Ep. 201: We’re Back! But Will "No Demo Reno" Be?

Summary

Podcast Summary: "You, Me & Mike"

Ep. 201: We’re Back! But Will "No Demo Reno" Be?
Host: Thirteen Media
Date: September 3, 2025
Hosts: Jenn & Mike Todryk

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Episode Overview

This episode marks the return of Jenn and Mike Todryk to their podcast after a two-year break. The main theme is catching up with listeners, discussing where they’ve been, and answering the burning question: "Is No Demo Reno over?" The episode is filled with candid reflection, behind-the-scenes insights from Jenn’s HGTV experience, and a look at their family and business growth. The tone is warm, lighthearted, and self-deprecating, with moments of humor and authenticity.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Podcast Return and Life Update

• Two-Year Hiatus
  • The podcast initially had 27 episodes in its first season and was unexpectedly paused due to Jenn's intense filming schedule for "No Demo Reno."
  • [03:09] Jenn: “We paused jumping straight into season two because I started filming...season three of No Demo Reno. And so I just couldn’t do both. It was exhausting.”
• New Setup
  • Now recording in a dedicated space with video for YouTube, a step up from previous recordings in their guest bedroom.
  • [04:36] Jenn: “We have set this up to be more structured and so it’s going to hold us accountable.”

2. Jenn’s HGTV Show "No Demo Reno": Is It Over?

• Addressing the Big Question
  • Mike fields the most common question from fans: Has "No Demo Reno" been cancelled?
  • [08:21] Jenn: “No, I did not get cancelled. The show...did not get cancelled. That is 100% the biggest DM I get.”
• Decision to Pause
  • HGTV requested a 4th season, but Jenn decided to pause rather than continue under a heavier production load.
  • [09:21] Jenn: “I always told myself I would give myself three seasons...and then we’ll kind of assess it from there.”
  • [10:13] Jenn: “I’m on a pause. I told you that. OK, I’m just pausing.”
• Creative Control and Burnout
  • Deep involvement as executive producer led to burnout; Jenn was hands-on with every aspect, from design to final edits.
  • [11:11] Jenn: “I’m either all in...or I don’t do it. That’s a characteristic of my trait in everything I do.”
• Behind-the-Scenes Anecdotes
  • Fought for quirky, authentic moments to stay in edits (e.g., burps, toilet flower planters).
  • [13:18] Jenn: “They’re like, who is this tacky woman? [wanting burps kept in the show].”
• Final Call to Pause
  • Emotional and bittersweet; priority shifted to family and personal fulfillment over fame or TV “empire.”
  • [24:19] Jenn: “The main reason for not filming is I want to be home.”

3. Career Reflection & Family Priorities

• Why Step Back?
  • Jenn highlights the privilege of choice and the weight of balancing motherhood, multiple businesses, and TV production.
  • [25:50] Jenn: “The difference is I have a choice. And I have the privilege of having other jobs that can provide. So why am I holding onto this specific one?”
• Kids’ Perspective on Filming
  • Some children participated enthusiastically, others (like Viv) less so—never pushed to be TV kids.
• Future Possibilities
  • Open to returning to TV or shifting to platforms like YouTube for more creative freedom.
  • [28:04] Jenn: “I definitely do feel like if I’m gonna create like any kind of series, I would want to do it on YouTube...because then I could just retain total control.”

4. Changing Content Consumption

• Media Landscape
  • Discussion on how kids no longer watch traditional TV; YouTube is the new aspiration for the next generation.
  • [28:54] Mike: “How often do our children watch traditional television? Never.”
• Direct-to-Consumer vs. Network Models
  • On YouTube and social media, Jenn feels more control and authenticity, versus the structure and advertiser focus of TV networks.

5. The Business Side of TV and Social Media

• Negotiations & Control
  • Jenn fought for executive producer credit (waiting out six months for the title) to maintain creative voice.
  • [35:44] Jenn: “I had to hold out for like six months to film season two because I would not do it without executive producer credit.”
• Balance of Power
  • Acknowledges mutual benefits for networks working with established influencers, but stresses the stress and conflict that come with not having control.

6. Life After the Show: New Hobbies and Growth

• Embracing Hobbies
  • Jenn has become passionate about tennis, filling the gap left by TV work with new personal interests and joy.
  • [37:41] Jenn: “Like, well, I’m an athlete now.”
• Family Banter
  • Fun, competitive exchanges about tennis prowess show their playful dynamic.

7. Return of the “Jar of Random Questions” Segment

• The episode ends with the couple playfully debating useless skills and who would last longer on Survivor, reflecting their chemistry and penchant for spontaneous, lighthearted content.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Creative Over-Commitment:
  • Jenn: "I’m either all in...or I don’t do it. There’s no middle." [11:11]
• On Authenticity and Editing:
  • Jenn: “I fought to put [the burp] in, and they would not put it in…then, sure enough, season three, they kept a burp in.” [13:12]
• On Stepping Back from TV:
  • Jenn: “The main reason for not filming is I want to be home…they weren’t getting the best mom.” [24:19]
• On the Shift to YouTube:
  • Jenn: “I definitely do feel like if I’m gonna create like any kind of series, I would want to do it on YouTube…because then I could just retain total control.” [28:04]
• On Industry Shifts:
  • Mike: “How often do our children watch traditional television? Never.” [28:54]
  • Jenn: "If you don’t come already creating content full time on a platform that you built to a large scale, you don’t have my perspective..." [32:29]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – 01:19: Reintroductions; podcast rundown
• 03:09 – 04:51: Why the podcast paused; new season’s structure
• 07:41 – 08:21: Directly addressing "Is No Demo Reno cancelled?"
• 09:21 – 13:12: Creative process, production responsibilities, and anecdotal behind-the-scenes editing battles
• 14:04 – 15:32: Balancing TV and social media; what drives her joy
• 24:19 – 26:25: Deep dive into stepping back for family and self-care
• 28:04 – 29:39: Changing landscape of content consumption/media
• 35:44 – 36:59: Fight for creative control, executive producer title
• 37:41 – 38:09: Personal growth and picking up tennis
• 43:29 – 50:00: Jar of Random Questions; playful family banter

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Memorable, Lighthearted Moments

• [06:06] Mike boasts about picture frame molding skills:
  • “You can also see my general contractor work that I did here. I personally laid the picture frame molding here.”
• [13:12] Jenn on burp edit:
  • “I fought to put that in, and they would not put it in. And then, sure enough, lo and behold, season three, they kept a burp in.”
• [39:06] Discussion on being an "influencer":
  • Jenn: “The word influencer didn’t exist when I started…I’m a content creator.”
• [42:00] Jenn on quitting TV for tennis:
  • “This lady quit this to play tennis! Like, having the time of my life. I love it.”
• [47:11] Friendly debate – useless skills:
  • Jenn: “If you get one shot at this, I’m not going to waste it on something stupid.”

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Conclusion: What’s Next

• The Todryks are back to regular podcasting with a renewed commitment to transparency, fun, and family-first values.
• Upcoming episodes will cover family, personal developments, and likely—more updates on their businesses, including Armor.
• Jenn sums it up: “I know this is a bumpy episode, our first one. But we're really excited...Probably next episode we'll do another little update of like the businesses and the family and not just show focused. Kind of past that.” [52:04]

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Contact & Community:
Listeners are encouraged to send topic ideas and questions to [e-mail] for possible inclusion in future episodes, especially for the “Jar of Random Questions” segment.

