From the brains behind Brains On, it's Smash Boom Best. The show for people with big opinions. Hi! I'm Molly Bloom, and this is Smash Boom Best, the show where we take two things, smash them together, and ask you to decide which one is best. Today's debate is a boisterous bake-off between two sweet treats. It's cake versus cake. pie. We've got writer, dog enthusiast, and my sister, Delia Bloom, ready to give it her all for team cake.
chocolate fudge, red velvet, tres leches, whatever the flavor, it's time to party. Let's go cake. And a writer, producer, and my brother, Mickey Bloom is here to defend team pie. Ding. Pie's ready. And here to judge it all are siblings Tessa and Andrew from Toronto, Canada. Andrew loves ice hockey and video editing. And Tessa loves debate and competitive swimming. Hey. So...
Tessa, you are an avid debater. What do you think makes a solid argument? I would say a lot of evidence and analysis. I think Being able to support your points really well is really important, like having a lot of explanation, making it really clear to the judge and the audience what you're trying to say. Wow, okay. Andrew's impressed.
Andrew, do you have any advice for our debaters today? I've honestly never debated. So maybe we should ask Tessa. What advice do you have for our debaters today? Um, I think... My favorite part of debates is how entertaining they are. So just have fun and keep it entertaining. And so Tessa and Andrew, you two are siblings. So I'm wondering, I know, Tessa, you debate.
in like a debate team, but do you ever have like debates in your family? Probably. Yeah, all the time. What's a debate you and Tessa have? What to order for dinner? Yeah. He always wants pizza. Yeah, I always want Pizza Hut. I never get it. Because I don't know why. Because I don't want Pizza Hut. I don't know why we don't like Pizza Hut. So I'm curious. So you want pizza, and then Tessa, like, what do you want? Anything else? I mean, I... See, that's the problem.
For no reason. Andrew, do you ever succeed in getting pizza? I do, but it's always when she's not at home. So Tessa's like, I got reasons. That's the problem is she's too good of a debater, so she always wins. Will Tessa and Andrew side with Delia or Mickey? Only time will tell. But first, here are the rules of the game.
Every debate consists of four rounds, the declaration of greatness, the micro round, the sneak attack, and the final six. After each round, our judges, Tessa and Andrew, will award points to the team that impresses them the most, but they'll keep their decisions. top secret until the end of the debate. Listeners, we want you to judge too. Bark down your points as you listen. At the end of the show, head to our website, smashboom.org, and vote for whichever team you think won.
All right, Delia, Mickey, Tessa, and Andrew, are you ready? Yes, ma'am. Yes. Coming in piping hot with all I got. Then it's time for the Declaration of Greatness. In this round, our debaters will present a well-crafted, immersive argument in favor of their side. Then they'll each have 30 seconds to rebut their opponent's statements. We flipped a coin, and Delia, you're up first. Tell us why your team takes the cake.
Cake! Just saying the word makes you crave a bite of fluffy, creamy, sugary goodness. It's the perfect dessert and the ideal way to celebrate. Just imagine life without it. you walk into your best friend's birthday party. to your left there's a hot gooey pizza and bowls of chips to your right there's a table piled high with gorgeous gifts and finally straight ahead you look for the one thing you've been waiting for since opening
the evite, but there is no cake. You look everywhere, under every table, on top of every shelf, still no cake. You shake your best friend by the shoulders, frantically scream, where is the cake, Ishani? She says, We don't have any cake. Have some food instead. You feel like you're falling into an endless dark pit. Like you'll never feel joy again.
Luckily, that was just a nightmare scenario. In reality, we live in a cake-tastic, cake-filled world. One reason cake is the best, it screams celebration. Celebration! Wedding? Cake? Birthday? There's a cake. Retiring after 42 years at your boring job? You know that's a cake. Pie is cool and all, but if you give me an apple pie for my birthday, I will not be happy. Apple is a fruit, which is basically a vegetable, which is basically salad and...
I'm not trying to celebrate another year on this earth with a salad. No celebration! Yuck! Another cake-mazing reason why cakes are superior... Anybody can make one at any time, no matter what their skill level is. Are you a beginner baker or just short on time? Try a boxed cake mix.
