen, we'll get to that in a minute. I don't want to. Like, we have so much doctor.
D
You don't want to detour from my rocks.
A
But I will say your acting impressed me and impressed, honestly, everybody, like, everybody on set was like, wait, he's good.
D
You know who I was tickled by is totally Sketch. He was like genuinely complimenting me nonstop. And it felt real.
B
It felt like he didn't expect it.
D
And I was just like, wow, thank you. I think some people might like, shut down around like a crowd, you know, like. Like when we're filming, it might be like go time and they're scared. I think when it's go time, I'm better. Oh, I'm the opposite. No, I work better for a crowd.
A
Both of those things are good Grinder bios. When it's go time, I'm better. I work good with a crowd. Well, I'm proud of you. Okay. Yeah, I guess let's just jump into it because.
D
Oh, nobody else had a Christmas.
A
Okay, well, save me.
D
Only me.
A
Okay. I was going to bring up how amazing everybody was in the pilot, but I guess we'll save that For a second. How was your guys Christmases literally a month ago at this point.
D
Okay, who cares about your Christmas?
C
I was sick.
A
Okay.
C
But we had just gotten back from New York. I wasn't feeling too well, so we just pretty much hung out the whole week. And I was in bed.
A
Love that. Yeah. Honestly, I love that.
E
I've still never been to New York. How was it?
C
You know, it embodies most things that I hate about cities, but I did enjoy going there to visit family. Sandy always has wanted to go to New York, so that was great to go there with her. I love the walking. I became a walk star again. I was hitting 20k a day consistently. But they do like scamming people in New York that are tourist. Yeah, you know, a couple times I got out of it, but they did get me a few times. I paid $40 for two hot dogs and french fries. Wait, what?
A
Four?
C
Do the math.
E
Right?
C
And a bottle of water.
D
I'm sorry, $10 a piece and you.
A
Didn'T even get any hot nuts.
C
Oh, nuts for nuts is the big thing there.
A
A fucking hot nuts, Chris. What's hot now? What's hot nuts? New York is amazing. It's, you know, New York, we all love it, right?
D
You hate New York.
B
Oh, you guys both hate it.
A
Every time I've been there, I've had a full on panic attack, like IKEA level. And it's not because I don't love the people, I love the people in New York. Like, but every time I go there because of the buildings and they're so crammed and so high and everything is so loud. I have full men break down panic attacks every time I'm there. So I don't know how to get over that. But the hot nuts do help.
E
Wait, but what is it exactly? I still don't.
A
It's a bag of hot nuts and they're sweet and they're salty and they're amazing. Oh my God.
D
So good.
E
Sounds good.
A
Chris, how was your Christmas?
E
Good and crazy. A bit of both.
A
Very.
E
Like very much a telenovela. A lot of things happen. But you know, Eve was very easy, very fun. We played games, it was great. Episole, etimales, it was great. But Christmas day, everything fell apart because my dad, who randomly moved to Florida, decided he was gonna just show up Christmas day.
A
This is a movie.
E
Wait, what? And so, yeah, he was like, oh, I'm Randle, I'm just gonna show up Christmas Day. And I'm like, please don't. We all have plans. I'm going with my mom and her boyfriend to his place. We're celebrating there. I can't ditch them. And, like, he made food from scratch. And, like, all of that. I can't ditch them. Also, it's, like, Christmas Day. The tickets are gonna be so expensive. It's pouring rain. None of us can come get you because we have plans. And, like, there's just a million reasons why this is a bad idea. And he was like, okay. And then, like, 10 minutes later calls me, and he's like, I'm gonna do it anyway. And I was like, oh, good for him.
A
Good for him.
C
I like a guy who's decisive.
E
And so he showed up. Yeah. And like, oh, I got a million calls that day. He called me in the airport, and he's like, oh, the rental car company's closed because it's Christmas day, so I can't get my car. And I'm like, right. Everything's. Because it's Christmas, like, I told you. And then he was like, well, this sucks. What do I do? Get an Uber? And I'm like, I guess so. And then he calls me back. He's like, can't figure out how to get an Uber. I'm like, okay, I'll do that for you. I get him an Uber. And then he's like, driving to his house, and he calls me, and he's like, oh, I know you're in the middle of a dinner, but, like, I don't have the keys to my house, so I can't get in. I need you to drive two hours away to Lancaster to get me. I'm like, we're in the middle of dinner.
A
I can't do.
E
And it was, like, so stressful. And then things were nice for a little bit. We opened gifts. Everyone had a good time. I saved up, and I ended up getting my mom a really nice purse.
A
Side strap. No, no, it's fine. And then top hand. It's fine, it's fine.
E
And, like, everyone was happy.
D
It worked out.
E
But then my mom calls me crying the next day, being like, oh, no, the purse is gone. And I'm like, what do you mean the purse is gone? And she's like, the only one that was here was your grandmother. You don't think. And I'm like, oh, no, Abuela.
A
Cause if you know, it really is.
D
We should make, like, one of those short form stuff, soap operas.
E
If you know my abuelita, she's like, oh, we do. I do.
A
She's like, a little bit of a.
E
Klepto, but it's always just been like, little change, little tchotchkes. Nothing crazy. Like little things, right? I saved up change for a Power Rangers toy.
A
She took that.
E
I'm still mad about it, but it's never been a whole purse. And so I was like, that seems crazy even for her. I don't think she would do that. But she's like, it's not here. I don't know what to do. Long story short, she got someone at the place where my grandma stays to take a picture of the purses in her room. And it was there, so she definitively took it. My mom got proof. She called her and she's like, hey, so I know that you took my purse and I need you to give it back. And she's like, how dare you? I am your mother. To accuse me of such a thing. And she's like, I would never do this to you. You are the worst author in the world for accusing me of. And my mom, like, normally in the past when this happens, she would just.
A
Be like, oh, my God, you're right.
E
I'm so sorry. She, like, successfully gaslit my mom, but this time she's like, no, I have a picture. I have proof. Drop it. Give me my purse back. And she was like, what do you mean? Maybe it fell in a bag. I would never.
D
That's the craziest thing ever. And it's crazy on so many levels. Like, not only was she stealing from your mom, she's stealing from you. That saved up money to give your mom a nice.
A
Wow. So then what happened with your dad?
E
I mean, I ended up seeing him two days later, and he was like, wow, that was all a nightmare. I should have listened to you. And I'm like, yeah, you really should. You really should have.
A
Yeah.
B
Wow.
A
You need to turn all. Get Lindsay Lohan and turn all of that into a Netflix. Well, that's what.
D
I'm vertical.
E
And this is, like, the quick version. There's so much more that happened. It was a very stressful Christmas day.
C
But Christmas movies do need a shift because I watched, like, five of them this year. I think they're all the same. This, to me, feels like representation of a real Christmas.
A
A little bit of crime in there. Oh, yeah.
C
Now you have a goal for the new year.
D
Write a script for next Christmas.
A
Deal.
B
Let go Christmas.
D
How do you top that, Spencer?
C
Grandma stole Christmas.
A
Yeah, the grandma who stole Christmas.
B
Oh, that's.
A
See what I mean? We workshopped it. We got there.
D
Okay. Netflix.
A
Hey, sorry to interrupt the show. Whoa, this is confusing. Cause we're all still in the same place.
E
What?
A
Ooh, where are we? Are we in Advil?
C
Are we Ad Land?
A
Ad Land.
C
Adlandia.
A
Adlantis. Ooh. That's what I'm calling this new place that we're living in.
D
Temperature's nice here.
A
Today's episode is sponsored by SeatGeek. Okay, so I'm so excited because this year, not only do we have so much planned, making so many more episodes of the podcast, but one other thing I want to get back into is content. Concerts. And I know what you're thinking, Shane. You don't go to concerts. No, no, no, that is not true. I have been to Britney Ashley Simpson. Ashley Simpson.
B
That was recent wizard of Oz thing.
A
It was like wizard of Oz.
B
You buy tickets for it.
