Around the Bases: Pop Culture and Sports Podcast
Around the Bases: Pop Culture and Sports Podcast
Around the Bases 2.14: Unexpected Leaders: Baseball's Early Season Surprises and Reality TV's Hidden Champions
Baseball is delivering unexpected joy for fans of the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs in the early weeks of the 2024 season. The Mets' fearsome offensive trio of Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, and Juan Soto has turned the team into immediate contenders, while the Cubs ride Kyle Tucker's hot streak and Ian Happ's defensive heroics to a promising start.
Netflix continues its dominance in reality competition with "Million Dollar Secret," which borrows successful elements from shows like "The Mole" and "Traitors" while adding its own cinematic flair. However, the show's fundamental gameplay mechanics raise questions - why spend an entire season hunting the millionaire when that knowledge provides no strategic advantage in the finale? Despite these flaws, the interpersonal drama and production values keep viewers engaged.
The semi-finals of Fox's "The Floor" set up fascinating matchups, with Jeopardy legend David Madden poised to potentially dominate the competition's final rounds. Meanwhile, Survivor's post-merge gameplay takes unexpected turns with surprising eliminations and physical powerhouses forming strategic alliances rather than becoming early targets. The hosts also preview Hulu's new reality competition "Got to Get Out," featuring contestants from various reality franchises attempting to escape a mansion for cash prizes.
Whether you're celebrating your baseball team's hot start or analyzing the latest reality competition twist, Around the Bases delivers the passionate sports and pop culture commentary you need. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation about the games we love to watch and the teams we can't help but support through thick and thin.
#Mets #LGM #Cubs #KyleTucker #PeteAlonso #FranciscoLindor #JuanSoto #IanHapp #MLB2024 #BaseballFans #MLBHotStart #MillionDollarSecret #TheMole #TheTraitors #NetflixReality #RealityTV #TheFloor #JeopardyLegend #DavidMadden #Survivor47 #GotToGetOut #RealityCompetition #PopCultureJunkie #PodcastRecommendation #SportsAndPopCulture #BaseballAndRealityTV #AroundTheBases #SubscribeNow #PodcastFans #PodcastersOfInstagram #PopCulturePodcast #SportsTalk
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Welcome to Around the Bases, the pop culture and sports podcast, with your host, charlie Seymour, and I'm Tim Sternberg. Hit it, nick. Wow, charlie, here we are. Another week, buddy, what's going on how you doing?
Speaker 2:Another week and all of our baseball teams, including last week's guest host, Nicholas Pepin all of our teams are doing pretty well.
Speaker 1:They are the Angels, the Cubs, and the New York Mets, the Metropolitans. We lost a game yesterday, but who? First loss in what? Seven days, a long time? Listen, I don't understand that, I'm not used to it. But yeah, last we met on this podcast, I was a little concerned. Sound familiar and the Cubs were doing well. And NL player of the week last week was who? Kyle Tucker. Kyle Tucker, the Chicago Cubs, what? And this dude is having an epic season so far. Pete Alonzo, mr Peter, oh my God, the polar bear. Listen, I told you. I told you Not you, but people in general needed to re-sign Pete Alonzo. I mean, my God.
Speaker 2:We harped on that one.
Speaker 1:To have him and Soto and Lindor in that lineup. Like that, the one, two, three punch.
Speaker 2:Just wait till Vientos and Nimmo get going too. I mean, they've been winning with the offense, kind of. You know, Lindor.
Speaker 1:And Beatty.
Speaker 2:Starts a little slower, we don't need to talk about him. But Lindor usually has a quiet start, but all of a sudden is he looking like an earlier breakout than usual?
Speaker 1:I think. So I think you know what it is, though I think a lot of it has to do with the chemistry between him, soto and Alonso. There is like a chemistry there.
Speaker 2:Let's also not forget that Soto batting behind him. You gotta throw him some pitches now. You have to. You can't just walk him, not with Soto coming up.
Speaker 1:So real quick, what is happening Is the Brett Beatty experiment over? You shared a meme with me that was pretty hilarious. It said something along the lines of the team is flying to Sacramento on one plane and Beatty is on another plane flying to Oakland.
Speaker 2:They said they had two team charters ready, the whole team on the one to Sacramento. Yeah, and they sent Beatty to Oakland.
Speaker 1:So the funny thing is, in that thread, in the thread you shared that with me, the one person goes I don't get it, aren't they playing?
Speaker 2:in Sacramento I actually laughed really hard at the one guys who made the list of people he would rather have at second base than baity right now and that was funny a dead president. He included a retired 60 something year old. He had a basketball player, he had all sorts of random people and then baity way down the list at the bottom.
Speaker 1:That was freaking hilarious that was?
Speaker 2:I think it was like 11th president or whatever you said.
Speaker 1:You said to me you go did you see the list? I'm like, oh, yeah, I saw the list. I and I, you know what, when you sent it to me I didn't get the context yet and I'm reading, I'm going down right. I'm like, oh, at the bottom of this list is Brett Beatty. I get it. Yeah, you know I feel bad for the kid, but honestly this goes back to what I said preseason and in our baseball preview special. Brett Beatty is really, really, really good in AAA. He does a really really good job. Once he gets to the majors or something, I don't know what it is.
Speaker 2:He's not getting enough everyday reps, he's just. He's not a guy who can sit three days, jump in the lineup and hit you know the best thing that can happen.
Speaker 1:Best thing that can happen to the kid and I'm not sure it's going to happen at this point is he gets traded to the another team that can use him every day yeah, change of scenery and maybe maybe his regular position too.
Speaker 2:Sometimes that gets gets in guys' heads a little. Yeah, he's normally a third base, so maybe he gets hot, although technically I mean second and third should be interchangeable honestly.
Speaker 1:I mean, if you're really good, you should be able Actually the entire, except for shortstop maybe, but the entire infield should be interchangeable in my opinion. I think first is probably the easiest position on a baseball team.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I hope the kids. The big concern the Mets have right now is figuring out the 25th, 26th guy in the roster, I'd say things are looking pretty good.
