Sarah is out this week, but Gabriel and Zach are joined by writer, director, and filmmaker Maegan Houang for two bad ideas involving peanuts and intelligence tests! In our first bad idea, Gabriel brings the story of a man who dutifully pushed a peanut up a mountain to break a world record. The gang turns it into a Rat Race-style eccentric millionaire-driven comedy of errors. Then, Zach presents a slippery tale of a man who was turned away from a job as a police officer because... he scored too h...
Jul 26, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Sarah is out this week but we have two stellar guests to fill out the required level of madness at No Bad Ideas HQ: the wonderful Chris and Jenn Sugden have returned! First up, Gabriel brings us a contest that could only take place in Florida and we turn it into an underdog story of an amateur hunter who would give St. Patrick a run for his money. Then Zach gives us yet another reason for why everything is horrible and talks us through the burgeoning private lie-detection industry protecting peo...
Jul 20, 2022•56 min•Ep. 218
The squad is back for a new episode, featuring murder, terrible hotels, and special guest star Octavia Bray, creator of Life with Leo(h)! For our first bad idea, Zach brings us a twisty tale of corporate corruption, greed, murder, shady stuff, and... well, lots of incompetence. The team pitches a film about a group of investigators who think the criminals they are pursuing are way, way, way better at crime than they actually are. Then, Sarah presents an article about an aggressively awful combin...
Jul 11, 2022•58 min•Ep. 217
The Bad Ideas crew is joined by Avery Trufelman, the creator of Articles of Interest, to tackle bad ideas featuring relief funds, online casinos, and busted stereotypical gender roles! In our first bad idea, Sarah brings us the story of a man who received a much more generous Covid relief payment than he was expecting. The gang turns it into a film about a man who is desperately trying (and most failing) to get rid of as much money as he can as quickly as possible. Then, Zach presents a unique m...
Jul 04, 2022•56 min•Ep. 216
We're so excited to have one of our favorite returning guests back in the NBI hot seat! The great Lindz Amer makes their triumphant return to the mayhem of bad ideas that people have had in real life and/or the Internet! First, Gabriel takes us to Tenerife, where a bit between a vacationing couple got way out of control and we transform it into a slow-motion horror story that makes us all uncomfortable. Next, Sarah brings us the first-world woes of a French farmer, and the gang turns it into the...
Jun 28, 2022•52 min•Ep. 215
Today: we don't have a full episode of No Bad Ideas, we'll be back with some great episodes starting next Monday. But to tie you over, we present a never-before-head (on the main feed) Patreon extra: the story of an obsession that goes too far, and the man who has to compete with an irresistible force: Adam Driver. Today's Bad Idea™ Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 20, 2022•15 min
It's our 200th episode! So we decided to do something we've never done before: we watched a bad movie and then tried to figure out how we might turn it into a good film! So sit back, relax, and laugh as we make ourselves reckon with that classic 1989 film... Weekend At Bernie's! Spoilers for the film found within. (But we strongly suggest you don't care.) All of that, plus: underused dead bodies, neat moments of cinematic humor, corporate ladders of success, rocket science, and Eternal Sunshine ...
Jun 13, 2022•24 min•Ep. 214
Unfortunately, we're short a Gabriel this week but we've tricked one of our favorite people in podcasting to come join us for a dose of silliness at NBI HQ: the great Lauren Shippen is here! And there's plenty of silliness to go around. First, Zach brings us a small town conspiracy that definitely does not involve Banksy, and we spin it into a story of CC that also, definitely, does not involve Banksy. Then Sarah brings us the story of an author who probably shouldn't have written an essay about...
Jun 03, 2022•57 min•Ep. 213
We’re delighted to have not one guest this week, but two! Phillip Thorn and Øystein Brager, masterminds behind The Amelia Project, have come to NBI HQ put their considerable talents (and cocoa) to much sillier use. We start with an idea from Gabriel about the way a couple can exert the ultimate pressure on their child to have grandkids, and turn it into a stealth Failure To Launch reboot that none of us wanted or needed. Then, Phillip and Øystein bring a bad idea of their own! We take the antiqu...
May 26, 2022•58 min•Ep. 212
The Bad Ideas team is hard at work on some new episodes, including our very silly 200th episode extravaganza. (Coming soon!) But in the mean time, we wanted to re-share this classic episode from our archives. We’re joined this week by one of our absolute favorite podcast creators, the head writer of Wooden Overcoats, David K. Barnes! We completely squander David’s talents, first, in turning the tale of one of the most incompetent thieves we’ve ever seen into one of the strangest heist plans we’v...
May 19, 2022•36 min•Ep. 211
It’s back to basics this week as just Gabriel, Sarah, and Zach are at NBI HQ today, but we’ve brought some truly terrible ideas with which to torment each other! First, Gabriel finds a sweaty Reddit post about unreasonable expectations for normal water temperature and personal space, and we turn it into a horror meet-cute where the audience is going to end up rooting for a literal hell demon. Then Zach brings us tale of unintended environmental consequences and we turn it into a political farce ...
