Baconsale: Hickory-smoked Pop Culture

Well, Fly Me to the Moon! Is Baconsale doing another episode about Unforgettable romantic tunes? Yes, we are, and we’re doing it with Open Arms. However, this time we examined VH1’s list of Endless Love songs and put them in a tournament to see which Unchained Melody will win At Last. Is Your Song on the bracket? Even if it is, just Breathe, and remember that while it may be a favorite In Your Eyes, it may not do so Wonderful Tonight. On the other hand, Maybe I’m Amazed how far some iconic tracks will go. But no matter what happens, just remember that You Are So Beautiful, I Will Always Love You, and My Heart Will Go On.   How Deep Is Your Love? Well, press play, Babe, because I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.   Also, even though You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, you still can visit Baconsale.com to download this bracket and find our official Spotify playlist of songs that are Always on My Mind.

Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts? That’s the question we’re debating on this episode of Baconsale. We have created a list of 21 match-ups that pit popular bands against the prominent solo artists that spun-off from them. Joel, Kent, and Zack will then discuss and decide which musical act is better. Sometimes it’s very easy, sometimes it’s not, but we always seem to go a little off the rails somehow. You’re going to quickly realize that lyrics are not our strong point, but we hope you enjoy the angry rants and heartfelt testimonies of some contemporary adults about famous musicians.   Press play for some very questionable acronyms.   And you can find our official Spotify playlist for this episode at Baconsale.com.

Don’t call it a comeback, we do this type of Baconsale episode each year. We’re going to take our best guesses as to what pop culture drama and events are going to unfold in 2026. Kent is doing deep research and doing a mini pitch show for each category, Zack is going to occasionally get spicy with his catty commentary, and Joel will be ashamed of some of his picks. Nevertheless, we will press forward with our predictions and let you know where to buy a magazine, discuss how OK the Thunder are, express some hatred for Colorado, and even give some matching answers because everyone’s blue.   Marmosets said press play.

Welcome to another season of Baconsale! As is tradition for our premiere episodes, we’re going to be taking a look back at the movies we watched in 2025. Joel and Kent will be sharing their top five and bottom five films from last year while Zack offers up some color commentary. We hope you enjoy as we get excited about pie, question the Russo brothers, punch down a little, protect the Honmoon, embrace the ick, and try to make Amazon a sponsor. Oh, and one word of advice: don’t watch a movie just because of the poster.   Press play, you mani pedi dream girl!

Would you know our names, if you heard season eleven? We sure hope so, because we say them a lot on this episode of Baconsale! We’re ending this year by reminiscing about topics and sharing inside jokes as we reached 500 episodes and beyond. Joel (who wears a cap) and Kent & Zack (who look so handsome) accomplished some big things this year, including a Disneyland vacation, a road trip to see Weird Al, and a live recording in front of a studio audience, so that’s going to be brought up a lot. However, we’ll also give some insights about the podcast, offer behind-the-scenes trivia, get nostalgic, boop each other on the back, add lettuce, and offer up too many honorable mentions.   Jammies! Like every picture on Instagram, and then press play.

‘Twas late on Christmas Eve, and Santa Claus has finished a long night of delivering gifts to all the good boys and girls around the world. He’s hung up his coat, kicked off his boots, and is just settling into his favorite chair with a hot cup of cocoa when he suddenly realizes something: he’s forgotten about poor little Zackery. Therefore, he calls his recently hired interns, Joel and Kent, to create a magical morning for Zack. Unfortunately for him, the leftovers in Santa’s bag are the ones you, the listener, submitted when we asked you to share the terrible Christmas gifts you’ve received. And so, on this episode of Baconsale, we’re going to do our best with the worst, and see which pile of presents Zack ends up choosing.   Don’t be a condescending elf, press play!

Baconsale is kicking off the Christmas season with one of their oldest and most contentious games: Cable, IMAX, Erase. However, since this episode is holiday-themed, we’re also mixing in jolly music (Concert, iPod, Erase) and festive food (Tradition, One Bite, Erase) as we build to a compounding Christmas finale. Listen as Joel looks for loopholes, Kent attempts to be a puppet master, and Zack grinds some axes. And try not to get yuletide whiplash as you play along at home because this episode is all over the place.   Don’t eat the foil, just press play.

