Play It By Ear

In Episode 198 the hosts continue a discussion centered around a customized 16-team single-elimination tournament featuring the "Worst Chores." The hosts consider factors such as danger, disgust, inconvenience, and personal experiences to determine rankings. Following the tournament segment, the show transitions into a new interactive game called "Change My Mind," where the hosts rank annoying or inconvenient scenarios and attempt to persuade each other to alter their rankings through debate and humor. Topics range from everyday minor annoyances like running out of toilet paper or hiccups to more specific issues such as the worst place to have explosive diarrhea and the annoyance of stubbing a pinky toe or experiencing "all-day swamp ass." The hosts engage in spirited discussions about these rankings, often mixing personal anecdotes with playful teasing.### Highlights - [00:06:00]

Episode 197 is the beginning of a bracket-style competition to determine the “worst chore,” where the hosts debate and seed 16 common chores based on their onerousness and unpleasantness. The discussion covers chores like cleaning gutters, setting the dinner table, raking leaves, handwashing dishes, shoveling snow, mowing the lawn, cleaning the grill, pulling weeds, cleaning the shower, dusting, and more. Throughout, the hosts share their individual experiences, grievances, and humorous takes on these chores, with occasional side discussions about family memories, vintage household equipment, and quirky cultural references such as nursery rhymes and old-fashioned customs like darning socks or using corn cobs in outhouses. Highlights[55:00]

Episode 196 starts with the hosts diving into a nostalgic food-themed segment. Todd introduces lists of popular 80s and 90s foods making a comeback, sparking a lively discussion. Dunkaroos are revisited with debates about chocolate versus vanilla icing and the small size of the icing compartment. The hosts reminisce on other nostalgic snacks like Fun Dip and Nutella, sharing personal anecdotes on how these treats were consumed. The conversation includes a critique of snack packaging design, such as the impractical shapes of the cheese compartments in crackers, showing consumer frustration with inconvenient product design.The segment continues with discussions about frozen snacks like Dippin' Dots, which are praised for their novelty but criticized for their BB-like texture that can get stuck in teeth. The hosts humorously suggest new utensils and marketing ideas to improve the eating experience. Bagel Bites are compared unfavorably to pizza rolls based on texture and burning tendencies, illustrating how food form factors impact usability and enjoyment.Uncrustables are highlighted as a beloved yet rarely consumed treat, with preferences for slightly frozen versus fully thawed versions sparking debate. The hosts impart “bread prophylactic” knowledge to avoid jelly leakage, showcasing their detailed food insights.The nostalgic journey continues with cereals, noting that Golden Grahams and Cocoa Puffs are resurging in popularity, though opinions on their taste vary widely. The hosts recall vintage commercials and discuss the evolution of flavors and texture, with humorous side notes on cereal consumption habits.The podcast then shifts gears into a fun interactive segment titled “Word Teasers,” where the hosts challenge each other to interpret British, Irish, and Australian slang phrases. This game adds a cultural and educational dimension to the show, featuring terms like “posh,” “gas man,” and “bee's knees,” providing a playful exploration of language differences and idiomatic expressions.Highlights[04:19]

Episode 195 begins with a discussion of the Live at 5! event which then shifts to a fun and nostalgic taste test comparing Oreo cookies with off-brand knockoffs, both plain and in truffle form. They admit to fumbling the truffle test, humorously describing the off-brand's unpleasant taste. This leads to an extended and playful detour into the world of "grandma's purse candy," nostalgic hard candies, and the quirky experiences of candy in purses — including the curious term “sucking candy” and the odd textures and flavors of various candies like Good and Plenty and branches nougats.The hosts continue with a spirited debate about licorice versus Twizzlers and Red Vines, exploring the nuances of candy types, brand rivalries, and personal preferences, alongside humorous commentary about candy nostalgia and childhood memories. They also touch on the cultural and historical context behind some candy choices and flavors.Brady then presents a topic involving “21 tweets/ideas that are both terrible and brilliant,” ranging from parking ticket tricks to social antics like faking a proposal to get free drinks. The hosts analyze each idea with humor and skepticism, debating the legality and morality of some while celebrating the cleverness of others. The episode concludes with a new interactive game called the “Heart and Brain Quiz Game with Yeti,” where hosts guess each other's answers to quirky hypothetical questions, adding a layer of fun and personal insight. The game showcases their personalities, preferences, and humor, with the yeti character providing absurd and comedic options. The hosts also reflect on neighborhood dynamics, skincare regimens, and personal quirks, sharing relatable stories and philosophies.### Highlights - [00:05:00]