May 13, 2022•30 min•Ep. 210
Today on No Bad Ideas: Bears! Legal advice! Revolution! Fandom! And special guest star, Marissa Tandon, creator of new audio fiction series, That Vampire Show! In our first idea, the gang has to confront the Bear League! When a family discovers that the strange noises coming from the crawlspace under their house are a family of five bears, how will they evict these unwanted woodland tenants? Then, a bakery's new fire policy defies all common sense and good practices. In our imagination, it spark...
May 05, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 209
We’re delighted to be joined this week by the incredibly talented Ellen Winter, musician, writer, and teaching artist extraordinaire! First, Zach brings us a Reddit query which we immediately decide is a horror movie, and what follows is a quest to decide just how weird a horror movie we’re making. Then Gabriel puts us all on blast with the story of a specialized cafe for writers in Japan, and we turn it into a story that is absolutely not about writers but is about creativity on a deadline and ...
Apr 29, 2022•55 min•Ep. 208
Today on No Bad Ideas... long-winded essays! Lost ideas! And special guest star, podcast producer Ponders! On our first bad idea... well, we run into some technical problems and lose the audio for the first chunk of the episode. Oh no! But never fear, we come back with a vengeance for our second bad idea, a tale of woe featuring a friend breakup and the longform essay that accompanied it. The gang and Ponders turn it into the quirky, Spike Jonze romcom we didn't know we needed. Then, Sarah and G...
Apr 22, 2022•49 min•Ep. 207
Sarah’s out today, so we’re especially delighted to be joined by the incredible Mary Kate Wiles, of Lizzie Bennett Diaries, Shipwrecked Comedy, and web video fame! Mary Kate’s first go in the NBI hot seat begins with the story of a bad liar from Alabama, which the gang turns into a heist with high rewards, deeply annoying stakes, and incredibly slow moving escapes. Then they meet the soon-to-be mother-in-law from hell and turn it into a family drama that is a trick, potentially a trap, and featu...
Apr 11, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 206
We’re so lucky to be joined this week by not one but two adorable little audio guys: Multitude’s own Eric Silver and Mischa Stanton! We start with the worst/most bored security guard of all time and we turn it into a high espionage heist (of course), with the plots coming from inside the Kremlin, but not before making a ton of Red Notice jokes along the way. Then we visit the capital of world/bored ideas: Florida. We take a story about a man’s crossbow theft and turn it into the remake of Don Qu...
Mar 31, 2022•59 min•Ep. 205
Sarah is out this week, but we are joined by special guest co-host Sam Long of Singing Land Studios and Honey and the Sting. Together, we tackle two new bad ideas, featuring brains, snakes, and other slithering creepy-crawlies! In our first story, Zach brings us a report on the neurologist who was so set on pushing the envelope on what's possible that he ended up getting his own brain operated on. The team does their best to turn it into a Jekyll and Hyde drama of a man who expands his mind but ...
Mar 24, 2022•55 min•Ep. 204
Minus a mortifying impression, Sarah Shachat is out this week, but heroically filling the third spot in NBI hot seat is one of our favorite sci-fi creators, the great Erik Saras! We start with the story of a very off-his-game, but very well armed burglar, and the boys prove that even the world’s most fractured fairy tale can be perfected. It just takes Keanu Reeves. Next, we marvel at the resilience of Hank the Tank, and take this giant bear’s story and turn it into a gritty reboot of a beloved ...
Mar 18, 2022•53 min•Ep. 203
Warning: This episode of No Bad Ideas contains some discussions of sexual activity in its first idea and gun violence occurring around underage people in its second idea. Listener discretion advised. Today on No Bad Ideas: Temptation! Frustration! Sexting! Guns! Reincarnation! And special guest star Alan Rodi! In our first bad idea, Zach brings us the story of a subreddit dedicated to testing romantic partners' loyalty. The shocked and appalled gang does their best to turn it into a romance base...
Mar 11, 2022•56 min•Ep. 202
Today we have the pleasure of sharing some very silly ideas with one of our favorite folks in podcasting: thoughtful writer, voice actor extraordinaire, and sometimes-business person, the great Leslie Gideon! The silliness starts with Sarah bringing us Disney’s newest, er, immersive experience and the gang turning that into a thriller for the ages, exploring the conflict between freedom and safety, and the choices that one family makes as a utopia falls apart. Then Zach shares one of the driving...
Mar 03, 2022•59 min•Ep. 201
More mayhem, more ideas, more Crowley! We’re delighted to have the inimitable Tom Crowley back for one more ride in the Bad Ideas-mobile. And the idea is Mr. Crowley’s! Tom lets us in on a secret source of revenue that a German circus has been taking advantage of during the pandemic, and we turn it into a rags to riches to bars fable of ambition… and animal poo. We also settle down and talk to Tom about his sketch comedy work - how he comes up with ideas, how he structures episodes of his show C...