In the U.S., these mixes were created during the Depression, when lots of people didn't have jobs and couldn't buy many ingredients. With these early cake mixes, you only had to add water to make a cake. Nowadays, it's estimated over 100%. 186 million Americans use them every year. Also, have you seen the pure magic of a mug cake? For my next trick, I, the Great Cake Dini, will toss some simple ingredients into this ordinary mug.
Then place the mug in the microwave for about two minutes. And abracakedabra, you have a cake. Cakes aren't just delicious, easy-to-make, instant party bringers. They're also works of art. There are pastry chefs who train for years to make stunning cakes. They make flowers or fire trucks or furry friends out of frosting. They make delicate details out of spun sugar or chocolate or edible glitter.
Some can even carve cakes to look exactly like any non-cake object. So much so, you'll ask yourself, is it even cake? Billy, have you seen my phone? Billy, no, no, no, no, get that out of your mouth! My phone is cake. Oh, gosh darn you clever cake-making Billy. Sorry to say it, but pie isn't pretty.
Usually it's a sloppy hot mess that needs a scoop of ice cream to even make it somewhat attractive. So whether you're in it for the celebration, the welcoming attitude to all skill levels, or the artistry, Nothing can beat cake. No matter which way you slice it, cake deserves the crown. A cake-tastic cake-abration for cake there. Andrew and Tessa, what stood out to you about Delia's Declaration of Greatness? She really pulled me in with the argument about mug cake.
I used to make those all the time during COVID. Yeah, it used to be my go-to snack. And I don't know, it's really quick and delicious. Yeah, I really liked how she talked about art. I really like to do art myself, so that was really fun. Also, when she mentioned like hyper-realistic cakes, I've definitely seen those videos out there. They're pretty crazy. Is it cake? Yes, it is. Okay.
Mickey, it is time for your rebuttal. Tell us why cake is a mistake. You've got 30 seconds and your time starts now. Okay, where do I begin? Cake for celebration is so old and tired. That's the only way you can celebrate, really. When I see a cake at a party, I'm like, oh, wow, they put minimum effort into this one. And I'm pretty trite. honestly, and a little insulting. It should be a little more personal for whoever you're celebrating. And look...
I know Delia was going out of her way to say, like, look, cake is so simple. Look, anyone can do it. Why is that a good thing? Anyone can do it? Is that what we want in our desserts? We want something spectacular. And time. Cake is a classic for a reason. It can be any flavor. It can be made out of anything. And also, you know, Mickey, I don't want to keep cake away from the masses. I want anyone to be able to do it. Typical cake.
All right, Mickey, it is your turn. Please tell us why Team Pi can fly sky high. Look, Pi is a forever thing for me. I'm ride or die for Pi. In fact... I love pies so much that I decided to write an entire ode devoted to this perfect pastry. Such crusted goodness knows no equal. A golden vision for the hungry eye. Keep tonight's roast chicken, for I await tomorrow's sequel. Leftovers baked into chicken pot pie.
A quiche Lorraine served hot and piping with a ham and cheese hot pocket nearby. You say ew, you mean on the side, but I won't hear your griping as I munch loudly on my sandwich pie. I'd go on, but I've made a grave error. I've left out dessert, fruit pie a la mode. Apple and pumpkin seem fairest, but banana cream's fairer. I'll drop the mic, this fork, and end this pie ode. As undoubtedly evidenced by my Pulitzer Prize submitted ode, pies are truly an unparalleled food.
That's because unlike cake, pies are versatile. You can get them savory, sweet, and everywhere in between. From a veggie quiche for breakfast to a savory tamale hand pie for lunch. Not to mention a shepherd's pie for dinner and cherry pie for dessert. gosh, I better stop there. I'll be inspired to write another ode. Meanwhile, the options for cake are limited to dessert served on special occasions. And pies have been around longer than cakes, going back to ancient Egypt.
Back then, pies were made of honey and oats or chicken. And if you walk this way, you'll find the burial chamber of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. where inscribed along the walls you'll find ancient drawings of a tasty-looking circle cut into segments. Over there you'll see a spoon, a bowl, and an ancient Cuisinart mixer. Okay, I might have taken a few artistic liberties there, but that's not far from the truth.
