Hot Tub Or Above Ground Pool?

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Hot Tub Or Above Ground Pool?"

Podcast: You Betcha Radio
Host: You Betcha (Myles and the gang: Ryan, Tyler, Jerrod)
Episode Date: July 13, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the age-old Midwestern debate: Should you add a hot tub or an above-ground pool to your backyard deck? The crew—Myles, Ryan, Tyler, and Jerrod—weigh in with their classic mix of humor, nostalgia, and no-BS Midwestern wisdom. Along the way, they dissect the cultural and social implications of both options, riff on backyard maintenance, and take some wild turns into the world of swinging and hot tub etiquette.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Listener Dilemma: Hot Tub vs. Above-Ground Pool

• Prompt: A listener asks whether to add an above-ground pool or a hot tub to their deck.
• Myles and the team immediately get excited about the topic, noting the practicality of each option, especially in the Midwest where weather matters.

2. Hot Tub Pros & Cons

• All-Season Use: "First thought that goes to my head is if you get a hot tub, you can use it all year round. In the Midwest you can't use an above ground pool in the winter." — Myles (00:23)
• Easier to get rid of if you decide you don’t want it anymore.
• Noted higher electricity costs.

3. Above-Ground Pool Critiques

• Strong (and hilarious) consensus against above-ground pools:
  • Appearance and Maintenance: "I couldn't be less of a fan of above ground... I think they make things look trashy." — Jerrod (00:43)
  • Prone to maintenance headaches, weed growth, and tarps that just beg to be torn.
  • Market value is nearly non-existent: "I don't think a lot of people are like, wow, above ground pools really hold their value." — Myles (01:31)
  • Used above-ground pools are a rare sight on the resale market.

4. If You Must Go Above-Ground...

• Building a deck around the pool helps appearance.
• Skirting and half-in-ground models are marginally more acceptable.

5. Buying & Selling Used Pools

• The crew scrolls through Facebook Marketplace, riffing on the sad reality of trying to sell an old above-ground pool: "Oh, here's a hundred—$1 water not included." — Tyler (02:48)

6. Parental/Family Considerations

• Hot tubs are appealing for families as kids get older—hangout spot for teens and their friends.
• The group jokes about parental fears (teens sneaking booze in the hot tub).

7. Backyard Social Life & Etiquette

• The team goes deep on the social boundaries of hot tubs:
  • Awkwardness of sitting with friends in a hot tub as adults.
  • Differentiating between a gathering for food vs. "bring your suits" parties.
  • "Anytime you're taking clothes off at your buddy's house is not... You're in a bad spot. Like, unless it's a jacket or like a canvas vest...anything else, nope." — Myles (05:10)

8. Swinger Stereotypes & Jokes

• Hot tubs compared to swinger culture:
  • "That's a gateway to swinging." — Tyler (04:56)
  • "Every swinger I know has a hot tub." — Jerrod (06:24)

9. Rumors, Gossip & 'The Pineapple Code'

• Fun banter about how to spot (or ask about) swingers in the Midwest, invoking the infamous “pineapple” symbol.
• "The risk to reward on that is so low." — Myles on asking if someone is a swinger (07:09)
• Tyler admits he’s heard rumors but would never ask—"I have some people that I think might be swingers, but I don't know for sure." (06:40)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Above-Ground Pools:
  • "I'm 100 with you. I think they make things look trashy." — Tyler (00:47)
  • "You got really, really fucking easy." — Tyler on pool breakdowns (00:51)
• Marketplace Madness:
  • "Oh, here's a hundred—$1 water not included." — Tyler (02:48)
• Hot Tub Social Codes:
  • "That's a gateway to swinging." — Tyler (04:56)
  • "Anytime you're taking clothes off at your buddy's house is not...You're in a bad spot." — Myles (05:10)
• On Swingers in the Midwest:
  • “Every swinger I know has a hot tub.” — Jerrod (06:24)
  • “I have some people that I think might be swingers, but I don’t know for sure.” — Tyler (06:40)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:23 — Midwest practicality: Year-round use and local climate considerations
• 00:43 — Above-ground pools trashiness and maintenance headaches
• 01:31 — Resale value jokes and Facebook Marketplace hunting
• 02:48 — Marketplace pool listings and comedic take on "water not included"
• 04:56 — Social boundaries: hot tubs, friends, and swinging innuendo
• 05:10 — "Taking clothes off at your buddy’s house" boundary rules
• 06:24 — The hot tub-swinger stereotype emergence
• 07:09 — The dangers and comedy of asking someone if they're a swinger

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Tone and Style

The episode is classic Midwest banter: direct, sarcastic, playful, with a persistent undercurrent of nostalgia and self-aware humor. The gang doesn’t pull punches about what’s “trashy” or “respectable” in backyard culture and are unafraid of going off on tangents—especially when it leads to a good laugh.

