The Shane Dawson Podcast

Episode: Haunted Theme Park! Our Halloween Special!!!
Date: October 26, 2025
Host: Shane Dawson with Ryland, Chris, Jared, and Spencer

Episode Overview

This very special, chaotic Halloween episode of The Shane Dawson Podcast takes listeners through an hour-plus of body-swapping improv, ghost stories from America’s most haunted theme parks, irreverent humor, and chilling conspiracy theories. Shane and the crew dress up as each other, swap roles on the show, and share a mix of embarrassing stories, new fears, game segments, a crowd-sourced conspiracy update, and plenty of laughs.

Main Themes:

• Haunted and abandoned theme parks, particularly Cedar Point and Lake Shawnee
• Friend group shenanigans and body-swapping through costumes/impressions
• Halloween games (“Ah or Yasss”)
• Spooky conspiracy theories, from haunted rides to AI actors and dream recorders
• Gross-out and embarrassing personal stories

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Mood: Halloween Chaos & Body-Swap Antics

[01:02–06:27]:

• The group dresses up as each other, swapping personalities, which leads to playful jabs and inside jokes.
• Memorable impressions include Jared and Chris imitating one another to hilarious effect, with self-awareness about their quirks.
• Shane: “I literally feel like I died and I'm floating and I'm watching our lives from an outside perspective” [04:09]
• They reminisce about previous Halloween podcast episodes (such as the infamous ‘Minion’ year).
• Preview of the segments: Ryland’s Recap, Spencer’s Likes, Chris’s gay story, Jared’s Cheap Trick, and a special spooky game.

2. Wild Stories: From Fat Bears to Bad Bunnies

[07:11–09:14]:

• Chris shares a story about ‘Fat Bear Week’—to his disappointment, it’s about actual bears, not “big hairy guys” in the gay community.
• Discussion branches into the “bear” subculture humor and viral animal competitions.
• Chris: “I wish it was guys. I was hoping. Big fat bears!” [07:45]
• The group jokes about crowd-surfing disasters, embarrassing moments at clubs, and more.

3. “Spencer’s Likes” Segment

[09:14–15:13]:

• Spencer shares his favorite odd and viral internet videos, usually known for being weird, but this round is unexpectedly tame.
• Group reacts to videos like ‘Tequila and Bubble Wrap Day’ at Walmart and an over-the-top drink-making TikToker.
• Shane: “That was the least terrifying thing I think you've played on our show.” [09:44]
• Side discussions: Chili’s rants, feeding each other as love language, and stories censored from YouTube.
• Ryland’s dryly disappointed: “I'm a little disappointed. That was a bummer of a like.” [15:07]

4. Game Time: “Ah or Yasss!”

[18:03–33:30]:

• The gang plays a rapid-fire game rating various “controversial” scenarios as “Ah” (no) or “Yasss” (yes).
• Topics include:
  • Pooping at a friend’s house (horror stories and social anxiety)
  • Ketchup on mac and cheese (deep divide)
  • Being slapped during sex with consent (mixed reactions; Shane’s hearing loss anecdote, [22:03])
  • Serenading, peeing on the phone, pineapple on pizza, going to Renaissance Fairs, Harry Potter/Twilight movie binges
• Memorable, authentic exchanges and gentle roasting abound.
• Chris: “I don't like pineapple on pizza, but I'm not one of those people…who cares?” [25:10]
• Jared: “The first person to poop is the hero.” [19:59]
• Ryland: “I think I'm psychotic because 'what you got going on today at Dutch Bros' is kind of a Yass for me.” [33:04]

5. Jared’s Cheap Trick—Viewer Beware!

[33:37–35:15]:

• Jared reveals an illegal viewer-submitted “cheap trick” involving returning emptied expensive beauty products refilled with cheaper substance to Ulta—emphatically not endorsed by the podcast.
• Shane: “Please stop messaging me criminal acts. Stealing makes things cheap. I get it.” [35:45]

6. Conspiracy Corner: Haunted Theme Parks

[38:18–48:57]:

• Shane takes a deep dive into Cedar Point’s haunted history:
  • Multiple ride fatalities, hotel hauntings (notably by a “woman in white”), and mysterious recurring fires.
  • The Raptor roller coaster, site of repeated fatal incidents, is currently closed without explanation ([43:00–43:47]).
• Then: Lake Shawnee Amusement Park, West Virginia.
  • Numerous accidents/deaths soon after opening, child skeletons found during excavation, confirmed Native American burial ground ([46:32–46:39]).
• Chris: “That’s the number one rule. Don’t do that.” (about building on a burial site) [46:39]
• The discussion turns to the ethics of visiting “dark tourist” sites and hotel staff sharing notorious tales.

