Baconsale: Hickory-smoked Pop Culture

Light the coals or turn on the gas, it’s time for a sizzling, summer-themed episode of Baconsale! Kent, Joel, and Zack are standing at our respective grills, making sure the meat is cooked to perfection, cracking some dad jokes, and tiering foods you’d commonly find at a backyard barbecue. We’ll be ranking hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, corn on the cob, fruit salad, lemonade, watermelon, and more. And as things heat up, Joel will expose his enthusiasm for beans, Zack will express his love for mayo, and Kent will admit that he judges moms.   Press play to potluck with Baconsale!

The owls are silent. That must mean it’s time for Baconsale to take on the transcendental filmmaker, David Lynch. He may be popular among film geeks, but many people might not know the influence he’s had on movies & television. We’re joined on this episode by Andrew, a young Lynchian enthusiast, who asked us to walk with him through Lynch’s surreal cinematic world, followed by an in-depth discussion of enigmatically entertaining TV series, Twin Peaks. We hope you enjoy Kent sharing personal synopses, Zack jump-scaring us with fun facts, and Joel trying to interpret if this whole episode is a dream.   You must not fear this episode. Fear is the mind-killer. Press play.

The double suns have set on another Star Wars series, so Kent, Joel, and Zack are ready to discuss Obi-Wan Kenobi. While this Disney Plus show explores what happened in the 20 years between the prequels and the original trilogy, we’re going to explore how we felt about the storyline, the acting, the visual effects, and the lethality of lightsabers. You may sense some cynicism from certain hosts on this BaconBit, but we also make a point to say something nice before putting on any rant hats. Plus, if you’ve been wondering if you should watch Obi-Wan, the first 15 minutes of our review is spoiler free.   Press play, you precocious little princess!

Listener, do you like movies about gladiators? Would you like to hear us talk about humorous films? As you wish. It’s taken us for-ev-er, but we’re finally talking about comedies! Yeah, baby! We’ve made a list of 10 categories such as Favorite Parody/Satire, Overrated, Comedy That Makes You Cry, Best Sequel, Acquired Taste, and Still Funny After All These Years. Kent isn’t a fan of most straightforward comedies, whereas Joel resorted to using a Magic 8 Ball because he couldn’t pick just one answer, and a witch turned Zack into a newt! …he got better.   This episode moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and press play once in a while, you could miss it.

Hello there! It’s been a while since we've dedicated an entire episode to Star Wars (blame the sequel series), but our special guest Kyler has given us a new hope. He’s created a “Jar-JarPardy” quiz for Kent, Joel & Zack, and these half-witted scruffy-looking nerf herders are going to battle it out to see with whom the Force is the strongest. And since the winner of this contest will win a cool prize and become the Supreme Chancellor of Baconsale, the stakes have never been higher. Listen as we buzz in too early for the answers we know and completely drown during the deep dive questions.   Press play to hear why the ability to speak does not make us intelligent.

G’day, listener! On this bloomin’ episode of Baconsale, we’ve decided to take a walkabout with the pop culture influences of Australia. We’ve picked answers for 16 different categories, such as Best Contribution to Television, Scariest Animal, Toughest Bloke, Loveliest Sheila, Worst Export, Belongs on the Outback Menu, Location I'd Like to Visit, and That Totally Seems Australian. Kent actually lived Down Under for a couple years, Zack’s going to share random facts about Oz, and Joel can’t help talking in an Aussie accent. We apologize in advance, mate.   Tie me kangaroo down, sport, and then press play!

Things are just peachy here in the Baconcave, even though we’re taking on a surprisingly controversial topic: fruit. We’re joined by the apple of Zack’s eye, Babs, and she is helping us from going completely bananas as we rank and tier 24 popular fruits from around the world. Joel has cherry-picked a large crop of fruity facts he’d like to share with you. Kent does a plum job of making us feel uncomfortable by constantly mentioning flesh (and suspenders?). But mostly we’re all just doing our best to make sure this topic isn’t a lemon.   Orange you glad you pressed play to listen to this sweet episode of Baconsale?

We’re revvin' up our engines so you can listen to our howlin' review about Top Gun: Maverick. It’s been 36 years since we’ve seen Pete Mitchell take to the skies and the big question is, will this long-anticipated sequel take our breath away? Or does the movie crash and burn into great balls of fire? Kent brought along Zack as his co-pilot for the film screening, which means Joel hasn’t seen it yet. Therefore, Joel is going to eject before we cross into spoiler territory. But we hope you enjoy this BaconBit about Tom Cruise’s latest flight into the danger zone.   Press play to hear if this “legacyquel” is writing checks its box office can’t cash.

We feel the need, the need to talk about Tom Cruise. Tom has been a Top Gun at the box office for the past four decades, and he seems to have All the Right Moves when picking scripts. But is he a living Legend? Is he Far and Away the biggest movie star ever? Or is he just one of A Few Good Men in the Risky Business of filmmaking? Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to listen to us give a brief history of this American Made actor, and hear our answers for a Cocktail of categories such as Most Surprising Performance,  Favorite Mission: Impossible Movie, Greatest Running Scene, and Best-Looking Character. Press play to hear why Zack is one of The Outsiders on this episode of Baconsale.

