Baconsale: Hickory-smoked Pop Culture

It’s a wild night in Gotham City! Twenty-four of Batman’s most notorious foes are on the loose. And every time the Caped Crusader drops them off on the steps of Arkham Asylum, it’s up to the three guards (Joel, Kent & Zack) to decide which level of security each one of these villains needs for their holding cell. Listen as we do our best to keep Kent away from the clutches of Catwoman, try to stop Man-Bat from messing with Zack’s hair, and safely detain the Joker during Joel’s many lunch breaks.   Press play to tune in and hear what happens! Same Baconsale-time! Same Baconsale-channel!

For years, Kent and Joel have downplayed their knowledge of sports and sports-related trivia. But Zack is suspicious that they actually know more than they let on. Therefore, on this episode of Baconsale, Zack is going to quiz the other two on basic sports knowledge, but this time it’s going to be with Joel’s & Kent’s powers combined as Team JK. If they win, they get a sport trophy. However, if they lose, they’ll have to do a choreographed cheer on social media, so the stakes have never been higher.   Don’t be a back-wanderer! Press play to get your head in the game and see if they can knock it out of the park. Go sports!

Some of us at Baconsale haven’t really understood the hype behind the character Boba Fett since he was knocked into the Sarlacc pit by a blind guy with a stick, but will this new Disney Plus series change our minds? Joel, Kent, and Zack have watched all seven episodes and they’re ready to review it for you on this BaconBit. If you haven’t watched it yet, don’t worry, the first part is spoiler free. After a clear warning, we’ll dive into all sorts of spoilers as well as other Star Wars lore like the books and The Clone Wars series.   Don’t worry, Peopledalorian, the hip Mods will protect you from the fish head mafia.

Baconsale would do anything for love, it seems, because we’re back for a third round of love songs! You’d think that by this point we’d be scraping the bottom of the romantic music barrel, but even we were surprised to discover how many amazing tunes we still hadn’t talked about. Listen as we pick answers for categories such as Most Emotional, How You Feel After That First Kiss, Best Power Ballad, and Favorite Foreign Language Love Song. There is so much love in the room on this episode…that is, until Kent brings the room down with his hipster picks. Nevertheless, you should still check out our playlist at Baconsale.com.   Press play to get kissed by a rose!

After our amazing showing in the Summer Olympics, Baconsale has been invited to participate in the Winter Olympics. We’ll first share a brief history of the Winter Games, then Kent, Joel, and Zack will rank each sport and choose a champion to compete in that event. And since these sports are more dangerous than the summer ones, the stakes have never been higher. Hear Joel’s proposed adjustments to our official Baconsalia uniforms, beware of Kent’s snowboarder bias, and learn how Zack became a human blanket.   Press play to (kind of) learn the difference between a toe loop jump, a flip, and a Lutz.

Oh no! Zack was invited to two different sleepovers on the same night at the same time. How ever will he choose which one to go to? It’s up to Kent and Joel, who are hosting the separate shindigs, to pick the best possible party video games that will entice Zack to attend their event. And it’s a schoolyard pick, so they’re both choosing from the same list and stealing games (and guests) from one another. Is Super Smash Bros. the ultimate? Will Baconsale start a Dance Dance Revolution? Who is the greatest Guitar Hero? Baby, can you see our Halo?   Press play to pick your video game party.

What is that sound? Those crunching noises pervading the air? Well, it seems as if Baconsale has a few chips left in our bag of bags, and Joel, Kent & Zack are ready to rank! No crackers are allowed this time as we take on Tostitos, meditate on Miss Vickie’s, pick on Pringles, review Ruffles, and debate Doritos. And as we tier 21 of these popular corn & potato snacks, watch out for wooofs of onion, Zack’s impromptu slogans, and salt shaming. Oh, and does anyone want to count how many times we say the word “cheese”?   Press play to truly understand what cheetle means.

We didn’t ask for this gift to accurately predict everything that’s going to happen during the upcoming year, but by golly we’re going to share it with others! In what is considered by some to be the tabloid episode of Baconsale, Joel, Kent & Zack are each going to do their best to forecast the pop culture future once again. We’ll uncover chocolate conspiracies, discover demonic celebrity deals, and prognosticate Pete Davidson’s dating life. Plus, we’ll also have expert-level sport genre talk, and we’ll share the films we want to flop, and the movies we’re most excited for in 2022.   Are you vibing with us? Then press play!

It’s the start of a new season here on Baconsale, which means it’s time to talk about which movies made an impression on us. Kent, Joel, and “the Worst” Zack have compiled a list of their favorite and least favorite films from the past year. As usual, Kent sticks to movies made in 2021 and, as usual, Joel allows films that he watched for the first time to make his list. Some of our picks are pretty predictable, but we manage to throw a few curve balls in. Enjoy as we try to pronounce Camila Cabello, throw some shade at horror movies, and explain the joy of suffering.   I’m happy. You’re happy. We’re happy. Press play.

Well, another season of Baconsale is coming to a close, which means it’s time for Kent, Joel, and Zack to wax nostalgic and take a look back at the past year. On this episode, we’re discussing fun episode intros, surprise hits, strange topics, memorable musical moments, and listener interactions. Plus, we’ll be ranking our top three favorite episodes. We even brought some audio clips this time. There are glimpses behind the scenes of how we make the podcast, a lot of laughing, some screaming, plenty of passion, and more than a few matching answers, but we hope you enjoy this self-indulgent end to season seven of Baconsale.   Press play to discover who is on Zack’s official brain trust. And thanks for listening!