Speaker 1:You know. So the talk I heard, I agree with you. The talk I heard too is oh, they should have kept. Oh my God. But the reality is he's not doing too great either on the Padres right now.
Speaker 2:And let's say he was having the same season as Beatty. Well, right now they can option Beatty, they can't option the Glaciers.
Speaker 1:No, and honestly it would be silly not to option Beatty back to uh Syracuse at this point. Um, I don't know.
Speaker 2:We'll see what happens. How much longer is McNeil out for?
Speaker 1:So Jeff, uh well, I don't know. I mean he was playing golf in in spring training. I don't understand that whole thing, um, but he, I think he's out for another month maybe.
Speaker 2:So then they've still got some time to fill at second.
Speaker 1:Francisco Alvarez just started doing reps in Port St Lucie, so he's coming back. I don't understand One thing. I wanted to ask you, because you're a baseball mind how do you do reps when you're recovering from a wrist fracture as a catcher, catching in a regular game? That's weird to me. Like you still have your bonus healing. Which rest did he break? I don't know. I don't know if it well maybe it wasn't as dominant. You're right, I don't know, I don't remember okay.
Speaker 2:So that could be. That could be a factor to it. Also, it could be the fact that he's past the point where he can't use it and now it's just easing him back in. So maybe the first game he catches three innings, then the day off then he catches five. They kind of build him up a little bit. That makes sense, but like you said, I mean, it could also just be a DH for a couple games too.
Speaker 1:That's true. I mean, if this is the worst of our problems, we don't really have them. I mean, honestly, the phillies, I mean, as of yesterday, we didn't play today, but the phillies were a half a game ahead of us, and so can we real quick, um, so yeah, the, the marlins or the nationals are in last place, right, right, wait, wait, wait, wait, no, no, no, the marlins and nationals aren't in last place, the lana braves are braves are, but but don't do that, strider and akuna don't do that no, no, I was gonna say for your sake, they did win tonight.
Speaker 2:To put the mets back into first oh, thank you they.
Speaker 1:They were they playing the of the phillies. Yeah, and that game there was like a two-something hour rain.
Speaker 2:Delay in the seventh inning.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, it's been really bad. And then it went 11 innings after it came back. Man, okay, good job, braves.
Speaker 2:It was Marcelo Zuno. Walk-off homer bottom 11, after the Phillies had scored one in the top of the 11th.
Speaker 1:I don't like him Well for today you do, because he put the Mets in first. Okay, thank you, but yeah, I really, you know, honestly, Mets are we talked about this. Mets are usually a slow to start team and the fact that we're hot already is very interesting to me.
Speaker 2:Very interesting and reinforcements still to come.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it's not over, and we haven't even talked about the midseason trades and whatever that would come down the line.
Speaker 2:And how does this next 15-ish game sound to you? Athletics, twins, cardinals, then three with the Phillies and then four more with Washington.
Speaker 1:I'm very happy with that.
Speaker 2:Pretty nice stretch coming up here.
Speaker 1:I think you know we are pretty comparable to the Phillies, I would say, and those three games are at City. This should be interesting. I think we have an advantage at home, so that should be interesting. To the Phillies, I would say. And those three games are at City. This should be interesting, I think we have an advantage at home, so that should be interesting. So what about those Cubbies? Man Dude, what is happening? What is going on in Chicago River? That, whew, that team is hot, hot, hot.
Speaker 2:It's been a nice stretch. It's been a very, very nice stretch.
Speaker 1:I think part of it, honestly, from what I'm seeing, is the addition of Kyle Tucker, and I'm not saying he alone is doing it, but I think he's kind of being a clubhouse like that little oomph that the Cubbies needed. I mean, they see the superstar on the team and I think sometimes when you're playing with the best, you kind of want to raise the bar yourself of your own performance. Look at that catch this week by Ian Happ. I mean we're always talking about this but the dude he runs I don't you'll know the specific play I know, but he's running after the ball. He does a twisty tumble off the wall and he's like holding the. I'm like.
Speaker 2:That was also during his 1,000th big league game.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's a nice little memory. By the way, that that speech, that um that he got from council and from nico nico was like top notch. Like nico, my friend, I just like I got you sent that to me. I got emotional like that is just freaking awesome I.
Speaker 2:I think it's lost on a lot of people just how special 1000 games in the major leagues are. They talked about it on the broadcast. There have been something like roughly 21,700-something players to play major league baseball and only 7% of them have reached 1,000 games. Ian Happ is one of that 7%.
Speaker 1:Can we also talk about the fact that his rookie year was in 2017? So if you do the math, that's not a lot of missed games.
Speaker 2:That's very consistent exactly.
Speaker 1:I have always been a fan of his. Since his rookie year I started watching him. We weren't friends. I mean, I liked the Cubs ever since your World Series run, but I wasn't a huge Cubs fan. But there was always something about Ian Happ and I know what it is. It's his hustle, it's the heart and the hustle that he has when he's playing on that field. You got to root for the guy.
Speaker 2:I've loved Happ since the Cubs drafted him out of Cincinnati in the first round. I've been super high on him before, even when he was a young rookie and in the minors, and it's just nice to see a guy that you've kind of followed really just step up and and be a long significant. You know, every year he's been in the big leagues. Every single game he's played has been with the cubs. He's on, I think, year two of that three-year extension, so he's still got some more time. So yeah, he's, he's. He's always been one of my favorites, but can't say the same for a lot of people. For some reason he gets a lot of hate and it's just completely unwarranted. But that's for another time.
Speaker 1:You know Pete Alonzo does too, and I think sometimes when you're the best, you're going to get that. But I will say, you know, and I think sometimes when you're the best, you're going to get that. But I will say, you know, happ is a good clubhouse guy, like I hear his podcast, the Compound, and I hear the way he just interacts with the other players. I would like I would have a beer with him. You know, he's a really cool dude, like yeah, I mean I think just a great player, big fan and New York Met fan right here says, yeah, you got a special team. You know that guy you stole from the Mets for Javi Baez, peak for Armstrong. He's fun to watch. Man, man, man, man.