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This summary provides an engaging, comprehensive overview for new and returning listeners, capturing the humor, candor, and relatability that make Jenn and Mike’s show a fan favorite.

Transcript

[A]

We are back.

[B]

We're back, baby. Well, we're live.

[A]

Hey.

[B]

We are live.

[A]

Hey. Oh, what do we do? And now we're being filmed, which is a new layer of terrifying.

[B]

Like, I don't.

[A]

I'm not. I know not to look at the camera, but I kind of want to.

[B]

I mean, there's no way to start then. Then jumping back in.

[A]

Do you realize I was talking to Charity, our producer, and it is almost to the day two years from when we launched this podcast today.

[B]

Yeah, that was two years.

[A]

We are so sorry, guys. 27 worst podcast ever.

[B]

27 episodes on the first season.

[A]

Okay?

[B]

And it did quite well.

[A]

So we're back.

[B]

We are back.

[A]

We're back. I don't remember how to do this, but we're back, and we're gonna figure it out.

[B]

It's gonna be a little clunky. We'll get back into it. This is gonna be a good one, though. This episode's gonna be good.

[A]

This is gonna. It's gonna be a good season. So I guess let's jump into where the heck we've been. If you've never listened to us before. My name is Jen Todrick.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

That's.

[B]

That's who you are.

[A]

I am a mom of three. I am on Instagram, the rambling redhead, and I had a show on hgtv. Well, have a show on HGTV called no Demo Renault.

[B]

Yeah. And you are. You're. You know, social media Maven is what we'd call you.

[A]

What the heck's a maven? What does that mean?

[B]

Maven. Like, sounds like a boss.

[A]

Lady, woman. Oh, maven is a boss.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Why does anyone say I'm a maven? Like, more often?

[B]

That's. They do. I refer to you, the song being.

[A]

Like, I'm a maven.

[B]

I. When people ask me who your wife is, I'm like, well, she's the maven.

[A]

You said that in your whole life.

[B]

Yeah, I do.

[A]

Maven means boss. Sounds kind of type of bird.

[B]

It's like, you know, like. I don't know. I. I'm. Are you contextualizing? Yes.

[A]

I don't think you're. Are you sure?

[B]

It's kind of like you own. You have a whole bunch of ventures going on. You own it. You're like, you. You do very well at it.

[A]

What is a maven?

[B]

You're just gonna go ahead and.

[A]

And word maven comes from Yiddish.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Meaning one who understands.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That means you just understand a topic.

[B]

You understand social media. You're like, the boss of it. You understand it. I don't understand it.

[A]

It does. I don't understand this podcast or connoisseur. So like a fashion maven. Which I'm not. Even though I do have a degree.

[B]

Which is kind of what I said.

[A]

It's true. Okay, fine. So I'm a maven.

[B]

Wow. Arrogant. I'm kidding. I'm Mike. I'm the husband and entrepreneur. Veteran West Point grad.

[A]

And together we make a team.

[B]

And the husband is doing very different things. Yeah.

[A]

At the same time.

[B]

But it's fun. I'm. I'm excited to be back. I really am. This has been a long break. I've.

[A]

I did miss this. I think the initial, like starting back into it was like very intimidating for me. And not intimidating like I'm scared to do it. It was just like taking on one more task and I. Well, let's back up. We paused jumping straight into season two because I started filming.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Season three. Three. Three of no Demo Renault. And so I just couldn't do both. It was exhausting. And we knew that. We knew that we were gonna have to break for my like mental state because I'm still doing all my stuff over on Instagram and that's not only just a full time job for me, but, like what brings me joy. I started that as a stay at home mom and that always has brought me joy. That's what I really love doing every day. And then there's some days when like I don't. Then I don't. But like, that's what I enjoy doing full time. And so I still juggled that while filming, while filming the TV show. And so we just. We always knew we were going to come back. We thought it would be sooner than two years.

[B]

We filmed that first one because we would film two episodes or record sometimes even four episodes on a week. Right. So I think it was about 10 weeks, maybe 14 weeks that we did that first one.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then we had a hard. Oh yeah, go back and listen on.

[A]

Spotify, wherever you listen to your podcast, Apple. And they're all there. So there's a lot of content. If you're just finding this organically. We have a whole first season that's just very fun.

[B]

Yeah. And a lot of. A lot of things talked about family relationships, just behind the scenes things. It was. And even had your parents on one episode. That was fun.

[A]

Well, we've even like structured this differently moving into season two. Just really quick, what to expect. Same exact format. We really like it. Free form here. I think we want to keep that, we'll have a couple of guests on to things that are relevant to us.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

But then we're in a different space. So we were filming season one in our guest bedroom across a bed, looking at each other when our kids went to sleep. And now we have a space. Like we have set this up to be more structured and so it's going to hold us accountable.

[B]

Well, that's the word. Say more accountable. It's not like we didn't have the equipment. We just kept walking past it or having other people sleeping it. Like don't mind the microphones and we're not recording.

[A]

We promise.

[B]

Yeah. So we last two years. We did. You did. You recorded the season. That was a 10 month project from beginning to end.

[A]

Every season of that show took about 10 months.

[B]

We've opened up two more armor locations. We'll talk about that as well. So there's been a lot of growth and in a lot of areas and frankly I think it just got down to time and it was like we.

[A]

Being spread so thin we're forgetting we have three children.

[B]

And technically we relaunched this in January, which we actually never relaunched. So now here we are in August.

[A]

Yeah, that's true. We thought we were gonna launch it in the spring and it of course didn't happen. But now it's happening.

[B]

We don't need to talk about that.

[A]

It's happening.

[B]

The dedicated space. It did it really. This is what I think is gonna make the difference.

[A]

Yeah. So not that y' all care about this, but it.

[B]

I think it turned out pretty.

[A]

I guess the only last new addition is that we are filming hi YouTube. So this will be on YouTube, all the different angles. This will be on YouTube for those who want to watch it. And if not, don't worry, we'll. You won't miss anything. And you can see if you will explain everything.

[B]

And you can also see my general contractor work that I did here. I personally laid the picture frame molding here.

[A]

This, it was pre cut from Amazon but he did push it onto the wall.

[B]

I so did do that.

[A]

Very good.

[B]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[A]

You're welcome.

[B]

You did the wallpaper yourself. This is. This is true. No demo rental style right here.

[A]

I'm actually pretty proud of the wallpaper application because you can't see seams, which is nuts. I totally redeem myself for any time I've done wallpaper poorly.

[B]

You remember the one you did at our house?

[A]

No, no, I don't. I don't remember that at all.

[B]

You was your friend Your friend from Indiana.

[A]

I don't remember. I don't remember. That hack job of a wallpaper I did that was horrible.

[B]

It started out perfect and then it sloped down to about a 5 inch gap at the end of the other wall.

[A]

It was crooked. It was Berkeley's nursery peel and stick wallpaper and it stayed there until we sold it. We sold it with that jank wallpaper up.

[B]

Well, it still was pretty wallpaper and it turned out well.

[A]

It was.

