Bucho

This episode increased both my love of Harris and my non-love of Phish. And my respect for Scott's powers.

@Julia: "I love the inevitable turning point in Hollywood Facts when guests start to get indignant toward Scott." . Oh heck yes, and this episode it was even specialler than normal because David Cross*. "This is some weird Stanford Prison Experiment!". I also lost it the second time the answer was leopard. Spectacular mastery of the callback from Hot Saucerman. . Also, "... her quads are like rottweiler puppies ..." and "Seems like a man like you has stared death in the face. And that face is a frozen bird's face." . * Yes, it is grammatically correct to end a sentence "because David Cross".

I heard the Dum Dums got Mick Dundee and Dame Edna Everage.

Oho, looks like they're fans of the Brettster! . Can I call you the Brettster? Probably not. Sorry Mr Hamil.

Wie-wie it is!

TJ Miller Jordan Morris and Jesse Thorn Jack Black

Wewe: "Are you one of the Kulap birthers Scott?" . Wewe: "People are like smurfs, they come in all different colors ... Scott Aukerman ..." Scott: "Smurfs are pretty much only blue ..." Wewe: "That is Gargamel who made you say that, the evil wizard." . . p.s. I don't even know if I'm spelling "Wewe" right, is there some agreed spelling? Maybe it should be "We-we"? Or "Weewee", although that conjures toilet training rather than wildly endearing podcast skills. I guess it comes from Howie so it could be "Wie-wie", although that looks more like the name some tribe from the deep Amazon might give to a mythical half-panther, half-spider monkey, half pink dolphin creature (maths is different in the deep Amazon) so maybe it's just too odd?

@Julia - Oh yeah, you're right. I guess that shows how cack my forum browing skills are that I've been visiting here for two or three weeks now and never stumbled across that thread.

This episode was so fun and funny I never wanted it to end. I wanted to listen to these three absolute delights of human beings cutting up and having a gas until the end of time, if not longer. . Random highlights - . Wewe: "... and you exchanged ..." Scott: "Fliuds ... there was blood and piss and semen." . Wewe: "Are you one of the Kulap birthers Scott?" . Scott: "I like a nice bare leg, you know what I mean? I like a nice bare leg where you can really imagine just sinking your teeth in, do you know what I'm saying?" . Kuku: "Do me a favor ... open your legs so I have easy access to kick your dick in." . Wewe: "People are like smurfs, they come in all different colors ... Scott Aukerman ..." Scott: "Smurfs are pretty much only blue ..." Wewe: "That is Gargamel who made you say that, the evil wizard."

@JW - "Of the chat shows, I'm starting to like Bob and Dan Cast the most. They have an easy charm and have shown a lot of range so far in how they package their chit-chat." . I'm starting to agree about Bob and Dan. I think the Dum Dum boys have something too, but I'm from New Zealand and so on a genetic level I can't help but find most Aussie accents grating, as opposed to North Americans, Europeans and Sub Saharan Africans who might find the Aussieness a charming aspect of their show.

I think it kind of goes with what Matt was saying about how he really dislikes the Oprah segment for being intentionally bad. A big part of why Scott using overly long intros is funny is because in reality nobody would think that's a good idea. He's not making fun of anybody except himself. There are so very few cases of overly long intros being done unironically that what Scott's doing isn't really based in irony so much as it's based in absurdity. There's an originality and ludicrousness to that bit that's the meat of what sells it. . On the other hand there's not a lot of creativity behind ironically using cheesy sound effects that were originally used unironically because it's a very old "joke" that feels like it's been done a thousand times already. I know Scott admits to having his own crutches, but the majority of the time he builds a layer or two on his, so they're stamped with his own sensibility. And I know he doesn't like things being called hacky but irony for the sake of irony is as hacky as it gets. It seems like so much of the time in comedy these days (or perhaps it was ever so) irony is deployed as a comfort blanket when it's far more fun as a blade. Or nunchuks. Or at least a sock stuffed with potatoes. . On the other other hand beyond the clips on the Challenge I've only heard one full episode of Totally Laime so far, so I don't want to go dissing them when I don't really have a solid context for them yet. I'm really just talking about the sound effects, which aren't exactly the backbone of the show as far as I can tell, so I'm not about to condemn them for leaning on them here and there.