Speaker 2:So, speaking of you, have him on your team, so.
Speaker 1:Speaking of baseball real quick. So Charlie and I were both November babies and we exchanged gifts.
Speaker 2:I sent him, like a plethora of collectibles and whatnot, a plethora might not be a big enough word to describe the number of items.
Speaker 1:A decent amount of cool stuff. But so Charlie texts me you text me on my birthday and I'm like, oh, hey, he's like, just so you know your present's coming. I'm like, it's's like, just so you know your present's coming. I'm like, it's cool, I'm cool and he goes and he, you send me that and and you know it's a bobblehead. And I'm like, oh, that's cool, I cannot wait to get it. I, you know it's a foco, blah, blah, blah. So here we are my birthday was in november and it's april. Gotta love foco, they're better late than never.
Speaker 2:Foco they're almost always pre-sales, but it is worth the wait, frankly, yeah, you made a joke that you'd get it right before the regular season ended. Here we are You're getting it two weeks into the season, so honestly. It's a bonus. Yeah, I was expecting later, to be honest.
Speaker 1:Let me hide my address. There it is Foco. There it is Alright. You ready, i'm'm gonna open it.
Speaker 2:I'm ready, let's, let's see what it is you live at. You live at 742 evergreen terrace how did you tell?
Speaker 1:what do you do, what? Listen, if you want to come here, just make sure you bring some money, um, and you bring some beer, and then we're good. All right, all right. So there, there it is. Oh, look what we see first thing we see when we open the box oh, I see matt, oh matt, oh, see what we got here.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, that is awesome. You've got to see this All right. So, first of all, it's my man, francisco Lindor. Francisco Lindor, right there. How awesome is that. Thank you, buddy. That is so. It is his all time home run bobblehead.
Speaker 2:It is the playoff clinching.
Speaker 1:Home run bobblehead there it is 24 season clinched in atlanta atlanta.
Speaker 2:It's got the date on there too yes, it does.
Speaker 1:And on the other side, you know I don't throw boxes away.
Speaker 2:You know how my memory works I can tell you exactly where I was when he homered and where you were. You know, I don't know where I was. You want to know why. I know why you were. It was such a back and forth. You were so sick to your stomach you couldn't watch the game I was updating you play by play while I was on the train home from jury duty oh, I do remember that day.
Speaker 1:Now that you mentioned, it.
Speaker 2:I do remember that right there.
Speaker 1:I do remember that day. You, you, yes, I do remember that. Um, I love this. This part. This is my favorite. This is what I said Look at that, oh my God On the box. Oh, that's awesome, dude. Thank you so much, man.
Speaker 2:This is going to be right centerpiece in my collection that seemed like a pivotal moment in a very, very fun met season how sick is this? Bobble big mets fan needed to have that in there. Look at that.
Speaker 1:That is sick. I love that, yeah, and I don't have, honestly, I don't have anything lindor I don't think um, so that's pretty cool. Well, you do now I think, if I do, it's a Cleveland Indian or something.
Speaker 2:Probably a couple Lindor cards laying around.
Speaker 1:Oh, I do yeah. But, those don't count.
Speaker 2:Those don't count.
Speaker 1:That's better. All right, wow, oof, I can't wait to add that to the collection. Thank you, so yeah, is it Marnie McFly, remember that?
Speaker 2:I do remember that.
Speaker 1:I do remember that it's just one day, you know we'll have to, we'll have to do, we're gonna do. Folks, if you're listening, we're gonna do a rebox, reboxing and unboxing again in the future. Our new thing reboxing. See, this is what it is. I'm putting it in a box you just unboxed. Let me rebox that now. Um, so let's talk about a new reality show that hits netflix this, uh, last couple of weeks that we kind of generally talked about last week, um million dollar secret. Um, what is your overall thought of it?
Speaker 2:overall. Honestly, I really liked it. I'm not gonna lie, I thought I thought, oh, we mentioned this last time, but I thought they did a nice job of like kind of bringing in little pieces of other shows that were like good aspects, and then they mean, obviously I'm sure we're gonna both have many things that they could have done differently or tweaked, but for the most part I thought that, you know, they kind of had the round table from from traders. You kind of had the roundtable from traders. You kind of had the trophy room which is kind of like claimed a fame with the clues. So they kind of brought in a little bit of everything.
Speaker 1:So the production value is fantastic, like so. It reminded me in, like, in the vein of the netflix does this really well with reality shows? It reminded me in the vein of the mole and of the trust that we saw on netflix yes, definitely it's.
Speaker 2:It could have, it wasn't the same cinematic, was it different?
Speaker 1:it was. It was filmed in british columbia. I don't know if the trust was filmed there or not. Um, I will say it. It feels cinematic and I'm sure that the new golden ticket that they're casting right now, the willy wonka, will feel the same way. Yeah, um, call me um, um, but um, I it's. Netflix has a cinematic quality to their reality shows.
Speaker 1:That is awesome, awesome, that's my first, um do I liked element I. I do have some critiques and I kind of. I alluded to that before we started recording um and I'll talk it through a little bit without spoil. We're not going to spoil it yet because it just dropped two days ago so I don't want to spoil it. Six have been out for a couple weeks, so I mean, I will spoil it a little bit, but not spoil the winner. I will spoil how the finale kind of goes a little bit and it's not really a spoiler.
Speaker 2:We won't give away any too big of details.
Speaker 1:But for my argument I need to kind of share how that works, Because my critique has to do with that final episode a little bit, with the briefcases. That's kind of where I'm going. So, throughout the season, the object of the game is to find out who the millionaire is, and apparently the object and this is where I'm kind of I get lost a little bit the object is to find them, vote them out and then the money transfers to someone else's briefcase. Um, here's where I'm, I'm, I'm kind of conflicted a little bit.