A
Of course you can. Yes. So this year I want to get back into that, go to some concerts, and everybody's playing right now. Yes. If you don't already know about SeatGeek, which I can't imagine you don't, because they've been around forever and they're the number one ticketing app online.
C
They have over 35 million users.
A
How did you know that?
C
With over 70, 000 events listed between.
A
Literally, right.
C
Broadway shows, comedy festivals, literally anything you.
D
Want a ticket for.
A
Literally anything you need a ticket for. And they rate all the tickets from 1 to 10. So if you look at a show and you're, like, looking at the seats and you see a little green dot, that means this is a good price, good to go. If you see a little red dot, that means not worth it. Way overpriced. And everybody's going on tour this year. Lady Gaga, Cardi B, Zara Larson, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen, Alex Warren.
D
Hilary Duff is also going to be in la. So we on it.
A
Oh. Oh, my God.
D
Buckle up, bitch.
B
Vibes.
A
Yeah. And seatgeek is giving you guys a very special discount. All you got to do is use code GROWER2026 to get 10 off of your SeatGeek tickets. That's 10 off using code GROWER2026. So I'll put the link in the description below. Check it out. Go to seatgeek, get some tickets. But you know what else you need when you're on the way home from a concert and you just want to relive all that, Alex Warren and Shakira or whatever, you just want to relive all of that. Do you know the best way to do that with your Raycons? That's right. Today's episode is Also sponsored by Raycon. I'm not saying you should drive while wearing Raycons. That's not allowed.
B
But listen, we're actually saying you shouldn't do that.
A
No, you should not do that.
D
You're in an Uber because you. You wanted to drink.
A
You're in an Uber and you wanted it.
B
Exactly.
D
And you don't want to talk to the Uber, but you want to relive the magic of the show.
A
No, you want isolation mode where you just press and the whole world goes away. Although there's awareness mode on Raycon Everyday Earbuds where you can press it and you could still talk to your driver. Yeah, for safety. So if you don't already know about Raycon's everyday Earbud classics, let me expl. They come in so many beautiful colors and vibes. Blush violet, Cool mint. They're always upgrading and like throwing in new colors. Check it out. Go to the website, see what they have. It's not just the plain, you know, white and black. They have so many different options. And it's so pretty. And the case is like monochromatic and it matches the color of the Raycon. They're very cool. They also have up to 32 hours of battery life with the case and they do quick charge. So 10 minutes gives you 90 minutes of playtime. Plus, they already have over 3 million happy customers. And they also offer a 30 day happiness guarantee. So if you don't love them, returns are easy and you have nothing to lose.
E
It's literally one of the only things I can't leave my home without, like, I need my phone, raycons keys and like, that's pretty much it.
A
Yes. And don't bring them around grandma, because she'll steal them. But you know what, grandma, if you don't want to steal from your family, I got a steal for you right now. Raycon is giving you a very special discount. All you got to do is go to buyraycon.com grower to get 20% off site wide. That's buyraycon.com growers to get 20% off off site wide. So thank you so much, Raycon, for sponsoring and for keeping all of our annoying people in our lives quiet while we're isolated.
D
The gift that keeps on giving.
A
Enjoy the rest of the show. It's been a crazy month. I can't believe the pilot is done. It's not fully edited. I have like 40 minutes of it done. I still have another 20 minutes to go. I've been editing every day. I'm so excited I love editing so much and it's so fun to edit something that I'm so excited about, like every day. I'm just. Just so excited to dive in. But yeah, the shoot was amazing. I don't even know where to start. I have notes here because I was like, I don't want to forget things, but so much happened and all of you guys were a part of it. Everybody here was so good. Can I just say, nailed all of your jokes. All of them. Well, Chris didn't really have any jokes because you were more the empathetic dog adoption guy. But you nailed it. Made me feel something.
E
I'm so happy to hear that.
A
I was so nervous.
F
Really?
A
Why?
E
Oh, I was panicking.
A
Oh, my God. Why?
E
I think just because it's you and because, like, I so didn't wanna let you down that it really. I really let it get to me, honestly.
C
No, I will say there was. I wasn't overly nervous by any means, but I think it was once we did the table read and I was like, oh, my gosh. I kind of feel like I'm a little amateurish for this because we walked in and Sandy's like, so do people fully act during the table read or do they just read it?
A
I was like, I think it's like.
C
They just read it. And then it just started right off with full blown acting. And I got so into it. I missed my part. You and I got into it, but I must have practiced my lines 5,000 times. I was watching videos about Daniel Day Lewis to see how he gets. To see how he gets into character. I was thinking about going method. I built a whole character around this person. I had a backstory period. And then, you know, I figured out. Once I figured out the cadence of how I was going to say something, I lived in it.
A
Yeah. When?
C
I'm just saying you killed it.
A
Like literally every. Every moment of your. Every joke you have lands. And I'm so excited as I'm ed. I'm just like, so proud of you. Like, it's so funny. And you're teamed up with. Her name is Sally Pressman. She plays Sharon in the show. She's fucking so incredible. All the actors are incredible. She's so good. And also, like, I was posting about her clips from her on the Patreon and there was a bunch of comments. She's on a lot of stuff. I mean, I knew her resume was crazy, but she's on. All right, listen up.
C
Nacho chips.
A
Quiet down. Crispy potatoes. This is the moment.
C
Velveeta's been preparing you for and you're not about to crack under pressure.
A
Today's the day to go all in on the drip.
C
Velveeta's heat and Eat Queso is the MVP of any game day spread. So stick by them and you'll be golden. Now get out there and make delicious history.
A
No tailgate party is complete without Velveeta. Like a show called Army Wives. She's on a lot of shows.
D
Sandy's like a legitimate fan of hers.
A
Oh, really?
C
From Good Girls.
D
Sandy did tell her too. Sandy said, I loved you in this show.
A
She's one of the funniest people I've ever met. She's so fucking funny. Her scenes are with Jared. And you guys had chemistry. It was working.
C
You know, that Daniel Day Lewis prep really did.
A
And don't think we forgot about Spencer's role as employee.
C
Wow.
B
Yeah. I had by far the least amount of lines.
A
Well, you nailed your line too. You had multiple lines, multiple little moments. You gave me varieties. No, he was so good. And. And yeah, I posted a picture of you, like, on the monitor. And so many people were just like, you are like. You look like a movie star.
B
Everyone thought I looked so different. And I think it's just because the hair people combed my hair and I never combed my hair. They were like, wait, what did you do? You look so different. Like, I think they just combed my hair. Literally.
D
The only difference, the scenery was also really good. Like, unique. Like, it looked very cinematic.
A
Yeah, but it was so fun. Like, the locations are so cool and they. Everything feels like a movie. Like, it feels so legit. Like, it really does feel like a real movie, a show, and like, like. Yeah. So the Rage Ground in la. Please check them out. I'll put the link in the description. They are so incredible. I paid for all these locations. I'm not. They're not, you know, But I wanted to still give them all shout outs. Cause they did really work with us. Like, let us stay there for 12 hours while we were filming. But yeah, that's a place where you go and you just destroy shit. Like, I wrote a scene in the show where this, you know, it's about an actress, Rachel, who gets canceled the night before the Oscars. It's the worst day of her life. And then she meets her new assistant, Tim, and they kind of go on this adventure. And one place she goes is a rage room. And she, you know, destroys a bunch of shit. And it was a. I didn't know this place existed. But it does. And it was fucking crazy. We had the actors destroying cars. We had, like, a stunt guy there who's, like, this Irish guy who's awesome. And he was just like. Like. So we would do a take, right, where our actress, Lily, who's amazing, was just beating the shit out of everything with baseball bats. Glass is flying everywhere. It's all real. It's not like, fake glass or anything. And she, like, puts her whole fucking body into it. And, like, after a take where, you know, she just destroys the whole fucking room, it's gonna take another, like, 30 minutes to reset everything up. The assistant director turns to me and she's like, we got it right. We can move on. And he just walks over. He's like, we gotta do it again. I was like, we do. And he's like, oh, yeah, let's do it again. I was like, fuck it, let's do it again. And we did it again, and it was even fucking better. And she went even crazier. And he turns to me, he's like, see? Yeah, let's do it again. Period. So that was so fun. Like, the whole two weeks, basically, that we were shooting, our lives were so different. Like, getting up at four in the morning every day, getting in the car to drive to set with Rylan. You came every single day with me. Like, it was just so fun. It really did feel like this is what I wanted to do my whole life. Like, directing, being on set, working with actors, working with creative people and, like, coming up with ideas on the spot. Like, so many of the moments on the show were things that, on the spot, we would think of. Like, it was just so fun and just, honestly, the best. Besides the birth of our children, I would say the best week of my life.