Join us as we celebrate 5 years of gold-standard podcasting with a live episode at Sons of Toil Brewing

Episode 193 of the "Play It By Ear" podcast starts with a discussion on the impracticality of Roman numerals and the hosts reminisce about classic comedy bits involving Roman numeral jokes. The main segment focuses on a recent list—"12 Ridiculous Food Trends That Need to Go Away"—where they dissect trends such as mashed potato fries, rainbow-colored foods, slow-cooked skinless chicken breasts, weird pasta recipes, baby shower food etiquette, mug cakes, fake social media recipes, and the overuse of avocado. Each trend sparks a mix of agreement, debate, and personal stories about food preferences and cooking disasters.They also delve into the challenges of social media food presentation, criticizing misleading thumbnails and “cheese pools,” where the visual spectacle can overpower actual enjoyment of food. The episode then shifts to more personal and humorous stories, including preparation for medical procedures, bathroom mishaps, and workplace awkwardness, especially focusing on a story involving a manager and an employee navigating perceived flirting and professional boundaries.### Highlights - [00:10:00]

Episode 192 begins with light-hearted banter about Wendy's new Frosty flavors and quickly transitions to nostalgic and detailed discussions of pop culture topics, especially the TV show The Dukes of Hazzard. The hosts analyze character relationships and casting changes, drawing connections to other shows like Sons of Anarchy and The Walking Dead, highlighting actor crossovers. They also dive into current TV series recommendations such as Animal Kingdom and The Waterfront, discussing the appeal of gritty, morally ambiguous characters.The episode then shifts to the final segment featuring a bracket competition for the best road trip snacks, debating between Doritos, Coke, chicken sandwiches, and M&M's. This leads to a humorous debate on snack etiquette, hidden food in the household, and quirky snack preferences.Brady leads the main segment that explores American customs that might be considered rude or unusual in other countries, including cultural differences in cab etiquette, gestures like the thumbs-up, punctuality, hand usage, eating habits, gift-opening, and sauna etiquette. The hosts share personal anecdotes and cultural observations, touching on topics such as how Americans' casual habits contrast with stricter traditions elsewhere, and the complexities of social cues like hugging and personal space. They discuss the impact of cultural differences on everyday behaviors like eating while walking, using the left hand, and public appearance.The episode concludes with Aric leading a music trivia game where the hosts guess band names from synonym clues, adding an engaging and playful note to the lengthy discussion. Throughout, the conversation is marked by humor, camaraderie, and a willingness to explore diverse topics with both depth and levity.Highlights[02:47]

Todd finalizes his Best Road Trip Snack Bracket in this episode. We also play a game called "Same, Same, but Different"Like and subscribe on YouTube and Rumble at our channels: Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching Play It By Ear Podcast.#earbudsunite!

Todd finishes his Road Trip Snack Bracket. Brady has a topic that gives the Top 10 most underwhelming tourist destinations.Like and subscribe on YouTube and Rumble at our channels: Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching Play It By Ear Podcast.#earbudsinite!

In this episode Todd starts a bracket in which we, along with our audience, decide which snacks are best for road trips.Like and subscribe on YouTube and Rumble at our channels: Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching Play It By Ear Podcast.#earbudsunite!

Todd has a topic that is one of our faves...Am I the A$$h*leBrady has a topic that goes through some unforced marketing errors that were made by companies that caused embarrassment.