Speaker 1:What's the point throughout the season of looking for that millionaire to vote them out? So the money moves over. When in the final episode you're going to have the final three players, and in the final episode you're going to have the final three players with briefcases in front of them and the top two have the ability to switch, and I understand at that point what that part of the game is. I get it, but why are we going after the millionaire throughout the? I know it's to have a storyline, but there's no payoff to it. There should be some kind of bonus for finding the millionaire. What's to have a storyline, but there's no payoff to it. There should be some kind of bonus for finding the millionaire. Like, what's the point of that? Yeah, you see, that's where it loses me a little.
Speaker 2:This filmed before or after beast games. Do you know?
Speaker 1:um, it was filmed, I don't know when, it was filmed, I don't even remember this casting and I usually know this similar to.
Speaker 2:I mixed that one up with the other Hulu one. I thought you were.
Speaker 1:Which we'll talk about.
Speaker 2:But yeah. But that reminded me very much of the final thing on Beast Games for the island with the 10. Remember she won the thing where they were switching the. That's what that reminded me of too, so that's why I was curious if this filmed after by the way it took a little bit of everything.
Speaker 1:Beast games was brilliant. I'm just saying brilliant, brilliant, and and they're casting right now for season two. So if you want to try out for beast games by the way, beast gamescom casting for season two Um, I don't get paid for that, um. But going back to the million dollar, trust, what is like? I don't understand, like, why do so if I'm playing the game right, if I'm a contestant on the show? I never want to see that million dollars into the last episode. I might have an idea, but you know what, if you have the million dollars, charlie, you can keep it. I don't want it Like, like a top potato.
Speaker 2:I think a lot of them did have that feeling until I got to towards the end.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and where the winner came out of nowhere I won't say who they are and one and then, yeah, I mean that's kind of a little spoiler, but, um, but it's not really. But wow, you know, for netflix I will say this too for netflix that's a pretty hefty prize. Million dollars, um, the mole. I think the top prize they ended up getting up to is like two hundred thousand dollars, um, and you know what? You look at the look at traders, all these reality stars, and there's no million dollar prize.
Speaker 2:That's pretty significant um, I bet you they gave away more money because it sounds like a lot of them were getting like anywhere from 250 to 500 just for being on it exactly prize.
Speaker 1:So there were 20 people object to the story has become a reality star. To get on the traders and get paid. Yeah, um, yeah, I'm hearing the minimum. That and this is hearsay, but I'm hearing the minimum was a hundred thousand dollars.
Speaker 2:Yeah For the no namers. Yeah, which wow Like a month of work if that. And you're in a, in a castle in Scotland Everything else is paid for, yeah.
Speaker 1:Sign me up. What are you kidding With Alan coming there, sign me up, like wow. But yeah, I just, I love like you and I'm not going to poo-poo it and I'm not poo-pooing it. I just think that if there is a season, hopefully there is a season two, but there is some adjustments made, do you?
Speaker 2:think that the players knew how it was going to go at the end, Because it seemed like everybody. Because it's the first season of a show, a lot of them didn't seem to think Because not?
Speaker 1:until what the second or the third elimination? Did they even consider just voting someone out who they knew didn't have the million? Funny, I don't think. To answer your question, I don't think they knew how it was going to go. Usually they don't. I mean, half the game shows, as you know from us and we are are family they have to disclose the basic skeleton of how it works and how you win money, but I don't think they knew, and you know to your point. That's the thing that gets me, though, right. So they knew that, um, the first millionaire didn't have the money, and this is this is an episode that's already aired weeks ago, so I'm not really spoiling. Yeah, but they still voted her out.
Speaker 1:I think everything up to the first six episodes is fair I found like at that point, because I didn't know how it was going to end either I was like why are they voting out someone they know doesn't have the million dollars, you know?
Speaker 2:but I think they were a threat for the game, which that was where I thought well, they do get power.
Speaker 1:I get that. But there's always going to be a millionaire with power, right, right. But if you know who the millionaire is, you can keep an eye on them. But if the money switches to somebody else, everything starts all over again. Why do you want to do that, straight, strategically?
Speaker 2:What I want to know is when they had these secret agendas, how did they decide who got what? They had these secret agendas, how did they decide who got what, because some of them were much harder than others?
Speaker 1:Yeah, can we talk about the screen? That was ridiculous.
Speaker 2:Easily the worst one as far as immediately figured out. Totally, because as soon as that happened I said there's zero chance. You should try to do this.
Speaker 1:So then, right, so, but then it's more complicated, because what the freak they do? They end up giving the winners a clue about a horror movie, like, oh my god, like if they weren't gonna figure it out by then.
Speaker 2:they already the second. They screamed. The other half of the people were on the other deck and they're like all right, we have to go figure out who started that. It was the easiest figure out in the world is he just either one?
Speaker 1:the one dude uh, it was kyle, or he was. He was literally doing a confessional and they he could hear the scream and he's like turning in the confessional, like what was that?
Speaker 2:like, like, like. For example, later on this isn't too much of a spoiler, but later on. So a different I won't even use names a different player gets an agenda, and that agenda is something that they've been doing the whole game anyways, so it was the easiest one ever. Oh, can can I switch seats with you, like?
Speaker 1:oh that was the easiest, that was, oh my god, that was so easy and by the way, that person not spoiling ends up being the winner, but yeah well, now you're just kind of dead, because once I see it, sorry you can go back and take that part out.
Speaker 2:I'm not taking that out. You don't want to spoil the winner alright, I'll take it out.
Speaker 1:Maybe I'm too lazy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah or maybe that person never won or never won they did. Thank you, they didn't win there was also another one where they had to, like, pretend to trip. Here's what I want to say oh, that was so lame.
Speaker 2:No, that was bad. Unrelated to that, what I want to say is I thought this was in the first six episodes for sure. So this is fair game. I thought the one who played the thing the best by far was Corey. So, yes, his was one where he had to get people to say a certain thing and he twisted it. The criminal police, the clue so then everybody would keep repeating it over and over and it was the easiest one in the like. That was very well done I.