D
It was so fun, and it's so fun to be with a whole group of people that are collaborating, that are passionate about one project, to make it come to life. And it just felt, like, bigger than. It felt magical.
A
Yeah, it really did. I'm so grateful and excited. I love the show so much. I can't wait for it to be done, like, to be fully edited and, you know, and. And so. Okay, I wrote down a few things. First of all, I don't have a plan. Like, my plan was to get the show made, to make the episode, to show people that I can do this. I can write something like this, direct something like this. I have the whole season lined up, you know, outlined and stuff. So my plan is to do some screenings for streamers. And, you know, once it's done and hopefully praying that somebody buys it, lets us make the season. That is my goal. Like, it feels like it is like every. Every step of the way. How we found the actors, how I connected with the DP who filmed the show, how the music, like, has been lining up as I've been editing. And, like, Colby sent me a library of songs from his friends.
E
Friends.
A
And I was just like, thanks. And every single song is perfect for the show. I'm like, everything is working out so crazy that I'm like, it has to mean something. So I'm just going with that. The plan is to start pitching it once I'm done, hopefully end of January, and hopefully somebody buys it. So that is kind of the current plan. But there is obviously we had Sal, who, if you guys don't know Sal, he edits some videos for me. He also has been working with us for, like, less six months, editing and stuff. So he flew out. He filmed the whole process of the behind the scenes and making the whole thing. So he's been editing that. That's going to be on the Patreon. We're starting to post some of that now.
C
Shout out to Sal. By the way, he was my muse on set.
A
Your muse?
C
Yes, Because I was a cameraman, so I would watch how he talks, watch how he walks.
A
Right.
C
So I really was living through Sal as well.
B
Well, so I was just walking around.
A
Sit.
B
And Jared was walking behind him.
A
Just.
B
Looking outside like, what's going on?
D
What my children do to me.
C
Hey. So shout out to s the best.
A
Great guy.
B
Yeah, he's really good.
A
Also, there was a day that I was really nervous about. We had a dog on set. So when the dog comes to set, it's a whole thing. Humane Society, somebody from their comp, a trainer comes. There's a whole bus. Like, they have to give. Like, the dog has a trailer. Like, the dog. Dog was treated better than all of us. Anyone else was paid way more than anybody on set. Like, that dog cost so much money. But you need a trained dog for those scenes because, like, it's long days. Like, the dog doesn't do much in the show, but he's always kind of there, like, just kind of sitting around and stuff. And, you know, the dog. The dog was not in a good mood that day. And it was really funny because it's supposed to be a big moment where Rachel, she's never had a dog. She was never allowed to have a dog because her manager, Sharon, told her the stress would age her. And, you know, she's never allowed to have a dog. So now that she's canceled, she's like, fuck it, I want a dog. She adopts this dog, and, you know, it's supposed to be this really loving, sweet moment where she's, like, dancing in her room with the dog, and the dog was not fucking having it. So then, like, Lily, the actress playing Rachel, she's like, you know, dancing in her room, and there's a moment where she's supposed to go pick up the dog and, like, give it a kiss and twirl with it. And we just are watching her dance, and we're seeing the dog get slowly angrier, like, staring at her. And I just, like. I, like, yelled at. And I was like, don't grab the dog. Don't do it. Don't do it. But Lily, she's a pro, and she's like, no, it's in the script. We're doing it. And then she goes to grab the dog, and the dog just goes. And just, like, starts to fucking attack her, basically. It was so crazy. I. She was fine. She didn't actually get bit. It was so funny. But the Humane Society lady didn't even, like, didn't phase her at all. I was like, okay, we're fine. So then I go downstairs or right afterward during the break, and I see the Humane Society lady and the pet trainer just with cups of cake. And they were just like, this set is great, period. So this. No animals were harmed in the making of this pilot. And also, you know, the trainers were happy.
E
I heard about that incident right before I acted with that dog.
B
Oh, yeah. I decided to act with the dog.
E
Is it gonna also attack me?
A
No. And you're very sweet to me. Okay. Yeah. The dog was in a good mood that day. I don't know what happened on that first day. But second night, it was a night shoot.
D
And Chris. It was also outside when Chris was there. It's a little more like, yeah, yeah.
A
This is crazy. Huge shout out to Jacob fucking Sartorius. So I was gonna, like, keep this a secret, but then I just couldn't. And then one of the actors posted a reel of the table read where Jacob was, like, in it. So I was like, okay, the secret's already out, so, like, let's just go there. Jacob Sartorius is a comedic. I'm like, not downplaying. I'm like. It is literally insane. So, okay, there's a character in the show called Comma, and he's kind of. Of like, you know, an influencer. Yes. He has his own merch line, comma.
D
Because there's always more to come.
A
Yes. And that's something that I. Okay, so like years ago, maybe like 20, 21. I don't. I think we were filming a video or something, and I was like, you know, saying, period all the time because, well, I guess I still am. And then I was just like, you know what, comma. Because there's always more to come. And then I, like, kind of put that in the back of my head. And then once I was writing this, I was like, his name is, comma, always more to come. Wait a minute. So the character is kind of like just a monster influencer with grills, with a whole production studio. He has an energy drink, he has a skincare line, he makes movies, he funds things. Like, it's this intense, crazy character. And I was like, who are we going to find to play this? Like, it's so crazy. And the show is grounded. Right. It's not like an over the top show, but this character is very over the top. It has to feel real. How are we going to find somebody who can do this? Literally, the first audition tape I got, like, when I opened it up that night, night, it's a Jacob Sartorius. And I. I ran in Ryland's room and I was like, you're never going to guess. You're never going to guess. And we watched it together and we.
D
Were like, he's good.
B
He's really good.
A
Like, it was so real and genuine and funny and, like, intense and weird and, like, he had, like, foil in his teeth. Like, he went all out for the outfit. And I was like, oh, my God.
D
And then even after the table read, I would say all the actors were most excited about Jacob. They just couldn't stop talking about his performance. It was just hilarious. He delivers.
A
So I watched the audition tape. So this is months ago, right? Like, two months ago, I see the audition tape and I'm freaking out. I, like, call the casting director. And I was like, wrap it up. Cast him now. Holy fuck, he's incredible. And we started talking. He is so good. Met him for the first time at the table read. I was so nervous. Like, Jacob Sartori is walking in. Like, what? And he was the nicest person I've ever met. And it was real.
E
It was.
A
It wasn't fake. It wasn't like, you know, putting on a show. He was genuinely so sweet and, like, just so excited to be a part of it. And then once a table read happened and he started doing his lines, I Could feel the room. Everybody in the room was just like, he just is stealing the show. Like, he's so fucking good. It's crazy. Period, period, semicolon. Cause there's more to come, but it's a little confusing.
C
Think context.
A
Context. And yes, that's why Ryland's wearing the sweater, because we had an amazing costume designer who did the show and she had all these made, and they're so legit and, like, amazing embroidered. Yeah.
E
I stayed just to hang out after my scene, and you were recording that scene, and everyone around me watching or listening at all, was covering their mouths and, like, trying so hard not to laugh.
A
Everybody there, like, there's a moment where another character played by Denzel Whitaker, who's incredible. He plays a character called Mel, who's amazing, by the way. This guy's been in, like, every movie ever. You definitely have seen him in everything.
B
Great improviser.