Feb 25, 2022•43 min•Ep. 200
Today on No Bad Ideas: Stolen Cars! Unconscionable Emails! Misinformation! And special guest stars Amanda McLoughlin and Julia Schifini, co-hosts of the Spirits Podcast! We are joined by Julia and Amanda of Spirits, Multitude, and all-around badass podcasting fame. And boy do we need their help to tackle two exceptionally terrible ideas. First, Gabriel brings us the story of a (Florida) man who steals a series of vehicles with increasingly erratic and destructive results. The team turns it into ...
Feb 17, 2022•56 min•Ep. 199
Today is a big day on supersized No Bad Ideas. We have not one, not two, but THREE special guests joining us in the Bad Ideas Thunderdome. Beth Eyre, Felix Trench, and Tom Crowley, three of the amazing stars of Wooden Overcoats, join to lend their brilliance to a pair of truly odd and awful ideas. First, Gabriel brings us the tale of a woman who tried to buy a baby, and somehow we blow it up and shrink it down into a gentle indie stop-motion comedy full of heists and very organized babies. Then ...
Feb 10, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 197
Today on No Bad Ideas... passports! Courts! Fraud! Deception! Ana de Armas! In our first bad idea, Zach brings us the story of a man who bought a passport holder and found himself getting a bonus illegal item in the deal. The gang brings in Sgt. Offerman to investigate an evil scheme being carried out through Etsy. Then, Sarah offers up a frivolous lawsuit brought forth by fans of a world-famous actress. The squad uses it as a springboard to create a television show about a desperate, seedy lawy...
Feb 04, 2022•34 min•Ep. 196
Today on No Bad Ideas: Fire! Gangs! Drugs! Lies! And more! On today's first idea, Sarah brings us a hall-of-famer about an enormous Christmas goat that gets burnt every year in Sweden. The gang - once they stop cackling with glee - come up with a Love-Actually-like kaleidoscopic story about a merry gang battle royale. Then, Gabriel presents the story of a man who tries to talk his way out of a drug bust... very unsuccessfully. The team makes it into a movie about a man who finds the world believ...
Jan 28, 2022•33 min•Ep. 195
Today on No Bad Ideas: Florida Men! Underwear! The robot revolution! And the gang recording together for the first time since the start of the pandemic! First, Gabriel brings us the story of a man who tried to wear a piece of women's underwear as a mask... while going on a commercial flight. The gang tries to turn it into a film about an alien who arrives on Earth in the middle of the pandemic, and has to figure out how to navigate this strange new world. Then, Zach brings us the story of an Ale...
Jan 20, 2022•33 min•Ep. 194
We’re back! Sarah kicks us off with a Belgian church in a bind, and we turn it into a sensational scandal that might be the miracle that bring the flock back. Then Zach introduces us to the Squirrel Board and we take the concept of keeping squirrels as pets and turn it into a heartwarming tale of an unusual friendship between man and monster. Plus: Benedetta’s viral marketing campaign, an animal arms race, lovely British sitcoms, metaphors for community, and several hot priests. Today’s Bad Idea...
Jan 14, 2022•33 min•Ep. 193
Welcome back to the first No Bad Ideas for 2022! Today on the show, we bring you: fake IDs, tattoos that determine your life, accidental hacking, and crime cell phones! In our first bad idea, Gabriel presents the tale of a man so desperate for a vaccine card - but so unwilling to get a real vaccine - that he tries to use a fake arm to bluff his way through the vaccination. The gang turns it into a cyberpunk adventure about escaping your government-assigned role. Then, Sarah brings us the story o...
Jan 07, 2022•35 min•Ep. 192
In our last episode of 2021, we tackle a couple very normal and relatable problems. First, Gabriel brings us the tale of a Don Draper stan in all the wrong ways and we turn it into the cutthroat tale of a kid who takes a cynical scam much too far. Then Zach tells us a chilling story of a forgotten VHS tape that resulted in a felony charge, and we turn it into an origin story for the spy drama of the century and a great opportunity, we think, for Vanessa Hudgens. Plus: Savvy 16 year-olds, the cyb...
Dec 02, 2021•41 min•Ep. 191
Today on No Bad Ideas... Airplane crashes! Movie diaries! Darkwing Duck as a person! Cocaine hippos! And more! In our first bad idea, Sarah brings us the story of the airplane pilot who meticulously documents every single one of his crashes... just in case someone wants to turn his life into a movie. The gang tries to turn it into a movie about a foolish man chasing the wrong kinds of glory. Then, Zach brings us the news that Colombian hippos have officially been declared legal humans. The squad...
Nov 25, 2021•37 min•Ep. 190