[B]

So anyway, okay, so the pause. We acknowledge that and we're back. We're tending to make this baby consistent and fun and we're going to do hopefully thing we do a lot of same things we did last season. Talk with each other, talk about family, talk about the businesses and things like that. And we'll probably do things a couple of bit different. We'll have some guests on as well. We have some people planned and I'm.

[A]

Gonna have my physician on. We're going to talk all things hormone.

[B]

One week with women's hormones, business leaders.

[A]

It'll be really fun.

[B]

Maybe the president. Nope, I didn't say of the country. I just said the president of a business.

[A]

We're. We're gonna keep guests still pretty limited.

[B]

But yeah, yeah, it'll be fun. It's gonna be good. Okay, so what, five minutes into this already I gotta ask you.

[A]

Huh?

[B]

It's a big one.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And probably the most asked question I have about you. The things I hear in dms, if I do read them in emails and text messages. I had a telegram about it as well. Pastor. Truthfully, if my family keeps asking about it is no demo Renault over. Did you get canceled?

[A]

Did I get canceled?

[B]

That's the question.

[A]

Did I get canceled? That better for you Charity? Thank you. Did I get cancelled?

[B]

Yeah, did you get cancelled?

[A]

No, I did not get cancelled. The show. No, Demino did not get cancelled. That is 100% the biggest DM I get. I can't even go on Amazon Live without getting comments. And I feel so bad because I haven't been in a place to answer it or talk about it. I always knew that I would talk about it. I guess the whole thing has kind of evolved because so.

[B]

So why?

[A]

So HGTV asked for a fourth season and which was awesome. Like such. I'm so grateful for that opportunity and the opportunity that I had for all three seasons. So Discovery owned HGTV and I went back and forth with someone with Discovery about how we could still do no Demareno but make it a little more feasible. For my life and the schedule. Because I always told myself I would give myself three seasons. I'm gonna do three seasons, and then we'll kind of assess it from there. I did three seasons.

[B]

You said that from day one.

[A]

Day one.

[B]

I remember when you. When you first signed on with them and took the opportunity. You said, I'm. I'm gonna commit. I'm gonna do this three seasons.

[A]

I'm gonna do it three seasons, and then we'll play it by year. I love it. I love tv. I love making tv. It's super fun. It doesn't feel like work. And I think it's something that I'm naturally good at. And I don't mean, like, good as in just, like, fun to watch. I mean, like, I don't get nervous. I love all the technical stuff behind the scenes. I want to learn how to do all the things. Like, I want to know all the ins and outs. That's why I became an executive producer from season two and three. And I want to be involved in everything creatively, you know, like, all of it. And so it could be also because I'm a little bit of a control freak, but little.

[B]

Okay, so if you love it so much, like, you're. So why is it gone then?

[A]

Okay, so we're not gone.

[B]

Is it gone?

[A]

No, I'm on a pause. I told you that. Okay, I'm just pausing. So I was talking with them for probably four months about how can we still do this show. No, Demareno, but how can I basically offload some of the responsibility onto a team or more people to where it can still live on? But I can take a step back, and ultimately it just kind of came, which I always knew, but I finally, like, faced it and accepted it, which is I've. I'm either all in, where I have my hands on everything, and I am an executive producer, and I'm looking over outlines and I'm approving cuts and raw cuts and giving edits.

[B]

And you're the. Really. The designer.

[A]

And I'm doing.

[B]

Actually doing the design work. You know what I mean? You had had two people helping you out, but you didn't have a full design team that said, here's the house. Do you want to do it or not? You were doing everything correct, which is not standard. And so somebody that are involved in it, but there's a lot of teams involved once the show is. Is gets larger.

[A]

Yeah, sure.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so because I did that, I was asking for. I'm like, the worst because I was forcing Myself to be included in all these things and overseeing them all. And then it was so much. And so I did it to myself. And I knew that. But I basically had to come to the realization of, like, I'm either all in and I'm over everything or I don't do it. I'm either all. And I'm like that. That's a characteristic of my trait in everything I do. I'm all in or I'm nothing. There's no middle. And to me, giving up control over whether that's letting someone design the spaces for me and me going, yep, that's beautiful. I wasn't going to do that. I wasn't going to give up cuts. Because what was happening and why looking over raw cuts and, like, the episodes before they're approved is so big to me is because there were times in every single episode where, like, a joke didn't hit or it wasn't edited correctly or my humor, that I saw it differently in my head. And that was me. That's who my personality. And so I'd be like, guys, this is not it. This should go here. It needs to cut off here at this mark. And so I was basically. We had to work. The production company I worked with was great, but it took them a while to find editors that edited my style of my personality and my humor.

[B]

Right?

[A]

And so that all takes time. That's all done, mind you. I'm filming all day, and then I get home and do all the extracurricular activities, put the kids to bed. And then I'd be up at 10:30 having phone calls about why the edits aren't edited correctly. And I, you know, like, I'm like, the footage is there. Just make it right. Like, it's, you know, don't jack with it, essentially. Or I'd be fighting for things to be left in. Like, I remember fighting so hard, I burped in the middle of a sentence. Like, season one. I didn't mean to. I was talking to Victor, and it was one of those ones where you're just, like, talking in. The burp comes through was so funny to me. And it was. Victor's face was gold. He just, like, didn't even flinch because he's so straight. And he, like, answered my question. And then we paused and both laughed at the same time. It was so funny. And they. I fought to put that in, and they would not put it in. And then, sure enough, lo and behold, season three, they kept a burp in. Right? Did the same thing on accident. So like, little things like that that I was fighting for.

[B]

To their defense, people didn't know you. It probably there. They would have.

[A]

They're like, who is this? Like, who is this tacky woman?

[B]

Yeah. On the very first episode.

[A]

Well, it wasn't the first episode, but still, first season.

[B]

You did have a toilet in the first season, didn't you?

[A]

Where I. Yes, I planted those flowers in the toilet.

[B]

So they let you do that?

[A]

They let me do weird stuff on occasion, but I really had to fight for those things. Season one, though, I did not have the executive producer title, so that was. We won't get into all those weeds, but I got EP for second and third and two.

[B]

You know, despite the amount of work that you put into it, I mean, it was a lot. Yeah, I think it translated as a lot of authenticity in the show. And I think that's also why that show was very popular, because it does speak and sound and show like you, because it is you. And you were very, very, very involved in it. But that takes a huge toll. And oh, by the way, one thing you didn't mention is you're still trying to maintain relevance and keep up your social media following, because that was your first.

[A]

I don't like the way you said that. It's not about maintaining relevance. I keep my joy. Yeah, I like doing.

[B]

I guess that's a fair way to say. I'm not trying to say relevant.

[A]

Relevance is the TV show, if you think about it. And what I love is my platform, which doesn't grow as a rapid. I mean, it's a big platform, but it doesn't grow as rapid. You know, if you're really just going to cut it down to, like, what it is, which is fame. Fame grows quicker from being broadcasted on a tell, you know, a channel, internationally, nationally. But anyway, so it. After, like, talking with them for, like, four months, I just wasn't comfortable with it. And it just, like, hit me and there was, like, no turning back. Where I was on the fence before I, like, woke up. And I was like, why? No, I'm gonna pause. And so I. We were supposed to have a meeting that day with me, and I can't remember if it's Discovery and the production production company, but I called sweet Betsy at HGTV and I said, I need to talk to you privately before we do a phone call. And I called her and she was like, what's up? And I was like, I'm gonna pause. And she took it really well. And she was like, we're obviously devastated like, it's not what we want, but we understand the door's always open and that's where we left it. And yeah, I was like, you don't need to reach out to me. I know where to find y' all when I want to do it again. And I just said it very nicely because I just didn't want it to be a thing where it's brought up every month where I get a text or a call.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I still have conversations with her on occasion about stuff where we pop in and check on each other and it's not a big deal.

