The Boys are Back in Town! It’s time for Baconsale to Listen to the Music of the 1970s. We Will Rock You as we take a Walk on the Wild side and discuss some of the greatest classic rock bands of all time. Much like many songs from the 70s, we go on a little long in this episode. Don’t feel Paranoid, though, we’re not going to Rock and Roll All Nite. Kent, Joel, and Zack are taking a Slow Ride on this tournament and only completing the first round. It’s Live and Let Die as some artists are going ...
Mar 08, 2021•1 hr 44 min
Raya and the Last Dragon, Disney’s latest animated feature, is available on Disney+ with Premier Access, but is it worth the extra cost to see early? That’s the question we’re answering today on this BaconBit. Kent has seen this film twice, Joel has seen it once, and Zack has seen it 0.5 times. We’re each going to give our spoiler-free review first, and then we’ll let you know when we’re going to start talking spoilers for this movie so you can listen even if you haven’t seen it yet. We may not ...
Mar 05, 2021•30 min
***SPOILER ALERT!*** In this episode, Baconsale is discussing spoiler etiquette for movies and TV shows. And as the spoiler prophets that we are, we’re going to teach you how to carefully navigate an increasingly online community and avoid ruining big twists or major plot points. Our guidelines are intended for both the spoiler and the spoilee as we give suggested timelines, educate you in Spoiler L.A.W., and propose punishments for breaking the official rules. Press play, but be warned: we give...
Mar 01, 2021•1 hr 25 min
Ventas servitas! On this episode of Baconsale, we’re discussing a character from a popular book series whose name is Harry—a dark-haired orphan who’s also a wizard…but it’s probably not the magical Harry you’re thinking of. We’re talking about Harry Dresden. Steven Ross is a big fan of The Dresden Files and he’s joining us today to raise awareness about the novels. Steven has read (or listened) to all of the books, Joel has read a handful, Kent read the first one just for this episode, and we’ve...
Feb 22, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Hi-ho, listener! It’s time to play the music and light the lights, because on this episode of Baconsale, we’re talking about the Muppet films. We’ve watched ten Muppetational movies and we’re going to rank them from worst to best. Joel is still a kid at heart and loves almost everything the Muppets have done, whereas Kent has grown a little more cynical as he’s gotten older, and Zack thinks that all the films (and this episode) are about 20 minutes too long. Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow co...
Feb 15, 2021•1 hr 27 min
Last time Baconsale talked about romantic comedies, it went off without a Hitch, so we (Love) Actually decided to do it again! We’ve come up with just under 13 (Going on 30) categories to showcase some of the most popular rom coms of all time. Plus, Zack, our personal Wedding Singer, is also going to quiz Kent and Joel on their knowledge of these movies. And with romantic steak street tacos on the line, the stakes have never been higher. We’ll discuss Julia Roberts (to see if She’s All That), wh...
Feb 08, 2021•1 hr 27 min
A lot has changed since our last Sundance film festival recap, including the festival itself. This year, film geeks around the world streamed (strom?) indie movies from the comfort of their own home, making snide remarks to an empty room. Kent watched 26 of these films in six days! His brain is fried, but he’s ready to give us some highlights (and lowlights) of what he saw, including reviews of Prisoners of the Ghostland, CODA, Eight for Silver, On the Count of Three, Mass, In the Earth, The Spa...
Feb 05, 2021•32 min
Baconsale is ready to pop a lot of trouble because, once again, we’re going to rank popular tabletop games. From ancient Mesopotamia to the 2000s, we’re including such favorites as Uno, Chutes & Ladders, Boggle, Taboo, Chess, Checkers, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Ticket to Ride, Cranium, and Blokus. As we move along the board, we’ll talk about the history of these games, discuss unusual versions (Body Boggle, anyone?), and we’re surprised by a musical number that makes the tough guys tumble. Kent ...
Feb 01, 2021•1 hr 20 min
Wow. Who could have predicted everything that happened last year? Baconsale tried and, believe it or not, we actually got a few things right! So, once again, we are going to attempt to read the tea leaves for the coming year. We’ll forecast celebrity breakups, predict “sexy” Halloween costumes, discuss new fast food meat alternatives, guess sporting event winners, warn of reptilian takeovers and, of course, predict box office flops & talk about movies we’re looking forward to this year (if t...
Jan 25, 2021•1 hr 33 min
Baconsale is kicking off our seventh season by talking about our top five & bottom five films from last year. Joel is a little drunk with power because his method of picking movies is quite suitable for this situation, whereas Kent was actually able to scrap together a list of favorites from the dearth of movies released in 2020—even if he had to grade on a curve. Along the way, Zack attempts a FOUL pun, Hans Zimmer gets called out as a hack, and we try our darndest not to give anything away...