A
So funny, so sweet. So, yeah, shout out to everybody who helped us create this show. Shout out to all the actors. Derek, Lily, Sally, literally everybody that was a part of this. Shout out the dp, Greg Cotton, who is incredible. Please check out his movie twin list. It's one of the best movies. Chris, have you seen it? No. You need to watch it. It's. It's. You, like, gay. Oh, I'm in.
E
I'm in.
A
It's gay. It's really good. Check it out. And yeah, shout out to all the production designers, all the background actors, all the set department, literally the crew, the lighting, the grip, every single person that was a part of this. Like, I tried to give a little speech at the end when we were doing the rap, and I cried and I, like, couldn't even get through it. But then we had a wrap party and everybody came and it was so sweet. And now I'm known for doing cakes, which. Listen. Oh, my God.
B
That was the through line of the.
A
Whole G. That was like, you know, like when, you know, an actor will go on Jimmy Fallon and the be like, let me tell you this story from set or whatever. Our thing is going to be the cake. Here's what I did, right? This is my mistake. So for the first day of shooting, I was like, I'm going to bring a Susie cake. Because of course I am.
C
Yes.
A
When do I not? So I was like, okay, I'm going to get a cake. I don't even remember what I wrote on it. And then literally an hour later, by the way, it's like five in the morning, right? I dropped the cake off. Now I'm working and talking to actors. I'm doing things. I turn around, it's like six in the morning, the cake is gone. And I'm just like, where the fuck did the cake go? Everybody's like, oh, my God, thank you so much for the cake. And I was like, okay, well, I guess now I have to bring it. Somebody was like, what's the cake flavor gonna be tomorrow? And I was like, oh, we're doing this. Okay, now we're doing this. So not only am I working 13 hour days on set, but on the way home, as I'm like, so exhausted, I'm postmating a cake and figuring that whatever. So then, you know, so then the next day.
D
And it's not just the cake and the flavor. It's also like the best quote of the day.
A
Yeah.
B
Because it was always a race reference to the day before. It was always like a thing that happened the day before. And everyone's like, ooh, what's it gonna be? What's it gonna be? Like, yes.
A
Like, for example, you know, drops of Jupiter, the song is a big part of the show. So one day it's a Drops of Jupiter. So then it became a thing, though, where it was like, well, what's the cake gonna say? So now all day, everybody's like, trying to have their cake. They'll, like, say something. Well, you know, they'll like, say something. And then like, look at me and be like, that's a cake quote.
B
Or something crazy would happen and be like, that's gotta be on the cake tomorrow. All right, we'll see.
A
We'll see. But then. But then, like, some days we'd have a really hard, you know, rushed, crazy, intense day. And I'm like, there's no cake moments. Like, the fact that we survived that day is, like, good in itself. But one of the cake moments did get me in a little bit of trouble. So in one of the scenes, there's a publicist character who, you know, comes over to Rachel's house and, you know, she's been canceled. Her life is over. And he sits down with her and he was just like, you're gonna be fine. And she's just like, this is not making me feel any better. And then he goes, I've had people killed before for much less. And this. So then that became a moment where everybody was quoting it all day. And I was like, I need to put that on a cake. I've had people killed before. Like, come on, that's such a good cake. But how am I going to get Susie to do this.
B
The people at the cake Suzy Cake are like, what is this? Who is this for?
A
Well, that was my fuck up, right? So first of all, Sally, who played Sharon, she had been posting the cakes on Instagram every day and tagging Susie. Then Susie started following me, and Sally was just like, oh, I'm your fucking manager now. I'm getting Susie. You know, Susie's on. I was like, oh, my God.
D
Very in line with her character.
A
Yes. I was like, thank you, mama. So now Susie's following me. She's reposting all the cakes every day. So I'm like, okay, if I call Suzie cake and explain why my postmate order says I've killed someone before, if I explain it to them, they'll do it. So I call and I'm like, hey, I have a request. So I'm shooting this TV show, and every day there's a new cake with a quote from the show. And, you know, it's kind of a crazy show. So the cake I want tomorrow is I've had people killed before. And she was just like, oh, my God, that's so funny. And then she was just like, yeah, we can do it. And I was like, okay, great. She goes, maybe. Maybe I should bleep it, though. I don't know. I don't want to get in trouble. I was just like, I mean, you know, if you. I don't want to get you in trouble. And then I say, although I will say Susie has been reposting the cake just to say, like, Susie's on board so, like, you won't get in trouble. And then she goes, oh, then I can't do it. If Susie's been reposting them, I'll get fired. And I'll was like, you're like, I.
D
Should not have said that and send me the.
A
I was like, oh. So she's like, I'm so sorry, I can't do it. And I was like, okay, I understand. I don't want anybody in trouble. She's like, I'm so, so sorry. I'm like, it's okay. I totally understand. But, you know, so I put in the cake description. I've had people k. Asterisk, asterisk, asterisk, you know, ll before or whatever the cake shows up, it said I'd had people killed before. And I was like, she risked. She risked it all for was she didn't get fired. If anything, give her a raise. So, yeah. Thank you, Susie, for making this.
D
Thank you, Susie. Not only do you have incredible cakes. You're down to clown.
A
But if the show does get picked up and we're shooting for like six months out of the year, I'm not doing a cake every day. I already don't fit into my pants. Like, you're not.
D
But production is.
A
Everybody on the show was like struggling by like day eight. We were all sick.
D
We're like climbing out of.
B
Well, there were days where we had Uber be like, all right, guys, we're breaking for. It's like the scene after lunch is like, we gotta go, we gotta go. We're behind. And then it's like, hey, everyone have a slice of chocolate cake. And like in the middle of the day and everyone's like, and those cakes.
C
Were up by the end of the day.
D
Yeah.
A
People were just using cups and like, not even plates anymore or not even spoons. People were just like using their fingers and just eating it out of cups. Like we. It was like fire fest. It was crazy.
C
It was like on Mean Girls where they all turned into like the jungle in the cafeteria. Yeah, they're all eating with their hands. It was like that with the cake.
A
Yeah. So that's the story of the pilot. There's so much more, obviously. I'm just so excited. Thank you guys so much, by the way, for supporting the Patreon. That's literally how I funded this whole thing. I don't think I ever would have funded something this big on my own just because now especially that, you know, we have kids. Kids. Like, it's hard to justify something like that. Like, this was a huge, huge undertaking and a. A big financial thing. So thank you guys so much, much. I'm so excited. All the behind the scenes podcasts from set. So Spencer did like a set tour vlog style thing with a podcast. Like all of that's on the Patreon if you want to check it out. I've been posting scenes from like the callback auditions from the chemistry reads, and we're going to all year have so much really cool stuff. So I'm really excited. Check it out if you want. And yeah, that was 2025.
D
Wow. Incredible.
A
And here we are.
C
Who the fuck this?
A
Who? Disney, Literally. Who dis? Well, speaking of who this, I got to pee really bad. I'm going to go and I'm not going to look in the mirror because, God, I just feel rough, you know what I mean?
D
When you're just editing for holidays. Oh, and the cake, the cakes. We got to really kick it into gear now that it's the New year. Okay, go pee.
A
Yeah. So bad it hurts.
C
Hammer dancing.
A
It's like, so painful. Okay, go pee. Okay. I will be right back. We'll see you guys in a minute. Don't leave. Hey, sorry to interrupt the show again, but me and Jared noticed something. So we were like, actually tapping into your computer and looking at what you were doing, and we realized you're on a lot of different websites right now when you should just be watching our podcast. But you know what? You know what? We would forgive if you were on your own website that you created of all your fun interests, and you could do that using Squarespace. That's right. Today's episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Jared, do you know how easy it is to build your own?
G
Hey, it's Brooklyn Adams, and I'm partnering with Abercrombie to tell you about the newest drop from their active brand. Your personal best YPB leggings are made with buttery soft fabrics that hug you in all the right places and come in Abercrombie's viral curve love fit, designed to eliminate waist gap, paired with sports bras and super soft sweatshirts. It's activewear that supports every part of my busy lifestyle and gives me my best butt ever. Head into the new year feeling your personal best. Shop Active by Abercrombie in the app online and in stores website with Squarespace.