[B]

No. There. I mean, it was a great network and I don't think there was any. It was drama or any perfect for our family. Yeah. You know, there. I wish that, you know, there's. I wish there was some behind the scenes stuff that we said. Like what? Like, like, look at this drama we're not telling you. I don't really think there's. That there's. There's a lot of. There's a lot of navigating like the business of, of. Of television. That's a different thing. But it's not standpoint of like, like bad people trying to do bad things at all. They didn't have that.

[A]

They didn't have any drama, which was great.

[B]

There is a business of television and it's. It is its own thing about how things get funded and why they. In. In sensing sessions and all these things you do and that you're like, you may totally disagree with. I know there are frustrations, things. They're doing it from their perspective and you're doing it from your perspective. And that's, you know, I think, well.

[A]

And draw going back to like the drama. Drama sells and drama gets watched. I mean, and so there would be. But they knew. What I appreciate about HGTV is like they knew that I was not going to stand for fake scripted crap and that I didn't want to be a part of it. I just like, I'll give you enough weird if you just follow me for a little bit. You know what I mean? Like, you're either gonna love me or hate me. So can we just focus on what we have? So any drama or like hiccups or is all real. And it all got stumbled upon and then they started getting with it. My. My showrunners were awesome. So Matt and Carl were with me season two and season three and they knew that I liked being surprised and I liked the authenticity of it. So they would literally like not tell me and then they Would I'd come in, mic up, and they'd be like, hey, we're about to drop a bomb on you. Just so you know. And then they'd be like, and camera's up. And like, I appreciated that.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Because it wasn't scripted and it was real. But nothing was like.

[B]

And I know you're the first episode of the second season when Matt came in, is a great guy. Yeah. But when you came through in your first kind of learning lessons you had with each other about like how you want to do long cuts and everything's run the entire thing to make sure it's authentic and honest. And he came from. He's Emmy winning producer. Yeah.

[A]

Pivoted the first. I thought you were going to say the first day. And I'm like, I don't know how you remember that, but it made me think of it. So the first day we ever shot together for season two, Matt Blaine, he's amazing. He has done fantastic work. He's the real deal. So he comes in. I've never worked with him before, meeting him. The first day of filming, we have a walkthrough with the client. It was with Lindsay Whitfeld. Remember that? Which is a friend of ours. And so we're walking her house. Mike, that walkthrough of just saying like, this is my kitchen. This is what? I don't like the initial walkthrough that you guys see eight hours, the whole day. And I was like, that's insane. A walkthrough should take an hour, an hour and a half. So I. It's just. It was his first day. He had never worked with me. We were going back and like reshooting things and blocking and I was internally combusting because I was like, this is insane that we're filming all this eight times. So the next morning. So where I give him credit and why we're good to work together the next morning, I'm like, hey, so we did it your way yesterday, which is phenomenal. It was a great job. However, I could barely talk today. My throat is so sore.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Can we do it my. My way today? And you need to stand behind the cameras. They called it Video Village and they had like cameras up and you stand behind it. I'm like, I want you to stand behind Video Village and you can say things from time to time, but just let me be, let me do it. This is my second season. I've gone through a lot of homes. This is when I was doing two homes per episode. The first season I had A crap ton of homes under my belt, a lot of walkthroughs. And so he did it my way, and that was just. And he was great about it. And so that was a testament on, like, day one how I was like a pain in the butt, you know, from a standpoint of, you know, a producer, a talent who's like, can you please go into the next room and let me do my thing? Which I totally asked for kindly. And ever since then, it was just that kind of a relationship from here on out, where I would say, matt, please stop talking to me. Go away. And he'd be like, got it. And he'd, like, go into the next room. Or he'd be like, I will, but can you give me this one bullet point? Because you missed this on, like, why her island isn't what you need on the family, which, you know, that's why.

[B]

Your storyline, for sure, you got to have that continuity in television 100.

[A]

So.

[B]

Whereas, like, this podcast, we can kind of jump around, like, the add cells we are. Which is totally, totally appropriate.

[A]

But when you're trying. Yeah, when you're trying. So basically, what people don't understand is, like, when you're making content, if you've never done content or like a TV before, you're telling a story. And so the story, while it's definitely not scripted television, you do have to have the beginning of what's not working for the family in the home. You have to have the middle, which is all the renovation.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

And then you have to have the end, which is like, really the meat and like, what everyone's here for, which is the reveal and did I check off all these boxes? And so there we got to a point where it was like, smooth sailing. I would go in. No one would. No one's telling me what to say. I'm saying what I want to say. And then on occasion, they'd be like, you missed the part about the fridge not fitting. And I was like, got it. And then I'd have to talk about the fridge. So we had a really good partnership at the end. Like, I found my showrunners for sure.

[B]

That was great. So, I mean, in that connected to that and connected the showrunners and staff, what do you find it. Was it harder to acknowledge yourself that you're going to take a pause or were you more scared about telling the team or telling, obviously, you know, your. Your followers and fans and people that, you know, are casually around, like, what. What you found the most, like, emotional. Most. I don't say Fear. But most fans.

[A]

Fans, yeah.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

For sure. I know a lot of people like to watch it, and I get DMs every single day about how they wish, like, even, like, a few of them in, like, an older demographic. I don't know if there's anything to do with it, but it really is. A lot of older demographics will be like, this Instagram thing's fine and all, but I want more tv. And so it's like, like a little bit of dagger to my heart because, yeah, I totally get it, but I can film this content from my house in between going to pick up my kids, hopping on a business call for armor with you. And it really is, like, such a blessing that I'm able. I don't know why I'm getting emotional at this part. We're not even talking about anything crazy. But I. I hate it. I don't want to film it.

[B]

I've been too late. We're here.

[A]

I've been given.

[B]

Keep it rolling.

[A]

I've been given this gift of this flexibility and able to provide jobs and for my kids. And I just feel like that's where my heart is with that right now. And I love. I selfishly love making tv. Like, if we're just really going to break it down and be raw, me making TV is such, like, a selfish fulfillment because I'm the star and I get to be on tv and I have HGTV always trying to make me look like I'm a crazy expert professional. And I'm always fighting it because I don't want to be portrayed as that, you know, I want to be portrayed as someone who's a good designer. Of course I'm talented in that regard, but, like, saying Jen Todrick, expert with me, like, staring deadpan into a camera with a hammer, like, that's not. I just. That's not like, what I care to, like, die as, you know? And so I don't know, I just. I think the hardest was, like, disappointing that. Yeah, a little bit. Also, like, I asked myself sometimes and this, this, like, totally goes for, like, why I answered the question a way that I did. Whenever I. Like, it's ridiculous, but, like, when I'm around my period, usually I'll get, like, this thought in my head, which is, like, where it's like, a thought not coming from me, but it's a thought coming from other people saying, how could you walk away from filming a TV show? Like, how could you walk away from being famous? How could you walk away from more money? How could you walk Away from people thinking you're so legit. But it's never like me saying it. It's like other people, you're hearing that you're voicing like other people wondering why would you give that up? Type of thing. And it's so telling that it's never me saying like, why are you doing that? It's always like having to explain and defend to people like why I walked away from a TV show and like why I don't want the Empire, if you will.