Todd takes us through a bracket that pairs disparate things in contest against each other.Like and subscribe on YouTube and Rumble at our channels: Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching Play It By Ear Podcast.#earbudsinite!

Todd takes us through a list of words that most people find uncomfortable or cringeworthy (a word that probably should be on this list)Like and subscribe on YouTube and Rumble at our channels: Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching Play It By Ear Podcast.#earbudsinite!

In this episode Todd takes us through a gastronomic hellscape known as the food from the decade of our birth...the 1970'sLike and subscribe on YouTube and Rumble at our channels: Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching Play It By Ear Podcast.#earbudsinite!

The Play It By Ear Podcast is back with another episode of etiquette talk. In Episode 184, Aric, Brady, and Todd are discussing the 50 Unspoken Social Rules of Etiquette and how many of them they actually follow. They also talk about some of their own personal pet peeves when it comes to etiquette, like people who don't say thank you or hold the door open for others. Plus, they share some funny stories about their own experiences with bad etiquette.Like and subscribe on YouTube and Rumble at our channels: Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching Play It By Ear Podcast.#earbudsinite!

In this episode we complete the soup bracket that we began prevously. The game of the night is "Late Night" Family Feud. Like and subscribe on YouTube and Rumble at our channels: Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching Play It By Ear Podcast. #earbudsinite!

It a PIBE Marathon as our hosts start into a soup bracket. The game of the night is Hot Takes! Like and subscribe on Rumble at our channel: Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching Play It By Ear Podcast. #earbudsinite!

The Play It By Ear Podcast celebrates our fifth Christmas with this episode. Brady starts our show with a topic about Christmas terms from years gone by. Todd has our second topic...AITA, Christmas Edition. Like and subscribe on YouTube at our channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDigg3znV7z_u5btIdJdt9A Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching Play It By Ear Podcast. #earbudsunite!

In this episode we continue with our cake vs pie bracket. Brady and Todd also attempt to play a game called "What If?"

Aric, Brady, and Todd start discussion on a bracket which has one half composed of cakes and one half composed of pies. Listen in and give us your opinion on these matchups.

Brady begins our episode by discussing a topic on odd world festivals. Aric emcees the game of the night...Misery Index. Like and subscribe on YouTube at our channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDigg3znV7z_u5btIdJdt9A Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching Play It By Ear Podcast. #earbudsunite!

Todd goes through a list of “Famous Brand new product Flops/disasters”, and Aric Hosts a new game called “Priorities” and hilarity ensues because the hosts know each other way too well. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite

Todd leads through the wormhole of “The Mandela Effect”, Aric hosts the game “Confident?” Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite

Brady goes through “The Biggest Lies we were told by Sitcoms” list, In a Play It By Ear First, our loyal listener Chris “The Historian”, provides us his personal Top 10 Moments of Play It By Ear, as watches us react. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite

Todd starts the show off with a “Best Cookout Food Bracket”. Brady revisits the “Sugar Free Gummy Bear Amazon reviews” segment from episode 28 by listener request. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite

Brady hosts a list of “Most Disgusting Fast Food items”, Aric hosts a watch along of 70's era "Match Game” Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite

Todd gets regional, as he goes through a list of “Things people frpm Cincinnati Are obsessed With”. Aric breaks new ground by hosting a watch-along of the short lived 70's game show “Three's A Crowd”, the game show that wrecked multiple marriages. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite

Brady creates a list about “TV characters that put up with too much from other characters”, and Aric Hosts the game “Which One?” Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite

The gang finishes up “The Best Road Trip Songs” bracket. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite

Todd starts us through a “Best Road Trip Songs” bracket, and Brady preaches unity by doing a list of “Things everybody Hates”. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite

The gang goes through a list of Movie and TV characters who are meant to be protagonists but are not actually good people. Aric hosts the game "Hot Takes" Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite!