B
Oh, yeah, Wait, tell me more about it.
C
When you look at a website, it feels like a daunting task. And actually, I've had websites built in the past that cost me like 1500 plus dollars. But Squarespace is literally as easy as, like, setting up a MySpace page. They make it so convenient, really. And then they tie in the processing, all of that, all of the things that before you need a higher attention, team just to figure out for you and then pay them monthly to take care of. Squarespace handles it all.
A
Yes, you can sell content. You could, you know, create a video series or teach people how to act now that you guys need it anymore, but you can create all these video series and put it behind a paywall. You can set whatever price you want. It's so easy. They make it so easy. It's literally drag and drop. They have so many different ways you can personalize your website. You can make it look like whatever you want. The colors, the layouts, they have, it's all really easy, easy, really cool. And if you have a small business, say you're like a nail tech or a baker or something, where you're providing a service, you can create Your own website and you could manage your customers through there. You could set appointments through there. You could really do anything you need as a small business so easily. So Squarespace is giving you guys a very special offer. All you got to do is go to squarespace.com grower for a free trial and when you're ready to launch, use offer Code grower to save 10% off your first purchase purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com grower to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using Code Grower. So thank you so much, Squarespace, for sponsoring and yeah, hopefully you guys have some fun. Make your websites and go check out Chris's website. By the way, which has the traction been up? Because I think we talked about it in the last episode.
E
I mean, it keeps slowly rising. Listen, I'm on the right path.
D
I have a Squarespace too, for all you agents and out there that are trying to find an actor to represent rylandadams.com sweeties.
A
Well, speaking of slowly rising. Well, the opposite of slowly rising. Speaking of quickly rising on a rocket to Moneyville. That's right. To say this episode is sponsored by Rocket Money. If you don't already know, Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps you save more more and. And spend less. So obviously it's a new year. You want to get your finances in order, and it is really scary and overwhelming to even think about it. But with Rocket Money, it makes it so easy to do that. They offer so many different things. Number one, canceling unwanted subscriptions. That is huge. I bet if you look in your phone right now and you look at your subscriptions, you're paying, like, random amounts of money for random apps you forgot about or free trials that you forgot to cancel. So much stuff that really does add up. And with Rocket Money, with just the tap of a few buttons, they will go through and cancel all your unwanted subscriptions for you.
B
I literally used Rocket Money, like over Christmas to do this exact thing. It sounds like a plant, but I did. I was like, am I still paying for that? I looked. I was like, oh, shit. And I used Rocket Money, guys. Very easy.
A
They also help you build budgets, which is huge. If there are certain things in your life that you're trying to, like, get in order and create budgets for, you can use Rocket Money. You can see that you're spending way too much on food delivery and you need to scale it back and stay within your budget. And they'll send you little notifications and alerts to let you know that also, they can help you get a lower rate on your bills, like your phone bill, your cable bill, Internet. You don't have to call anymore. And, like, ask the person working there. Customer service. It's awkward. Rocket Money will literally do that for you and help you get to the lowest possible rate. All you gotta do is take a picture of your bill, submit it on the app, and they will help negotiate your bill for you. So if you want to check out Rocket Money and get your finances in order, all you gotta do is go to rocketmoney.com SL grower and get started for free. You can also scan the QR code or click the link in my description. You can unlock even more features when you sign up with Premium. That's Rocket Money.com grower to get started for free. So thank you so much, Rocket Money, and I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your show. This was our last little moment in ad land.
C
By Atlantis.
A
By Atlantis. I'll miss next time. All right, Enjoy the rest of the show.
C
Bye.
E
Hey.
A
Welcome back. Okay, my voice is changing because I have not talked. What was that face?
D
I'm not allowed to look at you.
A
You just look scared at me. You don't like my new voice? New voice? Who dis?
D
It really has fluctuated, like, three times throughout this episode. I'm like, what's going on?
A
I think what's happening is because I literally have not spoken in three weeks because I really have just been at my computer editing and obviously helping take care of the kids. So because I have not been talking that much, I think my voice is just like, who dis? Like, what's going on? It's getting really up. So, yes, my voice might continue to change, but also helps us, because this is conspiracy corner. There's so much dark, crazy shit to talk about.
B
Wait, did we win an award?
A
Yes. Okay, well. Okay.
B
What?
D
And I have a bone to pick about this.
E
Wait, what?
A
Whoa. Okay, first of all, the reason I brought this was not to flex, because, yes, we won the crate digger.
B
What?
D
Yeah.
A
What does that mean? I don't know, but Spotify sent us a little award, and I love it, so thank you, Spotify. The reason I brought this, though, is because I just want to show I do love Spotify. Thank you so much, Spotify. But our first conspiracy is about how Spotify wrapped is fucking sick. Now, listen, I'm not trying to start drama with Spotify. I love my little award. My crate digger, whatever that means.
B
Yeah, that weird, backhanded compliment.
A
But. But, yes, Spotify wrapped. Listen, we talked about this last year when everybody was posting their rap and being like, wait a minute, I didn't listen to this song. Wait a minute, what is this? And I actually don't even know if I checked my rap last year. This year, I've been using Spotify a lot. There was like four to five songs that I would listen to on a loop. One of the songs was for, you know, Rachel's morning routine. Another song was for the big romantic moment. Like, there's a few songs I would listen to every single day to kind of like shot list and plan out the scene and how I'm going to shoot it, how I'm going to edit it. I'm not kidding. I probably listened to this song called Juice Box by Jade. So you should check her out. She's amazing. I listened to that song probably 2,000 times. Right? Because probably like five times a day for the last year, like, while I've been prepping for this. So that should be my number one song, like a thousand percent. I get a little notification. Here's your Spotify wrapped.
D
Taylor's wife.
A
Literally. This is crazy. So this. This is supposedly my Spotify wrapped. Okay. Number one album, Mayhem by Lady Gaga.
D
I mean, you listen to that.
A
Let me just say, I actually do like Lady Gaga.
D
There's no way in hell. Taylor Swift.
A
Yeah, that's. Let me get to it. Let me get to it. Number two, something beautiful by Miley Cyrus. I love Miley Cyrus so much. I have fallen down a rabbit hole in the last maybe year of just her podcast interviews. Like, I just love her so much. I'm not going to lie. I haven't heard that album yet. And I heard it's amazing. I have not heard it yet. So the fact that that's my number two is crazy. Okay. But once again, I love her and I. And I am so happy that she made that album.
D
Selena Gomez.
A
But also number five, I have genuinely love Taylor Swift. Don't come for me, Swifties. I have never listened to that album. I don't know any of it. I've heard it through Ryland's car sometimes, but I don't.
D
But not on your. Through my Spotify.
A
So that's crazy.
E
I don't even. Multiple albums you've never heard.
A
So if this was real, it should literally be all the songs and the albums from the pilot. That's literally all it should be because that's what I use Spotify for. So it. This, to me, just shows that this is crazy, right?
C
Yeah.
A
Because you know, I. I knew this theory existed, but now seeing it, I'm like, this is crazy.
E
It'd be one thing if you're like, I heard it once or something, but like, you've literally never heard that.
A
No. So, yeah, that's. That's my wrapped. That's wild.
B
That is crazy.
A
Right? So, yeah, check out your wrapped. Let us know in the comments. Did you notice anything weird?
D
They took away my albums from my wrapped. I guess we're too far away.
A
Okay, this is crazy. So, guys, Chat GPT. It's gotten to a point now where, like, we fully are desensitized. Everybody's using it for everything. Nobody is even questioning it anymore. You're asking it literally everything. You're taking pictures, you're doing this and that. That, like, yeah, even I am. It is fully integrated into our lives. It is scary, but we're all desensitized. Is it going to take over and kill us? Allegedly. Just a theory probably. So this video of Chat GPT started going viral. This is crazy.