Speaker 1:I thought he handled that one really well and that's the way it's supposed to be, right it's. It's a game of strategy. I mean right exactly, want to weave it in as naturally as possible. I think some of them were so nervous that they just like this, the scream one, my god, like I would have just taken the penalty on that one. I, I just would not have done that. I mean, oh, my god, um, yes, you gotta think. You know, when you're playing these reality shows, these games, you always have to think two steps ahead at well, okay, what's the benefit, how is this gonna hurt me, what's the end game and what will happen if a I do it or b I don't do it, and look at the two roads and say which one is the better one to take. I don't think that thought process really went through some of these minds as people were playing the game.
Speaker 2:Yes, and without spoiling anything as well. As far as the ending goes, we won't get into too specifics, but I will say that David won, by the way.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's Deal or no Deal Island. Sorry.
Speaker 2:Or I thought you were talking about David as Survivor. David as Survivor, david as Survivor, and there's still like 12, 10 people, 12 people left.
Speaker 1:I don't know who wins Survivor. We'll talk about Survivor.
Speaker 2:That would be some foresight. But at the end in the end game, essentially without giving away who's there, who did what a certain player is on to another player, but I think their mistake was they had to assume the other player knew they were on to that player and they should have double, double, basically double reversed it because they had you.
Speaker 2:How do you not know that that person's on to you like I thought that you? You should have done the opposite. You lean into the person so they know that you're onto them, and then you do the opposite of what they'd expect, whereas person B was easily able to figure out what they were going to do and then basically undid what they did and was able to win.
Speaker 1:Can I ask you a question? Yeah, about that. I tend and I don't know, maybe I'm putting myself in a different league or whatever I can easily tell when someone changes how they approach me, how they talk to me, their mannerisms. I can figure that out. I have ability at least and I think a lot most normal people do to read social cues and say, oh, something's changed here, something is off.
Speaker 1:And watching the show, I could see those cues that their other players are giving when they're deciding that they're going after aims. And that goes for not just this survivor, a big, whatever show it is. You can see those changes and then that should send off alarms going uh-oh, um, something's happening here, and it's not paranoia, it's actual instinct that we have as human beings to say, hey, I need to do something here about this. That doesn't happen. Like I could see this. And several of the players go listen, dude, or or or a person they're coming after you. Like you don't see this, you don't, and take the editing aside, I'm just talking about just their interactions with each other. Like you don't see that they've changed the way they were reacting to you yeah oh, social awareness is so important and it lacks sometimes on on shows like this.
Speaker 1:And I'm like, why?
Speaker 2:um, because that makes good tv tim yeah, I also wonder how much of it is editing and how much of it they they maybe are onto, but it doesn't look as good to really cut it out and whatnot, as you know.
Speaker 1:As you know, we can sometimes show up and things we're not even there for, so yeah, can we talk about the fact that I was on all 10 episodes if we are a family, or nine of them, and I wasn't even in the studio?
Speaker 2:me too.
Speaker 1:I wasn't in the studio for no, there I were how, how is it, how is it real quick that you were in the same episode as our buddy Cohen? How does that work?
Speaker 2:exactly Three times probably.
Speaker 1:And not only that, you are both magically standing in between the same people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly In the same seat.
Speaker 1:You changed and you know you're both good looking people but you look quite different. Yeah, interesting. So yeah, overall, overall I agree with your your assessment. I enjoyed the show a lot. It's just I was really hung up, especially watching the last episode. I was like wtf, why did we go through all of this with finding the millionaire, if that's kind of just the way it works, um, I?
Speaker 2:I think I do agree. The ending could have been done a little differently.
Speaker 1:I don't know how.
Speaker 2:Quite frankly, yeah, they would have needed to maybe end it with four or five people. Yes, and have a final challenge or something or if they can survive the final vote or something like that, and then the other people could split. That was my thought, was what was going to happen. Were the other people going to split it? But then it was an inch. So basically they, they, just this doesn't give anything away, but in the final challenge, all they did was penalize whoever came in last and they didn't get a.
Speaker 1:They didn't get to switch the cases at all right and they also.
Speaker 2:I thought they did a poor job in describing it because the person who won the final challenge got to go second, but they made it seem like. At first I thought, wait, this person won and was going to go first. That seems unfair. But then it flipped and second place went first and first place went second, which was what they should have been. But they didn't explain it like that originally in the episode I mean the winner.
Speaker 1:I will say this and again, not spoiling, the winner did make like it had the social awareness to realize what was happening. Let's put that one.
Speaker 2:And I was like, uh yeah if I was in because of how the other person mishandled the stage before 100% 100%. Yeah, I absolutely agree. We can go into more detail on that. Next week we will Give people a chance to finish it.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about a show that we can go into detail on the floor. Interesting week. I will say A lot more floor.
Speaker 2:We're now officially on to the semi-finals yes, the semi-final game.
Speaker 1:Um, there was um. Our buddy, brian from clerks, clerks 2 and the kevin smith universe got challenged again a couple times, a couple couple categories, and he was victorious in both times so he is in the final 16 the interesting thing happens. Next week, though um a preview, next week um the person who has he's in the corner, geography that is david madden, and if you know anything about, david madden day, jeopardy champ yes, he is a legend in the game show community.
Speaker 1:I know him. I don't know him personally. I know of him. I know of him very way before this happened. So when I saw him on the floor, I'm like, oh my God, david Madden is there. Um yeah, he's a 19 day almost in the vein of Ken.
Speaker 2:He was in one of those four corner spots where they are tough to hit. Well cause, once the randomizer misses you, you just kind of fight in that corner.
Speaker 1:The only person now he can face is Brian.
Speaker 2:Right, unless Brian loses to someone else first.