Episode 157 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message

Episode 156 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message

Brady and Todd take the lead on Episode 154. One of our favorite segments takes the lead...Am I The A$$h*le (Assle) Topics include: Body Odor, skin care, swearing in front of pets, and pressuring your spouse for extra days on a trip. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message

Todd begins our episode with the first two rounds of a 'Worst Rock Song" bracket. Aric moderates our game of the night, Race to Stupid. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message

Todd has the discussion topic for our episode, 40 Bizarre Toys from companies that should have stayed focused on fast food. Our game of the night, emceed by Aric, is the classic Misery Index. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message

At the risk of being old men yelling at clouds and "Get off my lawn!" Brady starts out our show with a list of every day occurrences that annoy us, and people in general. Aric emcees a game of Misery Index to close out the show. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message

Our first episode of 2024 begins with Todd and his favorite topic...food. He runs down a list of the best Little Debbie snack cakes. Aric has our second segment as he moderates a game called Which One? Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message

Our sesquicentennial episode coincides with our Christmas episode in 2023! Todd starts us out with a bracket of the greatest Christmas songs ever (there is a huge upset winner). Brady has our second topic of the evening with a list of the best Christmas gag gifts. Aric, Brady, and Todd wish all of our earbuds a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We appreciate all of you supporting us these last three years, through 150 episodes, more than you know. We hope you choose to stick with us for the next 150. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message

Brady has our discussion topic of the week. Our first foray into Christmas this season, "Worst Christmas Gifts Ever", which lists a variety of "toys" that were available for purchase to those of questionable judgment. Our game of the night, as moderated by Aric, is Confident? Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message

Todd starts our episode out with "Hilariously bad Thanksgiving dishes" which is an extension of a topic that we have tackled in the past, Thanksgiving leftovers if you will. Brady has our second topic of the night with one of our newer favorites, "Today I Fu%ked Up" with a Thanksgiving theme. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/support

Episode 147 begins with the return of one of our historically popular topics (also one of our favorites) Am I the A$$h*le? Todd will present the fodder from the Subreddit for our judgment. The game of the night, as emceed by Aric, is our second go-round with Off Topic. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/support

Nostalgia rules the day for our topic. We discuss old TV shows that would never be remade today for different reasons. We end our episode with a game of Smart@$$. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/support

The Play It By Ear Crew looks ahead to All Hallow's Eve, more commonly known as Halloween as Todd begins a list of little known facts about the Fall holiday. Aric emcees a game of Word Teasers to round out Episode 145. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/support

We do a show with 2 topics and no game for Episode 144. Brady has a revisiting of a past topic with updates...Outrageous and Crazy Soda Flavors. Todd has part 2 of a topic he began in Episode 143, Once Popular Foods We All Stopped Eating. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/support

Todd has our discussion topic of the week, courtesy of Brady's research. He has the first part of a list of foods that were popular at some point in time in recent history that are no longer universally popular. Aric emcees a round of one of our favorite games, Misery Index. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/support

Brady has our topic of the week with one of our all-time favorites. Another rousing round of Am I the A$$h*le (Anuse)? Aric emcees the game of the week, a new one called "Off Topic" Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/support

Todd has part 2 of his list of awkward situations that all of us encounter on a regular basis, and can relate to. The game of the night is "Chicken or Egg" emceed by Aric. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/support

Todd has the discussion topic of the night as he highlights moments that most of us have experienced that make us feel awkward. Aric leads a game called "Race to Stupid" to round out the episode. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/support

Brady had the discussion topic of the evening which was a list of things that people have done that they would never do again. For our game of the night we introduce a new one called "Priorities" where each host is given a list of things to rank in order from most to least desirable. The other two cohosts try to guess the correct order in which they were ranked. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/support

We tweaked the format in this episode with one topic and one game. Todd finished his cookie rankings that was started in Episode 137. Aric finished the episode with a new game called "Hot Takes" where Brady and Todd argued their position on a given point and Aric determined which argument was the best. Visit our website at www.playitbyearpodcast.com. To support our podcast by becoming a member visit playitbyearpodcast.com/support. To purchase a t-shirt visit playitbyearpodcast.com/store #earbudsunite! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playitbyearpodcast/support