Grab your favorite spoon because, on this episode of Baconsale, we’re talking soup, pho real! We’ve squashed 30 popular broths, bisques, consommés, and potages into one list and Joel, Kent, and Zack are going to have to rank them. We may stir the pot a bit as we stew over which ones are best, but we’ll try not to mulligatawny over our answers too long so we can keep the excitement simmering. Listen as we ladle out details on which soups trick you into eating vegetables, egg drop some facts about Olive Garden, and bowl you over with Sizzler secrets.   Press play to learn which bread pairs best with each dish.

Ho! Hey! Now that we narrowed the list of 2010s one-hit wonders to 32 on the last episode (and we Feel It Still), we’re ready to Shut Up and Dance so we can finish the tournament before Friday. No song is Safe and Sound as some of the match-ups are just Too Close to call. Joel, Kent, and Zack don’t meant to be Rude, but we can’t take things Despacito, and sometimes that makes us get a little Tongue Tied. Please be our Cheerleader as we reveal the stench of Glee, start the occasional Fight (Song), and expose which Baconsale host secretly loves a Stolen Dance to stomp clap music.   What Does the Fox Say? It says to grab your Pumped Up Kicks and press play.   If you doo-doo doo-doo doo-doo want to download the advanced bracket, visit Baconsale.com.

We’re still here! And we’re ready to review the new film adaptation of The Running Man. Richard Bachman’s/Stephen King’s dystopian thriller novel has been adapted before as a classic 80s action flick starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, but will it be even cooler with Edgar Wright directing and Glen Powell starring in it? That’s what Kent and Zack are ready to let you know. Joel hasn’t seen the movie yet, so he’ll be leaving before the spoilers begin, but we invite you to join us as we hunt him down!   Stop filming me and press play.

Oppa Gangnam Style! On this episode of Baconsale, we’re putting one-hit wonders that were Classic around 7 Years ago on a bracket. We’ll have many Little Talks to decide which tracks are Bulletproof and which ones don’t deserve a Replay. We may leave some millennials Brokenhearted as we Say Something negative about a song they love, but Don’t You Worry Child, we don’t mean to make Waves. You just need to Let It Go. Joel, Kent, and Zack are going to Sail through this first round of 64 songs. However, we won’t finish the tournament Tonight Tonight. It is Written in the Stars that we’ll pick a winner next time (Like a G6).   So say Geronimo, enjoy the Sweater Weather, and press play!   Visit Baconsale.com to find our official Spotify playlist and download this bracket.

Good morning starshine, this podcast says "hello!" And on this episode of Baconsale, we’re looking back to a time when Zack was alive and had opinions: the year 2005. However, it’s not who we are underneath, but what films we pick that defines us. And we like to move it, move it from category to category to build a shiny list of the most iconic movies of that year. Don’t panic. Sometimes Joel, Kent, and Zack have the high ground, and our chosen ones make a lot of sense, whereas other times it may seem like our choices are fueled by pride and prejudice. Nevertheless, we hope you enjoy this cinematic flashback to 20 years ago.   DIDJAPUTYERNAMEINDAGOBLETOFIYAH? Well, then, calmly press play.

Hey-hey, listener! Want a balloon? On this episode of Baconsale, we’re conversing about clowns, which are, apparently, no laughing matter. And no joke, Joel, Kent, and Zack (otherwise known as MeeMee, Sprinkles, and George) recorded this episode in full clown makeup. We’ll begin by foolishly attempting to juggle the vast history of buffoonery. Then we’ll seek to pinpoint when coulrophobia started creeping in to the public consciousness before sharing some true stories of terrifying clownery. Finally, we’ll judge a parade of clown-related flicks, some of which aren’t even horror films and others which are barely movies. We hope you enjoy it as we exercise jester’s privilege, satisfy our Sweet Tooth, and try to pronounce Pagliacci.   We had fun today, kids. But now, it's time for the Grand March! Press play.