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Conclusion

Verdict:
Hot tubs win in almost every category—practicality, resale, year-round use, and social signaling (minus the swinger jokes). Above-ground pools take a beating for maintenance, aesthetics, and poor longevity.

Best Quote:
"Anytime you're taking clothes off at your buddy's house is not... You're in a bad spot. Like, unless it's a jacket or like a canvas vest...anything else, nope." — Myles (05:10)

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For more Midwest musings and irreverent backyard banter, check out You Betcha Radio every Wednesday!

Transcript

[A]

Jack. Shotgun. So I've got some space on my deck. I've been bouncing around the idea of either a hot tub or an above ground pool off the edge of the deck. Would like to hear your thoughts on what you would do also, Miles, My family and I have been loving the long form videos on YouTube. My three kids, wife and myself have been throwing them on our TV at dinner.

[B]

Let's go. Oh yeah, Love to hear that.

[C]

Sick dinner vids.

[B]

Thank you for watching YouTube videos. Keep it, keep it. We're keeping it rolling. You keep it rolling. First thought that goes to my head is if you get a hot tub, you can use it all year round. In the Midwest you can't use an above ground pool in the winter.

[C]

No.

[B]

You could try to stock it, maybe go ice fishing.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

This is my personal opinion. I couldn't be, I couldn't be less of a fan of above ground.

[C]

I'm 100 with you.

[D]

I think they make things look trashy.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And they're just so much maintenance too. I feel like they break down. You got really, really fucking easy.

[D]

And then you're going to get sick of trimming around it so they're going to have weeds growing around it. And then that's the trap where the trashiness comes in.

[C]

And a lot of them are tarped so like you can't trim them or you'll slice your damn pool open. Yep. Yeah. I'm out on above ground pools.

[A]

If you can build like a, a deck around an above ground pool that's

[C]

a little, it definitely helps it that it's next to the deck. Then you'd also need to put skirting around the pool, in my opinion.

[D]

Yeah. I think a hot tub's the way to go.

[C]

I agree.

[D]

And when you like if by chance you get sick of either of them, the hot tub is going to be way easier to get rid of.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. I don't, I don't think a lot of people are like, wow, above ground pools really hold their value.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

I'm so glad I bought this.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

It really is an appreciating asset. I don't know anyone who's bought a used above ground pool, do you?

[C]

No.

[B]

Like I've never even heard. I never even thought about that being an option.

[C]

Let's see if there's any on Marketplace. Maybe we'll get one.

[D]

Yeah. It's one thing I've never searched for.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Because then you can throw but I

[B]

mean if you got young kids, it.

[D]

I don't know.

[B]

Do whatever you want with Your money.

[D]

Well, you're also very anti. Like, like. Yeah. I even think the hot tub is good for when the kids are getting older and having friends. Ochre. Yeah.

[A]

Steal your booze, go in the hot tub.

[D]

You and your wife.

[B]

Girlfriends.

[D]

Yeah, yeah. There you go.

[C]

There's a bunch of them on marketplace for sale, right?

[B]

None of them are selling, Tyler.

[C]

A lot of them. Most of them are around the 5 to 700 range.

[B]

Let me see, like, what kind of above ground pools are we talking?

[C]

Okay, well here's one that's more expensive. Here's another above ground pool. That one is steel sided.

[D]

Do it, do it. Do they say you have to come pick up.

[C]

Oh, here's a hundred.

[A]

$1 water not included.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. Only used one summer in good condition, taken down and stored during winter.

[D]

Yeah, yeah. Then you got to figure out somewhere to store it.

[A]

Oh God, that'd be a nightmare.

[D]

Jesus Christ.

[B]

If you got a hot tub though, your electrical bill is going to go way up.

[C]

Just kind of. This is an ad. But like the ones that are kind of half in ground, I'm way more likely to get one of those than I am the fully above ground.

[B]

But yeah, if there's like a. If there's like a Mossberg to my head, I'm fucking. I'm taking a hot tub every day of the week for sure.

[D]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

That'd be a weird scenario. Gun to your head for that sort of thing.

[B]

Okay, I'll take the hot tub.

[D]

Get a salt water tub too.

[B]

Which one do you want?