If you're out on the road, feeling lonely and so cold, all you have to do is listen to this episode, and your spirits will be lifted, because today we’re talking about Gilmore Girls! Joel loves this popular TV series—even though he doesn’t pronounce some of the names correctly—and he’s grateful that our guest, Aleesha, finally made this topic happen on Baconsale. Meanwhile, Kent is a little more cynical (much like Luke Danes), and Zack is getting his opinions IM-ed to him from his wife. Enjoy as we talk very rapidly about the basic storyline, gossip about Lorelai’s and Rory’s relationships, and even reenact a couple scenes from the show.   Press play to be introduced to the residents of Stars Hollow.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Baconsale has conquered yet another restaurant: KFC. We’ve eaten every Kentucky Fried item on the menu, and we’re ready to talk turkey …er, chicken. Zack is a recent convert to the Colonel’s secret recipe, while Joel fears the franchise closest to his home, and Kent has tender feelings about thighs. We’ll also be chatting about our latest menu quest experience, discussing the history of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and giving answers for such categories as Best Cut, Worst Side, Guilty Pleasure, and Original Recipe vs. Extra Crispy. Listen as we uncover possible strawberry lemonade conspiracies, reveal one host’s gravy obsession, and explain the benefits of sheep’s bladders.   Stop licking the 11 herbs & spices off your fingers and press play!

Hello, Listener! This BaconBit is from another dimension where Kent & Joel are the only hosts of Baconsale. Okay, in reality, Zack hasn’t seen Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness yet, so he left to avoid any spoilers. However, the first 15 minutes of our review is spoiler-free, so he could have stuck around, if he wanted to. But does this latest installment of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe create too much madness? Or will it strangely please one of the MCU’s most vocal critics?   Press play to hear our issues with Basketball Quarterback’s hair.

With a new Listener crowned, it’s time for all three contestants to combine their forces against the undefeated-ish Team JK. Listen as Zack tests who has the quicker buzzer finger and the most correct answers on TV trivia, video game history, literary queries, chess facts, and far too many math questions (according to Joel & Kent). Will Team JK prove their dominance once again? Or will Team Listener rise to the occasion?   Whether you live in Genovia, Genosha, or Geonosis, press play!

Now that we’ve passed Supernatural in number of episodes, it’s time for Baconsale to celebrate our anniversary show! Spencer, the former Listener, has graciously resigned from his position. This left a power vacuum, which is being courageously contended for by three respectable replacements: Valerie, Mark, and Chad. Listen as we quiz our contestants on highest-grossing movies, Behind the Bacon trivia, chiptune covers, poorly sung one-hit wonders, and of course, the game of Baconsale.   Press play to give golf claps at Blake’s Barber Shop.

Summer just gets earlier and earlier in theaters, doesn’t it? On this episode of Baconsale, we’re going to guide you through the next four months or so, and let you know which movies we’re excited for and which movies we want to bomb (and have wanted to bomb for the past couple years). We’ll be spiteful, we’ll be hopeful, and occasionally some breaking news bulletins come across our desk. Does Kent’s love for A24 have any boundaries? Is Jordan Peele the new M. Night Shyamalan? Are our picks going to be released in theaters or on streaming? Does anyone remember Marcel the Shell with Shoes On?   Nope. Press play!

We had so much fun putting similarly titled songs head-to-head last time, that we’ve decided to do another 22 rounds of mini musical matchups. And this time, Baconsale is going to prove how hip they are to kids’ music these days, because we’re including such hits as “All I Want,” “Dynamite,” “Somebody to Love,” and “Sugar.” We’ll try our best to not confuse you about which song we’re talking about, but we can’t guarantee that Zack will use words like triple and quadruple—that’s just too easy. We’ll also retire a couple songs, and we all get kicked off the show at some point.   Press play to waffle down with the twin-twins.

We’re going The Whole Nine Yards on this episode of Baconsale and discussing everything from when Bruce Willis was The Kid with the stutter to our shattered feelings about Glass. Joel, Kent, and our friend Emily are going to pick answers for 12 Monkeys, er… 10 categories from Bruce’s many film & TV roles, based on The Sixth Sense we each have. Sometimes we’re Split, and our picks are Unbreakable, so we’ll Die Hard before we agree with the others. Other times, our choices are taken Hostage by other Bandits at the table, which pushes us Over the Hedge, and we start seeing RED. Either way, we hope you accept us as your Surrogates for making these decisions.   Press play to initiate podcast Armageddon!

Hi, welcome to Baconsale! How many are in your party? On this episode, we’re discussing dining etiquette, with Kent offering the dating perspective, Joel speaking as a parent of many children, and Zack giving his thoughts as a former food service employee (and table tickler). We’re also going to read some of your recommended restaurant rules and let you know which ones we think are well-done and which opinions are rare. Plus, we’ll supply you with pro dining tips and discuss which eating establishments are collar-worthy.   Press play to fall on the wrong food sword.

It’s time you got to know Baconsale a little better, because we’ve invited some special guests on this BaconBit: our pets! Listen as Cruz, Quigley, and Stella speak the truth about their respective owners, while Kent, Joel, and Zack just have to sit there and take it. Our canine and feline guests don’t stay for very long, though, because they’ve got places to go and people to sniff. However, we hope you enjoy this brief insight into our lives on the first day of April.   Press play to drop it! And by “it,” we mean this episode.

The Academy Awards have been hit hard with low ratings lately, which has been quite a blow to Hollywood’s ego. However, this year’s Oscars clapped back and scored the second-lowest viewership ever! They think they deserve a pat on the back (or face), but we’re going to critique how the ceremony went, even when things went out of whack. Joel, Kent, and Zack are going to attack their predictions from the past and punch up this dry BaconBit with a little bit of humor and some smack talk. We’re going to strike every award category and announce each winner, along with the winner among Baconsale hosts, and the winner of our 94th Academy Award listener ballot bash.   Press play to become a vessel of love.