@Jeff - I hope it came across that I meant it as a constructive suggestion. I come at it from the point of view that I like the show and want it to do well. And I do keep saying that I think that high quality conversation with crazy talented people absolutely should be taking place on air, I just feel the point at which it's taking place could be improved. I thought Jesse's notes on that show were so on the money and I feel that some of the things he pointed out could be applied to The Challenge. And why not, since The Challenge is itself in the learning stages of things. . I mean, obviously I'm hooked as it is, so I don't feel like it's broken and needs fixing per se, just that it could run even better with a slight tune up. And even though I'm not a podcaster myself I guess I put myself in the contestants' shoes and figured it'd be hard enough putting time and energy into this Challenge without feeling like the goalposts are shifting on me. . As for the funniest submissions advancing regardless of structure, obviously this stuff is subjective and I disagree since I found the fake movie trailer - as much as it's a well-worn sketch premise - one of the funnier entries of the round. . . @Candice - I thought that was intriguing too. For me a "reality" show features people living life in some way and dealing with interpersonal relationships, even if it's a contrived situation. The Jersey Shore, bless its cotton socks, is a pure example of "reality" show. Dancing With The Stars or American Idol are "game" shows, because the competition/game is front and centre. Survivor is a combination of the two, with the entertainment fairly evenly split between relationships and games. (Although I'm talking out my ass a little, I must admit, because I've never watched any of them. No really, I swear I haven't!) . Relating it to podcasting, right from the very beginning in 2004/05 a huge amont of podcasts were pairs or groups people just talking about their lives, so "reality" podcasts have been around since the beginning. I don't know of many "game" show podcasts though. Atomic Trivia War 9000 springs to mind, and I've heard other shows do trivia segments, but as far as I know it's not a big genre. . And I don't remember ever hearing of a podcast which pitches actual podcasts against each other (rather than podcasters) in a competitive format. I think Mevio/Podshow was doing some out-of-the-box stuff back in the day but I don't know if they did anything like what The Challenge is doing, and besides - those guys are/were evil and I'm happy to ignore them and back up Earwolf's claim that The Challenge is the first of its type.

Caroline's point is very sound. When you're looking at podcasting from the business perspective you always need to keep in mind what new ears would make of your show. That's how audiences build and the trick is to have that new-ears-hook not get old and played out too quick so that new listeners don't end up tiring of the show and falling off the other end of things. It's no good attracting new listeners if you're not holding old ones. . And like I posted in the 4.2 thread, I enjoy the feeling out of the process and format but for both fairness and entertainment's sake the parameters of each round should be discussed and settled (preferably on air) before bringing the contestants in. When Jesse Thorn gave Brett that note about how simple and clear is best he might just as well have been talking to the Challenge producers. Wishy-washy structures don't do anybody any favours when it comes to a potentially unweildy multi-part, multi-participant show such as this.

I support this suggestion of more Jesse Thorn with all my heart but that same heart tells me he'll have quite a bit on his plate for the next little while with a brand new little baby to make goo goos at.

I've never done the Tim Tam Slam Ryan, but that's probably because I got spoilt by a former client who put out Tim Tams every morning tea time, so by the time the Slam was invented I was over Tim Tams. This place is lousy with them.

@Chase: "I think it's perfectly reasonable for Matt to want to discuss what a recurring segment is or is not. Like so many people have said, podcasting is like the wild west. We're figuring out the rules as we go along here. I don't find it hinders anything at all." -- Sure, it's absolutely reasonable - desirable even - for that discussion to happen, but that's a conversation that should take place between Matt and the producers as part of the introduction for 4.1. Halfway through 4.2 it's too late for that discussion to be meaningful or even relevant.