Jan 18, 2021•1 hr 35 min
On this, our sixth season finale, Baconsale is looking back at our shows from this past year and talking about some of our favorite moments, both on the air and behind the scenes. Our schedule was destroyed by the pandemic (which Zack may have caused), but we still managed to create some memorable episodes, including when Kent promoted Helga Sinclair, Joel offended the cult of stuffing, we impersonated southern ants (who HATE grits), we safely invited guests into the Baconcave, we created the Pa...
Dec 21, 2020•1 hr 44 min
You’d better watch out, you’d better not cry, you’d better not pout, I’m telling you why… because some of these creepy Christmas creatures will beat you, kill you, or eat you. On this episode of Baconsale, we’re sharing unusual holiday folklore from around the world, but primarily from Germany, Iceland, Austria, and France (because Europe is weird). It’s dangerous to go alone on this perilous path, so we’ve invited Chris Draudt, a Krampus expert/enthusiast to join us. Listen as we butcher the na...
Dec 14, 2020•1 hr 12 min
It’s beginning to look a lot like Baconsale is going to do another Christmas song category show! It’s been five years since our last holiday music episode, but Joel is more than happy to do another one. Kent, on the other hand, is a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to yuletide tunes. Nevertheless, we’ve come up with twelve categories—including Best Duet/Collaboration, the One You Can’t Resist Singing, Most Underrated, and Worst Acapella Cover—and Kent, Joel & Zack are going to each pick a winn...
Dec 07, 2020•1 hr 25 min
You may have heard us play Cable, IMAX, Erase on Baconsale before, but never like this. Yes, for the first few rounds we’re going to take three movies and decide which one we’d watch in theaters, which one we’d watch on standard-definition television, and which one we’d erase from existence. However, then we’re going to change things up and adapt the game to food, bands, candy, actors & actresses, restaurants, and more! Joel tries his best to be the villain, but Kent steals the crown back pr...
Nov 30, 2020•1 hr 21 min
Imagine that it’s Thanksgiving. You’re at the serving table. Which foods get the prime real estate on your dinner plate? That’s the question we’re asking today on Baconsale. Kent, Joel, and Zack are going to tier turkey, rank rolls, score stuffing, grade gravy, criticize cranberry sauce, and put pie in its place with the help of our special guest, Jennifer Kielkowski. We’ll also discuss the history of Turkey Day, share family traditions, and give a few fun facts with the leftover time. Please pa...
Nov 23, 2020•1 hr 34 min
Back in 2016, we ranked popular pizza chains, but on this episode we’re bringing it home and popping it in the oven because Baconsale is ranking frozen pizzas. We’ve tested & ranked 25 popular pizza brands and scientifically identified the top five best and the bottom five worst. We’ve included thin crusts, rising crusts, gluten-free crusts, and everything in between. We also have a saucy discussion about the history of frozen pizza, our experiences with the taste testing, governmental chees...
Nov 16, 2020•1 hr 14 min
Hey There Delilah, it’s time for Baconsale to Crank That bracket of 2000s songs from the Around the World (La La La La La) and declare an ultimate winner! As we’re Ridin’ along, no band or artist is Bulletproof, because the one-hit wonder police are here to Shake It up a bit. When some music match-ups Collide, it’s a bit of a Paralyzer for Kent, Joel, and Zack. Nevertheless, The Boys of Summer will press forward and make the difficult decisions as they comb through A Thousand Miles of random fac...
Nov 09, 2020•1 hr 35 min
Who Let the Dogs Out? Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to try to figure out Right Now. On this episode of Baconsale, we’re talking about one-hit wonders of the 2000s. Everytime We Touch one of these music tournaments, people get a little Headstrong and say we made them have a Bad Day. Nevertheless, we’re going to advance one round on our bracket this time, and after a few Days Go By, we’ll do another episode where we’ll determine which song wins All or Nothing. Wherever You Will Go, Crush t...
Nov 02, 2020•1 hr 33 min
It was a dark and stormy night, and Kent, Joel, and Jacob are hunkered down in the Baconcave, ready to bring you horrifying true crime stories to end this Halloween season. Beware, the tales we share may be a bit too intense for children, but we’ll still try to keep things as family friendly as we can…while discussing murder. Along the way, [INSERT RUNNING GAGS FROM THE EPISODE] Press play to [INSERT INSIDE JOKE] [SCHEDULED TO PUBLISH ON 10/26]
Oct 26, 2020•1 hr 5 min
Two years after The Haunting of Hill House terrified Kent and Joel, Netflix has released the second story in this eerie anthology, The Haunting of Bly Manor. But will this sequel series be as scary as we supposed? We’ll keep the first part of this review spoiler-free, so even if you haven’t seen it yet, you can still listen to this BaconBit. After that, we’ll discuss all nine episodes and give our opinions on the story, the characters, and the way the story is told. It’s you. It’s me. It’s Bacon...