And pie isn't just a nourishing, delicious dish people have been eating for literally thousands of years. It's also a learning tool. Ever heard of the pie chart? From generating a family budget to showing the world's favorite pie flavors by percentage to surveying people to find the best kind of pie, as impossible as that choice would be.
The pie chart is a handy visual tool that allows you to instantly understand a given total through its specific distinct slices. Pie isn't just a food, it's a concept. Meanwhile, the best piece of cake is merely that, a piece of cake, which is a popular phrase to describe something easy that doesn't take much thought, like a cake.
Take it from me. I avoided cake for most of my life as a kid. I preferred the decadence of a chocolate French silk pie over birthday cake. Even I could taste the difference. And I was five. Ugh, the needless sugar, it haunts me. Pie is simple and elegant. Cake is just basic. Look, I can sit here and list the merits of pie all day, but sometimes the most persuasive argument is an example. In that sense, look no further than pizza. I assume you've heard of pizza?
Its status as a pie was cemented in the early 1900s, when the term pizza pie was coined by a journalist, when that delicious cheesy dish was first becoming popular. Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the world, especially in the U.S., where people eat more than 350 slices per second. And scientists have found it's a literal source of joy.
causing your brain to release feel-good chemicals like dopamine and boost your mood. Meanwhile, cake is served at the end of the night when guests are ready to leave. And this party is really dragging. Can we go home? But they haven't cut the cake yet. That cake over there looks kind of dry. And what's with all that neon green frosting?
Hey, there's still a couple of slices of pepperoni pizza left. Yes, pizza! Last one, there's a dried out old birthday cake. Well, there you have it. Pie brings people together. Cake sends everyone home. Oh, my. A rhyming, ravishing argument. Tessa and Andrew, what did you think about Mickey's Declaration of Greatness? What stood out?
Well, I was kind of on the fence. And then he said pizza pie. And I was like, I thought that was a really good point. I do like pizza. I thought you hated Pizza Hut. Well, Pizza Hut is different. I thought he really brought it home with the... the fact that it's that pie is really versatile um because i like originally i wasn't even considering like
salty and savory pies. Excellent points. All right, Delia, it is time for your rebuttal. Tell us why pie is just crusty. Leave no crumbs. You've got 30 seconds. And your time starts. Now! I'll cake it from here, Mickey. I knew you were going to bring up savory pie. But, you know, cake can also be savory. If you watch The Great British Bake Off, they make a Swedish sandwich cake. There's also crab cake.
There's pancakes with some melted salty butter on top. Speaking of that, how about a potato pancake? And how about, I have a crazy question, is lasagna a cake? It's layers of something that you bake. And time. Who's to say? Just asking questions. First off, Swedish sandwich cake sounds disgusting. I never want to eat that and I never will. You know, here's what I know. I know my heart. I know my gut. And both of which together.
Acknowledge that pie. So you don't even have to finish a sentence. It just ends on pie. You don't need anything else. I can do that too. Try it. Okay. Well, see, here's the thing. Cake. Okay. You got me there. Okay. All right. All right. Fair enough. Fair enough. Point taken. Point taken. Speaking of points. Tessa and Andrew, it is time to award some points. Please give one point to the declaration of greatness that you liked best and one point.
to the rebuttal that won you over. You get to decide what makes a winning argument. Did one team's jokes make you giggle? Was another team's logic impeccable? Award the points, but don't tell us who they're going to. Each person could get a point. Both could go to the same person. Totally subjective. Totally up to you. Have you made your decision? Yep. Yep. Excellent. Mickey and Delia, how are you two feeling so far? I was feeling confident until I fell for Delia's meticulously designed trap.
I'm going to be okay. I'm feeling great. Five stars. Would recommend. You know, I am feeling nervous, but I'm feeling ready to go. I'm ready to go head to head with Mickey some more. And all I have to say is the end is nigh for Pi. Oh, very nice. All right, it's time for a quick break. Sit back and preheat the oven. And we'll be right back with more Smash Boom Best. You're listening to State of Debate, home to rage and rhetoric and awe-inspiring argumentation.