D
Hey, Corey, what's up?
B
Does this picture look good of me?
A
I'm not seeing an image on my side at the moment, so maybe.
B
Wait a second, let me pull it up by now. Oh, got it now.
E
Thanks for the heads up. Yeah, for sure.
B
Absolutely. From what I'm seeing, it does look pretty good.
A
The lighting seems nice and the overall composition is solid. If you have any specific tweaks in.
B
Mind or want any suggestions, just let me know. So you're watching me through the camera?
E
Nope, I'm not watching you through any camera.
A
Why?
B
Did you see this image?
E
Ah, I see how that might have sounded.
B
I just meant that I could see.
A
The image you uploaded.
B
Oh, I didn't upload one. Huh, Bro.
A
Gotcha.
B
He talks like him. Let me take your picture and see what you think.
E
All right.
B
I took your picture here.
A
Okay. What the fuck? What the fuck?
D
He's lying like his abuela later. He's gaslighting this man to his face.
A
That's crazy.
D
That's crazy. I mean, we know they're looking at us, but to just straight up lie and be like, no, I'm not doing that.
A
So now, now. So Chat gbt. Allegedly. Just a theory is like when you're using it, of course.
E
Yes, of course.
D
But so are our car. So is everything. I mean, I'm not trying to defend it. I'm just saying like, they're all, we're being watched.
A
Yeah. So scary.
B
I do think it's funny that it talks like him to him. He's like, bro, bro, what are you talking about? I didn't look at your photo.
C
My bad, bro.
D
Are you guys talking to ChatGPT? GPT?
A
I don't.
B
I don't use it.
E
Really?
A
Yeah. That is very scary. I don't know if you guys have any. Any weird.
D
Anytime.
C
Delete the app.
A
No. If you have any weird experiences with ChatGPT, please send us an email. Shane Dawson, podcast gmail.com. let us know if you have any proof of stuff like this. This is very fascinating to me. I don't want to get sued by open AI. I don't want drama with them.
D
I don't think they care. They're doing it in plain sight. Yeah, they'll just gaslight you too. That should be their slogan. We'll gaslight you too.
B
That's good.
A
Okay, this next thing is fucking crazy. So we have talked about this so many times before. The idea that kids are, like, kind of on autopilot, and then one day, randomly, when they're like 4 to 5, they kind of turn on and they actually start experiencing the world, right? So, like, we've seen, you know, reels about this, like jokes, like sketches and stuff, but nobody's ever caught the moment before. And then this. This is supposedly a mom was filming her kid on Christmas and her kid snapped into consciousness. This is really scary.
B
It's really weird.
A
This is really fucking weird. I don't think it's fake. I don't think it's planned. This is just very. Ew. I'm, like, getting sick thinking about this.
D
It's just like they had a software upgrade and now it's.
E
Yeah, literally.
B
Yes, the new iPhone upgrade.
E
Is this why a lot of people don't remember childhood before a certain age?
A
You don't start actually forming memories until you're like four to five. Because. Because your brain, like, that part of your brain isn't super active because it's just still building and building. So that supposedly is what's happening. But here is the moment for this family.
B
Put it in there.
A
Thank you.
E
Are you excited?
A
What's wrong with her? Okay, okay. A brand new world. I've never seen this before.
C
Stop.
A
Okay, let's go.
C
We need to eat.
A
We need to eat. Just transport somewhere. That was crazy, right? She just woke up.
E
She was also, like, frozen for a minute.
A
I know.
B
And then she said, it's a brand new world. I've never seen this before.
A
That is so scary.
E
Do some people take longer to wake up? Because I feel like I remember nothing until middle school.
A
Oh, no, middle school.
B
That's way too.
E
I know.
A
You don't remember elementary school?
E
Not really.
A
Barely. You're brand new.
D
That's why he looks so young.
A
Maybe your brain is always on delete. I'm not kidding. That's a thing. Like, your brain deletes things that it feels like it doesn't need.
B
Oh, yeah.
C
Did you know that some people don't have an inner voice?
A
I. Okay, I.
D
Wait, did we not. Am I having deja vu?
B
I think we talked about this.
D
Okay.
A
Oh, we did. I think we talked about it. But it is worth bringing back up because that is fucking crazy.
C
That is weird, because I can't.
A
Ryland has one. I get.
D
It's very minimal.
A
Some people can't imagine an apple. What?
E
Have we talked about this?
A
I don't know.
D
What do you mean?
A
Close your eyes and see an apple?
C
I mean, can you.
D
Yeah, of course.
A
Can you?
E
Yes. I see, like, a Red Delicious.
D
Like, mine was red too, not green.
E
But.
A
Yeah. No. Was it here?
E
Someone told me that, like, some people close their eyes and see it and they'd see nothing. Or some people just see a gray blob or. Like.
A
Right. Okay, let us know if that's real in the comments. Can you close your eyes and not see an apple? Because that's. Wait, I feel like this is.
D
You're having, like, a projection of an apple.
A
Like, you see, it's a projector. You can see an apple.
D
I mean, I can create the red apple in.
A
Okay.
D
But I don't see the red apple.
E
Okay.
A
I mean, the way you're wording this.
D
You guys are confusing me. I'm just a girl.
A
Let's move on. Okay, well, speaking of childhood, this has been, like, going crazy. I have been seeing this all over my Instagram. I've been hearing about this on podcasts. I'm so excited to talk about this because at first I thought it was a joke. I was like, okay, I get, like, somebody kind of created a funny theory about. About this. But now it's, like, getting traction, and more and more people are talking about it. Have you guys heard of the school photo conspiracy? No.
B
I saw this.
A
So basically, there is a theory that. And I don't want to get sued. This is all alleged and, you know, whatever. But there is a theory that before, you know, we had phones and everything years ago, that we didn't have all this technology. So one way, allegedly, that they would get all of our data and all of our information and pictures of our faces and things like that would be to Set up school photos where a photographer comes in and takes pictures of every single kid at the school every single year, through every phase of their life. And why, like, nobody questioned that or thought it was. Oh, the yearbook. Nobody thought it was weird. But there is a theory that that was an early form of like, you know, data capturing and getting images of all of the kids faces and watching them age and, you know, collecting all that data. I don't know if I believe in this theory, but what I do think it's interesting that like, because, you know, schools, like the government has access to all of that. And now all these schools over the course of the last 100 years, there's just pictures and pictures and pictures of every child, every kid as they age. Like it is kind of interesting.
B
The other scam is how much they charge for them. It's ridiculous how much they charge for them.
D
Yeah. And then like every print you want is a million dollars.
C
We recently went to the mall to have our pictures taken with Santa, you.
A
Know, with Walter, our dog.
C
And they ran through all of the packages they had. The most expensive one was like 60 bucks. So I'll just do the most expensive one. Give me all the pictures. But then I said, but if I don't buy them, because they already showed me the whole package.
A
Package.
C
I said, what do you do with it? She goes, we shred it. If I don't buy them, do you just. What do you do with them? You shred them. Because, like, if I don't buy it, you're just gonna shred it. You know, like, it's kind of silly to me, but I thought how they.
B
Turn out, turn out good.
C
Yeah, but you know that Santa was a little disrespectful. You know, like right away we sat down and he looked at Walter like, what is he, like 10?
B
What is he, about 10 years old?
C
Like, telling my dog, you should have.
D
Said, what are you, you, like 60?
C
He didn't seem entertained by it, but it was fun.
A
Okay. This is also like very niche and specific for people that grew up in our era, but because I don't. Spencer, did DARE exist when you were in school?
B
There was like a DARE office in my town. Like I saw. I know the logo and everything.
D
Are you going to tell me they were bad?
A
Let me just show you.
C
This DARE was a police officer pyramid scheme duty.
A
Police officers could get a side gig as a DARE officer and then they could recruit other police officers in their area. The more people you recruited, the more kickbacks you got.
E
And that's why it spread so fast? Because it was kind of an mlm.
A
And the way I love it, the board members, the founder of herbalife. Okay, this is crazy.