Speaker 1:I have a prediction. I don't know anything about that. You know what's going to happen, but my prediction is David is going to overtake Brian, Brian's going to lose and David is going to happen. But my prediction is David is going to overtake Brian, Brian's going to lose and David is going to run the freaking table.
Speaker 2:What if he has to play him in not his own, because obviously Brian's not going to challenge him?
Speaker 1:Unless he's the last remaining one. Having watched this David's run on Jeopardy a large part of it he is an encyclopedia of knowledge. He's going to run through it.
Speaker 2:So it's over. It's his game to win basically.
Speaker 1:I think so. I think everyone has done him a favor by clearing so much of the floor up and he really had the advantage it's almost like the perfect storm of being in that corner and being basically cushioned by Brian all this time. And I'm not saying because he's he's weak, I'm saying because you know in in this, in this type of game, any one duel can really take someone out. So the fact that he doesn't have to play until towards the end is a huge advantage to him and, quite frankly, he'll probably take the floor and earn 20 or 40 thousand dollars by the time the finale maybe happen or not, just 20 000, but maybe he'll.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's only one more of those left, right, who knows, maybe he doesn't even get drawn until I'm waiting for the two big p.
Speaker 1:I always love it on the show when a two big pieces battle and you see this giant, and then one person's got 82 pieces. That is always amazing. Um, Um. So yeah, we shall see. I think also, I don't know, I forget the young lady's name, but the one that had anatomy. Oh is she good.
Speaker 2:She is good that category that was scary Good.
Speaker 1:She is, and I've seen her, you know, in her other matches. She is good, like I would be, like that was a good, that one was a good battle.
Speaker 2:We had a few really good battles, and then we had a couple where we were back to face palming again seriously like what?
Speaker 1:like past, past, past past, the monuments the haunted monuments the haunted oh, my god, category, I gotta say it was hard, but why are you going for it? Like, like, what are you?
Speaker 2:doing.
Speaker 1:I ooh. And why isn't anybody touching Marvel guy? I would go after that category in a second.
Speaker 2:I would too, but it was hard to fault the person when you've got two choices and one of them is for 20K regardless.
Speaker 1:I think it was mystery authors or something.
Speaker 2:That was the brutal one.
Speaker 1:The person who went for that. Her own category was Authors, so it kind of made sense that she was going for that.
Speaker 2:But there were some brutal messes in that one.
Speaker 1:Let me tell you, though, that category I did really well with. I'm really good at fill in the blank.
Speaker 2:That recall is helpful to me. Agreed, that was easy.
Speaker 1:The ones I suck on. I'll straight up say, the ones I'm really bad on are the ones that just show a picture and it's like there's no context and a person's face. I'm not. I have, like this, facial amnesia. I'm not good with that at all. Like the big famous people, yeah, but I'll kind of go. I don't know who that is, you know like right. But if you give me like a title with something blank, like a song title or book, even if I'm not, that's not my strong category I can usually, I know we know right. You do too enough about pop culture that we're able to like.
Speaker 2:If you go call of the blank, of wild, you know I mean that type of thing yeah, there was a funny one too, where it was in murder mysteries and the missing word was murder and she passed on it and then she saw it and she said oh, that one makes sense was that murder on the orient express? No, that one. Orient was the answer. Oh, orient, right, right. And then the murder one was uh, it was the ah. Which one was it?
Speaker 1:it was one of the michael crichton books, maybe yes, but some of them were so like, so, ridiculously easy. I was like I, I, I'm very girl. Yeah, gone girl. I'm very interactive with this. I'll literally scream at the tv.
Speaker 2:It's silence of the lands.
Speaker 1:It's silence of the land. Not that she missed that one, but I'm like, I'm screaming, just like on beast games when they didn't take quickly and try to beat up the person answering. That's what I do you remember on beast games when they were on the tower and they had to press the button for a million dollars? I'm literally like this the entire time. You stop playing for a million dollars. I'm like very interactive with the tv. I can't help it, uh. But you know this. I mean you know, you know this, um yeah so it was a good episode.
Speaker 1:I uh yeah, um nar casting. Uh well, they finished casting. I think they're filming soon um seasons four and five, so that'll air in the fall I guess. And then we have the one lady who's now played two battles and has got 40 000 on the last battle of each episode yes, and speaking of real quick fox game shows, I have to mention this real quick um, anthony anderson, our, our, our host, from we are family, was on the view yesterday and, uh, he mentioned a joke.
Speaker 1:He said uh, oh yeah, he said mom, mama says anthony, when are we gonna get another game show? He goes, mama, they don't just fall from the tree. He goes. We had seven good years on uh on one, and we had one good year on another, um, of course, seven years at, to tell the truth, and one year at uh. We are a family. So if that doesn't tell you it's over, it's over. Um, we were the only, we were one and done. You know, we made history.
Speaker 2:He was talking about you specifically on the.
Speaker 1:View. Hey, you know. I mean I did appear on the big screen at some point.
Speaker 2:On the View.
Speaker 1:Reveal Pursuit, yeah on.
Speaker 2:The View.
Speaker 1:Pretty cool. I was still yeah, so we love Anthony. I hope he does land another game show and his new movie's out now. Yeah, and with Marseille, martin uh, who played his daughter on black, is she's playing his daughter in the movie and and.
Speaker 2:Viola Davis is the lead right.
Speaker 1:Love, love, viola Davis. Oh my God, she's so good, she is such a great I. I remember the first time I saw by well, I think she was on something before, but um, uh, the the one with the pie, um, that, that the uh help, help, help the hell. It's called Um, the movie where they that she bakes a shit pie, and you know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2:The help, I don't the help.
Speaker 1:Yeah, help, and, and so wasn't she in that I think so yeah, that was one of my favorite movies the year it came out and I was like, wow, she can, she can act a phone book like she's so good, um. So I'm excited to see that film, definitely, um, and I know you're looking it up right now thank you, no, I was just.
Speaker 2:I was just genuinely looking up if she was in what you were saying and she is in the Help.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I thought she was. Yeah, it's such a good movie, so the Help. Spoiler alert there's a lot of racism.