Oct 23, 2020•35 min
Attention, earthlings! You are not alone in this universe. Baconsale is here to talk to you about aliens, visitors from another planet, invaders from outer space, little green men, Greys, Reptilians, Nordics, or whatever else you want to call them. After briefly sharing their personal beliefs and stories about extraterrestrial encounters, Kent, Joel, and Zack are going to discuss the history of UFO sightings and alien abductions. We’re also going to zap through as many alien invasion movies as w...
Oct 19, 2020•1 hr 34 min
On this episode of Baconsale, we’re making The Descent into horror once again with a new Decade Dance. This time, our Final Destination is a list of the ten best scary movies released between 2000 and 2009, brought to you by Shaun of the Dead. And as we go Behind the Mask on these freaky flicks, we see Signs that Zack has actually seen (Saw?) one or two of the picks on our lists, but not most of The Others. And please don’t hold a Grudge that Joel forgets about a heavy hitter in the horror game....
Oct 12, 2020•1 hr 23 min
Joel’s a big fan of scary movies, and he wants his children to appreciate them, as well, so he’s created a four-phase training program to introduce his offspring to the horror genre. It’s not just for kids, though. This evolving spreadsheet of 80 frightening films could be for anyone who wants to dip their toes into the spooky swimming pool. Kent was thrown into the deep end as a kid and has his opinions about the flicks that Joel picked, while Zack is a horror novice who isn’t afraid of clowns,...
Oct 05, 2020•1 hr 27 min
Cryptids are animals whose existence has not yet been proven. And it’s time for Baconsale to put some of these mythical creatures into hypothetical fights where only one of them will be left standing. Our friend Nicole, a cryptid enthusiast, is here to teach us about the folklore behind each contender and help decide who would win in such epic matchups as Bigfoot vs. The Flatwoods Monster, the Loch Ness Monster vs. the Bear Lake Monster, the Jersey Devil vs. the Dover Demon and, of course, Manan...
Sep 28, 2020•1 hr 43 min
If you were able to pick a soundtrack to represent various times in your life, which songs would you pick? That’s the question we’re answering on this episode of Baconsale. Kent, Joel, Zack, and Jacob are all going to select music for things like their high school experience, their dating lives, their earliest childhood memories, and even their farewell songs. Jacob makes some odd choices, Joel was a little girl crazy, Kent sews his own pants, and even though Zack is the youngest, he tends to pi...
Sep 21, 2020•1 hr 27 min
Jacob has taken a break from his busy schedule and his chalupas to join us in the Baconcave with the ultimate Jacob Twist: he’s stepping down as a regular host of Baconsale. This news is a little sad, yes, but it’s also kind of expected, right? It’s not all melancholy and infinite sadness, though. Jacob is going to give his skewed version of the history of Baconsale, Joel and Kent are going to give some of their favorite Jacob moments, and there’s an official passing of the torch ceremony from J...
Sep 18, 2020•44 min
The last time Mats was here, he had us watch a bunch of TV shows he enjoyed. Now it’s time for Baconsale to turn the tables on him. Kent and Joel have selected ten films for Mats to watch. These are not all best picture winners, these aren’t the highest-grossing films of all time, they may not even be our personal favorites, but we have chosen them because of their initial impact and the long-lasting influence they’ve had on pop culture. They are, in chronological order: The Wizard of Oz (1939),...
Sep 14, 2020•1 hr 33 min
Let’s get down to business to discuss Mulan. Disney had made another live-action remake of a 90s animated classic and decided to make this one a little more realistic. Or did they? Kent and Joel have watched the movie and are ready to share their opinions. We keep things spoiler-free for the first part of this BaconBit, but after that we’ll let you know what they kept, what they cut out, and if this version of the story works. We’ll also tell you whether or not it’s worth paying the extra $30 to...
Sep 11, 2020•23 min
It's not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you. And Christopher Nolan has done some very good films. Therefore, it’s finally time for Kent to go full fanboy as we discuss his favorite director’s movies and rank them from eleven to one. Are you watching closely? Because along the way, we point out any and all Michael Caine appearances with poorly done impersonations, Zack expresses some serious “McConaughate,” and Joel continuously reminds you that Nolan has directed Following...
Sep 07, 2020•1 hr 30 min
Whoa! Did Baconsale just combine two trippy time travel movies into one BaconBit? Yes way, dude! First, we’re going to review the third installment in the Bill & Ted universe, Bill & Ted Face the Music, a reboot long awaited by some. But will it be a most excellent return, or will it be totally bogus? We will also be discussing Christopher Nolan’s latest film, Tenet, a movie that will test the limits of your brain your of limits the test will that movie. Join us for a journey through tim...
Sep 04, 2020•52 min