We're Here to Help – Episode 272: "Trash Night Buffet & Fancy Football" (with Aya Cash)

Release Date: March 18, 2026

Hosts: Jake Johnson & Gareth Reynolds

Guest: Aya Cash

Episode Overview

In this episode of We're Here to Help, hosts Jake Johnson and Gareth Reynolds are joined by actress Aya Cash (known for "You're the Worst" and her upcoming Broadway run) to field listener calls seeking advice on neighborly disputes and fantasy football etiquette. The tone is irreverent, playful, occasionally absurd, but always supportive—blending practical suggestions with comedic improvisation. Two main callers seek help: one with passive-aggressive bear-related trash problems, and another with the challenge of collecting fantasy football winnings from a sluggish group chat.

Guest Introduction: Aya Cash

• Aya and Gareth reminisce about working together on “You’re the Worst.”
• Aya jokes about never getting over her time on the show:

  "It's kind of like the ex you can never get over. I'm like, when do I get to do that again? Oh, once in your lifetime, if you're lucky." (02:07 – Aya Cash)

• Jake inquires about Aya’s background, leading to a hilarious retelling of her artsy San Francisco upbringing, including an "arts high school" filled with classic ‘90s misadventures (“a lot of weed,” “drinking 40s,” a rogue assistant principal with a water bra).
• Discussion about her path from theater-obsessed teenager to Broadway actress—especially the ironic reality that you have to "get famous" to be in Shakespeare in the Park.

Segment 1: Trash Night Buffet – Bears and Neighborly Neglect

[Start: 11:33]

Caller: Aaron from Breckenridge, Colorado

The Problem

Aaron, a self-professed classically Midwestern transplant, describes living in a Colorado mountain town where neighbors’ failure to secure trash leads to bear invasions—resulting in Aaron cleaning both their trash and bear scat from her own yard.

"We're over here cleaning up other people's garbage, which is disgusting. And then also scooping giant piles of bear poop into our garbage." (13:40 – Aaron)

Key Points of Discussion

• The hosts want a specific question; Aaron asks simply, “How do I get them to stop?”
• Her attempts at passive aggression (dirty looks) haven’t worked.
• Her husband suggests texting neighbors directly; they do a "half-assed" job when they show up.

Advice & Comedic Brainstorming

• Jake’s Initial Pitch:
  Buy an electric leaf blower and blow all the trash back onto the neighbors. "Just put it all right in your head." (15:20 – Jake)

• Aya’s Improvement:
  Do it covertly at night—punish, but never get caught. “I’m a petty bitch; this would drive me crazy, and I would find some way to punish. But never let it go back to you.” (15:36 – Aya)

• Tangents on disguising oneself in a bear suit; concern over Ring cameras.

• Fantasy Solution:
  Stage a bear chase, wear a boot, claim you were injured as a result of their "trash night buffet," and use this as leverage.

• The group realizes some strategies (“fake bear chase”) would make local news in a small town—too risky.

• Jake’s Passive-Aggressive Real-World Solution:
  Leave a sign:

  "Do not put your trash out at night. It’s a rule. It’s attracting bears. Be respectful." (21:32 – Jake Johnson)

• Discussion of leaving “a smear of blood on the neighbor’s door” (Passover-style) as an inside joke about warning.

• Final Consensus:
  Jake’s actionable advice: Next time the trash and bear mess end up in Aaron’s yard, don’t clean it all—shovel the “bear” (excrement) and trash right onto the responsible neighbor’s doorstep or right by their driver's side door.

  “Shovel the bear, throw it right at their doorstep... On top of it, like a cherry on top of a sundae, all the bear.” (23:55 – Jake Johnson)

• The group encourages Aaron to film the act (POV GoPro if possible) for the podcast.

  “I would gladly film it.” (26:06 – Aaron)

Notable Quotes

• Aya: "If this voice matches this face, you can do whatever you want. You just gotta do it quiet because no one will suspect you." (15:36)
• Jake (on escalation): “Would you film yourself putting the garbage in their yard and the bear... so if you get caught, you say, ‘I’m doing this for a podcast.’” (25:07)

[End of segment: 28:14]

Segment 2: Fancy Football – Collecting on Fantasy League Debts

[Start: 30:05]

Caller: Rachel from Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Problem

Rachel had a hard-fought victory in her friends-and-family fantasy football league. The prize ($20 per participant) remains unpaid by more than half the members—including her championship rival, her brother (the league commissioner), and various parental acquaintances.