[B]

Well, would you call it walking away?

[A]

No. See, I have this little bit of delusion that like I'm not done with tv.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Like, I don't know if that's God or if it's like me just being overconfident where I'm like, I could do it if I wanted to.

[B]

Well, it's. I mean, let's listen like distill it down to the main reason. Like what. What were you losing? Or what was my kids. Okay, there you go.

[A]

The main reason for not filming is I want to be home. And. And I was home. So to be honest, like this is even crazier is I really crafted a very good schedule which is I was out the door at 4:30, so the kids only had like 45 minutes of being at home without me after school. But it's a strain, it's a strain on you to like keep everything going. We don't. We've never hired a full time nanny. We have a lady named Susie who's been the only one to watch our kids ever. And she's awesome. And she would come during the day when Viv was little and not in school. But like it was us still showing up to pick them up every day and take them to school and be the first and last face they see in and out the door. And that's something I've always been protective of and I want. However I was noticing that like I would get close to that 4:30 and I would be like, oh my gosh, we have softball, we have choir, we have. And it's like almost like a negative. Which I hated. You know, I love like seeing our kids succeed and stuff. And so I felt like they weren't. While I would fake it till I make it as far as like I'm energetic and I'm still good. I. They weren't getting like the best mom. Sure, in a way.

[B]

I mean, what. I mean, this is an unrelated question. I mean, do you think that's relevance to full time moms that try to percent full Time working moms.

[A]

That is not just someone who's on tv. Like, that is not. That's in every mom thing.

[B]

So what? So again, working, not working. I mean, you think it's. Yes, I think a lot. I mean, from your.

[A]

But the difference is I have a choice.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I have the privilege of having other jobs that can provide.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

So why am I holding on to this specific one? And if it, it is a. If I have other jobs and other ways to make income. The TV show is just to be like, me, me, me. And I don't care about that. That's how it felt in my mind. It's like I'm really the only one gaining anything on being in the television. You're. You're grinding back at home and getting the kids to and from places. And I get to have fun being in front of a camera and being funny. And like, again, if it's your full time job, that's different. But I had options.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

I did TV secondary to Instagram and everything else that had already been built. And so they jumped in because I already had notoriety from that and. And they found me from that.

[B]

Do you think the kids care that you're not filming?

[A]

It's so funny. They didn't want me to film in the minute because I, they weren't like ever vocal. They love.

[B]

I said, your kids, like, they're not ours. I'm like, I'm like Todrick. I'm interviewing Jen Todrick right now.

[A]

No, they loved it when they were in it. Von and Berkeley were very in. You know, like Vaughn and Berkeley were very into being in scenes and, and whatnot. Bibby did not. That's why she's barely in season three. And I was never. I mean we would.

[B]

We did her room in season three, though.

[A]

Yes. But the whole. And she was fine for that. But the whole crew would like come in for a whole day of like family shots of different things, picking out paints and whatnot. And it would be centered around the family. And Viv would be like, I don't want to do it. And so. And we'd never force her. So it just was like Viv wasn't there for like season I also.

[B]

Yeah. I mean she was. Gosh. Four. Yeah. I mean there's time, like there's a lot of, A lot of ups and downs that go on at that point. Obviously you, you said it's pause. Do you see yourself coming back as a no demo Renault? Do you see yourself evolving to do something else on it? Whether it's related to TV or YouTube or whatever. I mean, kind of curious what.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What you would think. And I'm actually asking that genuinely because I want to know.

[A]

I know you. It's true. He asked me all the time.

[B]

He's like, what are you.

[A]

Yeah, I see both. Honestly, I could see after the kids are older. I actually don't know. I was thinking I'd take like a year. And here we are two years paused.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I'm still good staying paused. And so I don't, I don't know. I would. I definitely do feel like if I'm gonna create like any kind of series, I would want to do it on YouTube. Like my YouTube, because then I could just retain total control. But then again, that's just asking for. Essentially I'm a production company at that point, which terrifies me with stuff like that. So. But I don't know why I have a large platform that gets a large amount of views. I don't know why I wouldn't just do it on my own platforms. And then those who want to watch it. Great.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

Look, my opinions, obviously, the way people consume content has dramatically changed over the last 10 years and accelerate even in the last five years. How often do our children watch traditional television?

[A]

Never.

[B]

Correct. Yeah, it's, it's, it's interesting. Just a standpoint. And even our kids remember when they're asking the kindergartners what they wanted to be when they grew up, even that age. Remember what the number one thing.

[A]

Wedding. I was like, I really don't think my kids know what an influencer is, but I really hope they don't say that. Like the whole. I was just like not wanting to cringe because there were so many kids that said YouTube.

[B]

YouTube. It was the number one YouTuber.

[A]

YouTuber.

[B]

These are kindergartners that were five year olds.

[A]

And I was like, please don't say it because it's gonna look like I'm molding my children. And we were like, respectable, but it's. We love it.

[B]

But that's only because of Berkeley.

[A]

I know she would.

[B]

Now she wants me to dancer.

[A]

Not that a YouTuber isn't respectable.

[B]

That's great.

[A]

That's where the money's at.

[B]

Well, it's not just money. No. Here's, here's, here's one thing about direct to consumer content. You. And I'll say this if you had any frustration, and I'm going to speak for you as a question or it's Kind of like speaking and asking a question at the same time. What was your number one frustration you had dealing with the network and dealing with your company? Why? What. But what was it about it?

[A]

This is risky.

[B]

No, that's not risky. But what? No, this isn't risky because this is honest. And this is about the reality of traditional media versus being the one who can control and direct the content. Right. What is the network's number one?

[A]

The problem is the network feels like they know their audience. And so if I don't fit the mold of what their audience likes and they try to edit it that way, which isn't a bad thing because HGTV is so wholesome and, like, again, I wouldn't want to be on another network. Yeah.

[B]

And they never did any sneaky editing ever.

[A]

They were amazing. So I'm not saying this in a negative way, but everyone has to look out for themselves, and so they're looking for what they need out of you. And I'm trying to protect who I am as a person.

[B]

Yeah. And I'll say just from a business perspective, because I wasn't. I mean, I was, you know, I called myself the eye candy of the show, which is still true. Thank you. It's amazing. If you look at the Nielsen ratings, the spikes that would come up, I'd be on for five minutes, for like four minutes, spike up for like. It's crazy.

[A]

All the recordings were pushed.

[B]

It really was weird.

[A]

Mildly inappropriate.

[B]

I told you. Hashtag more Mike was trending for years. Every time. More Mike. It's weird that that always would come up, but I can say this is from a standpoint of looking at the business part of the network is in it. They're a corporation. They're. Their job is to create returns for their investors, and that means making money, and that means keeping advertisers happy.

[A]

Right.