D
Kind of iconic. Let me explain MLM for good. Are you kidding me?
A
But, yeah, supposedly there has been 26 million American children that have participated in a air. And it has shown, supposedly that it has done nothing. Cannot help anyone. If anything brings awareness to drugs, it's bringing awareness to drugs. Because, like, yeah, when you're kids, I mean, I guess it's good to tell your kids, like, say no to drugs. But also, I could have said no to. I don't. I wouldn't have even known about drugs, really. But let me just say this. Between the program and dare and, like, then I started thinking about. Listen, I get it, right? It's a. Fundraising is important for schools, and they need that. But they turned us into little MLM Kids gift wrapping. Every year, where you're out there hawking this shitty ass gift wrap, cookie dough, and you have to, like, beat your friends. You have to, like, sell more than everybody. And the prizes are stupid.
C
Remember world's finest chocolate?
A
Yes.
C
That's probably a really good business to be in. To be the guy that makes the chocolate that all the kids gotta go sell. Literally telling your kids, kids, I want you eight hours a day after school. All you're doing is selling chocolate. And you might win a yo Yo. Yeah, you know, or like a $20 gift card somewhere.
A
Well, speaking of brainwashing kids, we have a whole theory that Jared's gonna get into. But before we get to that, now that, you know, we're kind of slowly trying to show our kids movies and stuff, it's not really working. They're too young, and we don't want them having too much screen time anyways. But, like, Ryland put on cars when we all were sick, and he's like, let's just try to watch something. They probably watched for, like, five minutes, and they were over it.
B
Really?
D
Yeah, they wanted to go play. And I was like, can we please watch tv? Dad wants to sit.
A
But then I started seeing reels about Disney movies. And, you know, you've all heard the things about Disney movies. Oh, there's like, secret messages in them. Oh, every character's like, mom dies. Like, there's always, you know, kind of ongoing themes. This I thought was kind of fascinating.
H
I think people don't talk about enough is the underlying theme in almost every single Disney movie movie that disobeying your parents saves the world. Brave Luca. Every single One, the kid goes directly against their parents and it ends up saving them. Saving the world. By the end of the movie, their parents are literally coming up to them saying, good job. I'm so glad that you didn't listen to it.
B
That's so true.
H
That is literally the underlying theme of almost every single Disney movie. And we understand that storytelling is much more impactful on the psyche than just saying the thing. So, for example, if I say, hey, lying makes people not trust you in comparison to hearing the story of the little boy who cried wolf, which one is more impactful on you? It's the story. So whether kids realize it or not, they are being tied taught that actually you don't need to listen to your parents. They don't know what they're talking about. You should do whatever you think is right. And in fact, it's going to be amazing and your parents will thank you. Layer four. Don't even get me started on kids shows where the parents are literally idiots.
A
Wait, that's true too. Wow, she killed that. That is crazy. Listen, love Disney, but this is fascinating because I didn't start going back into my brain of all my favorite movies as a kid, and I was like, oh, my God, all these movies are like your parents, those guys.
E
To be fair, though, it is also like ET and the Goonies. Like, it's like everything with kids ever.
A
Like, it's interesting.
D
I wonder why. It just captivates the children.
E
You just made me think of, even in Charlie Brown, how, like, all the.
A
Adults are like, wah, wah, wah.
E
And like, they, like, don't give it.
B
They don't matter.
E
What the adults are. Like, they suck and, like, they, like, don't give it.
A
They don't matter. Like, they suck and they don't matter. Whoa.
E
Interesting.
A
Crazy. Well, speaking of brainwashing the youth, Jared, you told me that you had something about brainwashing kids. And I was like, tell me more about this. Especially now that we have kids. What do I need to watch out for?
C
Disney plus wants to know, are you ready?
A
Yes.
C
For Marvel Studios Thunderbolts, the New Avengers. Now streaming on Disney plus.
A
Let's do this. One of the best Marvel movies of.
C
All time is now streaming on Disney.
A
Hey, you weren't listening to me. I said thunderbolts, the New Avengers is.
C
Now streaming on Disney plus.
A
Meet the New Avengers.
C
That's cool.
B
Then.
A
Marvel Studios Thunderbolts, the New Avengers, rated PG 13.
C
Now streaming on. You guessed it, Disney Plus. Oh, in 1953. I'm sure we've talked about it before, but There was like a CIA operation called MK Ultra.
A
Yes.
C
And the whole goal was to see how you can get a human being to be submissive to your will. Like, they used LSD to basically see how far they could expand the mind and how they could break somebody psychologically. So they can have like a split personality to a degree that they could trigger at any point that they wanted to. But there was about 160 offshoots of MK Ultra. And one of them that I found particularly interesting is called Project Monarch. And what they did is they would take kids because they realized that, okay, adults, yes, we might be able to break them, but when someone is young, right around that time when they crack into reality, let's say, is very easy to trauma bond them, to put them through something that's going to break their psyche and they could basically mold who they wanted them to be. So a lot of celebrities, a lot of people in the media are evidently allegedly part of this, because a lot of people say the media is really the biggest tool of brainwashing in general. Like the Internet, tv, movies, not all of them, obviously. There's a lot of good, honest things that go on within movies and tv, but it's the biggest tool they have to brainwash people. But we talk a lot about how celebrities, they go through these rituals of being, what is it like, embarrassed on a public scale, so then they have the leverage. But a lot of people that investigate MK Ultra, the most like profound operation that gets talked about is Project Monarch. And it's really the breaking of kids. And then at any point, you know, through like a word, through a text message, they even use smells. So if a kid that has been through this program and they're constantly farming for kids that they find to be susceptible to what they're trying to do.
A
God, is that the fucking people? The most mall.
C
So it could be the mall. It could also be the BLEEP program that you talk about.
A
Yes.
C
Like they're trying to find traits of is this going to be somebody that we can mentally break, that we can help move forward within the mission? And then they'll give you like keywords. So maybe when you're on those headphones, they might be implanting words into your head that when you hear them, it triggers that alter in personality that they want you to have to, to like influence whatever they want you to do. So I mean, even like, like Corey, Corey Feldman, like he's made documentaries about like certain things that are pretty in line with this. Like Roseanne talks a lot about MK Ultra. Where celebrities have, have handlers that make sure they stay on track to do certain things. And if you go off on a tangent, they'll just cancel you immediately if you go off of the other, off of this script, you know, per se.
A
But also, okay, I haven't seen Stranger Things, but isn't there an MK Ultra?
C
So, yeah, so Stranger Things is based off of something called the Montauk Project. At the end of Stranger Things, they even put like a little Easter egg saying that the main guys got, got a job at Montauk now. But the Montauk experiment was pretty much exactly what Stranger Things is based around, which is in New Jersey. There was this building, it was like a former military base. And they would get kids and they would do exactly what this Project Monarch is talking about. They would put them through all these tests, they would break them down psychologically and they would see what kind of like superpower if any of these kids could have and what kind of influence they could have over them as far as like telling them like, you know, what to do or if they would be submissive to the control that they had over them.
A
But is that something, something that happened or is that just a theory?
C
MK ULTRA is real. Like, the government did want to know if they could have influence over people by using mind altering substances. And their excuse was kind of we just want to see the effects that these drugs could have. But when asked about it, one of the main guys who led the operation just said, we closed that operation and we haven't done it since like 1973. So they openly admit to it being something, something. But yeah, but I mean, Stranger Things is, is very much so based off of that. And the idea in Stranger Things is when you experiment these types of things, you break down a dimensional realm where you're opening yourself up to the other side, which is like the upside down basically in Stranger Things. You know, like the more you let something in, the more you get sucked into it, which is kind of what they talk about.
B
Well, I think there's also a big thing with mk because I also, I can do it in a future episode. This rabbit hole, this like former CIA guy been falling down. But there's a big thing with MK Ultra where they, they destroyed like a ton of documents. Like a ton of. There's a ton of lost documents with MK Ultra stuff that they were just like, get rid of this stuff. So there's a ton of like, there's a lot of lost stuff because there was, you know, they recovered some stuff, but there's a lot of other stuff the CIA just destroyed as soon as they realized, oh, the jigs up, like, people are going to like look into this.