-- The wishy-washy awkwardness of this round was summed up by Matt trying to work out exactly what "recurring segment" even means. If the host doesn't really get it it's hardly surprising that some of the contestants didn't either. "If it's on every episode is it really a recurring segment or just a normal part of the show?" should never have had to be asked by any of the contestants let alone the host. What kind of contest asks its contestants to operate within parameters which are so half-assedly defined? -- As for this round's entries I felt the opposite to Paul with his comment that he prefered the things that went by fast. To me the faster the segment was the more it felt like commercial radio emptiness - like the rapidity and barrelling momentum was more designed to distract its ADD listeners from realising there isn't anything actually creative or imaginative happening. -- For me the sketch shows were the ones which shined most this week. When it comes to audio entertainment Recurring Segments immediately bring to mind the skeevy desperation of morning radio for me and because one of the things I love about podcasts is that they let me avoid the shit out of cack morning radio I wasn't a fan of being reminded how forced they can sound. The sketch shows, particularly Left Handed Radio and Ham Radio, avoided giving off that feeling by just being themselves as much as the goofy parameters of the round allowed. And I thought the pretend Dating Game thing that The Fort did, even though it had a little of that dodgy morning zoo vibe, transcended what could have come across like a played-out premise just because they have a great, relaxed, familiar chemistry.

The Bobby Moynihan one is still my favourite of the recent episodes but this one was close. Normally constant self-doubt like Todd displays would get old real quick (as he mentioned himself in this ep) but somehow his makes him ridiculously endearing. Also, fifteen thumbs up for the reappearance of Marissa Wompler - that character is gold.

-- @Foam Corner: "It seems weird that someone will get kicked off because they don't have a recurring segment, or at least a recurring segment as good as the other podcasts." -- Yeah, it seems an odd thing to focus a round on. The challenges so far have addressed things which are vital to podcasting but recurring segments aren't a must-have by a long shot. It seems like Maron, to name one of the most successful shows, is doing fine without one. Jordan Jesse Go's recurring segment, Momentous Occasions, is the weakest part of that show. Carolla, to name probably the most successful of all comedy podcasts, has his Made Up Movie and Totally Topical Tivo Trivia, but they're things which seem to pop up only once every 12-15 episodes. -- But I'm not going to pretend I'm not still totally hooked on this contest. I'm not convinced the format will result in the best podcast being crowned at the finish line, but with Matt in the driver's seat and some stellar judges calling shotgun all the action and drama (and comedy) that's coming our way on this journey from them and the contestants more than makes up for what could possibly turn out to be an underwhelming destination.

-- See, I like your illumiation of the behind-the-scenes of your sketch Brett and I understand the reasons for your creative decisions absolutely and I don't have even a quarter of the talent you showed even in that sketch which unfortunately didn't end up firing on all cylinders. I heard enough there with what you did to understand why Scott raised his voice in support of you, and if Scott is in your corner you must have something, because that guy has pretty impeccable taste. -- I didn't mind as much as the judges that you were taking a shot at hacks but I thought the other notes they gave were so smart that I fell in love with those guys all over again. The two best notes I thought were, (1) that working on your own - or at least without having outside ears and voices give you smart and honest feedback - will mean you're always at risk of having a gap between how you intend the work to be received and how it is received, and (2) Jesse's comment that when working with audio unfortunately you need to simplify and stick to proven structures much more than with video because of the relatively limited amount of information that can be conveyed moment to moment. I thought the script-flipping was cleverly written but maybe just a step too clever for the non-visual medium. -- Also, I agree with Matt that writing and reading on the forum would be nicer with line breaks between paragraphs.

Heh, yeah Jizz, I lolled out loud at that too.

I third TJ Miller. I can't get enough of that silly, silly magnificent bastard.

-- I agree with Scott that there may be winners within the losers. The only show I knew before the contest was Totally Laime but this round alone made me want to hear more Left Handed Radio and The Complete Guide To Everything. LHR's Salad Horse sketch totally won me over and it seems everything TCGTE were bagged for not having (setting up the absurd tangets with real knowledge first) they actually do in real life but just didn't include it in their 2 minute clip. They might have been cut but apart from Salad Horse their Bigfoot Butler riffing was the funniest thing in the whole round. -- Also agree with Brandan that Jesse Thorn is a perfect judge for this thing and that the fact he was delivering his criticisms without kid gloves is actually a sign of respect for the people he's addressing.

I like the suggestions so far, but if signatures are enabled an option to browse the forum with them hidden should also be enabled. And when avatars are enabled there needs to be a reasonable size limit so peeps aren't messing the place up with giant avatars. Also, there should be a line break between paragraphs. I left a break in here and look ... it ain't there now.

Stupendous episode. SO MUCH FUN!