Influencer culture really is the downfall of society. Case in point: the Brazilian Butt Lift. In this episode, Erin and Nicole discuss how social media is fueling this problematic augmentation, the extreme health risks of the elective procedure, and how medical technology is NOT in a place to safely perform this surgery, despite what that MedSpa is telling you. Stick to the squats and hope for the best, y'all - your life depends on it!
The Venn diagram of white-women-led wellness communities and cults is almost a circle, minus approximately a stray pube's worth of space on either side. In this episode, Erin and Nicole discuss the Ra Ma Institution, the (self-appointed) Guru Jagat, and the (grifter-y) foundations of Kundalini yoga, from which the institution was founded. In a shocking twist that will surprise no one, this is a cult episode with a white lady at the epicenter.
Part of the collegiate experience is discovering your identity. Some join academic clubs or an artist's circle, maybe a debate team full of horny nerds. Others might join a fraternity or sorority, or if they're looking for something a little more edgy, a secret society! In this episode, Erin and Nicole pledge (to make fun of) one of Yale's most notorious (not so) secret societies: Skull and Bones.
Erin (COVID) and Nicole (Christmas Eve car accident) are really trying to hang in there, but it's hard. So to start the new year with no muss, no fuss, they're talking about a major comfort: TV dinners. Specifically, the frozen kind (since any dinner can be a TV dinner if you eat it in front of the TV). From the TV dinner's origins to its impact on American society, one little tray has never been so cool...literally, 'cause it's frozen.
This week, Erin and Nicole are diving deeper into the DTFU-niverse by reading your stories and news updates in a Mail Bag episode! *Shoots off a party popper and blows into a noise maker* A HUGE thank you to everyone who wrote in this year with a hilarious story, an update on a previous episode or just a sweet note of encouragement! And FYI, you can email the Dudes anytime with a story at dtfupodcast@gmail.com, or submit via the website.
As you know, every episode of DTFU is explicit, but this episode could be *extra* traumatic for the children, as Erin and Nicole explore the theme of destroying Elf on the Shelf in an extremely violent manner (as they discuss the origin story of the book and tradition), and invent an edible sex toy inspired by Fun Dip! Also, for all you long-time Dudes, this episode marks the annual reading of the Sinterklaas Poem!
For their 250th episode, Erin and Nicole sheepishly revisit Episode 20, "Yer(sinia) Buboes are Showing," in which they made several comments about pandemics that - surprise! - did not age well.
...Miss America! *Waves hand elbow to elbow, wrist to wrist.* Erin and Nicole take a surface-level dive into the pageant pool this week, talking about the origins of the "beloved" Miss America competition, as well as some of the most f*cked up stuff to happen at the Miss America, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants throughout the years!
A few episodes back, Erin and Nicole briefly mentioned the not-so-fun fact that Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, is often questioned as the true writer of the science fiction masterpiece, which meant it was only a matter of time before our hosts dedicated an episode to such f*ckery. Cut to this week, when an article in the New York Times disregarded Shelley's contributions to the origins of Sci-Fi, giving the credit instead to a bunch of dudes who were all born literal decades after Shelley...
We'd like to thank this week's sponsor, "BIC Pens for Her: because she isn't smart enough to use a man's pen!" JK. But for reals, circa 2011 BIC thought it was a good idea to make "Pens for Her," and they weren't the only ones who have been driven by capitalism to gender products for a profit. In this episode, Erin and Nicole make fun of the dumbest products they can find, while discussing the very real, very dumb pink tax.
Our Dudes couldn't name this episode "IUD Saloon" because it wouldn't have made any sense (not that that has stopped them before), but know that they wanted to. Erin and Nicole discuss the career of Philippe Petit, the French, self-taught high wire artist and all around rascal. Is his career impressive? You bet - the man walked between the World Trade Center Twin Towers on a cable, for Petit's sake. Is he also kind of an a**hole? Also yes.
Why did artists from the Medieval times paint cats with such disdain? Why did all of the babies in Medieval portraits look like forty year old men? Erin and Nicole try to get to the bottom of those questions in this episode, while surprising and delighting each other with the worst and weirdest works of art they can find from the Medieval era!
'Tis the reason for the spooky season, Dudes! This week's episode is a mash of monsters, vampires, werewolves, and zombies, as Erin and Nicole visit the lore of the creature, discuss whether or not they could exist in real life, and of course, rank their hotness on a scale of "meh" to "I would."
Thank you to the listener that suggested this topic, because neither of our esteemed hosts realized this was an actual historical event. In this week's episode, Erin and Nicole recount the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, which had devastating, long-term effects locally, and a significant impact worldwide. They also send their apologies to the people of the Netherlands for knowingly spreading false information for comedic effect (and for their poor pronunciation of Dutch names).
Thanks to your stories, Erin and Nicole were able to record one final episode before Erin gave birth! But before we get to those VERY funny, VERY NSFL (Not Suitable for Lunch) emails, did you know it's entirely unknown how Eels reproduce?
