The Yak – January 27, 2026

Episode: Mintzy Pitches His Barstool Cruise Idea | The Yak 1-27-26
Podcast: The Yak (Barstool Sports)
Main Cast This Episode: Big Cat (Dan Katz), Kyle "KBNoSwag" Bauer, Nick, Rone, Lil Sas, Kate, Steven Cheah, Brandon Walker, and others.
Main Event: Ben "Mintzy" Mintz's PowerPoint pitch for a Barstool-branded cruise

EPISODE OVERVIEW

The episode centers around Ben Mintz (Mintzy) pitching his idea for a Barstool-themed cruise. The show’s hosts dissect Mintzy’s preparation—or lack thereof—for his PowerPoint pitch, the cruise's concept, logistical issues, and its (thin) business prospects. Along the way, the group dives into a classic Yak tangent: debating soups, discussing nepo babies, the business of business, and wild Barstool office antics.

Despite skepticism and relentless ribbing, Mintzy eventually delivers a makeshift PowerPoint and outlines his vision for the cruise. The episode is loose, chaotic, and irreverent, epitomizing the camaraderie and roast-heavy banter that define The Yak.

EPISODE SECTIONS & KEY MOMENTS

1. Dinner Banter, Appetizer Philosophy, and the Deep Soup Dive

(00:36–13:00)

• The group opens with jokes about family dinners, reading menus more than books, and food talk.

  • Quote – Menu Reading:
    "Have you read more words in a book or on a menu?" — Big Cat (03:34)

• Intense debate: best appetizer strategy, "star dish" theory, lobster bisque supremacy, and whether chili counts as soup.

  • Quote – Soup Philosophy: "Lobster bisque is Don Staley. South Carolina." — Big Cat (07:27)
  • Quote – Soup Realness: "You're a fat slob if you get [lobster bisque]. You're just licking cream." — Kyle (06:48)

• Various soups get roasted (gazpacho, pumpkin, avocado) while others are elevated (gumbo, matzo ball, French onion, chicken and dumplings).

2. The Real Reason Mintzy's Doing the Cruise Pitch

(21:00–24:00)

• Producer TJ shares that Mintzy was hinting (not directly asking) for help from multiple Barstool staffers about making his PowerPoint.

• Group suspects Mintzy is outsourcing the actual slide creation—again.

  • Quote:
    "If his producer created the PowerPoint, I will throw the PowerPoint out... Not a single person will ever step foot on a cruise ship again." — Big Cat (22:01)

3. PowerPoint Gate: Rule Laying and Exposing Mintzy

(24:00–33:00)

• Mintzy confesses his "editor" made the PowerPoint with him on a Zoom, but Mintzy "came up with ideas."
  • Quote:
    "I did all the creative stuff, but he created the PowerPoint." — Mintzy (28:29)
• Hosts mandate Mintzy make his own presentation from scratch, unaided, in one hour.
  • Big Cat’s Challenge: Mintzy can bypass the task if he agrees to jump off the cruise ship during the event (Mintzy turns it down, worried about surviving). (29:24)

4. Live Mintzy PowerPoint Supervision & Ridicule

(33:00–56:00)

• Producers (and the audience) literally monitor Mintzy as he struggles to make a PowerPoint alone. TJ and Tate babysit, reporting back: Mintzy can't format slides, struggles to insert images, calls his editor again.
• The group places bets on whether he can manage basic formatting or change fonts.
  • Quote:
    "If he changes the font, I'm impressed." — (34:46)
• Universal agreement: Mintzy’s low-level business skills are, ironically, perfect for a Barstool cruise pitch.

5. Barstool Cruise PowerPoint—Mintzy’s Big Moment

(92:14–107:32)

• Mintzy presents his "DIY" PowerPoint with the following elements:

  • Concept Name: "The Inaugural Barstool Cruise: The Pirate Ship Takes to the Sea"

  • He credits wanton Don and Eddie as the original idea guys.

  • Logistics provided by industry partners (specifically Johnny Trongan; repeated confusion about the name—"Johnny Trombone").

    • Quote:
      "Shout out to wanton Don and Eddie...I just want to be transparent and give them credit." — Mintzy (93:10)

  • 4-day cruise itinerary: Opening night in Miami with Pop Punk, sail away party with “Jammy Buffett” band, private Bahamas island for games and DJs, Dead night (Grateful Dead cover band), return to Miami.

  • Talent Activation: Stand-up comedy from Barstool personalities, live podcasts, competitions, "Nicky Smokes & Annika Singles Night," chef demos, basketball tournaments.

    • Quote:
      "What are you doing?" — Big Cat, referring to Mintzy’s role on the cruise (102:26)

  • Sponsor Integration: DraftKings, High Noon, Pink Whitney, Pardon My Cheesesteak, Stella Blue Coffee, Raising Cane’s.

  • Struggles with images are crystal clear—Mintzy can’t find the Yak logo or upload images except stock ones from PowerPoint.

    • Quote:
      "I searched on the stock... 'insert images'... and that's it." — Mintzy (106:27)

  • Final Slide: "The pirate ship hits the sea, who's coming with us?”

    • Quote:
      "If you build it, they will come. I believe." — Mintzy (107:11)

• The group grills Mintzy on logistics, talent costs, legalities (casino location), and the economics (“Wouldn’t it be sweet?” becomes the joke title for the pitch).