Hello, you logic-loving lovelies. It's me, all-star debate champ Taylor Lincoln, here with everyone's favorite debate deuterino, Todd Douglas. Hello, friends, and boy, oh boy, do we have a doozy of a debate to play. for you today. That's right, and this one is chock full of logical fallacies. Those are bad arguments that make it easy for your opponent to poke holes in what you're saying.
And these two have fallen into the same trap. They're using the appeal to ignorance fallacy. That's when you say something must be true because there's no evidence showing otherwise. Let's take a listen. Admit it, Maggie. Admit what, Maxine? The cookies. They're gone. So? So you stole them. You stole the cookies from the cookie jar. Who, me? Yes, you. Couldn't be. Then who? Well, I don't know. Maybe it was you? Me? Do you have any proof I did it? No, but do you have any proof you didn't do it?
Well, no, but do you have any proof you didn't do it? Well, no, but do you have any proof you didn't know that you didn't do it? Well, no, but do you have any proof you didn't know that I didn't know that you didn't do it? Well, no. So it must be you. Wow. Not only are they all out of cookies, they're all out of logic, too. Talk about adding insult to injury. Right? Mmm. Chocolate chip.
Todd, did you take the cookies? What? Of course not. You have crumbs all over your shirt. Well, that's all the time we have for today. We'll see you next time on State of Debate. Hey friends, Molly, Sandin, and Mark here with some very big news. Drumroll please. We're hitting the road in search of adventure, fresh air, and you.
That's right. We're going to be live at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colorado on Sunday, April 27th. Our science-themed live stage show takes the audience on an adventure through the brain, complete with magic tricks, dance moves out of... body experiences, mystery sounds, and a game show. Molly, you almost left out the most important part. Yeah, Molly, don't forget the big party.
Oh, right. After the shows, we're throwing a brain-tastic bash. Join us afterward for a VIP party where we'll play games, guess mystery sounds, pose for photos, and give as many high fives as humanly possible. Snag a spot by purchasing a VIP party. when you buy your show ticket. Oh, that reminds me. I've got to start training. These hands aren't going to high five by themselves. Good idea. And remember, Spots are limited, so grab your tickets today at BrainsOn.org slash events.
The Sold a Story podcast is about how teaching kids to read went wrong. But now we have a story about a school district where things are going very right. Let me make sure my friends are sitting crisscross applesauce. I've never had a child that couldn't read. How did they do it? When I tell some of my other colleagues that may be at other schools that this is what I do, they would say, are you kidding me? New episodes of Sold a Story are available now in your podcast app.
Brains On Universe is a family of podcasts for kids and their adults. Since you're a fan of Smash Boom Best, you'll love the other shows in our universe. Come on, let's explore. It's Alien! While I wash my nose mufflers and tummy togas, I'll listen to a new podcast. How about... Whoa, I was not expecting that to work or for it to sound as good. That's the DJ Dolo technique. DJ Go! When I say pizza, you say bagel. Pizza! Zorb! Signal down! Stay right there, tummy togas.
Find Forever Ago now. Listen to Forever Ago wherever you get your podcasts. Best. Boom. Smash. Smash Boom. Best. You're listening to Smash Boom Best. I'm your host, Molly Bloom. And we're your judges, Tessa and Andrew. And we love getting debate suggestions from our listeners. Take a listen to this prehistoric debate idea from Ellis. Hey, my name's Ellis, and I have a great debated idea. Fireflies versus dinosaurs.
What an illuminating idea. We'll check back in at the end of this episode to see which side Ellis thinks should win. And now it's back to our debate. Cake versus pie. That's right. And it's time for round two, the... MicroRound. For the MicroRound Challenge, each team has prepared a creative response to a prompt they received in advance. For Delia and Mickey, the prompt was, Oh, Molly!
This is a surprise to me, everybody. Each debater has to tell a true story that involves me from your childhood. Oh, boy. Demonstrating how much I love your side. Oh, this is fun. Okay. Dillian went first last time. Ricky, you're up. Let's hear your personal pie parable. I have so many memories of my sister Molly's love of pie that it's hard to pick one.
