U Up? Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: Is Saying Your Dog is your Kid an Ick?
Release Date: December 26, 2025
Hosts: Jordana Abraham & Jared Freid

Main Theme & Overview

This episode dives into dating ick/picky moments, authenticity (and lack thereof) in online dating content, and the performative trends of modern dating advice, with a hilarious and pointed analysis of a viral "high standards" video. The hosts dissect social media rage-bait in the dating world and answer a listener question about a dog-dad who jokingly passes his pet off as his child in early conversations. The episode is witty, reflective, and pokes fun at performative vulnerability and annoying dating behaviors.

Key Segments & Timestamps

• [00:00-03:50]: New Year's Week Reflections & Banter
• [16:06-32:31]: Reaction to "Never Lower Your Standards" Viral Video from Ricky Canuck
• [34:02-43:32]: Icky or Picky? Listener Story—Dog Dad Pretends to Have a Kid

Highlights & Notable Quotes

1. New Year's Limbo & Reflecting on Change

• The episode opens with witty, light banter about the weirdness of the week between Christmas and New Year’s. The hosts joke about lost time and the false pressure of last-minute achievements.
  • “If there’s anything you wanted to accomplish in 2025, it’s probably too late.” – Jordana [02:17-02:20]
  • “You’re not gonna lose 50 pounds today, it ain’t happening. Sorry to inform you.” – Jared [02:21-02:22]
• Brief personal check-in about Jordana’s upcoming baby, with playful speculation about Jared joining in the delivery room for “content” and the meta-ness of living for content as podcasters.

2. Rage-Bait & Performative Vulnerability in Online Dating Advice

• [16:06-32:31]
• The hosts introduce and live-react to a viral video from Canadian influencer "Ricky Canuck," who declares he’s chronically single because his standards are so high he’s out of his own league, and refuses to "lower" those standards.
• The video’s main points:
  • Ricky claims to be self-aware, acknowledges wanting women “out of his league”, and concludes he must “work harder” rather than lower his standards.
  • Insists he won’t teach his kids to aim lower, and equates self-improvement with deserving higher-value women.

Hosts' Live Analysis & Breakdown

• Both hosts immediately spot the contrived, manipulative, and performative nature of the video:
  • “This is a manipulative person. That’s why he has a following. He is manipulating the audience.” – Jared [20:50]
  • “He’s trying to pretend to be vulnerable… Just like all you losers, I’m a loser. And you know, I’m not.” – Jared [21:25]
• Jared coins it as “rage bait,” referencing the 2025 word of the year, meaning content engineered to provoke arguments in the comments section.
  • “This video is made specifically to gain two sides of a debate – he doesn’t believe any of this.” – Jared [22:20]
• Jordana points out the hypocrisy and the unhealthy mindset:
  • “All this says is, there’s a problem with you. Not that you’re aiming too high, but what you’re looking for are these extremely superficial things.” – Jordana [26:44]
  • “How you see yourself is how you see the world.” – Jared [27:05]

Societal Reflections & Gender Dynamics

• They discuss genuine societal pressures on men and how attraction and “value” are assessed, but critique the packaging of these truths in viral content.
  • “Do you have a job, are you able to provide – those are old school, but they’re true today.” – Jared [26:11]
  • “It makes it more about him than about you—the point is, he thinks he’s not enough.” – Jordana [31:08-31:22]

Authenticity vs. Grifting

• The hosts draw a line between honesty and online grifting:
  • “This is the male side of dating that takes over the internet conversation, that I think is a bad actor.” – Jared [29:24]
  • “A good manipulator uses truth and then weaponizes it.” – Jared [32:03]
  • “I wouldn’t date someone who liked that video.” – Jared [32:27]

3. Icky or Picky: The "Dog Dad as Kid" Incident

• [34:02-43:32]
• Listener writes in: At a speed dating event, she connects with a man (32) and plans a date. He texts her saying he has a 6-year-old son, which she responds to with “dealbreaker.” Next morning, he reveals it was a joke—his “son” is actually his dog.
• Jordana and Jared role-play the exchange and break down what feels off and what’s just a dating quirk.

Hosts' Opinions

• Both hosts agree the woman's initial response (“dealbreaker”) was blunt—perhaps unnecessarily so:

  • “There’s a classier way to say that than like ‘dealbreaker, out.’” – Jordana [36:53]
  • “She was quite harsh.” – Jared [36:39]

• On the man’s joke, consensus emerges: it’s a “bit” that doesn’t land well over text, especially with time elapsing between the “I have a kid” confession and the punchline. He made things unnecessarily weird:

  • “If you tell someone you have a kid, you’re in a position of power… you’re using that to test them.” – Jared [38:24]
  • “You’re putting them in a weird position. He seems just like a kind of annoying, weird guy. That’s more the dealbreaker.” – Jordana [41:16]

• They note that done differently (in person, with an immediate reveal), it could have been cute, but delayed over text, the joke was a miss.

Conclusion: Both sides a little off, but the man's delivery of the “dog/son” joke is the true ick.

  - “The more we know, the more I’m icked out by him.” – Jared [41:40]
  - “We started off one way, changed it around… This guy’s being icky.” – Jordana [43:29]

4. General Reflections on Modern Dating and Vulnerability

• The episode as a whole repeatedly returns to the tension in online discourse between genuine vulnerability and “content for content’s sake.” They encourage honesty, self-awareness, and humor in dating—but emphasize that performative, manipulative behavior (online or on dates) is always an ick.

Key Timestamps

• Ricky Canuck Video & Discussion: [16:06 - 32:31]
• Listener Ick/Picky – Dog Dad Joke: [34:02 - 43:32]
• Best Quotes:
  • “This video is made specifically to gain two sides of a debate.”—Jared, [22:20]
  • “All this says is, there’s a problem with you.”—Jordana, [26:44]
  • “A good manipulator uses truth and then weaponizes it.”—Jared, [32:03]
  • “You’re putting them in like a weird position. He seems just like a kind of annoying, weird guy.”—Jordana, [41:16]
  • “This guy’s being icky.”—Jordana, [43:29]

Episode Flow & Tone

• Conversational, irreverent, and probing.
• Hosts balance empathy (for listener dilemmas and dating insecurity) with sharp, comedic critiques—especially for attention-seeking “dating coaches” online.
• Throughout: emphasis on realness, vulnerability (the unself-congratulatory kind), and the necessity of being forthright but kind in dating exchanges.

Summary

This episode is classic U Up?: hilarious, sharp, and honest about dating ick moments and the real dangers of performative self-improvement on social media. The breakdown of viral influencer dating advice spotlights how internet “vulnerability” can be weaponized into rage-bait—contrasted with genuine, sometimes messy, dating vulnerability as displayed in the listener’s story. The episode closes with a reminder that in both love and content, authenticity wins out over grifting—“We solved dating… again.”