  • Quote:
    "Wouldn't it be sweet?" — Big Cat, after listing all Mintzy's pie-in-the-sky ideas (105:16, 113:22)
  • Mintzy miscalculates the basic math (3000 tickets x $3000 is $9 million, not $900,000). (115:15)

• The group is generally entertained by Mintzy's dogged pursuit and lack of business acumen but admits diehard fans would buy in.

  • Quote:
    "I'm not gonna say no." — Big Cat (109:21)

• Next steps: A Zoom with the cruise company and possibly pitching to Dave Portnoy.

6. Classic Yak Derailed Tangents

(Throughout, highlights below)

• Soup Talk (00:36–13:44): Above, but worth noting it’s long and features some memorable dunks.
• Nepo Babies (49:00–51:07): Group defends Nepo parents as just helping their kids—“like an Asian tiger mom” (49:38).
• Business of Business (64:12–66:46): Speculation on what businesspeople actually do—calls, PowerPoints, graphs, "putting a pin in things."
  • Quote:
    "Business is just emailing people you're going to circle back." — Kate (65:12)
• Cosmetic and Sperm Banks (68:00–71:17): Strange insights: “women get salmon sperm injections,” sperm bank processes, redhead donors.
• Acapella Groups & Rugby (86:12–88:51): Musing on grown men having kitchen jam sessions, and the fun of being in an acapella group, transitioning to rugby comparisons and trans athletes ("nothing burger" effect).
• Mintz's Role on the Cruise (109:51): Playing poker, lifeguard, cannonball contest—hyper-specific, mostly ridiculous.

NOTABLE QUOTES/EXCHANGES BY TIMESTAMP

• 03:34–04:04:
  "Have you read more let more words in a book or on a menu?"
  "Menu for sure, for sure..."
  — Big Cat and the crew.

• 06:48:
  "You're a fat slob if you get [lobster bisque]. You're just licking cream."
  — KB

• 22:01:
  "If his producer created the PowerPoint, I will throw the PowerPoint out... Not a single person will ever step foot on a cruise ship again."
  — Big Cat, laying down the rules.

• 28:29:
  "I did all the creative stuff, but he created the PowerPoint."
  — Mintzy, self-incriminating.

• 29:24:
  "When we get on the cruise, you have to jump off."
  — Big Cat’s alternate offer (which Mintzy declines for safety).

• 34:46:
  "If he changes the font, then I'm impressed. But I think the Times New boy."
  — Banter about Mintzy’s formatting limits.

• 93:10:
  "Shout out to wanton Don and Eddie...I just want to be transparent and give them credit."
  — Mintzy, admits the cruise concept is not original.

• 102:26:
  "What are you doing?" — Big Cat
  "Whatever I'm called to do. I'm gonna be around." — Mintzy
  (Hilarious lack of clarity on his role)

• 105:16, 113:22:
  "Wouldn't it be sweet?"
  — Big Cat, summing up Mintzy’s daydreaming approach to event planning and the go-to refrain for the pie-in-the-sky ambitions.

• 115:15:
  "If 3,000 stoolies are paying $3,000 a ticket, that's $9 million, not $900,000."
  — Producer TJ, correcting Mintzy’s bad math.

HIGHLIGHTS & MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• Mintzy’s Struggle with PowerPoint:
  Multiple segments where the hosts joke about Mintzy’s inability to do basic PowerPoint functions, needing "babysitting," and his default "chin rub think face." It’s clear his technical skills are bottom-tier, which the show finds equal parts endearing and infuriating.

• Open Admission of Outsourced Work:
  Mintzy's quick confession that he relied on an “editor,” and the group’s resulting demand that he do the work himself, is played for considerable laughs.

• The “Wouldn’t it be Sweet” Thread:
  This phrase becomes the group’s shorthand for Mintzy’s chronic lack of concrete planning or responsibility.

• Creative Contributions:
  When pressed, Mintzy lists exactly which ideas were his and which came from others (labeling slides “NM” for “not mine”).

• Final Reaction:
  Group ultimately humors Mintzy’s ambition with a “maybe,” conditional on more business sense and a real plan.

IMPORTANT TIMESTAMPS

• 21:00–24:00: PowerPoint outsourcing confrontation.
• 28:29–29:54: Mintzy admits he didn’t do the PowerPoint and is ordered to make his own.
• 92:14–107:32: Mintzy’s PowerPoint presentation and Q&A.
  • 92:33: Opening line of his pitch.
  • 93:10: Admits idea isn’t original.
  • 102:26/104:45: Challenged about his purpose on the cruise and budgeting.
  • 106:35: Hilarity over his search for the Yak logo.
  • 107:06: Summing up: “If you build it, they will come…”
  • 113:22: “Wouldn’t it be sweet?” refrain.

OVERALL TONE & TAKEAWAYS

• Banter-heavy, self-deprecating, openly mocking of Mintzy’s lack of business/tech skills.
• Genuine camaraderie shines through—relentless razzing is affectionate.
• The episode typifies The Yak: conceptually chaotic but deeply entertaining for fans.
• Mintzy’s “cruise” is a fun bit and the subject of real deadlines, but no one is seriously expecting it to work unless heavy hitters (like Dave Portnoy) get involved and real planning happens.

Bottom Line:
Mintzy’s Barstool Cruise pitch provided comedy gold, set a new low for PowerPoint competence, and reinforced why The Yak’s blend of creative chaos is irresistible to fans. The cruise will probably never happen—but if it does, expect “Wouldn’t it be sweet?” to be printed on every ticket.