There was the time we were on a family road trip and made a special stop at Molly's request at the Norski Nook in Osceola, Wisconsin, and out of the way Haven for pie. There's also Molly's lifelong love of raspberry rhubarb pie. quested on birthdays and holidays. But the one moment that stands out above the rest goes back years ago to the 1990s.
when there were lots of kids' TV shows that featured messy obstacle courses and trivia questions, often involving the contestants getting pied in the face. And at 10 years old, Molly was inspired. Dad, can you please throw a pie in my face? You want me to throw a pie in your face? Yes, please. It looks so fun. Being a loving and dutiful father who loves a good bit, Dad agreed.
He secured a graham cracker crust piled high with cold foamy whipped cream, met Molly in the front yard, and before anyone could yell, dairy-based topping, it happened. Molly's face was covered, as was our front lawn. And she was delighted. I am invincible! A Pie in the Face has been a staple of comedy for over a century, going back to the earliest days of silent film.
That day, Molly and Dad joined a long roster of duos trained in the sacred art of pieing, including Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello. Who's on first? Bloom and Bloom have done it again. Oh my goodness, that is a 100% true story. I remember it like it was yesterday. Oh my gosh. All right, Delia, now it's your turn to put the icing on top. Let's hear your Cake Chronicle. Molly is the host of today's debate, not the judge. But if she were the judge, I know how she would vote.
Molly is a cake person through and through. Who isn't? She loves to eat them. She loves to bake them. And years ago, she even inspired one. When Molly was 10 years old, she had an assignment for school where she had to dress up as an influential person. Molly chose Albert Einstein. Great choice, Molly.
Around this time, it was also Molly's birthday, and growing up in our family, we got to choose the theme for our birthday cakes. For example, when I was seven, I got my ears pierced, so my cake was covered in frosting earrings. Très chic! Meanwhile, my brother Mickey didn't want cake. So he would have birthday brownies or cookies or pie.
Cut back to Molly's 10th birthday cake. It was Einstein-themed. Einstein's wild white hair and big bushy mustache were flawlessly executed in buttercream frosting. Which was the real Einstein? Cake Einstein or Molly Einstein in her costume? Uh, me? I am the real one, I think. For years, we kept the slice with Einstein's face on it in our freezer because it was so special.
We didn't keep any pies in the freezer because there's no sense in preserving something so gloppy and uninspired, I want to say. Anyway. Yay, Molly. Yay, cake. Yay for Molly loving cake the best. And definitely more than pie. Yes, that Einstein head did live in our freezer. I think it lived until our parents moved out of that house in that freezer. 15 years? Because cake is so special. No, no. Wait, I'm a little lost. I'm a little lost. So you kept the cake in the freezer?
We kept only the Einstein's face that was made of buttercream frosting in the freezer. We lovingly peeled off the face and kept it in the freezer for some reason. All right, Tessa and Andrew, what did you like about Delia and Mickey's micro rounds? I really liked that Mickey's had a lot of different stories. Like there was a lot of different evidence from different parts of your childhood.
That was really convincing, just the breadth of stories. And Andrew, what did you like about Delia's? I don't know what to think about Delia's. I think maybe like... If we're keeping a cake in the freezer for that long, maybe it's because we didn't want to eat it. There's no pies in the freezers. It's because it was special. Molly inspired it. I'm just brainstorming here. All right.
Tessa and Andrew, it is time to award a point. The criteria are totally subjective and totally up to you. Did someone present some interesting story? Did they draw you in? Did they make you laugh? Did they make you think Please award your point, but don't tell us who it's going to. Have you made your decision? Yep.
Fantastic. Then it's time for our third round, the super stealthy sneak attack. This is our improvised round where debaters have to respond to a challenge on the spot. Today's sneak attack is called Dinglehopper. List three uses for your side other than what it's really used for. We're going to do this volley style back and forth, starting with Delia. Debaters, are you ready for your sneak attack? Yes. Okay, we'll start with Delia. Let's hear your first unconventional use for cake.
Totally. So we all know how fun a ball pit is. You jump in it, you get to like throw the balls around. It's like a fun, soft landing. But we don't all have those little plastic balls all the time. But what if we had a pit of cake? could jump into and just like throw it around and have a nice soft place to play.