Speaker 2:In 2011,. I think that's safe to spoil.
Speaker 1:A lot of racism in the movie and she gets somebody back by baking one of her pies, but instead of putting normal flavoring in the pie she puts the number two. I'll say that Um, so that that was. I was like this in the movie theater.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, anyway, it's appropriate for times, all right. So moving on to the next show, survivor. Previously on survivor wow so we, we, we get. We have once again a classic challenge in the bucket, in the, in the rolling it up the. I call it the grip strength challenge because every time I watch it I I'm like how the hell? And then I see David and David I don't know if you know the audience, if you're watching survivor this guy's arms are bigger than my legs. I mean, he is a Hulk.
Speaker 2:Jeff kept alluding to that many times.
Speaker 1:He would literally this guy's a character. He would literally be holding it in one like, effortlessly, in one hand, and he'd be like flexing yeah, like it was a photo shoot but that's not even my favorite part of that episode. My favorite part of that episode was when I forget who who said it we're gonna provide sound effects and it was shane he's literally going. Oh, he's doing the survivor sound effects. I'm dead like I'm laughing my ass off even even jeff gave him props he's like that's pretty good.
Speaker 1:And another contestant goes uh, you know, let me guess, right after this you're gonna do a commercial and just like, let me do it now. If you have what it takes to be on the next season of survivor, I love that. You know, I love that. That. That kind of just spur the moment type of uh, I love that. Uh, I do have some criticisms here, let me. So why we're post-merge? Why are we doing two tribes again? Why are we doing two groups? Well, what is that?
Speaker 2:come on, that's, I think, the fourth or the fifth time they've done that in the new era I don't like that. It's their, it's their double elimination, but to doing it in only one episode so reality tv fan who I follow on instagram had a great proposal.
Speaker 1:I don't know if you saw this I don't think I did so he, he or she, I don't know if they're, if it's a male, female, they said that. Why don't they do this? Instead? Everyone goes to tribal council, right, there's a vote off, the person has immunities, safe, etc. Right after that vote off, they have an immediate another immunity challenge where they do get somebody else gets immunity, and then they have another vote and it's in the vein of, you know, having a challenge at the tribal.
Speaker 2:But I think that's a brilliant idea yeah I mean you'll have to have more time in the episode of the big votes when there's like 12 or 13 votes, because there's so much chaos and stuff. I like that. I would be on board for that.
Speaker 1:I just think it's a severe disadvantage if you are unlucky enough to get drawn into a group. That is favorable for that rest of the group, I think it's unfair, and that happened again. Yeah, I mean listen. We've talked about her on this podcast.
Speaker 2:I am not the biggest fan of stay yeah, I was referring to cedric, but uh, yes, I agree well, him too, um, but she is eliminated in the first trial, doesn't even make jury, which is crazy.
Speaker 1:Because let me ask you a question why the heck I sound like such a whiner this episode. I'm sorry, but why the heck are we getting editing on Cedric and say and Mary, like for half the season, back and forth, and back and forth, and this is the payoff we get? What is that? I don't understand that. That's a little. It lost me.
Speaker 2:Like I think I think that was more of they were hoping they'd go further, honestly, and I think that the people just didn't want them on the jury because they were too chaotic, especially say but don't they know the editors of survivor, I mean, by the time they're editing this they know who won, they know who was eliminated when? Why are they? Maybe the first few episodes that were just not good enough that they needed to show them more, and they were listen, have any opinion, and I do she was good at TV.
Speaker 1:She was really really good at TV, and so was Cedric in his own way too. It was really really good TV.
Speaker 2:That's all I can think of that tribe was drama. Yeah, exactly, they kept losing too.
Speaker 1:so but when she was voted I was like wow, you know, like I was hoping that she would go because she annoyed me for some reason, but like just to have it go and cedric I was not expecting cedric at all. I thought shaheed would would be gone. Honestly, the way the editing was leaning, I thought that he was.
Speaker 2:I thought they were going to take a bigger shot there too as well, because I think kyle was right he and jaheen one of them is going to take a shot at each other, so you want to be the one to do it first. That might. That might have been the time to do it. I don't think cedric next week that's exactly.
Speaker 1:I don't. I don't think cedric was that big of a threat to want to have to get him out right away.
Speaker 2:He has no alliances, nobody's really kind of um right, he's voted for a million people, I mean I, I, I think that it's going to.
Speaker 1:I have kind of some opinions. I think david's going to get close to the end. I think, um, I, think mitch is huge mitch is gonna get.
Speaker 2:Mitch is gonna get close to I feel like mitch gets well, joe seems to want to take mitch out I, and I think that that could gain some steam because joe's got like a core group of people.
Speaker 1:Yes, he does, I think, I think, all the, all the big dudes, alpha dudes hey well, andy and eva too well eva ev Eva's strong. She proves her.
Speaker 2:I think Mitch is kind of onto them and that's why he played his thing as a show of good faith, and I think he's going to try to hope that that makes him survive a little longer.
Speaker 1:But as long as Joe's core group is together.
Speaker 2:Mitch is in trouble.
Speaker 1:So they got to take off some of them. You know, I I one of my love eva. Eva is just. I love how she opened up and I love her relationship with joe. I thought that was special. Um, I I don't. I think you're right, though I think joe is going to kind of start steamrolling people.
Speaker 2:You know what. It does seem like we talked about this a couple episodes ago, but it does seem like this season the quote-unquote bigger physical threats are are staying true to what we discussed a couple weeks ago. If they stay together and just get rid of all the non-threats, then they can go at it. This is kind of setting up to have some, maybe some, really good seven, final seven, eight, nine challenges, because, like this one here, the way you're awesome, I mean we had that one kind of lasted hours and so David yeah, eventually they realized David wasn't budging, so you might as well save your energy.