7. Listener-Submitted Conspiracies & Chilling Updates

[49:06–68:29]:

• “Conspiracy Corner” crowd-sourced content, notably:
  • Musical intro remix from a 16-year-old Swedish fan.
  • Discount store horror: customers finding used hairbrushes, bed sheets possibly infested with bedbugs ([51:30–52:04]).
  • Hotel worker testimony: comforters rarely washed between guests, only sheets get regular cleaning ([52:04–53:30]).
  • Alexa “waking word” trauma: one elderly patient’s only spoken phrase is “Alexa, what’s the time?”, raising questions about tech’s neurological impact ([54:46–55:26]).
  • Glitter conspiracy update—government as the main consumer, using it as chaff for military jets ([56:39–58:48]).
  • Trend forecasting: sudden “protein in everything” craze; previous similar crazes (fiber, no fat, pickle everything) ([59:04–61:23]).
  • AI Actress: The rise of “Tilly Norwood”, a viral, hyperrealistic, AI-generated actress already drawing industry offers ([61:33–63:41]).
  • AI-generated social media and the impending reality of scrolling fake “people” and events, plus alarming proof-of-concept AI skater videos.
  • “Dream Recorder” device that replays your dreams as AI-generated reels, provoking jokes (“can’t wait for ads in my dreams”) and unease about privacy.
• Ryland: “Every AI thing that has come out… makes it so we don't have to think or do anything. Your brain becomes mush.” [67:52]

8. Classic Conspiracy: Mel’s Hole

[68:32–75:47]:

• Jared tells the wild, classic urban legend of “Mel’s Hole,” a bottomless pit in Washington that attracts government cover-up, animals’ terror, and supernatural rumors.
• “Supposedly a portal to another dimension… and then [Mel] just completely vanished from the face of the earth…” [71:47]
• The story blends seamlessly into the show’s Halloween/freaky theme.

9. Ryland’s Recap – Role-Swapped Summaries

[75:53–78:47]:

• Ryland steps into the “recap” role, hilariously imitating everyone, re-capping:
  • Mel’s Hole
  • Fat bear event confusion
  • Ulta’s illegal return trick
  • All the haunted park stories
  • Hotel comforter revelations
  • The rise of AI actors
  • And general “world is ending” vibes.

10. Closing Thoughts & Group Feelings

[80:10–80:44]:

• Shane: “This has been a real treat, not a trick. So thank you guys for the best Halloween episode ever.”
• Everyone agrees this wild, body-swapping, spooky episode was a fever dream and especially fun.
• “I feel like I was watching my own life from the outside.” (Shane, multiple times throughout).

Memorable Quotes

• Shane: "This is like family therapy gone too far." [04:20]
• Chris: “That was the biggest disappointment of my life… it’s real fat bears.” [07:33]
• Shane: “Should we go to Cedar Point? Or have you—if anyone's been to Shawnee, let us know in the comments. Give us your ghost.” [48:45]
• Ryland: “Every AI thing… makes it so we don't have to think or do anything. Your brain becomes mush. It can only be bad for us as a people, as a society.” [67:52]
• Jared: “Anytime you say ‘Hey Google’ or ‘Hey Alexa,’ kids in the house would duck on the floor and freak out." [53:46]
• Chris: “That's the number one rule. Don't do that.” (about burial grounds) [46:39]
• Shane: “I literally feel like I died and I'm floating and I'm like, watching our lives from an outside perspective.” [04:09]
• Jared: “The first person to poop is the hero... everyone else feels open to do it.” [19:59]
• Shane: “Please stop messaging me criminal acts. Stealing makes things cheap. I get it.” [35:45]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:17: Show begins; intro to haunted theme park discussion
• 01:02: Costume/body-swap introductions and group dynamic
• 07:11: Chris’s Fat Bear Week disappointment story
• 09:14: “Spencer’s Likes” segment begins
• 18:03: “Ah or Yasss” game and rapid-fire unfiltered opinions
• 33:43: Jared’s “Cheap Trick” (plus illegal viewer tips)
• 38:18: Haunted theme parks deep-dive (Cedar Point, Lake Shawnee)
• 49:06: Conspiracy Corner begins – listener emails on haunted parks and gross hotel practices
• 56:39: Glitter conspiracy/government/military connection
• 59:04: The “protein craze” in everything
• 61:33: AI Actress “Tilly Norwood” discussion & future of entertainment
• 68:32: Mel’s Hole story (classic conspiracy segment)
• 75:53: Ryland’s Recap—role-swapped group summary
• 80:10: Group closing statements/reflections

Takeaways

• This was a quintessential Shane Halloween special: energetic, wild, irreverent, and deeply funny, blending dark “Conspiracy Corner” mysteries with earnest sharing and deeply inside-joky group camaraderie.
• Cynical observations abound about consumer culture (hotel and retail scams, protein craze), AI’s unsettling creative encroachments, and why you should never trust a hotel comforter.
• The format—with everyone in costume as someone else—amplified the group’s in-jokes and added to the fever-dream vibe.
• Haunted theme parks remain the biggest unresolved curiosity for the group, sparking genuine enthusiasm for a ghost-hunting expedition in a future episode.

For Listeners

If you missed this super-sized Halloween episode, expect both belly laughs and bone-chilling tales—from the dangers of eating ketchup with mac and cheese to the restless ghosts of abandoned theme parks. And remember: ALWAYS check your hotel comforter, never trust a ghost on a roller coaster, and beware of body-swapping at any Halloween party.

End of summary.