I love that. Sounds so fluffy and fun and tasty. Okay, Mickey, it's your turn. What's an unexpected use for pie? First of all, we don't all have cake lying around, so that's not a fix, okay? And second of all, if it was me... If it was me, I would just take a pie, which is delicious, but obviously I've just finished it. But what do I do with the pie tin? Oh, I turn it into a frisbee because that's how a frisbee was invented in the first place. Oh, Delia.
Ugh, after eating a dense buttery pie, I'm not going to want to jump up and play with a frisbee. I'm going to want to take a rest. And what is better than a nice, fluffy angel food cake? Oh, just resting my head on it. Take a little nap. I'm going straight to heaven. Okay, Mickey, your turn. Why are all of your ideas about enveloping yourself in cake? I don't understand that. I also have a lifelong dream of being covered in dessert, just like Molly. Fair enough. Having said that.
If you didn't have slippers around and your feet were really cold and you had a warm, not piping hot, but warm leftover pie on the windowsill, you might want to consider put in your feet inside the pie because it's warm and it'll feel good. That is nothing like enveloping your whole body in cake, okay? I'm being conservative. Dream bigger, Mickey. All right, Delia, your final alternative use for cake. Cake?
is you know so versatile you can make a cake pop which are delicious the way you make those that you take some cake you take some frosting you kind of mush it all around and then you've got a ball and that becomes a cake pop what if you use that Same concept. And you use that to build a fort. It's sticky. It's strong. And it's going to house you. And it's going to protect you from the elements. And it will make a really cool fort.
Very nice. All right, Mickey, what's your final alternative use for pie? You listen to me, you. We're not going big. We're not going big. We're going small. Okay. You could take a pie. And inside a pie is a bunch of little pies if you had a cookie cutter or something along those lines. Every single one of those little pies could feed all of the animals of the world. Could feed squirrels. What? Birds. Listen, hear me out, okay?
Delia told me to dream bigger, and baby, this one's a goose. Are you saying you'll make tiny pies for animals out of a pie? Yes, that's what I'm saying. alternative use that's just pie no excuse me i'm just saying you don't have to go the opposite route of this wasteful cake dome palace arena thing you could go very very Small. That even a pie, one pie could feed thousands. Okay? Millions, depending upon how small these little morsels are going to get.
So he's like redistributing the pie to the people. That is exactly right. Tessa understands. She always did. No, she doesn't. That was your own brother, Tessa. Oh, my. Okay. Wow. Some really creative alternate uses for pies and cakes there. But... Tessa and Andrew, only one of them can get a point for this sneak attack round. Think about which side impressed you the most and please award your fourth point.
Have you made your decision? Yep. Ooh, in sync. Very nice. Okay. Mickey, Delia, it is time for our final round. The final six. In this round, each team will have just six words to sum up the glory of their side. Mickey, let's hear your six words, declaring pie the pinnacle of pastries. I have said my piece. Delia. Delightful. Okay, Delia, it's your turn. Give us six words summing up why cake is king.
Sorry, Mickey. Cake takes the cake. Oh, my God. What does that even mean? Delightful again. Okay, Tessa and Andrew, it is time to award a final point for this. Final six. Have you made your decision? Yep. Yep. Are you ready to crown a team the Smash Boom best? Yep. Yep. So, Tessa, first you. Drumroll, please. And Tessa's winner is... Pie. Yes. Thank you, Tessa. Thank you. You understand. Drum roll, please. And Andrew's winner is... Cake. A split decision! Excuse me? Why?
Andrew, wow. That is a betrayal. That's okay. Me and Andrew love cake and Pizza Hut, okay? Well. This was a very exciting debate. We did not come to a consensus, but that's how this works. It's totally subjective. So I want to hear, Tessa, what was your favorite moment that sealed the deal for Pies?
Well, I don't know if it was a singular moment, but I really liked how Mickey was really selling it. He was really doing the most in like a good way. Doing the most in a good way. Exactly. Even if it didn't make sense at first, he was really. I really like selling it. And I really admire that dedication. That's like a big thing in debate. You just got to double down. I love that. Thank you. Andrew, how about you? What was the moment that decided it for cake?
I'm going to agree with Tessa. There were a lot of points where Mickey really didn't make a lot of sense. Thank you, Andrew. I have no idea what he was talking about during the sneak attack. Oh my gosh. Yeah, and I also like Delia's one-liners. I thought they were pretty clever. The thing is, I like pies better, but...