[B]

So that's the thing that the goal is you create good content so you have great advertising.

[A]

That's every network.

[B]

And that's all traditional television.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

When it comes to podcasts and. And direct to consumer, like YouTube contents, things like that, the main goal isn't just to keep advertising happy, because you get to pick that.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

You. We get to have the idea to say, here's our voice.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

We can say what we want. Kind of the form that we want.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And then hopefully the people that want to be a part of it will be a part of it.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And then you get to choose the brands that you want to work with, and that's sort of what you do with social media. Right.

[A]

Totally. So, in fact, you'll probably hear every ad on this podcast will be someone I work with on Instagram because why wouldn't I give them the opportunity? Like, they're who I work with and who I like.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So it'll be pretty repetitive because that's what I want to do and. Exactly. You're right. It's.

[B]

So that would.

[A]

If it's really. My job is super relationships based. If you really think about it, as far as, like the brands and whatnot. Like, especially if I love them and they're. It's. It's what makes this a job.

[B]

Right. You know, so not saying get rid of the network, like say, removing that component of that. There's still a lot more work out if you. Yeah. If you become the production company and you know, there's just. That's managing a whole other business.

[A]

And again. And again, the networking is not. It's not bad. I think my. If you don't come already creating content full time on a platform that you built to a large scale, you don't have my perspective. And so you're just pumped and you don't need to say you're like, holy crap, I'm in a television show. Like, this is insane. I didn't even know I could look like this. Like, I look like a real TV host. Like, I even remember I watched the first episode and I was like, holy crap, this is a real show. Like, this is insane because I had never seen me like, in an edited format. However, because I did create content for years before and I had been my own boss already and I had already built something to a large scale, I was like, hold on, that's not funny. This could be 10 times funnier. Remember when I said that? And I had a lot more opinions, which makes it more stressful. So again, not every talent's like that because they don't have say. They just are there to shoot. They show up and then they leave and they don't have to worry about it. And they see it when the world sees it. That's correct. So I asked for all that. I mean, if we're being honest, I asked for all that stress and what feels like conflict at times. I put that on myself. But again, I had to look in the mirror and be like, I'm. I'm not comfortable handing it. It's. We have too much to risk to hand it over to someone, and then we are. It's totally skewed from what I believe in, what I. What I said, etc. Because I already have something existing. I already had notoriety before the show. They just got to capitalize off of what I had already built from a notoriety standpoint. And then of course, I gained from HGTV2 as a mutual relationship. But I mean, they knew what they were doing. I was promoting it for a year, like while I was filming it on a very large platform. They didn't pay me for that. That was free advertising and I was excited to do it. That's not a negative. Yeah, but there's a reason why you're seeing networks pull influencers in after my show. Because it works if it, if it's the right talent.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

It will work.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And so it's smart.

[B]

Just, I mean, the more authentic people they have, the better all content is. And I hope that's what most people consume. There's a lot of great content creators out there that legitimately make shows that are super high quality or like, wow, this is a great documentary on here. This is a great. I mean, Ryan Trahan and my kids are watching that whole thing 50 states and it's like, this is really good content. This is pretty good.

[A]

Like, right?

[B]

I mean, and that's.

[A]

And he's doing it. And you know what's crazy is like, okay, so social media can be super inauthentic, right? Oh, don't even get us talking about AI. But like, oh yeah, you see like inauthenticity all the time on social media. But do you know what's kind of changed standard TV and changed. These networks are having to evolve because people like me who then come onto their network, it really does bring. You have to be more authentic if that talent wants it to be like them. You know what I'm saying? And so before, where a talent got no say in how something was like perceived. I mean, this is why if we're going to be. Yeah, I'm fine sharing that. It's not a big deal. I mean, I had to hold out for like six months to film season two because I would not do it without executive producer credit. And they were not going to. To give that. And so I waited out six months, like, no, no, thank you. I only want the one thing that's what I want. And they did it.

[B]

Which is ironic. You didn't. It was, you didn't ask for any pay for it.

[A]

I know.

[B]

That's the thing is what it was. This wasn't a monetary thing at all.

[A]

I wasn't going to get into that. Yeah, but, but it wasn't they're usually paid well.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so I. Or went that this was a more have control.

[B]

You wanted to create great content, make sure the voice was relevant to you. And season one was a. Was. It was a super interesting show because it was like. Yeah, we had with co. It was filming during COVID There were three different showrunners. People. I mean, it was just a. It was a hot mess.

[A]

It was a mess.

[B]

And it wasn't your fault. It was just a hot mess of, like, all the situations, the world, and just a.

[A]

So that's. There's a lot I'm not sharing because we don't have time for. This one was a hot mess.

[B]

The whole pocke on that.

[A]

Yes. Season one, it came to a point where I was like, this. This. This is what I have. Or I'm not doing it, essentially. And it had to be that way so I could gain control, so I could fix it, essentially, and make it authentic to myself. And I will say season one was a great season, but it was great. But if you watch season three, I just feel like it. We ended so good. It was me. I felt like it was walking into, like, little pieces of me. Even the OTFs, the on the fly interviews, where I'm looking kind of straight past the camera, they kept. You can tell I'm just talking like, it's not bullet points. And I really liked how it evolved. I loved how it evolved.

[B]

Well, I know he was emotional when you wrapped. That was a. Oh, yeah.

[A]

Because I knew I was done. Everyone was like, talent says they're gonna quit all the time. And they never quit. And I'm like, guys, this is our last hug. You have to hug me. And I knew. And I don't know if anyone else knew, but I still text people in the crew randomly, like camera ops, audio. I still talk to my showrunners. Probably every few months, they'll send me a text on something. I mean, we're still in touch even though we're not making tv, which is wild. But.

[B]

So I was looking over. I've been looking over at my notes here, and I have a whole bunch of different questions I want to ask me. Like, pretty much you hit about all of them. Because I was gonna ask you is like, what. You know, the emotion. Has it been bigger for you and all. Everything. Every. They hit everything on that one. What's changed since the show has been done in your life?

[A]

Like, well, I'm an athlete now.

[B]

I knew that was coming up.

[A]

I got a hobby, tennis. And before that, I haven't had a hobby since before having kids.

[B]

It's true.

[A]

I mean, well, I would say I started the blog in 2015, which is.

[B]

That was your hobby?

[A]

That was my hobby, yeah. That was my hobby. Quickly became a full time job, which I love.

[B]

Well, you treated it like a full time job.

[A]

I'm all in. Or I'm nothing. I already covered this like 20 minutes ago.

[B]

I think it. I think there are prior episodes and I'm sure last season we talked about this as well.

[A]

Was.

[B]

Was it 2019 or 2018, remember? Or January 1, 2018. We talked about resolutions.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And I was. I was like. You were. You were working and doing so much content. You did nothing. You did no brand deals. You didn't do affiliate links. You didn't do anything.

[A]

You were just sharing January 2008. Yeah, no, no, I started like full time. 2019 is when I actually, like started it as a job.

[B]

Okay, so that was January 2019 then. Yeah. I was like, okay. We had, you know. But it wasn't even. You never even focused on that as a thing anyway. So this whole career that you. You developed was never to the intent to. To be number one, to great fame, to do anything. I think you've always wanted to do things that was just sharing things that you loved and liked and making people laugh and bring joy to people. And that's always been kind of what you're.