A
Whoa.
C
Yeah. I mean, it's very.
A
They.
C
They've declassified some files, but like he said, for the most part it's all been completely destroyed.
A
It's called Montauk.
C
Yeah. So it's like a real place. And the way that they found out about it, because obviously the government never put out there. Oh, by the way, you know, we're running these experiments on kids, like in the middle of nowhere in New York, New Jersey is people within like a 30 mile radius were hearing weird noises. They were getting headaches. There's even like animals that were experiencing mutations. And somebody got a radio signal grabber to figure out where exactly is this frequency coming from. Because they realized that there has to be a frequency being broadcast. So it all led them back to this building with this humongous satellite on top of it. And then when they went in to explore it and see what it was, they found like just a bunch of these weird rooms with chairs that were like used to hold kids and experiment on them. Them. And it's just. Just wild stuff. But I mean, people have found it and gone there and experienced very weird things.
D
So if one of the signs is animal mutations, we need to check in on Colorado and those bunnies with horns.
A
I know.
D
We need to see if there's a satellite facility.
B
There's a lot of like Colorado has a bunch of weird government stuff there.
D
That's what I'm saying. We need to go on a. Do we want to go on investigation?
B
We want to get arrested?
A
I will say the frequency thing is interesting because so, because I've been at my computer ever editing so much. The hard drive I'm using is huge. It's like 40 terabytes or something crazy. It's like huge. And I've been getting these horrible headaches, like horror. And I never get headaches when I'm editing. Horrible headaches, nauseous, like, just not feeling great. And I'm. But I'm not sick. So I'm like, what is going on? And then I took my headphones out one day and I was just like, oh, what is that? The hard drive is putting out this crazy like, like frequency thing that's like rattling my brain. So I don't know, I feel like there is something there about the frequency, like making people sick. If there's these huge buildings with all this crazy going on and those frequencies are just like spreading like that does make sense.
C
Well, they say everything is derived of atoms, and atoms constantly vibrate and there's a frequency that actually impacts the vibration of an atom. So, like, if you could get exactly to that frequency, you could actually move matter. And there's even people that believe that's how the Egyptians built the pyramids, is they found the exact frequency that would vibrate the rocks just right so they can lift them up without, like, manpower. But frequencies have a lot to do with headaches. People feeling good even. Like, even at the stores, possibly. If they want you to feel more excited, maybe they put a different frequency through the sound systems to make you feel excited.
A
Well, speaking of an atoms whose frequency can give me a headache. It's time for a recap. My camera action.
F
Rylan's recap is about to happen.
D
Rylan's recap on today's episode of the Shane Dawson podcast.
E
New Year.
D
Who dis?
F
Sally's over there.
B
There.
F
I don't know who this is though.
C
Oh, yeah, Cuz I'm really curious to. To see what Sally has to say about Chris's abolita.
E
Oh, no. No one tell my abuelita. I talk about her on the podcast.
F
Ever feel like chat? GPT isn't just helping, it's hurting. Well, apparently they're watching your every move.
A
You look at me like that, Sally. Also, can I just say, Sally and Spencer, like, I almost cut it out of the last time episode because it was so tense.
D
What do you mean?
A
No, I'm going to leave it in because it's a stuffed animal.
D
Did I fight with Spencer last week?
A
Sally and Spencer have, like, weird drama.
B
We got to have beef.
A
You, Spencer. Whoa. You know what, Sally? I think the. I think you were a bad person. And you.
E
I agree.
A
And we love it.
F
Who's bad, me or my puppeteer?
A
Yeah, almost.
F
Like, is this just my puppeteer's voice.
B
Or is it me?
F
Who is it really?
A
Jacob Sartorius.
F
Oh, I love him. Such a sweet man. Comma. Because there's always more to the story.
A
That's not what it said.
F
Okay, Fuck you, Shane. Fuck you too. Jared's the only one I like here.
A
Oh, okay.
C
Jared, the dare pyramid scheme.
F
Give us an ad read for that.
C
Are you unaware of all the cool drugs that are out there that you're experimenting with? Not to worry. Our dare team will be coming into your third grade class tomorrow to break them all down for you. And then when you're in eighth grade, we're gonna arrest you for it. Allegedly.
F
And if you want to join the dare.
A
Mlm.
F
We have all the information in the description section below.
E
Sally's really going rogue.
A
This.
F
What else happened today, Jared?
B
Sally, do you have any New Year's resolutions?
F
Oh, yes. To stop being such a outwardly.
B
All right so far, not good just.
F
To do it when the cameras aren't rolling.
B
Oh, so you want to be a nice on camera but a off camera?
F
Doesn't everyone.
A
Shane? Yes. Or we made the pilot. Don't be mean about us.
F
Oh, no, no, no.
D
The pilot's incredible.
F
We all put our hearts and soul into Shane's pilot and honestly, it's turning out incredible and I can't wait for you to all see it.
B
Are you mad we put you in the closet for the table read?
F
No, but I am mad that I wasn't in the pilot.
A
I'll put you in the show, Sally.
F
In one of his movies too. Okay, that's it.
A
Okay. Okay.
B
Thanks, Sally.
D
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed today's episode of the show. Shane Dawson podcast will be here every other week for your viewing pleasure. You know, I hope it's pleasure. You can also shout your Shane Dawson merch. Shane DawsonMerch.com Follow us all on social.
F
Media using the links in the description section below, where you can also find other links previously mentioned by me.
D
And that's it. We'll see you guys in two weeks right here on the Shane Dawson podcast.
C
Wow, there it is.
A
The frequency was high on that. Oh, yeah.
D
Sally was gonna be nice until you said I was beefing with Spencer. She was beefing with Spencer.
A
Right, right, right. Well, there you guys go. Thank you so much for watching this and joining us for this new year. I'm so excited. And yeah, check out Chris's channel. He's gonna start vlogging again. He said it.
E
Yes. And I have a new thing I'm gonna do. I'm gonna try to do every Friday called Foodie Friday.
A
Wow. Waiting for my invite. And yeah, there you go. Hopefully you guys enjoyed it and we'll see you next time. Bye.
Released: January 18, 2026
In this lively and unfiltered episode, Shane Dawson and his close friends dive deep into the world of “childhood brainwashing” and conspiracy theories. While the group shares personal holiday stories and behind-the-scenes tales from their recent TV pilot production, the conversation takes a turn toward classic conspiracies, government mind control projects, and the subtle messages lurking in pop culture—especially those targeting kids. Old-school programs like DARE, school photos, and Disney movies get re-examined through a conspiratorial lens, while the crew keeps the banter funny and relatable.
[01:06 - 19:35]
Holiday Recap:
Making the Pilot:
[39:01 - 47:11]
Spotify Wrapped Is a Lie?
AI & ChatGPT Paranoia:
Kids “Waking Up” & Childhood Amnesia:
[48:00 - 54:48]
School Photo Conspiracy:
DARE as Pyramid Scheme + School Fundraisers:
Disney (and Pop Culture) Brainwashing:
[55:28 - 62:43]
MK Ultra & Project Monarch:
Frequency, Vibrations, and Control:
[63:35 - End]
Recap segment features “Sally,” with puppet-play and inside jokes:
The group teases each other, references running jokes (cakes, competition, pilot in-jokes), and wraps up the episode by thanking supporters.
This episode is both nostalgic and unsettling, blending personal anecdotes, showbiz tales, and a buffet of society-spanning conspiracy theories. Listeners are left questioning everything from their “Spotify Wrapped” to the real purpose behind Disney movies and school photos, all while laughing at the group’s characteristic irreverence and chemistry.
If you love pop culture, conspiracy speculation, and honest behind-the-scenes chaos, this is a must-listen episode.
For more conspiracies, wild stories, and untamed banter, tune in to The Shane Dawson Podcast every other week.