Speaker 1:but he was like challenges coming up. David reminded me of the character Hercules in the Disney movie where he's like challenges coming up. David reminded me of the character hercules in the disney movie where he's like kind of like doing this or the rocks character maui. Yes, mauna mauna, yes, it's, it was, so it was actually amusing, um, but yeah, interesting yeah there's.
Speaker 2:I mean, look at how many big threats that you should have been out. You know when they could in the first five, six, eight people. Now we're down to what? After they had the double limb, we're down to maybe 10-ish and you've got three or four of the biggest physical threats from the very beginning are all still alive. You got a couple of the big social threats still alive. I mean it's going to be a battle the next couple episodes.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Speaking, by the way, of a show you don't watch Amazing Race 38, just finished filming the one with the Big Brother contestants and their families. I don't know who loses. I do know who gets out first. We won't talk about that.
Speaker 2:When does it first air?
Speaker 1:I believe they're going. What makes most sense to me is that after big brother 27 ends, they're gonna start the amazing race 38, which is right after, and have like a lead-in thing so when does 27 phil?
Speaker 1:goes on big brother um 27. If it's normal, big brother starts probably the beginning of july. Um, uh, they're, they're still casting that season. Call me um, um, but, uh, yeah, so I think as soon as 27 ends, uh, they're going to start, um, uh, airing amazing race 38. I will tell you this. It's not a spoiler, but you know, maybe it is. But it ends. It starts in amsterdam this season and it ends in new york city. Okay, new york city, um, so that should be interesting. I'm, I'm sad. I was just in new york. What. Two weeks ago I could have seen the end of the amazing race yeah could you imagine?
Speaker 1:I see like, so I don't know who who gets eliminated. What is it like? Angela running through the streets of new york, um?
Speaker 2:you would slow her down.
Speaker 1:I'd like it yes, I would, oh man, um so um, that's it right yeah, and then I know you briefly.
Speaker 2:You wanted to mention, uh, the oh new coming out.
Speaker 1:So we did this. You know we did this with house of villains and we do this usually with um spoilers, for you know some of the shows that are coming out, but all, and we're not talking about this yet, Cause neither one of Charlie or I have watched this, a single episode of this yet. So we don't know. It just came out, Just came out tonight. All eight episodes of got to get out are now streaming on hulu. So the premise of the show, if you don't know, is that people are locked in a mansion with money and if you can get out of the mansion you win money. I don't know if it's all the money, part of the, the money. Again, we haven't watched an episode yet. The show is split with regular I say regular people, the people just new on a reality universe and reality superstars. So I'll go through some of the players that are on this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know a handful of them.
Speaker 1:Some we'll recognize, like Omarosa. It writes the Apprentice, apprentice, but she was on celebrity big brother. Yeah, um, uh, spencer pratt. I'm surprised heidi didn't do this with him. Uh, from the hills, of course I know him. Uh, cynthia from real housewives, kim from real housewives, val from dancing with the stars. Uh, val shimerikovsky, um, demi from bachelor nation. I have no idea who she is.
Speaker 2:I know demi and claire. I know both bachelor nation.
Speaker 1:You watch bachelor, I know that um uh, you'll like that.
Speaker 2:Demi, demi, demi can be a handful, you'll. She'll be good tv I like it.
Speaker 1:Um, you got sus Susan from the Golden Bachelor. Okay, jill from Outlast. Outlast is a show they're casting too right now. It's basically a survival show, so that'll be interesting how she's on this. We have Steven from Big Brother Canada, new to us, no idea. We have Rob from Squid Game to Challenge, and I'm going to be honest with you, I don. We have Rob from squid game to challenge and I'm going to be honest with you, I don't remember Rob from squid game to challenge.
Speaker 2:I remember him, I do.
Speaker 1:What was what? Can you refresh my memory? Anything Um? He was like 400 something, I weirdly I kind of remember his number but interesting, okay, I mean it's a stretch on the show that big, but okay, athena.
Speaker 2:Bachelor Greece.
Speaker 1:Bachelor Greece, athena.
Speaker 2:Has anyone from here ever seen that? I didn't even know.
Speaker 1:Greece had a Bachelor.
Speaker 2:And then we have our regular people.
Speaker 1:So real quick the Normies. Rashad Yain Y.
Speaker 2:Lindsay.
Speaker 1:Athena S, nick Stein, shane and Steve. Steve looks as generic as you could possibly think and Lindsay. And Lindsay yes, so should be interesting. I kind of like Yaini, I think she be interesting. I look kind of like Yanni. Um, I think she, she, she looks interesting. I think, yeah, I think, I don't know, we'll see. I mean, I'm making assumptions based on pictures. Shane looks like a handful. Um, yeah, yeah, that it should be good. I I'm looking forward to the show.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, we'll have to check it out.
Speaker 1:We will definitely be covering it on this podcast and we will have, now that we have million dollar secret. That's wrapping up. Uh, we have to have something else.
Speaker 2:Fill the void and we only have two episodes left on the floor?
Speaker 1:yes, we do, and then we have to figure something else, um, but uh, baseball will keep us pretty busy.
Speaker 2:We got plenty of baseball alright, anything else buddy no, I think we covered it.
Speaker 1:I think so too. Once again, if you are listening thank you so much for listening to Around the Bases. Please make sure you tell your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers, your dog, your cat, whatever it is, please have them subscribe to us on Spotify, on Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts, or even on YouTube. If you're seeing us. Whatever it is, please have them subscribe to us on Spotify, on Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. We're even on YouTube, if you're seeing us on YouTube, hi, we're around the bases of pop culture and sports podcasts with your host.
Speaker 2:Charlie Seymour.
Speaker 1:And I'm Tim Sternberg. Until next week, once again, I'll say it again let's go Mets in, let's go Cubs, keep the winning ways.
Speaker 2:We got a tough week, dodgers and Padres.
Speaker 1:Let's go, I'll take it.
Speaker 2:If they could just win a couple games, I'll take it.
Speaker 1:We can do it. Let's go Cubs. Bye everybody. Have a good week, thank you.