[A]

Well, yeah, and we talked about this, but like the word influencer didn't exist when I started.

[B]

I still hate that word.

[A]

I still don't talk about that word. I'm a content creator.

[B]

You're a mom. What do you call yourself?

[A]

Mom on Instagram.

[B]

Instagram.

[A]

Well, I'm like an old. I'm like. There's like a group of like, oh, geez, that did it, not knowing what it was. And it's pretty small group. And we're all still doing it, but it's world. Like, we're not tickers.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Feel like.

[B]

By the way, happy birthday.

[A]

That was random. Our birthday was last month. Not even happy birthday to you.

[B]

Babe, it's only been a couple weeks. Okay, you're now. You're now 30s.

[A]

Don't talk about it.

[B]

Round up. What are you?

[A]

I'm mid 30.

[B]

No, you can't round down mid 30s.

[A]

37.

[B]

30.

[A]

My producer is behind the cameras and she's loving us because she's a year older than seven. Charity's about to be 38, and then I can talk crap for a whole nother 11 months.

[B]

I'm young for a Man, though.

[A]

Young for a man. What is even.

[B]

I don't know. That sounded really awful. I don't know. You can edit that. I don't know. I'm just saying that to try to, like, make myself feel better about being named Mike. And I'm 49, by the way. Have you ever met a mic over under 40?

[A]

No.

[B]

Right?

[A]

It doesn't exist.

[B]

Why did that name go away? It was.

[A]

You know what's crazy is we didn't have any mics in, like, school and high school. I remember, like, two Michaels.

[B]

Michael's still around. Michael's still a name around. But I have yet to meet Little Mike. And I'm like, I. It's got to come back.

[A]

Because Little Mike, what a great name. Like a horror film when I was Little Mike in theaters. Horrible. Anyway, so what's changed?

[B]

But I want to say, if you. If. If you're doing. You're welcome to name your kid Mike. You can call a Little Mike or Big Mike. It used to be a thing.

[A]

I don't ever.

[B]

I don't know. I'm just.

[A]

I don't agree with a baby being named Mike.

[B]

But my name is Mike.

[A]

I know. And you were once a baby named Mike. But I didn't have to see you like that.

[B]

Listen, I knew he was grown man. Old names are coming back, so it's gonna be Mike's coming back.

[A]

It's such a door. I feel like it's a northern name. I feel like. Like I didn't know any mics. Well, growing up, I knew Michaels, though.

[B]

There's plenty of Michaels. Yeah, but how many gens are there.

[A]

Now, baby J, 27 million.

[B]

No, but how. I haven't met a. I haven't met a single one of our kids friends named Jennifer.

[A]

Like Jennifer.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

No, it's a name that's kind of gone away 100%.

[A]

And like Courtney, Brittany, the Stephanie. No one's naming their kids that right now.

[B]

No, but all the kids are named are like. Like Wood Chip and my baby Wood Chip and. And River Stain and things like that.

[A]

River Stain. How do you come up with these names?

[B]

But there are some wild names. Or your name is. Or your name is Jennifer, but it's spelled J H E, N, N Y, H F, like different spellings. You're like, what?

[A]

Can we not insult the entire audience that has children right now? Let's just stay up.

[B]

Our children's names aren't really traditional.

[A]

Yeah, ours aren't either.

[B]

Von. Von.

[A]

Yeah. Oh, that's German. It's fine. So yeah. I'm playing tennis and I always joke there's so many times or if I, like, put anything about tennis on Instagram, like, anyone at that network is like, network is like, this lady quit this to play tennis. Like, having the time of my life. I love it.

[B]

You just ranged up.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. You're moving up levels. This is great.

[A]

Moving up in flight. Me and the team. It's been a really, really, really fun experience. We have a team of just super joyful, happy women, and it's been amazing.

[B]

Yeah. And I. I've played three times and can still beat you, so there's that.

[A]

That's such a lie.

[B]

Who won last time we played with.

[A]

You and the other guy.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah, the guys kicked the girl's butts. I mean, that's.

[B]

I'm talking about my match versus you guys.

[A]

I don't remember that one, but I do love that it was so impactful.

[B]

It was for you.

[A]

I do not remember that.

[B]

You are actually, when you and I played in. In Mexico, you were. You were good. I was like, dude, doing good here.

[A]

I also carried you on our first mixed doubles match against the Langs.

[B]

I mean, I. I don't know if.

[A]

That'S carried you on my 100.

[B]

True.

[A]

I carried your.

[B]

Okay, well, we can. We can record.

[A]

All you did was lose points, and I had to make up.

[B]

Listen, next time, we'll pause on this one here and say the next time that we. We do a match, we'll update. Okay.

[A]

We'll update the audience.

[B]

We'll update the audience. This is riveting content.

[A]

Actually, I think this is a good place for us to stop. And then we should write this down.

[B]

Well, we got one more thing we got to do. We can't stop.

[A]

Okay. One more thing.

[B]

What did we do at the end?

[A]

Stop. We just got back to the podcast.

[B]

What did we do at the end of every last season?

[A]

Jar of random questions.

[B]

One of my favorite things to possibly do because this is where we get to talk about absolutely nothing.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And then have debates like we just did about tennis.

[A]

30 minutes onto the podcast of random.

[B]

These are good one. So east. This one, I think would just east each ask one. Okay. Sound good. And I have.

[A]

I love how you're gonna know them.

[B]

And I won't if you don't see her. We actually literally got some questions less Left over from 1820. Four months ago. Two years ago.

[A]

It's a little dusty.

[B]

I got a couple that I. I printed out that were online as well here on it. Would you want me to Draw one. You want to pick a number?

[A]

I'll pick a number.

[B]

You pick a number on one of these ones. Okay, go ahead.

[A]

In honor of it being August 12th.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And Tay Tay is dropping her 12th album. Did you hear about that?

[B]

I did not know about that, nor it's happening. I feel dumber for knowing this now.

[A]

You just. You're killing our audience. Do you know your audience?

[B]

I mean, I'm not gonna say I haven't played some T. Swift. When the girls are in the car, I jam around here.

[A]

Girl. Dad. Okay, so we'll do 12.

[B]

I like new York. What's that song? New York. I do like that song.

[A]

No, wait, that was. No, saying Jay Z. That I can.

[B]

No, no. What's the. The New York. The one that was in sync. New York. Yeah.

[A]

Okay, well, I sang Jay Z and.

[B]

Then I sang it with you. Like I knew what I was talking about. Go. You want. What number you want? 12. Okay. If you could be instantly amazing at one completely useless skill, what would it be? Oh, like best in the world at something in the world has no relevance to being a better person.

[A]

Tennis.

[B]

That's you. So you would be a multi millionaire. That's not a useless skill. How is that useless if you're the top athlete in the entire world?

[A]

Okay, well, I'm just thinking if I'm the best in the world at anything, I kind of would.

[B]

But the question is, it has to be a useless skill, like knife juggling or something like that.

[A]

Why would I care about juggling knives? I want to play tennis.

[B]

No, no, I'm giving you, like, an idea of it. Like pillow fluffer.

[A]

That's the dumbest thing to ever weigh.