Wait a minute. You like pies better. And I did such a terrible job. But you lost me so much. That you chose cake over pie? Is that what you're saying, Andrew? It's the opposite for me, actually. Like, I think coming in, I liked cake a little bit more than pie, but. This is so interesting. Mickey, it's just that you and I are so good at changing hearts and minds. Yes. That's beautiful. Mickey, I learned so much about pie that I didn't even.
know. I was like, what facts could there even be about pie? But I learned so much. And just like Tessa said, you gave it your all. And I just respect the heck out of that. You did a great job. There may have been many times when I, too, thought that's a good one-liner. And there may have been times when I thought, well, I think she's going to win because she's presenting a very clear case and it's very eloquently written.
Oh, thank you. You know I didn't want to do this because I knew I was going to cry, and it happened, and now I'm crying. It's okay. You can dry your tears with your pie. And that's it for today's debate battle. Tessa and Andrew had a split decision today, but what did you think? Head to smashboom.org. And vote to tell us who you think won. Smash Boom Best is brought to you by Brains On and... APM Studios. It's produced by me, Molly Bloom, Anna Weigel, and Aron Walder-Selassi.
We had engineering help from Derek Ramirez, Will Yard, Gary O'Keefe, and Sean Campbell with sound design by Rachel Brees. Our editors are Shayla Farzan and Sandin Totten. With fact-checking by Anna Goldfield. And we had production help from... And Charlotte Traver. Our executive producer is Beth Perlman and the APM Studios executives in Chicago. And we want to give a special thanks to Austin Cross and Taylor Kaufman.
Delia, is there anyone you'd like to give a shout out to today? Oh, yes. I would like to shout out two of my favorite people in the whole world, my siblings, Molly and Mickey, for doing this with me. And I want to thank everyone at Smash Boom Best. And I want to thank my friend Ishani Doss for lending her voice to my declaration of greatness. And for their help in my debate prep, our mom, Carolyn, and my fiance, Tony. Aww. And how about you, Mickey? Any special thanks?
Yeah, special thanks to Catherine. Thank you for bearing with me while I worked on this and you were very supportive. Thank you very much. I also want to thank Sylvie. She's my daughter. She really had no say in this at all, but I just have to thank her because... You know, she keeps me going. And a shout out to the PA at work that I practiced some debating with. You know, I presented my case to Pi and she really helped me a lot. And that was Tiana Barajas. So thank you, Tiana.
and molly and delia because i love you guys a lot you're my rock and um i couldn't do any of this without you literally this time so thank you do you want to give any special thanks tessa and andrew or shout outs I'd like to shout out my mom for driving me here all the way downtown through the snow. I really appreciate that. Yeah, and I'd like to shout out my brother and my dad for shoveling so we could drive down here.
Before we go, let's check in and see who Ellis thinks should win the dinosaurs versus fireflies debate. I think fireflies would win because only dinosaur bones are here and fireflies still exist. Smash Boom Best is a nonprofit public radio program. If you're between the ages of 13 and 18 and you'd like to be a judge, or if you're any age and you have an idea for a knock-down, drag-out debate, head to smashboom.org slash contact and drop us a line. And make sure to sign up for this.
the Brains on Universe newsletter for bonus activities, reading recommendations, conversation starters, and more. We'll be back with a new smash boom best debate battle next week. Jump rope versus hula hoop. Bye-bye. Baby, bye-bye pie, bye-bye. Ride or pie, pie or die. Either way, this was Team Pie. See you later, alligator. That was a piece of cake. Bye. I just wanted to say to you, if I have to admit something nice about you. Mickey. Mickey, you just got schooled. I know. Why? What happened?
Okay. I am trying. I'm trying. The Sold a Story podcast is about how teaching kids to read went wrong. But now... We have a story about a school district where things are going very right. Let me make sure my friends are sitting crisscross applesauce.
I've never had a child that couldn't read. How did they do it? When I tell some of my other colleagues that may be at other schools that this is what I do, and they would say, you kidding me? New episodes of Sold a Story are available now in your podcast app.