"How do I ask them for money now?... We kind of already did the whole thing." (33:20 – Rachel)

Key Points of Discussion

• Jake rants that the league was run poorly (“The commissioner has to get the money first!”) (33:43)
• Rachel emphasizes the awkwardness due to the league being mostly family/friends and older people.
• Aya playfully confesses her confusion between “fancy football” and “fantasy football,” but supports Rachel’s claim to the prize.
• Jake and Gareth riff on fantasy football as a community-building absurdity (“the Dungeons & Dragons-ification of football”); Aya supports community and silly group traditions.

Advice & Action Plan

• Jake's Big Idea:
  Record a video message—threatening but fun—to demand payment, leveraging the show’s notoriety.
• The group does multiple “takes” of an improvised video, experimenting with degrees of threat, sarcasm, and sincerity.
• Aya jokes:

  “I once didn’t pay a debt and I can’t walk now. I can’t tell the story because it’s a legal issue. But if you want to be able to walk, you pay your debts.” (46:43 – Aya Cash)

• Jake promises that if Rachel doesn’t get paid, the podcast will cover the missing amount and become her “debt collectors.”
• They encourage Rachel to pick whichever version (tough love or earnest) best fits the group.
• Multiple riffs about Broadway actors from Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theater showing up to “act tough” at debtors' doors.
• Rachel ultimately records her own bold video message to her group.

“Listen here, everybody. You owe me some money. My Venmo is Rachel-Danis-01. This league was grueling… I beat all of you guys throughout the whole season... $20. By my birthday, January 25th, I'm turning 30. Send me the money or else.” (55:27 – Rachel)

• The hosts delight in her transformation from sheepish to assertive, “slowly, incrementally got her there.” (56:05 – Gareth)
• Jake requests Rachel send screen grabs of any colorful responses from the group.

[End of segment: 56:49]

Notable and Memorable Moments

• Aya cash hilariously improvising alternate identities with the group, e.g., "Street Drugs, Wet Butt and Water Bra: Attorneys at Law." (49:47)
• Jake repeatedly distracted by the idea that "chimps in the wild" have begun "wearing masks while committing crimes" (17:27 and 37:14), to the confusion/delight of everyone else.
• The segment with Rachel includes group role-play, faux legal threats, and the promise of ongoing podcast support (even offering to call individual league members if necessary).
• Jake and Gareth’s improvisational style keeps the tone light and encourages genuine participation from callers.
• Aya note-perfect, weaving between deadpan humor and “real” advice, always with a mischievous edge.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & "You're the Worst" reminiscence – 01:24 to 02:21
• Aya's arts school/childhood stories – 02:33 to 05:56
• Caller 1: Aaron's bear trash problem – 11:33 to 28:14
• Passive-aggressive and "petty covert ops" pitches – 15:36 to 18:48
• GoPro/planning phase for bear shoveling – 25:07 to 28:14
• Caller 2: Rachel’s fantasy football debt issue – 30:05 to 56:49
• Multiple “takes” on Rachel's video pitch – 43:29 to 55:03
• Rachel’s final, tough video message – 55:27 to 55:48
• Wrap up & podcast closing banter – 56:49 to end

Final Thoughts

We're Here to Help continues its blend of empathetic advice and deadpan comedy, transforming basic dilemmas into creative opportunities for petty justice or cathartic self-expression—always somehow managing to make the caller laugh and feel supported. Aya Cash proves a natural fit, injecting extra wit and charm—and giving listeners license to indulge their own “petty bitch” selves in the name of progress.

For listeners:
Even if you don't have neighborly bear issues or unpaid fantasy debts, you'll find practical suggestions, plenty of laughs, and a recurring reminder from Aya, Jake, and Gareth that sometimes the best help is just having someone in your corner—armed with both reason and ridiculousness.

Notable Quotes Quick List:

• "It's kind of like the ex you can never get over." (02:07 – Aya Cash)
• "I’m a petty bitch; this would drive me crazy." (15:36 – Aya Cash)
• "Shovel the bear, throw it right at their doorstep… like a cherry on top of a sundae, all the bear." (23:55 – Jake Johnson)
• "I once didn’t pay a debt and I can’t walk now." (46:43 – Aya Cash)
• "Listen here, everybody. You owe me some money... $20. By my birthday, January 25th, I'm turning 30. Send me the money or else." (55:27 – Rachel)

(For more content or to call in: helpfulpod@gmail.com)