[C]

Yeah, hot tub, I guess. Don't shoot me.

[B]

Yellow. Relax, relax, Mr. Olsen from Olsen Pools and Spas.

[C]

I'm gonna get one. You don't need the gun.

[D]

That's why I'm here. I. I said, I said here's my budget. What can I get for it?

[B]

I'm gonna pay for it.

[D]

Are you still anti?

[B]

Also, isn't Olsen Pools and Spas a local business that sells pools and spas?

[A]

I think so, yes. They wouldn't do that. They wouldn't do that.

[B]

They would do that. What were you saying?

[D]

Are you still anti sitting in hot tub with friends? Like at our age?

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

I think we should do a podcast.

[B]

I mean like, unless we're at like

[D]

a resort, can we do a podcast from hot.

[B]

Like if Jared is like, hey, I got a new hot tub, I'd love for you and an and some other people to come over and sit with me.

[A]

That'd be weird.

[B]

Yeah, I like, no, I don't want to do that.

[C]

I'm Sprinting.

[D]

Okay, okay, okay. What. What if he was like, hey, do you and I want to come over for supp. Like, and bring your swimsuits?

[B]

That worse?

[A]

That word is kind of worse.

[B]

I'd much rather have it be like, we're coming over for the hot tub and then if some food is there, great.

[C]

All right.

[B]

But to say we're going to. We're going to eat dinner and then. But just also bring your. Oh, by the way, I feel like

[C]

that's a gateway to swinging.

[B]

Yeah, it's very swinger behavior. Anytime you're taking clothes off at your buddy's house is not. You're in a bad spot. Like, unless it's a jacket or like a canvas vest or taking anything else off or.

[C]

Yeah, everyone knows I get completely naked to. Yeah, I keep my socks on, though.

[B]

So, like. But just any activity that requires you to take your clothes off at your buddy's house, you should not be in that scenario at 30 some years old. Think about every scenario where you'd have to take off clothes. It's just not good. You know, if you're playing we fit and you get too hot, you gotta pop the top off. Why are you playing we fit with your buddies at 30 years old?

[D]

All right, gun to your head, which one are you more likely to do? Bring your suit. Like, let's say Jared's like, hey, bring your suit over for the above ground pool or for the hot tub.

[B]

Above ground pool is much better than a high. It's less intimate and it's bigger and it's less sweaty. I think the weird thing. I think the weird thing about sitting in the hot tub with other adults is you're just all sitting there sweating in a tight spot.

[D]

It's a primer.

[C]

And then there's the guy that. The sweaty guy that wants to stay by the hot tub, so he just sits on the ledge, but then you're just eye level with his dick.

[D]

Yeah, yeah, that's true. It's more of a primer for what's to come later in the night, I think.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

So just keep that in mind.

[A]

Every swinger I know has a hot tub.

[C]

How do you know?

[B]

I guess I don't know many. Yeah, this gotta be true. I guess that's gotta be a correlation. Do you.

[D]

Do you guys know any swingers or, like, even through the grave?

[A]

I know. I know of swingers.

[B]

I don't know any swingers.

[C]

I have.

[B]

I've heard rumors.

[C]

Yeah, I was gonna say, I have some people that I think might be swingers, but I don't know for sure.

[D]

Yeah, I think I've only heard one rumor, but that. That's. That's all my knowledge goes to.

[C]

And I'm way too afraid to ask because then I don't want them to think that I'm a swinger.

[B]

Oh, dude, you. How crazy of a move that is to ask someone if they're a swinger? That's. And not being a swing, but, like, even if you're a swinger, asking if someone's swinger, that makes sense. But if you're just. You just want to know.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

The risk to reward on that is so low.

[C]

Very low.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

Okay, so how do you find. How do. What's the proper way to find out?

[C]

Pineapples.

[B]

You don't. That's kind of how swinging works.

[A]

If you know, you know.

[C]

But Ryan was biggest gossip. He needs to know.

[B]

How do people know where the fight club is?

[D]

Well, no, like, I want to know

[A]

where to buy drugs.

[B]

Yeah, it's the same thing.

[D]

It's a. It's a crazy community.

[B]

And that's really what it is. It's a community.

[C]

We share everything.

[D]

Quite literally. Fluids, guys.

[B]

If you want more, you bet your radio, you gotta check out our Patreon. You gotta go to patreon.com you betchradio. Or look us up on the app. And we have hundreds of hours of other episodes on there that you can't get unless you're signed up. So you got to check us out on Patreon. You bet your radio, baby.