We never know what to expect when we hand over the reins to you, the listener. But on this episode of Baconsale, Joel, Kent, and Zack are, once again, going to take turns reading scary stories that you submitted and watch the chaos unfold. We’ll do our best to not step on any petrifying punchlines, but there may be some slight mockery, so we don’t get too frightened. Watch out for insidious inside jokes, unnerving night chasers, gangly creatures, bone-chilling books, intimidating impersonations, mysterious girls in the woods, spooky stairs, and more. We’ll share as many terrifying tales as we can before our mouths stop working, but we hope you enjoy this hair-raising read-a-thon.   Thank you to everyone who submitted a story. Press play to make your voice crack.

Here at Baconsale, we understand that fear is subjective. Yes, we understand that, but that doesn’t stop us from arguing about it. Kent found a list of the scariest horror movie moments of all time, made by the streaming service Shudder, and we decided to tier 31 of these terrifying scenes. Please note that this isn’t an episode you want to listen to with your kids, since we will be describing some pretty intense parts from films such as Wait Until Dark, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Hereditary. However, we’ll keep things as family friendly as possible and not share too many gory details. And remember, while we have mad respect for these scary movies, the YouTube versions are different.   Don’t go into the basement and get a little possessed, press play!

There is a podcast beyond that which is known to the listener. It is a creation as vast as cinema and as timeless as television. It is the middle ground between pop and culture, between family and friendly, and it lies between the pit of your ears and the summit of your knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is a podcast which we call Baconsale. And on this episode, we’ll be discussing The Twilight Zone. Joel, Kent, and Zack will start by sharing the history of this iconic TV series and its equally emblematic host. After that, we’ll give our bottom five and top five episodes along with a few awards in between. And we will do all this while occasionally doing our best impersonations of Rod Serling.   That's the signpost up ahead—your next stop, pressing play!

We admit that Baconsale may sneakily be sliding into the spooky season with this episode. What’s the worst that could happen? Uh-oh, we started the apocalypse. Joel, Kent, and Zack are going to be creating original post-apocalyptic flicks right before your very ears! Utilizing the classic childhood game of M.A.S.H., we’ll be choosing the vibe, the director, the type of world-ending disaster, our iconic costumes, our weapon of choice, our sidekick, our main antagonist, and important plot points of each movie. And then you get to decide if you prefer movies with heavy-handed messages, surprising plot twists, peach-flavored catastrophes, rubber chickens, giant robots, or copyright-free worlds of water.   Don’t run away in French just because Kent is selfish. Press play!

The cinematic career of every actor must end at some point, and on this episode of Baconsale we’re going to be discussing the best and worst examples of some final films. Joel has a theory that no one’s last IMDb credit is great, while Kent is just proud of himself for watching movies older than 1980. And Zack is going to be picking apart their choices as we debate cameos versus starring roles, animated voice work versus live-action roles, and if TV movies actually count. There will be times when we bring the room down little as we talk about celebrity deaths and conspiracy theories, but we’ll do our best to keep things light-hearted as we examine the concluding performances of some well-known actors and actresses. Posthumously press play!

What’s the deal with stand-up comedians? Why do they gotta be standing all the time? Can someone get these comics a chair? I’m sure their legs are tired. But seriously, folks, on this episode of Baconsale we’re doing material about some of the most famous names in stand-up comedy. Joel, Kent, and Zack have prepared some bits for such categories as Better on Stage than in Film, Makes Me Laugh Every Time, Too Blue to Be Funny, Favorite Classic Comedian, and Most Annoying Shtick. We’ll do our best to work the crowd as we explain jokes, do some questionable impersonations, and don’t get any respect.   Press play to start self-depreciating and remember, it’s okay because it’s comedy.

Every couple years, we get the urge to ask ourselves, “What Would Baconsale Do?” So that’s what we’re doing on this episode of the podcast. However, instead of one host asking all the questions, this time Joel, Kent, and Zack are all going to take turns picking the brains of the other two with bizarre, humorous, and thought-provoking questions. You’ll hear some classic WWBD categories including shopping cart situations and would you rather scenarios, but you’ll also hear some new psychological situations such as Mr. Beast challenges, teleportation dilemmas, and celebrity voice impersonations.   Sprinkle a circle of pepper around yourself, watch out for beta fish, and press play.