Here we come a-podcasting among the leaves so green! Christmas is a special time of year, and there are certain treats & sweets we tend to eat during the holiday season that make it feel extra magical. On this episode of Baconsale, Zack, Kent, and Joel are going to tier 24 of the most popular yuletide snacks & drinks, including candy canes, hot chocolate, peanut brittle, wassail, fudge, eggnog, fruitcake, and gingerbread. Kent & Zack seem to have similar tastes, while Joel has some passionate opinions on the combination of citrus and orange. And be warned, this episode might make you hungry/nostalgic.   Press play to get some punny Christmas gift ideas for your neighbors!

Once again, Baconsale is rolling the dice and participating in a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-style game and letting someone else take the reins of the episode. Our good friend Mats has spent months preparing an interactive competition for Kent, Joel, and Zack, and he’s now ready to unleash his Hunger Games multiverse on our minds and your ears. Along the way, we’ll race for tridents, get in our first fist fights, try to avoid arrows/killer ducks, sleep on bread, and just try to keep ourselves (and our wives) alive.   Press play to judge if Mats is an impartial Dungeon Master.

If there’s something strange in your rural Oklahoma neighborhood, who you gonna call to review it? Baconsale! On this BaconBit, we’re going to review the first true sequel to the Ghostbusters franchise since 1989. But will Ghostbusters: Afterlife hit all the right nostalgia notes? Or will it stumble trying to pander to the fans? You’ll have to listen to our review to find out. We must warn you, however, that Joel can’t tell the difference between Mckenna Grace and Kiernan Shipka. And even if you haven’t seen Ghostbusters: Afterlife yet, you can still listen to the first part of our review, as it is spoiler-free. We’ll warn you when we’re going to cross the spoiler streams.   Podcast says you should press play.

The World is Not Enough for some, and one show was not enough for Baconsale, so here is our second James Bond episode for Dr. No-vember. Kent, Joel, and Zack are going to tier The Living Daylights out of every modern 007 film from Timothy Dalton to Daniel Craig. We’re leaving our Quantum of Solace this time, and there are more fights, but there’s No Time To Die because we have a lot of information to get through, so some of us will just have to Die Another Day….and become a Spectre.   Okay, enough Bond puns. We don’t want to Jinx this episode. Press play.

The music of James Bond movies is in a category of its own, which is why we decided to do a category show specifically about Bond songs. However, since we’ve decided to contain this discussion to a shorter BaconBit, we’ve limited ourselves to only 007 categories, including Great Song/Bad Movie, Least Relevant, and Most Bond-y. From John Barry to David Arnold, from Shirley Bassey to Billie Eilish, we’re putting all of the opening theme songs in our sights, and we have musical clips to prove our suave, cool points.   Press play to let the SKYFAAAAAAAAAAAALL!

Hello, Mr. Bond. We’ve been expecting you. Actually, Kent, Joel, and Zack have been expecting to do this episode for almost two years now. Baconsale has viewed every James Bond film (both the official and unofficial movies) and now that No Time to Die was finally released, we’ve been given a license to rank them. However, since we had so much prep time, we have a lot to discuss. Therefore, we’re only covering the early years of 007 on this episode, from Sean Connery to Roger Moore. And as we tier each movie, we’ll also leak top secret information regarding the production and the actors.   Press play to have your podcast shaken, not stirred.

O-o-h Child, it looks like Baconsale is Stuck in the Middle with You—the middle of our 70s one-hit wonder bracket, that is. And as we get into this Rock and Roll Part II musical tournament, sometimes we gotta be Cruel to be Kind, and that causes some Kung Fu Fighting. On the other hand, some of us are Making Our Dreams Come True by advancing the songs that made us feel Hooked on a Feeling from the 1970s. We’ll hope you’ll join us as we’re Dancing in the Moonlight to this disco, rock, and Pop Muzik.   Press play to Play that Funky Music and see if everything is All Right Now. And you can find the advanced 70s one-hit wonder bracket at Baconsale.com.

The Eternals have been waiting on the sidelines for the moment when they could usher audiences further into Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but is this movie leading the franchise in the right direction? Kent and Joel will give their spoiler-free reviews for the first 20 minutes of this BaconBit, and then they will take off their golden CGI power gloves and continue to discuss everything from DC characters to Transformers to Twilight to The Muppets. Yes, this review is a little long, but at least it’s not 156 minutes.   Press play to learn who looks attractive in certain lighting.

There Ain’t No Stopping Us Now, because Baconsale has created a bracket to determine what is the greatest one-hit wonder from the 1970s. We Got to Be Real, neither Kent, nor Joel, nor Zack spent Seasons in the Sun during the 70s, but we’ve done our research and sought advice about which songs are truly Magic. We’ll do our best to not Rock the Boat, but Knock on Wood that we don’t eliminate your Precious and Few favorites in this first round of disco, funk, soul, pop, rock, and novelty music matchups.   Press play to hear some truly terrible falsetto singing, some nose flute solos, and to learn how many of these tracks were on the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack.   Download the official 70s one-hit wonder bracket at Baconsale.com and play along!

They’re heeeeere! Baconsale is conjuring up the courage to discuss ghosts, specters, spooks, phantoms, or whatever else you call the things that go bump in the night. We’ve wanted to do a ghost show for a while, but it’s such a broad topic, so we’ve focusing our energy on spirits that haunt specific locations. We’ll tell you how to discern if your house is haunted as well as how to rid your home of an unwanted presence. We’ll also share some real-life stories and, of course, we’ll let you know which ghostly movies are Baconsale approved. WARNING! Since we’re talking about the dead, things do get a little dark at times, but we’ll do our best to keep the vibes good.   Press play to hear voices from the past speak to you, listener!