[B]

Also useless. Okay, but you got to be really good at it. Okay, it has to be something it has. Well, you are answering something that would be like, an awesome thing. That's like saying, would you be the best in the world? Like tennis? Cool. You're now beaten.

[A]

I want to be able. Then I would be the best at reading people's minds.

[B]

Also not useless. Also super helpful.

[A]

If you get one shot at this, I'm not going to waste it on something stupid.

[B]

I'm the judge.

[A]

Okay, what's your answer?

[B]

No. I knew it. My answer again. If you want to be super useless skill. Okay, let's see.

[A]

Like, I can't even. My brain doesn't even think that way. I'm gonna think, like, I'm not even able to think of something dumb.

[B]

Like, I want to say, like, the best at card tricks, but that's super useful because then you're now a professional magician. That would be super cool.

[A]

What answer would be acceptable for you?

[B]

Well, let's go back to think about. Maybe I was thinking top of my head. I could hold the most cups in one hand. Super useless.

[A]

Lame. But I'm gonna stick with tennis.

[B]

That's not useless.

[A]

Well, it is for my life right now, but then I'd make it into something useful. I don't need to be good at tennis right now. So it's useless. But then I'll also become a superstar athlete.

[B]

What about. What about. What about hair braider? That's what I would be good at. That's also useful because it probably.

[A]

I would love for you to learn. I've tried to ask, but that's useless. So we could endorse the girls before school. This is a horrible question. I. I'm getting angry figure out like. But everything level is rising. Like my answer's not good enough.

[B]

Maybe screw.

[A]

Sorry that I'm better at thinking productivity than you.

[B]

Yeah, but that. But that's useful. The question qualifier was useless. Fine, I'll. You can ask me something. You want it? You want to pick a number? You want a number? Or do this one.

[A]

Pick a number.

[B]

All right. Number. I honestly actually didn't read them, so. And hold on.

[A]

You read 13. I said 12.

[B]

Oops.

[A]

We're gonna read 12 in honor of. Okay, T. Swift here.

[B]

My bad. I can't. That's my little ability.

[A]

I already know this is going to be a fight. Which one of us. Which one of us to do better on Survivor and how would we get voted off?

[B]

Oh, I wouldn't get voted off. So they're in itself just determines that I'd be wrong.

[A]

I think you would like.

[B]

I wouldn't be. I think you'd be the heel.

[A]

No, you'd be like the know it all. Who would know too much because you actually do know too much. Random information and people would maybe get sick.

[B]

No, but I'm also very.

[A]

And they'd be like, oh, Mike thinks he's the smartest. Let's vote him off. Look at me. I'm just. They'll be like, look at Jen. She's just kind of acts like an idiot. She's not threatening.

[B]

Then they vote you out. Actually, I don't think you could vote. You. You would last a while, but then you'd be intimidating. You'd be you. Would you be the heel? Could you be the. No. The villain? Could you be the villain? The villain might be a fun guy.

[A]

To be I don't think I do.

[B]

Good as a villain, but the villains aren't really the villains. That's just the production feel.

[A]

Yeah, that's.

[B]

That's really what it is usually. So it's like, okay, because they gotta have a villain.

[A]

So you think I'm gonna be a villain on Survivor but not get voted off?

[B]

What would be cool about that is it's so, like, against who you are. Would be fun to see that on tv.

[A]

Like a villain.

[B]

Like, suddenly you're like, just totally different to Survivor. Just cutthroat, selfish. They have no idea. It's always behind the scenes.

[A]

You're like, wait, is Survivor in Island?

[B]

Yeah. You haven't seen Survival?

[A]

So there's coconuts.

[B]

Great show. I don't know. I mean, there's challenges.

[A]

I'm thinking of naked and afraid, which I would be voted off within the first five minutes. Walking around, like, covering.

[B]

You would literally vote yourself off.

[A]

Oh, I'd be like, send me out of here. A bug bite on my butt cheek.

[B]

Naked and Freight is not. You don't get voted off on that one. Okay, now I'll say this about survival.

[A]

Survive.

[B]

I think we both would have a chance. You know why? Because if we're on the season together, we would make a good team.

[A]

We'd be a power couple. Survivor, you'd be, like, really wicked intelligent about useless facts and it would help us survive. And then I think I would be pretty good at.

[B]

Yeah, you need some outdoor schedules and things.

[A]

Like, what would I be good at? I think you're trying to think.

[B]

I'm like, I'm not good at making friends.

[A]

I'm scrappy. So, like, I'll. I can. I'm not afraid of.

[B]

You.

[A]

Could.

[B]

You could design the crap out of a hut, make it look real pretty, like this office. Guys, we're gonna make our living quarter. So pretty.

[A]

I'm pretty tough. Like, I'm not afraid of things, except I. Super. Okay. I have eye pain, but I'm not surprised.

[B]

But that show also isn't about pain. I don't know. I guess we gotta watch it and catch up and think about it. Fun fact. We haven't watched this show together. Maybe we should watch one time. Maybe we should. Maybe this is.

[A]

I've never seen it at all.

[B]

Maybe this is a challenge. Okay. That was fun. So if you want to, like, send in questions for the jar.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

At the. One of the last episodes we did last year as well, we had people send in some voice recordings if you want to take a little voice that.

[A]

Was like our highest listened to episode.

[B]

If you have very specific questions, Charity, who's our awesome producer, she can see him in the question and we can answer it. And we'll literally. We won't listen to it beforehand, which is we didn't do last year and it made it really cool. We just listened to it on the phone and then they put it in. It was it. I thought that was a really cool thing because it really felt like we're interacting with, which is cool.

[A]

I like surprises. So, like how you get to pick the question or like we get to hear them for the first time. And it's. I feel like it screams like only authentic because you're on the spot and you can't edit.

[B]

So. So the place to send it, obviously people are going to send it over to your DMS and even mine maybe. But the place, if you really wanted to be seen is going to be a Gmail account that's at you, me and Mike all spelled out [e-mail].

[A]

You, me and Mike podcast all letters gmail.com.

[B]

But not all letters in there. You don't actually. You type out all letters because that's going to be a really long one. It's. Charity will put it in here as well. If you, if you're watching on video, you, me and Mike.

[A]

She'll put it at the top of the screen.

[B]

Let me try again. Bottom, bottom in the show notes. That's where it is.

[A]

Thanks, Sherry.

[B]

It's like we've never done this before.

[A]

We're a little rusty. Thank you all so much for listening. I know this is a bumpy episode, our first one. But we're really excited. We'll probably jump into other things. Probably next episode we'll do another little update of like the businesses and the family and not just show focused. Kind of past that.

[B]

There's some things happening in armor that I don't know. Some things we need to share about it next episode.

[A]

Yeah, it'll be really fun.

[B]

Is it good?

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Is this a stupid.

[A]

Mike should have done like television, like cheesy cliffhangers. Thanks, guys. Thanks for listening.

[B]

Thank you. Let's. Let's do better.

[A]

How do we say by last? Hold on. How do they say say bye.

[B]

Last time we go, we get. We high fived.

[A]

Never.

[B]

Yeah, it was. You were on. You were on the other side of the bed. We air. There we go.

[A]

Air five. All right.

[B]

See you next episode.

[A]

Guys, I want to say the last word. Goodbye, guys. Bye.

[B]

Just kidding.