RHONY's very own Countess Luann de Lesseps sings it best, "money can't buy you class." Money CAN, however, buy you friends and lovers, but those aren't permanent. And Doris Duke learned that the hard way. (Okay, not really, since she had the sort of extreme wealth where she didn't have to live with any of the consequences of her actions.) Join Erin and Nicole as they discuss the life and times of tobacco heiress, philanthropist, horticulturist, art collector, multi-hyphenate murderess Doris Duke...
We've all been spending too much time doom scrolling on social media. But that's exactly what the social overlords want! In this episode, Erin and Nicole share specific examples of the content the algorithm deems worthy of their attention across their personal Twitter and TikTok feeds, while also asking the question, "does this make me weird?"
If you haven't heard of the Loch Ness Monster, or "Nessie," as her friends call her, do you even like cryptids? Are you even a fan of this podcast? Can you even define "iconic?" What you are less likely to have heard, are some of the details of the actual sightings: maybe webbed feet, possibly a tail, could have had a long neck. This week, Erin and Nicole tear apart the "maybe, possibly, could have" of it all, and nail down exactly what happened and who Nessie really is. This episode will leave ...
Puberty is terrifying in and of itself, yet teens still want the drama! The horror! The fear! In this episode, Erin and Nicole have a casual conversation about the Fear Street book series, written by R.L. Stine (author of Goosebumps), and beloved by generations at this point. They talk about how these books came to be, where they bought them (shout out to the Scholastic Book Fair!), the cover art and how these books are a right of passage for youngsters!
Every now and then, our Dudes stumble onto a topic by chance. This week, Erin and Nicole planned to talk about how contentious the game of Monopoly can be, some of the longest games ever played, and some of the worst franchised boards (KISS Monopoly, anyone?). They talk about all that stuff, but the big surprise was the story of Lizzie Magie, the inventor of Monopoly. She was a feminist, a Georgist, a writer, an activist - so many amazing things. And she was 100% d*cked over by Parker Brothers a...
Lake Lanier, located outside of Atlanta, Georgia, is statistically one of the deadlier lakes in the U.S, leading people to believe it is haunted. However, the most sinister thing about the lake is the history of the town that lies beneath it! Erin and Nicole discuss the lake's origin story, notable incidents at the lake, and why, if any lake is haunted, it should be this one.
What's more All-American than a hamburger? A hamburger + a chicken sandwich + a fish sandwich + nuggets + secret sauce + onion rings + loose beef + styrofoam + day old fries + an apple pie, piled high on a sesame seed bun! In this episode, Erin and Nicole celebrate America's birthday (and Nicole's birthday!) by talking about the best and worst secret fast food menu items (MEAT MOUNTAIN, ANYONE?!), and a couple items that should have remained locked away forever.
We wish it was Friday circa 1994 and we were talking about Mark Curry's hit show, along with the rest of the fire TGIF line up from 1993-1996, which included Step by Step, Boy Meets World and Family Matters. What a run. But alas, Erin and Nicole are talking about an Easter Egg from the latest Marvel series, Loki: D.B. Cooper. This person hijacked a plane for ransom in 1971 and *spoiler alert* the FBI never solved the case! There are a lot of conspiracy theories around the identity and life of D....
On paper, the politics of a 17th century Dutch prime minister-type sound bland. Completely unpalatable. But Erin and Nicole are talking about Johan de Witt, and this Dutchman's history is absolutely scrumptious...when you consider he was killed and partially eaten by an angry mob of his opposition.
Here by popular demand, Erin and Nicole are talking about the might-be-phenomena of Staircases in the Woods! Like, the wood-woods, out in the middle of nowhere and then, stairs! Why are they there? How long have they been there? Are these renovations permitted? Do aliens have something to do with this?!
Erin and Nicole aren't the only ones to sh*t on this historic, Seattle Furry convention, because its attendees literally did that first! Grab your Venti Starbucks, your animal ears and an adult diaper, we're headed back in time to RainFurrest 2015! (If you haven't heard it already, or you want a refresher on the Furries/the Furry community, check out Episode 116, "Fur Sure!")
In this episode, Erin and Nicole continue their discussion on ridiculous exercise equipment throughout history! Make room for the 80s and 90s y'all, because the VIP list includes Suzanne Somers and the Thigh Master, Tony Little and the Gazelle and the horniest exercise equipment ever created, the Shake Weight!
Thanks to your Casa Bonita, Disneyland and bar-shart stories, Erin and Nicole are sharing some much needed laughter.
Isn't it fun when geological formations sometimes look like animals or butts or SATAN!? In this episode, Erin and Nicole discuss a combination rock formation and water dam, aptly named the "Devil's Gate Dam," which is rumored to be one of the Seven Gates of Hell. And seeing as how it's located in southern California and Jack Parsons, Aleister Crowley and L. Ron Hubbard did some weird sh*t there, maybe it's true!
In the summer of 2004, a jam band tour bus dumped their FULL septic tank into the Chicago river, hitting a passenger boat. This (String Cheese) Incident didn't leave anyone Dead (& Company), but it wasn't very nice for the Phish! In other words, Erin and Nicole discuss the Dave Matthew's Band tour bus incident of '04 and laugh in hysterics for an hour. They apologize to any DMB fans in advance for talking so much figurative (and literal) sh*t.
